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

More.

Lette Tyndale brynge forth one story that sayeth as he sayth, and then ••ette hym tell vs the tale agayne. I make my selfe very sure, that he shall fynde no story that shall say that the generall counsayles in theyr cōclusyons, regarded no miracles but onely scrypture. For he shall fynd in the sto¦ryes [ B] that the good holy fathers that were in dyuerse of the generall counsayles (of whom there be many that all Cristē people honour and worshyppe for sayntes) had many thyn¦ges to moue them to determyne and conclude agaynste he∣retykes / of whych thynges the scrypture was one and was not all.

For when the Arrianes and y^e catholykes were in debate vppon the vnderstandynge of the scryptures (as the catho∣lyques be wyth these heretykes now) the catholyques dyd not onely se then y^t the heretykes wrested & mysse cōstrewed the scrypture (as we se that these heretyques myche more mysse wreste yt now) but they saw also that y^e comē fayth of the catholyke chyrche, was receyued & byleued byfore that heresye bygon / and beynge very sure by the promise of god, [ C] that yf that fayth hadde ben false the spirite that god sent vn¦to his chyrch, wold neuer haue sufferd the catholike chyrch, the corps of Crysten people, the mystycall bodye of Cryste, of fall into that bylyefe / they were thereby wyth that fayt•• wryten by the fynger of god in theyr crystē hartes, very sure that the Arrianes were heretyques / and so sholde they haue ben though neuer word of scrypture hadde ben wryten / and sholde haue concluded agaynste the Arrianes in lyke wyse as they dyd.

They saw also that god dyd miracles in hys catholyque chyrche, and sufferd none amonge the Arrianes / sauynge in the takynge of vengeaunce vppon them to theyr payne and shame, as when Arri••s guttes fell out of his bely into the draught / (as we dayly se that he doth, and euer shall se

that he shall do in hys catholyke chyrche / and suffreth none [ A] to be done amonge all the scoulkes of heretykes, nor neuer shall suffer tyll the dome nere approche, but onely in dete∣ctynge theyr wykkednesse and bryngynge them to the fyre / as our lady by miracle brought Berquyne of late at Parise) thys thynge vndowtedly not a lytle confermed the fayth, & made the chyrche boldely conclude agaynste the Arrians. And this thynges appereth well in storyes very old and au¦tentyque. And Tyndale shall I am sure neuer brynge vs forth his stories, saynge that the generall coūsayles hadde no regarde to miracles. And yf he wyll saye that the storyes tell that there was none open miracles done at the generall counsayles. yet I wene shall he fynde none such storyes ney¦ther. And yf he wyll say y^t the storyes do not tell of any open [ B] miracles done at the generall coōsayles / thē shall he tell vs a tale to lytle purpo••e. For surely so many as were shewed bysyde, yt was a thynge that neded not. But then goeth he farther and sayth.