Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated including the chief part…

Answ. The easiest things are strange to Men that never learnt them; it's pity that it should be true, that Lactantius and other Ancients, yea, Austin himself were ignorant of the Antipodes; but yet they had more Modesty than to hereticate and excommunicate them that affirmed it. Few Bishops had much Philosophy then. Origen and Apollinaris that were most Philosophical, had been hereticated and disgraced it. Clemens and Tatianus sped not much better. Councils had forbid Bishops to read the Books of Heathens. Austin had a truly Philosophical head, being the Father of School-Divinity; but he was [Greek or Hebrew], and had little from his Teachers. You may see in a great Hereticater Philastrius, ¹what they thought then of the course of the Sun, by what he saith of the Stars: As it was one Heresy to call the Star• by the names of living Creatures, so it was another to deny that the Stars were Luminaries arbitrarily moved; that by Angels were set out at night to light the World, and at morning retired inwards, or were taken into their place again, as Men set out lights to the street at night, and take them in again. I confess that no General Council declared this, (as they have done worse things;) but you see what kind of Men were hereticated by Pope Zechariah, St. Boniface, and St. Philastrius, and such Bishops; and how little it signifieth in such Writers, whether you read a Man called a Saint, or a Sinner; an Orthodox Catholic, or Nefandissimus Haereticus, as they use to speak: I speak it only of such Men.

Answ. The easiest things are strange to Men that never learnt them; it's pity that it should be true, that Lactantius and other Ancients, yea, Austin himself were ignorant of the Antipodes; but yet they had more Modesty than to hereticate and excommunicate them that affirmed it. Few Bishops had much Philosophy then. Origen and Apollinaris that were most Philosophical, had been hereticated and disgraced it. Clemens and Tatianus sped not much better. Councils had forbid Bishops to read the Books of Heathens. Austin had a truly Philosophical head, being the Father of School-Divinity; but he was 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, and had little from his Teachers. You may see in a great Hereticater Philastrius, ¹what they thought then of the course of the Sun, by what he saith of the Stars: As it was one Heresie to call the Star by the names of living Creatures, so it was another to deny that the Stars were Luminaries arbitrarily moved; that by Angels were set out at night to light the World, and at morning retired inwards, or were taken into their place again, as Men set out lights to the street at night, and take them in again. I confess that no General Council declared this, (as they have done worse things;) but you see what kind of Men were hereticated by Pope Zachary, St. Boniface, and St. Philastrius, and such Bishops; and how little it signifieth in such Writers, whether you read a Man called a Saint, or a Sinner; an Orthodox Catholick, or Nefandissimus Haereticus, as they use to speak: I speak it only of such Men.