consent to the dissolution of the Councell of Basill And if any be moued at it that they are readie to aunswer actum est ne agas That hee hath that promise from the Chauncellour of Fraunce that they had heard that the kings Embassadours allured with certaine promotions made great shew that the king would consent to the dismission of the Councell but that they had resolued to resist him to his face And there we haue a Treatise concerning that matter written in the yeare 1434 by Iohn Patriarch of Antioch An. 1434. which he caused publiquely to be pronounced in the great hall of the Couent of Franciscan Friers in Basill That a generall Councell is aboue the Pope It beginneth Ad ostendendum Where out of the Fathers and by the Decrees he bringeth it to this In 3. vol. Concil in Append. Concil Basiliens ad ostendend That the Pope is the seruant of the Church to be chastised by it if he doe his duetie amisse and confuteth at large whatsoeuer is alledged to the contrarie Let the Reader see the booke it selfe in the Councels At the same time whilest the Popes boasted that the Greekes did acknowledge obedience vnto them are published two bookes of Nilus Archbishop of Thessalonica against the Primacie of the bishop of Rome In the first booke he sheweth Nilus Archiepisc Thessalon de Primatu That the principall controuersies between the Greeke and Latin Church proceed from this that the Pope will not be judged by an vniuersal Councell but contrariwise as a master among his disciples will be Iudge in his owne cause whereas he ought to be ruled by the prescriptions of the Councel and contain himselfe within the Decrees of the Fathers That the bishop of Rome hath not the same power ouer other bishops as a bishop hath ouer his Diocesans but hath onely the prerogatiue of the first seat to be higher than other And here hee enlargeth himselfe to shew the commoditie and authortie of Councels In the second book he teacheh That the bishop of Rome hath not the right of Primacie from Christ nor yet from S. Peter nor from the Apostles but that the Fathers for some causes haue giuen vnto him the first seat That he is not the successour of S. Peter but inasmuch as he is a bishop by which reason also all other bishops are his successors That he is not an Apostle much lesse prince of the Apostles That in those things which pertain to the rules of faith they may haue often erred That he hath no right to alledge his Tu es Petrus because that promise respecteth the Church of Christ and not S. Peter and much lesse him whom they would haue to be his successours That though we yeeld him to be first in order yet he is not therfore to beare domination ouer others this Primacie not inferring an order aboue others but a co-ordination with others Moreouer he rejected these presumtions of the Bishop of Rome That he is the Iudge of all to be judged of none That he is not bishop of a certaine place but absolutely bishop That he alone by his owne right ought to assigne an vniuersal Councell and the like seeing that the Primacie or rather first Seat was granted to him onely propter vrbis principatum because Rome was the first or chiefest in order among cities We need not here repeat how openly and as they speake formally the greatest part of the kingdome of Bohemia opposed themselues earnestly desiring reformation of the Church according to the holie Scriptures exhibiting to this end a confession of their Faith to their King to the Emperour and to the Councell and preaching the same publikely in the Temples which by publike authoritie were then granted vnto them Also after faith was broken with Iohn Hus how stoutly they defended it by just and necessarie armes God from heauen fighting for the safegard of that poore people vtterly frustrating all the endeuours of the Emperour and of the Popes against them as we haue aboue shewed out of Aeneas Syluius for they haue continued without interruption vntill these our times But it is worth the adding That those Waldenses who some ages before had brought this light of the Gospell into Bohemia abode still in the mountaines of Languedoc and Prouence and in many places within the Alpes and there kept themselues safe from the persecution of Popes and Papists In Lombardie also as witnesseth Antonine vnder the name of Fratricelli were some knowne to the time of Eugenius But in England especially the seed of Wickliffe was largely propagated where without repeating any thing of Sir Iohn Oldeastle of whom wee haue before spoken we read of verie many to haue suffered martyrdome for the same doctrine William Taylour Priest and professor of Artes in the Vniuersitie of Oxford An. 1422. An. 1428. in the yeare 1422 and William White in the yeare 1428 Author of many Treatises vpon matters controuerted in that time was burned for thirtie articles which by word and writing he had defended He taught among other things That the Roman Church was that withered fig tree which the Lord had cursed for barrennesse of faith That the Monkes and Friers were the annoynted and shauen souldiers of infernall Lucifer That against these the Bridegroome when he shall come will shut the gate for that their lampes are out With the same mind also Alexander Fabritius in his Treatise intituled Destructorium vitiorum wrot many excellent things against the corruptions of the Romish Church against the antiquitie of which he opposed this saying of S. Cyprian If Christ alone saith he ought to bee heard we are not to attend what men before vs haue thought fit to bee done but what Christ first before all hath done If Christ had knowne that man might more easily get eternall life by the lawes of Iustinian than by the law of God he would haue taught them vs with his owne mouth and would haue let goe the law of God till another time which notwithstanding he hath taught with great diligence and wherein is contained all the doctrine requisit to saluation Againe He is a betrayer of the truth who openly speaketh a lye for the truth and he which doth not freely pronounce the truth the Pastors of the Church which refuse to pronounce the truth of the Gospell and by their euill examples slay such as be vnder them are traytors and most manifest Antichrists The Pastors and Prelats of the Church take great paines in these dayes for the obtaining of dignities one in the kings kitchin another in the Bishops Court another in seruice of his Lord but none in the Court of the Law of God Proud Priests and Prelats against the doctrine and example of Iesus Christ doe beare dominion as the kings of the Gentiles Being vniust they oppresse theirs with superfluous traditions vniust constitutions These moderne Priests doe whatsoeuer flesh and bloud reuealeth vnto them therefore are they cursed
the Churches Editio Parisien Epist 18. Pa. mel 55. but Cyprian complained thereof vnto Cornelius as of a wrong and in barre of such proceedings pleaded the lawes and constitutions of holie Church These fellowes saith he after all this presume to passe the sea c. For seeing sayth he that by vs all it hath beene alreadie ordained according to rules of equitie and iustice That euerie ones cause should be heard in the place of the fact committed and that to euerie Pastor should be allotted his proper portion of the flocke which he was to ouersee and for which he should stand answerable vnto God it is not fit that those ouer whom we are set should run from place to place to make the Bishops who are at vnitie among themselues to square and fall foule one of another for example Cornelius and Cyprian but that euerie one answere for himselfe in the place where the defendant may haue both accusers and witnesses face to face vnlesse perhaps these few desperate companions thinke the authoritie of the Bishops of Africa who haue condemned them to be lesse meaning lesse than that of Cornelius to whom they fled By all which it euidently appeares that it was the least part of Cyprians thought to acknowledge anie right of appeale to the See of Rome Bellarm. de Pontif. Rom. lib. 2. cap. 33. Wherefore when Bellarmine sayth that the constitution alledged by S. Cyprian That euerie cause should be heard in the place of the fact committed is to be vnderstood onely of the first instance the words themselues and those which follow are too too cleere against him The cause sayth Cyprian hath beene heard sentence is passed it is not fit that a censure of Priests or Bishops should be retracted as rash and vnaduised And as friuolous is that which he sayth that the word lesse is not spoken in comparison of the Pope but of the cause for those words vnlesse they thinke the authoritie of the Bishops of Afrike to be Lesse must necessarily be vnderstood in comparison of them with other Bishops of those against whom they complained with him to whom they sayled that is vnto Cornelius And all this suiteth with the veine of Cyprian as also doth that in his Treatise of the vnitie of the Church The other Apostles sayth he were the same that S. Peter was of like honour of equall authoritie and power but the beginning proceedeth from vnitie to shew that the Church is one where yet to bolster out this pretended Primacie one or other hath corrupted the text in sundrie places contrarie to the truth of manuscripts acknowledged in the Paris edition by the learned Turnebus For betweene these words Pasce oues meas and Et quamuis either Pamelius or some other before him hath inserted these Super vnum illum aedificat ecclesiam suam illi pascendas mandat oues suas that is He hath built his Church vpon him alone i. S. Peter and him hath he commaunded to feed his sheepe And whereas Turnebus readeth Tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem originem ab vno incipientem sua authoritate disposuit i. yet that he meaning Christ might declare this vnitie he hath declared by his authoritie that this vnitie should take her beginning from one alone Pamelius with like honestie as before betweene these words manifestaret and vnius hath thrust in these Vnam Cathedram constituit i. he hath established one Chaire Likewise after those words before mentioned The Apostles were all the same that Peter was c. after the word proficiscite he addeth Primatus Petro datur The Primacie is giuen vnto Peter And againe vnto these words vt vna Christi ecclesia monstretur he addeth Cathedra vna i. and one Chaire And to conclude where S. Cyprian sayth Qui ecclesiae renititur resistit in ecclesia se esse confidit i. He which resisteth the Church can he hope that he is in the Church Pamelius betweene these words resistit and in ecclesia foisteth in these Qui Cathedram Petri super quam ecclesia fundata est deserit i. he which forsaketh the Chaire of Peter vpon which the Church is builded And the like doth he in manie other places of this Treatise which additions how incompatible are they with the sence and scope of the text it selfe where it is said The Lord hath giuen after his resurrection equall power to his Apostles and againe They were all the same that Peter was as also with that Nullitie pronounced elsewhere against appeales made ouer the sea Cyprian in Concil Carthagin siue de sentent Episcop 73. editio Parisiens Cyprian de Alâ—ator and diuers other places of the same Author None of vs sayth he hath made himselfe a Bishop of Bishops through feare and tyrannie to force his Collegues to his obedience The heauenlie goodnesse hath bestowed vpon vs the ordering of the Apostleship and hath by his heauenlie fauour dignified the Vicars seat of the Lord Christ said to all the Apostles and in them to all Bishops which should succeed them in their Vicariall ordination He which heareth you heareth me Idem ad Puppien Epist 66. editio Parisien so that sayth he one of vs may not iudge another but we attend he excepteth none the iudgement of our Lord Iesus who alone hath power Vnus solus to ordaine vs to the gouernment of his Church and to iudge our doings Thus farre Cyprian immediately vpon whose death the Church of Afrike to cut off all claime of this pretended jurisdiction decreed That the Bishop of the first See should not be called Prince of Priests or chiefe Bishop Idem in Concil Carthag siue de sentent Episcop epist 73. Concil Afric art 6. Capitu. Carol. Magn. li 7. c. 17. Bochell Decret Ecclesiae Gallic li. 5. tit 5. cap. 1. or by any other like name Which decree our French Church heretofore vnderstood expressely of the See of Rome And now let the indifferent Reader judge which edition that of Pamelius or this of Turnebus sorteth and suiteth better with these sayings of Cyprian and consequently whether these are not Harpyes clawes which thus defile the pure foord of the Fathers writings to our hands and what they haue done in this Epistle who can warrant vs that they haue not done in the other writings of the same Father and of all other Fathers But here may we see as in a glasse the audaciousnesse of Baronius Baron to 1. an 33. art 21 an 34. art 203. passim who would make vs beleeue that the meaning of S. Cyprian was cleane contrarie for first he sayth That S. Cyprian acknowledged S. Peters Chaire as supreme Iudge ouer all Churches in the world grounding himselfe vpon the Epistle before rehearsed and so notoriously corrupted which yet he is not ashamed so often to repeat as if it were as true as Gospell and who cannot make his owne cause seeme good if he may be
all along giuing him fairely to vnderstand That all the Apostles were endowed with equall authoritie and certifying him onely An. 649. That he was consecrated Bishop of Carthage without euer asking confirmation at his hands only he requesteth him to recommend him in his prayers vnto God that he might wel discharge his office After this came Martin who taking occasion vpon the fame and suspition that was of the Patriarches of the East that they were Monothelites sent thither certaine Bishops and made some of those which yet remained Orthodox in the East his Vicars This was a faire attempt but the Emperour Constans hindered him in his walke for the yeare following he sent and caused him to be apprehended in Rome and to be brought prisoner to Constantinople where he died a banished man hauing beene accused for conspiring with the Sarasens against the Emperour as appeareth by his letters written to Theodorus Martinus in Epist ad Theodor 14. Sanctuâ— Audoenus in vita Sancti Eligij Sacerdotalem Concilium This Martin was a man of a hautie mind and a great vndertaker yet could not he maintaine his pretended authoritie no not in the West For when a certaine Heretike had crept into the Bishopricke of Authun the Bishop of Noion who was then in Court solicited the king and obtained of him saith Saint Ouin That by his commaundement a Councell of Priests or Bishops should be called at Orleans where the Heretike was condemned and banished the realme of France without expecting any higher authoritie So likewise vnder Pope Eugenius his next successor there was a Councell held at Chaalons vpon the riuer of Saosne which as appeareth in the verie front thereof Ex euocatione ordinatione Domini Clodouaei Regis Synod Epist ad Theodo Arelat was assembled by the conuocation and ordinance of king Clouis as also in the Synodall Epistle to Theodore Archbishop of Arles wherein they presume to declare vnto him by the authoritie of that Synod That considering the time of his penance was not yet expired he might not offer to meddle with his Bishopricke nor with the good belonging thereunto Ordaining farther Ib. can 10. That vpon a vacancie no successor might be chosen but by the Clergie and people of that Prouince that otherwise the election should be held as voyd and of none effect where you shall find no exception or reseruation at all to the Pope of Rome And in Spaine there were held at that time the 7 8 9 and 10 Councels of Toledo all which acknowledge their assembling to haue proceeded onely from their owne care and from the authoritie of the Prince namely the seuenth By our deuotion say they and by the care of king Chindasuinda the eighth By the commaund of the king Reccesuinda and the tenth By his most holie desire Sanctissimâ— Vote without any mention of the Pope at all though in those Synods the highest points of our religion were in question as namely in the eight whose Synodall Epistle hath yet onely this inscription The Decree of the Vniuersall Councell published in the name of the Prince And againe A law published in the same Councell Imperante Principe glorioso by the commandement of the renowmed Prince In all which besides those high poynts of Christian religion order was also taken against intrusions extortions and other abuses of Bishops proceeding to the punishment of some and finall deposition of others insomuch that in the tenth Synod one Pontamius Bishop of Bracara a thing neuer before heard of accused himselfe and was thereupon deposed by the Synod and Fructuosus Bishop of Duna chosen in his place with these words We doe here constitute and appoint by a common election Fructuosus to be Gouernour of the Church of Bracara to take vpon him as Metropolitan the care of all the Prouince of Galleece and of all Congregations and Bishops of that countrey Patrum sententia And this was done by the Decree of the Fathers annexed to his letters of Ordination without binding him to take a journey to Vitalian at Rome for confirmation who sat not in that pride which Popes now vse to sit in For as Anastasius reporteth when the Emperour Constans came to Rome he with all his Clergie went to meet him six miles off and there receiued they him with all tokens of submission and reuerence though he was a sacrilegious and bloudie Emperour and one which had confined Pope Martin the first to a certaine place in banishment as Baronius reporteth 24. PROGRESSION Wherein the religion of this age principally consisted and what was the purpose of the Popes when they sent Preachers into forreine Countries THe good Bishops of the Primitiue Church heeded onely the building and reedifying of the spirituall Temple of God in gathering together liuing stones but from hence forward shall you find the Histories stuffed onely with relations of materiall Edifices Oratories Images Marbles Incrustations Ouerlayings with gold and such like which the worser sort of men were euer most spendfull in thereby to shadow and obscure the memorie of their euill acts And those princes which all histories leaue vnto vs stained with dishonor recouer fame and good report of vertue pietie and religion by either building or beautifying some Church or other after their example Beda l. 1. c. 20. 26. 29. Histor Eccl. l. 4. c. 1. 2. 16. 19. Galfri Monumet l. 8. c. 4. And if any Bishops of Rome did send to make a conquest of some farre countrey as Gregorie the Great into England and after him Honorius Vitalis and others it was not principally to preach the Gospell but to broach their owne ceremonies their Singings their Seruice in Latine Houres Organs Altars Tapers Anelings and such other nifles stirring vp Princes to inforce their subiects to the vse practise of them who would faine haue kept themselues to the first institution of the Church in the puritie of the Gospell Malmesbu de gest Anglo li. 1. c. 50. And the more to win vnto themselues credit in forreine parts where euer they saw any ambitious spirit thirsting after some preheminence ouer the rest of his brethren presently their fashion was to send him their Pall either as a bare token of honour or as a liuerie of their Vicarship and to vse meanes to draw all causes vnto them yet found they not credit in all places alike but as they caried it away cleere in some places so in others they met with a balke especially in those Churches which being well planted at the first grew vp and prospered in puritie of doctrine OPPOSITION Wherefore doe they what they could yet the Churches of the East euer reiected that Decree of Phocas 2. To. Concil Epist Vitalian 2 3 4. Sigo de Reg. Italiae l. 2. Blond Deca 1. li. 9. An. 680. neither would Paule Archbishop of Candia suffer Iohn Bishop of Lampeon when he had beene condemned by his owne Synod to appeale to Rome as
that iudge the world saith he let them see and iudge these things least wrong should seeme to proceed from whence equitie and iustice should be had We shall bee condemned of rashnesse and said to open our mouthes against heauen but we write not these things out of a spirit of pride but with the inke of griefe wee feele our owne priuat miseries and deplore the publike c. The Apostle speaking to the Romans saith Euerie creature ought to be subiect to the higher powers If the Apostle so writ to the Church of Rome who in the Church of Rome will presume to contradict this Apostolicall doctrine c. Some Angels are greater and higher in dignitie than others yet they admit not the pride of emancipation or freedome the one aboue the other One of them long since would be freed from the power of God and of an Angell became a diuell by these extraordinarie liberties now adayes are wrought the vtter ouerthrow of many But to dispute of the doings of the Pope is held they say for sacriledge besides the disputation is not equall where it is not lawfull for the defendant to answer neither is it a quarell when thou strikest and I onely must endure the blowes In the same sence in the Epistle 158 to Iohn Bishop of Chartres and vpon the same subiect which was then pleaded by the Author before the Pope he saith All the lawes and the Canons and whatsoeuer we could alledge out of the word of God Petrus Blaesens Epist 158. to affirme and make good our cause Maiores inter caeteros the greatest haue held detestable and sacrilegious and did publikely iudge vs enemies to the Church of Rome vnlesse we would relinquish these word by which we endeuoured to proue the Church of Saint Augustine which they affirme particularly to be his to be subiect to the Church of Canterburie c. For hauing no regard of the losse of soules they permit in the Monkes all vnlawfull things to cast off the yoke of all discipline to follow all pleasures of the flesh and to pay for their riot and excesse through the whole yeare an annuall pension Wee hauing then beene publikely forbidden to produce in this cause either Canons or Lawes but onely priuiledges if we had any readie at hand whereof they knew none we had at that time saw that in this respect we were destitute of all humane comfort and they being resolued to prouide a lay man and not learned but rich ynough to purchase honors who had bought this Abbie by simonie not priuily but publikely and as it were in open market I put my selfe forward to accuse him and to make my selfe a partie against him but when I layed open manifest and notorious things they whom he had made friends with the Mammon of iniquitie poured wine and oyle into the wounds of his infamie Moreouer hauing gotten much money from the Marchants of Flanders and in a manner drawne them drie notwithstanding borrowed an infinit quantitie of gold of the Romans so by this meanes the Doues wings were all siluer and the hinder parts of her backe glittering all in gold in such sort that they would heare no more of the libertie and dignitie of the Church of Canterburie for the which the Martyr Saint Thomas fought euen vnto death This pretended Martyr notwithstanding suffered for the Popes authoritie who as Peter of Blois here tells vs according to the example of the Pharisies gilded his sepulchre that he might the better rob his Church Neither are we to forget also That in his treatise of the Institutions of a Bishop written to Iohn Bishop of Worcester he attributeth to euery Bishop that authoritie which the Church of Rome restraineth to the Popes as successors of Saint Peter We read saith he that our Sauiour said to Peter Petrus Blaesens de Institutione Episcopi If thou louest me feed my sheepe thou art the heire and Vicar of Peter feed my sheepe In being an Euangelist doe the workes of an Euangelist and of a Pastor be not ashamed of the office of a Pastor Thy ministerie hath more charge than honour if thou affect honour thou art mercenarie if thou wilt imbrace the burthen the Lord is strong to encrease his grace that profit may come by profit and gaine by gaine But if thou canst not endure the burthen and knowes thy selfe insufficient it is too late to complaine He said before Take heed by all meanes thou wrap not thy selfe in secular affaires for there is no agreement with the spirit of God and the spirit of this world persist in thy vocation the world is wholly giuen to wickednesse And this hee afterward recited Animabus Praelatus es non corporibus Thou hast the charge of soules and not of bodies Nihil Praelato commune est cum Pilato A Prelat hath nothing common with Pilat thou art Christs Steward Peters Vicar thou art not to make an account to Caesar but to Christ of that iurisdiction that is committed vnto thee And by these and the like places we may judge what he thought of the Popes who so violently drew all secular power vnto them But he was constrained verie often to temper his stile according to the tyrannie of those times Petrus Blaesens in Tractatu de Peregrinat Hierosolimit as when he said The sword wherewith Peter cut off these seruants eare exceedeth in these daies according to all mens opinion the weapons of Alexander and Caesar Abbas Vrsperg Let vs now come to Innocent the third The Abbot of Vrsperge tells vs of his entrance into the Popedome I haue heard in those times saith he things incredible to be related and hard to be beleeued that the same Pope said That he would take away the Kinglie Diademe from Philip or that Philip should take from him the Apostolical Ensigne Now albeit it were not to be beleeued that he would prefer his will before the will of God neuerthelesse it appeareth that he was at all times contrarie vnto him But God foreseeing from aboue permitted not that through all Germanie his diuine seruice and the Ecclesiasticall dignitie should perish which continued there more permanent than in other countries albeit much corrupted and depraued through the instigation of sinne and chiefly carnall pleasures And he noteth especially that Innocent opposed the authoritie of the Apostolike See against Philips Vt regium genus deperiret To ruinat the royall race But Auentine saith That he raised cognatas acies Auent l. 7. brother to fight against brother and the sonne against the father and the one to pollute himselfe with the bloud of the other and then crying out Who saith he can giue any other reason of the discord among Christians but the spectacle of the Roman Bishop quasi paria componentis taking pleasure to see and to cause them like Fencers to murder one another euen so the Christian people were slaine the Bishops of Rome encouraging the one against the
before his consecration at Rome might execute all his authoritie and prerogatiues and whosoeuer thought otherwise were traitors and heretikes Of which kind also that information is De nullitate processu Iohan. 22 whether Marsilius Patauinus or Ockam be Authour thereof Wherein Lodouike appeales from a Citation vnduely made in Auignion vnto a generall Councell conuocated in some safe and secure place with due forme and according to the sacred Canons and after a lawfull Appeale hee auerres that no place remaines for any Excommunication or Interdict And thus it was enacted against Iohn the two and twentieth or according to Platina the three and twentieth Furthermore Trithemius in Chronic. Hirsaugiens the Diuines and Ciuilians of these times argued this question by way of Thesis De potestate Imperiali Papali earumque distinctione Of the Emperours and Popes power and their seuerall distinction For to omit what Vldarick the Emperour Lewis his Chancellor Apologia Ludovic 4. contra Ioh. 22. publicē proposita wrot to Iohn in certaine letters directed to him in his Masters name wherein amongst other things he calls him Bestiam illam de mari ascendentem That beast arising out of the sea of which mention is made in the Apocalyps an Apologie was publisht in Lodouikes behalfe by the Diuines whereby they stifly affirme Quod nullus Papa potestatis plenitudinem in temporalia sibi arrogare potest That no Pope could arrogate to himselfe any plenarie power in temporall things much lesse in the Empire and yet much more lesse such an one as Iohn a man most vnworthie of the Papall chaire as also that the Pope swaruing from the Faith might haue a superiour on earth which is the whole Church represented in a generall Councell which out of their authoritie may judge him and to which for this cause it was lawfull to appeale And the same we read printed at this day But beyond all others out of doubt William Ockam a Franciscan an Englishman borne being a verie wittie and learned Doctor assayles him verie stoutly Defend me Caesar saith he with thy sword against the Popes iniuries and I will by word writing and irrefragable reasons maintaine thee against him the which indeed he performed while he liued hee constantly auerring That the Pope was an heretike and schismatike whose censures were nothing at all to be esteemed From hence came those Dialogues of his Pro Ludouici defensione Liber nonaginta trium dierum pro Michaele Caesennate Generall of the Franciscans excommunicated for the same cause Errores Iohannis 22 Dialogus inter Clericum militem and other such like In which he debates this poynt with so vnanswerable arguments as no man need to call his opinion into doubt or question The principall heads were these That the Pope ex iure diuino hath no Primacie That Peter neuer had nor neuer sat at Rome and therefore the Pope cannot haue it That the Pope may erre yea and the whole Roman Church and therefore ought to be liable to a Councell Concerning the controuersie betwixt the Pope and the Emperour he discusseth eight seuerall questions First Whether the Imperiall and Pontificiall dignities might be joyntly discharged in one man Secondly Whether Caesar onely receiued his authoritie from God or from the Pope of Rome also Thirdly Whether by any authoritie from Christ the Pope and Church of Rome haue power to confirme Caesar and other kings in the exercise of royall jurisdiction Fourthly Whether Caesar being elected hath at the same instant absolute right to gouerne the Commonwealth Fiftly Whether other kings besides Caesar and the king of Romans being consecrated by Bishops receiue any authoritie from them Sixtly Whether such kings are in any sort subiect to those which consecrated them Seuenthly Whether if they should vse any other rite or solemnitie or assume another Diademe they lost in so doing their royall title and prerogatiue Eightly Whether the seuen Electors conferre as much right vpon the Emperour elected as other Kings and Princes haue by lawfull succession All which questions he arguing on both sides he determines in the greatest part for the ciuile Magistrat I meane for Kings and Princes vtterly ouerthrowing by the way the Extrauagants of Iohn the two and twentieth as false hereticall and by many condemned Whosoeuer thinke otherwise they may be numbred amongst them of those times whereof the Apostle to Timothie admonisheth vs 2. ad Timoth. c. 3. v. 3. 4. The time will be when they shall not giue eare to sound doctrine but according to their owne lusts they shall seeke out for teachers that may delight their eares which themselues shall stop against all truth and open wide vnto fables For this is the state of the present time that all men in a manner enquire not what was the doctrine of Christ of the Apostles or of the Fathers but onely they listen what the Pope wills and commaunds them Ascentius in his Preface sayes That he writ six other Tractats which he wittingly omitted because they were somewhat too sharpe and bitter against the Pope of Rome Editus Basiliae Marsilius Patauinus the Author of that golden Treatise whose title was Defensor Pacis of the authoritie of the Emperour and of the Pope writes much out of the same veine where out of the holie Scriptures the Lawes the Canons and both the sacred and ciuile historie he affirmes and auerres these propositions ensuing That Christ was the onely head and foundation of the Church and not Peter That he constituted none of the Apostles no not Peter himselfe Vniuersall Vicar and head of the Church and that by as good right any one else may vsurpe to himselfe this title That Peter was neuer Christs generall Vicar neither did Christ appoynt the other Apostles to be subiect vnto Peter How it was most probable that Peter was neuer at Rome much lesse that there hee held his seat who as the rest of the Apostles had no peculiar seat That the Pope labouring to confirme his Primacie by succession hath no right at all and therefore it is not validious That he hath no greater authoritie than other Bishops no not in that which appertaines to Indulgence and remission of sinnes and that otherwise by diuine right all men are equall with him the Bishops of Magunce Collen and Treuer are Primats as well as he That the plenarie power attributed to him was a manifest lye an execrable title and the verie originall of all euils and the vse thereof was to be interdicted the Popes by some good generall Councell But concerning temporall things Christ whose Vicar he would be thought to be neuer exercised any temporall authoritie vpon earth but contrariwise both himselfe and the Apostles submitted themselues to the ciuile Magistrat and after his ascention into heauen they both obeyed Princes and enioyned their disciples to this obedience and therefore that no temporall jurisdiction did any wayes belong to the Pope ouer any man much lesse ouer Princes
Iulius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which onely permitteth him to take knowledge of the cause anew which in the fift Canon is qualified with this Particle as if say they the Bishop deposed As appealing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall flie for refuge to the Bishop of Rome and as the third Canon so this in the decision concludeth onely for a reuiew of the former sentence so little was this matter of formall Appeales meant or vnderstood in this Councell And this fellow which standeth so much vpon his knowledge of Antiquitie and hath written so manie volumes of it should in all reason haue produced some Canon of the Apostles some Constitution of Clement or of some precedent Councell or some example out of the Historie of the Church and not haue grounded himselfe wholly vpon a certaine Appeale made de facto by Martian Valentinian Fortunatus or some such like heretike and make that his onely title to claime by especially considering that the Councell of Nice setteth downe another order in expresse tearmes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concil Nicen. can 4. Concil Antioch can 4. sequ namely this that the power of ratifying for so doth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there vsed signifie in good Greeke should belong to the Metropolitan in euerie Prouince where there is no superiour appointed ouer the Metropolitan no not the Patriarch himselfe at that time and yet was the question at that time properly concerning the ordination of Bishops And the Councell of Antioch which was held but a little before that of Sardica giueth to a Bishop deposed by his own Synod no other remedie but onely a reuiew in another Synod And farther all Antiquitie forbiddeth euerie Bishop or Metropolitan to receiue anie Bishop or Priest deposed without those solemne letters certificatorie called Formatae from his owne Metropolitan or Bishop which absolute and generall Law were to little purpose if this Law of Appeales did stand in force And hence came the vse of those Formata which were of so great weight and moment and were neuer granted forth but vpon mature aduise and long deliberation Fifthly here may we see how Baronius abuseth a certaine place of Theodoret Theodor. l. 5. c. 9. where he sayth That Iulius hauing receiued letters from Eusebius the Arrian of Nicomedia who made him Iudge following the Law or Ordinance of the Church commaunded him to come to Rome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and cited Athanasius to appeare there also that is saith Baronius a Canon of the Nicene Councell now lost whereby it was enacted that men might from all parts appeale to Rome so small a piece of ground will serue their turne to found the tyrannie of the Pope vpon for what likelyhood thereof doe they find in anie Historie Wherefore it is more probable to say that seeing this was before that Canon of the Councell of Sardica it was meant rather of the common practise of the Church in those dayes when one Bishop oppressed was wont to flie for reliefe to some other of greater dignitie to cleare himselfe before him who thereupon vsed to call his aduersarie and to heare the cause betweene them according to that vniuersall Bishopricke whereof as sayth S. Cyprian euerie one did administer his portion by himselfe yet so as that no man neglected the whole Bodie or any particular member thereof the Church being a Bodie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sozom. l. 8. c. 13. i. which liued but by one and the selfesame breath As appeareth in the example of Ammonius and Isidore who finding themselues wronged by Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria fled to Chrysostome who receiued them and examined their cause and finding them to haue a right and Orthodox opinion concerning the Deitie wrote to Theophilus to receiue them to Communion if not and that he would yet draw the cause to a farther hearing that then he should send some one or other to make himselfe a partie in it The like was in Athanasius flying to Pope Iulius And yet did not Chrysostome hereupon ground anie pretence either ouer Theophilus in person or ouer the dioces of Alexandria The like was also in Liberius whom the Churches of the East assembled in the Syrmian Councell recommended to Pope Felix and to the Clergie of Rome requiring them to admit him as Collegue in that See which also they obtained And thus you see what that pretended Appeale was Baron an 349. art 6. vnlesse yet perhaps some man may thinke that foolerie of Baronius worth the answering where he sayth that Athanasius calleth the Church of Rome The Church Athanas Apolog 2. idem ad solitarios by excellencie without addition The words of Athanasius are these The Emperour sayth he sent me letters hauing receiued them I went vp to Rome with purpose to visit the Bishop and Church there Who seeth not that this word Rome was omitted in this last place onely to auoid an vnnecessarie repetition of what was necessarily implied Now if we would vrge a saying of the same Father where he calleth Milan the Metropolis of all Italie what rejoinder would he make Nay we may say farther that this Councell had beene ill aduised to draw all to one mans authoritie seeing that Hosius the proposer of this Canon a while after fell away from the true and Orthodox doctrine and that Liberius next successor to Iulius fell vnto Arrianisme excommunicating Athanasius and being therefore himselfe without regard to his pretended supremacie excommunicated by our S. Hilarie Baron an 347. art 25. an 352. art 14. to 3. Baronius seeing the consequence which this Historie draweth with it would faine make it trauersable and sometimes flatly denieth it to be true and which is more enrolleth him in the Catalogue of Saints as he did afterwards the good Hildebrand called Gregorie the seuenth But leaue we him to debate this question with Athanasius and Hilarie with Liberius himselfe whose Epistles Nicholas Faber his trustie friend lately published with the fragments of Hilarie with Bellarmine who as hath beene alreadie shewed so clearely condemneth him and lastly with himselfe for as much as he vseth these fragments of Hilarie so farre forth as they serue his own turne for from thence taketh he a Synodicall Epistle Baron an 357. art 26. written to Iulius from the Councell of Sardica and therefore ought in reason to admit also of that Epistle of Liberius found in the same volume but we need no argument in a thing which himselfe affirmeth so plainely as he doth Baron vol. 4. an 365. art 1 2 3 4 5 sequent By all these things saith he taken partly out of histories partly out of the writing of the Fathers partly out of his owne letters it is impossible to free Liberius from that imputation of communicating with Arrius and of ratifying the sentence by them giuen against Athanasius And if saith he there were no other proofe his owne letters are sufficient to put
certainely tooke not the See of Rome much lesse euerie one that should come to sit thereon as infallible in points of faith seeing that Pelagius himselfe was faine for his owne discharge to send vnto them the confession of his faith as it appeareth by that Epistle As for those other Bishops of Venetia and Istria they proceeded so farre as to constitute and ordaine the Bishop of Aquileia Ouerseer of their Church by the name of Patriarch a knot which the Popes were neuer afterward able to vndoe Baron vol. 7. an 570. art 11. and Baronius himselfe giueth that Patriarchship no other beginning than this As for France he was as little obeyed there as in any place whatsoeuer For the second Councell of Tours saith Iuxta conniventiam That they were there assembled by the sufferance and permission of the most renowmed king Cheribert and the fift of Orleans That they were assembled by Childebert to learne from the mouth of these Fathers what was holy Pela in Epist ad Childibert in 2. tom Concilio And the like is to be seene in the second Councell of Paris where Pelagius writing vnto Cheribert then king What paine saith he ought wee to take to free our selues from scandall and suspition by presenting to you the obedience and dutie of our confession that is to giue them an account of their true beliefe and Orthodox profession adding a reason farre different from the learning of these times For that saith he the holie Scriptures doe commaund that we also be subiect to higher powers Which Epistle is also taken into the Decret And to conclude the first Councell of Paris decreed That so often as Bishoprickes fell void Synod Paris ca. 8. to 2. Concil Satisdandum 25. q. 1. prouision should bee made by the joynt election of Clergie and people and that the Metropolitan assisted by the Bishops of his owne Prouince or of some Prouince next adjoyning should consecrate and ordaine him according to the ancient Canons without any reference at all to Rome though we find that euen at this verie time Iohn the third successor to Pelagius pursued the chase of his predecessors writing not only to the Bishops but to all in generall in France and Germanie in manner following We will and commaund that you and euerie of you all Bishops also and Priests whatsoeuer to obserue all the Decretals and ordinances of our predecessors in matters belonging to the Church And if any shall attempt the contrarie let him know that there is no place for repentance left vnto him Yet we find Greg. Turon l. 8. c. 20. that Vrsicin Bishop of Cahors at that verie time was excommunicated in the Synod of Mascon which was there called by the commaundement of king Gontran for entertaining Gombalt who then stood out in rebellion against him and that vpon his humble confession and penitent acknowledgement of his fault they enjoyned him not to cut either his haire or his beard neither yet to drinke wine nor to eat flesh nor to celebrate the office neither yet to minister the Communion during the space of three yeares An euident token that these Bishops assembled in Synod held still in their owne hands an absolute authoritie ouer their delinquent brethren And no maruell if these Bishops which dwelt so farre off made so light of the Popes commands seeing that euen vnder his nose the Archbishops of Aquileia Rauenna and Milan held their owne against him especially he of Rauenna which citie the Emperor Honorius and his successors had made the seat of the Empire from thence to looke a little neerer and to see what was doing in the East and where at that time Iustinus the second had commaunded Longinus his Exarcke or Vicar generall of the Empire in Italie to reside with power to commaund ouer all Dukes and other officers of those Prouinces who vpon the first entrance of the Lombards into Italie planted strong garrisons in euerie citie of defence especially in Rome and Rauenna Whence it ensued that the Pope could doe nothing in temporal matters by reason of the presence of the Exarck who did all in all and in spirituall affaires he was faine to keepe himselfe within his owne bounds because he saw that his spirituall authoritie which as a shadow followeth euer the bodie of the temporall power grew towards the wane and minished as that other of Rauenna encreased Neither was that his power at all acknowledged at Aquileia and Milan Sigon de Regno Italiae li. 1. where the Archbishops pretended That they held not of the See of Rome not at Aquileia because as Rome gloried in Saint Peter so did she in the Euangelist Saint Mâ—â—ke as first founder of her Church which had since that time beene ennobled with sundrie holie Bishops and Martyrs Not at Milan because her Church was first founded by Barnabas the Apostle and after that honoured by the Bishoprick of Saint Ambrose and had either of them a multitude of Suffragant Bishops vnder them and peraduenture they thought that tradition of Saint Peters chaire not to be all of the truest and easier to be said than proued And this is that which Sigonius reporteth though a writer of their owne Guicciard Histor li. 4. and which Guicciardine also deliuereth in these words In this time saith he meaning of the Exarchat the Bishops of Rome had nothing to doe in matters temporal and because the beautie of their ancient manners and pietie was now decayed men had them not in such admiration and reuerence as before but they liued vnder the commaund and subiection of the Emperours and Exarchs without whose leaue and licence they might not accept or presume to execute the office of the Bishopricke though chosen by the Clergie and people of the Citie and which is more the Bishops of Constantinople and of Rauenna because the Seat of Religion vsually followeth the Seat of the Empire began now to contest and to quarrell him vpon the point of Primacie And of this we shall find examples in that which followeth 20. PROGRESSION That Iohn Bishop of Constantinople assumed to himselfe the name of Vniuersall Bishop THe two generall Councels of Constantinople and Chalcedon had as we haue alreadie declared An. 580. in all points of prerogatiue equalled the two Bishops of Rome and of Constantinople sauing alwaies the prioritie of place to him of Rome This much offended the Bishop of Rome who neuer looked with a good eye vpon an equall neither could the other brooke the dealings of him of Rome as loth to acknowledge a superior Wherefore when the Bishop of Rome carried himselfe in the nature of an Vniuersall Bishop as farre as men would suffer him Jeuinator Iohn the fourth surnamed the Faster Bishop of Constantinople thought to preuent him by assuming to himselfe the title of Vniuersall Bishop about the yeare 580 being the more emboldened thereunto because he saw the seat of the Empire established at Constantinople the
all thankes therefore to the Almightie and daily to pray for the life of our most religious and Christian Lord the Emperour and of his gracious consort and of his courteous progenie in whose times the mouthes of the Heretikes are stopped for though their hearts boyle with peruerse and froward thoughts yet vnder a Catholike Emperor they dare not to vtter their mischieuous imaginations And in like maner writeth he to Isicius Bishop of Ierusalem Greg. li. 7. Epist 11. and to sundrie others But the conclusion of all was this That the law of Maurice stood still in force and Gregorie himselfe was faine to publish it by his letter directed to the Metropolitans and to the Bishops of the chiefe Sees in whiche he calleth him Most religious and most clement Emperour Baron to 8. an 593. art 22. 23. But yet Baronius like a man that would saile with euerie wind telleth vs That Gregorie corrected this law before the publication therof and that thereby he declared that his Apostolike power was aboue the Emperours law But who so shall take the paines to read this Epistle all along Baron ib. art 49 shall find that hee doth nothing therein but onely declare the intention of the Emperour to put it in execution and to justifie this law rather than to reproue it 22. PROGRESSION Of the murder of the Emperour Maurice by Phocas What flatterie Gregorie vsed vnto Phocas and that Boniface the third of Rome got to be called Vniuersall Bishop WE haue alreadie seene the controuersie which was betweene Gregorie of Rome and Iohn of Constantinople it remaineth that wee now come to the issue thereof The Emperour Maurice vnto whom Saint Gregorie had written so many letters Zonor li. 3. pa. 64 65. sequent came to fall into dislike and hatred of souldiers and one Phocas a Centurian made himselfe captaine of the mutiners and was afterwards for his paines by them proclaimed Emperour Maurice seeing that fled away with his wife and children and presently was Phocas crowned by the Patriarch and forthwith he pursued after Maurice and when he had ouertaken him Paul Aquileg 1. li. 17. slew his wife and children before his eyes not sparing the little one which hung at the breast and afterward caused his throat to be cut likewise Maurice had sent away his sonne Theodosius to reserue himselfe to better fortunes with Cosroë king of Persia but he was also taken brought backe and murdered so was the Empresse Constantina also with her three daughters And the Historians know not well which of the two they should most condemne in him his Treason or his Crueltie Phocas therefore was no sooner chosen Emperour but Gregorie presently wrot vnto him and that with abhominable adulation and flatterie He beginneth his Epistle with Gloria Deo in excelsis which is the song of the Angels at the Natiuity of our Sauior Greg. Epist 36. li. 11. Glorie be to God on high saith he which changeth the times and translateth kingdomes who some times in his iustice sendeth Princes to afflict his people and other times in his mercie those which shall lift them vp againe For which cause wee reioyce that thou art come vnto the Empire Let the heauens reioyce and let the earth leape for ioy and let all the people be glad thereof c. Epist 44. And to Leontia the Empresse he writeth in this manner What tongue can speake what heart can conceiue the thankes which we owe to God for the happinesse of your Empire Let the Angels giue glorie vnto God euen the Creator which is in heauen aboue and let all men giue thankes here in earth beneath c. But the conclusion of this Epistle is this That they would take the Church of Rome into their protection and alwayes continue mindfull of Tuâ—es Petrus assuring them that for their paines Saint Peter would not be vnmindfull of them nor faile to vndertake the protection of their Empires All tending no doubt to the establishing of his owne authoritie But he happening to dye shortly after and Sabinian his successor suruiuing but a little time An. 605. Boniface 3 in the yeare 605 who also liued not aboue eight monethes and some odde daies to effect that which his predecessors had proiected tooke his aduantage seeing the Emperour Phocas on the one side displeased with Cyriacus Patriarch of Constantinople because hee would not approue of such his murders and on the other jealous least the hatred of his dealings might haply cause Italie to reuolt from vnder him and thereupon he asked and by the profers which he made of his good seruice obtained of him That the Church of Rome should thence forward bee the Head of all other Churches and the Bishop of Rome should be called the Soueraigne and Vniuersall Bishop And thereupon he published that Imperious ordinance in a Synod at Rome consisting of 62 Bishops and from that time forward vsed euer in his Mandats these words Volumus iubemus i. We will and commaund and that in the Prouisions of Bishops whom though they were elected by consent of Clergie and people yet would he not suffer to be either called or accounted as Bishops but by vertue of his letters patents with that clause of Volumus iubemus in them and so saith Platina in plaine tearmes Which pretentions of his Platina in Bonifaciâ— though sometimes they found some crossings yet were they the beginning of that schisme betweene the Greeke Church and the Latine a schisme which continueth euen vnto these our dayes OPPOSITION Suppose we now that Gregorie himselfe had risen againe from the dead and seene his successor vsing that Title which hee before hand had so formally condemned in his Epistles how could he haue saued him from this so necessarie a conclusion drawne from the propositions of his owne words and so oftentimes by him repeated Whosoeuer will be called Vniuersall Bishop is the forerunner of Antichrist Boniface the third willeth and requireth and ordaineth himselfe to be so called therefore it followeth that he was the forerunner of Antichrist if not Antichrist himselfe Bellarmine here findeth out two creepeholes The one is concerning the fact Bellar. de Rom. Pontif. l. 2. c. 17. Non instituendo sed asserendo Lib. 4. de Gest Longobard c. 37. where he sayth That Phocas did not ordaine this by way of a new Institution but onely of declaration of a thing euer before acknowledged in the Church But let him read the Historie it selfe Paulus Diaconus who liued not farre off from these times speaketh after another manner Phocas sayth he at the suit of Pope Boniface ordained That the See of the Romane Apostolike Church should be the Head of all other Churches because the Church of Constantinople wrote her selfe The first of all other Churches And so testifie all the Historians which came after him namely Freculphus Rhegino Anastasius Hermannus Contractus Marianus Scotus Sabellicus Blondus Pomponius Laetus
with manie others by which the cognisance of such causes is committed to the Ciuile magistrat And now what maketh all this for that absolute authoritie of the Pope Moreouer the Councell of Toledo which was held vnder King Gondemar in the time of Pope Boniface the third and that after that Decree of Phocas declareth that of Toledo to be the first See Concil Tolet. sub Rege Gondemaro not so much by vertue of anie new graunt as by the Synodall Decree of the auncient Fathers commanding all Bishops to vaile bonnet vnto him vnder paine of Anathema Which Decree of the Synod was also confirmed by the King Gondemar As for the Pope in all that long Epistle we find no one word spoken of him Baron an 610. art 14. and yet Baronius is not ashamed to auerre That the Church of Toledo had this priuiledge from Rome when as yet the Pope was not absolute Monarch in Italie itselfe for the Bishops of Istria and Venetia vnder their Patriarchs stood oâ—â— against them so also did the Bishops of Lumbardie as appeareth by that Epistle of Gregorie to Constantius Bishop of Milan Brixia ep 37. lib. 3. whom a certaine Bishop of Bresse would not acknowledge because it seemed that he as well as the Bishop of Rome derogated from the authoritie of the Chalcedon Councell But vnder his successor Sabinian the matter went a little farther Baron an 605. art 2 3 4. For we may learne out of a certaine Councell held at Mantua for which we are beholding to Baronius his Librarie That when as there was question about the choice of a new Patriarch of Aquileia and Agilulphaâ— the King of the Lumbards had caused one Iohn to be elected the Exarch of Rauenna to gratifie the Pope set vp against him one Candidian at Grado and so were there for a long time two Patriarchs of which he which sat at Aquileia would neuer acknowledge the Popes authoritie 23. PROGRESSION Of the attempt of Honorius against the Bishops beyond the Po. THe Lumbards at that time lying heauie vpon Italie on the one side and the Exarchs of Rauenna for the Emperour on the other caused the Popes to pull in their hornes and to make little vse or shew of their new title purchased from Phocas though in the meane time their ambitious humor and desire of soueraignetie and power neuer ceased to put forth vpon all occasions Honorius therefore Bishop of Rome about the yeare 623 tooke his aduantage vpon a lamentable and wretched accident The Bishops of Istria Venetia and Lumbardie as we haue alreadie said held no good correspondencie with the Bishop of Rome and it came to passe that Adelwaldus fift King of Lumbards fell somewhat distracted in mind whether by force of a poyson which is said to haue beene giuen him by Eusebius the Emperours embassador Sigonius de Reg. Ital. lib. 2. at his comming out of the Bath or otherwise it is a thing hard to say but in this case he made away twelue of the most principall men of charge in the kingdome and grew dangerous to the rest The Lumbards to preuent a mischiefe called a Councell and deposed him placing Adoaldus his brother in law in his roome yet was the kingdome hereupon drawne into factions some holding for the old King some for the new and among others they beyond the Po held for the new election as well clerkes as lay men Which Honorius perceiuing tooke presently part with the aduerse faction and dealt with the Exarch to reestablish Adelwaldus but aboue all to apprehend those Bishops and to send them safe to Rome to answere there for their offences to the end saith he that this their wickednesse may not escape vnpunished But the worst was that the Exarch was too weake a partie and not able to performe what he vndertooke and thereupon those Bishops persisted in their former resolution being now more incensed against him than before OPPOSITION If that Decree of Phocas made in fauour of Boniface the third found such opposition at home we may easily conceiue what light regard was had thereof in more remote Prouinces and Churches especially in that point which Boniface so much enforced That no prouision of a Bishop was good in law without his authoritie for the fourth and sixt Councels of Toledo at also the first and second of Bracara which were all held vnder Honorius make open shew thereof seeing that the Bishops assembled in these Councels openly professe that they were assembled by the care and industrie of Sisinandus their King Eius imperijs et iussia commoniti Chintillae salutaribus hortamentis who roused them vp by his commands to the due handling of matters concerning the discipline of the Church as likewise speake the fift and sixt By the wholesome exhortations of King Chintilla and the first of Bracara By the commaundement of King Arimire Moreouer we find the Chapter of the Greeke Synods translated by Martin Bishop of Bracara as we find them in the second Tome of the Councels authorised in that Synod for the Bishops are there prouided in full Synod by their Metropolitan who yet did nothing without the aduice of the other Bishops As for running to Rome for Buls or Pals not a word there to be found if the Pope sent it to anie it was his kindnesse but no man was bound of necessitie to accept it and if it happened vpon the accusation of anie Bishop that the Synod could not agree they neuer sent to Rome for a resolution but for a finall definition say they of this dissention this holie Synod hath thought fit that another Metropolitan of some bordering Prouince should be sent for to confirme and ratifie that opinion which he should thinke most agreeable to the Canons But here is to be noted that not long after this ordinance of Phocas made in fauour of the See of Rome the Church might plainely see in the person of this Honorius whom we now speake of how dangerous a thing it was that she should depend of one man Which Gregorie well foresaw when he said That if there should be one Vniuersall Bishop and he should happen to fall the whole Church must needs vnto the ground For the heresie of the Monothelites then rising in the Church Honorius with the first fell into it and was conuicted thereof by his owne hand writing which he had sent to Sergius Bishop of Constantinople neither was this a small heresie or of anie meane consequence for that not to acknowledge two wils in Christ is consequently to denie two natures in him also His letters were produced in the sixt Generall Councell Action 12. 13. 2. To. Concil Act. 12. 13. Concil Vniuers 6. and were there by generall consent condemned to the fire the summe of them was this That neither Gospell nor Epistle neither yet the Synods did euer teach vs these two faculties or powers in Christ That these were words inuented by some
of Naruie and Iohn a Cardinall testifie They saw him giue Orders to a Deacon in a stable among horses Benedict with other Deacons and Priests say They knew that he made Bishops for money and that he had created one of the age of ten yeares a Bishop in the citie of Tudertina And for sacriledge we need not search farre because we may know more by the eye than by the eare For adulterie they say They were not eye witnesses yet they certainely knew the widow of Ranierus and Stephana his fathers concubine and Anna a widow with his neece to be defiled by him and that he made the holie Palace a stewes and common brothell house Moreouer he put out the eyes of Benedict his spirituall father who soone after died slew Cardinall Iohn a Subdeacon after he had cut off his genitors he exercised burnings and violent outrages being armed and a sword by his side that he vsed to carouse in wine a health to the diuell which all as well the Clergie as the Laitie with one voyce did confesse That playing at dice they say he vsed to call vpon the name of Iupiter and Venus and all the diuels to helpe him That he celebrated Matins in no fit houre and neuer made any signe of the crosse But for as much as worthie men are often inueyed against and through enuie and malicious detractation falsely accused the Emperour againe conjureth them That they propound nothing against him that is not plainely to be proued To this the whole Synod cried out Quasi vnus vir as if but the voyce of one man If this vnworthie Pope Iohn hath not committed more shamelesse and more abhominable acts than these that are here exprest by Benedict the Deacon we desire holy Saint Peter the Prince of Apostles neuer to absolue vs from the snares of our sinnes who by his word shutteth the gates of heauen against the vnworthie and openeth them to the iust and righteous but that we may be accursed and set vpon the left hand at the last day Neuerthelesse the Synod requested the Emperor That letters might be sent vnto him to come to purge himselfe which were presently dispatched both in the name of the Emperour and the Archbishops wherein briefely were exprest the crimes whereof he was accused Whereto he answered directing his letters Omnibus Episcopis To all the Bishops We heare say that yee meane to create another Pope which if yee doe I excommunicat yee by the omnipotent God that yee haue no power to ordaine any nor to celebrat the Masse In the meane time that this letter was in reading there arriued the Archbishop of Treuers and other Bishops of Lorraine Liguria and Aemilia with whose aduise and counsell both the Emperour and the Synod returned him this answer If he came not nor had any other lawfull cause to alledge being he was neither to passe the seas nor had any bodily infirmitie nor yet a verie long iourney they made light account of his excommunication and that they would returne it vpon himselfe because they might iustly doe it Iudas say they who betraied sold our Sauior Iesus Christ receiued of him with others the power to bind and vnloosse c. and so long as he continued honest among the Disciples he was able to bind and vnloosse but afterward when through the venome and corruption of couetousnesse he became an Homicide to destroy life whom could he more tye or vntye but himselfe whom most wickedly he strangled with an halter Surely by this it plainely appeareth that the pretended seat of Saint Peter is no impediment to be a Iudas The Emperour who all this while complained not of any iniurie offered by him particularly vnto himselfe seeing him sufficiently charged by others declared now vnto them with great moderation How that he hauing taken an oath vpon the corps of Saint Peter did neuerthelesse combine and arme himselfe with Adelbert against him intreating the Synod to consider thereof whose sentence was That a strange Vlcer ought to be burnt with a strange searing yron and it was fit to driue away this monster of the Church a scandall to the whole world and some good and vertuous man to be put in his place This sentence was approued by the Emperour and all with one voyce chose Leo the eighth in place An. 963. as they say of this Apostat Iohn the Emperour allowing the same These things fell out in the yeare 963 but not long after such things being set in order as did most concerne them the Emperor with Leo called another Synod at Rome in which it manifestly appearing to all that there was no other cause of these tumults than the neglect of the law and institution ordained by Charles the Great and quite abrogated by Adrian the third labouring more Sigon l. 7. de reg Ital. saith Sigonius for the dignitie than the tranquilitie of the Church whereby the Popes were chosen by vnlawfull suits and briberies a law was made for the restitution thereof and that bridle which the Popes and Clergie of Rome had studiously shaken of D. 69. c. in Synod 23. they were enforst againe to admit We read in the Decrees of Gratian this Canon D. 63. repeated also by Sigonius in his Historie According to the example of holie Adrian Bishop of the Apostolike Sea Sigon l. 7. de regno Ital. Fasciculus tempo who granted to Charls the most victorious king of the French and Lombards the dignitie of the Patritij and the administration of the Apostolike See and the inuesting of Bishops I likewise Leo Bishop and seruant of the seruants of God with all the Clergie and people of Rome An. 964. constitute and confirme and by our Apostolicall authoritie grant and giue vnto the Lord Otho the first king of the Germans and to his successors of the kingdome of Italie for euer the authoritie and power to elect and chuse a successor and to ordaine and appoint the Bishop of the Soueraigne Apostolike See and furthermore that the Archbishops and Bishops shall take their inuestiture of him but their consecration where they ought except those whom the Emperour hath giuen or granted to the Popes and Archbishops And that no man hereafter of what degree or religion soeuer shall haue any power in chusing or ordayning either Patricius or Bishop of the Soueraigne Apostolike See or any Bishop without the consent of the Emperour and that without any corruption or money and that hee bee Patricius and King If any therefore whosoeuer enterprise or attempt any thing against this rule and Apostolicall authoritie wee iudge him excommunicat and if he be not penitent therefore perpetuall exile and euerlasting torment The summe of this Canon with Gratian is thus The election of the Bishop of Rome by right belongeth to the Emperour And Theodore of Nyem who liued vnder Iohn the 23 affirmeth That he had seene the Letters Patents at Florence from whence it was taken reserued for the
tribunall seats of Iudges and the Courts of Princes are not sufficient to receiue the Monkes and Friers The cloysters are emptie the Gospell is shut vp and nothing more common in the mouthes of Ecclesiasticall persons than temporall all lawes c. And with the selfesame mind he writeth to the Cardinals preparing themselues to the Councell That they come not thither as he hath often seene it to sell their voyces thereby the better to helpe their luxurie which he there describeth to be princely exceeding that of Sardanapalus and that he had seene those that haue exulted for joy when they heare of a Synod as if the threshing time after Haruest were at hand This hee speakes of that part of the Church that held with Alexander the second which he himselfe defended which I thought good to tell you that no man might obiect that hee spake of the faction of Honorius the second whom he accounted schismatikes Wherefore being inuited by Alexander and violently incited by Hildebrand to be present at the Councell at Mantua against Honorius by whose good name they hoped to weaken the contrarie faction he falls to foule tearmes with them The Epistle is intituled Patri filio To the father and the sonne the Pope and the Archdeacon wherein wounding Hildebrand or rather the Pope through his sides An. 1064. I humbly beseech saith he my holie Diuell that he would be pleased not to be so cruell vnto me and that his venerable pride would not weare and wearie me with so long stripes but that he would become more mild vnto his seruant my shoulders beaten black and blew faile me and my backe is furrowed with stripes c. And therefore saith the Wise man the stroke of the rod makes markes in the flesh but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones But I represse my spirit and put my finger vpon my mouth and seeke for mercie thought it be late But let vs now come to the Opposition OPPOSITION The minoritie of Henrie the third was a great helpe to the Popes proceedings notwithstanding that Agnis the Regent and the Princes whose counsell she vsed to interrupt the prescription did alwaies something to maintaine their authoritie though it were not alwaies answerable to their desires A successour to Nicholas the second was to be thought of about which there arose a ciuile warre at Rome the voyces being diuided betwixt Alexander and Honorius The Romans in the middest of these tumults sent Embassadors to the Emperour lying then at Ausbourge and among others that man that had consecrated Alexander who requested his help against this vsurpation Auentinus L. 5. Annal. Baiorum ex antiquioribus Alexander say they troubleth all against the laws of our ancestors without your consent he vsurpeth the holy priesthood bought the Popedome of the Normans holds it by force he is a wolfe and a theefe not a Pastor a tyran not a Pope Behold here I am that enforced by the Normans God I take to witnesse consecrated him succour vs therefore speedily before this plague disperse it selfe any farther The Emperour therefore taking knowledge thereof sendeth Bocon the Bishop of Halberstat to enquire into the truth hereof who so long as the controuersie continued maintained Alexander in his place But Honorius hardly enduring that entreth with his power into Rome The Lombards defend Alexander the Normans Honorius and Rome is diuided the townes and other strong places of the citie parted betwixt the Popes But Godfrey of Lorraine who comaunded for the Emperour in Italie interposed himselfe by whose authoritie the Popes lay aside their armes and euerie Citizen betakes himself to his own home But presently calling them both before him You are saith he the Shepheards that are clothed with the wooll and nourished with the milke of those sheepe whom yee abuse who violate that peace pollute that pietie which Christ our Lord and Sauiour hath left vs Goe into Germanie to the Emperour and there decide the matter by Law not heere by armes who shall be Pope And so let him whom the Emperour Princes and Bishops shall iudge the more worthie enioy the Popedome peaceably without force Wherefore both of them consenting therunto the businesse is referred to the Synod at Mantua but yet so as Alexander being consecrated and possessed of the Temple of Lateran retayned still the name and title But both of them being impatient of delayes the Emperour being imployed in the warres of Hungarie by meanes whereof he could make no great speed to order and pacifie these matters each other by Synods in his owne faction excommunicated one another Insomuch that the Emperour being hardly thirteene yeares of age was faine to send Hanno the Archbishop of Collen and Wenceslaus of Altaich with diuers other Bishops and Princes to Mantua where Alexander yeelding himselfe to the law Honorius on the other side signified to Hanno That it became not the master to be taught by his disciples and that he would not come but as the Vicar of Christ and President of that Councell Hanno president of the Synod and representing the person of the Emperour answered him by the aduice of the Councell That he must obey the sentence of the Church and the masters of that Councell and submit himselfe to the diuine Oracle Whereupon Alexander being lawfully heard and because there wanted an accuser willed to purge himselfe by oath they pronounced him Pope who neuerthelesse as we haue seene took no great care of the imperiall dignitie These things fel out in the yere 1066. An. 1066. But so soon as Hildebrand without the knowledge of the Emperour had got the Popedome he who in the elections of his predecessors had beene often the author to chuse them without the consent of the Emperors not fearing to doe any thing resolued with himselfe to preuaile in this businesse after another manner than others had done Which forasmuch as Henrie the third was now more growne in yeares as it was an occasion of great tumults in Christendome so it inforced the truth out of many mens mouthes This onely man saith the Apologie of the Clergie of Liege in the yere 1066 Offered hard measure to the sacred Canons but let vs know how Apologia Cleri Leodiensi an 1066. He did it not as Gregorie the first who would not intermeddle with the death of the Lombards nor as all the Popes after him who by the example of Gregorie the first vsed the spirituall sword onely vntill Gregorie the last that is Hildebrand who was the first and by his example encouraged others to doe the like that armed himselfe against the Emperour Vntill this man came saith a graue writer the Popes were chosen by the Clergie the Nobilitie the people the Senat the Emperour ratifying their choice who had power to call them and other Bishops to Councels and was acknowledged by them according to that which the holie Fathers and Iesus Christ himselfe did and taught others to doe
to Bishop Benedict that it seemed to be taken from an Epistle euidently supposed to bee Calixtus the first which if we marke either the sence or manner of stile we shall find to sauour of no antiquitie and the like besides was supposed by diuers others and all the learned among them euen before these controuersies were Furthermore that it is likely that this Benedict was he that is mentioned in the first creation of Cardinalls made by Calixtus in the yeare 1120 An. 1120. as we read in Onuphrius With the like credit they attribute the Decree of single life to Calixtus the first which this second Calixtus ended An. 1119. being President of the Councell at Rheimes in the yeare 1119 That all maried Priests should be degraded But let the Reader judge with what spirit these good Bishops were led that in the same Councell they pronounced authentike the historie of Charles the Great Fasciculus Temporum Ann. 1119. Matthaeus Paris in Henric. 1. Rogerus de Houend Huntington in Hen. Ranulph in Polychro l. 7. c. 7. written by the Archbishop Turpin euen and by the judgement of Baronius fabulous and ridiculous In England likewise in a Synodholden at Westminster the Cardinall Iohn of Creme his Legat caused to be published after diuers disputations Summum scelus esse To be a great wickednesse to arise from the side of a harlot for so they called the lawfull wiues of Priests to goe to create the bodie of Christ He notwithstanding hauing the same day made and consecrated the bodie of Christ was the night following surprised in the companie of an harlot as many Authors of that time doe affirme and for the most part Monkes A thing so manifest as could not be denied whereby he changed that great honour he had gotten into the greatest dishonour and reproach and by the iust iudgement of God with shame discredit returned to Rome And so the staine of Discipline doth always accompany the corruption of doctrine Matt. Westmonasteriens in Chron. Baron to 12. an 1125. art 2. sequent Baronius wold call this historie into doubt because Mathew of Westminster addeth that this good Cardinall had for his excuse That he was no Priest but a corrector of Priests who neuerthelesse saith he was a Priest But he did not see that it was spoken in that sence wherin Abbots denied to be Monks because they were the gouernours masters of Monks that is to say they were not Monkes onely And what he addeth besides is all friuolous An. 1124. Now about the later end of the yeare 1124 Lambert Bishop of Ostia succeeded Calixtus who through his diligence had brought the Emperour Henrie vnder the yoke of bondage and was called Honorius the second and not long after died Henrie without heire which caused diuision in the Empire one part holding for Lotharius Duke of Saxonie the other for Conradus Duke of Sucuia who murdered each other with mutuall wounds An. 1125. whilest in the meane time Honorius and his successors lost no time Honorius purposing to inuade the Normans in Apulia the onely obstacles in Italie of his greatnesse Romwal Episc Salernitan in Chron. stirred vp all the nobilitie to armes against them Pardoning all their sinnes that should die in this expedition for him and remission for the one halfe onely that should liue So vsed he his Indulgences to the destruction of Christians An. 1127. And yet neuerthelesse finding the matter full of danger determined with himselfe to make peace with Roger yeelding vnto him the title of Duke of Apulia and Calabria vpon condition he should hold them of the See of Rome And not long after in the yeare 1130 he died Neither would I willingly omit Guilielm Tit. l. 3. c. 23. 25. An. 1130. that at the same time William an Englishman was created Archbishop of Tire in an assemblie of the King and Patriarch and the Peeres of the realme and soone after consecrated by the Patriarch of Hierusalem for hitherto there was no speech to attend the Buls of Rome This William to the end he might get the more authoritie to himselfe goeth to Rome to obtaine the Pall which Honorius was verie readie to giue vnto him But it is expresly noted by the Author that he made this voyage Inuito renitente suo consecratore Against the will and liking of the Patriarch Waremond who can consecrated him And so through the wicked ambition of the Prelats he got power and authoritie in the East countries Neuerthelesse Stephen the successor of Waremond was chosen not long after by the Clergie and people without the helpe of Rome OPPOSITION But among the enterprises of these Popes there were not wanting those who barked at the theefe vndermining the wall of the Church Hildebert Bishop of Mans famous in that Age in a certaine Epistle speaking of the Court of Rome saith Their proper function is Inferre calumnias deferre personas afferre minas auferre substantias that is to say To slander to backbite people to threaten to carrie away other mens goods Their praise is to seeke businesse theft in peace among weapons flight victory in banquets Imploy them in your causes and they delay them imploy them not and they hinder them If you solicite them they scorne you if you inrich them they forget you They buy processe they sell intercessions they depute arbitrators they dictate iudgements and when they are pronounced they reuerse them c. They denie vnto Clergie men their due reuerence to the Nobilitie their originall honour to superiours their place to equalls their familiar meetings and to all iustice They loue not any kind of men of what order or of what age soeuer In the Palace they are Scythians in chambers Vipers in feasts Scullions in exactions Harpies in discourses Statutes in questions Beasts in their treatises Snailes in their bargaines Bankers Stonie in vnderstanding woodden in iudgement firie in stirring vp anger yron in forgiuing In friendship Leopards in their meriments Beares in deceits Foxes in pride Bulls and Minotaures in deuouring Their firmest hopes are in changes they loue best doubtfull times and yet still fearfull of their villanie through a guiltie conscience Lions in their counsells Leuorites in armies They feare peace least they should be shaken off warre least they should fight Whose nosthrils if they vent the ayre of an rustie purse thou shalt presently see the eyes of Argus the hands of Briarius and the wit of Sphynx In another after that he was made Archbishop of Tours he complaineth to Honorius the second Hildebert in Epist ad Honor 2. That all things were brought by Appeale to Rome which we saith he on this side the moutaines haue not yet heard much lesse learnt in our holie ordinances that all Appeales are to be receiued at Rome and if perhaps such a noueltie hath risen That all Appeales without difference be admitted the Pontificall censure will perish and the strength of
belong to that Court that vseth to commaund both Emperours and Kings And Baronius hath set downe this excellent Apothegme in great letters Baron an 1169. art 11. By the pride of the seruant we may iudge the modestie of the Master Doubtlesse the wisest of this world judge otherwise of the power and authoritie of the Pope Otho Bishop of Frisinghen saith Otho Frisingens in prologo l. 4. Chron. Two persons are constituted in the Church by God the Priestlie and the Princelie the one hath the administration of the Sacraments of Christ and to exercise Ecclesiasticall descipline with the spirituall sword the other carieth the materiall sword against the enemies of the Church defending the poore and the Churches of God from the oppression of the wicked punishing euill doers and exercising secular iudgement These are the two swords whereof we read in the Passion of our Sauiour but Peter is said to vse but onely one Therefore euen as to the spirituall sword spirituall possession belong that is to say the tithes the oblations of the faithfull and others of like sort so to the materiall are subiect all worldlie dignities as Duke domes Earle-domes and the like Now God would that these things should be in his Church orderly and not confusedly that is to say not in one person alone but diuided betweene two as I haue formerly named Euen as these persons therefore that carrie the materiall sword are not to meddle with those things that are spirituall so is it not fit for the spiritual to vsurp the other And to make good this saying many testimonies of the Scriptures and of our Lord himselfe besides the example of Saints may be alledged as that Gospell that saith Giue vnto Caesar the things that belong vnto Caesar and vnto God the things that are Gods That which our Lord Iesus Christ had deliuered in words he declared also by effects when yeelding tribute to whom tribute belonged he gaue tribute for himselfe and Peter And S. Paul acknowledged that we ought to yeeld honour to whom honour belongeth considering that all power is from God who being brought to iudgement did not appeale to Saint Peter who then possest the chaire at Rome but to Nero a most impious and a wicked man ordained by the will of God King of the whole world And thus much touching the honour of Kings But he goeth about to defend the Pope by some poore weake reasons but in the end concludeth I confesse I know no other refage but this that we haue known holie men both of Apostolike faith and merit as Syluester Gregorie Vlric Boniface Lampert Gothard and diuers others that haue had these things but for my selfe to speake my owne opinion I doubt whether this exalting of the Church in these dayes be more acceptable to God than the humilitie of former times Verily it seemeth that state was the better this the happier Neuerthelesse I agree with with the Church of Rome c. That is to say to be rather temporally happie with the one than spiritually happie with the Apostles and the holie Fathers and shortly after he hides not from vs vpon what foundation he groundeth his reason That all scruple saith he of that controuersie being resolued by his authoritie and example is againe secretly signified by that which was sayd to S. Peter Duc in altum lanch into the deepe and cast your nets to take fish Luke 5. yea it is so secret that for the space of 500 of the first and best yeres none of the auntient Doctors could perceiue this mysterie Jdem l. 3. Chron. 1.3 But the same authour speakes more openly in another place After the donation of Constantine the Church of Rome affirmeth that all Realmes of the West belonged to it by the gift of Constantine this he refuteth himselfe In token whereof it doubted not to exact tribute euen to this present of all those except the two Kingdomeâ— of the French that is to say the Gaules and the Germans which hee would gladly draw into his Net if they would suffer him But in our France at the verie same time they that were called Waldenses or Albienses earnestly set against the Church of Rome condemning all the traditions thereof rejecting the ceremonies and declaring it in expresse words to be that Babylon in the Apocalyps the mother of fornications and the Pope verie Antichrist the man of sin foretold by the holie Scriptures These people maintayned the puritie veritie and simplicitie of the Christian Religion in all the Countries both on the mountaines and vallies of Daulphine Prouence Languedoc and Guyan where the corruptions and papall inuentions could not so easily penetrat no otherwise than as we see the Tongues customes and habits of nations to be preserued in Countries more remote against the inundation and mingling of the people as the originall Tongue of Spaine in the mountaines of Biscay and the auntient Tongue of the Brittons in Wales with their manners and customes also and so likewise of others For that so great a multitude of people spread from the Alpes euen to the Pirence by the instruction of Waldo had beene as it were hatcht vp in one day exceedeth all beliefe all reason Contrariwise he that would retire himselfe from the world seriously to contemplate his owne saluation it is likely he rather learned it of them and afterward taught at Lyon where for the renowne of the citie they that were his followers or affected his doctrine were called Waldenses as they who preached in the citie of Alba ware called Albienses and not many yeres before Peter Bruitzius Henrie his disciple publiquely teaching at Tholouse were called Tholousians and so likewise were they called at the Councell of Lateran held vnder Alexander the third Of this antiquitie to the end we need not doubt thereof the aduersaries themselues auouch the truth amongst whom Frier Rainerius who writ about the yeare of our Lord 1250 Among all the sects that are saith he or euer will be none can be more pernitious to the Church of God than that of Lyons An. 1250. Frater Rainerius de Waldensibus for three causes the first because it hath continued a longer time than any some say that it hath beene euer since the time of Syluester others say from the time of the Apostles that is to say inasmuch as integritie euer went before corruption and the same maintayned by them as it is said of the true Church in the Apocalyps that it was preserued euen in the desart The second because it is more generall for there is not almost any Countrie where into this sect hath not crept whereas in the meane time they aske vs where our Church then was The Third because all the other procure horrour by their blasphemies against God this of the Lionists hath a great apparence of pietie in as much as they liue vprightly before men and put their trust in God in all things and obserue all the Articles
commended by all Histories for his pietie vertue clemencie forgetfulnesse of all iniuries whereby he left a desire in all men of his continuance yet no man euer endured greater more vnjust dealings by the Popes Through his death arose many molestations to his son Henrie as well in Germanie as in Italie But the thing that most troubled him was to get into his possession the kingdome of Sicilie in the right of Constance his wife by the death of William the which Pope Clement for want of an heire male challenged to belong to the church and had sent his forces to inuade it if the States and gouernours thereof had not opposed against him one Tancred the Bastard son of Roger by which meanes the inuasion of Clement being delayed Henrie had the better opportunitie to prouide for himself Thus did he obserue the promise made by his predecessor to those that went into the holie Land to defend and protect their estates and rights in that state they should leaue them Platina in Clement 3. Frederic being dead in this expedition his sonne Henrie besides the griefe for the losse of his father through so extraordinarie and vnexpected an accident was no lesse diuersly disquieted and disturbed in the kingdome of Germanie But Clement while he was endeauouring to put by Henrie from the imperiall Diademe died in Aprill in the yeare 1191 whom Cardinall Iacynthus succeeded a Citizen in Rome and was called Celestine the third By this change Henrie sped the better and with all diligence came to Rome where he was crowned by Celestine whom hee had before bound vnto him Naucler vol. 2. Gener. 40. by restoring into his hands the citie of Tusculus which had been deliuered into his protection a meanes for Celestine to gratifie the Romans because that for the space of 50 yeares before it had beene either the cause or pretence of many dissentions and brawles betweene them and the Popes Vignier ex Chron. Germā manuscr Baro an 1191. Sect 1. 10. ex Rogero authore Coaetaneo parte posteriore in Richardo primo But as soone as hee had restored it vnto them hee refrained not any kind of crueltie that he might practise against those miserable people But the manner of his coronation is worthie to bee noted After the Emperour had taken his oath to defend the Church and the patrimonie of Saint Peter and to restore whatsoeuer belonged to the Church whole and entire if any thing were withheld or detayned from it the Emperour and the Empresse are brought into the Church by the Pope and Masse being solemnely celebrated by him he annoynteth first the Emperour with words instituted to that purpose and afterward the Empresse Then sitting downe in his pontificall Chaire holdeth the imperiall Crowne betweene his feet and the Emperour bowing downe his head and likewise the Empresse receiue it from his feet And after this immediatly the Pope striking the Crowne with his foot kickes it from his head to the ground in token hee hath power if his merits so deserue to depose him then the Cardinals standing round about receiue the same Crowne and reuerently puts it vpon the heads of the Emperour and the Empresse Baronius himselfe is the Author and likewise Ranulph in the same words Ranulph in Polycr l. 7. ca. 26. Thus this proud mysterie did still rise by degrees Now by the death of the Bastard Tancred it was the easier for Henrie to make his peace with the kingdome of Sicilia But Celestine was now readie to excommunicate Henrie and also his brother Philip if his death had not preuented it by an auntient pretence wherby he had vsurped the possessions of the Countesse Mathilda though before to the end that Henrie should ruinate and destroy Tancred whom hee saw now established by the States hee had inuested the sayd Henrie into these dominions as his feudatarie But Henrie dying in the yeare 1197 left onely a sonne by Constance his wife of the age of one yeare and the troubles that euerie-where rise about the succession gaue Celestine meanes or rather a fit opportunitie to his successour Innocent the third to doe whatsoeuer they would in prejudice of the Empire For as Philip the brother of Henrie and Otho Duke of Saxonie striued for the Kingdome of Germanie Innocent taking an oath of faithfull homage of the Gouernour of the Citie of Rome inuadeth the Dukedome of Tuscane which Henrie had giuen to Philip his brother and sending to the Bishoppes of Germanie commaundeth them to deliuer the hostages which Henrie had brought out of Sicilia with him namely Sibilla the widow of Tancred his children and the Archbishoppe of Salerne Butt if Vezilus de Berco their keeper should refuse to deliuer them then they should excommunicate him by which meanes he seemed to haue composed the businesse of Sicilia to his owne desires The verie same way partly by force and partly by excommunication hee chased away Marcoaldus out of Romania and Conradus out of the Dukedome of Spoleto whom Henrie had inuested and interdicted all the Cities that any whit fauoured them and strengthened and confirmed the Cities of Lombardie in their societie to remayne free in such sort that the Emperours who afterward came into Italie found they had no authoritie left vnto them Furthermore hee enforced Constantia the widow of Henrie to take an oath to hold of him and his successours in homage Apulia and Calabria paying yearely sixe hundred squifats and for the Countrie of Mercia foure hundred vpon condition that her sonne comming to age shall take the same oath And as Constancia not long after chaunced to dye hee tooke vpon him to bee the Tutor and Gardian of the child who was Frederic the second and by these cunning sleights hath made himselfe Arbiter of the Kingdome Againe in Germanie he refused the election of Philip brother of Henrie as excommunicated by him and approued that of Otho Duke of Saxonie thereby taking from his pupill the support and helpe of the Vncle neither doth hee dissemble it that what hee did was in hatred of his predecesours who had opposed themselues against due See of Rome that is to say for defending the rights of their Empire And here the Reader may see the care they had of the affaires of the East that whilest they were bent wholly to the care of themselues all things went to ruine And here we make an end of the twelfth age OPPOSITION I willingly omit those frequent contentions betweene the Emperours and the Popes in these times contenting my selfe to haue noted here what the better sort haue thought of the Church of Rome Clement the third solicited the kings of Fraunce and England to the voyage of the holie Land who for the differences that grew betweene them thought it not fit and conuenient for them to go forward into a strange Countrie vnlesse the cause of the discord were first taken away and it seemed to Clement that Philip the second our king was
Fol. 5. Fol. 144. Fol. 78. by reason of a scedule which Frier Leo saw to descend from heauen and fell vpon the head of Saint Francis wherein it was written This man is the grace of God wholly conformable vnto Christ the example of all perfection deified in the glorie of God the Father in the glorie of the Saints vnited to God whereby he preceeded all liuing creatures is made one and the same spirit with God whom the Militant Church hath deserued to be an Aduocat with God in whom the passion of Christ is renewed for the saluation of all mankind in so much that God hath beene pacified for the whole world through one Masse of S. Francis All are saued that dye in the Order and vnder the rule of S. Francis for Francis prayed vnto God and obtained of God that none of that Order might dye any euill death The same grace descendeth vpon him who taketh vpon him that Order of religion Bernard in Rosario Thom. in l. 4. Sent. dist 4. ex vitis Patrum as vpon him that is baptised And the putting on of the hood giueth vnto them full remission of sinnes and freeth as well from the punishment as the sinne and taking vpon him a new purpose of a vow the which afterward he may repent is neuerthelesse baptized againe and hath pardon Wilt thou any more Christ hath prayed Francis hath obtained And when shall we haue an end of these blasphemies This booke notwithstanding was exhibited in the generall Chapter of the Franciscans by Frier Bartholomew of Pisa and approued by all with a generall consent in the citie of Assise the second of August 1389 with this expresse clause We haue searched debated and caused this booke diligently to be examined and we find nothing therein worthie correction therfore it is called by them The Golden Booke and sent by the commaundement of the Popes Gregorie the ninth Alexander the fift and Nicholas the third to all the faithfull vnder the paine of heresie to beleeue the markes of S. Francis Liber conformitatum Impressus Bononiae an 1590. fol. 3. 254. Item fol. 3. 250. Anthon. parte 3. tit 23. 1. 28. Bonauent in Legenda B. Francis likewise by the commandement of Benedict the twelft to celebrate the day whereon they had receiued it And that by a Bull of Alexander the fourth the hiâ—â— of Auernia whereon they say these things happened should be receiued into the protection of the See of Rome And yet the Authors of these times doe not agree among themselues vpon these marks for Bonauentura who liued fortie yeres after saith in his Legend That they were seene and acknowledged of many euen to the putting in of the nailes Mathew Paris cleane contrarie a most superstitious Monke who liued at the same time affirmeth that there appeared not any marke or trace either in his side his feet or hands There was no lesse fained of Dominick especially when he was to bee opposed against the Albienses Antonius Archiep parte 3. tit 23. l. 1. § 3. Therefore the Archbishop Anthonie who was of his Order so compareth his myracles with those of Christs as euer they excell them both in weight and number Christ saith he raised three onely that were dead Dominick three in the citie of Rome But what should wee thinke of those fortie strangers that suffered shipwracke in the great riuer neere Tolouse the ship being ouerwhelmed and they a long time vnder water but that by the prayer of S. Dominick they came safe out of the riuer and were restored to life Christ being immortall entred twice among his Disciples the gates being shut but Dominicus as yet but a mortall man which is much to bee admired entred in the night into the Church the doores being shut least he should waken his brethren Christ said after his death All power is giuen to me in heauen and in earth and this power saith he is not a little communicated to Dominick ouer all celestiall terrestriall and infernall things Note how he alwayes quarels for the better For he had the holie Angels at his seruice the elements did obey him and the diuels trembled at him and were not able to disobey him This hee proueth by many examples He addeth That at Venice before Dominick was borne into the world there was in Saint Markes Church two Images to be seene of all whereof one was in a verie religious habit of the Order of the Preachers with a Lilie in his hand the other had the similitude of the Apostole S. Paul as they vse to paint him ouer whom was written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paulus S. Paul but vnder the feet of the Image was written Per istum itur ad Christum By this man we come to Christ Aboue the other figure was written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dominicus that is S. Dominick but vnder him Facilius itur per istum The way is easier by this man that is to say by Dominick for saith Anthonie The doctrine of S. Paul and so likewise of the other Apostles was a doctrine leading to faith and obseruance of the commaundements the doctrine of Dominick to the obseruance of Counsels and therefore the way more easie by him to come to Christ And so thou hast one superiour to S. Paul and the rest of the Apostles and his rule better than Apostolicall doctrine But worse followeth Because he was like vnto Christ he was aptly named Dominicus by our Lord Christ for Dominicus quasi totus Domini was that principally and by possession which our Lord was absolutely and by authoritie For the Lord saith I am the light of the world and the Church singeth of Dominick Yee are the light of the world The Prophets diuers wayes foretold of our Lord for they all beare witnesse of him Of Dominick and his Order saith Zacharie in his eleuenth Chapter speaking of the person of God I haue taken vnto me two staues the one I haue called Decorem Beautie the other Funiculum a Cord or a Band Beautie is the Order of S. Dominick for the beautifull habit of their Prelats the Cord is the Order of the Minors because they are girt with a cord Thus play they with the Scriptures Furthermore The Lord was borne vpon the naked earth but the Virgine his mother for feare of the cold puts him into a manger Dominick being borne and a little infant vnder the custodie of his nurse getting out of his cradle detesting as it were the delights of the flesh was found oftentimes by his nurse lying all naked vpon the bare earth At the birth of our Lord there appeared a star which guided the wise men vnto him thereby insinuating that the whole world should be enlightened by him likewise in the forehead of Dominick as he was baptised the godmother beheld a starre signifying that a new light was come into the world c. The prayer of the Lord was euer heard whensoeuer he wold for that
the execrable blasphemie For the Lord should not else haue beene discreet that so I may speake with his reuerence except he had left such an onely Vicar behind him Bald. in cap. Cum super de causis propr possess Jn ExtrauagaÌ„t Comm. l. 1. de maiorit Et obedientia C. vnam sanctaÌ„ ibi Glossa Et additio Petri Bertrandi in iure Canonic Editionis Gregorianae Lugdunens C. Fundamenta de Electione in 6. that could doe all these things now Peter was his Vicar and so the same may bee affirmed of Peters successors But because many Canonists of those times were ashamed of such words in certaine editions they were quite rased out and Gregorie the thirteenth vnder colour of reformation restored them againe The Glosse vpon the chapter Fundamenta electionibus sexto pronounces flatly That the Pope is not a man and in a little verse it is said Thou greatest of all ehings thou art neither God nor man but some intermediant power whereupon he surnames the Pope Admibilis Admirable by which name Christ is called in the 9 of Esay it was a wonder omitted the attribute following Emanuel God be with vs. That Glosse vpon the Extrauagants of Iohn the two and twentieth titulo 14 sayes Non est purus homo Glossa in proemium Clementinar but yet that of the chapter Cum inter nonnullos titulo 14 speakes as it were infuriated To beleeue that our Lord the Pope could not so or so decree is merely heretical Now judge by all precedent inferences Ius Canonicum impressum Lutetiae an 1â—20 apud Claudium Cheualonium in sole aureo Ius Canonicum Gregorij 1â— impressum Lugduni postrâ—me Editionis apud Rouillium in Extrauag Iohan 22. C. cum inter nonnullos Tit. 14. ni verbo declaramus circa finem what reformation is to be expected from these men when Gregorie the thirteenth perusing the whole Canon law left this Glosse absolute and entire and being formerly rased out by others precisely renewed the same such an heart-griefe it is vnto them howsoeuer they may faine and dissemble to abridge the least title of Antichristian priuiledges But as Antichrist augments and multiplies his blasphemous names and titles so does God daily excite and stir vp men in the world to detect and point him out with their finger which we shall better obserue in the sequel of these relations OPPOSITION Lewis the fourth Emperour suppressed his competitor Frederick and fortified himselfe by the king of Englands affinitie whose wifes sister hee maried being daughter to the Count of Holland and therefore Pope Iohn thought to rayse a verie dangerous conspiracie against him either to detaine him still in Germanie or to make all enterprises more difficult to him in Italie He therefore entred into a league with Charles the Faire king of France and Robert king of Sicilie enjoyning further Leopald Duke of Austria and brother to Frederick to take vp armes he made the Duke of Poland a king vpon condition that hee should war against him and further he commaunded the Teutonian Knights to make peace with the Lituanians who were yet Pagans to inuade the Marquisat of Brandenberg which belonged to Lewis his sonne When he saw that in all likelihood he would not leaue Germanie he sent Philip de Valois into Italie with Cardinall Bertrand a Dominican in his companie to open a way for him and he excommunicated all those whosoeuer that were of Lodouikes partialitie Lodouikes partakers cried out vnto him in these distresses requesting his aid He notwithstanding to claime his right fairely sent an embassadour to Iohn yea to his Legat to treat of a peace who being entertained with threats and contumelies returned backe againe Iohn still reiterates his thundering excommunications so as all other affaires layd apart Lewis must needs enter Italie with an armie Auent l. 7. In Auentine Iohns Bull against Lewis is to be read taken out of the ancient Libraries of Bauaria the which it will be verie requisit here to insert absolute and entire After saith he that the Roman Empire transferred by our predecessors from the Greeks to the Germans was committed to the custodie and protection of Charles the Great this soueraigne honor was woont to be the benefit and prerogatiue of the highest Priest For it was then decreed That if the Almans at any time made choyce of a king this election should be of no vigor nor force except the Pope of Rome Father and Prince of Christendome did ratifie the same and he so assigned by the Princes and States of the Empire could neither gouerne nor take vpon him royall Title before the Pope Gods Legat authorized and approued him suo numine with his diuinitie And further the Empire being destitute of an head the absolute power and prerogatiue lay in the Pope whose see it manifestly is And wee haue seene throughout all precedent discourse what strife hath beene about this word Benefice or Fee as also how much bloud was shed in all parts of Italie In like manner when the seuen Electors are diuided neither the one nor the other of the elected can be king And so the Roman Bishop as the common parent to all men is to manage at his owne will the Roman Empire being by such a dissention destitute of an head And as the mind commaunds the bodie to serue by whose benefit it onely liues so no man can denie but that then the Christian affaires goe best forward when things fraile yeeld to those eternall prophane to sacred and those corporall to the other spirituall Which then comes to passe when the Pope at his discretion gouernes both dignities for both the the Church is gouerned and all other power is reduced vnder his lawes and obedience And the Emperour by oath is bound vnto him who by a Vicegerencie vnder the celestiall Emperour swayes and rules the earth For this cause it is that two after Henrie the seuenths death hauing beene nominated Emperours Frederick and Lewis both the one and the other were incapable of this soueraigne dignitie and so consequently the Christian Commonwealth came to be dissipated and abandoned and therefore in all right was to be directed and gouerned by vs. As also Lodouike to his owne great hurt and preiudice and no lesse detriment to the Roman Church before he was thought worthie by vs to rule out of his owne head tooke vpon him the royall Titles rashly vsurping the authoritie and power of Emperour which still he holds both in Italie and Germanie For hee hath giuen into his sonnes hands the Principalitie of Brandenburg contrarie to all lawes And notwithstanding our opposition he succoured Galeazzo and his hrethren who were condemned of heresie And this is continually for such an heresie as neither the Apostles nor the Fathers euer made mention of We therefore according to the authoritie deriued to vs from heauen peremptorily commaund Lewis within the space of three moneths to abiure all royal Title and absolutly to
iust Abel whom carnall Kaine murdered it hath euer beene and will be to the worlds end These are they who for temporall commodities flie to the Church and liuing like secular men couet and scrape and rob desiring to beare rule but not to serue glorying in their superioritie oppressing their inferiours reioycing in their owne pride and luxurie They account gaine godlinesse and are alwayes readie to doe and endure whatsoeuer for the encrease of their temporalties howsoeuer they are gotten scorning and laughing at those that are willing to liue iustly holily chastly innocently spiritually To be briefe they thinke none other learned men to be profitable to the Church but such as haue learnt profitable sciences With such the Church at this day is full that almost in euerie Chapter and Colledge none other can hardly be found Since therefore no other are accounted in these dayes wise in the Church but these temporall persons and all things are swayed according to their disposition if any are to be sent either to the Court of Rome or of any other secular Princes or to the Councell in hope of greater preferment after which they gape by fauours and intercessions with great importunitie they labour to be sent For what doe these temporall men but seeke for temporall things thinke of temporall gaine Can we thinke that such will endeuour the reformation of the Church in manners and discipline and honestie of life who thinke that reformation their greatest calamitie and desire nothing so much as that it may be lawful for them to doe whatsoeuer pleaseth them freely without feare of punishment c. And here hee describe them at large But what concludes he hereupon Truely since the Prophet saith Vpon whom shall my spirit rest but vpon the humble and him that trembleth at my words wee must not looke that these Councels should be ruled by the spirit of God where the Decrees depend vpon voyces where for the most part carnall ambitious contentious persons puffed vp with vaine knowledge where subiects ill prepared to receiue the spirit of God where the workes of the flesh contentions emulations clamors beare sway since it is sayd quite contrarie The eyes of the Lord are vpon the righteous Yea since our auncient Fathers when they went about to celebrat a Councell to the end they might the better obtain the assistance of Gods spirit therein prepared themselues with prayer fasting teares contrition of heart humilitie of spirit searching and inquiring into the verie inward parts of their selues least they should offend any way therein that might auert his presence and whereby he should not speake more in them than they themselues If saith he they had by experience found that they could not be deceiued in those matters for which they were assembled what need was there of such diligence c. Since therefore the whole congregation assembled doth many times depend vpon the voyce and opinion of one man why as that one man may be deceiued in his iudgement may not likewise the whole multitude especially if out of humane presumption or any other grieuous crime it deserue to be deceiued Is it not onely proper vnto God to doe all things rightly and neuer to be deceiued But thou repliest saith he That in that the Councell cannot erre it proceedeth not from humane infirmitie but the power of the holie Ghost Doe thou tell me againe how thou knowest that the holie Ghost will alwayes giue his asststance to the greatest part c. especially since the greatest part is commonly the worse c. In the Councell of Achab the holie Prophet of the Lord Micha was present who without feare spake that which the spirit of God suggested vnto him but yet could persuade nothing with the king and the rest of the false Prophets who spake out of their own spirit and vnderstanding c. Read in the Prophesie of Ieremiah what the Lord spake of his Temple against those who falsely persuaded themselues that God would neuer forsake it for their iniquities Trust not in lying words saying It is the Temple of the Lord c. Therefore this house is made a denne of theeues whereupon my name is called before your eyes Behold what I did to Shilo for the wickednesse of my people Now therefore because ye haue done all these workes and haue not heard me I will doe vnto this house wherein ye trust as I haue done vnto Shilo and I will cast you out of my sight c. Now what is the Temple of the Lord but the Church of God For notwithstanding these things were spoken to the Iewes and written for them yet according to the Apostolicall tradition in a figure they are spoken to Christians But perhaps thou wilt yet say That promises of God can neuer faile where he hath bound himselfe to bee with his Church to the end of the world I confesse indeed that God can neuer faile of his promise but where and with whom he is by grace in his Church it is not for vs but for him to know God knoweth saith the Apostle who are his but we how should we know it The Church by grace may remaine in one simple woman as it is sayd to be in the Virgine onely at the time of the Passion Hath a Councell of Bishops in these times a greater authoritie and prerogatiue than the congregation of the Apostles who all declined and went astray Nay hath it a greater prerogatiue than the whole militant Church which S. Augustine sayth cannot accomplish that which the Apostle saith Offer it selfe a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle but onely in the celestiall Ierusalem where that shall be true that is written They are without spot before the throne of God What other cause can wee thinke there was why those foure Councels the Nicene Constantinopolitan first Ephesine and that of Chalcedon are accounted more holy and had a greater veneration than the rest but because they were assemblies of holie men and such as came thither were so accounted and therefore in them and by them God manifested his holie will c. Such the spirit of God assembleth such he assisteth and is in the middest of them At the last to shew that such euents must not be looked for from contrarie persons he reciteth the historie related by vs in the former Progression of the Owle that in the Councell at Rome celebrated by Iohn the foure and twentieth appeared after the inuocation of the holie Ghost Thus did Clemangis write to this Scholeman who was present at the Councell of Constance To conclude in his Epistles hee calls the Church of Rome a house of theeues no otherwise to be purged than with a whip as the Temple once was for what doth he differ from a theefe who being entred by the breaches and ruines to steale brings others in by the same way meaning the Pope Truely the Church at this day is made a shop of ambition trafficke theft The Sacraments Orders yea
the begging Friers ought to be bridled being burdensome to the people dammageable to spittles and hospitals and to other truely poore and needie wretches preiudiciall also to the Curats and poore of Parishes and likewise if it be well considered to all estates of the Church Those Preaching money-gatherers aboue all because they defile the Church with their lyes and make it ridiculous and the office of Preaching contemptible Monkes after the Canon of Chalcedon to be restrained in their monasteries to fastings and prayer excluded from Ecclesiasticall and secular affaires and to be debarred from all studies Diuinitie excepted seeing it is euident That the Court of Rome in contemning Diuines haue preferred to all Ecclesiasticall degrees the students of gainefull sciences when neuerthelesse the Primitiue Diuines haue edified the Church which some wrangling Lawyers haue destroyed and now seeme to bring to extreame ruine so that now this horrible prouerbe is vsed of some That the Church is come to that state that it is not worthie to be gouerned by any but reprobats Neither doe they withdraw themselues from the jurisdiction of Ordinaries against the holie Decrees by humane priuiledges obtained by importunitie For it is not a little to be doubted saith hee whether such men are in state to be saued All which things although they respect more the circumstance than the substance of Christian religion yet are they in no sort touched in that Councell Moreouer Petrus de Alliaco in Vesperijs this same Peter de Alliaco in his Questions hath disputed Vtrum Petri Ecclesia lege reguletur Whether the Church of Peter meaning the Roman may be ruled by a law where he concludeth affirmatiuely and subiecteth both the Pope and the Roman Church to a Councell Yet there wanted not at the same time euen in France it selfe busie spies of the Pope who maintained contrarie positions for in the yere 1429 one Frier Iohn Sarazenus of the order of Preachers durst teach and maintaine these same that follow First That all powers and iurisdictions of the Church which be other than the Papal power are from the Pope himselfe as touching their institution and collation 2. Such like powers are not de jure diuino of diuine right nor immediatly instituted of God 3. It is not found that Christ hath expressed such powers to wit different from the Papall but only that supreme power to whom hee hath committed the foundation of the Church 4. Whensoeuer any Statuees are made in any Councell the whole authoritie giuing force to those Statutes resideth in the Pope alone Fiftly It is not expresly shewed by the text of the Gospell That the authoritie of iurisdiction was bestowed on any of the Apostles sauing onely on Peter Sixtly To say that the power of iurisdiction of inferiour Prelats whether they be Bishops or Curats is immediatly from God like as is the Popes power is after a a sort repugnant to the truth Seuenthly Like as no flower no bud neither yet all flowers and buds together can doe any thing in the tree which are all ordained for the tree and deriued from the tree so all other powers can de jure by right doe nothing against the chiefe Priesthood or Priest being instituted by him Here after is said that the Spirituall power is the Pope as sayd Hugo de Sancto Victore 2 De Sacramentis out of which it may seeme that here by chiefe Priesthood hee meaneth the Pope Eightly That the Pope cannot commit Canonicall simonie prohibited by the positiue law The professors of Diuinitie in Paris being solemnely assembled on the eighth day of March and hauing duely weighed these positions condemne them publikely and compell the said Iohn to abiure them and force him to answer vnto others contrarie which here doe follow First That all powers of iurisdiction of the Church which are not the Papall power are from Christ himselfe as touching their primarie institution and collation but from the Pope and from the Church as touching their limitation and ministeriall dispensation Secondly Such like powers are de jure diuino of diuine right and immediatly instituted by God Thirdly It is found in holie Scripture that Christ hath founded the Church and hath expresly ordained the powers diuers from the Papall Fourthly Whensoeuer in any Councell any Statutes are made the whole authoritie giuing vigour to the Statutes resideth not in the Pope alone but principally in the holie Ghost and in the Catholike Church Fiftly By the text of the Gospell and by the doctrine of the Apostles is expresly shewed That the authoritie of iurisdiction was bestowed on the Apostles and on the Disciples sent of Christ Sixtly To say that the power of iurisdiction of inferiour Prelats whether they be Bishops or Curats is immediatly from God is consonant to the Euangelicall and Apostolicall truth Seuenthly Any power that is to say of the Church by right may doe something and in certaine cases against the Pope Eightly Any whosoeuer that is but meere man hauing the vse of reason of whatsoeuer dignitie authoritie and preheminence yea though he be a Pope may commit simonie Lastly If I haue vttered or written any other things which seeme contrarie to the foresayd truthes or which are otherwise written I will not stand in them but will and entreat that they be accounted for not sayd or written and all other things whatsoeuer which may seeme to yeeld occasion of scandall or errour The Acts of all which are solemnely kept in the Arches of the Sorbone The Councell of Basil was able perhaps to take in hand a reformation with more courage than that of Constance but it had Eugenius to contend with who as before we haue seene defended stoutly euen the least articles so that by admonitions gaine sayings and oppositions he left nothing vnattempted Notwithstanding the historie of the Councell of Basil written by Aeneas Syluius then Clerke of the Ceremonies who was there present and since Pius the second and therefore a most fit witnesse assureth vs that many things were there grauely pronounced according to the truth although he plainely sheweth that Eugenius had intruded into it many of his which were incorporated and had taken oath in the Councell and yet neuerthelesse in all things tooke the part of Eugenius who were vulgarly named the Grisean sect An. 1438. In the yeare then 1438 when Eugenius had assigned his Councell at Ferrara to the preiudice of that of Basil the Emperour Albert came in betweene to be a mediator of peace and for that intent assembled a Parliament first at Norimberg and after at Mentz wherein were present the Deputies of the Councell of Basil of all nations in Eugenius name appeared none in shew yet verie many in deed who set forward his intention The Fathers of Basil consented that for the commoditie of the Greekes the place of the Councell should be changed Eugenius for to retaine his authoritie would haue the Councell of Basil bee dissolued In the meane
with him into hell yet is it lawfull for none to say vnto him what or why doest thou so doe most shamefully flatter him That those decrees are the words of the Popes themseues labouring to enlarge the fringes of their garment That those places also of Scripture Thou shalt be called Cephas c. I will giue vnto thee the keyes c. I haue prayed for thee c. Feed my sheepe c. Launch forth into the deepe and the like are induced against the true meaning of the holie Scripture which they proue both by forcible reasons and by good and well applied places of the Fathers That the Pope if he obey not the Church may be deposed by it seeing he is not the naturall head thereof but grafted in which may no lesse be cut off than the rest of the members if hee ill execute his charge if he be for the destruction or dammage thereof be cast into the fire if he bring not forth good fruit and be troden vnder foot in the street if he be vnprofitable Which is the opinion of S. Hierome interpreting the vnprofitable salt That the Prelat foolish and vnsauorie in preaching chiefely in Peters chaire is to be cast forth of doores that is to be deposed that he may be troden vnder feet of swine that is of Diuels which beare rule ouer the euill Prelat as ouer a beast of their flocke And this not onely for heresie but for whatsoeuer crime whereby the Church is scandalized And this so much the more truely for that the Pope to speake properly is not the Vicar of Christ but of the Church and the Lord and Master may by all right depose his Vicar or Lieutenant whose power ceaseth when the Master is in presence so likewise doth the power of the Pope when a Councell is gathered wherein remaineth fulnesse of power Here this doubt came in their way But the calling of a Councell doth it not belong to the Pope alone Yea saith he if that haue place who seeth not that the ruine of the Church is neere at hand and will presently ensue For who knoweth not that hee which will sinne will sinne without punishment And who wil beleeue that a Pope will assigne a Councell for to represse and reforme himselfe Neither doe I find saith he either by histories or by the Acts of the Apostles themselues that Popes alone haue assembled Councels The first of all Councells where Mathias is substituted in place of Iudas I find to be gathered not by the commaundement of Peter but of Christ who commaunded his Apostles that they should not depart from Hierusalem but should expect the promise of the Father The second for the election of Deacons was not assembled by Peter alone but by the twelue Apostles for it is written Then the twelue called the multitude together The third for the taking away of Circumcision and other legall rites was gathered by commune inspiration as it is written The Apostles and Elders came together The fourth for the permission of certaine legall things seemeth to be assembled by Iames the brother of the Lord. The same was also in the Primitiue Church and since by the authoritie of the Emperours yet so as that the Popes consent was requisit according to reason but on condition that the greater part carrie it away And much more the Councell being once assembled cannot be by the Pope reuoked seeing he himselfe is a part of it which ought to giue place to the greater and from it to depart maketh him guiltie of schisme And thus much for the first Truth whereon the second dependeth That the Pope cannot dissolue a Councell otherwise at the first word he should heare of correction he would bethinke himselfe of this remedie There remained the third Whether this of Catholike faith is so to be beleeued Which they shew affirmatiuely because we are held to beleeue whatsoeuer is in the Gospell now in it say they is dic Ecclesiae on which words the Councel of Constance hath grounded this Decree That the power of a Councell is aboue the Pope vnder paine of heresie And so these three first Conclusions rest most firme by consequence of which the others also are approued Now this decision was to be applied against Eugenius and part of them who had consented in these Truthes desired that the sentence should be deferred some hoping they should haue better of him others by reason that many Bishops yet stayed in the Parliament of Mentz famous men whose Suffrages might seeme to be expected And Panormitan tooke occasion thereupon to inferre That the Bishops ought to be stayed for and that inferiours haue not in Councell a Suffrage decisiue but onely consultatiue Vnto which added Ludouicus Romanus That argument is not to be taken out of the Acts of the Apostles whose examples were rather to be admired than imitated neither is it there manifest that the Apostles had called the Elders out of their duetie there is onely declared that they were present out of which nothing can be inferred Which speech all wondering at in so great a man crie out Blasphemie Then therefore Lewis Cardinall of Arles A man of all other most constant and borne to the gouernement of generall Councels taking vp the words of all the Orators that had spoken declareth That all these doubts were without cause That these Conclusions had beene maturely determined and weighed That the embassadours of all the Princes had giuen vpon these their sentence which were the chiefest men in the Church That the Bishops were in fault that they were not present That to such as were present greater reuerence was giuen than in any Councell before and indeed greater authoritie for so much as their prerogatiues are fully restored vnto them whom they placed in their former state and haue made them which were not Bishops but shadowes to be true Bishops That euen they which now do most draw back haue in their writings auouched the same Truthes meaning by those words of Panormitan and Ludouicus Romanus But saith hee the Presbiters are not so to be put downe who in the Councell of the Apostles had a decisiue voyce and in like sort also in the auncient Councels That in time past the Bishop and the Presbiter or Priest was but one and the same in so much that S. Augustine saith on these words I will giue vnto thee the keyes c. That our Lord gaue judiciariam potestatem iudiciarie power to Bishops and Priests especially seeing they haue more done their duetie in the Councell than the Bishops these fearing to lose their dignities and their delights those for so just a cause not dreading any losse nor yet death it selfe That the Councell hath now sat eight yeares so that there cannot be pretended any headlong proceeding nor any ignorance And moreouer the threats of some Princes are inferred beside the Purpose who are wiser than to attempt any thing in preiudice of the Councell and they themselues also being
the support of Ladislaus king of Sicilie Charles Malatesta his Proctor appeared in Councell hauing on him the Pontificall robes which in token of renunciation he put off before all the assemblie But Benedict hauing beene verie oftentimes cited in vaine by sentence of the Councell is declared to be a periurer Session 11. a scandalizer of the Church a fautor and entermedler of schisme an heretike straying out of the way of faith and for these causes is depriued of his Papall dignitie and cut off from the Church as a withered and dried member forbiddeth all men therefore from obeying him vnder paine of excommunication And though he were almost of all men forsaken yet he continued still in obstinacie Idolum cum idolis suis Cardinalibus saith Krantzius An Idoll with the Idols his Cardinalls Krantzius in Metrop l. 9. c. 1. An. 1414. Yea being at poynt of death in the yeare 1414 he adiureth the Cardinals which remained with him in the castle of Paniscola that they should incontinently chuse him a successor which was Giles Munion Canon of Barcelon by them called Clement the eighth who the fourth yeare after renounced his charge Of this Benedict was that saying of Gerson verie often repeated in Councell There will be no peace to the Churches till Luna be taken away So much did Luna darken the Sunne so much also had these good Popes their hearts set on the vnion of the Church It was meet that impietie of doctrine should grow after the measure of the abuse of power Paulus Aemilius in Carolo 6. Therefore we read that this Benedict the thirteenth was the first that instituted That the Sacrament of the bodie of Christ should be carried before him for the safegard of his bodie that so he might seeme to haue a protector against his aduersaries on earth whom he beleeued to be none in heauen which without doubt he had inuented by the example of the kings of Persia who made their god be caried before them Alexander the fift also because he was a Minorite that he might gratifie the Friers of that Order Theodor. Ã Nyem l. 3. c. vltim who wonderfully reioycing at his creation ran about the streets euerie day verie many in troupes together as if they had beene mad men made a law That all Christians should be bound to beleeue the wounds of S. Francis and in veneration also of those wounds instituted a feast These things as we haue said before although they are judged doubtful yet are found in their owne Histories of those times So Iohn the foure and twentieth Waldensin Fasciculo for that Wicklif had translated the holie Scriptures into the English Tongue would needs haue that translation of the Bible into the vulgar Tongue to be heresie in England But our wise king Charles the fift was of another mind when a little before he commaunded that the sacred Bible should bee translated into the French Tongue for his owne and his peoples vse And let the Reader judge of the inuentions by the pietie and honestie of the deuisors In the meane time the Councell of Constance it selfe whilest it arrogateth power aboue the Pope doth not withall omit in emulation of Popes to extoll it selfe aboue the Lord Christ For when many nations complained vnto them That against the expresse institution of Christ in the participation of the Eucharist the cup of the Lord was taken away from them the Fathers of this Councell feared not to publish a Decree commaunding it seuerely to be excuted which was conceiued in these execrable words Concil Constant Session 13. Although Christ after supper hath instituted and administred to his Disciples this venerable Sacrament vnder both kinds of bread and wine yet notwithstanding the authoritie of the sacred Canons the laudable and approued custome of the Church hath obserued and doth obserue that this Sacrament ought not to be finished after supper c. And seeing that this custome hath beene according to reason brought in and a long time obserued by the Church and holie Fathers it is to be held for a law In which words this clause Non obstante notwithstanding so odious as we haue seene to the Church in former ages for that by it added to the Popes Bulls no lawes so holy but were reuoked now by the authoritie of this Synod manifestly abrogateth not only the vse of the Primitiue Church but the expresse commandement of the Lord himselfe in instituting a Sacrament of so great moment And these things extend to the yeare 1417. An. 1417. OPPOSITION Let vs now consider what the Christian Church thought hereof being distracted and as it were torne in peeces by two sometimes three Popes openly warring one against the other We haue alreadie noted something out of the historie of Theodorick Theodor. Ã Nyem l. 1. c. 7 8. who was successiuely Secretarie to Vrban Boniface Innocent Gregorie and Alexander Neither doth he conceale from vs the murmure and distraction of minds that then was in the whole world whilest some take part with one others content with the conduct of their owne Bishops hold with neither from whence in the meane time this benefit did arise vnto vs in this so great mischiefe That by occasion of this schisme there was a way made vnto the truth and the mouth thereof in diuers things opened And therefore he confesseth ingeniously that it is agreeable vnto reason that the Roman Emperour with the Prelats and Christian people as the spirituall sonne of the Church whose power is immediatly from God should by his authoritie appease these troubles and that they are fooles and flatterers that say That the Pope or Church hath two swords the temporall and the spirituall which great errour being brought into the Christian Church they raise a perpetuall emulation and discord betweene the Pope and the Emperour trampling vnder their feet the Imperiall authoritie to the great hurt of the whole Commonwealth That it appeareth out of the Decrees themselues that whensoeuer any schisme shall arise in the Church that the Emperors are bound and by law haue power to prouide a remedie Which he likewise proueth by the example of Theodoricus the king taken out of the Decree it selfe and is much offended that the Emperor Robert did so flatter and gently intreat Gregorie the twelfth who should haue compelled both parts to haue restored the peace of the Church D. 17. C. Consilia Theud l. 3. c. 9. 10. That the power of the Emperour doth especially tend to the repressing of a wicked and incorrigible Pope scandalizing the Church as it appeareth out of the acts of the Roman Emperours and kings where he alledgeth the example of Otho the first who came out of Germanie to Rome to chasten the disorderly stubborne behauior of Iohn the 13 whom by the authoritie of the Councell notwithstanding he were vpheld by his kindred and friends at Rome he deposed For saith he in those daies the
Pope had not so many temporalties as the Church of Rome seemeth now to haue because that great Emperour Otho and his successors the second and third of that name enriched the Church of Rome and other Churches in Italie and Germanie with secular dominions And so it manifestly appeareth in those books that were drawne of the donations made vnto the Church by the Emperours and kings of Rome and are still kept in the Apostolike treasurie or chamber That from the pompe of these temporall dominions sprung the neglect of spirituall things tyrannie gathered strength and diuisions in one and the same Church encreased Against which Otho quickly prouided a remedie extinguishing the two schismes at Rome whereof the one part had seised vpon the Capitoll the other the castle S. Angelo which hauing besieged and taken he cut off the heads of the principall of those factions and in a Councell approuing the one of these competitors he tooke the other with him into Saxonie It was not then obiected vnto him That the Popes might not be iudged but by God himselfe But it were to be wished saith he that such an Emperour would arise in our times that in this Labyrinth would abolish the multiplicitie of bookes that are so increased by reason of the multitude of writers touching this poynt that an hundred Camels can hardly carrie them For it is manifest how much it standeth all Christians vpon that the Pope be a man of pure conuersation no simoniacall or bloudie person no adulterer dice-player drunkard hunter leacher or publike whoremaster he toucheth the Popes vlcers of those times for who knowing the Pope to be such a one can without remorse of conscience or the sinne of flatterie kisse his hands or his feet or with a good heart call him holie Father c. Neither is the Emperour or king of Romans bound to keepe his oath or fidelitie giuen to a wicked Pope or other Ecclesiasticall Prelat that is a notorious and incorrigible offender For where abuse succeedeth all power ceaseth and an oath must be no hand of iniquitie for otherwise it must follow that an oath binding no man can hinder such as are wicked and peruerse or admonish them to returne into the right way which is contrarie to all law and reason hurtfull to the Commonwealth Because not to withstand the course of the wicked when wee can is to encourage them in their sinne and that errour which is not resisted seemes to be approued Neither doth that which the Canonists affirme contradict it That the Pope except he wander from the faith may be deposed That no man can iudge the first and highest seat or take away that authoritie and power which he cannot giue From hence they would inferre that none but God can or may iudge the Pope because the Popedome excelleth all dignities being the Vicar of God and iudging the whole world Whereas these Maximes in a supposed Pope and in these times of schismes are not in force nor can with reason be so vnderstood in an vndoubted Pope scandalizing the Church because he cannot be truely and properly called the Vicar of Christ that keepeth not Christ his commaundements nor followeth his example to the great detriment of all Christendome and therefore is more truely and properly called a beast than a Pope For he that wandereth from reason is not to be accounted a man but an vnreasonable creature And the Pope being such a one seemes rather a tyran than the Minister of God and therefere for his demerit is contemned of all and remoued as vnworthie from so holie a gouernement because a wicked Priest is not sayd to be a Priest and a wicked Bishop is no Bishop This is proued true out of the Gospell where it is conditionally sayd vnto Peter If thou loue me feed my sheepe whereby it is inferred that he that loues not God that is to say a simonicall person an adulterer or otherwise a publique incorrigible offender deserues not to be neither is the true shepheard of the sheepe but a mercinarie or a Wolfe because hee exerciseth not the office of a good an true shepheard and therefore may and ought to be iudged by others Wherefore he sheweth in another place that the Cardinall of Liege hauing forsaken Gregorie the twelfth for his many treacheries thus defended his cause That we must rather obey God than man L. 3. cap. 34. For if saith he the Pope commaund those things or enforce that to be done that shall endaunger our soules or bring them to perdition it is manifest that he is not to be obeyed either by the Law of God or man as Augustine Ambrose Beda and others doe affirme yea rather by not obeying and for that cause to endure his censures and seuerities is meritorious At the last amongst so many confusions he thus concludeth Cap. 41. But are these things the preambles to the comming of Antechrist Truely according to the opinion of our Sauiour the Gospell hauing beene preached throughout the world the consummation shal come before which there shal be a diuision and a departure from the faith according to that of the Apostle 2. Thes 2. Nisi veniat primùm 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except there come a departing first And therefore he sheweth how the Empire departed from Rome And as for faith it was no where to be found Whereupon he saith Tu portentorum locus es conformis eorum Cum Nilo portenta paris nutris Crocodilos Iam cum portentis reor exterminia sentis Si quid in his possem facerem steritescere Matrem c. Thou art the place where monsters great are bred And Nilus-like where Crocodiles are fed Now like monsters race thou art rarely seene Had I power barraine had thy mother beene Which two notes saith he are euident in the Priesthood and the kingdome Jdem l. 3. c. 41.43 And whether these be foretakens of the comming of Antichrist let thâ—se iudge and examine that vnderstand the sence and meaning of God himselfe He therefore as we haue sayd heretofore looked not for Antichrist out of old Babylon but out of the bowels of the Church of Rome For he that thought here of the suburbes of Antichrist held him not to be farre off from the citie Those poore people looked for him out of the window that was before stollen in at the posterne Moreouer he saith he was the authour of another treatise intituled Nemus Vnionis printed at Basill in the yeare 1566 where in six books he sees downe all the stratagems of the Popes of his time the titles are of the first Via the second Inuia the third Semita the fourth Inaquâ—sa the fift Colles reflexâ— the sixt Labyrinthus A worke worthie the reading and so much the rather because the principall acts of this schisme are there produced especially in the sixt he deliuereth his opinion touching the schisme betweene these two Popes Behold saith he that it appeareth by this Epistle that is to say