His escape added fuel to the wrath of the clergy. They proclaimed, throughout the length and breadth of England, that the Holy Scriptures contained an _infectious poison_,[645] and ordered a general search after the word of God. On the 24th of October, 1526, the bishop of London enjoined on his archdeacons to seize all translations of the New Testament in English with or without glosses; and, a few days later, the archbishop of Canterbury issued a mandate against all the books which should contain "any particle of the New Testament."[646] The primate remembered that a spark was sufficient to kindle a large fire. [645] Libri pestiferum virus in se continentes, in promiscuam provinciæ Cant. multitudinem sunt dispersi. (Wilkins, Concilia, iii. p. 706.) Books containing an infectious poison are scattered in all directions through the diocese of Canterbury. [646] Vel aliquam ejus particulam. Ibid. [Sidenote: ROY'S SATIRE.] On hearing of this order, William Roy, a sarcastic writer, published a violent satire, in which figured _Judas_ (Standish), _Pilate_ (Wolsey), and _Caiaphas_ (Tonstall). The author exclaimed with energy: God, of his goodness, grudged not to die, Man to deliver from deadly damnation; Whose will is, that we should know perfectly What he here hath done for our salvation. O cruel Caiaphas! full of crafty conspiration, How durst thou give them false judgment To burn God's word--the Holy Testament.[647] [647] Satire of W. Roy, printed in the Harl. Misc., vol. ix, p. 77, (ed. 1809). The efforts of Caiaphas and his colleagues were indeed useless: the priests were undertaking a work beyond their strength. If by some terrible revolution all social forms should be destroyed in the world, the living church of the elect, a divine institution in the midst of human institutions, would still exist by the power of God, like a rock in the midst of the tempest, and would transmit to future generations the seeds of Christian life and civilization. It is the same with the word, the creative principle of the church. It cannot perish here below. The priests of England had something to learn on this matter.