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

More.

It is vndowtely a very good occasyon to moue a man to loue god agayne, when he beleueth y^e loue that god hath to hym, and the thynges that of very loue god hath done for hym. But yet it is not trew that Tyndale sayth, that euery man whyche byleueth thys loue, doeth so loue god agayne, that of loue he prepareth hym selfe vnto goddys commaun¦dementes. I dare say that saynt Peter loued hym well / and yet he bothe forsoke hym and forsware hym to. But a man [ B] y^t well byleued sholde peraduenture prepare hym to goddys commaundementes, yf neyther the worlde, the flesshe, nor y^e deuyll drewe hym bakke / nor suche heretykes worse yet thē all ••••re, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the r••te of ryght bylefe out of hys harte. And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 standen the wordes of Tyndale wyth Luthers holy doctryne, whyche he precheth agaynste the lybertye of man∣nys fre wyll / wherof yf man haue none, as theyr heresye te∣cheth: then how can it be trewe that a man can of loue pre∣pare hym selfe to the commaundementes of god?

And fynally yf it be trew that Tyndale sayth / that is to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 th•••• yf he beleued the gospell he sholde surely prepare hym selfe to the cōmaundementes of god / and then yf thys be trew 〈◊〉〈◊〉 as in dede it is, that he that doeth (as Tin¦dale doeth) enfeete hys neyghbours wyth dedely poysened [ C] heresyes agaynst the blessed sacramentes, & therby maketh theyr bodyes be burned in erthe wyth hys bokes, and theyr soul ys burned in helle wyth hys heresyes, is the most tray∣••••rouse 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of goddys commaundementes that can be 〈…〉〈…〉 very clerely that Tindale byleueth not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 gospell 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all / and surely no more he doeth.

And now cometh he and sayth, that I knowe that all y^• 〈…〉〈…〉 for hys defence in y^e chaunge of chyrch, preste, 〈…〉〈…〉, penaunce, and suche other is trew: bycause 〈…〉〈…〉 as he ••ayth the greke afore hym / where as I by 〈…〉〈…〉 knowledge as I haue of greke, latyn, and of our owne 〈…〉〈…〉 tonge togyther, knowe hys defence dothe 〈…〉〈…〉. And that haue I so clerely proue••/that to the 〈…〉〈…〉 of bothe hys 〈◊〉〈◊〉 and hys ••oly,

there shall not greately nede y^• knowlege of th•••• tonges nor [ A] twayne neyther / but an indyfferent reader that vnderstan∣deth englysshe, and hath in hys hed any reason or naturall wyt. For all be it that the more lernynge the reder hath, the more madnesse he shall perceyue in Tyndales defence of these thynges afore remembred: yet he that hath wyt and no lernyng at all, shall clerely perceyue inough••

And to that entent onely haue I taken the labour 〈◊〉〈◊〉 an∣swere hys defence, to make it open to lerned and vnlerned bothe, that he bryngeth to the mater after hys two 〈◊〉〈◊〉 musynge thereuppon, ••eyther insyghte of any substancyall lernynge, nor yet any profe of reason or naturall wytte, but onely a rasshe malyciouse frantyke brayde, furnysshed with a bare bolde assercyon and affyrmacyon of false poysoned heresyes. For sauynge to make thys appere / I neded not to [ B] touche those poyntes at all. For euery man well knoweth y^• the entent and purpose of my dyaloge was none other, but to make the people perceyue that Tyndale chaunged in his translacyon the comen knowen wordes to thentēt to 〈◊〉〈◊〉 a chaūge in the fayth. As for ensample that he chaūged the worde chyrche in to thys worde congregacyon, bycause he wolde brynge it in questyon whyche were the chyrche / an•• set forth Luthers heresye that the chyrch whyche we sholde byleue and obaye, is not the comen knowen body of all cry¦sten reames remaynynge in the fayth of Cryste, not falle•• of nor cut of wyth heresyes / as Boheme is and some parte•• of Germany: but that the chyrche whyche we sholde byleue and obay, were some secrete vnknowē sorte of euyll lyuyng and worse byleuyng heretykes. And that he chaūged preste [ C] into senior / bycause he entēded to set forth Luthers heresye techynge that presthed is no sacrament / but the 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of a laye man or a laye woman appoynted by the people to pre∣che. And that he chaūged penaūce into 〈…〉〈…〉 he wolde set forth Luthers heresye techyng that penaūce is no sacrament.

Lo thys beyng y^• onely purpose & entent of 〈…〉〈…〉 Tyndale cometh now and expressely 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the same thynge that I purposed to shew. For he 〈◊〉〈◊〉 & wryteth openly those false heresyes in dede that I ••••yed then ••••∣teded after to do / so that hy•• selfe sheweth now that I 〈◊〉〈◊〉 then shew•• the people trewth / & th•••• ••eded I to make 〈◊〉〈◊〉 answere, syth hys owne wrytyng sheweth that he made his

[ A] translacyon, to the entent to set forth suche heresyes as I sayed he dyd.

For as for that that Tyndale calleth them none heresyes but the very fayth, forceth me but lytle / for so hath euery he retyque called his owne heresyes syns crystēdome fyrste by∣ganne. But for all that the deuyll wyll be the deuyll though Tyndale wolde call hym god.

And I made my boke to good crysten people that know such heresyes for heresyes / to gyue thē warnynge that by scripture of his owne false forgynge (for so is his false trans∣lacyon, and not the scrypture of god) he sholde not bygyle them, and make them wene the thynge were otherwyse then yt is in dede. For as for such as are so madde all redy, to take those heresyes for other then heresyes, and are thereby [ B] them selfe no faythfull folke but heretyques, yf they lyst not to lerne and leue of, but longe to lye styll in theyr false by∣lyefe: yt were all in vayne to gyue them warnynge thereof. For when theyr wyllys be bent thereto, and theyr hertys set thereon: there wyll no warnynge serue them. And therfore syth Tyndale hath here confessed in his defence, y^t he made suche chaunges for the settynge forth of suche thynges as I sayed: yt is inough for good cristen men that know those thynges for heresyes, to abhorre and burne vppe his bokes and the lykers of them wyth them / so that as I say I neded none answere to all his defence at all, sauynge to make as I haue done, both lerned and vnlerned folke perceyue hym for an vnlerned fole. And yet defendynge hym self so fonde¦ly, and teachyng open heresyes so shamefully: he sayeth yt [ C] appereth that there was no cause to burne his translacyon, wherein such chaunges founden as ye se, and beynge chaū∣ged for such causes as hym selfe cōfesseth / that is to wyt for a foūdacyone of such pestylent heresyes as hym selfe affer∣meth & wryteth in his abomynable bokes: he myghte mych better yf he cut a mannys throte in the open strete, say there were no cause to hange hym but bydde men seke vppe hys knyfe & se yt hym safe. This myght he in good fayth myche better saye then, then he maye now say that there is no cause to burne his translacyon. wyth y^• falsed wherof and his false heresyes brought in there wythall: he hath kylled and de∣stroyed dyuerse menne, and maye hereafter many, some in body, some 〈◊〉〈◊〉 soule, and some in ••oth twayne.

And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 where as in the ende he loketh so mych to

me, y^t he forgeteth hym selfe / and makyng me a nother holy [ A] sermone of my couetousenesse, my great aduauntage in ser¦uyng in falsed, myne obstynate malyce agaynst y^e trewth: he forgeteth in the meane whyle y^t his owne malyce is agaynst the trewth in such manner obstynate, that he doth as the de¦uell dothe, endure payne for the mayntenaunce of hys false deuelyshe heresyes agaynste the treuth / and puttynge me in mynde agayne of the false prophete Balaam and his euyll ende, and that all suche resysters of the trewth come at laste vnto an euyll deth: he forgeteth in y^e meane whyle y^e double deth that his felowes heretyques comenly come vnto, fyrst by fyre in erth, and after by fyre in hell / saue they that at the tone renounce his deuelysh heresyes, & so escape the tother. Tyndale therfore where yt lyketh hym to lyken me to Ba∣laam, Pharao, and to Iudas to, syth the pytthe of all hys [ B] processe standeth in this one poynte, that his heresyes be the trew fayth, and that the catholyque fayth is false / that the holy dayes nor the fastyng dayes no man nede to kepe / that the dyuyne seruyces in the chyrche is all but superstycyon / that the chyrche & the ale howse is all one sauynge for such holy preachyng / that men haue no fre wyll of theyr owne to do nother good nor yll / y^t to reuerence Crystes crosse or any saynts ymage is idolatry / that to do any good worke, faste, geue almysse, or other, with entent the rather to gete heuen, or to be the better rewarded, there is dedely synne afore god & worse then idolatrye / to thynke y^t the masse may do menne any good mo then the preste hym selfe, were a false belyefe / a false fayth also to pray for any soule / great synne to shryue vs or to do penaunce for synne / freres may well wedde non¦nes [ C] and muste nedes haue wyues / and the sacramentes of Cryste muste serue for Tyndales iestynge stoke: these be the trewthes that Tyndole preacheth. And bycause I call these trewthes heresyes: therfore Tyndale calleth me Ba∣laam, Iudas, and Pharao / and ••hreteneth me sore wyth y^e vengeaunce of god and wyth an euyll deth. what deth eche man shall dye that hangeth in goddes hādes / and martyrs haue dyed for god, and heretykes haue dye•• for the deuyll. But syth I know yt very well and so doth Tyndale to, that y^e holy sayntes dede byfore these dayes synnys Cristes tyme tyll our owne, byleued as I do / that Tyndales trewthes be•• starke deuely••he heresyes: yf god gyue me the grace to suf∣fer for sayeng the same / I shall neuer in my ryght wyt wysh

[ A] to dye better. And therfore syth all the mater stādeth in this poynte alone / that yf his heresyes be the trew fayth, then I stande in parell / and yf they be a false fayth, I maye be safe inought: lette hym leue his sermon har∣dely for the whyle, and fyrste go proue his lyes trewe, and then come a∣gayne and preache, and fre¦re Luther also & his lemman wyth hym to / and then may the geese prouyde the foxe a pul∣pette.