other apostle neuer presumed to ascribe such maner powre vnto hym selfe neyther by worde or deade wherfore they which affyrme and say this are to be laughte to scorne and nothynge to be beleaued and lesse to be feared seynge that the scryptures crye playnlye the contrarye in the lytterall and manyfest sence of them For saynt Peter had neuer suche powre vpon the apostles or other but he kepte rather equalyte with them accordynge to the precepte of chryste as we haue sayd before wherfore it is red in the. xxiii of Mathewe Be not you wyllynge to be called Rabbi y t is to say in englysshe mayster for your mayster is but one chryst all you ar brethren y t is to say equall one of you with an other he sayd al you exceptynge no man This sentence also is coÌ„fyrmed by the apostle in the seconde chapytre to the Galatianes where he sayth And I went vp to Iherusalem accordynge to the reuelacyon and I conferred with them the gospell which I do preache amonge the Gentyles where y e glose after the mynde of Augustyne sayth And I dyd not learne of them as of superyours that is to wyt of Peter nor of the other more pryncypall apostles of whom it shall be spoken hereafter But I coÌ„ferred with them as with my frendes and peers or felowes The same is shewed agayne afterwardes in the same chapytre whan the apostle sayd but whan Peter was com to Antioche I withstode hym openly to his face because he was reprouable c. where the glose after the mynde of saynt Iherome sayth they gaue nothynge to me but I gaue to Peter and it foloweth there coÌ„sequentlye I resysted or withstode hym as his peer or matche for he wolde not haue ben bolde to do this excepte he had knowen hym selfe not to be inferyor Beholde here therfore that Paule was egall to Peter in offyce dygnyte not inferyor albeit that Peter was senior to hym in age and also pastor afore hym in tyme. Lykewyse it appereth that neyther saynt Peter nor any other apostle had preemynence or powre auctoryte aboue other in the dystrybutynge of the teÌ„porall goodes which were offered to the prymatyue churche wherof it is red in the. iiii of the actes for as many as were possessyoners of landes houses solde them and broughte the pryces of them and layde them afore the fete of the apostles and they were deuyded to eche man after as eche one had neade Lo here that the dysposycion orderynge of the temporall thynges whiche were offred vnto the churche was done by the apostles in coÌ„mune togyther and not by Peter alone for it is not sayde they layde afore the fete of Peter but afore y t fete of the apostles neyther is it sayd and Peter deuyded but they were deuyded c. ¶ Tel me therfore wherby or from whence or howe coÌ„meth the auctoryte to the bysshop of Rome for to dystrybute suche thynges accordynge to his owne pleasure or elles to clayme as dewe to hym selfe alone the thynges bequest in mennes testamentê for charytable causes to good and godlye vses but yet coÌ„mytted to other men for to be kepte or dystrybuted seynge that it is neyther laufull to hym alone neyther yet with an other neyther by the law of god nor yet of man to demaunde or clayme suche maner thynges whiche hath ben coÌ„mytted and betaken to the faythfull custody of other men by reasonable lawes as by the wyll of the testatours or of them y t so ordayned for let the testatour say or wyll any thynge coÌ„cernynge that whiche is his owne it shall be a lawe as it is wryten in other placê For there can be no cause or reason taken of the holy scrypture which maye make vs to beleaue that this powre belongeth to the bysshop of Rome or elles to any other bysshop but rather the contrarye but yf these legacies or bequestê were coÌ„mytted by the kynge to the churche of a certayne and a determynate dyocese for to be dystrybuted than shall it appertayne to those bysshoppes whiche are rulers of y e sayd dyocese but in no wyse to the pope of Rome And the cause of this is for that the bysshop of Rome neyther hathe neyther had of chryste any powre or auctoryte aboue the other that be bysshops or preestes as well as he And this was one of the thyngê purposed of vs syns y e begynnynge of this chapytre For as Peter had not any suche prerogatyue or powre aboue the other apostles euen so neyther the successours of Peter in the epyscopall see of Rome hathe any prerogatyue aboue the successours of the other apostles For Peter had no powre or auctoryte to gyue vnto them preesthode apostleshyp or the dygnyte of a bysshop for all they toke this powre or auctorytie iÌ„medyatlye of chryste not by the mynysterie of Peter more than Peter toke it by the mynysterie of them as we haue proued heretofore euydentlie of the scrypture And saynt Augustyne also sayth the same expressely in his boke of the questions of the newe of the olde testameÌ„t in the. lxxxiiii questyon where he sayth thus The same daye that is to wyt the fyftie daye the lawe was gyuen vpon whiche daye also the holy ghost lyghted cam downe vpon the dyscyples that they shulde take auctoryte also haue cunnynge and knowlege to preache the lawe of the gospel ¶ Moreouer as Peter is red to haue ben elected and chosen bysshop by the multytude of chrysten people neded not the coÌ„fyrmacyon of the other apostles so also y â— other apostles were bysshoppes gouernours in other prouynces without any knowlege of Peter or any instytucyon or consecracyon taken of hym for they were consecrated suffycyently by chryste wherfore it is to be thought supposed lykewyse that the successours of the other apostles neded not any confyrmacyon of the successours of Peter but rather moreouer many successours of the other apostles were elected and instytuted bysshops in dewe fourme and maner and also dyd gouerne and rule theyr prouynces holylie and vertuouslie without any other instytucyon or confyrmacyon of them done by the successours of Peter And this was so laufully obserued euen vnto the tyme of Constanstyne the emperour which gaue as it is lyed a certayne prehemynence powre to the bysshops to the churche of Rome vpon the other churches or all other preestes of the worlde And this equalyte of Peter and the other apostles the apostle Paule dyd sygnyfye in y e seconde of the epystle to the Galatianes whan he sayde They gaue theyr ryght handes of socyetie felowshyp to me to Barnabas that we shulde be apostles preachers amonge the gentyles they them selues amonge the Iewes They gaue then the ryght handes of societie equalyte as it was sayde before of the glose after Augustyne albeit y t the sayenge of the apostle in this poynte is so open
necessyte or lacke of men as it was in the olde tymes For there were in Englande men more excellent of good lyfe and more cōnynge in holy doctryne than he whiche beynge vnskylled of the language and also beynge no doctoure of dyuynyte but onely beynge a lawyer pleader of causes was made gouernoure ouerseer vnto them And so lykewyse in Denmarke and in other prouynces of which many open testymonyes myght be brought in in lyke errour but I passe ouer them because of spede shortnes For who wyll not meruayle or wondre to se yonge men ignoraūte of the scryptures of god lackynge also conuenyent grauyte of maners men without experyence and learnynge and otherwhyles openlye dyffamed persons to be made bysshops and to be promoted to the hyghest dygnytyes offyces in the churche throughe Symonye or the request and prayer of great men I do not saye otherwhyles throughe feare of great men or for seruyce done or for cause of cōsanguynyte or affynyte y e doctours of dyuynyte teachers of the holy scrypture men approued for y e honestye of theyr lyfe cōuersacyon beynge put bye or not regarded whether these be fayned or false thynges that I do speake he shall easyly perceyue whiche wyll reken vp the bysshoppes or archebysshops of prouynces the patriatches and other inferyour prelates for he shal not fynde one amonge x. of them whiche is a doctoure of dygynyte or y t is suffycyentlye learned in the holye scrypture and whiche thynge I am a shamed to speake althoughe it dothe not greue me to speake it because it is true The bysshops of these dayes neyther haue cōnynge to preache to the people the worde of god neyther to saye agaynst the erronyous doctrynes of heretykes yf any shall happen to ryse but in the aforesayd chaūces they do shamefully begge and craue the doctryne of other men notwithstandynge that the doctoure of the gentyles Paule doth saye in the thyrde chapytre of the fyrste epystle to Timothe that a bysshop ought to be a teacher embrasynge that faythfull worde whiche is accordynge to doctryne that he maye be able to exhorte in holsome doctryne and to reproue them whiche speake agaynst it As the same Paule wrote in the fyrste chapytre to Tite And as touchynge the other inferyour prelates abbottes and pryores and other persones and curates of churches I take god whiche is īmortall truthe to recorde that a great multytude nōbre of them are without bothe suffyciēt vertue of lyfe also learnynge yea in so moche that many of them can not speake one sentence congrulye accordynge to the rules of grāmer But they to whome of the fulnes of powre for of it I wyll no we speke agayne the greatter dygnyties of the churche are graunted for the moste parte and they whiche are supposed to be suffycyent and able to gouerne them are lawyers and pleders of causes These the pope of Rome promoteth to dygnyties as beynge profytable persones and defenders of the churche whiche can contende and stryue for the conseruacyon large vsurpacyon of temporall thynges and the doctours of holy dyuynyte he doth reiecte as beynge vnprofytable persones For they are symple men as he with his colledge of cardynalles doth saye wolde suffre the churche to decaye and go to waste Notwithstandynge that in very dede the churche is not the temporalles but the faythfull people of chryste for which the bysshop ought to contende and stryue and not for the temporalles accordynge to the counceyle of chryste of the apostles as it appereth in the. x. of Iohn̄ and by the apostles wordes in the place afore alledged and by very many other places of the scrypture whiche I leaue out here because it is euydent ynoughe and also for the abbreuacion of our proces for the tēporals are not inherytaunce of the apostles whiche they lefte to the bysshops theyr successours for to be saued and kepte Neyther are emperyall dygnyties seculer domynyons the ryght or lybertyes of the spouses of chryste which ryghte c. the bysshop of Rome that nowe is to defende or rather to offende toke a doubtfull intricate sentence and after a crafty sophysticall fascyon moste vniustlye hath anaūced hym selfe agaynst noble Ludouyke cōmynge of y e dukes of Bauarye kynge of the Romaynes wherfore Barnarde in the. iiii chapytre of y e secōde boke wryten to Eugenius De consideratione whan he had spoken of the dylygent cure charge of soules or churches which the apostles lefte to theyr successours sayth in this wyse what other thynge hath the apostles lefte he sayde that I haue I do gyue to the what thynge is that one thynge I knowe it is not golde nor syluer And within a lytle after the same Bernarde sayth Be it so that thou mayste chalenge these thynges that is to wyt the tēporalles vnto thy selfe by whatsoeuer other waye or tytle one thynge I am assured of that not by the ryght or tytle of an apostle And agayne afterwardes that whiche he had saythe Bernarde he gaue that is to wyt the dylygent cure charge as I haue sayde vpon the churches But concernynge domynyon or lordshyppe here what the sayde Barnarde sayth afterwardes hathe he gyuen domynyon or lordshyppe here what he sayde hym selfe Not beynge lordes or hauynge domynyon of the clargye but beynge made the example of the flocke And because thou shalte not thynke this to haue ben spoken onely of humylyte and not also of truth these are the wordes of chryst hym selfe in the gospell The rulers of the Gentyles hath domynyon vpon them and they whiche haue powre ouer them are called benefycyall and it foloweth afterwardes But it shall not be so with you it is playne here and euydent that domynyon and lordshyp is vtterly forbydden the apostles And y e thynge whiche is worthye of moste meruaylynge and moste to be marked and regardyd of all men and to be redressed and broughte agayne to a dewe forme and maner by the prynces as beynge the mynystres of god is the instytucyon of the bysshoppe of Rome with other bysshoppes for seldome is a dyuyne chosen to be bysshoppe of Rome But for the moste parte one is taken of the companye of lawyers and pleders of causes whiche thynge is vtterlye contrarye to the scryptures of god and dysagreynge from ryght reason and most shameful of all thynges in the face of all churches So also conuenyently and no lesse in a maner it is to be marked concernynge the company of cardynalles that vnto this dygnyte at taken wanten yonge men and very many of them not learned or skylled in the holy scryptures notwithstandynge that this bysshop of Rome and his churche or colledge ought to be an example vnto all other But of these thynges thus farforth beit spoken and now retournynge to our purpose wherof we spake before let vs say y t the bysshop of Rome of the fulnes of powre doth gyue the greatter multytude of
false bacbyters slauÌ„derers of vertuous people spiritually of such as write or speake a gaynst theyr abhomynacions Note well these wordê of Iherome vpon the. xvi of Mathewe The iniuste curse of any bysshop hurteth no man but hym selfe The mayntenaunce of all myscheyfe IurysdyccyoÌ„ coactyue or y â— temporall swerde Of the iudgement of offycyalles and of other Take hede ye pryncê vnto your dutyes The protestacion of Marsilius of Padway Herolde or messanger of truthe The great dragon and olde serpent antychryste of Rome The aÌ„swere of all the obieccyons that ben made in this chapytre ben coÌ„tayned set forth in the nexte chapytre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Ambrose 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Playne trayson heresy iÌ„ the decretallê What scryptures we are bouÌ„de to beleue to gyue credence vnto Howe moche the exposycyons of olde auncient doctours do bide when they are to be admytted and when with reuerence to be refused Iherome Augustyne dysagre Ambrose Iherome dysagre Answere made to the fyrst obieccyon in the chapytre last paste An answere to the seconde obieccyon To the tfyrd obieccyon The epystle of Clement Suspecte Canons Clement bysshop of Rome 4 5 Chryst is the stone The interpretacion of Peter Chryste sayd I shall gyue the keyes not I do gyue That Peter was not superyour An exposytour is not to be credeted be fore a playne texte 6 Liberiê° pope 7 To fede shepe what it betokeneth Marke this The preface of the Masse vpon y e feaste of any of the apostles is allone Chryst dyrecteth his spech somtyme to one in the persone of all Marke this my maystres of the churche for your dyscharge Peter preched to the Iewes and Paule to y e gentyles 8 â—he cause wâ—â— Paule coÌ„ferred with Peter other Lest I shuld ronne in vayne Why saynt Paule coÌ„ferred the gospel with the apostles Howe Paule was an hyndermore pastor than Peter was The churche of Rome hath ben preferred vnto other by maÌ„nes lawe onely 9 One churche One faythe in kynde 10 It is necessary that there be but one prynce in one realme 11 Many bysshops in one churche By what auctoryte there is but one bysshop in euery diocese 12 One pastor or herdysman One folde after what maner 13 Ualentinian the Emperour The churche is not to be coÌ„mytted to heretykes A bysshop infected may be deposed Remembre euer y t the auctoryte of doctours is of no force with out the auctoryte of holy scrypture Ambrose The holy catholyke fayth is y e true spouses of chryste The churches paye trybutê 14 15 I thynke this to be a loudelye forgyd in the name of CoÌ„stantyne as was the gyfte called the donacyon or gyfte of CoÌ„stantyne The bysshop of Rome is no more goddes vycare nor bereth his stede in erthe otherwyse than an other bysshop CoÌ„stantynes sayenges are not Canonycall or any parte of y e Canon or scrypture 16 17 18 19 Sacerdos magnus Princeps episcoporum Abell Noe. Abraham Melchisedech Aron Moyses Samuell Peter Chryste The shepe were roÌ„mytted to all the apostles A place of Bernarde is declared Chryste was sent to the Iewes The Iewes were recoÌ„meÌ„ded vnto Peter when chryste sayde to hym Peter fede my shepe By what wordes the apostles receyued auctoryte 20 21 22 Bernardus non vidit omnia We vsurpe those thynges whiche ar not our owne but belongeth to an other man Chryste refused both the swerde and also iudgement or the offyce of a Iudge Bernarde The dyscyples were iudged and dyd not iudge Seculer iudgement appertayneth not to be a bisshop Chrysostome Two swerdê are the two testamentes by ChrysostoÌ„mes exposycion Bysshopps reyse warres vniustlye The auctoryte of doctours may be refused Preestes are egall in dygnyte Heed of the churche Membres of the churche Prymacie or pryorytye in tyme. We are not bounde vtterly to gyue credeÌ„ce to y e Decrees Decretalles The benefyces are to be dystrybuted by the prynce The makers of the Decretalles are dysposed as were the pharisyes The Decretalles are neyther goddes lawes neyther mannes lawes The canonystes ben they y t make scysme diuysyoÌ„ and styre vp treason The powre of preestes The keyes of the kyngdom of heuen not of this world Iherom Note here well howe chryste sometyme vsed coactyue iurysdyccyon and note the answere to the same The hogges drowned of the feendes The outwarde offence of a preeste is more seculer a great deale then is the offence of a lay man He calleth them coÌ„teÌ„ptible whiche were not mete to preache not because they ben so indede but after a maner of spekiÌ„ge wherin he meneth by coÌ„teÌ„ptible men lay meÌ„ An obieccion that preestes may be iudgê apoynte iudges An answere to the forsayd obieccion Howe ryches possessyons and iudgemeÌ„tes crept in to the churche Ambrose The bisshoppes of Rome ben warryours The spousesse of chryste The purpose of our prelats now a dayes Iudycyall of fyces ar to be reuoked from preestes Answers to obieccyons made in the thyrde chapytre of this parte â–ª The fyrst argument Answere A doctour or teacher is more noble than a leche or physycyon Howe the body is vnder the soule Chryst is the only iudge coactyue of soules The byssop of Rome is but a teacher Obieccyon The answer Obiccyon Answere The seconde argument Answere Obieccyon Answere An inconuenyent or absurdytye The prynce is y e vycare of god An other obieccyon Answere Howe a prynce or gouernoure is to be corrected Another obieccyon Answere The translacyon of the to mayne empyre
keyes of the kyngdome of heueÌ„s as it shal be more largely declared in the nexte chapytre folowynge And this was openly the mynde of saynt Ihetome in aforesayd epystle in whiche after y t he had shewed by many auctorytes of y e aforesayd apostles y t in the prymatyue churche or in the tyme of the apostles a preest or senyour a bysshop or ouerseer was vtterly all one in the essenciall dygnyte gyuen to them of chryst shewynge y e cause of the sayd thyngê he sayth thus but that one was electe which shuld be aboue other it was done for the remedye of scisme deuysyon leste yf euery man shulde drawe vnto hymselfe the churche of chryst by the reason therof myght be broken or deuyded in sondre For in Alexandria also from the tyme of Marke the euangelyst vnto y t tyme of Hereidas Dionise byssshops y t preestê alwayes chose one amoÌ„ge themselues whome they dyd set in an hygher degre called hym bysshop or ouerseer moche lyke as yf the hoost or army shuld make an emperour Or els as yf the deacons dyd chose one amonge them selfe whome they do knowe to be dylygent and wyse and dyd cal hym an archdeacone For what dothe the bysshoppe ordynacyon onely excepted whiche a preeste myght not do as touchynge to the actes or workes belongynge to y e essencial auctorite For Iherom where he speaketh of ordinacion dyd not vnderstande therby ordynacyon the powre and auctoryte to gyue or the gyuynge of holy ordres for the bysshoppes do nowe adayes many thynges besyde the gyuynge of ordres and so dyd the bysshoppes also in saynt Iheroms tyme whiche thyngê the preestes do not Albeit y t to the gyuynge of al the sacrameÌ„tes by y e dyuyne powre any preest may do as moch as y e bysshop But Iherome vnderstode therby ordynacyon the powre of orderynge suche thynges as pertayne to the seruyce of god other thynges aforesayd gyuen to hym iÌ„medyatly of man or men whiche thynge I do confyrme both by reason and the auctoryte of the same Iherome The reason is this for there hath ben many elected bysshops by the whole people or coÌ„munaltie as saynt Clement saynt Gregory saynt Nycolas many other sayntê to whome it is vndoubted that no greatter holye ordre nor any inwarde characte was gyuen by the people or by theyr felowe preestê but onely powre auctoryte to dyspose ordre the ceremonyes seruyce of y e church to dyrecte rule the mynystres of the temples as touchynge to the exercyse of goddes seruyce in the temple or howse of god for which cause consyderacyon also such persons elected to dyrecte other preestes in the temple and to instructe the people in suche thyngê which appertayne to the fayth called bysshoppes of the olde law makers as of Iustiniane and of the people of Rome were than called Iconomireuerendi And the hyghest of them was called of the same lawe makers Iconomius reuerendissimê° And therfore accordynge to the trouth after the mynde of saynt Iherome a bysshop is none other thynge than an archpreest And that the essencyall dygnyte of a bysshop and of a preeste is all one neyther that one bysshop hath more large essencyall auctoryte than an other bysshoppe Neyther one preeste than an other preeste saynt Iherome also expressed in the aforesayd epystle whan he sayde Neyther it is to be iudged or thought that there is one churche of the cytie of Rome and an other of the whole worlde Bothe Fraunce Englande and Affryke Perselande and the Eest and the west and Inde al Barbarouse nacyons do worshyp one chryste they all do obserue and kepe one rule of the trouth yf auctoryte be sought the whole world is greatter than a cytie where soeuer he shall be bysshop whether it be at Rome or at EngobinÌ„ or at Constantinople or at Regium or at Alexandrie or at Rachane they are all of one the same meryte and all of one preesthode The powre and myght of ryches and the lownes of pouerte maketh an hygher or a lower bysshop but they are all the successours of the apostles But there at certayne other instytucyons not essencyall of the offycê belongynge to preestê as for exaÌ„ple the eleccyon which we haue spoken of a lytle heretofore wherby one of them is taken or chosen to the ordrynge or gouernynge of other as touchynge to those thynges whiche appertayneth to the worshypynge of god or the dyuyne seruyce also the eleccyoÌ„s instytucyons of certayne of them to teache instructe the chrysten people to mynystre the sacrameÌ„tê of y â— newe law to a certayne people in a certayne place appoynted greatter or smaller And also to dyspence dystrybute both to hym selfe also to other pore men certayne teÌ„porall thyngê appoynted ordayned by the kynge or by a plyament for the sustentacyon of poore preachers of the gospel in a certayne prouynce or coÌ„munyte also for the sustentacyon of other poore folkes but yet of y â— onely whiche shalbe superfluous more than nedeth to the suffycient fyndynge of the preachers of the gospell which teÌ„porall goodes so appoynted ordayned to suche vse are after the coÌ„mune vse maner of speakynge nowe a dayes called the benefyces of the churche for these are coÌ„mytted betaken to the mynystres of the teÌ„ples to be bestowed vpon the aforesayd vses to the mynysters I saye therunto ordayned in a certayne prouynce For by the auctoryte essenciall by which they are the successours of the apostles they are not more determyned to teache instructe the people and to mynysters the sacramentes of the newe lawe in one place than in an other but lykewyse as the apostles were not determyned or appoynted to any certayne places to whom it was sayde Go therfore teachr all nacions Chryst dyd not appoynte them to certayne places but they afterwae des amonge them selues deuyded the peoples and prouynces to them selues in whiche they wolde preache shewe the worde of god or the lawe of the gospell and somtyme they were taught where they shulde preache by the reuelacyon of god wherfore also it is red in the seconde epystle to the Galatianes They gaue theyr ryght handes to me and to Barnabas in token of felowshyppe that is to wyt Iames Peter and IohnÌ„ that we amonge the gentyles and they amonge the Iewes c. So than of the premysses it appereth of whome as of the cause effycyent the instytucyon of preesthode is and of other holye ordres Truely of god or chryste imedyatlye albeit there gothe before as preparynge a certayne mynysterye of man as the layenge one of the handes the pronounsynge of certayne wordes whiche peraduenture doth nothynge to this but are so put before of a certayne promyse or ordynauÌ„ce of god It appereth also of y â— same premysses y t there is a certayne other instytucyon made by man by whiche
of Rome dyd folowe in this thynge vntyll the tyme of Constantyne In whiche space of tyme the bysshoppes of Rome with theyr colledge made vnto them selues certayne ordynacyons concernynge the ceremonyes and customes ecclesiastical as aboute the deuyne seruyce and the honest state of the colledge and company of preestes and the same ordynacyons as beynge profytable they dyd coÌ„munycate vnto other churches namely to suche as requyred them and they dyd also take vpon them selues of pytie charytie the cure and dylygence of other churches of the worlde accordynge to theyr possybylytie Because that very often tymes they wanted suffycieÌ„t gouernours postors or prelates and therfore they dyd exhorte monysshe and couÌ„sayle the persons of other churches in those thynges whiche appertayned to honestye to fayth or beleue And the other churches thankefully kyndly and wyllyngly receyued y e exhortacyons and monycioÌ„s of them In whiche churches also whan otherwhyles some of the preestê or bysshops or some of the deacoÌ„s or of other persons were frowarde and dyd not cease from troblynge of the other as touchynge maners or fayth at the brotherlye monycion of them that were presente than peraduenture those persones whiche were moste dyscrete amonge them and wyllynge to lyue godly and vertuouslye in chryste procured excoÌ„munycacyons or curses to be gyuen by the bysshoppe of Rome and his churche whose monycyons chrystened people moste feared for the causes aforesayde agaynst rebellyous persones to the dystroublers of other men or otherwyse crymynouse persones or elles the bysshops of Rome dyd it of theyr owne accorde vndesyred for the zele and loue that they had to the fayth Therfore the chrysten people whiche were in other places for the most parte of them agreed to obeye the bysshop of Rome his churche for the conseruacyon of the vnytie of the faythe and of quyetnes amonge them selues one of them with an other because these sayde thynges coulde not be kepte by powre coactyue or by any other more coÌ„uenyeÌ„t way for as moch as y t tyme y e humayne lawemakers in a maner or prynces euery where was hethen and not chrystened But whan the tyme of Constantyne the fyrste Emperourr of Rome was come whiche fyrste of all emperoures permytted and grauÌ„ted that chrysten people myght assemble and come togyther openly than was fyrste made general councelles of preestes or bysshopes by the coÌ„maundement or auctoryte of the forsayd emperour by whiche councelles the doubtefull sences of the holy scrypture were defyned and determyned and the true sences of the same sequestred and dysceuered from the false and erronyous sences whiche false corrupte and madde sences some of the preestes otherwhyles throughe ignoraunce and moste coÌ„munelye throughe superstyciousnes malyce had sowen and sparpled abrode amonge chrystes faythfull people in whiche councelles also ordynacyons and statutes were made aboute the ecclesiasticall vsage and customes as concernynge the deuyne seruyce and the honestye and good ordre of deacons and preestê and as touchynge the promotynge of them vnto the ecclesiasticall offyces as well in seperable whiche they call ordres as seperable whiche they call prelacyes or cures of soules and to such other offyces incertayne places and prouynces and also coÌ„cernynge the dystrybucyon of the temporalles or benefyces as the oblacions and other thynges which were gyuen vnto them both moueables and vnmoueables for the mynysterynge of the gospell the forme and maner was determyned sette and appoynted in the sayde councelles of the whiche forme and maner to be obserued and kepte the prynce and gouernour gaue or made a coactyue precepte or lawe byndynge euery maner man bothe preestes and laye men by a payne or punysshement outher reall or personall to be done vnto the transegressours of it accordynge as euery one dyd require for y e state in y e state of this present world And such maner lawes were made agaynst preestê bisshops more thaÌ„ agaynst other men because coÌ„munelye at that tyme they were preestes whiche gaue the cause of makynge suche coactyue preceptes or lawes And neyther the bysshops of Rome neyther any other bysshoppes who euer they were dyd resyste or speke agaynst the humayne lawe maker or prynce as beynge not subiectê to y e lawes and statutes of prynces but alwayes made supply cacyons to prynces that they wolde make such lawes as it appereth by the aforsayd boke of Isodorye and by other approued hystoryes ¶ Moreouer by the same prynces or emperours lawes were made and hath ben made concernynge the certayne nombre that shuld be of preestes accordynge to the prouynces and concernynge temporall goodes belongnnge to them both moueables and vnmoueables whiche hath ben gyuen to them as it is sayd by theÌ„ sayd constantyne and by the other emperours of Rome or other prynces or gouernours and successyuely also by some other synguler persones And agayne concernynge the cyuyle or contencious actes of them albeit the sayd lawes hath ben moderated with specyall fauours of the grace and goodnes of the humayne law makers or prynces consyderynge and regardynge the dygnyte and reuerence of the ordre of preesthode because by it accordynge to the truthe the offyce of chryste is represented regardynge also the grauyte of theyr maners and the symplycyte and innocencye of the parsones whiche at that tyme were mynysters of the gospell and bare the sayd offyce euen lyke actes they ordayned and made lesse rygorous lawes for them than for laye men grauntynge vnto them also many pryuyleges For at that tyme they were in nombre but fewe and deuoute through humylyte and humblenes easylye geuynge place and makynge no resystence to the assaultes of lawyers and pleaders of causes nor strengthed and compased aboute as they ben nowe on euery syde with vyolent or armed powre for the defence of them selues the offendynge or hurtynge of other For in the olde tyme it was a great abhomynacyon and shulde haue semed a cyuyle monstre yf clarkes namely preestes or bysshops had taken harnes or weaponed them selues or had coÌ„mauÌ„ded other men to take on harneys to fyght wherfore saynt Ambrose in the place afore alledged in the. ix chapytre of this dyccyon sayth thus I shall be able or maye be sory I maye wepe I maye wayle and syghe my teares are my armoure or weapons agaynst warres soldyers and also agaynst the Gothes for suche thynges are the munymentes strength and aydes of a preeste but otherwyse than thus I neyther ought neyther maye resyste And for this cause they neded at that tyme specyall fauours and pryuylegies that they myght lyue quyetlye and safelye and myght escape the vexacyons of quarelles and false accusarers howbeit nowe adayes there is a conuersyon and chaunge made in this thynge of them in respecte and comparyson to laye men in to the contrarye qualytye So that in the olde tymes they lyued vnder the lawes and cyuyle ordynacyons of seculer prynces and a longe season the whole colledge or companye
our coÌ„fessyon be approued and alowed by the iudgement of thyne apostleshyp in which sayenge Iherome semeth to meane that it appertayneth to the auctoryte of the bysshop of Rome alone to defyne determyne the doubtefull sentences of the lawe of god also in the artycles of the faythe it is to be answered sayd that Iherome dyd not so meane but he spake these wordes onely for somoche because it dyd belonge to the bysshop of Rome to gyue answers of suche doubtes whiche had be defyned determyned by the generall couÌ„cell aboute the catholyke faythe and aboute the ecclesyastycall customes and ceremonyes For the bysshop of Rome his churche was for this cause made heed most pryncipall of al other churches And a token that Iherome dyd meane so as we haue sayd is this for that in his epystle to Euandre repreuynge rebukyng certayne vsagê customes or maners aboute the deacons of the churche of Rome he sayth thus yf auctoryte be sought for the whole worlde is greatter than a cytie that is to saye the auctoryte of all the churches of the worlde is greatter than the auctoryte of the churche of Rome But yet yf it had ben so that Iherome had meaned that the bysshop of Rome alone had this sayd auctoryte appertaynyng to hym I do refuse his sentence as beynge not canonycall neyther necessarelye deduced coÌ„cluded by the canonycall scrypture ¶ And to y t whiche was brought in of the. xv of Luke he that hereth you hereth me c. it is to be answered sayd that it is true who soeuer hereth you in teachynge the true worde of god and speakynge accordynglye agreablye to the scrypture not blasfemynge vniustly after whiche maner chryste sayde of the pharysyes Do suche thynges as they do say that is to saye do such thynges which they do saye accordynge to the lawe of god as saynt Iherome sayth in y e. xxiii chapytre of Mathewe vpon this sayeng of chryste imedyatly afore reherced Or els thus who soeuer hereth you c. in the thyngê coÌ„maunded or prohybyted by the lawe of god he is bounde ¶ And to the reasons of Bernarde and fyrste of all vnto that whiche is taken of the seconde boke De consideratione vnto Eugenius pope who arte thou sayth Bernarde the same makynge answere sayth a great preeste hyghest bysshop It is to be answered sayd that yf he vnderstode this by the imedyate ordynacion of god or by the coÌ„maundemeÌ„t of goddes lawe his answere is to be denyed for so it shulde not be coÌ„sonaunt agreablye to the holy Canon or scrypture neyther to y e thynges necessarelye deduced and folowynge of the sayd scrypture But yf he dyd vnderstonde this prymacye or pryncypalyte to agre or belonge vnto hym by the eleccyon or instytucion of men than it is an other thynge And whan he addeth thou arte the pryncypall or cheyfe of bysshops it is true takynge this worde princeps largely y t is to say more pryncipal by the aforesayd institucion but takynge this worde princeps strayghtly narowly y e sayenge of Bernarde is not to be grauÌ„ted For the same Bernarde denyeth the same Eugeniê° coÌ„sequently any other bysshop to haue domynyon or soueraygnte as we haue alledged heretofore in y e v. chapytre of this dyccion of the fyrst boke and the. v. chapytre to the sayd Eugeniê° Thou arte the heyre or successour of the apostles so also are y e other bysshops Thou arte saythe Bernarde in prymacie Abell that is trewe thou arte taken chosen for hym but yet by the eleccyon of men or for the reuerence of hym which in tyme was fyrste of all the apostles In gouernaunce thou arte Noe. This is trewe by the instytucion of men amonge clarkes and aboue clarkes In patryarkeshyp thou arte Abraham This is trewe in mynystrynge spyrytuall thyngê onely and by the instytucyon of men Thou arte the father of all spyrytuall fathers In ordre Melchisedech This is trewe as touchynge to preesthode whiche was fygured of chryste by Melchisedech after whiche maner all other preestê are also But not as touchynge to kyngdom for as touchynge to this Melchisedech fygured chryste onely and sygnyfyed none other preeste elles whiche was bothe kynge also preeste and yet for all that he dyd not fygure chryste in this as touchynge to worldly kyngdome For chryste neyther came to raygne neyther wold raygne after this maner that is to wyt worldly as we haue shewed in the. iiii of this dyccion But Melchisedech whiche was both a preest a worldly kynge fygured the preesthod of chryste his heueÌ„ly kyngdom not worldly And so moche the lesse than he fygured earthly or worldly kyngdom or domynion in any preest or bysshop For saynt Bernarde denyeth such maner kyngdome to belonge vnto the bysshop of Rome in the place afore expressed more expressely neyther also as touchynge to the prymacie of preesthode Melchisedech dyd fygure any other besydes chryst but this prymacie or principalite is in other preestê as we haue sayd by the instytucion of men In dygnyte Aron This is true as touchynge to the symylytude of prymacie preemynence amonge preestes but yet after a dyuerse maner sondry fascion For Aron was cheyfe preeste by the imedyate instytucyon of god but not so the bysshop of Rome or any other bysshop beynge the successour of the apostles In auctoryte Moyses The same Bernarde sayd the coÌ„trary hereof openly in the fyrste boke De consideratione in the. v. chapytre in the. iii. boke fyrste chapytre For Moyses was prynce gouernour as touchynge to coactyue lawe as it appereth in the. vii of actê which thynge Bernarde denyeth to beloÌ„ge to any successour of the apostles in the place afore alledged Agayne Moyses had this by y e imedyate ordynacion of god vpon al Israell But y e bysshop of Rome hath this imedyatly by the graunte of man onely onely vpon the euaÌ„gelycall mynystres the mynystres of the temples In iudgemeÌ„t Samuell this is true to the lykenes of Samuell but yet after a dyuerse sondrye maner fascyon for ii causes Fyrst because not by the imedyate ordynacion of god as Samuell SecoÌ„darylye because onely vpon preestê other inferyor mynystres of the gospell but Samuell was indyffereÌ„tlye vpon al y e people of Israell In powre Peter this is true in the essenciall powre by the workynge of god imedyatlye so is also euery other bysshop or preeste but yet euery bysshop of Rome hath his prymacie aboue other bysshops or preestê onely by y e instytucion of man imedyatly whether Peter had it by the imedyate instytucion of god or not or els by the eleccion of the apostles whiche thynge rather we beleue or suppose accordynge to the scrypture yf it be so that he had any suche prymacy at all as we haue shewed in the. xvi of this dyccion
the earthe let them fal downe on theyr knees and with great veneracyon kysse the fete adorned garnysshed with precyouse stones of the and thy successours syttynge solemply in a seate or chayre of astate more gorgyouse then any kynges seate Moreouer that sayeng he that woll be cheiffest amonge you shall be your seruaunt and he that wylleth to be greater than other amonge you lette hym be your mynystre sygnyfeyth or betokeneth nothynge els but this we onely haue power and auctorytie to coÌ„maunde and all the resydue of the churche muste nedely obey O Peter yf thy mayster meaned this by his wordes why than dydest thou whan thou was made the chyefe capytayne hed of thy bretherne saye thyse wordes thyne owne selfe Be you subgettes to euery man for the loue of god whether it be to the kynge as to a more excellent persone or to dukes as persones sent by hym But here a certayne one of our moste holy fathers greuously rebuketh sayth with lowde voyce that thou Peter dydest not speke thyse wordes to thy self but onely to thy subgettes O howe conuenyently and metely hath he founde this startynge hole to helpe hym selfe with all As who shulde saye that what soeuer Peter taughte he dyd reache it onely in wordes as we do no we a dayes and not rather moche more dyd teache it by his workes or deades by contynuell example folowyng in this poynte also the custome and maner of his mayster Chryste of whom the euangelyste Luke sayth Ihesus began to do and teache Lykewyse Paule also sayth Be you the folowers of me as I am the folower of Chryste for whiche cause the same Paule also coÌ„maundeth the doer or worker of the worde not hym whiche is onely the hearer or teacher of it excepte y t peradueÌ„ture it besemed Peter to teache onely and not to do and so by a custome begon and brought vp by hym it becoÌ„meth other his successours to do the same I knowledge playnely suche is the dulnes of my wytte that I do not perceyue or vnderstande this theologye or dyuynyte Besyde this why dyd than y e same Peter go to Samarye with IohnÌ„ whan he was bydden so to do of the other apostels or why were not than the apostels asshamed to abuse the prerogatyue and prehemynence of theyr hedde and ruler to this mynysterie or seruyce or why I pray you doth he hym selfe not shewe forthe nor take vpon hym any suche maner pretogatyue and auctoryte and dygnyte at all aboue other in his epystles sayinge I one of the felowe bysshops my selfe and equall with them beseche the bysshoppes whiche are amonge you I praye the good reader canst thou perceyue any where in these wordes any tutle or poynte belongynge to prymacye what coulde be spoken more mekely or in more lowlywyse what more symplye or playnly Fyrste in callyng hym selfe felowe bysshyp he chalengeth to hym selfe or taketh vpon hym none excellence or prehemynence aboue other but maketh hym selfe felowe lyke with theym Whan he besecheth them in so doynge he chalengeth to hym self no rule no domynyon no prymacye no power or auctoryte vpon them And forsoth yf we woll herken and gyue credence vnto Peter to Paule hym selfe and to other whiche speake to vs in the holy scrypture of god both profyttes and apostels rather than to our owne dreames and fantasyes certaynly we shall perceyue and fynde that they do call them selues no thynge els but mynysters theyr power noughte els but a mynysterye hauynge theyr myndes farre awaye from all kynde ye apparaunce of honoure not onely from the ambycyons desyre of prymacye superyoryte Dothe not our lorde and mayster hym selfe for this is often tymes to be rehersed say I am not coÌ„men to be serued but to mynystre and serue And shall it not be suffycyent to the seruaunt to be as his lorde and maystre is but doth he desyre to be greatter than his mayster what nedeth it to make any more wordes With our scholyes gloses coÌ„mentes and interpretacyons we haue taken away destroyed well nere all the whole scrypture of god Srypture is not peraueuture ouertourned and destroyed but beynge as it were dombe in a maner speaketh no more neyther may do any more vnder vs tyrauntes then may the chylde whiche is vnder the rodde or correccyon of his gouernour or mayster that is to say nothynge but onely that whiche shalbe veray lykynge and pleasaunt to vs as domynyons prymacyes chyefe rulers kyngdomes Notwithstandynge that in the meane season our tryflynge and vayne ymagynacyons and fantasyes taken awaye she doth put vs in mynde and remembraunce of nothynge more chyefly in euery place than that we shulde dyspyse and set at nought all thyse thyngê cryeng out playnly and openly that empyres ryches and golde are vyle stayle and transytorye thynges Peter sayd to Symon magus the enchauntour offerynge golde to hym kepe thy golde to thy selfe to perdycyon The wyse man sayth in his boke entyled Ecclesiasticus Golde is the wood or tree of offensyon wo be to them whiche coueteth foloweth it And yet we good lorde what hokes what wyles what nettes do we not make contyuually now a dayes to catche this so euyll or myscheuous a thynge what do we not enterpryse or take in hande boldely and swyftly for the loue of money power and auctoryte what place of the scrypture do we not adulterate counterfeyte and cortupte By these fewe wordes lohere be ii swerdes we haue wrythen and wrested the swerde and empyre of the worlde out of the Emperours hande and stoutely manfully god saue vs chalenged it to the churche Albeit y t Chryste hym selfe doth say affyrme that his kyngdom is not of this worlde and Paule also his sworne oratour and Ambassadoure cryeth out sayeng Our wepons armour are not carnall but stronge and myghty in god And because that no poynte of boldnes and presumptuous pryde shulde be wantynge in vs we haue our selues made a foundament and hed of the vnyuersall churche Hereof came vp those straunge names whiche in olde tyme were not knowen any thynge at all of the holy men generall vycar greatest bysshop and many suche other yet farre more straunge then these of whiche we do not rede in al Peters epystles that euer he vsurped or toke any one to hymselfe Paule knoweth no hed of the churche but onely Chryste But we make ourselues a hed bothe of the churche and also of the empyre howe great tragedyes troubles we haue for this cause raysed vp hetherto to the churche howe many of vs haue stryuen after a lay maner with Emperours aboute this name and tytle It were to longe an hystorye to reherse amonge whiche emperours Lodowyke of Bauarye that noble and renoÌ„med emperour the beautye and worshyp of the moste honourable stocke of the dukes of bauarye and whiche was inferyour to none of the prynces in his tyme in gentle courage of mynde in mercye and pytie
bysshoppes called popes of Rome aboute the yere of our lorde god M. CCC xxiiii ¶ Of the sumarye and generall intencyon of the thynges whiche shal be treated and spoken of in this worke and of the cause of the intencyon and purpose and of the dyuysyon of the boke ¶ The fyrste Chapytre TRanquyllyte is the thyng doubtles whiche is to be desyred of euery realme and comynaltie as in which both the people goth forwarde encreaseth For the vtylyte or profyte of nacyons is kept maynteyned For this is the beautefull mother of good artes and occupacyons This tranquyllyte multyplyeng and encreasyng the kynde of man by repetable successyon enlargeth theyr possessyons and goodes beautefyeth theyr maners And he is knowen to be ignoraūte of these so great thynges who soeuer is perceyued not to haue sought after this sayde tranquyllyte By these wordes and 〈◊〉 nowe afore recyted Cassiodorus in his fyrst boke of epystles hath expressed the vtilities profytes or frutes that groweth of the trāquyllytie or peace of Ciuyle regymentes to the intente that he by these best frutes expressynge and declarynge the best thyng that belongeth to may that is to wyt the suffycyencye of his lyfe whiche no man maye attayne without peace tranquylytie he myght excyte prouoke and styrre vp the wylles and desyres of men to haue peace and this tranquyllytie amōge them selfes one with an other wherin he spake conformablye to the sayenge of blyssed Iob whiche in the. xxii chapitre sayde haue thou peace by it thou shalt haue veray good frutes This peace chryste verely the sone of god decreed therfore to be the sygne or token the messenger or shewer of his newe and straunge byrthe whan in his sayd byrth he wold by y e oracle and voyce of heuenly aungels this songe to be songe Gloria in altissimis doo et in terra pax hominibus bone voluntatis That is Glorye and prayse be to god in heuens in erthe peas be to men of good wyll For this cause also the same chryste very oftentymes wysshed peas to his dyscyples wherfore it is wryten in the gospell of Iohn̄ Iesus came and stode in the myddes of his dyscyples and sayd pax vobis that is peace be to you He also geuynge them monycyon to obserue and kepe peas one with an other and sayd as it is redde in Marke pacem habete inter vos that is haue or kepe peas amonge you And not only he taught them to kepe peas amonge them selues one with an other But also he taught them to wysshe the same peas vnto other men wherfore it is redde this in Mathew And when you entre in to y e house salute it sayeng peas be to this house This same peas also was the enherytaunce whiche chryste whan the tyme of his passyon deth approched by his testamēt lefte to his dysciples whan he sayd to them in y e. ix of Iohn̄ peas I leue vnto you my peas I gyue vnto you And after the maner of chryst the Apostles also as beynge his verey heyres folowers wysshed this sayd peas vnto all those persones to whome by theyr epystles they dyd dyrecte the documentes and monycyons or counsayles of the gospell as men that knew ryght well the fruytes of peas to be most good as it hath ben alleged of Iob and by Cassiodore more largely declared But bycause of contrary causes contrary effectes naturally and necessaryly are brought forth therfore of dyscorde which is contrary vnto tranquyllyte there shall growe vnto euery real me or cyuyle regyment most euyll fruytes and hurtes as men may suffycyently se and well nere to euery man is euydently knowen by the realme or cyuyle regyment of Italye for whyles the inhabytauntes therof lyued togyther peaseably they receyued of long tyme pleasauntly y e afore rehersed fruytes of peas And by these in these fruytes they prosperyd and went forwarde so greatly that they haue subdued all the habytable partes of the worlde vnto theyr domynyon and empyre But after that dyscorde or stryfe was ones rysen or spronge vp amonge them theyr kyngdome or cōmunytie and empyre hath ben vexed with manyfold and sondry maner incōmodyties and euyls and hath ben subdued and brought vnder the empyre and domynyon of other straunge and hatefull nacyons And moreouer agayne the countrey of Italy is by the reason of stryfe and dyscorde so torne on euery syde and in a maner losed vtterly feblysshed that it is no harde thynge or mastrye for any man that lyst to wynne it is any thynge of power at all to entre therunto And that it hath thus chaunced or come to passe it is nothynge meruayle worthy for as Salustius wytnesseth where he maketh mencion of Catylyne By vnyte concorde small thynges growe encrease through dyscorde and debate very great thynges fallen awaye and goen to nought By the reason of this sayd dyscorde verely the Italyens beynge seduced and led in to the bypath of erroure are depryued and berefte of theyr suffycyent lyuynge And in the stede of quyetnes and rest whiche they sought for they do contynuelly suffre and abyde more and more greuouse labours and paynes And in the stede of lybertye they are contynually subdued and brought vndre the harde and cruell yokes of tyrauntes and so in conclusyon are made more miserable and wretched then other nacyons and peoples which lyue a cyuyle and honest lyfe and are cōmen to that poynte that theyr patronymyke name whiche was wonte to gyue glorye imunytie and lybertie to all that called on the sayde name is now vpbrayded and caste in theyr tethe of other nacyons and torned in to the cause of sufferynge ignomynye and dyshonour Thus than the wretched Romayns are caryed hedlonge in to these darkenesses by the reason of the dyscorde stryfe and debate amonge them selues And lykewyse as that man or sensyble creature is knowen to be out of frame which is troubled with syckenes euen so is y ◠dysposycion ordre cōmen weale and cyuyle regyment of Italy knowen to be out of tempre fascyon and croked by the debate and stryfe that is amonge them Of the which sayde dyscorde or intranquyllyte albeit that there are many prymytyue causes and that not a fewe yea and suche as well nere all that are possyble to happen or chaunce after the wonte maners and fascyons the chefe of all phylosophere Aristotell in his ciuyle scyence or polytykes hath descrybed yet is there for all that be syde them a certayne specyall and veray pryuey or hyd cause through whiche the empyre of Rome hath of longe tyme ben vexed and dyseased any contynually is vexed which cause as a syckenes excedyngly contagyons is as redy to crepe or sprede in to all other cyuyle cōmunyties and realmes Ye moreouer through it gredynes hath alredy assayed to inuade a great many of the sayd realmes and cōmunyties And this cause or the begynnynge
offyce to none other powre vnder a certayne forme of wordes sayd of them or of any one of them to tourne the substauÌ„ce of bread of wyne in to the very body blode of hym and besyde this he gaue also to the same auctoryte or powre to bynde to lose men from synnes which auctoryte they are wonte to call y e powre of y e keyes to substytute and make other vnder them selues hauynge the same auctoryte The whiche auctoryte also the apostles gaue to certayne men yea god gaue it by the apostles throughe prayer puttynge of theyr haÌ„des vpon them And after the same maner haue other taken powre auctoryte also to do lykewyse coÌ„sequently so they haue done dothe and shall do euen vnto the ende of the worlde after which maner also the apostle Paule dyd instytute Timothe Titus and other mo teachynge them also to instytute other lykewyse wherfore in y e. iiii chapytre of y â— former epystle wryten to Timothe he sayth Do not despyse or set lyght by the grace whiche is in the whiche is gyuen the throughe prophesye with y e layenge on of the preestes haÌ„des and in the fyrst chapytre of the epystle to Titus for this cause I haue lefte the in Crete londe that thou shuldest correcte and amende suche thynges whiche yet wanteth that thou shuldest constytute ordayne and make preestê throughe out euery cytie as I haue taught charged the this auctoryte of preesthod of y â— keyes whether it be onely one auctoryte or els many is a karact or a fygure or marke iÌ„prynted in y e sowle by y e iÌ„medyat workiÌ„ge of god ¶ Besyde this there is a certayne other auctoryte belongynge to preesthode gyuen by the graunte of men after that the nombre of them was multyplyed for to auoyde all occasyon of slaunder or offence and this auctoryte is the preemyneÌ„ce whiche any one of them hath aboue the other to dyrecte them in the temple to the worshypynge of god and to the doynge of the deuyne seruyce in dewe forme and maner and to destrybute certayne temporall goodes whiche hathe ben ordayned to the vse of the afore sayde mynystres Of the powre and cause effectyue of the whiche auctoryte and where hence it began and came forthe itshall be suffycyentlye declared in the. xv and in the. xvii chapytres of the seconde dyccyon or parte For this auctoryte of the prymateshyp of the clargye is not made iÌ„medyatly by god but by the wyll and mynde of men lykewyse as other offyces of a coÌ„mune weale be ¶ Thus than the orygynall begynnynge of the ecclesyastycall mynystres the powre and cause effectyue of theyr offyce beynge rehersed and somwhat declared we must attende gyue hede more ouer that amonge the apostles of chryste aforesayd there was one whose name was Symon Peter whiche was the fyrst that receyued of chryste the promyse of the keyes as saythe the glose after saynt AusteÌ„s mynde in the. xvi chapytre of Mathewe vpon this oracle or answere of chryste And to the I shall gyue the keyes of the kyngdome of heuens Upon this texte sayth the glose he that confessed that Iesus chryst was the very sone of god hathe the keyes gyuen to hym afore other for this sayd apostle after the passyon the resurreccyon the assencyon of chryste in to heuen came to Anteoche there was made bysshop by the people as euydently doth appere by the hystory of hym and from thense as the foresayd hystory sheweth what soeuer cause hathe be ouer hyppyd and lefteout for of this is there dyuerse and sondry opynyons afterwardes he wente to Rome and there was he bysshop and ouersear to chrysten people and in coÌ„clusyon for the professyon of chryste and for his godly preachynge he was beheded and dyed and with hym in the same place and at the same tyme y â— apostle Paule also accordynge to the aforesayd hystory of the prerogatyue than whiche this dyscyple or apostle semed to haue in comparyson of the other apostles in that the keyes were fyrste promysed to hym afore the other for the wordes of scrypture heretofore brought in and rehersed and for certayne other thynges spoken of chryst to hym syngulerly which shal be rehersed here after certayne bysshoppes after hym in the apostolyke or epyscopalsee of Rome and namely syns the tyme of Constantyne the emperour of Rome saye and chalenge themselues to be aboue all other bysshoppes of the worlde as touchynge all maner auctoryte of iurysdyccyon yea and certayne of the same whiche hathe ben of latter tyme not onely dothe chalenge to be aboue all other preestes and bysshoppes but also aboue all prynces of the world al coÌ„munaltyes al maner persones albeit they do not expresse this egally of all neyther do saye it playnly and openly as of the prynce and ruler of the Romaynes called the emperoure and of the prouynces cyties persones subiectes to the same emperour albeit that the synguler expressy on of suche domynyon or coactyue iurysdyccyon ouer this prynce accordynge to the very trouth semeth to haue taken face and fyrste begynnynge of a certayne gyfte or graunt whiche certayne men saythe to haue ben made by Constantyne emperour to saynt Syluester bysshop of Rome yet because this is not clerely expressed in that graunte or pryuylege or elles because perauenture it hath ben dysanulled by other made afterwardes or elles because it was weake or of smal streÌ„gthe the vertue of the sayde graunte extendeth itselfe to the other lordshyppes gouernaunces of the world not to the empyre of the Romaynes in al puynces And therfore afterwardes the bysshoppes of Rome of latter tyme haue chalenged taken to themselues this iurysdyccyon coactyue vnyuersally vpon y e hole worlde by a certayne other tytle comprehendynge all men that is to wyt by the fulnes of powre auctoryte whiche they say was gyuen by chryste to saynt Peter and to his successours in the epyscopall see of Rome as beynge Chrystes vycares or debytes For chryste as they saye and truly was the kynge of kynges and lord of lordes yea of all the hole world bothe persons and thynges how be it of this dothe not folowe that thynge whiche they wolde inferre and conclude as shall appere more certaynely and vndoubtedlye in those thynges which shall be spoken here after this than is the meanynge of this tytle amonge the bysshoppes of Rome that lykewyse as chryste had the fulnesse of powre and iurysdyccyon aboue all kynges prynces coÌ„munaltyes companyes or felysshyppes and alsanguler persons so in lyke maner they whiche calleth themselues the vycars of chryst and Peter haue also the same fulnesse of coactyue iurysdyccyon determyned by no lawe of man ¶ An euydent token y t the bysshoppes of Rome intende this to be the meanyngê which we haue rehersed of this tytle that is to wyt of the fulnes of theyr powre is this that Clement
the. v. of that name bysshop of Rome doth so vse it in a certayne decretall which he made Desen et re iudi in the. vii boke to Henry the. vii of worshypfull memorye last emperour of Rome of that name whyles in reuokynge a certayne sentence or iudgement of the same Henry he vttereth certayne order of wordes expressynge that which we haue sayd as touchynge theyr sence meanynge aboute the foresayd tytle whiche wordes we leaue out passe ouer here partly because the mater as knowen well ynoughe and partly for cause of shortnes and because we shall brynge them in more for the purpose in the. xxv chapytre of y e seconde dyccyon the. xviii parte of the same chapytre Seyng than that chryst neyther is neyther hath ben more kynge and lorde of the emperour of the Romaynes than of any other kynge or prynce ruler who soeuer he be but rather as moch or more kynge and lorde of the other because that in chrystes tyme the prynce or emperoure of the Romaynes was in a maner lorde and onely chefe heed throughe out all the worlde it is open and euydent that the sence and meanynge of this tytle by the vertue and strengthe of one and the same rote is extendyd to all kyngdomes lordshyppes and rules whiche sence or meanynge also to be intendyd by the same tytle of the bysshoppes of Rome the contencyons attentacyon enterpryse of Bonyface the viii bysshop of Rome agaynst Phelyp of famouse worshypfull memory kynge of Fraunce and the decretall of the same Bonyface therof ensuynge manyfestly doth teache which same decretall shal be brought in of vs in the. xx chapytre of the seconde dyccyon the. viii parte of the same chapitre by which decretall he defyneth determyneth that this is to be beleued of the necessyte of euerlastynge helth and saluacyon that all maner men be subiectes by coactyue iurysdyccion to the bysshop of Rome Than by this meane the bysshops of Rome enterynge in to these thynges fyrste vnder the coloure and aperaunce of sechynge peace amonge the faythfull chrysten people certayne they dyd excoÌ„munycat whiche wolde not obaye theyr sentence iudgement and afterwardes geuynge sentence and iudgement agaynst them bothe reall and personall that is to saye bothe in theyr goodes and in theyr personage agaynst some more expressely as such which were lesse able to resyste or withstaÌ„de theyr powre as for example agaynst y â— synguler persons coÌ„munytes of the ItalyoÌ„s whose kyngdome beynge deuyded torne a sonder in all his ê‘tes may y e more easely soner be oppressed agaynst other some more slackely as kiges whose coactyue powre they do fere and drede Howbeit they do crepe by lytle and lytle and contynuallye assaye and enterpryse to crepe euen vnto these heades also in the vsurpacyon of iurysdyccyons beynge very hardy and bolde to inuade all togyther For the which cause y e preuarycacyon of these bysshoppes craftely preuely coÌ„mynge in hath hetherto ben vnknowen and hyd from the prynces and rulers of the Romaynes and from the peoples subiectes to them For the bysshoppes of Rome by lytle and lytle haue caughte vnto them selues one Iurysdyccyon after an other namely whan the imperyall see hath ben vacante but yet se that nowe they saye that theyr selues haue all the imperyall iurysdyccyon coactyue aboue the same prynce and emperour amonge all whiche sayd bysshoppes of Rome the bysshop that nowe is hath wryten most large and most manyfestlye to the emperour of Romaynes as wel in the prouynces of Italye as of Germanye to al the inferyour prynces and rulers of the sayd prouynces to the coÌ„munytes companyes or felysshyppes and synguler persones of the same of what soeuer dygnyte condycyon or estate they be that hym selfe hath hyghest and chefe iurysdyccyon vpon them and al theyr temporalles ascrybynge openly to hym selfe powre to gyue and to translate theyr kyngdomes and offyces from them to other men as clerely and euydently it maye appere to all men by certayne wrytynges of the same bysshop which he callethe wrytynges decrees or senteÌ„ces Therfore this wronge exystymacyon opynyon iudgement and perauenture peruerse affeccyon or desyre of domynyon or chefe rule whiche they chalenge to be due to them selues by the tytle of the ful powre and auctoryte gyuen vnto them by Chryst as they say is that synguler and specyall cause whiche we haue sayde to be the maker of intranquyllytie or dyscorde of a cytie or realme for this peruerse affeccyon beynge prone and redy to crepe in to all realmes and kyngdomes as it was sayd in our prohemye with his noysome and hatefull accyon or workynge hath of longe season vexed the realme of Italye and hath kepte contynually doth kepe it from it traÌ„quyllyte or peace in that it letteth and forbyddeth with all enforcement the promocyon or instytucyon of the chefe ruler that is to saye of the emperoure of the Romaynes and his operacyon or workynge in the sayde empyre for lacke wante of the whiche accyon or worke that is to wyt of the iustyfycacyon of the cyuyle actes and dedes wronges and contencyons or stryfes easelye and lyghtly doth chaunce and ryse whiche wronges not measured by the rule of Iustyce or of the lawe because the measurer is absent causeth fyghtynges by the reason wherof seperacyons of the coÌ„mons and inconclusyon the breakynges or lousynges of the coÌ„mune weales in Italye hathe chaunced as we haue sayd throughe this opynyon than and perauenture affeccyon and desyre of domynyon and bearynge chefe rule wherof we haue spoken the bysshop of Rome enforceth and laboureth to make y e emperour of the Romaynes subiecte to hym by coactyue or teÌ„porall iurysdyccyon which emperour neyther ought by ryght as it shal be playnly and openly shewed by those thynges whiche here after shall folowe neyther is wyllynge to be subiecte to hym in suche iudgement For the offyce of coactyue Iurysdyccyon is not a greynge or conuenyent neyther to the bysshop of Rome neyther to any other bysshop nor to any spyrytuall mynystre in that he is a spyrytuall mynystre neyther is it conuenyent that he haue any suche iurysdyccyon ouer any man or person of what soeuer estate or condycyon he be or ouer any coÌ„munytye or company or felowshyp as it hath ben determyned in the. xv xvii chapytres of this fyrste dyccyon or parte And of this mynde is Arystotle in the. iiii of his polytykes ¶ And because this pernycyous pestylence or myschefe vtterly coÌ„trary to the quyetnes and rest of men and also to al theyr welthe felycytye throughe the faulte of the sayde corrupte rote of ambycyons affeccyon to reygne ouer all myght infecte and poysone the other kyngdomes or realmes of the worlde cheyfely of chrystendome I thynke it moste necessarye and nedefull of all to repell and dryue it backe as we sayd in our prohemye fyrste by openynge the couerynge or closer of
rather to speke more trulye the fyccyons fayned ymagymacyons of certayne men goynge aboute to wrethe wreste the scrypture to the mayntenaunce fortefyenge of the sence of theyr false opynyon aforesayd are vyolent in terpretacyons croked contrary to the scrypture dysagreynge to the sentence and mynde of the holy also learned doctours of the chrysten faythe And fynally and last of all I shall dyssolue and make answere to the argumentes reasons whiche beynge as it were cyuyle or polytyke reasons I sayd afore dyd seme and appere somewhat to defende and fortefye that false opynyon oftentymes afore rehersed ¶ Of the dyuerse sygnyfycacyons of the nownes or dyccyons and wordes of the whiche the questyons here be determyned or made The seconde chapytre VEt afore we do dispute and reason of these thynges purposed lest by the reason of the manyfolde sygnyfycacyons of the names whiche we shall vse in our pryncypall questyons any ambygnyte maye chauÌ„ce inplycacyon or entangelynge or combrousnes of the sentence whiche we are wyllynge to declare and open we shal fyrst of all shewe the dyuerse sygnyfycacyons of the sayd wordes for as Arystotle sayth in the fyrst boke of Eleuches who soeuer are ygnorant of the sygnyfycacyon and strength of nownes or wordes are deceyued begyled bothe when theyr selues dysputeth also whan they here other dysputynge the names or wordê whose many and sondry sygnyfycacyoÌ„s we purpose to shewe are these Churche Iudge Spyrytuall TeÌ„porall For because by our inquysycyon which we purpose hereto make we desyre to knowe whether it doth belonge to the bysshop of Rome or to any other bysshop or preest deacon or any company feloshyp of them which are wonte to be called men of the churche to be a coactyue Iudge of the temporal men or spyrytuall or of bothe or elles they are suche maner iudges as touchynge nouther of these Therfore we in persecutynge these thynges let vs fyrst say that this nowne Ecclesia in latyn Churche in englysshe is a worde accordynge to the vse of the Grekes betokenynge amonge them in those workes whiche hathe comen to vs the congregacyon of people contayned vnder one gouernaunce one ruler in this sygnyfycacyon Arystotle toke the sayde worde ecclesia in the. vii chapytre of y e seconde boke of his polytykes But amoÌ„ge latyn men this worde accordynge to the coÌ„mune famouse callynge in one of his sygnyfycacyons betokeneth a temple or a house in whiche coÌ„munely most oftentymes god is honoured and worshypped of the faythful people for thus the apostle Paule of the churche in his fyrste epystle to the Corynthyans the. xi chapytre sayenge haue you not houses to eate and drynke in or do you dyspyse the churche of god where the glose after saynt Augustynes mynde saythe do you despyse y e church of god that is to wyt the house of prayer And within a lytse after sayth the same glose this thus The daylye vse of speachynge hathe optayned that he is not sayde to come forthe of the churche or to flee for socour to the churche but which doth come forthe or flee for socoure to the very materyall place of stone it selfe and to the walles But in an other sygnyfycacyon this worde church bctokeneth those mynystres preestes or bysshoppes and deacons whiche be mynystres and rulers in the metrop ofytane or pryncypall churche of all churches lykewyse as the church of the cytie of Rome hathe of longe season obtayned this whose mynystres and rulers be the pope of Rome his cardynalles whiche nowe by a certayne vsage and custome hathe obtayned to be called the churche And it is sayd that the churche hathe done or receyued any thynge or ordayned any thynge whan the aforesayde persons hathe done receyued or ordayned it Agayne accordynge to an other sygnyfycacyon whiche is the moste true and moste propre sygnyfycacyon and most accordynge to the entencyon of them whiche fyrst began and brought vp this worde churche it is sayd and spoken thoughe not so famously accordyng to the vsage of these dayes of the vnyuersyte and generall congregacyon of all faythfull beleuers and callers vpon the name of Iesu chryst and of all the partes of this sayd vnyuersall congregacyon in what soeuer coÌ„munytie of houses or parysshe it be And this was the fyrst sygnyfycacyon of this worde and the accustomed vsage of it amonge the apostles and in the prymytyue churche wherfore the apostle Paule in the fyrst chapytre of the former epystle to the Corynthyans sayth To the churche which is at Corynthe sanctyfyed in chryste Iesu called sayntes and to all other whiche calleth on the name of our lorde Iesu chryste and where the glose accordynge to Ambrose mynde saythe sanctyfyed by baptysme and in Iesu chryste and accordynge to this intencyon spake the apostle in the. xx chapytre of actes to the preestes of Ephesus whan he sayde Attende you and take you hede vnto your selues and to the hole flocke in whiche y e holy ghost hathe set you bysshoppes or ouerseers that you shuld gouerne the churche of god whiche he hathe purchased with his owne blode and therfore accordynge to this most true and most propre sygnyfycacyon of this word church all faythfull chrysten men are and ought to be called men of the churche as well those whiche be not preestes as those whiche be preestes because that chryste purchased and hatheredemed all with his owne blode as it is expressely sayde in the glose vpon that sayenge in the. xxii chapytre of Luke this is my body whiche is gyuen for you for you saythe the glose betokeneth not that the body of chryste was gyuen and his blode shed for y e apostles onely but for y e whole nature of mans sake so then y e blode of chryste was not shed onelie for the apostles wherof it foloweth y t they were not purchased onely by it and so consequentlye that the preestes or mynystres of the temples successours to them in offyce are not onely purchased by his bonde and therfore that they alone are not the churche whiche chryste purchased with his owne blode Neyther for the same cause ar those mynystres bysshoppes or preestes and deacons alone the churche whiche is the spousesse of chryste but a part of this spousesse for chryste for this spousesse gaue hymselfe wherfore the apostle sayth in the. v. chapytre of the epystle to the Philipianes yonge men loue your wyues euen so as chryste hath loued the churche and hathe gyuen hymselfe for it But nowe chryste gaue not hymselfe for the apostles alone or theyr successours in offyce bysshoppes or preestes deacons but rather for the whole nature of man Therfore it foloweth y t they or the congregacyon of them onelye ar not the spousesse of chryst thouge a certayne congregacyon of them abusynge this worde for toget dysceytfully and gylefully theyr owne propre and teÌ„porall profyte and aduauntage to the dysuauntage
of the kyngdome of heuen and what soeuer thynge thou shalte bynde vpon erthe it shal also be bouÌ„den in heuen what soeuer thynge thou shalt louse vpon y e earthe it shal also be loused in heuens For of those wordes certayne bysshoppes of Rome haue chalenged taken to them selues the auctoryte of hyghest iurysdiccion aforesayd For by y e keyes grauÌ„ted to saynt Peter by christ they wyl to be vnderstanded y e fulnes of powre of al worldly gouernaunce rule to be gyuen vnto them selues whiche fulnes of powre as chryste had in coÌ„paryson of all kynges prynces and rulers euen so he graunted it say they to saynt Peter and his successours in y e epyscopall see of Rome as y e vycars of chryste in this worlde ¶ The secoÌ„de texte of scrypture to this purpose is takeÌ„ of y e wordê of christ iÌ„ y e. xi chapytre of Mathewe whan he sayde al thynges are gyuen to me of my father And agayne in the. xxiii of the same euangelyste whan he sayde all powre is gyuen to me in heuen and in erthe seynge than that saynt Peter and his successours in the epyscopallsee of Rome haue ben and be the vycars and deputyes of chryste as they saye it appereth that all powre of fulnes of auctoryte is gyuen to the same and consequentlye the auctorytie of all maner iurysdyccyon ¶ The thyrde texte or auctoryte to the mayntenaunce of the same is taken of y e viii of Mathewe and the. v. of Marke where it is sayde and the deuylles prayed hym y t is to wyt chryste sayenge yf thou canste or dryue vs forth sende vs in to y e flocke of hogges and he sayde to them go you and they goynge forth of the man wente in to the hogges and lo sodaynely all the hole flocke wente hedlonge in to the see were deade in the waters of the which wordes it appereth that chryst dyd dyspose and ordre temporall thynges as beynge all his owne for els he had done amysse in dystroyenge the flocke of hogges But it is abomynable to saye that chryste hath synned or done amysse whose flesshe neuer sawe corrupcyon For as moche than as saynte Peter with his successours bysshoppes of Rome be and hathe ben the cheyfe vycars or deputyes of chryste as certayne men sayth they maye dyspose of all temporall thynges as beynge iudges in the. iii. sygnyfycacyon and hathe full powre and domynyon of them euen lykewyse as chryste selfe had Agayne the same is shewed by that whiche is had in the. xxi of Mathewe in the. xi of Marke and in the. xix of Luke where it is sayd in this wyse ¶ Than sente Iesus ii dyscyples sayenge to them go you in to the castell which is ouer agaynst you and forthwith you shall fynde an asse bounden and her foole with her or the colte tayed to the asse vpon the whiche neuer any man had sytte yet as it is red in Marke and Luke louse them and brynge them to me of the which wordes the same conclusyon maye be inferred and by the same maner of argumentacyon whiche was inferred of the auctoryte of scrypture iÌ„medyatly here afore rehersed ¶ Moreouer the same thynge is reasoned of the. xxii of Luke where it is red in this maner Lo here be ii swerdes sayd the apostles makynge answere to chryst But he answered it is suffycyent or ynoughe By the whiche wordes after the interpretacyon of some men ought to be vnderstande the. ii powers or auctorites of this present worlde the one ecclesya stycall or spyrytuall the other temporall or seculer Seynge than that chryst dyrectynge his speche to the apostles dyd saye it is suffycyent that is to saye it is ynoughe for you to haue the. ii swerdes by these wordes he appereth to haue sygnyfyed that bothe the swerdes ought to appertayne belonge to the auctoryte of them namely of saynt Peter as beynge the pryncypall and cheyfest of them for yf he had not ben wyllynge that the temporall swerde shulde belonge to them he ought to haue sayde it is to moche and more than ynoughe ¶ Agayne the same thynge semeth to be beleued by that whiche is had in the. xxi of IohnÌ„ where chryste speakynge to Peter sayde fede my shepe fede my lambes fede my shepe rehersynge one sentence thre tymes as we haue here broughte in Of y e which some men gather this sence y t saynt Peter his successours bysshoppes of Rome ought without any excepcyon to be gouernours rulers ouer all the saythful shepe of chryste that is to wytte chrysten men and amonge these specyallye and most of all ouer preestes and deacons ¶ Yea and moreouer this appereth openlye to be the senteÌ„ce and mynde of saynt Paule in his vi chapytre of the fyrste epystle to the Corynthyans whan he sayde Do you not knowe that we shall iudge aungels howe moche more than seculer thynges Hereof it appereth that y e iudgemeÌ„tes accordynge to his thyrde sygnyfycacyon of seculer thynges dothe appertayne to preestes or bysshoppes and amonge them pryncypallye to the bysshop of Rome cheyfest of them all Agayne the apostle semeth to haue meaned the same in the. ix of the fyrste to the Corynthyans whan he sayd haue we not powre to eate c. The same agayne in the thyrde of the fyrst to the Thessalonyans In whiche wordes he semeth expresselye to intende and meane that powre was gynen to hym by god ouer and vpon temporall goodes of chrysten men and so consequentlye iurysdyccyon also of them ¶ Furthermore the same thynge is shewed of the fyrste epystle to Tymothe the. v. chapytre to whome the apostle sayde Agaynst a senyoure or preest receyue none accusacyon but vnder ii or iii. wytnesses or recordes By this than it appereth that a bysshop at the least wyse hathe iurysdyccyon ouer preestes deacons and other mynystres of the temple seynge that it belongeth to hym for to here accusacyon of them as for any probacyons of y e olde scrypture or testament which semeth to make for the conclusyon purposed or to make agaynst it we wyl not brynge in here the cause wherof we shall shewe in the. ix chapytre of this dyccyon By these foresayd auctorytes than and other lyke of the holye scrypture and suche maner interpretacyons and exposycyons of them it myght seme that the bysshop of Rome ought of dutye to haue hyghest auctoryte and iurysdyccyon of all No we consequentlye after these thynges it is conuenyent to brynge in certayne as it were polytyke or cyuyle argumentes and reasons whiche perauenture myght cause to some men a phantasye byleue of the aforesayde coÌ„clusyon ¶ Of the whiche lette this be the fyrste Lykewyse as the body is to the soule in the same maner is the ruler of bodyes to the gouernour of soules but the body is vnder the soule as a subiecte to his gouernoure wherfore it foloweth that the ruler of
preeste a deacon doth dyffer sayth thus Presbiter Episcopus the one is a name of age the other of dygnyte wherfore also to Titus to Timotheus mencyon is made of the ordynacion of a bysshop or ouerseer of a deacon but of senyours or preestê no worde at all is spoken for in this worde Episcopus presbiter is coÌ„tayned This also appereth manyfestly by the apostle in the fyrst chapitre to the Philippianes whan he sayd To al y e sayntê or holy men in chryste Iesu which are in Philippe with the bysshops deacons To here that he nameth the preestê none otherwyse than bysshops or ouerseers for this is vndoubted there was not otherwyse many bysshops in one cytie but because there were many preestê The same thynge agayn is euydentlye shewed by the same Paule in the fyrst chapytre to Titus whan he sayd For this cause I lefte the behynde me at Creta that thou shuldest furnysshe vp suche thyngê as are lackynge or wantynge that thou shuldest ordayne and make preestê or senyours by the cyties so as I haue ordayned appoynted to the. Yf any man be fautles c. and by by after appoyntynge shewynge the qualytes beloÌ„gyng to them that shulde be made preestê he sayth for a bysshop ought to be without faulte as beynge the dispeÌ„satour or mynystre of god c. Lo here that he called hym which was to be made preeste nothynge els but a bysshop The same Paule in the. xx chapytre of the actes speakynge to the preestê of one churche that is to say of Ephesus sayth in this wyse Take hede to your selfe to y e hole flocke in whiche the holy ghost hath set you bysshops or ouerseers to gouerne the churche of god whiche he hath redemed with his owne blode Lo here that in the churche of one cytie that is to wyt of Ephesus the apostle spake to many as to bysshoppes or ouerlokers which was not but for that there were many preestes whiche all were called bysshops or ouerlokers because they ought to ouerloke the people How beit afterwardes in the churche folowynge he onely was called bysshop or ouerseer which by the other preestes the people was instytuted made cheyfe or hyghest of all y â— preestê of that cytie or place And the apostle called them rather bysshops or ouerseers than preestê or senyours because he wolde call vnto theyr remeÌ„brauÌ„ce the care busynes or dylygent ouerlokynge which they ought to haue of the other chrysten people He called hymselfe a preeste or senyour not a bysshop or ouerloker because of humilite mekenes as it appereth of the texte afore brought in of y e. iiii chapytre of the fyrst epystle to Timothe whan he sayd Do not despyse or set lyght of the grace or gyfte whiche is in the. c. So also Peter IohnÌ„ called them selues senyours for this name was gyuen of age wherfore in y e. v. chapytre of the fyrst epystle of Peter it is wryten Therfore I beseche the senyours whiche are amonge you beynge my selfe a senyour with them and a wytnesser of the passyons afflyccyoÌ„s of chryste c. And in the fyrste chapytre of the seconde epystle of IohnÌ„ it is wryten The senyour to the chosen lady to hersones c. And in the fyrst chapytre of the thyrd epystle of the same IohnÌ„ The senyour to the most derely beloued Caius c. But where the coÌ„mune texte of the canone or holy scrypture hath these wordes senior or coÌ„senior saynt Iherome in the epystle aforesayd hath euery where presbiter or conpresbiter For the apostles vsed these wordes as beynge all of one sygnyfycacyon But after the tymes of the apostles the nombre of preestes beynge notablye augmented and increased to auoyde sclaundre and occasyon of offendynge any man and to auoyde scisme and dyuysyon the preestes chose one amonge them selues whiche shulde dyrecte and ordre the other as touchynge to thee xercysynge of the ecclesiasticall offyce or seruyce and the dystrybutynge of the oblacyons the dysposynge orderynge of other thyngê in the most conuenyent maner lyste yf euery man myght do this thynge after his owne pleasure and as he left hym selfe the good ordre seruyce of the churches myght be troubled by the reason of the dyuerse affeccions of men This preeste whiche was so elected and chosen to ordre and rule the other preestê by the custome vsed maner of speakynge of them that came afterwardes was onely called a bysshop or ouerseer because not onely he was ouer loker of the chrysten people for whiche cause all other preestê also were called ouerseers in the prymatyue church but also be cause he had the ouersyght of y t other preestê for which cause such maner a preeste of Antioche retayned to hymselfe alone the name of a bysshop or ouerseer all they afterwardê retaynynge to them selues onely the name of a preest ¶ But this sayd eleccyon or instytucyon made by man gyueth or addeth to the person so elected and chosen no whyt of more large meryte essencial or of the auctoryte of preesthode or of the powre aforesayde but onely gyueth to hym a certayne powre of a canonycall ordynacyon in the house of god or temple to ordre dyrecte or rule other preestê and deacons and other offycers and mynystres Lyke as nowe a dayes vnto the pryour of a relygyouse house powre auctoryte is gyuen vpon the couent Powre I say not coactyue of any man but onely so farforth as shalbe graunted concernynge this poynt by the auctoryte of the kynge to the person so elected as it hath ben proued in y e. iiii the. viii chapytres of this dyccyon shal appere more largely in the chapytre nexte folowynge Neyther yet any other intrinsecall dygnyte or powre is gyuen to hym so elected by suche eleccyon After this maner the soldyars in warre chose to them selues a capytayne whome they were wonte in the olde tyme to cala mayster or emperour albeit that this worde Imperator in Englysshe emperour is nowe translated to betoken a certayne maner or kynde of regale powre hyghest ouer all so it is vsed nowe adayes So also the deacons amonge them selues choseth an archedeacon to whome suche eleccyon doth not gyue or adde any essencyal meryte or any holy ordre aboue deaconshyppe but onely it gyueth to hym a certayne humayne powre or auctoryte as we haue sayde to ordre rule the other deacons wherfore the bysshop of Rome hath no whyt more of the essencyall auctoryte of preesthode than hath any other preest who euer he be Euen lykewyse as saynt Peter had no whyt more of this essenciall powre than the other apostles for all they receyued this same auctoryte of chryste iÌ„medyatly egally as it was sayde before by the auctoryte of Iherome vpon that texte in the. xvi of Mathewe And to the I shal gyue the
Neyther it maketh any skyll or force whiche of y â— apostles layde on his haÌ„des wherfore it is wryten in the thyrde chapytre of the fyrst epystle to the Corynthianes Let no man glorie or reioyse in men whether it be Paule or Apollo or Cephas that is to wyt Peter c y t hathe baptysed you or otherwyse layde haÌ„des it maketh no force Furthermore the bysshop of Rome is not or ought not to be called syngulerly the successoure of saynt Peter for cause of the puttynge or layenge on handes for one may be coÌ„uenyently bysshop of Rome vpon whom saynt Peter neuer layde haÌ„de neyther medyatly ne yet iÌ„medyatly Neyther agayne he ought to be called y t successour of Peter for y t see or determynacion or appoyntmeÌ„t of y e place Fyrst because none of y e apostles was determyned or appoynted at al by y e law of god to any people or place for it was sayd in the last chapytre of Mathewe to them all Go you therfore teache you all nacyoÌ„s agayne because it is red that Peter was at Antioche before that he was at Rome Moreouer because thoughe Rome were made inhabitable destroyed yet the successyon of Peter shulde not therfore perysshe but Peter shulde haue a successour Furthermore because it can not be proued neyther by the lawe of god neyther by the scrypture althoughe it doth call men to the belefe of it selfe of the necessyte of saluacyon that it was ordayned or appoynted by chryste or by any of the apostles that the bysshop of any determynat prouynce or dyocese is or ought to be called spyritually the successour of Peter or of any other apostle superyour to other the case put that the apostles had ben neuer so vnegall in auctoryte but that persone or those persones be rather some maner way more the successours of Peter of the other apostles whiche be more coÌ„formable to the lyfe and holy maners coÌ„uersacyon of Peter the other apostles for such maner men the blyssed apostles wolde answere yf they were asked the questyon to be theyr successour moche lyke to the answere of chryste theyr mayster in y e. xii of Mathewe where when one sayd to hym Thy mother thy brethren stonde without y e dores sekynge the or wylliÌ„ge to speke with the he answered sayd who is my mother or who be my brethren who soeuer shall fulfyll the wyll of my father which is in heuen he is my brother suster mother whiche of the bysshops then or preestê is more worthy to be called the successour of the apostles doubtles he whiche foloweth them more in theyr coÌ„uersacion workê But yf any man shall say y t any bysshop is therfore pryncypally made the successour of saynt Peter because he is elected by the clargy of Rome or by the clargy with the resydue of the people to the bysshopriche therfore to be made bysshop ouerseet of the vnyuersal churche althoughe more spyrytually he belonge to the cytie of Rome aslonge as it shall remayne vndystroyed it is to be answered sayd that albeit this sayeÌ„ge may be many wayes repreued yet it may suffycyeÌ„tly be disproued put by by this one waye seynge that it can not be ê“ued by the holy scrypture but rather the coÌ„trary of it as it hath ben shewed here before shall be shewed more largely in y â— chapytre nexte hereafter folowiÌ„ge wherfore as lyghtly as it is sayd so lyghtly it may be denyed But wherby or how for what cause the priÌ„cipalyte or superiorite hath com to the bysshop and churche of Rome yf suche superyorite be dewe to them aboue other bysshops churches it shall be sayde seryously earnestly in the. xxii chapytre of this dyccyon But thoughe these thyngê aforesayde be meruaylouse vnwonte to be harde yet this that foloweth is more meruaylouse bycause it is more vnwonte strauÌ„ge it shal peraduenture seme at y â— least wyse inopinable yf it do not seme false That by y e certayne vndoubted testymony of y e scrypture it may be proued y t the bysshops of Rome as touchynge the prouynce nacyon ben rather the successours of the apostle Paule then of Peter namely in the episcopall see of Rome And moreouer whiche shall seme excedyngly more meruaylouse then this before rehersed that it can not be proued by the holy scrypture that the bysshoppes of Rome ben the especyal successours of saynt Peter by reason of the determynacyon of the prouynce or see but rather that they for that cause are the successours of Peter whiche haue ben bysshops and haue set or don set in the epyscopall see of Antioche more then the bysshoppes of Rome And the former of these two sayengê may be proued by this that albeit saynt Paule was generally sent to all nacyons lykewyse as euery one of the other apostles was wherof it is red in the. ix of the actes he is a chosen vessell vnto me for to bere my name afore the gentyles and kynges and sones of Israell but yet specyallye pryncypally he was the apostle of the gentyles lykewyse as Peter was the apostle teacher of the Iewes as well by reuelacyon as by the ordynacion of the apostles amonge them selues wherfore it is red in the seconde to the Galatyans whan Iames Peter IohnÌ„ had perceyued and sene that the gospell of vncyrcuÌ„cisyon that is to saye of the Gentyles was betaken to me as the gospell of cyrcuÌ„cysyon that is to saye of the Iewes was betaken to Peter c. and the apostle meaneth in both places the preachynge of the gospell to the gentyles to the Iewes to haue ben coÌ„mytted to hym to Peter pryncypally for both Peter myght preache to the Gentyles and Paule to the Iewes yf cause or necessyte had so requyred Albeit that the pryncypalyte amonge the Gentyles by mynystrynge of the gospell dyd beloÌ„ge to Paule the pryncipalyte of mynystrynge the same to the Iewes dyd belonge to saynt Peter as the glose expoundeth the same place after the mynde of Augustyne Agayne in the. xxii of the actê it was sayde to Paule beynge in a traunce by reuelacyon Go thy way for I shall sendethe in to farre nacyons Agayne in the. xxviii the last of the actes it is sayde so we came to Rome And a lytle afterwarde the apostle speaketh to y e Iewes in rome sayenge Be it therfore knowen to you that this holsome gospell of god is sent to the gentyles they shal here it he remayned or dwelled hole two yeres in a howse that he hyred receyued al men that cam in to hym preachynge to them the kyngdom of god Agayne he hym selfe wytnesseth this more specyally in the. xi to the Romayns where he sayth For I say to you geÌ„tyles y t as loÌ„ge as I am y e apostle of the gentyles I shall do honoure to my mynysterye yf I may by any meane
prouoke my nacyon to emulacyon folowynge y t is to say thoughe otherwhyles I do exhorte the Iewes also to this yet pryncypally I am sent apostle to the gentyles Agayne it is wryten of hym to the Galatians in the seconde chapytre Iames Peter IohnÌ„ whiche semed to be the pyllers gaue to me to Barnabas y â— ryght handes of societie felowshyp that we vnto the geÌ„tyles they vnto cyrcuÌ„cisyon y t is to say to the Iewes shuld go to preache the gospell and last of all the same is red in the secoÌ„de of the fyrst epystle to Timothe in the fyrst of the secoÌ„de epystle to the same but the textê I haue lefte out here because of shortenes ¶ For as moche than as it is open euydentlye by the scrypture that Paule was two yeres abydynge in Rome that there he dyd receyue al the Gentiles which were wyllynge to be conuerted that he dyd preache the gospel there it is playne and open that he was specyally bysshop of Rome because he dyd exercyse there the offyce of a pastore or bysshop hauynge y â— auctorite therof of chryst coÌ„mauÌ„dement by reuelacion the consent of other apostles by eleccion But as touchyng to saynt Peter in whome the seconde of the purposes sayde shall be proued appere euydently I do saye that it can not be proued of the holy scrypture that he was bysshop of Rome neyther yet which is a greatter thynge that he was euer at Rome For it semeth a very wonderful thynge yf it shuld be so as it is red in a certayne coÌ„mune ecclesiasticall legende of sayntê that Peter dyd come to Rome a fore saynt Paule there dyd preache the worde of god afterwarde was taken Moreouer that afterwarde saynt Paule at his coÌ„mynge to Rome Peter togyther had so many conflyctê or dysputacyons with Symon the inchauÌ„ter that they both togyther stroue so greatly for the fayth agaynst the emperours theyr mynysters that at the last accordynge to the same hystorye they bothe beynge headed togyther for the coÌ„fessyon of chryste dyed in our lorde so dyd coÌ„secrate y â— churche of Rome to chryste I say it is a wonderful thynge y t neyther saynt Luke whiche wrote the actes of the apostles neyther saynt Paule made any mencyon at all of saynt Peter ¶ Agayne that saynt Peter came not to Rome afore them it is of great lykelyhode to be beleuyd by that that is wryten in the last chapytre of the actê For whan Paule spake vnto y e Iewes at his fyrste coÌ„mynge amoÌ„ge other thynges wyllynge to shewe the cause of his coÌ„mynge to Rome he saythe But when the Iewes cryed coÌ„trary I was constrayned to appele vnto Ceaser But they sayd vnto hym we neyther receyued letters coÌ„cernynge the from iewry neyther cam there any of y e brethren that shewed or spake any harme of the. But we desyre to here of the what thy mynde or opynyon is for as touchynge to this secte we do knowe that it is euery where sayd agaynst Let therfore the sercher of the trouthe not sechynge to coÌ„tende stryue onely tell me whether it be probable or lykely to any man that saynt Peter came to Rome afore Paule dyd shewe them nothynge of the fayth of chryste whiche the Iewes spekynge to Paule called a secte Furthermore Paule in rebukynge them of theyr iÌ„credulyte hardnes to beleue yf he had knowen that Peter had ben there had preached how coulde it be but y t he wolde haue sayd brought in hym to be wytnes of this busynes whiche was wytnes of the resurreccyon of chryst as it is open in the thyrde of the actes agayne where of we haue spoken alredy who wyll suppose or thynke y t Paule beynge abydynge in Rome two yeres had neuer coÌ„uersacion coÌ„munycacyon or coÌ„panye felowshyp with Peter And yf he had that Luke wolde haue made no mencion therof at all whiche wrote the hystory of the actes for in other lesse famouse places whan Paule founde Peter he made mencyon of hym and was coÌ„uersaunt with hym as in Corynthe as we rede in the fyrste epystle and thyrde to y e CorynthyaÌ„s in Antioche as it is had in the secoÌ„de to y e GalatiaÌ„s so of very many other places yf he had therfore fouÌ„de hym in Rome how could it be but he wolde haue named hym Rome beynge y â— most famous cytie of all other in which after y â— foresayd hystory saynt Peter was ruler as bysshop therof for these thynges be in a maner vnbeleueable wherfore it semeth that that hystorye or legende can not prouable be sustayned or holden in this poynt and that it ought to be counted amonge the scryptures whiche be called apocriphe and of no canonycall veryte But by the holy scrypture it is to be holden vndoubtedly that saynt Paule was bysshop of Rome and yf any other were with hym in Rome yet for all that Paule was syngulerly and pryncypally bysshop of Rome for the causes aforesayd and that saynt Peter was bysshop of Antioche as it appereth in the seconde chapytre to the Galatians But that he was bysshop of Rome I do not say agaynst it but of lykelyhode I do holde that in this Peter dyd not preuent or com before Paule but rather coÌ„trary wyse Paule preuented Peter But the thynge whiche of all is most to be taken hede of marked for our pryncypall purpose is this y t albeit there are some congruences by reason of which it myght appere that they whiche are called whiche waye soeuer it be specyally the successours of saynt Peter namely the epyscopall see of Rome are more worshypful reuereÌ„de than the successours of the other apostles yet for all that of no necessyte holy scrypture causeth vs to beleue that the successours of the apostles are subiectes to y e same successours of Peter after any of the powers or auctorytes aforesayd For all thoughe it were graunted that the apostles were vnegall in auctoryte yet had not Peter therfore nor any other apostle by the vertue of the wordes of scrypture any powre vpon y e other to instytute or depose them neyther as touchynge to the dygnyte of preesthode which we haue called the essencyall dygnyte neyther as touchynge the sendynge or determynynge and appoyntynge of them to any certayne place or people neyther to the interpretynge of scrypture or of the catholicall fayth neyther as touchynge to coactyue iurysdyccyon of any man in this world wherfore of necessyte it semeth to folowe that neyther any successour of any of them syngularly or specyallye after what soeuer maner he be so called hath any of the abouesayde maners of powre vpon the successours of the other And this may be euydently confermed by the auctoryte of saynt Iherome which we brought in of his epystle to EuaÌ„dre aboute the ende of the chapytre last aforegone ¶ Of the auctoryte of instytutynge
bysshoppes to whome it dothe appertayne and belonge and also of instytutynge other curates the other mynysters of the churche as touchynge to both dignytê or offycê seperable vnseperable The xvij chapytre THus than we haue shewed who is the effectyue cause that is to say the instituter ordayner of y â— fyrst auctoryte belongynge to preestê which we haue called the essencyall auctoryte nowe it resteth and remayneth vnto vs for to determyne speake of the other auctoryte by whiche some of the preestê are preferred before other some to be rulers outher to certayne preestê or to certayne people or to bothe in a certayne prouynce or place Moreouer ho we or wherby it belongeth to the same to dyspence ordre or dystrybute certayne teÌ„porall thyngê called the benefyces of the churche Aagayne also howe by which meane coactyue iurysdyccioÌ„s hath come to them or to certayne of them To what persone also or ê‘sones after what maner most coÌ„uenyently it beloÌ„geth to determyne y â— doubtfull sences of the holy scrypture namely cheyfly in those thyngê which are appertaynynge to the necessyte of soule helthe for whan these thyngê shall be ones suffycyently opened and declared that thynge shall euydentlye appere whiche was pryncypally intended and purposed of vs euer syns the begynnynge of this worke ¶ But yet afore that we do prosecute the thynges here purposed partyculerlye it is expedyent and necessarye to shewe fyrst the maner of the instytucion determynynge or assygnynge of bysshops or preestes vsed aboute the state begynynge of the prymatyue churche from whiche all other thynges aboue ben afterwardes deryued And the begynnynge of all these thyngê are to be taken of chryste which is the heed and stone wherupon the catholyke churche is grouÌ„ded accordynge to the sayenge of saynt Paule in the. iiii and. v. to the Ephesianes and in the. x. of the fyrste to the Coryntheanes a certayne glose also sayth the same in the. xvi of Mathewe vpon this texte Upon this stone I wyll buylde my churche this heed I saye and the stone the foundacyon of the churche that is to wyt chryste gaue preesthode to the apostles and episcopall auctoryte ouer vpon all nacyons and peoples not determynynge or appoyntynge any of them seuerallye so vnto any certayne place or people but y t it myght be laufull to euery one of them to preache where soeuer it were albeit that some of them were more deputed and assygned to preache amonge the Gentyles some to preache amonge the Iewes by the ordynacyon of them amonge themselues or elles of the holy ghost whiche thynge also semeth to be the mynde of the glose the seconde to the Galathians vpon this texte And whan they had knowen the grace which was gyuen to me amonge the Gentyles c. For there sayth the glose Chryst gaue to Paule that he shulde mynystre to the gentyles and to Peter that he shulde mynystre to the Iewes But yet this dyspensacyon or mynysterye of the gospell was so dystrybuted departed betwene them two that bothe Peter myght preache to the Gentyles yf cause had ben and Paule also to the Iewes And this same also Paule semeth to haue meaned lykewyse in the. xi to the Romaynes whan he sayde I shall put my mynysterye to honoure yf I maye by any meane prouoke my nacyon to emulacyon or folowynge His nacyon he calleth the Iewes of whome he came by carnall generacyon as the glose sayth in the same place of whiche wordes of the apostle it semeth to be thought iudged y t by the same powre by which one is instytuted and made preest he hath powre to mynystre euery where indyfferentlye and vpon euery people albeit that by a certayne ordynacyon of man some are determyned and assygned more to one certayne place or people than to another namely nowe adayes And these thynges semeth consonauÌ„t agreable to the scrypture and also to reason for chryste gyuynge to euery one of the apostles generall admynystracyon in the. xxviii of Mathewe sayde to them indyfferently Go you therfore teache all nacyons assygnynge or appoyntynge none of them to any determynate place or people But they seme otherwhyles to haue ben determyned and assygned to some specyall nacyon or people by the reuelacyon of god for asmoch as the apostle sayth of hymselfe in the. xxii of the actes It chaunced me whan I was retourned in to Iherusalem and as I was prayenge in the temple to be rauysshed in mynde and to se hym that is to wyt chryste sayenge vnto me Make haste and go out quyckely from Iherusalem for they shall not receyue thy testymonye that thou shalte bere of me And a lytle after it foloweth that chryste sayd vnto hym go thy way for I shall sende the in to nacions farre hence Lo here semeth it that Paule somtyme by reuelacyon was assygned to some determynate certayne place people And besyde this he also with the other apostles receyued the same assygnemente by a certayne ordynacyon of man wherfore he sayde in the seconde to the Galathyans thus Iames Peter IohnÌ„ gaue to me to Barnabas the ryght handes of societie felowshyp that we shuld preache amonge the Gentyles they amonge the Iewes Lo here a determynacyon or assygnemeÌ„t of the apostles vnto certayne people determynat prouynces made iÌ„medyatlye by the ordynacyon of man But this is vndoubted that of suche determynacyon or assygnement made other iÌ„medyatlye by the reuelacyon of god or by the ordynacyon of them amonge themselues they dyd not receyue any perfeccyon by the holy ghost whiche they had not before ¶ The same also as I sayde is agreable to reason For the case put that any bysshop or other curate beynge assygned and appoynted to a certayne prouynce or people were gone forthe of y e prouynce coÌ„mytted to hym as we se it chaunce now adayes more ofte than is nedefull or conuenyent dyd mete other by some chauÌ„ce or elles of purpose with some infydell and not baptysed but yet desyrynge other by hymselfe or by some other persone of the sayde curate to be baptysed and made chrystened yf the sayde curate do the baptyse hym kepynge the forme of the sacrament this is vndoubted that this man is verely and truely baptysed albeit peraduenture that he dothe synne deedly whiche doth so baptyse any man in the prouynce not subiected or coÌ„mytted to hym wherfore we maye conclude that no man is determyned or assygned by the episcopall or sacerdotale powre which we haue called the essencial powre vnto any certayne place or people but this powre indyfferentlye concerneth all nacyons and people But yet suche determynacyons and assygnementes haue ben made somtyme by dyuyne reuelacyon as in the prymatyue churche but more often by the ordynacyon of man namely nowe adayes and that for cause of auoydynge sclaunder occasyon of offence amoÌ„ge the bysshoppes and preestes one of them with an other and for
folowynge Also it hathe pleased vs that besyde the canonicall scryptures nothynge be red in the churche vnder y e name of the deuyne scrypturê And the canonycall scryptures be Geneses the other in the volume of y e byble whiche are rekened vp there neyther that whiche Augustyne sayth agaynst the Manicheis in the epystle of the foundacyon is any whyt agaynst these thynges aforesayd for there saynt Augustyne sayth but I wolde not beleue the gospel excepte the auctoryte of the catholyke churche dyd moue or styre me in whiche sayenge he semeth to preferre the auctoryte of man before the auctoryte of the scrypture For alwayes that wherfore an other thynge is regarded is more regarded it owne selfe But let vs answere y t it is not all one thynge to beleue a worke boke or treatyse to be made wryten by some doctor or man to beleue that that same worke that it is true profytable or hurtfull to be obserued or to be refused For a man may receyue or take the one of these two thyngê by the testymonie of men without the secoÌ„de coÌ„trary wyse the secoÌ„de without the fyrst he may receyue bothe of them lykewyse otherwhyles by the testymonye of men as for example some man shall beleue that same scrypture which is offered layde afore hym to be the lawe of the couÌ„tree by the coÌ„mune testimonye of the inhabytantê or dwellers there whiche sayd lawe for all y t to be true or to be obserued not transgressed or broken he may lerne by some sensible sygile as by y e payne or punysshemeÌ„t whiche he hathe seen to be done to the traÌ„sgressours therof by ryght reason of his owne mynde without any perswasyon or sayenge of any men So also backewarde agayne he whiche sethe any man make a boke or buylde a house or to do anyother thynge shall beleue of his owne selfe without the testymony of men y t the boke was made or the house was buylded of the same man but that the contentê in that boke be true or false ê“fytable or noysome to be folowed or exchued he may beleue this by y e testymony of men namely of credable persons Agayne a man may take or receyue bothe otherwhyles of or by the testymony of men as he which neuer sawe Hyppocrates shal beleue y t this is y â— boke doctryne of Hippocrates by the testymonye of men and that the contentê thyngê wryten in it be true or false to be obserued or to be refused for the coÌ„seruacyon of helthe the auoydynge of syckenes this the same man shal receyue or beleue of y e testymony of lerned men And after the same or very lyke maner to beleue y t any scrypture coÌ„tayned in the byble is the tradycion of god this thynge a man may take of the coÌ„mune testymonye of chrysten men or of the catholyke churche which yet for al that neuer sawe nor herde chryste neyther hath had any perceyuynge of chryste by any other exteryor sence But yet that this scrypture is true he shall beleue by fayth as for exaÌ„ple by myracle without the testymonye of any man euen lyke wyse as Paule beleued before his coÌ„uersyon y t the lawe which he dyd then ê‘ceyue was the doctryne of chryste by the testymonye of the preachers whom he persecuted and yet for all that he dyd not therfore beleue the sayde lawe to contayne the truthe But afterwardes he beleued it to be true fyrste by a sencyble myracle and coÌ„sequeÌ„tly by the fayth which he had lykewyse also both these thyngê is taken otherwhyles by the testymony of man as y t the scryture is a law made and gyuen by chryste and that the contentes in it are true and to be obserued and to get eternall lyfe saluacyon and to auoyde eternall myserye is beleued and hath ben beleued of many men which neuer sawe chryste nor haue knowen hym by any exteryor sence neyther euer hathe perceyued any myracle or sencyble sygne therof ¶ Therfore this sayenge of saynt Augustyne I wolde not beleue the gospell yf the auctoryte of the churche dyd not moue me maye accordynge to the thynges aforesayd be vnderstanded two maner wayes and haue two sences The one is this that he beleued the scrypture to be the gospell that is to saye the ioyfull message of chryste by the testymonye of the churche albeit y t he dyd beleue this scrypture or gospell to contayne truthe more pryncypally peraduenture by some myracle or by some reuelacion or elles by the faythe by whiche he dyd beleue y t chryste was very god and so consequentlye that al his tradycion doctryne was trewe and to be obserued and kepte The other sence whiche the sayde wordes of Augustyne may haue is this that he dyd fyrste and at the begynnynge receyue and beleue bothe these aforesayde thynges by the testymonye of the churche albeit the fyrste sence of these two semeth to agree more vnto the sayenge of the apostle in the fyrst chapytre to the Galathians For the wordes and sayenges of chryste or of god ar not therfore trewe because the churche doth so wytnesse to them by true testymonye but therfore is the wytnes or testymonye of the churche true when she alledgeth for her the true sayenge of chryste whiche make her sayengê true because they are true wherfore the apostle to the GalathiaÌ„s afore alledged sayth thus But thoughe we or an auÌ„gel from heuen do preache vnto you any thynge otherwyse than we haue preached vnto you cursed be he And lykewyse it is to be vnderstanded that althoughe the holy churche had preached any other gospell that is to say a contrary gospell it shulde not haue ben true And the cause why Paule thus sayd was for that that was sure and out of doubte that the sayde gospell was the sayenge or reuelacyon of chryste in whiche coulde be no falsytie And therfore after what soeuer sence the aforesayd wordes of saynt Augustyne be expounded they ar not contrarye or agaynst the senteÌ„ce which we haue sayd And saynt Augustyne dothe for so moche saye that he beleueth the gospell for the auctoryte of the churche because he toke the begynnynge of his beleue of the churche For fayth otherwhyles begynneth of hearynge And agayne because he was moued with the good lyuynge and holy conuersacyon of the churche and with the pacyent sufferaunce of trybulacyon whiche he perceyued in the churche in tyme of persecucyon ¶ The. xx xxi and. xxii chapytres be lefte out as not of moche value and to auoyde the offence of some spyrytuall persons that beare peper in theyr noses y t iudge euery truth to be spoken of malyce ¶ Of the dyuerse maners or sygnyfycacioÌ„s after which fulnes of powre maye be taken and after what maner and ordre the bysshop of Rome hath taken these vnto hym and breyfly generallye after what maner and fascyon he hathe vsed dothe vse them The
shepe of the whole worlde but to eche one of them one determynate and pertyculare flocke and prouynce hath ben coÌ„mytted to be gouerned ¶ After that the bysshop of Rome had taken vnto hym selfe the tytle of fulnes of powre albeit not accordynge to the trewe sence of the scrypture as it shall be suffycyentlye shewed in the. xxviii chapytre of this dyccyon Of presumpcion he went further in to an other sygnyfycacyon peraduenture because of lucre and auauntage or elles to vsurpe some other coÌ„modyte profyte or excellencie aboute other men that is to wyt takynge vpon hym selfe and preachynge openly that he alone seuerallye maye after what maner soeuer it shall please hym by his worde vtterlye exempte or delyuer and assoyle synners from the paynes of purgatorye so he calleth them ¶ And after these sygnyfycacions so taken vnder a certayne coloure and appetaunce of pytie and mercye to the ende that fyrste they myght seme of charyte to take thought and care for all men And secondaryly that they myght be supposed to haue powre and to be wyllynge to haue mercy and pytie vpon al men the bysshops of Rome beynge streÌ„gthed with the pryuyleges and grauntes of the emperours as they lowedely lye cheyfly the emperyal seate beynge vacante dyd extende and stretche forth this tytle further Fyrst to the ordeynynge and makynge certayne lawes vpon the clarkes or preestes concernynge the ecclesiasticall customes and ceremonyes whiche at the begynnynge were called decrees And afterwardes by the waye and maner of requestes and exhortacyons they perswaded certayne ordynacyons to the laye men as of fastes and of abstynence from certayne meatê at certayne tymes for y e obtayniÌ„ge of y e helpe mercy of god to take away certayne pestyleÌ„cê infesciones of the ayre from men which raygned at y t tyme as it appereth euydently of the legende of saynt Gregory and of other certayne sayntes But after that the laye men had of theyr owne free wyll taken and receyued suche abstynences and because of deuocyon had by longe custome obserued suche free ordynaunces whiche we sayd to haue ben requestes or exhortacyons than the tyrantes of Rome began to coÌ„maunde openly the same thyngê by the maner of a precepte or law so that they were bolde without y e lyceÌ„ce of the worldly prynces to stryke the trangressoures therof with the terroure or drede of theyr curse or excoÌ„munycacyon but yet vnder the coloure and apperaunce of relygyon or of the honorynge of god Afterwardes theyr appetytes of hauynge do mynyon increasynge more and more and whan they perceyued also that deuout chrysten men were greatly put in feare with suche maner of wordes throughe fearefulnes and ignoraunce of the lawe of god whiche beleued them selues to be bounde vnto those thynges whiche were coÌ„maunded by the preestes for feare of eternall dethe than the bysshoppes of Rome with theyr companye of clarkes presumed further to statute or make certayne oblygarchicall decrees or ordinacyons concernynge cyuyle actes by whiche they pronounced them selues and euery one that dyd take theyr ordre or the offyce of clarkeshyp vpon them yea beynge pure laye men to be exempted from all publyke and coÌ„mune charges promotynge vnto this offyce euyn seculare men and maryed whiche were soone allured therunto that they myght enioye iÌ„munite and fredom from the coÌ„mune and publyke charges by the reason wherof they made no lytle parte of the cyuyle multytude subiectê vnto them selues withdrawynge them from the powre and gouernauÌ„ce of the seculare prynces gouernours And agayne purposynge goynge aboute to withdrawe a greatter multytude they pronounced by other decrees y t all those were stryken with the payne of cursynge who soeuer shall haue done any personall iniuryes what soeuer they be vnto any of them which haue ben taken vnto the companye of clarkes and defamynge also openlye in the churches those that dothe any iniurye to clarkes by excoÌ„munycacyon and no lesse persuynge the same men therfore they requyre to haue them punysshed by the penaltes of the temporall lawes But this that foloweth is a more detestable thynge and verye execrable to the offyce of preestes that the bysshoppes of Rome and certayne other bysshoppes to the intent that they maye ampliate and enlarge theyr owne iurysdyccyon and after that theyr moste fylthy lucre vnto the contempt of god and the manyfest preiudyce of the seculare prynces dothe excoÌ„munycate shyt out from the sacramentes of the churche as well laye men as clarkes beynge peraduenture a lytle neglygent and not regardynge or elles beynge all vtterly vnable to paye certayne dettes of money to the payment wherof they were formally bounde vntyll a certayne terme of tyme appoynted whiche laye men and clarkes chryste with mayne exhortacyons paynes and labours and laste of all by his owne marterdome and precyous blode hathe put or set within the churche So dyd not Paule whiche was made of all facyons vnto all men to the intente that he myght wyn all men to chryste but he wolde that synners shulde be cut away from the company of other chrysten men onely for great and greuouse offeÌ„ces as it hathe ben shewed of vs before of the fyrste epystle to the Corinthyans And yet they beynge not contente herewith but desyrynge the domynyon and hyghest gouernaunce of seculare men contrarye to the precepte of chryste and the apostles hath braste forthe in to the makynge of lawes seuerally from the lawes of the whole coÌ„munaltyes decreynge that all the clargye is exempted from the cyuyle lawes bryngynge in and causynge a cyuyle scysme or dyuysyon and a pluralyte of cheyfe gouernours whiche we haue shewed in the. xvii chapytre of the fyrste dyccion to be impossyble to the quyetnes tranquylite of men alledgynge sure and vndoubted experyence therof for this sayd pluralyte of hedes or hyghest gouernours is the rote and the begynnynge of the pestylence or dystruccyon of the empyre of Italy out of whiche rote all hurtes and occasyons of euyls hathe sproÌ„ge and dothe come forth and durynge the same there shall neuer cease cyuyle dyscordes in the same empyre for the bysshop of Rome hath of longe tyme holden this powre wherunto he crope in by lytle and lytle and by preuy preuary cacyon of custome or rather abuse And he furthermore fearynge least the same powre shulde be reuoked from hym by the emperour and not without a cause for the excesses coÌ„mytted by hym with all wycked dylygence forbyddeth and letteth the creacyon and promotynge of the emperour of Rome and at the laste one of them hathe braste forthe in to so great boldnes that he hath in his decrees expressed the emperour of Rome to be bounde to hym by othe of fydelyte as beynge subiecte to hym by coactyue iurysdyccyon as it appereth euydently to them that lyfte to loke vpon it by the folysshe and vtterly despyse worthy vii boke of theyr narracyons whiche they do call decretalles in the tytle Desentencia
the greatest the meane and the smalestest dygnytyes ecclesyastycall promocyons to vnlearned men or to them that be ignoraunte of the holy scryptures and wolde god that he gaue them not to crymynous persones as well those that be knowen of hym selfe as those that be not knowen to chyldren and infantes also throughe symony outher of theyr owne partye or of y ◠intreaters or through some other corrupte affeccyon for the moste partye So than the greatest moste pryncypall seates beynge thus infected by the promotynge yea and also by the intrusyon of suche maner persones al the other smaller cures or offyces belongynge to the gyfte of them are also throughe the cōtagyousnes of them made corrupte and are poysoned For they beynge glad of lyke persōs vnto them selues as euer lyke is glad of lyke as man of man horse of horse as the gentyle phylosopher sayde they set vpon the gate of symonye or of some other vnlawfull waye by whiche them selues entred or came in to the ecclesyastical offyces vnto other vnlerned persons and lewde of maners For they wyllynge to do accordynge to theyr owne maners whiche maners dygnyte hath not chaunged but often tymes hathe shewed brought to lyght do hate and reiecte eschewe and oppresse holye ryghttuous and learned men whiche go not aboute to entre in to the house of god by suche maner pathes as beynge enemyes vnto them selues for as chryste whiche is the imortall trouthe saythe he that euyll doth hateth the lyght And I can not ouerhyppe this also that the aforesayde bysshop for to purchase and get the loue and fauoure or thākes of great men and peraduenture also for money receyued besyde that hathe promoted certayne yonge men vnto bysshoppes in famouse cyties notwithstandynge that they haue ben ignoraunte and vnskylled of the law of god and of other dyscyplynes and scyences and moreouer not promoted to any holye ordre And yet for all that saynt Iherome sayth to Euandre that preest hode is contayned in the offyce of a bysshop or ouerseer The ecclesyastycall gouernours than beynge thus infected doubtles all the whole mystycall bodye of chryste is sycke and dyseased for whan the prelates of the churches omytteth and leaueth out exhortacyons obsecracyons and increpacyons to the other curates accordynge to holsome doctryne And dothe cōmytte detestable and abhomynable thynges openlye the people is offended and taketh occasyon of synnynge throughe the example of them for as a marke is set vp to shoters so are they set to be an example to the people whiche thynge Chryste consyderynge sayd in the. v. of Mathewe Lette your lyght so shyne in the syghte of men that they maye se your good workes And hereof cōmeth the rote and fyrste peruersyte of the maners vsed nowe adayes vnto whiche inconclusyon foloweth eternall dampnacyon for as Chryste saythe in the. v. of Mathewe yf a blynde man be guyde to a blynde man bothe do fall in the dyche But what shall we saye of the dystrybucyon and bestowynge of the temporalles where the resydue of the sayd temporalles that is superfluouse to suffyce the necessytie of the ecclesyastycall mynystres ought to be dystrybuted vnto poore impotent beggers and other myserable persons as euery man in a maner doth knowe nowe they ar turned in to shameful vses or to speake more truely in to shameful abuses vnto which this newe kynd of almose is one that the moste parte of the sayde temporalles are spente and bestowed vpon men of warre both horsemen and foremen to rayse vp to norysshe contynuall warres amonge chrysten people that at the laste they maye subdewe them and make them subiectes to theyr owne tyrannycall powre Thus than of the aforesayde thynges it appereth and is euydent that by reason of the fulnes of powre the mystycall body of the churche as touchynge to the matter or pryncypall mēbers of it specyallye as for cause of example the prelates is on euery syde infected and nere to corrupcyon ¶ Nowe to speake of the forme or fascyon of this body whiche forme ought to cōsyste in the ordre dewe sytuacyon of his mēbres this same dody to hym y t luste dylygently to beholde it to aduyse marke it well shall seme as an euyll fauored and mysshapen monstre for what man wolde not iudge the bodye of y t beast to be mysshapen vnprofytable to cōuenyent operacions in whiche body euery one of the mēbres therof is īmedyatly ioyned knytte vn to the heed for y e fynger or hande yf it be ioyned knytte īmedyatly vnto the heed because it wanteth his due place it shall want also his vertue conuenyent mouynge and operacyon But it shall not be so yf the fynger be ioyned to the hande and the hande to the arme and the arme to the sholder the sholder to the necke the necke be knytte to the heed by conuenyēt ioyntes For so the body is made comly in his shap and so the heed maye sende cōuenyent vertue in to the other mēbres in to one of them by an other accordynge to the nature ordre of them And the sayd membres by y e reason hereof may do the operacions cōuenyent belongynge vnto them selues whiche forme and maner we ought to regarde in euerye bothe ecclesiasticall and also cyuyle regyment or gouernaunce for the bysshop of Rome can not īmedyatly beholde loke vpon the syngulare pertyculare actes of euery pertyculare persone in all prouynces īmedyatlye dyrecte them but yf these thynges shulde be done suffycyently accordyngly they ought to be holpen by specyall mynystres accordynge to a due ordre for the body of the churche beynge so ordred may contynue also encrease whiche thynge Paule the doctor of the gentyles perceyuynge sayde in this wyse in the. iiii chapytre to the Ephesyans Let vs growe in hym whiche in all poyntes is the heed chryste in whome all the whole body beynge cōpacted and knytte togyther by euery ioynte of submynystracyon accordynge to the operacyon of euery parte in his measure maketh increase of the bodye but by the fulnes of powre permytted vnto the bysshop of Rome all this ordre or dewe forme is taken awaye For he alsolueth all prelates archebysshops bysshoppes chaptours collegyes abbottes freers monkes and pryours of relygyous houses from theyr allegiās due vnto theyr prynce And hath subdued al these to his owne cure and īmedyate correccyon for no euydent profyte or vtylyte but rather as it is openly knowen for greadynes and desyre to hepe sutes or stryues in the lawe vnto hym selfe to the gatherynge of money and to the spoylynge and robbynge of the prelates also intendynge the greatter subduynge of them But yet howe great insolencie and pryde hath folowed therof in a maner euery man knoweth for these aforesayd persons lackynge the cure and obedyence dewe to theyr prynce are made stubburne dysobedyent and without the reuerence or drede of them to whome they ought of ryght worthelye to be
subiectes and obedyent and taketh also hereof vnto them selues to other occasyon lybertie to syn more at large To this adde a newe sprynge or braunche of the sayd rote y t the bysshop of Rome of his fulnes of powre hath forbydden them whiche haue any ecclesiasticall benefyce where euer it be without his lycence to make any testamentes hath decreed that the goodes of them that dyeth intestate are to be coÌ„uayed brought iÌ„medyatlye vnto his see And adde this also which is a greatter thynge and more of the deuyll for it is most large symonye althoughe it be fulfylled after the deade that by the same powre he reserueth the rentes and profytes or frutes of all the benefyces in whatsoeuer places they be the fyrste yere that they ar vacante gatheryng after this maner vnto hymselfe all the treasures of the worlde and robbynge all kyngdoms and prouynces of the same in whiche prouynces they ought to be dystrybuted to the mynystres of the gospell and to myserable persons or elles to be turned in to the subsydie succour of the coÌ„mune wealthe wherof they are taken yf nede shall requyre for herefore they haue ben ordayned and assygned This agayne is a more iÌ„tollerable thynge that he sayth that the legacyes or bequestê in the testamentes of chrysten laye men for the passage beyonde the see or for other causes accordynge to the dysposycion of certayne determynate persones whome they call coÌ„myssaryes dothe appertayne to his ordrynge by the same fulnes of powre And no meruayle hereof seynge y t a certayne bysshop amonge them hath sayd that he hymselfe hath domynyon of all kynges prynces realmes coÌ„munyties notwithstandynge y t in very dede none of all the aforesayd thynges doth appertayne vnto his powre and of the same rote mo greuouser thynges than these shall chaunce to sprynge vp whiche can not all be tolde for the so dyuers nature of them For one inconuenyent graunted namely suche one in whiche all other incoÌ„uenyencê that may be thought or ymagyned aboute cyuyle actes are coÌ„tayned it is no harde thynge for any other inconuenyences whatsoeuer they be to chauÌ„ce accordynge to the gentyle phylosopher Arystotle for this full powre beynge due vnto hym it foloweth that he may do whatsoeuer helyste wherfore he doth suspende dysanulle reuoke all y e ordynacioÌ„s lawes of men at his owne pleasure which thynge as beynge the extreme vttermoste incoÌ„uenyent y t may be in the worldly regyment gouernaunce as well sayntê as phylosophers hath hated refused as it was proued by demoÌ„stracyon in the. xi chapytre of the fyrst dyccyon also was more largely confyrmed in the. v. of this dyccion by the auctoryte of saynt Augustyne in y e. vi chapytre of the fyrst epystle to Timothe So than by the fulnes of powre permytted vnto hym y t whole body of y e churche is infectyd the ordre of all the ecclesiastycall iconomie is broken cyuyle regyment gouernaunce is letted vtterly or troubled in parte Vpon the whiche bysshop yf chrysten men wyll caste theyr iyes as I beseche them to do whiche hath ben dusked bleared many adaye to the most parte of them by a certayne couer or cloke coloure of sophistycall honesty they shallse clerely them selues who soeuer hath visyted the courte of Rome or to saye more truely the house of marchaundyse or the horryble denne of theues to vse chrystes wordes or whosoeuer hath not visyted it shal learne by the reporte of a great many of credyble persons y t it is made in a maner the receptacle sanctuarye of all myscheuous men and of marchauntes bothe spyrytuall and temporall for what other thynge is there than the concourse of symonyacall persons from all countrees what other thynge than the bablynge noyse of proctours pleaders of causes the assaulte of quarelers and false accusers the vexacion of iuste men There the iustyce of innoceÌ„t persons is in ioperdy or at the least wyse it is so greatly dyfferred put of yf they be notable to bye it with money that at the laste they beynge clene beggarde theyr money all consumed and themselues weryed with innumerable labours are compelled to gyue ouer theyr ryghtful and myserable causes There the lawes of men thundre and sounde lowde but the lawe and doctryne of god outher kepeth scylence or elles soundeth very seldome there are treatyses rolles and rentalles preuy castes deuysed how to inuade the prouynces of chrysten men by violence powre of armes to get to take away the sayd prouynces from them to whose custody they haue ben lawfully coÌ„mytted But howe to get or wyn soules there is no thought nor care no counsayles at all Moreouer there is none ordre but coÌ„tynuall horroure inhabyteth and dwelleth there And I whiche haue ben present there and seen the maner do thynke in my mynde that I do se that terryble and dredefull Image whiche Nabugodonozor dyd se in his dreame as it is recyted in the seconde chapytre of Danyell hauynge his heed of golde his armes breste of syluer his bely and his thyghes of brasse and his legges of yerne and the one parte of his fete yerne the other of erthe for what other thynge betokeneth this great Image than the state of the courte of Rome or of the pope whiche in olde tyme was terrible to lewde euyll men nowe is horryble to beholde vnto good and vertuous men For the superyoure meÌ„bres of this Image the heed y â— breste and the armes what other thynge are they in syght in affeccyon and loue than golde and syluer and the workes of mans handes And the bely and the thyghes of it what other thynge are they than the great noyse and sounde of seculare stryfes or causes or of false accusacyons and quarelles and of symonyacall byenges and sellynges for I wyll not nowe speake of the thundres lyghtnynges of curses excoÌ„munycacions both wryten gyuen forth by mouthe agaynst chrysten men whiche do refuse thoughe ryghtuouslye to be seculerlye subiected vnto the bysshop of Rome and to his churche to gyue temporal goodes vnto them And I beseche the tell me what other thyngis at the thyghes of brasse than the pompouse proude ordynauÌ„cê of pleasures ryote wel nere of alvanyties yea such as are vnsemelye for laye men which pompous ordynaunce they do imprynte in the sences of men whiche ought to be the example of chastyte and honestye vnto all other And the legges of yerne the fete and the toes wherupon the Image standeth and is made fast beynge partlye of erthe towardes what other thynge go they than the vsurpacyon inuasyon and occupacion of seculare domynyons kyngdoms and prouynces by the vyolent powre of armed men or men harnaysed with yerne bryngynge with them for this purpose the superyoure membres that is to wyt the geuynge of golde and syluer whiche prouoketh the armed men here
coÌ„trarye and to be agaynst this truthe do confesse or graunte that this auctorite and after a larger maner than is aforesayde hathe afterwardes ben graunted to Charlemayne and to Otto the fyrst kynge of Almayne emperour of Rome by all y e people of Rome as by the bysshop the clargye and other seculer persons wherfore it is red in approued hystoryes and it is true also that this decree folowynge came forthe by the coÌ„mune consente of the people of Rome Leo pope in the synodye whiche was congregated at rome in the church of saynt sauyoure accordynge to the example of blyssed Adryane bysshop of the apostolyke see whiche grauÌ„ted vnto lorde Charles the most vyctoryous kynge of FrauÌ„ce Lombardy the dygnyte of a senatour and the ordynacyon and the inuestyture of the apostolyke see I also Leo the seruaunte of the seruauntes of god bysshop with all the clargye the people of Rome do constytute confyrme and roborate by our apostolyke auctoryte do graunte gyue to Otto the fyrste kynge of Almayne to his successours of this realme or empyre of Italye foreuer as well powre to chose a successoure vnto them selfe as also to ordayne and assygne the bysshop of the apostolyke see by this also to ordayne arche bysshops or bysshoppes so that they shall take theyr inuestiture of hym and theyr consecracion of them of whom they ought to take it Onely these excepted whome the emperour hathe graunted to the pope and to archebysshops And that no man from hensforth of what so euer dygnytie relygyon or holynes he be shall haue powre to electe outher senatoure or bysshop of the hyghest apostolyke see or to ordayne any other bysshop who soeuer he be without the consente of the sayd emperoure whiche for all that shall be made without any money and that he shall be senatour and also kynge And yf it so chaunce that any bysshop be elected by the clargye excepte he be lauded alowed of the aforesayde kynge haue his inuestyture of hym let hym not be coÌ„secrated yf any man do enterpryse or go aboute any thynge agynst this auctoryte we haue decreed hym to be vnder excoÌ„munycacion accursed and except he shall repent to be punysshed with perpetuall exyle or banysshement or els to be punysshed with the extreme punysshementê or deathe This decree also SteueÌ„ the pope successour vnto the aforesayd Leo hath confyrmed also one Nicholas the successour of Steuen coÌ„mauÌ„dynge it to be obserued kepte vnder the payne of the terryble curse that is to wyt that the transgressours brekers of it oughte to be accompted amonge the wycked men whiche shall not ryse agayne in iudge ment as the profyte sayth in the fyrste psalme And of this decree it is specyallye to be noted y t this auctoryte concernynge the inuestytures whiche the bysshop of Rome with the whole people dyd translate vnto the emperour as touchynge on the popes partye was a certayne renuÌ„cyacion For the fyrst and pryncypall auctoryte hereof was and is appertaynynge to the emperour whiche had than grauÌ„ted to the pope this auctoryte of gyuynge y e inuestyture vnto bysshops and arche bysshops For because all teÌ„porall thynges by whome soeuer they shall haue ben translated in to any maner churche as touchynge to this thynge were are subiecte to the prynce of the prouynce in whiche the sayde temporalles are sytuate or lyenge And this is sygnyfyed by the aforesayde decree where it is sayde excepte those whome the emperoure hathe graunted to the pope and archebysshoppe So also to instytute the bysshop of the apostolyke see appertayneth to the powre and auctoryte of the emperour This notwithstandynge certayne bysshops of Rome vsurpynge the iurysdyccyon of the peoples and prynces aswell in the makynge or gyuynge as in the lawes gyuen haue enterprysed to make promulgate or publysshe these lawes thoughe vnduely and wrongfully and by lytle and lytle haue proceded and gone forwarde in them namely the emperyall see beynge vacante wherupon coÌ„menly and for the most part for the occupacion of certayne teÌ„poralles so far as may be perceyued by the Cronycles or approued hystoryes stryfes haue ben raysed vp betwene the emperours and the popes of Rome Howbeit the sayd bysshops in this haue done agaynst the councell or precepte of chryst and of the apostles whiche in that they ought to succede the apostles in the offyce of preesthode or apostleshyp they ought also to obserue and kepe moste hyghe pouertie and humylytie but they turnynge out in to a certayne other waye contrarye to it through ignorauÌ„ce or malyce or throughe bothe as we haue shewed here tofore haue begon this iÌ„mortall and perpetuall contencion or stryfe agaynst the sayd emperours whiche same contencyon most of all amonge all other a certayne bysshop of Rome called Paschalis began agaynst Henry the. iiii kynge of Almayne For as the hystoryes do recorde the sayde bysshop dyd prohybyte the sayd Henry to come vp vnto the emperyall dygnyte reysynge vp agaynst hym the people of Rome vntyll such tyme as the aforesayd Henry beynge in Tusky by embassadours and letters dyd grauÌ„te in a maner by coÌ„pulsyon vnto y e same bysshop the inuestitures and instytucioÌ„s of all bysshops abbottes and all other clarkes Of whiche Henry agayne the aforesayd pope requyrynge an othe after he was entred in to the cytie concernynge the thynges whiche he had extorted gotten of hym by coÌ„pulsyon was taken and al his colledge of Cardynalles and in coÌ„clusyon beynge delyuered had peace with the aforesayd emperour Agaynst whom he raysynge agayne the olde stryfe had moche to do to ende it at the laste with great laboures and paynes ¶ But as Martyne telleth the aforesayde emperour repentynge to vse the wordes of the same Martyne waxynge wyse agayne frelye resygned by the staffe and the rynge to one Calyxte the successoure of Pascall the inuestyture of bysshoppes and of other prelates and graunted that canonycall eleccyon shulde be made in all churches throughout the whole empyre and all the possessyones and regalles of saynt Peter which throughe his discorde or any other stryfe or debate with the churche had ben alienated he restored to the churche of Rome and dysposed and ordred that all other possessyons aswell of clarkes as of laye men which by the occasyon of warre had ben taken awaye shulde be faythfullye and trulye restored agayne whiche sayd grauntes or pryuyleges Otto the. iiii and Frederyke the seconde emperours of Rome afterwardes wyllynge for a laufull cause peraduenture to reuoke or reuokynge vtterlye or els in parte suffered very many dysceyptes persecucyons and impedymentes or vexacyons of the bysshoppes and of the clargye of Rome And some of theyr predecessours haue not ben holpen by the people subiectes vnto them by the reason that the rule and regyment of the bysshppes of Rome or of theyr offycers and mynystres hath otherwhyles tasted peraduenture of tyrannye This than as we haue sayde
this thynge to be vnder no colledge or syngulare persone nowe shall he neuer lyste or be wyllynge to approue or confyrme any man elected because that afore he doth approue hym whiche is elected kynge or emperoure he wyll requyre of hym promyses and othes And amonge other he wyll requyre y e othe wherby the emperour shall saye and expresse hym selfe to be subiecte vnto the sayd bysshop in fealtye or temporall and coactyue iurysdyccyon And he wyll requyre also the vnlawfull and vniuste occupacyons of certayne prouynces to be kepte and mayntayned vnto hym selfe by the sayd elected emperoure and this thynge he wyll requyre to be promysed and confyrmed by the othe of the sayd elected emperoure which vnlawfull promyses and othes beynge not possyble to be made neyther to be holden and kepte after they are made sauynge the conscience of the emperours maiestie and the lawfull othe gyuen or made in his creacyon to coÌ„serue and mayntayne the lyberties of the empyre Neuer any man beynge elected emperour wyll gyue or make to the bysshop of Rome or to any other bysshop excepte he be more softe and cowardlye than a woman and also manyfestlye periured in swerynge and promysynge suche maner thynges wherfore none of the emperours elected shall euer be created emperour of the Romaynes or shall deserue the name of the emperoure yf the regall or emperyall auctoryte of the persones elected doth hange of the bysshop of Rome For as longe as the sayde bysshoppe maye lette and prohybyte them thoughe he doth this vniustlye and sekynge those thynges whiche appertayne not to hym no questyon but he wyll let them bothe by his wordes and also by his workes dedes so longe as he may And yet there foloweth also a more greuous preiudyce more vntollerable hurte than these aforesayde y t all prynces coÌ„munytes synguler ê‘sons which ben subiectê to y e emperour ben by this reason also subiectê to y e empyre domynyon of y e bysshop of Rome For seynge y t the sayd bysshop doth say affyrme hym selfe to succede the aforesayd emperour in offyce the emperyal seate beynge vacaunte it foloweth of necessyte that it belongeth to the auctoryte of the sayd bysshop to exacte and requyre othes of fidelite of all pryncê and other that oweth fealtie to the emperour and to compell them to make or gyue the aforesayd othes and also to demaunde of the same trybutes and other seruycê whiche hathe ben wonte to be done by the same vnto the emperours of Rome with other thynges whiche the sayd bysshop shall lyste to fayne to be dewe vnto hym selfe beyonde the custome of his fulnes of powre whiche he sayth openlye to belonge vnto hym selfe And it foloweth also that the collacyon or gyuynge of pryncedomes of fees and of other lybertyes whiche the emperour of Rome may gyue for defaulte of hayres male or for any other reason or cause dothe lykewyse appertayne to the auctoryte of this sayde bysshop the emperyall seate beynge vacaunte Yea it foloweth moreouer whiche is moste preiudycyall and moste greuouse thynge of all that whan the emperyall see is vacaunte whiche after the powre and dylygence of the bysshops of Rome shall perpetually be vacaunte the prynces colledgies coÌ„munyties and syngulare persones whiche are subiectes to the empyre of Rome contendynge and stryuynge cyuyly one with an other by the reason of appellacyons coÌ„mynge betwene or throughe complayntes made of them brought vnto the courte of the bysshop of Rome as well reall as personall shall be compelled to come to the courte of the sayd bysshop by his cytacyons and there to abyde cyuyle and teÌ„poral iudgement And no prynce coÌ„munyte or iudge beynge subiecte to the emperour of Rome shall be able to put any senteÌ„ce by the reason that the persons condempned shall alwayes to stoppe suche execucyon appele from the temporall sentences of them vnto the courte of Rome And yf they that be subiecte to the empyre of Rome wyll not obeye the sayde bysshop or be vnder hym in the aforesayde thynges as they are not bounde than the sayde bysshoppe shal contynuallye without ceasynge and with all malycious and frowarde enforcemeÌ„t persue them by senteÌ„cê as they are called of cursynges of blasphemyes of excoÌ„munycacyons of heresyes of interdyccyons and laste of all of beynge depryued and losynge of theyr temporall goodes makynge suche maner temporalles coÌ„mune and grauntynge them to who soeuer shall be able by any maner waye to plucke them awaye and by grauntynge to them that dothe pursue suche persones with all theyr subiectes and adherentes and whiche also by whatsoeuer meane can kyll or slee them false and dysceyptfull pardon of all maner synne and payne and also by absoluynge thoughe heretycally the subiectes of them from theyr othes outher afore gyuen or afterwardes to be gyuen vnto the sayd prynces And yf the bysshop of Rome preteÌ„dynge after his wonted maner the cure and loue of the people shall saye that therfore it appertayneth vnto hym selfe to confyrme or alowe the eleccyon of the emperoure of Rome leste peraduenture an heretyke myght clyme vp vnto the emperyall dygnyte Whiche by the reason therof wolde do verye moche hurte to the coÌ„munyte of chrysten people verely answere is to be made vnto hym conuenyentlye that the sayd eleccion nedeth not therfore to be alowed of hym for asmoche as the same eleccyon is celebrated and made by iii. solempne archebysshops of chrystendom whiche eche one of them hath taken as great auctoryte of preesthode or epyscopall powre of chryste as hathe the bysshop of Rome And also by iiii seculare chrysten prynces with whome whan the aforesayde relygyous pastours or prelates do agree togyther than the eleccyon of the aforesayde emperoure is made perfyte And it is not lyke to be trewe that these vii wyll so erre or be moued by peruerse intencyon or corrupte affeccyon as dothe the wyll of the bysshoppe of Rome alone by hym selfe whiche thynketh supposeth that he maye of ryght leaue vnto his owne iudgement alone by y e reason of that fulnes of powre which vnaccordyngely he dothe ascrybe vnto hym selfe For so he myghte at his pleasure iudge whome soeuer he lyste to be an heretyke and so depryue hym of the ryght of his eleccyon by reason wherof the offyce of the prynces electours shulde be made voyde and the creacion and promotynge of hym that is elected shulde be alwayes prohybyted and letted for the causes aforesayde But yet the case put that accordynge to the mynde of our aduersarye the emperoure of Rome outher afore or after his eleccyon hathe falen or doth fall in to heresye and that the prynces electours had no knowledge therof yet it is to be sayde that the iudgement or correccyon of hym dothe in no wyse therfore appertayne to the bysshop of Rome Moreouer it is to be demaunded why the ablynge of other kynges dothe not belonge also to theyr sayd iudgemente and powre of approbacyon For I
prysoners a lyue where soeuer they shall be in to the seruytute of those persones that taketh them Moreouer he graunteth the greatest ecclesiasticall offyces as bysshopryches archebysshop ryches and patryarkeshypes with the meane and smaller ecclesyastycall offyces also he spendeth therto the ecclesyastycall temporalles called the benefyces the treasures and money of the churche that he maye rayse vp all men to enuye and rebellyon to warre and dyscorde agayne the sayd prynce And this he dothe albeit that it dothe nothynge at all belonge to his auctoryte to gyue forthe sentence of any of the forsayde thynges as we haue before euydentlye declared And besyde all these horryble malygnytes aforesayde he exercyseth a newe kynde of wyckednes and malyce whiche semeth manyfestlye to smell of heresye for he rayseth vp in to rebellyon agaynst the sayde catholyke prynce his owne subiectes and leyge people assoylynge them by his deuyllysshe sayenges or wrytynges which he calleth for al that apostolycall wryttes from the othes of fidelyte by whiche they had ben and in verye truthe are bounde to the ofte rehersed prynce And suche maner absolucyons he publyssheth and preacheth euery where by certayne mynystres of his myschefes whiche by suche maner exercyse do hope or truste to be promoted by the sayde bysshoppe vnto ecclesiasticall offyces and benefyces ¶ That this worke is not an apostolyke but a diabolycall dede it is euydent For accordynge to this and by this the sayde bysshoppe with all his complyces ordynatours consenters and executers in worde wrytynge or dede beynge blynde with couytousnes with pryde and ambicyon and fylled with moste great iniquyte as it is euydent to all men be guydes and leaders of all them that do gyue credence vnto them or that folowe them by worke or dede in all the aforesayde sayenges or wrytynges vnto fallynge and goynge downe heedlynge in to the dyche or pytte of deadly synnes Fyrste in to manyfest open periurye afterwardes in to treason and iniurye open and playne to all men consequentlye he causeth them to fall in to rauyne or robbrye manslaughter and in a maner in to all kyndes of myscheuous synnes in whiche they dyenge without repentaunce and beynge begyled by this moste holy father and his mynysters and yet not be excused before god for theyr grosse ignoraunce are caste downe heedlonge and drowned in hell that is to wytte in the pytte of perpetuall dampned persones For this is and ought to be vndoubted to euery man that hathe reason and that is able to vse it that neyther the bysshoppe of Rome neyther any other preeste may assoyle any man from suche maner or any other lawfull othe outher gyuen or made or els promysed Nowe it is euydent to euery man which wyll stande to his owne conscyence and whiche is not troubled with any synystre or croked affeccyon that the cause whiche the bysshoppe of Rome pretendeth agaynst y e deuoute prynce Lewes agaynst any other prynce in lyke case is not resonable but vnresonable vndyscrete and vniust wherfore the gydynge doctryne and exhortacyon of this bysshoppe and of his mynysters in such thynges is to be eschewed and auoyded and vtterlye to be despysed as the thynge whiche leadeth and bryngeth in conclusyon vnto the eternall deathe of soules For it is playnly and openly contrary to the holsome doctryne wordes and sentence of the apostle Paule in the xiii to the Romaynes in the. vi to the Ephesyanes in the. vi of the fyrste epystle to Tymothe and in the seconde and thyrde chapytres of the seconde epystle to Tite For there the apostle teacheth openly that subiectê ought to obeye theyr carnall lordes not onely beynge good and gentyle but also beynge hasty and frowarde as saynte Peter saythe in his fyrst canonycall epystle the seconde chapytre Howe moche more than ought they to be obedyent whan they are bounde to them by an othe whiche thynge the gloses also after the myndes of sayntes in the same places more largely do declare sayenge manyfestlye That subiectes are bounde and oughte to obey theyr lordes yea thoughe they be infydelles and neuer so frowarde or euyll but yet vnderstandynge meanynge this in suche thynges as be not contrarye outher in worde or dede to the lawe of god ¶ But it is vndoubted that the wordes and workes by whiche the bysshop otherwyse called the pope of Rome inueheth and procedeth agayne the emperour of Rome are neyther the coÌ„maundementes of godes lawe neyther consonant or agreable vnto it but rather dissonaunt and manyfeste repugnaunt and contrarye to the sayde lawe as it hathe ben shewed by the scrypture in the. iiii v. and. ix chapytours of this dyccyon Agayne to obeye to the bysshoppe of Rome or any other bysshop reachynge or preachynge these thynges is none other thynge than to suffre the rote of all regymentes and gouernaunces to be cut vp and the bonde and knot of euery cyuylyte and kyngdome to be losed or broken in sondre for I do suppose that suche maner roote or bonde is none other thynge nor it ought none otherwyse to be taken but the othe and fydelyte of the prynces and theyr subiectes of eche of them to other And in dede this fydelyte of the forsayde subiectes as Tullius saythe in his fyrste boke intytled De officiis is the fundament or groundesell of all iustyce whiche fydelyte betwene the gouernours and the subiectes whosoeuer gothe aboute to dyssolue or breake he gothe aboute to gette vnto hym selfe no lesse thynge than that he maye accordynge to his owne entent and pleasure ouertourne and destroye the powre and hyghe auctorytie of all pryncê and gouernours of the cyuyle coÌ„munyte and afterwarde to brynge the aforesayd subiectes in to his owne seruytute and bondage And besydes this also to trouble the peace and tranquyllyte of all men that lyueth cyuylye and so by reason therof or by some other meanes to depryue them of theyr suffycyeÌ„t lyfe in this worlde and fynallye to brynge them that ben so dysposed in theyr mynde yf they maye therto attende as we haue sayde vnto the eternall dystruccyon of theyr soules Wherfore let all Chrysten men dyspyse and beware of the vayne promyse of pardon forgyuenes for it is a thynge clene coÌ„trary agaynst y e lawe of god And the pernycyous and madde doctryne of the bysshop of Rome or to call it more truelye the seduccyon of soules of this bysshoppe of Rome and his complyces which be the colledge of clarkes or of cardynalles worse than the doctryne of the pharyseys regardynge Chryste whiche counsayleth and teacheth the same in the. xv chapytre of Mathewe whan he saythe to all chrysten men but yet in the persone of the apostles Suffre them or lette them alone that is to wytte the pharyseys which at that tyme were supposed to be the teachers of Moyses lawe but for all that they were of erronyous opynyon in the vnderstandynge of the lawe and in a maner contynuallye contrarye vnto Chryste and agaynst hym
and ordayned to the sustentacyon of the mynystres of the gospell and to the succurrynge and releuynge of impotent poore people and also vniustlye chalengynge the temporalles bequested in testamentes vnto vertuouse vses as to the passage ouer the see and to the redemynge of the prysoners taken of the infydels and to other lyke vses I saye chalengynge them as belongynge vnto his powre he gothe aboute to tourne them in to the aforesayd vses Albeit that it is no worke mete for the successoure of the apostles or a preeste neyther it dothe become a preeste or a man consecrated vnto god to moue weapon or to bydde warre to be made amonge chrystes faythfull people and namelye vniustlye but rather by conuenyent exhortacions to call agayne the same people vnto concorde and vnyte yf they shall be at dyscorde or debate amonge them selues one of them with an other as it hathe ben suffycyentlye shewed by the auctoryte of the apostle by Chrysostome Hilarie and Ambrose in the. v. and ix chapytres of this dyccyon it is not therfore from hensforthe to be permytted or suffered that this bysshoppe or any other shall haue so generall absolute or so great powre to gyue or dystrybute the ecclesiasticall temporalties but the sayde powre is by the prynces and parlyamentes vtterlye to be reuoked from hym or elles so to be tempted and measured that those thynges whiche hathe ben statuted and ordayned hytherto to the helthe of chrysten men bothe present and for to come and contynually are ordayned may not tourne to the contynuall vexacyon of them and in conclusyon to the euerlastynge tornement or dampnacyon of them Also he that is called pope euen nowe adayes with his mynystres whom he calleth legates haue proceded of late dayes and contynuallye do procede with suche maner processes so laudable and so pleasaunt vnto god as euery man beynge of ryght mynde and not cortupted in affeccyon maye perceyue agaynst the foresayd Ludouyke kynge of the Romayns And so they haue proceded agaynst his deputyes and faythfull subiectes namelye in the prouynce of Lombardye of Tuskayne and of the matches of Anchone Amonge whome most specyallye and syngularlye he hathe hytherto persecuted the gentle noble and famouse catholyke man syngulare amonge all other Italyons in honestye of maners and in grauyte Mathewe of good remembraunce sherefe and by the emperyall auctoryte his lyefe tennaunte vycare or deputie in Mylayne with a verye great multytude of chrysten people adherentes vnto hym for this sayde Mathewe the aforesayde bysshoppe thoughe verye vniustlye by his prophane and wycked sayenges and scryptures dothe pronounce to haue ben of a shamefull lyfe and of an euyl daÌ„pned memory But not y e sayd Mathewe but he by whom slauÌ„ders offeÌ„cioÌ„s do come which bryngeth forth of y e treasures of his malyce alwayes cuylles is counted openlye of dampned memorye afore god and man and it shall be more largelye accompted and layde to his charge bothe afore his death and after his death accordynge to the manashynge of Chryste which is verye trouth in the. xviii chapytre of Mathewe where he sayth woo be to that man by whom slaunder coÌ„meth and agayne in the same chapytre who soeuer shall offende one of these lytle ones whiche beleueth in me it were more expedyent for hym that a mylnestone be hanged in his necke and that he be drowned in the depthe of the see whiche sayenges he nothynge markynge or regardynge lykewyse as he regardeth not the other monycions and counsayles of Chryste as beynge frowarde and vnpenytente contynuallye without ceasynge dothe persecute and blaspheme very many other noble men for the prosecutynge of theyr faithfulnes and constancye to warde the sayd prynce or emperour of the Romaynes whose fame beynge swete bothe afore god and man by his aforesayde prophanacyones and blasphemyes he gothe aboute to spotte and defyle This is the bysshoppe the iudgement of whome and of his churche god dothe not folowe because he iudgeth by surrepcyon and ignorauncye as the mayster of the sentence saythe in the. iiii booke the. xviii dystynccyon and the. vi chapytre And the cause hereof saynt Iherome sheweth vpon that texte in the. xvi chapytre of Mathewe And to the I shall gyue the kayes of the kyngdome of heuyns For he saythe whiche I am not greued to reherse Certayne men not vnderstandynge this place as for example this bysshoppe vnderstande thou take vnto them selues somwhat of the pryde or hyghe mynde of the pharyseys that they do suppose them selues to condempne innocentes or to lose and assoyle malefactours and gylty persones and it foloweth afterwardes to the same purpose albeit that in very dede afore god not the sentence of the preestes but the lyfe of the persones accused is soughte for God therfore dothe not folowe the iudgement of suche maner preeste bysshoppe or churche beynge so vniuste and contrarye to equytye wherfore the blasphemyes of hym and of his complices are not to be dredde or feared of any Chrysten man as we haue sayde for they do not entre in to the flocke of Chrysten men but they haue learned rather by the powre of god to stryke and lyghte vpon the fowle bodyes and the cursed and wreched soules of them that braste forthe in to suche blasphemyes These than whiche we haue rehersed are the trewe begynnynges of the thynges inquyred and those thynges whiche also haue bothe duelye and vnduelye procedyd and gone forwardes albeit that by reason of longe tyme and the folysshenes and ydlenesse of men they are fallen out from the syghtes and memoryes of them and in the stede of these thynges throughe custome of herynge false and fayned thynges certayne falsehodes haue ben broughte in secretelye and fastened in the soules of verye many chrysten men whiche thynges are contrarye cleane to trouthe The begynnynge and fountayne therof was auerice or couytousnes and Ambicion or pryde And no lytle instrumente of the increase and mayntenaunce therof hathe ben that execrable opynyon and sayenge by whiche the bysshoppe of Rome and the companye or colledge of his clarkes or cardynalles do affyrme that vnto the same bysshop in the persone of saynt Peter the apostle was graunted and gyuen by Chryste fulnes of powre But after moche dylygent and labourfull serchynge and exquysycyon of the scrypturê of god from the scryptures of men whiche certayne bysshoppes of Rome had confounded and almoste set at nought the sayd scryptures of god and mengeled the one with the other and wrestynge it to theyr pleasures supposynge beleuynge y t of such menglynge gatheryng of them togyther the same auctoryte which is due onely to the holy scrypture shulde be coÌ„mune to theyr owne instytucions and ordynacions we haue determyned the sences of the sayde tytle and haue suffecyently opened and declared in the. xxiii chapytre of this dyccion to all that vseth reason at the least wyse whiche are not troubled with croked affeccions that the sayde sences are false and
of all chrysten people And Chrysostome saythe thus yf any man wyl say or aske the questyon howe or after what maner than toke Iames vnto hym selfe the epyscopall seate of Ierusalem this truely I wyll saye because he hathe intronisated or stalled Peter mayster of the whole worlde And the same Chrysostome saythe afterwardes To hym that is to wytte to Peter Also the ouersyght and gouernaunce or prelacye of his brethren hathe ben coÌ„mytted or betaken agayne the same Chrisostome sayth therfore because the lorde had shewed and sayde before great thynges vnto hym that is to wyt to Peter and had commytted or betaken to hym the whole worlde And agayne Theophilus vpon that texte yf I wyll that do remayne saythe thus For the I do dymytte or sende nowe to the offyce of the ouerseer or bysshopryche of the whole worlde and in this folowe thou me Moreouer yf chryste had not instytuted a heed of the churche in his absence he shulde haue lefte it heedles or without a heed and shulde not seme to haue ordered it accordynge to the better or beste dysposycyon but nowe this is to be beleued that he hathe lefte it ordred and dysposed after the best wyse and maner wherfore it is to be holden that he hathe instytute and made a heed of the sayd churche but there is none other more conuenyent heed than Peter wherfore it may be concluded that saynt Peter was superyoure to the other apostles in auctoryte by the iÌ„medyate instytucyon and ordynacyon of chryste ¶ Agayne we maye proue the same thynge in kynde by shewynge that saynt Paule was not egall to saynt Peter in dygnyte or auctoryte for in the seconde chapytre to the SalatyaÌ„s is red this texte folowynge Agayne after iii. yeres I cam to Ierusalem to se Peter and I taryed with hym xv dayes a lytell afterwardes it foloweth And furthermore after xiiii yeres I wente vp to Iherusalem agayn with Barnabas and Titus taken with me and I conferred or compared with them the gospell whiche I do preache amonge the gentylles and specyally with them whiche seamed to be greatly estemed and of auctoryte lest peraduenture I shulde roÌ„ne or els had roÌ„ne in vayne where the glose saythe Paule shewed here that he was not out of feare or doubte of his gospell excepte it had ben coÌ„fyrmed and strengthed by the auctoryte of Peter and of the other apostles For asmoche than as Paule hathe taken securyte of his gospell of Peter after the mynde of the glose it appereth that he was not egall to Peter in auctoryte wherfore it semeth to folowe of necessyte aswell of this reason as of other afore rehersed that all the other bysshops of the worlde are subiectes to the bysshop of Rome as beynge the syngulare or specyal successour of saynt Peter by y e ordynacion of god and that the churche of Rome is the heed and pryncypall of all other churches because the bysshop of it beynge the successour of saynt Peter is iudge pastor and herdysman of all other men whiche thynge I sodore more largelye expressynge in his boke afore rehersed in the chapytre whose tytle is Incipit prefacio Niceni coÌ„cilii he saythe in this wyse It is verelye to be knowen of all catholyke people that the holy churche of Rome hathe ben preferred made superyour to all other not by any synodall decrees but he hath obtayned prymacie or superyoryte by the wordes of our lorde and sauyoure in the gospell where he sayd to saynt Peter the apostle Thou arte Peter vpon this stone I shall edyfye and buylde my churche and to the I wyll gyue the keyes of the kyngdome of heuens c. whiche prymacye or superyoryte all the bysshops of Rome haue vsed hytherto without any grauÌ„t of the prynces or emperours from the tyme of saynt Peter vnto the tymes of Constantyne the fyrst emperour of Rome bothe makynge Canons or rules Decrees and coÌ„maundynge them to be obserued throughout all churches as euydently dothe appere by the processe of the sayde boke ¶ Agayne I confyrme or strengthe this by reason for faythe is but one accordynge to the mynde of the apostle in the. iiii chapytre to the Ephesians wherfore it foloweth that the churche also is but one but it is none otherwyse one but because it hathe but one heed pryncypall whiche can be none more conuenyent neyther so conuenyent as the bysshop of Rome the synguler successour of saynt Peter whiche was the stone wherupon chryste sayde that he wolde buylde his churche ¶ Agayne this same may be confyrmed by this reason for because lykewyse as temporall thyngê are reduced to one heed or pryncipall that is to wyt to y e prynce kynge or emperour so also it semeth that the spyrytuall thynges oughte to be reduced vnto some one heed or pryncipal that is to wyt to the bisshop or pope of Rome ¶ Agayn it may be confyrmed by an other reason for lykewyse as in one churche or diocese it is necessarye and expedyeÌ„t that there be but one bysshop lest yf euery preeste with in the same churche or diocese dyd drawe and plucke the churche vnto hym selfe it myght breake the vnytie of chrystê churche as we haue here tofore alledged in the xv of this dyccyon of the epystle of saynt Iherome to Euandre so it is more expedyent and necessarye that in the vnyuersall churche of chryst there be but onely one heed for the coÌ„seruacion of the vnyte of chrysten men for by howe moch suche maner good thynge is more coÌ„mune the mo y t are parttakers of it by somoch it is y e more godly the more worthye to be desyred or chosen wherfore it is red in y â— xv chapytre of IohnÌ„ ¶ And there shall be made one folde of shepe one herdysman Nowe verelye it semeth that suche herdysman or suche maner heed is the pope of Rome most conuenyently of al other for the causes here tofore assygned ¶ And of the aforesayd thynges it foloweth of necessyte as it semeth that onely the bysshop of Rome is the pryncypall effectyue cause of the secondarye instytucyon of all other bysshops bothe medyatly and iÌ„medyatly because of his vnyuersall auctoryte that he hathe vpon all other bysshoppes and preestes and all other mynystres of the churches or temples To whiche sentence the auctorite of saynt Ambrose dothe agree in his epystle De tradendis basilicis where he saythe thus it is the churche of god or the churche is goddes owne it oughte not therfore to be ascrybed to Cesar The teÌ„ple of god can not be the ryght of the emperour wherfore it foloweth also consequently that the instytucyon of preestes in the same teÌ„ple dothe not appertayne to his ryght whiche sayde instytucyon we haue called here to fore in the. xv of this dyccyon the secondarye auctoryte of them And yf it be so that the gyfte of the churches maye not appertayne to Cesar moche lesse than may the
hath ben also is but onely one heed fouÌ„dacion or grouÌ„dwarke of the churche by the iÌ„mediate ordynacion of god that is chryst as we haue proued vndoubtedly by the scrypture Therfore vnto that auctoryte or texte vpon this stone I wyll edyfye my churche I do saye accordyngly to the glose y e vpon this stone betokeneth vpon chryste on whome thou beleuest where the glose betwene y e lynes therfore called y e glose interlinear addeth the wordes folowynge Thou art Peter y t is to saye of me whiche am the stone but yet so that I do reserue retayne vnto my selfe the dygnyte of the fouÌ„dameÌ„t or grouÌ„dwarke And chryste called hym Peter that is to saye coÌ„stant in the faythe whiche thynge we do not denye for thoughe we do graunt that he was more constant more ê‘fyte in meryte than the other apostles it foloweth not therfore y t he was afore them in dygnyte excepte onely peradueÌ„ture in tyme as we haue euydeÌ„tly proued by the scrypture in the chapytres afore alledged And this sence whiche we haue sayd to be y e sence of the scrypture the exposycion of saynt Augustyne helpeth vpon the same place For Augustyne sayth it is taken of his boke of retraccioÌ„s I haue sayd in a certayne place of the apostle Peter that vpon hym as vpon y e stone the churche is edyfyed or buylded but I knowe that I haue afterwardes very often tymes so expounded that sayenge of our lorde thou arte Peter vpon this stone I wyll edefye or buylde my churche that it shulde be vnderstanded to be buyiÌ„ded vpon hym whome Peter confessyd saynge Thou art chryste the sone of the lyuynge god as yf Peter called or hauynge his name of this stone shulde fygure y e person of y e churche which is buylded vpon this stone for it was not sayd to hym Tues Petra i. thou art the stone but Tues Petrus i. Thou art Peter but the stone was chryste whome Symon coÌ„fessynge lykewyse as the whole churche coÌ„fesseth hym was called Peter And y e reason or cause hereof may be assygned accordyng to y t scrypture For Peter as loge as he was a pylgryme in this worlde myght erre and synne by the lybertie of his fre wyll wherfore he is red to haue denyed chryste and otherwhyles not to haue walked aryghte accordynge to the veryte of the gospell but suche one coulde not be the foundament or grounde stone of the churche but chryste onely was this stone as it appereth in the thyrde chapytre of the fyrst epystle to the CorynthyaÌ„s whiche coulde not erre or do amysse for from the fyrste instante of his concepcion he was so confyrmed and establysshed in grace that he coulde in no wyse synne wherfore saynt Paule in the place afore alledged saythe No man may put any other foundacyon than that whiche hathe ben put or set whiche is chryste Ihesus And as coÌ„cernynge this addycion To the I shall gyue the keyes of the kyngdome of heuens this addycion I say gyueth none auctorite to Peter vpon or aboue y e other apostles for this self same iudiciarie powre he gaue also to the other apostles after the mynde of saynt Iherome and of Rabane whose exposycioÌ„s or gloses we haue brought in here tofore in the syxte chapytre of this dyccyon the thyrde parte Moreouer because chryste semeth not by these wordes to haue gyuen to hym the powre of the keyes for he saythe I shall or wyll gyue to the whiche soundeth it for to come He sayd not I do gyue but in the. xx of IohnÌ„ he sayd indyfferently to all the apostles Receyue you the holy ghost and whose synnes you shall forgyue they are forgyuen c. But this admytted that Peter by these wordes had receyued this auctoryte yet it is not concluded nor foloweth hereof but onely that he was instytuted pastor or herdysman afore other in tyme. And in that that chryst vouchedsafe to gyue these keyes syngulerly to hym albeit it were so in dede yet he wolde nomore therby but sygnyfye and betoken the vnyte of the churche in faythe vnto whiche vnyte chryste hath called or prouoked chrysten men by the synguler tradycion or promyse of the keyes as the glose sayth Or elles peraduenture because Peter dyd fyrst of all other confesse boldly openly playnly that chryste is the sone of god therfore he in tyme is fyrste endowed is honoured with the keyes gyuen to hym or is promysed to be honoured y t by such rewarde promysed an exaÌ„ple shuld be gyuen to the other also so to confesse chryste openly boldlye but yet for all this it is not therfore proued that he was superyour and afore other in dygnyte or auctoryte Albeit y t some of the exposytours seme to saye this of theyr owne selfe not hauynge this of the scrypture and that I do say the trouth the texte of the gospel here folowynge dothe infallybly sygnyfye and declare whiche is had in the. xx of Mathe we where chryste openly determynynge this questyon sayde that none of them was superyour one an other for there was a contencyon rysen or made amonge them whiche of them shuld be greattest And the same is had in the. xxii of Mathewe For chryste sayde vnto them But be not you in wyll to be called mayster amonge your selfe one to an other for you haue but one mayster and all you are brethren that is to saye all you are equall It foloweth therfore that he excepted not one in as moche as he sayde all you are brethren or felowes and it is a meruaylouse thynge yf we ought rather to gyue credeÌ„ce to y e auctoryte of the exposytoure or glose maker than of chryste hym selfe who soeuer that exposytoure is yea thoughe he be a saynt and specyally seynge that he speaketh this not as an exposytoure or glose maker but of his owne propre mynde For the texte of y e scrypture is so open playne that it nedeth no glose in this thynge Moreouer because the gloses selues saye the contrarye expoundynge the seconde chapytre to the Galatians as it hathe ben declared in the. xvi of this dyccyon And we haue treated this mater suffycyentlye and seryouslye in the. iiii and. xv of this dyccyon neyther we wyll Iterate or reherse agayne all the probacyons because the thynge is euydently knowen and for cause of spede and shortnes to be had ¶ But to the other auctoryte taken of Luke in the. xxii chapytre where Chryste sayde to saynt Peter but I haue prayed for the Peter that thy faythe shal not fayle And whan thou arte ones conuerted confyrme thou thy brethren Of whiche texte some men do inferre and conclude two thynges the one is that the faythe of the churche of Rome onely can not fayle because that chryste by the faythe of Peter vnderstande also the faythe of the successours of Peter and consequentlye that the bysshoppe successoure vnto hym is the
instytucyon of god than I refuse the sayenges both of the sayde Canones of Eugenius and also of Bernarde agreynge vnto the same because neyther they are canonycall neyther ought to be called canonycall scryptures but onelye scryptures framed of theyr owne braynes And also because we haue oftentymes by the scrypture proued the contrarye of that whiche they do saye But yf they do meane or vnderstande that full powre by the instytucyon of man iÌ„medyatlye than I do grauÌ„t his saynge to be trewe And agayne to y t whiche he addeth sayenge The powre and auctoryte of other is coarcted restrayned within certayne lymytes or boundes thyne auctoryte and powre is extended also vpon them whiche haue receyued auctoryte vpon other Mayste not thou yf a cause ryse shytte heuen to a bysshop c. it is to be sayd as before y t by the iÌ„medyate ordynacion of god y e bysshop of Rome or any other bysshop hath no more auctoryte vpon the resydewe of bysshops than they haue vpon hym For the bysshop of Rome may not excoÌ„munycate or depose an other bysshop for any crymes or trespace by the auctoryte gyuen to hym by chryste iÌ„medyatlye more than they maye excoÌ„munycate or depose hym as it hath ben shewed and proued by the scrypture in the. xv xvi of this dyccion And hathe also ben latelye repeted and reherced agayne in this chapytre But yf Bernarde do meane this prymacie which he hathe by the graunt of man iÌ„medyatlye than he hathe that prymacye whiche hathe ben graunted to hym aboue other by the humayne powre And to that whiche is added last of al as touchynge to this oracyon Thy pryuyledge therfore standeth vnbroken and inuiolated vnto the. c. it is to be sayde that it is trewe for the bysshop of Rome hathe powre and auctoryte to bynde and loose men from synnes and to teache them to mynystre the sacramentes of eternall saluacyon And so hath euery other bysshyp or preeste by the lawe of god but yf by pryuyledge Bernarde doth meane vnderstande any prymacye due to the bysshop of Rome vpon other bysshops by the lawe of god or by the iÌ„medyate ordynacyon of god than as I dyd before so do I nowe refuse his sentence for the causes afore assygned ¶ And to the other sayenge of the same Bernarde in the. iiii boke chapytre to Eugenius by whiche he semeth to meane that vnto the bysshop of Rome belongeth coactyue iurysdyccyon whiche vnder a methaphore he calleth the temporall swerde not onely vpon clerkes but also vpon lay men whan he sayde whiche swerde truely who soeuer denyeth to be thyne me thynketh he do not marke well or suffycieÌ„tly gyue hede to chrystes wordes c. And in the ende coÌ„cludynge he saythe Both swerdes therfore belongeth to the churche that is to wyt the sprytuall swerde and the materyal swerde it is to be sayd with reuerence and with no lesse meruaylynge that the same Bernarde hath openly spoken in this matter dyssonauntly and contrarylye to his owne selfe For in the place iÌ„medyatly afore alledged speakynge of this auctoryte and power he sayd why shuldest thou that is to wytte the Pope go about agayne to vsurpe the swerde whiche thou hast ben ones bydden to put vp agayne in to the sheth or scabarde And it is vndoubted that the thynge whiche any man vsurpeth belongeth not to his auctoryte But Bernarde or his interpreter shall saye peraduenture accordynge to that whiche Bernarde sayde in the ende of his speache or oracyon that thoughe the auctoryte nowe sayd doth belonge vnto a preeste yet the execusyon therof ought not to be done by a preeste whiche he called the drawynge forthe or exercysynge of the materyall swerde But this answere is not accordyng to the intencyon and mynde of the scrypture For Chryste dyd not onely refuse denye from hym selfe y e drawynge out of this materyall swerde But also that iudgeÌ„ment and byddynge or coÌ„maundynge it to be drawen out whan he sayd in the. xii of Luke to hym that desyred such maner iudgement of hym Thou man who hath made me iudge or deuyder ouer or vpon you Of which sayng of chryst with certayne other sayengê both of chryst and of the apostles saynt Bernarde treatynge in the fyrste boke and the. v. chapitre De coÌ„sideratione as we haue alledged in the. v. of this dyccyon destroyeth the interpretacyon of hym that doth so expound or declare hym in this place For this he sayth to the same Pope Herken what the apostles mynde is concernynge suche maner auctoryte That is to wyt of iudgynge temporall thynges and it is in the. vi chapytre of the fyrste to the Coryntheans Is there not so wyse a man amonge you whiche maye iudge betwene brother and brother And it foloweth I do speake it to your rebuke and shame Those whiche are moste contemptyble in the churche make and ordayne them iudges And therfore after the mynde of the apostle thou doest vnsemelye whiche beynge an apostolicall person doest vsurpe vnto thy selfe a vyle offyce and the degree of conteÌ„ptyble persons Marke here y t he speaketh of the offyce not of the execucyon wherfore the apostle Paule also instructynge a bysshop that is to wyt Timothe sayde in this wyse Let no man that is a warryour to god entangle hym selfe with seculer busynesses but I spare or forbere the for I speake not stronge thynges but possyble thynges Supposest thou that men nowe adayes wolde suffre yf whan men dyd stryue for erthlye inherytaunce requyred iudgement of the thou dydest answere them with the wordes of chryste O men who hathe made me iudge vpon you In to what maner iudgement shuldest thou come and what wolde be iudged of the what wolde a rustycall and vnlerned man saye Thou knowest not the prymacye and preemynence Thou dyshonourest the honorable and moste hyghe feate thou doste derogate the apostles dygnyte and yet for all that they that so shall saye as I suppose wyll not shewe where at any tyme any of the apostles hath sytte as iudges of men or as dyuyders of termes or boundes and dystrybutors of landes To conclude I rede that the apostles haue stande to be iudged but that they haue syt iudgynge I do not rede This shall be in tyme to come it hath not ben yet Is the seruaunte than a dymynyssher of the dygnyte yf he wyll not be greatter than his lorde and mayster or the dyscyple because he wyll not be greatter than he that sent hym or the sone because he wyll not passe beyonde the boundes or lymytes whiche his fathers hathe set who hathe ordayned me iudge vpon you sayth that lorde and mayster And shall it be iniurye to the seruaunt and dyscyple excepte he do iudge all men Saynt Bernarde therfore yea rather Chryste and the apostles do remoue or take a waye from theyr successours the bysshoppes and preestes not onely the execucyon of seculer iudgement but also the offyce or
vpon this place makynge no dyfference as there is none in dede betwene the temporall or cyuyle contencyons of preestes amonge them selues one with an other and generallye of clarkes or which are betwene preestê and laye men and betwene them whiche are amonge laye men selues one with an other For lette the sophyster or mysuser of wordes I beseche hym whiche calleth that spyrytuall whiche is vtterlye seculer after the mynde and callynge of the apostle and of sayntes let hym I saye tell me whether a preeste doynge iniurye to his brother beynge outher preeste or not preeste in worde or dede dothe a spyrytuall iniurye more than dothe a laye man yf he do lyke iniurye For to say so it is a folysshe and a scornefull sayenge and to byleue it is vttermoste madnes For without doubte the iniurye whiche is done by a preeste is more seculer and more detestable iniurye than that whiche is done by a laye man For he synneth or trespasseth the more greuouslye and more shamefully whiche is bounden to teache an other man bothe by his wordes and also by the example of his workes not to do iniurye as it hathe ben seryouslye shewed in the. viii chapytre of this dyccyon And that suche actes of clarkes are seculer and not spyrytuall and that they oughte so to be called saynt Augustyne wytnesseth openly in the afore sayd glose whan he calleth the contencyouse causes of preestes and of clarkes whiche were pleaded afore hym whiche was a bysshoppe troublouse perplexites of causes aboute seculer busynesses makynge no dyfference of these causes or coÌ„tencyons notwithstandynge the condycyon or estate of the persones for this dyfference of a preeste and of hym that is no preeste as touchynge to this thynge is but accydenttall lykewyse as the dyfference of a hoope or rynge beynge of golde and of a rynge beynge of syluer whiche dyfference no craftes man or cunnynge man dothe assygne because it maketh or causeth none essencyall dystynccion in the effecte or thynge wrought It appereth also secondarylye that the iudgement or to be iudge of suche maner actes belongeth not to preestes And that to instytute suche maner iudge doth nomore but peraduenture lesse appertayne to the auctoryte of them than of other chrysten men as it hathe ben shewed in the xv of the fyrste dyccion And therfore the apostle sayde not to any bysshoppe or preeste Constitue y t is to saye ordayne or appoynte thou For where any thynge was to be done whiche appertayned to the offyce of a bysshop or preeste he gaue charge syngulerlye to hym that he shulde do it as to preche the gospell or to exercyse other offyces whiche are properlye belongynge to a preeste or pastor wherfore in the fyrste chapytre to Tite he saythe For this cause I haue lefte the in Cretelande that thou shuldest correcte or amende those thynges which are wantynge that is to wyt as touchynge the holsome doctryne and maners and that thou shuldest coÌ„stytute and ordayne preestes throughout all Crete in euery cytie so as I haue dysposed ordred to be done but yet he sayde not to hym appoynte thou or ordayne thou a iudge to examyne seculer busynesses or maters Neyther whan he wrote to the Coryntheans dyd he saye the bysshop or preeste shall constytute or appoynte to you iudges but gaue them councell or tolde them what was best to be done wherfore the glose vpon those wordes I do speake it to your shame sayth thus as who shulde say I do not coÌ„maunde you but I do tell you that you shulde be ashamed For the apostle knewe very well that to instytute suche maner iudges dyd not appertayne to his offyce by so moch the lesse than to any other preeste or bysshop Neyther moreouer dyd he councell that any preest or bysshop shulde betaken or chosen to the exercysynge of suche maner offyce but rather the contrarye For no man as he saythe that warreth to god entangleth or wrappeth hym selfe in seculer or worldlye busynesses But he councelled that iudges shulde be apoynted and ordayned out of that sorte whiche were contemptyble in the churche that is to saye out of the nombre of chrysten men and suche persons as were not able nor mete to preche howbeit not all but after the exposycyon of sayntes the apostle wylled or counsayled that they shulde examyne iudge erthlye or worldly causes whiche had goten knowledge of outwarde thynges but they whiche are enryched with spyrytuall geftes ought not to be entangled or wrapped in seculer busynesses whiche thynge saynt Bernarde sayd openlye and playnlye to Eugenius in the fyrste boke and the. v. chapytre De consideratione and we haue broughte in his wordes in the chapytre iÌ„medyatlye aforegone But peraduenture some man shall obiecte and laye agaynst vs the sayenge of saynt Augustyne in the gloses afore rehersed For saynt Augustyne speakynge of the iudgement of seculer contencious actes saythe thus from whiche we can not excuse our selfe althoughe we wolde whose sentence also Gregorie coÌ„fyrmynge in the same place saythe thus moreouer But yet it is greatlye to be prouyded sene vnto y t they which are excellent in spyrytual gyftes c. But let the bysshoppes outher coÌ„mytte these iudgementes of seculer actes to be taken in hande of them whiche are persons coÌ„uenyent and mete therunto or elles let them selues exercyse the sayde iudgementes So by these wordes than it semeth that to iudge suche maters and to ordayne or appoynte iudges of suche maters dothe appertayne to bysshoppes or preestes in that they are bysshoppes or preestes seynge that after the sentence and mynde of sayntes the bysshoppes and preestes maye not be excused from suche iudgementes And that they muste greatly prouyde c. But to those obieccyons and to other lyke sayenges of sayntes and doctours let vs answere and saye that in the olde tyme and in the tymes of the aforesayde sayntes for the reuerence of the estate of preesthode and for the confydence of the maners and vertue of preestes at that tyme for other causes wherof we haue spoken in the. v. parte of the. xxv of this dyccyon it was graunted by the chrysten prynces to bysshoppes and to the pryncypall pastores and curates of soules to exercyse the offyce of a iudge in the thyrde sygnyfycacion ouer or vpon the persones of clarkes and theyr temporalles to the intent that they shuld be the lesse vexed or troubled from the dyuyne seruyce and that they shulde be the more honestlye entreated in seculer causes And because certayne of the sayntes a foresayd were made bysshoppes in the prouynces or places whose prynces or inhabytauÌ„tes had gyuen the iudycyall offyce to the bysshoppes excepte they wolde haue renounced and refused or forsake the bysshopryche they coulde not haue ben excused from suche maner care of the seculer causes or maters betwene clarkes But here agayne some man shall doubte not without a cause and aske a questy on why holy men as saynt
bysshop or preest may be an euyldoer to whom neyther chryst neyther any apostle hath assygned at any tyme any other iudge outher by theyr worke example or els by theyr wordes as it hath ben shewed in this dyccyon in the place afore alledged And to that obieccyon whiche is put forthe by the maner of a couclusyon where it is sayde yf it shulde be expedyent and necessary to correcte prynces and gouernoures whan they shall trespace and offende agaynst goddes lawe or mānes lawe that it semeth that they maye not conuenyently be corrected for asmoch as they haue no superyor in the cyuyle regymente at the lestwyse the pryncypall and hyghest of them And therfore that they ought to be vnder the coactyue iudgemente of preestes and bysshoppes it is to be answered and sayde that a prynce or gouernoure offendynge or treaspassynge agaynst the lawe of god or of man may and ought to be corrected conuenyently by the ecclesyastycall mynyster bysshoppe or preeste by wordes of exortacyon or of increpacyon and rebukynge but yet after a sobre a dyscrete and mesurable maner accordynge to the doctryne of the apostle in the seconde and also the. iiii chapytre of the seconde epystle to Tymothe and to the exposycyon of Chrysostome whiche we haue brought in heretofore in the. ix chapytre of this dyccyon But in no wyse by coactyue power and auctoryte For suche maner power dothe not appertayne to a preeste or bysshoppe in that he is suche one vpon any man in this worlde as it hathe ben oftentymes proued and repeted heretofore And as touchynge to the reason whiche was fynallye added that he is as touchynge to iurysdyccyon superyor vnto the emperoure of Rome and maye of ryghte instytute and depose the sayde emperoure whiche hathe translated the empyre from the Greekes vnto the Germaynes in the person of great Cherles as it hathe ben sayd that he that made this translacyon was the pope of Rome ergo the pope is superyor to the Emperour may of ryghte instytute and depose the Emperour it is to be answered sayde that yf the fyrst proposycyon of this argument be taken indefynytly not vnyuersally than of it with y e second proposycyon nothyng can be inferred or cōcluded for as moch as no syllogysme may be made of an indefynyte proposycyon and a partyculer proposycion But yf it be taken vnyuersally so that it be sayd Euery translator of the Romayne empyre from the grekes vnto the germaynes is superyor to the emperour c. Excepte the subiecte of this proposycyon that is to wyt translator of the empyre c. be determyned this proposycyon myght be proued false by very many true reasons For yf any man had īvery dede but yet not of ryght translated the empyre or elles yf he had done it not by his owne power but by the power of an other man gyuen vnto hym as vnto a proctour or deputye this person I saye whiche had so translated the empyre shulde not therfore hym selfe alone haue superyor iurysdyccyon vnto the emperoure neyther ryghtfull power and auctoryte to instytute or depose hym but yf the aforesayde proposycyon be this determyned that euery mortall man whiche hath translated or maye iustlye and ryghtfully translate the romayne empyre from the greekes vnto the germaynes by his owne propre auctoryte not graunted to hym by any other person is superyor in coactyue iurysdyccyon to the emperour of Rome and maye ryghtfullye instytute and depose hym this proposycyon so graunted than the seconde proposycyon whiche is ioyned vnto this that it is the byssoppe or Pope of Rome whiche hath trāslated the empyre as it hath ben sayde is to be denyed as vtterly false For the contrary of this proposycyon hath ben proued in the. xv of the fyrst dyccyon And also the contrarye both of it and of the conclusyon whiche is inferred of it hath ben certyfyed and surely proued by the scrypture and by the saynges of sayntes and other catholyke doctours in the. iiii and. v. chapytres of this dyccyon and hathe ben repeted or reherced agayne in verye many other places And thus it hath ben obserued in dede without reclamacyon or grudge of the olde fathers pastores of the bysshoppes of Rome Thus than to haue gone throughe the doubtes moued in the thyrde and the. xxvii chapytres of this dyccyon lette it be suffycyente And thus we make an ende of the questyones pryncypallye purposed and intended of vs in this worke ¶ Thus endeth the seconde dyccyon or boke ¶ The thyrde dyccyon or parte of this worke entytled the Defender of peace whiche is as it were a table of the two fyrste dyccyons ¶ Of the rehersall callyng to remembraunce agayne of the thynges pryncypally intended and determyned in the fyrste and seconde dyccyon and of a certayne sequele and necessary folowynge whiche the thynges that shalbe spoken in this boke haue vnto the thynges whiche haue ben sayd in the dyccyons aforegoynge The fyrste chapytre FOr as moche as in the dyccyons aforegoyng we haue assygned and marked forthe the synguler and specyall cause that nowe is of cyuyle dyscorde intranquyllyte and vnquyetnes of certayne realmes and certayne cōmunytes and whiche same thyng shall also be hereafter the cause of debate and stryfe in all other cōmunytes excepte it be letted and stopped be tymes that is to wytte the existymacion or opynyon and the desyre and enforcement by whiche the bysshoppe of Rome and the companye of his clergye syngulerlye and especyally laboure to possesse seculer domynyons and temporall thynges superfluouslye of the whiche domynyons or souereygntes the sayde bysshoppe endeuoureth to chalenge the hyghest vnto hym selfe by the tytle of full power whiche was pryncypallye graūted to hym as he sayth by chryst in the person of saynt Peter as we haue sayde in the laste chapytre of the fyrst dyccyon And as it hath ben not with out a reasonable cause repeted oftentymes and rehersed in verye many chapytres of the seconde dyccyon where as in very dede not onely not the hyghest domynyon or gouernaunce but also no domynyon at all or iugemente coactyue of any persone in this worlde is conuenyent or agreyng to hym or to any other bysshop preest or clerke in that they are suche maner persone neyther ioyntly neyther seuerallye as we haue euydently shewed and proued in the fyrste dyccyon by certayne humayne and worldly reasons And haue also confyrmed the same in the. iiii and. v. chapytres of the seconde dyccyon by the testymonyes of euerlastynge trouth and also by the exposycyons and declaracyons of the holy interpretours therof and of many proued doctours and teachers of the same and afterwardes also the. vi the vii chapytres of the seconde dyccyon we haue by the scryptures and certayne reasons assygned and shewed what and howe great and in what thynges is the power and auctoryte of preestes and bysshoppes To all whome or to some one of them we haue shewed in the.
degrees or estates because it hath not ben so dylygently regarded and seen vnto as was mete and accordynge that it shuld haue ben and whyles the one sorte to boldlye agaynst ryght and lawe dothe hurte the other howe great hurtes and troublouse stormes it hathe alwayes styrred and raysed vp not onely in temporall maters but also in sprytualte maters bothe the tymes of our elders and forefathers partely but specyally and cheyfly these presente tymes vexed with so many incoÌ„modytes and myscheuouse euylles and troubles by reason hereof doth euydently declare and proue Agaynst whiche euylles wolde god that some conuenyent helpe remedy were founde afore it come to that passe that they be vtterlye paste remedye by those persones whiche worthelye both ought and also myght remedye them But I exorte and desyre the most good gentyll reader dylygentlye to tourne ouer and to laboure this worke called the defender of peace Thou shalte fynde in it the Image of these our tymes most perfytly and clerlye expressed and set out And also that euen afore these dayes euery one of the beste Emperours hath ben contynually sore vexed troubled with the same tyrannye of Romanystes wherwith nowe all good men be accombred greaued and noyed not without the cruell and deadelye iniurye of the coÌ„mune weale THis worke was wryten in the latyne tonge two hundred ten yeres nowe fully passed and nowe prynted in englysshe for none other entent and purpose I take god to wytnesse more then to helpe further and profyte the chrysten coÌ„men weale to the vttermost of my power namely and pryncypally in those busynesses and troubles wherby it is and before this tyme hath ben iniustly molested vrxed and troubled by the spyrytuall ecclesyastycall tyrauntê And that to the great hurte calamyte of the same coÌ„men weale that by many suche hystoryes of olde men sette before the iyes and syght of all men at the last the very trouth myght appere and shewe itselfe and that all darkenesse dyscussed and put awaye the same maye come to lyght Wherfore good indyfferent reader take thou that also in good worthe whiche we haue done certaynlye of a very good mynde and purpose ¶ Explicit Prynted by me Robert wyer for wyllyam marshall and fynysshed in the moneth of Iuly in the yere of our Lorde god a M LLLLL xxxv And in the. xxvii yere of the Reygne of our moste gracyous soueraygne lorde Henry the eyght by the grace of god of Englande and of Fraunce kynge defender of the fayth and lorde of Irelande and supreme hed vnder god of the churche of Englande With the priuilege of our moste gracious soueraygne Lorde for sixe yeres ROBERT WYER IhonÌ„ y e. xxii Benedicte the xii Clement the. vi The despysinge and settynge at nought of godes worde is the cause of all y e present euylles iÌ„ the worlde we be worthely punysshed for the despysynge of the lyghte of the gospell Men of the churche now a dayes at rather the folowers of the phariseys theÌ„ of y e apostles we do folyshly and madly to defeÌ„de our couetousnes by the examples of our holy Fathers They ar not of this world whom chryst hath elected The wykydnesse of some papystes To gyue christe buffet or blowe The bysshop of Rome I praye the good reader attende take hede howe goodly thyse thynges agre togyther ¶ Nota. Peter by the coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„t of y e Apostles went to Samaria That w t our gloses wel nere all dyuyne scrypture is clene taken away Our armour or weapons ar not carnal Names of dygnyte The iniuries and contumelyes done by the Popes of Rome to Lodowike of bauarye the emperour Cardynalles and Abbottê capytaynes iÌ„ warre An angell is not to be beleued spekynge agaynst the gospell Because chryste is kyng in heuen therfore the pope is Emperour or hedde ruler in erthe is not this a goodsy reason Two solucyons Men of the churche shuld be mynisters not lordes That neither the prophetts neyther the apostels dydde speake or teache to men any other thynge than the worde of god The churche had not so auctoryte to approue the gospelles that it had lye lykewyse in theyr power to dysalowe y e same Howe the sentence of them is to be vnder standed that saye that the churche hathe approued allowed the gospell Take hede marke this wycked blasphemye Petri. 5. Tranquyllyte is the mother of artes scyences Cassiodorus The suffycyencye of manneslyfe is the best fruyte y t coÌ„meth of peas In the byrth of chryste tydynges of peace was broughte by aungels vnto meÌ„ Chryst whysshed peas to his dyscyples The apostles wyssheth peas Peas was y â— inherytaunce of christs disciples Example of the kyngdom of Italye The hurtes or euels that growen of discorde The hurtes that coÌ„meth of stryfe or intollerable Chrysten meÌ„ are bouÌ„de to those thiÌ„ges which apperteyneth to peas Let no man for feare spare to speke y e truthe Chryst came in to y e world to beare wytnes vnto the truthe They that are wytty and full of know lage are bouÌ„d to defende the truth The prayse of Lodo wyke the emperour what the author wolwryte in the fyrst dyccyon The argument or matters of the secoÌ„de dyccyon The contentes of the thyrde dyccyon The fyrste sygnyfycacyon of regnum The seconde what cytie or coÌ„muitieis A symylytude What saynte or helth is What tranquyllyte is What intranquyllyte or discorde is What infirmite or syckenes Sure knowlege of a thyngeis had de whan the causes of it are knowen whiche was the fyrste coÌ„munytie What is a strete Adam punysshed not chain that slew his brother because of the pancite smalle noÌ„bre of men at that tyme. The same man a gouernour and an husbande maÌ„ or a keper of shepe A cytie is a perfite coÌ„munytie The ende of cyties or commune weales is a good lyfe or to lyuewel what al men desyre hauiÌ„ge theyr wittes The wordly lyfe and the heuenly lyfe what is the cause of maÌ„nes corrupcyon wherfore maÌ„nedeth artes or craftes why the honournnge of god is necessary to men Doctours or teaches ar necessary to cyties or cyuyle coÌ„munyties The begynnynge or cause of a cytie The syx partesor offyces of a cytie or ciuyle coÌ„munytie Husbandrye craftes men knyghthode marchauÌ„dyse preesthode lawyers A cytie or cyuyle coÌ„munytie was Instytute to the ende that meÌ„myghte lyue well in it wordly lyfe Vita is takeÌ„ for anima whan a man lyueth well Two maner of accyons passyons of men Actiones immanentes Actiones traÌ„seuntes why craftes were diuysed Husbandrye why arts mechanycall were fouÌ„de or deuysed that is to wyt suche craftes which are wrought both w t wyt and hande Consules et iudices why iuges rulers were iÌ„stytuted ordeyned Chyualrie or the crafte of Armes Bondage or thraldome is contrarie to a cytie or cyuyle coÌ„munytie The treasure of a cytie Preesthodeor the offyce of preestes The necessytie of preestes can not be coÌ„prehended by demonstacyoÌ„ The necessarye
Chryste was not the gouernour of y e emperour of Rome Bonyface y â— maker of decretalles A good artycle of our fayth worthye for sucha bysshop The abuse of excoÌ„munycacyon No man can make the people to byleue this abhomynable pÌ„sumpcyon pryde The bysshoppes of Rome with theyr desyrynge of domynyoÌ„ hath ben y e causers of dyscorde warres Coactyue iurysdiccion apperteyneth to no spyrytual mynystre of the church as concernynge he is a spyrytual mynistre Howe to oppresse y e vsurped powre of the man of Rome They which dothe not resyste cuyl meÌ„ are iniuste ê‘sones Of the fyrste aduersarye agaynst the truthe The charytable desyre of marsilius Of y e seconde aduersary to truthe Custome to here lyes The thyrde aduersarye to truthe Enuye Enuye The ordre of procedynge in this dyccyon or parte The bysshop of Rome hath no iurysdiccyon ouer preestes Note this Churche Iudge Spyrytuall Temporall This worde church what it betokeneth The proper sygnyficacioÌ„ of this word churche All true chrysten people ben men of y e churche For whome chryste suffered his passyon The sponsesse of chryste Temporall Spyrytuall Paule went neuer to y e canon law and therfore he knewe not y e nature of this worde Spyrytuall The mynystres of the churche maye synne why the dectetalles were made Iudge Iudgement Aduocate The first auctorite of scripture which semeth to make for the popes powre Wherof y e pope hath taken to hymselfe auctoryte to reygne rule The seconde auctoryte The thyrde auctoryte The fourth auctoryte The. v. auctoryte The. vi auctoryte The. vii auctoryte The. viii auctoryte The fyrst naturall reason The seconde The thyrde The. iiii The. v. The. vi That y e pope is not aiudge nor gouernour seculare what maner powre y e pope hathe That chryste cam not to be a lord or ruler Chryste dyd exclude hym selfe and the apostles from worldly kiÌ„gdome or gouernaunce IohnÌ„ xviii The kyngdoÌ„ of chryste Chryste dyd speake of spyrytuall kyngdome or gouernaunce Chryste fled eschewed y e dygnyte of a kynge The kyngdome of heuens Chryst wold not be iudge or vmpyre Note this Iherome Orygen Ambrose Bernarde Of payenge trybute Augustyne Bernarde Orygen Let men of y e churche loue not playe y e lordes Chrysostome Ecclesiastical ê‘sons ought to be seruauntê not to be lordê rulers Iherome Orygen Basilius magnus Bernard Ambrose This texte is but eueÌ„ nakedly alleged of y e authour Ambrose Augustyne Gregorius Bernardus Bernardus Bernardus Bernarde rayleth agaynst y e spyrytualte Euyll rulers are to be obeyed as reuereÌ„tly as good rulers The soule is put for y e maÌ„ Bernardus Bernardus Of this worde power Marke this well I counceyll you That we are bounde to do as the Decretals coÌ„maundeth The power is profytable whether it be good or euyll That all meÌ„ oughte to be subiect to priÌ„ces and gouernours Ambrosius Bablynge lyeng Decretals the decretals prestê ar to be obeyed in those thingê whiche are accordynge to the gospell Ambrosius Chrisostomê° There is not your auctoryte gyuen preestes to be iudges Augustinus To absolue the subiecte from the bonde and othe of his allegeauÌ„ce is manyfest heresye That saynte Paule was subiecte to Cesar That preestê be subiectê to seculer pryncê or gouernours The offyce of preestes Penaunce Iherome Hierome Augustyne The power of the keyes Penaunce what god worketh before coÌ„fessyon in a synner That god only forgyueth synnes Ambrose Augustyne It is sooner sayde than proued Then he wrytheth them Howe preestê haue powre to bynde and lose Ierome Marke this well This geare muste be iudged by higher iudges whether there be a purgatory after this lyfe oâ— no. To whome penytencyall satysfaccyon is to be moyued The pope for gyueth nomore the synne than any other preeste then yf the preeste do his dutie as he is bounde who gothe to purgatorie and theÌ„ wherfore shuld we beleue that there is one This man rayleth Chrysostome Ierome God regardeth y e lyfe of men not the iudgement of the preestes when excommunycacyon ought to be done Note this The forme maner of doyng excoÌ„munycacyon what y â— apostles vnderstode or meaned by this wrode church Augustinus Augustinus ExcoÌ„munycacyon is not coÌ„mytted onely to preestes The character of holy ordre This is but a sely sorye glose A corollaryâ— What thyngê god alone worketh in man what thyngê are done by y e preeste we be not agreed as yet of any purgatorye aft this lyfe The keye of dyscrecyon Ambrose The symylytude betwene y e preeste and y e iudges saruanÌ„t oriayler The worde of god bideth and loseth Marke this my maystres The preeste sheweth and declareth the synner to be absolued but dothe not assoyle y e sinner and then farewell the fetchynge of meÌ„nes soulê out of purgatory Nota. Iacob iiii The physicyon of y e soule is lyke to the phisycion of the body The preeste hath auctorytie to tech but not to coÌ„pelle this forget not for the pope leseth here his sharp swerdes and his goÌ„nes his moryspykes his hauldebardes The dyuysyon dyfference of manner actes Sodayne konwledges affeccyons Knowleges affeccyons appetytê abdyng and permanent Dedes procedynge of delyberacion ben called the preceptes of the mynde He meneth y â— man hath fre wyll in actes delyberate yf he be iudged with the spyryte of god A dystynccyon of actê coÌ„maunded or done with good aduysement Inward actê outward actê A dystynccyon of outward actes Profytable Unprofytable harmefull Artê and scyences A dystiÌ„ccyon of coactiue rules lawes MaÌ„nes lawe Goddes law Secte is here well taken The lawe of Chryste Cause motyue is y e kyng which is heed of the churche correctoure in this lyfe of all crymes enormyties y t issue forth What a kyng is Yea euen a bysshoppe Bysshoppes are subiectes as well as bochers The traÌ„sgressoure is the stuffe matter the kynge is the cause effectyue apte to worke vpon the stuffe To be a preeste is but an accedeÌ„tall thynge The preeste hode taketh not awaye y e man nor chaÌ„geth hym in to an aungell Preestes oughte to be punysshed by the secular iudge and yet Thomas of CauÌ„turbery wolde not haue it so The obiectyon of the sprytualtie is answered vnto The Pope of Rome is not exempte froÌ„ the iurysdyccyon offeculare prynces It maye be graunted to preestê to haue wyues Fratres gaudeÌ„tes Begini Relygyous men receyue men that be not lerned in to theyr orders Lawyers There is but one lawe maker Chryste A iudge here is taken but for a preacher This iudge hath no coactyue powre The clargy many a yere hath done all by coÌ„pulsyon as with swerde and fyre Ambrose Fayth is voluntarye Yf men seme to be punysshed for breakynge of goddes lawe in this world as for coÌ„mittiÌ„ge aduoutry for nycacioÌ„ theft heresy and so forth it is because the malyce of theyr hertê breketh forth and disq â—eteth theyr neyghbours therby offeÌ„deth y e kyngê lawe not
inuyncyble reason Hugo de sctoÌ„ victore Canon or scrypture S. Paule was a chosen vessell The chrysten fayth was fre vntyll CoÌ„stantynes tyme. Why Alyen bysshoppe sought couÌ„sel before the reygne of CoÌ„stantyne the emperour of at the bysshops of rome Howe bysshoppes came fyrste from Rome which I beseche the good reder to marke with all dylygence for it is worth moche worldly treasure Howe lawes ordynauÌ„cê were fyrst receyued from Rome aft what maner and wolde to god it had neuer ben worse Isodore The churche of Rome receyued ordynauÌ„ces of the churche of Grece Se how vertue is peruerted to mysche fe by to moch sufferaunce CoÌ„stantyne y e emperour If thou wylt se y e truthe of this gyfte rede the boke entytled y e gyft of CoÌ„staÌ„tyne the emperour thou shalt there se many festly that it was but forged of the bysshoppes of Rome Who gathered y e first couÌ„sell called CoÌ„cilium Necenum To what scrypture sure credence is to be gyuen Augustyne Saynt Augustyne iudgement of bokes Augustyne The counsell of Carthage Non credereÌ„ euaÌ„gelio nisi me catholice ecclesie coÌ„moueret aucthoritas Howe saynt Augustynes sayenge is to be vnderstanded Non crederem euaÌ„gelio nisi me catholice ecclesie aucthoritas coÌ„moueret Why y e iudgement of the churche is trewe Howe many maner wayes fulnes of powre maye be taken Howe and wherfore fastynges from certayne kyndes of meates at certayne dayes cam fyrste vp and was fyrst receyued Under the colour of religyon hath sproÌ„ge moch myschefe After ignoraunce foloweth folysshe feare after that fonde obieccyons as is this were there not as wyse men before our days as there ben nowe Exempcion of clarkes The deuyll is latten lose to blowe his trompettes Cursynges for money S. Paule The cause of the vndoyng Italye Treason O shameles chyldren The coÌ„meÌ„dacion of Henry the. viii emperour of Rome the cause of his most cruel deposycyon The tytle of Iure iuraÌ„do why the spyrytual lawes were named Iura canonica that is to saye the canon lawes hereby note the crafte of the deuyll The churche that can not erre A bysshoppe ought to be able to teache Lawyers lawyers al lawyers Nota. A similitude The interpre tacyon of the Image whiche Danyell descrybeth what chryste taught Orbane was the fyrste bysshop of Rome that possessed landes Note this agayne Howe excoÌ„munycacyoÌ„s cam fyrste from Rome Howe councelles were fyrst congregated and gathered Offices seê‘able and inseperable The canony call lawes were fyrst made agaynst preestes and not agaynste laye men As it is falsely fayned The pryuyleges of prestê And nowe they be many vndeuoute Ambrose of the armure of preestes But nowe y e contrary nedeth Marke this ye prynces lese not your hono â— regall Vitellianus papa CoÌ„staÌ„tyne pope To this poynt they wold be broughte agayne IohnÌ„ the xii pope is deposed by Otto I pray god that I mayese such thyngê agayne both in this laÌ„de otherwhere Simplicius Tibertinus was one of y e fyrste traytours bisshoppes of Rome Inuestiture This good honest man gaue y e emperour a pygge of his owne so we Adriane y e. iii pope was a worshypfull pÌ„late I warraunt you Here ye mayese y t no writer of histories is to be trusted at all tymes that a man may soone be deceyued in them excepte he haue a ryghte iudgement fyrst in scrypture Martin was a freer begger This he meaneth of bysshops within y e emperours dominion for els the emperour hathe nought to do in the leccyon of bisshops in Englande This punysmeÌ„t wolde be put in vre Steuen Nicholas The bisshops of rome haue caused moche stryfe debate and blode shedynge Pope Pascal a good man but small Calixte pope He durst non other do then but I thynke y t freer Martyne lyeth Otto the. iiii emperoure Frederyke y e seconde Be not angry The bisshops of Rome ben thefes and robbers Tyranny vsurpacyon Oh shame of all shames Obstynacye As agaynst Englande Fulnes of powre is an execrable tytle Folnes of powre full ynoughe I trowe and yf the deuyll be not in it DeseÌ„teÌ„cia et re iudicata Marsilius of padway the herolde of truthe Here al kingê take hede yf ye wyll not haue your crownes pulled of your hedes or the successyon of your bodyes betrayed for in y â— decretallê is manyfeste treason coÌ„ceyuyd agaynst you all eke the succession of your bodyes The bysshop of Rome is bothe false presuÌ„ptuous Asymylitude The frutê of o â— holy herdesmen or bysshoppes The spouse of chryst and y e church must be a cloke to couer alwyckednes The spouses of chryste Barnarde The popes haue succeded not Peter but Constantine or rather NiÌ„roth y t cruel thefe tyraÌ„t Treason towarde y e emperour of Rome in the decretalles The coronacyon of y e emperoure Let al kyngê by this take hede how they suffce the bysshops to exercyse any ceremonyes about or vpon them yea or bisshop vpon bisshop vndre what coloure of holynes so euer it be for in conclusion an other daye yf they maye come a lofte they wyl chaleÌ„ge therby a certayne powre and make therof a certayne refygyon necessary holynes and a lawe of god The vnlaufull othes of y e emperours to y e bysshop of Rome Pardons Absolucions An obieccion Answere No nor yet to any other creature or creaturê lyuyng The fruytes that haue coÌ„med and proceded these many huÌ„dred yeres from y e seat of Rome from our holy fathers there mayntayned by o â— holy fathers here Of true obedyence towarde kyngê and prynces whiche y e bysshop of rome with his churche yet neuer taughte The vertue of the popysshe pardons The pharysyes were a figure of our sophistical DuÌ„sers Thomatistes Who soeuer resysteth y e power of a kynge or hed prynce is of y e deuyll yea though he were an aungell of heuen yf it were possyble moche more then a bysshop or a preeste a popysshe pylled freer monke or chanon or a peuysshe nunne Disobedient The emperours ar vexed of the bysshop of rome so be all other kynges of theyr bysshops clargye For what day the bysshops clargy do wayte A cunnynge poynte of practicasyon He studyeth to brynge the same to passe in Almayne Who ben the sones of the churche as y e bysshoppe of Rome calleth them Who ben heretykê as y e bysshop of rome calleth them The bysshop of Rome deuoureth the shepe Absolucion from synne payne to all that wyll be traytours to theyr prynces Let chrysten men be a shamed of theyr madnes Champions of the deuyl not of chryste He calleth hiÌ„ selfe the vicar of chryste he ought more truely be called the vycar of the deuyll A captayne Cardynall An abbot of cheualrye The eÌ„perour is called of my lorde abbot a fauourer of heretykes It is not onely not semely but also forbeden by the lawe of god for preestes to be men of warre The bisshops ben