Common Places, Disputation · To the reader – List of disputers
Peter Martyr to the Chriſtian reader.
THere be two cauſes that hauehave moued me to write of the Euchariſt: namelie, the ſlanders of euill men, and the deſires of my freends. The one whereof to contemne had beene a point of vncurteſie, and the other to neglect were vngodlie: ſince I perceiued, that thereof depended no ſmall hinderance to the religion of GOD. For if onelie mine owne cauſe were heere dealt withall, I might eaſilie hauehave contemned theſe things: ſith I make not ſo great an account of mine owne eſtimation, that I thinke I ought to be mooued with the ſlanders of aduerſaries, and with the vaine rumors of enimies. I knowe it is a wiſe mans part to diſſemble verie manie things, and eſpeciallie ſuch as be of this ſort, and that Chriſtian charitie endureth all things: that it ſeeketh not his owne, but thoſe things that be Ieſus Chriſts: howbeit, not mine owne cauſe, but Chriſts is here in hand: not my name, but the word of God is ill reported of. For the danger of the authoritie of the miniſterie is ſo ioined with the word of God, as it reacheth euen to himſelfe: for ſo we ſee it come to paſſe, that albeit good and godlie things be neuer ſo godlie and learnedlie handled, yet if he that handleth them ſhall want authoritie, ſpeciallie if he be defaced or diſgraced by anie blemiſh, they proceed with little or no fruit at all. But what the impudencie of ſome hath ſpred abroad, as concerning the diſputation had by me at Oxford the ſummer laſt paſt, and how they ſlandered me to all ſorts of men, both princes, noble men, commonaltie, citizens, and countrie men, I will not ſaie: for they hauehave doone nothing in ſecret, but euerie corner, ſtreet, houſe, ſhop, and tauerne doo ſtill ſound of their lieng, triumphs, and victories. And I doubt not, but that theſe ill reports are come alſo into other nations. Wherefore, one cauſe that vrged mee to ſet foorth theſe diſputations was this: and another, as I ſaid at the beginning, is the requeſts of freends, which in verie deed I denied vntill this preſent time: as well for that I knew there were bookes enow extant of this matter, wherein euerie godlie man might be ſufficientlie inſtructed, as alſo for that no man knoweth mine owne dooings better than my ſelfe: which hitherto I hauehave ſo accounted of, as I would not (gentle reader) hinder thee by them from the reading of better bookes. But now theſe my freends being mooued, and that not a little, with the falſe reports of euill men, hauehave ſo vrged me, that granting to the requeſts of ſome, & compelled by the authoritie of others, at the length I yeelded. For what could I denie vntounto the moſt reuerend Archbiſhop of Canturburie, vntounto whom I am moſt of all beholding? Or what could I denie to the kings viſitors, which were not onelie preſent at theſe diſputations, but were alſo preſidents thereof? Wherfore I deliuer vntounto thee this diſputation, Looke this treatiſe before part. 4, chap. 10.togither with a treatiſe of the ſame matter, for the plainer declaration thereof. All which things I hauehave written in ſimple ſort, and as I may ſaie, without anie ſtile; neuertheleſſe faithfullie. For as concerning the diſputation, I compared mine owne with the examples of the aduerſaries. Which, when I had diligentlie read, thoſe things which I ſawe I had omitted, that were of ſome importance, I indeuoured, as much as the truth of the matter would ſuffer, to reſtore againe out of their writings: and whereas I perceiued them otherwhile to hauehave expounded their reaſons more largelie, and in writing to hauehave handled them more artificiallie, than they were vttered in the time of diſputing; I alſo, reteining the truth of the matter hauehave expounded the ſame ſomewhat more largelie, which neuertheleſſe happeneth verie ſeldome. But as concerning the effect, the principall points and ſubſtance of the arguments, and of the confutations or anſwers, I hauehave not, ſo far as I knowe, changed or inuerted anie thing, wherein I might doo wrong to them, which diſputed with me: yea and I hauehave cauſed that oftentimes, and in a maner alwaies, the ſelfe-ſame words might be ſet downe, which we vſed on either ſide, when we diſputed togither, ſo far as either my memorie would ſerue me, or their notes which gathered would giuegive me to vnderſtand. Whoſoeuer therefore was preſent at our diſputation, ſhall perceiue, that in truth there was no argument omitted, nor added; and ſhall vnderſtand, that I hauehave no where fled from the ſumme and ſenſe of thoſe things that were ſpoken. But and if anie ill diſpoſed perſons ſhall (for ſuch is their nature) complaine that I hauehave omitted or wreſted anie thing, thoſe things let them put in writing, and let them not deale againſt me by words, which maketh no matter if they be ſpent in vaine, but let them deale by written reaſons: which, ſith men may both read and well conſider, this kind of diſputation ſhall not be without fruit. For words (ſaid Homer) are but wind; but thoſe things which are put in writing, cannot be ſo eaſilie miſreported. This if they will doo, euen as I was then bold to deale with them by liuelie voice, ſo will I now prepare my ſelfe to anſwer thoſe things which they ſhall write. In the meane time fare yee well, and take this in good part.
Queſtions ſet downe to be diſputed of.
question 1 In the ſacrament of the Euchariſt, there is no tranſubſtantiation of the bread and wine, into the bodie and bloud of Chriſt.
question 2 The bodie and bloud of Chriſt is not carnallie and corporallie in the bread and wine; nor, as others ſpeake, vnderunder the shewes of bread and wine.
question 3 The bodie and bloud of Chriſt is ſacramentallie conioined to the bread and wine.
The diſputers were theſe.
For the one ſide was Doctor Peter Martyr.
For the other ſide were Doctor VVilliam Tresham, Doctor VVilliam Chadſe, and Maiſter Morgan, Maiſter of Art.