A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande conteininge an answeare to a certaine booke lately set foorthe by M. Hardinge, and entituled, A confutation of &c. By Iohn Iewel Bishop of Sarisburie.

The Apologie, Cap. 8. Diuision. 1.

Who, so ilfauouredly, and monstrously put the Emperoure Frederikes necke vnder his feete, and, as though that were not suffi∣ciente, added further this texte out of the Psalmes: Thou shalt goe vpon the Adder, and cockatrice, and shalt treade the Lion and Dragon vnder thy feete? Sutche an Example of scorninge & con∣temninge y^• Maiestie of a Prince, as neuer before y^• time was hearde telle of in any remembrance: excepte, I weene, either of Tamerlanes the King of Scythia, a wilde and a Barbarous Creature, or els of Sapor Kinge of the Persians. Al these notwithstanding were Popes, al Peters Successours, al most Holy Fathers: whose seueral wordes wee muste take to be as good, as seueral Gosples.

M. Hardinge.

Ye aske who put the Emperoure Frederikes necke vnder his feete, &c. Verily, who it was, I knowe not: neither your selues, I beleue.

But what if ye bringe good authoritie for it? So farre as any man doth euil, be he Pope, be he Bishop, Emperour, or King, or what so euer he be, we defende him not. Popes them selues be men, and do not at ‡ 1.1 al times behaue them selues like Angels. But what is that to your purpose? Our matter is quaestio iuris, non facti,* 1.2 once more I muste tel it you. And if that were a faulte in the Pope, we acknowe∣ledge it to be as Tertullian saithe, Vitium conuersationis, non predicationis: The faulte of con∣uersation, not of doctrine* 1.3 preached.

Al these (though ye scoffe neuer so muche) were Popes,* 1.4 al were Peters successours, and no withstan∣dinge any thinge that ye can saie against them to the contrary, without makinge a lie,* 1.5 al were holy Fathers. But theire seueral woordes we be not bounde to esteme for so good as seueral Gospels. Neuer the lesse theire publike decrees we acknowledge and reuerence, and thinke they ought to be o∣beied.

The B. of Sarisburie.

The whole storie hereof is thus reported by Carion:* 1.6 Vsus est Frederichus de∣iectione, & summa humilitate, &c. The Emperour Frederike vsed al māner submissio, and Humilitie. For he came to Venice, and at the gates of the Churche, fallinge downe grouelinge before the Pope, he suffered him selfe to be trodden on by the Pope with his Feete. In the meane while the Pope caused Proclamation to be made by these woordes of the Prophete Dauid, spoken of Christe, Thou shalt vvalke vpon the venemous Aspe, and the Basiliske: Thou shalt treade dovvne the Lion and Dragon: And so at the laste he Absolued him.* 1.7 The Emperoure in the meane while saide, he shewed that humili∣tie, not vnto Pope Alexander, but vnto Peter. Thereunto the Pope answeared, Et mihi, & Petro: Bothe to me, and to Peter too: placinge him selfe before Peter.

Thus Carion declareth the whole storie with somme particulare Circum∣stāces: but whether of fauoure, or hatred, I wil not Iudge. Neither maie it wel be thought, the Pope vsed the Emperoure thus of any greate fauoure. But I thinke, that the Noble Cittie of Venice, that caused this whole Tragedie to be set foorthe in Imagerie in S. Markes Churche there, for the Euerlastinge remem∣brance of the facte, was not so carried awaie either with loue of the one side, or with hatred of the other, that they woulde so openly haue recorded a knowen Vn∣truthe.

Thus Sapores sommetime,* 1.8 the proude Kinge of Persia, when he had conque∣red Valerianus the Romaine Emperoure, and taken him prisoner, vsed him after∣warde moste villanously, as his footestocke: and made him lie downe grouelinge vpon the grounde, that he might set his foote on his necke, when so euer it shoulde please him to mounte on horsbacke.

So Sesostris the greate Kinge of Egypte, yokte Kinges,* 1.9 and Princes togea∣ther in Chaines, and forced them by violence, to drawe his Wagon. So the Emperour Henrie the Thirde, vpon the daie of his Coronation, caused Foure Kinges of Vindelicia, beinge then his prisoners, to carrie Pannes, and Caul∣drons to his kitchin.

But ye saie, So far, as a man dooth euil, be he Pope, be he Bishop, ye defende him not. The Popes themselues, ye saie, be menne: and doo not alwaies behaue themselues, as Angels. Yet not∣withstandinge, immediately after ye saie further, Al these vvere Popes, and Pe∣ters Successours, and Holy Fathers. This beinge true, it is no harde mater, for any Pope to be Holy.* 1.10 Pope Iohn 12. was slaine in Aduouterie: Pope Benedi∣ctus 9. liued without either Lawe, or Reason, and defiled Peters Chaire, with al kinde of shame. Sine Lege, & Ratione vixit, & Petri Sedem omnibus probris foedauit. And in the ende he tooke mon••e yenoughe, and solde the Popedome. Platyna saithe, Popes then were elected, not for theire Learninge, and Holinesse, but in respecte of Monie, and frendship. The Bishoppes in the Councel of Constance pronoūce thus of Pope Iohn. 23. A tēpore iuuentutis suae fuit homo malae indolis, inue∣recūdus, impudicus, &c. Et adhuc dicitur, tenetur, creditur, & reputatur pro tali, & vt talis: From the time of his youth he hath euermore benne a man of il disposition, vnshamefaste, vn∣chaste, vnhoneste, &c. And stilhitherto he is named, holden, beleeued, taken, and reputed for

sutche a one,* 1.11 and as sutche a one. Somme of them haue liued filthily with theire owne daughters, and somme woorse, and in more beastly disorder. Platyna calleth them Monstra, & Portenta, Monsters, and ougle, and horrible, and il shapen Creatures. Yet, saie you, al these were Peters Successours, and Holy Fathers. And so muste they néedes be coumpted, although they had benne a great deale woorse. Dame Iohane, I trowe, ye wil haue foreprised out of this number. For notwithstandinge shée were a Holy Mother, yet ye maie not wel calle her the Holy Father.

In déede,* 1.12 thus ye haue it prouidentely noted vpon your Decre talles: Est quaedam Spiritualitas secundum statum, quando est in statu Sanctissimo, & Spiritualissimo: & in hoc statu est Solus Summus Pontifex: There is a certaine Spiritual Holinesse according to the state moste Holy, and moste Spiritual: and in this state is onely the Highest Bishop, that is, the Pope. And a Special Statute of premunire in the Popes behalfe is written thus: Papa de Homicidio,* 1.13 vel Adulterio, accusari non potest. Vnde Sacrilegij instar esset, disputare de facto suo. Nam facta Papae excusantur, vt Homicidia Samso∣nis, Furta Hebraeorū, Adulteria Iacob: The Pope maie neuer be accused, neither of Aduoute∣rie, nor of Murther. Therefore it were as badde, as Churcherobbinge, to reason, or moue ma∣ter of any his dooinges. For what so euer he doo, it is excused, as are the Murthers com∣mitted by Samson: the Robberies in Egypte by the Jewes: and y^• Aduouteries of Iacob. And againe,* 1.14 In Papa si defint bona acquisita per meritum, sufficiunt quae à loci prae∣decessore praestantut. In the Pope if there want good deedes gotten by his own inerites. yet the good deedes donne by S. Peter, that was his Predecessoure in that place, are sufficiente.

But S. Hierome saithe far otherwise:* 1.15 Non Sanctorum Filij sunt, qui tenent loca Sanctorum, Sed qui exercent opera eorum: They are not alwaies the children of Holy menne, that fitte in the places of Holy menne: but they, that doo the woorkes of Holy menne.

Therefore I maie saie to you, M. Harding, as S. Augustine saith to Emeritus y^• Heretique: Noli Frater,* 1.16 noli obsecro: nō te decet, eisi aliquē fortè deceat: si tamē quicquā deceat malos: Emeritum certè non decet defendere Optatum: Doo not, my Brother, doo not, I praie you. It be commeth you not: Although happily it maie becomme somme other man: If any thing maie becomme the wicked: Yet verily it becommeth not Emeritus, to de∣fende Optatus (in open wickenesse).

S. Hierome saith,* 1.17 Si quis hominem, qui Sanctus non est, Sanctum esse crediderit, & Dei eum iunxerit socierari, Christum violat, cuius Corporis omnes membra sumus. Qui dicit, inquit, Iustum Iniustum, & Iniustum Iustum, abominabilis est vter{que} apud Deum. Et rursus, qui dicit, Sanctum non esse Sanctum: & rursus, non Sanctum esse Sanctum,* 1.18 est abominabilis apud Deum: Who so beleeuèth, that man to be Holy, that is not Holy, and ioineth the same man to the felowship of God, dooth villanie to Christe. For al we are members of his Body. It is written, Bothe he that calleth a Iuste man Wicked, and he that calleth a Wicked man Iuste, are bothe abominable before God. Likewise who so saith, a Holy man is not Holy: or, An Vnholy man is Holy, is abominable before God.

Notes

• ‡ 1.1

  As though for the moste parte they liued like Angelles.
• * 1.2

  In praescri∣ptio. Cōtra Haeret.
• * 1.3

  VVhat faulte can ye finde in the Popes prea∣chinge? He neuer preacheth.
• * 1.4

  Treadinge on the Em∣perours necke.
• * 1.5

  Vntruthe sha∣melesse, as it shal appeare.
• * 1.6

  Carion
• * 1.7

  Non tibi, sed Petro. Et mihi, & Pe∣tro.
• * 1.8

  Aurelius Victor. Pomponius Le∣tus.
• * 1.9

  Budaeus de Asse. Matthias à Mi∣chouia, De Sar∣matia, Cap. 12.
• * 1.10

  Platyna. Textor in Offi∣cina. Platyna. Platyna in Syl∣uestro 3. Constantien. Concilium.
• * 1.11

  The Pope is euer Holy.
• * 1.12

  De Maior. & Obedien. Vnam. Sanctam. In Glossa.
• * 1.13

  Dist 40. Non no: In Glossa.
• * 1.14

  Dist. 40. Non no:
• * 1.15

  Diff. 40. Non est facile.
• * 1.16

  Augustin. Epist. 164. ad Emeritū.
• * 1.17

  Hieron. in Epist. ad Philemonein.
• * 1.18

  Prouerb. 17.