brought him an oration of Isocrates which I had translated out of greke in to English/ and desyred him to speake vnto my lorde of london for me/ which he also did as he shewed me/ ãd willed me to write a pistle to my lorde/ and to goo to him my silf which I also did/ and delivered my pistle to a servant of his awne/ one wyllyam hebilthwayte/ a mã of myne old accoyntaũce. But god which kneweth what is within hypocrites/ sawe that I was begyled/ ãd that that councell was not the nexte way vnto my purpose. And therfore he gate me no favoure in my lordes sight ¶ Wherevppõ my lorde answered me/ his house was full/ he had mo thẽ he coude well finde/ and advised me to seke in london/ wher he sayd I coude not lacke a service/ And so in london I abode almoste an yere/ and marked the course of the worlde/ and herde oure pratars/ I wold say oure preachers how they bosted them selves and their hye authorite/ and beheld the pompe of oure prelates and how besyed they were as they yet are/ to set peace and vnite in the worlde (though it be not possible for them that walke in darkenesse to cõtinue longe in peace/ for they can not but ether stõble or dash them selves at one thinge or a nother that shall clene vnquyer all togedder) & sawe thinges wherof I deferre to speake at this tyme and vnderstode at the laste not only that there was no rowme in my lorde of londons palace to translate the new testament/ but also that there was no place to do it in all englonde/ as experience doth now openly declare. ¶ Vnder what maner therfore shuld I now submitte this boke to be corrected and amended of them/ which can suffer nothinge to be well? Or what protestacyon shuld I make in soch a matter vnto oure prelates those stubburne Nimrothes which so mightely fight agenste god and resiste his holy spirite/ enforceynge with all crafte and sotelte to qwench the light of the everlastinge testament/ promyses/ and apoyntemente made betwene god & vs: and heapinge the firce wrath of god vppon all princes and rulars/ mockinge thẽ with false fayned names of hypocrysye/ and servinge their lustes at all poyntes/ & dispensinge with thẽ even of the very lawes of god/ of which Christe him silf testifieth Mathew .v. y^t not so moch as one tittle therof maye perish or be brokẽ. And of which the prophete sayth Psalme .cxix. Thou haste cõmaunded thy lawes to be kepte meod/ y^t is in hebrew excedingly/ with all diligẽce/ might & power/ and haue made thẽ so mad with their iugglinge charmes and crafty persuasiõs that they thinke it full satisfaction for all their weked lyvinge/ to tormeẽt soch as tell thẽ trouth/ & to borne the worde of their soules helth & sle whosoever beleve theron.