The most noted of these works were put forth under the fictitious
name of Martin Marprelate. They were base, scurrilous productions, very
coarse, breathing forth terrible hate against "bouncing priests and
bishops." Here is an example: _A Dialogue wherein is laid open the
tyrannical dealing of L. Bishopps against God's children_. It is full of
scandalous stories of the prelates, who lived irreproachable lives, and
were quite innocent of the gross charges which "Martin Senior" and "Martin
Junior" brought against them. The Bishop of Lincoln, named Cooper, was a
favourite object of attack, and the pamphleteers were always striving to
make "the Cooper's hoops to flye off and his tubs to leake out." In the
_Pistle to the Terrible Priests_ they tell us of "a parson, well-known,
who, being in the pulpit, and hearing his dog cry, he out with the text,
'Why, how now, hoe! can you not let my dog alone there? Come, Springe!
come, Springe!' and whistled the dog to the pulpit." Martin Marprelate was
treated by some according to his folly, and was scoffed in many pamphlets
by the wits of the age in language similar to that which he was so fond of
using. Thus we have _Pasquill of England to Martin Junior, in a
countercuffe given to Martin Junior; A sound boxe on the eare for the
father and sonnes, Huffe, Ruffe, and Snuffe, the three tame ruffians of
the Church, who take pepper in their nose because they cannot marre
Prelates grating_; and similar publications.
Pages:
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119