¶ Of the same thyng that was so newefounde
¶ As Ceres for she the crafte of tylthe fonde
¶ Wherby more plentouously corne dyd habounde
¶ The people her called thrugh out euery londe
¶ Goddesse of corne wendyng in her honde
¶ Had layn all power of cornes habundaunce
¶ Thus were the Paynems deceyued by ignoraunce
¶ In lyke maner Isys was called the goddesse
¶ Of frute for she fyrst made it multuply
¶ By the name of graffyng & soo by processe
¶ The name of Pan gan to deyfy
¶ For he fyrst founde the mene shepe to guy
¶ Some toke it also by her condycyon
¶ As Pluto Fortune and suche other doon
¶ Thus all that Poetes put vnder couerture
¶ Of fable the rurall people hit toke
¶ Properly as acte refusyng the fygure
¶ Which errour some of hem neuer forsoke
¶ Ofte a false myrour deceyueth a mannes loke
¶ As thou mayst dayly pryue at thyne ey
¶ Thus were the paynyms deceyued generally
¶ That seyng the dedely enemy of mankynde
¶ By his pouer premyssyue entred the ymagys
¶ Within the Temples to make the people blynde
¶ In her ydolatry standyng on hyghe stagys
¶ Insomoche whoo vsed daungerous passagys
¶ Ony maner way by water or be londe
¶ When hyd his sacryfyce his answere redy fonde
¶ Thus duryng the tyme of deuyacion
¶ From Adam to Moyses was ydolatry
¶ Through the worlde vsed in comon opynyon
¶ These were the goddys that thou there sy
¶ And as for the awayters that stood hem by
¶ They polytyke Phylosophers & Poetes were
¶ Whiche feyned the fables that I speke of here
¶ Then seased the tyme of deuyacyon
¶ When Moyses receyued that tables of stone
¶ Entryng the tyme of reuocacyon
¶ On the mounte of Synay stondyng allone
¶ God yaue hym myght ayene all his fone
¶ And then began the olde testament
¶ Whiche to the people by Moyses was sent
¶ And that tyme dured the Incarnacyon
¶ Of Cryste and then began it to sese
¶ For then came the tyme of reconcylyacyon
¶ Of man to god I tell the doutlese
¶ When the sone of man put hym in prese
¶ Wylfully to suffre dethe for mankynde
¶ In holy scrypture this mayst thou fynde
¶ This Reconcylyacyon was the tyme of grace
¶ When founded was the chirche vpon that fayre stone
¶ And to holy Peter the keye delyuered was
¶ Of heuen hell dyspoyled was anone
¶ Thys was mankynde delyuered from his fone
¶ And then began the newe testament[3]
¶ Whiche .iii. tymes a sondry dyuyded
¶ Mayst thou here see yf thou lyst beholde
¶ The fyrst behynde the in pycture is prouyded
¶ The seconde of the lyft honde shew prophet olde
¶ The .iii. on the ryght honde here it is to the tolde
¶ Thus hast thou in vysyon the verey fygure
¶ Of these .iii. tymes here shewed in portrayture
¶ That is to say fyrst of deuyacyon
¶ From Adam to Moyses recordyng scripture
¶ Seconde fro Moyses to the Incarnacyon
¶ Of Cryst kepeth reuocacyon cure
¶ And as for the thyrd thou mayst be verrey sure
¶ Wylt dure from thens to the worldes ende
¶ But now the .iiii. must thou haue in mynde