186 
Hiflory Of 
and 
Caricature 
Grotefque 
T 
he bring filver with him; though he were the holiefc man that ever was 
born, unlefs he bring gold or Iilver, all his tithe and anxiety are loft. 
Alas! why love they fo much that which is perilhable ? " 
Vqy: qfclerk jball lyfyl be heard at the court qf Rame, 
7Vere lze newer fa god: a cleric, -withoutfl-ver and lze tome ; 
Tlzougb 112 were the kolyf man tlzat e-ver yet was ilwre, 
But Ire lnyng gold or  a1 lzys -wlzile 1': fbrlore 
And lzis I110-wglzr. 
Alla:  wlzi la-ve Mei tbatjr muclz tbatfclxal turtle to nowgln  
When, on the contrary, a wicked man prefented himfelf at the pope's 
court, he had only to carry plenty of money thither, and all went well 
with him. According to our fatiriil, the biihops were "fools," and the 
other dignitaries and officials of the church were influenced chieiiy by the 
love of money and felf-indulgence. The parfon began humbly, when he 
firil obtained his benefice, but no fooner had he gathered money together, 
than he took "a wenche" to live with him as his wife, and rode a 
hunting with hawks and hounds like a gentleman. The prielis were 
men with no learning, who preached by rote what they neither under- 
Rood nor appreciated. "Truely," he fays, " it fares by our unlearned 
priefts as by a jay in a cage, who curfes himfelf: he fpeaks good Englifh, 
but he knows not what it means. No more does an unlearned prielt 
know his gofpel that he reads daily. An unlearnecl prieft, then, is no 
better than a jay." 
Cortes aljz hytfareth by a pray! that is lewed, 
A7: by a jay in a cage that  hath bgfbreqverl  
Gods Englyfh he ffeketh, but he not nz-ver what. 
N0 mare -wot a lrwzd prqji hy: gqfpel war he rat 
By day. 
Than is a 12-wed prnji rm better than zz jay. 
L 
Abbots and priors were remarkable chiefly for their pride and luxury, and 
the monks naturally followed their examples. Thus was religion debafed 
everywhere. The chara6ter of the phyflcian is treated with equal feverity, 
and his various tricks to obtain money are amufmgly defcribed. In this 
manner the fongfter prefents to view the failings of the various orders of 
lay foeiety alfo, the feliifhnels and opprellive bearing of the knights and 
ariftocracy 
J