Answer unto a Crafy and Sophistical Cavillation, Debate · Confutation of book 1 · Section 32
Caunterbury.
Why the order of my booke was changed by the Bishop.BUt now to returne to the conclusion of the Bishops booke. As it began with a marueilous sleight and suttlety, so doth he conclude the same, wt a like notable suttlety, changing the order of my bookes, not answering thē in such order as I wrote them, nor as the nature of the thinges requireth. For seeing that by all mennes confessions, there is bread and wine before the consecration, the first thing to be discussed in this matter, is, whether the same bread and wine remain still after the cōsecratiō, as Sacraments of Christs most precious body and bloud. And next, by order of nature, and reason, is to be discussed, whether the body and bloud of Christ, represented by those Sacramentes, be present also with the said Sacramentes. And what manner of presence Christ hath, both in the Sacraments, and in thē that receiue the Sacramentes.
But for what intent the Bishoppe changed this order, it is easie to perceiue. For he saw the matter of Transubstantiation, so flat & plain against him, that it was hard for him to deuise an answere in that matter, yt should hauehave any apparance of truth, but all ye world should euidētly see him cleerely ouerthrowen, at the first onset. Wherefore he thought, that although the matter of the reall presence hath no truth in it at all, yet for as much as it seemed to him, to hauehave some more apparaunce of truth, then the matter of Transubstantiatiō hath, he thought best to beginne with that first, trusting so to iuggle in the matter, and to dasell the eyes of them that be simple, and ignorant, and specially of such as were alredy perswaded in the matter, that they should not well see, nor perceiue his lieger de main. And whē he had won credite with them in that matter, by making them to wonder at his crafty iuggeling, then thought he, it should be a fitte and meete time, for him to bring in the matter of Transubstantiation. For when men be amased, they doe wonder, rather then iudge: And when they be muffeled, and blindfolded, they cannot finde the right way, though they seek it neuer so fast, nor yet follow it, if it chaunce them to finde it, but geue vp cleerely their own iudgement, and follow whom so euer they take to be their guid… And so shall they lightly follow me in this matter of Transubstantiation, (thought the bishop) if I can first perswade them, and get their good willes in the reall presence. This sleight and suttlety, thou maist iudge certainly, good Reader, to be the cause, and none other, wherefore the order of my booke is chaunged without ground, or reason.
The ende of the first booke.