The fyrst chapyter

The messenger hauyng in ye meane whyle ben at the vnyuersyte / sheweth vnto the author an obieccyon whych he lernyd there / agaynst one poynt proued in the fyrst boke / that is to wyt that in ye necessary poyntꝭ of the fayth / egall credence is to be gyuen to the chyrch and to the scrypture. Whych obieccyon on the author answereth and dyssolueth.

ABout for tenyght after your frend came agayn in a mornīg newe comen from y• vnyuersyte / where he was as ye wote at lernyng ere he cā at you. And there hadde he now as he sayd vysyted som of his olde acquayntaunce. And vppon occasyon rysynge in cōmunycacyon / had agayne repeted wyth some of them very fresshe lerned men / good parte of our foremare dysceptacyon & reasonynge / had bytwene vs before his departyng. Whych as he sayd they toke grete pleasure in / and mych wysshed to haue bē present there at. But surely he sayd that some of thē semed to take very sore to hart / ye hard handelyng of ye man that ye wryte of / and the burnyng of the new testamēt / and the forbedynge of Luthers bokys to be redde / whych were as som of thē thought / not all thynge so bad as they were made for. And fynally touchyng the burning of heretyques / there were some that thought the clergye therin far out of ryght ordre of charyte. I am q I very glad yt yt hath ben your happe to be […]here. Not so much for eny thynge that ye haue shewed thē of our cōmunycacyō had all redy concernyng the prayng of sayntys / worshypyng of ymages and relyques / and goynge in pylgrymage / wherin I thynke ye told them no newelie / for I doute not but they cowlde haue tolde you more of that maters them selfe than ye haue herd or could here of me / as for that I thynke that amonge them beyng as ye say so well lerned / ye h[…]e eyther herd somwhat wherby ye be in some parte of these maters that we shalt speke of all […]dy […]a[…]y[…]fyed / wherby our busy […]esse […]h[…]in may be the shorter / or ellꝭ ye be the mo[…] […]trong[…]ly […]ted for the tother parte / wherby our dysputacyon shalbe the fuller / and the maters the more pl[…]ly […]/for y• more ample satysfaccyō of such as your selfe or your mayster shall hereafter happē to fynde in eny dowt of these thyngys that we shall now towche and treate of[…] In dede quod he somwhat haue they shewed me theyr myndys therin / as in some parte of the maters ye shal here whan we happe to come to them. That shall I gladly here quod I / and shape you such answere as my pore wytte wyll serue me. But yet I praye you be playne wyth me in one thynge. Were they satysfayed and helde them self cōtent in those thyngys that were at last wyth myche worke agreed bytwene vs? In good faythe quod he to say the trouthe / all were saue one / & he in all thynge saue one. And to your grete prayse and hygh cōmendacyon / they sayd that in these maters[…] Nay q I let theyr prayse passe lest ye make me to prowd. But I pray you tell me / not whych one myslyked one thynge / but what one thyng yt was / and why he myslyked ye. Surely quod he for ought that I could bende vppon hym / he coulde neuer agree that the fayth of the chyrch out of scrypture / shold be as s[…]re and bynde vs to ye bylefe therof / as ye wordys of holy scrypture. Why quod I yf ye remēbred well what we sayde / ye had ynough to proue hym yt. Trouth is yt quod he so had I and so dyde I / and in suche wyse that dyuers wayes I brought hym to the bay / yt he wyst not how to voyde. But than sayde he to me yt he wolde not do wyth me as I had dont wyth you. Nor yt was he sayd no wysdō for a mā agaīst hys aduersarye to vse alwaye the buckler hand. For so must all the parell be his / & hys aduersary stād ī surety. But on the tother syde yf he vse the sworde therwyth and stryke amonge / and dryue y• tother to hys defēce / so may he hap to put hym in half the parell. And lyke wyse he sayd that yf I proued my ꝑte so clerely to hym that he could not say nay / yet yf I wolde agayne answere hym another whyle / he myght peraduenture brynge me to the same poynt on the tother syde / and than shold the mater stande yet at the large. For of two c[…]ntraryes yf bothe the partes be proued / than stande they bothe vnproued. And therfore quod he I praye you answer me this a lytle. Whan you byleue the chyrch / wherfore do you bylyue the chyrch? do you not byleue yt bycause yt […]ayth trouthe? Yes mary q I what ellys. And how know you quod he yt the chyrch sayth trouth? Know ye that eny other wyse than by scrypture? Nay mary q I. But than by playne scrypture I knowe yt very well. For ye scrypture telleth me that god hath fully taught and techeth hys chyrch and byddeth me byleue hys chyrche. Lo q he for all our longe processe se where to ye be brought now. Ye wold in eny wyse before / & ye semed to proue yt to (all y• whyle yt ye argued & I answered) that the chyrch was in all necessary poyntys of our fayth / as mych to be byleued as the scrypture / and that we sholde not h[…]ue byleued the scrypture but for the authoryte of the chyrch / as ye say saynt Austeyn sayth. And now wh[…]n I argue and ye answer / I haue dreuē you to the wall in thre wordys / & ꝓuyd vnto you yt the chyrch is not to be byleued / nor that your self byleueth yt not but for the authoryte of the scrypture. And after that he had thꝰ sayd / yt remanaūt yt were present alowed it mych / & I was ther wt astonyed & sayd I wold aduyse me ferther theron. But he laughed and sayd he wold lend me thys and not to be hasty on me / for he wold gyue me respyte of payment tyll I had spokē with you agayne. Whā your frende had tolde / forsorth q I he delte with you lyke a courteys credytour. And syth he hath gyuē you so lōg daye / ye shall not nede I trust to dye in his dette. And to say the trouthe ye owe hym not myche. For ye maye here hym hys owne agayne & tell hym hys money is nought. But I haue espyed yt is as he sayth a grete aduaūtage for hym to oppose. For he hath suche crafte in arguyng / that he wyll sone brynge the answerer to a peryllous poynt / yf he happen on one that wyll answere hym h[…]nsomly as he wolde haue hym. But on the tother syde yf he had happened on one that had answered hym as frowardly as the boy answered one Caius a peote at Cambryge / than had he by hys opposynge parte / wonne nothynge at all. For Caius for hys pleasure playenge wyth the boye beynge a yonge sophyster / sayde that he wolde proue the boy an asse. Whych whan ye boy denyed / well quod Caiꝰ thou wylt graunt me thys fyrst that euery thyng yt hath two erys is an asse. Nay mary mayster wyll I not quod the boy. No wylt thou quod Caius / Ah wyly boy / there thou wentest beyonde me. For & thou woldest haue graunted me that / I wolde haue ꝓued the an asse a none. Mary mayster q the boy so ye myght well / and so might euery fole do. well quod Caius I wyll go nowe a nother way to worke wyth the. Thou wylte graunt me yt euery asse hath two erys. Nay mary wyll I not mayster quod ye boy. Why so boy q he. Mary mayster quod he for some asse may happe to haue neuer one / for they maye be cutte of both. Nay quod Caius I gyue the ouer for thou art to froward a boy for me. And so yf ye had not graūted what he wolde / he had nothyng wonne at your hand. Why q your frende what thyng dyd I graunte hym that I sholde not? Forsoth quod I no more but al that euer ye graunted. For fyrst whan he asked you whyther ye cause why we byleue the chyrch be not bycause it is true that ye chyrche telleth you / though your answere whyche ye made therin was not the cause of your redargucyon nor the thynge wherby ye were cōcluded / yet answered ye not well therto whan ye graūted yt. Why quod he wherfore shold I byleue the chyrche or eny man ellys but bycawse they tell me trewe. Some tyme q I yt happeth so / but somtyme yt happeth otherwyse. For yf a knowen lyar tell you a knowen true tale / ye wyl byleue hym bycause he telleth you trewth. But now yf a knowē trew man tell you an vnknowē trouth ye byleue not hym / bycawse the thyng is trouthe / but ye byleue ye thyng to be trouth bycause ye byleue the man to be true. And so byleue you ye chirch / not bycause it is trouth yt ye chyrch telleth you but ye byleue the trouth of ye thyng bycause ye chyrch telleth yt. But yet was not ye answere of his as I say ye thyng that confoūded you. For now yf ye so sholde haue answered hym as I haue shewed you / though ye shold haue somwhat blenched hym therwyth / yet h[…] myght & wold of lykelyhed haue gon[…] ferther wyth you / and haue asked you wherby ye knowe that ye shold byleue the chyrch. And what answere wolde ye than haue made thervnto? Mary q he than myght I haue sayd that I byleue ye chyrch / bycause that in such necessary poyntys of fayth the chyrch can not erre. That had bē very wel sayd quod I. But he wolde haue asked how ye knowe that Than must I quod he haue sayde the same that I dyde / that I knowe yt by playne and euydent scrypture that the chyrch in such thyngys can not saye but trewe. And than wolde I haue layd hym the textes that ye alledged vnto me for the same purposed before. Yf ye so had sayd quod I ye had āswerd hym truely but yet not with your most aduaūtage. Why so q he? For quod I your next a[…]swere were to say as trouth is / that ye byleue that the chyrch in such thyngꝭ can not erre / bycawse ye byleue that god hath taught and tolde ye same thyngꝭ to hys chyrch. Thā wold he haue asked me ferther quod your frende what thyng maketh me to bileue yt god hath taught & tolde the chyrch those thyngꝭ. So wold he haue asked you quod I / and so myght he wel. Thā were we cōmen quod your frende vnto the same poynt agayne that he shulde haue concluded me as he dyd byfore. Nay q I not yf ye answered therto well. Why q he what coulde I answere ellys / but clerely graūt hym yt I byleue yt thynge for none other cause but only bycause ye scryptur so sheweth me? No could yt q I? what yf neuer scrypture had ben wrytē in this world / shold there neuer haue bene eny chyrch or congregacyon of faythfull & ryght byleuyng people? That wote I nere q he. No do ye quod I? were there neuer eny folke that byleued in god / & had a true fayth betwene Adam and Noe / of suche as neuer herd god speke them self? Yes quod he I suppose ther were some / but yt shold seme ther were very fewe. For ther were few saued in No[…]s shyppe. The world was at yt tyme quod I waxen worse and worse as yt waxeth now. But yt is not vnlykely that ther were many ryght byleuyng people in the meane tyme. That is quod he lykely ynough. Now as for ye dayes quod I of Noe hymselfe / though ther were few saued alyue / yet proueth not that / ye people to be all myscreaūtꝭ and without fayth. For yt fared be them as yt faceth now by vs / that there were many that byleued the trouth and had a fayth / but they folowe[…] […] […]esshe and san[…] for theyr synne? For there appereth no ferther vppon the story i[…] […]sis / but yt the world w[…] […]sshed wyth the water of the grete flode for the fylthe of theyr flesshely lyuynge. And all be yt that in the fyrste epystle of saynt Peter / yt myght seme some me[…]edulytye in them / yet may yt be y• yt stretched no ferther than to ye lakke of fere in the credence of goddꝭ cōmyn[…]cyon / and o[…]er mych hope and boldenesse of goddys ferther fauour and sufferaunce wherof they repented after to late for thys psent lyfe / & yet many through goddys mercy not to late for the fynall saluacyon of theyre soules (as appereth by the good & grete clerke Nicolaus de lyra vppon ye same place) whyche could in no wyse haue bene so yf they had lakked fayth. Which fayth what scrypture had they to teche thē / or all the menne in effecte yt eny fayth had frome Adam thytherto? Was ther also no faythful folke at all from Noe to Moyses / nor hym selfe neyther tyll he had the lawe delyuered hym in wrytyng? Dyd Abraam neuer byleue more but those thyngꝭ that we fynd in scrypture specyally to haue bene tolde hym by god? Was hys father and all hys frēdys infydeles? Were ther no people besyde in all that longe tyme that had a ryght fayth? Yes quod your frende yt I thynke veryly there was. That may ye quod I be sure there was. And why dyd eny man thā byleue ye chyrche that ys to wytte the nombre and congregacyon of good & ryght byleuynge folke / of whose mouth and tradycyon he herde the true byleue / agaynste the wronge and mys[…]e byleue that was in all the world amonge infydeles and Idolaters bysyde? why dyd eny man thys / but bycause they byleued yt god hath taught those thyngꝭ to good […] byfor[…]/and th[…] yt was and w[…]lde […]e styll the good lesson of god / and then what thyng made them to byleue that god had taught them so? It was not the scrypture that made thē beleue yt / as ye wold that nothynge can tell vs that bylefe but the scrypture. I praye you tell me what scryptur hath taught the chyrch to know whyche bookys be the very scrypture / & to reiecte many other that were wryten of y• same maters and that in […]che wyse wryten / & in the namys of suche men as ([…]auynge for ye spirite of god geuē to hys chyrch) a naturall wyse man had bene lykely ynough / eyther to haue taken both for holy scryptur / or to haue reiected both as none holy scrypture? And surely in the receyte of the tone / and reieccyon of the tother / there wolde haue ben at the lest way suche dyuerse opynyons yt the hole chyrch had neuer taken all ye tone sorte and reiected all the tother / had not that holy spyryte inspyred that consent / qui facit vnanimes in domo / whyche ma[…]yth the chyrche all of one mynde and accorde. And therfore all be yt that agaynst them that no thyng wyll byleue but scrypture / we proue thauthoryte of ye chyrch by scrypture / and in such wyse proue it them by scripture / that they shall be fayne eyther ferther to graunte that they be boūden to byleue the chyrch in thyngꝭ not specyfyed in scrypture / & as fully as they byleue the scrypture selfe / or ellys they shall deny the scrypture & all / yet shold we haue byleued the chyrche yf n[…]uer scripture had ben wrytē / as those good faythfull fol[…]e dyd / that byleued well byfore the scrypture was wryten. And […] the scrypture selfe maketh vs not byleue the scrypture / but ye chyrch mak[…]th vs to know ye scrypture. And god wythoute scrypture hath taught hys chyrch ye knowledge of hys very scrypture frome all counterfete scrypture. For yt is not as I saye the scrypture yt maketh vs to byleue the worde of god wrytē in ye scrypture (For a mā myght (as happely many doth) rede yt all to gyder and byleue therof neuer a whyt) but yt is the spyryte of god that wyth our owne towardnesse and good endeuour / worketh in hys chyrch & in euery good membre therof the credulyte and bylyef / wherby we byleue as well the chyrche concernynge goddys wordys taught vs by the chyrch & by god graued in mennys hartys wythout scrypture / as his holy wordys wrytē in his holy scrypture. And thus ye perceyue that where ye[…] graunted hym that so dyde oppose you / yt we byleue yt chyrch by none other way but by ye scrypture / there dyde ye not answere hym well. For we besyde the scrypture do byleue ye chyrch[…] bycause that god hym selfe by secrete inspyracyō of hys holy spyryt / doth (yf we be wyllyng to lerne) teche vs to byleue hys chyrche. And also yf we wyll walk wyth hym / ledeth vs in to the bylyefe therof / by the selfe same meane by which he techeth vs & ledeth vs in to ye bylyef of hys holy scryptur. For lyke wyse as whā we here ye scrypture or rede yt / yf we be not rebellyous but endeuour ourself to byleue / & captyue & subdew our vnderstādyng to serue & folow fayth / prayng for hys gracyous ayd & help / he than worketh wyth vs / and inwardly doth inclyne our hart in to th[…]ssent of that we rede / and after a lytell spar[…]e of our fayth / encreaceth the credence in our incredulyte / so doth hys goodnes in lykewyse inclyne and moue the mynde of euery […] heretyq[…]. In whych letter he wrote that the […] […]we talke of dyd no mor[…] […]biu[…]e eny heresye / than he had done hym selfe or the man yt he wrote vnto. And yet was hys wrytynge as false as god is trew. Wherwyth he laboured couertly to make the man byleue / that th[…]pynyons were none heresyes. And that he whyche was pretended to haue abiured them had not so done in dede / but had well auowed them and sty[…]lye a byden by them. Lo thus do suche as are of that secte / set forth theyr m[…]t[…]rs wyth lyes & reasō is yt yt they so do. For syth theyr sectys be false / lyes be for them m[…]ste mete. And yet is yt a madde thynge of them to boste of hym. For he forthwyth forsoke them / and euer byfore hys iudges […] […]ther syde. There ys a mean[…] may seru[…] […] bothe. Ye q he / but wote ye what the wyfe sayd y• cōplayned to her gossep of her husbādꝭ frowardnes? She sayde her husbande was so wayward that he wold neuer be plesed. For yf hys brede quod she […]e dowe baken / than is he angry. Mary no meruayle q her goss[…]. Mary and wote ye what go[…]p quod she? And yf I […] yt all to har[…] c[…]lys yet ys he not contente neyther by saynt Iame. No quod her gos[…] ye […]lde bake y[…] in a meane. In a meane quod she? […]ary I can not h[…]ppen on yt. And s[…] in a […]ayer of mary as yt ys moche worke to happen on the meane. And than to saye they[…] to shorte ys lacke of deuocyon. And to saye theym to seryously ys somwhat superstycy[…]se. And therfore the be[…] waye were in mynde / to saye none at all. Y[…] q I / but thā ys god as wayw[…]d a[…] husbād as ye spake of / y• wy[…] neyther be contēt wt hys br[…]de brēnyd to c[…]lꝭ / nor dough bakē neyther. By our lady q he but be he cōtent or not I wene he h[…]th mych dowgh bakē brede amonge. For the ma[…]s I tell you be in some pl[…]cys so[…]g[…]n faster than I can say thē. Peraduenture q I s[…] were i[…] nede. For yf they sh[…]ld sing m[…] […]ens no faster thā ye say th[…] ̄ / they shold I wen[…] syng v[…]ry fe[…] […] in a yere. In fayth[…] he & som ye […] thē m[…] ke me to do[…]e myth / whether ye […] in theyr hyues vse to say matens among them. For […] such a nother buzzyng they make. Surely q I yt ys as true as yt is euyll done. For as yt is a vyce and s[…]me faw[…]e to […] in the seruyce of g[…]d superstycyouse in […] of relygyouse / ouer dredefull and scrupulous in stede of […] and dylygent / so […] and by wrytyng that were present at all the handelyng[…] of ye mater. Well quod I we shall lette theyr wysdom & theyr ler[…]yng alone. But as for theyr honesty shall somwhat shewe yt selfe vppō the trouth or vntrouth of theyre report. Wherin fyrst I pray you could they saye yt he was not cōuyct[…]d by as many wytnesses & as good & as credyble as the law requyreth? So many q he & such as ye law requyreth? wolde god q he that we cowd as easely fynd good men & true / as we maye fyn[…] so many such. For the law doth as I here say requyre but twayne / & yet in cause of heresy careth not mich how bad they be / not though they be heretyques thē self. And is not this a wonderouse case yt where as in a mater of lytell money no law receyueth any witnesse but honeste & credyble / the lawe made by the chyrche / sholde in so grete a mater / so hyghly towchyng the vtter destruccyō of a man in body & goodis wyth a deth the most paynfull that can be deuysed / admytte and receyue a persone infamed / and gyue faythe and credence to an infydell whome they haue proued and reproued fals in his fayth to god? Nor me thynketh the excuse but v[…]ry slender yt I haue ere thys herde in thys poynt alledged for ye chyrch / that suche symple wytnesse are admytted in heresye / bycause the cryme is so gret and so adyous that therfore yt is worthy to be handled wyth the more rygour and the lesse fauour. And thys thyng wyll I well agre for good reasō in ye punyshment […]f the cryme whan yt is pro[…]d. But for god not in hatred / and persecucyon of the person ere the cryme […]e proued. But now where as they receyue the wytnesse of so […]leyghe and f[…]ls[…] […] lowes for a profe / they pursew the person & not the cryme. where as me thynketh on ye tother syde / the more heyghnouse / […]dyouse and abhomynable that the cryme is / the more slow / /shold we be to byleue yt / and the more sure and playn profe shold we haue ere we shold iudge any man for so euyll to commyt yt. Thre is quod I no dowt / but yt the worlde is so bad / that there be many so naughty / that they wyll be redy ynough to bere false wytnesse. And yet god forbede that yt were so bad as y[…] say / that a man myght soner fynde suche than good men and trewe. And also though the wytnesse were & wold lye / yet whan they be wysely and seuerally examyned / they cā seldom so wel make theyr tale before / but that theyr vntrouth shall in some parte appere. And fynally the law byndeth not the iudge so precysely to the wordys of the wytnes / but that yt leueth many thyngys to be pondered and wayed by hys wysdome. For yt ys in a iudge as yt is in a physycyon / to whom there be many good b[…]kys wryten / able to gyue good lyght and instruccyon. And yet who so wold so precysely bynde hym to hys boke / that he shold nothyng vse ye dyscre[…]ō of his brayne / he shold somtyme do full euyll seruyce. And yet is it as Arystotle saith wel done ī dede to make the lawes so suffycyēt / that as fewe thyngys as may / shall remayne and be left to the dyscressyon of ye iudge / sythe that the comen la[…] be con […]antely made by many […] t[…]n are the p[…]rtyculer iudges / and also many suche as are as wyse as iud[…]. And […]uer that the lawes […] to the iud[…] a sure and substaūcyal sh[…]lde / to def[…] and kepe thē from ye […] ellys wolde folowe theyr sentence on the tone syde or the tother / were theyr iudgement neuer so iuste. For men be so percyall alway to theym selfe / that oure harte euer thynketh the iudgement wronge / that wryngeth vs to the worse. For be it neuer so ryght / all reken we wronge wherof we fele harme. But yet of all thynge specyally the lawe sholde beste content vs / for that yt is ferthest out of all cause of suspycyō. For where as a iudge medleth wyth […] mater present / & persons whō he seeth & knoweth / wherby there may per[…]as fauour / hatered / hope / or dred / pytye / cruelte / mede / request / or some other affectiō inclyne hym to mysordre hym self in the mater / ye lawes alwaye be made for the punyshment of thyngꝭ only that are yet to come / & who shall fall in y• parell the makers can not tel. Happely theyr foo[…]/happely theyr frē dys (& as mēnys maners be mutable) peraduenture theym selfe / for whyche cause ye ma[…]ers of ye law made by ye peple in cawses cryminal / can be but indy[…]ferent. And therfore I me[…]yle y• more / syth y• f[…]ut ye fynde now is not in the iudges but in the lawes selfe. Wherin ye thynke yt euyll prouyded that for the hatered of an heyghn[…]use […]yme / ye person peraduenture innocēt shold fall in parell of a paynfull […]ethe by the more sleyght wytnesse thā wold be […]kē for su[…]ycyent in a farre sleyghte[…] mater. Somwhat ye sayde in dede yf the […]te[…]d of the cryme were all y• […]. But therin ye go far wyde. For y• chyef cause why that in […]eyghnous[…] […]/as thef t[…]/murder / […]/& heresye / the law taketh such for […]tne[…] as yt wyll not accept in a […] other cōtr[…]ct m[…]de betwene two partyes / ys for that ellꝭ all such crymes shold passe sorth vnp[…] nisshed / & therby shold ye world swarmfull of such myscheuous peple for lacke of profe and tryall in the mater / bycause that those whych go about suche an heyghnous dede as cōmyng ones to knowledge wolde brynge theym to […] shamefull deth / do not vse comenly / to take a notary / and honest wytnesse […] them to make an instrumēt therof / as many men do and all men may do in a contracte or co[…]e[…]unt / but vse yt by s[…]elth as cou[…]tly as they can. By reason wherof / re[…]son moneth and necessyte cōpelleth (except ye wold all haue all go to nought) to receyue suche recordys as they be wonte to make of theyr consayle / whyche be as ye wo[…]e well none but suche as they be theym selfe. And yet sometyme whyche maye s[…]me more straunge / we be contente and r[…] son wold we so were / wyth y• wytne[…] of the partyes theym selfe. For yf th[…]e.x. theuys robbed foure men at onys in a wood / though all y• good that they take a way were / one comē purs of all foure / and wolde all.x. whan they were taken well & sty[…]ly say n[…]e / yet were I theyr iudge (syth all wy[…]e semeth not only to induce a credēce or […]dulyt[…] in the iuges mynde) I wolde not let (except some other cyrcūstance wyth[…]ode yt) to byleue the.iiii. complay[…]ys in theyre owne mater agaynst all ten defendauntys. And all be yt that percase a iudge myght be in a contracts made bytwene two partyes […]duced in hys owne mynde wythout any dowte to the con[…]a[…]y to gyue c[…] […]e ī s[…]ch a poynt to y• t[…]ne ꝑte a[…]īst y• totherfor the well kn[…]en tr[…]nth & […] of yt t[…]ne / […] in y• tother ꝑ[…]e the […] […] […] […] […] redy to be pre[…]hed as yt semed yf th[…] world wold so chaunge that the tyme wolde […]er[…]e yt. And wh[…]n he was in hys ex[…]mynacyō sore preced vppon to tell for what intent he made such a serm[…] redy & layed yt vppe so secretely / destytute at last of all excuses yt myght be[…] […]ny coloure of eny good cawse / w[…]ll quod he I se[…] well I muste tell […]ll / I am lothe to hurt eny body. And thervppon he told how yt was made ye mo[…] p[…]te by the man yt was abiured / of wh[…]m we specyally speke. So that now s[…]ttynge all thys gere to gether / thys m[…]nys confe[…]yon / hys secrete frende and cōp[…]nyon in such maters / hys olde accusacyons of lyke maters / the heretyques confessyons that founded theyr heresyes in the same maters v[…]on thautoryte of hys sermon / and besydys all thys mo than.xx. wytnessꝭ pl[…]ynly prouynge the mater agaynste hym / I wolde fayne wytte who had ryght yf he had wronge / all though […] had ben vsed to hym more rygour a g[…]ete dele than therwas.