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

More. [ C]

If thys be a new byleued artycle / lette Tyndale tell whē thys bylyef beganne / & he shall fynde that yt hath ben thus byleued euen frō the tyme of her deceace. And now y^e thyng that almoste .xv.C. yere hath ben byleued / he calleth a ne•• artycle. But now how lyke is thys bylyef of this newe arty¦cle of .xv. hund••ed yere olde, vnto hys ensample of smoke & sore yies. For fyrste yf yt holpe hym not / yet at the leste yt hu••ted hym not as sm••ke doth sore yies. But syth it is trew and taught vnto the chyrche by the spyryt•• ••f god, whyche ledeth the chyrche int•• euery tro••th / and ••h•• ••hyrche grow•• into the consent and argument the••of by the same spiryte of•• concorde and agrement, whych maketh all the house of on•• my••de / and though the bylefe therof were very new: yet yt

[ A] helpeth hym and doth hym good to byleue yt / as yt helpeth hym and doth hym good yf he byleue other trouthes whych god hath reueled and shewed by wrytynge byfore / excepte Tyndale trust not god vppon his word, but yf he geue hym his wrytynge there vppon and his letters patentes vn∣der his great seale. For ellys why sholde yt not helpe hym as mych to byleue that our ladyes body and soule is in he∣uen, syth god hath taught his chyrche so to byleue / as yt helpeth hym to byleue that Enoch or Hely, is bodye & soule in paradyse, syth he maye do the tone that doth the tother. And he sayth the tone that sayth the tother / though he saye them not bothe in one maner, but the tone by wrytynge the tother by mouth. For the inwarde inspiracyon of hys spy∣ryte / is his mouth vnto his resonable creatures.

[ B] How be yt he sayth and speketh in dede the tone thynge and the tother, bothe of one fashyon. For yf he speke / he but inspyreth his worde in to some creature that speketh yt out. And as he speketh he wryteth. And therfore who so bet¦ter byleueth the word of god wryten, thē y^e worde of god vn¦wrytē / that is to wyt the scripture, then the inspyracyon: he byleueth better the creature that wrote it, then god hym self that inspyred yt.

If Tyndale wyll auoyde thys and say, nay / but I by∣leue better these men that wrote y^e tone of Enoch and Hely, then I beleue th••se men that tell me the tother of our lady: then muste Tyndale tell vs why he better byleueth those then these. wherin what hath he to saye, but that those that wrote it in the scrypture were inspyred of god and so he by∣leueth [ C] it, as the worde not of men but of god. Then answere we agayne / that they that tell me y^e tother of our lady, were inspyred of god / and therfore it helpeth hym to byleue it as the worde not of menne but of god. If he aske how shall he know that god inspyred the men that tell hym y^e tale of our lady: we must aske hym agayne, how knoweth he that god inspyred them that wrote the tale of Enoch or Hely. If he say that he knoweth it bycause it is holy scrypture: we then shall aske hym ferther how he knoweth that it is holy scryp∣ture. And then is he dreuen to the poynt, that when he hath all do••••/he muste be fayne to fle to the chyrche, and say that he know••••h •••• by the chyrche. And when he shall shewe you by whych•• chyrche he knoweth it: he muste nedys shew you some chyrch•• whyche hym self•• may knowe / for ellys how

sholde any suche chyrche tell it hym as hym selfe knoweth [ A] not? And when he sheweth you any knowen chyrche / he is dowble confounded. For bothe he destroyeth hys heresye y^t no chyrche sholde be byleued but electes / and also shall be dreuen to confesse, y^t he knoweth the scrypture by our chyr∣che / that is to wyt Crystes catholyke chyrche whych he refu¦seth. And then shall we ferther tell hym for hys thyrde confu¦syon, that by the same selfe chyrche doeth he knowe that god hath inspyred that other artycle of our lady. And yet for his fourth confusyon, we shall tell hym ferther, y^t the selfe same scrypture whyche hym selfe by the meane of the chyrches te∣chynge byleueth to be the worde of god, techeth hym also to byleue, that thys thynge whyche yt byleueth of our lady, is eyther good to byleue or at the lestewyse not euyll, nor lyke smoke to sore eyes / syth our sauyour hym selfe in the same [ B] scrypture sayth, that the spyryte of god shall teche them all trouth, and lede them into euery trouth and that for euer / syth hym selfe there promyseth that he wyll not leue them, but be wyth them for euer vnto the worldes ende.

And thus good crysten ••eaders ye se to what wourshyp∣full conclusyon, wyth a fourfolde confusyon. Tyndale hath brought hym selfe, wyth layenge thys artycle wherby he wolde mynysshe the wourshyppe of our most blessed lady.

But lykewyse as he speketh here of the assumpcyon of our lady / the bylefe wherof he wolde sholde seme to serue of nought: the same sayth he in dyuerse places of the bylefe of the perpetuall vyrgynyte of our lady / sayenge, that it is no∣thynge pertaynynge to the saluacyon of our soule. But I [ C] saye that the catholyke chyrche of Cryste byleueth, that the bylefe therof beynge (as it is, and from the begynnyng hath ben) taught by the holy goost / so perteyneth to the salua∣cion of our soules, that the contrary bylefe perteyneth to the dampnacyon of our soules yf heresye be dampnable. And that thys is no new artycle, well appereth by that that the olde holy doctour saynt Hierome so ferforth rekened it for heresye, that he wrote an hole boke agaynste the olde he∣retyke Heluidius for y^e confutacyon of y^e heresye. In which vertuouse boke saynt Hierom neyther proueth nor goeth aboute to proue her perpetuall vyrgi••yte by s••rypture / but onely proueth that the places of scrypt••re whyche ••••••••••∣dius brought forth for the contrary, were not effectu•••••• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 proue hys malycyouse purpose, agaynste the comen r••••••••∣ued

[ A] fayth of Crystes catholyke chyrche. Agaynste whyche we may be very sure that y^e scrypture neuer speketh in dede / how apparent so euer an heretyke make it seme.

For lykewyse as though a sophyster wolde wyth a fonde argument, proue vnto a symple soule that two egges were thre / bycause that there is one, and there be twayne, and one and twayne make thre: that symple vnlerned man, though he lakke lernynge to soyle his fonde argumēt / hath yet wyt inough to laugh thereat, and to ete the two egges hym self, and byd the sophyster take and ete the thyrde. So is euery faythfull man as sure in the syghte of hys soule, how appa∣rently so euer an heretyke argue by scrypture to y^e contrary, that the comen fayth of Crystes catholyke chyrche is out of questyon trewe / and that the scripture vnderstanden ryght, [ B] is neuer therto contrary / syth he woteth well bothe by hys fayth and by the scrypture, that the chyrche is taught hys fayth by god and hys holy spyryte / accordynge to Crystes promyse that can neuer be false / and woteth well also that god neuer techeth agaynste the trouth, nor wryteth agaynst hys worde, but that the contraryete that semeth, arryseth of heretykes malycyouse soteltye, or as holy saynte Austayne sayth, for lakke of well vnderstandyng. whych mysse vnder stādynge may sone mysse lede y^• man whych lyst to leue the fayth of Crystes catholyque chyrche, and lene to the doc∣tryne of a false heretyque or to the lykynge his owne wyt.

But for bycause Tyndale wyll when we haue all sayed, stykke styll at one poynt / and aske vs what shall profyte his soule to byleue that our ladye is in heuen bodye and soule [ C] (of whyche he playnely ••yleueth the contrary, bothe for her bodye and her soule / for he byleueth wyth Luther, that all soules slepe, and slepe shall tyll the daye of dome) and wyll aske vs also what profyteth hym to byleue that our la∣dye was a perpetuall virgyne and neuer hadde chylde but Cryste / syth none of those both articles is proued by playne scrypture / and we myght be saued well inough though our ladyes body cam not in heuē tyll domes day / & also though she hadde mo sonnes then one and mo husbādes to: I wyll aske hym then agayne, what profyteth hym to byleue that our sauyour hym selfe dyed a virgyne, and neuer had wyfe nor chylde / syth that artycle is not proued by very playne scripture neyther: & he myght by his passiō haue wrought our redēpcion, all though he had wedded & goten chyldrē to

And in good fayth I wene we shall se those folke fall so [ A] frantyque ones / that they shall not let at laste, to say he dyd so to / and bydde vs go proue the contrarye by scrypture, or ellys they be at theyr angelycall lybertye to byleue whyche waye they lyste. But now come we to Tyndales other exam¦ple that he putteth of purgatorye.