The Assemble of Goddes Part 11

Embraced in armes to the golden gate.

And holy Iohan Baptyst in desert sat.

And now comyth to my remembrunce.

I am auysed I saw Sodechy: And Amos also with sober countenaunce.

Stondyng wyth her faces towarde Sophony.

Neemy & Esdras bare hem companye.

The holy man Iob as an Impotente.

Then folowed in pycture wyth Thoby pacyent

Thyse wyth many mo on that one syde.

Of that grene herber portrayed were.

A sayd Morpleus a lytyll tyme abyde.

Turn thy face where thy backe was ere.

And beholde well what thou seeste there.

Than I me turned as he me badde.

With herte stedfaste & countenaunce sadde.

Where I sawe Peter wyth his keyes stonde.

Poule wyth a swerde and Iames also.

Wyth a scalop & Thomas holdyng in his honde A spere and Phylyp aproched hym to: Iames the lesse nexte hem in pycture too.

Stode wyth Bartylmew whych was all flayn Symon & Thadee shewed how they were slayn

Mathy and Barnabe drawy{n}g lottys stode Nexte whome was Marke a Lyon hym by.

Hys boke holdyng & Mathew in his mode.

Resembled an aungell wyth wyngys gl{or}yously. Original has Luke had a calfe to holde his boke on hye. gl{or}youly And Iohan wyth a cuppe & palme in his honde. instead of An Egle bare his book thus saw I hem stonde gl{or}yously

Gregory and Ierome Austyn and Ambrose.

Wyth pyllyo{n}s on ther hedes stode lyke doctors Bernard wyth Amselme and as I suppose. Original has Thomas of alquyne and Domynyk co{n}fessours. suppese Benet and Hew relygyous gouernours. instead of Martyn & Iohan with bysshops tweyne. suppose Were there also and Crysostom certayne.

Behynd all thyse was worshypfull Bede.

All behynde and next hym stood Orygene.

Hydynge his face as he of his dede.

Had hem ashamed ye wote what I mene. Original has For of errour he was not al clene. bem instead And on that syde stode laste of alle. of hem The n.o.ble p{ro}phetyssa Sybell men her call.

Let me remembre now I you pray My barayn is so thynne I deme in my herte Some of the felyshyp that I there say.

In all this whyle to haue ouersterte.

A benedicite none coude I aduerte.

To thy{n}ke on Andrew the apostle {with} his crosse.

Whome to forgete were a grete losse.

Many one were peynted on that wall.

Whoos names come not to my remembrau{n}ce.

But thyse I marked in especyall.

And moo coude I tell in countenaunce.

Of tyme but forth to shewe you the substaunce.

Of this mater in the myndys of that arbere.

Sat Doctryne coloured as ony crystall clere.

Crowned as I tolde you late here before.

Whoos apparayl wos worth tresour Infynyte All erthly rychesse count I no more.

To that in co{m}paryson valewy{n}g the{n} a myte.

Ouer her hede houed a culuer fayr & whyte.

Out of her byll p{ro}ceded a grete leme.

Downward to Doctryne lyke a sonne beme

The wordes of Doctryne yaue grete redole{n}s In swetnesse of sauour to her dyscyples al.

It fer exceded myr & frankencense.

Or ony other tre spyce or els galle.

And whan she me espyed anone she gan me cal.

A{n}d co{m}mau{n}ded morple{us} {that} he shold bry{n}g me nere For she wold me hew the effect of my desyre. Original has Ad{n}, bry{n} She sayd I know the cause of thy comyng. and theffect Is to vnderstond be myn enformal yon. instead of Sensyble the mater of morpleus his shewynge A{n}d, bry{n}g As he hath the led about in vesyon. and the effect Wherfore now I apply thy natural reason.

Vnto my wordes & or thou hens wend.

Thou shalt it know begynnyng and ende.

For whan Colus to pluto was broughte: By hys owne neclygence taken prysonere.

Wythin the erth for he so fer foughte.

Sygnyfed is no more be that matere.

But only to shew the how it doth appere: That welth vnbrydeled at thyn eye.

Enbraseth mysrewle and oft causyth foly.

For lyke as Colus beyng at his large Streyted hymself thrugh his own lewdenesse For he wolde deele where he had no charge Ryght soo wantons by her wyldenesse Oftesythe bryng hymselfe in dystresse Because they sometyme to largely deele What may wors be suffred tha{n} ouermykell weele

By Mynos the Iuge of h.e.l.l desparate May be vnderstonde G.o.ddys ryghtwysnes That to euery wyght his payne deputate a.s.sygneth acordyng to his wyckednes Wherfore he is called Iuge of cruelnes And as for Dyana & Neptunus compleynte Fygured may be fooles reason feynt.

For lyke as they made her suggestyon To haue me Colus from cours of hys kynde Which was Impossyble to bryng to correccyon For euermore hys lyberte haue wyll the wynde In lyke wyse fooles other whyle be blynde Wenyng to subdew with her one honde That is ouermykell for all an hole londe

But what foloweth therof that shall thou here When they were come to the bankete The grete Apollo with his sad chere Soo fayre & curtously gan theym entret That he made her beerdys on the new gete Loo what wysdome dooth to a foole Wherefore are children put to scoole

Ofte is it seen with sobre contenaunce That wyse men fooles ouercome ay Tornyng as hem lyst & all her varyaunce Chaunge from ernest in to mery play What were they bothe amendeth that day When they were dreuen to her wyttes ende Were they not fayne to graunt to be his frende

Ryght soo fooles when they haue done All that they can than be they fayne Gyue vp hed mater to oblyuyone Without rewarde they haue no more brayne And yet ful ofte hath hit be sayne When they it haue foryete & set at nought That they full dere haue afterwarde it bought

And as for all tho that represent To be called G.o.ddys at that banket Resemble false ydollys but to his entent Was Morpleus co{m}maunded thyder the to fet That thou sholdest know the maner & the get Of the paynym law and of her byleue How false ydolatry ledeth hem by the sleue

For soone vppon the worldys creacyon When Adam and Eve had broke the precept Whiche clerkes call the tyme of deuyacyon The worldly people in paynym law slept Tyll moyses vnd{er} G.o.d the tables of stone kept In whiche tyme Poetes feyned many a fable To dyscrete Reason ryght acceptable

And to the entent that they sholde sounde To the eeres of hem the more pleasantly That they{m} sholde rede or here the yaue they{m} a grou{n}d{e} And addid names vnto they{m} naturally Of whom they spake & callid he{m} G.o.ddis hy Some for the strength & myght of her nature And some for her sotyll wytty coniecture

By nature thus as the seuen planettes Haue her propre names by Astronomeres But G.o.ddys were they called by old Poetes For her gret feruency of werkyng in her speres Experyence preueth this at all yeres And for as other that G.o.ddys called be For sotyll wytte that shall I teche the

How they by that hyghe name of G.o.d cam In this sayd tyme the people was so rude That what maner creature man or woman Coude ony newelte contryue and conclude For the comon wele all the multytude Of the comon people a G.o.d sholde hym call Or a G.o.ddesse after hit was fall

Of the same thyng that was so newefounde As Ceres for she the crafte of tylthe fonde Wherby more plentouously corne dyd habou{n}de The people her called thrugh out euery londe G.o.ddesse of corne wendyng in her honde Had layn all power of cornes habundaunce Thus were {the} Paynems deceyued by ignorau{n}ce

In lyke maner Isys was called the G.o.ddesse Of frute for she fyrst made it multuply By the name of graffyng & s...o...b.. processe The name of Pan gan to deyfy For he fyrst founde the mene shepe to guy Some toke it also by her condycyon As Pluto Fortune and suche other doon

Thus all that Poetes put vnder couerture Of fable the rurall people hit toke Properly as acte refusyng the fygure Original has Which errour some of hem neuer forsoke arte Ofte a false myrour deceyueth a mannes loke instead of As thou mayst dayly pryue at thyne ey acte Thus were the paynyms deceyued generally

That seyng the dedely enemy of mankynde By his pouer premyssyue entred the ymagys Within the Temples to make the people blynde In her ydolatry standyng on hyghe stagys Insomoche whoo vsed dau{n}gerous pa.s.sagys Ony maner way by water or be londe When hyd his sacryfyce his answere redy fonde