Page:The whole familiar colloquies of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam.djvu/358

354 FAMILIAR COLLOQUIES. little birds, who heard him with a great deal of attention. But, prithee tell me do they use to preach on Satirdays 1 Hi, Yes, they do in honour of the Virgin Mary ; for Christ's day is on Sunday, and it is meet the mother should be served first. Le. What was the text 1 Hi. He went through the song of the Virgin Mary. Le. That is a very common argument. Hi. The fitter for him that preached upon it, for I believe he never learned any argument but this ; as they say, there are some priests who can say no part of the common prayer but the service for the dead. Le. Well, then, let him be called the magnificat preacher, or, if you will, the magnificatarian. But what sort of a fellow is he ? what habit does he wear 1 Hi. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Le. What house did he come out of? Hi. The Franciscans. Le. How say you, a Franciscan 1 what, one of that holy order 1 It may be he is one of those that are called Gaudentes, that wear garments of a brown colour, whole shoes, a white girdle, and make no scruple (I tremble to speak it) to touch money with their bare fingers. Hi. Nay, none of them, I will assure you ; but of those that call themselves Observants, that wear ash-coloured garments, hempen girdles, cut and slashed shoes, and would rather commit murder than touch money without gloves. Le. It is no strange thing for a nettle to grow in a rose-bed ; but who brought this fool upon the stage ? Hi. You would say so the rather if you were but to see the buffoon. He was a swing- ing great fellow, with a red face, a paunch gut, and a hopper arse. You would take him to be a master of the science, and one that I verily believe drinks more than one pint of wine at a meal. Le. But how can one come by so much wine that has no money to buy it 1 Hi. King Ferdinand allows- them four pints a day out of his cellar. Le. A bounty, indeed, very ill bestowed. But it may be he was a man of learning. Hi. Nothing in the world but impudence and noise. Le. But how came Ferdinand to be so much out of the way as to bestow his bounty upon a blockhead 1 Hi. Why, to tell you in brief, his pious inclination and bounteous disposition led him aside ; he was recommended to him, and he was one of them that carried his head upon his right shoulder. Le. So Christ hung upon the cross ? But was there a great auditory ? Hi. How could it be otherwise at Augsburg, in the great church there, where there was so great a con- course of sovereign princes, whom the Emperor Charles had drawn together from all parts of Germany, Italy, Spain, and England ? And besides, there were a great many men of learning present at the sermon, especially of the courtiers. Le. I should wonder if such a swine should produce anything worthy of such an auditory. Hi. I will assure you he did produce a great many things worthy of himself. Le. What were they, prithee I but first, pray tell me his name. Hi. That is not convenient. Li. Why so, Hilary ] Hi. I do not love to gratify such fellows. Le. Prithee, hold thy tongue. Is that a gratifying of them to expose them 1 He. It is the greatest gratification in the world to them to become noted, be it by what means it will. Le. Well, do but tell me the name ; I will not mention it again. Hi. He is called Merdardus. Le. Merdardus ! phoo, I know him very well ; he is the very same man that lately at an entertainment called our Erasmus a devil. Hi. He did so ; but however, he was taken up for