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 seconde princypall parte of this oration / in whiche the author sheweth / that / although both Con¦stantine might haue ben suffred / and had ben willing to make this gyfte / and Siluester also willyng to ac¦cepte it (the contrary wherof hath ben afore proued) yet dyd neuer Constātine delyuer possessyō to Silue¦ster / but the same thinges remayned alwayes styll in the handes and gouernaūce of themperours. &c.

BVt go to nowe / moreouer / if we shulde beleue this donation / wherof your writte maketh mē¦tion: it ought also to be sure & out of dout / that Syl¦uester dyd accepte the same gyfte. Now therof haue we non euydence: wherby we might be assured and put out of dout. But parauēture you wyll saye / it is credyble and lykely / that he dyd accept that graunt. ye / ywysse / I thinke so / and that nat onely he dyd ac¦cepte and alowe that donation: but also that it is cre¦dyble and lykely / that he dyd craue & desyre it. And that through continuall & importunate requestes and prayers: He gat it of Constātine / in a maner whe∣ther he wold or nat. Why / I say / do you cal that thīg credible: which is contrary to the opinion of al men? And all be it there is mention made of the donation or gifte in the pagine or writte of the priuyledge: yet is nat therfore to be supposed & thought / that the dona¦tion was accepted & taken. But rather contrary wise bycause there is no mention made of the acceptation: it is to be sayd / that it was nat gyuen. So / than it maketh more agaīst you / that Syluester refused this gyfte: than it maketh with you / that Cōstātine wold gyue it / & a benefyte is nat gyuen to any man against his wyll: if he lyste nat to receyue it. And we ought nat onely to deme / that Syluester dyd refuse these gyftes: but also that he dyd secretely shewe / that nei¦ther Constātine might rightfully gyue them / neither himselfe laufully receyue or take them. But O blinde and alwayes folysshe / and mysaduysed couetousnesse Let vs graunt that you could also bringe forthe wri∣tynges / whiche were true / incorrupte / syncere / and

perfyte of the assente and agremente of Syluester to the same: Dothe it folowe therfore / that those thyn∣ges hath ben gyuen in very dede / which are concey∣ued in the writynges? Where was possessyon gyuen? Where was the delyuering vp in to his handes? For if Constantine dyd gyue to Syluester nothing elses but onely the dede or writīg: than was nat his mynde to do Siluester a pleasure or good turne: but to gyue him a mocke. you saye it is very lykely / that he / whi¦che doth gyue any thinge: dothe also delyuer posses∣syon of the same. Take hede / and be ware what you speke / seing that it is vndoubted / that possessyon was neuer delyuered: and it is also doubte / whether euer the ryght and tytle were gyuen or nat. It is lyke to be true / that he which gaue nat the possessyon wolde nat gyue the right and tytle. Is it nat vndouted and of certaynte / that possessyon was neuer delyuered? whiche thyng who so euer wyll denye: he is without all honestie / and vtterly shamles. Dyd Constantine brynge or lede Siluester in to the Capitoly house / as it were one tryumphing / amonge the reioysynges & ioyfull showtynges of the multytude of the Cyti∣zens of Rome / beyng yet meydels and hethen men? Dyd he set him in a chayre or seate of golde / all the hole company of senatours beyng assystent and stan∣dyng by? And dyd he cōmaūde the heed offycers / eche one of them accordyng to his dignyte / to salute him and to honour him / as kynge or chefe gouernoure?

These be the thynges / whiche are wonte to be done towardes newe princes: and nat onely some one pa∣lace (as for example the palace of Lateran) to be de∣lyuered. Dyd he afterwardes lede hī about through all Italy? wente he with him to all the thre partes of Fraūce? Dyd he go with him in to both Spaynes? Wente he with him to the Germaynes / and to the re∣sydue of the West regiōs? or if they both were greued and lothe to trauayle in their owne persones ouer so great a parte of the worlde / and so many dyuerse lan¦des and coūtrees: whom made they their deputies? and to whom assygned they so great an office? which

shulde bothe in the emperours stede delyuer posses∣syon: and in Syluesters stede receyue and take it? Doutlesse these must nedes haue ben some great men and of exellent auctorite / and yet who they were: no man can tell. In the tyme of our remembraunce (by∣cause I wyl passe ouer the aunciēt ensamples of olde tyme) we neuer sawe it otherwise done / whan any mā hathe ben made lorde / either of any cyte / regyon / or prouynce: but that so onely possessyon hathe ben iu∣ged to be gyuen and delyuered to him: if they olde offycers be deposed or put downe / and new be ma∣de and put in their stedes? Though Syluester wold nat at that tyme haue requyred this to be done: yet dyd it appertayne and belonge to the magnifycencie of Constantyne (that he might declare / nat onely by his wordes / but also by his dede / that he dyd gyue pos¦sessyon to Syluester / to haue deposed his owne de∣putes / lyeutynauntes / and other offycers / & to com∣maunde other to be put into their roumes / by the no∣mination & assygnement of Syluester. No man can saye / that possessyon was delyuered or gyuen vp: whi¦che remayneth styll in the handes of the same men / whiche possessed it before / and whan the newe lorde dare nat put them from it. But suppose / y^t this thinge also doth nothyng let or withstand / but that we may thinke neuer the lesse / that Syluester had possessyon and let vs saye / that all thinges were than admini∣stred and done contrary to the commune maner and custome / & contrary to nature: I pray you / after that Constātine was gone awaye / what gouernours and rulers dyd Syluester make of the prouince or cytes? what warres or batayles made he? what natiōs that were rebelles dyd he oppresse or holde vnder? or by what captaynes & offycers did he these thīges / * 1.1 you do make answere & saye / we do knowe none of all these thinges. Verely I do thinke the same. All these thin¦ges were done in the nyghte tyme / and therfore no man coulde se them. Go to now furthermore / I pray you / was Syluester in possessyon? Who than dyd put him out of possessyon? For he was nat euer conty¦nually

in possessyon / neither any of his successoures / at the least wise / vnto Gregorius Magnus / whiche also was without possessyon. Nowe who so euer is out of possession / and can nat proue that himself hath ben driuen out of possessyon: doutlesse that man had neuer possessyon. And if he will saye / that himselfe hath had at any tyme possession: he his starke madde Seest thou here nowe / how I do proue the also to be madde? For elles: tell thou me / who droue the pope out of possessyon? Constātine himselfe / or his chyl∣dren / or Iulianus / or els any other em{per}our? Shewe the name of him / that dyd put him from possessyon. Shewe the tyme whan it was done. Shewe wher∣fore he was fyrst expulsed. Wherfrō nexte / & so forth in ordre. Whether was he expulsed by sedicion and manslaughter / or elles without these thynges? Dyd al nations conspire agaīst him to gether at one time / or els whiche of them began fyrst? What? Dyd no man at all helpe or aide him? Nat somoch as any of those / whiche had ben made gouernours & rulers of cyties & prouīces by Syluester / or by some other po¦pe? Dyd he lese all to gether in one daye: or els by ly¦tell & lytell. One {per}te at one tyme / & a nother parte at a nother tyme? Dyd he & his heed offycers make resi¦stence: or els dyd they at the first rebellyon & busynes gyue vp their possession & offices / & put thēselues frō all to gether? What? the cōquerours & ouer comers? dyd they nat make hauocke / with killīg & sleing those wretches & vile sorte of men / whome they iuged vn∣worthy of y^e empier: to the reuengyng of their owne cōtumelie & iniurie? to the defence & mayntenaūce of the dominiō: which they had wōne & gotten by force and violēce / to the contēpte & despyte of our relygiō / and also to the example of thē that shulde come after their tyme? Did no man of all those / whiche were vanquesshed & ouercome: flie or rōne away? Did no man lurke and hide hīselfe? was no man afraide? O meruaylouse & wōderfull chaūce / that the empire of Rome / which was gotten & wonne with so great la∣bours / with so moche blodeshed shulde so pesably /

so quietly / either be gotten or lost of the Christen pre¦stes: that no blodshedynge / no warre / neither yet any complaynte hath come bytwene / and also (which thinge a man ought no lesse to meruayle at) that no man knoweth or can tell / by whom this thinge was done / nor at what tyme / nor howe or which waye / nor how longe it was in doing. A man might suppose & wene / that Syluester had raigned in the woddes a¦monge trees: nat at Rome amonge men / and that he was driuen out of possessyon / by the winter showers and colde stormes: & nat by men. Who is he that doth nat knowe / if he be any thing acquaīted with histori¦es: how many kynges / how many cōsules / how many dictatours / how many protectoures of the cōmune pe¦ple / called Tribuni plebis / how many controllers & iuges of mēnes maners / called Censores / how many chamberlayns called Cediles / haue ben created and made in Rome? And there is nat one of so great a multytude & nombre / of so auncient & olde antyquite vnknowen to vs. We do know also / how many noble captaynes haue ben of the Athenienses / how many of the Thebanes / howe many of the Lacedemoniās. we haue knowledge of all their fyghtes / battayles and skirmisshes / made both on the lāde & on y^e water. we do know also / who hath ben kinges & gouernours of the Perses / of the Medes / of the Chaldeis / & of the Hebrues / & of many other peoples & nations / & howe euery one of these hath receyued their kīgdomes / or hathe holden & kepte it / or how they haue lost it / or ha¦ue recouered it againe. But the empier of Rome / or¦elles the empier of Syluester: vnder what maner it hath begōne / or how it hath ended. whan / & by whom no man can tell / nor it is nat knowen / nat so moch as in the cyte of Rome it self. For I do aske & demaūde of you / what recordes or what authors can you brin∣ge forthe of those thinges? you do answer & say / that you can bringe forth none. And are you nat a shamed than / you beestes rather than men: to say that it is ly∣kely that Syluester hath had possessyon? But seyng that you can bringe forth no proffes for your parte: I

shall on the contrary parte shewe euydently / that Cō¦stantine / euyn vnto y^e last day of his lyfe. And so forth from hī / that all the emperours eche of thē after other had the possessyōs of these realmes: so y^t you shal nat haue one worde to speake. But it is a very hadre thin¦ge / and a great maistri / as I suppose: to shewe this. Turne ouer & rede y^e histories both in Greke & latyn / Rede the other authors & writers whiche haue made mēcion of those tymes / yet shall ye fynde none / that disagreeth from other in this thinge. Let one testi∣monie of a thousāde suffyce. Eutropius / which sawe Constātine / * 1.2 which saw the thre sonnes of Constātine whom he lefte behynde him / emperours of y^e worlde whiche writeth in this wise of Iuliane / which was sonne to Cōstātines brother,* 1.3 This Iulianus / whi¦che was a deacon in y^e church of Rome / & made empe¦roure also: fell from the true faith / to worshippīge of ydoles. He gouerned the ēpier / & with great prepa¦ration & ordinaūce he made warre vpō y^e Parthians At the whiche viage & settīg forth I was present also myne owne selfe. This Eutropius (I say) neither wolde haue passed ouer with sylēce the donatiō of the empier of y^e West regiōs / neither wolde he haue writ¦ten a lytell after / in this wise of Iouiane / which suc∣ceded next after Iuliane.* 1.4 He made peace with Sa∣pore. A nedfull peace verely: but a shamfull peace / chaūging y^e bondes of thēpier / & gyuēg vp a certayn portion of y^e Romayne ēpier / which thīge neuer hap∣pened afore: syns y^e Romayne ēpier was fyrst begon. Moreouer our legions at Claudiū propontiū Tele∣stinū / & at Numantiū in Spayne / & in Numidie / in token of subiection / were caused to passe through vn¦der a spere (as it was the maner than) but yet was there none of the bownes or termes of the Empier gy¦uen & delyuered vp. Here in this place it pleaseth me to speke to you / y^e popes of Rome: which haue dyed of very late tyme / & to the Eugenie which arte alyue / but yet with the leaue & lycence of Felix / why do you so proudely bragge & boste of the donation of Cōstan¦tyne? why do you so oftentymes manace & threttē cer¦tayn kynges & princes: that you wyl reuēge y^e takyng

of the Empier frō you? & how do you extorte of Cesar whā he is tobe crowned / a certaī cōfessyō & knolegīg of seruitude & subiection to you / & lykewyse of certaī other prīces / as of the kynge of Naples / & of Sicilie which thynge neuer any of the auncient popes of Ro¦me in olde tyme did? Nat Damasus of Theodosius nat Syryne of Archadius / nat Anastasius of Hono∣rius / nat Ihon̄ of Iustiniane / nat other most holy po¦pes of other most noble emperours / but they haue al∣ways openly graūted / Rome & Italye with the pro∣uinces afore named to belonge to the ēperours / & ther¦fore y^e peaces of golde coyned in those tymes (because I wyl nat speke of other monumētes / & of y^e tēples of the Cyte of Rome) wherof some are yet remaynyng: hath their scripture written / nat in Greke lr̄es / but in latyn lr̄es / both the coynes of Cōstātyne after he was become christē: & also of y^e other emperours / almost euery one after him in ordre / of which coynes / I haue my self many in myne own hādes / cōmunely hauyng vnder the Image of the crosse / this subscription. Con¦cordia orbis. A thausande such ioynes shulde there be foūde also of the popes: if euer you had ben the chefe gouernours & rulers of Rome / wherof now there is none foūde / neither of golde / neither of syluer / neither is it reported or sayd / y^t euer any mā hath seen any su¦che / & yet coude it nat be otherwise chosen / but y^e nede¦ly he must haue had at y^t time his {pro}pre coyne: who so euer helde thā thēpier of Rome / at y^e leste wise vnder the image of our sauiour / or els of Peter. Oh / y^e igno¦rance & folysshnes of men / do you nat se / if the donati¦on of Cōstātyne be true / y^t no thyng at al is lefte to y^e emperours? De latino loquor. Lo / I pray you / what maner ēperour / what maner kynge of the Romaynes shall he be: whose kyngdom if any mā had / & had no∣thing els besyde / he shuld haue vtterly nothyng at al? wherfore if it be euydēt (as it is) y^t Siluester had ne∣uer possession / y^t is to say / y^e Cōstātine did neuer giue or delyuer possession: it foloweth also vndoutedly / y^e Cōstantine neuer gaue (as I haue sayd) so moche as right or title to possesse thē / excepte you do say / y^t the right was geuyn / but the possessyon nat delyuered for some cause or consyderation: ye I wysse / he gaue

that thynge / which he knewe shulde nat come to passe He gaue that: which he could nat delyuer. He gaue that / which he knewe was nat possyble to come into the hādes of him / to whom it was gyuen: afore that it shulde be destroied. He gaue a gyfte / which shulde neuer be of strengthe or stande in any stede / or at the least / nat afore .v.C. yeres were expired. To speke this / or thinke it: is playne madnesse. But now it is tyme (lest I be made to longe & tediouse) seyng that we haue cutte & mangled the cause of our aduersarys to giue it his dedly woūde / & to kyl it with one stroke.

Notes

• * 1.1

  A bytter mocke.
• * 1.2

  Eutropi{us}
• * 1.3

  Iulian{us} apostata.
• * 1.4

  Iouiane thē∣perour nexte successour to Iuliane the Apostata.