A dyaloge of syr Thomas More knyghte: one of the counsayll of oure souerayne lorde the kyng [and] chauncellour of hys duchy of Lancaster. Wherin be treated dyuers maters, as of the veneration [and] worshyp of ymages [and] relyques, prayng to sayntys, [and] goyng o[n] pylgrymage. Wyth many othere thyngys touching the pestylent sect of Luther and Tyndale, by the tone bygone in Sarony, and by tother laboryed to be brought in to Englond

¶The .xv. chapyter.

¶That pryncys be bounden to pu∣nyshe heretyques / & that fayre han∣delyng helpeth lytell wyth many of theym.

HAd surely as the prīcys be boū¦den y^t they shall not suffer theyr peple by infydelys to be inuaded / so be they as depely bounden that they shall not suffer theyre people to be seduced & corrupted by heretyques / syth y^e parell shall in short whyle growe to as grete bothe wyth mennys sowles wythdra∣wen from god / and theyr goodys lost / and theyr bodyes destroyed by comē se∣dycyon / insurreccion / and open warre / wythin the bowellys of theyre owne lande. All whyche maye in the begyn∣nyng be ryght ••asely auoyded / by pu∣nyshment of those few that be y^e fyrste. whyche few well repressed / or yf nede so requyre vtterly pulled vp / there shal fa•••••• the fewer haue lyste to folowe. For yf they were handled in a contra∣ry maner / & as ye semed to mene in the begynning of our mater / in s••ede of pu¦nyshmēt / ent••eted / fauored / & by fayre wordys and rewardys brought home agayns / I fere me then that ye sholde fynde ly••••ll f••••yte in that fas••yon. For fy•••••• where as they fall in to heresy•• by pryd••/that way wolde make them pro••••der / & set y^e more by thē selfe. And 〈◊〉〈◊〉 wold many mo fall therto / of pur∣po•••• 〈…〉〈…〉 agayn 〈◊〉〈◊〉. So y^t a•• māmoluk{is} & genysaryes about y^e tur••e a•••• sowdeyn haue vsed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 crystē theyr 〈…〉〈…〉

theyr fayth after / they myght be made mā molukes or genysaryes as theyr fa¦thers were / and may be had in y^e more estymacyō and fauour about the grete turke / euen lyke wyse wythin a whyle yf we take that way wyth heretyques we shall haue yong fresh felowes fyrst bycome heretyques / that they maye be prayed & hyred after to com to Crystys fayth agayne. I wolde not they were ouer hastely handled / but lytel rygour and myche mercy shewed where sym∣plenes appered and not hygh hart or malyce. For of suche as be prowde and malycyouse / myche profe hathe bene made all redy. For of some sorte many full fayre handled / lytell chaū∣ge theym self or come to good amende∣ment. I tolde you my selfe and very true yt was of twayne that were de∣tected of heresye vnto the moost hono∣rable prela••e of this realme / & in what benygne fatherly maner and lyberall also he delt wyth them. And yet what amendement made hys gentyll & cour∣teyse intretye / in theyre stoburne sto∣make? were they not after worse then they were byfore? and so vsed themself that after myche harme done by them / the came in shorte space after to theyr open cōuyccyon? They be ye wo••e wel at y^e fyrst custumably receyued to gra∣ce / & veryly that for such merytys / for∣gyuenes ys rewarde ynoughe. And yf they can not by that warnyng be war¦••ed / surely as saynt Powle saythe he ys not to be trusted oftē / but rather of all good crysten peple to be eschewed & auoyded from the flokke. For they be so f•••• waxē croked / that seld••me can they be ••yghted agayne.

¶Forsoth quod youre frende yet as I sayd at my fyrst 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to you / 〈◊〉〈◊〉 I worthy to be of counsayll wyth the clergye when there were a man foun∣den fawtye therin / whome the people haue in good estymacion for som grete opynyon of lernynge and vertue / they shold be secretely & soberly monysshed / and not the mater publyshed among y^e peple. And fynally yf they so shold ne∣dys be openly conuented and corrected in face of the world / th••n wold I not yet haue thē called Lutheranys / lest y^• peple whych had good opynyon of thē / or yf they happen to perceyue theym for nought and so take them / thā shall they peraduenture gyue the lesse cre∣dence to all good men / and set the lesse by all good precheours after.

¶Surely quod I certayne rule that were alway best / were hard to gyue in suche case. Somtyme there may perad¦uenture suche honestye be ioyned wyth such repentaunce / that yt wolde not be myche a mysse to preserue the mannys estymacion among the peple / to whom hys perfayts chaung, may per••as more than recompence hys for more erroure and ouersyght. But where as the con∣trary shall seme conuenyent / there can I not se•• why we sholde forbere to tall theym Lutheranys / syth yt is both an olde vsage to call heretyques after the name of hym whō they folow in theyr heresye / and also as Luthers sect ys in effecte the hole hepe of all heresyes ga∣thered together / yt ys nowe all one to call hym •• Lutherans or to call hym a•• heretyque / ••hose 〈◊〉〈◊〉 beyng in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 equyualent Luther techyng all must nothynge but heresyes / nor 〈…〉〈…〉

name of Lutheranys shold be custuma¦bly brought in mēnys erys as adyou••e as the name of heretyques. Nor I se not so grete fere that ryther folke shall for opynyon of eny mannys vertue in whom they se theym self deceyued / w^t∣drawe theyr fauoure and affeccyon frō such as are good in dede / or fall in to y^e fauour of Luthers secte for thestyma∣cyon of the mā whom they now se pre∣••ed nought. For thys wyll no man do but suche as eyther be so folyshe y^t they wolde hate all Crystys appostles for y^e falshede of Iudas / or so noughty that thy wold fayne haue all the world fall to the same sect & be of theyr own s••yt.