The third Booke and the last • of consolacion and comfort in tribulacion

Vincent. SOmewhat haue I taried the longer vncle, partlye for that I was loth to come ouersone, lest my sone coming myghte haue happed to haue made you wake to sone: but specially by the reason I was letted with one that shewed me a letter dated at Cōstantinople, by which letter it appeareth, yt the great Turke prepareth a merueilous mighty army, and yet whether he wil therwith, that can there yet no man tell. But I feare in good faith vncle[…] that his vyage shalbe hither. Howbeit; he that wrote the letter, sayeth that it is secretly sayd in Constantinople, that greate parte of his armye shalbe shipped and sent eyther into Naples or into Cicile.

Anthony. It may fortune Cosin, that the letter of the […]enecian dated at Constantinople, was deuised at Uenice. From thēce come there some among, & sometime frō Rome to, & sometime al[…]o frō other places, letters al farced f[…]l of such tydinges yt the Turke is ready to doe some great exploitie[…] which tydinges they blowe about for ye fartherāce of some such affayres, as thei thā haue themself in hand. The Turke hath also so many men of armes in his retinew, at his continual charge, that lest they should lye still and doe nothing, but peraduenture fall in deuising of some nouelties among thēself, he is fayn yerely to make some assemblies and some changeing of thē from one place vnto another, and pa[…]te some sort asundre, that they waxe not ouer well acquaynted by dwelling ouer long together. By these wayes also he maketh those that he mindeth sodeynly to inuade in dede, the lesse to loke therfore, and therby ye lesse preparacion to make before, while they see him so many times make a great visage of warre, when he mindeth it not: but then at one time or other, they sodeinly feele it when they feare it not. Howbeit, full likely Cosin it is of very trueth, ye into this realme of Hungarye he will not fayle to come. For neither is there any countrey thorow christēdome, that lyeth for him so mete, nor neuer was there any time tyll now, in which he might so wel and surely winne it. For now cal we him in our self (God saue vs) as Esope telleth, that the shepe toke in the woulfe vnto them, to keepe them from the dogges.

Vincent. Than are there very like good vncle al these tribulacions to fal vpon vs here, y• I spake of in the beginning of our first communicacion here the other day.

Anthony. Uerye trueth it is Cosin, yt so there wil of likelihod in a while, but not forthwith all at the fyrst. For while he cometh vnder yt colour of ayde for ye one against the other, he wil sumwhat se the profe before he fully shew himself. But in conclusion, if he be able to geat it for him, you shal see him so handle it yt he shall not fayle to geat it from him, & that furthwith out of hand or euer he suffer him settle himself ouer sure therin.

Vincent. Yet saye they vncle, yt he vseth not to force any man to forsake his fayth.

Anthony. Not any man Cosin? They say more than they can make good that tell you so: he maketh a solemne othe among the Ceremonies of that feast in whiche he fyrste taketh vppon hym hys aucthoritie, that he shall, in all that he possible maye, mynyshe the fayth of Christ, and dilate the fayth of Machomet. But yet hath he not vsed to force euery whole countrey at once to forsake theyr faith. For of some coūtreyes hath he been content, onely to take a tribute yerelye, and let them liue than as they lust. Out of some he taketh the whole people away, dispersyng them for slaues among many sundry countreyes of his, very farre from their own, without any sufferance of regresse. Some countrey so great and populous, that they cannot wel be caried and conuayed thence: he destroyeth the gentlemen and geueth their landes part to such as he bringeth, & part to such as willingly wil reuye their fayth, and kepeth the other in such misery, that they were in maner as good to be dead at once. In rest he suffreth elles no christē man almost, but those that resort as marchātes, or those that offer themselfe to serue him in his warre. But as for those christen countreyes, that he vseth not for only tributories as he doth Thio, Ciprys or Candy, but reckoneth for cleare conquest, and vtterlye taketh for his owne, as Morea, Grece & Macedony, and such other like. And as I verelye thinke, he wil Hungary, if he geat it. In al those vseth he christē people after sondry fashions. He letteth thē dwel there in dede because they wer to many to cary al away, & to many to kil them all to. But if he should either leaue the land dispeopled and desolate, or els some other countreyes of his own, from whence he should (which would not wel be done) conuay the people thether, to people that land withall. There loe, those that wil not be turned frō their faith, of which god kepeth (lauded be his holy name) very many he suffereth to dwell still in peace. But yet is theyr peace for all that not verye peacible: For landes he suffereth them to haue none of theyr owne: offyce or honeste rowme they beare none: with occasyons of his warres he pylleth them with taxis and tallagis vnto the bare bones, their children he choseth where he lust in their youth, and take[…]h them frō their parentes conueying thē whither he lust, where their frendes neuer see thē after, & abuseth thē as he lust. Some yong maidens maketh harlots: some young mē he bringeth vp in warre, & some young children, he causeth to bee geldyd, not theyr stones cut out, as the custome was of olde, but cutteth of their whole members by the body: howe fewe scape and lyue, he litle forceth, for he wyll haue in oughe. And all that he so taketh younge, to any vse of his own, are betaken vnto such Turkes or false renagates to kepe, that they be turned frō the fayth of Christ euery chone, or els so handled, that as for thys world they come to an euil cheuing. For beside many other cōtumelyes, & dispightes that the Turkes and the false renagate christians, many tymes doe to good christen people, that still perseuer and abyde by the faith, they find the meane somtime to make some false shrewes say, that they heard such a christē man speake opprobrious wordes agaynst Machomet, & vpon that poynt falsely testified, wyl they take occasion to compell him forsake the fayth of Christe, and turne vnto the profession of their shamefull supersticious secte, or els will they put him to death with cruel intollerable tormētes.

Vincent. Our lord vncle for hys myghtie mercy kepe those wretches hence. For by mi trouth, if thei happe to come hither, me thinke I see many moe tokens than one that we shall haue of oure owne folke heare ready to fall in vnto them. For lyke as before a greate storme the sea begynneth some tyme to worke and roare in it selfe ere euer the wynde waxe boysteous: so me thynke I heare at myne eare, some of our own here amōg vs, whiche within these fewe yeres, coulde no more haue borne the name of a Turke, than the name of a deuill, begin now to find litle fault therin, yea & some to praise them to, litle and litle as they maye, more glad to finde faultes at euery state of chrystendome, priestes, princes, rites, ceremonies, sacramentes, lawes and customes, spirituall and temporall, and all.

Anthony. In good fayth Cosin, so begin we to fare here in dede, and that but euen now of late. For since the title of the crowne hath come in question, the good rule of this realme hath very sore decaied, as litle while as it is: and vndoubtedli Hungary shal neuer doe wel, as long as it standeth in thys case, that mens myndes harken after nouelties, & haue their heartes hanging vpon a chaunge: & much the worse I like it, when their wordes walke so large toward ye fauoure of y• Turkes s[…]te, which they were euer wonte to haue in so great abhominacion, as euery true mynded christen man and christen woman to must haue. I am of such age as you see, and verely from as[…] farre as I can remembre, it ha[…]h been marked and often proued true, that when children haue in Bowda fallen in a fantasy by thē self to drawe together, & in their playing make as it were corsys caryed to churche, and sing after their childishe fashiō the time of ye dirige, there hath great death there shortly folowed after. And twise or thrise I may remē ber in my daies, whē children in diuerse partes of this realme, haue gathered themself in sundry companies, and made as it were partyes and battailes, and after their battailes in sport, wherin some childrē haue yet tagreat hurte, there hath fallen very battel & very deadly warre in dede. These tokens were somewhat lyke your ensample of the sea, sith they be of thinges yt after folow, tokens foregoing thorow some secret mociō or instinct, wherof y• cause is vnknowē. But by. S. Mary Cosin, these tokens like I much worse, these tokens I say not of childrens playes, nor of childrens songes, but olde shrewes large opē wordes, so boldly spokē in y• fauour of Machomettes secte, in this realme of Hūgarye, that hath been euer hitherto a very sure kaye of christendom: and out of doubt, if hungary be lost, & that the Turke haue it once fast in his possession, he shal ere it be long after, haue an opē ready way, into almost the remnaunt of al christendom, though he win it not al in a weke, ye great part wil be wonne after I feare me wt in veri fewe yeres.

Vincent. But yet euermore I trust in Christ good vncle, that he shal not suffre that abhominable sect of his mortal enemies, in such wise to preuaile against his Christē countreyes.

Anthony. That is veri wel said Cosin, let vs haue our sure hope in him, and thā shal we be very sure yt we shal not be deceiued: for either shall we haue ye thing yt we hope for, or a better thyng in y• stede: for as for ye thing it self yt we pray for, & hope to haue, god wil not alway sēd vs, & therefore as I said in our first cōmunicaciō, in al thyng saue onely for heauē, our praier nor our hope, mai neuer be to precise although y• thing be lawful to require. Uerely if we people of ye christē naciōs were such as would god we were, I would litle feare al ye preparaciōs yt the great Turke could make, no nor yet being as bad as we be, I nothing doubt at al but yt in conclusiō […] how bace soeuer christendom be broughte, it shal spring vp again, til the tyme be come very nere to y• day of dome, wherof some tokens as me thinketh are not come yet, but somewhat before y• time shal christēdom be straited sore, & brought into so narrowe a compasse, y• according vnto Christes wordes, […]ilius hominis quum venerit, putas inuenie[…] fidem in terra? whan ye sonne of man shall come againe, yt is to wytte, to the daye of general iudgement, wenest thou that he shal find faith in the earth, as who say but a litle? For as appeareth in the Apocalyppes, and other places of scripture, he sayth shalbe at that time so farre faded, that he shall for the loue of his electes, leste they shoulde fall and perishe to, abredge those daies and accelerate his comming. But as I saye, me thinke I mysse yet in my mind, some of those tokens that shall by the scripture come a good while before that. And amonge other the cōming in of ye Iewes, & the dilating of christendome againe before the world come vnto that strayght. So that I saie, for my owne minde I lytle doubt, but that this vngracious secte of Machomet shal haue a foule fal, & christendom spryng & spread floure, and encrease again: howbeit, the pleasure and comfort shal they se yt shal be borne, after that we be buried, I feare me bothe twain. For god geueth vs greate likelihode, yt for oure sinneful wretched liuing, he goeth about to make these infidels, y• are his open professed enemies, the sorowful scourge of correccion, ouer euil christen people, that should be faithful, and of truth are his falsly professed frēdes. And surely Cosin, albeit yt me thinketh I see diuers euil tokēs of this misery cōming to vs, yet can there not in my mind be a worse prognosticacion therof, thā this vngracious tokē yt you note here your self. For vndoudtedly Cosin, this new maner here of mens fauorable fashiō in their lāguage toward these vngracious Turkes, declareth plainly that not onely theyr mindes geueth thē yt hither in shall he come, but also yt they can be cōtent, both to liue vnder him, & ouer yt fro the true faith of Christ to fal into Machomethes false abhominable secte.

Vincent. Uerely my vncle, as I goe more about thā you, so must I more heare nedes (which is an heauy hearing in my eare) ye maner of mē in thys matter which encreaseth about vs here, I truste in other places of this realme by goddes grace it is otherwise. But in this quarter here about vs, many of these fellowes yt a[…]e mete for the warre, first were wont, as it were in sport, & in a while after halfe betwene game & earnest, & by our lady nowe, not farre frō fayer flat earnest in dede, talke as though they looked for a day whē with a turne vnto ye Turke his faith, they should be made maisters here of true christē mennes bodies & owners of al theyr goodes.

☞Antony. Though I goe litle abrode Cosin, yet heare I somtime whē I say litle, as much as yt almost, but while there is no mā to complaine to for the redresse, what remedy but pacience? & fayne to sit stil & hold my peace. For of these two yt stryue whither of thē both shal raigne vpon vs, & eche of thē calleth him selfe king, & both twaine put ye people to payne: The one is you wote well, to farre frō our quarter here to helpe vs in this behalfe. And the other while he looketh for the Turkes ayde, eyther wyl not or well dare not I wene, finde any faulte wt thē yt fauour the Turke and his secte. For of Turkes natural this coūtreye lacketh none nowe whiche are here conuersaunte vnder diuerse pretextes: & of euery thinge aduertise the greate Turke full surelye. And therefore Cosin, albeit yt I would aduise euerye man, praye stil & call vnto god to holde his gracious hande ouer vs, and kepe away thys wretchednes if his pleasure be: yet would I farther aduise euery good christē bodye, to remember and consider, yt it is verye likelye to come, and therfore make his reckoninge and cast his penny worthes before, and euerye man and euery woman appoint with goddes helpe in their own mynde before hand, what thyng they entende to dooe if the very worst fall.

FINIS.