A defence of the Apology of the Church of England containing an answer to…A defence of the Apologie of the Churche of Englande conteininge an answeare to…

Now to prove unto you, that^* S. Sylvester assented to the calling of the first Council at Nice, it is to be considered, that he only hath authority to ratify, who hath authority to command, and to give assent and strength from the beginning. For none other difference is between commanding, assenting, authorizing, and ratifying, but that assenting is common to them all, commanding is a thing that goeth before the fact, authorizing is the making of a thing good by present agreeing to it, whiles it is done, ratifying is the allowing of it, when it is done. If then I show, both that the Pope did ratify the calling of the general Councils, and authorize them: I show much more that he assented to the calling of them. The authorizing is proved, by reason he sent his Legates to every of them. As^‡ S. Sylvester sent Osius Cordubensis of the province of Spain unto Nice, with Victor and Vincentius, Priests of the City of Rome. Of which the last two, being them selves no Bishops, yet for that they were Legates of the chief Bishop, did in^* the first place put unto the decrees of that council their consent and names, writing after thus sort: Pro venerabili vito Papa & Episcopo nostro Syluestro subscripsimus: We have subscribed for the reverent man our Pope and Bishop Sylvester. And at the very^‡ same time, that the general council was kept at Nice, S. Sylvester called an other Council in Rome, at the which two hundred seventy and five Bishops were assembled. And it is expressly written in the same Council, Sylvester collegit universam Synodum Episcoporum cum consilio Augusti, vel matris eius: Syluester gathered together the whole Synod of the Bishops with the Counsel of the^* Emperor or * his mother. Why his counsel was needful, it appeareth there. Because the Emperor bare the charges of their diet, and carriage. So that his counsel was necessary, not chiefly for Religion, but rather for supportation of the charges of so great a journey. For then neither was the Bishop of Rome, nor other Bishops endowed with so large possessions, as they were afterward.