be suche (as I nedes muste or leave the most necessarie pointes of all the matter untouched) it were verye harde for me to handle it in suche wise as when I plainlye prove them abhominable heretiques and against God and his sacraments and saints very blasphemous fools thei should wene that I speake them faire. I am a simple plain bodyFor thoughe Tindall and Frith in their writings call me a poet, it is but of their owne courtesy, undeserved on my part. For I canne neither so muche poetry nor so much rethorique neither as to fynde good names for evyll thinges, but even as the Macedonians coude not call a traytour but a traytour, so canne I not call a foole but a foole, nor an heretique but an heretique[O 1] But now these good brethren, that fynde the faute wyth me that I speake no fairer unto these holye prophetes of theirs, be so egall and indifferent that in them they finde no faute at all for their abhominable raylinge against so manye other honest, honourable, good and vertuous folke, nor for condempninge for dampned heretikes the whole catholique churche of all christian people, excepte heretikes, both spirituall and temporall, seculare and religious to. But then the good brethrene excuse theim and saye, that they write against none but onelye theim that are nought, and write but against their vices.'
Of this apology the indifferent reader must judge how far it will serve to excuse Sir Thomas's manner of writing against those he calls hereticks, and the low unmanly reflections which he constantly makes on their persons. Tho' it must be own'd, in this
- ↑ English Works, p. 865, col. 1.
