The. xv. chapyter

IF this pyece were good readers any thynge to the purpose of our pryncypall mater, concernynge the blessed sacrament: mayster Mas kar had here geuyn me holde ynough to geue hym four or fyue suche foule falles on the backe, that his bones sholde al to burste ther wyth. But for as myche as you shall perceyue by the readynge of my letter, that all this gere is but a bye mater, rysen vppon a certayne place of saynte Au stayne whyche Fryth alledged imperfytely: I purpose not to spende the tyme in vayne dyspycyons wyth mayster Maskar, in a thynge out of our mater. And namely syth the man hath after his long bablyng agaynst me, yet in the ende answered him self wel and suffycyently for me.

For whan he hathe sayde a great whyle, that yt was in suche wyse ne cessarye that Chryste muste dye, that the contrary therof was impossyble: at laste as though he wold mocke me ther wyth and shew myne ignoraūce, he bryngeth in his own, and she weth that for any thynge that god hath eyther forsene or decreed and determy ned therin, he had left Chryst at hys lybertye to dye or lyue yf he wolde. And than yf he was at hys lybertye not to dye but yf he had wolde: than was it not impossible for hym to haue lyued yf he hadde wolde.

But the kepynge of hys lyfe was the contrarye of hys dyenge: ergo hys dyenge howe necessarye so euer yt was for mannes redempcyon, that ys to wytte so behofull thereto, that wythoute yt we sholde not haue ben saued: yet mayster Maskar here to she we hym selfe a great scoles man in respecte of me, confesseth hym selfe agaynste hym selfe, that Christ to dye was not in suche wyse necessaryly constrayned, that the contrarye therof, that is to wytte Cryst to lyue, was impossyble to hym yf he hadde wolde / whyle mayster mas kar can not saye naye, but muste nedes geue place to the scryptures that I layed hym, and therfore must confesse and so he dothe, that Chryst coulde by no constraynte be compelled to dye, but was offred bycause hym selfe so wolde.

But the dyspytyons of thys poynte ys as I saye good reader all besyde our pryncypall mater / and therfore I wyll let hys other folyes that I fynde in this pyece passe by.

Than goeth mayster Maskar forthe and sayth.

But mayster More sayth at laste, yf god wolde tell me that he wolde make eche of bothe theyr bodyes to (meanynge the yonge mannys bodye and Chrystes) to be in fyftene places at ones / I wolde byleue hym I, that he were able to make hys worde trewe in the bodyes of bothe twayne / and neuer wolde I so myche as aske hym whether he wolde gloryfye theym bothe fyrste or not: but I am sure, gloryfyed or vngloryfyed, yf he sayde yt, he is able to do yt.

Lo here maye ye se what a feruent fayth thys olde man hath, and what an ernest mynde to byleue Cry ftes wordes yf he hadde tolde hym: but I praye ye mayster More, what and yf Chryste neuer tolde yt you, nor sayde yt nor neuer wolde / wolde ye not be as hastye to not beleue […] yf he told it you / I pray ye tell vs where ye speke wyth hym, and who was by to beare ye recorde: and yet yf you bryng as false a […] as your selse to testyfye thys thynge: […] by your owne doctryne, muste ye make vs a myracle to conferme your tale / ere we be bounde to byleue you, or yet to admytte this your argumēt, God may make hys bodye in many places at ones, ergo yt ys so.