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

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Is not here a fayre mokkynge maner in rehersynge of that holy sacrament? But yet to couer his infydelyte / he ma¦keth here a colour, as though he were angry that they teche no more. But he is angry in dede that they teche so mych / or ellis coude he neuer fynd in his herte to speke so mokkeshly [ C] of such a mater as he doth.

For euery man well knoweth that where he maketh af∣ter as though they whiche teche the people thys / dyd not te∣che them also y^e profyte of the receyuyng nor the promyse of god: he doth vntrewly belye them. For who is there so sym¦ply taught, but that he well vnderstandeth y^t the receyuyng of y^e holy body of our lord in suche wyse as men are taughe to receyue it / is holsome to the soule and that by goddys or∣dynaunce? And therfore is in Tyndale but a shamelesselye, wherof euery man well knoweth the contrarye. wolde god hym self beleued as well of this holy sacrament, as the sym∣pleste lerned preest in a contrey teacheth his paryshe. whych yf he dyd / his herte I dare saye wolde not serue hym so fo∣lyshely to ieste therat. For he speketh there of prechynge of

{pro}mise, for no other cause but onely to bryng in his worshyp¦full [ A] ieste of our lordis holy body beyng in y^e sacramēt, to say he is there all saue his cote. Of whych holy sacramēt he y^t ie¦steth so / beleueth of lyklyhed y^t there is no more of his body there thē of his cote. I haue in his boke of obedyēce cōsyde∣red his wordes of this holy sacrament / & I haue aduysed thē y^e better for certayne wordes y^t I haue herd of hym: & I se not one worde by whych he may be bounden to saye that euer he confessed yt to be the very body and blood of Cryste. How be yt yf he had / yt were not yet wyth that sorte mych y^e surer. For they maye do as theyr mayster hath, saye the con¦trarye after / and when they say worse, thē tell vs that they haue sene more synnys and lerned better.

How be yt he is in dede comen to that poynt all redy, as ye shall perceyue by his wordes in his boke made agaynste [ B] me / wherof I shall reherse you parte anon. And yet we nede not mych more profe, whē we se that he mokketh at y^• masse, and wolde haue no preest at all, nor the sacrament to be ta∣ken as a sacryfyce / and now iesteth vppon the doctrine that teacheth vs to byleue that in the sacrament is the blessed bo¦dye and blood of our lorde, to turne yt to a mokke, ye sayth this fole all saue his cote / a worshyppefull ieste in a crysten mannes mouth / y^t mouth is more mete in dede for sand then holy salt.

What auayseth sayth he to teache folke this, that the very bodye and bloode of our lorde is in that sacramēt / the deuyll knoweth that Criste dyed on a fry∣daye and the Iewes to / and what are they the better. we haue a promyse. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉

why steppeth he from thexample of the same sacrament. why saythe he not the deuyll kn••weth this to be trewe, that [ C] vnder the forme of brede is Cristes owne bodye, and yet the deuyll is neuer y^• better. Surely bycause hym selfe beleueth that the deuyll knoweth yt not at all nor god neyther. And for bycause he wold not yet haue vs therin {per}ceyue his mīde to the vttermoste: he ioyned the Iewes wyth the deuyll to f••e fro the sacrament to the fryday, where he myght haue se∣uered them and spoken of both / or ellys wyth the Iewes & the deuyll, he myght haue ioyned hym selfe, and haue boun¦den all thre in a bundell. For he byleueth lesse then the tone / and is as malycyouse as any of them both.

yet to thentēt that ye may perceyue clerely, y^t he is playne of Luthers heresye / that the sacrament of the auter is very brede styll: ye shall vnderstande that where as I in my dya¦loge

[ A] reherse Luthers heresyes, and amonge other thys he∣resye y^t I now speke of, Tyndale in hys answere affyrmeth Luthers heresye for good and trew, sayeng: That that is broken, and that the preste ••ateth wyth his teth / is yt not brede what is yt elles.

And after those wordes he goth forth in iestynge & mok∣kynge god wote full lyke hym selfe.

And sone after in a nother place he sayth in defense of Lu¦thers heresye, bycause he wold haue folke set lesse therby & haue lesse reuerence therunto: It were a perilouse case yf men and wo¦men touched yt, bycause the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hath not oyled them.

And afterwarde he sayth: At Oxforde aboute the sacrament was no smale question of late dayes, whyther yt were brede or none / some affermyng that the flowre wyth longe lyenge in water was turned in to starch.