Disputation Between Jacob De Keersgieter And Mr. Friar Cornelis, A Franciscan Monk; In The Presence Of Mr. Jan Van Damme, Recorder, And Mr. Michiel Houwaert, Clerk Of The Criminal Court, On The 9th Of May, A. D. 1569.306

Fr. Corn. And so they do; for in the point of having the women in common they agree with the Anabaptists. Ah, bah, don’t I know what the Calvinists and Calvinistresses do when they blow out the candles after they have held their accursed, devilish supper. Bah, you want to teach me how to preach, I suppose; see.

Jac. If this were true, it would certainly now be known to all the world; for the Calvinists have had public churches, in which they have preached, and held the supper; and if they had undertaken to put forth such things in them, in regard to having the women in common, as you say, what strange things would be noised abroad through every country.

Fr. Corn. O you accursed Anabaptist, and will you now also begin to upbraid me with slandering the accursed Calves-tails,307 eh? Don’t I say that they do this together, after they have held their devil’s supper when the candles have been extinguished? bah, what strange things can be said of a matter which no one can see? But you Anabaptists, tell us something about your supper; or don’t you have any, I suppose, since you don’t know anything to say about sacraments? Hence, speak, and let us hear: What do you hold concerning the sacrament of the altar?

Jac. I have never seen nor read this name in the holy Scriptures; hence I can say nothing about it.

Fr. Corn. Fie, the devil and his mother are here again already. How would you have it called the supper, as the Beggars308 call it, I suppose, eh?

Jac. I have read much in the holy Scriptures concerning the breaking of bread in remembrance of the broken body of Christ, Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; Acts 2; 1 Cor. 11; but of the sacrament of the altar I have never read.

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Fr. Corn. Bah, you certainly have the Scriptures at your finger ends; and because you Anabaptists will read nothing but simply the holy Scriptures, therefore it is, that you never read of a sacrament of the altar. For as I am informed by my lord, the provincial of the Augustinians, you flatly refuse to hear, by way of instruction, anything that the old fathers, or teachers of the holy Catholic church, write; as St. Ambrose, St. Jerome, St. Augustine, St. Gregory, St. Chrysostom, St. Bernard, St. Anselm, St. Bede, Doctor Sanctus, and many others, yea, such as are more ancient yet, as: Irenaeus, Cyprian, Basil, Cyril, and Tertullian. If you would read these, you would find the sacrament of the altar mentioned frequently by many different names, sometimes the eucharist, now a holocaust, then a sacrifice, oblation, etc. But you Anabaptists would far rather delve and root in the accursed, damnable books of your arch-heretic Menno Symons. And therefore you do not know anything of the sacrament of the altar—is this not a fine thing?

Jac. We are satisfied with the simple holy Scriptures; for all that is necessary for us to know for our salvation, we find abundantly contained in them, and we need not to search the doctrines of men.

Fr. Corn. Tush, tush, speak and let us hear, whether you also believe, that Christ is truly present in the consecrated host with his natural flesh and blood? Now, do you understand it better so?

Jac. Now I understand it much less yet, since nothing is taught in the holy Scriptures of a consecrated host; and therefore we also do not trouble ourselves with such things, but use in our church the memorials of the Lord’s body, as I told you.

Fr. Corn. Bah, what monsters are these memorials? This begins to sound quite Zuinglian and Calvinistic; and are you Anabaptists also Sacramentarians—I suppose so. Bah, what is it about these memorials? Let us hear once.

Jac. The memorials are bread and wine, which we use in remembrance of the body and blood of Christ, because Christ in his last supper commands us, that we are to break and eat the bread in remembrance of his body, which was broken on the cross; and that we are to distribute the cup with wine, and all drink out of it, in remembrance of his blood, which was shed for many, for the remission of sins.

Fr. Corn. Is it possible! you are fine fellows with your memorials. My lords, what do you think of this accursed, hellish devil’s crew? for they are Anabaptists and Sacramentarians. Bah! Jesus, Jesus, worthy mother of God, protect us; what abominableness this is! My, my, my, oh, oh, oh, oh! My lords, now you can well hear, what a Beelzebub brood and hellish generation you have here in Flanders, in the city of Bruges, and you sometimes ridicule my sermons yet, when I preach against these accursed heretics, and say: “That lousy little fool, the crazy friar Cornelis is always engaged with the heretics in his pulpit.” Hear now for yourselves, whether I have not just reason for it. And now listen, you Sacramentarian: Why then did not Christ say, “Take and eat; this bread is a memorial of my body, and this wine is a memorial of my blood?” But he said expressly: “Take and eat; this is my body.” Further: “Drink ye all out of this cup; this is my blood.” Answer me once in regard to this, * * *