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

Agaynste Tyndales translatynge of charitas in to loue rather then into cheryte.

HEre maketh Tyndale a grete processe / and telleth vs that cheryte hath in en∣glysshe speche dyuers sygnyfycacyons, somtyme loue, somtyme mercy, somtime pacyence. And what is all this to pur∣pose? [ B] Sholde he therfore leue out che∣ryte where it may conueniently stande? By thys wyse reason we sholde neuer vse the worde in one sygnyfycacyon nor other / leste the tone sholde be taken for the tother. Now it lyketh hym to forgete that the cyrcūstaunces take awaye the dowte / whych thyng syth he layeth so often for hys excuse, he muste be content y^t it also serue for hys charge. For syth thys word loue that he setteth in the stede of cheryte, hath of hym selfe some dowte also, whyther it meane good or euyll but yf y^e cyrcumstaūce sumwhat set it out: what nede was it to put the indyfferent worde loue in the place of the vndowted good worde chery∣te, there as y^e sentence well shewed that it sygnifyed neyther mercy nor pacyence but loue / and then the worde sygnyfyed [ C] that it ment good loue whych is expressed by cheryte.

Then sheweth he that ••he greke worde agape standeth so somtyme, that he muste nedys interprete it loue and not che¦ryte / as though I had founde a fawte wyth hym bycause he vsed thys worde loue in suche places as thys worde cheryte myght not cōuenyētly stande / where I fynde y^e faute in this y^t he putteth out cherite where it myght well stand, and that so often that he semeth to myslyke the name of cheryte.

Now bycause I saye that euery loue is not cheryte, but onely suche loue as is good and ordynate: Tyndale answe¦reth me, no more is euery fayth Crystes fayth. That wote we well inough / but yet put by it selfe it comēly sygnyfyeth Crystes fayth in mater of the fayth / so that when we meane a false fayth, we be fayne alwaye to set some other worde

therwyth, as when we say Tyndales fayth, Luthers fayth, [ A] frere Huyskyns fayth and such other lyke.

He putteth a nother ensample by thys worde hope, and sayth that euery hope is not a Crysten hope / and yet he must vse it & a thousāde other wordes lyke, such as ben indyfferēt and sygnyfye bothe good and bad / all whyche yf he sholde eschewe, he sholde he sayth translate no thynge at all.

who byddeth hym leue all such wordes out? or who saith that he sholde neuer put in thys worde loue? He answereth the thynge that no man layeth to hys charge / and the thyng that I laye to hys charge he leueth euer vnanswered. For go me to hys worde hope whyche is indyfferent, and sygny∣fyeth as well hope of getynge the loue of hys lemman, as hope of rewarde in heuen for cheryte borne to hys enemy / though thys be thus, yet yf there were in englysshe a worde [ B] that sygnyfyeth none hope but a good godly hope, as che∣ryte sygnyfyeth no loue but a good godly loue / then were he an euyll translatour, that where y^e place in greke or latyn speketh of good hope, wolde not translate it in to that en∣glysshe worde that sygnyfyed none other hope but good. And therfore it well appereth that Tyndale doeth not well, whē there as y^e scrypture speketh of good loue, he had leuer trāslate it by the worde loue, y^t is indyfferent to bothe good & bad / then by the worde cheryte y^e sygnyfyeth no loue but good. Thys is it that I charge hym wyth, & to thys I wold haue hym answere onys / and not leuynge thys vntowched, walke and wander at large & neuer mete wyth the mater.

Tyndale.

yet sayth he farther: Agape and charitas were wordes vsed amonge [ C] hethen men ere Cryste cam, and sygnyfy••d therfore more then a godly loue. And we may say well ynow, and I haue herde yt spoken / that the turkes be charitable one to a nother amonge them selfes, and some of them vnto crysten men•• Bysydes all this agape is comen to all loues.

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yet he is in hande agayne wyth agape often and bryn∣geth not forthe one wyse worde. For though thys greke worde agape sygnyfye loue indyfferentely good and bad: yet thys worde charyte sygnyfyeth no loue but good. And therfore in such places of scrypture, as agape sygnifyeth good loue: why sholde Tindale translatyng in to englysh, rather take this worde loue that sygnyfyeth no more good loue then badde / rather this worde charyte that sygnyfyeth

[ A] no loue but good. This I aske hym yet agayne.

Now though this laten worde charitas was a worde vsed amonge the hethen ere Cryste cam / & though yt had sygny∣fyed in laten at that tyme amonge them an euyll loue and a noughty: yet this englyshe word charyte neuer sygnyfyed amonge vs any other loue then good / not euē in that speche that Tyndale speketh of, that turkes be charytable among them selfe, & some of them to crysten people to / where yt sy∣gnyfyeth yet rather pytye then loue. And therfore Tyndale muste in hys englysshe translacyon take hys englysshe wor∣des as they sygnyfye in englyshe, rather then as the wordes sygnyfye in the tonge, out of whyche they were taken in to the englysshe. And yet remember I not that charitas in the la∣tyne tonge was vsed to sygnyfye euyll loue. And I saye to [ B] Tyndale yet ferther, that though thys englysshe worde che∣ryte had ben englysshe before the byrthe of Cryste, and had then sygnyfyed amonge englysshe infydelys an euyll wan∣ton loue / ye though it had then amonge thē sygnyfyed none other loue but noughty: yet syth it sygnyfyeth not that but the contrary now in our tyme, and so hath sygnyfyed longe before our dayes / Tyndale muste nedys in hys englysshe translacyon vse hys englysshe wordes in suche sygnyfyca∣cyon as the people vseth them in hys owne tyme / and not in such sygnyfycacyō as they were vsed in of olde tyme, which the people haue chaunged and forgoten hūdrethes of yerys ere he were borne.

For ellys he sholde make a gaye confusyon, yf he wolde in the maters of vertue and crysten fayth vse the olde wor∣des [ C] after the olde fasshyon / and take ••ides for nothynge but suche as it sygnyfyed ere Cryste came. Then where so euer he founde in saynte Austyne and other holy doctours persona patris, persona filij, persona spiritus sancti: Tyndale muste call them not the persons but the visours of the father, the sonne, and the holy ghost / & make men wene y^t they dawnce in a maske.

And thus yet agayne ye se to how lytle purpose this rea∣son serueth Tyndale, that agape and charitas were wordes vsed amonge the hethen ere Cryste was borne.

Tyndale.

Fynally I saye not cheryte god or cheryte your neyghbour, but loue god and loue your neyghbour.

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This is a prety poynt of iuglynge / by whyche he wolde

make the reader loke a syde y^• hym selfe myght playe a false [ A] caste the whyle / and men sholde not se wherin the questyon standeth. For he maketh as though I reproued that he hath this worde loue in his translacion in any place at all, where I neyther so sayed nor so thought. But the faute I founde, as in my dialoge I sayed playnely inough / was that he ra∣ther chose to vse thys worde loue then thys worde cheryte, in such places as he myghte well haue vsed thys word che∣ryte / and where the latyn texte was charitas, and where thys holy word cheryte was more proper for the mater then thys indyfferent worde loue. Thys was the fawte that I found. And therfore wherof serueth hys tryflyng betwene y^• nowne and the verbe. I let hym not to say loue thy neyghbour / nor I bydde hym not say cheryte thy neyghbour, nor good affec¦cyon thy neyghbour, nor good mynde thy neyghbour, •••• [ B] more then drynke thy neyghbour. And yet as he maye saye there geue thy neyghbour drynke / .so may he if it please hym saye, here thy neyghbour good mynde, bere thy neyghbour charyte.

Tyndale.

Though we saye a man ought to loue his neyghbours wyfe or his neyghbours doughter: a cristen man doth not vnderstande that ••e is commanded to de∣fyse his neyghbours wyfe nor his neyghbours doughter.

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This mater is somewhat amended here by this worde, ought to loue. But ellys if Tyndale fall not to y^e cherytyng, but to the louynge of his neyghbours wyfe, or the louynge of his neyghbours doughter: I had as leue he bare them both a bare cheryte, as wyth the frayle feminyne sexe fall to [ C] far in loue, namely syth he sayth that prestes muste nedes haue wyfes.

But where of serueth hym this ensample. Dyd any man forbede hym to vse this worde loue. He maketh as though I forbode y^e worde vtterly / bycause I forbede yt hym where he sholde not vse yt but charyte. Thus cryeth he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vppon all the chyrche / & sayth they forbede all 〈◊〉〈◊〉, bycause they forbede the banys bytwene frerys and ••••••nes.