The fyrste chapyter

IN his fyrste chapyter he toucheth thre thinges. One that I haue deceyued hys hope, in that I haue not in myne apologye dyuysed some conuenyent wayes to reforme and redresse the dyuysyon betwene the temporaltye and the spyrytualty, to whyche poynte I wyll answere after in the touchyng of hys seconde chapyter. The tother poynt is, that syth he neuer found any faute in any worke of myne, of whyche for other […]ettis he neuer redde none: he merueleth mych therfore that I make such obieccyon agaynste his / and namely in that worke whych I wolde name an apologye, whyche name sygnyfyeth as he sayth an answere or a defence.

Now where this good man declareth what thynge an Apologye ys, and sayth that yt is an answere or a defence / for whych cause he the more meruaileth, that I wold in that boke wryte agaynste any treatyse of hys, who neuer hadde any thynge wryten against any worke of myn / as though that therfore my wrytynge agaynste his worke wold in no wise agre with the name of my boke: I myghte answere hym that the touchynge of his boke, was but an incident as I shew in the.100. lefe of my sayde boke, and not my pryncypall mater / and therfore of many noughty thynges I touche there but a fewe, and suche as were in no wyse to be dissembled.

But now meruaile I myche more, wherfore he shold so meruayle, that I wold in ye worke which I name an answere or a defence, wryte agaynst his worke which nothynge wrote agaynst myn. For if the thynge that I wryte agaynst his wordes, be an answere or a defence in dede: thenne though it be not a defēce for my self, yet is the cause of all his meruayle gone. For in that boke that is called myne apologye, yt is not requyred by ye nature of ye name, that yt be any answere or defence for myne owne selfe at all: but if suffyceth that yt be of myne owne makynge an answere or defence for some other.

And as these titles Caluicium Sinccii, Moria Erasmi, be names conuenyent for those bokes of theyres, though the maters in those bokes sygnifyed by those names do not onely pertein vnto Sinecius & Erasmus, or peraduenture to neyther of theym both at al: so may my boke well bere the name of an answere or a defence, yf it be an answere or a defence made by me, though yt were all made for other folke, and not one pyece therof made for me.

So is yt now that myne apology is an answere and a defence, not onely for my formare bokes, wherin the new brethern began to fynde certayn fa[…]tes / but ouer that in the self same parte wherin I touche the boke of dyuysyon, it is an answere and a defence for many good worshyppefull folke, agaynst the malycyouse slaunder and obloquye so generally sette forth, with so many salse some sayes, in that sedycyouse boke.

The selfe same pyece ys also an answere and a defence, of the very good olde and longe approued lawes, bothe of thys realme and of the whole corps of chrystendome / which lawes thys pacyfyer in his boke of dyuysyon, to thencoragynge of heretyques and parell of the catholyque faythe, wyth warme wordes & colde reasons oppugneth.

And finally for as myche as many good vertuouse folke began vpō that yll boke of dyuysyon to haue a ryght euyl opinyon of the maker him selfe `whom I for his playne confessyon of the trew faith, toke & take yet for a mā good & catholike: therfore I in many places of myne apology, lay the faute fro the man hym self, vnto some wyly shrewes that deceyued hym. And so was myne apologye an answere also an a defence, for ye person of the pacyfyer hym selfe.

&And where he goeth about nowe for to confute yt: there ys not in all the remanaunt of hys answere one pyece that any thyng appeyreth any poynte of myne Apologye. How be yt of trouthe in thys poynte he goeth moste nere me. For thys answere hathe he made in suche maner wyse, that I shall haue nowe myche more a do then I than hadde, to make any wyse man wene that euer hym selfe ment well.

And yet wyll I not leue yt so / but styll wyll putte it from hym to some false wyly shrewes, though the man do as he dothe, saye contrarye therto hym selfe.

And the more the man denieth that thynge hym selfe: the more he maketh yt lykely to be trew. For when in the thynges that so playne appere so nought, he rather taketh the mater all whole vppon hym, then suffreth any parte to be layed from hym, but if the man haue an importune pryde, as by goddes grace he hath not: elles is yt a sure sygne and a good token, that he is suche a good symple soule as soone may be deceyued / while we se that his wit serueth hym no better, but that he wolde rather appere malycyouse then vnwyse.

But nowe that I haue proued hym that the name of Apologye, may serue very well for euery pyece of my boke: nowe wyll I somwhat se how the maters of his boke agree well wyth the name therof. I mean not here hys boke of dyuysyon. For of that boke the name and the mater agree to gether well / but I meane of hys newe boke that we be nowe in hande wyth, whyche boke as appereth in the fyrste fronte of the fyrst lefe ys named Salem and Bizance. And therin of an hundred and syx leues (for so many be in the boke) there are scante fully fyftene, that any thynge agree wyth the name.

Nowe yf he wyll saye that the communycacyon betwene Salem and Bizance, ys but a bye mater besyde, and that all the remanaunt bytwene theyre talkynges, ys the very boke: thanne ys yt worse / for then hathe hys booke neuer a name at all.

More ouer yf yt so were: thenne sholde none of the thre laste chapyters bere the names that they do / that is to wytte the.xxii. the.xxiii. and the.xxiiii. chapyter / but lyke wyse as he calleth the begynnyng of theyr communycacyon byfore hys mater, an introduccyon: so sholde he haue called those thre chapyters after his mater, an extraduccyon.

And yet I wote not well what I maye saye therof. For in the begynnynge of the boke, theyre fyrste communycacyon ys called an introduccyon / and so ys it intyteled vpon the leuys. And yet in the very ende of that introduccyon byfore the fyrst chapyter, the man sayeth hym selfe in the persone of Bizance / that he hathe made as yet none introduccyon at all. What he meaneth by thys can I not tell / but yf he meane to make men wene that Salem and Bizance were two Englyshe men in dede, and spake those wordes them selfe wythout any worde of hys.

But nowe bycause he sheweth hym selfe so connynge in greke wordes, that vppon thys worde apologye, he fyndeth the afore sayde faute wyth myne apology, as though I were ouersene and obserued not ye nature of an Apology: lette vs se howe well hym selfe that in the begynnynge calleth hys booke a dyaloge, obserueth the nature and propertye of a dyaloge.

In ye thyrd lefe when Salē sheweth him self desyrouse to se the pacifyers answere: Bizance answereth: I shall cause yt to be wryten here after in this dyaloge worde for worde, as yt is come to my handes / and then thou shalt wyth good wyll haue yt. And thou shalt vnderstande that hys answere begynneth at the nexte chapyter hereafter ensuynge, and contynueth to the place where I shall shewe the that yt endeth.

Consyder good readers that this introduccyon he doth not bryng in, as a rehersal of a cōmunicacyon hadde byfore, but as a communycacyon present. And thenne lette hym shewe me where euer he hathe herde in hys lyfe any two men in theyre talkynge to gether, diuyde theyr present cōmunycacyon into chapytres. This is a poynte not onely so farre fro the nature of a dialoge, but also from al reason, that a very chylde wolde not I wene haue handeled the thynge so chyldyshely

Also that Bizāce telleth Salem that the pacyfyers answere shall be wryten into theyr dyaloge, that is to wyt to theyr communycacyon: who sawe euer the lyke? who sawe euer any thyng wryten into a communycacyon, and wrytyng planted in among wordes spoken.

And what reason hath yt to tell hym where aboute in theyr communycacyon, the pacifyers wordes shal begynne and where they shall ende[…] as though Salem talkyng wyth. Bizance, hadde not the wyt to perceyue when Bizance speketh hym self and when he redeth hym the pacyfyers wordes wryten.

Also what a straunge monstrose beste maketh Bizance to Salem the pacifiers answere, whyle he maketh as thoughe Salem coulde neyther perceyue the hed nor the tayle, but yf hym selfe poynted hym to them both with a stycke

More ouer where as Bizance sayth he wyll wryte it in to theyr dialoge, yt is to wyt into theyr present[…] talkynge as soone as it cometh to his handes, so that at that word he had it not yet / and than he wryteth it in, euyn by and by, and neyther goeth any where to fette it, nor maketh any man come thyther to hym to bryng it: is not this proprely deuysed?

Than stand they both styll there as they fyrste mete / and that is in the strete by lykelyhed (for there folke most comenly mete, that mete at aduenture as they do) and there is all the answere perused / the readynge wherof standeth them at ye lest foure or fyue howres I trow. How be it there I was a lytell ouersene. For they stande not there styll aboute the readynge / but there stande they styll both twayne all the whyle that Byzance is as you se into theyr talkynge and cōmunicacyō wrytynge it. And that is but yf Bizance wryte fast, I warraunt the wurke of a weke. Now than at the wekes ende whan all the.xxi. chapyters are wryten: Bizance in the.xxii. chapyter geueth Salem warnynge, that there is the answere of the pacyfyer ended. And this was by ye pacifier fole prudently deuysed. For ellys wolde Salem wene that theyr owne talkynge together in the tother thre chapyters by mouth, had ben styll nothynge ellys but onely Bizances wrytynge / and els wold also Salem haue thought that his owne wordes of exhortacy ō agaynst the great turke, and his own rehersynge of that exposycyon of the apocalyps, had bene styll the pacyfyers wordꝭ agaynst myne apology.

And finally in the very ende to shew that he could write, not in onely prose: he endeth all the whole booke in this wyse with a gloryouse ryme, And thus the gloryonse trynite, haue in his kepyng bothe the and me / and maketh Bizance praye for no mo but for theym two, after the maner of the good manne […]ryme, a mustarde maker in Cambrydge, yt was wont to pray for hym self and his wyfe & his chyld, & grace to make good mustarde & no more.

And thus you se good readers yt where this man is so cūning in greke wordꝭ, yt he can shortely fynd ye fawt where I fayle in ye nature of an apologye: hym selfe in his own dyaloge so well cōserueth the propertye of a dialoge, & expresseth it so naturally, yt it could neuer be done more naturally, not though he that wrote it were euyn a very naturall in dede.

But where he semeth to haue meruayled whan he redde myne apology, that I wolde make obieccyons agaynst his wurke, whyle he neuer wrote any thynge agaynste no booke of myne: in good fayth yf he had, I wolde neuer haue bene the more hasty, but somwhat peraduenture ye lesse, leste it myghte haue semed that some desyre of reuengynge myne owne dyspleasure, had excyted me therto / where as nowe no worldely profyte growynge to me thereby, there is mych lesse cause for any good man to thynke, that I wolde take the labour to wryte agaynst a wurke I wyst not whose, but yf that it had at the leste wyse semed to my selfe, that there were suche thynges therin as god wold geue me thāke, to geue mē warnynge to be well ware of them.

And where he sayeth he wyll not touch euery thyng partycularly, but take an other order all out of order in answerynge therunto: I can not let him ī his own boke to vse what order that beste maye serue his purpose. But me thought and yet thynke, that I my selfe toke a very playne open way, whan the chapyters of his whiche I wold answere to, I perused al waye euery thynge in order. Whiche order while he foloweth not with me: how you shall fynd it, your self shall good reders iudge vpon ye ende. But yet in the meane whyle at the fyrste face, it semeth not that wyth lepynge out of order, he meaneth to make you the mater very playne.

Nor all, he sayth he wyll not answere neyther / for auoydynge of tedyousnes. And of trouth yf he haue (as he semeth to signyfye) any other bysynesse: I thynke it be somwhat tedyouse to hym to answere all to gether.

Finally where he saith that he supposeth to make it appere as by hys answeres, and by his consideracyons and his declaracyons, that myne obieccyons are lytell to be pondered: fyrste for his argumentes made agaynste the lawes, wherby the fayth is preserued, and heresyes kept vnder, those argumentes all his answeres wyll neuer be able to mayntayne And as to ye remanaunt, in good faith the better that he maye make you his innocent mynde appere, the gladder a greate deale wyll I be therof / nor nothynge purpose I therin by thys present booke to do ferther, than to make you clerely perceyue, that how well so euer hym selfe here declare hys good menyng, my selfe was not causeles there moued to fynd fawte in his wrytynge.