A treatyse of the donation or gyfte and endowme[n]t of possessyons, gyuen and graunted vnto Syluester pope of Rhome, by Constantyne emperour of Rome [and] what truth is in the same grau[n] thou mayst se, and rede ye iugement of certayne great lerned men, whose names on the other page of this leafe done appere.

¶ The oration of Siluester to Cōstantine / in whi¦che he sheweth it to be neither laufull / neither profy∣table for him / to receyue Constātines offre / although it were so as it is nat / that Constantine might right¦fully / & without any impediment or offending of any persone / giue suche thinges as he offred from himself and his children.

MOst noble and best disposed prince / and sonne Cesar: I can nat verely but greatly loue and embrace this your so redy and lyberall deuotion / and godly mynde / but yet that you do somedele erre and mistake / and are deceyued in your opynyon aboute the offryng of gyftes / and makyng of sacrifice to god I do nothyng meruayle / for as moche as you ar yet but a nouy••e and a yong soldyer in the Christen rely∣gion / * 1.1 and Christen warre / as in the old tyme it was nat semely nor conuenyent / euery maner beest / whe∣ther it were wylde or tame / nor euery maner shepe to be offred vp in sacrifice by the preest: so nat euery ma¦ner gyfte or oblation is to be receyued and takē of the preest. I am a preest / & a bysshoppe / whiche ought to consyder and loke well aboute / what thynge I do suffre to be offred vp at the aultre. Lest parauenture I do nat say / any vnclene beaste: but lest a vipere or a serpent be offred vp there. Therfore this you shall vnderstande / If it lay in your power & lybertye to gyue parte of the Empire and of the Cyty of Rome / the lady & Empresse of the worlde / to any other man than to your owne chyldren (whiche thynge I do nat suppose or thynke) and if this people of Rome / If Italy / If the other nations coulde suffre / and fynde in theyr hertes to be subiectes vnder the dominion & gouernaunce of them / whom they do hate / and who∣se relygiō and sette they do refuse and forsake / beyng delyted and blynded with the plesaunte entisementes

of the world (whiche thinge is vnpossyble) yet if you thinke most loued sonne / that I am any white to be beloued: I can by no meane be perswaded & brought in the mynde / to assent and agree vnto you / excepte I wolde be vnlyke my selfe / and forget my condition and estate / and in a maner renounce and forsake my lorde Iesu. For your gyftes / or (as you wyll haue them called) your remunerations or recōpensations shulde pollute / stayne / or defoyle: ye / and also vtter∣ly destroye the glorie / the innocentie / and the holy ly¦uyng bothe of me: and also of all that shall succede me / and also shulde stoppe & close vp the way to them whiche shall be wyllyng to come to the knowledge of the trouth. Helizeus wolde nat take any reward of Naaman that noble man of Syria:* 1.2 whome he had cured and heled from lepry. And shall I receyue reward of you: bycause you are cured of the same disease. He forsoke and refused gyftes. And shall I suffre hole realmes and kyngdomes to be gyuen to me. He wolde nat spotte or defyle the personne of a prophete / and shall I fynde in my herte / to defyle the persone of Christ / whiche I do represent and beare in me. But why dyd he thinke the persone of a pro∣phete to be defyled by taking of giftes? verely bycau¦se he might haue semed thā to selle holy thinges / & to lende forth the gyfte of god / for to haue increace and auauntage therby / and to nede the worldly socoure and aydes of them / and to minisshe and appayre the dignyte of his benefyte. He had leuer therfore make princes and kynges beholding to him / for his bene∣fytes don to them: than him self to be bounde to them for any benefyte receyued of them. ye / moreouer he wolde nat so moche. as take any recompence agayne for his benefytes. For it is a moche more blessed thinge (as the lorde sayth) to gyue:* 1.3 than to take and receyue. The same cause haue I: that Helizeus had ye / and a moche greatter cause / whiche am cōmaun∣ded also of the lorde / that sayd.* 1.4 Heale you those that be sycke / rayse vp those that be deed / clense them that be full of lepry / cast you out deuyls & wicked spirites

you haue receyued frely: gyue you also frely. Shal I Cesar cōmytte so great offence / as nat to obey and execute the cōmaūdemētes of god / and to pollute and distaine my glorie. It is better (as sayd Paule) that I dye: than that any man shulde bereue me my glory Our glory is to make honorable our ministeri afore god / * 1.5 as the same Paul sayth. I say to you Gentyles / As long as I am the apostle of the Gentiles: I wyll glorify my ministerie. Shulde I than / O Cesar / be bothe an ensample / and also a cause to other men for to offende and synne: I whiche am a Christen man / the preest of god / the bisshoppe of Rome / and the vi∣care of Christ. Moreouer / howe shall preestes saue their innocencie of lyuing amonge riches? amonge gret offyces & dignites? amonge the administration of seculare and worldly busynesses. Do we therfore renounce and forsake erthly thinges: that we myght gette the same thinges more plentuously. And haue we therfore cast away our owne priuate goodes: that we might possesse other mennes goodes / and the com¦mune goodes. Cyties shall be ours / Trybutes shall be ours / Rentes / tolles / and customes / shall be ours. And why shall it be lauful for vs to be called Clereci / that is to saye Clerkes: if we shall do these thinges Our parte our lotte (whiche in the Greke tonge is called Cliros / of whō cometh this word Clericus is) nat y^e erthly dominion: but y^e heuēly. The Leuites in the olde law (which were Clerkes) had nat {per}te with their brethern / * 1.6 & wolde you y^t we shuld also haue the portion of our brethern? wherfore / or for what intente shuld I haue riches & possessyōs: which am cōmaun∣ded by y^e wordes of my lorde / * 1.7 nat to be careful so moch as for to morow?* 1.8 & to whō he sayd also these wordes. Do nat gather or hurd vp treasur vpon erth. Do nat possesse golde / neither syluer / neither money in your purses.* 1.9 And it is a harder thing for a riche mā to ētre into y^e kyngdome of heuen:* 1.10 than it is / y^t a camell do passe through the eye of a nedle. And therfore he chose to himselfe poore ministers / and those which had for∣saken all thinges / that they might folowe him. And

he him selfe also was the ensample of pouertie. So moche is euen but the handlyng of riches & money / * 1.11 enemy & contrary to innocēcie and vertue: nat onely the possessyon and dominion of them. Onely Iu∣das which had the bagges / & dyd beare suche thīges as were sent: dyde play the false traytoure.* 1.12 and for the loue of money / whervnto he was wōted: He both repreued and betrayed his maister / lorde / and god. I feare therfore o Cesar / lest you wyl make me of Peter to be Iudas. Herken also what Paule sayth. We brought nothyng into this worlde / and it is no doute that we shall also cary nothinge with vs from hence.* 1.13 Hauing meate & drinke & clothes to be couered with all: Let vs be cōtented therwith / for they that couer to be made riche: do fall into temptation / and into the snare of the deuyll / and into many desyers / both vn∣profytable and also noysome / whiche do drowne men and cast them downe into dethe and perdition. For couetousnesse is the rote of all euylles / whiche cer∣tayne men desyring haue erred from the faithe / and haue wrapped themselues in many dolours and soro¦wes. But thou being the man of god: flee & eschew these thinges. And do you Cesar / bydde me recey¦ue those thinges: whiche I ought to eschewe and a∣uoyde euen as venome or poyson?* 1.14 And moreouer I praye you accordīg to your wisedome consyder / what place / tyme / or leysure can be lefte among these thīges to make sacrifyce / & to do goddes seruyce? The a∣postles / * 1.15 whan certayn men gruged & were miscōtent that their widowes wer dispised in y^e daily ministeri made answer / that it was nat mete or cōueniēt / y^t their selues shuld leaue y^e prechīg of y^e word of god. & mi∣nistre or serue y^e table. And yet to ministre to wido∣wes / is a farre other maner thyng: than to exacte & re¦quire tributes / rentes / customes / collage / than to haue care & charge of the treasure house / to paye soldiers wages / to be entāgled with a thousād lyke cares & bu¦synesses No mā / y^t is y^e soldiar of god:* 1.16 entāgleth hī∣self with worldly busynes / saith Paule. Did Aaron and other that were of y^e stocke of Leuy: medle with

the administratiō or ordring of any other thing / than onely of the tabernacle of the lorde.* 1.17 His sonnes / bi cause they had taken other mennes fyer (whiche was nat mete nor according) into their sencers / were brent and consumed with fyer sent from heuen. And do you byd or will vs to take the fyer of worldly riches / whi¦che is bothe forbydden and also prophane: into the holy sencers / * 1.18 that is to say / into to the offyce and wor¦kes belonging to preestes. Eleazar / Phinees / and other bisshoppes & ministers either of the tabernacle or of the temple: dyd they administre or medle with the ordring of any thinge / but onely of that / whiche belonge to the doinge of sacrifyce / and to the wor∣shippyng of god. Do I say / dyd they administre? nay morouer might they haue administred any other thing: if they wolde satisfye and fullfyll their offyce and dutie? whiche thinge if they wolde nat do: they shulde here the curse of the lorde / which sayth.* 1.19 Cur∣sed be they: whiche do the worke of the lorde reche∣lesly / whiche execration or curse / though it may falle vpon all men: yet moste of all and principally vpon prestes. O / howe great is the offyce of a bisshoppe? how greate a thinge is it / to be heed of the churche? how great a thynge to be made pastor and ouerseer / and gouernour of so great a folde of shepe? of whose hande shall be required the blode of euery lambe and shepe / that shall perisshe and be lost. To whom also it was sayd.* 1.20 If thou louest me more then other do / so as thou confessest and knoledgest thyselfe to do: fe∣de my lambes. Agayne / if thou doest loue me / so as thou sayest: fede my shepe. And the thirde tyme also / if thou louest me: fede my shepe. And do you Cesar wyll me to fede also gottes and hogges: whiche can nat be fedde nor kepte all of one / and the same herdes man. Besydes this / you ar willyng and aboutward to make me a kynge / or raither an emperour / that is to say / heed & chef of kīges. But our lord Iesu Christ beyng both god & man / kynge & preest / whā he sayd y^t his self was a kynge: Herkē of what kingdome he did speke.* 1.21 My kingdome (saith he) is nat of this worlde. For

if my kingedome were of this world / * 1.22 doutles my ser¦uauntes wolde fyght for me. And what were the firste wordes of his preachinge / and the thinge whiche he oftentimes rehersed in his sermons. was it nat this? Do you penaunce / for the kingdome of heuen is ap∣proched and drawen nere.* 1.23 The kingdome of god is approched: to the which the kingdome of heuens shal be compared and lykened. Did he nat whan he spake these wordes / declare / that the seculare kingdome do∣the nothing apperteyne to him? And therfore nat on¦ly he dyd nat desyre / nor seche for suche maner king∣dome: but also / whan it was offred to him / hi wolde nat take it. For whan he perceyued / * 1.24 and vnderstode vpon a certayn tyme / that the people had purposed & appoynted in their myndes / to take him / and to ma∣ke him kyng:* 1.25 he fledde into y^e solytarines of the moū¦taynes / whiche thynge he hath gyuen and taught to vs / that be his successours / for to be folowed / nat o∣nely by his example: but also by his precepte and cō∣maundemēt / saying in this wyse. The prynces and gouernours of the gentiles are lordes ouer thē.* 1.26 And they whiche ar greattest / do exercyse power and auc∣torite vpon them. It shall nat be so among you / but who so euer is wyllyng among you to be made great¦test: let him be your mynistre. And who so euer wol¦de be chefest among you: shall be your seruaunte / ly¦kewyse as the sonne of man hath nat come to be myni∣stred vnto: but to mynistre / and to gyue his lyfe for the redemption of many. God in the olde tyme (to let you vnderstand / O Cesar) dyd constitute and set iu∣ges ouer the chyldren of Israell to gouerne them: and nat kynges / & he did hate the people desiryng to haue a Kynge / & that he gaue thē a kynge? it was done / * 1.27 be∣cause of the hardnesse of theyr hertes / * 1.28 euyn lykewyse as for the same cause. He had permytted and suffred them to diuorce from theyr wyues / which thyng.* 1.29 He had reuoked in the new law of the gospel / & shal I thā take or receyue a kyngdome: whiche am scasely per∣mitted or suffred to be a iuge?* 1.30 Do you nat know (say∣th Paule) that sayntes and holy men shall Iuge of

this world? And if the worlde shall be iudged by you are you nat vnmete personnes to iudge of small tri∣fles? Do you nat knowe that we shall iuge aungels? Howe moche more than / seculare thynges? Therfore if you shall haue seculare iugementes: make them iu¦ges in suche maters / whiche are moste contemptible and of least reputation in the churche or cōgregation But the iudges dyd onely iudge of matters being in contrauersie and strife betwen partie and partie / they dyd nat also exacte tributes. And shall I than exacte them: whiche do knowe that our lorde demaunded of Peter / of whom the erthly kynges toke tribute or payment of money / of sonnes: or elles of forayners and straungers?* 1.31 And whan Peter had made answer that of forayners: Christ sayd agayne. Than are the sonnes free. Wherfore / O Cesar / if all men be my son¦nes / as certaynly they be: All men shall be free / and no man shall paye any thing. I haue no nede therfore of this your donation or gifte / wherby I shall gette nought els but labour / suche as in any wise I neither ought / neither may suffre or abide. ye / and wherby I shall moreouer of necessite be constrayned to exer∣cise power and auctorite to kille and slee / to punisshe malefactours / to make batayles and warres / to ran∣sake and spoyle cities / & to destroy regions with fyer and swerde. For I can nat beleue / that I could other wise than by these meanes be able to saue and mayn∣tayne those thinges / which you had giuen to me. And if I shall do these thinges: Am I a bisshoppe? Am I the vicare of Christ? Shall I nat than here him thondryng and terryble sayng these wordes to me. My house shall be called the house of prayer to all na¦tions.* 1.32 And thou hast made it a denne of theues. I ca∣me nat into the worlde (sayde the lorde) to Iudge or condēpne the worlde: but to delyuer it / & shal I which am his successour be the cause of many mēnes deth? to whom it was sayd also in the person of Peter.* 1.33 Tour∣ne thy swerde agayne into his owne place / for who so euer shall take the swerde in hande: shall perysshe with the swerde. It is nat laufull for vs so moche

as to defende our selues with the swerde / for Peter wolde haue defended his mayster / whan he dyd cut of the seruauntes care / And wyll you that we shall oc¦cupie the swerde for the cause of getyng / or de••ēdyng and sauyng of ryches. Our power: is the power of y^e kayes / wytnesse the lorde whan he sayd to the / * 1.34 wyl I gyue the kayes of the kyngdome of heuens / what so euer thynge thou shalte bynde vpon erthe: it shall be bounde also in heuens / and what so euer thyng thou shalte lose vpon erthe: it shall be also losed in heuens & y^e gates of hell shall nat preuayle agaīst them. No¦thyng can be added or putte to / for to the augmētyng of this power / of this dignite / of this kyngdome / * 1.35 with which who so euer is nat contente: he desyreth a certayn other kyngdome to him selfe of the deuyll / whiche was bolde to say to our lorde. I shall gyue to the al the kyngdomes of the worlde: if thou wylt fal downe vpon the grounde / and worshyppe me.* 1.36 Wher¦fore Cesar (take no displeasure with that / whiche I shall say) play nat the deuylles parte with me / byd∣dyng me / lykewyse as he bad / Christe / to receyue the kyngdomes of the worlde / of your gyfte / for I had leuer despyse them: than possesse them / & that I may now speke somewhat of the infydeles / but whiche I trust / and hope shall be made faythfull beleuers: do nat make me to them / of the aungell of lyght / an aū¦gell of darkenes / whose hertes I desyre and couete to induce to the fayth / and to godly lyuyng: and nat to put the yoke of seruytude and boundage vpon the neckes of them / and wyth the spirytuall swerde / * 1.37 whi∣che is the worde of god / and nat with the swerde of yren / to subdue them vnto me / lest they myght be ma¦de worse / lest they myght wynche or kycke agayne / and rebelle / leste they myght str•••• me with theyr horne / leste they myght be prouok•••• through myne erroure and faute / to blaspheme and speake euyll of the name of god. My desyre is to make them my derely beloued sonnes / and nat my bondemen / to adopte and chose them to my chyldren / nat to bye theym / to gendre and begette theym spyrytually /

and nat to make them my bonde seruauntes / to offre the soules of them / a sacrifyce to god: and nat their bodies a sacrifyce to the deuyll. Learne you at me (saith the lorde) whiche am mylde and humble herted

* 1.38Take my yoke vpon you / and you shall fynde rest to your soules. for my youke is swete and plesaunte / and my burdayne lyght and easy. Whose sentence in the mater here folowyng (to conclude now and make an ende) take you as gyuen bytwene you & me. Gyue to Cesar those thinges which apperteyneth to Cesar and to god those thynges which belong to god.* 1.39 Wher¦fore it is so / that neither you oughte to leue and for∣sake youre possesiyons: neither I oughte to receyue and take those thinges / that belong to Cesar / which surely I wyll neuer receyue: although you wolde offre them to me a thousand tymes. At this oration of Syluester / so godly and according for an Aposto∣lyke man. What coulde Constantine haue to laye a∣gaynst it for himselfe any longer? Seyng than that it is thus: Are nat they which say y^t this donation or gyfte of Constantyne was made in very dede / iniuri∣ous agaynst Constantyne / * 1.40 whom they iuge to haue ben wyllyng to disherite his owne children / & to we∣ken and feblysshe thempire of Rome? Are they nat al¦so iniuryous to the senatours & the people of Rome / to Italy / & to all the West parte of the worlde / whom they suppose to haue suffred thempire to be chaūged / agaynst both goddes lawe and mans lawe? Are they nat also iniurious agaynst Syluester / whō they iu∣ge to haue accepted the donation vnmete & vnsemely for so holy a man as he was? And are they nat iniuri¦ous also to the pope / to whom they do iuge it laufull / to possesse erthly kyngdomes / & to gouerne thempire of Rome? and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all these thynges hetherto spoken & reherced: apper••ayne here vnto only that it might ap¦pere and be open / that Constantyne among so many impedimentes & lettes / wolde neuer gyue from him selfe vnto Siluester / the grettest parte of the Ro∣mayne Empire / whiche thyng these men do say that he dyd.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Rede the .xxii chapit of Le∣uitici.
• * 1.2

  4. Reg. ••. Rede the iiii. boke of kyn∣ges the .v cha¦pit
• * 1.3

  Actes. 20.
• * 1.4

  Math. 10
• * 1.5

  1. Cor̄. 9.
• * 1.6

  Rede in Deu¦te the .x. and the xviii. cha. & in the boke of noumbres the xviii. cha.
• * 1.7

  Math. 6.
• * 1.8

  Math. 6.
• * 1.9

  Math. 10
• * 1.10

  Mark. 10
• * 1.11

  Mark. 10
• * 1.12

  Iohn̄. 13.
• * 1.13

  1. Tim. 6.
• * 1.14

  Riches is po••¦son to men of the churche.
• * 1.15

  Actes. 6.
• * 1.16

  2. Tim. 2. Nume. 3.
• * 1.17

  Rede in the boke of Leui¦tici the .x. cha.
• * 1.18

  Rede in the boke of Nu∣meri.
• * 1.19

  Hiere. 48
• * 1.20

  Iohn̄. 10.
• * 1.21

  Iohn̄. 18.
• * 1.22

  Christes kīg¦dome: is nat of this world
• * 1.23

  Math. 4.
• * 1.24

  Iohn̄. 6.
• * 1.25

  Christ fledde whan the peo¦ple wolde ha¦ue made him Kynge euer them.
• * 1.26

  Math. ••••
• * 1.27

  1. Reg. 8.
• * 1.28

  Deut. 24.
• * 1.29

  Math. 19
• * 1.30

  .1. Cor̄. 6.
• * 1.31

  Math 17
• * 1.32

  Esaie 56. Mark 11. Iohn̄. 12.
• * 1.33

  Mat, 26.
• * 1.34

  Math. 16 The power of ecclesiasti¦call persons whiche was geuē to them by Christ: is the power of the keyes.
• * 1.35

  Spiritualmē nat contente with the pow¦er of the ke••∣es: desyre wo¦rldly Kyng∣domes of the deuyll.
• * 1.36

  Math. & Luke. 4.
• * 1.37

  Ephes, 6.
• * 1.38

  Math. 11.
• * 1.39

  Math. 22
• * 1.40

  To how ma∣ny {per}tes they are iniurious which beleue the donation of Constanty¦ne to be true.