come downe from heauen in the sight of men So the Popes in fulminating their Excommunications out of the Church which is commonly called Heauen in this Apocalyps Fourthly he deceiveth men with these wonders So the Popes for they are but ignes fatui Prov. 26. causeles curses and so forcelesse Fiftly He sayth to earthly men that they should make the image of the first beast So the Popes in setting up another Pontificate with like power to the first Sixtly it was permitted to him to giue a spirit to the image of the Beast that he should speake So do the Popes animate this image of the first Pontificate And seauenthly to cause that as many as would not worship the image of the Beast should be killed Regall power of life death And whether the Popes haue not exercised that power let all men judge What part or point then of this description is not fully accomplished in the actions of the Popes aboue named Is it not manifest that the popes did exercise all the power and authoritie of the old Idolatrous Pont. Max. in Rome before the Emperors face who for a while held that title of Pont. Max. If we should deny it doth not Baronius himself affirme it The power of the first Beast is sayd to haue been in making warre with the Saints and prevayling against them Rev. 13. and over everie kindred tongue and nation And did not the Popes most stifly contend both with other Christians and with the godly Bishops of the Graecian and Easterne churches for appeales Supremacie untill they had obteyned it Did not Iulius enter into contention with the Orientall Bishops and amongst them S. Athanasius and reprehend them for holding a Counsell without his leave to confute the Heresie of Arrius Did not Liberius excommunicate the same worthie Father and saint Athanasius which made the godly Father S. Hilarie so bitterly to cry out The Pope in his first rising excommunicated by S. Hillarie Anathema to thee O Liberius and all thy Companions Anathema againe and againe to thee thou false hearted double dealing Liberius Doth not S. Hierom complain of the senate of Pharisees saying that there was not so mean a scribe of that faction of Ignorance but did conspire against him which made him to forsake Rome and returne to Ierusalem Did not Celestinus seeke with force and armes to restore Antonius a Bishop of Africa deposed by the Bishops of that countrie amongst whom were those Excellent bishops Aurelius Alipius S. Augustine which caused that godly and learned Father verie earnestly to put him minde of the words of S. Peter that he should not domineer over his Bretheren And did not most of them contend with the Patriarchs of Constantinople for Supremacie What was all this but warring against the Saints And when did these Contentions cease but when the Pope had prevailed against gotten the Supremacie over all these Christian Nations And after he had subjugated all Bishops how they haue continually made warre against other godly Christians namely the Valdenses Albigenses Wicklevites Hussites Bohemians and others everie man may read in the Histories of these later times Now if these things be so How can these prophecies be otherwise fulfilled then they haue been in these Roman Bishops To whom else can they be applied how may we expect any in time to come that may accomplish these prophecies if they be not alreadie It is not amisse here a litle to stay our contemplation and as far forth as the Sunne of Righteousnes and most pure light of truth shall illumine our understanding to search out the cause why the same blessed and all seeing spirit to whom all times are present would not onely represent the four Monarchies or Great Beasts of Idolatrie by four severall mettals but also why it pleased him to make choise of those Mettals viz. Gold Silver Brasse Iron and none other saue with the last there is mixed earth or clay Although the Prophet Daniel hath already shewed the chief principall reason yet if we finde any other reason thereof which is agreeable to the truth and no way repugnant to that holy prophecie I hope it will not seem unworthie of our consideration That the Babylonians Persians Greekes and Romans were all Idolaters is confessed and therefore they were aptly joyned together in one Image But why is this Image made of these severall mettals Surely somewhat may be found if we search into it He that hath commanded us to seek hath promised that we shall finde Thou O King art that Head of Gold Dan. 2. sayth Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar thou and thy Successors kings of Babel Why for you in your Idolatrous services use Gold Herod l. 1. Not. Genev. in Esa 46. Dan. 3. Thou worshippest an image all of gold the table before him is all of gold the Altar is gold and thou makest a Statue of gold to be worshipped And we may well thinke the Prophet Esay had some respect to this in calling it the Golden Babel The Persian Monarchie is resembled to Silver Esay 14. Why They and all the rest of Asia worshiped Diana with silver shrines The Grecians are likened to Brasse Act. 19. Why They made Statues of Brasse Herod l. 9. and dedicated presents of Brasse as the Brasen Triped Natal Comes li. 7. which gaue occasion to that great civill sacred warre The Romans Idolatrie is represented by Iron Why They for the most part offred Iron Armours as Romulus offred his Opima spolia being the Armour which Livy l. 1. he being Generall tooke from the Generall of his Enemies Which examples the Romans did much emulate as Virgil witnesseth of Marcellus Tertiaque arma patri suspendit capta Quirino Aâ—neid 6. Yea so eagerly were his examples followed that Rome was filled with bloudie armours Plutarch in Marcell making a very horrid spectacle sayth Plutarch Yet they had many Images of Earth as Iuvenall maketh mention of Fictitis Iupiter Petr. Crinitus hon dis l. 14. Non dubium est Romanorum regum temporibus lignea simulachra fictilia in urbe fuisse sayth another Their Great goddesse Vesta or Cybete the mother of their Gods was nothing but the Earth or focus urbis the hearth of the citie sayth Tully Matremque Deorum tellurem sayth Virgill S. Augustin also sheweth that Iupiter was nothing but the world Proserpina and Ceres the Earth And Arnobius witnesseth that their Images many of them were of earth Jeâ—â—g 2. such as perhaps Virgil speaketh of in that verse Oscilla ex alta suspendunt mollia pinu And now I demand whether doth not the Summus Pont. which the Romans haue now set up with Pompe and glorie like to the former Pagan Pontifex maintaine and command such images also to be worshipped And whether are not many of their Images now in use made of Playster of Paris and such like stuffe And doth he not now command them
Prophet as they loue their own prejudicate opinion not because it is truer but because it is their own For otherwise they would in like manner and measure loue and approue the true sentence of another as I also loue that which they say when they speak truth not because it is their sentence but because it is truth Therefore to returne to our purpose whichsoever of these two interpretations we take or if we take a third more unlikely then eyther considering whereof we speak namely of the continuance of the power of the Ethnike Roman Monarchie that these 42 moneths making 1260 dayes are to be taken for so many yeares from the incarnation of our Lord it must needs be that they are long since expired and consequently that the power and time of that first beast and Monarchie is long since ended For to take them literally for three yeeres and an half as that godly Father from whom I do not willingly dissent doth in another place limit the continuance of Antichrist upon the words a time two times and a half To take them I say literally that is for three yeeres and an half I thinke to all that haue eyther read or heard of their actions will seem to favour of much mistaking I might say of much ignorance but that reverence to that good Father who had not then the help and light which we now haue makes me forbeare other mens affected and obstinate and wilfull blindnes in this point which deserveth the whipping post But of this more hereafter Let us come therefore to the sixth note which is of his Blasphemie against God and his Church But of this I neede not speak any more having said so much alreadie The seuenth is of his warres against the Saints whereof also I need speak but little seeing the said ten horrible persecutions and many others stirred up by the Roman Emperors against the godly christians of the primitiue church are notorious and known to all men and never the like to be found in any kingdome or nation whatsoever no not under the Turkes But I proceed this Beast or Empire had power over all nations As to giue instance but in one we may read of Dioclesian that within a verie short time he obteyned mightie and great victories in all parts of the world then known namely in Africk over Egypt in Asia over Persia in Europe over France and Brittanie Vpon all which premises I conclude with this Problem Whether these things can be applyed to any person kingdome state or monarchie besides Rome And whether any other can be the Antichrist according to these prophecies but onely he that is the seauenth Head king or Commander of the Roman state And thus we see the place of Antichrist and the state or bodie politique which he must haue Let us now come a little nearer to consider of his names III. The Names No men est per quod quidque noscitur The name of everie thing is that whereby it is known or as it were not a men it is that whereby everie thing is noted or distinguished The authoritie to giue names belongeth primarily to God as Gen. 1 Gen 1. Secondarily to princes and superiours as Adam Gen. 2. Gen. 2 19. Thirdly to the people by consent as Ioh. 13 13. Ioh. 13.13 The conditions required in the imposition of names to make them answerable to the definition and notation aforesaid are veritie congruitie certaintie Vide Platon in Cratyl Thus being imposed and approved they are not to be changed For they are notes of our notions notions of things limits of distinctions and dignities signes of truth and measures of certaintie which being violated or neglected all knowledg turneth to error and confusion all justice to injurie all vertue to villanie as Cato in Salust well noteth In Con. Cat. I am pridem nos vera rerum vocabula amissimus And Seneca complayning of the wickednes of times Prosperum faelix scelus virtus vocatur And hereby may we see the force of the Apostles argument Heb. 1. Hebr. 1 4. and the ignorance and presumption of Heretikes Schismatikes who dare take to themselues new names and leaue the common name of Christians giuen by oracle from God most certainly approved by God Now if in names giuen by men Acts 11 26. certaintie ought to be observed shall we think that the Spirit of God giveth uncertaine names or will call darknes light or light darknes Esa 5. Questionlesse he doth not giue idle or uncertain names Hebr. 4 12. but in this as in all things els useth words liuely and significant And herein is to be noted a difference betweene the names giuen by God the names instituted by men For men giue names a posteriori because things are so and men conceiue them to be so therefore they call them so But the names giuen by God are a priori because God the Almightie maker of all things hath ordeyned that they shall be so therefore he calleth them so and because he calleth them so therefore they must be so Let us see therefore what names are giuen to this great enemie of Christ and his Church and how these names are used and applied in the Scripture And first of the name Antichrist This name as all men though but meanely learned in the Greeke tongue do know is a word composed of the preposition Anti and the word Christ Anti is used in Greeke sometimes to signifie an adversarie sometime a Deputie or Vicar as many learned men haue heretofore observed and proved That it signifieth an adversarie is confessed by all that it signifieth a deputie substitute or vicar appeareth by the word Anthupatos which is expounded by some Proconsull Act. 19 38. 18 12. by others Deputie Now the names of Christ So AntiStrategos signifieth either a lieutenant or the adverse capteyns which in Hebrue is Messiah and in English signifieth anointed is diversly taken in the holy Scripture First properly personally and Individually for our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ who is God blessed for evermore Secondly Aug. de civ dei l. 17 c. 4. appellatiuely for all that haue a similitude with him by their unction as Kings Priests and Prophets in which sence it is used in the Psalme Psal 105 15 Touch not mine annointed and doe my Prophets no harme and David of king Saul sayth The Lord keep me from doing that unto my master 1 Sam. 24 the Lords annointed to lay mine hand upon him for he is the annointed of the Lord. Thirdly the name of Christ is used mystically for the mysticall bodie of our Saviour Christ 1 Cor. 6. which is his church In which sence the Apostle speaketh Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ 1 Cor. 11. And again Christ is the head of everie man for as the bodie is one 1 Cor. 12. and hath many members and all members
as easie to be intreated now in heauen as he was upon earth when he did not reject Marie Magdalen that had seauen divels the woman of Canaan whom he rebuked by the name of a dog nor the man possessed with a legion Secondly how do they acknowledg him to be full of truth when they say that his H. word doth not contain all truth but it must be pieced out with the traditions Canons and expositions of their Church 3. How do they acknowledg him to be our wisdome Scriptura seipsam exponit Chris Aug 2 Tim. 3. when they will not haue his word to be sufficient to interpret it self and to instruct us make us perfect in all good works but we must resort to the Church and receiue her judgment from the mouth of their Pope 4 How do they acknowledge our Saviour Christ by himself to haue purged all our sinnes when they say that we must satisfie by good works in our life and after our death we must go to Purgatorie 5 How do they acknowledg him to be our justification when they say that we are justified before God by our good works and not onely by faith in his death and passion although it be written if thou confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and belieue in thy heart Rom. 10. Hebr. 10. that God raysed him from the dead thou shalt be saved 6 How do they confesse him to be our sanctification or that by one sacrifice he hath consecrated for ever them that are sanctified when as they teach that there must be offered up dayly sacrifices for us in the Masse And lastly how do they accept him for their Redeemer which affirm that our poenarie works Concil Trid. ses 14. Bellarm. de paenitent l. 4. truly properly do satisfie God for the guilt of our punishment which after the fault forgiuen remaineth to be expiated But these points with many others which may be produced to proue that the Pope and his Church if not expresly yet by consequence which is equivalent doth deny the fulnes of all graces to be in our Saviour Christ I leaue to our learned Divines of whom some haue urged these things alreadie and others I doubt not will prosecute them more at large hereafter The summe of all this may be reduced to this Problem Whether any may more properly be called Antichrist or may be called an adversarie to Christ then he that thus denieth the graces of our Saviour Let us come to that which is not onely easie to our understanding but evident to our senses which may be seen with our eyes and felt with our hands For if we take the name of Christ here as he is in the sacrament who hath been a greater enimie to Christ theÌ„ the Popes one of them poysoning it another casting it into the fire all changing adding or diminishing it But take the name as it is communicated to Kings Priests and Prophets and so Antichrist to be an enimie to them I demand who hath in secret as Antichrist must be deceiueable been a greater enimie to all christian kings and Princes then the Popes sometimes incensing them to fight with Pagans and Saracens abroad as de did Godfry of Bulleyn many Princes with him in the meane space neglecting their Christian subjects at home our king Richard the first and the Emperor Frederike sometimes stirring up seditions and rebellions at home as he did against the Emperor Henry the IIII. Henry the IIII. king of France and Queen Elizabeth sometimes ministring occasions to make wars betwixt themselues as Pope Iohn did by crowning another Emperor while the first was living sometimes by giving away their kingdomes as Navarre and England sometimes leaving them destitute of succour and open to the universall professed enimie of all Christians the Turke as they did the Grecian Emperors sometimes setting secret Traitors to murder them and sometimes procuring open enimies to invade them ever excommunicating cursing and interdicting one or other of them Let the histories of late times be perused and see whether their ende and drift hath not been continually for these 900 yeeres and upwards to maintaine and advance their own power riches jurisdiction and preeminence by holding christian princes alwaies obnoxious to them and to make them obnoxious and to keepe them under awe by such meanes as aforesaid So likewise for Priests and Prophets is he not an adversarie to all that will not submit themselues unto him as namely to the Greek Church and all the bishops and learned pastors of the same to the godly Valdenses Albigenses Wicklevites and others Lastly if we take the name of Christ here for his mysticall body which is the Church this is also a speciall note of Antichrist For so it is plainly said that the woman was drunke with the bloud of Saints and Martyrs And who hath shed more bloud of godly men professing the word of Christ Iesus then the Popes haue done for these last nine hundred yeares I referre my self to the histories and Chronicles of those times See Abbâ—t demonst antich In that one warr which they caused Christian Princes to undertake for Ierusalem under Godfry of Bollen it is recorded that there were slayn two thousand millions of Christians In Merindall Cabriers and other places held by the poore Valdois they murdered all men women and sucking children In the Massacre of France Anno 1572 within eight daies were murdered a hundred thousand beside many other at other times in England and else where So that howsoever we take the name of Antichrist either as Vicar to Christ or as adversarie eyther denying his graces or suppressing his Liuetenants and ministers or persecuting his members I finde this name most agreeable to Rome and I demand Whether it can be so well applied unto any other But here will be demanded of me a question how this name Ho Antichristos that Antichrist as they expound the Greeke Article which they would perswade is to be understood of one man can be applied to a succession of men especially seeing some of the Fathers seeme to speake of him but as one man For the Fathers to clear that first it must be confessed that quaestionibus non dum motis Pâ—â—k in Prob. they spake sometimes impropriè incautius as Bellarm. confesseth or securius as S. August sometimes Rhetoricè as S. Ierom. sometimes populariter as others do affirm This question concerning Antichrist was not appointed for them but for us upon whom it must needs be confessed that the uttermost ends of the world are fallen neither did they much labour in it And yet we see not all of them runne in one straine Hilarie seemeth to speak more largely He that refuseth the judgment of the Scriptures Antichristus est Chrysoft in opere imperfecto doth not restraine himself to one man but we sayth he videmus abominationem desolationis jam stantem in loco sancto id est populum Antichristi in
the steps and degrees Nemo repente fuit turpissimus sayth the learned Poet but more learnedly ad summum non per saltus sed per gradus pervenitur sayth a Reverend Bishop so this Removing of the Empire was not all at once no more was the rising of the Pontificate but by degrees as by that which followeth may appear Therefore to obserue the proceedings of this remoue of the one and rising of the other I demande upon the 13 chap. of the Revelation whereof we haue spoken before Whether the time of that Rising be not there precisely pointed out when he sayth that Antichrist there signified by the second Beast shall worke before the face of the first Beast that is of the Roman Empire And I demande also Whether we may not well say that the Roman Empire began then sensibly to be removed when the Emperor Constantine removed the Imperiall Sea from Rome to Constantinople yet no man can say but the Imperiall power and the Majestie of an Empire continued still in Rome in the Consuls which dignitie the Emperors also themselues many times tooke upon them as I haue noted before This therefore may be well taken for a beginning of the Remoue of the one and Rising of the other which was about the yeare of our Lord 327 and but a beginning For the better assurance whereof let us first consider the Prophecies of the Scripture concerning the continuance of the Roman Empire and then see by Histories how they were fulfilled By the Euangelist we are taught that the first Beast that is Revel 13. the Heathenish Roman Empire should continue and make warr against the Saints two and fortie Months Rev. 12. So it is sayd in another place that the Holy cittie whereby we understand the Church of Christ should be trode under foote of the Gentiles two and fortie moneths and that the two witnesses of God should prophecie in sackcloth one thousand two hundred and sixtie dayes that these Prophets should be slayne Rev. 12. and rise againe after three dayes and an halfe and that the woman figuring the Church fled into the wildernes where she hath a place prepared of God a thousand two hundred and sixtie dayes and that there she should be nourished for a time times and a halfe time All which places do manifestly speak of the persecutions of the Church of the Paucitij Povertij of the Preachers and Teachers of Christian religion in those times and of the flight of Christians into the wildernes and other secret places to avoide the furie of those persecutions Deut. 18. 22 Nothing can better expound a prophecie then the event and fulfilling of it But it is manifestly and certeynly knowne that the persecutions of the church by the Heathenish Roman Empire ended about the yeare of our Lord 326. about which time the last Heathen persecuting Emperor Licinius was slaine and Constantine calling the Church out of the wildernes as in a Triumph caused that great and reverend Councell of Nice the first to be held wherein the Nicene Creede was publikely proclaymed to the utter condemnation and profligation of all Heathen superstitions and confutation of the great Heresie of Arius which then was newly begunne This time falleth out so agreeable to the prophecies on the one side and to the events on the other that it seemeth no doubt can be made but that here begann the Remoue For if we follow M. Foxes computation in the severall times aboue mentioned we shall finde that those severall Notations of time as they speake but of one thing that is the persecutions of the Church by the Roman Emperors so they signifie but one time namely two hundred ninetie four yeares the ende of which falling so certeyne in the dayes of Constantine do shew that the beginning must be accounted from the Ascention of our Lord in the yeare of Grace four and thirtie or there abouts For first a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes Note this limitation of a time two times and half a time in severall places seemeth to signifie severall times for in Dan. 7 25 26. it seemes to intend a cōtinuance of the time of the Roman state under the litle Horne unto the ende of the world But in Rev. 12.14 compared with Rev. 12 6. and Rev. 11.2 and Rev 13 6. it seemeth rather to signifie the time of the persecutions of the Church under the Heathen Roman Empire See the places make two and fortie moneths take everie moneth for seauen yeares as everie one of Daniels weekes were to be counted it maketh two hundred ninetie four yeares Secondly three dayes and an halfe or a time two times and halfe a time Reckon as our Saviour doth twelue hours to everie day and we finde two and fortie hours then account everie hour to be a sabbath of yeares and it maketh also two hundred ninetie and four yeares which being added to the yeares of our Saviours life upon earth being four and thirtie maketh 328 from his Nativitie Of the other side if we account the beginning of these yeares to be certaine Rev. 12. the continuance and end also will fall out evident But by the twelfth chapter of the Revelation it is manifest that the Dragon went out to persecute the Church when After that our Saviour was taken up into heauen so then reckoning these 294 yeares to beginne at the Ascention of our Lord we must adde the yeares of our Saviours life upon earth which was about four and thirtie yeares and it commeth fully to the yeare 328 about which time the said great Nicene Counsell was celebrated And so taking the beginning of our computation from the end of the persecutions in the time of Constantine about the yeare of our Lord 328 and reckoning backwards 294 yeares we come to the same yeare of grace 34 wherein was the Ascention of our Lord. So that both wayes whether that we expound the prophecie by the event or measure the event by the prophecie we are brought to the same yeare of our Lord 328. Now therefore no longer was the holy Cittie troden under foot of the Gentiles Now the Martyrs of God which had so long time prophecied in sackcloth and were slayne were againe revived in their Doctrine Now the two Witnesses of God the Old and New Testaments So expounded by his Majestie in Praefat. admonit with consent of the best Interpreters which were so long time hidden and as it were layd dead were brought to light and ascended into heauen that is in the Church which is called the kingdome of Heauen For now the Church of God returned out of the wildernes now the power of the Heathenish state of Rome to make warre against the Saints was ended though their Idolatrie as Baronius confesseth continued long after namely unto the end of another period whereof we haue spoken partly before and shall speake somewhat hereafter Not long before that time also arose that great Heretike
the Patriarch and for the present put them in a Monasterie but about a yeare after caused them all to be murthered and so Phocas four or fiue yeares together continueth still a murtherer adding to his paricide perjurie and to his perjurie parricide with extreame hatred against the good patriarch Cyriacus that would not approue of such hideous actions But the Roman Pontifex made good use hereof For thereupon and by slattering this Catholike Phocas he obteyned of him the title of Soveraigne Catholike or Vniversall Bishop which from that time to this they all maintaine A fourth noble action was their violent and open usurpations of the Territories and Lands belonging to the Emperours their lawfull Souverains which they gotte partly by the Lombards partly by the French another act of perfidious Treason and rebellion A fifth action was their favouring exciting and countenancing of Subjects to rebell against their lawfull princes and to depose them as they did the French against the Emperors of Greece Pipin against Childerick of France and Advaldus the Lombard against the king his Brother in law all to serue their owne turnes And this also the popes to this day do allow and maintaine still reaping the fruits and enjoying the Territories and lands which they got by these practises A sixth action is their horrible Idolatrie in the erecting and worshiping of Images which howsoever they labour to blanch excuse or defend with subtill or Sophistike distinctions which cannot be proved by the Scripture as they ought to be for Vbi Scriptura non distinguit neque nos distinguere debemus quia sensus nostri enarrationes sine Scripturis testibus non habent sidem yet both at the first beginning and ever since it was still judged to be open and manifest Idolatrie and that not onely by godly Christians vide Agrip. de van sci â— 57 Morton in Apol cath li. 1. cap. 46. lo Pic. Mir. in Apol. as at the first by the Churches of Graecia and Asia in the East and of France and Britaine in the West and by many godly men in particular but also by Turkes and Iewes which do utterly condemne it as it is used by the Papists for meer Idolatrie and unexcusable See the place Esai 41 21 22 23 24. such like and consider how it can be answered by their idle distinctions of Image Idolum latâ—ia donlia c to which we may adde the Canonising of Saints and making them to be publikely invocated in their solemne Leiturgies therein taking upon them another individuall propertie of God who onely maketh Saints and so committing manifold blasphemie joyned with Idolatrie of invocation And a seauenth or last notable action is the publike declaration and proclamation to the world that they hold themselues absolutely lawlesse and that if the Pope neglect his owne Salvation and others and thereby draw millions of soules into hell with him yet no man may judge of him no man may reprehend him These were the first and the generall actions of this seauenth Head of the Septimontan cittie And all of them are justified and mainteyned by the Popes and by all of them with one consent from their first perpetration and beginning unto this day All of them take the benefit all of them do allow and approue of these things magnifying these ther Predecessors justifying their succession from them and mainteyning their Decrees and Actions holding this for a Principle inviolable that they will not confesse themselues to erre in any thing as Thuanus hath observed Thuaâ— Whereupon I demand Whether they do not all of them thereby declare themselues to be that Sonne of Perdition that exalteth himself against and aboue all that is called God or that is worshiped And I demand whether such things haue been done in any other kingdome or nation under heauen and whether we may expect such things to be done by any Turke Iewe Pagan or any other person whatsoever in Rome the place determined in any time to come Now let us see and consider of the particular actors of this Antichristian person during the time of his Raigne which from the former Period must continue for 666 yeares more or thereabout and in everie one of them I desire thee Good Christian to consider which of them all is not Homo peccati sedens in Templo Dei that man of sinne that fitteth in the Temple of God and is worshiped and exalteth himself aboue all that is called God or is worshipped c. And also what may be thought of the whole succession taken together Anno Domini 707 Constantine the Pope would haue his foote to be kissed like another Dioclesian thereby making evident demonstration King of pride if not in words yet in deede that he claymed to be his successor Onuphr And it defence of Images he openly resisted Philippicus the Emperor of Greece But Iustin and Anastasius tyrants and Murderers submitted themselues unto him and approved his Decrees Idolatrie and rebellion This adoration rebellion and Idolatrie the Popes haue continued ever since Anno 720 or thereabouts Gregorie the second and third continued the same Idolatrie and rebellion and caused all Italie to withdraw their obedience from the Emperor Leo. and to deny their Tributes because he had commanded Images to be broken and burned and for the same cause also excommunicated him tooke to themselues the Cottian Alpes Cursing Princes by colour of guift from the Lombards Anno 749 Zacharie incourageth and assisteth Pipin to depose his master Childerick king of France and to take upon him the kingdome of France which was afterwards confirmed by the Popes that followed for which the sayd Pipin gaue to the popes the Exarchat of Ravenna which belonged to the Grecian Emperor Anno 756 Stephen who cofirmed the kingdome of France to Pipin this man would be caried upon mens shoulders which his successors haue continued ever since Anno 757 a notable Schisme wherein Constantine the second gott the papacie by mony and armes This Schisme is reckoned the ninth Anno 772 Adrian the first a valiant defender of Images and ldolatrie Changing He beganne to grant priviledges and dispensations In his time there was held a counsel at Rome wherein the pope with the consent of the Counsell First horn put downe clearly to cashier the Greek Emperors thrust them out of all made Charlemain prince of the Senate Dist 63 can Adrian papa RomaÌ„ c. this was Adrian the first giving unto him the power of investing the pope And as Mornay collecteth out of Sigonius and others the pope acknowledged to hold of him Ravenna and other pieces by fealtie and alleageance adoring him after the manner that was used to the ancient princes Yet no sooner was Charlemayn dead but they wrought upon the good nature of Lewis his sonne and about Anno 816 Stephen procured himself to be chosen and consecrated without consent of the French Emperor