A dialoge or communication of two persons

she, now beynge deade, myght sustayne the necestiye of pore people. But there mayster parson begone to frowne, & byte hys lyppe, with hys holowe eyes lyke to

Gorgone y

monstre to luke apõ vs. I doo not dowbte he wold haue cast vs out of the temple, and spytte apõ vs, but that he dyd knowe that we were comendyd of the archebsyhope. But I dyd somwhat myttygate the manes ire, with my fayre wordes, saynge that Gratiane dyd nat speake as he thoghte, but that he gestyd as he was wontyd to doo, and stoppyd hys mouthe with a fewe pens.

A mõster y

hathe snakes for heares apon her hedde.

Mene. Treuly I do greatly alow your goodly fashion, but oftentymes ernestly I cõsyder, by what meaynes they may be acõpted without faute & blame, that bestow so moche substance in buyldyng churchys, in garnysshynge, and enrychynge them without all mesure. I thynke as touchyng the holy vestmentes, & the syluer plate of the temple ther ought to be gyuyn, to the solempne seruys, hys dygnyte and comlynes, I wyll also that the buyldyng of the churche shall haue hys maiesty decent and conuenyent. But to what purpose seruyth so many holy water pottes, so many cãdlestyckes, so many ymages of gold. What nede there so many payre of organes (as thay call them) so costely & chargeable? For one payre can not serue vs: what profyteth y

musicall criynge out in the temples y

is so derely bought and payed for, whan in the meaneseson our brothers and systers the lyuely temples of Christe liynge by the walles/dye for hungre & colde.

Ogy. Ther is no vertuouse or wyse man, that wold nat desyre a meane to be hadde in thes thynges. But in as moche as thys euyl is growen and spronge vp of superstityon beyond mesure, yet may it better be sufferde, specially when we consyder on the other syde the euyll conscience and behauyor of them that robb the churches of what so euer iuellys ther may be so founde, thes ryches were gyuen in a maner great men, & of pryncys, the whiche they wold haue bestowede vpon a worse vse, that is to say other at the dyce or in the warres. And if a man take any thynge from thense. Fyrst of all it is taken sacrylege, then they hold ther handes that were accustomed to gyfe, besyde that morouer they be allured & mouyde to robbynge & vaynynge. Therfore thes mene be rather the kepers of thys treasures thê lordes. And to speake a worde for all, me thynket it is a better syght to beholde a temple rychely adourned, as ther be some with bare wolles, fylthy and euyl fauorde, more mete for stables to put horses then churches for Chrysten people.

Me. Yet we rede that Byshopes in tymes paste were praysede and cõmended bycause they solde the holy vesseles of theyr churches, and w

that money helped and releued the nedy and poure people.

Ogy. Thay be praysede also now in our tyme, but thay be praysed onely, to folow ther doynge (I suppose) thay may not, nor be any thynge dysposede.

Me. I interrupte and lett yowr cõmunycatyon. I loke now for the cõclusyon of y

tale.

Ogy. Gyffe audyence, I wyll make an ende shortly. In the meane seson comyth forthe he that is the cheffe of them all.

Me. Who is he? the abbot of the place?

Ogy. He werythe a mytre, he may spend so moche as an abbot, he wãted nothynge but y

name, and he is called prior for this cause tharchebyshope is takê in the abbotes sted. For in old tyme who so euer was archbyshope of y

dyocese, the same was also a monke.

Me. In good faythe I wold be content to be namyde a Camelle, if I myght spende yerely the rentes and reuennes of an abbot.

Ogy. Me semede he was a man bothe vertuous and wyse, and not vnlearnede Duns diuinite. He opened the shryne to vs in whiche y

holle body of the holy mã, thay say, dothe rest and remayne.

Me. Dydste thou see hys bones.

Ogy. That is not conuenient, nor we cowld not come to it, except we sett vp laders, but a shryne of wod couerede a shryne of gold, when that is drawne vp with cordes, thã apperith treasure and riches inestimable.

Me. What do I here? the vilest part and worst was golde, all thynges dyd shyne, florishe, and as it were with lyghtnynge appered with precyouse stones and those many and of great multitude: some were greater than a gowse egge. Dyuerse of y

monks stode ther aboute with greate reuerence, the couer takyn a way, all we kneled downe and worshyped. The pryor w

a whyte rodde showed vs euery stone, addynge therto the frenche name, the value, & the autor of the gyfte, for the cheffe stonys were sent thyther by great prynces.

Me. He ought to be a man of an excedyng witt & memory.

Ogy. You gesse well, how beit exercyse & vse helpeth moche, for euyn the same he dothe oftentymes. He brought vs agayne in to the crowdes. Our lady hathe ther an habitacyon, but somwhat darke, closed rownde aboute with double yren grats.

Me. What feared she?

Ogy. Nothinge I trow, except theues. For I saw neuer any thing more laden with riches synse I was borne of my mother.

Me. You show vnto me blinde ryches.

Ogy. Whê they brought vs candells we saw a sight passynge y

ryches of any kynge.

Me. Dothe it excede our lady of walsyngã?

Ogy. To loke vpõ this, is richer, the secret tresure she knoweth her selfe, but this is not shewede, but to great men, or to specyall frendes. At the last we were brought agayne in to the reuettry, there was taken out a cofer couered with blacke lether, it was sett downe apon the table, it was sett open, by and by euery body kneled downe and worshipyd.

Me. What was in it?

Ogy. Certayne torne ragges of lynnen clothe, many hauynge yet remaynynge in them the token of the fylthe of the holy mannes nose. With these (as they say) saynt Thomas dyd wype a way the swett of hys face or hys neke, y

fylthe of hys nose, or other lyke fylthynes with whiche mannes body dothe abownde. Then my companyon Gratian, yet ones agayn, got hym but smalle fauour. Unto hym an Englyshe man and of famylyare acquayntenance and besyde that, a man of no smalle authorite, the Prior gaff gentylly one of the lynnê ragges, thynkynge to haue gyuen a gyfte very acceptable & pleasaunt, But Gratian there with lyttle plea sede and content, not with out an euydent synge of dyspleasure, toke one of them betwene hys fyngers, and dysdaynyngly layd it down agayne, made a mocke and a mow at it, after the maner of puppettes, for thys was hys maner, if any thing lykede hym not, y

he thought worthy to be despysede. Wher at I was bothe ashamed and wonderously afrayed. Not withstondynge the Prior as he is a man not at all dull wytted, dyd dyssemble the matter, & after he had caused vs drinke a cuppe of wyne, gentylly he let vs departe. When we came agayne to London.

Me. What shuld y

do at Londo: seynge y

were not farre from the see cost, to seale in to yowr cuntre?

Ogy. It is true. But that see cost I refused and gladely dyd fle from it, as from a place that is noted and more euyl spoken of it, for robbyng, stelynge, and vntrue dealynge, then is of dangerouse ioperdy in the see, be that hyll Malea wher many shyppes be drowned & vtterly destroyed for euer. I wyll tell the what I dyd se the last passage, at my commynge ouer. We were many caryed in a bote frome Calys shore to go to the shyppe. Amongest vs all was a pour yõge mã of Fraûce, and barely appayrelled. Of hym he demauuded halfe a grote. For so moche thay dow take and exacte of euery one for so smalle a way rowynge. He allegede pouerty, then for ther pastyme thay searched hym, plucked of his shoes, and betwene the shoo and the soule, thay fownde .x. or .xii. grotes, thay toke thê from hym laughyng at the mater: mockinge and scornyng the poer & myserable Frenchman.

Me. What dyd y

fellow than?

Ogy.What thyng dyd he? He wept.

Me. Whether dyd they thys by any authoryte?

Ogy. Suerly by the same authoryte that thay steyle and pycke straungers males and bowgettes, by the whiche they take a way mennes pursys, if they se tyme and place conuenyent.

Me. I meruayll that they dare be so bold to doo soch a dede, so many lokynge vpon them.