A67922:608
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol.…Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol.…
Acts and monuments of matters most special and memorable, happening in the Church. [vol. 1] with an universal history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitive age to these latter times of ours, with the bloody times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions against the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperors, as now lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realm of England and Scotland. Newly revised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time again published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the help of Christ our Lord) John Fox, which desireth thee good reader to help him with thy prayer.Actes and monuments of matters most speciall and memorable, happenyng in the Church. [vol. 1] with an vniuersall history of the same, wherein is set forth at large the whole race and course of the Church, from the primitiue age to these latter tymes of ours, with the bloudy times, horrible troubles, and great persecutions agaynst the true martyrs of Christ, sought and wrought as well by heathen emperours, as nowe lately practised by Romish prelates, especially in this realme of England and Scotland. Newly reuised and recognised, partly also augmented, and now the fourth time agayne published and recommended to the studious reader, by the author (through the helpe of Christ our Lord) Iohn Foxe, which desireth thee good reader to helpe him with thy prayer.
London: printed by John Daye, 1583London: printed by Iohn Daye, 1583
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Likewise the word praecurrere, that is, to run before other in the Epistle of Pelagius, 1declareth that John sought not to be bishop alone, but Bishop universal. We say not that a man runneth before another, when he runneth alone, and no man followeth him, that is not properly praecurrere, but solus curer. Moreover, in seeking to be superior to other bishops, he seeketh not to take away other Bishops, but to make other bishops inferior to him. For where no inferior is, there can be no superior, forasmuch as these together are correlatives, & infer necessary respect mutually. And if it were true as this Glosser saith, that he had sought to be bishop alone, how would that Council either ⟨p. 14⟩have granted that unto him, or have offered it to the Bishop of Rome before? or if they had, how could it be possible for him alone to serve all Churches, without any fellow Bishop to help him? And where this foresaid clerk standeth so much upon the words of S. Gregory: Solus Episcopus Gregory therefore shall expound Gregory, and one Solus shall declare another. Wherefore if this divine (whatsoever he be Doctor or Bachelor) either knoweth not, or would learn, what (only Bishop) meaneth in this place: an other place of the said Gregory may instruct him, where Gregory writing to Eulogius, 2Patriarch of Alexandria, giveth this reason, why he refused the same title offered to him (which then was offered to the said John Patriarch of Constantinople) saying: Quia videlicet si unus Patriarcha universalis dicitur, Patriarcharum nomen coeteris derogatur, sed absit hoc. &c. That is to say: For if one alone would be called Patriarch universal, then should the name of Patriarchs be derogated from all other. &c. Whereby two things are to be noted: First what thing it was which the Patriarch of Constantinople did seek, for Gregory here findeth no other fault, but with the same which was given to John, which was to be called Patriarch universal. The second thing to be noted, is the cause why Gregory did rebuke this title, both given to John, and offered to him, because (sayeth he) if one take upon him the name of universal Patriarch, then is the name Patriarch taken from the rest. As who would say: if I should take upon me to be named universal Patriarch, then should there be no other Patriarchs but I should be Bishop Patriarch alone.