A reproufe, written by Alexander Nowell, of a booke entituled, A proufe of certayne articles in religion denied by M. Iuell, set furth by Thomas Dorman, Bachiler of Diuinitie: and imprinted at Antvverpe by Iohn Latius. Anno. 1564. Set foorth and allowed, according to the Queenes Maiesties iniunctions

Dorman. fol. 14. * 1.1

Tell them boldely vvith S. Austen that yovv vvill * 1.2 ovve neither sute nor seruice to their chaire of pestilēce, nor be a member of that body, that either lacketh a head and is a dead tronke, or hath many, and is a liue monstre.

Novvell.

Be bolde and blushe not, M. Dormā, as boldly to be∣lie S. Augustine, as ye streight before haue dealt with S. Hierome. For neither be the woords you doo reherse, S. Augustines: neither are the greatest part of them to be found in the place by you noted: nor y^e woordes which be in that place whiche you haue noted (whose so euer they bee) make ought for your purpose, or against vs. You should haue done more simply, had you alleaged a proufe for your headles trunke, or liue monstre, out of * 1.3 Pighius, Hosius, & Pope Boniface his Extrauagants: there shall you in déede finde for your purpose: for much adoo is made there, to saue the Popishe churche, as ha∣uing two heades, one in heauen, an other in earth (as they say) from being a liue monstre. Erasmus being no simple iudge of the true and counterfeite writinges of the olde doctours, in his preface before the booke De quae∣stionibus veteris & noui testamēti, intitled vntruly to S. Au∣gustine, doth by diuersitie of S. Augustines phrase, and

the phrase of that book, probably, and by very barbarous and false Latine vsuall in that booke, vnaccustomed to S. Augustine, certainly, and by sundry doctrines in that booke, most contrary to S. Augustines doctrine in his bookes, vndoubtedly prooue, that it is not S. Augu∣stines worke: so that it were to muche impudencie for any man, but onely Hosius and M. Dorman, to alleage it for S. Augustines. The woordes of that authour (who so euer he was) a little more largely rehearsed by Hosius, than by you, M. Dorman, leaste it myght appeare, you had followed him to neere, are these: Eorum qui extra ecclesiam, vel contra ecclesiam sedes suas instituerunt, Ca∣thedram pestilentiae dicimus. Qui enim inconcessa praesumit &c. We saye that the chaire of them whiche haue made them sees without, or against the churche, is the chaire of Pestilence. He that presumeth vpon vnlawfull thinges, is guiltie: howe muche more if he also cor∣rupte the tradition of him, whose seate he vsurpeth?

For they trouble the order begunne of Peter the Apo∣stle, and kept to this tyme by the continuance of Bi∣shoppes succeedyng, chalenginge to themselues ordre without origine, that is to saye, professinge a bodye without an head. Wherefore it is agreable, their seate also to appeere to be the chayre of Pestilence. Thus farre that incerteine author, alleged by Hosius, and * 1.4 nowe by M. Dorman, for S. Augustine. First if you woulde haue this place to make for you against vs, you must proue your selues to be the true churche of Christe, which you shall neuer be hable to dooe, being in deede the Synagoge of Antichriste. Further it ap∣peareth by these woordes, vvhose seate he vsurpeth, mea∣ninge Peters seate, that this was writen in later

times against some Antipope, wrongfully chosen, and intruding himselfe into the Bishoprike of Rome. For it hath been no noueltie for these .iii. or .iiii. hundreth yeres, to haue .ii. or .iii. Popes at once: one chosen at Rome by some Cardinalles, an other at Auinion by o∣ther some Cardinalles, the thirde in a thirde place, ap∣pointed by the Emperour: and one to keepe his Papal see at Rome, an other at Auinion in Fraunce, the third at Rauenna in Italie, or some where els. And so some writer in fauour of him, by like, that was chosen, and kept residence at Rome, hath written this against some other, that vsurped Peters seate: and so they beynge many at one time, troubled the order of the succession of one, after an other, begunne at Peter, and so con∣tinued, till such discorde came in by those, who settinge vp an other chaire, and so not sitting in Peters chaire, sate (as he saieth) in the chaire of pestilence. Howsoeuer it be, the mater can not be applied to vs, who doo not v∣surpe Peters chaire. Further, what woord is there here to proue y^e chayre of Rome to be the head of y^e vniuersall church, but rather to be the head of that peculiar church of Rome onely, where Peters successours haue cōtinu∣ed? Such kinde of head gouernour, as we doo not denie euery bishop to be in his own diocesse, & so yet subiect to his prince, as y^e bishop of Rome ought to be to y^e Empe∣rour his lord. To proceede, we hauing Christ to be our head, our church is no dead trunke, as lacking an head: and hauing him our head onely, & other his ministers, our gouernours vnder him, our churche is no liue mon∣ster as hauing many heades: no more than our cōmon wealth hauing God the only head in heauen, our prince his seruant, our head gouernour in earth, is therefore

a liue monstre: or the whole worlde hauing God to his head, is therefore a dead truncke, because it hath no one onely earthly head, nor can haue any such: no more can the vniuersall churche, throughout the whole worlde haue any suche one earthly head. Wherefore, as M. Dormā would gather our church to be a dead truncke, for that we will not graunt one onely head in earth o∣uer all the churche, though we graunt Christe to be the onely head therof, as in déede he is: so let him gather in like wise, that the whole world is a dead trūcke, for that it hath no one onely head in earth, though it haue God for his head in heauen: and so he may cōclude, that god, and Christ the authours of life, be no heades, or no such heades as can saue the bodies, whereof they be heades, from being dead trunckes, except the saide bodies haue a false vsurper from Rome, to be their head besides, and to geue them life. And had M. Dorman had so muche leasure from his diuinitie matters, as to haue looked better vpon his notes of the Canon lawe, his peculiar studie, he would haue bene better aduised, than to haue called vs Acephalos, headles, and therfore dead trunckes, * 1.5 who doo obey our owne Prelates, seing Acephali (as is there noted) are those who be subiect to no Prelate. And vpon the other part againe, let M. Dorman conclude as wel against all kingdomes, & cōmon wealthes in Chri∣stendome, that they be liue monsters, as hauing many heades (for that they haue God in heauen to their head, and their seuerall Princes in earth to their heades, and gouernours) as he for like cause concludeth, our parti∣cular churches to be liue monsters. And I doubt not, but M. Dorman so reasoninge, shall playnely appéere, though not to all men that haue heades, yet to all that

haue reason in their heades, to reason more like a trūke than a man: who, though he haue an head vpon his shoulders, yet dooth he by such monstrous, and vnreaso∣nable reasoning, showe himselfe to haue but small wit, and lesse learning in his head. Al this adoo hath M. Dor∣man made now by the space of more than thrée leaues, to deface the scripture, as no fitte iudge in cōtrouersies: & to perswade vs that the Pope, like an other Pytha∣goras, by his onely bare woorde, may and ought to sa∣tisfie all mē, heretikes, & others, & that it shalbe sufficiēt for him onely to say, without reason, or scripture why he so sayeth: sauing this reason onely, Papae est pro ratione * 1.6 voluntas: With the Pope will standeth for reason, as is mentioned in the booke of his owne Canon lawe. To this ende all his examples of the Suenkfeldians, Arri∣ans, Anabaptistes, matters moste impertinent to his proposed mater, doo tende. This is the conclusion of all, that you shrinking frō the scripture, should not shrinke from the Romaine chaire, but stick to the Popes theron sitting, by vvhom all haeretikes haue been, and these shall be, to their vtter confusion vanquished. For vvhat one haeretike are they hable to recon ouerthrovven by the scripture? VVas Arrius, vvere the Anabaptistes ouer∣throvven by the scriptures, nay, that vvere they not. These be M. Dormans owne woordes. But for that I am not so certaine of the certaintie of the Popes iud∣gement, * 1.7 as M. Dorman is, I will be so bolde after his example, to demaunde of him certaine shorte questions touching the Pope as iudge, as he hath made of the scripture as no iudge.

What if there be twoo or three Popes at once, as of∣ten hath been: for Dnuphrius reckeneth. 26. schismes in

in the church of Rome, of which some one hath dured a∣bout. 40. yeres together (in euery of the whiche schismes were at the leaste twoo Popes at once) when there be I saye two or moe Popes at once, one cursing an o∣ther, one breakyng and disanulling the decrees made by an other, one persecuting and killynge an other: is it not to be doubted whiche of them shall be this cer∣taine iudge in controuersies? And whether in this case the popishe churche be not in daunger to be a liue mon∣ster, as hauing many heades? And on the contrarie part, what if we haue neuer a Pope at all, (for so hath it happened many times, for one or twoo yeres together): as after Pope Gregorie the. 7. the sée of Rome was va∣cant one yere: after Coelestine the. 4. one yere and. 8. monethes: After Clement the. 4. twoo yeres. 9. mo∣nethes: after Nicolas the. 4. twoo yeres and thrée mo∣nethes: After Clement the. 5. twoo yeres, thrée mone∣thes: And after Iohn the. 23. it was vacant twoo yeres and fiue monethes) shal al our doubtes lie for that time vndiscussed for lacke of a iudge: and your popish church so long lie as a dead truncke, for lacke of an head? Or els whether shall Peters chayre (though emptie) bee both iudge & head too, good enough for y^e popishe church, and suche a bodie as it is. What if the Pope sitte not at Rome in Italie, which is Peters sée and chayre, but at Auinion in Fraunce, as Popes did for the space of. a 1.8 70. yeres together? may we not doubte of the cer∣taintie of the iudge, not sittyng in the chayre, whereof he hath all his certaintie? or els dooeth he carie his chayre about into all countreis, for y^t the b 1.9 whole world is his diocesse, as in his Canon lawe is mentioned? What if the Pope doo erre, as all the Canonistes, Gra∣tian,

Gerson, Caietane, and many others thinke he may? What if he bee an heretike, (as c 1.10 Athanasius, S. Hierome, d 1.11 Gratian, e 1.12 Erasmus, the generall Coū∣celles, the f 1.13 sixt, the Councell of g 1.14 Constance, and h 1.15 Basill testifie that diuers Popes haue been) must he yet néedes be iudge, and his iudgement certaine also? What if his election be vncertaine, or vnlaufull, he en∣teryng in by force, ambition, symonie, periurie, (as Platina testifieth many of them haue entered, and in whiche case, not onely Gerson, Gratian, Caietane, and all the Canonistes, but also Pope Nicolas the seconde hymselfe doo affirme, that he is to be deposed, as no law∣full * 1.16 Pope, and not Apostolicus, but Apostaticus, not Apo∣stolike, but an Apostata) must he yet be the moste cer∣taine and onely iudge? What if we haue a shée Pope, suche as was Pope Iohane, otherwise Iohn the eight, must the iudgementes and woorde of our woman Pope be certayne: and the iudgementes and woorde of God vncertaine? What if the Popes successours dooe disa∣null their predecessours Popes decrees, and make de∣crées most contrary to them: pull them out of their gra∣ues whan they be dead, and disgrade them: is here no * 1.17 incertaintie which Popes, and Papall decrees are to be folowed, whiche to be reiected? Nowe if the matter be the Popes owne case, as is this of his supremacie, he must be both partie and iudge too, whiche his own Ca∣non lawe forbiddeth. These doubtes, with a great manie moe (whereof you shall also shortely heare more at large, god wylling) haue I (good M. Dorman) about the Pope, as the onely certaine iudge in all controuer∣sies, and I desire to be resolued at your handes, who are so certaine of the certaintie of his Papall iudgements,

that you are author to vs to flie from the scriptures as vncertaine, to them as moste certaine, and infallible. For séeynge the spirite of God doth so oft call the scrip∣tures * 1.18 Iudicia, iudgementes, yea, •• Iudicia iusticiae Dei, the iudgementes of the iustice of God, and viam veritatis, the way of truthe, for the certaintie of their iudgement (as I take it) vntill you haue resolued me of these doubtes, and many other, about the Pope your Romaine iudge, and his consistorie, you shall hardly perswade me, and * 1.19 (as I thinke) many moe, to beleue that the scripture, that is to saye, the woorde of God, should be vncertain: and the Popes, that is to say, mans, and sometime wo∣mans woorde, to be most certain. And besides this text Deus verax, omnis autem homo mendax, I thinke you shall not finde many moe for your purpose. * 1.20

Notes

• * 1.1

  Novvell. Translated out of Ho∣sius contra Brentium. lib. 2. fo. 77.
• * 1.2

  In quaest. veteris & noui testa∣mēt. q. 110. The here∣tikes churche a dead trōke or a liue monstre.
• * 1.3

  Hierach. lib. 3. cap. 4. fol. 111. a. &. li. 5. cap. 14. fo. 261. c. Hosius lib. 2. fol. 77. Extrauag. commun. lib. 1. tit. de Maiorit. & obedientia ca. Vnam sanctam.
• * 1.4

  Lib. 2. cōtra Brentium, fol. 77.
• * 1.5

  Extrauag. Iohan. 22. tit. 7. de Re ligiosis do∣mibus, cap. Sancta Ro∣mana: Acephali sūt, qui nul li praelato subsunt.
• * 1.6

  Clemēt. li. 3. tit. 13. de Censibus & Exact. cap. Cum sit. & lib. 5. de ver borum sig. tit. 10. ca. 1. Si Summ{us}.
• * 1.7

  Fol. 13.
• a 1.8

  a Clemente 5. ad Gre∣gorium 11. Platina in vitis ipsorū.
• b 1.9

  Sext. De∣cretal. li. 5 tit. 9. de poe¦nis. ca. Foe∣licis fol. 144 col. 3. litera k.
• c 1.10

  De Papa Li∣berio.
• d 1.11

  De Anasta∣sio.
• e 1.12

  In pręfatio∣ne in Hier. contra Lu∣ciferianos.
• f 1.13

  de Honorio Papa.
• g 1.14

  de Iohanne 23.
• h 1.15

  de Eugenio 4 & de multis alij•• alij. Platina i•••• vita Iohan. 8.
• * 1.16

  Distinct. 69 cap. Si quis.
• * 1.17

  So did Pope Steph••nus the sixte serue Pope Formosus. Platina in vita For∣mosi.
• * 1.18

  Deut. 4. a, 1. b. 8. & 6. a. 1. d. 20. & 7. b. 11. 12. & infinitis lo∣cis.
• * 1.19

  Psal. 18. c. 19 &. 118. a. 7. 13. 30. & a. 75. &. c. 105. &. d. 150. & 159. & d. 163 &. 174.
• * 1.20

  Rom. 3. a. 4 god is true: but euery man is a lyar.