churche, except peraduenture they do make him the ministeriall head: for we doo read that Christ is the head of the churche & not the Pope: and that he is the true head immutable, perpetuall, and euerlastyng, and the church is his body, wherof the Pope him selfe is also a member and the vicar of Christ, not to the destruction but to the maintenaunce and edifiyng of the same body of Christ. MarginaliaThey dote which saye that the pope can not be deposed for any other cause then for heresie.Wherfore, if he be founde a dampnable destroyer of the churche, he may be deposed and cast out, because he doth not that he was ordeined to do. And wee ought as Pope Leo sayth, to be mindfull of the commaundement geuē vs in the Gospell: that if our eye, our foote, or our right hand, do offend vs, it should be cut of from the body. For the Lord sayth in an other place: Euery tree which bringeth not forth fruite, shalbe cut downe and cast into the fire. And in an other place also it is sayd vnto vs: take away all euill and wickednesse from among you. It is very iust and true, whiche is written in the Epistle of Clement vnto Iames the brother of our Lord, that hee whiche wilbe saued, ought to bee separate from them whiche will not be saued.

But for the more manyfest declaration hereof, wee must haue recourse to that whych is spoken by the lord, in the Gospell of Iohn: I am the true vine saith the lord, and my father is the husbandman, and ye are the braūches: MarginaliaFruitles branches are to be cut of.euery braunche therefore that bringeth not foorth fruite in me, my father wyll cut of. These wordes were spoken vnto the Apostles, amongest whom also Peter was present, whom the Lorde woulde haue cut of, if he brought not forth hys fruit. Also Saint Hierome vpon these words of Mathew: MarginaliaIf the pope be vnsauery salt, he is to be cast away.Vnsauery salt is profitable for nothing, but to be cast forth and troden of swine. Wherupon in the person of Peter and Paule, he saith thus: It is no easie matter to stand in the place of Peter & Paul, and to keepe the chayre of them whyche raygne wyth Christ. Thys vnsauerye salt, that is to say a foolish prelate, vnsauery in preaching, and foolish in offending, is good for nothing, but to be cast forth, that is to saye deposed, and to be troden of swyne, that is of wicked spirites, whych haue dominion ouer the wycked & naugh- prelates, as their own flocke and heard. Behold, this testimony of Hierome is playne and euident. Let hym be cast out sayth he. MarginaliaA note for all noughty prelates.He expoūdeth and speaketh it of þ^e prelate, whyche vsurpeth the place of Peter, and so consequently of the bishop of Rome, who being vnsauery in preaching, & foolish in offending, ought to be deposed (as Hierome affirmeth) frō hys degree & dignity. Neyther as some do dreame, is he to be deposed for heresie onely. Isidorus in the boke of Councels, rehearseth a certayne Epistle of Clement the successour of Peter, written vnto Iames the Apostle, where as þ^e sayd Clement referryng þ^e wordes of Peter vnto himself, saith thus: MarginaliaThe words of Peter vnto Clemēt.If thou be occupied w^t worldly cares, thou shalt both deceiue thy self, & those which shall geue eare vnto thee: for þ^u canst not fully distribute vnto euery mā, those thinges which pertain vnto saluatiō: wherby it shall come to passe, þ^t thou as a man for not teachyng those thinges whiche pertaine vnto saluatiō, shalt be deposed, & thy disciples shall perish thorow ignoraunce. Notwithstāding in an other place, in steede of thys woord deposed, it is founde thou shalt be punished: which two wordes, if they be well vnderstand, do not much differ, for depositiō is oftentimes vsed in the place of punishment. MarginaliaThe epistle of Clement to Iames doubted.But perauenture some wyll here obiect, that this Epistle is not to be iudged Clementes, because it is sayd to be written vnto Iames, who as the Ecclesiasticall history affirmeth, was dead before that Peter was put to death. But Clement might thinke that Iames was alyue when as he wrote: whych wer far distant a sunder, and messengers of the Christiās, came not often vnto Rome. Moreouer, there is mention made of thys Epistle in diuers places of the decretals, as most true, & therfore it shalbe nothyng frō the purpose, to re-hearse other sayinges out of the same Epistle, where he sayth, þ^t he which lyueth rebelliouslye, & refuseth both to learne & to do good, is rather a mēber of the deuill, thē of Christ, and doth shew hymselfe rather to be an infidell, then a faithfull Christian. Vpon whych words, the glose whych Panormitane calleth singuler, and is muche allowed, sayth, MarginaliaThe pope may and ought to be both accused and punished for ill doyng.that if the crime or offence of the byshop of Rome be notorious, whereby the church is offended, if he be incorrigible, he may be accused thereof. If then he may be accused, Ergo also he maye bee punished, and accordyng to the exigent of the fault deposed: Otherwyse he should be accused in vayne.

MarginaliaWhether the pope may be deposed by the councell or no.Now is there no more any place of defence left for our aduersaries, but that þ^e Pope may be deposed: Notwithstandyng it is not yet euident whether he may bee deposed by the councell or no, whiche wee nowe take in hande to discourse. And first of all, the aduersaries will graunt this vnto vs, that the bishop of Rome may bee deposed by the church, forsomuch as the pope beyng the vicar of the church, no man doubteth, but that a Lorde may put out his vicar at his will and pleasure, MarginaliaThe pope is rather to be called the vicar of the church, thē of Christ.neyther is it to be doubted but that the pope is more truly called the vicar of the church, then of Christ. But if the church may depose the Pope: Ergo the councell also may do þ^e same. Also the glose which Panormitan in his writyng doth so greatly cōmend, hath this sentence: that þ^e generall councell is iudge ouer þ^e pope in all cases. Likewyse the most sacred sinode of Constātinople, which is allowed of all men, doth appoynte the bishops of Rome to bee vnder þ^e iudgemēt of þ^e councell: and the coūcell to iudge & determine of euery doubtful matter or questiō þ^t doth aryse, cōcerning þ^e bishop of Rome. Neither let any man doubt hereof, because this word depositiō is not mentioned: for it is sayd, of euery doubtfull matter or questiō: For if þ^e Synode do iudge of euery doubte: Ergo it shall also iudge, whether þ^e pope shalbe deposed or no: for that may also come in doubt. And because we will not seeke examples farre of, MarginaliaPope Iohn 23. desposed & yet for no heresie.Iohn the. xxiij. whome all the world dyd reuerence, was deposed of his papacy by the councel of Constance. Neyther yet was he condemned for any heresy: but because he dyd offend the churche by his manifold crimes, the sacred Sinode thoughte good to depose hym: and euer since continuallye, the churche hath proceeded by like example, that their opiniō might cease, whiche affirme that the Pope cannot be deposed but onely for heresy.

But here is yet one thyng not to bee omitted, that certayne men do affirme the generall councels to be of no effect, except the pope do call and appoint them, and his autority remayne with them. Wherupon they said that Dioscorus did rebuke Pascasius the bishop of Cicill, and legate of pope Leo, because that he dyd enterpryse without þ^e autoritie of the apostolike Sea, to call a councell at Ephesus. MarginaliaWhether councells may be congregated without the authoritie of the pope.They also alledge another testimony of the Synode of Chalcedon: wheras, when mention was made of the councell of Ephesus, all the byshoppes cryed out, saying: we ought not to call it a councell, because it was neyther gathered by the Apostolike authority, neyther rightly kept. MarginaliaThey erre that saye the pope ought onely to appoynt the councells.By the which autorities, they whiche say that the councels cannot be holden without the consent of the pope, do thynke themselues maruailously armed. Whose sentence & opinion, if it take place & preuaile as they desire, it shall bring w^t it the great ruine & decay of the church. For what remedy shall we fynde, if that a wicked pope do disturbe þ^e whole church, destroy soules, seduce the people by his euill examples, if finally he preath contrary vnto the fayth and fyl the people ful of heresies, shall we prouide no stay or stoppe for hym? MarginaliaMarke wherfore the popes will haue no generall councell.Shall we suffer all thinges to runne to ruine and decay with hym? Who would thinke that the bishop of Rome would congregate a councel for his owne correction or deposition? for as men are prone vnto sinne, so woulde