The Works of Christopher Marlowe Volume III Part 47

Had he been brought up to the trade His father follow'd still, This exit he had never made, Nor played a part soe ill.

Take warning ye that playes doe make, And ye that doe them act; Desist in time for Wormall's sake, And thinke upon his fact.

Blaspheming Tambolin must die, And Faustus meete his ende; Repent, repent, or presentlie To h.e.l.l ye must discend.

What is there, in this world, of worth, That we should prize it soe?

Life is but trouble from our birth, The wise do say and know.

Our lives, then, let us mend with speed, Or we shall suerly rue The end of everie hainous deede, In life that shall insue.

_Finis. Ign._

FOOTNOTES:

[677] In the Introduction I have expressed my opinion that this ballad is a forgery.

[678] We are to suppose an allusion to Robert Greene.

[679] The anagram of Marlowe.

No. II.

In a copy of _Hero and Leander_ Collier found, together with other questionable matter, the following MS. notes:--"Feb. 10, 1640. Mr. [two words follow in cipher], that Marloe was an atheist, and wrot a booke against [two words in cipher,] how that it was all one man's making, and would have printed it, but it would not be suffred to be printed. Hee was a rare scholar, and made excellent verses in Latine. He died aged about 30."--"Marloe was an acquaintance of Mr. [a name follows in cipher] of Douer, whom hee made become an atheist; so that he was faine to make a recantation vppon this text, 'The foole hath said in his heart there is no G.o.d.'"--"This [the name in cipher] learned all Marloe by heart."--"Marloe was stabd with a dagger and dyed swearing."

No. III.

A NOTE[680]

CONTAYNINGE THE OPINION OF ONE CHRISTOFER MARYLE, CONCERNYNGE HIS d.a.m.nABLE OPINIONS AND JUDGMENT OF RELYGION AND SCORNE OF G.o.dS WORDE.

FROM MS. HARL. 6853, FOL. 320.

That the Indians and many Authors of Antiquitei have a.s.suredly written of aboue 16 thowsande yeers agone, wher Adam is proved to have leyved within 6 thowsande yeers.

_He affirmeth_[681] That Moyses was but a Juggler, and that one Heriots can do more then hee.

That Moyses made the Jewes to travell fortie yeers in the wildernes (which iorny might have ben don in lesse then one yeer) er they came to the promised lande, to the intente that those whoe wer privei to most of his subtileteis might perish, and so an everlastinge supersticion remayne in the hartes of the people.

That the firste beginnynge of Religion was only to keep men in awe.

That it was an easye matter for Moyses, beinge brought up in all the artes of the Egiptians, to abvse the Jewes, being a rvde and grosse people.

* * *[682]

That he [Christ] was the sonne of a carpenter, and that, yf the Jewes amonge whome he was born did crvcifye him, thei best knew him and whence he came.

That Christ deserved better to dye than Barrabas, and that the Jewes made a good choyce, though Barrabas were both a theife and a murtherer.

That yf ther be any G.o.d or good Religion, then it is in the Papistes, becavse the service of G.o.d is performed with more ceremonyes, as elevacion of the ma.s.se, organs, singinge men, _shaven crownes_, &c. That all protestantes ar hipocriticall a.s.ses.

That, yf he wer put to write a new religion, he wolde vndertake both a more excellent and more admirable methode, and that all the new testament is filthely written.

That all the Appostels wer fishermen and base fellowes, nether of witt nor worth, that Pawle only had witt, that he was a timerous fellow in biddinge men to be subiect to magistrates against his conscience.

_That he had as good right to coyne as the Queen of Englande, and that he was acquainted with one Poole, a prisoner in newgate, whoe hath great skill in mixture of mettalls, and havinge learned such thinges of him, he ment, thorough help of a cvnnynge stampe-maker, to coyne french crownes, pistolettes, and englishe s.h.i.+llinges._

That, yf Christ had inst.i.tuted the Sacramentes with more cerymonyall reverence, it would have ben had in more admiracion, that it wolde have ben much better beinge administred in a Tobacco pype.

That one Richard Cholmelei[683] hath confessed that he was perswaded by Marloes reason to become an Athieste.

_Theis thinges, with many other, shall by good and honest men be proved to be his opinions and common speeches, and that this Marloe doth not only holde them himself, but almost in every company he commeth, perswadeth men to Athiesme, willinge them not to be afrayed of bugbeares and hobgoblins, and vtterly scornynge both G.o.d and his ministers, as I Richard Bome_ [sic] _will justify bothe by my othe and the testimony of many honest men, and almost all men with whome he hath conversed any tyme will testefy the same:_ _and, as I thincke, all men in christianitei ought to endevor that the mouth of so dangerous a member may be stopped._

_He sayeth moreover that he hath coated[684] a number of contrarieties out of the scriptures, which he hath geeven to some great men, who in convenient tyme shalbe named. When theis thinges shalbe called in question, the witnesses shalbe produced._

RYCHARD BAME.

(Endorsed)

_Copye of Marloes blasphemyes as sent to her H[ighness]._

[Now-a-days inquiries as to the age of the earth are of interest only to Geologists; and all may criticise with impunity the career of Moses--provided that they do not employ the shafts of ridicule too freely. Marlowe's strictures on the New Testament--grossly exaggerated by the creature who penned the charges--were made from the literary point of view. We should blame n.o.body to-day for saying that the language of Revelations is poor and thin when compared with the language of Isaiah. Again, as to the statement that Romanism alone is logical, and that Protestantism has no _locus standi_,--has not the doctrine been proclaimed again and again in our own day by writers whom we all respect? The charge that Marlowe had announced his intention of coining French crowns is so utterly absurd as to throw discredit upon all the other statements. It must be remembered that the testimony was not upon oath, and that the deponent was a ruffian.]

FOOTNOTES:

[680] This is the original t.i.tle, which has been partly scored through to make way for the following t.i.tle:--_A Note delivered on Whitson eve last of the most horrible blasphemes utteryd by Christofer Marly who within iii dayes after came to a soden and fearfull end of his life._

[681] Words printed in italics are scored through in the MS.