A detection of sundrie foule errours, lies, sclaunders, corruptions, and other false dealinges, touching doctrine, and other matters vttered and practized by M.Iewel, in a booke lately by him set foorth entituled, a defence of the apologie. &c. By Thomas Harding doctor of diuinitie.

Ievvel.

Haue these men their ovvne Succession in so safe recorde? VVho vvas

then the bishop of Rome next by succession, vnto Peter? VVho vvas the second? vvho the third? vvho the fourth? Irenaeus reckeneth them to∣gether in this order: Petrus, Linus, Anacletus, Clemens: Epipha∣nius thus, Petrus, Linus, Cletus, Clemens: Optatus thus, Petrus, Linus, Clemens, Anacletus. Clemens, saith, that he him selfe vvas next vnto Peter, and then must the reckening go thus. Petrus, Clemens, Linus, Anacletus. Hereby it is cleare, that of the first foure bishops of Rome, M. Harding can not certainely tel vs, vvho in order succeded other. And thus talking so much of Succession, they are not vvel hable to blase their ovvne Succession.

Harding.

Here is a deepe consideration, I promise you. What if al writers being sure of these foure Bishops of Rome, yet be not sure who was before other? Is therefore our Succession vncertaine? We are wel assured, that Peter was the first, and after him there was a Second, a Third, and a Fourth. We are also assured, that the same were Linus, Cletus, Clemens, Anacletus. And what skilleth it vnto vs,* 1.1 who was Second, who Third, who Fourth? But now al this busines is ended, if we make a distinction. And that is this.

S. Peter being yet aliue made two Suffraganes, Linus, and Cletus, who might doo the outward busi∣nes of his office, whiles him selfe did attende to praier, and preaching. So saith Damasus in the life of S. Pe∣ter. Againe when S. Peter saw his death to be at hand, he chose Clement to be his successour, as we reade in S. Clementes epistle, and in Damasus. Yea Tertullian also confesseth, that the Church of Rome sheweth Clement to haue benne ordeined of Peter.

Thus were there three Bishops in Rome, but not three Bishops of Rome, when S. Peter died, of the whiche S. Clement had most right to succede. But he hauing seene before the good experience of Li∣nus and Cletus, did yelde the administration to them, one after the other, first to Linus, and then to Cletus, after whose death Clement him selfe gouerned the A∣postolike See. And after him came Anacletus, whom some Greeke Writers tooke to be one with Cle∣tus.

Thus are al matters reconciled.* 1.2 And that not by me onely, but by Ruffinus eleuen hundred yeres past, who also receiued it of his Forefathers. He saith, Quidam requirunt, quomodo, cùm Linus & Cletus in vrbe Roma ante Clementem hunc fuerint episcopi, ipse Clemens ad Ia∣cobam scribens, sibi dicat a Petro docendi Cathedram tra∣dit••m ••cuius rei hanc accepimus esse rationem. Quòd Linus, & Cletus fuerunt quidem ante Clementem epi∣scopi in vrbe Roma, sed superstite Petro, vt illi epi∣scopatus curam gererent, ipse vero Apostolatus imple∣ret officium. Sicut inuenitur etiam apud Caesaream fu∣isse, vbi cùm ipse esset presens, Zachaeum tamen à se ordinatum habebat Episcopum. Et hoc modo vtrumque verum videbitur, vt & illi ante Clementem numeren∣tur Episcopi, & Clemens tamen post obitum Petri docen∣di susceperit sedem. Some aske this question, howe Clement him selfe, writing to Iames, saith, that Peter leafte to him the Chaire of teaching, where∣as Linus, and Cletus were Bishops in the Citie of Rome before this Clement. Of whiche thing we

haue learned this to be the reason: That Linus, and Cle∣tus were bishops in the Citie of Rome, but in the life time of Peter, to thintent they should take vpon them the charge of the bishops duetie, and he him selfe fulfil the office of an Apostle. We finde that he did the like also at Caesarea, where, though he were present him selfe, yet he had Zachaeus, whom he ordered him selfe, to be the bishop. And thus both may seeme true, to wit, that they were taken for bishops before Clement, and yet that Clement after the death of Peter tooke the place of teaching.

Ruffinus inuented not this solution of him selfe, but he tooke it of others. For he saith accepimus, asmuche to saie, we haue receiued, we haue heard, we haue learned this: so that it was a thing knowen, and taught from the beginning, which yet M. Iewel either knew not, or wil∣lily dissembled: As though it were a great hinderance or preiudice to the Emperours Maiestie, if it were vn∣knowen now, whether Vitellius had ben Emperour be∣fore Galba, or Galba before Vitellius: with such toyes he stuffeth his booke.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The true order of the first Popes succeding one an¦other. Damasus in pontifi∣calt. Clemens epist. 1. Tertulliā. De praescr.
• * 1.2

  Discussiō of al doubte touching thorder of the first Popes in Rome. Ruffin. in Praefat. ad lib. Reco∣gnit.