holden at Hippo Regius in his owne Diocesse. Likewise he knoweth, that the
same S. Augustine Decréed amonge other Bishoppes to the number of. 217. in the
Councel of Aphrica, that it shoulde not be lawful for any man of those countreis,
to seeke for ayde ouer the Seas, and to appeale to the Bishop of Rome: and that
whosoeuer so appealed, shoulde stande Excommunicate: and so vtterly condemned
that Infinite Dominion, and Uniuersal Power, that so many haue sithence drea∣med
of. Againe, writinge vpon the Gospel of S. Iohn he saith, Petrus erat ocu∣lus
in Capite, Peter was an eye in the Heade: He saith not, Peter was the Heade. In
these woordes appeareth plainely S. Augustines certaine, and vndoubted iudge∣mente
touchinge this mater. The reast, that is here brought in, standeth onely
vpon M. Hardinges geatheringe.
It is true, that as wel S. Augustine, as also other Godly Fathers, rightly,
and wel, in olde times yelded greate reuerence to the See of Rome, bothe for the
Antiquitie of the Churche: and for the honour and memorie of S Peter: and for
the constancie of the Holie Martyrs, that there had suffred: and also for the puritie
of Religion, whiche was preserued there a longe tyme without spotte, and might
be a standerde vnto others. But the greatest increase of outwarde estimation in ye
worlde vnto that See, was the Imperial Seate, and Presence of the Prince, as no∣tably
appeareth by the firste Councel of Constantinople. For these causes S. Au∣gustine
saith, The See of Rome had the highest place, and chiefe preeminence aboue others.
Perhaps M. Hardinge wil presse me further with this woorde, Principatus:
whiche he expoundeth, The Principalitie. Howbeit, I beleue, he wil not saye, P••in∣cipatus,
signifieth an Uniuersal power, or Supreme gouernement: and so his ad∣uauntage
of this woorde is not so greate. Uerily Princeps, in the Latine tongue,
is often vsed for a man, that for his vertue, or roome, or any singular qualitie, is
to be had in estimation aboue others. So Cicero saith, Socrates princeps Philoso∣phorum:
Grauitate dicendi princeps Plato: princeps orbis terrarum Pompeius.
Like as also Chrysostome saithe, Caput Prophetarum Elias: Elias the Heade of the
Prophetes. In these places, Princeps is taken, not for a Prince, or Gouernour, but
onely for a man, that for his qualities is to be estéemed aboue the reaste. And in
this sense S. Augustine calleth the See of Rome, as it was in his time, Principa∣tum
Sedis Apostolicae, and not in respecte of any Supreme gouernement: for that
he himselfe in the Councel of Aphrica, as it is alreadie prooued, vtterly denied him.
I graunte, as S. Augustine saith, The Bishop of Rome truely, and diligently doo∣inge
the parte of a Bishop, he that then woulde haue denied him the chiefe preemi∣nence,
for the respectes aboue touched, had béene wicked, or arrogant. But the same
Bishop of Rome nowe claiming to him selfe the title of Uniuersal Bishop, as S.
Gregorie saithe, Is the Forerenner of Antichriste: and the consenting to the same,
as the same Gregorie saithe, Is the renouncinge and forsaking of the faithe.
I coulde further saye, that M. Hardinge in these authorities of S. Augustine
hath leafte out, and transposed what he thought good: and so hath shewed no sim∣ple
dealinge. In the first place, S. Augustines woordes be these, Episcopus vide∣bat
se Romanae Ecclesiae, in qua semper Apostolicae Cathedrae viguit principatus, per
Communicatorias literas esse coniunctum: He sawe him selfe by Letters of Confe∣rence
to be ioyned with the Churche of Rome, in which Churche the chiefe preeminence of
the Apostolique See had euer flourished. S. Augustine saith, The Bishop there was ioy∣ned
with the Churche of Rome, not by waye of Obedience, or Subiection, but by Letters of
Cōference, wherin is implied an equalitie, or a felowship. And afterwarde in ye same
Epistle S. Augustine saith, That Meltiades the Bishop of Rome with certaine
other Bishops, hearde the mater betwéen Caecilianus and Donatus A casis nigris,
not by any his Uniuersal, or Supreme Power, as M. Harding imagineth, but by