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

[ C] More.

Lo here is hys fyrste argumēt that he setteth forth in the fore fronte of the feld, as a specyall stronge bande. whyche argument who so w••ll aduy••e and consyder: yf hym selfe haue wyt, shall playnely saye that it commeth out of a mad mann••s mouth.

For by thys ••••afon tyll the gospellys were wryten, euery man myght•• haue refused all the doctryne of Cryst in euery poy••t that was not wrytē in y^e scrypture before his day, nor drawen out therof by a lytell streyghter lyne then Luther draweth his. And when Cryste taught them the counsayle of virgi••••t•• and ••any other holes•••••• thynges aboue the perfeccyon of theyr olde lawe: they myght haue sayd; shew me t••ys in wrytyng. And then yf he had answered that hym

selfe beynge suche as he was, and for suche testyfyed by wry∣tyng, [ A] and by the worde of hys father, and by hys owne won¦derouse workes, owed to be byleued of them in euery thyng vppon payne of the losse of theyr soules: they myghte haue sayed agayn as Tyndale sayth now / yf we be boūden vppō the payne of losse of our soules to beleue any thynge that is not wryten nor dependeth of that whyche is wryten, what holpe vs the scrypture that is wryten? Thys tale of Tyn∣dales myghte they haue tolde vnto Cryst hym self, agaynst the sacrament of baptysme & the sacrament of the awter to.

* 1.1Now when saynt Poule in his pystle to the Corynthyes sayed, I wyll order the remanaunt when I come my selfe: they sholde by Tyndales reason haue sent hym hys pystle agayne and saye / If we shall be bounden to do any thynge vnwryten, what auayleth vs all that euer thou wrytest? [ B]

But there nedeth no places of scrypture to thys blasphe¦mouse foly of Tindale spoken agaynst y^e scripture / bycause god hath taught & left some parte of hys pleasure wythout scrypture. For yf a man wryte certayne rules to hys hows∣holde seruaūtes, and yet gyue them certayne besyde by his owne mouth, such as peraduenture shold nede no warnyng in wrytynge, bycause the cōtynuall vse and excer••yse of thē coude not suffer them to b•• forgotten (in whych kynde of cō¦maundementes be the blessed sacramentes so dayly vsed in Crystes chyrch, that forgoten they can not be, nor lefte they shall not be for all the besynesse that these heretykes the de∣uyls doctours can make) yf thys lordes seruauntes were so wyse to lerne thys lesson of Tyndale and saye, naye syr and ye leue these thynges vnwryten then a strawe for all that ye [ C] haue wryten: myghte not the mayster saye that hys menne were a sorte of malaperte folysshe knauys. And thys is as ye se Tyndales fyrst reason, wherwyth he full properly pro¦ueth vs that the apostles wrote al•• togyther that euer we sholde be bounden to byleue. whyche reason ye se your selfe is not worth one ••ysshe / but r••••her a playne ••nreasonable blasphemy, folysshely spoken agaynst the ••criptu•••• of god / whych he sayth serueth for nought yf god byn•••• vs to by∣leue any worde of hys bysy••e.

Now let vs procede to the seconde / why•••• is I promyse you very seconde, fo•• any frute that ye shall fyn•••• therin. These are hys worde••.

Notes

• * 1.1

  1. Corinth. 11.