Master Bezaes sermons upon the three chapters of the canticle of canticlesMaster Bezaes sermons vpon the three chapters of the canticle of canticles

Such are among the rest these four sorts of wallet-brethren declared sometimes by the Universities themselves to be the locusts issuing out of the bottomless pit, of whom mention is made in the Apocalypse. But what are all these foxes, which are become wolves, in comparison of that treacherous caravan horde of those vermin, openly polluting the holy name of Jesus, and selling their filthy trash and trumpery in such sort Gratis, to them that will feed themselves therewith, that they have so well grated, that in less then forty years, they have haled in and heaped up in their boroughs greater and richer spoils, then all the foxes & wolves besides could mountain up in five hundred years before, though the time served them as well as they could wish or desire. And herein I report me at the least to these other poor convents of Monks and of Friars, whom these new fresh gamesters have left only a poor coal to shroud their bald heads in, and the tail of a white frock to trail after them: themselves being become as fat as body-lice by eating up the others brews: as the natural Philosophers say of the serpents, that they become in the end Dragons, by eating up other small serpents.

Such are among the rest these foure sortes of wallet-breethren declared sometimes by the Vniuersities themselues to be the locusts issuing out of the bottomlesse pit, of whom mention is made in the Apocalyps. But what are al these foxes, which are become wolues, in comparison of that treacherous carauane horde of those vermine, openly polluting the holy name of Iesus, and selling their filthy trash and trumperie in such sort Gratis, to them that will feede themselues therewith, that they haue so wel grated, that in lesse then forty yeares, they haue haled in and heaped vp in their borroughs greater and richer spoiles, then al the foxes & wolues besides could mountaine vp in fiue hundred years before, though the time serued them as well as they could wishe or desire. And herein I report me at the least to these other poore conuents of Monks and of Friers, whom these new fresh gamesters haue left onely a poore coule to shroude their bald heades in, and the taile of a white frocke to traile after them: themselues being become as fat as bodie-lice by eating vp the others brewes: as the natural Philosophers say of the serpents, that they become in the end Dragons, by eating vp other small serpents.