To the reader.
THou shalt vndersta~d
good reader that in
the yere M.D.xivi
at easter or pash time
I receiued this bysshops
boke called his
Declaration writen agenst me. what
tyme, for such trouble and vnquietnes
as I sustained in flying & fliting
from place to place, it was witsontide
folowi~g ere I could peruse his boke
& gather out these principals and as
thou seest refute them. And yet then
because there went forth a straighte
commandement fro the emperour by
whose procurement I know not but
wel I weet, the byshop was in those
partis ambassiador not longe before
that no englysh bokes be no more pri~ted
at Anwerpe ne in any other places
of his nether partes of Germany
I coulde not get this my answer the~
printed without troublous tyme for
that the popes frendes so fiercelye
hunted for vs & our bokes and relisted
oure laboures with so greuous
nihibicions co~dempnacions, banishmentes
and burninges. If this boke
therfore seme to sharpe tothed, consider
in howe sharpe a tyme it was writen
and by whose counsel and labour
then most tirannously and vngodlye
so many good bokes, holy bybles, &
testamentes, yea & the innocent christen
holy members of christ were burned.
Beholde howe mercilessely and
most cruelly and vniustelye with all
spede, good men were then vexed, taken,
presoned, and condempned for
heretiques. No maruell then if anye
christen hert moues with pietie and
zele to Christ to his holy worde and
his poore chirche beholdinge this
cruell persecucio~ could ether co~taine
teares, refraine speach or penne. And
I namely whom this byshoppe that
yeare at Anwerpe diligentelie hunted
for, and in this his declaration on nowe
slaundereth with heresye. vntruely
reporteth my wordes, and gods holy
worde she violently wresteth vnto
his false doctryne. In this tyme therfore
very sorowfull also I was to see
so many simple vnlearned, hauinge
no iugement to decerne his false doctrine
fro the true, hitherto so perellousely
deceiued and seduced into so
many da~pnable errours by his false
bokes and falser preachinge. For so
longe as no aunswer was made, ne
his false doctrine confuted, his fyrste
tale so craftelye handled and painted,
myght appere to manye to seme
trwe, and the popes false doctrine to
be the gospel, especially to such as be
more redy to beleue lyes then the veritie,
and to them whiche yet more fauour
the romish religion then christs
and so highly yet depend of & esteme
this byshoppes lerning, that thei be
addict & sworne into it, as into anye
oracle oute of gods mouth. Ryghte
heuey I was therfore that this my
answere cold not be printed so sone
as it was writen, that the diligent
indifferent readers seinge and
heringe bothe the parties
might haue iuged which
of vs standeth vpon
the trwe parte, whiche
iugement he
geuethe, the
that by
his
spirit geueth the discrecion to
decerne al mens spiritis
and doctryne thorow
Iesus Christe. Amen.