A new Enterlude, neuer before this tyme imprinted, entreating of the Life and Repentaunce of Marie Magdalene not only godlie, learned and fruitefull, but also well furnished with pleasaunt myrth and pastime, very delectable for those which shall heare or reade the same |
The Prologue.
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 | A new Enterlude, neuer before this tyme imprinted, entreating of the Life and Repentaunce of Marie Magdalene |  |
The Prologue.
Nulla tam modesta felicitas est
Quæ malignantis dentes vitare possit.
Quæ malignantis dentes vitare possit.
No
state of man, be it neuer so modest,
Neuer so vnrebukeable and blamelesse,
No person, be he neuer so good and honest,
Can escape at any season now harmelesse,
But the wicked teeth of suche as be shamelesse,
Are ready most maliciously him for to byte,
Like as Ualerius in his fourth booke doth write.
Neuer so vnrebukeable and blamelesse,
No person, be he neuer so good and honest,
Can escape at any season now harmelesse,
But the wicked teeth of suche as be shamelesse,
Are ready most maliciously him for to byte,
Like as Ualerius in his fourth booke doth write.
We and other persons haue exercised
This comely and good facultie a long season,
Which of some haue bene spitefully despised,
Wherefore I thinke they can alleage no reason,
Where affect ruleth, there good iudgemēt is geason.
They neuer learned the verse of Horace doubtles,
Nec tua laudabis studia, aut aliena reprehendes,
This comely and good facultie a long season,
Which of some haue bene spitefully despised,
Wherefore I thinke they can alleage no reason,
Where affect ruleth, there good iudgemēt is geason.
They neuer learned the verse of Horace doubtles,
Nec tua laudabis studia, aut aliena reprehendes,
Thou shalt neither praise thyne owne industrie,
Nor yet the labour of other men reprehend,
The one procedeth of a proude arrogancie,
And the other from enuie, which doth discommend,
All thyngs that vertuous persons doe intend.
For euill will neuer said well, they do say,
And worse tungs were neuer heard before this day.
Nor yet the labour of other men reprehend,
The one procedeth of a proude arrogancie,
And the other from enuie, which doth discommend,
All thyngs that vertuous persons doe intend.
For euill will neuer said well, they do say,
And worse tungs were neuer heard before this day.
I maruell why they should detract our facultie:
We haue ridden and gone many sundry waies,
Yea, we haue vsed this feate at the vniuersitie,
Yet neither wise nor learned would it dispraise:
But it hath ben perceiued euer before our dayes,
That foles loue nothing worse thā foles to be called,
A horse will kick if you touche where he is galled.
We haue ridden and gone many sundry waies,
Yea, we haue vsed this feate at the vniuersitie,
Yet neither wise nor learned would it dispraise:
But it hath ben perceiued euer before our dayes,
A horse will kick if you touche where he is galled.
Doth not our facultie learnedly extoll vertue?
Doth it not teache, God to be praised aboue al thing?
What facultie doth vice more earnestly subdue?
Doth it not teache true obedience to the kyng?
What godly sentences to the mynde doth it bryng?
I saie, there was neuer thyng inuented
More worth, for mans solace to be frequented.
Doth it not teache, God to be praised aboue al thing?
What facultie doth vice more earnestly subdue?
Doth it not teache true obedience to the kyng?
What godly sentences to the mynde doth it bryng?
I saie, there was neuer thyng inuented
More worth, for mans solace to be frequented.
Hipocrites that wold not haue their fautes reueled
Imagine slaunder our facultie to let,
Faine wold they haue their wickednes still concealed
Therfore maliciously against vs they be set,
O (say they) muche money they doe get.
Truely I say, whether you geue halfpence or pence,
Your gayne shalbe double, before you depart hence.
Imagine slaunder our facultie to let,
Faine wold they haue their wickednes still concealed
Therfore maliciously against vs they be set,
O (say they) muche money they doe get.
Truely I say, whether you geue halfpence or pence,
Your gayne shalbe double, before you depart hence.
Is wisedom no more worth than a peny trow yon?
Scripture calleth the price therof incomparable.
Here may you learne godly Sapience now,
Which to body and soule shal be profitable.
To no person truly we couet to be chargeable,
For we shall thinke to haue sufficient recompence,
If ye take in good worth our simple diligence.
Scripture calleth the price therof incomparable.
Here may you learne godly Sapience now,
Which to body and soule shal be profitable.
To no person truly we couet to be chargeable,
For we shall thinke to haue sufficient recompence,
If ye take in good worth our simple diligence.
In this matter whiche we are about to recite,
The ignorant may learne what is true beleue,
Wherof the Apostles of Christ do largely write,
Whose instructions here to you we wil geue,
Here an example of penance the heart to grieue,
May be lerned, a loue which from Faith doth spring,
Authoritie of Scripture for the same we will bring.
Of the Gospell we shall rehearse a fruictfull story,
Written in the .vii. of Luke with wordes playne
The storie of a woman that was right sory
For that she had spent her life in sinne vile and vain,
By Christes preachyng she was conuerted agayn,
To be truly penitent by hir fruictes she declared,
And to shew hir self a sinner she neuer spared.
The ignorant may learne what is true beleue,
Wherof the Apostles of Christ do largely write,
Whose instructions here to you we wil geue,
Here an example of penance the heart to grieue,
May be lerned, a loue which from Faith doth spring,
Authoritie of Scripture for the same we will bring.
Of the Gospell we shall rehearse a fruictfull story,
Written in the .vii. of Luke with wordes playne
For that she had spent her life in sinne vile and vain,
By Christes preachyng she was conuerted agayn,
To be truly penitent by hir fruictes she declared,
And to shew hir self a sinner she neuer spared.
Hir name was called Mary of Magdalene,
So named of the title of hir possession,
Out of hir Christ reiected .vii. spirites vncleane,
As Mark and Luke make open profession.
Doctours of high learnyng, witte, and discretion,
Of hir diuers and many sentences doe write,
Whiche in this matter we intend now to recite.
So named of the title of hir possession,
Out of hir Christ reiected .vii. spirites vncleane,
As Mark and Luke make open profession.
Doctours of high learnyng, witte, and discretion,
Of hir diuers and many sentences doe write,
Whiche in this matter we intend now to recite.
Of the place aforesaid, with the circumstance,
Onely in this matter (God willing) we will treate.
Where we will shewe that great was hir repentance,
And that hir loue towards Christ was also as great.
Hir sinne did not hir conscience so greuously freate,
But that Faith erected hir heart again to beleue,
That God for Christs sake wold all hir sins forgeue.
Onely in this matter (God willing) we will treate.
Where we will shewe that great was hir repentance,
And that hir loue towards Christ was also as great.
Hir sinne did not hir conscience so greuously freate,
But that Faith erected hir heart again to beleue,
That God for Christs sake wold all hir sins forgeue.
We desire no man in this poynt to be offended,
In that vertues with vice we shall here introduce,
For in men and women they haue depended:
And therfore figuratiuely to speake, it is the vse.
I trust that all wise men will accept our excuse.
Of the Preface for this season here I make an ende,
In godly myrth to spend the tyme we doe intende.
In that vertues with vice we shall here introduce,
For in men and women they haue depended:
And therfore figuratiuely to speake, it is the vse.
I trust that all wise men will accept our excuse.
Of the Preface for this season here I make an ende,
In godly myrth to spend the tyme we doe intende.
The ende of the Preface.
| A new Enterlude, neuer before this tyme imprinted, entreating of the Life and Repentaunce of Marie Magdalene | |