Sin theoni en christoni the answer to the preface of the Rhemish Testament. By…Syn theōi en christōi the ansvvere to the preface of the Rhemish Testament. By…

The principal cause that hath made you, take arms against the¹ Greek copies: is that you are not of God, and therefore cannot abide the words of God. Thereupon it cometh, that the old translation as it is further from the word of God, smacketh you better then the Greek copies do. And although you may sooner get water out of a flint, then any relief of your cause from the Greek copies: yet if it were possible, for trueth to help to maintain a lye, it were yet unpossible for you to like of it: & therefore although we are assured that you had great advantage out of the vulgar, which is a great cause, that maketh you stand so close unto it, and no advantage at all out of the Greek (as partly hath and further shall appear) yet we know that you have a further fetch in preferring the handmaid unto her mistress: which is thereby to undermine all authority of the holy Scripture, that (it being ⟨p. 187⟩over-thrown) the Popes decrees might ride on horseback; which cannot take breath, as long as the authority of the holy Scripture remaineth. And if it be as you say, that the Greek serveth your turn better then the vulgar: you bear us witness (at unawares) that the small estimation which we have your vulgar in, proceedeth not of any fear, that we stand in, lest he should hurt our cause.

The principall cause that hath made you, take armes against the¹ Greeke copies: is that you are not of God, and therefore cannot abide the wordes of God. Thereupon it commeth, that th'olde translation as it is further from the worde of God, smacketh you better then the Greek copies doe. And althogh you may sooner get water out of a flint, then anie reliefe of your cause from the Greek copies: yet if it were possible, for trueth to helpe to maintaine a lye, it were yet vnpossible for you to like of it: & therfore althogh we are assured that you had great aduantage out of the vulgar, which is a great cause, that maketh you stand so close vnto it, and no aduantage at all out of the Greeke (as partly hath and further shall appeare) yet we know that you haue a further fetch in preferring the handmaide vnto her mistres: which is thereby to vndermine all authoritie of the holy Scripture, that (it being