A19563:1430
An answerAn aunsvvere
An answer by the Reverend Father in God Thomas Archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and metropolitan, unto a crafty and sophistical cavillation, devised by Stephen Gardiner Doctor of Law, late Bishop of Winchester against the true and godly doctrine of the most holy sacrament, of the body and blood of our saviour Jesus Christ Wherein is also, as occasion serveth, answered such places of the book of Doct. Richard Smith, as may seem any thing worthy the answering. Here is also the true copy of the book written, and in open court delivered, by D. Stephen Gardiner ...An aunsvvere by the Reuerend Father in God Thomas Archbyshop of Canterbury, primate of all England and metropolitane, vnto a craftie and sophisticall cauillation, deuised by Stephen Gardiner Doctour of Law, late Byshop of Winchester agaynst the true and godly doctrine of the most holy sacrament, of the body and bloud of our sauiour Iesu Christ Wherein is also, as occasion serueth, aunswered such places of the booke of Doct. Richard Smith, as may seeme any thyng worthy the aunsweryng. Here is also the true copy of the booke written, and in open court deliuered, by D. Stephen Gardiner ...
London: printed by John Daye, 1580London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1580
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Herefor lack of good matter to answer, you fall again to your accustomed manner, trifling away the matter with mocking and mowing. But if you thought your doctrine good, and mine erroneous, and had a zeal to the truth, and to quiet mens consciences, you should have made a substantial and learned answer unto my words. For dallying and playing, scolding and mowing, make no quietness in mens consciences. And all men that know your conditions know right well, that if you had good matter to answer, you would not have hid it, and passed over the matter with such trifles as you use in this place. And S. John Chrysostom you skip over, either as you saw him not, or as you cared not how slenderly you left the matter.
HErefor lacke of good matter to answere, you fall agayne to your accustomed maner, tryfling away the matter with mocking and mowing. But if you thought your doctrine good, and myne erronious, and had a zeale to the truth, and to quiet mens conciences, you should haue made a substanciall and learned answere vnto my wordes. For daliyng and playing, scoulding and mowing, make no quietnes in mens consciences. And all men that know your conditions know right well, that if you had good matter to answere, you would not haue hid it, and passed ouer the matter with such trifles as you vse in this place. And S. Ihon Chrisostom you scip ouer, eyther as you saw him not, or as you cared not how sclenderly you left the matter.
And as concerning the Catechism,1 I have sufficiently answered in my §2former book. But in this place may appear to them that have any judgement, what pithy arguments you make, and what dexterity you have in gathering of authors minds, that would gather my mind and make an argument here of a picture, neither put in my book, nor by me devised, but invented by some fond painter or carver, which paint and grave whatsoever their idle heads can fancy. You should rather have gathered your argument upon the other side, that I mislike the matter, because I left out of my book the picture that was in the original before. And I marvel you be not ashamed to allege so vain a matter against me, which in deed is not in my book, and if it were, yet were it nothing to the purpose. And in that Catechism I teach not (as you do) that the body and blood of Christ is contained in the sacrament being reserved, but that in the ministration thereof we receive the body and blood of Christ, whereunto if it may please you to add or understand this word (spiritually) then is the doctrine of my Catechism sound and good in all mens ears, which know the true doctrine of the sacraments.