Defyne we what a fygure is, and what the verite is that we may certaynly knowe how, & whyche waye, we ought to reason A fygure is a certayn obumbra­cion, or shadoyng, declaryng the thynge whiche he in­tēdeth by some veales or couers. As for an example, we meaninge the worde, do name breade. As in the lordes prayer, we desyre our daylye breade to be geuē vs. Or whan Christe sayeth in the gospell. I am the lyuely breade, whych haue discended from heauē, Or whan he calleth hym selfe a vyne, and hys apostles braunches, sayeng: I am the true vyne, you verely the braunches. In all these one thynge is spoken, and an other thyng vnderstande. The veryte truly is a demō ­stration of a manifest thynge, couered wyth no Ima­ge of shadowes, but insinuate, wyth pure playne and naturall significatyons. As whā we saye, that christe was borne of a virgyn that he suffered, that he was crucifyed, dead, & buryed. Here is nothynge shadowed wyth fygures, but the veritie of the thynges, shewed by naturall significacions of wordes. Neyther muste we vnderstande, any other thyng here, then that whyche is expressed. But not so in those thynges that we spake of before. For substauncyally, neyther is the bread christe, neyther the wyne is christe, neyther yet are the braunches the apostles, wherfore in those is a fygure, in the other the verite is shewed in narra­cyon. That is to say. A naked and playne significa­tion. Now let vs retourne to those thinges for whose cause they be spoken. That is the bodye and blode of christe. Truelye yf the mysterye be done vnder no fy­gure, then do we nought in callynge it a mysterye, for that can not haue the name of a mysterie, wherin no thynge is hydde, where nothynge is remoued frome our corporall sences, where nothing is, couered wyth any veale: but that bread whyche by the mysterye of the [...] [Page]kynde of the creature and the shape of vysyble thyn­ges, the breade and the wyne haue nothynge chaun­ged in them, and yf they haue nothynge chaunged in them, they be none other then they ware before.

YOure hyghnes (noble prynce) perceyueth to what passe the intellectiō of thes thynges do come. Whych be of a contrarye iudgemente, they deny, whych they are thought to affyrme And they are prouyde to distroye that they do beleue. For they faythfullye confesse the bodye and bloude of Christ, and in so doynge doutles they protest that the bread and wyne be not the same they ware. & herfore yf they be not the same, they ware before, they haue receyuyd mutation, Seynge that thys can not be denyed, let them declare how they be chaunged. Tru­lye corporallye a man shall peceyue no [...]hynge to be chaunged, therfore they must confesse that the muta­cion is made other wyse then corporallye, & also that not to be the thyng which is sene in verite, but some other whyche is not perceyued to be thoughe hys power and peculyer benynge, or yf they wyll not confesse thys: nedes they must denye the body and bloud of christ, whych is a wycked thyng to do, not in wor­des only but also in thought: but forasmuch as they do confesse the body and bloude of christe to be there and that it cannot be there but by the reason of mu­tacion frome a worse thynge to a better it muste fo­lowe, that the mutacion be made not corporallye, but spirituallye, yet and so that we maye saye that it is do spiritually. For vnder the veale of corporall bread and wyne, is the spirituall bodye and bloud of christ yet is there not the existencie of too dyuers thynges, that is to saye: of the bodye and the spyrite, but one, and the same thynge after one sorte, is the kynde of [Page]breade and wyne, & after one other sorte the body and bloude of christ for in that both of them are touched: they be the kyndes of corporall creatures, & through the power by the which they at spiritually made they be the mysteries of the body and bloud of Christe.

Let vs consyder the well of holy baptysme, whych is called not wythout a cause the well of lyfe, becau­se that is confyrmeth thos that discende into it wyth the mounte of a better lyfe, & maketh thē lyue to iustice whych ware before dead in synne, The element of the water hath not hys power, for yf it shuld not op­teyne the vertue of sainctificaciō, it could not wasshe away the spotte of synne. And yf it sholde not cōtey­ne the vygore of lyfe vtterlye, it sholde not be able to gyue lyfe to the deade. I meane not my flesshe but [...]n soule, yet in the fountayne yf we haue respect onelye to the thynge whych our corporall sence comprehen­deth, we shall fynde nothynge but water subiecte to corruption, and that whych hath none other vertue, but to wasshe our bod [...]es Yt after that the vertue of the holy goost hath accesse by the concrea [...]on of the baptyser, yt is of the efficacy, not only to wasshe oure bodyes, but also by a spirituall power to wasshe a­waye the spiritual fylthe frō our solles. Lo in one element we se two thynges, the one resystinge: the other that is to saye, a corruptyble thing to gyue in corrup­tion, and a thynge wythout lyfe to contrybute lyfe. Therfore knowe that in thys well is one thyng sen­cyble and therfore mutable and curruptible. Also an other thynge that onely fayth beholdeth, and therfore incorruptible & immortall. And yf a mā requyre what that is whych wassheth the body it [...]s nothynge but an elemēt, but yf a man cōsyder that whych inwardely purgeth, that is a lyuely vertue a vertue of sancti­fication a vertue of immortalyte, therfore the lycore [Page]in hys propertie is corruptible in the mysterye, & hol­some vertue, euē so the bodye & the bloude of christ cō ­sydered outwardely is a creature doughtles subiecte to mutabilite & corrupciō, but yf a mā pondre the ver­tue of the mysterye, it is lyfe geuynge immortalite to thos that be partakers of it. Therfore it is not al one thynge that is sene & that is beleued. For thos thyn­ges that be sene do onely fede the corruptyble bodye, they beynge corruptible them selues. But thos thyn­ges whych are not sene, do fede the immortall solles, they beynge immortall them selues. The apostel wry­tynge to the Corinthians, sayeth: know you not that all oure fathers ware vnder a cloude, that all passed ouer the see, that all they were baptysed in Moyses in the cloude & in the see, that all they haue eaten the same sprituall meate, and that all they haue dronken the same spiritual drinke? They dyd drinke of the spirituall stone folowing them, the stone also was christ Thus we perceyue that the see had a kynde of baptisme, & the clowde also that the fathers of the olde Te­stamēt ware baptized in the cloude & in the see. Coul­de the cloude or the see of thē selues haue the vertue of baptisme, or coulde they sanctifye the people. Yet dare we not accuse the Apostell of lyenge, for that he sayd our fathers ware baptyz [...]d in the cloud & in the see. And although y ^e baptysme was a type & a fygure of the baptysme of christ y ^t is now vsed in the church Yet no mā that hath hys wytnes wyl say, that it also was not baptysme it selfe, or that oure fathers ware not baptyzed therin, except he wyll varye frome the Apostell as a mad mā. Therfore the see & clowde, not in that they ware creatures & bodyes deade, toke the clerenes of sanctifycatiō of y ^e holy speryte. For in thē was a visyble forme whych appereth playnlye to the corporall sence, and wythin a spirituall power which was onely euydent to the eyes of the mynde & fayth. [Page]Lykewyse manna geuen to the people frō heauē & the water flowinge out of the rocke ware corporall and corporally they fedde the people & gaue thē drinke, Yt the Apostel nameth that manna & that water spiritu­all meat, & spiritual drinke. and why verely bycause that there was in thos corporall substāces a spiritual power of the worde, whych fedde the myndes, rather then the bodyes of the beleuynge people & spiritually gaue thē drinke, & not wythstanding theyr meate and drynke dyd prefygurate the bodye & bloude of christe whych the church doth [...]rate. Yet saynt Paule affyrmeth that oure fathers dyd eate the same spirituall meate, and drinke the same spiritual drinke.

A mā wyll aske perauenture what he meaneth by this worde (the same) truly he meaneth that they dyd eate the same spirituall meate whyche the faythfull eateth & drinketh now a dayes in the church, we may not vnderstande dyuers thynges, for christe is & was alwayes on. And the same christ whych fedde the people that ware thē baptyzed in the deserte, in the clowde, & in the see wyth hys flesshe and his bloude, fedeth now the people in the church of hys faythful with the breade of hys bodye, & the water of hys bloude, thys thynge the Apostel dyd playnly declare by that which foloweth, sayenge: they haue eatē the same spirituall meate & dronkē the same spirituall drinke They dyd drinke of the same spirituall stone followyng them & the stone was christe So we vnderstande that christ was in the spirituall stone in the deserte. And that he gaue the water of hys bloude to the people And afterwarde gaue to vs hys bodye whyche was borne of a virgyn & crucifyed for the helthe of the faythfull. And not only that we myght be redemyd: but also that we myght drynke therof. It is a maruelous thynge: that Christ all though he was incūprehensyble & inestima­ble [Page]And that he had not yt put vpon hym the nature of man, had not yet tasted death for the helthe of the worlde, nor redemyd vs wyth hys bloud. For al that our fathers in the deserte by a spiritual meate & an inuisyble drinke, dyd eate hys body & drynke hys blou­de. As the apostell wytnesseth, sayeng: our fathers haue eaten the same spirituall meate, & dronken the sa­me spirituall drinke, here we cannot know by reason how this thinge was done. Yet to the doynges fayth must be adhibited for it is he truly whych by hys om­nipotente vertue turneth the breade & the wyne spiri­tually into hys flesshe & hys bloude, & also whyche at the tyme made inuycyble the manna that was gyuen from heauē hys body, & the water powred out of the rocke his blode The which Dauid perceyuinge dyd protest in the holy goost, sayenge: man hath eaten the breade of angels. It ware a fond thynge to suppose that thys corporall manna geuen to oure fathers, fe­deth the heuenly hoost of angels, or that they do eate any suche meate which be rether fedde wyth the dayntyes of goddes worde The psalmyst declar [...]th playne or the holye goost rather speaketh in the psalmyste, both what our fathers receyued in that heauēly manna, and what the faythfull ought to beleue in the my­sterie of y ^e body & blode of christ: in the both truly christ is signifyed, whych is not only the meate of angels, but also fedeth the soules of the faytfull. And neyther of these happen in corporall tast or feadyng, but in y ^e vertue of the spirituall worde, The euāgeliste teachet that Iesus christe before he suffred, toke breade gaue thākes & distributed it to his apostles, sayeng: thys is my body whych shalbe geuē for you, do this in my re­membraunce. Lykewyse he toke the cup after he had supt, sayeng: thys is the newe testamēt in my bloude, which shalbe shed for you. We se y ^t christ dyd worke y ^e mistery of his body & blode before he suffered. We [Page]dought not but euery faythfyll man beleueth that the breade was made the bodye of christe whych he gaue to hys disciples, sayeng: thys is my body that is geuē for you. And also that the cuppe dyd cōteyne the bloude of christ, whereof he sayeth, thys cuppe is the newe testament in my bloude that shalbe shedde for you. Therfore as he coulde turne the substance of breade and the creature of wyne into hys proper body befo­re he dyed So coulde he in the deserte, turne the manna and the water of the rocke into hys flesshe & blou­de not wythstandinge that his fleshe was hanged on the crosse for vs. And hys bloude shed for vs longe after heare also we ought to consyder what is ment by thes wordes, excepts you shall eate the flesshe of the sonne of mā, & drynke hys bloude, you shall not haue lyfe in you. He sayde not that hys flesshe whych han­ged on the crosse shulde be eatē in pecys & eaten of the Apostles, nor that hys blode whych he shedde for the redēptiō of the world sholde be gyuē hys disciples to drinke, for it ware a wycked thing, yf hys fleshe shuld be eatē or his bloud dronkē as the infydelles toke it. Therfore, he sayd to his disciples takyng the wordes of christ not vnfaythfully, yt scarcely perceyuing how the same was to be vnderstand, thes doughtes offēde Therfore yf you shall se the sonne of mā ascendynge thether where as he was before As though he shulde saye, you maye not thynke my fleshe to be eatē of you corporally, or my bloude to be drouken of you corpo­rally, neyther that my flshe shalbe deuyded into pecys for asmuch as after my resurrectiō ye shal se me affende into heauē wyth the fulnes of my holy body & blode thē ye shal wel perceyue that my fleshe is not to be ea­tē of thos that beleue as the infydels thynke, but that the bread & the wyne chaunged by a mysterye into the substance of my body & bloude is to be receyued of the [Page]faythfull, he sayeth also cōsequētly. The sperite is he that quickeneth the flesh profyteth nothing after eny such sorte as the vnfaythfull vnderstande, other wyse it gyueth lyfe as the faythfull take it by a mysterye. And therfore he sayeth, y ^e sperite is he that quickeneth So in this mysterye of the body & bloude of Christe, here is a spirituall operacion geuyng lyfe, wyth u [...]e the whych operacion the mysteryes be vnprofyatable for well maye they fede the bodye: but the soule they cannot Here springeth a questiō, [...]e whych proposed some saye that thos thynges be done in verite, & not in mysterye wherin they shewe them selues playn [...]lye to repungue agaynst the wrytynges of the holye fa­thers. Saynte Austen the doctour of the churche in the thyrde of hys boke de doctrina christ [...]ana wryteth thus Excepte you eate (sayeth our sauyour) the fleshe of the sonne of man & drynke hys bloude, you shal haue no lyfe in you, He semyth to commaund a wycked thyng, therfore it is a fygure cōmandyng vs to be cō municators of hys passion, surelye also & profytable to peruerte in our memories, that his fleshe was [...]ō ­dyd & crucifyed for our sakes Thus saynt Austen af­fyrm [...]th the mysterye of the body and bloud of christ to be celebrate of the faythfull vnder a fygure, for he sayeth it is no poynte of religion but rather of iniquite to take hys flesshe a [...]d hys bloud carnally, as they did whych vnderstode not christ [...]s wordes spyry [...]ual­lye but carnallye & wente back therfore and departed from hym. Among many thynges in hys Epystell to bonyeface he wryteth thus. Truelye we vse to saye of tymes when Ester draw [...]th nere that tomorowe or nexte daye shalbe the passyon of the Lorde: not wyth­standyng he suffered hys passiō many yeres befor. Neyther dyd he suffre but ons Also on Easter day, we cu­stomably saye this daye the Lorde hath rysen And it manye yeares hath passyed in dede syns he rose. [Page]for sayēg this we shuld be reported as shameful lyers sauing that we do name thys after the sim [...]litude of the dayes them selues, wherin the thinges were done So we may say thys is the daye, though it be not the day it selfe in dede. But by the reuelacyon of tyme lyke vnto it. And so we say the thynge is done this day for the celebraciō of the sacramēt, whych is not done thys day in dede, but was done a great whyle before was not christ once offred in him selfe? And yet in the sacramēt, he is offred to the faythful people, not only euery Easter, but euery day, nether is he founde a lyer that answereth to a man (askyng the questiō) that he is offered For yf the sacramēt had not a certayne sy­m [...]litude of those thinges wherof they be sacramētes they were no sacramētes at all, for the lykenes many tymes the sacramētes take the names of the thynges thē selues. Therfore lyke as after a sorte the sacramēt of the body of christ, is the body of christ, & the sacra­mēt of y ^e bloud of christ, is the bloud of christ. So the sacramet of fayth is fayth. Thus we perceyue that saint Austē affyrmeth the sacramēt to be one thyng, & the thynge it selfe to be another thynge, wherof the sacramente is the bodye in the whyth christ suffered, & the blode whych flowed from his syde are the thyn­ges, but the mysteries of thē (sayeth he) be the sacra­mentes of the body and bloude of christ, which ar ce­lebrated in remēbraunce of chrystes passyon. Not on­ly at euery pascall solēnite, but euery day in the yere. And although there is but one body of the lord in the whych he suffered: & but one bloud that was shed for the helthe of the worlde, yet the sacramentes of these thynges haue taken there names, so that we cal thē y ^e body and bloude of christe for the similitudes of the thinges which they signifye. So they be called after the same maner as the pascall feaste and the resur­rection [Page]are whyche verelye be celebrated, & yet chryste suffred but once in hym selfe, and rose agayne, nether can those dayes be reuoked for they are paste. The dayes in the whych the memorie of the lordes passion & resurrection be celebrated are named the selfe same dayes in whych chryst suffered and rose, because they haue a symilitude of the verye same dayes in dede. Wherfore we say, thys day, tomorowe or nexte daye is the resurrection of the lorde. Not withstandinge y ^t the day in the whiche be rose in dede, is many yeares past. Do we saye that the lorde is offered, whan the sacrament of hys body and bloude be celebrated. Where as he was offered but ones in hym selfe for the health of the worlde. As the apostles sayeth, christ suffred ones for you, leauynge an example that you myght folow hys fotesteppes. He doth not saye that he suffereth euery daye, whych he dyd once. He hath lefte vs an example whych is dayly presented to those whych beleue in the mystery of the bodye & bloude of christ. That whosoeuer shall come to it, maye knowe that he ought to be assocyate to hys passions, whose Image he loketh for in the holy mysteries accordinge to the sayeng of the wyse mā. Thou arte come to the table of a greate man, attende deligently what thyn­ges are set before the, knowynge that thou thy selfe must prepare lyke thynges. To come to y ^e table of a great man is to be partaker of the lordes souper The consyderation of the thynges set before the is the in­tellygence of the body & bloude of christ. Wherfore whosoeuer is partaker, let hym know that he ought to prepare lyke thynges. That is to say, he muste imi­tate christ in dyenge wyth hym, the remembraunce of whose death he acknowledgeth, not onely in beleuinge, but also in tastynge.

Furthermore saynt Paule sayeth to the Ebrews: yt [Page]was meete that we shuld haue such a byshop. That is to saye, holy Innocent, wythout spotte segregate from synners, and hygher then the heauens, whyche shall not nede as the other byshoppes, dayly to offer for hys owne synnes, and after for the synnes of the people. Thys oure Lorde Iesus christe hath done in offerynge hym selfe once, and that whych he dyd once, he doth now dayly frequēt, once he offered him selfe for the synnes of the people, the same oblaciō is dayly celebrate among the faythfull: but it in a misterye, for that whych christ hath once fulfylled in offe­rynge hym selfe is dayly done in the church in the re­membraunce of hys passion by the celebraciō of my­steryes. Neyther it is falsly sayd, that the Lord is offered, or that he suffereth in y ^e mysteries, for asmuch as they haue the symilitude of hys death and passiō wherof they be representatiōs. Wherfore the mysteries be named the body and bloude of christ, because they take the appellation of thinges wherof they be sacramentes.

SAynt Ysodore in hye boke wherin he entreteth of the true sygnificatiō of words, sayeth y ^t a sacrifyce is an holy thynge done, or the doynge of an holy thynge, for by a mystical prayer it is cō secrate in the remembraunce of the Lordes passion. Therfore he cōmaundeth vs to call it the body and bloude of christ, And though it be made of the frutes of the earth, it is sanctifyed and made a sacramēt by the inuysible working of the holy ghost. The greciās do call thys sacramēt, eucharistia, that is by interpretaciō. good grace, and what is better then the bodye and bloude of christ The bread and the wyne truely are comparyd to the body and blond of christ. Because that as the vysyble substance of bread and wyne [Page]doth norysh and inebriate the externe mā, so the worde of god (which is the lyuely bread) by hys pertici­patiō doth recreate the myndes of the faythful. And this catholike teacheth that the same mystery of the Lordes passiō muste be done for vs in the remēbrance of the same. Thus he declareth that y ^e Lords pas­sion was once done, & that the memorie of it is re­presented in the solemnicies of holy thinges. Wherfore the breade whyche is made of the frutes of the ground is transposyd whyles he is sanctifyed into the bodye of christ. And the wyne that floweth oute of the grape by the sanctificaciō of the godly myste­rye, is made the bloude of christ, not visybly: but af­ter the mynde of thys present doctor through the operation of the holy goost, wherfore they ar called the body and bloude of Christ and so taken, not bycau­se they do so appere externely: but for that they ar so made by the worke of the holy gooste, and for that they be an other thyng by the inuysyble power, thē vysyble they seme to be. He maketh a distinctiō whyles he sayeth. The bread and the wyne be comparyd to the body and bloud of christ. Bycause that as the substaunce of the visyble bread wyne doth inebriate and norysh the externe mā, so the word of god which is the lyuely bread (by the participacion of it) dothe refreshe & recreate the myndes of the faythful. Herein he confesseth very playnly, that what externe thinge soeuer we receyue, it is accommodate to the refection of the body: but the worde of god whych is the inuisible bread beyng in the sacrament inuisyble, by thys participacion in quyckening the myndes of the faythfull feadeth thē. Also the same doctor sayeth: a sacrament is in some celebracion, when the thyng is so done that it maye he vnderstonde to sygnyfye some what whych is to be taken wyth holynes, by [Page]this he declareth, y ^t eny sacramēt in holy thynges conteyneth some secret & y ^t teaching which appereth visible & y ^t whych we ought to perceyue inuysyble be dyuers. Afterwarde he declareth what sacramentes are to be celebreate amonge the faythfull, that is the sacrament of baptysme and of the bodye and bloude of Christe whych are called sacramentes for that a deuyne ver­tue doth secretely worke the helthe receyued in them vnder the couer of corporall thynges. Wherfore they be called sacramentes, of secret or holye vertue. He sayeth also that a mystery by his sygnifycaciō is that whych hath an hyd, and secrete disposycion. Here in we be taught that the bodye and bloude of christe be called mysteries, bycause they haue an hydde and and se­crete disposicion. That is to saye, a sacramente hath one thynge whych he doth externely and playnely de­clare and on other thynge whych worketh inuysyble. They be called sacramentes, for that a godlye vertue doth secretely dispose the helthe of them whych faythfully take them vnder the couer of corporall thynges Hether to haue we declared that the bodye and blou­de of Christ whych are receyued in the church by the mouthes of the faythfull be fygures after the vysyble forme, but after the inuisible substance that is to saye through the power of goddes worde they be the very bodye and bloude of christe, Therfore by the visible creatures they feade and noryshe the bodye, but by the vertue of the more excellente substaunce they feade and sancti­fye the mynde of the faythfull.

¶ The seconde question foloweth.

NOw let vs cōsyder the seconde questiō. Whether y ^e same body y ^t was borne of marie, that sufferd dyed was buryed & sytteth on y ^e ryght hand of y ^e father, be y ^e body which [...]s dayly receyued in the church by y ^e mouthes of the faythful in the mysterie of the sacrament or no. &c. Saynte Am­bros in the fyrst boke of sacramēts sayeth Truly it is a meruelous th [...]ng that god dyd rayne māna frō heauē for our fathers, and that they ware dayly fedde wyth heauēly noryshemētes, Wherfore it is sayd man hath eaten the breade of angels. But yf al they whych eate bread in the deserte are dead. Thys meate [...] whych thou receyueste. Thys lyuely breade whych hath discendyd from heauen doth myn [...]ster y ^e substance of euerlastinge lyfe. And who so eateth of thys bread shall neuer dye for it is the body of christ Se how thys doctor calleth the body of christ meate which the faythfull receyue in the church. Thys breade sayeth he whych hath discendyd frō heauē, doth minister the substaunce of euerlastynge lyfe, not that whych is sene corporally receyuyd, pressed with teeth swalowed wyth throte, and sent downe into the be­lye, doth mynister the substance of euerlastynge lyfe. For by thys [...] feadeth the flesh whych shal dye. Neyther can it mynister any incorrupcion. In thys respecte trulye we can not saye who soeuer shall eate thys bread shall neuer dye, for that whych the body recey­ueth is corruptible, & cannot by any meane bryng to passe that the bodye maye lyue euer, for whatsoeuer is subiecte to corrupcion can gyue no eternyte, Therfore in that breade there is lyfe whych appereth not to oure corporall ey [...], but that is loked vppon wyth the aspects of oure fayth, that is the lyuely breade indede [Page]that discended frō heauē and of the whych it is truly spokē. Whosoeuer eateth thys breade shall ne­uer dye, whych is the body of christ. Also in the consequences, where he speaketh of the omnipotēr vertue of christ, he sayeth thus, the worde of christe, whyche coulde make of nothing that whych was not, is able to chaunge thos thynges whych be into that thynge whych they were not, for it is harder to gyue newe thynges, then to chaunge natures. Saynte ambrose sayeth in the mysterie of the body and bloud of christ there is a cōmutaciō made marueloously, for it is made by an incomprehensyble maner, let thē saye here whych esteme not the secrete vertue: but the whole whych appereth visyble, how and in what poynt he­re happeneth cōmutaciō, for after y ^e substance of the creatures, they be euen the same thynges after the cō secration, that they were before. For before the consecration they were breade and wyne, & after they ap­pere to remayne in the same kynde styl. Therfore the mutaciō is made internely by the power of the holy goost, whych only fayth loketh vpō, Which feadeth the soule and mynistreth the substance of euerlasting lyfe. He sayeth also, why doest thou seke for the order of nature here in the body of christe, sayenge he was bor [...]e of a virgyn beynge both god and mā beyonde the course of nature. Here also ryseth the hearer and affyrmeth the bodye of christ to be that whych is se­ [...]e, and the bloude whyche is dronke Say [...]nge that he ought not to enquyre how it is made: but to beleue that it is made: He appereth to thynke wel, but yf he consyder delygently the nature of wordes, he shal pereceyue he sayeth not the thynge which he beleueth. For yf he myghte saye I se the bodye and bloude of Christ he could not saye I beleue the body and bloude of christ, to be there, Now for asmuche as faythe [Page]loketh on the hole, whatsoeuer it be, and the eye of the fleshe apprehendeth no thynge, he shall vnderstande that the bodye and bloude or christe be not in the forme but in vertue. Wherfore he sayth that the order of nature is not to be loked for, but the power of Christ to be worshypped whych doth create what soeuer he lyste, and chaungeth that thynge whyche is create into some what that it was not before, at hys pleasure,

The same auctor sayeth, that was the trewe and verye fleshe whyche was crucyfyed and bu­ryed. Truly therfore of the same flesshe the sacramēt [...]s, the Lord sayeth thys is my bodye. Howe dyligently & how wysely hath he made a distinctiō, where he sayeth touchyng the fleshe whych was crucified and buryed. Thys is the true fleshe of Christe, but tou­chynge that whych is receyued in the sacrament, he sayeth, thys is the sacramente of the true fleshe, so deuydinge the sacrament of the fleshe, from the very fleshe for asmoche as he sayde in the verye fleshe whych he toke of the vyrgyne marye, he was crucy­fyed and buryed.

But he affyrmeth the mysterye whych is done in the churche to be the sacramente of the verye fleshe in the whyche Christe suffered, instructynge the faythfull, that the flesshe in the whyche Christe suffred and was crucifyed and buryed, is not a mysterye, but the verye naturall flesshe. But thys flesshe whyche nowe conteyneth the symylytude of the verye fleshe in my­sterie, is not fleshe in kynde, nor in for me, but in Sa­crament.

For in kynde it is breade and in Sacramente the true bodye of Christe▪ As the LORDE cryeth thys is my bodye. Also he sayeth further, that the holye ghooste hathe other wyse expressed thys, sayen­ge, [Page]What shall we eate, or what shall we drynke. Mat. v. Also by hys Prophete, sayenge, Taste and se for the LORDE is swete, blessed is that man whyche trusteth in hym.

Do you thynke that thys breade tasted corpo­rallye? or thys wyne dronken corporally? can you de­clare howe swete the breade is? whatsoeuer sauou­reth is corporall and declareth the bodye sence. Shall we thynke to taste the LORDE, is to feade anye corporall thynge? Therfore the spirituall taste byd­dyth vs to proue the sauer, and in that breade and that drynke to opynyonate nothyng corporally, but to feale the hole spiritually, for the LORDE tru­lye is a sperite. He sayeth further in the Sacramente is Christe. For the bodye of Christe is there: but he doth not saye that the wyne or the breade is Christe, For yf he sholde saye so (as God forbydde he sholde) then he muste pronounce the bodye of Christe to be corporall. And subiecte to mortalite for what soeuer is perceyued and tasted in that meate corporally is subiecte to corruption, he addeth thes wordes, (or it is the bodye of Christe.

Therfore peraduenture a man wyll saye, lo he doth manyfestelye confesse the breade and the wyne to be the bodye of Christe. But take hede howe it is added, for it is no corporall meate but a spyrytuall meate. Therfore you shall not adhybit the sence of the flesshe. For nothynge is perceyued here after that sense.

There is the bodye of Christe howe be it not corporall but spirituall. The bloude of Christe is the­re, howe be it not corporall but spirituall. Therfore nothynge here is to be iudged corporally. Here is the bodye of Christe, but not corporally. Here is the bloude of Christe but not corporally. He sayeth further [Page]wherfore the apostel speakynge of the figu­re of thys sacramēt, sayeth our fathers haue eatē the same spiritual meate, and dronken the same spiritu­all drinke, for the body of christ is a spirituall bodye the bodye of christe is the bodye of the deuyne spirite. For christ is a sperite as we rede lamentationū l 4 [...]0 ‘Spiritus ante faciā nostram xp̄s dominus.’ He hath taught vs moste playnely howe we ought to vnder­stande the mysterye of the bodye and bloude of christ what he sayde, that our fathers dyd eate the spiritu­all meate, and drynke the spirituall drinke, notwyth­standynge that the manna whych they eate, and the water whych they dronke were corporall thynges, he a [...]dyth of the mysteryes which is now celebrate in the churche, defynynge how it is the bodye of christe. The bodye of god sayeth he, is a spirituall body. Al­so god is christe, and the bodye whych he toke of the virgyn marye, in the whych he suffered, in the whych he was buryed, in the which he rose agayne was the very and the trew bodye, and the same remayned vi­syble and palpable, but the body whych is called the mysterye of god is not corporall, but spirituall, it is not visyble nor palpable. To this doth saynte ambrose adioyne sayenge, the bodye of Christe is the bodye of the deuyne sperite, and a deuyne sperite is not cor­porall corruptyble ne palpable, but this body whych is celebrate in the church through hys vysyble vynde is corruptable and palpable. Howe then is it calied the body of the deuyne spirite? Verely in the respecte that it is spirituall. That is to saye inuisyble and inpalpable, and therfore incorruptable, he sayeth because Christ is a spirite, as we rede Spiritus ante faciā nostrā christus dominus. He sheweth manyfestlye by what mean the bodye of Christe is hadde, that is to saye by the reason that the sperite of Christe is in it, [Page]that is the power of goddes worde, whych doth not only feade the soule but also purgeth it. Wherfore the auctor consequentely sayeth. Thys meate cōformeth our hartes, and thys drinke maketh gladde the harte of man as the prophete hath mencyon [...]d, is it not corporall meate thynke you whyche confyrmeth the harte of man or corporall drynke whych exhilia­rate mans harte? but that he myghte shewe: what meat or what drynke he speaketh of, (he hath added thys meate, and this drinke, what meat doth he meane? or what drynke? Verely the bloude of Christ, the body of the deuyne sperite. And to speake playnely, the sperite of whom it is reade. Spiritus ante faci­am nostram xp̄s, dominus In all thys thynges it is euident, that we muste take nothynge in thys mea­te or thys drynke corporally: but that the hole muste be attendyd spiritually. For the soule wyth in thys place is sygnyfyed by the harte of man, is not fedde wyth corporall meate or corporal drynke: but nurysshed it is and made strōge wyth the worde of God. Which thing this same doctor affyrmeth more pl [...]ynlye in the fyrst boke of the sacraments, sayenge: The bread whych goeth into our bodyes, is not the bread whyche mynystreth substaunce to oure soules, but the breade of euerlastynge lyfe. And the lesson follo­wyng declareth moste playnely, that saynte Ambro­se dyd not meane here the romē bread but the breade of the bodye of Christe. For he doth speake of the daylye breade whych the faythfull desyreth to be gy­uen them. And therefore he addyth, yf it be daylye breade, why doeste thou take it but ons in the yere? as the grecyans were wount in the ester. Take ther­fore that whych maye daylye profytt the and lyue so that thou mayest desyre to take it daylye. Therfore it is [Page]vertue: And it is cleane another thyng whych is sen [...] externly frō that which is beleued in the mysterie Moreouer the flesshe of christe that was crucifyed, did not shewe one thyng out wardly, and was an o­ther thyng inwardely, for it was the verye flesshe of man, and a body consystynge in the kynde of a very body. We must also consydre, that in the breade, not only the body of christ is fygured, but also the body of the beleuyng people. For as the bread is made of many graynes of wheate, so the bodye of the fayth­full people, is augemented with manye of those that beleue, by the word of chryste. Wherfore as in the mysterye the breade is taken for the body of chryste, so lykewyse the membres of the beleuinge people in chryst, be intinuate in the same mysterye. And as the breade is the bodye of the faythfull men, not corpo­rally but spiritually So we must necessarely vnder­stande, that the same is the body of christ, not corpo­rally, but spiritually Lykewyse in the wyne whyche [...]s called the bloude of christ, water is myxte, and the one is permytted wythout the other. For as the people can not be wythout Christe, nor christe wythout the people: so the head cannot be wythout the bodye nor the bodye wythout the heade. The water in thys sacrament, beareth the Image of the people. Ther­fore yf that the wyne sanctifyed by the offyce of the mynister, were corporally chaūged into the blode of Christ: then the water whych is myxte wyth it, shulde necessarely be chaunged corporally into the blode of he faythfull people. For where as is one sanctifica [...]yon, there is consequently one operacion: and wheras is lyke reason, there is lyke mysterye. But we se [...]hat nothynge is chaunged in the water corporally: [...]herfore it foloweth, that nothynge is chaunged corporally in the [...]: what soeuer is signifyed in the [Page]water of the people, is taken spiritually: therfore we must nedis take spiritually, whatsoeuer is intinuate in the wyne of the body of chryst. Moreouer thinges which do dyffer, be not all one. The bodye of christe that dyed, rose agayne, and was immortal, dyeth no more, death shall no more beare rule ouer it, for it is eternall and shall suffre no more. But that whych is celebrate in the churche is temporal, not eternal, cor­ruptible, not incorruptible, in the way, not in our cōtrey Therfore they dyffer and be not all one, and yf they be not all one how is it called the body of christ and the verye blode? For yf it be the verye bodye of christ, and be called the same: Truly because it is the body of christe, it is the body of christe in verite, that is to say. Yf it be the very body of christ, then it is y ^e body of christ incorruptyble and inpassyble, and by that eternall. Therfore by thys reason, the bodye of christ whych is celebrate in the churche, must neades be incorruptible, and eternall: but we can not denye that thyng to be corruptible, whych is deuyded in peces, broken with our tethe, and goeth into the belye: but that is one thyng whych is done externly, & that an other whych is beleued by fayth, whatsoeuer the sences attayne vnto, is corruptible, and that whych fayth beleueth is incorruptible, Therfore that which appereth outwardly, is not the thynge it self, but an Image of the thynge, but that whych is perceyued & understande in the mynde, is the very thynge. Ther­fore Saynt Austen speakynge of the body and blode of christ in the exposicyon of the gospell of S. Ihon sayet [...] thus. Moyses dyd eate manna, Aarō dyd eat [...] dyd eate, and many moo dyd eate whyche pleased god, & they dyed not Why? Uerelye because they vnd [...]stode the visyble meate spirituallye, they fylled them selues spirituallye, We also do receyue [Page]nowe the visible meate, yet the sacrament is one thīg and the vertue of the sacrament an other, he sayeth also. This is the breade whiche discended from heuē Manna dyd signifye this breade, the altare of god dyd sign [...]fye this breade, these ware sacramentes, & dyuers in theyr fygures, yet in the thynge whiche is signifyed, they were lyke, Here the apostle Paule. I wolde not haue you ignoraunte, o brethren (sayeth he) that our fathers were vnder a cloude, and al they passed ouer the see, and all were baptysed in moyses in the cloude, and in the see, and all they dyd eate the same spirituall meate, & all they dyd drynke the same spirituall drynke, therfore they dyd eate the same spirituall meate that we do, for there corporall meate was an other thynge, they dyd eate manna, we eate an other thynge, yet theyr spirituall meate was all one with oures, he addith, and all they dyd drynke on spirituall drynke. In the visible kynde our drynke & they [...]is were dyuers: yet in the spirituall vertue, they dyd both signifye one thynge. How dyd they drynke the same? They dronke (sayeth he) of the spirituall stone folowynge them, and the stone truly was christ from whence they had the breade, from whence they had the drynke: the stone was chryste in a fygure, the very chryst is in fleshe and blode. Further this is the breade discendynge from heuen, that yf any man eate of it he shall lyue for euer: but it is that whiche perteineth to the vertue of the sacrament, and not the visyble sacrament it selfe. And he shall lyue whiche eateth within & not he y ^t eateth withoute, whiche eatethe in his harte, & not y ^t braketh w ^t his touthe. He sayeth also repetynge the wordes of out sauyour: this doth offend you, because I say, I gyue my flesh to be eatē of you, & my blode to be drōkē. Therfore yf you shal se: he son of mā ascēdyng where he was fyrst. What meaneth this? Here he dissolued y ^t which moued thē. [Page]Here he disclosed wherfore they were offēded. They thought that he wold haue spēt his body among thē But he sayde y ^t he wold ascend hole into heuē. Whā ye se the son of mā, ascēdyng where he was fyrst: truly then ye shall se, y ^t he wyll not bestowe his body so as ye santifye y ^t he wyll. Verely ye shall vnderstande y ^t his grace is not cōsumed by morsels. Also he sayth hym self. The spirite is he y ^t quyckeneth: y ^e flesh pro­fyteth nothyng. The wordes y ^t I haue spokē to you (sayeth christ) be spirite & lyfe: that is to say, they are spiritually to be vnderstande. Thou hast vnderstāde spiritually: they be spirite & lyfe vnto the. Thou hast vnderstād carnally? they be spirite & lyfe: but not to y ^e Thus we are taught, by y ^e auctorite of this doctor, in treatynge of the wordes of y ^e lord, touchīg the sacramēte of his body & bloude: y ^t those wordes of christe are to be vnderstande spiritually, & not carnally. As he sayeth, the wordes which I spoke to you be spirit & lyfe: he meaneth y ^e wordes y ^t he spoke cōcerning the eating of his flesh, & y ^e drinke of his blod: wher with the apostles were offēded. Therfore lest they shuld be offēded styl, y ^e [...]euyne mayster calleth thē agayne frō the flesh to the spirite: frō y ^e corporall visyon to y ^e inuisible intelligēce. We se therfore, after what maner the meate of y ^e body of y ^e lord: & the drink of his blod be his very body & his very blod. Verely ī the respect y ^t they be spirite & lyfe: thinges that be al one be cōprehended in one definicion: It is sayd of the very body of christ, that he is very god & very man: god y ^t was borne of the father before the begynninge: man that was borne in the later dayes of y ^e virgyn mary. Seynge that these thynges cannot be sayd of the body of christe whych is in the churche by a mysterye: it is knowen to be the body of christ, but after a certayn maner: thys maner is in fygure, and in Image, that the verite and the thynge it, selfe maye be perceaued [Page]in the prayers whyche are sayde after the mysterye, of the body & bloude of christ, to the whyche the peo­ple say amen. Thus it is pronunced, with the voyce of the preist: we takyng the pledge of euerlasting lyfe desyre most humbly, that we may receyue with manifest participacion, that thynge whych we touche in the Image of the sacramēt. Thus they be the pledge and the Image of an other thyng, that is to say, they respecte an other thyng and not thē selues A pledge is of that thynge, for the whych it is geuen. An Image is an Image, of that thynge whose symilitude it sheweth These do sygnifye the thinges wherof th [...]y be, but they do not manifestly shew them, saying: it is so, it appereth that this body a [...]d bloude, are the pledge and the Image of the thynge to come: that y ^e thynge it selfe, whych is now shewed by a symilitude may here after be reueled manyfestly. And yf they signifye that thyng now which here after shal be manyfeste: doutles it is one thynge whych is done nowe, and an other that shalbe manifeste in tyme to come. Wherfore that whych is celebrated of the church, is the bodye and bloude of christ: but it is a pledge, and as an Image, the verye bodye shal be sene: whan no Image and pledge shall appere, but the verite of the thynge it selfe. Thys also is another prayer whyche is vsed about the sacramente, Make perfyte in vs good lord we beseche the that that thyng whych the sacrament dothe conteyne, that we maye take those thynges in verite, whych at thys tyme we take in fy­gure He sayeth that these thynges be done in fygure and not in verite. That is by a symilitude, & not by the manifestacyon of the thynge it selfe. The fygure and the verite do dyffer betwene them selues. Wherfore the body and bloud that be now celebrate in the churche, do dyffer frō the body and thy bloude why­che [Page]ar now knowē to be glorifyed, by the resurrection, thys body is the pledge, & the figure the other is the verye natural body. Thys we celebrate vnto such tyme as we may come to the other: and after that we shall come to it, the sacramētall body shalbe remoued nowe we se, that thes too bodyes differ asmuche the one, frō the other: as the pledge doth from the thynge for whych it is left, and as the ymage differeth from the thynge, wherfore it is the ymage [...] and as the fygu­re differeth from the verite, thus it is playne, that the mysterye of the body & bloude of christ, whych is re­ceyued of the faythful: in the churche: differeth frō the sayde body, that was borne of marye the virgyn, that suffered & was buryed, that rose agayne, ascēded into heauē, & sytteth on the ryght hande of the father. For thys whych is celebrate in the way muste be spiritually vnderstande, for fayth beleueth that thynge whych he seeth not, & that fedeth the soule spiritually, maketh glad the harte, gyueth euerlastynge lyfe, & incorrupti­on. Whyles no hede is takē to the thyng, that fedeth the body, that is pressed wyth the teeth, that is brokē in pecys: but that thynge, whych is takē in fayth spi­ritually, but that body in the whych christ suffered, & rose agayne, is hys proper bodye takē of the virgyne marye, palpable, & visyble: ye: after hys resurrection he sayth to his disciples. Why be you troubled, & why do fantises occupie youre hartes? loke vpō my fete and my hande for I am he, grope and see, for a spryte hath no fleshe, nor bones as ye se that I haue. Let vs also here what saynte fulgencius sayeth in hys boke of fayth, beleue stedfastly & doute not, but the onelye beggottē sonne of god, the worde was made fleshe, & that he offered hym selfe for vs, as a sacrifice to god, in the order of swetnes: vnto whō wyth the father & the holy gost, the patriarkes, y ^e prophetes, the priests [Page]of the olde testamēt, dyd sacrifice beastes, & vnto whō wyth the father & the holye ghost, wyth whō he hath lyke deuynite: the holy vnyuersal church through out all the world [...], seaseth not in fayth, & charite, nowe to offer the sacrafice of breade & wyne. In thos fleshely sacrifyces, was the significaciō of the fleshe of christ, whych he offered for our synnes: & a significacion of the bloude that he shede, for the remission of our synnes but in sacrifice of breade & wyne, is the action of thankes, & the cōmemoraciō of the fleshe of christ, that he offered for vs & of the bloude that he shedde for vs Wherof of Saynte Paule speaketh in the actes of the apostles sayenge: take hede to you & youre vniuersall flocke, in the whyche the holye gooste hath made you byshopes, to gouerne the church of god, that he hath acquyred wyth hys bloude, therfore in the former sa­cr [...]fyces, it was sygnifyed figuratyuely what shoulde be gyuen vs, & in thys it is euydently shewed, what is gyuen vs already, for asmuche as he sayeth, that in y ^e former sacrifyces, it was sygnifyed what shold be ge­uen vs, & in thys sacrifice, we remēbre what is gyuen vs already. He declareth, that as the sacrifices of the olde lawe, was fygures of the thynge that was it to com [...]: so thys sacryfice is a figure of the thyng which is already past. By these wordes he hath moste playnly shewed, how muche difference is betwene the body in whych christ suffered: & the body whych is celebrate in the remēbraunce of hys passiō, & death, for the bo­dye wherin he suffered, is the proper & the verye body hauyng no mysterie nor fygure in hym. But thys is a mystycall body, shewying one thynge externely by a fygure, & representyng an other thynge internly through the intellec [...]iō of fayth. Yt let vs adde an other testy­money of saynte Austen that shall both affyrme oure wordes, & fynyshe oure oracion. In the sermone that [Page]he made to the people, touchyng the sacrament of the alter, he sayeth thus. The thynge whych you se in the alter of god, was sene of you the last nyght, but what it is, or what it meaneth, or of how [...] great a thyne it conteyneth the sacrament ye haue not it hearde The thyng whych you se is bread & wyne, & that your [...]s do argue: but as your fayth requyreth to be instructe the bread is the body of christ, & the wyne hys bloude it is quyckely sayed, that fayth perauenture is suffici­ent: but fayth doughtles, neadeth instructiō. Esa. [...]vi. sayeth. Except ye beleue, ye shal not vnderstāde. Therfore you maye saye vnto me, syr ye haue cōmaunded vs to beleue: now expounde to vs, howe we may vn­derstande, suche a cogitaciō maye ryse in some mans mynde. Ye knowe that our Lord Iesus toke hys fles­she of the virgyn marye, that he beyng an infante dyd socke, & was noryshed, & growed to a mans age, and brought to persecution of the Iewes, suffered, & vpō a crosse was kylled, & takē frō the crosse, was buryed and rose agayne the thyrde daye, and at hys pleasure ascendyd vnto heauen, and carryed hys body thether from whence he shall come to iudge the quycke, and deade, and there is he nowe syttyng of the ryght hande of the father, how therfore is the breade hys bodye and the wyne hys bloude? thes good brethren be cal­led sacraments, bycause that one thynge is sene in thē and an other vnderstande, that whych is sene, hath a corporall forme, & that whych is not sene hath a spirituall frute. In thes wordes, thy worshypfull auctor instructyng vs, what we ought to thynke of the pro­per bodye of the Lord, that was borne of marye, and sytteth nowe on the ryght hande of the father, in the whych he shall come to iudge the quycke & the deade. Also what we ought to thynke of the body set on the alter, wherof the people be partakers, the very bodye [Page]is hole, and not deuyded wyth any sectiō, neyther co­uered wyth any fygures: but thys bodye sette on the table of the Lorde is a fygure, because it is a sacra­ment. And the externe thynge whyche is sene, hath a corporall forme that feadeth the body: but the interne thyng whych is vnderstande, hath a spirituall fruite that quyckeneth the soule, and he wyllynge to speake more playnly and manyfestly of the mysticall bodye, sayeth thus, yf you wyll vnderstande the body of the Lord, heare the Apostell sayenge you be the bodye of christe And the membres. Therfore yf ye be the bodye of christe, and the membres of christ, your mysterye is conteyned in the Lordes souper, you take the myste­rye of the lord, and vnto that thyng whych you your selues be, you answre amē. And in answryng, you subscrybe, therefore thou hearest the body of christ & thou answrest amen. Be thou a mēbre of the body of christ that that the amen may be true. and wherin, in breade we wyll speake nothynge or oure owne heades, but heare the Apostell. We beynge manye (sayeth he) are one breade, and one bodye, &c. Therfore Sayn­te Augustyne hath taught vs, that as the bodye of Christe is sygnyfyed in the breade whyche is on the alter, so is the body of the people that receyueth it, Also he hath euidently shewed, that the proper bodye of chryste, is that body in the which he was borne of the virgyn marye, in the which he sucked in the whi­che he suffred, in the whiche he dyed, and was buried in the whiche he rose and ascended into heauen, in the whiche he sytteth of the ryght hand of the father and in the whiche he shall come agayne to iudgemet. But this whiche is set on the lordes table, contey­neth the mysterye of the very body: euen as it dothe of the mysterye of the beleuyng people. For the appo­stle sayeth. We beynge maney, are one breade and one bodye.

YOURE wysdome (most excellente prynce) may perceyue, that I haue prouyd by the te­stimonies of holy scryptures, and of the holy fathers: that the breade whiche is called the body of chryste, and the cup called his blode, is a fy­gure because it is a mysterye. And that there is no small dyfference, betwene the mystycall bodye, and y ^e bodye that suffered, was buryed and rose agayne. For this whiche suffered, is the proper body of oure sauyour. Neyther in it is any fygure, or signifycaci­on: but the manifestacyon of the thying it selfe is knowen. And the visyon of it shulde be desyred of the faythfull. For after we shall se it, youre desyre shalbe accomplyshed, for he and the father be all one, & not in the respecte of our sauyours bodye: but in the res­pecte of the fulnes of deuinite, that dwellethe in the man chryste, But in this mystycall body is a fygure, not onely of the proper body of chryst: but also of the people beleuyng in christ. For doutles it beareth the fygure both of the body of chryst that suffered & rose agayne, and of the people borne agayne by baptysme and made alyue from the death of sīne. Let vs adde also that the breade and the wyne, named the bodye and blode of chryst: do represent the memorye of the lordes passyon & death For he sayeth in the gospell. Do this in my remembraunce. the whiche paule ex­poundeth: sayenge So oft as ye eate of this breade & drynke of this wyne, you shall shewe the death of y ^e lorde tyll he come. Thus we be taught both of chryst and of paule, that the breade and the wyne set on the altare, are set for a fygure or a memory of the lordes deathe, that it maye putte vs in remembraunce in the tyme present, what hath bene done in tyme past, that we made myndfull of his passyon, may be made also partakers of the godly rewarde, by the which we ar delyuered from death. Knowynge that after we shal [Page]once come to the visyon of chryste, we shall haue no nide of suche instrumentes, by the whiche we are put in remembraunce what chryst hath suffered for vs. For we lokynge on hym face to face. shall not be ad­monyshed by an externe admonicion of temporall thī ­ges: but by the contemplacyon of the truth it selfe. Yet we may gyue thankes to the auctor of our helth [...]t you shall not thinke for all this, that the body and blode of the lorde is not receyued of the faythfull in the mysterye of the sacrament sayenge that fayth re­ceyueth not the thyng loked vppon w ^t oure eyes, but that whiche is beleued. For the meate is spirituall, & the drynke is spirituall, feadyng the soule spiritually and gyueth the lyfe of euerlastyng secrete: as our sa­uyour sayeth The spirite is he that quyckeneth, the flesshe profyteth nothynge. W [...]les I haue indeue­red to obey the cōmaundement of your excellencye. I a man of small importancye, haue presumed to dispute of no small thynges: yt not folowynge the pre­sumptyon of myne owne estimacyon or Iudgement But the auctoritie of the olde fathers, yf it happen y ^t you approue these thynges as catholyke, it muste be imputed to be merytes of our fayth, which was not ashamed (the glorye of your regall magnificēce layed awaye for a tyme) to aske a responce of the truth, of a pore man: but yf they please you not: let it be imputed to my folyshnes it coulde not with efficacye explicate that thynge whiche you desyred.