long continue, but returne againe home to his church, as by the episble of S. Cyprian, lib. 3. epist. 1. may apeare. As to al other bishops of Rome in those primitiue daies certayne decretal epistles with seuerall ordinaunces be ascribed, bearing their names and titles, as hath bene afore declared: so also hath Lucius one epistle fathered vpon him, in the which epistle, MarginaliaThe epistle decretal of Lucius byshop.he writyng to þ^e brethren of Fraunce and of Spayne, appointeth suche an order and forme of the Church, as seemeth not to agree with the time then present: MarginaliaThe ordināces of Lucius.For so he decreeth in that epistle, that a Bishoppe in all places, whether soeuer he goeth, should haue. ij. Priestes, with. iij. Deacons wayting vpon him, MarginaliaThe cause why bishops haue their chaplyns.to be wytnesses of all hys wayes and doinges. Which ordinaunce although I deny not, but it may be and is conuenient: yet I see not how that tyme of Lucius could serue then, for a bishop to cary suche a pompe of Priestes & Deacons about him, or to studye for any such matter: forsomuch as bishops commonly in those dayes wer seldom free to go abroade, went they neuer so secrete, but eyther wer in houses close and secrete, or in prison, or els in banishmēt. MarginaliaThe pompous style of the church of RomMoreouer in the sayd epistle how pompously he writeth of the church of Rome: This holy and apostolical church of Romeo (sayth hee) the mother of al churches of Christ, which by the grace of god omnipotent, hath neuer bene proued to swarue out of the pathe of Apostolical tradition, neither hath euer fallen, or bene depraued with hereticall innouations: but euen as in the first beginning it receaued the rule of the Apostolicall faith by his first instructers, the princes of the Apostles, so it continueth euer immaculate and vndefiled vnto the ende.

MarginaliaDistinc. 81. Ministri
Ministers restreined from their own wyues.Vnto this Lucius also is referred in the decrees of Gracian, this constitution, that no Minister what soeuer, after hys ordination, should at anye tyme reentre to the chamber of hys owne wyfe, in payne of loosyng his minstery in the church. &c. MarginaliaEusebius and Damasus varye in tyme.
Lucius Byshop of Rome, martyr.Eusebius in his seuenth booke, making mencion of the death of Lucius, & not of his matrydome, saith that he sat but. viij. monethes. But Damasus in his Martyrologe holdeth that he sat iij. yeares, and was beheaded the second yeare of Valerian, and Galienus Emperours. And so doth also Marianus, Scotus, and Nauclerus, with other that folow Damasus, affirme the same.

MarginaliaStephanus bishop of Rome.
Martyr.After him came Stephanus next Bishop of Rome, folowing Lucius: whom Damasus, Platina, and Sebellicus affirme to haue sit. vij. yeares, v. monethes, and to dye a Martyr. Contrarye Eusebius, and Volateranus holding with him, geue him but. ij. yeares: whyche part commeth moste neare to the truth, I leaue to the Readers iudgement. Of his. ij. epistles decretall, and of his ordinaunces out of the same collected, I neede not much to tary, for. ij. respectes: either for that concerning these decretal epistles suspiciously intituled to þ^e names of the fathers of the primitiue church, sufficientlye hath bene said before: or els because both þ^e phrase barbarous & incongrue, and also the matter it selfe therein contained is suche, that although no testimony came agaynst it, yet it easely refelleth it selfe. MarginaliaThe censure of the decretal Epistles and ordinances of Stephanus.As where in the seconde epistle he decreeth: that no bishop beyng expulsed out of his seate, or depriued of his goods, ought to bee accused of any, or is boūd to answer for himselfe, before þ^t by the law regularly he be restored agayne fully to his former state, MarginaliaNo byshoppe ought to be accused, after hee be expulsed, before he be restored agayne.and that the Primates and the Synode render to him agayne all such possessions and fruites, as wer taken from him before his accusation, as is agreing both to the lawes canon, and also secular. First here I wold desire the Reader a litle to stay, and this to cōsider with him selfe, who be these here ment, which eyther vsed or might despoyle these bishops of their goods, and expulse them from their seates, for suche wrongfull causes, but onelye Kynges and Emperours, whyche at thys tyme were not yet Christened, nor vsed any such procedingsagainst these Bishops, in such osrt as eyther Primates or Synodes could restore them agayne to their places and possessions. Againe, what priuate goods or possessions had bishops then to be taken from them, when as churches yet neither wer indued with patrimonies nor possessiōs. And if any treasures were committed to the Churche, it partained not properlye to the Bishop, but went in generall to the subuention of the poore in the Church, as in the epistle of Cornelius to Fabius maye appeare, alledged in Eusebius, lib. 6. cap. 43. where he speaking of his church, and declaring how there ought to be but one bishop in the same, inferreth mention of xlvj. Priestes, vij. Deacons, with. 7. Subdeacons, xlij. Acoluthes, MarginaliaThe number of the poore foū at Rome bi the church goods.of widowes and poore afflicted persons to the number of a. 1500. and aboue, founde and nourished in the same church, by the mercyful benignity and prouidence of God, Eusebius. lib. 6. cap. 43. It foloweth more in the ende of the said Canon, which thing is forbidden both by the lawes ecclesiasticall, and also seculare. &c. Now what lawes secular were in þ^e time of Stephan, for bishops not to be charged w^t any accusation, before they were restored agayne to their state, let any reader marking well the state of the Heathen lawes that then were, iudge: and in iudging, I doubt not but thys matter alone, though there were no other, wyll be inoughe to discrye the vntruth hereof.

Moreouer, by diuers other probable notes and argumentes in the sayd second epistle of Stephanus, it may be easly espyed, thys epistle to bee fayned and mysautored: especially by the fyft Canon of the sayde epistle, where hee so solemlye entreateth of MarginaliaPrimates, Metropolitanes, Archbishopsthe difference betwene Primates, Metropolitanes, and Archbyshoppes, which distinction of degrees and titles, sauering more of ambition, then of persecution, geueth me verelye to suppose this epistle not to be written by thys Stephen, but by some other man, either of that name, or of some other tyme, when the church began to be satled in more prosperitie, and orders therin to be taken, for euery mā to know his degree and limites of his autoritye, according as is specified by the sixt and seuēth Canon of Nicene councel, decreing of the same matter.

The like estimation maye bee conceiued also of the seuenth canon of the sayd epistle: where he wylleth and appointeth al causes iudiciarie to be decised and determined within the precinct of the own proper prouince, & not to passe ouer the boundes thereof, MarginaliaLawfull appeales to Romevnlesse (sayth he) the appeale bee made to the Apostolicall sea of Rome; which sauoreth in my nose, rather of a smacke of popery, then of the veyne of Christianitye, especiall in these times, during this terrible persecution among the byshops of Christ. And thus much of the second decretall epistle of Stephanus: althoughe of the first Epistle also written to Hilarius, something may be sayde, MarginaliaVestments and holye vessels seruyng for the aultareas where he speaketh in the sayd epistle of holye vestmentes, and holy vessels, and other ornaments of the aulter, seruing to diuine worship, and therefore not to bee touched nor handled of ani man, sauing of priests alone. Cōcerning al which implementes, my opinion is this, that I think þ^e church of Rome not to haue bene in so good state thē, that eyther Stephanus or Sixtus before him beyng occupied aboute other more earnest matters, and scarse able to hide their own heades, had anye minde or cogitation to study vpon such vnnecessarye inuentions, seruing in publicke churches. Neither do I see howe the Heathen in those dayes would haue suffered these ornamentes to be vnconsumed, which woulde not suffer the bishops them selues to lyue amongest them. Notwythstanding Isidorus and Polydorus iudgeth the contrarye. Betwene thys Stephen, and Cyprian Byshop of Carthage was a great contention, about rebaptisyng of heretickes, whereof more hereafter (Christ wyllyng) shall be sayde.