Enclosure Law

主題 Topic	Enclosure Law
書刊名 Title	A Supplication for the Beggars
作者 Author	Simon Fish
出版社 Publisher	Free: Gutenberg
出版年 Year
語言 Language	English
裝訂 Binding	□ 平裝 Paperback　　　　■精裝 Hardcover
頁數 Pages
ISBN (10 / 13)
Bibliography Reference	(STC, Duff, GW . . .)
來源網址 Web Link	http://archive.org/stream/asupplicationfor32464gut/pg32464.txt
劇本簡介撰稿者	王儀君
撰寫日期 Date	2014.2.

A.   簡介 Introduction (within 100 words, Chinese or English)

A Supplication for the Beggars (為乞丐而寫的祈禱詞)是文藝復興時期最有名的祈禱詞之一，其作者Simon Fish在1559 年向亨利八世陳情，控訴官員的暴行，以及國境內因圈地運動引起的貧窮狀況，但因為文諷刺Cardinal Wolsey，涉及政治敏感議題，而有兩次逃亡的記錄。A Supplication for the Beggars 在安特衛普(Antwerp) 出版，卻是流通最廣的抗議文。

B.   文本摘錄 Extracts (4-6 Pages)

                              THE PERSIANS
 
To the King Our
Sovereign Lord.
Most lamentably complaineth their woeful misery unto your Highness, your poor daily beadsmen,1 the wretched hideous monsters (on whom scarcely for horror any eye dare look), the foul unhappy sort of lepers, and other sore people, needy, impotent, blind, lame, and sick, that live only by alms, how that their number is daily so sore increased that all the alms of all the well-disposed people of this your realm is not half enough for to sustain them, but that for very constraint they die for hunger. And all this most pestilent mischief is come upon your said poor beadsmen, by the reason that there is in the times of your noble predecessors past craftily crept into this your realm another sort not of impotent but of strong puissant and counterfeit holy and idle beggars and vagabonds, which since the time of their first entre by all the craft and wiliness of Satan are now increased under your sight not only into a great number, but
also into a kingdom. These are (not the herds, but the ravenous wolves going in herds’ clothing devouring the flock) the bishops, abbots, priors, deacons, archdeacons, suffragans, priests, monks, canons, friars, pardoners and summoners And who is able to number this idle ravenous sort which (setting all labour aside) have begged so importunately that they have gotten into their hands more than the third part of all your realm? The goodliest lordships, manors, lands, and territories are theirs. Besides this they have the tenth part of all the corn, meadow, pasture, grass, wool, colts, calves, lambs, pigs, geese, and chickens; over and besides the tenth part of every servant’s wages, the tenth part of the wool, milk, honey, wax, cheese, and butter. Yea, and they look so narrowly upon their profits that the poor wives must be countable her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand” (Gen. 4.), showeth how odious murder is in his sight. It therefore behoveth1 everyone to have a special care what actions we commit, not seeking to murder those that have in some sort offended us, but to leave, as we ought, the revenge of all wrongs unto the Lord. For we may be assured we cannot deal colourably with God as Pilate thought to have done when he pronounced sentence against his own conscience, for he, having at the importunate suit of the Jews pronounced death upon our Saviour Christ, thought to have washed away the fact3 with the washing of his hands and his protestation in saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person,”4 whereby indeed he could not clear himself, but according to the saying of Erasmus, “In murder the consenter is as evil as the deed doer.” So Pilate’s conscience made him guilty of Christ’s death, for which the wrath of God still followed him; for after that time Pilate in executing his office did nothing but
that which was injustice, and being thereof accused in Rome, he was by the Emperor Caligula banished, and went to Lyons, the place (as some say) of his birth, through grief of which disgrace, by the sufferance of God, he desperately slew himself, that he might die by the hand of the most wickedest person that lived. God said unto Cain, “The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me out of the ground.” And Plutarch doth describe many strange discoveries of murders, among which he sayeth that a monstrous son slew his own father, the act being so much against as no man suspected this graceless child for the nature. (未完)
http://archive.org/stream/asupplicationfor32464gut/pg32464.txt