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COnstantinus the great was the sonne of one Constantius a duke of Rome, which was sent into Britaine to recouer the tribute that was due. After whose ariuall, Coill which was the king of Britaine died, and the Britaines to haue more surety of peace, wylled
the duke to take to wife Helena, the doughter of king Coil, which was a wonderful fayre mayden, and therwith wel learned. This Constantius when he had recouered the tribute, returned with hys wife Helena to Rome, as chief gouernour of Britaine, and at the last died at Yorke Yet Iulius Firmicus doth record, that Constantine was borne of Helena, be∣ing a concubine, and begotten at Tharsus. Eutropius sayth that Con∣stantine was borne in Britaine, in an obscure and base matrimonye, of his mother Helena, whom saint Ambrose in his funerall oration of the death of Theodotius, doth call Stabulariam, that is a woman which kept a vitailing house for wayfaring men.
This Constantine became a noble and valiant Prince, and so mighty in martial prowesse, that he was surnamed the great Constantine. He was first an idolatrour, and by the impulsion of his wyfe Fausta, did sa∣crifice vnto idols. But after he had vanquished Maxentius, he vtterlye renounced the worshipping of idols, and became a christian man. But he deferred his baptisme vntil his old age, bicause he purposed to take a vi∣age into Persia, and was resolued in him selfe to be baptised as he went, in the floud Iordane. In wytnes of hys beliefe, he caused a booke of the Gospels to be caryed before him, and made the Bible to be copied out, and sent into all partes of his Empire.
Some wryte that, as he went with his army agaynst Maxentius, in his iourney he saw the signe of the crosse in the element, shining lyke fire, and he heard an aungell saying: Constantine 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Id est: In hoc vince, in this signe ouercome thou, wherwith he being greatly com∣forted, shortly after vanquished the army of Maxentius, who flying out of the battell, was drowned in Tiber. He was Emperour, as Eutropius writeth .xxx. yeares, and as Pomponius Laetus writeth .xxxij. yeares lacking two monethes.
He was baptized of Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia, and shortlye after ended his life in the same citye, and was buried at Constantinople.
Notwithstanding Iacobus Philippus in supplemento Cronicorum, that Constantine was christened of Pope Siluester the first. He writeth also, that for the great slaughter of Martirs, and for the tormenting of people innumerable through his prouinces, God stroke him with a kinde of leprosy, the which could not be cured nor holpen by his phisicions, nor any other learned men, but the Priestes of the Capitol of Rome, gaue this counsell, yt a certayn pond should be filled with the bloud of yong chil¦drē, & the emperour to wash & hath himself in it being hot, & so shuld recouer his helth. But that this is nothing els but a fable, not onely Valla and Platina, but also Eusebius, Eutropius, Socrates, Theodoritus, Sozo¦menus,
Hieronimus, Ruffinus, Crosius, and other do sufficiently testifie. For all these, writing most copiouslye, amply, and largely of hys lyfe, do make no mention of this leprosie: but certayne late wryters doo rehearse it out of an Apocriphall booke, wrytten of thinges done by Siluester. Also how true it is that Helena after she had found the crosse, did build a temple ther in that place, and from thence went to Constātinople vnto her sonne, and brought with her the. 3. nailes wherwith Christ was cru∣cified, of the which, Constantine put one in his horse bridle, which he v∣sed onely in Battel, and did set the second in his helmet, and threwe the third into the sea called Mare Adriaticum, to appease the tempestuous rages of the sea. How true I saye these thinges be, I referre to learned mens iudgements. I for my part count them fabulas aniles.
Yet I am not ignoraunt, that saint Ambrose writeth almost the like in his funerall oration, of the death of Theodotius the Emperour. But Erasmus writeth that the orations, the Epistles, and sermons which are contained in the thirde tome, be foreged & fained in S. Ambrose name, and that in them ther is nothing of saint Ambrose veine or phrase.
Againe, that Constantine was baptised at Rome, of Siluester, it is a very lye. For Eusebius. lib. 4. of the life of Constantine, doth affirme that he was christened a litle before his death, in an assemblye of Bishoppes, at Nicomedia, of one Eusebius, bishop of that place. And saint Hierome declareth no lesse in his cronicle, & sayth, that this was done in the thre score & fift yeare of his age, and the .xxxi. yeare of his Empire, when Siluester was dead almost fiue yeares before, as Ruffinus, Theodoretus, and other do record in their histories.
Isidorus in his cronicle doth write, that Constantine was rebaptized of Eusebius, being an Arrian: but Socrates and other more auncient & better approued authours, do affirme him to haue bene baptized, but ne¦uer rebaptised. And the Arimine counsell, in their letters to Constan∣tius doth testifie, that Constantine embracing the true fayth of the Ni∣cen counsell, and being baptised, departed from this present life.
I omit here the saying of Gracianus, who writeth that Melchiades baptised Constantine, when Melchiades was before Siluester his time, and Constantine was baptised after the death of them both.
I omit also Nicephorum, who affirmed that the Arrians throughe a diuelish mynde, did faine that Constantine was baptised at Nicomedia, and he iudgeth that he was baptised at Rome of Siluester, and that Con¦stātine made at Rome Baptisteriū, that is, a Fonte, or a place to christē in. But how friuolous these thinges be, he that is conuersant in the aun∣cient authours, may easely iudge.
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
and preach as often as he should. As the acte of the Apostles doth testi∣fie. And I besech you, is it like then, that Peter would cast of his Apostle∣ship, and receaue vpon him the gouernment of the whole world? He de∣nieth that one mā can conueniently Minister the word, & also Minister to the tables. And what Pope can they geue vs, which had a better and a more ample spirite, then Peter had, whiche could perfourme that thyng which Peter could not? Therfore they be but toyes and trifles, which are written of the donation of Constantine.
Constantine was more sound in religion, thē to purpose such a graūt, which he knew to repugne vtterly agaynst the doctrine of Christ. Silue∣ster also was more sounde, then to receaue such agraunt, which he vnder¦stood that he could not without the subuersion and ouerthrowing of the word. But if Constantine had graunted it, & Siluester had receaued it, they had hoth offended agaynst the word of God.
* 1.2Ruffinus writeth, that Constantine sayd vnto the Bishop after this maner. Deus (inquit) vos cōstituit sacerdotes, & potestatem vobis dedit, de nobis quoque iudicandi, & ideo nos a vobis recte iudicamur. Vos au tē non potestis ab hominibus iudicari. Propter quod dei solius inter vos expectate iudicium, & vestra iurgia quaecun{que} sunt, ad illud diuinum re∣seruentur examen. Vos etenim nobis a deo dati estis dii, & conueniens nō est vt homo iudicet deos, sed ille solus de quo scriptum est Deus ste∣tit in sinagoga deorum, in medio autē deos discernit. Et ideo hiis omis∣sis, illa quae ad fidem dei pertinent, abs{que} vlla animorū contētione distin∣guite, that is to say.
God hath made you priestes, and hath giuen you power to iudge of vs, and therfore we are rightly iudged of you, you cannot be iudged of men. Therfore among your selues looke for the iudgemēt of the onely one god, and let al your contentions be reserued to the examination and iudgemēt of God, for you are giuen as goddes vnto vs of God, and it is vnconueniēt that man do iudge Gods. But he onely of whom it is written. God stan∣deth in the assembly of Gods, he iudgeth amōg Gods, and therfore omit∣ting these thinges, discerne you those things whiche perteine to the faith of God, without contention of mindes. Behold saith our aduersaries here is the testimonie of a christen Emperour, by the whiche it may be proued that the Bishop of Rome hath power and autoritie to iudge all Empe∣rours, and he to be iudged of none, but of God.
I aunswere that in these wordes of Constantine, there is no mention made of the Bishop of Rome, but he speaketh generally of litigious and contentious Bishops, whiche accused eche other before the Emperours
maiestie, and those thinges whiche the prudent and christen Emperour did aunswere vnto them, he spake for the cause of reconciliation among them selues, not thincking of the preeminence of the Bishop of Rome.
Secondly he did not send those Bishops vnto the seat and iurisdiction of the Pope, for he sayd not, you haue the Bishop of Rome Christes vi∣car, and Peters successor, bring the causes of your contētion to be iudged of him, but he sayd, let your strifes be reserued to the triall of God one∣ly, looke for his iudgement. And by these wordes it appeareth that he thought not that the Bishop of Rome should haue any iurisdiction ouer the other Bishops.
Thirdly, the Bishops thēselues did not thinck the iudgement of their causes to pertaine to the examination of the Bishops of Rome, but they iudged the power and iurisdiction of the Emperour, to be most auctenti∣call ouer them, and therfore they brought their causes vnto him.
Fourthly, it doth manifestly appeare out of the histories, that the Em¦perour did exercise power and auctoritie ouer ye Bishops, as other Em∣perours did, which succeded him. He did not onely iudge of euery one of them, if they had offended, but also did vse his power ouer all that were subiect vnto his Empire, compelling them by his edict and commaunde∣ment to come to the generall counsell, prescribyng vnto them both tyme and place.
VVhen the fathers were assembled at Tirus, they did declare vnto Constantine the names of them which wer absent, whom they desired to be presēt and so he wrote to thē that they shuld come to the counsell, and should adioyne their care and studie with the other in the sayd counsell: he cōmaūded also his Ambassadour, yt he should put to exile and banish∣ment, all them which did either refuse to come, or els did litle esteme the commaundement of the counsell.
Also when the sayd Constantine vnderstood, that Athanasius was wrongfully condemned in the counsell holden at Tirus, he sent vnto thē seuere and sharpe letters, in the which he commaundeth all those fathers to come vnto him to Constātinople, and there to declare before him, how purely and truly they had iudged: and doth openly obiect vnto thē, that they went about nothing els, but those thinges which did tende to dissen¦tion, debate, hatred, and the subuersion of mankind.
Athanasius also himselfe being condēned at Tirus, did flee vnto Cō∣stantine. Saint Austen also writeth, that Donatus being condempned in the coūsel Arelatine, did appeale vnto Constantine: which hearyng both the parties, did iustifie and pronounce Cecilianus to be innocent.
Eusebius doth testifie, that Constantine did confirme the definitions
of the Bishops concluded in the counsels, and did commaunde the rulers of the people, that none should infring nor breake those thinges whiche were decreed of the Bishops. Also he embraced the decrees of the Nicene counsell, and did protest, that he would banish all those which would not subscribe vnto thē: which also he did, for he sent Arrius with a .xi. of his fellowes into exile, and commaunded the bokes of Arrius to be burnt. And if any man had bene taken to haue kept thē either priuatly or apert¦ly, he commaunded him to be put to death.
By these examples ye may see, that Constantine did not giue ouer his aucthoritie and power vnto the Bishops, but did both intermeddle with spiritual matters to rule and iudge bishops, yea and cal general coūsels: and not onely he, but also his successors did call by their auctoritie and power, Bishops and fathers vnto counsels.
Leo the Pope, first of that name, with his whole sinode gathered at Rome, most humbly desired the Emperour Theodosius, that he would commaunde a generall counsell to be celebrated and kept in Italie. And yet the prouidēt Emperour did not appoint the counsell, in Italie, where there was no contention risen, but in Grecia in the Citie called Sedon.
S. Hierome also Ad Eustochiū, in the Epitaph of her mother Paulae, writeth after this maner. Cū{que} orientis & occidentis Episcopos ob quas¦dam Ecclesiarum dissentiones, Romam Imperiales literae contraxissent, that is to say. VVhen the Emperours letters had gathered together the Bishops aswell of the East as of the VVeast.
Also in the Epistle of Pope Agatho, sent to the Emperour, by whose commaundement the sixt counsell was called and gathered together, ye may read after this maner: Ideoque Christianissimi dn̄i, secundū prissi¦mā missionem māsuetudinis vestrae, pro obedientia quā debemus presen¦tes famulos nostros misim{us}, yt is to say. Therfore O most Christiā sonnes of ye Lord, according to ye most godly cōmaūdemēt of your gētlenes, & for the obedience which we do owe, we haue sent our present seruauntes.
Note here (good reader) this clause, Pro obedientia quā debemus for ye obedience which we do owe, wil the Pope acknowledge ye like obediēce vnto the emperours maiestie? will he acknowledge the iurisdiction and power of emperours to be ouer Bishops? no, no, his Antichristian pride will not suffer him.
VVhich of all ye Bishops of Rome did gouerne the Apostolicke Church with a greater care & diligēce, then Gregory the great? & yet he wri∣tyng Ad Theodorum the Phisition, sayth of the Emperour Mauricius, as followeth: Valde autem mihi durum videtur, vt ab eius seruitio milites suos prohibear, qui ei & omnia tribuit, & dominare eum nō so∣lum militibus, sed & sacerdotibus concessit, that is to say: it semeth a ve∣ry hard thyng, that he should forbid hys soldiours from his homage and
seruice, whiche hath both giuen to him all thinges, and also hath graun∣ted him to haue dominion & rule, not onely ouer the souldiours, but also ouer the Priests. Againe in the ende of the Epistle which he wrote to the Emperour himselfe, he sayth thus: Que debui, exolui, qui & imperato∣ri obedientiam prebui, et pro deo, quod sensi minime tacui, that is: I paid those thinges that I ought, which haue giuen both mine obedience to the Emperours, and also haue not holde my peace in Gods cause, but spake yt whiche I thought. Do you not here see that this Gregory being Pope, did not onely obey the Emperour, but also did acknowledge that he ought to shew obedience vnto him, And will his successors and ye clergie of ye infe∣rior sort, plucke their neckes out of the yoke of obediēce, which by Gods law is due vnto Magistrates, but ye may see, to what disorder pryde and ambition hath driuen the Bishops of Rome.
One Augustinus Stenchus, is not ashamed to write, that the Bishop of Rome was called a God, & coumpted for a God, and saith, that this was done when the Emperour did beautifie him with a noble title, worship∣ped him as God, and as the successor of Christ and Peter, and gaue hym godly honor, and did reuerence him, as the liuely image of Christ. This writeth the same Stenchus sexione. Lib. 67.
O intollerable blasphemie, O vnspeakable knauerie, O most sacrilegi∣ous and deuilish flatterie, cleane repugnant to the most sacred and holy word of God. VVhat did Peter I pray you, whē Cornelius did fall down, and would haue worshipped him? did he not lift him vp and say, Surge,* 1.3 & ego ipse homo sum. Arise, I my selfe also am a man.* 1.4 VVhat did the aun∣gell say vnto Iohn, when he fell down at the aūgels feete, to worship him? did he not say, Vide ne feceris, conseruus enim tuus sum, & fratrū tuorū Prophetarū. Take hede thou do it not, for I am thy fellow seruaunt and of thy brothers ye Prophets. And will the Pope be better then Peter? hol∣lier then Iohn? well he may take an example of Herodes Agrippa, which gaue eare vnto the flattering voyces of the people, which cried, Vox dei non hominis. It is the voyce of God, and not of man.* 1.5 He did not stay the people, but tooke a glory in their wordes, and therfore was striken of the aungell, and like a wretch did rot, beyng eaten of Lice. It behoueth vs to know, that Christ the sonne of god doth reigne yet in his Church, as chief head and ruler, vnto whom onely and alone, all glory and power is giuē: and not to thincke, that he did substitute any man, in whom he would be worshipped, for Christ onely ought they to worship, honor, and to pray vnto. And as for the Pope and all his sacrilegious flatterers, we ought to detest and abhorre as the very Antichrist. To conclude, some writers do recorde, that when Constantine gaue riches and honor vnto the Church,
there was a voyce heard, which said, Iam venenum irrepsit in ecclesiam, now is poison crepte into the Churche, he that will know more of the life of Constātine, let him read the v. bookes of Eusebius Cesariensis, whiche he purposly wrote of the same.
Of this man Constantine, the kinges of Brittanie had first the priui∣ledge to weare close Crownes.
Luce 22.
Lib. 1. ca. 2.
Act. 10.
Act. 12.
Act. 12.