An Almond for a Parrot Being a reply to Martin Mar-Prelate

An Almond for a Parrot is a sharp and satirical response to the controversial pamphlets attributed to Martin Mar-Prelate an anonymous figure who criticized the Church of England in the late 16th century. Written during the height of the Martin Mar-Prelate controversy this work exemplifies the lively and pointed rhetoric of Elizabethan polemical literature.The text employs wit humor and biting invective to counter Mar-Prelate’s arguments against the established church hierarchy. Through clever wordplay and vibrant imagery the anonymous author defends the bishops and clergy while exposing what they perceive as the recklessness and hypocrisy of Mar-Prelate’s positions. The title itself An Almond for a Parrot suggests that it is a “treat” for the talkative or disruptive playfully mocking the verbose and provocative nature of Mar-Prelate’s tracts.