Collectanea. Out of St. Gregory the Great, and St. Bernard the devout, against the Papists who adhere to the doctrine of the present Church of Rome, in the most fundamentall points betweene them and vs.

A second elucidation or cleering of the same Question.

When Iohn died Cyriacus succeded. Iohn sate there tenne whole yeares. Iohn had sitten there tenne whole yeares, hee claymed the title of Vniuersall to his death, nor weighed hee the admonitions of Gregory, yet carried hee himselfe for those tenne yeares for Vniuersall, yet in al that time, did not hee discharge any Bi∣shop of his place. Wherefore it is a meere fable, to thinke there should be no Bishop or Patriarch if there were any called Vni∣uversall. Cyriacus as in seat, so in title suc∣ceeded

Iohn, He tooke away no Bishops. He called a Councel of Bishops, to which when Eusebius came, Gregory desired of him by his letter, that he would not sub∣scribe to that title, least any thing should be there determined preiudiciall touch∣inge any place or person. But neither in that synode, nor for eleuen yeers after, while Cyriacus held the sea (& that with the title of Vniuersall) was there any Bi∣shop remoued from his place, or any feare that any should be remoued. Therfore that devise before is a meere dream. Tou∣ching Cyriacus this is certaine, that hee never left off the title of Vniuersall, be∣fore that Phocas the Emperour tooke it from Constantinople, and gaue it vnto Rome. And this was done by Phocas in malice towards Cyriacus who was offen∣ded with him, and in favour of Boniface 3. Bishop of Rome who intreated for it,* 1.1 and when he was the Bishops Chancelour in∣sinuated himselfe into Phocas his loue, & had vndertaken for his child at baptisme. This decree of Phocas,* 1.2 Baronius doth thus report, The Bishop of Rome is only to bee called Vniversall Bishop, the Bishop of Con∣stantinople

not so.

Iohn and Cyriacus therefore usurped nothing, but that which vpon the grant of Phocas, the Romane Bishop doth now claime, vnder whom they remain in their place, and are Bishops; And so vnder Iohn did they remaine, neither did the title of Ʋniversall hinder them any thing. Not∣withstanding, within a little while after there is a great change made touching the name. In the Bishop of Constantinople, it was a foolish, prowd, wicked, perverse, pro∣phane, and blaspheamous name; within two yeares after, it was none of all those in the Bishop of Rome. Marveilous was the sen∣tence of Phocas, who determined that a name wicked and blasphemous (if wee be∣leeue Gregory) should not belong to the Bishop of Constantinople, and yet might be proper to the Bishop of Rōe. Wonder∣full also was the intent of Boniface, who accepted it; neither would he that the Bi∣shop of Constantinople should bee pre∣ferred, or be aboue others, but to him & other the Bishops of Rome such reve∣rence is due, although he that shal haue it (witnesse Gregory) should bee in that the

follower of Lucifer, the forerunner of An∣techrist. In the meane while Gregory was a true Prophet, touching what that word would come too in the end. For touching that title hee told the Emperour that hee that should reioyce in it,* 1.3 would build him∣selfe by that vpon the honour of the Em∣pire, and is it not come so to passe? And to Anianus he said. That to consent to that wicked name, is no other thing then to destroy the faith. And did the faith suffer no hurt, by that that Phocas consented to it? Gregories prophecie was true in both, that name was deadly, both to the Em∣pire and to the Church; and his successour Boniface, was toward the Empire Luci∣fer, and toward the Church Antechrist.

But they insist,* 1.4 and reply, the words are plaine. It remaineth that then you are no Bishops: hee onely indeavoreth to bee called Bishop. Therefore Gregory doth expound himselfe. We reioine, thus hee writeth to Iohn. Cupis Episcoporum nomen, tui com∣paratione calcare. Thou dost desire in cō∣parison of thy selfe, to tread vnder the name of Bishops. In comparison of thy selfe, saith he. Therefore what he saith, he

saith it comparatiuely, or by way of com∣parison, not absolutely. Yee are indeed Bi∣shops, but in comparison of him, yee are none; and he is not absolutely a Bishop a∣lone, but in comparison of you, he only is to be called a Bishop. For when the title of Ʋniversall is admitted, whereby one may be aboue another, and depresse the rest; they fall from the ancient right of Bi∣shops, by which right they are of one me∣rit and priesthood. Neither doth the po∣tency of Rome make an higher Bishop, nor the poverty of Eugubium make a low∣er. All are to bee depriued of this due ho∣nour, if any thing private be giuen to one (as Gregory saith to Mauritius) & there∣fore surely in comparison of him, (which they were before) are not to be called Bi∣shops: speaking after the vsuall phrase, wherein, when any one is not, that he was, he is said indeed not to be at all; so that hee may be said to bee alone, who in any thing is singular. For they who were Fathers, were to be made the Sonnes of this Vni∣versall father; They who were Pastors, were to come into his flocke; & in com∣parison of him, to be called a flocke. And

this is the nature of Gregories words; he∣ther they reach. Against this they cannot be drawne; excep against the truth of the histories, by which it is certaine, that al∣though for the space of twentie yeares Iohn first,* 1.5 and Cyriacus after, held the title of Ʋniversall with tooth and naile: yet in all that time they never indeavored to strip any of his Bishopricke, or so to carry themselues as though they alone would be Bishops, or vsurped the name of Bishop only to themselues.

These things being thus, and thus cō∣sidered; that which was said at first re∣maineth full and sound; That the Pope v∣surpeth the title of Ʋniversall Bishop. That Gregory condemned it in Iohn. And lastly that Iohns intent then, & the Popes now touching that title, is one and the same, to all constructions and purposes; any thing, in any wise said to the contra∣ry notwithstanding.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Boniface was Bishop of Rome next but one after Gregory.
• * 1.2

  Ad annum 606
• * 1.3

  Lib. 4. Epist. 32.
• * 1.4

  Lib. 4. Epist. 38. Restat vt vos Episcopi non sitis. Solus conetur Episcopus ap∣pellari.
• * 1.5

  This is the hinge where vpon all the whole worke doth turne.