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…

Now if you will also consider how much the Lordship / pomp / and stateliness of the bishops in our days / differ from the simplicity of them in times past / I will give you also a taste thereof / if first of all I show the beginning / or as it were the fountain whereupon the pomp grew / which was / when in stead of having a bishop in every parish and congregation / they began to make a bishop of a whole diocese / and of a thousand congregations.

Now if you will also consider how much the Lordship / pompe / and statelines of the byshops in our dayes / differ from the simplicity of them in times past / I will geue you also a taste thereof / if first of all I shewe the beginning / or as it were the fountaine wherevpon the pompe grewe / whych was / when in steade of hauing a byshop in euery parishe and congregation / they began to make a bishop of a whole diocese / and of a thousand congregations.

In an epistle of ʒacharie unto Pope Boniface / it is thus written: it hath ¹been oftentimes decreed / that there should not be a bishop appointed in every village or little city / least they should wax vile through the multitude: whereby it both appeareth / that there was wont to be a bishop in every parish / and upon how corrupt and evil consideration one bishop was set over a whole diocese. No doubt those that were authors of this / had learned too well our old proverb / the fewer the better cheer / but the more bishops the merrier it had been with Gods people. And they might with as good reason hinder the sun from shining in all places / & the rain from falling upon all grounds / for fear they should not be set by / being common / as to bring in such a wicked decree / whereby ⟨p. 124⟩under pretence of delivering the bishop from contempt / they sought nothing else but an ambitious and stately Lordship over those which had not that title of bishop that they had / although they did the office of a bishop better then they did. And what intolerable presumption is this / to change the institution of God / as though he which ordained not one only / but some number more or less of bishops in every church / did not sufficiently foresee / that the multitude and plenty of bishops could breed no contempt of the office. And it may be as well ordained that the children of pore men should not call them that begat them / fathers and mothers / but only the children of the rich / and of noble / least that if every man that hath children / should be called a father / fathers should be set nothing by. And here let us observe by what degrees and stairs Satan lifted the child of perdition unto that proud title of universal bishop. First / where the Lord did ordain that there should be divers pastors / elders / or bishops in every congregation / Satan wrought first that there should be but one in every church: this was no doubt the first step. Afterwards he pushed further / and stirred up divers not to content them selves to be bishops of one church / but to desire to be bishops of a diocese / whereunto although it seemeth that there was resistance (in that it is said that it was decreed often) yet in the end this wicked attempt prevailed / and this was an other step.