ALbe it I doute not ye do from tyme to tyme vnderstāde, suche newes as be here occurrāt, partely by the comen rumour and fame, partely by the letters of your other frendes and olde acquayntaunce in these parties, mych soner than I can by any certayne messenger aduertyse you of the same. yet seynge that for correspondence vnto your goodnes here tofore shewed towardes me in most gentle sorte, ye haue euer requyred of me kynde remembraūce onely therof, and declaracyon of my desyre to accomplyshe in some parte my du­tye, by often wrytyng vnto you, shewynge howe thankfully (what so euer they were) ye wolde accepte my let­ters: I haue thought yt my parte to folowe herein your pleasour, and to troble you alwaye wyth redynge my [Page] rude letters, though none other ma­ter were conteyned in theym, than ye hadde bothe harde and rede ere that myne could come vnto your handes.

wherfore hauynge suche occasyon and argument of wrytyng offred vnto me, as wherof neyther the comen fame can reporte all the trouthe, and whyche is so tedyouse as fewe men wolde accomber theyr famylyare let­ters wythall / beynge neuerthelesse suche as you for your deuocyon to chrysten religyon be most desyrouse to knowe: I haue moste gladly em­braced the same, trustynge by the contentes of these, to requyte in some ꝑte the importunytie of myn ydle letters wryten to you before.

ye haue herde howe John̄ Fryth somtyme scoler in that colledge whe­rof ye were after his departyng mayster, was afterwarde amonges other at Oxenforde found besye in settyng abrode these hersyes, whyche lately [Page iii] spronge in Almayne, by the helpe of suche folke be spred abrode into soundrye partes of christendome, tendyng to nothynge elles, but to the dyuysy­on and rentyng a sundre of Christes mystycall bodye his chyrche, the pul­lynge downe of all power, and vtter subuersyon of all comen welthes.

And he beyng therfore for his amede­ment punyshed, of obstynatie fledde ouer the sees vnto the fathers of that relygyon / where in the company of wyllyam Tyndale, George Joy, (at whose name I am sure ye sygh, seing your self to haue ben so deluded with the hope whyche ones ye conceyued of hym) and other heretykes: he pro­fyted so myche within a whyle in vn graciouse vnshamefast boldnes, that beynge not myche aboue the age of xxiiii. yeres, y ^e arrogant fole nothyng doutynge the iudgement of the hole worlde, toke vpon hym to teache the [...]ole chyrche of Chryste, reuokynge [Page] vs from our errour (as he calleth yt) of purgatorye, wherin we haue thys xv. hundred yeres cōtynued / willyng vs to truste herein the spyryt whych nowe in the ende of the worlde, god hath raysed in his yonge breste to re­buke the worlde, of theyr longe horryble errour and destable blyndenes, wherein so many hundred yeres all men haue abyden, saue onely a small chosen nomber of blessed babes, whom it hath pleased god to instruct and teache pryuyly in theyr eares the trouthe of hys gospell from tyme to tyme / whych y ^e pore chyldren (feryng by all lykelyhode to be beten yf they tolde any tales oute of the scole) kept close amonge theym selfe, and lyke good dyspensatours layed vp theyre treasoure surely and secretely for lo­synge or stelynge awaye, tyll theyre mayster retourne.

Thys yonge apostle sent from the deuell to sowe [...]ocle among the corne [Page iiii] of Chryste seynge no suche successe or effecte of all his payne and trauayle taken in wrytyng and settynge forth that his holsome worke as he loked for / wyllyng in no wyse that by any his negligence or slouth, y ^t bretherne myghte impute vnto hym the mys­ [...]ynge of theyr purpose: toke vppon hym to come agayne in to England, & presently to ayde, assyste, coūsayle, and comforte the bretherne of hys guylde here, to stande styffe in theyr abstynacye / wherof lyke a perfyt doc­tour he hath gyuen thē example hymselfe / persystynge so longe obstynate, [...]ll he hath brought hys fylthy car­kace to the temporal fyre, and his sel [...] wretched soule to y ^e fyre euerlastyng, as ye shall more playnely perceyue here after.

For after that he was taken and prysoned in the towre, notwythstandynge the daunger of hys lyfe, wyth the wrothe of god and all good men; [Page] whych he had all redy purchased [...]y hys shamefull arrogance and abho­mynable heresye declared in his fore sayd boke: yet (so god of his goodnes blyndeth y ^e enemyes of his doctrine) the shamelesse heretyke so declared hym self there, as neyther good man nor almost euyll, coulde wythout ab­horrynge and detestyng his wycked­nesse here hym named / for so mych as vtterynge hys malyce there agaynst god and the doctryne of his chyrche ferther then he had done before, let­tynge passe all other heresyes as vn­worthy to be treated by suche an a­postell, and leuynge them for other no [...] so hyghly after his owne opyniō enspyred with theyr newe holy goste as hym selfe: he set vpon the blessed body of our lorde in the sacrament of thaulter, denyenge it to be there pre­sentely, and affermynge the worshyp therof to be ydolatrye. Me thynke I se hereat your ioyntes tremble, your▪ [Page v] dyes stare▪ your heares stert vp, and all the behauour of your body alter, abhorrynge these deuelyshe wordes of thys cursed wretche. But who can let the deuyll to be lyke hym selfe.

After that this goodly apostle had wryten this holsome boke, and sente it out alredy amonges his brethern: there came vnto hym a leter frome Tyndale warden of theyr guylde, ex­hortynge hym not to medle yet with the blessed sacrament, nor no hygh maters passyng (as he clalleth them) the comen capacyte / but wylled hym to crepe lowe by the grounde, and fo­low mekenes (for he knewe well the yonge mannys arrogaunce neded y ^e counsayle) how be it gyuynge hym mych deuelysshe counsayle wythall / and amonges all other, that yf the bysshoppes wolde fall at a composy­ [...]yon and be content to suffre the new testament of hys poysened translaciō to be solde, then Frith shuld promyse [Page] for them bothe to wryte no more / and els they wold not spare to wryte styll

I trowe the olde apostles had ne­uer the wytte whych these new haue, to put the prechynge of goddes word in compromys, tyll a ferther laysour and a more aduauntage.

How be it he wylleth in the meane season, to graunte the bylyefe in the blessed sacrament as indyfferent / but in no wyse to confesse it for a necessa­ry artycle of the fayth.

Hys coūsayle not to medle in hygh maters came to late / for thys letter came after that Frythes booke was abrode. But thys last counsayle to afferme that a man myght chose, whi­ther he wolde byleue the body of our lord to be there or not, so that in ney­ther case he worshypped it, y ^e cay [...]yfe folowed so long tyll he broughte his owne body into asshes, & his soule to hell / notwythstandynge the great paynes taken with hym, & gentylnes [Page vi] shewed vnto hym for his amedemēt.

The fole was so gloryouse that when he had nothynge to say for his opinion: yet wolde he not reuoke it, for losynge the glory and renoume which he had ones purchased among his bretherne / but then euer fledde to this refuge, that his conscyence was not satisfyed. And yf you be desyrous to haue his facyon & maner playnely declared vnto you, no man that hath sene it can declare it better then saint Athanase doth in y ^e Arrians sayeng.

In theyr opynyons they be dyuers [...]nas [...]a▪ in decretis Nicene sy▪ nodi aduersus Euse▪ and variable, euyn as the bestes that be called Chameleōtes chan̄ge theyr colour. when they be reproued they be ashamed / when they be questioned with, they stycke and stagarre / and after they take to them vnshame fastnesse, & pretende excuses: But than yf any man cōfute and reproue them in those excuses to: they studye tyll [Page] they haue found out thynges that be not / and accordynge as it is wryten they deuyse vayne thynges, for this cause onely that they may persysre & stande styff in theyr impyete. And so doynge, they do nothynge ellys but openly declare that they facke reason & folow the peruersyte of y ^e Jewes.

To shewe you all y ^e meanes vsed for hys reconcylyacyon, by the lordes and other of the kynges most hono­rable counsayle bothe spyrytuall and temporall, it were very longe. And of some parte therof ye shalbe (I dowte not) enformed by other. But wherby ye maye suffycyentely perceyue hys obstynacye and arrogaūce, and how lytell he was able, for all the boste made of hys lernynge, to say agaynst the trouth, I shall wryte and declare vnto you.

His lernynge (to saye the trouthe for his age) was to be praysed, yf hys arrogaūce had not made hym esteme [Page vii] it more euer thē it was. I meane his lernynge in the tongues and other humanite / for in any thyng els (what so euer he hath kepte in store) suerly he hath vttered none. For his workes of heresyes, be but Luther, zwingliꝰ, Hwyskyn, and suche other, translate out of latyne into englysshe. And in his cōmunicaciō how lytle he shewed by his answers made to my lorde my mayster bothe presently, and by mes­sage, ye shal easely perceyue & iudge.

My lorde my mayster (besydes y ^e gryefe that any man sholde wylfully of malicyouse arrogaunce cast away hym selfe bothe body and sowle) be­rynge a specyall loue and affeccyon toward thys yong man, bycause that ones he was hys scoler, sent for hym vnto hys howse, and there beganne to entre cōmunicaciō with hym here­uppon / thynkynge surely, that yf the deuyll had not all togyther possessed hym, y ^e wordes of our sauyour Cryste [Page] so manyfest, the sentence of all lerned men before Berengariꝰ & wicklife, as well catholyke as heretykes, the con­sent of Chrystes vniuersall chyrche from his blessed passyō vnto this day shulde haue conuerted hym from his arrogaunt and malycyouse pryde.

But he hauyng ones alledged vppon a certayne poynte, this place of Esaye. Et acceperūt de manu domi­ni duplicia, vnderstandynge therun to for his purpose, premia / and ther­uppon y ^e boke shewed, wherin folowed, pro omnibꝰ peccatis suis: beynge confounded, wolde no more dyspute of any thynge / but sayde, excepte my lorde were touched wyth the same spiryte wherewyth all he was hymself, yt shulde not auayle to dyspute wyth hym. wherunto my lorde answered, yf I shuld saye lykewyse to you, and euery man to other: then shulde no man labour to brynge in agayn him, that ones were out of the ryght way. [Page viii] For he shulde thynke with hym selfe▪ this man is moued wyth an other spiryte than I am, therfore I shuld lese my labour. wherfore sayde he leue this founde persuasyon, & whan ye haue sayd what ye can for your part, heare what I cā answere therunto & say for y ^e tother: yf your cause be the better / why shulde ye not thynke to wynne me?

All this was not ynough to incorage hym to dyspute of y ^e mater any more, but wythout any profe, requyred his spyryte to be admitted and folowed / nor my lorde coulde haue any other answere of hym.

yet after this, consyderynge by all lykelyhode that yf he dyd answere nothyng, indifferēt men must thinke. he coulde answere nothyng: the gloryouse fole affyrmed (se the vanytie of arrogaunce) that all the olde do­ctours of the chyrche were of his opynyon and professed, that yf the con­trarye [Page] opynyon were shewed vnto hym, playnely declared by any doc­tours of the chyrche, he wolde knowledge for a trouth / but yet none ar­tycle of the fayth. For that Tyndale (whose counsayle as myche as came not to late he folowed) dyd in any wyse forbyd hym, wyllynge hym not to bynde the conscyences of the peo­ple (what a knauyshe kynde of flate­rynge was this, as though yt laye in hym to bynde and losen) to byleue yt as necessary, but to leue vnto theyre owne iudgemētes, to take yt as them lyste for a whyle.

The man entendeth whan he can spye a tyme, to wryte agaynst yt / and therfore wolde be loth this yonge doctour shulde haue done any thynge in derogacyon of his wo [...]ke, whome he estymed more than all the old foo­les of his secte / and had thought (yf god had not preuented hym) to haue lefte hym as heyre of his heres [...]es, to [Page ix] perfyte all whych he had begonne, as appereth by Tyndales letter sent vnto Fryth beynge in the towre.

But to retourne to the mater. All good men vnderstandynge this pro­mes of his to folowe thauthoryte of the catholyque doctours, reioysed ex­cedyngly. For they hoped he hadde ment good fayth / where as he dyd yt onely for a brage to get hym an opy­nyon and estymacyon amonge the rude vnlerned, and a glorye amonge his brethern. Other mē thought hym wonne, when he wolde in any parte abandon his owne wyt, and lene to authoryte.

Aboue all other my lorde reioysed, as to whome yt semed, that his scoler whome for his wyt he loued euer ve­ry hartely, [...]adde rysen from deth to lyfe, trustynge that he hadde left his arrogaunce and yelded hym selfe to reason / and therfore beganne very dylygently and ernestly to labour in [Page] takynge▪ awaye suche causes as mo­ued hym to doubte therin. And by­cause yt wold not synke into his hed, that the naturall bodye of our lorde could be in two places at ones, more than any other mannys bodye: my lord answered vnto him, that in this bodye be goten and brought forth a­gaynste the lawes of nature, nature was notso mych to be regarded, shewynge hym also, that contrarye to the lawes of nature, he rose from deth, and thorough the stone, wythoute eyther brokynge yt orr cushynge hys [...]odye. And yt is as moche agaynste nature to haue. ii. bodyes in one com­passe at ones wythout thone geuyng place to thother, as that one bodye shulde at one tyme be hole in two places, whych our sauyour dyd not one­ly at that tyme, but also afterwarde commyng thorough y ^e dore fast shyt, wythoute brekynge the dore or hur­tynge his bodye / whych hauynge [Page x] ones by deth ouercomēdeth, cold no more be hurte of no creature.

To this he answered accordynge to Tyndales counsayle, that yt was a phrase of scrypture, to saye he came in the gates beynge shyt, in stede of, he came in late after that the gates were shyte / and so knocked and had the gates opened.

And to the tother place of rysyng thorough the stone, he sayd y ^e Angell lefte vp the stone, & so our lorde rose.

Jhesu how relygyousely these men handle the scrypture, whyche pratel nothynge ellys put scrypture? when the gospell was layed agaynst hym, where the women comynge to the tombe after hys resurreccyo, doubted how they myghte attayne vnto hys body for the stone whych couered his graue / and deuysed who shuld helpe them to remoue it / and streyght lo­kynge towardes it agayne, sawe the stone remoued, and thangell at the [Page] tombe: to y ^t he answered, why myght not the women cast these doubtes by the waye as they came, as well as when they were there. Se you not y ^e excedynge obstynacye of hym, who so longe as he coulde haue any thynge to deuyse for an answere (were it ne­uer so false and folyshe as this was) yet wolde not shewe hymselfe confor mable in any wyse / but wolde rather saye any thyng what so euer it were, then eyther cōfesse the trouth or hold his peace.

Agaynste his deuise that thangell lyfted vp the stone, y ^t our lord myght at his ease come forth, my lord shewed vnto hym saynt Austayn, sayeng ex­pressely, He went forth the graue be­ynge styll close. what wolde he re­quyre more playne, who professed to knowledge for trouth what so euer were playnely wryten of any doctour of the chyrche in thys mater. yet it toke no place with him as playne as [Page xi] this place of saynt Austayne is.

Saynt Hierom also amonge his answers to Hedibia, declareth thys place sayenge thus.

‘Let vs not thynke that thangell came to open the graue for our lorde when he sholde ryse, and tourne ouer the stone. But after that our lorde had rysen at suche howre as pleased hym, and is knowen to no man, to declare what was done, and to haue shewed by tournynge ouer the stone, that the tombe was empty &c.’

What is playne yf thys declareth not playnely, that y ^e angell remoued the stone after that oure lorde was rysen?

And wher as the pharyse wolde not admytte, that y ^e body of our lorde myghte be receyued of a synner and enter into hym: he shewed hym saint Austayne, sayenge that our sauyour gaue Judas the pryce of our redempcyon. And also an other, where he [Page] sayth: he gaue the same to Judas which he gaue to hys other apostles / so that his noughtynes in nothynge altered that whyche was receyued of hym.

After that Fryth had glosed the fyrste place with a glose of his owne, sayenge that saynte Austayne there called the mystery by y ^e name of that whyche it represented: to remoue a­way all doubt therin, & shew playnly that how so euer it appered to our carnall eyes and our other bodyly sences, yet ī dede there were nothyng ellys but the very body and bloude of our lorde, my lorde shewed hym an homelye wryten by saynte Chriso­stome, of that mater / wherin among many other thynges spoken wyth great reuerence of the moste blessed sacrament, he sayth thus.

Is it brede that thou seeste▪ or is it wyne, or doth it passe thorough the as other meates do? God fordyd: Loke [Page xii] thou thynke not so. For lyke as yf waxe brought vnto the fyre melte in to it, none of tho [...]de substaūce remay­neth, nor nothynge is therby encrea­sed: so thynke the thynges semynge to be there, consumed wyth the pre­sence of hys body.

And a lytellafter he sayeth: Suppose the bloude of our saluacyon to flowe out of his godly and vndefy­led syde / and so approchyng, receyue it with pure lyppes.

When Fryth saye this Homilie (as shameles as he was in answerynge) he founde nothynge to answere here vnto. But yet reteynynge styll his hygh lokes / and lyke one who were consulted rather lyke a censour & cor­rectour of the catholyque doctours, than taughte by them to knowe hys folye in respecte of this, dyspysynge thother places whych were alledged vnto hym, sayeng as for thother, that [Page] they were lytle to the purpose, but y ^t hadde pyth / repetyng ofte, this hath pyth, and desyred my lorde that he wolde delyuer hym that parte of the homylie in wrytynge, whyche incon­tynently was delyuered. For my lo [...]d had commaunded yt to be wrytē out before for the nones / and so departed in very good hope, whyche neuerthe lesse came to none effect. For the next daye my lorde repayrynge agayn vn to hym, in hope to acomplyshe that whych he had begonne, founde hym all an other man than he lefte hym, clene fallē to his old arrogaūce of his new spyryte / so that demaundyng of him, how he lyked this Homylie, and whether there were any thynge elles wherin he were not yet satysfyed, he coulde gette none other answere of Frith, but that he had slepte lytle af­ter theyr laste communycacyon. And when he was asked why so: he sayde he had occupyed hym self in prayeng [Page xiii] to god for knowledge of y ^e trouthe in this matter. And faynynge hym self assured y ^t god had herd his prayour, sayde yt stode not wyth his conscyēce to confesse that fayth / and therfore he knew that opinion was not trew? As though, if it had ben so, god wold by specyall inspiracyon haue reueled yt vnto hym.

The greate clerke hadde not ler­ned, that he who mystrusted the word of god, and byleued not the prechers sent by hym, shold dye in his incredit lyte wythoute receyuynge eyther sy­gne or specyall demonstracyon / accordynge to thanswere made vnto the ryche man in the gospell, who wolde Luce. 16 haue hadde the lazare sent to his frendes to teache theym the trouth / and dyuerse answeres made by our sauyour to the vnfaythfull Jewes.

Thus this detestable wreche abode in malyce obstynate / but in hys an­sweres so inconstante and varyable, [Page] that he wold somtyme shew hym self contēt to byleue any doctours of the chyrche / somtyme he was sure, yf yt were otherwyse, god wolde shew yt vnto hym selfe / that at length yt se­med vnto my lorde of London, in whose dyocese he was, moste mete to procede wyth hym iudycyally / and eyther cure the infect shepe, or yf it were desperate, caste yt out of the folde. wherfore on Fryday the. xx. daye of June, callynge vnto hym my lorde my mayster and my lord of Lyncoln̄, and callynge Fryth before them, exa­mynyng hym openly in powles / and fyndynge hym styll obstynate, finally lefte hym to the seculer power, as he had ryght well deserued.

But what payne they toke with hym fyrst, how fatherly they labored and trauayled for thamendement of that vngracyouse chylde / and of an other also, whiche onely for company of Fryth helde the same opynyon, [Page xiiii] without groundynge hymselfe vpon and scrypture but Frithes bare word & his spyryte, wherwith he was hymselfe also possessed, and therfore lefte also with Fryth. Of an other he­retyke also one Thomas Philippes, whiche was examyned the thursdaye next ensuenge, I shall not nede to wryte vnto you / for there be other inough whiche both [...] can and I am sure wold, aduertyse you of y ^t whiche was openly done. wherfore leuynge to wryte of these maters, wherof ye eyther are alredy,, or shalbe better ad nertysed by other: I shall wryte what meanes my lorde my mayster vsed / for that onely can I best declare vn­to you.

After the body of Fryth was de­spayred to haue saued y ^e soule, which the fole hym selfe regarded not as he semed, nor thought peraduenture for all his hypocrysye, of no lyfe to come after thys, but onely as the hethen [Page] do to lyue by glory: surely the latter daye of my beynge with hym, he sayd playnely that he thought no sayntes soule came in heuen before the day of dome / but in the meane season repo­sed hym selfe he wiste not where. And some of his secte say that the soule of our sauiour Christ hym self (O what blasphemouse wretches be these) is not yet in heuen. But malyce hath no boundes.

After that he was cōdempned as you haue herde, and delyuered to the temporall officers, my lord sent vnto him a chapellayn of his with Rupert who on the syxte chapyter of John̄ declareth the mater so playne, and so reiecteth Frythes obieccyons, as though it had be specyally wryten a­gaynste hym. whyche author he refu­sed, alledgynge that no lerned man dyd euer referre that place to the sa­crament of thaltare / & that therfore Rupert was not lerned and vnder­stode [Page xv] the place amysse. whyche hys slender obieccyon my lorde vnder­stondyng, and hopyng of some good effecte yf that were put awaye: sent me y ^e nexte day wyth the thyrde tome of saynt Chrysostome, where he in y ^e xliiii, xlv, and. xlvi. homilie, not onely referreth that place to the moste bles­sed sacrament / but also proueth by y ^e same, the bodyly presence of our lord there

I shewed hym onely the. xlv. which in dede (yf any drop of grace had re­mayned in hym) had ben inough.

Hereby a man maye se, how mych hys brage passed his lernynge, who durste so precysely affyrme, that no lerned man referred that place to the sacrament / whyche not onely saynte Chrysostome, but also all other catholyke doctours (as ye knowe) do / by­cause Luther, who dyffereth from them in the bodyly presence of oure lorde, and ellys not in substaunce of [Page] the sacramentall sygne, is content, not to haue that place referred to the sacrament, whiche maketh so sore a­gaynste them bothe.

After salutacyon I put hym in re­membraunce, fyrste of his answere made to my lordes chapellayn, which he knowledged to be so / & than tolde hym, howe my lorde beynge loth he shulde caste awaye hym selfe for ignoraunce, had sent hym there Chryso­stome, whome he must nedes confesse for lerned, referryng the sayd place of John̄ to the blessed sacrament, for whych onely cause he had reiecte Rupert as vnlerned. well, sayde he, lette me see yt.

After that he had rede a good parte of the homylie, so farre as hanged together perteynynge to that questyon I asked what he could alledge why he sholde not knoweledge the authoryte of Rupert, seyng that Chryso­stome (whome he coulde not denye to [Page xvi] be excellently lerned) vnderstode that same place of the moste blessed sacra­ment as Rupert dyd. To whyche af­ter that he had mused a lytle, he an­swered that he gaue no great credēce to Rupert for dyuerse causes, wherof neuerthelesse he named no mo but this onely, that he was after Grego­ryes dayes the pope / and yet he tolde not so myche as whyche Gregorye he ment.

when I sawe hym, in whome after the comē rumour I thought to haue founde some lernynge & knowledge in these matres▪ (specyally knowyng hym euer before in other scyences to haue shewed hym selfe of a good wyt and vnderstondynge) vtter no more connynge then he dyd, but onely try­fle and playe wyth euery thynge, stu­dyeng after that he had obiecte one thynge, what he myghte bable whan that were taken awaye, and so esty­mynge of that he spoke, what by all [Page] lyghtelyhode he coulde speke or an­swere in this mater, whyche semed to be nothynge elles but inuencyons of his owne brayne, whych I thoughte my selfe able ynough wyth the grace of god, eyther to put of, or at the lest to bere (for neyther sholde he nor the deuyll hym selfe for any apparance of reason, make me byleue one arro­gant fole better than all good chryst [...] men consentynge in one) and beynge lothe to brynge home the heuy news of desperacyon: I beganne to passe somwhat my commyssyon, and adu [...] ture farther than peraduenture by­came either my yeres or my lernyng / not doubtyng though my yeres were but yong and my lernyng very small (consyderynge howe many hundred tymes his yeres were vnder the age of the chyrch, which he taketh in hand to reache this new lesson, more than my yeres were vnder his / and howe [...]o comparyson is betwene the spyryt [Page xvii] which Crist ꝓmised & sent his chyrch, and this new goste of Luthers, full of lyes, diuysyon, and all falshod / for what comparyson cābe bytwene god and the deuyll / to dyspute the mater wyth hym, who wyth arrogaūce one­ly and allegacyon of a straunge spy­ryte laboured to ouercome the trouth so longe rooted in all chrysten hertes which is of it self without any forayn ayde inuyncyble. wherfore seyng Ru [...]et reiected, onely bycause he lyked not mayster Fryth, & spoke to playne agaynste hym, so that no glose wold serue to make theym twoo agre: I beganne to presse hym wyth that place of Chrysostome, whyche I had shewed hym, desyrynge hym to consyder and waye yt dylygently, sayenge I nothynge douted yf he so dyd, but yt sholde clerely appere▪ v [...] hym, that the trouth was agayn [...] hym. wheruppon takinge the boke agayn into his handes, he redde ouer again [Page] the same place stoppynge euer and gloryenge at any mencyon of the mysterye / and glosynge wyth his owne deuyse where any thynge prycked hym.

As fyrste at this, we be one bodye and mēbers of his fleshe and bones. Very well ꝙ he, so we be / for seynge y ^t he toke our very nature vpon hym in the virgyne Marye, we be one bo­dye wyth hym, one blood, the same bones, the same synues, the same mē bers / accordyng as Dauid sayde vnto the iewes: Os meum & caro mea vos.

And this is yt sayde he that decey­ueth you / ye referre that which is spoken of our communyte with hym by his byrth, to his presence in the sa­crament of thaulter.

Naye sayde I not so. But the scry­ptures and interpreters of the same, shewynge moste euydently bothe the naturall cognacyō we haue with him by his incarnacyon, and y ^e spyrytuall [Page xviii] vnyon the chyrche beynge his mysty­call bodye / and lykewyse in the most blessed sacrament shewynge both his corporall presence there, and also the mystycall representacyon of his pas­syon, he and suche other where the sacrament were mencyoned, drewe all to y ^e mystery though y ^e wordes playnly repugned, deuydynge the mystery from the thynge yt selfe / or elles for a shyfte, whē the wordes were so playnly spoken of the very substaunce, that they coulde not be referred to the my­stery, turne them to his incarnacyon, thoughe the wordes were precysely wryten of the sacrament.

And that good holy fathers pre­uentyng by the spirite of god the ma­lice of the deuyll, though none here­tyke had yet ben so shamelesse as to holde the contrary, had neuertheles moste playnely and apertly deuyded the mystery from the thyng selfe / and yet shewed both twayne to be in that [Page] blessed saccament. whyche thynge myghte I sayd vnto hym (yf he lyste not to blynde hymself) clerely appere vnto hym by many other places, and by thys also of Chrysostom, whyche I hadde brought vnto hym, where folowed.

But that not onely by loue, but also in very dede, we myghte be torned in to that flesh, that is done by the meat whych he hath geuen vnto vs.

Here he sayth sayd I, that by the meate whych he gaue vs, we be tour­ned into that fleshe and not by hys byrth / & not onely mystycally by loue but also in very dede.

Howe canne you wyth all your gloses inuerte thys from hys corpo­rall presence, wyth eyther of your gloses.

He answered yt was trouth, that receyuynge the mystery and sygnyfycacyon, in dede we were by fayth tour­ned into hym / and that the mysterye [Page xix] there bare the name of that whych yt [...]th sygnifye, as it doth in many places elles in scrypture.

And beyng asked than, why he put this artycle, that, vnto the name of flesshe, yf it were not to declare not a bare sygnyfycacyon, but y ^e very fleshe whyche he spake of before: he made no answere, but desyred he myght be suffred to reade forthe / shakynge of this mater with a certayne gyrnyng laughter after his fashyō, as though yt had ben nothynge to the purpose / whyche made me euen then almoste despayre of any good effecte, and suf­fred hym to reade forth.

when he came to this place, whych Chryste dyd, bycause he wold bynde vs wyth more charyte, and because be wolde she we his desyre towarde vs / not onely sufferynge hym selfe to be sene vnto those whyche desyred him, but also to be touched and eaten, & the teth to be set in his flesh, and all [Page] men to be fulfylled with the de [...]yre of hym.

Here he thought to haue hadde me in a ioly snare, & asked yf that place (as precysely as it wrote) were not spirytually to be vnderstanden / & why­ther in dede we dyd tere the fleshe of our sauyour wyth our teth or not.

I tolde hym that I beleued in very dede as the wordes were, y ^t we set our teth in his blessed bodye, & yet tere yt not. For in what parte of the hoste so euer we set our teth, in that same parte is his whole very bodye. As I byleue that whan the preste brake the hoste, he tare not the body of our lorde, for that were to put hym euery daye to a new passyon / but that eue­ry parte of the hoste was his hole bo­dye / and that he who made all thyng of nought, coulde compasse this to.

Here he laughed and rede forth, wyth many gloses by the wayelytell to the purpose / tyll he came to the [Page xx] place were he compareth the lambes blode in tholde lawe to his bloode, whyche was therby fygured sayenge thus. But yf the fygure therof hadde so great strengthe in the tem­ple of the Hebrewes in the myd­des of Egypte sprynkeled vppon the threshold: mych more the trouch.

This trouth he sayde was referred onely to the passyon of our sauyour, and the shedynge of his blood / and not to the sacrament of thaultare. whan I replyed, that in this place saynte Chrysostome treateth of the sacrament and not of the passyon, he answered magno supercisio, wyth a solemne contenaunce, that this was nothyng to the purpose, and that (I wys) he hadde loked & red ouer that place whan he was at his lybertye. And therewithall he shyt the boke and be ganne to comen.

where fyrste he began to induce me, y ^t all were to be vnderstāden in mistery [Page] by a place of saynte Chrysostome in a homilye whyche my lorde hym selfe hadde giuen hym before. And hereby ye shall se the symplycytie and the playnes of this euangelycall man, and howe wyth false dissymulacyon he labored to haue gotten me to hys opynyon.

Saynt Chrysostome (sayth he) wylleth y ^e peple to call away theyr wittes from the wordes as they be spoken, and vnderstande theym spiritually / tellynge them y ^t elles they lyed whan the preste sayde, vp with your mynde and your hartes, and they answere, we haue to our lord. where as in dede saynt Chrysostome in that place one­ly blamed them, whyche not consyderynge howe reuerently they oughte there to behaue theym selfe, spent in babelyng of other maters that tyme, wherin they sholde haue prepared them for the holy worde.

Se the myscheuouse mater of this [Page xxi] wicked wreche, how deceytfully, and how lyke hys father the deuell wyth lyenge and false alledgynge, he went aboute to trappe me trustynge so to haue deluded me and to haue shaken me of therwithal, bycause he thought I had not redde that place before.

who can doubte knowynge herin hys wylfull and malycyouse peruer syte, of what deceytfull mynde he of­fered to condescende vnto the autho­ryte of the catholyke doctours? For yf he had faythfully intended to fo­lowe theyr doctryne, he wolde neuer so malycyousely and wyttyngly (for he had dylygently as he sayde hym selfe studyed that place) haue falsely alledged that author, for suche pur­pose as he knewe well he ment not / nor no man redynge the place coulde so haue taken it. These are saynte Chrysostoms wordes.

O thou man what do [...] thou? hast Chriso▪ in sermone admonito. d [...] [...]ch [...]. thou not m [...]de a promyse vnto the [Page] preste, who sayd vp with your minde and your harte / and thou dydest an­swere hym agayne: we haue to our lorde. Doste thou not feare and arte thou not ashamed? Thou arte taken wyth a lye euyn at that same tyme. Oh, the borde is furnyshed wyth the sacramentes / the lambe of god is of­fered for the, the preste is in care and anxiete for thy sake, spyrytuall fyre flameth from the [...]wter, the Sera­phi [...]s also are there present, & cou [...] theyr face with syxe wynges, all bo­dyles powres make intercession with the preste for the, spyrytuall fyre is come downe from heuyn, the bloude is receyued in the chalyce out of the immaculate syde for thy purifycaciō. And arte thou not thanne ashamede Fearest thou not? arte thou not con­funded, nor doste thou not reconcyle thy self to god? O thou man doth not [Page xxii] thy cōscyence pryche the? The weke hath. viii. score &. viii. howres, & of thē god hath for hym selfe taken out but one howre, and that thou spendest vppon seculare businesse and lawghyng maters, and in kepynge company. wyth what truste shalt thou than go to goddes borde. O wyth how polluted and foule a conscyence. If thou haddest stynkyng dyrt in thy handes, durst thou approche nyghe vnto the hemme of a kynges garment. Doest thou se brede or wyne? whyther be they voided into y ^e drawght as other meatꝭ be: god forbede. Thīke not so. For the wise as wexe if it be brought to the fyre, it waxeth lyke vnto the fyre, none of tholde substaūce therof remayneth, nor other substaunce ys therby encreaced: so thynke here to, that the sacramentes be consumed wyth the substaunce of the body. And [Page] therfore when ye go to goddes borde thynke not that ye receyue godde & body at a mannes hande, but that ye receyue it of y ^e Seraphyns fyre with the tonges, whyche fyre Esay fore­sawe you receyue / Coūte and rekyn that that holsome bloude in a manet floweth out of the dyuyne and vnde­fysed syde, and so drawe nere and re­ceyue it wyth pure and clene lyppes.

If the man wanted not lernyng to vnderstand yt (as in dede he dyd not) howe can his fautours shew that he wāted not playnnesse, faythfulnesse, and honesty, in so declarynge yt.

Hereby a man maye playnely se, by what meanes they allure mē to theyr secte / whyther by the wordes of god as they pretende, or by theyr owne in­uencyons, false dyssymulacyons and lyes. whyche I wolde to god allthe world knew as well, as all they who haue cōmened with these members [Page xxiii] of the deuyll, these gates of hell, not beynge before of theyr owne nough­tynes corrupte, do spye and playnely perceyue.

when I hadde ones made answere vnto his allegacyon: the subtyll euā gelyst seynge hys falshode toke none effect but spyed, & layde manyfestly to his charge, otherwyse than he ho­ped yt shulde haue ben, was all asto­nyed, and sat styll a good while, with oute eyther spekynge or makyng a­ny semblaūce to speke. At the length I dyd interrupte his sylence / & shew­ynge my self to meruaile that he who pretented so myche symplycyte, so a [...] dent a desyre to knowe the trouthe, wold neuerthelesse in dede labour after suche synistre fashyon, to blynde the trouth, desyred hym that he wold at the laste, rather mekely folowe the trouth, than to drawe and hayle eue­ry thynge to his purpose / and so ar­rogantly (at that worde he gyrned a­gayne) [Page] set vnto euery place his glose, as though, whan he promysed to by­leue the doctours of y ^t chyrche, it had ben promysed hym agayne, that we sholde vnderstande theym as he lyst, and not as the wordes gaue.

why I praye you (sayde he) be not you fayn to glose those wordes whe [...] on you grounde your selfe moste? And where the wordes be, this is my body, are not you fayne to say in this is my bodye, or in this is conteyned my bodye. ye se howe lyke a lerned man this was spoken.

The kynges hyghnes in his moste excellent and erudyte assertyon of the sacramentes, layde this agaynst Lu­ther, who sayth that the blessed body of our lorde is in the sacrament, the substaunce of brede neuerthelesse re­maynynge as yt was before, whose sayenge can not stande with the wor­des of our sauyour, wythout suche a glose as who so euer putteth vnto y ^e [Page xxiiii] wordes of god, is accursed of hym, and to be detested of the worlde. And Fryth thought this had made gayly agaynst the catholoque fayth, whych without eyther addynge or dyminysshynge any thynge in the wordes of god, is to beleue that the moste bles­sed sacramēt is his very body, which was betrayed for vs.

I am suer sayd he, ye wold not say that that whyche ye se or perceyué by your other sences is his body, forthā sholde ye saye that the forme of brede and wyne, were his bodye.

I asked hym where he lerned that new logyke, to say that by this word thys, were shewed the outwarde re­semblaunce of any thynge to the sen­ces, and not the mater or substaunce therin conteyned. And asked hym whyther whan he sayd this a stone or a stocke, he ment y ^e colour, or bignes, or smothenes, or other accydentes, or elles the substaunce, the very stone yt selfe.

[Page]He wolde haue persuaded me far­ther, bycause I myght (he sayde) wellse with myne eye, that yt was very brede / wheruppon I answered, that in this hygh mater of fayth, that ar­gumēt was very faynt, while in thynges naturall, a pore peynter myghte sometyme begyle both myne eye and hys to. And therfore I willed hym rather to mystrust his sences wherby we be dayly deceyued, than the wor­des of god whyche neuer can fayle, how impossyble so euer they appere vnto our syght.

He sayde he mystrusted not the wordes of god, but byleued theym as he vnderstode them / that was, that god gaue the name of his bodye to that thynge, whyche onely betokened his bodye.

I answered hym to shew that it was no bare token of his body, but his very bodye in dede, our lorde sayd, this is my body whyche shalbe betrayed [Page xxv] for you / and no mystery, no sacramēt nor sygnyfycacyon of his bodye was betrayed for vs, but his very natural body, whych henge on the crosse.

when he persysted styll, saynge yt ought to be vnderstanden for the to­ken of his body which was betrayed: I began more ernestly to deteste his arrogāce in my mynde, who dyd not onely falsely allege and fondly glose the wordes of men, but also durste take vpon hym to expounde the wor­des of our sauyour hym selfe, contra­ry to hys owne exposycyon.

Nay not so quoth he. For saynte Austayne ad Adimantum sayth, that our lord calleth the sygne of his body hys body.

So do all chrysten men (sayde I) call it a sygne, a token, a fygure, a sa­crament, a mystery, a sygnyfycacyon, and what suche name ye lyste to call it / and yet both call it and afferme it, to be his blessed body to.

[Page]And what saynt Austayne mente in that one place, wrytynge vnto an heretyke whome he labored to con­uince in an other mater, maye easely be perceyued by many other places of his workes, where he speketh moost catholykely and reuerentely of the blessed sacrament. whych I told hym myght wel appere vnto him, by such places of the sayd saynt Austayne as were alledged agaynste hym at his examinacyon. And yf saynt Austayn had ben of his opynion in dede, as in dede he was not: yet had not his opinion alone haue ben to be preferred before the fayth of all the other olde holy doctours and saintes, & agaynst thauthoryte of the whole chyrche of god.

But this hath euer ben a crafte of heretykes, by false alledgyng or false vnderstandynge of some one catho­lyke doctour, whose authoryte were moch reputed amonge good men, to [Page xxvi] pretende that there opiniō were also catholyke.

So dyd the prechers of the cyrcū ­cycyon with saynt James, the Arri­anes with Origene, and Theognos­tus, the Donatistes wyth faynt Cy­pryane, the Origenystes wyth saynte Hierome & Theophilus, these mysty mystycall heretykes with saynt Au­stayne euyll vnderstāden, and all the rable of Luthers secte, wyth wordes mysse taken among some wrytynges of Erasmus, wherin how playnely & syncerely they haue euer delte, & yet do, any man maye se who hath vnderstandynge in the laten tongue, and lyste to rede theyr actes.

After all this comenynge longe wyth hym of his arrogaunce & foly, amonge other thynges, I bad hym shewe me that euer any man before Berengarius tyme, dyd professe this opinion which he toke for so trewe▪ that he toke vppon hym to confute [Page] the contrarye / wherin specyally was so great ieoperdye and parell of the hole destruccyon of Christes chyrche. For yf this be idolatrye, all chrysten men these many hundred yeres haue commmytted idolatrye.

For what so euer they thoughte in harte, in very dede they gaue yt the worshippe dew onely to god, bycause of the godhed there ioyned wyth the fleshe and the soule. And theyr dissy­mulacion excuseth them not from idolatrye, yf they thought them selfe to do amysse, but rather encreaced theyr faute, doynge yt agaynst theyr owne cōscyēce, to the ruyne of other soules.

when he could shewe none but one Betrame in Charles days the great: than I tolde hym y ^t thopynyon why­che he denyeth, myght be proued vn­to hym to haue ben so wel allowed by all lerned men both catholyque and heretyques byfore that Betrame his dayes, y ^t the holy mē as saīt Ireneꝰ & [Page xxvii] saynte Hilary, both in theyr disputa­cyons had grounded theym selfe vp­pon that poynt, to confute other he­resyes whyche hym self now denyed.

Then began he as yt had ben in a tragedye, to ruffle and crye why had not the byshoppe told hym this / complaynyng sore, that they had shewed hym no suche place / so that a man wolde haue thought hym very sory, that he knewe it not before, and desyrouse to know it then, whych proued afterwarde clene contrarye.

To that I answered, y ^t vnto suche places as the byshoppes had shewed hym, he wolde (as yt were by certayn violence) put to his owne glose, and vnderstande them as he lyste / whych lykewyse he wold haue done in this, though now he lyst to glory and say, they hyd this place frome hym, and that els he wold haue ben reformed.

He blamed therin my hasty iudge­ment, whyche neuerthelesse he decla­red [Page] to be trew the next daye after, for not withstandynge that he promysed to knowledge the catholyque opyny­on for a trouth vppon syght of those places: yet hauyng y ^e bokes brought vnto hym, the places shewed and suffered to reade a myche as he lyste, at length he slypped away / sayeng they were somwhat to y ^e purpose, but not so myche as I sayde they were.

when I bad hym shew, what I had promysed whyche was not there, he sayde the places were not so vehemēt as he loked they sholde haue bene, wherunto an other laye man a gen­tylmānes seruaūt, whome I brought with me beynge myche better lerned (without mayster Fryth kept a great dele more in store then euer I knewe hym vtter) then eyther of vs both, & yet was yonger I wene than maister Fryth to, answered, y ^t yf it had neded, vehemency to persuade yt, & had not ben a very playne open well knowen [Page xxviii] trouth of yt selfe, yt had not ben mete to be made by those holy doctours a grounde in an other dysputacyon, wherfore that was rather a commen­dacyon than a faute whyche he had founde. Amonge other dygressyons the sayd yonge man asked hym what fyrste moued hym to leue the contra­ry opynyon of that he held then, whi­che ones he byleued, & byleue this so stedfastly, y ^t he wold dye for yt wher­unto he answered y ^t he byleued it not, but thought yt onely more probable then tother parte, so that his conscy­ence wold not suffre hym to reproue yt / and therfore thought the byshop­pes dyd hym great wronge, to geue sentence agaynst hym as an heretike, who offred hym selfe to be reformed, whyche he performed neuerthelesse neuer a whyt, and myracles he shew­ed none. Seynge than we be bydden proue the spyrites whether they be of god or no, what good man can ad­mytte that spyryte, whyche shewyng [Page] no vertue nor knowledged enspyreth onely arrogance and blasphemye.

Besydes this he had promysed at my departynge from hym the fyrste daye, yf I could shewe hym where yt were spoken expressely, that the sub­staunce of the brede were chaunged by the consecracyon, or that those were not brede styll after the consecracyon, or that a synner dyd receyue the body of chryste, he wolde knowledge it for trouth: for at the length, seyng hym selfe not able to answere suche places of holy doctours as had ben layed agaynste hym, for the corporall presence, of our lorde in the blessed sacrament, nor yet to saue the mater wyth no glose of his owne, but that he must nedes confesse that we recey­ued the naturall body of our lorde in the sacrament: he then went aboute to saue the mater by thys, that good men receyuynge the mystery of oure lordes body, dyd by faith receyue also [Page xxix] hys naturall body / whyche synners coulde not do, for they can not do it wyth assuraūce, beyng gylty in theyr owne conscyences. whyche sayenge was contrary to his fyrste opinion / for fyrst he defended precysely y ^t there was no naturall body / but the sacra­ment onely wythout the body / the cō ­trary wherof he sawe so determyned by doctours of the chyrche and holy sayntes of euery age, that he coulde not glose them to denye his naturall presence, but yet he graunted it so, y ^t in effecte he denyed it, shewyng hym selfe wythall so obstynate a fole, that he had rather say that thynge in some wordes whych he wolde in other wordes streyght way denye, thē playnely cōfesse the trouth. For he cōfessed our lordes presēce there naturally, but by faith. I meruayle how he could be so folysshe, or thynke any man ellys so folysshe, as to be induced to byleue, y ^t receyuynge by fayth were naturall [Page] receyuynge, specyally seynge bothe saynt Chrysostome and saynt Cyryl­lus (whych were alledged vnto hym) make a dyfferēce bytwene receyuyng by loue or fayth, and naturall recey­uynge / bothe whych they shewe to be in the receyuynge of the blessed sacrament. And thys greate clerke wolde haue vs wene that bothe were one / & then were those olde sayntes no very good clerkes, which so deuyded thē.

But to returne to hys promyses who herd euer of such an vnshamfast brage, as to saye, yf any of these thyn­ges were shewed hym, that he wolde confesse the catholyke fayth for true, when all those were shewed him most euydently before. For who can speke more plainely that a sinner receyueth the body of our lorde, then doth saynt Austayne, sayeng that our lord gaue the price of our redempciō to Judas? was any thynge ellys, than his body and blode, y ^e price of our redempcyō? [Page xxx] and that was it y ^t as saynt Austayne saith, he gaue to Judas at his maūdy

And that the substaunce of brede is clere cōsumed, and none other sub­staunce remaynynge there but of the blessed body of our lorde, who canne speke more playnely then saynt Chrysostome, sayenge, that the thynges represented to our eyes, be consumed with the presence of y ^e body, as waxe is with fyre / so that none of the olde substaunce therof remayneth, nor o­ther substaunce is therby encreaced.

And yet this symple man wolde hane semed bothe to byleue saynte Chrysostome, and yet doubte of the chaunge of y ^e brede / and also byleue saynt Austayne, and yet doubtynge for all that whither synners receyue the body of our lorde / vsynge none other answere but this onely, y ^t (whē we asked hym how his sayeng could agree with these places alleged vnto hym) hym self had well aduysed these [Page] places, and that they satysfyed not his conscyence. For euer when I had shewed hym suche places as I pro­mysed hym, and then requyred hym to kepe hys promyse and knowlege the trouth: he answered nothynge els, but that yet his conscyence wold not serue hym so to saye for all that / & added therunto, that those places whych semed vnto vs so playnely to proue that we sayd, semed the contrary vnto hym. when he was bydden shewe some cause why: then was the spyryte vp agayne.

A wonderouse wyse spyryt, which serued onely, when he hadde neyther authoryte nor reason to shewe for y ^t he sayde. And myracles he shewed not that euer any had ben done for theyr opinion / but contempned all myracles that euer had ben done for ours / sayenge y ^t we be bydden proue the spyrytes.

when we saue hym abyde by no­thyng [Page xxxi] that he promysed / we asked hym what he ment to offre suche pro­mises as he thought not to kepe / and saye yf yt coulde be shewed hym in a­ny doctour of the chyrch, that he wold knowledge yt for trouthe. He sayd yt was not yet playnely shewed hym in expresse wordes, that eyther a synner receyued the body of our lorde, or yet that there remayned no substaūce of the brede, or that the naturall bodye of our lorde were receyued any other wyse thā by fayth. wherfore (though we spyed well his fayre promyses made byfore, were but dyssymulacy­ons, and that it were not possyble for all doctours that be and haue ben, to wryte so playn as to make Frith call them playne) yet myndynge for theyr cause whyche were present at the lest to confounde hym: we shewed hym of euery one of these sentēces dyuerse places playne vnto euery mānes iudgement sauynge onely his owne, [Page] whyche onely he estemed. Of whych for example I shall reherse you some besydes those ye haue herde here all redy, saynt Chrysostome sayth thus. For yf those whyche defoyle the kynges purple robe, be punished no lesse thā those that tere it: what meruayle of those that wyth vnclene conscyēce receyue the bodye of Chryste, suffre the same punyshement that they who nayled hym to the crosse.

It is a wonder to any man whych knoweth not the vnshamefastnes of this arrogant fole, how he coulde af­ter this denye (knowledgynge this mā to be of authoryte) but that a syn­ner receyueth the same bodye whych was nayled on the crosse. yet to this could we haue none other answere of hym, but y ^t yt dyd not ful­ly persuade his conscyence, nor satysfye hym, pretendynge neuerthelesse that he wolde gladly knowe and [Page xxxii] knowledge the trouth.

we shewed hym also the wordes of saynt Eusebiꝰ, wherin that holy mā not onely declareth by playn wordes, the conuersyon of the brede and wine into the fleshe and blood of our lorde in the blessed sacrament of the aulter, but, also maketh yt open by the spyrytual conuersyon of man into the mysstycall bodye of Chryste, thorowe the sacrament of baptysme. For who can doute but he can do the lesse that can do the more. But a lesse thynge is yt to tourne the brede and wyne into his own fleshe and blood in the sacrament of the aulter, than an euil dede­ly synfull man into a good lyuely member of his mystycall bodye by grace in the blessed sacrament of baptysme. For yf be yt a lesse thyng (as in dede yt is) to tourne brede and wyne into his own fleshe and bloude, than to make the whole worlde of nought: than must it nedes be a greater thing [Page] to tourne an euyll man into a good, and make a dedely synner, a lyuely member of his mystycale bodye. For as ye wote well saynt Austayn sayth Maius est iustificare impium quam creare coesum & terram. A greater thynge yt is to tourne an euyll mā into a good, than to create bothe heuen and erthe of nought. The wordes of saynt Euse­bius of whyche I speke that were shewed vnto Fryth, are these.

Let no man doute, but that y ^e natures of brede and wyne whych were there before, maye at a trecke of goddes power by the p̄sence of his maiestye be chaūged into the nature of our lordes bodye, whyle we se that man hym selfe by the connynge of the he­uenly mercy, is made the bodye of Chryste. For as euery persone that cometh to the fayth, before the wor­des of baptysme is yet in the bandes of the olde det / but after the wordes [Page xxxiii] be ones pronoūced, is by and by clen­sed of all the dregges of synne: euyn so the creatures that shall be conse­crated wyth the [...]uenly wordes, when they are sayed vppon the holy aulters before they be consecrate, by the inuocacyon and callyng on of the hygh god, there is the substaunce of brede and wyne / but after Chry­stes word [...] ones spoken, it is the body and blood of Christe. And what meruayle is it of those thynges y ^t he was able wyth hys worde to create and make of nought, he can whan they be created conuerte and tourne theym wyth his worde? ye yt semeth to be a lesse meruayle for hym to conuerte & tourne that y ^t he hath made of nought into a better thynge.

Farthermore where as Fryth af­fermed and sayde, that in the sacra­mēt of the aulter Christ was in none other wise receyued than spyritually [Page] by fayth onely / we shewed hym very playne and opē wordes of saynt Cy­rylles to the contrarye / who to con­fure this false opynyon that Fryth held, and to proue that we be ioyned and knyt vnto Chryste, not onely by fayth but also by naturall partycypacyon of his fleshe & blood, saith thus.

We denye not but that by ryghte fayth and pure cheryte we be spyry­tually ioyned with Chryst. But that ther [...] is no meane wherby we be ioy­ned with hym after the flesshe, that is the thyng forsothe that we vtterly denye, and that is we say farre from the mynde of the holy scriptures. For who douteth that Cryst in such wyse is a vyne to, and we the braunches, whense we gete lyfe from. Herken vnto Poule, who sayth that we be al one body in Chryste. For all though we be many, yet in him we be all one / for we take all parte of one brede. [Page xxxiiii] Doth he peraduenture thynke that we knowe not the vertue of the mys­tycall blessynge, whiche whyle it ys done in vs, dothe it not make Chryst to dwel [...] in vs corporally to, thorow the communicacyon of Chrystes flessh. For why be the membres of faythfull folke the membres of Chryste. Do ye not know (sayth he) that your membres be membres of Chryst? shall I than make the membres of Chryste the membres of a strūpet? God forbede. Our sauiour also sayth: he that eateth my flesshe and drynketh my bloude, dwelleth in me and I in hym. Wherfore it muste be consydered, that Chryst is in vs not onely habitually by cheryte, but also by naturall partycypacyon. For lyke wyse as yf a man take wex that is mosten with fyre, & with other wex y ^t is in lyke maner molten, so myngle it that bothe [...]wayne be made one: so [Page] by the communion of Chrystes body and bloud he is in vs and we hym. For this corruptible nature of y ^e body coulde ellys in no wyse haue bene brought to incorrupty by [...]ite and lyfe, but yf y ^e body of naturall lyfe (that is to wyt the body of Chryste) were ioyned with it.

Fynally after many mo places of dyuers olde holy sayntes & very con­nynge doctours alledged vnto Frith all whych here to reherse were a very longe besynes, we layed before hym a place of saynt Hieromes, whose wordes be these.

God forbede that I sholde any [...]. Hieroni. in episto. 1. [...]d [...]e [...]iodorum. euyll speke of them, that succedynge into y ^e place of thapostles, with they [...] holy mouth consecrate the body of Chryste, by whome also we be made chrysten menne / who hauynge the heyes of the kyngdome of heuyn, are se [...] iudges in a maner before the ge­nerall iudgement, & kepe the spowse [Page xxxv] of our lord wyth sobre chastyte.

Howe playne these places be, yese playnely / and yet he denyed them to be playne ynough.

After that we had shewed hym these places, with many mo so playn, that he could fynde no gloses for theym, but onely fled to his conscyence and his spyryt, vnto whyche onely they se med not playn: I beganne to repete that I had promysed vnto hym, and he to me / desyrynge hym eyther to shewe that I hadde not kept my pro­myse, or elles to kepe his. Then he desyred vs bothe to be content wyth his answere. wherfore seyng no more truste in his worde and promyse, nor no better hope of amendement, we were purposed to departe / saue onely that we abode to se thende of an other mannes communicacyon with hym / wyshynge rather than hopynge any good to ensue. After whose commu­nycacyon ended, we reso [...]ted agayne vnto hym, not to dyspute any more [Page] with hym by authorite, agaynste all whyche he wolde euer at length vse his own conscience for a shote anker, when all reason and craft fayled, but onely to lament wyth hym his folysh or rather malycyouse obstynacie and arrogance, so myche estemynge hys owne fantasye, that none authoryte myght dryue yt frō hym / not of those whose lernynge and vertue he could not doute of, hauyng by theyr payn­full deth and sharpe lyfe, borne wyt­nes to that doctryne whyche they taught, and whom god by many my­racles hath declared for holy saītes / requy [...]yng hym to folow rather theyr iudgement then his owne fantasye. ye haue not yet shewed sayd he that this was theyr doctryne. we haue shewed sayde I so playne wordes of theyrs for our fayth, that ye can not yet deuyse how to make theym agres with your opinion.

Moreouer sayde we there is with vs one authoryte passyng all these, y ^e spiryte of god promysed to Chrystes [Page xxxvi] chyrche, whyche teacheth all men be­ynge in the vnitie of Christes chyrch, to confesse as we do.

Here beganne a newe disputacyon, what was y ^e chyrch, whyther knowen or vnuisible, comen of both good and bad, or elles of electes onely. For he sayde that the fayth was euer preser­ued amonge the electes. whan I as­ked hym how thā y ^e fathers which al­ledge the authorite of y ^e chyrch, knew the chyrch which was of authorytie, yf yt were not a knowen chyrch / ye by my fayth ꝙ he, yf yt were not for your chyrche ye could saye very lytle. For that is your onely shyft whan ye come to extremyte.

By my fayth you say very trouth ꝙ I, for yf yt were not by the authoryte of the chyrche, I se not howe we shuld proue this gospell whyche we reade and reache, to be Christes. And than to shewe hym that this worde chyrche, not onely spoken of the vny­uersall chyrch, but also spoken of any [Page] parte of the same, betokeneth both good and badde, whyche we oughte in any thynge to folowe, were lyke wyse to be vnderstanden: I asked hym howe he vnderstode that place, Tell the chyrch? and whyther he dyd therin admyt saynt Chrisostomes authorite, expoūdyng, dic ecclesiae, praesulibus scilicet & praesidentibus, whyche he sayde he dyd. Than I asked hym, yf god dyd not by this place authoryse that chyrch of his comē to good and bad, and bynde vs to folow the iudgemēt therof / addynge a fore payne yf we dyd not. whā he denyed not y ^e / I said▪ than muste ye nedes graūte, y ^t where we be commaunded to folow the iudgement of the chyrche, yt is ment of knowen men of the chyrche, whether they be good or bad.

In smale maters (said he) brethern be commaunded to folowe the iudgement of theyr curate, & yt is his parte to set them at one.

Then he that was wyth me asked [Page xxxvii] hym, where he serned that glose▪ and yf a greater mater chaūced, whyther yt shulde haue no iudge, bycause of the greatnes / specyally hauynge therfore moste nede to be iudged. wheruppon takyng occasyon / I put hym his own case for example, saieng▪ if I saw you besye in teachyng such doctryne as offended me, and that you neyther wolde for myne admonicyon or any other elles, leue yt, ought I not than to tell the chyrch hereof: he sayd yes. And whych chyrch I pray you? your vnknowen chyrche of onely electes▪ or elles the comen knowen chyrche of good and bad, of whyche we spake byfore, and y ^e gouernours of y ^e same, whych chyrch than yf you dysobeyed, ought we not than and were we not bounde by the worde of god, to take you as [...] hethen.

To this he wolde not answere dyrec­tely / but sayde take me as you wyll. [...]aye not so sayde I, we muste or­der our wyll yf we wold do well▪ And [Page] for myne owne part I am desyrouse to knowe the trouth. I pray you tell me, whyther I am bounde by the worde of god so to take you / & doyng otherwyse, whyther I breke the cō ­maundement of god or no, specyally knowynge theyr pryuate iudgement herein to haue be preiudycate by the hole catholyque chyrche of Chryste. ye may take me sayth he here as you [...] cōscience serueth you. But yf I were beyond the sees from whens I came, I shuld not be condempned for this, and you shulde be excōmunicate for the contrary.

yet sayd I, there is but one truth, and one chyrche whyche professeth y ^e truth: so that one of these two chyr­ches is not of god. If our chyrche be not the ryghte chyrche / then within these fewe yeres byfore these new gospellers began to instytute theyr chyr­ches, and founde these newe fangle opinions, there was no chyrch at all. yes sayd he the fayth was euer pro­serued [Page xxxviii] amonge the electes. Then y ^e yonge manne whyche was with me, seynge hym thus torne the whele, & retorne euer agayne to that whyche he had sayd before, though it were neuer so fonde and playnely confuted: beganne to repreue hys vanyte, who could for shame alledge that agayne, which so lately was answered vnto / and exhorted hym to declare that ey­ther we were not bounde to byleue y ^e iugement of the chyrche, or that theyr iudgement who condempned hym dyffered from the iudgement of the hole chyrche / or ellys to abyde no len­ger in that myserable estate, wherin that all chrysten men shulde be com­maunded by god to take hym as an hethen / and he hym self be in the most dredefull indygnacyon of god. when he replyed agayne of his conscyence, whyche wolde not suffre hym to ad­mytte this opinion: we desyred hym eyther to enfourme our conscience, or suffre hys to be enfourmed / sayenge [Page] [...]e had for vs the worde of god, p [...] nyshynge with temporall▪ shame and also eternall payne, the disobeyers of his chyrche (for there foloweth as y [...] knowe quodcū (que) ligaueritis &c) & h [...] had nothynge for hym but his owne fanta [...]ye, and one place of faynt Au­stayne expowned after his deuice; contrary to many other moste playne and euydent places, wherin the same author shewed hym selfe moste con­stantely to byleue that whyche the chyrche byleueth and techeth.

when for all this we could haue none other answere but of his conscyence, declarynge fyrste vnto these whiche were present the vntruth of his pro­myses, who though all were shewed vnto hym whiche he requyred to be shewed, wolde not yet knowlege the truth: I prayed god to amende hym, entendynge to departe.

But the tother yonge man callyng to remembraūce, how boldely Fryth had denyed any [...]orshyp to be d [...] [Page xxxix] to the blessed sacrament, though it were in dede y ^e very body of our lord / and trustyng y ^t Frith seynge playne­ly proued vnto hym, that not onely some worshyp, but moste hyghe and dyuyne worshyppe were dewe to the blessed sacrament, wolde not be so shamelesse as to denye the corporall presence of our lorde, shewed hym a place of saynt Austayn expowndyng Adorate scabellum pedum [...]ius / playnely de­clarynge by expresse wordes, that not onely he synned not who dyd wor­shyppe the sacrament, but that also he synned who dyd not worshyp the sacramēt with y ^e honour dewe onely to god. So that yf it were synne not to wurshyp it / the mater was not as he sayd indyfferēt to byleue whyther it were the very body of our lord. For of necessyte he that worshyppeth it, must thynke it our lordes very body, or ellys he commytteth idolotry in worshyppynge it after suche sorte. wherwyth he was abasshed & sayde▪ [Page] He meruayled that saynte Austayne wolde wryte so / seynge that this ho­nour whiche saynt Austayne named after the scolemen (the man wolde faine haue semed vniuersally lerned) was not dewe to the body or sowle, but onely to the di [...]ynyte of Chryste▪ whych we sayde that this place ther­fore of saynt Austayne, shewed well that he and all suche as alleged saint Austayne to saye that the sacrament was onely a sygne, lyed on hym / for he in thys place (as the chyrche byle­ueth) knowledgeth the sonne of god to be naturally present there, bothe body sowle and also godhed, & ther­fore sayeth that he synneth who doth not honour the sacrament wyth the honour dewe to god onely. Then be­ganne he after hys olde fasshyon to tryfle, sayenge that god was present euery where. Then I asked whyther bycause god was present in euery place, he durst worshyp y ^e post which stode there, wyth the honour dewe [Page xl] onely to god. The shamelesse wreche blusshed then ones, and stutted and stamered, deuysynge in the meane season an answere whyche was this at length, that he coulde not thynke saynt Austayne wolde wryte so / and yet sayd he yf it were so (& there adui­sed hym a prety whyle) a man myght (and after an other lyke pause) terge versari / but I wolle not. whyche I byleued not, seynge hym alredy do y ^e contrary. And therfore lamentynge fyrste with hym for our old acquayn­taunce to se hym in that case, & pray­enge god that he myghte knowlege the treuth. I bad hym farewell. And thother whyche were there departed sauynge one, whose labour neuerthelesse & cheryte shewed towarde hym, auayled nothynge, but onely to hys meryte that toke the payne. For this fole persysted styll in his vnwylful­nesse euen vnto the fyre, whyther he went, as I haue knowen and herde many go to the gybet, coūterfaytyng [Page] an excessiue outward gladnes, eyther to lighten theyr inward pensyuenes, or to make theyr iudges be hated, or ellys for a glory, bycause they wolde haue it sayd they dyed lyke men, dy­enge in dede moste lyke desperate wreches of all other.

Thus ye fe what ende his pryde & arrogaunce, confermed wyth the de­uelyshe flaterynge of Tyndale and Joye with such other, not onely pray synge his lernynge vnto hym more than ynough, but also wrytyng that in hym and his successe was all theyr hope and truste, hath brought thys myserable wreche vnto. whyche for his owne sake onely that he shulde so caste away his soule, beynge so dere­ly bought, and destroy by the deuyls instygacyon such good qualytees as god had geuyn vnto hym to employe in his seruyce, is mych to be lamēted: els I trust & dout not, almyghty god hath permytted and suffred, ordered also and dysposed his punyshement [Page xli] and correccyon in example and re­lefe of many other. For both yt hath abated the pryde of those that wolde haue ben heretyques, and somewhat abashed these pryuy enymies of Crist and his chyrche, who as saynte Am­brose sayth be myche more to be fered then suche as expressely shewe & pro­fesse theyr malycyous purpose and mynde. For these may easely be ouer­come or auoyded / but the parell is in suche, as agreynge with vs in y ^e most parte, in some one poynte labour to subuerte the trouth. For these entyse the symple people, whyche herynge theym say myche that they know for trouth, byleue them in the rest, and so slyde in as yt were into the [...]ertes of the vnlerned multytude, where the subdayne violence of thother make them redounde rather then entre. These be lyke vnto the rokes, which hyd vnder the water, do hurte before they be spyed. Agaynste the whych saynt Hierome was compel­led [Page] to crye out: wolde to god thys serpentyne generacion wolde eyther playnely confesse our parte, or con­stantely defende theyr owne, that we myght knowe whome [...] oughte to loue or fle. But now they hate vs (sayth he) as enymyes, whose sayth they dare not openly denye. wyth many other wordes, sore com­playnynge of theyr deuelyshe malyce and wylynes. From y ^e contagyouse infeccyon of whych sorte and kynde, I beseche our lord for his tender mercy euermore preserue vs / & sende thē y ^t suche be, which with y ^e corrupt stynkyng waters of theyr own diggyng, alter and tourne y ^e swete taste of god­des holy and most holsome doctryne into very dedely poyson, sende theym I saye the grace to amende / and le­uynge of theyr owne madde inuencyons, with all mekenes, to herken vn­to tholde accustomed teachyng of his catholyque chyrch. who also longe [Page xlii] preserue you to his gracyouse plea­sure, in bodely helth and ioye spyry­tuall. From Ashare the fyrst day of Auguste, by the hande of faythfully your owne with my seruyce & prayer, Germyn Gardynare.