of the celebrating of that one councel Sanders againe in an other place 5. Sand. declaue Dauid I. 4. sol 81. The cosent of the bishop of Rome preambulateth from the matter before hee come to it thus Although the consent of the bishop of Rome alwaies had obtained did confirme the summoning of a general couÌ„sell yet that in a great matter no error should creep in it was the order that the Pope should send his letters to the Emperour touching that matter As who shuld say the Pope commanded the Emperour to summon counsells and then the Emperour having received those letters did by his own letters assemble the bishops wherevpon the bishops assembled at Constantinople do write vnto Damasus in these words you did send for vs as for meÌ„bers of your owne body by the letters of the most holy Emperour to come vnto the counsel which is gathered togither at Rome by the wil pleasure of God And a little after By the commandement of letters from your holinesse sent the last yere vnto the Emperor Theodosius after the councel held at Aquila wee prepared our selues only for our iourney to Constantinople It therefore appeareth saith Sanders from this testimony That there were two Councels holden at once one at Rome the other at Constantinople and to both of them the Pope sent for those bishops by the letters of the Emperour Thus much from Sanders in that place of that matter 6. Staplet ret oâ— untruths art 4. fol. 139. D. Stapleton an other of that side maintaining the Popes soveraignety is no more abashed to abuse the history than those other haue done in the places going before For saith hee Those bishops of Constantinople doe write-vnto Damasus the Pope and shewing a cause of there not coÌ„ming to Rome do further say vnto him That they had assembled themselues but lately at Constantinople by the late letter of your honor sent after the councell holden in Aquilicato the most Godly Emperour Theodosius Letters from your honor which was the reason why they could not come to Rome Now touching this present matter saith he the bishops here doe witnesse that to that counsel of Rome the Pope called them by the letters of the Emperour not as a warrant they haue no such word but rather as a meane For they witnes he calleth theÌ„ as his proper members Bellar. thrise Saund. twise already Staplet once 7. 8 and. de vifib monar l. 7. fol. 312. num 145. 146. The whole masse of falsehood is diseouered The Easterne bishops write to all the bishops of the West and so the letters go in the plurall number This it the sixt canvasse they haue had touching this place of Theodoret The seauenth set downe by Sanders in a thirde place of his booke will quite overthrow both himselfe and them being inlighted a little by the history which they al haue most shamefully abused For in this third place of his hee hath bewraied their shameful dealing There he confesseth that the Bishops of the East did write to other bishops of the West and namely to Ambrose aswel as to Damasus not to him alone as hitherto they al made vs beleeue they did and there he confesseth more over that the Easterne bishops receiued a letter from the Westerne gathered togither at Rome in which letter they were praied to come thither and that in their answere back they declare that all the westerne bishoppes sent for them by letters from the most holie Emperour But saith he further it appeareth from this place that the first beginning of a general counsel is the bishop of Rome but the meanes which the Pope vseth in that matter is to call them by the Emperours letters This is all their report that I finde of this matter I would now but aske them this questioÌ„ whether they tell vs thus much because they beleeue it or beleeue is because they tell it vs If they tell it vs as beleeuing it themselues we can say no otherwise of them than of him that did accustome to tel lies so fast to others that in the end he tooke them for truthes himselfe if they beleeue it because they tell it vs our incredulity in this case shal do them good in aduising theÌ„ not to beleeue that wee will any more take the reporte of any such matter vpon their words so that if our deniall wil profit them I assure theÌ„ I will not credit them in any thing without due evidence of the iustnesse of it Ter. in Eunuc act 2. scen 1. Nihil aliud quam Philumenam volo And therefore I giue them the councel in the Poet quoniam id fieri quod voluâ—t non potest velint id quod possit since they caÌ„not haue what they would that they woulde take what they may But they answere they would haue nothing but the Bishop of Romes supremacy I say again as the Poet saith in that place it were much better for theÌ„ to leaue that fansie rather than by this palpable fraud to go about to perswade it Al their inferences from that text of Theodoret are false and merely suggested either of the Popes power in calling that counsell of Constantinople or of their writing to Damasus oulie to Damasus or that they called him their head or that they confessed themselues his proper members as they haue abused the history The writing which the bishops of the East sent to them of the West is called The true report out of Theodorete eccles l. 5. c. â— Libellus Sinodicus à Concilio Constantinopolitano ad Episcopas missus The Councel of Constantinoples declaration sent vnto the Bishops The superscription is Dominis honoratissimis cum primis reverendis fratribus ac collegis Damaso Ambrosio Brittoni valeriano Acholio Avemio Basilio et cateris sanct is Episcopis To the most renowned Reverend bretheren fellowes and most especial reverend brethren and fellows Damasus Ambrose Briton Valerian Acholius Avemius Basill and the rest of the holy bishops gathered togither in the famous citty of Rome The holy councell of Catholike bishops gathered togither in the famous citty of Constantinople send health in our Lord. Num quid nam hic quod nolis Ter in Eunuc act 2. scen 2. vides Bellarmine Is there any thing here ô Bellarmine that thou wouldest not see Yes neither me nor that which I haue brought Where do they write to Damasus Where do they acknowledge him the head they the members Where be the letters sens froÌ„ his honor All this like religious and loving fathers to the Church of God they confesse each to other because they consented in one catholike doctrine were of one Catholike church though divided by East and West whose head is Christ as S. Paule saith Ephes 4.5 One Lord one faith one baptisme But if you wil speake of what they were in respect of themselues and their authoritie over each other SozoÌ„ l. 6. c.
23. they were brethren and fellowes And this Damasus him selfe knew wel enough although these men defile their consciences for him when he and other bishops of Italy did write vnto the bishops of Illiricum That it was meete that all the bishops belonging to the Romane iurisdiction should agree in one Qui Romani ditioni subijciuntur And great Marvaile it were that Damasus should be so suddenly growne potent and masterfull over the bishops of the East when it appeareth that Vrsinius durst checke with him for the Popedome Socr. l. 4. c. 24. as Felix did with Liberius who went next before him SozoÌ„ l. 4. c. 14. which contention the councell of Syrmiunâ— determined willing them to be bishops both togither Now touching the termes of Father Sonnes which these men catch at for Damasus behoofe It is cleare in the letter that Damasus and the westerne bishops with him do say of the Niceene councel that they were their fathers that their decrees had armed their faith Patres nostri Fidem nostraÌ„ cinxêre against the weapons of the Devil If the Popes Soveraignety had bin without limit and over al it had bin a very harsh phrase to haue named the Roman iurisdiction as Damasus and the rest do Againe this same couÌ„cel held at Rome by Damasus was at the same time with that other of Constantinople vnto which Damasus summoned and called those of the East how came it then to passe that both they could shift themselues from their obedience to Damasus and not to come and haue their councel held at Constantinople whereat neither Damasus nor any for him was present to be celebrated by so famous a name as The second generall councell and so remaineth vnto this day rather then that other of his at Rome if Damasus were so great at that time as they would make vs beleeue he was Furthermore whereas they simper so much about Damasus forsooth of Calling the councelat Constantinople they cannot tell whether it was done by his advise or by his anthoritie or whether he did it at the Emperours request or the Emperor at his or whither their powers were equal so well haue they conned their leere yet is it plaine by the Ecclesiastical history that the Emperour called and summoned it Theodosius caled the couÌ„sell at ConstaÌ„tinople anno 385. Socrat. eccles hist l. 5. c. 8. Imperator nulla mora interposita concilium Episcoporum ipsius fidem amplectentium convocat The Emperour admitting no delay called a councell of Bishops imbracing the same faith which he did whereby the faith of the Niceene councel might be strengthned and a bishop of Constantinople appointed Here is no sharing of authority in this point betweene the Emperour and the bishop of Rome as Sanders would make vs beleeue The Popes deede and the Emperours al one Ita vt prima generalis concilij causa fit Romani episcopi hoc est primi pastoris coÌ„uocatio Moris fuit vt Papa literas de ea re ad imperatorem daret is vero papae literiâ— acceptis etiaÌ„ per suas literas Episcopoâ— convocarer vt ita Papae atque Imperatoris convocatio vna eademque esset that so the Popes summoning and the Emperours might bee but as one act Search all antiquity for these 1300. yeares ever since the first famous general councel of Nice and neuer heare of that practise except in some petite-graund councels of their own of late yeares such as that was of Trent And where also Sanders in the processe hereof woulde make vs beleeue that in those times the bishop of Rome was the first originall cause of calling councels but the meane whereby he effected that calling was the Emperours greatnesse by his summons as also Stapleton beareth vs in hand in the places before cited is a mere abuse and absolute forgery without either sense or favor For he telleth vs presently as if he would purposely frustrate al that himselfe had said that Leo the great did write vnto the Emperour Martianus thus Poposceram a gloriosissima clementia vestra Leo epist 44. ex Saund. de claue Dauid l. 4 â— 81. de visib mo l. 7. f. 346. The bishop of Rome desired the Emperor to deferre the Counsell Staplet ad Eliza reg Angliae in epist praefixa ad BedaÌ„ in Ang. serm Bellar. de coÌ„c eccles l. 1. c. 19. fol. 88 89. Leo epist 58. ex Saund. de visib mon. l. 7. fol. 352. Vide Stap. ret of vntruths against M. Iuell art 4. fol. 142. 143. vt synodum quam pro recuperandâ—… Orientalis ecclesiae pace à nobis etiam petitam necessariam indicastis aliquaÌ„tisper differri ad tempus opportunius iuberetis I desired of your most excellent Maiesty that you would commande that that synode which you thought necessary to be holden for establishing of the peace of the East church for which I also made suit might haue bin for a little while deferred to a more coÌ„uenient time And this was touching the great general couÌ„sell of Chalcedon which Martianus the Emperour summoÌ„ed being often moued thervnto by Leo the Pope and not only summoned it but was also present and not only preseÌ„t but sat in the first place and sate so ad confirmanda in fidem to confirme the faith as before him the good Emperor ConstaÌ„tine did And when his Maiestie was not disposed to sit any longer hee left certaine of his secular Princes to sit in his absence And when the counsell was ended hee willed Leo to direct his letters to al the bishops that were present to signifie his confent and allowance to the Articles of faith which they had decreed which hee willingly performed least any should take occasion to stumble through his default If the Popes owne wil and purpose were the first original cause of counsells and that the Emperors duty was but to signify to the bishops when hee had receaued order from the Pope Then are they false that tell vs and it is they that tel vs that the Emperour summoned it and that the Pope obtained so much from him by intreatie when the summons was gon out his holinesse prayed it might be deferred and could not obtaine his request Hardly can it be said that the Emperor and Pope were equall in authoritie at this time seeing the Pope by intreaty sought that of the Emperour which had the matter bin as they lay it downe hee might haue compassed by his owne power without him The last point touching the succession of the Bishops of Rome Let this suffice for these Now for the last point wherof I intended to speake Tuberius which was touching the succession of the bishopps of Rome for these many hundred yeares of which you said at the beginning you had a table Examine their succession vpon these pointes because I doe imagine that your table is but a bare table of names without any touch ether of the doctrine they taught
Alexandria amongst which foure the Bishop of Rome had the first place in order and fitting when they did meete to gether but no definitiue sentence to vndoe that which they did or to conclude without them and this held touching generall counsells and somethinge for the nominating of bishops if need had bin and not touching the bishop of Rome only but also towardes others of that fellowship and thence sprange their letters of mutuall certificate each to others touching that one faith which they al professed as Gregory the great seemeth to insinuate when he saith Hinc est etiam quòd quoties in quatuor praecipuis sedibus Antistites ordinantur synodales sibi epistolas viciscim mittant Gregor l. 7. episc 53. ex saÌ„dvis mon. l. 7. so 358. Stapl. Princ. fidei doct l. 4. c. 20. fol. 149. Greg. l. 6. epis 37. ex Saund. visib monar l. 7. fol. 220. The dignity in the 3. patriarchal seats is equall Rome Alexandria Antioche SozoÌ„ l. 6. c. 23 Sanders abuseth this place alleadging it so as if the coÌ„sent only of the bishop of Rome were required Declaue Dauid l. 4. fol 80. Socrat. eccles histo l. 7. c. 28. Noe bishop ordained without the consent of the bishop of CoÌ„stantinople Hence it is also that oftentimes we finde that men of chelfe authoritie are appointed to rule in the fowre cheife seas mutually they sende synodicall Epistles each to others Cum multi sint Apostole pro ipso tamen principatu sola Apostolorum principis sedes in authoritate coÌ„valuit quae in tribus locis vnius est Although there bee many Apostles yet for the principalitie the seate of the prince of the Apostles was cheife in authoritie which authoritie in 3 places is equal For he Peter exalted the seate wherin he vouchsafeth to abide and ende his life Hee also beautified the seate vnto which he seÌ„t the EvaÌ„gelist Mark his disciple And he established the seate wherin he sate seuen yeares although he remoued from thence And other mens consents were established by law to bee had aswell as the bishop of Rome as we may read in the same history of Sozomene that the counsell holden at Ariminum was condeÌ„ned because nether Vincentius nor the rest to whome it belonged aswell as the bishop of Rome though his minde should haue bin knowne before other had not agreed vnto it It is moreover read againe in plaine tearmes in the diuisioÌ„ betweene Sisinius and those of Cyzicium they appointing one bishop and he nominating an other Hoc ab illis factum est neglecta illa lege quae iubet nequis episcopus desiguetur absque sententia authoritate Episcopi Constantinopolis This they did faith the storie because they neglected that law which commandeth that no bishop be appointed and ordained without the consente of the bishop of Constantinople so it appeareth if the businesse concerning the whole church were handled theÌ„ al their knowledges and mindes were had and knowne in it if it concerned any particular part therof then the particular bishops of the prouince 1. Bellar. de Rom. pont l. 2 c. 13. fo 223. ex Theodoret. ec cles his l. 5. c. 9. is abused aswel as the rest By commandement of the Popes letters saith Bellarm. 2. Bellar. de conc eccles l. 1. c. 13. f. 60. By the Popes letters they came to Constantinople A most impudeÌ„t vntruth shamlesly avouched 3. Bel. de conc eccles l. 1. c. 19. fo 83. 87. The bishop of Constantinople was president If the bishopp of Rome or his Legat must needs be president of couÌ„sells then this counsel lacked a president or otherwise it must appeare that Nectarius was his Legat or deputy both which are absurd to think and the patriarch yeilded thervnto the Emperour aboue alto bridle and call all to accompt You shal further see their sincerity in alleadging the histories by an other exaÌ„ple about the bishop of Romes supreme power out of the ecclesiasticall historie also The second generall counsell in their Epistle to Damasus which is extant in Theodoret doe say that they came to the citty of ConstaÌ„tinople ex mandato literarum pontificis by commandement of the Popes letters sent vnto them by the Emperour And there also they confesse the church of Rome to bee the head and they the members This saith Bellarmine in his first report of that historie In the second place he bringeth it in for proof of the Popes authority in calling of generall counsells Theoporete reporteth saith he that the Emperour Theodosius did not so much call the counsell at Constantinople as that hee seÌ„t the letters of Damafus the Pope to the bishops by which letters the counsell was summoned For so write the bishops gathered together in the counsell vnto Damasus the Pope mandato inquiunt literarum supertore anno à vestra reverentia ad sanctissimum Imperatorem Theodosium missarum That by letters receaued the last yeare from your holynesse meaning the Pope sent vnto the most holy Emperour Theodosius wee prepared to take our iourney to Constantinople Although therfore saith Bellarmine Theodosius called the counsel yet he called it by commandement of the sea Apostolike In the 3. place hee bringeth this same example for the presidentship and cheifty of the bishop of Rome in counsells In the secoÌ„d counsel held at Constantinople saith hee it is certaine that the Emperour fat not cheife but only sent the letters of the bishop of Rome to the rest by which they were called to the counsell And it is certaine saith he that the Roman bishop was not president but Nectarius the bishop of Constantinople the reasoÌ„ wherof is because the bishop of Rome was not there nor any Legate for him for Damasus the Pope had called the bishops of the East to Constantinople But from that place he would haue had them come to Rome that so at Rome there might haue bin a full plenary counsell both of the East West bishops How bouldly are these vntruthes avouched 4. Saund. â—… fol. 41. But if Damasus had beene there without doubt he had sat cheife as appeareth by their Epistle to Damasus Vbi illi Damasum vs caput suum agnoseunt ipse filios cos vocat wherin they acknowledge him for their head and he calleth them sonnes so much for Bellarmine Saunders in his Visible monarchy maketh a briefe of this matter thus The fathers that were saith he gathered togither in the second general counsel holden at Constantinople when they were vrged by Damasus the bishop of Rome to come thither amongst other causes why they coulde not so do brought this for one By the Popes letters they came to Constantinople That by the letters of the same Damasus written to the Emperor Theodosius they were appointed only to prepare themselues for a â—ourney to ConstaÌ„tinople And that they had brought the coÌ„sents of the bishops who remained at home in their provinces with them
sinketh not into my head that men otherwise learned and verie religious should so wilfully hood wincke themselues against the truth as in this last declaration it seemeth you meane they doe for besides their owne words and few of their bookes haue I yet seene in iustification of themselues I see a famous Catholike Church of theires I meane Rome who hath bin and yet is renowned for succession of Bishops This hath bin and yet is maketh all the error Iulius Caesar was once faithful to the Romans but affecting Soue ranitie he cōtinued not so so the Church of Rome was agreat church amongst the rest But now it beareth witnes of it selfe as Simon Magus said That hee was some great mā Act 8.9 Their vsual tables in writing which they giue to their freinds containing a Catalogue of the Bish of Rome and continuance of Apostolike doctrine vvhose gouernor head is the Pope vvho keepeth it in the same integritie and soundnesse of doctrine that S. Peter our Lords cheife Apostle vvhose successor hee is did vvhen hee sate and ruled there as he doth now I tell you I haue a table of the Bishops of Rome from S. Peter to Climens the eight vvho latly deceased as the speech was You cannot shew me the like of any Church in the world but of that Al churches saue a fewe of late yeeares haue ever acknowledged that Church for the mother and head of them al and whatsoeuer was amisse vvas thither referred and determined therfore if you will oppose your selfe against them or their religion you had need bringe sound arguments or else they wil bee quickly confuted Rom. See now you require that of mee already vvhich you cannot performe your selfe To enterinto the discussing of the points of doctrine vvhich concerne either side you haue nether abilitie nor iudgment by reason you are but newly begun to be tutered by them And then if I shoulde of my selfe discourse of them vnto you you vvould in the end say of my labour therin as a merrie fellow in Wilteshire said of an hare in a course with his dogge when my dogge was let slip at the hare quoth he she went forth right was before my dogge some foure acres bredth But my dogge fetcht her and gaue her a turne and awaie she goes againe then he gaue her another and did beat her so that she had many turnes wrenches but in the end quoth he the hare went awaie and had nether turne nor wrench so if I should shew vnto you the vnsoūdnes of the doctrine of the church of Rome from scriptures Fathers Counsells Doctors yea of the intrusions of Bishops into that sea which you from them call succession you would giue me the hearing how soever I did beat the hare in giuing her manie wrentches turnes yet you would saie she went from me in the end and had nether turne nor wrentch I am not ignorant in what painted Cyphers In the 1. petition to his Maiestie Adde fidem dictis Ovid. Medea Ias the Catholikes did of late a greable to your report of them set forth their religion calling it venerable for antiquitie maiesticall for amplitude constant for continuance irreprehensible for doctrine inducing to all kind of vertue and pietie dissuading from all sin wickednesse A religiō beloued by all pri◅tiue Pastors established by all Oecumenicall counsells vpheld by al ancio◅ doctors maintained by the first and most Christian Emperours recorded almost alone in all Ecclesiasticall histories sealed with the blood of millions of Martyres adorned with the vertues of so manie confessors beautified with the paritie of thousands of Virgins so conformable to naturall sence and reason and finally so agreable to be sacred text of Gods word and Gospell Of which speech of theirs I will saie noe otherwise nowe Cor. Tac. hist l. 2. c. 27. then Tacitus doth of Vitellius the Emperour of Rome in these words The daie following saith he as though he had spoken before the Senate and people of a strange Citty he made a glorious speech of himselfe extolling his owne industriousnesse and temperancie when as they vvhich hard him of their owne knowledge vvere witnesses of his lewd actions al Italy besides through which he marched for drowsinesse and riot notoriously infamous Two pillars wherof the Papists must rest Whitak cont Dureum l 9. de Sophia There are two notable pillars which vphold the Church of Rome in al her buildings vnknowen to you yet but herafter better may be against which if you leane they wil surely deceaue you on is The Church of Rome cannot erre whatsoeuer it teacheth the other The Bishop of Rome ought not to bee accused what soeuer he doe Vpon such pillars as these they maie reate what vvorke they wil and so they doe but it fareth with thē as it was wont to the false Prophets One buildeth vp an muddy wall Exech 13.10 and others dawbe it over with a rotten plaister But because it hath pleased God to bringe vs againe thus luckely to gether I wil bend our conference for this time to some good purpose that you goe not altogether awaie without profite Will you graunt mee but so much as common humanitie will afford anie man or the meanest courtesie of freindes allowe Tub. I wil alowe you any reasonable graunt whereof if you doubt you doe me wronge it may be you deeme me so affectioned that I wil neither heare nor read anie thinge aganst my humor I would not haue you so thinke of me that were more beast like to follow the first of the heard then according to anie Christian course and if anie should wish me to it I should the sooner mistract them and grow the wearier of them Rom. You say well and my request shal be yet more reasonable then you would deeme it to be you are you saie vnable to dispute of the points of doctrine betweene them vs vntil you be further instructed in them Tub. I confesse it I haue only hetherto heard their our report without either their proofes or your acceptions Rom. Why then this I saie which you or anie man being neuer so vnlearned maie vnderstand if all their points of their religion be good sound Catholike according to Scriptures Fathers Counsells Doctors histories viz. their Masse their sacrifice their reall presence their meritinge of heauen their free wil in good and holy things their praying to Saints their seruice in an vnknowen tongue The points in con rouersie betweene vs. the forbidding of the lave people to read the Scriptures in their vulgar tongue The Bishop of Romes authoritie worshiping of Images and a number of questions else What need then is there for the Doctors of that side such as haue written in defence proofe of their cause Harding Dorman Saunders Stapleton Allen Cope Bellarmine Rhemists Dureus and manie others to misaleadg any Doctor Counsell Historie or Father either by corrupting of
submoto per vim Pontificatum RomanuÌ„ occuparit Onuph annot on Plat. in vit Vigilij Agapetus and Sylverius were both Preists sonns Denoâ—is eccles l 4. c. 8. Bell. ibideÌ„ 303. 304. Ibid fol. 306. Bell. de Rom. pont l. 2. c. 26. de conc eccles l. 2. c. 18. Gregory the Great Bellar de RoÌ„ pont l. 2. c 31. fol. 324. Stap. ret of vntruths against Mâ—uell art 4. fol. 6. Vigilius wrought meanes with the Empresse Theodora for the remouing of his predecessor Silverius out of the Popedome promising her if shee would help him therto to cal home Anthemius the heretike whom Agapetus had banished and so as Bellarmine saith hee plaied the Catholike at Rome and the heretike abroad for when hee had obtained by most vnlawfull meanes what he sought for hee kept no promise with her by whose procuremeÌ„t he caÌ„e into the seat and in effect aunswered as the fore-sworne men in times past were wont Iurauilingua mentem iniuratam gero I sweare with my tongue but I meant otherwise A very Machivellian resolution But since Vigilius came in by this indirect meanes I demand with what face Bellarmine can make successioÌ„ of bishops in that sea an emineÌ„t note of the true church Al that come not in by lawfull succession and ordination are theeues and robbers And succession takes no place but either when bishops die or are lawfully deposed For the pope cannot be deposed by any coactiue power ether Ecclesiastial or ciuill which conclusions inevitably proue that Vigilius succeeded vnlawfully Siluerius being nether dead nor lawfully desposed And as Bellarmine saith the pride and ambition of Vigilius droue him into those straights of periurie shifts which hee vsed so hath Bellarmines bad cause coloured with clenly words made him gaine say in one place what hee affirmeth in an other which hee cannot doe since there are so many eies to looke on but he shal be discouered Gregory the great being the last of those I named last vtterly denied the name of vniuersall bishoppe and prainly said Saint Peter was neuer called vniuersall Apostle yet Bellarmine reackoneth it amongst the titles of his holynesse and the title vniversall bishoppe to be the 15. in number Howsoeuer D. Stapleton not so soveraigne for the Pope as Bellarmine saith plainely we cal not the Pope vniversall bishop The Pope writeth not himselfe so but servum servorum dei the servant of Gods servants But what would he practise if he might I leaue that to M. Doctors secret discussing Thus haue you Tuberius a tast of your succession and manners of Popes for the first sixe hundred yeares In none of the Popes of the first three hundred yeres appeared any stomacke towards other churches abroad saue in Victor Victor reproued by Ireneus Euseb eccles history l. 5. c. 23. 24. who was next to Eleutherius who shewed himselfe earnest in excommunicating the Churches of Asia for not keeping the feast of Easter according to the maner of Rome But he was sharply rebuked for attempting it especially by Ireneus bishop of Lions in Fraunce in the name of the rest of the brethren there who would not yeeld vnto him After Constantines time downe to Gregory the great I deny not but men they were tollerable enough saving for a little ambitioÌ„ creeping in amongst them And because men are denominated vertuous whose good gifts are many and faults not too great they may go al in the number of good men euen till Gregorie who may be said to be the last of the good and first of the bad And of all these passed I will say in respect of theÌ„ that follow after as noble Sr. Phillip Sidney was wont to say of Captaines and learders in the warres when complainte had bin made to him of some of them Sr Roger Williams reporte in his breefe discourse of warre pag. 2. Let vs loue him for his small vertues for a number haue none at all And so is it with those former Popes in respect of those that followed after onlie here and there one religious amongst a number of miscreants as one Râ—scius now and theÌ„ inriching a whole rable of counterfeits For intrusions into the sea heresie witchcraft murder adulteries and such like Rome was the Sentina a sinke of sinnes a lake of all lewdnesse which euer yeeldeth perpetual vapours of pernitious and execrable villanies God do so and more to me if I report them otherwise than their owne histories record After Gregorie the great followed Sabinianus Bonifacius Geneb chro l. 3 fol. 664. Fase tempor Platina in vita sabi 3. Bonifacius 4. Deus dedit Bonifacius 5. Honorius the first Sabinianus hated his predecessor Gregory insomuch that he burned al his bookes he did not any good worthy of memory This is the 3. infamous Pope as the Papists theÌ„selues confesse who liued a bad life and died a feareful death After Sabinianus came Bonifacius Carion in chro l. 4. f. 568. l. 3. fol. 369. The first setting of Mahumets foot in Arabia was wheÌ„ the Empire began to bee devided by the bishop of RoÌ„e meanes vide Fascicu temp anno 614. Honorius amo nothelite heretike who held that christ had but one wil. Geneb Chro. l. 3. fol. 675. ea est vis cathedrae vt cogat bona vera dicere noÌ„ bona facientes neque vera sentientes nec suâ—… docere sed aliena permittit Apolog. thesiuÌ„ Ioan. Reyn. de sacra scrip eccles a pag. 351. vsque ad finem Anno. 687. Geneb Chro. l. 3. fol. 698. Genebi ibid. fo 708. 3. who obtained of the Emperour Phocas to be called vniuersall bishop and head of all churches about which time when the fury of Mahumet had prevailed against the churches in the East the bishop of Romes authority increased in Europe And the mistery of iniquity having before wrought did then shew it selfe And this Phocas who gaue that title to the bishop of Rome was he that trecherously slew his Master Mauricius to make himselfe way to the Empire postea multa seelera addidit and after that he coÌ„mitted many mischeifes else And in the end for his reward he was vntimely slaine according to that saying Omnis qÌ„ acceperit gladiuÌ„ gladio peribit Whosoever slaieth with the sword shal perish with the sword And the reason why Phocas gratified the bishop of Rome with such a title was be cause vpoÌ„ the slaughter of his Mr Mauricius he feared the fal of Italy froÌ„ the Empire that by the Popes means he might keepe the West in safty Touching Honorius 1. it is notoriously knowen that he was an heretike condemned by generall councells and witnesse of diuerse ancients both Greeks Latins They that are disposed to read of him or his cause may consult with Aâ—dradius def Trid. conc l. 2. fol. 244. Canus loc theol lib. 6. fol. 213. Pighius eccles bie l. 4. c. 8. Bellarm. de Rom. pont lib. 4. c. 11. And