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

More.

This hygh godly spirituall mā taketh for none abomina¦cion at all, but can abyde well and hold very well with all, & not defende yt onely but commende yt also / that a nonne cō¦secrate vnto god, shold runne out of relygyon, and do fo••le stynkyng sacri••yce to that fylthy idole of Priapus, that frere Luther bereth about to gather in his offerynge wyth / & that they shall both, and a great many such reba••des mo / shame fully shew theyr abomynable bychery, to the corrupcyon of the worlde openly. But he can not abyde in no wise that any man sholde so repent his secrete synne, that he sholde vnto his confessour shew yt secretely. This can Tyndale in no [ C] wyse abyde. And why? For he wolde rather haue synne she∣wed in shamelesse b••stynge, whereby it myght encreace and grow / thē shamefas••ely shewed in cōfessyon, where it myght be weeded out and caste away.

I purpose not here to fall in dys••ycyons wyth Tyndale for y^• mate••/nor at euery lewd felowes blasphem••/to bryng the blessed sacramentes in questyon. For syth Tyndale can not hym self deuye, but that sayne Austayne, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Hierom, saynt Ambrose, 〈…〉〈…〉, and other holy sayntes haue b••th vsed, 〈…〉〈…〉, and ta¦ken c••••essyon for a necessary 〈…〉〈…〉/& euery go•••• man hath in hym selfe euer fou•••• no lytle spyrytuall pr••¦fy••e and soule comfort therin: yt shall not now greatly 〈◊〉〈◊〉

[ A] what a new foūden sorte of heretykes barke & baule therat.

And as for this worde knowlege is very farre from the greke word exomologesis/& as farre frō the latine word confessio/and yet mych more from the very mater selfe, that is to wyt from the sacrament of penaunce. For bothe the greke worde and the latine, do sygnifye an openyng and a shewyng of y^e thyng / and y^e mater selfe meaneth a willyngly offered decla¦racyon of y^e secrete hyd synne / and this englyshe word know¦lege is anthyguouse & doutefull. For as yt is a nowne / yt sy¦gnifyeth but the knowynge of a thynge or vnderstandyng / as where a man sayth, this chyld hath yet no knowlege ney¦ther of good nor euyll. And when yt is a verbe, or that yt is turned in to this worde knowlegynge / yet sygnyfyeth yt ra¦ther the not denyenge then the wyllyngely tellynge of oure [ B] owne faute, and namely of our owne offer. For that nowne knowlegynge and that verbe knowlege / hath in our tonge theyr proper place, where the faute is by some other layed vnto a manys charge / and where this laten worde agnosco or agnitio maye stande in the place yf they talked in latyne. As where we say of a stuberne bodye that standeth styll in the de¦nyenge of his fawte that is layed afore his face / this man wyll not knolege his faute, or he wyll not be a knowē of his faute. And therfore is this word knowledge or knowlegyng not very mete nor very proper neyther for the greke worde nor the latyne: and leste of all for the mater / syth that con∣fessynge and confessyon is the wyllyngly made declaracyon of our synne vnlayed vnto vs by any man saue our selfe. In whyche doenge though the penytente vse amonge wyth [ C] his confessour this word knowlegynge: yet is yt rather his wyllyng behauour that se••••••th the mater, then the proper∣tye of that englysshe worde.

Now yf Tyndale wyll tell vs that confessyon and con∣fessynge is drawne out of the laten, and then wyll aske me what englyshe worde had we for the thynge byfore: I wene we had byfore ••on•• at all / but euer synnes the proper en∣••••••he worde hathe bene shryfte and shryuyng. For sauyng 〈…〉〈…〉 goodnesse of god brought in that thynge wyth hys 〈…〉〈…〉 of penaunce, whyche was brought in by the 〈…〉〈…〉 were I wene farre of frō confessynge of theyr 〈…〉〈…〉 of theyr owne offer / and scantly wolde 〈…〉〈…〉 they were layed vnto theyr charge & 〈…〉〈…〉 Onely god hathe brought in wyth the

grace of the sacrament, that men are so supled and made [ A] humble in herte, that they wyll wyllyngly go shewe them selfe theyr owne synnes to the preste, whom god hath there appoynted in hys stede / and there abyde the shame and the rebuke therof, and lowly submytte them selfe to such payne and penaunce as theyr confessour shall assygne them, and y^e same faythfully fulfyll in punysshement of them selfe for theyr synne.

But thys is it that Tyndale meaneth / he wolde haue all wyllynge confessyon quyte caste awaye, and all penaunce doynge to, as hym selfe sheweth by and by.