by whom he hath gotten autority aboue others. MarginaliaBishops taught by Christ not to play the Lordes.If you marke well most holy father, you shall finde that Christ rebuked sharply two brethren, coueting the seate of honour: he taught them not to playe the Lordes ouer the people, but the more grace they were preuented with, to be so much more humble then other, and more lowlye to serue their brethrē. To him that asked his coate, to geue the cloke: to hym that smote him on the one cheeke, to turne the other to him. For the sheepe that are geuen to his keeping, he must forsake all earthlye thinges, and to shed his own bloud, yea & if nede required to dye. MarginaliaThe right ornamente of a true bishop.These thinges I say be those that adorne the highest Bishop if they be in him, not purple, not his white horse or his imperiall crowne, because he among all men is most boūd to all the sheepe of Christ. For the feare of God therefore, and for the loue of the flocke which ye guide, consider these thinges diligentlye, and doo them wysely, and suffer vs no longer to wauer betwixt two: although not for your own cause, to whom peraduenture the fulnes of your own power is knowen: yet in pitieng our weaknes, if thou be he, tell vs openlye, and shew thy self to the world, that all we may folow one. Be not to vs a bloudy bishop, least by your occasion mans bloude bee shed, least hel swallow such a number of soules, and least the name of Christ be euill spoken of by Infidels, through such a worthy personage. MarginaliaA bald aunswer.But peraduenture ye wil say, for our righteousnes it is manifest inough, and we wyll not put it to other mens disputacions. If this balde answer should be admitted, the schisme should cōtinue stil, seing neyther part is wylling to agree to the other: and where the world is as it were equally deuided betwyxt them, neither part can be compelled to geue place to the other without much bloodshed. The incarnatiō of Christ and hys resurrection was well inough knowen to hymselfe and his Disciples, yet he asked of hys father to bee made knowen to the world. He made also the Gospell to be written, and the doctrine of the Apostels, and sent hys Apostles into all the world, to do the office of preaching, that the same thing might be knowen to all men. The foresayd reason is the suttlety of Mahomet, the whych knowing himselfe gilty of his sect, vtterlye forbad dysputations. If ye haue so full truste of your ryghteousnes, put it to the examination of worthy persons in a generall councell, to the which it belongeth by right to define such doubtes: or els cōmit it vnto able persons, and geue them full power to determine all thinges concerning that matter: or at the least by forsaking the office on both parties, leaue the church of God free, speedelye to prouide for a new shepheard.

MarginaliaPublike respect to bee preferred before priuat.We finde, kinges haue forsaken their temporal kingdomes, vpon onely respect of deuotion, and haue taken the apparell of Monkes profession. Therefore let Christes Vicar (being a professour of most high holynes) be ashamed to continue in his seat of honor, to the offēce of all people, & the preiudice & hurt of the Romish church, & the deuotion of it, & cutting away kingdoms frō it. But if you say, it is not requisite that þ^e cause of gods church should be called in controuersie, & therfore we cannot so easely go from it, seing our conscience gainsayth it. To the which we aunswer, MarginaliaAunswer to a popish obiection.if it be the cause of God and the church, let the generall councell iudge of it: but if it be a personall cause (as almost all the world probablye thynketh) if ye were the follower of Christ, ye woulde rather chose a temporall death, then to suffer such a wauering, I say not, to the hurt of so many, but to the endlesse destructiō of soules, to þ^e offence of the whole world, & to an euerlasting shame of the apostolicall dignitie. MarginaliaHard counsel for the pope.Dyd not Clemence named (or þ^t I may more truly speake) ordayneth of S. Peter to the apostolike dignity, and to be bishop, resigne his righte, that his dede might be taken of his successors for an example? Also Pope Siricius gaue ouer his popedome to be a comfort of the. xj. M. VyrginsTherefore much more ought you (if nede require) geue ouer your popedome, that you myght gather together the children of God which be scattered abroade. For as it is thought a glorious thing to defēd the cōmon right, euen to bloodshed: so is it somtimes necessary for a man, to winke at his own cause, & to forsake it for a greater profit, and by þ^t meanes better to procure peace. Should not he be thought a deuil and Christes enemy of all mē, that would agree to an election made of him for the apostolicall dignity and popedome, if it shoulde be to the destruction of Christians, diuision of the church, the offēce and losse of all faythful people? If such mischiefs should be knowen to all the world by Gods reuelation, to come to passe by such receauing of the popedome and apostolicall dignity: MarginaliaVnitie of the church to be preferred before worldly dignity.then by the lyke reason, why shall hee not be iudged of all men an Apostata and forsaker of hys fayth, which chuseth dignity or rather worldly honour, then the vnitie of the church? Christ dyed that he might gather together the children of God which were scattered abroad: but such an enemy of God and the Church, wisheth his subiectes bodely to dye in battell, & the more part of the world to perish in soule, rather thē forsaking to be Pope, to lyue in a lower state, although it wer honorable. If the feare of God, the desire of the heauenly kingdom, and the earnest loue of the vnity of the church do moue your hart, shewe in deede, that your woorkes may beare record to the truth.

Clement, and Siricius most holy Popes, not onely are not reproued, but rather are reuerenced of all mē, because they gaue ouer their ryght for profitable causes, and for the same cause all the churche of holye men shewe forth their prayse. Lykewyse, your name shoulde lyue for euer and euer, if ye would do the lyke for a necessary cause, that is to say for the vnity of gods church. MarginaliaThe pope will not loose hys dignitie for any publique tranquillitie.Geue no heede to vnmeasurable cryinges of them that say, that the ryght of chusing of Popes is lost, except ye defend your part manfully: but be afrayd, least such stirrers vp of mischief, looke for their owne commoditie or honor, that is to say, that vnder your wyng they might be promoted to riches and honour. MarginaliaWicked flatterers about the pope.After this sorte, Achithophell was ioyned & absolued in persecuting his owne father, and fals vsurping of his kingdom. Furthermore, there should be no ieopardie to that election, bicause both parties sticke stifly to the old facion of electiō, and either of them couet the preeminence of the Romishe churche, counsellyng all Christians to obey them. MarginaliaBetter that the order of the popes election should cease: then the church should suffer any diuision.And althoughe through their geuing ouer, the fashion of chusing þ^e pope, should be chaūged for a tyme: it were to be borne, rather then to suffer any lenger this diuision in Gods churche. For that fashion in chusing, is not so necessary required to the state of a pope, but the successour of the Apostle as necessarie cause required, might come in at the doore by another fashion of chusing, and that canonicall enough. And this we are taught manifestly by examples of the fathers: for Peter the Apostle apointed after him Clemēt, and that not by false vsurpyng of power, as we suppose. And it was thought, that that fashion of appoyntyng of popes, was lawful vnto þ^e tyme of pope Hillary. Which decreed that no pope should appoint his successor.

MarginaliaBishops of Rome appointed their succesours to the tyme of pope Hillary.Afterward, the election of the pope went by the clergy & people of Rome, & the Emperors coūcel agreyng therto, as it apeareth in the electiō of þ^e blessed Gregory. But Martinus pope, with þ^e consent of þ^e holy Sinode, graūted Charles þ^e power to chuse þ^e pope. But of late Nicholas the 2. was the first whō Martin makes mentiō of in hys councels, to be chosen by the Cardinals. But all the Bishops of Lumbardie (for the most part) withstode this election, and chose Cadulus to be Pope, saying that the pope ought not to be chosen, but of the precincte of Italy. Wherefore, we thincke it not a safeway, so earnestly to sticke to the traditions of men, in the fashion of chosing the Pope, and so oft to chaunge, least we be thought to