The fyrste chapyter

Now come I good chrysten readers to the last poynte that I spake of, the two contradyccyons of myn owne, that mayster Masker hath hyghly layed vnto my charge / whose wordes I shall good reders fyrst reherse you whole to these they be god saue them.

At laste note chrysten reader, that mayster More in the thyrde boke of hys confutacyon of Tyndale, the 249. syde, to proue saynt […] gospell vnperfyte & in suffycyent, for leuyng out of so necessary a poynt of our fayth, as he calleth the last souper of Chryste hys maundye: sayth that Iohn spake nothynge at all of thys sacrament. And now se agayne in these hys letters agaynste Fryth / how hym selfe bryno geth in Iohn 6. cap. to impugne Frythes wrytyng / and to make all for the sacrament, euen thus / My flesshe is veryly meate, and my bloude drynke. By lyke the man had there ouershette hym selfe fowle / the yenge man here causynge hym to put on his spec tacles and poore better and more wysshely wyth his olde eyen vppon saynt Iohn̄s gospell to fynde that thynge there now wryten, whyche before he wolde haue made one of hys vnwryten verytees. As yet yf he loke narowly he shall espye that hym selfe hath proued vs by scrypture, in the 37. lefe of his dyaloge of quod he and quod I our ladyes perpetuall virgynyte expownynge non cognosco, id est, non cognos cam / whych now wryten vnwryten veryte he uombereth a lytell before amonge hys vnwryten vanytees Thus maye ye se how thys olde holy vpholder of the popes chyrche / hys wordes fyghte agaynste them selfe into his owne confusyon, in fyndynge vs forth hys vnwryten wryten vanitees veritees I shulde saye. But returne we vnto the exposycyō of saynt Iohn̄.

Now haue you good christen readers herd his whole tale, concernyng my two contradyccyons. Of whyche twayne I wyll fyrst answere yt last, that concerneth ye perpetual virginite of our lady. which point I haue towched towarde the ende of the. xxv. chapyter of the fyrst boke of my dyaloge, wherin master masker […] me for ꝙ I and ꝙ he / and wolde I se well in no wyse; that in the rehersyng of a cōmunycacyō had bytwene my selfe & another man, I shold not for shame say ꝙ I and ꝙ he / but rather reherse our two talkings, with quoth we and quoth she.

I haue also spoken of that poynt in mo places than one of my wurke that I wrote of Tyndals […], cyon / whiche places who so lyste to rede shall fynde thys poynt of cōtra dyccyon answered all redy, yt […] masker now layth to my charge dyssymulynge such thynges as I haue answered it wyth.

And of this contradyccyon I am so sore ashamed, yt for all […] maskers wordes euyn here before in my fyrst boke of this wurke, I haue not letted the beste that my wytte wyll serue me this vnwryten veryte, to proue yet agayne by the selfe same place of saynte Lukes holy writyng.

For why, to saye the trouth I do not so myche force to haue that artycle taken for an vnwryten veryte, with good catholyke folke for the mayntenaūce of my word, as to haue it for the honour of our lady, taken & byleued for an vndowted trowth, with catholykes and those heretykes to, that wyll take it for no such trouth but yf it be wryten in scrypture.

Now doth the clere certayntye of thys artycle in dede depende vppon the tradycyon of thapostles, continued in the catholyke chyrche. For all be it that my self thynke, that I fynd some wordes wryten in scrypture that wolde well proue it / and vppon those wordes lette not to wryte myn owne mynde, and dyuers olde holy doctours to: yet whyle I se that holy saynt Hierome hym selfe, a man far otherwyse sene in scrypture than I, arguynge for the defence of that artycle agaynst that heretyke Heluidius dyd onely soyle the scryptures that Heluidius layed agaynste it, and layeth no scripture hym selfe for ye profe of his part, but resteth therin to thauthoryte of Chryste catholyke chyrche, whyche mayster Masker here calleth ye antichryssen synagoge: I neyther dare nor wyl take so […] vpon my selfe, as to afferme surely that it is proued to be a wryten veryte. And thys lacke of takynge lo so myche vpon my selfe, is the thynge yt mayster Masker calleth so shameful repugnaūce to my great cōfusiō.

And therfore in that place of my dyaloge, though I vpon that worde of our lady, In what wise shall thys thyng be done for I know not a man do reason and shew my mynde, that it proueth for this parte, as in dede me thynketh it doth: yet I am not so bold vpon myne owne exposicion therin, as to afferme that the scripture saith there opēly & playnely, that she was a perpetuall virgyne. For yf it hadde ben a very precyse playne euydent open profe of that mater, myne own mynde geueth me, yt saynt Hierom wolde not haue fayled to haue found it before me.

I shall also for this poynte haue maister masker hym self to say some what for me, though he do therin (as he is often wont to do) speke somewhat agaynst hym selfe. For he sayth here him self, yt if a mā loke narowly than he shal espye yt I haue my selfe proued our ladyes ꝑpetual virginite. Nowe syth that mayster Maskar sayth that a man can not spye yt but yf he loke narowly: he sayth you se […] hym selfe, that yt is no playne open profe. And than is yt no profe to theym you wote wel. For they receyue no scrypture for profe of any purpose, but onely playne open and euydent.

And therfore by mayster Maskars owne tale, though I proued yt suffycyently a wryten verytie vnto good catholyques: yet rested yt vnproued styll a wryten verite, vnto suche heretyques, and agaynst them ye wote wel wrote I.

Now be it here wyll I demaund of mayster masker touchyng the perpetuall virgynyte of our lady to be playnely wryten in holy scrypture, whyther I proue that pornt well or not? If not / thā maye I well inough notwithstandynge any such profe of myne, saye styll that it is an vnwryten veryte. If he wyll confesse that I proue it well: I wylbe cōtent with that prayse of hym selfe to abyde his rebuke of that contradyccyon. For I sette more as I sayde by the pro fyt of his soule in fallynge from the contrary heresye to the ryght bylye fe of our ladyes perpetual vyrgynyte, than I sette by myne owne prayse & commendacyon of abydynge well by my wordes.

But yet if he wyl allow my profe made of that poynt: I meruayle me mych but yf that he allow nowe my profe made for the blessed body of Chryste present in the blessed sacrament. For I am very sure I haue proued mych more clerely, by myche more open and playne wordes of the scrypture, and the sense of those wor des by dyuers olde holy doctours other maner of men than my self, thā I haue pued or any man elles, ye ꝑpe tuall vyrginyte of our blessed ladye.

Nowe be yt of trouthe though I proued wel that poynte of the perpepetual vyrginyte of our ladye, to be a verytie wryten in scrypture, and that many other also proued yt mych better than I, as I thynke there do / and that my selfe hadde affermed yt neuer so strongely for neuer so clere a wryten verytie: yet syth wyllyam Tyndale agaynste whome I specyally wrote, taketh yt, as in his wry tynge well and playne appereth, for no wryten veryte, and yet agreeth that yt is to be byleued, but not of ne cessyte / and yet after vppon hys owne wordes I proue hym that of necessyte to: I maye wythoute any contradyccyon or repugnaunce at all, laye yt agaynste hym for an vnwryten verytie, for as myche as hym selfe so taketh yt.

Moreouer all the profe that I make of our ladyes perpetual vyrginyte, is no more, but that she was a perpetual vyrgyne except she brake her vowe. And surely as I saye, yt semeth to my selfe that I proue this very clerely. And this beynge proued, is in dede ynough to good chrysten folke, for a ful profe that she was a perpepetual vyrgyne. But yet vnto these heretyques agaynste whome I wrote, syth they set nought by vowes of vyrgynyte, but saye that they that make theym do bothe vnlawfully make theym, and maye whan they wil lawfully breke them / and yt therfore freres may rūne oute of relygyon and wedde nunnes: this profe of myne ys to theym no maner profe at al. And therfore I maye to theym wythoute contradycyon or repugnaunce, laye yt for an vnwryten verytie styl.

And thus I trust you se good rea ders, that as for this repugnaunce turneth to mayster Maskars confusyon and not myne.