Or that the bishop of Rome was then called an vniuersal
bishop, or the head of the vniuersall churche

Of the Popes Primacie

ARTICLE 4.

BY what name so euer the bishop of Rome
was called within syx hundred yeres after
Christes ascension, this is cleare, that
his Primacie, that is to say, supreme power
and auctoritie ouer and aboue all bishops, and chiefe
gouernement of all Christes flocke, in matters perteining
to faith and Christen religion, was then acknowleged
and confessed. Which thinge beinge so,
whether then he were called by either of those names,
that you denye, or no: it is not of great importance.
And yet for the one of them somewhat, and
for the other, an infinite number of good authorities
may be alleaged, But thereof hereafter.
Now concerning the chiefe point of this article,
which is the Primacie of the Pope, Peters successour.
First, it hath ben set vp and ordeined by God, so as it
standeth in force Iure diuino, by gods lawe, and not
onely by mans lawe, the scriptures leadinge thereto.
Nexte, co~mended to the worlde, by decrees of councelles,
and confirmed by edictes of Christen emperoures,
for auoidinge of schismes. Furthermore, confessed
and witnessed by the holy fathers. Againe,
fownde to be necessary, by reason. Finally, vsed
and declared by the euente of thinges, and practise of
the church. For proufe of all this, so much might easely
be sayde, as shuld serue to a whole volume. But

Viij

In this treatise seeking to auoide prolixitie, hauing
purposed to saye somewhat to this number of the
other Articles, and knowing this matter of the
Primacie to be allready largely and learnedly handeled
of others: will but trippe as it were lightly
ouer at this tyme, and not sette my fast footing in
the deepe debating and treating of it.
First, as concerning the right of the Popes primacie
by gods lawe, by these auncient autorities it
hath ben auouched. Anacletus that holy bishop and
martyr S. Peters scholer, and of him co~secrated priest,
in his epistle to the bishops of Italie, writheth thus, In
nouo testamento post Christum, etc. In the newe testament
the order of priestes beganne after our lord
Christ, of Peter, because to him bishoprike was first
geuen in the churche of Christ, where as our lord
saide vnto him. Thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke I
will buylde my church, and the gates of hell shall not preuaile
against it, and vnto thee I will geue the keies of the
kingdome of heauen. Wherefore this Peter receiued of
our lord first of all, power to binde and to lowse,
and first of all, he brought people to the faith, by
vertue of his preaching. As for the other Apostles,
they receiued honour and power in like felowship
with him, and willed him to be their prince, or chiefe
gouernour.
In an other epistle to all bishoppes, alleaging the
same texte, for the Primacie of the See of Rome,
speaking of the disposition of churches committed
to Patriarkes and Primates, saith thus most plainely.
This holy ad Apostolike church of Rome, hath obteined

the Primacie, not of the Apostles, but of our
lord Sauiour him selfe, and hath gotten the preeminence
of power ouer all churches, and ouer the
whole flocke of Christen people, euen so as he saide
to blessed Peter th' Apostle: Thou art Peter, and vpon
this rocke etc.
S. Gregorie writing to Mauritius the Emperoure
against Iohn the bishop of Constantinople, ambitiously
claiming and vsurping the name of an vniuersall
bishop, proueth the bishop of Rome succeding
in Peters chaier, to be Primate, and to haue charge
ouer all the church of Christ, by scriptures, thus.

Cunctis euangelium scientibus, liquet etc.
It is euident to
all that knowe the gospell, that the cure and charge
of the whole church, hath ben committed by the
worde of our lord, to the holy Apostle Peter prince
of all the Apostles. for to him it is sayde. Peter, louest
thou me? feede my sheepe. to him it is sayd: Beholde Sathan
hath desyred to syfte you, as it were wheate, and I
haue prayed for thee Peter, that thy faith faile not And thou
being once conuerted, strengthen thy brethren. To him it
is saide. Thou art Peter, and vpon this rocke I will buylde
my church, and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against
it. And vnto the I will geue the keies of the kingdom of
heauen. And what so euer thou byndest vpon earth, shalbe
bounde also in heauen, and what so euer thou lowsest on
earth shalbe lowsed also in heauen. Beholde he receiueth
the keies of the heauenly kingdome: the power
of bynding and lowsing is geuen to him: the charge
of the whole church and principalitie is committed
to him. Thus farre Gregorie. But because our aduersaries

though without iuste cause, refuse the witnes
of the Bishops of Rome in this article, as vnlawfull
witnesses in their owne cause, were thei neuer so holy
martyrs or learnded confessours: they may vnderstand,
we are able to alleage sundry other authorities
to the confirmation hereof, that be aboue all exception.
S. Cyprian declaring the contempte of the high
Priest Christes Vicarie in earth, to be cause of schismes
and heresies, writeth thus to Cornelius Pope
and Martyr.
Neque enim aliunde haereses obortae sunt, etc.

Neither haue heresies or schismes rysen of any other
occasio~, then of that, the Priest of God is not obeied,
and that one Priest for the tyme in the church, and
one iudge for the tyme in stede of Christ, is not
thoughte vpon. To whom if the whole brotherhed
(that is, the whole number of Christe~ people which
be brethren together and were so called in the primatiue
church) would be obedient according to
gods teachinges: then no man would make adoo
against the colledge of priestes, no ma~ woulde make
him selfe iudge, not of the bishop nowe, but of God,
after gods iudgement, after the fauour of the people
declared by theire voices at the Election, after the
consent of his felow bishops: no man through breach
of vnitie and strife, would diuide the church of Christ:
no man standing in his owne conceite and swelling
with pride, would sette vp by him selfe abroade
without the church, a newe heresie.
Of all other authorities, that of Athanasius, and
of the bishops of Egypte and Libya gathered together

in a Synode at Alexandria, is to be regarded.
Who making humble sute to Felix then bishop of
Rome, for aide and succour against the Arianes,
through the whole epistle confessing the supreme
auctoritie of that Apostolike See, vtter these very
wordes. Vestra apostolicae sedis imploramus auxilium etc.
We humbly besech you of the helpe of your Apostolike
See. Because (as verely we beleue) God hath
not despised the praiers of his seruantes offered vp
to him with teares, buth hath constituted and placed
you & your predecessours, who were Apostolike
Prelates, in the highest tower or supreme state, and
commaunded them to haue cure and charge of all
churches, to th'intent, you helpe and succour vs, and
that defending vs (as to whom iudgeme~t of bishops
is committed) you forslowe not through negligence,
to delyuer vs from our enemies.
Now if the Apostolike church of Rome hath
obteined the Primacie and preeminence of power
ouer all churches, and ouer the whole flocke of Christen
people, of our lord Sauiour him selfe, as Anacletus
saith: If it be euident to all that knowe the gospell,
that the cure and charge of the whole church,
hath ben committed to the holy Apostle Peter,
Prince of all the Apostles, by the worde of our lord,
as Gregorie witnesseth: If the whole brotherhed (that
is to say all christen folke) ought to obeye the one
hygh Priest or bishop of God, and the one Iudge
that is Christes Vicare, or in the steede of Christ for
the tyme, according to the preceptes and teachinges
of God, as Cyprian writeth: If it be God, that hath

X

placed and ordeined the bishop of Rome in the highest
state of the church, as Athanasius with all the
fathers of that Alexandrine councell recordeth: If
this I say be true: then is it easely sene, vpon how
good grownde this doctrine standeth, whereby it is
affirmed, that the bishop of Rome his Primacie hath
his force by gods lawe, and not onely by mannes
lawe, much lesse by vniust vsurpation. The scriptures,
by which as well these, as all other holy and learned
fathers were leadde to acknowledge and confesse
the Primacie of Peter and his successours, were
partly such, as Anacletus and Gregorie here alleageth,
and Cyprian meaneth, as it appeareth by his third
treatise De simplicitate praelatorum, and sundry mo of
the newe testament, as to the learned is knowen: of
which to treate here largely, and piththely, as the
weight of the matter requyreth, at this tyme I haue
no leisure, neither if I had, yet myght I conueniently
performe it in this treatise, which otherwise will
amount to a sufficie~t bignes, and that matter throughly
handeled, will fill a right great volume. Wherfore
referring the readers to the credite of these worthy
fathers, who so vnderstoode the scriptures, as thereof
thei were persuaded the Primacie to be attributed
to Peters successour by God him selfe: I will procede,
keping my prefixed order.
Whereas the preeminence of power and auctoritie,
which to the bishop of Rome by speciall and
singular priuiledge God hath graunted, is commended
to the worlde by many and sundry councelles:
for auoiding of tediousnesse I will rehearse the testimonies

of a fewe. Amonge the canons made by the
three hundred and eighten bishops at the Nicene
Councell, which were in number 70, and all burnt
by heretikes in the East church saue xx. and yet the
whole number was kepte diligently in the church
of Rome in the originall it selfe, sent to Syluester the
bishop there from the councell, subscribed with the
said 318. fathers handes: the 44. canon which is of the
power of the patriarke ouer the Metropolitanes and
bishops, and of the Metropolitane ouer bishops, in
the ende hath this decree. Vt autem cunctis ditionis suae
nationibus etc. As the patriarke beareth rule ouer all
nations of his iurisdiction, and geueth lawes to them,
and as Peter Christes vicare at the beginning sette
in auctoritie ouer religion, ouer the churches, and
ouer all other thinges perteining to Christ, was
Maister and ruler of christen princes, prouinces, and
of all nations: So he whose principalitie or chieftie
is at Rome, like vnto Peter, and equall in auctoritie,
obteineth the rule and souerainetie ouer all patriakes.
After a fewe wordes it foloweth there. If any man
repine against this statute, or dare resist it, by the decree
of the whole councell he is accursed.
Iulius that worthy bishop of Rome not long after
the councell of Nice, in his epistle that he wrote
to the 90. Ariane bishops assembled in councell at
Antioche, against Athanasius bishop of Alexandria,
reprouing them for theire vniust treating of him,
saith of the canons of the Nicene councell, then
freshe in their remembrance: that thei commaunde,

Non debere praeter sententia~ Romani pontificis vllo modo consilia

Xij

7

celebrari, nec episcopos damnari.
, That without
the auctoritie of the Bishop of Rome, neither Councelles
ought to be kepte, nor bishops condemned.
Againe, that nothing be decreed without the Bishop
of Rome.
Cui haec & maiora ecclesiarum negotia, tam ab
ipso domino, quam ab omnibus vniuersorum conciliorum
fratribus, speciali priuilegio contradita sunt.
To whom
these and other the weighty matters of the churches
be committed by speciall priuiledge, as well by our
lord him selfe, as by all oure brethren of the whole
vniuersall councelles. Among other principalle pointes,
which he reciteth in that epistle out of the Nicene
councelles cano~s, this is one. Vt omnes episcopi etc.
That all bishops who susteine wronge, in weighty
causes, so often as nede shall require, make their appeale
freely to the See Apostolike, and flie to it for
succour, as to their mother, that fro~ thence they may
be charitably susteined, defended, and deliuered. To
the disposition of which See, the auncient auctoritie
of th'Apostles, and their successours, and of the canons,
hath reserued all weighty, or great ecclesiasticall
causes, and iudgementes of bishops.
Athanasius and the whole companie of bishops
of Egypte, Thebaida and Libya, assembled together
in councell at Alexandria, complaining in their epistle
to Felix the Pope of the great iniuries and griefes
they susteined at the Arianes: alleageth the determination
of the Nicene councell, touching the supreme
auctoritie and power of that See Apostolike ouer all
other bishops.
Similiter & a supradictis patribus est definitum
consonanter etc.
Likewise (saie they) it hath ben

determined by common assent of the foresaide fathers
(of Nice) that if any of the bishops suspecte the
Metropolitane, or theire felow bishops of the same
prouince, or the iudges: that then they make their
appeale to your holy See of Rome, to whom by our
lord him selfe, power to binde and louse, by speciall
priuiledge aboue other hath ben graunted. This
much alleaged out of the cano~s of the Nicene councell,
gathered partly out of Iulius epistle, who wrote
to them that were present at the making of them,
(which taketh awaye all suspicion of vntruth) and
partly out of Athanasius and others, that were a great
parte of the same councell. For further declaration of
this matter, it were easy here to alleage the councell
of Sardica, the councell of Chalcedon, certaine councelles
of Aphrica, yea some councelles also holden by
heretikes, and sundry other, but such store of auctorities
commonly knowen, these may suffise.
The Christen princes that ratified and confirmed
with their proclamations and edictes, the decrees of
the canons, concerning the Popes Primacie, and gaue
not to him first that auctoritie, as the aduersaries doo
vntruly reporte, were Iustinian and Phocas the Emperours.
The wordes of Iustinianes edicte, be these.

Sancimus secundum canonum definitiones, sanctissimum
senioris Rome Papam, primum esse omnium sacerdotum.

We ordeine according to the determinations of the
canons, that the most holy Pope of the elder Rome,
be formest, and chiefe of all priestes,
About three score and ten yeres after Iustinian,
Phocas the Emperour in the tyme of Bonifacius, to

Xiij

represse the arrogancie of the bishop of Constantinople,
as Paulus Diaconus writeth, who vainely, and
as Gregorie sayeth, contrary to our lordes teachinges,
and the decrees of the canons, and for that wickedly,
tooke vpon him the name of the vniuersall or
œcumenicall bishop, and wrote him selfe chiefe of
all bishops: made the like decree and ordinance, that
the holy See of the Romaine and Apostolike church
shuld be holden for the head of all churches.
Of the doctours what shall I say? verely this matter
is so often and so commonly reported of them, that
their sainges laide together, would scantly be comprised
within a great volume. The recitall of a fewe
shall here geue a taste, as it were, of the whole, and
so suffise.
Ireneus hauing much praised the church of Rome,
at length vttereth these wordes, by which the souerainetie
therof is confessed.
Ad hanc Ecclesiam propter
potentiorem principalitatem, necesse est omnem conuenire
ecclesiam, hoc est, eos qui vndique sunt fideles.
To this
church (of Rome) it is necessary, all the church, that
is to say, all that be faithfull any where, to repaire and
come together, for the mightier principalitie of the
same, that is to witte, for that it is of greater power
and auctoritie, then other churches, and the principallest
of all. Androw folowed our Sauiour before that
Peter dyd, & tamen primarum non accepit Andreas, sed
Petrus: and yet Androw receiued not the Primacie,
but Peter, sayeth Ambrose. In the epistle of Athanasius
and the bishops of Egipte to Liberius the Pope,
in which they sue for helpe against the oppressions

of the Arianes: we fynde these wordes. Huius rei
gratia vniuersalis vobis a Christo Iesu commissa est ecclesia
etc. Euen for this cause the vniuersall church
hath ben committed to you of Christ Iesus, that you
shuld trauaile for all, and not be negligent to helpe
euery one. for whyles the stronge man being armed
kepeth his house, all thinges that he possesseth, are
in peace.
Hilarius speaking much to th'extolling of Peter
and his successour in that See, sayeth: Supereminentem
beatae fidei suae confessione locum promeruit: that for the
confession of his blessed faith, he deserued a place of
preeminence aboue all other. S. Ambros confessing
himselfe to beleue, that the largenesse of the Romaine
Empire was by gods prouidence prepared,
that the gospell might haue his course, and be spredde
abrode the better, sayeth thus of Rome: Quae tamen
per Apostolici sacerdotij principatum, amplior facta
est arce religionis, quam solio potestatis. Which for all
that, hath ben aduaunced more by the chieftie of the
Apostolike priesthod in the tower of Religion, then
in the throne of temporall power.
Saint Augustine in his 162. epistle, sayeth:
In Ecclesia
Romana semper apostolicae cathedrae viguit principatus.

The primacie or principalitie of the Apostolike
chaier, hath euermore ben in force in the Romaine
church. The same saint Augustine speaking to Bonifacius
Bishop of Rome, this care (sayeth he complaining
of the Pelagians) is common to vs all, that
haue the office of a bishop, albe it therein, thou thy

selfe hast the preeminence ouer all, being on the
toppe of the pastorall watchetower. In an other place
he hath these wordes.
Caeterum magis vereri debeo, ne
in Petrum contumeliosus existam. Quis einim nescit, illum
apostolatus principatum, cuilibet episcopatui praeferendum?

But I ought rather to be afraied, least I be reprochefull
towarde Peter. For who is he that knoweth not,
that that principalitie of Apostleship, is to be preferred
before any bishoprike that is?
An other most euide~t place he hath in his booke,
De vtilitate credendi, ad Honorarum. Cum tantum auxilium
Dei etc. Whereas (sayeth he) we see so great
helpe of God, so great profite and fruite, shall we
stande in doubte, whether we may hide our selues
in the lappe of that church, which (though heretikes
barke at it in vaine rownde about, condemned partly
by the iudgement of the people them selues, partly
by the sadnes of Councelles, and partly by the
maiestie of miracles euen to the confession of mankynde)
from the Apostolike See by successions of
bishops, hath obteined the toppe or highest degree
of auctoritie? to which church, if we will not geue
and graunt the Primacie, soothly it is a point either
of most high wickednes, or of hedlong arrogancie.
The notable saying of S. Hierome may not be let
passe. Ecclesiae salus a summi sacerdotis dignitate pendet.
cui si non exors quaedam & ab omnibus eminens detur
potestas, tot in ecclesiis efficientur schismata, quot sacerdotes.
The saftie of the church hangeth of the worship
of the high Priest (he meaneth the Pope Peters successour)
to whom if there be not geuen a power
peerelesse and surmonting all others, in the churches

we shall haue so many schismes, as there be priestes.
There is an epistle of Theodoritus bishop of Cyrus
exta~t in greke, written to Leo bishop of Rome.
Wherein we finde a worthy witnes of the Primacie
of the See Apostolike. His wordes may thus be englished.
If Paul (sayeth he) the preacher of truth, and
trumpet of the holy ghoste, ranne to Peter, to bring
from him a determination and declaration, for them
who at Antioche were in argument and contention
concerning lying after Moyses lawe, much more
wee, who are but small and vile, shall runne vnto
your throne Apostolike, that of you we may haue
salue for the sores of the churches, (there folowe
these wordes. NoValue
id est, per omnia enim vobis conuenit primas tenere, that
is to saye: For in all thinges (perteining to faith or
religion (so he meaneth) it is meete, that you haue
the chiefe dooinges, or that you haue the Primacie.
For your high seate or throne is endewed with many
prerogatiues and priuileges.
Now let vs see, whether this chiefe auctoritie may
be fownde necessary by reason. That a multitude
which is in it selfe one, can not continewe one, onlesse
it be conteined and holden in by one, bothe
learned philosophers haue declared, and the common
nature of thinges teacheth. For euery multitude of
their owne nature goeth a sunder in to many: and
from an other it cometh, that it is one, and that it
contineweth one. And that whereof it is one, and is
kepte in vnion or onenesse, it is necessary that it be
one, elles that selfe also shall nede the helpe of an

Y

other, that it bee one. For which cause that saying of
Homere was alleaged by Aristotle as most notable,
It is not good to haue many rulers, let one be ruler. Whereby
is meant, that pluralitie of soueraine rulers, is not
fitte, to conteine and kepe vnitie of a multitude of
subiectes. Therefore sith that the churche of Christ
is one, (for as there is one faith, one baptisme, one
calling, so there is one churche, yea all we are one
body, and membres one of an other, as S. Paul sayeth:
and in our Crede we all professe to beleue one holy
catholike and Apostolike churche) therefore I saye,
it hath nede of one prince and ruler, to be kepte
and holden in. If it be other wise, vnitie must nedes
forthwith be sparkled and broke~ a sunder. And therefore
it behoued that the rule and gouernement of
the churche, shuld be committed to one.
And whereas these Gospellers saye, that Christ is
the gouernour of the churche, and that he being one,
kepeth the churche in vnitie, we answere, that, although
the churche be first and principally gouerned
by Christ, as all other thinges are, yet gods high
goodnes hath so ordeined, as eche thing may be prouided
for, according to his owne condition and nature.
Therefore whereas mankynde dependeth most
of sense, and receiueth all learni~g and institutio~ of sensible
thinges, therefor it hath nede of a man to be a
gouernour and ruler, whom it maye perceiue by outward
sense. And euen so the Sacramentes, by which
the grace of God is geuen vnto vs, in consideration
of mannes nature being so made of God, as it is, are
ordeined in thinges sensible. Therefor it was behoofull

this gouernement of the churche to be committed
to one man, which at the first was Peter, and afterward
eche successour of Peter for his tyme, as is
afore declared. Neither can this one man haue this
power of any consent or companie of men, but it is
necessary he haue it of God. For to ordeine and appointe
the vicare of Christ, it perteineth to none
other, then to Christ. For where as the churche, and
all that is of the church, is Christes, as well for other
causes, as specially for that we are bought with a
great price, euen with his bloude as S. Paul sayeth:
how can it perteine to any other, then to him, to
institute and appoint to him selfe a vicare, that is,
one, to doe his steede? Wherefore to co~clude, excepte
we would wickedly graunt, that gods prouidence
hath lacked, or doth lacke to his churche, for loue of
which he hath geuen his onely begotten sonne, and
which he hath promised neuer to forgete, so as the
woman can not forgete the chylde she bare in her
wombe: Reason may sone enduce vs to beleue, that
to one man, one bishop, the chiefe and highest of all
bishops, the successour of Peter, the rule and gouernement
of the church, by God hath ben deferred.
For elles if God had ordeyned, that in the church
shuld be sundry heades and rulers, and none constituted
to be ouer other, but all of equall power, ech
one among their people: then he shuld seme to haue
set vp so many churches, as he hath appointed gouernours.
And so he shall appeare to haue brought
in among his faithfull people, that vnruly confusion,
the destruction of all common weales, so much abhorred

Yij

of princes, which the grekes call Anarchian,
which is a state for lacke of order in gouernours,
without any gouernement at all. Which thing, sith
that the wise and politike men of this worlde doo
shunne and detest in the gouerneme~t of these earthly
kingdomes, as most perniciouse and hurtfull, to attribute
to the high wisdome of God, and to our lord
Christ, who is the auctor of the most ordinate disposition
of all thinges in earth and in heauen: it were
heynous and prophane impietie. Wherefore if the
state of a kingdome can not continew safe, onlesse
one haue power to rule, how shall not the church
spredde so farre abroade, be in danger of great disorders,
corruption, and vutter destruction, if, as occasion
shalbe geuen, among so great strifes and debates of
men, among so many fyerbrandes of discord tossed
to and fro by the deuils, enemies of vnitie: there be
not one head and ruler, of all to be consulted, of all
to be hearde, of all to be folowed and obeied? If
strife and contentio~ be stirred about matters of faith,
if controuersie happen to rise about the sense of the
scriptures, shall it not be necessary, there be one supreme
iudge, to whose sentence the parties may
stande? If nede require (as it hath ben often sene) that
generall councelles be kepte, how can the bishops, to
whom that matter belongeth, be brought together,
but by commaundement of one head gouernour,
whom they owe their obedie~ce vnto? For elles being
summoned perhappes they will not come. Finally
how shall the contumacie, and pertinacie of mischeuous
persones be repressed, specially if the bishops

be at discension with in them selues: if there be not
a supreme power, who towardes some may vse the
rodde, towardes other some the spirite of lenitie, with
such discrete temperament, as malice be vanquished,
right defended, and concorde procured: least, if the
small sparkes of strife be not quenched by auctoritie
at the beginning, at length a great flame of schismes
and heresies flashe abrode, to the great da~ger of
a multitude? Therefore as there is one body of Christ,
one flocke, one church, euen so is there one head of
that his mysticall body, one shepeherd and one chiefe
seruant made steward, ouerseer, and ruler ouer Christes
householde in his absence, vntill his comming
againe.
But here perhappes some will saie, it can not appeare
by the euente of thinges and practise of the
church, that the Pope had this supreme power and
auctoritie ouer all bishops, and ouer all Christes
flocke in matters touching faith, and in causes ecclesiasticall.
Verely who so euer peruseth the ecclesiasticall
stories, and vieweth the state of the church of all
tymes and ages, ca~ not but co~fesse this to be most euident.
And here I might alleage first, certaine places
of the newe testament, declaring that Peter practised
this preeminence among the disciples at the beginning,
and that they yelded the same, as of right apperteining
vnto him. As when he first and onely moued
them to choose one in the stede of Iudas, and
demeaned him selfe, as the chiefe auctor of all that
was done therein: when he made answere for all, at
what time they were gased and wondered at, and of

Yiij

some mockte, as being dronken with newe wine: for
that in the fiftith day thei spake with tonges of so
many nations: when he vsed that dredfull seueritie
in punishing the falshed, and hypocrisie of Ananias
and Saphira his wife: when varia~ce being risen about
the obseruation of certaine pointes of Moyses lawe,
he as chiefe, and head of the rest, saide his mynde before
all others. Among many other places lefte out
for breuitie, that is not of least weight, that Paul being
retourned to Damasco out of Arabia, after three yeres
went to Ierusalem, to see Peter, and abode with him
fiften dayes.
But because our aduersaries doo wreath and wreste
the scriptures (be they neuer so plaine) by there priuate,
and straunge constructions, to an vnderstanding
quite contrary to the sense of the catholike church:
I will referre the reader for further proufe of this
matter, to the stories bearing faithfull witnes of the
whole state and condition of the church in all ages.
In which stories, the practise of the church is plainely
reported to haue ben such, as thereby the Primacie
of Peters successour, may seeme to all men sufficie~tly
declared. For perusing the ecclesiasticall stories
with writinges of the fathers, besyde many other
thinges perteining hereto, we finde these practises,
for declaration of this speciall auctoritie and power.
First, that bishops of euery nation haue made their
appeale in their weighty affaires to the Pope, and
allwayes haue sued to the See Apostolike, as well for
succour and helpe against violence, iniuries & oppressions,
as for redresse of other disorders. Also, that

the malice of wicked persons hath ben repressed and
chastised of that auctoritie by excommunication,
eiection, and expulsion out of their dignities and
romes, and by other censures of the church. Furthermore,
that the ordinations and elections of bishops
of all prouinces, haue ben confirmed by the Pope.
Beside this, that the approuing and disalowing of
councelles haue perteined to him. Item, that bishops
wrongfully co~demned and depriued by councelles,
by him haue ben assoiled and restored to their churches
againe. Lastly, that bishops and patriarkes after
longe strifes and contentions, haue at length vpon
better aduise, ben reconcilied vnto him againe.
First, for the appellation of bishops to the See
Apostolike, beside many other, we haue the knowen
examples of Athanasius that worthy bishop of Alexandria,
and lighte of the worlde: who hauing susteined
great and sundry wronges at the Arianes,
appealed first, to Iulius the Pope, and after his death,
to Felix: of Chrisostome, who appealed to Innocentius,
against the violence of Theophilus: of Theodoritus,
who appealed to Leo. Neither made bishops
onely their appeale to the Pope by their delegates,
but also in certaine cases, being cited, appeared before
him in their owne persons. Which is plainely gathered
of Theodoritus his ecclesiasticall storye, who
writeth thus. Eusebius bishop of Nicomedia (who
was the chiefe pillour of the Arianes) and they that
ioyned with him in that factio~, falsly accused Athanasius
to Iulius the B. of Rome. Iulius folowing the
ecclesiasticall rule, commaunded them to come to

Rome, and caused the reuerent Athanasius to be cited
to iudgement, regulariter, after the order of the
cano~s. He came. The false accusers went not to Rome,
knowing righte well that theire forged lye might
easely be deprehended.