John Bon and Mast Parson facts for kids
John Bon and Mast Parson is an old story printed around 1547 or 1548. It was published by John Day and William Seres. The author used the name "Lucas Shepeherd," which was probably a pseudonym, meaning a fake name used to hide their real identity.
This work was a type of writing called a satire. A satire uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize people or ideas. The real author, possibly a poet and doctor from Colchester in Essex, was known by other names like 'Lucas Opilio'. He was a friend of Edward Underhill. This author wrote eight poems and one prose story that made fun of certain religious practices and beliefs during the time of King Edward VI.
What the Story Was About
The story "John Bon and Mast Parson" criticized several things related to the Roman Catholic Church. It made fun of the Mass, which is a religious service, and transubstantiation, which is the belief that bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. It also targeted the feast of Corpus Christi, a special religious holiday. The author also criticized the clergy (church leaders) and the idea of clerical celibacy, which means priests not marrying.
Some specific church leaders were mentioned in the story, including Bishop Stephen Gardiner, William Layton, and Dr Richard Smith. The author, Lucas Shepeherd, was very good at writing in a style similar to another famous poet named Skelton. Because of this, some of Shepeherd's poems were mistakenly thought to be written by Skelton.
Why Was It Important?
The story John Bon caused the author, Lucas Shepeherd, to be put in jail for a short time. However, it was also very popular in the royal court and even received praise from important people like Sir John Gresham.
A writer named John King described John Bon as a mix of old medieval satire and newer ideas from the Protestant Reformation. It was similar to some German works by Hans Sachs. The story is about a simple farmer named John Bon, who is a plowman. He gets into an argument with a priest about the feast of Corpus Christi and transubstantiation. The plowman uses simple logic to challenge the priest's beliefs. This argument happens on the evening before Corpus Christi. Some historians think the book might have been published at a specific time. This was when Archbishop Thomas Cranmer was ending the celebration of Corpus Christi in 1548.
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