A19563:213
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.
Winchester.
Which new teaching, whether it proceedeth from the spirit of truth or no, shall more ⟨p. 12⟩plainly appear by such matter as this author uttereth wherewith to impugn the true faith taught hitherto.1 For among many other proofs, whereby truth after much travail in contention, at the last prevaileth and hath victory, there is none more notable, then when the very adversaries of truth (who pretend nevertheless to be truths friends) do by some evident untruth bewrap them selves. According whereunto, when the two women contended before King Solomon for the child yet alive: Solomon discerned the true natural mother from the other,2 by their speeches and sayings. Which in the very mother were ever conformable unto nature, and in the other, at the last evidently against nature. The very true mother spake always like her self, and never disagreed from §1the truth of nature, but rather: then the thilde should be killed (as Solomon the eatned, when he called for a Sword) required it to be given whole alive to the other woman. The other woman that was not the true mother, cared more for victory then for the child,3 and therefore spake that was in nature, an evidence that she lien calling her self mother, and saying let it be divided, which no natural mother could say of her own child. Whereupon proceedeth Solomons most wise judgement, which hath this lesson in it, ever where contention is, on that part to be the truth,4