The.xvi. chapyter

The messenger reherseth som causys whych he hath herd layd by som of the clergye / wherfore ye scryptur[…] shold not be suffred in englysh. And the author sheweth hys mynde that yt were conuenyēt to haue the byble in englyshe. And therwyth endeth the thyrd boke.

SYr quod your frende yet for all thys can I se no cawse why the clergye shold kepe the byble out of lay mennys handys / that can no more but theyr mother tonge. I had wente q I that I had proued you playnly / that they kepe yt not from thē. For I haue shewed you that they kepe none frome theym / but suche translacyon as be eyther not yet approued for good / or such as be all redy reproued for naught / as Wyclyffys was and Tyndals. For as for other olde onys / that were before Wyclyffys days / remayn lawful / and be in some folkys handys had and red. Ye say well quod he. But yet as women say / somwhat yt was alway that ye cat wynked whan her eye was oute. Surely so ys yt not for nought that ye englysh byble is in so few mennys handys / whan so many wold so fayn haue yt. That ys very trouth q I. For I thynke that though the fauourers of a secte of heretyques be so feruent in the settynge for the of theyr sect / that they let not to lay theyr money togyder and make a purse amonge thē for the pryntyng of an euyll made or euyll translated boke / whych though yt happe to be forboden and burned yet som be solde ere they be spyed / & eche of theym lese but theyr parte / yet I thynk ther wyll no prynter lyghtely be so hote to put eny byble in prent at hys own charge / wherof the losse sholde lye hole in hys owne necke / and than hange vppon a doutfull tryall whyther the fyrst copy of hys translacyon was made before Wyclyffys dayes or synnys. For yf yt were made synnys / yt must be approued byfore the pryntynge. And surely howe yt hathe happed that in all thys whyle god hathe eyther not suffred or not prouyded that eny good vertuouse man hath had the mynde in faythfull wyse to translate yt / and thervppō eyther the clergye or at the lest wyse somone bysshop to approue yt / thys can no thynge tell. But howe so euer yt be / I haue herd and here so myche spoken in the mater / and so mych dout made ther in / that peraduenture yt wold let and wythdrawe eny one bysshop from the admyttyng therof / wythout the assent of the remanaunt. And where as many thyngys be layd agaynst yt / yet ys there in my mynde not one thyng that more putteth good men of the clergye in dout to suffer yt / than thys yt they se somtyme myche of the worse sort more feruent in the callyng for yt / than thē whom we fynde far better. Whych maketh theym to fere lest such men desyre yt for no good / and lest yf yt were had in euery mānys hand / there wold gret parell aryse / and that sedycyouse people shold do more harme therwyth / thā god and honest folke sholde take frute therby. Whyche fere I promyse you no thyng fereth me / but that who so euer wolde of theyre malyce or foly take harme of that thynge that ys of yt self ordeyned to do all men good / I wold neuer for thauoydyng of theyr harme / take frome other the profyte whyche they myght take / and no thyng deserue to lese. For ellys yf thabuse of a good thyng shold cause the takynge awaye therof frome other that wolde vse yt well / Cryst shold hym selfe neuer haue ben borne / nor brought hys fayth in to the worlde / nor god sholde neuer haue made yt neyther / yf he shold for ye losse of those that wold be dāpned wreches / haue kepte away thoccasyon of reward from theym that wold wyth helpe of hys grace endeuoure theym to deserue yt. I am sure q your frende ye dowt not but that I am full & hole of youre mynd in thys mater that ye byble shold be in our englysh tonge. But yet that ye clergye ys of the cōtrary and wold not haue yt so / that appereth well in that they suffre it not to be so. And ouer that I here in euery place almoost where I fynde eny lerned man of theym / theyr myndꝭ all set theron to kepe ye scryptur from vs. And they seke oute for ye parte euery roten reason that they can fynd / and set them forth solemply to ye shew / thoughe fyue of those reasons be not worth a fygge. For they begyn as far as our fyrst father Adam / and shew vs that hys wyfe and he fell out of paradyse wyth desyre of knowlege and cunning. Now yf this wold serue / it must from ye knowlege & studye of scrypture dryue euery man preste and other / leste yt dryue all cut of paradyse. Than say they that god taught hys dyscyples many thyngys aparte / bycawse the peple sholde not here yt. And therfore they wold the people shold not now be suffred to rede all. Yet they saye ferther y• yt is hard to translate the scrypture out of one tonge in to a nother / & specyally they say in to ours. whyche they call a tonge vulgare & barbarous. But of all thyng specyally they say that scrypture ys the fode of the soule. And that the comen peple be as infantys that must be fedde but wyth mylke and pappe. And yf we haue eny stronger mete yt muste be chammed afore by the nurse and so put in to ye babys mouth. But me thynk though the make vs all infantys / they shal fynd many a shrewd brayn amōg vs / y• can perceyue chalk fro chese wel ynough and yf they wold onys take vs our mete in our owne hāde. We be not so euyll tothed but y• wythin a whyle they shall se vs chamme yt our selfe as well as they. For let them cal vs yong babys & they wul / yet by god they shal for all that well fynde in some of vs y• an olde knaue ys no chylde. Surely quod I such thyngys as ye speke / ys the thyng that as I somwhat sayd before putteth good folke in fere to suffer the scrypture in our englysh tōge. Not for the redynge & receyuyng / but for y• bysy chammyng therof / and for myche medlyng wyth suche partys therof as lest wyll agre wyth theyr capacytees. For vndoutedly as ye spake of our mother Eue / īordynate appetyte of knowledge in a meane to dryue eny man out of a paradyse. And inordynate ys the apperyte whan men vnlerned though they rede yt in theyr langage / wyll be bysye to enserche and dyspute the grete secrete mysteryes of scrypture / whyche though they here they be not able to ꝑceyue. Thys thynge ys playnly forboden vs that be not appoynted nor instructed therto. And therfore holy saīt Gregory naziazenus that grete solempne doctour sore toucheth and reproueth all suche bolde besy medlers in the scrypture / & sheweth that yt is in Exody by Moyses a scendynge vp vppon the hyll where he spake wyth god and ye peple taryeng benethe / ye ye peple be forbodē to presume to medle wt the hygh mysteryes of holy scrypture / but owe to be content to tary bynethe & medle none hygher than ys mete for theym / but receyuynge fro the heyght of the hyll by Moyses that y• ys delyuered theym / yt ys to wyte the lawys and preceptys yt they muste kepe / and the poyntys they must byleue / loke well theruppon / and often / and medle well therwyth. Not to dyspute yt but to fulfyll yt. And as for the hygh secrete mysteryes of god / & hard textys of hys holy scrypture / let vs know that we be so vnable to asc̄ed vp so hyghe on that hyll / that yt shall bycū vs to say to the preche ours apoynted therto as the peple sayd vnto Moyses / her[…] you god and let vs here you. And surely y• bles[…]d holy doctour saīt Hierome gretely complayneth and rebuketh that lewd homely maner / that the comen lay people men and w[…]n were in hys dayes so bolde in the medlynge / dysputyng / and expownyng of holy scrypture. And sheweth playnely that they shal haue euyll prefe therin / that wyll rekē thēself to vnderstand yt by thē self wythout a reder. For yt is a thyng y• requyreth good help / & longe tyme / and an hole mynde gyuen gretely therto. And surely syth as the holy appostles saynt Powle in dyuers of his epystle saythe / god hathe by hys holy spyryte so instytute and ordeyned hys chyrche / that he wyll haue some reders and some herers / some techers and som lerners / we do playnely peruerte and turne vp so downe the ryghte order of Crystys chyrche / whan the tone parte medleth wyth the tothers offyce. Plato the grete phylosopher specyally for bedeth suche as be not admytted thervnto nor men mete therfore / to medle myche and embesy[…] theym selfe in reasonyng and dysputyng vppon the temporall lawys of the cytie / whych wold not be reasoned vppō but by folke mete therfore and in place conuenyent. For ellys they that can not very well attayne to perceyue theym / begynne to mysse lyke / dysprayse / and contempne theym. Wherof foloweth the breche of the lawys and dysordre of the people. For tyll a law[…] be chaunged by authoryte / yt rather ought to be obserued than contempned. Or ellys the example of […] law boldly broken and set at nought / waxeth a precedent for the remanaunt t[…] be vsed lyke. And comenly the best lawes shall worst lyk[…] myche of the comen people / whyche moste longe (yf they myghte be herd and folowed) to lyue all at lyberty[…] vnder none at all. Nowe yf Plato so wyse a man so thoughte good in temporall lawys thyngys of mennys makynge / howe myche is yt lesse mete for euery man boldely to medle wyth the exposycyon of holy scrypture / so deuysed and endyted by y• hygh wysdome of god / y• yt far excedeth in many placꝭ the capacyte and perceyuyng of mā. It was also prouyded by the emperoure in the lawe cyuyle / that the comen peple shold neuer be so bold to […]epe dispyciōs vppon the fayth or holy scrypture / nor that eny such thing shold be vsed amōg thē or byfore theym. And therfore as I said before / y• specyall fere in thys mater ys / leste we wolde be to besye in chammynge of the […]crypture our selfe / whyche ye saye we were able ynoughe to do. whyche vndowtely the wyseste and the best lerned / and he that th[…]rin hath by many yerys bestowed his hole mynde / ys yet vnable to do. And than farre more vnable muste […]e nedꝭ be / y• boldely wyll vppon the fyr[…] redynge bycawse he knoweth the wordys / take vppon hym therfore to teche other mē the sentence wyth parell of hys owne sowle and other mennys to / by the bryngynge men in to madde wayes / sectys / and heresyes / suche as heretyques haue of olde broughte vppe & the chyrche hathe condempned. And thus in these maters yf y• comen peple myght be bold chāme yt as ye say & to dyspute yt / thā shold ye haue y• more blynde the more bolde / the more ignoraunt the more bysy / the lesse wyt the more inquysytyfe / the more fole the more talkatyf of grete doutys & hygh questyons of holy scrypture & of goddꝭ grete and secrete mysteryes / and thys not sobrely of eny good affeccyon / but presumptuousely and vnreuerently at mete & at mele. And ther whā y• wyne were in & the wyt out / wolde they take vppō thē wt folysh wordꝭ & bl[…]sphemie […]o hādle holy scrypture in more homely maner thā a song of Robyn hode. And som wold as I sayd solemply take vpō thē lyke as they were ordynary reders to interprete y• text at theyr pleasure / & therwt fall thē self & draw down other wt thē in to sedycyouse sectꝭ & heresyes / wherby the scrypture of god shold lese hys honour & reuerence / and be by such vnreuerent and vnsytting demeanure amōg mych peple quyte & clene abused / vnto ye contrary of that holy purpose yt god ordayned yt for. Where as yf we wolde no ferther medle therwyth but well and deuoutly rede yt / and in that that ys playne and euydent as goddys cōmaundementys and hys holy counsayls ende[…]our our self to folow wyth helpe of hys grace asked therunto / and in hys great and meruelouse myracles consyder hys god hed / and in his lowly byrth / hys godly lyfe / and hys bytter passyon / exercyse our self in suche medytacyons / prayour / and vertues / as the mater shal mynyster vs occasyō / knowledgynge our owne ignoraunce where we fynd a dowte / and therin lenynge to the fayth of the chyrche / wrestle wt no such texte as myght brynge vs in a d[…] and werestye of eny of those artycles wherin euery good crysten man is clere / by thys maner of redyng can no man nor womā take hurt in holy scrypture. Now than the thyngys on the t[…]ther syde y• vnlerned peple can neuer by theym selfe attayne / as in the psalmys and the prophetys & dyuerse partys of the gospell / where the wordys be somtyme sp[…]ken as in the p[…]rson of the prophete hym selfe / somtyme as in the persō of god / somtyme of som other as aungels deuyls or men / & somtyme of our sauyour Cryst / not alway of one fassyon / but somtyme as god / somtyme as mā / somtyme as hed of thys mystycall body hys chyrch mylytant here in erthe / sometyme as hed of hys chyrche tryumphaunt in heuen / somtyme as in the person of hys sensuall partyes of hys owne body / […]therwhyle in the persone of some partycular[…] parte of hys body mystycal / and these thyngys wyth many other oftentymes interchaunged / and sodaynly sondry thyngys of dyuers maters dyuersly mēgled together / all these thyngys whyche ys not possyble for vnlerned men to attayne vnt[…]/yt were more than madnesse for theym to medle wyth all / but leue all these thyngys to theym whose hole study ys byset thervppon / and to the precheours appoynted therunto / whyche may shewe theym such thyngꝭ in tyme and place conuenyent wyth reuerence and authorite / the sermon so tempered / as may be mete and conuenyēt alway for y• psent audiēce. Wherunto it appereth y• our sauyour hym self & his apostles after hym / had euer a specyal respect. And therfore as I say forsoth I cā ī no wyse agre wt you y• it were mete for mē vnlerned to be besy wt ye chāmīg of holy scryptur / but to haue yt chāmed vnto theym. For that ys y• precheours parte & theyrs / that after longe studye are admytted to rede and expowne it. And to this entēt way all the wordys as far as I perceyue of all holy doctours y• eny thynge haue wryten in thys mater. But neuer mēt they as I suppose the forbedynge of y• byble to be red in eny vulgare tonge. Nor I neuer yet herdeny reason layd / why yt were not cōuenyēt to haue y• byble trā slated in to thenglysh tōg / but all those reasons semed they neuer so gay & gloryouse at y• fyrst syghte / yet when they were wel examyned they myght in effect for aught that I can se / as well be layd agaynst y• holy wryters y• wrote y• scrypture in the ebrue tong / & agaynst ye blyssed euāgelystꝭ yt wrote the scrypture in greke / & agaynst al those in lyke wyse that translated yt out of euery of those tougysin to laten / as to theyre charge that wold well and faythfully translate yt owt of laten in to our englysh tong. For as for that our tong is called barbarouse / ys but a fantesye. For so is as euery lerned mā knoweth / euery straunge langage to other. And yf they wold call yt barayn of wordꝭ / there ys no doute but yt ys plentuouse ynoughe to expresse our myndys in eny thīg wherof one mā hath vsed to sp[…]ke wt a nother. Now as touchyng y• dysty […]ltie which a trāslatour fyndeth in expressyng well & lyuely ye sentēce of hys author / whych ys hard alway to do so surely but yt he shall sūtyme mynysh […]yther of ye sētēce or of ye grace yt yt bereth in the formare tōg / y• poynt hath lyē in theyr lyght yt haue trāslated ye scrypture all redy eyther out of greke into latē or out of ebrew in to eny of them both / as by many translacyōs which we rede all redy to thē y• be lerned appereth. Now as touchynge the harme y• may[…] grow by suche blynd bayardys as wyll whā they rede the byble in englysh be more bysy than wyll bycū thē. They yt touche y• poīt harpe vppō ye ryght strynge / & touch truly ye grete harme yt were lykely to grow to some folke / how be yt not by thoccasyon yet of thenglyshe trāslacyon / but by thoccasyon of theyr owne lewdenes & foly / which yet were not in my mīde a sufficyent cause to exclude y• trāslacyon & to put other folke frome y• benefyte therof / but rather to make puysyon agaynst suche abuse / & let a good thyng go forth. No wyse mā were there y• wold put all wepēs away bycause manquellers myste vse theym. Nor this letted not as I sayde y• scrypture to be fyrst wrytē in a vulgar tōg: For ye scrypture as I sayde before was not wrytē but in a vulgare tong / such[…] as y• hole peple vnderstode / nor ī no secrete cyphers but such comē letters as almost euery mā coud rede. For neither was ye ebrew nor ye greke tōg nor ye latē neyther / eny other spech thā such as al y• peple spake. And therfore yf we shold lay yt yt were euyll done to translate y• scrypture in to our tong / bycause yt ys vulgare & comē to euery englysh man / thā had yt bē as euyl done to trāslate it in to greke or in to laten / or to wryte […] new testamēt fyrst ī greke or ye old tes[…] mēt in ebrew / bycause both those tōgꝭ were as very vulgare as ours. And yet sholde there by thys reason also not only y• scrypture be kept out of our tōg / But ouer y• shold y• redīg therof be forboden bothe all suche laye people and all suche prestys to / as can no more than theyr grammer and very scantly that. All whych company though they can vnderstand the wordys / be yet as far from ye perceyuyng of the sentence in hard & doutfull tertys / as were our womē yf the scrypture were translated to our own lāgage. How be it of trouth seldome hath yt ben sene yt eny secte of heretyques hath bygonne of such vnlerned folke as nothyng coulde ellys but ye langage wherin they red ye scrypture / but ther hath alway comēly these sectꝭ sprōgē of ye pryde of suche folke / as had wt ye knowledge of ye tōge sū hygh ꝑsu[…] syō in thē self of theyr own lerning bysyde. To whose authoryte sū other folk haue sone after parte of malyce / parte of symplenes / & mych parte of pleasure & delyte in newfāglenes / fallē in & encreaced ye facciō. But yt hed hath euer comenly ben eyther some prowde lerned man / or at the le[…]te bysyde the langage some proud smaterer in lernyng. So yt yf we shold for fere of heretyques that myght happe to growe therby kepe the sc[…]ypture out of eny tong / or out of vnlerned mennys hand ys / we sholde for lyke fere be fayne to kepe yt out of all tongys / and out of lerned mēnys handys to / and wote not whom we might truste therwyth. Wherfore there ys as me thīketh no remedy but yf eny good thing shal go forward / somwhat must nedys be aduētured. And som folk wyl not fayle to be naught. Agaynst which thyngys prouy[…]y on must be made / yt as mych good may grow / & as lytel harm […]ū as can be deuysed / & not to kepe the hole cōmodyte frō eny hole peple / bycawse of harme yt by theyr owne foly & faw[…]e may cū to som parte. As though a lewde surgeon wold cut of the legge by the kne to kepe yt to fro ye gout / or cut of a mannys hed by ye sholders to kepe hym from tothe ache. There ys no tretyce of scrypture so harde but yt a good vertuous man or womā eyther / shall sūwhat fynde therin yt shall delyte and encreace theyr deuocyō bysydꝭ thys / yt euery prechynge shall be ye more pleasaūt & fru[…]eful vnto thē whā they haue in theyr mīd yt place of scrypture yt they shall there here expowned. For though yt be as yt is in dede / grete wysedome for a pre[…]hour to vse dyscreciō in hys pchyng & to haue a respect vnto ye qualytees & capacytees of hys audyence / yet letteth yt no thing / but yt ye hole audyēce may wtout harme haue red & haue redy ye scrypture in mynde / yt he shall in hys prechīg declare & expowne. For no dout is there / but ye god and his holy spyryte hath so prudently tēpered theyr speche thorow ye hole corps of scrypture / yt euery man may take good therby & no mā harme / but he yt wyll in the study therof / lene prowdly to ye foly of hys own[…] wytte. For al be yt y• Cryst dyd speke to the peple in parables & expowned them secretely to hys especyall dyscyples / & somtyme forbare to tell sū thyngys to thē also bycawse they were not as yet able to here them / & thappostles in lyke wyse dyd somtyme spare to speke to sū people ye thyngys that they dyd not let playnly to speke to sū other / yet letteth all thys nothynge the translacyon of the scrypture in to our owne tonge / no more than in the laten. Nor yt ys no cause to kepe the corps of the scryptur[…] owte of the handys of eny crysten people so many yerys fastely confermed in faythe / bycawse Cryste and hys appostles vsed suche prouysyon in theyre vtteraunce of so straunge and vnherde mysteryes / eyther vnto Iewes Paynyms or newly crystened folke / excepte we wolde saye that all thexposycyons whych Cryste made hym selfe vppon his owne parables vnto his secrete seruaūtys and disciples wtdrawē from the peple / shold now at thys day be kepte in lyke wyse from ye cōmens / & no man suffred to rede or here theym but those that in his chyrch represent ye state and offyce of his appostles. which there wyll I wote well no wyse man say / consyderynge that those thyngys whych were than comenly most kept frō ye peple / be now most necessary for ye peple to know. As yt well appereth by all such thyngꝭ ī effecte as our sauyour at ye tyme taughte his apostles a parte. Wherof I wold not for my mynde wt hold the ꝓfyt yt one good deuout vnlernedley man myght take by ye redyng / not for ye harme that an hūdred heretyques wold fall in by theyr owne wylfull abusyon / no more thā our sa[…]you[…] letted for the weale of such as wold be wyth his grace of his lytle chosen […]okke / to come in to thys world & he l[…]is offensionis / et petra scandali / the stone of stūblyng / and the stone of fallyng / and ruyne to all the wylfull wreches in ye worlde besyde. Fynally me thynketh that the constytucyon ꝓuyncyall of which we spake ryght now hath determyned thys questyon all redy. For whan ye clergye therin agreed that the englysh bybles shold remayne whych[…] ware translated afore Wyclyffꝭ dayes / they consequentely dyd agre yt to haue the byble in englysh was none hurte. And in yt they forbade eny new trāslacyon to be redde tyll yt were approued […]y ye bishoppes yt appereth wel therby that theyre entent was yt the byshoppe shold approue yt yf he foūde yt fawtelesse / & also of reason amend yt where yt were fawtye / but yf the man we[…] an heretyque that made yt / or the fawtis suche and so many / as yt were more ethe to make yt all new than mend yt. As yt happed for bothe poyntys in the translacyon of Tyndall.

Nowe yf yt so be yt yt wold happely be thought not a thyng me[…]ely to be aduentured / to set all on a flushe at onys / & dash rashly out holy scrypture in euery lewde felowys tethe / yet thynketh me there mighte suche a moderacion b[…] takē therin / as neyther good vertuous lay folk shold lacke yt / nor rude & rashe braynes abuse yt. For it might be wt dylygēce well and truly trāslated by som good catholyke and well lerned man / or by dyuerse dyuydynge the laboure amonge theym / and after conferryng theyr seuerall partys together eche wt other. And after that myght the wor[…] be allowed and approued by the ordynaryes / and by theyre authorytees so put vnto prent / as all the […]opyes shold come hole vnto the bysshoppys hande. Whyche he maye after hys dyscrecyon and wysedome delyuer to suche as h[…] perceyueth honest sad and vertuous / wt a good monicyō & fatherly counsayl to vse yt reuerently wyth hūble h[…]rt & lowly mynd / rather sekyng therin occasyon of deuocyon than of dyspycyon. And prouydyng as mych as may be / y• the […] be after the deceace of the partye brought agayn & reuerētly restored vnto the ordynary. So that as nere as maye be deuysed / no man haue yt bu[…] of the ordynaryes hande / and by hym thought[…] and reputed for suche / as shall belykely to vse yt to goddys honour & meryt[…] of his own soule. Amōg whome yf eny be proued after to haue abused yt / than the vse therof to be forb[…]den hym / eyther for euer / or tyll he be waxē wyser. By our lady quod youre frende thys way myslyketh not me. But who sholde set the pryce of the boke? For sothe quod I that reken I a thynge of lytell force. For neyther were yt a grete mater for any man in maner to geue a grote or twayne aboue the meane pryce for a boke of so great profyte / nor for y• bysshop to gyue them all fre / wherin he myght serue hys dyo […]yse wyth the coste of.x. li. I thynke or xx. markys. Whyche some I dare saye […]here is no bysshop but he wold be glad to bestowe about a thynge that myght do hys hole dyocyse so specyall a pleasure wyth suche a spyrytuall profyte. By my […]routh quod he yet wene I yt the people wolde grudge to haue yt on thys wyse delyuered theym at the bysshops hand / and had leuer paye for yt to the pr[…]nter thā haue yt of y• bysshop fre. It myght so happē wyth some q I. But ye[…] in myne opiniō there were in that maner more wylfulnesse / than wysedom or eny good mynd in such as wold not be content so to receyue them. And therfore I wolde thynke in good fayth yt yt wold so fortune ī fewe. But for god the more dowte wolde be / leste the[…] wolde grudge and holde them self sore greued / that wolde requyre yt and were happely denyed yt. Whych I suppose wolde not often happen vnto e[…]y honest howseholder to be by hys dys[…]yo[…] reuerently red in hys howse. But though yt w[…]re not takē to […]ery lewd ladde in hys own handꝭ to […]ede a lytel […]d[…]ly whan he ly[…]/and th[…] […] th[…] boke at hys helys / or among other such as hym selfe to kepe […] quo[…]libet & a pot parlement vppon / I tr[…]we there wyll no wyse man fynde a fawte therin. […]e […]ake ryghte now[…] of the Iewes / among whome the hole people haue ye say the scrypture in theyr handys. And ye thought yt no reason that we shold reken crysten men les[…]e worthy therto than theym. Wherin I am as ye se of your owne opynyō. But yet wold god we had the lyke reuerēce to ye scrypture of god that they haue. For I assure you I haue herd very worsshypful folk say which haue bē in theyr houses / yt a mā coud not hyre a Iewe to syt down vpō hys byble of the olde testament / but he taketh yt wyth grete reuerēce in hand whan he wyll rede / & reuerētly layeth yt vp agayn whan he hath done. wher as we god forgyue vs take lytell regard to syt downe on our byble wyth the old testament & the new to. Whych homely handlyng as yt procedeth of lytell reuerence / so doth yt more & more engender in the mynde a neclygence & contempt of goddys holy wordys. We fynde also yt amonge the iewes though all theyre hole byble was wrytten in theyr vulgare tonge / and those bokys therof wherin theyr lawes were wryten were vsual in euery mānys handꝭ / as thyngs that god wold hau[…] comenly knowē / repeted / and kept in remembraūce / yet were there agayn certayn partys therof whych the comen people of the Iewes of olde tyme / bothe of […]uerenc[…] and for the dyffycultye dyd forbere to medle wyth. But now sy[…]h[…] the […]yle of the temple ys broken asunder that dyuyded among the iewes / ye p[…]ople from the syght of the secretys / & that god had sente hys holy spyryte to be a[…]ystent wt hys hole chyrch to terhe all necessary tro[…]the / though yt maye therfore be the b[…]tter suffered that no p[…]rte of holy scrypture were kept owte of honest lay mēnys hands / yet wolde I y• no ꝑte therof shold come in theyr / whych to theyr owne harme & happely theyr neyghbours to / wold handle yt ouer homely / and be to bold & besy therwyth. And also though holy scrypture be as ye sayd whyle ere / a medycyn for hym yt ys syk / & fode for hym yt is hole / yet syth there is many a body sore soule sykke that taketh hym selfe for hole / & in holy scrypture ys an hole feste of so myche dyuers vyaunde / that after the affeccyon & state of sundry stomakys / one may take harme by the self same yt shall do a nother good / and syk folke often haue suche a corrupte tallage in theyr taste that they moste lyke yt mete that ys most vnholsome for theym / yt were not therfore as me thynketh vnreasonable that the ordynary whome godhath in the dyocyse appoynted for ye chyef physycyō / to dyscerne bytwene the hole and the syk / and bytwene dysease and dysease / shold after hys wysdom and dyscrecyon appoynte euery body theyr parte / as he shold perceyue to be good & holsom for theym. And therfore as he shold not fayle to fynde many a man / to whome he myght cōmyt all the hole / so to say the trouthe I can se none harme therin / though he shold cōmyt vnto some mā ye gospell of Mathew / Mark or Luke / whom he shold yet forbede the gospell of saynt Iohn̄ / and suffre some to rede the actys of the apostles / whom he wolde not suffer to medle wyth the Apocalyps. Many were there I thynke yt shold take mych profyte by saynt Powlys epystle ad Ephesios / wherin he gyueth good coū sayle to euery kynde of people / and y[…]t shold fynd lytell frute for theyr vnderstandyng in hys epystle ad Rom[…]nos / conteynyng such hygh dyffycultyes as very fewe lerned men can very well attayne. And in lyke wyse wolde yt be in dyuers other partys of the byble as well in the olde testament as the new / so that as I saye though the bysshoppe myght vnto som lay man by take & conmytte wyth good aduyse & instrucciō ye hole byble to rede / yet myght he to som mā well & wyth reasō restrayn the redyng of som parte / and from som bysye body the m[…]dlynge wyth eny parte at all / more th[…]n he shall here in sermons set out and declared vnto hym / and in lyke wyse to take the byble awaye frō suche fo[…] agayne / as be proued by theyr blynde presumpcyon to abuse the occasyon of theyr profete vnto theyre own hurt and harme. And thus maye the bysshop order the scrypture in oure handys / wyth as good reason as the father doth by hys dyscrecyon appoyne which of hys chyldern may for his sad kepe a knyfe to cut hys mete / & whyche for hys wantonnes haue hys knyfe taken from hym for cuttynge of hys fyngers. And thus am I bold wythout preiudyce of other mennys iudgement / to shew you my mynd in this mater / how the scrypture myght without grete parell and not wythout grete profyte / be brought in to oure tonge and taken to lay men and women both / not yet menyng therby but yt ye hole byble myght for my mynde be suffred to be spred abrode in ēglysh. But yf yt were so mych dowted that parcase all myght therby be letted thē / wold I rather haue vsed suche moderacyon as I speke of or som suche other as wyser men can better deuyse. How be yt vppon that I red late in the pystle that the kynges hyghnes translated in to englyshe / of hys own whych hys grace made in laten answeryng to the letter of Luther / my mynd gyueth me yt hys maiesteis of hys blyssed zele so mynded to moue thys mater vnto the prela[…]ꝭ of the clergye / amōg whom I haue petreyued / som of ye gretest and of the best of theyr own myndys well inclynable therto all redy / that we lay people shall in thys mater ere longe tyme passe excepte the fawte be founden in our selfe / be well & fully satysfyed and contēt. In good fayth quod he that wyll in my mynd be very wel done. And now am I for my mynd in all thys mater fully content & satysfyed. Well quod I than wyll we to dyner / and the remanaunt wyll we fynyshe after. And therwyth went we to mete.

Chapter 56 of 73