mingled â—â—ill which eâ—â—st they drew and sucâ—te from mothers brest As dreames and superstitioâ—s great and childishe seruice vaine And many lewde vngodly things inuented all for gaine They can not onely Christ regarde while thus the matter standes Nor vnto heauen bring the soules committed to their handes Them lettes the great respect to Rome and eke the Pope their head One of no small account a man of kings and princes dread Besides the great agréement of such as in Pulpets speake A matter hard it is such barres and stoppes of truth to breake And for a man to striue agaynst his profite and his gaine No mischiefe without lucre is nor superstition vaine Wherefore it doth endure and yet is kept vnto this day With tooth and nayle in euery place and maintainde euery way So that the simple people get no kinde of good thereby But nusseled from their youth by these in vile Idolatry What should I tell you how they vse their seruices deuine With mans inuentions all defilde corrupted with the tyme And how they haue set out a booke full of such filthinesse From which to treade an inch awry they count a wickednesse Their doctrine and their dealings all with filth defiled lye And greater hurt the people take than fruit or gaine thereby For not alonely doth the Preacher here the worde declare Vntruly to the people but oft leauing it doth square And spend the tyme about complaints and rayling openly If any haue defamed him or haue not worthily Him honoured If any haue their tythes not duly brought In fine what wrong or iniury agaynst the man is wrought The Pulpet streightwayes rings therof and all the Church doth sound Of raylings and of spitefull wordes his chiefe and greatest ground Amongst them some there are that to the people doe foretell If Springtime Sommer Haruesâ— or the Winter happen well What store of Wheate shall be and of the other courser graine How Mast shall prooue and how the Vine shall yéelde hir fruite againe Besides of warres and sicknesses of plagues and other geare They tell to which the people giue a more attentiue eare By much then if he there should speake of Christ or godlinesse Of fayth good workes or of the lawe and perfite holinesse Some tell againe the Turkes affayres or of the Empâ—ours warres Of Spaine of Fraunce of Venice or of lustie Myllanarres And fill the peoples eares with this till time be finished But most when of the Gospell they yll fauouredly haue red Some part where of their duetie were to see the people taught And to expound it openly then in the dead are brought And beadroll long recited is of euery bodyes name For which they are payde supposing thus to scape the fayned flame Lo this their doctrine is and this is all the care they haue In seruing of th' almightie Lorde whose seruice they depraue Then out of hand to Masse they go and dine in heathnish wise That is not hauing fayth content with olde accustomde guise When dinners done to th'alehouse streight they go as merry as Pyes And tipple with their neighbours there or else some sport deuyes To passe the tyme with Cardes and dice or with some wanton talke Whereas a note aboue them all their tongue doth alwayes walke These also should dispatch their houres and seruice orderly Which they let passe except they sée some worthie company â–ª Abrode into the fieldes they walke themselues for to disport And viewe the corne or heare some tales to make the tyme more short And least the nightes should seeme to long eche one at home doth kéepe A pleasaunt Dame that in his armes all night doth swéetely sléepe Lo thus they spend their time and on this sort doe alwayes liue The holy Ghost vnto th'elect true godlinesse must giue And euen in their dying houre must Christ to them disclose The meane that saâ—de our fathers long ago as I suppose Whereby they wonderously escapde the darknesse that was then For surely none shall saued be by meanes of these same men Tell on good Muses for the swarmes of Monkes doe yet remaine And not the meanest members of this same most holy raigne These men forsaking cleane the worlde and lothing all things heare Attyre themselues in straunge aray and certaine colours weare And frame themselues a rule to liue and follow euerychone As if so be the rule of Christ sufficed not alone And with their thréefolde solemne â—owes 〈◊〉 the townes they go Or to some desart place 〈…〉 of 〈◊〉 people tho And by their proper force they thinke vnto the Skies to clime And scape the euerlasting chaynes of death for deadly crime Whereby they shewe the wickednesse that in their heart doth lie And how they wey not Christ nor yet his famous victorie Moreouer to their owne good workes they arrogantly cleaue And of their merites great they vaunt the people to deceaue And notably they haue deceyude not onely simple men With their hypocrisie but also kings perswading them To buy their merites and desartes of price and value great And how they should be sure to saue their soules and haue a seat Aboue the Starres if they would builde them gorgious houses hie And giue them landes to féede their paunch and fat themselues wherby They might consume their dayes and spend their life at ease and well And striue the Dormowses themselues in sléeping to excell For what thing else doe they regarde or euer doe applie The little children in the stréetes these things can testifie They vaunt how that they worship God and seruice dayly sing And how they pray and often fast an acceptable thing Who doth not wonder at these things and at these trauayles tolde And thinke them worthie of such welth and Dukedoms here to holde As many kings haue giuen them and Dukes in elder dayes A goodly kinde of worship sure and much deseruing prayse While as they chaunt vp Psalmes aloude whereof they haue no skill And pray with lips and not with heart and Church with noyses fill Nor other mens afflictions nowe they way that thus haue sped Who will suppose that they can care that thus in dreames are ded Therefore they are no prayers at all but voyces lewde and vaine As when the hungrie hogs doe grunt that in the sâ—ie remaine But often doe they fast and fleshe and whitmeates bothforbeare So alwayes vsed to daintie faire they count it fasting heare If that two meales they doe not eate the shortest dayes that bée And be not serued at supper with the daintiest meates they sée Such monstrous dinners doe they make that fulnesse doth compell Their girdles for to let at large whiles as their bellies swell Like Horseleaches or lothsome Tickes that swell with filthie blood Great fishes doe they heare deuour who can prepare so good A meale of fleshe or will desire with egges for to be fed While as the Table with such store of fishe is furnished Besides with pleasant Wines they fill themselues
alone Who made himselfe our aduocate before his fathers throne These things they fayne and doe inuent without both fayth and minde That stedfast can they neuer stande nor safetie here can finde As he cannot that puttes not all his trust in God alone And in the faythfull sauiour of all our hope the stone Therfore they worship saints with hymnes songs and musike swéete With Aultars fayre and Churches built in euery towne and stréete In fieldes abrode and parishes in villages about So that no corner can be founde nor place appeare without But picture painted of some saint there gorgeously doth shine Or caruen Image worshipped with reuerence deuine And ech one hath his day alowde whereon they doe beleue That from the earth departing here the skies did them receue An other holy day they haue when church or aultar here Is dedicated vnto them with pompe and lustie chere The Churches for their sakes are strawde with pleasant flowers swéete And euery piller garnished with bowes and braunches méete The aultar also couered is with clothes of value great The Tabernacles opned are and saintes are shewde in seat Fayre guilt and finely ouerlayde with siluer sumptuously The grounde with Turkey carpettes spred and hangde with tapestry Perfumed all with franckenscence and euery pleasaunt thing That may prouoke deuocion and money in to bring Their bones they also vp doe digge and sepulchres destrye Contrarie quight to mans decrées and will of God on hye Whereby a greater gaine may come and wickednesse aryse And that they may beguile the worlde and bleare the peoples eyes And all in Golde these bones they set and rounde with siluer binde And closde in Christall to delude th'unlearned simple minde Here faine they many miracles and of their liues they preache And all their good and gracious workes continually they teache Not to the honoring of Christ nor that the people might By folowing of their vertuous life be brought to liue vpright But for to bring them from the truth vnto idolatrie And for to picke their purses here and them to follies tie For this they bring them forth abrode and on the aultar show For this they carie them about with many a cursey low And offer them to any man for money here to kisse Nor onely in this wretched case they are content with this To haue their bones in siluer closde and fondely to perswade Men vnto supersticion with this same foolish trade But also forth they shew their clothes their clokes their socks their hose Their napkins shooes and sillie shirtes their heare their skin their tose And eke the Virgin Maries milke so farre they be from shame And coales whereon saint Laurence lay while as he broylde in flame Yea more than this they shew the Haye whereon our sauiour lay Amid the maunger when he first was borne with ioyfull day And eake his coate that cruell souldiours woulde not here deuide The nayles and dredfull poynted speare that perst his tender side From whence sprange out the watrish bloud and cartlodes great beside Of that same crosse that long time since was in the riuer spide Whereof in euery famous Church some péeces doe appeare Besides the sliuers that about their neckes doe many weare And sundrie other thinges they shew which here for to resight Time suffers not nor leysure doth permit me here to wright Thou woonder wouldst how these same things so many yeres should lie And in what place they founde them first and how they came therebie But lawfull is it not to aske to doubt thereof is sinne For all things are most truly done and no deceyt therein Besides they promise pardon here of faulte and trespasse quight And merites great of waight to such as came to sée this sight So vile deceyuers of the worlde borne here to faine and lie To leade the people into hell and kéepe them from the skie To euery saint they also doe his office here assine And fourtene doe they count of whom thou mayst haue ayde deuine Among the which our Ladie still doth holde the chiefest place And of hir gentle nature helpes in euery kinde of case Saint Barbara lookes that none without the body of Christ doe dye Saint Cathern fauours learned men and giues them wisedome hye And teacheth to resolue the doubtes and alwayes giueth ayde Vnto the scolding Sophister to make his reason stayde Saint Appolin the rotten téeth doth helpe when sore they ake Otilia from the bleared eyes the cause and griefe doth take Rooke healeth skabbes and maungines with pockes and skurfe skall And cooleth raging Carbuncles and byles and botches all There is a saint whose name in verse cannot declared be He serues against the plague and ech infectiue maladie Saint Valentine beside to such as doe his power dispise The falling sicknesse sendes and helpes the man that to him cries The raging minde of furious folkes doth Vitu◠pacifie And doth restore them to their 〈◊〉 being calde on spéedilie Erasmus heales the Collicke and the griping of the guttes And Laurence from the backe and from the shoulders sicknesse puttes Blase driues away the quinsey quight with water sanctifide From euery Christian creature here and euery beast beside But Leonerd of the prisoners doth the bandes a sunder pull And breakes the prison doores and chaines wherwith his Church is full The quartane ague and the reast doth Pernel take away And Iohn preserues his worshippers from pryson euery day Which force to Benet eke they giue that helpe enough may bée By saintes in euery place what dost thou here omitted sée From dreadfull vnprouided death doth Marke deliuer his Who of more force than death himselfe and more of value is Saint Anne giues wealth and liuing great to such as loue hir most And is a perfite finder out of things that haue béene lost Which vertue likewise they ascribe vnto an other man Saint Vincent what he is I cannot tell nor whence he came Against reproche and infamy on Susan doe they call Romanus driueth sprites away and wicked deuills all The Byshop Wolfgang heales the goute S. Wendlin kepes the shéepe With shepheardes and the Oxen fatte as he was woont to kéepe The bristled hogges doth Antonie preserue and cherish well Who in his life tyme alwayes did in woodes and forrestes dwell Saint Gartrude riddes the house of Mise and killeth all the Rattes The like doth Bishop Huldrich with his earth two passing Cattes Saint Gregorie lookes to little boyes to teache their a. b. c And makes them for to loue their bookes and schollers good to be Saint Nicolas kéepes the Mariners from daunger and diseas That beaten are with boystrous waues and tost in dredfull seas Great Chrystopher that painted is with body big and tall Doth euen the same who doth preserue and kéepe his seruants all From fearefull terrours of the night and makes them well to rest By whom they also all their life with diuers ioyes are blest Saint Agathae defendes thy house
Stephens day whereon doth euery man His horses iaunt and course abrode and swiftly as he can Vntill they doe extréemely sweate and than they let them blood For this being done vpon this day they say doth do them good And kéepes them from all maladies and sicknesse through the yeare As if that Steuen any time tooke charge of horses heare Next Iohn the sonne of Zebedee hath his appoynted day Who once by cruell tyraunts will constrayned was they say Strong poyson vp to drinke therefore the Papistes doe beleeue That whoso puts their trust in him no poyson them can gréeue The wine beside that halowed is in worship of his name The Priestes doe giue the people that bring money for the same And after with the selfe same wine are little manchets made Agaynst the boystrous winter stormes and sundrie such like trade The men vpon this solemne day do take this holy wine To make them strong so do the maydes to make them faire and fine Then comes the day that calles to minde the cruell Herodes strife Who séeking Christ to kill the king of euerlasting life Destroyde the little infants yong a beast vnmercilesse And put to death all such as were of two yeares age or lesse To them the sinfull wretchesse crie and earnestly do pray To get them pardon for their faultes and wipe their sinnes away The Parentes when this day appeares doe beate their children all Though nothing they deserue and seruaunts all to beating fall And Monkes do whip eche other well or else their Prior great Or Abbot mad doth take in hande their bréeches all to beat In worship of these Innocents or rather as we sée In honour of the cursed king that did this crueltée The next to this is Newyeares day whereon to euery frende They costly presents in do bring and Neweyeares giftes do sende These giftes the husband giues his wife and father eke the childe And maister on his men bestowes the like with fauour milde And good beginning of the yeare they wishe and wishe againe According to the auncient guise of heathen people vaine These eight dayes no man doth require his dettes of any man Their tables do they furnish out with all the meate they can With Marchpaynes Tartes Custards great they drink with staring eyes They rowte and reuell féede and feast as merry all as Pyes As if they should at th'entrance of this newe yeare hap to die Yet would they haue theyr bellye 's full and auncient friendes allie The wise mens day here foloweth who out from Persia farre Brought gifts and presents vnto Christ conducted by a starre The Papistes do beléeue that these were kings and so them call And do affirme that of the same there were but thrée in all Here sundrie friendes togither come and méete in companie And make a king amongst themselues by voyce or destinie Who after princely guise appoyntes his officers alway Then vnto feasting doe they go and long time after play Vpon their bordes in order thicke the daintie dishes stande Till that their purses emptie be and creditors at hande Their children herein follow them and choosing princes here With pompe and great solemnitie they méete and make good chere With money eyther got by stealth or of their parents eâ—t That so they may be traynde to knowe both ryot here and theft Then also euery housholder to his abilitie Doth make a mightie Cake that may suffice his companie Herein a pennie doth he put before it come to fire This he deuides according as his housholde doth require And euery péece distributeth as round about they stand Which in their names vnto the poore is giuen out of hand But who so chaunceth on the péece wherein the money lies Is counted king amongst them all and is with showtes and cries Exalted to the heauens vp who taking chalke in hande Doth make a crosse on euery beame and rafters as they stande Great force and powre haue these agaynst all iniuryes and harmes Of cursed deuils sprites and bugges of coniurings and charmes So much this king can do so much the Crosses brings to passe Made by some seruant maide or childe or by some foolish asse Twise sixe nightes then from Christmasse they do count with diligence Wherein eche maister in his house doth burne vp Franckensence And on the Table settes a loafe when night approcheth nere Before the Coles and Franckensence to be perfumed there First bowing downe his heade he standes and nose and eares and eyes He smokes and with his mouth receyue the fume that doth arise Whom followeth streight his wife and doth the same full solemly And of their children euery one and all their family Which doth preserue they say their téeth and nose and eyes and care From euery kind of maladie and sicknesse all the yeare When euery one receyued hath this odour great and small Then one takes vp the pan with Coales and Franckensence and all An other takes the loafe whom all the reast do follow here And round about the house they go with torch or taper clere That neither bread nor meat do want nor witch with dreadful charme Haue powre to hurt their children or to do their cattell harme There are that thrée nightes onely do perfourme this foolish geare To this intent and thinke themselues in safetie all the yeare To Christ dare none commit himselfe And in these dayes beside They iudge what weather all the yeare shall happen and betide Ascribing to ech day a month and at this present time The youth in euery place doe flocke and all appareld fine With Pypars through the streetes they runne and sing at euery dore In commendation of the man rewarded well therefore Which on themselues they do bestowe or on the Church as though The people were not plagude with Roges and begging Friers enough There Cities are where boyes and gyrles togither still do runne About the stréete with like as soone as night beginnes to come And bring abrode their wassell bowles who well rewarded bée With Cakes and Chéese and great good cheare and money plentiouslée Then commes in place saint Agnes day which here in Germanie Is not so much estéemde nor kept with such solemnitie But in the Popish Court it standes in passing hie degrée As spring and head of wondrous gaine and great commoditée For in saint Agnes Church vpon this day while Masse they sing Two Lambes as white as snowe the Nonnes do yearely vse to bring And when the Agnus chaunted is vpon the aultar hie For in this thing there hidden is a solemne mysterie They offer them The seruaunts of the Pope when this is done Do put them into Pasture good till shearing time be come Then other wooll they mingle with these holy fleeses twaine Whereof being sponne and drest are made the Pals of passing gaine Thrée fingars commonly in bredth and wrought in compasse so As on the Bishops shoulders well they round about may
daunger lay When as hir trauailes ouerpast and ended well hir paine With rest and sléepe she séekes to get hir strength decayde againe The like in trauailes harde they vse and mariages aswell And eke in all things that they buy and euery thing they sell About these Catholikes necks and hands are alway hanging charmes That serue against all miseries and all vnhappie harmes Amongst the which the threatning writ of Michael maketh one And also the beginning of the Gospell of Saint Iohn But these alone they doe not trust but with this same they haue Theyr barbrous wordes crosses drawne with bloud or painted braue They swordes enchaunt and horses strong and flesh of men they make So harde and tough that they ne care what blowes or cuttes they take And vsing Necromancie thus them selues they safely keepe From bowes or guns from the woolues their cattell lambes shéepe No iourney also they doe take but charmes they with them beare Besides in glistering glasses fayre or else in christall cleare They sprightes enclose and as to Prophets true so to the same They go if any thing be stolne or any taken lame And when theyr Kine doe giue no milke or hurt or bitten sore Or any other harme that to these wretches happens more Now last behold how they do kéepe their sabboth daies throghout First in the morning finely drest they iet the stréetes about With garments fondly iagde and cut and prowde and lofty pace And rapyres long about them girt their great and chiefest grace â–ª Some others walke into the fieldes or else at euery gate They talke and laugh and thus begin the day to celebrate An other sort togither come and drinking hande to hande They quaffe so long till none of them be able for to stande Yea oftentimes they in their seates with drinke are strangled quight And yéelding vp their dronken ghostes doe bid their mates godnight But few of them doe care for Masse though euery one doe saye And thinke it holiest is nor to the Church they go to praye But eyther breakefastes long they make at home when they arise Or drinke vntill the euening starre begin to shine in skies Or else before the Church doore prate or in the marketsted Now when their dinner once is done and that they well haue fed To play they go to casting of the stone to runne or shoote To tosse the light and windie ball aloft with hande or foote Some others trie their skill in gonnes some wrestle all the day And some to schooles of fence do go to gaze vpon the play An other sort there is that doe not loue abroade to roame But for to passe their time at cardes or tables still at hoame Some vse to sit before their doores and backbite euery man Or newes deuise or some debate and strife whereas they can The God of wine doth neuer want in all their sportes and play Who when he once hath toucht the braine drawne the minde away Of euery worde ariseth blowes their manhoode to assay So that no sunday shalt thou sée without some dronken fray And thus of custome endeth still this solemne festiuall With dronkennesse a plague vnto the braine and members all â–ª To Ensong are they called straight by towling of the bell But from their place they list not stirre being occupied so well They forwarde with their game doe go and Church and seruice all Commit vnto the schoolemaisters or Vicar generall Some others to their Ladies sues being amorous all the while Or frame deceytes or subtilties yong maydens to beguile The wanton youth to daunsing goes and wickedly doe draw The maydens in ring and wantonnesse hath neyther bondes nor law And least the youth their pleasure full of whoredome should not take In euery Citie common stewes they maintaine and they make And Bawdes they suffer openly and cherish them withall Of whome no slender price doe here receyue nor profit small These Catholickes and holy men and Church of Christ on hie The same that all the worlde reforme and heritiks destroy To these doe come all those whom here their filthie lust prouokes Both countrie men and forriners and poore and welthie folkes Whatsoeuer they be that haue not yet the yoake of mariage tride No kinde of shame doth driue them hence nor any care beside For lawfull here they doe it sée and not to be dispisde But with the Popish sort to be an exercise deuisde Sometime it also haps that maried men doe here resort But not without their punishment if once the youthfull sort Perceyue that they doe thither come for this they dearely pay And oftentimes are vsed ill and beare the blowes away But at this same the rulers laugh and nothing doe it waye For Papistes whordome doe alow and count it but a playe For of the polshorne Priestes they learne and them they follow still That lawes are not of any force to remedie this ill The lawe Scatinian is extinct and Iulian laught at now The Papistes euery kinde of vice and wickednesse alow And not alonely in themselues they doe the same permit But also vnto all that list with Golde to purchase it But here I faine woulde vnderstande what straunge Apostle hée That gaue vnto the Christian sort this wanton libertée That where they fréely might enioye and haue them openlye And they themselues to take the hier of beastly letcherye And notwithstanding this to be true Catholickes in fine The perfit seruants here of God and Church of Christ deuine Of their religion life and déedes learne thou their fayth at full That they with emptie shadow thée not into errour pull This was the guise of Corynth great and Cyprus eke of olde While darcknesse raind and Sathan â—oule his scepture there did holde But with a worthie cloake they couer now this whoredome vile Least that the youth should happe both maydes and matrons to defile Who would not muse to sée the witte of these same catholickes Their sharpe inuentions and deuise in all their proper trickes This thing coulde Moyses not perceyue that all things else did sée Who wilde that whoremongâ—rs shoulde none among the people bée And banishte all the â—â—rlottes quâ—ght as God did him aduise No Paule it saw being lifted vp aboue the starrie skies Who did forbid that any man his members framde of right To be the dwelling place of Christ and of the holy spright Should vnto Harlots giue and make the same thereby to be The body of a hore this staine and blot commaunded he To be excluded farre from saintes and such as christned be But they haue nothing for to doe with Moyses nor with Paule Nor any honest things they will obey nor lawes at all Themselues they pardon and forgiue dispensing wondrouslye As men that onely here possest the keyes of heauen hye I many things doe ouer passe nor haue they euery where Their customes like for euery realme hath his deuised gere Yea both in Cities
Christ they are and of his office hie His merits here and wherefore on the Crosse so painfullie He suffred death and rose againe O miserable men That wauer still and haue no certaine hope nor fayth in them What ende is dewe what recompence doth here remaine behinde But onely iust damnation for this their doubtfull minde But all the popishe sort doth doubt and teach men eke to doubt If we be righteous if our sinnes be cléerely blotted out If that the father fauour vs and through his onely sonne Hath made vs heare his heyres of euerlasting life to come And thinkst thou these are Catholikes or Church of Christ aright That hearken not to Christ but ouerthrow his triumph quight And eke his death and rather had to euery creature flie Than vnto him that hath the rule of euery thing from hie I had as lieue the Turkish lawe and doctrine to professe As with the papist to beleue that teach such wickednesse What matter is it whether sect thou folowest in thy workes For papistes do no more beleue in Christ than do the Turkes The Fayth of both is fonde and vaine and both alike in showe The name alone of Christ and all his doings here do knowe In worship life and fayth they doe his powre and force deny And do dispise his benifites and cast them cléerely by The popish Kingdome The fourth booke AS Papistes doe beleue and teach the vaynest things that bée So with their doctrine and their fayth their life doth iump agrée Their feasts all their holidayes they kepe throughout the yeare Are full of vile Idolatrie and heathenlike appeare Whereby though they do nothing teach but should their doctrine hide Which yet in volumes more than one may openly be spide Thou easily mayst knowe whether true Catholikes they bée And onely trust in Christ and kéepe th' assured veritée Be therefore here a perfite Iudge and all things warely way With equall ballance for before thine eyes I here will lay Most plainly though not all for who is able that to tell But such as best are knowne to vs in Germanie that dwell And first betwixt the dayes they make no little difference For all be not of vertue like nor like preheminence But some of them Egyptian are and full of ieopardée And some againe beside the rest both good and luckie bée Like diffrence of the nights they make as if th' almightie king That made them all not gracious were to them in euery thing Beside they giue attentiue eare to blinde Astronomars About th'aspects in euery howre of sundrie shining stars And vnderneath what Planet euery man is borne and bred What good or euill fortune doth hang ouer euery hed Hereby they thinke assuredly to know what shall befall As men that haue no perfite fayth nor trust in God at all But thinke that euery thing is wrought and wholy guided here By moouing of the Planets and the whirling of the Speare No vaine they pearse nor enter in the bathes at any day Nor pare their nayles nor from their hed do cut the heare away They also put no childe to nurse nor mend with doung their ground Nor medicine do receyue to make their crased bodies sound Nor any other thing they do but earnestly before They marke the Moone how she is placde and standeth euermore And euery planet howe they rise and set in eche degrée Which things vnto the perfite fayth of Christ repugnant bée Which first I showe least in my course I should be driuen plaine To call to minde these foolishe toyes now to my theame againe Three weekes before the day whereon was borne the Lorde of grace And on the Thursday Boyes and Girles do runne in euery place And bounce and beate at euery doore with blowes and lustie snaps And crie the aduent of the Lorde not borne as yet perhaps And wishing to the neighbours all that in the houses dwell A happie yeare and euery thing to spring and prosper well Here haue they peares and plumbs pence ech man giues willinglée For these thrée nightes are alwayes thought vnfortunate to bée Wherein they are afrayde of sprites and cankred witches spight And dreadfull deuils blacke and grim that then haue chiefest might In these same dayes yong wanton Eyrles that meete for mariage â—ée Doe search to know the names of them that shall their husbandes bee Foure Onyons fiue or eight they take and make in euery one Such names as they do fansie most and best do thinke vpon Thus néere the Chimney them they set and that same Onyon than That first doth sproute doth surely beare the name of their good man. Their husbandes nature eke they séeke to know and all his guise When as the Sunne hath hid himselfe and left the starrie skies Vnto some woodstacke do they go and while they there do stande Eche one drawes out a faggot sticke the next that commes to hande Which if it streight and euen be and haue no knots at all A gentle husband then they thinke shall surely to them fall But if it fowle and crooked be and knottie â—ere and theare A crabbed churlish husband then they earnestly do feare These things the wicked Papistes beare and suffer willingly Bicause they neyther do the ende nor fruites of faith espie And rather had the people should obey their foolish lust Than truely God to know and in him here alone to trust Then comes the day wherein the Lorde did bring his birth to passe Whereas at midnight vp they rise and euery man to Masse This time so holy counted is that diuers earnestly Do thinke the waters all to wine are chaunged sodainly In that same houre that Christ himselfe was borne and came to light And vnto water streight againe transformde and altred quight There are beside that mindfully the money still do watch That first to aultar commes which then they priuily do snatch The Priestes least other should it haue takes oft the same away Whereby they thinke throughout the yeare to haue good lucke in play And not to lose then straight at game till daylight do they striue To make some present proofe how well their hallowde pence wil thriue Thrée Masses euery Priest doth sing vpon that solemne day With offrings vnto euery one that so the more may play This done a woodden childe in clowtes is on the aultar set About the which both boyes and gyrles do daunce and trymly iet And Carrols sing in prayse of Christ and for to helpe them heare The Organs aunswere euery verse with swéete and solemne cheare The Priestes doe rore aloude and round about the parentes stande To sée the sport and with their voyce do helpe them and their hande Thus woont the Coribants perhaps vpon the mountaine Ide The crying noyse of Iupiter new borne with song to hide To daunce about him round and on their brasen pannes to beate Least that his father finding him should him destroy and eate Then followeth Saint