A Looking Glass for Princes and Peoples Delivered, Book 2 · Part 4 · Chapter 24
CHAP. XXIIII. Of the third fruit of their folie, The Discoverie of Antichrist.
THe third fruite of their folie is Discoverie, wherebyThe pope is Antichrist. 2 Thesse. 2. the Pope declareth himselfe to bee that great Antichrist, the head of that Apostacie, Some expone that Apostacie of Heresie, falling from the trueth: Others of rebellion▪ falling from the Impyre, but both goe together, and the Pope is the head and heart of both: Hee beganne with Heresie, and Emperours cared not for it; therefore God punished their carelesnesse, by letting popes fall frō their obedience, and the discoverie of both came joyntlie, though Princes were more sensible of the discoverie of rebellion than of Heresie.Why Antichrist was obscure of old. 2 Thess 27.
This purpose of Antichrist was obscure in the first Ages by three speciall causes: First, it was not an open iniquitie, but a mysterie of iniquitie: The Essence of it was in opposition to Christ, but it was coloured with the pretext of a Vicariat to Christ: A Vice-Christ in shew, but an enemie to Christ in deede: Next, because it was a Prophecie and the best interpretation aOptima interpretatio prophetiae est ejus comple mentum Aug.of prophecies is their accomplishment, for till they bee accomplished, they are as dark Riddles, but when the time is come, and the thing prophesied is done, they hauehave a cleare and certaine exposition (sayeth Irenie) bOmnis prophetia priusquam habeat efficaciam, &c. …ren l. 4. cap 43.Thirdlie (which is not well adverted) this obscuritie was helped by two errors in Chronologie: The one was in fixing a certaine time of six thousand yeares to the worlds standing, according to a fabulous tradition of one Rabbi Elias: The other was in the wrong supputation of that fixed time, according to the reakoning of the seventie Interpreters, who added more than twelue hundreth yeares cGraecorum supputatio Hebraicam superat in 1236 Sixt. Senens. Bibl. lib 5. Annot. 68.to the Hebrewes iust reakoning.
Lactantius and Phylastrius, following the opinion of their time reakoned fiue thousand, eight hundreth yeares before Christ, and so Elias six thousand yeares were fulfilled about the fiue hundreth yeare of Christ; wherevpon the Fathers of the third and fourth Age were forced to an Individuall and Trieterian Antichrist; because they saw no time for an Antichristian successiō. This made the Fathers in the first Ages to speak of the last day as comming presentlie on them: So Cyprian said a…ppro… quante secul i sine. Cypr. de unit. Eccles, …-14The last day was approaching: And in another place bInter saecu li labentis ruin as. Idem ad Demetrian, n-17That he was in the ruins of the decaying world. And it is probable that these same errours of Chronologie, made Papias and the Chiliasts to speake of a thousand yeares Ioy in this life; they looked for Christs comming verie shortlie within two or three hundreth yeares, and so were forced to referre these thousand yeares to a time after his comming. That might seeme tolerable in them who wanted the benefite of exact supputation, but it is a grosse errour in them, who renew it …n our dayes.
Imperfect supputation in Chronologie, hath bred many errors The errour of supputation.inhistorie. The Egyptians, and Chaldeans are ridiculous for their innumerable thousands of yeares: And the Romans in the first Ages of their Towne, reakoned their yeares by the Pretors fixing of a Naile in Minervaes Temple in the Calends of September. But God in our time hath perfecte… supputation. The trueth of the Hebrew text, the bases of Eclipses, Iubilies, and remarkable Coniunctions of Starres, &c. HaueHave made now a certaintie of reakoning of times: And among other thinges doe taxe old supputations of error, and the conjecturs of Antichrist founded thereon of Temeritie.
Now then supputation is mended, the Prophecy of Antichrist Supputation is mended.accomplished, and that Mysterie revealed: for many things are knowne to after times, whereof these auncient writters were altogether ignorant, sayth Alphonsus aMulta sūt posterioribus nota &c. Alphons a Ca stro h…res tit. Indulgent▪ Onuphr ad▪ …latin… Vit Petri.And Onuphrius, to that end. Posterior hominum diligentia multa, quae ante parum comperta erāt, invenit The after diligence of men hath found out many things, which before were not knowne The Apostles layeth the proposition, who opposeth and exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God. The pope …aketh the Assumption, and plainlie crveth to the world in his vsurpation over Kings, me me adsum qui feci. His opposition wee hauehave heard, in that hee maketh the two powers spirituall and temporall opposite, which God hath joyned in a friendlie concourse and conspiration for the good of man: His exaltation is also plaine in depressing Princes: Hee will neither bee inferiour nor equall, but superiour to them; and that as farre as the Sunne is to the Moone: The ignorance of their glosse in Astronomie, in reakoning the proportion of these Starres is no grosser, than their Divines inpudenc…e on the ApostlesCan. Solitae. text. Rom. 13. 1. turning sublimibus in sublimioribus, and thereby pulling themselues out of temporall subiection, and setting them in a superlatiue degree aboue Princes absolutelie.
If wee consider the thing that stayed his comming,Antichrist is come. and the removing of it, wee shall finde that both Antichrist is come, and the Pope is hee. This is the Empyre of Rome, which the Apostle darklie insinuateth, aAiunt Apost hac sub tegumento verborumque involucris posuisse, &c. Otho Frisin. lib. 8 cap. 2 Servius in Virgilium.least he should stirre vp the Romans to a persecution for prophecying of a decay of the Empyre. They held Rome to bee eternall, and Capitolij immobile saxum: Imperium sine fine dedi; Roma vrbs aeterna, were the common titles of the …owne, and that forsooth, because when Traquinius wold hauehave built a Temple to Iupiter all the other gods yeelded to that great one, except Terminus and Iuventas, wherevpon their flattering Augurs bPlacuit Vatibus contumacia Nu minum. Flor. apud malved, de Ant. lib. 4 cap 9. Tertull Apol. cap. 32inferred that Rome should hauehave no end of her indurance, but floorish in a perpetuall youthly vigour. Liminum Deus abscedere noluit—Terminus cum Iove remanens aeternum urbi Imperium cum Religione significaret. That the primitiue Church tooke this for the Empyre, it is plaine by Tertullian. Wee pray (sayeth hee) for Emperours and the whole state of the Romane Empyre, because wee know that the great crueltie comming on all the world, and the last dayes that threatned horrible calamities, are stayed by the standing of the Romane Impyre.The Impyre is removed out of the way.
This was removed three speciall wayes. Frist by Constantine, who translated the Seat of the Impyre to Constantinople, Which translating Genebrard aNon sine, Let Numine—Vt regnū Ecclesiae—Romae haberet Sedem.calleth a worke of Gods providence, that the Kingdome of the Church spoken of by Daniel might hauehave a place at Rome. Wee grant it came of Gods providence, but not for the end that Genebrard assignes, but for a contraire, to fulfill the prophecie of Antichrist, and to provide him a place at Rome. And Rupertus bDiabolus locum aptum Antichristo novit. Ruper: Tuit. De Antichr. lib 4. cap. 10. Maximè congruebat—& citò pervios haberet populos pradicatio generalis. Leo. ser. 1, de nat Pet. & Pauli.beside Gods providence observeth also the craft of Sathan, in choosing Rome as a most fitte nest for hatching the mysterie of iniquitie. And Malvenda sayeth, plainely, That Rome is fallen in the hands of the Church. Next, the Barbarians weakened the Impyre; for when Constantine had taken away the Guard of the Impyre, the Legions that lay on the Rhyne and Danube, the Goths, Hunnes, Vandals, Her…l…, Longobards, &c. Come in as deludges vponupon the Impyre. Heere is a wonderfull change of Rome; Leo marketh it well, that it was most conducible to further the worke of the Gospel that many Kingdomes should bee confederate to one Impyre, that so the generall preaching of the Gospel might hauehave more sudden passage: But now that same Impyre must bee dissolved, to make way to Antichrist▪ that from that citie hee may the more fitlie send out his heresie and Apostasie.
Thirdlie, the Pope had an hand in that Removall of the Impyre, for what remained; hee broke downe by deposingThe Pope helped that Removall. Kings, and absolving their Subiects, &c. And it is worth our remarke, that their first Rebellion against the Emperour was for Images, which the Greeke Emperours in a godlie zeale had put out of Churches, as Onuphrius bPrimus Rom. Pont. &c. …mpr. Graeco. in nos resistere ausus fuit &c. Platin de vit Constant. p. 108.marketh that Constantine the Pope was the first that durst resist the Emperour Philippieus: And after him Gregorie the second cGregorius ma…ora ausus, Ita licum. Imperium …ure eripuit Ibid.was more bold, and cutted the Impyre of Italie from the Grecians. So idolatrie and rebellion began together, and when they had left God in the one, they forsook the Emperour in the other. But more fullie they weakened the▪ Impyre when Hildebrand and his followers brought in Excommunication, &c. And it is the Apostles phrase, speaking of the removall of the Impyre,2 Thessa. 2. 1 Cor. 5. that shall bee taken foreign out of the mids, And of the incestuous Corinthian to bee excommunicate, hee biddeth take him foreign. And Augustine aAugust. quaest in D…u 39observeth, that the Apostle borroweth that speach from Moses, and it hath a different sense in the olde and new Testament; in the old it signifieth to sacrifice, or slay, but in the New to excommunicate, and that excommunication now is come in place of killing. But Baronius bBaron. Paranes. ad Vene.Macta & manduca, kill and eate, hath brought the Evangelicke censure backe againe to the legall killing, and so everie way they helped the removing of the Impyre by excommunication, breaking the reverence of Emperours in the hearts of people, and by usurpation, beating them downe, and setting other Princes against them. Therefore Crantzius writting of Boniface the eight sitting in Imperialibus cryeth out, vides Petre Crantz Sax. 8. 93.successorem tuum: Vides Christe Vicarum tuum. Quo ascendit superbia servi servorum tuorum, Thou seest, O Peter, thy Successour, thou seest, O Christ thy Vicare.
Next, as they did cast it downe they exalted themselues;Popes exalt themselues. so the Pope is Emperour sede vacante, Though when the Popedome vaketh the Cardinals hauehave power, and when a Bishoprick vaketh the Chapter hath power, yet hee giveth not the like power to the Electors, in the …aking of the Impire: His consistorie of Cardinals is in place of the olde Senate, and so old Rome is casten in a new mould & the Monarchie turned in an Hierarchie, as the reward of his oppressing of the Monarchie. Bellarmine giveth vsus advantage cBellar. re c…g. pag. 47.in this point, where he granteth that the Pope of old was subiect to Emperors as to their temporall Lords—But the Popes authoritie is more and more declared. By this confession so long as Popes keeped Apostolick & primitiue Veritie they gaue obedience to Princes, but wh… they turned Apostaticke, they rebelled: And therefore this declaration of the Popes authoritie, wherof he speaketh, is nothing but the discovery of the mysterie of inquitie.That removell demonstrats Antichrists comming.
Among their Demonstrations to proue that Antichrist is not come, this is one. aSecunda demonstratio sumitur, &c. Bellar. Rom. Pont. lib. 3 c. 5.That the Romane Impyre is not altogether destroyed. Bellarmine granteth an inclination and decay of the Impyre. and that wee may see almost the vtter ruine of it, so in effect hee granteth that it is almost …uinate, but not altogether. This is all which wee craue, for wee vrge not a totall ruine of the Impyre, but such a decay as maketh way for Antichrists entrie. But Greizer cEgo Plessaeo suaserim—ut ipsemet Pragam vel Viemam &c. Grez Myst. Sal… u… proleg cap. 6. p 55.is more bold, and biddeth vsus goe to Prage and Vienne, and see whither or no the Romane Impyre bee decayed: (b) Quia Rom. Imp. de lendum erat id quod iam ferè &c. ibid. lib 2 cap. 7.But wee bid him goe to Rome, and see if hee finde a Romane Emperour there, either in person, power, or credite. For the Question is not of an Emperour of Vienne, but of Rome▪ of whom the Apostle writeth; and that his sending of vsus to Prage or Vienne, is a granting of our clame, that hee is no more Emperour of Rome: His strength now is in no part within these bounds that were Romane Provinces in the Apostles time; for then and some Ages following the Quadi, & Marcomanni, &c. were bordering enemies on the Impyre and no parts of it: Besides these Provinces that now hee possesseth, hee hath not as Emperour, but as a Prince of the Impyre: Austria is his hereditarie Duchie, and hee holdeth Boheme and Hungarie by intrusion, so that the Romane Impyre is but a poore foreign and a naked shadow.Martaes conceat of the Ensignes of the Impyre.
For curing this blow, Doctour Marta hath an odde conceate. After hee hath refuted. Alciat for affirming the Impyre to hauehave beene ruinate by the Goaths, &c. He would proue that it standeth, yet in full intergri…ie, first dIdentitas Imperatoris hodierni cum Antiquis pro batur, &c. Mart. Iuris. p. 1. c 2 n. 23because the titles and Ensignes of the olde Impyre are sufficient to proue the integritie of the Impyre: But that is a weake reason, for so the …atria…ks of Constantinople and Alexandria would be in their former integritie, because they keepe their …un…ient Titles: By the like reason also the Pope standeth in his former large iurisdiction, because he keepeth his titles, and Peters Keyes for his Armes. But they see the contraire heereof to their griefe, for hee wanteth more than the halfe of his auncient bounds; as may bee seene by his Provinciale Romanum, descryving the bounds of the Popes iurisdiction; and Catalogus Annatarum prescriving the summes received at the entrie of Prelats. As for Ensignes they overthrow their Assertion, the Emperour beareth the double Eagle in signe of the two Impyres, the Westerne seated in Rome, and the Easterne in Constantinople. But these proue the vanitie of his Title, for hee can doe nothing in Rome or Constantinople, or in anie Province of olde, pertaining to them: And though the Eagles bee now double, yet they cannot doe the twentie part of that that one might, when Marius first put it in the B…nners of the Legions.
His other reason is ridiculous, aConsiderā dum est Rom. ….—in universo …rbe consistere Ibid n. 26.That the Romane Impyre is the whole World, and that the Kingdomes of France And of the whole world.Spaine, &c. are quotitatiue parts of the Impyre, though no Subiect to the Impyre, bLicet Franci non subdantur Imp. sunt tamen pars Imperi… quotitativa Ibid cap. 20 … ▪ 26These are mockeries, and no reasons: For the Scripture telleth, that the ruine of the Impyre shall bee by its division in severall Kingdomes: But by his sophistrie it standeth intire, not withstanding of that division▪ And what an Emperor is he, that hath neither respect, nor obedience of Kings within his Impyre, who are both greate▪ and mightier than hee? cChristiani Reges Imperatore maioressūt Bellar▪ Rom Pont. l. 3▪ cap. 5.in so doing Martaes quotitatiue parts destroy the quidditie of his imaginarie vniversall Impyre. And by the same reason, the Assyrian, Persian, and Grecian, yea all the foure Monarchies yet stand in their integritie, because th…se Provinces and Lands over which they ruled are yet extant. And the Romane Impyre shall never decay till the last day, because th…se Provinces shall also continue till then. But Bellarmine in the heate of that same dispute overthowes Martaes conceate, affirming, Sciendum est imperium tandem divid…ndum in 10 Reges quorum nullus erit vel dicetur Rex Romanorum▪ that the Romane Impyre shall bee divided at last in ten Kings, whereof none shall bee or can bee called the King of the Romans, albeit they shall possesse the Provinces of the Romane Impyre: As now the King of France, the King Bellar ubi. supra.of Spaine▪ and the Queene of England, &c. Therefore th…se Kingdomes according to Bellarmine, are not quotitatiue parts of the standing, but the scattered parts of a dissolved Impyre.
Moreover both reason and their owne confession proue such a removall of the Impyre, as maketh way to Antichrist.Rome is not the Emperours. The reason is taken both from Rome, and her auncient respects. For Rome it selfe: It was the mother and seate of the Impyre, and so long as they were Emperours indeede, they either abode there, or had it subiect to them▪ But now the Emperour cannot doe so much in Rome as a Barron in a Village, for though hee were …rowned there, yet it is expresselie provided, aVnde dictus Imperator stare non debet in uroe nisi per Vnam noctem post suam consecra tionem, &c Provincial. Roman▪ in fine.that hee stay there but one Night after his Coronation, and thereafter goe vp to Mount Maurus, and shaking his hand, say, All that wee see are ours, and at our command And thereafter hee sendeth through all the World summoning all Barrons and Christian Princes, and Pagans, who ought to answere to him, &c. This is a ridiculous …tle of a …owne that will not lodge him, and the …i…ing of Iustinians wordes concerning an vniversall Impyre, fitteth him no more than Peters Name doeth the Pope; for the Pope hath nothing of …eter but his borrowed title; and the Emperour hath nought but the shadow of the Impyre. In first times the Pope non habuit potestatem in urbe ante tempora Vitaliani, sayeth their owne Rolevinck fas…. Temp 60…. But now wee may turne it. Imperator non habet potestatem in urbe, That the Emperour hath no power in the Towne. There is a manifest change of the Emperour removed, and the Pope seated in Rome. And in the late Ages the Emperors came never to Rome, but with great Armies; some times they tooke it by force: Other times they were surprysed in it as an evidente that they had no power of Rome. Lastlie, the wiser sort eschewed Rome as a snare. So Rudolph the first being invited by the Pope to come to Rome for the Imperiall Crowne, answered as Aesops Foxe did to the sicke Lyon, who requested her to come in the Caue and visit him, but shee refused, because shee saw the foote-steppes of many —Oli… quod vulpe… agro… caut a Leon…. &c.beastes entring the Caue, but none returned. So, many Emperours went to Rome with glorie, but returned with shame: Since Rome is now to Emperours as the Lyons Caue is to beastes, they cannot rightlie bee called Emperours of Rome. And Pope Iohn the thirteenth writting to the Emperour, did not style him Romane Emperour, which is sufficient to proue that they acknowledge no Emperour of Rome.
As for the auntient respects of the Impyre, if wee followThis Impyre nothing like the old. Lipsii admirandae aCopiis, Opibus Operibus, Viris…, & Virtutibus. Lipsii admiranda.in its Forces Riches, Works, Men and Vertues, it is weake, for in none of these can it compare with the auntient Impyre. The bounds also proue the same, for the Impyre of the Orient is taken by the Turkes, and the VVesterne Impyre destroyed by Odoazer in the time of Augstulus, and restored againe by Charles the great, is also turned to a shaddow: Bellarmine (b) hazards the issue of the question vponupon this instance affirming that God erected the VVesterne Impyre by Charles the great, which Impyre (sayeth hee) indureth yet, bIteru… Deus erexit in Occidente priorem tibia…; &c. Bellar. Rom. Lib. 3. cap. 5But this instance is sufficient to convict him, for Charles Impyre was betweene the Meditarrane and Balticke Sea, betweene Brittaine and Hungarie, whereof the present Emperour hath but a small part. And though in Maximilian the firsts time it was divided in tenne Provinces, yet was it but a small part of the auncient Impyre: In Constantines time▪ the Impyre lay betweene Brittaine and Persia in length, and in breadth betweene Caucasus and Syene, and hee divided them in 94. Provinces, whereof scarcelie one is within the present Impyre. And how farre is it from the power of the old Emperours, when Maximilian the second begging the Election to the Crowne of Pole, was repulsed, and taken in battell by an handfull of Polonians. And when Ferdinand that now is▪ ingaged the halfe of Austria to the Duke of Bavaria to assist him in the Bohemian warres, hee was farre from the riches and forcs of Augustus and Constantine, &c.The Impyre almost extinguished.
These and the like reasons hauehave forced from some of them a confession of the desolation of the Impyre. Ubi nunc Romana Monarchia? (sayeth Faber)—quam obsecro Roma Regi suo Monarchiae praebet obedientiam. Where is now the Romane Monarchie▪ Where are they that rule the raines, since wee see the head of the Monarchie make defection from them? For what obedience, I pray you, giveth Rome to her owne King? And Dominicus Soto aTemporale urbis Roman… Imperiū iam cessavit 4. apud. Vieg. Apoc. cap. 13affirmeth that the temporall Impyre of Rome is now ceased. And Paulus Iovius bPost quam Caesaris potentia face…s sit. &c Paul. Iov. lib▪ …. p. 16entring in his Historie, and recounting the Kings of Europe, hee raiseth them all from the ruines of the Impyre; for after that the power of the Emperours was dead, which some times by cutting off Kings, compelled all to obey one, and when the most fierce people in the louelove of their auncient libertie rebelled, it is manifest that the most noble Romane Impyre, beeing shaken and rent in pieces by the force of the Barbarians, went in the possession of manie lesser Kingdomes. And Salmeron sayeth, Imperium illud Romanum iam diu eversum est—& quafi exstinctum—tenuissima quaedam umbra est Imperii antiqui. The Impyre is long since overthrowne and dissipate in many Kingdomes, and in a sort Salmer. 2. Thess.extinguished. For hee that now is, and is called the Romane Emperour, is but a small shaddow of the Impyre. So that hee doeth not so much as possesse Rome it selfe from which it is named. And Iustinianus aVix tenuem quandam umbram …mp. retinet. Iustinian▪ ib id.another Iesuite. The Romane Impyre is long since driven in these straites, that scarcelie it retaines a light shadow of the Impyre. This confession is enough against their Wranglers. And they say no more but what was said long before by Lyra bI am a multis annis Impertum caruit Imperatore. Lyra ibid.All Kingdomes are departed from the Romane Impyre, and denyeth subiection and tribute, and for many yeares that Impyre wants an Emperour. And Eberhardus cImperator vana appellat…o est & sola umbr… ▪ Avēntin▪ lib. 5.before him telleth, that the Maiestie of the people of Rome, whereby of olde the world was ruled, is taken from the Earth: And the Emperour is but a vaine title and a naked shaddow.
By this their discoverie, we turne their demonstration against themselues, and hauehave evicted both that Antichrist is come, and that the Pope is that Antichrist: For since theAntichrist is come, & the Pope is hee. Impyre is removed out of the way, first by Emperours, then by Barbarians, and thirdlie by the Pope (who hath thrust himselfe in the desolate Impyre, as the reward of his vsurpation) What can follow, but that hee is that man of sin, that exalteth himselfe aboue authoritie. And this one point of Antichrist may resolue all the questions betweene them and vsus. For it is an infinite labour, to cast over all the Controversies, but this one virtuallie hath all: Some hauehave thought to bee resolved of all by the Question of Scripture, because it containes the places of arguments: Others from the question of the Church, because of her authoritie, &c. But this one of the Pope hath all, because hee is both Church, Scripture, and all to them, dDe quare agitur, cum de primatu Ponficis agitur? &c Bellar de Pon Rom. prafat.and when it is clearlie proven that he is that Antichrist, it will follow necessarlie, that in all questions controverted they hauehave the worst part. So that the point of Antichrist proponed by the Apostles mysticallie, and knowne by the first Ages coniecturallie; by the doctrine and practice of Rome, is made now so cleare, that wee may say with reverend Iuell, Multi quidem loci de Antichristo obscuri erant—iam verò Ecclesiae Romanae doctrina & institutis effectum est ut quibus oculi non desunt ne Sol ipse clarior Iuel. defens. Apol cap. 16. pag 357.fiet. Though many places of Scripture concerning Antichrist were of olde, obscure and ambiguous, because as then it appeared not to what policie they should apply them. Yet now by the doctrine and practice of the Church of Rome, it is come to passe that the Sunne himselfe is not clearer, to such as want not eyes. For which cause the Pope, when hee aIn Concil. Lateranen—nequis de Antichristi &c. I vell ibid.saw that his person & estimation was touched by the things that were spoken of Antichrist, he discharged straitlie all Preachers, that none of them should so much as surmise any thing of the comming of Antichrist. This is nothing else, but secret conviction that the notes of Antichrist appertaine to him. And that same Leo the tenth, bTempus quoque—prae dicere vel as serere nequaquaquam pr… sumant. Leo. 10. Ann. 1516 Concil. Lateran▪ S…ss. 11. apud …in▪ tom 4 par. p. 2 1 12more fullie in his Bull discharges that same the yeare preceeding Luthers kything.
Therefore it galleth them at the heart to call the Pope Antichrist, and Maximilian Duke of Bavere, tooke occasion thereof to dissolue a Dispute at Ratisbone cAnn…. 1600betweene the Theologues of Saxonie, and the Iesuits of Bavere: Hee saw his Iesuits failing in the matter, whileThe mention of Antichrist gnaweth them. they cryed continuallie, ad formam, ad formam, and sought but a colour to breake the Dispute. And when Hunnius occasionallie called the Pope Antichrist, he fretted and discharged any further proceeding. Baronius dLe vissimi & sordidissimi Novatores &c, Baron. 867. n. …6.railes against vsus in vaine for that same cause, saying, that the vile Novators vse reproachfull names and pictures, to the disgrace of the Apostolicke Sea, but they neede not, for the Pope endeth the plea, and bee vsurping on Princes, exalting himselfe aboue them, and putting them out of the way by excommunication and tyrannie, giveth a iust Commentar of the Apostles words & proclaimeth himselfe to be that great Antichrist, hee expresseth more vyle lineaments than the Protestants can attribute vntounto him. And it was the prime question that the Emperours Commissioners for the reformation, or rather the deformation of Germanie, proponed to the Preachers of Augsburgh. To declare if they counted the Bishop of Rome to bee Antichrist—adh…ret capiti lethalis arundo. The deadlie dart of their discoverie hath wounded their head grievouslie, that they can not heare of it.