When they sent to Iohn asking him whether he were Christ he denied it When they asked him what he was and what he sayd of himselfe he aunswered not I am he that watcheth prayeth drinketh no wine nor strong drinke eateth neyther fishe nor fleshe but liue wyth wilde hony and Grashoppers and weare a coate of camels heare and a gyrdle of a skinne but sayd I am a voyce of a cryar My voyce onely pertaineth to you Those outward things which ye wonder at pertayne to my selfe onely vnto the taming of my bodye To you am I a voyce onely and that which I preach My preaching if it be receaued into a penitent or repenting hart shall teach you how to liue and please God according as God shall shed out his grace on euery man Iohn preached repentaunce saying prepare y ◠Lordes way and make his pathes straight The Lordes way is repentaunce and not hipocrisy of mans imagination inuention It is not possible y t the Lord Christ should come to a man except he know himselfe and his sinne truely repent Make his pathes straight the pathes are the lawe if thou vnderstād it a right as God hath geuen it Christ sayth in the xvij of Mat. Helias shall first come that is shall come before Christ and restore all things meaning of Iohn Baptist Iohn Baptist did restore the law and the Scripture vnto the right sence vnderstanding which the Pharises partly had darckned and made of none effect thorough their owne traditions Math. xv where Christ rebuketh them saying why transgresse ye the commaundementes of God thorough your traditions and partly had corrupt it with gloses and false interpretations that no mā could vnderstand it Wherefore Christ rebuketh them Mat. 23. saying wo be to you Pharises hipocrites which shut vp the kingdome of heauen before mē ye enter not your selues neither suffer them that come to enter in and partly did beguile the people and blinde their eyes in disguising themselues as thou readest in the same 23. chap. how they made broade and large Philacteries and did all their workes to be seene of men that the people should wonder at their disguisinges and visuring of themselues otherwise then God had made them and partly mocked them with hipocrisy of false holines in fasting praying and almes geuing Mat. 6. and this did they for lucre to be in authoritie to sitte in the consciences of people and to be counted as God him selfe that people shoulde trust in their holynes and not in God as thou readest in the place aboue rehearsed Mat. 23. wo be to you Pharises hipocrites which deuoure widowes houses vnder a colour of long prayer Counterfet therfore nothing without y t worde of God whē thou vnderstandest that it shall teach thee all thinges how to applie outwarde thinges and whereunto to referre them Beware of thy good entent good mynde good affection or zeale as they call it Peter of a good minde and of a good affection or zeale chidde Christ Math. 16. because he sayde that he must goe to Hierusalem and there be slayne But Christ called him Satan for his labour a name that belongeth to the deuil And sayde that he perceaued not godly thinges but worldly Of a good entent and of a feruēt affection to Christ the sonnes of Zededei would haue had fire to come downe from heauen to consume the Samaritans Luk. 9. But Christ rebuked them saying that they wist not of what sprite they were that is that they vnderstoode not how that they were altogether worldly fleshly mynded Peter smote Malchus of a good zeale but Christ condemned his deede The very Iewes of a good entēt and of a good zeale slew Christ and persecuted the Apostles as Paule beareth them recorde Rom. x. I beare them recorde sayth he that they haue a feruent mynde to Godward but not according to knowledge It is an other thing then to do of a good minde and to do of knowledge Labour for knowledge that thou mayest know Gods will and what he would haue thee to doe Our mynde entent and affection or zeale are blinde and all that we do of them is damned of god and for that cause hath God made a testament betwene him and vs wherin is cōteyned both what he would haue vs to do and what he would haue vs to aske of him See therefore that thou do nothing to please God withall but that he commaundeth neither aske any thing of him but that he hath promised thee The Iewes also as it appeareth Act. vij slew Steuē of a good zeale because he proued by the scripture that God dwelleth not in Churches or temples made wyth handes The Churches at the beginning were ordeyned that the people shoulde thether resorte to heare the word of God there preached onely and not for the vse wherein they now are The temple wherein God will be worshipped is the hart of man For God is a spirite sayth Christ Ioh. 4. and will be worshipped in y t spirite in truth that is when a penitent hart consenteth vnto the lawe of God and with a strong fayth lōgeth for the promises of God So is God honored on al sides in that we count him righteous in all his lawes and ordinaunces and also trust in all his promises Other worshipping of God is there none except we make an Idoll of him IT shal be recompensed thee at the rising agayne of the righteous Lu. xiiij Reade the text before and thou shalt perceaue that Christ doth here that same that he doth Math. v. that is he putteth vs in remembraunce of our dutie that we be to the poore as Christ is to vs and also teacheth vs how that we can neuer know whether our loue be right and whether it spring of Christ or no as long as we are but kinde to them onely which do as much for vs againe But and we be mercifull to the poore for conscience to God and of compassion and harty loue which compassion loue spring of the loue we haue to God in Christ for the pure mercy and loue that he hath shewed on vs then haue we a sure token that we are beloued of God and washed in Christes bloud and elect by Christes deseruing vnto eternall life The scripture speaketh as a father doth to his young sonne do this or that and then will I loue thee yet the father loueth his sonne first and studieth with all his power and witte to ouercome his childe with loue and with kindnes to make him do that which is comely honest and good for it selfe A kynde father and mother loue their children euen when they are euill that they would shed their bloud to make them better and to bring thē into the right way And a naturall childe studieth not to obtayne his fathers loue with workes but considereth with what loue his father loueth him with all
instance THat thou mayst perceyue how that y â— scripture ought to be in the mother tounge and that the reasons which our sprites make for the contrary are but sophistry and false wiles to feare thee from the light that thou mightest follow them blindfolde and be theyr captiue to honor theyr ceremonies and to offer to theyr belly First God gaue the children of Israell a law by the hande of Moses in their mother tounge and all the prophetes wrote in theyr mother tounge and all the Psalmes were in the mother tongue And there was Christ but figured and described in ceremonies in riddles in parables and in darck prophecies What is the cause that we may not haue the olde Testament with the new also which is the light of the olde and wherin is openly declared before the eyes that there was darckly prophesied I can imagine no cause verely except it be that we should not see the woorke of Antechrist iugglyng of hipocrites what shoulde be the cause that we which walke in the broad day should not see as well as they that walked in the night or that wee shoulde not see as well at noone as they did in y â— twylight Came Christ to make the world more blinde By this meanes Christ is the darknes of the world and noâ— the light as he saith him selfe Iohn 8. Moreouer Moses saith Deut. 6. Heare Israell let these wordes which I coÌ„maunde thee thys day sticke fast in thine hart whet theÌ„ on thy children talke of theÌ„ as thou sittest in thine house as thou walkest by the way when thou lyest downe when thou risest vp binde them for a token to thyne hand let them be a remembraunce betwene thine eyes write theÌ„ on the posâ—es gates of thine house This was commauÌ„ded generally vnto all men How cometh it that gods word pertaineth lesse vnto vs theÌ„ vnto the Yea howe commeth it that our Moysesses forbid vs and commaund vs the contrary threaten vs if we do will not that we once speake of Gods worde How can we whette Gods word that is to put it in practise vse exercise vpoÌ„ our children houshold wheÌ„ we are violently kepte from it and knowe it not How can we as Peter commaundeth geue a reason of our hope when we wot not what it is that God hath promised or what to hope Moyses also commaundeth in the sayd chapter If the sonne aske what the testimonies lawes and obseruaunces of the Lorde meane that the father teach him If our childreÌ„ aske what our cerimonies which are moe then the Iewes were meane no father can tell his sonne And in the xj chapter he repeteth all againe for feare of forgetting They will say happely the scripture requireth a pure minde and a quiet minde And therefore the lay man because he is altogether combred with worldly busines can not vnderstand them If that be the cause then it is a plaine case that our prelates vnderstand not the Scriptures them selues for no lay man is so tangled with worldly busines as they are The great thinges of the worlde are ministred by them neyther do the lay people any great thing but at their assignement If the Scripture were in the mother tongue they will say then would the lay people vnderstande it euery man after his owne wayes Wherfore serueth the Curate but to teach him the right way Wherfore were the holy dayes made but that the people shoulde come and learne Are yee not abhominable scholemaisters in that ye take so great wages if ye will not teach If ye would teach how could ye do it so well and with so great profite as when the lay people haue the scripture before them in theyr mother tongue for then should they see by the order of the text whether thou iugledest or not and then woulde they beleue it because it is y â— scripture of god thoughe thy liuyng be neuer so abhominable Where now because your liuing your preaching are so contrary and because they grope out in euery sermon your open and manifest lyes and smell your vnsatiable couetousnes they beleue you not when you preach truth But alas the Curates them selues for the most part wot no more what the new or olde Testament meaneth then do the Turkes neither know they of any more then that they read at masse mattens and euensong which yet they vnderstande not neyther care they but euen to mumble vp so much euery day as the Pye and Poymgay speake they wot not what to sill vp theyr bellies withall If they will not let the lay man haue the woorde of God in hys mother tounge yet let the priests haue it which for a great part of them do vnderstand no latine at all but sing and say and patter all day with the lips onely that which the hart vnderstandeth not Christ commaundeth to search the scriptures Iohn 5. Though that miracles bare recorde vnto hys doctrine yet desired he no fayth to be geuen eyther vnto hys doctrine or vnto hys miracles without recorde of the scripture When Paule preached Act. 17. the other searched the scriptures dayly whether they were as he alleaged them Why shal not I likewise see whether it be the scripture y â— thou alleagest yea why shall I not see the scripture and the circumstaunces and what goeth before and after that I may knowe whether thine interpretation be y â— right sence or whether thou iuglest and drawest the scripture violently vnto thy carnall and fleshlye purpose or whether thou be about to teache me or to disccaue me Christ sayth that there shall come false prophets in his name and say that they themselues are Christ that is they shall so preache christ that meÌ„ must beleue in theÌ„ in their holines and thinges of their imagination wtout gods word yea that agaynst Christ or Antechrist that shall come is nothyng but suche false prophetes that shall iuggle with the scripture and beguile the people with false interpretatioÌ„s as all the false prophetes scribes pharisies did in y t old TestameÌ„t How shall I know whether ye are agaynst Christ or fals prophetes or no seing ye will not let me see how ye alleage the scriptures Christ sayth By theyr deedes ye shall know them Now when we looke on your deeds we see that ye are all sworne together and haue seperated yourselues from the lay people and haue a seuerall kingdome amoÌ„g your selues and seuerall lawes of your owne making wherewith ye violently binde the lay people that neuer consented vnto the making of them A thousand thinges forbidde ye which Christ made free and dispence with them agayne for money neyther is there any exception at all but lacke of money Ye haue a secret counsell by your selues All other mens secretes counsels know ye and no man yours ye seek but honour riches promotion authoritie and to
for the deedes that pertayne vnto our neighbours and vnto the common wealth we haue not regarded at all as thynges which seemed no holy workes or such as God woulde not once looke vppon And therfore we left them vnsene to vntill they were past remedy or past our power to remedy thē in as much as our slowbellies with their false blessinges had iugled away from vs that wherwith they might haue bene holpen in due season So that y ◠silly poore man though he had haply no wisdome to expresse hys mynde or y t he durst not or y ◠M. More fashioneth his tale as he doth other mens to lest out the truth sawe that neither Goodwinsandes nor any other cause alleaged was the decay of Sandwich hauen so much as that the people had no lust to mainteyne the common wealth for blynde deuotion which they haue to popeholy workes ¶ The solutions and answeres vnto M. Mores first booke IN the first chapter to beginne the booke wythal to bring you good lucke and to geue you a say or a taste what truth shall follow he fayneth a letter sent from no man The second Chapter In the second chapter besides that it is vntrue this vse to haue bene euer since the tyme of the Apostles he maketh many sophisticall reasons about worshipping of saintes reliques and Images yet declareth not w t what maner worship but iuggleth with the terme in comune as he doth with this worde church and this worde fayth when the wordes haue diuers significations for all faithes are not one maner fayth and so forth and therefore he beguileth a mans vnderstanding As if a man sayd the boyes will was good to haue geuen his father a blow and an other woulde inferre that a good will coulde be no sinne and conclude that a man might lawfully smite hys father Now is good will taken in one sence in the maior and in an other in y ◠minor to vse schollers termes therfore the conclusion doth mocke a mās wit Then disputeth he the seruaunt is honoured for the masters sake and what is done to the poore is done to Christ as the popishe shall once feele for their so robbing them And the xii Apostles shall haue their seates sitte and iudge with Christ as shal all that here preach hym truely as they dyd and Mary that powred the ointment on Christes head before hys passion hath her memoriall and therefore we ought to set candles before Images First I aske hym by what rule hys argument holdeth And secondarily I answere that the true worshipping of Saintes is their memoriall to follow them as they did Christ And that honour we geue them and so do not ye papists but folow the steppes of your father the Pope as he doth the steppes of his father the deuill And as for sticking vp of candles I aunswere that God is a spirite and in the spirit must be worshipped only Faith to his promises and loue to his lawes and longing for the life that is in his sonne are his due honour and seruice All bodyly seruice must be referred vnto our selues and not vnto the person of God immediatly All outwarde thynges which we receaue of God are geuē vs. to take our partes with thankes and to bestow the rest vppon our neyghbours For God vseth no such thynges in his owne person but created thē for to gene thē vs that we shoulde thanke hym and not to receaue them of vs to thanke vs for that were our praise and not his Fasting watching wolward goyng pilgrimage and all bodely exercise must be referred vnto y t taming of the fleshe onely For as god deliteth not in y ◠tast of meat drinke or in the sight of golde or siluer no more doth he in my fast and such like that I should referre them vnto hys person to do him a pleasure withall For God in himselfe is as good as he can be hath all the delectation that he cā haue And the refore to wish that God were better then be is or had more pleasure then he hath is of a worldly imagination And all the spirites that be in heauē are in as good case as they can be and haue all the delectation they can haue and therefore to wishe them in better case or to studie to do them more pleasure then they haue is fleshly mynded popishnes The pleasure of them that be in heauen is that we harken to god and keepe his commaundementes which when we do they haue all the pleasure that they can haue in vs. If in this life I suffer hell gladly to win my brother to folow God how much more if I were in heauen should I reioyce that he so did If in thys worlde when I haue neede of my neighbour by the reason of myne infirmities yet I seke nought of him saue his wealth onely what other thing should I seke of hym if I were in heauen where he can do me no seruice nor I vse any pleasure that he can do me THe deuill desired to haue his imaginations worshipped as God his popishe children desire the same compell men so to honour them and of their deuelishe nature describe they both God and his Saintes And therfore I say all such fleshly imaginations as to fast the wensday in the worship of S. Iohn or of S. Katerine or what Saint it be or to fast Sayntes eues or to go a pilgrimage vnto their images or to offer to them to do them pleasure thinkyng therby to obteyne their fauour and to make special adnocates of them as a man would winne the fauour of an other with presentes and giftes and thinking that if we did it not they would be angry are playne Idolatry image seruice for the saint deliteth in no such And when thou stickest vp a candle before the image thou mightest with as good reason make an holow bely in the image and powre in meate and drincke For as the Saint neither eateth nor drinketh so hath he no bodyly eyes to delyte in the light of a candle An other is this God geueth not the promises that are in Christ for bodyly seruice but of his mercy onely vn to his owne glorie Yea and of the fathers goodnesse do all naturall childrē receaue Aske a litle boy who gaue him his gay coate he aūswereth his father Aske him why and he annswereth because he is his father and loueth hym and because he is his sonne Aske hym whether his father loue hym and he sayth yea Aske him how he knoweth it and he sayth because he geueth me this or that Aske him whether he loue his father he sayth yea Aske him why he sayth for his father loueth hym and geueth him all thing Aske him why he worketh he aunswereth his father wil so haue it Aske him why his father geneth not such and such boyes coates to Nay saith he they be not
vse of the Masse to ours and see whether the Masse be not become the most damnable Idolatrie image seruice that euer was in the world We neuer reconcile our selues vnto our brethren which we haue offended we receaue vnto our Masse open sinners the couetous the extorcioners the adulter the backbiter the common whore and the whore keper whiche haue no part in Christ by y t Scripture ye such are suffred to say the Masse as the vse is now to speake ye such are we coÌ„pelled with the sword to take for our pastors and Curates of our soules and not so hardy to rebuke them Neither do they repeut and confesse their sinnes and promise amendement or submit them selues to holesome iniunctioÌ„s for the aduoyding of such sinnes and tamyng of their flesh We say Confiteor and knowledge our selues to be sinners in Latin but neuer repent in English The Priest prayeth in Latin and saith euermore a still Masse as we say For though he sing and streine his throate to cry â—onde vnto them that be by him yet as long as no man woteth what he prayeth or whether he blesse or curse he is doute and spechles And so in that part we abide frutelesse and vntaught how to pray vnto God And the Gospell is song or sayd in Latine onely and no preachyng of repentauÌ„ce toward the law fayth toward Christ had And therfore abide we euer faythles and without studieng to ameÌ„d our liuinges And of the ceremonies of the Masse we haue no other imagination then that they be an holy seruice vnto God which he receaueth of our hands and hath great delectation in them and that we purchase great fauour of God with them as we do of great men here in the world with giftes and preseÌ„tes In so much that if y â— Priest sayd Masse without those vestimentes or left the other ceremonies vndone we should all quake for feare thinke that there were a sinne coÌ„mitted inough to sinke vs all and that the priest for his labour were worthy to be put in the Popes purgatory there to be brent to ashes And of the very Sacrament it selfe we know no other thyng then that we come thether to see an vnseable miracle which they affirme the aungels in heauen haue no power to do Sed solis Presbyteris quibus sic congruit vt sumaÌ„t nec dent caeteris how that bread is turned into the body and wine into the bloud of Christ to mocke our seyng sinellyng feelyng and tasting which is a very strong fayth and more a great deale I thinke then the text compelleth a man to Neuerthelesse it were somewhat yet if they had bene as lonyng kinde carefull and diligent to teach the people to repent and to beleue in the bloud of Christ for the forgeuenes of their sinnes vnto the glory of the mercy of God of his excedyng loue to vs and vnto the profite of our soules vpon that preachyng to haue ministred the Sacrament as a memoriall remembraunce signe token earnest the seale of an obligatioÌ„ and clappyng of handes together for the assuraunce of the promise of God to quiet stablish and certifie our conscieÌ„ces and to put vs out of all waueryng doubt that our sinnes were forgeuen vs and God become our father at one with vs for which cause onely Christ ordeined it as they were zelous and feruent to mainteine the opinion of so turning bread and wine into the body bloud of Christ that it ceaseth to be bread and wine in nature vnto their owne glory and profite without helpe of Scripture but with sutle Argumentes of sophistrie and with crafty wiles First with taking away halfe the sacrameÌ„t lest if the people should haue dronke the bloud of Christ they should haue smelled the sauour and felte the tast of wine and so haue bene to weake to beleue that there had bene no wine And secondarily when they durst not robbe the people of all the Sacrament they yet tooke away common bread and imagined maunchetes which may not be handled and in sight haue no similitude of bread and in eatyng very litle â—ast if there be any at all And thyrdly whom they could not catch with those craftes against him they disputed with the sword For when they had taken away the signification and very intent of the Sacrament to stablish the eare confession their merites deseruynges iustifieng of workes and like inueÌ„tion vnto their own glory and profit what had the SacrameÌ„t bene if they had not made of that opinion an article of the fayth But now when they haue destroyed for the nonce that fayth which profited and haue set vp with wiles sutiltie falsehead guile and with violeÌ„ce that fayth which profiteth not we haue good cause to iudge and examine the doctrine of the spirites whether it be grounded vpon Gods word or no. But I aske wherfore we beleue that Christes body and his bloud is there preseÌ„t verely as many heades as many wittes euery man hath his meaning We take paynes to come thether to see straunge holy gestures wherof say they to their shame who knoweth the meanyng ye or of the other disguising and to heare strauÌ„ge holy voyces wherof say I also that no man knoweth the vnderstanding and to looke vppon the Sacrament and all to obteine worldly thinges for that seruice Why may not a man desire worldly thinges of God Yes we ought to aske of God onely sufficiency of all worldly things as we do spirituall thinges yet not for bodily seruice when God is a spirite but for the goodnesse and mercy of our father and for the truth of his promise and deseruinges of his sonne And so when we do men bodily seruice we ought to looke for our wages of God lest if hee moue not the hartes of our masters we be shrewdly payed like wise when we lende or bargen we ought to desire God for payment lest through our negligence he forget vs the appointementes be not truly kept Some there be yet that aske heauen but for bodyly seruice whiche is lyke abhomination But who commeth thether with repentaunce and faith for to obtaine forgeuenesse of his sinnes and with purpose to walke in the life of penauÌ„ce for the taming of the flesh that he sinne no more and to stablish his hart in that purpose and to arme his soule agaynst all that moue to the contrary and wheÌ„ he goeth home is certified in hys coÌ„science through that signe and token that his sinnes are forgeuen him as Noe was certified by the signe of the rayne bow that the world should no more be ouerrunne with water and as Abraham was certified by the signe of CircumcisioÌ„ that God would fulfill to him and his ofspring all the mercies that he had promised and as Abraham Genesis xv when he asked a signe to be sure that he should possesse that land of Canaan was certified through the signe that God gaue
y t very sonne of God is that not auaylable belyke Rastell coūteth nothing auailable but that which iustifieth before God he will say the sonne is not auaylable because it iustifieth not fire is not auaylable in his eyes bycause it iustifieth not c. Then Rastell sayth that I make a wonders worke with y t Scripture alledgeth certaine textes y t we ought to do good workes which I neuer denyed and thereupon would conclude that woorkes saue and iustifie and playeth me the ball lustly ouer the corde but as God would there stode a post right in the way and he hytte it so full that it made the ball to reboūd ouer agayne backward for in the alledgyng of his purpose Paule sayth Ephe. 2. he hath cleane lost the game the wordes are these by grace you be saued by your fayth and that is not of you it is the gift of God and not of woorkes that no man should glorifie hym selfe we are the workes created of God in Christ Iesu whiche God hath prepared that we should walke in them here because he would haue the latter ende of the text to serue for hys purpose whiche teacheth good workes which I neuer denyed hée bryngeth in that thyng whiche cleane confuteth his opiniō for his opinion which in all places he hath laboured to proue is that we are saued by good workes but now marke what he alledgeth out of Paule by grace you be saued by your fayth and that is not of you it is the gift of God and not of workes For that no man should glorifie him selfe here Paule saith plainly that our saluatiō is not of workes and so hath Rastell cast down that he built before and may be likened to a shrewde cowe whiche when she hath geuen a large messe of milke turneth it downe with her hele Thus haue I aunswered to as much of Rastels treatise as I could get if there be any more whiche may come to my handes I shall do my diligence to disclose hys disceite so that God geue me leaue to kéepe the court with hym he shall wynne but litle except he conuey his balles more craftly and yet the truth to say we play not on euen hand for I am in a maner as a man bound to a post and can not so well bestow me in my play as as if I were at libertie for I may not haue such bookes as are necessary for me neither yet penne inke ne paper but onely secretly so that I am in continuall feare both of the Lefetenaūt and of my kéeper lest they should espy any such thyng by me and therfore it is litle meruell though the woorke be vnperfite for when soeuer I heare the keyes ryng at the doore strayte all much be cōueyed out of the way and then if any notable thyng had bene in my mynde it was cleane lost therfore I besech thée good reader count it as a thyng borne out of season which for many causes can not haue his perfeite forme and shape and pardon me my rudenes and imperfection ¶ FINIS Iohn Frithes iudgement vpon master William Tracyes Testament 1531. ¶ Iohn Frith to the Christian Reader THere is nothyng in this world that is so firme stable or godly but that it may be vndermined and frowardlye wrested of mē and specially if they be voyd of charitie As it is euident by William Tracyes Testamēt and last will that he left agaynst the which many men and that of long continuaunce haue blasphemously barked Whether of a godly zeale or of a dasing brayne let other mē iudge But this I dare boldly professe that his godly sayinges are vngodly hād led which thyng I can not so iustly ascribe vnto ignoraunce as vnto rancour vnto the furies I had almost sayd for if they had conferred all things vnto the rule of charitie which enuyeth not whiche is not puffed vp whiche is not styrred to vengeaunce which thinketh none euill but suffereth all things beleueth all thyngs trusteth all things and beareth all thyngs they would not so heddely haue cōdēned those thynges whiche might haue bene full deuoutly expounded howbeit they haue not onely attēpted that thyng but haue proceeded vnto such madnes that they haue taken vppon them to stryue with dead folkes for it is a most common iest in euery mās mouth that after the maker of this Testament was departed and buryed they tooke vp hys body and burnt it which thing declared their furye although he felt no fire Therfore we hūbly require our most redoubted Prince withall his nobles present assembly that euen as all other thyngs do of right depende of their iudgement that euen so they would by their discret aduise cure this disease ponderyng all thynges with a more equall ballaunce So shall this enormous facte be looked vppon with worthy correction and the condition of the common wealth shal be more quyet marke you therefore what thynges they are which they so cruelly condemne Master Tracie IN the name of God Amen I William Tracie of Todyngton in the Countie of Gloceter Esquier make my Testamēt and last will as hereafter foloweth c. The rest of whiche Testament you shall fynde before in the woorkes of William Tyndall fol. 429. Iohn Frith IT is maruell but here be somwhat that they improue for their mynde is so intoxicate that there is nothyng but they will note it with a blacke coale and yet all may be established by the testimony of Scripture for fayth is the sure persuasion of our mynde of God and hys goodnesse towardes vs. And wheras is a sure persuasion of the mynde there can be no doubtyng or mistrust for he that douteth is like the floude of the sea which is tossed with wyndes caried with violence and let not that man thinke that he shal obtaine any thing of God Ia. i. And therfore S. Austen sayth if I doubt I shal be no holy séede furthermore wheras he looketh through the grace and merites of Christ to obtaine remission of his sinnes surely it is a faythful saying and worthy to be cōmended for it is euen the same that Peter professed Actes xv where hee sayth vnto hym do all the Prophetes beare witnes that through his name as many as beleue in hym shall receiue remissiō of their sinnes moreouer in that he trusteth through Christ to haue resurrectiō of body and soule they haue no cause to blame hym for thus doth Paule argue if Christ be risen then shall we also ryse and if Christ be not risen then shall not we rise but Christ is risen for his soule was not lest in hell therfore shall we also rise whō Christ shall bryng with hym and be immortall both body soule 1. Cor. 15. And therfore he doth both righteously and godly deduce his resurrectiō by Christes by whom the father hath geuē vs all thinges or els we should not be but there are some that gather of his woordes that hee
ye haue as it appeareth vnto you the euident wordes of Christ and therefore consiste in the barke of the letter yet are we compelled by conferring of the scriptures together within the letter to searche out the mynde of our Sauiour which spake the wordes And we say thirdly that we do it not of an obstinate mynde For he that defendeth a cause obstinately whether it be true or false is euer to be reprehended But we do it to satisfie our coÌ„scieÌ„ces which are coÌ„pelled by other places of Scripture reasons and Doctours so to iudge of it And euen so ought you to iudge of your partie and to defende your sentence not of obstinacie but by y e reason of Scriptures which cause you so to take it And so ought nether partie to dispise other for eche séeketh the glory of God and the true vnderstaÌ„ding of the Scripture This was the foundation of my first treatise that he hath left vnshakeÌ„ which is a great argumeÌ„t y â— it is very true For els hys pregnant wit could not haue passed it so cleane ouer but would haue assayled it with some sophisticall cauillation which by hys painted poetrie he might so haue coulered that at the lest he might make y e ignoraunt some appearance of truth as he hath done agaynst the residue of my first treatise which neuerthelesse is true and shall so be proued And first that it is none article of our fayth necessary to be beleued vnder payne of damnation may thus bee further confirmed The same fayth shall saue vs whiche saued the olde fathers before Christes incarnation But they were not bounde vnder payne of damnation to beleeue this pointe therefore it shall followe that we are not bounde therto vnder the payne of damnation The firste part of myne argument is proued by S. Agustine ad DurdamuÌ„ And I dare boldly say almost in an C. places For I thinke there be no propositioÌ„ which he doth more ofteÌ„ inculcate theÌ„ this y â— the same fayth saued vs which saued our fathers The second part is manifest that it néedeth no probation For how coulde they beleue y e thyng which was neuer saide nor done and without the word they could haue no fayth vppon the truth of these two parties must the conclusion nedes folow Notwithstanding they all dyd eate Christes bodye and dranke hys bloud spiritually although they â—ad hym not present to their téeth And by y e spirituall eating which is the fayth in his body and bloud were saued as well as we are For as soone as our forefather Adam had transgressed Gods precept and was fallen vnder condemnation our most mercyfull father of hys gracious fauour gaue hym the promise of health and comfort whereby as many as beleued it were saued from the thrauldome of their transgression the worde promise was this I shal put enmitie betwene thée and the woman betwene thy séede and her séede that séede shall treade thée on the head and thou shalt treade it on the hele In thys promise they had knowledge that Christe should become the séede or sonne of a woman and that he shoulde destroye the deuill with all his power and deliuer his faythfull from their sinnes And where he sayde that the deuyll should treade it on the hele they vnderstoode right well that the deuyll should finde the meanes by his wyles and wicked ministers to put Christ to death And they knew that God was true and would fulfill hys promise vnto them and hartely longed after this séede and so did both eate his body and drinke his bloud knowledging wyth infinite thankes that Christ should for their sinnes take y â— perfect nature of maÌ„hode vppon him and also suffer the death This promise was geuen to Adam and saued as many as did beleue and were thaÌ„k full to God for hys kyndnes and after it was established vnto our father Abraham by the word of God which sayde In thy séede shall all nacions of the earth be blessed And with hym God made a couenant that he would be his God and do him good And Abraham agayne promised to kéepe his preceptes and walke in his wayes Then God gaue him the sacrament of circumcision and called that his couenaunt which thing notwithstanding was not the very couenaunt in déede although it were so called But was onely a signe token â—acrament or memoryall of the couenaunt that was betwene God and hym which might expounde our matter if men had eyes to sée After that God promised him a sonne wheÌ„ his wife was past childe bearing and he also very olde Neuerthelesse he doubted not of Gods worde But surely beleued that he which promised it was able to performe it And that was recounted vnto hym for righteousnes This Abraham did both eate his body and drinke hys bloud through fayth beleuing verely that Christ should take our nature spring out of his séede as touching his fleshe and also that he shoulde suffer death to redéeme vs. And as Christe testifieth he hartely desired to sée the day of Christ And he sawe it and reioysed he sawe it in fayth and had the day of Christ that is to say all those thinges that shoulde chaunce hym playnely reuelated vnto him albeit he were dead many huÌ„dred yeares before it were actually fulfilled and reuelated vnto y e world And by that fayth was he saued and yet neuer did eate his fleshe with his téeth nor neuer beleued that bread shoulde be his bodye and wyne hys bloud And therfore sith he was also saued without that fayth and y e same fayth shall saue vs which saued hym I thinke that we shall also be saued if we eate him spiritually as he dyd although wee neuer beleue that the bread is his body Furthermore that mercifull Moses whiche brought the children of Israell out of Egypt into the wildernes obtayned of God by prayers both Manna from heaueÌ„ to féede his people and also water out of the stone to refreshe and comfort theÌ„ This Manna and water were euen the same thyng vnto them that the bread and wyne is to vs. For Saint Austen sayeth Quicunque in manna Christum intellexerunt eundem quem nos cibum spiritualem manducauerunt Quicunque autem de maÌ„na solam saturitatemquè sinerunt manducabant mortui sunt Sic etiam eundeÌ„ potuÌ„ petra enim erat christus That is to say as many as in that manna vnderstoode Christ did eate that same spirituall meate that we doe but as many as fought onely to fill their bellies of that manna the fathers of the vnfaythfull did eate and are dead And likewise y â— same drinke for the stone was Christ Here may you gather of S. Austen that the Manna was vnto them as y e bread is to vs and likewise that the water was to them as the wyne is to vs whiche anone shall appeare more playnly S. Austen sayth further
very face in the glasse And euen so though the Sacrament doe represent the body of Christ yet the substaunce of the Sacrament is not hys very body no more then the glasse is my face neither is his very body in y e Sacrament no more then my very face is in the glasse and thus this exāple maketh well for vs. And for that one word comming whole to an hundreth eares I say that worde is but a sounde and a qualitie and not a substaunce and therfore it is nothyng to our purpose and can not be likened to Christs body which is a substaūce And as concernyng the sight of the litle eye I say that though the eye discry and sée an whole countrey yet is not that whole coūtrey in the eye but as the countrey is knowen by y e sight of eye though the countrey be not in it so is the death of Christ and hys bodye breakyng and bloude shedyng knowen by the Sacrament though his naturall body be not in it And thus his exāples make nothyng with hym but rather much agaynst hym And where hee sayth that the young man hym selfe can geue hym no reasō by what meane they may be done I may say vnto hys mastershyp that whē I was seuen yeare yonger then I am this day I would haue bene ashamed if I could not haue geuen an euident reason at the Austens in Oxford before y e whole Vniuersitie And albeit I now vouchsafe not to spend labour and paper about Aristotles doctrine yet haue I so much touched hys examples that he may be werye of them Also I can not see why it shoulde be more repugnaunt that one body may be by the power of God in two places at once then that two bodyes may bee together in one place at once And that poynte I thinke this young mā denieth not The beyng of our body in two places at once is against nature Scripture cā not alow it But that two bodyes should bee in one place séemeth more reasonable For I haue good experience that though my body cā not be in two places at once both in the Tower and where I would haue it beside yet blessed be God in this one place I am not without cōpany But if M. More meane that in one proper and seueral place may be two bodies at once that I will deny till he haue laysure to proue it And yet at the length I am sure his proue shall not be worth a poodyng pricke For I am sure it must bee Ratione porositatis vt in igne ferro nam penetrationem dimensionum nunq probabit And then he is as neare as he was before Now his last reason with whiche he proueth it impossible for the body of Christ to bee in two places at once is this you cā sayth he shew no reason why he should be in many places at once not in all But in all places he can not be Wherefore we must conclude that he can not be in many places at once This is a maruelous concluded argument I am sure that euery childe may soone see that this consequēt cā neuer folow vpon these two premisses of this antecedent When I made this reason compiled my treatise I had no regard to the cauillations of sutle Sophisters for I thought no Sophisters should haue medled with that meate But neuerthelesse sith nowe I perceiue that they principally are pouryng on it séekyng some pray to set their teeth a woorke In this booke I haue somewhat prouided for them and haue brought such hard bones that if they be to busie may chaunce to choke thē And yet is not the Argument so feble as he fayneth For the first part if he lyst to consider the sense and mynde and bee not to curious where I say that they can shew no reason why hée should bee in many places and not in all is thus to be vnderstand of wyse men that the very reason and cause that he shold be in many places must be because y ◠body is so annexed with the Godhead that it is in euery place as the Godhead is This I say must be the cause and reason of his beyng in many places And neither you nor no man els can iustly assigne any other Now of this maior or first proposition thus vnderstand doth the cōclusion folowe directly For if this should be y e cause as they must nedes graunt And this cause proued false by Scripture then must they néedes graunt that the thyng whiche so foloweth of this cause must néedes be false And so is my purpose proued they concluded As by example the Astronomers say that the naturall course of the Sunne is frō the weast to the East Now if a mā should aske them what is then the cause that we sée hym dayly take the cōtrary course from the East to the Weast agaynst hys nature they aunswere Because the hyghest sphere whose course is from the East to the Weast with his swift mouyng doth violently drawe the inferior spheres with hym This is the cause that they alleage and no man can assigne any other And now sith I cā proue this sense false by scripture And S. Austen for Scripture sayth that y e sphere is fastened Hebr. viij chap. And S. Austen expoundyng that text improueth the Astronomers whiche affirme that it moueth sith I say this cause is proued false by scripture they must néedes graūt that the thyng whiche foloweth of this cause must néedes be false And so we may conclude against them all that the naturall course of the Sunne is not frō the Weast to the East as the Astronomers say But contrary from the East to the West And lykewise sith the cause that Christes body should be in many places is assigned of learned men to be because hys body is so annexed with the Godhead which is in euery place that it is also in all places with it no man can assigne any other And that this cause is proued false by Scripture for when the women sought Christ at his graue an aungell gaue the aunswere that hée was not there But if his body had bene in euery place then the aungell lyed Also Christ sayd vnto his Disciples of Lazarus which died at Bethania Lazarus is dead And I am glad for your sakes that you may beleue because I was not there Now if hys body were in euery place as is the Godhead then Christ sayd not truly when he said he was not there Therfore sith as I sayd this is the cause assigned yet proued false by Scripture they must néedes graūt that the thyng whiche foloweth of this cause must also néedes be false And so we may cōclude against thē all y e Christs body is in one place onely And now you may sée how my consequent foloweth the premisses For he can no further conclude but that we can shewe no
draught But this meate y t I here receaue is spirituall meate receaued with fayth norisheth vs euerlastyngly both body soule neuer entreth into the draught And euē as before the outwarde eyen doe sée the bread yet the outward eyen doe not regarde that or thinke vpō it So likewise the outward man digesteth the bread casteth it into the draught And yet the inward man doth not regarde that nor thinke vppon it But thinketh on the thyng it selfe that is signified by that bread And therfore sayd Chrisostome euen a litle before the wordes whiche they here alleaged lift vp your minde hartes sayd hée whereby hée monisheth vs to looke vppon and consider those heauenly thinges which are represented and signified by the bread and wyne not to marke the bread and wyne in it selfe Here they will say vnto me that it is not Chrisostomes mynde for by his example hée playnly shewith that there remaneth no bread nor wyne that I deny For the example in this place proueth no more but y t ye shall not think on y t bread wine no more then if they were not there but onely on that thyng whiche is signified by them And that ye may euidently perceiue by the wordes folowyng where hée saith thinke that the misteries are cōsumed by the substance of the body Nowe whether Chrisostome thought that there remained bread or no both wayes shall our purpose bée proued First if hée thought there remained still bread and wyne then we haue our purpose Now if he thought that the bread wyne remayned not but were chaūged then are the bread and wyne neither mysteries nor Sacramentes of the body and bloud of Christ For that that is not can neither bée mystery nor Sacrament Finally if hée speake of y e outward appearaunce of bread then we know that that remaineth still is not consumed by the substaunce of the body And therfore hée must néedes bée vnderstanded as I take him I thinke many men wonder how I can dye in this article seyng that it is no necessary article of our fayth for I graunt that neyther parte is an article necessary to bée beléeued vnder payne of damnation but leaue it as a thyng indifferent to thynke therein as God shall instill in euery mans mynde and that neyther parte condemne other for this matter but receiue eche other in brotherly loue reseruing eche others infirmitie to god The cause of my death is thys because I can not in conscience abiure and sweare that our Prelates opinion of the sacrament that is that the substaunce of bread and wine is verely chaunged into the fleshe and bloud of our sauiour Iesus Christ is an vndoubted article of the fayth necessary to bée beléeued vnder payne of damnation Now though this opinion were indéede true which thing they can neither proue true by scripture nor doctours yet coulde I not in conscience graunt that it shoulde bée an article of the fayth necessary to bée beléeued c. For there are many verities which yet may bée no such articles of our fayth It is true that I lay in yrons when I wrote this howbeit I would not haue you to receaue thys truth for an article of our fayth For you may thinke the contrary without all ieopardy of damnation ¶ The cause why I can not beleeue their opinion of transmutation is this 1 FIrst because I thinke verely that it is false and can neither hée proued by scripture nor faythfull doctours if they bée well pondered 2 The second cause is thys because I will not bynde the congregation of Christ by mine example to admitte any necessarye Article beside oure Creede and specially none such as can not bée prooued true by Scripture And I say that the Church as they caule it can not compell vs to receaue any such articles to bée of necessitie vnder payne of damnation 3 The thirde cause is because I dare not bée so presumptuous in entering into Gods iudgement as to make the prelates in this pointe a necessary article of our fayth For then I should damnably condemne all the Germanes Almaines with infinite moe which in déede doe not beléeue nor thinke that the substaūce of bread and wine is chaunged into the substaūce of Christes naturall body And surely I can not bée so foolishe hardy as to condemne such an infinite number for our prelates pleasures Thus all the Germaynes and Almaynes both of Luthers side and also of Oecolampadius doe wholy approue my matter And surely I thinke there is no man that hath a pure conscience but hée will thinke that I dye righteously For that this transubstantiation should bée a necessary article of the faith I thinke no man can say it with a good conscience although it were true in déede By me Iohn Frith An exact and diligent Table wherby you may readely turne to any speciall matter that is contained in all Iohn Frithes bookes 1572. A. ABraham 20 Abrahames bosome what it signified 55 Abraham by faith dyd eate Christes bodye and drinke Christes bloud 109 Ambrose opinion of Purgatory 52 Antithesis betweene Christ and the Pope 97 Argumentes to proue that Christes naturall body is not in the Sacrament 142 Articles of our faith are to bee beleeued vpon payne of damnation 111 Articles of our fayth are as many as are necessary for our saluation 145 Augustine beyng 400. yeares after Christ doubted of Purgatory 32 Augustines opinion of purgatory 52 B. BAptisme defined what it is 92 Baptisme is the founteine of our new byrth 94 Bishopricke in the primatiue church was a charge and not a Lordshyp 116 Blasphemie to saye that Christes bloud is not the full remission of our sinnes 11 Blessyng what it is 154 Bookes of the Machabees are not Canonicall 37 Bookes agaynst Rastall 60 Boasting that is modest is commendable 64 Body of Christe eaten by our fathers and his bloud dronke 109 Body of Christ is no more in the Sacrament thē a mans face in the glasse 146 Brethren is an auncient name in the holy Scripture 114 Bread and wyne remayne in the Sacrament 117 Bread why it is called our body 160 C. CAuse of our blyndnes and grosse errours 3 Causes why the Sacramentes were first instituted 112 Ceremonies of some sortes are guydes vnto the knowledge of God 95 Christ onely hath satisfied for our sinnes 14. 15 Christes merites putteth out the fier of Purgatory 14. 17. 18 Christ is our Aduocate 17 Christes sacrifice onely taketh away sinne 17. 38 Christ onely is our head 43 Christes death hath ouercōmed our death 55 Christ was meeke and gentle 57 Christ onely is the meane to put away our sinnes 73 Christes bloud is the strength of our Baptisme 94 Christ and the Pope compared togither 97. 98. 99. 100. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106 Christ is not to bee eatē carnally but spiritually 118. 119 Christes wordes are spirituall and not carnall 124 Christe gaue
he will perchaunce thinke that the lay people of all estates may well and iustly say farewell the one wyth the other and no maruayll for they haue not bene all the children of one father that haue bene in counsels as they haue not bene all sheepe that haue gone in sheepes clothing and oft times the greater part ouercommeth the better Which things gathered by experience and by reading causeth me oftentimes to wishe that they which would be counted sinceere and true ministers of the Gospell eyther might and would cleane abstayne from such counselles that they haue no part in them or els that they would geue no more place to the fruites of infidelitie I meane mans inuentions and carnall interpretations which the fayth in Christ neuer begatte then S. Paule gaue to Peter hys colleague when he left the table of the Gentiles and went to the Iewes which facte of Peter in my iudgement Paule might more conueniently haue approued seeing Peter did it to the entent he would not offeÌ„d his weake brethren the Iewes wyth hys eating then the true and sincere ministers of Christ in the Gospell may winke at many thinges vsed in these dayes among the disciples of the Gospell much lesse may they approue theÌ„ with the fashion of theyr own liuing and confirme them with the auctoritye of a Counsell and with preching they say it is not time to speake against theÌ„ yet is it time to leaue them and no longer to seeme to allow them vnlesse they entend alwayes to walk in them Had the author of this booke looked after a time as some do he had not written against Purgatorye when he did I feare me some maintaine blindnes more with theyr simulation then they open the lyght with theyr preaching But this haue I spoken good Reader besides my purpose which was none other then to admonish the that although Rochester More and Rastell haue all three as thou perceiuest by reading thys former treatise stiffely defended one heresie yet shouldest thou not haue of all three one iudgement or opinion More and Rochester were men of high dignitie in thys worlde the one a Byshop the other Chauncelor of this noble realme of England both auncient in yeares of so great wit and so singular erudition in all kinde of learning esteemed as well of themselues as of many other that no two lyke might in all this land be found it was thought that for theyr dignity no man durst for theyr yeares witte and learning no man was hable to gayâ—â—ayt them wherfore they were perswâ—…d to be the most meete of all other to â—ake in hand the defence of the terrible paynes of purgatory eyther the very â—ouÌ„datioÌ„ or els the chief building seâ— vpoÌ„ y t fouÌ„datioÌ„ of y e church of Rome Rastell had nothing coÌ„mon w t them But onely many yeares and a witte sophisticall which he called naturall reason As appartayning to Gods worde he acknowledged himselfe ignoraunt therof notwtstanding he had such opinion of his witte that he thought he could as well proue purgatory by it as the other two had done by the scriptures wherin I thinke he was not deceiued And as these three persons were not like so tooke they the aunswer made to them not a like More and Rochester thought foule scorne see what the glory of this world and high estimation of our selues doth that a yong man of small reputation shoulde take vppon him so cleane contrary to theyr opinion to write against them and to be short tooke the matter so greuouslye that they could neuer be at quiet in theyr stomackes vntill they had dronken his bloud Rastell though he perceaued his naturall reason to be sore sayd to yet was he not malicious as the other were and therfore wrote he agayne Which worke of Rastell came to his handes when he was prisoner in the Tower of London where he made the aunswere following to the same which aunswer after Rastel had read he was well content to count his naturall reason foolishnes and wyth harty thankes geuen to God became a childe againe and sucked of the wisedome which commeth from aboue and saueth all that be norished therewith In the which he continued to his liues end with the honor and glory of God To whome be prayse for euer Amen ¶ Here foloweth the Preface of this booke BRother Rastell I thaÌ„ke you that it hath pleased you to be so fauourable vnto me a poore prisoner as to shew me a copie of your booke whiche you haue written to confute my reasons and Scripture that I haue alledged agaynst Purgatory for that hath caused me to make a subsidie defeÌ„ce and bulwarke to my booke whiche by Gods grace shal be an occasion to open more light although not to you yet at the lestwise vnto them whose hartes the prince of this world hath not blinded but that the light of the Gospell and glorie of Christ may shyne in them And where as you write and protest that you will bryng no Scripture agaynst me But onely rehearse my Scripture agayne which I haue alledged vnperfeitly and wouÌ„de me with myne owne dartes and will but euen do as one that playeth at tennes with an other tossing the balle agayne I doe verye well admitte your similitude Notwithstanding you know right well that it is not inough for a man playing at tennes to tosse the balle agayne but he must so tosse it that the other take it not For if the other smite it ouer agayne then is the game in as great ieoberdy as it was before besides that hee must take heede that he neither smite to short of the line not yet vnder for then it is a losse and he had bene better to let it goe And finally sometyme a man smiteth ouer and thynketh all won and yet an vngracious post standeth in the way and maketh the ball to rebounde backe againe ouer the corde so loseth the game And that wil anger a man and I assartayne you that ye haue tossed neuer a ball but ye offende in one of these pointes yet besides that some tyme ye playe a touche of legerdemayne and cast me a ball which wheÌ„ it commeth I perceaue to be none of mine and all the court shall iudge the same These poyntes shal be declared when we come to them and now I will aunswere in order IN your Prologue you assigned two causes of the making of your first booke of purgatory with out allegyng any textes of scripture for y e profe therof which are the controuersie of two sortes of people One sorte you say be those that beleue not in Christ but deny Christ and his Scripture as bee the Turkes Paynimes and such other miscreauntes An other sort be they that beleue in Christ his scripture nor wil deny no text of holy scripture but yet they will construe expounde and interprete these texts after theyr owne willes and obstinate mynde c.
Now let vs consider your foresayd causes ponder whether your booke haue or may do any such good as you say pretended whether it haue conuerted those sortes of people or els be any thyng lykely to do such a fact And first let vs sée what it profiteth y t first sort which are infidels not beleuyng in Christ nor his scripture Our sauiour Christ sayth he that beleueth is not damned Iohn Baptist confirmeth the same saying he that beleueth in y e sonne hath euerlastyng lyfe but he that beleueth not in the sonne shal not sée life but the wrath of God abydeth vpon hym Here it is euidēt not by my exposition but by the consent of all Christen men that those infidels are damned for what entent then should Rastell teach them that there is a Purgatory without Christ ther is no way but dānation as scripture all faythfull men testifie Then would I know by what way he wold persuade that there were a Purgatory which should be away a meane to saluation and not to damnatiō for thē which beleue not in Christ This I am sure of and I thinke Rastell be leueth it also that the infideles shall neuer come in it though there were one This you may sée that his first cause is very vayne and that if they dyd beleue it they were in déede deceyued Now let vs procéede vnto the second sort of people which beleue in Christ and his scripture and yet misconstrue it expoundyng it after theyr own willes And let vs sée what frute they take of this booke what it profiteth them we shall finde that it lesse serueth these men then the first for if this men beleue in Christ and in hys Scripture then is it not possible that they should receaue or admitte that thyng which is agaynst the Scripture both by the exposition of them selues of all the world For this is both agaynst Scripture and all faithfull mē that there should be any way to health if we exclude Christ and hys Scripture And sith Purgatory is counted away to health he that would go about to proue it secludyng Christ and Scripture is agaynst Scripture and all faythfull men Besides that if they be so obstinate that they will not receaue the verye Scripture but expounde it after their own willes wrest it after the same then wil they much lesse receaue your booke which is so playne agaynst scripture therfore if you would thinke that they could bee tamed by your booke which notwithstandyng so wresteth Scripture then may I very wel lyken you to hym that hath a wilde horse to tame which when he perceiueth that hee can not hold hym with a scoktishe snafle will yet labour to breake him with a rootē twine threde So that I can espye no maner of profite that cā come of your booke if you can alledge no better causes then you yet shew but that it had bene a great deale better vnwritten And brother Rastel where you say that I auaunce boast my selfe much more then becommeth me and that I detract and slaūder my neighbours that I prouoke all men that read my booke rather to vyce then to vertue with such other thynges as ye lay to my charge I trust I shall declare my inconuenience and geue you a sufficient aunswere ¶ An aunswere to Rastels first chapter which reproueth me for boastyng my selfe IN the first chapter of this booke Rastell laboureth to proue that I am sore ouer séene in laudyng boastyng my selfe that I lyke my selfe so well that he is sure that other men do lyke me the lesse and that he feareth that God will therfore lyke me fauour me rather the worse then the better Here he iuggeleth wyth me and would make me beleue that he tossed me mine own ball agayne but when I beholde it I perceaue it to be none of mine for he hath cut out all that shoulde make for me so that he hath geuen it cleane an other shape then euer I entended that it should haue as it appeareth by hys writing which rehearseth my words in this maner I am sure there are many that maruell that I being so yong dare attempt to dispute thys matter agaynst these thrée persons But my wordes are these I am sure that there are many that will much maruell that I being so yong and of so smal learning dare dispute this matter c. Here Rastell leaueth out the wordes and of so small learning for if he had put that in he had bewrayed himselfe For I thincke no man so mad as to say that he which sayeth himselfe to be both yong and of small learning shoulde prayse and boaste hym selfe Also immediatly after the wordes of hys first allegation I say on thys maner And as touching my lerning I must needes acknowledge as the truth is that it is very small which I thinke is but a base boasting and anone after I say I would not that any man should admit my wordes or learning except they will stand wyth the scripture and be approued therby Lay them to the touchstone and trye them with Gods word if they be found false and contrary then damne them and I also shall reuoke them with all mine hart c. Finally I exhorted them to read my booke not aduertising who speaketh the wordes but rather what is spoken by which wordes you might well see that I entended not to boast my selfe and all this haue I written and be left it out euē in the first page as he calleth it wherin he reporteth that I boast my selfe Notwithstanding one thing doth sore vexe him that I should recite the Epistle of S. Paule wherby he saith I would haue men beleue that I had the spirite of God and thinke that though I be young that I sée visions and espye the truth and that myne elders haue dreamed dreames and wandered in phantasies Thys he recounteth to be a great boast and that thys one place shoulde winne him the fielde whereunto I aunswer that indéede my wordes do not proue that thing which you séeme so surely to gather of them but my wordes do argue on this maner that no man ought to condemne a thing before he read it and then to geue sentence and because you séeme ignoraunt in the matter I shall declare it vnto you and how it standeth It is a coulour of Rhetorike and is called Auantopodosis that is to saye An aunswere to an obiection that a man might haue here made on thys maner thou grauntest thy self yong and of so small learnyng doost thou then thinke that we shall once read or regard thy booke specially sith it is written against auncient mē both of great wit dignity To these two pointes I aunswer preuenting theyr obiection that they should not despise it because of my youth for as the spirite of God is bound to