Can anyone help me? I’m puzzling over the alleged words of the Scottish reformer, George Wishart. ‘…a priest standing at the altar saying Mass, was like a fox wagging his tail in July.’
I don’t have a clue what foxes do in July. I gather that foxes wag their tails when they’re happy, but from Wishart’s following words, it is something about being false.
This is the charge in the second article against him at his trial:
“Thou false Heretic did say, that a priest standing at the altar saying Mass, was like a fox wagging his tail in July.
The Answer.
My Lords, I said not so. These were my sayings: the moving of the body outward, without the inward moving of the heart, is not else but the playing of an ape, and not the true serving of God; for God is a secret searcher of men’s hearts: Therefore, who will truly adore and honor God, he must in spirit and verity honor him.
Then the Accuser stopped his mouth with an other Article.”
2 responses so far ↓
1 Gary Ware // Jul 27, 2010 at 10:02 am
Perhaps the idea is that the fox wagging its tail is not happy and there’s a sense of deception or falsehood involved.
July I’ve got no idea about.
It would be mid-summer.
2 Jared // Jul 27, 2010 at 10:12 am
Thanks, Gary. Just as your comment came in, I was talking to Sam Larsen. He happened to have watched a documentary on foxes just a month ago – his wife is a National Geographic fan. He said foxes wag their tales in mating, but July is too late for mating. Thus, the sacrifice of Christ in the mass is out of time. Believers should be looking back to the once-for-all sacrifice.
Sounds convincing.
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