A counterblast to M. Hornes vayne blaste against M. Fekenham Wherein is set forthe: a ful reply to M. Hornes Answer, and to euery part therof made, against the declaration of my L. Abbat of Westminster, M. Fekenham, touching, the Othe of the Supremacy. By perusing vvhereof shall appeare, besides the holy Scriptures, as it vvere a chronicle of the continual practise of Christes Churche in al ages and countries, fro[m] the time of Constantin the Great, vntil our daies: prouing the popes and bishops supremacy in ecclesiastical causes: and disprouing the princes supremacy in the same causes. By Thomas Stapleton student in diuinitie.

The .30. Diuision. Fol. 21. b.

VVhen the Emperour heard of the great schisme moued betvvixt Arius ād Alexāder the Bishop of Alexandria, vvhervvith the Churche vvas pitiouslie tormēted, ād as it vvere rēt in sonder, he (.72.) toke vpō him, as one that had the care ād authority ouer al, to send Hosius a great learned and godly Bis∣shop of Spaine, to take order, and to appeace the cōtētion, vvriting to Alexā∣der and to Arius a graue and also a sharp letter, charging Alexander vvith vanity, Arius vvith vvāt of circūspection, shevving them both, that it vvas vnsemely for the one to moue suche a question, and for the other to ansvvere therin, and vndiscreetly done of them both. And therfore cōmaunded them to cease of frō such contentious disputatiōs, to agree betvvixt them selues, and to lay aside frō thenceforth such vain and trifling questiōs. He pacified also the schism at Antioch begun about the chosing of their Bishop, to vvhom for that purpose he sent honorable Embassadors vvith his letters to a great nūber of Bi¦shops that thā vvere at Antioch about that busines, and to the people, exhor∣ting thē to quietnes, and teaching thē (saith Eusebius) to study after godlines, in a decēt maner, declaring vnto the bishops, as (73) one that had autority ouer them, euen in such maters, vvhat things apperteined and vvere semely for thē to do in such cases, and noteth vnto them a directiō, vvhich they should folovv. And after he had (saith Eusebius) geuē such things in cōmaunde∣ment vnto the Bishops or chief ministers of the Churches, he exhorted them that they would do al things to the praise and furtherance of Gods word.

Notes

• The .72. vntruth, Ioyned vith fol∣lye Su∣prem go∣uernmēt in al cau∣ses folo∣vveth verye courselye of sendīg letters to appease conten∣tion.

  Socrat. li. 1 cap. 7. Sozom. li. 1. c. 16. Eus. li. 3. de vita Cōstant.
• The 73. vntruth. This fact shevveth no au∣thoritie ouer the Bisshops in maters Ecclesia∣sticall.