The second reply of Thomas CartwrightThe second replie of Thomas Cartwright

Beside this / speaking off the orders in the church in his times / he reckoneth up deacons, archdeacons, elders, archelders, ⟨p. DXCVIII⟩and bishops. If there had been any Archbishops where he was / or he had allowed of any: there could never have been so fit a place to have spoken off him / considering that his purpose was / to show those degrees which were. Seeing therefore he maketh no mention off him: it is apparent that there was none / or that he allowed off none. Moreover he putteth this difference between ¹the Montanists / and the Catholics: that Catholics had their bishops as the successors off the apostles, giving unto them the first place: but the Montanist heretics had in the first and chiefest place Patriarchs, in the second certain which they called Cenones, so that the Bishop with them / occupied but the third. Now if the bishop was the highest degree in the catholic church / and if to have a Patriarch (which the D. saith is all one with a Metropolitan, and Archbishop) over the bishop / was in Jeromes judgement worthy off this reproach: I leave it to the readers judgement / what was Jeromes opinion off the office off an Archbishop: and whether the same blot which he marked in the rout off Montanists / be not in our church / where there is above the bishop both a Patriarch off England / and a Patriarch off all England. But because the D. will not suffer him self to be bound with any cords but off authority: I will annex his authority / off whom he would seem to have borrowed the greatest pillar off the Archbishop. Musculus therefore after he had alleged the sentence off Jerome to Evagr. off equality off the Bishop off Rome / and Eugubium / &c. concludeth thus: Jerome ²when he wrote that, did not think off the power off the patriarchs, metropolitans, and primacy off the bishop off Rome: but esteemed that unto every bishop, did belong the same care, and power in his own church.

Beside this / speaking off the orders in the churche in his times / he reckenethe vp deacons, archdeacons, elders, archelders, ⟨p. DXCVIII⟩and bishops. If there had bene any Archbishops where hē was / or he had alowed of anie: there coulde neuer haue bene so fit a place to haue spoken off him / considering that his purpose was / to shew those degrees which were. Seing therefore he maketh no mention off him: yt is apparant that there was none / or that he alowed off none. Moreouer he putteth this difference betwene