VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

me no man maye come / saue a few flaterars whych ministre vn to them all voluptuousnesse and sarue their lustes at all poyntes. Which flaterars must first be corrupte with gyftes / yer a man may come at the kinge. Then he saith / a man maye praye to euery deed man. That me thinketh shuld be agenst the popes doctrine and profite also. For he will haue no man prayed to vntyll he haue canvesed him / I wold saye / canonised him / and tyll god or at the lest waye the deuell haue shewed miracles for him.

poyntes. Which] ed., poyntes which 1531, pointes which 1573

Then he bringeth how one that was deed and in the inuisible purgatory holpe a nother that was aliue and in the visible purgatory. This is a straunge case / that a man there maye helpe a nother and not him selfe. And a moare straunge case that god heareth a man here for him selfe / beinge in his awne purgatory and helpeth him cleane out / or easeth him if it be to sore. But and he be in the popes purgatory god will not heare him for him selfe / and that because the pope might haue somewhat to deliuer him. And the straungest case of all is that the pope is allmyghty there and god can do there nought at all as the pope can not here in this purgatori. But because this is not gods worde ner like godis doctrine / I thinke it no damnable synne to beleue it poetrie.

Then how ye maye praye for them and to them / tyll they be canonised: and when they be canonised / but to them only / for then ye be sure that they be in heuen. By what token? I maye be as sure by the canonisynge / as I am that all the bisshopes which the pope confirmeth / be holy men / and all the doctours that he maketh wel lerned / and that all the prestes which he annoyn