A reply to an answer made of M. Doctor Whitgifte Against the admonition to…A replye to an ansvvere made of M. Doctor VVhitgifte Against the admonition to…

And what could have been more fit to have confuted the large dominion and superiority of our realm / then that that Jerome saith / when he appointeth the bishops sea in an uplandish town / or in a pore village or hamlet / declaring thereby that in every town there was a bishop / and that the bishop that he speaketh of / differeth nothing at all from an elder / but that the bishop had the ordaining of the ministers / whereupon it doth appear (which I promised to show) that by this place of Jerome / there is neither name of archbishop / nor so much as the shadow of his authority / and that the bishops which are now / have besides the name / no similitude almost with the bishops that were in Jeromes time / as for his reason / ad Luciferanos, it is the same which he hath / ad Evag. and to Titus / and is already answered.

And what could haue bene more fit to haue confuted the large dominion and superiority of our realme / then that that Ierome sayth / when he appoynteth the byshops sea in an vplandishe towne / or in a pore village or hamlet / declaring therby that in euery towne there was a byshop / and that the bishop that he speaketh of / differeth nothing at all from an elder / but that the byshop had the ordaining of the ministers / whervpon it doth appeare (which I promised to shew) that by this place of Ierome / there is neither name of archbyshop / nor so much as the shadow of his authority / and that the byshops whych are now / haue besides the name / no similitude almost with the byshops that were in Ieromes time / as for his reason / ad Luciferanos, it is the same whych he hath / ad Euag. and to Titus / and is already answeared.

What is that to the purpose / that Chrysostom saith / there must be degrees? who denieth that there are degrees of functions? we confess there is / and ought to be a degree of pastors / an other of doctors / the third of those which are called elders / the fourth of deacons. And where he saith / there should be one degree of bishop / another of a minister / an other of the lay man / what proveth that for the office of an archbishop / which is your purpose to show? how often times must you be called ad Rhombum? And that he meaneth nothing less / then to make any such difference between a bishop and a minister / as is with us / which you would fain make your reader believe / I will send you to Chrysostom / upon the third chapter. 1. ep. to Timothy / where he sayeth: The office of a bishop differeth little or nothing from an elders / and a little after / that a bishop differeth nothing from an elder or minister / but by the ordination only. Still M. doctor goeth forward in killing a dead man / that is / in confuting that / which all men condemn / and proving that which no man denieth / that there must be superiority amongst men / and that equality of all men a like / confoundeth all / and overthroweth all.