Marginalia1555. Decemb.Chaun. It is so in deede.

Phil. I wyll desire no better rule then the same which is often tymes brought in of your side, to proue both my fayth and þ^e catholicke church: that is, antiquitie, vniuersalitie, and vnitie. MarginaliaNo rule better then Antiquitie, Vniuersalitie, and Vnity, to proue the true fayth and church of the Protestantes.

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London. Do you not see what a bragging foolishe fellow this is? He would seeme to be very well seene in the Doctors, and he is but a foole. By what Doctor art thou able to proue thy Church? Name hym, and thon shalt haue hym.

Phil. My Lord, let me haue all your auncient wryters with pen, and ynke, and paper, and I wyll proue both my faith and my church out of euery one of them.

London. No, that thou shalt not haue. MarginaliaBecause ye dare not.You shall see how he lyeth. S. Cyprian sayth, there must be one high Priest, to the which the residue must obey, and they wyll allowe no head, neither Vicar generall.

MarginaliaS. Ciprian meaneth euery church to haue his owne gouernour, not all churches to be vnder one.Phil. S. Cyprian saith not, that there should be a Vicar generall ouer all. For in hys booke De simplicitate Prælatorum, I am sure he sayth the contrary: Vnus episcopatus est, cuius pars in solidum a singulis tenetur. i.  

There is but one bishopricke which is wholy possessed of euery bishop in part.

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London. Fet hyther the booke, thou shalt see the manifest place agaynst thee.

Doctor Chadsey brought the booke, and turned to the place in an Epistle written vnto Cornelius then bishop of Rome, and recited these wordes in summe, MarginaliaCipri. li. 1. Epistol. 3.that it went not well with the church, where the high Priest was not obeyed, and so woulde haue concluded for the confirmation of the bishops saying.

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Phil. Master Doctor you misconstrue the place of S. Cyprian: for hee meaneth not there by the hygh Priest, the bishop of Rome:MarginaliaThe place of Sainct Ciprian explaned. but euery Patriarke in hys precinct, of whom there were foure appoynted in hys tyme. And in writing vnto Cornelius hee meaneth by the high Priest, himself, which was then chiefe bishop of Africa, whose authority the heretickes began to despise. Wherof he complayneth to Cornelius, and sayth: the Church can not be well ordered, where the chiefe Minister by order, after the iudgement of the scriptures, after the agreement of the people, and the consent of hys fellow bishops, is not obeyed.

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London. Hath not the bishop of Rome alwayes beene supreme head of the Church, & CHRISTES Vicar in earth euen from Peter?

MarginaliaThe B. of Rome no more head of the church, thē the Bishop of London.Phil. No, that he was not. For by the worde of God he hath no more authority, then the B. of London hath.

London. Was not Peter head of the Church? And hath not the Bishop of Rome, which is hys successour, the same authoritie?

Phil. I graunt that the byshop of Rome as hee is the successour of Peter, hath the same authoritie as Peter had: MarginaliaPeter had no more authoritie ouer the church thē euery one of the Apostles.but Peter had no more authority, then euery one of the Apostles had.

Chaun. Yes that S. Peter had: for CHRIST sayd specially vnto him: Tibi dabo claues regni cœlorū:  

I will geue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen: The which hee spake to none other of his Disciples singularly but to hym.

phil. S. Augustine aunswereth otherwyse to the obiection, and sayth: MarginaliaPeter beareth but a figure of the church.That if in Peter there had not beene the figure of the Church, the Lord had not sayd vnto hym, to thee wyll I geue the keyes of the kingdome of heauen. The which if Peter receaued not, the Church hath them not. If the church hath them, then Peter hath them not.

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London. What if I can proue and shew you out of the ciuil law, MarginaliaB. Boners diuinitie lyeth much in the ciuill law.that all Christendome ought to folow the holy Catholike Church of Rome, as there is a speciall title thereof, De catholica fide & sancta Romana ecclesia.  

Phil. That is nothing materiall, seing the things of God be not subiect to mās lawes: and diuine matters must be ordered by the word of God, and not of man.

M. Dee.  

What wyll you say, if I can proue that CHRIST builded hys church vpon peter, and that out of S. Cypriā?MarginaliaCyprian. Wyll you then beleue that the bishop of Rome ought to be supreme head of the Church?

Phil. I know what S. Cyprian wryteth in that behalfe: but he meaneth nothyng as you take it.

M. Dee. S. Cyprian hath these wordes: Quòd super pe-  

trum fundata fuit ecclesia, tanquam super originem vnitatis.  

That vpon Peter was builded the church, as vpon the first begynnyng of vnitie.

Phil. He declareth that in an example, MarginaliaThe place of Cyprian expounded.that vnitye must be in the church: he grounded on Peter his church alone, and not vpon mē. The which he doth more manifestly declare in the booke De simplicitate Prælatorum, saying: in persona vnius Christus dedit omnibus claues, vt omnium vnitatem denotaret.  

In the person of one man God gaue the keyes to all, that he in signification therby might declare the vnity of all men.

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M. Dee. What? wyll you vnderstand S. Cyprian so? That were good in deede.

Phil. I thynke you can not vnderstand S. Cyprian better, then he doth declare hym selfe.

Lond. I wyll desyre you (M. Chauncelor) to take some paynes with master D. Chadsey, and Master Dee, about his examination, MarginaliaB. Boner goeth to the Parlament.for I must go to the Parlamēt house. And I wyll desyre you to dyne with me.

Phil. Then M. Dee tooke agayne hys former autority in hand for want of an other, & would haue made a farther circumstance, digressing from hys purpose. To whom I sayd, he knew not whereabout he went, and therewythall he laughed. And I sayd, hys diuinity was nothyng but scoffyng.

M. Dee. Yea? then I haue done wyth you: and so went away. MarginaliaM. Dee slippeth away.

Phil. M. Dee, you are to yonge in diuinity to teach me in the matters of my fayth. Though you be learned in other thinges more then I, yet in diuinitie I haue bene longer practised then you, for any thyng I can heare of you: therefore bee not to hasty to iudge that you do not perfectly know.

Chaun. Peter and hys successours from the beginning haue bene allowed for the supreme head of the Church, & that by the scriptures, for that CHRIST said vnto him in S. Iohn thrise: MarginaliaThe wordes of Christ to Peter, feede my sheepe.Feede my sheepe, pasce oues meas.

Phil. That is none otherwyse to be taken, MarginaliaPasce oues meas, expounded by Ite, prædicate.then Ite, predicate, go ye and preach: which was spoken to all the Apostles, as well as vnto Peter. And that CHRIST sayd thryse: pasce oues meas, fede my sheepe, it signifieth nothing els but þ^e earnest study that the ministers of God ought to haue in preaching the woorde. God graunt that you of the Clergy would way your duety in this behalfe more then you do. Is this a iust interpretation of the scripture, to take pasce oues meas, for to be Lord of þ^e whole world? In this meane whyle came in an other bacheler of diuinity, which is a reader of Greke in Oxford belonging to the Bishop,  

and he toke vpon him to helpe M. Chauncellour.

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Scholer. What will you say if I can shewe you a Greeke authour called Theophilact,  

to interprete it so? will you beleue his interpretation?

Phil. MarginaliaTheophilacte of no great authoritie.Theophilacte is a late wryter, & one that was a fauourer of þ^e B. of Rome:  

and therfore not to be credited since his interpretation is contrary to the manifest wordes of the scripture, and contrary to the determination of many generall Coūcels.

Scholar. In what generall Coūcell was it otherwyse, that þ^e Bishop of Rome was not supreme head ouer all?

Phil. MarginaliaIn Nice councell the B. of Rome was no supreme head, nor President there.In Nice Coūcell I am sure it was otherwise: for Athanasius was there the chiefe Bishop and president of the Councell,  

and not the Bishop of Rome.

Scholer. Nay, that is not so.  

Phil. Then I perceiue you are better sene in words then in knowledge of things: and I will gage with you what you will, it is so: as you may see in the Epitome of the Councels.

Scholer. I will fet Eusebius and shew the contrary, and the booke of generall Councels. Hee went into my Lordes closet, and brought Eusebius: but the generall Councels he brought not, saying (for sauing of his honesty) that he could not come by them, & there he would haue defended that it was otherwyse in Eusebius, but was not able to shew the same, MarginaliaThe Scholer of Oxford shrinketh away.and so shranke away confounded.

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Chaun. The church of Rome hath bene alwayes taken for the whole Catholicke church: therefore I would aduise you to come into the same with vs. You see all the