statutes in whiche is bothe a great noumbre of wordes and also muche matier not easie to be perceyued of euery body than wer it laboure loste to sette foorthe in Englyshe bookes of seruice and homelies vnto the grosse and rusticall multitude whose capacite is not hable to conceiue that is in them conteined than wer it vayn to haue translated and sette foorth the bible in Englyshe to the vulgare people and moste vain to reade it in the Churches forasmuche as a greate noumbre of thynges whiche the symple ignoraunt people rede and heare thereout are ferre aboue the â—eache of theyr grosse vnderstandynge But all suche good and godly bookes as wel of holy wryte as of other profane argumentes are to this entente sette foorth and published that euerye bodye maye be edifyed as ferre foorth as hys capacyte wyll serue And lyke as wythout any reading or hearynge at all they shoulde continue euermore blynde and ignoraunt so by continuall readynge and hearing the vnlearned simple maie take enstructioÌ„s from dai to day procede growe in knowelage till at laste they shall by due vse and excercise be hable to vnderstande as muche as shall bee necessarye or expedieÌ„t for theÌ„ Now this boke I haue laboured to make as plain as I could do therfor in som places I haue either altered or leaft the scoole termes whych otherwise would haue made the thing more derke brought it as nere I could to the familiar phrase of English speakyng or els haue added suche circumstaunce of other woordes as might declare it make it plain Wherfore thoughe for the cause abouesaide I maie seme in some places to haue somewhat swerued from the precise woordes of the latin booke Yet I trust it shall to the fauourable and indifferent reader appere that I haue not any thynge degressed from the autours mynde Now as we commonly see that men where thei thinke themselues endoubted or boundeÌ„ though thei can not fully requitte or deserue the manifold benefices that thei haue receiued yet as the nature and duetie of thankfulnesse byndeth them thei will not be negligent â—o gratifye their beneficiall patrones or freÌ„des with suche simple tokens of their good mindes as lyeth in their power as the fermer to present his landlorde with some porcion of the fruictes that god sendeth hym and the poore widowe hir patrone with a dishe of apples cheries or suche lyke so can not I but thynke my selfe moste bounden wyth some of the simple fruictes of mi pore studies to preseÌ„t your lordship my singuler espiciall good patrone trustynge that forasmuche as there is as Cicero saieth a certaine kynde of lyberalitee euen in takyng ye will wyth no lesse cherfulnesse accepte these my simple labours dedicated vnto you then ye haue been accustomed to geue the manifold benifites whiche I haue at your lordeshipes handes receiued And thus I shall commende thesame my labours vnto youre lordshippes patronage and proteccion and your selfe vnto the lordes tuicion as sone as I shal haue aduertised you of the processe that Martir foloweth in this weorke whiche is that firste he bryngeth in the schoole Doctoures and all that euer maie bee saied for transubstantiation as strongly as is possible to bee reasoned and as muche as can bee alleged for it Than bringeth he in the reasons suche as he thinketh good both out of the fyrst Scriptures and generall Counceile and also oute of the Doctoures to confirme his owne opinion against transubstantiacion Thirdely he confuteth and soilleth al the argumentes and reasons of the schoolemen and Popishe writers one by one in ordre as thei were propouned and this doth he so clearkely so profoundly and so pitthilye that no man can saie more Beseching therfore youre Lordeship yf any default or lacke bee to impute it rather to myne insufficiencie in translatinge it then to the authoure in wrytinge it I will no longer with hold thesame froÌ„ the hearinge of Martyr himselfe speake who shal more delighte and edifie you then my penne maye dooe ¶ A discourse vpoÌ„ the Sacrament of the Lordes Supper solemnely handled at the Uniuersitie of Oxforde by Doctour Peter Martyr Uermila Florentine and in the sayde Uniuersite placed by the Kinges maiestâ—e Edward the syxte to reade opeâ— Lectures in Diuinitie who discoursed thereof as hereafter foloweth whan he had finished the declaracion of the leuenthe Chapiter of the fyrste Epistle of S. Paule to the Chorinthyans THe contâ—ncions yâ— haue arisen concernyng the sacrameÌ„t of the lordes Supper haue vndoubtedly this only inteÌ„t purpose that the manier and waye maye be vnderstanded how the bodye and bloude of the Lorde are ioyned coupled with the similitudes of breade and wyne or as other ScholemeÌ„ terme it with the matiers Sacramentall And forasmuche as it is well knowen to all men that thissame is called the Sacramente of the Lordes body and bloude therfore râ—quisite it is that these thiÌ„ges be by same manier of way coÌ„teined in this Sacrament But we in the searching oute hereof shall not rehearse all thinges that are in this mattier tossed to fro lest the thing which of it selfe is darke enough maye be made more entriked and doubtfull and least the discoursyng of it maye growe to an endlesse mattier and botomlesse The order therfore dispoâ—icion of the doctrine of this present traictise shall be reduced to fower principall poinctes ¶ Fyrst and formoste we shall traicte of suche coÌ„iunction and vnion wherby they commonly affirmed the bread and the wine to be chaunged by transubstaÌ„ciacion into the body bloud of Christ which semeth to be the highest moste perfecte poynct of the Sacrament with the materiall thynges Secondarily we shall searche and trye out another determinacion which supposeth the wyne and the breade as touching their perfect and true natures to be reserued and kept still in the sacramente and so to remaine therin that they haue annexed and ioyned vnto them the very true bodye and bloude of Christe as they speake it in theyr termes naturally bodely really that is to saye in very persone Thyrdly shall be considred and weyghed the assercion of some others whiche affirme that the premisses are by none other meane but a sacramentall waye coupled together that is to wete in the waye of betokening and represâ—ntyng onely Fourthly and last of all shall a iudgemente and determinacion be brought in whereby there shal of the opinions perteynyng to the seconde and third senteÌ„ce be gathered as much as may in this matâ—er of the sacrameÌ„t seme to make for the religioÌ„ of a christiaÌ„ man We shall therfore begynne at the opinion of transubstanciacion partlye because it is of the grosser sorte and partlye because it is but of a late tyme câ—m vp finally because the other two sentences do perfectly consent and dooe with egual endeuour defeact it substancially Of this sentence of transubstanciacion it is writen by the Moister of the sentences in the eight â—â—e
A discourse or traictise of Petur Martyr Uermilla FloreÌ„tine the publyque reader of diuinitee in the Uniuersitee of Oxford wherin he openly declared his whole and determinate iudgemente concernynge the Sacrament of the Lordes supper in the sayde Uniuersitee The Right honble Charles Viscount Bruce of Ampthill Son and Heir Apparent of Thomas Earl of Ailesbury and Baron Bruce of Whorleton 1712 ¶ To the right honourable Sir Wylliam Parre knight Lord Parre Erle of Essex Marquesse of Northampton Lorde great Chamberlaine of Englande and Knight of the moste noble ordre of yÌ„â— Garter Nicolas Udall wisheth grace and peace in Christ with helthe honour and longe prosperitee PErusyng of late righte honourable and my synguler good Lorde a certayne discourse of the righte excellente Clerke Petur Martyr wryten in Latin concerning the Sacramente of the bodye and bloud of Christ whiche is of the Grâ—kes called Euchaâ—istia because it pertayneth to the remembraunce of his moste tendre goodnesse in redemyng the worlde and to rendreyng of perpetuall thankes vnto hym therfore I confesse I was with the sayde treatise woondrefully rauished For first and formost wheras by reason of innumerable abuses detestable erroures and foule abominacions through the crafty conueighauÌ„ce of the purpurate whore of Babylon by litel litell conueyghed into the Churche there is no poynet concerninge oure religion so ferre entrieked or darkned as the mistâ—rie of this â—acrament this wryter throughe his singuler gifte of grace his right profounde learnynge and his highe iudgemente aswell in the scriptures as also in the doctours and in the generall councell wadeth so depein searchyng and boultyng out the trueth of this matâ—er that he maketh it so clere so plaine and so euâ—dent to all mennes yâ—es whiche either can or wyl see that neither there can now be any ferther doubtyng of the veritee and trueth of thys sacramente What it is nor any more bee saied for the right institucion and ordre therof how it should be vsed Wherfore me thought I could not better employ or bestow my trauaill then in translatynge this tractise into the Englyshe tounge to thentente that so profytable a thinge might not bee hiddden from the people which hauynge bothe an earnest zele to enbrace the trueth and a readye wille to folowe the kynges maiestees moste godly procedynges are muche hindred and kept backe from their desire partelye through ignoraunce because thei are not duely enstructed taught thâ—rin and partely through the malice of the moste peruerse Papistycall leaueners of Chystes doctryne whiche to mainteyne theyr owne lucâ—e and glorye ceasse not as Antechrystes owne trustie knyghtes to weorke as muche as in theym lyeth that the symple people maye styll continue in blyndenesse and errour But all prayse all thankes all laude and glorye be vnto oure moste louynge heauenly father and to hys onelye begotten sonne Iesus Chryste oure lord with the holy ghoste proceding from theim both who haue iâ— these oure dayes so opened the yies of the worlde that not onely the iugleyng sleyghtes of the Romysh Babylon be so throughly espyed that they can no longer deceiue and hir moste cruell tyrannye so vanquyshed that she maye nowe no longer reygne in Chrysten peoples consciences as she hath by goddes sufferaunce for oure synfulnesse many longe yeres dooen Neither is it possible that the excedynge mercye and fauour of god towardes this royalme of Englande maie more euidently appere then it is by these two tokens folowinge declared the one that it hath pleased him by his moste puissaunt and mightefull arme to deliuer vs oute of the bondage of this Romishe Egipte ferre passinge the yoke seruitude whyche the children of Isarel suffred vnder Pharao and the other that of his espiciall grace he hath vouchesalued to open the yies of oure hertes that we maye see the trueth and to giue vnto thys royalme the righte knowelege concernynge thys moste holy sacramente whiche the subtille and craftie illusyon of Sathan by the instrumente of the saide purpurate whoore of Babylon had made of a moste pure fountayne of water springinge vp into euerlastinge life a foule stynking puddle of idolatrie and supersticyon to endelesse damnacyon of a most precious and heauen iewel a most vile and deyulyshe abominacyon of a moste comfortable medycyne a most deadly present poyson Blissed therfore be the name of the lord our god for euer euer who of his infynite mercy botomlesse goodnesse hath cast his most fauourable yie vpoÌ„ this royalme of EnglaÌ„d illumining the hertes of the same most gladly and cherefully to enbrace his ghospell and giuing vs to ouâ—e Kinge suche a Godlye Iosyas as in his tender yeares of childehoode neither forgeateth ne ceasseth with the moste feythfull aduise and trustie assistence of his moste noble sapient Counsaylours to trauayle aswell that the woorde of God maye bee syncerely and purelye set foorthe and taughte vnto all his moste derely beloued subiectes as also that this sacramente of the Lordes body and bloude maye bee reduced to the right vse accordyng to the first institucion therof in the primatiue Churche And forasmuch as the whole processe of this discourse is bothe consonaunt vnto the worde of God that it cannot be doubted of but that it is true and also so iustely agreynge with the kinges Maiestees moste godly procedinges that the people maye by readyng or hearyng herof be throughly satisfied and perswaded vniuersally to enbrace and folow the other I thinke it as I haue said a weorke right expedient and necessary to be hadde in the Englishe toungue aswell for the instruction of suche as can reade as also for the helpe of some good persones curates whiche though they haue a good zele forwardnes to set forth the kiÌ„ges maiesties most christian procedynges yet for defaulte of sufficiente learnyng the more is the pietee are not of themselues hable neither throughly to enstructe their flocke of all the trueth nor to satisfy the ignoraunt in suche doubtfull cases or questions as maye haplye aryse aboute this matier nor finally to stoppe the mouthes of sedicious Papistes or of suche as are malicious and indurate enemies againste the pure doctrine of Christes ghospell And althoughe in treactynge of suche hygh matiers it can not bee auoided but that by reason of some schoole termes or argumentes there must nedes bee many thynges that maye seme to passe the capacitee and vnderstanding of the vnlettred sorte yet is not suche a notable good weorke as this discourse of Petur Martyr or as his disputacions vpon the same matier therfore to bee suppressed or kepte as it wer hidden vnder the bushel For yf no booke should bee sette foorth but suche as euery bodye yea euen of the vnlearned and grosse multitude mighte bee hable to vnderstande whan they heare it or reade it than what should Chauncer Goore Lidgate and others doe abrode whom some euen of the learned sorte doe in some places scarcely take than were it vayne to set foorthe Chronicles or
and lyued in Cyrilles tyme was in the counsell kept at Ephesus and CalceÌ„donie and was estemed for a man of excellent learnyng and a man of wonderfull eloquence And where as in the counsell holden at Ephesus there be fell a variaunce betwixte Iohn the Patriarke of Antioche and Cyrill the Byshop of Alexandria Thys Theodoritus semed to leaue to the Patriarke of Antioche but that variaunce was taken vp and pacified and set at an ende euen in that counsell And then afterwarde at the counsell of Calcedonie the sayde Theodoritus was acknowledged and demed aÌ„ maâ— singulerly well learned and an holy membre of Christes churche Yea and in the bookes whyche he wrote Nestorius an heritike he dothe of sette purpose resiste Nestorius and writeth agaynste him by name The boke was printed at Rome And the Papistes for as much as they haue espied that he is moste playnelye agaynste transubstanciation they haue excused him two waies Fyrste that the churche had not as yet in his time determined this matter as thoughe we did searche what the Pope with hys Cardinals haue decreed either at Constaunce or in the counsell where Beringatius was condempned and not rather what was bothe preached and taught also beleued in the olde church Secondelye they excuse Theodoritus and saye that in writing against the heritikes whan he traicted of mysteries he leaned some what to muche the other waye agaynste transubstantiation to thys intent and purpose that hys aduersaries mighte the better and the more effectuallye be confuted But howe triflynge an excuse thys is it maye very well appeare of the whole sequell of thys wryters processe in hys wrytynge where as one maye â—â—e not the scape of a word or twaine but the whole argumente and pythe of the mattier to be fette and to be taken oute of the nature of a Sacramente so that if ye mengle transubstanciation therewyth all the matter canne be broughte to no conclusion on hys parte but contrarywyse the heritykes should wynne the whole victorye They alledge furthermore that he speaketh sumetime verye honourablye and reuerentelye of the sacramente in thys same boke But if ye loke it all thorowoute he neuer speaketh so honourablye or so reuerentelye of it that he is anye thyng agaynste thys sentenâ—e whiche we do here holde Hys boke is a disputation agaynst suche persons as denye that Christe had a true bodye and do saye that hys bodye in the tyme of hys ascention was all togyther chaunged into a diuine nature Firste he bringeth in for his purpose the prophecy of the aunciente Patriarke Iacob out of the .xlix. Chapter of Genesis to the ende that he might therby make him selfe awaye to bringe his argumentes oute of the sacramentes And his wordes ben these But for the better and more plainer declaration of the matter I the translatour haue thought necessarie to admonish the good christian reader to vnderstand to note yâ— the purpose of Theodoritus is to proue that the body of Christ as it is nowe in heauen raignynge in the glorye of hys father is hys verye true and naturall bodye and the same bodye whyche he hadde whan he was conuersaunte here on earth in hys manhoode and that the same bodye remaynethe euen styll and euer shall do in the same his verye true nature of manhoode that it than hadde and is not chaunged into the nature and substaunce of hys godheade For euen at those dayes some heritiques did beginne to deuise and to write of Christe that after hys resurrection and ascention hys manhoode was now chaunged into his godhead and was no longer a natural bodye so that he was not now both god man sayde they but God onelye for as muche as by rysynge frome deathe to lyfe and by ascending into heauen he hadde ouercomed al corruptebilitie and hadde cast of all earthlinesse of hys natural body and of his manhoode And the wordes are written in Theodoritus in maner and forme of a dialoge betwene a good Christian maÌ„ beyng of right opinioÌ„s in matters of religioÌ„ whoÌ„ we shal here at thys tyme cal by the name of Orthodoxus as the auctoure doeth and a Compaigâ—ion of hys beynge as it were an Heritique or miscreaunte whome wee shall here for thys presente call by the name of Aduersaries to the trueth and thus do they talke togyther Theodoritus as hereafter foloweth he washed hys stole in wyne and hys garmente in the bloude of the grape Ortho. Doest thou know that God called bread his own body Ad. Yea I know it very wel Ortho. Dost thou know also that in an other place againe he called his body wheat corne Aduer Yea I knowe that too euen verye well For I haue heard that he sayde The houre is come that the sonne of man muste be glorified And except the wheate corne being caste downe into the earth do there dye it remayneth it self alone but if it dye it bringeth forth muche frute Orthod Trulye in the very geuing and deliuerynge of the mysteries he called the breade hys body and the cup he called hys bloud Aduer In dede so did he name it Orthod But euen a body after nature too that is to saye hys owne bodye his bloude might it haue bene so called Aduer It is a playne matter to graunte Orthod Yea and trulye our sauiour hym selfe chaunged the names and gaue to hys bodye the name of the sygne and to the sygne the name of hys bodye And in the same maner whan he hadde called him selfe a vyne he called the verye sygne by the name of hys bloude Aduersa In dede that worde hath thou spoken verye truly And I woulde fayne learne the cause too whye he so chaunged the names Ortho. That is an open marke to knowe vnto all suche as are entred to be partakers of oure holy sacramentes For his wyll was that suche as wer partakers of the heauenly mysteriesâ— should not haue respect to the nature of the thynges whiche thei see but that by the chaungyng of the names thei should beleue the alteracion whiche is made through grace For the same Christe whiche called his naturall bodye a wheate corne and breade also named hymself a vyne the selfe same Christ honoured the visible â—ignes with the name of his bodye aâ—d bloude not chaungyng the nature of the thynges but geuyng grace vnto the nature of them Aduers In dede the mysâ—icall thynges wer mystically spoken And now hath it been of thee clerely expouned and opened that is not knowen to all folkes Orthodoâ— Forasmuche therfore as he openly protesteth the Lordes bodye to be called of the Patriarche Iacob in the olde testamente both a stoole and a garmente and we are now entred into a talke of the heauenly mysteries Tell me plainly and truely whereof thynkest thou that same most holy meate to be a signe and a figure whether of the verai godhead of Christe our Lorde or els rather of his body and bloud Aduer Truly of these same verai
as Austen recordeth he thoughte it not enoughe that thei had spirituall meate and drinke but he also added cundem that is to saye the veray same And agayne because thou shouldest not doubte but that Paule meÌ„te that theyr sacrameÌ„tes and ours are al one he expressed baptisme by name whiche baptisme he sayeth the fathers atteigned and had in the sea and in the cloude Wherof it is euident that the saied fathers of the olde lawe had theyr sacramentes not onely emonge themselues but also that thei had the veraye same that we haue We see also that other sayinges of the scripture beeyng veraye nere and muche lyke vnto this saying that we traicte of are euen of these our aduersaries taken as woordes figurately spoken For it is thus expressed The breade whiche we breake is the Communion or partakynge of Christes bodye And this cuppe is the newe testamente c. which woordes we haue now somwhat often rehearsed Besides all this it dooeth not properly agree nor accorde to the bodye of Christ for to bee eaten And of the premisses it is open at ful and manifest what ought to bee sayed to the secound argumeÌ„t or reasoÌ„ of the transubstanciatours in whiche thei obiected against vs that a sentence or clause in scripture ought not to be taken after any trope or figure except there were some thyng conteyned either afore or comyng after in the same sentence whiche did aduise and iustly moue vs that it wer so to bee dooen And thei went ferther with vs also allegynge that wher Christ saieth this is my body that shal be geuen vp for you we did take the latter part of this sentence in the bare and propre sence of the wordes wtout any chaunge or alteracion which thyng is manifestlye false for so muche as we there chauÌ„ge the tymes and do not admitte or take it to be the same bodye whiche was betrayed and geuen vppe to death for vs. For that bodye was not alonelye visible but also passible Neyther can there be in one and the same substaunce or subiecte at one and the same tyme the properties and qualities of a bodye corruptible together with the gyftes and properties of a bodye glorifyed so that one and thesame body at one instauÌ„t tyme should bee bothe passible and not passible And besydes this we haue nowe alreadye showed what other places caused vs to admitte the figures afore spoken of and declared that is to wete Synecdoche and Metonimia where the thynge instituted is takeÌ„ for the auctoure that is to saye for hym that dyd institute it Nowe will we make aunswere to the argumeÌ„t which is the thyrde ceason alleged in the beginnyng of this booke for the establishyng of transubstanciacion An answer to the third argumente that was made for transubstaÌ„ciacion and the argumente is concernyng thynges of dyuerse and contrary natures whiche are called of the Logicians in the schoole terme disparata as is afore sayed whiche are so vnlyke saye they and so disseuered one from another that the one of them can not be sayed nor verifyed of the other Whereunto we aunswere that suche thynges as of themselues are in suche sorte dyuerse vnlyke and disseuered or contrary of nature and kinde the one to the other yet yf they bee well ioigned together wel applyed and proporcioned the one to the other for the better signifying and expressinge of a thynge they maye nowe in suche case bee so ioygned together that they will make a good proposicion and a perfecte sentence Whiche thing we see to haue been dooen not onely of Christe where he sayeth The seed is the worde of God in another place I am a vine tre but also of Paule where he saieth that we all are one breade in another place the breade whiche we breake is the partakyng and coÌ„munion of the body of Christ and agayn this cup is the new testameÌ„t in my blud Nor we do not muche passe on that that some saie that Mathew Mark did in plain expresse wordes say this is my bloud of the new testameÌ„t c. for we deny not but yâ— these Euangelistes did so write but in the meane tyme we stifly hold saye that the wordes which Luke and Paule haue writen are to bee receaued and allowed too aswell as the others And those woordes of Luke and Paule we affirme as we haue saied of the other sentences that thei are made of wordes so ferre disagreyng and disseuered in theyr natures that they maye after the sayd schoole terme of the LogiciaÌ„s be but wel called disparata but yet in the way of signifying and for the better expressing of the mattier that is ment and entended by theim they bee veraye aptly ioygned and knitte together and do veraye well accorde In another argument it was sayed that when Christe spake these wordes An answere to yâ— fourth argumente that was alleged for transubstanciacion This is my body he sayed not this signifieth or represeÌ„teth my body this bread is a figur or signe of my body c. To this we answer lay again for vs that likewise Christ neuer sayed that his body laye lurkyng and hidden vnder those accidentes without a subiecte as the transubstanciacioners doe imagyn nor Christ did neuer saye that the substance and matier of the bread dooeth cease to bee there in the sacrament or that it was chaunged and turned by any kinde of transubstanciation into the substaunce of his body and theÌ„ ferther I do muche meruaile how men can obiecte those thynges in this wyse against vs seyng that these exposicions that it be taken in that sence are moste playnelye conteyned and expressed in the fathers and auncient writers of the churche For they haue veray often in their bookes and writynges these mannier of speakynges the body and bloud of Christ to be represented to be signifyed to bee poynted to bee betokeneded and to bee shewed And the signes of breade and wyne they doe calle by these termes the seale the figure the pype or paterne and the counterpaine of the true and veray thyng it selfe Neither is ther any cause why any man maye cauill and obiecte that the fathers did referre and applye in these signes or figures to the death of Christe and â—ot to the body of Christe For the fathers dooe moste playnlye in theyr bookes wryte and saye that the bodye and bloude of Christe is signifyed betokened in the sacramente And that we haue the signes and figures geuen vs of the verai bodye and bloude of Christe For the ferther proufe whereof and that thou maieste well knowe it to bee true we shall of dyuers and sundrye places of theyr wrytynge treacte and bryng in a fewe here ensuyng Austine in his traâ—ctyse whiche he made of catechysynge and enstructinge the rude and ignoraunte Austeâ— sayeth As touchyng the sacrament that he hath receyued saieth Austen he must be enstructed and taught that the seales and signes of
figura corporis mâ—i that is to wete sayeth Tertullyan the signe of my bodye The obiection out of Origen aunswered vnto They brought in agaynst vs Origen also because he wrote that Christe graunted the breade to bee his bodye And that dooe not we denye but all oure controuersie dooeth consiste in the manier how it is Christes bodye And as touchyng this poynte Origen hymself sheweth playnly in other places of his weorkes that there be figures here and that this bread is called the word nutritiue of the solle and geueth a ferther lesson concernyng thesame that we muste not set our myndes to cleue and sticke to the bloude of the fleashe but to the bloud of the worde Cyprian answered vnto Ciprian semeth to speake more hardelye when he sayed that this breade is chaunged not in his shape or outwarde apparaunce but in his nature But we muste haue a regard and consideracion what he wrote to Caecisius Whiche was that the Lordes bloude was shewed foorth with the wyne and that if wine ceassed to bee in the cuppe it coulde not seme that Christes bloud was in the cup. And as touchyng that he writeth in this place of chaungeyng the wyne into bloud we graunted also that a chaunge there is but we affirme it to bee a sacramentall mutacion or chaunging none other And thus takyng it we graunt that it is not the shape of the bread or the fourme or the accidentes of the breade that haue suche office here as to be Sacramentes but we saye that the nature and the veraye substaunce of the breade and of the wyne is chaunged into the sacrameÌ„tes of Christes body and bloud And And as the veray substaunce of the bread and not the shape of the breade dooeth nourishe so Christes body dooeth bothe nourishe our soule and bringeth couÌ„forte and strengthe to our bodye And as the very substaunce of the breade is made of many graynes so the mystical bodye whiche it representeth hath many members or partes ioyned and vnited together Wherfore as well we as oure aduersaries dooe graunte that it is not the shape that is to saye the outwarde apparence and sight of the bread and the outwarde fashion of it that is chaunged but that it is the veray substaunce therof whiche is chauÌ„ged Now our aduersaries will haue that the chanÌ„ge is made by the castyng awaye of the breades nature but we doe holde that there is but onely a sacramentall chaunge And Cyprian himselfe maketh playnly agaynste our aduersaries For they dooe not saie that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged but they saye that the substaunce of the breade is vtterly gone so that they take the bread cleane awaye We saye that the substaunce of the breade is chaunged and so chaunged that it becometh Christes bodye that is to saye the sacrament of Christes body which it was not before A man maye also besides all this saye that this latine woorde natura is not euermore in the good auctoures of the latine tongue taken for substancia that is to saye substaunce but sometymes it is taken for one of these woordes vis the strength or vertue ingenium the nature or disposicion or propriâ—tas the propretee c. Whereof Cicero saieth in his booke entitled Desomnio scipionis The propre nature and strength of the solle is sayeth he that it is moued of it selfe And in an epistle to one Lentulus he writeth thus The nature the religion of thy prouince to be suche c. In whyche place the worde nature is taken for the fasshion and the disposicion or inclinacyon c. And euen in lyke manier is it to bee taken whan it is saied the nature of herbes or the nature of stones and so others like And thys sygnification of the worde nature dooeth veraie well agree with the saieyng of Ciprian afore cited The obâ—â—â—on oute of Ambrose answered â—nto They bring foorth Ambrose agaynste vs also and specyallye in his Bookes entitled de sacramentis Whyche bookes Ambrose dyd not make as som men thynke Fysher late bishoppe of Rochester dooeth inueighe in maner rage agaynst al suche as so thinke And he sayeth that we ought in any wyse to geue credite vnto Austen who auoucheth that Ambrose wrote the sayed bookes and was Auctour of theim and he testyfyeth in plaine woordes that Ambrose wrote these said bookes of the sacramentes And for proufe of the mattyer he allegeth the prologue of AusteÌ„ vpon hys bookes entitled de doctrina Christiana which prologue of Austen I haue often tymes reade But yet cold I neuer ther fynd that that fysher wrytteth vnlesse paraduenture he meane of that that Austen wroote in his boke of Retractacyons whan he maketh mencion of his bookes de doctrina Christiana and ther in dede he saith suche a thyng but not in the prologe of hys work de doctrine Christiana as fysher citeth it Morouer thys pointe I doe verai wel know that Austen wrytynge agaynste one Iulianus a pelagion dooeth allege Ambrose concernyng the Sacramente of rege neracyon or of philosophye But he mencyoneth not any woorde of these bookes of the misteries or of the sacrameÌ„tes And the wordes that AusteÌ„ alâ—egeth in that place are not in these bookes of the sacramentes But I passe not for thys Suppose that Ambrose were the autour and wryter of them they dooe not vtterly dissente or disagree from oure myndes in this mattier For many thynges he speaketh of sygnyfyeng and that these sacramentes bee called or sayd to bee Christes bodye whyche thynges we dooe not denye And in case he dooe at any tyme speake or make mencion of chauÌ„ging or turnyng thaÌ„ is it all together to be vnderstaÌ„ded of a sacramental chaungeyng Morouer he himselfe must be wel loked vpon weyghed what he writeth in other places Fyrst de officiis in the fourth booke and fowertie eight chapitur he hath these wordes here ensuyng In the one that is to saye in the old lawe is the shadowe and in the one is the ymage but in the other that is to saye in the newe lawe is the veritee in the law is the shadowe in the ghospell is the trueth and trueth there is in heauenly thynges In the olde lawe there was offred a lambe there was offred a calfe nowe in the newe lawe is Christe offered but he is offered as a man and as one that receiueth his passion but he himselfe offrethe himself as a priest that he maye putte awaye our synnes here as if wer in an Image or similitude there in veritee where he maketh intercessyon as an Aduocate for vs before hys father And vpon the fyrste epistle to the Corynthyens as we haue before alleged the same Ambrose thus sayeth In eatynge and drinkynge we dooe represente or sygnyfye the fleashe and bloude of Chryste whyche thynges bee offred And whan he speaketh of the bloud he saieth that we receiue the misticall cuppe in tipum â—ius that is to saye for a sygne of he
saieth that the bread is not a signe of Christes body this he sayeth vpon Mathewes Ghospell which thyng is well spoken if he mene that yâ— bread is not an emptye figure or a vain figure void of al streÌ„gth efficacy Neither do we saie that the bred is suche a signe or figure And we do nothiÌ„g doubt but yâ— this was his interpretacioÌ„ mening in dede for because that vpoÌ„ Markes gospel he saith that the bread is not a figure not onely For els if he shoulde vtterly denye that the bread is a signe or a figure of Christes bodi he should be contrary to the rest of the fathers and olde writers whom we haue alredy plainly declared to graunte and putte bothe a sygne and a fygure to bee heere in this sacramente He saieth also that the bread is transformed conuerted and chaunged from the elemente and matier that it was afore into an other Whiche maniers of speaking if he vnderstande and mene Sacramentally we dooe not abhorre from them For the breade and wyne become sacramentes they passe bee chaunged into elementes that is to saye matyers of heauenly thynges and they putte on as it were a newe garmente and shape to bee nowe the sygnes and tokens of an higher matier But saye they thys Theophylactus wryteth that the fleashe and the bloude for thys cause bee not seen leste oure stomackes shoulde stande agaynste the receyuynge of it But if thou what soeuer thou bee wilt so eagrely and so sore bynde vpon these woordes we for oure parte laye agaynst the agayne the wordes that the same Theophylactus wryteth vpon Markes ghospell whyche are that the kyndes or symylitudes of breade and wyne bee turned into the vertue or strength of the lordes bodye and bloud That if thou wilt allege that the sayd Theophylactus dooeth in all other places not saye into the vertue c. But into Christes boddye and bloud The kindes and similitudes of breade and wine coÌ„uerted into the vertue of Christes body bloude we aunswere that the interpretacion of these wordes is that these sygnes take vnto them the vertue of the thynges whyche they signyfye by reason of the whyche vertue the sacramentes bee of no lesse effecte then if the vâ—raithyng self wer there present And as I haue sayed the yrkesomnes and abhorrynge of it is taken away yf we putte that the chaunge is made not into the thinge but in to the vertue of the thing Hys other sentence semeth to bee somewhat more violeÌ„te and of some more force vehemencyeâ— whych he wroote vpon the sixth chapytur of Ihons ghospell where he thus sayeth As the breade that Chryste did eate whyles he lyued here in yearthe was chaunged into his fleashe by a naturall transubstanciation or chaungeyng after the common rate of foode and nourishement in mannes bodye so is this breade chaunged into Christes body here in the Sacramente Yet this similitude and comparison we graunte also to bee true yf it bee generally taken For in this sacrament also we dooe not denye but there is a chaunge Sacramentall that is to saye suche as in a Sacrament is required That if thou saye thou wylte nedes take this similitude euen plainly as it is made and as it souneth whiche is that the breade bee as verayly chaunged in the Sacramente of Eucharistia as breade was turned into Christes fleshe at suche tymes as he eate it whiles he here lyued than wyll there folowe an inconuenience cleane contrary to thyne owne sentence and determination For it wyll folowe that the accidentes of the signes cannot remayne or be reserued still in the Sacramente of Eucharistia For in thee foode and sustenaunce that Christe tooke frome time to tyme whiles he liued the acâ—identes did not remayne Besydes the premisses I wyll here allege for our purpose the woordes of the same selfe expositour vpon the sixth chapitur of Iohns gospell vpon these woordes he that eateth my fleashe and drynketh my bloude abideth in me and I in hym c. Upon whiche woordes Theophylactus expounyng them in the persone of Christ saith that this thyng is dooen whiles the partie is quodammodo that is to saye in a manier mingled and ioygned vnto me and is chaunged ouer into me Where thou seest agayne that Theophilactus holdeth as the reste of the fathers and wryters dooe holde that there is so great a chaungeyng of vs into Christe that he wryteth vs to bee chaunged ouer and dooe passe into Christe And thus muche I saye at this present for aunswere of that that was broughte in and allegedde agaynste vs out of Theophylactus Of the later wryters they bryng Anselmus and Hugo Anselmus and Hugo aunswered vnto and Rycharde whiche were in the tyme of Uictor But foraâ—muche as in the tyme of these menne the doctrine of transubstanciacion was now already perforce thrust into the lappe of the churche and the people compelled to receyue it the sayde wryters in suche woorkes as they made didde accordyng to the tyme so that the newe inuencion of suche ougâ—te not to haue place to the preiudice of the mooste aunciente opynyon of the churche and of the determinacion of the olde auncient fathers Iohn Damascene auÌ„swered vnto But one maÌ„ emong all others they seme to haue most highe in price and this is Iohn Damascene who in the fourthe booke and fowerteenthe chapitur of his worke of the right feith Hath verai largely wryteÌ„ of this matier But I fynd that this Damascene liueth vnder the Greke Emperour Leo Isanricus so that betwene the tyme of Gregorius Magnus bishop of Rome and thissame Ihon Damascene it was a full nye hundred and twentie yeares space at the leaste The time of Damascene whan he liâ—ed And wheras now alreadye in the tyme of Gregorie many poinctes of supersticion and manye thynges of maÌ„nes inuencioÌ„ wer come by heapes into the Churche the matier did euery daye from that tyme forward renue still headlong to wurse wurse By reason wherof it is no meruaile at al if this Damascene stumbled vpon many pointes that wer both vntru and also ful of supersticion The iugemeÌ„t of Damascene in diuerse Articles of docâ—trine And as for his iudgement how good and how great it was as well in arcticles and pointes of doctrine as also in expounyng of the holy scriptures we haue a sample good enough For he is a wonderous great fauourer of Images and susteyned both great and sore daungiers mo then one for vpholdynge and maynteining of them yea and in this selfsame fourth booke he wrote a seuerall chapitur of a sette purpose concernyng the same matier of Images where his mynde sentence is that Images not onelye are to bee made but also to be honoured and wurshypped Besides this he so highly estemed the reliques of sainctes and holy men whiche are now in rest that he appointed vnto them also a certayne chapitur for the nonce in whiche he feared not to