¶ Of the sumarye and generall intencyon of the thynges whiche shal be treated and spoken of in this worke, and of the cause of the intencyon, and purpose, and of the dyuysyon of the boke,

¶ Of the pryncypall questyons to be determyned in this boke / and the distynccy on and assygnacyon of the dyuerse sygnyfycacions of this worde Regnum.

¶ The thyrde Chapytre.

¶ Of the fynall cause or ende of a cytie or cyuyle cōmunytie / and of the distinccy¦on in generall of the partes therof.

¶ Of the dystynccyon and assygnacion of the partes of a Cytie or cyuyle cōmu¦nytie / and of the necessytie that suche partes shulde be, and also that they shulde be dystyncte and separated one from an other for an ende possyble to be assygned by mannes inuencyon.

¶ Of the fynall cause of a certayne parte of a cytie or cyuyle cōmunytie, that is to wytte the offyce of preestes / whiche cause maye be proued by the tradycyon or imdyate relacyon and scrypture of god: but it is impossyble to be proued by man∣nes reason.

¶ Of the other kyndes of causes both of the beynge, and also of the seperacyon and dystynccyon of the offyces & partes of a cytie / and of the dyuysyon of euery kynde by two maners apperteynynge to the present purpose.

¶ Of the. ii. generall kyndes of Regymentes / that is to wyt de Regimine temperato et viciato of the temperat gouernaūce & the corrupte go∣uernaunce / and of the dyuysyon of them in to the more spe∣cyall kyndes conteyned vnder them.

¶ Of the maners of instytutynge regall monarchie / and of the assygnacyon of the perfeccyon therof / & of the maners also of Instytutynge other Regy∣mentes, polities or gouernaunces bothe temperate and vitiate.

¶ Of the dystynctyon or dyuersyte, and the assygnacyon of the syg∣nyfycacyons of this nowne lex / and of the moste propre sygnyfy¦cacyon of this worde, & whiche is intended & ment in this boke.

¶ Of the necessyte of makynge lawes takynge this worde in his moste proper sygnyfycacyon / and that it is expedyent, no Prynce or gouernour be he neuer so moche vertuous & ryghtu ous: to gouerne without lawes.

¶ Of the effectyue cause of the lawes of man / both of that cause, whiche maye be proued by demon¦stratyue sillogysme: and also that cause, whiche can not be proued by demon∣stracyon / whiche thyng is nought elles, but to serche out the lawe maker.

¶ Of certayne obieccyons that maye be made agaynst the contentes of the chapytre last afore gone, and of the solucyon of the sayd obieccyons and more large manyfestacyon or decla∣racyon of the present purpose.

¶ Of the qualytes and dysposycyons or properties belon¦gynge to a perfyte gouernour to y^• ende y^t it maye be knowen, what maner of persone a prynce or go¦uernour ought to be, and of what qua∣lyte / wherof also it appereth, what is the conuenyent mater or sub∣iecte (as they call it) of the lawes of man.

¶ How y^t prynce in a cōmunyte & kyngdome is as the herte in a sen∣syble creature / & y^e without a kynge or prynce no cōmunytie or kyngdome can stande / & partly of a prynces duetye.

¶ That is most expedyent to the cōmune weale, to haue onely one certayne man to be prynce or gouernour, hym selfe with all his posteryte / whiche they call cōmunelye the successyon of kyn¦red or blode,

¶ Howe it is necessary that there ben but one prynce, kynge, or heed gouernoure in a cyuyle cōmunytie, vnto whome all other heddes and offycers must be obedyent and subiectes.

chapter 18

¶ Of the causes whiche maketh trāquyllyte, or vnquyetnes in a cy∣tie or realme / & of the cause whiche troubleth realmes / & of y^e cōtynuacyō or ioynynge togyther of y^e fyrst dycciō or pte of this worke, vnto y^e seconde parte of the same,

¶ Of thre Impedymentes, maners and wayes, to contrarye & saye agaynst the veryties, contayned in this dyccyon / of the intencyon of the thynges whiche here shall be treated of, and of the maner and forme of procedynge.

¶ Of the dyuerse sygnyfycacyons, of the nownes or dyccy¦ons and wordes, of the whiche, the questyons here be determyned, or made.

¶ Of the oracles and auctorytes of y^e holy scrypture, and certayne other argumentacyons, by whiche it semeth that it may be pro¦ued that bysshoppes or preestes, in that they be such ma¦ner persons: ought of dewtye to haue powre & iu∣rysdyccyon coactyue, yea without the graūte of any temporall prynce or maker of lawes / & y^t the hyghest of all such iurysdicciōs, is dewe to y^e bys¦shop of Rome called the pope.

¶ Of the canonycall scryptures, of the cōmaundementes, counsay∣les, and examples of chryste, and of the holy and approued exposycy¦ons of the lawe of the gospell: by the whiche it is shewed euydently, that neyther the bysshop of Rome, or any other bysshop or preest, ney¦ther any persone of the clargye, maye by the vertue of the wordes of scrypture, chalenge, or ascrybe any maner coactyue domynyon or contentyouse iurysdyccyon at all, to them selues, ouer any clarke, or laye man / moche lesse then they can not chalenge the hyghest domy∣nyon or iurysdyccyon of al / and howe by the example and counsayle of chryste, they ought to refuse suche maner domynyon or iurysdyccy¦on, namely in the cōmunytyes of chrysten men, yf it were offe∣red or gyuen to them, by hym that had auctoryte so to do. And agayne, that all bysshoppes, & indyfferently all that are nowe called clarkes, ought to be vnderneth the coactyue iudgemēt, go∣uernaunce & rule of y^e temporall prynce, namely beynge chry¦stened prynce or go∣nernoure

¶ Of the canonycall oracles, or textes of the apostles, and the expo¦sycyons of sayntes, and holy doctours: by whiche the same thynge is openly proued whiche was proued by the chapytre laste afore gone.

¶ Of the auctorytye and powre of the keyes, gyuen to preestes / and what maner of powre, the preeste or bysshoppe hathe, in excōmunycatynge of any persone.

¶ Of the dyuysyon of the dedes of men and howe they are re∣ferred to the lawe of man, and to the iudge seculare.

¶ Of the relacyon and respecte of mannes dedes or workes vnto the lawe of god, & to the iudge of the other worlde / that is to wytte to chryste / and also howe the same dedes ar compared to the teacher of the same lawe / that is to wytte, the bysshoppe or preeste in this worlde.

¶ Of the coactyue iudge of heretykes, that is to wytte, to whome it appertayneth to iudge them in this world, to punysshe them by personall or reall punysshementes, & to whome or whose vse or behole these ought to be applyed or put vnto.

¶ Of certayne sygnes, testymonyes, and examples, aswell of the ca∣nonycall as of the seculare scrypture: by whiche it is shewed that to be true which hath ben determyned in y^e. iiii. the. v. the. viii. y^e. ix. & y^e. x. chapytres, of this dyccyon concernynge the state of bysshop∣pes & generally of preestes, and why, & wherfore chryste hath seperated the state of them / that is to wyt, the state of pouertie / from the state of prynces or gouernours.

¶ Of the dystynccion, of certayne wordes, very necessarye for the determynacyon of the questyons, aboute the state of most hyghe and perfyte pouertie.

chapters 13-14

¶ Of the deuysyon of the offyce of preestes, that is to say preesthode by essencyall, and accydentall auctoryte / by seperable & in se∣perable auctoryte, And that, in the essencyall dygnyte a preeste is not inferyor to a bysshop / but onely in auctoryte accydentall.

¶ Howe the apostles were egall, in what soeuer offyce or dygny∣te was gyuen to them by chryste imedyatlye / wherof, that is proued: whiche was sayd in the last chapytre afore gone concernynge the egalyte of theyr successours / and howe all bysshoppes, are indyfferentlye the successours of what soeuer apostle.

¶ Of the auctoryte of instytutynge bysshoppes, to whome it dothe appertayne and belonge, and also of instytutynge other cura∣tes / & the other mynysters of the churche, as touchynge to both dignyt{is} or offyc{is}, seperable & vnseperable.

¶ Of the begynnynge, & fyrst state of the chrystyane church / & howe and by what meane, the bysshop of Rome, and the churche of Rome, hathe taken the aforesayd auctoryte & a certayne prymacye or superyoryte vnto them selues, aboue and vpon other bysshoppes and churches.

¶ Of a certayne preamble, necessary to be had, that is to wyt y^t fayth and credence is to be gyuen onely to the scryptures of god, & not to the pure doctryne of any auncyent doctoure.

chapters 20-22

¶ Of the dyuerse maners or sygnyfycaciōs, after which, ful∣nes of powre maye be taken / and after what maner and ordre / the bysshop of Rome hath taken these vnto hym / and breyfly, & generallye / after what maner and fascyon he hathe vsed & dothe vse them.

¶ Howe and after what maner the bysshop of Rome hathe vsed the prymacye taken vpon hym, and the fulnes of powre, in spe∣cyall within the ecclesyastycall lymytes, or the orderynge of preestes.

¶ Howe and after what maner the bysshop of Rome hathe vsed the aforesayd maners of fulnes of powre, inespecyall without the ecclesiastical lymytes / towardes laye men and to¦wardes cyuyle or temporall thynges.

¶ Nowe the bysshop of Rome hath vsed the same fulnes of powre, more specyallye, agaynste the empe∣roure, and the empyre of Rome.

¶ Of certayne obieccyons or reasons, that maye be made a∣gaynst the thynges determyned in the. xv. chapytre, and the other chapytres consequentlye folowynge, of this present dyccyon.

¶ Of y^t answers to be made vnto y^e aforesayd obiecciōs or reasōs.

¶ Of the solucyon of the obieccyons, brought in of the scryp∣tures in the thyrde chapytre of this seconde parte to shewe or proue, that coactyue iurysdyccion doth belonge to bysshoppes, in that they are bysshops, and that the hyghest coactyue iurysdyccyon dothe belonge to the bysshoppe of Rome.

¶ Of the solucyon of the reasons or argumentes, brought in, in the same thyrde chapytre also, for the same purpose / and of the translacyon of the romayne empyre, & of any other empyre or domynyon, as moch as may be and ought to be done accordynge to ryght reason.

¶ Of the rehersall, & callyng to remembraunce agayne, of the thyn∣ges pryncypally intended and determyned in the fyrste and seconde dyccyon / and of a certayne sequele, and necessa¦ry folowynge, whiche the thynges that shalbe spo∣ken in this boke: haue vnto the thynges whiche haue ben sayd in the dyccyons aforegoynge.

¶ Of the clere and euydent inferrynge of certayne conclusyons necessarely folowyng of these thynges, whiche haue ben deter¦myned in the. ii. fyrst dyccyons or partes of this boke / by the attencyon and dylygent markyng of which conclusyons prynces or gouernoures, and also theyr subiectes may the sooner: and the more easely, attayne the ende purposed and entended by this boke.