The Praier and Complaynte of the Ploweman unto Christe
Encyclopedia
The Praier and Complaynte of the Ploweman unto Christe: written not longe after the yere of our Lorde. M. and three hundred is a short (14 pages), anonymous English
Christian
text, probably written in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century and first printed in about 1531. It consists of a prose tract, in the form of a polemic
al prayer
, expressing Lollard
sentiments and arguing for religious reform. In it, the simple ploughman/narrator speaks on behalf of "the repressed common man imbued with the simple truths of the Bible
and a knowledge of the commandments
against the mighty and monolithic conservative church". The pastoral-ecclesiastical metaphor of shepherds and sheep is used extensively as a number of criticisms are made about such things as confession
, indulgence
s, purgatory
, tithing
and celibacy
. The Prayer became important in the sixteenth century, when its themes were taken up by proponents of the Protestant Reformation
.
in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century, but no manuscript copies survive.
It was first printed by a Protestant printer, Martinus de Keyser, in Antwerp, in about 1531, and then in London
, by another Protestant printer, Thomas Godfray, in about 1532, although Godfray's name does not appear in the edition. A preface in both editions, "To the Reader", dates itself 28 February 1531 and claims (undoubtedly in error) that the Prayer was written "not longe after the yere of our Lorde A thousand and thre hundred."
John Bale
included the Prayer, under the curious Latin title of Agricolae Praecatione in his bibliographic work, Scriptorum Illustrium maioris Brytannie . . . Catalogus (Basel, 1557-59).
John Foxe
included the text of the Prayer (identifying Tyndale as its editor) in his second (1570) edition of Acts and Monuments, but it was deleted in the third (1576) edition, and reinstated in the fourth (1583) and subsequent editions. Foxe's 1570 introduction dates the Prayer to the mid-fourteenth century and claims not to have changed any of it since the antique language gives "credit" to it and its "testimony." Marginal notes explicate the most difficult words as well as the points that square with Protestant attacks on Roman Catholicism.
An edition was edited and reprinted by the University of Toronto Press
in 1997.
attributed the Prayer to "Robert Langland
," then supposed by Robert Crowley
and Bale to be the author of Piers Plowman
, a poem whose author is now usually identified as William Langland
). Fuller was familiar with Piers Plowman and with several separate editions of the Prayer, which he believed were printed by Tyndale
and Foxe
.
The preface to the published edition is signed "W.T.". Parker and others take this to mean that William Tyndale wrote it; Anthea Hume disagrees and suggests George Joye
as the writer. Godfrey may indeed have printed the Prayer by or with the approval of Tyndale (as John Foxe indicates) ca.1532-6 in London or in 1531 in Antwerp. Tyndale could have been involved with the first edition, since he is known to have been in Antwerp that year, and Godfrey had printing connections with Tyndale and Antwerp.
.
Thomas More
(1478-1535) was probably referring to the Prayer, when he attacked the "Ploughmans Prayour" in his preface to his Confutation of Tyndale's Answer (published in 1532 by More's nephew, William Rastell
). In 1546, the Prayer was among the books banned by name in England, according to Robert Steele, along with all the works of John Frith
, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe
, John Bale
, Robert Barnes, Miles Coverdale, and others.
The preface to the printed version (by "W.T") underlines some of the controversial content, for example comparing the Protestant reformers to Christ
. Both were attacked as "innovators" when, according to the preface, they were only teaching the true and ancient doctrines. In this way, the Prayer is mustered up as an old proto-Protestant English text showing the truth and putatively traditional basis of Protestant teachings. The text of the Prayer echoes other reformist texts, such as Rede Me and Be Nott Wrothe.
W.T., in his preface, also argues that those in positions of wealth and power are corrupted by self-interest, and only the poor commons can see the truth of scripture. Some of these criticisms are directed toward the king
and other rulers; W.T. does explicitly denounce the murder of Archbishop
John Fisher
, whom the king had executed 1535 for refusing the Oath of Supremacy
. Helen White contends that the Prayer contains a "very radical theory of the nature of property".
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
text, probably written in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century and first printed in about 1531. It consists of a prose tract, in the form of a polemic
Polemic
A polemic is a variety of arguments or controversies made against one opinion, doctrine, or person. Other variations of argument are debate and discussion...
al prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
, expressing Lollard
Lollardy
Lollardy was a political and religious movement that existed from the mid-14th century to the English Reformation. The term "Lollard" refers to the followers of John Wycliffe, a prominent theologian who was dismissed from the University of Oxford in 1381 for criticism of the Church, especially his...
sentiments and arguing for religious reform. In it, the simple ploughman/narrator speaks on behalf of "the repressed common man imbued with the simple truths of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
and a knowledge of the commandments
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
against the mighty and monolithic conservative church". The pastoral-ecclesiastical metaphor of shepherds and sheep is used extensively as a number of criticisms are made about such things as confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
, indulgence
Indulgence
In Catholic theology, an indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven. The indulgence is granted by the Catholic Church after the sinner has confessed and received absolution...
s, purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
, tithing
Tithe
A tithe is a one-tenth part of something, paid as a contribution to a religious organization or compulsory tax to government. Today, tithes are normally voluntary and paid in cash, cheques, or stocks, whereas historically tithes were required and paid in kind, such as agricultural products...
and celibacy
Celibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
. The Prayer became important in the sixteenth century, when its themes were taken up by proponents of the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
.
History of the Prayer
The Prayer was probably written as a manuscriptManuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
in the late fourteenth or early fifteenth century, but no manuscript copies survive.
It was first printed by a Protestant printer, Martinus de Keyser, in Antwerp, in about 1531, and then in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, by another Protestant printer, Thomas Godfray, in about 1532, although Godfray's name does not appear in the edition. A preface in both editions, "To the Reader", dates itself 28 February 1531 and claims (undoubtedly in error) that the Prayer was written "not longe after the yere of our Lorde A thousand and thre hundred."
John Bale
John Bale
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
included the Prayer, under the curious Latin title of Agricolae Praecatione in his bibliographic work, Scriptorum Illustrium maioris Brytannie . . . Catalogus (Basel, 1557-59).
John Foxe
John Foxe
John Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
included the text of the Prayer (identifying Tyndale as its editor) in his second (1570) edition of Acts and Monuments, but it was deleted in the third (1576) edition, and reinstated in the fourth (1583) and subsequent editions. Foxe's 1570 introduction dates the Prayer to the mid-fourteenth century and claims not to have changed any of it since the antique language gives "credit" to it and its "testimony." Marginal notes explicate the most difficult words as well as the points that square with Protestant attacks on Roman Catholicism.
An edition was edited and reprinted by the University of Toronto Press
University of Toronto Press
University of Toronto Press is Canada's leading scholarly publisher and one of the largest university presses in North America. Founded in 1901, UTP has published over 6,500 books, with well over 3,500 of these still in print....
in 1997.
Author of the Prayer
In 1662, Thomas FullerThomas Fuller
Thomas Fuller was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his Worthies of England, published after his death...
attributed the Prayer to "Robert Langland
William Langland
William Langland is the conjectured author of the 14th-century English dream-vision Piers Plowman.- Life :The attribution of Piers to Langland rests principally on the evidence of a manuscript held at Trinity College, Dublin...
," then supposed by Robert Crowley
Robert Crowley (printer)
Robert Crowley also Robertus Croleus, Roberto Croleo, Robart Crowleye, Robarte Crole, and Crule , was a stationer, poet, polemicist and Protestant clergyman who was among the Marian exiles at Frankfurt...
and Bale to be the author of Piers Plowman
Piers Plowman
Piers Plowman or Visio Willelmi de Petro Plowman is the title of a Middle English allegorical narrative poem by William Langland. It is written in unrhymed alliterative verse divided into sections called "passus"...
, a poem whose author is now usually identified as William Langland
William Langland
William Langland is the conjectured author of the 14th-century English dream-vision Piers Plowman.- Life :The attribution of Piers to Langland rests principally on the evidence of a manuscript held at Trinity College, Dublin...
). Fuller was familiar with Piers Plowman and with several separate editions of the Prayer, which he believed were printed by Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
and Foxe
John Foxe
John Foxe was an English historian and martyrologist, the author of what is popularly known as Foxe's Book of Martyrs, , an account of Christian martyrs throughout Western history but emphasizing the sufferings of English Protestants and proto-Protestants from the fourteenth century through the...
.
The preface to the published edition is signed "W.T.". Parker and others take this to mean that William Tyndale wrote it; Anthea Hume disagrees and suggests George Joye
George Joye
George Joye was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first printed translation of several books of the Old Testament into English , as well as the first English Primer .-Education:...
as the writer. Godfrey may indeed have printed the Prayer by or with the approval of Tyndale (as John Foxe indicates) ca.1532-6 in London or in 1531 in Antwerp. Tyndale could have been involved with the first edition, since he is known to have been in Antwerp that year, and Godfrey had printing connections with Tyndale and Antwerp.
Controversial content
The Prayer was highly controversial, owing to its questioning of some of the tenets of the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
(1478-1535) was probably referring to the Prayer, when he attacked the "Ploughmans Prayour" in his preface to his Confutation of Tyndale's Answer (published in 1532 by More's nephew, William Rastell
William Rastell
-Life:He was born in London. At the age of seventeen he went to the University of Oxford, but did not take a degree, being probably called home to superintend the printing business of his father John Rastell....
). In 1546, the Prayer was among the books banned by name in England, according to Robert Steele, along with all the works of John Frith
John Frith
John Frith was an English Protestant priest, writer, and martyr.Frith was an important contributor to the Christian debate on persecution and toleration in favour of the principle of religious toleration...
, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe
John Wycliffe was an English Scholastic philosopher, theologian, lay preacher, translator, reformer and university teacher who was known as an early dissident in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. His followers were known as Lollards, a somewhat rebellious movement, which preached...
, John Bale
John Bale
John Bale was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English , and developed and published a very extensive list of the works of British authors down to his own time, just as the monastic libraries were being...
, Robert Barnes, Miles Coverdale, and others.
The preface to the printed version (by "W.T") underlines some of the controversial content, for example comparing the Protestant reformers to Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Both were attacked as "innovators" when, according to the preface, they were only teaching the true and ancient doctrines. In this way, the Prayer is mustered up as an old proto-Protestant English text showing the truth and putatively traditional basis of Protestant teachings. The text of the Prayer echoes other reformist texts, such as Rede Me and Be Nott Wrothe.
W.T., in his preface, also argues that those in positions of wealth and power are corrupted by self-interest, and only the poor commons can see the truth of scripture. Some of these criticisms are directed toward the king
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and other rulers; W.T. does explicitly denounce the murder of Archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
John Fisher
John Fisher
Saint John Fisher was an English Roman Catholic scholastic, bishop, cardinal and martyr. He shares his feast day with Saint Thomas More on 22 June in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints and 6 July on the Church of England calendar of saints...
, whom the king had executed 1535 for refusing the Oath of Supremacy
Oath of Supremacy
The Oath of Supremacy, originally imposed by King Henry VIII of England through the Act of Supremacy 1534, but repealed by his daughter, Queen Mary I of England and reinstated under Mary's sister, Queen Elizabeth I of England under the Act of Supremacy 1559, provided for any person taking public or...
. Helen White contends that the Prayer contains a "very radical theory of the nature of property".