¶The letter of credence sent from hys frende by a trusty secret messenger • wyth the letter of ye authore answeryng ye same. The declara • yō of of ye credence by the mouth of ye messenger whereuppon the mater of all the hole worke dependeth.

¶ Here sūmaryly is declared what order the Author intendyth to trete of the matters purposyd vnto hym. wherof because the fyrst was an oppynyon conceyued in some mennys heddes that a certayn parsōlate abiured of heresy for preching against pilgrymagys & ymagis and prayers made to sayntꝭ was therin greately wronged / ye author breuely declareth hys mynde concernyng the confutacyon of those perylouse and pernycyouse opy • yons.

ON y• morow whan he was cū men agayne sumwhat before vii. of the clocke (for so I appoynted hym) takyng hym wyth me in to my stody / and my saruantys warned that yf any other shulde happen to desyre to speke wyth me / certayne excepte of whome I gaue theym knowlege / they shulde dy •• erre theym tyll a nother leysor / I sett hym downe wyth me at a litle table. And then I shewed vnto hym that where he had purposed on your byhalf in short wordys many long thyngꝭ wherof the rehersall were losse of tyme to hym that so well knew theym all redy / I wolde all suꝑ • iuous recapytulacyon sett aparte / as brefely as I conuenyently coulde / shew hym my mynde in theym all. And fyrst bygyn where he bygan at the abiuracyon of the man he spake. Secūdly wold I touche the condempnacyon and burnyng of ye new testament traunslated by Tyndale. Thyrdly sumwhat wold I speke of Luther & hys secte in generall. Forthly and fynally ye thyng that he touched laste that is to wytt y• wart and fyghtyng agaynst infydelys wyth the condemnacyō of heretyques vnto deth / whych twoo poynty • hym selfe had combyned and knytte to gether. ¶And fyrst as touchyng the mater of the mannes ab •• racyon where it is reported that the spyrytualtye dyd hym wrong. And for to make that seme lykly there is layed in theym displeasure / malice & ••• y toward hym • or peech • ng as ye say quod I agaynst theyer vycyouse lyuyng / And in hym is on the tother syde alegyd myche connyng vertue and goodnes. I wyll neyther enter in to the prayse of theym nor in to the dyspreyse of hym / wherein standyth nothyng theffecte of thys mater / For if the • e dyd / I wold not passe ouer sū parte therof so shortely.

¶But now for thys mater all though the hole spyrytualtye / wherin no man dowtith to be • • any a ryght vertuous and godly man / were in theyre lyuyng farr wors than deuyllꝭ / yet yf they did that mā no wrong / there hath for this matter no man agaynst them eny caus to cōplayn. And ouer thys yf that man were in all hys other lyuynge as innocent as a saynt / yet yf he were infected & fautye in these herysyes / he had than in thys matter no wrong. And yet besyde all thys yf he not onely were in all other thyngꝭ very vertuous / but also were of all thoese heresyes whereof he was detected vtterly clene and fautles / yet yf it were by suffycyent wytnes / were they neuer so fals in dede / seming honest and lykely to say trew / prouyd in opyn courte that he was fauty ther in / albeyt in suche case hys wytnessys had wronged hym / yet had hys iudges done hym but ryght. And therfore letting passe as I say y• praysse or dysprayse of either hys iudgꝭ or him / as thyngys impertinent to y• point / I will shew you yt they not onely dyd hym no wrong / but also shewed hym / in my mynd the gretest fauour / And vsed toward hym the most charytable •• rcy yt euer I wy •• vsyd to eny man in • uch case. And fyrst as for any wron • yt hys iudgi • did hy • /I mer • ell me 〈◊〉 wher in they that report yt could assygn • it. for yf • ny were done him • it must n •• ꝭ haue ben in one of the twoo thyngys / eyther in that he was vntruly iudgyd to haue pchyd such artycles as he was detectyd of where he pchyd none such in dede / or ellys in that sum such artycles as he prechyd were iudeged & condemned for heresyes where they were none in dede. Excepte that any man wolde say that though he were proued and conuyctyd of heresye yet he shuld haue bene put to no penaunce at all or ellys to no such as he was. And of that poynt if eny mā so thynk / I shall speke in y• fourth parte where we shall towch in generall the ordre that the chyrche takyth in the condemnacyon of herytyques. But as for the tother poyntys fyrst if eny preest wrote owte of londō in to your cuntraye that eny such artycle of hys prechyng was by hys iudeges declared for herysy as were in dede good & not ageynst the fayth of crystys chyrch / lett hym name what artycle / And eyther ye shall fynde that he shall name you such as y• man was not charged wyth all / or ellys shall ye fynde yt such as he shall name you were such in dede as your selfe shall pceyue for heresyes at your ere / For y• artycles where wyth he was chargede were yt we shuld do no worshyppe to eny ymages / nor pray to enyseyntys / or go on pylgrymagys / whyth thyngys I suppose euery good crystyn man wyll agre for heresyes. And therfore we shall lett that poynt passe and so resort to the secund • o se why • her it were well prouy • that he preched them or no. Syr quod your •• end I wold for my parte well agree theym for •• rysys / but yet haue I ha •• some or thy • that wold not d • so • And therfore w • an we • all they • herysye • it were well 〈◊〉 to tell why / • ythse •• men wold (I we • e yf they myghte 〈◊〉 hard) • tyffly say nay / whych now hold theyre pease & bere theym selfe full coldely that wold take ye mater more hote saue for burnīg of theyr lyppys. Now forsoth quod I who so euer wyll say yt these be no heresyes / he shall not haue me to dispute it which haue no cūning in such maters / but as it best becūmyth a ley man to do in all thyngys / lene & cleue to the comem fayth / and byleue of crystꝭ chyrch. And therby do I plaī ly know it for an herysye / if an herysye be a secte and a syde way takyn by any part of such as bene bap • ysyd and bete the name of crystyn men frō the comē fayth and byleefe of the hole chyrch besyde. For thys am I very sure and perceyue it well not only by experyens of myne one tyme & the placys were my selfe hath bene wyth commen report of other honest mē from all other placys of crystyndome / but by bokys also & rememberauncys lefte of long tyme wyth wrytyng of the olde holy fathers and now sayntys in heuyn / that from thappostles tyme hytherto this maner hath ben vsyd / taught & allowed / and the contrary comōly condenyd throgh ye hole flok of all good crysten people. ¶And as touchyng such textꝭ as thes • heretykys allege agaynst the worshyppyng of ymagys / prayeng to sayntys / and goyng ō pylgrymages / as they ley the law geuen to the Iewes. Non facies tibi s • u • p •• e / • how shalt carue the none ymag • . And the psalme. In e • i • u Israell • de egipto / And s • l • deo honor et gloria / only to god be honor & glory. And ma •• dictus • ui cōfidit in homine. Accursed is he that putteth hys truste in man wyth many suche other lyke / whych herytyques haue of old euer ha • ked agaynst chrystys catholyk chyrch / very su • e am I yt saynt Austen / saynt • hierome / saint basyle / saint gregory wt so many a godly cunnyng mā as hath ben in crystis church from ye begynyng hytherto / vnderstod those textꝭ as wel as dyd those heretyques / Namely hauyng as good wittꝭ / beyng farr better lernid / vsing in stody more diligence / beyng an hepe to an handfull / & which most ys of all hauyng / as god by many myracles beryth wytnes / besyde theyr lernyng the lyght and clerenes of hys especyall grace / by whych they were inwardly taught of hys only spyryt to ꝑceyue that the word is spokyn in the old law to the iewys people prone to Idolatry / and yet not to all theym nether / For the preestys than had the ymagis of thangell cherubin in the secret place of the temple / shulde haue no place to forbyd imagis among his crysten flok / where hys pleasure wold be to haue ye ymage of hys blessed body hāgyng on hys holy crosse / had in honour and reuerent remembraunce. where 〈◊〉 wold vouchsaufe to send vnto the kyng abiagarus the ymage of hys owne face / where he lykyd to leue the holy vernacle thexpresse ymage also of hys blessid vysage as a token to remayn ī honour amōg such as louyd hym from ye tyme of hys bytter passyon hytherto. whych as it was by the myracle of hys blessid holy hād expressed and lefte ī y• sudari / so hath yt bene by lyke myracle in that thyn corruptyble cloth kepte and preseruyd vncorrupted thys .xv.C. yere freshe and well perceyued to ye īwarde cumfort / spyrytuall reioysyng & grete encreace of feruoure and deuocyon in the hartꝭ of good crysten people. Crist also taught hys holy euangelyst saynt luke to haue an nother maner mynde toward ymagis than haue these heretyques / whan he put in hys mynde to counterfete and expresse in a table the louely vysage of oure blessed lady hys mother. He taught also saynt amphibalus the mayster and techer of the holy fyrst martyr of englond saynt albane to bere about and worshyppe y• crucyfyx. who shewed also saynt albane him self in a vysyon ye ymage of ye crucyfyx but god: whych thyng wrought ī that holy man so strongly / that he with few wordꝭ of saynt amphybalus at y• sight of that blessed ymage whych our lorde had before shewid hym ī hys slepe was clene turned to chrystendome / And in the worshyping of y• same ymage was taken and brought forth to iudgemēt & afterward to marterdome.

¶And there ys no man but yf he loue a nother he delitith ī his ymage or enythyng of hys. And these heretyques yt be so sore agaynst the ymagis of god & hys holy sayntis wold be yet ryght angry with •• n yt wold dishonestly handle an ymage made in remembraunce of hī self / where y• wrethis forbere not vilanously to handle and to cast dyrte in dispyte vppon the holy crucyfyx anymage made in remembraunce of our sauiour hym selfe / and not only of his most blessyd ꝑson but also of hys most bytter passion.

¶Now as touching prayer made vnto the sayntis and worshyp done vnto theym / mich meruayle is it what cause of malice these heretykꝭ haue to them. we se yt commen in the wreched cōdycyon of thys world that one man of a pride in him self hath enuy at a nother or for displasure done / beryth to some other malyce and euyll wyll. But this must nedꝭ be a deuelish hatred to hate him whom thou neuer knewist / which neuer did the harme / which if he could now do yt no good where he is / yet eyther wyth hys good ensample gone before the / or hys good doctryne lefte byhynde hym / doth the / but if thou be very nought of thy self / gret good ī this worlde for thy iorney toward heuyn. And thys muste nedys be an enuy cū myng of an hye deuelyshe pryde and far passyng thenuye of the deuyll hymself / for he neuer enuyed but such as he saw & was conuersaunt wyth / as whā he saw man and the glory of god. But these herytyques enuye theym whome they neuer saw nor neuer shall se but whan they shalbe sory and ashamed in theym self of yt gloryouse syght / ¶For where they pretend the zele of goddys honour hī • elf / as though god to whō only all honour and glory is to be geuen / were dyshonored in that sum honour is done to hys holy sayntys / they be not so mad nor so chyldyshe as they make theim self. For if all honour were so to be geuen only to god yt we shulde gyue none to no creature / where were than goddys precepte of honour to be geuyn to our father & mother / to pryncys / gouernours & rulers here in erthe / And as saynt Poule sayth euery man to other ¶And well they wote that the chyrch worshyppeth not saītys as god but as goddis good saruauntis / & therfore the honour that is done to theym redoundeth pryncypally to ye honour of theyr mayster / lyke as in comē custū of people we do reuerence sumtyme & make great chere to sum men for theyr maysters sakes whome ellys we wold not happely byd ones good morow. ¶And surely if eny benefite or almes done to one of crystꝭ pore folke for hys sake / be by hys hygh goodnes reputed and accepted as done vnto hym self / And that who so receyuyth one of hys aposteles or dyscyples receyuyth hym selfe / euery wyse man may well cōsyder that in lyke wyse who so doth honour hys holy sayntis for his sake doth honour hym self / Excepte these herytyques wene yt god were as enuyouse as they be theym selfe / And yt he wolde be wroth to haue eny honour done to eny other though it therby redounded vnto hymselfe. whereof our sauyoure cryste well declareth the contrary / for he sheweth hym self so well cōtent, that hys holy sayntys shalbe pertyners of hys honoure / that he promysyth his aposteles / that at ye dredfull dome whā he shall cum in hys hygh maiestye they shall haue theyr honourable seetis and sytte wyth hym selfe vppon the iudegement of the worlde ¶Cryste also ꝓmised that saynt mary magdalene shulde be worshyped thorow the worlde and haue here an honorable remembraūce for that she bestowed yt precyouse oyntement vppon hys holy hed. whych thyng whan I consyder it makyth me meruayle of the madnes of these heretiques that barke agaynst the old aūcient customes of crystys chyrch / mockyng the settyng vppe of cādellys and wyth folyshe facecyes & blasphemous mockery demaunde whyther god and hys sayntys lak lyght or whyther yt be nyght wyth theym that they can not see wythoute candle. They myght as well aske what good dyd that oyntemēt to christꝭ hed. But the heretyques gruge at the coste now / as theyre brother Iudas dyd than / And say it were better spent in almys vppon pore folk And thys say many of theym whyche can neyther fynde in theyre harte to spēd vppon y• one nor the tother. And sum spend sometyme vppon the tone for none other entent but to thēd that they may the more boldely rebuke and rayle agaynste the tother. But let thē all by that ensample of ye holy woman and by those wordys of our sauyour / lerne yt god delyteth to se ye feruēt hete of y • hartꝭ deuociō boyl out by ye body / And to do hī seruyse wt all such goodꝭ of fortūe as god hath geuī mā ¶what ryches deuysed our lord god hym selfe in the making & garnishyng of y• tēple & in the ornamentes of ye auter and the prestes apparayle / what was him selfe the better for all thys? what for ye bestꝭ yt hym self cōmaūded to be offred hym in sacryfyce? what for ye swete odours and frankensence? why do these heretiques more mocke at ye maner of crystꝭ chyrche than they do at ye maner of ye iewes synagoge but yf they be beter iewes thā crysten mē? ¶If mē wyll say that the mony were better spent amōg poore folke by whō he more setteth / beyng the quycke temples of ye holy goste made by hys owne hand / than by the temples of stone made by the hand of man / Thys wold be percase very trew if there were so lytle to do yt wyth that we shuld be dreuyn of necessyte to leue ye tone vndōe. But god geuyth inough for both / And geuyth dyuerse men dyuers kyndys of deuocyō and all to hys pleasure. In which as thapostle Poule sayth let euery mā for hys parte aboū de & be plentuouse in yt kynde of vertu yt the spyryte of god guydeth hym to. & not to be of the folyshe mynde y• luther is / which wisheth in a sermō of his yt he had in hys hād all the perys of the holy crosse / And saith yt yf he so had he wold throw them there as neuer sonne shuld shyne on thē. And for what worshup full reasō wold ye wreche do such velany to ye crosse of chryst? by cause as he sayth that there is so mych golde now bestowed aboute ye garneshyng of the pyecys of the crosse that there is none lefte for pore folke. Is not thys ā high reason? as though all ye golde yt is now bestowed aboute the pecys of the holy crosse wolde not haue faylede to haue bē geuen to pore mē if they had not bē bestowed abowte the garneshīg of the crosse / And as though ther were nothīg lost but yt is bestowd about cristꝭ cros ¶Take all ye gold yt is spent about all ye pecys of chrystꝭ crosse thorow christendome / albe it many a good chrystē prince and other godly people hath honourably garnyshed many peces therof / yet yf all yt golde were gathered together / yt wold appere a pore porcyon in comparison of ye gold yt is bestowed vppon cuppys / what speke we of cuppys? in whych ye gold albeit yt it be not geuen to pore men yet ys it saued and may be geuen in almouse whan men wyll whych they neuer wyll / how smal a porcyon wene we were ye gold about all ye pecys of chrystys crosse yf yt were compared with ye gold yt is quyte cast a way about ye giltīg of kniuis / swordꝭ / sporys / arrace / & paynted clothes: and as though these thyngis could not cō sume gold fast inough y• gyltīg of postys & hole rofes / not only in the palacꝭ of princys and great prelatis / but also many ryght mene mēnes housis. And yet amōg all these thingis coud luther spy no gold yt greuously glyterid ī his bleryd eyes but onely aboute ye cros of chryst. yt gold yf yt were thēs the wyse man wenyth yt wold de streyght geuē to pore mē. and yt where he dayly seeth yt such as haue theyr purs full of golde geue to ye pore not one pece therof but yf they gyue ought they ransake the botome among all ye gold to seke out here an half peny or in his countrey a braspeny wherof four make a ferthing / such goodly causes fīd they yt ptend holines for ye colour of theyr cloked heresyes.

¶Th • author declareth in ye cōprobacyon of pylgrymagys that yt ys the pleasure of god to be specyally soughte & worshypped in some one place byfore a nother. And albe that we can not attayne to ye knowledge of the cause why god doth so / yet ye author proueth by greatte authoryte that god by myracle testyfyeth yt ys so.

wyth thys your frēd asked me what reson were there y• god wold sette more by one place than by a nother / or how know we yt he so doth namely yf the t • ne be a chyrch as well as the tother. ¶whereunto I answered that why god wold do yt I coulde make hym no answere no more thā saynte austen sayeth that he coud. I was neuer so nere of his coūsell nor dare not be so bold to ask hym / but that he so doth in dede yt I ā sure Inoughe. yet not for that he settyth more by that place for the soyle and pauement of ye place / but that hys pleasure in some place is to shewe more hys assystence and to be more specyally sought vnto than in sum other. ¶Thā he as • ed me wherby was I so sure of yt. wheruppon I demaunded hym that yf it so were yt the thyng stādyng in debate & questyō / it wold lyke our lord to shew a myracle for the proffe of the tone parte / wolde ye not quod I reken than the questyon were decyded / & ye dowte assoyled / and yt parte suffycyently proued • yes mary quod he that wold I. well quod I than ys thys matter oute of doute lōg a go. for god hath ꝓued my parte in dyuerse pylgrymagꝭ by the workyng of many moo thā a thousād myracles one tyme and other. In the gospell of Iohn the fyft chapiter where we rede that the angell moued the water / & who so next went in was cured of hys dysease / was it not a suffycyent profe that god wold they shuld cum thether for theyr helth / Albe yt no man can telle why he sentt thāgell rather thyther & there dyd hys myracles than in a nother water? But whan so euer oure lorde hathe in any place wrought a myracle / all though he nothīg do it for ye place / but for ye honor of ye saynt whom he wyll haue honored in yt place / or for ye fayeth yt he fyndeth wyth some that prayeth in that place / or for thencrease of fayeth whych he fyndeth fallynge and decayed in that place nedyng the shewe of sō myracles for the reuyuyng / what so euer ye cause be / yet I thynke thaffeccyon is to be cō mended of men and women yt wt good deu • cyon rōne thether where they see or here that our lord sheweth a demōstracyon of hys specyall assystēce. And whan he sheweth many in • one place / it ys a good tokē yt he wold be sought vppon and worshypped there. Many iewes were ther that cā to hyerusalem to se ye myracle that chryst had wroght vppon lazare as the gospell reherseth. and suerly we were worse than iewes yf we wold be so neclygent that where god worketh myracles / we lyste not • ons go moue our fote thetherwarde. we marueyle moch that god shewethe • omoo myracles nowe a dayes / whan yt ys mych more maruell that he doth vouchsaufe to shewe any at all among such vnkynde slouthfull dedely people as lyst not oones lyfte vp theyr heddꝭ to loke theron / or yt our incredulyte cā suffer hym nowe adays to worke eny.

¶Because pylgrimagꝭ be amōg other ꝓuys testyfyed by myracles / ye messēger doth make obieccyō agaīst those myracles / partely lest they be faynyd & vntrew / partly lest they be done by ye deuill if they be dōe at all

THā sayd your frēd / well I ꝑseue thē y• force & effect of all ye ꝓfe stādyth all in myracles / whych I wyll agree to be a strōg ꝓfe yf I saw thē dō and wer sure y• god or good sayntꝭ did them / But fyrst syth ye mē may & happely do of myracles make many a lye / we must not proue thys matter by the myracles / but yf we furste proue yt the myracles were trew. And ouer thys yf they were doon in ded / yet sith ye āgell of darknes may trāsforme & trāsfigure hym self / in to an āgell of lyght / howe shall we know whether ye myracle were don by god to thēcrease of crystē deuocyō / or dō by ye craft of ye deuyl to thaduaūcemēt of mysbyleue & idolatrye / in settyng mēnys hartys vppon stokkys & stones in stede of sayntys / or vppon sayntys them self that are but creatures in stede of god hym self.

¶I answered hym that the force off my tale was not the myracles / but ye thyng yt I hold stronger thē any myracles / whych as I sayed in ye begynyng I rekē so sure & fast & therwt so playne & euydēt vnto euery crystē mā / yt it nedeth no other profe / and ye thyng is as I layed afore ye fayth of chrystꝭ chyrch by ye comē cōsent wherof these maters be decyded & well knowē yt ye worshyp of sayntys & imagys been allowed apꝓbate & accustumed for good chrysten & merytoryous vertues. and ye cōtrary opynyon not only reproued by many holy doctours / but also cōdēpned for heresyes by sundry generall coūsayls. And thys in ye begynyng I told you q I was & shuld be ye force & strēgh of my tale / Albe yt of trouthe I sayed vnto you besyde / yt me thoght yt ye myracles wrought by god were suffycyēt profe & auctoryte therefore all though there were none other. whych thyng syth ye seme to inpugne / I shall as I cā make you āswer therunto. ¶Nay syr sayꝭ he I pray you take me not soo as though yt I dyd impugne it but as I shewd ye beefore / I rehersyd you what I haue hard som other saye. In good tyme q I. Thā becaus they be not here I prey you defēd & bere out theyr ꝑte wt all yt ye haue hard thē saye / And sett therto also all yt euer your own mynd geueth you yt they may more heraftyr saye lest you retorn not fully furnishid for your purpose.

¶Because ye messenger thynkyth yt he may well mystrust and deny the myracles / bycause reason and nature telle hym that they can not be dō / therfore fyrst y• author sheweth what vnresonablenes wold ensue / if folke wold stand so styffe agaynst all credence to be geuen to any such thyng as reason and nature shuld seme to gayne saye.

ANd fyrst where ye say. Nay quod he where they saye. well quod I soo be it where they saye / For here euer my tonge tryppythe. But now therfore fyrste where they saye yt they neuer sawe any of these myracles theym self / and therfore the myracles be no profe to them whych whyle they neuer sawe them are not boundē to be leue them / they seme eyther very necligent yf they nothyng •• uere whā they mystrust & dout of the trouth in such a wayghty matter / or yf they haue dylygētly made enserche than must it nedꝭ be yt they haue hard of so many tolde & rehersyd by the mou • hes & the writing of so good and credyble personis / that the ye seeme vnreasonably suspycyous yf they thynke all to gether lyes that so many tre • mē or mē like to be trew so faythfully do report. If these mē were • uggys fewe maters wold take ēde at theyr hād / or at ye le • t y• playntife shuld haue well spede if they wold bileue no thyng but that were proued / nor rekē nothīg proued but yt they se them selfe. ¶Thus may euery man rekē him selfe vnsure of hys owne father if he beleue no mā / or bycause all ye profe therof stā dyth but vpō one woman / And yt vpō her whych though she can tell best / yet yf yt be wrong hath gr • test cause to ly. Let ye knowlege of y• father alone ther fore amōg our wy •• y • mysteries / And lett vs se yf we beleue nothynge but y• we se our self. who cā rekē him self sure of hys own mother / for pos •• ble it were y• he were chaunged in ye cradell / and a • yche mānis 〈◊〉 bring hō • h • r owne chylde for her masters / & kepe her masters for her own to make her o •• a gē tylmā good • h • pe. And thys were no grete mastery / whyle ye mother hath of her owne child no • re marke. ¶Sir q your frend yf I shuld 〈…〉 & by thes exāples proue thē yt they wer of reasō boūdē to beleue 〈◊〉 ••••• les as were reportyd bycause many ••• dyble mē tell thē / for as mo •• as •• ys we shuld bileue nothīg but that 〈◊〉 • e our self / and than were all the •• rld full of cō • u • yon / nor no iudgmēt could be geu • /but vppō thyngys 〈◊〉 iudgꝭ • ight / I shuld I fere me very • ebly saty •• y them. For they wolde 〈◊〉 say yt t • ē samples be nothynge like y• mater. But as it is reasō yt I shuld beleue honeste mē in all such thyngꝭ as may be trew / & whereī I se no cause why they shuld lye / so were agayn •• all reasō to bileue mē be they neuer so many / seme they neuer so credible / where as reasō & nature (of whych tw • yne euery one ys alone more credyble then they all) sheweth me plainly yt theyre tal • is vntrew / as yt muste nedy • yf the matter be unpossyble as it is in all • hes myr • cles. And in such case though I can • seue no ꝓfit yt they cā receyue therby / yet wh • I wel se yt it coud not be trew I must well se that it 〈◊〉 not tre •• . And therby must I nedi • •• owe yt y • they can take no profyt by lying / they ly not for eny coueryer / but euē ōly for theyr specyall pleasure. ¶Forsoth q I thys is right meryly āswered. & to say the trothe / as far as we be yet gone in the matter of these myracles not my 〈◊〉 amysse / nor very far fro ye poynt. But syth thys thyng ys mych materyal • as wheruppō many grete thy •• ys do depend / we shall no • so shortely sha • e y • of / but we shall cum one •• ep or 〈◊〉 nere to y• matter. And fyr •• I wy •• say to thē that it were hard for them & n •• very sure to beleue yt euery • ā lyeth / why • h tellyth thē a tale for trew ye re •• & nature semyth to she • thē to be fals & īpossible. For ī this w •• e shall they in many thīgys erre & clerely deceyue th • ̄ self. And •• tyme 〈◊〉 they make th • ̄ selfe sure 〈◊〉 y• wrōg syde yf they wol • 〈…〉 〈1 page〉 done beleue no man that tell yt them / able yt yt yt be no perell to theyr soule / yet so much haue they knowlege ye les / & vnresonably stande in theyr ••• our • horow the mystrustyng of the trewth. ¶It ys not yet fyfty yeres a goo syns y• furst man as far as mē haue hard / cāe to lōdon that euer parted y• gylt from the syluer consumyng shorte • y the syluer into dust with a very fayer water / In so farr forth that whan the fyners and goldsmythes of london hard fy • st therof they nothynge wondred therof but laughed thereat as at an impossyble ly / ī which perswasions if they had cōtynued styll • hey had yet at this day la •• ed all that connyng. ¶yet wyll I not say nay but that a man may be to lyght in beleue / and be by such ensamples brought into beleue to farr. As • good fe • ow and frend of myne late ī talkyng of this matter of marueylys & miracles entending merely to make me beleue for a trouth a thyng yt could neuer be / fyrst brought in what a force the fyre hath that will make two peces of yron able to be ioyned and cleue to gyther / and wyth the helpe of ye h • me • • e made both one which no h • meryng could do wythout the fyre / whych thīg because I dayly see I assented. Than sayed he ferther / yt yet was more maruayle that the fyer shall make •• en to • ōne as syluer or lead doth / & make it take a prynt. whych thyng I told hym I had neuer sene / but byc • use he sayed he had sene it I thought it to be trew. Sone after thys / he wold haue me to beleue yt he had sene a pece of syluer of twoo or thre inchys aboute & in lēgth leesse than afote drawē by mānes hād thorowe strayte holes made in a irone tyll it was brought in thyknesse not halfe a inche aboute / & ī lēgth drawē oute I cannot tell how many yardys. And whē I hard hī say yt he sawe thys hī selfe thā I wyst well he was merely dysposed. Mary syr q your frēde it was hye time to gyue him ouer whā he cā to y•. well said I what yf I shuld tell you now yt I had seen ye same / by my faythe q he merely I wold beleue it at leysour whan I had seen the same / and in ye meane whyle I could not let you to say your pleasure ī your own house but I wold thynk that ye were dysposed merely to make me a fole. wel seyd I / what yf there wold besydys me / ten or .xx. good honest men tell you ye same tale / and that they had all seen the thīg done them self. In fayth quod he syth I am sēt hyther to beleue you / I wold in that poynt beleue your self alone / as well as them all. well quod I ye mean ye wold beleue vs all a lyke. But what wold you than say yf one or twayne of them wold say more. Mary q he than wold I beleue them lesse. what yf they wold q I shew you yt they haue seene that the pece of syluer was ouer gylt. & the same pece beyng styll drawen thorow the holes ye gylt not rubbyd of but styll goo forth ī lenght wyth the syluer so that all ye lenght of many yerdꝭ was gylted of the gyltynge of the fyrst pece not a fote longe? Surely syr quod he those twayne yt wold tell me so moche more I wold saye were not so cūnyng in the mayntenāce of a lye as was the pylgrymys companyon whyth whan hys felowe had told at yorke yt he had seene of late at londō / a byrde that keuered all poules chyrch yarde wt hys wyngys: commynge to the same place on the morowe sayd that he sawe not that byrde: but he harde mych speeche therof / but he saw in Powles chyrche yard an egge so greate that .x. menne could scant moue yt wyth leuers / thys felowe could help it forth wyth a proper syde way / But he were no good vnder propper of a lye that wold mynyshe hys credence wyth afyrmyng all the fy • st and settyng a lowder lye therto. well sayd I thā I haue espied if .x. shuld tell you so ye wold not beleue thē. No quod he not if .xx. shuld. what yf an hū dred wold quod I that semed good and credable. if they were q he ten thousand they were not of credēce wyth me whan they shuld tell me that they sawe ye thīg that my self knoweth by nature & reasō vnpossyble For whan I know it could not be donne / I knowe well that they lye all / be they neuer so many that say they sawe it done. well quod I syth I se well ye wold not in thys poynt beleue a hole towne / ye haue put me to sylence / that I dare not now be bol • e to tell you that I haue seen yt my s • lfe. But surely if wytnes wold haue seruede me I wene I myght haue broght you a grete meny good men that wold saye and swere to that they haue sene it thē self. But nowe shall I ꝓuide me to morowe peraduenture a cople of wytnes of whom I wote well ye wyll myst • uste neyther nother. who be they quod he for yt were hard to fynde whō I could better trust thē your self / whō what soo euer I haue merely sayed I cold not in good fayth but beleue you in that ye shuld tell me ernestly vppon your owne knowlege. But ye vse my master sayeth to loke so sadly / whā ye meane merely / that many tymes men dowte whether ye speke in sport whā ye mene good erneste. In good fayth quod I / I meane good ernest now / & yet as well as ye dare trust me I shall as I sayed yf ye wyll go wyth me prouyde a couple of wytnesse of whom ye wyll beleue any one better thā twayne of me / for they be your nerre frendys / and ye haue bene better acquaynted wt them / and such as I dare say for them be not often wont to lye. who be they q he I pray you. Mary quod I your owne twoo eyn / for I shall if you wyll brynge you where ye shall se it / no ferther hens than euyn here in london. And as for iron & laten to be so drawē in lēgth ye shall se it dōe in .xx shoppꝭ almost in one strete. Mary syr quod he these wytnes in dede wyll not lye / As the pore man sayed by the preste if I may be so hōly to tell you a mery tale by the waye. A mery tale quod I cummyth neuer a mys to me. The pore mā quod he had found the preste ouer famylyer wyth hys wyffe / and because he spake hy • a brode and coulde not proue it the prest sued hym before the bysshoppys offycyall for dy • famacyō / where the pore man vppō payne of cursyng was cōmaunded that in hys paryshe chyrch he shuld vpon the sonday at hygh masse tyme / stand vp and saye mou • h thou lyest. whereuppon for fulfyllyng of hys penaunce vpp was the pore soule sett in a pew that ye people myght wonder on hym and here what he sayed / And ther all a lowd whan he had rehersyd what he had reportyd by ye prest / than he sett hys handys on his mouth / & sayd mouth mouth thou liest. And by & by theruppon he sett hys hād vpon both hys eyen & sayed / but eyen eyen quod he by the masse ye lye not a whytte And so syr in dede / & ye bryng me those wyttnes they wyll not lye a whyt ¶How be it syr and though thys be trewe / as in good fayth I beleue & am sure that it ys / yet am I neuer the more bounden by reason to beleue thē y• wolde tell me a miracle. For though thys thyng be incredyble to hym that hereth it / and straunge and meruelus to hym that seeth yt / yet is it a thynge that may be done / But he that telleth me a myracle / telleth me a thynge that can not be don. I shewed you quod I thys ensāple to put you in mynd that in beyng ouer hard of byleue of thynges tha • by reason and nature seme & apere īpossyble / where they be repottyd by credyble witnes hauing no cause to lye / ther is as moch peryll of errour as where men be to light of credēce / And thus much haue I proued you ōwarde that if ye beleue no man in such thīgꝭ as may not be / than must it folow that ye ought to beleue no man in many thyngys that may be / for all is oone to you / whyther they may be or may not be / yf it seme to you that they may not be. And of truthe ye cānot tell whether they may be or may not be / except they be two such thyngys as imply cōtradiccion / as oone selfe thyng in oone selfe parte to be both whyte & blakke. For ellys many thyngys shall seme to you such as all reson wyll resyste / and nature wyll in no wyse admytte / And yet they shall be done well inoughe / And be in some other place in comen vse & custome. But nowe bycause / all your shyfte standeth ī thys that of a myracle tolde you ye may wyth reason byleue that all men lye bycause reasō and nature beyng more to be beleuyd than all they / telleth you that they say wronge in that the thyng reportyd for a myracle can not be donne / I haue shewed you that nature / and reasō doth shew you yt many thyngys may not be don whych yet in dede be done so ferforth y• when ye se theym done ye may right well accompte thē as miracles for any thyng that reason or nature can shew you by what naturall order and cause yt could be done / but that ye shall styll se reason stand quyte agaynst yt as in the drawynge of the syluer or iron.

¶The Author sheweth that nether nature nor reson do deny the myracles to be trew / nor do not gayn say but yt they may be well & easly done.

SIr sayth he yet hytte we not the poynt / for albe it yt many thīgꝭ be well done / & by nature / whych neyther my wytte nor happely no mannys ellys can attayn so nere to natures coū sell that we can therī ꝑceyue her crafte / But like as sū rude people / muse vppō a clokke / yt hath ye spryng whych is the cause of hys mouyng secretly cōueyed and closed in the barrell / so marueyle we & wonder on her worke / yet allway all those thyngys dyffer and be vnlyke to myracles. In that your self wyll agre with me yt whan I beleue yt reason and nature techeth me surely that miracles be thyngys that can not be done / I am not ī this deceyuyd thogh I may be ī such other thīgꝭ deceyued as seme impossyble and yet may be done. And therfor as cōcernyng myracles ī which your self wyll agre that I am not by any mystakyng of reasō and nature deceyued / ye may not your self me thynketh say nay / but yt I may well with reason beleue theym twayne agaynst all theym that wyll tell me they haue sene such thyngys don as your self doth agre / that they twayne that ys to wytte nature and reason dothe verely and trewly shew me can not be don. what maner of thingys be those q I. Mary myracles quod he such as your self • wyll agre to be don agaynst nature. Geue vs therof quod I sum ēsample. As yf mē quod he wold now cum tell me yt at oure lady of rouncyuale / there were a dede chylde restored agayne to lyffe / lett that quod I be oone / and lett a nother be yt a bysshop in the byldyng of hys chyrch fyndyng one beame cutt a greate dele to shorte for hys worke / drewe it forth betwene a nother man & hym foure fote (& ye wyll) lenger than it was and so made it serue / Be yt by my trouth q he. wyll we quod I take for the thyrde / yt a mā was by myracle in a pater noster whyle / cōueyd a myle of from oone place to a nother. be hit so quod he. Nowe they that shuld tell me quod he that they had seene these thre myracles were I bound to beleue thē? whether ye were boūdē quod I or no / we shall see ferther after / But now whye shuld ye not of reasō trust them yf the men be credyble / and ernestly reporte yt / and peraduenture on there othes depose it / hauīg no cause to fayne it nor lykely to lye and be forswornen for nought. I wyll quod he not beleue them bycause that nature and reasone are twoo recordys more to be byleued thā all they that bere wytnesse agaynst them. why quod I what doth reason & nature tell you. They twayne tell me quod he yt those .iii. thyngys cā not be done / whych those men sey they sawe done. wote you quod I that reasō and nature tell you so. ye mary quod he yt I wote well they do / & I thynke youre self wyll agre that they tell me so. Nay by saynt Mary syt quod I that wyll I not • for I thynke that neyther reson nor nature telleth you so / but rather both twoo tell you clene the contrary / that ys to wyte that they both bere witnesse that those thre thyngys and such other lyke be thingys that may be well • nd easly done / ye quod he: mary thys ys a nother way. Thē haue we walked wrong a whyle yf ye proue that. Me thynketh quod I no thyng more easy to proue than that / For I pray you tell me quod I do reasō and nature shewe you that there ys a god or not? Fayth sheweth me yt surely quod he / but whyther nature and resō shew •• me or no that I doute / syth grete reasoned men and phylosophers haue dowted therof And some of them playnly perswaded and in beleue that there was none at all / and the hole people of the world in effecte fallen from knowlege or beleue of god in to Idolatry & worshype of mammottys. Nay quod I there ys lytle dowte I trowe • but that nature & reason geueth vs good knowlege that there is a god. for albe it the gentylys worshypped among them a thousand false goddis / yet all that proueth yt ther was and ys in all mennes heddys a secrete consent of nature that god there is or ellys they wold haue worshypped nōe at all. Now as for ye philosophers though a very fewe dowted / and one or twayne thought ther was none / yet as oone swalow maketh not somer so ye foly of so fewe maketh no chaunge of the matter agaynst all the hole noumber of the olde philosophers. whych as saynt Poule confessyth found owt by nature and reasō that ther was a god eyther maker or gouernour or both of all thys hole ēgyne of the world. The maruelouse bewtye & constant course whereof / sheweth well that it neyther was made nor gouerned by chaunce. But whan they had by these vysyble thyngys knowlege of hys inuysyble magestye / thā dyd they / as we do / fell from the worshyp of hym to ye worship of Idoles as now do chrysten mē / not as herytyques lay to ye charge of good people in doyng reuerence to sayntys 〈1 page〉 /he wrought it not to the vttermo •• s of hys power / but with sych degrees of goodnes as his hye plesure lyked to lymyt. For els were hys work of as infynyte ꝑfeccy • n as hym self. And of such infynyte eg • ll ꝑ • eccyō was ther by god brought forth nothyng but only ye two ꝑsons of the trynyte / yt is to wyt ye sōne & the holy goste. of which two the sonne was furste by the father begotten / & after the holye goste by the father and the sonne / after I say ī order of beginning but not in tyme producyd and brought forth. And in thys hye generacyon and produccyon dyd the doers work bothe wyllyngly & naturally / & after the vtterest parfeccyon of them self / which they dyd only therin • in none other thyng. And therefore god myght breke vp the hole worlde yf he wolde & make a beter by & by. and not onely chaūge in the n • turall cours of thys world sum thyngꝭ to the beter. How be it god in workyng of myracles doth nothyng agaynst nature / but some specyall benefyte aboue nature. And he doth not agaynste you that doth a nother a good torne whych ye be not able to do. And therfore syth god may do what he wyll beīg almyghty / and in doynge of myracles he dothe for the beter / neyther reson nor nature shewyth you that they whych saye they saw such myracles / do tell you a thyng yt can not be done / syth ye haue no reason to proue that god either can not do yt or wyll not do yt. For syth he cā do it and yt may be that he wyll do yt / why shuld we mystruste good & h • nest men that say they saw hym do yt.

¶The author shewyth 〈◊〉 albe yt men m • y mystruste some of the p •• tyculer myracle • /yet c •• there no resonable 〈◊〉 neyther deny nor 〈◊〉 /but that • any myracles hath there bene done and wrought.

FOrsothe quod he & yet 〈◊〉 for myracles I were notte for all thys boūdē to beleue any. for I spake n • uer yet wt any man yt cou • e tell me that euer he saw any ¶It may q I fortune you to lyue so lōg that yt shall fynde no mā that was by at your crystenyng / nor when ye were bishopped neyther. ¶Mary q he for ought • I wot I haue lyued so longe all redy. ¶why dout we not than q I whyther ye were euer crystenyd or not? ¶ For euery man quod he presumyth & beleueth that I ā crystenyd / as a thyng so comenly done / that we reken our selfe sure yt no man leuyth yt • ndone. ¶I • the comen presumpsyon quod I suffycyently serue you to set your mynd in surete / than albeit myracles be nothīg comenly & customably done / nor that no presumpcyon can suffy •• ently serue for ye profe of thys myracle or that / yet hathe there euer from the begynnyng of the world in euery nacyon crysten • he then / and almost euery town at so • dry times so many myracles and m •• uayls bene wrought besyde the come • cour • of nature / that I thynk thorow ye world yt is as well beleuyd vnyuersally that miracles and maruayl • the • be / as any thyng ys beleuyd that men loke vppon. So that if comen presūpsiō serue you / ye may as I sayd as w • l beleue that myracles be done / 〈◊〉 that youre selfe was euer cry •• enyd. For I dare well say that the • e • r a thousand yt bele • e ther hath bene myracles dōe / against one that beleuyth that ye wer euer cry •• enyd / or euer wyst whether ye were borne or n • t. ¶Nor ye doctors of Cry •• ys chyrch dyd n • u • r mystrus • ye wonders & m • r •• yl • t •• t the ••• nymes telle and wryte too ha • e beene done by theyr false goddis / but assygneth them to haue ben done by the deuyll thorow goddꝭ sufferaūce for thyllusyon of them that with idolatry had deserued to be deluded. And whyther they be myracles by whyche name we cōmenly call the wonders wrought by god or merueyles done by the deuel it forseth not for thys purpose of ours. For yf ye graunt that the deu • ll may do any by goddis sufferāce / ye can not say nay but god may much more • asily do hym self. ¶And sith ye be a christen mā and receyue scripture I might ī this matter quod I haue choked you long a go / wyth the manyfold myracles and meruailes yt be shewed there.

¶Thauthor prouyth yt many thīgꝭ dayly don by nature or craft wherof we nothynge merueyle at all / be more meruelous and more wōderfull in dede than be the myracles yt we mooste marueyle of and repute most incredyble.

NAy quod he suerly though it hath doone me good to here what ye wold say / yet I nether dout nor I suppose no good man ellys / but that god hath besyde the comen course of nature wrought many myracles. But yet of those that men tell of / as done in our tyme / by whych ye wold it shuld seme that it were well prouyd that the prayng to sayntys / goyng on pylgrymagys / & worshyppyng of ymagys were well and suffycyently prouyd / all though there were none other profe theruppō / of these myracles dyd I mene / in the report of whych me thynkyth I neede not beleue a comen fame of • hys myracle and that begon by such sily womā sekīg saynt Sythe whē • he syghyth for myscastyng other • ays. Of these myracles I speke / & all such as men say now adays be done at dyuers pylgrymagꝭ by dyuers sayntꝭ or dyuers ymagys / in whych the thynkyth yt such as be told to be don which nature and reson sayth be impossyble / I may well mystrust ye tellers. Or ells how many of thē shall make me a suffycyent profe of an impossyble mater? One or two or thre eyther semyth me to few to trust theyr credence in a thīg so incredible. And if I shall not beleue theym tyll I fynde many recordys / I wene I were fayne to wander ye world about or I ꝓuyd many myracles suffyciently / of such I say as ye ꝓue your pylgrymages by. ¶youre few wordys q I haue wrappyd in them many thingys that seme somwhat as they be couchyd to geder. which when we se them vnfoldyd and consyder ech part a sonder / than may we better examyn th • m & better se wherof they serue. ¶Furste ye speke of sekīg to sayntys for sleyght causys. as for ye losse or mysse of kyttis ka • s. Than ye wolde wyt how many ye must here say they saw a myracle or ye shuld of reason beleue yt. Thyrdly ye thynk ye were lyke to go long or ye shuld fynde any prouyd trew. Fynally whan ye say that ye meane onely those myracles that men tell of / as doone at pylgr • magys / ye seme to put styll a differēs betwene those myracles wroght in pylgrymag • & such as are wrought by god otherwyse / The cause wherof I must ferther aske you after. For I perceyue not well what ye meane by yt / ¶But fyrst where as ye speke styll as though ye myght mistrust thē were they neuer so many: because they tell you a thyng that reasō & nature sayeth is impossyble / me thynketh yt ye shuld now chaunge that worde. For I haue all redy / ꝓuyd that reasō & nature say not that a myracle ys īpossible / but only that it is impossyble to nature. And they cōfesse both that myracles be possyble to god and they that report them do report them for such. And therfore they do report you none īpossible tale. For the clerer cōsyderacion wherof / let vs resort to ye miracles which we were agreed shuld stand for examples / And fyrst yf men shuld tell you yt they sawe before an ymage / of the crucifix a dede man raysid to lyfe / ye wold much merua • le therof / and so myght ye well. yet could I tell you sum what that I haue seen my selfe that me thynketh as gret a meruayle / but I haue no lyst to tell you because that ye be so circumspect and ware in beleue of any myracles / yt ye wold not beleue yt for me but mystrust me for it. Nay sir quod he ī good fayth / yf a thīg semed me neuer so farr vnlykly / yet yf ye wolde ernystly say yt your selfe haue seen yt / I neyther wold nor could mystrust yt, well quod I thā ye make me the bolder to tel you. And yet wyll I tell you nothing / but that I wold yf nede were find you good witnes to proue it. It shall not nede syr q he / but I besech you let me here it. For soth quod I because we speke of a mā raysyd from deth to lyfe. There was ī the parish of saynt steuenes ī walbrok in lōdō where I dwellid before I came to chelsyth / a mā and a woman which at yet quyk and quethynge and yonge were they both. The eldyst I am sure passyd not .xxiiii. It happed them as doth among yong folke / ye tone to cast a mynd to the tother. And after many lettis / for y• maydēs mother was mich agaynst yt / at last they came to gether and were maryed in saynt Stephens chirch which is not gretly famouse for any myracles / but yet yerely on saynt steuyn day it is sōwhat sought vnto / & vysyted with folkis deuociō. But now short tale to make / thys yong woman as the maner is in brydis ye wote well was at nyght brought to bed with honest womē. And than after that went the bryde grome to bed. And euery body wēt theyr wayes & left them twayn there alone. And that same nyght / yet abide let me not lye. now ī faith to say the trouth I am not very sure of the time / but suerly as it aperid afterward yt was of lyklyhod y• same nyght or sū other tyme sone after except yt happened a lytle afore. No force for the tyme quod he. Troth quod I / and as for the matter all the paryshe wyll testefye for trewth the woman was knowen for so honest. But for the conclusion the seed of them twayn / turned in the womans body / fyrst into bloode / and after into shape of man chylde. And than waxed quyk and she gret therwyth. And was within y• yere delyuered of a fayr boy / and forsoth yt was not than (for I saw yt myselfe) passing the lenght of a fote. And I am sure he is growen nowe an ynch lenger than I. How long ys yt agoo quod he. By my fayth q I / about xxi. yeres. Tush quod he this is a worthy myracle. In good faith quod I neuer wyst I that any mā could tell that he had any other begynnyng. And me thynkyth that thys ys as gret a myracle as the reysyng of a dede man. ¶If yt seme so q he to you / than haue you a maruelouse semynge / for I wene yt semyth so to no man els. ¶No quod I cā ye tell what is ye cause? None other surely but that the acquayntaūce and dayly beholdyng takyth a way the wō deryng / as we nothyng wonder at the ebbyng and flowyng of the see / or the thamys bycause we dayly se it. But he that had neuer seene it nor hard therof wolde at the fyrste syght wonder sore the • at to se that great water cum walowyng vp agaynst the wynde keping a cōmen course to and fro / no cause ꝑseyued yt dryueth hym. If a mā borne blynde had sodēly hys syght what woū der wold he make to see the sonne the mone / and the starres / where as one yt hathe sene them syxtene yere to gether marueylyth not so moche of thē all / as he wolde wonder at the fyrst syght of a pecokkys tayle. And veryly cause can I se none / why we shulde of reasō mo • e maruayle of ye reuyuyng of a dede mā than of the bredyng / bryngyng forthe and growyng of a chyl • e vnto ye state of a man. No more meruelouse ys a koko thā a cokk / though ye tone be sene but in somer and the • other all ye yere. And I am sure yf ye sawe dede mē as cōmenly called a gayne by myracle / as ye se men brought forth by nature / ye wolde rekē yt lesse maruayle to bryng the soule agayne into the body / kepīg yet styll hys shappe and hys organys not moch pereshyd / thā of a lytle seede to make all that gere new / and make a newe soule therto. Now yf ye neuer had sene any gonne in youre days nor herd of any before / yf .ii. men shuld tell you the tone that he had wyst a mā in a pater noster while conueyd & caryed a mile of from one place to a nother by myracle / & ye tother shulde tell you yt he had sene a stone more than a mannys weyght caryed more than a myle in as lyttyll space by craft / whych of these wolde you by your faythe take for the more incredyble? ¶Surely q he both twayne were very strange. But yet I could not chese but thynke yt were rather trewe y• god dyd ye tone / than that any crafte of mā coulde do the tother. well quod I let vs than to oure thryde ensample. If it were shewed you that saynt Etkenwalde or hys s • ster drewe out a pece of tīber yt was cut to shorte for the rofe ī makyng barkyng abbey / shulde thys be so incredyble to you to beleue that they drewe in lenght a pece of wood by ye power and helpe of goddys hād / whā we se dayly a grete pece of syluer brasse / laten or iren drawen a lenght īto smale wyer / as wōderfully by mannys hand

¶The author shewyth that a myracle is not to be mystrustyd thogh yt be done in a small mater and semith vppon a sleyght occasyon.

NOw though ye wold paraduenture as ye seme to do / reken thys cause very sleyght for god to shew sych an hygh myracle / syth there myght haue bene wtout myracle a lenger pece of tymber gotten / & so ye wold happely mystrust yt for the slender occasion / resemblyng yt to the myscastynge of some good huswyuys kays / god hath I wene so much wyt of hym selfe / yt he nedyth not our aduyce to ēforme hym what thyng were suffycyent occasyon to worke hys wonders for. But & if ye rede in ye bokys of Cassyan / saynte Gregory / saynt Austyne / saynt Hyerom / & many other holy vertuous men / ye shall (excepte ye beleue thē not) lerne & know that god hath for hys saruantys don many a gret myracle in very small maters. And so mych ye more ar we boundē to hys goodnes in yt he vouchesauyth so famylyerly in smal thīgꝭ to shew vs so gret a tokē of his mighty godhed. & no resō wer it to wtdraw his thāk & honor because of his famylyer goodnes. And yf ye parauē ture wold not beleue theyr wrytyngꝭ / go to Crystꝭ gospell & loke on hys fyrst myracle whether he myght not haue ꝓuydyd for wine without miracle. But such was his pleasure in a small mater to do a greate myracle for sum shew of hys godhed amōg them whō he vouch saufyd / where on the tother syde afore Herode that wold fayn haue sene sum myracle where yt stode vppon his lyfe & myght haue delyueryd hym from the iewes / yet wolde he not vouchsafe eyther to shew the proud curyouse kyng one myracle / or speke one word. So yt tymys placys & occasyons / reason is yt we suffer to rest in hys arbyterment. & not loke to prescrybe & appoynt at our pleasure / and ellys blaspheme theym & say we wyll not beleue them.

¶The author sumwhat notyth the froward myndys of many folk that wold be very hard to beleue a man in a myracle vppon his othe / & very light in a shrewd tale to beleue a woman on her word.

NOw where ye requyre how many witnes shuld be requisite and suffice to make you thynk your self in reson to haue good cause to beleue so strange a thyng / me thynkyth yt ryght few were suffycyent of them that wold say they saw a grete good thyng done by the power & goodnes of god. except it be harde for vs to beleue eyther that god ys so myghty yt he may do it or so good yt he wold do it ¶But because ye wold wit of me how many recordys were requysyte / ye thīg standyth not so much in nomber as in weyght. Some twayn be more credyble than sum .x. And albe yt y• I se not greatly why I shuld mystrust any one that semith honest & tellith a good tale of god in whych there apperyth no specyall cause of lyeng / yet yf any wytnes wyll serue you / thā wold I wyt of you how many your self wold agre. For I now put case yt there cam .x. dyuers honest men of good substaunce out of .x. dyuers partyes of the realme / • che off them wyth an offeryng at one pylgrymage / as for ensample at our Lady of Ipswych / & ech one of them affyrming vppon theyr othe a myracle don vppō them self in sum grete so dayn help wel apperyng to passe the power of crafte or nature / wold ye not beleue yt amōg them all at the lestwyse twayn of those .x. sayd trew? ¶No by oure lady q he not & they were .x. and .xx. ¶why so q I. ¶Mary quod he for wer they neuer so many hauyng none other wytnesse but eche man tellyng hys tale for hym selfe / they be but syngle all & lesse than syngle. for euery myracle hath but one record / and yet he not credable in hys owne cause. & so neuer a myracle well ꝓuyd. ¶well sayd I / I lyke well your wysdome yt ye be so cyrcumspect that ye wyll nothyng beleue without good suffycyent & full profe. I put you than quod I a nother case that .x. yong womē not very specially known for good but takē out at auēture / dwellyng all in one towne / wold report & tell that a frere of good fame heryng theyr confessyons at a pardon / wold haue geuē them in penaunce to let hym lye wyth them / on youre fayth wolde ye not beleue yt among so many sum of thē said trew? yes yt I wold quod he by ye mary mas beleue they said trew all .x. & durst well swere for them & they were but .ii. whi so q I they be as sigle witnes as ye other of whō I told you before. for nōe of thē cā tell what was sayd to ā other & yet they be vnsworn also / & therwyth be they but womē whych be more light & lesse to be regardyd / dwellyng all in one towne also / & therby myght they ye more easely conspyre a false tale. They be q he wytnes good ynogh for such a mater / the thyng ys so lykely of yt selfe that a freer wylbe womanysh loke the holy horeson neuer so sayntly. ¶ye deny not q I but god may as easly do a good turn by myracle as any mā may do an yuell by nature. That is trew q he & he lyst. well quod I se now what a good way ye be in / yt ar of your owne good godly mīde more redy to beleue ii. sīple womē yt a man wyll do noght / than .x. or .xx. men yt god wyll do good

¶Thauthor sheweth yt vntowarde mīd of many mē / which in miracles so hyely touchyng ye honor of god & wele of theyr own soulys / wyll neyther beleue other folk yt tell thē / nor thē self vouchsafe to go preue thē. BUt syth yt thys kynde of profe wyll not suffyse you / I dare say if ye wold seke & enquere / ye shuld fīde many done in your days in ye presence of mych peple. wher shuld I se y• q he? ye myght q I vppō good friday euery yere this .ii.C. yere till wtin this .v. yere yt the turkys haue take the town / haue sene one of ye thornys yt was in Crystꝭ crown / bud & bryng forth flowrys in ye seruyse tyme / if ye wold haue gon to ye Rodys: So far q he • ay yet had I leuer haue goddys blessyng to beleeue yt I se not / than go so far therfore. I am well apayd q I therof. for yf ye had leuer beleue than take the payn of a lōg pylgrymage / ye will neuer be so styf in any opynyon yt ye wyll put your self in ieoꝑdy for ꝑtynacy & stoborne stādyng by your parte. No mary q he I warāt you I will neuer be so mad to hold till it wax to hote. For I haue such a fond fansy of myne owne yt I had leuer shyuer & shake for cold in y• myddys of somer / than be burnyd ī y• myddꝭ of winter. Merely sayd q I. but yet in ernest wher such a solemne yerely myracle is wrought so wōdersly in the face of the world before so gret a multytude / it is a gret vntowardnes in a thīg so hyly touchyng ye honor of god & helth of our own soule / both to mistrust all thē yt sey they haue sene it / & eyther of slouth or incrudelyte not vouchsafe hym self to proue it. If I shuld haue gon quod he & foūd it a ly / thā had I walkyd a wyse iorney. & ō ye tother side if I shuld haue sene ther such a thing my self / yet coud I scantly rekē my selfe sure. No q I yt were a strange case. Not very strange q he. For where ye speke of myracles done before a multyrude / a man may be dysseyuyd therin ryghte well.

¶The messēger makyth obieccyō y• myracles shewed byfore a multitude may be fayned / & by ye author shewd how y• goodnes of god brīgyth shortly y• truth of such falshed to lyght / wt ēsāples therof one or two rehersed. & farther shewed that many myracles therebe whych no good crysten man may deny to be trew.

SOme pteste to bryng vp a pylgrymage in hys ꝑyshe may deuyse sū false felowe faynyng hym self to com seke a saynt in his chyrch / And there sodenly saye that he hath gotten hys syghte. Then shall ye haue the bellys rongē for a myracle / And ye fōd folke of the countre soone made foles. Than women cōming thether wt their cādells. & the persō byyng of sum la • e begger .iii. or .iiii. payre of theyre olde • rutches wt .xii. pennes spent ī mē & womē of wex thrust thorow dyuers placꝭ some wt arrowes / & sū wt rusty knyuys wyll make hys offeryngys for one .vii. yere worth twyse hys tythes. Thys ys q I very truth that such thyngys may be & sūtime • o be ī dede • As I remēber me that I haue hard my father tell of a begger yt in kynge Edwardꝭ dayes y• fourth cam wyth hys wyffe to saynt Albonys / And there was walkyng aboute the towne beggyng a fyue or six dayes before ye kyngꝭ cōmyng th • ther sayng yt he was borne blynde / & neuer sawe in hys lyfe / And was warned in hys dreame y• he shuld cō oute of Berwyke where he sayed he had euer dwelled to seke saynte albō / And y• he hade bene at hys shryne and had not been holpen / And therfore he wold go seke hī at some other place / for he had hard some say synne he cā / y• saynt albonys body shuld be at Colon / And in dede such a cōtēcyō hath ther beene. But of trouth as I am surly īformed he lyeth here at saynt albonys / sauyng some relyques of hym whych they there shew shryned. But to tell you forth whā the kyng was cūmē & y• towne full / sodaynly thys blynde man at saynt Albonys shryne had hys syght agayne / And a myracl • solemply rongē / and Te deū songen / so that nothyng was talked of in all the towne but thys myracle. So happened it than that duke hūfrey of gloucester a great wise mā & very well lerned / hauyng greate Ioy to se such a myracle / called y• pore mā vnto hym And fyrst shewyng hym selfe ioyouse of goddys glory so shewed ī y• gettyng of hys syght / & exortyng hym to mekenes & to none ascrybyng of any parte y• worshyp to hym self / nor to be proud of the peoples prayse whych wolde call hym a good & a godly man therby / At last he loked well vppon hys eyen and asked whyther he coud neuer se nothīg at all in all hys lyfe before. And whan as well hys wyfe as hym self affermed fastely no / than he loked aduysedly vppō hys eyen agayne / & sayed I beleue you very well / for me thynketh yt ye cā not see well yet. yes syr q he I thanke god & hys holy marter I can se now as well as any man. ye cā quod the duke / what colour is my gowne? Thā anō y• begger told hī. what color q he is thys mānys gown? he told hī also • & so furth wythoute any stykkyng / he told hym the names of all the colours that could be shewed hym. And whē my lord saw that / he bad hym walk faytoure / And made hym be sett openly in ye stokkys. For though he could haue seen • oodēly by myracle ye dy • ference bytweene dyuerse colors / yet coud he not by ye sight so sodenly tell ye names of all thees colours but yf he had knowen thē before nomore thā y• names of all y• men that he shulde sodēly se. Lo therfore I saye quod youre frende who may be sure of such thyngys whan such pageantys be played before all y• towne. I remēber me now what a worke I haue hard of that was at lempster ī y• kyngꝭ fathers dayes where ye pryour brought preuyly a straūge wēche īto ye chyrch yt sayd she was sent thyther by god / & wold not ly oute of ye chyrch / And aftere she was gratid wtī irē gratꝭ aboue ī y• rood loft where it was byleued yt she liued wtout any mete or drynke ōly by āgels fode. And dyuers tymes she was houseled ī syght of ye peopl • wt ā hoste vncōsecrate / & all ye peple lokīg vpō / ther was wt a small here yt cōueyd ye hoste from ye patē of ye chalyce out of ye pryours hā dꝭ īto her mouth as thogh it cā alone / so that all the people not of the towne only / but also of y• con • rey about / toke her for a very quyk saynte / and dayly soughte so thyk to se her / that many yt coud not come nere to her cryed owte alowd / • oly mayden Elyzabeth helpe me • and were fayn to throw theyr offerīg ouer theyr felows heddꝭ for prece. Now lay the pryour wyth holy maydē Elyzabeth nyghtly in the roode lofte / tyll she was a • ter taken out & tryed in the kepyng of my lady the kyngys mother. And by the longynge for mete wt voydaunce of that she had etyn which had no sayntly sauour / she was parceyuyd for no saynte and confessyd all the mater. In fayth q I it had bene gret aluies ye pryour & she had bene burnyd to gether at one stake. what cam of the pryour? ¶Quod he that cā I not tell / But I weene he was put to suche ponishment as the pore nunne was / that had gyuen her in penaunce to say this verse. Miserere mei deus / quoniam conculcauit me homo. wt a grete thre • e that and she dyd so any more she shuld say ye hole psalme. But as for holy may den Elsabeth I harde say she lyuyd & faryd well / & was a comē harlot at Calyce many a fayre day after / where she laughed at the mater full merely. The more pyte q I that she was so let pas. ¶That ys trouth quod he. But now what say you what trust can we haue / or at lest way what suerte can we haue in such thyngys whan we se thē faynid so shamfully in the face of the world / & so mych people abusyd so far / that they wold not haue lettyd to swere / & some to ieopard theyr lyuys theron / that all this work was wroght by goddys hād tyll the troth cam to lyght / and yt drab dryuen out of the chyrch in the dyuyls name. ¶Uerely sayd I there was abusyon in the tone syde / & grete foly in ye tother syde. And as y• noble duke Hū frey wysely found out the falshed of yt blyson begger / so dyd that noble lady the kyngys mother prudētly decypher & founde out that bestely fylth. And to say the trouth there was cause inough in both these partyes wherof the peple myght resonably gather so mych suspicyon / yt yf they had made theruppō suffycyent inquysycion & serch / they coud neuer haue beene so far • e abusyd. For both myght they well mystruste a beggers worde whom they had but newly known & well lykly to ly for to wynne fu • st fauour & after money / And also men might well thynk that a yong she saynte was not metely to be shrynyd quyk in a monastery among a meyny of monkys. And yet in conclusyon because no such faynyd wonders shulde ēfane goddꝭ very myracles / his goodnes shortly broght them both to knowlege. And so doth hys especyall cure & prouydence bryng euer shortely suche falshed and faytery to lyghte to theyre shame and confusyon. And as he dyd in Berna a gret cyte in Almayne brīg to knowlege ye fals myracles / wherby certayne frerys abusyd the people / for whych they were openly burnyd. And so god alway bryngyth such fals myracles to lyght. ¶Nay nay q he there be many such I warrant you yt neuer • ū to light / & ar styll taken for very good ¶ye cannot very well warant yt q I. For syth god brought to lyghte y• false faynyd myracle of ye prestꝭ of the ydoll Bell in y• old tyme / as appetyth in the xiiii. chapter of y• prophet Danyell / yt is more likly y• amōg crystē mē he wyl suffer no suche thyngys longe lye hyd. And also howe can ye warraunte that many of th • se myracles be false.

For whyle ther is no dowte but many be trew / and ye knowe not eny which ye precysely knowe for false / ye be not sure whyther eny be such or not. Mary quod he y• reasō holdeth as well on the tother side. For syth I knowe not any whych I precysely knowe for trewe / I know not whither eny be trew or not. Nay quod I that argument wyll not serue you so. For though no mā bidith you to beleue yt euery thyng ys trewe yt ys told for a myracle / yet sū there be of whych ye must nedys rekē your selfe sure / and of whych ye can not yf ye be a chrystē mā haue any scruple or dowte. ye quod he? Fayne wold I wit whych were one of those. Mary quod I all y• are wrytten in the gospell. Mary quod he that wote I well / but them we speke not of / for they were done by god hym selfe. why q I be they not so all. If ye wyll not agre y• ye be not sure of any which be told by sayntꝭ / whatsaye you by the myracles of thapostels wryten by saynt luke. Nay q he ye mysse take me yet / for I do not mean eny mistrust in the myracles dō of old tyme by god for hys appostellys or holy marters in coraboracyon and settyng forth of the fayth. I mene ōly these myracles that men tell and talke of nowe a dayes / to be don at those Imagys where these pylgrymagys be / and where we see sū of them our selfe proued playnly false / And yet told for so trew / and so many false shrewes affyrme it / so many siple soules trust it / so mych folyshe folke be lyue it / that a mā may well with reasō mystrust all ye remnant. Ueryly quod I and yet I thynke that • ryste amōge chryste people suffreth not such thīgys to happē ofte / nor such delusyō to last long / but shortely (to theyre shame as yt hath appered in some) doth vt •• r • make open theyre falshed as hym selfe sayed of all such. That ye whysper one in an others ere shalbe preched oute a lowd vppon the rygge of y• house rofe.

¶The author sheweth yt yf of those miracles that are told and wrytten to be done at dyuers pylgrymagys & cōmynly beleuyd for very trewe / we certeynly knew some falsly fayned / yet were that no cause to mystrust the remnaunt.

But be yt yt amonge so many myracles as be dayly told & wrytē dō at diuers pilgrimagꝭ / betwē which myracles and other why ye put a deference we shall as I sayd before knowe ferther your mīd hereafter / And be it also that of such as long haue be reputed and styll taken for trew / your selfe vndoutedly knewe sum for very false / wold ye therfore thynk that among all y• remnaūt / ther were neuer one trew? what if ye fynd som fayer womā paynted whose colour ye had went wer naturall / wyll ye neuer after beleue that any woman in the worlde hath a fayre colour of her selfe? If ye fynd som fals flatterers that long semed frēdly wyll ye take euer after all y• world for suche? If some proue starke ipochrytes whō the world wold haue sworn for good & godly mē / shall we therfore mystruste all other for theyr sake and wene there wer none good at all? By my troth q he I rode ons ī good cōpany / & to say y• troth for good cōpany to walsynghā in pylg •• mage / where a good felows hors so fell in haltynge yt he was fayne to hyer a nother and let hym goo lose / whych was so lene and so pore and hallted so sore y• empty as he was he could scant kepe fote with vs. And when we had went we shuld haue left hī behīde / sodenly he spyed a mare / and forth he lymped on thre legges so lustely / that hys masters hors wyth foure fete coud •• āt ouer take hī. But whā he caught hym & cam agayne / he sware in greate anger all the othys he myght swere yt he wold trust haltyng syr Thomas the worse whyle he lyuyd. what was that haltīg syr thomas quod I. Mary q he theyr paryshe preste as he told vs / as lene and as pore and as haltynge as hys horse / and as holy to. But syn he wold whyle he lyued mystrust y• haltīg preste for hys haltīg horse / yf I fynde an holy horeson halte in ypochrysye / I shall not fayle while I lyue to trust all hys felowes the worse. well quod I ye speke merely / but I wot well ye wyll do better what so euer ye lay. Nor I ā sure though ye se sum whyte safyre or byrall soo well counterfete / and so set in a ryng yt a ryght goode iueller wyll take it for a dyomound / yet wyl ye not dowt for all yt but yt there be in many other ryngꝭ all redy set right diamoūtꝭ in dede. Nor ye wyll not mystrust saīt Peter for iudas. Nor thoughe the iues were many so noughty that they put chryst to deth • yet ye be wyser I wot • well than the gētyllwomā was / whych in talkyng ones wyth my father when she harde saye yt our lady was a iewe / fyrst could not beleue it / but sayd what ye mok I wylle I pray you tell trouth. And when it was so fully affermede y• she at last beleued it / & was she a Iewe quod she so helpe me god and halydō I shall loue her y• worse whyle I lyue. I ā sure ye wyll not do so / nor mistrust all for some neyther men nor myracles

¶Thauthor sheweth that who soo wold enquere shuld sone fynd that at pylgrymagys bene dayly many gret & vndowted myracles wroght and well knowen. And specyally he speketh of the great & open myracle shewed at our lady of Ippyl wyche of late vppon the doughter of Syr Roger went worthe knyghte.

ANd as for y• poynt y• we spake of concernyng myracles done in our dayes at diuerse imagys where these pylgrymagys be / yet could I tell you some such done so openly / so farre from all cause of suspycyō / and therto testyfyed in such suf • ycyent wyse / that he myght seme allmost madde yt her • g y• hole mater will mystrust ye miracles. Amonge whych I durste boldelye tell you for one the wōderfull work of god that was wtyn these few yeres wroght in the house of a ryghte worshypfull knyght syr Roger wentworth vppon dyuerse of hys chyldern / and specyally one of hys doughters a very fayr yōge gentyll woman of .xii. yeres of age in maruelouse maner vexyd & turmē • yd by our gostely ennemy the deuyll / her mynd alienated & rauyng wt dyspisyng and blasphemye of god / and hatered of all halowed thyngꝭ / wyth knowleg and perse • uynge of the halowed from the vnhalowed / all were she nothyng warned therof. And after that moued in her owne mynde and moneshed by the wyll of god to goo to oure ladye of Ippyswyche. In the waye of whyche pylgrymage she prophesyed and tolde many thyngys done and sayed at the same tyme ī other placys whyche were proued trew / and many thyngꝭ sayed lyyng in her traunce of such wysoome and letnyng that ryght connyng men hyghly marueyled to here of so yong an vnlernede mayden whan her selfe wyst not what she sayde / such thyngys vttred and spoken as well lerned men myght haue myssed wyth a lōge study, and fynally beyng brought and layed before the ymage of our blessed lady / • as there ī ye syght of many worshypfull people so greuouslye turmentede / and in face eyene loke & countenaūce so grysely chaunged wyth her mouth drawen asyde / and her eyene leyd oute vppon her chekys yt yt was a terryble syght to behold. And after many maruelouse thyngys at ye sāe tyme shewed vppon dyuers parssones by the deuyll thorow goddys sufferaūce / as well all the remnant as the mayden herself in the presence of all the cūpany restored to theyre goode state perfitely cured & sodēly. And ī thys matter no pretexte of beggyng / no suspycyō of faynyng / no possybylyte of counterfettyng / no symplenesse ī the seers / her father and mother ryght honorable and rych sore abashed to se such chaunces in theyre chylderne / the wytnes / grete noūber / and many of grete worshyp / wysdome and good experyēce / the mayd her self to yong to fayne / and ye fashyon it self to straūge for any man to fayne / And the ende of the matter vertuouse / the vyrgyne so mouyd ī her mynde wt the myracle / that she forthwyth for ought her father could do / forsoke the world and professed relygyon in a very good and godly cumpanye at the mynoresse where she hath lyued well & graciously euer syns.

¶The messenger laythe forth obieccyons agaynst myracles dōe at pylgrymagys / of whych he confessyth many to be trew. but he layth causes and reasōs wherby he seyth yt many men be moued to beleue and thynk that those myracles yt be don there be dōe by ye deuyll to sett our hartꝭ vppon ydolatry by ye worshyppyng of ymagys in stede of god.

BUt nowe albe yt as I sayed yt I myght allege you thys myracle and proue yt you in such wyse that I wot well ye wold be as far owte of all dowte therof as ye wold be depe in the maruayle of the myracle / And peraduēture dyuerse other could I shewe you done of late at dyuerse pylgrymagys / and proue them well to / yet wold I fayn fyrst here of you / what dystynccyon and dyfferēce ys yt that ye make / and wherfore ye make it bitwene ye myracles don of olde tyme / and these that be now adayes don at these pylgrymagys. Syr quod he sum what a lytle I towched yt in the begynnyng & made in maner a glaunce therat. But loth wer I to hyt yt wyth a full shot and a sharpe as I haue sene sum wyth suche reasons cleeue the pryk in twayne / yt they semyd to bere ouer the but And all • whych reasons I wolde be loth in so sore maner to allege / lest I myght happely gyue you sū occasyō to thynk that eyther I set to sumwhat of myne owne / or elles at the leste wyse lyked well that syde and wer a fauorer of ye factyō / Nay nay quod I fere not that hardely / for neyther ā I so suspecyouse to mystrust that one thynkyth euyll because he defēdeth the worse parte well by way of argumente and reasonyng / And also I truste that all theyr shottꝭ shalbe so far to feble to bere ouer yt but that few of them shall towche ye mark / many to faynt to perce the paper / And sum to hygh / and sum to shorte / And some walk to wyde of yt but by a bow. And therfore I requyre you spare not to bryng forth all yt euer ye haue harde • or that ye thynke may be sayde in the mater. ¶Syr quod he syth ye can here yt so indyfferently / I shall not spare to speke it. And suerly to begynne wtall yt I thynk trew I wyll not fayle to confesse. For albe yt that I haue long stycked wyth you to wythstand any credence to be geuē to myracles dō now adayes / in whych I haue moch ye lēget stykked bycause of sum whom I haue knowē ere thys so farre from ye byleue of any myracles at all / yt in good feyth they put me half ī dowte whether they beleue that there wer god at all / if they du • st for drede & shame haue sayd all yt they semed to thynk / yet to saye the truth I neuer hard any thyng sayd so sore therin yt euer moued me to thynk yt any reason wold bere the importune mystrust of them / that amōg so many ā open myracle as ys dayly in dyuers placys doon / wolde wene that none at all wer trew. But veryly as I begōne a lytell to touche in the begynnynge whether these myracles be made by god & for good sayntys or by ye deuyll for oure deceyt and delusyon / albeyt I beleue & euer wyll as the chyrch doth / yet sum men among sum such thyngꝭ say therin that I am dryuē to doo as I do in other articlys of the fayth / lene fast vnto belefe for any reason that I fynde to make them āswere wyth. For fyrst they take for a groūde yt the deuill may do myracles / Or yf we lyst / not to suffer thē callyd by yt name / the mater shalbe therby nothyng amēded. for yf we wyll haue only called by the name of myracles thyngys by god dō aboue nature / yet wyll we not deny but that god sufferethe ye deuyll to worke wonders whych the people cā not dyscerne from myracles. And therfore whē they se them / myracles shall they call them / and for myracles shall they take them. Now syth yt so is that the deuyll may do suche thyngys / whereby shall we be • ure that god doth them? And syth the dyuyll may do theym / & we be not sure that god doth them / why may not we aswell beleue that ye dyuyll doth them ¶Mary sayd I ye told me that ye sett noght by Logyk / but now ye play the Logycyen out ryghte. Howe be yt that argument men may torne ō the tother syde & saye / that syth god may do them mych beter than the dyuyll / and we be not sure that the dyuyll doth thē / why shulde we not rather beleeue that god doth them / whych may do them beter. And myche more reason yt ys where a wonderfull work ys wrought there / to ascrybe yt to god the master of all mastryes / rathere than the dyuyll that can do nothyng but by su • fraunce / excepte we se some cause that cānot suffer that work to be rekenyd goddys. ¶well q he / than is yt reason that we shew you sum such cause. It ys quod he cause ynoughe in that we se that god hath yn scrypture forboden suche ymagry / and that vnder great maledyccyon / As yn the law. Non facies tib • sculptile. And ī the psalme. In exitu israel de egipto / where he furst by the mouth of the Prophete / dyscrybyth the folye of suche as worshyppyth those imagys / that hath crys and cannot here / handis and can not feele / fete and cannot go / mouth & cannot speke. All whych absurdytees & vnresonable folyes apperyth aswell in the worshyp of our imagꝭ as in the panyms idollys. And after he shewith the maledyccion yt shall fall theruppō / Seynge lyke mote they be to them all such as make them / & all suche as puttyth theyr trust in thē. And forthwyth he declareth in whom good men haue theyr trust / and the profyte that procedyth theruppon saynge. Domus israel sperauit in domino adiutor eorū et ꝓtector eorumest / The house of Israell hath put theyre truste in our lorde the helper and defender of thē ys he. Now when the wordys of god be clere / open and playne vppon thys syde / what reason ys yt to beleue the cōmentys and glosys of menne wherewyth ye wold wynde owt agaynst she trew textys of god? what shulde we gyue credens to thēnsample of mēnys doyngꝭ ageynst the playne commaūdement of goddys wrytyngys. And whē that ōly chryste ys our sauyour and our medyatour to bryng our nature agayne to god / and our oonly proctour and aduocat afore hys father and may helpe vs best and will helpe vs most / what shall we make eyther our lady or ēny other creature our aduocat or praye to thē whych of lykelyhod here vs not / For there can none of them be present at so many placys at onys as they be callede vppon. and if they were / yet arte they no nere vs then god hī selfe / nor so fayne wold that we dyd well as he yt dyed for vs. and therfore whā we not only doo thē reuerence (whyche I were contēt wer done them for goddes sake as ye sayd before) but also praye to them / we doo chryste and god great Iniury. For yf we pray to thē as medytours & aduocatꝭ for vs / we take fro Cryste hys office & gyue yt them. yf we aske helpe & helth of them / then make we thē playne god dys and betake to them the power of ye godhed. For only god ys yt yt geuethe all good as wytnessyth saynt Iames. Euery good and very perfyte gyfte cō meth from aboue descendyng from the father of lyghtys. And suerly yf we cō syder how we behaue vs to thē though ye saye that all the honoure geuen to sayntes redoundeth vnto god / syth yt ys doon as ye saye not for theyr owne sakys but for hys / yet wold not I wene that god be well cōtent that we shuld for hys sake do to any creature lyke honour as to hym selfe. For scrypture sayeth that he wyll not gyue hys glory frō hym nor to any other creature lyke honoure as to hym selfe / And therfore ye scolys as I here saye deuyse a treble dyfference in worshyppyng / callyng ye one dulya the reuerence or worshyp yt man dothe to man / as the bonde man to the lorde. The second yꝑdulya that a man doth to a more excellent creature as to angellys or sayntys. The thyrde latria the veneracyon honoure and adoracyon that cretures doth ōly to god. In whych of these partyes ye put the worshypping of imagys / I am neyther so well sene therin to tell / nor so curyouse gretly to care. But thys I se well yf any of all these .iii. kyndes of worshyp be better thē other / thymagꝭ hath yt. For they haue all that euer we cā doo. For what do wee to god when we doo worshyp hym in that fassyon yt they call latria / but we doo the same to sayntys and ymagys bothe? yf yt stande in knelyng / we knele to saintys and theyre ymagys. yf in prayeng / we praye as bytterly to them as to god. yf in sensyng and settyng vp of cādyllys we cense them also and sett some saynt vii. candelles agaynst god one. So yt what so euer fassyon of worshyppyng latria be / the same ys as largely don to sayntys and ymagꝭ as to god / And thys not vnto ymagys only (whyche though they haue no lyfe haue yet som shappe and fassyon after man) but as menne wene vnto pyggys bonys also sumtyme. For what reuerent honour ys there dayly don vnder ye name and oppynyon of a sayntys relyke / to sum old rotton bone that was happely sumtyme as Chaucer sayth a bone of some holy Iewes shepe. Se we not yt someone sayntys hed ys shewid ī .iii. placys And some one hoole sayntys body lyeth in dyuers contres / yf we beleue the lyes of ye people. And in bothe the placys ys yt one body worshypped where the one or the other ys false / and one body mystakyn for a nother / an euyll man happely for a good. And yet wyll the prestes of both placys take offryngꝭ and toll men theder wyth myracles to. In whych case eyther must ye saye that the myracles of the one place bee false and feynid / or elles that myracles make not your matter good nor proue your pilgrimagꝭ trew. & yet myght all this gere be mich ye beter born if it wer trew ye ye defend the thyngꝭ wtall / whē ye saye that in worshyppyng of sayntꝭ and ymagis men worshyp neyther the tone nor ye tother as goddys / but thyngys for the sayntys and the sayntis for god. But now as yt semeth the matter ys ī dede far otherwyse / For the peple pray to the sayntys for theyre necessytys / puttynge thereto truste for theyre petycyons in the sayntys them selfe as though god gaue yt not but they. And in the ymagys putte the people theyre truste in stede of the sayntys self / For albe yt that yt myght stande wyth reasō as ye haue āswered me that presupposed the myracles in these pylgrymagys to be doon by god / ye peple myght then wyth reason goo seke and vysyte such placys as god by miracle declared that he wolde haue hym selfe or hys holy sayntys sought and honored in / yet now thys answere to wcheth the poynt but in parte & matcheth not the hoole matter / For the people doo not onlye vysyte these placys and ther do all the worshyp to the sayntys y• they can possyble doo to god (wyth hope of theyre helpe from the sayntys self / whych they shuld well wyt ōly to be geuin by god / and thus by thys demenour make the sayntys goddys fellawes / yt • s to saye the seruantys matches wt theyr master and the creaturs matys to the maker) but also vse them selfe in as relygyous fassyon / and as feruent affeccyō to the ymagꝭ of stone or tre / as eyther to sait or god. And playnly take these ymagꝭ for the sayntys selfe and for god hym selfe. And put in these ymagꝭ of theyr pylgrymagys theyre full hope & hoole trust yt they shuld put in god. ¶whych besydes that I haue sayd byfore apperyth well in thys / that they wyll make comparysōs betwene our lady of Ipswych and our lady of walsyngam / As weenyng ye one ymage more of power thē the tother / whych they wold neuer doo / but if ī stede of our lady they put theyre truste in the Image selfe. And the people in spekyng of our lady / Of all our ladyes sayeth one / I loue beste our lady of walsingham / And I sayth the other oure lady of Ipeswyche. In whyche wordys what menyth she but her loue and her affeccyon to the sto •• that standyth in ye chapell at walsyngham or Ipswych.

¶what say you whā the peple speke of thys fassyon in theyr paynys & parellis Helpe holye crosse of Bradinan. Helpe our dere lady of walsyngham. Doth yt not playnly appere yt eyther they trust in the imagys in Crystys stede & oure ladys / lettyng Cryst and our lady go / or take at the leste wyse those ymagys so / that they wene they were verely the tone Cryst the tother our lady her self • And so euery way the fayth and deuocion wythdrawen frō god that shulde haue yt & our hartys by these ymagys blynded and set vppō the dede stockꝭ and stonys. Now se the good frute also yt foloweth theruppon. I lett passe ouer the faytery and falsehede that ys therein vsed amonge / sumtyme by the prestes / sūtyme by beggers in faynīg of false myracles. Loke what deuocyon men come thyther wyth. wyth the moste com they that moste abuse them selfe / such I mene as moste trust haue and blynde fayth in these blynde ymagys. But the most part yt cōmeth / commyth for no deuocyon at all / but only for good cōpany to bable thyderward and drynke dronk there / and daunce & rele homward. And yet here is not all For I tell you nothyng now of many a noughty pak / many a flekke and hys make that maketh theyre metyngꝭ at these holsum hallows. And many that semeth an honeste huswyfe at home / hath helpe of a bawde to bryng her to myschefe as she walketh abrode about her pylgrymagys. I harde onys when I was a chylde the good scottysh freer father d ••• ld whom I reken suerly for a saynt yf there be eny ī heuyn / I hard hym prech at powlys crosse that our lady was a vyrgyn and yet at the pilgrymagꝭ be made many a foule metyng. And loude he cryed out. ye mē of lōdō gang on your selfe wyth your wyffys to wyllesoon in the deuylles name or ellys kepe thē at heme wyth you wyth sorow. And surely so many good men wene yt were best / cōsyderyng yt those vyagys bene but wanderyng abowte vanyte or supersticyous deuocyō / and the nexte dore to Idoletry when men haue theyre af • eccyons in stede of god bounden to blokkys and stonys / And now syth that thys gere ys such / what marueyle ys yt though (as I sayd before) the deuyll be gladde to geue attē daunce theron / and doo for hys parte what he maye to helpe hys owne deuycys forward? Or what marueyle ys yt though god in thys cursyd world whē we fall from hym to other / and from yt honoure of hym selfe to hys sayntys / when we doo as the Paynyms dyd in stede of god worshyp māmottys / and all thys by fallynge to folowe mennys glosys before hys one textꝭ / what wō der ys yt though god agayn serue vs as he seruyd thē / and suffer the deuyll delude vs as he dyd them / and make vs lene to fals miracles as we fall wylfully to fals goddys? Thus say they q he that speke on yt syde / And yet moch more then I cā call to mynd. But suerly syth ye willyd me to forbere nothīg / I haue as I coud rather set to sūwhat not of myn owne opynyō / but of myn owne inuencyon / then any thyng left owt that I coulde remember whyche I had euer hard any man ley / to ꝓue the myracles done at pylgrymagys to be vncertayn by whō they be wroght / or rather to proue that they shulde not be goddes myracles but the deuyllys wonders.

¶The author dyfferreth thanswere to the forsayde obieccyons. & fyrst by scrypture he proueth yt ye chyrche of chryste can not erre in eny necessary artycle of chrystys fayth. And in thys chapyter bee those wordys of cryst specyally touched. Suꝑ cathedram Moysi sederūt. &c. Que dicūt vobis facite. que autem faciunt nolite facere / cōcernyng the authoryte of the chyrch.

SUerly quod I for my parte I cā you very good thāk for ye haue not fayntely defendyd youre parte as though yt were a corruptyd aduocate yt wold by colusyon hādell hys clyentꝭ mater feebly for the pleasure of hys aduersary / but ye haue sayd therin / I cā tell whe • her as mych as any man may say / but certenly I suppose as mich as ye eyther haue hard any man say or cā your self say / And at ye lest wyse much more than I haue hard of any mā els / or coud haue sayd of my self. And vndowtyd as ye spake of shotyng in the begynnīg / thys gere how nere it goeth to the pryk we shall see after. But thys I promyse you yt wold fayn bere ouer the but & all. For if yt myght hold & be bidden by / and were as well ab • e to be prouyd trew as I trust to ꝓue yt fals / the but we shote at were quite gon for any suerte yt we coud rekē of our fayth & cristendome. But now to cum to the poynte / Syth yt is agreed all redy betwene vs / that at these ymagys & pylgrymagys myracles bene there / eyther shewyd by god for the comprobacyon of hys plesure theryn / or wōders wrought by the dyuyll for oure delusyon & dampnacyon / If it may eyther appere to vs yt they be not done by the dyuell / then wyll yt well folow yt they be done by god. Or yf it be prouyd to be done by god for the good of hys chirch / then wyll it be clere ynough that they be no wonders wrought by the dyuell to the dysceyt of crysten peple. And syth that eyther other of • these partyes prouyd / implyeth the reprofe of your purpose / I wyll assay to shew / & trust ryght well to proue you the trouth of our syde by sum one of these ways or paraduēture by both / that ys to wete aswell in prouyng that god doth these myracles / as in reprouing & confutyng yt they shuld be done by the dyuell. And furst wold I fayne mete wyth your obieccyons & answer them forthwyth whyle they be fresh / sauyng that me semith better for the whyle to differ them / forasmuch as sum thyngꝭ therbe / wheruppon it wyll be requisyte yt we furst be both agreed: wythout whych we were lyke to walke wyde in wordys & ronne at all ryot so lose / that our mater could nother haue ground / order / nor ende. ¶Now yf I wer in thys mater to dyspute wt a paynym that wolde make the questyon betw • ne theyr myracles & ours / albeyt I shuld haue a clere mater in thend / yet must it nedys be a longe mater & much entryked or yt shuld cū at thend. And hole bokys wold yt hold / both the confutyng of theyrs & vnto them thassertacyō of our own / specyally for that they receyue not oure scrypture / & betwene them & vs nothyng cōmune to groūd vppon but reason. And yf we shoulde dyspute wt a iew lesse labour shuld we haue / syth that we shulde haue wt hym thogh he deny the new testamente / yet reson & ye old testament agreed vppō / wherin we shuld not • ary for the text but for ye sentence and vnderstanding. For therein we shulde haue hym styfly wythstande vs. ¶But now syth wee shall in our mater dyspute and reason wyth those that agree theym selfe for crysten menne / oure dyspycyons ys so much the shorter in that we muste nedys aggree to gether in moo thyngy • . For wee muste agree in reason where fayth refusyth yt not. And ouer that wee shall agree vppon the hole corpus of scrypture / aswell the new testament as the olde. But in the interpretacyon wee maye paraduenture stykke. Is yt not so? ¶yes quod he. ¶well quod I / ys there any other thynge wherein ye thynke that wee shall vary / but the interpretacyō of the scrypture. ¶Not that I remember quod he / except the scrypture yt self wheruppō we talk / as of the worshyppyng of ymagꝭ or prayeng to sayntys / in whych men thynke there can be no greate questyon yf the scrypture be well interpretyd. ¶ ye do q I agre that such thyngys as arn mē cyonyd in the gospell spokyn by Cryst vnto saynt Peter & other hys apostels & dyscyples / were not only sayd to thē self / nor onely for them selfe / but to thē for theyer successours in Crystys flok / And by them to vs all / that ys to wete euery man as shall appertayne to hys parte. ¶whereby mene you that q he. ¶I mene quod I as for ēsample whā he sayd / Nisi abundauerit iusticia vestra plusquam Scribarū & phariseo rum / non intrabitis i • regnū celo rum . Except your iustyce abound & excede ye iustyce of the Scrybys & pharesyes / ye shall neuer cū in heuyn. And where he saith If thou wylt enter into the kyngdome of heuyn kepe the cōmaundementys / dyd he not say such thyngys to theym for all crystyn men yt shuld come after? ¶I thynke yes quod he for the seconde word concernyng the cōmaūdmentꝭ. But as for the furst / that theyr iustyce shulde be better than the iustyce of the scrybys & pharesyes / paraduenture he spake specyally to hys appostels them self / yt they shuld not be lyke ye scrybys & pharesyes / whych comaundyd other many thyngys / & dyd nothyng theym selfe. ¶That ys in my mynde quod I well taken. and so doth holy saynt Augustyne expoune it. But syth ye think he sayd that word to hys appostels specyally rather than to all hys hole flok / whether thīk you that he sayd yt onely to them / or els to all other also yt shuld after come in theyr placis & succede thē in offyce? ¶Nay for god q he to all ye byshoppys he sayd yt & prelatꝭ & spyrytuall rulers of hys chirch yt euer shalbe in ye chyrch / forbyddyng them to binde & lay vppon other pore mennys bakkꝭ importunable burdeyns / to the bering wherof thē self wyll not onys put forth a fynger. ¶Uery well sayd q I. what thynke you than of that he sayd / Do ye suche thyngys as they byd you do / but do not as ye se thē do? ¶In that wold our lord quod he yt all the people shuld do all that the prelatys shuld cōmaūd as far as was cōmaundyd in the lawe by god / but he mente no further. And therfore he sayed that they sat vppon ye chayr of Moyses. & he wyllyd that they shuld for ye cause be obeyd. And therin he ment in such thyngys onely as they shuld cōmaund / that were by god commaundyd the people in the law gyuen vnto Moyses. And that crystyn men in lykewise shall obey the byshoppys & prelatys / commaundynge onely suche thyngys as hym self hath cōmaundyd hys people in hys gospell & hys owne law. ¶And in nothyng els q I? what meanyth yt than that our Lorde in the parable of the Samarytane / beryng ye woūdyd mā into ye inne of hys church / and delyueryng hym to the hoste after that hym self had dressyd hys woundꝭ wythe wyne and oyle / & lef • e wyth the hoste the .ii. grotys of the two testamē tys / promysyd the hoste besyde / ye what so euer the hoste wolde bestowe vppon him more / he wold when he cam agayn recompense hym therfore? And also in that place that we spake of our Sauyour sayd that the Scrybys and pharesyes besyde ye law of Moyses on whose sete they satt / dyd lay greate fardellys and faste bounde them on other mennys bakkis / to the beryng wherof they wold not moue a fynger thē self. And yet for all that he bad y• peple do what theyr prelatys wold byd them / though the burden were heuy / And let not to do yt though they shuld se the bydders do clene the contrary. for whych he addyd / but as they do / do not you. ¶By oure lady q he I lyke not thys glose. For yt makyth all for the bo • dys / by which the laws of the church bynde vs to more a do thā ye iewes were almost wyth Moyses lawe. And I wote well Cryst sayd cum to me ye that be ouerchargyd and I shall refreshe you. And hys appostels sayd / that the bare lawe of Moyses beside the ceremonys that were set to by the scrybys & the pharesyes / were more than euer theye were able to bere and fulfyll. And therefore cryst cā to call vs into a law of liberte. And yt was in takyng away the bande of those wery ceremoniall lawes. And therfore sayth our sauyour of the law yt he callyth vs vnto / My yoke (saythe he) ys fyt and easy / & my burdeyn but lyght. wherby yt apperyth that he mēt to take away the strayte yoke & put on a more easy. And to take of the heuy burdeyne & lay on a lyghter. whyche he had not done yf he wold lade vs wyth a fardell full of mennys lawes mo thā a carte can cary away. ¶The lawes of Cryste quod I be made by hym selfe & hys holy spyryte for the gouernaunce of hys people / and bee not in hardnes & dyffyculte of kepyng any thyng lyke to the lawes of Moyses. And thereof durst I for nede make your self iudge. For yf ye bethynk you well / I wene if ye were at thys age now to chose / yow wold rather be bounden to many of ye lawes of Crystys chyrch than to ye cyrcumcysyō alone. Nor to as much ease as we wene that Cryste callyd vs / yet be not ye laws yt haue •• ne made by his chyrch of halfe the payne nor halfe the dyffyculte that hys own be / whych him self puttyth in the gospell / though wee set asyde the councellys. It ys I trow more hard not to swere at all thā to forswere / to forbere ech angry word than not to • ill / cōtinuall wa • h & prayer thē a few days appoyntid. Than what an anxyete & solicytude is there in ye forberīg of euery ydyll word? what an hard thret after the worldly cōpt for a small matter? Neuer was there almoste so sore a worde sayed vnto the Iues by Moyses / as ys to vs by Cryste in that worde alone where he sayethe that we shall of euery ydle worde gyue accōpt at the day of iugmente. what saye ye then by deuorsys restraynyd & lybertie of dyuerse wyuys wythdrawen / wher they hade lyberte to wedde for theyre pleasure yf they cast a fantesy to any yt they toke ī the warr. ¶One of ye ware ys ynoughe quod he to make any one mā warre. ¶Now that is merily sayd q I / but though one eye were inough for a fletcher / yet ys he for store cōtent to kepe twayn / and wold though they were sumtyme sore both and shuld put hym to sū payn / what ease also call you thys that we be bounden to abyde all sorow and shamefull deth and all marterdum vppō payne of perpetuall dāpnacyon for the professyon of our fayth. Trowe ye yt these easy wordys of hys easy yoke and lyght burden were not as well spoken to hys apposteles as to you. and yet what ease called he them to. Called he not them to watchynge / fastyng / prayeng / preching / walkyng / hunger / thurst / cold / and hete / betyng / scorgynge / prysonemente / paynefull & shamefull deth. The ease of hys yoke stādeth not ī bodely ease / nor the lyghtnes of his burden standeth nott in the slaknes of any bodely payne (excepte we be so want on that where hym selfe had not heuyn wtout payne / we loke to cum thether wt playe) but yt stādeth in the swetnes of hope / wherby we fele in our payne a plesaunt taste of h • uyne. Thys ys ye thyng as holy saynt Gregory Nazanzeno declareth yt refresshyth men yt arn ladid / & maketh our yoke easy & our burdeyn light. not any delyueryng frō ye lawes of ye church or frō any good tēꝑall lawes eyther / in to a lewd lyberte of slouthfull reste. For yt were not a easy yoke / but a pullyng of ye hed owt of ye yoke. Nor it were not a lyght burdeyn / but all ye burden dyschargyd cōtrary to ye wordis of saint poule and saynt Peter both / which as well vnderstode the wordys of theyr mayster as these men doo. And as a thīg cōsonant & well aggreable therwt doo cōmaūde vs obedience to our superiors & rulers one & other ī thyngis by god not forboden all though they bene harde & sore. ¶But see for goddes sake how we be ronne a gret way further thē I thoght to go whē I begane / & haue lefte yt we shuld go forth wyth all. It ys no losse quod he for there is a good thyng well towched by ye waye. well q I let vs go bak agayne where we left. syth ye agre yt chryste spake hys wordys not to hys appostels onely for theyr owne tyme / but suche thyngys as he sayd to thē he ment to al yt shuld folow thē / And ther of sūwhat he spake to thē for ye prestys & bysshoppys onely / As when he sayd / vos estꝭ sal terre / ye be ye salt of ye erth / & sūwhat to ye hole flokke as when he sayd / Mandatū nouū do vobis vt diligatis inuicem sicut ego dilexi vos. I geue you a new cōmaundment yt you loue to gethere as I haue louyd you / Tell me thē I requyre you / whā chryst sayd to saynt Peter / sathanas hath desyred to sy •• e yt as men syfte corne / but I haue prayd for y• yt thy faith shall not fayle / sayde he thys to h • as a promyse of ye fayth to be by goddes helpe ꝑpetually kepte & preseruyd in saynte peter only / or elles in ye hole churche / that ys to wete ye hole cōgregacyō of chrysten people professyng his name & his fayth & abydyng in ye body of the same / not being precided & cut of / meanyng yt his fayth shuld neuer so vtterly fayle • his church / but yt yt shulde hole & entyere abide & remayn therī? Mary q he this ys good to be aduysed of. For though chryste for yt more parte suche thyngys as he spake to ōe spake to all / accordīg to hys owne wordes / q vm dico ōnibꝰ dico / yt I say to one I say to all / yet sū thyngis he sayd & ment perticulerly as he spake it. As when he bad saint peter cū vpō ye water to hym / he bad not the remenaunte com so. And so may yt ꝑaduenture be yt thys word was spoken and ment toward Peter alone. That wylbe q I very harde to hold. For his faythe after fayled. But syth that vppon hys fyrst confessyon of the ryghte fayth that chryste was goddes sō / our lorde made hym hys vniuersall vicare / and vndere hym hed of hys churche / And yt for hys successour he shuld be ye fyrst vppō whō & whose ferme cōfessed fayth he wolde bylde hys churche / & of any yt was ōly mā make hym ye fyrste & chefe hed and ruler therof / therfore he shewyd hym that hys faythe / that is to wete the fayth by hym confessed / shuld neuer fayle in hys churche nor / neuer dyd yt / not wythstādyng hys denyēg. For yet stode styll the lyghte of faythe in our lady / of whom wee rede in the gospell contynewall assystence to her swetest son wythout fleyng or flyttīg And in all other we fynde eyther •• rīg from hym one tyme or other / or ellys doute of his resurreccyō after hys deth (hys dere mother only excepte) For ye sygnyfycacyon and rememberaunce wherof the church yerely in the • enebre lessons leueth her cādyll burnyng styll when all the remnaunt that signyfyeth hys appostels and dyscyples be one by one put out. And syth his fayth ī e • tect fayled / and yet the faythe yt he ꝓfessyd abode styll in our lady / ye promyse that god made was (as it semith) ment not to hym / but as hed of the churche. And therfore our lorde added therto / And thou beyng one of these dayes conuertyd / conferme & strength thy brethern. In whych by these wordꝭ our sauyour mēt & ꝓmysed that ye fayth shuld stand foreuer. So yt the gates of hell shulde not preuayle there agaynste. Or elles myght ye say yt these wordys spoken to saynt peter / fede my shepe / was mēt but for hym selfe / & no cōmaundmente to any successour of his or any bysshop or prelate. Andby that mean myght ye say also that these wordes of Chrystys promyse made vnto his dyssyples that the holy goste shuld enstructe them of all thyngys / were only mente for them selfe in theyre owne parsons. And not that euer he shulde ēstructe his church af • ere theyre dayes. And whenne he sayd wherso euer be.ii.or.iii.gathered to gether in my name there ā I my self among them / we shall say by thys meanes that he ment but of hys own dyscyples in his owne tyme whyle he was here wyth them / and not that he wold be lyke wyse present wyth suche othere congregacyons ī his chyrch after. And fynally thē were these wordys frustrat where he sayd. Lo I am wyth you all ye dayes to ye worldes ende. yf he shude mene yt but wyth them that hard hym speke yt / then shuld yt appere yt he had intendyd a chyrche onely of them and for theyr tyme / And them from theyr dethe hether all were don. ¶Uerely syr quod he I can well agre that all suche thyngys was spoken by christ to make them sure that the faythe shulde neuer fayle ī his churche / How be it if I durst doute in that poynt one thyng is there that sumwhat styckethe in my mynd. Doute on quod I betwene vs twayn & spare not nor let not to tell me what moueth you. Syr q he I thynk yt god setteth no more by fayth thē he doth by charyte. but as for charyte & good wor • ꝭ with vertuous lyuyng shall coole & decaye in the churche as our sauyoure sayth ī the .xxiiii.chapyter of mathew. Because iniquite shall aboūd / yt charyte of many men shall coole. And surely me thynkythe it is well nere all gon all redy. God forbede quod I. For all be yt yt yt gretly day by day decayeth and moche people nought / yet be ther many good men abowte / & shalbe allwey thoughe they be few in cōparyson of the multytude. And yet is yt not all one of other vertuous and of faythe / yt ys to wete of knowlege and byleue of tharticles of our fayth. I mene of such artycles as we be of necessyte bounden to beleue. For albe yt that the flokke of chryste shall neuer lake good & deuout vertuouse people / yet shall both ye best be synners / and also moch more ye multytude shall euer haue the faythe that I speke of / thā shall haue the goodnes of liuing. why so q he. For.ii.causes q I. one y• malyce of ye peple wherby they wyll not be so redye to lyue well as to beleue well. for ye peple thē self wyll better kepe ye fayth thē ot • er vertues / syth it is a thīg of l • s labour to know what they shuld byleue / and to beleue yt all so when they knowe yt / then yt ys to worke well. For though the knowlege and byleue bryng many men to the laboure of good workys / yet the worlde cōmenly and the fraylete of our flesshe wyth thētycement of our gostly ēmys make vs wyllīgly and wyttyngly well knowyng and beleuyng the good / yet to walke in the worse. as doth sūtyme the syk man that byleuynge hys phisycyon / and hauyng had also ryght often good profe by his owne experyence to hys payne before / that sū certeyn mete or drynke shall doo hym harme / doth yet of an inportune apetyte fall for his lytell pleasure to hys great payne and hurte. A nother cause ys q I ye goodnes of god / whyche how far so euer his people fall from the vse of vertu / shall not yet as hym selfe hath promysed suffer them to fall from the knowlege of vertu / not oonly for the manyfestacyō of hys iustyse yt theyre owne cōscyence may condempne them ī doyng ye thīgꝭ that them selfe know to be nought / but also to thentent they may styll haue amonge them a perpetuall occasyon of amēdment. For yf the fayth were onis gone and the churche of cryste fallen in that errour that they beleuyd vyce to be vertu / and Idolatrye to be ye ryght way of goddys worshyp / thē had they no rule to gyde thē to better. And therfore whyle we be not ī errour of vnderstandyng & faythe / how so euer we fall or how often so euer we synne / we see the waye to turne agayne by grace to goddꝭ mercy. But if fayth were gone all were gone / and then had god here no church at all.

¶Thauthor ꝓueth yt yf ye worshyp of ymagys were ydolatrye than the chyrch byleuyng hyt to be lawfull & plesaunt to god / were in a mysse byleue and in a dedely errour. and thā were the fayth fayled in the chyrche wherof chryste hath promysede the contrary as ys proued in the chapyter before.

SUerly syr quod he that god made not hys churche for a whyle but to endure tyll the worldys end / that ys there no chrysten man but he wyll well agree. And sythe hys chyrche can not stande wyth owte fayth whyche ys the entre into chrystē dom. for as saynt poule sayth / accedētē ad deum oportet credere / who so will cum to god must nedys byleue / no mā wyll denye but that fayth ys & allwey shalbe in hys church. And yt his church not in fayth only and the knowlege of the truthes necessary to be knowen for oure soule helth / but also to the doyng of good workys & auoydyng of euills / ys / hath ben and euer shalbe specyally gyded and gouernede by god and the secrete inspyracyō of hys holy spiryte. well quod I then yf the chyrche haue fayth yt erreth not in byleue. That ys trouth quod he. It shulde erre quod I yf yt byleuyd not all the truthes that we be bounde to beleue. what elles q he. what & we beleuyd quod I all that ys trew / & ouer y• sum other thyng not only false but also dysplesaunt to god / dyd we not then erre in our necessary byleue? wherby meane you that quod he. As thus quod I / yf yt one byleuid in all the thre persons of the trynyte / ye fader the sō and ye holy goste / and ther wyth wer perswaded that ther were a fourth person besyde / equall & one god wyth thē. He muste quod he nedis erre in hys necessary byleue / by whych he is bounden to beleue in the trynite. And that felow beleuyth in a quaternyte yt ys quod I the hoole trynyte and oone moo. But we be not only not boundē quod he to byleue in any mo / but also bounden not to beleue ī any mo. Uery well quod I. then erreth he as moche & as far lakketh hys ryght beleue that byleuyth to moche as he that byleueth to lytle / and he that byleueth sum thynge yt he shuld not / as he yt beleuyth not sō thīg yt he shuld. what els quod he and what then. Mary thys quod I. yf we byleue that yt were lawfull & well don to pray to sayntys / and to reuerence theyr ymagꝭ / and do honour to theyr relyques and vysyt pylgrymagꝭ / And than where we do these thyngys they were in dede not well dō but were dyspleasaunt to god / and by hym reputed as a mynysshement and a wythdrawyng of the honour dew to hymselfe / & therfore afore hys mageste reproued & odyous and taken as Idolatrye / were not thys opynyon a dedly pestylent errour in vs & a playn lak of ryght fai • h? yes for god q he. But ye graunte q I that the churche can not erre in the ryght fayth necessarye to be byleuyde / whych ys geuen and allwey kept ī the church by god. Truth quod he. Than foloweth it quod I that the churche in that yt byleuyth sayntys to be prayed vnto / relyquys and ymagꝭ to be worshypped / and pylgrymagys to be vysyted and sought / ys not deceyued nor doth not erre / but that the byleue of ye churche ys trewe therin. And theruppon also folowith that the wonderfull workys done aboue nature at suche ymagys and pylgrymagys at holy relyques by prayours made vnto sayntꝭ / be not done by the deuyll to delude the churche of chryste therwyth / sythe the thyng that the church doth / ys well dō and not Idolatrye. But by the grete honoure dō vnto sayntys god hym se • f the more hyghly honored in that hys seruantys haue so moch honour for his sake. And therof foloweth yt that him selfe makyth the myracles in comprobacyō therof. Also if it be trew that ye haue grauntyd that god kepyth & euer shall kepe in hys churche ye ryght fayth & rygh byleue by the helpe of hys owne hande that hath plantyd yt / then can it not be that he shall suffer the deuyll to worke wonders lyke vnto hys owne myracles to brynge hys hole church in to a wronge faythe. And then yf those thyngys be not doon by the deuyll / I trowe ye wyll not then denye but they be doon by god. And so ys yet agayn our purpose double prouyd. Fyrst in y• ye graunt that god wyll nat suffer his church to erre ī his ryght faith / secūdly whyche pursueth theruppō by that he hath by many a vysable myracle declared yt thys fayth & maner of obseruaūce ys very plesaunte and acceptable vnto hym. whyche myracles sythe they bene prouyd to be don vppon good ground and cause / appere well to be dō by god and not by our gostely enmy.

¶The messenger alleggythe that ye perpetuall beynge and assystence of chryste wyth hys chyrch to kepe yt owte of all damnable errours / ys nothyng ellys but hys being wyth his churche in holy scrypture. wherof the authore declareth the cōtrary.

HOw thynke you quod I ys there any thyng in thys mater amysse. ¶I can not well tell q he what I myght answere thereto. But yet me thynkyth that I come to thys poynte by some ouersyght in grauntyng. ¶well quod I menne say sumtyme when they wolde say or doo a thyng and cannot well come theron but mysse and ouer se them selfe in the assay / yt makyth no matter they saye ye may begyn agayn and mend yt for it is nother masse nor mattins. And al be yt in thys matter ye haue nothyng graunted but that ys in my mynde as trew as the matein • or y• masse eyther / yet yf ye reken your selfe ouer swyfte ī graunting / I geue you leue to go bak and call agayn what ye wyll. In good fayth quod he full hard wer it in myne own mynd otherwyse to thynk / but ye god shall allway kepe the ryght byleue in hys churche. But yet sythe we come to thys conclusyon by the grauntyng therof / let vs loke onys agayne thereuppon. And what yf m • wold saye as I hard onys owne saye my self / ye god doth peraduenture not kepe alwaye fayth in hys churche / to gyue thē warnyng wyth when they doo well & whē the contrary / But syth he hath geuen the • m and lefte wyth theym the scrypture ī whyche they may suffycyētly see / both what they shuld byleue and what they shuld doo / he letteth theym alone therwyth wythoute any other specyall cure of hys vppon theyre fayth and by lefe. For therein they may see all yt thē nedyth if they wyll loke & labour therī. And if they wyll not / ye faulte is theyr owne slouth and foly. And who so bee wyllyng to mend and be better / maye alway haue light to se how / by recours to the redyng of holy scrypture / whych shall stande hym ī lyke stede as ye sayd byfore ye god kepte the fayth for / by hys specyall menys in hys chyrch. ¶yf this q I were thus / wherof shuld chrystes promyse serue? Ego vobiscū sum ōnibus diebus vsque ad finem secult. I ā wyth you all the dayes tyll thende of y• worlde? wherefore shold he be here wt hys churche / yf hys beyng here shulde not kepe his ryght fayth and byleue in hys churche? Mary q he these wordys well agreeth wyth all. for god ys & shal be vntyll the worldes ende wythe hys churche in his holy scripture. As Abraham answerd the ryche man in hell seyeng they haue Moyses and the prophites / not meanyng that they had thē all at that tyme present wyth thē but only yt they had theyr boyks. And so chryst for asmoche as the scrypture hath hys fayth comprehendyd therin according to his own wordes / Scrutamini scripturas / quia scripture sunt qtestimonium perhibent de me / Serche you the scryptures for they bere witnes of me. therfore he sayd / Ego vobiscum sum vsque ad finem seculi / I am wyth you to thend of the world / because his holy scrypture shall neuer fayle as long as the worlde endureth. Heuyn and yerth sayth he shall passe away but my wordes shall neuer passe away. And therfore ī his holy wrytīg is he wt vs styll / and therī he kepyth and techeth vs his ryght fayth yf we lyste to loke for yt / & ellys as I sayde our owne fawte and foly yt ys. ¶yf god quod I be none otherwyse wyth vs but ī holy scripture / then be those wordys of chryste / I am wythe you to y• worldes ende / sūwhat straungely spoken / and vnlyke ye wordes of Abraham whereunto ye resemble thē. For chryst left neuer a boke behynde hym of hys owne makynge as Moyses did and the profytis. And in theyr bokys was he spokī of as he was in the gospell. wherfore if he had spokē and ment of scrypture / he wold haue sayd that they shuld haue wyth them styll hys euangelystes and wryters of his gospels as Abrahā sayd they haue moyses and the prophetis / whych were the writers of the bok • s that the ie • es had. Chryst also sayd / I am wyth you tyll thend of the worlde / not I shalbe / but am. whyche ys the word apꝓp • yed to hys godhed. And therfor that word am / is ye name by whych our lord ••• d • s he tolde Moyses / be named vnto pharao / as a name whyche from all cretures (syth they be all subget to tyme) clerly dyscernyth hys godhed / whyche ys euer beyng and present wythowte dyfference of tyme paste or to come. In whych wyse he was not in his holy scrypture / for yt had begynnyng. And at those wordys spoken / was not yet all wryten. For of the chefe part which ys the new testament / ther was yet at that time neuer on word wreten. And also we be not sure bi any ꝓmis made that the scrypture shall enoure to the worldes ende / albeit I thynk verely ye substaunce shall. But yet as I saye / ꝓmise haue we none thereof. For where our lorde sayth yt hys wordes shall not passe away / nor one • ote therof be lost / he spake of his promyses made in de • e as hys faythe and doctryne taught by mouth and inspyracion / Not that the wrytyng shuld neuer be lost / o • whyth sum partyes be all redy loste / more per aduenture then we can tell of. And of that we haue / the bokys in sum part • corrupted wyth mysse wrytynge. And yet the substance of those wordys that he ment ben knowen / wher sum parte of the wrytyng ys vnknown. He sayth also that hys father and he shulde send the holye goste / and also that he w • lde cō hym selfe. wherto all thys yf he mēt no more but to leue the bokys b • hynd them and go theyre way? Chryste is al so present am • ng vs bodyly ī the holy sacramente / And ys he there presente wyth vs for nothyng? The holy goste taught many thyngꝭ / I thynk vnwryten / and wherof sum parte was neuer comprysyd ī ye scrypture yet vnto thys daye / as the artycle whyche no goode chrysten man wyll doute • f / that oure blessyd lady was a perp • tuall vyrgyn aswell after the byrthe of chryste as afore. Owre sauiour • lso s • y • vnto his Apposteles / that whē they shuld be accused and brought in Iugement / they shuld not nede to care for answere / yt shulde euen thē he put ī ther myndes. And that he mente not only the remē braunce of holy scripture / which before the paynym iugꝭ were but a colde and bare allegyng / but suche wordes newe geuen them by god inspyred in theyre hertꝭ so effectuall / and cōfermid wyth myracles / yt theyr aduersaries though they were angry therat / yet shuld not bee able to resyste yt. And thus wythe secret helpe and inspiracion ys chryste wyth hys churche / and wylbe to ye worldes ende present and assystent. Not ō ly spoken of in wrytyng.

¶The author sheweth that yf yt so were in dede as the messenger sayd / that is to wytt that chryste cōtynued wyth hys chyrch none other wise but only by the leuynge of hys holye scrypture to theym / and that all the fayth also were ōly therin / thā shuld it yet folow that as far as ye necessyte of our saluacyon requyreth / god geueth the chyrch ye ryght vnde • stā dyng therof. And theruppon foloweth • arther that the chyrche can not err in the tyght fayth. whereuppon is inferred e • te sone / all yt the messē ger wold haue fled fro byfore. And ther • n also specially followeth / that • ll th • tex • ꝭ of holy scripture whych herytyques alledge agaynst ymagꝭ or eny poynt of the comen byleue of Chrystys catholique church / can no thyng serue theyre purpose.

BUt now wold I wytte / syth ye reken hym none other wyse present thē in holy scrypture / whether thē doth he gyue hys churche the ryght vnderstandyng of holy scrypture or not? ¶what yf he do not quod he. ¶Mary quod I then your selfe seeth well / that they were as well wythowte. And so shulde the scrypture stand them in as goode stede / as a payre of spectacles shulde stande a blynde freer. ¶That ys very truthe quod he. But therefore hath hys wysdom and goodnes prouyded yt so to be wreten / that yt may be well vnderstāden by the collacyō and consyderacyon of one texte wyth a nothere. ¶May yt not also be q I that sum of them whych do rede it dilygently / and dylygently compare and consyder euery texte how yt may stand with othe • may yet for all that mistake and mysunderstande yt? ¶yes quod he yt may be so. For elles had there not ben so many herytykes as ther hathe ben. ¶Uery truthe quod I. But now yf all the fayth be in holy scrypture / and no parte therof any where elles / but that yt must be therin all to gether lernyd / were yt then suffycyent to vnderstand sum parte aryght and sum other parte wronge in the necessary poyntꝭ of our fayth / or must we as farforth as cōcernith ye necessyte therof mysunderstand no parte? ¶we must q he mystake no parte as farre as necessaryly cōcernith our faythe. But we muste haue so the ryght vnderstanding of all to gether / that we conceyue no damnable errour ¶well sayd quod I. Then yf we must we maye. For yf we may not we muste not. For our lord byndyth no mā to ā īpossybylyte. we way q he. If we may q I / thē may we ether by good hap fall in the ryght vnderstandyng / or els by naturall reson cū to it / or els by suꝑnaturall grace be ledd into it. ¶That is tr • th q he nedꝭ must it be one of these way • . well q I we wyll not yet ēserch whych. But I wold furst wyt whether Cryst haue a chyrch in the world cōtynually / & so shall haue to ye worldꝭ ēd / or els hath one sumtyme & sūtyme nōe at all. As we might thynk yt he had on • whyle he was here hym self & ꝑaduenture a whyle after / & hapely none at all neuer sythȳs / nor shall not agayne we wot nere when. Nay q he yt can not be in no wyse / but yt he muste nedys haue hys church cōtynew styll sū where. for els how coud he be wt them cōtynually to ye worldys end in scrypture or other wyse / yf they wt whō he promisyd to b • & contynew to the worldys end / shulde not contynually so longe endure? Or how could those wordꝭ of cryst be trew Lo I am wt you all ye days to the worldys end / yf before ye worldꝭ end he wer away sum days / as he wer in dede fro ye church sum days / if in sū days he had no church. well quod I yet wold I wit one thyng more. Can he haue a church wtout faythe. Nay quod he that were ī possyble. Forsoth quod I so were it. for hys church is a congregacyō of people gatheryd into hys fayth And fayth is the furst substācyall dyfference dyscernyng crysten men from hethen / as reason is the diff • rence deuydyng mā frō all the kyndys of brute be •• ys. Now then if hys churche be and euer shalbe contynuall wythoute any tymes betwene / in whyche there shall be none / and wythoute fayth yt may neuer bee / and no parte of the fayth is as ye saye ellys where had but in holy scrypture and all yt must be had / and also as we were agreyd a • ytyll whyle afore / there must be non errour adioynid therto / & therfore as far as toucheth the necessyte of feyth no part of scrypture may be misse taken / but all must be vnderstanden ryght / and may be ryght vnderstā den eyther by happe reason our helpe of grace / yt necessaryly folowethe that by one or other of these ways / ye chyrch of Cryste hath alway & neuer faylethe the ryght vnderstādyng of scrypture / as fare as longethe for oure necessyte. ¶That foloweth in dede q he. ¶well quod I / let passe for the whyle. what foloueth further? And • yth the church so hath / let vs fyrste aggree by whyche of these .iii. wayes the church hath it. why there by happe / reason / or grace. ¶By happe quod he were a poore hauyng. For so myghte yt hap to haue and hap to fayle. ¶Then quod I sythe yt hathe yt euer / it can not be by hap. what thī • you then of reasone? ¶As lytell quod he as any man thynkethe. For I take that for playne enmye to faythe. ¶ye take paraduēture wrong quod I. But thereof shall we se further aftere. But now syth ye so thynk / ye leue but the thirde way / whych is the help of grace. ¶No surly quod he. ¶Ueryly quod I where reson may betwene dyuers textys stand in greate doute whych way to lene / I thynk that god wyth hys holy spyryt ledeth hys church into the cō sent of the trouthe / As hym selfe sayd / that the holy goste whō he wold send / shulde lede theym ī to all trouth. And thus by the helpe off hys grace as yee graūt / ye ryght vnderstandīg of scrypture is euer preserued ī hys church frō all suche mystakyng / wherof myght folow any damnable errour concernyng the fayth. And therof doth ther fyrst folow / that besyde the scrypture self ther is an other present assystence & speciall cure of god / perpetuall with his church to kepe yt ī the right fayth / that it erre not by mysse vnderstandynge of holy scrypture / contrary to thoppyniō that ye purposyd / when ye sayde yt Chrystys beyng wyth hys churche was only the leuyng of hys holy scrypture to vs. And ouer thys yf god were no nother wyse present then ye speke of / yet syth yt ys proued that hys church for all yt / euer hath the ryght vnderstandyng of scrypture / we be cōmen to y• same poīt agayne that ye wold so fayne flyt frō. For yf the scrypture and nothyng but ye scrypture doth contayn all thīg yt we be bounden to byleue and to do and to forbere / and yt god also therfore prouydeth for hys church the ryght vnde • standyng therof / cōcernyng euery thīg necessary for vs that is cōteynid ī scripture / thē must there nedes folow theruppon the thyng yt ye feryd / lest ye had wronge and vnaduysydly grauntyd / that ys to wyt / that god alway kepyth the ryght fayth in his church. And theruppō foloweth further the remanant of all that ys in questyon bytwene vs / that the faythe of the chyrche in ye worshyp that yt beleuyth to be well geuyn vnto sayntys / relyques and ymagys / ys not erronyous but ryght. And ther uppon foloweth also that the myracles done at such places ben none illusyōs of dampned sprytys / but the myghtye hande of god / to shew hys pleasure in the corroboracyon thereof / and in the excytacyon of oure deu • cyon therto. ¶In dede quod he we be cū bakk here wyth goyng forwarde / as men walke in a mase. ¶ye haue not yet quod I lost all that labour. For thogh ye haue half a chek in thys poynte / yet haue ye yf ye perceyue yt matyd me in a nother poynte / by one thyng that ys aggreed bytwene vs now. ¶what is that quod he / ¶Thys quod I yt I haue aggreed aswell as you that god hath geuyn his churche the ryght vnderstandynge of scrypture in as farforthe as longeth to the necessyte of saluacyon. ¶In what poynte quod he hath that matyd you? ¶why quod I se you not yt? Nay then wyll I not tell you but yf ye hyre me / or yf I tell you yet shall ye not wynne the game therby. For syth ye se yt not your selfe / yt ys but a blynde mate. ¶Lett me knowe yt yet quod he / and I am aggreyd to take none aduauntage therof. ¶On that bargeyn be yt quod I. ¶ye wote well quod I that ageynst the worshyppyng of ymagys & prayng to sayntys / ye layd certeyn textys of scrypture to proue it forboden & reputed of god for y • olatrye. For answer wherof when I leyd the sentence that the churche and holy doctors / ther of gyue to those textys / ye sayed they were but mennys false gloses agaynst goddes trew textys. And now syth ye graunt and I also that the churche can not mysunderstand the scrypture to ye hynderaunce of ye ryght fayth ī thyngꝭ of necessite / and that ye also knowlege thys matter to be suche / that yt muste eyther be the ryght bileue and acceptable seruyce to god / or ellys a wronge and erronyous oppynyon and playne ydolatry / yt foloweth of necessyte that the churche doth not mys vnderstan • e those textys that ye or any other can allege and bryng forth for that purpose / But that all these textys be so to be taken and vnderstandē / as they nothing make agaynst ye church / but all against your own oppynyō ī thys mater. And this haue ye sodenly answerd your self to all those textys owt of hand / wyth a glose of your own as trew as any text in the byble / and whyche all the worlde wyll neuer aduoyde excepte they wold make the scrypture serue the church of naught / or rather to theyr hīderaunce then fortheraunce in the faythe. Fo • •• were yt yf yt myght be / yt god geueth them not the good vnderstādyng therof / but suffreth thē to be deceyuyd and deluded in errors / by the misse takyng of the letter. ¶Mary quod he thys is a blynde mate in dede. ¶Suerly quod I these .ii. thyngys seme to me two as trewe poyntys & as playne to a chrystē man as any petycyon of Euclidis geometry ys to a reasonable man. For as trewe as yt ys that euery hole thynge ys more then hys owne halfe / as trew is yt in dede / and to euery chrystē man fayth makyth yt as certeyne / Fyrst ye Chrystys churche can not erre in any such artycle as god vppō payn of losse of heuyne wyll that wee byleue. And thereuppon necessaryly folowyth / that there is no texte of scrypture well vnderstanden / by whyche crystyn people arn cōmaūdyd to do the thyng whych the church beleuyth yt they may lefully leue vndone / nor any text wherby we be forbodē any thyng / whych ye church beleueth that they may laufully do.

¶Bycause the messenger had in y• bygynnynge shewed hym selfe desyrouse and gredy vppon the texte of scrypture wythe lytle force of the old fathers glosys / & wyth dysprays of phylosophy and almost all y• .vii. lyberall scyences / ye author therfore incydētly sheweth what harm hath happed sumtyme fall to dyuerse of those yong mē whō he hath known to geue theyr study to the scrypture onely / wythe contempte of Logyke and other seculer science / and lytyll regarde of the olde interpretours. wherefore the authore sheweth that in the studye of scrypture / the sure way is wyth vertewe and prayour / furste to vse the iuggement of naturall reason / wherunto seculer lytterature helpyth mych / And secōdly the cōmentꝭ of holy doctours / And thyrdly aboue all thyng the artycles of the catholyque faythe receyuyde and beeleuyd thorow the chyrch of Cryste.

ANd for because wee speke oft scrypture now / & yt the churche in thyngys nedely requysyte to saluacyon hathe the ryghte vnderstandyng of holy scrypture / wherein I parceyue ye be studyouse of the text alone wythout great force of the old fathers inte • pretaciōs or eny other scyēce / of whych ye reken all.vii.saue gramer almost to sarue for noght / I haue of you so good oppynyon / that I trust all your study shall torne you to good. But suerly I haue sene to sum folk so mych harm to grow therof / that I neuer wold aduise any man els in the studye of scrypture to take that way. ¶why so quod he. ¶For I haue known q I ryght good wyttys that hath set all other lernynge asyde / partely for slouth refusynge the labour and payne to be susteynyd in yt lernynge / partely for pryde by whyche they coud not endure the redargucyon that shuld sometime fall to theyr parte in dyspycyons. whych affeccions theyr inward secret fauoure toward thē selfys coueryd and cloked vnder the pretext of symplycyte / & good crystē deuocyon borne to ye loue of holy scrypture alone. But in lytell whyle after ye dāpnable spyryte of pryde ye vnware to thē self lurked in theyr hartes / hath begon to put oute hys hornys and shew hymself. For then haue they longed vnder the prayse of holy scrypture to set oute to the shewe theyr owne study. whyche because they wolde haue 〈◊〉 the more to be set bye / they haue furste fallen to the dysprays and derysion of all other dyscyply • es. And because in spekynge or prechyng of such commune thyngis as all crystē men know / they coud not seme excellente / nor make it appere ād seme yt in theyr study they had don any gret mastry / to shew themself • therfore maruelouse / they set out paradoxis ād straung oppynions agaynste the comē fayth of Crystys hole chyrche. And because they haue therin the old holy doctours agaynst them / they fall to the cō tempte and dysprayse of them / eyther preferrynge the • re owne fonde gloses agaynste the olde cunnynge and blessyd fathers interpretacyōs / or els lene to some wordes of holy scrypture that seme to say for them / against many motextis that playnly make agaynst thē / wythout receyuyng or ere gyuyng to any reasone or authoryte of any man quykke or dede / or of the hole chyrch of Cryste to the contrary. And thus onys proudely parswaded a wronge waye / theye take the brydell in the teeth and renne forthe lyke a hed stronge horse / that all the worlde cannot pluk theym bakke. But wyth sowynge sedycyon / settyng forth of errours and heresyes / and spycyng theyre prechyng wyth rebukynge of preesthod and prelacye for the peoples pleasure / they turne many a man to ruyne and theym selfe also. And • hen the dyuell dysseyuyth them in theyre blynde affeccyons. ¶They take for good zele to the people theyre malycyous enuy / And for a great vertew theyre ardente appetyte to preche / wherin they haue so gret pryde for the peoples prayse / that prech I wene they wold thogh god wold hys own mouth cōmaund thē the cōtrary. ¶why shuld ye wene so quod he / or whereby can ye be sure that ye do not now mysconster theyr good mynde? hard is it oftymys to iuge an other mannys dede yt hathe sum apparēce of yuell / because the purpose and entente may make it good. And whatt parell is it then where the dede apperyth good / there to iuge the mynde and entent for nought / whych who can se but god? As the scrypture saythe / Dominus autem intuetur cor. Onely god beholdyth the harte. And therfore sayth our sauyouriuge not before the time. ¶I iuge not quod I but vppon opē thingꝭ and well apparant. For I speke but of those whose erronyous oppynyons in theyr prechyng / ād theyr obstynate pryde in the defence of theyr worldely worshyp well declaryth theyre myndys. And sum haue I sene whych when they haue for theyr parylous prechynge bene by theyr prelatys prohybytyd to preche / haue that not wt standyng proceded on styll. And for ye mayntenaunce of theyr dysobedience / haue amendyd the mater wyth ā heresy / boldly and stubburnly defendyng / that syth they had connynge to preche / theye were by god bounden to preche / And that no man nor no law that was made or coud be made / had any authoryte to forbede theym. And thys they thought suffycyencly ꝓuyd by the wordꝭ of thappostell / Oportet magis obedire deo quam hominibus. As though these mē were appostels now specyally sent by god to preche heresies and sow sedycyon amonge crysten men / as the very appostels were in dede sente and cōmaundyd by god / to preche his very fayth to the iewes. One of thys sort of thys new kynde of prechers beinge demaundyd why yt he vsyd to say in hys sermons about / that now a days men prechyd not well the gospell / answered that he thought so because he saw not the prechers parsecutyd / nor no stryfe nor bysynes aryse vppō theyr prechīg. whych thyngys he sayd ād wrote was the frute of the gospell / because Cryste sayd / Non vem pacem mittere sed gladium. I am not come to send peace in to the worlde but the sword. was not thys a worshypfull vnderstandynge / yt because Cryste wolde make a deuision among infidels / from the remanaunt of them to wynne some / therfore these appostels wolde sow some cocle of dyssension among ye cristen people / where by Chyste might lese som of them? For the frute of strife amonge the herers & parsecuciō of the precher cannot lightly grow among crysten menne / but by the prechinge of some straunge newelties / and bringynge vp of some new fā gell heresies to the infecciō of our olde faythe. ¶One wyst I that was for hys partinacie in that oppyniō / yt he wold and might and was boūden to preche any prohibicyon not wythstandynge / when he was aftere dyuers bolde and open defēce thereof at laste before folk honorable & fewe / reasoned withall / & not onely the lawe shewed hym to the contrary of hys oppynion / whych law was made at a generall coūcell / but also by playne authoryte of holye scrypture prouyd that hys oppinion was erronyous / he so parceyued hym selfe satysfyed yt he mekely knolegyd hys errour / & offryd to abiure it & to submyt hymself to penaunce. But on the morow when he cam forth in open presēce of the peple / and there saw many that had oft hard hym preche / of hys secrete pryde he fell in such an open passion of shame / that those shulde heere hym go bak wyth hys worde whych had before had hys sermons in grete estymacyō / that at the fyrst syghte of the people he reuokyd hys reuocacion and sayd out alowd that he myghte well be harde / yt hys oppynyon was trewe / and that he was yt day beefore deceyuyd in that he had confessyd yt for false. And thus he held hys own stubburnly wythout reason tyll the bookys were shewyd hym agayn / and him self red them before all the people / so that he parceyuyd the audyence that stode about hym to feele & vnderstand hys proude foly in the defence of hys indefensyble erroure. And theruppon at the last yelded hym selfe agayne. Suche secret pryde had oure gostely enemy conueyd in to the harte of hym / whych I ensure you semyd in all hys other outward maner as meke a symple soule as a manne shuld haue sene in a somers day. And some of thē let not wyth lyes and pariury to defēd them self / and some to stande in defēce of theyre errours or false denyenge of theyr owne dede / to theyr great parell of the fyre / yf theyre iudges were nott more marcyfull then theyre malyce deseruyth. And all thys do • ne because (as them selfe doth at last cōfesse) they thynke yf theye abiure / theye shall not after be suffred to preche agayn. Such a scabbyd ych of vayn glory catch they in theyr prechynge / that though all the world were the worse for yt and theyre own lyfe lye theron / yet wold they lōg to be pulpetyd. And thys I saye hathe comen of sū that haue wyth contempt of all other lernyng geuen thē to scrypture alone. whose affeccyons of pryde and slouth hath not in the begynnyng bene parceyuid to them selfe / but haue accomptyd theyr vycys for deuocyon. ¶wold ye then quod he condempne y• maner of study by whych a man hathe so gret affeccyon to ye scripture alone / that he for the delyte therof felyth lytle sauoure in any thyng • ls / but that we shuld lese tyme in phylosophy the mother of heresyes & let scrypture alone? ¶Naye quod I that mynde am I not of. There was neuer thyng wryten in thys worlde that canne in any wyse be cōparable wyth any parte of holy scripture. And yet I thynke other lyberall scyence a gyfte of god also / and not to be cast away / but worthy to wayte ād as handemaydys to gyue attendaūce vppon diuinite. And of diuinyte rek • ̄ I the best parte to be cōteynyd in holy scripture. And thys I say for him that shall haue time thereto / and frō youth entendeth to the churche ward / and to make him self wyth goddys help met • for thoffyce of a precher. How beyt if • ny man eyther happē to begyn so late / yt he shall paraduentu • e haue no tyme therto / or els any mā of youth to haue that feruent appetyte vnto scrypture yt he cannot fynd in his hart to rede any thyng els (whych affeccion who so hapeth to haue gyuen him / is very fortunate if he wt grace and meekenes gyde it well) then wolde I councell him specyally to study for the vertuouse framyng of hys owne affeccyons / and vsynge greate moderacyon and temperaunce in the prechynge to other men. And in all thynge to flee the desyre of prayse and shew of cōnyng / euer mystrustyng hys owne inclynacyons / and lyue in drede and feare of the dyuyllis subtell sleyghte & inuencions. who though he lye in contynuall awayt vppon euery prechour to cach hym into pryde yf he can / yet hys hyest enterpryse and proudyst tryumph standyth in ye bryngyng of a mā to the most abuse of that thynge / yt ys of hys own nature ye best. And therfore gret labour makyth he & grete bost / if he bryng it aboute / that a good wyt may abuse hys labour bestowed vppō the •• udy of holy scrypture. ¶For the sure auoydyng wherof / my poor aduyce were in ye study therof / to haue a specyall regard to the wrytingꝭ & cōmentys of olde holy fathers. And yet or he fall in hand wyth the tone or the tother next grace & helpe of god to be gotē wt abstynēs & prayour & clēnes of lyuīg / afore all thing were it necessary to come well & surely enstructyd in all such poyntys & artycles as ye church beleuyth. whych thyngys onys fyrmly had ād fastely for vndowtyd trouthes presupposyd / then shall reson & they be two good rulys to examyne & expown • ll doutfull textis by / syth ye reder shall be sure that no texte ys so to be vnder •• andē as it standeth agaynst thē both or agaynst any poynt of the catholyke • ayth of Crystys church. And therfore yf yt seme to stand agaynst any of thē / • yther shall the lyght of naturall reasō wyth the collacyō of other textys / help to fynde out the truth / or els (whych is ye surest way) he shall ꝑceyue ye trouthe in ye cōmētys of the good holy doctors of old / to whō god hath gyuen ye grace of vnderstandynge. Or fynally if all yt he can ether fynde in other mēny • workys / or inuent by goddys ayde of hys owne study / can not suffyce to satysfy / but yt any text yet seme vnto hym contrary to any poynt of ye churchys fayth & belefe / let hym then as saynt Augustyne sayth / make hym selfe very sure yt there is some • aut eyther in the trāslatour / or in the wryter / or now a days ī ye prynter / or fynally that for some one lett or othe • he vnderstandeth yt not a ryght. And so let hym reuerētly knowlege hys ignoraunce / lene & cleue to ye fayth of the chyrch as to an vndoutyd trothe / leuing ye text to be beter parceyuyd whan it shall please our lord wyth his lyght to reuele & disclose it. And in thys wyse shall he take for a sure way / by whyche he shalbe sure of one of two thyngys / that ys to wyt eyther to parceyue & vnderstād the scrypture right / or els at the lest wise neuer in such wise to take it wrong / that euer may turne hys soule to parell.

¶The messenger obiectyth agaynst the councell of the author / in that he wold yt the studēt of scrypture shuld lene to the cōmentours & vnto naturall reson / whych he callyth enmy to fayth. And theruppon thanswere of thauthor to those obiectyons / specyally prouyng y• reason is seruant to fayth & not enmy / & must with fayth & interpretacyon of scrypture nedys be concurraunt.

SIr quod he I wyll not say naye but thys way will do well. Howbeyt I fere me yt we were lykly to byld vp many errors / if we square our tymber & stonys by these .iii. rulys / mēnys glosys / reason / and fayth not that we fynde in scrypture / but that we brynge wyth vs to scrypture. For furste as for the cōmentours that y • speke of / ether theyr commentys tell vs the same tale that the texte doth / or els a nother. If they tell me the same / I beleeue theym onely because the texte sayth the same. & yf they tell me a nother / than beleue I them not at all nor nought I shulde / except I shuld beleue men better than god. And for as for reson / what greter enmy can ye fynde to fayth thā reason is / whych counterpledyth fayth in euery poynt. And wolde ye then send thē twayn forth to scole to gether that can neuer agree to gether / but bee redy to fyght to gether & eyther scratch out others eyes by the waye? It semyth also sumwhat strange / that when god hath left vs in hys holy scrypture well and suffycyently hys doctryne / wherby he wold we shuld h • ue warnīg of all such thyng as he wold we shuld beleue and go or leue vndone / and hath left vs the scrypture for none other cause but for yt yt shuld stād vnto vs for the wytnes of hys wyll declared vs by wrytyng / yt we shuld not say nay but we wer warned / & nōe other cause why ye scrypture shuld be gyuē vs but to tell vs hys plesure & styr vs to fulfull it / we shal now not shape our fayth after ye scrypture / but furst frame vs a f • yth our selfe / ād thē shape the scrypture of god therby / and make yt agree therto. Thys wer ī dede a good easy waye for a slouthfull mason that wer an euyll work man to make him a squyer and a ruler of lede / that when he lyste not to take ye lobour to he we the stone to the squyer he may bende the squyer to the stone / and soo shall he yet brynge them to geder at ye leste wayes. ¶As for the olde cōmentours quod I they tell you ye same tale that the texte doth / but they tell yt you more playne as we shall more talke of after. But surly ye begyld me now in that ye set reason so shorte. for veryly I wold neuer haue went that ye wold in scrypture lyke worse a wyse mā thē an vnresonable reder. Nor I cā not se why ye shuld reken reasō for an enemy to faythe / excepte ye reken euery man for your enemye that is youre better & hurteth you not. Thus wer ōe of your .v. wytys enemy to a nother. And our feling shuld abhorre our sight / because we may se further by .iiii. myle thē we may fele. How can reasō (but yf reason be vnresonable) haue more dysdayne to here ye trouth of eny poynt of fayth / then to se the profe of many thyngꝭ naturall / wherof reasō cā no more attayn to the cause / then it can in the Artycle of the fayth. But styll for eny power ye reason hath to perceyue the cause / she shall iuge it impossible after she proue it trew / but if she byleue her eye better then her wytt. ¶when ye se ye adamant stone drawe iren to it / it greueth not reason to loke theron / but reason hath a pleasure to beholde the thing that passeth her power to perceyue. For it is as playne agaynst the rule of reason that an heuy body shulde moue alone any other mocyon then dounward / or that any bodely thyng shuld drawe a nother wythoute touchyng / as ys any artycle of the fayth. Nor neuer was there yet cause by reason assigned that mē may perseyue for probable / but only that it ys a secret properte of the stone / which is as moch to say as I wot nere what. And yet as I saye reason can byleue • yt thing well ynoughe / and be not angry therwyth nor stryue agaynste yt. And yet all the rulys yt euer she lernyd tell her styll that it may not be / • ye quod he but a mannys own eyen tell hym yt yt may be. & that must nedys contente hym. ¶May a man then better truste hys eyes quod I thē hys wyt? ¶ye mary q he / what may he better trust then his eyē? ¶Hys eyen may q I be deceyuyd & wene they se yt they se not if resō gyue ouer hys holde / excepte ye thynk the iugler blow hys gallys through the goblettys bottom / or cut your gerdell afore your face in .xx. pecys and make it hole agayn / and put a knyfe into his eye and se neuer the worse / And turne a plum into a doggꝭ tord into a boyes mouth. ¶Now happenyd yt madly yt euyn wyth thys worde cam one of my folke and askede whethere they shulde make redy for dyner. ¶Abyde quod I let vs haue better meate furste. And therwyth your frende and I began to laugh. ¶well quod I make none haste yet for a lytle whyle. And so wente hee hys waye halfe owte of countenaunce / wenyng that he had done or sayd sum what lyke a fole / as he was one yt was not very wyse in dede and wont soo to doo. And then sayd I to your frende. Now ye se that reason ys not so proud a dame as ye take her for. She seeth done in dede by nature that she cānot perseyue how / and ys well contentyde therewyth. She seeth a fonde felowe deceyue her syght and her wytt therwt / and takyth yt well and meryly and ys not angry yt ye iougeler wyll not teche euery man hys craft. And wene ye thē that she wyll take yt so hyely that god hym self her master and maker shulde do what hym lyst / & than tell her what & tell her not how? I pray you quod I that oure lord was borne of a vyrgyn how know you? ¶Mary q he by scrypture. ¶How know you quod I that ye shuld beleue ye scripture? ¶Mary q he by fayth. ¶ why q I what doth faythe tell you therin? ¶Faith quod he tellith mee that holy scrypture ys thyngys of trouth wryten by the secret techyng of god. ¶And wherby know you quod I that ye shuld beleue god? ¶wherby q he? thys ys a strange questyon. Euery m • n q he may well wete that. ¶That is troth quod I. But is there any hors or any asse that wottyth that? ¶None quod he that I wot of / but yf Dalams asse any thyng vnderstode therof. For he spake lyke a good reasonable asse. ¶If no br • te best can wytt that quod I / & euery man may / what is the cause why that man may & other bestys may not? ¶Mary quod he for mā hath resō & al they haue none. ¶A well thē quod I reason must he nedys haue then that shall parceyue what he shulde beleue. And so must reson not resy •• fayth but walk wyth her / & as her handmayd so wayt vppō her / that as contrary as ye take her / yet of a trouth fayth goth neuer wythout her. But lykewyse as if a mayd be suffred to ronne on the brydle or be cup shoten or wax to proude / she wyll then wax copious and chop logyk wyth her mastres / & fare sometyme as she were frātyk / so if reason be suffred to ren out at ryot & wax ouer hye hartyd & proude / she wyll not fayle to fall in rebellyō toward her mastres fayth. But on ye other syde if she be well brought vp & well gydyd and kept ī good temper / she shall neuer disobey faythe beyng in her right mīde. And therfore let resō be well gyded / for surely fayth goth neuer wythout her.

¶Now in the study of scrypture / ī deuysyng vppon the sentence / in consyderyng what ye rede / in ponderyng ye purpose of dyuers cōmentys / in cōparyng to gether dyuers textꝭ that seme cōtrary and be not / albeyt I deny not but that grace & goddys especyall help ys the grete thyng theryn / yet vsyth he for an instrument mannys reson therto. God helpyth vs to ete also / but yet not wythout our mouth. Now as the hand ys the more nymble by the vse of sum featys / & the leggys and fete more swyft and sure by the custum of going and rennyng / & the hole body the more wyeldy & lusty by some kynde of excercyse / so ys yt no doute but that reason ys by study / labour & excercyse of Logyk / Phylosophy & other lyberall artꝭ corroborate and quykkenyd / and the iugemēt both in them and also in oratours / laws & storys mych rypyd. And albeyt poettys ben wyth many men taken but for payntyd wordys / yett doo they moch help the iugement & make a mā amōg other thīgis well furnyshed of one specyall thyng / wtout whych all lernyng ys half lame. ¶what is that q he? ¶Mary q I a good mother wytt. And therfore ar ī myne oppynyō these Lutheranys in a mad mynde / yt wold now haue all lernynge saue scrypture onely clene cast aw • y. whych thyngys (yf the tyme wyll serue) be as me thynketh to be taken and had / & with reson brought as I sayd before into the seruyce of dyuynyte. And as holy seynte Iherom sayth / The Ebrues welle dyspoyle the Egipcyens / when crystys lernyd men take out of the pagame wryters the ryches and lerning & wysdom that god gaue vnto them / & employe ye same in the seruyse of diuynyte about the profyte of goddys chosyn chyldern of Israel the chyrch of Cryst / whych he hath of the harde stony paynims made the chylderne of Abraham.

¶The messenger make the obieccyons agaynste the author / in that he counceyled the student of scrypture to brynge thartycles of our faythe wyth hym for a specyall rule to conster the scrypture by. And ye author confyrmythe hys counsayle geuen in that byhalfe / declarynge yt wyth out that rule / men may sone fall in to greate errours in ye study of holy scrypture.

wyth this your frende held as he sayd hym selfe somewhat cōtet that reasō was not so greate an enmy to fayth as she semyd. But yet he thought that he shuld haue nede rather to be well brydelyd / thā to bere much rule in ye interpretacyon of scrypture. But as for ye tother poynt yt we shulde nedys bryng the fayth wyth vs all redy / as a rule to lerne the scrypture by / whē we come to the scrypture to lerne the faythe by / that he thought in no wyse conuenyent / but a thyng he sayd which like as if we wold go make the cart to draw the horse. ¶well quod I wee shall see anon whether the carte drawe the horse or the horse the carte. Or whether we be yet hapely so blinde that we se not well whic • is the carte. which is the horse. ¶Firste quod I tell me how olde wolde ye ye one were ere he come to ye study of scripture. ¶By my faythe he. I wolde haue a chrysten mannys child begyn therin very yōg / and therin contynew all his lyfe. ¶In good fayth quod I yt lyke I not amys / so that ye doo not mene that ye wolde haue him all his life lerne nothing els: And yet that could I suffer to & allow ryghte well in some. But yet if he did neuer in his life lerne oughte els / how olde think ye that he shuld be or he lerned the articles of his belefe in ye bible? ¶I can nott redely tell quod he / for I haue not sene it assayed. ¶well quod I sith we be not sure how long it wolde be in lernynge there / were it not beste then yt for ye whyle he were tought hys crede before in his own mother tong? ¶I demē not y• q he / yt he shuld conne hys crede byfore / because euery chrystē mannys chylde by the law shuld know hys fayth as sone as he coud / but I say he shuld not therwith take vppon hym to iudge and examyne holy scrypture therby. ¶well quod I let thys crysten chylde of ours alone for a whyle. And let vs cōsyder yf there were a good old ydolater that neuer had hard in all his lyfe any thyng of our belefe or of other god thē only the man in y• mone / whō he had watched ād worshypped euery frosty night. If thys mā myght sodēly haue y• hole byble turned into his own tong & rede yt ouer / thynke ye that he shuld therby lerne all the artycles of y• fayth? ¶I thynk quod he y• he myght. ¶Thīk ye so q I? I put case yt he beleuyd yt all y• boke were lyes? ¶Mary q he that may he by y• book hym self lern ye cōtrary. For the boke in tellyng hys tale affyrmyth hys tale & techyth yt to be trew. ¶ye say very trothe quod I if yt were all one to rede a thyng & lerne a thynge. But now myght there be an other boke made also wyth lesse wonders & fewer & therby lesse vnlykly / ād yett all vntrewe. And how should hys mynde geue hym than that thys boke tellyng so incredible wonders shuld be trew? ¶Nay quod he that thyng must he nedys beleue or els he can parceyue nothynge. ¶well quod I then is there one poynt of fayth one gret lessō to be lernyd without the boke / that must be lernyd sum where ether by god or mā / or els y• hole boke wyll do vs lytyll seruice. And of whom we shall lern that / we shall se herafter. But now suppose that thys olde ydolater were thorouly perswadyd in hys mynd yt all the boke were trew / thynk you thā that he shuld fynd out theryn all the artycles of our fayth? ¶I thynk quod he that he shuld ¶Thynk ye so q I? beyt so than. But thynk ye that he shall fynde them out • all in a weke? ¶Nay quod he yt can he not do. ¶well quod I than sith he shall not at the lest wyse fynde them out all on a day / let vs leue hym a lytyll while in sekyng / & we shall retorne agayn after to hym and loke what he shall haue founden. And in the meane season we shall go loke agayn vppon oure good lytell godsō the boy parde yt we crystened ryght now & taught hym his crede & sett hym to scrypture. were it nede y• thys chyld knew no more of hys fayth but his crede before he go to scripture? ¶Me thynketh quod he that yt were ynoughe. ¶Be it so than quod I.

¶ whatt yf yt shoulde fortune hym to fynde some text of scripture that shuld seme to him to be cōtrary to his crede. As for ensample yf he happened vppō the redyng of these wordys / Dij estis & filij excelsi omnes / Goddys be ye all & the chyldern of the hye god. what yf he wolde wene that syth in these wordys it ys sayd all good mē be the chyldern of god / oure sauyour Cryste were not goddys onely begoten sonne / but hys sōne in such wyse as god by y• prophet callyth all good men? ¶That coud he not thynke q he. For he shuld in • other partes of scrypture fynd many placys yt shuld shew hym well the contrary.

¶well sayd quod I & very truth. But now in the mene tyme wyll ye that he shal beleue as yt text shall seme to soūd to hym agaynst hys crede tyll he haue found a nother texte in scrypture that answeryth yt & seemyth to hym to saye more playnly ye cōtrary? ¶Nay quod he not one houre. For he seeth / yt thogh other good men be callyd goddys chyldern & goddys / yet as they be not very goddys / so be they not goddꝭ very naturall chyldern by generacyon but by acceptacyon / where as the crede sayeth of our sauyour / that he is goddes onely bygotten sone / that sygnyfyeth him to be hys sōne by generacyon. ¶That is quod I very trew and well and resonably consyderyd / and accordynge vnto the very ryght fayth. But now consyder that ye make hym by and by fall to the squaryng of his stones lyke that slowthfull masō that ye spake of wyth hys leden rule. For now ye make hym to examyne the trouth of thys texte of the psalme by the artycle of the faythe / whych he brought wyth hym / and by a collecciō and discourse of reason. And so forthwyth ye finde both these rules necessarie to the discussiō of scrypture. Of whych twayne ye wolde in the byginnyng admit nether nother. ¶But now goo ferther. what yf he wolde vppon thys texte / homines & iumenta sal uabis deus / God thou shalt saue both men and bestys / wene that bestys had immortall soulis as menne haue / and that mā and beste shuld be both saued at laste / and so y• no dedely sinne shuld be ponyshed wyth euerlasting payne / •• ll he cam to other textys that shulde proue well the contrarye / were ye beste or ellys were it better that bysyde hys crede he had knowlege bifore of these artycles of our feythe / that onely oure soules be in mortall and not bestys al so / And that ye payne of hell shalbe for synners euer lastīg / And that he may therby wyth reason ioyned therto / perceyue that this text / Thou shalte saue bothe men and bestꝭ / is mente by som other kinde of sauing and preseruyng here in thys world / and not of bryngyng both to heuen? ¶All thys may he know quod he by scripture selfe well I • ough. ¶That wot I well q I. And yet as playne as christe speketh of hell ī the gospell / Origene for all y•/which neyther was a nawghty mā nor vnlerned in scrypture / could not so clerly se it but that he sayed the contrary. And toke the wordes of Chryste in a wrōg sense. And wolde perauenture wythe one that wolde stykke onely vppon ye the wordys of scripture leuyng ye right sense therof / whych god and hys holly spryt hath tawght his churche / brynge hym to a baye therin / that he shuld be fayne not our chylde onely / but also a well elderly man and in scripture well forwarde / to take hym in conclusyon to y• fayth of Chrystys church. ¶Now if our childe sholde rede on the texte of scrypture wythout care of the commē tis / and wythout enny further enstruccyon of the poyntis of our faythe than be specyfyd in our commē • rede / made in the begynyng as a brefe remēbrans by the appostellys / not settyng out in so short a thyng and clerely declaring all that we be bounden to bileue / albeit yt he shuld well finde in scripture many playne and open textys wherbye ye godhed of our sauyour and his egalyte wt his father may well & suffycyētly be prouyd / yet were he not vnlykly by such other textys as seme to shew hym to be lesse then his father / to fall into ye sect and heresy of ye Arryanys. And agaynst those other textys prouyng his egall godhed / to deuyse such false glosys as they did / where as being before taught and confyrmed by the fayth of y• chyrch y• our sauyour is one god and one egall substaūce wt his father / shall well perceyue and vnderstand therby / yt all y• textis yt seme to make him lesse / be nothyng to be vnderstanden of hys godhed but of his manhod onely. As when we comenly speke of our self ād of our owne nature / and say wee shall dye & wormys ete vs vpp & turne all to dust / we mene all thys by our body ōly and nothyng entend thereby to denye the immortalyte of our soule. we may not dyne to day yf I shulde reken you the tenth parte of such thyngys as we muste nedys vppon losse of heuyn byleue / whyche neyther oure chylde wyth hys only crede / and mych lesse our olde idolater wythout crede shuld so finde oute by scrypture / but that they were bothe well lykely to take the scrypture to the wrong parte / excepte we take wt vs for a rule of interpretacyon the articles of our fayth.

¶The authour takyng occacyō vppon certayn wordes of the messēger / declareth y• preeminence / nec • ssite / and profite of holy scrypture / shewynge nathelesse that many thyngys haue bene taught by god wythoute wrytyng. And many great thyngꝭ so remayne yet vnwrytten of trewthys necessarye to be bileued. And yt the new law of Christe is the law so wrytten in the hart / that yt shall neuer out of hys chyrche. And that the law there wryt • en by god / is a right rule to interprete the wordis writtē in hys holy / scrypture. whych rule wt reason and the olde interpretours / the author sheweth to be ye very sure waye to wade wythe / in the greate streme of holy scrypture.

wHy than quod he thys were as myche to say / as that god had not well wrytten his holy scrypture / if he haue caused yt to be wrytten so / as men may be so sone deceyued therin / that they were as likely and (as it semyth by you) more likely to fall in to a false wey thā fynde out y• • rew. And better were yt thā that god hade not geuen vs the scripture at all / than to gyue vs a way to walke / wher in we were more lykely to synke than saue our self. ¶holy scripture quod I / bothe is such as I haue sayed / and yet nothing followeth it theruppon / that god hathe not caused it to be wrytten well / or that it had bene better to haue kepte it frome vs. And albe it yt in this poynte were a great occasyō of a long tale / in declaryng and making open y• god hath in yt writing of holy scripture vsede so hygh wysedome and shewed such a wonderfull temperaunce / yt the very straunge famylyare fashyon the • of / may to good mē and wyse well declare / that as it was written by mē / so was it indyted by god / yet passīg ouer t • e prayse I wyll speke one worde or twayne for ye answer of suche blame as ye lay therto. For it is almost a comen thyng among men so to speke sūtyme as though they coud amēd the workis of god. And few men be there I wene but they thynke yt yf they had beene of goddys councell in the makyng of the world / though they dare not be so bold to say yt they coud haue made it beter / yet yf theye myghte haue ruled yt / hee shulde haue made many thyngys of a nother fassion. And for all yt if he wold yet call vs all to councell / and chaunge nothynge tyll wee were vppon euery thyng all agreed / ye world were well likly tyll domys day to go forth on as yt goth all redy / sauīg y• I wot nere whether we wolde all agree to be wynged. ¶But as for ye scrypture shortely god hath so deuysed it / that he hath geuyn the world therin ā inestimable tresure as the case standeth. And yet we shuld happely nothyng haue neded therof if y• woundes of our own foly had not of oure greate necessyte & goddys greate goodnes requyred it. For at oure creacion he gaue but • wo preceptꝭ or thre by hys own holy mouth to our fyrst parentys. And as for all yt was for theym to do bysyde / the reason whiche he had planted ī theyre soules gaue them suffycient warnynge / wherof y• hole some stode in effecte / in the honoure of god & goddys frendys / wyth loue of eche to the other and to theyre ofspryng and linage. But the preceptis y• he gaue by mouth was thre. Twayne cōmaūdīg generacion and etynge / y• thyrd forbedyng the tre of knowlege. And yt was for them contynuall / where the tother twayn albe it they were therto boundē by the precepte / yet were not they and theyre posteryte bounden therto at all owers and all placis. But nede was it in the beginning to gyue theym kowlege therof / for as mich as they had no hunger to warne theym of ye tone / nor sensuall rebellyouse appetite to warne theym of the tother. But after yt they were by god onis admonished therof / thā dyd reason enterprete ye rēnaunt / wherby they wyste yt they shuld ete for conseruacyon of theyre bodies / and in gender for propagaciō of theyr kinde. An • syth they perceyued that these .ii. thīgys was thēd & ētent of those commaundementꝭ / they therby cōsequently knew whan it was tyme and place & occacyō cōuenient to fullfyll theym. But whan they had onys at ye subtell swasyon of the deuyll / brokē the thyrd commaundement in tasting y• forbedē fruyt / beyng than expelled out of paradise / than cōcernyng theyre foode and engenderinge / not ōly reasō ofte shew • d theym what was honeste & profytable / but also sēsualyte what was bestely and plesaunte / whyche sensualyte labored so bysyly to cause man to sett by delyte aboue good and conueniente / yt for the resystence therof it then bycam to be the spyrytuall bysynesse & occupacion of man / so to preserue and bring vp the body / yt it were not suffered to maister y• soule / and so to rule & bridell sensualyte / y• it were subiecte and obedyent vnto reason / as god wylled the woman to be subiecte and obedyencer of man. wherin god wolde yt we were lerned rather to suffer our sēsuall ꝑtys playne and morne / thā to folow theyr own hurte & owers to. As it hade bene better for oure father Adame & vs all / that he had suffered hys wyffe our mother Eue / to be sad and angry bothe & lyke a womā to weepe to / than to haue eten thapple for f • leshype to please her wythe all. Now dyd all the syn anon springe vp for the more parte vppon y• occacyon of fedyng and ēgenderynge. wherof spronge couytouse / glotenye / • louth / wroth / & lechery. And many tymes pryde & ēuye as one / perceyuyng hym selfe in these thyngys in better cō dycyō or worse thā a nother / so bygan to cōceyue a settynge by hym selfe / wt-tō tempte of other or ēuye & hatered to some other (sauyng ye pryde sometime also sprang out of the soule) & so liked it selfe yt it ēuyed the better as Cayme dyd Abell / & for to be the more set by / pryde lōged superfluously to get by cou • tyse & gredynes many folkys lyuy • gys in hys own hādes / to make other fol • ys serue hym & honour & hāge vppon hym for necessite. And of all these myschie • fes was alway sēsualyte redy to mynyster mater / & by all the dorys & windous of the body by felynge / tastīg / smellīg / syght & heeryng / ceased neuer to sēde in occasyōs to y• soule / nor ye deuyll neuer ceacyd for hys • parte dylygētly to put forward. Agaynst whō did reasō resiste / wyth good counsayle geuyn to ye soule / & good spritꝭ appoynted by god / gaue theyr helpe also / and god assysted wyth hys ayde and grace where he founde the person wyllynge to worke therwyth. And ī this maner continued man long tyme / not wythe oute reuelacyō of Chryste onys to cū. whyche faythe delyuered to the father / went by mouthe to the sonne / And so frō chylde to chylde herd and byleued among theym. And what so were god dys pleasure bysyde / that nature and r • ason could not playnly shew theym / god of his goodnes by speciall mesage gaue theym vndouted knowlege as he did to Noe / Loth and Abraham / and diuerse other / wherof some be synnys wrytten and comprised ī scripture / & of lykelyhed not all. For well probable is it that ye patryarkys in dyuerse thingꝭ that they dyd / as in theyre dyuerse maryagys and sum such other thyngys as than were by theym well done for the time / were to theim appoynted specially by god for causys well knowene to hym selfe and vnknowen to vs / and ye thyngis now forbeden vs and therfore to vs vnlefull / excepte goddys lyke ordinaunce or dispensacyon shulde herafter in generall or pertyculer be reueled to the contrary. ¶But so was yt after that the worlde waxynge worse / ryght good and vertuouse linagys declynid and decayed. And by the the lewde cō uersacyon of euyll people fell by dysorder in suche a blyndnes / y• albe it some were there alway that perceyued well theyre dutye / yet were ye cōmen people of y• chyldern of Israell by custome of syn so darked in theyre naturall knowlege / that they lacked in many thingis the ryght perceyuyng / that reasō (had it not bene by euyll custōe corrupted) might verily well haue shewed theym. For ye remedy whereof god of hys endlesse mercy / by the law wrytten wythe his own fīger vnto Moyses ī ye tables of stone / by the .x. cōmaundementys / put in remēberaunce agayne certeyne cōclusyons of the law of nature / which theyre reason (ouerwhelmed wyth sensualytye) had than forgotten. And to thende that they shuld kepe his bihestꝭ ye better / he gaue theym a greate hepe of the lawes and cerymoneys moo / to kepe theym in strayte for strayynge abrode in ryot. And wroughte greate wonders that theye shulde well se that those thyngys were hys owne deede / wherby they myght haue ye more drede to transgresse them. And there in wrytyng he gaue a warnyng also of cryst / that god wolde onys send them, spryngyng of themself / to whom they shuld gyue herynge in stede of Moyses. Of whō also as well before as after by Patryarkes and prophetys / by fygures & prophesyes / god ceaced not ī such wise to foreshew hys cummyng / hys cause / hys lyuyng / hys deyng / hys resurreccyon and hys holy actys / that yf pryde & enuy had not lettyd it / the fygurys ād prophysyes sett & comparyd wyth hys cummyng / conuersacyon & doyngys / myghte well haue made all the Iewes to know hym. And for the parceyuyng and good vnderstandyng of the lawe wryten / he sent alway sum good men / whose wordys / well lyuyng / and sumtyme also manyfeste myracles shewed therwyth / neuer left them destytute of suffycyent knolege that lōgyd to lern the lawe. Not to plete it and for glory to dyspute itt / but to teche ytt agayne mekely. And as mannys fraylte could suffer it / specyally to fulfyll & kepe it. ¶yet after all thys whē the world was in a more decay & ruyne of all vertew / than cā our sauyour Cryste to redeme vs wt hys deth / & leue vs hys new law / wherof was long before prophecied by the prophete Hyeromy. Lo the days be comyng sayth our lord / whā I shall order & dyspose to the house of Israell & ye house of Iuda / a new couenaūt or testament. I shall gyue my law in theyre myndys. And I shall wryte yt in theyr hart. & I wylbe theyr lord & they shalbe my people. Thys law wrytē in mēnys hartys / was accordyng to ye wordys of the ꝓphet fu • st broght by our sauyour to ye house of Israell & ye house of Iuda to whō as hym self sayth he was specyally sent. I am not sēt sayth our lorde but vnto ye shepe yt are peryshyd of the house of Israell. And also he sayd it ys not good to take ye brede fro ye borde of ye chyldern & cast yt to doggꝭ. But yet not onely the redy towardnes of sum other caus • d thē to be partetakers of ye brede / but also sone after ye stubbernes & obstynate infydelyte of ye iewes / causyd seynt poule & thappostels to say vnto their face / The gospell of Crist was ordenyd by god to be furst prechyd vnto you / But syth yt ye refuse yt / Lo we depart frō you to the gentylys. And so was in theyr stede the chyrch gatheryd of all the world abrode. All whych not wythstandyng both were there at that tyme out of ye Iewes cōuertyd & made many a good crysten man / & manye of ye same peple turnyd vnto Cryst syns / & in conclusyō the tyme shall cū / whē ye remnaūt yt shalbe than lefte / shall saue them selfe by the same faythe. Thys ys callyd the law of Crystis fayth / the law of hys holye gospell. I mene not onely the wordys wryten in the bokys of his euangelistys / but mych more specyally ye substaunce of our fayth yt self / whych our lorde sayd he wolde wryte in mennys hartys / not onely because of the secrete operacyon of god & hys holy spyryte / in iustyfyēg the good crystē ether by the workīg with mānys good wyll / to the ꝑfeccyon of fayth in his soule / or wyth the good intent of the offerers to the secret infusyon of that vertew into the soule of an innocēt infant / but also for yt he furst wythout wryting reueled those heuenly mysteryes by hys blessed mouth thorow the erys of hys apostels & dyscyples ī to theyr holy hartys. And by them in lyke maner / furst wythowt wrytyng by onely wordys & prechyng so spredde yt abrode in the world / that hys faythe was by the mouthys of hys holy messengers put into mēnys erys / and by hys holy hande wryten in mennys hartys or euer eny worde thereof almoste was wrytten in the boke. And so was it conuenyēt for the law of lyfe / rather to be wryten in the lyuely myndys off men / than in the dede skynnys of bestys. And I nothynge dowt but all had ytt so beene / that neuer gospell had bene wrytten / yet shoulde the substaunce of thys faythe neuer haue fallen oute of chrysten folkys hartys / but the same spyryte that plantyde yt / the same shulde haue wateryd it / the same shulde haue kepte yt / the same shoulde haue encreased yt. ¶But so hath yt lyked oure lorde after hys hye wysdome to prouyde that some of his dyscyples haue writen many thingys of his holy lyfe / doctryne and fayth / and yet farre from all / which (as saynt Iohn sayth) the worlde coude not haue comprehen hyd. ¶These bokis ar tempryd by the secrete coūcell of the holy gost so playn and symple / that euery man may fynd in theym that he may parceyue • And yet so highe agayne and so harde that no mā ys there so connyng but he may fynde in them thyngys farr aboue hys reche / farre to profound to perce vnto. Now were to ye crysten peple the poyntys of Crystꝭ fayth (wyth whych poyntys our lord wold haue them chargyd) knowen as I say and plantyd before / and by reson therof they farr the beter vnderstode those bokꝭ. And all thogh there myghte happely be some textys / whych were not yet of necessyte for thē to parceyue / yet by the poyntꝭ of theyr fayth were they warnyd / that no texte myghte there be constrewyd contrary to theyr fayth. ¶And none Euāgelyst was there nor none Appostle / that by wrytyng euer sent the fayth to eny nacyon / but yf they were furst enformyd by worde / and that god had begon his church in y• place. ¶And for my parte I wolde lytyll dout / but that the euangelystys and appostels bothe / of many gret and secrete mysteryes spake much more openly & much more playnely by mouth amōg the peple than euer they put yt ī wrytyng / for as much as theyr wrytyngys were lykly ynough at that tyme / to come into the handys of paganys & paynyms / such hoggys & doggꝭ as were not metely to haue those precyous perlys put vppon theyre nose / nor that holy foode to be dashyd in theyre teeth. For whych cause saynt Peter in hys furste sermon vnto the Iewes / abstaynyd f • ō the declaracyon of Crystis godhed & egalytee wyth hys father / as our sauiour him self (when the Iewes yt were vnworthy to here yt / were offē dyd wyth that he told them playnly yt he was the sonne of god) wythdrewe ye doctryne from them agayn / & coueryd yt wyth the verse of ye prophete / I haue sayd ye be goddys & sonnys of the hye god all / as though he wol • e say / what greuyth it you that name in me / which name god by yt prophet hath gyuen to all good men. In which demeanure he denyed not the trouth yt he had sayd of him self / but he blyndyd theyr wylfully wynkyng eyes / ī hydyng & puttyng vp agayn the iewell yt he began to brynge forth & shew thē • the bryght lustre whero • theyr bleryd eyes myght not endure to be • old. ¶And what maruell thogh thappostels thus did in theyr speche afore infydels / or wrytyng yt myghte cū into pagans hādys / whan it apperyth vppō the epystels of saynt Pou • e that amōg the crysten flok where he taught thē by mouth / he told thē not all ye trothys at one tale / Not ōly for yt yt were to lōg / but also for yt in the begynnyng they coud not happely well abyden yt. And therfore as Cryste sayd to his dyscyples / I haue more to say to you / but ye be not able to bere yt yet / whyche onys apperyd what tyme y• vppon ye dysclosyng of the grete mystery of the holy sacrament the holy flesh of hys body / y• herers sayd who can abyde thys harde worde / & therwt wente almost all theyre waye / so did saynte Poule I say by the Corynthians not teche thē all at onys. And therfore he sayth in hys epistle to them / I haue geuen yow hetherto but mylk & not strōg mete. And wysdome speke we (sayth he) amōg folk y• be par • yt. Nor I mene not this yt there were eny poyntis of the substaūce of y• fayth whych he shewyd to ye clargy yt he kept frō the lay people / or shewyd vnto one man yt he kept frō a nother / but y• to no mā lyghtly he shewed all at onys. But because sum cā frō the Iewes and sum cā of y• gentylys / therfore as they were so were they hādelyd / not ōly by grace but also by wysdome. & not only in the poyntys of ye fayth / but also in ye rytys • nd • eremonyes / eyther of the churche or of Moyses lawe. whereof some cer • monyes were forthwyth abolyshed / some nott by and by / and some taken ī to the church of Cryste and obseruyd styll. But in conclusyō when they were mete therefore / they were all taughte / all that god wold haue them bounden to beleue. And than dout I nothyng / but ye many thyngis that now be very darke in holy scrypture / were by thappostels (to whō oure lord openyd theyr wyttys y• they myght vnderstand scripture) so playnly declaryd / yt they were by the people well and clerely vnderstāden. I say not all the hole scripture / in whych it may be that many a secrete mystery lyeth yet coueryd cōcernynge the comyng of Antecryste / & ye day maner & fassyon of the fynall iudgement. whyche shall neuer be fully dysclosyd / tyll the tymys appoyntyd by goddys hye prouydence mete & conuenient for them. And from tyme to tyme as yt lykyth hys maieste to haue thyngys knowen or done in hys chyrche / so ys yt no dout but he temperyth hys reuelacyōs & in such wyse doth insumate & inspyre them into the brestys of hys crysten people / that by the secrete instynct of the holy gost / they consent and agre to gether ī one / except heretykys that rebell and refuse to be obedyent to god & his chirch • who be therby cut of frō ye liuely tre of that vyne / and waxing withered braunches / be kept but for the fire furst here & after in hell / except they repent & call for grace that may graft them into the stok agayne. But as it may be that many thyngys be there not all at onys reuelyd & vnderstāden in y• scrypture / but by sōdry tymys & agys mo thyngꝭ and mo by god vnto hys chyrch dysclosyd / and that as yt shall lyke hys hygh goodnes & wysdome to dyspence and dyspose / so in thyngys to be done may fall in hys chyrche varyete mutacyon & chaunge / so am I very sure that the holy goste that god sent into hys chyrch / & Cryste hym self that hath promisyd vnto thende of the world to perseuer and abyde in hys church / shall neuer suffer hys catholyk chyrch neyther to agree to the makynge of any law that shalbe to god dampnably dysplesaūt / nor of eny trewth that god wolde were beluyd to determyne or beleue the contrary. For than had Cryste whych ys all trouthe / broken hys promyse / and (whych were blasphemy ād abhomynable to thynk) were waxē vntrew. And therfore ouer thys as it may be that as I sayd before some thyngys in holy scrypture be not yet fully parceyuyd and vnderstandē / so am I very su • e that the chyrch neyther doth nor can do dāpnably conster, yt wrong. whych yt shuld yf they shuld conster yt so as yt shuld make an artycle of mysbelyefe and of a false erronyous faythe. As yf they shulde by mysseconstruccyō of the scrypture bryng vp and beleue / that Cryste were one god and egall wyth hys father and wyth ye holy goste / yf ye trouth were otherwyse in dede. And therefore syth the chyrche in whych Cryste ys assystente and hys holy spyryte / cānot to goddes displeasure and theyre dampnacyō fall in any false beleefe in eny suche substauncyall poynte of the fayth / yt muste nedys be th • rfore / that Arrius and all other heretykes be drowned in dampnable errours. The cōtrary oppynyō of whose execrable heresyes / the church was in ye begynninge taughte by the mouthe of Cryst hym self. And after of his blissed appostels / whyche redde & declaryd the scrypturs amōg ye peple in theyr tyme / shewyng them in what wyse ye wordis of holy scrypture prouyd the trouth of such artycles of ye fayth as they taught them by mouth. And how such textys as semyd the contrary were not contrary in dede. And therwyth declaryd thē of those textys ye ryght vnderstādyng. ¶And albeyt yt our sauyour shewyd & playnly prouyd yt in the scrypture was geuen good tokens & suffycyent knowlege of hym / yet to thentent we shulde well know that hys own word & ordynaunce nedyth none othere authoryte but hym self / but ys to be beleuyd and obeyd be it wryten or not wryten / sum thyngys dyd he therfore byd to be dō / & sū thyngys also to be beleuyd / wherof we haue in holy scripture no wrytīg in the world. Saynt Poule cōmaundyth the people of Thessalonica in his epystle to kepe the tradycyons that he t • ke them eyther by hys wrytyng or by hys bare word. For ye wordis yt he sayd among them / our lorde had told them hym for them. And therfore he writeth vnto the Corynthyes / that of the holy howsell the sacramente of the auter he had shewyd them the mater & ye maner by mouth / as our lord had hym self taught yt to hī. And therfore no dout ys there / but that by thappostels was the chyrche more fully taughte of ye mater / than euer was wryten in all the scrypture. There was lernid the maner and forme of consecracyon. There was lernyd mych of the mystycall gesturys ād ceremonyes vsyd in the masse. And yf any man dout therof / let hym cōsyder where shuld we els haue the begynnig of the water put wyth the wyne into ye chalyce. For well we wot yt ye scrypture byddyth yt not. And euery wyse man may well wyt thā whan the gospell spekyth onely of wy • e / there durst no mā in thys world haue bene so bold to • ut eny thing els therto. For whē ye gospell spekyth of wine onely tornyd into hys precyous blood / what man wold aduē ture to make any myxture of water? And now ys ye chyrch so well acertenid of goddys pleasure theryn wtoute any scrypture / yt they not onely dare put in water / but also dare not leue yt oute. And wherby knew ye chyrch this thing but by god & hys holy appostels whych taught in theyr tyme? And so wente yt forth from age to age / contynued in ye chyrch vntyll thys day / begon by god ī the begynnyng without any mencyon made ī holy scripture. ¶How beit Luther sayth because yt ys not cōmaūdyd by scrypture / wee maye chese therefore whether we wyll do yt or leue yt. For this one poynt ys ye very fōd foūdaciō & groūd of all hys greate heresyes / yt a man is not boūdē to beleue eny thyng but if yt may be ꝓuyd euidētly by scripture. And theruppō goth he so farforth yt no scrypture cā be euidēt to ꝓue eny • hyng yt he lyst to deny. For • e will not agre it for euydēt be it neuer so playn. And he wyll call euidēt for him yt text / yt ys euydēt agaīst hī. And sūtime if it be to playn agaīst him / thā wyll he call it no scrypture / as he playth wt ye pystle of saynt Iamys. And because the olde holy doctors be full & hole against him / he settyth thē all at nought. And wyth these worshipfull wyse ways he proclamyth hī self a cōquerour / where besidꝭ all ye rēnaūt / wherin euery chylde may se hys proud frātyk foly he ys shāfully put to flyght in ye furst poynt / yt had at ye furst face sum vysage of ꝓbabylyte. How be it to say the trouthe / he were a lewde lorell that wolde nothynge doo that hys master wold byd hym / nor no thyng beleue but that his master wold tell hym / but yf he take yt hym in wrytyng / as Luther playth wyth Cryste. Of whose wordys or actys he wyll beleue nothīg / except he fynde yt in scripture / and that playne & euident. Now must he by that meanys condemne the chyrch of Cryste / for that they sayntyfy not the saturday which was the sabbaothe day instytute by god amonge the Iewes / cōmaundyng the sabbat daye to be kept holy. And albeyt the matter of ye precepte ys morall & the day legall so yt yt may be chaunged / yet wyll ther I weene no man thynke / that euer the chyrch wold take vppon thē to chaūge yt wythout specyall ordynaūce of god. wherof we fynd no remēbraunce at all in holy scripture. By what scripture is euydētly knowen yt euery mā & womā hath power to mynyster the sacramēt of baptysme? Let yt be shewyd / eyther cōmaundment / councell / lycence or example expressyd in scrypture. ¶Many thyngys ar there lyke / whyche as holy doctours agree / were taught thappostels by Cryste / & the church by thappostels / and so comen downe to our days by cōtynuall successyō fro theyrs. But I wyll lette all other passe ouer & speke but of one. ¶Euery good cristen man I dout not beleuyth that oure blessyd Lady was a perpetuall vyrgyn aswell after the byrth of Cryste as before. For yt were a straunge thynge yt she shuld after that blessyd byrth be lesse myndid to clennes & puryte / and set lesse by her holy purpose & ꝓmyse of chastyte vowed and dedycate vnto god / thē she dyd before. For suerly who so consyderyth ye wordys of the gospell in saynt Luke / shall well ꝑceyue that shee had vowyd vyrginite. For when ye angell had sayd vnto her / Lo thou shalt cōceyue in thy wōbe & bryng forth a chylde / and thou shalt call his name Iesus / she answerd hym / how may thys be? for as for man I know none. whych though yt be spoken but for the tyme than present / yett muste yt nedys sygnyfy that she neuer wolde knowe none after the maner of spekynge. By whych a nunne myghte say / as for man there medelyth none wt me. sygnyfieng that neuer there shall. And in commen speche ys that fygure mych in vse. By which a woman sayth of one whom she is determynyd neuer to mary / we maye well talke to gether but we wed not to gether / meanyng yt they neuer shall wed to gether. And in such wise ment our lady whē she sayd / how may thys be for I know no man / meanyng that she neuer wolde medle wyth man. Or els had her answere no thyng bene to purpose. For the angell sayd not / Lo thou art cōceyuyd. which yf he had sayde / shee myghte well haue maruelyd onely for yt she knew no man all redy. But when he sayd thou shalte cōceyue / thys coud be no maruell vnto her for that she knew no man all redy. And therfore syth she maruaylyd how it myghte be yt euer she shuld cōceyue & haue a chylde / it muste nedys bee yt her answer mēt yt she neuer wold medle wt man. And therefore shee maruelyd because he said it shuld be & she knew not how it coude be / but yt ways by whych she was at full poīt wt her self yt it shuld neuer be. so yt thē he shewyd her how it shuld cū about by ye holy gost cūmyng into her / & ye power of god on hygh shadoyng her. & thē she assētyd & sayd / Lo here ye handmayd of god / be yt done to me after thy worde as thou tellyst me. And thus appereth yt euydently yt she had than a full determinyd purpose of vyrgynyte. And that as it semith such as she thought not lawfull to change.. For ellys whā ye angell did ye message / she might haue enclined therto though she had byfore bene in a nother minde. Now whan she had then so full & faste a purpose of ꝑpetuall vyrginite bifore the birthe of her blessyd chylde / whiche cam among his other heuinly doctrine to call and exorte the worlde frome all pleasure of ye fleshe to ye purytye & clennes of the body and soule / and from ye desyre of carnall generacyō to a gostly regeneracion in grace / more • were it then wonder if she shul • haue thē more regarde of fleshely delyte / or cure of wordly procreacyon than euer she had before her celestyall concepcyon of her maker made mā in her blessed womb? Or what man coud thynk yt that euer god wold suffer any erthly man after / to be conceyuyd in that holy closet taken vp and consecrate so specyally to god? Thys reuerent artycle of our ladys perpetuall vyrgynyte / the chyrche of Cryste beyng taught the trouthe by Cryste / perpetually hath beleuyd syns the tyme of Cryste. And yet is ther no worde therof in Crystys gospell wryten / but rather dyuers textys so sownning to the contrary / that by the wrōg vnderstangyng of them / the heretyke Eluydyus toke the occasyon of hys herysy / by whych he wold that oure lady after the byrth of Cryst had other chyldern by Ioseph. How can we than say that we could wythout the lernynge of the fayth before / fynde out all the poyntys in the scrypture / when there be sū that all crystendome beleue / ād beleue them self bounden to beleue / wherof ye scrypture geueth no playne doctryne but rather semyth to say the contrary. ¶But as I began to say / the holy appostels beynge taughte by theyr grete master Cryste / did reche vnto ye chyrch as well the artycles of the fayth / as the vnd • rstandyng of such textys of scrypture as was meete and conuenient for the matter. wherby it is not vnlykly yt the gospell of saynt Iohn / & the epistels of saynt Poule / were than beter vnderstanden among the comen people / thā they be paraduenture now wyth some that take them selfe for greate clerkys. And as thappostels at yt tyme taughte the people / so dyd euer some of them yt hard thē tech forth and leue theyr doctryne and tradycyons to other that cā after. By resō whereof not onely cam the rytys and sacramentys and the artycles of our fayth frō hād to hand / frō Cryste & his appostels vnto our days / but also the greate parte of the ryghte vnderstandynge of holy scrypture by good and godly writers of sundry tymys. By whose good & holesome doctryne set forthe by theyre vertew wyth goddys good inspyracyon grace and h • lp of the holy goste / we haue also the knowlege & parceyuynge what was ye fayth of Crystys church in euery tyme syns. And thereby parceyue we yt these hereti • ys be not only barkers agaynst ye fayth that now is / but also that hath bene euer synnys Cryste dyed. ¶And therefore is holy scrypture as I sayd ye hyest & the best lernynge that eny man can haue / yf one take the ryght way in the lernynge. ¶It ys (as a good holy saynte saythe) so maruelously temperyd / that a mouse may wade therin / and an olyphaunt be drownyd therin. For ther is no mā so low / but if he will seke his way wyth the staff of his faith in hys hande / and holde that faste and serche the way therwyth / and haue the olde holy fathers also for his gidis / goynge ō wyth a good purpose & a lowly harte / vsyng reason and refusinge no good lerninge / with calling of god for wysdome grace & help that he may well kepe his way and follow his good gidys / thā shall he neuer fall in parell / but well and suerly wade thorow and cum to suche ende of his iorney as him self wolde well wyshe. But suerly if he be as long as Longius / & haue an hye harte and truste vppon hys one wytt (as he doth loke he neuer so louly / that settethe all the olde holy fathers att noughte) that fellow shall not fayle to synk ouer the eris and droune. And of all wreches warst shall he walke / yt forcīg litle of the fayth of Christꝭ church / cūmeth to the scrypture of god to loke and trye therin whyther the chyrche by leue a right or not. For either douteth he whyther Chryste teche hys chyrche trew / or ellys whyther Chryste techeth it at all or not. And thā he doutith whither Christ ī his wordis did say trewe / whan he sayde he wolde be wythe hys chyrch tyll the ende of the worlde. And surely the thynge yt made Arrius Pelagius / Faustus / Manicheꝰ / Donatꝰ / Eluidius & all ye table of the old herytikes to drown them self in those dāpnable herysyes / was nothynge but hygh pride of theyre lernynge in scrypture / wherin they folowed there owne wyttys and lefte the cōmen faythe of the catholyke chyrche / preferrynge theyre own gay glosys bifore the ryght catholyke fayth of all Christis chirch / which cā neuer erre in eny substāciall poynte that god wolde haue vs boundē to byleue. And therfore to ende wher we bygan / who so wyll not vnto the study of scrypture take the poyntꝭ of ye catholyque fayth as a rule of interpretacyon / but of dyffydens and mystruste study to seke in scrypture whyther the fayth of the chyrch be trew or not / he cā not fayle to fall in worse errors & farr more ieoperdous than eny mā can do by phylosophy / wherof the reasons and argumentys in maters of our faythe haue nothyng the lyke authorytye.

¶The messenger sayenge that hym semed he shulde not byleue ye chyrch if he saw the chyrche saye one thyng and holy scrypture a nother thynge because the scrypture is the word of god / the author she wyth yt the fayth of the chyrch ys the word of god as well as the scrypture / ād therfore as well to be beleuyd. And yt the fayth & the scrypture well vnde • stāden be neuer cōtrary. And farther she with yt vppon all doutys rysynge vppon holy scrypture concernynge any necessary artycle of the faythe / he that cannot vppon all that he cā here in the mater ō both the sydys parceyue ye beter & trewer parte / hath a sure & vndoutable refuge ꝓuydyd him by the goodnes of god to brynge hym out of all ꝑplexyte / in that god hath cōmaundyd hym in all such doutys to beleue hys chyrch.

TRuly syr q he me thynketh it is well sayed that ye haue sayed. And in good faythe to say the truth I se not what I shuld answere yt wythall. And yet whan I loke bak agayne vppō holy scrypture / and consyder that yt ys goddys owne wordys whyche I wote well ye wyll graunte / I fynde it harde ī myne har • to beleue all the mē yn the hole world / yf they wolde say eny thyng wherof I shuld se that the hol • scrypture sayth ye contrary / sythe yt ys reason that I beleue god alone far better than thē all. ¶In that quod I ye say very trouthe. But nowe I putt case that god wolde tell you .ii. thyngys whether of theym wolde ye beleue best. ¶Nether nother q he / but I wolde byleue theym bothe firmly & both a like ¶. what if neyther nother quod I were lykely to be trew but semede bothe twayne impossyble. ¶That shold quod he make litle force to me. For that onis knowen that god telleth theym / semed they neuer so far vnlikly nor neuer so far impossible / I neyther shuld nor could haue eny dout but that they were both twayne trew. ¶That ys well sayde q I. But now and yt so were that those .ii. thyngis semed the tone to the tother clene cōtrary / what wolde ye than thynk & which wolde ye thā byleue? ¶yet could I not quod he dout eny thyng but that they were very trew bothe / but I wolde veryly thynke that I dyd not well vnder stande the tone of theym. ¶what wold ye than do quod I if he bad you bileue theym bothe. ¶Mary q he than wold I praye hym tell me furste how he vnderstandeth theym bothe. For though I bileue that they be both trew in that sense and purpose that he takythe hys owne wordes / and may in that maner vnderstanden / well stande and agree to gether / yet can I not byleue theym both in that sense and vnderstandyng wherin they repugne and be directely cōtrary eche to other. ¶That is quod I so well sayd yt in my mynde no man cā amend yt. ¶But now wold I wytt quod I whyther that the faythe of the chyrche be the worde of god / & by god spoken to the chyrche or not. ¶yes q he god speketh to hys chyrche in ye scripture. And ys nothyng goddes wordꝭ. q I but scrypture? The wordys yt god spake to Moyses were theye not goddys wordys all tyll they were wryttē? And the wordys of Chryste to hys aposteles were they not hys wordys till they were wryttē? ¶yes than quod he. But now sythe he hathe perfyted and finished the corpus of holy scrypture / all thynge that he wold chrystē people shulde byleue / and all that he wold the chyrche wold do / and all that he wold the churche shuld eschew / all thys hath he lefte theym hys mynde suffycyently in holy scrypture. ¶And none other wyse quod I bysyde? I had wentt we had bene at a nother poynt / in that ye se ye sabbat day chaunged in to sōday wythoute eny worde of scrypture / geuyng eny cōmaūdement of ye chaunge in the new testement / from the cōmaū demente geuyn for the saterday in the olde. And also for the poynte that we spake of / towchinge the perpetuall virginite of our lady wherof ys no worde wrytten in scrypture. But syth I perceyue that the grete affeccyō and reuerence that ye bere to the scrypture of god / not wythout greate cause but wt out eny mesure / makethe you in the case that ye take all authoryte and credence from euery word of god spoken besyde the scrypture / I wolde ask yow therfore thys questyon. If god yn holy scrypture tell you .ii. thyngꝭ that seme the tone contrary to the to • here / as for ensample yf he tell yow in one place y• he ys lesse than hys father / and in a no there place that he and his father be all one / whych of these wyll you beleue?

¶Mary quod he both twayn. for they may stande to gether well inough. For he was lesse as man / & was all one & egall as god. ¶Uery trouth yt ys quod I that ye say. But now yf ye had bene born in ye days of Arrius the heretyke / he wolde not haue receyuyd nor holde hym self contente wyth thys answere / but he wold haue agreed you the furst parte and put you ferther to proue the secunde parte. And vnto that t •• te he wolde haue made you a glose that hys father & he were one not in substaunce but in wyll. And that glose he wolde haue fortyfyed & made sūwhat semely wyth a nother word of Chryste ī which he prayed hys father sayyng / as thou & and I be bothe one so make thou that they & we may be made one / menīg by hys chrysten peole whyche shall neuer be one wyth hym in substance. So yt for the inequalitie of Chryst by reason of hys māhed / ye must agre wyth him. But for vnyte of godhed / he wyll not agree wythe hym but putt you alway to proue it. ¶well quod he and thoghe he so dyd yet yf I were prouydid there fore / therbe textis ynowe that playnly proue yt. ¶That is quod I very truth But yet ys there none but he shall alway set you a nother agaynste yt / and a glose as faste for yours as ye shall haue an answere for hys / in such wyse as he may abuse a right wyse and well lernyd man as he dyd ī hys owne days & many dayes after many a thousād. Than yf yt so were that in that dyspycyons ye coude not make youre audyence to dyscerne the truthe / nor peraduenture persuade theym to byleue the truthe / bycause the false parte myghte happe to haue to the myndys of many a more face of trewth / as it had at that tyme to manye that than were of that secte / what way wold ye wynde oute? ¶Mary quod he I wolde byleue well my selfe the trewthe & go to god / and lett theym that wolde byleue the false parte go to the deuyll / ¶ye shulde q I haue takyn therin a good sure way. But now yf ye had bene in that tyme (albe yt ye be now faste and sure in the trewthe) ye myght haue happed whyle the matter was in questyone / & many greate clarkys & well scryptured men / and some semyng ryght holy / sett on the wronge syde / ye myghte haue happed I say so to haue bene moued wi • h the reasons on bothe the sides / that ye shulde not haue wyste on whych parte to determyne your byleue. And what wolde ye than haue done? ¶Quod he ye put me now to a pynch / and I shall ans • ere you as I haue harde say that doctor Mayo sumtyme almoigner to kyng henry y• seuynth answered onys the kynge at hys table. It happed that ther was fallen in cōmunicaciō y• story of Ioseph how his masters Putiphers wyfe a greate mā wt y• kyng of Egipt / wold haue pullid hym to bed / & he fled away. Now master Mayo (q ye kingꝭ grace) ye be a tall stronge man on the tone syde / and a cunnynge doctor on ye tother syde / what wold ye haue done yf ye had bene not Iosephe but in Iosephes stede? By my trouthe syr q he and yt lyke your grace / I can not tell you what I wold haue don but I can tell you well what I shulde haue don.

By my trouthe quod the kynge that was very well answerid. And sith that answere serued hym well there / I shall make ye same serue me here. For surely if I had bene in Arrius days ī ye poynt that ye speke of / what I wold haue dō that wot I nere. But what I shulde haue done that can I well tel you and surely trust I wolde haue done so too. ¶what ys yt quod I. ¶Mary I wolde haue byleued the beste quod he. ¶The best quod I? that were beste in dede yf ye wyst whych yt were. But the case ys put / that the reasons grounded vppon scrypture semyd vnto you in such wise eche to impugne and answere other / yt ye stode in such a dout / that ye coud in no wy • e dyscerne whythere syde sayde best. ¶By god quod he I had forgotē that. well than were it beste quod he / and so wolde I haue done I thynke / knele me downe and make my speciall prayour to god yt yt myght please hys goodnes ī so great a parell not to leue me ꝑplexed / but vouchesafe to enclyne myne assent vnto that syde yt he knew were trew / and wolde I shulde byleue to be trew. And then wold I boldly byleue the tone whyche god shulde haue put in my mynde. Had not thys bene ye best way? ¶If yt were not quod I the best / yt myght paraduenture serue for a seconde. ¶A secunde quod he thā ye take yt for noughte. ¶Nay quod I / ther be two secondys after two maner countyngys. One nexte vnto y• worst / a nother nexte vnto ye beste. And your way ys surely far fro y• worste. But yet dare I not assent that yt were the beste tyll I vnderstand yt better. And therfore I pray you tell me thys. If after your speciall prayours made / ye wrote the tone parte in one paper and the tother parte ī a nother and layed theym both on the grounde / and then sett vp ā staffe bytwene theym both / wolde ye be then indefferent to take y• tone side or y• tother after / as yt shulde hap your staffe to fall? ¶why not quod he. Or ellys put yt vppon two lottys / and than at auenture drawe the tone & take yt. For whē I haue done as mych as mine owne wyt wyll serue / and haue harde therto all that I can of other mē / and yet by neyther can perceyue the better opiniō / what shuld I do or what could I do ferther thā pray for grace to gide my choyce / and so at auenture bol • dly take ye tone and holde it fast / dowtyng nothynge but god assysted my choyce / yf I haue a ferm fayth in hys promyse by whyche he promyseth that yf we as • we shall haue askyng as saynt Iamys sayeth wythout any dowte. And why shulde not I in suche perplexed case after help callid for of god / take the tone parte at aduenture by lot as dyd thappostels in the chesyng of a new / to fulfyll y• place of y• tratour Iudas? ¶Lottys quod I be well lawfull ī the choyse of such two thyngꝭ as be both so good yt we be lykly to chose well inough why there so euer we take. But now yf ye were in the case that I haue harde my father meryly say euery man ys at the choyse of hys wyfe / that ye shulde put your hande in to a blynde bagg full of snakys & elys to gether .vii. snakis for ōe ele / ye wold I wene rekē it a ꝑilous choyse to take vppe one at aduenture though ye had made your speciall prayour to spede well. Nor ye ought not in suche case to aduenture it vppon your prayour and trust of god wythout necessytye. ¶That ys ꝑaduēture trouth quod he. But in our case there ys necessytye. For there were none othere way to auoyde the ꝑplexitie / but euyn take the tone by prayour and ferm truste in god / whyche neuer deceyued theym yt truste in hym. ¶If there were quod I none other way sumwhat were it than yt ye say. But now consyder your case agayne. And whan yt so were that ye coulde not vppon that ye hard the Arryanys and the catholyke parte argue to gether / parceyue whyther part were the better / and therfore of those two talys tolde you by god in many textis of holy scrypture / some semynge playnely to say that Cryste was not egall wyth hys father / some semynge as playnely to say the contrary / ye coud in no wise fynde ony reason / whereby ye coulde finde your self moued to take the tone parte for more probable than y• tother. I put case than that god wold hym self saye to you I haue shewed the trouthe of this mater to suche a man / and how my scrypture ys to be vnderstandē cō cernyng the same. Go thy wayes therfore to hym. And that thyng yt he shall tell the that thyng byleue thou. wolde ye saye nay good lorde I wyll aske no man but thy self / and therefore tell me thyne owne mouth / or els I wyll take the tone parte at all aduentures / and thynke that thou wolde haue yt so / or ellys wold ye thynke yt god were your good lorde & had done myche for you in that it lykyde hym so graciously for your surete to brynge you oute of such a great perplexitye / wherby ye shulde for your owne mynde haue remayned in an insoluble dowte ī a mater of the fayth / whereī it ys damnable to dwell in dowte or (whyche y • t myche worse were) haue declyned peraduenture in to an inuyncyble errour? ¶Ueryly q he greate cause shuld I haue had lightly to thanke god. ¶ ye wolde not than quod I fyrste make your prayour and than wyth good hope that grace shall guyde your fortune take y• tone parte at auēture by lot / but ye wold in your prayour thank god for that prouysiō. And thē wold ye get you to that man as faste as ye coulde. ¶Uery trouthe quod he. ¶Than yf yt man shulde tell you that Arryus and his cūpany were herytyques all and toke textis of scripture wronge ye wold bileue hym? ¶ye veryly quod he yt wold I. ¶I put case quod I that ye had not dowted byfore b • t had bene ī your self at clere poynte yt y• Arryans opynyō were the trouth / • et ye wolde agaynste Arrius and all hys / and agaynst your own mynd also lene vnto hys worde / whome god had beden you bylefe. ¶what els quod he? ¶what yf ye asked hym q I whythere god haue suffycyently shewed yt poynt in scrypture / so that yt may by the wordys of holy wrytt well and euydentlye be proued / and yt he tolde you ye / And that theruppon he wolde brynge in all the textys that ye had well in remembraunce all redy / & yt ye layed agaynste theym all that you coulde lay for the cō trary / so ferforth that whā eche of you had layed all your textys and all your glosys that eyther of you bothe could brynge forthe tyll ye bothe confessyd yt neyther of ye bothe coulde eny ferther thyng fynde therin / he sayenge styll yt hys way were the truthe and yt he had by sc • ypture well proued yt vnto you / and your selfe on the tother side for all that euer ye had hard hym say / parceyuyng in your owne mynde none other but that ye had by scrypture better prouyd the tother ꝑte / which wold ye now bileue / that way that as far • e as ye see god sayth him self in holy scrypture / or els that man whom god sente you to & bade you beleue? ¶Nay verely q he I wolde byleue hym. ¶well sayde quod I. But whether wold ye onely beleeue him that the trowth of the mater were agaynst the Arryans / or els wold you beleue hym ferther in yt he sayd he had so prouyd yt vnto you by scrypture. ¶I wold q he beleue hym therin also. For syth god so had cōmaunded me / & had shewed me that he had him selfe instructyd that mā in what sence y• scrypture were to be vnderstanden / I coud none otherwyse thynke / but that were trew / and thowgh it apperyd to myne own reason the contrary. ¶Uery well sayd q I. Now if god had sayed vnto you that ye shulde byleue that man cō cerning the matter selfe / & of scrypture had nothyng spokē / than wold ye haue byleuyd hym yet in the mater? wold ye not all though he shuld haue tolde you that he vnderstode no scripture at all? ¶That ys trew quod he. ¶Now yf he sholde then haue tolde you that the Arryanys were herytyques in yt poynte and theyre opynion erroniouse & false / ye wolde haue byleuede hym? ¶what els q he. ¶what if he had told you ther wyth quod I that he wyste nere whyther yt myght be well proued by scrypture or not? ¶yet wolde I quod he neuerthelesse byleue to be trewe the mater selfe that he had tolde me. ¶ what wolde you than think quod I of those textys that ye reken byfore well & plaī ly to proue the contrary? ¶I wolde q he than reken that they were mente sū other wayes thā I could vnderstand. For I could not doute but beīg trewly vnderstanden / theye coulde neuer wytnes agaynste y• trouh. ¶In good faith quod I ye say maruelously well. Doo ye nott quod I take yt for all one whyther god byd you do a thynge hys owne mouthe or byd you by holy scrypture? ¶yes quod he sauīg / that I take the byddinge by scrypture for the more sure. For there wot I wel god speketh & I can not be illuded. ¶Now quod I thys man that god byddeth you go to & in all thyng byleue hym wyll it make • ny chaunge in our mater whyther yt be man or woman? ¶No chaunge at all quod he. what yf yt were a certeyn knowen cumpany of men and women to gether quod I wold that make eny dyfference. ¶Neuer a whyt quod he. ¶Than quod I in case yt apere vnto you as I suppose it doth to you and to euery christen man els / yt in all poyntꝭ of fayth both in thyngys to be byleued aboue nature / and in thyngꝭ also that ar of nece •• itie to be knowē & byleuyd / whych may be perceyued by reason geuyn vs wyth nature / god geueth vs in cōmaūdement that we shall byleue his chyrch / than are ye full answered. For than haue ye the man that ye muste nedys resorte vnto for your fynall āswer and solusyon of all poyntys and dowtys / in eny wyse concernynge the saluacyon of your soule. of whyche poyntys no man can denye / but one of the most especiall poynte is to take in holy scripture alway the ryght sense. Or ellys yf we cannot attayne the ryght vnderstā dynge / yet than at the leste wyse to be sure that we shall auoyde and eschewe all such misse takyng as myght brynge vs in to eny damnable errour.

¶Thauthor prouyth that god hath cōmaūdid vs in all thyng necessary to saluacion to gyue ferme credence and full obedyence vnto his church. And a cause why god wyll haue vs bounden to byleue.

THat is trothe quod he if this may appere. But where shal it appere that god cōmaundyth vs in all such thyngys to beleue ye chyrch? For furste me thynkyth yt were a very strange maner of cōmaū • yng. For of the church be all we that shulde as ye say bee by god cōmaunded to beleue the chyrche / And all we to gether make the hole chyrch. And what reasō were yt than to cōmaund vs to beleue the chyrche. whych were no more in effect / but to byd vs all beleue vs all / or eche of vs to beleue other. And then yf we fell at dyuers oppyniōs / why shuld the tone parte more beleue the tother / thā be beleuyd of the tother / sith bothe the partys be of the chyrch and make ye chyrch amōg them? sauyng that alwey that parte semeth to byleue whych best and moste clerely can alledge y• scrypture for theyre opynyō. For the wordes of god must breke ye stryfe. He is onely to byleued & hys onely sonne of whom him self commaunded. Ipsum audite / here hym sayd the father at the tyme of hys baptysme. And therfore the mā y• ye speke of whome god sendeth me to / and whom he byddeth me here and byleue / ys our sauyour Cryst onely / and not eny congregacyon of men. whose wordes yf we byleue byfore ye wordes of god / and in the s • ede of the scripture of god put our truste and con • ydence in ye doctryne & ordynaūce of ye chyrch / it were happely to be fered / lest we fall in the reprofe that ys touched in ye gospell where is sayed / in vayne wurshup they me wyth the doctryne of mē / and where our sauyour also reproueth the scrybes & the pharesyes saynge vnto theym / wherfore do you breke & transgresse the cōmaūdemēt of god for your tradycyons. ¶I trust q I yet at laste we shall agre. But myche a do me thī keth it ys to cū to it. But syth we must as ye say and treuth yt ys / here our sauyour Chryste and byleue hym / ys yt ynough to here hym and byleue hym / or be we bysydes that also bounden to obay hym? ¶To obay hym also q he. For els were he better vnherd. ¶well sayd quod I. But whyther are we boū den to here hym and obay hym in som thynges or in all thinges? ¶In all thī ges quod he wythout excepcyō that he cōmaūdeth vs to do. ¶Thā yf Chryst quod I bydde vs byleue and obay hys chyrch / be we not boūdē so to do. ¶yes quod he? &Than may we quod • no more dowt to be trew what so y• chy • ch byddeth vs byleue / than the thynge yt our sauyour hym self byddeth vs byleue / yf he bydde vs here hys chyrche as his father bad vs here hym. ¶That is trouth q he yf he so do / but me thynketh yt were a straunge byddyng as I sayd to byd eche of vs of bileue other. ¶It seme •• not q I so straūge a thīg to Seynt Poule. For he meruelouse effectually besecheth Chrysten people to agree to gether all in one mynde / and in the fayth to tell one tale / sufferyng no sectis or scismes amōg theym. whych agrement & consent cā neuer be where no mā geueth credēce to other. But amōg Christē people yt w • ll sone be / yf euery man geue credence to the chirch. ¶But yet q he syth all be of the chyrch of dyuerse parties / whych shall byleue whych? ¶ye take y• quod I for a grete dowt & a thīg very ꝑplex / whych semeth me very playn. For eyther fi • st y• chyrche hath ye treuth & byleue all one way tyll som one or som fewe begynne yt chaunge / and than though all be yet of y• chyrch tyll som by theyr obstynacie be gone oute or put oute / yet ys yt no • owt but yf I wyll byleue y• chyrche I must byleue theym yt styll byleue that way whych all ye hole byleued byfore / or els yf there were eny thynge yt was ꝑaduēture such / yt in y• church somtym was dowted & reputed for vnreueled & vnknowē / yf after yt ye holy chryche fall ī one cōsēt vppō ye tone syde / eyther by cōmē determynacyō at a generall coū sayle or by a ꝑfyte perswasyō & bylyefe so receyued thorough christendō yt the Chrystē peple thīk it a dāpnable errour to byleue ye cōtrary / thā yf eny wold after yt take ye cōtrary way were it one or moo / were yt fewe or many / were they lerned or vnlerned / were they ley peple or of ye clergie / yet cā I nothīg dowte whych ꝑ • e to bileue yf I wyl bileue the chirch. ¶yt is trouht q he. But ye ꝓue me not yet that god hath boden me byleue the chyrche. ¶ ye sumwhat interrupted me quod I with your other subtylty / by whych ye wold yt shold seme an absurdytye to bydde vs byleue the chyrch / For as mych as therby ye sayd yt shulde seme yt we were cōmaunded nothyng els but eche to byleue other / and than in dyuerse opynyons taken we coud not wyt whyche parte shulde byleue whych. wherof syth I haue shewed you the contrary and remoued ye blocke oute of the way for stumblyng / we shall I thīk sone se yt tother poynt / that Cryst cōmaūdith vs to byleue his chyrch. For as hys father sayd of hī self here hym / so sayd he of hys chyrch whā he sent it abrode to be spred forth. For whā he had gathered hys chyrch of hys apostles & hys dyscyples and theruppō set theym forth to preche / sayed he not vnto theym / he that hereth you hereth me? Dyd he not also cōmaunde yt who so wolde not here the chyrche shulde be reputed and taken as paynyms and publycanys? ¶That was q he where men wold not amende theyre lyuyng. ¶was yt not q I generall where a mā wold not amīde eny dampnable fawte? ¶yes q he. ¶Is mysbelefe quod I none suche? ¶yes mary q he. ¶Than ys quod I the chyrche hys Iudge vppō hys byleue / to shew hym whyther it be trew or false. ¶So yt semeth quod he. ¶Hath hys lyuyng quod I no thynge a do wyth fayth? ¶How meane you yt quod he? ¶Thus quod I as yf Luther late a frere and hauyng now wedded a Nūne / were cōmaunded to amende hys lewde lyuyng and put away that harlot whome he abuseth in cōtynuall inceste and sacrylege vnder ye name of a wyfe / and he wolde say yt he dyd well ynough / and that theyr vowes coude not bynde theym / were he not boundē to byleue ye chyrche and obay therto as well cōcernīg hys bylefe as his lyuīg? ¶yes veryly quod he. ¶Thā appereth yt quod I that we be by Cryst cōmaū ded to here / byleue & obay yt chyrche as well in maters of fayth as of maners. whych thīg well appereth also by y• our lorde wold y• who so were dysobedyēt shulde be taken as a paynyme or a publycane. Of whych .ii. y• tone offēded ī mys • yleue the tother in lewd lyuīg. & thus yt appereth yt not onely Cryst ys the mā yt ye be sēt vnto & cōmaūded be god to byleue & obay / but also ye chyrch ys the ꝑsone whom ye be by Cryste cō maūded to here and byleue and obay. And therfore yf ye wyll in fayth or lyuīg or a voydīg of all dāpnable errour yt ye myght fall in by mysse vnderstā dīg of scriptur take a sure & vnfallyble way / ye must in all these thynges her • /byleue and obay the chyrch / whyche ys as I say the persone whom Cryst sendeth you to for the sure solucyon of all suche doutys / as to the man in whose mouth he speketh hym selfe and the holy spyryte of hys father in heuī. ¶And surely thys ys mych to be marked. For yt ys the perpetuall order whyche our lord hath contynued in the gouernaū ce of good men frome the bygynnyg / ye lyke as our nature fyrst fell by pryde to ye dysobedyēce of god wt inordynate desyre of knowlege lyke vnto god / so hath god euer kept mā ī humilytye / straynīg hym wt ye knowlege & cōfessyō of hys ygnoraūnce / and byndīg hym to yt obedyēnce of bylyue of certayn thīges wherof his own wit wold verely wene yt cōtrary. & therfore are we boūdē not ōly to bileue agaīst our own resō y• poī tꝭ yt god sheweth vs ī scriptur / but also yt god techith his chirch wtout scriptur & agaynst our owne mīde also / to gyue dylygent heryng / ferme credence / and faythfull obediēce to yt chyrch of chryst / concernyng the sence & vnderstādyng of holy scripture. Not dowtīg but sith he hath cōmāded his shepe to be fedde / he hath prouyded for theym holesome mete and trewe doctryne. And that he hath therfore so farre inspyred the olde holy doctours of his chyrch wt the lyght of his grace for our instruc • yō / that ye doctrine wherin they haue agreed and by many agys consēted / is yt very true fayth and ryght way to heuyn / beyng put in theyr myndes by the holy hād of hym / qui facit vnanimes ī domo / yt maketh y• chyrch of Cryst all of one mynd.

¶The messenger eft sonys obiected agaynst thys / that we shulde byleue y• chyrch ī any thyng where we fynd ye wordes of scrypture semīg playnely to say the contrary / or byleue y• olde doctours interpretacyons in any necessary artycle / where they seme to vs to say cōtrary to ye texte. shewīg yt we may ꝑceyue y• scripture aswel as they might. & ye answer of ye author ꝓuīg ye authorite of ye old interpters & ye infallible authorite of ye chirch ī y• god techith it euery truthe requysite to ye necessite of mānys saluacyō. which he ꝓueth by a deducey ō ꝑtely depēdīg vppō naturall resō.

IT semeth me quod he that all thys goth well that we shulde byleue the chyrch as chryst / as longe as they say as Cryst sayth / for some thynkethe ment our lorde. ¶But now yf they tel me talis of theyr owne wherof Cryst neuer spake worde nor mencyō made therof in holy scrypture I may thā say wt ye ꝓphet Hieremie / nō mittebā prophetas et ipsi currebant. Non loquebar ad eds et ipsi prophetabant / those prophetis (quod our lord) ranne forthe of theyre owne hed and I sent theym not / And ꝓphecyed of theyr owne heddes whā I spake nothyng to theym. And than how myche may I more say so / yf they say me a thynge wherof Cryste or holy scrypture sayth the contrary / shall I byleue the chyrch aboue chyrste? were that a good humylyte to be obedyent more to menne than to god? More ought I me thynketh to byleue god aboue spekynge in hys holy scrypture hym selfe / than all the olde fathers yf they make a glose agaynste the texte. Nor they doo nott theym selfe for theyre opynyons say & wryte / that they haue theym by inspyracyon / or by reuelacyon / or by myracle. But by wysedome / studye / dylygence / and collacyō of one texte wyth a nother. By all whych meanys men may now perceyue the sentēce of scrypture as well as they myght than. And yf ye wyll peraduenture say that grace holpe the • m whych I wyll well agree / than wyll I say agayne that goddys grace is not so farre worn oute yet / but y• yt may as well helpe vs as yt holpe theym / and so may we be for the ryght vnderstandynge of scrypture equall wyth theym / and peraduenture one ace aboue theym. wherby whan we ꝓceyue that they went wrong and other after theym / shall we than call yt humylyte so to captyue & subdue our vnderstandynge / wherby god hath happely geuen vs lyght to perceyue theyr errours / yt without thank geuyn him therfore we shall so sett hys gyfte at nought / that we shall byleue theym byfore hym selfe / & tell hym yt hym self bad so • • therfore me thīke where y• old doctours or the holy chyrche telleth me the tale that god doth / ther he byddeth me byleue theym. But where god sayeth one thynge in scrypture and they tell me a nother / yt thynkith me that I shuld in no wyse byleue theym. ¶well quod I than in sūwhat ye saye ye will bileue the chirch but not in all. In eny thynge bysyde scrypture ye wyll not / nor in the interpretacion of scrypture ye wyll not. And so where ye sayed yt ye byleue ye chyrch in sūwhat / in very dede ye beleue ye church ī right nought. For wherein wyll ye byleue yt yf ye byleue it not in the interpretaciō of scripture? For as touchynge the texte ye byleue the scrypture self and not ye chirch ¶Me thynketh q he the text ys good ynough and playne ynough nedynge no glose yf yt be well consydered & euery parte compared with other. ¶Hard yt were quod I to fynde eny thynge so playne that yt shulde nede no glose at all. ¶In faythe quod he theye make a glo • e to sū textys / yt be as playne as yt is y• twise two make four. ¶why quod I nedeth yt no glose at all? ¶I trow so quod he. Or els the deuyll ys ō yt / ¶I wysse quod I / and yet though ye wole bileue one yt wold tell you yt twise two gāders made alway foure gese / yet ye wolde be aduysed ere ye byleued hym that wolde tell you yt twyse two geese made alway foure ganders. For therī might ye be deceyued. And him wold ye not byleue at all that wolde tell you that twise two gese wold alway make foure horse. ¶Tut quod he thys ys a mery mater. They must be all yt twyse twayne alway of one kynde. But gese and horse be of dyuerse. ¶well quod I than euery man that ys neythere gose nor horsese • th well yt there is one glose yet. But nowe quod I the geese and ye ganders be both of one kynde and yet twyse two gese make not alway foure ganders. ¶A swete mater quod he / ye wote what I meane well ynough. ¶I thynke I do quod I • but I thinke if ye bryng yt furth yt wyll make a nothere glose to your texte as playne as youre texte ys / and ye wyll in all holy scrypture haue no glose at all. And yet wyll ye haue colla • yon made of one texte wt a nother / and shew how they may be agreed to gether as thogh all that were no glose. ¶ye quod he but wold you yt we shulde byleue the chyrch yf yt se • t a glose that wyll in no wyse agree wyth ye text / but that it aperyth playnly that the texte well consydered sayeth clene the contrary? ¶To whō dothe yt apere quod I so playnly / whā yt aperyth one to you / and to the hole chirch a nother? ¶yet yf I se yt so quod he / though holy doctours & all the hole chyrch wolde tell me the contrarye / me thynkythe I were no more bounden to bileue them all yt the scrypture menith as they take yt / than if they wolde all tell me that a thynge were whyte whych I se my self ys blak. ¶Of late quod I ye wolde byleue ye chirch in sum thynge. And now not onely ye wold byleue it in nothīg / but also where as god wold the church shulde be your iudge / ye wold now be iudge ouer the chirche. And ye wyll by your wyt be iudge whyther the chyrch in the vnderstādynge of holy scripture yt god hath wryten to hys chyrche / do iuge a right or erre. As for your white & blak / neuer shall it be yt ye shall se the thīg blak yt all other shal se white. But ye may be sure yt yf all other se it white & ye take it for blak / your eyene be sore deceyuyd. For ye chirch wyll not I thīk agree to call it other than yt semyth to thē. And mych maruayle were yt y • ye shuld ī holy scripture se beter thā ye old holy doctors and Crystys hole chyrch. ¶But furste quod I ye must consyder that ye and I do not talke of one doctour or twayne / but of the consent and comen agrement of ye old holy fathers. Nor that we speke not of the doctryne of one man or two in the chyrch / but of of the comen consent of the chyrche. we speke nott also of any sentēce taken in eny text of holy scrypture / wherby rysyth no dout or question of eny necessary artycle of oure fayth or rule of oure lyuynge / For in other bye maters may there be taken of one text .x. sensys paraduenture and all good ynough wythout warātyse of the best / But we speke of suche two dyuers and contrary sensys taken / as yf the tone be trew the tother must nedys be false / and that as I say concerning some necessary poynte of oure faythe or rule of oure lyuynge / whych is also dependyng vppon fayth and reducyble therto. As yf one wolde boldely breke his vow for yt he thought that no man were boūdē to kepe any. Sych poyntys I saye lett vs consyder they be that wee speke of. And thys remembryd betwene vs / than wyll we sū what se what your sayng doth proue. I shall not myche nede quod I to styk wyth you in dysputīg by what meanis the scrypture ys vnderstanden / syth ye be agreed wyth nature and dylygence the grace of god must nedys go / or els no dylygence or help of nature can preuayle. Nor I wyll nothyng deny you / but that god may and wyll also / gyue hys grace now to vs as he gaue of old to hys holy doctors / if there be as mich towardnes and no more let or impedymente in our selfe than was in them. I wyll also graūt yow that we may now by ye same menis by whych they might than / vnderstand the scripture as well as they dyd than / and I wyll not mic • styk wyth you for one a • e better. And were it not for the synnys that we sink in / we myghte parcase vnderstande yt beter by quater tredeuce / hauīg theyr labours therin & oure owne therwyth. But syth I am so gentyll to graūt you so many thyngꝭ / I trust ye wyll graūt me thys one / that yf any such poynt of our fayth as god wolde haue mē bounden to beleue / they dyd vnderstande ye scripture one way and we a nother / beyng the tone to the tother so clene contrary yt yf the tone were trewe ye tother must nedꝭ be false / ye will thā graunt • I say yt either they erre or we. ¶That muste nedys be quod he. ¶ye wyll also graunt quod I that in such poyntis as we speke of / the erroure were dampnable. For we speke of those poyntys onely / to the beleefe wherof god wyll haue vs bounden. ¶I graunt quod he. For dampnable were yt in suche case to beleue wrong. And wrong shuld they or we beleue if they or we beleued a wrōg artycle / because they or we thoughte yt the scrypture affyrmyd yt. And as dāpnable were yt and yet mich more / if we beleuyd a thyng wherof we beleuyd yt the scrypture affyrmyth ye cōtrary. For thē beleuyd we that the scrypture were false. ¶Thys is q I very well sayde. • But for the more playnnes let vs put one exāple or twayn. And what poynt rather than the ar • ycle towchynge the equalite ī godhed of our sauiour cryste wt hys • ather? For yf the cōtrary belef • were trew / than were this alway damnable & playne idolatry. ¶Uery trothe quod he. ¶May not quod I the tothe • example be the matter that we haue in hand / cōcernīg sayntꝭ reliques / imagꝭ & pylgrymagꝭ. whych thyngys yf yt be (as ye say many reken yt) ydolatrye / thā ys yt yet worse to do therin as we do / than yf our byleefe were wrong in the tothere poynte. And that as myche worse / as the sayntys or the ymagys eyther / be worse than ye holy manhode of Christe. ¶That ys q he very trew. ¶Thā q I let the furst point alone because therein wee be all agreed / & speke of the second yf tholde fathers toke the scryptures one way & we the contrary. Though yt myghte be yt we were able to vnderstād the scryptures as well as they / yet yf they so vnderstode theim yt thei thoght this kīd of worship not for beden but cōmaūdid & plesaūt to god / & we new men ō the tother syde thoght yt vtterly forbeden & holden for ydolatry / the tone ꝑte did not in dede vnderstand the scrypture ryght / but were in a dampnable erroure. ¶That wyll no mā deny q he. ¶I doute not now q I but yt your self seeth very well how many thīgys I might here lay for them to proue you yt they erryd nott so. Furste theyr wyttys as mych as our new mē nys / theyr • ylygēce as grete / theyr erudycyon 〈◊〉 theyr study as faruent / theyr deuocion hoter / theyr nōber farr greter / theyr tyme cōtynued lenger by many agys parseueryng / the contrary oppynyōs in few & those alway sone fadyd / they taken alway for catholyke / ye cōtrary ꝑte for heretykys. Here myght I lay you the holynes of theyre lyfe & ye plentye of theyr grace well apperynge therby. And yt our lorde therfore openyd theyr eyen & suffred & causyd them to se ye trothe. And albeyt he vsed therī none open myracle nor sensyble reuelacyō / wherof as ye say they none allege or pretēd for the profe of theyr opyniōs in theyr interpretacyons of holy scrypture / yet vsyd he the secret suꝑnaturall meane / by whych his grace assystent wt good mē y• labour therfore / by mociōs insensyble to them self / inclynyth theyr assent vnto the trewe syde / & that thus the old holy fathers dyd in the poynt yt we speke of & in such other / parceyue ye ryght sēce of holy scrypture so farforth at the lest wyse / as they well knew yt yt was not cōtrary to theyr beleefe. And here myghte I lay you also yt yf yt had bene otherwyse & yt they had therin dā nably bene deceyuid / than liuyng & dyēg in dampnable errour they coud not haue beene sayntys / as god god hathe shewyd thē to be by many a thousand miracle both ī theyr lyuys & after theyr dethys. wyth thys might I also lay & very well cōclude / that syth those holy doctors and the chyrch / be (as by theyr bookys playnely apperethe) all of one fayth in thys poynt & such other / yt ther by well apperyth yt the chyrche is in the treuth / & ys not in the vnderstandyng of ye scrypture yt spekyth of ye mater eny thing deceyuyd / but they clerely deceyuyd yt do vnderstand those textꝭ of holy scrypture to the contrary. These thī • gys as I saye and yett many other mo myght I lay. But syth ye dyd your self put the chyrch & them both in one case / & so they be in dede / I wyll rather ꝓue you the treuth of them by the treuth of the chyrch / than ye treuth of ye chyrch by the treuthe of thē. & so semyth me good reason. For surely syth they were but mēbers of hys chyrch / god had hys specyall cure vppon them moste especyall for the profyte of his churche / by whose hole corps he more settyth than by eny member therof / saynt / apostle / euangelyst / or other. And therfore must I yet ask you agayn whether the chyrch may haue eny dampnable errour in ye fayth by mystakīg of scripture or otherwise. ¶That ys q he sumwhat hard to tell. ¶Now quod I sumwhat I meruayle that ye remember not yt your self hath agred all redy / yt these wordꝭ of Christ spoken vnto Peter I haue prayd that thy fayth shall neuer fayle / were not ō ly ment by the fayth ī Peter hys owne persō / but also by the fayth of ye chyrch. For to hym was yt spoken as hed of ye chyrche? ¶yes I remember q he ryght well yt I agreede yt. But I remember also yt notwtstanding mine agremente ye were content yt we shulde enserch agayn and agayne ye matere otherwyse bysyde / wherin myne agrement shuld not binde me. ¶Lo quod I that had I forgottē agayne But let it thā alone for ye whyle and tell me this. Dyde not Chryste entende to gader a floke & congregacyon of peole yt shulde serue god and be hys specyall people? ¶yes quod he that ys very trouthe / For so sayethe playne scrypture of Christe in sondry placys. As where the fathere of heuen sayeth vnto Chryste in ye psalme / Postula a me & dabo tibi gen • es hereditatem tuam / aske of me and I shall giue the paynym people for thyne enherytaunce. & many other placys. And els vndowtedly hys hole cōmīg had bene in maner frustrate & in vayne. ¶That people quod I whych shulde be ā ēherytaunce • yd he entende shulde endure for hys owne dayes ōly while he lyued her • /or els that y • shulde go forth & cō tynue long after. ¶Nay quod he that shall cōtynue whyle the worlde lasteth here tyll domys daye / & after in heuen eternally. ¶Shall this peple q I haue amonge theym the knowlege & vnderstandynge what he wolde they shulde do to please god wythe all? ¶ye q he. ¶why • her shall they quod I haue thys knowlege for a while ī the bygynnyng & than lese yt / or shall they haue it styll as longe as they contynue? ¶Here he bygā a litle to stagger. why quod I cā ye call th • hys peple any lenger yf they lese ye knowlege how to serue hym and please hym? yf they for sloth to do theyr dutye as slake seruauntys sūtyme do / yet may they mend & do beter a nother tyme. But yf they lese the knolege of theyre dutye / t • ā wot they nere which way to mend / As he that knoweth fornicacyon for syn / may fall by frayletye to fornycacyon. But syth he knowethe yt for nought / thoughe he sinnid more in ye doyng than yf he had not knowen the prohybycyon / yet doth ye knowlege gyue hym warnynge and occacyon of repentaunce and amendment / whych must nedys lack yf he had lost ye knowlege. ¶Uppō this he graūted yt it must nedys be that thys peple muste nedys haue alwaye the knolege how to serue and please our lorde / or els they ceaced to be hys peple. ¶Is not this peple q I called ye chirch? ¶yes quod he. ¶Thā the chyr • h quod I alway hath & • lway shall by your reasō haue the knowlege & vnderstādīg / how god may be seruid and plesed. ¶Trouth q he ¶Is quod I that knolege fully had wtout the knolege of such thingꝭ as god bīdeth vs to bileue? Nay q he. what if we knew thē ī such wise q I as we could rehe • se thē ō our fīgers ēdys & yet byleuyd theym not to be trewe / wolde thys knowlege serue? ¶In no wyse q he. for yf ye byleued the to be false / thogh ye so knew thē yt ye could reherse theym by rowe / ye coud take no warnīg by thē to plese & serue god with thē / which is the caus • wherfore the chyrch shulde of necessyt • know thē. This is q I v • ry well sayd. thā sith ye graūt yt ye chyrch shall euer ē dure / & yt it coud not • dure wtout ye knolege of sich thīgꝭ as may plese god / nor thos thīgꝭ can be all known if knolege laked of those thīgꝭ yt god byndeth vs to bileue / nor ye knolege of thē eny thīg sarue to the knolege & warnīg geuē vs of goddys pleasure but yf we not only can tell theym but also byleue theym / whyche bylyefe ye graunte ys callede fayth / of thys yt cōsequently foloweth that the chyrche alwayes hathe and all ways shall haue the knowlege and bylyefe of such thyngys as god wyll haue yt boundē to byleue. ¶That is trouth q he because god hath lefte holy scrypture to ye chyrch / and therin ys all / and ye chyrch byleuyth that to be trew. and therfore therin & therby hath the chirch all that warnyng and lernyng of goddes pleasure that ye speke of / wythout whych yt cā not endure. ¶what if god quod I had lefte ye scripture to ye chirch lokked vp in a close cheste / and that no man shuld loke therin / wold that haue seruyd? ¶ Nay ꝑde quod he. ¶what if he had lefte hyt open & wrytten in such wyse that no mā coud rede yt? ¶That were all one quod he. ¶what yf euery man quod I could rede yt and no man vnderstād yt? ¶As lytle wold yt serue quod he as the tother. ¶Than quod I syth yt seruyth the chyrch to lerne goddys pleasure therī / and that can yt not as ye graunte your self but yf ye chyrch vnderstande yt / yt foloweth of thys yt the chyrch vnderstandeth it. And thus euery way for the fayth and knowlege of goddys pleasure yf yt be as ye saye all knowen by the scrypture & no parte otherwyse / yet alway to this poynt ye bryng yt in the ende / yt the chyrch hath the sure knowlege thereof. And than yf yt be so / ye shall not as ye lately sayd ye shulde / in eny dyuerse textꝭ of scripture seming to make a dowtouse artycle of our fayth / and to brynge in questyone what we be bounden to byleue / after ye haue red ī scripture all that cā be red / and herd on both sydes all that can be sayd / than take whyche parte semeth to your self moste probable. Nor yf ye stand styll for all yt in a dowt / thā after your bytter prayers made to god for hys grace & gyde ī ye choyse / go take you the tone parte at aduenture and cleue therto / as though ye were sure by your confidence in god / that his grace had inclined your assēt to ye surer syde. But sith he hath shewyd yow playnely by reasone that he hathe geuyn hys chyrch in all such thyngꝭ knowlege of the trouthe / ye wyll take the sure way and put your self out of all perplexitie / yf in the poynte yt self & the scryptures that touch it / ye take for the truth that way that the chyrch tecythe you therī / how so euer the mater seme bysyde vnto your selfe or to eny man els.

¶The author proueth by scrypture that god instructethe the chyrche of Chryste / in euery trouthe necessaryly requesyte for our saluacyon.

TRuly q he ye wynde yt well aboute. But yet ye made as though ye wolde haue shewed that god had in scrypture told me / that he had & euer wold tell hys chyrch the trouthe in all suche maters. And now ye brynge yt to the poynte / not y• holy scrypture tellythe me the tale but mānys reasō. And suerly as I shewed you byfore / I dare not well truste reasone in maters of fayth & of holy scrypture. ¶I bygane quod I to proue yt you by scrypture / and ye than put me out in the bygynnyng. How be yt thys reason hath scrypture for hys foundacyon and grounde. And thogh yt sum what bilde farther theron / yet is it not reason alway to be mystrusted where fayth standyth not agaynst it / nor god sayeth not the contrary. Excepte reasō be so farr out of credēce with you that ye wyll not nowe byleue hym yf he tell you that twyse twayne make foure. I wene ye wyll fare by reson as one dyd ōs by a • alse shrew. he sware yt he wold not for .xx.li. heere hym say hys crede. For he knew him for such a lyer that he thoght he shuld neuer bileue hys crede after / yf he hard yt onys of his mouth. How be yt quod I lett vs yet see whyther god hym self in scrypture tell you the same tale or no. God tellyth you in scrypture yt he wold be wyth his chirch to the ende of the worlde. I thynke ye dowte not therof / but those wordys he spake to the hole chyrch that than was and that euer shalbe from thappostels dayes cōtinued tyll ye ende of ye world. ¶That ī good fayth quod he must nedys be so. Thā were thys ī good fayth ynough quod I for oure purpose / syth no mā dowte • h wherfore he wyll be wt his chyrch / excepte we shulde thynke yt he wolde be therwythe for nothynge. wherefore shulde he be wyth yt but to kepe yt & preserue yt wyth thassystence of hys gracyous presēte from spyrytuall myschiefe specially / and of all other specyally from infidelytie and from idolatrye? whych was the specyall thīg from whych he called hys chirch owt of the gentyllys. whych els as for morall ver • ews & polytycall yf they had nott lackyd the ryght cause and ende of referrynge theyre actys to god / were many of them not far vnder many of vs. Let vs go ferther. Doth he not ī ye .xiiii xv. and .xvi. chapyter of saynte Iohn̄ agayn and agayne repete / that after his goyng he wyll cum agayne to theym / And sayth he wyll not leue them orphanys as fatherles chyldern / but wyll cū to them agayn hym selfe? Let vs adde now therunto the wordys bifore rehersed / that he wylbe wyth theym tyll th • worldes ende / and yt aperyth playne yt he mente all thys by hys hole chyrche yt shulde be to the worldes end. ¶whā he sayd vnto thē I call you frendꝭ / for all that I haue harde of my father I haue made knowene to you / he spake as to hys perpetuall chyrch and not to thapposteles alone / but if he sayed to them alone these wordys also I cōmaunde that ye loue eche other / so yt none shuld loue eche othere after but onely they. Now leste the thyngys that he taught theym shulde by the chyrch after be forgoten / whych was more to be dowted than of theym self that hard it / he sayd vnto theym also / These thyngys quod he haue I spoken to you abidinge here wyth you. But the • omforter whych is the holy goste whō me father shall send ī my name / he shall tech you all thyng / and he shall put you in mynde and rememberaunce of all thyng that I shall haue sayd vnto you. So that here ye se that he shall agayn alway tech ye chirch of new / the olde lessons of Chryst. And he sayed also to theym / yt thys comforter thys holy gost y• spyryte of trouth / shulde be sente to abide wyth them for euer / whych can not be mente but of ye hole chyrche. For the holy gooste was not sente hyther into the erthe here to dwell wythe the appostels for euer / for they dwelled not so long here. Now yf the spryte of trouthe shall dwell in the chyrche for euer / how cā ye chyrche erre in perceyuynge of the trouthe / in such thyngys I mene as god wyll bynd thē to know or shalbe necessary for theym to know? For onely of such thīgꝭ mēt oure lord / whan he sayed that the holy goste shall teche theym all thynge. For as saynte Poule sayeth / the manife •• acyon and shewynge of ye spyryte / ys to the vtilitie & profyt. This holy spyrite also was not promysed by our sauiour chryst / yt he shulde onely tell hys chyrch agayne hys wordes / but he sayd ferther / I haue quod he besydes all thys many thynges to say to you / but ye be not able to bere theym now. But whā he shall cum yt is the spyryte of trouth / he shall lede you in to all trouthe. Lo our lord sayed not that the holy goost shuld write vnto his chyrch all trouth / but that he shuld lede theym by secrete insperacyon and inclynacyon of theyr hartes in to all trouth / in whyche must nedes be conceyued bothe informacyō and ryghte byleue of euery necessary artycle / and of the ryght and trew sēse of holy scrypture / as farre as shall be requysyte to conserue the chyrche from eny dampnable errour. ¶Now whan the holy goost shall by goddes ꝓmyse / be for thys purpose abydynge in the chyrch for euer / and Chryste hym selfe hath also sayd that he wyl not leue hys chyrch as orphanys / but wyll cum hym selfe / & be wyth yt vnto the ende of the world / and sayeth also that hys father ys in hym and he in hys father / and yt hys father and he be bothe one thynge / not bothe one persone but bothe one substaunce / and wyth the holy gooste bothe one god / than must yt nedes folow that to the worldys ende / there ys wyth the chyrch resydent the hole trynytye. whose assystence beynge to the chyrche perpetuall / how can yt at any tyme fall from trew fayth to false errous and heresyes?

¶where as ye messēger had thought byfore / that yt were herde to bylyue any thyng certeynly saue holy scrypture though the chyrche dyd agre therin and commaunde yt / the Authore sheweth that sauing for thauthoryte of the chyrch / men coud not knowe what scrypture they sholde byleue. And here ys hyt shewed yt god wyll not suffre the chyrch to be deceyued in ye choyce of ye very scrypture of god from eny counterfete.

NOw ys yt I suppose well & clerely proued by scrypture the thyng that I promysed / that ys to wytt that the chyrche cā not erre in any suche substauncyall artycle as god wyl haue vs boūden to byleue. ¶But yet for as myche as ye regarde nothynge but scrypture onely / thys wolde I fayne wytte of you whyther ye byleue that chryste was borne of a vyrgyn. ¶what els quod he. ¶why byleue you yt quod I? ¶The gospell sheweth me so quod he. ¶what yf yt dyd not quod I / were thā your crede oute of credence but yf he brynge wytnesse wyth hym? ¶The crede quod he ys a thynge by yt selfe. ¶yet ys yt quod I no parte of ye gospell as ye pater noster ys. And yet I thynke yf gospell had neuer bene wryten / ye wolde haue byleued your crede. ¶So thynke I to q he. ¶And wherfore q I / but for bycause ye chyrch shuld haue shewed you so? But let our crede alone a whyle and go we to the gospel selfe. whych gospel telleth you yt cryste was borne of a vyrgyn? ¶The gospel of seynt luke quod he. ¶How knowe you yt q I? ¶For I rede yt so quod he in the booke. ¶ye rede q I suche a boke. But how know yow that saynt Luke made yt? ¶How knowe I quod he other bokꝭ / but by yt they bere the namys of theyre authors wrytē vppō them? ¶Know you yt wel therby quod I? Many bookes be there that haue false inscrypcyons / and are not the bookes of theym yt they be named by. ¶That ys trouth q he. But yet though men dyd peraduēture erre and fayle ī the name / as if he shulde repute a boke of Stories to be made by Titus Liuius whych he neuere made but sū other honest cūnīg mā / yet were the boke nether lesse elygaunt nor lesse trewe therfore. Nor in lyke wyse if the chyrche dyd mysse take the very name of sum euaūgelyste & gospell / yet were the gospell neuer ye lesse trew. ¶That ys quod I well sayde. But how be ye sure that the mater of ye boke ys trew? ¶Mary quod he for I am. ¶That ys quod I the reasō yt a mayde layeth for her owne knowlege of her maydēhed. But she coulde tell a nothere how she knoweth she hath yt / sauynge that she ys lothe to cū so nere as to be a knowen that she coulde tell how she myghte lese yt. But here ys no such fere. Tell me therfore whereby wot ye that ye mater of that booke ys trew? ¶I thynke quod he yt god sheweth me so. ¶That ys well thought quod I. But he tolde yt you not mouthe to mouth. ¶No q he. But he hath tolde yt to other in the bygynnynge or els yt was well knowen in the bygynnynge whan he wrote yt. And he was knowen and byleuyde by hys liuynge / and the myracles that god dyd for hī. And after that yt was onis knowē / the knowlege went forth fro mā to mā. And god hath so wroght wyth vs that we byleue yt bycause the hole chyrch hath alway done so byfore our dayes. ¶Now cum you quod I to the very poynte. for many thyngys hath bene trew y• in procys after hathe lefte to be byleuyd. And many a thing hath in the bygynnynge bene knowen for false / and yet hath after happed to be byleuyd. But the gospels and holy scrypture / god prouydeth that though percase sum of it may perishe & be loste whereby they myghte haue harme but not fall in errour (for the fayth shulde stande though the scrypturys were all gon) yet shall he neuer suffer his chirch to be deceyued in that poynt / that they shall take for holy scripture eny boke yt ys not. And therfore sayeth holy saynt Austē / I shuld not byleue the gospell / but yf yt were for the chyrche. And he sayeth good reasone. For were yt not for the spyryte of god keping ye trouth therof in hys chyrch / who could be sure whych were the very gospels? There were many that wrot the gospell. And yet hathe the chyrch by secrete instinct of god / reiectyde the remenaunte and chosen oute these foure for the sure vndowted trew. ¶That ys quod he sure so. ¶Thys ys quod I so sure so / yt Luther hym selfe ys dryuyn of necessytye to graunte thys / or els he perceyuyth yt there were none holde nor surtie ī scripture yt selfe / yf the chyrch myght be suffrede by god to be deceyued in yt poynt & to take for holy scrypture yt wryting that in dede were not. And therfore he confessyth that thys muste nedys be a sure infallyble grounde / that god hath geuyn thys gifte vnto hys chyrch / that hys chyrche cā alway dyscerne ye word of god frō the worde of mē. ¶In good faythe quod he that muste nedys be so / or els all wolde fayle. ¶Quod I than ye that wolde byleue the chyrche in nothinge / nor giue sure credence to ye tr • dycyon of the chyrch but yf yt were p • ued by scrypture / now se yt prouyd to you / that ye coulde not byleue ye scrypture but yf yt were proued to be scrypture by the iudgemente and tradycyō of the chyrch. ¶No quod he but when I haue lerned onys of the chyrch / that yt ys holy scrypture and the worde of god / than I bileue it better than I byleue al the chyrche. I myght by a lyght persone sumtyme know a mych more substancyall mā. And yet whā I know hym I wyll byleue hym mych beter thā hym by whome I know hym if they varied ī a tale and were cō • rary. ¶Good reason quod I. But the chyrch b • ddith you not byleue the cōtrary of that the scrypture sayeth. But he tellythe you yt in such placys as ye wold better bileue the scrypture than the chyrche / there ye vnderstand not ye scrypture. For what so euer wordys yt spekyth / yet yt meanyth not the contrary of that ye chirch techeth you. And the chirch can not be deceyued in any such weghtye poynt. ¶whereby shall I knowe q he? ¶why be we at ye poynt yet quod I? haue we so sone forgotten the perpetuall assystence of the trynyte in hys chyrch / and the prayoure of Chryste to kepe ye fayth of hys chyrche fro faylīge / and the holy gost sen • e of purpose to kepe ī ye chirch the rememberaunce of Chrystꝭ wordꝭ and to lede them in to all trouth? what wold yt haue profited to haue put you ī • he rememberaunce of the assystense of god wt the chylderne of Israell walkyng wyth thē in the cloude by day / & ī the pyler of fyer by nyght in theyr erthly viage / and therby to haue prouyde you the mych more specyall assystence of god wyth hys christē chyrch in theyr spyrytuall vyage / wherein hys especyall goodnes well declarith his tender delygence / by that he dothe vouchsafe to assyste and comforte vs wyth the cō tynuall presence of hys preciouse body in the holy sacremente? All this wolde not helpe / yf manyfeste reasone that I made you / and euydent scripture that I rehersyd you / can not yet prynte in your harte a perceyuyng that thassystence of god in hys chirche must nedis preserue hys chyrche frō all damnadle errours in ye fayth / and giue his chyrch so ferforth the vnderstandynge of scripture / that they may well perceyue y• no parte therof well vnderstande / stādith agaynste eny artycle that the chyrche bileuith / as ꝑcell of theyr christē fayth. ¶Naye q he I perceyue yt well whan I remember it / but it was not redy in remēbraunce.

¶In that the chirche can not erre in the choyse of the trew scripture / the author prouythe by the reasō whych the kyngys hyghnes in hys noble & most famous boke obiectith agaīst luther / that the chyrche can not erre in the necessa • y vnderstandynge of scrypture. And fynally thauthor in this chapyter doth breuely recapi •• e certayn of the pryncypall poyntys yt be byfore proued. And therwyth endeth the fyrste booke.

yEt wold I quod I aske you one thynge wherfore thinke you wyll no • Chryste suffer hys chyrche to be deceyuyde in ye descerninge of holy scrypture frome othere wrytynge / and suffer theym to take a boke of hol • scrypture / that were none in dede? ¶Leste mē might quod he of sum false boke reputed holy scripture / haue grete occacyon geuyn them to cō ceyue a wronge dyctryne and wronge opinions of ye fayth / yf god wold suffer hys chirch to take a false deuysed boke for holy scrypture & for hys owne holy wordys. ¶ye say quod I very trouthe. Now what yf in the very scrypture he shuld suffer hys chyrche mysse take the very sentence in a matter substanciall of our fayth / were they not in lyke ꝑell to fall by false vnderstandyng ī to like errors / as they might by false wrytīg? ¶ Yes th • t they were qu •• he. ¶Forsoth q • od I so 〈◊〉 th • y and in myche more. For in • false ••• ke mystaken for scrypture th •• gh they •• d yt in neuer so hygh re • ereine for som • good thynges that they foun •• in yt / and therby sholde haue gr •• t 〈◊〉 to byleue the falfe errours wrytten in the same / yet ••• yng • s • he chyrch alwaye shall haue / the trewe faythe / fyrst in harte they sholde fynde many shyftys to kepe oute the errours. But now yf they falsely shold vnderstand the trewe scrypture / there were no waye to scape frome dampnable errours. And therfore may I say to you as the kyngys hyghnes most prudētly layd vnto Luther / syth god wyll not suffre hys • hyrche to mystake a booke of scrypture for parell of dampnable errours that myght ensue theron / and lyke parel may there ensue by the my • construynge of the sentence as by the mystakynge of the boke / yt must nedꝭ folowe that god wyll in thyngys of our fayth no more suffre theym to take a false sentence for trew / than to take a false booke for scrypture. And wyth this reason hys hyghnes cōcluded hym so clerely / that he durst neuer synnys for shame touche that poynt agayne / nor eny colour coulde lay / but that vpō hys owne confessyon in all substauncyall poyntys concernynge the faythe or knowlege of vertue pleasaunt to god / the chyrche hath so ryght vnderstandynge of scrypture / that yt well & trewly perceyueth / that no text therin can be ryght vnderstanden / agaynst eny artycle that y• chyrche byleueth for thyng to be byleued of necessytye. And this poynt durst he neuer synnys touch 〈…〉 ¶S • rely quod your • rend I 〈…〉 not though he dyde not. For this poynt is 〈◊〉 • e cowld not / and I am here in fu • ly satysfyed. ¶Than he you q I satysfyed in this also / that the fayth of the chyrche is a ryght rule to ca • ry wyth you to the study of •• rypture / to sh • pe you the vnderstandynge of the • e • tis by / and so to take theym as they maye alwayes agre therewythall. ¶ • e yt quod he. ¶Than are ye, quo • I also f • lly answered in thys that y• where ye sayd ye shold not byl • ue the chyrche tellyng a tale of theyr owne / but onely tellynge you • scrypture / y • nowe perceyue that in suche thyngys as we speke of / that is to wytte necessarye poyntys of oure faythe / yf they tell yow a tal • whyche yf yt were false were dampnable / ye mus • e byleue and maye be sure that sythe the chyrche can not in suche thynges erre / yt is very trewe all that the chyrche in suche thyngys telleth yow. And that yt is not theyre owne worde but the worde of god though • yt be not in scrypture. ¶That appereth well quod h • . ¶Than are ye q I as fully • atysfyed that where ye lately sayd that y • were a dysobedyēce to god & preferrīg of ye chyrch before hym self / yf ye shall byleue ye chyrch in such thyngꝭ as god in hys holy scrypture saythe hym self • the cōtr • ry / ye now perceyue yt 〈◊〉 in 〈◊〉 wy • e 〈◊〉 • o. But syth hys chyrche in suche thy • gys as we 〈◊〉 can • ot • rre / yt 〈…〉 that ye •• ryp •• re 〈◊〉 god 〈◊〉 • e co • trary to the f • yth of ye chyrch • ¶That is very 〈◊〉 qu • d • e. ¶Than yt is as trew quod I • hat ye • e ferther f • lly answered in the ••• ncypall poynt / that the scryptures layd agaīst y • agys & pylgrymages & wo • shyp of sayntꝭ / make no thing agaynst theym. And also that those thyngys / ymagys I meane and pylgrymagys & • rayeng to sayntys / are thyngys •• od & to be had • honour in Crystyschyrch / syth the chyrch byleueth so. Whych as ye graunt and se cause why ye so shold graunte / can in suche poyntys not be suffred for the specyall assystēce of god and instruc • yon of the holy ghoost to fall in error. And so ̄e • e we for • his •• ter at last wyth mych worke come • to • n e • de. And therfore wyl we now to dyner. And your other obiec • yons that y • haue layd / by whych ye wolde pro • e those thingꝭ reꝓuable & make them s • me ydolatrye / whych we deferred afore / those wyll we talke of after dyner. ¶By my trouthe / quod he I ha • e a nother tale to tell you yt all thys • er • graūted / turnyth vs yet in to as myth vncertayntye as we were in before. ¶Ye q I th • ̄ haue we well wal̄ •• d after ye balade / The ferther I go y• more behynde. I pray you what thīg is that. For that long I to here yet ere we go. ¶Nay quod he yt were bettre ye dyne fyrste. My lady wyll I went be angry wyth me / that I kepe you so longe therfro. For I hold yt now well towarde t •• l • e. And yet more angry w • lde wa • e wyth me yf I sholde ma •• you s • t and 〈◊〉 at your 〈◊〉 /as yt wolde I wote well m ••• • n the •• ter yf ys wy •• s yt were. ¶Yf I were quod I lyke my wyfe I sholde 〈◊〉 more theron now & e • e no me •• for longynge to knowe. But come on th •• and let vs dyne fyrst / and ye shal tell vs after.