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THose thinges whiche are written of the donation of Constantine, to be both feined and foolishe, who will or can doubt? or that he with all his nobilitie and the whole senate, and all the Peeres of the Citie, and all the people of the Romaine empire, should giue vnto Siluester all his em∣periall estate and honor, should giue also the Citie of Rome and al Italie, and ye thre partes of Fraūce, ye two partes of Spaine, Germany, Britaine and all other places & Cities, is most discrepant and farre frō the truth. For the senate of Rome and the greatest part of ye people of Rome, were most straunge from the Christian religion, not onely in the tyme of Con∣stantine, but also in the reigne of Valentinian, whiche reigned almost xl. yeare after Constantine. And therfore if he would haue graunted this donation vnto Siluester, neither his own sonnes, neither his frendes, nei∣ther his kinsfolke, nor the senate of Rome, would haue suffred him so to do: yea his faith and his owne conscience would not haue led him to the same, for being learned in the holy scriptures, he did know that a Magi∣strate was the ordinaunce of God, and that the offices of the Ministers of the Church, and of the tēporall Magistrate, were two distinct things, and that they ought not to be confounded and mingled, as he him selfe was wonte to say, as Eusebius writeth: Deū sacerdotibus commisisse in∣ternam Ecclesiae curā, sibi vero externā, that is to sai, God did commit the inward cure of the Church vnto Priests, & the outward cure vnto him.
On ye other side, if ye cōsider Siluester to haue ben a true & a godly Pa¦stor of ye Church, as many were in those dayes, will you iudge yt he would haue suffred Constantine to haue giuen him those things, the vse wherof was forbidden of Christ? for he knew well inough that saying of Christ, Principes gētium dominantur eis, vos autem non sic.* 1.1 The princes of the gentils beare rule ouer thē, which you shal not doo. Agayne: Date Cae∣sari, quae sunt Cesaris, geue that to Cesar, whiche belongeth to Cesar.
Do you beleue, that Peter the Apostle would haue receiued the secu∣lar power with the Empire, if the Emperour Nero had offred it hym? no truly. Before Peter receaued the holy ghost, he being disceaued with other of the Iewes, did imagine, that the kingdome of Christ should be a terrestriall kyngdome, but after he had receiued ye holy ghost, he vnder∣stood, the kingdome and seate of Christ not to be set in earth, but in hea∣uen, and that his kingdome was not of this world. He knew, that Christ did flee into the deserte, when the people went about to make him kyng. He knew how Elizeus did refuse the donation and offer of Naman the prince, and how that Geezi his seruaūt, for requiring and receyuing the same, was striken with a fowle leoprie. Peter would not take vpon him the cure and care ouer the poore, least he should be hindered both to pray