decretall, doe ioyne together in one forme and order, both Archbishop and Metropolitane, and aboue them both do place the Patriarch, and aboue the Patriarch, the Apostolicall sea to wit the Bishop of Rome, as may appeare in reading the first Epistle of Clement. In illis autem ciuitatibus &c. MarginaliaClemēt Epist. 1.the second Epistle of Anacletus. Art. 4. prouinciæ. dist. 99. prouincie multo, MarginaliaAnaclet. Epist. 2 art. 4.and the Epistle of Anicetus art. 23. dist. 99. cap. Nulli Archiepiscopi.MarginaliaAniceti. Epist. art. 2. Distinct. 39. Cap. Nulli Ar[illegible text]episcopi.Also the Epistle of Pope Stephen the first, Art. 5.MarginaliaStepha. Epist. art. 5.(where note by the way, that Gratianus referreth this place of the Epistle to Pope Lucius.) Item the Epistle of Pope Felix the second, Art. 12. in which all foresayd Epistles, this order and difference of degrees is taken, that the first and principall place is giuen to Primats or Patriarches, the second to Metrapolitanes or Archbyshops, the third to Byshops, and finally aboue all these is extolled the Apostolicall sea of the Byshop of Rome; contrary to all that which before hath bene alledged out of Iustinian, the Councell of Nice & of Antioch, &c.MarginaliaRepugnaunce betwene the cōstitutions of Iustinian: and the Epistles decretall.Whereby it may appeare that either Iustiniā in preferring Archbishops aboue Metropolitanes, did not read these Epistles decretall, if they were vnfayned; or if they were forged, they which forged the said Epistles in their names, did not wel aduise that Iustinian had written in this matter before.

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Thus then these titles aboue recited, as Byshop, Metropolitane, Byshop of the fyrst seat, Primate, Patriarche, Archbyshop, that is to meane, chiefebyshop, or headbishop to other Byshoppes of his prouince, wee deny not but were in the olde time applyed,MarginaliaBishop Metropolitane Bishop of the first sea. Primate, Patriarche, Archbishop. Chiefe Byshop termes vsed in the primitiue time of the Churche.and myght be applyed to the Byshoppe of Rome lyke as the same also were applyed to other Patriarches in other chiefe Citties and prouynces.

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As touching the name likewise of the high Priest, or hyghpriesthood,MarginaliaHigh Priest or high Priesthoode.neither doe I denye but that it hath bene found in old monuments and recordes of auncient times; but in such wise and sort, as it hath beene common to Byshops indifferently, and not singularly attributed to any one Byshoppe or sea. Whereof testimony we haue out of the. vij. generall Councell. dist 38. cap. Omnes, where the Byshoppes office is called Summum sacerdotium,MarginaliaDist.. 83. cap. omnes Summus sacerdos, Summum sacerdotium.the hygh Priesthood, in these wordes: Substantia summi sacerdotii nostri sunt eloquia diuinitus tradita.i. vera diuinarum Scripturarū disciplina. etc  

. That is, the substance (say they) of our hygh Priesthood is the word of discipline of holy scriptures geuen vs from aboue. &c.

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And likewise the Councell of Agatha, maketh relation De pontificibus in sūmo sacerdotio constitutis  

, of Bishops set in the high Priesthood, meanyng not of any one, but indiffynitly and indifferently of whomsoeuer. 12. q. 3. cap. Pontifices.MarginaliaEx concilio Agathensi 12. q. 3. cap. Pontifices.Also Fabianus Byshop of Rome, an. 240. wryting in generall to his brethren, and to all Byshoppes and Ministers Ecclesiasticall doth attribute to them the same title of Summum sacerdotium, in these words, Deus ergo, fratres, qui præordinauit vos, & omnes qui Summo sacerdotio fuguntur. &c   God which hath preordayned you brethren, and all them which beare the office of high priesthoode. 3. q. 1. cap. Deus ergo.Marginalia3. q. 1. cap. Deus. ergo.With like phrase of spech, Anacletus also in his second Epistle, speaking of Bishops in general, calleth them Summos sacerdotes: vnde, inquit, liquit quod summi sacerdotes. i. Episcopi a Deo sunt iudicandi. &c   .MarginaliaEx Anaclet. Epist. 2. 2. q. 7. cap. Accusatio.The high priests, that is, Byshops, saith he. And moreouer in the same place calleth thē Apostles, and successours of the Apostles. &c,MarginaliaBishops called the successors of the Apostles. So doth Innocentius the first, an. 405. as appeareth. dist. 61. cap. Miserum.MarginaliaDist. 61. c. miserum.Item Zosimus Byshop of the sayd Citie of Rome, an. 420, as witnesseth. dist. 59. cap. 1.MarginaliaDist. 59. cap. 1.who speaketh de summo sacerdotio, that is, of high priesthood, not onely of þ^e church of Rome, but of all other churches. Vrbanus the first was Byshop of Rome, an. 226. who in his writinges alleaged by Gratian, referreth the name & place Summi pontificis, of the hygh Byshop, not onely to the seate of Rome, but vniformely to euery Byshop, as appeareth in the wordes of the dist. 51. cap. Si officia. &c.MarginaliaEx Vrba r. Dist. 59. cap. Si officia.

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And thus much as touching the name or title of high Priest, or supreme Byshop. Which title as I doe not deny to haue bene vsed in maner & forme aforesayd: so do I denye this tytle and style of Summus orbis pontifex,MarginaliaSummus orbis pontifex.as it is now vsed in Rome, to haue bene vsed, or vsually receaued duryng all the primitiue tyme of the Church, that is v. hūdred yeares after Christ, after the manner and sort I mean of that authoritie and glory, which in these dayes nowe is vsed and is giuen to the same, vntil the time of Phocas, the wicked Emperour, which was after the yeare of the Lord 608. The which title as it is to glorious for any one Byshop in þ^e church of Christ to vse: so is it not to be found in any of the approued and most auncient writers of þ^e church namely these, as Cyprianus, Basilius, Fulgentius, Chrysostomus Hieronymus, Ambrosius, Augustinus, Tertullianus, but rather writeth against the same, especially of the last. And thereforenot with out cause it is written and testified of Erasmus, who speaking of the sayd name, of Summus orbis pontifex, denieth plainely the same to be hearde of among the olde writers, whose wordes be these: Certe nomen hoc nondum illis temporibus erat auditum, quantum ex veterum omniū scriptis licet colligere. &c.  

lib. Epist. 3. Epist. 1. art. 37. &c.MarginaliaEx Erasm. Epist. lib. 3. Epist. 1. art. 73.as whosoeuer readeth the same authours shall finde to be true.

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The like is to be affirmed also of other presumptious titles of like ambition,MarginaliaVniuersalis pontifex. Caput vniuersalis Ecclesiæ. Christi in terris vicarius. Princeps sacerdotū. &cas the head of the vniuersal church, the Vicar of Christ in earth, Prince of Priestes, with such like, which all be new found termes, straunge to the eares of the old primitiue writers and Councels, and not receiued openly and commonly before the tyme of Boniface the third, and Phocas the aforesayd.

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Now remaineth the name of the Pope, which of his nature, and by his first origine, being a word of the Syracusane speech called παππὰς, MarginaliaPapa.and signifieth as much as Pater, Father, was then vsed and frequented of them in the old tyme, not so as proper onely to the Byshop of Rome, but common and indifferent to all other Byshops or personages, whosoeuer were of worthy excellēce, as is partly before declared. But now contrarily, the generalitye of this name is so restrayned and abused, that not onely it is appropriate to the Byshop of Rome, but also distincteth and disceuereth the authoritie and preminence of that Byshop alone from all other Byshoppes, for which cause it is now worthely come into contempt and execration. No lesse is to be reiected also the name of vniuersalis, or œcumenicus, pontifex, Summus orbis Episcopus, Caput vniuersalis Ecclesiæ, Christi in terris, Princeps vicari⁹ sacerdotū, &c. Al which termes and vocables, tending to the derogation of other Bishops & Patriarches, as they were neuer receaued nor allowed in Rome (if we beleeue Gregory) during the tyme of þ^e Primatiue church, so now are worthely of vs refused.

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Although it cannot be denied, but certaine were in the Primatiue time, which began priuately to pretende that proude and wicked title of vniuersall Byshop,MarginaliaHow they began first at Constantinople, to take the name of vniuersall Byshop. as Menna, and especially Ionnes Patriarche of Constantinople, who calling a Counsell at Constantinople, went about to stablish and ratifie and to dignifie his throne by the consent of the Councell, and the Emperour of Constantinople, and obtained the same as appeareth in the v. generall Councell of ConstantinopleMarginaliaEx quinta synodo vniuersali. Actione prima. cap. post. consulatum. Ibid. cap. dom. nostro.the 2. where both Menna is named Oichumenicus Patriarcharum and also Ioannes in the sayde Councell is titled Oicumenicus Patriarcha: ex Concil. general. 5. cap. Domino. Concerning the which title although it was then vsed to Constantinople through the sufferaunce of the Emperours, being then willing to haue their imperiall City aduaunced: yet notwithstanding this foresayde title, all this while was not in the City of Rome. And in Constantinople it stoode not then in force: Iure aliquo diuino, but onely by mans lawe. And thirdly it was then but onely, verbalis titulus: hauing no true dominacion vpon all other Churches, or any reall subiection belonging to the same. Forasmuch as neither þ^e Bishop of Rome, nor any of the West churches were subiect or did acknowledge seruice vnto them but rather did repugne the same: namely Pelagius the 2.MarginaliaEx Pelagi. 20. dist. cap. 99. Nullus. & Gregorius the 1. both Byshops at that time of Rome, whiche Pelagius writing to all Byshops, sayth playnely in these wordes: that no Patriarch should take the name of vniuersalitie at any time, because that if any be called vniuersall, the name of Patriarch is derogate from all other. But let this be farre, saith he, from all faithfull men, to will to take that thing to him, wherby the honor of his brethren is diminished. Wherefore þ^e sayd Pelagius chargeth all such Byshops, that none of them in their letters will name any Patriarche to be vniuersall, least he take from him selfe the honour due to him, while they giue that which is not due to another. What can be more euident then these wordes of Pelagius, who was Bishop of Rome next before Gregory. an. 583?MarginaliaGregory agaynst the vniuersality of the Byshop of Cōstantinople. In lyke maner or more plainely, and more earnestly writeth also Gregory of this matter in his register, prouyng and disputing that no man ought to be called vniuersall Byshop. Moreouer with sharpe wordes and rebukes detesteth the same title; calling it new, folish, proude, peruerse, wicked, prophane; and such, as to consent vnto it, is as much, as to denye the fayth. He addeth further and saith, that whosoeuer goeth about to extoll himself aboue other Byshops, in so doing followeth the fact of Sathan, to whō it was not sufficient to be counted equall or like vnto other angels. In his Epistles how oft doth he repeate, and declare þ^e same to repugne directly against the Gospell, and auncient decrees of Counsels? affirming that none of his predecessours did euer vsurpe to himselfe that style or title, and concludeth that whosoeuer so doth, declareth himselfe to be a forerunner of Antichrist. &c. With this iudgement of Gregory wel

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