Pragmatical Constitution we Decree them to be dispased and grant them to remain under the Right and Tenure of the H. Roman Church Poor Priests are fain to cheat the people by witty Miracles and small Devices at Shrines and Images for a little Silver and Gold The best of them can attain no more than Lordships and the Territories of Subjects As the Manours evidence which are given to our Lady of Loretto and those Lands which Jesuites squeeze out of dying men with the fear of Purgatory But the Pope and his Cardinals find it not suitable to their State and Dignity to juggle for less than Empires and Kingdoms and therefore soar high you see in the present Donation Wherefore saith the Emperour we have thought it convenient to change and remove our Empire and the power of our Kingdom into the Eastern Countries and in the best place of the Province Byzantium to build a City after our Name and there to found our Empire Because where the * Head of the Principality of Priests and of the Christian * Religion is ordained to be by the Coelestial Emperour it is not just that the Earthly Emperour should there have any Power Here is a high Career of notorious He resie and Blasphemy together S. Peter was called the Prince of the Apostles but the Pope is the Head of the Principality nor Head of the Priests only but of the Christian Religion which I think none but our Saviour can possibly be It smells rank of Blasphemy but that the Priestly and Imperial Power should be incompatible is Rebellion and Heresie It shews how incompatible Popish and Imperial Power is Yet all these things are ratified by other Dival Sanctions made by the Emperor though recorded no where as you may see in the words following BVT all these things we also have decreed and ratified by other Dival Sanctions and we decree them to stand unblemished and unshaken to the end of the World WHEREFORE we protest before the Living God who commanded us to Reign and before his Terrible Judgment by this our Imperial Constitution that it shall not be lawful for any the Emperours our Successors nor for any of our Nobles and Peers or for the most Ample Senate or for all the people of the whole World now or hereafter from hence in all Ages lying under our Empire by any means to contradict or break or in the least to diminish these things which by this our Imperial Sanction are granted to the Holy Roman Church or to all the Bishops of the same But if any Breaker or Contemner of these shall arise which we do not believe let him be knotted and ensnared in eternal Damnation and find the Saints of God and the Princes of the Apostles Peter and Paul Enemies unto him both in the Life present and in that which is to come and being burnt in the lower Hell let him perish with the Devil and all the wicked The great Council of Chalcedon consisting of 620 Fathers lies under this Sentence because they made the Patriarch of 〈◊〉 equal with the Bishop of Rome If Constantine the Great did make it with the consent of all his Nobles and the whole Senate before all the Princes and People of Rome as is pretended in the Donation It was too publick a thing not to be heard of and too remarkable to be let pass in silence Since therefore it is incredible that so many Fathers should wilfully fall under the Curse it is certain the whole Donation is a Counterfeit Howbeit as the Substance of the Act so the Ceremony is worth the observation But 〈◊〉 the Page of this our Imperial Decree we laid it with our own hands on the venerable Body of the blessed Peter Prince of the Apostles and there promising to that Apostle of God that we would inviolably keep all these things and leave them in charge to be kept by the Emperours our Successors we delivered them to our blessed Father Sylvester High-Priest and Universal Pope and to all the Popes his Successors the Lord God and our Saviour Jesus 〈◊〉 allowing 〈◊〉 for ever and happily to be enjoyed And the Imperial subscription The 〈◊〉 keep you many years 〈◊〉 and blessed Fathers Dated in Rome on the 〈◊〉 day of the Kalends of April Our Lord Flavius Constantinus 〈◊〉 th fourth time and Gallicanus being Consuls A NOTE No Emperour being ever accustomed to stile himself Our Lord c. Those words Our Lord Flavius Constantinus coming out of Constantine's own Mouth bewray the Donation as made by some other unless he were at the same time both his own Subject and his own Emperour CAP. XXII The Donation of Constantine proved to be a Forgery by Binius himself He confesseth the Acts of Sylvester which he before had cited as good Records to be Counterfeit THose things saith Binius in his Notes which are told concerning the Dominion and Temporal Kingdom given to the See of Rome are manifestly enough proved to be likely by what we said in our Notes upon the former Epistle as well as by the Munificence of the Emperour himself never enough to be praised Observe here the modesty of the man He ought to prove the Instrument itself but that he throws by and talks of the Dominion and Temporal Kingdom 2. Neither will he undertake to prove it certain but likely that the Dominion and Temporal Kingdom was given to the See of Rome 3. He cites his Notes on a counterfeit Epistle to make it likely For the Epistle going before was the Epistle of Melchiades which he confesseth to be a Forgery 4. The Munificence of the Emperour makes it probable that he gave away the Empire to the See of Rome If you will not believe this you are an hard-hearted man for Binius says it His Notes upon the former Epistle to which he refers you are these That the things which are written in this Epistle concerning the Donation of Constantine to Melchiades and Sylvester are true is proved not only from hence but most firmly also by the Authority of Optatus Milevitanus a most approved Writer For he writeth lib. 1. cont Parm. that Constantine and Licinius being the third time Consuls to wit in the year of Christ 313. a Council of 19 Bishops was held at Rome in the Cause of Caecilianus and the Donatists in the Lateran in the House of Fausta which was the Seat of the Roman Bishop Truly he doth not expresly write that the House was given to Melchiades by the Emperour but since no reason doth appear for which it is necessary that the Convention of 19 Bishops should require larger Rooms out of the House of Melchiades that wherein the foresaid Synod was assembled to wit the Lateran or House of Fausta can by no prudent person any more be doubted to be given by the Emperour to Melchiades the Bishop of Rome The Lateran is not so much as named in the Epistle of Melchiades but that he left
of the Canons but were written in the Collection of Isidore Mercator were of equal Authority with the residue For the making of which Controversie the more plain and to shew what they mean by the Body of the Canons he tells us It is certain that the more Ancient Collection of the Decretal Epistles of the Roman Bishops and the Canons of divers Councils acquired such a name that the Volum was called The Book or Code or BODY of CANONS increased by the addition of other Councils which were afterwards celebrated But the more ancient and full collection of the Epistles of Roman Bishops and Canons of Councils was that of Cresconius of which I have spoken before saith he Which being increased by the addition of many Canons and Epistles went under the name of the Book or BODY of CANONS and whereas there were many other Collections of Canons compiled that which is the richest of all made by Isidore sirnamed Mercator containing the Epistles of the Ancient Roman Bishops beginning from Clement was Longè recentior far younger than they all as Hincmarus Archbishop of Rhemes does testifie Forasmuch as it was not brought out of Spain into France before the times of Charles the Great by Riculphus Archbishop of Mentz For so he testifies in a Letter of his to Hincmarus Laudunensis beginning Sicut de Libro c. But he who first collected Canons out of the foresaid Epistles published at first by Isidore and inserted them into the books of the Kings of the Franks was Benedictus Levita as he testifieth of himself in his preface before the fifth book of those Canons who writ in the times of the Sons of Ludovicus Pins the Emperour Ludovicus Lotharius and Charles as me shewed where he saith I have inserted these Canons c. to wit those WARES of Isidore Mercator which were brought as thou hast heard of Hincmarus into France out of Spain by Riculphus Nè quis calumniari possit ab Ecclesiâ Romanâ aliquid hujusmodi commentum esse Lest any one should slander us and say the Church of Rome invented such a business as this I think here is enough He looks upon it as a Commenium a meer Fiction and is 〈◊〉 left any one should have the advantage of Fathering such a dreadful Bastard on the Church of Rome He calls them Isidore the Merchants Wares he does not refel the Bishops of France he dares not affirm they were in the Ancient Code of Epistles and Councils he acknowledgeth them far younger than the BODY of CANONS and subscribes to Hincmarus Archbishop of Rhemes citing him who writ against Isidore as a good and Authentick Author He confesseth that they were never known in France till the times of Charles the Great that is 700 years after they first began to be written and that they were introduced into the books of the Kings of the Franks by Benedictus Levita in the times of Ludovicus Lotharius which was about the year 850. So that the Church was governed well enough without them and about 800 years after our Saviours Birth they were first hateht as meer Innovations This is too large a Chink for an Enemy to open but he proceedeth further That the same Riculphus Bishop of Mentz did live in the times of Charles the Great many Monuments of that Age do make it certain especially the Testament of the same Charles the Great to which this Riculphus is found to have subscribed among divers others We find that he was President also in a Council at Mentz held in the year of our Redemption 813. c. Since therefore the French Regions which are nearest to Spain knew not the Collection of Isidore before the times of Riculphus much less Italy it is a conjecture that this Isidore did live and write not long before and so it was first published by Riculphus who brought it thither then by Benedictus who put it into the Capitular books and lastly by Hincmarus Junior Bishop of Laon the last Collector unto this our Age which Hincmarus of Rhemes a man of a keener smell reprehendeth in many things defaming that collection of Isidore which the other used for which cause he was accused For Frodoardus in his History of Rhemes Cap. 16. near the end saith of him that being accused because he had condemned the Decretal Epistles of the Roman Bishops he professed and protested otherwise that he admitted held and approved them with the greatest honour Vpon this occasion to wit it appears he was branded with a mark because he had signified himself not to have approved that Collection of Isidore in all things Baronius you see who is one of the greatest Friends to the See of Rome endeavours to remove the matter of Isidore as far as he can from the Roman Chair being sore afraid lest the guilt of so many Forgeries should too apparently be charged upon 〈◊〉 For which cause he will not have the book so much as known in Italy nay not in France which is nearer unto Spain for 800 years time but that it came out of Spain first being brought by Riculphus Perhaps Riculphus was never there He doth not tell us that he went into Spain for ought I can find nor upon what occasion nor in what City nor of whom he received Isidore which putteth me in mind of Cacus his device who being a strong Thief and robbing Hercules of his Oxen drew them all backward by the Tail into his Den that the print of their heels being found backwards they might not be tracked but seem to be gone another way But he fails in his design for as it is strange that Italy should not know the Decretal Epistles of its own Popes for 800 years till Riculphus brought them out of Spain so is it more strange that being such Forgeries as he would have them Hincmarus Archbishop of Rhemes should be accused for condemning them and ratled up and Branded in such a manner and compelled to recant by so powerful an Enemy for it seems he had no way to save himself but by renouncing his Opinion The jealousie of the Roman Church and its tenderness over Isidore appeareth most exceeding great in the hard dealing which Hincmarus met with who though he did recant was still noted with infamy as if to speak against Isidore were a Crime not to be washed off by the Tears of Repentance in the Church of Rome Perhaps the poor Bishop was an Hypocrite in that forced Confession and for this was branded because he confessed a lye as men upon the Rack are wont to do for his own deliverance for that he knew still that Isidore was a Counterfeit and must therefore be reputed a rotten Member of the Church of Rome This Baronius observes while he ascribeth Hincmarus his reprehending Isidore's Collection to his keener scent whereby he was able more readily than others to smell a Rat and discover the Cheat. Baronius proceedeth further in condemning the collection of Isidore thus But
be made obscure But as Thieves by dropping some of the Goods by the way are oftentimes detected or Murderers by forgetting the Knife behind them so doth the Great and Just GOD infatuate the Pope of Rome against whom this Council was asiembled and smite his Agents with blindness here and at other times their heart faileth them because of Guilt so that not daring to make thorow work with the Councils they faulter and are detected Here is a rare case all the Copies of the Nicene Council throughout the World were imperfect 1200 years ago both among the Greeks and among the Latines only those at Rome were valid and Authentick For the Councils of Carthage were reckoned among the Latines as you may see by Isidore and Merlin placing them in that number and that justly for the African Fathers that pertained to Carthage wrote in Latine as S. Augustine Fulgentius Tertullian c. They were Naturalized so far that Latine was almost their Mother-Tongue as Justellus observes out of S. Augustine and yet these that were Allied to the See of Rome so near were at one with the Greeks in the Records controverted None were good at Carthage Constantinople or Alexandria c. but only those which the Pope produced in his own Cause Nor were any like his upon the Face of the whole Earth besides At first I admired to see those Canons of Carthage so abruptly cut off by Binius where I happened first to miss them but when I afterwards found them by the help of Justellus I saw the reason The Roman Bishop was curbed though that of Anacharsis concerning Laws proved true Laws are like Spiders Webs they detain Flies but Hornets break through them Nicolinus having intimated the lameness and obscurity of the Narration goeth on thus It is probable that Celestine wrote back sharply and would have the Appeals of Priests from their own to the bordering Bishops and of Bishops themselves to the Roman Chair established and valid The Pope would have it so notwithstanding all contradiction Forasmuch as they were founded on Right and cusiom and upon the Nicene Canons which were kept entire it is credible in the Roman See as they were extant in the time of Mark. It is credible Was ever such Impudence known before They were not able to urge one Argument why it should be credible and yet this credibility must overthrow all the Evidence in the whole World But they were kept entire in the Roman See as they were extant in the time of Mark. This spoileth all for by referring you to Mark he appeals to the Epistles of Athanasius to Mark and of Pope Mark to Athanasius concerning the number of the Nicene Canons Which Epistles of Mark and Athanasius by invincible reasons urged by Binius as well as the Authorities of Baronius Labbè and the Collectio Regia are evidently proved to be very Forgeries He gives you more of these audacious Guesses He says it is credible that they were contained also among the Canons of Sardica which Celestine sent it is probable unto them But that the Africans rested not satisfied either because they suspected those Canons to be corrupted or for some other cause it is shewn in the Epistle of Boniface the H. to Eulalius of Alexandria concerning the Reconciliation of Carthage which happened about 100 years after The more you stir this business the more it stinks The Epistles made in the name of Eulalius and Boniface concerning the Excommunication of the churches of Africa for 100 years past down so fair to Nicolinus that he took them for good Records and doubtless he thought it well enough that the African Fathers were Excommunicated for opposing the Popes Opinion So that the Quarrel rose very high or what we before observed was very true these Epistles of Boniface and Eulalius were invented to colour the Popes Cause and disgrace the Fathers Take it which way you please it smells ill Baronius and Bellarmine had rather they should be Counter 〈◊〉 His probability about Celistine's sending the Canons of Sardica to Carthage fares little better Celestine knew very well the Canons of Sardica would not do in that Council Nicolinus cannot produce one syllable in proof to make it probable that he sent them thither and his flying to Sardica is in an evil hour for it is opposed by 〈◊〉 Bishops so great that they have frighted Rome out of her Excommunication who altogether testifie no less than twelve hundred years ago that no Synod of the Fathers made any such Canons And if Sardica were no Synod what will its Canons signifie The Popes then living and concerned never attempted so vain a shift but positively affirmed and maintained still that they were the Nicene Canons only the Council of Sardica is pretended of late and some new men now the business is over perswade us they did all mistake while the matter was in agitation both at Rome and Carthage and that themselves have more clear and piercing judgments to see into a business so far off better than all the Fathers Admit those Canons were made at Sardica it was a gross Errour to Father them upon the Nicene Council for the Authority of Sardica is not to be compared with that of Nice Sardica was unknown to all the Council at Carthage S. Augustine thought it an Arrian Council as Binius in his Notes upon it observeth and Bellarmine puts it among the partly Reprobated And that which induceth me to believe those Canons now extant in the name of Sardica to be forged is that they were first produced in Zozimus his Counterfeit and Fathered upon Nice And there being a Council once it is now pretended that there were two there that these Bastards disowned at Nice might have a Sanctuary somewhere and find some Fathers My conjecture is made considerable because the Canons now Fathered upon Sardica are contrary to those of Nice And it is not probable that two Catholick Councils so near should so suddenly Decree things contrary to each other nor that the same Fathers that were at Nice when they came to Sardica should change their minds with the place of their Session That there were no Canons of Sardica known till the time of Dionysius Exiguus is very probable because they were not in the Code of the Vniversal Church nor in the African Code till Dionysius Exiguns put them in as Jacobus Leschasserius most excellently proveth Whether Dionysius or Hadrian put them in is to me uncertain But Hadrian I. first gave the Copy of Dionysius to the Emperour Charles whence the old Manuscripts were transcribed which are now extant in several Libraries and in which the Dedication of Pope Hadrian is contained in Verse To his most Excellent Son King Charles c. The first Letters of the Verses being put together make this Acrostick EXCELL FILIO CARULO REGI HADRIANUS PAPA The Verses are found in the Copies yet extant of Dionysius Exiguus This shews that some New Thing was put
two years c. And reprehends the Pontificals Confusion which I shall not 〈◊〉 to mention having greater matters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his time Constantine the first Christian Emperour arose Concerning whom the Pontifical is silent in the time of Melchiades having need of him in that of 〈◊〉 but Binius gives us this little Abstract of his History here After an Interval of seven days Octob. 3. 〈◊〉 Christ. 311. in the third year of the Emperour 〈◊〉 Melchiades began to sit In his time six moneths from the return of Peace to the Church being searcely past 〈◊〉 in the East being Emperour with Licinius stirred up a most grievous Persecution against the Christians whom he called the Firebrands and the Authors of all the Evils in the World Euseb l. 9. c. 6. Maxentius in the West oppressed the Empire with a grievous 〈◊〉 But Constantine his Fellow Emperour that Reigned with him in the West as Licinius Reigned with Maximinus in the East being stirred up partly by injuries and partly by the prayers of the Romans resolved to suppress the Tyrant When therefore he designed the War he despised the Aids of the Heathen Gods and determined in himself to implore only the Creator of Heaven and Earth whom his Father Constantius adored It happened therefore that while he was praying for Prosperity he saw at Mid-day the Sign of the Cross made with Beams of Light appearing in the Heavens in which these words were manifestly contained IN HOC VINCE The Explication whereof when he had learned from our Lord Jesus Christ appearing to him in his sleep and from his Priests he undertakes the War against Maxentius and happily conquers him Which Victory being gloriouly gotten in acknowledgment that it came from that One Invisible and Immortal God he erected a Trophy of the Cross in the midst of the City with this Famous Motto HOC 〈◊〉 ARI SIGNO VERO FORTITUDINIS INDICIO CIVITATEM VESTRAM TYRANNIDIS JUGO LIBERAVI Under this Saving Sign the true Mark of Fortitude I freed your City from the Yoke of Tyranny And as a man fest Token of his Liberality and Piety he gave to Melchiades the Publick House in the Lateran which heretofore was the Palace of Fausta the Empress Opt. Mil. He restored the Goods of the Church gave great Priviledges and Immunities to the Clergy and made a Decree that they should be maintained at the Publick Charge In the latter end of this first Tome Binius has a long Record of Gelasius Cyzicenus in fair Greek and Latine who being a very Ancient Author confirms all these things shewing the madness of Maximinus and his destiuction the building of Churches the evil manners of Licinius the Victory which the Religious Emperour obtained against that Wicked man the Peace of the Churches after Licinius his Death and the several ways whereby the good Emperour promoted the Christian Affairs Yet as if all this were a Dream the Scene is immediately overthrewn 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tyraat a Murderer an Oppressor a Persecuter of the Church and smitten with Leprosie from Heaven namely for his great abominations Licinius is innocent and unjustly slain but Constantine is made the Destroyer of peace For in the Life of Sylvester the next Bishop after Melchiades the Pontifical saith he was banished into the Mountain Soracte Upon which words Binius further saith that Sylvester searing the cruelty of the Emperour fled from the City as his own Acts and Zozimus and Sozomen do probably shew As for Sylvesters Acts so simply and freely cited here meerly to cheat the Reader he afterwards confesseth them to be a Forgerie And as for Zozimus and Sozomen those Words Do probably shew shew Binius to be a Sophister He would fain have father'd the Story upon Zozimus and Sozomen but his Courage sailed him for they speak not expresly but Probably shew that is in his conceit they give him colour enough to side with a Cheat a Forger a Lyar a notorious Counterfeit Damasus against all the true Antiquities and Histories in the World The positive Relation of Eusebius Pamphilus an holy Father in the Niceue Council that lived in those times the Records of Gelasius Cyzicenus that ancient Author and Nicolinus the late Compiler of the Councils that commend Eusebius as the most faithful witness among Ecclestastical Writers being palpably contradicted while Zozimus the Heathen is favoured in some dark expression wherein his Envy tempted him to carp at the Emperour because he was next under God the Author of so much Peace and Felicity amongst the Christians As for Sozomen he was a Christian indeed but too late an Authot to contend with Eusebius and Gelasius 〈◊〉 Neither does Binius say he positively avers any such thing but probably shews either a 〈◊〉 or a Fernbush Some frailty perhaps which proves Consiantine a Man but Binius should have produced clear Testimonies as sound and authentick as the former if he meant to swim against all Antiquity in disgracing so glorious an Emperour positively affirming him to be guilty of Murder and Paricide Apostacy and Idolatry Persecution c. Binius acteth his part too far for is as he saith Constantine counterfeited himself to be an Heathen only to satisfic the People his great munificence and kindness to the Christians having imbittered the Multitude so far that it almost brake out into a Rebellion for the appeasing of the Sedition therefore he dissembled his Religion upon Temporal Considerations for which God was provoked Certainly he could never hope to be cured of his 〈◊〉 by going in earnest to the Heathen Priests and their Idols as Binius pretendeth when he was so deeply humbled and in danger of Destruction But this whole pretence is overthrown and the Genius of the Man more clearly 〈◊〉 in the passage following In 〈◊〉 Life of Marcellus with which we began the Chapter and which was some years before this pretended necessity he telleth us that Maxentius who studied to possess himself of the Tyranny of Rome at his first entrance into the Roman Empire feigned himself craftily to embrace our Faith thereby to please the Roman people and to take them with his 〈◊〉 for which cause he remitted the 〈◊〉 against the Christians and put on 〈◊〉 a shew of Prety that for a time he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Courtesie Love and Humanity This he proveth out of 〈◊〉 l. 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But for a purpose of which 〈◊〉 was not aware his design being hereby to justifie the Counterfeit Epistle of Marcellus and to palliate the absurdities therein contained the Popes ranting so foolishly out of the Bible and threatning Maxentius the Heathen Emperour with the Authority of his 〈◊〉 Clement While he was a Pagan 〈◊〉 Now if Maxentius found it necessary to counterfeit himself a Christian to please the People Constantine who found the minds of men far more 〈◊〉 to Religion then Maxentius did was by consequent more engaged to appear a Christian than 〈◊〉 was that so he might also please the People But voluble Wits in
partial Heads are bended easily to any Cause they fancy for their advantage Otherwise the Cross in the Heavens the Trophies upon Earth the prevailing glory of Christianity the victories of Constantine the joy and exultation of the people and the general applause with which he was received throughout the whole World would have taught Binius another Lesson than Constantines necessity to counterfeit himself an Heathen which is the meer Chymera of a lying Brain for which he is not able to produce any one Author in the World worth the naming He produces the Testimony of Eusebius concerning the necessity of Maxentius his counterfeiting himself to be a Christian but Eusebius speaketh not one word of any necessity lying upon Constantine to counterfeit himself an Heathen but the contrary so far that Binius who had quoted Eusebius so gravely before brandeth him with the Reproach of an Arrian because he crosseth his design now about Constantines Donation For the Donation is founded on Constantines Cure his Cure on his Leprosie his Leprosie on his Apostacy his Apostacy upon a Necessity to comply with the perverseness of the Heathen people whose Power was of too great a sway for his Design in the Empire All which is contradicted by the continual decaying of Heathenism that then was day by day and the growth of Christianity which had taken such root and possession in the People that there needed nothing but the change of the Emperour to turn the Empire into Christendom But this Necessity must be invented for else it would seem impossible that he should turn Pagan after our Saviour had appeared to him in his sleep after he had seen the Cross in the Air after he had set it up in his Standard aster all his Victories gotten under that glorious Banner after he had erected its Trophy in the City and made the World Glorious by his Munificence to the Churches For this Cause a far off and so long before the end could be discovered to which it should be applied does Binius take his Rise from the Fable in the Donation and shape his Discourse to the 〈◊〉 of the See by rooting the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Minds of men For all 〈◊〉 is to no other purpose than to 〈◊〉 the Donation of the Emperour thereby to settle the Empire in the Chair for the sake of which he tramples upon the Emperour wryeth Antiquity wresteth Authority citeth Forgeries and Heathen Authors defaceth the History of the Church and rewards the greatest of all Benefactors with the basest ingratitude All these Wars are commenced afar off for the strength of Rome is alwaies at a distance near at hand she is weak and feeble when he comes up close to the matter though he makes a great semblance of its evident certainty writing over head in Capital Letters EDICTUM CONSTANTINI And putting down the Donation under it at large commenting on it also very formally nay and writing in the Margin of his Notes Constantini Donatio defenditur and near the close of them Constantini Donatio consirmatur yet after all this he confesses the Donation to be Spurious His Design being no more than to make a Shew and cover that onfession which meer necessity at greatest pinch wrested from him His Confession lies in little roome and his Notes are made for the assistance of Confederates Such mighty Tomes for the Help of a sworn Party As for the rest of men that are allured perhaps by the Magnificence of the Books to admire them and to grace their Studies with them such as Lords and Princes he very well knows they may feed their Eyes with Great Titles and Glorious Shews afar off but they will never penetrate 〈◊〉 Stupendious Volumes by reason of other Diversions Labors cares and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which call them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 other secular Objects So that they may easily be deceived with the outward Appearance and splendor of such great and learned Collections which 〈◊〉 Design is the Mystery of the Popish Councils For in the Body of those Notes Binius himself by many well studied Arguments sets himself strenuously to overthrow the Donation and Fathers it on the Knavery of Balsamon a Greek who produced it as he pretends with an intent to dis race the Roman Chair by making the World believe that the Popes Supremacy came not by Divine Institutions but the Grant of the Emperour Which he abhors as sickle weak and humane chusing rather that the Popes Right should rest on the Scriptures Labbe Cossartins and the COLLECTIO REGIA follow Binius exactly even to those Cheats in the Margin But now it is high time to see the Contents of this wonderful Donation CAP. XXI The EDICT of our Lord CONSTANTINE the Emperour IN the Name of the Holy and Individual Trinity the Father and the Son and the H. Ghost Flavius Constantinus Caesar and Emperour in Jesus Christ one of the same H. Trinity c. To the most Holy and Blessed Father of Fathers Sylvester Bishop and Pope of the City of Rome and to all his Successors about to sit in the Seat of blessed Peter to the end of the World And to all our most Reverend and Catholick Bishops amiable in God made Subject throughout the World to the H. Church of Rome by this our Imperial Constitution c. It is too long to put it down formally and at large We shall therefore take only the chief Contents as they lie in the Donation It first contains a large account of the Articles of his Faith Secondly the story of his Leprosie Cure and Baptism wherein the Font is remarkably called Piseina the Popes Fish-pond as it were then he cometh to the Gift it self While I learned these things by the Preaching of the blessed Sylvester and by the benefit of the blessed Peter found my self perfectly restored to my health we judged it profitable together with all our Nobles and the whole Senate my Princes also and the whole People Subject to the Empire of the Roman Glory that as S. Peter upon Farth seemeth to be made the Vicar of the Son of God the Bishops also that are the Successors of him the Prince of the Apostles may obtain the Power of Principality given from us and our Empire more than the Earthly Clemency of our Imperial Majesty is seen to have had chusing the Prince of the Apostles and his Successors for our stedfast Patrons with God And we have decreed that this H. Roman Church shall be honoured with Veneration even as our Terrene Imperial Power is And that the most Holy Seat of B. Peter be more gloriously exalted than our Earthly Throne giving it Power and Dignity of Glory and Vigour and Honour Imperial And we decree and ordain that he shall hold the Principality as well over the four Principal Sees of Antioch Alexandria Jerusalem and Constantinople as over all the Churches of God in the whole World And by his Judgment let all things whatsoever pertaining to the Worship of God