Chap. 2. the. 18. Diuision.
And here you take so great a leape, that it is enough to breake the Archbyshops necke, to skippe at once. 300. yeares without anye testimonye of anye, eyther father or storie of faythe and credite which maketh once mention of an Archbyshop.
This leape shall not hurt him one whit. For if there were no other testimonie but* 1.1 that Councell, it were of sufficient credite, and habilitie both to saue his necke, and his body from all kinde of harme. For séeing it is thus written in the sixth Canon of that Councell Antiqua consuetudo seruetur per Aegyptū, Libyam & Pentapolim, vt A∣lexandrinus Episcopus horum omnium habeat potestatem, quia & vrbis Romae Episcopo parilis mos. est. &c. Let the auncient custome be kepte throughout Aegipt Libia and Pentapolis that the Byshop of Alexādria haue the gouernmēt of all these, for the Byshop of the citie of Rome hath the same order. Lykewise in Antioche and other Prouinces, let euery Churche reteine hir priuileges. But this is generally plaine that if any be made Byshop without the consent of his Metropolitane, the great Synod hath decreed that he ought to be no Byshop. And in the seuenth Canon, Quia consuetudo obtinuit & antiqua traditio, vt Aeliae* 1.2 Episcopus honoretur, habeat honoris consequentiam salua metropolis dignitate. For as muche as custome & auncient tradition hath bene such, that the Byshop of Ierusalem be ho∣noured, let him haue honour accordingly, not impairing the dignitie of the Metropolitane citie. It is plaine that Archbyshops and their office were long before the Councell of Nice, for else why should the Canon say, Let the olde custome be obserued. &c. And M. Foxe tom. 1. Pag. 12. reporting these two Canons sayth thus. First in the Councell of* 1.3 Nice which was the yeare of our Lorde. 340. and in the sixt Canon of the sayde Councell we finde it is so decreed that in euery Prouince, or Precinct some one Church & Byshop of the same was appoynted & set vp to haue the inspection & regiment of other Churches a∣bout him, Secundum morem antiquum, that is, after the auncient custome, as the wordes of the Councell do purport. So that the Byshop of Alexandria shoulde haue power of Libia, and Pentapolis in Egipt, for as much as the Byshop of the Citie of Rome hath the like or same manner. Nowe if I might as safely alleage the Canons of the A∣postles as you doe, then coulde I tell you that in the. 33. Canon (which Canon is allea∣ged as good authoritie against the supremacie of the Byshop of Rome) you shall finde Archbyshops. For that Canon setting an order among Bishops willeth the Byshops of euery nation to knowe their first or chiefe Byshop, and him to be taken for the head of them. The wordes of the Canon be these. Cuius{que} gentis Episcopos oportet sc〈1 line〉〈1 line〉re, quisnam* 1.4 inter ipsos primus sit, habere{que} ipsum quodammodo pro capite, neque sine illius voluntate quicquam agere insolitum. The Bishops of euery countrie must knowe who is chiefe among them, and must take him as it were for their head, neyther muste they doe any vnaccustomed thing without his will, and euery one must doe those things alone by him selfe which belong to his parishe and to the places that be vnder him: But neither must he do any thing without