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IN good faith vncle, as for thus farforth, I not onelye can make with anye reason, no resys∣tence there agaynste, but also see very clerely that it can be none otherwyse but that euery manne is in thys worlde a verye prysoner, sythe wee bee all putte here into a sure holde to be kepte, tyll wee be putte to execucyon as folke alreadye condemned all to deathe. But yet Uncle that strayte kepynge, collerynge, boltynge, and stockynge, wyth lying in
strawe or on the colde ground, (which maner of harde handling is vsed in these speciall priesonmentes that onely be commonlye called by that name) must nedes make that impriesonment which only among the peo∣ple beareth that name, muche more odious and dreade∣ful than ye general impriesonmēt wherwith we be eue∣ry man vniuersally priesoned at large, walkyng where we wil roūd about ye wide world: In which brode prie∣sō, out of those narrow priesons, there is with ye prieso∣ners no such hard handlyng vsed.
I sayde, I trowe Cosyn, that I purposed to proue you farther yet, that in this generall prieson, the large prieson I meane of this whole world folke, be for the tyme that they be therin as sore handled and as hardly, and wrē∣ched and wrongen, and braked in suche paynful wyse, that our hertes (saue that we consider it not) haue with reason good and greate cause to grudge agaynst. And (as farreforth onely as pertayneth to the respecte of payne) as much horror to conceiue agaynst the harde handling that is in this prieson, as the tother that is in that
In dede vncle trueth it is that this you sayd you woulde proue.
Naye so muche saide I not Cosyn, but I sayde I woulde if I coulde, and if I could not, than woulde I therin geue ouer my parte. But yt trust I Cosyn, I shall not nede to doe, the thing semeth me so playn. For Cosyn, though the prince and Kynges haue bothe Aungelles and deuylles that are Gaylors ouer hym, yet the chiefe Gaylor ouer thys whole brode prieson the worlde, is (as I take it) God. And that I suppose you will graunt me too.
That will I not vncle denye.
If a man be Cosin cōmitted vnto prieson, for no cause but to bee kept, though there lye neuer so
greate charge vppon hym, yet his keper if he bee good and honeste, is neyther so cruell that wou••de payne the manne of malyce, nor so couetyse that woulde put hym to payne to make hym seeke hys frendes, and to paye for a pennye worthe of ease. Elles if the place be suche that he be sure to kepe hym safe otherwyse, or yt he can geat suretye, for the recompence of more harme than he seeth he shoulde haue if he scaped: He wyl ne∣uer handle him in any such harde fashion•• as we most abhorre imprisonment for. But marye if the place be suche, as the keper can not otherwyse be sure, then is he compelled to kepe hym after the rate the straiter. And also if the prisoner be vnruly, and fall to fyghting with his felowes, or doe some other maner of shrewde turne, then vseth the keper to punish hym sundry wise, in some of such fashions as your selfe haue spoken of. So is it now Cosin, that god the chief Iailor as I say of thys brode pryeson the worlde, is neyther cruell nor coue••ise. And this pryeson is also so sure and so subtellye buylded, that albeit that it lyeth open vp∣pon euerye syde wythoute anye walle in the worlde: yet wandre we neuer so farre aboute therein, the waye to geat oute at, shall we neuer fynde, so that he nedeth neyther to coller vs, nor to sto••ke vs, for anye feare of scapyng awaye. And therefore (excepte he see some other cause than oure onelye kepyng for death) he let∣teth vs in the meane whyle (for as longe as he luste to respite vs) walke aboute in the pryeson, and dooe therein what we wyll: vsyng oure selfe in such wyse as he hath (by reason and reuelacyon from tyme to tyme tolde vs hys pleasure.) And hereof it com∣meth, loe, that by reason of thys fauou••e for a tyme,
wee waxe as I sayde so wanton, that we forgeat where wee be: wenyng that wee were Lordes at large, where as wee be in dede (if wee woulde well consyder it) euē sely poore wretches in prieson.
For of trueth our verye prieson, this earth is: and yet thereof we caute vs oute (partely by couenaūtes y• we make among vs, and part by fraud, & part by violence too) dyuers partes diuersly to oure selfe, and chaunge the name therof, from the odious name of prison, and call it oure owne lande or our liuelode. Upon our pry∣son we buylde oure prison, we garnishe it with golde, and make it g••orious. In this pryson they bye and sel. In this prieson they brawle and chyde. In this pry∣son they runne together and fight. In this they dyce. In this they carde. In this they pype and reuill. In thys they synge and daunce. And in this prieson ma∣ny a man reputed right honest, letteth not for his plea∣sure in ye darke prieuelye to playe ye knaue. And thus while god our kyng, and our chief Iaylor too, suffreth vs and letteth vs alone: we wene oure self at libertie, and we abhorre the state of those whom we call prye∣soners, takyng our selues for no pryesoners at al. In whyche false perswasion of wealth, and forgeatfulnes of oure owne wretched s••ate (whiche is but a wande∣ryng aboute for a while, in this prieson of this world, tyll we be brought vnto the execucyon of ••eath) whyle wee forgeat with oure sollye bothe oure selfe and oure Gayle, and oure vnder Iaylours Aungels and deuils bothe. And oure chiefe Iailoure God too, GOD that forgeat••eth not vs, but seeth vs all the whyle well ynough, and beyng sore dyscontente to see so shreude rule kepte in the Iayle (:beesyde that he sendeth the hange manne deathe, to putte to execucyon, here and
there: some tymes by ye thousādes at once) he handleth many of the remnaunte (whose execucion he forbea∣reth yet vnto a farther tyme) euen as hardly, and ••uni∣sheth them as sore, in ••hys common pryeson of the worlde, as there are anye handled in those specyal prye••ons, whyche for the hard handlyng, vsed you say therein, youre heart hath in such horror, and so sore ab∣horreth.
The remnaunt wyl I not gayne saye. For me ••hynke I see it so in dede, but that god oure chief Iay∣lor in this worlde vseth any suche priesonlye fashyon of punishment, that poynt I must nedes denie. For I neither see hym laye anye man in the stockes or strike fetters on his legges, and so muche as shutte hym vp in a chaumber eyther.
Is he no minstrell Cosin, ••hat playeth not on a harpe? maketh no manne no melodie, but he that playeth on a lute? He may be a minstrell and make me∣lodye you wote well, wyth some other instrument, some straunge fashioned peraduenture that neuer was sene before.
God oure chyefe Iayl••ure, as hymselfe is inuysyble, so vseth he in hys punyshemente inuysyble instru∣mentes: and therefore not of lyke fashyon•• as the to∣ther Iaylours dooe: but yet of lyke effect, and as pain∣full in felyng as those. For he laye••h one of his prieso∣ners with an hote f••uer, as euil at his ease, in a warme bedde as the tother Iaylour layeth hys vpon the cold grounde. He wryngeth hym by the browes with a my∣greme he collereth them by the necke with a quynsy: bolteth them by the armes with a palsey, that they can not lyfte theyr handes to theyr heades: he manacleth
theyr handes, with the goute in their fingers: he wrin∣geth thē by the legges with a crampe in their shinnes•• he byndeth them to the bedde borde, wyth the c••icke in the backe: and lyeth on there a longe and as vna∣ble to ryfe•• as though he laye by the fee••e fa••te in the stockes.
Some pryesoner of another Gayle, syngeth, daunceth in hys two fetters, and feareth not his feete for stum∣blyng at a stone, whyle goddes priesoner that hath but hys one foote fettered with the goute, lyeth gronynge on a couche, and quaketh and cryeth oute, if he feare there woulde fall on his foote no more but a cushion. And therefore Cosin as I sayde, if we consider it wel, we shal fynd this general prieson of this whole earth•• a place in whyche the pryesoners be as sore handled as thei be in ye other. And euen in the other some make as merye too, as there dooe some in this, that are ve∣rye merye at large oute of that. And surelye, lyke as wee wene oure selfe oute of pryeson nowe: so if there were some folke borne and broughte vp in a prieson, that neuer came on the walle, or loked out of the dore, nor neuer heard of other worlde abrode, but ••aue some for shrewde turnes done among them selfe, lo••ked vp in s••rayter rowme, and heard them ••nelye called prye••oners that were so serued, and them selfe euer called free folke at large: the lyke opinion would they haue there of them selfe than, that we haue here of our selfe nowe. And when wee take oure selfe for other than pryesoners nowe, as verely be we deceiued now•• as tho••e pri••soners shoulde there be than.
I can not Uncle in good fayth saye naye, but that you haue perfourmed al that you haue promi∣sed: but yet sith that for al this there appeareth no more
but that as they be priesoners, so be we too: and that as some of them be sore handled so be some of vs too: syth we wote well for all thys, that when wee come to those pryesons, we shall not fayle to be in a straiter pri∣son then wee be nowe: and to haue a doore shutte vp∣pon vs, where we haue none shutte on vs nowe: thys shall we be sure of at the leaste wyse, if there come no worse. And ••hen may there come worse you wote well it commeth there so commonlye, wherefore for al thys, it is yet litle meruaile though mennes heartes grudge muche there against.
Surely Co••yn in thys you saye very well, howbeit somewhat had your woordes touched me the nearer, if I had sayde that imprisonment were no dys∣pleasure at al. But the thyng that I say Cosin, for oure comforte therein is, that oure fantasye frameth vs a false opinion by whiche we deceiue our selfe, and take it for sorer then it is, and that do we by the reason that we take oure selfe before for more free than we be, and prisonmēt for a straunger thing to vs thē it is in dede. And thus farreforth as I said, haue I proued trueth in very dede: but now the incōmodities that you repeate agayne (••hose I saye that are proper to themprisonmēt of theyr own nature, that is to wit, to haue lesse roum•• to walke in, and to haue the dore ••hutte vpon vs, these are me thynke so verye slender and slyghte, that in so g••eate a cause as to suffer for Goddes sake, wee myghte be sore ashamed, so muche as once to thynke vpon them.
Manye a good manne there is you wote well•• whiche wythoute force at all or anye necessitye, wherefore he so•• ••houlde dooe, suffereth these two thynges wyl∣linglye
o•• his owne choyse with muche other hardines more.
Holye Monckes I meane of the Cherterhouse order, suche as neuer passe theyr celles, but onelye to the Churche sette faste by theyr celles, and thence to theyr celles agayne, and Sayncte Brygettes ordre, and Sayncte Claryce muche lyke, and in a maner all close relygyouse houses, and yet Ancres and An••ressis moste specyall. All whose whole roume is lesse than a metelye large chamber: and yet are they there as well contente manye longe yeares together, as are other menne, and better too, that walke about the worlde.
And therefore you maye see wyth the lothenesse of lesse rowme and the doore shutte vppon vs, whyle so many folke are so well contente therewith, and wil for goddes loue lyue so to choose, is but horror enhaū∣ced of our own fantasie.
And in dede I wiste a woman once that came into a pryeson to vysite of her charitye a poore pryesoner there, whome she founde in a chaumber (to saye the trouthe) meetelye fayre, and at the leastwyse it was stronge ynoughe: but wyth the mattes of strawe the pryesoner hadde made it so warme, both vnder the foote, and rounde aboute the walles, that in these thynges for the kepynge of hys healthe, she was on hys beehalfe gladde and verye well coum∣forted: but amonge manye other dyspleasures, that for hys sake she was sorye for: once she lamented muche in her mynde, that she shoulde haue the cham∣ber doore shutte vppon hym by nyghte, made faste
by the Tayloure, that shoulde shutte hym in: for by my trou••he quod she, if the doore shoulde be shutte v∣pon me, I would weene it would stoppe vp my breath. At that worde of hers•• the pryeson••r la••ghed in hys mynde, but he durste not laughe a loude, nor saye nothynge to her, for some what in dede he stoode in awe of her, and hadde hys fyndynge there muche parte of her Charytye, for almose, but he coulde not but laughe inwardelye, whyle he wyste well ynoughe that she vsed on the insyde to shutte euerye nyghte full surelye her owne chaumber to her, bo••he doore and wyndowes too, and vsed not to open them, of all the longe nyghte.
And what diff••rence then as to the stoppinge of the breathe, whyther they were shutte vp within or wyth∣oute. And so surelye Cosin these two thinges that you speake of, are neyther nother of so greate weyghte, that in Christes cause oughte to moue a Chrystyan manne, and the tone of the twayne is so v••rye a chyldy she fantasye, that in a matter almoste of three Chyppes: but if it were in chaunce of fyre, neyther shoulde moue anye manne as muche as thynke thereof.
As for those other accidentes of hard handling therein, so madde am I not, to saye they bee no gryefe, but I saye that oure feare maye yma∣gyne them, muche grea••er griefe than they be.
And I saye that suche as they bee, many a manne endureth them, yea, and manye a woman too, that after fare full well. And than woulde I wyt what determinacion we take, whyther for oure
Sauiours sake to suffer some payne in oure bodyes (sythe he suffered in hys blessed bodye so greate paine for vs) or elles to geue hym warning and be at a point rather v••terlye to forsake hym, than suffer any payne at al. He that commeth in thys mynde vnto thys lat∣ter poynte (from whyche kynde of vnkindenesse, God keepe euerye manne, coumforte he none needeth, for he wyll flye the neede: and counsayle I feare a∣vayleth hym lytle, yf grace bee so farre gone from hym.
But on the tother syde, yf rather than forsake oure Sauyoure wee determyne oure selfe to suffer anye payne at all: I can not than see, that the feare of harde handlyng shoulde anye thynge ••••ycke wyth vs, and make vs so to shrynke, as wee rather woulde for∣sake hys fayth, than to suffer for his sake so muche as impryesonmente, sythe the handlyng is neyther such in pryeson, but that many in many yeares, and ma∣nye weomen to leue therewyth, and sustayne it, and afterwarde yet fare full well. And yet that it maye well fortune that beesyde the verye bare ympryeson∣mente, there shall happen vs no harde handelynge at all, nor that same happelye but for a shorte whyle neyther, and yet be••yde al thys peraduenture not at all. And specyallye sythe whyche of all these wayes shall bee taken wyth vs, lyeth all in hys wyll: for whome we bee contente to take it, and whyche for that mynde of ours fauoureth vs, and wyll suffer no manne to putte more payne vnto vs, than he wel wot∣teth we shall be wel able to beare. For he wyl geue the strength ••here to hym selfe as you haue heard hys pro∣myse alreadye by the mouthe of Saincte Paule. Fidelis
deus qui non patiturvos tentari supra id quod potestis ferre fed dat etiam ••um t••∣tacione prouentum. God is faythful, which suffereth you not to be tempted aboue that you maye beare, but geueth also with the temptacion a waye out. But nowe if we haue not lost our fayth already before we come to for∣sake it for feare: we knowe very wel by our fayth•• that by the forsaking of our faythe, we fall into the state to be cast into the prieson of hell, and that can we not tell how soone: but as it may be that God wil suffre vs to liue a while here vpon earth, so may it be that he will throwe vs into the dongeon beneath, before the tyme that the Turke shall once aske vs the question. And therefore if we feare impriesonmentes so sore, we bee muche more than madde, if we feare not most the more sore: for out of that prieson shall no man neuer geat. And in this other shall no man abyde but a whyle. In prieson was Ioseph, whyle his brethren were at large, and yet after were his brethren fayne to seeke vpon him for bread. In prieson was Daniel, and the wilde Lyons aboute hym: and yet euen there God kepte him harmelesse, and brought hym safe out agayne. If we thinke that he wil not doe the lykewyse for vs, let vs not doubte but he will doe for vs, eyther the lyke, or better. For better maye he dooe for vs, if he suffre vs there to dye. Sainct Iohn the Baptist was you wote well in prieson, whyle Herode and Herodias sate full mery at the feaste, and the daughter of Herodias dely∣ted them with her daunsing, tyl with her daunsyng she daunsed of Sainct Iohns head. And nowe sitteth he with great feast in heauen at Gods boarde, while He∣rode and Herodias full heauely sit in hel burning both twayne. And to make them sporte withal the deuil with the damosell daunse in the fyre afore thē. Finally Co∣syn
to finishe this piece with, oure Sauioure was him selfe taken prisoner for oure sake, and prisoner was he caryed, and prisoner was he kepte, and prisoner was he brought foorth before Annas. And prisoner from An∣nas caryed vnto Caiphas. Than prisoner was he ca∣ryed from Caiphas vnto Pilate: and prisoner was he sente from Pilate to kyng Herode: prisoner from He∣rode vnto Pilate agayne. And so kepte as prisoner to the ende of his passion. The time of his imprisonment I graunt wel was not long, but as for hard handling (which our hertes most abhorre) he had asmuch in that short whyle as many mē amōg thē al in much longer time. And surely than, if we consider of what estate he was, and therewith that he was prisoner in suche wyse for our sake, we shall I trowe (but yf we be worse then wretched beastes (neuer so shamefully play the vnkind cowardes, as for feare of imprisonmente sinnefully to forsake hym, nor so foolishe neyther, as by forsakynge of hym, to geue hym the occasion againe to forsake vs, and wyth the auoydyng of an easyer prison, fall into a worse. And in stede of a prison that cānot kepe vs lōg, fal into that prison, oute of whiche we can neuer come, where the shorte prisonment would winne vs euerlas∣ting libertie.