The fyrst chapyter

The author sheweth wherfore yt were not well done / to suffer Luthers bokis or eny other heretykes / to go abrode and be red amonge the peple / though there were some good thyngys in theym among yt bad.

WHen we had after dyner a lytell paused / your frend & I drew our self aside ī to ye gardyn. And ther syttyng down in an herber / he bygan to entre forth in to ye mater / sayng that he had well perceyued that not in hys cuntre onely but also in the vnyuer syte where he had ben / there were that had none euyll opynyō of Luther / but thoughte that hys bokys were by the clergye forb[…]den of malyce and euyll wyll / to thende that folk sholde not surely se and perfaytely percyue what he sayth / or at the leste what thynge he meaneth by hys wordys. whych wyll not appere they thynk by a lyne taken owt in the myddys of a lefe / but by the dylygent consyderacyō of the hole mater. Without whych mē myght impute a wronge blame they sayt / to the beste wryters that euer wrote ī thys world. But they thynke that the clergye wyll not haue hys bokys red / bycawse that in theym lay men may rede the prestys fawtys / whych was they say the very cause of the condempnacyon. For ellys whyther he had wryten well or […]uyl / yet they say hys bokys had ben kept in mennys handys and red. For there ys they thynke therin though some parte were nought / meny thyngys yet well sayd / wherof ther was no reason that men sholde lese the profyte for the bad. And also reason men thynke yt were / that all were herd that cā be sayd touchyng the treuth to be knowen / concernynge the maters of our saluacyon / to thentent that all herd and perceyued / men may for theyr own suretie yt better these and hold the ryght way.

Forsoth q I yf yt were now dowtful and ambyguouse whyther y• chyrch of Cryst were in the ryght rule of doctryne or not / than were yt very necessary to gyue them all good audyence yt could and wold eny thynge dyspute on eyther partye for yt or agaynste yt / to thend that yf we were now in a wrōg way / we myghte leue yt and walke in some better. But now on yt tother syde yf yt so be as in dede yt is / that Crystꝭ chyrch hath the true doctryne all redy / & the self same that saynt Powle wold not gyue an aungell of heuen audyēce to the contrary / what wysdome were yt now therin to shew our selfe so mystrustfull and wauerynge / that for to serche whyther our fayth were false or trewe / we shold gyue heryng not to an aungell of heuen / but to a fond frere / to an apostate / to an open incestuouse lechour / a playne lymme of the deuyll / and a manyfest messenger of hell. In whyche wordys yf ye wolde happely thynk that I vse my self to sore to call hym by suche odyouse namys / ye must consyder that he spareth not both vntruly and wythout necessyte in hys raylyng bokys / to call by as euyll / theym whō his duty were hyghly to reuerēce / where as I do bytwene vs twayn call hym but as hym self hath shewed hym / in hys wrytynge / in hys lyuynge / and in hys mad maryage. And yet I neyther do yt nor wold / were yt not that ye mater selfe of reason dothe requyre yt. For my parte ys yt of necessyte to tell how naught he ys / bycause that ye wors the man ys the more madnes were yt for wyse men to gyue hys false fables herkenyng agaynst goddys vndouted trewthe / by hys holy spyryte taughte vnto hys chyrche / and by suche multytude of myracles / by so myche blode of holy martyrs / by the vertuouse lyuyng of so many blyssed confessours / by the puryte and clennesse of so many chaste wydowes and vndefouled vyrgyns / by the holsom doctryne of so many holy doctours / and fynally by the hole consent and agrement of all Crysten peple thys fyften hundred yere confermed. And therfore not eny respect vnto hys raylyng agaynst ye clergye / ys as some wold haue it seme the cause of hys condempnacyon and suppressyon of hys bokys. For the good men of the clergye be not so sore greued wyth theym that towche the fawtys of the bad / nor the bad theym selfe be not so renderered / that for ye onely talkyng of theyr fautꝭ they wolde bannyshe the bokis yt were good in other thyngys bysyde. For ellꝭ could not the bokys of many olde holy fathers haue endured so long / wherin the vycys of theym that in the clergye be naught / be very vehemētly rebuked. But the very cause why hys bokys be not suffred to be red / is bycause hys heresyes be so many / and so abhomynable / and the prouys therwyth he pretē deth to make theym probable be so far frome reason and trouth / and so farre agaynst the ryght vnderstandynge of holy scrypture / wherof vnder coloure of grete zele and affeccyon he laboreth to destroye the credence and good vse / and fynally so far stretcheth all thyng agaynst good maner and vertue / prouokyng the world to wrong opynions of god and boldenesse in synne & wrechednes / that there can no good / but myche harme grow by the redyng. For yf there were the substaunce good / and of errour or ouersyght som cocle among the corne / whych myght be syfted ow[…] and the remanaūt stand in stede / men wold haue bē contēt therwyth as they be wyth suche other. But now ys hys not byspryent wyth a few spottys / but with more then halfe venym poysoned the hole wyne / and that right roten of yt selfe. And thys done yf purpose and malyce / not wythout an euyll spyryte in suche wyse walkyng wyth hys wordys / that the contagyon therof were lykely to enfecte a feble soule / as the sauoure of a sykenes sore enfecteth an hole body. Nor the trourth is not to be ler[…]ed of euery mannys mouth. For as Cry[…]t was content not that the deuyll shold cal hī goodꝭ sōne though it were stew so is he not contēt that a deuyls lymme as Luther ys or Tyndal / shold […]eche hys flokke the trouth / for infectyng theym wyth theyr false deuylysh heresyes bysydes. For lyke wyse as the holy scripture of god bycause of ye good spyryte that made yt ys of hys owne nature apte to purge and amend the reder / though some that rede yt of theyr inuyncyble malyce turne yt to theyre harme / so do suche wrytyngys as Luth[…]rs ys / in the makynge wherof the […]uyll ys of counsayll and gyueth therwyth a breth of his as[…]stence / th[…]gh the goodnesse of some men m[…]yster the malyce therof / walkynge harmeles w̄t goddys helpe / as the prophete saythe vppon the serpent and the cocatrye[…]/& tredynge vppon the lyon and the dragon / yet be such workys of theym self alway right vnh[…]lsom to medle with / mete and apte to corrupt and infecte ye reder. For ye profe wherof we nede none other example / than this that we be in hād wythal / yf we cōsyder what good the redynge of hys bokes hath done in Saxony. And thys fynde we m[…]re thā to myche proued here amonge vs / that of.x. that vse to rede hys bokys / ye shal scantly fynd tway[…]/but that they not onely caste of prayer and fastynge and al such godly ver[…] […]s holy scryptur commendeth / and the chyrch commaū deth / and vertu[…]ꝰ peple haue euer had in grete pryce / but also fall in playne cōtempte and hatered therof. So that what frute sholde gr[…] of the redyng ye may sone gesse.