The.viii. chapter

The messenger sayth that the m[…] lyce of the men ys not to be imp[…]ted to the sec[…]e / syth that of euery secte som be nought. And the author sheweth that in the lutheranys / ye sect[…] selfe ys the cause of the malyce that the men fall to.

SYr quod youre frende in good fayth I neyther cā nor wyll defende that secte. But yet reason yt ys to take euery thyng as yt ys. And yf yt be nought / yt hath the les[…]e nede to be made worse. But as for the malycyous cruell dealynge of mē of warre / is not in my mynde to be imputed to the sect[…] of Luther. For ther is no sect so sayntly / but they fall to cruelte whan they fall to watre. And of euery secte also be some badde. And therfore ye malyce of the m[…]n ys not as me semeth to be imputed vnto ye secte. It ys not q I all one to be sum nought & all nought. But they that fall to this secte / wax […]ght all the hole mayny. For forth wyth vppon thys sect ones begon / the […] […]tockys of suche as were infecte therwyth / […]ell vnto those myscheuous dedys that I byfore rehersed you. And also though mē in warre wax furyouse and cruel / yet was there neuer none that wente there inso far / & specyally in suche kynde of crueltye as hath ben amonge crysten men in theyre warre alwaye forborne / as ys the dyspytes done to ye blessyd sacrament / wherein these bestys were more hote and more busy than wolde the grete Turke / and yt bycawse theyre secte is yet in maner worse than hys. More ouer ye vnhappy dedys of that secte muste nedys be imputed to the secte selfe / whyle the doctryne therof techeth and gyueth occasyon to theyre euyll dedys. A crysten mannys euyll lyuynge can not be imputed to hys crystendome. For hys lyuynge ys contrarye to the doctryne and lyuynge of Cryste. But as for the doctryne of thys vnhappy secte and the lyuynge also of the begynners of the same ys suche / as euery wyse man well perceyueth / doth teche and gyue occasyon of theyre euyll dedys. For what good dede shall he studye or laboure to do that byleueth Luther that he hathe no fre wyll of hys own / by whyche he can wyth helpe of grace eyther worke or praye? Shall he not say to hym selfe that he maye syt styll and let god alone?

what harme shall they care to forbere / y• byleue Luther / that god alone wythout theyre wyll worketh all the myschyef that they do them selfe?

what shall he care how long he lyue in synne / that byleueth Luther / that he shall after thys lyfe neyther fel[…] well or yll in body nor soule tyll the day of dome? Wyll not he trowe you saye as the Welsheman sayde? Yf thou gyue her that day / by god Dauy wyll haue thy cote to. And this thyng I say but for a sāple. For loke hys opynyons thorow / & ye shall fynd yt they playnely sette forth all ye worlde to wredched lyuynge. If they wold say yt we mys[…] constrew theyr wordꝭ / theyr bookꝭ be open / & the wordys playne / & inculked agayne & agayne so often & so openly ye men can not erre therin / nor they by eny cloke or colour defende theym.

And bysydys that not only the cōenaltye of theyr secte shewe the effecte and frute of theyr doctryne by theyre abomynable dealyng as I haue rehersed you / but also the doctours and the arche heretyques them selfe / well declare the holynes of theyr doctryne by theyr own lyuīg. For as they lyue they teche / & as they teche they lyue.