Dudley's Warning to the People against Rebellion
| Artifact Summary | |
|---|---|
| Artifact type | |
| Creator/author | Dudley |
| Date | 1509-10 |
| Period | |
| City and country of origin | |
| Abstract | |
Entry
1509-10.
[The Tree of Common Wealth : A Treatise by Edmonde Dudlay, Esq. ..
Now first printed from a Copy of his Manuscript for the Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross (Manchester, 1859), pp. 50-54.]
Nowe, ye good Commoners that haue the fruite of tranquillitie, your fruite hath a core of the which ye haue great neede to beware. For it hath grieved you manie tymes, and that right mervelouslie. The core of your fruite is called lewde enterprise. Itell you, albeit it be delectious and pleasaunte to beholde, it is a morsell nothing meete for your diet. And if ye will needes deale therewith, it will not only bring you from tranquillitie to the disease of grevous Thraldom and misery, but also oftentymes to vtter destilacion [sic ? destruction]. This lewde ...
core enterpriseth, ere he come to doe his shamefull feate or intente, most commonly he sendeth twoe purciphantes [pursuivants] or messengers before him, chosen of the worst for our profit. The first of these two messengers is Discontentacion or murmour. This messenger will induce you to grudg or take some inwarde displeasure in doing your dutie, as in paying your farmes, rentes for howses and landes to them that ye be bounde to paye it, or for some other particuler service that to your tennantes belongeth to doe; or to murmour at the payment of Taxes or fyfteenes, when they be graunted for causes necessarie. He will also induce you to grudge or to disdaine to be in such obediancy or subieccion to your superiors or betters. Beware of this messenger, for he must [blank in MS.] you to your owne mischief, if you to him consent. And reuerently [blank] this fellowe that cometh, the seconde messenger in a gay quilte coate, to inveagle [blank] with pride, the most perilous spectacle that the comminaltie may vse. Full ill is it in all men; but worst in the poorest. The name of the seconde messenger is Arrogancye, nighe cosin to pride. His nature and propertie is to entice to enable yourself to suchthinges as nothing beseemeth, or to doe such thinges as you can nothing skill on . He will shewe you that you be made of the same moulde and mettall that the gentiles be made of. Whie then should they ENCLOSURES AND THE COUNTRYSIDE sporte and plaie and you labour and Tyll ? He will tell you also that at yourbirthes and at your deathes your riches is in- different. Why should they have soe much of the prosperitie and treasor of this world, and ye soe little? Besides that he will tell you that ye be the children and right inheritovrs to Adam, as well as they. Whie should they haue this great honour, royall castels and mannors with soe much landes and possessions, and you but poore Tenementes and cotages ? He will shewe you also whie that Christ bought as derely you as them, and with one manner of price, which was his precious blood. Whie then should you be of soe poore estate, and they of soe high degree ? Or whie should you doe them soe much honour and reverence with crowching and kneeling, and they take it soe high and statelie on them ? And percase he will informe you howe your soules and theires, which maketh you all to be men, for els ye were all but beastes, whereby god created in you one manner of Noblenes without any adversity, and that your soules be as precious to god as theires. Whie then should they haue of you so great aucthority and powre to commyt to prison, to ponishe and to Judge you ? But, you good commoners, in any wise vtterlie refuse this messenger ; for though he shewe the truth to you, he meaneth full falslie, as afterwardes you shall well knowe ; and if you once savor in theis thinges, then cometh your lewde enterprise, the core of your fruite of tranquillitie, and he will you encouradge to play the man, and bid you remember well the monstracions or shewinges of the messenger Arrogancy. He will bid you leave to ymploie yourselues to labour and to tyll like beastes, nor suffer yourselves to be subdued of your fellowes.
He will promise to set you on high and to be lordes and governours, and noe longer to be Churles as you were before ; or at the leastehe will promise you to make you fellowes in bodyes, as god made you in soules, and then shall there be a Royall rule in this realme. And to put you in a further comfort he will assure you that some of the Chevalrie will take your parte openly and privilie, or at the least to give you sufferaunce, prove as you maye.
Hewill also displaye vnto you his banner of insurreccion and saie to you, " Nowe set forwarde; your tyme is right good." But woe be vnto that man that will fight therevnder. He will promise you to wante noe treasour to performe your purpose, forhe will saie some of the clergie will comforte you right well and lardglie with mony, for they haue looked therefore many a daye. The merchantes, the Farmours, the grasiers that be rich, into this market will bring their bages, that they have kept soe long. And as for the widowes and the wyves also [they] will ransacke their forcers and their knotted cloutes to the last penny that they can finde, and rather then faile, their girdles, theirbeades, and their weddinge ringes, thus wiselythey will them bestowe. And as for men he promiseth you ynnumerable. Yet, ye good Commoners, for your owne ease, deale not with this false core, but be contented with the fruite of tranquillity. It is for you both profitable and good, and will make you welthie, if welth may be suffred, and grudge not against your superiors for doing your duty. Covet not the prosperitie of the Chevalry, nor muse thereon, nor disdaine ye not the great powre of our Soueraigne, but with due reuerence obey it. For be ye sure the high providence of god is that ye should doe soe, as he declareth himself right plainly to his chosen people, when they desired a kinge. Therefore mynde you not this purpose or intent, that is the equallitie of the mouldes betwene the nobles and you, nor the cognisaunce of the petegree from Adam, nor the indifferency of their soules in theire creacions; nor be not the prowder that one prince redeemeth both them and you, nor for that the glory of all Soules standeth not in bodely powre nor aucthoritie, nor yet insilver, goldenorpretious stones, noryet inbewtie, strengthe, wisdome nor pollicy, but only in vertue indifferent to all creatures. But let vs all consider that god hath set a due order by grace betwene himselfe and aungells, and betwene angle and angell, and by reason betwene Aungell and man, and betwene man and man, and man and beast, and by nature only betwene beaste and beaste; which order, from the highest pointe to the lowest, god willeth vs fervently to kepe, without any enterprise to the contrary. But of all theis messengers [sic ?messages] that theis proude and sedicious messengers brought vnto you, if ye will well and substancially ymprinte them in the hartes of the nobles, it should doe noe harme; peradventure it would ENCLOSURES AND THE COUNTRYSIDE causethem at seasons tohaue the more compassion, mercy and charitie ouer the poore Commoners. And to put you in a more perfit remembraunce not to deale with this lewde core of lewde enterprise, looke how yourself and such as [you] haue been served and deceived by him in tymes paste. Firste consider the great [blank in MS.] of the realme of Frauncebeing ingreat wealth and tranquillitie. Loke on them [thatmade] a lewde enterprise in the tyme ofKynge [blank] and at that season frowardlie did great and shamefull displeasures and wilfulnes in the noblest of Fraunce. But in conclucion there [sic
?they) were subdued and vtterly destroyed. And then were the commons of Fraunce put in more Subieccion and thraldome then ever they were before, the which yet contynueth. Looke more nere to yourselues, the Comynaltie of this realme of England, whoe haue often tymes smarted full sore for such lewde enterprise; behold well whether the Commoners of the west parte of this lande wonne anie honestie or profit by their lewde enterprise with their captaine the blacksmyth. I praie god to saue this realme from any such captaine hereafter. Therefore of theis presidentes you haue enoughe to eschewe this perilous core of your fruite. Yet cast not away this enterprise ofyour core, for yt may fortune to be to you a chief frende, and therefore keep him close within you vnto the tyme ye may lawfullie vse him.
