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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A17511	A briefe treatise, conteynynge a playne and fruitfull declaration of the Popes vsurped primacye, written in Greeke aboue. vij. hundred yeres sens, by Nilus, an ancient archbyshop of Thessalonia and newly tra[n]slated into englyshe by Thomas Gressop student in Oxforde. Pervsed and allovved accordyng to the Quenes maiesties iniunctions; Peri tēs archēs tou papa. English	Cabasilas, Nicolaus, 14th cent.; Gressop, Thomas.	1560 (1560)	STC 4325; ESTC S107398	21,793	62

scripture This ancient archybshop lyued not longe after the dayes of Charles the great aboute whose tyme the seuenth Synode was helde at Nice whereof the authour in this boke eft soones maketh mencion He wrote as we may gather by coniectures about the yere of our lord 787. His stile and maner of writynge is very playne and easy and sauereth much of that reuerent antiquitie as the lerned in the tongue maye well perceaue This booke of his is but breefe yet it conteyneth many graue sentences and weighty reasons it hath strong argumentes and piththy cōclusions against that loftye and arrogante authoritie of the Romishe bishop Al the Popes lymmes may blushe and be abashed if their faces were not harder than brasse to say that the byshop of Rome hath had that authoritie and power whyche he now vsurpeth in quiete possession sens the Apostles tyme sithe it is proued by the most ancient doctours and holy fathers that that whiche in dede he had was gyuen hym long after the apostles tyme and that which he nowe boasteth hym selfe of hath ben at all tymes and in all ages denied hym by suche godly and lerned pastors as this Nilus was Whose boke as thou seest I haue translated into englisshe to thende that my countreymen whiche are not experte in the toungues may be ware of them whiche to the mayntenance of the Popes authoritie haue alwayes in their mouthes antiquitie antiquitie And that they may perceyue howe lyttell veritie is ioyned with the aniquitie they speake of the fyrst founder wherof was auncient Sathanas their great grandfather the old forger and father of lies from whom procedeth all presumption vanitie and vntruthe whom the Pope and his secte so lyuely expresse in theyr doynges that a mā may behold in their hypocriticall faces replenished with all dissimulation a perfect patern and liuely image of their holy father Belzebub In translatyng I haue endeuoured my self to speake playnly that the rude and ignorant myght rede it to the encrease of their knowledge in the true religion and to the auoidyng of such forged reasons as the Pope and his complices falsely alledge for the vpholdynge and maynteynyng of theyr tyrannicall and beastly kyngdome If I wold haue studyed for fynenesse of speche or preferred my priuate commoditie before the profite that maye redounde to manne I myghte easyly in lesse tyme more to myne owne furtheraunce haue fynyshed greatter thynges and with more fauour yea and thankes to at somme mennes handes haue abstayned from this payneful and daungerous enterprise But I rather chuse to haue respecte to the glorye of Christe and his holy churche then to myne owne ease and estimation Euery weapon wherwith we may beate downe errours and lies must be takē in hand to the defence of the truth neither ought we to consider how fine eloquent it is but rather what strength force efficacy it hath to ouerthrow the enemies of gods veritie I beseche thee therfore good christē Reder to accept what soeuer I haue done to thy furtherance in the knowledge of goddes eternall truth and most holy religion And where as my doinges may peraduenture seme scarce thanke worthy yet for my trauayle in thy behalfe suffer me not if any thynge haue escaped in translatyng in that I minded the good to mysse of thy gentyll pardon Whiche if thou graunt me I shall not onely thynke my self sufficiently recompensed for my trauaile but also thereby I shalbe encoraged to attempt greater things to thy cōmoditie Now I protest afore god who knoweth y e secretes of al hartes that in translating herof I haue had respecte chiefly to the commoditie of such as for lacke of instruction haue ben to muche deceyued and seduced by the craftye sophistications and subtyll gloses of the Pope and his impes who to the stuffyng of their gredy paunche and maintenance of their beastly ydle lyfe are not ashamed to paint their positions with fayned gloses and feble distinctions But almyghty god hath and wyl reuele to his elect their falsehode subtilie to their opē shame cōfusion Wherin as all true christians ought to refuse no paynes but to do y e vttermost of their endeuors so I by gods grace wyll neuer ceasse to doo all that I may eyther in translatyng or otherwyse to the ende that all men may perceyue on howe weake a ground they haue gone about by fyre and fagotte and all extremitie to compell men to laye the foundation of theyr faith And also how that all that they teache as well in this matter as in other poyntes of religion conteineth not one iote of sounde doctrine if it bee tried by the holye scriptures I speake not this that I malyce the pope or his adherentes any thing whose persons as God knoweth I hate not although I abhore their detestable and erronius doctrine but that I myghte drawe out of that stinckynge puddle of wylful ignorance as many as I could I hate the errour and not the menne Whiche if they forsake I shall gladly yelde them all christen loue and due reuerence Therfore I lytle esteme what any man either of malice or ignorance shall report of these my doynges knowyng that whatsoeuer the one saythe procedeth of a peruerse iudgement and what so euer the other reporteth commeth of rashues rather then of reason in iudgyng that which he knoweth not Wherfore as I regarde nat what they saye of me in this behalfe so I submyt bothe this and all my dooynges to the iudgement of the true christian reder whose hart god hath opened to acknowledge and receaue the veritie of his holy wyll besechyng almighty god of his great goodnes and infinite mercye to bryng to the knowledge of his truthe all those whom the god of this worlde yet holdeth in captiuitie that they can not perceyue the power of saythe neyther knowe the Lorde aright in his only sonne Iesus Christ our alone aduocate and true head of the congregation to whome with the father and the holye ghoste bee all honour and glorye euerlastyng Amen LEt rankour not you rule O men of Romyshe secte Expell thē poyson frō your brests That dothe you thus infecte Let not that hauty whoore That boasts her selfe for god That rules the realms of Cesars right With her vsurped rod Let not this hag I say Bewitche your earthly eyes That here embraceth beastly ioye And vertue dooth despyse Antiquitie she sayth Gaue her this stately place Lo here Antiquitie you see Dothe her and hers deface Lo here dothe Nilus teache A man of ancient tyme Howe muche she is to be abhorde Howe muche she swelles with crime Leaue her therfore in tyme Forsake her wicked wayes Let vs and you agree in one So God shall haue his prayse Finis ꝙ B. G. Fautes escaped in the printyng ¶ In the leafe of B. the .xi. page or side the .xxvii. lyne for indifferent rede muche different In the same leaf of B. the xvi page the vii lyne for yet reade

A BRIEFE TREATISE Conteynynge a playne and fruitfull declaration of the Popes vsurped Primacye written in Greke aboue .vij. hundred yeres sens by Nilus an ancient archbyshop of Thessalonia and newly trāslated into englyshe by Thomas Gressop student in Oxforde ❧ Pervsed and allovved accordyng to the Quenes maiesties iniunctions Ierem. vi Thus sayth the Lord Go into the stretes consider and make inquisition for the olde waye ▪ and if it be the right and good vvaye then go therin that ye may fynde reste for your soules But they say we vvill not vvalke therin To the Reader THe lande of Egypt which doth lye southeast from Englande coste And reckned is one of those landes Whiche Phebus beames doth rost Hath flowyng in it one famous floude That Nilus men doo call Which once eche yere doth passe his bākes And whelme the countrey all Whose waters cause not bareynnes As flouds doo commonly But causeth the earth al seedes and frustes To bryng foorth plentuousely To Egypt lande we may compare The spirituall Egypte well Who are all they within whose hertes The fylthy Pope dothe dwell These grauely grounds this Nilus lo A byshop of great fame Doth moist with words of heuenly dewe To great encrease and gaine Seuen hundred yeares he Reader spake In Greke and foreyne tonge But nowe he speaketh in englishe eke By Gressops labour longe Fyrst therfore thanke thalmyghty god Then take in worthe his payne That at the least thy good report He may deserue to gayne Finis ꝙ D. I. To the right vvorshipful and his especiall good frend master T. Beacon the true mynister and faithfull seruant of our Sauiour Christ Thomas Gressop vvisheth the continual fauour of God and peace euerlastynge In our redemer IESVS CHRIST WHen I fyrste tooke in hande this lytel Treatise concernynge the Popes vsurped primacie I mynded nothing lesse then to publishe the same that it might come into the handes of many I had so little affiance in my selfe and so symple an opinion of myn owne doyngs that I thought them vnworthy to be red of any other But after that I had receyued no smalle courage by your gentyll and frendly exhortations wherein you willed me to haue respecte to the cōmoditie that myght ensue to other whiche being ignorant of the Greke and Latin tong may attain somwhat herby both to the increase of knowledge and also of iudgemente in matters of religion I nothynge doubted after long deliberation to make that commune to other which at the fyrst as a priuate exercise I thought to haue kept to my self Therfore as the readers hereof yf they receiue any commoditie hereby ought in that behalfe to yelde all thankes vnto you by whome to their profyte I haue been encouraged to attempt this bolde enterprise so I in some parte to shewe my selfe not altogyther ingratefull and vnmyndful of your exceding fauor and great gentilnesse to me wardes haue thought good to dedicate vnto you this my simple endeuour and first fruite of my laboures as vnto one who after a sorte may seeme as in your owne right to chalenge this kynde of duetie at my hande For vnto whom shulde I offer this Treatise of the Popes primacy or whom shuld I make patron therof but one who hath ben long exercised in this and the lyke matters of controuersye who also by vse and experience is well practised in defendyng and puttynge away the strokes and weapons of suche as are ennemies to goddes euerlastyng truthe Suche a one haue you declared your selfe in your bokes and sermons not onely in bearynge of the dartes of wyly Antichrist and his stout army of arrogant priestes as Gregory termeth them but also in beatynge downe that monstrous Hydra with the myghtye strokes of the spirituall sworde so that both he and all his proude army of presumptuous prelates are fayn cowardly to tourne theyr backes and dare not once shewe their faces in open battalt agaynst you Wherfore I moste humbly beseche you accordyng to your accustomed gentylnesse to take in good worthe this my bounden duetie and to receue vnder your protection this worthy archebyshop who lyke a straunger farre from his owne countrey now seketh entertaynment at your handes Whiche yf ye vouchesafe ye shall perceyue this lyttell Nilus so stoutly behaue hymselfe vnder your banner that he shall lyke a myghty champion strike of the head of this aniichristian Golyath with his owne sworde and lyke a valyant conquerour set it on his owne speare to be seene of the whole host of all true englyshe Israelites So that I doubte not but all english men that ernestly professe Christ shal playnly see that the lambe and his host haue geuen the serpent an ouerthrow and haue put to flyght all his ignoraunt armye with their blynde capitains Yea all englishe men as I trust shall perceaue that he which fighteth on our syde agaynst the olde bawde of Babylon and cacolike whoore of Rome is moste myghty and stronge yea that he is a lorde valiant in battaile he shall fyrst vanquishe them in this life with the mighty breath of his mouth in the ministers and true preachers and folowers of his holy worde scatteryng them as the duste from the face of the earth and after this lyfe the terrible iudgement of the Lorde of hostes shal condemne them for euermore when the iuste shall reigne in heauen in ioyes that by no meanes can bee expressed The high shepeherde and pastor our Lord Iesus Christ encrease you with all abundant plentye of his grace and plentyfull abundance of his holye spirite Fare ye most hartily well in Christ From Oxford To the christen Reader THou haste here gentle Reader in this lyttle boke no smalle defence of the Truthe agaynst that blasphemous mouth mentioned in the Apocalips whiche speaketh presumptuously agaynste the lorde god and his chosen people Here mayst thou see howe vaynely and falsely the Pope and his membres boast theimselues of that whyche in deede he neuer had that is to were his pretenced primacye and vsurped power ouer the vniuersall congregation Here also mayst thou plainly perceaue that the Romishe byshoppe hathe no preeminence geuen hym by goddes holy woorde but by the fathers and Emperoures and that none suche as the Pope moste arrogantely and againste all right nowe taketh on hym but only a certayne prerogatiue in honor such as we vse of voluntacy accord to geue to our elders Here maist thou beholde the Pope caught and snared in the nette which he layeth for other and ouercome with his owne argumentes I meane the generall Counselles and olde Doctours which he and his mayn tayners affirme to bee all togyther on their part The author of this Treatise a man of great antiquitie was archbyshop of Thessalonia and successour to the holy apostle Saint Paule who first traded the Thessalonians in the Christen fayth and to the confirmation therof wrote an epistle to them whiche we haue at this tymered in our churches as a parcell of holy