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

More.

Here goth Tyndale aboute to iugle / but his gallys be to

greate. I layed those wordes for none other cause, but to [ A] proue that y^e apostle byfore his wrytynge taught them that great mystery by mouth / and shewed them the manner hym selfe byfore his pystle writē / which he wold not haue wryten vnto them at all, yf he myght then cōueniently haue ben pre¦sent wyth them. And now where I sayed that yt was well ly¦kely, that of saynt Poule by his present tradycyon was re∣ceyued holy gestures as the chyrche vseth in the consecra∣cyon: he answereth me that there is no suche thynge there spoken in the pystle. whyche I sayed not there was / but I saye that he fyndeth no worde in the pyst••e that proueth that saynt Poule therin wrote euery thyng y^t he presently spake or dyd. But yt appereth well y^t saynt Poule speketh of that thynge in that chapyter, not to put in wrytynge all thynge that he hadde byfore tolde them by mouth / but onely to put [ B] them in remembraunce that the thyng whyche they there re¦ceyued in the forme of brede, though yt were called brede, was yet in dede the very blessed bodye of Cryste. And for the more clere profe therof: he put them in remembraūce / that as he hadde byfore shewed them, our sauyour hym self told hym so. And this he remēbred them of by wrytyng, to make them vse them self there after the more reuerētly. For lakke wherof he wryteth to them, that sykenesse and deth by y^e ven¦geaunce of god fell amonge them / bycause they dyd not vse suche reuerence & honour as they sholde do to the precyouse body and blessed blood of Cryste. And in that chapiter saynt Poule speketh but of certayne vnreuerent poyntes in spe∣cyall / and concludeth sayeng, caetera autem quum venero disponam/the remanaunt or all the other thynges, I wyll my self or¦der [ C] at my commyng. Here may we se what so euer Tyndale saye, that saynte Poule bysyde thys that he wrote of the sacrament, gaue the people other tradycyons thereof by mouth (as I sayde in my dialoge) p••cteynynge to the reue∣rence and honour therof, and Tyndale sayeth here the con∣trarye. But now let the boke be iudge / and by that chapiter iudge also the false fayth of Tyndale, that sayth yt is synne to do any honour to yt.

And where Tyndale sayth that saynt Poule neuer know thys worde masse, I byleue that well inough / for I neuer herd that he spake any word of englyshe. But that he knew not the thynge that englyshe men call the masse / Tyndale hath not proued yet, nor wyll not do this weke. For he must

[ A] proue yt better then by that saynte Poule spake of goddes supper. For we call the howselynge of the people goddes borde and Crystes table / and yet we know the masse to for all that besyde. And y^e apostles them selfe I dowte not sayd masse many a tyme & oft before any gospell wrytē. And holy saynte Chrysostheme sayeth that the apostles in the masse prayed for all crysten soules.

where as I sayd that of y^e apostles tradicyon was lerned y^e maner of cōsecracyon: y^• answereth Tyndale in this wise.