ged out of Iustinian, the councel of Nice and of Antioche, &c. MarginaliaRepugnāce betwen the cōstitutiōs of Iustiniā and the epistles decretall,Wherby it may appeare that eyther Iustinian in preferring Archbyshops aboue Metropolitanes, dyd not reade these espistles decretal, if they were vnfayned, or if they were foreged, they which forged the sayd epistles in their names, dyd not wel aduise what Iustinian had written in thys matter before.

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MarginaliaBishop Metropolitan Bish. of the first sea, Primate patriarch. Archbishop Chief bish. termes vsed in the primatiue time of the church.Thus then these titles aboue recited, as Bishop, Metropoliane, Bishop of the fyrst seate, Primate Patriarche, Archbishop, that is to meane, chiefbishop, or headbishop to other Bishops of hys prouince, we denye not but were then in the old tyme applyed, and myght be applyed, to the Bishop of Rome, like as the same also wer applied to other Patriarches in other chiefe Cities and prouinces.

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MarginaliaHigh priest or high priesthode.As touching the name likewise of the high Priest, or high priesthood, neither do I deny but it hath bene foūd in olde monumentes and recordes of auncient tymes, but in such wyse and sorte, as it hath bene common to Bishops indifferently, and not singularly attributed to any one bishop or sea. Wherof testimonye we haue out of the. vij. general councel, dist. 38. cap. Omnes,MarginaliaDist. 38. cap. omnes Summus sacerdos. Suumum sacerdotiū wher the Bishops office is called Summum sacerdotium, the high priesthood, in these woordes: Snbstātia summi sacerdotii nostri sunt eloquia diuinitus tradita. i. vera diuinaru scripturarum disciplina. et cet.  

That is, the substaunce (saye they) of our high priesthood is the worde or discipline of holy scriptures geuen vs from aboue. &c.

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MarginaliaEx cōcilio Agathensi 12. q. 3. cap pontificesAnd likewyse the councel of Agatha, maketh relatiō De pontificibus in summo sacerdotio constitutis,  

of Byshops set in the hygh priesthoode, meanyng not of anye one, but indefinitely and indifferently of whomsoeuer, 12. q. 3. cap. Pontifices. Also Fabianus Bishop of Rome, an. 240. writing in generall to hys brethren, and to all Bishops and Ministers ecclesiasticall, doth attribute to them the same title of Summum sacerdotium, in these wordes: deus ergo fratres qui præordinauit vos, et omnes qui summo sacerdotio funguntur, et cet.   God which hath preordayned you brethren, and al them which beare the office of hygh priesthoode. 3. q. 1. cap. deus ergo.Marginalia3. q. 1. cap. Deus ergo. With like phrase of speeche Anacletus also in hys seconde epistle, speaking of bishops in generall, calleth them Summos sacerdotes: vnde, inquit, liquet quòd summi sacerdotes. i. Episcopi a deo sunt iudicandi, et cet.   MarginaliaEx Anaclet. epi. 2. 2. q. 7. cap. AccusatioThe high Priestes, that is, Bishoppes, sayth he. MarginaliaBishops called the successorr of þ^e apostles.And moreouer in the same place calleth them Apostles, and Successours of the Apostles. &c. So doth Innocentius the first, an. 405. as appeareth, dist. 61. cap. Miserum. MarginaliaDist. 61. c. miserumItē Zosimus bishop of the sayd citye of Rome, an. 420. as witnesseth dist. 59. cap. 1. who speaketh de Sūmo sacerdotio, MarginaliaDi. 59 c. 1that is, of the hygh priesthood, not onely of the church of Rome, but of all other churches. Vrbanus the fyrst was bishoppe of Rome, an. 226. who in hys writinges alledged by Gratian, referreth the name and place Summi pontificis, of the high bishop, not onelye to the seate of Rome, but vniformely to euery byshop, as appeareth in the words of the dist. 59. cap. Si officia. et. cet.MarginaliaEx Vrba. 1 Di. 59 cap Si officia.

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And thus much as touching the name or title of hye Priest, or supreme Bishop. Which title as I do not deny to haue bene vsed in maner and forme aforesayde: so do I deny that thys title and stile of MarginaliaSummus orbis pontifex.Summus orbis pontifex, as it is nowe vsed in Rome, to haue bene vsed, or vsuallye receaued, during all the primitiue time of the church, that is. v. hundred yeares after Christ, after the maner and sorte, I meane, of that authority and glorye which in these dayes now is vsed & is geuē to the same, vntill the time of Phocas, the wicked Emperour, which was after the yeare of the Lord. 608. The which title as it is to glorious for any one Byshop in the Church of Christ to vse: so is it not to be founde in any of the approued and most auncient writers of the Church, namely these, as Cyprianus, Basilius, Fulgentius, Chryso-stomus, Hieronymus, Ambrose, Augustinus, Tertullianus, but rather written agaynst of the same, especially of the last. And therfore not wythout cause it is written and testified of Erasmus, who speaking of the sayde name, of Summus orbis pontifiex, denyeth playnlye the same to be heard of amōg the old wryters, whose words be these: Certe nomen hoc nondum illis temporibus erat auditum, quantum ex veterum omniū scriptis licet colligere. &c.  

lib. epist. 3. epist. 1. art. 73. &c. MarginaliaEx Erasm. ep. li. 3. ep. 1 art 73as whosoeuer readeth the same autors shal fynde to be true.

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MarginaliaVniuersalis pōtifex.
Caput vniuersalis ecclesiæ.
Christi in terris vicarius
Princeps sacerdotum. &c.
Papa.The lyke is to be affirmed also of other presumptuous titles of lyke ambition, as the head of the vniuersal church, the Vicar of Christ in earth, Prince of Priests, wyth such lyke, whych al be new found termes, straūge to the eares of the old primitiue wryters and councels, and not receyued openly and commonly before the time of Boniface the thyrd, and Phocas aforesayd.

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Now remayneth the name of the Pope, which of his nature, and by hys first origine, being a word of the Syracusane speche called παππὰς, & signifieng as much as Pater, Father, was then vsed and frequented of them in the olde tyme, not so as proper onelye to the Bishop of Rome, but common and indifferent to all other bishops or personages, whosoeuer were of worthy excellence, as is partly before declared. But now contrarily, the generallitye of thys name is so restrayned and abused, that not onely it is appropriate to þ^e bishop of Rome, but also distincteth and disceuereth the authoritye and preeminence of that Bishop alone from all other Bishops, for whych cause it is now worthely come into contempt & execration. No lesse is to be reiected also the name of vniuersalis, or œcumenicus pontifex, Summus orbis episcopus, Caput vniuersalis ecclesiæ, Christi in terris vicarius, Princeps sacerdotum. &c. All whych termes and vocables, tending to the derogation of other bishops and patriarches, as they were neuer receaued nor allowed in Rome (if we beleue Gregory) during the tyme of the primitiue church, so now are worthely of vs refused.

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MarginaliaHow they began first at Constantinople, to take the name of vniuersal bishop.Although it can not be denyed, but certayne were in the primitiue tyme, which beganne priuately to pretend þ^e proude & wicked title of vniuersal bishop, as Menna, and especially Ioannes Patriarche of Constantinople, who calling a coūcel at Constantinople, went about to stablyshe and ratifie and to dignifie hys throne by the consent of the councell, and the Emperour of Constantinople, and so obtayned the same, as appeareth in the. v. generall counsell of Constantinople the seconde: MarginaliaEx quinta synodo vniuersali Actione prima. cap. post cōsulatum.wher both Menna is named Oicumenicus Patriarcharū and also Ioannes in þ^e said counsel is titled Oicumenicus Patriarcha: ex concil. general. 5. cap. domino. MarginaliaIbid. cap. dom. nostro.Cōcerning þ^e which title, although it was thē vsed in Constantinople through þ^e sufferaunce of þ^e Emperours, being then willing to haue theyr imperial citie aduaunced: yet notwithstāding thys foresayd title, all thys whyle was not in þ^e citie of Rome. And in Constātinople it stode not thē in force: Iure aliquo diuino, but only by mans law. And thyrdly, it was then but onely, verbalis titulus: hauing no true domination vpon all other churches, or any reall subiectiō belonging to the same. For asmuch as neyther the byshop of Rome, nor any of the West churches were subiecte, or dyd acknowledge seruice vnto them, but rather dyd repugne the same: namely Pelagius the 2. and Gregorius the. 1. both byshops the same tyme of Rome, which Pelagius wryting to all byshoppes, hath plainely in these words: MarginaliaEx Pelagi. 20 Dist. 99. cap. Nullus.that no Patriarche should take the name of vniuersalitie at any time, because that if any one be called vniuersall, the name of Patriarh is derogated from all other. But let thys be farre, sayeth he, from all faythful men, to will to take that thing to him, wherby the honour of hys brethrē is diminished. Wherfore the sayd Pelagius chargeth all such byshops, that none of them in theyr letters will name any Patriarche

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