Apostles where was his swoord than where was his courageous stomacke Did not little Paule dryue great Peter awaye Wherfore yee see that the Pope founding his authoritie ambition vayne glory Supremacie dignitie and superioritie vppon Peter must needes fall it must needes bee grounded vppon errours and iniquitie That which hath twoo heades is monstruous but if Christ bée head as hée is the only head and the Pope also than is it a monstruous body But more monstruous is that body that hath thrée or foure heades for at once there were thrée or foure Popes together euery one called him self head Which of them was the head let them answer if they can if they can not let the head fall with the body If Rome make the Pope holy if the seate where the Pope is can not erre if his church bée catholique and vniuersall how chaunced it that at one time in the yeare of Christ 1411. Clement was Pope at Auenion in Fraunce Pope Vrbane at Roome Benedict the .xiii. succeded Clement at Auenion in Fraunce Gregorie the .xii. was the Pope at Rome Iohn Pope at Bononia and all deposed in the Councell of Constance One of these reuiled an other blasphemed an other cursed excommunicated calling one an other Antechrist Traytor Murtherer Sonnes of Beliall Seruantes of Satan Heretiques Scismatiques and Cruell Tyrauntes If the presence of Peter make the place too bée the best and of most authoritie why was not Hierusalem the chief Cittie the highe See and the Metropolitane of the whole worlde For there Peter preached first and conuerted many thousandes And ye can noâ— reade of one that hée conuerted at Roome when hée was neuer there as the former discours proueth Where gaue Christ and at what tyme the authoritie and prerogatiue of â—osinge and â—ynding Hée gaue it before his death and in Iurye than by good reason that tyme should bée better than this Iury holyer than Roome for many hundreth yeares after was Roome established Now bycause neyther tyme nor place is estemed among Christians but fayth in Iesu Christ there is the Church where Christians woorshippe him in veritie Then Rome is not too bée preferred before the whole world neyther a Cittie before Citties a Towne before Shyâ—es a small parte of Europe before Asia Africa and America Besides this why is not Antioche Pontus Galatia Cappadocia Bithynia Asia Egypte and Babylon too bee preferred seeing that there hée preached there hée planted there hée grafted there hee did sowe there hée watered there hée taught and instructed and brought the people from errour to truthe from Superstition to Religion from Tyrannie to Clemencie from Fraude too Synceritie from Dissimulacion and Hypocrisye too Ueritie from Auarice too Frankenesse from Wickednesse too Uertue from Earthly thinges too Heauenly thinges from the admiration of worldly pompe too the contemplation of heauenly thinges from Hell too Heauen from misery too felicitie and from earthly possession too the inheritaunce of Iacob too the bosome of Abraham too the possession of Isaac too the let of Danyell and too the Paradise of the blessed thief NOWE I haste too the confutacion of their Argumentes whereby they go about too proue that Peter and the Pope is the head of the Church But first I will declare a true history from tyme too tyme and that breifly what they were that were afore the Pope and howe the Churche of Rome came too such a prerogatiue and dignitie Christ him self disputed and reasoned with the Doctoures opposing aunswering and conâ—uting them So did Iohn the Baptiste so did the Apostles so did Stephan so Aquila Apollo and all other that had any of theise giftes which are repeted in sainct Paule And this order of euery man too vtter his gifte continued vntoo the tyme of Theodoret and vntoo the tyme of Gregorie the ninth Pope of that name as appereth by his lawe for hée made lawes that no Laye man should preache of whatsoeuer degrée hée were Noble man Gentle man and other An Elder and a Bishoppe were both one at the beginning Act. 20. vers 17.28 which two verses conferred will shewe you that there is no difference betweene an Elder and a Bishoppe The which Paule proueth and Hierom and Theodoret vpon the same chapter Paule in that place calleth Bishoppes Elders such as taughte the people and instructed them and Deacons such as prouided for the poore lyke too our Church Wardens Afterward they began too alter this order for Eusebius libro .4 .5 affirmeth that the Church was a virgin immaculate vntill the death of Iohn the Euangeliste and than errours to haue creeped in who dyed from the birth of Christ .xxv. yeares And about â— yeares after his death or before the Church began to haue one as cheef whom they called a President or one as an Ouersoâ—er of the people and here sayeth Beza the Deuill began to practise his peruersitie and laye the foundacion of his Tyrannye Euery Citie and Towne had a Bishoppe that taught them but emong them there was no Supremacie The Emperoures afterward which had certeyne principall Cities in euery Shyre one or more whereto all the countrie about resorted to the Law and to decide other matters gaue greater authoritie to the Bisshoppes of the Moother cities for so they were called then too the Bishoppes of other Uillages in the countrie And as they called the mother cities Metrapoleis or matrikous kathedras â–ª or meizonas poleis so dyd they call the Bishop or Minister thereof or Pastor protonton protenonta proestota or patriarchin or Metropolitin â–ª As they call the great Cities Moother Cities Moother Seates The first seates or greater Cities so did they call the priest therof or mynister or Byshop or pastour the first the chiefe the president a Patriarche or Metropolitane Wée reade in the councell of Nyce that Alexandria was chiefe ouer Egypt Lybia and Pentapolis and Antioche was chiefe ouer the countries about as Rome was in Italie Where was there any superioritie more at Rome then at Alexandria or at Antioche In the second councell holden at Constantinople it was decréed that the Bishop of Alexandria should gouerne the Cast countries that Antioche might haue that dignitie that was appointed in Nycene councell the Bishop of Thrace his countrie the Bishop of Pontus his the Bisshop of Rome Italie and so of all the rest Socrates in his historie repeteth seuerall Metropolitanes which are called Patriarches for they were booth of one Authoritie As Nectarius ouer Megapolis meaning Constantinople and Thrace Helladius ouer Pontus Basile ouer Cesarea of Cappadocia Otrius ouer Miletene in Armenia Amphilochius in Asia at Iconiam Optimus at Antioche of Pisidia Timothe to Alexandria of Egypt Pelagius to Laodicia Diodorus to Tharsus Meletius to Antioche The Bishoppe of Hierusalem to Hierusalem These same Metropolitanes they called also Archebishoppes They say the false framed Epistles ascribed to Clemens and
Anacletus were chiefe citties Metropoles where were Archiflamines and Protoflamines and therfore Pontianus in Atheneus calleth vinum omnium malorum Metropolin and so say these forged Archiflamines were turned into Archibishoppes Because that the first Emperours were at Rome therefore it was called ta presbeia t is timis that is the chief honour was gyuen to Rome It was the first and Constantinople was the second Of this equalitie or Superioritie or inferioritie read the Councell holden at Chalcedon in the yeare of Christe .453 And Vielerius where it was concluded that Constantinople was of the same authoritie with Rome though it be the second after and Alexandria the third and Hierusalem the fourthe In the yeare of Christ 590. Ihon Bishope of Constantinople ambitiously desired to be Supreme head oikoumenikon pasis t is oikoumenis the Uniuersall Bishoppe of the whole world that was habitable And therefore Gregorie the firste Bishop at Rome of that name called the same Iohn the forerunner of Antichriste Epist. lib. 2. cap. 194. Halfe a score yeare after or little more Boniface the Thirde of that name was made Bishop at Rome and the firste that was ordeined or named Pope or Summus Pontifex the Highe Bishop and this dyd the Emperoure Phocas to haue ayde of the Pope which killed the Emperour Mauritius his wyfe his brother and his sonne with many other and made himselfe Emperour The Pope had this beginning After him euery Pope encreased his authoritie with priuiledges statutes decrées and preceptes tyll that they grewe to such dignitie that they created Emperoures who were wont to create them they deposed them they fought with them they trode on their neckes they rebelled ageynst thē they cursed them with booke bell and candell lighted they pardoned them all that would fight ageinst the Emperour The first Obiection They alledge Scripture for their purpose as the deuill dyd to christ They obiect this place of the Gospell written by Saint Matthew Thou art Peter and vpon this Peter I will buyld my Church Peter saye they is the foundacion of the Church of him it dependeth in him it resteth and hée is the head thereof Let vs aunswere this Obiection with the true Interpretation and Exposition of Chrystes mynde Thou art Peter c. Thy name sayeth Christ is Symon but hencefoorth it shal be Peter a Rocke or stone or rather one depending of the rocke as I promised in the first of Iohn ver 42. that thou shouldest bée called Cephas a stone but I alter it into Peter bycause thy name shal be deryued of mée For I am Petra and thou Peter I Chryst and thou a christian I a Rocke and thou rockye or buylded vpon the rocke The Allusion and affinetie of the Gréeke woord proueth this sense sy ei petros c. Thou arte Peter bicause thou beléeuest in Petra that is in mée the Rocke vpon the which I will buylde my congregation whom I will to bée called Peters as thou arte deriuing their name of mée the rocke bycause who soeuer shal beléeue in mée as thou doest I will gyue him the same name that thou hast Wherefore who so confesseth mée as thou doest shal be called Peter of mée Petra that is a christian of my name Christ. Hierom vpon the 8. of Mathew affirmeth that Peter had his name of Petra which is christ All are Peters which beléeue in this Rocke I will buylde my famelie and congregation vpon it wherfore al my famelie and people are Peters Peter in this place is put for all christians and is a generall woorde signifying all beléeuers and confessoures of Christe Therefore Hierome vppon the sixte of Amose termeth all christes Apostles Peters And the Christ founded not his church vpō Peter as our Romish catholiques cōtend but vpon this rocke which was Peters confession yée shal vnderstand by the text it self What was his cōfession that Iesus christ was the sonne of god Than this fayth of peters is the foundaciō of the church cleauing to Christ which foundacion Paul defineth to be Christ 1. Cor. 3. ver 11. This church congregation bycause it confessed the same Christ that Peter did is very well termed described by Paule to be the establishmēt and piller of truth and by good reason considering it is defined to bée Christes body out of whose head is deriued whatsoeuer nourisheth the body Who soeuer hath this fayth and is a member of Christes body is a Peter As Christ is called a stone so are his people and seruauntes named lyuely stones by participacion as they are the light of the world and salte of the earth bycause the light and salte that they haue is deriued and procéedeth from him as of Petra Peters of Chryst christians That this is the true meaning of this place it is euident hy the 18. chapter of Matthew ver 15. where the same doctrine is applied to all Christians whan hée sayeth If thy brother trespasse ageynst thée tell him his faulte betwéene thée and him If he heare thée thou hast wonne thy brother What is it too winne a mans brother but to loose him from his sinne wherwith hée was bound By the which if hée will not bée corrected lette him bée as an Heathen and a Publicane And thus hée is bound bycause hée wil not repent For sayeth Christ speaking to all christians what soeuer yée binde or loose vpon earth shalbée bound and loosed in heauen Adam and Eue in Paradise were the true church who when they heard the promise how that the séede of the wooman Iesus Christ should burst the Serpentes head beléeued it vpon y which beléefe Christ buylded his congregation and this is the Rocke They did binde themselues in eating of the frute in not obeinge the cōmaundement in offending the lawe They loused themselues in confessing their faulte obeying chrystes voyce lamentinge their facte and beléeuing in him who should bée borne of the séede of a wooman their faith confession of their offence with amendment of lyfe were the keyes of heauen By them they repossessed their felicitie which was lost and reentred into heauen Christ graunted to twoo or thrée gathered togyther in his name their requestes and hée to bée among them If this power and prerogatiue bée equall and particularly gyuen to euery christian and generally to all than is it not onely proper to the Pope If all the congregation may binde and loose then is the Popes authoritie nothing and hée himselfe to be excluded as a reprobate abhorred as a dissembler defaced as an hipocrite reiected as Psichicus in Tertullian was who bragged as the Pope dooth that he had authoritie to forgyue sinnes deposed as an vsurper and condemned as an Antichrist ▪ The congregation is buylded vpon the rock Who is the Rocke Christ not the Pope faith in Iesu Christe not execrable pardones hope in the Lorde not in man. If the Churche
the Tyrians and Sydonians Wherefore Herode Agrippa returned after Easter to Cesarea where he died miserably After the death of Herode Peter was out of daunger for Iudea was ruled by the Lieuetenantes of the Romaynes as Festus Lysias and Felix which did rather presse the Iewes than the Christians as the historie of Iosephus declareth wherefore those seuen yeares that Paule and Bernabas departed from Antioche of Syria vnto the Gentyles Peter was in Iudea yea hée was at Hierusalem the 16. yeare after Christes passion and the 15. of Paule his conuersion as is manifest ‡ for there maketh Peter an Oration to the brethren and this was the sixte yeare of Claudius as is proued by the historie of the Actes written by S. Luke What authoritie haue the Papistes which affirme and sweare that Peter went to Rome the second yeare of Claudius But let vs procéede in the historie of their errours in this matter I will discourse a little after Peter was appointed at that same tyme a teacher of the Iewes and Paule of the Gentyles For sayeth Paule Barnabas and I were charged to preache to the Gentyles and Peter Iames and Iohn to the Iewes Were not the Romaynes Gentyles Was not Paule and Barnabas charged with them Notwithstanding after that Peter and Iohn had sufficiently instructed the Iewes they also taught the Gentyles Wherefore vnto the sixt yeare of Claudius which was the 16. yeare from Christe his passion And the 15. from Paules conuersion Peter neuer departed out of Iury sauing only to Antioche of Syria as I haue noted before Nowe I will declare the reste of Peters peregrination partly by suche testimonies as cannot bée refelled partely by probable argumentes necessarie coniectures and sufficient reasons As Peter did write to the dispersed Brethren in Pontus Galatia Bithinia Capadocia and Asia so did hée preache in them all * Nicephorus writeth that Peter preached in Palestina Syria Phenice Pontus Galatia Capadocia Bithinia and to bée bréefe in all the quarters of Asia and Europe Wherefore after this councell which is in the 15. of the Actes hée went out of Iury into Pontus Galatia Capadocia Asia and Bithinia Them hée instructed them hée visited them hée furnished with the Gospell them hée exhorted to faith to good woorkes to obedience to temperancie to doo their deuties with them hée taried and was conuersant so longe vntill that they had layde a foundacion buylded substantially vpon it What a long tyme hée taryed in Pontus and what Cities and Townes hée did instructe and brought from superstition to Religion from idolatrie to the Truthe from errour too the right waye from crueltie too lenitie and from all iniquitie to all patience iustice and humanitie Hée maye easely coniecture who readeth and knoweth the descriptions of Countries What a number of goodly Cities farre distant one from an other were in Pontus howe many in Bithinia In them stoode Chalcedon Nicomedia Apamia Heraclea and the great cittie Nicea where that famous councell was holden called The Counâ—ell of Nice What shall I speake of Asia in it standeth Troia Assum Autandros Addramitium Ephesus where Dianas Temple was had in suche honour Arogilium â–ª Milet Guidus Troas with many other mencioned in the Actes of the Apostles Who dooth not knowe but that Galatia is as great as any of the others Unto this S. Paule did write in his epistle to the Galathians in this Countrie stoode Antioche of Pisidia where Paule made an eloquent Oration Some parte of Galatia differeth in longitude from other some of it twoo or thrée degrees in latitude fiue or sixe And Ephesus which standeth in Ionia â–ª a Region of litle Asia differeth from Antioche of Pisidia which is in Galatia in longitude seuen degrées in latitude twoo For Ephesus in longitude is 57.20 minutes in latitude 37. and 40. minutes And Antioche in longitude 62.30 in latitude 39.15 And there is no lesse distance in the Cities of Capadocia Wherefore to passe ouer and through them leauing any monumentes and foundacions of Religion hée must néedes haue taried there a long tyme Consider the long iorney the vntowardnesse of the people the hard harted paynime Priests olde rooted superstitions their Forefathers customes and yée shall and maye bée easely persuaded that hée must néedes continewe in these Countries a very longe tyme Thus writeth Mantuan The Cities of Assyria Peter conuerted to the fayth There 14. yeares he dyd bestowe As Mantuan proueth and sayth And after this did passe the sea Capadoces Bithine Pontus Galace and lesser Asia Preaching the Gospell gracious Let it bée that hée was not aboue seuen or eight yeares in all these countries notwithstanding wée must bringe the historie to the 24. yeare after the passion of Christe and to the 23. of the conuersion of S. Paule and this was the 14. yeare of the Emperour Claudius Wherefore by this description and order of tyme and place â–ª neyther could hée bée at Rome the second yeare of Claudius neyther in his time And if Peter should haue ben put to death at Rome the 14. of Nero as the papistes affirme then could not hée haue ben Pope at Rome 2â— yeares and 7 â–ª monethes but onely 14. yeares But now I will procéede and declare that hée could not bée at Rome none of these 14 â–ª yeares of Nero â–ª whiche when I haue proâ—ed what can the Romishe Catholiques or the Romish church haue wherewith to proue their Romishe Peter After Peter had watered the drye barren countries of â—onâ—â—s Galâ—tia Capadocia Bâ—thinâ—a and Asia with the streames of the Gospell hée departed from thence into Egyptâ— â–ª there to doo the like â–ª for hée was at Alexandria as Nicephorus reporteth there ordeyned S. Marke bishop or rather an Ouerséeeâ— and Teacher to the resâ—e And this agreeth with Dorotheus in the lyfe of S. Marke who off riueth that hée was cast downe vpon the grounde by the â—dolaters â–ª and trailed by a rope put about his necke from a streat of Alexandria called Boâ—kolou the hogge heard vnto the places called aggelon of Aungelles or messengers When Peter had visited this Alexandria in Egypt whose longitude is 60.30 and latitude 31. and had planted the Gospell hée went to Babylon a citie in Egypt also where the longitude is 62.15 and latitude â—0 â–ª from whence hée wrote his first Epistle by Syluanus â–ª declaring that the same doctrine and grace which they sâ—oode in and hée hâ—d preached vnto them was true infallible and immortall True ageynst the enemie infallible to their expectation immortall in contineuance comfortable for the Soule necessary to saluation And this Babylon is meaned to â—ée that famous Citie of Egypt nowe called in the Hebrewe tounge Câ—â—rum where the Sultane lieth the circuite about is 13. or 14. Geâ—mane myles From this Peter wrote this firste Epistle whiche is manifest by the 15. verse of the fifth chapter where hee sayeth
witnesse that these are the Scriptures as the heauenly bodyes that there is a God are the scriptures any better although they bée as testimonialles The church may bée witnesse the faythefull people may testifie that these are the scriptures and yet the scriptures perfect constant and certayne of them selues Augustine lib. 2. cap. 14.32 willeth Cresconius to omitte the authoritie of Cyprian and alledge the scripture the which if hée could hée would gyue place Ageynst Maximinus hée willeth him to let the councelles alone and bring scripture that thereby th◠truth myght be tryed The third Obiection The Pope is called in the first chapter of the Gospell of Iohn ver 42. Cephas and Cepha in the Gréeke toung is Caput a head Ergo the Pope is head of the church Your ignorance is intollerable you despise the tunges yée will rather cleaue to your olde errours and gloses then to séeke for the truthe You forsake the fountaynes and digge and drinke of pudles and kennelles You wrest and turne the scriptures from the meaning of Christe too satisfie your own opinions Your reading in the Texte Cephas which is a Syrian woorde thought that it had ben Cephale a gréeke woorde For saye you Cephas is an head in gréeke and commeth of Cephale and therefore you saye that Peter who was called Cephas is the head of the church when as Cepha the Syrian word which signifyeth a stone being turned into Gréeke soundeth Cephas Thus yée turned whyte into blacke y ée choppe ye chaunge ye turne ye peruerte and depraue all for lacke of knowledge For Christ sayeth that wheras Peter was called before Symon his name should be chaunged and called Cephas which is a stone as Iohn himselfe interpreteth it Bycause that not onely Peter but also all they that beléeue in Christ are lyuely stones As out of a stone commeth fyre so dooth burning charitie out of godly men As a stone or Rocke is stronge stedfast and firme so is euery Peter I meane euery Christian ageynst whose fayth no Tyrannie no Hell gates no persecution no affliction can preuayle What doo I saye doo they not preueyle yea they preuayle ageynst the bodye the Soule they cannot kyll The fourth Obiection Is not hée the chief and head that is firste named Is not a King named afore his subiectes The husbande before the wyfe Peter was first named I aunswere Is Priscilla better then hir husbande bycause that shée is first named in the text and Aquila after her But that cannot bée for S. Paule sayth that the man is the woomans head This woord Protos as Theophilacte interpreteth hath hys respect onely to his brother Andrewe who was called before and Peter after for they twoo were protokleti And notwithstanding that Peter is named first in some places yit is Andrewe named before him as in the first of Iohn ver 44. Philip sayeth Iohn was of the same Citie that Andrewe Peter were of And in the 24. ver of the 20. chaptes of Mathew the other 10. were offended with Iames Iohn In the which text Peter was not named the first but only with the rest We are forbidden to giue Supremacie too any Bishop Esoitai oi eschatoi protoi Kai oi protoi eschatoi oi eschatoi The fyfte Obiection The Popes may lawfully depose Emperoures For as the Moone taketh light of the Sunne so dooth the Emperour of the Pope And the Pope maye treade vppon the Emperoures necke as Pope Alexander dyd vppon the necke of Fredericke the seconde Emperour of that name And that was prophecied longe before by Dauid a friend of ours in these woordes Super Aspidem Basyliscum ambulabis conculcabis Draconem Leonem Thou shalt walke vppon the Adder and Basyliske and shalt tread vppon the Dragon and Lyon. O you Tyrauntes O you rebelles Where is your Truthe where is your Obedience Was it not spoken of Christe and so generally to all good men ageynst whome the force of the Deuill should not preuayle Doo you so intreat your Kinge and Prince Howe dare you bée so bolde as to call your Emperoure Aspis Basylick Lyon and Dragon much lesse ought you to tread vppon them too putte them too deathe and too depose them They haue authoritie by Gods woord too rule ouer you too haue you in subiection and not you them You alledge Scripture as though the Dyuell did too Christ and the next verse too that which the Dyuell alledged as though the Dyuell and the Pope were saying Matynes toogether The sixth Obiection Well say what ye will our holy Father may do what hée list What if hee should sell the whole world perhaps ye will say that it were Symonie but I will sweare vppon a booke that it were no Symonie though hée solde the whole world bycause that hée selleth but his owne for so our olde freind Dauid prophecied vppon him Omnia subiecisti sub pedibus eius oues boues pecora campi Thou hast put all thinges vnder his féete all shéepe and oxen yea all the beastes of the field O heauen O earth the Dyuell alledged Scripture more probably Surely Dauid speaketh of man too whom God hath giuen all thinges for his vse commoditie and Allegorically too Christ whom hée hath made Lorde and King ouer all The seuenth Obiection Did not Pope Agatho write in an Epistle to the Emperours in the fourth Action of the Synode at Constantinople that the church of Roome did neuer erre neyther was possible that it should erre Is not this ynough Is it not a goodly saying Is it not woorthy too bée embraced O what a goulden sentence is this Where can you read the lyke I assure you it is not possible too bée answered I answer that I am able too proue that euery Pope hath erred if synne bée errour Moreouer the most iust man sinneth seuen tymes and hée that sayeth that hée hath no sinne is a lyer there is no truth in him The eight Obiection Panormitane an Archebishoppe did affirme and reason in a Councell at Basile in the .xxxix. Session that the Pope ought too bée aboue all Bishoppes I answer that the sayd Panormitane made an Oration too that effect and made the Pope Lorde ouer the Church notwithstanding the Bishoppe of Argens Iohn Segouius and Fraunces de Funx Diuines confuted that errour in the said Councell proued Pope Eugenius the fourth of that name to bée a relapse and an heretique bycause that hée tooke vpon him too dissolue transporte prorogue that Councell Can hée bée Lorde ouer the Church that should bée a minister and as hée wryteth him self Seruus seruorum Peter willeth no man no Bishoppe too rule ouer the Chuch but too bée ruled by the Church The ninth Obiection Oraui pro te Petre ne deficiat fides tua I haue prayed for thée Peter that thy fayth should not fayl thée Hée can not erre whom Christ prayeth for
He doth graunt miracles hée maketh fire too discend from Heauen By fyer is vnderstanded the holy Ghost and the Pope promiseth to giue the holy ghost in giuing of orders saying Receiue ye the holy ghost Moreouer there is no sinne so horrible no offence so greuous which he will not forgiue for money By Fyer may be vnderstand his thundering boult of Cursing and Excommunication whereby he did strike the Monarches Princes and Kings of the earth He that will not worshippe the Image of the beast which is the dominion prerogatiue and authoritie of the Pope shalbée murthered by him and his proctors The Image of the beast is his aucthoritie ceremonies candells Sacramentes Hosts Wafecakes Housling Priests Friers Nonnes Monkes Hermetes Religious men Purgatorie Pardones Penitentiaries Curtesanes Masses Dirges Abbotts Beades Beaderos Crosses Coniurings holy Bread holy Water holy Salte Palmes holy Blood of Hayles prayers for the dead Limbus patrum Limbus puerorum praying to Saincts Superstition Idolatrie Images Idolles Pilgremages Rosaries Ladies Psalters and Regine coelorum Aue Maria stella Bulles Extreame vnction I will so plainly declare the nature of Antichrist and in such sorte that you shall vnderstande that the Pope muste néedes bée Antichrist There were onely six Monarchies from the deluge to the ende of the Worlde The first the Assirians the second the Babylonians or the Chaldes the thyrd the Medes or Persians the fourth the Grecians or Macedonians the fift the Romains and Germans the sixt is the Pope and the Emperour which were diuided out of the whole Romayne Empyre before it was diminished Daniel doth not touch the Empire of the Assirians for it was past before his tyme and this Image was séene at Babilone What néeded any Prophecie of a thinge that is past Neither is there any Prophesie of a thing that is past but of a thinge too come And therefore sayeth Daniel God shall shevv to the King things to come The head of this Image signifyeth the Monarchy of the Chaldes and Babylonians The siluer breast and armes the Medes or Persians The Belly and Thighes of brasse the Gresians or Macedonians The Legges of Yron were the Romans who subdued al the world The foote of Yron signifieth the Pope who breketh the power of the Emperour as yron doth the clay for the Pope had all Europe at his commaundement hée crouned Emperoures and hee deposed them he warred against them and subdued them hée possessed Italy and thrust the Emperour into Germany Let vs declare how the Pope who is signified by the féete of yron did subdue the Emperour who was named by the foote of claye Gegory the fyrst Pope of that name in the yeare of Christ .600 wryteth that it had bin offered diuers tymes that the Pope of Rome myght haue called the vniuersall Byshop but none of them would take it vpon them or vse that word and title Notwithstanding the same Gregory inuehing against Iohn the Patriarcht of Constantinople who would haue bene called the vniuersall Bishopp signifieth to the Emperour Mauritius and to his wife Augusta that Rome should chalenge that honor and Superioritie and that it was iniquitie to depriue the successour of Peter of that honor considering that it was sayd to Peter thou art Peter Et super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam Wherin Gregorie offended duble first in misunderstanding or rather peruerting the place and wordes of Christ meaning by the rocke Peter when as Christ is the rocke and Peter but a member deriued from the rocke as of Christ Christians secondly that hée gaue occasion to his successoures to chalenge and aspire to that superioritie and dignitie Cursed Phocas in the yere of Christ .605 killed the good Emperour Mauritius with his wife and children and at the request of Boniface made the seate of Rome the cheife seate of all churches and that the Pope of Rome should bée preferred before all others And although that Phocas a most damnable Emperour who killed his Master and Emperoure Mauritius gaue this preminence to the pope of Rome notwithstāding he could not be elected without the assent of the Emperour of Constantinople the Exarch of Italy of the people of Rome Constantinus the 4. Emperor of that name graunted to Benedictus the second Pope of that name in the yeare of Christ .685 that the Pope might be elected without the assent of the Emperour of Constantinople or the Exarch of Itly only by the Clergie and people And in the yeare of Christ .1063 in a counsell at Mantua where Berengarius was compelled to recant his opinion of the Sacrament it was decréed that the Pope should bée only elected of the Cardinalles without assent of any others now began the Popes to do all to rule all compell all Emperoures Kinges and Princes to their orders and to bée subiect to them Gregory the 3. Pope of that name about the yeare of Christ .695 resisted the Emperour of the east Leo the .3 who had caused al maner of Images to be pulled downe and burned and them that would not do it to suffer death This Gregory resisted this excommunicated Leo this caused the Images to be more worshipped then euer they were Pope Zacharias in the yeare of Christe .743 caused the King of Fraunce called Chilpericus to be made a Monke and placed one Pipin by the meanes of the nobles of Fraunce and made him king who enriched the Pope Thus Zacherias the Pope with his successor Stephen the second Pope of that name dyd pardon and absolue Pipinus with the rest of the nobilitie of Fraunce of their othe obediēce which they ought to the king Chilpericus lately deposed This Stephen did first ordain that he his successors shold be born of mens shoulders Carolus magnus succeded his sonne Pipinus in the yeare of Christ .800 was created crouned Emperour by Leo the third Pope of that name Ludouicus succeded his Father Carolus in the empire of the west enriched the pope Paschalis his successors exceadingly For he with his grandfather Pipinus his father Carolus gaue to the Popes aboue .60 Ylands Countries Cities shires Towns dominions prouinces which are repeted in Campanus others Otho magnus the Emperour of the Germains in the yere of Christ 938. gaue all these that his predecessors had giuen to the pope for his soules health for his sonnes soule for his forefathers souls After this time the pope toke vpon him al worldly dominion power also of heauē hell purgatory No man may iudge the Pope nor his doings Causa 9. quest 3. C. patet The pope may iudge all none the Pope Neither may any man dispute of his doings .17 quest 4. c. si quis suade Dist. 79. c. extremo What if the Pope shold corrupt many by his example Pope Boniface answereth this dist 40.4 si Papa If the Pope shall cary innumerable people by