The Artycles wherfore Iohan Fryth dyed, whiche he wrote in Newgate the .23. daye of Iune, the yeare of our Lorde .1533.

I doubt not deare bretherne, but that it doth some deale vexe you, to see the one parte haue all the wordes, and frely to speake what they lyste, and the other to be put to sylence, and not to be harde indyfferently. But referre your matters to God, whiche shortelye shall Iudge after a nother fashyon. But in the meane seasō, I shall rehearse vnto you the artycles for which I am condempned.

❧ They examyned me but of two artycles whiche are these.

|1. Article.| Fyrste whyther I thought there were any Purgatorye to pourge the soule after thys present lyfe. And I sayde, that I thought there was none. For man is made but of two partes, the bodye and the soule. And the bodye is pourged by the crosse of Christe, whiche he layeth vpon euery chylde that he receyueth: as afflyctyon, worldlye opressyon, persecucyon, emprysonment & cet. and deathe fynysheth synne. And the soule is pourged by the worde of God, which we receyue through fayth, vnto the healthe and saluacyon bothe of bodye and soule.

Now and yf I ded knowe any thyrde parte wherof we are made, I wolde also gladly graunt the .3. purgatory, but seynge I knowe none suche, I must denye the Popes purgatorye. Neuertheles I cownte neyther parte a necessarye artycle of our faythe, necessaryly to be beleued vnder payne of dampnacyon, whyther there be soche a purgatory or not.

|2. article.| The seconde artycle was thys, whyther that I thought, that the sacrament of the aulter was the bodye of Christe. And I sayde yea, that I thought that it was bothe Christes bodye and also our bodye, as Saynt Paule sayeth to the Corynthyans. i. Cori. 10.

In that it is made one breade of manye graynes it is our bodye, sygnyfyenge that we though we be manye, are yet one bodye: lykewyse of the wyne in that it is made one wyne of manye grapes.

And agayne in that it is broken, it is Christes bodye, sygnyfyenge that hys bodye shulde be broken, that is to saye: suffer deathe, to redeame vs from our iniquitees.

In that it was dystrybuted, it was Christes bodye, sygnyfyenge that as verelye as that sacramēt is dystrybuted vnto vs, so verelye is Christes bodye and the frute of hys passyō dystrybuted vnto all faythfull men.

In that it is receyued, it is Christes bodye, sygnyfyenge that as verelye as the outwarde man receyueth the sacramente with hys tethe and mouthe, so verelye dothe the inwarde mā, through faythe receyue Christes bodye and frute of hys passyon, ād is as sure of it, as of the breade that he eateth.

|Another questyō.| Well sayde they, do you not thynke that hys verye naturall bodye, bothe fleshe and bloode is reallye contayned vnder the sacrament, and there actuallye present, besyde all symylytudes? |¶ An answere.| No sayde I, I do not so thynke. Notwithstondynge I wolde not that anye shulde counte that I make my sayenge (whiche is the negatyue) anye artycle of the faythe. For euen as I saye that you oughte not to make anye necessarye artycle of the faythe of your parte (whiche is the affyrmatyue). So I saye agayne, that we make none necessarye artycle of the faythe of oure parte, but leaue it indyfferent for all men to Iudge therin, as GOD shall open hys harte, and no syde to condempne or dyspyse the other, but to nouryshe in all thynges brotherlye loue, and to beare others infyrmytees.

|S. Austens texte.| The texte of Saynt Austē which they there aleaged agaynste me, was thys: that in the sacrament Christe was borne in his owne handes. Whervnto I sayde: that S. Austen dothe full well expounde hym selfe. For in a nother place he sayeth. Ferebatur tanquā in manibus suis. That is, he was borne after a certayne maner, in hys owne handes. And by that he sayeth after a certayne maner, ye maye soone perceyue what he meaneth.

How be it yf. S. Austen had not thus expounded hym selfe, yet he sayeth ad Bonifacium, that the sacrament of a thynge, hath a symylytude or propertye of the thynge which it sygnyfyeth. And for that cause it hath manye tymes the name of the verye thynge whiche it sygnyfyeth. And so he sayeth that he bare hym selfe, because he bare the sacrament of hys bodye and bloode, whiche ded so earnestlye expresse hym selfe, that nothynge myght more do it. If you reade the place of S. Austen ad Bonifacium, whiche I alleage in my laste boke, ye shall soone see them answered.

|Chrisostomus.| A nother place they alleaged out of Chrisostome, which at the fyrste blushe seameth to make well for them. But yf it be well wayed, it maketh moche lesse for thē then they wene. The wordes are these.

|Chrisostomes wordes.| Doste thou see breade and wyne: Do they departe from thē into the draughte as other meates do? God forbydde. For as in waxe when it cōmeth to the fyer, nothynge of the substaunce remayneth nor aboundeth: so lykewyse thynke that the mysteryes are consumed by the substaunce of the body.

These wordes I expounded, by the wordes of the same doctoure Saynt Chrisostome, which in a nother homelye sayeth on thys maner. The inwarde eyes as soone as they see the breade, they flye over all creatures ād thynke not of the breade that is baken of the baker, but of the breade of euerlastynge lyfe, which is sygnyfyed by the mystycall breade.

Now conferre these places together ād you shall perceyue, that the laste expoundeth the fyrste clerely. Fyrste he sayeth, dost thou see breade and wyne? I answere by the seconde, nay. For the inwarde eyes as soone as they see the breade, thynke not of it, but of the thynge it selfe that is sygnyfyed therby. And so he seeth it and seeth it not. He seeth it with hys outwarde and carnall eyes, but hys inwarde eyes seeth it not. That is to saye: regarde not the breade or thynke not vpon it. Euen as we commonlye saye, when we playe a game necglygentlye (by my truthe I see not what I do) meanynge that our myndes is not vpon that thynge whiche we see with our outwarde eyes. And lykewyse we maye answere the nexte parte, where he sayeth.

|The exposycyō of S. Chrisosto, texte.| Do they departe from thē in to the draughte, as other meates do? Nay for sothe sayde I. For other meates do onelye come to nouryshe the bodye, and to departe in to the draught: But thys meate that I here receyue, is spyrytuall meate, receyued with faythe, and nourysheth vs euerlastynglye bothe bodye and soule, and neuer entereth into the draughte. And euen as before the outwarde eyes do see the breade, and yet the inwarde eyes do not regarde that or thynke vpon it: So lykewyse the outwarde man dygesteth the breade, and casteth it in to the draughte. And yet the inwarde mā doth not regarde that nor thynke vpō it: But thynketh vpon the thynge it selfe that is sygnyfyed by that breade.

|The true meanynge of Chrisostomes wordes.| And therfore sayde Chrysostome euen a lytle before the wordes whiche they here alleaged. Lyfte vp your mynde and hartes (sayde he) whereby he monysheth vs, to loke vpon and consyder those heauenly thynges, whiche are represented and sygnyfyed by the breade and wyne, and not to marke the breade and wyne in it selfe.

Here they wyll saye vnto me, that that is not Chrisostomes mynde. For by hys example he playnlye sheweth that there remayneth no breade nor wyne. That I denye. For the example in thys place proueth no more but that ye shall not thynke vpon the breade and wyne, no more then yf they were not there, but onelye vpon that thynge whiche is sygnyfyed by thē. And that ye maye euydently perceyue by the wordes folowynge where he sayeth, thynke that the mysteryes are consumed by the substaunce of the bodye.

|Soluciō| Now whyther Chrisostome thought that there remayned breade or none, bothe wayes shall our purpose be proued. Fyrst yf he thought there remayned styll breade and wyne, thē we haue our purpose. Now yf he thought that the breade and wyne remayned not, but were chaunged, thē are the breade and wyne neyther mysteryes nor sacramentes of the bodye and bloode of Christe. For that that is not, cā neyther be mysterye nor sacrament.

|Conclusyon.| Fynalle yf he spake of the outwarde apperaunce of breade: then we knowe that that remayneth styll and is not consumed by the substaunce of the bodye. And therfore he muste neades be vnderstonde as I take hym.

I thynke many men wonder how I can dye in thys artycle, seynge that it is no necessary artycle of our faythe, for I graunte that neyther parte is an artycle necessary to be beleued vnder payne of dampnacyon, but leaue it as a thynge indyfferent, to thynke therin as God shall instyll in euery mans mynde, and that neyther parte condempne other for thys matter, but receyue eche other in brotherly loue, reseruynge eche others infyrmyte to God.

|Beholde the cause of my death.| The cause of my deathe is thys, because I can not in conscyence abiure and swere, that our Prelates opynyon of the Sacramente (that is) that the substaunce of breade ād wyne is verely chaunged into the fleshe and bloode of our sauyoure Iesus Christ is an vndoubted artycle of the faythe, necessarye to be beleued vnder payne of dampnacyon.

|Note.| Now thoughe thys opynyon were in dede true (whiche thynge they cā neyther proue true by scrypture nor doctours) yet coulde I not in conscyence graunte that it shulde be an artycle of the faythe necessarye to be beleued, etc. For there are many verytees, whiche yet may be no soche artycles of our faythe. It is true that I laye in Irons whan I wrote thys, howbeit I wolde not receyue thys truthe, for an artycle of our fayth. For you may thynke the contrary without all Ieoperdy of dampnacyon.

¶ The cause why I cā not beleue their opynyon of transmutacyon or transubstanciacyon whether ye wyll, is thys.

|1.| ❧ Fyrste because I thynke verely that it is false and can neyther be proued by scrypture nor faythfull doctours, yf they be well pondered.

|2.| The second cause is thys, because I wyll not bynde the congregacyon of Christe by myne example to admytte any necessary artycle bysyde our Crede, and specyally nonesuche as can not be proued true by scrypture. And I say that the churche, as they call yt, can not compell vs to receyue any soche artycles to be of necessyte vnder payne of dampnacyon.

|3.| The thyrde cause is, because I dare not be so presumptuous in enterynge in to Goddes Iudgement, as to make the Prelates in thys poynte a necessarye artycle of our faythe. For then I shulde dampnably condempne all the Germaynes and Almaynes, with infynyte moo, whiche in deade do not beleue nor thynke that the substaunce of breade and wyne is chaunged in to the substaunce of Christes naturall bodye. And surelye I can not be so folyshe hardy as to condempne soche an infynyte nombre for our Prelates pleasures.

Thus all the Germaynes and Almaynes, bothe of Luthers syde and also of Decolampadius, do wholye approue my matter. And surelye I thynke there is no man that hathe a pure conscyence, but he wyll thynke that I dye ryghtuouslye. For that thys transubstanciacion shulde be a necessary artycle of the faythe, I thynke no man can saye yt with a good conscyence, although yt were true in dede.

∴

Per me Iohan Frythe.

❧ Be wyse as Serpentes, and innocent as Dooues.