The fourth boke

IN the syxte lefe thus he sayth.

Here maketh M. More this argumēt agaynst the […] man. Bycause the Iewes merueyled at this […]: my fleshe is very meate & my bloude drynke and not at this: I am the dore and the very vyne, therfore this text (sayth he) my flesshe […]. must be vnderstanden after the lytterall sence, that is to wyt euen as the carnall Iewes vnderstode it murmurynge at it, veynge offended, goynge theyr wayes from Cryst for theyr so carnal vnderstandynge therof / and the tother textes, I am the dore &c. must be vnderstanden in an allegorye & a spyrytual sence, bycause his hearers merueyled no thynge at the maner of speche.

I haue good readers byfore this argument that he speketh of, another argument in that pystle of myne agaynst fryth / whyche all though it went before and was redde before this, yet bycause it wolde not well be soyled, maister Masker was content to dyssemble it. But I shall afterward anone lay it afore hym agayne, and sette hym to it with a festue, that he shall not saye but he sawe it.

But now as for this argument of myne, that he maketh the fyrste, I mysse fortuned to make so feble, that he taketh euyn a pleasure to playe with it / and therfore he soyleth it and soyleth it agayne / & that […] wysely ye may be faste and sure / and so shall you saye your selfe whan you se all. But yet though he wynne hym selfe worshyp in the soylynge, yt was no great wysedome to lese his worshyp in the rehersynge, wyth false beryng in hande, that I saye that those wordes of Cryste muste be vnderstanden after that lyterall sense that the carnall Iewys toke therin, that mur mured and went theyr way therfore. For they toke yt of hys fseshe, to be eaten in the self same fleshely forme and as holy saynte Austayne sayeth that they shold haue eaten his fleshe deade withoute lyfe or spyryte, as befe or motten is cutte out in bochers shoppys. And I am very sure, that mayster Maskar hathe no such word in my letter, wherof he maye take hold to say that I say that Chrystes worde shold be taken so. But this is no newe fashyon of these folkes, to reherse other mennes argumentes in suche maner as theym selfe lyste to make them, and thē they make them such, as them selfe may most easely soyle theym. whych whyle mayster Masker hathe done wyth myne, yet hath he lytle auauntage therby. But to thentent that all thynge shall be the more open byfore your yien: I shall reherse you fyrste the thynge that he wolde be content you sawe not, ytis to wit myne own worde as I wrote theym, whyche he reherseth as hym selfe maketh theym new.

These were good read̄er my worde. And ouer this the very cyrcūstaūces of the places in the gospell, in whych our sauiour speketh of that sacramēt may wel make open the dyfference of his spech in this mater & of all those other / & that as he spake all those but ī an allegory, so spake he this plainly menyng yt he spake of his very body & his very bloud beside al […]. For neyther whan our lorde sayde he was a very vyne, nor whan he sayde he was the dore / there was none that herde hym that any thynge meruayled therof. And why? for bycause they perceyued well that he ment not that he was a materyall vyne in dede, nor a materyall dore neyther. But whan he sayd that his flesh was very mete, and his blood was very drynke, and that they shold not haue lyfe in them but yf they dyd eate his flesshe and drynke his blood / than were they all moste all in suche a wonder therof, that they could not abyde. And wher fore? but bycause they preceyued wel by his wordes and his maner of cyrcumstaunces vsed in the spekynge of them, that Chryste spake of his very flesshe and his very blood in ded. For ellys the straungenesse of the wordes wold haue made them to haue taken it as well for an allegorye, as eyther his wordes of the vyne or of the dore. And than wolde they haue no more merueyled at the tone than they dyd at the tother. But now where as at the vyne and the dore they merueyled nothynge / yet at the eatynge of his flesshe and drynkynge of his blood, they so sore merueyled, and were so sore moued, and thought the mater so harde, & the wonder so great, that they asked how coulde that be, and went almoste all theyr waye. wherby we maye well se, that he spake these wordes in suche wyse, as the herers perceyued that he ment it not in a parable nor an allegorye / but spake of hys very flesshe and hys very bloude in dede.

Lo good readers here I speke of Chrystes very flesshe and his very bloud (as the trouth is in dede) But here I saye not as mayster masker sayth I saye, that Christ ment of his flesshe and his bloude, in suche wyse as the Iewes thought that forsoke hym therfore whych thought as you haue herde, that they sholde eate hys flleshe in the selfe fleshely forme, and also pyecemele in lothly dede go bettes, without eyther lyfe or spiryt.

And nowe that you haue sene hys trouth in rehersynge: you shal se a shewof his sharpe sotle wit in the soy lynge. wherin fyrst after his iuglyng fashyon, to carye ye reder wyth wonderynge fro markynge well the mater, thus he begynneth wyth a great grauyte, geuynge all the worde war nynge to be ware of me.

To chrysten reader, here haste thou not a taste but a great tunne full of Moris myschyefe, and pernycyouse peruertynge of goddes holy worde. And as thou seest hym here falsely and […] destroye the pure sense of goddes worde: so doth he in all other places of hys bokes.

To good readers, now haue you a great hygh tragycall warnynge, with not a litle taste but a great tūne full at onys, of my myscheuouse pernycyouse false pestylent peruertynge and destroyeng of ye pure sense of goddes holy wordes in this one place, whych he wyll shall stāde for a playnte prose that I do the same in all other places.

Now good readers alde it that yt myght mysse happe me by ouersyght to mysse handle this one place, and yet ī some other to write wel ynough: yet am I content to take the cond̄ycy on at mayster Maskers hand, that if myne hadelyng of this one place, be such an heyghnouse handlyng, as ma heth it suche a pernycyouse pestilent, not onely ꝑuersyon, but also destruccyon of the pure sense of goddes holy worde: neuer make examynacyon of any other worde of myne farther. For I than forthwyth confesse euen here, that I haue in al other places wryten wronge euery whyt.

But now on the tother syde, though you shold happe to fynde that in this place, I haue somwhat ouer sene my selfe, in mysse takynge of some one worde for an other, without thecfecte of the mater chaunged: than wyll I requyre you to take my fawte for no greater than it is in dede / nor mysse truste all my wrytynge for that one worde in this one place mysse taken, without thempayrynge of the mater. For suche a maner mysse takynge of a worde, is not the dystroyeng of the pure sense of goddes holy worde.

And therfore if you fynde my fawte good readers no ferther than suche: ye wyll I dowte not of your equyte, bud mayster Masker leue his iniquite, and chaunge his hygh tragicall ter mes, and turne his great tunne full of pernyciouse pestilent false peruer tynge poysen, into a lytell taste of holesome inough, though some what smale and rough rochell wyne. And therfore lette vs nowe se wherin he layeth this greate hygh hepe of myscheuouse peruertynge. To thus good readers he sayth

Fyrste where More sayth, they merneyled at Chry stes sayenge, my of is very meate […]. that is not so. Neyther is there any suche worde in the texte, excepte More wyll exponne murmurabant id est mitabantur. They murmured, that is to saye they meruayled / as he expowneth oportet, id est expedit et conuenit, he must dye, or it behoueth hym to dye / that is to saye it was expedient and of good congru ence that he sholde dye &c. This poete maye make, a man to sygnifye an asse, and blacke whyte, to blete the symple eyes.

Now good readers, I wote well that you consider that the cause wher fore I spake of the meruaylyng that they had, whych herde Chryst speke of the eatynge of his flesshe, was by cause that none of those that herde hym at other tymes call hym selfe a vyne or a dore meruayled any thyng therat / so that by the great difference of the behauour of ye herers, it might well appere that there was greate dyfference in the spekynge / and that the tother two were well perceyued to be spoken onely by waye of allegorye, and the thyrde to be spoken of his very flesshe in dede / where as Fryth helde opinion yt thys was none otherwyse spoken, but onely by way of an allegorye as the tother twayne were.

Now good readers, yf you reade my wordes agayne, & in euery place of them where I write they meruey led, it wolde lyke you to put out that worde they merueysed, and set in this worde, they murmured, in the stede therof: ye shall frnde no chaunge made in the mater, by that chaunge made in the wordes. But you shal se myne argument shal stand as strong with that worde, They murmured / as with this worde, they merueyled.[^1] For whan at the herynge of Chryste wordes spekynge of the eatynge of his flesshe, the euangelyste sheweth that many of the herers murmured / [^2] and neyther at the callynge of hym selfe a vyne, nor at the callynge of[^3] hym selfe adore, none of his herers murmured for yt maner of spekynge: it appereth as well the dyfference in Chrystes spekynge, by the dyfferēce of dyuerse his herers at ye tone word murmurynge, and at the tother two not murmurynge, as at the tone meruaylynge, and at the tother two not meruaylynge.

To thus you se good readers, that in this mater in whyche mayster mas ker maketh his great out cry vppon me, for chaungynge of this worde murmuryng, into this word meruay syng, syth there is no chaunge in the mater by the chaunge of the worde, but myne argument as stronge with the tone worde as with the tother: I neyther haue done it of any fraude for auauntage of myne owne parte in the mater / nor yet syth the chaunge is but in the worde without chaunge of the mater, I haue not therby pernycyousely and pestylently by the whole tunne full of falshed at onys, peruerted and destroyed the pure sense of goddes holy worde. But it appereth well on the tother syde, that mayster Masker hath geuyn vs here, I wyll not be so sore to saye a tunne full, but at the leste wyse a lytell prety caste of hys lytell prety falshed, wyth whyche a lytell he pretyly belyeth me.

Here endeth the fourth booke.