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The description, and hystorie, of the, See and Diocesse of Rochester.
THE learned in Astronomie, be of the opinion, that if Iupiter, Mercurie, or any other Planet, approche within certain degrées of the Sunne, and be burned (as they terme it) vnder his beames, That then it hath in maner no influence at all, But yealdeth wholy to the Sunne that ouershineth it: And some men beholding the nearenesse of these two Bishoprickes, Cā∣terbury and Rochester, and comparing the bright glory, pompe, and primacie of the one, with the contrarie alto∣gether in the other, haue fansied Rochester so ouersha∣dowed and obscured, that they recken it no Sée or Bi∣shoprick of it self, But only a place of a méere Suffragan, and Chaplain to Canterbury. But he that shall either aduisedly weigh the firste institution of them bothe, or ••ut indifferently consider the estate of eyther, shall easi∣•••• finde, that Rochester hath not only a lawfull, and ca∣••onicall Cathedrall Sée of it selfe, But the same also ••ore honestly won and obteined, then euer Canterbury ••d: For, as touching Rochester, Augustine (whome ••e Monkes may not deny to be the English Apostle) or∣••ined Iustus Bishop there, Ethelbert (the lawfull king ••f Kent) both assenting thereto by his presence, and con∣firming it by his liberall beneficence. But, howe Can∣terbury came to haue an Archebishops Chayre, if you thinke that it hath not in that title already so sufficient∣ly appeared, as that it therfore néedeth not now eftsones to be rehearsed, then reade (I pray you) Garuas. Tilberi∣ens. and he (in his booke De otijs Imperialibus) wil tel you,