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…

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Least there should want any thing, wherein these enemies of God and of his word, should not play their parts against the' original Greek: they have thought good to set upon it with a new accusation of superfluity: whereof notwithstanding they cannot bring a word of reason, beside the bare authority of Erasmus, whose naked testimony (without proof) against the Greek they are content to admit: which notwithstanding they utterly reject, when (with good and substantial reason) it cometh against the' old translator. But let us see into the' authority. First it is confessed of the Jesuits, that the Greek copies read the supposed superfluities, with full consent. And do they think that such a consent of Greek copies shall not be able to weigh down the' authority of the vulgar translation, and Erasmus allowance of it in this place: where neither untruth of doctrine nor any unsuitableness to that which either goeth before or cometh after, is able to be showed. If you your selves ⟨p. 153⟩should lay in balance together, Erasmus which here maketh for your vulgar, and Valla that maketh against him: we suppose that unless your extreme poverty in this case draw you to do otherwise, you would give the better weight to that scale, wherein you lay Valla: as one that dealt not so roughly with Monkery and other your pedlary as did Erasmus. And as for the preeminence and authority, that all the Greek copies have before the' old translator (those Papists excepted only which have made themselves drivels & drudges unto him:) we refuse no mans weights, nor no mans judgment. Beside that to disburden the Greek of this false surmise of superfluity: we have the Syrian paraphrast, which in this point is not superfluous in that being long before the vulgar, he beareth witness in all these pretended superfluities unto our Greek copies; as unto those that are most ancient. Now as for the place Math. 6. for thine is the kingdom &c. If Erasmus had understood that it is taken ⟨p. 154⟩