The.iiii. chapyter

BUt now wyll the bretherne peraduenture saye, that I may be bolde to say very largely of myn own, bycause men may not be bold in these maters to defend. Tindals parte.

It were in dede somwhat better then it is yf they sayed trewe. But neyther are suche thynges so dylygentely controlled, nor such folke so […]erd of suche heretycall fauour, as they shold be yf euery man dyd hys parte / nor they lacke no wyly dryftes in such wyse also to defend those thynges, as they may saue for thē selfe some colour to saye that they ment none harme.

And to proue that they be neyther so sore aferde in such thynges, nor lacke suche inuencions of vtterynge theyr forbodē ware, bysyde the bold erronyous talkynge that is now all moste in euery lewde laddys mouth / the bretherne bost that they here diuers partes of my boke well & playnly in sundry of theyr sermons confuted / & than they can not saye ye se well that they leue me vnanswered for fere.

Howe be it though they be bolde vpon some partes euen nowe / some partes happely there are wherupon they dare not be so bolde yet, but lytle & lytle wyll peraduenture hereafter.

How be yt some partes that they be all redy bolde vppon, be metely well for a begynny[…]ge / whereof for ensample I shall remember you one or twayne.

Tyndales false translacion of the new testament was (as ye wo[…]e well and as hym selfe confesseth) trranslated wyth suche chaunges as he hath made therin purposely, to the entent that by those wordes chaūged, the people shold be noseled in those opiniōs whiche hym selfe calleth trew catholyque fayth, and whyche thynges all trew catholyque people call very false pestylēt heresyes.

This translacion therfore beynge by the clergy cōdempned, & at Poules crosse openly burned, and by the kynges graciouse proclamacyō opēly forbodē: I wrote in a place of my dyaloge in y•.C. lefe amōg other thynges these wordes.

The fautes be so many in Tyndal[…] translacyon of the new testament / and so spred thorough the hose boke / that lyke wrse as it were as sone done to weue a new webbe of cloth, as to so we vppe euery hole in a net / so were it almost as lytell labour and lesse, to translate the hole booke all new / as to make in hys translacyon so many chaunges as nede must be ere it were made good / bes[…]des thys that there wolde no wyse man I trow take the brede whych he well wyste was of hys enemyes hand onys poysoned / though he saw his frend after scrape it neuer so clene.

These wordes of myne were rehersed in a sermon, and answered in this wyse, y• though there were brede that were poysoned in dede, yet were poysened brede better then no brede at all.

Now was this word takē vppe, & walked about abrode among the bretherne and systerne, so hyghly well lyked amonge them, that some of thē sayd that all my reasons were auoyded clene wyth that one worde.

Now be it in dede one of theyr owne wyues yet told her own husbande at home, when she harde hym boste yt, how iolyly yt was preached better poysened brede then no brede / by our laken brother husbande quod she, but as properly as that was preched, yet wold I rather abyde the perell of bredynge wormes in my bely by eating of flesh without brede, then to eate wyth my meate the brede y• I wyste well were poysoned.

And of trouth good reader, this worde of his was one of the moste proude and presumptuouse, and therewyth the most vnwyse to, that euer I harde passe the mouth of any man reputed and taken for wyse.

For when the thynge had ben examyned, consydered, & condempned, by suche as the iudgement and the orderyng of the thynge dyd apperteyne vnto, that false poysened trāslacyon was forboden the people / it was an heyghnouse presumpcyon of one man, vppon the truste of his owne wyt, to geue the people corage and boldenesse to resyste theyre prynce and disobey theyr prelates, and geue thē no better staffe to stande by, then suche a bald poysoned reason, that poysened brede is better the[…] no brede.

For […]yrste I pray you how pr[…]ueth […]e that poysened bred were better then no brede. I wolde wene yt were as good to forbere meate & starue for hunger, as to eate rat[…]is bane and dye by poyson / but yf the precher pro[…]e me that it were better for a man to kyll hym selfe then dye.

But now falleth he in double foly / for fyrst hys proper wyse worde can haue no wyt therin, but yf he proue that y• people must nedes perishe for lacke of spyrytuall foode, e[…] cepte the scrypture be translated into theyr owne tonge.

Now if he say and afferme that / then euery fole almoste may fele the mannys foly.

For the people may haue euery necessary trewth of scrypture, and euery thynge necessary for them to know, concer nynge the saluacyon of theyr soules, trewly taught and preched vnto theym, though the corps and bodye of the scrypture be not translated vnto them in theyr mother tonge.

For ellys hadde it ben wrong wyth englyshe peple from the fayth fyrste brought into this realme, vnto our own dayes / in all whyche tyme byfore, I am sure that euery englyshe man and woman that coulde rede yt, hadde not a boke by theym of the scrypture in englyshe. And yet is there I dout not of those folke many a good saued soule.

And secundly also, yf the hauynge of the scryputure in englyshe, be a thyng so requysyte of precise necessyte, that the peoples soules sholde nedes perysh but yf they haue it translated into theyre owne tonge: then muste there the most part perishe for all that, except the preacher make farther prouysyon besyde, that all the people shall be able to rede yt when they haue yt / of which people farre more then four partes of all the whole dyuyded into tenne, could neuer rede englyshe yet, and many now to olde to begynne to go to scole, & shall wyth goddes grace though they neuer rede worde of scrypture, come as well to heuen, & as sone to, as hym seit peraduēture that preched y• wyse word. Many haue thought yt a thing very good & profitable, that y• scrypture well and trewly translated sholde be in the englyshe tong. And all be yt that many ryghte wyse and well lerned bothe, & very vertuouse folke also, bothe haue bene and yet be in a farre other mynde: ye[…] for myne owne parte, I both haue bene and yet am also of the same opynyon styll, as I haue in my dya[…]oge declared, yf the men were amēded and the tyme mete therfore. But that it were a thynge of suche precyse necessite, that the peoples soulys muste nedes perysshe but yf that be had / and that therfore we sholde su[…]er rather such a poysoned translacyō then none, and wylfully kyll our selfe wyth poysen rather thenne we wolde take holesome mete ī at our mouth but y[…] we maye fyrste haue it in our own hādes: thys herd I neuer any wise man say, no nor fole neyther▪ tyll Tindale came forth wyth his new trāslated scrypture, translatynge the truth of Cryste into false Luthers heresyes.

And yet whan the bretherne haue herde such a wyse word in a sermone / that worde vse they to take solempnely for a sure authoryte, and saye that all the longe reasons of syr Thomas More is here answered shortely wyth one worde.

But now haue I with mo wordes than one, made you playne and open the foly of that wyse worde.

And whan so euer he that preched it, can herafter again wyth many mo wordes than I haue here wrytē, proue his worde wysely spoken / let hym kepe one copye therof wyth hym selfe for lesynge, & sende an other to me / and than that copye that I receyue, I wyll be bounden to eate it though the booke be bounden in bordes.