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

More.

Tyndale sayth that some man wolde aske this question.

But he knoweth well inough that I laye this agaynst hym [ A] in my dialoge, bycause he so precysely sayth that nothynge maye be certaynely knowen to be byleued but by scrypture. And now he answereth me that our ladye shall haue a newe sonne, ere I cā proue that there was not scripture from the bygynnynge. He wayeth his wordes wysely, when he sayth that our lady shall haue a new sonne fyrst / whych he myght as well say by euery womā y^t is passed this world, sauyng y^t our lady neuer had a new sonne bysyde our sauyour Criste, is none artycle of his false fayth, as hym selfe playnely con¦fesseth / bycause yt is not playnely wryten in scrypture.

But is not this a proper answere now? where as agaynst hys false grounde that there can be no trewe fayth but yf it be wryten in scrypture, I obiected agaynste hym the fayth of many good faythfull men / in whose dayes we can not [ B] preue that theyr fayth was wryten, & yet we dowte not but that they were good & faythfull: he sayth I can not proue that they had no scrypture. If he wyll saye (as he doeth) that they coude haue no good and sure fayth wythout scrypture / and wyll also confesse (as he doth) that they had good and sure fayth: he must hym selfe proue that they had scrypture / and not tell me that our lady shall haue a newe sone ere I proue that they had no scrypture. For it is inough for me, y^t our lady shall haue two new sonnes ere Tindale proue that some of those faythfull folke in the fyrst or seconde genera∣cyon, had any wrytynge at all / and that our lady shall haue fyue new sonnes, ere Tyndale proue y^t the faythfull people had before Moyses dayes and scrypture suche as Tyndale muste mene, but yf he go about to begyle vs wyth sophysty∣call [ C] equyuocacion. For our mater is not of scrypture, as it is taken for bare wrytynge, suche as euery scryueners boye wryteth in hys maysters shoppe / but as it sygnyfyeth suche holy wrytynge as god causeth to be wryten & byndeth folke to byleue, vppon the parell of theyr soule helth. And then I saye yet agayne that it is inough for me that our lady shall haue fyfcene new sonnys, ere Tyndale be able to proue me that some of those whom I alledge & he confesseth for fayth¦full folke, had any suche scrypture at all.

And Tyndale felynge full well that thys poynte pryk∣keth hym, shrynketh hyther and thyder thereat, and seketh many shyftes. And for all the shyftes that he fyndeth here, bycause they all satysfye not hym selfe: he is fayne a••ter∣warde

[ A] in hys answere to my dyaloge, to seke vp some new / & sayth that in Noes dayes when the flode came, there were no mo lefte that byleued ryght but those that were saued in the shyppe. In whyche place he iesteth vppon that vertuose connynge man Nicholas de lira, sayeng Lira delirat. But it is more easy for Tyndale to make a mokke vppon hys name / then to obtayne his vertue and lernyng. But what winneth Tyndale by that answere there? yf he sayed trewe / yet were he neuer the nere. For yf the hole worlde were at that tyme fallen from the fayth saue those few: yet were it for my pur¦pose suffycyent that the trewe fayth had fyrste from god to man, and so forth fro man to man, com•• by mouth without scrypture vnto those few / though all the remanaunt that hadde herde thereof hadde then bene fallen fro the bylyefe [ B] thereof, excepte onely those few / as all the knowen nacions of the worlde that hath herd of Crystes fayth and holy scry∣pture to, be now fallen from both twayne, saue onely these few that yet remayne. And of them, some fall from the fayth and from theffecte of scrypture by false interpretacyon / as they that fall fro the sacramentes, & that so constre the scry∣pture, that they wolde make yt saye that freres may wedde nonnes. Of both whych sortes yf there went so many away that the remanaunt whyche were lefte were as few as were takē into Noes shyppe: yet shold alway those few be the ve¦ry chyrch of god vppon erth bycause of the ryght bylyef, all though that of those few some were nought of lyuyng. And amonge them shold there myracles of god cōtynue, to shew the presence of god, and strength them in the fayth, & make [ C] his chyrche knowen / that such as are out, may fynde y^e way to yt to come in yf they wyll / as he ceaced not to walke wyth the Iewes by miracles all though ther were many nought, tyll he quyte forsoke them / whyche by his promyse he shall neuer do Crystes catholyque chyrche.