The second reply of Thomas CartwrightThe second replie of Thomas Cartwright

Another principal kind off artillery / wherewith the D. leveleth at this wall off church discipline: is •haccusation / off Anabaptistry. This also (as may appear) is taken from the Papists. For when the persecuting off the church in France (where together with the doctrine this discipline was established) was misliked off the Almains: the French to appease them said / ¹there were none so cruelly handled, but Anabaptists and troublesome fellows, which would overthrow not religion only, but the whole order off the common wealth. And although the D. hath in this behalf travailed mightily / and gathered (as it were) a heap off stones to throw at us: yet for fear off being convicted off so manifest untruths he dare not throw one / but privily and as it were under hand: saying / he will not accuse any, he will not condemn any. that is: he will (forsooth) not flea us him self / but hold our legs / while other flea us. But he shall never so escape / the judgement off God. For if he were guilty / ²which kept their garments that cast the stones: how much more shall he / that put stones in their hands. although / if we were such: we ought so to be noted / that others might take heed / off such detestable heretics. All which false surmises with divers others of Donatism Papism puritanism. We might with one ⟨image 4⟩sentence off the holy man Job / have refuted. For so are they not only untrue / but for the most part without all colour of truth: ³that taking our adversaries book off accusations upon our shoulders, and applying them unto our heads (that all might read and see them) we might as off a crown, or robe have received commendation by them. Howbeit / because there was some danger least the D. lofty titles / and glittering estate might ether seduce some simple ones / or utterly carry away those whose minds were forestalled with some prejudice against the cause we maintain: I thought good once at large / and piece by piece / to lay forth the unworthiness of his accusations. Now I see / there is no end of his unhonest charges: I mean not by further answer in pursuit off his old / or avoiding his new / ether weary my self or the reader. For seeing the untruth off them / is in the eyes and ears off all: