agree together. And as they do not agree together in nature, so neither cā they be foūde in any one person, either Turke, or other (if we will iudge truly) so liuely, as in the Byshop of Rome. When thou hearest him call himselfe the Apostolicall Byshop, the Vicare of Christ, the successour of Peter, the seruaunt of Gods seruaunts &c. thou seest in hym the two hornes of a lambe, and would thinke him to be a lambe in deede, and such a one as would washe your feete for humilitie: but heare him speake, & you shall finde him a Dragon. See and read the Epistle of Pope Martine the v. aboue mentioned,MarginaliaVid. supr. pag. 626. pag. 626. chargyng, commandyng, and threatnyng Emperours, Kynges, Dukes, Princes, Marquesses, Earles, Barons, Knightes, Rectours, Consuls, Procunsuls, with their Shyers, Counties, and Vniuersities of their Kyngdomes, Prouincies, Cities, Townes, Castels, Villages, and other places. See the aunswere of Pope Vrban 2. and his message to kyng William Rufus, pag. 190.MarginaliaThe pope hath the hornes of a Lambe, but the mouth of a Dragon. Behold the workes and doynges of Pope Innocent agaynst kyng Iohn.

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Note also the aunswere of an other Pope to the kyng of England, which for the price of the kynges head, would not graunt vnto him the inuesting of his byshops. Marke well the wordes and doynges of Pope Hildebrand agaynst the Emperour Henry the fourth, pag. 181. Also of Pope Alexander the 2. treadyng vppon the necke of Fredericus Barbarossa, not like a lambe treadyng vpon a Dragon, but like a Dragon treadyng vpō a lambe: so that his own verse might be turned vpon himselfe: Tanq̃ aspis & basiliscus super ouiculam ambulans, & tanq̃ Leo & draco conculcans agnum. Consider moreouer the behauiour, maner, condition, and propertie, almost, of all the Popes, whiche haue bene these. 600. yeares: and what Dragon or Serpent cound be more viperous, then their owne doynges and wordes can speake and geue testimonie agaynst themselues.

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MarginaliaThe thyrd reasō. It foloweth moreouer in the same Prophecie of the Apocalips, for the thyrd argumēt: And he doth all the power of the first beast, presently before his face, and causeth the earth and all the inhabitauntes therin, to honour the first beast, the stripe of whose deadly wounde was cured.  

&c.

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MarginaliaThe two beastes in the. 13. cap. of the Apocalips expended. In this prophecie ij. thynges are to be noted: first, what the first beast is, whose power the secōd beast doth execute. Secondly, what this second beast is, which so doth exercise his power in his sight. The first of these beastes here in the Apoc. described, hauing vij. heades & x. hornes, must needes signifie the Citie of Rome, whiche may easely be proued by two demonstrations.MarginaliaA description of the Citie and monarchie of Rome. First by the expositiō of the xvij. chap. of the same Apocalips, where is declared and described the sayd beast to stand of vij. hilles, & to conteyne x. Kynges, hauyng the whole power of the Dragon geuen: and also the same citie to be named the whore of Babylon, dronkē with the bloud of Saintes. All whiche properties ioyned together, can agree in no wise but onely to the Heathē Empere of Rome: which Citie at the tyme of writyng these prophesies, had the gouernement of the whole world. The second demonstration or euidence, may be deduced out of the number of the monethes assigned to this beast Apoc. 13. for so it is writtē that this beast had power to make, that is, to worke his malice agaynst Christes people. 42. monethes. Which 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 persecutions of Heathen Emperours of Rome, as is afore specified, pag. 385.

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MarginaliaThe description of the beast wyth the two hornes of the Lambe.
Apoc. 13. Which thyng thus standyng, proued, and confessed, that the first beast must needes signifie the Empire and City of Rome, then must it necessarely folow that the second beast with the lambes hornes, must signifie the Byshop & Pope of the same Citie of Rome. The reason wherof is euident and apparaunt by that which foloweth in the Prophecie,  

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

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Marginalia xxxxx
Apocal. 13. And this authoritie or power ouer all the Empire of Rome, he worketh not in Asia, or in Constantinople, as the Turke doth, but in the sight of the beast, which gaue him þ^e power, that is, in the citie of Rome it selfe, which is the first beast here in this Prophecie of the Apocalips described.

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MarginaliaThe fourth reason. Fourthly, it foloweth more: And he causeth the earth, & all the inhabitauntes therein, to worshyp and honour the first beast, which had a deadly wounde and was cured. &c.  

The interpretatiō of this part, as also of all the other parts of þ^e same chapter, stādeth vpō the definitiō 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 cōsequently folow, that the Byshop (whom we call the pope) of the same Citie of Rome, must be vnderstand by the secōd beast: for somuch as neither Turke nor any other, but onely the Byshop of Rome hath holden vp the estimation and dignitie of that Citie, which began to be in ruine and decay by the Vandalians, Gotthes, Herulians and Lombardes, about the yeare of our Lord. 456.   but afterward by the byshop of Rome, the pristine state and honour of that City reuiued agayne, and florished in as great veneration, as euer it did before. And that is it, which the holy Ghost seemeth here to meane of the first beast, saying: That he had a woūd of the sword, and was cured. For so it foloweth.

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MarginaliaThe fift reason. Fiftly, And he caused all the inhabitaunts of the earth to make the Image of the beast, which had the strype of the sword and lyued. And it was geuen to him, to geue lyfe to the Image of the beast, and to make the Image therof to speake, and to cause all them that worshypped not the Image of the beast, to be killed: forcyng all persons both litle and great, riche and poore, bond and free, to take the marke of the beast in their right hand, or in their foreheades: and that none might bye or sell but they which 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 poynt of death, and lay speachlesse before,MarginaliaRoma called Odoacria. in somuch that the Citie of Rome began to lose and chaunge his name, & was called a while Odoacria, of Odoacer kyng of the Heruliās: whiche by dent of sword surprised the Romaines:  

and yet notwithstandyng, by the meanes of this Romane Prelate, the sayd Citie of Rome, which was then ready to geue the ghost, so recouered his maiestie and strength agayne, that it is hard to say, whether Rome dyd 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 subiectes more vnder obedience and subiection, when the Emperours reigned, or now in the reigne of the pope. And therfore it is said not without cause of the holy ghost:MarginaliaTo geue lyfe 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 worship the Image of the beast. &c.   As for exaumple hereof, who seeth not, what numbers and multitudes of Christen men, womē and 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 hauock hath bene made of Christen bloud, about the preeminēce and maioritie of the sea of Rome: what Churches and countreys, both Greekes and Latin, haue bene excommunicated: what kynges haue bene deposed, and Emperours stripped from their Imperiall seate, and all because they would not stoupe and bende to the Image of the beast,MarginaliaEt faciet eos occidi, qui non odoraueriut imaginem bestiæ. Apoc. 13. that is, to the maiestie and title of Rome, aduaunced vp so highly now by the Byshop thereof, as it was neuer higher before in the reigne of Nero or Diocletian. Wherfore takyng the 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, and not to the Turke, for as much as the Turke seketh nothyng lesse, then the aduaūcemēt of that Empire, but rather striueth agaynst it, to plucke it downe.  

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MarginaliaThe sixte reason. The sixt and last argument is grounded vpon the number 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 and difficultie to be vnderstand: yet certaine auncient fathers whiche were Disciples and hearers of them whiche heard S. Iohn hymselfe,MarginaliaThe number of the name of the beast discussed. 666 as Irenæus and other do expounde the sayd letters coniecturally to conteine the name of the beast, and to be the name of a man, vnder this worde xxx: Where as elles no other name lightly of any person, either in Grecke, or Latine will agree to the same, saue onely the foresayd name xxx.Marginalia xxx. 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 latter writers geuyng their coniectures vpon the same, do finde the name of Lateranus in Hebrew letters, to aunswer to the same number. Some fayne other names as xxx, or xxx, made wordes, which signifie nothing, or Diclux, or Luduuic, by Romane letters. &c. But of all names properly signifiyng any man, none commeth so neare to the number of this mystery (if it go by order of letters ) as doth the word xxx, aforesayd. And thus much by the way, & occasion of Nicolaus de Lyra, Paulus Bur

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