London is the chiefe city in all England.

Ergo the bishop of London is the chiefest of all Byshops in the realme.

Which argument were derogatorye to the Byshop both of Canturbury, and of Yorke.

Yea to graunt yet more to our aduersaryes (which is all they can require) the minde of the foresayd doctors Irenæus, Ambrose, Austen, & Theodoritus, in geuing principallitie vnto Rome, to haue respect vnto the vertue of successiō from Peter, and not vnto the greatnes of the citie: yet notwithstanding for all this theyr argument holdeth not, if it be rightly considered: to saye.

The Apostolicall Sea of Rome, hauing succession frō Peter, with the bishops therof, was chiefe then of all other churches, in the primitiue tyme of these doctors.MarginaliaA false consequent of the papistes.

Ergo, the Apostolicall Sea of Rome, with the bishops therof, hauing succession from Peter, ought now to bee chiefe of all other churches, in these our dayes.

MarginaliaAunswer to the consequent.This consequent might wel follow, if the times were like, or if succession which gaue then the cause of principallitie, were the same now which was then. But nowe the tyme and succession is not correspondēt, for thē succession in the time of these doctors, was as well in doctrine Apostollical, as in place Apostollical. MarginaliaSuccession Apostolical double wise to be considered.Now the succession of doctrine Apostolicall hath longe ceased in the sea Aposticall: and nothing remaineth but only place, which is the least matter of true spirituall and Apostolicall succession. And thus much to þ^e authoritie and testimonie of these forenamed doctors.

Besides these obiections heretofore recited out of Irenæus, Ambrose, Austen, and Theodoritus, our aduersaries yet obiecte and heape vp against vs, moreouer, examples of the primitiue time of the church, testimonies of generall councels, and opinions of auncient writers, taken out of the booke of Councells, and Epistles decretall, wherby their intent is to proue, the foresaid termes (of the head of the church, ruler of the church, chiefe of all other priests) to be applied not onely to Peter, but also to the Byshop of Rome, w^t in the compasse of the primitiue tyme. MarginaliaTestimonies alledged for the principality of the pope.And here commeth in the testimonie cited of Vincentius Lirinensis secundo Commoni. Of the Epistle of Paschasinus and his fellowes, writyng to Leo from the Councell of Chalcedon. The testimonie also of Iustinian the Emperour in hys Codex: where Ioannes then Pope was called caput omniū ecclesiarū. Epist. inter claras. cap. De summa trin. & fide cath. The testimonie also of Athanasius with hys fellow Byshops of Egipt, of Thebaida, and Libia, in theyr epistles to Pope Marcus, Liberius, and Felix. Likewyse the testimony of Hierome, In præf. in 4. euange. Item, epist. 42. tom. 1. Item, epist. 4. tom. 2. Of S. Ambrose. 1. Timo. 3. Of S. Austen to Boniface. Ad Bonif. contra duas epist. Pelagian. Lib. 1. cap. 1. Item, Lib. 2. De baptis. cap. 1. Of Theodoritus in hys Epistle to Pope Leo. Epist. cōmentar. in Pauli epist. præfixa. Of Chrysostome, Epist. ad Innocentium, Tom. 5. et ce. By which testimonies our aduersaries wold proue S. Peter, & after him the bishop of Rome to be called and taken for head of the church, chiefe byshop, prince and ruler of the whole clergye. To all which obiections fully and exactlye to answer in order, woulde requyre a whole volume by it selfe. In the meane tyme, leauing the reast to them vnto whō it doth more properly appertayne, MarginaliaAunswere by a distinction.brieflye with this one shorte distinction I answere these & all such other like places, where S. Peter with hys successours are called: head of the church, chiefe of byshops, prince of the Apostles, &c. In which places, this worde, head, chiefe, and prince of the Apostles, may bee taken two manner of wayes: to note eyther dominion, or ells commendation MarginaliaCaput and princeps, haue a doble vnderstandynge.For so we read sometyme Caput, and principes to be words not of authoritie, but of excellencie, wherby is declared þ^e chiefest and worthiest parte among many partes, and notpossessour and gouernour of the whole. Lyke as in the person of man, the head is the principall part of þ^e whole bodye, being endued with reason and furnished with moste excellent senses, by the which the whole bodye of man is directed: so therof is deriued by a metaphor, that to what man or thing nature or condition hath geuen the greatest excellency, in any societie, of gifts and propertyes aboue other partes or members of the same societie, he is called of the said parties, Caput, or Principes, head or prince. And yet the same head or prince so called, hath not alwayes dominion or iurisdiction of the reast. So we call in our vulgare speech the head or chiefe men of the parishe, who for theyr ryches, wisedome, or place, are most specially noted: After like phrase of speech we call the head man of the inquest, him that hath the fyrst place. And yet neyther they nor these haue any dominion or iurisdiction vpō the residue. In a schole the chiefest scholer in learning, is not therefore the maister or gouernour of hys fellowes. MarginaliaHow Peter is princeps apostolorū Princeps eloquntiæ Cicero. Princeps philosophorum Cratippus.Neyther hath M. Cicero any title therby to claime subiection and seruice of al other Orators, because he is named Princeps eloquentiæ, and goeth before them in that kynde of prayse. The same Cicero. Lib. 1. offic. calleth Cratippum principem huius ætatis Philosophorum: as Homerus also may bee called Poetarū Principes:  

Latin/Greek Translations     Close

Gregory the Great and his epistle: citation from Cicero, De Officiis, iii. 2.

Foxe text Latin

Princeps eloquentiæ . . . Cratippum principem huius ætatis Philosophorum: as Homerus also may bee called Poetarū Princeps:

Foxe text translation

Not translated

Translation

John Wade, University of Sheffield

The Prince of eloquence . . . the leading Cratippus of the philosophers of this age, as Homer also may be called the Prince of Poets.

Actual text of Cicero

Quare quamquam a Cratippo nostro, principe huius memoriae philosophorum, etc.

Comment

Foxe has 'aetatis' rather than 'memoriae', but the passage is correctly cited and translated.

MarginaliaPetrus prīceps et Coryphæus apostolorūAnd what if S. Peter the blessed Apostle be called and counted of the olde auncient Doctors, as head & prince of the Apostles, which is as much as Coryphæus Apostolorum, for his excellent fayth, for hys diuine confession and singulare affection to the Lorde Iesus: yet what interest or charge eyther hath he to chalenge ouer the Apostles, or the Pope after hym ouer all other Byshops and the whole church of Christ, although the pope haue the lyke excellencie of Christes fayth, which Peter had, as would God he had? As concerning these allegations therfore out of the Doctors, two things are to be obserued: fyrst that neither these names & titles though they be geuen to Peter, do geue hym any state or dominion aboue other Apostles: nor yet the succession of hym doth further any whit thys celsitude and regalitie of þ^e Pope to aduaunce hym aboue hys fellow Archbyshops, as he now doth.

And if our aduersayres would needes prouoke vs to the numbering of testimonyes, and deuiding the house (speaking of the wryters and councells of the primitiue age) for these aforesayd testimonyes alledged on theyr side, I could on the contrary part recyte out of the witnesse of Doctors, out of the examples of councells, and practices of Emperours, no lesse then. 60. voyces much more repugnaunt agaynst theyr assertion, then there is for the Pope. The tractation wherof for thys present I do refre eyther to them, that haue more leysure at thys time to discourse them, or els omitte it to an other time, if the good pleasure of the Lorde shall be, to graunt me further leysure in an other booke to intreate thereof at large, in such order as (if the Lorde so graunt) shall appeare sufficient matter, to prouoke both by Doctors, generall councels, examples & hystories of tyme, that the bishops of Rome, during þ^e first. 500. yeares after Christ, although for the greatnes of the Empyre, were somewhat more magnified then the other, and therfore were sought of many, and were flattered of some, and they them selues diuerse dyd set forth them selues more then they should: yet by the cōmon consent of churches, wer stopped of theyr purpose, so that by the consension of the most part, within the compasse of that age þ^e bishops of Rome had not this regal state of title, iurisdiction, & fulnes of power, which now they vsurpe, but wer taken as Archbishops, or equal honor, of equal merite with other Archbishops and rules of the church. And if any pre-