The vvhole workes of W. Tyndall, Iohn Frith, and Doct. Barnes, three worthy martyrs, and principall teachers of this Churche of England collected and compiled in one tome togither, beyng before scattered, [and] now in print here exhibited to the Church. To the prayse of God, and profite of all good Christian readers.

¶ How the Pope made him a lawe, and why.

AFter that the Pope with tyranny was clom vp aboue his brethren,

and had made all the spiritualtie hys subiectes, and had made of them & hym a seuerall kingdome among thēselues, and had seperated them from the lay in all things, and had got priuileges, that whatsoeuer they did no man shoulde meddle with them: and after also he had receaued the kingdomes of the earth of Sathan, and was become his Ʋicar to distribute thē: and after that the Emperour was fallen in like ma∣ner at his feete and had worshipped him as God to receaue his Empyre of him, and all kinges had done likewise to be annointed of him and to be crow¦ned of hym, and after that the worlde both great & small had submitted them selues to receaue the beastes badge: then because y^t Christes doctrine was contrary vnto all such kingdomes, & therefore had no law therein how to rule it, he went and made him a seue∣rall lawe of his owne makyng, which * 1.1 passed in cruelty and tyranny y^e lawes of all heathen Princes.

And in his lawe he thrust in fayned giftes of olde Emperours that were out of memory, saying y^t the Emperor Constantinus had geuen vp the Em∣pyre * 1.2 of Rome vnto Saint Siluester which is proued a false lye for diuers causes: One that Saint Siluester being so holy a man as he was would not haue receaued it contrary to his ma∣sters commaundementes & doctrine: Another that the Emperours raigned in Rome many yeares after, and all Byshops sued vnto the Emperour, & * 1.3 not to the pope, which was but bishop of Rome onely, & not called father of fathers. Moreouer that no autentike story maketh meution that any Em∣perour gaue them their patrimony, but that Pipine which falsely and wyth strength inuaded the Empyre gaue it vnto hym. Then put he in the graunt of Phocas, then the gift of Pipine confir¦med by the great Charles: then a fay∣ned release of the election of the Pope geuen vp agayne vnto Pope Paschale by the Emperour Lewes. For they thē selues had graunted vnto Charlemaine and his successours, for euer the electi∣on or denomination of the Pope and Byshops to flatter him withall, and to make him a faithfull defender, and that in a generall counsell which (as they say) cannot erre. Neuerthelesse Pope Paschall though he beleued the counsell coulde not erre, yet he thought them somewhat ouer seene to make so long a grannt, and therefore he purchased a release of gētle Lewes as they pretend. But verely it is more likely that they fayned that graunt to excuse their ty∣ranny after they had taken the election into their handes againe with violēce, when the Emperours were weake & not able to resist them: as they fayned the gift of Constantine, after they had inuaded the Empyre with subtiltie & falsehead. And last of all they brought in the othe of Ottho with the order that now is vsed to chuse the Emperour.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Pope maketh lawes.
• * 1.2

  What sub∣tiltie the Pope vseth to stablishe his king∣dome.
• * 1.3

  The Pope hath feined the gift of Constan∣tine.