CAP. IIII.
Howe Nestorius the hereticke was deposed by the councell of Ephesus in the absence of Iohn byshoppe of Antioch,
When the day appointed for their meeting and fifteene dayes ouer were expired, the by∣shops which assembled at Ephesus thinking verily that the easterne byshops would not come, or if peraduenture they came it woulde be long ere they mette together, when as Cyrill also moderated the councell in steade of Celestinus who (as I said before) gouerned the seae of Rome, called Nestorius before them and willed him to aunswere vnto the crimes that were laid to his charge. And when as the first day he promised to come if the case so required, and being af∣terwardes thrise cited to appeare, made light accompt of his promise, the byshops that were pre∣sent called the matter into controuersie, and began to reason thereof. Wherefore after that Mem∣non byshop of Ephesus had numbred the dayes that were past since the prescribed time, to wit, se∣uenteene: after they had reade the epistles of the reuerende Cyrill vnto Nestorius, and suche as he wrote vnto Cyrill againe, together with the holy epistle of the renowmed Celestiniu sent in like sort vnto Nestorius: after that Theodotus byshop of Ancyra, and Acacius byshop of Melitina, had made relation of the blasphemous sentences whiche Nestorius bolted out at Ephesus: and after that many notable sayinges to the iustifying of the sincere fayth were vttered in that assembly of* 1.1 holy and learned fathers interlacing sometimes the vnaduised and blasphemous phrases of Nesto∣rius, the holy councell pronounced this sentence against Nestorius in maner as followeth: Omit∣ting other hainous crimes of the reuerend Nestorius, in so much he was cited and would not ap∣peare, neither entertaine the most holy and religious byshops which we had sent vnto him, vve were driuen of necessitie to sifte and examine his leude and wicked doctrine: And seeinge vve founde him to haue belieued impiously and to haue taught heretically, partly by perusing of his bookes and epistles, and partly also by the blasphemous sentences he vttered of late in this no∣ble citie, we were moued both by the canons of the Church and the graue censure of the most holy father & our College Celestinus byshop of Rome (yet not without sheding of many teares) to pronounce against him this seuere and sharpe sentence. VVherefore our Lord Iesus Christ in derogation of whose maiesty Nestorius sticked not to pronounce such horrible blasphemie hath decreed and ordained by this sacred assembly that he shoulde both be deposed of his byshop∣pricke and banished the companie of clergie men.