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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	bishop_n	church_n	jurisdiction_n	5,357	5	9.3309	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03718	The brutish thunderbolt: or rather feeble fier-flash of Pope Sixtus the fift, against Henrie the most excellent King of Nauarre, and the most noble Henrie Borbon, Prince of Condie Togither with a declaration of the manifold insufficiencie of the same. Translated out of Latin into English by Christopher Fetherstone minister of Gods word.; P. Sixti fulmen brutum in Henricum sereniss. Regem Navarrae & illustrissimum Henricum Borbonium, Principem Condaeum. English	Hotman, François, 1524-1590.; Fetherston, Christopher.; Catholic Church. Pope (1585-1590 : Sixtus V). Declaratio contra Henricum Borbonium. English.	1586 (1586)	STC 13843.5; ESTC S117423	154,206	355

he is neither dead but liueth an euerlasting and blessed life and séeing he is perpetually present in his church hée doth alwaies execute the office of the chiefest pastor and priest Moreouer we may 1. Pet. 2. Mark 16. 20. Psal 110. Heb. 2. 4. 7. 9. adde that also without any doubting that no bishop can be called the successor no not of Peter or of any other Apostle as the canonists vse to call the pope Peters successor Apud Decium in l. qui per successionem D. regul iur in Decius where when the lawiers vse to say that The heire of an heire that is the Testator is the heire of the testator though he be heire by the longest succession the Canonists reason that euery pope is the successor of Peter though there came manie betwéene For no bishop hath his cause from Peter or any other Apostle but from the choice made by the authoritie of Christ neither doth the place sea or chaire make the succession but the continuance of the doctrine of Christ when as the religion receiued of Christ is continually deliuered by all the successors as by hands to the Christian people Wherefore those new shifts of certaine of the popes clawebacks make nothing against vs who being mooued by hope of some benefice dispute thus that the pope of Rome is not the spirituall head of the catholike church but the ministeriall bicause like as Christ doth gouerne particular churches that is particular dioces by particular bishops his vicars in like sort the same Christ doth gouerne his vniuersall Church by some one vniuersall vicar of his namely the pope of Rome who kéepeth in doing their duty those inferior and particular bishops that are subiect to his iurisdiction For we answere this obiection thrée manner of waies First that this principalitie is not onely not ordained of Christ but also that it is brought in by the pope of Rome by ambition and desire to lord it For when Christ sent his twelue Apostles about to preach his Gospell he gaue not to som one some singular and principall commandement but the like one to them all thus Go ye into all coasts of the earth and preach the Gospell among all people and nations And therefore in the Reuelation the heauenlie Ierusalem is not said to be founded vpon one and a particular piller or especially vpon one of all the rest but simplie vpon twelue and when as vpon the day of Pentecost the holie Ghost was powred out vppon the twelue Apostles he was not powred out vpon some one of them especially and chiefly but he was simply powred out vpon all Last of all when Paul describeth the functions and offices of the pastors of the Church he doth not giue to any one the principalitie or lordship ouer the rest but he expoundeth to them the same in plaine words Christ is gone vp on high he hath led captiuitie captiue and hath giuen gifts to men For he hath made some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some pastors and teachers for the restoring of the Saints for the worke of the ministerie to the edifieng of the bodie of Christ. The other answere is that if Christ or Peter had ordained any principalitie and one ministeriall head in his Church no doubt the primitiue Church would haue retained that ordinance being so fresh in memorie But on the contrarie we sée that the most ancient generall Synods of all namely the Nicene that of Constantinople of Ephesus and Chalcedon did ordaine that ouer euery citie should be appointed a bishop that done that euery prouince should haue an Archbishop or patriarke hauing all like dignitie authoritie iurisdiction power degrée besides that it was granted to the Archbishop of Rome that for the antiquitie and honor of the city he should sit in the first place but yet not in an higher place and next him should sit the Archbishop of Constantinople for the selfe-same cause bicause he was bishop of new Rome being the emperors citie wheras if they had had regard of the more ancient Church that first or else the second place shuld haue béen due to the bishop of Antiochia then the bishop of Alexandria of Hierusalem afterward the thrée archbishops of Iustinian made by the emperor Iustinian for most light causes shuld take place in like seats which causes we will shew afterward vnder the crime of forgerie where we will reckon vp the forgeries cossenages and corruptions deuised by the pope of Rome to fill vp this his ambition The third answer is that séeing Christ did appoint his Apostles to be messengers and preachers of his commandements to go throughout diuers coasts of the earth we read not that any one of them was appointed to be an Archmessenger especially to be mute and to be at ease that he might lie busking and loitering at Rome and harken after those things that were done in other places of the world wheresoeuer and might in the meane season serue his ambition For bishops are nothing else but messengers of Christ and proclaimers of his commandements ordained in euery citie like as in times past the emperors of Rome were woont to giue things in charge to the Proconsuls and Presidents as all those that are students of the law and antiquities of the Romans do affirme Therefore he that is dumbe either by nature or will that is he that kéepeth silence and doth not execute the office of a messenger herald and doth not preach the Gospell he is not only not woorthy of the authoritie but not so much as of the name of bishop or archbishop But bicause the popes in their decretals do in euery third line inculcate that song Bicause it was said to Peter Feede my sheepe and Vpon this rocke it is woorth the paines to set downe the true and naturall interpretation of those places For Augustine in his 124. tract vpon Iohn When saith he it was said to Peter I will giue thee the keies of the kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou shalt bind vpon earth he ment the vniuersal church that is founded vpon the rocke From whence euen Peter tooke his name For the rocke was not called Petra of Peter but Peter of Petra or the rocke as Christ tooke not his name of Christians but Christians of Christ. For therefore the Lord saith Vpon this rocke will I build my Church bicause Peter had said Thou art Christ the sonne of the liuing God Therefore vpon this rocke saith he which thou hast confessed will I build my Church For Christ was the rocke vpon which foundation euen Peter himselfe was builded For no man can lay any other foundation than that which is alreadie laid which is Iesus Therefore the Church that is founded in Christ receiueth from him the keies of the kingdome of heauen in Peter that is power to bind and loose sinnes For the same which Christ is in the Church by propertie the same is Peter in the rocke by

of the life of Constantinus hath recorded that he spake in Latine in the Nicene synode And in the second booke he witnesseth that he turned into Gréek his epistles and decrées which were written in Latine so that som man may suspect that either he neuer wrote that instrument in Gréeke or if he wrote it both in Gréeke and Latine that surelie he did not vse that Beotian and foolish kind of phrase But now it séemeth that we haue spoken sufficiently of the falsehoode and wicked inuention of the popes touching the donation of Constantine so that al men may plainly sée that the whole papacie which rested onely vpon this foundation cannot stand any longer forasmuch as the foundation is taken away Another most ancient crime of Forgerie NOtwithstanding it séemeth to be a thing most fit to set downe som other examples of the popes forgeries and periuries and specially those wherby it may be vnderstood that the pope of Rome hath affected that tirannicall lordship not onely against the authoritie of the holie Scripture but also of the old primatiue church For after that ambition and desire to lord it had at that time possessed some bishops the Nicene synode was gathered in the yéere of Christ 325. wherin it was decréed that in euery prouince or diecese for these old fathers vsed both words some pastor excelling as we may thinke in age and doctrin should be chosen who should haue authoritie when néed was to call togither his fellowes in office and to make report to them of the affaires of the common churches This man was in those times somtimes called the Patriarch somtimes Metropolitane somtimes Archbishop indifferently yet so that neither the lesser bishops without this mans consent nor this man without their consent and authoritie did any great and weightie matter The words of the senate were these Let the ancient custome be of force which was Chap. 6. in Egypt Lybia and Pentapolis that the bishop of Alexandria haue authoritie ouer all these bicause euen the bishop of Rome obserueth this custome And likewise let the priuileges be kept both at Antioch and also in the rest of the prouinces And that is plaine that if any be made bishop without consent of the Metropolitane the great senate hath appointed that this man ought not to be bishop And Rufinus doth Lib. 10. eccle hist. thus interpret that decrée Let this custome be kept in Alexandria and in the city of Rome that both the bishop of Alexandria take care for Egypt and that the other be carefull for the churches lyeng about the citie Whereby we vnderstand that the Nicene synod did hedge in the bishoprike of Rome within the bounds of the churches of the suburbs so far off is it that either principalitie or authority was giuen him by Constantine the emperor ouer al churches of the whole world Let vs now heare what was decréed sixe and fiftie yéeres after in the first Synode of Constantinople touching the selfe same matter that is in the yéere of Christ 321. For in the second chapter it is thus written Let not the bishops which haue their seuerall diocese incroch vpon the churches that are without their bounds neither let them confound their churches but according to the canons let the bishop of Alexandria gouerne those things only that are in Egypt And let the bishops of the east gouern onely the east And let the church of Antioch retain her dignitie declared in the Nicene synod And let the bishops of the diocese or prouince of Asia gouern those things onely that are in Asia let those that are in Pontus gouerne those things onelie that are in Pontus And those of Thracia those things onely that are in Thracia And let not the bishops vnlesse they be called intrude themselues into another mans diocese or prouince either to giue voices or to any other ecclesiasticall functions And if the foresaid canon be obserued in diocese and prouinces it is plaine that euery prouinciall Synod shall gouerne all businesses of euerie prouince as is decreed by the Nicene Synod Moreouer Socrates * confirmeth Lib. hist. eccl 3 the same thing in these words Againe they confirmed the faith deliuered by the Nicene Synod and they appointed patriarks in the described prouinces that bishops being placed and set ouer a certaine diocese might not thrust themselues into other mens churches And anon after Notwithstanding reseruing the chiefe degree of honor and dignitie to the church of Antiochia which they gaue to Miletius who was then present And they decreed that so often as need should require the Synod of euerie prouince should determine the busines of euerie prouince Thus saith Socrates And we may sée the selfesame description of churches deliuered and set downe by the emperors Gratian Valentinian and Theodosian Let the bishop of Rome now In. l. 3. C. Theo. de fide cath go and boast that Constantine the emperor gaue him principality ouer al churches of the whole world and by name ouer the sea of Antiochia Hierusalem Alexandria and Constantinople For we haue prooued that this state and condition of the primitiue Church continued vntill the yéere of Christ CCCXXCI Moreouer in the fift chapter of the same Synod it is thus written Let the bishop of Constantinople haue the primacie of honor after the bishop of Rome bicause it is new Rome Which is also reported dist 22. cap. Constantinopolitanae Wher the canonist Gregorie the 13. hath of late noted that that canon was not receiued by the sea of Rome And no maruell séeing by that canon the papacie is manifestly conuict of forgerie Let vs also heare Iohn Chrysostom his iudgement touching this matter who florished about the yéere of Christ 300. and doth in plaine words attribute that primacy to the church of Antiochia in these words * Our citie Hom. 3. ad pop Antiochenum of Antiochia is of all other most deer to Christ and like as Peter did first preach Christ among al the apostles so among cities as I said before this hath first of all the name of Christians as a certaine woonderfull crown Also Hom. 16. And what is the dignitie of our citie It fell out that the disciples of Antiochia were first called Christians and no citie in the world hath this besides no not the citie of Romulus wherefore Antiochia may lift vp hir eies against all the whole world And this truly was as I haue said the condition of those times when the pope of Rome was most far from that tyraunie which afterward he had and vsed in the Church Now let vs consider what was obserued afterward For in the Synod of Ephesus which was kept fiftie yéeres after that is in the yéere of Christ 431. in the last chapter it is thus written It seemed good to the holie and vniuersall Synod keeping to euerie prouince the priuileges pure and sound which do long ago and from the beginning belong to the same according to the ancient custome

vsed long ago c. Where is that principalitie that was long ago giuen to the pope of Rome ouer the churches of the whole world by the emperor Constantine Let vs heare the next generall Synod gathered twentie yéeres after at Chalcedon that is in the yéer of Christ cccclj For when the bishop of Constantinople by reason of the sea of the east empire placed in his citie was sicke of the like and very same disease of ambition whereof our bishop of Rome is now sicke he did effect by his policie and subtil shifts that that mother citie which had so great dignitie should haue a certain priuilege aboue the rest and that he alone should appoint the Metropolitans of Asia Pontus and Thracia Whereby it came to passe that the authoritie of the church of Antiochia so greatly cōmended by Chrysostom and established first in the Nicene Synod and then afterward in the Synod of Constantinople was quite ouerthrowen Also by these deceits it was brought to passe that fower men should be appointed to gouerne the whole world who had metropolitans vnder their dominion or prouince For Africa was granted to the bishop of Alexandria the west to the bishop of Rome and to the bishop of Constantinople almost all that part of Europa and Asia except a few churches which were left to the bishop of Hierusalem for the antiquitie and authorities sake of the citie Therefore when as in times past archbishops patriarks and metropolitans were all one and were called by so many names confusedly somtimes by one somtimes by another afterward there were onely fower archbishops made who were also called patriarks which did beare rule ouer the metropolitans as we haue alreadie said For in the 28. chapter of the same Synod it is thus written And where the lawes of our most holie fathers that follow the same things do we also determine and decree touching the dignitie and excellencie of this most holie Church of Constantinople being newe Rome For our fathers did woorthily giue the first degree of honor to the sea of old Rome bicause that citie did then reigne And vpon like consideration the Cl. bishops louing God most deerly haue giuen like degree of honor to new Rome note these words the most holie sea decreeing for good causes that that citie which hath got so great honor that it should be both the sea of the empire and that it should haue a senate and should haue like degree of dignitie as the old sea of the empire of Rome hath haue euen in ecclesiasticall affaires like honor and dignitie as it hath seeing it is next to it Where did then that principalitie and lordship of the pope of Rome hide it selfe which Constantine gaue him as it is said ouer al Churches Let vs heare the words of the second Synod of Constantinople out of the 36. chapter Renewing those things which were ordained by the 150. fathers which were assembled in this citie preserued by God and in this princely citie and by the sixe hundred and thirtie that were gathered togither in Chalcedon we decree that the sea of Constantinople haue like dignitie with the sea of old Rome and that it be magnified as well as the other in ecclesiastical businesses note these words seeing it is next to that and next to it let be the bishop of the great citie of Alexandria and next to this the bishop of Ierusalem But afterward the number of the archbishops was increased by little and little as pleased the emperors For the emperor Iustinian gaue that honor to the citie of his countrie Nouel 11. where hée writeth thus Being desirous to increase our countrie manie and diuers waies wherein we were borne by the appointment of God we command that the most holie bishop thereof be made not onely a metropolitan but also an archbishop and that certain prouinces be vnder the authority therof that is Dacia that lieth in the continent Dacia that lieth neere the sea coast Mysia the second and Dardania and Preualitana c. Also in the conclusion We decree that the archbishop thereof be ordained by the reuerend councell of metropolitans There were also other cities called by the same name Iustinians cities in Africa Instinians Carthaginensis which the same emperor adioined to the Romane empire in the yland Cyprus Iustiniana the country of his wife Theodora whereto Iustinian gaue like prerogatiue of right honor and dignitie Therefore by these appéereth the manifold impudencie of the popes of Rome first therein bicause in those times they reckon onelie fower patriarchies or archbishops seas also in that that they make their sea to surmount those fower seas do challenge to themselues superiority and iurisdiction ouer them secondly bicause they take to themselues the authoritie and power of those patriarks séeing it appéereth most euidently that that authoritie and power did belong to the emperors all which that they may appéere more plainly and euidently we will content our selues with one onely testimonie of the same Iustinian whose words are these in the 230 Nouel turned into Latin by Iulian Antecessor Therfore we command the most blessed patriarks that is the pope of Rome and of Constantinople and of Alexandria and of Theopolis that is of Antiochia and of Ierusalem seeing that it is a custome c. And by and by And the metropolitans which are consecrated by their counsell or by the most blessed patriarks or by the metropolitanes c. Also Nouel 131. Let the pope of Rome saith he sit aboue all bishops and patriarks and after him the bishop of the citie of Constantinople let the archbishop of the first Iustiniana haue vnder him the bishops of Dacia in the continent and Dacia toward the coast also those of Praeualena and of Dardania and of the vpper Mysia and of Pannonia and also let him bee consecrated by them and let him haue the same priuileges ouer them which the pope of Rome hath ouer the bishops that are placed vnder him Therfore it is euident that in the first times of Christian libertie there were only fower patriarks being all of equall honor dignitie iurisdiction authoritie degrée saue onely that the patriark of Rome sat vppermost in generall Synods bicause of the old dignitie of old Rome and that then the number of the patriarks was increased not by the pope of Rome but by the emperor of Rome so that there were first fiue then six then seuen and last of all eight for we reckoned so manie vnder Iustinian Wherby we will also haue men marke the notorious fraud and impudencie of the pope of Rome in corrupting that 36. chapter of the Synod of Constantinople For in Gratian dist 22. c. renouantes they haue thus translated the Gréeke words of the Synod Renewing the decrees of the holie Councell of Constantinople we craue yea we decrée 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that the sea of Constantinople haue like priuileges which the former Rome hath Yet let it not be magnified in

the cause of faith as in the same gloss And if it so fall out that these men defend themselues by their temporall power they may be bridled for the fact euen by secular power * Thus saith Zabarella But Baldus * writeth more bréefly thus Against the pope abvsing his authoritie we must first vse words that is admonitions then herbs that is threatenings thirdly stones and that where the nature of vertue is not sufficient the aid of armes must be of force there And to the like effect writeth Iason in his 95. councell requisitus col 4. It is lawfull saith he to resist the pope when he offendeth the church and he is not to be borne with * c. etsi illa 1. q. 7. c. sunt quidam 25. q. 1. Also Innocentius * in c. inquisitionis de sent excom in c. quanto de consuetud And the Abbat * in c. cum teneamur de appellat Also Hierom speaking of the pope * in c. non omnes episcopi 2. q. saith that Vnsauerie salt is good for nothing but to be cast out at doors to be troden vnder foot of hogs Thus writeth Iason with as good corage it séemeth as either Ludouike of Rome or Zabarella though notwithstanding they wrote these things in Italie and in so great darknes of the church of Christ And to the same effect speaketh Philip Decius in his councell 151. maximi ponderis num 4. vol. 1. When saith he the pope is incorrigible in any notorious crime by reason whereof the church is offended glo in terminis in c. si papa 40. dist he holdeth that the pope may be accused and out of that glosse there was a great foundation laid against Eugenius the fourth in the councell of Basil and that glosse is commonly holden by all as the abbot saith in c. significasti * de elect in disput episcopus quidam rector where he saith that the whole world approueth that glosse and Ludouicus of Rome approoueth that glosse by many reasons * in concil 523 First bicause the pope that persisteth in a notorious crime and will not be reformed falleth into suspicion of heresie * 38. dist c. fin 86. dist c. si qui sunt c. fin de poenit But the pope may be accused for heresie * d. c. si papa Therfore for such a crime Secondlie bicause a bishop is remooued from a particular church that the offence may be taken away as Innocentius noteth * in c. cum pridem de renun it seemeth we may saie the same of the stronger in the highest bishop in whom the vniuersal church is in danger Thirdlie by the authoritie of the Gospell If thine eie or thy foote offende thee Whereupon the text saith finelie in c. illud sanè 24. q. 3. For it is expedient that one man die for the people and that all the people do not perish Therefore let that pope that cannot be reformed die ciuilly that all the church do not perish bicause the pope being set to gouerne the people ought not to be their fal as the text saith * 11. q. 3. in c. ta corporis For he is woorthy as manie deaths as he sendeth examples of perdition to those that are his * 11. q. 3. Which things séeing they are so we conclude againe without delay that not onely the excommunication of the foresaid pope Sixtus the fift is to be counted as nothing by reason of the insufficiencie of the rash iudge the allegation of a false cause the want of iudiciall order and the follie of the sencence conceiued but also to the end the curses of the same pope Sixtus may turn vpon his own pate he is conuict of seauen most heinous faults and that by most assured testimonies and therefore ought to be héerafter accounted of all Christians an execrable and detestable Anathema Maranata Amen THE DECLARATION OF OVR MOST HOLIE LORD POPE SIXTVS Against HENRIE BORBON the supposed King of NAVARRE and also HENRIE BORBON the pretensed Prince of Condie being heretiks and also against their successors And the deliuerance of their subiects from all dutie of fidelitie and alleageance For the perpetuall memorie of the thing THe authoritie granted to Saint Peter and his successors by the infinite power of the eternall king surpasseth all the powers of earthlie kings and princes and standing vpon a firme rock and being not turned aside from the right course with anie contrarie or prosperous blasts it vttereth such iudgement against al men as cannot be shaken doth diligently prouide especially that Gods lawes may not be broken and if it finde any resisting Gods ordinance it doth sharply punish them casting downe from the kinglie seat euen those that are more mighty it throweth them downe euen to the lowest part of the earth as ministers of proud Lucifer Wherfore according to that care for all churches and people and nations that lieth vpon our shoulders that the saluation of their soules may especially be prouided for and that not onelie the times of our seruice but also all times to come being purged from wicked and detestable monsters may bring peace and rest to all parts of Christendome and especially to the most ample realme of France wherein Christian religion hath so florished alwaies and so great hath beene the godlines faith and deuotion of the kings thereof so many haue bin their deserts toward the church of Rome that they by full good right had from the same the most glorious sirname of Most Christian and also that we may neuer be accused before God for neglecting the care of our office we are at this time compelled to exercise the weapons of our warfare which are not carnal but mightie through God to throw downe strong holds against two sons of wrath especially Henrie Borbon somtimes king of Nauarre and Henrie Borbon somtimes prince of Condie For that king quondam hath followed from his verie youth the errors and heresies of Caluin and hath so long shewed himselfe a stubborne patrone thereof vntill being conuerted as it was thought vnto the catholike and apostolike faith of Rome by the godlie and often exhortations of Charles the ninth of famous memorie king of France of our most deerely beloued daughter in Christ Queene Katherine his most godlie mother and also of our welbeloued sonne Charles of the title of S. Chrysogonus cardinall priest of Borbon his vnkle and of Ludouike duke of Mompenser and by most manifest exhortations of diuines of excellent learning and vertue he did openly in the church at Paris condemne all hereticall opinions contrarie to the catholike faith he accursed them and abiured them did openly professe the catholike faith and hauing sent sundrie times his letters to pope Gregorie the thirteenth our predecessor of blessed memorie wherin he now acknowleging the same our predecessor to be supreme hed of the church humbly besought him that he would

ecclesiasticall affaires as the other but this being next after that before the sea of Alexandria be reckoned then that of Antiochia and after it that of Ierusalem Of which forgerie that no man may doubt we will cite the Gréeke words themselues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We decree that the sea of Constantinople haue like priuileges as the sea of old Rome and that it be magnified in ecclesiasticall matters as the other But peraduenture some man wil say that that fault is amended in the edition of Gregorie the 13. and that in stead of Non tamen or notwithstanding is put Necnon and also Very well For first of all by this reason the pope is compelled to grant that he is conuict of most manifest forgerie and that he vsed that forgerie and corruption for more than thrée hundred yéers wickedly deceitfully to cosen deceiue the church of Christ And furthermore that that forgerie would neuer haue béene amended vnlesse he had béen long ago accused and conuict of falsifieng by our men But what will either Gregorie the 13. or our Sixtus say to this selfe same forgerie repeated and renewed in c. antiqua extra de priuileg where there is also a more filthie forgerie committed Renewing the ancient priuileges of the seas of the patriarks we decree that after the church of Rome which by the Lords disposition hath the principalitie of ordinarie power ouer all other churches as being the mother and mistresse of all the faithfull the sea of Constantinople haue the first place the sea of Alexandria the second the sea of Antiochia the third the sea of Ierusalem the fourth reseruing to euerie one hir owne dignitie so that after the bishops of those places haue receiued the cloke from the bishop of Rome which is a token of the fulnes of the popes office hauing taken the oth of faithfulnes and obedience freely c. Is there any either so hard harted or so dull spirited whom this so great impudencie of the popes in corrupting the moniments of the Church of Christ cannot mooue And yet we must not passe ouer in silence another like impudencie For whereas it was decréed against the Ex c. placuit 2. q. 6. pope of Rome in the sixt Synod of Carthage at which S. Augustine was present that no man should appeale to his sea from the churches beyond the seas if any durst be so bold as to appeale he should be excommunicate yet the same pope in that chapt placuit after these words But as for him that shall thinke that he may appeale to places beyond the sea let none within Africa receiue him to the communion he added this exception impudently Vnlesse peraduenture he appeale to the sea of Rome where Gregorie the 13. being of late manifestly conuict of trecherous falsehood and forgerie added this excuse These things are written in the old copies as the words of Gratian. Very well againe For by this means we sée the intollerable impudencie of the popes of Rome who haue not onely purposely corrupted with that exception the decrée that was written against their ambition but also they deceiued the Church of Christ with that lie for the space of more than thrée hundred yéeres vntill our men found out that forgerie and iugling And bicause we take this paines principally for our countrie men the French men it shall not be vnappertinent to shew out of Doctor Bernard in his owne words what befell Paris in times past by this ambition of appealing to Rome This happened saith Lib. 3. de consid he at Paris the noble citie of France the kings sea A certaine man was openly betrothed the solemne day of the marriage came all things were prepared many were bidden and behold a man coueting his neighbors wife brake forth into a sudden appeale affirming that she was first deliuered to him she ought rather to bee his the bridegroome was daunted they were all husht the priest durst not proceede all that preparation was dasht euery one went home to his owne house to eate his owne supper The bride was suspended from the table and bed of the bridegroome vntill returne was made from Rome Againe in the same citie of Paris a certaine man hauing betrothed a wife to himselfe appointed the marriage day in the meane while began a cauill for some said that they ought not to be ioined togither The matter was brought before the church But an appeale was made before sentence was giuen Yet neuerthelesse he did accomplish that he purposed contemning or making as if he knew not of the appeale Go to let vs consider the state of the later time For in the yéere CCCCXXCV there was a synod at Carthage and that a generall one whereunto the bishop of Rome sent thrée legats Faustinus Philip and Asellus with these commandements that his authoritie right that was granted him by the Nicene synod should be reserued for him namely that appeal should be made from all Metropolitanes to him Then at a sudden the scribe called Daniel was commanded to reade those commandements and also that chapter of the Nicene synod which the pope of Rome had adioined for an instrument of his matter The whole fift chapter of the synod of Sardis was read which the bishop of Rome had fraudulently wickedly cogd in in stéed of the Nicene synod All the bishops and archbishops that were present at that time denied that euer they read that in the Nicene synod Therefore they agréed that the copie of the Nicene synod should be read which they then had in their hands There was no word of appealing It was decréed that certaine men should be sent to Constantinople to Alexandria and finally to Rome that they might fetch their copies of the Nicene synod but especially to Constantinople where the authoritie it selfe or the originall of the Nicene synod was kept The yéere following they were brought They were read There was no suspition of that priuilege and chiefe authoritie of the bishop of Rome That could not be found in any place of the Nicene synod yea on the contrarie it was decréed in the selfe same synod that he should kéepe himselfe within his bounds as other popes and metropolitanes Wherefore if he were wise he would hencefoorth content himselfe with his diocese and dominion and would not incroch vpon another mans possession To this sentence subscribed two hundred and thirtie fathers and among those those same whom we named before Faustinus bishop of the church of Potentia legate of the pope of Rome Philip a priest and legate of the same bishop of Rome Asellus a priest and the same bishops legate And moreouer the synod alleaged these foure causes of that decrée of the Nicene fathers Which it is not vnappertinent to repeat The Nicen fathers did most prudently iustly prouide that all maner businesses should be ended in their places where they began that the grace of the holie Ghost would not be wanting in euerie