John 3:30

Preliminaries

• TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Lapide applies the Baptist's words to Van der Burch's rising ecclesiastical career and his own diminishing role

  "But what Saint John the Baptist said of Christ — 'He must increase, but I must decrease' — this I long foresaw concerning your Most Illustrious Lordship and myself"