AN EPITAPH, OR RATHER A SHORT DISCOURSE MADE VPON THE LIFE AND DEATH OF DR. BONNER, Sometime vnworthy Bishop of London, Whiche dyed the Fifth of September in the Marshalsie. Imprinted at Loudon, at the long Shop adjoyning vnto S. Mildreds Church in the Pultrie, by John Allde, An. Dom. 1569. Sept. 14. Duodecimo, containing fourteen Pages. Whiche cheerful wil be sure to all, A man there was, a quondam great As did appeer by Roomishe acts, Whiche prooude him not an Englishe man, For neuer faithful Englishe hart Yet hee in natiue land did seek, And also then be wrought much wo, He spilt their blood, and mockt God's woord, Seducing men from sacred truthe, That many yet doo feel the smart Though God haue clensed now these parts, Wherwith this land infected was, By Balams brood throughout; Who sought a mischeef huge and great, And more then so, t'encrease, by blood, Of pastors pure, and pillers strong, Without remorse, his mates and he Cyrus was Sonne of Cambises, and King of the Meedes and Persians, who making war against the Scithians, Tomiris the Queen, hauing by suttietie slain Cyrus with two hundred thousand Persians, did cut of his head, and cast it into a boll of man's blood, saying, Satia te sanguine quem sitisti, &c. Iustin. li. i. + He spared none, that he eyther durst, or could, be bolde to put to pain for Gods truthe. But bloody drunk, sith he not one Yet he did watche, though as a woolf, For sure, though he had bishops rowm, In suche a place of Christes flock, Whose iudgment was so small and weak, In Christes testament; And learning lesse to teache the flock, Should he obtain of grace deuine, Whose retchless rage, and swinishe life, His knoweledge was to base, no dout, Though he, perhaps, in Popes decrees, And ciuile law right prompt he knew, And all but to upholde the pride Of Rome, which was to ill; Or els to finde a way how he But who can boste in Gods decrees, In Scriptures force his answers shewd Or as an asse, whiche iudgement lacks, In sence of holy writ; Though he obtaind, a bitter space, In bishops seat to sit. · 1 Tim. iii. Sus taught Mineruam there to long, And took the asse from his repast But spilt the sound so long a time, And tied him vp at Maunger yet, To lodge on boords, as he had made With hands and feet, to starue in stocks, No, no, in stall, his torments were Of pris'ners thrall, of hungers bit, Yet he of captiues life, ful oft, To many made his mone. Not sure for pain, which he did feel, That he could not be fed as yet, (In slaughter who was cheef) With blood of saints, and Christian fleshe, Wherwith his lust was fed; That he could not exalt the Pope, • Sus Mineruam, the sow teacheth Minerua. What a sow is by nature, needeth no expressing. Minerua was daughter of Iupiter, and called by the poets Goddess of Wisdome and all good arts; now this is talking a prouerb, where one unlearned teacheth him of wisdom he might better be taught. Bufo is a tod, so applied to Bonner, because of his venemous minde. + Asinus ud Lirum." This is a prouerb of those that haue neither goodnes, nor wils to submit to discipline. Pallas the neck-name of Minerua, so named from a mountain of Thessalia or Aonia, with a twisted top, where the muses called Parnassides, or Aonides, did remain. |