Who obteining that seate by vnlaufull meanes that is to saie vpon promise made to the Empresse to restore to the bishoprike of Constantinople Anthemius depriued thereof by Agapetus for heresie as sone as euer he entred into that seate the empresse chalenging him off his promise so was his wicked minde by gods speciall prouidence soddenly altered made answere that rather then ▪ he woulde restore an heretike to his seate from whence he was iustlie remoued he woulde soner suffer all the extremitie that might be And so did he in dede lyeng longe in prison suffer bothe hongre colde and diuerse other tormentes Whiche notwithstanding he acknowledged to be worthilie due vnto him for his greate offense The priuileage therefore I saie of this seate is suche that we be assured by his promise that saide to Peter that his faithe should Lucae 22. not faile that as hetherto the pope hathe allwaies fedde Christes churche withe sounde faithe and wholesome doctrine so shall he continue to doe so long as there is in earthe anie churche at all that is so longe as there is a worlde so long as Christes churche militant here in earthe and triumphant in heauen mete not in one to ioyne together And therefore yowe talcke of the popes tirannie to doe and say what he listeth yow talcke without boke M. Nowell and continue youre accustomed wont of sclaundring and lyeng Because yow well vnderstode that all this rouing talcke of youres was wide from the marcke that we shoote at and that happelie some one might saie vnto you that the matter which nowe is handled is whether there ought to be one generall heade in Christes churche or no and that therefore this place was brought in not to proue who it shoulde be or where he shoulde be resident yow thought it good to saie somewhat to this effecte to proue that this place is vntrulie applied to the proufe of the supremacy of one heade But howe proue yow this M. Nowell Because S. Cyprian alleageth this and other like places of scripture Nowell fo 60. a. 6 to make for the seuerall auctoritie of euerie peculier bishopp in his owne diocesse not of one heade ouer all bishoppes What thereof M. Nowell maye not one texte be applied Dorman by diuerse men diuersely and yeat no sense contrarie to the truthe The commaundement of S. Paule Omnis anima Rom. 12. potestatibus sublimioribus subditasit Let euerie soule be subiect to the higher powers maketh especiallie for the auctoritie of Emperours and kinges because it importeth moste that they be obeied yeat will you not I thinke saie that if the Iustice of a shiere or maior of a citie woulde bringe this texte to some stubborne man to wyn him to obedience that it were euill applied or were not when occasion serueth thertoe to be applied to the obedience of a kyng or emperour because it serueth also for his subiect The meaning of S. Cyprian was to persuade obedience to suche priestes as haue the charge to rule to the whiche purpose the example of the high prieste is well applied if it were for no other cause yeat euen for this that euerie bishop is in his owne diocesse the high and chiefe prieste of all the other that be of the same and no lesse to be obeied in that portion of his charge of those that be vnder him then he him selfe is bounde to obeye the pope the chiefe and heade in earthe of all bishoppes It agreeth not you saie that because the Iues one nation had Nowell one chiefe prieste therefore all nations thorough out the worlde shoulde haue one high prieste ouer all other You misuse the reader with the terme nation For not Dorman as one nation but as one Sinagoge as the onelie churche that then God had they had one highe prieste And so all Christians being but one catholike churche though manie nations ought to haue one heade bishop ouer all nations For as for the impossibilitie that yeat once againe you repeate of hauing one heade it hathe bene sufficinetly proned allreadie that that plea of youres is of no force and so far wide from the truth that it is not otherwise possible to haue the church well gouerned and without schismes God hauing nowe taken that ordre Which I saye as of the churche consisting of fraile and sinfull men For as touching God as you saie it is possible to him to gouerne the church without one heade so saye we it is not impossible to him to giue vs one heade to rule the whole and so to direct him that he neuer faile in his decrees concerning oure faithe Which because hetherto in dede he hathe done and beside hath promised that the faithe of Peter shall not faile we saye Lucae 22. of necessitie that it is and must be so S. Cyprian you saye alleageth this place of Deuteronomie of obedience to the high priest aswell for the auctoritie of Rogatianus Nowell a. 21. b. 28. as for his owne This is no more then you saied before which you ofte Dorman repeate to seme by ofte saing one thing to saie somewhat In dede it confirmeth verie muche my answere made before For whereas it is manifest that this place concerning the obedience due to the high prieste is alleaged as well for the auctoritie of Rogatianus who was an inferiour bishop as also for S. Cyprian the archebishop and Metropolitane of Africa it foloweth that S. Cyprian in the citing and alleaging therof had no other meaning then to persuade obedience to euerie bishop of what calling so euer he were bishop Archebishop primate patriarke or pope Excepte you will saye that he was of the minde that betwene bisshoppes and Archebishoppes he put no difference Yea verilie saie you of that minde was S. Cypriā in dede Nowell b. 15. For he confesseth in the beginning of his epistle to Rogatianus that he did but of courtesy and not of dutie refer this matter of his disobedient deacon by complaint to him c. I nede not muche to trauaile to proue that S. Cyprian Dorman shoulde not be of this minde seing that the learned knowe that the verie worde it selfe Archiepiscopus vsed in the churche bothe in S. Cyprians time and long before doth proue the contrarie and youre selfe haue vsed before the worde chiefe prelates of euerie prouince which were toe foolishe to be saied if there were betwen bishoppes no difference at al. Li. 3. epist 9. The wordes of S. Ciprian praising Rogatianus for that he did honorably towardes him and according to his accustomed hunulitie in referring the matter of his stubborn deacon to him being his archebishop whereas he him selfe by his owne auctoritie might haue punished him make nothing for this equalitie betwene all bishoppes If they had bene equall then might belike Rogatianus haue punisshed aswell one of S. Ciprians diocesse as he might the deacon who was of Rogatianus diocesse Which if you saye then will it
iniuriously without auctoritie of speciall commission As for youre promise that yow make in place conuenient fol. 11. b. to bring good proufe that the B. of Rome hath wickedly exacted most vnlaufull othes both of subiectes and of princes c. when you doe so yow shall heare what I will answere in the meane season I count it but an ordinary brag Of the place of S. Basile epist 70. that it was trulye applied to the heretikes of oure time cae The. 5. Chapter M. Nowell woulde induce the reader to thinke that this place of S. Basile shoulde be brought by me to persuade that he and his companions were Arrians And therfore purging him self and his mates of this crime he concludeth thus Wherfore his sainges in that Epistle apperteine nothing to Nowell fol. 12. b. 18 vs who are nothing guiltie of those crimes and heresies but they are brought in by dreaming M. Dorman without anie cause and beside all purpose What nede this affected ignorance M. Nowell Yow Dorman knowe well inough that I neuer charged you with the Arrian heresie But thus it pleaseth yow to handle me as though yow might by this meanes bringe me in to an euill conceite with the reader by persuading that I alleage no place to the purpose The Arrians yow wote well for it is a thing incident to heresies had beside their errours in doctrine manie foule deformities in maners Now what a newe kinde of reason is this I praie yow that yow vse I am not like Dauus or Syrus in one or two properties that they haue Ergo in no propertie at all Doe you agree with the Arrians in no pointe of their maners because yow beleue you saye well concerning the doctrine of the Trinitie If you beleue well God continue you therein at the least some of your pewe felowes pretēding once as good affection therto as you do nowe haue come so farre that they not only haue blasphemed it in open sermons but protested See Staphylus in Englishe fol. 113. a. also to be readier to returne to their Cloisters then to beleue thereoff as the catholike churche dothe But let that be their faulte I saye not here that you be yeat come so farre which notwithstanding youre conclusion that you infer wherefore his sainges in that epistle apperteigne b. 18. nothing to vs is false For you ouerthrowe churches you pull downe altars you contemne the traditions of the fathers the diligent obseruation whereof S. Basile saieth in this place was condemned by the Arrians as a greate faulte beside other thinges as maie to them that reade the histories more plainely appeare So that when you called me dreaming for bringing this as not to the purpose you were belike youre selfe nodding Yow aske why these bisshoppes of the Easte whose epistle Nowell b. 25. I alleaged here wrote not to the pope as head of all the church but indifferently to all the bishoppes of Fraunce and Italy without any mention of the B. of Rome at all whereoff yow gather a folishe fonde coniecture and of that that S. Basile placed the bishoppes off Fraunce before the Italian bisshoppes which I you saie craftely dissembled that the B. of Rome shoulde not be head of the churche Trulye M. Nowell I neuer brought it to proue the bisshop of Romes supremacie I brought it to proue that the face of oure time was not muche vnlike to that of the Arrians and to that it is not impertinent For youre demaunde I aske you againe what if he wrote to the pope speciall lettres for his aide in these difficultyes And if he did how that should not make greately for his supremacie to whome he woulde not write as to a common bishop emongest other but seuerally to him selfe alone as being the head of his other brethern Trulye there is an epistle of his not many before this written by him to Athanasius wherein conferring with him about the withstanding of the Arrians heresie he telleth him that his counsell is that they sende lettres to the B. of Rome that he may considre the matter and Epist 52. giue his sentence that bicause it woulde be verye harde to haue first a common councell called and then so to sende from thence he him selfe chosing mete men for the purpose suche as shoulde aswell be hable to beare out the paines of the iourney as for their gentlenes and sinceritie off manners to warne and reproue suche peruerse men as troubled them should giue auctoritie to the matter c. Why might not this epistle M. Nowell be touching the same matter whereof he wrote to the bishoppes of Fraunce and Italie why might it not be that knowing the honour of that see of Rome to be so greate as it is he woulde by no meanes wright vnto the bishop thereof alone but ioyntly together with bishop Athanasius whose fame he knewe to be in the churche suche that he could aske no reasonable petition whiche shoulde not be graunted or what can you saye why the epistle written to Meletius that they two shoulde sende to Rome for visitours to visite their countrie whiche was in the Easte might not be concerning Epist 57. this matter How euer it be these two places argue that the omitting of the B. of Rome his name here was not as you suppose for contempte of his auctoritie And thus is this fonde coniecture of youres showed to be vaine and of no force Now for dissembling as you saie the ordre of the bishoppes named in the epistle truly you shewe youre selfe to be made euen of the paringes of malice who iudge so maliciously where no cause is For to what purpose shoulde I conceale that which no man coulde suspect that anie woulde euer haue bene so foolishe as to haue brought for an argument against the popes supremacy It foloweth S. Basile with the other bishoppes of the Easte Nowell fol. 13. a. 3. called the bishoppes alltogether brethern and felowes in the ministerie which they would neuer haue done had they had this opinion of his supremacy that M. Dorman and other papistes do nowe defende and maintaine But in the saide 70. epistle the saide bishops of the East which do not once speake of the pope do pray the Frenche and Italian bisshoppes to make humble sute to the Emperoure that he by his auctoritie woulde represse their ennemies the Arrians and relieue their miseries which maketh rather for the Emperours supremacy in the churche then for the bishoppes of Rome I tolde you a litle before of S. Basile his counsell to Dorman Athanasius to sende to the bishop of Rome for helpe against Epist. 52. the Arrians Wherby as it appeareth to be more then probable that these latter lettres were written to the other bishoppes of Italie and fraunce only not to the pope so is it euident also that the mention of the emperour and silence of the pope came not of lacke of acknowledging his auctoritie to
13. 1562. aut tonsorem aut circulatorem circumforaneum aut aliqueÌ„ huiusmodi ministerio adhibituÌ„ qui bonas liter as ne à limi ne quideÌ„ vnquaÌ„ salutarit At this daye in manie places a man shal finde either a shoemaker or a cowhearde or a barbar or a iuggler or a mountebancke ronneagate or some suche other made ministre who neuer strided so muche as ouer the tresshold into the schole where good learning is taught Where you saye that we haue burned so many of youre learned clerckes that you are driuen to supply small cures with fol. 17. a. some honest artificiers surelie loke ouer youre calendre againe and you shal finde that the greatest nombre of them was of suche craftesmen as we speake of and that the learned that passed that waies were verye fewe to haue furnished those cures that youre honest craftes men be as it is were into their shoppes crept into Howe the saing of S. Cyprian that heresies and schismes rise of the contempt of the bishop which is one is applied to the B. of Rome The 6. chapitre I saied that it had bene declared by S. Cyprian before Epistol 9. Lib. 4. that the diuell in his attemptes against the churche vsed alwaies to beginne with the banishement of the bishop whiche is one c. By this one bishop in this place you saie I make Saint Cyprian vnderstande the B. of Rome I doe so M. fo 17. b. 18 Nowel but not directly or immediatly You are deceiued much and vnderstaÌ„d not my meaning if you so thinke For as I confesse that bothe in the one place and in the other of S. Cyprian he maie vnderstande the bishoppes and gouernours of euery particuler churche so am I not also ignorant that youre conclusion Ergo there is not one worde ment off the bishop off Rome is moste false For when S. Cyprian saied in these places that schismes whiche arise by the diuels worcking where so euer they springe vp come by the banishing of their auctoritie who be appointed to gouerne the churche let it be I graunt so muche of euery bishop in his owne diocesse might not I who presupposed in this introduction of mine which in the processe also I proued that the B. of Rome was the chiefe heade of all other conclude that then by a greater reason S. Cyprians minde was that schismes and heresies shoulde come by the forsaking of the B. of Rome allthough by name he spake not of him As if for example it were written in the lawes of oure realme Treasons and rebellyoÌ„ ryse by the coÌ„temning of the lieuetenaunt which is one in the Shiere shoulde he now saye amisse that to exhorte men to abide in the obedience of their prince woulde reason from the auctoritie of the lawe that by contempt of the kinge rebellion the trouble-feast of all good ordre taketh beginning I thinke no man will so saye And yeat speaketh not the lawe by name off the king Allthough no man can denie but that if the lawe woulde so saie of an inferiour membre it woulde not let to saie as muche of the chiefe membre of all Yow will graunte youre selfe that although S. Cyprian named not the B. of Rome yeat in that sence as he is bishopp of the diocesse of Rome he ment of him Which seing you doe why maie not I who take him to haue aswell iurisdiction ouer the whole churche as ouer that of Rome applye to him by the waye of introduction this place as well as you doe to euery particuler bishop notwithstanding they be not by name mentioned which is youre reason here made to the contrary And thus muche for the applieng of this place to the B. of Rome And as for the quietnes peace securitie B. 25. plenty of thinges c. that yow saye you haue nowe more then of late vnder the pope if you meane of youre selfe and youre companions comparing youre present state with that of late of Geneua surely I thinke yow saye truthe Although I ment generallie and of the better parte of the realme For allthough you wallow in wealth and youre selues be so prouided for either to abide or to flye with youre banckes as it is supposed all readye made in the marchantes handes although the wooddes wasted the leade plucked from the greate palaces haules and kitchins to greate for youre little hospitalitie and small roste the beneuolences exacted of the pore priestes haue filled youre coffers finally although youre brattes be prouided of the best fermes and manours belonging to the churches to the whiche by the olde canons I speake of the children of Conâ—iâ— Tolâ—â—an 9. Can. 10. priestes for you I vnderstand are but a single solled ministre they ought to be bond sclaues yeat are other men pinched and complaine of the lacke of that quietnes that peace that securitie and plenty of thinges that 30. yeares ago they had For you abuse men to much to compare the time present with the late time of Quene Marye in the which neither was the popes auctoritie fully restored with all men neither would Dauus suffer vs to enioy this quietnes peace c that you speake of who by violent armes by seditiouse bokes by sclaunderouse tongues by infamouse and lieng libelles finally by all meanes sought to hindre the same and to stirre vp the subiect against the prince And yeat in good sooth the comparison being so made the oddes is not so cleare as yowe take it to be But how euer it be M. Nowell I spake here of no suche worldly respectes as yow woulde seme to make me I spake and ment of ouerthrowing of churches and altars of the contempt of learned men of the teaching of euil doctrine of the promoting to ecclesiasticall ministeries weuers tynckers coblers bromemen c. I ment of peace and quietnesse in conscience of simplicitie and vpright dealing betwene man and man with suche like thinges Which if youre selfe doe not perceiue since oure first reuolt from the pope to be muche empaired then are yow a piece of deade fleshe and desperatly braine sicke For so saieth Hippocrates of them who being sicke feale not the griefe of their disease Youre promise to proue that where the pope hath had the greatest auctoritie there he hath brought in with him all miseries mischiefes c. shall in the place where you perfourme it be answered Howe Maximus Vrbanus and Sidonius went from the churche by not acknowledging the auctoritie of the B. of Rome and how they returned to the same againe by acknowledging it The. 7. Chapter M. Nowell after that he hath declared that the state of the controuersie betwene Nouatus whome Maximus Vrbanus and Sidonius folowed and Cornelius the pope was which of them two was a catholike bishop holding the truthe and truly and laufully chosen by God and which was the intruder and not of the catholike churche but an heretike concludeth thus Wherefore it is euident that when M.
is not necessarie that thinges compared should be one in all pointes They agree in this that kinges and bishoppes are bothe heades and gouernours the pointe where in the comparison was made Nowe whereas to this that I saie that the B. of Cauntorbury is heade off the bishoprike and diocesse of London as he is of all the bishoprikes within his prouince and that yeat a man can not infer vpon this that therefore the bishopp of London is not heade of that his diocesse as yow doe in saing that because Christe is heade of the whole churche therfore there is no other vnder him whereas I saie to this yow answere that youre bishoppes take it for theire chiefe honour to be and to be called gods ministres in his churche so doe oure bishoppes to M. Nowell and vsed no other titles then those whiche your false bishoppes hauing falsely vsurped vse and abuse at this daie but what is that to the matter that we entreate of Well be bolde man and blushe not coffe owt that tuffe fleaume that lieth in youre throte and saie that the archebishop is of no more power then the bishop If yow had saide thus then had yow answered yeat some thing whereas nowe yowe haue answered nothinge Except this maie stande for youre answere when yow proue it that neither Archebishop nor bishop maie be called heades of the churches fo 81. a. 6. that they gouerne but rather kinges and princes Whiche opinion because yowe see that it is contrarie to all M. Nowell laboureth to helpe his owne contradiction by a folishe shift that yow saied before touching the places of S. Cyprian and S. Hierome where yowe confessed so often that euerie bishop was heade of his owne diocesse to salue that sore yow saie Yeat I denie not but that bishoppes maie be and haue bene Nowell a. 17. though improprely named heades euen by good writers as the scholemaister of a prince in that the prince is his scholer is his heade c. Surely bishoppes are muche beholden vnto yowe that Dorman yow graunte them so muche auctoritie ouer their flocke as yow had ouer your scholers when yow were scholemaister of Westminstre But I praie you M. Nowell cal to your remēbraunce that S. Ciprian saieth of the bishop that he is in the diocesse where he ruleth the iudge in Christes stede that S. Hierom calleth him the high prieste that he must he saieth haue pearelesse auctoritie aboue all other that schismes rise by not obeing him and iudge with your selfe what a handsome comparison you haue made But admitting euen youre owne similitude you shall see how muche you haue saide for the auctoritie of bishoppes against that vnlaufull othe which you exact of all men Euē as the scholemaistre is in his schole the heade of his scholers allthough they be princes so be bishoppes the heades of suche as be in their seuerall bishoprikes all though they be princes but the scholemaister in his schoole is the supreme gouernour in all thinges and causes belonging to the schole his scholers allthough princes hauing in those thinges no power to commaunde Ergo the bishoppes are euery one in his churche the supreme gouernours in all thinges ecclesiasticall and princes haue no auctoritie to entremedle therein The which conclusion deduced M. nowell from your comparison as youre selfe with honestie can not mislike so I trust it shall displease no prince considering that as S. Ambrose saieth there can be nothing more honorable for Epist 32. ad Valent. the Emperour then to be called the sonne of the churche For a good Emperour saieth he is within the churche not aboue the churche But because this sentence is become nowe in Englande by the meanes of certeine clawbackes to be odioufe I will in defence of M. Nowell if anie perhappes woulde quarell with him for giuing to bishoppes so greate auctoritie adde out of Chrisostome of hūdreds of places that might be brought to that effect only one which is this Quanquā nobis admirandus videtur thronus regius ob gēmas affixas Homil. 5. de Esaiae verbis vidi Dominū The power of the prince and of the priest aurū quo obcinctus est tamen rerum terrenarū administrationē sortitus est nec vltra potestatem hanc preterea quicquā habet auctoritatis verum sacerdoti thronus in coelis collocatus est de coelestibus negotijs pronunciandi habet auctoritatem That is to saye Allthough the kinges throne seme to vs merueilouse for the pretiouse stones and golde wherewith it is garnished yeat hath he only the administration of earthly thinges and aboue this power he hathe no auctoritie but the priest hathe his throne in heauen and auctoritie to pronounce of heauenly affaires And thus muche by occasion of the auctoritie that you giue to bishoppes as greate ouer their diocesse as schoolemaisters haue ouer their schooles I woulde furder if it were not for troubling you haue desired you to haue named some good auctor to iustifie this saing of youres that bishoppes when they be called heades are so called improperly But I refer that to youre good discretion and to your better laisour Whether Christe nede to haue one to gouerne his churche vnder him and howe The 23. Chapitre IT IS true the Apologie and we all likewise saye that neither Nowell a. 30. b. 1. hathe Christe nede of anie suche one only heade vicair ouer all his churche which M. Dorman a little before dothe confesse him selfe neither is it Christes will to haue any suche heade vicair For though M. Dorman affirme that he so woulde yeat shall he neuer by the holie scripture wherein Christes will is declared be able to prome it Thirdly it is impossible for anie earthely man to haue and to execute anie suche office c. For the proufe of the first of these thre pointes yow Dorman bring my selfe for a witnes in my boke fo 9. b. Where I haue no such thing but onelie this that Christe had as little nede to gouerne his churche in the olde lawe by the helpe of one heade as he hath nowe I denied not then but he had nede nowe Therefore you continue youre accustomed wont of beelieng me If you aske me how he hath nede A lye 69. which is God I answere that as he neded the witnesse of men as appeareth by this There was a man sent from God Ioan. 1. whose name was Iohn to beare witnes of the light And againe Ioan. 15. Yow shall beare witnes of me because yow haue ben withe me from the beginning for the infirmities sake of men not for him selfe so for vs which can not commodiously be gouerned Howe God nedeth a heade to gouerne his churche nor well kept in orde without one heade a man as we are oureselues to whome in all controuersies we might haue recourse God hath nede of suche a heade Thus take I neede now taking it in youre
wolud woulde   26 ouersthrowe ouerthrowe 27 b 25 tho warte thow arte 51 a 32 betwe betwene 57 b 3 saunderouse slaunderouse 58 a 29 as in well as well 64 b 2 plaees places 65 b 3 praesbiterum presbyterum 74 a 24 ades heades 81 b 25 Macedonio Macedonia 82 b 5 nexte chap. nexte chap. saue one 96 b 6 Agipto AEgipto 98 b 26 Aricans Africans 108 a 1 toke on take on 155 b 10 amsuer am suer 179 a 15 churchand churche and 182 a 13 not not cōpare not compare 192 b 23 * Specially to be corrected fidei ecclesiae 198 b 1 call then call them 205 b 32 African Africanes    esbeare beare 211 b 7 in ipiet incipiet    * Specially to be corrected ipsa est sedes Petri ipsa est petra    shall not doe not In margine 86 a 21 Dorman Nowell 108 a 28 Goddes gooddes If yow finde any other faultes I trust yow will frendely amende them youre selues and considre that we printe not withe suche ease as doe oure aduersaries whose bookes yeat lacke not their faultes HONY SOYT QVI. MAL. Y. PENSE God saue the Quene A DISPROVFE OF M. NOVVELLES REPROVFE THAT the sentence prefixed before my boke to proue the Protestants Schismatikes was not abused and that M. Nowell hath passed ouer in silence the chiefe pointe in it The. 1. Chapter I TOLDE yow M. Nowell before that in this youre long Reproufe of mine so fewe leaues yow had for youre pleasure walcked oftentimes farre out of the way and that therfore I woulde in no wise binde my selfe allwaies to folowe your steppes As euen here in the very entrie to giue men to vnderstande what they are lyke to finde yow in youre whole processe leauing S. Austens interpretation vpon the place of scripture wherby he proueth them to be Math. 7. the rauening wolues that are schismatikes and those to be schismatikes who communicate not with all nations nor those churches that haue bene founded by the Apostles labour yow slily slip from that to youre owne and beare vs in hande that we are the Phariseis of whome oure Sauiour spake the saide wordes Because we walcke grauely in long garmentes pretende long praiers c. Leauing therfore all this by talcke of youres as wide from our purpose I will come to the pointe of the question which is betwene vs M. Nowell whether I lacked iudgement or store of choise in choosing this sentence of S. Austen to sette before my boke or no. Of the which I saie that all were it so that yow had clerely vanquished S. Austen and proued that this texte had bene to be vnderstande against vs because we go in long gownes grauely and yow clime in clokes vp in to pulpites or walcke in long robes lightly yeat had this mised to leaue no one suche sentence vnanswered Ergo the reader maye iudge by this how likely yow are to deale truly hereafter that begin so trustely That the places alleaged by me oute of S. Cyprian Lib. 3. epist 11. and lib. 4. epist 9. were alleaged to the purpose The. 2. Chapter I conclude therefore that these places are by M. Dorman falsely Nowell Fol. 2. b. 7 and shamelesly alleaged to make a showe or as he calleth it an introduction to the B. of Romes auctoritie whereunto they appertaine nothing at all but onely to the euersion thereof I neuer brought these places M. Nowell to proue the Dorman popes supremacie Yow nede not therfore to trouble youre selfe with the prouse of this that they apperteine to the deacon disobeing his bishop Rogatian and to Pupianus abusing S. Cyprian But allthough I graunte yow thus much M. Nowell yeat that these places because they proue not the popes supremacie appertaine therefore nothing at all to him but only to the euersion of his auctoritie that faultie and vntrue conclusion I can in no wise graunte to yow not allthough yow thinke to vnderproppe that ruinouse collection as yow doe with this sclendre staye that there is not one worde in these places of the bishop of Rome Fol. 2. a. 1. b. 6. or hys Supremacy nor he as muche as once named therein For yow shoulde haue considered M. Nowell that I entreate here in this place of the maner and nature of heretikes and schismatikes Which is I saie to rebell against their heades to contemne their superiours and laufull gouernours Nowe as youre selfe woulde not I trowe saie that if anie of yow shoulde by writing or anie other vnlaufull meanes which god forbid go about to stirre vpp the people against oure laufull Quene he shoulde speake impertinently to the purpose that to disswade them therefro shoulde begin his purposed talcke after this manner Remembre my frendes that the nature and propretie of heretikes is and allwaies hath bene after that they be once waxen strong to rebell and make warre against their laufull gouernours Remembre the late tumultes raysed in Fraunce by the Huguenotes there against their gouernour as I saie it is not to be thought that yow woulde reiect this mannes exhortation calling it impertinent to the matter tending to the euersion of the Quenes auctoritie because the example brought was of disobedience to an other prince betwene him and his subiectes and not in termes of the Quene oure maistres so surely ought yow no more to haue quarelled against me bringing these examples out of S. Cyprian Especially seing that I presupposed and afterwardes proued in the discourse of that article that the B. of Romes auctoritie was no lesse ouer the whole churche in spirituall matters then is that of other princes ouer their seuerall kingdomes in temporall iurisdiction The which pointe if yow had done ordrely yow ought first to haue confuted that so iustlie after suche disproufe yow might haue reproued the applieng of these auctorities There is no mention made in anie of these places of the B. of Cauntorbury ne yeat of London neither all though youre selfe graunte that by these places yt is proued that euery inferiour ought to be obedient to his owne bishop as Fol. ◠b. 14. his superiour and that the disobedience of suche is cause of schismes and heresies Whereupon what letted me in my preface to applie aswell these places to the disobeing of the B. of Rome allthough he be not there named as for yow when the case shall so requier to applie them to the bishoppes of Cauntorbury or London no more there then the pope mentioned by name Who is as I saide before as truly the bishop of the whole church as anie other is ouer his owne propre diocesse Yow go forwarde and saie Onely this is moste euident in what sense so euer S. Cyprian Nowell fo 2. b. 19. taketh these wordes One bishopp that ruleth the churche the B. of Carthage is that one bishop and not the B. of Rome and therfore that phrase of one bishop can make nothing
for the B. of Rome his supremacie but rather dothe vttrely ouerthrowe it as apperteining specially to the B. of Carthage in Afrike not to the B. of Rome in Italie and declaring in dede the bishoppes of all places to be equall in auctoritie and consequently ouerthrowing the supremacy of one ouer all I denie not but that this phrase maye here specially apperteine Dorman to the B. of Carthage No more ought yow make strange to confesse that if S. Cyprian woulde saie that heresies and schismes rise of the contempte of the B. which is one in a diocesse muche more of him which is one in the whole churche and who is the chiefe and roote of byshoply ordre as shall hereafter be by S. Cyprian declared And thus yow see that I applied it not euill to the purpose although it proue not immediatly the popes supremacy the thing which here I take not vpon me to proue That which yow saie of these testimonies that they declare the A lye fathered vpon S. Cyprian 3 bishoppes of all places to be of equall auctoritie is a moste vaine and impudent lye fathered vpon S. Cyprian That the place of S. Basile was alleaged to the purpose and that the same and the other taken oute of S. Cyprian are bothe falsely impugned The. 3. Chapter It is farre yow saie from all purpose that I alleage by Nowell patching here and there out of Basilius magnus his 69. epistle to the bishoppes of Italy and Fraunce c. If yow in this Reproufe of youres had brought nothing Dorman furder from the purpose it woulde neuer by the tenth parte haue bene halfe so greate as it is For I tell yow once againe that my purpose was not here as yow vntruly surmise to proue the B. of Romes supremacy My meaning was to persuade men to continue and abide in the obedience of the heade of the churche the rather because as Ciprian before gaue a generall rule that all heresies and schismes rise by going from the heade so here S. Basile exemplifieth the same in that vnreuerent demeanure and vnsemely behauiour that the Arrians of his time vsed towardes their heades and gouernours how saie yow maketh the place for this purpose or no I abuse bothe the Readers mine owne and other mennes time Nowell fol. 3. b. 1. yow saie in charging yow with the crimes of those men whose heresies and wickednes it is well knowen yow detest I trust no man thinketh so but yow and youre felowes Dorman M. Nowell For standing the case so that yow detest the Arrian heresie where withall I charge yow not and therefore A lye 4. yow haue beelied me yeat maye yow this not withstanding right well agree with them in other their euill maners I will not charge yow to be infidelles with Iulian the Apostata yeat is youre hatred against the crosse off Christe no lesse then his Yow note me in the margent for turning the wordes Nowell fol. 3. a. b. praesidentias inuadunt they inuade and sett vpon their heades and saye He shoulde haue saide they doe inuade the chiefe roumes or places and againe for ioyning blasphemias protulit to those which folowe ad populi episcopum For the first I susteine that I translated the wordes well Dorman and truly as he shoulde that woulde giue to the worde potestati resistit in S. Paule this englishe resisteth the magistrate Roma 13. by the figure called Metonymia As for the faulte in pointing if it be one yeat of this am I suer that neither is it greate nor came of malice suche as it is but of some suche small ouersight as maye happen some time to the diligentest writer that is Howe euer it be this the rigorouse nothing thereof maye giue men to vndrestande that it went harde with yow when yow were driuen to seke after suche aduauntages Yow saye of this place of S. Basile that it dothe moste Nowell b. 30. liuely represent the doinges of the Papistes You re onely proufe hereof standeth vpon a heape off Dorman sclaunderouse lies Because the place of S. Basile is extant to be seene I will trouble no fardre the learned reader but desire him only to confer it withe these M. Nowelles sclaundres Here M. Nowell yow charge me once againe with a conclusion gathered yow saie out of that which hetherto Nowell fol. 4. b. 22 hathe bene alleaged out of S. Cyprian and S. Basile and saie that I am not ashamed to applye the places before mentioned to the proufe of the B. of Romes supremacy First I gather here no conclusion out of the places before Dorman alleaged and therfore applye not by the waye of concluding these auctorities to the B. of Rome his supremacie and so that is an other lye It is a transition rather so drawen A lye 5. out of the 3. first alleaged auctorities that it serued also to make a steppe and a newe degree to the seconde pointe touching more specially the pope wherein I much maruell that yow shoulde so fowly misse youre termes M. Nowell And as here yow missed the quisshin so plaied yow as homelie a parte in making me to reason vpon the pretended conclusion in this wise The entry into all heresies M. Nowell maketh me to reason after his pleasure fol. 5. ◠1. is to make open warre against the bishopp appointed by God to be the laufull gouernour and heade of the churche but the B. of Rome is the bishopp appointed by God to be here in earthe the laufull gouernour and heade of the churche Ergo the entrye into all heresies is to make open warre against the B. of Rome The which reason althoughe it be moste true in it selfe and I minded to defende euery parte thereof yeat reasoned I not so here but minded only in this place to passe to the example of Nouatus the heretike that as before I had showed how heretikes in diuerse particuler churches went from the obedience of their laufull bishoppes so here I might set before the Readers eyes one who spared not euen the Bishop of Rome him selfe that so this propertie of heretikes and schismatikes might appeare and be the better proued while they forsake not onely the inferiour bishoppes but him also that is the chiefe of all other But what if I had reasoned as you woulde make me to reason M. Nowel might I not haue defended that argumēt trowe you Yeas forsothe might I not prouing my minor by this place of S. Cyprian but supposing it to be true till suche time as I came to the place where it ought to be proued So that you nede not to tormente and vex youreselfe about these wordes the bishopp appointed by God to be the laufull gouernour and heade of the churche which I neuer alleaged as you vntruly saye of me to proue directly the B. of Romes supremacie but only to proue A fortiori that muche greater occasion there was
of heresies and schismes when men shoulde departe from the obedience of the pope the chiefe bishop of all other and therefore neither without cause or guilefully to deceiue the simple as yow vncharitably surmise Which youre selfe also perceiued verie well and therefore by the figure called extenuatio you terme this reason of mine a simple collection after this maner Now if he thinke yeat that he might make suche a simple collection Nowell fol. 5. a. 31. of S. Cyprian and S. Basile his wordes as this that as the beginning of heresies in their time was the contempte of the inferiours towardes their owne bishoppes for so Saint Cyprian teacheth so in likewise is the contempte of the Pope as the highest of all bishoppes the beginning of heresies nowe First I denie the argument for that it foloweth not though it be euill for the inferiour to disobey his owne bishop to whose obedience in all godlines he is bounden therefore it is euill for a straungier not to obey a straunge forraine vsurper to whome he oweth no dutie of obedience Againe I saie though it be the beginning of heresie to disobey Cyprian Rogatian yea or Cornelius being godly or catholike bishoppes yeat is it not likewise the beginning of heresies to disobeye any the late Popes of Rome who were not only no godly bishoppes as were Cyprian Rogatian and Cornelius but bothe moste wicked and in deede no bishoppes att all but false vsurpers of wordly tirannie Whome for the subiectes of an other Christian and laufull soueraigne to obeye and not to disobey is the beginning of heresies treasons and other mischiefes This is my simple collection you saie I acknowledge it Dâ—â—man for mine as simple as it is and to youre double answere thereto replye as foloweth First to the first that it is moste false that you laye for a grounded truthe that the bishop of Rome is a forraine vsurper as when I so gathered in my introduction I minded to proue in the handling of the first principall article of the popes auctoritie and so sence haue done Whereof seing youre selfe are not ignorant you haue delt not simply but doubly labouring to deceiue the simple by defacing as you thougth my preface as vnskilfully written for that I haue there only sayde and not proued that the pope is the chiefe heade of Christes churche in earthe whereas that I referred as by good ordre of writing the learned knowe I ought to the first article of the popes supremacie To the reasons and proufes in which place brought as in all youre answere you neuer come neare but cauill and wrangle against my Introduction whiche showeth the cause of schismes to be disobedience against pastours and bishops so if they be applied to this place as they must then shall it appeare how falsely you saye that the wordes of S. Cyprian were alleaged without all cause But because the whole force of this first answere of youres to proue my argument naught standeth in this that the bishop of Rome being a forriner no suche reason can be made from S. Cyprian and S. Basile his wordes I will here ouer and aboue that which I haue allreadie saide in the handling of this article in his propre place presently proue The pope taken for no foriner by S. Cyprian and S. Basile by S. Cyprian and S. Basile bothe that he was taken by them for no foriner neither in Africa Fraunce Spaine neither yeat in the Easte churche of the whiche S. Basile was For Africa first was the B. of Rome thinke yow taken Afrike there by S. Cyprian to be a forraine vsurpar whose churche he called ecclesiae catholicae radicem matricem the roote Lib. 4. epist 8. and mother churche of the catholike churche If the churche of Rome be the roote and mother to all other churches then if the mother be aboue the children if the mother and roote be no foriners to the children and branches of the tree it will folowe verie wel first that the churche of Rome as it is no foriner to the churches of Africa and to the other churches through out the worlde but aboue them all that so the bishop of the same is aboue the B. of Carthage and all other bishoppes and no foriner or vsurper And as carnall children how farre so euer they lyue from their naturall parentes cease not therfore to be their children nor their saide parentes become therby forriners euen so the bishop of Rome who gouerneth that churche that is mother to all other ceasseth not to be a father to his children dwell they neuer so farre of Was the B. of Rome reputed a straunger to the bishoppes of Africa Lib. 4. epist 8. who vsed to sende their legates to him to pacifie matters and to bring knowledge of the truthe Whose communion to holde S. Cyprian calleth in this epistle the firme holding and allowing of the vnitie and charitie of the catholike churche When all the African bishoppes assembled together in councel directed their lettres to the bishop Apud August epi â–ª 90. of Rome praying him to confirme their doings by the auctoritie of the Apostolicall See pro tuenda salute multorum quorundam peruersitate corrigenda for the preseruation of the healthe of manie and the amendement of the frowardenes of diuerse toke they him thinke yow for a forriner If S. Cyprian had had of the See of Rome that opinioÌ„ that you would gladlie persuade men he had woulde he thinke we haue saide of those schismatikes that sailed oute off Africa to Rome to complaine vpon him to Cornelius Post ista adhuc insuper c. Beside all this they haue bene so Lib. 1. Epist 3. bolde hauing appointed to them by the heretikes a false bishop to saile euen to Peters chaire and the principal churche from whence priestly vnitie sprang and to carie from schismatikes and prophane men lettres not considering that the Romaines are they whose faithe by the Apostles mouthe is praised and to whome false faithe can haue no accesse Woulde he haue saide Romam cum mendaciorum suorum merce nauigarunt quasi veritas post eos nauigare non posset quae mendaces linguas rei certae probatione conuinceret They are sailed to Rome with their marchandise of lies as though truthe coulde not saile after them able to conuince their lieng tongues by suer and vndoubted proufe Naye he shoulde and woulde you maie be suer had he bene of youre minde haue saide Let them go on goddes name what care I for the bishop of Rome Shall I be so foolishe to folowe them to debate the matter before him who is a plaine forriner to vs and hathe nothing to doe therein For thus woulde yow I dare saie at this daye answere if one shoulde go to Rome and complayne of you But nowe considering that saint Cyprian saied not thus but contrariewise made his account to stande with them and trie the matter before the bishop of
Rome as it is manifest by these wordes as though the truthe coulde not saile after them c seing that this whole epistle was chiefely written to Cornelius to exhorte him to giue no credite to those schismatikes as by this amongest other may appeare that he saith to Cornelius Non attendas numerum c. Cōsider not their nombre seing that the wordes rei certae probatione conuincere to ouercome by euident proufe againe Ita enim scelera festinant quasi contra innocentiam festinatione praeualeant for so do wicked deedes hasten as though they shoulde by haste preuaile against innocency be wordes of iudgement for where be prouffes offred where doe men preuaile in sutes but in iudgement finallie seing men that thinke them selues wronged neuer vse to complaine but to such as they are persuaded haue auctorite to helpe them of al these thinges it foloweth that in Africa where S. Cypriā gouerned the Pope was taken to be no foriner Nowe from Africa to Fraunce Of Arles a towne in Fraunce was bishop in S. Cyprians Fraunce time one Martianus a folower and professour of the heresie of Nouatus Of him S. Cyprian writeth to Stephanus the Pope in this wise Dirigantur in prouinciam ad plebem Lib. 3. epist 13. Arelate consistentem a te literae quibus abstento Martiano alius in locum eius substituatur grex Christi qui in hodiernum ab illo dissipatus vulneratus contemnitur colligatur that is to saye Addresse youre lettres to the prouince and people of Arles by the which Martianus being excommunicate an other maie be put in his place and the flocke of Christe which to this daye being scattred and wounded is contemned may be gathered together Now cōsidre I pray yow that haue learning and wisdome to iudge whether it be likely that S. Cyprian if he had taken the B. of Rome to be a forriner in other countries woulde haue euer willed him to haue sent suche lettres as whereby he shoulde excōmunicate and depriue of his bishoprike a stubborne or wilful heretike when with as good right as M Nowell dother here the heretike bishop might haue bidden him go shake his eares foreine vsurper as he was and meddle in his owne diocesse with excommunicating depriuing and placing of his owne subiectes and let Arles in Fraunce where he had nothing to doe alone Considre whether these wordes and the flocke of Christe scattred c. maye be gathered together doe not argue as muche as that when peculier pastours doe not their duties recourse ought to be had to the bishop of Rome the heade and chiefe shepherd of all Finally Let M. Nowell considre whether he would him selfe hauing that opinion that the B. of Orleance for example in Fraunce were as he is a forriner in England write vnto him to sende his lettres to the citie and people of London to excommunicate and depriue M. Grindal because he is an heretike If he woulde not as that is to be iudged trulie he shoulde doe S. Cyprian wrong to make men beleue that he woulde playe suche a foolishe parte as he woulde not him selfe It foloweth therfore that in Fraunce by the iudgment of S. Cyprian the B. off Rome was taken for no foriner Spaine Of Spaine whether there the B. of Rome were a foriner let the restoring of Basilides by Stephanus the Pope to his bishoprike be a witnesse Against which sentence when S. Cyprian with the other bishoppes of Africa gathered to gather defendid Sabinus the newe made bishop they had no other thing to obiect but that Basilides the heretike had Cyprian Lib. 1. Epist 4. deceiued Steuin the bishop of Rome longè positum rei gestae ac veritatis ignarum dwelling far of and being ignorant of the case and truthe by wrong information If Steuin the Pope had bene taken by S. Cyprian to be a forriner in Spaine woulde he not rather haue taken against his sentence that peremptory exception then haue vsed that which confirmeth his auctoritie in Spaine For seing the sentence was vniust for no other cause but because the suggestion was vntrue it foloweth that if it had bene true the sentence had bene good and the iudge not forreine but laufull Otherwise shoulde S. Cyprian neuer haue saide Neque enim tam culpandus est ille cui negligēter obreptū quám hic execrandus qui fraudulenter obrepsit For he is not so muche to be blamed that was stollen vpon by negligence as he is to be abhorred that guilefully did steale vpon him But he shoulde contrary wise haue saide rather He is not so much to be blamed that to helpe his own matter tolde a false tale as he is to be abhorred that would presume being a forriner to meddle in strange countries where he had nothing to doe But S. Cyprian saide not so and therefore vppon this place and also the vertue and holines of Steuin considered who dieng after for Christes faithe a blessed and constant martyr woulde not it is like doe willingly suche wrong as to inuade an other mannes iurisdiction I maye be bolde to conclude that as in Africa and Fraunce so in Spaine also the B. of Rome was by S ▪ Cyprian taken for no foriner To come nowe to S. Basil Let his epistle written to Epist. 52. How the Pope was estemed of S. Basill Athanasius wherein he sheweth his aduise to be that the bishop of Rome be written vnto to sende his legates in to the Easte where they were to condemne the false councell of Ariminū be a sufficient testimony whether at that time his power were coūted forrain or vsurped For if they had iudged his auctoritie there to be none neuer woulde they haue vsed this word vt ipse auctoritatem rei conciliet that he may get auctoritie to the matter or deuised betwene thē selues to haue suche men sent frō Rome as might be meete to gouerne and admonishe those that shoulde be founde frowarde and peruerse emongest them to vndoe and ouerthrow the actes of the heretical councell holden at Ariminum before If S. Basile had taken the bishop of Rome for a foriner neuer woulde he haue sent to Rome for visitours Epist 57. to be sent from Italy to visite thē in the Easte parte of the worlde Finally if the B. of Rome had bene a foriner neuer durst he haue bene so bolde as to haue sent to Caesaria so farre from Rome his legates Lucifer and Eusebius to appease the strife that was there betwene S. Basil and Eusebius Grego Nazianz in Monodia By this that hath bene alleaged yowe haue hearde M. Nowel inough and more perhappes then you woulde toe to showe that S. Cyprian and S. Basile toke not the B. of Rome his auctoritie for forreine or vsurped So that I maie nowe be bolde to conclude that this first answere of youres being proued to be false there is no let in that but that my simple collection as you
call it maie be taken as it is for good and sufficient Youre seconde answere for the first it semeth that youre Euill maners of rulers no cause to with drawe obedience selfe mistrusted and therfore added this as it were to vndreprop it is of all other moste vaine and fonde For what scripture haue you what Doctours what councelles if it were graunted to yow that the bishoppes of Rome haue bene of late yeares wicked men to proue that because of their euill maners their subiectes maie forsake them Oure Sauiour saide of the Phariseis allthough Matth. â—3 naughty and wicked men to his disciples that no man shoulde withdrawe his obedience from them but euery man Doe what they taught to be done but not what they did them selues vpon the which wordes S. Austen saith Illa ergo De doctr Christ lâ—b 4. Cap. 27. cathedra non illorum sed Mosis cogebat eos bona dicere etiam non bona facientes Agebant ergo sua in vita sua docere autem sua cathedra illos non permittebat aliena That chaire therfore being not theirs but Moyses his compelled them doing euill to speake good thinges They did therfore in their owne life their owne deedes but to teache their owne an other mannes chaire woulde not suffer them If moyses his chaire had this priuileage as if yow wil beleue S. Austen it had that they that possessed it how vile so euer their lyues were were yeat assured allwaies to teache no euill doctrine what obiect you for defence of youre running oute of the church and forsaking the head therof the euil life and wicked maners of theÌ„ that of late yeares haue you saie sitten in Peters chaire for whome oure Lorde praied that his faithe Lucae 22. might neuer faile as though oure Lorde god had only remembred the Iues and forgotten his churche But considre I praie yow M. Nowel against what men yow speake Yow reason against the gouernement of the bishoppes of Rome whose succession hath continued these 1500 yeares and holde that because of the euill maners of the latter popes they are not to be obeid as who woulde saie so long as their life was vpright and maners honest they were to be obeied otherwise this exception shoulde be in vaine Noweturne that parte of the wallat that hangeth before yow and is euer in youre eyes behinde and placing the other before loke vpon youre owne bishoppes not yeat settled in full 15. yeares quiet possession See whether they that before cried out vpon ambition pride couetousnes lacke of hospitalitie and suche like haue not in these fewe yeares ouertaken the bishoppes of 900. yeares before them and gone beyonde them toe What were to be loked for then might yow quietly continue after one hundred yeares that haue profited in wickednesse so muche in these fewe Might not youre scholers thinke yow euen by youre owne lesson bothe nowe and then giue yow ouer in the plaine fielde But if there be no remedie but that yow will nedes conclude thus of the popes of this latter age by which I thinke yow vnderstande as yow are wont all since S. Gregories time and without anie greate streining of curtosy him toe that because of their euill maners they were no bishoppes at all then giue me I praie yow leaue good sir to saie as muche to yow being as yeat no bishop but taking vpon yow to reproue the chiefe of al bishoppes as did S. Cyprian to Pupianus iudging his rulers no lesse then yow doe nowe all the latter popes Quis est enim hic superbiae tumor c. VVhat swelling pride is this VVhat arrogancie Lib. 4. epist. 9. and puffing vp of minde for the to call to thy examination thy rulers and priestes and except we make oure purgation before the and be absolued by thy sentence for the space of six yeares neither had the brotherhode anie bishop neither the people any heade neither the flocke anie shepherd neither the churche any gouernour neither Christe any bishop nor God any prieste Is it not so with vs M. Nowell not for the space of six yeares but for the continual space of 900 if it were true that yow Absurditie saye Should not the church by this meanes haue beÌ„ without any heade at all vniuersall or particuler Seing that all other bishoppes thorough out the worlde haue bene made bishoppes by the popes who being them selues no bisshoppes coulde not haue the auctoritie to make other And then will it folowe also that the churche hauing no bishoppes coulde haue no priestes if no priestes no sacramentes rightely ministred beside infinite absurdities mo that will folowe if that of all other moste foolishe doctrine of youres were true that naughty maners shoulde make of bishoppes no bishoppes Thus youre double answere made to my simple collection being confuted it remaineth that either yow confesse the collection to be good or seke out newe matter to impugne it One sclaunderouse lye of youres there remaineth yeat to be confuted Which allthough to the learneder sorte be nedelesse yeat for their sakes who be of the simpler with whome youre chiefe labour taken in youre boke is to deface me I shall shortly answere therto in mine owne defence Nowell fo 5. b. 23. In the conclusion it is to be noted when Basile speaketh of all the bishoppes of the East as the shepherdes striken M. Dorman altering the nombre speaketh it of the Pope as the only shepherd Here appeareth M. Nowell youre singuler honestie who burne with suche a hatred towardes my persone that so that somewhat you maie saye to ease youre stomacke yow passe not all is one to yow by what right or wrong For I A sclaunderouse lye 6. neuer alleaged these wordes as the wordes of S. Basile but alluded only to the scriptures where the prophete hathe Zachar. 13. Percute pastorem dispergentur oues Strike the shepheard and the sheepe shall be scattred Yow haue therfore delt vncharitably so falsely to sclaundre me and giuen the worlde withall to vnderstande that youre maliciouse affections beare no lesse swaye in youre pen in writing then in youre tongue in preaching That the historie of Nouatus is truly applied and that I am cleere from those lyes which M. Nowell sclaunderously laieth to my charge The. 4. Chapter Yow say M. Nowell that I maie be ashamed to forge so manifest alye as that Nouatus exacted an othe against the Popes supremacie Nowell Fo. 7. q. 3 or that yow folowe Nouatus in exacting the like othe as he did and to proue this conclusion of youres you laie for a ground that Nouatus his othe is not onely vnlike but cleane contrary to youre othes that the controuersie betwixt Cornelius and Nouatus was not whether the B. of Rome were the supreme heade as it is nowe betwene yow and vs but whether Cornelius or he was by right the B. of Rome I neuer saide that Nouatus exacted an othe against
Vntill yow be hable to proue M. Nowell that the B. of Rome is not oure laufull bishop that be English men Dorman that his power is fortaine and vsurped euen in this pointe shall yow agree with Nouatus that you sweare men against their laufull bishop as he did Yow maye not thinke youre selfe sufficiently discharged because yow saie his power is vsurped for that colour Nouatus also I warrāt yow gaue to his wicked doinges As for the heresie of Nouatus although youre othe tende not specially to the maintenaūce of that yeat maketh it directly for the maintenaunce of diuerse other more abhominable But yow contrarie to all good learning as though yow wrote only to deceiue the simple not passing for the iudgement of the learned thinke youre selues marueilously well discharged if the comparison made betwene yow and Nouatus agree not iustly in euery small point Thus you see for 5. lyes which in these fewelines yow sclaundre me to haue made whereas I haue nowe cleered my selfe of them al fiue it foloweth that as often as yow saie that I lye so often times that is to saye fiue yow haue lied youre selfe and thrise more beside as in the count betwene vs it appeareth So that nowe that I haue answered you for suche matter as from the beginning yow coulde charge me withall yow must not thinke me to deale hardely with yow if I call yow also to account of suche manifest and inexcusable lyes as hetherto in these fewe leaues of youres yow haue made Wherein I shall desire the gentle reader to shewe thy selfe a good and vpright auditor betwene vs. First yow saye M. Nowell that the sentence of S Austen In the beginning of his boke prefixed by me before my booke maketh directly against the papistes as yow terme vs. That is an euident lie as hathe bene declared Item that you promised to leaue no saying of anie olde doctour vnanswered alleaged by me Which seing you haue not perfourmed in that which being brought out off S. Austen was of all other the first but haue passed ouer in silence these wordes Thow doest not communicate with all nations wherein the force of the place consisted this is the seconde lye Item that Cyprian declareth in deede in the 9. epistle of the fourth boke that the bishoppes of all places be of equall fol. 2. b. 28 auctoritie it is an other lye grounded falsely vpon S. Cyprian Item that I falsefied S. Basile his wordes of the which I fol. 5. b. 22. made no mention it is a sclaunderouse lye Item that Nouatus began his heresie first in Afrike it is a lye falselie fathered vpon S. Cyprian who mencioneth fol. 7. a. 24 Li. 2. epi. 8. his schisme not his heresy which all writers agree that he fell first into at Rome vpon displeasure conceiued of the repulse that he suffred in standing for the bishopricke off Rome Item that the professours of Nouatus heresies trauailed in Afrike against S. Cyprian as Nouatus him selfe did in Lib. 4. Epist. 9. Italie against Cornelius the B. of Rome it is affirmed by yow M. Nowell to be proued by S. Cyprian but the place fol. 7. a. 7. hauing bene examined hathe no such thing Item whereas Nicephorus hath Cum oblationes offerret fol. 8. a. 17. when he offred the oblations you cast in this worde his and so belie Nicephorus The grosse and total some of al your lyes hetherto made beside those which because hauing all readie declared that Nouatus and you agree in swearing men against the bisshop of Rome I am clered of how often so euer I saye so did Luther so did Caluine so do these wicked men in our countrie fol. 10. a. 13. as ofte as I saye They exacted this othe c. If they geue not this othe c. must nedes also returne to you riseth to 15. lyes and with that capitaine lye of al other which hetherto you a. 22. At Paules crosse haue made aswell for the place which was publike as the audience which was honourable in saying that you had not founde any one auctoritie by me so farre as then yow had reade truly alleaged the verie greatest of all to sixtene Nowe kepe yow the counte and let vs procede You finde faulte with vntrue coating of the places alleaged which although to all writers it be a thing that commonly happeneth and to none so common * I referre me to your Apologie as to those of youre occupation yeat in me so maliciouse a man I am it must nedes be of sett purpose that suche as woulde be desirouse to see the originalls might not to spedely finde oute the lewdenesse Nowel 26. of my allegations seruing nothing to the purpose vnlesse perhappes yow saie I did neuer vse mine owne eyes in vewing of those places Well M. Nowell I praye you yeat stande good maister Dorman vnto me or at the least fauour your selfe For I thinke for anie greate faultes that be yeat committed yow are ronne as far into the lashe as I although in the space of one leafe b. 4. or little more yow saye that of fower onely places alleaged thre thereof be noted vntruly For touching the first whiche yeat you noted before with the other two in the margent but here rhetorically for lacke of store yow serue to the table againe dressed after an other sorte a point of cookery much vsed by yow in this boke of youres yeat iwysse two of them maye so be excused that youre cancred suspition shall take no place For whereas I alleaged the first sentence of S. Cyprian as out of the thirde booke the 11. epistle whereas it is the 9. epistle the copie is extant to be sene printed first by Griphius at Lyons Anno Domini 1537. then at Basile anno 1540 wherein bothe the places by the printers errour it is so printed as I alleaged it The second errour in printing the 30. chapitre of Nicephorus for the thirde was committed by this meanes I wrote in my copie cap. 3o. as yow see here The composer of the letters vnacquainted with this kinde of writing mistaking the o aboue for a figure that should stande beneathe placed it so and made of thre thirty I would haue bene lothe to haue troubled the good reader with so manie wordes in the excuse of so sclendre faultes were it not that mine aduersarie chargeth me so heinously therewithall as he doth and that I perceiue them to be the greatest that he coulde finde in my boke The third escape was also the printers faulte although I be not able to proue it so well and yeat as well to as he shall be to proue the contrarie For the which he neded not to take the matter so whot him selfe hauing alleaged before an epistle of S. Cyprian where is no suche thing to be founde Fol. 7. a. 11 lib. 4. epis 9. as for the whiche he bringeth it in Where yow
the which before they fledde but of this by ioyning bothe the swordes together the spirituall and the temporall the rather to vanquishe and discomfite the enemie But nowe if it were so that emongest the rest the bishop of Rome had bene comprehended in this epistle yeat the calling of him brother or felowe in the ministerie is no cause to conclude as you doe against his auctoritie For neither doe I nowe nor euer hathe anie Catholike hetherto so defended or mainteined the popes supremacy that it hathe not bene allwaies acknowledged that bothe he and other bishoppes be the ministres of one common maister allthough that maister haue made him the ruler of his felowes and ouerseer of his brethren Yea the popes them selues haue euer vsed to call the other bishoppes their brethern and felowe bishoppes not renouncing therby the auctoritie of their seate What marueile is it therfore if the bisshoppes of the East had called the pope emongest the other to whome they wrote brother and felowe in the ministerie by the which name he calleth him selfe it can not be denied Nowe where M. Dorman speaketh of persecution as he dyd Nowell Fo. 13. a. 13 alittle before of oure moste cruell practise I referre it to the iudgement of all the worlde whether the papistes or we be more cruell persecutours and wheather haue suffred more persecution they or we If they be more cruell persecutours that lacking power Dorman shewe notwithstanding more crueltie in wordes then other doe in deedes if their crueltie be greater who punishe beside and against lawe then theirs who folowe lawe if it be no crueltie at all to punishe a fewe to saue the nombre by terrour of lighter paines to vse the wordes of S. Austen to â—ib de vinit eccl cap. 17. the Donatistes complaining of the Catholikes as you doe nowe to preserue from greater euills then is the matter iudged allreadie in all vpright iudgement then nedeth there no furder processe As for the lenitie by the which you woulde commende youre selues to the worlde youre charitable sermones made aswell before the Quenes moste excellent maiestie at the courte as before the nobles and other honorable of the Realme at the Crosse in the which yow haue consumed all youre eloquence to prouoke oure moste gratiouse soueraigne to imbrue her chaste and vnspotted handes with the innocent bloude of true Catholikes hathe long since made that wel knowen to the worlde So that I maye nowe truly saye to yow as did S. Austen to certeine heretikes in his time bragging of their lenitie towardes the catholikes as you doe of youres Nulla bestia si Epist. 48. neminem vulneret propterea mansueta dicitur quia dentes vngues non habet Seuire vos nolle dicitis ego non posse arbitror No beaste if he wounde no man is therfore called tame because he lacketh teethe and nailes you saye you will vse no crueltie I thinke yow can not Is not this youre verie case M. Nowell See you not a perfect pattern of youre pitie a copy of youre dissembled and countrefeite kindenesse O were youre murdering mouthes by oure most gratiouse Souereignes commaundement vnmoosseled which god for her sake forbid youre bloud thirsty handes at libertie how woulde these tame beastes bestirre them You saye that I go about to burthen you with enuie of churches either pulled downe or altered to other vses and of altars Nowell a. 12. destroied muche like as the rebelles did burthen king Henry the eight c. How the rebelles burdened king Henry or whether Dorman they burdened him at all or no as you saye they did I will not entremedle my selfe therein Of this I am suer that you be burdened of me none otherwise then S. Hierome burdened the Hunnes and wandalles being infected Epist ad HeliodoruÌ„ with Arrius heresie when he wrote of them after this sorte The churches be ouerthrowen at the altars be horses stabled and a litle after Howe manye monasteries be their taken And againe none otherwise then Optatus the bishop of Lib. 6. coÌ„â—â—â— Donatist Mileuite in Afrike burdened the Donatistes there doing the like when he tolde them that there coulde be no greater sacrilege then to breake shaue and remoue cleane away the altars off God on the whicht bothe they them selues some tymes had offred and the prayers off the people and membres off Christ were caried As for youre excuse that you make why Abbayes were ouerthrowen in oure countrye it is not trulie muche pertinent to oure purpose in this place For had it bene all true whereof the greatest parte was moste certeinely false that you sclaunderously and falsely laied to the charges of religiouse men emongest whome as there were manie offendours euen those that haue bene since in England greate pillers and in youre newe churche chiefe fauourers of youre newe religion so were there manie innocent and good who ceassed not daie and night to lament the disordred life of those other their brethren to praie most earnestly to almighty god for their sinnes and the sinnes of the people yeat was this no cause sufficient to turne vp the churches to ouerthrowe the altars Which you youre selfe also perceiuing and knowing that aswell in king Henries time those good fathers of the Chartrehouse as in the late reigne of Quene Marie bothe they in Shene the moÌ„ckes of westminstre the Franciscanes of Grenewich the preachers of S. Bartilmewes the nonnes of Sion and Dertford liued euery ordre so honestlie in all vertue and godlines according to their rule that manie wer edified by their good examples none offeÌ„did by their euil yow flee to an other shifte against the fundations off suche religiouse houses forsothe Which because you say were laied vpoÌ„ prayer for the redemption Nowell fol. 13. 2. 23. of the soules of their founders and their progenitours soules c. Were so vnsuer and weake or rather wicked that they coulde no longre beare suche huge superstructions and buildinges as were laied vpon them Well suche fundations maye be well counted weake Dorman or rather wicked by wicked Aerius who was condeÌ„ned for Aug. lib. de haeresib haer 53. lib. 3. haere 75. the like heresie as witnesse bothe S. Austen and Ephiphanius aboue 12. hundred yeares since But to all good Christian men they seme and euer haue done proufitable and meritoriouse as to him that will take the paines to reade the boke of late learnedly written of purgatorye it shall I doubt not euideÌ„tly appeare Beside that by this meanes our colleages at home in the vniuersities yea your cathedrall churche and Deanery it selfe M. Nowell might be in some daunger to be ouerthrowen if you fal to suche scanning of their first fundations Here you compell me to entre with you into a disputation about altars And for the iustifieng of your communion Fol. 14. b. Altars Nowell 1. Cor. 10. table you alleage first that oure sauiour instituted the sacrament at a
Dorman saieth thaâ— Nowell Fo. 19. a. 32 those men returned againe to the churche by this waye that is to saye by the acknowledging Cornelius to be the heade of the vniuersall churche he saieth moste vntruly Yf you considre well my wordes M. Nowell that went Dorman last before and vpon which these depende you shall finde that I doe here as sence the beginning I haue done kepe my selfe close to the argument of my preface or introduction Which is to shewe that the going from the heade is the cause of all schisme and the returning to the same the cause of vnitie and concorde This as it is euidently true whether the heade be particuler or generall so the more that suche heade is generall and vniuersall the more true is it The schisme hath bene proued by the departing of Nouatus the heretike from Cornelius his laufull head the B. of Rome The vnitie is here declared by the returne of Maximus Vrbanus and Sydonius from the Lib. 2. epist 12. faction of Nouatus to pope Cornelius What nede yow then here to laye to my charge that I saye vntruly that these men returned to the churche by acknowledging Cornelius to be the heade of the vniuersall churche which as I saye not in this place so was it not nedefull that I shoulde My wordes haue relation to those other where I saye that we first reuolt froÌ„ the church by contemning and not acknowledging the heade without any expresse mention of the heade of the vniuersall churche and that so muste our returne thither againe be by the coÌ„trary c. And that so did those that after their falle with Nouatus S. Cyprian receiued into the church againe What So did they construe englishe M. Nowell I praye yow did they not so returne to their heade as they had forsaken him Doe not yowe confesse as muche youre selfe in this verye place well then this place proueth well that vnitie acknowledged is the ende of diuision which is the onely marke that I shoote at in this preface That this vnitie is especially to be considered in the pope that was not to be showed here but woulde folowe I knew of it selfe vpoÌ„ this fundatioÌ„ laied here after there where the popes auctoritie shoulde of purpose be handled It coÌ„meth in by the waye as it were that the example is founde betwene the B. of Rome and Nouatus going from his vnitie and Maximus returning to it Any other example would haue serued my turne in this behalfe but the case standing so that I had to treate of the B. of Rome those examples liked me best which being directly of him might better declare the vnitie and more liuely set furthe the schisme by how muche the one or the other was greater as falling from or ioyning with him who was not a common bishop but the head or chiefe of all other Although I might well defende that this exaÌ„ple is suche as is that which foloweth of Vrsatius and Valens as maye serue bothe for my preface to commend vnitie and for the matter it selfe to proue the popes auctoritie by acknowleding thereof For you see here that they confessed that there must be one bishop in the catholike churche Which wordes not withstanding that you labour to drawe to an other sense and I denie not but that they haue some ambiguitie Yeat if we considre of whome they were spoken that is of Cornelius the B. of Rome and successour of Peter called by Arnobius an auncient writer Episcopus episcoporuÌ„ the bishop of bishopps it wil not be absurde to thinke that by that one bishop they meÌ„t the B. In psal 138. of Rome successour of Peter and so the bishop of bishoppes Here because no small vauÌ„tage as you iudge lieth in the traÌ„slating of these words in ecclesia catholica you thinke that Nowell Fol. 20. a. 20. I shoulde haue said in a catholike church In dede if I were of youre minde that the chaire of S. Dorman Peter were but one emongest manie like or equall and his churche as one of the rest the translation might well haue bene vsed that you speake of But whereas I am resolued and proue it in place that there is difference betwene S. Peters Lib. 2. de baptis coÌ„tra Donat Cap. 1. chaire as hath S. Austen and the chaires of other bisshoppes that the churche of Rome is not onely a catholike churche being taken for a peculier place but in a true sense also the catholike churche when it is taken for the mother churche of all Christes flocke because it is all one to saye the churche of Christ in earthe and the churche of Rome as by S. Ambrose it is to be proued who when S. Paule had saide the churche of God to be the piller of truthe S. Ambrose wel knowing that he spake not of any one church but 1. Timoth. 3 of the whole doubted not yeat to say cuiÃs hodie rector est Damasus whose ruler at this daye Damasus is who was thaÌ„ pope you maye not marueile if I traÌ„slate not the wordes as you doe The same S. Ambrose in the funerall oration of his brother Satyrus telleth that minding to receiue theblessed sacrameÌ„t wherby he had a litle before bene saued froÌ„ drowning in the sea he asked the bishop at whose handes he thought to take it whether he agreed with other catholike bishoppes that is saieth S. Ambrose with the churche of Rome What was this elles but to aske him whether he agreed with that churche which because it conteined all catholike bishoppes in her lappe and none he toke for a catholike but him that agreed with that churche he iudged to be the catholike church Yow see therfore M. Nowel that it is no suche absurditie as yow thinke to translate these wordes in catholica ecolesia in the catholike church For what priuileage haue you I praye you more then I that yow maie translate the worde catholicae ecclesiae of the catholike churche and that I must englishe the same wordes of a catholike so 19. b. 8 churche Or why shoulde it be laufull for you so to translate them twise when alleaging those wordes of S. Cyprian Episcopo Cornelio in catholica ecclesia Yow englishe them the second time the B. C ornelius in the catholike churche which fo 20. a. 8 Cipr. li. 3. epist 13. you will not suffer me to doe so much as once Ah M. Nowel is this euen dealing Or thinke you when you haue done to colour the matter by a feined rule of youre owne making which saieth that Episcopus catholicae ecclesiae and Episcopus in ecclesia catholica are as much to say as a catholike bishop I graunte that in some places they are so M. Nowell Will you therefore make a generall rule that they must alwaies be so taken and in no place otherwise Muche like to this is the argument that you make Li. 3. Epist 11. f. 20. a. 13 to
maye be one chiefe bishop in euerye prouince aboue the rest of his felow bishoppes and yeat no hindrance to the rest or diminishing of their power that they shoulde not be bishoppes aswell as he why maye not the same proportion be kept betwene the pope and the rest of the bishoppes of Christendome that is betwene the archebishop and the other bishoppes of the prouince But these be but wordes yow saye Call them what you will they lacke not reason and therefore answere them as yow can for answere them you must without you will giue ouer in the plaine fielde But I will ioyne to reason auctoritie not of any meane writer but euen of S. Austen him selfe who it is likely vnderstode as well the meaning of S. Cyprian as yow M. Nowell I trust yow will not be angry with me for saing so For as good I saye it as other thinke it The wordes of S. Austen writing to pope Boniface about the resisting of the Pelagians heresie are these Cum verò non desinant fremere ad dominici gregis caulas atque ad diripiendas tanto praetio redemptas Lib. 1. cōtra duas epist. Pelag Cap. 1. oues aditus vndecunque rimari communisque sit omnibus nobis qui fungimur Episcopatus officio quamuis ipse in eo praemineas celsiore fastigio speculae pastoralis facio quod possum pro mei particula muneris c Nowe whereas the heretikes ceasse not to gnash and whett their teethe at the foldes of our lordes flocke and by all meanes possible to searche out where they maye finde any entraunce to spoyle those shepe that haue bene so dearely raunsomed and the bishoprike the office whereof we susteine is common to vs all although your selfe haue the preeminence therein by reason of the higher toppe of the pastorall watche tower I doe what I can for that pece of charge which is commited to me as much as oure lorde by the helpe of youre prayers vouchesauffeth to giue me to withstand their pestilent and deceitfull writinges by other that shall be bothe wholesom and defensiue whereby either the rage wherewith they are starcke madde maye be vtterly cured or at the One bishoprike common to all excludeth not one B. to be aboue all the rest least kept frome hurting of others These be the wordes of S. Austen who confesseth with S. Cyprian that the office of a bishoppe is cōmon to al bishoppes with the pope and yeat condemneth notwithstanding most plainely youre consequent falsely brought in there vpon Therefore all bishoppes be aequall and none aboue an other For you haue hearde that the pope Boniface to whome he wrote was aboue all the rest in expresse wordes Thus is this conclusion of youres Euery bishopp hath in solidum that is to saye fo 22. a. b. fully and wholy that one bishopricke or bishoply function and office ergo no one can haue more than the whole and therefore no one can be aboue all other by grauntinge the consequent to be true touching the nature and substaunce of a bishopes auctoritie and office but denieng it to folow in preeminence and dignitie shewed to be a false conclusion But yeat yow goe forwarde and saie that this one bishoprike Nowell a. 25. is diuided aequally emongest all bishoppes as faithe and baptisme are aequally and wholy deuided emongest the faithful baptised and that therefore as no one man hath any superioritie In solidum in baptisme or faith aboue other truely faithfull and baptised so hath no one bishop superioritie ouer other bishoppes c. S. Cyprian maketh not his comparison here betwene Dorman faithe baptisme and the whole bishoprike of the churche otherwise then in this respect that eche of them is one and the point that he compareth them in is this that as baptisme is one as the faith of all faithful christiās is one and yeat al faithful and baptised haue not aequall auctoritie in gouernement so the bishoprike is one that as no man hath superioritie in baptisme or faithe to be more a faithfull man or more baptised thē an other so no bishop hath of the one bishoprike common to all touching the true nature and substance of bishoply ordre more superioritie of being a bishop then an other but all bishoppes a lyke the one as truely a bishop as the other touching ordre although as you heard before out of S. Austen the pope altius praeeminet hathe the higher preeminence that is to say is in higher auctorite of iurisdictiō then other bishoppes are Thus muche touching youre surmised comparison which if it shoulde haue bene made as you imagine then must yow either condemne S. Cyprian him selfe for bearing the name of an Archebishop or feine that there is also an archebaptisme to set against the dignitie of archebishoprike off the which two as no good man will doe the firste so no wiseman will thinke the last But howe so euer yowe take the matter M. Nowell there is no comparison made in this place till yowe come to the sentence Episcopatus vnus est there is one bishoprike For the better knowledge whereof it is to be vnderstande that the thing which in this place S. Cyprian laboureth to persuade is bothe in the bishoprike and in the churche vnitie To proue this he vseth a cōparison in this wise Episcopatus vnus est c. Ecclesia vna est quomodo solis multi radij sed lumen vnum c. The bishoprike is one etc. The church is one euen as many sonne beames make one light etc. But now let vs examine some one of these seuerall comparisons and you shall see how litle this worde in solidum wholly maketh for your pretensed aequalitie emongest all bishoppes and whether S. Cyprian ment as you do or no. Imagine you therfore with S. Cypr. this whole bishoprike The bisshoprike of the churche compared to a tree of the church to be a tree the brāches wherof be the bishop pes seuered the bodie of the tree the same bishoppes ioyned together the roote the chiefe bishoppe that holdeth thē together Except this be the meaning of S. Cyprian you can not make this comparison agree For the waye to make the things cōpared agree is because of thē selues both the bowes of the tree and bishoppes of the church are many to reduce thē to one beginning And as the same thing that maketh the tree one is a membre and parte thereof so must that which shall make the bishoprike one be a mēbre of the same bishoprike that is to saye a bishop although in that respect that he is a parte of the same bodie equall with the rest as the roote by being of one cōmon substāce with the bodie and brāches is aboue the other partes of the tree notwithstāding because they are all made one thereby and take theire life thereof as appeareth at the eye For cut away the roote and the bodie perisheth Take awaye the roote of this
vrge these wordes as you bring me in at youre pleasure M. Nowell To the moste blessed Lorde c. to proue thereby the popes supremacy but I will here note to the reader in this comparison the familier kinde of writing to the one calling him brother and the reuerent maner of writing to the other where of reuerēce they absteined from that worde To Athanasius they called them selues bishoppes To Iulius they vsed their propre names without all titles And will yow knowe the cause why VVhy Vrsitius and Valēs called not Iulius the Pope brother Forsoth whē they wrote to Iulius they knewe them selues to stande at his mercye as men that were oute of the churche therefore neither durst they call him brother being a catholike bishop and chiefe of all other neither them selues bishoppes hauing made them selues vnworthy that name But as sone as they were pardoned of the pope in their lettres sent to Athanasius they vsed boldly the titles of brother and bishop Whereby maye easelie be gathered that it was no recantation that they sent to Athanasius In the recantation offred to Iulius they professe to desire to be in communion with Athanasius This request saye they to him we trust you will not denie praecipuè quum pietas tua pro insita sibi integritate gratiā nobis erroris facere est dignata Nicephor li. 9. ca. 27. especially seing that youre godlines according to that naturall vprightnes which is in you hath pardoned vs allready oure faulte They adde furder that if these of the Easte churche woulde wickedly yea if Athanasius him selfe Note woulde call them into the lawe touching these matters that without his consent they woulde not goe Finally they abiure Arrius the heretike with all his fautours In the letters to Athanasius there is no renouncing of the Arrians heresie there is no mention of pardon neither of anie thing elles but that he might vnderstande that they were nowe reconciled Whereas if they had conteined a recantation the matters shoulde no doubte in as ample maner haue bene specified as in that to Iulius they were The Tripartite historie saieth that these men offered to Iulius libellum poenitentiae their recantation in writing and that to Lib. 4. cap. 34. Athanasius miserunt literas seqùe ei deinceps communicare professi sunt they sent lettres and professed that they woulde communicate with him hereafter Of all other Epiphanius writeth of this matter moste plainely His wordes are these Vrsatius ac Valens vnà cum libellis profecti ad B. Iulium Ro. Lib. 2. haeresi 68. episcopum pro ratione reddenda de suo errore ac delicto qúod calumnias struxissent papae Athanasio At suscipe inquiunt nos ad communitatem ac ad poenitentiam Sed ad ipsum Athanasium ijsdem conscriptis confirmationibus vsi sunt propter poenitentiam that is to saie Vrsatius and Valens going together with their libelles to Iulius the B. of Rome to giue account of their errour and faulte for that that they had gone about to entrappe Athanasius But receiue vs saie they to the communion and to penaunce Yea and to Athanasius him selfe they vsed the same confirmations for penaunce Lo M. Nowell one of the places that I of set purpose B. 31. woulde not note least my fraude might be perceiued in alleaging that which made nothing to the matter Maketh it not to the matter that these two being bishoppes of the East churche shoulde vpon the forsaking of their heresies take on them so long a iorney offre them selues to suche daungers by sea and by lande to their no small costes and charges to make their submission in writing which they might haue sente and auoided all those difficulties by tarieng them selues as they did in writing to Athanasius at home if the B. of Rome had bene but equall to Athanasius and had had no more to doe in the matter then he Is it impertinent that they confesse of the pope that he hath pardoned them their faulte whereas of Athanasius there is no such worde Or is it lightly to be estemed that they promise to doe nothing in those matters of their faithe not at the calling of the bishoppes of the Easte or Athanasius him selfe without the popes consent Is it not to the purpose that they went to the pope to giue an accompt of their errour and fault committed against Athanasius that they desired of the pope to be receiued to penaunce and wrote to Athanasius for their penaunce Well by this I trust it appeareth that as I had no cause to cōceale these places as though as you saie I feared lest thereby it would fal out that the world should vnderstand my guile in alleaging that which made not to the purpose so that it is you who in saing that Vrsatius and Valēs offred vp their recantation aswell to Athanasius as to Iulius haue to furder youre heresie made an impudent lye and fathered Li. 9. ca. 27. that vpon Nicephorus which is not in him and thought to dor vs and out face vs to with a carde of tē Beside this I say as I saied before that if it had bene true that they had made their recantation to Athanasius also that yeat the consequent foloweth not that then the B. of Alexandria shoulde haue bene by this meanes aswell heade of the churche as Iulius For what letteth why the pope might not enioine them after their recantation made at Rome to make the same againe to the propre bishop of that place where their heresies were moste notoriouse Or how is this any diminishing of his auctoritie The force of this example consisteth VVherin the force of the example of Vrsitius and Valēs dothe consiste in this that being bishoppes so farre from Rome they should skippe Alexandria and come to Rome why they were reconciled at Rome first and then in Alexandria afterward So that what letteth now to conclude as I did By this meanes returned they to the church c. What letteth me to reply to youre I toke my harp into my hande and twang quoth A twang of M. Nowelles harpe my stringe a Youre stringe is broken betwene youre handes and where is now youre twang a O M. Nowell when you thought with suche a seely twang of youre harpe as this is to shift youre hādes of this graue and weighty testimonie you thought belike withal so to bring all the worlde a slepe with that sweete melodie or rather as Orpheus is reported by the poetes to haue by the musike of his harpe moued wooddes mountaines and rockes to appease the furye of wilde beastes so contrary wise by that sweete noise off youres to make wise men suche tame fooles by a strange metamorphosis so to turne them into blockes and stones as that they shoulde not be hable to perceiue youre vneuen dealing Surely in my pore conceite yow littell regarded youre calling yow muche empaired your name in answering thus lewdely Was this
deanlike Was this preacherlike Was this minister like Nay truly it was minstrellike That the places hetherto alleaged are not impertinent to the Popes auctoritie The. 9. Chapter Although I haue heretofore in the seuerall defence off euery one of these places saide so much as maye suffice for the iustifieng of them to be alleaged to the purpose yeat doth youre Rhetoricall repeating of them here enforce also me to trouble the reader therewith againe I saye therefore as I did before that if the going out of the churche be by the rebelling of the deacon or prieste against his bishop as S. CypriaÌ„ saide in the case of the deacon disobeieng his bisshop Rogatianus if Pupianus ought to reconcile him selfe to Cyprian his bishop and metropolitan that then by this reason of S. Cyprian muche more ought the going out of the church to be by the Deacon prieste â–ª or bishoppes rebelling against the Pope the chiefe bishop of al other muche more ought they to reconcile their selues to him who is chiefe shepherd of their soules in earthe If S. Basile spake of the bishoppes in the east churche it is but a sory shift to saye that his wordes maye not be extendid to all rulers where so euer they be If Nouatus sware men to sticke to his heresie to take him and not Cornelius for their bishop he sware men against the Pope and so do you If Maximus Vrbanus and Sidonius reconcile them selues to their owne Romaine bishop whome they had vniustly forsaken yow must doe the like to him being your bishop although not so immediatly whome you haue as vniustly forsaken If Vrsatius and Valens offred onely their recantations to Iulius and not to Athanasius as I shewed before then haue you made a lye and so bothe this auctoritie and the other are not impertinent but to the purpose An answere to suche lyes scoffes sclaunders falsefied auctorities and other cancred matter as M. Nowel in the 25. 26. 27. and 28. leaues hath powred oute against the Popes The. 10. Chapter As I minde not to defende the euill maners of Popes as neither of temporall princes if any haue gouerned euill and haue abused perhappes the power giuen to them by God so will I neither measure their auctoritie by their liues as did the frantike Donatistes and Anabaptistes doe neither reueale the turpitude of my father as did wicked ChaÌ„ Gen. 9. neither iudge my heade as is the maner of heretikes and schismatikes to doe as witnesseth S. Cyprian as hath bene said before applied theÌ„ to the same sense that it is now For Li. 4. ep 9 of this am I suer that how euil so euer their liues be how far so euer they abuse the auctoritie giuen to theÌ„ yeat shall that nothing preiudicate the churche nor hurt the innoceÌ„t ChrifliaÌ„s If these were my words I caÌ„ gesse what were like to be youre answere but being not myne but S. Augustine his nor his so but that they be grounded vpon the wordes of Christe truly if I were my selfe an heretike I confesse I knowe no waye to auoide them The wordes of S. Augustine after that he had rehersed by name all the popes that were from S. Peter to Anastasius time 39. in nombre emongest whome â–ª there was he saide no one Donatist to be founde are these In illum autem ordinem episcoporum qui Epist 165. ducitur ab ipso Petro vsque ad Anastasium qui nunc eandem cathedram sedet etiamsi quisquà m traditor per illa teÌ„por a subrepsisset nihil praeiudicaret ecclesiae innocentibus Christianis quibus Dominus prouidens ait de praepositis malis quae dicuÌ„t facite c. Vt certa sit spes fidelis quae noÌ„ in homine sed in domino collocata nuÌ„que tempestate sacrilegi schismatis dissipetur that is to saye In to this range of bishoppes drawen from Peter him selfe to Anastasius which now sitteth in the same seate althoughe some betrayour had within that compasse crepte in yeat shoulde this nothing haue preiudicate the churche and innocent Christians for whome oure Lorde prouiding faieth of euill heades Do what they bid yow doe c. That Matth. 23. the hope of the Christian man maye be sure whiche being grounded Note not vpon man but vpon God can not by wicked schisme be scattred This place good Reader as it maye serue the for a lesson to beware how thou rashely iudge of their doinges whome God hathe so especially priuileaged so ought it to be no small comfort to all true Christians to thinke that god hath prouided for them suche a heade to direct them here as whose iudgement what euer his lyfe be they are sure can not be false and maye withall serue for an answere to all suche spottes as M. Nowell here and other elles where were they all true and muche worse then they speake of haue noted in the popes manners to ouerthrowe their auctoritie Whereby allso standeth that proposition of mine fol. 25. a. 15. saulfe ment of thinges concerning his office the pope commaundeth it ergo it must be obeyed if S. Augustine haue anye credite with vs if Christ maye be beleued Who beside the wordes alleaged by S. Augustine hath giuen vs also an other moste sure staye to grounde oure selues vpon when Lucae 22. he assureth vs that Petres faithe shall not faile whiche although it please you M. Nowel in youre swinishe eloquence to saye that it pertaineth as muche to the pope as dothe a saddell to a sowe yeat was S. Bernard to alleage him rather then anie other for that youre selfe in this place bring him in against the pope and M. Horne I am credibly enfourmed gaue to him not longe since in the vniuersitie of Oxford suche praise as that he hath it is supposed not a little enflamed the hartes of diuerse younge men to the studie of that blessed author of a farre other iudgement then you are For he writing to InnoceÌ„tius the pope after salutatioÌ„s beginneth his epistle thus Oportet ad vestrum referri Epist 190 Apâ—stolatum pericula quaeque scandala emergentia in regno Dei ea praesertim quae de fide contingunt Dignum nanque arbitror ibi potissimum resarciri damna fidei vbi non possit fides seÌ„tire defectuÌ„ Haec quippe huius praerogatiua sedis Cui enim Lucae 22. alteri aliquando dictum est Ego pro te rogaui Petre vt non deficiat fides tua Ergo quod sequitur à Petri successore exigitur Et tu aliquando conuersus confirma fratres tuos That is to saye All daungers and offences rising in the kingdome of God must be referred to youre apostleship those especially which concerne the faithe For there doe I thinke it to Note be moste mete that the hurtes of faithe shoulde be redressed where faithe is sure not to faile For suche is the prerogatiue of this seate For to what other was it euer saied I haue
that euery one of them had he saide licence to vse the iudgement of his libertie and power Which worde pro licentia M. Nowel mangleth S. Cipriā yow guilefully lefte oute of youre translation showing youre selfe thereby to be no simple translatour but a crafty falsefier Now if they had licence in that councell of theirs euery man to saie frelye his minde if S. Cyprian saide that notwithstanding he was their archebishop and bishop off them all yeat for the present time he did renounce that auctoritie as in this sense his wordes are to be taken what maketh that against the auctoritie of the B. of Rome Dothe not the B. of Rome saye asmuch to all his fellow bishoppes in all general councelles Had not you the same offer made vnto you in the laste councell of Trent to haue bene quietly harde and no man by tirannie to haue bene compelled In saluo cōductu cōcilij Trident. to the necessitie of obeing If this answere satisfie you not let S. Augustine teache you the true vnderstanding of this place Who expounding August li. 3. ca. 3. cōtra Donat. these wordes of S. Cyprian Seing euery bishop hath according to the licence c. against the Donatistes writeth thus Opinor vtique in his quaestionibus quae nondum eliquatissima perspectione S. Cypriā expoūded by S. Austen discussae sunt Nouerat enim quantam sacramenti profunditatem tunc omnis ecclesia varia disputatione versabat liberum que faciebat quaerendi arbitrium vt examinata veritas panderetur I thinke verilie that is to saie that S. Cyprian meaneth in those questions which be not yeat by manifest examination discussed For he knewe what a depe misterie it was that was then tossed in the whole churche with ambiguouse disputations and made it free for euery one to searche and enquire that the truthe being examined might be reuealed Thus you see M. Nowell that youre falsehoode in leauing out in youre translation the worde pro licentia wil not helpe you S. Augustine by this worde liberum faciebat VVherein one bisshop cannot be iudged of another he gaue them licence expounding the meaning of S. Ciprian and telling vs beside that this place of bishoppes libertie whereby euerie one maye thinke what he will and can be iudged of no other is while thinges be not decided but remaine in doubte And therefore if you haue no other doctours or councelles to present to the pope but these yow did like a wise man to tarie at home That you saie that neither the texte of the scriptures nor the fol. 27. b. 7. interpretation of doctours nor iudgementes of councelles can haue any credite against the pope and bring Pighius to proue it that is a manifest lye For when Pighius saieth that for the A lye 22. moste parte there is nothing done in generall councelles but that the bishoppes comming together giue their consent to that which the Apostolike See decreed before he saieth not that it is so allwaies that it can be no otherwise As though the time of deliberation during the Apostolike See vpon the reasons of the councell might not be moued to decree that which otherwise it hath not determined he saieth not that against the pope neither the texte of the scriptures nor the interpretation of doctours nor iudgementes of councelles b. 24. can haue any credite And therefore moste impudently againe I tell yow yow haue belyed Pighius The councell is no councell if it lacke the auctoritie of the heade No generall councell without a head the B. of Rome And therefore you haue Pighius at no such aduantage because he saieth that the onely iudgement of the See of Rome is more sure then the iudgement of an vniuersall councell of the whole worlde which if it be true VVhy councelles be called then were it you saye for bishoppes to come to councelles a vaine thing Not so M. Nowell For although before God and with good men the iudgement arrested vpon by the see of Rome be certeinly true and can not deceiue yeat because men ignorant in the scriptures and lawes of the churche some of thē sometimes because heretikes for the repressing of whome councelles be most cōmonly called for the moste parte be not thus persuaded the pope vseth to communicate with the generall councell concerning decrees to be made The which being with generall consent approued and confirmed by the pope bothe the weake or vnlearned catholike maie be fully persuaded and the stubborne heretike with his owne weightes quite ouer weighed while bothe to the one and the other suche vniforme consent can not but argue the merueilouse grace and assistence off the holie gost An other cause maie be for that the pope by this meanes will be certified by the bishoppes off euery countrie what circumstances what maners of people in eache place maie require the decrees according to the nature of diuerse diseases to be losed slacker or streined harder For although he be so priuileaged that in making lawes for the churche he can not erre yeat hath he not the spirit of prophecie to knowe being absent all the offenses and imperfections in the churche Beside this where as otherwise it might euer be doubted whether the pope made any suche decrees or no in places farre distant from Rome hereby all suche occasion is taken awaie the bishoppes off euery countrie being present who be able to make faithe hereof to their subiectes Last of all this calling together of councelles is not in vaine while Christian princes being present and hearing all thinges debated promise the rather their assistance for the execution of suche thinges as shal be concluded And thus is this pelting obiection of youres answered Now to the next Pighius yow saye teacheth that to the see of Rome the ordering Nowell fo 28. a. 7. defining and determining of all questions and controuersies is giuen by Christe c. And the same dothe M. Dorman to teache in the 62. leafe b. out off pope Innocentius epistle That which I haue there affirmed I haue by the auctoritie Dorman not of Innocentius alone which yeat to anie reasonable Apud August epist. 90. 91. 92 93. man might seme inough considering that they were no babes to whome he wrote but euen by the auctoritie also of those fathers of the two councelles of Carthage and Mileuite especially of S. Austen expressely affirming that he answered them to all their questions euen as was right and for the bishop of the apostolicall See mete sufficiently proued Answere yow to it when yow shall be hable In the meane season it is true that I saide that the auctoritie of the B. of Rome is the fundation of all true religion the comfort and staye of the catholikes c. Against the whiche fewe wordes couched in lesse roome then fiue lynes yow haue not in fower leaues and more brought truly so muche as one worde but in the whole
is likely inough to tell you that I maie iustlier saie to you that suche talke procedeth not so muche from the absurditie of the matter as b. 12. Nowell Fo. 32. a. 6. it dothe from the disposition of youre noddies nowle M. Nowell and sight not dimme but altogether blinde then you doe to me affirming the contrarie that it maye seme to some that suche kinde of speache springeth not so muche out of the absurditie of the matter as out of the disposition off my drowsy head * Note that M. Nowel aloweth to bishoppes the ordre of religion to kinges and other gouernours the procuring of ciuile ordre and peace Dorman It foloweth that schismes and troubles rising in the church maye by the seuerall bishoppes of euerie diocesse and seueral chiefe prelates of euerie prouince aswell be auoided and appeased as the seuerall kinges of euerie kingdome the seuerall gouernours of euerie countrie and citie c. are able to ouersee their seuerall charges and to kepe their people in ciuile ordre and peace Not so M. Nowell the reason of difference betwe these two states of ecclesiasticall and temporall gouernement is greate For in the one that is in that which perteineth to the The difference betwene the two states off the world and the church worlde euery kingdom euery nation euery people haue their propre and seuerall lawes yea often times not diuerse onely but cōtrarie the one to the other This bredeth no disordre because they be diuerse bodies But to come to the church which as it is one so hath it by Christ one faith the same lawes the same sacramentes deliuered to be cōmon to all that wil be membres thereof without varietie in matters of substāce here what nede is thereof one head that this one faith may be of all mē and euery where inuiolably holden Seing that euen in kingdomes and common wealthes daily experience telleth vs that how well and quietly so euer such kinges and rulers gouerne their subiectes them selues they be not yeat hable so to gouerne while I proude and thou proude eche one thinketh him selfe as good as the other that they can absteine from mortal and cruel battaile wherby their innocent people perishe ful oftē on both sides most miserably If this be so emōgest worldly kinges where the dissenting of their lawes and ordonaūces the one from the other is no breach of amitie how much more is it to be feared emongest bishoppes where one faith must be common in all where vnitie maye be so lightely broken Which if it happen howe shoulde it be suppressed The debates and quarelles of princes are tried for moste parte by battaile Will you that in this case eache bishop make his frēdes and trie the matter by most voices The chiefe prelates you saie of euery prouince are able to take ordre in the matter What M. Nowell is the winde in that dore Haue yow so soddenly founde a superioritie in bishoppes that so lately before pronounced that as no man hathe anye Superioritie in baptisme or in faithe aboue other truly faithefull and baptised so no one bisshop hathe any Superioritie ouer other bishoppes Is it nowe at the length founde out that you mistooke S. Cyprian M. Nowel contrary to him selfe in one leafe when in the 22. leafe of youre boke a. you grounded vpon him that there was no difference of dignitie emongest bishoppes Maye yow not be ashamed in this verie leafe firste to saie that there be chiefe prelates in euery prouince and yeat after in the seconde side of the same leafe to affirme by the auctoritie of S. Ciprian wrongly construed that none but naughty and desperate men doe thinke the auctoritie off some bisshoppes to be inferiour to other Will you nedes be of the nombre of those naughty and desperate men Well M. Nowell as verye necessitie forced yow to go from that principle of youres that all bisshoppes be of equall auctoritie because otherwise you sawe that schismes coulde not possibly be kepte oute of particuler churches so shall I trust the same before yow and I haue ended force you to acknowledge a chiefe prelate ouer the whole and vniuersall churche for the appeasing of schismes therein In this pointe because the verye necessitie of one heade to gouerne Christes churche dothe specially consist I shall desire the learned reader to vse good circumspection and with aduised deliberation to waye with him selfe the reasons brought on bothe sides I obiect therefore to M. Nowell that for the appeasing of schismes and restoring the church being troubled to quietnes it is necessary that there be one chiefe heade He maketh me answere as you heard before that the seuerall chiefe prelates of euery prouince are aswell able An absurde doctrine that schismes may as wel be appeased by manie heades as by one to take ordre therfore as the seuerall gouernours of euery countrie for their seuerall charges The absurditie of this answere shall appeare by a demonstration There is nowe a controuersie in their newe churche of Englande about no small matter but concerning the reall presence of Christes blessed bodie in the sacrament M. Gest preaching at Rochester for the reall presence M. Grindall at London for the contrary Shall these two prelates be tried by M. D. Parkar of Cauntorbury suspected to be a Lutheran Although that I thinke M. Nowel would be lothe to graunte being him selfe a Caluinist yeat if he did and the matter were thoroughly decided on the one side might not the like schisme arise in the prouince of Yorke and bachiler Yong there calling his brethern together determine the cōtrouersy on the other side If this shoulde happen as it easely might in this equalitie of power betwene these two in these seuerall prouinces how should the schisme be appeased They wolde perhappes procure a parliament to be called that by auctoritie thereof the matter might be determined Were the bishoppes that coulde not agree before like the sooner to forsake their cōtentiouse mindes by this meanes Or should the matter be put only to the debating of the laitie Or howe euer it were the matter being brought thither and then the ordre of the house being suche that it must passe as wel through the lower house as the higher might not the house be equally diuided or the thinge brought to so narowe a pointe that the conclusion of this weightie controuersie might depende vpon the mouthe of some simple burgoise and meane artificer who might easely by lacke of iudgement choose the worse part Or if they all agreed vpon the truthe might not the like controuersie arise in Fraunce Germanie Spaine or in some other countrie and euery one determine either in this article or any lyke contrary to the other If they did as by the confesion of Augspurg and their communion boke allowed by the parliament of Englande the one so muche disagreing with the other it appeareth they doe shoulde not the churche in this case be
miserably shaken notwithstāding the labour of the chiefe prelates of euery prouince Now to come to princes and tēporall gouernours if they haue as many seueral or contrary lawes as their be seuerall countries or nations cōcerning the keping of their people in ciuile ordre and peace what breache off vnitie What hurte What disordre in the worlde will folowe hereof I praye you So that to haue made this reason of youres probable you shoulde thus haue reasoned As in the whole worlde there is no disordre because seuerall princes haue seuerall and contrary lawes so in the churche will there be also none if diuerse bishoppes teache diuerse and contrary faithes But as no man is so blinde but he seeth the falsehode of this comparison so is no man I truste so voide of wit but that he seeth this to be as true as that which you made before Thus by reason we finde that schismes can not be appeased without one heade in the churche to whome the greater causes ought to be referred whome the rest ought to credite and obeye To the which heade because he is by Christes owne mouthe so priuileaged in Peters faithe that as he neuer yeat deliuered to the churche any erroniouse doctrine to be beleued but hathe allwaies continued the faith receiued from the Apostles so are we suer that he neuer shall we ought and maye in matters of faithe giue full and assured credite As by S. Austen we be counceled who to this purpose bringeth this saing of the ghospell Quae dicunt Epist 165 Matth. 23. facite c. Doe what they bidde you doe and addeth for the reason that in so doing oure faithe being moste certaine as being grounded not vpon man but vpon goddes promise can neuer be scattred by the tempest of anie schisme This being most true we maie boldely conclude that this state of Monarchie that is of gouerning the churche by one heade as it is moste necessarie so because we are suer that this one heade can not giue wrong iudgement in matters of faithe it is of all other for the churche the moste conuenient as being the verie best For in this pointe doe all men agree euen the moste aduersaries to this state that if one Monarche were suer allwaies to gouerne well that then that state off gouernement were to be preferred before all other To all this that hathe bene saide maye be added that iff you will nedes haue the seuerall diocesses and churches off euerie bishoprike to be like seueral kingdomes then as there is no only kingdome in earthe so by you it shoulde folowe that there is no one only churche in earthe Or if it may be enough for the church in earthe to be one body because Christe in heauen is the one heade thereof why maie not then the kingdomes of the earthe be in earthe one because Christe in heauen is the king of them also This being not I thinke vnknowen vnto you howe vneuen this comparison of youres was made yow will nowe leauing youre reason trie the matter by auctoritie S. Cyprian yow saie dothe most plainely teache that Nowell fo 32. a. 30 it is right and reason that seuerall bishoppes haue the gouernement of seuerall diocesses euen for the same cause for the which I yow saye doe vntruly alleage the necessitie of one heade To the place of S. Cyprian beginning Cum statutum sit Dorman Lib. 1. Epist 3. omnibus nobis c. I answere that it is right and reason that seuerall bishoppes haue the gouernement of seuerall diocesses and that to appease schismes and correcte vices as often as these thinges maie be in suche seueral diocesses commodiously done But that this maie be allwaies perfourmed in particuler bishoprikes and that if it can not recourse maie not be had to higher power that yow shoulde haue proued and that S. Cyprian hathe not Therefore this place maketh not against the auctoritie of one heade But you force it further and saie S. Cyprian affirmeth all suche appellations from a bishop off Nowell one countrie to a bishop of an other countrey to be vnlaufull for that that all bishoppes of all countreys be of like auctoritie and that none but naughtie and desperate men doe thinke the auctoritie of some bishoppes to be inferiour to the auctoritie of other S Cyprian affirmeth not here that all appellations from Dorman one bishop to an other be vnlaufull He saieth that it is reason and hathe bene ordeined emongest them that the subiectes of euery bishop haue their causes hearde there where the faulte was committed And maye not the B. of Rome doe this by sending his legates in all such cases of appeale to the places where the offences were committed there to examine the processe to receiue witnes to determine the matter Beside this if S. Cyprian had in this place vttrely forbidden all maner of appeales to Rome yeat by the phrase of his wordes it appeareth that it was decreed emongest them by a locall statute of their owne for the better maintenaunce of brothrely concorde Which as it extēded no fardre then to that place so if anie of them that once agreed to that ordre refuse at anie time to obey it although it ought to be a barre to him that once gaue his consent to the cōtrary yeat is it none to the pope why he maie not procede in the cause who neuer renounced his right if it be appealed to him The like to this is to be seene in the colleages of oure vniuersities where the founders in most places haue ordeined by their statutes that the membres of such colleages for the better reteining and vpholding of quiet and brotherly agrement emongest them shall propose suche quarelles and contentions as happen emongest them to the seuerall heades of suche colleages This ordre thus taken right and reason woulde haue kepte but if some frowarde body not contented with this will complaine furder to the chauncelor of the vniuersitie or chiefe patron of his colleage he may at their handes haue iustice That this was the case that S. Cyprian speaketh of manie thinges may persuade First that he saieth Cùm statutū sit omnibus nobis wheras an ordre is taken emōgest vs all he giueth vs two thinges to vnderstande that whereas they toke suche an ordre emōgest S. Cyprians place expoundyd thē it was not ordinarily so before but accustomed rather to be otherwise or elles what neded a statute to be made to for bid a thing neuer any otherwise practised Nexte that it was but for thē only for he saieth omnibus nobis emōgest all vs. So that in other places he denieth not yea by these words he cōfesseth rather that it was otherwise And therfore you haue done lewdly and made alowde lie M. Nowel to gather of this place this generall propositiō that all appellations from the bishop of one countrie to the bishop of an other be vnlaufull Whereas this ordre being taken
only in Afrike by common Cypr. lib. 1. epist. 4. consent of the Africans was not in Spaine as appeareth by the appealing from thence of Basilides to Rome Which if it had bene vnlaufull neuer woulde S. Cyprian we may be suer haue made other exception why the sentence giuen by Stephanus the pope for his restitution shoulde not be good then this because it was giuen by him that was no iudge at all of all other the best and moste peremptory neuer would he haue obiected that it was obteined by false suggestion and wrong information which argueth the goodnes and validitie of the appellation of it selfe But what speake I of Spaine when S. Cyprian his owne labouring Li. 1. ep 3. at Rome with the pope by lettres by legates by all meanes possible that this vniust appeale might not be receaued when his counting to saile after them to conuince their lieng tongues by vndoubted and assured proufe of the truthe ought sufficiently to make faithe that seing the pope had neuer confirmed this locall statute of theirs and therby not renounced his right seing his subiectes against the ordre taken had appealed to Rome he must also nedes answere the appeale for the vnlaufulnes wherof on their partes that folowed it he alleageth here their own consent in these words omnibus nobis agreed by al vs to moue therby the rather the B. of Rome not to receiue their appeale but to remit the cause home againe Whereas you saie that S. Cyprian hathe that none but naughty and desperate men doe thinke the auctoritie of some bisshoppes to be inferiour to the auctoritie of other surely yow go about bothe to proue youre selfe S. Cyprian S. Austen and all the learned fathers of Christes church naughty and desperate men You condemne in like maner the auncient generall councelles and continuall practise of the catholike churche For who is so ignorant that he knoweth not that the bookes of the learned fathers the canōs of the auncient councells the vsage of Christes churche haue so religiously alwaies obserued this difference of bishoppes that the verie names of patriarkes primates Archebishoppes reteined allwaies and vsed in the churches are able to conuince him to be an impudent lier that shall susteine the contrary Youre selfe confesse that there be chiefe prelates in euery prouince If chiefe Ergo inferious You call him a naughty and desperate man that thinketh the auctoritie of some bishoppes to be inferiour to the auctoritie of other Yow saye the same youre selfe by graunting that there be chiefe prelates Hauing sought all the meanes that my pore witte can inuent to exempt yow from this companie of naughty and desperate men I finde no other then this that perhappes you only saye it for a shift and thinke it not in deede But if you were to be accounted naught and desperate for this yeat had you in this respecte cause to reioyce that yow were like to haue the companie of S. Austen who telleth Bonifacius the pope that in the Lib. 2. de baptism contra Donat. cap. 1. gouernement of the church he was not onely aboue him but aboue all other bishopps although the office be common to all in sitting in the highest top of the pastor all watche tower who saieth comparing together S. Petre and S. Cyprian Sed si distet cathedrarum gratia vna est tamen martyrum gloria But although betwene the grace of their seates there be difference yeat the glory of martyrdome is all one And againe comparing Innocentius the pope with Irinaeus Ciprian Hilary he hath Cum his Innocentius Romanus Pontifex consedit etsi posterior tempore prior loco With these sate Innocentius the bishop of Rome although behinde them Lib. 1. cōtra Iulian. c. 2. in time yeat before them in place Yea to comfort you the more I dare promise yow the companie of S. Cyprian him selfe For if he had not bene of the minde that some bishoppes are inferiour to other in iurisdiction althoughe not in the substance or nature of bishoply ordre woulde he haue exhorted yea and required the B. of Rome to write lettres in to Fraunce to direct them to the prouince and people of Arles wherby they shoulde depose Martianus the B. there Lib. 3. epi. stol 3. With what face could he haue done this had he thought that the auctoritie of one bishop were no greater then that of an other But here you will vrge me that it is not enough to shewe by probable coniectures that in these wordes Saint Cyprian had no suche meaning vnlesse I showe withal what was his meaning Yes verily M. Nowell it were enough for me to proue that the sense which you giue to these wordes of his coulde not be true but for their sakes who desire to knowe not onely what is false but what is all so true I will open that pointe to This is therefore by this epistle of S. Cyprian moste euident that these naughty men who complained vpon S. Ciprian at Rome went first before they toke their iourney to Rome in to Numidia and there ioyned them selues to certeine hereticall bisshoppes of whome Fortunatus was made a bishop and so by reason that none were made bishoppes that stode excōmunicate it must nedes be that he was by them first absolued These hereticall bishoppes of Numidia these wicked subiectes of his owne who demaunded helpe and complained where they ought not he calleth by the name of a fewe lost and desperate men who had attempted and done so manie thinges to the derogation of the auctoritie of their owne primate and submitted them selues to the vnlaufull auctoritie of heretical and schismaticall bishoppes quasi minor videatur esse authoritas episcoporum in Africa constitutorum As though the auctoritie seme to be lesse of the African bishoppes then of those of Numidia we must supplye who toke vpon them to defende and mainteine Fortunatus and his felowes condemned in Africa before By which is ment Africa the lesser wherein Carthage stoode from which Numidia was a distincte prouince whereas yow M. Nowell take Africa for the whole as it is counted the thirde parte of the worlde pretending as thoughe no one bishop of the other two partes of the worlde had more auctoritie then the bishoppes of Africa Excepte this be the meaning of the place you can not excuse S. Cyprian of being contrary to him selfe as by the auctoritie acknowledged by him in the pope in Fraunce in Spaine in Carthage as you haue hearde as by the calling in this verye epistle the churche of Rome the mother churche and roote of the catholike churche it dothe manifestly appeare Whiche of so graue an auctor is not to be thought To conclude therefore S. Cyprian dothe not here forbid all appellations from a bishop of one countrie to the B. of an other He saieth not that all bishoppes be of like auctoritie that none but naughtie and desperate men doe thinke the auctoritie of some bishoppes to
the lacke of his visible presence by appointing as in well one in his steede to the behooffe of the whole churche as of particuler churches For this one heade lest any man might cauill that he might erre and drawe all after Lucae 22. him Christ him selfe prayed saieng in the gospell to Peter whome he left in his place to be that heade I haue praied for the that thy faithe maye not faile We may not doubte therfore but that he obteined his petition We haue no cause to doubte considering that hetherto all other apostolicall seates and moste famouse churches of the worlde as Antioche Alexandria Hierusalem Constantinople hauing perniciously erred in the faithe and being quite ouerthrowen this onley seate of the chiefe heade of Christes churche the churche of Rome I meane against so manie wicked Emperours openly assaulting it so many De vtilit credendi ad Hoaorat Cap. 17. subtile heretikes craftily vndermining it and barcking rounde about it as S. Austen saieth so manie meanes inuented to bring it to defende euill and perniciouse doctrine hathe in all these difficulties continued allwaies and by goddes grace euer shall continue pure and vnspotted Beside this to stoppe all youre starting holes at once nowe for hereafter yow can not saye that by this reason of mine whereby I go about vpon the necessitie of one heade in euerie diocesse to proue the like ouer the whole churche it shoulde folowe aswell that there ought to be ouer all the kingdomes of the worlde one chiefe king or emperour because as I saide once before all the kingdomes in the worlde meete not together by goddes ordinaunce in one kingdome as all the churches doe in one churche Which if they did off necessitie they shoulde being one bodye haue one heade And therfore in this case I Lib. de vnitate eccles Cap. 12 maie saye with S. Austen Nèque enim quia in orbem terarrum plerunque regna diuiduntur ideo Christiana vnitas diuiditur Neither because kingdomes for the moste parte be diuided through the worlde therefore is Christian vnitie diuided also And yeat this is the thing that M. Nowell laboureth to bring to passe that because there be many kingdomes and consequently many kinges there shoulde be many churches and so many rulers of the churche or goddes apointment of gouerning the worlde by many kinges made frustrate and so no mo kingdomes then there be churches Thus I haue showed yow M. Nowell howe this place of S. Cyprian maketh for my purpose referring those wordes Neque vnus in ecclesia ad tempus sacerdos ad tempus iudex c. Neither that there is one prieste and one iudge acknowledged in the churche in the steede of Christe for the time to the proufe of the necessitie of one heade ouer the whole churche by an ineuitable consequent taken from S. Cyprians wordes not as directly ment of the pope as you laboure to make men beleue spending manie wordes here in vaine to proue that these wordes shoulde be spoken of S. Cyprian him selfe To all the which long processe of youres I will then make answere when I shall vse the place to suche purpose as you imagine I doe Although this I will aduertise you of by the way that the case is not altogether so clere as you take it to be that this place of S. Cyprian is only to be taken as spoken of him selfe and not of Cornelius as to him that shall considre that no particuler bishop is able to staye schismes so conueniently whereas the bishoppes of diuerse prouinces be of equall auctoritie as that one bishop that hathe auctoritie ouer the whole nombre of bishoppes it can not but be manifest And yeat maie euerie man see in this place that the one bishopp of whome S. Cyprian speaketh should be suche as being obeied there shoulde be no schismes in Christes church Which can be vnderstande of no one particuler bishop but of some such one as because his auctoritie is vniuersal it will folowe that the obeing of him shall procure to the whole churche to the colleage of priestes quietnes and vnitie Againe when S. Cyprian handling of purpose this argument of the vnitie off the church telleth vs how the the diuel haleth men to heresies and schismes because they go not to the beginning of the truthe seeke not out the heade obserue not the heauenly maisters teaching and addeth immediatly that our lorde saide to Peter Thow arte Peter c. as though he woulde teache * Not as M. Iuell iuglgeth with this place in 3. his printed sermoÌ„ vs therby Matth. 18. to come to the beginning of the truthe to finde out the heade to kepe the teaching of Christ that he disposed by his auctoritie that vnitie shoulde begin of one Last of all that he holdeth not the faithe that holdeth not the vnitie of this churche that began of Petre ought not these wordes vttred to teache vs to auoide schismes be a rule to directe vs to S. Cyprians meaning in this place where he saieth that heresies and schismes rise because one iudge in the church in the stede of Christe is not obeied But leauing the defence of this interpretation to those that haue so alleaged and vnderstode the place who are able it is not to be doubted to giue good reason of their doinges I will procede to that which foloweth Concerning the Apologie wherewith I founde faulte for saing that Christe in the gouernement of his churche â—ol 38. b. 7 vseth not the ministerye off anye one generall heade c which you labour here to defende I saie that it hathe not onely committed this faulte in denieng this maner off gouernement in Christes churche the contrarie whereof S. Cyprians wordes by a necessary consequent importe but is blasphemouse also against Christe whose ordonaunce it is to haue one heade to gouerne in his steade the churche by affirming so peremptorily that it is not possible for anye man alone to be hable to susteine that office To the which two if I shoulde adde this beside that it was moste foolishely vttred first of the Apologie and nowe moste impudently defended by yow it might perhappes moue Not impossible for one man alone to gouerne the churche vnder Christe youre cholere a litle but yeat M. Nowell it is true For what man that had but a cromme of witt in his heade woulde call that a thing impossible to be done which him selfe for the space of 900. yeares can not denie to haue bene done Denye if you can that thus manie yeares the whole worlde hathe not in spirituall matters obeyed one heade the B. of Rome I presse you not nowe with the first six hundred yeares before in the which the ecclesiasticall histories and writinges of the fathers make moste euident mention that this auctoritie of one generall heade was thorough out the whole worlde acknowledged of all men To this one heade appellations were made from all partes of
40. a. 1. were bothe of one minde Therefore saie I they bothe proue the necessitie of one heade Neither care I whether S. Hierome speake in this dialogue of the B. of Rome by name or no. It suffiseth to proue my entent that as by youre owne confession S. Cypriah is of the minde that in euerye diocesse there must be one prieste and iudge in the stede of Christe whome all the rest must obeye so S. Hierome also is of the same The which being once graunted it foloweth verie well that seing for one litle diocesse a heade ouer so meane men as parishe priestes be is precisely necessarie muche more is a heade in earthe ouer all the bishoppes which haue euerie one of them so greate power ouer their owne flocke lest theye abuse the same of greter and more forcible necessitie And therefore you take greate paines to no purpose to proue that S. Hierome speaketh not of the B. of Rome but of euery other bishop the which thinge I woulde hier you to proue for me For whereas if he had spoken of the B. of Rome by name it had bene a reason grounded vpon the auctoritie of S. Hierome alone now being spoken of euerie bishop it confirmeth by reconing the necessitie of one heade particulerly in euerye diocesse the greate necessitie of the same one heade in the whole bodie of the churche by naturall reason also which proueth my purpose better then any priuate mānes auctoritie can doe If cancred malice and desire to be reuenged had not caried yow so far and fast awaye that it gaue you no leisor to loke backe to the title of the argument that is here handled youre selfe woulde sone haue perceiued howe litle it were necessarie to haue in this place anie speciall mention made of the B. of Rome Which if yow had once marcked then woulde you neuer haue gathered so foolilishely and vnlearnedly out of the argument of the dialogue fol. 40. a. 6 writen by Erasmus Liber est c. The booke is very worthye to be reade as the whiche doth conceine manie ▪ wholesom preceptes M. Nowell a weake reasoner concerning the life of bishoppes that there was nothing in the same dialogue not asmuche as one worde that is special to the B. of Rome onelye For all thoughe there be no one worde there speciall to the B. of Rome as it is not necessary that there be how shoulde yeat this auctoritie presse him that woulde maintaine the contrary and saye to you what M. Nowell I thinke your wittes faile you Maye there not be some one worde speciall to the B. of Rome in that dialogue because it conteineth manie wholesome preceptes concerning the life of bishoppes Is not the B of Rome a bishop Muche like or more foolishe then this are youre other notes gathered here and there out of this dialogue to proue that which you saie of euerye bishoppes auctoritie and to reproue my wresting as you terme it of this place to the auctority of one bishop ouer the whole church For who sence reason was first poured in to mannes heade harde euer of one that occupieth the place of a wise man a more folishe or brainesicke kinde of reasoning then is this S. Hierome speaketh in diuerse places of this dialogue of manye bishoppes because the question was whether bishoppes returning from their heresies shoulde be vnbishopped or no before they were reconciled Ergo He meant not in the place alleaged that there shoulder be one chiefe bisshoppe in the churche This semed to your self to be farre from the marke I doubte not when you promise to come nearer to the place by fol. 40. b. 22. fol. 41. b. me alleaged And therefore you bring in certeine sentences going next before to proue that which I denie not that S. Hierome speaketh of euery bishop in his owne diocesse And thereupon you conclude And therefore this whole matter is altogether impertinent to Nowell fol. 42. b. 9 D. Harding and M. Dormans purpose of one onelye heade ouer the whole churche Vnlesse M. Dorman woulde frame vs thereof this lewde argument S. Hierome saieth that euery bishop ought to haue auctoritie aboue all other priestes of his owne diocesse Ergo the B. of Rome ought to haue a preeminence peerelesse aboue all bishoppes of all diocesses and ouer the whole church thorough out the whole worlde No M. Nowell I will not reason so in this place because Dorman the argument whiche I handle forceth me not so to doe But if I had so reasoned or woulde so reason as yow thinke no man being awake wil yeat am I he that euē in my slepe M. Nowell were able to defende that argument againste yow staring with bothe youre eyes wide open vpon me And that youre selfe perceiued well inough and therefore like a tendre harted mā as lothe to breake my sweete slepe you stolle from it as softlye as you might For this being I praye you first graunted that euery bishop ought to haue auctoritie aboue all other priestes of his owne diocesse and the reason being as S. Hierome hathe here and you in making the argument guilefully left out for the auoiding of schismes I woulde infer for the minor or seconde proposition but the same reason for the auoiding of schismes dothe no lesse yea more enforce that one haue perelesse auctoritie ouer the bishops and priestes of the whole world Ergo there must be one suche heade and that by a consequent the B. of Rome who hathe euer so bene reputed and taken except you by youre deanely auctoritie haue power to appoint some other But I brought not S. Hieromes auctoritie VVhy S. Hierome was first alleaged M. Nowell to conclude so particulerly or to force it to the B. of Romes supremacy but only to proue the necessitie of one generall heade ouer Christes vniuersal churche the which no reasonable man can denie but that most effectually it dooth So that nowe youre greate musing at any man that shall to this sense alleage this place of S. Hierome maye appeare rather to procede off some dumpish melancolike vapours occupieng youre fonde and idle heade or lacke of other matter to thinke vpon then vpon any iust cause or good grounde and that also yow haue vntruly saide of me that I haue wrested this place In answering the place of S. Hierom to Euagrius you saie Nowell fo 4◠b. 18 first that he sheweth that praesbiter and episcopus a prieste and a bishop be all one by the first institution and by the lawe of God If it had pleased yow so to haue taken S. Hierome he Dorman might haue ment that the name of a prieste and the name of a bishop was all one in the vse of speche in the holie scriptures and in the sacrament of ordres but not in dignitie preeminence and auctoritie For a bishop is preferred before a prieste in iurisdiction allthough their names were once confounded Neither are all those thinges
by and by to be confounded as one in truthe and nature the names whereof be confounded Otherwise because the Apostles are in the gospell called disciples an Apostle and a disciple are all one which is well knowen not to be so Likewise though the termes of prieste and bishop were common yeat the thinges were neuer one in so muche that S. Austen making mention of the heresie of Aerius saieth Dicebat etiam praesbiterum ab episcopo nulla differentia secerni debere He saide Ad quod vult Deum haeres 57. also that a prieste ought to be distinguished from a bishop by no difference But what meane you here M. Nowell to talcke so much of the equalitie of bishoppes and priestes being a matter in this place nothing to oure purpose Or if it were seing it might be saide that euen as the olde canons as I declared before in that equalitie which is in priestehode vsed yeat In the 6. chapitre fol. 33. b. the worde Archipraesbiter chiefe prieste and ordeined suche a dignitie in the churche so there is nothing that letteth why in the equalitie of bishoppes and priestes while no one is more bishop or prieste then an other there maie How one bishop is equall to an other not be degrees notwithstanding of superioritie allthough not in the sacrament of ordres which is common to them all yeat in the execution of that power that is conferred thereby But perhappes you be of the opinion youre selfe that there ought to be no difference betwene a bishop and a prieste and therefore are the gladder to snatche occasion by all meanes direct or indirect to vtter youre minde therin Nowe foloweth vpon this grounde laied that bishoppes and priestes be by the first institution and the lawe of God one youre conclusion whereby you will make it appeare that you haue not without cause made mention of this equalitie of bishoppes and priestes So that all bishoppes which be the successours of the Apostles Nowell b. 24. be also praesbiteri that is to saie elders or priestes Whereof it foloweth also that there is an equalitie emongest all bishoppes by goddes lawe as the equall successours of the Apostles And that this is S. Hieromes minde in that place all learned men who haue reade the saide epistle doe well knowe This was not the minde of S. Hierome but is an idle Dorman phantasy of youre owne The learned knowe and to their iudgement I appeale that his minde was here to compare together the state of a prieste and a bishop in the sacrament of holie ordres common aswell to the one as to the other that so he might refell the better the errour of those who helde that deacons ought to be equall to priestes as appeareth by these wordes of his in the beginning of the epistle In this epistle ad Euagri◠Nam quum Apostolus c. For whereas the Apostle teacheth manifestly that priestes and bishoppes be one what eyleth the seruaūt * He meaneth deacons of widowes and tables arrogātly to extoll him selfe aboue them at whose praiers the bodie and bloud of Christe is made Doth not this example put in the consecrating of the bodie and bloude off Christe the whiche the poorest prieste that is hathe as good auctoritie to doe giuen hym in the sacrament of holie ordres as the pope him selfe declare that S. Hieromes minde was no otherwise to make priestes equall to bishoppes but in the only ordre of priestehode common to bothe Yea but yow will saie that the Apostles were equall in all respectes for if you saie not so you can not conclude absolutely as yow doe that all bishoppes their successours be so equall If yow saie so that is but your bare Lib. 1. contra Iouinianum saing only not by the auctoritie of S. Hierome confirmed but most plainly by the same impugned Who in one place saieth that emongest the twelue there was a heade chosen Peter by name and in an other place that Christ made Peter In cap. Marci 14. Note the cause of appointing one heade the maister of his house THAT VNDER ONE SHEPHERD THERE MAY BE ONE FAITH Which is directly against the equalitie that you build vpō But let it be graunted vnto you that the apostles were equal yeat shall not your cōclusion folow for all that For it is to be considered that in the Apostles there is a double respect which is to be weighed nowe of vs. Either we considre them as they were all Apostles or as they were bishoppes As they were Apostles they How the Apostles were all equall were all equall they had all like power to preache and teache thorough out the whole worlde As they were bishoppes and rulers of particuler churches they were all subiect to Petre the chiefe bishop of all As they were Apostles that is to saye generall legates to plante Christes faithe thorough out all the world to founde churchs to preach the word of God finally to gouerne vniuersally in all places where their should come they trāsmitted this right none of thē to their successours but only Peter who was the generall shepherd of all Which is the cause that some of the fathers namely S. Austē saie that the power giuen to Peter was giuē to him In psalm 208. in the persone of the church because it was not giuē to him alone but to all his successours to cōtinue for euer As the Apostles were bishops of particuler places their auctoritie ended not with them but wēt further to the whole church to cōtinue for euer Now to applye this to our purpose howe doe the bishoppes that now are succede the Apostles They succede them as bishoppes not as Apostles For if they succeded them so who seeth not that as the Apostles made lawes absolued excommunicated and ruled thorough out all How bisshoppes be the successours of the Apostles the worlde where so euer they came so might the bishoppes that nowe succede thē doe the like The which thing seing we finde by no recordes sith the apostles time that euer it was practised in the church and if it should it were the nexte waie to disquiet al the worlde and to fill the churche full of schismes and heresies reason it selfe dothe conuince that the ordre taken emongest the Apostles was but by speciall priuileage not appointed to continue for euer or to derogate anie thing from the generall ordre begonne in Peter and appointed to be perpetuall as long as the church shoulde endure To conclude therfore I graunte to you M. Nowell that the Apostles were equall as they were all the generall legates of Christe but not as they had their speciall bishoprikes and charges limited vnto them In which latter sense because the bishoppes that are nowe succede the Apostles in which pointe they were not equall it foloweth against you that all bishoppes be not equall Iff yow will saye that the Apostles were also equall euen in that that
schismes be taken away Thus farre S. Hierom. By which words as it appeareth that the schismes were in particuler churches so the heades of whome he speaketh were afterwarde by his minde chosen in particuler churches Thus is S. Hierome expounded by him selfe which I trust the learned will like much better then suche crooked gloses of youres as tende to no other ende but to the defacing of the graue and learned fathers as this coulde not choose but here discredite S. Hierome if in a matter of suche weight as this is he shoulde be founde contrarie to him selfe It foloweth This which was thus done afterwarde saieth S. Hierome was done rather for the honour of priestehod then for the necessitie of Nowell fol. 43. b. 4 the lawe For by the lawe of God which is first the prieste as S. Hierome saieth may doe asmuche excepting ordering only as maye the bishop but afterwarde for ordre one was placed in the highest place for the auoiding of schismes And if a prieste by S. Hieromes minde may doe as muche as a bishop I thinke also one bishop may by goddes lawe doe as muche as an other bishop Beholde here good reader in M. Nowell a singuler Dorman pointe of false and vntrue dealing which although it be with him in this booke of his and other his companions in their other doinges a thing verie common and therfore the lesse to be merueiled at yeat surelie is it in the wresting of this place of S. Hierome of all other moste euident to be perceiued For whereas S. Hierome in his Dialogues against the Luciferians hath that this ordre in the churche that the bishop confirmeth those that are Christened not the prieste was taken rather for the honour of priestehode then for the necessitie of the lawe M. Nowell to make the matter S. Hierom beelied by M. Nowell 29. probable that this ordre of hauing one heade in the church shoulde not be grounded vpon goddes worde and that there is no necessitie in it but done rather to honour priesthode applieth it to these wordes of S. Hierome to Euagrius where in expresse wordes he hathe that the appointing one to rule and gouerne the rest was to be a remedie against schismes For the better vnderstanding of this false dealing of his I shall wishe those that either haue not the worckes of S. Hierome at hande or if they haue vnderstande not them in Latine or if they doe can not so easelie turne to the place to considre them as they folowe here in this place Quôd si hoc loco quaeris quare in ecclesia baptizatus nisi per manus episcopi non accipiat spiritum sanctum quem nos asserimus in vero baptismate tribui disce hanc obseruationem ex ea authoritate descendere quod post ascensum domini spiritus Hieron in dialog aduer Lucifer sanctus ad apostolos descendit Et multis in locis idem factitatum reperimus ad honorem potius sacer dotij quam ad legis necessitatem Alioqui si ad episcopi tantum imprecationem spiritus sanctus defluit lugēdi sunt qui in viculis aut castellis aut in remotioribus locis per praesbiteros diaconos baptizati ante dormierunt quà m ab episcopis inuiserentur That is to saye But if in this place thow aske of me wherfore he that is baptised in the church dothe not receiue the holie ghost but byt he handes of the bisshop the which holye ghost we doe all affirme to be giuen in true baptisme Learne this obseruation to come of that auctoritie that after the ascension of oure lorde the holie ghost came downe to the Apostles And we finde that the same is done in manie places rather for the honour of priestehode then of necessitie of the lawe Els if the holie ghost come downe only at the praier of the bishop they are to be lamented who being baptised by priestes and deacons in litle townes or villages or places further of doe dye before they be visited by the bishoppes Hetherto the wordes of S. Hierome Nexte after the whiche because it foloweth that the high prieste must haue auctoritie peerelesse aboue all other otherwise that there will be as manie schismes in the churche as there be priestes M. Nowell thinketh that he might vnderstand both the peerelesse auctoritie aboue all other that is mentioned in the dialogue against the Luciferians and the preeminence that one had giuen to rule the rest as for a remedye against schismes spoken off in this epistle to Euagrius to be ment of onely power to confirme children or other lately baptised which because bishoppes had and priestes had not he thinketh S. Hierome should call by the name of a peerelesse power able to be a remedie against all schismes For so vnderstandeth he this place here and before fol. 41. b. 20. But nowe I praye yow let me aske of you M. Nowell when S. Hierome had saide that this obseruation that the bishop shoulde confirme and not the prieste came of this that the holie ghoste after Christes ascension came downe to the Apostles when he added Et multis in locis idem factitatum reperimus c. And in manie places we finde the same to be done rather for the honour of priestehod then necessitie of the lawe What idem what same thing constrew M. Nowell was it that was so done to honour priesthode rather then for necessitie Was not it the ministring of the Sacrament of Confirmation Doe not the wordes that folowe nexte after Alioqui si ad episcopi c. Otherwise if the holye ghoste come downe only at the praier of the bishop c. spoken to proue that there was no suche necessitie of the Sacrament of Confirmation as thoughe to them that dwelling far from the bishop and dieng before they were confirmed the holye ghost shoulde not be giuen in baptisme euidently conuince that S. Hierome ment off that pointe of preeminence that the bishop hathe aboue a prieste in ministring of this sacrament that that was not of the necessitie of the lawe c not of that power of gouernement that we dispute of But what labour I to conuince this wresting of youres to belieng and vntrue which who so euer shall reade the place can not but presently perceiue if he haue his common senses Who is so verie a dolt that when he heareth you bringing in S. Hierome prouiding for the peace of the churche that is the auoiding off schismes this souereigne remedie that the bishop of euerye diocesse maye confirme children or other lately baptised which the priestes cā not do and that there in cōsisteth his peerelesse power wil not be able to tel you that this reason procedeth from some franticke braine M. Nowell not frō the staied and graue heade of S. Hierome For what staye for schismes what remedie against heresies were it like to be tell vs I coniure you by youre wisedome that first founde out this speciall remedie if
the bishop had only this power more then a prieste that yow speake of Might not the meanest prieste in his diocesse for all this imagine and sowe emongest the people what lewde opinions he list and tell the bishop to his face if he shoulde reproue him therefore that he passeth the boundes of his office who hathe nothing elles to doe but to confirme suche as were lately baptised If this be true M. Nowell where is nowe Vnus ad tempus index vice Christi one iudge for the time Lib. 1. epistol 3. in the steede of Christe mentioned before by S. Cyprian and acknowledged by youre selfe to be the bishop in his diocesse If he be the iudge in Christes stede ouer al the rest then his power extendeth further I trowe then to confirmation For what iudiciall acte is there done in the ministring thereof Thus it appeareth howe shamefully you haue beelied S. Hierom how lewdely you haue abused his wordes to suche a foolishe sense as no learned or wise eares can abide Nowe to youre thinking that if a prieste by S. Hieromes minde may doe as much as a bishop that then one bisshop maie doe as muche by Goddes lawe as an other Isaye S. Hierom beelyed againe 30. that I thinke not but I knowe and beleue that you lye vpon S. Hierome who saieth not nor is of that minde that a prieste maye doe asmuche as a bishop For in this epistle to Euagrius he excepteth the power of making priestes in the dialogue against the Luciferians the auctoritie of ordinary confirming and in bothe the places he graunteth to one which must nedes be the bishop a peerelesse power aboue all the rest for the auoiding of schismes So that this being true you shoulde rather haue thought that one bisshop might doe as muche as an other certeine thinges excepted or elles you shoulde haue bene better ocupied to haue thought vpon some other matter I maruell M. Nowell that you harpe so muche vpon this string of making bisshoppes and priestes equall whereunto if youre Archebishoppes and bishoppes loke not in time I thinke those goodfelowe ministres shoemakers weuers tinkers broomemen coweherdes fidlers etc whome youre bishoppes haue made equall to you that be â–ª inferiour ministers yow of youre goodnes will shortly make equall to youre bishoppes and archebishoppes You procede and saye Further seing this one afterwarde chosen to rule the rest was Nowell fo 43. b. â—â— chosen as well at Alexandria as at Rome orolles where c It must nedes fall out that these wordes one chosen to rule the rest either make for no supremacie of any one bishop ouer all the churche as apperteining to euery bishop in his owne diocesse or if M. Dorman will nedes inforce a supremacie by the saide wordes he shal be inforced to confesse the saide supremacie to be common to the B. of Alexandria where S. Hierome saieth this one was chosen to rule the rest with the B. of Rome as by the other place last alleaged by M. Dorman out of S. Cyprian the saide Supremacie shoulde apperteine to the B. of Carthage c. I haue shewed so often before howe I inforce vpon these Dorman wordes a supremacie ouer the whole churche to wit not directly but by an ineuitable consequent that it is needelesse to repeate my wordes againe And therefore in thus applieng this place to my purpose there is no feare of bringing the generall gouernement ouer the whole churche to Charthage or Alexandria If yow haue no other thing to trouble yow then that yow maye be quiet and take youre rest As for that that yow saye that Christe is as muche A sclaunderouse lie 31. blasphemed at Rome as he is either at Alexandria or Carthage that is one of youre sclaunderouse lyes as they can well tell who trauailing thither heretikes and finding there more feruent deuotion then elles where with all thinges contrarie to youre sclaunderouse reportes made at home in youre sermones and writinges haue returned God be praised therefore good and perfect catholikes Of the true religion vsed in the which place as if it were not impertinent here I coulde saie muche so one thing written by S. Hierome in the praise of Rome which I doubte not but yow count emongest those blasphemies that are there you saie vsed against God I caÌ„ in no wise omitte Vbi saieth he alibi tanto studio frequenâ—ia ad ecclesias ad martyrum sâ—pulcra Hieron in proaemio 2. epist. ad Galatas concurritur Where in anie other place is there suche concourse with suche affection and nombre to the churches and sepulchres of martirs Seing that this a praise and token of deuotion for so saieth S. Hierome in this place is more in the Romaines where this frequeting of churches visiting of martyrs is so muche vsed then in other places where it is lesse yea nothing at all as at Carthage and Alexandria if there were nothing elles this alone woulde proue you a lier For euen at this daie the same deuotioÌ„ is as muche vsed at Rome as in S. Hieromes time it was and in Carthage and Alexandria where Machometans now dwel as muche frequented as it is with you and youre felowes in England S. Hierome saith expressely that all bishoppes be equall and Nowell fo 44. a. 3 none superiour and inferiour to another by goddes lawe S. Hierome saith that all bishoppes be of one priestehod Dorman and merite that is to saie no one more a bishop then an other That no one is in iurisdiction aboue or beneathe the other that he hathe in no place And yeat is this the thing that yow shoulde proue It hurteth not oure cause in case that we graunte that this place Nowell do the apperteine to the Apostles and that one was chosen emongest the Apostles them selues to haue the chiefe place that is to speake first to moderate other to staye contention and to remedie schismes Naie it maketh with vs directly who doe graunte that as emongest those 12. one was so chosen to be ruler so it is good that in euery competent nombre of priestes and cleargie 〈◊〉 be chosen likewise to be ruler If yow will be liberall M. Nowell be liberall as yow Dorman shoulde be and marre not all with a little pelting If yow will at the length yealde to the truthe that Petre was heade Lib. 1. contra IouiniaÌ„ of the other apostles confesse also with S. Hierome that it was not the Apostles doing to choose him emongest them â–ª selues Note but that it was magister bonus their good maister who chose Peter to be the heade for the auoiding of schismes Confesse that this maketh not with yow but directly against yow who mainteine that all bishoppes be equall in iurisdiction and no one aboue the other For yow deceiue youre selfe and other toe when you saie that as emongest the 12. apostles there was one aboue the rest so in euerie competent
nombre of priestes there ought to be one chiefe ruler chosen as though only Petre had bene a bishop and the other apostles pore priestes and no more Where is nowe the equalitie that you are wont to obiect to vs of the Apostles with Petre Who maketh the Apostles more inferiour to Peter you or we We saie the Apostles all of them were bishoppes in one place or other you make youre count that they were only inferiour priestes Now being all of them bishoppes and Peter by youre confession their heade Who seeth not that the ordre planted by Christe in his church is that there be one bishop for the pacifieng of schismes ouer the rest Againe if 12. persones so well instructed by the spirite of God as the Apostles were had a heade appointed ouer them for remedie against schismes what reason leadeth yow to thinke that emongest so manye â—ades as be in the vniuersall churche gouernours of particuler churches not so priuileaged with grace there maye not be the like yea greater cause to feare schismes and so consequently that there ought not to be the same remedie that is to saye one heade So that if you counte youre selfe hurt when it is proued that there ought to be one chiefe heade of Christes churche you are by graunting of this prerogatiue to S. Peter aboue the rest of the Apostles verie daungerously hurte Yea but you were prouided for all suche after clappes before I doubte not Other wise so circumspect a man as you are woulde neuer haue yealded so farre And therfore you adde And if M. Dorman vpon this graunte woulde inferre suche a Nowell supremacie of one ouer the rest of the Apostles as the pope claimeth ouer the churche S. Paule reprouing Peter more sharpely Galat. 2. to his face then is laufull nowe for any bishop to deale with the pope dothe proue that Peter had no suche supremacy One thing I must here tell you by the waie M. Nowell Dorman that in debating this matter of the auctoritie of S. Peter aboue the rest of the Apostles except you forsake S. Hierome you must forgo this example of S. Paule his reprouing of S. Peter which S. Hierome holdeth against S. Austen how truly I dispute not in this place to haue bene but a made matter betwene them that Paule shoulde reprehende and Peter suffer him selfe to be reprehendid for vsing the legall ceremonies as appeareth in the epistles written to and fro betwene them And therfore if you will be tried by S. Hierome he shoulde rather holde with this supremacie as the man who if he erred in striuing with S. Austen about this reprehending of Peter erred onely because he thought it a thing vnsemely and vnlikely that S. Paule woulde so reprehende the prince of the Apostles Which was he saieth the cause why Origen and other to stoppe the mouthe of Porphirius the heretike who laied to S. Paules charge that he was ouerbolde to reprehende Peter the chiefe of the Apostles expounded this place as he did But leauing S. Hierome and graunting that Peter was truly and in deede reprehended by S. Paule let vs examine whether suche a supremacie as is here spoken of maie not by the iudgement of the learned fathers of Christes churche stande wel inough for all this reprouing of S. Peter vsed by S. Paule I will emongest other alleage to this purpose two only S. Cyprian and S. Austen Epist ad Quintum The wordes S. Cyprian are these Naâ— nec Petrus quem primum dominus elegit super quem aedificauit ecclesiam suam c. For neither Pure whome oure lorde chose to be the chiefe and vpon whome he builded his church when he contended after with Paule about circuÌ„cision reuenged him selfe or chalenged anie thing insolently or arrogaÌ„tly in saing that he had the primacy and that he ought rather to be obeied of those that were nouices and came after Thus farre S. Cyprian With whome agreeth S. Austen as he that alleageth this verie place to proue that S. Cyprian to whose auctoritie the Donatistes leaned Lib. 2. de baptis contra Donatist ea for the baptising againe of suche as were Christened by heretikes woulde easely suffer him selfe for his humilitie being but one bishop or the doinges of his owne prouince either to be corrected by the statutes of the whole churche seing that he praised S. Peter in whome was the primacie of the Apostles for the same vertue of humilitie in suffering him selfe to be reproued of S. Paule Thus it appeareth that S. Paules resisting of S. Peter was no derogatioÌ„ to S. Peters auctoritie as the which by the confessioÌ„ of both these learned fathers remained saufe and whole notwithstanding the reprehension of S. Paule and withall that you and your fellowes M. Nowell who vse so often to the derogation of S. Peters auctoritie to cite this place of the epistle Galat. 2. to the Galathians doe shamefully abuse the same with no small iniurie to the blessed apostles bothe But yeat you fare that I haue saide nothing all this while to this that Peters supremacie was no suche as is the popes whome no man may blame what so euer he doe Yes sir the pope maie be blamed Neither doe the texte nor the glose by you here alleaged saye the contrarie And so haue diuerse good men freelie reprehended diuerse popes S. Bernard a moÌ„ke reprehended Eugenius the third more sharpely iwisse as youre selues can full well tel and therfore make much of him in that respect then euer did S. Paule reproue S. Petre. Paulus 4. was admonished by lettres writteÌ„ by one in Rome of the vnhonest behauiour of his nephues the two Caraffas He toke the aduertisemeÌ„t in good parte and banished them the courte immediatly What should I remembre the lettres written by Petrus a So to a frier also to Pius the pope that nowe is wherin he admonished him freely to take ordre that bishoppes and other inferiour pastours might be compelled Dat. Tridenti 17. Aprilis Anno Do. 1563. Nowell fol. 44. b. 24. to kepe resideÌ„ce with their charges and threatened to him vtter daÌ„nation in the iudgemeÌ„t of God vnlesse he did It foloweth not you saye that one being chosen to beruler emongest twelue that therefore one maie be also chosen to be ruler ouer all the cleargie of the worlde No more do the it that because there was one chosen of euerye one churche or diocesse to rule the reste that therefore there shoulde be one chosen to rule all bishoppes of all diocesses namely at Rome and the saide ruler to be called pope or heade of the vniuersall churche The first answere touching that one heade emongest Dorman Institut li. 4. cap. 6. Sect. 8. fol. 53. a. b the Apostles you learned of youre Maister Caluin against whome I haue proued that the consequent holdeth verye well in my first booke The argument I haue showed oftentimes howe it holdeth and last of all in the
beginning of this chapitre That that one heade shoulde be the bishop of Rome that was not to be proued here it is proued hereafter there as it should be No more doe we care for the name whether he be to be called pope heade of the vniuersall churche or by what so euer name elles so that yow acknowledge his anctoritie ouer the whole church indede Where as you saie that this kinde of collection vsed by me fol. 44. b. 3. yow haue proued by my former reasons and similitudes by my owne witnesses S. Ciprian and S. Hierome to be vaine and lewde the reader hathe now my replye in those places to yowre answere Iff to the learned it seme so then yow maye bragge As I trust I haue satisfied the sounder iudgementes there in so will I when yow perfourme youre greate promise that yow here make assaye good willing to do the like That the testimonie of LEO is authentike and proueth directly that for the whiche it was firste alleaged The 14. Chapitre To beginne with that which you note in the margent fol. 45. ◠that I haue otherwise alleaged this place then it is in all the printed bokes that yow haue sene I inferre that then you haue not sene all For you haue not sene that copie which being printed at Colon by Iohn Birckman the yonger beareth the date of the yeare off oure Lorde 1561. and readeth as I alleaged But of that yow giue me more occasion to speake hereafter Nowe to the place of LEO it selfe Yow graunte that the councell of Chalcedon called Leo of Nowell whome we nowe dispute sanctissimum beatissimum moste holye and moste blessed but with all you aske what that maketh for a. 21. his supremacie If it make not for his supremacie it is no greate matter Dorman M. Nowell For who brought it for the proufe of his supremacie I praie you let me aske you that question You playe with me here as yow did before when you brought me in solemly reasoning vpon certaine titles vsed by Vrsatius and Valens to Iulius the B. of Rome to proue his supremacie of the which notwithstanding to be applyed to that purpose as I neuer made anie mention so neuer entred there anye suche imagination into my minde Yeat bothe there then and here nowe you fight with youre owne shadowe like a tall man vnder S. Cyprians baner and count the fielde halfe wonne where there is no man to matche with yow Iff I shoulde vse yow so M. Nowell yow woulde saye and so yow might iustlye that I dreamed What suche dealing ought to be called in yow let the wise Reader iudge To the purpose why I alleaged this honourable mention made by 630 fathers assembled out of all the worlde of Leo the Pope I did it to encountre with the sclaunderouse reporte of that venimouse viper hissing oute of his donne of Geneua who when he coulde not denie that he Caluin Lib. Instit 4. cap. 8. Sect. 11. was bothe learned an eloquent woulde yeat he thought take from him that whiche is and ought in all men to be chiefely valued the name of vertue and holynesse and therefore he saieth that he was a man aboue measure desirouse of glorie and dominion This I iudged also not amisse woulde be a chiefe exception against this blessed bishop by his scholers and folowers in Englande and therefore I prouided so to arme his innocencie by the iudgement off so manie vertuouse and learned fathers as who so euer woulde hereafter depraue his name well might he shewe him selfe a maliciouse fole but the fame of Leo with wyse men he shoulde neuer be hable to empaire And surely if Leo to auaunce his owne See had taught a false doctrine the councell woulde neuer we maye be sure haue called him moste holye But that matter the fathers them selues in that certificate of theirs which they sent to him bothe by wordes and deede haue put oute of all doubte By worde Act. 3. when they called him the man to whome oure Lorde had committed the custodie of his vin yarde By deede when they desired him to ratifie and confirme their doinges But nowe you will propose youre exceptions against this testimonie of Leo in ordre and fourme of lawe and fight with me here vpon mine owne grounde First you laie for the fundatiō of youre first exceptiō that Nowell fo 45. b. 6 Borowed of Caluin li. 4. Inst cap. 8. A lie 32. it is moste euident that the epistles caried about in the names off the first auncient popes are either forged or at the leaste corrupted by their ambitiouse successours of latter time Yow proue yt to be moste euident because it is you saie easie to be perceyued As yow will hereafter by manye circumstances declare If yow neuer declare it it will neuer be perceiued It Dorman will be taken in the meane season to be but as it is a sclaunderouse lye Which youre selfe as it shoulde seme halfe suspecting graunte vnto vs that it maie be taken for Leo his owne epistle And suerlie if yow woulde not haue graunted it yow had bene muche to blame For Caluin youre Maister durst not denie it to be Leo his yea confessing that there remained true epistles of the olde bishoppes off Rome wherein the auctoritie of that See was sett furthe of which sorte saieth he are some epistles of Leo he noteth emongest other for one of them this epistle to the B. off Vbi supra Thessalonica To the which youre maister had nothing to saye but that whether the churches then beleued his testimonie Caluins vaine reprouing of this epistle of Leo. when he so aduaunced him selfe that is it quoth he in dede that is in controuersie From the which without anie further proufe why it should be in cōtrouersie he passing addeth But it appeareth that manie offendid with his ambition did also withstand his gredie desire The whiche he also affirmeth without anie proufe as though his wordes ought to haue with vs the auctoritie of epistle or ghospell Except the next sentence that folowe proue it where he mentioneth that in this epistle Leo appointed in his stede the B. of Thessalonica thorough out Gracia and other countries adioining the B. of Orleance or some other thorough out Fraunce Hormisdas B. of Hispalis to be his vicair in Spaine Against all the which he hath nothing elles to saie but that he euer graunted his cōmissions vpon this condition whiche we graunte and neuer pope denied that the metropolitanes should haue their auncient priuileages saufe and whole so muche was youre maister either more shamefast then you or lesse impudent who when he acknowledged this to be the true epistle off Leo and had as manie subtile shiftes to auoide it as yow durst yeat neuer bring into the light suche foolishe exceptions as yow doe But now let vs here you propose the first for the which you haue laied as a fundation to
leane vnto so notable a lie The first exception against this testimonie of Leo is this Nowell b. 13. No man maie be witnesse in his owne cause nor iudge Therefore Leo his testimonie brought furthe for the preeminence of his own See is not to be admitted c. This exception of youres yow proue by reason by scripture by lawe First to answere youre reason if reason theire maie be in Dorman anie so vncharitable a iudgement I saie it is false that the holiest and best men be lightly partiall in their owne matters He is neither holie nor good much lesse to be accounted amongest the holiest and best that for the bettring off his owne cause will swarue from the truthe Youre testimonie alleaged out of the ghospell is not to the purpose Ioan. 5. For that place proueth not that allwaies the testimonie that a man giueth of himselfe is false but that when a man hath to doe with aduersaries that will not otherwise beleue him as the Phariseis woulde not Christ then he must vse the testimonie of other theÌ„ him selfe Which as Leo in such case you maie be suer did so wheÌ„ the matter was so farre froÌ„ being by anie aduersarie gainesaide that he made his commission B. 25. to the bishop of Thessalonica to be in his steade thorough out Grecia and other countries adioning as he did here what nede had he there to bring anie proufes where there was at all no doubte If yow will saie that I defending the auctoritie of the pope bring Leo against yow which are the aduersaries and that therefore nowe becawse you are against Christes vicair as the Phariseis were against Christe him selfe for so doe yow confesse that you M. Nowell confesseth him selfe to reason against Leo as the phariseis dyd against Christ reason as they did although perhappes yow woulde haue bene angrie with an other that should haue saide so much so I must bring other witnesse then him except I will take the foile To that I answere that you come nowe to late with that exception if it had no other faulte For to answere you who dispute so depely oute of the lawe like one that is not alltogether ignorant therein conclusum est in causa M. Nowell sententia transijt in rem iudicataÌ„ I nede not to expounde these termes vnto you who haue the marow of the glose euen at youre fingres endes For other men who haue not atteined to such knowledge I saie that seing in Leo his time when he appointed in this epistle the bishop of Thessalonica in his steade thorough out Grecia and other countries adioining in an other place the B. of Orleance or some other thorough out Fraunce Hormisdas bishop of Hispalis to be his vicair in Spaine the churches that theÌ„ were and in to whose power the churches of this time succede excepted nothing against these doinges of his in his owne cause as you surmise but suffered theÌ„ to passe till our time the space of 1100. yeares and odde I answere I saye for replie to youre exception that had this testimonie bene being vrged by the rigour of the lawe insufficient that yeat forasmoche as the churche from that time hetherto accepted it for sufficient you come now to late to propose matter against it To make the matter by example more plaine if my auncestor a hundred yeares past in a contention betwene him and some other aboute a piece of landes woulde vpon trust of the vpright conscience of some neare kinsman of his aduersaries admit him to be a witnesse or iudge in the matter whome he might laufullie repell might I if sentence were giuen against my auncestor by the meanes of this iudge or witnesse come after the 100. yeares and excepte against the witnesse or iudge Leo speaketh not nowe M. Nowell he gaue this testimonie that the giueth 1100. yeares agoe The whole churche iustified his persone then to be bothe holie and blessed It is to late and to muche shame also for yow to starte vp now and saye the contrary Thus muche might be saied if it were true that Leo had bene witnesse or iudge in his own cause But the truthe is it is not his cause it is the cause of Christes church and of the whole ordre of priesthod For he pronouÌ„ceth for that seate vnde vnitas sacerdotalis exorta est froÌ„ whence priestly vnitie Cipr. li. 4. Epis 9. â—libi came Neither is Leo in this place more to be reiected for mainteining the supremacie of Peters seate wherein he theÌ„ sate then are the testimonies of S. CipriaÌ„ mainteining the iurisdiction of his owne bishoprike against stubborne rebelles Shall S. Hieromes auctoritie against deacons who woulde be equall with priestes be of no auctoritie because him selfe was a prieste This is not the meaning M. Nowell of the glose as greate a gloser as you be The glose meaneth that in priuate matters that concerne the pope as he is likewise How the glose brought by M. Nowell is to be vnderstande a priuate maÌ„ he shal not him selfe be iudge but in those thinges which concerne the whole bodie of the church and beloÌ„g to the ordre therof and haue no other iudge in earth it taketh not away the power of being witnesse or iudge Pighius you saye alleaged beside the decree of the pope the councell Nowell fol. 46. a. 1 of Vienna lest anie man might estemethe auctoritie the lesse as proceding from the pope in his owne case And by this yow saye it maye seeme that he thinketh the popes onelie testimonie in his owne cause not to be sufficient Pighius was neuer of that minde that you would haue him seme to be When he spake these wordes he touched Dorman the humour and noted the fashion of heretikes and therfore ex abundanti he cast in the mention of the councell of Vienna which I coulde doe also if that woulde helpe the matter and for Vienna giue yow Calcedon for 300. bringe yow 630. bishoppes that called Leo the kepar of Christes vineyard vniuersal bishop with other termes to that effect I forbare to alleage I confesse so muche in one place off a 28. my boke the notable testimonies of Clemens Anacletus Euaristus Alexander Xistus Telesphorus Pius Victor Fabianus and suche other onely because the gainesaiers might happelie haue excepted against them that because they were bishoppes of Rome they were not in that cause which was there owne indifferent witnesses How saye you M. Nowell what gather you hereof That you might laufullye take exception to them as not indifferent If you gather so you wrangle with me My wordes that went before in whiche to iustifie their persones and to shewe how vnlaufullie you shoulde doe it I called them martirs and in the whole course of their liues verie apostles doe witnesse with me the contrarie Yeat saide I that you might doe it de facto not de iure as you maie kill a man in dede but
not by lawe As fast as you saie I laied on loade of not onelie popishe witnesses but popes them selues for popes I thinke it will be harde for you to name but one beside Leo Innocentius and Gregorie the first whose sainges I alleaged And why I brought those rather then other I showed good cause I denie not yeat for all that but that euen this onely Leo I thinke is a heauier loade then yow woulde be gladde to beare That I yealded so muche at that time as to omit the testimonies of those notable popes I repent me therof By popishe witnesses you can meane no other but the fathers off Christes church and those to within the first six hundred yeares for other I alleaged none If as you would discredite A shift of M. Nowelles not hearde of before to discredite all the fathers that make for the popes auctoritie the popes because they be popes so you will discredite these auÌ„cient writers because they be popish and write for the pope then you haue founde a more neare waie I confesse then M. Iuell coulde Who alloweth all within the first 600. yeares As before for the fundatioÌ„ of this your first exceptioÌ„ you laied a false sclaunderouse lye to builde vpon so now to vnderprop the same vnder the colour off a more reasonable cause of exceptioÌ„ you bring in a feined story of Sozimus bisshop of Rome who you saie did falsefie the decrees of the Nicene councel whereupon you will conclude that neither Leo b. 3. nor anye other pope neither is to be beleued in this matter Not vnlike to the foolishe gentle woman that sware she woulde neuer loue oure Ladie more because she was a Iewe borne and the Iewes had put Christe to deathe I knowe I shall seme to manie men to digresse to far from my purpose in folowing youre rouing from the matter yeat something will I saye thereto because I knowe it to be one of the principall baites whiche suche fishers as you be M. Nowell vse to laye to bring men from the obedience of the Sea of Rome and hetherto in oure English tongue nothing hath bene answered thereto But because it is here impertinently entermedled with the answere to Leo I will first to auoide confusion ende that matter and then handle the other by it selfe Yow saye that Pighius affirmeth and I denye that the title Nowell fol. 48. a. 9 off oecumenicall or vniuersall Patriarke apperteineth to the bisshop of Rome of right and that therefore there must nedes be some erroure You report vntrulye of me M. Nowell Loke better vpon Dorman the place I reherse there the wordes of S. Gregorye who reprehended Iohn the B. of Constantinople for taking on him the name of vniuersall bishop Which title although it perteined to that Iohn in no sense and was as he affected it a prophane title and altogether mete for Antichrist yeat in that sense and meaning that it belonged to S. Gregorie in which sense onelye it is to be taken when it is applyed to the bishop of Rome I denied it not to perteine to the pope Thus doe Pighius and I agree Thus is there no errour thus goe you forwarde to encrease the numbre Lye 33. of youre lyes Yow merueile greatly that Leo woulde so ambitiously chalenge Nowell a. 14. in this epistle the same title in effect which he refused so freely offred vnto him by the whole councell c. LEO Gregorie after him Pius whiche is nowe nor Dorman anye pope that euer was before did striue about titles yow maye be suer The best title that they haue eche off them hathe bene and is to be called Seruus seruorum Dei the seruaunt of the Seruauntes of God But of this maye be merueiled more in what schole yow haue learned this manner with him that of humiltie refuseth suche titles as seme to gloriouse to deale so hardelye that because he refuseth the name he must nedes be depriued of the thinge The histories make mention that Vitellius the emperoure woulde neither be called Augustus nor Cesar Cesar refused the name of kinge Augustus and Antonius of Lordes Woulde youre wisedome haue serued yow nowe M. Nowell if you had liued in their time to denie them their Emperiall kingly and lordly auctoritie because they woulde not be called by suche names The councel is no councel where the heade is absent or â— â—0 coÌ„senteth not being present and therfore if here this coÌ„panie gathered togather in giuing this title to the pope had iudged amisse yet had not the councell erred I denie not as you saie I doe that the councell did well bothe the councell did well in offring a name mete to expresse the auctoritie which the pope had and so erred not and the bishop also well to refuse the same Except yow will saye that S. Paule when he refused the almoise and charitie off good 1. Cor. 9. men either did euell in refusing it or they euill in offring it The pope claimeth not this title no more then Leo dyd accepte it being offred Calle him by what sobre honeste name you list Graunte him the auctoritie due to him let all titles goe This is that whiche the pope claimeth and you ought not to denie This is that whiche Leo most modestly not as yow falselye terme it ambitiously chalenged to Peters seate Nowe let all reasonable men iudge hardely of the goodnesse of this exception whiche is a. 24. youre first The seconde exception that you vse against this testimonie of Leo for now yow saie yow will goe an other waye Nowell a. 28. to worke with me is that Leo saieth here vntruelye if these be Leo his wordes for that yow saye is yeat in controuersie But before you proue it yow will first aske me a question whether I haue trulye translated the place and iff I haue howe I can make these wordes in this epistle there is one dignitie common to all bishoppes to agree with these folowing there is difference of power emongest them and it is giuen to one to be aboue all the reste whose iudgement is of moste auctoritie b. 1. and howe this man is not in dignitie differing from the rest Yow doe like a wise man to goe an other awaye to worke Dorman for some men thinke you did but plaie before But I merueile why you shoulde put anie doubtes whether these be Leo his wordes or no seing that Caluin confesseth this epistle to be true and to be his To youre first question I answere that I haue translated this place trulye according to the copie printed at Colein anno 1561. To the next moued vpon this how then I can make these wordes agree one dignitie common to all and difference of power that they agree thus that allthough they haue all one dignitie of priestehode or bishoprike that yeat there is difference of power in iurisdiction If spirituall examples like yow not if you can not
perceiue this agrement at home in youre owne chapitre where being all equall in the dignitie of canons or prebendaries yeat one deane him selfe also a canon and in that respecte equall to the rest is aboue the other in power nor in youre prouince of Cauntorburie where all the bisshoppes equall in that dignitie are yeat inferiour to the Archebishop in power as youre selfe some times graunte namelie before fol. 32. a. where you vse the worde chiefe prelates of euerie prouince yeat take the paines to make a step to westminstre hall where when yow beholde the honorable iudges sitting in their places although they beequall in this dignitie that they be all the Quenes iudges yeat is there you can not denie difference of power emongest them And so haue they all one dignitie common to them allthough some of them be in superioritie aboue the other I showed yow before but it pleaseth yow that it be repeated here againe where with I am also not offendid that so the reader maie the better vnderstande youre vanitie how S. Austen Contra duas epist 〈…〉 ea 1. Tom. ◠writing to Bonifacius then pope confesseth that he and other bishoppes haue all one bishoprike common with him beholde the dignitie common but that yeat altius praesidet he sitteth higher preaeminet celsiore fastigio speculae pastoralis he is aboue the rest in the higher top of the pastorall watche tower And what is this but in one dignitie difference of power whilest other bishoppes sit beneathe and loke onely euerie one to his owne flocke and he that sitteth aboue hathe power to ouerloke all This Iarre as yow call it is framed M. Nowell Yow maie now when it shall please yow doe this greate acte that you speake of that is proue Leo vntrue by two witnesses against one Although this M. Nowell calleth Leo thiefe by crafte I can not passe ouer in silence that where yow call Leo suche a witnesse as if a man shoulde aske youre felowe whether yow be a thiefe or no you liken and resemble him in those wordes to a thiefe whome the whole councell of Calcedon B. 24. as youre selfe confesse called moste holye and moste blessed yow sclaunder him whome they reioised that God had Allocutione Calcedon Concil ad Martianum Imp. prouided for his churche an impregnable defendour against all errours whome they called their heade and the kepar of oure Lordes vineyarde Youre venimouse and virulent tongue hath not spared him being deade whome Attila that cruell In Relatio Synod ad Leon. barbarouse tyrant he whome the worlde called flagellum dei the scourge of God durst not touche being a liue Paulus Diaconus an approued historiographer maketh mention Lib. 5. de Gestis Rom. that when hauing now spoiled Thracia Illiricum Macedonio Moesia Achaia Graecia Hungarie Germanie he was entred with like furie into Italie and had taken euen the high waie to Rome to sacke and destroie that this holye bishop and vertuouse olde man Leo accompanied as some saie with one Consul and parte of the Senate met him in the waye To whome after he had made a verie shorte but pithy oration to this effect to shewe mercy to the citie off Rome the cruell monstre without anie furder hurte doing reculed backe graunted to the bishop euen as he had wished before and confessed after to those that were nearest aboute him merueiling at and demaunding the cause of this sodeine chaunge of his minde that it was not for the feare of his persone who came vnto him but of an other reuerent olde man standing by him in priestly habite who threatened him terribly with a sworde ready drawen vnlesse he accorded to all thinges that he shoulde require Now considre you good readers what maner of man he is that raileth thus vpon suche a father as Leo was and thinke what it is that he will take conscience in the doing or saing who is not ashamed to diffame the chiefe man in his time of all the worlde But nowe let vs see how yow proue Leo to be vntrue Yow saye that he dissentith first from S. Cyprian and next Nowell fo 49. a. 23 from S Hierome From S. Cyprian because he is of the minde that controuersies shoulde be determined in the place where they doe arise and that this sentence of his and that no appellations shoulde be made to anie B. of an other prouince yea and that namelie not to the B. of Rome nor that he shoulde sende anie legates Laterall to heare or determine forraine matters doth the whole councell of Carthage where in was S. Augustine Orosius and Prosper confirme Youre allegation out of S. Cyprian is of no effect Dorman because yow belye him He speaketh not there against laufull appellations but onelie that criminall causes shoulde be iudged at home And so the pope allwaies obserueth He calleth not the witnesses to Rome from farre countries but delegateth a legat to the prouince where the cōtrouersie is The thing that specially grieued here S. Ciprian was that these desperate men of whome he speaketh ran to certeine Numidian bishoppes to be reconciled of them Of the B. of Rome that he neuer ment to diminish his auctoritie his sending a messenger to Rome to purge him selfe and prosecute the matter against those naughty mē with other diuerse arguments and cōiectures mētioned before in the 11. chap. doe well witnesse Of the 6. African councell because it dependeth vpon the matter of Zosimus I shall in the nexte chapitre entreate S. Ciprian you saye applieth manie suche places of the scriptures Nowell 49. b. 3. as are customably alleaged for the popes supremacie ouer all bishoppes to the declaration of the equall auctoritie of euerie bisshop in his owne diocesse The places brought by S. Cyprian are alleaged to persuade Dormen obedience to those that be heades and gouernours The graunting of one chiefe heade ouer all diminisheth not the auctoritie of inferiour bishoppes who in respecte of the priestes and people vnder them are in their diocesses the high priestes and princes of the people And thus muche doth Leo graunte in this epistle him selfe Therfore hetherto there is no Iarre betwene S. Cyprian and him You bring the place of S. Cyprian in his boke De simplicitate praelatorum or as the truer copies reade De vnitate ecclesiae to ouerthrowe Leo. The which place because youre selfe haue pitefully mangled as one that was not ignorant how euell it woulde haue serued youre turne without some helpe of youre accustomed squaring I will take the paines to alleage it trulie for you The wordes are these Et quamuis Apostolis omnibus post resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuat dicat Sicut misit me pater ego mitto vos accipite spiritum sanctum Si cui remiseritis peccata remittentur illi si cui tenueritis tenebuntur tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem originem ab vno incipientem sua auctoritate
there neadeth no other heade then Christe which is in heauen Whiche if it had bene so what nede was there that Christe shoulde appointe a mortall man to that office as here it appeareth he did Peter To this moste shamelesse mangling and mutilating of this and other lyke places of the fathers vsed by you and youre fellowes I saye as S. Cyprian in this verie place saieth to such like craftes men that vsed so to alleage thinges to their vauntage in his tyme. Corruptores euangelij atque interpretes falsi extrema ponunt superiora praetereunt partim memores partim subdole corrumpentes Vt ipsi ab ecclesia scissi sunt ita capituli vnius sententiam scindunt That is to saie The corrupters of the ghospell and false interpretours take that which commeth behinde and leaue out that which goeth before partly mindefull partly craftely corrupting As they are them selues cut from the churche so deuide they the meaning The answere to the place of S. Cyprian of one sentence Thus muche of youre falsehode in alleaging this place Nowe to the place I answere that S. Cyprian sayeth not that Christe gaue like power to his Apostles in all respectes absolutely but determineth particulerly wherein this equalitie dothe consist as in being sent to preache thorough out all the worlde as Christ was sent by his Father in power of forgiuing sinnes Which power being giuen to them streight vpon Christes resurrection and being common to them as they were all the generall legates of Christe thorough out the worlde derogateth nothing by S. Cyprians minde from that speciall auctoritie that Christe departing out of this worlde gaue to Peter to continue And therefore to shewe that this was his meaning euen as before S. Hierome after the like equalitie mētioned Cap. 13. in the Apostles concludeth that notwithstanding that Peter was chosen to be the heade emongest them so dothe here S. Cyprian after the generall rule that they had all like power adde as an exception from the rule the same that S. Hierome hath in other wordes Tamen vt vnitatem c. yeat to make vnitie manifeste he disposed the beginning thereof by his auctoritie to begin of one Thus much maye suffice to satisfie youre wondring M. Nowell with what face I haue bene so boulde and busye with S. Cyprian To the place of S. Hierome which you bring also to fol. 50. a. 9. b. 6. proue that the dignitie of a bishop is not estemed by the greatnesse of his diocesse or citie and that all be equall in office I saie that it is true that the dignitie of a bishop dependeth not vpon the greatnesse of his diocesse but it is false that there be no degrees in the office of a bishop That yow bring Erasmus to proue it it forceth not For he is with Catholikes of no more auctoritie thē Pighius is with yow That betwene S. Cyprian Hierome and Leo there is no disagrement The 15. chapiter Yow are now come to the comparing of the sainges of S. Cyprian and S. Hierome with the testimonie of Leo bearing witnesse yow saye to him selfe The which you compare firste after this sorte Leo saieth In the holie Apostles them selues there was a difference Nowell b. 8. of power and that it was geuen to one to be aboue all the rest On the contrarie parte S. Cyprian saieth the Lorde gaue like and equall auctoritie to all his apostles all the Apostles be indewed with like felowship both of honour and power Neither are Leo his wordes trulie alleaged neither yeat Dorman S. Cyprians Leo sayeth that inter beatissimos Apostolos False dealing in alleaging the wordes of Cyprian and Leo. in similitudine honoris fuit quaedam discretio potestatis emongest the blessed Apostles in likenesse of honour there was a certeine difference of power quum omnium par esset electio vni tamen datum est vt coeteris praeemineret And whereas they had all one calling yeat it was giuen to one to be aboue the rest S. Cyprians wordes are that although oure Lorde after his resurrection gaue all his Apostles like power behold the likenesse of honour that Leo speaketh of c. yeat to make vnitie knowen he disposed by his auctoritie that it should begin of one Lo here quaedā discretio potestatis that certeine difference of power acknowledged by S. Cyprian that Leo mentioneth What iarring is there here M. Nowell their wordes being trulie alleaged Naie what swete consent is there betwene these two learned fathers Leo saieth there was emongest the Apostles a likenes of honour but yeat a certeine difference of power he saieth their calling or election was like but yeat giuen to one to be aboue the rest Doth not S. Cyprian saie the same when first in their election to be sent into all the worlde to preache then in the power of remitting sinnes he maketh them equall and yeat in adding afterwarde this particle tamen but yeat he noted a certeine difference of power this forsoth that vpon one of them the beginning and verie fundation of vnitie should be laied notwithstanding all the equalitie otherwise Is this true dealing M. Nowell thus to bring in M. Nowell mangleth the wordes of Leo and S. Cypriā to make them disagree mangled at youre pleasure the sainges of the fathers to deface them to the worlde as here yow doe by taking from the wordes of Leo this particle quaedam making him to seme the more to differ from S. Cyprian and cutting from S. Cyprian those wordes that vnitie should begin of one conteining that certeine difference in likenes of honour that Leo speaketh of Yow saie that S. Cyprian hath this in his boke De simplicitate praelatorum noting them as double faced prelates that teache or attēpt to make one bishop aboue an other The true title of the boke is De vnitate ecelesiae of the vnitie of the churche as to him that shall reade it maie easly by the contentes thereof appeare Yow are therefore a double faced or manie headed prelate that for one chiefe heade giue vs so manie You procede in youre cōparison and saie that Leo hathe out of this fourme is taken oure difference of bishops that in euerie prouince one be Dorman chiefe and of most auctoritie and the bishop of greter cities to haue greater care and consequētly that he that sitteth in Peters chaire should haue charge and be head of the vniuersal church Thus you say Leo saieth because he him selfe wold be Lord and head ouer all the church wheras S. Cyprian on the other side saieth Euerie bishop hath his seuerall portion of Christes flock to rule and gouern c. that those who are vnder the charge of the B. of one coūtrie may not appeale to a bishop of an other for that the auctoritie of one bishop is not inferiour to an other nor the auctorite of the B. of Afrike is lesse then the auctoritie of the bishopps of
Italie or Rome it selfe for his wordes haue euidentlie that relation and that none thinke the auctoritie of one bishop to be lesse then the auctoritie an other but a few wicked and desperate men You were driuē to the wall M. Nowell when you were forced Dorman for a pore shift to say that Leo said as he did because he wolde haue bene lord and heade ouer the church S. Cipriā saith that euerie bishop hath his seuerall portion The same saieth Leo. Leo saieth that the charge of the vniuersall church must Lib. 1. ep 3 haue recourse to Peters chaire S. Ciprian saieth not the cōtrarie Yea so saieth S. Ciprian toe calling Rome matricem the mother church And whither should children I pray you haue recourse for succour but to their mother He saith not that the subiecte of one bishop may not appeale to an other Lyes that is one lie He saieth not that the cause determined by one bishop may be called before no other that is an other lie He maketh no comparison as you say he doth betwene the bishoppes of Afrike Italie and Rome behold the third lye He saieth not that none but a fewe wicked and desperate men thinke the auctoritie of one bishop to be lesse then the auctoritie of an other which if he shoulde youre selfe were like by that meanes to be of the nombre of such desperate and wicked men who before acknowledged chiefe prelates a worde that presupposeth other that be inferiour and fol. 32. 2. be cōtrarie to him selfe as I proued before by his writing to Steuen the pope wherby he required him to take ordre by his lettres for the remouing from his bishoprike Martianus the B. of Arles and by that that him selfe sent to Rome to Cornelius to trie the matter before him with those euill mē that complained vpon him there by his excepting againste the sentence giuen by the pope for the restitution of Basilides for no other cause but because it was obteined by false information All which exāples doe not only proue that he was not of the minde that no one bishop was aboue an other but this also that the B. of Rome was of greater auctoritie then the bishoppes of Fraunce Spaine or Afrike Hetherto of the disagrement betwene S. Ciprian and Leo which by this time all men I trust perceiue to be no suche as you vaunted it was yea to be none at all but suche consent rather as in diuerse wordes there can not be greater It foloweth that we examine how Hierome and Leo agree S Hierome yow saye hath that all churches worshipping one Nowell fo 51. a. 10 Borowed out of Caluin Inst. lib. 4 cap. 7. Sect. 3. Christe and obseruing one rule of truthe are equall with the churche of Rome that all bishoppes be the successours of the Apostles and of one priestehod and of the same merite and dignitie But Leo saieth contrarie that it was giuen to one to be aboue all the rest and that they who be in greater diocesses or cities haue more care and auctoritie and that the onelie see of Peter hath charge of the vniuersall churche and is heade thereof Yow belye S. Hierome He saieth not that all the churches Dorman A lye 38. in the worlde be equall If he did he shoulde saie contrarie to Irinaeus who saieth that the churche of Rome hath potentiorem principalitatem greater souereintie then other churches haue contrary to S. Cipriā who calleth Rome the Li. 1. cap. 3 Lib. 1. ep 3. mother churche the roote and principall churche and contrarie to S. Austen who calleth it the churche in the which the principalitie of the apostolicall see hath allwaies florished Epist 162. He saieth that Christes church is not diuided * Nec altera Romanae vrbis ecclesia altera totius orbis existimanda as thoghe Rome were one and the whole worlde an other As for that that he saieth that all bishoppes be the successours off the apostles those wordes make merueilously for the opinion of Leo against you For vpon that proposition of S. Hierome I reason thus All bishoppes be the successours of the Apostles but the Apostles were not all equal because as S Hierom saith Peter was their head Ergo by S. Hieromes minde all bishoppes who be their successours be not equall but haue the successour of Peter their heade Againe Peter was heade of the Apostles and made because there shoulde arise no schisme emongest them Ergo the B. off Rome who is Peters successour must be heade of his felowe bishoppes for the same cause These two propositions that there was emongest the Apostles one heade and that that was Peter be S. Hieromes owne in his first boke against Iouinian The wordes although I rehersed before yeat because they perteine not onelie to this matter but to shewe also how these thre Ciprian Hierome and Leo mete and knit as it were together in this sentence that Christ appointed ouer his church one generall heade I will recite once againe The wordes therfore of S. Hierō to Iouiniā be these At dicis super Petrum fundatur ecclesia licet idipsum in alio loco super omnes apostolos fiat cuncti claues regni coelorum accipiant ex aequo super eos ecclesiae fortitudo solidetur tamen propterea inter duodecim vnus eligitur vt capite constituto schismatis tollatur occasio That is to saie But thou saiest The churche is builded vpon Peter although the same in an other place be done vpon all the Apostles and all of them receiue the keyes of heauen and equallye is the strength of the churche grounded vpon them yeat for all that is there one chosen emongest the twelue that by making a heade emongest them occasion of schisme maye be taken awaye See yow not nowe by this place of S. Hierome M. Nowell howe the equalitie of power that S. Cyprian speaketh of the similitude of honour and equalitie of calling that Leo remembreth the building of the churche in one place vpon all the Apostles indifferentlie that S. Hierome mentioneth notwithstanding they all three conclude in one maner with this worde tamen notwithstanding that the churche was builded vpon one that there was one heade that there was one preferred before the reste This place of S. Hierome as it vtterly stoppeth their mouthes who reason that the Apostles were absolutely in all pointes equall so confirmeth it moste strongly the answere made before to the place of S. Ciprian that the Apostles were all of equall power and auctority that that was true at the first but Ioan. 20. that after oure Lorde last before his ascension gaue the Ioan. 21. chiefe auctoritie to one in respecte as one was chosen from the rest vpon whome the churche shoulde be builded S. Hierome saieth that al bishoppes are of one priesthode and of the same merite you plaie the falsefier and adde of youre owne and of the same dignitie The gentlewoman
venerable memorie suerlie you haue with the better sorte not a little empaired youre estimation to vse suche cancred wordes and father them falselie vpon the councell But not staing here nor contentid onelie to haue saide this yow charge him further with the mainteining of one Apiarius against his fo 46. b. 19. bishop called Vrbanus This is a maliciouse surmise of youres M. Nowell and hath no grounde Yow saie that Zozimus pretended that it was decreed at Nowell fol. 46. b. 12. Nice that the B. of Rome shoulde be the chiefe iudge aboue all other bishoppes and that it shoulde be laufull for anie man vnder anie other bishop to appeale to the B. of Rome as to the highest iudge ouer all ecclesiasticall persones Yow haue made two lyes at once For first whereas Dorman to make men beleue that the Africanes acknowledged no maner of iurisdiction in the B. of Rome yow feine the state of the cawse betwene the pope and the bishoppes of Africa to haue bene that he pretended a decree of the councell of Nice to be chiefe iudge aboue all other bishoppes as though the Africanes had denied that and not stoode rather vpon this pointe to limite and restreine his auctoritie in matters criminall and causes of correction that is one spitefull lie As to them that considre howe in matters concerning A lye 41. faithe the Africanes submitted their doinges against August epist 90. Prosper lib. contra Collator cap. 41. Pelagius and Celestius the heretikes to Innocentius and this verie councell to Zozimus the popes by them to be approued how they required Innocentius to cite to Rome Pelagius the heretike being then in the Easte so farre from Rome it is a thing moste euident So that to alleage this facte of the Africanes truly helpeth nothing youre cause at all as by a familier example of oure owne countrie maie be proued vnto you It is not vnknowen that there be some places in Englande so priuileaged that for contractes made within those places they can be called frō thence to none of the kinges courtes yeat ceasse they not therefore to be the kinges subiectes Nowe if the Africanes pretended that they were not to be called out of their owne countrie to Rome for suche causes as seemed to them reasonable namely as they them selues alleaged because it was a combrouse thing to call witnesses for euerie thing by daunger of sea to Rome yeat woulde they not hereby take awaye his auctoritie and withdrawe their whole obedience The seconde lye is that the B. of Rome shoulde pretende that it Concil African cap. 105. A lie 42. shoulde be laufull for anie man vnder any other bishop to appeale c. That this is a lye the epistle written by the bishoppes of Africa to Bonifacius the pope dothe manifestly shewe in the which they making mention them selues of such pointes as were conteined in the popes lettres saie that the thirde was de tractandis praesbiterorum diaconorum causis apud finitimos episcopos si a suis excommunicati perperā fuerint of pleading the causes of priestes and deacons before the nexte bishoppes if they were vniustly excommunicate by their owne Is this nowe sincere dealing M. Nowell to saie that the pope pretended that any man vnder any other bisshop might appeale to him whereas here appointing the priestes and deacons to the bishoppes of their owne countrie he releaseth all suche right But hereoff I shall haue anon more occasion to speake when I come to that place where you charge the councell of Africa with making a decree against sailing ouer the sea with controuersies or appellations to the B. of Rome In the meane season I will returne to the accusation put in by you against Zosimus Seing M. Nowell you haue for your parte done what you are hable to proue Zozimus a falsefier and can not I will for the iustifieng of his innocencie proue by suche meanes as a negatiue maie be proued the contrarie that he is no falsefier First I saie therefore that this canon of the councell of Nice was not onelie alleaged by Zozimus but if not before Zozimus was borne yeat surelie almost 100. yeares before he was euer pope by Athanasius B. of Alexandria by all the bishoppes of Aegipt Thebais and Lybia Who writing to Felix the pope make expresse mention thereof not by heare saye but of their owne certeine knowledge as they that were present at the making thereof Their wordes are these Nam scimus in Nicaena magna Synodo c. For Epist Athanasij et Aegipt pontific ad Felicem de in festat Arianorū we knowe that in the greate Synode of Nice where were 318 bisshoppes it was of them all by one consent confirmed that neither councelles shoulde be holden nor bishoppes condemned without the B. of Rome his sentence that these and many other verie necessarie synodicall chapitres are burned and taken from vs * The heretikes burned the canons of the councell of Nice by heretikes which dailie molest vs and seke oure destruction that they maie thereby the easelier entrappe vs. VVhereupon hauing founde occasion all canonicall and Apostolicall auctoritie indifferently contemned they driue vs vnlaufullie * An absurditie to depriue bisshoppes vvithout making the pope priuey therto without making you priuey thereto from oure owne bishoprikes inuade the shepe committed vnto vs from Christe * The apostolicall seate maketh bisshoppes by the Apostolical grace and depriue vs of oure degrees To Marcus who was bishop of Rome before Felix they write for the true copie of the councel they make expresse mention of 70. canons that were there by their owne knowledge agreed vpon Marcus writeth againe his epistle is to besene that he hath not onelie enquired out the truthe of those canons of suche aboute him as were also present at the saide coūcell but by searching the recordes of Rome had founde all things to be as they had written in their lettres Nowe ioine these two lettres of Athanasius together M. Nowell with the answere made by Marcus and crie shame to youre selfe that haue so iniuriouslie diffamed this blessed bishop as with the crime of forging a decree which Athanasius and all the bishoppes of Aegipt Thebais and Libia testifie by their lettres to haue bene trulie made almost a hundred yeares before his time in the coūcel of Nice where they were present Cōferre now the testimonie of the bishops of Africa with the witnesse that Athanasius and the other bishoppes of the easte giue to this matter The one parte saieth they could finde no such canon in the copies that were sent from Constantinople and Hierusalem and no maruell the canons being burned as Athanasius saieth so long before The othersaieth it was in the copie sent from Nice to Rome The one parte denieth not but such a canon might be elles where The other saith there was suche a one and sheweth that it with other were burned by the Arrians
together stande in some stede You go forwarde and saye For the which it pleaseth D. Harding to call the Aricans emongest Nowell ◠25. whom S. Austen Orosius and Prosper with manie other learned and godly bishoppes were schismatikes as those that submitted not their neckes to the pope and folowing Hosius his auctor he saith that Africa cōtinued in this schisme 100. yeares to wit from Boniface the first to Boniface the seconde M. Doctour Harding neuer mentto inuolue S. Austen Dorman Orosius or Prosper in anie schisme with the Africanes For as at this councell it appeareth not in the recordes thereof that Orosius who neuer was bishop but only a prieste and therfore could giue no definitiue voice in the councell that cōsisted of only bishoppes or Prosper either were present so is it more then probable that S. Austen who to the first epistle sent to Bonifacius gaue his consent and subscribed with other wherein they protested to obserue all thinges demaunded by the pope till they coulde get from the Easte the true copies of the councell of Nice it is I saie more then probable that forasmoche as in this latter epistle to Celestinus no mention is made of him at all notwithstanding that he was legat for Numidia his name so famouse his bisshoprike so greate that he sawe in the meane season so muche right in the bishop of Romes cause and so little in the other allthough by no meanes their doinges tended to the vniuersall abrogating of the popes auctoritie that he refused so muche as to put his name or suffer him selfe to be named in those lettres of theirs So that before yow had charged M. D. Harding thus odiously you ought to haue proued that suche a decree was made in the African councell and haue noted to vs the canon then that Orosius and Prosper were present at the making thereof and gaue their consentes therto Last because yow seing that the decree of the councell was not to be founde referred youre selfe to the epistle written to Celestinus yow shoulde haue tolde vs in what wordes there the mention of this decree laie hidden and proued allthough S. Austens name be not there mentioned that yeat he consented therto Againe M. Nowell whē this matter betwene the B. of Rome and the Africanes began first to be called in question it was entreated with suche humilitie and submission by the Africanes as appeareth by this epistle to Celestinus that they coulde by no meanes be accounted schismatikes Afterwardes in dede the matter grewe so farre that it burst out in to open schisme and so continued to the time of Boniface the 2. To the which schisme that euer S. Austen Orosius or Prosper consented or any other good catholike prieste or bishop yow shall neuer be able to proue And so this lye with that houge Lye 43. heape of all the rest remaineth with you and the truth with vs. But because you bragge as you doe of the companie of S. Austen and Prosper and sclaundre them to the worlde to be schismatikes I will in defence of their innocency alleage out of their workes so muche as shall I trust with the better sorte suffice for their purgation Who is it I praie you M. Nowell that saieth of the church of Rome that in it the principalitie of the apostolike chaire hathe August epist 162. euer florished Who calleth Bonifacius the same in whose time this controuersie was moued the bishoppe that hathe Lib. 1. contra 2. epis Pelag. ca. 1 the preeminence in the bishoply care aboue all other Who calleth the See of Rome alluding to the wordes of Christe in the Psalm contra partē Donat. gospel the rock which the proude gates of hell shal not ouercome Who but S. Austē whom you be not here ashamed to matche with your selfe as thinking of the pope and See of Rome as heretically as you doe To come to Prosper when you here him acknowledg that Zozimus of whom all this talke riseth added to the decrees of the African councelles sententiae suae robur the strength and force of his sentence Lib. contra Collatorem cap. 41. that with Peters sworde to the cutting of of wicked men he armed the right handes of all bishoppes for so are his wordes in Latine ad impiorum detruncationem gladio Petri dexteras omnium armauit antistitum When you are not ignoraunt if you knowe anye thinge that the same Prosper saieth Lib. contra Collatorem cap. 10. that the holye See of Rome spake to all the worlde by the mouthe of Zozimus Will you not for shame call backe againe that wretched sclaunderouse lye off youres that Prosper shoulde be touching the bishoppe of Rome of the same minde that yow are Was Zozimus taken off Prosper to be a corrupter and falsarye a countrefeite catholike and in deede a false schismatike from Christe and the truthe as youre venimouse tongue hath not feared to pronounce of him Is fier more contrary to water then is this iudgemēt of youres to that of Prospers for his vertue and auctoritie You pretend that the fathers of the coūcel of Carthage would barre Zozimus of al auctority Prosper telleth vs that so much he was estemed of them that they had the strength of his sentence added to their decrees as muche to saye as to confirme and alowe them You call him a corrupter a falsarie a countrefeite catholike a false schismatike Prosper calleth him one that armed the right handes of al bishoppes with Peters sworde to cut of wicked mē from the rest of Christes mistical body the church You restreine his power to Rome Prosper confesseth that by his mouthe the See of Rome spake to all the worlde If this be not more then impudencie good reader in M. Nowel then what is impudencie I confesse I know not But acknowledged Prosper this auctoritie in Zozimus onely no verilye For in Celestinus to whome this epistle here mentioned was sent from the African bishoppes he witnesseth that there was suche power that he cured the Iland The pope meddled in England Scotland Fraunce and in the East off Britannye infected with Pelagius heresie that he ordeined Palladius bishoppe ouer the Scottishe men that with the Apostolicall sworde he aided Cirillus the B. of Alexandria to purge the churches of the East of a double plague the Nestorians and Pelagians that in Fraunce he put them to silence who reported euill of S. Augustins writinges Finally to them that reiected certeine bookes of S. Augustins vpon pretence that they were not allowed by the pope he answered An exception in the primitiue churche againste bookes that they were not allowed by the Pope Ibid. ca. 43 in this wise Agnoscāt calumniatores superfluò se obijcere quòd his libris non speciale neque discretum testimonium si◠perhibitum quorum in cunctis voluminibus norma laudatur Apostolica enim sedes quod a praecognitis sibi non discrepat cum praecognitis probat
quod iudicio iungit laude non diuidit That is to saie Let these wranglers knowe that they obiect superfluously that there is no speciall nor seuerall testimonie giuen to these bookes the rule and doctrine whereof is praised in all bookes * Note For the Apostolicall See alloweth with those bookes that it knewe before those that differ not from theÌ„ and those which it ioyneth together in iudgement it seperateth not in praise Nowe to conclude M. Nowell are you no otherwise a schismatike thinke yow then S. Augustine and Prosper I woulde to God ye were not Then woulde you acknowledge with S. Augustine a preeminence in the B. of Rome aboue other bishoppes the seate of Rome to be suche as hell gates shall not preuaile against it Then woulde you submit to the pope your doinges to be alowed as bothe S. Augustine and the whole councell of Afrike did then woulde you extende the iurisdiction of that See to England Scotland Fraunce and to the Easte churches Then woulde you confesse that the B. of Rome for the time being is the mouthe to speake to all the worlde and beareth the sworde of Peter to cut of wicked men to helpe and arme the good For all these thinges doe S. Austen as hathe bene declared and Prosper acknowledge Whereby appeareth howe shamefully you haue sclaundered them with the maintenauÌ„ce of your schismaticall and erroniouse opinions concerning the See of Rome To S. Augustine Orosius and Prosper you ioyne the patriarkes of Alexandria and Constantinople Cirillus and Atticus But why them I praie you M. Nowell Because in those canons that they sent there was no mentioÌ„ of that which the B. of Rome alleaged I graunte you for they were burned by the Arrians as by the reporte of Athanasius yowe hearde before And must they nedes be schismatikes with yowe because the Arrians burned the true copies of the councell of Nice and they sent suche as they had Howe holdeth that argument I praie yow Well yow thought euerie thing woulde helpe and therefore yow iumbled all together let it speede as it might * The answere to the obiection made of the African councell Nowe to returne to the African councell and to conclude in fewe wordes all that hathe bene or maie hereafter by me be saide therein I first saie that the African councell made no suche decree as yow saie it did nexte that at this time when S. Austen and the other bishoppes of Africa were assembled about the time of Bonifacius the pope the firste the controuersie was not about the vniuersall auctoritie of the B. of Rome but touching the moderation and limiting thereof in certeine causes of appellation The like whereunto as it hathe bene attempted and done in this realme of England in the daies of that noble prince Edward E. 3. anno 25. 27. the thirde by restreining the popes power in conferring of ecclesiasticall promotions and barring the triall of certeine sutes out of the realme without breache of vnitie or renouncing due obedience to that See so was it at the beginning in Afrike although after it brake out in to an open schisme Thirdly I answere that if there had bene suche a decree made as is pretended yeat this considered that it had but the auctoritie of one prouince it ought to giue place to that councell at the which there were present bishoppes not of Africa only who were also there but off all the partes of the worlde beside I meane the councell of Sardica in the third and 7. canon whereof the bishoppes of Africa consenting thereto 300. if you go to nombring M. Nowell for your 217. and chosen men all of purpose to matche with the Arrians agreed vpon this which the Africanes denied to wit that it should be laufull for any bishop condemned to appeale to the bishop of Rome Last of all iff you thinke M. Nowell that it maie be laufull for you to obiect against vs the facte of the Africanes who vpon suche beginning as hathe bene declared came at the last to open rebellion against their laufull heade I doubte not but to all that be learned or wise it will seme as reasonable that we obiect to yow againe the perfecte reconciliation and humble submission of the saide Africanes made after a hundred Epistol Bonifacij 2. ad Eulalium Alexand Tom. 2. Concil yeares wandring a straie after greate plagues by loÌ„gue captiuitie vnder the moste barbarouse and cruell Wandales by Eulalius the Archebishop of Carthage in the name of that whole prouince to Bonifacius then pope the seconde off that name Thus muche touching the African councell It foloweth After this Zozimus his successour Bonifacius the firste Celestine the first with all others allmoste folowing Zozimus steppes and Nowell b. â—4 ambition haue with toothe and naile striuen for this supremacie and for that purpose did sticke still to the falsified Nicene canon and haue likewise falsified other councelles in sundrie places and haue forged a greate many of the epistles nowe abrode in the names of the olde popes Clement Anacletus Euaristus Telesphorus and other their predecessours Suerlye M. Nowell if there had bene that sinceritie in Dorman yow and vprightnes that shoulde be in a diuine yff that grauitie and poise that shoulde be in a writer yff that common honestie that shoulde be in euerie Christian man yow woulde either for the one respect or the other haue so tempered youre stile that there shoulde neuer haue slipped from youre pen into the viewe of the worlde suche cancred and rancorouse slaunders against suche learned and vertuouse fathers so sclendrelie yea by no meanes at all proued Bring furthe the canons therefore that yow saye haue bene falsified name the popes that haue forged these epistles Name them not onelie but proue it otherwise yow wil be taken for a maliciouse Lier Thinke yow that it maye be sufficient for yow to borowe this oute off Caluins Institutions and without anie farder proufe bid Lib. 4. Inst. cap. 8. Sect. 11. all the worlde beleue you Yow be not Caluin M. Nowell nor England is not Geneua God be praised therefore But yow proue it thus Whereas euer those godlye olde fathers euer subiect to persecution Nowell fo 48. a. 3. and deathe neuer thought of anie suche matters neither had lust or leisour to occupie their heades and pennes aboute such ambitiouse matters You are foulie deceauid M. Nowel for the greater the Dorman persecution was the more necessarie must it nedes be to teache that ordre which Christe left in his churche of the necessitie of one heade that so the membres acknowleging the same might be out of the feare of all schismaticall discorde Neither made they so often mention thereof for ambition sake as youre spiders nature sucketh out hauing learned at their Maisters handes before that the greatest emongest them shoulde belike the least Who seeth not that Lucae 22. by suche foolishe collections as
thought that he woulde in this case make lesse prouision for his churche then a temporall king will for the due administration of his lawes and the preseruing of vnitie emongest his subiectes Neither is it anie iniurie to the scripture or derogatiō to the maiestie thereof that the malice of men maketh it lesse sufficient to condemne heresies especially seing as Tertullian saieth the scriptures haue bene Lib. de praescript haeretic 1. Cor. 11. by the will off God so disposed as that they might ministre matter to heretikes seing it is writtē that there must be heresies which cā not be withowt the scriptures To this obiection of myne that the scriptures be so written that there was neuer heretike yeat that dyd not alleage scripture for the maintenaūce of the same and that thought not by the scriptures him selfe wel able to defende the same note I besech the good reader that M. Nowel maketh here no answere at al. Onely he maketh against this an other obiectiō that so the pope maye vnder b. 5. the name of the church mainteine and defende all errours and superstitions Whiche if it were true what woulde folowe other of this conclusion but that there shoulde be no iudge at all Is not this a propre kinde of answering trowe you But because the matter shall not remaine in that incerteintie I will M. Nowell answere youre reason although you woulde not answere mine I saye therefore that the pope as heade of Christes churche that is to saye defining or decreeing anye thinge concerning the affaires and busines thereof neuer erred yeat nor euer shall I proue it by auctoritye and by reason By the auctoritie of oure Sauiour him selfe who praing that Peters faithe might not faile coulde Lucae 22. not but obteine Whiche priuileage so obteined seing that Christe builded his churche not to continue for Peters lyfe tyme but for euer we maye not doubte but that it was giuen also to his successours S. Augustine as I noted before Epis 165. applied the wordes of Christ spoken of the Phariseis sitting in Moises chaire Quae dicunt facite quae autem faciunt Matth. 23. nolite facere Loke what they bid you doe doe it but do not as they do to the bishoppes of Rome succeding Peter and addeth that in so doing oure faithe shal be suer and certeine as the whiche being placed not in man but on God can neuer be scattred with anye tempest of schisme You haue the auctoritie of the Scripture you haue the iudgement of S. Augustine that Peters faithe shall continue in him and in his successours that to doe as they commaunde is to make oure faithe suer and defensible against the tempestes of all schismaticall stormes Now harken to reason Christe promised for euer to abide with his churche S. Paule calleth it the Matt. 28. 1. Timo. 3. piller of truthe If Christe be with it it can not erre if it be the piller of truth it admitteth no falsehode if it can admit no falsehode the pope whiche is the heade thereof and appointed by God to gouerne it in earthe can not in the gouernement thereof erre For if the heade might erre then might the whole body which is bound to folow the heade And thus bothe by auctoritie and reason by experience of these 1500. yeares it appeareth that there is greate difference betwene the two likelihodes that you put in the pope and in other priuate men touching the interpretatiō of the scripture And therefore vppon the ouerthrowe of this downe commeth all that you builde thereupon eitherin this place or elles where Hauing nowe taken youre pleasure sufficiently at vs comparing vs with Annas and Caiphas calling vs theeues aduersaries of the ghospell guiltie of manye heresies corruptions of religion and false superstitions you entre in to a common place of councelles whereof you saye as foloweth But the aduersaries off the Ghospell deale thus with vs Nowell b. 20. The Pope and all hys cleargye being guiltie off manye heresies c. and thereof accused doe assemble them selues together in a councell in the whiche nothing maye be moued muche lesse determined but suche as pleaseth the Pope him selfe there is enquirie made of vs who doe accuse them thereoff and offer to proue it and there vnhearde and vnseene we are condemned of our aduersaries c. Yow here note in the margent for the proufe hereof Dorman that nothing maie be moued in the councell but suche as pleaseth the pope Pighius in his 6. booke and first chapitre of his Hierarchie This place yowe alleaged before As I tolde you then so doe I nowe that you haue beelied Pighius Supra fol. 24. b. For he saieth not as you doe here that nothing maie be moued in the councell but suche as pleaseth the pope He saieth Haud feré fit almoste it is not otherwise not denieng as you saye he dothe that it can not be otherwise The wordes of Pighius note rather the greate diligence of the pope whiche is suche that when all the worlde shall meete together in a generall councell they can not for the moste parte name anye thinge to be refourmed or concluded that the Bishoppe of Rome with his learned councell about him hath not before forseene and handled then take awaye libertie from anye man to moue anie doubte to be resolued not considered before by the pope That the pope moueth ordinarily suche doubtes to the councell i st that offende you be angry with S. Peter his predecessour who practised the same first in the generall councell mentioned in the Actes of thapostles You accuse the pope and his and Act. 15. offer to proue it It is in deede the cōmon bragge of you al to saie you can proue vs Phariseis corrupters of religiō that the churche of Christe hathe vtterly failed and so furth The whiche if yow feare to proue in generall councelles yeat yow might me thinketh giue vs a taste of your prouffes in youre poisoned writinges To that that yowe complaine that yow are condemned vnhearde and vnsene we saie as yow gessed we woulde that yow might be hearde if yow listed against the whiche answere of oures yow replie How we are called and how we maie be heard let Iohn Husse Nowell fo 70. a. 2 called by the emperour Sigismunde his saulfe conduct vnder his greate emperiall seale to the councell of Constance with Hierom of Prague who bothe were contrary to the faithe giuen them by the greatest christian prince in the world condemned and burned to asshes be an eternall witnesse yea let their owne decree made in the saide councell which was that no faithe nor promise is to be kepte to anie heretike nor that anie man by anie promise standeth bounde to an heretike c. be a perpetuall testimonye off the same Beholde howe manie lyes in howe fewe lynes Iohn Dorman Husse being called to the councell of Constance brake the conditions of his saulfe conduct
present when he saide Qui minor est Lucae 9. inter vos omnes hic maior est He that is the leaste emongeste you all is the greatest Belike you woulde haue asked hym how one could be the greater and the lesse But do you not youre selfe confesse that euerye bishop is the heade of hys diocesse And howe then M. Nowell doth that agree I vse youre owne wordes with the humble ecclesiastical ministery Is your heade the bishop a headye seruant and a seruile heade Kinges and Princes are they not the heades of the people whome they gouerne and yeat in that verie respecte that they be heades ministres notwithstanding as S. Paule witnesseth Rom. 13. and seruantes M. Dorman harpeth to muche vpon one string oute of tune Nowell b. 16. for his purpose I meane the example off the Iuish high prieste cet Who twangeth moste vppon one string that let the learned Dorman reader iudge Once this is suer that the string that you shoulde strike here you touche not so muche as once For I bringe not in this example of the high prieste off the Iues at this tyme as because I once did you dreame that I doe still to proue that there ought to be one onelye heade in Christes churche as there was emongest the Iues but to detecte the vanitie of this reason of youres Christe is heade of the churche and able to rule the same him selfe alone ergo there nedeth no other To this answered I so was M. Nowell dissembleth my reasō and twāgeth vpō a false string he being God heade of the Iuish Synagoge also and as wel hable to rule the same without anye helpe or meanes as he is nowe to rule his churche Yeat was his pleasure to appointe a highe prieste c. And therefore that ought to be no reason to persuade vs that he dothe not or maye not do the lyke nowe To this because yow were not hable to replye you dissembled my meaning as a little before in this verye place you doe when you saye that my examples make rather against me then with me The whiche practise you vse also hereafter as in place shal be declared For this matter I haue no more to saye but to aduise you that you take youre harpe into youre hande and twang once vpon the right string In prosecuting the confutation of that naughtie argument fol. 80. a. 24. 1. Reg. 15. of youre Apologie I vse the examples of Saule called in the scripture the heade ouer the tribues of Israel of the husbande called by Paule the heade of his wife off the 1. Cor. 11. Archebishoppe heade ouer the other bishoppes of his prouince and conclude thereupon that as it is no good reason to saye God was heade of the tribues of Israel therefore Saule was not Christe is heade of vs all men and wemen therefore the husbande is not heade of the wife The Arche bishoppe is heade of the other bishoppes of his prouince Therefore the bishoppes be not hedes euen so that the argument of youre Apologie Christe is heade of his churche therfore there is no other head is a faulty argument because if it were good it shoulde exclude also whiche it dothe not the other heades that I named confessed to be true heades in earthe For quae ratio partis ad partem eadem totius ad totum the same proportion that is of the parte to the parte the same is the proportion of the whole to the whole that is if their maie be a heade of one diocesse in earthe which is parte of the whole notwithstanding that God is heade of the whole there is no let by this argument but there maie be an other heade also vnder him ouer the whole And so I proue the reason of the Apologie naught in the whole quia non valet in partibus because it is not good in the partes To this reason of mine you neuer make answere but dissembling it as you did the other before you saie that I bring these examples to proue that there be diuerse seuerall b. 13. heades in earthe vnder Christe So I did in dede But why woulde I proue that To proue that there ought to be one heade ouer the whole Why saye you so for shame M. Nowell Why dissemble you that whiche anye man that hathe his common sense can not but see to be otherwise I bringe it to shewe howe absurde it is for you to graunte that ouer the tribues off Israel there maye be a heade ouer seuerall churches there maye be heades withoute derogation to Christes honour who is the chiefe and yeat you will not graunte so muche to the whole churche for the impediment of that pretended reason because Christe is the heade which letteth not in particuler churches And therfore neither Hosius nor I care whether Saul were head of the tribue of Leui or no this example prouing how euer it were sufficiently our intent whiche is to disproue your folishe reason that because Christ is heade of his church there nedeth no other When Hosius or I alleage this place to gather thereby that there ought to be one head in earth vnder Christ ouer all churches then we will folowe your minde in cōcluding In the meane season we take youre argument that because Christe is the onelie heade ouer the vniuersall churche therefore there nedeth no other generall heade vnder him to be by this example sufficiently confuted as before I shewed Yeat because your desire is that it maie be considered whether when the scripture saieth that Saul was made heade of the tribues of Israēl he were appointed heade ouer the tribue of Leui also that is ouer the cleargie considre it I praie yow and spare not and when yow haue all considered and done yow shall perceiue howe muche this exemption of the cleargie from the auctoritie of king Saul maketh against yow and youre companions that will make kinges to rule the cleargie in causes ecclesiasticall I doubte not but some of youre side that haue more staied heades then yowe and that are lesse passionat will saie that yowe might haue kepte this consideration to youre selfe still And where yow mingle kinges and bishoppes together whose Nowell b. 30. fo 81. a. 1. offices are distinct and vse the examples of the Archebishop off Cauntorbury and the bishop of London what titles so euer your bishoppes when they were in those roumes vsed or abused I am suer they who be nowe in place take it for their chiefe honour to be and to be called also gods ministers in his churche What a worlde is this when protestantes complaine of Dorman mingling kinges and bishoppes together As though the worlde knewe not who confoundeth and iumbleth together these two offices they or we But the faulte is founde with me for reasoning from their offices whiche be distincte Why yow knowe M. Nowell if you haue not forgotten youre logicke that it
that to deceiue the simple vseth here these wordes Yealde vp the honour and glorie of gouerning the whole world and church to god as though any man so claimed the gouernement of the churche as that he woulde displace Christe thereof Also you see that in this treatie hetherto as M. Dorman hathe Nowell not one worde out of the newe testament so hath he alleaged but only two textes out of the olde testament one oute of Deuteron cap. 17. c. an other of Numeri 16. which bothe make directly against him c. You see and knowe I doubte not that one texte of holye Dorman scripture is as good as a hundred You see that M. Nowell goeth guilefully aboute to abuse the simple by this terme nation as thoughe because the Iues whiche were but one nation had their chiefe prieste and high bishoppe therefore there shoulde folowe thereof naught elles but that euerye nation countrye diocesse or churche shoulde haue also their chiefe bishoppe withoute anye one heade ouer the whole whereas the Iues althoughe they were but one nation were yeat the chosen people and churche of God and emongest diuerse heades of seuerall tribues there was ouer all those heades one chiefe heade You haue seene that of S. Cyprians applieng of this texte to inferiour magistrates can be gathered no necessary argument that it maie not be otherwise applyed that is to the higher You haue seene as many as haue readen my first booke fol. 33. 34. 35. that Moises was a prieste that yeat there foloweth no absurditie of being two high priestes at once because as S. Augustine Lu quaest super Leuitic lib. 3. cap. 23. saieth they were bothe high priestes in diuerse respectes the one in commaunding to be done the other in executing thinges commaunded And withall you see that we are here by M. Nowell vntruly burdened of disobedience to oure Souereigne as not acknowledging suche auctoritye in the same ouer spirituall matters as was in Moises and Aaron VVherefore you maye well vnderstande that were it either Nowell proffitable or necessary c to haue such an one heade God woulde haue certified vs of a thing so proffitable and necessarie more plainely and exprossely then by two olde shadowes of the Iuishe churche which doe teache vs also the contrary God hath certified vs by building his church vpon one Dorman by making one generall pastour ouer all the rest that his Matth 16. Ioan. vlt. pleasure was to appointe this maner of gouernement in his churche But what meane yow to finde faulte with the testimonies of the olde testament calling them shadowes and to demaunde other of the newe hauing brought for youre opinion not so muche as one piece of a sentence out of either the olde testament or the newe Yow see howe blindely he going aboute to proue that there Nowell fo 120. a. 1 ought to be one onelye heade ouer all the church bringeth in for proufe thereof the regiment of seuerall countries kingdomes cities c. by seuerall princes seuerall magistrates and heades whiche maketh moste directly with vs that seuerall churches should in likewise haue their seuerall heades Yow see that oure question being whether the catholike Dorman churche of Christe whiche is but one ought to be ruled by one heade or manie M. Nowell here like the blinde bayard that he speakethe of saieth that my example proueth for them that it ought to be ruled by manye because many kingdomes haue many kinges wherein yow see that diuiding the church which is but one he goeth against the faithe of the churche Yow see that he dissembleth my reason which is that as a kingdom because it is one is best ruled by one heade so the church which is but one is best ruled by one heade Yow see that to this reason hetherto he neuer answered Yow see how often S. Cyprian is by him alleaged for the pope Nowell of Rome his supremacy in those places where he speaketh of Rogatian and of him selfe being bothe bishoppes c. Yow see howe the places of S. Cyprian and S. Hierom Dormna expressely mainteining the superioritie of one aboue the rest in euerye diocesse with the cause added for the auoiding of schismes brought by me to proue by more forcible reason the necessitie of one heade ouer the whole M. Nowell wresteth to the directe prouing of the B. of Rome his supremacy wherof in that place as it was not my purpose to intreate so if I had I had done preposterously and confounded my appointed ordre of writing Yow see howe the place of S. Basile brought to declare the maner off heretikes in contemning the auctoritie of their bishoppes he laieth to my charge vntruly to haue bene brought as spoken of the pope of Rome Yow see that the comparison made betwene Nouatus and oure protestantes of England holdeth in this that either of them laboureth to withdrawe the subiectes from their laufull obedience Yow haue heard good Readers the sory melodie of M. Nowelles harpe whereupon twanging on a false string he made a shamefull lye in saing that Vrsitius and Valens offred vp their recantation as well to Athanasius as to Iulius the pope Yow see that he hath oftentimes beelied S. Cyprian and S. Hierome feining them to make all bishoppes equall in auctoritie and no one to be aboue the other Yowe see his owne inconstancie and disagrement withe him selfe one while affirming all bishoppes to be equall and none to be aboue the other an other while denieng and making chiefe prelates in euerie prouince yow see him reiecting pope Leo as witnesse in his owne cause and bringing in the African to esbeare witnesse to them selues Yow see to deface pope Leo howe shamefully he sclaundreth Zosimus of whome the whole Africane councell wrote so reuerently Yow see howe he burdeneth without all maner of proufe Celestinus of whome Prosper writeth so honorably with other his successours to haue forged a greate many of the epistles nowe abrode in the names of Clement Anacletus c. yowe see howe he spareth no iniuriouse wordes to Leo calling him theefe noting him of ambition whome the councell of Calcedon called thrise blessed and God honoured withe miracles Yow see that he chalengeth vntrulie the copies of Leo to be contrarye one to an other Yow see that he is a plaine makebate and to mende his cause by setting the doctours at variance betwene them selues how he heweth mangleth and cutteth awaie from the auctors that he alleageth wordes yea sentences to serue his purpose You see in defence of schismes howe he laboureth to finde vnquietnesse emongest the Apostles and disciples of Christe you see that to deface vnitie as he taketh it from the Apostles so he attributeth it to the Phariseis and enemies of Christe You see for lacke of weightier matter he chargeth vs with the disputable opinions of scholemen and logiciners with diuersitie of apparell of diete and meates which maners as