Conscience
The Scrupulous Conscience
The speaker rebukes a prattling inner voice that distorts all perception, and laments the loss of spiritual senses from heeding its fears.
Hush, chatterbox—don't scowl. There's no fair look you don't call foul; no sweet dish you don't call sour. Music howls to you.1 By listening to your chattering fears, I've lost both my eyes and ears.
Silence and the Remedy
The speaker commands silence for harmonious thought and warns that he possesses a medicine to expel the troublesome voice.
Stop prattling, I tell you—my thoughts must work, but like a silent sphere, harmonious peace must rock them all day long. There's no room for chatterers there. If you keep it up, I'll tell you this: I have medicine to drive you out.2
The Eucharistic Cure
The speaker declares that tasting Christ's blood at the table cleanses him and silences the accuser completely.
And the prescription will be my Savior's blood: whenever I so much as taste it at his table, it cleanses me at once, and leaves you without a word—no, not a tooth or nail to scratch with, or to carp at my actions and catch me.✦✦3
The Cross as Medicine and Sword
The speaker warns that if the prattler persists, the cross of Christ serves both as healing medicine and as a weapon against it.
But if you still keep talking, know that besides my medicine there's some for you too: some wood and nails to make a staff or a bill for those who trouble me. The bloody cross of my dear Lord is both my medicine and my sword.4
Read the original English
PEace pratler, do not lowre: Not a fair look, but thou dost call it foul: Not a sweet dish, but thou dost call it sowre: Musick to thee doth howl. By listning to thy chatting fears I have both lost mine eyes and eares.
Pratler, no more, I say: My thoughts must work, but like a noiselesse sphere Harmonious peace must rock them all the day: No room for pratlers there. If thou persistest, I will tell thee, That I have physick to expell thee.
And the receit shall be My Saviours bloud: when ever at his board I do but taste it, straight it cleanseth me, And leaves thee not a word; No, not a tooth or nail to scratch, And at my actions carp, or catch.
Yet if thou talkest still, Besides my physick, know there's some for thee: Some wood and nails to make a staffe or bill For those that trouble me: The bloudie crosse of my deare Lord Is both my physick and my sword.
Scripture echoes
- ↩1John.1.7;Heb.9.14 — But if we walk in the light, as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Heb.9.14 — how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God
- ↩1Cor.10.16-1Cor.10.21 — The cup of blessing that we bless — is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break — is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 1Cor.10.17 — Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 1Cor.10.18 — Look at Israel according to the flesh. Are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 1Cor.10.19 — What am I saying then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 1Cor.10.20 — No, but what the nations sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become partners with demons. 1Cor.10.21 — You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Notes
- 1 ↩Source 'lowre' = lower: scowl or look sullen; rendered as 'scowl' for clear contemporary sense.
- 2 ↩Source 'physick' is early modern for medicine/remedy; rendered as 'medicine' to keep the therapeutic force that the next stanza identifies with the Savior's blood.
- 3 ↩Early modern receit/receipt here means a medical prescription or formula (continuing the physick of the previous section), not a written acknowledgment of payment.
- 4 ↩Early modern bill: a billhook or polearm weapon, paired with staff as arms of defense—not a written account or invoice.
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