A replie vnto M. Hardinges ansvveare by perusinge whereof the discrete, and diligent reader may easily see, the weake, and vnstable groundes of the Romaine religion, whiche of late hath beene accompted Catholique. By Iohn Iewel Bishoppe of Sarisburie.

The B. of Sarisburie.

This labour may wel be called Vanitas vanitatum. For it is a great token of idle∣nesse, to be so earnest, and so copious in proouinge that thing, that no man denieth. And yet he forceth the mater so, as if al the right of his cause lay vpon it. He might as wel haue prooued, that the Indians, Arabians, Ethiopians, Tartarians, vnder∣stoode no Gréeke. It is a lewde kinde of Logique, so stoutely to prooue that thinge, that néedeth no proufe: and to leaue the thinge, that should be prooued. The title of the Crosse written in thrée sundrie languages, as it t••••••ifieth that the Nations of the East parte of the worlde spake not al one tongue, whiche thinge is not of any wise man denied, so it prooueth plainely against M. Hardinge, that the Deathe of Christ should be published in al tongues. For as Albertus, & Lyra M. Hardinges owne Doctours haue witnessed,* 1.1 writinge vpon the same, Therefore was the title by Goddes special prouision, drawen in the thrée principal languages, vt omnes, qui de diuersis orbis partibus venerant, possent illum legere: that al they, that were then come to Hierusalem out of sundrie partes of the worlde, might be able to reade it. S. Hierome likewise saithe,* 1.2 the same title was so written, In testimonium vniuersarum gentium, for the witnesse of al Nations. For it was the wil of God, that euery tongue should confesse, that Christe is the Lorde in the glorie of the Father.

Wherein M. Hardinge muche abbridgeth the Glorie of the Crosse of Christe, that woulde the title thereof to perteine onely to the wise, and learned of the Gréekes. For Albertus, and Lyra say, It was so written, that al might reade it: and, as S. Hierome saithe, for witnesse of al Nations. Neither can we finde, that there was any great number of Philosophers present at Christes death, to reade that title. As for S. Augustine, by these woordes Sapientes Graecorum, he vnderstandeth Al the Greekes. For as al the Iewes generally gloried of the Lawe, euen so al the Gréekes generally gloried in their wisedome.* 1.3 And S. Paule saithe generally of them bothe. Iudaei Signum quaerunt: Graeci sapientiam. The Iewes cal for Signes, and miracles: and the Greekes cal for knowlege. And therefore one of the Philosophers saide, In olde times there were seuen wise men emonge the Greekes: but nowe there are not so many fooles: for that they al gloried in their wisedome.

The people of Lycaonia spake vnto Paule,* 1.4 and Barnabas, Lycaonicè: Ergo, saithe M. Hardinge, they spake no Greeke. But what if S. Luke had saide, they spake Ionicè, Aeolic••, or Doric••, whiche tongues were adioininge fast vpon Lycaonia, would he therefore conclude, they sapke no Greeke? Uerely if a man by way of contention woulde say, the Lycaonical tongue was a corruption, or difference of the Gréeke tongue, and not a seueral tongue of it selfe, M. Hardinge shoulde haue muche a doo to prooue the contrary. Doubtlesse, they woorshipped Iuppiter, and Mercurie, that were the Goddes of the Gréekes: and had the Gréeke Sacrifice, as it manifestly appeareth by the woordes of S. Luke: and it may be credibly geathered, that Paule, and Barnabas spake to them in Gréeke. How be it, whether it were so, or otherwise, sauinge that M. Hardinge maketh the mater so c••rtaine, it im∣proteth

nothinge.

But this one thinge, good Reader, I geue the further to consider. These Ly∣caonians, as M. Hardinge confesseth,* 1.5 and as plainely appeareth by S. Luke, be∣inge yet Infidels, made their praiers vnto their Idolles, Iuppiter, and Mercurie in their owne tongue. And may it any wise seeme likely, that the same beinge afterwarde become Christians, made their praiers vnto Almighty God, and to Christe his Sonne in a straunge tongue? If it behooue Idolaters to vnderstande their owne praiers, muche more it behooueth the people of God, to doo the like.

Certainely, if the same Lycaonians were nowe aliue, they would reproue M. Har∣dinges errour in their owne tongue.

The blasinge of the younge Emperoure Gordians graue with fiue sundrie languages, like as it was needelesse in this place, as al the reaste, the mater beinge confessed, euen so it weigheth very muche againste M. Hardinges side. For if the Barbarous Souldiers of their dewtie, and allegeance towardes their Prince, thought his deathe woorthy to be published in so many tongues: what maye then be thought of them, that can not suffer the Deathe of Christe to be pu∣blished in any one tongue? And if they so fournished a mortal mannes me∣morie, as Capitolinus saithe, Vt ab omnibus legeretur, that it mighte be readde of al men, why then doo these menne so hide, and burie the immortal memorie of the glorie of Christe, that sauinge them selues, they woulde haue it to be readde, and seene of no Man?

The allegation of the Persians, and Syrians letters: Of the tongue vsed aboute Palmyra: of Epistles written in the Egyptians tongue by Antonius, in the Syrian tongue by Bardesanes, Ephrem, Isaac, and Samuel: of Mithri∣dates the Kinge of Pontus, that was hable to answeare twoo and twentie Na∣tions, that were his subiectes, without an Interpreter: of the resorte of three hundred sundrie Nations vnto the Citie called Dioscuri•••• in Colchis: and once againe of the Miracle of tongues, and diuersitie of languages in the Actes of the Apostles, hath some shewe, and ostentation of learninge, and serueth wel either to fille vp roome, or els to reprooue, and controlle S. Hierome: for that he saith, Al the Easte parte of the worlde speaketh Greeke: For againste vs, that neither write so, nor speake so, it maketh nothinge.

We knowe, that by meane of the greate Empier, that the Greekes had gotten ouer many Countries, and Kingedomes, in al the Easte, and partely also for that the Barbarous Nations, whome they had subdued, had greate pleasure in their Philosophie, and other skilful knowlege, the Gréeke tongue was learned of many, and carried aboute into al places of that parte of the worlde: and that Cicero therefore saithe,* 1.6 Graeca leguntur in omnibus ferè gentibus: The Greeke tongue is readde in manner emongst of Nations. And S. Augustine likewise: Quos Pau∣lus dixit Graecos, eos etiam Gentium nomine significauit: eò quod haec Lingua maximè excellit in Gentibus: Whome Paule called Greekes, them also he vttered by the name of the Gentiles: for that the same tongue chiefely excelleth emonge the Gentiles. And yet we doubte not, but there were other natural tongues and speaches too, bi∣sides the Greeke: as the Egyptian, the Syrian, the Arabik, the Persian, the Bactrian, the Indian, the Armenian, the Scythian, and many others. And it I liste here to dally for pleasure, and vainely to carrie awaie the reader from the purpose, as M. Hardinge doothe, I coulde saie, that Themistocles* 1.7 a Gentelman of Athens, before he presented him selfe vnto the Greate Kinge of Persia, firste learned to speake y^e Persians tongue: y^t the Nestorian Heretiques translated their bookes into the Persian, Armenian, & Syrian tongue: that S. Augustine saith, that

S. Hierome vnderstoode the Hebrew,* 1.8 the Gréeke, the Chaldée, the Latine, the Per∣sian, the Arabik, and the Median tongue: And that S. Chrysostome saithe, So ma∣ny tongues and voices there be of the Scythians, of the Thracians, of the Romaines, of the Persians, of the Moores, of the Indians, of the Egyptians, and of a thousande Nations biside: with many other authorities to like purpose,* 1.9 to auoutche the thinge, that M. Har∣ding so earnestly prooueth, and no man denieth: that the Nations of the East parte of the worlde had seueral tongues, and spake not al one onely tongue.

Let M. Hardinge therefore consider better, who they be, that, as he saithe, denie the Maiestie, Vtilitie, and necessitie of the gifte of tongues. For we confesse, that the know∣lege thereof is necessary, not onely for the furtherance, but also for the continuance of the Gospel: neither doo we doubte, but by what tongues the Heathens were con∣uerted vnto God, by the same tongues they made their petitions vnto God: the contrary whereof, M. Hardinge by his silence confesseth, he can not prooue. Which not withstandinge, he passeth ouer the mater by these woordes, Hitherto of the Greeke, and of the Seruice in that language: and so endeth this péece of his trea∣tie with a pretie vntruethe, hauinge in deede prooued somewhat of the tongue: but of the Seruice, whereupon his whole cause resteth, not one woorde at al.

Whiche thinge, that it may the better appeare, let vs lay togeather the partes and members of his argument.* 1.10 His Maior is this: Al Asia the Lesse had the Seruice in the Greeke tongue: The Minor, But many Countries of the saide Asia vnderstoode not the Greeke tongue: The Conclusion, Ergo, many Countries had their Seruice in an vn∣knowen tongue. The Minor he warranteth, but by gheasse onely, and none other∣wise: although bothe S. Luke in the nientienth of the Actes, and also the very sto∣rie of the times followinge, be to the contrary. The Maior he toucheth not at al. Therefore his Syllogismus halteth downe right of one side, and concludeth onely vpon the Minor. And thus M. Hardinge shoareth vp his straunge doctrine, with a strange Maior, a strange Minor, and a strange Conclusion.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Albertus & Lyra in. 19. Ca. Iohan.
• * 1.2

  Hieron. in Esai. lib. 7. Ca. 20.
• * 1.3

  1. Cor. 1.
• * 1.4

  Actor. 14.
• * 1.5

  Actor. 14.
• * 1.6

  Cicero pro Archia.
• * 1.7

  Plutarchus in Themistocle. Liberatus ca. 10.
• * 1.8

  August. ad Cy∣rill. citatur a Petro Crinito, li. 6. Ca. 6.
• * 1.9

  Chrysostom. in 1. Corin. 14 hom. 35.
• * 1.10

  M. Hardinges Syllogismus.