8vo. [8], 259pp, [1]. Later panelled calf, tooled in gilt and blind, contrasting black calf lettering-piece. Lightly rubbed, spine dulled. Light marginal dampstaining to foot of text-block, manuscript index to verso of title page referencing the occasional Latin annotations in an early hand.

A revised and extended edition of physician and religious controversialist John Bastwick's (1595?- 1654) first published work; a vehement refutation of Catholicism and the authority of the papacy.

Bastwick refutes that Christ constituted St. Peter as supreme head of the Catholic Church, and as such questions whether the Pope as Bishop of Rome (if indeed he is a Bishop at all) has authority over his fellow Christians. He concludes, with scriptural evidence, that neither the Pope nor any Catholic Bishop are true Bishops.

First published at Leiden in 1624, Bastwick's anti-Catholic polemic, along with his association with radical Alexander Leighton, led to his arrest. He was brought before the High Commission for sentencing, fined £1,000, banned from medical practice, and excommunicated. His books were burned.