MarginaliaMartyrs in the Calendar colored with red.the sayd Calendare in redde or scarlet leters (although that perteineth nothing to me, MarginaliaThe paynter coloureth with redde.which was as pleased the painter or printer) yet if that be it that so much breaketh his pacience, why rather doth not he expostulate in this behalfe with the greate sancte maker of Rome, who hath redded them much more then euer did I. MarginaliaThe pope coloureth with bloud.For he did redde and dyed them with their own bloud, where as I did but onely colour them with red letters. And thus for matter of my Calendare enough.
[Back to Top]Proceding now out of the Calendar vnto the booke, where he chargeth me with so many lies, impudencies, vanities, deprauatiōs, and vntruthes, it remayneth likewise I cleare my selfe, answering fyrst to these lyes and vntruthes, which to the story of sir Roger Acton, and sir Iohn Oldcastell do appertaine. And after to other particulars, as in order of my booke do follow. MarginaliaThe autor clereth him selfe of lies and vntruthes laid agaynst hym.And fyrst wher he laieth against me whole heapes, and cartlodes, I cannot tell how many of lies and falsities: I here briefly answer maister Cope againe (or what Dutche bodye ells soeuer lyeth couered vnder this English Cope) that if a lie be (after the definition of S. Augustine) whatsoeuer thing is pronounced with the intent to deceaue an other: then I protest to you maister Cope, and to all the world, that there is neuer a lye in all my booke. What the intent and custome is of the Papistes to do, I cannot tell: for myne own, I will say, although many other vices I haue, yet from this one I haue alwayes of nature abhorred, wittingly to deceaue any man or chylde, so neare as I could, much les the church of God, whom with all my hart I doo reuerence, and with feare obey. And therefore among diuers other causes, that haue wtdrawen my mynde from the Papistes faction, almost there is none greater then this, because I see them so litle geuen to truth, so far from all serious feeling & care of sincere religion, so full of false pretēced hipocrisie and dissimulation, so litle regarding the churche of Christ in their inward hartes, which they so muche haue in theyr mouthes: so, as vnder the title therof they may hold vp their own estate. Otherwyse so litle reuerēce they yelde to the true and honorable churche of Iesus the sonne of God, that what vnwoorthy and rascall Ministers they take into it they passe not, what fictions, what lies and fables, what false miracles & absurde forgeries they inuent to delude it, they care not. I speake not of al. Som there be of that sect vnfayned in conscience, & more religious, & better disposed natures, onely of simple ignoraunce deceaued. But such commonlye haue beene and be the chiefe guides and leaders of the Papists church, that litle true care and small zeale hath appeared in thē, toward the church of Christ, not much regarding what corruption increased therein, so that their commodities might not decrease. MarginaliaThe lyes & fictions innumerable in the popes church.Thus out of this fountayne haue gushed out so many prodigious lyes in church legends, in saintes liues, in monkish fictions, in fabulous miracles, in false and foreged reliques, as in peeces of þe holy crosse, in the blood of hales, in our Ladies milke, in the nailes of Christ, which they make to be a great nūber. Likewise in their false and blinde errours, corrupt doctrines, absurde inuentions repugnant to þe truth of the word. Item, in there bastard bookes, foreged Epistles, theyr Apocrypha, and Pseudepigrapha. Here cōmeth in their foreged canons, their foysting and cogging in auncient councels and decrees, as in ϖς απο εμου πετρου
John Wade, University of Sheffield
So from my rock
MarginaliaVntruth in the popes doctrine.Briefly except it be the bookes onely of the newe Testatament, & of the old, what is almost in the popes church, but either it is mingled or depraued, or altered, or corrupted, eyther by some additions interlased, or by some diminution mangled and gelded, or by some glose adulterate, or with manifest lyes contaminate. MarginaliaVntruth in the popes Legendes and Massebookes.So that in their doctrine standeth litle truth, in their Legēdes portues, and Massebookes lesse truth, MarginaliaVntruth in the popes miracles and leliques.in their miracles and reliques least truth of all. MarginaliaVntruth in the popes Sacramentes.Neither yet do their Sacramentes remaine cleare and voyde of manifest lyes and corruption. MarginaliaA maister lye.And especially here commeth in the maister bey, which bringeth in much sweete hony into popes hyues, the maister lie, I meane of all lies, where þe Pope leauing not one cromme of bread, nor droppe of wyne in the reuerent cōmunion, vntruly and idolatrously taketh away all substaunce of bread from it, turning the whole substaunce of bread into the substaunce of Christes own body: which substaunce of bread, if the Pope take from the sacrament, then must he also take the breaking frō it. for breakyng, & the body of Christ, can in no case stand litterally together by the Scripture. Thus then as this is proued by the woorde of God to bee a manifest lye: so thinke not much (good reader) hereat, as though I passed the bondes of modestie in callyng it the Archlye or maister lye of all lyes. Because vpon this one, an infinite number of other lies and errours in þe popes church, as handmaides do wayte and depend.
[Back to Top]But for so much I stand here not to charge other mē so much, as to defende me selfe, ceasing therfore to, or rather differyng for a tyme to styrre this stinking pudle of these wilfull and intended lyes and vntruthes, whiche in the Popes religiō and in Papistes bookes be innumerable: I will now returne to those vntruthes and impudent lyes, whiche maister Cope hath hunted out in my history of Actes and Monumentes, first beginnyng with those vntruthes which he carpeth in the story of the foresayd Syr Iohn Oldcastle, and sir Roger Acton, Browne and the rest.
[Back to Top]And first, where he layeth to my charge, that I call thē Martyrs, whiche were traitours and seditious rebels agaynst the kyng, and their countrey: to this I haue aunswered before sufficiently.
Nowe here then must the reader nedes stay a litle at maister Copes request, to see my vanitie and impuden-