Quia ipse voluit, For he woulde. For of that, yt is nothinge, he is hable to make
some thinge. Quia de••eo, quod nihil est, potest facere aliquid: That he hath the right
of bothe sweardes, as wel of the Temporal, as of the Spiritual: That the Tem∣poral
Prince may not drawe his swearde, but onely at his becke, and sufferance:
ad nutum, & Patientiam Ecclesiae: That he is Haeres Imperij, the Heire apparent of
the Empier, and is seuen and fiftie degrees greater then the Emperour: and that
bicause in suche proportion the Sunne is greater then ye Moone: That it is lawful
for him to depose kinges, and Emperours: as he did the Emperoure Henry the
sixthe, and Chilpericus the Frenche Kinge.
Then he made the Emperour of Christendome to lie downe flatte before him,
and spared not to sette his foote vpon his necke, addinge withal theise woordes of
the prophete Dauid, Thou shalt walke ouer the aspe, and the cockatrise: Then he was
contente that the Emperoure should be called Procurator Ecclesiae Romanae, The Pro∣ctoure,
or steward of the Churche of Rome: Then, as if had béene Nabucodonozor,
or Alexander, or Antiochus, or Domitian, he claimed vnto him selfe the name, and
title of almighty God: and said further, That beinge God, he might not be iudged
of any Mortal man: Then he suffred menne to saie, Dominus Deus noster Papa,
Our Lord God the Pope: Tu es omnia, & super omnia, Thou art al, and aboue al. Al power
is geuen vnto thee, as wel in Heauen, as in Earthe. I leaue the miserable spoile of the
Empier: the loosinge of sundrie great Countries, and Nations, that sometimes
were Christened: the weakeninge of the Faithe: the encourraginge of the Turke:
the ignorance, and blindenes of the people. These, & other like, be the effectes of the
Popes Uniuersal power. Would to God, he were in deede, that he would so faine be
called, & woulde shewe him selfe in his owne particular Churche to be Christes Ui∣care,
& the Dispenser of Gods Mysteries. Then shoulde godly men haue lesse cause
to cōplaine against him. As nowe, although, that he claimeth, were his very right,
yet by his owne iudgement, he is worthy to loose it. For Pope Gregorie saith,
Priuilegium meretur amittere, qui abutitur potestate. He that abuseth his authoritie, is wor∣thy
to loose his priuilege. And Pope Syluerius saith, Etiam quod habuit, amittat, qui,
quod non accepit, vsurpat. He that vsurpeth that he receiued not, let him loose, that he had.
Nowe, briefely to laye abroade the whole contentes of this Article:
[ 1] Firste, M. Hardinge hath wittingly alleged suche testimonies vnder the na∣mes
of Anacletus, Athanasius, and other Holy Fathers, as he him selfe knoweth
vndoubtedly to be forged, and with manifest Absurdities, and Contradictions, doo
betraye them selues, and haue no manner colour, or shewe of trueth.
[ 2] He hath made his claime by certaine Canons of the Councel of Nice, and of the
Councel of Chalcedon: and yet he knoweth, that neither there are, nor neuer were
any suche Canons to be founde.
[ 3] He hath dismembred, and mangled S. Gregories woordes, and contrary to
his owne knowledge, he hath cutte them of in the middest, the better to beguile his
Reader.
[ 4] He hath violently, and perforce drawen, and rackte the Olde godly Fathers,
Ireneus, Cyprian, Ambrose, Cyrillus, Augustine, Theodoretus, Hierome, and
others, contrary to their owne sense, and meaninge.
[ 5] Touchinge appeales to Rome, the gouernement of the East parte of the worlde,
Excommunications, Approbations of orders, allowance of Councelles, Restitu∣tions,
and Reconciliations, he hath openly misreported the whole Uniuersal order,
and practise of the Churche.
[ 6] Al this notwithstandinge, he hath as yet founde neither of these two glorious
Titles, that he hath so narrowly sought for: notwithstandinge greate paines ta∣ken,
and greate promises, and vauntes made touchinge the same.