A19563:1991
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.
For the conclusion of all these questions, when you see that you can make no answer, but that you be driven to so many absurdities, and that I have answered so plainly unto every one, that there is left neither absurdity nor difficulty at all, then you devise the best way and most easy for your ⟨p. 360⟩self, to lay apart all questions and idle talk, when all these questions and idle talk needed not, if the papists of their idle brains had not devised their transubstantiation, and thereupon moved this idle talk themselves, which hath been occasion not only of much dissension in all Christian realms, but of the effusion also of much innocent blood.
FOr the conclusion of al these questions, when you see that you can make no aunswere, but that you be driuen to so many absurdities, and that I haue answered so playnely vnto euery one, that there is left neither absurdity nor difficulty at al, then you deuise the best way and most easy for your ⟨p. 360⟩selfe, to lay apart all questions and idle talke, when all these questions and idle talke needed not, if the papistes of their idle braines had not deuised their transubstantiation, and thereupon moued this idle talke themselues, which hath bene occasion not onely of much dissention in all Christian realmes, but of the effusion also of much innocent bloud.
But when the Papists, like unto Lucifer, have ascended into heaven,§2 and searched by vain and arrogant questions the bowels and secrets of gods majesty and his wisdom. Yea even whether God have made the world so well as he might have done, then they command other to keep silence, and not to enter into the bottomless secrecy of Gods mysteries, nor to seek that is above their reach, but to endeavour themselves to do that God commandeth, which counsel as it is most godly and wholesome, so if the Papists themselves had observed in the beginning, no man should have needed to have troubled his brains with such frivolous questions, and idle talk. But the Papists do like boys in the school, that make rods to beat other, and when they should be beaten with the rods which they made themselves, then they wish that all rods were in the fire. So the Papists when they see themselves overthrown in their own questions which they first devised themselves, & to be beaten with their own rods, then they cry peace, hold hands, and question no more.