is writē þ^t this beast had power to make, that is, to worke hys malice agaynste Christes people. 42. monethes. Whiche monethes counted by sabbattes of yeares (that is euery moneth for vij. yeares) maketh vp the iust number of those yeares, in which the primitiue Church was vnder the x. terrible persecutiōs of heathen Emperours of Rome, as is afore specified, pag. 494.

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MarginaliaThe descrptiō of the beast with the two hornes of the lambe.
Apocal. 13.Which thyng thus standyng, proued, and confessed, that the firste beast must nedes signifie the Empire and Citie of Rome, then must it necessarely folow that the secōd beast with the lambes hornes, must signifie the Byshop and Pope of the same Citie of Rome. The reason wherof is euident & apparaunt by that whiche foloweth in the prophecie,  

where it is declared, that the seconde beast hauyng the ij. hornes of a lambe, receaued and exercised all the power of the first beast, before or in the sight of the sayd beast. Whiche can not be verified, neither in the Turke, nor in any other, but onely in the Pope of Rome: MarginaliaThe Pope hauyng all the rule & power of Rome.Who (as you see) receaueth, vsurpeth and deriueth to him self all the power of that Citie and monarchie of Rome: In somuch that he sayth, that when Constantine, or Ludouicus yelded vnto hym the rule and kyngdome of that Citie, he gaue hym but his owne, and that whiche of right and duety belonged to hym before.

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Marginaliaxxxxx
Apocal. 13.And this authoritie or power ouer all the Empire of Rome, he worketh not in Asia, or in Cōstantinople, as the Turke doth, but in the sight of the beast, which gaue him the power, that is, in the Citie of Rome it selfe, whiche is the first beast here in this Prophecie of the Apocal. described.

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MarginaliaThe fourth reason.Fourthly, it foloweth more: And he causeth the earth, and all the inhabitaūtes therin, to worship and honour the first beast, whiche had a deadly wounde and was cured. &c.  

The interpretation of this part, as also of all þ^e other partes of the same chapter, standeth vpon the definition of the first beast. For beyng graunted, as it can not be denyed, that the first beast signifieth the Citie and Empire of Rome: it must consequently folow, that the Byshop (whom we call the Pope) of the same Citie of Rome, must be vnderstand by the second beast: for somuch as neither Turke nor any other, but onely the bishop of Rome hath holden vp the estimation & dignitie of that Citie, whiche begāne to be in ruine and decay by the Vandalians, Gotthes, Herulians and Lombardes, about the yere of our Lord. 456.   but afterwarde by the Byshop of Rome, the pristine state and honour of that Citie reuiued agayne, and florished in as great veneratiō, as euer it did before: And that is it, which the holy ghost semeth here to meane of the first beast, saying: that he had a wounde of the sworde, and was cured. For so it foloweth.

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MarginaliaThe fyfte notion.5. And he caused all the inhabitauntes of the earth to make the Image of the beast, whiche had the strype of the sword and lyued. And it was geuen to hym, to geue lyfe to the Image of the beast, and to make the image thereof to speake, and to cause all them that worshipped not the Image of the beast, to be killed: forcyng all persons both litle & great, riche & poore, bond and free, to take the marke of the beast in their ryght hand, or in their foreheades: and that none might bye or selle but they whiche had the marke, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. &c.  

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MarginaliaRome almost dead.By geuyng lyfe to the image of the beast, and makyng it to speake, is to be presupposed, that the beast was at a neare point of death, and lay speachles before, MarginaliaRoma called Odoacria.in somuch that the Citie of Rome beganne to lose and chaunge his name, and was called a while Odoacria, of Odoacer kyng of þ^e Herulians: which by dent of sworde surprised the Romaines:  

and yet notwithstandyng, by þ^e meanes of this Romane prelate, the sayd citie of Rome, whiche was then ready to geue the ghost, so recouered his maiestie and strength agayne, that it is hard to say, whether Rome did euer ruffle and rage in hys tyranny before, in the tyme of Nero, Domitian, Diocletian and other Emperours, more tragically, then it hath done since vnder the Pope: or whether that Rome had all Kynges, Queenes, Princes, Dukes, Lordes, and all sub-iectes more vnder obedience and subiection, when the Emperours reigned, or now in the reigne of the Pope. And therfore it is sayd not without cause of þ^e holy ghost: MarginaliaTo geue life to the Image of the beast.That is geuen to him, to geue lyfe and speache to the Image of the beast, causing all them to be slayne, which will not worshyp the Jmage of the beast. &c.   As for exaumple hereof, who seeth not, what numbers & multitudes of Christen men, wemen & children in all countreys, haue bene put to the fire and sword? MarginaliaThe Image of Rome speaketh agayne, as cruelly as euer it dyd.Stories of all times will declare, what hauocke hath bene made of Christen bloud, about the preeminence & maioritie of the sea of Rome: what Churches & countreys, both Grekes and Latine, haue bene excommunicated: what kynges haue bene deposed, and Emperours strypped frō their Imperiall seate, and all because they woulde not stoupe & bende to þ^e Image of the beast, MarginaliaEt faciet eos occidi, qui non adoraueriut imaginem bestiæ. Apocal. 13.that is, to the maiestie and title of Rome, aduaunced vp so highly nowe by the Byshop thereof, as it was neuer higher before in þ^e reigne of Nero or Diocletian. Wherfore takyng þ^e first beast to signifie the Empire of Rome (whiche can not be denyed) it is playne, that the second beast must necessarily be applyed to the pope, & not to the Turke, for as much as the Turke seketh nothyng lesse, then the aduauncement of that Empire, but rather stryueth agaynst it, to plucke it downe.  

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MarginaliaThe sixte reason.The sixt & last argument is grounded vpon the nūber of the name of the beast, expressed by the holy ghost in the same Prophesie, by the letters xxx. In which letters although there lyeth great darkenes & difficultie to be vnderstād: yet certain aūcient fathers which were disciples & hearers of them which heard S. Iohn hymselfe, MarginaliaThe number of the name of the beast discussed. 666.as Irenæus and other do expounde the sayd letters coniecturallye to conteine þ^e name of the beast, and to be the name of a man, vnder this woorde xxx: Where as els no other name lightly of any person, either in Greeke, or Latine will agree to þ^e same, saue onely the foresaid name xxx. Marginaliaxxx. The nū-
xxx. ber of
xxx. these let-
xxx. ters in
xxx. Greke ma
xxx. keth the
xxx. ful nūber
xxx. of 666.Although some later writers geuyng their coniectures vpon the same, doe finde the name of Lateranus in Hebrew letters, to aunswer to the same nūber. Some fayne other names as xxx, or xxx, made wordes, which signifie nothyng, or Diclux, or Luduuic, by Romane letters. &c. But of all names properly signifiyng any mā, none cometh so nere to the nūber of this mystery (if it go by order of letters ) as doth the worde xxx, aforesayd. MarginaliaNico. de Lyra and other popyshe wryters, deceaued in the xiii chap. of the Apoc.And thus much by the way, and occasion of Nicolaus de Lyra, Paulus Burgen, Matthias Dorinkus, the autor of Fortalilium fidei, and other commentaries moe of þ^e same faction:  

who writyng vpon this xiij. chapter of the Apoca. and not consideryng the circumstancies therof, both are deceaued them selues, and deceaue many other, applying that to the Turke, whiche can not otherwise be verified but onely vpon the Pope, as may appeare sufficiently by the premisses: Not that I write this of any moode or malice either to the Citie of Rome, or to the person of the Bishop, as beyng Gods creature: but beyng occasioned here to entreate of þ^e Prophecies agaynst þ^e Turkes, would wishe the readers not to be deceaued, but ryghtly to vnderstand the simple Scriptures accordyng as they lye, to the entēt that the true meanyng therof being boolted out, it may be the better knowē what Prophecies directly make agaynst these Turkes, what otherwise.

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In the whiche Prophecies agaynst the Turkes, now to procede, let vs come to the 20. chap. of þ^e Apocal. wherin the holy Scripture semeth playnly and directly to notefye the sayd Turkes. The woordes of the Prophecie bee these.  

MarginaliaApoc. cap. 20.And I sawe an Aungell descendyng from heauen, hauyng the key of the bottomles pytte, and a great cheyne in his hand: and he tooke the Dragon, the old serpent, whiche is the deuill and Satanas, and bound hym vp for a thousand yeares, and cast him in the pytte, and sealed hym vp, that he should not seduce the people any more, till the thousand yeares were expired: and after that he must be let loose for a litle while. &c. And it foloweth after:  

And whē the thousand yeares shalbe complete, Satanas shalbe let out of his doungeon, and shall go abraod to seduce the people, whiche are on the iiij. corners of

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