360 Church-Hiory of Bifhops and " handled a Legate of the Roman Church, and believed fal!hood rather °°.than truth. Of which that he may worthily make fatisfa&ion to God -f and Sr. Peter, as he bathdifgraced our Legate, fo let him by due hu- mility and condign Reverence, make himfelf commendable and devour. " For we think meet to lrgnifie to him by you, that we will excommu- " nicate him if he correct not his fault, and will folicite all the faithful in the parts ofSpain to his confufion : And if they be notobedient to " my command, -I will not think much to travel into Spain my felf, and "thereto endeavour dura et afpera, Things hard andfharp againfl him as "anenemy of theChriftian Religion.] O brave Pope ! had not there men « a notable Knack or hap that could fit and talk down Emperors, and Kings, and fubdue and difpofe ofKingdoms, by fitting at home and talk- ing big, and telling them that St. Peter was angry with them ? And who was this King but the great Alfonfus, to whom he writeth himfelf, Epift. 3.. to put away his evil counfellors,and hearken in all things to the Popes, Legate, Richard ? § S3. Epift. 6. 1. 8. He commandeth Souldiers to help Michael the Emperor of Conftanì againft the Ufurper, to make himfelf judge, and get an intereft again in the Empire But in vain. § 54 He declareth that divers Princes having fworn and promifed him help, he refalved to come with an Army to recover Ra- venna to the Church. Epift.S. He rejoyceth that they had newly found St. Matthew's body, andbids them now take him joyfully for their patron. Thefe are the grounds ofPopifh ftiperftition : The body of St. Matthew that preached o to the Abaffnes in another part of the world,is found at Salerno in Italy, a thoufand years after he is dead. O that one knew how to be Cure that it was his body,and how it came thither ! Divers fuch findings they glo- ry in. § 55. Epic.-ao. He writeth to Orzoceses Prince of Calaris or Sardi- nia, to require him as a note ofhis obedience to St. Peter and concord with the Church ofReme, whole ufe it is, to let his Arch- Bifhop (have e his Beard, and to command all the Clergy ofhis dominion to (have their Beards; and ifthey obey not, to force themto ir, or exclude them. And to be lure of fuccefs he lets him know, (how truly I know not) that many Princes importuned him to give them leave to invade his Conn- trey, but (this righteous ruling Pope) denied leave to them all, till he bad tryed whether be would obey him, which if he would do, he would not only deny them leave to invade him, but alloprotect him. Reader, think here. i. Whether Princes held not their kingdoms loofely when they where to lofe them if they obeyed not the Pope in fo (mall a thing as the {having ofaPriefts Beard.2.Whether it were not a hard thing for theCatholick Churchthen to have concord, when fo (mall a difference t as the/having or notfhaving of Beards were put into their terms of Uni- on
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