Now every boy will be a teacher,
The father a foole, the chyld a preacher."Of the plays above-mentioned, to the first is subjoined the following printer's
Colophon:¶Thus endethe this moral playe of Every Man. ¶Imprynted at London in
Powles churche yeard by me John Skot. In Mr. Garrick's collection is an imperfect
copy of the same play, printed by Richarde Pynson.
The other is entitled,An enterlude called Lusty Juventus;and is thus
distinguished at the end:Finis, quod R. Weber. Imprynted at London in Powles
churche yeard by Abraham Dele at the signe of the Lambe.Of this too Mr. Garrick has
an imperfect copy of a different edition.
Of these two plays the reader may find some further particulars in Book ii.,
above. See "The Essay on the Origin of the English Stage:" and the curious reader
will find the plays themselves printed at large in Hawkins's "Origin of the English
Drama," 3 vols. Oxford, 1773, 12mo.
THE HUSBANDMAN
"LET us lift up our hartes all,
And prayse the Lordes magnificence,
Which hath given the wolues a fall,
And is become our strong defence:
For they thorowe a false pretens
From Christes bloude dyd all us leade,[2]
Gettynge from every man his pence,
As satisfactours for the deade.
"For what we with our FLAYLES coulde get
To kepe our house, and servauntes;
That did the Freers from us fet,
And with our soules played the merchauntes:
And thus they with theyr false warrantes
Of our sweate have easelye lyved,
That for fatnesse theyr belyes pantes,
So greatlye have they us deceaued.
"They spared not the fatherlesse,
The carefull, nor the pore wydowe;
They wolde have somewhat more or lesse,
If it above the ground did growe:
But now we Husbandmen do knowe
Al their subteltye, and their false caste;
For the Lorde hath them overthrowe
With his swete word now at the laste."
DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER"Thou antichrist, with thy thre crownes,
Hast usurped kynges powers,
As having power over realmes and townes,
Whom thou oughtest to serve all houres:
Thou thinkest by thy jugglyng colours