University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
The Confutation of the mishapen Aunswer to the misnamed, wicked Ballade

Called the Abuse of ye blessed Sacrame[n]t of the aultare. Wherin, thou haste (gentele Reader) the ryghte understandynge of al the places of scripture that Myles Hoggard, (wyth his learned counsail) hath wrested to make for the transubstanciacion of the bread and wyne. Compiled by Robert Crowley

collapse section
collapse section
 
 



Of late a new balad came to my hand
Compyled by a false christen man
As it is easye for to vnderstāde
In ye so madly he doth ye thinge scan
Whiche he reproueth, but here after whā
Ye do reace the answere it shal apeare
What deuilishe doctrine he hath written here
And because hys errour shalbe sene playn.
Eche staff of hys tyme I wyl answere so
That then he shall haue no cause to cōplayne
For all hys hole prosesse as it doeth go
I wyll wryt forth and not adde one worde mo
In than swere wherof, he shall se euident
How wyckedlye hys tyme in it he hath spent
And nowe for hys matter to enter in
As after foloweth it doeth begin.


[_]
The ballade.
What meaneth this gyse, I woulde faine here
Straunge sightes in my eies, there do apere
Defended wyth lies, boeth farre and nere
Greate ruth it is,


What this mā doeth meane is here straūge to me
For if he be christened then dare I say
That that thinge which he maketh so straūge to be
Syth he, he came to reason euery day
The sacrament he sawe honoure alwaye
But if he be a panym, than truely
I blame hym not muche for his greate outcrye.


[_]
The balad
Ise men honour, Both breade and wyne
For christ our sauiour, which he left for a sign
To the beleuer, Of hys death deuyne
Lorde amende thys
Whoeuer hearde beaste so shamefully ly,
No Christen man doth honour breade or wine
For nether kynds be there thoughe to our eye
They do so apere, yet fayeth doth defyne
Christe hole to be ther by hys power deuine
To whom the godhede is knit there Ioyntlye
Whome we are bounde to honoure of dewtye


[_]
The Ballad.
Wonderful syghtes, I coulde declare
I loked in the pixte Dome gods I sawe there
Made of the priests, Which sinners are


Liuinge amyse.
Wonderfull it is vnto a pagane
How a pure virgyn shoulde bring forth a child
But easye it is to a Christian man
Which hath this, how from his reasone exilde
Obeyinge to fayeth on which he doeth bylde
So if this man woulde reasone captiuate
He shoulde not ieste after thys folishe rate
Dome gods it pleaseth thys wretch them to cal
The hostes he meaneth which are consecrate
Because they speake not nor be sene vital
Ergo, they be dome: o beaste intoxicate
Yf Christe coulde be sene ther after that rate
That he walked here, wher were thē thy faith
Wher eye, may perswade, faith hath no merite


[_]
The ballade.
Frō sinners seperate, Gods son is, saith Paul
Hygher then heauen seate, Aboue ye powers al
How wt sinful hand make, His body then you shall
Syr prists tell me thys
Truth it is that christe is vp ascended
How can sinful hands then make him say you
Who euer so sayde or that defended
Truely none, nor at thys tyme doth nowe
But thys trueth all christen men doeth auowe
That after the wordes of God ther spoken
Christes fleshe is ther that for vs was broken


[_]
The balad
Thou sayest by thy coninge that yu makest him
Who hath made of nothyng Both ye & thi kyn
Heauen earth and al thynge, conteined ther in
What lye is thys
A great lye surely of your owne makinge
Ye can do it well as here doth appere
It semyth that the diuil dyd kepe you waking
That so shamefull wil lye wythout fere
His seruaūte you are whose badge ye do beat
The whych is lyeng, and our Lorde doth saye
That the diuell is father to lyers alwaye


[_]
The Ballad.
Thou wylt say with spede, It is not our acte
The worde in this ded, taketh effecte
Wyth the I prosede, that thus dooste obiecte
Answere me to this
The priestes that do say it is not our acte
But god by the word is worker of all
They that so hath sayd no true iugemēt lacke
For so it is as after proue I shal
The priest by authority spiritual
But as a minister doth execute
And god his creature doth ther transmute


[_]
The Ballade.
What word hast yu noddy, Wherwith Christ did make
Of bread his body, As yu dost crake
Wyth all thy studye, An answere take
And tell me this.
Without great studye thanswer is made
Me thynke ye presume very hye
This is my body Christ playnely sayde
You dare be so bolde to saye he doth lye
Not so syr, say you that worde say not I
Yet doth your wordes proue, syr bi your licēce
That to Christes wordes ye geue no credence.


[_]
The ballad.
Hoc est corpus Meum, you bryng
Wher wyth ye clocke vs, Under your wynge
But for your purpose, It serueth nothynge
Who seyth not thys?
Hoc est corpus meum fyrste Christe in brought


And to all hys apostels gaue the power
As ministers to do, that him selfe wrought
By the wordes spoken to them at that houre
Which wordes are strōger then castel or towr
And so shall enduer vnto the laste daye
When all gods enemies shal vanyshe awaye


[_]
The ballad.
To be the worde, Naimely of giuing
Which christ our Lord, Spake to his beleueing
Disciples at borde, as they were sitting
Their faith to encrease
Christe promest his disciples before
That the bread that he would geue to them al
Was his fleshe which he for euermore
Would giue for the life of al men mortal
Firste, at his maundy by power supernal
He fulfilled his promise geuing than truely
To them his owne pure natural bodie
Secondly Christe on the crosse him selfe gaue
In his one bodi as he walked here
And so suffred ther al man kinde to saue
But at his maundy as it dyd apere
He gaue the same body, but this in minde bere
Not as on the crosse, rightely to define
But vnder the forme of pure bread and wine


[_]
The ballad.
He is but a beast, knowyng ryght nought
Which saith that hoc est, Are wordes to make ought
Thys is manyfest, In a wyse mans thought
Wher knowledge is.
He is but a beast I maye saye ryght wel
Whiche wyll saye that God who is almighty
In sayeinge, thys is, dyd not truely tell
That, that he coulde do, but rather did lye
What beast is he this, that dare playne deny
Yf god say, this is, it is not so sayeth he
Because reason wyll not ther to agre
What and if God wylde a thynge done to be
Aboue course of nature and yet god woulde
That mā shoulde do it thoughe no word had he
But onely a deede as Moyses olde


God bade him lay downe the rode he dyd hold
Whiche when he had done it was a serpente
Then taking it by the tayl as is told
Yt turned to a rodde euen continent
God sayde to Moyses this shoulde be ye sygne
To declare his power before kyng Pharao
The whiche after he dyd by the power deuyne
Wythout anye word that scripture doth show
This doth your hygh reasō cleane ouer throw
That, hoc est, can not be words to make ought
Much more thē no wordes, ye wil say I trow
Chiefly being spoken by hym that al wrought
Yea spoken by hym, that I graunte saye you
Well, that obiection I wyll deferre now


[_]
The ballad
If, I say to the, This is my head
It must so be, Before I so sayde


Or els with a lye, I haue the fed
Understandest thou thys.
Ye for soth syr, but nowe if ye should tel
Thys to a dome beast theē durst I depose
That he coulde skantly vnderstāde you well
For he can nether iuge, head, eye, nor nose
But tell thys to a man, and I supose
He would thynke you to be ful dronke or mad
To point him to knowe his legge frō his hose
For he would thinke in ye he ful knowlege had
But nowe my knowlege may me here begile
For may hape, ye be a man of grauite
And therfore agayne I wyl turne my style
And wyl speake to you in thys thinge sadly
By your example ye meane ful madly
That christ pointed to his bodie natural
What scripture haue ye I would know gladli
That christe ment not ther of the breade at all
Yf in the scripture that wyll not be founde
To beleue your fancie I am not bounde
Mary, your example your parté trew to trye
Sayth if christ ment not so, he made a false lye


[_]
The ballad.
Wel thē to say lo, Thys is my body
Hath not made it so, Thou seyst wt smal studie
Wherfore shortely go, Make other wordes redi
These wyl do no seruice.


Here lo ye triumphe like a noble syer
As though ye had proued al that ye speak
Which is that our sauioure christe was a lier
Whē that he dyd say whē he bread did breake
This is my body, his power was to weake
He coulde not performe that he there dyd saye
He muste seeke other wordes that to conuaye.


[_]
The ballade.
What if in scripture, Were wrytten one lyne
Wherwith our sauiour, Thy god and myne
Into thys nature, Dyd tourne bread and wine
Couldest thou do thys?
What if in scripture ther be one lyne
As ther is in dede whiche I before tel
To proue that our Lorde both thy god & myne
Dyd consecrate hys body fleshe and fell
Agaynste them which chiefely ye do repel
Naye, amyte, say you that Christ did so do
Coulde you mayster parsone do the same to
Ye for soth syr, Christe dyd that for oure sake
And not for thapostles at that tyme alone
For priestes for that purpose then he dyd make
Geuynge power to them al euerie one
To consecrate hys body whē he was gone
Sayenge do thys, in my remembraunce
Which to this day hath had continuance
Ye I graunte say you that the Lorde dyd saye
Do thys in mi commemoracion
Then is it no more that well se ye maye
But a remembraunce of christes passion
It is lefte for a remembraunce I knowe
And yet christes true body as I wyl showe
The pascal lambe offred in the old law
Was of christes offeringe an onelye figure


The rocke of stone out of which ye Iewes saw
Water flowynge out, for them cleene and pure
Which stone figured christe as saith scripture
Then yf the sacrament be now no more
But a fygure onely, then these before
Were as good then as is the sacrament
But christ was a prieste muche more excellente
Which made amendes for our transgression
Leauynge his sacrament of suche perfection
That wher as the other were figures onely
Hys is both a fygure and also truly
The same thynge that is figured therby
The whiche is christes naturall body
Thys to beleue I thynke ye wyll refuse
Ye wil rather leaue christ, and folow ye Iewes
Sayeng how can this felowe gyue to vs
Hys fleshe to eate, it doth seme, ye do thus


[_]
The ballad.
Thou hast the word, wherwyth god wrought
Man beast fish burd, And all of nought
Canst thou good bloud, Therwith makeought
That vnmade is.
We haue the same word I do playne confesse
And for al your gay talke so do not ye
The word whiche as saint Iohn doth expresse
Was the second person in trinitie
Without whō ther was nothing mad saith he
By no wordes writen it was that he ment
But by his sonne, one with him in deitie
Which is with vs nowe in the sacrament
Yet happly here ye will to me obiect
And wil aske me if Moyses did not write
The veri wordes which by god toke effect
In createinge of man as he did resite
Yesse say I, wel then say you gone is quite
Al your hole matter which ye do defend
Excepte ye your priestes wil stoutly stande byte
That they by ye word cā worke to ye same end
Wel hit forsoth and spoken lyke a clarke
Ye make as though ye walke in the light
But like one through blind ye walke in ye dark
For whom that in scripture hath any syght
Maye sone se that ye take not scripture righte
God made al this world we se of nothing
Doth it folowe ye man can not by gods myght
Turn thinges frō ther nature, god being wiling
Now what gods wil is in the Sacrament
I haue tolde you before by his wordes playne
In the which the priest is but an instrument
For ye wordes ye christ spake he spakes againe
As christ him self bad, which was not in vaine
For after the wordes our Lord by hys power
Creates nothyng newe there that is certayne


[_]
The ballad
Yf wt that scripture. Thou canst not make
The least creature, How wylt thou take
On thy weake nature, Of bread to create
The Lorde of blysse.
Ye thinke al proued that ye onely, saye
And yet to saye trueth ye do but contend
By reason to kepe your fayth at a bay
Chargeinge men with that they do not defend
If we sayd that a makyng dyd depend
Of the priest or of god whiche we deny
Thē had ye some cause your time thus to spēd
Christ is ther but howe we seke not to spy
Therfore leaue of your folish blasphemy
It is agaynst our fayth catholyke and trewe
That euer christ shoulde be create anewe.


[_]
The ballad
Hauinge no word, of consecracion
Wherof the Lord, hath mad relacion
Thou teachest abrode thine owne inuencion
Which is amise
Who is more blind then those that wil not se
What botes it to shew you any scripture


Syth to no part therof ye wil agre
Which to your reasone is harde or obscure
But yet once a gayne to do you pleasure
Ye shall heare if Christ made no relacion
In scripture of the consecracion
Christ to his disiples these wordes dyd saye
I longe to eate the pascall lambe sayth he
Wyth you my disciples for nowe is the day
Of the swete bread, I praye you note and se
Howe the trueth wyth the figure doth a gre
Christe was the true lambe which ye prophetes saw
Shuld truly fullfyl the Moysaical law
Christe eat the lambe ther as the law did will
Then to showe that that law was expired
He ordaynde his lawe, that lawe, to fulfil
Which whil ye world lasts shal not be finished
That lābe was him self which he ordained
To be offred dayly in remēbraunce
Of his bitter death and paynfull suffraunce
Note here I praye you one thinge by the waye
Christ sayd I long to eate with you this daye
The passouer, by which he did declare
What great loue euer towardes them he bare
Which was not only the lawe to fulfil
But also to show them more of his wil
Which was that he woulde gyue vnto thē all
The perfite pledge of the life eternal
Performing his promise made to them before
By geuing them his fleshe for euer more
Among them so to be comunicate
That therby they shulde be incorporate
In hym than, and he in al them also
What greater loue coulde he to his people sho
But yet with this loue our lorde dyd not cease
For in his moste payne his loue did encrease
Remembring man kind sayde, Sitio
Not onely for drinke, but mans health also,


Yt was that our Lord dyd then so sore thruste
Se how this word both agre with the furste
I long (sayeth christe) to eate the pascal wt you
On the crosse, I thrust, in which I note nowe
That by these true wordes christe doth signifi
The desire that he had to geue his body
Accordinge to his promyse saying thus.
The breade that I wyll geue playne to discuse
Is my flesh, here lo, was his fyrst promise
And at his maundy he fullfilled thys
Under forme of breade he dyd it ther giue
With spirit & lyfe wherby al such shoulde liue
As dyd receyue it by fayth worthily
On the crosse also he gaue his body
To suffer painfully he was there erecte
Thus ye se that as christ dyd saye, I thurst
So dyd he before that he at the furste
gaue himself (said I lōg) which words proueth to me
the furst body & the last both one to be
Christ at his last supper as I before saye
Toke bread and blessed it and brake it truly
Gaue ye to his disciples and without stay
Bad them take and eate this is my body
Then to shew them what body he ment, truely
He added these wordes to those he had spoken
Saieng, which for your sinnes shalbe broken
What body was broken for our trespas?
No signe of a body I thinke ye wyl saye
But euen the same body which borne was
Of the virgin mary, voyd this if ye may
Then toke christ ye cup, bleste it the same waye
As before saing: this is my bloud truely
Which shalbe shed for the synnes of many
What bloud did christe shedde for our sakes
I thinke ye wyll saye his bloud natural
This agaynst your errours very much makes
Which to a voyde be able ye neuer shal


Then christe had them do this in his memorial
What (this) was it that he bade them do
Was it not to blesse, to breake, and to geue to
And to speake the same words ye he ther spake
When he the bread into his hand did take
Which wordes were the words of cōsecraciō
And then bad that on the same facion
His apostles shuld do, nowe thus ye se
That the true wordes of consecracion be
In scripture, though you those wordes skan
To be but only thenuencion of man
Yet one worde of Christe to mind here I call
Christ to declare that the law moisaical
He wolde hole fulfyl for the which intente
He toke the cup & sayed these wordes euidente
This is my bloud in the newe testament
Syggnifieng that the olde lawe was spent
With al the bloud of beastes which did figure
The bloud of Christ aboue al blods most pure
Now marke thē, if ye whē christ did playn say
This is my blud, shuld meane none other way
But in figure only, what were it more
Then the figures of the olde law before
Nor yet so much nether if ye marke wel
For in the olde lawe as I before tel
Uery bloud to figure, christes bloude truly
They did offer, vpon the which thinge I
Gather that and if the wyne be wyne still
That Christe at supper did the lawe fulfyll
Wyth a figure of bloud, which cannot be
For a figure is fulfilled we do se
In the veritie and not in figure
Chefly in thys thyng ye wyl graunt I am sure
This holy sacrament god did fore se
A great comforte for all his people to be
For whych he ordeyned a priest and kyng


The same trueth to figure in his offering
Christ is a priest sayeth Paul after the order
Of Melchisedech, now note here further
Melchesedech was both a priest and king
So was christes also as recordeth writtinge
Melchesedech was a king and yet truly
No mencion is made of his progeny
Which doth signifie that christ was a kynge
His father vnknowe without beginning
Melchesedech was kinge as scripture sayth
Of Salem, which as saynt paul plainely hath
To the Hebrwes that, that doth signifi
A kyng of peace, to whome he dyd applye
Christe our sauiour and ye besyde this
Melchesedech of Christ a figure is
In this pristhode, for as scripture doth saye
He brought forth to Abraham in the waye
Bread & wine, In which acte scriptture doeth him call
The priest of ye most hie god eternal
Christ likewise gaue ye formes of bread & wine
Of which Melchsedech was but a signe
Here may hap one thing ye wyl aske of me
Wher saynte Paul doth note them thus to agre
For nether ye prophet ther nor S. Paul
Of breade or wine speakes not one word at all
But doth Melchedechs priesthod applye
Unto christe when that he moste painfully
Dyd offer vp his fleshe and bloude most pure
Unto his father this is playn scripture
All this is true, I wyl it not denye.
Yet for my purpose agayne to replie
To Melchesedech, note here that he cam
Forth with breade and wyne to mere Abrahā
Giuing thankes to God for his victori
Which to his pristhod perteined truly
Then that being his order howe can ye
Dinie christe of the same order to be


Sith vnder the kyndes of breade and wyne he
Gaue his body, this in scripture we se
And though s. Paul do no bread or wine name
Doth he deny Christes priesthode in the same?
Nay forsoth for as of Christ is spoken
He gaue the body which is broken
For our synnes at his last supper ye knowe
And then what though s. Paul nothyng show
Of bread and wyne, yet their priesthodes agre
So much the more, if this well noted be
Melchesedech dyd not offer wyth bloud
And yet dyd he fygure Christes presthod
When he on the crosse offered his bodye
Unto his father with his woundes bloudye
Howe shoulde that be & no bread or wine there
Yesse forsoth the scripture wyll it wel beare
Syth Christ gaue hys bodye as I before saye
Under those fourmes because thei shuld alwai
Remember his death by that sacrament.
Which death the breade & wyne did represent
That Melchesedech offred, here ye se
Howe both their priesthodes herein do agre
For Melchesedechs order dyd attend
Unto Christes offring on the crosse at the ende
Which offring ther done was done once for al
To be offred so, agayne he neuer shall.


[_]
The Ballad.
For Christ hath sayd Thou cāst not shape
One heare of thy heade, whyte ether blacke.
How cāst thou of bread, Thē gods sōne make
whyche in heauen is.
Thys stafe I haue answerd playnly before
For styl ye be harping vpon one stryng
Therfore to thys I wyl answere nomore
But pray vnto god that he wyll you brynge
Out of your errour, but thys is one thynge
Except ye beleue as sayth Esay.
Ye cannot vnderstand thys hye mystery


[_]
The ballad
A better mynde. The Lorde graunt the
That thou mayst fynd, hys verite
which maketh the blind, In soule to se
what hys wyll is.
I pray God gyue syght to those that be blind
Then trust I to se your conuersion
For none is ther blynder that I can fynd
Then you bee in youre mad opinion
All other people ye can crye vpon
That to beleue scripture they shuld agre
And none farther frō it then you your selfe be


[_]
The Ballad.
God graunt the, the part, Of s. Paule to playe
I meane to conuert, From the Romyshe way
And with a meke herte, Gods truth to obaye
Who graunt the this.
Your praier dependeth of a godly intent
Which is that ye woulde haue al men forsake
There catholyke fayth in the Sacrament
And your errour in the place thereof to take
But nowe for your part the better to make
Ye call the truth Romyshe as though that we
Had receiued it of the popyshe see


[_]
The ballad
Lord graūt that our head, king Edward ye sixt
May bury that dead God which is pixte
And get in his stead, thy supper not mixte
With abuse popishe.
Lord graūt that king Edward which ouer vs hath
The chief primacie vnder christe Iesu
Truely to defend the catholike fayth
Which from the apostles dyd hole ensew
And all heresy and popishnesse to subdwe
That we may liue vnder his highnes so
In the catholyke fayth which is most true
that to ye honour of god al thinges may grow
I wonder much how ye durst be so bolde
As to pray so for the kinges maiestie
That his highnes shoulde do as ye haue tolde
A deed before god of grate iniquitie
Which is that the dead god pixte he may bury
Ye show your selfe a true subicte in this
Which doth point your king to such an office.


[_]
The ballad
That we may espie In that signe and token
Wyth spirituall eie, Thy body broken
And thy bloud plentiously Shed as is spoken
To bringe vs to blesse.
Who wold thinke, lo, but that thys man ment well
Seing that he wyshith that we may al
Se christes death ther, for so sayeth the gospel
But yet marke hym wel and perceiue ye shall
That vnder the name of this worde spiritual
As his Ballad before doth playne expresse
And here a signe and token he doth it cal
Takyng it for nomore hymselfe doth wytnes
But the catholyke fayth perfect and true.


Is, we must beleue that in the sacrament
Is not onely a sygne wher in we must vewe
The death of christe with a godly intent
But also that christe himselfe is present
Fleshe and bloud, but how that he shuld be
Reason cannot teach, therfore he must consent
Unto fayth, and then he shal it truely se
Nowe thus of this answere I make an ende
Prayenge god his greace to vs both to sende.
FINIS.