Anonymous · published 1595 · first performed or written 1561 [1561-c.1563] (Annals) moral T5 Christian faith, sin and salvation typicality 0.57 · 540 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T5: god, christ, david, sin, holy, israel, lord, mercy, sins, faith.
FOr as much as we must talk of Prophecy, We intend with pardon and supportation, As learned men doth well define and testify, Thereof to make a true and pure declaration: To prophecy of things is a divine inspiration, Telling things to come with unmovable verity: A gift only proceeding from God's high majesty. A divine inspiration he calleth prophecy, That which doth all other Prophecies exclude: Which are no prophecies, but things of men's fantasies, Invented to deceive the ignorant and rude: But Sathan is ready unbelievers to delude, Though his members who are proved to be liars, Yet they shame not to call themselves true prophesiers. The falsehood and vanities of these prestigiators, Saint Augustine in nine or ten books de civitate dei, Confuteth and proveth them no true Relators; But blasphemers and very Atheists, And therefore by the judgement of God murders: Not worthy to live, by the sentence of God's mouth, For into Lies and Fables they have turned the truth. Saint Hierom upon Micha do testify, That the term or vocable divination, Which the devils manciples calleth prophecy, Is often taken in an evil consideration, As in the same place he maketh a plain relation: That the true Prophets, in scripture Prophets are named, Divinators, are reproved, condemned, and blamed. To that pernicious science Divination, Are added a number of diabolual vanities, Whereof I am not able to make recitation, Neither do I esteem such wicked faculties, I wish them extinct in all commonalties, For where they were they were permitted: There was the prince & the people sore punished And although I shall not rehearse them in order, The first of all, he nameth Negromancy, Phytonia some say, is of as high degree, Peromancy, Heromancy, Hydromancy, Geomancy, Phystonomy, Metapostopy, Spatulmancy, Gheromansie, Then have you Homen, Agurium, Postyguum, Aspicium, Magyam, Venesissimum, Sortilogullum, There be a great many more than I can recite, Whereof every one hath his right: That is to say, every one hath his devilish superstition, Contrary to God's word, and Christ's erudition, Confounded be those children of perdition. Moses confounded them, so did Job and Esay, With all the Apostles, Prophets, and Doctors, utterly. Of God's Prophets, thus doth Lactantius write, They did not only of things to come prophecy, But they spoke of one truth in one sprite, Which was fulfilled in their times openly. These were sent of God by precept verily, To be messengers of his divine majesty, And to be correctors of men's iniquity. To deride these, our Author hath a Play compiled, Which he calleth the peddlers Prophecy. Out of the which, all such lewdness shall be exiled, And other things spoken of very merely: We shall use the manner of a comely Comedy. The property thereof, is honest mirth to make, The which to do at this time, I do undertake. And whereas we shall speak of certain travelers, We desire all honest persons not to be offended, For we mean none but bankrupts and usurers, Which to undo, other hath intended: Their abuse I wish heartily to be amended. For the past shame bankrupt, borroweth beyond his estate, Than he fleeth, keepeth his house, or taketh Ludgate. Unless our Preface should too far itself extend:
seed 43: T4 · seed 44: T5 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
FOr as much as we must talke of Prophecie, We intend with pardon and supportation, As learned men doth well define and testifie, Thereof to make a true and pure declaration: To prophecie of things is a diuine inspiration, Telling things to come with vnmoueable veritie: A gift onely proceeding from Gods high maiestie. A diuine inspiration he calleth prophecie, That which doth all other Prophecies exclude: Which are no prophecies, but things of mens fantacies, Inuented to deceiue the ignorant and rude: But Sathan is readie vnbeleeuers to delude, Though his members who are proued to be lyers, Yet they shame not to call themselues true propheciers. The falshood and vanities of these prestigiators, Saint Augustine in nine or ten bookes de ciuitate dei, Confuteth and proueth them no true Relators; But blasphemers and verie Athaists, And therfore by the iudgement of God murthers: Not worthie to liue, by the sentence of Gods mouth, For into Lies and Fables they haue turned the truth. Saint Hierom vpon Micha do testifie, That the terme or vocable diuination, Which the diuels mancyples calieth prophecie, Is often taken in an euill consideration, As in the same place he maketh a plaine relation: That the true Prophets, in scripture Prophets are named, Diuinators, are reproued, condemned, and blamed. To that pernicious science Diuination, Are added a number of dyabiluall vanities, Whereof I am not able to make recitation, Neither do I esteeme such wicked faculties, I wish them extinct in all communalties, For where they were they were permitted: There was the prince & the people sore punished And although I shall not rehearse them in order, The first of all, he nameth Negromansie, Phytonia some say, is of as high degree, Peromansie, Heromansie, Hydromansie, Geomansie, Phystonomy, Metapostopy, Spatulmansie, Gheromansie, Then haue you Homen, Agurium, Postyguum, Aspicium, Magyam, Venesissimum, Sortilogullum, There be a great many moe then I can recite, Whereof euerie one hath his right: That is to say, euery one hath his diuilish superstition, Contrary to Gods word, and Christs erudition, Confounded be those children of perdicion. Moses confounded them, so did Iobe and Esay, With all the Apostles, Prophets, and Doctors, vtterly. Of Gods Prophets, thus doth Lactantius write, They did not onely of things to come prophecie, But they spake of one truth in one sprite, Which was fulfilled in their times openly. These were sent of God by precept verelie, To be messengers of his diuine maiestie, And to be correctors of mens iniquitie. To deride these, our Author hath a Plaie compiled, Which he calleth the Pedlers Prophecie. Out of the which▪ all such lewdnesse shall be exiled, And other things spoken of very merely: We shall vse the maner of a comely Comedie. The propertie thereof, is honest mirth to make, The which to do at this time, I do vndertake. And whereas we shal speake of certaine trauellers, We desire all honest persons not to be offended, For we meane none but bankerouts and vsurers, Which to vndo, other hath intended: Their abuse I wish heartily to be amended. For the past shame bankrout, borroweth beyond his estate, Then he fleeth, keepeth his house, or taketh Ludgate. Vnlesse our Preface should too farre it selfe extend: