The co[n]futacyon of Tyndales answere made by syr Thomas More knyght lorde chau[n]cellour of Englonde

¶The preface to the crysten reader.

[ A]

OUr lorde sende vs nowe some yeres as plentuouse of good corne, as we haue hadde some yeres of late plentuouse of euyll bokes. For they haue growen so faste and sprongen vppe so thykke, full of pestylent errours and pernyciouse he resyes, that they haue enfected and kyl∣led I fere me mo sely symple soules, thē the famyne of the dere yeres haue destroyed bodyes. And surely no lytle cause there is to drede, that the great haboun¦daunce and plentye of the tone, is no lytle cause and occasy¦on of the great derth and scarcite of the tother. For syth that our lorde of his especyall prouydence, vseth temporally to [ B] punyshe the hole people for the synnys of some parte, to cō∣pell the good folke to forbere & abhorre the noughty, wher∣by they maye brynge them to amendement and auoyd them selfe the cōtagyō of theyr cōpanye: wysdome were it for vs to perceyue, y^• lyke as folke beginne now to delyte in fedyng theyr soules of the venemouse caryn of those poysened here¦syes, of whyche maye well be veryfyed the wordes of holy wryt:* 1.1 deth is in the pot / our lorde lykewyse agaynwarde to reuenge yt wythall, begynneth to wythdraw hys gracyouse hande from the frutes of the erth, mynyshynge the fertylyte both in corne and catell, and bryngynge all in derth myche more then men can remedy or fully fynde out the cause. And yet bysyde thys somwhere he sendeth warre, sykenesse, and mortalyte / to punyshe in the fleshe that odyouse and hate∣full [ C] synne of the soule, that spoyleth the frute from all ma∣ner of vertues, I meane vnbylyefe, false fayth and infyde∣lyte, and to tell you all at ones in playne englyshe heresye. And I say that god nowe bygynneth. For I fere me surely that excepte folke begynne to reforme that fawte y^e soner / god shall not fayle in suche wyse to go forwarde, that we shall well perceyue and fele by thencreace of our greyfe, that all this gere hytherto is but a begynning yet. The prophete Hely as it is wryten in the thyrde boke of kynges, for the in¦fydelyte and idolatry that then was vsed in Israell, by his hartye prayour made vnto god, kepte that whole cuntre frō rayne by the space of .iii. yeres and a halfe / not of euyll wyll or malyce, but of deuocyon and pytye / by the payne & pyn∣chynge of the bodyes, to compell men to remember theyre

soules, whyche ellys were in parell of peryshynge by false [ A] idolatrye.

Nowe all be yt that these bolde shamelesse heretyques, haue of longe whyle neyther letted nor ceaced, falsely to in∣symulate and accuse the chyrche of god / callynge all good crysten people idolatres for honourynge of sayntes and reuerēt byhauour vsed at theyr images: yet that haue they done so farre agaynste theyr owne conscyence (by whyche them selfe well wote that the chirche vseth to sayntes and ymages none honour but ordinate / not honouryng images but for the sayntes sake, nor sayntes but for y^e sake of god / & neyther image as saynte, nor saynt as god) & this knoweth I say Tyndale hym selfe so well, and thereby so farre hath rayled agaynste his owne conscyence / that nowe at the laste in his answere to my boke, he retreateth so farre bakke, that [ B] he reuoketh almoste all that euer he sayde byfore / & is fayne now to graunte that cristen men may haue images, & knele byfore them to / as ye shall hereafter se when we shall come to the place.

But we on the tother syde saye playnely vnto them, that the thynges wherwyth they corrupte the worlde, are of infy¦delyte and faythlesse idolatrye, the very moste cursed kynde. The chyefe euyll in an idole was, y^t yt bare the name of god, eyther yt selfe or the deuyll that yt represented / and beyng so reputed and wurshyped for god, robbed the reuerence and deuoute honour fro god.

Now when Tyndale calleth his heresyes by the name of fayth, and maketh men serue the deuyll whyle they wene to serue god: what abomynable idolatrye is this? [ C]

If yt be idolatry to put truste in y^e deuyll, & serue the deuyll wyth fayth: yt is worse then idolatrye to make men wene they serue god wyth fayth whyle they dyspyte hym wyth a false bylyefe.

And yf it be very infydelyte to do as the Turkes do, byd men byleue in Machometes alchoran: yt is more infyde∣lyte to do as Tyndale hath done, purposely mysse translate Crystes holy gospell, to sette forth heresyes as euyll as the Alchorane.

And yf it be idolatry to do as y^e paynēs dyd, make an idole god: yt muste nedes be myche worse idolatry to do as these heretykes do, that call god the cause of all euyll, and therby make god not a vayne idole but a very deuyll.

[ A] And what can be worse kynd of infydelyte•• then to make bokes of heresyes, and call them the ryght fayth?

And what more abomynable infydelyte then to abuse the scrypture of god to the colour of theyr false bylyef••?

And what can be a worse bylyefe, then to byleue that the sacramentes that god hath ordeyned by his holy spyryte be but inuencyons of man, or as Tyndale sayth of confessyon, but inuencyon of the deuyll?

And what can be worse bylyefe then to byleue that god∣des word is not to be byleued, but yf yt be put in wrytyng?

Or what can be a worse bylyefe, then to byleue y^• men∣nis good wurkes be they neuer so well done, be yet nothyng worthe, nor the man neuer the better for them, nor no re¦warde for them commyng towarde man in heuen?

[ B] Or what can be a wurse bylyefe thē to byleue that a man doth wronge to pray for hys fathers soule?

Or what can be a wurse bylyefe, then to byleue that a man may as sleyghtely regarde whytson sonday•• as hokke monday / and as boldely eate fleshe on good frydaye, as on shroue tuysdaye?

And what can be a wurse bylyefe, then to byleue y^t none other synne can dampne a man, but onely lakke of bylyefe?

And yf yt be idolatrye to do as the Paynems do, geue wurshyppe vnto an idole: how myche is yt wurse then ido∣latrye to do as Tyndale doth, forbed vs to geue wurshippe to the very bodye and blessed blood of god in the holy sacra¦ment of the auter?

These pestylent infydelytees, and these abominable kyn¦des [ C] of idolatryes / farre excede•• and passe, and incomparbly more offende the maieste of our lorde god, then all the secre¦tynge vppe of Beel, and Baal, and Belzabub, and all the de¦uyls in hell. wherfore lyke as in other places where these heresyes haue taken deper rote, & ben more sprede abrode / god hath taken more depe and sore vengeaunce, not onely by derth and deth but also by batayle and sworde: so is yt to be fered that for the receypte of these pestylent bokes, our lorde sendeth vs some lakke of corne and catayle for a begynnynge / and wyll not fayle but yf our faute be mended to sende vs as sore punishemēt as he hath sent all redy, into suche other places as wolde not be by lyke warnynge men∣ded / accordynge as he sayth in the .xxvi. chapyter of Leuiti∣cus, where he speketh in this wyse: If ye wyll not geue eare

vnto me, nor fulfyll all my commaundementes but sette my [ A] lawes at naught, despyce my iudgementes, and leue those thynges vndone that are by me ordeyned, and breake my pacte and couenaunt: then wyll I agaynwarde do these thynges folowynge vnto you. I wyll hastely vysyte you wyth penury and brennynge hete or feuer, whych shall sore vexe and greue your eyes, and consume you euen to y^e deth. Ouer thys ye shall sowe your sede in vayne / for your enne∣myes shall deuoure it. I shall also set my face agaynst you, and ye shall fall byfore your aduersaryes, and be made sub∣iectes vnto them that hate you. ye shall f••e where no man chaseth you. And yf ye wyll not yet for all thys obaye me: I shall for your synnes adde & put to these plages seuenfolde more / and I shall trede downe the pryde of your stobernes and so forth. [ B]

And who doth more properly fall in the daunger of this commynacyon and threte, then they that dyspyse Crystes sa¦cramentes, whyche are hys holy ordynaunces, and a great parte of Cristes new law and testament. And who shall lesse set by hys commaundementes / then they that vppon the boldenesse of onely fayth, set all good workes at nought, & lytell force the daunger of theyr euyll dedes, vppon the bol∣denesse that a bare fayth and sleyght repentaunce wythout shryfte or penaūce suffyseth / and that no vow made to god can bynde a mā to lyue chast, nor let a monke fro maryage / all whyche thynges wyth many pestylent errours besyde, these abomynable bookes of Tyndale and hys felowes teche vs.

Of these bokes of heresyes there be so many made with [ C] in these few yeres, what by Luther hym selfe and by hys fe∣lowes, and afterwarde by the new sectes sprongen out of his, whych lyke y^e chyldren of vippara wold now gnaw out theyr mothers bely: that y^e bare names of those bokes were almoste inough to make a boke / & of euery sort of those bo∣kes be some brought into thys realme and kepte in huker muker, by some shrewd maysters y^t kepe them for no good.

Besyde the bookes of latyn, french, and douch, in which there are of these euyll sectes an innumerable sorte: there are made in the englysshe tonge, Fyrst Tyndales new testa¦ment father of them all by reason of hys false translatyng. And after that the fyue bookes of Moyses translated by y^e same man / we nede not dowt in what maner, whē we know

[ A] by what man and for what purpose.

Then haue ye hys introduceyō into saynt Poules pystle, wyth whyche he introduceth and bryngeth hys readers in to a false vnderstandynge of saynte Poule / makynge them among many other heresyes byleue, that saynt Poule were in the mynde that onely fayth were alway suffycyent for sal¦uacyon, and y^e mennys good workes were nothynge worth, nor could no thāke deserue nor no reward in heuen, though they were wroughte in grace. And these thynges teacheth Tyndale as the mynde of saynt Poule / where saynt Poule sayeth hym selfe that they whyche so mysse constre hym to the deprauynge of mennys good workes, be well worthye damnacyon.

Then haue we by Tyndale the wykked mammona / by [ B] whyche many a man hath ben bygyled and brought into ma¦ny wykked heresyes, whyche thynge (sauynge that the de∣uyll is redy to putte out mennes yien that are contente wyl∣lyngly to wax blynde) were ellys in good fayth to me no ly∣tle wonder / for neuer was there made a more folyshe fran∣tyque boke.

Then haue we Tindales boke of obedience / whereby we be taught to dysobaye the doctryne of Crystes catholyque chyrch, and set his holy sacramentes at nought.

Then haue we fro Tyndale the fyrste pystle of saynte Iohn̄ in suche wyse expowned, that I dare say that blessed apostle rather then his holy wordes were in suche a sense by leued of all Crysten people, hadde leuer his pystle hadde ne¦uer ben put in wrytynge.

[ C] Then haue we the supplycacyon of beggers, a pytuouse beggerly boke, wherin he wolde haue all the soules in pur∣gatory begge all about for nought.

Then haue we from George Iaye otherwyse called clerke, a goodly godly pystle / wherein he teacheth dyuerse other heresyes, but specyally that mennys vowes and pro∣myses made of chastyte, be not lawfull nor can bynde no man in conscyence, but he may wedd when he wyll.

And thys man consyderynge that when a man teacheth one thynge and doth hym selfe a nother, the people sette the lesse by his preachynge: determyned therfore wyth hym self that he wolde of his preachynge, she•• hymselfe ensample. And therfore beynge prest••, he hath ••ygyled a woman and wedded her / the pore woman I wene vnware that he ys

preste. How be yt yf yt be not done all redy / yt is well lykely [ A] now that but if god be her speciall guyde, he shall by laysore worke her and wynne her to his owne heresye.

Then haue ye an exposycyon also vppon the .vii. chapy∣ter of saynt Poules pystle to the Corinthyes / by whyche ex∣posycyon in lykewyse prestes, freres, monkes, & nounes be taught that euangelycall lyberty, that they may runne out a caterwawynge, and so wow and wedde and lawfully lyue in lechery.

That worke hath no name of the maker but some wene yt was frere Roy / whych when he was fallen in heresy, then founde yt vnlawfull to lyue in chastyte, and rāne out of hys order, and hath synnes sought many a false vnlyefull way to lyue by / wherin he made so many chaunges, that as Bay¦feld a nother heretyque & late burned in smythfeld tolde vn¦to [ B] me / he made a mete ende at laste, and was burned in Por¦tyngale.

Th••n haue we the examynacyō of Thorpe put forth as it is sayd by George Constantine (by whom there hath ben I wote well of y^t sorte grete plentye sent into this realme) In that boke the heretyke y^t made it as a communycacyon bytwene the bysshoppe and his chapellayns and hym selfe / maketh all the pattyes speke as hym selfe lyketh / & layeth nothyng spoken agaynst his heresyes, but such as hym self wolde seme solempnly to soyle. whose boke when any good c••ysten man redeth, y^t hath eyther lernynge or any naturall wytte / shall not onely be well able to perceyue hym for a fo∣lysshe heretyke, & his argumētes easy to answere / but shall also se y^t he sheweth hym selfe a false lyar in hys rehersall of [ C] the mater / wherin he maketh y^• tother parte somtyme speke for hys commodyte, such maner thynges as no man wolde haue done that were not a very wylde gose.

Then haue we Ionas made ••ut by Tyndale / a boke y^• who so delyte therin shall stande in parell y^t Ionas was ne∣uer so swalowed vppe wyth the whale, as by the delyte of that booke a mannes soule maye be so swalowed vppe by the deuyll, that he shall neuer haue the grace to gete out agayne.

Then haue we by Tyndale also the answere to my dy••∣loge / wherof I shall nothynge n••w nedeto saye, byc•••••••• the confutacyon of that answere is the mater of my pre∣sent boo••e.

[ A] Then haue we also the boke of Fryth agaynste purgato¦rye / therrours of whyche boke I shall hereafter god wyl∣lynge declare you.

Then haue ye a boke of Luther translated into englyshe in the name of Bryghtwell, but as I am enformed the boke was translated by Fryth / a boke of suche sorte as Tyndale neuer made a more folyshe, nor more full of false lyes. And surely Frythes prologe, yf yt be his as yt ys sayde / ys ryght sutely and a very mete couer for suche a cuppe, as bryngeth the people a draught of dedely poysen.

Then haue we the practyse of prelates / wherin Tyndale had wente to haue made a specyall shewe of hys hygh worl¦dely wytte / and that men sholde haue sene therin that there were nothynge done amonge prynces, but that he was ful∣ly [ B] aduertysed of all y^e secretes / and that so farreforth, that he knew the pryuy practyse made betwene the kynges hygh∣nes and the late lorde cardynall, and the reuerende father Cuthbert then bishoppe of London, and me / that yt was dy¦uysed wylyly, y^t the cardynall sholde leue the chauncellour∣shyppe to me and the byshopryche of Durhm̄ to my sayde lorde of London for a whyle, tyll he lyste hym selfe to take them both agayne. was not this a wyly dryft trow you? whyche, whyle euery man well seeth there was no man so madde to tell Tyndale, no man dowteth, but that Tyndale dyuysed yt of his owne imagynacyon / and then nedeth no man to doute what maner a brayne Tyndale hath, that dre¦meth suche frantyque dryftes.

Then haue we now come forth the boke of frere Barns [ C] somtyme doctour in Camdrydge / whyche was for heresye byfore this tyme abiured, and is at this daye comen to the realme by saufe conducte, whyche at his humble suyte the kynges hyghnesse of his blessed disposycyon condescended to graūte hym / to thende that yf there myght yet any sparke of grace be founden in hym, yt myghte be kepte, kyndeled, and encreaced, rather then the man to be caste away. whyche manner of crysten zele and pryncely benygnyte hys grace hadde byfore vsed, both to Rycharde Bayfeld and Ge¦orge Constantine, whych came ouer hyther wythout saufe conducte, vppon the onely truste of his gracyouse forgyue∣nesse, and had yt. And theruppon to by and by both twayne deceyptefully dyd abuse his goodnesse, & brought in agayn mo of Tyndales bokes and false heresyes a freshe / whereof

as god hath of his iustyce synnys requytte the tone, so mote [ A] his mercy by grace amende the tother.

But to speke of frere Barns booke, surely of all theyr bookes that yet came abrode in englysshe (of all whych was neuer one wyse nor good) was neuer none yet so bad, so fo∣lysshe, nor so false as hys, as it hath synnes hys comynge ben playnely proued in hys face / and that in such wyse, that when the bokes that he cyteth and alledgeth in hys booke were brought forth before hym, and hys ignoraūce shewed hym hym selfe dyd in dyuerse thynges confesse hys ouer∣syghte•• and clerely knowleged that he had myssetaken and wronge vnderstanden the places. And was in suche wyse fy¦nally confounded wyth shame / that he was in a mameryng whyther he wolde retourne agayne ouer the see, or tary styll here and renounce hys heresyes agayne, and tourne agayn [ B] to Crystes catholyke chyrche. And therfore he desyred that he myghte haue a lerned man then present assygned vnto hym, for the ferther instruccyon of hys conscyence, whyche hys request was graūted hym, and what wyll ferther come theron god knoweth. If god gyue hym y^e grace to amende, euery good mā wyll be glad therof. If he haue so farre gone agaynste goddes trewth, & therby greued god in such wyse, that god haue all redy gyuen hym ouer for euer / or ellys y^t though god offer hys grace agayne the malyce of the man∣nes wyll wythstande it yet and reiecte it: it is not then to be dowted, but god wyll fynde a tyme for hym well inough to shew his iustyce on hym, as he hath done vppon such other / & namely of late in Swycherland vppon zuinglius, which was the fyrst that brought Barns heresye thyther, concer∣nyng [ C] the sacrament of the aulter. But as for hense he shall I am sure haue leue to departe saufe, accordynge to the kyn¦ges saufe conducte. And yet hath he so demeaned hym selfe synnys hys comynge hyther / that he hath clerely broken & forfayted hys saufe conducte, and lawfully myghte be bur∣ned for hys heresyes, yf we wolde laye his heresyes and his demeanure syth hys comynge hyther both twayne vnto his charge. But lette hym go thys ones, for god shall fynde hys tyme full well.

Then haue we ferther yet besyde Barns boke, the a b c for chyldren. And bycause there is no grace therin / left we shold lakke prayours, we haue the prymer, and the ploughmans prayour, and a boke of other small deuocyons, and then the

[ A] hole psalter to. After the psalter chyldren were wont to go to theyr Donat & theyr Accydence / but now they go strayte to scrypture. And therto haue we as a Donat the boke of y^• pathwaye to scrypture / and for an Accidence bycause we sholde be good scolers shortely and be sone spedde, we haue the whole summe of scrypture in a lytle boke / so that after these bokes well lerned, we be mete for Tyndales penta∣teukes, and Tyndales testament, and all the tother hygh he resyes that he, and Iay, and Fryth, and frere Barns teche in all theyr bokes bysyde / of all whyche heresyes the seed is sowen, and pretyly sprongen vppe in these lytle bokes by∣fore. For the Prymer and Psalter prayours & all / were trās¦lated and made in this mane••, by none other but heretykes.

The Psalter was translated by George Iay the preste•• y^t [ B] is wedded now / and I here say the Prymer to wherein the seuen psalmes be set in wythout the lateny, leste folke shold pray to sayntes. And y^e Dirige is leste out clene / lefte a man myght happe to pray theron for hys fathers soule.

In theyr calendar byfore theyr deuout prayers, they haue sette vs a new saynt / syr Thomas Hitton the heretyke that was burned in kent, of whom I shall tell you more after. Hym haue they set in on saynt Mathy is euen, be the name of saynt Thomas the martyr.

A longe worke wold yt be to reherse you all theyr bokes, for there be yet mo then I know. Agaynste all whyche the kynges hygh wysedome polytyquely prouyded, in that his hyghnes by his proclamacions forbode any maner englysh bokes prented byionde y^• see to be brought into this realme, [ C] or any to be solde prented•• wythin this realme, but yf the name of the prenter and his dwellynge place were sette vp∣pon the boke.

But yet so is yt as I sayde byfore, that of these vngra∣cyouse bokes full of pestylent poysened heresyes, that haue in other realmes all redy kylled by scysmes and warre ma∣ny thousande bodyes, and by synfull errours, & abomyna∣ble heresyes many mo thousand soules: haue now a few ma¦lycyouse myscheuouse persons broughte into this realme / and labour and enforce them selfe in all that euer they may, to corrupte and infecte all good and vertuouse people.

Nor no man is there any where lyuynge more studyouse and besye to do hym selfe good / thē those enuyouse wreches be laboryouse and feruent to do all other men harme, in bo∣dye,

substaunce and soule. [ A]

There be fledde out of this realme for heresy a few vngra¦cyouse folke / what maner folke theyr wrytynge and theyre lyuynge sheweth. For the captayns be prestes, monkes, and freres that neyther say masse nor matens, nor neuer come at ••hirche / takyng styll of fayth and full of false heresyes, wold seme Crystes apostles & play the deuels dysours / spekyng mych of the spirite with no more deuocyon then dogges / dy¦uerse of them, prestes, monkes, and freres, not let to wedde harlottes and then call theym wyues. And when they haue ones vyleyned the sacrament of matirmony / then wold they make vs violate the sacrament of the auter to, tellynge vs as Tyndale doth, that yt is synne to do the blessed body of Cryste in that sacrament any honour or reuerence, but one∣ly take yt for a token. [ B]

Now when theyr chyefe captayns be suche / we shall not nede to dowte of what sorte we shall reken the remanaunt. These felowes that naught had here, and therfore noughte caryed hense, nor nothynge fyndynge there to lyue vppon / be yet sustayned and mayntened wyth monye sent them by some euyll dysposed persones oute of this realme thyther / and that for none other entent but to make them sytte & seke oute heresyes, and spedyly send them hyther.

whych bokes all be yt that they neyther can be there prēted without great coste, nor here solde wythout great aduēture & parell: yet ceace they not with mony sent frō hēse, to prēte thē there & send them hyther by y^e whole fattes full at ones / and in some places lokynge for no lucre, caste them abrode by nyght / so great a pestylent pleasure haue some dyuelysh [ C] people caught, wyth the labour, trauayle, coste, charge va¦rell, harme, and hurte of them selfe, to seke the d••••••••••cci••n of other. As y^e deuyll hath •• ••edely delyght to bygyle good people, and brynge theyr soules into euerl••stynge torment wythout any maner wynnynge, and not wythout fy••all en¦creace of his owne eternall payne: so do these heretykes the deuyls dyscyples bysette theyr whole pleasure and study to theyr owne fynall damnacyon, in the t••aynynge of symple soules to hell by theyr dyuelyshe here••yes.

Myche they crye oute agaynste the clergye / sayeng that the prestes loue to reygne in mennys conscyence. But they them self shew that when they haue made the deuyll reygne in a mannys conscyence, so farre forth that he hath no con∣scyence

[ A] to eate fleshe on good frydaye, nor to caste Crystes crosse in the ••anell, nor to throw his blessed bodye out of the pyx: then after that lykewyse as the false preachers y^• were Iewes, labored to haue all crysten people circumcysed, to thentent that as saynte Poule sayth they myghte glorye in theyr fleshe / so be these arche heretyques very glad & great glorye they take when they may here y^t any man is brought to burnynge thorow theyr bokes. Then they boste that they haue done a great maystrye, and say they haue made a mar¦tyr / when theyr poysened bokes haue kylled the crystē man both in bodye and soule.

Thus reioyced Tyndale in the deth Hytton / of whose burnyng he bosteth in his answere to my dyaloge, where he wryteth therof, that where I sayde that I hadde neuer foū¦den [ B] nor herd of any of them, but that he wolde forswere to saue his lyfe, I hadde herd he sayeth of syr Thomas Hyt∣ton, whom the bishoppes of Rochester and Cāterbury s••ew at maydstone.

Of thys man they so hyghly reioyce / that they haue as I sayde sette his name in the calēdar byfore a boke of theyr englyshe prayours, by the name of saynt Thomas the mar∣tyr, in the vigyle of the blessed apostle saynte Mathye, the xxiii. daye of February / and haue putte out for hym the ho¦ly doctour and gloryouse martyr saynte Polycarpus, the blessed byshoppe and the dyscyple of saynte Iohn̄ theuange¦lyste / for that was his day in dede, and so is it in some calen¦dars marked.

Now to thentent that ye may somwhatse what good cry¦sten [ C] fayth syr Thomas Hytton was of, this newe saynte of Tyndales canonysacyon, in whose burnynge Tyndale so gayly gloryeth, and whyche hath his ho••y daye so now ap∣poynted to hym, that saynte Po••••••arpus muste geue hym place in the calēdar: I shall some what shew you what hol¦some heresyes this holy martyr helde.

Fyrste ye shall vnderstande that he was a preste / and fal¦lynge to Luthers secte, and after that to the secte of frere Huskyn, and zwynglius, caste of matens and masse and all dyuyne seruyce / and so bycame an apostle sent to an fro by∣twene our englyshe heretyques beyonde the see, and suche as were here at home.

Now happed it so that after he had visyted here his holy congregacyons, in dyuers corners and luskes lanes, and

comforted them in the lorde to stande styffe wyth the deuyll [ A] in theyr errours and heresyes / as he was goynge bakke agayne at graues ende, god consyderyng the greate labour that he had taken all redy, and determynyng to brynge his bysynes to his well deserued ende / gaue hym sodaynly such a fauour and so greate a grace in the vysage, that euery mā that behelde hym toke hym for a thefe. For where as there had ben certayne lynen clothes pylfred away that were han¦gyng on an hedge, and syr Thomas Hytton was walkyng not far of suspycyously in the medytacyon of hys heresyes: the people dowtynge that the beggerly knaue had stolen y^• clowtes, fell in questyon wyth hym and serched hym / and so fownde they certayne letters secretely conuayed in hys cote, wryten from euangelycall brethern here, vnto the euā¦gelycall heretykes beyonde the see. And vppon those letters [ B] founden / he was wyth hys letters brought before the moste reuerende father in god the archebyshoppe of Canterbury / and afterwarde as well by hys lordshyppe as by the reue∣rende father the bysshoppe of Rochester examyned, & after for hys abomynable heresyes delyuered to the secular han∣des and burned.

In hys examynacyon he refused to be sworne to saye trouth / affermynge that neyther bysshoppe nor 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hadde authoryte to cōpell hym to swere. whych poynte all though it be a false heresye / yet is it lykely that he refused the othe, rather of frowardnesse then of any respecte that he hadde eyther in kepynge or brekynge. For neuer coulde I fynde heretyke yet, that any conscyence had in any othe. And of trouth Tindale in his answere to my dyaloge, techeth them [ C] that they maye breke theyr othe and be forsworen wythout any scruple at all.

Hys father and hys mother he wolde not be aknowen of what they were / they were some so good folke of lykelyhed, that he coulde not abyde the glory••

He wolde not be a knowen that hym selfe was preste, but sayed that he had by the space of .ix. yeres ben beyonde the see, and there lyued by the ioyners crafte. How be it he sayd that he had allwaye as hys leysour wolde gyue hym leue, and as he coude fynde oportunyte in places where he came, taught the gospell of god after hys owne mynde and hys owne opynyō, not forcyng of y^e determynacion of y^e chyrch / & sayd that he intended to hys power so to perceuerstyll.

[ A] Of his techyng these thinges were parte. Fyrst as for bap¦tysme, he agreed it for a sacrament necessarye to saluacyon / how be it euery lay person he sayd myght as well baptise as a preste, were the chyld in necessyte or not / and that y^e forme of baptysyng vsed in the chyrch were mych better yf it were spoken in englysshe.

Of matrymony whyther it were a sacrament or not he sayed he wyste nere. But he sayed yet that it was a thynge necessary and of crysten people to be obserued and kepte. How be it as for the solempnysacyon of maryage at chyrche he agreed it for good•• but sayd it neded not. The man ment by lykelyhed that it was good inough to wed vppon a cus∣shyon when the dogges be a bedde, as theyr prestes wedde I wene where theyr persons be knowen. For ellys they let [ B] not to wedde openly at chyrche, and take the hole parysshe for wytnesses of theyr bestely bychery.

The extreme vnccyon or anelynge and confyrmacyon / he sayed be no sacramentes of the chyrche, nor be nothynge necessarye to the soule.

The sacrament of order he sayed is no sacrament of the chyrche, nor was neuer ordeyned by god in the new testa∣ment, but onely by man.

The masse he sayed sholde neuer be sayed. For he sayed that to saye masse after the maner of the chyrche, is rather synne then vertue.

As for confessyon made to a preste, he sayed nothynge profyteth the soule / nor penaunce enioyned of the preste vn¦to the penytent confessed, is nothynge necessary.

[ C] Purgatory he denyed / ••ayed also that neyther prayour nor fastynge for y^• soules departed, can do them any good.

To vow and entre into any relygyon approued by the law, he sayed auayleth not / but he sayed that all that entre into relygyon synne in so doynge.

He helde also that no man hath any fre wyll after that he hath onys synned.

He held that to say any diuyne seruyce after y^e ordynaūce of the chyrche, auayleth nothynge / and that all dyuyne ser∣uyce maye be lefte vnsayed wythout any synne.

He helde that all the images of Cryste and hys sayntes, sholde be throwen out of the chyrche.

He helde also that what so euer the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or the generall con̄sayle make, besyde that that is expressely commaunded

in scrypture / euery man may lawfully breke it without any [ A] maner synne at all mortall or venyall eyther.

He held also y^t yt is not lawfull neyther for the kynge of En¦gland, nor for any other cristē prince / to make any law or sta¦tute for the punyshemēt of any thefte or any other cryme, by whyche lawe any man sholde suffer deth. For he sayde that all suche lawes be contrarye to the gospell, whyche wyll no man to dye.

As touchynge the blessed sacrament of the auter, he sayd yt is a necessary sacrament / but he helde that after the con∣secracyon, there was none other thynge therin, but onely y^t very substaunce of materyall brede & wyne / and so he sayde he fermely byleued, and that he wolde holde that opynyon to the deth.

Fynally holdyng all these abomynable heresyes, wyth yet [ B] dyuerse other mo of lyke sewte & sorte / he sayd that he was very certayne and sure, that he hadde the grace of god with hym, and that the holy goost was wythin hym.

And so was he after myche fauour shewed hym, & myche labour charytably taken for the sauynge of hym / delyuered in conclusyon for his obstinacye to the seculare handes, and burned vppe in hys false fayth and heresyes, wherof he ler∣ned the great parte of Tyndales holy bokes / and nowe the spiryte of errour and lyenge, hath taken his wreched soule wyth hym strayte from the shorte fyre to y^e fyre euerlastyng.

And this is ••o syr Thymas Hytton the dyuyls stynkyng martyr / of whose burnynge Tyndale maketh boste. wher∣fore syth Tyndale aloweth his cause / he must nedes defend his artycles. And now wote I ••ell that some of those arty∣cles [ C] Tyndale hath hym self geuē ouer at laste for shame / as the artycle agaynst images, and the artycle agaynst y^• lyber¦tye of mannys fre wyll / wherin he bereth me in hande in his answere to my dyaloge, that I bylye Luther. But when I shall come to the place / I shall lette you se Luthers owne wordes in that poynte so playne, that ye shall not meruayle though Tyndale were ashamed of hys mayster. And yet shall ye meruayle that Tyndale was so shamelesse to denye the thynge, whyche ye shall se so playnely proued.

But ye se that of thys holy martyr / Tyndale hath not so great cause to glorye, but that he may scrape out hys name agayne out of the calēdare, and restore the blessed byshoppe saynte Policarpus agayne into his place.

[ A] Then haue ye hadde here burned synnys at London of late Rycharde Bayfelde, late a monke and a preste, whyche fell to heresye and was abiured / and after that lyke a dogge returnynge to his vomyte, and beynge fledde ouer the see, and sendynge from thense Tyndales heresyes hyther wyth many myscheuouse sortes of bokes: hadde yet the kynges gracyouse forgyuenes / & as yt was after proued bothe by other mennys and his owne confessyon to, was occupyed aboute two thynges at ones, that is to wyt both in sewyng for remyssyon and perdon of hys offence for bryngynge in those bokes, & therwith also in sellyng thē here styll secrete∣ly, & sendyng ouer for mo, with whych at last he was taken. And to reherse his heresyes nedeth lytle / the bokes that he brought well sheweth them, and his holy lyfe well declareth [ B] them / when•• beynge both a preste and a monke, he went ab∣out two wyues, one in Brabande, a nother in Englande. what he ment I can not make you sure, whyther he wold be sure of the tone yf y^e tother sholde happe refuse hy••/or that he wolde haue them both, the tone here, the tother there / or ellys both in one place, the tone bycause he was preste, the tother bycause he was monke.

Of Bayfeldes burnynge hath Tyndale no great cause to glory. For though Tyndales bokes brought hym to bur¦nynge / yet was he not so constante in his euangelycall do••∣tryne, but that after that he was taken, all the whyle that he was not in vtter dyspayre of perdon / he was well contente to haue forsworen yt agayne, and letted not to vtter hys euangelicall brethern both it England and ellys where, cau¦synge [ C] some of them to be taken / as George Constantyne ere he escaped, was redy to haue in worde at the leste wyse ab∣iured all that holy doctryne / what his herte was god and he know, & peraduēture the deuyll to yf he entēded otherwyse. But surely there was entended toward hym somwhat more good, then his dealynge had byfore deserued. And so mych the more fauour was there mynded hym, in that he semed very penytent of his mysse vsynge of hym selfe, in fallynge to Tyndales heresyes agayne. For whyche he knowleged hym selfe worthy to be hanged, that he hadde so falsely ab∣used the kynges graciouse remissyon and pardon geuē hym byfore / and hadde for all that in the whyle both bought and solde of those heretycall bokes, and secretely set forth those heresyes, wherof he shewed hym selfe so repentaunt, that he

vttered and dysclosed dyuers of hys companyōs, of whom [ A] there are some abiured synnys, and that he wyste well were abiured before, namely Rycharde Necton whyche was by Constantynes deteccyon take and commytted to Newgate / where except he happe to dye byfore in pryson, he stādeth in grete paryll to be ere it be longe, for hys fallynge agayne to Tindales heresyes burned. And thus it semed by the maner of George Constantyne, whyle he was here in pryson / that he so sore dyd forthynke hys errours and heresyes, and so perceyued the pestylent poyson of them / that he thoughte it better that such as were infecte therwyth myghte be by the meane of hys deteccyon amended, and wyth the losse of hys body the soule cured, then bothe twayne caste awaye / or yf the man were peraduenture of hard herte and malycyouse mynde incurable, he thought it were then better to sende [ B] hym to the deuyll alone, then let hym lyue and drawe many other wyth hym.

Thys good mynde it semeth that Constantyne had then and therfore was there good hope of hys amendemēt. And peraduenture the man hadde amended and standen styll in grace, yf some euyll cōsayle ••ad not comen at hym / of which there was lefte vnsought no deuelyshe inuencyon or meane to sende hym / in so mych that one of the letters I fortuned to intercepte my selfe wryten vnto hym, by one Iohn̄ Byrte otherwyse callynge hym selfe Adryane, otherwyse Iohn̄ bokebynder, & yet otherwyse now I can not tell you what.

Of trouth George constantyne after he hadde confessed vnto a faythfull seruaunt of myne to be declared to me, that Necton had of his deliuery many of those heretycall bokes: [ C] he sent worde forthwyth to Nec••on, that he sholde sende the bokes home to me•• whyche yf he dyd & that I myghte haue yet seen sure tokens of amendement in the man / Constan∣tyne perceyued well that he had ben yet lykely to haue had fauour shewed hym. But when that Necton had ones made Byrte of hys counsayle / they dyuysed bytwene them that Necton sholde not do so in no wyse, affermynge to Constan¦tyne that it coude not be done / and happely it coude not in dede, for peraduenture they were all solde all redy. How be it Necton now syth he was taken sayed that hys wyfe had burned them. But it is well knowen that Necton had hym selfe and a man of hys also, solde many such bokes of here∣sye, bothe in London & in othey shyres syth his abiuracyon.

[ A] But how so euer the mater was / Byrte by hys letter aduy∣sed Constantyne yf he myghte possyble to call bakke hys cō¦fessyon agayne / wherin I thynke it good that ye here hys very letter it selfe. Lo in these wordes he wrote.

The grace and peace of our sauyour Iesus be with you good brother Cōstantyne. Syr as for y^e mater that ye wold haue brought to passe, will not be in no maner wyse / the per¦son is not at home that shold receyue the stuffe, and delyuer it accordynge to vnto your mynde. Therfore yf ye haue not spoken so farre in the mater that it maye be none preiudyall or hurte vnto you: I wolde ye shold go no ferther in the ma¦ter / but euyn as a man armed wyth fayth, go forth in your mater boldely and put them to theyr proues. As for one is none you knowe well by the law of god or man. If there be [ B] any thynge that I can do / sende word and ye shall fynde me redy to my power euen to dethe by goddes grace, who I praye longe to preserue you and comforte you in your trou¦ble to the confusyon of all tyrauntes.

Lo here haue ye herde an apostolycall pystle, counsay∣lynge the man to go bakke wyth the trouth, and arme hym selfe wyth fayth, and make hym stronge to lye lowde and forswere hym selfe yf nede were / for Byrt wyste well I were not lykely to leue and byleue hym at hys bare worde.

Here wyll Byrt peraduenture preche, and brynge vs in the mydwyues of Egypt that saued the chyldren of Israell from Pharao, for whych god gaue thē new howses. wherin Byrt and I wyll not myche dyspute. For all be it that god hath gyuen hym no howse ••et, nor it is not all one wyth a [ C] lye to saue a yonge innocent babe, and wyth periurye to de∣fende an olde pestylēt heretyke / and though saynt Austayn sayth that it is not lawfull to lye for nothyng: yet I tell not my tale to lay a lye so hyghly to any suche mennes charge as these folke be, whose hole secte is nothyng els but lyes / but I reherse you his letter bycause ye shold se what trewth there is in suche folkes wordes.

How be it as for Constantyne as I sayed before, semed in pryson here very penytēt, and vtterly mynded to forsake suche heresyes and heretykes for euer. In profe wherof he not onely detected as I sayd hys owne dedes & his felowes, but also studyed and deuysed how those deuelysshe bokes whyche hym selfe and other of hys felowes hadde brought and shypped, myghte come to the bys••hoppes handes to be

burned. And therfore he shewed me the shypmannes name [ A] that had them, and the markes of the ferdellys, by whych I haue synnys hys escape receyued them. And it maye be by goddes grace, that though the man fledde hense for fere of suche harme as he wyste he hadde well deserued / & yet was nothynge towarde hym, but peraduenture more good then he was ware of: he is yet amended in hys mynde and hath in his harte forsaken all Tyndales heresyes, and so I pray god it be / for I wold be sory that euer Tyndale sholde glory and boste of hys burnynge. How be it in the meane whyle, tyll it maye well appere that he be surely turned to the ca∣tholyke fayth agayne, I wyll aduyse all good crysten folke and specyally the kynges subiectes, to forbere and estyew hys company. For y^e englysshe man whyche shall be foūden to be famylyare wyth hym there, byfore hys conuersyō here [ B] knowen and proued, maye therby brynge hym selfe in sus∣pycyon of heresye, and happely here therof at hys retour∣nynge hyther.

I here also that Tyndale hyghly reioyceth in the bur∣nyng of Tewkesbery / but I can se no very grete cause why but yf he reken it for a grete glory that the man dyd abyde styll by the stake when he was faste bounden to it. For as for the heresyes he wolde haue abiured them agayne wyth all hys harte, and haue accursed Tyndale to, yf all y^e myghte haue saued hys lyfe. And so he gaue counsayle vn∣to one Iamys that was for heresye in pryson wyth hym. For as Iamys hath synnys confessed / Tewkesbery sayed vnto hym, saue you your self and abiure. But as for me by∣cause I haue abiured byfore, there is no remedy wyth me [ C] buth deth. By whych wordes yf he had not ben in dyspayre of lyfe / it well appereth he wold wyth good wyll haue ones abiured, and ones periured agayne. And yet at hys examy∣nacyon he denyed that euer he hadde holden any such opy∣nyons as he was abiured for / notwythstandyng that there were at hys axamynacyon some persons present of myche honestye and wourshyppe, two that had ben present at hys abiuracyon byfore / to whyche also hys owne hand was sub¦scrybed. And afterwarde beynge ferther examyned vppon y^e same / some he denyed, & some he defended agayne. Amonge other thynges he sayed that he vsed to praye to sayntes, & that he byleued them to be goddes frendes, and that theyr prayours were profytable to vs and well done to praye to

[ A] them. wheruppon I sayd vnto hym my selfe y^t I was glad to se hym in that poynte yet amended, and I shewed hym as the trouth was in dede, that I amys helde the contrarye, and that he hadde so greate a truste in Tewkesbery, that I dowted not but when he sholde here that tewkesbery hadde reuoked that poynt, he wolde reuoke it to. As sone as Tew¦kesbery herd that, he went from it agayne by and by / & that so farre, that fynally he wolde not agre that before the day of dome there were eyther any saynt in heuen, or soule in purgatory, or in hell eyther. Nor the ryght fayth in the sa∣crament of the aulter wolde he not confesse in no wyse. For which thynges and dyuers other horryble heresy••s, he was delyuered at laste vnto the secular handes and burned, as there was neuer wretche I wene better worthy.

[ B] yet is there one thynge notable, and well declarynge what good and cherytable mynde the mā dyed in. For•• after that he was delyuered vnto the secular handes / neyther whyle he was in pryson nor at the tyme of hys deth, wolde he by his wyll be aknowen of any of hys heresyes vnto any man that asked hym any questyon, but couered and hyd them by all the meanes he coulde make, & labored to make euery man wene, y^t he had neuer holden any such opynyon. And by thys dealynge euery man maye se that he rought not so mych for his heresyes, nor toke them not in his owne mynde for suche thynges as he so gretely forced whyther they went forwarde or bakwarde, as he wolde fayne leue an opynyon amonge the people that hys iudges had borne hym wrong in hande, & condempned hym for such heresyes [ C] as he neuer helde. And what conscyence he had that dyed in that mynde, there is no good man dowteth.

Now was his examynacyō not secrete, but folke inough therat bothe spyrytuall and temporall, and of eyther parte ryght wourshypfull / so that hys malycyouse mynde can in that poynte lytell take effecte. And yet dyd the same Iamys also confesse afterwarde, that Tewkesbery had redde vnto hym wyclyffes wykke•• agaynst the blessed sacrament. And ouer that was there founden about hym by the shyryffes offycers in the pryson, a boke of heresye of hys owne hande wrytynge, that is to wyt the boke of Marten Luther, wher∣in he teacheth men vnder the name of crysten lybertye, to rōne in to the deuyls bo••dage. And in hys howse was foun¦den Tyndales boke of obedyence, whyche he well alowed,

and hys wykked boke also of the wykked mammona, say∣enge [ A] at hys examynacyon, that all the heresyes therin were good and crysten fayth / beynge in dede, as full of false here∣syes, and as frantike as euer heretyke made any syth Cryst was borne. And yet all thys notwythstandynge, when he was in the shyryffes warde, and at the tyme of hys deth / he wolde not speke of hys heresyes any thynge, nor say that he had helde and wolde holde thys poynt and that / but hande∣led hym selfe as couertly as he coude, to make the people wene that he hadde holden no maner opynyon at all / nor neuer had I thynke yf Tyndales vngracyouse bokes had neuer come in hys hande. For whych the pore wreche lyeth now in hell and cryeth out on hym / and Tyndale yf he do not amēde in tyme, he is lyke to fynde hym when they come togyther, an hote fyrebronde burnynge at hys bakke, that [ B] all the water in the worlde wyll neuer be able to quenche.

Another is there also, whom hys vnhappy bokes haue brought vnto the fyre, Tho. Bylney thas was before abiu∣red / whyche was the man of whom wythout name I spake so mych in my dyaloge / whyche beyng conuycte by .xx. wyt∣nesses and aboue, dyd yet stykke styll in hys denyall / & sayd they were all sorsworen, and had vtterly belyed hym.

But god whyche is very trouth, and bryngeth at last al∣waye the trouth to lyght, wolde not suffer suche obstynate vntrouth at length to passe vnpunyshed / but of hys endles mercy brought hys body to deth, & gaue hym yet y^e grace to turne and saue hys soule. For so was it that after dyuerse sermons, whyche he had after hys abiuracyon, and agaynst the prohybycyon gyuen hym vppon hys abiuracyon, made [ C] in sundry secrete corners, and some also openly, wherof the bysshoppe yet bycause he herde of none heresye therin had forborne to lay the dysobedyence to hys charge: he went vn¦to Nor wych, where he had enfected dyuers of the cytye be∣fore. And beynge there secretely kepte by a certayne space, had in the whyle resorte vnto an ancresse / and there began secretely to sow hys cocle, and brought vnto her dyuers of Tyndales bokes, and was there taken in the doynge, and the bokes after founden about a nother man that was con∣uayenge them thense / and these thynges who so herde the hole processe cam in suche wyse to passe, that he coulde no∣thynge dowbte but that it came to lyght by the very prouy∣syon of god.

[ A] when he came to examynacyon, he waxed styffe and sto∣borne in hys opynyons. But yet was god so good and gra∣cyous lorde vnto hym, that he was fynally so fully conuer∣ted vnto Cryste and hys trew catholyke fayth y^t not onely at the fyre, as well in wordes as wrytynge, but also many dayes before / he had reuoked, abhorred, and detested suche heresyes as he before had holden / whych notwythstandyng there lakked not some that were very sory for it / of whom some sayd, and some wrote out of Norwych to Londō, that he had not reuoked his heresyes at all, but styll had abyden by them. And suche as were not ashamed thus to saye and wryte, beynge afterwarde examyned theruppon, saw the cō¦trary so playnely proued in theyr faces, by suche as at hys execucyon stode by hym, whyle he redde hys reuocacyō hym [ B] selfe / that they had in conclusyon nothynge elles to say•• but that he redde hys reuocacyon so softely, that they coude not here it. How be it they confessed that he loked vppon a byll and redde it / but they sayd that they coude not tell, whyther it were the byll of hys reuocacyon or not. And yet rehersed they them selfe certayne thynges spoken by hym to y^e peple at the fyre / wherby they coude not but perceyue well that he reuoked hys errours, albe it that some of them watered his wordes wyth addycyons of theyr owne, as it was well pro∣ued before them. They coude not also deny but that forth∣wyth vppon hys iudgement and hys degradacyon, he kne∣led downe before the bysshoppes chauncellour in the pre∣sence of all the people, and humbly bysought hym of abso∣lucyon from the sentence of excōmunycacyon / and wyth his [ C] iudgement helde hym selfe well content, and knowleged y^t he had well deserued to suffer the deth, that he then wyste he sholde.

They coude not say nay but that vppon thys hys hum∣ble request and prayour / he was there in presence of all the people assoyled, byfore that he was caryed out of the court / whyche them selfe well wyste wolde neuer haue ben, but yf he hadde reuoked.

yet was there a nother thynge that they coude not deny (For all be it they sayd they were not therat, yet they hadde herd it in suche wyse, that as they sayd they byleued it to be trew) and that thynge was suche, as it selfe alone muste ne∣des make them sure that he had reuoked hys heresyes.

The thynge was thys. He labored and made greate in∣staunce

certayne dayes after hys iudgement / that he myght [ A] be suffred to receyue the blessed body of Cryste in forme of brede. wherin the chauncellour made a whyle greate styk∣kynge and dyffycultye / to the entent that he wolde y^e better and more clerely perceyue what deuocyon the man hadde there to. And fynally perceyuynge hym to be of a trew per∣fyte fayth, and hys desyre to procede of a feruent mynde, it was agreed and graunted. And theruppon was he howse∣led in so trew perfyte fayth, & so grete deuocyon / that euery good crysten man hath greate cause to reioyce therin. And when hys confessour in the ende of the masse, which Bylney full deuowtely herde vppon hys knees, brought vnto hym the body of Cryste vppon the paten of y^• chalyce, wyth very good and godly exhortacyon vsed vnto hym, that excepte he were in herte as he was in worde and outwarde sem∣blaunce, [ B] he shold ellys forbere to receyue that blessed body / syth he sholde then vndowtedly receyue it on hys owne dānacyon: it wold haue gladded any good crysten herte, to haue herd hys faythfull crysten answere / as they reporte & testyfye that were at that tyme by.

Moreouer where as in the presence of that holy sacra∣ment holden yet vppon the paten in the prestes handes / Bylney byfore he receyued it sayd y^• colecte, Domine Iesu Christe: when he came at these wordes, ecclesiae tuae pacem & concordiam, he dyuers tymes repeted those wordes wyth tunsyons & knok kynges vppon hys breste / and there vnto god confessed and asked his mercy, that he had so greuousely erred in y^• point, and so sore offended hym in co••tempnynge hys chyrche. And no meruayle was it, though he had a specyall remorse [ C] of that artycle. For the contempnyng of Crystes catholyke knowen chyrche, and the framynge of a secrete vnknowen chyrche that he lerned of Luther and Tyndale / was y^e very poynt that broughte hym vnto all hys myschyefe, as the very fundacyon wheruppon all other heresyes are byelded. And therfore as y^e goodnesse of god gaue hym grace to cast vnto the deuyll all hys other errours: so gaue he hym hys specyall grace to haue of that heresye that was and is the grounde of all the remanaunt, moste especyall repentaunce and remorse / wherby we may very well hope and trust that our lorde (whose hygh goodnesse gaue hym suche grace so fully to repente and reuoke hys heresyes, that he wyth glad herte was content to suffer the fyre for the punysshement of

[ A] hys offence) hath of hys infynyte mercy taken and accepted that payne for so farre as he wyll exacte of the pore mannes purgatory / and settyng the merytes of hys owne paynefull passyon therunto, hath forthwyth from the fyre taken hys blessed soule to heuen / where he now prayeth incessauntly for the repentaunce and amendement of all suche as haue ben by hys meanes whyle he lyued, into any suche errours induced or confyrmed. And I fermely truste that goddys grace that effecte wyth that holy mannes prayour wyll worke / and so I praye god it maye.

But thus ye se y^e Tyndale hath no greate cause to glory of hys martyrs / when that theyr lyuyng is openly nought, theyr opynyons suche as hym selfe wyll abhorre, they redy to abiure agayne yf it myghte saue theyr lyfe, theyr sectes [ B] so dysperate that eyther they dare not at the fyre set forth theyr opynyons for shame, or ellys of malyce do dyssymule them, to bryng y^e people in a false opynyon of theyr iudges, to wene that they iudged wronge. And Bylney that had ler¦nynge, and had ben accustumed in morall vertues, was by god reuoked from Tyndals heresye ere he dyed / and that of lykelyhed the rather, bycause god wolde not haue all his good workes loste.

And yet gloryeth Tindale vngraciously in theyr destruc¦cyon / r••kenynge that theyr paynefull deth doth grete wor∣shyppe to hys bokes, whyche are of suche sorte that neuer were there worse nor more abomynable wryten.

And yet hys bokes beynge suche / some folke there are that wyth suche folysshe fauour and suche blynde affec∣cyon [ C] rede them, that theyr taste enfected wyth the feuer of heresyes / they not onely can not decerne the thynge that they rede (whyche yf they coude they were in good waye towarde amendement) but are also dyscontent and angry wyth any man that wolde helpe them to perceyue it / and fayne wolde they haue them rather byleued then answered.

Of whyche sorte some haue asked what haue I to do to medle wyth the mater / sayenge that beynge laye man, I sholde leue it to the clergye to wryte in / and not hauynge professed the study of holy scrypture, I sholde leue the ma∣ter hole vnto deuynes. Surely fyrst as touchyng lernyng,

yf that these maters were very dowtfull and thynges of [ A] greate questyon, or hadde bene so connyngly handeled by Tyndale and hys felowes, as they myghte seme therby maters of greate dowte and questyon: then wolde I per∣aduenture lette them alone my selfe, to be debated by men of more erudycyon and lernynge. But now the maters be∣ynge so playne, euydent, and clere / and by the hole chyrche of Cryste so clerely put out of questyon, that it is playne and open heresye erenestly to brynge them in questyon: I neuer purpose beynge in my ryght mynde and a trew cry∣sten man, to gyue an heretyque so myche authoryte, as to ••eken my selfe vnable in so playne poyntes of the crysten fayth to answere hym / namely syth I haue gone somwhat to scole my selfe, and bestowed as many yeres in studye, and vnder as connynge maysters as some of them haue / [ B] and that I se not hytherto these maters handeled in suche wyse by Tyndale, or the best of them bysyde that euer haue wryten therin, but that a ryght meane lerned man, or al∣moste an vnlerned woman hauynge naturall wyt and be∣ynge sure and faste in the trewe catholyke fayth / were well able to answere them.

For so helpe me god as I nothynge fynde effectuall amonge them all, but a shamelesse boldenesse and vnrea∣sonable raylynge, wyth scryptures wrested awrye, and ma∣de to mynyster them mater vnto theyr iestynge, scoffynge, and outragyouse rybaldry / not onely agaynste euery estate here in erth, & that agaynst them moste that be moste relygy¦ouse in lyuynge, but also agaynste all the sayntes in heuen, and agaynste the blessed body of Cryste in the holy sacra∣ment [ C] of the aulter. In whyche thynges they fare as folke that truste in nothynge elles, but to wery all wryters at last wyth endlesse and importune babelynge, & to ouerwhelme the hole worlde wyth wordes.

Now as for me, y^• cause is of my wrytynge, not so mych to debate and dyspute these thynges wyth them, whyche (though I truste therin to gyue them no grete place) many men maye do mych better yet then I / as to gyue men war∣nynge what myschyefe is in theyr bookes, bycause many good symple folke byleuynge that these men neyther saye nor meane so euyll as they be borne in hande / and longyng

[ A] therfore to rede theyr bokes and se the thynge them selfe, be fyrste infecte wyth some heresyes that seme not at the fyrste intolerable, ere euer they come at the greatest / and then beynge before infecte wyth the lesse, they fall at laste to bere the greater, to whyche in the begynnynge they coude neuer haue abyden.

Now yf they wyll aske, is there no body to gyue them warnynge but I. yes there be that be mete there to, and there be that in dede do so / and yet amonge other that parte apertayneth to me. For I well knowe that the kyn∣ges hyghnes, whyche as he for hys moste faythfull mynde to god, no thynge more effectually desyreth then the mayn∣tenaunce of the trewe catholyque fayth / wherof he is by hys no more honorable then well deserued tytell defen∣sor, [ B] so nothynge more detesteth then these pestylent bo∣kes that Tyndale and suche other sende in to the realme, to sette forth here theyr abomynable heresyes wythall: doth of hys blessed dysposycyon of all erthly thynges ab∣horre the necessyte to do punysshement / and for that cause hath not onely by hys moste erudyte famouse bokes bothe in englysshe and in latyn, declared hys moste catholyque purpose and entent / but also by hys open proclamacyons dyuers tymes iterate and renewed, and fynally in hys owne moste roiall person in the sterre chamber moste elo∣quently by hys owne mouth in greate presence of hys lor∣des spyrytuall and temporall / gaue monycyon and war∣nynge to all the iustyces of peace of euery quarter of hys realme then assembled byfore hys hyghnes, to be by them [ C] in theyr cuntrees to all hys people declared / and dyd pro∣hybyte and forbydde vppon greate payne, the bryngynge in redynge, and kepynge of any of those pernycyouse poy∣sened bookes / to the entent that euery subget of hys by the meane of suche manyfolde effectuall warnynge, wyth hys gracyouse remyssyon of theyr formar offence in hys com∣maundement byfore broken, sholde from thense forthe a∣uoyde and estyew the parell and daunger of punyshement / and not dreue hys hyghnesse of necessyte, to the thynge from whyche the myldenesse of hys benygne nature ab∣horreth.

Now seyng y^e kynges gracyouse purpose in thys poynt: I reken that beynge hys vnworthy chauncellour, it apper∣tayneth as I sayed vnto my parte and dewty, to folow the

ensample of hys noble grace / and after my pore wyt and ler¦nynge, [ A] wyth openynge to hys people the malyce and poysō of those pernycyous bokes, to helpe as mych as in me is, y^t hys people abandonynge the contagyon of all suche pesty∣lent wrytynge, maye be farre from infeccyon / and therby from all suche punyshement as folowynge theruppon, doth aftentymes rather serue to make other beware that are yet clere, then to cure and hele well those that are all redy infec¦ted / so harde is that carbuncle catchynge onys a core, to be by any meane well and surely cured. How be it god so wor∣keth, that somtyme it is. Towarde the helpe wherof / or yf it happely be incurable, then to the clene cuttynge out y^e parte for infeccyon of the remanaūt: am I by myne offyce in ver∣tue of myne othe, and euery offycer of iustyce thorow the realme for his rate, ryght especyally bounden / not in reason [ B] onely and good congrewence, but also by playne ordynaūs and statute.

wherfore I recon my selfe of dewtye depely bownden, to shew you good reders the parell of these bokes / wherof the makers haue such myscheuouse mynde, that they boste and glory when theyr vngracyouse wrytyng bryngeth eny man to deth. And yet make they semblauns as though they were sory for yt. And then Tyndale cryeth owt vppon the prela∣tes and vppon the temporall prynces, and callethe theym murtherers and martyr quellers / dyssymulyng that y^• cruell wrech wyth hys wreched bookes, murderethe the man hym selfe whyle he geueth hym the poyson of hys heresyes, and therby compellethe prynces by occasyon of theyr incurable and contagyouse pestylence, to punyshe theym accordynge [ C] to iustyce by sore paynfull deth••, bothe for ensample and for infeccyon of other.

whych thyng as sore as these heretyques reproue / affer∣myng that yt ys agaynst the gospell of Chryste, that eny he∣retyque should be persecuted and punyshed, and specyallye by bodylye payn or dethe / and some of theym saye the same of euery maner cryme, thefte, murder, treason, and all: yet in Almayn now contrary to theyr owne euāgelycall doctry¦ne, those euangelycalls theym selfe ceace not to pursew and punyshe by all the meanys they may, by purse, by pryson, by bodylye payne, and dethe, dyuerse theyre euangelycall bretherne that vary fro theyr secte / as there are of those coū¦terfayte euangelycalls mo sundry sortys of dyabolycall sec∣tes,

[ A] then a man may well reherse.

And thys at the last be they dreuen theym selfe, contrary to theyre owne formar doctrine / bycause they fynde & proue well by experyence, that thoughe theyre sectes be but false heresyes all, yet can not the tone sorte long dwell wyth the tother / but that yf they begynne onys to be matchys, they shall not fayle at length to contende and stryue to gether, & by sedycyons, the tone dreue the tother to ruyne. For neuer shall y^• cuntre long abyde wythout debate and ruffle / where scysmes & factyouse heresyes are suffered a whyle to grow.

Byleue me not yf eny man can reken a place where euer he founde it otherwyse, in Affryque y^e Donatystes / in Grece y^e Arryanes / in Boheme the Hussytes / in England the wyc∣lyffystes / and now in Almayn the Lutheranes / and after [ B] that y^e zuynglyanes / what bysynes they haue made, what dystruccyon and manslaughter they haue caused, partelye the storyes wytnesse, partelye men haue presentely seen. And yet hath god alwaye mayntened and contynued hys trew catholyke fayth, with the grete fall & ruyne at length of many scysmatycall sectes / whose fall vndowtedly the re∣manaunt wyll in conclusyon folow, wyth the playne & open wrathe of god shewed vppon theyr false prophetes / as it fell vppon the prophetes bothe of Beale and Baall, & now thys yere vppon zuinglius hym selfe•• that fyrst brought in to Swycherland the abomynable heresye agaynst the bles∣sed sacrament of the awter, and was as I say by the hande of god thys yere slayne in playne batayle agaynste the ca∣tholikes with many a thousand of his wreched secte, beyng [ C] in nomber to the catholykes thre agaynst one / and as prow¦dely and wyth as malycy••use purpose inuadynge them, as euer dyd the Egypcyans pursew the chyldren of Israell.

But now sayth Tyndale and frere Barns bothe, that I do them wronge, in that I call theyr bokes sedycyouse. For they counsayle they saye the people in theyr bokes, to be obe¦dyent vnto theyr souerayns & rulers, all though they shold suffer wronge / and how can our bokes then (saye they) be sedycyouse?

Surely to make men heretykes, and then byd them be meke (when heresye spryngeth as saynt Austayne sayth of pryde) standeth as well wyth reason / as to make a man dronke, and byd hym be sober / make hym starke madde, & byd hym be well auysed / make hym a starke thefe, and byd

hym se he stele not. [ A]

How be yt besyde y^e sedicion that euery scysine and dyui∣syon muste nedes moue and prouoke amonge any people y^t are of dyuerse sectis, all though they were all o••edient vnto one prynce / and cause them therby though they rebelled not agaynste his person, yet to breke the peace and quiete of his cuntre, and tunne in to the daynger & parelle of hys lawes: let vs yet ferther loke and cōsyder in what maner & fashyon they counseyle the people to obay theyr prynces.

They bydde the people for a coūtenaunce to be obedient. But they say therwyth that the lawys & preceptes of theyre souerayns do nothynge bynde y^e subiectes in theyr conscy∣encys, but yf the thynges by them cōmaundede or forbeden, were before cōmaunded or forbeden in scrypture. And all y^• wordes of scripture wherby they be cōmaūded to obay theyr [ B] gouernours, wold they restrayne vnto those thynges onely, that are expressede all redy wythin the corps of scrypture. So that yf they can begyle the lawys & preceptes of theyr souerayns vnware to other men, and therby fle fro y^e parell of outwarde bodely ponyshemēt: theyr euāgely call lybertie sholde serue theym suffycyently for dyscharge of theyre con∣scyence, and inwardely make theym in theyre soules clere angelycall hypocrytys.

Nowe whan they falsely tell theym that they be not bounden to obaye theyre gouernours lawfull commaun∣dementes / and thenne holyly counseyle theym to obay theyr vnlawfull tyranny (for by that name call they the lawys) what effecte wene ye they wolde that theyr aduyce sholde haue? They knowe theym selfe well ynough and the maner [ C] of the people to / and be not so madde I warraūte yowe but that they perceyue full well, that yf they can persuade the people to belyue y^t they be not in theyr conscyence bounden to obay y^e lawes and preceptys of theyr gouernours / theym selfe be no such precyouse apostles, that folke wolde forbere theyre awne ease or pleasure, for the faynt fayned counseyle of a few false apostatas. And thus ys yt sure, that by theyre false doctryne they must yf they be belyued, brynge y^e people in to the secrete contempte, and spyrytuall dysobedyence, & inwarde hatered of the lawe / wherof muste after folowe the outwarde brech, and theruppon outwarde ponyshement & parell of rebellyon / wherby the pryncys sholde be dreuen to sore effusyō of theyr subiectes blood, as hath all redy mysse

[ A] happened in Almayne and of olde tyme in Englande.

Let vs yet consyder ferther a poynt of theyr good holy counsayle concernynge the peoples obedyence.

Frere Barns in hys frantyke booke, byddeth the people that they sholde not rebell in no wyse. But he byddeth them therwyth that for all the kynges cōmaundemēt, they shold not suffer Tyndales false translacyon of the scrypture go out of theyr hande / but rather dye then leue it. Now kno∣weth he well that the false malycyouse maner that Tyndale hath vsed in the translatyng therof••as I haue proued bothe in my dyaloge and synnes agayne in thys boke / and as Tyndale doth hym selfe in hys owne answere openly confesse in the tytles of penaunce and preste: was done to set forth hys false heresyes wythall. And therfore it appe∣reth [ B] well that Barns wold haue the people rather dye then obay theyr prynces, in puttynge away that boke that is fal¦sely translated for the mayntenaunce of many pestylent he∣resyes. And thus ye se how fayne he wolde glorye in the peoples blode. For he woteth very well y^t the kynges hygh∣nesse wyll in no wyse, nor in no wyse maye yf he wyll saue hys owne soule / suffer that false translacyon in the handes of vnlerned people, whyche is by an open heretyke purpo∣sely translated false to the destruccyon of so many soules.

Now no man dowteth I thynke, but that Tindale hym selfe wolde no lesse were done for the mayntenaunce of hys false translacyon of the euangelystes, then wolde hys euan¦gelycall brother Barns / but that folke sholde agaynste the kynges proclamacyons kepe styll hys bokes, & rather then [ C] leue them, dye in the quarell for the defence of his glory.

where as I byfore in my dyaloge dyd say that Luthers bokes be sedycyouse, as I now say that Tyndales be to, & mouynge people to theyr owne vndoyng to be dysobedyēt and rebellyouse to theyr souerayns, in affermyng that they be not nor can not be bounden by any law made by men: Tyndale answereth me for Luther that I say vutrewly / and then sayth he ferther in thys wyse: A crysten man is bounden to obay tyranny / yf it be not a gaynste his fayth nor the law of god, tyll god de∣lyuer hym therof.

Now let I passe myche raylynge that he consequentely maketh vppon prynces / and shall for thys tyme onely coū∣sayle you to consyder these few wordes of hys, whyche he layeth forth for a rule of peoples obedyence to theyr prynce.

For hys rule is that they shall obay theyr tyranny, tyll god [ A] delyuer them therof. And in thys poynt wyll I not be Tyn∣dals interpretor / he may meane dyuerse wayes, but whych way he meaneth in dede, he shall hym selfe declare at his fer∣ther ••eysore / for me thynketh he meaneth not very well, sa∣uynge that I wyll not take hym to the wurste.

But in the tother poynt, I may be bolde to say that no good man may take hym well, where he sayth that a crysten man ys bounden to obay theyre pryncys tyrāny, yf it be not agaynste hys fayth nor the lawe of god. And yet wyll I well agre y^t yf these wordes were spoken of a good faithfull mānys mouthe•• and where any nede requyred yt: they were very well sayed / as they were when the apostles sayed, we muste rather please god then man. But when Tyndale that ys an heretyke putteth for a rule of the peoples obedyence [ B] to a good crysten prynce, that they be bounden to obay hys teranny yf yt be not agaynste his fayth: I say that this his rule of obedyence ys a playne exhortacyon to dysobedyence and rebellion. For euery man well seeth y^t Tyndale amonge many other abhominable heresyes techeth for y^e ryght faith, that freres may lawfully wedde nūnys / and that no man is bounden to y^e kepynge of any fastyng day or holyday made by the chyrch / and that no man sholde pray to any saynte, nor pray for all crysten soules / and that yt is great synne to do any wurshyppe to crystys precyouse body in the blessed sacramente of the awter / and wolde the people sholde kepe hys false translacyon of scrypture for mayntenance of these heresyes. And therfore yf any prynce make a lawe againste Tyndales heresyes, in any of these poyntes or suche other [ C] lyke: Tyndale here teacheth tha•• the people are not boūden to obay yt / but may and must wythstande suche tyranny. Or at the leste wyse, though they be boūden peraduenture openly to obaye theyr pryncis tyranny, in forberynge fleshe on good fryday, or cōmynge to goddes seruyce on whytsone sonday, or freres in forberynge open weddynge with nōnes (in all which thinges they be yet by Tindales godly gospell at theyr euangelycall lybertie, secretely to do what they liste theym selfe, where no peace is brokē nor any weke cōscience offended): yet for any law or cōmaūdemēt eyther of prynce, or pope, or generall counsayle of all crysten nacyons, or of any angell that wolde come out of heuen to commaunde in goddys name y^• cōtrary / euery mā must kepe still Tyndales

[ A] false translacyon of scrypture, and abyde by hys other false bokes made for the mayntenaunce of hys manyfolde false heresyes. And no man muste for no law nor commaunde∣ment pray to any saynt, nor for any soule in purgatory, nor kysse any relyque, nor crepe to Crystes crosse, nor do any worshyppe to Crystes blessed body and bloode in the holy sacrament of the aulter.

But yf any prynce wolde by any lawe or commaunde∣ment, compelle hys people to any of those thynges: then Tyndale here playnely teacheth them that they maye and muste styffely wythstande hys tyranny. So that fynally cō¦cernynge obedyence / Tyndales holy doctryne is, that the people sholde in the defence of hys false heresyes, not let to dysobaye but stubernly to wythstande theyr prynce.

[ B] whych yf any man were so mad to do / & then were therfore in theyr obstynacye burned, or otherwyse in theyr rebellyon slayne: there were the tryumphe the greate reste and glory of Tyndales deuelysh prowde dyspytuouse harte, to delyte and reioyce in y^e effusyon of suche peoples blode as his poy∣sened bokes had myserably bywyched, and from trew cry∣sten folke, turned into false wycked wreches.

Now to thentent that ye maye the more clerely perceyue the malycyouse mynde of these men, and that theyr pestylēt bokes be bothe odyouse to god and dedely contagyouse to men / and so myche the more perylouse in that theyr false he relyes wylyly walke forth vnder the counterfayt vysage of the trew crysten fayth: thys is the cause and purpose of my present labour / wherby god wyllyng I shall so pull of theyr [ C] gaye pay••ted vysours, y^t euery man lystyng to loke theron, shall playnely perceyue and byholde the bare vgly gargyle facys of theyr abomynable heresye.

And for bycause the mater is longe, and my leysour seld & shorte: I can not as I fayne wolde sende out all at ones, but yf I sholde kepe styll all togyther by me lenger then me thynketh conuenye••t.

I sende out now therfore of thys present worke, these thre bookes fyrste. In the fyrst of whyche I answere Tyn∣dales preface made before his answere to my dyaloge / whi∣che preface of hys is in a maner an introduccyō into all his heresyes. The seconde boke is agaynst hys defence of hys translacyon of the new testament. The thyrde agaynst two

chapyters of Tyndales answere / y^e tone, whythet the word [ A] were afore the chyrche or the chyrche afore the worde / the tother, whyther the apostles lefte any thynge vnwryten ne∣cessary to saluacyon, wheruppon greate parte of all hys he∣resyes hange.

Now shall I (god wyllyng) at my nexte leysor go ferther in hys booke, and come to the very brest of all this batayle / that is to wyt the questyon whyche is the chyrche. For that is the poynt that all these heretyke by all the meanes they may labour to make so darke, that by theyr wyllys no man sholde wyt what they meane. But I truste to drawe the ser∣pent out of hys darke denne / and as the poetes fayne that Hercules drew vppe Cerberus the mastyffe of hell into the lyght where hys eyen dased: so shall I wyth the grace of that lyght whych illumyneth euery man that cometh in to [ B] this worlde, make you that mater so lyghtsome and so clere to euery man, that I shall leue Tyndale neuer a darke cor∣ner to crepe into, able to hyde hys hed.

Then after that I haue so clerely confuted Tyndale cō¦cernynge that poynt, and shall haue playnely proued you the sure and stedfaste authoryte of Crystes catholyke kno∣wen chyrche, agaynste all Tyndales tryflynge sophystyca∣cyons / whyche he wold sholde seme so solempne subtyle in∣solubles, whyche ye shall se proued very frantyke folyes: after thys done I say, before I go ferther wyth Tyndale, I purpose to answere good yong father Fryth / whych now sodaynly commeth forth so sagely, that .iii. olde men, my bro¦ther Rastell, the bysshoppe of Rochester & I, matched wyth father Fryth alone, be now but very babys, and as he cal∣leth [ C] vs insipientes. But thus goth y^e worlde forth bytwene Fryth and vs. He encreaceth I se well as fast as we decay. For ones I wene the yongeste of vs thre, thre dayes ere fa∣ther Fryth was borne / had lerned within a lytle as mych as father Fryth hath now. How be it I shall leue yonge father Fryth in his pryde & glory for y^e whyle. But whē Tindale is ones in y^• article touchyng y^e chyrch cōfuted: thē hath Frith alredy concernynge purgatory clerely lost the felde / and all hys welbeloued boke is not worth a b••ton, though it were all as trew as it is false. For then is the fayth of the chyrche in that poynt infallyble, or at the lest vnculpable, were there scrypture therfore or not. And no scrypture can there proue

[ A] the very trew chyrch to holde an artycle as trew fayth, that were in dede dampnably false.

And yet shall I for all that go ferther wyth yonge fa∣ther Fryth, and to wch yf god wyll euery parte of hys freshe paynted boke / and so shall I plukke of I truste the moste gloryouse fethers from hys gaye pecoks tayle, that I shall seue hym yf he haue wyt and grace, a lytell lesse delyghte & lykynge in hym selfe then he semeth now to haue / whyche thynge hath hytherto made hym for to stande not a lytell in hys owne lyght.

I praye god hartely sende that yonge man the grace to bestow hys wyt and lernynge such as it is, aboute some bet¦ter busynes then Tyndale mysse bestoweth it now. For now is Frythys wyt and lernynge, nothynge but Tyndales in∣strument [ B] wherby he bloweth out hys heresye.

Fynally after that I shall haue answered Fryth / I pur∣pose to retourne agayne vnto Tyndales boke, and answere hym in euery chapyter y^t he hath impugned in the .iiii. bokes of my dyaloge. wherin I truste to make euery chyld {per}ceyue hys wyly folyes and false craftes, wyth hys open shameles lyes put in and mengled amonge them / wher wyth he fayne wolde & weneth to blynde in such wyse the world, that folke shold not espye the falshed & foly of hys erectable heresyes.

I thynke that no man dowteth but that this worke both hath ben and wyll be some payne and labour to me / and of trouth so I fynde it. But as helpe me god I fynde all my la¦boure in the wrytynge not halfe so greuouse and paynefull to me, as the tedyouse redynge of theyr blasphemouse here∣syes / that [ C] wolde god after all my labour done, so that the re¦membraunce of theyr pestylent errours were araced out of englysshe mennes hertes, and theyr abomynable bookes burned vppe, myne owne were walked wyth them / and the name of these matters vtterly put in oblyuyon. How be it syth I se the deuyll in these dayes so stronge, and these de∣uelysshe heresyes so sore set a broche in some vnhappy her∣tes, that they neuer ceace in all that euer they may to sprede these bokes abrode to suche as kepe them in hukermoker, & secretely poysen them selfe wenynge the bokes were very good whyle they rede but thē alone / and then of those euyll bokes so many dayly made by so many idle heretykes and by & by sent hyther: it were nede as me semeth that dyuerse

wyse & well lerned men sholde set theyr pennys to the boke / whych [ A] though they shall not satysfye them that wyll nedes be nought, yet shall they do good to suche as fall to these folke of ouersyghte, wenyng y^t theyr new wayes were well.

* 1.2 Our sauyour sayth that y^e chyldren of darkenes be more polytyke in theyr kynde then are the chyldren of lyght in theyr kynde. And surely so semeth it now. For these false faythlesse heretykes, whose hertes are in the depe darke don geon of the deuyll / are more wyly and more besy therwyth in settyng forth of theyr heresyes, then are the faythfull ler∣ned folke in the defence of the trouth.

And as the trew dyscyples of Cryst were in slumber and fell in slepe in Crystes company, whyle Iudas the traytor was wakynge and watchynge aboute hys detestable trea∣son: so whyle these Iudasys watche & study about the ma∣kynge [ B] of theyr vngracyouse bookes, good and trew byle∣uynge men that were mete to answere them, and that were able in wrytynge to mych more then ouermatche them, yf they wolde wake and praye and take the penne in hande / be now so forweryed wyth the sorowe and heuynesse to se the worlde waxe so wretched, that they fall euyn in a slumber therewyth and lette these wretches alone / sauynge that yet somtyme some good Peter in a good zele so smyteth of Mal¦chus eare, that god setteth it on better agayne and gyueth it grace to drawe bakke from the herkenynge of false he∣resyes, and to gyue it selfe to the herynge of Crystes trewe catholyque fayth. And somtyme agayne some good holy Poule shaketh the poysened adder into a fayre fyre / y^t lyeng and lurkynge amonge the drye frutelesse fagottes catcheth [ C] good folke by the fyngers, and so hangeth on theyr handes wyth the poysen styng of false onely fayth, that they wolde wythholde them from settynge theyr handes to any good vertuouse workes.

But now leuynge other men to do as god shall lyke to put in theyr myndes: I shall for my parte performe that I haue promysed yf god gyue me lyfe and grace therto. For as for leysore shall not I truste one tyme or other lakke to suffyse, for so mych & for mych more to. whyche when I haue as I before sayd all togyther performed: I wolde in good fayth wysshe that neuer man sholde nede to rede any worde.

[ A] For surely the very best waye were neyther to rede thys nor theyrs / but rather the people vulerned to occupye them selfe besyde theyr other busynesse in prayour, good medyta∣cyon•• and redynge of suche englysshe bookes as moste may norysshe and encrease deuocyon. Of whyche kynde is Bo∣nauenture of the lyfe of Cryste. Gerson of the folowynge of Cryste, and the deuoute contēplatyue booke of Scala per∣fectionis wyth suche other lyke / then in the lernynge what may well be answered vnto heretykes.

The very tryacle were well loste•• so that all venome and poyson were vtterly lost therwyth. And better were it not to be syk at all / thē of a grete syknesse to be very well heled.

And yf it myghte be prouyded that euery man sholde be so well tempered, that no man sholde by dystemperaūce fall [ B] into dysease: then were it better that y^e physycyon bestowed all hys tyme about that parte of physyke that teacheth to preserue our helthe, then to wryte any worde of that parte that restoreth it. But syth it can neuer be brought to passe that poysen wyll be forgoten, nor that euery man shall vse hym selfe so cyrcumspectely, but that eyther of ouersyghte or aduenture some shall haue nede of cure: therfore it is ne∣cessary that tryacle for the tone, and other medycynes for y^e tother be prouyded and had. And therfore as I wold wyshe that theyr bookes were all gone and myne owne therwyth: so syth I se well that that thynge wyll not be / better it is I reken that there be tryacle redy, then the poysen to tary and no tryacle for it.

How be it though euery shoppe were full of tryacle: yet [ C] were he not wyse I wene that wolde wylfully drynke poy∣sen fyrste to drynke tryacle after / but rather caste the poysen to the deuyll, and let the tryacle stande for some that sholde happe to nede it. And lykewyse wolde I counsayle euery good crysten man, and specyally such as are not groundely lerned / to cast out the poysened draught of these heretykes bokes, whych when they be dronken downe infecte y^e reader and corrupte the soule vnto the euerlastyng deth / and ther∣fore neyther vouchesafe to rede theyr bokes nor any thyng made agaynst them neyther, but abhorre to here theyr here∣syes so mych as named / accordyng to the gracyouse coun∣sayle of y^e blessed apostle Poule agaynst fornycacion, where he wryteth vnto the Ephesyans:* 1.3 Let not fornycacyon be so

mych as named or spoken of among you. And yet syth that [ A] wolde not be brought to passe that he counsayled, and wold fayne haue had obserued: he was fayne hym selfe to speke therof and wryte therof to arme the people agaynste it, in mo placys then one / as both he and other apostles and all holy doctors synnys haue ben dreuen to wryte againste he∣resyes, & yet wold fayne that folke wolde so clere haue caste all heresyes out of remembraunce, that neyther theym selfe shulde haue neded to wryte therof, nor other folke to rede y^e parte of theyre bokes.

And therfore as I wolde aduyse any man neither to rede these heretykes bokes nor myne, but occupy theyr myndes better / and standynge fermely by the catholyke faith of this xv.C. yere, neuer onys muse vppō these newe fangled here∣syes: so vn the tother syde yf it mysse happe any man to fall [ B] in such a fonde affeccyon & vayne curiouse mynde, y^t neither parell temporall in brech of hys pryncys proclamacyon & the lawes of the realine, nor y^e parell spyrituall in hurtynge of his owne soule, nor they both to gether by puttynge hym selfe in daynger to burne both here and in hell, can hold his ycchynge fyngers frome theyre poysened bokes / then wold I coūsayle hym in any wyse to rede therwith such thynges as are wrytten agaynste theym, and way theym both at the leste wyse indyfferently / and not to fall sodenly so dronke in the newe muste of theyre newe••angled neweltyes, that the olde holsome wyne with whych good folke haue lyued now this fyften hundred yere, offend theyr dronkē taste, bycause yt is not so walow swete but drynketh more of y^e verder.

Forthermore for as mych as accordynge to the wordes [ C] of Cryst,* 1.4 It wyll none otherwyse be, but that some stūblyng blokkys wyll allway be by malycyouse folke layed in good peoples way / though beste were to stoppe your ••aris vtterly and gyue none herynge to any false euchauntors that wold bywych you wylyly, to make you delyte in those bokes: yet sith some that be playne & symple may fortune to be secretly mysse lede by false wyly shrewes excepte they be well armed before / I doute not by godes grace but yf they rede fyrste y^e thynges that are wrytten agaynste theym, they shall theym selfe be able to reiecte and confoūde any deuyll that wolde drawe theym to them. And therfore as I am sure that euyl and vngracyouse folke shall euer fynde the meanys y^t suche

[ A] bookes shall neuer in some corners lakke wherby good people may be deceyued and corrupted: yt ys more thenne necessary that men haue agayne at hande suche bookes as may well arme them, to resyste and confute them. Of which kynde of good bokes all be it I knowe well there may and dowte not but there shall be, many better made then myne / and that some such I se alredy: yet haue I not so sieyghtly seen vnto myn owne, nor shoffled it vp so hastely, nor let it so passe vnloked ouer by better men and better lerned also then my selfe / but that I truste in god it maye amonge the better stande yet in some good stede. And that it so maye to goddes honour and the profyte of some good folke, I her∣tely byseche our lorde / wythout the adspiracyon and helpe of whose especyall grace no labour of man can profyte / and [ B] to whom therfore be all thanke referred, whyche ly∣ueth and regneth in eternall glorye. To whych as he hath all redy brought many a bles∣sed saynt: so mote his mercy brynge with spede the soules that are in purgatory / and gyue vs y^e here lyue in this wret∣ched worlde, ayde and helpe of grace by trewe fayth and good workes to folow them, [ C] the rather by the intercessyon and prayours of all his holy sayntes y^t are all redy wyth hym.

A,MEN.

Notes

• * 1.1

  4. Regum. 4.
• * 1.2

  Lucae .15.
• * 1.3

  Ephes. 5.
• * 1.4

  Lucae .17.