The answere to the fyrst parte of the poysened booke, which a namelesse heretyke hath named the souper of the lorde. By syr Thomas More knyght

The secunde chapyter.

NOwe come I than good rea∣ders to the tother contradyccy on that he layeth agaynst me, his wor des wherin, byfore myne answere I praye you rede ones agayne. And leste ye sholde be loth to turne backe and seke theym / here shall you haue them agayne, lo these they be.

At laste note chrysten reader, that mayster More in the thyrde boke of hys confutacyon of Tyndale, the 249. syde, to proue saynt Iohn̄s gospell 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & insuffycyent, for lenyng out of so necessary a poynt of our fayth, as he calleth the last sonper of Chryste hys maundye: sayth that Iohn̄ spake nothynge at all of thys sacrament. And now se agayne in these

hys letters agaynste Fryth / how hym selfe bryn∣geth in Iohn̄ 6. cap. to impagne Frythes wrytyng / and to make all for the sacrament, euen thus / My flesshe is veryly meate, and my bloude drynke. By lyke the man had there ouershette hym selfe fowle / the yonge man here causynge hym to put on his spec tacles and poore better and more wysshely wyth his olde eyen vppon saynt Iohn̄s gospell to fynde that thynge there now wryten, whyche before he wolde haue made one of hys vnwryten verytees.

¶ whan my selfe good reader redde fyrste these wordes of his, all be it that I was sure ynough, that in the thinge that I purposed there was no repugnaunce in dede: yet seynge that he so dylygently layed forth the lefe in whyche my faute shold be founde, I very playnly thought that I had not so circumspectely sene vnto my wordes as wysedome wold I shold. And taking therfore myne ouersyght for a very trouth, I neuer vouche∣faufede to tourne my booke and loke.

But afterwarde yt happed on a day

I sayde in a certayne company, that I was somwhat sorye, that yt hadde mysse happed me to take in this one poynte no better hede to myne hand, but to wryte therin two thynges re∣pugnaunt and contrary. Where vnto some of theym made answere, y^t such a chaunce happeth sometyme 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a man be ware in a longe worke. But yet quoth one of theym a gentyl∣woman, haue you consydered well the place in your boke, and sene that he sayth trouth. Nay by my trouthe quod I that haue I not. For yt yr∣keth me to loke vppon the place a∣gayne nowe whan yt ys to late to mende yt. For I am sure the mā wolde nat be so madde, to name the very lefe, but yf he were well sure y^t he sayd trew. By our lady 〈◊〉〈◊〉 she, but syth you haue not loked yt your

selfe, I wyl for al the lefe layed out by hym, se the thynge my selfe ere I byleue his wrytynge, I knowe these felowes for so false. And therwyth al she sent for the boke, and turned to the very. 249. syde, and wyth that nōber marked also. And in good fayth good readers, there founde we no suche maner mater, neyther on the tone syde of the lefe nor on the tho∣ther.

¶ Nowe be yt of trouth I can not denye, but that in a syde after mysse marked with the nōbre of. 249, whyche sholde haue ben marked wyth the nomber of. 259, there we founde the mater in that place. But therin found we the moste shamefull, eyther fo∣ly or falysed of mayster Maskar, that euer I saw lyghtly in any man in my lyfe. whych bycause ye shal not seke farre to fynde: I shal reherse you

here the very wordes of that place. Lo good readers these they be.

But now bycause of Tyndale, let vs take some one thing. And what thing rather then the last souper of Chryst, hys maundye with his apostles, in whiche he instytuted the blessed sacra ment of the aulter hys owne blessed body and bloode. Is this no necessa∣ry poynt of fayth? Tyndale can not denye it for a necessary poynt of faith & though it were but of his own false fayth, agreynge with Luther, Huys∣kyn, or Suynglyus. And he can not saye that saynt Iohn̄ speketh any thynge therof, specyally not of the in∣stytucyon. Nor he can not saye that saynt Iohn̄ speketh any thyng of the sacrament at all, syth that hys secte expressely denyeth, that saynt Iohn̄ ment the sacrament in hys wordes where he speketh expressely therof in the. vi. chapyter of his gospelli

¶ Where haue you euer good chry∣sten

readers sene any fonde 〈◊〉〈◊〉 byfore thys, handle a thynge so 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ly or so folyshely, as maister maskar here handeleth this? Ne telleth you that I sayde here, that saynt Iohn spake nothynge of the sacrament at all. Nowe you se that mayster Maskar in that poynte bylyeth me. For I sayd not here that saynt Iohn spake notkynge therof / but fyrste I sayde there that Tyndale agaynste whome I there wrote, could not say that saynte Iohn̄ wrote any thynge of the blessed sacrament, specyally not of the instytucyon therof. And this is very trouthe. For as tou∣chynge thinstytucyon therof at Chry stes laste souper and maundye, ney∣ther Tyndale nor no man ellys can saye that saynte Iohn̄ any thynge wrote therof in his gospell.

¶ Than sayde I farther there (as

you se) not that saynte Iohn̄ speketh nothyng of the sacramēt, but y^t Tyn dale can not saye that saynte Iohn̄ speketh of the sacrament any thynge at all. And that I ment not in those wordes, to saye myne owne selfe that saynte Iohn̄ spake nothynge therof: I declare playnely there forthwyth, by that I shew the cause why Tyndale can not say that saynt Iohū spake any thynge of the sacra∣mēt at all, that is to wyt bycause that al his sect expressely denyeth, that a∣ny thynge was ment of the sacramēt in the wordes of Chryste wryten in the. vi. chapyter of saynt Iohn̄.

¶ By this ye may se playnely good readers, that mayster Maskar playn ly belyeth me. For I sayde not my selfe that saynt Iohn̄ spake nothyng of the sacrament / but that Tyndale bycause of thopynyon of all his 〈◊〉〈◊〉

in that poynt, coulde not saye y^e saynt Iohn̄ spake any thyng therof. Which was ynough for my purpose, whyle Tyndale was the man agaynste whome I wrote, though my selfe wolde for myne owne parte saye the cōtrary. For yt is y^t hyude of argumtē that is in the scoles called argumentū adhominē. And thus you se good re ders, mayster Maskar in this thyng eyther shamefully false, or very shamefully folish / shamefully false, if he perceyued & vnderstode my wor des, and than for al that thus 〈◊〉〈◊〉 me / shamefully foly she yf the thyng beynge spoken by me so playne, his wyt wold not serue hym to {per}ceyue it.

¶ But now as clere as ye se the ma ter all redy by this, to thētent yet that mayster Maskar shal haue no mater left hym in all this word to make any argument of for hys excuse therin:

rede my wordes agayn good reders, and byd maister Maskar marke wel my wordes therin, where I saye ex∣pressely that saynte Iohn̄ spake ex∣pressely therof in the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 chapyter of his gospel. For these wordes are as you se there the very last worde of 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Nor Tyndale can not say, that saynt John̄ speketh any thyng of the sacra ment at all, syth that his sect expresse ly denyeth that saynt John̄ ment the sacrament in his wordes (where he speketh expressely therof) in the. vi. chapyter of his gospell.

¶ whose wordes are these? where he speketh expressely therof? Are not these wordes myne? And do I not in these wordes expressely say, y^t saynte Iohn̄ expressely speketh of the bles∣sed sacrament in the syxt chapiter of his gospel, in whych place Tindals secte saith expressely that he nothyng spake therof. And now sath M. mas

kar that I sayde there, that saynte Iohn̄ spake nothynge therof at all. And layeth it' for a foule repugnaūce in me, that in my letter agaynst Fryth I saye therof the contrary.

¶ But how 〈◊〉〈◊〉 we mayster maskar? What haue you nowe to saye? wyth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shameful shyft wyl your sham lesse face, face vs oute this folyshe lye of yours, that you make vppon me here? If you lyed so loude wyt∣tyngly: howe can you loke that any man shold trust your worde? If for lacke of vnderstandynge: howe can you lake than for shame that any man sholde truste your wyt? Why sholde we thynke that your wyt wyll perse into the perceyuynge of harde worde in the holy scripture of god, whan yt wyll not serue you to perceyue suche pore playne wordes of myne.

¶ Ye wryte that the younge man 〈◊〉〈◊〉

here made me done on my spectacles and loke more wyshly on the mater, to fynde now writen therin the thyng that I sayde byfore was not wryten therin. But nowe muste you loke more wyshely vppon my wordes, on whych you make here so loude a lye, and pore better on theym wyth your spectacles vppon your Maskars nose.

¶ I wyste ones a good felow, why∣che whyle he daunsed in a maske, vp∣pon boldenesse that no man coulde haue knowen hym, whan he percey∣ued that he was well espyed by hys euyll fauored daunsynge: he waxed so ashamed sodaynly, y^e he softly said vnto his felowe, I pray you tell me doth not my visour blosh rede? Now surely good reders, M. maskar here, yf he were not vtterly paste shame,

hathe cause ynough to be in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 poynt so sore ashamed, that he myght wene y^e glowyng of his vysage shold euyn perse thorow his visor, & make it rede for shame. ¶ Thus haue I now good christen readers, answe red at the full in these fyue bokes of my fyrst parte, the fyrst part of mays ter maskars worke / and taken vp the fyrst course of mayster maskars sou∣per, whych he falsely calleth the last souper of the lorde / whyle he hathe with his own poysened cokery, made yt the souper of the deuyl. And yet wold the deuyl I wene dysdayne to haue his souperdressed of such a rude ruffyn, suche a scald Colyn coke, as vnder the name of a clerke, so rybal∣dyousely rayleth agaynst the blessed bodye of Chryste in the blessed sacra ment of thauter.