¶ A letter of syr Tho. More knyght impugnynge the erronyouse wrytyng of Iohn̄ Fryth agaynst the blessed sacrament of the aultare IN my moste harty wyse I recōmed me to you sende you by thys brynger the wrytynge agayne whyche I receyued from you wherof I haue ben offred synnys a couple of copyes mo in the meane whyle as late as ye wote wel it was wherby men maye se how gredyly y t these newe named bretherne wryte it out and secretely sprede it abrode So that where as the kynges gracyouse hyghnes lyke a moste faythfull catholyke prynce for the auoydynge of suche pestylente bokes as sowe suche poysened heresyes amōge his people hath by hys open proclamacyons vtterly forboden all englysshe prented bookes to be brought into thys lande from beyonde the see lest our englysshe heretykes that are lurkynge there myghte there enprent theyr heresyes amōg other maters so sende them hither vnsuspected therfore vnperceyued tyll more harme were felte thā after were well remedyable the deuyll hath now taught hys dysciples the dyuysers of these heresyes to make many shorte treatyses whereof theyr scolers may shortly write out copyes but in theyr treatyses to put as mych poyson in one wrytē lefe as they prented before in fyftene as it well appereth in thys one wrytynge of thys yong mānes makyng which hath I here saye lately made dyuerse other thynges y t yet ronne in huker moker so close amonge the brethern y t there cometh no copyes abrode And wold god for hys mercy that syth there can nothing refrayne theyr study from the deuyse compassyng of euyll and vngracyouse wrytynge y t they coulde and wolde kepe it so secrete y t neuer man sholde se it but suche as are all redy so farre corrupted as neuer wold be cured of theyr cāker For lesse harme were it yf onely they that are all redy by myred were as the scrypture sayth myred on more more thanne that they sholde caste theyr dyrt abrode vpon other folkes clene clothys But alak thys wyll not be For as saynte Poule sayth the cōtagyon of heresye crepeth on lyke a canker For as the canker corrupteth the body ferther and ferher and turneth the hole partes into the same dedely sykenesse so do these heretykes crepe forth among good symple soulys and vnder a vayn hope of some hygh secrete lernynge whych other men abrode eyther wyllyngly dyd kepe from them or ellys coulde not teche theym they dayly wyth suche abomynable bokes corrupte destroye in corners very many before those wrytynges comme vnto lyght tyll at the laste y e smoke of that secrete fyre begynneth to reke oute at some corner and somtyme the whole fyre so flameth oute at onys that it burneth vp whole townes and wasteth whole coūtrees ere euer it can be maystred and yet neuer after so well clerely quēched but y t it lyeth lurkynge styll in some olde roten tymber vnder cellers celynges that yf it be not wel wayted on and marked wyll not fayle at lengthe to fall on an opē fyre agayne as it hath fared in late yeres at mo places then one bothe the tone fyre the tother And therfore I am bothe sure and sory to that those other bokes as wel as this is now of thys yonge mannes wyll ones come vnto lyght and thā shall it appere wherfore they be kept so close How be it a wors than this is though the wordes be smoth fayre the deuyll I trow can not make For herein he ronneth a great way beyond Luther and techeth in few leuys shortely all the poyson that wyclyffe Huyskyn Tyndale and zuinglius haue taught in all theyr longe bokes before concernynge the blessed sacramēt of the aultare affermyng it to be not onely very brede styll as Luther doth but also as those other bestes do saith it is nothyng els that there is neyther the blessed body of Cryst nor his blode but for a remēbraūce of Crystes passyō onely bare brede wyne And therin goth he so farre in conclusyō y t he sayth it is all one vnto vs ī a maner whyther it be cōsecrated or vncōsecrated And so that blessed sacrament that is and euer hath in all christendom ben holden of all sacramentes the chyef nat onely a sacramēt but the very selfe thynge also whych other sacramentēs bytoken wher of all other sacramentes take theyr effecte and strength he maketh in maner takyng the consecracyon so sleyghte and so lyght no maner sacrament at all wherein he runneth yet beyond Tyndale and all the heretykes that euer I remembre byfore And now the mater beyng of such a meruelouse wayght it is a great wonder to se vppon howe lyght and sleyghte occasyons he is fallen vnto these abominable heyghnouse heresyes For he denyeth nat nor can nat say nay but that our sauy our sayed hym selfe My flesh is veryly mete and my blode is verily drynke He denyeth nat also that Chryste hym selfe at hys laste sowper takyng the bred into hys blessed handes after that he had blessed hit sayde vnto his visciples Take you this eate it thys is my body that shal be gyuen for you And in lykewyse gaue them the chalyce after hys blessynge and consecracyon and sayde vnto them Thys is the chalyce of my bloude of the newe testamente whyche shal be shedde out for many do you thys in remembraunce of me The yong man denyeth nat nor can deny but that our sauyour here hym selfe sayed y t hit was hys owne body and sayed that hit was hys owne bloude and there ordeyned y t it shulde be in remembraunce of hym contynually consecrated So that he must nedes cōfesse that all they whyche byleue that it is hys very body and hys very bloude in dede haue y e playne wordes of our sauyour hym selfe vpon theyr syde for the grounde and fundacyon of theyr fayth But now sayth thys yong man against all this that our sauyoure in other places of scripture called hym selfe a very vyne and his dyscyples very braunchys And he calleth hym selfe a dore also nat for that he was eny of these thynges in dede but for certayne proprietes for whyche he lykened hym selfe to those thynges As a man for some propretees sayth of his neyghbours horse thys horse is myn vppe and downe menīg that it is in euery thynge so lyke And lyke as Iacob byelded an aultare and called it y e god of Israel and as Iacob called the place where he wresteled wyth the angell the face of god and that the pascall lambe was called the passing by of the lorde wyth infinite such other phrases as he saith natte for that they were so in dede but for certayne similitudes in the propretees soo sayeth thys yonge man that Cryste though he sayd by hys playne wordes Thys is my body and thys is my blode yet for all that he ment not yt it was his body and his
blode in dede no more than that he ment that hym selfe was a very dore or a very vine in dede though for certeyne ê“pertees he called hym selfe bothe And he sayth y t Cryst ment in lyke wyse here not that it was or shold be his owne body hys blode in dede but y t it shold be to them vs as a remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of hym in hys absence as veryly as though it were his very body and his very blode in dede as y e pascall lambe was a token and a remembraunce of the passynge by of the lord and as a brydegrome gyueth his bryde a rynge yf he happe to go into a farre couÌ„tre from her for a remeÌ„braunce of hym in his absence and as a sure sygne y t he wyll kepe her hys faythe and not breke her hys promyse In good fayth it greueth me very sore to se thys yonge man so cyrcumuented and begyled by certayn olde lymmes of the deuyll as we nowe se y t he is when he is fayne for the defence of thys errour to flyt in conclusyon fro the fayth of playne and open scrypture so farre falle to the newe fangled fantasyes of folysshe heretykes that he wyll for the allegorye dystroye y e trewe sense of the letter in mayntenaunce of a newe false secte agaynste the hole trew catholyke fayth so fully confyrmed and contynued in Crystes whole catholyke chyrche thys .xv. C. yere togyder For these dregges hath he dronken of wyclyfe Ecolampadius Tindale and zuinglius and so hath he all that he argueth here besyde whiche .iiii. what maner folke they be is metely well perceyued and knowen god hath in parte with his open vengeaunce declared And euer hath god and euer wyll by some waye declare his wrathe and indygnacyoÌ„ agaynst as many as fall into suche damnable opynyons agaynst the blessed body and blode of hys onely begotten sonne From whych perylous opinyon and all his other errours y e great mercy of our swet sauiour call home agayne and saue thys yonge man in tyme. As for hys allegoryes I am not offended wyth nor wyth symylytudes neyther where they maye haue place though he take one of his neighbours hors as he doth and another yf he lyste of hys owne cow Prouyded alwaye for a thyng whyche he lyste to call lyke he myscoÌ„strue not the scrypture take awaye the very thynge in dede as he doth here Now his ensample also of hys brydegromys ryng I very well allow For I take the blessed sacrament to be lefte wyth vs for a very token and a memoryall of Cryst in dede But I saye that whole substaunce of the same token and memoreall is hys owne blessed body where as thys man wolde make it onely brede And so I say that Cryst hath left vs a better token thaÌ„ this man wolde haue vs take it fore and therin fareth lyke a man to whom a brydegrome had delyuered a goodly gold rynge with a ryche ruby ther in to deliuer ouer to his bryde for a token and than he wold lyke a false shrew kepe away that gold rynge and gyue the bryde in the stede therof a proper rynge of a rysshe and tell her that the brydegrome wold sende her no better or els lyke one that whan y e brydegrome had gyuen suche a gold rynge to hys bryde for a token wold tell her playne and make her byleue that the ryng were but coper or brasse to mynysshe y e brydegromys thanke If he sayed that the wordes of Cryste myghte besyde the lytterall sense be vnderstandeÌ„ in an allegorye I wolde well agree wyth hym For so maye euery worde almoste thorowe the whole scrypture callynge an allegorye euery sense wherby the wordes be translated vnto some other spyrytuall vnderstandyng bysyde the trewe playne open sense y t the letter fyrste entended But on the other syde bycause that in some wordes of scrypture is there none other thynge enteÌ„ded but an allegorye to go therfore and in another place of scrypture to take a waye wyth an allegorye the very trew lytterall sense as he doth here thys is the faute that we fynde in hym whyche yf it maye be suffered muste nedes make all the scrypture as towchyng any poynt of our fayth of none effecte or force at all I meruayle me therfore mych y t he is not aferde to afferme y t these wordes of Cryste of hys body and hys blode must nedes be vnderstanden onely by waye of a symylytude or an allegorye as the wordes be of the vyne and the dore Now thys he woteth well that though som wordes spoken by the mouth of Chryste wrytten in scripture be to be vnderstanden onely by waye of a similitude or an allegory it foloweth nat therupon that of necessite euery lyke worde of Christ in other places was none other but an allegory For suche kynde of sophisticacion in arguyng was y e very cauillacioÌ„ and shyfte that the wykked Arrians vsed whych lyke as thys yong maÌ„ taketh away now fro the blessed sacrament y e very body blood of Christ by expounynge hys playne wordes wyth an allegory vnder colour of some other places where such allegoryes muste nedes haue place were none otherwese ment so dyd they take froÌ„ Christes blessed person hys omnipoteÌ„t godhed and wolde nat grauÌ„t hym to be equale wyth almyghty god hys father but y e playne textes of scrypture whyche proued hys godhed they expouned wroÌ„ge and frowardly nat onely by some other textes that semede to say otherwyse but also as thys yonge man doth here by some allegories affermyng that he was called god and the sonne of god in holy scrypture by suche maner of speking or as thys yonge man calleth it by suche a maner of phrase as the scrypture for som propertie calleth certayne other persones goddes and goddes soÌ„nes in other places As where god sayth to Moyses I shall make the the god of Pharao And where he saith thou shalt nat bakbyte the goddes And where he sayeth I saye you be goddes and y e sonnes of the hygh god be you all And thus agaynste that y e Cryst was god and the sonne of god such cauyllacioÌ„s these Arrians layed in expownyng the playne places wyth false allegoryes resemblyng them to other places in whych lyke allegoryeâ— muste nedes haue place as thys yonge man by the necessary allegoryes of Crystes wordes vsed in the vyne and in the dore wolde in lyke wyse wyth lyke cauyllacyons as the Arryans vsed agaynste Crystes godhed pull away the trewe lytterall sense of Crystes wordes coÌ„cernyng the trouth of hys very body blode in the blessed sacrameÌ„t And surely yf this maner of handelynge of scrypture may be receyued and broughte in vre that bycause of allegoryes vsed in some places euery man maye at hys pleasure draw euery place to an allegorye and say the letter meneth no thynge ellys there is not any texte in all the scrypture but a wylfull person may
fynde other textes agaynst it that maye serue hym to tryfle out the trouth of goddes wordes wyth cauillacyons grounded vppon goddes other wordes in some other place wherin yf he maye be herde as longe as he lyst to talke be it but a woman yet shall she fynd chatte Inough for all an hole yere And so dyd those old ArriaÌ„s of whome god forbede y t thys yong man shulde folowe that euyll ensample If euery man that caÌ„ fynd out a new fonde fantasye vpoÌ„ a texte of holy scrypture may haue hys owne mynd taken and hys owne exposition byleued agaynste the exposicions of the old holy cunnyng doctours and sayntes than may ye surely se that none article of the christen fayth can stand and endure long For as holy saynte Hierom sayth of hym selfe if the exposition of other interpretours and the coÌ„sente of the commune catholyque church were of no more streÌ„ghte but that euery new man myght be byleued that coulde bryng som textes of scrypture for hym expouned as it pleased hym selfe than could I sayth thys holy man brynge vp a new secte also and saye by scripture that no man were a trew christeÌ„ man nor a membre of the church that kepeth two cotes And in good fayth if that way were allowed I were able my selfe to fynd out fyften newe sectes in one fore none y t shulde haue as moche probable holde of scripture as thys heresy hathe Agaynste which beside the comon fayth of all catholyque christen regyons the expositions of the old holy doctours and saiÌ„tes be clere agaynste thys yonge mannes mynd in thys mater as whole as agaynst any heresy that euer was hytherto herd of For as for the wordes of Chryst of whyche we speke touchyng y e blessed sacrameÌ„t though he may fynd som olde holy men that byside the lytterall sence doth expoune them in an allegory yet shall he neuer fynde any of theÌ„ that dyd as he doth now after wicliffe Ecolampadius Tyndale zuynglius deny the lytterall sence and say that Chryst meÌ„t nat that it was his very body and hys very bloude in dede but the olde holy doctours exposytours byside all suche allegories do playnly declare expoune that in those wordes our sauyour as he expressely spake so dyd also well playnely mene that the thing whyche he there gaue to hys dysciples in the sacramente were in very dede hys very flesh and bloud And so dyd neuer any of the olde exposytours of scripture expowne any of those other places in whych Christ is called a vyne or a dore And therfore it appereth well that y e maner of spekyng was nat lyke For if it had than wolde nat the olde exposytours haue vsed suche so far vnlyke fashyon in y e expounyng of them And ouer thys the very circumstances of the places in y e gospell in which our sauiour speketh of that sacrameÌ„t may well make open the difference of hys speche in thys mater of all those other and that as he spake all those but iÌ„ an allegory so spake he thys playnly menyng that he spake of hys very body and his very bloud besyde all allegories For neyther whanne oure lorde sayed he was a very vyne nor whanne he sayde he was the dore there was none that herde hym that any thynge merueyled therof And why for bycause they perceyued well that he ment not that he was a materyall vyne iÌ„ dede nor a materyall dore neyther But whan he sayed that hys flesshe was very mete hys blood was very drynke and that they sholde not be saued but yf they dyd eate hys flesh and drynke hys blood than were they all in suche a wonder therof that they coulde not abyde And wherfore but bycause they perceyued well by his wordes and his maner of cyrcuÌ„stances vsed in y e spekynge of them y t Cryst spake of hys very flesshe and his very blood in dede For ellys the straungenesse of the wordes wold haue made theÌ„ to haue taken it as well for an allegorye as eyther hys wordes of the vyne or of the dore And than wold they haue no more merueyled at y e tone than they dyd at the tother But nowe where as at the vyne and the dore they merueiled nothing yet at the eatyng of his flesshe and drynkynge of hys blood they so sore merueyled and were so sore moued thought the mater so harde the wonder so greate 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 allegory but spake of hys very flesshe and hys very blood in dede Many other playne proues myghte a man gather vppon the cyrcumstances of the very textes where this thyng is spoken of in the scrypture but that it is not my purpose now to stycke in argumente of thys mater that is of it self so clere out of all questyon but onely a lytle to towche it that ye may se how lytle pyth and substaunce for hys mater is in all those ensamples of allegorye whyche wyclyffe Ecolampadius Tyndale Suingliê° haue brought out agaynst the blessed sacrameÌ„t wherwith those old shrewes haue wyth theyr false symylytudes pytuously deceyued eyther the symplycyte or the lyghtnesse of thys sely yonge man whych myght yf he had not eyther of lyghtnesse ouer ronne hym selfe or of symplenes ben deceyued or of pryde and hygh mynde in puttynge forth heresyes wyllyngly begyled blynded easely haue perceyued hym selfe that the mo suche allegoryes that he fouÌ„de in the scrypture in lyke maner of phrases or speche y e wurse is his parte the more clere is it that these places spekyng of the blessed sacrameÌ„t were playnely ment as they were spoken besyde all suche allegoryes For ellys hadde neuer bothe the herers at the tyme y e exposytours synnes and all chrysteÌ„ people besyde thys .xv. C. yere taken onely in thys one mater the playne literall sense beyng so strauÌ„ge meruelouse that it myghte seme impossyble and declyne from the letter for allegoryes in all suche other thynges beynge as he sayth as in dede they be so many farre in nomber moo How be it as for this poynt that an allegory vsed in some place is not a cause suffycyeÌ„t to make men leue the proper sygnyfycacyons of goddes worde in euery other place seke an allegorye and forsake the playne comon sense and vnderstandynge of the letter thys perceyued y e yonge man well inough hym selfe For he confesseth that he wolde not so do saue for necessyte bycause he seeth as he sayth that the comon lyterall sense is impossyble For the thynge he sayth that is ment therby can not be trewe that is to wytte that the very body of Chryste can not be in the sacrament bycause the sacrament is in many dyuers places at onys and was at the maundy that is to