❧ wycklyffes wicket: which he made in King Rycards day the second in the year of our lord God M.CCC.XCV.  
¶ John the vi chapter. ¶ I am the living bread which came down from heaven: who so eateth of this breed shall live for ever. And the breed that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. ⸫   

¶ A very brief definition of these words. Hoc est corpus meum.  
I Beseech ye brethren in the lord Christ jesus, and for the love of his spirit to pray with me, that we may be vessels to his laud and praise what time so ever it pleaseth him to call upon us. Romans xu Chapter.  
For asmuch as our saviour jesus Christ when that he walked here on earth with the prophethes which were before him, and the apostles which were presently with him, whom also he left after him, whose hearts were molyfyed with the holy ghost, & warned us, and gave us knowledge that there was two manner of ways, the one to life, the other to death as Christ sayeth, 
Mat. seven. Luke, xiii.  How straight and narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and there be but few that findeth it. But how large and broad is the way that leadeth to damnation, and there be many that go into it. Therefore pray we heartily to God that he of his mere mercy will so strengthen us with the grace and steadfastness his holy spirit, to make us strong in spiritual living after the evangelical Gospel so that the world, no not the very infidels papists and apostates can gather none occasion to speak evil, of us, whereby we may entre into that straight gate, as Christ our saviour and all that follows him have done, that is not in idle living, but in diligent labouring, yea in great sufferance of persecution even to the death, and that we find the way of everlasting life, as he hath promised where he sayeth. 
Mat. seven.  He that seeketh findeth, and that asketh receiveth, and to him that knocketh it shallbe openyde. Also Christ sayeth. If thy son axe the bread wilt thou give him a stone, 
Luke. xi.  or if he axe the fish, wilt thou give him a serpent, if ye which are evil can give good things to your children how much more shall your heavenly father give a good spirit to them that axe it of him. Saint james saith. 
jacob. i.  If any man lack wisdom let him axe it of god which giveth to all men if they axe it in faith, and upbraydethe none, for he that doubteth is like to the waves of the see, that is borne about with every blast of wind. 
Apoc. iii.  Think not that such shall receive any thing of the Lord. For a man double in soul is unstable in all his ways, as it is written wherefore let us pray to God that he keep us in the hour of temptation that is coming in all the world. 
Dani. xi.  For as our saviour christ saith When ye see that abomination of desolation that is spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place, 
mat xxiiii.  as christ sayeth he that readeth let him understand. But for because that every man can not have the book of Daniel to know what is prophesy is. Danyell said toward the last days the King of the north shall come, and the arms of him shall stand, and shall defile the sanctuary, and he shall take away the continual sacrifice, and he shall give abhominatyon into desolation and wicked men shall find a testament gylfullye, but ye that know your god shall hold and do, and untaught men in the people shall teach full many men, and they shall fall on the sword and in flame, and into captivity many days. And when they shall down they shallbe araised by a little help, and full many shallbe applied to them gylfullye, and of learned men should fall to them that they build together. And the chosen shallbe together, and shallbe made white till a time determined. For yet another time shallbe, and the king shall do by his will, and then he shallbe raised and magnified at each god. And against the god of gods shall speak great things and he shallbe raised till the wrathfulness before determined is perfectylye made, and he shall not inherit the god of his fathers, and he shallbe in the companies of women and he shall not change any thing of gods for he shall raise again all things. Forsooth he shall honour god of Mason in his place, and he shall worship a god whom his fathers know not, not with Gold, Silver, precious stones, nor with precyove things. But he shall do make strong the god of Mason with thalyent or strange god which he knew not, and he shall multiply glory, and he shall give to him power in many things, and he shall depart the laud at his will, hitherto be they the words of Danyell who may see a greater abominations then to see the people to be led away from God and they be taught to worship for God that thing that is not god nor saviour of the world For though it be their God as it is written by a Prophet saying. The Lords going shall make low the God of the earth, for it is their Gods that they believe in them which may not make them safe as it is written whereas saint Paul sayeth.  
ye men of Athens I perceive that in all things. I see you as vain worshippers of Idols, 
Act. xvii.  for I passed by and saw your mawmetes & found an altar in the which was written to te unknown God. Therefore the thing which you know not ye worship as god. This thing show I unto you: God which made the world and all things that be in it. This forsooth he is Lord of heaven and of earth and he dwelleth not in the temple made with hands, neither hath he need of any thing, for he giveth life to all men and breath every where, and he made of one all kinds of men to inhabit on all the face of the earth. determining times ordained and terms of the dwelling of them to seek out God. If peradventure they might find him, although he be not far from each of you. And again he sayeth ye shall not think that God living is not like to gold, silver, either any graven thing, or painted by craft, either taught of man, for God despiseth the time of the unknown things. And he showeth every where that all men should do penance, and hereof the clerks of the law have great need which have been ever against God the Lord both in the old law and in the new, to slay the Prophets that speak to them the word of God, 
mat. xviii.  ye see that they spared not the son of God when that the temporal judge would have delivered him and so forth of the apostles and martyrs that hath spoken truly the word of God to them, and they say it is heresy to speak of the holy scripture in english, and so they would condemn the holy ghost that gave it in tongues to the apostles of Christ as it is written to speak the word of God in all languages that were ordained of God under heaven as it is written. 
Act. two.  And the holy ghost descended upon the heathen as 〈…〉 the Apostles in jerusalem as it 〈…〉, 
Iohe●l. iii, Act. lxxxx.  and Christ were so merciful to send the holy ghost to the heathen men, & he made them partakers of his blessed word, why should it then be taken away from us in this land that be Christian men. Consider you whether it is not all one to deny Christ's words for Heresy and Christ for an heretic, for if my word be a lie, then am I a liar that speaketh the word. Therefore if my words be heresy then am I an heretic that speaketh the word, therefore it is all one to condemn the word of God in any language for Heresy and God for an heretic that spoke the word, for he and his word is all one and they may not be separated, and if the word of him is the life of the world as it is written. 
Mat. iiii.  Not only by breed liveth man, but in every word that cometh out of the mouth of god, and every word of God is the life of the soul of man, as saith saint Iohn, that thou have an oynting of the holy ghost, and thou have no need of any man but teach thou in all things which is his blessed word in whom is all wisdom and cunning, and yet ye be always to learn as well as we how may any Antechriste for dread of god take it away from us that be christian men and thus to suffer the people to die for hunger in hererye and blaspheme of man's law that corrupteth and slayeth the soul, as pestilence slayeth the body, as david heareth witness where he speaketh of the Cheyre of pestilence, and most of all they make us believe a false law that they have made upon the secret host, for the most falsest belef is taught in it. For where find ye that ever Christ or any of his disciples or apostles taught any man to worship it. For in the mass creed it is said I believe in one god only our lord jesus Christ the son of god only begotten & borne of the father before all the world, he is God/ of God, light of light, very god of very god, begotten & not made & of a substance even with the father by whom all things be made & the psalm, Quicunque vult there it is said. God is the father, God is the son, God is the holy Ghost. Unmade is the father unmade is the son, and unmade is the holy ghost and thou then that art an earthily man by what reason mayst thou say that thou makest thy maker. whether may the made thing say to the maker, why hast thou made me thus? Or may it turn again & make him that made it (God forbid). Now answerest thou that sayest every day that thou makest of bread the body of the lord flesh & blood of jesus Christ god and man. Forsooth thou answerest greatly against reason by these words that Christ spoke at his supper on Serethursday at night that Christ took bread & blessed it & broke it & gave it to his disciples & apostles, 
mat. xxvi. mark. xiiii  & said, take ye, and eat ye, this is my body which shallbe given for you And also he taking the cup & did thanks, & gave to them & said. drink ye all hereof, this is my blood of the new testament which shallbe shed out for many into the remission of sins, as saith Luke. when jesus had taken bread, he gave thanks and broke it to them & said, take ye, eat ye, this is my body that shallbe given for you do ye this in the remembrance of me. Now understand ye the words of our saviour christ as he spoke them one after another as Christ spoke them. For he took bread and blessed, and yet what blessed he. The scripture sayeth not that Christ took bread and blessed it, or that he blessed the bread which he had taken.  
Therefore it seemeth more that he blessed his disciples and apostles, whom he had ordained witnesses of his passion, and in them he left his blessed word which is the bread of life, as it is written not only in breed lived man, but in eurry word that procedith out of the mouth of god. 
Mate. iiii.  Also Christ saith I am the bread of life that came down from heaven, 
joh. vi.  and Christ saith often in Matthew, the words that I have spoken to you be spirit and life. Therefore it seemeth more that he blessed his disciples, and also his apostles, in whom the bread of life was left more than in material bread, for the material bread hath an end, as it is written in the gospel of Matthew. xv. 
Mat. xv.  that Christ said all things that a man eateth goeth down into the womb, and is sent down into the draught away, and it hath an end of rootting, but the blessing of Christ kept his disciples and apostles both bodily and ghostly. As it is written, 
joh. xiii.  that none of them perished but the son of perdition that the scriptures might be fulfilled, and often the scripture saith that jesus took bread and broke it and gave it to his disciples, and said, take ye, eat ye. This is my body that shallbe given for you. But he said not this bread is my body or that the bred should be given for the life of the world. For Christ saith what and if ye shall see the son of man ascend up, 
Iohn. vi.  where as he was before. It is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing Also Christ saith in the gospel, verily verily I say unto you. Except the whet corn fall in to the ground and die. It bideth alone. but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. Here men may see by the words of christ that it behoved that he died in the flesh, and that in his death was made the fruit of everlasting life for all them that believe on him, as it is written. For as by Adam all die, even so by Christ shall all live & every man in his own order, for as one clearness is in the son, another in the moan, and a star in clearness nothing in comparison to the son. Even so is the again rising of the dead men, for we be sown in corrouption and shall rise again incorruptible, we are sown in infirmity and shall rise again in virtue, we are sown in natural bodies, and shall rise again spiritual bodies. Then if Christ shall change thus our deadly bodies by death, 
Math. Mark. Luke.  and god the father spared not his own son as it is written, but that death should rain in him as in us, and that he should be translated into a spiritual body the first again rising of dead men. Then how saith Hypocrites that take on them to make our lords body, 
Note here  loo whether make they the glorified body either make they again the spiritual body which is risen from death to life either make they the fleshly body as it was before he suffered death and if they say also that they make the spiritual body of christ it may not be so, 
Math. xxviii.  for that thing that Christ said and did he did it as he was at supper before he suffered his passion, as it is written that the spiritual body of christ rose again from death to life Also he ascended up into heaven and that he will abide there till he come to judge the quick and the dead? and if theysaye that they make Christ's body as it was before he had suffered his passion, then must they needs grant that Christ is to die yet? for by all holy scriptures he was promised to die, and that he gave lordship of everlasting life.  
Furthermore if they say that Christ made his body of bread? with what words made he it, not with these words (Hoc est corpus meum) that is to say in english, this is my body, for they be the words of giving and not of making which he said after that he broke the bread then departing it among his disciples and apostles. Therefore if Christ had made of that bread his body, had made it in his blessing or else in giving of thanks and not in the words of giving for if Christ had spoken of the material bread that he had in his hands as when he said, (Hoc est corpus meum) this is my body and it was made before, or else the word had been a lie, for if ye say this in my hand, and if it be not a hand then am I a liar, therefore seek it busily if ye can find ii words of blessing or of giving of thanks the which christ did, & that the clerks of the earth knoweth not, for if ye might find or know it those words, than should you wax great masters above Christ, and then ye might be givers of his substance, and as father and maker of him and that he should worship you, as it is written: 
Exod, xii.  Thou shalt worship thy father & mother, of such as desire such worship against god's law, speaketh saint Paul of the man of sin that enhaunsethe himself as he were God. And he is worshipped over all things as God and showeth himself as he were god, 
1, Tessa. two  where our charge be guilty in this dame ye or they, that known most for they say that when ye have said: Hoc est corpus meum, that is to say this is my body, the which ye call the words of consecration or else of making, and when they be said over the bread, ye say that there is left no bread, but it is the body of the Lord, but truly there is nothing but an heap of accidents as whiteness, ruggedness, roundness, savoury, touching, and tasting and such other accidents. Than if thou sayest that flesh and blood of Christ that is to say his manhood is made more or increased be so much as the ministration of bread and wine is, the which ye mynystrens, if ye say it is so, than thou must needs consent that, that thing that is not God to day shallbe God to morrow, yea and that thing which is without spirit of life, but groweth in the field by kind, shallbe God an other time. 
Math. i Luke. i. psal, clxix.  And we all ought to believe that he was without beginning, and without ending, and in his manhood begotten and not made, for if the manhood of Christ were increased every day by so much as the bread and wine draweth that ye mynistrens, he should wax more in one day by cart loads than he did in xxxii. years when he was here in earth. And if thou makest the body of our lord in those words: Hoc est corpus meum, that is to say This is my body. And if thou mayst make the body of the lord in those words, This is my body thou thyself must be the person of Christ or else there is a false God, for if it is thy body as thou sayest, than it is the body of a false knave, or of a drunken man, or of a thief, or of a lecheroure or full of other sins, and then there is an unclean body for any man to worship for god. For and Christ had made there his body of material bread in the said words, as I know they be not the words of making, what earthly man had power to do as he did, for in all holy scripture from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the apocalypse There be no words written of the making of Christ's body, but there been written that Christ was the son of the father, and that he was conceived of the holy ghost, and that he took flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, and that he was dead, and that he rose again from death on the third day, and that he ascended to heaven very god and man, and that we should believe in all scripture that been written of him and that he is to come to judge the quick and the dead, and that the same Christ jesus king and saviour, 
Hebr. i.  was at the beginning with the father and the holy ghost, making all things of nought, both heaven and earth and all things that been in it working by word of his virtue, for he said, be it do, and it was done, as whose works never earthly man might comprehend either make. 
Genesis.  And yet the words of the making of these things by me written in the beginning of gene. even as god spoke them & if ye can not make the work that he made & have the words by which he made it, how shall he make him that made the works & you have no words of authority either power left you on earth by which ye should do this, but as ye have feigned this craft of your false errors, which some of you understand not, for it is prophesied Isaiah vi and xiii chapter of Math. xiii. and Luke. viii. Mark. iiii. ye shall have eyes and see not, and ears and hear not, and ye shall see prophesies and ye shall not understand lest they were converted, for I hide them from the hearts of those people, their hearts are greatly fatted and this thing is done to you for the wickedness of your errors in unbelief, therefore be you conveteed from the worst sin as it is written, when Moses was in the hill with God. Exod. xx the people made a calf and worshipped it as God. And God spoke to Moses go, for the people have done the worst sin to make and worship alien gods. But now I shall ask you a word, answer you me, whether is the body of the lord made at once or at twice, is both the flesh and the blood in the host of the bread or else is the flesh made at one time and the blood made at other time, that is to say the wine in the chalice? if thou wilt say it is full and hold the manhood of Christ in the host of bread both flesh & blood, skin, here, and bones, than makest thou us to worship a false god in the chalice, which is unconiured when ye worship the bread, and if ye say the flesh is in the bread, and the blood in the wine, than thou must grant, if thy craft be true as it is not in deed, that the manhood of christ is departed and that he is made two times: for first thou takest the host of bread other a piece of bread and make it as ye say, and the innocent people worship it. And then thou takest to thee, the chalyee and likewise marreste, makest I would have said, the blood in it, and then worshyppen it also, and if it be so as I am sured, that the flesh and blood of Christ ascended, then be ye false harlots to god and to us, for when we shallbe household ye bring to us the dry flesh and let the blood be away for ye give us after the bread wine and water, and sometimes clean water unblessed rather conjured by the virtue of your craft, and yet ye say under the host of bread is the full manhood of Christ, then by your own confession must it needs be that we worshyppen a falls god in the chalice which is unconiured when we worship the bread, and worship the one as the other, but where find ye that, that ever Christ or any of his disciples taught any man to worship this bread or wine.  
Therefore what shall we say of the Apostles that were so much with Christ, and were called by the goly ghost, had they forget it to set it in the crede when they made it that is christian men's believe, or else we might say that they knew no such God, for they believe in no more gods but in him that was at the beginning, & made of nought all things. Hebr. the first, ps. xvi. visible & unvisible which lord took flesh and blood being in the virgin the same god But ye have many false ways to beguile the innocent people and sleights of the find. For ye say that in every host either piece is the hole manhood of Christ either full substance of him. For ye say as a man may take a glass, and break the glass into many pieces and in every piece properly thou mayst see thy face & thy face not parted. So ye say the lords body is in each host either piece and his body not parted. And this is a fool subtle question to beguile an innocent fool, but will ye take heed of this subtle question, how a man may take a glass and behold the very likeness of his own face and yet is it not his face, but the likeness of his face, for and it were his very face, then he must needs have two faces, one on his body and an other in the glass. And if the glass were broken in many places, so there should be many faces, more by the glass then by the body and each man shall make as many faces to them as they would, but as ye may see the mind or likeness of your face and is not the very face, but the figure thereof. So the bread is the figure or mind of Christ'S body in earth, and therefore Christ said. As oft as ye do this thing do it in mind of me, Lu. xxii. Also ye say as a man may light many candles at one candle and the light of that candle never the more nor never the less. So ye say that the manhood of Christ descendeth into each part of every host, and the manhood of Christ never the more ne lest, where then becometh your ministrations. For if a man light many candles at one candle as long as they burn there willbe many candles lighted and as well, the last candle as the first, and so by this reason, if ye shall fetch your word at god, of god make god, there must needs be many gods and that is forbidden in the first commandment Exo. xx. And as for making more either making less of Christ's manhood it lieth not in your power to come there, nigh, neither touch it, for it is ascended into heaven in a spiritual body, Math. xxviii. which he suffered not Mary Magdeleyne to touch, when her sins were forgiven to her. Therefore all the sacraments that he left here in earth be but minds of the body of Chryst for a sacrament is no more to say, but a sign of mind of a thing passed or a thing to come, for when jesus spoke of the bread and said to his disciples Luke the xxii as ye do this thing, 
Luk. xxii  do it in mind of me, it was set for a mind of good things passed of Christ's body, but when the angel showed to john apocalypse 
Apo. xvii  the sacraments of the woman and of the beast that bore her, it was set for a mind of evil things to come, on the face of the death, & great stroying of the people of god. And in the old law there were many figures or minds of things to come. For the body of christ and circumcision was demanded unto the law, and he that kept not the law was slain. And yet. S Paul sayeth. Roma. two. And neither it is circumcision that is openly in the flesh but he that is circumcised of heart in spirit, 
Roma. two  not the letter whose perusing is not of men, but of God. Peter sayeth the iii chapter. 
Peter. iii  And so baptism of like form maketh not us safe, but the putting away of filthiness of the flesh, and the asking of good conscience in god, by the again rising of our Lord jesus Chryst from death that we should be made heirs of everlasting life, he yeade into heaven, and Angels and powers and virtues, been made subjects to him. And also the scriptures sayeth of johan baptist, Mathewe the first chapter, 
Math.  that he preached in wilderness and said: a stronger than I shall come after me, and I am not worthy to kneel down and unlace his shoe, and yet christ laid that he was more than a prophet. 
Mat. xi.  Esay sayeth the vi Chapter. Mathewe xi. how may ye say ye worthy to make his body and yet your works beareth witness that ye be no less than prophets, 
Math. xi.  for if ye did ye should not teach the people to worship the sacraments or minds of christ for christ himself which sacraments or figures been leeful that god taught them and left them unto us, as the sacrifices other minds of the old law was full good as it is written. They that keep them should live in those, 
Rom. x.  Paul Rom. x. and so the breed that christ broke was left to us for mind of things passed for the body of christ that we should believe he was a very man in kind as we be as god in virtue, and that his manhood was sustained in food as ours be, for saint Paul sayeth he was very man, and in habit he was found as man. And so we must believe that he was very god and man together and that he stied up very god & man to heaven, and that he shallbe there till he come to dame the world. And that we may not see him bodily being in this life, as it is written pe. i. For he sayeth, whom ye have not ye love, in to whom ye now not saying believe. And john sayeth in the first gospel, no man saw god no but the only begotten son that is in the bosom of the father he hath told out. And Ioh sayeth in his epistle the iii chap. Every man that sinneth seeth not him neither know him, by what reason then say ye that be sinners that ye make god, truly this must needs be the worst sin, to say that ye make god, and it is the abomination of discomfort that is said in Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, he that readeth let him understand. Also Luke sayeth xxii that Chryst took the cup after that he had supped & did thanks and said This cup is the new testament in my blood that shallbe shed into the remission of sins for man, now what say ye, the cup which he said is the new testament in my blood, was it a material cup in which the wine was that he gave his disciples wine of, or was it his most, blessed body in which the blessed blood was kept till it were shed out for the sins of them that should be made safe by his passion, needs we must say that he spoke of his holy body, as he did when he called his passion either suffering in body a cup when he prayed to his father or he went to his passion. Math. xxvi. And said if it be possible that this cup pass from me, but if thou wilt that I drink it thy will be done. He spoke not here of the material cup in which he had given his disciples drink for it troubled not him, but he prayed for his great sufferance & bitter the which he suffered for our sins & not for his. And if he spoke of his holy body & passion when he said. This cup is the new testament in my blood, so he spoke of his holy body, when he said this is my body that shallbe given for you, & not of the material bread which he had in his hand. Also in another place he calleth his passion a cup, Math. xx. where the mother of zebedeus' sons came to him, & axed of him that her two sons when he came to his kingdom might sit one of his right side & one at his left side. And he answered & said, woman thou wottest not what thou askest, than he said to them, may ye drink of the cup that I shall drink, & they said yea lord And he said ye shall drink of my cup, but to sit on my right hand or left hand it is not mine to give, but to the father it is proper but in that that he said ye shall drink of my cup, he promised them to suffer tribulation of this world as he did, by the which they should enter into life everlasting, & to be both on his right hand And thus ye may see that christ spoke not of the material cup neither of himself nor of his apostles neither of material bred neither of material wine. Therefore let every man wisely which meek prayers & great study & also charity read the words of god & holy scriptures, but many of you be like the mother of zebedeus' sons, to whom christ said, thou wottest not what thou askest. So many of you wot not what ye axe or what ye do, for if ye did, ye would not blaspheme god as ye do, to set an alien god in stead of the living god. Also Chryst sayeth john. xv. I am a very vine/ wherefore worship ye not the vine for god, as ye do the bread. wherein was Chryst a very vine/ or where in was the bread Christ's body, in figurative speech, which is hid in the understanding of sinners Then if christ became not a material either an early vine, neither material vine became the body of christ. So neither the bread material bread was not changed from his substance to the flesh and blood of christ.  
Have ye not read john the ii when christ came into the temple, they axed of him what token he would show, that they might believe him. And he answered unto them, cast down this temple and in three days I shall rayre it a gain, which words were fulfilled in his rising again from death, but when he said undo this temple, in that, that he said this, they were descend for they understood it fleshly, & had went that he had spoken of the temple of jerusalem, for because he stood in it. And hereof they accused him at his passion full falsely Math. xxvi. for he spoke of the temple of his blessed body, which rose again in the iii day. And right so christ syake of his holy body when he said, this is my body which shallbe given for you. Luke. xxii. which was given to death, and into rising again to bless for all that shallbe saved by him, but like as they accused him falsely of the temple of Jerusalem right now a days they accusen falsely against christ and say that christ spoke of the bread that he broke amongs his apostles, for in that christ said this, they been deceived take it fleshly and turn it to the material bread as the jews did to the temple, & on this false understanding they make abomination of discomfort that is said of Daniel the prophet xi and Math. xxiiii, standing in the holy place, he that readeth let him understand. Now therefore pray we heartily to God that this evil time may be made short, for the chosen men as he hath promised in his blessed gospel Math. xxiiii. And the large and broad way that leadeth to perdition may be stopped, and the straight and narrow way that leadeth to bless may be made open by holy scriptures, that we may know which is the will of god to serve him in syckernes and holiness in the dread of God that we may find by him a way of bless everlasting.  
So be it.   

❧ The testament of master wylliam Tracie esquire, expounded by William Tyndall. Wherein thou shalt perceive with what charity the chancellor of worceter Burned when he took up the dead carcase and made ashes of it after it was buried.  
M.D.xxxv.   

¶ To the reader.  
THou shalt understand most dear reder that after William Tyndall was so judaslie betrayed by an Englyseman, a scholar of Louvain, whose name is Philip's there were certain things of his doing found which he had intended to have put forth to the furtherance of gods word amongst which was this testament of master Tracie expounded by William Tyndall which I have caused to be put in Pryute, to the intent that all the world should see how earnestly the Cannonistes & spiritual lawyers (which be the chief rulers under bishops in every diocese in so moch that to every cathedral church the dean chancellor & archdeken at cō●●nlye doctors or bachelors of law) do endeavour themselves justly to judge and spiritually to give sentence according to charity upon all the acts and deeds done of their diosessanes, after the ensample of the chancellor of worceter, which after master Tracye was buried (of pure zeal and love hardly) took up the deed carcase & burned it wherefore he did it, it shall evidently appear to the reder in this little treatise, read it therefore, I beseech the and judge the spirits of our spiritualty, & pray that the spirit of him that raised up Chryst, may once inhabit them, & mollify their hearts, and so illumine them, that they may both see and show true light, and no longer to resist God ner his truth Amen.   

The Testament hit self.  
¶ In the name of God Amen.  
I wylliam Tracie of Codyngton in the count of gloceter esquire, make my testament & last will, as here after followeth ¶ first, and before all other thing, I commit me unto god, and to his mercy, trusting without any doubt or mistrust, that by his grace and the merits of jesus christ, and by the virtue of his passion & of his resurre●yō. I have & shall have remission of my sins, & resurrection of body & soul, according as it is written. job. nineteen. I believe that my redemerlyveth & that in the last day I shall rise out of the earth, & in my flesh shall see my saviour, this my hope is laid up in my bosom.  
And touching the wealth of my soul, the faith that I have taken and rehearsed, is sufficient (as I suppose) which out any other man's work, or works, My ground & my belief is that there is but one god and one mediator between god & man, which is jesus christ So that I do except none in heaven nor in earth to be my mediator between me and god, but only jesus christ, all other be but petitioners in receiving of grace, but one able to give influence of grace, And therefore will I bestow no part of my goods for that intent that any man should say or do, to help my soul for therein I trust only to the promise of god, he that believeth and is baptised shallbe saved, & he that believeth not shallbe damned, mark the last chapter.  
And touching the burying of my body it availeth me not what be done thereto, where in saint Austin de cura agenda pro mortuis saith that they are rather the solace of, them that live than, weylthe or comfort of them that are departed, & therefore I remit it only to the discretion of mine executors.  
And touching the distribution of my temporal goods, my purpose is by the grace of god to bestow them to be accepted, as fruits of faith so that I do not suppose that my merit be, by good bestowed of them, but my merit is that faith of jesus Chryst only, by which faith such works are good according to the words of our lord, Math. xxv. I was hungry, & thou gavest me to eat, & it followeth, that ye have done to the least of my brethren ye have done to me. etc. & ever we should consider the true sentence that a good work maketh not a good man, but a good man maketh a good work, for faith maketh the man booth good and rightwise for a rightwise man liveth by faith. Rom. i. & what so ever springeth not out of faith, is sin, Romans. xiiii.  
And all my temporal goods that I have not giving, or delivered, or not given by writing of mine own hand bearing the date of this present writing I do leave and give to margarete my wife, & to richard my son which I make mine executors,  
witness this mine own hand, the ten day of October, in the xxii year of the reign of king Henry the viii   

Tyndall.  
Now let us examine the parts of this Testament sentence by sentence. first to commit ourselves to god above all, is the first of all precepts, & the first stone in the foundation of our faith, that is that we believe and put our trust in one god, one all true, one almighty, all good & all merciful, cleaving fast to his truth: might mercy, & goodness, surely sertified & full persuaded, that he is our God, ye ours, and to us all true, without all falsshed & guile and can not fail in his promises. And to us almighty that his will can not be let to fulfil all the truth that he hath promised us, And to us all good & all merciful what soever we have done, and how so ever grievously we have trespassed so that we come to him the way that he hath appointed, which way is jesus Chryst only/ as we shall see foloyngly this first clause than is the first commandment, or at the least the first sentence in the first commandment and the first article of our creed.  
And that this trust & confidence in the mercy of God is thorough jesus Chryst, is the second article of our creed confirmed & testified thorough out all scripture, That Chryst bringeth us into this grace. Paul proveth. Rom. v. saying justified by faith we are at peace with God thorough jesus Chryst our Lord, by whom we have in entering in unto this grace in which we stand, & Ephe iii, By whom sayeth Paul we have a blood entering in, thorough the faith that is in him, & in the second of the said Epistle, By him we have an entering in unto the father, & a little before in the same chapter, he is our peace. And johan in the first chapter, Behold the Lamb of god which taketh away the sin of the world, which sin was the bush that stopped the entering in, & kept us out, and the sword wherewith was kept the entering unto the tree of life from Adam & all his offspring.  
And that the second of the first of Peter which bore our sins in his body, and by whose stryppes we are made hole. By whom we have redemption thorough his blood even the forgiveness of our sins Collos. i. & Ephes. i. And Roma. iiii, He was delivered for our sins and rose again for our justifying.  
And concerning the resurrection, it is an article of our faith: and proved there sufficiently and that it shall be by the power of christ, is also the open scripture.  
john. vi. This is the will of my father which sent me that I lose nothing of all that he hath given me, but that I raise it up again in the last day. & again I am the resurrection John. xi That this live faith is sufficient to justification with out adding to of any more help, 〈◊〉 this wise proved the promise is god of whom Paul saith. Rom. viii. If god be on our side what matter maketh it who be against us he is thereto all good, all merciful, at true & all might, wherefore sufficient to be believed by his oath, more over Chryst in whom the promise is made hath received all power in heaven and in earth Mat. the last.  
He hath also a perpetual priesthood, & therefore able perpetually to save. Heb. seven.  
And that there is but one mediator christ is Paul. i. ad Timothe. two. And by that word understand an attonemaker, a peace maker & bringer in to grace & favour, having full power so to do. And that Chryst is so, is proved at the full. It is written Ihon. iii. The father loveth the son, and hath given all in to his hand.  
And he that believeth the son hath everlasting life, & he that believeth not the son shall not see life, but the wrath of god bindeth upon him. All things are given me of my father Luke. x: And all whoso ever call on the name of the Lord shallbe saved. Act. two. Of his fullness have we all received Ihon. i. There is no nother man in which we must be saved. Acts. iiii. And again, unto his name bear all the prophets record, that by his name shall all that believe in him receive remission Acts. x, In him dwelleth all the fullness of god bodily. Coll. two. Al what so ever my father hath are mine, Io. xvi. what so ever ye axe in my name. that will I do for you Io xiiii. One lord, one faith, one baptism, one god and father of all which is above all thorough all & in you all Eph. iiii. There is but one whose servant I am, to do his will. But one that shall pay me my wages: there is but one to whom I am bond, ergo but one that hath power over me to damn or save me, I will add to this Paul's argument Galat. iii. God swore unto Abraam. cccc. year before the law was given, that we should be saved by christ: Ergo the law given. cccc. years after can not disanul that covenant, So dispute I Christ when he had suffered his passion, and was risen again & entered in to his glory, was sufficient for his apostles, without any other mean or help, ergo the holiness of no saint sense hath dimynisshed aught of that his power. But that he is as full sufficient now, for the promise is as deeply made in us as them, Moreover the treasure of his mercy was laid up in Chryst for all that should believe, yet the world was made ergo nothing that hath happened sense hath changed the purpose of the in unvariable god  
Moreover to exclude the blind imagination falsely called faith, of them that give themselves to vice with out resistance, affirming, that they have no power to do otherwise, but that God hath so made them, and therefore must save them, they not intending or purposing to mend their living, but sinning with hole consent and full lust, he declareth what faith he meaneth. two. manner of ways: first by that he saith, who so ever believeth & is baptized, shallbe saved, By which words he declareth evidently, that he meaneth that faith, that is in the promise made upon the appointment between god and us, that we should keep his law to the uttermost of our power, that is he that believeth in Chryst for the remission of sin, & is baptised to do the will of Chryst, & to keep his law, of love & to mortify the flesh, that man shallbe saved, & so is the imagination of these swine that will not leave wallowing themselves in every mire & podell, clean excluded, for God never made promise but upon an appointment or covenant under which who soever will not come can be no partaker of the promise. True faith in christ giveth power to love the law of god: for it is written Ihan the first, he gave them power to be the sons of god in that they believe in his name Now to be the son of god, is to love righteousness, & hate unryghtwisnes & so to be like thy father. Hast thou then no power to love the law? so hast thou no faith in Christ'S blood. And Ro. iii. we set up or maintain the law thorough faith why so for the preaching of faith ministereth the spirit, Galat, iii. & ii Cor. iii. & the spirit looseth the bands of Satan, & giveth power to love the law, and also to do it.  
For saith Paul. Rom. viii. if the spirit of him that raised up jesus dwell in you, then will he that reared up jesus quicken your mortal bodies by the means of his spirit dweling in you.  
A well wilt thou say, if I must profess the law and work, ergo faith alone saveth me not. Be not deceived with sophistry, but withdraw thine ears from words and consider the thing in thine heart. Faith justifieth the that is bringeth remission of all sins, & setteth the in the state of grace before all works & getteth the power to work yet thou couldst work, but if thou wilt not go back again, but continue in grace & come to the salvation & glorious resurrection of christ thou must work & join works to thy faith in will & deed to, if thou have time & leisure, & as oft as thou fallest set the on thy saith again without help of works. And all though when thou art reconciled and restored to grace works be required yet is not that reconsyling and grace the benefit of the works that follow: but clean contrary that forgiveness of the sins and restoring to favour deserve the works that follow. Though when the king (after that sentence of deethes is given upon a murtherar) hath pardoned him, at the request of some of his friends, works be required of him that he hence forth keep the kings laws, if he will continue in his grace's favour in which he now standeth, yet the benefit of his life proceedeth not of the deserving of the works that follow, but of the kings goodness and favour of his friends, ye & that benefit & gift of his life deserve the works that follow Though the father chastise the child, yet is the child no less bound to obey, & to do the will of the father, if when the father pardoneth it, the works that follow deserve the favour, than must the work that followed the correction have deserved favour also. And than was the father unrigtwyse to chastise it. All what soever thou art able to do, to please God with all is thy duty to do, though thou hadst never sinned, if it be the duty how can it than be the deserving of the mercy & grace that went before? Now that mercy, was the benefit of god thy father thorough the deserving of the lord christ which hath bowght the with the prise of his blood.  
And again when he sayeth that he purposeth to bestow his good, to be accepted as fruits of faith it is evident that he meaneth that living faith which professeth the law of god, & is the mother of all good works, ye & nurse thereto.  
Another cavillation which they might make in the second part, where he admitteth no nother mediator but Christ only, nor will give of his goods, to bind any man to any feigned observance for the help of his soul, when he were hole in the kingdom of Christ clean delivered both body and soul from the dominion of Satan (as the scripture signifieth all that die in Christ to be) is this, they will say, that he held that none should pray for him save Christ, and that we be not bound to pray one for another, ner ought to desire the prayers of another man, that he excludeth, in that he saith all other be but petitioners. By which words he plainly confesseth that other may & aught for to pray, and that we may and ought to desire other to pray, for us: but meaneth that we may not put our trust and confidence in their prayer, as though they gave of themselves that which they desire for us in their petitions, & so give them the thanks and ascribe to their mercies that which is given us in the name of our master Christ, at the deservings of his blood. Christ is my lord, and hath deserved and also obtained power to give me all that can be desired for me. And all other desire for me: that is desired in Christ's name & given at the merits of his blood. All the honour than, trust, confidence, and thanks, pertain to him also.  
Some will haply say, how should I desire another to pray for me, & not trust to his prayer ●e●●ly even as I desire my neyghbur to help me at my need, and yet trust not to him, Christ hath commanded us to love each other. Now I will go to desire help, I put my trust in god and complain to god first, and say, Loo father I go to my brother, to axe help in thy name, prepare the heart of him against I come that he may pity me and help me for thy sake. etc. Now if my brother remember his duty & help me, I receive it of god and give god the thanks which moved the heart of my brother and gave my brother a courage to help me and wherewith to do it, and so hath holp me by my brother. And I love my brother again and say Loo father, I went to my brother, in thy name and he hath holp me for thy sake: wherefore O father be thou as merciful to him at his need as he hath been to me for thy sake, at my need Lo now as my brother did his duty when he holp me, so do I my duty when I pray for him again: and as I might not have put my trust and confidence in my brother's help, so may he not in my prayers. I am sure that god will help me by his promise, but am not sure that my brother will help me, though it be his duty: so am I sure that god will hear me whatsoever I axe in Christ's name by his promise, but am not sure that my brother will pray for me, or that he hath a good heart to god.  
No but the saints of heaven can not but pray & be hard, no more can the saints in earth, but pray and be heard neither. Moses' Samuel, David, Noye, Elyas, Elizeus, Esaias, Daniel, and all the Prophets prayed & were heard: yet was none of those wicked that would not put their trust in god, according to their doctrine & preaching partaker of their prayers in the end. And as damnable as it is for the poor to trust in the riches of the riches upon earth, so damnable is it also to leave the covenant made in Christ's blood. and to trust in the saints of heaven They that be in heaven Know the elect that trust in Christ's blood and profess the law of god and for them only pray & these wicked Idolyters which have no trust in the covenant of god ner serve god in the spirit ner in the gospel of Christ's blood. but after their blind imagination choosing them every man a sundry saint to be their mediator, to trust to, and to be saved by their merits, do the saints abhor and belie. And their prayers and offerings, are to the saints as acceptable and pleasant, as was the prayer and the offering of Simon Magus to Peter. Act. viii.  
More over the saints in their most cumbrance are most comforted and most able to comfort other, as Paul testifieth i Corin. In so much that S. Steven. & S. james prayed for them that slew them Saint Martyne preached and comforted his, desperate brethren even unto the last breath, and likewise as stories make mention) did innumerable more, ye and I have known of simple unlearned persons and that of some that were great sinners which at the hour of death have fallen flat of the blood of Christ, and given no room to other men's either prayers or preachings: but have as strongly trusted in Christ's blood, as ever did Peter or Paul, and have thereto preached it to other, and exhorted other so mightily that an angel of heaven could not mind them, who then should resist God that he might not give the same grace to master Tracye, which was alerned man, & better seen in the works of Saint Austen twenty year before he died than ever I knew doctor in England, but that he must than feign and shrink, when most need is to be strong, & fear the pope's purgatory and trust to the prayer of Pristes' dearly paid for I dare say that he prayed for the priests when he died, that god would convert a great many of them, and if he had known of any good man among them that had needed, he would have given, and if he had known of any lack of Pristes he would have given to maintain more: But now sense there be more then I now, & have more than every man a sufficient living, how should he have given them but to here their prayers of pure mistrust in Christ's blood? if robbing of wydous houses under pretence of long prayers be damnable) Matthe. xxiii. Then is it damnaple also for wydoowes to suffer themselves to be rob by the long pattering of hypocrites, thorough my trust in Christ's blood: ye & is it not damnable to maintain such abomination? Now when this damnation is spread over all, how can we give them that have enough already, or how can they that have enough already take more under the name of praying & not harden the people more in this damnable damnation.  
And concerning the burienge of his body he allegeth S. Austen, neither is there any man (think I (so mad to affirm that the outward pomp of the body should help the soul, More over what greater sign of infedilite is there, them to care all the time of death 〈◊〉 what pomp the carcase shallbe carried to the graue● He denieth not but that a christian man should be honourably buried namely for the honour & hope of the resuerection & therefore committed that care to his dear executors his son & his wife, which he wist would in that part do sufficient, and leave nothing of the use of the country undone, but the abuse.  
And that bestowing of a great part of his goods which he yet lived, upon the poor, to be thanckful for the mercy received, which out buying & selling with God, that is, without binding those poor unto any other appointed prayers than god hath bound us already, one to pray for another one to help another, as he hath helped us, but patiently adding for the blessings that god hath appointed unto all manner good works trusting faithfully to his promise, thanking as ye may see by his words, the blood of Christ for the reward promised to his works and not the goodness of the works as though he had done more than his duty, or all that: And assigned by writing unto whom another part should be distributed, and giving the rest to his executors, that no strife should be, which executors where by right the heirs of all that was left to them: These things I say are signs evident not only of a good Christian man, but also of a perfect Christian man, and of such a one as needed not to be aghast and desperaet for fear of the painful pains of purgatory, which who so fearith as they feign it can not but utterly abhor death: saying that Christ is there no longer thy Lord, after he hath brought the thither, but art excluded from his satisfaction, and must satisfy for thy self alone, and that with suffering pain only or else tarrying the satisfienge of them that shall never satisfy enough for themselves or gaping for the pope's pardons, which have to great dowers & dangers, what in the mind & intent of the granter, & what in the purchases, yet they can be truly obtained with all due circumstances, & much les certitude that they have any authority at all Paul trusted to be dissolved and to be with Chryst: Steven desired Chryst to take his spirit the prophets desired god to take their souls from them and all the saints went with a lusty courage to death neither fearing or teaching us to fear any such crudelity. where hath the church then gotten authority to bind us from being so perfit from having any such faith in the goodness of god our Father and Lord christ, and to make such perfectness and faith of all heresies the greatest.  
Solomon saith in the xxx of his proverbs iii. are insatiable and the forth saith never, It is enough. But there is a fift called dame avarice, with as greedy a gut, as melting a maw, as wyd a throat, as gaping a mouth, and with as reavening teeth as the best which the more she eateth the hungrier she is An unquiet evil never at rest a blind monster and a surmising be'st, fearing at the fall of every leaf Quid non immortalia, pectora cogis, aurifacta fames? what doth not the holy hongur compel them that love this world inordinately, to commit might that devils belie be once full, truth should have audience, and words be construed a right, and taken in the same sense as they be meant.  
Thowghe hit seem not impossible haply that there might be a place, where the souls might be kept for a space, to be taught & instruct: yet that there should be such a jail as they jangle. & such falcon's as they fain is plain impossible & repugnant to the scripture: for when a man is translated utterly, out of the kingdom of Satan, & so confirmed in grace that he can not sin, so burning in love that his lust can not be plucked from god's will, & being partaker which us of all the promises of God & under the commandments: what could be denied him in that deep innocency of his most kind father, that hath left no mercy unpromysed, & aringe it thereto in the name of his son jesus, the child of his hearts lust, which is our lord & hath lief no mercy undeserved for us? namely when god hath sworn that he will put of rightwiseness, & be to us a father, & that of all mercy, and hath slain his most dear son jesus to confirm his oath.  
Finally saying that Christ'S love taketh all to the best, & nothing is here that may not be well understanded, (the circumstances declaring in what sense all was meant (they ought to have interpreted it charytablye, if ought had been found doubtful or seeming to sonnde amiss Moreover if any thing head been therein that could not have be taken well yet their part had been to have interpret it as spoken of, idleness of the heed, by the reason of sickness, for as much as the man was vertuus wise, & well learned, & of good fame, and report, & found in the faith while he was a live, but if they say he was suspect when he was a live, then is their doing so much the worse, and to be thought that they fear his doctrine when he was a live & mistrusted their own part, their consciences testifying to them that beheld no nother doctrine then that was true saying than they neither spoke ner wrote against him ner brought him to any examination. Beside that some merry fellows will think, that they ought first to have sent to him to wit whethrer he would have revoked, yet they had so dispytefully burnt the deed body that could not answer for itself, nor interpret his words, how he meant them, namely the man being of so worshipful & ancient a blood. But here will I make an end desiring the reader to look on this thing with indyferent eyes, & judge whether I have expounded the words of this Testament as they should seam to signify, or not judge also whether the maker thereof seam not by his work both virtuous & glory: which if it so be think not that he was the worse because the deed body was burnt to ashes, but rather learn to know the great desire that hypocrites have to find one craft or other to dase the truth with, and cause it to be counted for heresy of the simple & unlearned people which are so ignorant that they can not spy their sotteltye, it must needs be heresy that toucheth any thing their ratten bile they will have it who so ever say nay only the eternal god must be prayed to night & day to amend them in whose power it only lieth, who also grant them once earnestly to trust his true doctrine contained in the sweet & pure fountains of his scriptures and in his paths to direct their ways.  
Amen  
¶ Here endeth the Exposition of wyllyam Tyndall.   

¶ Inprynted at Norenburch, 1546.