me I pray the this one thynge, do you thus
disprayse, condempne, or fynde faute with them
whiche caryeth aboute with them the newe testament
or the gospel boke? Canni. No by my fayth do I not
good ||praty man. Poliphe. Call ye me but a
praty one and I am hygher then you by ye length
of a good asses heed. Can. I thynke not fully so
moche yf the asse stretch forth his eares, but go
to it skyllis no matter of that, let it passe, he
that bare Christ vpon his backe was called
Christofer, and thou whiche bearest the gospell
boke aboute with the shall for Poliphemus be
called the gospeller or the gospell bearer. Polip.
Do not you counte it an holy thynge to cary aboute
with a man the newe testament? Cani. why no syr by
my trouth do I not, except thou graunte the very
asses to be holy to. Poli. How can an asse be
holy? Cannius. For one asse alone is able to beare
thre hundreth suche bokes, and I thynke suche a
great lubber as thou art were stronge inoughe to
beare as great a burden, and yf thou had a hansome
packesadle sette vpon thy backe. Poliphe. And yet
for all your iestynge it is not agaynst good
reason to saye ||that ye asse was holy which
bore christ. Cannius. I do not enuye you man for
this holynes for I had as lefe you had that
holynes as I, and yf it please you to take it I
wyll geue you an holy & a religious relyke of the
selfe same asse whiche christ rode vpon, and whan
ye haue it ye may kysse it lycke it and cull it as
ofte as ye lyst. Poli. Mary syr I thanke you, ye
can not gyue me a more thanckefull gyfte nor do me
a greatter pleasure, for that asse withouten any
tayle was made as holye as any asse could be by
the touchynge of christes body. Cannius. Undouted
they touched christes body also whiche stroke and
buffeted christ. Poliphe. yea but tell me this one
thynge I praye the in good ernest. Is it not a
great sygne of holynes in a man to cary aboute the
gospel boke or the newe testament? Cannius. It is
a token of holynes in dede if it be done without
hypocrysie, I meane if it be done without
dissimulacion/ and for ||that end, intent &
purpose, that it shuld be done for. Poliphe. What
the deuyl & a morten tellest thou a man of warre
of hypocrisie, away with hypocrisie to the monkes
and the freers. Cannius. Yea but bycause ye saye
so, tell me fyrste I praye you what ye call
hypocrisie. Po. When a man pretendi