not with that which they wrote. The prymatyue churche did vse according to the Gospell. And there nedethe none other profe, but compare the one with the other.

Boner. MarginaliaHarke my lordes wise parable.I maye compare thys man to a ceartayne man I reade of, which fell into a desperation, and wente into a wood to hange hym selfe. And when he came there, he went vewynge of euery tree, and coulde fynd none, on the which he might vouchesafe to hange hym selfe. But I will not applye it, as I myghte. I pray you (maister doctour) go furth with him.

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Cole. MarginaliaNeyther you nor they ar able in this caseMy Lord, there be on euery side on me that be better able to answer him. And I loue not to falle in disputaciō, for that now adays a man shall but sustayne shame and obloquy therby of the people. I had lieffer shewe my mynde in writing.

phil. And I had lieffer  

that you should so do, then otherwise. For then a man maye better iudge of your wordes, then by argumēt. And I besech you, so do. But if I were a rich man I durst wager an hūdreth poundes, that you shall not be hable to shewe, that you haue said to be decreed by a generall councell in Athanasius time. For this I am sure of, þ^t it was concluded by a generall counsell in Africa, many yeres after, that none of Africa (vnder paine of excomunication) should appeale to Rome, the which decre I am sure they would not haue made, if by the scriptures it had bene (and by an vniuersall counsell) that all men shoulde abyde, and folowe the determination of the church of Rome.

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Cole. But I can shewe that they reuoked that errour agayne.

Phil. So you saye maister Doctour. But I pray you shewe mee where. I haue hetherto heard nothing of you, for my contentation, but bare woordes, without any autority.

Boner. What (I praye you) ought we to dispute with you, of our fayth? Iustinian  

in the law hath a title, De fide catholica, to þ^e cōtrary

Phil. I am certaine the ciuil lawe that such a constitucion: but our fayth must not depend vpon the ciuil lawe. For as Sainte Ambrose saith, Non lex sed fides congregauit Ecclesiam.  

Not the lawe but the gospell (sayth he) hath gathered the church together.

VVorcest. Master Philpot, you haue the spirit of pride, wherwith ye be led, which wyll not let you yeld to þ^e truth. leaue it for shame.

Phil. Sir, I am sure I haue the spirit of faith by the which I speake at this present. Neither am I ashamed to stand in my fayth.

Glocest. What? do you thinke your selfe better learned, then so manye notable learned men as be here?

Phil. Elyas alone had the truth, when there were foure hundreth priests agaynst hym.

VVorcest. Oh, you would be counted now

for Helyas. And yet I tell thee, he was deceiued. For he thought ther had bene none good but him selfe, and yet hee was deceyued. For there wer. vii. hundreth besides him.

Phil Yea, but he was not deceyued in doctrine, as the other. vii. hundreth were.

VVorc. By my fayth you are greatly to blame, that you can not be content to be of the church, which euer hath ben of that fayth full antiquity.

Phil My lord, I know Rome, and haue bene there, where I sawe your Lordship.

VVorc. In dede I dyd flye from hence thither, and I remember not that I sawe you there. But I am sory that you haue bene there. for the wickednes which you haue sene there peraduenture causeth you to do, as you do.

Phil No my Lord, I do not as I do, for that cause. For I am taught otherwise by the Gospell, not altogether to refuse the minister for his euyl liuing, so that he bring soūd doctrine out of Gods booke.

VVorc. Doo you thinke, that the vniuersall church maye be deceyued?

Phil Sainte Paule to the Thessalonians prophecied that there should come an vniuersal departing frō the fayth, in the latter daies before the cōming of Christ, saying: Non veniet Christus nisi venerit defectio prius.  

That is, Christ shal not come, till there come a departing fyrst.

Cole. Yea, I praye you howe take you the departing there, in Saint Paule? It is not ment of fayth, but of the departing from the empyre. For it is in Greke Ἀποστασία.  

phil. Mary in dede you (maister doctour) put me in good remembraunce of the meaning of saint Paul in that place. For Apostasia,  

is properly a departing from the fayth, and therof commeth Apostata which properly signifieth one that departeth from his fayth. And sainte Paule in the same place after speaketh of the decaye of the Empire.

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Cole. Apostasia doth not onelye signifye a departing from the fayth, but also from the Empire, as I am hable to shewe.

phil. I neuer red it so taken, and when you shalbe able to shew it, as you say in wordes, I will beleue it, and not before.

VVorc. I am sory that you should be against the Christen world.

phil. The world commenly and such as be called christianes (for the multitude) hath hated the truth, and ben enemyes to the same.

Glouc. Why maister Philpot, do you thinke that the vniuersal church hath erred, and you onely to be in the truth?

phil. The churche that you are of, was neuer vniuersall. For twoo partes of the worlde, whiche is Asia and Africa neuer consented to the supremacy of the Byshoppe of Rome,