myghtye kyngedomes translated For fyrste Chylpericus that was borne kynge of Fraunce beynge cast of he dyd craftely constitute Pipine hys gouernour in the kynges stede And after that he had taken awaye the power of the eleccion and ordenynge of the Emperoure from the heades of Constantynople the Romaynes he gaue Charles the kynge of FrauÌ„ce the name of Augustus For the whiche cause he hymselfe gette the rule of that cytie whyche is the ladye of the worlde for a rewarde of thys gaye done dede Furthermore he waysted that stronge nacioÌ„ and myghtie kyngdom of the Lombardes thorowe his requeste counsell Therfore he that once optayned Rome he threwe downe and exalted Emperoures at hys owne pleasure and gaue Frenchemen a kynge and vsed theyr seruyce as they had bene hys seruauÌ„tes For wyth theyr armyes he tamed the LoÌ„bardes that he myght afterwarde raygne safely ouer all Italy He I saye that ruleth ouer so many and so greate kyngdomes maye he not by good ryght we are a glysterynge diademe wyth a tryple crown No doubte the prouydence of God wolde that thys Byshope of Rome wyth thys maner of apparell fyte for a kyng shuld shewe forth vnto all the worlde what he was that is to saye that lytle horne that Danyell speaketh of whyche came forth and put asyde thre other hornes and wyth wonderous subtylte subdued them vnder hym And here vnto belongeth the gyfte of Lewes the sonne of Charles The gyfte of the kynges of Fraunce whom these men for hys fauoure and beniuolence towarde the seate of Rome called Pius that is to saye good or godly euen as before they had geuen Pipine to name The moost Christen kynge Yf ony man desyre to reade of that same gyfte he shall fynde it dyligently wrytten of Raphaell Volaterranus in the actes of Pipine Charles libro Geog. tercio The effecte of it is thys I Lewes the Emperour do grauÌ„t vnto the blessed saynte Peter the prynce of the Apostles and thorow the vnto thy vycare my Lorde Pascall the hye Byshoppe and hys successoures for euer The cytye of Rome wyth hyr iurisdyccion and all the lande aboute it wyth the cytyes hauens and places of Hetruria that lye nye the see yee and all that lyeth wythin the lande of the same and the whole dukedome of Rauenna also euen as Charles oure father worthy to be had in mynde and Pipine our graundsyre dyd of late graunte vnto blessed saynte Peter Furthermore we do also approue and graunte the dukedome of Spoletyne the IloÌ„des also of the inner see Corsica Sardinia Sicilia the which all of them Pipine our grandsyre of godly remembraunce and after hym Charles the Emperoure oure father dyd geue by wrytynge vnto blessed saynte Peter and his successours c. The gyft of ConstaÌ„tine In thys gyfte here is no mencion of Constantyne the which verely is a fayned thyngt for at the leÌ„gth the Byshoppes of Rome rayned at Rome and in Italye euen agaynste the Emperoures of Romes mynde by the helpe of the kynges of Fraunce The Byshoppes of Rome in the meane season do ofte cast forthe oute of theyr decrees the Canon whyche in the .xcvi. dystinction is redde after thys maner Constantyne the Emperoure dyd graunte the crowne and all the regall dygnyte wythin the cytie of Rome and Italye and the Weste partyes vnto the Apostolyke man But howe soeuer the matter commeth to passe we se that the Byshoppe of Rome doth rule ouer all the kyngdomes of the Weste The name of Augustê° or Emperoure translated to the Germanes For it belongeth hereunto also that throughe the counsell and dylygence of Ihon the .xiii. Byshope of Rome the Empyre of Rome or the name of Augustus was translated agayne from the French men vnto the Germanes That is to say to the prynces of the Almanes Saxones Bauares and Swychers But howe they kepte them vnder theyr yocke also the hystoryes of many Emperoures of the Germanes do shewe full well and specially the Canon whiche in the .lxiii. dystynction is redde in these wordes Kyng Otto I kynge Otto do promyse and sweare to thy my Lorde IhoÌ„ the Pope by the father the sonne and the holy goost and by thys wodde of the lyuely crosse and by these relyques of sayntes that yf by the sufferaunce of God I come to Rome I shall exalte the holy churche of Rome and the the ruler of the same accordynge to my power thou shalt neuer lose by my wyll or my counsell or my consente or myne exhortacioÌ„ nother lyfe nor membres nor yet the same honour which thou now haste And I wyll make no statute nor none ordynauÌ„ce in Rome of ony thynge that belongeth vnto the or to the Romaynes wythoute thy counsell And what soeuer of S. Peters lande commeth to my power I wyll restore it the agayne And to whome soeuer I shall commytte the gouernaunce of Italye I shall cause hym to sweare that he shal helpe the to defende S. Peters land wyth all hys power Surely these greate and incredible thynges yf any man shulde compare thys greate alteracion and chaunge of thynges and it were but wyth Gregorye the greate the fyrste Byshope of Rome of the name But these swete Byshoppes not beynge coÌ„tent wyth these greate thynges neuer ceassed to laye wayte for the Empyre of Rome by theyr moost subtyl counselles vntyll that they had prescrybed lawes of the true eleccion of the Emperoures The byshop of Rome maketh lawes for the eleccioÌ„ of the Emperoures and had decreed that the confyrmacioÌ„ of the kynge of Romanes shuld depende vpon them And for the same cause Platina in the lyfe of Gregory the fyfte wrote after this maner Gregory knowyng the weaknesse of the Empyre the chaunge of fortune to the intent that the hyghest power shulde remayne the lenger amonge the Germaynes that he shulde beare rule ouer other whych passed other in strengthe and dygnite made a decre Otto not denyenge it of the eleccion of the Emperoure in the yeare of our LORDE M. and .ii. whyche thynge we se kepte vnto oure tyme that is to saye that it is lawful for the Germanes onely to choyse oute that prynce whyche is called Cesar and the kynge of Romaynes and he shuld then at the laste be taken for the Emperoure Augustus Reade Marsilius Pataninus dictia 2. cap. 25 yf the Byshope of Rome had coÌ„fyrmed hym I could also bryngforth other innumerable thynges of thys same sorte But I thynk that the reader doth vnder stoÌ„de playnely ynough by these of whome the prophecy of Daniel of Paule is meÌ„te But some man wyll say An obieccion thou makest two hornes Machomet and the Byshope of Rome where as Daniel maketh mencion but of one onelye But excepte that the Byshop of Rome beynge bolde of the helpe of the Frenchemen had broken the power of the Emperoure of the Easte he wolde surely more strongly haue putte to flyght and persecuted the multytude of the
of Rome for to inuade and gette the Empyre For yf the one had not broken the strength of the Empyre of Rome the other had not raygned But we haue expounded all these thynges more at large in the hystory here before Nowe followeth the ruyne destruccion of Antichrist Of the destruccion of Antichrist He shall not fall by and by after that he is stryken wyth a stroke or weapon but by lytle and lytle after he hath bene made weake by many battaylles he shall at the laste peryshe But he shall not be caste down with mans hande nother yet by the multytude of hoostes nor strēgth of souldyers or gonne strokes but by the hande and power of God For Christ shall fyrste consume hym wyth the sprete of hys mouthe and after that shall he put hym cleane out of the waye wyth hys moost gloryous commynge into iudgemēt The fyrste of these two dyd Paule take oute of the eleuenth chapter of Isaie whose wordes are these With ryghteousnes shall he iudge the poore and wyth equite shall he contende for the meke of the earthe he shall stryke the worlde wyth the rodde of hys mouthe and wyth the sprete of hys lyppes shall he slaye the wycked Nowe the sprete of the mouthe or of the lyppes of God is the true exposycion of the worde of god For the worde of God is the same swearde wherewyth the heade of thys proude Golyas shall be stryken of For Antichrist speaketh on the syde of the moost hyghest and he sayeth that all that he doth is deduced or taken out of the Decrees of the holy scrypture For vnder the pretence of this hath he hetherto raygned safely But when that thoroughe the goodnes of God the lyght of the Gospell that is Goddes worde begynneth to shyne the clowdes of thys deceauer do strayght waye vanyshe awaye For it is playne vnto all men that thys fellowe in hys maners and lawes is clene contrarye to Christe Therefore it commeth to passe that all godlye wytted men the truthe once knowen do abhorre and forsake hym Therfore the swearde wherwyth this man is slayne is the word of God for thē is he moost surely slayne when that hys nature and dysposyciō are manyfestly knowen by the doctryne of truthe The knowlege of hym dothe kyll hym and cast him downe and the clokyng and ignoraūce of hym doth sette hym vp For they that knowe hym not do beleue that he is an Apostolycall prophete yee a god to but they that knowe him trulye are sure that he is Antichriste The latter of these two dyd Paul take out of the .vii. chapter of Daniell where we reade I loked tyll the seates were prepared and the olde aged satte hym downe and beholde ther came in the cloudes of the ayre one lyke the sonne of man and he came vnto the olde aged and the iudgemente was sette and the bokes opened Then toke I hede therevnto because of the voyce of the proud wordes whyche that horne spake And I behelde styll tyll that the beaste was slayne and hys bodye destroyed and geuen ouer to be burnte in the fyre And therfore sayeth Paule Whom the LORDE shall destroy wyth the bryghtnes of hys cōmynge that is to say with his moost gloryous cōmyng For our LORDE sayde in the Gospell Euen as the lyghtenynge commeth oute of the Easte and appeareth vnto the Weste so shall the commynge of the sonne of man be For he shall come in the cloudes of heauen wyth greate power and glory Math. xxiiii And euen as darknes as sayeth S. Ierome is dryuen away at the cōmynge of the Sonne The battail vanquyshyng of Antichriste so shall the LORDE destroy and put hym awaye wyth the bryghtnes of hys commynge Thys glorye and vyctorye is reserued vnto Christe onely For they are deceaued whyche thynke the Antichriste before the daye of iudgemēte shall by abolyshed by the strength of armes But thys battayll betwene Christe Antichriste shall rather endure vnto the ende of the worlde And he beynge bolde of the strength of armes shall breake a sondre treade vnder hys fete the sayntes of the moost hyest but the membres of Christe shall wythstonde hym and shall sette vpō hym with the swearde of the worde of God shall bewraye hys deceate shall accuse his wyckednes and so slaye hym For by thys meanes shall he be put oute of mens hartes and hys authoryte shall fall The vyctory of the Christen stādeth in the truth of Goddes worde and constauncy And in the meāseason although he be ouercome yet shall he take on vntyll Christe the iudge shall putte hym quyte down And therfore my brethren our vyctorye must stande alonly in the truth of Gods worde in the constanucy of our fayth Therfore let vs betake our lyues vnto our faythfull creator go forward in the affyrmyng of the canonical truth glory of Christ ourredemer LORD agaynst the blasphemies of this vnpure draggō Christ wyll be presēt with hys although he delyuer vs into hys handes Vvhose cōmynge is by the vvorkynge of Satan vvyth all povver and lyenge sygnes and vvonders and in all deceueablnes of vnryghteousnes amōg thē that perysh because they receaued not the loue of the truth that they might haue bene saued And therfore god shal sende thē strōge delusiō that they shuld beleue lyes that all they myght be dāned vvhych beleued not the truthe but had pleasure in vnryghtousnes Antichriste raygneth by power and lyes Hetherto hath the Apostle entreated of the reuelacion of Antichrist of the ruyne and confusion of hym he hath spoken also of hys kyngedome and propertyes nowe he turneth hym from that and descrybeth hys strengthe and workes more at large That deceauer shal come sayeth he prepared wyth the sprete and power of Satan the whyche shall shewe forth them selfe in hym moost manyfestly For thys maner of speakynge Vvhose cōmynge is by the vvorkynge of Satan is so much to saye Nowe the strength and workynge of Satan ar chefely murther and lyes as our saueoure sayeth He was a manslayer from the begynnynge and abode not in the truthe because the truthe is not in hym Whan he speaketh a lye he speaketh of hys owne because he is a lyer and the father of it And Paule in this place shewynge the workes of Satan by partes doth teken vp power and sygnes that is lyenge wonders and the deceaueablenesse of vnryghteousnesse also For Mahomet sayeth that he is sente of God in the strength of armoure for thys cause doth he destroye all thynges wyth fyre and swearde And the Byshope of Rome hath abused the armour of al kynges and prynces persecuteth and slayeth the sayntes ether callynge vpon the secular arme or els by excercysynge hy◠owne strength The greate destruccion of moost stronge nacions nowe in our dayes do testifye what he maye do by strength and what murthurs yee and betrayēge of kyngdomes and robberyes the deuell hath done in the world by
the chefe seate whyche desyreth to moderate iustice nother maye the iudge be iudged ether of the Emperoure or of all the clergye nother of kynges nor of the people Vpon the whyche Canon the author of the glose sayeth that a counsell can not iudge the Pope Vt extra de elect Significasti Wherfore yf all the whole worlde shulde geue sentence in ony matter agaynst the Pope it semeth that men oughte to stande to the sentence of the Pope c. Ye shall fynde the same thynge agayne in cap. quanto de transla Episcopi titulo VII in playne wordes It is sayde that the Pope sayeth he hath an heauēlye iudgemente and therfore chaūge the nature of thynges in applyenge the substaunce of ony thynge to another And of nothynge he can make some what and make the sentence whych was nothynge worthe somewhat worthe For in those thynges whyche he lyste O blasphemye Ei est pro ratione uoluntas hys wyll standeth for a reason or a cause nother is ther ony mā that may saye vnto hym Why doeste thou so For he maye dyspense wyth the lawe and of vnryghtuosnesse make ryghteuosnesse in correctynge and chaungynge the lawes The Byshop of Rome nother god nor man for he hath obteyned full power c. Herevnto belongeth it that these ioly wrytters of commentes do so ofte inculcate that the Pope is nother a man nor a God but the vycare of God and a certayne thynge mengled and made of God of man Yf ony man requyre the places he shal fynde these damnable blasphemyes in VI decretalium lib. I. de elect elect potestate titulo sexto in cap. XVII Item in clemētinarum proemio And what nede many wordes Thys draggon vsurped vnto him selfe the full power of God in earthe he translated kyngdomes and for hys owne profyte made and vnmade all lawes and rytes and turned all the olde and true relygiō topsyturnye hate dashed defyled it with hys fylthynesse the whyche thynge no man can denye He sytteth therfore in the tēple of god auaūcynge hymselfe to be god Now wyll we adde vnto these thynges The prophecye of Daniell vpō Antichriste that whyche the godly prophete Daniell hath spoken of the same thyng in the vii chapter Beholde ther were eyes sayth he lyke the eyes of a man in hys horne a mouthe speakynge presumptuous thynges And a lytle after that He shall speake wordes on the partye of the moost hyghest and shall destroye the sayntes of the moost hygheste and thynke that he maye chaunge tymes and lawes All these thynges are very playne by that that goeth afore For eyes do sygnifye prudence He mente therfore that thys kynde of mē shuld be moost subtyll because that it shuld rule brynge all thynges to passe by fraude gyle sutteltye and craft And surely who so euer doth marke well howe that these Byshoppes of Rome out of so lowe a degre haue cōme vp on hyghe and optayned the dygnite of so greate an Empyre he wyll saye that they haue bene moost craftye and suttyll men Nother coulde ony mans mouth speake more presumptuous thynges thē it is playne here before that Machomet the Byshope of Rome haue done Yee and though they haue arrogātly attrybuted so great thynges vnto themselues yet wyll they nedes speake and be on the syde of the moost hyghest insomuche that yf ony mā yet nowe a dayes shuld call them the aduersaryes or enemyes of God he shulde scarsely escape theyr handes alyue Besydes thys the one of them wyll be taken for the Prophete of the moost hyest and the other for the vycar of God vpon the earthe as men whyche had receaued this power delyuered them of God hymselfe and do nowe vsurpe it by the lawes of God But ther haue not lacked whyche haue smelled out thys deceate and wyckednes and haue resisted it wyth all theyr power But the moost holy father and the vyctorious Emperoure of the Turkes haue destroyed them For howe muche Christen bloude bothe of them haue shedde it is declared in the hystorye before mencyonede and how much they shedde yet stylle vnluckye experience dothe teache vs well ynough Nowe although in very dede that no man hath the power for to make vnmake the good lawes of God at hys pleasure yet hath Antichrist vsurped the power vpon hym Wherevpon sayth Daniell he shall thynke that he maye chaunge the tymes and lawes but he sayeth not he shall haue power to chaunge them Now Machomet and the Byshoppe of Rome haue vsurped the power vnto them moost shamefully which thynge we haue proued a lytle before by sufficiente testymonyes In the eleuenth chapter the same Daniel sayeth The kynge shall do what hym lyste he shall exalte magnifye hymselfe agaynst all that is God he shall speake maruaylous thynges agaynst the God of goddes and he shall prospere vntyll the wrathe be fulfylled for hys fall is appoynted and so forthe For the Prophete hath spokē more vpon thys matter in that place whyche may be vnderstonde of euery wyttye mā wythout ony laboure or exposycion The prophecy of Pauie wrested agaynste the preachers of the Gospel And here we maye not passe ouer that the Papystes do expounde thys place of Paule vpō vs. For nowe saye they is this departynge fulfylled when the Lutheryans and the Zwynglyans do departe frō the holy seate of Rome and wyth theyr libertye do open a gate vnto all synne and myschefe and are agaynste the Prelates of the churche besydes thys they are lyfte vp agaynste the vycar of God hymselfe defylynge the authoryte of the churche whyche neuer erred and syttynge in the temple of God do boaste themselues to preache the worde of God therfore they thynke thēselues worthye to be worshypped as God But they do vs wronge because we neuer departed a strawe bredth from the truthe of the canonicall scripture For althoughe we knowe not the churche of Rome as it is nowe ordered yet we do knowlede the holy catholyke churche and the onely heade therof Iesus Christ The whyche in as muche as he promysed that he wolde abyde wyth vs vnto the ende of the worlde Math. xxviii we nede not beleue that he hath put a vycare or Debyte in hys steade For a vycare stādeth in the steade of hym that is absente But Christ is euermore presente wyth hys churche hym onely do we preache commēde and inculcate vnto our churches We do moue men contynually to beleue in hym we do teache moost dylygentlye charyte innocēcye and pure lyuynge Nother do we teache ony other lybertye thē that of whyche the Apostle spake Ye are called into lybertye but se that ye geue not your lybertye an occasion to the fleshe but thorow charyte serue you one another Galat. v. And we are agaynste none of the chefe of the churche For the Prelates of the churche are the mynysters of the worde teachers of the truthe of the Gospell and who despyseth suche
who is agaynst such But yf ony vnder the pretēce of the church and of mynystracion do seke theyr owne beare rule oppresse the truthe settynge godlye thynges asyde do teache mennes tradyciōs forsothe they are of good ryght despysed throughe theyr owne defaute For Peter sayeth We muste obey God more then man And our LORDE in the Gospell Se that no man deceaue you For many shall come in my name sayenge I am Christ shal deceaue many Farthermore we dyd neuer defyle the authoryte of the catholyke church For we do hyghly esteme Christe hymselfe and the canonycall truth Nowe the strength and foundacion of the churche is Christe the truthe Howe shulde not we thē iudge honorably of the church We haue neuer sytten in the temple of God but haue mynystred alwayes and for thys cause haue we chefly cryed agaynste you because that ye wyl beare rule or sytte not mynystre as we do Moreouer we do frely confesse that we leauynge mens tradycions do purely and symply that is to saye as muche as the grace of God and oure fraylnes wyll suffre preache the canonicall scrypture and for the establyshynge not of our authoryte but of it do often saye wyth saynte Paul He that refuseth these thynges refuseth not man but God whyche hath geuē hys holy sprete vnto the Prophetes and Apostles that they shulde teache these thynges vnto vs .i. Thessalo iiii Yet we do geue all honoure to God onely in all thynges and vnto our selues nothynge but confusion Our churches whyche are Christes wyll testifye thys Laste of all I wyll put to the paraphrase of saynte Ierome The paraphrase of S. Ierome vpō these wordes of Paule wyth the whyche he dyd expounde these wordes of saynt Paule in the XI question vnto Algasia after thys maner Excepte saythe he ther come a departynge fyrste and that all nacions whych are subiecte to the Empyre of Rome do departe from it and that he be reueled that is to saye opened whom all the wordes of the prophetes do shewe forthe The man of synne in whome is the fountayne of all synnes And chyld of perdycion that is of the deuell for he is the destruccion of all men whyche is agaynste Christe and is therfore called Antichrist and is exalted aboue all that is called god so that he treadeth downe wyth hys foote the goddes of all nacions or els all comly and true relygion and in the temple of God whyche is Ierusalē as some thynke or els in the churche as we rather suppose sheweth hymselfe as thoughe he were Christe and the sonne of God Excepte sayeth he that the Empyre of Rome be fyrst made desolate and that Antichriste go before Christe shall not come whyche shall therfore so come that he maye destroye Antichriste Ye remembre sayeth he that these thynges whyche I nowe wrytte by myne Epystle when I was wyth you I shewed you in expresse wordes and tolde you that Christe shulde not come excepte that Antichriste wente before Hetherto haue I rehearsed the wordes of S. Ierome And novve you knovve vvhat vvythholdeth euen that he myghte be vttered at hys tyme. For the mysterye or iniquite dothe already vvorke Let hym vvhyche novve holdeth holde styll vntyll it be taken avvaye and thē shall that vvycked be vttered vvhome the LORDE shall consume vvyth the sprete of hys mouth and shall destroye vvyth the clearnesse of hys cōmynge He wryteth mor playnly of the tyme of Antichriste when he shuld come Some man myght saye why shuld we not beleue that the aduersary of Christ doth now raygne and is alreadye come when we do se the name of Christe hys doctryne by all meanes to be spoken agaynste of all the myghtyest men of thys worlde The Apostle doth answere You knowe what letteth euen that I tolde you that he shulde be vttered when hys tyme is come Forsothe a man can not denye but that euen nowe the power of iniquyte doth worke by hym but nowe he setteth forth hys strength more couertlye thē he shall do when his tyme is come For vnto the bodye of Antichriste belonge blasphemyes cruell persecucions heresyes and other such lyke iniquities But these thynges beganne to budde and sprynge vp by and by euen in the tyme of the Apostles Wherevpon Ihon the Apostle sayeth My lytle chyldren it is nowe the laste tyme as you haue herde that Antichriste shall come euen nowe ther begynne to be many Antichristes alreadye .i. Iho. ii Therfore dothe Paule more clearlye sygnyfye vnto vs that same tyme in the whyche Antichriste that is to saye the perfeccion of all iniquite shuld be vttered sayeng Whē that shal be taken awaye whyche nowe wtholdeth or letteth hym for to raygne thē shall the wycked be opened That is to saye whan that the Empyre of Rome shall be taken out of the waye or at the leest way troubled then shall Antichriste raygne after that shall Christe come bothe for to destroye thys enemye of all sayntes and also for to iudge all flesh For he doth now expownde that more playnely whyche he spake of before The wordes correspondēt to the greke texte do make those thynges more playne for thus they sygnyfye holdynge that now tyll it be out of the waye whyche is as muche to saye as that that thynge whyche nowe onlye letteth shall be taken out of the waye And then shall the wycked appeare Or els to speake it more playne that thynge wyhche nowe onely letteth shall be a lette so longe vntyll it be taken awaye Saynte Ierome and when it is takē awaye then shall Antichrist come forth And S. Ierom also followeth the same sence wrytynge vnto Algasia these wordes in a maner What is the cause that Antichrist cōmeth not now ye knowe full well Nother wolde he playnely saye that the Empyre of Rome shulde be destroyed because that they whyche gouerne it do thynke it euerlastynge For the whyche cause after the Apocalypse of S. Ihon ther was wryttē in the foreheade of the whore that was clothed in purple a name of blasphemy that is to saye Rome eternall For yf he had sayde playnely and boldly Antichrist shall not come excepte the Empyre of Rome be fyrst done away it semeth that he shuld haue geuen a iuste cause of persecucion agaynst the churche in the Easte partyes And a lytle after he sayeth The Empyre of Rome whyche nowe hath all nacions vnder it shal ceasse and be takē out of the waye and then shall Antichrist the fountayne of iniquyte come Thys sayeth Ierome Tertulian also Tertulli◠of the resurreccion of the fleshe Who sayeth he shall be takē out of the waye but the estate of Rome whyche beynge cut awaye and scattered into tenne kynges shall brynge in Antichriste c. For the departynge of kyngdomes from the Empyre of Rome and the runnynge in of the rude Gotties that is to saye of the Vandales Hunnies dyd geue an occasion vnto the Saracens and vnto the Byshoppes