The.iiii. chapyter

The author sheweth how yt Luther in the boke that hym self made of hys owne actys at the cyte of wormys in almayn / doth so madly ouerse hym selfe / yt he dyscloseth vnware certayne folyes of hym self / whych a man wyll well laugh at and meruayle mych to se yt.

ANd that these thyngys be true / yt well appereth to all ye world in the boke yt he made hym selfe of his demeanure / and hys actys at the cytye called Wormys in almayne. Whyche boke who so redeth / shall haue a grete pleasure to se therin / both the frantyke vaynglory of ye fond frere / & yet there wythal to se hym caryed out with foly so far from hym selfe / that in a lyne or twayne he dyscouereth all that he wēt abowte to hyde in all the boke bysyde. For ye shall vnderstand that albeyt he made that boke hym self / yet he made it so that he wold yt shold seme to haue ben of some other mannys makynge & not of hys own / to thentent that suche worshypfull wordys as he speketh of hym selfe / myght make hym in therys of the reder / seme some honorable person. Whych wordys ellys he wyst well spoken of hys own mouth / all ye world wolde wonder on. Now in thys boke bysyde that he leueth out som thyngys there sayde and spoken where the wordys wryten in coulde do hym no worshyp / and som thyngys recyteth wyth aduauntage for hys parte / rehersyng ye tother syde nakedly and barely & pared of to make it seme the more slender / one thynge he obserueth dylygently / that where as spekynge of the emperour he calleth hym neuer but symply and syngly charles / he neuer speketh of hym selfe but he setteth forthe hys name in grete capytall letters and solempne tytles / The Mā of God Luther. And where as they that spake agaynst hys errours / he wryteth that they brast out in to vyrulent and venimouse wordꝭ / whan he cometh to hys owne answer / th[…]n he wryteth in thys wyse / but thā D. Martine for hys incredyble humanyt[…] & bountye answered in thys wyse benygnely. And somtyme wyth these wordys / the most benygne father most myldely made answere. And fynally he fynysshed and endeth his boke as yt were wyth a Gloria patri to the hole psalme in this wyse / This holy deuout man therfore euen borne to teche and preserue the gospel of god / our lord lōg preserue for hys chyrch wyth hys holy word also Amē. Now who was there euer borne so suspycyoꝰ that euer wold haue suspected that he whyche wrote such gloryous wordys of Luther sh[…]ld be Luther hym selfe. For where shold a man fynde so very a vayngloryouse fole / that wold not in hym self be ash[…] med of hym selfe to thynke suche thyngys. But now ye that rede this / I pray you for goddꝭ sake se how vtterly this ych and tyklyng of vanyte and vaynglory hadde cast hym clene bysyde hys mynd and memorye. For where as all the boke bysyde was so dyuysed & h[…]nd[…]led / that it sholde seme some other to haue made yt and not hym self / sodeynly the fond felowe bewrayed hym selfe vnware. For in one place forgettynge hym selfe / he speketh in thys wyse / Whan thys was spoken / than the oratour of y• empyre in a chydyng maner sayde that I had not answered to the purpose / and that those thyngis whych had ben dampned and determyned in generall counsayls of old / ought not now of newe to be brought agayne in questyon by me / and therfore I sholde gyue a playn answer whyther I wold reuoke myne errours or not. Than vnto this I answered in this wyse. Syth that yt ys so. &c. Lo here may ye se the incredyble humylyte and lowly mynd of thys moste benygne father / whyche vnder the vysour of a straūge herald / bloweth out hym selfe his owne boste. Than may ye se therwyth hys meruelouse profounde prudēce / that had not the wyt to beware that hym selfe bewrayed not his own so folysh a deuyce / in the vayne auauntyng of hys owne false boste and prayse / that though the wordys had ben true / yet wold almost a very natural fole haue ben ashamed of hym selfe to wryte theym. By my trouthe quod youre frende thys deuyse was madly mynded of Luther / & madly handled / & madly ouersene / to shew hym selfe so fond / but yf pryde as the prouerbe ys must nedys haue a shame.