[Page] [Page] IT chaunced that this simple Pyers plowmā com to a certeyne house where as was a daner, prepared for the neygh­bours dwellyng ther aboute, At y^e which dynner were, iiii. Prests amongest whome, was moche resoning concerning the Sacrament of the Aultre, to be shorte one amongest these. iiii (to make the symple people beleue that he was better learned then all hys fellowes) sayde and declared ther that the sacrament was the very body and bloud of Chryste Alleagynge further that great daunger yt was to receyue yet vnworthely. &c. where vppon Pycets. plowman, encouraged hym selfe, yea was rathere bol­dened and encouraged by the secret motyon of the holy goost [Page] (hauyng this sentence of Christ before hys eyes, that he that for saketh me before the world hym wyl I forsake before mi farther whyche is in heauen▪ begynneth wyth the sayde preest) after thys manner followynge.

Master parsō, by your pacience I woulde aske youe a question, in the way of communycacion

¶ Aske what ye wyll

¶ I praye the syr whether shall whe receyue the very selfe same body, whyche the blessed vergyn Marye conceyued in hyr whom [...] [...]e by the inspyracyon of the ho­lye goost at thys holye tyme of Easter, or no?

¶ We shal receiue y^e same body

I deny that

Then shal we receyne some other body

That I denye also

Now I parceyue that thou arte a ranke heretyke

¶ If I am and heretike then is S. Austyne and heretyke. also

¶ S. Austen sayth no such thing I trow how be it to saye truthe I haue not greatly occupyed mi selfe in redyng of hys workes

¶ Swere not master parson for I beleue you well ynough. I thyncke you comber but lytel [Page] your braynes eyther with S Austens wryntinges, or yet with the holy and sacred Bible. But I tolde you before, yf I am an heretyke. S. Austen is anhere­tyke also

In what place. I praye the dooth. S. Austyne speake these wordes?

Learne to vnderstand these fewe wordes, which, S. Austen writeth in a booke intituled.

Magistra sēt enciarum Iesum et non ipsum quod videbatur in cruce manducatur in altari Hoc est ipsum scꝪ, corpus quod videbatur in cruce manduca­batur & no māducabatur Man ducabatur autē spiritualiter, it non carnaliter, that is that and not that body whyche was seen [Page] on the crosse was eaten at y^e aul­ter that is to saye it is eaten and it is not eaten. After this man, nor is it eatē when it is minstred accordynge to the institucyon of Chryst spiritually that is sted fastlye to beleue that we are redemed and saued by the metites of Chrystes passyō wher of this sacramēt is only a remēbraunce & is not eaten carnalle or fleshlye as ye papistes do roate & cry

But for al that he is at the alter in the forme of breade

I denye that for yf he where there vnder the forme of bread y^e bread / shoulde, lose hys taste? wayght and colour. Where by maye easelye be parecyued that your sayinge is false. But hys [Page] power when it is mynystred and receyueyd according to y^e institucion of Chryst, is there inuisible so vs Here to also apparteyneth an other saying of. S. Austen, Crede et manducasti. That is beleue and thou hast eaten. And thus I beleue that the supper of the lordes body, can be made no better by a good preste, nor wors­se by abad prest

That I graunt also

Syris not he both. God and man.

Yea forsoth.

But now master parson tell me (I praye the, in how many pla­ces can he be as one tyme, con­cernyng [Page] his godheade

God occupyeth no place

That is truth for he is a spirite, and a spy [...]yte is where he wyll, And I praye t [...] [...]maye not, God be in euery pla­ce althoughe he occupyeth no­place:

yea forsoth.

¶ So I beleue that God, is al in al thynges, as Pau [...]e wi­tnesseth. And so he may be in all places where the. Sacrament is consecrated, accordynge to the instrucion of Chryste.

¶ All that is no lesse then truth

¶ Gentell master parson: tel me

[Page] I pray y^t, whether occupyed that body which the bledssed vyrgyn mary bare any place or no▪

Ye marye dyd it good man pyers.

How many places occupied the same bodye at oone tyme

But one place at ones

Dyd not the selfe same bo­dy suffer vnder ponce pilate and was it not also crucyfyed, deade and buryed for our offences.

Yea forsoth dyd he

Dyd not that same body re­man in the graue or sepulchre, whyles the spirite descended. in [Page] to hell? And was not the god head with the spyrite in hell and remayned not y^• godhead neue [...] the lesse with the body / in the se­pulchre or graue.

Yea forsoth it was euen so

Syr dyd not that selfe sam body aryse agayn, on the thyrde daye. And after his resurrectiou dyd not he eate of a broyled fysh and of a Honycombe in a token that he was very man:

It was euen so

Dyd not y^e body ascend in to heauen & sytteth he not at the ryghte hand of y^e maiestie of god,

yea mary

❧ Now mayster parson, where is that body now?

¶ It is in heuen

❧ Now tell me, I praye the dyd that body euer come downe frome heauen▪ sence it ascended, vp into heauen /

¶ No verely it neuer descended or came doune sence,

❧ Ergo to you master parson. then is not the same body that our lady bare mynystred at the Aultet but onelye a rememb. ance of the same .as it appereth: not onelte by my layingout also by poutes

For soth, it were a straunge [Page] matter to reason vppon before the laye people.

¶ No syr not so, It were a very godly and necessary matter to be resoned and cōnuned of for by thys meanes myght the sym­ple people learne to be ware of the leauen of suche pharyses I wyll not say as you are for now thankes be to god ye are, come to the ryght way, but as a great forte, the more pytie be

❧ The other .iii. prestes sayd

If these hobbes and rusticals be suffred to be thus busy, in readynge of Englysh heresy and to dyspute after this maner wyth vs, which are sperytual men we shalbe fayne, to learne some oth­er occupacion or els we are lyke to haue but a colde broth.

AMEN.