learned what so euer they wrote / of other that were before them Thus muche maye be saide to M. Nowell susteining thys paradox to deface vs to the worlde that we are seely translatours because nothing can nowe be newely written for the maintenaunce of the popes supremacy or any other matters whiche we nowe treate of but such as hathe bene allready bothe written and printed many yeares agoe c. The which so strange an opinion / as for his small skyll some simple Ideot maye mainteine / so is it for the persone of M. Nowell / one that beareth some countenaunce of learning / and is in deede in the place and roume of a learned man / alltogether vnsitting And this I doubte not but he him selfe / aswell by the experience of his owne writing of late / as of other of his syde that wright daily / knewe well inough But to muche Rhetorike made him playe the foole / and while he folowed to neare the preceptes of his arte / he straied to far from the rules of all good reason For allthough it be tricke of Rhetorike / to labour to bring the aduersarie in the verie entry in to the matter / out of credite withe the reader or hearer yeat is it a pointe of reason to forsee and prouide withall / that the meanes whiche a man vseth / be not suche as maie be returned against him selfe Well this being nowe in the hearing of M. Nowell who peeped bylike To the. 2. there while in at the key hole concluded emongest the catholikes in this solemne conference of theirs / that some thing shoulde be set furthe in Englishe / the nexte deuise was of the maner of publishing it Which was / if the Reporter lye not that because they mistrusted dest this kinde of writing or rather translating should not appeare worthy to be accompted the earnest doinges of anye learned or wise man they shoulde pretende either their bookes to be written lightely for priuate frindes c. or appoint suche to beare the name as authors of such bookes as were the simplest men for learning and discretion emongest them If malice had not alltogether blinded him / and as it were bereued him of common sense / neuer woulde he haue abused youre eares good Readers / with such vaine toyes as these are For there is none of yow I trust / but that he iudgeth better of the whole nombre oâ— catholikes / then that he can be persuaded to thinke / that there shoulde be emongest them anye so wittelesse / muche lesse that a multitude shoulde agree in conference to thinke / that to wright of a matter either in the same tongue or anye other / whereof an other hathe written before / were a thing not worthy to be accounted the doing of any learned or wise man Whiche if they shoulde thinke / what were it elles but to condemne all the learned writers of so many hundred yeares / of ignorance and lacke of witte / as either being seely translatours or needy borowers Beside this / there is none of yow I trust so simple but that he can easely imagine with him selfe / that it is not likely / that anie Catholike shoulde be so far from all reason / as to feare thys that M. Nowelles fantasy surmiseth / hauing especially in his eye the example of heretikes them selues / who writing daily in the vulgar tongues / are yeat therefore counted of none but fooles in deede / the lesse learned or wise He noteth in the margent M. Doctour Harding and M. Rastell / for pretending their bookes to be written for priuate frindes And why ought they not rather being bothe of them to speake the lest men of no in famouse maners or godlesse consciences to be beleuid / affirming the same in their seuerall prefaces to the Readers / then M. Nowell withe his moste vaine and vnlikely coniectures / being allready infamouse for beelieng that learned man M. Doctour Redman / as to honest / learned / and good men yeat liuing it is notoriously knowen As for vs whome he calleth the simplest emongest the Catholikes for learning and discretion if that be true / so muche haue we the greater cause to rendre thanckes to allmighty God / who hathe preserued free from the infection of their heresies / suche a nombre no worse learned / nor of lesse discretion then we by goddes grace are Who maye when it shall please his wisdome to appointe the time / and to moue the harte of oure prince to call vs home / shewe oure selues worckemen in buylding vp that / which heretikes haue destroyed and pulled downe But I feare me and would it were not so / that euen in this pointe also / M. Nowell hathe made a Rhetoricall lye The nexte thing that he burdeneth vs withall / is common conference I woulde it were true that he laieth to oure charge If we were as To the 3. wise as we shoulde be / it shoulde be true / and we woulde in this pointe imitate our aduersaries But our sauiour hath saide it can not be false Filij huius seculi prudenâ—iores filiâ—s lucis in generatione sua sunt Lucae 16. The children of this worlde be wyser then the children of light / in their generation And so it happeneth vnto vs. But here I praie yowe good readers / marcke how he doubleth and faltreth in this tale of his / that so yow maye the better vnderstande with whome yow deale in this case First he saieth that all oure doinges be but seely translations / the whiche he maketh so easy a matter / that the meanest he saieth emongest vs haue they onlye a little vnderstanding in the latine tongue maye after this sorte loade them withe hauocke of bookes Here / forgetting that euer he spake these wordes he saieth that these bookes haue bene longe elaborated by common conference What shall we saye If this kinde of writing called by him translating M. Nowelles tongue faltreth in his lieng tale be so easy as he maketh it / what nede was there of longe or common conference / whiche thinges be onlye required in matters of greate hardenesse and difficultie What cause of feare of committing the handling of matters of suche weight to a fewe / allthough yonge men year vnderstanding the latine tongue as well as him selfe / then which / lesse knowledge by his owne confession woulde serue to loade them withe hauocke of bookes If this be true / what neded M. D. Harding or M. Rastell either / to vse the aduise of their learned frindes / to haue any suruey made by others of their doinges / seing it is well knowen / that as they are bothe hable to translate out of latine bookes before written in to theirs made in Englishe so they woulde for their wisdomes translate out of suche beside Pighius / Gropperus / Hosius / whome in this place he nameth as being neuer yeat by heretike answered / haue by the consent of
all thinges for this / that they that call her grace supreme gouernour in all thinges and causes aswell ecclesiasticall as temporall / The protestantes doinges sclaunderouse to the Quene and the realme are noted / not at home only but abroade also in strange countries / moste lewdely to abuse the same / while euen in a matter of no greater importance then is the wearing of a square cappe / they refuse the ordre of the supreme gouernour in all thinges and causes as in wordes they call her ecclesiasticall and temporall while for the signe of our redemption the crosse whiche her maiestie kepeth moste reuetently in her chappell / she is in her owne realme by a booke printed and set saithe by a meane and base subiect / inalapertly comptrolled â–ª What maye foraigne princes thinke of suche a contâ—â—mely / if as her graces affection towardes the crosse is vnknowen to none / so the onlye knowledge of the title of suche an infamouse libell rather then a booke / be brought to the eares of anie of them But what maie they saye / if vnderstanding the tongue / Calshil in â—pist ad Martialem pag. 7. they shoulde read â–ª within foure leaues of the beginning As for hir priuate doinges neither are they to be drawen as a president for all nor any ought to crepe in to the princes bosome of euery facte to iudge an affection What could they gather herof but that the princes honour were vilanously touched / as though in religion which is but one and therfore not subiecte to change / she did vse one religion her selfe / and deliuer an other to her subiectes as though which is worse she kepte for hir owne priuate vse the bad / and gaue to the rest the better yea which is yeat worst of all as though she shoulde pretende one thing outewardly / and be of an other affection inwardly / which coulde not be perceiued but by creeping into hir bosome But if he that setteth forwarde so vnhappely saile the rest of his course withe no better fortune / he shoulde in all wise iudgement haue done more wisely / if he had continued stil in the quiet hauen at the ancre wherat once he laye / then he hathe done by committing him selfe to the mercye of the windes waues of these troubelouse seas of controuersies / wherein no skilfuller pilote then he sheweth him selfe to be / maye easely make a foolishe shipwreke / and be cast awaye These be the sclaunderouse persons good Readers / whom M. Nowell if he haue that regarde to the honour of our souereigne ladye the Quene / his dutie to oure countrye lawes thereof / that he pretendeth will shortly haue in the chase / and let me and suche as I am alone / who protest neuer to desire to liue houre longre / then we shall be contented to liue like true subiectes vnder the humble obedience of oure gratiouse souereigne The prince goddes image in earthe / whome we acknowledge to be the image of God in earthe / in all ciuile and politike gouernement But nowe here I praie yowe beholde / how M. Nowell that maketh these greate bragges / of repelling withe earnestnesse suche reproches as I haue attempted he saieth to blemishe my prince lawes and countrie withall quitteth hym selfe of his promise Doth he not euen then when he commeth to that article where these surmised reproches shoulde be / flee backe and giue ouer in the plaine fielde Is not this repelling withe earnestnesse a plaine mockery to be laughed at / when about the matter that made him he saieth to wright so carefully and diligently / of 124. leaues / he bestoweth not fully three when he endeth there / without entring in to the article / where he shoulde rather haue begonne The thirde reason that hathe moued M. Nowell to wright the more largely against me / he expresseth in these wordes because the simple vnlearned readers haue often best liking in bookes more boldely then learnedly written and are moste in daunger to credite most lewde and sclaunderouse lyes I therfore haue in answering more at large applied my selfe to such as be of meane vnderstanding to whome the guilefull dealinges of the papistes can not with breuitie be made manifest These be M. Nowelles causes for his excuse why in so many wordes he hath vttred so little matter But the truthe is / when after longe streining of curtosy emongest the brethren which of them shoulde answere my booke / they all agreed / first in this / that something muste nedes be saide therto / and finally that M. Nowell of all other shoulde take the matter in hande / as he that for his rare gift of railing were best able to feede the humour of suche simple and vnlearned / as here him selfe saieth / haue often best lyking in bookes more boldly then learnedly written then he deepely considering / that the greatest vauntage that he coulde finde against me / muste be by making men beleue / that the places of S. Cyprian S. Hierome and suche like / brought for the confirmation of that first proposition of myne / That there must be one head in earth to gouerne christes churche were alleaged directly for the B. of Romes supremacy / to the whiche being conteined withein the compasse of 15. leaues of my booke / if he shoulde but answere after like proportion / his answere were The true cause of M. Nowel les so large writing like to be counted but a twopeny booke / and he for no better then a three-halfepeny doctour his high wisdome in respecte of these considerations founde it best / to dilate so that little stuffe that he had to vtter / that he might seme to haue made a iust volume / and to haue answered therein the whole For this respecte / because to haue intituled his booke A Reproufe written by Alexander Nowell of a piece of a booke c. VVhy he termed his boke a Reproufe had bene to greate a blemishe to his worship / and call it a confutation or an answere to my whole booke by any meanes he coulde not / he deuised to terme it a Reproufe of my booke / a worde as he thought suche / as in reprouing only 15. leaues he might seme to be able to iustifie / and which shoulde sounde in the eares of the vnlearned not accustomed to looke so narowly in to the nature of wordes asmuche as a confutation of the whole For this cause / to pacifie the learneder sorte whome he sawe he shoulde not be able by suche a tricke of ligier de main so easily to deceiue / and who woulde he knewe well not staye at the title / but take a diligent viewe of the contentes of the whole / he ransacking all the corners of his iugglers boxe / brought furthe at the lengthe a tricke of deceptio visus whereby he woulde make them beleue as you haue heard that M. Doctour Hardinges booke
also because how true they are I had rather make the worlde iudge then my selfe I esteme not and therefore I passe ouer in silence Whereas yow liken me to Iudas for that yow saie I haue forsaken my maister Christe in hope of worldly gaine all though partly the condition and state of my life that I nowe leade will answere for me in that respecte yeat thus muche I maie saie beside that when I left youre pestilent and perniciouse opiniōs being of age betwene fiftene and sixtene it is not likely that I cast anie great eye after worldly gaine If I had I would belike hauing left my house and the hope of so good a felowship in so famouse a colleage as the new colleage in Oxford is knowen to be for my cōscience sake in king Edwardes daies haue ben afterward when the time serued better a greater prowler for liuinges thē I was the greatest and only liuing that I had or desired to haue being a felowshippe in Allsollen colleage Or if fortune had not fauoured me then if worldlie gaine had bene so muche in mine eye I woulde in this time haue putt my selfe forwarde when I sawe some of mine owne fellowes as meane as I called to be Chauncelours to bishoppes other some to be Archedeacons manie to greate and riche benefices and not contrariewise haue abandoned all and sought strange countries thinking there to finde worldlye gaine As for D. Harding allthough he be able to saie muche more for him selfe yet this maie I saie because it is manifest that in refusing to ioyne with yowe in youre heresies he lost as good promotions as yow haue anie and was a man coulde he haue framed his conscience to your procedinges like to haue had as good parte of worldly gaine as yow or a better man then yowe either But of this lewde lye I can saie no more but A lye 70. transeat cum coeteris Nowe to the seconde point in whiche yow procede thus Swenckfield saieth M. Dorman doth saie we must haue no Nowell fo 84. a. 6 scripture c. The Huguenotes and heretikes saie we muste haue no pope of Rome to be heade of Christes vniuersall churche Lo Sir yow see a greate likenes betwene them c. No greate likenesse indede M. Nowell as yowe haue Dorman handled the matter But if yowe had trulie and whollie rehersed my wordes and added the cause whiche the Swenckfeldian bringeth for his opinion because God can M. Nowell cutteth away the chiefe parte off my wordes teache vs without withe the reason that yowe alleage why we ought to haue no heade of the churche because God is the heade him selfe and can rule it without any other then yff yow had cried Lo Sir you see a greate likenesse betwene them other men had bene like to haue soothed that in good earnest whiche nowe yowe vtter so pleasantly in sporte As yowe cutt of here the two reasons in whiche bothe the Swenckfeldians and yow agree they to banishe awaie the scripture and yow to ouerthrowe the heade of the churche so to make the conference the more vnlike yowe chaunge my wordes by casting in of the name of the pope of Rome whome I name not here but intreate onelie in generall wordes of one heade that ought to be in christes churche The nexte pointe wherein I compare yowe withe the A. 10. Swenckfeldians is that as they reiecte the scriptures sainge they are but dead lettres so doe yowe the pope beinge the heade of the churche saing that he is but a sinfull man as other are and therefore as vnmete being but a sinfull man to gouerne the whole churche as is the scripture whiche they call deade lettres and to be accounted emongest other creatures to signifie to vs the will and pleasure of oure Lorde God Thus haue I shewed the similitude why doe yowe skornefully mocke at it and shewe not rather the dissimilitude Finally I compare yowe withe the Swenckfeldians because A. 16. as they barre God of suche externall meanes as it hathe pleased him teache to vs by that is the scripture so doe you of suche externall gouernour as it pleaseth him to gouerne his churche by that is one generall heade to gouerne the whole Thus I reasoned and thus yow doe Against the whiche yowe haue nothing to saie but to singe youre olde song often saide but neuer proued that it belongeth to B. 8. onelie Christe to gouerue his churche and that it is impossible for one only man to doe it and so conclude with a fit of railing against the pope and there an ende Whereas M. Dorman procedeth saing that we tell Christe that Nowell fo 85. a. 7. he is of age and able to doe it him selfe and that therfore there is no remedie but he must nedes come downe and giue answere to all oure wise demaundes in his owne person I trust that all men do knowe that M. Dorman did knowe that he lied lewdely when he did write this I lied not M. Nowell For allthough yow saye not so Dorman muche in wordes youre dedes speake as much all together seing that yow alowe vs not one suche heade as maie by his auctoritie ende and determine all controuersies rising in the church without the which either the churche must from time to time be miserably shaken with schismes whiche I thinke you meane not either Christe come downe and giue answere in his owne person whiche is the thing that yow be offendid with me for saing of you vpon good and iust cause as you see Hauing nowe as yow thinke well purged youre parte yow will matche vs withe Swenckfield and therfore you saye And M. Dorman and all the aduersaries to the truth maie be ashamed Nowell a. 30. b. 3. to charge vs as not alowing Christe meanes to worcke his spirituall grace by but vexing him by calling for his corporal presence whereas they them selues as those that thinke he can doe nothing excepte he be corporall present woulde turmoyle him euery houre and minute also from place to place and would imprison him allso in narowe and streight roumes passing little ease in the tower of London manifolde If you alowe him suche meanes as yow speake of why Dorman make you so muche adoe about this that he can rule his churche alone that he nedeth no other cet It is vntruly and blasphemously saide of you that we woulde turmoile Christe euery houre and minute which you meane of his presence in the blessed sacrament from place to place that that pretiouse body of his being reserued for the benefite of Christian men is imprisoned We abhorre suche grosse and locall mutation as muche as yow We saye withe Chrisostome O miraculum O dei benignitatem qui cum patre sursum sedet in illo ipso temporis articulo omnium manibus pertractatur Lib. 3. de Sacerdotio O miracle o the benignitie of God which when he sitteth aboue
miserably shaken notwithstāding the labour of the chiefe prelates of euery prouince Now to come to princes and tēporall gouernours if they haue as many seueral or contrary lawes as their be seuerall countries or nations cōcerning the keping of their people in ciuile ordre and peace what breache off vnitie What hurte What disordre in the worlde will folowe hereof I praye you So that to haue made this reason of youres probable you shoulde thus haue reasoned As in the whole worlde there is no disordre because seuerall princes haue seuerall and contrary lawes so in the churche will there be also none if diuerse bishoppes teache diuerse and contrary faithes But as no man is so blinde but he seeth the falsehode of this comparison so is no man I truste so voide of wit but that he seeth this to be as true as that which you made before Thus by reason we finde that schismes can not be appeased without one heade in the churche to whome the greater causes ought to be referred whome the rest ought to credite and obeye To the which heade because he is by Christes owne mouthe so priuileaged in Peters faithe that as he neuer yeat deliuered to the churche any erroniouse doctrine to be beleued but hathe allwaies continued the faith receiued from the Apostles so are we suer that he neuer shall we ought and maye in matters of faithe giue full and assured credite As by S. Austen we be counceled who to this purpose bringeth this saing of the ghospell Quae dicunt Epist 165 Matth. 23. facite c. Doe what they bidde you doe and addeth for the reason that in so doing oure faithe being moste certaine as being grounded not vpon man but vpon goddes promise can neuer be scattred by the tempest of anie schisme This being most true we maie boldely conclude that this state of Monarchie that is of gouerning the churche by one heade as it is moste necessarie so because we are suer that this one heade can not giue wrong iudgement in matters of faithe it is of all other for the churche the moste conuenient as being the verie best For in this pointe doe all men agree euen the moste aduersaries to this state that if one Monarche were suer allwaies to gouerne well that then that state off gouernement were to be preferred before all other To all this that hathe bene saide maye be added that iff you will nedes haue the seuerall diocesses and churches off euerie bishoprike to be like seueral kingdomes then as there is no only kingdome in earthe so by you it shoulde folowe that there is no one only churche in earthe Or if it may be enough for the church in earthe to be one body because Christe in heauen is the one heade thereof why maie not then the kingdomes of the earthe be in earthe one because Christe in heauen is the king of them also This being not I thinke vnknowen vnto you howe vneuen this comparison of youres was made yow will nowe leauing youre reason trie the matter by auctoritie S. Cyprian yow saie dothe most plainely teache that Nowell fo 32. a. 30 it is right and reason that seuerall bishoppes haue the gouernement of seuerall diocesses euen for the same cause for the which I yow saye doe vntruly alleage the necessitie of one heade To the place of S. Cyprian beginning Cum statutum sit Dorman Lib. 1. Epist 3. omnibus nobis c. I answere that it is right and reason that seuerall bishoppes haue the gouernement of seuerall diocesses and that to appease schismes and correcte vices as often as these thinges maie be in suche seueral diocesses commodiously done But that this maie be allwaies perfourmed in particuler bishoprikes and that if it can not recourse maie not be had to higher power that yow shoulde haue proued and that S. Cyprian hathe not Therefore this place maketh not against the auctoritie of one heade But you force it further and saie S. Cyprian affirmeth all suche appellations from a bishop off Nowell one countrie to a bishop of an other countrey to be vnlaufull for that that all bishoppes of all countreys be of like auctoritie and that none but naughtie and desperate men doe thinke the auctoritie of some bishoppes to be inferiour to the auctoritie of other S Cyprian affirmeth not here that all appellations from Dorman one bishop to an other be vnlaufull He saieth that it is reason and hathe bene ordeined emongest them that the subiectes of euery bishop haue their causes hearde there where the faulte was committed And maye not the B. of Rome doe this by sending his legates in all such cases of appeale to the places where the offences were committed there to examine the processe to receiue witnes to determine the matter Beside this if S. Cyprian had in this place vttrely forbidden all maner of appeales to Rome yeat by the phrase of his wordes it appeareth that it was decreed emongest them by a locall statute of their owne for the better maintenaunce of brothrely concorde Which as it extēded no fardre then to that place so if anie of them that once agreed to that ordre refuse at anie time to obey it although it ought to be a barre to him that once gaue his consent to the cōtrary yeat is it none to the pope why he maie not procede in the cause who neuer renounced his right if it be appealed to him The like to this is to be seene in the colleages of oure vniuersities where the founders in most places haue ordeined by their statutes that the membres of such colleages for the better reteining and vpholding of quiet and brotherly agrement emongest them shall propose suche quarelles and contentions as happen emongest them to the seuerall heades of suche colleages This ordre thus taken right and reason woulde haue kepte but if some frowarde body not contented with this will complaine furder to the chauncelor of the vniuersitie or chiefe patron of his colleage he may at their handes haue iustice That this was the case that S. Cyprian speaketh of manie thinges may persuade First that he saieth Cùm statutū sit omnibus nobis wheras an ordre is taken emōgest vs all he giueth vs two thinges to vnderstande that whereas they toke suche an ordre emōgest S. Cyprians place expoundyd thē it was not ordinarily so before but accustomed rather to be otherwise or elles what neded a statute to be made to for bid a thing neuer any otherwise practised Nexte that it was but for thē only for he saieth omnibus nobis emōgest all vs. So that in other places he denieth not yea by these words he cōfesseth rather that it was otherwise And therfore you haue done lewdly and made alowde lie M. Nowel to gather of this place this generall propositiō that all appellations from the bishop of one countrie to the bishop of an other be vnlaufull Whereas this ordre being taken
40. a. 1. were bothe of one minde Therefore saie I they bothe proue the necessitie of one heade Neither care I whether S. Hierome speake in this dialogue of the B. of Rome by name or no. It suffiseth to proue my entent that as by youre owne confession S. Cypriah is of the minde that in euerye diocesse there must be one prieste and iudge in the stede of Christe whome all the rest must obeye so S. Hierome also is of the same The which being once graunted it foloweth verie well that seing for one litle diocesse a heade ouer so meane men as parishe priestes be is precisely necessarie muche more is a heade in earthe ouer all the bishoppes which haue euerie one of them so greate power ouer their owne flocke lest theye abuse the same of greter and more forcible necessitie And therefore you take greate paines to no purpose to proue that S. Hierome speaketh not of the B. of Rome but of euery other bishop the which thinge I woulde hier you to proue for me For whereas if he had spoken of the B. of Rome by name it had bene a reason grounded vpon the auctoritie of S. Hierome alone now being spoken of euerie bishop it confirmeth by reconing the necessitie of one heade particulerly in euerye diocesse the greate necessitie of the same one heade in the whole bodie of the churche by naturall reason also which proueth my purpose better then any priuate mānes auctoritie can doe If cancred malice and desire to be reuenged had not caried yow so far and fast awaye that it gaue you no leisor to loke backe to the title of the argument that is here handled youre selfe woulde sone haue perceiued howe litle it were necessarie to haue in this place anie speciall mention made of the B. of Rome Which if yow had once marcked then woulde you neuer haue gathered so foolilishely and vnlearnedly out of the argument of the dialogue fol. 40. a. 6 writen by Erasmus Liber est c. The booke is very worthye to be reade as the whiche doth conceine manie ▪ wholesom preceptes M. Nowell a weake reasoner concerning the life of bishoppes that there was nothing in the same dialogue not asmuche as one worde that is special to the B. of Rome onelye For all thoughe there be no one worde there speciall to the B. of Rome as it is not necessary that there be how shoulde yeat this auctoritie presse him that woulde maintaine the contrary and saye to you what M. Nowell I thinke your wittes faile you Maye there not be some one worde speciall to the B. of Rome in that dialogue because it conteineth manie wholesome preceptes concerning the life of bishoppes Is not the B of Rome a bishop Muche like or more foolishe then this are youre other notes gathered here and there out of this dialogue to proue that which you saie of euerye bishoppes auctoritie and to reproue my wresting as you terme it of this place to the auctority of one bishop ouer the whole church For who sence reason was first poured in to mannes heade harde euer of one that occupieth the place of a wise man a more folishe or brainesicke kinde of reasoning then is this S. Hierome speaketh in diuerse places of this dialogue of manye bishoppes because the question was whether bishoppes returning from their heresies shoulde be vnbishopped or no before they were reconciled Ergo He meant not in the place alleaged that there shoulder be one chiefe bisshoppe in the churche This semed to your self to be farre from the marke I doubte not when you promise to come nearer to the place by fol. 40. b. 22. fol. 41. b. me alleaged And therefore you bring in certeine sentences going next before to proue that which I denie not that S. Hierome speaketh of euery bishop in his owne diocesse And thereupon you conclude And therefore this whole matter is altogether impertinent to Nowell fol. 42. b. 9 D. Harding and M. Dormans purpose of one onelye heade ouer the whole churche Vnlesse M. Dorman woulde frame vs thereof this lewde argument S. Hierome saieth that euery bishop ought to haue auctoritie aboue all other priestes of his owne diocesse Ergo the B. of Rome ought to haue a preeminence peerelesse aboue all bishoppes of all diocesses and ouer the whole church thorough out the whole worlde No M. Nowell I will not reason so in this place because Dorman the argument whiche I handle forceth me not so to doe But if I had so reasoned or woulde so reason as yow thinke no man being awake wil yeat am I he that euē in my slepe M. Nowell were able to defende that argument againste yow staring with bothe youre eyes wide open vpon me And that youre selfe perceiued well inough and therefore like a tendre harted mā as lothe to breake my sweete slepe you stolle from it as softlye as you might For this being I praye you first graunted that euery bishop ought to haue auctoritie aboue all other priestes of his owne diocesse and the reason being as S. Hierome hathe here and you in making the argument guilefully left out for the auoiding of schismes I woulde infer for the minor or seconde proposition but the same reason for the auoiding of schismes dothe no lesse yea more enforce that one haue perelesse auctoritie ouer the bishops and priestes of the whole world Ergo there must be one suche heade and that by a consequent the B. of Rome who hathe euer so bene reputed and taken except you by youre deanely auctoritie haue power to appoint some other But I brought not S. Hieromes auctoritie VVhy S. Hierome was first alleaged M. Nowell to conclude so particulerly or to force it to the B. of Romes supremacy but only to proue the necessitie of one generall heade ouer Christes vniuersal churche the which no reasonable man can denie but that most effectually it dooth So that nowe youre greate musing at any man that shall to this sense alleage this place of S. Hierome maye appeare rather to procede off some dumpish melancolike vapours occupieng youre fonde and idle heade or lacke of other matter to thinke vpon then vpon any iust cause or good grounde and that also yow haue vntruly saide of me that I haue wrested this place In answering the place of S. Hierom to Euagrius you saie Nowell fo 4◠b. 18 first that he sheweth that praesbiter and episcopus a prieste and a bishop be all one by the first institution and by the lawe of God If it had pleased yow so to haue taken S. Hierome he Dorman might haue ment that the name of a prieste and the name of a bishop was all one in the vse of speche in the holie scriptures and in the sacrament of ordres but not in dignitie preeminence and auctoritie For a bishop is preferred before a prieste in iurisdiction allthough their names were once confounded Neither are all those thinges
be suche doltes and so depriued of common sense that we vnderstand not to what ende the fauour shewed to an Anabaptist an Eluidian or anye other heretike for the crueltie practised on the catholike tendeth Argueth it not to the worlde that you seke rather meanes politikely for the tyme to staye them then vtterly for euer to represse them Well thus muche off youre priuate dissensions and lurking heresies whereof one of late in spite of all polycie sustening Verons heresie touching praedestination to abyde no longre burst oute hathe the blaste off common fame blowen ouer to vs. What other priuey store of opinions and seuerall doctrines maye be founde emonge you they knowe best that best are acquainted with you We as we can not knowe all so we can not reporte all This that hathe bene brought is sufficient to proue yowe M. Nowell a lowde lyer vntill you shewe the like to haue bene emongest vs before your heresies began The whiche because yow dispaired to be euer able to doe for yow confesse hereafter that there was at that time a coloured kinde off quietnesse emongest vs fol. 56. b. Yow bethought yow off a better councell that is to saye that emongest the Apostles of Christe the learned fathers of the councell off Nice and other off no lesse fame in Christes churche there haue bene also schismes and sectes You re wordes are these And though there were not a perfecte consent of all men in all pointes what merueile yeat were it if that shoulde happen emongest Nowell vs which was not alltogether lacking emongest the Apostles themselues c. This impudent and blasphemouse shifte you haue borowed Dorman of your Apologie the Apologie of Iohn Caluin he of that greate Lombard the diuell him selfe But here I beseche Staphilus in Epist ad Episcop Eystetēsen the considre with me good reader what either a miserable and detestable religiō is this either elles what weake but shamelesse patrones hathe it founde when suche faultes as be noted therein can no otherwise be excused but by sclaundring moste wickedly the learned doctours of the churche the generall councelles of the same yea the moste blessed and gloriouse apostles them selues Tell these newe gospellers that whereas the churche of Christe is Matth. 5. a citie builded vpon the toppe of a hill a candell set in the house to giue light to all that be in it a kingdome that reacheth from sea to sea and from the East to the west that Lucae 11. Psalm 71. their churche that they boast of is a secrete scattred congregation vnknowen to all the worlde and to them selues toe yow shall haue a peuishe proctour steppe furthe and answere as M. Nowell dyd before we take this obiection as Supra fol. 39. a. 32. no reproche being common to oure congregation with the primitiue churche of oure sauiour Christe and his holie apostles specially in the time of persecution Charge them as I doe here with schismes and you haue hearde the answere thereto allready The reporter whereof and as manie as before haue vsed this and like defences I can resemble to no worldly thing better then to a filthy and beastly sowe who being fowle and bemired her selfe neuer careth to be cleane but fodeth on still in the durte beraieng all thinges that she meeteth or rubbeth her selfe vpon as these schismaticall proctours doe not caring so muche to purge them selues as to laie their filthe vpon other that be cleane and to make them tomble and walowe in the mire as they doe Now to this blasphemouse shift because it is in the confutation of In the 3. parte fol. 136. and seq the Apologie so learnedly answered I will saie no more but that it is moste directly repugnant to the holie scriptures which beare witnesse that credentiū erat cor vnū anima vna Those which beleued at the first preaching of the Act. 4. Apostles were of one harte and of one minde It tendeth The Apostles varied dot in doctrine openly to the defacing of that marcke which Christe as of all other the moste certeine and suer to discerne those whiche are his gaue to his disciples when commending peace and vnitie he tolde them In hoc cognoscent omnes quia mei Ioan. 13. discipuli estis si diligatis inuicem In this marcke shall all men knowe that you are my disciples if you loue together M. Nowell chargeth the Apostles as the heathen philosophers dyd that finally it commeth from the ethnike and heathen spirite of certeine vaine philosophers as witnesseth the learned father Cirillus the B. of Alexandria who made in his time this verie obiection that M. Nowell nowe dothe Th◠Lib. 1. contra lulianū which place maie it please the learned reader to viewe and there shall he finde that this good bishop was so assured off that perfecte agrement of the Apostles that he was not afearde to make the offer to those vaine philosophers that so reasoned with him as M. Nowell dothe with me to leaue to defende them anie farder in case they coulde proue anie disagrement emongest them in doctrine Nowe that yow haue done with the Apostles yow come to the fathers and doctours of Christes churche of whome yow saye What wondre if that were emongest vs touching some pointes Nowell that was not wanting in the primitiue churche emongest the olde fathers Let the variance emongest the bishoppes assembled at Nicene councell let the contention betwene the bishoppes of the east and west churche about the keping of Easter daye * Beholde an arrogant spirite taking vpon him to iudge and reprehende the most vertuouse and learned bishoppes of the East and west churche Dorman a matter not worthy of suche variance be a witnesse thereof This vaine obiection borowed also of youre Apologie as is allmost alltogether what so euer yow haue here patched vp in fiue leaues concerning this matter of schismes is in the answere therto made abundantly satisfied Thither I referre the good reader where as thow maiest finde that some of these controuersies here mentioned by M. Nowell were of matters indifferent and not determined by the churche other some not of doctrine or religion but off priuate quarelles as happened emongest the fathers in the councell of Nice finally some suche as be schismes if they be schismes at all in logike not in diuinitie or matters off faithe so in matters of weight arrested vpon by the determination of the churche such striffes can not be named neither by this schismaticall proctour neither yeat by anye other So greate cause we haue to giue thankes to allmightie God the preseruer of his churche who hathe so mightely defended the same that when schismatikes and heretikes haue done all that they can for the better cloking of their dissension to proue the like in the fathers and learned doctours that haue gone before they being not able with all that malice can deuise or falsehode
For wheras he promised the emperour to continue at the councell to the ende and therupon had the saulfe conduct graunted he not trusting therto conueighed him selfe out of Constance couered in a carte with strawe He absteined not beside being excommunicate and not hauing learned so farre as yow are come nowe from saing of masse contrarye to the lawes of the churche and expresse commaundement of the councell So that seing in euerie saulfe conduct the partie to whome it is graunted is aswell bounde to obserue the conditions on his parte to be obserued as he that graunted it is to perfourme semblably his promise the which Husse dyd not yow haue herein sclaundred the councell and made a lie Lye 59. If yow denie this yow maie consulte the historie of Vlrichus Reichentall who being a citezin of Constance was su a Teutonic histor de Concil Constant then presente at the councell when these thinges happened and reporteth thereof as hathe bene declared That yow ioine to Husse Hierome of Prague that is an other lye For as Hierom neuer would venture so farre as to trust A lie 60. to anie saufeconduct so was he taken against his will and Actes and monumentes fo 243. brought to the councell as witnesseth youre felowe Fox Nowe foloweth the greatest lye of all and that is of a decree that shoulde be made in the councell off Constance that no faithe or promise is to be kepte to anye heretike nor that anye man by anye promise standeth bounde to an heretike I will here alleage the wordes of the decree which this falsefier durst not for feare of being betraied They are these Praesens sancta synodus ex quouis saluoconductu per imperatorem â—ess 19. reges alios seculi principes hereticis vel de heresi diffamatis putantes eosdeÌ„ sic a suis erroribus reuocare quocunque vinculo se astrinxerint concesso nulluÌ„ fidei catholicae vel iurisdictioni ecclesiasticae praeiudiciuÌ„ generari vel impedimentum prestari posse seu debere declarat quominus dicto saluoconductu non obstante liceat iudici competenti ecclesiastico de huiusmodi personaruÌ„ erroribus inquirere alià s contraeos debite procedere eosdemque punire quantum iustitia suadebit si suos errores reuocare pertinaciter recusauerint etiamsi de saluo conductu confisi ad locum venerint iudicij alias non venturi nec sic promittentem quum alià s fecerit quod in ipso est ex hoc in aliquo remansisse obligatum That is to saie This present holie sinode declareth that notwithstanding any saufeconduct graunted by the emperour kinges or other seculer princes to heretikes or diffamed of heresie vpon hope thereby to call them from their errours with whatsoeuer bonde they haue bounde them selues that yeat there shall not or maie not growe thereby any preiudice to the catholike faithe or ecclesiasticall iurisdiction in suche wise that it maie not be laufull for the competent and ecclesiasticall iudge to enquier of the errours of suche persones and otherwise to procede duly against them and to punishe them as iustice shall requier if obstinately they refuse to reuoke their saide errours yea allthough they trusting vpon the saufeconduct came thither which otherwise they woulde not haue done and that he that maketh this promise when otherwise he hathe done what is in him to doe remaineth not hereby in anie thing bounde These be the wordes of the councell this is the decree that yow pretende to feare Yow saie the councell hathe decreed that no faithe is to be kepte to anie heretike the councell hathe onlie that suche faithe as is giuen by temporall princes in matters of heresie not perteining to their iurisdiction is not to be holden in suche wise as it might preiudice the ecclesiasticall iurisdiction The cleane contrarye therefore appeareth by the councell to that whiche yowe saie that is that faithe giuen by some men shoulde holde and be good otherwise the exception of seculer princes had bene made in vaine wheras the councell might haue saide as yowe doe that no faithe without exception shoulde be kepte Wherfore I conclude that all faithe gyuen to anye heretique by anye ecclesiasticall persone laufully auctorized is good and to be kepte and The couÌ„cell of CoÌ„stance falsified by M. Nowell by making a triple lye 63. that therefore you haue falsified this councell in making it to speake generally of all men of all faithe of all heretikes whiche speaketh but only of seculer princes who haue no auctoritie to make any suche promise of that whiche perteineth not to theire power and iurisdiction And therfore euen as he that promiseth an other mannes facte promiseth his only diligence and is bounde no fâ—rder so the councell declared that seculer princes promising to heretikes saufeconduct to come and to go because they promised factum alienuÌ„ the deede of other men were hauing done their diligence to perfourme their promise discharged and no longre bounde Nowe I praie you M. Nowel because you complaine that offering to proue the pope and his cleargie guiltie of manie heresies corruption of religion c. you can not be hearde or if audieÌ„ce were graunted to you promise were not like to be kepte because of this decree of the councell of Constance let vs examine how true this is The councell of Constance as by the wordes of the decree euidently appeareth declared only that promises made by laie princes did not binde the makers When you were called to the last councell of Trent was the saufeconduct that was offered to you made by the emperour only or some other seculer prince Was it not made by the bodie and heade of that moste holie and learned councell one of them that euer was assembled with suche assurance for youre indemnitie as greater by mannes witte coulde not be deuised Why came you not then why put you not in youre accusations why durst The protestantes feine false causes to excuse theÌ„ for not appearing at the generall councell you not shewe youre faces Who seeth not that the pretending for the cause of your refusall of this forged decree proceded of feare to be vanquished in youre heresies not to be harmed in youre bodies Who perceiueth not that in this drawing backe of youres you countrefeited some cowardly yeoman that fearing to be pressed to the warre causeth his wife to binde a clowte about his heade and then his kerchiefe being sicke he must nedes tarie at home forsothe who if sicknes had not lette him woulde haue killed the enemies all of them him selfe as you woulde the pope and all his cleargie had not this decree bene Wel your witte shewed it selfe more in tarieng at home then youre honesty hath done here in falsifieng this decree They saie we are heretikes we doe denie it if our naie maie not Nowell a. 14. Dorman defende vs why shoulde their yea condemne vs c. We saye not onelie that you be heretikes Reade M. Nowel the.
all learned catholikes / and very silence of heretikes / bene so allready alowed for sounde and good / that to make any doubte therof nowe / might seme a thing alltogether nedelesse and superfluouse Now here againe I praie yowe considre / how vnlikely it is / that euer anye wise catholikes shoulde be of this minde to publishe their common deuise vnto the worlde / in the name of a fewe of the simplest sorte among them Their doinges M. Nowell saieth were taken out of the bookes of suche catholikes as had written before This being graunted / that minding to ouerthrowe heresies they woulde chooâ—e out of the worst / who is so foolishe to beleue If they chose out of the best whome enuie her selfe can not denie but to haue ben learned / to haue written learnedly / Roffensis Pighius Gropperê° Hosius Alphonsus de Castroâ— â–ª what a high pointe of policy had this bene / to make a fewe of the simplest sorte among vs / to beare the name of suche learned mennes worckes / whereas contrarywise the moste learned if they would not haue their councell bewrayed shoulde haue borne the name therof This being good Readers M. Nowelles moste fine discourse touching the late printing of certeine Englishe bookes yow see I truste / how muche he hathe set forwarde more hastely then wisely Yeat he vpon the same as a truthe moste clearely proued / bringeth in a comparison betwene the chiefe of the catholikes / and the Phariseis sending their disciples to Christe to appose him / when for feare they durst not come in presence them selues And to giue the more auctoritie herto / he bringeth the exposition of Chrisostome thereupon A solemne interpretation in a matter not necessary / and a sadde bringing in of witnesse to proue that that is not in question For till this be first proued that the catholikes had suche politike fetches as he imagineth / to resemble them to the Phariseis / and to alleage Chrisostomes interpretation vpon the place / it was to giue a sad sentence cleane beside the matter But suche is the noble courage of M. Nowell Luther must be Christ and he one of his disciples / yea though he be Iudas that betraied hys maister / who so euer saye naye / as in the processe of this Reprouffe of his / wherein nothing is with him more common / then to call vs Phariseis / and him selfe and his companions Apostles and disciples / moste euidently it dothe appeare Wherein he semeth to me I maie saie withe better right then he applieth against vs the exposition of Chrisostome to resemble very muche madde Hawkins of Bedlem / who persuadeth him selfe and woulde all other to beleue the same / that he is descended of the bloude royall / his father being well knowen to be a meane man / and a bruer of Oxforde Hetherto hathe M. Nowell in generall wordes laboured / to deface The 4. side §. and to speake the doinges of suche as haue written of late in Englishe nowe steppeth he from thence to me / against whome his speciall grudge is Of me he saieth first / that it was no greate labour to borowe out off my maister D. Harding his booke so lately before written of auctorities and reasons ready framed to my handes so muche as liked me c. secondarily / that they that doe knowe me better then he doth merueiling of my doings in diuinitie matters doe thinke that I haue all my learning not of inheritance but by legacie c. For the first he might haue beleuid me at my worde if it had pleased him / signifieng in the preface of my boke / aswell to him as to all other / that it was intended to be made / and the greatest parte therof finished / before that euer I Vnderstoode that M. Doctor Harding ment any suche thing â–ª And of this coulde I bring right good witnesse / if either I thought my credite not to be as good as M. Nowelles / or the thing it selfe imported so muche / that the triall of the truthe of the contentes of my booke dependid therupon Nowe as for them that knowing mâ— better then M. Nowell dothe / merueile at my doinges in diuinitie surely I can let no man to merueile at his owne shadowe if he list Of this I am suer / that there is no cause why I shoulde care muche for this their iudgement who so euer they be / if M. Nowell haue reported it truly For he that is so foolishe to make his account / that learning maie descende by inheritance / or be bequeathed and receauid by legacie / what were it but to be more foole then he / to care for such a fooles sentence But I beleue if the matter were well scanned / it woulde fall out to be one of M. Nowelles owne deuises / vttred nowe in the A shift to conuey a lye name of some other / because he him selfe had so lately before pronounced / that I had taken my auctorities and reasons ready framed out of M. Doctor Hardinges booke / which if I had met withe suche a legacie / it might haue seemed nedelesse to haue done But be it his / or be it whose it shall / suer I am that the auctor thereof is none of my acquaintaunce for neuer was I yeat acquainted I thanke god / with so very a foole Notwithstanding for the satisfieng of his greate merueiling / maye it please M. Nowell when he meteth him nexte if it be not him selfe to aske of him by what meanes he that was but Bachilar of arte in the same colleage that I was of / when I was bachilar of the lawe / start vp so sone a preacher at Powles crosse / and a publike reader of englishe diuinitie in the vniuersitie of Oxford May it please him furder / for the Sir Greshop remouing this scruple that so troubleth him / to demaunde of him / whether I were not as likely at that tyme in the iudgementes of as many as knewe vs bothe / within three yeares after to wright the booke that I haue written / as he was within lesse then the space of one yeare after / to occupye the place at Powles crosse / or to preach and reâ—de publikely diuinitie in Oxforde Which sermones and lessons suche as they were woulde haue made diuerse bookes he maye be holde to tell this merueiling man euery one of them by many partes greater then mine If these questions be asked / I dare assuer yow / this olde acquaintaunce shal be either thoroughly satisfied / or forced to coÌ„fesse the cause of differeÌ„ce to beâ— because as saieth Tertullian Nusquâm facilius proficitur * He meaneth the scholes of heretikes rebelling against God and his churche quâm Lib de praescript haeretic in castris rebellium vbi illic esse promereri est men come forwarde no where sooner then in the tentes of rebelles / where the very being / is to be aduaunced Where
obiect to me I wote not what collectours whome I shoulde trust in these places Suerly vnlesse yow had saide perhappes which helpeth the matter yow must Fol. 10. b. 2 A lye excused by perhappes nedes haue scored vp an other lye there had bene no remedy But as good then as now for it foloweth euen there where yow saye that yow moste abhorre Nouatus and his A lye 17. heresies For I noted yow an other point before beside the swearing against the B. of Rome wherein yow were plaine In the. 4. chapitre Fol. 12. a. Nouatians and therfore that is a bragging lye Yow saye that this othe which I talke of was neuer required Nowell B. 18. of suche of the Cleargie as be in prison The othe that I talke of is of forsaking the B. of Dorman A lye 18. Rome Will yow stande to this lye that this othe was neuer required of suche of the cleargie as be in prison Diuerse of them euen of the best haue died therfore constant martyrs in prison yow can not truly denie it If some of them that remaine pine not as you saye but fare wel and of other mennes cost to the greater cause haue they to thaÌ„ke god and their friendes therefore emongest whome perhappes although you be at no greate parte of the cost yeat you maye in this respect deserue also some thankes that remembring them oftentimes in youre charitable deuotion at Powles crosse yow procure them by suche hartie remembrance the rather the almoise of good men If all pyne not away if some be well fedde and in good liking and so fatte as you saye that they wallow to as they haue the more to render thankes to allmightie god who giueth suche abilitie so well to beare aduersitie yeat are there other some and no small some to whose holow eyes pale faces and heauy lookes beare witnesse sufficient of an other maner of pasture then oure smothe smicker ministres liue in You are able to name no greate nombre hanged in stockes Fol. 10. b. 23. by legges or fingers as some of them you saie that be in prison vsed others c. and those that were so serued if anie so were if the matter were wel knowen it was their vnruly and vnbridled tongues their vnsemly language towardes their superiours from which kinde of behauiour let these six yeares passed ouer in durance beare witnesse for the Catholikes how far they be and not religion for which they were so ordered This mildenesse of the Catholikes onely defending the catholike faithe and libertie of their consciences without either bitter talcke seditiouse bookes or other by practises against their prince and magistrates by her appointed was the cause I nothing doubt why her highnesse naturally enclined to mercy extendid the rather her gratiouse fauour to the enlarging of their prisonnes which yow by a scornefull terme to showe how sore it was against youre will call progresses Besides that there is at all no comparison betwene men forsaking the common knowen faithe as youre selues confesse of these last nine hundred yeares through out all the worlde and suche as departing from the rest of Christendome ioine them selues to a faithe whereof there was not one man to be founde in all the whole worlde fifty yeares ago Which consideration in a maner I assure my selfe hath not bene the least respect why the Quenes grace hath allwaies so mercifully regarded those pore prisoners and withall so gratiously withstanden youre cruell motions tending to their dispatche oute of the waye whome she thinketh to haue punishement inough of prison losse of liuinges and libertie though she take not from them their liues who teaching and defending that faithe which they were borne and baptised in which they manie yeares continued in which all the world within these fifty yeares beleued can not so sone be brought from the same I loked euer when yow would answere to that where Fol. 11. a. 1. with I charged you for offering the othe against the pope to gentle men laye men and scholers of the vniuersities without all face or colour of lawe but youre owne conscience tolde you that you had therein done suche iniurie to her graces lawes so extended and racked them to serue youre furiouse spirit that it shoulde be best as you doe to passe that ouer in silence and not so muche as once to twang vpon that string of youre harpe If there were any punished for not swearing to the pope in times past they were punished by ordre of lawe why mention you that to excuse youre vexing of men beside lawe Yow take on like a mad man and aske of me seing Nowell b. 1. Fol. 11. b. that so many aswell learned as vnlearned as well of the laitie as of the clergie women as men yong as olde haue lost liuinges and gooddes and after long punishements and pyning most paineful and pitefull also haue finally lost their liues being most cruelly coÌ„sumed by terrible flames of fier into ashes if they might obteine so much mercy as to escape that vsual loÌ„g lingring in slack and smoke fier why I shoulde thinke it muche that they who haue in this wise vsed others for refusing of moste wicked othes and the auctoritie of a false forain vsurper shoulde them selues lacke * VVhat suche personnes M. Nowell râ—teine any parte of their liuinges some part of their liuinges and libertie for refusing to acknowledge the laufull auctoritie of oure naturall souereigne Here before I answere to youre question I woulde Dorman faine know what they were either learned or vnlearned of the laitie what womeÌ„ what yong men to whom this othe was offred and how many died for the refusal therof Truly the greatest nombre that suffred in England died for the sacramentarie heresy not in suche lingring flames as yow speake of but compassed about with bagges of gonne pouder procured by their owne meanes a kinde of practise emongest Christes Martyrs neuer I trow harde of the sooner This agreeth not with the martyrdome of Policarpus Vide Euse li. 4. cap. 15 to dispatche them selues as with mine own eyes I sawe Ridley and Latymer burned But if it had bene true that so manie had died for refusall of this othe as yow suppose yeat were they not for answere to youre demaunde I saye laye gentlemen nor scholers that vsed them so And therefore no reason is it why you shoulde wreake your selues vpoÌ„ them And this yow wote is the question that is demaunded of you Againe how euer you name the othe wicked yeat is it laufull and nothing derogating the Quenes auctoritie which we couet asmuche to mainteine as you although we flatter not so muche but youres is wicked and moste abhominable and therefore it is no good comparison that you make betwene vs Finallie how euer it be the othe was then tendred there as it was offred according to the law you offered it to those that I spake of
praied for the Peter that thy faithe maye not faile Therefore that which foloweth is demaunded of Peters successour And thow being once conuerted strengthen thy brethern Hetherto S. Bernard against whose learning and life as you can take no exception so haue youre selfe clered him of all suspition of flatterye by those wordes which so frely and franckly without all dissimulation he vttred to pope Eugenius Which maketh not a little for his faithe and vprightnesse in applieng this text as he doth This you well perceiuing either elles to shewe youre selfe learned in the canon Lawes attribute rather to Bonifacius the 8. those wordes Ecc◠duo gladij then to S. Bernard whose they are in dede vttred fol. 25. b. 13. Lib. 4. ad Eugen. in this sorte Quid tu denuo vsurpare gladium tentes quem semeliussus e◠ponere in vaginam Quem tamen qui tuum nega◠non satis mihi videtur attendere verbum domini dicentissic Conuerte gladium tuum in vaginam Tuus ergo ipse tuo forsitan nutu etsi non tua manu euaginandus c. VVhy then does thow assaye to vsurpe the sworde which thow wast once bidden to putt vp into thy sheate VVhiche yeat he that denieth to be thine semeth not to me well to considre the worde of oure Lorde saing put vp thy sworde into thy scabbard The sworde is therefore thine to be drawen out at thy becke percase although not by thyne owne hande Otherwise if it shoulde haue perteined to the no waye oure Lorde woulde not haue answered to his Apostles saing Beholde here two swordes it is enough but he woulde haue answered it is to muche Bothe the swordes therefore belong to the churche the spirituall and the materiall but this is to be occupied for the churche that of the churche Thus muche S. Bernard which wordes notwithstanding I confesse and those other also of the prophete Hieremias Behold this daye do I Cap. 1. set the ouer people and kingdomes Bonifacius modestly applieth B. 18. to the churche and ecclesiasticall power and to the pope no otherwise but as to the chiefe ministre of this power Cap. vinc de maiorit obed extrauag com as appeareth by this conclusion Ergo si deuiat terrena potestas iudicabitur a spirituali If the earthly power therefore be out of the waye it shal be iudged of the spirituall By this it appeareth that what so euer S. Bernarde hath written or spoken against the pompe and abuse of the B. of Romes auctoritie that yeat by his example we are taught this lesson not to cut of oure heade because it aketh And therefore him selfe when he had saide all that you are wont to bring against the abuses of the courte of Rome in his time yeat he confessed that as in heauen angelles and archangelles De considerat ad Eugen. li. 3 Seraphins and Cherubins are disposed vnder one heade which is God that so here also vnder one high bishop be primates patriarches archebishoppes bishoppes priestes abbattes with the rest in like maner which head in how manie places of his worckes dothe he call the B. of Rome Yoy saye that the popes bragge that they haue in the box off Nowell fo 25. a. 8. their bosoms all scriptures all interpretation of doctours c. The popes that yow name are Boniface the 8. and Dorman Paule the 2. The place of Boniface is you saie sext Decreta lib. 10. tit 2. cap. licet Yow shoulde haue saide primo No greate faulte I confesse if there were either so manie bokes and not onelie fiue or if yow vsed not so rigorously to note suche scapes in other men youre selfe laing to their charge that they meane to entangle the readers that their fraude yow saye maie not be espied Whereas surely in you there might be greate cause to thinke no lesse For what Doth Bonifacius saie in this place that he hathe all the lawes in his brest No truly doth he not But he saieth A lye 21. that pontifex Romanus censetur habere The B. of Rome is iudged or presumed to haue although sometimes it maye otherwise happen I merueile that you remembred not the chapitre beginning praeterea in the decrees where the B. of Rome hath speaking of lawes that he neuer reade any suche thing except by forgetfulnes he be deceauid wherby Dist 22. you might haue vnderstode that some time by the popes owne confession it maie happen otherwise But if he had saied as you saie he did had he done anye otherwise then borowed a phrase of the emperours Honorius and L. omnium C. de testā How ▪ rulers are vnderstandē to haue the lawes in their breastes Theodosius who vsed first the same Whereby is signified that suche states by reason of their learned councell which they haue allwaies about them ready to instructe them are presupposed to haue the lawes ripe in their remembraunce As for Paulus the seconde I maruell how it happeneth that Platina maie be allowed to be a witnes against him A 19. professing in his life so little good will towardes him for the putting him out of his office seing yow are in the examining of other witnesses so harde But let it be true that Platina saieth hardely it maketh to oure purpose neither of nor on It is a worthy thing to be reade in Platine you saie how Gregory Nowell b. 26. Matth. 16. the 7. vpon these wordes what so euer thow doest binde or lose vpon the earthe shall be bounde or losed in heauen gathereth this reason that muche more the bishoppes of Rome in earthe maye take awaye and giue empires kingdomes principates and what so euer mortall men haue elles It is a worthy thing to be noted howe you continue Dorman allwaies like youre selfe in feeding the reader with vaine matter nothing to the purpose and alleaging suche places as yow bring otherwise then they are in the Originalls from whence you take them For loke in Platine once againe and you shall finde that the wordes be not so odiouse as you woulde haue them seme to be For whereas you affirme them to be spoken of the Pope Platine hath that the B. of Rome spake them of Peter and Paule Howe euer it be it is no pointe to be reasoned here as being impertinent to oure principall question of one heade beside that as I protested in the beginning of this chapitre if these wordes or anie other like were vntruly or arrogantly spoken yeat they coulde derogate nothing from the auctoritie otherwise laufull Yow care not what you saye nor how shamefull or sclaunderouse youre lies be so that yow maye satisfie youre cancred hatred against the Pope as appeareth here by this that you woulde make men beleue that Iulius the third f. 25. b. 2◠caused to be stamped on his coyne these wordes the nation and people that shall not serue me shall perishe as though mēt Hierem. 1. of him selfe whereas
be inferiour to other Laste off all there is no worde tending to this sense that schismes maye be allwayes whiche yow must proue to deface the necessitie off one heade ouer all appeased by the seuerall bishoppes of seuerall diocesses therefore you haue made fower lyes vpon S. Cyprian A clustre of lyes 27 You repeate againe as that is a greate figure with you Nowell fol. 33. a. 6. that which yow saide before that it is impossible that there shoulde be one generall heade in earthe ouer the vniuersall churche or that suche a heade can ouersee his charge and kepe all churches from schismes and troubles and pacifie them when they are risen This as a thing tried by the state of the worlde at this daie and euer sith the first beginning thereof you will leaue to the reasonable reader to determine betwixt vs. As for the impossibilitie I answered before and saie againe Dorman fol. 50. b. that how euer it seme impossible the weake nature off maÌ„ coÌ„sidered yeat suer we are that he that appointed that ordre God him selfe is so able to multiplye grace in his ministre and to prouide him of suche helpe by the meanes of other inferiour ministres gouerning their seuerall charges vnder him that it shall not only not be impossible but easy enough Whether this one heade be hable to kepe the churche from schismes and pacifie them when they are risen better then many heades let the indifferent reader on Goddes name take the late table of Staphilus and after he hathe vpon the viewe thereof ioyned the fruiteful encrease of heresies in oure daies to the quiet agrement in faithe wherein we liued vndre the obedience of one heade lett him iudge whether he thinke more necessary for either the auoiding of schismes or suppressing of them when they be raised Which offer of youres to betried by the state off the worlde at this daye argueth to the worlde that yow haue neither wit in youre nowle nor shame in youre foreheade That the place taken out of S. Cyprian lib. 1. epist 3. proueth that for the which it was brought that is that there ought to be one generall chiefe heade ouer Christes vniuersall Churche The 12. chapitre I promised to bring the iudgement of certaine notable Nowell fo 33. a. 29 men to proue the necessitie of one heade lest anie man shoulde thinke me to be the auctor of that assertion Yow saie it was the inuention of ambitiouse popes I thinke other men haue bene ambitiouse aswell as the Dorman popes of Rome Yeat neuer was there hetherto any king or emperour muche lesse bishop or spirituall man able so manie hundred yeares to mainteine a superioritie by ambition only without all good title Neither was the diuell able to plant a succession of so many and so notable martirs confessours learned and vertuouse men as haue bene in the See of Rome to deceiue the worlde by the instrumentes of Christe It is Christe M. Nowell who hathe so by his auctoritie disposed the ordre of his churche that if you Lib. de vnit eccl will beleue S. Cyprian to make the same one he hath appointed one heade thereof in earthe as many riuers haue one spring many braunches one roote c. Which neded not by youre high diuinitie seing that it hath Christe the heade thereof in heauen in which respecte it might be one But nowe to the place of S. Cyprian here by me alleaged seing thus muche maye serue to proue you to haue made a saunderousâ—e lye Yow saie that this place of S. Cyprian here alleaged by me Nowell fol. 33. b. is not spoken of the pope Neither dothe it skill whether it be spoken of the pope Dorman or no. And yeat in this pointe yow spende a greate many of idle and superfluouse wordes For I am not as yeat come to proue the pope to be supreame heade of Christes churche but am only in the prouing hereof that it is necessarie that there be one suche heade If you woulde nedes comptrolle the alleaging of this place you shoulde showe that S. Cyprian speaketh not at all of anie necessitie to haue anye one heade or iudge in the stede of Christe obeied in earthe neither in particuler churches neither yeat ouer the vniuersal churche For so long as you coÌ„clude not thus it will euer Note folowe that if one prieste must be obeied in his owne diocesse for the auoiding and appeasing of heresies and schismes that by muche more greater reason must one prieste aboue all priestes be obeied in the stede of Christe to appease heresies and schismes in the vniuersall churche of God I had thought M. Nowell that you had knowen the proportion that is betwene the parte and the whole the lesse and the greater in the same kinde If one villaige can not consist without a heade muche lesse can one citie and yeat lesse can one shiere and lest of all can a prouince or whole kingdome Nowe when we speake of the churche one diocesse is in respecte of the whole churche as one villaige towne or shiere is in respecte of a whole prouince or kingdome As therfore it is not sufficient for the quiet gouerning of a prouince or kingdome that euery village and citie within the same haue a seuerall heade to ouersee the inhabitantes of suche villaiges or cities without there be beside one generall heade to ouersee all those inferiour heades Euen so the seuerall gouernours in particuler diocesses exclude not but inferre by a stronger reason the necessitie of one heade ouer all other heades in Christes being heade of the Churche excludeth not the ministerie of man the whole churche Which reason you can not shift awaie by saing that Christe is that only heade for so it maie be truly replied to you he is of all the particuler churches in the worlde toe And yeat this not withstanding as there woulde heresies and schismes rise in particuler churches if to vse S. Ciprians wordes there were not one prieste and iudge obeied in the same in the steede of Christe and for this cause one suche in euery diocesse supplieth the roome of Christe not visibly present in earthe so is not Christes being heade ouer the vniuersall churche any more let why there shoulde be a visible heade in his steede of the whole churche which is but one Especially seing the bishoppes maye as easely and are muche more likely to styrre vp schismes in the whole churche as are the particuler membres of euery particuler diocesse as the examples of youre first 600. yeares in which there was neuer yeat anie notable heresye that was not by bishoppes either begonne or mainteined sufficiently beare witnes Which chaunce happening seing that meanes must be sought to appease it aswell as the schismes of particuler churches and yeat Christe no more visibly present to be consulted in this case then he is in the other what remaineth to thinke but that he hath supplied
we of England be neuer the nearer for oure lot being to be still vnder the bishop of Rome all youre laboure were lost And againe one chiefe rule of youres ouerthrowen that all bishoppes be equall Which I desire the learned reader to note diligētly Because yow kepte before M. Nowell suche a stirre to haue all bisshoppes M. Nowell cast in his owne tune equall Whereas euen this verye councell that youre selfe bring by making only three of all the world equall if that were the meaning of the councell do the euidently ouerthrowe you Wel whether be liker of these two senses to be the sense and meaning of the councell I will leaue to the indifferent and learned to iudge who I doubte not when they shall easelie perceiue that the councell attributed so much to the auctoritie of the B. of Rome that his custome was alleaged to proue the iurisdiction of the B. of Alexandria to be as a directiō not onelie for that but also for the conseruing of the priuileges to other churches thorougheout Antiochia and other prouinces he will with as like facilitie espie how this sixt and seuenth canon doe not onelie not disagree with that alleaged by Zozimus but also peaseably agreing together the one confirme the other Thus muche touching these canons that you woulde so faine haue made cōtrarie without shewing the pointes wherein the patriarkes shoulde be equal with the B. of Rome to the other alleaged by Athanasius and after him by Zozimus Hauing allreadie sufficientlie declared that Zozimus is not guiltie of the crime laide to his charge I wil adde this as for a more confirmation that Zozimus if there had bene No cause way Zozimus shoulde forge a canon no suche canon in the councell of Nice had yeat no cause to forge one which he was not so simple but he wel knewe woulde not if he did long be vnespied and then the shame woulde light vpon him seing that he had for him the councell of Sardica not long after that of Nice for Osius the B. of Corduba in Spaine was present at them bothe nor of muche lesse auctoritie neither as in the which were 300. bishoppes not of one prouince but gathered together out of all the worlde out of Rome Spaine Fraunce Italie Campania Calabria Aphrica Sardinia Panonia Misia Dacia Dardania an other Dacia Macedonia Thessalia Achaia Epiros Thracia Rhodope Asia Caria Bithinia Helespontus Phrigia Pisidia Capadocia Pōtus Cilicia Phrygia againe Pamphilia Lidia the Ilandes called Cyclades Aegipt Thebais Libia Galatia Palestina and Arabia Seing I saye that he had for his purpose the canons namelie the fourthe and seuenth of so generall a councell as this was in which were also the bishoppes of Africa them selues whome he might haue obiected 300. if you goe to nombring Athanasius that strong piller of Christes churche being one of them against 217 witnesses all if I would reason as you doe in their owne cause I am not ignorant that Caluin being not so impudent as you saieth that Zozimus alleaged this decree of Sardica as a decree of the councell of Nice But as you in that point more wily thē he saw that he Distitut li. 4. cap. 7. Sect. 9. coulde neuer be hable to proue that so perceiued you also that he had farre ouershot him selfe in making of the councell holden at Sardica anie mention at all and therfore you thought it wisedome slyly to slippe it ouer and to inuolue it vtterly in silence lest thereby you might giue occasion to some to searche that councell that otherwise woulde neuer haue thought of it It foloweth And the saide 217. bishoppes made a decree in that African Nowell Fol. 47. a 15. Concil African cap. 105. councell that no sailing ouer the sea with controuersies nor appellations to the B. of Rome nor sending of his legates Laterall in to their countries as iudges shoulde be vsed according as by the epistle of the saide whole councell sent to pope Celestin it appeareth Beholde good Reader a moste impudent man who is Dorman not ashamed to name an epistle for the proufe of that whiche is not there Reade ouer the epistle here mentioned if there appeare to be anie suche decre made there as he saieth there is neuer let me be credite more The bishoppes of Africa in those lettres of theirs desire Bonifacius the Pope in this wise Vt deinceps ad aures vestras hinc veniētes non facilius admittatis that you will not hereafter ouer easely admit to be hearde suche as come to you from vs. Againe they applie the canon of the councell of Nice forbidding to receiue Can. 5. to communion suche as be excommunicat of other to this that the pope receiue not suche vel festinatò vel praepropere vel indebite either with to much haste or to rashly or not duly they desire hys holinesse to repell improba refugia wicked refuges Finally they praie him to call home his legate from thēce with these wordes probitate ac moderatione tuae sanctitatis salua the goodnes and moderatiō of youre holynesse excepted Where be nowe the wordes M. Nowell that yow grounde youre decree vpon Dothe not the contrarye rather appeare by this epistle that he might receiue suche appeales but not commonly and rashely not but vpō greate aduise Otherwise to what end were those wordes of not receiuing complaintes facilius to lightly or these praepropere indebite c. to rashely vniustly Why sayde they not rather boldely and freely oure auctoritie is as greate as youres Why inuade you other mennes iurisdiction Why vsurpe you where you haue no right Why bad they him not call home his legate telling him if they had made suche a decree as you saie they had that they had made a lawe emongest them selues that neither they shoulde sue to him nor he sende his legates to them What meaneth all this humble submissiō of theirs but the contrarie to this which you affirme that there was yeat no decree made or if there were which notwithstanding appeareth not by this epistle by this humble demeanure of theirs towardes the pope to moue him the rather to beare with and to confirme their doinges But there appeareth no suche decree to be made emongest them by the epistle here alleaged Excepte of that particuler narration of theirs of the incommodiouse calling of witnesses to Rome by sea of that they founde not they saide ordeined by anie councell of fathers that his holinesse I will vse their owne wordes shoulde sende anielegates laterall thither all the which was written to moue the pope as is maie seeme to consent to their petition excepte I saie of this particuler narration youre witte will serue you to make a generall decree Which is like enough to be youre meaning by the wise reason that foloweth taken from the superscription of the lettres sent to Celestinus Belike you remembred the maxime of the lawiers that those thinges which helpe not alone maye yeat gathered
together stande in some stede You go forwarde and saye For the which it pleaseth D. Harding to call the Aricans emongest Nowell ◠25. whom S. Austen Orosius and Prosper with manie other learned and godly bishoppes were schismatikes as those that submitted not their neckes to the pope and folowing Hosius his auctor he saith that Africa cōtinued in this schisme 100. yeares to wit from Boniface the first to Boniface the seconde M. Doctour Harding neuer mentto inuolue S. Austen Dorman Orosius or Prosper in anie schisme with the Africanes For as at this councell it appeareth not in the recordes thereof that Orosius who neuer was bishop but only a prieste and therfore could giue no definitiue voice in the councell that cōsisted of only bishoppes or Prosper either were present so is it more then probable that S. Austen who to the first epistle sent to Bonifacius gaue his consent and subscribed with other wherein they protested to obserue all thinges demaunded by the pope till they coulde get from the Easte the true copies of the councell of Nice it is I saie more then probable that forasmoche as in this latter epistle to Celestinus no mention is made of him at all notwithstanding that he was legat for Numidia his name so famouse his bisshoprike so greate that he sawe in the meane season so muche right in the bishop of Romes cause and so little in the other allthough by no meanes their doinges tended to the vniuersall abrogating of the popes auctoritie that he refused so muche as to put his name or suffer him selfe to be named in those lettres of theirs So that before yow had charged M. D. Harding thus odiously you ought to haue proued that suche a decree was made in the African councell and haue noted to vs the canon then that Orosius and Prosper were present at the making thereof and gaue their consentes therto Last because yow seing that the decree of the councell was not to be founde referred youre selfe to the epistle written to Celestinus yow shoulde haue tolde vs in what wordes there the mention of this decree laie hidden and proued allthough S. Austens name be not there mentioned that yeat he consented therto Againe M. Nowell whē this matter betwene the B. of Rome and the Africanes began first to be called in question it was entreated with suche humilitie and submission by the Africanes as appeareth by this epistle to Celestinus that they coulde by no meanes be accounted schismatikes Afterwardes in dede the matter grewe so farre that it burst out in to open schisme and so continued to the time of Boniface the 2. To the which schisme that euer S. Austen Orosius or Prosper consented or any other good catholike prieste or bishop yow shall neuer be able to proue And so this lye with that houge Lye 43. heape of all the rest remaineth with you and the truth with vs. But because you bragge as you doe of the companie of S. Austen and Prosper and sclaundre them to the worlde to be schismatikes I will in defence of their innocency alleage out of their workes so muche as shall I trust with the better sorte suffice for their purgation Who is it I praie you M. Nowell that saieth of the church of Rome that in it the principalitie of the apostolike chaire hathe August epist 162. euer florished Who calleth Bonifacius the same in whose time this controuersie was moued the bishoppe that hathe Lib. 1. contra 2. epis Pelag. ca. 1 the preeminence in the bishoply care aboue all other Who calleth the See of Rome alluding to the wordes of Christe in the Psalm contra partē Donat. gospel the rock which the proude gates of hell shal not ouercome Who but S. Austē whom you be not here ashamed to matche with your selfe as thinking of the pope and See of Rome as heretically as you doe To come to Prosper when you here him acknowledg that Zozimus of whom all this talke riseth added to the decrees of the African councelles sententiae suae robur the strength and force of his sentence Lib. contra Collatorem cap. 41. that with Peters sworde to the cutting of of wicked men he armed the right handes of all bishoppes for so are his wordes in Latine ad impiorum detruncationem gladio Petri dexteras omnium armauit antistitum When you are not ignoraunt if you knowe anye thinge that the same Prosper saieth Lib. contra Collatorem cap. 10. that the holye See of Rome spake to all the worlde by the mouthe of Zozimus Will you not for shame call backe againe that wretched sclaunderouse lye off youres that Prosper shoulde be touching the bishoppe of Rome of the same minde that yow are Was Zozimus taken off Prosper to be a corrupter and falsarye a countrefeite catholike and in deede a false schismatike from Christe and the truthe as youre venimouse tongue hath not feared to pronounce of him Is fier more contrary to water then is this iudgemēt of youres to that of Prospers for his vertue and auctoritie You pretend that the fathers of the coūcel of Carthage would barre Zozimus of al auctority Prosper telleth vs that so much he was estemed of them that they had the strength of his sentence added to their decrees as muche to saye as to confirme and alowe them You call him a corrupter a falsarie a countrefeite catholike a false schismatike Prosper calleth him one that armed the right handes of al bishoppes with Peters sworde to cut of wicked mē from the rest of Christes mistical body the church You restreine his power to Rome Prosper confesseth that by his mouthe the See of Rome spake to all the worlde If this be not more then impudencie good reader in M. Nowel then what is impudencie I confesse I know not But acknowledged Prosper this auctoritie in Zozimus onely no verilye For in Celestinus to whome this epistle here mentioned was sent from the African bishoppes he witnesseth that there was suche power that he cured the Iland The pope meddled in England Scotland Fraunce and in the East off Britannye infected with Pelagius heresie that he ordeined Palladius bishoppe ouer the Scottishe men that with the Apostolicall sworde he aided Cirillus the B. of Alexandria to purge the churches of the East of a double plague the Nestorians and Pelagians that in Fraunce he put them to silence who reported euill of S. Augustins writinges Finally to them that reiected certeine bookes of S. Augustins vpon pretence that they were not allowed by the pope he answered An exception in the primitiue churche againste bookes that they were not allowed by the Pope Ibid. ca. 43 in this wise Agnoscāt calumniatores superfluò se obijcere quòd his libris non speciale neque discretum testimonium si◠perhibitum quorum in cunctis voluminibus norma laudatur Apostolica enim sedes quod a praecognitis sibi non discrepat cum praecognitis probat
preache Foxes testimonie of Saint Frauncis he thought to imitate the same in him selfe and his disciples and left of shoes 〈◊〉 but one coate and that of Vile clothe in stede of a latchet to 〈◊〉 and of a girdle he toke aboute him an hempen corde and ◠appareled his disciples teaching them to fullfill for so he speaketh the perfection of the ghospell to apprehende pouertye and to walke in the waye of holye simplicie He left in writing to his disciples and folowers his rule which he called Regulam euangelicam i. the rule of the ghospel as though the gospel of Christ were not a sufficiēt rule to all Christian men but it must take his perfectiō of frātike Fraūcis Hetherto this frātike fox Now whether these be iust causes to storme and toke on as he dothe against this blessed saincte for either these be the causes or he giueth none at al let the wise and godly reader iudge Whereas he calleth him frantike for calling his rule the rule of the ghospel what woulde he haue sayed of him if he had termed it a rule of mannes inuention which nowe rageth so for calling it the rule of the ghospell But he quarelleth with him because by this rule giuen by him to his disciples it shoulde seme that the ghospell off Christe were not a sufficient rule c. O fonde man By that meanes might he also call S. Paule frantike for writing Folowe Philipp 3. me brethern and marke them whiche walke so as we haue giuen yow the example As thoughe the example of Christe were not sufficient but it must take his perfection in saint Paule For euen as S. Paule willed the Philippenses none otherwise to folowe him then as he folowed Christe so did saint Frauncis giue no other rule then Christe had giuen before as the title of his rule it selfe dothe declare And as S. Paule willed them to folowe him because he folowed Christ so deliuered S. Frauncis to those that would folow him that rule of Christe to be embrased in suche sorte as he had giuen them the example before This fox runneth on his course and spareth not with his taile to caste his vrine in mennes eyes For he addeth This Frauncis as he was superstitiouse Fox counteth it superstition to cast awaye worldly Goddes in casting all thinges from him euen also the girdle girding a coarde aboute him so in outewarde chastising of him selfe so streight he was to him selfe leauing the ordinarye remedye appointed by God that in winter season he couered his bodye with yse and snowe He called pouertie his ladie he kept nothing ouer night Merueile not nowe good reader if M. Nowell call religiouse men popishe schismes and sectes if he charge them with forsaking the religion and name of Christe when thow hearest the abandoning and casting awaye of worldly gooddes the embrasing of pouertie the free committing of a mannes selfe to Goddes prouidence without carcke or care what shall become of him on the morowe according to Christes owne counsell the chastising off Matth. 19. 6. the bodye to make it seruiseable to the spirite vsed by saint Paule when I saye thow hearest all this expressely called superstition ceasse to merueile anye longer Of this blessed 1. Cor. 9. saincte S. Frauncis I coulde saie muche listed I to make impertinent discourses Although of his vertue and holynesse there can be no greater testimonie then that his ennemies them selues can finde nothing to obiect against him but that which Chirste and his Apostles taught and practised and euerye good man shoulde wishe to be in him selfe For which cause Henricus Pantaleon an heretike as M. Fox is but yeat of a more calmer spirite speaking of him in hys Chronographie vseth these wordes S. Franciscus Asisius Pag. 95. Hispanus sanctitate eruditione illustris in Italia claret S. Frauncis a spaniarde of the towne of Asisium famouse for his holynesse and learning florisheth in Italie Wel yow see good readers what Nowelles oure vnhappye age that can abide nothing that well is hathe brought furthe Yow see what foxes Sathan the maister of the game hathe vnkenelled in oure countrie of England to destroye oure Lordes vineyarde Yow are not ignorāt what flesheflies and canon crowes haue builded their neastes euen in the churche off God Oure Lorde graunte vs as we see them and knowe them so to flee them and auoide them But now to returne to M. Nowell some man maie happely aske me what answere I make to the scripture noted here in the margēt forbidding expressely that we call not men oure fathers on Fol. 54. b. 31. Matth. 23. earthe which these ordres of religiouse men doe To this I answere with Euthimius Theophilact and S. Hierom vpō this place that we are not by these wordes forbidden to Euthimius Theophilactus Hieron in ca. Matth. 23. call them that begot vs either to the worlde by the fleshe or to God by the spirite fathers The wordes of Euthimius are these Hoc dixit non prohibens vocari patres eos qui iuxta carnem genuerunt c. This Christ spake not forbidding them to be called fathers who haue begotten other either carnally or spiritually but that we might knowe who is chiefely and as the verie first cause to be called oure father For that father of oures is god only that is in heauen they that begette vs after the fleshe or after the spirite be worckers together with God and ministres rather of oure natiuitie He saieth therfore call none youre father in earthe as youre chiefe father and first cause of youre being for that father is but one which is in heauen With Euthimius agreeth Theophilact saing of this place Nō vt neminē patrem vocent sed ne ignorent quem principaliter patrem vocare oporteat Not that we shoulde call no man father but that we shoulde not be ignorant whome we ought specially to call fathers S. Hierome moueth this verie obiection vpon this place Howe then the monckes of Aegipt and Palestina were called fathers how S. Paule contrary to this precepte 2. Cor. 5. forbidding aswell the name of maister as of father called him selfe the maister of the gentiles To the whiche he answereth agreing with Euthimius and Theophilact that there is one principall maister one speciall father that all other be fathers and maisters but not properly Thus called S. Paul the Corinth His children and him selfe 1. Cor. 4. their father Thus called the monckes in S. Austens time their heades fathers Thus call those of S. Benedicte Lib. de morib eccl cathol cap. 31. his ordre S. Benedict their father because Christ wrought by him as an instrumēt this spirituall birthe in them Thus doe the Cistertians Carmelites Chartusians Franciscans with the rest Emongest whome I can not but note how warely and wisely yow passed ouer the Augustines left yow shoulde either haue bene driuen to make S. Austen the auctor of a popishe and schismaticall
sprong vp euen with youre first maister and his scholers as youre selues can not denie and departe from Christes knowen churche or elles Christe had no churche at all as those disciples off Christe that you speake off did With whom youre resemblaunce is so muche the greater because that as these first heretikes departed from the church Christe and his Apostles because they would not beleue in Christes doctrine of the blessed sacrament so haue you parted a greate nombre of yow from vs for the same cause and mainteine the same heresie as S. Augustine In psalm 54. calleth it Nowe as it were no good reason to proue vs schismatikes because yow are parted from vs being onoe as yow can not denye of vs so can no man iustly charge Christe and his Apostles with that crime because his disciples parted from him And as I answere to this so doe I to youre other obiections of the schismatikes in S. Paules time of those other also of the Nicolaites the Simonians Cerinthians c. who all parting from the knowen churche of Christe ought not to preiudicate the same For their departure was alwaies so sensible that the true christian might saye with S. Iohn They haue departed from emongest Ioan. 1. cap. 2. vs but they were none of vs. The Apostles and their companye remained alwaies a visible and knowen churche So that these examples can nothing helpe to couer your schismaticall sores whereas in Christe and the Apostles them selues there was neuer anye breache of vnitie whiche yow shoulde haue proued lykewyse therby to excuse your first Christ and his Apostles Whereas an other plea of youres is that emongest the high priestes and Phariseis there was no dissention but greate vnity and concorde emongest them against Christes Apostles to that I saye that although they agreed in this all to persecute the Apostles yeat emongest them selues they were Ioseph lib. Antiq. Iudaie 13. cap. 8. diuided into sectes and schismes some being called Phariseis other some Sadduces and yeat a thirde secte called Esseni so that they resemble more liuely yow protestantes then vs catholikes agreing as the Phariseis did against the truthe and diuided also with them into sectes emongest youreselues If you departed from vs as Christ and the Apostles you saie did from the high priestes and their churche then should you be at vnitie and concorde emoÌ„gest your selues as the Apostles were then must you shewe out of the scripture the fall of the churche of Christe the corruption of Esaiae 6â— the same and the restitution in the latter daies to come all Esaiae 66. Hierem. 6. Ezech. 44 Habacuc 2. Act. 7. 13. 28. foreprophecied in the lawe as the Apostles proued oute of the scripture the fall of the Sinagoge the corruption of the high priestes the comming of Messias the placing of the newe lawe that shoulde continue When yowe can proue this and defeate Christes promise made of his churche to be visible and vniuersall ouer all the worlde and to his churche to continue for euer then call vs phariseis hardely Matth. 16. and spare not calle youre selues Christe and his apostles we giue yow leaue For furder excuse of your schismes and diuisions yow fo 56. b. 1. tell vs of the troubles that rose in Iurie and shortly after ouer all the world vpoÌ„ the preaching of Christes gospell c. If diuisions and troubles were then it is not to be merueiled at oure sauiour him selfe saing of him selfe non veni pacem Matth. 10. mittere sed gladium I come not to sende peace but a sworde But oure age is not nowe M. Nowell the primitiue churche oure faithe is not nowe to be begonne of newe It hathe bene with consent of all the worlde established these 12. hundred yeares And therefore youre comparison is lewde and vntrue Yow saie furder And as iustly might yow charge the Apostles and their doctrine Nowell with those schismes sectes and troubles as yow do charge vs with those that haue risen in oure dayes Euer yow harpe vpon that string that yow woulde be Dorman like the apostles which when yow can proue that Christ promised to builde an other churche beside that whereof he made Peter the heade and that frier Martine Luther shoulde be the seconde Messias and Zuinglius or Carolstadius the heade therof then we will easely graunte to you But note againe I praie yow M. Nowell the difference of the schismes arising in the Apostles time and of youre schismes arising in our time The Apostles were not at diuision emongest them selues yow are The Apostles were before those schismes yowe haue risen together with the schismes Those schismes departed out from the Apostles your schismes are within youre selues Againe see the agrement of those schismes with youres and confer the case of the state of the churche nowe with that of the primitiue churche then Those schismes and sectes departed out off the primitiue churche euen so haue yow departed nowe oute of the same churche being of longre continuance They being departed multiplied into mo schismes and parted into farder diuision yow being departed multiply daily from schisme to schisme and newe sectes haue risen sence youre departure from Martin Luther They troubled and disquieted the primitiue church of the Apostles yow trouble and disquiet the catholike churche that nowe is If you demaunde the prouffe of this which I saie answer the booke which I am suer yow will neuer be hable to answere lately set furthe in oure tongue moste truly called The forteresse of the faithe c. And shewe vs as you will stande to it hereafter when the faith and light of goddes holy word which yow saie hathe nowe of late sprong againe was extinguished where and by whome Where it is well knowen to the worlde that oure learned men Nowell haue by their writinges more oppugned and repressed the saide sectes then all the papistes haue done This is that whiche I saide before that yow in dede Dorman wright diligently one against an other which is a moste euident assurance of youre dissention in doctrine And if these youre writinges were in the vulgare tongues to be reade of all men there woulde be no better argument in the worlde to disgrace youre doctrine for euer Whereas yow compare your diligence in writing with that of the catholikes if the late writinges of learned catholikes of all countries especially of Germanie it selfe were in dede compared to youres it shoulde appeare howe false and vntrue this is In dede we must nedes confesse a truthe that whilest we all remained Nowell vnder this quiet obedience of youre Romishe heade in one doctrine of his traditions there was a coloured kinde of quiâ—tnesse c. Foelix necessitas quae cogit ad meliora Happye is the Dorman necessitie whiche forceth to the better Here M. Nowell correcting him selfe for that before he charged vs so heynously withe schismes and sectes wyll somewhat
folowe that euerie diocesse hath not now one chiefe ruler but manie If you will not so saye then muste you yealde to this that Rogatianus complaining to the Archebishop graunted that notwithstanding that superioritie whiche he had ouer all that were of his diocesse there was yeat the archebishop aboue him And if these two maie stande together Euerie bishop is the heade and chiefe priest of his owne diocesse and yeat there is one archebishop aboue all then why may not these propositions stande together Euerie Archebishop is chiefe of the prouince where he is Archebishop and yeat there is one pope chiefe of thē all Rogatianus did here more then he neded who denieth that If the B. of London haue in his diocesse a stubborne and vnruly prieste who doubteth but he maie first punishe him by his owne auctoritie if he list And yeat if he refer the matter to the Archebishop of Cauntorburie he dothe the Archebishop more honour and sheweth him selfe to be the more humble The Archebishop is an eye to ouersee the bishop that he doe his dutie as the pope is to ouersee all So long as the bishop is hable to take sufficiēt ordre for all occurrētes in his diocesse him selfe if he vse not this power but referre it to the Archebishop he dothe more then he nedeth but yeat honorablie for the Archebishoppes parte and humbly for his owne Where you saye that suche by S. Cyprian transgresse the Nowell fo 61. a. 1. lawe of God in the Deuteronomie that make them selues bishoppes ouer other bishoppes c. It is true in S. Cyprians meaning that is in suche as Pupianus Dorman was who being an inferiour membre no primate no patriarche no pope woulde take vpon him to iudge S. Cyprian the archebishoppe and iudge appointed of God This place includeth no more the pope who is heade bisshop ouer all other bishops and heade iudge ouer al iudges then it dothe note the bishoppes of euery diocesse for taking vppon them to be the iudges of the curates that be vnder them who in their seuerall cures be iudges in Christes steede it can not be denied For they haue power giuen them of God to loose and binde to iudge inter lepram lepram betwene syn and syn It perteineth I saye no more to the pope then it dothe to the Archebishop who iudging and ouerloking the bishoppes doinges falleth not I trust by youre owne iudgement into this faulte that S. Cyprian noted in Pupianus If then the bishop maye iudge ouer suche priestes as be vnder him Goddes iudges in their particuler cures and the Archebishoppes againe ouer the bishoppes without anye offence why may no◠I praye you the pope be iudge of the doinges of the Archebishops and all other Youre argument which is this Pupianus the bisshoppe might not be iudge ouer the doinges off Saint Cyprian An absurde reason who was an Archebishoppe Ergo the pope maye not be the iudge off all other bisshoppes is like to this M. Nowell maye not make him selfe iudge ouer the bishop of London ergo the Archeb of Cauntorbury dothe not well and is a false vsurper in making him selfe heade bishop ouer all the bisshoppes and chiefe iudge ouer all the iudges in his prouince For such a one as is M. Nowell was Pupianus that proude arrogant man a priuate persone for anye thinge that appeareth to the contrarye as he is This propertie whiche you falselye note to be in the pope is the propertie of your good Lorde M. Grindall with his felowes who occupye the places of other laufull bishoppes yeat liuing and therefore make themselues as S. Cyprian noteth of Pupianus bishoppes ouer bishoppes and iudges ouer the iudges off God for the time appointed That the place of Gregorie Nazianzen was applyed aptly and to the purpose The 19. Chapitre BECAVSE I saye that I remembre a sayng off Gregorye Nowell fol. 61. b. 3. Nazianzene yow infer thereuppon M. Nowell that men maye note that I haue a good memorie c which notwithstanding had I yow saie enlarged to a fewe wordes going before it had appeared that these wordes being spoken of one god gouerning the whole worlde had bene impertinent to proue that there ought to be one pope to gouerne the whole churche You maye note good readers that M. Nowell hath more Dorman wit then honestie that can cauill at a phrase of speache pleasantly when the matter it selfe he can not reproue trulye For yow saye M. Nowell full clerckely that this place b. 29 is alltogether impertinent to the purpose Yeat in the verye nexte wordes folowing youre shrewde wit put yow in remembraunce that there was a waie how I might bring it to make yeat at the least some shewe to the purpose And therefore you saye Nowe if M. Dorman list to transfer the sentence from God gouerning Nowell b. 29. all the worlde to men ruling in the worlde after this sorte Nazianzene saieth there is one onely God who gouerneth all Ergo there must be one onely pope or heade bishoppe to gouerne all the churche I denie the argument and affirme that it foloweth no more then that there must be one only Emperour to gouerne all the worlde I reason not M. Nowell altogether so barelye as yow Dorman surmise that there is but one God and that therefore there must be but one heade to gouerne the churche The force of my conclusion dependeth vpon the reason why there is but one God which is this where many rule there is sedition This argument of myne I so little repent me of that I will here presse you with one other comming from the same moulde S. Austen labouring to proue the certeintie of one God emongest other reasons vseth this for one Sicut enim in ipsa rerum naturamaior est auctoritas vnius ad vnum omnia Lib. de vera religio cap. 25. redigentis c. For euen as in naturall thinges the auctoritye off one bringing all thinges to one is greater neither hath any multitude in the kinde of man any power but such as consentith that is thinketh one thing so in religion the auctority of them ought to be greater and of more credite who call vs to one Of the place of Gregorie Nazianzene as before I reasoned that as there was but one god in the worlde to auoide confusion so there must be in the churche but one heade for the same cause Euen so from this faing of S. Augustine I reason in lyke maner that as the auctoritye of them is greater in religion who call vs to one God because their opinion maketh moste for the conseruation of vnitye so ought their auctoritye and credite to accounted greatest who call vs in the churche to one heade Now what haue yow to saie against this maner of reasoning M. Nowell Yow denie the argument and saie that it foloweth no more then that there must fo 62. a. 3. be one onely Emperour to
run to morowe nexte with the bloude of heretikes as God of his tendre mercie forbid suche hardenes of harte in those that professe them selues to be Christians yeat ought not therefore the cause to be iudged anie whit the better seing that we see the cursed secte of Anabaptistes and haue heard of the wicked Donatistes and knowe beside that the diuell hathe aswell his false witnesses readie to suffer gladlie moste bitter deathe for their conceaued opinions as Christe hathe his true martirs to doe the like for the true catholike faithe Thus muche be saide to M. Nowelles impertinent discourse of copes vestimentes gilted crosses candelstickes c. and to his other idle talcke of the persecution forsothe and martirdome sauing youre reuerences of his deare brethern Nowe at the length he commeth to that whiche he shoulde chiefely haue answered in this place that is of thetrieng of all controuersies by the only scripture To proue that of controuersies rising about the true vnderstandinge of the scripture the scripture it selfe should be the iudge he vseth a similitude wherin he compareth vs to the phariseis and him selfe and his companions to the Apostles And vpon that comparison reasoneth in effecte as foloweth As in the controuersie betwene the Apostles and the Phariseis Nowell fol. 69. a. 1 the question being whether Christe were the true Messias the Apostles affirming the Phariseis denieng if the matter had bene referred to the interpretation and determination of the high prieste and his consistorie we mighte yeat haue loked withe the Iues for Messias to come and as it was no reason that in the controuersie betwene the saide highe priestes and the Apostles whether they had put Christe iustlie or vniustlie to death they shoulde be them selues the iudges who were not onelie accessaries but the principall partes to the murther so must we nowe with the Apostles make the scripture the iudge of oure controuersies and the pope by all reason must be excluded as he that is the sinke of all the abhominations wherewith he that hath but halfe an eye maie see how shamefully the lawe of God is as it was by the Phariseis corrupted Youre similitude M. Nowell halteth and is not able Dorman therefore to go so far as it should For the better declaration whereof it is to be knowen that as sone as Iohn the Baptist Matth. 11. began to preache the Synagoge which had no promise to continue for euer began to languishe and so was at the length weakened that after Christes deathe it came to nothing Christe hauing then established a newe church and made his Apostles the doctours and iudges thereof and Peter the gouernour of all Now see I praye you how this similitude of youres holdeth The Apostles being the true church of Christe referred not their controuersies to the Phariseis which perteined not to the church yea were enemies and persecutours thereof but referred the same to the scriptures and iudged by the scriptures them selues ergo the church of Christe that is nowe maye not be the iudge of controuersies but we must refer the same to the scriptures I denie that consequent M. Nowell You proue it because the Apostles did not referre their controuersies to the high priestes and Phariseis I graunte you for their priestehode and auctoritie was expired When you shal be hable to proue vs Phariseis and your selues the true churche then maie you by this similitude reason that as the Apostles referred not the iudgement of the meaning of the scriptures to the Phariseis which were not the church nor of the church so you will not being the church refer the matter to vs but iudge of the scripture your selues as the Apostles The Apostles being the true churche of Christe iudged of the scriptures did In the meane season as the Apostles alleaged for thē selues the scripture and saied it made for thē wherein they gaue iudgement of the scripture so foloweth it that Christes church which is now the same that was then iudgeth in al controuersies which is the right and true sense Neither can it serue you to saie to the contrarie as you doe sclaunderouslie that the worde of God hauing bene moste shamefully by vs corrupted as he that hath but halfe an eye maie well see it is no reason being parties that we shoulde be iudges therein Seing that thus might the Phariseis haue saide euen of the Apostles them selues and laied to their charges partialitie because they were Christes scholers and disciples and so parties to the cause whiche they mainteined and also for that you haue not as yeat proued nor euer shal be hable to proue that Christes church hath euer erred in the faith or the heade thereof at anie time deliuered to the church any tradition or erroniouse opinion whereby the worde of God hath bene corrupted Which assertion of youres being moste directly against the scriptures bearing witnes so manifestly Math. 14. 16. Ioan. 14. alibi of the continuance of the churche incorrupted so often auouched by you and being the only fundation of this plea of youres that we be the Phariseis and you Christes true Apostles me thinketh you should haue done well once in so often affirming it to haue proued by one sentence of scripture or some approued auctor and not facingly to saye that he that hathe but halfe an eye maie see that it is so or elles till you coulde haue proued it it had bene more for your honestie to haue absteined from suche vnmercifull and vnchristianlike demeanure as you vse towardes bothe the church of Christe and the head thereof Where you saye that I will haue the scripture reiected there you reporte vntrulie of me This I saie that scripture not thorough anie imperfection or insufficiencie that is in it but onelie by occasiō of stubborne wrangling and contentiouse natures who neuer will giue ouer the opinion that they haue once conceiued euerie one being at apoint to receiue no other interpretation thereof thē to them shal seme good is not hable to ende and determine al cōtrouersies moued vpō the lettre thereof and that therfore euen as in the lawes of the realme whiche were to decide all controuersies sufficient so that the lawe being broughte euerie man woulde furthewithe yealde to it because they will not there be iudges by the prince appointed to cut of all altercations and to preserue the realme in quiet who when the councellours bothe of the one parte and the other haue contentiouslie disputed the matter eache of them affirming that the lawe is on his side shall by opening the meaning thereof ende the strife So is it not to be thought but that God forseing the innumerable sectes of heretikes that shoulde trouble his churche of whome there shoulde be no one no not of them that directlie blush not to teache Suencfeldius that there ought to be no scripture at all that woulde not colourablie defende the same by scripture it is not I saie to be
serueth well for youre purpose to giue vs the slippe and to wynde youre selfe from the matter To my demaunde what heretike was euer vanquished by the scriptures you saye I answere the Arrians Anabaptistes and all heretikes without Nowell fol. 101. a. 5 exception were vanquished and ouerthrowen by the scriptures and that if they were not vanquished by the scriptures they were not vanquished at all By youre answere it shoulde seme M. Nowell that either Dorman you vnderstande not my demaunde or you will not vnderstande it For when I speake of vanquishing of heretikes I meane of ouerthrowing and so coÌ„futing their heresies as that they maye with the worlde be brought vttrely oute of conceite and the memorye of them cleane abolisshed and extinguished as we see Arius heresie once more vniuersall then youres God be praised to be I meane not you maye be sure that the heretikes them selues shoulde confesse them selues to be ouercomen Againe when I aske how they were vanquished by the scriptures I vnderstande by the scriptures alone by the scriptures withoute a iudge who in this doubtefull contention where the Arrian bringeth scripture as well as the catholike as apparent as the catholike more plentifully then the catholike where no other place of scripture can by the catholike be brought to make the matter plaine by waye of conference but the aduersarie will be readie to alleage as euident for him maye giue sentence whether parte hathe better right who alleageth and conferreth the scriptures moste sincerely Thus did the councell of Nice ouerthrowe the heresie of Arrius although not so that he him selfe coulde be brought to acknowledge so muche yeat in suche wise that in processe of time the worlde giuing credite to so learned and generall a councell fell from his heresie and nowe there is not one fauourer thereof in the whole worlde that dare shewe his face Thus shoulde youre heresies and all other be ouerthrowen if we woulde either in suche thinges as the churche hath already determined folowe that sense of the scriptures that it hathe deliuered to vs either elles in thinges ambiguouse and not defined aske and folowe the iudgement therof For that you here cauil that the pope nor popish Nowell b. â— church can be coÌ„uenient and coÌ„petent iudges in controuersies no we risen for that they are bothe parties and parties accused therein no more then the Iuishe high prieste with his churche of Scribes and Phariseis were conuenient and competent iudges in the controuersies betwene them and Christes Apostles The absurditie of this comparison bothe I haue there where Dorman Cap. 12. fol. 164. before in like maner you made it sufficiently declared and the Arrians also might haue pleaded this plea againste the councell of Nice In the whiche the fathers assembled were as muche affected against Arrius heresie as the late councell of Trent or anye that can be holden is againste youres Yeat do not the histories mention that euer they were so impudent Touching the conference of Scriptures together I did so late Nowell b. 15. before at large intreate thereof that I nede not nowe to repeate the same againe As largely M. Nowell as you intreated thereof you saide Dorman neuer a worde howe this controuersie betwene the Arrians and the catholikes bothe alleaging scripture for their M. Nowell answereth not the force of my reason defence might be by onely scripture determined To pretende therfore that it is no nede to repeate that which you neuer touched it is a pretye figure to excuse silence in that wherein you are able to saye nothing Iff you feared you shoulde haue dwelled to longe in that matter you might haue eased that by cutting of manye impertinent discourses that bothe go before and folowe after in this booke off youres namely the nexte sentence that foloweth wherein you labour to proue youre selues to be no Arrians withe the whiche heresye neither I nor anye other doe charge yowe To procede whereas I aske howe it happeneth that the Caluinistes and the Lutherans agree not by conferring one place of scripture with an other to that you saye Nowell fol. 102. a. 23. This is M. Dormans vsage when he can saye nothing off the present case to entremingle foraigne matters thereby to auerte the readers minde from his principall cause remaining vnproued still The principall cause is that there muste be one visible Dorman heade in Christes church to appease controuersies and determine doubtes the heretike saieth it nedeth not the scripture by diligent conference beinge able to satisfie all men therein To this I replied how happeneth it then that the Caluinistes and Lutheranes agree not c Nowe lett all men iudge how truly yowe reprehende me for entremingling foraigne matters But let vs here youre answer to the question But how so euer Caluin and Luther agree in the exposition of Nowell these fewe wordes Hoc est corpus meum This is my bodie they agree bothe in this that the papistes expounde them falsely Who euer hearde a more absurde or folishe answere Or Dorman what answere rather is this to my question to tell vs that the Lutheranes and Caluinistes agree together against vs So did as the scriptures beare witnesse the phariseis and Sad duces so did Herode and Pilate agree against the pretiouse Lucae 23. bodie of Christ at the Crosse as yow doe against it at the altar S. Austen saieth of heretikes Dissentiunt inter se contra Lib. siue Homil. de ouibus vnitatem omnes consentiunt Emongest them selues they are at variaunce against vnitie they all agree My selfe also in the nexte sentence folowing confesse as muche that allthough heretikes in some point dissent yeat they all ioyne and agree in one cancred hatred against the churche What letteth by this meanes why yow shoulde not easelie reconcile together all that huge rable of heretikes mentioned in the table of late set furthe by M. Stapleton who hauing one common father with yowe allthough in manie pointes dissenting agree yeat all with yow against vs But what is this I saie to the purpose Answere if you be hable if scripture can alone ende all controuersies howe happeneth it that the Lutheranes and Caluinistes ende not theire strife thereby whiche continueth notwithstanding their agreing against vs It foloweth For to vse the places by M. Dorman noted out of Hosius he Nowell A. 26. nor all papistes with him shall neuer be hable to showe cause why these wordes Ego sum viâ—is vera I am the true vine do not proue aswell a transsubstantiation as Hoc est corpus meum This is my bodie What this For shoulde perteine to the answering off Dorman my question I see not this I see well it confirmeth strongly my saing that by scripture alone all controuersies can not be iudged For as Caluin bringeth for his opinion this place so I trust yow are not ignorant that Luther had also his places to alleage
addeth a cause whiche is Nowell fol. 107. a 10. the pyth of the matter saing thus Super illam petram aedificatem ecclesiam scio I knowe that vpon that rocke Peters chaire the churche is builded which is the cause why S. Hierome ioyned with Damasus will he saye Will you see what a perilouse brained man M. Nowell is Dorman He hathe readen my answere allready and can tell what it shall be before I vtter it the seconde time But you must giue him leaue sometimes to scoure his Rhetorike lest it wax rustye and therfore here vpon a brauery he setteth a lusty countenance vpon the matter and that which he knoweth can not be passed ouer in silence because it hathe bene moued allready he will so bring furthe the seconde time as though suche a pore catholike as I am had not had suche an obiection in store without I had first receiued it by his liberalitie euen as it were in the waye of all moise Yeat this I can not but mislike that as sone as he had giuen it it semeth that he wished that he had kepte it in his purse still for it foloweth But he maye be ashamed had he anie shame at all thus shamefully Nowell 14. by a false Parenthesis to intremingle these wordes Peters chaire in this sentence of S. Hierome and so to falsifie it as though S. Hierome had saide or ment in this place that the popes chaire is the rocke whereon the church is builded Well these be but wordes M. Nowell how proue yow Dorman that this is a false Parenthesis that S. Hierome ment not that the popes chaire as it is S. Peters chaire is the rocke whereō the churche is builded You re reasons to proue it folowe after that you haue charged me withe mangling of the sentence of S. Hierome in this wise For he did see that S. Hierome admonishing Damasus of humilitie Nowell b. 20. and withall professing him selfe to folowe no chiefe or heade but Christe not excepting Damasus case but rather affirming him not to be primum the chiefe maketh cleerely with vs who in this controuersie of the popes vsurped supremacy saie the same c. furthermore he did see that the wordes of S. Hierome folowing vpon this rocke I knowe the churche to be builded might and ought to be referred to Christe mentioned fol. 108. a. 1. by S. Hierome so nere before and by Petre confessed to be that rocke whereon the churche is builded and therefore M. Dorman left out of S. Hieromes sentence the mention of Christe that he might moste falsely and blasphemously refer the rocke to Peters chaire as though Peters rotten chaire or ruinouse Rome were the rocke whereon the churche of oure Sauioure Christe is builded You re proufes that this Parenthesis is false conteined Dorman in these wordes are two First because Hierome professed him selfe to folowe no chiefe or heade but Christe not excepting Damasus nexte because these wordes Vpon this rocke I knowe the churche to be builded ought to be referred to Christe c. as before To the firste I answere that you haue M. Nowell falsifieth S. Hierome in translating not delt honestlie and sincerely in translating the wordes nullum primum no chiefe or heade as though S. Hierome had bene of that opinion that he woulde professe him selfe to folow no other heade in earthe vnder Christe whiche if it had bene so howe agreeth this with youre owne He is contrary to him selfe wordes in this place that Damasus was S. Hieromes owne bishoppe If he were his bishop he was his chiefe or heade If he were his heade you will not I trust make him to mende youre owne cause a rebelliouse membre One of these two will folowe that either S. Hierome if youre translation were true condemneth all heades in earthe but onelye Christe or that he will obeye them as far as he list him selfe Is not this sincere handling trowe you of the fathers writinges Is not this wholesom doctrine that you woulde make them to be patrones of But I praie you that translate this worde nullum primum so diuersly three maner of waies in little more then the cōpasse of one leafe first interpreting it no chiefe or heade fol. 107. b. 5. lyne then in the same side 15. no chiefe heade Last of all fol. 108. b. 21. no heade tel vs when you write nexte to whiche of these interpretations you will stande For the second interpretation a man might graunte to you and without preiudice to vs or gaine to you For it is true in dede that in respecte of Christ there is no absolute chiefe heade but he the pope is but chiefe and supreme heade nexte vnder Christe Although this were not in this place the meaning of S. Hierome but only to signifie that nexte after Christe he ioyned him selfe to Peters chaire and that he folowed nullum primum nisi Christum none first but Christ as muche to saie as Christ first and Damasus of all other next after Youre nexte proufe that the worde rocke shoulde be referred to Christe and not to Peters chaire because Christe is mentioned so nere before and by Petre confessed to be that rocke whereon the churche is builded leaneth to a verie fickle and weake grounde and maketh me to thinke that at the leaste you nodded M. Nowell if you slepte not downe right when you wrote this For if you take the boke waking into youre hande once againe you shall I dare M. Nowell ouer throwen by his owne reason assure you finde that the worde Peters chaire is nearer to the worde rocke then is Christe so that by youre owne argument and reason it foloweth that the worde rocke shoulde be referred to Peters chaire placed so neare before Whereas you saye that Petre confessed Christe to be that rocke whereon the churche is builded where hathe Petre those wordes Note the place in youre nexte writing elles will it be thought that you make and coine scripture at your pleasure We denye not notwithstanding but that Christe is the rocke whereon the churche is builded although in Sainte Petre those words be not so to be found Yeat foloweth it not that therefore Peters chaire or Petre for bothe is here taken for one is not also the rocke whereon it is builded For Christe is Fundamentum primum maximum the chiefe and greatest fundation as witnesseth S. Augustine reconciling together these places of the scripture no man can In psalm 86. 1. Cor 3. Ephes 2. laye an other fundation then that which is layed which is Christe Iesus and this Builded vpon the fundation of the Apostles and prophetes and Petre is also a foundation nexte after Christe As to make the matter plaine by example if a man woulde builde a house vpon a rocke that rocke were the How Christ is the rocke and howe Peter chiefe and principall foundation for it hathe soliditie and strength of it selfe not of
of Rome as Erasmus hathe noted yet he knowing or some man warning him that the house withoute the whiche the paschall lambe maye not be eaten the arke c. by all doctours is interprete to be the one vniuersall church of Christe and by none to be the churche of Rome therefore like a wise man or elles a false fox he let that folowing alone also as he cut of Christe the heade going and ioyned nexte before and so he hathe tolde you a tale bothe withoute heade and tayle thereby to proue the pope who is Antichrist to be the heade of Christes churche Is not this M. Nowell more then intollerable impudencie Dorman to charge me with fraude for the leauing out of that sentence then which there is none either in the workes of S. Hierome him selfe or anie of the other learned doctours that more maketh for the dignitye of the see of Rome for the omitting whereof in my boke I deserued rather to be noted at the catholikes handes of ouermuche simplicitye then at youres of fraude and sutteltye But howe truly here let the place itselfe iudge Omitting Erasmus whose iudgement nowe you condemne which yeat in me might haue bene counted some pointe of leuitie if I had euer praised him as you did before to be no vnskillfull or negligent viewer of the olde fathers writinges I will come to the place it selfe whiche I doubte not but by construing for I truste although you care not muche for the rules of the churche you owe yeat for olde acquaintaunce youre reuerence to the rules of Grammer to make bothe you and other men to vnderstād also how much this place maketh for me and howe little cause I had to suppresse it and howe muche yet lesse you had to make anye mention of it Saint Hieromes wordes therefore concerning this matter are these Ego nullum primum nisi Christum sequens beatit udini tuae id est cathedrae Petri communione consocior Super illam petram aedificatam ecclesiam scio Quicunque extra hanc domum agnum comederit prophanus est Nowe let vs construe M. Nowell Ego I sequens folowing nullum primum none first nisi Christum but Christ cōsocior am ioyned communione in communion beatitudini tuae to thy holynesse id est that is to saie cathedrae Petri to the chaire of Petre. Super illā petrā vpō that rocke what rocke M. Nowel but the same chaire of Peter to the whiche he professed him selfe to be ioyned in communion going nexte before these wordes scio I knowe ecclesiam the churche aedificatam to be builded Quicunque who so euer comederit shall eate agnum the lambe extra hanc domú out of this house prophanus est is prophane Now these wordes being truly by me thus construed euerye man learned and vnlearned maye see that S. Hierome by the house whiche he here mentioneth ment Christes vniuersall churche but builded Super illam petram vpon that rocke whiche rocke in the wordes nexte before he called Petres chaire to saie Petres auctoritie If you can construe them otherwise and make them to haue any other relation then this and proue it by the rulers of Gramer you maye vaunt that you haue showed vs a scholemasters tricke that neuer was harde of yeat But I am halfe in dispare that you shall euer be able seing that youre frinde Erasmus as good a Grammarian as you and as euill in a maner affected to the See of Rome as appeareth in diuerse places by his notes and censures coulde finde no suche shifte and therefore was faine as you muste at the length to confesse the truthe that S. Hierome was of the minde that all churches shoulde be subiecte to the churche of Rome or at the least no strangers from it Nowe whereas you saye that this house that S. Hierome mentioneth is of none interprete to be the churche of Rome what were that to oure purpose if it were so seing it is interprete of the vniuersall churche whiche is of all the auncient fathers acknowledged to be builded vpon Peters chaire as S. Hierome saieth here and as hathe bene declared before S. Cyprian who calleth the churche of Rome for that cause catholicae fidei Lib. 4. epist 8. radicem matricem the rocke and mother churche of the catholike churche Yeat lacke there not also fathers that in a sense that is as in the churche of Rome all other churches are conteined call it also by the name of the catholike churche As in effect S. Ambrose did when he called Damasus the pope ruler of the whole church which he coulde by no meanes be but as he was bishop of Rome Thus In commēt in cap. 3. 1. Tim. muche maie serue for my purgation that I haue not delt fraudulently in leauing out this parte of S. Hieromes sentence Nowe let vs procede Yow make much adoe about Vitalis and Meletius and saie that I saie vntrulie that S. Hierome saieth he knoweth not Nowell fo 111. a. 1. them because they were aduersaries to the seate of Rome the cause being because they were aduersaries to the true doctrine of the moste blessed Trinitie whiche Damasus did defende I reporte me to the learned whether I had cause to saie Dorman so or no not because of these wordes who so euer gathereth not with the scattreth alone which might perhappes be trulie spoken to anie other catholike bishop but because of the circumstances that go before ioyned to these as the consulting of Petres chaire the ioyning of him selfe thereto in communion To the whiche because they did not ioyne them selues as he did he refused them If yow had spoken no more vntrulie then I yowe woulde not to colour the matter the better haue imagined that emongest other causes why S. Hierome kepte not these schismatikes companie one was because they were foriners and not his owne bishoppes an other for that they were of a strange language Ah M. Nowell did yow nodde here that yowe coulde not see that S. Hierome affirmeth that the folowed the Aegiptian confessors the bishop of Romes felowe bishoppes Were not they as muche foriners to him as were Vitalis and Meletius was not their language as strange Yeat yow vpon this desire the reader to note that S. Hierome woulde B. 25. not knowe Vitalis and Meletius because they were foriners not his owne bishoppes c. And so make a comparison betwene youre refusall of the pope and S. Hieromes refusall of these schismatikes laing for a grounde without anye proufe that the pope is a foriner and hathe nothing to doe withe yow Of the place of S. Austen taken out of the 110. question of his questions vpon the olde and newe testament The 29. chapiter HERE M. Nowell vpon the censure of Erasmus of this worcke of S. Austens maketh this shorte but sharpe conclusion against me So that it were to muche impudency for Nowell fo 112. a. 30. Dorman anie man but only M.
his election be vncerteine or vnlaufull Must he yeat Nowell fol. 115. a. 2 be the moste certeine and onely iudge If the election be not lauful it giueth to the elected person Dorman no right VVhat if we haue a shee pope suche as was pope Ioane otherwise Nowell Iohn the eight What iff that be a lye and to be founde in no storye Dorman of worthy credite Iff suche a chaunce should yeat happen then were there no pope but for the time the See vacant VVhat if the popes successours doe disanull their praedecessours Nowell popes decrees c In matters perteining to thinges indifferent it maye so Dorman chaunce time and place so requiring but in faithe and doctrine deliuered to the whole church that any such chaunge or alteration hath happened you are not able to shewe nor euer shall and therfore you might haue kepte this what if with the rest in youre purse Thus are these doubtes of youres answered M. Nowell and so shall I trust the other great manie mo that you threaten me withall which you loked for belike at the writing hereof to come shortly from Franckeforde marte The pope is not iudge in his owne cause The cause is A. 19. gods and the churches So I tolde yow before Yow make muche a doe to proue that the scriptures are the waye of truthe iudgementes yea and iudgementes off truthe whiche no man denieth For it hathe bene allwaies graunted vnto yow that the scriptures conteine all truthe in them sufficient to confirme all true doctrine and to ouerthrowe the contrarie when by the voice of the churche they are interpreted and made manifest When we harcken to the popes interpretation of scripture we acknowledge and so ought all true catholikes that we heare the holy gost speaking by his mouthe in which case we saie that the credite whiche we giue to his sentence is not giuen to him as he is a man but to gods worde whereby we are taught that the thing whiche mannes nature coulde not obteine Christe God and man obteined for Peter the first pope of Rome Lucae 22. that is that his faithe shoulde not faile and so consequently for all that shoulde after him succede in the gouernement of the churche And so is youre texte answered God is true but euerie man is a lier Or elles we coulde not be assured of that which the prophetes and Apostles teache vs. Of the title heade of the churche of England giuen to oure late souereigne Kinge Henry the 8. The 31. Chapter I ASKED here by occasion of that foolishe reason of fo 116. a. 1. your Apologie Christ is heade of the church Ergo it hath or nedeth no other how it happened then that youre companions gaue to kinge Henry the 8. the title of heade of the churche of Englande and yow youre selues to oure moste gratiouse lady his daughter the same also in effecte To this yow saie If it will please yow to resorte to the recordes of the 22. and 24. Nowell 1. b. 7. yeares of King Henry the 8. there shall yow finde who they were that first offred this title to the saide Kinge there shall yowe finde that all Abbottes and other religiouse all the bishoppes Deanes Archedeacons and cleargie of both the houses of the conuocation then liuing gaue him that title To the latter question of the Quenes maiestie to that yowe will shortly answere yowe saie but presently yow doe not When yow haue ransacked all the recordes and saide all Dorman that yow can to make the Catholikes oure forefathers partakers withe yow of this facte yeat is this moste surelie recorded in all mennes remembraunce that all Catholikes ioyned not with yow and those that did were folowers and no leaders consented to that title which was required and offred it not of their owne motion The first auctors that put that wicked deuise in to the kinges moste noble heade were not the catholikes but heretikes and the scholers of Luther suche as were Cromwell Cranmere and other I speake not this notwithstanding to excuse them who confesse their owne faultes and are moste sorie and penitent therefore This was a case wherein we maie saie withe oure forefathers peccauimus iniusté egimus iniquitatem fecimus We haue sinned we haue done vniustly we haue committed iniquitie But what is all this to the purpose What if the catholikes did amisse withe yow as they did how can yowe answere this standing in youre wicked opinion still that a particuler church maie haue one heade gouernour vnder Christe in earthe and the whole maie not To that yow saie I truste the reason is not to seeke in the good readers memorie Nowell fo 117. a. 22. seing it hathe bene so ofte declared before yet will I answere M. Dormans question by an other question Yow burden verie sore the readers memorie to remembre Dorman that which hetherto yowe neuer vttred Yow are not wont to be so daungerouse I reporte me to the reader to repeate one thing diuerse times but there was good cause that yow shoulde here doe as yow did to wit because yow are not hable standing in strength the argument of youre Apologie to giue anie reason why the churche of one particuler realme hauing two prouinces two archebishoppes and vndre them aboue 20. bishoppes whereof Christe is as muche the heade as of the whole churche shoulde more haue an other heade beside Christ ouer all these particuler heades then all the particuler heades of Christes vniuersall churche shoulde haue an other heade beside Christe ouer them Yeat I knowe yowe meane that reason of youres whiche being so foolishe so wicked and blasphemouse that one man is not hable to rule and gouerne vndre Christe the whole churche alone yow haue so often repeated hauing no other shift of descant that euen verie shame compelleth yow now at the last to wrappe and inuolue it in silence As for the answere that yowe make by a question VVhy one kingdome maye haue in earth vnder God one head and the whole world can not to that I saie that it is a false proposition that the whole worlde can not haue one onlye head in earth vndre God often in this youre Reproufe stoutely affirmed but neuer as yeat proued To this answere I ioyne also the seconde that the questions be not like But then you saye If M. Dorman saye the questions be not like I aske with what Nowell b. 1. face he can so saye seing that in the beginning of this his treatie he brought the example of ciuile gouernement in the whiche euery kingdome hath his king euerie countrie citie and companie haue their seuerall gouernours c. to proue that the church ought likewise to haue one head I acknowledge this example and dare further make Dorman you M. Nowell youre selfe the iudge whether these questions of youres and mine be lyke I compare one kingdome to the whole church which is also
one and therein resteth the strength and force of my exāple I make no comparison betwene all kingdomes of the worlde whiche be manie and all churches which are but one as you doe here deceauing your selfe and other toe For if I shoulde so haue done then had not the comparison bene good Nowe if it were as true that God had ordeined all the kingdomes of the worlde to make one kingdome and not manie as he hath all the churches to be one and not manie then if you denied to all these kingdomes ioyned in one a visible king to be aboue all the rest and to gouerne the whole because god is the Monarche and ruler of all as you doe to the vniuersall churche for the same cause I woulde saie that you offendid as muche therein not alowing to all these kingdomes being but one one heade and chiefe gouernour as you shoulde doe if you woulde graunte to particuler kingdomes no particuler king the reason being as greate why the whole shoulde haue one ruler ouer it as why anie particuler membre shoulde But nowe I can not so saye because God hath appointed no suche ordre in the worlde as he hath in his kingdome the churche and therfore the questions be not like From this you runne as one that feared to tarie to long to gesse what we woulde saie if the time serued vs and here on Gods name you tel vs a long tale of the popes rule ouer all the worlde in temporalities and of king Iohn as muche to the purpose as if you had tolde vs of Robin hood and therfore I passe it ouer with youre other reasons that folowe fo 118. b. made to boulster vp the rotten reason of youre Apologie because they haue bene so often answered by showing the difference betwene the two states of the worlde and the churche The answere to the conclusion The 32. chapiter NOWE foloweth M. Nowelles conclusion wherein drawing nere to the ende and knowing howe weakely the matter hathe bene handled by him in the whole processe of his booke before he thinketh by a certeine lusty brauery of wordes to make amendes and so to beare awaye the garlande But nowe let vs here howe he bestirreth him Thus I trust good Readers you see the insufficiencie or more Nowell fo 119. a. 7. truly the lewdnesse of M. Dormans prouffes of the necessitie of one only heade ouer Christes whole church here in earthe you see where he saieth he hathe sufficiētly proued it to be Christes pleasure that there shoulde be suche an one heade that he hathe not nor coulde not for if he coulde he woulde alleage out of the newe testament where Christes will and pleasure is written and declared moste largely and manifestly as muche as one worde foūding to that purpose so farre of is it that it is as he saieth sufficiētly proued Thus I trust you see good Readers howe M. Nowell Dorman hauing begonne with a lye in the verie title of his booke calling it a Reproufe of my boke which reproueth but only 15. leaues hathe continued and nowe endeth the same in such wise as the middle and ende maye appeare in all mennes iudgement to answere to the beginning Yow see where he saieth that I haue not sufficiently proued it to be Christes pleasure that there shoulde be one heade in his steede in the whole churche because I alleaged no testimonie oute of the newe testament that in restreining my prouffes to the only newe testament and calling the testimonies brought out of the olde lawe as he dothe hereafter olde shadowes while he reproueth my prouffes for this cause he semeth not to be farre from the heresie of the Manichees who condemned the olde testament It was not M. Nowell because I coulde not that I alleaged no proufe out of the newe testament But the cause if you will nedes knowe it was for this that I thought it best to vse suche testimonies as consisting in facte and hauing bene alreadye put in execution you shoulde be lesse able to cauill against especially making my counte that the appointing of one chiefe prieste in the olde lawe being for the benefite of Goddes people you woulde easely admitte that Christe woulde be as beneficiall to his churche in the newe lawe Otherwise I coulde haue brought to you oute of the ghospell of S. Matthewe the wordes of oure Sauiour Matth. 16. to S. Petre where he vsing these wordes And I tell the that thow arte Petre and vpon this rocke I will builde my churche and againe what so euer thow shalt binde vpon earthe shall be bounde in heauen c. made Peter as Chrisostom witnesseth Shepeherd of the churche heade of the churche ruler ouer the whole Homi. 55. lu Matth. worlde I coulde haue alleaged lhe place of S. Iohn where Christe committing to Peter the charge of all his flocke Ioan. vlt. excepting none made by that meanes one ruler of the whole Homil. in cap. Ioan. vlt. and committed curam orbis terrarum the charge of the vniuersall worlde to Peter as saieth the same Chrisostome These places coulde I haue alleaged and other also had it not bene to auoide wrangling and for that that I persuaded my selfe that this example takē from the gouernement of Goddes people the Iues shoulde be to all indifferent mē sufficient enough to confirme my purpose as til M. Nowell confute it it is Yow see that schismes and controuersies by S. Cyprians iudgement Nowell and S. Augustins with 217. bishoppes moe assembled in the African councell with him and by good reason and experience allso maye be beste quieted in the countries where they arise You see that neither S. Cyprian neither S. Augustine Dorman neither the 217. bishoppes emongest whome M. Nowell before nombred Orosius being no bishoppe but a prieste onely and Prosper a bishop of Rhegium in Italie and therefore not like to be at anye councell in Africa neither yeat reason or experience whiche teache the contrarye doe saye Supra cap. 11. that schismes and controuersies maye be best quieted and decided in the countries where they arise That which they saye is ment of criminall causes not of schismes about doctrine as those wordes of S. Cyprian conteining the reason why he woulde haue suche causes hearde in the countries where they happen being these but ought there to make answere to their causes where they maye haue accusers and witnesses of their crimes doe well declare And thus you see that this is a manifold lye Yow see that it becommeth man vnhable well to gouerne a Nowell verie little thinge to humble him selfe and to yealde vp the honour and glory of gouerning the whole worlde and churche to God c. You see by the example of Peter refusing of humilitie Dorman the seruice that Christ offred to him in wasshing his feete Ioan 13. that true humilitye is to doe that whiche Christe biddeth to be done Yow see withall M. Nowells honestie
that to deceiue the simple vseth here these wordes Yealde vp the honour and glorie of gouerning the whole world and church to god as though any man so claimed the gouernement of the churche as that he woulde displace Christe thereof Also you see that in this treatie hetherto as M. Dorman hathe Nowell not one worde out of the newe testament so hath he alleaged but only two textes out of the olde testament one oute of Deuteron cap. 17. c. an other of Numeri 16. which bothe make directly against him c. You see and knowe I doubte not that one texte of holye Dorman scripture is as good as a hundred You see that M. Nowell goeth guilefully aboute to abuse the simple by this terme nation as thoughe because the Iues whiche were but one nation had their chiefe prieste and high bishoppe therefore there shoulde folowe thereof naught elles but that euerye nation countrye diocesse or churche shoulde haue also their chiefe bishoppe withoute anye one heade ouer the whole whereas the Iues althoughe they were but one nation were yeat the chosen people and churche of God and emongest diuerse heades of seuerall tribues there was ouer all those heades one chiefe heade You haue seene that of S. Cyprians applieng of this texte to inferiour magistrates can be gathered no necessary argument that it maie not be otherwise applyed that is to the higher You haue seene as many as haue readen my first booke fol. 33. 34. 35. that Moises was a prieste that yeat there foloweth no absurditie of being two high priestes at once because as S. Augustine Lu quaest super Leuitic lib. 3. cap. 23. saieth they were bothe high priestes in diuerse respectes the one in commaunding to be done the other in executing thinges commaunded And withall you see that we are here by M. Nowell vntruly burdened of disobedience to oure Souereigne as not acknowledging suche auctoritye in the same ouer spirituall matters as was in Moises and Aaron VVherefore you maye well vnderstande that were it either Nowell proffitable or necessary c to haue such an one heade God woulde haue certified vs of a thing so proffitable and necessarie more plainely and exprossely then by two olde shadowes of the Iuishe churche which doe teache vs also the contrary God hath certified vs by building his church vpon one Dorman by making one generall pastour ouer all the rest that his Matth 16. Ioan. vlt. pleasure was to appointe this maner of gouernement in his churche But what meane yow to finde faulte with the testimonies of the olde testament calling them shadowes and to demaunde other of the newe hauing brought for youre opinion not so muche as one piece of a sentence out of either the olde testament or the newe Yow see howe blindely he going aboute to proue that there Nowell fo 120. a. 1 ought to be one onelye heade ouer all the church bringeth in for proufe thereof the regiment of seuerall countries kingdomes cities c. by seuerall princes seuerall magistrates and heades whiche maketh moste directly with vs that seuerall churches should in likewise haue their seuerall heades Yow see that oure question being whether the catholike Dorman churche of Christe whiche is but one ought to be ruled by one heade or manie M. Nowell here like the blinde bayard that he speakethe of saieth that my example proueth for them that it ought to be ruled by manye because many kingdomes haue many kinges wherein yow see that diuiding the church which is but one he goeth against the faithe of the churche Yow see that he dissembleth my reason which is that as a kingdom because it is one is best ruled by one heade so the church which is but one is best ruled by one heade Yow see that to this reason hetherto he neuer answered Yow see how often S. Cyprian is by him alleaged for the pope Nowell of Rome his supremacy in those places where he speaketh of Rogatian and of him selfe being bothe bishoppes c. Yow see howe the places of S. Cyprian and S. Hierom Dormna expressely mainteining the superioritie of one aboue the rest in euerye diocesse with the cause added for the auoiding of schismes brought by me to proue by more forcible reason the necessitie of one heade ouer the whole M. Nowell wresteth to the directe prouing of the B. of Rome his supremacy wherof in that place as it was not my purpose to intreate so if I had I had done preposterously and confounded my appointed ordre of writing Yow see howe the place of S. Basile brought to declare the maner off heretikes in contemning the auctoritie of their bishoppes he laieth to my charge vntruly to haue bene brought as spoken of the pope of Rome Yow see that the comparison made betwene Nouatus and oure protestantes of England holdeth in this that either of them laboureth to withdrawe the subiectes from their laufull obedience Yow haue heard good Readers the sory melodie of M. Nowelles harpe whereupon twanging on a false string he made a shamefull lye in saing that Vrsitius and Valens offred vp their recantation as well to Athanasius as to Iulius the pope Yow see that he hath oftentimes beelied S. Cyprian and S. Hierome feining them to make all bishoppes equall in auctoritie and no one to be aboue the other Yowe see his owne inconstancie and disagrement withe him selfe one while affirming all bishoppes to be equall and none to be aboue the other an other while denieng and making chiefe prelates in euerie prouince yow see him reiecting pope Leo as witnesse in his owne cause and bringing in the African to esbeare witnesse to them selues Yow see to deface pope Leo howe shamefully he sclaundreth Zosimus of whome the whole Africane councell wrote so reuerently Yow see howe he burdeneth without all maner of proufe Celestinus of whome Prosper writeth so honorably with other his successours to haue forged a greate many of the epistles nowe abrode in the names of Clement Anacletus c. yowe see howe he spareth no iniuriouse wordes to Leo calling him theefe noting him of ambition whome the councell of Calcedon called thrise blessed and God honoured withe miracles Yow see that he chalengeth vntrulie the copies of Leo to be contrarye one to an other Yow see that he is a plaine makebate and to mende his cause by setting the doctours at variance betwene them selues how he heweth mangleth and cutteth awaie from the auctors that he alleageth wordes yea sentences to serue his purpose You see in defence of schismes howe he laboureth to finde vnquietnesse emongest the Apostles and disciples of Christe you see that to deface vnitie as he taketh it from the Apostles so he attributeth it to the Phariseis and enemies of Christe You see for lacke of weightier matter he chargeth vs with the disputable opinions of scholemen and logiciners with diuersitie of apparell of diete and meates which maners as
for the B. of Rome his supremacie but rather dothe vttrely ouerthrowe it as apperteining specially to the B. of Carthage in Afrike not to the B. of Rome in Italie and declaring in dede the bishoppes of all places to be equall in auctoritie and consequently ouerthrowing the supremacy of one ouer all I denie not but that this phrase maye here specially apperteine Dorman to the B. of Carthage No more ought yow make strange to confesse that if S. Cyprian woulde saie that heresies and schismes rise of the contempte of the B. which is one in a diocesse muche more of him which is one in the whole churche and who is the chiefe and roote of byshoply ordre as shall hereafter be by S. Cyprian declared And thus yow see that I applied it not euill to the purpose although it proue not immediatly the popes supremacy the thing which here I take not vpon me to proue That which yow saie of these testimonies that they declare the A lye fathered vpon S. Cyprian 3 bishoppes of all places to be of equall auctoritie is a moste vaine and impudent lye fathered vpon S. Cyprian That the place of S. Basile was alleaged to the purpose and that the same and the other taken oute of S. Cyprian are bothe falsely impugned The. 3. Chapter It is farre yow saie from all purpose that I alleage by Nowell patching here and there out of Basilius magnus his 69. epistle to the bishoppes of Italy and Fraunce c. If yow in this Reproufe of youres had brought nothing Dorman furder from the purpose it woulde neuer by the tenth parte haue bene halfe so greate as it is For I tell yow once againe that my purpose was not here as yow vntruly surmise to proue the B. of Romes supremacy My meaning was to persuade men to continue and abide in the obedience of the heade of the churche the rather because as Ciprian before gaue a generall rule that all heresies and schismes rise by going from the heade so here S. Basile exemplifieth the same in that vnreuerent demeanure and vnsemely behauiour that the Arrians of his time vsed towardes their heades and gouernours how saie yow maketh the place for this purpose or no I abuse bothe the Readers mine owne and other mennes time Nowell fol. 3. b. 1. yow saie in charging yow with the crimes of those men whose heresies and wickednes it is well knowen yow detest I trust no man thinketh so but yow and youre felowes Dorman M. Nowell For standing the case so that yow detest the Arrian heresie where withall I charge yow not and therefore A lye 4. yow haue beelied me yeat maye yow this not withstanding right well agree with them in other their euill maners I will not charge yow to be infidelles with Iulian the Apostata yeat is youre hatred against the crosse off Christe no lesse then his Yow note me in the margent for turning the wordes Nowell fol. 3. a. b. praesidentias inuadunt they inuade and sett vpon their heades and saye He shoulde haue saide they doe inuade the chiefe roumes or places and againe for ioyning blasphemias protulit to those which folowe ad populi episcopum For the first I susteine that I translated the wordes well Dorman and truly as he shoulde that woulde giue to the worde potestati resistit in S. Paule this englishe resisteth the magistrate Roma 13. by the figure called Metonymia As for the faulte in pointing if it be one yeat of this am I suer that neither is it greate nor came of malice suche as it is but of some suche small ouersight as maye happen some time to the diligentest writer that is Howe euer it be this the rigorouse nothing thereof maye giue men to vndrestande that it went harde with yow when yow were driuen to seke after suche aduauntages Yow saye of this place of S. Basile that it dothe moste Nowell b. 30. liuely represent the doinges of the Papistes You re onely proufe hereof standeth vpon a heape off Dorman sclaunderouse lies Because the place of S. Basile is extant to be seene I will trouble no fardre the learned reader but desire him only to confer it withe these M. Nowelles sclaundres Here M. Nowell yow charge me once againe with a conclusion gathered yow saie out of that which hetherto Nowell fol. 4. b. 22 hathe bene alleaged out of S. Cyprian and S. Basile and saie that I am not ashamed to applye the places before mentioned to the proufe of the B. of Romes supremacy First I gather here no conclusion out of the places before Dorman alleaged and therfore applye not by the waye of concluding these auctorities to the B. of Rome his supremacie and so that is an other lye It is a transition rather so drawen A lye 5. out of the 3. first alleaged auctorities that it serued also to make a steppe and a newe degree to the seconde pointe touching more specially the pope wherein I much maruell that yow shoulde so fowly misse youre termes M. Nowell And as here yow missed the quisshin so plaied yow as homelie a parte in making me to reason vpon the pretended conclusion in this wise The entry into all heresies M. Nowell maketh me to reason after his pleasure fol. 5. ◠1. is to make open warre against the bishopp appointed by God to be the laufull gouernour and heade of the churche but the B. of Rome is the bishopp appointed by God to be here in earthe the laufull gouernour and heade of the churche Ergo the entrye into all heresies is to make open warre against the B. of Rome The which reason althoughe it be moste true in it selfe and I minded to defende euery parte thereof yeat reasoned I not so here but minded only in this place to passe to the example of Nouatus the heretike that as before I had showed how heretikes in diuerse particuler churches went from the obedience of their laufull bishoppes so here I might set before the Readers eyes one who spared not euen the Bishop of Rome him selfe that so this propertie of heretikes and schismatikes might appeare and be the better proued while they forsake not onely the inferiour bishoppes but him also that is the chiefe of all other But what if I had reasoned as you woulde make me to reason M. Nowel might I not haue defended that argumēt trowe you Yeas forsothe might I not prouing my minor by this place of S. Cyprian but supposing it to be true till suche time as I came to the place where it ought to be proued So that you nede not to tormente and vex youreselfe about these wordes the bishopp appointed by God to be the laufull gouernour and heade of the churche which I neuer alleaged as you vntruly saye of me to proue directly the B. of Romes supremacie but only to proue A fortiori that muche greater occasion there was
of heresies and schismes when men shoulde departe from the obedience of the pope the chiefe bishop of all other and therefore neither without cause or guilefully to deceiue the simple as yow vncharitably surmise Which youre selfe also perceiued verie well and therefore by the figure called extenuatio you terme this reason of mine a simple collection after this maner Now if he thinke yeat that he might make suche a simple collection Nowell fol. 5. a. 31. of S. Cyprian and S. Basile his wordes as this that as the beginning of heresies in their time was the contempte of the inferiours towardes their owne bishoppes for so Saint Cyprian teacheth so in likewise is the contempte of the Pope as the highest of all bishoppes the beginning of heresies nowe First I denie the argument for that it foloweth not though it be euill for the inferiour to disobey his owne bishop to whose obedience in all godlines he is bounden therefore it is euill for a straungier not to obey a straunge forraine vsurper to whome he oweth no dutie of obedience Againe I saie though it be the beginning of heresie to disobey Cyprian Rogatian yea or Cornelius being godly or catholike bishoppes yeat is it not likewise the beginning of heresies to disobeye any the late Popes of Rome who were not only no godly bishoppes as were Cyprian Rogatian and Cornelius but bothe moste wicked and in deede no bishoppes att all but false vsurpers of wordly tirannie Whome for the subiectes of an other Christian and laufull soueraigne to obeye and not to disobey is the beginning of heresies treasons and other mischiefes This is my simple collection you saie I acknowledge it Dâ—â—man for mine as simple as it is and to youre double answere thereto replye as foloweth First to the first that it is moste false that you laye for a grounded truthe that the bishop of Rome is a forraine vsurper as when I so gathered in my introduction I minded to proue in the handling of the first principall article of the popes auctoritie and so sence haue done Whereof seing youre selfe are not ignorant you haue delt not simply but doubly labouring to deceiue the simple by defacing as you thougth my preface as vnskilfully written for that I haue there only sayde and not proued that the pope is the chiefe heade of Christes churche in earthe whereas that I referred as by good ordre of writing the learned knowe I ought to the first article of the popes supremacie To the reasons and proufes in which place brought as in all youre answere you neuer come neare but cauill and wrangle against my Introduction whiche showeth the cause of schismes to be disobedience against pastours and bishops so if they be applied to this place as they must then shall it appeare how falsely you saye that the wordes of S. Cyprian were alleaged without all cause But because the whole force of this first answere of youres to proue my argument naught standeth in this that the bishop of Rome being a forriner no suche reason can be made from S. Cyprian and S. Basile his wordes I will here ouer and aboue that which I haue allreadie saide in the handling of this article in his propre place presently proue The pope taken for no foriner by S. Cyprian and S. Basile by S. Cyprian and S. Basile bothe that he was taken by them for no foriner neither in Africa Fraunce Spaine neither yeat in the Easte churche of the whiche S. Basile was For Africa first was the B. of Rome thinke yow taken Afrike there by S. Cyprian to be a forraine vsurpar whose churche he called ecclesiae catholicae radicem matricem the roote Lib. 4. epist 8. and mother churche of the catholike churche If the churche of Rome be the roote and mother to all other churches then if the mother be aboue the children if the mother and roote be no foriners to the children and branches of the tree it will folowe verie wel first that the churche of Rome as it is no foriner to the churches of Africa and to the other churches through out the worlde but aboue them all that so the bishop of the same is aboue the B. of Carthage and all other bishoppes and no foriner or vsurper And as carnall children how farre so euer they lyue from their naturall parentes cease not therfore to be their children nor their saide parentes become therby forriners euen so the bishop of Rome who gouerneth that churche that is mother to all other ceasseth not to be a father to his children dwell they neuer so farre of Was the B. of Rome reputed a straunger to the bishoppes of Africa Lib. 4. epist 8. who vsed to sende their legates to him to pacifie matters and to bring knowledge of the truthe Whose communion to holde S. Cyprian calleth in this epistle the firme holding and allowing of the vnitie and charitie of the catholike churche When all the African bishoppes assembled together in councel directed their lettres to the bishop Apud August epi â–ª 90. of Rome praying him to confirme their doings by the auctoritie of the Apostolicall See pro tuenda salute multorum quorundam peruersitate corrigenda for the preseruation of the healthe of manie and the amendement of the frowardenes of diuerse toke they him thinke yow for a forriner If S. Cyprian had had of the See of Rome that opinioÌ„ that you would gladlie persuade men he had woulde he thinke we haue saide of those schismatikes that sailed oute off Africa to Rome to complaine vpon him to Cornelius Post ista adhuc insuper c. Beside all this they haue bene so Lib. 1. Epist 3. bolde hauing appointed to them by the heretikes a false bishop to saile euen to Peters chaire and the principal churche from whence priestly vnitie sprang and to carie from schismatikes and prophane men lettres not considering that the Romaines are they whose faithe by the Apostles mouthe is praised and to whome false faithe can haue no accesse Woulde he haue saide Romam cum mendaciorum suorum merce nauigarunt quasi veritas post eos nauigare non posset quae mendaces linguas rei certae probatione conuinceret They are sailed to Rome with their marchandise of lies as though truthe coulde not saile after them able to conuince their lieng tongues by suer and vndoubted proufe Naye he shoulde and woulde you maie be suer had he bene of youre minde haue saide Let them go on goddes name what care I for the bishop of Rome Shall I be so foolishe to folowe them to debate the matter before him who is a plaine forriner to vs and hathe nothing to doe therein For thus woulde yow I dare saie at this daye answere if one shoulde go to Rome and complayne of you But nowe considering that saint Cyprian saied not thus but contrariewise made his account to stande with them and trie the matter before the bishop of