named the bishop of Rome, as he did other bishops, a bishop.

This was the state of the primitive church, which was both near unto Christ in time, and like unto him in doctrine, and kept St. Paul's equality, where, as he saith (Gal. ii.), he was appointed among the Gentiles, as Peter was among the Jews. And although the bishops in the time of Constantine the Great obtained, that among bishops there should be some that should be called archbishops and metropolitans; yet all they were not instituted to be heads generally of the church, but to the end they should take more pains to see the church well ordered and instructed and yet this pre-eminence was at the liberty and discretion of princes, and not always bound unto one place, and one sort of prelates, as the wickedness of our time believeth: as ye may see in the councils of Chalcedon and Africa. So that it is manifest, this superior pre-eminence is not of God's laws, but of man's, instituted for a civil policy and so was the church of Constantinople equal with the church of Rome. And, in our days, Erasmus Roterodamus writeth and saith, this name (to be high bishop of the world) was not known to the old church: but this was used, that bishops were all called high priests: and that name gave Urban the First unto all bishops, as it is written in Distinct. 59, cap. Si officia. Anno Dom. CCXXVI. But as for one to be head of all, it was not admitted. And the Greek church did never agree to this wicked supremacy, nor obeyed it until the year of our Lord one thousand two hundred and two, compelled thereunto by one Baldwin, that brought the Frenchmen, by the help of the Venetians, unto Constantinople, to restore one Alexius. unto the empire, upon this condition, that he should subdue the Greek church to the church of Rome.

But this came to pass, that the Pope, never after he had gotten by alms and help of princes to be over them, passed one iota for the Emperor of Con stantinople, further than he served his turn. So that ye may see both his beginning and proceedings to be, of the devil; which if ye kill not with the staff of God's word, and beat him from your conscience, he will double-kill your souls.

Now, within one hundred and fifty years after Phocas had made the bishop of Rome head of the church, the bishop of Roine contemned the Emperor of Constantinople, and devised to bring the empire into France, and to give the King of France the same authority over the bishop of Rome that before the Emperor had, as it appeareth in Charles the Great, and his successors, a long time: and yet was the bishop of Rome under the princes, and not (as he is now) an idol exempt from all order and obedience. For princes made the bishops of Rome, and all other bishops, within their realms, and so continued the making of the Pope in the Emperor's authority, until it was about the year of our Lord one thousand one hundred and ten. After that, Henry the Fifth, being sore molested with sedition, moved against him by the Pope Pascal the Second, was constrained at length to surrender his authority unto him, who turned the face of his bishoprick into manifest wars. What followed when the Pope was thus free, and lived without obedience to the Christian magistrates, I will not, in this treatise, make mention, but put you in remembrance that for certainty there followed such trouble among Christian princes, as never was before, as it is to be seen by the doing of the wicked man Gregory the Seventh, who took then upon him to have authority to use two swords, the spiritual and the temporal; insomuch that Henry the

Fourth was compelled, threescore and two times, to make war in his life, by the means of the bishop of Rome. And, as it is written (Alberus Crantzius, Ecclesiast. Histor. lib. vi.), this wicked bishop stirred up the Emperor's own brother-in-law, Radulphus, the Duke of Suevia, to war against him, and sent him a crown of gold with this verse graven on it:

"Petra dedit Petro, Petrus diadema Radulpho." That is to say, "Christ gave the empire to Peter, Peter giveth it to Radulph." Meaning that Christ had given the empire worldly to the bishop of Rome, and he gave it to Radulph. Ye may see what a rod the Emperors made for their own tail. For, after they had made the bishop of Rome head of the church, the bishops made themselves shortly after the heads of Emperors and Kings:-a just plague of God for all them that will exalt such to rule, as God said should be ruled.

These bishops be not only proud, but also unthankful. For whereas all the world knoweth the bishop's authority to come from the Emperor in worldly things, and not from God, but against God; this monster, Gregory the Seventh, said, that Christ gave him the empire of Rome, and he giveth it to the Duke of Suevia, Radulph, to kill his good brother Henry the Fourth. He that will know more of this wicked man, and of his brethren bishops of Rome, let him read Benno the Cardinal, that writeth, in his History of the Popes, that he saw of John the Twentieth, Benedict the Ninth, Silvester the Third, Gregory the Sixth, Leo the Ninth, Alexander the Second. But in his old days he saw and writeth horrible and execrable things of Gregory the Seventh. Yet was England free from this beast of Rome then, in respect of that it was

before the idol was expelled in King Henry the Eighth's time. But Alexander the Third never rested to move men to sedition until such time as King Henry the Seventh was content to be under him as others were. And all this suffered England for Thomas Becket, the Pope's martyr.

When they were crept up into this high authority', all their own creatures, bishops of their sect, cardinals, priests, monks, and friars, could never be contented to be under the obedience of the princes: and, to say the truth, princes durst not (in manner), require it, for they were in danger of goods and life. And the Emperor Henry the Seventh was poisoned by a monk, that poisoned the idol of the mass, both a god and minister meet to poison men, and both of the Pope's making. And what conscience did they make of this, think ye? Doubtless none at all; for the Pope saith, and so do all his children, that he can dispense and absolve themselves, and all men, from what oaths soever they have made to God or man. This enemy, with his false doctrine, is to be resisted and overcome by the word of God, or else he will destroy both body and soul. Therefore, against all his crafts and abominations, we must have the rod, the staff, the table, the oil, and the cup, that David speaketh of, in a readiness to defend ourselves withal.

Now followeth the last part of this holy hymn,

THE SEVENTH PART OF THE PSALM.

WHAT THE END OF GOD'S TROUBLED PEOPLE SHALL

BE.

Ver. 6. Thy loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever,

I will, in the midst of all troubles, be strong and of good cheer; for I am assured, that thy mercy

and goodness will never forsake me, but will con tinually preserve me in all dangers of this life: and when I shall depart from this bodily life, thy mercy will bring me into that house of thine eternal joys, where I shall live with thee in everlasting felicity.

Of this part we learn, that the dangers of this life be no more than God can and will put from us, or preserve us in them, when they come unto us, with out danger; also that the troubles of this world be not perpetual nor damnable for ever, but that they be for a time only sent from God, to exercise and prove our faith and patience. At the last we learn, that, the troubles being ended, we begin and shall continue for ever in endless pleasure and consolation, as David sheweth at the end of his Psalm. So doth Christ make an end with his disciples, when he hath committed them, for the time of this life, to the tuition of the heavenly Father, whilst he is bodily absent: he saith, at length, they shall be where he is himself, in heaven for ever. For in this life, albeit the faithful of God have consolation in God's promises, yet is their joy very dark and obscure, by reason of troubles both without and within outwardly by persecution, inwardly by temptation. Therefore, Christ desireth his Father to lead and conduct his church in truth and verity, whilst it is here in fight and persecution with the deyil, until it come to a perfect and absolute consolation, where no trouble may molest it. For then, and not before (to what perfection soever we come), shall we be satisfied, as David saith: "The plentifulness of pleasure and joy is in the sight and contemplation of thee, O Lord!". (Psalm xvi.) For then shall the mind of man fully be satisfied, when he, being present, may presently behold the glorious majesty of God: for God hath then all joys present to him that is present with him, and