Engine had his Head parted from his body Some conceived they saw God's finger in the Womans hand that because the greater part of his cruelty lighted on the weaker Sex for he had buried the Lady La Vaur alive respecting neither her Sex nor Nobility a Woman was chosen out to be his Executioner He dyed even then when the Pope and three Councils of Vaur Lateran and Montpelier had pronounced him Son Servant favourite of the Faith the invincible defender thereof Among other of his stiles he was Earl of Leicester in England and Father to Simon Montfort the Cataline of this Kingdom See Camden in Leicester-shire also in Worcester-shire who under pretence of curing this Land of some grievances had killed it with his Physick had he not been killed himself in the battle of Evesham in the Reign of King Henry the third Here ended the storm of open War against the Albigenses though some great drops fell afterward And the Pope grew sensible of many mischiefs in prosecuting this people with the Holy War Perin de Albigensib li. 2. ca. 4. Three hundred thousand of these croised Pilgrims lost their lives in this expedition within the space of fifteen years so that there was neither City nor Village in France but by reason hereof had Widows and Orphans cursing this expedition The Pope therefore now resolves upon a privater way namely to prosecute them by way of Inquisition The chief promoter of that War was Dominick the Authour of the Order of the Dominicans His Mother being with child of him dreamed that she had a dog vomiting fire in her Womb. Du. Moul. Contr Perron l. 7. This ignivomus Cur as one calleth him did bark at and deeply bite the poor Albigenses who put above two hundred thousand of them to death Almerick for his laziness was deposed by the Pope and John Bren was made King of Jerusalem In the beginning of his Reign this accident fell out In France a Boy for his years went about singing in his own Tongue Jesus Lord repair our loss Restore to us thy Holy Cross Numberless Children ran after him and followed the same tune their Captain and chanter did set them No bolts no bars no fear of Fathers nor love of Mothers could hold them back but they would to the Holy Land to work wonders there but this merry musick had a sad close all either perishing on Land Math. Paris p. 324. or being drown'd by Sea Mathew Paris saith it was done by the instinct of the Devil King Lewes VIII having compounded with Almery the Son of Simon Earl of Montfort for Languedoc resolves to unite this rich Province to the Crown To this end he levies a great Army fortified with cruel Edicts against the Albigenses as Hereticks and Rebels Count Reymund submits himself to Pope Honorius and yieldeth to Lewes and perswades the Earl of Cominges to the like obedience Thus both of them abandon the people and go to Rome leaving the poor Albigenses to the mercy of Lewes who presently subdues all Languedoc and Provence The House of Montlor one of the greatest in the County of Vivaret having followed the Albigenses party makes his peace by means of the Town of Argentiere given to the Bishop of Viviers who enjoyeth it to this day Many Families were made desolate These poor miserable people were dispersed here and there and such as remained in the Country were forced to acknowledge the Pope's Authority Lewes ordered the Marshal Foy of the house of Mirepois to command his Forces leaving the Lord of Beaujeu for Governour and Lieutenant-General of Languedoc All this mischief was contrived by the Pope who had sent his Legat into France Fox Act. monum Vol. 1. to summon a Council at Biture whither the King with six Arch-Bishops and the Bishops and Suffragans of nine Provinces repaired to the number of an hundred besides the Abbots Priors and Proctors of all the Covents of France Having dispatch'd the business of Earl Reymund and the Albigenses the event whereof hath been before declared Romanus the Pope's Legate gave leave to all Proctors of Covents and Chapters to return home only retaining with him the Arch-Bishops Bishops Abbots to whom he opened another part of his Commission which was to obtain of every Cathedral Church two Prebend-ships one for the Bishop the other for the Chapter And in Monasteries also after the like sort where the Abbot and Covent had divers and several portions to require two Churches one for the Abbot the other for the Covent keeping this proportion that how much should suffice for the living of one Monk so much the whole Covent should find for their part and as much the Abbot for his likewise The Clergy of France answered that the thing he enterprized could not be brought to effect without great offence taken and inestimable damage to the Church of France In conclusion when the matter came to debating with the Legat the objections of the inferiour Clergy were these following 1. They alledged the great damages and expences Math. Paris which they were like to sustain thereby by reason of the continual procurators of the Pope which in every Diocess must live not of their own but must be sustained upon the charges of the Cathredral Churches and other Churches also and many times they being but procurators will be found as Legats 2. By that means they said great perturbations might ensue to the Covents and Chapters of Cathedral Churches in their elections Forasmuch as the Pope's Agents and Factors being in every Cathedral Church and Chapter-house perchance the Pope would command him in his person to be present at their elections and so might trouble the same by delaying and deferring till it might fall to the Court of Rome to give and so should be placed more of the Pope's Clientele in the Churches of France than of the proper Inhabitants of the Land 3. By this means they affirmed that all they in the Court of Rome should be richer and receive more for their proportion than the King of the Realm by means whereof the Court of Rome would delay and drive off great suits and would scarce take any pains with small causes Thus would Justice be turned aside and poor suitors should dye at the gates of Rome and for the better speeding of their causes they thought seeing it was meet they should have friends in the Court of Rome by keeping them needy their gifts might be the sweeter and their causes sooner dispatched 4. Seeing it is impossible that the Fountain of greedy desires should be stopped it was to be feared that either they would do that by others which they were wont to do by themselves or else they should be enforced to give greater rewards than before for small gifts with great Rich Men are little regarded 5. Whereas the removing away the slander was alledged which goeth on the Court of Rome by this means rather the contrary were to be
loss of a limb to the transgressors thereof for which certain Executioners shall be appointed that so our jurisdiction being resuscitated may revive again and those who have enriched themselves by our poverty among whom God for their pride hath raised up prophane contentions may be reduced to the State of the primitive Church and living in contemplation may shew us those miracles which are fled out of the World long ago and we in the mean time lead an active life as it is fitting The Historian adds the Pope having heard these things sighed with a troubled mind and desiring to appease their hearts and break their courage after he had admonished them he frighted them with threats but he did no good for all that Tho. Fullers holy War li. 4. The Christians were now plagued with Bendocdar the Mammaluke Prince in Egypt who succeeded Melechem and every where raging against them either killed or forced them to forswear their Religion The City of Joppa he took and burnt and then won Antioch slaying therein twenty thousand and carrying away captive an hundred thousand Christians These woful tidings brought into Europe so wrought on the good disposition of Lewes King of France that he resolved to make a second Voyage into Palestine to succour the Christians And to that end he provideth his Navy and is accompanied with Philip and Tristram his Sons Theobald King of Navarr his Son-in-Law Alphonse his Brother and Guido Earl of Flanders there went also Edward eldest Son to Henry III. King of England Lewes having now hoised up sail it was concluded that to secure and clear the Christians passage to Palestine from Pirates they should first take the City of Carthage in Africa by the way This Carthage long wrestled with Rome for the Soveraignty till Scipio crushed out her bowels with one deadly fall Yet long after the City stood before utterly demolished at last by the counsel of Cato it was quite destroyed it being within a days Sail from Rome Out of the ruines of this famous City Tunis arose which was not then considerable in bigness great only in mischief being seated betwixt Europe Asia and Africa and so became a worse annoyance to Christian Traffick than a whole Countrey of Saracens elsewhere The siege of Tunis being begun the Plague seized on the Christian Army Sir Walt. Ralegh Hist part 1. li. 5. ca. 3. whereof thousands dyed among others Tristram King Lewes his Son and he himself of a Flux followed after Many good Laws he made for his Kingdom that not the worst He first retrenched his Barons power to suffer parties to try their Titles to Land by duels He severely punished Blasphemers searing their Lips with an hot Iron And because by his command it was executed upon a rich Citizen of Paris some said he was a Tyrant He hearing it said before many I would to God that with searing my own Lips I could banish out of my Realm all abuses of Oaths He loved more to hear Sermons than to be at Mass yet was he somewhat superstitious as appeareth by some Instances For about the year 1240. Baldwin keeping by force the Empire of Constantinople which the French and other pilgrims of Syria had surprized and held it by right of conveniency being in great want of Money writ to King Lewes IX that the Holy Crown of Thorns of our Saviour was found and if he would help him with a sum of Money he would send it to him This King being of easie belief treated with the said Emperour for a great sum of Money and bought that crown which was put in the holy Chappel of Paris with great solemnity Shortly after the Venetians having bought a piece of the true cross as they said for two thousand and five hundred pounds sold it again to the same King Lewes for double the price The King himself carried it bare-headed and bare-foot to our Lady of Paris and the Pope gave to it fourty days of pardon His body was carried into France there to be buried and was most miserably tossed He was Sainted after his Death by Pope Boniface VIII and the 25th day of August on which day in his first Voyage to Palestine he went on Ship board is consecrated to his Memory Tunis was surrendred on conditions the French return home whilst Prince Edward valiantly setteth forward for Palestine Philip the third called the bold or the Hardy succeedeth to the Kingdom of France At the return of Philip Anno 1271. Queen Isabel his Wife dies in Sicily And his Unckle Alphonse with his Wife the Countess of Tholouse dye soon after at Bologne without any children so as according to the contract of the Marriage the Earldom of Tholouse should be incorporate to the Crown Richard Son to Henry King of England is traiterously slain by Guy of Montfort the Son of Simon of whom we have spoken walking in St. Laurences Church at Viterbo a City of the Pope's Pope Clement IV. born in Languedoc being dead the Cardinals disagree about the Election of a new Pope and continued in this contention two years nine months and one day as Platina reporteth The causes of so long a dissention are variously reported by several Historiographers But the chief were as follow Hist of Cardinalâ— part 3. lib. 1. The first and most forcible of all was the contrariety in the Natures of the Cardinals which were present at the Election at Viterbo who were eighteen in number all obstinate and untractable and had sworn each of them never to yeild to his companion in the least All of them believed themselves worthy of the Papacy and every one negotiated for himself without speaking a word of other pretenders so that it was not possible among eighteen several competitors to come to any resolution But that impediment being removed in which the Cardinals continued obstinate for above ten Months there arose another which lasted above a year and was the second occasion of the tediousness of the Election and that is that the Cardinals were divided into two Factions one of them Italians the other French These would have a Pope of their own Nation and the Italians would have him of theirs neither of them complying with the other and the number of the French being equal to the Italians there being no way to gain the two thirds of their Votes they remained divers weeks obstinate and doing nothing but the heaping dissention upon dissention The other reason was that this delay growing tedious to the Princes and particular to Philip King of France and Charles King of Sicily these two Princes resolved to come in person to Viterbo and solicite the Cardinals to expedite the creation of the Pope Upon this occasion the Cardinals which were adherents to these two Crowns having notice of their Resolutions would do nothing till they were arrived who when they did come served for nothing but to protract the election though their desire was to hasten it each of them
Robert a French-man by name and Nation a Franciscan by profession the longer he was in that Order he loved the Fryars the worse A Treatise in his name is Printed with the Prophecies of Hildegardis Pope Clement VI. sent a Letter to the King of England in behalf of the French-men whilst he lay at the siege of Calais which siege he continued from the third of September Anno 1346. till the third day of August next ensuing upon which day it was yielded up to the said King Edward and subdued unto the Crown of England The King of England returneth an answer to the aforesaid Letter of the Pope Then by the intercession of two Cardinals Ambaldus and Stephanus a Truce was concluded betwixt England and France for a time In the year 1350. dyed Philip King of France after whom succeeded his Son John in the Kingdom Petrarch Epist 18. Petrarcha vir omnium soeculorum memoria dignissimus Pignor Symbol Epist 14. At this time flourished Francis Petrarch a Florentine Arch-Deacon of Parma a sententious Poet and Oratour He calleth Rome the Whore of Babylon the School and Mother of Errour the Temple of Heresie the nest of Treachery and seemeth plainly to affirm that the Pope was Antichrist declaring that no greater evil could happen to any Man than to be made Pope In one of his Epistles he directeth his Speech to Babylon in France that is to Avignon thus Shall I call thee a famous or infamous Whore who hast plaid the Harlot with the Kings of the Earth Indeed thou art the same that the Evangelist saw in the Spirit sitting upon many Waters the people and the Nations are the Waters upon which thou fittest Whore know thy habit a Woman cloathed in purple and Scarlet and Gold and pretious Stones having a Golden Cup in her hand full of abomination and uncleanness of Fornication Dost thou not know thy self Babylon unless that deceive thee which is written in her Fore-head Great Babylon and thou art little Babylon little indeed in compass of Walls but in vices and compass of infinite lusts and passions and multitude of all evils thou art greatest And what followeth agreeth unto thee and no other Babylon the Mother of Fornications and abominations of the Earth If thou wilt yet dissemble mark what followeth And I saw the Woman drunken with the Blood of the Saints and with the Blood of the Witnesses of Jesus Why art thou silent either shew another drunken with this Blood or deny that thou art drunken if thou canst for the Vision must be true The life of Petrarch is written by Papirius Massonus Many resorted to him from France and all Italy About this time Hayabad a Franciscan preached in Avignon before Pope Clement that he was commanded by God to declare Catal. Test verit li. 8. that the Church of Rome is the Whore of Babylon and that the Pope and his Cardinals are the very Antichrist and that his predecessours Benedict and John are condemned When the Pope challenged him he said he was commanded in a Vision to speak so and therefore he durst not fail to speak it John Rochetalada another Franciscan preached the same and is said to be one of them who were burnt at Avignon Anno 1353. At the same time Gregory de Arimino opposed the Doctors in the Articles of Justification by works and of free will At Paris he taught that man hath free will to do evil but no good without special grace and that we are justified by Faith only And he said the Schoolmen deserve to be called Semipelagians Andreas de Castro and John Buridan two famous Men at that time agreed with him Then Eudo Duke of Burgundy perswaded the French King that he should not receive into his Realm the new Decretals and Extravagants His sage advice is extant among the Records of France A new War arose between King John of France and Edward the third King of England The Pope sent the Cardinal of Peregort to these two Princes being ready to fight to calm this storm John being the stronger demanded that Edward should give him four Hostages and as one vanquished should remain at his mercy and discretion Edward was content to yield up all that he had taken from him but without any blemish to his honour Edward encourageth himself and prepares to fight the French and vanquisheth them at Poictiers King John is taken prisoner and his Son Philip by Edward the Black Prince Son to Edward the third King of England they are brought to Burdeaux and from thence sent into England where they are lodged in the City of London in the Duke of Lancaster's house under a sure Guard Many others of the Nobles of France were also taken Captive 1700 Gentlemen were slain in this Battle among which were 52 Lords King John continued five years a prisoner for he was taken in September Anno 1356. and delivered in May Anno 1361. There hapned in France a certain contention between the French Prelates and the Fryars of Paris The French Prelates assembling in the City of Paris caused by the Bedles to be called together all the Students Masters and Batchellors of every faculty with the chief heads of all the Religious Houses and Fryars of the University of Paris Who being all congregated in the Bishop of Paris his house where there were present four Arch-Bishops and twenty Bishops the Bishop of Biture preached to the Students of Paris against the Fryars He told them that true charity would compel them to provide for their flocks to withstand errours that they were bound to give their lives for the flock committed to their charge That no Man ought to busie himself with what belonged not to his Office For thereby saith he all Ecclesiastical Order is dissolved He shewed how the Dominican and Franciscan Fryars did usurp what belonged to the Prelates They charged the Fryars for preaching against their wills throughout all their Diocesses and for hearing confessions saying that they have the Pope's priviledge to bear them out therein Then stood up another in the publick place and read the priviledges of both the orders and afterwards read the constitution of Pope Innocent III. written in the fifth of the Decretals Which constitution was repugnant and contrary to the aforesaid priviledges Then rose up the Bishop of Ambian a great Lawyer who discoursing from Article to Article there proved by good Law that the said constitution stood in it's full force and vigour and ought not to be infringed by the Fryars priviledges in any part and therefore by vertue of that constitution the Fryars ought not so misorderly to hear confessions enjoyn pennance and preach in Churches without special licence of the Bishop of the Diocess and leave from the Curate of the Parish unto whose words none of the Fryars replyed at that time So the Bishop proceeding to the conclusion desired the University to assist them in that case wherein they were all determined to stand
and pretending another not to intermeddle nor usurp the cognizance of the Feoffs belonging to the King which he knoweth to appertain to the King and the Peers of France but only to have the cognizance of the perjury And he afterwards adds All this he wrote to appease the Peers of France Cujac in d. c. novit de Judic extr and bear them in hand that he proceeded justly against their King and put all his Kingdom into an Interdict upon this occcasion yet for all that he gained nothing by it In this Century William Arch-Bishop of Senon wrote unto the Pope thus Let your Excellency most Holy Father hear patiently what we say for our Soul is in bitterness and so is your devoted Son the Most Christian King of France how all the Church of France is troubled with scandals flowing in time of your Apostle-ship from the Apostolical See seeing as our Nation saith Satan is let loose there to the ruine of all the Church there Christ is Crucified again and manifestly sacrilegious persons and murtherers go free Peter a Monk of Paris being of great Age dyed Anno 1167. he commendeth God's Word and taxeth the idleness and impieties of Priests the curiosity of School-men the multitude and abuses of Masses the multitude of Men's Traditions whereby the precepts of God are made void He calleth Indulgences a godly deceit Bernard a Monk of Clugny about that time wrote a large Satyr not sparing the Pope nor Cardinals of which here are some passages Pontificalia corde carentia corde probavit Pontificalia corda pecunia contenebravit Pontificum status antè fuit ratus integer antè Ille statum dabat ordine nunc labat ille labante Qui super hoc mare debuerat dare se quasi pontem In Sion omnibus est via plebibus in Phlegetontem Stat sibi gloria pompa superbia divitiarum Hoc propè tempore nemo Studeus fore pons animarum Qui stat in agmine primus in ordine Presbyteratus Est vitio levis officio brevis inguine fractus Then of the Popish Prelats and Clergy he saith Vos volo credere quod volo dicere Pseudoprophetas Nulla feracius ac numerosius hâc tulit oetas His sacra nomina sacraque tegmina corda superba Agnus eis patet in tunica latet anguis in Herbâ Quilibet improbus extat Episcopus Abba creatur Vi precio prece Dignus homo nece sceptra lucratur Nullus ei timor haudque sui memor est aliarum Non sine Simone sed sine Canone dux animarum Divers others he hath of this Nature which I shall pass by Peter Abailard spoke and wrote against the Holy Trinity and against the Office of Christ In the Doctrine of the Trinity he was an Arian of Grace a Pelagian of the person of Christ a Nestorian He was summoned to answer in a Council at Soissons where he did appear but would not answer but only did appeal unto the Court of Rome and did glory that his books had found acceptance there The Bishops did note and condemn his Errour and the sentence against his person they did refer unto Pope Innocent Peter Cantor flourished about this time he was of Paris He wrote a Book de verbo abbreviato In that Book he not only taxeth the loose life of the Clergy and the neglect of their Office but also many other abuses of the Pope and his Mass-Priests John de Vesalia in his Book against Indulgences writeth that this Cantor said that Indulgences are pious frauds Among other things he sharply taxeth many abuses of the Mass especially the too-frequent multiplication and prophanation of it he reprehendeth the heap and impiety of Popish Traditions saying that for the Commandements of Men they made void the Commandements of God Hugo de Sto. Victore was by Nation a Saxon but Abbot of St. Victor at Paris His Works are extant in three Volumns and many of them mentioned in Oxford Catalogue Richard of St. Victor flourished at the same time with Hugo aforementioned and lived in the same Monastery with him His Works are extant in two Volumns Catal. Test veric lib. 15. In that he was esteemed for a very learned Man and was Religious in his outward conversation he wrote many things of which much is lost Peter Lombard Bishop of Paris at this time followed the footsteps of his Brorher Gratian and gathered the sum of Divinity into four Books of Sentences out of the writings of the Fathers Pezel Mellif Hist and he is called The Master of the Sentences Gratian compiled the Pope's decrees or the Canon-Law These two Brethren were the greatest doers in finding out and establishing the blind opinion of the Sacrament that the only similitude of Bread and Wine remained but not the substance of them and this they call the spiritual understanding of the mystery Lombard's Sentences were authorized as the Text in all Schools and to the end that no man from thenceforth should search antiquity and truth any more from Fathers or Councils under no less danger than guiltiness of Heresie Hear what Cornelius Agrippa saith of this Scholastick Theology It is saith he of the kind of Centaures Cornel. Agripp de vanit scient ca. 97. a two-fold Discipline blown up by the Sorbon of Paris with a kind of mixture of Divine Oracles and Philosophical reasonings written after a new form and far different from the Antient Customs by questions and sly syllogismes without all ornament of Language c. He addeth that the faculty of Scholastick Divinity is not free from errour and wickedness These cursed Hypocrites and bold Sophists have brought in so many Heresies which preach Christ not of good will as St. Paul saith but of contention so that there is more agreement among Philosophers than among these Divines who have extinguished antient Divinity with humane opinions and new errours Bartholomew Gravius a Printer at Lovain in his Preface before his Edition of these Sentences telleth us that he had a purpose to reduce all the Testimonies unto the first Fountains sincerely but to his grâ—â—t admiration he was told by the Masters there it could not be so because albeit in their Editions innumerable places were corrected yet many errours were as yet remaining and these not little ones And not a few things in the Edition at Paris were changed not according to the truth of the old Books but in conjecture yea and oft-times the old words were corrupted through an immoderate desire of amending and in many places the worse was put for the better c. And seeing these Books have been so often changed little credit can be given to any of their late Editions and that even the Master himself had not written soundly according to the Fathers which he citeth Century XIII ALegat came into France and commanded King Philip upon pain of Interdiction to deliver one Peter out of Prison that was Elected to a Bishoprick and thereupon he was delivered In the Year 1203.
John King of England lost all his holds and possessions in Normandy through the force of the French King The Pope had Excommunicated King John not only for the paricide of his Nephew Arthur but also for the ill usage of his Clergy King John sends confiding men in all hast to Pope Innocent IV. beseeching him to protect him against the King of France promising thereupon to bind the Realm of England and Seigniory of Ireland to hold of him and his successours and in sign of obedience to pay him a yearly tribute of a thousand marks of silver Innocent sends his Legat presently to absolve him to pass the contract and receive the homages of Fealty as well of himself as of his Subjects John is absolved and having laid down his Crown Scepter Cloak Sword and Ring at the Legats feet he doth him homage for the Realm of England kissing his Feet as his Tributary and binds the English to the like duty by a solemn Oath He was willing also to discharge what he had taken from his Clergy This was done Anno 1215. Then the Legat returning into France requireth Philip in the Pope's name that he should suffer John to enjoy his Realm of England in peace and freely to possess the Lands which he held by homage of the Crown of France Moreover that he should satisfie the great complaints which the Clergy of his Realm had made against him restoring that which he had exacted from them during the Wars upon pain of Excommunication if he did not obey presently Philip promiseth to submit himself and before the Legat's departure he frees the Clergy of his Realm of the Tenths which he had exacted for the charge of the Wars according to the decree of a National Council held at Soissons King John being freed by the Pope and pressed by him to perform his command oppresseth his Subjects by extraordinary impositions and Tyrannical exactions The English Nobility therefore reject John and offer the Realm to King Philip who sendeth his Son Lewes giving him a train fit for his person in so great an exploit Lewes having taken Hostages of the English for assurance of their Faith passeth into England and so to London Math. Westm Il. 2. sub anno 1215. where he is joyfully received In the mean time complaints come to Philip from Pope Innocent who in a general Council held at Rome did Excommunicate Lewes the eldest Son of Philip Augustus with all his adherents King John dyeth and the English receive Henry the Son of John and dismiss Lewes of France King Philip instituted the Provost of Merchants and the Sheriffs at Paris for the politick Government thereof he caused the City to be paved being before very noisome by reason of the mire and dirt he built the Halls and the Louvre He Walled in Bois de Vincennes and replenished it with Dear and other Wild Beasts he finished that sumptuous building of our Ladies Church In his Testament he ordained many notable things he left towards the winning the City of Jerusalem III. C. M. pounds of Paris Money to the Hospital in Mountfort one C. M. pounds and to be distributed among the poor Commons of his Land he gave XX. M. pounds But a pound of Paris Money was then but two shillings six pence sterling King Philip dyed and was buried with great pomp in the Monastery of St. Dennis Anno 1223. and Lewes VIII his Son succeeded him who was crowned at Rhemes Pope Innocent III. having gathered together an Army of one hundred thousand pilgrims set forward for the final extirpation of the poor Albigenses The best Champions for the Pope herein were the Duke of Burgundy the Earls of Nevers St. Paul Auxerre Geneva Poictiers with Simon Earl of Montfort Of the Clergy Milo the Pope's Legat the Arch-Bishops of Sens and Rovan the Bishops of Clermont Nevers Lysieux Bayeux Chartres with divers others every Bishop with the Pilgrims of his jurisdiction to whom the Pope promised Paradice in Heaven but not one penny on Earth Their work was to destroy the Albigenses which were in great numbers in Daulphinè Tho. Fullers holy War li. 3. ca. 21. Provence Narbon Tholouse and other parts of France Their commission also extended to the rooting out of all their friends and favourers whether detected or only suspected such as were Reimund Earl of Tholouse Reymund Earl of Foix the Vice-Count of Besiers Gaston Lord of Bern the Earl of Bigorre the Lady of la Vaur with divers others The first piece of service these Souldiers performed was in sacking the City of Besiers and Burrough of Carcassone in which many of the Papists dwelt and promiscuously were slain with the Albigenses Yea Priests themselves were cut in pieces in their Priestly Ornaments and under the banner of the Cross As for the City of Carcassone which was not far from the Burrough whilst the City was besieged they escaped out by the benefit of a Vault under-ground and so shifted abroad for themselves Hitherto this War was managed by the Pope's Legat. Simon Earl of Montfort is now chosen Captain of this Army who swears to vex the Lord's enemies After he was seized of the Vice-County of Besiers he took many other Castles and Cities When the Quarantine or forty days service of this Army was expired the time the Pope set them to merit Paradice in they would not stay any longer but ran away And though the Bishops perswaded some few to stay yet could they little prevail which was no small advantage to the Albigenses The Earls of Tholouse Foix and Comminge and Prince of Bern sheltred themselves under Peter King of Arragon whose homagers they were receiving investiture from him though their Dominions lay on this side the Pyrenean Hills This King suspected the greatness of the Earl of Montfort therefore he fomented a faction in them against the Holy Army he charged Earl Simon for seizing on the Lands of good Catholicks for supposed Hereticks and complained that the Vice-Count of Besiers who lived and dyed firm in the Romish Faith was lately trained into the Legat's hand and against Oaths and promises of his safe return was kept Prisoner till his death and his Lands seized on by Earl Simon A pitcht Battle was fought near the Castle of Moret where the King of Arragon being wounded to death fell from his Horse and immediately his Army ran all away Simon pursued them to the Gates of Tholouse and killed many thousands The Fryars imputed this Victory to the Bishop's Benediction and adoring a piece of the Cross together with the fervency of the Clergyes prayers that remained behind in the Castle of Moret Yet within few years the face of this War began to alter for young Reimund Earl of Tholouse exceeding his Father in valour and success so bestirred himself that in few months he regained what Earl Simon was many years in getting And at last Earl Simon besieging Tholouse with a stone which a Woman let fly out of an
of Auxerre in France Henry's Son-in-Law 4. Robert 5. Baldwin the fifth and last At this time the Tartarians over-run the North of Asia and many Nations fled from their own Countries for fear of them Among other the Corasines a fierce and Warlike people were forced to forsake their Land Being thus unkennelled they have recourse to the Sultan of Babylon who bestows on them all the Lands the Christians held in Palestine They march to Jerusalem and take it without resistance Soon after the Corasines elated herewith fell out with the Sultan himself who in anger rooted out their Nation so that none remained The French-men make War against Reymund Earl of Tholouse and think to enclose him in his Castle of Saracene but the Earl lying in Ambush for them in Woods slew many of them and 500 of the French Souldiers were taken and of their Servitors to the number of 200 men in armour were taken of whom some lost their eyes some their ears some their legs and so were sent home the rest were carried away Prisoners into the Castle Thrice that Summer were the French-men discomfited by the aforesaid Reymund King Lewes puts a stop to the persecution of the Albigenses saying that they must perswade them by reason and not constrain them by force whereby many Families were preserved in those Provinces In those times lived Gulielmus de sancto amore a Doctor of Paris and Chanon of Beauvois exclaiming against the abuses of the Church of Rome He wrote against the Fryars and their hypocrisie but especially against the begging Fryars In his days there was a most detestable and blasphemous book set forth by the Fryars which they called Evangelium Aeternum or Evangelium spiritûs sancti The Everlasting Gospel or The Gospel of the Holy Ghost Wherein it is said That the Gospel of Christ was not to be compared to it no more than darkness to light That the Gospel of Christ should be preached but fifty years and then this everlasting Gospel should rule the Church He mightily impugned this pestiferous Book Fox Act and Monum p. 410. ad 416. He was by the Pope condemned for an Heretick exiled and his Books were burnt His story and Arguments may be read in Mr. Fox his first Volumn Pope Alexander armed Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure men of violent spirits against him but he was too hard for these reprovers his followers were called Amoraei Pope Gregory succeedeth Innocent and is a great Enemy to Frederick the Emperour who had entred Italy with a great Army After his Election he sends his Nuncio into France to exhort Lewes to succour him The Pope comes into France and calls a Council at Lyons whither he cites Frederick but yet upon so short a warning as he could not appear Frederick having sent his Ambassadours to require a lawful time and to advertise the Pope of his coming begins his Journey to perform his promise Being arrived at Thurin he hath intelligence given him that the Pope had condemned him as Contumax excommunicated him and degraded him of the Empire But this was not without the consent of the Princes Electors of the Empire who after mature deliberation proceeded to a new Election They chuse Henry Landgrave of Thuring for Emperour but he besieging the City of Vlmes was wounded with an Arrow whereof he dyed shortly after Frederick writes to the French King against the sentence against him at Lyons Then the Electors chose William Earl of Holland for Emperour In all the chief Cities the Guelph's Faction was the stronger through the Authority of the Council of Lyons Frederick over-pressed with grief dyeth leaving Italy and Germany in great combustion The Pope having Canonized Edmond Arch-Bishop of Canterbury soon after Blanch Queen Regent of France came into England to worship that Saint representing to him that he had found refuge for his Exile in France and beseeching him not to be ungrateful She said my Lord most Holy Father confirm the Kingdom of France in a peaceable solidity and remember what we have done to thee Now Lewes IX came to assist the Christians in Palestine His nobility diswaded from that design Lewes takes up the Cross and voweth to eat no Bread until he was recognized with the Pilgrim's Badge Their went along with him his two Brothers Charles Earl of Anjou Robert Earl of Artois his own Queen and their Ladies Odo the Pope's Legat Hugh Duke of Burgundy William Earl of Flanders Hugh Earl of St. Paul and William Longspath Earl of Sarisbury with a band of valiant English-men The Pope gave to this King Lewes for his charges the tenth of the Clergy's revenues through France for three years and the King employed the Pope's Collectors to gather it whereupon the Estates of the Clergy were shaven as bare as their crowns and a poor Priest who had but twenty shillings annual pension was forced to pay two yearly to the King Having at Lyons took his leave of the Pope and a blessing from him he marched toward Avignon Where some of the city wronged his Souldiers especially with foul Language His Nobles desired him to besiege the city the rather because it was suspected that therein his Father was poisoned To whom Lewes most christianly said I come not out of France to revenge mine own quarrels or those of my Father or Mother but injuries offered to Jesus Christ Hence he went without delay to his Navy and so committed himself to the Sea Lewes arrives in Cyprus where the pestilence raging two hundred and forty Gentlemen of note dyed of the infection Hither came the Ambassadours from a great Tartarian prince invited by the fame of King Lewes his piety professing to him that he had renounced his Paganism and embraced Christianity and that he intended to send Messengers to the Pope to be further instructed in his Religion but some Christians which were in Tartary diswaded him from going to Rome King Lewes received these Ambassadours cuurteously dismissing them with bounteous gifts And by them he sent to their Master a Tent wherein the History of the Bible was as richly as curiously depicted in Needle-work hoping thus to catch his Eyes and both in his present pictures then being accounted Lay-mens books The French land in Egypt and Damiata is taken by them Discords grew between the French and English the cause was for that the Earl of Sarisbury in sacking a Fort got more spoil therein than the English Then dyed Meladine the Egyptian King Robert Earl of Artois Brother to King Lewes fighting with the Egyptians contrary to the Counsel of the Templars is overthrown In his flight he cryed to the Earl of Sarisbury flee flee for God fighteth against us To whom our Earl God forbid my Father's Son should flee from the face of a Saracen The other seeking to save himself by the swiftness of his Horse and crossing the River was drowned The Earl of Sarisbury slew many a Turk and though unhorsed and wounded in his Legs stood
recommending different persons The Princes finding all their intercessions ineffectual returned as they came leaving the whole business to the Cardinals In the first assembly after the Kings were departed John Cardinal of Porto observing the pertinacity of the Cardinals whilst they were together invocating the Holy Ghost cryed out publickly and with a loud voice My Lords let us uncover the Roof of this Chamber perhaps the Holy Spirit will not come where we are thorow so many Roofs It would be necessary to have a Holy Ghost for every one seeing there is no two will agree The Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles because they were met together with one mind but how can we expect him that are so strangely divided At length the Cardinals being weary of going up and down to the places of their Assemblies and doubting by their delay to bring in some new schism into the Church two thirds of the Cardinals agreed in the Election of Tibaldo Visconte a Milanese Arch-Deacon of Lodi who was called Gregory the tenth not yet return'd from his Voyage into Asia whither he was sent by Innocent IV. upon whose Election Cardinal Giovanni del Porto made these Verses Papatûs munus tulit Archidiaconus unus Quem Patrem Patrum fecit discordia fratrum The Cardinals at odds and out of hope Arch-Deacon Tibald was created Pope Gregory endeavouring to make peace between the Genoans and Venetians who had been at Wars one with another for several years together went into France in the year 1273. where he gave beginning to the Council of Lyons Philip King of France was present at that Council with an infinite number of Noble and Learned persons both French and English He called four Bishops from Germany four from England four from France two from Spain from Sicily from the Kingdom of the Church Hungary Dacia Bohemia Poland Sweden Spottiswood Hist of Ch. of Scotland lib. 2. Norway and Scotland from each of these one There were two Patriarchs fifteen Cardinals five hundred Bishops and one thousand mitred Prelates besides the King of France the Emperour of Greece and many other Princes 1. In this Council the first proposition was for the Holy War and for it they decree that a tenth part of all Benefices in Christendom the priviledged Churches not excepted should be paid for six years That all Penitentiaries or Confessors should urge offenders to assist that holy business with their wealth and riches and that every Christian without exception of Sex or Quality should pay a penny yearly during that space under pain of Excommunication 2. For remedying abuses in the Church it was ordained Petr. Church Hist Cent. 13. 1. That no procurations to Bishops nor Arch-Deacons should be paid unless they do visit the Churches in their own persons 2. No Church-man should possess more Benefices than one and should reside at the Church he retaineth 3. None of the Clergy shall without the Pope's license answer the impositions which shall be laid upon them by any Prince or State 4. The mendicant Fryars shall be reduced to four Orders the Minorites Predicants Carmelites and Hermites of St. Augustine who shall continue in their present Estate until the Pope shall otherwise think good 5. A prohibition was made to admit or advise any new order besides these named Here also was decreed the Union of the Greek and Latin Church and the peace betwixt the Princes of Christendom But many of these Statutes in a short time turned into smoak pluralities being of new dispensed with the clause of non obstante which then first came in use The Orders of Fryars and Monks were restored one by one The Cistertians redeemed their liberty by payment of 500000 Marks The Bernardines paid 600000 Crowns and other Orders made their composition Whereby it appeareth that the Statutes which were enacted were only devised to raise sums of Money and not of any purpose to redress their abuses This Pope advanced the Dominicans highly even to the wearing of red hats In that Council of Lyons Canons were made for the manner of electing the Pope for from Sylvester's time unto this Gregory's Popedom they were not used to be shut up in a conclave but if they were in Rome the Electors met either in the Church of St. John Lateran or of St. Peter or in some other place as occasion offered if they were out of Rome they met in the Cathedral of the place where they were or in some other Church more convenient But the Electors many times regarded not expedition in their Elections of the Pope Hist of Cardinals part 3. lib. 1. whilst they had liberty to command to go and come as they thought fit therefore the invention of the conclave by Gregory was rationally thought very good and necessary There were likewise established by the said Gregory several Laws and Orders for the conclave which were afterwards by several Popes reduced into better form till that in process of time they were reduced into that which I shall insert in this place The principal Laws which are usually observed in the Creation of the Pope 1. That the Election be made in a proper and convenient place and ordinarily there where the last Pope dyed If that cannot commodiously be done let it be made in that City to whose jurisdiction that place doth belong provided it be not under interdiction for in that case they are to chuse another City in the same Diocess or at least not far off c. 2. That after the death of the Pope there shall be no discourse of the Election of a Successour till ten days be past in which time the absent Cardinals are to be expected and the nine days obsequies for the deceased Pope be celebrated with due respect by all the Cardinals that are present in the place 3. That no absent Cardinal shall send his Vote in any manner whatsoever by which it is intended they shall be deprived of their Voice as often as they are absent from the Election 4. That the nine days ceremony for the death of the Pope being over the Mass Dello Spirito santo solemnly said and the prayer de eligendo Pontifice recited let all the Cardinals which are present in the palace which shall be called the Conclave which is to be in a secure place close in all parts and well guarded be shut in with two or three servants only for their necessities Let it not be lawful for any to enter after the conclave is shut up nor for any to come forth except in the case of infirmity And if any be obliged to go in or out let it be by consent of the whole Colledge Nor is this conclave to have any Wall or partition to distinguish one chamber from another but let there be certain traverses of Linnen or cloath to divide their Lodgings and they to be given to the Cardinals by lot to prevent all controversies for place 5. That it be not only unlawful to Elect those
King himself He calls him the Grand Director and most puissant Genius of France the perfectest of men who doth penetrate things to come and is ignorant of nothing great and incomparable Cardinal the most eminent among mortals to whom the â—rabbed iâ— and most mysterious affairs of State are but pastimes visible God and tutelar Angel of the Universe a spirit that moves the Heavens and and the Stars the bliss of the world the Supreme Intelligence the Phoenix of the earth who never had nor ever shall have his parallel As there were a number of such profane Sycophants among the Wits of France that idolized him in that manner so there wanted nor others that aspersed him by Pasquils and Libels One calleth the Capuchin the Cardinal and the Devil the three degrees of Comparison Horel's Hist of Lewes XIII One hath made this Epitaphical invective on him Adsta viator quò properas Quod nusquà m videbis aut audies heic legitur Armandus Johannes de Plessis Cardinalis de Richlieu Clarus Origine magnus ingenio fortunâ eminentissimus Quodque mirere Sacerdos in Castris Theologus in Aula Episcopus sine plebe Cardinalis sine titulo Rex sine nomine unus tamen omnia Naturam habuit in numerato fortunam in consilio Aerarium in peculio securitatem in bello victoriam sub signis Socios in praecinctu cives in servitute Amicos in obsequio inimicos in carcere Hoc tamen uno miser quod omnes miseros fecit Tam seculi sui Tormentum quà m ornamentum Galliam subegit Italiam terruit Germaniam quassavit Afflixit Hispaniam coronavit Briganzam cepit Lotharingiam Accepit Cataloniam fovit Sueciam truncavit Flandriam Turbavit Angliam lusit Europam Poeta purpuratus Cui scena mundus gloria stiparium Regia gaza Choragium fuit Tragicus maximè quam fabulam malè solvit Post regnum Testamento suis distributum paupertatem populo imperatam Dissipatos Principes nobilitatem suppliciis exhaustam Senatum authoritate spoliatum exteras Gentes bello incendiis vastatas Pacem terra marique profligatam Cùm fatiscente corpore animum gravioribus consiliis aegrè vegetare Et nullius non interesset ipsum aut vivere aut mori Jamque bona sui parte mortuus aliorum tantum morte viveret Derepente spirare desiit timeri O fluxa mortalitas Quà m tenue momentum est inter omnia nihil Mortui corpus rheda extulit Secuti equites peditesque magnó numero Faces praetulerunt Ephebi crucem nemo quia currus pâ—blicam ferebat Denique hunc tumulum implet non totum Quem tota Europa non implebat Inter Theologos situs ingens disputandi argumentum Quò migravit sacramentum est Haec te lector volui heic te metire Et abi Stay passenger where hast'nest thou Here maist thou read what thou shalt not see nor hear any where else Armand John du Plessis Cardinal of Richlieu Noble by descent great in wit most eminent in fortune And what thou maist admire A Priest in the Field a Divine at Court A Bishop without a Cure a Cardinal without a Title a King without name Yet one who was all these He had nature in all her numbers Fortune in his Counsels The Royal Treasure in possession security in War Victory under his Banner He kept his Confederates in compass his Countrey-men in servitude His friends at a distance his enemies in Prison In this only wretched that he made all men so Being as well the torment as the ornament of his time He subdu'd France he scar'd Italy he shook the Empire He afflicted Spain he Crown'd Braganza he took Lorrain He accepted of Catalonia he fomented Sweden he maim'd Flanders He troubled England he cousened all Europe A purpled Poet Whose Stage was the world glory his Curtain the Exchequer his tyring house His subject for the most part tragical to which he put an ill Catastrophe Having turn'd the Kingdom to Legacies bequeathed poverty to the people Dissipated the Princes exhausted the Nobility with punishments Bereft the Parliament of power destroy'd other Nations with fire and sword Driven away peace by Sea and Land His body now fainting his mind not recreable for restlesâ— thoughts When it concern'd every one that he should live or die Being in good part already mortifi'd and living only in others death He suddenly ceas'd to breath and to be feared O the frail things of mortality What a small moment is there betwixt something and nothing The Corpse were carried in a Chariot Horse and Foot followed in great numbers Pages carried Torches none the Cross for the Chariot carried the publick Cross In fine he hardly fill'd up his grave Whom all Europe could not fill He lies among the Sorbonists Of Dispute a mighty Argument Whither he is gone 't is a Sacrament Reader this is all I would have with thee Hereby measure thy self and be gone He died at Paris December 4. 1642. in the 57. year and third month of his Age. After the decease of Richlieu Cardinal Julius Mazarin a Gentleman of an ancient Roman Extraction was put to sit at the Helm He together with Leo Bouthiller Chavigni and Soublet Noyer both Secretaries of State were the Cabinet Counsel to the King Mazarin was a bosom friend and a great intrinsick Confident of Richlieu before who had imparted his designs infused all his Maxims into him and opened unto him all the Arcana Imperii He had been an active Political Instrument employ'd by the Pope before in sundry Treaties and difficult traverses of State wherein he had good success and in all his negotiations he was discovered to be a Person of excellent address and rare endowments Five months after the death of Cardinal Richlieu the King fell sick at S. German's and died on May 14 1643. the same month the same day of the month and about the same hour of the day that his Father died thirty three years before but with this mark of difference that the one went out the other was sent out of the world about the same time His bowels were presently carried to be interred at Saint Dennis whither his Body followed after in the height of all solemnity and magnificence that his Queen could devise whom he left Regent of the Realm He was a great Zealot in the Religion and Ceremonies of the Church of Rome When the Queen found her self quick he caus'd a solemn Declaration to be published wherein he made the blessed Virgin Protectress under the holy Trinity of all his Estates all which he consecrated to her and for an immortal Mark of this Consecration he commanded the great Altar in the Cathedral Church of Paris to be built anew with the Image of the Virgin which should hold in her Arms that of our Saviour and the K. to lie prostrate before the Son and Mother offering them his Crown and Scepter The Archbishop of Paris was enjoyn'd to Commemorate this Declaration once every year