and avancing the authority thereof all that he possible might, not without his great advantage therefore. So happed it, that soon after that the setting forth of the pardon with the advantage thereof was taken from him and set to another. For anger whereof he fell into such a fury, that forthwith he began to write against all pardons. Howbeit, because the matter was new and strange, he began first by way of doubts and questions only, submitting himself and his writing to the judgment of the pope, and desiring to be enformed of the truth. Whereupon, when he was by writing answered by the master of the pope's palace, then waxed he more wood', and fell to railing against him, and made also another book against the power of the pope, affirming, that his power upon the church was never institute of God, but ordained only by the common consent of Christian people, for avoiding of schisms. But yet he said that all Christian men were bounden to stand and obey thereunto, and that the Bohemes were damnable heretics for doing the contrary. But soon after, when he was in such wise answered by good and cunning men, that he perceived himself unable to defend that he had affirmed, then fell he from reasoning to railing, and utterly denied that he had before affirmed. And than began to write that the pope

had no power at all, neither by God nor man. And that the Bohemes, whom he had in his writings before called damnable heretics, were good christians, and all their opinions good and catholic. Then when he was cited by the pope's holiness to appear, he appealed to the next general council, which should be gathered in the Holy Ghost. So that whatsoever general council were after assembled, he might jest and rail thereon, and say that was not that that he appealed unto: for that was not assembled in the Holy Ghost. He took, (quod your friend,) a good wily way.

As wily as it was, (quod I,) yet would he not stand thereby, but fled from that to another. Now shall ye understand, that yet soon after this, in the book be which he not answereth, but raileth against that book wherein our sovereign lord the king, like a most faithful, virtuous, and most erudite prince, evidently and effectually revinced and confuted the most venomous and pestilent book of Luther, entitled, The Captivity of Babylon, in which he laboured to destroy the holy sacraments of Christ's church. In that book, I say, Luther, which had before appealed to the next general council, utterly denieth the autho-rity of all general councils, and setteth them all at no weight.

By my troth, (quod your friend,) either was the man very negligent before, or very naught after, when he changeth so often, and writeth ever the longer the more

contrary, not to his adversary only, but also to himself. But I pray you how excuseth he his inconstancy?

Marry, (quod,I) he saith, that he seeth farther than he saw before. Whereunto the king's grace sheweth him that it were unlikely that he should see better through a pair of evil spectacles of ire and envy.

Very true, (quod your friend,) by my troth. But yet I hear say that he hath offered to stand at the judgment of learned men in all his matters, if his of fer had ben taken in time.

Indeed, (quod I,) once he promised to stand to the judgment of the university of Paris, and thereupon was there open disputations kept, and the very words written by notaries sworn for both the parties. But when his opinions were after, at Paris, by the university condemned, then he refused to stand to their judgment, and fell again to his old craft of railing. He appeared also at Worms, before the emperor and the princes of the empire, by a safe conduct. And there recognised and knowledged, as well the said pestilent book written against the sacraments, as many other of like sort to be his own, and offered to abide by them. Which he might boldly do, being by the safe conduct in good surety of himself that he could take none harm. Then was he, moved to disputations upon the articles, so that he should agree upon some persons virtuous and well learned, that should be judges of that disputations,

and that he should be content to stand to their judg ment upon the same. Whereupon he agreed to come to disputations, but he would in no wise agree to make any men living judges upon that, nor stand to no man's judgment earthly.

This dialogue of the worship of images, &c. was replied to by Tyndale; which called forth2. sir Thomas's "Confutation of Tyndale's Answer;" Lond. 1533, folio.-These treatises are pervaded with all the absurdities of catholicism.

3. In this list ought also to be enumerated, his "Dialogue on Tribulation."

But the English work to which alone posterity is indebted to him, is his " History of Edward V. and his Brother, and of Richard III." This work was begun before he had finished his Eutopia, but was never completed. According to Grafton, it was written in 1508.

The preceding extract is remarkable chiefly as affording an example of the fermentation of religious opinion which distinguished the age; the following may be regarded as a fair specimen of stile, and of the state of the language,

in addition to the interest of the narrative

itself.

Description of the Person and Character of Richard the Third.

Richard, the third son, of whom we now entreat, was in wit and courage egal1 with either of them, in body and prowess, far under them both; little of stature, ill-featured of limbs, crook-backed, his left shoulder much higher than his right, hard-favoured of visage, as such as in states called warlye'; in other men otherwise. He was malicious, wrathful, envious, and from afore his birth, ever froward. It is for truth reported, that the duchess his mother had so much ado in her travail, that she could not be delivered of him uncut; and that he came into the world with the feet forward, as men be borne outward; and (as the fame runneth) also not untoothed; (whether men of hatred report above the truth, or else that nature changed her course in his beginning, which, in the course of his life, many things unnaturally committed.)

None evil captain was he in the war, as to which his disposition was more meetly than for peace. Sundry victories had he, and sometime overthrows;