The.l. chapyter

NOw come I to the last […]wt that the brethern fynde in my bokes. For as for one more that was shewed me wyth[…]n thys seuen nyght, I not so myche esteme, as to vouchesau[…]e to answere, that is to wyt where they reproue that I brynge in amonge the moste ernest maters, fansyes and sportes, and mery tales. For as Horace sayeth, a man maye somtyme saye full soth in game. And one that is but a lay man as I am, it maye better happely become hym meryly to tell hys mynde, thā seryously and solempnely to preache. And ouer thys I can scant byleue that the brethern fynde any myrth ī my bokes. For I haue not myche herde y• they very merely rede them.

But as to the laste faute that they fynde, which I was about now to speke of, where as they saye that as concernynge the chyrch, I haue not fulfylled my promyse / I shall here fyrste put you in remembraūce what my ꝓmyse was.

In the ende of my preface byfore Tyndals confutacyon these are my very wordes.

Nowe shall I (god wyllynge) at my nexte […]eyso[…] go farther in his boke / and come to the very breste of all this batayle / that is to wytte the question whych is the chyrch. For that is the poynte that all these heretyk[…] by all the meanes they may labour to make so darke / that by theyr willes no man sholde wyt what they mean[…]. But I trust to drawe the serpent out of his darke d[…]nne / and as the poetes […]a[…]n that […]ercules drew vp C[…] […]erus the mastrffe of hell in to the lyghte where hys eyen dased: so shal as I wi[…]h y• grace of that lyght whyche illumyneth euery man that cometh into this wor[…]de / make you that ma[…]er so lyght some & so clere to euery man / y• I shall leue Tyndale neuer a darke corner to […] into / able to hyde his hedde.

Then after that I laue so clerely confu[…]ed Tynda[…]e cōcernyng that poynt / & shall haue playnly proued you the sure and stedfas[…]e authoryte of Cristes catholike knowen ch[…]rche / agaynste all Tyndales tryflyng sophys[…]ycacyons / whyche he wolde sholde seme so solempne subtile ins[…] […]ub[…]es / whych ye shall se prou[…]d very […]rantyke folyes: after this done I say / before I go farther wyth Tyndale / I purpose to answere good yon[…]e fath[…]r Fryth.

Now god readers who so lyst to saye that I haue not fulfylled thys promyse / yf he rede not my boke, I can not make hym se the thynge that he lyste not to loke on.

If he haue red it, & thynke hym selfe not satisfyed / I can not make hym perceyue more then hys wyt wyll serue hym.

If he vnderstande it well, and yet wyll say my promyse is not fulfylled / I can not let hym for hys pleasure to lye. But lette hym what so euer he be put in wrytynge what moueth hym so to saye, and I shall than I dowte not make other folke perceyue, that all my promyse in that poynt I haue fully pertormed & more / that is to wy[…] by as myche more at the […]este, as all myne eyght booke amounteth. For lyke as in the tother I haue fully cōfuted Tyndals chyrche: so haue I in that booke confuted as for thys worlde, the chyrche that frere Barns had falsely framed here also / wherof I promised nothyng. So that as towchynge the certentye of the chyrche, and of y• infallible doctryn therof / who so rede and aduyse well thys worke of myne made for the confutacyon of Tyndale / and therwyth rede and consyder y•.vii. fyrst chapyters and the laste of my seconde booke of my dyaloge, wheruppon Tindale made all his wurke: I dowt not but he that thus wyll do, shall fynde hym selfe fully satysfyed.

And therfore good crysten readers, as for suche farther thinges as I haue in my sayd preface promysed / I purpose to pursew at some other farther leysour. But fyrste I thynke yt better to bes[…]owe some tyme vppon an nother thynge / and leuynge for a whyle bothe defence of myne owne fautes and fyndynge of other mennys in wrytynge, thynke better to bestow some tyme about the mendynge of myne owne in lyuyng, which is a thyng now for many men more necessarye then is wrytynge. For of new boke makers there are nowe mo then ynough.

wherfore that all suche as wyll wryte, may haue y• grace to wryte well / or at the leste wyse none other purpose then to meane well / and as well wryters as other to amende our owne fautes & lyue well: I beseche almyghtye god to graunt vs / and that all folke spyrytuall and temporall in this world lyuyng, & all good crystē soules departed hence and yet not out of payne, may for grace euery parte pray for other / & all y• blessed holy sayntes in heuen, bothe here for grace & there for glory, praye to god for vs all. Amen.