eminence aforesaide, orderlye to set foorth and to declare what histories of times doo say in that matter, by the grace of Christ. Marginalia1.First we will see what be the titles, the bishop of Rome doth take and chalenge to hym self, and what is the meanyng of them. Marginalia2.2. When they first cam in, whether in þ^e primitiue time or not, & by whom. Marginalia3.3. How they were first geuen to the Romaine bishops, that is, whether of necessarye duetie, or of voluntarye deuotion, whether commonly of the whole, or particularly of a few, and whether in respect of Peter, or in respect of the citie, or els of the worthines of the bishoppe which ther sat. Marginalia4.4. And if the foresaid names were then geuen of certaine bishops, vnto the bishops of Rome: whether were all the said names geuen, or but certaine, and what they were. Marginalia5.5. Or whether were they then receaued of all bishops of Rome, to whome they were geuen, or els refused of some. Marginalia6.6. And finallye whether they ought to haue ben refused beynge geuen, or not. Touching the discourse of which matters, although it appertaineth to the profession, rather of Diuines, then Historicians, and would require a long and large debating: yet for so much as both in these, & diuers other weyghtie controuersies of Diuinitie, the knowledge of times and histories, muste nedes helpe diuines disputyng about the same, so muche as the grace of Christ shall assist me therin, I wil ioyne to the seekyng out of truth, such helpe as I may.

MarginaliaWhat names and titles be attributed to the Bishop of Rome.
Ex. 6. decret Lib. 1. de elect & electi potestate. tit. 6. an. ca. 27 in proemiogloia.And first to beginne with the names and titles, now claimed & attributed to þ^e sea & byshop of Rome, & what they be, is sufficiently declared aboue, that is: the chiefe priest of the world, the prince of the church, byshop Apostolical, the vniuersall head of the church, the head and byshop of the vniuersal church, the successour of Peter, moste holye Pope, the Vicar of God on earth, neither God nor man, but a mixte thinge betwen both: the Patriarch or Metropolitane of the churche of Rome, the bishop of the first sea &c. MarginaliaThe forme of þ^e Popes regalitie to hys titles apperteyning.Vnto the which titles & stile is ānexed a triple crown, a triple crosse, two crossed keies, a naked sword, seuenfold seales, in token of the seuenfold giftes of þ^e holy Gost, he being caried pickbacke on mēs shoulders, after the maner of Heathen kinges, hauing all the Empire, and the Emperour vnder his dominion: and that it is not conuenient for anye terrene prince to reigne there, where he sitteth, hauing the plenarye fulnes of power, as well of temporall things as spiritual thinges in his handes, that al thinges are his, and that all suche Princes as hue geuen him anye thinge, haue geuen him but his own, hauing power at his will and pleasure to preache indulgencies and the crosse agaynst christen princes what soeuer: MarginaliaRegalia Sancti Petri.And that the Emperour, & certain other princes, oughte to make to him confession of subiection at their coronation: hauing authority to depose, and that he de facto, hath deposed Emperours & the king of Fraunce: Also to absolue the subiectes from their alleagiance to their princes: whom kings haue serued for footmen to lead his horse & the Emperour to hold his sturrup: that he may & doth geue power to bishops vpon the bodies of mē, and hath graunted them to haue prisons, without whose authority no generall councel hath any force. And to whome appellations in all manner of causes may and ought to be made. That his decrees be equall with the decres of Nicene counsel, and are to be obserued and taken in no lesse force, then if they had bene confirmed with the heauenly voyce of Saint Peter himselfe ex fra. Barth. et alijs. MarginaliaEx frat. Barth & aliisItem that the said bishop of Rome hath the heauenly disposition of thinges, and therfore may alter and change the nature of things, by applying the substance of one thing to an other. cap. Quando de transl. Epis. tit. 7. MarginaliaCa. quādo. De transl. episc tit. 7Item that he can of nothinge make somethinge, and cause the sentence, which before was none, to stande in effect, and may dispense aboue the law, and of iniusticemake iustice, in correcting and changing lawes, for he hath the fulnes of power. And again. dist. 40. cap. Si. Papa. MarginaliaDist. 40 ca. Si PapaIf the pope do lead with him innumerable soules by flockes into hel, yet no man must presume to rebuke his faults in this world. Item that it standeth vpon necescity of saluatiō to beleue the primacy of the sea of Rome, and to be subiect to the same. &c.

These things thus declared, nowe let vs see whether these names and titles, with the forme and manner of this authority & regality aboue rehersed, were euer attributed of any in the primitiue time to the bishoppe of Rome. For al these, he doth chalenge and claime vnto him by old possessiō from the time of Saint Peter. And here a question is to be asked of our aduersaries the papists, whether they will auouch all these foresaid titles, together with the whole forme & tenour of regality, to þ^e same belōging as is afore touched, or not? if thei wil, let them come forth w^t their allegations, which they neuer haue done yet, nor euer shalbe able: if they wil not, or cā not auouch thē al together in maner as is specified, thē why doth the bishop claim them altogether so stoutly, vsurpe them so falsely, & obtrude them vpō vs so straitly. Moreouer if the sayd our aduersaryes, beyng conuicted by plain euidence of history, and examples of time, wil yeld vnto vs (as they must nedes) in part, and not in the whole, let vs come thē to the particulars, and see what part of this regalitye they wil defend & deriue, from the auncient custome of the primitiuc church (that is from the first fiue thousande yeares, I meane after Christe.) MarginaliaEx concil Nice Cano 6.First in the counsel of Nice, which was the year of our Lord. 340. & in þ^e vi. Canon of the said councel, we find it so decreed: that in euery prouince or precinct some one church, and bishop of the same, was apointed and set vp to haue the inspection and regimente of other churches about him. MarginaliaDist. 65. cap Mos. antiquus.Secundum morem antiquum, that is, after þ^e auncient custome, as the wordes of the councel do purporte, so that þ^e bishop of Alexandria should haue power of Libia, and Pentapolis in Egipt, for as muche as the bishop of the city of Rome, hath the like or same maner. And in like sort also in Antioch, and in other countries, let euery church haue his dew honor, and consequently that the bishop of Ierusalē haue also his dew honour to him reserued, so that such order be kept, that the Metropolitane cities be not defrauded of their dignity which to them is due and proper &c. In this counsel and in the same Canō. vi. and vii. wher the bishops of Alexandria, of Rome, and of Antioch, ar ioyned together in one like manner of dignity, first there appereth no difference of honour to be ment therein. Secondly for somuche as in the said two cannons after mention made of them, immediatly foloweth, that no byshops shuld be made without consent of their metropolitanes, yea and that the city also of Hierusalē should be vnder his Metropolitan, & that the Metropolitane should haue the full power to confirme euery bishop made in his prouince: MarginaliaEx concil Nic. can.Therfore it may be well supected that the third epistle decretall of Pope Anacletus, and of Pope Stephanus, with other mo, are forged, wherin these bishops, and especially the bishoppe of Rome is exempted and disceuered from the name of a Metropolitan or an Archbishop, to the name of a patriarch or primate: as apereth in the decrees. dis. 22. cap. Sacro sancta. MarginaliaDist. 22 cap. Sacro sanctaWherfore as we must nedes graūt the bishop of Rome to be called a Metropolitane or an Archbishop by the counsell of Nice: MarginaliaThe Bishop of Rome called Metropolitane, Archbishop, Patriarche Primate.so we wil not greatly sticke in this also, to haue him nūbred w^t patriarches or primates. Which title seme in the old time to be common to mo cities then to Rome, both by the epistle of Anacletus, of pope Stephanus, of Pope Iulius, & Leo. &c.

MarginaliaThe vi. counsell of CarthageAfter this followed a generall councell in Afrike, called the vi. counsel of Carthage, an. 420. wher were congregated. 217. bishops, among whome was also, Augustinus, Prosper, Orosius, with diuers other famous per