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. 1. Diuision. 2.

Al these thinges muste they of necessitie saie, onlesse perchaunce thei had rather saie thus, That al Lavve, and Right is locked vp in the treasurie of the Popes breaste, and that, as once one of his soo∣thinge Pages, and Clawbackes did not sticke to saie, the Pope is hable to dispense againste the Apostles, againste a Councel, and againste the Canons and Rules of the Apostles: and that he is not

bounde to▪ stande, neither to the examples,* 1.1 nor to the ordinaunces, nor to the Lawes of Christe.

M. Hardinge.

To saie, that al Lawe and right (your Latine terme is Fas) is locked vp in the treasurie of the Popes breas••te, it were absurde and vnreasonable. Mary to saie, that the Lawes reste in the Popes breaste,* 1.2 after a certaine meaninge, as hereafter shalbe declared, it is* 1.3 not altogeather beside truthe and reason. But Sirs, what if some meane writer, or Gloser vpon the Canon Lawe speake some∣where out of square, if al should be exactly tried by Scripture, wil ye laie that to our charge? Shal the Faithe of the Catholike Churche thereby be called in doubte and question? VVe take not vpon vs to Defende al that y^• Canonistes, or Schoolemē saie or write: &c. In this kinde or order be many things, whiche may rather be called rules of maners, then Principles, or such as we terme Axiomata of our Faithe. These although they be founde written in the Scripture, for asmuche as they haue benne com∣maunded by an occasion, and for some cause, they maie for cause, and occasion, and, as we finde in C. Lector, for necessitie, by Gods depute, and Vicare be supplied, holpen, expounded. And if the case so require, he in the same for a certaine cause, with a certaine persone, for a certaine time, with cer∣taine circumstances maye dispense, by the same spirite, they were firste founded and instituted with∣al, and with the same intention, to witte, for some speciall good, and furtherance of Godlinesse. Suche administration of Gods Lawe, and suche dispensation thereof, as of a precious Treasure, not free or at Libertie and pleasure, but an euen, iuste, and good dispensation, they do attribute to Gods Vicare, whome this Defender calleth the Popes Parasites, Pages, and Clawbackes, him selfe a very Page, Slaue, and clawbacke to the Diuel.

The B. of Sarisburie.

Here, M. Hardinge, ye rome, and wander, & goe masket, as a man, that were benighted, and had loste his waie. In somme cases, ye saie, the Pope maie dispense against Goddes VVoorde: In somme cases he maie not. Faine woulde ye, for shame, somewhat limite, & restraine his Immoderate Authoritie: but ye knowe not, where to laie the boundes.* 1.4 Ye make smal accompte of your Schoole Doctoures, and Cano∣nistes, that is to saie, of the Principal Pillers of your Catholique Churche: and thinke them not woorthy to be your guides. How be it, your laboure cannot al be loste: For they wil thinke as light of you.

But,* 1.5 for as mutche, as, ye saie, they flatter not the Pope, nor be his Pages, or Parasites, but speake roundely to him, and tel him his owne, it shal not be mutche amisse, to herken a litle, what they saie.

One of them saithe thus, Papa potest Dispensare contra Ius Naturale: The Pope maie Dispense againste the Lavve of Nature. An other saith, Papa Dispensat contra Canones Apostolorum: The Pope Dispenseth against the Canons, or Rules of the Apostles.* 1.6 An other saithe, Papa potest mutare formam Verborum in Baptis∣mo: The Pope maie change the fourme of VVoordes in Baptisme. An other saithe, Priuilegium dari potest contra Ius Diuinum: The Popes Priuilege maie be graunted againste the Lavve of God.* 1.7 An other saithe, Papa ex Maxima Causa po∣test Dispensare contra Nouum Testamentū: The Pope vpon a very great cause maie di∣spense againste the Nevve Testamente. An other saith, Papa potest Dispensare de omnibus praeceptis veteris,* 1.8 & Noui Testamenti: The Pope maie Dispense for any commaundemente of the Olde, or Nevve Testamente. An other saithe, Papa potest Dispensare contra Epistolas Pauli: The Pope maie Dispense againste the Epistles of S. Paule. And somewhat to qualifie the outrage of the mater, an o∣ther saithe, Papa potest Dispensare contra Ius Diuinum in Particulari, non in Vni∣uersali: The Pope maie Dispense against the Lavve of God, in Particulare, not in Ge∣neral.* 1.9 And againe, Papa potest tollere Ius Diuinum ex Parte, non in Totum: The Pope maie abolishe the Lavve of God, in parte, but not in vvhole.

An other saithe,* 1.10 Martinus Papa. 5. Dispensauit cum quodam, qui acceperat Ger∣manam suam in Vxorem: Pope Martine, the. 5. dispensed with a man, y^• had taken to VVife his ovvne Sister. Whether this reporte be true, or false, I referre mée selfe to the credite of the Authoure.* 1.11 An other saith, Papa potest Dispensare cum omnibus Personis, nisi cum Patre, & Matre: The Pope maie dispense vvith al Per∣sonnes (touchinge Marriage) sauinge onely vvith Father, and Mother (to Mar∣rie, or to be Married to theire Children). An other saith, Papa potest supra Ius Dispensare: Et de Iniustitia potest facere Iustitiā: & Sententiam, quae nulla est, facere aliquam: Et de nihilo, facere aliquid: The Pope maie dispense aboue the Lawe: y^e Pope of VVronge, maie make Right:* 1.12 The Pope of no Sentence, maie make a Sentence: The Pope of nothinge, maie make somme thinge. The cause hereof, as an other saith, is this, Quia Papa potest, excepto Peccato, quicquid Deus ipse potest: Sinne onely excepted, the Pope maie doo, vvhat so euer God him selfe maie doo.

An other saithe, Papa habet Authoritatem declarandi Scripturas, ita, vt non liceat oppositum tenere, vel opinari: The Pope hath Authoritie so to expounde, and to declare the Scriptures, that it maie not be lawful for any man to hold, or to thinke the Contrarie. For Cardinalis Cusanus saithe,* 1.13 as it saide before, Scripturae ad tempus adaptatae sunt, & variè intellectae, ita, vt vno tempore secundū currentē Vniuersalem ritum exponātur: mu∣tato ritu, iterum sententia mutetur: The Scriptures are applied vnto the time, and are diuersly derstanded: so that at one time they are taken accordinge to the Vniuersal Currente order: whiche order being changed, the meaninge of the Scripture is changed too.

An other demaundeth a question,* 1.14 Vtrùm Papa ex Plenitudine Potestatis possit omnia: Whether the Pope by the Fulnesse of his Power maie doo al thinges.

An other saithe, Si totus mundus sententict contra Papam, videtur, quòd standum esse•• sententiae Papae: If al the VVorlde vvoulde geue sentence con∣trarie to the Pope, yet it seemeth, vvee ought to stande to the sentence of the Pope. These, M. Hardinge, by your Iudgemente are neither Pages, nor Pa∣rasites: but good sadde, and earnest frendes: sutche as loue roughly, and plainely to vtter theire minde, without flatterie.

This doubtelesse is it, that Daniel so longe before Prophesied of him, Dabitur illi os loquens grandia:* 1.15 He shal haue a mouthe geuen him vtteringe greate, and presumptuous maters. For in déede, notwithstandinge al this glorious glitteringe of pain∣ted Authoritie,* 1.16 yet one of the Popes owne menne saithe, Papa non potest fa∣cere de quadrato rotundum: The Pope cānot make a square thing, roūde. S. Bernarde saith, An Regula non concordat cum Euangelio, vel Apostolo? Alioqui Regularam non est Regula:* 1.17 quia non est recta: Dooth not the Rule agree with the Gospel, or with the Apo∣stle? Otherwise that Rule is no Rule at al: for it is crooked, it is not streight.

And therefore Pope Zosimus in more sober wise saithe thus, Contra Statuta Patrum condere aliquid,* 1.18 vel mutare, ne huius quidem Sedis Authoritas potest: The Authoritie of this See cannot order, or change any thinge contrarie to the orders of our Fa∣thers.

Isidorus saithe, Is qui praeest, si praeter voluntatem, vel praeter quod in Scripturis Sanctis euidenter Praecipitur,* 1.19 vel dicitaliquid, vel imperat, tanquam Falsus Testis Dei, & Sacrilegus habeatur: He that is in Authoritie, if he speake, or Commaunde any thinge, be∣sides the wil, or meaninge of Goddes Woorde, or otherwise, then is expressely commaunded in the Scriptures, let him be taken as a Churcherobber, and as a false vvitnesse against God.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Dispense againste Goddes vvoorde.
• * 1.2

  It is no rea∣son that Di∣uines be re∣quired to make good vvhat so e∣uer is vvrit∣ten by the Canonistes or Schoole∣men.
• * 1.3

  Not altogea∣ther biside truthe: A Colde De∣fence.
• * 1.4

  15. q. 6. Authori∣tatem. In Glossa. Dist. 82. Presby∣ter.
• * 1.5

  Felin. De Consti∣tutionib. Cap. Statuta Cano∣num. Colum. 6. 6. q. 1. Quicun∣abque;. In Clossa.
• * 1.6

  Panormi. Extra De Diuortijs. Ca. Fin.
• * 1.7

  Summa Angel. In Dictione Pa∣pa.
• * 1.8

  Felin. De Consti∣tution. Ca. Sta∣tuta Canonum. Felin. De Maio∣ritate, & Obe∣dient. Ca. 2.
• * 1.9

  Idem De Maio∣ritate, & Obe∣dien. Ca. fin.
• * 1.10

  Dispense againste Goddes VVoord.
• * 1.11

  Summa Angel. In Dictione pp. Panormita. Ex∣tra, De Electio∣ne, & Electi po∣test. Venerabilē.
• * 1.12

  De Translatione Episco. Quanto. Hostien. De Translatione Episcop. Quāto. Heruaeus de Po∣testate Papae.
• * 1.13

  Cardina. Cusan. De Authoritat. Eccle. & Conci. Supra & cōtra Scripturam.
• * 1.14

  Francis. De Ma∣ron. in 4. Dist. 19 q. 1. Articul. 2. 9. quae. 3. Nemo. In Glossa.
• * 1.15

  Daniel. 7.
• * 1.16

  Iohan. Andreas. De Iudicijs. Cum venissent.
• * 1.17

  Bernar. in Apo∣logia ad Guliel. Abbatem.
• * 1.18

  Inter Decr••ta Zosimi.
• * 1.19

  11. q. 3. Si is qui.