my bryngynge in the selfe same sample he maketh that argument for me And therfore now whaÌ„ vppon those facys in the glasse he maketh and faceth hym selfe that lye vppon me and than scoffeth that I face out the trouth with lyes and thaÌ„ proueth neuer one he doth but shew what prety wordes he coulde speke and how properly he coulde scoffe yf the mater wolde serue hym ¶ And yet I pray you good readers consyder well the wordes of that argumeÌ„t that he maketh in myne name we se many faces in many glasses therfore may one body be in many places Now spake not I you wote well of many faces sene in many glassys as he bothe falsely folysshely reherseth me but of one face sene at onys in many glassys For that is lyke to the mater For like as all those glasses whyle onely one man loketh in them he seeth but hys owne one face in all those places so be as saynt Chrysostom declareth all the hostes of the blessed sacrameÌ„t beynge in so farre dystaunt seuerall places a sondre all one very body of our blessed sauyour hym selfe and all one hoste one sacryfyce and one oblacyon ¶ And as properly as mayster mas ker scoffeth at that sample and symy sytude of the glasse I wolde not haue mysse lyked myne owne wytte therin yf thinuencyoÌ„ therof had ben myne owne For I fynde not many samples so mete for the mater to the capacite of good and vnlerned folke as it is For as for the poynt of which mayster Masker maketh all the dyf ficultye that one substaunce beynge but a creature myghte be in many places at onys euery man that is lerned seeth a sample that satisfyeth hym shortely For he seeth and perceyueth by good reasoÌ„ that the soule is vndiuisyble and is in euery parte of the body and in euery parte it is whole And yet is euery member a seuerall place And so is the blessed substaunce of the spyrytuall body of Chrystes flesshe his bonys whole in euery parte of the sacrament ¶ But thys sample of the soule can not euery man vnserned coÌ„ceyue and imagyne ryghte but of the glasse bath for his capacite a more me tely symisitude that y t in one poynt also doth more resemble the mater For the soule forsaketh euery member y t is clene deuided from the body But the blessed body of our sauyour abydeth styll whole in euery parte of the blessed sacrament though it be broken into neuer so many places as the image and forme of the face avydeth whole styll to hym that byholdeth it in euery parte of the broken glasse And thus good readers as for thys sample and symylytude of the face in the glasse mayster Masker maye for his folyshe facynge yt out be myche ashamed yf he haue any shame whan so euer he loketh on his owne face in the glasse ¶ And for conclusyon thys beynge of the body of Chryste in dyuers pla ces at ones syth the olde holy doctours and sayntes sawe and perceyued that the soule of euery man why che is a very substaunce and peraduenture yet of lesse spirituall power than the flesshe and bones of our sauyour Chryste be now and yet very flesshe for all that and very bonys also styll they rekened not that the beynge therof in dyuers places at ones wolde after theyr dayes begyn to be taken for so straunge and harde a thynge as these heretykes make yt nowe And therfore they made nothyng so great a mater of that poynt but the thynge that they thought men wolde moste meruayse of was the conuersyon and turnyng of the brede and the wyne into Chrystes very flesshe and bloud And therfore to make that poynte well open and to make it synke into mennys brestes those olde holy doctours and sayntes as I sayde in these wordes whyche maister maskar mocketh vsed many mo good samples of thynges done by nature ¶ But than were they no myracles sayth mayster Masker And what than good master Masker Myghte they not'serue to proue y t god myght do as mych by myracle as nature by her comen course Those wordes so were by maister masker you se wel very well and wysely put in The. xxiii chapyter 〈◊〉 this towarde the perceyuyng and bylyefe of that point of conuersyon of the brede and the wyne into the very flesshe and bloud of Christe I sayd that those holy doctours and sayntes vsed ensamples of other myracles done by god and wryten in holy scrypture ¶ Now at thys word mayster masker asketh me Ende versus where one I 〈◊〉 your you haue herd all redy good readers in the. xv chapyter of the fyrste boke the wordes of that holy doctour saynt Cyryll in whyche for the credence of that poynt that is to wytte the chaungynge of the brede and the wyne into Chrystes flesshe and hys bloud he bryngeth the myracles that god wrought in the olde lawe as the chauÌ„gyng of the water into bloude and the chaungyng of Moses rodde into a serpent and dyuers other chauÌ„ ges and myghty myracles mo ¶ Yow haue herde also before how saynt Chrysostome agaynste them y e wolde dowte how Chryste coulde geue them hys flesshe to eate layeth forth the myracle of the multiplyeng of fyue louys so sodaynly to xii basketes full more than the fuffycyent fedynge of fyue thousand folke ¶ Here be lo some verses yet mayster Masker mo than one miracle perdye that those holy doctours and sayntes haue vsed in this mater of the blessed sacrament And yet suche other mo shall I brynge you at another leysour ere I haue done wyth your second course that it shall greue you to se them And surely where properly you scoffe at me wyth my many facys in one hode I haue here in thys fyrste parte all redy brought you for the trew sayth of the catholyke chyrche agaynste your false heresye wherwith you wolde face our sauyout out of y e blessed sacrament I haue brought agaynst you to your face saint 〈◊〉 and Theophilactê° saynt Austayne and saynt Hylary saynt Hyreneus saynt Cyryll and saynte Chrysostome so many suche good facys into this one hode that al the shamefullyes y t your shamelesse face can make shall neuer agaynste these facys be able to face out the trouth And thus ende I good readers my fourth boke Here endeth the fourth booke The fyfth booke and the laste of the fyrste parte The fyrste chapyter Now come I good chrysten readers to the last poynte that I spake of the two contradyccyons of myn owne that mayster Masker hath hyghly layed vnto my charge whose wordes I shall good reders fyrst reherse you whole to these they be god saue them At laste note chrysten reader that mayster More in the thyrde boke of hys confutacyon of Tyndale the 249. syde to proue saynt 〈◊〉 gospell vnperfyte in suffycyent for leuyng out of so necessary a poynt of our fayth as he calleth the last souper of Chryste hys maundye sayth that Iohn spake
theym not but laugh and lette theym bable pryde maketh theym procede and they procure mo and sprede the bokes more abrode and drawe mo bretherne to theym ¶ There ys no small nomber of suche erronyouse englyshe bookes prented of whyche yf fewe were boughte there wolde not of lykelyhed so many be putte in prente sauynge that some brethern there are in this realme that of theyr zele to theyr sectes beyng of such substaūce that they maye forbere yt geue some money therto before hande content to abyde thaduenture of the sale or geue the bokes aboute for nought to brynge men to the deuyl ¶ And in this wise is there sent oute to be prented the boke y t Fryth made laste agaynste the blessed sacrament answerynge to my letter wherwyth I confuted the pestylēt treatyce that he hadde made agaynste yt byfore And the bretherne loked for yt nowe at thys bartlemew tyde laste passed and yet loke euery daye except yt be come all redye and secretely runne amonge theym ¶ But in the meane whyle there is come ouer a nother boke aguynst the blessed sacrament a boke of that sort that Frythes boke the bretherne may nowe forbere For more blasphemouse and more bedelem rype than this boke is were that boke harde to be which is yet madde inough as me say that haue sene yt ¶ This boke is intytled The souper of our lord But I beshre w suche a she wer as so serueth in the souper that he conuayth awaye the best dyshe and bryngeth yt not to the borde as this man wold yf he could conuey fro the blessed sacrament Cri stes owne blessed fleshe and bloode and leue vs nothynge therin but for a memoryall onely bare brede and wyne ¶ But his handes are to lumpyshe and this messe also to great for hym to cōuey clene specyally syth y e dishe is so dere and so dayntye that euery chrystē man hath his hart bent therto and therfore his yie set theron to 〈◊〉 where yt bycometh ¶ The man hath not set his name vnto his boke nor whose yt is I can not surely say But some reken yt to be made by Wyllyam Tyndale for that in a pystle of his vnto Fryth he wryteth that in any thynge that he cando ' he wolde not fayle to helpe hym forthe ¶ Nowe be yt some of the brethern reporte that the booke was made by George Jay And of trouth Tyndale wrote vnto Frith that George Jay hadde made a boke agaynste the sacrament whych was as yet partly by his meanes partely for lacke of money reteyned and kepte fro the prent Nowe be yt what George Joy wolde do therin afterward whā hys money were come that coulde he not he sayth assure hym ¶ Nowe of trouthe George Joye hath longe hadde in hande and redy lyenge by hym his boke agaynst the sacrament And nowe yf this be yt he hathe somwhat enlengthed yt of late by a pyece that he hath patched in agaynst me wherin he wolde seme to soyle myne argumentes whyche in my letter I made in that mater agaynste the deuely she treatyce of Fryth ¶ And in very dede dyuerse that are lerned and haue redde the booke reken yt veryly to be the booke of George Jaye whereof Tyndale wrote vnto Fryth specyally by certayn wordes that were in that letter For therin wryteth Tyndale that yf George Jay dyd put forth his boke there shold be founden in it many rea sons very few to the purpose ¶ Nowe be yt me thynketh by that marke that this boke sholde not be that For in this boke be there very fewe reasons and of them all neuer one to the purpose ¶ The maker of the boke in y e ende of his boke for one cause why he put teth not his name therto wryteth in thys wyse Mayster mocke whom the veryte moost offendeth and doth but mocke it out whan he can not soyle it he koweth me well inough ¶ Thys sadde and sage ernest mā that mockyng at myne name calleth me mayster Mocke dothe in these wyse wordes nothynge but mocke the readers of his boke saue that his reason is so rude and folysh that the mocke returneth to hym selfe ¶ For syth he wryteth not his booke to me nor sendeth me none of theym but the bretherne kepe theym fro me as closely as they cā what if I wyst neuer so wel who he were that wrote yt what were this to the bretherne that reade yt know they therby who yt is to ¶ Now for my selfe also though I knowe Tyndale by name George Jay or George Joy by name also and twenty such other fond felowes of the same secte mo yet yf tenne of those wolde make tenne suche folysh treatyses and sette they re names to none coulde I know therby whych of those madde foles made whyche folyshe boke ¶ Dyuerse there are in dede of those that are lerned and haue redde the boke that thynke for the lacke of lernynge and of wytte also that they fynde euery where therin the booke sholde neyther be made by Tyndale nor by George Jay neyther but rather by some yonge vnlerned fole ¶ Nowe be it as for me I thynke the boke myghte be for all that made by Tyndale or by George Jaye eyther For the mater beynge dyuysed agaynst the blessed sacramēt the wy sest or the moste fole the moste lerned or the leste is all in maner one and in that mater maketh lytle dyfference For I neuer founde yet any man so wel lerned and so naturally well wytted wythall but after that he fell ones to y e defense of heresies specyally of this abomynable here sye agaynst the blessed sacramēt ney ther lernyng nor wyt neuer wel ser ued hymafter For as for Tyndale the captayne of our Englyshe heretyques who byfore he felto these fransyes mē had went had had some wyt and was taken for full pretyly lerned to ye se good chrysten readers playnly tryed by his bokes that an vnlettered man myghte be ashamed to write so vnler nedly and a madde man wolde all most wax rede for shame to wryte in some thynges so frantykely ¶ As touchynge frere Barons and George Jay the bretherne systern them selfe se theyr wyttes so wasted and theyr lernyng waxen so slender that the bretherhed hath lytle lyste to reade them ¶ And some of the bre therne that say this new worke was made by George Jay thynke that the cause why he sette not his name therto was bycause he wyst well the brethern dyd not regarde hym And Tyndale had in his letter also decla red him for a fole by reasō wherof he thought y t if yt came vnder his name the stimacyon therof were but loste ¶ Fryth was lo a proper yonge man and a towarde tyll he fell vnto these folyes After whyche to what dekay both his wyt and his lernynge came euery wyse man myche meruayled that in his open examenacyon herd and consydered his answeres ¶ For all be
harte so sure but that with hys good hope he shall all waye couple some feare as a brydyll abytte to refrayne and pull hym backe leste he fall to myschyefe and folow Iudas in falshed waxe a deuyll as Cryst called hym Whyche name our sauyour gaue him not without good cause For y t deuyllys seruaūt sayth saynt Cyril is a deuyll to For lyke wyse as he y t is by godly vertues ioyned vnto god is one spyryt wyth god so he that is with deuylysshe vyces ioyned wyth the deuyll is one spyryte wyth hym ¶ And therfore good readers he y t in suche plyght receyueth the blessed sacrament wythout purpose of amen dement or wythout the fayth and by lyefe that the very flesshe bloude of Chryste is in it he receyueth as saynt Austayne sayth notwythstandyng his noughtynesse y e very fleshe and bloude of Cryst the very pryce of our redempciō But he receyueth them to hys harme as Iudas dyd eateth and drynketh hys owne iugement dampnacyon as sayth saynt Poule bycause he discerneth not our lordes body But who so doth on the tother syde whych I besech god we may all do caste out the deuyll hys wurkes by the sacrament of penaūce and than in the memory all remembraūce of Chrystes passyon receyue that blessed sacrament wyth tre we fayth and deuocyon wyth all honour and wurshyppe as to the reuerence of Crystes blessed person present in it apperteyneth they that so receyue the blessed sacrament verily receyue and eate the blessed body of Cryst that not onely sacramētally but also effectually not onely the fygure but the thynge also not onely his blessed fleshe in to theyr bodyes but also his holy spyryte into theyr soules by par tycypacyon wherof he is incorporate in them they in hym be made lyuely membres of his mysticall body the congregaciō of all sayntes of which theyr soules shall yf they perseuer attayne y e fruit fruicyō clene pure onys purged after thys transytory lyfe and theyr flesh also shall Cryst resuscytate vnto the same glory as hym selfe hath promysed Of whych hys gracyous promyse hys hyghe grace and goodnesse so vouche saue to make vs all perteners thorow the merytes of hys bytter passyō Amē ¶ And thus ende I good readers my fyrst boke conteynyng thexposycyon of those wordes in the syxte cha pyter of saynte Iohn̄ wherby you may bothe perceyue by these myndes of holy sayntes whose wordes I bryng forth the trewth of our fayth concernynge the blessed body bloud of Chryst veryly eaten in the blessed sacrament and may also perceyue and controlle the wyly false folyshe exposycyon of mayster Masker to the contrary suche as haue hys boke and they be not a fewe And yet that all men may se that I neyther blame hym for nought nor bylye hym I shall in my secunde boke she we yous as I promysed some part of hys fawte both in falshed and in foly his own wordes therwyth Here endethe the fyrste boke The secunde boke The. i. chapyter I haue good reders ī my fyrst boke here before perused you thexposicyon of all that part of y e syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ which mayster Masker hath expowned you before And in the begynnyng of thys exposicyō I haue not brought you forth the worde of any of the olde expositours bycause y t as I suppose myne 〈◊〉 wyll not mych 〈◊〉 tende wyth me for so farre But afterwarde concernyng those wordes in which our sauyour expressely speketh of the geuyng of his very flesh bloud to be veryly eaten drōken there haue I brought you forth such authorytees of olde holy doctours sayntes y t ye may well se bothe that I fayne you not the mater but expowne it you ryght also ye se therby clerely that mayster Masker expowneth it wrong For though a man may dyuersly expoune one texte and bothe well yet whan one expowneth it in one trewe maner of a false purpose to exclude another trouth that is in that wrytynge by the spyryte of god 〈◊〉 and immedyately ment his exposvcyon is false all though euery worde were trewe as mayster Mas kers is not ¶ And therfore syth you se myne ex posycion proued you by excellēt holy men and by theyr playne wordes ye perceyue that the wordes of our sauyour hym self do proue agaynst all these 〈◊〉 the catholyke fayth of Crystes catholyke chyrche very faythfull and tre we concernyng the very flesshe of Cryste veryly eaten in the blessed sacrament of whyche eatynge mayster Masker wold with his exposycyon make men so madde as to wene y t Cryst spake nothynge at all now I say by thys exposycyō of myne ye se his exposycyō auoyded clerely for nought and all the mater clere vpon our parte though no man wrote one worde more ¶ And yet wyll I for all that for y t ferther declaracyon of mayster Mas kers handelynge she we you some peices of thexposycyō in specyall by whych ye maye clerely se what credence may be geuē to the man eyther for honesty or lernynge vertue 〈◊〉 or trouth The. ii chapyter IN the begynnynge of the second lefe of hys boke these are mayster Maskers wordes ¶ Consyder what thys meate is whyche he bad thē here prepare and seke fore sayenge worke take paynes and seke for that meate c. and thou 〈◊〉 se it no nother meate than the bylyefe in chryst Wherfore he concludeth that thys meate so often mencyoned is fayth Of the whyche meat sayth the prophete the iufte lyueth Fayth in hym is therfore the meate whiche chryst prepareth and dresseth so purely powderynge and spycyng it wyth spyrytual allegoryes in all thys chapyter folowynge to geue vs euerlasiynge lyfe thorow it ¶ I wyll not laye these wordes to hys charge as heresye but I wylbe bolde by hys lycence to note in them a lytle lacke of wytte and some good store of foly For though a man may well and wyth good reasō call fayth a meate of mannys soule yet is it great foly to saye that the meate that Chryst speketh of here ys as mayster Masker sayth it is none other meate but fayth ¶ For mayster Masker maye playnely se and is not I suppose so poore blynde but that he seeth well in dede that the meate whych Cryst speketh of here is our sauyour Cryste hym selfe Whyche thynge he so playnely speketh that no man can mysse to per ceyue it whan he saith I am my self the brede of lyfe And whan he sayth I am the lyuely brede that am descen ded frō heuyn he that eateth of this brede shall lyue for euer And whā he sayth also That y e meat shold be hys owne fleshe whyche promyse he performed after at his maundye whych thynge he tolde them playne in these wordes And the brede which I shall geue you is my flesshe And he that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude hath euerlastyng lyfe and I shall
he reherseth as hym selfe maketh theym new These were good readÌ„er my worde And ouer this the very cyrcuÌ„stauÌ„ces of the places in the gospell in whych our sauiour speketh of that sacrameÌ„t may wel make open the dyfference of his spech in this mater of all those other that as he spake all those but iÌ„ an allegory so spake he this plainly menyng y t he spake of his very body his very bloud beside al 〈◊〉 For neyther whan our lorde sayde he was a very vyne nor whan he sayde he was the dore there was none that herde hym that any thynge meruayled therof And why for bycause they perceyued well that he ment not that he was a materyall vyne in dede nor a materyall dore neyther But whan he sayd that his flesh was very mete and his blood was very drynke and that they shold not haue lyfe in them but yf they dyd eate his flesshe and drynke his blood than were they all moste all in suche a wonder therof that they could not abyde And wher fore but bycause they preceyued wel by his wordes and his maner of cyrcumstaunces vsed in the spekynge of them that Chryste spake of his very flesshe and his very blood in ded For ellys the straungenesse of the wordes wold haue made them to haue taken it as well for an allegorye as eyther his wordes of the vyne or of the dore And than wolde they haue no more merueyled at the tone than they dyd at the tother But now where as at the vyne and the dore they merueyled nothynge yet at the eatynge of his flesshe and drynkynge of his blood they so sore merueyled and were so sore moued and thought the mater so harde the wonder so great that they asked how coulde that be and went almoste all theyr waye wherby we maye well se that he spake these wordes in suche wyse as the herers perceyued that he ment it not in a parable nor an allegorye but spake of hys very flesshe and hys very bloude in dede ¶ Lo good readers here I speke of Chrystes very flesshe and his very bloud as the trouth is in dede But here I saye not as mayster masker sayth I saye that Christ ment of his flesshe and his bloude in suche wyse as the Iewes thought that forsoke hym therfore whych thought as you haue herde that they sholde eate hys flleshe in the selfe fleshely forme and also pyecemele in lothly dede go bettes without eyther lyfe or spiryt ¶ And nowe that you haue sene hys trouth in rehersynge you shal se a shewof his sharpe sotle wit in the soy lynge wherin fyrst after his iuglyng fashyon to carye y e reder wyth wonderynge fro markynge well the mater thus he begynneth wyth a great grauyte geuynge all the worde war nynge to be ware of me To chrysten reader here haste thou not a taste but a great tunne full of Moris myschyefe and pernycyouse peruertynge of goddes holy worde And as thou seest hym here falsely and 〈◊〉 destroye the pure sense of goddes worde so doth he in all other places of hys bokes ¶ To good readers now haue you a great hygh tragycall warnynge with not a litle taste but a great tuÌ„ne full at onys of my myscheuouse pernycyouse false pestylent peruertynge and destroyeng of y e pure sense of goddes holy wordes in this one place whych he wyll shall staÌ„de for a playnte prose that I do the same in all other places ¶ Now good readers alde it that yt myght mysse happe me by ouersyght to mysse handle this one place and yet iÌ„ some other to write wel ynough yet am I content to take the condÌ„ycy on at mayster Maskers hand that if myne hadelyng of this one place be such an heyghnouse handlyng as ma heth it suche a pernycyouse pestilent not onely ê‘uersyon but also destruccyon of the pure sense of goddes holy worde neuer make examynacyon of any other worde of myne farther For I than forthwyth confesse euen here that I haue in al other places wryten wronge euery whyt But now on the tother syde though you shold happe to fynde that in this place I haue somwhat ouer sene my selfe in mysse takynge of some one worde for an other without thecfecte of the mater chaunged than wyll I requyre you to take my fawte for no greater than it is in dede nor mysse truste all my wrytynge for that one worde in this one place mysse taken without thempayrynge of the mater For suche a maner mysse takynge of a worde is not the dystroyeng of the pure sense of goddes holy worde And therfore if you fynde my fawte good readers no ferther than suche ye wyll I dowte not of your equyte bud mayster Masker leue his iniquite and chaunge his hygh tragicall ter mes and turne his great tunne full of pernyciouse pestilent false peruer tynge poysen into a lytell taste of holesome inough though some what smale and rough rochell wyne And therfore lette vs nowe se wherin he layeth this greate hygh hepe of myscheuouse peruertynge To thus good readers he sayth Fyrste where More sayth they merneyled at Chry stes sayenge my of is very meate 〈◊〉 that is not so Neyther is there any suche worde in the texte excepte More wyll exponne murmurabant id est mitabantur They murmured that is to saye they meruayled as he expowneth oportet id est expedit et conuenit he must dye or it behoueth hym to dye that is to saye it was expedient and of good congru ence that he sholde dye c. This poete maye make a man to sygnifye an asse and blacke whyte to blete the symple eyes ¶ Now good readers I wote well that you consider that the cause wher fore I spake of the meruaylyng that they had whych herde Chryst speke of the eatynge of his flesshe was by cause that none of those that herde hym at other tymes call hym selfe a vyne or a dore meruayled any thyng therat so that by the great difference of the behauour of y e herers it might well appere that there was greate dyfference in the spekynge and that the tother two were well perceyued to be spoken onely by waye of allegorye and the thyrde to be spoken of his very flesshe in dede where as Fryth helde opinion y t thys was none otherwyse spoken but onely by way of an allegorye as the tother twayne were ¶ Now good readers yf you reade my wordes agayne in euery place of them where I write they meruey led it wolde lyke you to put out that worde they merueysed and set in this worde they murmured in the stede therof ye shall frnde no chaunge made in the mater by that chaunge made in the wordes But you shal se myne argument shal stand as strong with that worde They murmured as with this worde they merueyled For whan at the herynge of Chryste wordes spekynge of the eatynge of his flesshe the euangelyste sheweth that many of the herers
do but answere the thynges that Fryth layed forthe agaynst the catholyque fayth the selfe same kynde of arguynge I saye mayster Maskar vseth hym selfe and so dothe yonge father Fryth hys felow in folye to ¶ But than agayne whan they argue thus These places maye be so vnderstanden by an allegorye onely as those other places be ergo they be to be so vnderstāden in dede I haue proued alredy that his entēt is false and that they maye not be vnderstanden in an allegory onely as the tother be but the playne and open diffe rence betwene the places appere vp pon the cyrcumstaunces of the texte This haue I proued agaynst Frith alredye and that in suche wyse as your selfe hath sene here that mayster Maskar can not auoyde yt but in goynge about to defende Frythes foly hathe wyth his two solucyons of myne one argument ofter than twyse ouer throwen him self made myne argument more than twyse so stronge ¶ But yet good readers bycause I say that those wordes of Crist The brede y t I shal geue you is my flesh which I shal geue for the lyfe of the world and my flesh is verily meat and my blood veryly drynke and But if you eate the fleshe of the son of man and drynke hys bloode you shal not haue life in you and so forth al such wordis as our sauyour spake hym selfe mencyoned in the syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn and those wordes of our sauyour at hys maun dye wryten wyth all the tother thre euangelystes Thys is my bodye that shall be broken for you be playn and expresse wordes for the catholyque fayth and mayster maskar sayth that the be not wordes playne and expresse but expowneth them all another waye therfore to breke the stryfe therin betwene him and me I haue brought you forth for my parte in myne exposycyon the playne expresse wordes of dyuerse olde holy sayntes by whych you may playne expressely se that they al sayd as I saye ¶ And mayster maskar also can not hym selfe say naye but that agaynst other heretyques before his dayes and myne dyuerse whole generall counsayles of chrystendome haue playnely and expressely determyned the same to be trew that I saye ¶ And all the countreys chrystened can also testyfye that god hathe hym self by manyfold opē miracles playn expressely declared for the blessid sa crament that this is the trewe fayth which mayster Maskar here oppugneth and that god hath by those myra cles expowned his own wordes hym self to be playne expressely spoken for our part ¶ And therfore nowe good christen reders yf mayster mas kar wil make any more stickyng with vs not graūt Christes wordes for playn expresse accordynge to hys promyse reche receyue y e trew faith hold it faste to ye may playne ex pressely tel him there shal neuer trew man trust his false promyse after ¶ Now touchyng the fyfth poynte where he saith that he findeth xx pla ces in scripture mo to prouyng that Christes body is not here in erth remember this wel good reder agaynst he bryna them forth For in his second part whē we come to the tale ye shal fynd his mo than twēty farre fewer than fyftene of al y t shal wel serue hym ye shall fynd fewer than one ¶ Then where he concludeth in the laste poynt vpon these fyue poyntes afore whyche fyue howe well they proue good chrysten readers you se that I must geue hym leue to byleue myne vn wryten vanyties veryties he wold saye at seysour yf the thyn ges that he calleth vn wrytē verities were ī dede vn writē inuēted also by me thā he might be y e bolder to cast hē myne vn writen vanities as he cal leth thē before myn vn writē dremis to But on y e tother syde syth you se your selfe that I haue shewed you theym writem in holy saintes bokes and that a thousand yere before that I was borne your self seeth it wri ten in the playne scrypture to proued playn expresse for our part against hym by tholde exposycyon of all the holy doctours and sayntes and by y e determinacyons of dyuerse generall counsayles of Christes whole catho lyque chyrche and proued playn for our parte also by so many playn opē myracles mayster maskar must nedes be more then madde to cal nowe suche wryten vetyties myne vn wry ten vanytes or myne vn wryten dremys either except he proue both all those thynges to be but an inuencyon of myne and ouer that all those wri tynges to be yet vn writen and that holy doctrine both of holy saintes and of holy scripture vanities also that all the whyle that al those holy folke 〈◊〉 awurke ther with they neyther wrote nor studyed nor dyd nothynge but dreme ¶ Now whyle mayster More must therfore vppon suche consyderaciōs geue maister Masker seue to byleue thys vnwryten vanyte whiche is in all the. iiii euangesystes an expresse wryten verite whyle I must I say therfore vppon suche folysh false cō 〈◊〉 geue hym seue to byleue the tre we fayth at leysour yf he had put it in my choyce I wold haue ben soth to geue hym any senger seysour therin for he hath ben to longe out of ryght bylyefe all redy But syth he sayeth I muste I maye not choyse wherof I am as helpe me god very sory For excepte he take hym selfe that leysour bytyme seuynge the busynesse that be dayly taketh in wrytyng of pestylēt bokes to the cōtrary he shal eis not faile to byleue y e trew fayth at a longe leysour ouer late y t is to wytte whan he lyeth wrechedly in hell where he shall not wryte for lacke of lyght and burnynge vp of his paper but shall haue euerlastyng laysour from all other worke to byleue there that he wolde not byleue here and lye styll euer burne there in euerlastynge fyre for his formar vngracyouse obstinate infydelyte out of whyche 〈◊〉 I be 〈◊〉 god geue hym the grace to crepe and gete out by tyme. And thus you se good readers what a goodly piece mayster masker hath made you which pleased him I warraunt you very well whan he wrote it But it wyl not I wene please him now very well whan he shall after this myne answere rede it The. xii chapyter BUt now goth he ferther against me with a specyall goodly piece wherin thus he sayth Here mayst thou se chrysten reader wherfore More wolde so fayne make the byleue that 〈◊〉 lest aught vnwryten of necessyte to be byleued euyn to stablysshe the popes kyngdome whych standeth of Morys vnwryten vanytees as of the presence of Chrystes body and makynge therof in the brede of putgatory of inuocacyon of sayntes wurshyppyng of stonys and flockys pylgrymages halowynge of vowes and 〈◊〉 and crepynge to the crosse c. If ye wyll byleue what so euer More can fayne wythout the scryptures than can thys poete
yt that in the booke that the bretherne that are here haue sent ouer to prent Tyndale and hys felowes to bydylde the worlde wyth all purpose to make many chaunges and amende and aduaunce hys parte vnderpropyng yt wyth they re own proper lyes yet shal y e meanes be metely well founden to controll they re falshed I truste and to take awaye theyr clokes and lyue hys foly bare And than shall men playnely se that of one whome the bretherne boste for so wyse there neuer dyed in Englange byfore any false heretyque so folyshe ¶ But now as touchynge this new come ouer boke whyche the maker hath entitled The super of the lord though the man haue named yt the souper of our sauyour Chryste yet hathe the man made yt the souper of the deuyll ¶ The specyall effecte of all hys whole purpose is to fede vs wyth the moste poysoned heresye that laboreth to kyll the catholyque christen fayth concernynge the blessed sacra ment of the autare all be yt by the waye he putteth forthe dyuerse other heresye besyde ¶ Thys vsauerye souper of his withoute any corne of salte and spyced all wyth poyson he dyuydeth as yt were into two courses that ys to wytte into the treatynge and 〈◊〉 of two specyall thynges spe cyfyed in the gospell of Chryste wherby chrysten people playnely perceyue that in the blessed sacramēt of th aulter is the very blessed bodye of Chryste his very fieshe and hys bloude ¶ In the fyrste parte whych I call here his fyrst course occupyenge the tone halfe of his boke he treateth the wordes of Chryste spoken in the syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ why che wordes our sauyour speketh of the eatyng of his flesh and drynkyng of hys bloude ¶ In his secunde parte whyche I call hys secund course he treateth y e maundye of Chryste wyth hys apostles vpon shere thursday wherin our sauyour actually dyd instytute y t blessed sacrament therin veryly gaue his awne very fleshe and blood to his twelne apostles hym selfe ¶ I shal therfore diuyde this worke of myne into two partes in lyke wise of whyche twayne this shall be the fyrste wherin I shall detect make euery man perceyue thys mannys euyll coquery in hys fyrste course concernynge the treatynge of Chrystes wordes in the syxt chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ ¶ And all be yt y t I shall afterward send you forth my secunde parte also agaynst his secunde course yet shall I so handle thys mannes myscheuouse heresye in this fyrst part that though I neuer wrote worde more herafter of the mater yet to the perceyuynge of the trouth and deteccyon of his falsed this fyrst part might suffyse for all the whole mater ¶ In hys fyrste parte he forste expowneth the later parte of his syxte chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ and by hys declaracyon laboreth to drawe men from the perceyuynge of the trouth and setteth forth also both his pryncypall heresye and ouer that dyuerse other ¶ Also in the same parte he argueth agaynste all men in generall that expowne any of those wordes of Crist there spoken to be ment by Chryste of the very eatynge of hys fleshe as the catholyque chyrch byleueth in the blessed sacrament ¶ In that fyrste parte also he argueth agaynste me by name in specyall and pretendeth to soyle such argumentes as I made in my letter agaynste the poysoned treatyse that John Fryth had before made in that mater agaynst the blessed sacrament ¶ In that parte also the man bryngeth in two placys all in great which he hath pyked out by longe leysoure amonge all my bokes in eyther of whyche two places he sheweth that I haue notably contraryed myn own wrytynge that I haue wryten my self in other places before sheweth also the places where ¶ I shall therfore good readers in thys fyrste parte of myne gyue you fyue bokes and some of them very shorte ¶ In the fyrst wyll I geue you the exposycion of the selfe same wordes of Chryste mencyoned in the syxte chapyter of saynt John by whyche who so conferre them and consyder them togyther shall I trust perceiue well the fashed of his exposycyon not be deceiued therby And for myne exposycyon ye shall not geue me the thanke For I haue but pyked it out here and there out of the wrytynges of dyuers olde holy menne ¶ The seconde shall shew you for a sample some of the fawtes both in folies and errours that the man hath made vs in his exposycyon ¶ The thyrde shal answere soyle hys wyse reasons wyth whyche he wolde make all men folys that haue expowned that place before cōtrary to hys here sye now that is to wytte all the olde holy doctours and saynte frome thapostses dayes vnto oure owne tyme. ¶ In y e fourth shall ye se what wyt and what sernyng he sheweth in soysynge of myne argumentes made be fore in that mater agaynst his felow Iohn̄ Fryth ¶ The fyfth shall declare you the dylygence that the man hath done in sekyng out my neglygence leuynge some places in my wrytynge repugnaūt contrary the tone place to the tother And of such place ye shall as I sayd se hym with dylygent serche of thre yere at laste brynge you forth twayne And there shall you se good chrysten reders that in those twayn my neglygence shall for all his dylygence proue hym twyse a fole ¶ But in the treatyng of this mater with hym I shall lacke somwhat of the commodyte that the man hath in dysputynge wyth me For he hath a greate pleasure of tetymes nowe in one maner now in another now to talke of me and nowe to speke to me by name wyth thus sayth More and 〈◊〉 mayster More and sometyme maysier Mocke and let More mocke on and lye to and many such goodly garnyshynge mo But he wyll be for hys owne parte sure that I shall not dyspute wyth hym by name and therfore he kepeth it awaye ¶ And therfore what foly and what falsed be founden in his boke he forceth very lytell For shame he thynketh he can none take therby whyle folke knowe not hys name ¶ Wherin he fareth myche lyke to some bestely body y t wolde not care to sytte downe wyth hys face to the walwarde and ease hym selfe in the open strete and though all the towne at onys tote in his tayle take it for no shame at all bycause they se not hys face ¶ And veryly as we se somtyme that suche as walke in visours haue mych the lesse fere and shame bothe what they do and what they saye bycause they thynke theym selfe vnknowen so do these folke oftentymes lytell force what they wryte that vse to putte out theyr bookes and set not theyr names vnto theym They thynke theym selfe vnsene whyle 〈◊〉 name is vnknowen and therfore they fere not the shame of theyr foly As some haue I sene 〈◊〉 thys full boldely come daunce in a maske whose dauncynge bycame thē so
prophete speketh in the psalter Dixit insipiens in corde suo noÌ„ est deus The fole sayd in his harte there is no god which he might as well begynne as any of the tother twayne yf he wold now for the furnyshynge of this heresye come forth with suche vnreasonale reasons as some folysh folosophers broughte in therfore of olde were yt not ynough for me to confute those folyshe argumeÌ„tes wherwyth he wold 〈◊〉 sym ple soulis Must I nede besyde y t go make myche a do ê“ue y t there were a god or els grauÌ„t thys gose y t there were no god at all bycause hym self wold say so styll when his found rea sons were soyled ¶ Now to his seconde poynt where it is not inough for him to say that I muste proue it wherin as ye se I haue proued hym a very fole but he assygneth me also what maner of ê“se I must make and none maye serue hym but suche as hym selfe lyst assygne that ther fore I must proue it hym by expresse wordes of holy scrypture I aske hym than whyther he wylbe content yf I proue yt hym by expresse worde of Chryste wryten in all the foure euangelystes saynt Mathew saynt Marke saynt Luke and sait IohuÌ„ yf he saye ye as I suppose he wyll than aske I hym farther wherfore he wyll byleue the wrytyng of them foure wherto what will he answere but bycause y t those gospell of theyrs are holy scrypture But than shall I farther desyre hym to she we me howe he knoweth that those foure bo kes or any one of all four is the boke of hym whose name yt bereth or ys the holy scrypture of god at all To this questyon lo but yf he can go far ther than holy saint Austayne could or the mayster captayne of his owne heresyes Martyne Luther eyther he muste saye that he knoweth those bokes for holy scrypture bycause the coÌ„men knowen catholique chyrch hath so told hym Now whan he shal haue ones answered me thus euery chyld may sone se what I shall aske hym agayne For than shall I saye tell me than mayster Maskar I beseche you syth you byleue this commen knowen catholyque chyrche in that one great verytie wherupon by your owne saynge all the other wryters depende why sholde you not as well byleue yt in thys other artycle whyche yt as playnely telleth you and yet you do denye yt why sholde you not I saye mayster Maskar byleue the chyrche as wel whan yt telleth you god hath taught his chyrche that this is his very body as you byleue the same chyrch when yt telleth you god hath taught his chyrch that this is his very scriture namely syth there are wryten in y e same scrypture other thynges to mannes reason as harde to conceyue and as incredyble to byleue as that ¶ Here you se good readers to what poynte I haue brought master Maskar I haue set hym here so fast in the myre that therin shall he stycke and neuer clene wade oute whyle he lyueth ¶ Moreouer mayster maskar can not denye me this but that the ryght bylyef in y e sacrameÌ„t dyuers other thynges mo were ones taughte and byleued and christen men bounden to byleue them to without expresse wor des of holy scripture layed forth for the profe before any word of y e new testament was wryten and after per aduenture to where tharticles were preached and wryten gospelles not there Now yf suche thynges were at one tyme not onely byleued but men also bounden to the belief therof without expresse wordes of scripture for the profe mayster Maskar must than though there be come wrytynge synnes yet either profe vs by expÌ„sse wordes of scrypture that of all that god wyl we shall byleue there is nothynge left out but euery such thyng there writen in with expresse wordes or els may he neuer make him self so sure face in out a this fashion with expresse worde that sauyng the very playne expresse wordes of scripture we be no man of vs bounden to byleue nothynge ellys ¶ Now this am I sure inough that suche expresse wordes shall he neuer fynde in scrypture that tell hym expressely that all is wryteÌ„ in And than syth be can not proue vs this poynte by scrypturer but that at the leste wyse we maye be bounden to byleue some suche thynges as in holy scryp pture is not expressely writen which thynges those may be and which not of whome wyll god we shall lerne but of his knowen cathylyque chyrch by whiche he teacheth vs whiche be the very scripture ¶ Nowe as for the thyrde poynte mayster maskar toucheth in whiche he wyl allowe for no suffycient ê“fe myne owne vnwryten dremys he ge ueth my dremys I thanke hym of his courtesye myche more authoryte than euer I loked for For whyle he reiecteth none of theym but suche as are vnwryten he she weth hym selfe redy to byleue them yf I wold vouchesaufe to wryte them ¶ In the fonrth point he promiseth y t yf I do by expresse wordes of scrypture proue that it is so thaÌ„ though yt be aboue the reche of his reason yet wyl he by belyefe both reche yt and receyue yt hold it fast to Wold god mayster Maskar wolde abyd by this worde For now I aske hym agayn whyther he wyl be content yf I proue it him by expresse wordes of some one of the foure euangelystes And if he be coÌ„tent with expresse wordes of any one than will I do more for hym proue yt by all foure ¶ For saynte IohnÌ„ reherseth that our sauyour sayd hym selfe he wold geue theym his fleshe to eate And that he ment of the sacramente you se all redy proued here byfore And the tother thre reherse that Chryste sayde hym selfe whan he gaue theym the sacrament thys is my body that shal be broken for you What wordes caÌ„ there be more playn and expresse than these ¶ But here sayth mayster Maskar that these be not expresse wordes For he sayth that these wordes be spoken but by way of allegory And he proueth it as Frith doth by y t our sauiour sayd of hym self I am the dore and I am the vyne ¶ Nowe remember good readers that master Maskar bylyed me right nowe and sayd that all my second argumeÌ„t was a posse ad esse it may be so ergo yt is so But now consyder good christen reders your selfe why ther this argumeÌ„t of his be not a posse ad esse in dede For by those placê I am the dore and I am the vyne and suche other he concludeth that these other places of eatynge hys fleshe and geuynge of hys bodye was spoken by an allegorye to And howe concludeth he that yt ys so but bycause yt maye be so And thus ye se good readers that the selfe same kynde of arguynge which mayster Maskar fayneth hym selfe to fynd with me falsely belyeth me therin for I neded there none other thynge to
fayne ye another chyrch then Chrystes and that ye muste byleue it what so euer it teach you for he hath fayned to that it can not 〈◊〉 though ye se it erre and fyght agaynst it selfe a thowsand tymes ye yf it tell you blacke is whyte and good is badde and the 〈◊〉 is god yet muste ye byleue it or ellye be burned as heretykes ¶ Styll ye se the wisdome good reders the trouth of maister masker in euery piece of his mater For here you se that all these thynges that he speketh of as that the chyrch can not erre and the crepynge to the crosse wyth all other ceremonyes of the chyrche inuocacyon of sayntes goynge on pylgrymage wurshyppyng of images byleuynge of purgatory byleuynge the body of our sauyour present in the blessed sacrament all these thynge he calleth myne vnwryten vanitees and maketh as though these thynges were all of my faynynge Is not this wene you wysely fayned of hym that the thynges comenly vsed this xiiii C. yere by fore I was borne sholde now be fayned and imagyned by me But yet shall it be as long after my dayes and his to ere mayster Masker and all the mayny of them shall amonge theym all be able to confute the thynges y e my selfe haue in the maters wryten And yet hange not the maters vpon my wrytynge but vppon the treuth it selfe reueled vnto Christe knowē catholyke chyrche bothe by Chryste hym self and his apostles after him by tradycyon and by wrytynge both and by many myracles confyrmed wyth the secrete instyncte and inspyracyō of his holy spyryte wrought brought into a full whole catholike agrement and consent as necessary poyntes of the trewe we chrysten fayth ¶ This is also by mayster masker wonderfull wysely fayned y t More hath fayned all these thynges euyn to the entent to stably sshe the popes kyngdome But now what greate cause sholde moue me to bere that greate affeccyon to the pope as to fayne all these thynge for stably shement of his kyngdome that thynge mayster masker telleth you not as y e thynge that is so playne and euydent that he nedeth not For he thynketh y e euery man knoweth all redy that the pope is my godfather goeth aboute to make me a cardynall ¶ But now good chrysten readers they that wolde at the counsayle of this euyll chrysten caytyfe cast of all suche maner thynge as all good chry sten peple haue euer taken for good and now neyther crepe to the crosse nor set by any halowed thynge dyspute pylgrymags and set holy sayntes at nought no more reuerēce theyr images thā an horse of wax nor rekē theyr relykes any better than shepys bonys scrape clene the letany out of euery boke with our lady motens the dyryge to and away with our 〈◊〉 plaster cast the bedys in y e fyre beware also y t we wurshyp not the sacrament nor take it for no better thyng than vnblessed brede byleue that the chyrch erreth in euery thyng y e it teacheth and all that holy sayntes haue taught therin this xiiii C. 〈◊〉 for all they haue taughte all these thynges y t this man nowe dispyseth than wolde there wax a mery world y e very kyngdom of y e deuyl him self ¶ And veryly it semeth y t they wold set the people vppon 〈◊〉 For penaunce they shake of as a thynge not necessary Satisfacciō they call 〈◊〉 synne cōfessyon they call y e deuils dryft And of purgatory by two meaues they put mē out of drede Some by slepyng tyll domys daye some by sendyng all strayt to heuyn euery soule that dyeth is not dampned for euer And yet some good comforte geue they to the dampned to For tyll they se somtyme to deny hell all vtterly they goo aboute in the meane season to putte oute the fyre And some yet boldely forthwith to say there is none there that they dred a lytell and therfore for the season they brynge the mater in questyon dyspute it abrode say they wyll not vtterly afferme and say the cōtrary but the thynge is they say but as problema neutrū wherin they wold not force whyther parte they shold take yet yf they sholde chose they wold rather holde nay than ye or though there be fyre in eyther place that yet it neyther burneth so wle in helle nor payneth so wle in purgatory But Chryst I wote well in many places sayth there is fyre there his holy sayntes after hym afferme and saye the same and with that fyre he frayed his owne dyseyples byddyng them fere that fyre that they fell not therin ¶ Now though that clerkes 〈◊〉 in scolys hold problems vppon euery thynge yet can I not perceyue what profyte there can come to call it but a probleme amonge vnlerned folke and dyspute it out abrode and brynge the people in dowte make them rather thynke that there is none than any and that this worde fyre is spoken but by parable as these men make the eatynge of Chrystes blessed body Thus shal they make men take bothe paradyse and heuyn and god and all togyther but for parables at laste Though fere of hell alone be but a seruyle drede yet are there all redy to meny that fere hell to lytell euyn of theym that byleue the truthe and thynke that in hell there is very fyre in dede Now many wyll there than be that wyll fere it lesse yf such wordes onys maye make theym wene that there were in hell no very fyre at all but that the payne that they shall fele in hell were but after the maner of some beuy mynde or of a troublous dreme ¶ If a man byleue Chrystes word that in hell is fyre in dede and make the feare of that fyre one meane to kepe hym thense than though there were no fyre there yet hath he nothynge loste syth good he can gete none there though the fyre were thense But yf he byleue suche wordes on the tother syde and catche therby suche boldenesse that he sette hell at lyght and by the meanes ther of fall bosdely to synne and theruppon fynally fall downe vnto the deuyll yf he than fynde fyre there as I am sure he shall than shall he lye there and curse them that tolde hym those false talys as longe as god with hys good folke sytteth in the ioye of heuyn ¶ And therfore good chrysten readers wysedome wyll we byleue Chrystes owne wordes and let such vnwyse wordes and deuelyshe deuyces passe The. xiii chapyter BUt nowe after thys pleasaunt dyscourse of his into the rehersall of this hepe of heresies that you haue herde for whyche as for lytell tryfyls hys harte freteth sore that any heretyke sholde be burned he goth on agaynst me and sayth But let vs returne to our propose To dyspute of goddes almighty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 powre what god may do wyth hys body it is great foly and no lesse presump
and ouer that hath by many wonderfull myracles many festly proued testyfyed that thopinions in which Fryth obstynately ther with very folishly dyed were very pesrylent here syes wherby he is ê‘petually seuered froÌ„ the lyuely body of Chryst and made a ded meÌ„ber of the deuyll I byleue therfore and very surely knowe as a thynge taught me by god that the wreched body of that felow shall neuer be in two placs at onys but whaÌ„ it shall ryse agayne and be restored to that wreched obstynate soule shall ther with lye styll euer more in one place that is to wyt in theuerlastyng fyre of hell From whych I beseche our lorde turne Tyndale George Iay wyth all the whole bretherhed and mayster Masker amonge other who so euer he be by tyme. ¶ Now vpon his aforesard suche a proper handeled mocke as you haue herde mayster masker goeth on and geueth me ryght holsom admonicyoÌ„ that I medle no more with such hygh maters as is the great absolute almyghty power of god therin thus he sayth vnto me Syr you be to bysy wyth goddes almyghty power and haue taken to great a burden vppon your weke shuldren The. xvii chapyter HEre he sholde haue rehersed what one worde I had sayd of goddes almyghty power in whyche worde I was to bysy Rede my letter ouer and you shall clerely se that I saye nothynge ellys but that god is almyghty that he therfore may do all thynge And yet as you shall here mayster Masker hym selfe confesse I sayed not that god coulde do thynges that imply repugnaunce But I sayd that some thynges may seme repugnaunt vnto vs which thynges god seeth how to sette togyther well inough Be these wordê good reader ouer hyghly spoken of godde almighty power May not a pore vnserned man be bolde to saye that god is able to do so myche And yet for sayeng thus mych sayth mayster Masker that I am to besy and haue taken to great a burden vppon my weke sholdren and haue ouer faded my selfe with myne owne harneyse and wepons many gaye wor des mo to vttre his eloquence with all But mayster Masker vn the tother syde is not hym selfe to bysy at all with goddes almyghty power in affermynge that god hath not the power to make hys owne blessed body in many places at onys Hys myghty stronge sholdren take not to mych weyght vppon them whan in stede of omnypotent he proueth god impotent and that by suche impotent argumentes as you se your selfe so shamefully haste that neuer sambe cryple y t lay impotent by y e wallys in crepyng out vnto a dole halted halfe so sore But than goth he ferther for the prayse of yonge Dauyd sayth you haue ouerladen your selfe wyth your owne harneyse and weapons and yonge Dauyd is lyke to preuayse agaynst you wyth hys slynge his stone ¶ As for mayster Maskers yonge mayster Dauyd who so loke vppon his fyrst treatice my letter together shall sone se y t his sfing and his stone be beten both about hys earys And whaÌ„ so euer his new sling his new stone which is as I nowe here saye very lately come ouer in prent come onys into my handes I shall turne his slynge into a cokste we his stone into a fether for any harine that it shal be able to do but yf it be to suche as wyllyngely wyll putte out theyr owne eyen to whych they neuer nede neyther stone nor slynge but wyth a fether they maye do it and they be so madde ¶ But an heuy thynge it is to here of his yonge folyshe Dauyd that hath thus wyth his stone of stobburnesse stryken out his owne brayne with the slynge of hys heresyes slon gen hym selfe to the 〈◊〉 ¶ yet mayster Masker can not seue me thus but on he goth ferther in his 〈◊〉 rethoryke thus he sayth God hath infatuated your hygh subtyll wy sdome your crafty conuayaunce is espyed God hath sent your chyrche a mete couer for suche a cuppe euyn such a defender as you take your selfe to be that shall lette all theyr whole cause fall flatte in the myre vnto bothe your shames and vtter confusyon God therfore be praysed euer amen The. xviii chapyter AS for wysdome I wyll not coÌ„ pare wyth mayster Masker therin nor wolde waxe myche the prowder in good faythe though menne wolde saye that I had more wytte than he I praye god sende vs bothe a sytell more of his grace and make vs bothe good ¶ But where as he iesteth concernynge my defence of the chyrch who so loke my bokes thorow shall fynde that the chyrch in the treuth of whose catholyke fayth concernynge the bles sed sacrameÌ„t I wryte agaynst fryth and Tyndale and mayster Masker and such false heretykes mo is none other chyrch but the trewe catholyke chyrche of Cryst the whole congregacyoÌ„ of al trew chrysten nacyoÌ„s of whyche chyrche I take not my selfe to be any specyall defender how be it to defende it is in dede euery good mannys parte And as for hytherto the thynges that I haue wryten are I thanke god stronge inough to stand as it is playnely pued agaynst all these heretykes y t haue wrestsed therwith wherof they coulde neuer yet ouerthro we one lyne and no man more shamefully sowsed in y e myre than mayster Masker here hym self that bosteth his victory while he fieth in the dyrte But the catholyke chyrche hath another maner defender thaÌ„ is any erthely man For it hath god hym selfe therin and his holy spyryt permanent and abydyng by Crystes own promise to defende it froÌ„ falshed vnto th ende of the worlde And therfore it can not fall flatte in the myre but god maketh heretykes fall flatte in the fyre ¶ Yet to th entent good readers that you sholde well se that I lefte not vnto wched the point of repugnauÌ„ce with whych mayster Masker hath al this whyle set out his hygh solempn reason agaynst godde almyghtynes hym selfe she weth here at laste that of repugnauÌ„ce I dyd speke my self Now be it in dede somwhat more moderately than he as ye shall not onely perceyue by the wordes of my letter but also by the wordê of mayster Masker hym selfe whyche be these Then sayth maister More though it semeth repugnaunt bothe to hym and to me one body to be in two places at onys yet god seeth how to make theym stonde togyther well inough This man wyth hys olde eyen and spectacles seeth farte in goddes sight and is of his preuey counsell that knoweth belyke by some secrete reuelacyon how god seeth one body to be in many places at onys includeth no repugnaunce For worde hath he none for hym in all scrypture no more theÌ„ one body to be in all places at onys It implyeth fyrst repugnauÌ„ce to my syght reason that all thys worlde shulde be made of nothynge that a vyrgyn sholde brynge forth a chyld But yet when I se it
hūdred yere before vs and all the olde holy doctours sayntes and al the general coūsayles and all the meruaylouse myracles that god hath shewed for the blessed sacramēt yerely almost and I wene dayly to what in one place and other al whyche thynges proue the textes that I lay to be ment and vnderstanden as I say Al they do therby declare agaynst hym also that none of his mo than twenty textes can in any wyse be wel and ryght vnderstanden as he sayth For ellys shold yt folow that dyuerse textes of holy scrypture not onely semed whyche may well be but also were indede whyche is a thynge impossyble and can not be cō traryouse repugnant vnto other ¶ Now good chrysten readers here youse that in his shyft that he vseth where he sayeth that he wyl byleue any one text trewly taken we bryng hym for the trew takyng vppon our parte all these thynges that I haue here shortely rehersed you of whych thynges hym selfe denyeth very fewe that is to wyt the olde holy doctours to holde on our parte and the people of theyr tyme. But therin haue I shewed you diuerse of y e beste sorte agaynst hym And the fayth of the people of the dyuerse tymes appereth by theyr bokes and by the coū sayles And than that the generall counsayles and the myracles are on our parte of these two thynges he denyeth neyther nother But syth he can denye none of them he dyspyseth bothe And the holy counsayles of Chrystes chyrche he casseth the Anti chrysten synagoge And goddes myracles both fryth and he be fayne to cal the workes of the deuyl And therfore good chrysten readers whyle you se all thys ye se well ynough that the textes of the gospell whyche we saye for the blessed bodye of Chryste in the blessed sacrament be clere and playne for the purpose and mayster Maskar wyll not agre yt so but sayth that we take theym not trewly onely bycause he will not perceyue and confesse the trouth ¶ Nowe where as mayster Maskar sayth of me ferther thus As for his vnwryten verytees and thou foryfe of hys Antichrysten synagoge vnto whyche the scrypture forsaken he is now at laste wyth shame ynough compelled to fle they be proued starke lyes and very deuylrye ¶ Consyder good chrysten readers that in these wordes mayster maskar telleth you two thynges Fyrste that I am wyth shame ynough compelled to fle fro the scrypture to myn vnwryten veryties and to thauthoryte of thantichrysten synagoge by whyche he meaneth the tradycyons and the determynacyons of the catho lyque chyrche The tother that the tradycyons and determinacyons of the chyrch be all redy proued starke lyes and very de uylrye For the fyrste poynte you sethat in this mater of the blessed sacrament whyche ys one of the thynges that he meaneth he hath not yet compelled me to fle fro the scrypture For I haue wel all redye proued you this poynt very playn and clerely by the selfe same place of scrypture whyche mayster Maskar hathe expowned falsely wolde wreste it a nother way that is to wyt the wordes of Chryst wryten in the syxt chapyter of saynt Iohn̄ Nowe yf I do for the profe of thys poynte say the tradycyon of y e whole catholyque chyrche besyde whyche thynge ys also suffycyent to proue the mater alone ys that a fleynge fro the scrypture If that be a fleynge fro the scrypture than myghte the olde heretyques very wel haue sayde the same vnto al the olde holy doctours that this new heretyque sayeth nowe to me For this woteth wel euery man that any lernynge hathe that those old holy doctours and sayntes layed agaynste those old heretykes not the scrypture onely but also the tradycyons vnwryten byleued and taughte by the chyrche And yf mayster Mas kar whan he shal defende hys boke dare denye me that they so dyd I shall brynge you so many playn proues therof that be he neuer so shame lesse he shal be ashamed thereof And he can not say naye but that they so dyd as I wote wel he can not than you se wel good reders y t by ma ster maskers wise reason those old he retikes might haue sayd agaynst eche of those old holy doctours saits as mayster Maskar sayth agaynste me now that they hadde made him with shame ynough fle fro the scrypture bycause he besyde the scrypture proued the trew faith and reproued their false heresyes by thauthoryte of the catholyque chyrche Suche strength haue alwaye so mayster mayhers ar gumentes ¶ Nowe touchyng the secund point where he calleth the catholyke chyrch the antichrysten synagoge and the vn wryten veryties starke lyes and deuylrye he hathe al redy shewed and declared partely which thynges they be that hym self meaneth by y t name For he hath before specyfyed purgatorye pylgrimages and prayenge to sayntes honourynge of ymages and crepynge to the crosse and halo wyng of belles agaynst euyl spirites in tem pestes and boughes on palme sone daye and byleuynge in the blessed sa crament And Tyndale that ys eyther hym selfe or his felow mocketh vnder the same name the sacrament of anelyng and calleth the sacramēt of consyrmacyon the butterynge of the boyes forhed had as lyefe haue at his chrystenynge sande put in hys mouth as salt and mocketh mych at fastyng And as for lent father frith vnder name of Bright well in the re uesacyon of Antichrist calleth it y e folishe fast which ieste was vndouted ly reueled father fryth by the spyryt of the deuyll hym selfe the spirituall father of Antichryste ¶ So that you maye se good readers that to saye the latenye or our ladye matens and crepe to the crosse at Ester or praye for all christen sou les these thynges such other as I haue 〈◊〉 you mayster Maskar saith are all redy proued starcke lyes and very deuylrye But he she weth vs no such profe yet neyther of lyes nor of deluylrye 〈◊〉 But euery man may sone se that he whych sayeth so myche and nothyng proueth maketh many a starke lye that thus to raile agaynste god and al good men and holy sayntes and helpynge of good chrysten soules and raylyng agaynst the blessed bodye of Chryste in the blessed sacrament callynge y e bylyef therof deuylrye yf suche raylyng in mayster maskar be not as I wene it is very playne and open deuylrye yt can be no lesse yet at the leste wyse than very playne and open knauery The. xxii chapyter MAster Maskar cometh at last to the mockynge of those wor des of my pystle wherin I she we that yf men wolde denye the cōuersyon of the brede and wyne into the blessed bodye and blood of Chryste bycause that vnto his owne reason the thynge semeth to implye repugnaunce he shal fynde many other thynges bothe in scrypture and in na ture and in hande craftes to of the trouthe wherof he nothynge douteth whyche yet for any solucion that hys owne reason coulde
yet after vppon hys owne wordes I proue hym that of necessyte to I maye wythoute any contradyccyon or repugnaunce at all laye yt agaynste hym for an vnwryten verytie for as myche as hym selfe so taketh yt ¶ Moreouer all the profe that I make of our ladyes perpetual vyrginyte is no more but that she was a perpetual vyrgyne except she brake her vowe And surely as I saye yt semeth to my selfe that I proue this very clerely And this beynge proued is in dede ynough to good chrysten folke for a ful profe that she was a perpepetual vyrgyne But yet vnto these heretyques agaynste whome I wrote syth they set nought by vowes of vyrgynyte but saye that they that make theym do bothe vnlawfully make theym and maye whan they wil lawfully breke them and y t therfore freres may rūne oute of relygyon and wedde nunnes this profe of myne ys to theym no maner profe at al. And therfore I maye to theym wythoute contradycyon or repugnaunce laye yt for an vnwryten verytie styl ¶ And thus I trust you se good rea ders that as for this repugnaunce turneth to mayster Maskars confusyon and not myne The secunde chapyter NOwe come I than good readers to the tother contradyccy on that he layeth agaynst me his wor des wherin byfore myne answere I praye you rede ones agayne And leste ye sholde be loth to turne backe and seke theym here shall you haue them agayne lo these they be At laste note chrysten reader that mayster More in the thyrde boke of hys confutacyon of Tyndale the 249. syde to proue saynt Iohn̄s gospell 〈◊〉 insuffycyent for lenyng out of so necessary a poynt of our fayth as he calleth the last sonper of Chryste hys maundye sayth that Iohn̄ spake nothynge at all of thys sacrament And now se agayne in these hys letters agaynste Fryth how hym selfe bryngeth in Iohn̄ 6. cap. to impagne Frythes wrytyng and to make all for the sacrament euen thus My flesshe is veryly meate and my bloude drynke By lyke the man had there ouershette hym selfe fowle the yonge man here causynge hym to put on his spec tacles and poore better and more wysshely wyth his olde eyen vppon saynt Iohn̄s gospell to fynde that thynge there now wryten whyche before he wolde haue made one of hys vnwryten verytees ¶ whan my selfe good reader redde fyrste these wordes of his all be it that I was sure ynough that in the thinge that I purposed there was no repugnaunce in dede yet seynge that he so dylygently layed forth the lefe in whyche my faute shold be founde I very playnly thought that I had not so circumspectely sene vnto my wordes as wysedome wold I shold And taking therfore myne ouersyght for a very trouth I neuer vouchefaufede to tourne my booke and loke But afterwarde yt happed on a day I sayde in a certayne company that I was somwhat sorye that yt hadde mysse happed me to take in this one poynte no better hede to myne hand but to wryte therin two thynges repugnaunt and contrary Where vnto some of theym made answere y t such a chaunce happeth sometyme 〈◊〉 a man be ware in a longe worke But yet quoth one of theym a gentylwoman haue you consydered well the place in your boke and sene that he sayth trouth Nay by my trouthe quod I that haue I not For yt yrketh me to loke vppon the place agayne nowe whan yt ys to late to mende yt For I am sure the mā wolde nat be so madde to name the very lefe but yf he were well sure y t he sayd trew By our lady 〈◊〉 she but syth you haue not loked yt your selfe I wyl for al the lefe layed out by hym se the thynge my selfe ere I byleue his wrytynge I knowe these felowes for so false And therwyth al she sent for the boke and turned to the very 249. syde and wyth that nōber marked also And in good fayth good readers there founde we no suche maner mater neyther on the tone syde of the lefe nor on the thother ¶ Nowe be yt of trouth I can not denye but that in a syde after mysse marked with the nōbre of 249 whyche sholde haue ben marked wyth the nomber of 259 there we founde the mater in that place But therin found we the moste shamefull eyther foly or falysed of mayster Maskar that euer I saw lyghtly in any man in my lyfe whych bycause ye shal not seke farre to fynde I shal reherse you here the very wordes of that place Lo good readers these they be But now bycause of Tyndale let vs take some one thing And what thing rather then the last souper of Chryst hys maundye with his apostles in whiche he instytuted the blessed sacra ment of the aulter hys owne blessed body and bloode Is this no necessary poynt of fayth Tyndale can not denye it for a necessary poynt of faith though it were but of his own false fayth agreynge with Luther Huyskyn or Suynglyus And he can not saye that saynt Iohn̄ speketh any thynge therof specyally not of the instytucyon Nor he can not saye that saynt Iohn̄ speketh any thyng of the sacrament at all syth that hys secte expressely denyeth that saynt Iohn̄ ment the sacrament in hys wordes where he speketh expressely therof in the. vi chapyter of his gospelli ¶ Where haue you euer good chrysten readers sene any fonde 〈◊〉 byfore thys handle a thynge so 〈◊〉 ly or so folyshely as maister maskar here handeleth this Ne telleth you that I sayde here that saynt Iohn spake nothynge of the sacrament at all Nowe you se that mayster Maskar in that poynte bylyeth me For I sayd not here that saynt Iohn spake notkynge therof but fyrste I sayde there that Tyndale agaynste whome I there wrote could not say that saynte Iohn̄ wrote any thynge of the blessed sacrament specyally not of the instytucyon therof And this is very trouthe For as touchynge thinstytucyon therof at Chry stes laste souper and maundye neyther Tyndale nor no man ellys can saye that saynte Iohn̄ any thynge wrote therof in his gospell ¶ Than sayde I farther there as you se not that saynte Iohn̄ speketh nothyng of the sacramēt but y t Tyn dale can not saye that saynte Iohn̄ speketh of the sacrament any thynge at all And that I ment not in those wordes to saye myne owne selfe that saynte Iohn̄ spake nothynge therof I declare playnely there forthwyth by that I shew the cause why Tyndale can not say that saynt Iohū spake any thynge of the sacramēt at all that is to wyt bycause that al his sect expressely denyeth that any thynge was ment of the sacramēt in the wordes of Chryste wryten in the. vi chapyter of saynt Iohn̄ ¶ By this ye may se playnely good readers that mayster Maskar playn ly belyeth me For I sayde not my selfe that saynt Iohn̄ spake nothyng of the sacrament but that Tyndale bycause of thopynyon of all his
masker lyste better to byleue hym self than all them which yf he do as in dede he doth than is he myche 〈◊〉 fole than a naturall fole in 〈◊〉 ¶ For as for his iii. places of saynt Austayne Tertulyane and saynte Chrysostome whom he bryngeth in his secunde parte I shall in my secunde parte in takynge vp of his secund course whan we come to frute pare hym I warraunt you those thre perys so nere that he getteth not a good morcell amonge them And yet peraduenture ere I come at it to ¶ For so is it now good reders that I very certaynly knowe that y e boke whiche Fryth made laste agaynst the blessed sacrament ys come ouer into thys realme in prente and secretely sent abrode into the bretherns hands and some good systers to And for as mych as I am surely enformed for trouth that Fryth hath in to that boke of his taken many textes of old holy doctours wylyly handeled by false frere Nuy skyn byfore to make it falsely seme that tholde holy doctours and sayntes were fauerouse of theyr false heresye therfore wyll I for the whyle sette mayster maskers secund part asyde tyll I haue answe red that pestylent peuyshe booke of Iohn̄ Frith about which I purpose to go as soone as I can gete one of them whych so many beyng abrode shall I truste not be longe to And than shal I by the grace and helpe of almyghty god make you the 〈◊〉 the fashed of Fryth and frere Nuys kyn bothe as open and as clere as I haue in thys wurke made open and clere vnto you the falshed and the foly of mayster Masker here ¶ And where as I a yere now passed and more wrote and put in prynte a letter agaynste the pestylent treatyse of Iohn̄ Fryth whyche he than had made and secretely sent abrode amonge the bretherne agaynste the blessed sacrament of th aulter which letter of myne as I haue declared in myn apology I nathelesse caused to be kepte styll and wolde not suffre it to be put out abrode into euery man nes hands bycause Frythes treatyse was not yet at that time in prente yet now sythe I se that there are comen ouer in prente not onely Frythes boke but ouer that this maskers boke also and that eyther of theyr bothe bokes maketh mencyon of my sayde letter and wolde seme to soyle it and laboreth sore there about I do therfore nowe suffre the prenter to putte wyth thys boke my sayd letter also to sale ¶ And for as myche also as those authorytees of saynt Austayn saynt Chrysostome and Turtuliane whych master maysker layeth in hys secunde parte I shall of lykelyhed fynde also in Frythes boke and therfore answere theym there and all mayster Maskers whole mater to before I retourne to his secund part whyche yet I wyll after all thys god wyllyng not leue nor let go so in the meane while may mayster mas kar syth it is ashe saith so great plea sure to hym to be wryten agaynst ha uynge as he bosteth all solucyons so redely loke and assay whither he can soyle these thynges wyth whyche I haue in this fyrst parte ouethrowen his whole heresye and proued hym very playne a very false fole all redye Of whose false wyly foly to be ware our forde geue vs grace and of all suche other lyke whych with folyshe argumentes of they re owne blynde reason wresting the scripture into a wronge sense agaynste the very playn wordes of the text agaynst the xposycyons of all the olde holy sayntes agaynste the determynacyons of dyuers whole generall counsayles agaynste the full consent of all trewe chrysten nacyons this xv hundred yere before theyr days and agaynste the playne declaracyon of almyghty god hym self made in eue ry chrysten coūtrey by so many playn open myracles labour now to make vs so folyshely blynde and madde as to forsake the very trew catholike fayth forsake y e socyetie of the trew catholyque chyrche and wyth fundry sectes of heretike fallē out therof to set both holy dayes fastyng days at nought for the deuyllis pleasure to forbere abstayne from all prayer to be made either for soules or to saynte iest on our blessed lady y e immaculate mother of Chryste make mockes at all pylgrymages and crepynge of Chrystes crosse the holy ceremonyes of the chyrche and the sacramen tes to turne theym into tryflynge wyth lykenynge theym to wyne garlandes and ale polys and fynally by these wayes in the ende and conclusyon forsake our sauyour hym selfe in the blessed sacramente and in stede of his own blessed bodye his blood wene there were nothynge but bare brede and wyne and call it ydolatrye there to do hym honour But woo may suche wreches be For this we may be sure that who so dyshonour god in one place wyth occasyon of a false fayth standynge that false bylyefe and infydelyte all thonour that he dothe hym any where besyde ys odyouse and dyspyghtfull and reiected of god and neuer shall saue that faythlesse soule from the fyre of hel From whcche our lorde geue theym grace trewely to tourne in tyme so that we and they to gether in one catholyque chyrche knytte vnto god to gether in one catholyque fayth fayth I saye not fayth alone as they do but acompanyed wyth good hope and wyth her chyefe syster well workynge charytie maye so receyue Chrystes blessed sacramentes here and specyally that we may so receyue hym selfe his very blessed bodye very fleshe and blood in the blessed sacrament our holy blessed howsyll that we maye here be wyth hym incorporate so by grace that after the shorte course of this transytorye lyfe wyth hys tender pytye powred vppon vs in purgatorye at the prayour of good people and intercessyon of holy sayntes we maye be wyth them in theyr holy felyshyppe incorporate in Chryste in hys eternall glorye Amen Finis The fautes escaped in the prentynge of thys booke In the preface 〈◊〉 pag. 〈◊〉 the fautes y e amendmētes xii ii i. hys syxte the syxte xiii i. xx fashed falshed xv ii iiii fashed falshed In the booke 〈◊〉 i. xvii for the fro the xvii ii xiiii meat mete xix i. ii meat mete xx ii xxii could could not xxi i. xvii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 xxii i. xiii onele onely xxvii i. xix byddyng byddynge 〈◊〉 xxxii i. xxi furst the the xlviii i. xiiii wpych whych xlviii ii iii. fayth fayth 〈◊〉 ii ix some 〈◊〉 such some such xlviii ii xvii 〈◊〉 it 〈◊〉 xlviii ii xxii hyuynge gyuynge lii i. xxi 〈◊〉 doctout lv i. vii quein quam lxx ii iii. how saynt saynt lxxi ii i. vnto the vn the lxxv i. vi bothe he he bothe lxxxviii ii x. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lxxxviii il xlii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ii xi 〈◊〉 chose fo pag. li. the fautes y t amendemētes cii i. xi preasely precysely cviii i. vii such shulde cix ii ix so vouchsaue 〈◊〉 cix ii 〈◊〉 by these by the cx i. vii 〈◊〉 you