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

Most or many of them are thanks to Charles for giving St. Peter so many great Cities and Dukedoms, and Exhortations to him to continue his bounty. By their ordinary language you would not suspect any Selfishness, Pride or Covetousness in the Popes; it is but for St. Peter that they desire all.

§ 48. In his Epistle to Constantine and Irene, (the Child and Mother) to entice them to be for Images, he tells a fabulous Story^* of a Vision of Constantine's sending him to Sylvester as his Guide, to be baptized of him, and to be thereby cured of a Leprosy: It was Peter and Paul that appeared to him; and he asked Sylvester whether there were left any Images of Peter and Paul, which he affirmed, and showed him their Pictures; and the Emperor cried out, These are the Men that appeared to me. And part of their Message to him was, that he should bring all the world into the subjection of the Church of Rome.] Was not here a strong Argument to a Woman and a Child to be for the Pope and for Images, contrary to current History, (that tells us Constantine was baptized at Nicomedia a little before his death;) and without any credible proof. Thus the Papal Rome was built. When Adrian had given away the Western Empire to Charles, yet he thus flattereth a Woman and Child in the East, as if he had done them no wrong at all. ⟨p. 223⟩§ 49. Paul Bishop of Const. having sworn against Images, and repenting, is said to resign his place, and to tell them that they must have a General Council; and Tarasius succeeding him, being for Images, got a promise of a Council. It seems by their Epistles, though they agreed about Images, Pope Adrian and this Tarasius accused each other as suspected of Simony, see Bin. p. 262. and the Epistles. Irene knew that Tarasius was for her turn, and Tarasius knew that Irene was for Pictures; and so between them common notice was given abroad before-hand to the Bishops, (that lately had condemned Image-worship,² and pulled them down) that the Empress and the Patriarch were for restoring Images, and would call a Council to that end: and this was enough to prepare the majority of the Bishops for a sudden change.