The.iii. chapyter

The author sheweth by what occasyon that Luther fyrste fell to the deuy[…]ing of these heresyes. And that the occasyon was suche as well declareth / that he was prycked therto by malyce / and euer proceded frome euyll to worse / not wyttyng where to hold hym / & yt […]e refuseth to stand to the iudgemēt of eny folke erthely concernynge the trenth or falsh[…]d of hys opynyons saue onely hym self.

NOw that is somwhat worth to consyder / how thys lewde frere bygan to fall in these myscheuous maters, Ye shall vnderstande that there was a pardō obtained in Saxony / for whyche pardon as the maner ys ther / Luther was the precheour & preched to the peple / exhortyng them therto / & auauncynge the authoryte therof all yt he possyble myght / not wtout hys grete aduauntage therfore. So happed yt than sone after / that the settyng forth of the pardon wyth thaduauntage therof / was taken frō hym and set to a nother. For angre wherof he fell in to suche a fury / y• forthwyth he bygan to wryte agaynst all pardons. How be yt because the mater was new & straūge / he bygan fyrst by way of dowtys and questyons onely / submyttyng hym self & hys wrytynge to the iudgemēt of the pope / & desyryng to be enformed of the trouth wheruppō whā he was by wryting answered by ye mayster of ye popys palays / thā waxed he more wode & fell to raylyng agaynst hym / & made also a nother[…] boke agaynst the power of the pope / affermyng yt hys power vppō the chyrch was neuer instytute of god / but ordeyned only by the cōmune cōsent of crystē peple for auoydynge of scysmys. But yet he sayd yt all crystē men were bounden to stand and ob[…]y therunto / and that ye Bohemes were dampnable heretyques for doyng the cōtrary. But sone after whan he was in suche wyse answered by good and cūnyng men / yt he ꝑceyued hym selfe vnable to defend that he had affermed / than fell he from reasonyng to raylyng / and vtterly denyed that he had byfore affermed. And thā bygan to wryte that the pope had no power at all / neyther by god nor man. And that the Bohemes whom he had in hys wrytyngys byfore called dāpnable heretykes / were good crystē men / and al theyr opynyons good and catholyque. Than whan he was cyted by the popes holynes to appere / he appeled to the nexte generall counsayle / whyche sholde be gathered in the holy goost. So that what so euer generall coūsayle were after assēbled / he myght geste and rayle theron / & saye yt was not it that he appeled vnto / for yt was not assembled in the holy goost. He toke quod your frend a good wyly way As wyly as yt was q I yet wold he not stand therby / but fledde frō that to a nother. Now shall ye vnderstand / y• yet sone after thys in ye boke by whych he not answereth but rayleth agaynst that boke wherin our souerayne lord ye kynge lyke a moost faythfull vertuous and moost erudyte prynce / euydently & effectually reuynced and confuted the moost venemous and pestylent boke of Luther entyteled the captyuyte of Babylon / in whych he laboreth to destroy the holy sacramētys of Cristis chyrch[…] in that boke I saye Luther whych had byfore appeled to then ex[…]general coū sayll / vtterly denyeth the authoryte of all generall counsayllys / and setteth theym all at nowghte. By my trouth quod your frend eyther was the man very neclygent byfore / or very naught after / whan he chaungeth so often / and wryteth euer the longer the more contrary / not to hys aduersary onely / but also to hym selfe. But I pray you how excuseth he hys inconstaunce? Mary quod I he sayth that he seethe ferther than he sawe before. whervnto the kyngys grace sheweth hym / that yt were vnlykely / that he shold se better through a payre of euyll spectacles of ire & enuye. Uery true quod your frende by my trouthe. But yet I here saye that he hathe offred to stande at the iudgement of lerned men in all hys maters / yf hys offre had ben takē ī tyme. In dede q I onys he ꝓmysed to stande to the iudgement of ye vnyuersyte of Parys / & theruppō was there open dyspycyons kepte / and the very wordꝭ wryttē by notaryes sworē for bothe the partyes. But whan hys opynyons were after at Parys by the vnyuersyte condempned / than he refused to stand to theyr iudgement / & fell agayne to hys olde craft of raylynge. He appered also at Wormys before the emperoure and the pryncys of the empyre by a sufeconducte. And there recognysed and knowleged as well the sayde pestylent booke wryten agaynste the sacramentys / as many other of lyke sorte to be hys owne / and offred to abyde by theym. Whyche he myght boldely do / beyng by the saufe conducte in good suretye of hym selfe that he coulde take none harme. Than was he moued to dyspycyons vppon ye artycles / so that he sholde agree vppon som persons vertuous and wel lerned / yt shold be iudgys of that dyspycyons / and that he sholde be content to stand to theyre iudgement vppon the same. Wheruppon he agreed to come to dyspycyons / but he wold in no wyse agre to make eny mē lyuing iudges vppō it / nor stād to no mānis iudgemēt erthly.