A dialoge or communication of two persons. Erasmus Desiderius

my neybur, whom no mã could espie of all thes sex monthes before? yt was a sayng that he was deed, It is euen he, except that I be ferre deceyuyd. I wyll go to hym, & byd hym good morow. Good morow

Ogygyus. Good morow to you Menedemus.

      

Signifieth to forsake.

      

was faynyd of an old kynge of Thebanes.

      Mene. I pray you frome what contray do you come to vs ayen so saffe. For here was a great comunicacyõ that you dyd sayle streght to hell.

      Ogy. No, thankyd be god, I haue faryd as well syns I went hens, as euer I dyd in all my lyffe.

      Me. Well, a man may well perceyue that all soche rumours be but vanytye. But I pray you what araye is this that you be in, me thynke that you be clothyd with cokle schelles, and be ladê on euery syde with bruches of lead and tynne. And you be pretely garnyshyd w^t wrethes of strawe & your arme is full of

snakes egges.

      

Signifyeth bedes. Malsyngam ys callyd parathalassia by cause it is ny to y^e see.

      Ogy. I haue bene on pylgremage at saynt Iames in Compostella, & at my retourne I dyd more relygyously vysyte our lady of Walsyngã in England, a very holy pylgremage, but I dyd rather vysyte her. For I was ther before within this thre yere.

      Me. I trowe, it was but for your pleasure.

      Ogy. Nay, it was for pure deuocyon.

      Me. I suppose you learnyd that relygyõ of the Grecyanes.

      Ogy. My mother in law dyd make a vowe that if her dougther shuld be delyueryd of a man chyld alyue, than that I shuld go to saynt Iames on pylgremage, and ther to salute and thãke hym.

      Me. Dyd you salute saynt Iames alonly in your name, and your mothers.

      Ogy. No, in the name of all owre house.

      Me. Verely I thynke y^t your howshold as well shold haue prosperd, in case you had not salutyd hym at all. But I pray you what answer dyd he make to your salutacyon.

      Ogy. Nothynge at all. But whã I dyd offre, me tought he dyd lawghe vpon me, and becke at me with hedde, & dyd reche to me this cokleshell.

      Me. Wherfore dothe he gyue rather suche schelles, than other thynges.

      Ogygy. For the see, whiche is nye vnto hym dothe mynystre plenty of suche.

      Me. O holy saynt Iames, that bothe is a mydwyffe to women with chyld, and also dothe helpe his pylgrymes. But I pray you what new kynd of makyng vowes is that that whan a mã is ydle he shall put the burden apon an other mannes bakke? In case that you doo bynd youre selffe with a vowe, that yf y^e matter chaunche happyly whiche you haue in hande, that I for you shall fast twyse in on weke, do you beleue y^t I can fulfyl youre vow?

      Ogy. No, I doo not beleue it if that you dyd vowe it in youre awne name. It is but a sport with yow to mokke sayntes. But this was my mother in law, I must nedys obey her, you know womenes affectyones, & I must obaye heres.

      Me. If that you had not perfourmyd your vowe, what iopertye had you be in?

      Ogy. I graunt, he could not haue had an accyon ayenst me in y^e law, but he myght from hensforthe be deafe to my vowes, orels pryuyly send some calamytye or wretchednes amongste my housholde, yow know well enuffe the maneres of great men.

      Me. Tell me now what that same honest mã saynt Iames dothe, and howe he farythe.

      Ogy. Moche colder thã he was wontyd to do.

      Me. What is the cause of it? His age?

      Ogy. Oh you scoffer, yow know wel enoghe that sayntes wax nat olde. But this new learnynge, whiche runnythe all the world ouer now a dayes, dothe cause hym to be vysytyd moche lesse than he was wontyd to be, for if any doo come thay salute him alonly, but they offre lytle or nothinge, and say that theyr monaye may bettre be disposyd amongste pore people.

      Me. O a wykyd comunicacyon.

      Ogy. Ye & so great an Apostle whiche was wõtyd to stand all in precyous stones & gold, now stãdythe all of wodde hauynge before hym skaresly a wax candle.

      Me. If it be trew that I here, it is great ioperdy lest that same chance to all the rest of the sayntes.

      Ogy. I thynk it wel, for ther is an epistle abrode whiche our lady dyd wryte apon the same matter.

      Me. What lady?

      Ogy. She y^t hathe her name of a stone.

      

Our ladi of stone in Raurachia whiche is a certayne cuntre.

      Me. I trawe it is in Raurachia.

      Ogy. That same is it.

      Me. yow tell me of a stony lady, But to whome dyd she wryte?

      Ogy. The epistle dothe playnely shew his name.

      Me. By whome was it sent?

      Ogy. No dowbt but by an angell, whiche dyd lay the wrytynges apõ the aultre, wherof he prechythe to whome it was sent. And lest there shuld be any suspectyõ of crafty cõuayance in you, you shall se the epistle wryten w^t his owne hande.

      Me. Do you know so well the hand of thangell whiche is secretary to our lady?

      Ogy. Yee why nat?

      Me. By what argumêt?

      Ogy. I haue redde y^t

Epithaphe of Bede which was grauyd of the angell: and the letteres agre in all thynges. I haue redde also y^e obligacyõ whiche was sent to saynt Gyles as dothe aper. Dothe not thes argumentes proue that mater to be good enoghe.

      

Is a scripture wryten on a graue.

      Me. May a man loke apon them?

      Ogy. ye and if you wyll swere to kepe it preuy.

      Me. Oh you shall speake to a stone.

      Ogy. Ther be stones now a dayes of that name very slawnderous, that wyll hyde nothynge.

      Me. you shall speake to a domme man, & yow trust nat a stone.

      Ogy. Apon y^e condycyon I wyll tell it, loke that you here with bothe youre eyares.

      Me. So I doo.

      Ogy.

      Mary the mother of Iesu to

Glaucoplutus sêdythe gretynge. Insomoche as you folowe Luther, you nobly perswade, that it is but in vayne to call apõ sayntes, do y^e well know for that to be grettly in my fauore. For vntyll thys day I haue almost be slayne w^t the importunate prayers of men. Of me alone they askyd althynges, as who shuld say my sone were alway a babe, because he is so faynyd and payntyd apõ my breste, that yet he wold be at my commaundemêt and durst nat denye my petycyon, dredynge that if he denye my petycyon, that I shuld denye hym my teate whan he is a thurst: and very oft thay requyre that of me, whiche a shamfast yongman dare scantly aske of a Bawde, yee they be suche thynges as I am ashamyd to put in wrytynge. Now