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…

If therefore th'original, have been sithence that time corrupted: how much more the translation, that hath been more the translation, that hath been drawn from it. It would require a book by it self, to set forth the judgment of th' fathers, directly fighting against the horrible blasphemy of the Jesuits: which old fathers send men for resolution of all doubts, unto th'original of the Greek for the new, & the Hebrew for th'old Testament. Jerome speaking hereof concludeth that the water of the fountain, is to be believed to flow more ¹pure, then that of the river or stream. And again as the truth of the books of the old testament, are to be examined by the Hebrew: so the books of the new Testament, require the trial of the Greek: which sentence Gratian citeth as it were out of Augustine. ²Ambrose speaketh in a certain ⟨p. 126⟩place of the new testament, affirmeth³ that th' authority of the Greek books, is to be preferred. Augustine saith, that we ought rather to believe that tongue, from which it is (by interpreters) derived into another. And again, the former tongue expoundeth the later, & it is made certain and plain in one, that was doubtful in another. And if it be said, that th' original was then a virgin, which is sithence defiled and deflowered: what reasons can the Jesuits allege, why the Hebrew & the Greek, which kept their integrity 400. years together after Christ, amiddest as bitter enemies, as ever they had, as troublesome and tempestuous times as ever were sithence: should after, in time of less danger, & greater quiet, loose not their beauty only but their chastity also. And we marvel that the Jesuits are not afraid, to suffer this blot to fall upon their popish government, which braggeth it self to be the pillar of trueth, & yet hath had no better care to preserve the truth. But th' abominable stench of this blasphemous opinion, vvill better ⟨p. 127⟩appear by the Jesuits reasons: whereby they have raked, & stirred up this dung of theirs. The first reason whereby they bring up an evil report of th' undefiled virginity, of the Greek original: is that through multitude of heretics rising out of Greece it hath (as it were) lost her maidenhead.