is before declared, &c. MarginaliaDist. 99. cap primæ sedis epis.In thys or in some other councell of Carthage, it was moreouer prouided by expresse law, and also specified in the Popes decrees that no bishop of the fyrst sea, should be called the prince of priestes, or the chiefe priest, or any such lyke thing, MarginaliaThe highest title belonginge to a bishop is to be called the bishop of the first seatebut onely the bishop of the fyrst seate, as followeth more in the sayde decree, Vniuersalis autem, nec etiam Rom. pontifex appelletur, that is. Be it enacted, that no bishop, MarginaliaThe bishop of Rome forbidden to be called vniuersal B.no not the byshop of Rome be called vniuersall byshop, &c. And thus much concerning thys foresayd councell of Carthage.

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Not long before thys councell, was celebrate in Aphricke an other counsell, called Synodus Mileuitana, about the yeare of our Lorde. 442. MarginaliaSinodus Mileuitana.
No bishop to appeale ouer the sea.at the which councell also S. Austen was present, where it was decreed vnder payne of excommunication, that no minister or byshop should appeale ouer the sea, to þ^e byshop of Rome, wherby it may appeare that þ^e byshop of Rome all this space was not vniuersally called by the terme of Oecumenicall or vniuersall byshop, but the byshop of the first sea: MarginaliaBishop of first seate what it meaneth.so that if there were any preferment therin, it was in þ^e reuerence of the place, and not in the authoritie of the person. And yet it was not so in the place, that the place importeth the citie of Rome onely, but the first seat then was called euery Metropolitane church, as by þ^e words of Nicene councell, and other constitutions moe, is to be sene where the foure Patriarches were called πρῶτοι , or πρωτέυοντες , or προεστῶτες  

, as namely by the wordes of þ^e councell of Carthage maye appeare, whiche bee these: ἐι μὴ μετὰ ψηφίσματος τῆς πρώτης καθέδρας τοῦ ἰδίου ἑκάστης χώρας ἐπισκόπον τοῦτ’ ἐστὶν, εἰ μὴ ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πρωτεύοντος κατεξαίρετον λάβη.   MarginaliaConcil. Cart. cano. 23.That is, excepte he haue some speciall licence or exception, by the consent of the first seate of the proper byshop in euery countrey, that is, of hym that is the Primate in the sayd countrey, &c. Also the wordes of the can, 39. of the councell of Carthage, before touched be these, ὥστε τὸν τῆς πρώτης καθέδρας ἐπίσκοπον μὴ λέγεσθαι ἔξαρχον τῶν ἱερέων, ἢ ἄκρον ἱερέα ἢ τοιοῦτον τι πότε.   MarginaliaConc. Carth. can. 39.That is, that the bishop of þ^e first seat, be not called prince of priestes, or head priest, or els any such lyke. Agayne Anicetus the tenth bishop of Rome and pope Stephen and pope Felix making a difference betwene primate and metropolitane writeth thus: let no Archbishoppes be called Primates, but only such as haue the first seate. &c? MarginaliaEx epist. decr. Anicet. Step. FelicitThus it is made plaine, how the byshop of the first seate, or first bishop, or primate is none other, but he which then was called patriarch, and belonged not only to the church of Rome, but to all such cities and places where as before among the gentils were primiflamines etc. dist. 80. cap. vrbes et loca. et in illis. MarginaliaDist. 80. cap. Vrbes et loca. ibid. ca. in illisWhere by the way is to be noted the repugnance or contrariety of such as craftelye, but falselye, haue counterfeted the popes decretall epistles, which besides other great and manye coniectures also hereby may be gathered. MarginaliaThe papistes in their decrees contrary to them selues.For wher Clement, Anacletus epist. 2. Anicetus and other, ioyning together the office of Patriarches and primates do deuide the same from the order of Metropolitanes or Archebishops, alledging therin the constitution of the apostels & their successors, that is to be founde false by the canons of the Apostles, by the counsell of Nice, and by the councell of Antioch, with other moe. MarginaliaCano. Apo. 34For in the Canons of the Apostels, where in euery Canon almost mention is made of bishops, priests, & deacons, no word is ther touched nether of any order aboue the Bishop, or lower then the Deacon, saue onelye in the. 33. canon, MarginaliaCanō. apo. 33.setting an order among bishops, MarginaliaThe fyrste byshop or heade bishop expounded, howe it is to be taken.the cannon willeth the bishops of euery nation to know their first or chief bishop, and him to be taken for the head of them: he sayth not the head of the church or head of the world, but þ^e head of those bishops And wher? not in Rome only, but plainely and expresly in euery nation, for so the words purporte τοὺς ἐπισκόπους ἑκάστου ἔθνους εἰδέναι χρὴ τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς πρῶτον.   . i. the Byshops of euery nation ought to know the first or chiefeamong thē &c. Moreouer the coūcel of Antioch reciting the foresaid canon word for word expoundeth þ^e matter plainly, in stede of τὸν πρῶτον , writing, τὸν ἐν τῇ μητροπόλει προεστῶτα ἐπίσκοπον . Which is as much to say, as Metropolitane: and in the end of the sayd Canon, calleth hym τὸν τῆς μητροπόλεως ἐπίσκοπον   . Id est, Metropolitanū, 6. q. 3. per singulas. MarginaliaAntioch conci. ca. 6, q. 3. per singulas prouinciasWhereby it is to be concluded that to be false that Clement, and Anacletus, and Anicetus be reported (but falsely) to put a differēce betwene primates or Patriarches, and Metropolitanes, or Archbyshops. MarginaliaDist. 99. cap. Anacletus.Where as by sufficient authoritie it is to be proued, þ^t in the old church, both Primates, first Bishops, Bishops of the first seat, Patriarches, Metroplitanes, Bishops of the mother citie, and Archbishops were all one. First that Primates and Metropolitanes were both one, is before declared by the Canons of the Apostles, and by the councell of Antioche aforesayd. Agayne that Patriarches and Archbyshops were all one, it is euident ex Nouella Iustiniani. cap. 23. MarginaliaNouella Iustiniani cap. 23where the sayd constitution reciting the. 4. Patriarches (aboue mentioned) calleth them by the name of Archbyshops. And a litle after calleth the Patriarche of Constantinople, Archbyshop, by these woordes: οἱ τίνες ὑπὸ τὸν μακαριώτατον ἀρχιεπίσκοπον Κωνσταντινουπόλεως καὶ πατριάρχην εἰσίν.   , id est. Which bee vnder the Archbishop and Patriarche of Constantinople. And after speaking more playnly in the matter, setteth an other order, diuerse from that of Clement, of Anacletus, and Anicetus, in placyng these foresayd persons, fyrst beginning with bishops, then ouer them setteth the Metropolitane, and ouer him agayne, the Archbishop, and there stayeth, makyng no further mention of any other aboue hym: whose woordes bee these: εἴπερ ἐπίσκοπος εἴη ὁ κατηγορούμενος, τὸν τούτου μητροπολίτην ἐξετάζειν τὰ λεγόμενα, εἰ δὲ μητροπολίτης εἴη, τὸν μακαριώτατον ἀρχιεπίσκοπον, ὑφ’ ὅν τελεῖ.   , MarginaliaEx Nouella IustinianiThat is: If a bishop be accused, the Metropolitane to haue the examination of those thinges that are brought agaynst hym, if the Metropolitane be accused, then the Archbishop to haue hearing therof, vnder whom he dwelleth, and pertayneth. &c.

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And in the same constitution moreouer, εἰ δὲ καὶ παρὰ κληρικοῦ, ἤ ἄλλον οἰουδήποτε προσέλευσις κατὰ ἐπίσκοπον γένηται, πρῶτον ὁ μητροπολίτης τὸ πρᾶγμα διακρινέτω, καὶ εἰ τίς τοῖς κεκριμένοις ἀντείποι, ἐπὶ τὸν μακαριώτατον ἀρχιεπίσκοπον καὶ πατριάρχην τῆς διοικήσεως ἐκείνης ἀναφερέσθω τὸ πρᾶγμα &c.  

MarginaliaArchbishop and Metropolitane not to be both one.If any sute or supplication be brought agaynst a bishop by a minister, fyrst the Metropolitane to haue the decising of the matter, and if any default shalbe founde in the iudgement therof, then the hearing and ending of the case to be brought before the Archbishop. &c.

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MarginaliaAn Item against the forged epistles decretall.In this constitution of Iustinian, although the Metropolitane be placed aboue the bishop, and Archbishop aboue the Metropolitane: yet notwithstanding by thys is sufficiently confuted the foreged constitution of Clement, Anacletus, Anicetus, Stephanus, and Felix: who in their epistles decretal, do ioyne together in one forme and order, both Archbishop and Metropolitane, and aboue them both doth place the Patriarch, and aboue the Patriarch, the Apostolical sea, to wit þ^e bishop of Rome, as may appeare in readyng the fyrst epistle of Clement In illis autem ciuitatibus. &c.MarginaliaClement epist. 1.the seconde epistle of Anacletus, Art. 4. prouinciæ. dist. 99. cap. prouinciæ multo. MarginaliaAnaclet. epist. 2. art. 4and the epistle of Anicetus, art. 23. dist. 99. cap. Nulli Archiepiscopi. MarginaliaAniceti epist. art. 2. Dist. 99 c. Nulli ArchiepiscopiAlso the epistle of Pope Stephen the fyrste, Art. 5.MarginaliaStepha. ep art. 5 (wher note by the way, the Gracianus referreth thys place of the Epistle to Pope Lucius.) Item the epistle of Pope Felix the second, Art. 12. in whiche all the foresayd epistles, thys order and difference of degrees is taken, that the fyrst and principall place is geuen to Primates or Patriarches, the second to Metropolitans or Archbyshops, the third to Bishops, and finally aboue al these is extolled the Apostolicall sea of the Bishop of Rome, contrary to al that which before hath bene alled-

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