of truth but is not to be imagined to say any thing in favour of Hierome with whom he had hote great f â—…nvect coÌ„tra Hieron controversies He there then enumerateth the volumes of Canonicall Scripture even in the same order as we do but disclaimeth Tobias Iudith their fellows then subioyneth this g â—…e symb Apostolor These are they whom the Fathers haue concluded within the Canon out of which they would haue the assertions of our faith to appeare The rest they would haue indeed to bee reade in the Churches yet not to bee produced to get from them the authoritie of faith And then These things haue wee said that thâ—…se vvho doe receiue the first elementes of faith may know from vvhat fountaines of the word of God their draughtes are to bee dravvne So that in these you see the sound substantial iudgment of the most learned in the West Church eveÌ„ in the most ancient daies of it this hath bin coÌ„tinued ever since vntil our time by meÌ„ of the greatest knowledge throughout all ages yea such as were lights in the Church of Rome it selfe Nay h Greg epi ad Leandr sup Iob 5 Gregory himselfe within 600. yeares after Christ accepted of Hieromes translatioÌ„ or Castigation vsing no other but sticking so close therevnto that as a learned man of i D Fulk in prefâ—… Rhem Testam 29. Greg in Evang Hom. 34. ours hath observed it being falsly in that copy DomuÌ„ evertit for domuÌ„ everrit he interpreted it after the erroneous putting And since that time in the Romane Churches that edition is â—…urrant where according to k In prolog Galeato Hieromes distinction there be no more to be found Canonical then those whom we so read I might adde the testimonies of l Prolog in lib Ios Tobiae Hugo of m In vltim â—…sth epist ad Clem y. Caretane after him both men of much learning both Cardinals of the See of Rome as also of the Ordinary Glosseâ—… who in the beginning of those bookes hath thus Here beginneth the booke of Tobias which is not of the CanoÌ„ Here beginneth the booke of Iudith which is not of the Canon and so of the rest Also of n De tradeÌ„ dis discipl 〈◊〉 Vives who secludeth Tobias Iudith some other In breefe I can here alleadge the witnes of many rare and worthy men even of the Popish writers and such as lived long before Luthers daies but I reserue them til some Romanist vrge me farther vnto theÌ„ But out of al this which hath bin said I conclude first that the Popes vassals in the CoÌ„veÌ„â—…cle of Trent were more then audacious incroching vpon God Almighty when they durst to vendicate that authority as to put into the Canon that which lieth open to so many iust exceptions and was repudiated by such so ancient and so many as well of their own as other And secondly that our Iesuits of late as Bellarmine CaÌ„pian our other more vnlearned Papistes as Bristow and the scribler of this Pamphlet with whom I haue to deale are very hard fore-headed when they exclaime vpon vs for doing that which they ought also to do and call vs heretikes for imitating the iudgement so mature and well grounded of such persons Churches But the pity of all pities is that their blinde and deafe disciples our country-men and brethren according to the flesh giue credit to such lies and accept that as the Gospell which when it iâ—… seaâ—…ed doth fly to ragges and fitters THE NINTH REASON Councels T. HILL THE Church of God hath ever beene accustomed when any heresie did spring vp therein to gather a Councell of Bishops Prelates and of other learned men in which the truth was approved the heresie condemned And whosoever were coÌ„demned by such Councels coÌ„firmed by the See Apostolike were ever deemed in very deed were heretikes and for such at length were taken of all men and in the end vanished away So were the Arrians condemned in the Nicene Councell the Macedonians in the Councell of Constantinople the Nestorians in the Ephesine the Eutychians in the Chalcedonian others in other Councels All which heretikes although they flourished for a time and drew manie people yea Emperours Kings States and Countreies after theÌ„ yet in time they came to nothing and the Councels which condemned them were vniversally embraced G. ABBOT THere are two things in the two first Periodes of this your Chapter which although not simplye in themselues yet proceeding â—…om you do deserue admiration For you who were wont to make such large propositioÌ„s as no Papist durst avouch filling your mouth pen with nothing els but All are growne in this Reason vnreasonably modest downe below a great many of your fellowes when first you allow other learned 〈◊〉 besides Bishops Prelates to be of your Councels and secondly you appoint these generall Assemblies not to be called by your Pope but it is inough that they bee confirmed by the See Apostolike But the later of these we ascribe to your good Maister Bristowes such like extenuation vvho hath your very wordes confirmed by the See Apostolike and from one of whose a Brist Motiâ—… 13â—… Motiues abbreviated you borrow the most of this your present Reason and the former we impute either vnto your ignoraunce who know not what your fellowes hold in this pointe or to the ticklenes of the matter it selfe wherin noÌ„e of you with the safety of Popery can define ought but it lyeth subiect to some exceptioÌ„ Some of your meÌ„ wil haue none to haue voice in CouÌ„cels but Bishops so b In enumeratione CocilioruÌ„ Possevinus saith A CouÌ„celis nothing else but a lawfull Congregation of Bishops And it is scant to be found in any of those whom you cite for Synodes that any are named but Bishops as the Nicene c In praesation Concili Nicenâ—… Councel consisted of three hundred eighteene Bishops the d In fine Concil Tridentin Tridentine if we wil take their owne account of two hundred and seventy Bishops vnlesse perhaps the Legates and Oratours of some Princes may bee numbred to be in the Councell who yet haue no voices to ratifie doctrine excepte they bee Bishoppes And yet this shoulde seeme secretly to go somewhat hard even in Campians mind who vseth first a generall word e Ration 4. the Senatours of the vvorld but aftervvard when he hath saide the choice of Bishops he addeth the piâ—…he of Divines Yea f Chronil 4. Genebrard himselfe magnifying the Councel of Laterane aboue all that ever were for number saith that it had in it for cheefe Bishoppe Innocentius the Pope then tvvo Patriarkes him of Constantinople and the other of Hierusalem Arch-bishops Greeke and Latin seventy Bishops 400. Abbots twelve Priours of Covents eight hundred which in all were Fathers 1285. Now whether â—…ese Priours had voices he doth
worthy men were so affected in al their teachings and therefore as also for their admirable learning iudgment they made choise of them before all the great Clerkes which were in Europe And that those who called them hither were not deceived in them the excellent monuments which they have lest in writing behinde them doe testifie to the world T. HILL THIS vnity of Catholikes and discord of Protestants most manifestly sheweth that as the Apostles were they for whom our Saviour prayed to his father was heard of him Holy father keepe them in thy name whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we also be one Iohn seaventeene so they of the Catholike Romane Religion be they for whom in the words following he prayed was heard Not for them doe I aske only but also for them which shal beleeve by their preaching in mee that all may bee one as thou father in me and I in thee that also they in vs may be one and heereof it necessarily followeth that they be of the true Church for that none but they observe and keepe the Unity which he obtained â—…or them of his heavenly Father G. ABBOT 10 THese texts did your maister q Motiv 27. Bristow cite this argument in expresse words did he frame to your handes gentle M. Doctor you might have done wel to have added some our place more of your owne reading But to answere you both togither this maketh nothing against vs for we ioyne in coÌ„sent for all material points of the substaÌ„ce of salvation not only with our selves but with all the faithfull and rightly beleeving which have bin in the world with the Patriarkes the Prophets the Apostles the Fathers of the Primitive Church and the Martyrs neither can you or the greatest Goliah of your side ever proove the contrary Touch any article of our doctrine or any conclusion which wee maintaine and wee will make it good against you Staphilus r Apolog. 〈◊〉 Staphil himselfe could cite it as the saying of Smideline that among the Lutherans and Zuinglians there is no variance of any waight or force touching any articles of our saith of Christian Religion This tale therefore of discord do you tell to your bleare-eyed followers who cannot discerne colours All right beleevers are satisfied for this matter But on the other side the agreement which is among you is but a conspiracie against Christs honour even such a combination as was betweene s Mat. 16. 57 Luk. 23. 12. Herode and Pilate Annas and Caiphas the Scribes Pharisees Priests people to bring our blessed Saviour to the crosse Your consent is not in God nor in his sonne Iesus but to robbe them both of their glory to bestowe it on your I doll at Rome You agree to keepe your Congregations in ignorance to proclaime your kitchin-warming Purgatory to set your Masses Pardons at sale to picke mens s Sparing discovery of Iesuites purses by your Iesuitical exercise to leade theÌ„ as bond slaues to hell this is it wherin you consent So that as one did once read Vanity for Unity in the Psalme Behold how good ioyfull a thing it is brethren Ps. 133. 1. to dwell togither in Vanity so your vnity is vanity your coÌ„sent is cousenning tobe guile God al good Christians so farre forth as you may The title of this your present Chapter might better have bin Vanity Cousenning theÌ„ Vnity Consent for you coÌ„spire to do evil eveÌ„ to betray the soules of meÌ„ redeemed with the blood of the everlasting covenant The text of Ieremy would well fit this your combination u Ier. 11. 9. A conspiracy is found among the meÌ„ of Iudah among the inhabitants of Ierusalem They are turned backe to the iniquity of their fore-fathers which refused to heare my words and they went after other Gods to serve them thus the house of Israel the house of Iudah have brokeÌ„ my covenaÌ„t which I made with their fathers T. HILL AND surely it cannot proceede but from the Holy Ghost that all Sacredwriters of the Catholike Romane Church although being Aug. lib 18. de civitat dei Cap 41. men of diverse Nations Times and Languages yet have so wonderfully consented agreed among theÌ„selves as we see they have done G. ABBOT 11 YOV would make your sily disciples beleeve that this propositioÌ„ of yours so fraÌ„dulently propounded is confirmed by S t. Austen whose words in the place quoted in your margeÌ„t are as much to your purpose as if a man being at Barwike should take S t. Michaels mounte in his way to goe see Powles church at LoÌ„don If you had but looked the title of that Chapter in Austen it would have told you that the authour doth there speake of the agreement of the Canonicall Scriptures amonge themselves And if you had read the Chapter you might have found the drifte to bee that whereas all the olde Philosophers in their opinions and writings dissented eche from other the pen-men of the Scriptures being the Secretaries of the Holy Ghost did not vary at all His words are these u Lib. 18. cap 41 de â—…v Dei To coÌ„clude our Authors in whom not without a cause the Canon of the Holy Scriptures is set bouÌ„ded God forbid that they should dissint among theÌ„selves in any respect Now wil you be so blasphemous as to ioyne your broken and barbarous writers your Schoole-men Dunces Friers with these Oracles of God for if you do not meane by your sacred writers of the Catholike Romane Church your Divines and teachers of the Popes rotten ReligioÌ„ you speake not to your owne purpose you abuse your Reader with aequivocation and your wordes as most Idle do proove nothing at all But doe your writers indeed of such diverse Nations Times and Languages so wonderfully consent as you speake of Belike you haue reade but a fewe of them or else you would see that many of their tales do hange togither as their x Matth. 26. 60. wordes did who came to witnes against Christ. I suppose you have heard of a certaine booke called the Sentences of Peter Lombard Now I pray you good Sir is there no where in the margent there Hic magister non tenetur Looke in the end of him as he was y Ex officina lacob Du-puâ—…s printed at Paris in the yeare 1573. there you may finde that the facultie of Divines at Paris have condemned for errours sixe and twenty severall doctrines avouched in the workes of that maister of the Sentences in the first booke foure in the second foure in the third three in the fourth fifteene Of these one was that brute beasts doe not receive the very body of Christ although it seemeth that they doe when they devour the Hoste after consecration And is it not to bee supposed that the Scholers of this great Clerk did follow their Rabbi in maintaining the
same assertions And if you will looke there farther you shall see that those Sorbonists were many times troubled with refuting and censuring diverse doctrines which were set abroach two or three hundred yeeres since and that diverse times in the depth of Popery That little Treatise alone will satifie any man that readeth it that in this your assertion of wonderfull consent you are wonderfully out Should not a man thinke that one of your learning had heard of Thomas Vias Caietanus once Cardinall of Rome how deepe a scholer hee was and howe many bookes hee wrote And did all your Popish learned men ioyne in vnity of doctrine and opinion with him How say you to Ambrosius Catharinus no babie among you who wrote purposedly against him I had leifer that Sixtus z Biblioth Sanct. lib. 4. Senensis should tell you the tale because you perhaps will better beleeve him Having then reconed vp the vvorkes of Cardinall Caietane hee thus subioyneth Ambrosius Catharinus Arch-bishop of Coâ—…psa of the order of the Preaching Friers did vvrite as vvell against the foresaid Commentaries of the Scriptures as against the other lesser workes of this man sixe very sharpe bookes of Annotations or Invectiues concerning which I leaue to everie man his owne free iudgement And what maine matters of great importaunce in Divinity these were hee vvho listeth to pervse the a Bibl. lib. 6. sixth booke of the same Authour shall see in particular I mentioned before that it is not agreed vpon betweene your schoole-men whither beastes eating the consecrated hoste do receiue the body of Christ or no. b Li 4. Dist. 13. Peter Lombarde saith No. Albeit if hee should be asked what then the mouse doth eate hee must aunswere God knoweth But c Part. 〈◊〉 quaest 80. art 3. Aquinas is resolute that solong as the sensible elementes doe remaine solong in the Eucharist it ceaseth not to bee the bodie of Christ although a mouse or a dogge doe devour it or it bee cast into the mire And d Part. 3. quaest â—…5 Alexander de Hales is of the same minde The maister of the Sentences following e Aug. Epist 28 lib. 4. Dist. 1. Saint Augustine vvho was but a harde father to Infants did teach that if a childe dyed vvithout Baptisme it vvente to hell The Divines of Paris in the Margente giue him a plaine checke for the same and our later Papistes vvill not haue the babe goe to hell but to the limbus infantum vvhere their paine is paena damni and not paena sâ—…sus a vvant of the ioyes of heaven but the feeling of no torment f Lib. 4. Dist. 11. Peter Lombarde sayeth that the Eucharist is to bee received of all in both kindes but the g Session 13 Councell of Constance sayeth that the people shall haue but onely the breade And yet Gerarduâ—… Loâ—…chius a greate Papist protesteth that they h De missa publica pro roganda are falseâ—… Catholikes hinderers of the reformation of the Church and blasphemers vvho denye the people the cuppe in the Eucharist You haue hearde of the difference of your Thomistes and Scotistes concerning the merite of Congruum and Condignum the difficultye arising out of that place of Saint Paule I i Rom 8 〈◊〉 count that the afflictions of this presente time are not vvorthy of the glorye vvhich shall bee revealed vnto vs. Can you vntill this day bringe your Dominicane and Franciscane Fryers agreed vvhither the Virgine k Iud Vives in Annot. in August de 〈◊〉 Dei li. 20. 26. Marye vvere conceived in Originall sinne or no The Dominicanes mooved by the authority of Aquinas repute her spotted the Franciscanes fighting vnder the banner of of Scotus maintaine her to bee free froÌ„ all which assertion of theirs when the Councel of l Seâ—… 3â—… Basils had ratifyed the Dominicanes except against that as against a Councell not lawfully called the distension continued still so great there about that Pope Sixtus was faine to interpose his authority in it by a solemne Decree commaunding that it should not be disputed of afterward but let the question yet be moved by any in their presence and they will be as hote in it as ever they were Can there be a mainer article of all your Romish faith theÌ„ the acceptation of the Concâ—…ble or CoÌ„venticle at Trent And yet the Popish Divines of m See the answ to the 〈◊〉 Reason Fraunce do not admit it to this day Did Pighins and Ferus accord with their fellow Romanists in so high a question as Iustification by faith alone If you know any thing of them you cannot bee ignorant that in that point they are Protestants Doth n De liber 〈◊〉 biâ—…r Contarenus the Cardinall agree with all his fellowes touching the doctrine of free will To conclude this Period your two great Champions for the Pope Bishop Fisher and Sir Thomas More could never accord vpon that question whether ther were water in Purgatory or no both perverting the text but the one alleaging that of the Psalme o â—…al 〈◊〉 11. UUee have gone through fire and water and thou hast brought vs out into a cooling place and therefore there must be water there the other citing that of 〈◊〉 Zachary I have loose thy prisoners out of the pitte wherein vvas no water which places to die for it they would not have vnderstood â—…chr 9. â—…1 Suppliâ—… of Soâ—… of any thing but Purgatory and that literally too So there was water in it and there was no water T. HILL AND lastly it is wonderfull to beholde howe all decrees of lawfull Councels and of Popes doe agree in all pointes of doctrine one with another although they were made by diverse men in diverse places 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…es vpon diverse occasions and against Heresies not 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but oftentimes contrary one to another This no double 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of God G. ABBOT YOu talke here of wonderfull and me thinketh that it is wonderfull that your Komish Rabbins will let such fellows as you are write and publish bookes of matters in controversie And it is almost as wonderfull that any English Papist will lay his soule vpon the credite of such fellowes as you are And it is a peece of a marveile whither you taking on you to be a Doctour without Divinity haue read nothing about this businesse or vnderstood nothing when you reade it or forgot it since or what you haue done with it Of Councels wee shall heare by themselues but the agreement of your Popes may make a harmony fit for hell and the Devill may daunce by it What meaneth that of q Hist. lib. 〈◊〉 Guicciardine who lived not far from Rome The Popes by law doe decree that 〈◊〉 shall bee lawfull for them to recall all promises and covenants although they were most firmely made by their Predecessours And may it be thought that they haue any such Decree Let that of
and this quarrell you have also against many other rare instruments of Gods glorie But if you wil looke to that where your eieâ—… ought to be set the true fault was that in their younger-daies beeing swayed by the course of those times they had without mature iudgment taken a vow vpoÌ„ theÌ„ which was very rash and vnadvised From the making of such vowes Salomon y Eccl. 5 5 doth dehort Suffer not thy mouth to make thy flesh to finne He wisheth that men should be so provideÌ„t as absolutely to promise nothing which they had not strong assurance that they might wel performe And that vowes should not be made which afterward leade to inevitable sinne Concerning the oth of Iâ—…phthe z In quaest Resp ad Orthodox quaest 99 lustine Martyr saith thus God did suffer the daughter of Iephthe to be offered as a sacrifice not that he did delight in mans bloud but that posteritie might hauâ—… that schâ—…ling that they should never dedicate their vowes to God at large or indefinitely Then by the iudgement of Iustine there is no doubt but men may make too large vowes to God himselfe In as much then as these persons had taken on theÌ„ a yoke which though it be not so absolutely to all yet to them in their conscience was insupportable and they felte with themselues that they might not continue vnder that burrhen without grievous sinne for the preventing whereof the Apostle had propounded a remedy a 1 Cor 7. 9 If they cannot abstaine let them mary for it is better to mary then to burne I doubte not but in the feare of God with sober long deliberation they did vndoe that which by the incitement of their friendes or indiscreetely of their owne heades they had formerly done And that Lord who vnder the Levitical law was so merciful as to appoint a b Levit 5 4 trespasse offering for such a one as had made any vow rashly assigning him to confesse his fault theÌ„ pardoning the same would also remitt vnto his excelleÌ„t servants whoÌ„ he had singled out to help so much to the building of his tabernacle that temerations bond which they had made since with repeÌ„taÌ„ce grief they acknowledged their former presuÌ„ption that way And that such who after their vowe could not liue coÌ„tineÌ„tly might mary Epiphanius doth witnes who wheÌ„ he hath distinguished betweene iudgment condemnation said c Epiphan Haeres 611 that better is iudgment wherof the Apostle speaketh then coÌ„demnatioÌ„ he resolveth the case thus It is better therfore to have one sin not more It is better that he who is fallen froÌ„ his course should opeÌ„ly take vnto him a wife according to the law and from his virginity a great while should repent and so againe be brought into the Church as one that hath wrought evill as one who is fallen and broken and hath neede of binding vp not to be wouÌ„ded every day with secret darts by the wickednes which is brought vpon him by the Devill Thus the Church knoweth to preach These are the medicines of healing These are the kindes of annointing coÌ„fession And Ierome although wheÌ„ he was yong he had writeÌ„ Virgins d Lib 1 contr lovinian which after their coÌ„seerating haue maried are not so much adulterous as incestuous which is to bee vnderstood if they might any waies containe yet thirty yeares after for so it is to be collected out of his Epistle Ad Demetriadem seeing how the Church was blemished by the incontinency and want onnesse of some Votaries saith thus The name of some Virgins who beare not themselves well doth defame the holy purpose of Virgins and the glory of the family of heaven and Angels Unto whom it is openly to be said that either they shoulde mary if they cannot containe themselues or should containe if they be vnwilling to mary Thus this father permitteth mariage to vowed persons if they cannot chastly leade a single life neither doth he thinke their mariage to be a sinne as neither did Saint Austen but if there bee a faulte it is because they breake their vow * Aug. de bono vidui tat cap. 9. Not because she mariage it selfe even of such is iudged to bee condemned or damnable but the breaking of their purpose is condeÌ„ned the faith of their vow being broken is condemned there is condemned not an e Susceptio à bono inferiore vndertaking from an inferiour good but a fall froÌ„ a higher good So speaketh hee who both there and f In psa 83. else-where liketh not the slipping from vowed virginity which wee also doe not like if there be any godly meanes to continue in it without perpetuall enormous sinne wherein the triall must be a mans owne conscience soberly and most advisedly consulted as betweene God the soule and not the opinions of other men And I may not doe such wronge to Luther his wife or to other of that time as not to thinke that with long ponderous advise they weighed what was fittest in this case to be done 8 That Iohn Calvine did run away to Geneva is a ridiculous accusation much false and more foolish And whereas you suppose that he was the first who preached the Gospell at Geneva as now it is there preached that is one of your ignorances for a reverend man Farellus by name did plant the same doctrine in Geneva before that Calvine came thether Which if no body else would haue told you you might haue learned of g in Antid Matth 23. Stapleton But before both those as also before the comming of Peter Martyr to Oxford even from our Saviours time the truth which wee professe is and hath ever beene and when you haue brabbled as long as you can you shall never shew to the contrary Now when you name these three Luther Calvin and Martyr you do not dishonour them but grace them since when they are rightly thought of they are like h 2. Sam. 23 12. three of Davids worthies or in a sorte like the i Dan. 3. 12. three children which were in the fiery furnace and not burnt beeing ever in the flame of Popish rancour and slaunder al maledicous defamation and yet louely to the places where they lived dying all of them in peace and the memory of them blessed as being great bel-wethers in Gods flocke renoumed Captaines in the Lordes battailes Howe happy are those men who for their constant standing in the gappe against Sathan Antichrist are every day illustrated and made celebrious by the maligning of the adversaries of truth Their soules are in peace and their glory is promulgated by their enemies trumpets who the more they oppugne them the more we doe loue them and eternise the memory of them These and other their consorts as the Archbishop Cranmer with other of the English MelaÌ„cthon and Bucer and Fagius and many more of their ranke were no such
indeede was but like to haue beene Cardinall for being without a cause somewhat suspected of Lutheranisme hee to q Slcid. l. 21 purge himselfe thereof taketh penne in hand to write against Luther where labouring about the point of Iustification hee had his eies opened to behold the verity and embraced true Religion although hee lost his Cardinality for his labour There might many other bee named who by choosing want and imprisonment and al worldly miseries for the doctrine which wee professe did shewe that what they did was to serue no earthly turne but to saue their soules and in that they were in very good earnest These are idle obiections without matter or authority T. HILL IT is plaine therefore in my iudgement that the Catholikes are they who ever fished simply and sincerely with Saint Peters net and therein haue inclased miraculous multitudes of fishes and that the Protestants by their extraordinary and late angling haue caught â—…ore but such as were in a better and more sound manner taken before And although Freculphus writeth that the Arrian heretikes converted the whole nation In Chron tom 2 lib. 4. cap. 20. Socrat. li. 4 cap. 27. Sozom. l 6. cap. 37. Theod. l. 4. cap. vlt. of the Gothes from Paganisme to the faith in the time of Ualens the Emperour yet it appeareth by Socrates Sozomenus Theodoretus that the greatest part of those Gothes were Catholike Christian before afterward seduced by the Arrians for Heretikes cannot possibly convert any to such faith as may make the coÌ„verted better then they were before G. ABBOT When you say It is plaine in your iudgment it is the wisest word that you wrote a great while for your iudgmeÌ„t is a very weake one as by that which is gone before that which followeth after hath and will appeare If Catholikes be they who fish with Saint Peters net what is that to you who are not the one and doe not the other You are heretikes fallen from the sinceritie of Christes faith to humane fables and your fishing is not like Saint Peters to r Luk 5 101 catch men to GOD but to his Arche-enemye at Rome And vvhat store you haue taken with your Babylonish baites will in your next Reason appear Now whither the Protestants haue caught any or none let whole Christendome iudge nay the power and revenew of your Pope so much diminished will speake if all be silent But whither they were in better case before or no Christ shall pronounce at the day of the generall resurrection and his word in the meane time shall determine They who haue felte the servile yoke of your superstitions and inventions and nowe do truely taste the sweete promises of the Gospell will not leaue their passage to Canaan and turne backe into your Egypt to gaine all the world by the bargaine We can never yeeld sufficient praises vnto God who of his mercy hath freely vouchsafed vs that favour which he hath not afforded to many other And wee desire to stande s Galat. 5. 1. fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made vs free Heere you are a happy man that you chaunced to hit vpon the story of the Arrians for now you cite vs something wheras for three whole leaues together we haue had neither text of Scripture nor authority of any divine or humane writerâ—… but only your bare word and that is worth but a little Well Freculphus saith that the Arrians converted the whole Nation of the Gothes in the daies of the Emperour Valens from paganisme to the faith But there bee three Ecclesiasticall historiens vvho seeme to crosse that Let vs heare them speake s Socr. 4. 27 Socrates saith that vnder Valens or in his time many of the Gothes received the Christian faith and he addeth that to please the Emperour they addicted themselues to the Arrian sect Here then there is nothing which hindereth but that many of them might be new converted at the very first by those heretikes t Theod. 4 32. Theodoret indeede hath it that being formerly converted to Christ and beleeving aright yet when they were enforced to seeke friendship at the hand of Valens by the instigation of Eudoxius a great Arrian neere about him they were swayed by the Emperour to entertaine the Arrian heresie And Vlphilas their owne Bishop was a maine forwarder thereof 〈◊〉 Sozomen for the most part accordeth 〈◊〉 Soâ—… 6 37. with this that is to say that Vlphilas who before had been a means to bring them to the Christian faith was afterward won over to be an Arrian and by his incitement as also to satisfie Valens the Gothes became of that beleefe 21 But the errour whereinto these writers did run partly by living so far of and partly for lacke of distinct knowledge howe many divers people of the Gothes there were whom they especially the two later writers Theodoret and Sozomen do coÌ„found and put togither is explicated by Iornandes who of purpose writeth a u Iornandes de rebus Geticis story of the Gothes and lived among them now more then a thousand yeares agone even vnder the Emperour Iustian about the yeare of Christ 530. Hee then relateth it thus That there was a people called Ostrogothes another tearmed Vese-Gothes dwelling not far each from other the one of theÌ„ in ancient time descended from the other The Ostro-Gothes had formerly received the faith but being beaten and pitifully killed by the Hunnes a rude nation and not heard of before breaking in vpon them the Uese-Gothes then frighted by the example of their neighbours least the Hunnes should over-run them also agreed to flie vnto the Romanes for aide and the more to perswade Valens to releeue them they being infidels formerly desired him to send some teachers among them which might instruct them in the Christian saith Valens sendeth them Arrian preachers who taught them heretically to beleeue in Christ. These Uese Gothes thus converted being outragiously abused by some of the Emperours people tooke vp weapons against the Romanes which when Valens vnderstoode he goeth with an army against them Loosing the field he flieth and being glad to betake him to a Cotage he was so pursued by those Gothes that they set the house on fire and burnt both it and him in it By the iudgement of God saith x Ibidem Iornandes that he should be burnt with fire by them whom seeking the true faith he had turned aside to perfidiousnesse and had writhed aside the fire of charity to the fire of hell The Vese Gothes then being so great a nation were by the Arrians first coÌ„verted or perverted to beleeue falsly on Christ. And this is plaine also by Orosius albeit he vse the name Gothes in general and without any distinction The Gothes saith y Oros. li. 7. 33. he had by their legates humbly intreated that Bishops might be sent vnto them by whom they might learne the rule of the Christian
Faith Valent the Emperour with deadlie pravity did send teachers of the Arrian sect The Gothes held the instruction of the first faith which they receaved Ualens had before the rule of the Catholike faith but leaving it hee did intangle himselfe vvith the perverse opinion of the Arrians Therefore by the iust iudgement of God they burned him alive who by reason of him when they are deade are to burne by the fault of their errour And that is the truth your owne conscience D. Hâ—…st telleth you which is manifest by the mincing of your words the greatest part of those Gothes were Catholike Christians before Not all but the greatest part Therefore some which is in truth the whole Nation of the Uese Gothes were first coÌ„verted to Christianity by Arrian Heretikes And so your owne Proposition that Heretikes cannot convert Infidels is made voide by your owne example Nowe wheras you say that such turning is not to make the converted better theÌ„ they were before we must confesse that if you speake of such as be Heretikes indeede and not those whom you onely call Heretikes being Gods good servants that the gaine theÌ„ is but this that formerly they knew not Christ at all and now they know him in some sort although it be not so rightly as they should If this bee to bee accounted but a little then your Indian Converts of whom you boast gaine but a little by you for you mingle to their handes the doctrine of the Gospell with many pollutions of vile Idolatry most horrible superstition like to that of the olde Heathens T. HILL FOR that they having indeede the Scripture in some sorte yet have not the true sence thereof which properly is the sword of the spirite and the wordes are rather the scabard in which the svvord is sheathed And therefore they fighting onely with the scabard vvithout the sword cannot wound the heartes of Infidels And no marveile though they perverte Catholikes for that men are proue to liberty and to loosenesse of life vvhich by such doctrine is permitted So that they are indeede most aptely by Saint Augustine likened vnto Partridges which gather togither Libr 13 cótr Faust cap. 12. youngâ—…ones which they begot not whereas contrarywise the Holy Church is a most fertle Dove which continually bringeth forth new Pigeons G. ABBOT 22 HEretiks you say have the Scripturs in some sort Certainly many of them have the wordes without any difference froÌ„ the Orthodoxe For whereas many of theÌ„ spruÌ„g vp in the Greeke Church they had for the Old Testament the Septuagint in Greeke the Newe Testament word for word in that language wherein it was writen But they want the sence thereof which is the sword of the Spirit for the wordes are but the scabard and the scabard cannot wound the hartes of the Infidels What mischiefe with the letter of the text and their owne perverse interpretation Heretikes may do to theÌ„ who were formerly vnbeleevers may bee gathered by that of the Arrians last named by the Pelagians by the Donatistes and many other But those have not the true sence What is that to vs vnlesse you can prove that we also want it which M. z Ration 〈◊〉 Campian in kindnesse would threape vpon vs. There is not in the world any fit meanes to come to the right sence of Scripture which our men doe not frequeÌ„t They seeke into the Original tonges wherin the booke of God was writen They conferre translations of all sortes they lay one text with another expound the harder by that which is lesse difficult they compare circumstances of Antecedents and Consequents they looke to the Analogy of of faith prescribed in the Creede of the Apostles They search what the first Councels did establish they seeke what was the opinioÌ„s of the Fathers concerning textes in question and refuse not therein to cope with you about the highest points as the Primacy of your Pope Transubstantiation or any other vvhatsoever Yea they looke over the interpretations of your vvriters to knovve if anie thinge there occurre vvorthy observation they conferre one learned man vvith another they praye to the blessed Trinitie to open and lighten their vnderstanding and in a vvorde they omitte no meanes vvhich either Saint a De doctr Chriist l. 3 4 Augustine or anie other good writer doth or can prescribe vnto them Only heere they lay a strawe that they are not perswaded that the Bishop of Rome hath all knowledge iudgment so in b Vide Platin in Paulo 22 Scrinio Pectoris that by his finall sentence all may be resolved no not that he with the c Bellar. de veth Dei li. 3. 3. Councell which he shall like to call is the only determiner of the true meaning of al controversed passages The Poes all of them are men and therefore may be deceived many of them are ignorant men in comparison of any great Clerk-ship and many of them haue entertained vnsound opinions as Liberius and Honorius and divers Councels haue grosly erred as that second Synode of Nice and therefore blame vs not if we pinne not our salvation vpon such weake or partiall mens interpretations 23 When you report that Heretiks pervert Catholiks by your owne second Reason before handled you must meane Papistes by your Catholikes or no body and then you are a right good Proctor to speake in their cause Their matter was bad enough before and in the telling you make it worse Your Catholike men for your words can touch no other are proÌ„e you say to liberty and loosenesse of life Would you haue a fee for this pleading We do not doubt but many of theÌ„ are very licentious great breakers of the Sabaoth swearers and blasphemers and much inclined to other viciousnes whereof if a man would see the spectacle of all spectacles let him but goe to Rome And who would forbeare this lasciviousnes when a pardon from a Pope and absolution from a Priest can make all as cleere as it had never beene But we on the other side teach our people that these your peccatillâ—… doe offend Almighty God and that they yea every d Mat. 12. 36 idle word must be reckoned for and our Church discipline doth bring notorious transgressours to the censure of excommunication and open pennance for their crimes They who haue turned vnto vs are some of the best and gravest of your sect and those which bee most vertuous of life wheras contrarywise many such as among vs haue beene wanton toyish people or deeply touched with suspition of lubricity haue bin observed to retire theÌ„selues to your shores as being the fittest harbour for such rotten vessels It were an easie thing to name many who leading liues as they do a maÌ„ rightly may say of them They are fit to be Papists We doe not envy you such persons although we could wish that even such would come to the truth and not amende their former vice with future
that they alone can so oft see the Devill And they alone can haue the Devils in them which finde worke for the exorcists He is simple that seeth not that this was a devise to driue men froÌ„ the participation of the Lords supper A third he hath that a great many CoÌ„munion bookes lying in a sicke mans chamber were caught vp by a fire which seemed to haue many hands so were throwne into a flame He who wil so lightly bestow so much of his beleife as to credit this may demurre vpoÌ„ this actioÌ„ whither it were not the Devils owne deed who caÌ„not away with the Communion booke therfore burneth it not because it is bad but because it is against him so have his disciples doÌ„e And the like may be expouÌ„ded of the black doge before not enduring that the people shold participate of those holy misteries It might also be asked what so many CoÌ„munioÌ„ books did in one ChaÌ„ber NotwithstaÌ„ding we rather hold al these things to be humane fictions or if they were done to be diabolical illusions 6 BVT heere to come neerer the state of this wise Reason It is most true that there was a time when visions dreames Prophecies were of good force God vsing to do by his children as Iob speaketh that is talketh to theÌ„ in s Iob. 33. 15. dreams visioÌ„s of the night wheÌ„ sleepe falleth vpoÌ„ theÌ„ they sleepe vpoÌ„ their beds So s Gâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Abimilech was warned in a dreame to abstaine froÌ„ Sara t Cap 28 â—…2 lacob had his dreame of the ladder u 1 Reg 3. 5 SalomoÌ„ was willed in a dreame to aske what he wold And of this sort we find very many other which advertised meÌ„ of the Lords special wil in many particulars In like maÌ„ner there is warraÌ„t for diverse visioÌ„s as wheÌ„ God coÌ„forted 〈◊〉 Iacob in a VisioÌ„ when he appeered to 〈◊〉 Gen. 46 3 x 1 Sam 3â—… 1 Samuel professing what iudgmeÌ„t he would bring vpoÌ„ the house of â—…li So in the new TestameÌ„t y Act 1 3 Cornelius z Cap. 9. 121 Ananias had their visioÌ„s And for Prophecying Moses all other who were so inspired froÌ„ the Lord do sufficieÌ„tly speake And yet even in those daies we find that it was not safe to trust al things which came in the nâ—…me of prophecyings visions dreames For there were false Prophets as is plaine by a 1. Reg 22 11. Zidkiah many more And Ieremy schooleth the people b Ier. 27. 9 Heare not your Prophets nor your soâ—…thsayers nor your dreamers who say vnto you thus Yee shall not serve the King of Babel for they prophecy a lie vnto you And in another place he saith of other c Cap â—…3 10. â—…5 They speake the visioÌ„ of their own hart not out of the mouth of the Lord. And afterward God saith I have heard what the Prophets said that prophecy lies in my name saying I have dreamed I haue dreamed This is theÌ„ a daÌ„gerous thing for credulous people to be deceived by vnlesse they chaÌ„ge their iudgmeÌ„t bee very wary God therefore addeth farther d Vers. 28. The Prophet that hath a dreame let him tell a dreame he that hath my word let him speake my word faithfully It is then Gods word faithfully looked into which must be the directioÌ„ to the speaker the hearer Else how soone might meÌ„ be deceived That e 1 Reg. 13. 9 18. Prophet of the Lord may veryfie this who himselfe was quickly beguiled through credulity at the instance of another Prophet f Nehem. 6â— 10. perswading him directly against Gods wil revealed vnto him NotwithstaÌ„ding Nehemiah being wiser wheÌ„ he might haue bin so catched by Shemiah preteÌ„ding a revelation did not harken vnto him but looked to that duty which was coÌ„mauÌ„ded him And that was it wherin mens spirit of discretioÌ„ did coÌ„sist in those daies to look whether they furthered the Lords service or no when they spake whether other approved circumstances did concurre for in other general matters the good the bad might externally seeme to ioine The place of g Deuter. 13. 1 Deuteronomy is in this behalfe worth the coÌ„sidering where it is saide that a Prophet may come or a dreamer of dreames and may give a signe or a wonder that also may come to passe yet he may be a deceaver drawing to false Gods and is not to be followed Then eveÌ„ in those times visions dreames prophecyings taken in themselves were but tickle things to rest on neither had they any sure grouÌ„d but from the word by which they were to be tried That without them was forcible they disagreeing from it were nothing 7 But now since that Christ is come we are taught in no sort to depeÌ„d vpoÌ„ theÌ„ for the doctrin is general coÌ„cerning al things h Hebr. 1. 1â— At sundry times in diverse maÌ„ners God spake in the old time to our fathers by the Prophets In these last daies he hath spoken vnto vs by his sonne which Antithesis doth intend that miracles al means saving the word of Christ are now cut off froÌ„ resting our vndoubted faith thervpoÌ„ But in special touching visioÌ„s miracles wheÌ„ the i Luc. 16 29. Rich maÌ„ is brought in as desiring that Lazarus might straÌ„gly be sent or appeere as a ghost or in some vision to warne his brethren our Saviour frameth Abrahams answer They haue Moses and the Prophets let them heare them as holding that alone to be sufficient and cutting of all other points from being matters of certainety where-on to rest our faith and soules And yet as it was said of Miracles before we deny not but that after the asceÌ„sion of Christ the death of the Apostles some seldom times visions might be shewed to some of the elect for their privat instructioÌ„ satisfactioÌ„ or comfort as k Eus. Eccl. Histor 4. 14 Polycarpus did dreame that he shold be burnt for Christ l Lib. 5 27 Natalius by stripes giveÌ„ him or seeming to be giveÌ„ him by Angels was revoked froÌ„ heresy to an Orthodoxe opinioÌ„ so was m Hier epist 22 ad Eust Hierom froÌ„ overmuch studying Tully humane learning n Theo 516 Theodosius did dream that he should be Emperour Where obserue we two things first that these visions were touching privat mens maâ—…ere not to teach much lesse to broch any new or vncertain doctrine to the Church for which purpose our Papists do vrge their visions especially to establish Purgatory the appurtenances therevnto Secondly that albeit in some few God did this yet it was not laid downe as a fundameÌ„tal matter that there should alwaies in the Church be such persons neither might any maÌ„ presume to say that continually there should be such a vocatioÌ„â—… neither could any person by an assured faith
bee iustified That it is most true which S. Paule hath that a man is iustified by faith without workes because no works done before beleeving helpe toward iustification but that in beleeving actually a man is reputed iust before God that if he die immediatly having no time to worke yet he by beleeving is iustified Notwithstanding that if he liue he ought to bring forth good fruit His coÌ„clusion is that S. Paule doth speake of workes going before faith S. Iames speaketh of works following that faith which hath iustified And a right beleefe wil not be without them if it have time to shew it selfe I might heere adde how frequent a thing it is with diverse Doctors of the Church to vse the word of onely faith in speaking of our IustificatioÌ„ but of that hereafter TheÌ„ to shew that neither Luther nor we need feare the Epistle of S. Iames as crossing our other doctrine we say that S. Paule doth speake of acceptatioÌ„ to be iust S. Iames intendeth a declaration that we are iustified the one beateth on that before God where the setled apprehension of faith prevaileth which notwithstaÌ„ding wil not be without his convenient fruit the other mentioneth that before men who know not the hart but must iudge of that which is externall therefore it is rightly said by the Apostle in their persons s 〈◊〉 2. 18. Shew mee thr faith out of thâ—…e owne workes 3 Whom you meane by the of-spring of Luther we caÌ„not telt but if al who refuse those books be termed his of-spring his children shal be a thousand yeeres elder then himselfe for many of the most ancieÌ„t fathers did disclaime the books of Tobias Ecclesiasticus the Machabees for being Canonical if the rule of s Hist Ecol lib 3. 19 Eusebius he good as no wise maÌ„ wil deny it that the Canonical volumes may be distiguished froÌ„ the Apocryphal suppositious by the iudgmeÌ„t of the church by the stile by the matter purpose of the books they had great reasoÌ„ not to acknowledge theÌ„ for the Church vniformly did never admit theÌ„ they are not writteÌ„ in the language of the Iews to whoÌ„ t Rom. 3 2. were coÌ„mitted the Oracles of God therfore if they were part of Gods Oracles before the comming of Christ these Iewes should haue admitted them and retained them which they did not and the matter of them is but meane and ignoble in comparisoÌ„ of the vndoubted Scripture What a doubtful narration is that in u Cap. 6. 17 Tobias that a spirite should smell a perfume when spirits haue no flesh bones by the testimony of u Luc 24. 39 Christ himselfe coÌ„sequeÌ„tly no organes of scÌ„e that the hart liver of a fish should drive away the Devil Which if it were so S. Peter was much overseene when he taught vs how to repulse SathaÌ„ by x 1 Pet. 5 9. resisting him being stedfast in the faith For it had bin an easier way to have said get you the hart liver of such a fish make a perfume with it he dareth not come nigh you And this would wel haue beseemed S. Peter to set men to catch such fish in remeÌ„brance of his owne occupatioÌ„ since himselfe was a fisher But what if yong Toby had met with such a spirit as those were of whom Christ saith y Matth. 17. 21. This kind goeth not out but by fasting and praier The treatise called Ecclesiasticus if for any cause it should come into the Canon it must be for Salomons sake whom many would haue to bee the authour of it But the Preface it selfe remaineth confessing it to be the worke of Iesus Sirachs sonne of another Iesus his grande-father and the booke meÌ„tioneth z Cap 48. 46. Elias Ezechias Iosias Ieremy diverse other who lived hundreds of yeeres after Salomon And howe questionable a narration is that in it that a Cap 46. 20 Samuel should tell of Saules death after his owne burial which as diverse learned men thinke is a report to be beleeved in NecromaÌ„cy rather theÌ„ in Divinity For if the souls of the righteous being departed be in the haÌ„d of God which our Romanists must coÌ„fesse out of the booke of b Cap 3. 1 Wisdome we do beleeue out of the saying of David c Psal 31. 5. Into thine haÌ„d I coÌ„mend my spirit if those who die in the Lord d Apoc 14 13 do rest froÌ„ their labors how shal we suppose that the soule of such an excelleÌ„t Prophet as Samuel was might be at the coÌ„mand of so base vile a witch to be fetched froÌ„ heaven at her pleasure Or what rest shal other faithfull men and women bee imagined to haue after this life if Necromancers VVitches and Coniurers haue such power over them Albeit therefore that some of the auncient speaking according to the e 1. Sam 2â—… 15 letter of the texte doe name him who appeared Samuel because hee came vp in the likenesse of Samuel as f Epistol 80. Basile when hee saith that the VVitch raised Samuel from the deade and some other not sifting the pointe doe affirme it to bee the soule of Samuel himselfe as g Antiquit. 6. 15 Iosephus the lewe and h Dialog 〈◊〉 Tryphon Iustinus Martyr yet other more exactly looking into it tell vs otherwise as S. Austen when he calleth that which appeered i De doctr Christ lib. 24 23. the image of Samuel and especially Basile who elsewhere more advisedly pronounceth that k Basil in 〈◊〉 cap 8. they were Devils which hissing with their voice did transforme themselues into the habite and person of Samuel Yea l Chron l 1 Genebrard himselfe maketh a great doubt whither it were Samuel or no and citeth Tertullian and diverse other of the Auncients resolving the contrary As for the bookes of Machabees there be many thinges in them that no man can maintaine therfore no part of them is so much as reade in our Church as that m 1. Mach. 1. 7 AlexaÌ„der parted his kingdome among his servants while he was alive that the n Cap 8 7. Romanes tooke the greate Antiochus aliue that they tooke from him o Cap. 8. 8. India and Media and Lydia and gaue them to King Eumenes that they had a Senate consisting of p Vers. 15. three hundred and twenty men who consulted daily that they yeerely committed their q Vers. 16. government to one man whom all obeied and that there was no hatred or envy amongst them Also it wil never bee made hang togither that Iudas should be aliue in the r 2 Math 1. 10. hundred foâ—…escore eight yeere and yet he should be slaine in the s 1 Mac 9. 3. hundred fifty and two yeere Neither that Antiochus should s 1 Mac. 6. 8 die in his bed for griefe and sorrow and in another place should be
there is a worke vnder the name of S. Austen intituled d Lib 2 34 De mirabilibus sacrae Scripturae where by the Authour the book of Machabees is secluded from the Canon NotwithstaÌ„ding we do not vrge thâ—…t to be his but take it for a counterfeit rather yeeld that S. Austen framing his iudgment to some others opinion in the Westerne Church did repute these also Canonicall Yet here that is to be remembred which briefly before I touched concerning S. Ambrose that this mistaking in this worthy Father grew by his want of knowledge in that tongue wherein the old Testa was originally writteÌ„ by which means he was not acquatÌ„ed with many things appertaining to the Iewish church vnto whoÌ„ since al Scripture before Christs time was coÌ„mitted if these had bin Scripture they also should haue bin coÌ„mended then they should haue bin written in the tongue which they vnderstood that is to say in the Hebrew not in the Greek which was a laÌ„guage of the GeÌ„tiles as e Aut l 30. 9 Iosephus testifieth the Iews did not accoÌ„modate theÌ„selues to the learning of any tongue but their own which is to be interpreted of the ordinary sort of theÌ„ But all these controversed writings are only in the Greeke and not in the Hebrew which is a maine argument against them and ruinateth the very foundation of them Now that S. AusteÌ„ knew nothing of the Hebrew he in his own f â—…pist 131. modesty most ingenuously confesseth as also in another place he acknowledgeth that he had but little skil in the Greeke I g Cont. liter Petilian DO nat lib. 〈◊〉 truely haue attained vnto very little of the Greeke tongue and almost nothing And this made the iudgment of S. Austen the more defectiue in that behalfe Now as this great Doctour might bee overtaken partly by his ignorance of the Hebrew and many circumstances belonging to the Iews partly by leaning to the opinion of some other neere about him in the Westerne Churches of Italy Afrike so it is a matter very probable that the h CoÌ„c cart 3. can 471 CouÌ„cel of Carthage induced by the same reasons and most of all by the authority of S. Austen mighte exorbitate in their Censure vvhen they put all these Apocriphal bookes among the writingâ—… Canonical For there assembled none but such Prelates as were about Carthage which standeth toward the West of Africa in comparison of the East Churches The same causes doubtlesse moved i Decret Innocâ—…n CoÌ„câ—…js Innocentius the Bishop of Rome and therefore of the Westerne Church to put all these books into the Canon Tobias excepted of whoÌ„ he saith nothing An errour once begon goeth plentifully forward is not stayed vpon the suddaine WheÌ„ce it was that k Gelas. Epist. in Concilijs Gelasius coÌ„ ming after InnoceÌ„tius did in this case treade the steps of his Predecessor wheÌ„ himselfe togither with seveÌ„ty Bishops doth define al these writings to be sacred Scripture NotwithstaÌ„ding he who wil looke the Decree of Gelasius as l Part 1 Dist. 15. 4 Gratian citeth it about this matter shal see that the iudgmeÌ„t of Gelasius coÌ„cerning the CanoÌ„ is very weake little to be regarded And in those decrees of his which are found amoÌ„g the CouÌ„cels the same wil appeere wheÌ„ he maketh meaner things theÌ„ these coÌ„troversed books to be of irrefragable authority For in the very next Decree to that which I formerly mentioned he saith thus touching an Epistle of Leo one of his Antecessors in the Roman see The text of the Epistle of Pope Leo if any maÌ„ shal dispute of eveÌ„ to one iote shal not revereâ—…ly receive it in all things let him be accursed This heate doth shew that Gelasius was not too too much advised in his determinations of this nature but followed the tract of those that weÌ„t before him without farther ventilating or disquisitioÌ„ And this is the most of that which by mine own reading I find in Antiquity making for the iustification of these Apocryphal bookes And some such shewes there be for the story of Susanna of Bel with the Dragon which also are not in the Hebrew therfore togither with the fragmeÌ„ts of the booke of Esther some other of equal sort are by vs held to be no Scripture Hee who would behould what farther may be saide for these things let him looke m De verbâ—… Dci lib. 1. Cardinall Bellarmine where he shal finde a many weake citatioÌ„s agreeing in substance with those whom before I haue named Now if we looke what is against them we shal easily discover testimony of greater ponderosity to overturne them then is any to support vphold them 12 VVhat the Iewes did or doe esteeme of them you haue heard before Onely take this with you that n 〈◊〉 l. c. 10. Bellarmine can say out of S. o â—…n Prolog gelâ—…at Hierome that all these bookes togither are reiected by the Hebrewes Now let vs see what witnes the Easterne Church giveth of them p Eccl. Hist. lib 4 2â—… Eusebius hath an Epistle of Melito sometimes Bishop of Sardis in Asia the lesser where Melito himselfe saith that of purpose he travelled to Hierusalem into Palestina to know what were the Canonical Scriptures of the Church before Christ and there he setteth downe all those bookes which wee admit none other This was very soone after the age wherin the Apostles lived It is heere to be marked concerning this holy man as also of al the rest whom I shall name that they never had in this businesse reference to ought but to the course of the Iewes accepting their iudgement for the bookes of the olde Testament to be that wherevnto Christians also should cleaue Not long after that time came Clemens Alexandrinus of whom q Lib. 6 11 Eusebius writing saith that hee cited the bookes of Wisedome and Ecclesiasticus in his vvorkes vvhich bookes saith Eusebius all men do not receiue And he addeth as it may seeme to prevent least any man vpon his example should attribute much to those two that he cited also the Epistle of Barnabas of Clement By the iudgement then of Eusebius Wisedome Ecclesiasticus at the least are books coÌ„troversed Soone after came r Cap 19 OrigeÌ„ who lived at AlexaÌ„dria in Aegypt And he reckoneth vp the CanoÌ„ of the Iews coÌ„prised in two tweÌ„ty voluÌ„es accepting all that which we accept not naming the other saving the Machabees which he saith to be reiected of the Iews That worke of OrigeÌ„ wherin that was coÌ„tained is now lost yet in those which remain he saith that the book of Wisdome s De principijâ—… lib 4. 3â—… is not accouÌ„ted of authority with al. Athanatius after his time lived also at Alexandria he sheweth what was held for Canonical what was refused s In Synopsi There be Canonicall of the old Testament two
others his consorts to haue done either vsurpingly or vniustly So that very true it is that the Greekes do not allow the eighth Synode not the other which followed and were held in the west by the meanes of the Romane Bishop with out their indifferent concurrence 11 What you cite in the name of the Lutheranes out of the Magdeburgenses is acknowledged and consented vnto by vs. In the eighth 〈◊〉 cent 8. 9 Century they among other Provincial meetings speaking of the confluence at Nice which is commonly called the second Nicene Councell in the setting downe thereof doe not dissemble their opinioÌ„ that is their dislike vnto it And what Christian man is there rightly advised which hath read the o Exod. 20. second commandement concerning Images who doth not both dislike and detest that Conventicle for decreeing both erection and adoration of Images in Churches In the like sorte in the ninth p cent 9. 9 Century the compilers of it do shew themselues not wel affected to that which you call the eighth Generall Councell they haue no smal reason for it For besides the allegations of the Greekes against it which even now is specified and besides the matter of it which I will not stand to discusse there was a foule attempt at the very entrance into it The Pope of Rome had so farre prevailed that he had there his Agents who stoode at the Councell dore with writing tables profering them to all who would enter there and requiring that they first should subscribe to the Iutisdiction and transcendent authority of the Romane Bishop To which Such as yeelded did enter in and those who refused were not only repelled but it was done with much reproach and disgrace vnto them A fit course to make a free Synode And of this sort either directly or indirectly haue all the Popes Councels bin You tel vs that some Eutychians be in Asia and Nestorians be in the East whereas indeed Asia is in the East but countrey in particular you name vs none nor authour you cite vs none I haue heard indeed of Marchantes who haue travailed in those parts that at this day there is at Aleppo a CoÌ„gregation of Nestorians and likely it is that in the country therabout or farther of in Armenia there may be more Neither is it vnlikely but that some also may embrace the old heresie of Eutyches in those parts In as much then as Nestorius was condemned in the third General q Socn 7. 33 Evagr. 1. 4. CouÌ„cel at Ephesus it is probable that his folowers wil refuse that Synode consequently all coÌ„ming after ratifying that so they must only accept the 2. formost And since Eutyches Dioscorus were coÌ„deÌ„ned in the 4. r Evagr. 2. 4 CouÌ„cel at ChalcedoÌ„ it is most credible that if there now be any who haue coÌ„tinued or revived their daÌ„nable heresies they wil not approue that of Chalcedon but only such as went before it What such in Polonia Hungary do as speake against the Trinity therefore are rather to be called Antitrinitarij then Trinitaries â—…it mattereth not to vs. We disclaime theÌ„ we abominate theÌ„ we execrate theÌ„ as we do the Eutychians Nestorians al other heretiks Neither do we ioine with the Greekes in all things as you know although some of their doctrins we prefer before those of the Church of Rome And therefore most ridiculously vnfittingly do you close vp your Chapter Behold the liberty of your Gospell when here are none named the Lutheranes excepted vvith whom we haue ought to do And for our liberty in the Gospel of reiecting such vnwarraÌ„table stuffe as Image-worshipping TraÌ„substantiatioÌ„ the like maintained by your heretical meetings we learne it of s Gal â—…8 9 S. Paul who hath taught vs not only that if a maÌ„ but if an Angel froÌ„ heaveÌ„ bring any other doctrin theÌ„ is in gods word let him be accursed And we being sufficieÌ„tly informed by Gods word that we are not to be inthralled to the beggerly s Colos 2 20 traditioÌ„s of meÌ„ do purpose by the assistance of the Lords heavenly grace to t Galat. 5 1. stand fast in that liberty wherewith Christ hath made vs free VVee accept therefore of this Christian freedome but Libertine-like licentiousnesse vvee leaue vnto you And so for a litle while I dismisse you with this remembrance that what you say of the CouÌ„cels accepted or excepted against by the Greeks the Lutheranes the Eutychians the Nestorians and the Trinitarians both for the matter and quotations you borrow froÌ„ Cardinall a Coacil l. 1. cap 5. Bellarmine 12 TO notifie then the iudgement of our Church concerning CouÌ„cels certainly we do hold them being rightly lawfully assembled proceeded in to be great blessings froÌ„ God notable meanes to remoue schismes to extirpate heresies Thus we are taught by the example of the Apostles 〈◊〉 coÌ„gregating 〈◊〉 Act. 15 6. theÌ„selues togither and by the fruite which some such meetings had in the Primitiue Church Yea we do like of that sentence of blessed Constantine after the Nicene Councel who 〈◊〉 said that the decree of keeping Easter by al vniformly and not 〈◊〉 Euseb de vita Const lib 3 18 by some after the fashion of the Iews was to be imbraced at the gift of God as if it had bin a coÌ„mandement sent downe from heaven For saith hee whatsoever is decreed in the holy Councels of Bishops that all ought to be attributed to the will of God Marke hee saith not generally in the Councels of Bishops nor in the CouÌ„cels of holy Bishops for even such may erre but in the holy Councels of Bishops that is in such as wherin men do holily conforme theÌ„selues vnto the Scripture of truth go no farther theÌ„ God is their guid Such as come without humane preiudice are zealous of truth earnest in praier for it diligent in searching it out huÌ„ble to yeeld conforme theÌ„selues to it Such were the first general CouÌ„cels where men did look to the load-star of the word therefore they are accepted of vs. Yet so that we do not esteeme theÌ„ as the sacred Oracles of God equivalent to the Scripture or of equal authentical force but as the definitions of Godly men out of the word so that they giue no vertue to the old new Test. but take al that which CouÌ„cels haue froÌ„ them therfore as takers and not givers are inferior to them We do therefore hold that speech of Gregory to be hyperbolically vttered not litterally iustifiable I x Greg li 1 Epistol 24. confesse that I doe receiue reverence as the foure books of the Gospell so the foure Councels And again And y Li 2 Epist 49. wee doe so receiue the foure Synodes of the holye Universall Church as the foure bookes of the holy Gospell If it be flatly and directly taken it is a hard and
so maintaine them For such dissolute dawbing of paper you are worthy to be rewarded at least with nothing It may be said of you your maister Bristow c Virgils Eclog. 3 Et vitula tu dignus hic It cannot be denied that some men of learning haue disliked the over-much heaping vp of Sentences out of the Fathers to no purpose or needlessely especially if it haue bin done in Latin or Greeke wheÌ„ SermoÌ„s are made to the ordinary people in the vulgar tongue But the iudgmeÌ„t of the most iudicious such as respect the edificatioÌ„ of the heaters wil warraÌ„t this their opinion while it dislâ—…keth not the vse but the abuse But that any maÌ„ of learning in our church or of true accouÌ„t in our state haue simply coÌ„dcÌ„ned the vsing of theÌ„ you caÌ„not shew Some weaker men in a little humâ—…ur haue seemed to bee no great favourets of theÌ„ paâ—…tly because they know them not as d 〈◊〉 in Adâ—…gijs Knowledge hath none more eger enemy theÌ„ 〈◊〉 persoÌ„ partly because they haue not learning to vnderstaÌ„d theÌ„ Also because they wil not be at cost to buy theÌ„ or if these impedâ—…eÌ„ts were remooved because they wil not take the paines to read theÌ„ But even such do daily more more reforme their iudgmeÌ„t we doubt not but God who hath put the spirit of moderatioÌ„ temperaÌ„te into the greatest wisest most learned of such as in times past were otherwise minded wil loine vs al in one against you the coÌ„mon enemies of the truth who in an Italionated out-landish faction litle care what you do And so I trust every English maÌ„ defiring to keepe himself in spiritual purity e Iacobâ—… 27 Motiv 14. vnspotted of the world Poperty the odious names of Puritans Precisias wherat you haue so triuÌ„phed shall to the greefe of your harts be extirpated al who loue the Gospel ioining in one as ChristiaÌ„s brethreÌ„ shal be dutiful subiects to God our King Your conclusion is ridiculous worthy to be hissed at The Protestants defend the Fathers against the Puritanes Ergo the Fathers be against both the Protestants and the Puritanes This is Logicke of the Popish Seminary 4 The titles which you heere bestow on the ancient Fathers Bristow setteth downe thus f 〈◊〉 14. excellent wits continual study woÌ„derfull learning servent praier holy coÌ„versation favour in Gods sight mighty working of infinite miracles froÌ„ whence froÌ„ the rest the Reader may iudge whether you had not Bristowes booke lying before you wheÌ„ you skuffled togither this Rhapâ—…ody As for these praises we neither envy theÌ„ nor deny theÌ„ to those great laÌ„pes of the first Church vnlesse it be that of working of miracles wherof we make a doubt And by these helps we say that they were wel furnished to vnderstand expound many things in the Scripture as also somewhat by their neerenesse to the time of the Apostles in those places especially where truth was kepte without mingling And yet we will you heere to remember that fewe or scant any one of the Fathers had the Scriptures freshly delivered vnto him from the Apostles themselues you are pitifully out for diverse hundreds of yeeres came betweene Christes disciples and the most of the olde Doctours And againe to call to minde that soone after the Apostles yea as g Eccl. Hist. Lib 3. 26. Eusebius saith immediately after their death heretakes came plentifully in who laboured what they coulde to corrupt the fountaines wheÌ„ce all pure water was to flowe Remember also that for three hundred yeeres by the extremity of persecutioÌ„ the Pastours were few they had little liberty to come togither to conferre about thinges questioned or to follow their studies so much as they would And yet farther remeÌ„ber that some of theÌ„ came late froÌ„ the Gentiles as Cyprian some froÌ„ heretiks as Eusebius froÌ„ the ArriaÌ„s AusteÌ„ the Manichees somefroÌ„ meere secular callings as Ambrose of al these without Gods special grace they might a little participate Then he is bliÌ„d who seeth not that they had not al those helps as these haue whoÌ„ you cal late folish vnstudied vnlearned profane arrogaÌ„t fellowes These words you vse when you Doctour Hill are not worthy to be sorted with the meanest of a thousand among them which speech without amplification or any diminution may be iustifyed onely in the present Church of England For first wee have the writinges of all those Fathers themselves like to which every private man of them had not no nor all the world neither before their times Secondly since their daies there be infinite bookes written which give light to matters in controversy Thirdly our age by meanes of printing hath better facility to come by al bookes theÌ„ those ancient times had Fourthly progres of daies hath made many thiÌ„gs plainer to later ages because they haue bin already fulfilled theÌ„ they could be to former tims wherin meÌ„ did but gesse at theÌ„ Fifthly God hath made the scriptures of such sort as that meÌ„s wits are to be exercised in theÌ„ vntil y e day of iudgmeÌ„t it beloÌ„geth to that industry which God requireth in his servaÌ„ts y e they shold not satisfy theÌ„selues w t the labours of others so growidle bue they shold search farther inventis addâ—…re Sixthly the helpe of the toÌ„gues is more rife now then it was amoÌ„g the ordinary sorte of them as may be seene by Athanasius who was so stuÌ„bled in the h Prov. 8. 22 8. Chap. of the Proverbs the i Athanas. in decret Nicen. Synod ArriaÌ„s to prove Christ a creature vrging thence by the traÌ„slatioÌ„ of the Septuagint that it is in the text k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Septuag The Lord made mee or created me the beginning of his waies to which without difficulties he might easily haue aunswered if hee had looked into the l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebrew where it is rather as Hierome readeth it the Lord possessed mee or as Arias Montanus hath it the Lord got or obtained me Also Austen had no Hebrew and both he Gregory very little Greek as els-where I have shewed Now although it be likely that neerest to the fountaines the waters runne most cleerely the farther of that we are they are the more likly to be polluted yet in spirituall thinges that is not to bee vnderstood of place or time but of keeping close to the original of the writen word and not varying from it And so a man furnished by God as m Exod. 31 〈◊〉 Beseleel was to the framing of the Tabernacle may be by the means aboue named and by praier conference study nothing inferiour to those first lightes even as S. Austen was more excellent in some of his expositions on the Scripture then Origene and some other more ancient then himselfe were Which as both for him S. Hierome especially
comparisons to be so familiar yet so significant and lively that wee account him scant worthy the name of an eminent preacher to the people who hath not bin conversant in his works We thinke S. Hierome for his learning not vnworthy to bee called a wonder of the world his vniversal knowledge especially in the sacred tongues togither with his ponderous style are honorable among all vvho knovve good letters Saint Augustine for his iudgement goeth beyond them all his reading was great as most of al appeereth in z De civitate Dei one tract of his being the most noble of all his vvritings his diligence his zeale and acutenesse against heretikes have vvonne him everlasting prayse and so doe vvee esteeme of his vvorkes that we holde him much dis-furnished in the study of Divinity especially for schoole-learning and grapling with an adversary who is not wel acquainted with him Such is the coÌ„tempt that we cary to these reverend persons nay if it were not for avoiding vnnecessary tediousnesse vvee should much farther extoll their due-deserved commendation VVhy then doe wee basely regard them Because vvee bee given to lust and gluttony and they have vvritten so excellently of the Order Rule and Vertues of Monkes This hangeth wonderfull well togither Doe all vvho are given to covetousnesse ambition gluttony and lust hate monkes and monkery al who haue prescribed good rules vnto them Then your Pope and cardinals and all the whole sinful Courte of Rome must stand arraigned for that crime for eche man of any vnderstanding knoweth howe they abound in those vices And besides if precepts for Monkery bee so contrary to these sinnes must not the practise of them in a Monkish life be much more remote from them And vvas it never heard that Nunryes or Monasteries of women haue had many younge bones of little children found in them which came not thither vvithout lust or that many Monkes were little better theÌ„ mishapen gorbellied monstrous Epicures vvhich arose not without gluttony or that in the elections of their Priours Abbots and Bishoppes there vvas infinite competition vvith all kinde of striving banding and canvasing which was not without ambition or that some of their vowed men especially that famous fellowe mentioned by a De moribus Germane Aeneas Sylvius have lefte great summes of money in secret behinde them which were neither gotten nor kepte without avarice Thus nothing can bee more certaine then that men who loue the sinnes which you name may be favourers of Monkes the Monastical creatures haue do commonly bath themselues in such noted crimes 20 VVell S. Basile hath written many things concerning Monkes It may be questioned whether he hath or no for there is great doubte whether those bee his bookes vvherein most is contained touching that argument But if we should allow you your desire he hath no where saide more of that matter then in a b Serm Quomodo ornaretur Monach Sermon where he describeth the qualities of right moÌ„kes froÌ„ which qualities these late ones are very farre distant And Saint c In 1 Tim Homil 14. Chrysostome sheweth how holy religious the Monasteries in his time were to the which if these later Cloister-meÌ„ had kept theÌ„ we should haue found lesse to be discoÌ„mended in theÌ„ Howbeit Chrysostome did not so much admire theÌ„ that hee thought their life to be the only meanes of perfection or that sanctitie and the true service of God was scant any where to bee found but in them which some doting ones in these ages not longe since past have laboured to insinuate into the mindes of men But he spake thus freely to the contrary d In Gen. Homil 43 where are they who sae that it is not possible that a man living in the midst of a city should keepe vertue but hee had neede of retyrednesse and a certaine conversation amongst the mountaines and that he who is over-seer of his owne house and hath a wife and taketh care of children and servaunts cannot bee indued vvith vertue Thus he supposed that men in a monastery might do well and so might other also S. Hierome who vppon some more then ordinary occasion with-drewe himselfe from Rome and lived more privately in Palestina grewe to be a e Invita â—…ilarionis saepè hyperbolical commender of Heremites monkes and cloystered Virgins which life he blazoneth so with his Rhetorical colours that every man must confesse that his vvordes goe too farre if they be literally taken And yet when diverse other were greedy to come from Rome to Hierusalem that they might live there sequestred as hee did he disliked it and saide that f Epist 13 heaven gate did stand open as well to a man in Britaine as at Hierusalem Then were there in England fewe or no Monasteries at all As for S. Austen hee describeth the piety and exercises of auncient g De moâ—…ib Eccle Cathol lib 1 31 Monkes and Caenobites of both sexes and writing vppon the Psalmes he saith h In Ps. 99 In that common life of brethren which is in a Monastery great holy men being daily in hymnes in prayers in the prayses of God doe live therevpon They meddle much with reading They labour with their owne handes thence theymaintaine themselves they aske not any thing covetously Whatsoever is brought in vnto them by godly brethren they vse it with sufficiency with charity NomaÌ„ doth vsurpe to himselfe any thing which anothermay not haue All loue themselves all sustaine one another And yet the same S. Austen was not so simple but that hee spied vnder this habite of holinesse much woolvishnes in his time as cannot be coÌ„cealed wheÌ„ he said thus i Epist. 137. I doe plainely confesse vnto your charity before our Lorde God who is a witnesse vpon my soule since I began to serve God as I hardly have found better men then those vvhich haue profited in monasteries so I have not had triall of vvorse then those vvho have fallen in monasteries And in his booke writen purposely coÌ„cerning Monkes hee describeth many monkes of his time to be k De opere Monachorum c 28 nought idle wandring vp downe setting at sale the relikes of martyrs if they vvere the relikes of martyrs Notwithstanding our late Votaries do lay closer hold on S. Austen then on any one of the Fathers for they give it out that he was the founder of the Augustine Friers and that rabble would derive their petigree from him as some of the both olde and late Cloisterers woulde drawe their descent from Elias and Iohn the Baptist which l Sozom 1 12 Sozomen mencioneth to haue beene talked of in his time For this purpose they give out that Saint Austen went in his monkishe coole and attire cleane contrary to that which is reported in his life by Possidonius vvho lived with him His m Possidons in vita Aug cap 22 apparrell and shooes and
the Canonical Scripture Which albeit originally it be but the censure of one man yet knowe that he was Bishoppe of Rome and when it is prefixed before the Summe of Aquinas dedicated to another Pope it is intended to bee of credite and that more must be of that mind if they thēselues wil. And l Icon. vite Papar in Pio 5 since that time Pius the 5. hath placed the same Aquinas fifte among the Doctou◅ of the Church to the greate preiudice and dishonour of all the rest Secondly vvhat dishonour doe they to the renoumed company of those admirable men vvhen they ranke vvith them and as it vvere thrust vppon them base companions a bastardlye broode vvhich have no learning iudgement or anie other eminente parte to commend them Of their counterfeit Dionysius Areopagite I have spoken before But Maister Harding vvriting against Bishoppe lewel citeth in his greatest matters n L. Humfry in vita luelli Amphilochius Abdias Leontius Martialis Simon Metaphrastes Hippolitus Vincentius Clemens Cletus Anacletus counterfeit Athanasius and Basile and other authours of Decretall Epistles in steede of true Fathers And Bellarmine in his disputes beeing many times neere driven is glad to flye to such as for a stake to a hedge This is to extenuate the reputation of those greate starres and to make them to be meanely thought of because those vvith vvhomethey are sorted deserve no better It is the disgrace of the best when those of vvorst qualitye are coupled vvith them as their fellowes In the time of o Bodin de Rep l 5 4 Pope Iulius the thirde the Cardinals of Rome knevve this vvhen seeing the Pope to create Montanus Cardinall one vvhome for his pleasures sake he had taken out of a most beggerly estate brought him vp at home they ioyned in a request and motion in behalfe of the College of Cardinals that hee vvould not suffer that honourable degree to bee stayned by the presence of so contemtible a man vvho had neither vvealth nor vvisedome nor vertue nor parentage nor learning nor any thinge to commend him Indeed the Pope there had thē at the advātage for he was able to beate them with their own rodde therfore replyed vpon them VVhat vertues I pray you what learning vvhat parentage what good qualities vvas I famous for vvhen you made mee Pope His personall reproofe to them vvas iust othervvise their sute had beene reasonable for such a consort coulde no vvay honest their College as these silye Popishe authours doe no way adde estimation but manifold dis-reputation to the Fathers Thirdly howe shamefully did the predecessours of these late Papists in the time of darke ignorance foist in parts of tracts and whole treatises into the volumes of the Fathers so labouring that new writings might runne currant for old vpstarts for natural very draffe chaffe for good corne There is seāt any one of the Fathers which hath escaped free herein not Cyprian not Austen not Hierome out of whose works many bookes peeces may be pulled which for the matter or style doe no more refēble those authours thē Aesops Asse did a Liō whē he had got that Roial beasts skinne on his backe The Popish Censurers in their editiōs do cōfesse so much but Erasmus a mā who had the gift of p 1 Cor 12 10. discerning of spirits did go beyond them al and in his prefaces arguments or Censures vpon bookes doth yeelde the reasons of his opinion It is incredible to thinke how absurde things are fathered on these Doctours as by name that Adfratres in eremo before said to be intituled to Saint Austen where the absurde fellow sometimes plainly taketh vpō him the name of Austē Bishop of Hippon but to procure admiration saith q Serm 37. that he traveiled into Aethiopia saw there men without heades with their eies set in their brest and others he beheld which had onely one eye in the middle of their fore-head I wishe that either Sir Iohn r M Hac◅its ving Maundevile had beene with him or he with Sir Iohn Maundevile This tricke of iugling in such tractes is a daungerous matter to any who vvill rest himselfe too farre vppon the Fathers vvritinges and our Popishe people haue in their fraude greate advauntage vvhen out of such as they are they vvill confirme their Paradoxes But there is another pointe more tickle then this vvhen their Monkes and Cloister men vvould intersert into the true and proper workes of the best writers whole leafes or pages or sentences more or lesse to serve for their purpose Erasmus who laboured exceedingly in repairing and restoring antiquity to whose paines al learned men do owe much cōplaineth bitterly of this as in one of his s Lib de spirit sāct prefaces to a booke of S. Basile he with griefe saith that the same measure was affoorded to Basile which he had otherwise experimented in Athanasius Chrysostome Hierome and that vvas that in the middle of treatises many thinges vvere stuffed and forced in by other in the name of the Fathers Hēce the Romish generatiō might build even what pleased thēselves But besides all this as in other artes so in Divinity in the writings of the Doctours by the ignoraunce of the Novices in Monasteries sette to write out Copies of bookes yea of their s Vives de canis corrupr art lib 1. Nunnes so imployed diverse argumentes of bookes vvere put into the bookes themselves and Annotations in the Marge ◅t were erepte into the texte Concerning this depravation of learned mens vvorkes in all kindes Lodovicus Vives hath written diverse bookes intituled Of the causes hovve or vvhy the artes vvere corrupted and hath there many observations and complaintes that some ignorauntly some maliciously all audaciously did such thinges I thinke it not amisle to cite one sentence of his vvhich shevveth hovve diverse counterfeite bookes had the names of noble Authours put vppon them Among such as did vvrite out volumes t Libr 1 there vvere some vvho to procure authoritie to a booke did in writing put to it the name of some greate authour other that when in times past many bookes vvere put out vvithout names being mooved vvith some very light coniecture did adiudge it to one or to another other if they did not knowe the name of the title did not doubt to chaunge it and to transferre it to vvhome they thought good there were such as vvrote out bookes vvho looke vvhat name came first in their mind that they did sette before for the title There bee manie examples of all these thinges in those authours vvhome even novve I named Aristotle Plato Origen Cyprian Hierome Augustine Boetius Cicero Seneca and all these have beene received vvithout difference and no lesse authority and credite given to them then to those which were true and naturall This is a noble testimony of a very learned man who spent much traveile purposely in this argument and