THE MYSTERIE OF INIQVITIE That is to say The Historie of the Papacie Declaring by what degrees it is now mounted to this height and what Oppositions the better sort from time to time haue made against it Where is also defended the right of Emperours Kings and Christian Princes against the assertions of the Cardinals Bellarmine and Baronius By PHILIP MORNEY Knight Lord du Plessis c. Englished by SAMSON LENNARD Falleris aeternam qui suspicis ebrius Arcem Subruta succensis mox corruet ima tigillis LONDON Printed by Adam Jslip Anno Dom. 1612. TO THE MOST HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE HENRIE Prince of Wales Sonne and Heire apparent to our Soueraigne Lord the King IF the Lord du Plessis most high and mightie Prince hauing finished this his worke out of that reuerend and honourable conceit hee had of your Fathers greatnesse that vnfained loue which true religion wrought in his heart and that hope he had of his future endeuors to beat downe Antichrist thought it a sinne though a stranger to thinke of any other Patron but himselfe to whom hee might dedicate these his labours much more I his naturall subiect linked vnto your Highnesse his naturall sonne with the same bond rapt with the same admiration fed with the same hope must say hauing finished these my labours Cui dicâre debeam ambigere nefas For the same reasons that moued him must likewise encorage me your greatnesse must encourage because the same being a Princelie branch sprung from that Royall stocke your religion must encourage because the same which your worthie father and all the Fathers of the Primitiue Church haue made profession of your hopefull endeuours must encourage because the same for what he conceiues of your Princelie father the whole world expects should be performed if not by his by your hand His pen hath made way for your sword and his peace if God giue long life may farther your warres Glorious be his peace and your warres and Gods glorie the end of both His Highnesse can best iudge what is fitting we can but wish and if hee haue begged at Gods hands with Hezekiah That there may be peace in his daies we all say Amen and with one voyce we all crie out Let there be peace vpon Israel onely we wish he may neuer haue reason to say as Dauid did I seeke peace and when I speake thereof they are bent to warre they intend mischiefe And therefore renowmed Prince leauing your royall father to Gods peace and his owne hearts desire giue me leaue though altogether vnworthie in a matter of such moment to aduise yet to wish with du Plessis that I may liue to march ouer the Alpes and to trayle a pike before the walls of Rome vnder your Highnesse Standard It was my first profession oh that it might be my last The cause is Gods the enterprise glorious O that God would be pleased as he hath giuen you a heart so to giue power to put it in execution Jn the meane time whilest our hopes are in the bud let me humbly beseech your Highnesse till my sword may doe you seruice to accept of the poore endeuours of my vnskilfull penne and as it hath pleased your Highnesse not long since graciously to protect my sorie labours bestowed vpon Charron his three bookes of Wisedome so now to pardon my boldnesse in vndertaking a worke so farre vnbefitting my strength and to protect my infirmities The God of heauen euer blesse your Highnesse and euer defend you from Antichrist and his bloudie designements that you may liue and liue long euen in perniciem to the ruine of him and all his Antichristian rabble Amen Amen To your Highnesse most humbly deuoted SAMSON LENNARD TO THE RIGHT REVErend Fathers in God GEORGE Archbishop of Canturburie and Metropolitan of England and IOHN Bishop of London RIght Reuerend and my verie good Lords I am bold out of that duetie I owe to two so great Prelats and pillars of this our Church of England to present vnto your learned and judicious censures my vnlearned and simple labours bestowed vpon a worke worthie the reading in it selfe howsoeuer by my vnskilfull pen it may be disfigured I confesse I was vnfitting amongst a thousand to vndertake a worke of such consequence and yet better I as I thought than none being a Mysterie fit to be layd open to as many as can read it in their mother tongue My good Lords pardon such faults as either by too much speed or too little skill or otherwise haue slipt my pen There is nothing past that may not be amended in a second edition if your Grace shall be pleased to giue the encouragement The God of heauen as he hath multiplied his gifts and graces vpon you fit for so high a calling euen in the highest measure so euer assist you with his holie spirit in that great worke you haue vndertaken to his glorie and the good of his Church Your Graces and Lordships in all dutie to be commaunded SAMSON LENNARD TO THE READER GEntle Reader I haue once againe aduentured my selfe vpon your gentle censures with this onely request That though perhaps a curious eye may find faults ynow yea sometimes where there are none you would be pleased to doe mee this fauour that if at any time you shall find mee to disagree sometimes from the Latine copie sometime from the French not to condemne me without the examination of both because in this translation I haue followed both the one and the other as occasion was offered and as I found them agreeing in one and the same sence This is all I request and so much the rather because I know the most vnskilfull is more readie to iudge than he that can iudge iudiciously S. L. TO THE FRIENDS AND FOLlowers of the Church of Rome LEt me once againe my brethren and friends speake vnto you and though perhaps I shall seeme to importune you ouer much yet it is with the same importunitie which the Apostle commends to his disciple 2. Tim. 4. v. 2. Be instant in season and out of season yea with that wholesome and opportune importunitie wherewith we pluck those that are neerest and deerest vnto vs euen by the haires of the head out of the furious rage of fire and water wherewith we pinch and prick those euen till they bleed that are dying of a Lethargie What shall I then say vnto you To some that are floating or rather fleeting betwixt many opinions and to others that haue alreadie stept ouer the threshold gotten one foot out of Babylon the huge height and greatnesse of the Popedome like a scar-crow is obtruded She is old indeed and by how much the more strucken in yeares in so much that she lyes groueling vpon her bellie by so much the more stupendiou◠Whereas contrariwise the reformed Church being little and of small continuance either by the noueltie thereof or the pouertie is contemptible And here that common crie of the Iewes
Theodora surprised with the beautie of this Iohn that is to say the eleuenth who then had some charge in the Church of Rauenna did not onely entice but forst him to lye with her These things whilest they were thus impudently carried the Bishop of Bologne dying this Iohn was chosen in his place at the last Sergius dying to the end she might not be too farre from her paramour for Rauenna is distant from Rome two hundred miles she caused him to leaue the Archbishopricke of Rauenna and to vsurpe Luitprand l. 2. c. 13. proh nefas the Popedome of Rome This Historie in Luitprand is set downe more amply and with words more scandalous which I willingly spare to deliuer Frodoard Hist Rhemens l. 4. c. 19. Baron vol. 10. an 925. art 9 10 11. This is that Iohn who as Frodoardus reporteth to gratifie Rodulph the King created a child of fiue yeares age Bishop of Rheims whereupon Baronius thus crieth out Thou seest gentle Reader by the authoritie of what Pope this was first brought into the Church of God if he may be called a Pope that is by Iohn the tenth whom Platina cals the eleuenth than whom there was no man more wicked whose entrance into the Chaire of Peter was most infamous and his departure most execrable Now Marozia her daughter hauing lost her husband the Marquesse Albert not knowing how to liue a priuat life married her selfe to Guido Duke of Tuscan with purpose to get into his hands the gouernment of Rome which Albertus had and because Pope Iohn withstood it she persuaded her husband to take him out of the way who afterwards hauing caused his brother to be slaine in his sight Luitprand l. 3. c. 12. cast Iohn into prison and smothered him with a pillow Guido shortly after died and Marozia still greedie of gouernment made a motion of marriage with Hugh King of Arles assuring him the gouernment of the Citie of Rome who being called from elsewhere into Italie came and married her and with speedie journies comming to Rome was admitted without anie resistance But he being otherwise a wise Prince it so fell out that when Alberick by the counsell of his mother with lesse dexteritie than was fitting brought water vnto him to wash his hands he gaue the young man a box on the eare to reuenge which contumelie the youth in a furie presently went to the Romans and persuades them to sedition against Hugh whom he assayling in the castle droue him to such a strait that he was enforced to leape ouer the wall Whereupon Alberick both renewes the name of Consull in Rome and made himselfe a Consull changing the whole order of the gouernment and in such sort altereth the State that from thence forward for a long time the election of the Popes depended vpon him and his so to Leo the sixt the successor of Iohn the eleuenth in the yeare 928 An. 928. he substituted Stephen the seuenth but according to Onuphrius the eight and in the yeare 930 Iohn the twelfth An. 930. the bastard sonne of Pope Sergius the third and of Marozia gotten as is said before in adulterie and consequently his brother by the mothers side whom Sigonius not vnfitly saith sedere iussus was commanded to take the See and againe in the yeare 935 he constituted Leo the seuenth An. 935. successor to Iohn the twelfth An. 938. And whereas King Hugh in the yeare 938 had caused Stephen the eight to be nominated in the place of Leo the seuenth the faction of Alberick by a ciuile tumult wounded in such sort his good name that being ashamed to shew himselfe publikely he died with discontent in whose place Martin the second alias Martin the third succeeded whose place foure yeares after Agapete the second held who also about the yeare 956 dying An. 956. the Consull Alberick was of such power and authoritie that he caused Octauian his owne sonne to be chosen Pope though young of yeares and a child in manners This man according to Platina was Iohn the thirteenth according to Onuphrius the twelfth Here Baronius searcheth into the age of Octauian Baron vol. 10. an 955. art 2 3 4. because the Emperour Otho comming into Italie was wont to say He is but a child and therefore may hereafter easily be changed by the example of good men When he had held the Seat eight yeares his natiuitie being cast concluded that notwithstanding he had beene the eldest sonne of Alberick which he was not yet he could not be aboue eighteene yeares of age Iudge now Reader what Father of fathers he was to gouerne saith he the spirituall regiment of all the Christian world and so he pronounceth him an vntimely birth which the tyrannie of Rome had brought forth excelling in power confounding euerie thing with warres daring and subuerting all things in such sort that by no meanes he could be said to be a lawfull Pope in whose election there was no law obserued but all things carried by force and feare he that wanted yeares to be a Deacon seemeth as a vice playing the Popes part vpon a stage After all this saith Baronius by common consent it was agreed that he should be tollerated rather than by Schismes to trouble the Church of God and note withall that not long after he preferreth him before those that were solemnely chosen in a full Councell But it is not amisse to heare what Luitprand an eye-witnesse saith of both the Iohns Luitprand l. 3. c. 12. that it may the better appeare how farre the impudencie of this Seat had proceeded To Iohn therefore the twelfth besides what I haue alreadie alledged of him and of Marozia his mother he hath these verses where she inuiteth Hugh by the marriage of her to the Principalitie of Rome Quid veneris facibus compulsa Marozia saeuis Coniugis ecce tui spectas tu suauia fratris Nubere germanis satagens Herodia binis c. Reproaching his incest and againe Aduenit optatus ceu bos tibi ductus ad aram Rex Hugo c. Moreouer he bringeth in Alberick exhorting the Romans to shake off this infamous yoke with these words Is the dignitie of the Citie of Rome so besotted as to be obedient to the gouernment of a strumpet What thing more base more abhominable than to yeeld to the incest of a woman For Theodora his mother had made Iohn the twelfth her fauorite Pope and as for Iohn the thirteenth he describeth his life not with his owne but the words of the best of the people of Rome Witnesse Raineria a widow of one of his souldiors to whom he gaue the gouernment of manie Cities the keeping of the Crosse of gold and the Cups of S. Peter And witnesse Stephana his loue who died in the deliuerie of that child which she had lately conceiued by him and if all things should hold their peace the Palace of Lateran sometimes the lodging of Saints
attempts his fortitude in the middest of dangers his incredible courage patience in labours counsell answerable to his magnanimitie and his diligence as farre forth as his age is capable in militarie affaires his knowledge of diuine and humane lawes an euerlasting desire of peace care of religion bountie towards the poore clemencie towards the vanquished benignitie towards his friends beneuolence towards souldiers in all which he hath excelled all the German and Roman Princes that euer were And if he had beene a wicked tyran yet it had beene our dueties to haue obeyed him not to rebell against him and all humane lawes and the decrees of our forefathers doe forbid a mans aduersaries his enemies to be his accusers witnesses and Iudges The Emperour made peace with Hildebrand in Italie whilest by the perfidious treacherie of a few Saxonie fell from him A traiterous tyran who receiued due punishment for his treacherie contemning all oathes and promises and all affinitie and kindred inuaded him At the last he concludeth No man may proceed or pronounce sentence against a man that is depriued vntill he be restored to his former estate See the booke and read the law and so he deliuered it to Wesilus Archbishop of Mence Guebhard Bishop of Saltzbourge being for his age eloquence and learning chosen Prolocutor by the Bishops that tooke part with Hildebrand was mute and answered not a word From that time forward many of the Bishops and Princes of Saxonie abiure the sect of Hildebrand that name they retained in the time of Vrban and repenting themselues of what they had done came to the Emperour Onely foureteene persist obstinat therein who being assigned to appeare the moneth following at Mence at their day of appearance came not There the rest of the Bishops of Germanie being present with the Legats of the Bishops of France and Italie by the common consent of all the sect of Hildebrand is judged to be contrarie to Christian pietie Otho called Vrban being conuicted of sacriledge and irreligion was excommunicated and those foureteene being condemned of rebellion periurie murder were deposed Moreouer Historiographers doe obserue that in one yeare all the Bishops and Princes died that had kindled those ciuile warres wherewith the whole Empire for the space of seuenteene yeares had beene set on fire and they recite them by name which was in the yeare 1090. An. 1090. Waltram in Epist ad Ludouic Comitem It was at this time that Waltram Bishop of Magdeburge writ an Epistle to the Earle Lodowick whom hee calls a glorious Prince wherein he proues out of the Scriptures that obedience is due to lawfull Kings and Princes to the end he might arme him against the imposters of that age who to women and the vulgar sort of people preached contrary doctrines setting likewise before his eyes the judgements of God vpon Rodolph Hildebrand the Marquesse Egbert and diuers other Princes who bare armes for the Pope against the Emperour Sigebert in Chron. At which time likewise Sigebert speaking of Vrban chosen against Clement and of those things that followed thereupon From hence saith he grew scandalls in the Church and diuisions in the State the one disagreeing from the other the Kingdom from the Priesthood one excommunicating another the one contemning the excommunications of the other either out of a preiudicat opinion of the cause or the person and whilest the one abuseth the authoritie of excommunicating against the other by doing it rather according to his owne lusts than with any respect of iustice he that gaue the power of binding and loossing is altogether contemned Doubtlesse this noueltie that I may not say heresie did not till now appeare in the world That his Priests who causeth the hypocrite to raigne for the sinnes of the people should teach the people That they owe no subiection to wicked Kings and though by oath they bind themselues vnto him yet they owe him no fidelitie neither are they to be accounted periured persons who resist the King but rather to be accounted an excommunicat person that obeyes the King and that man to be absolued from all iniustice and periurie that opposeth himselfe against him Others speake more confidently Then did there arise false Prophets Apostles Priests who deceiued the people with a false religion doing great signes and wonders and of some he makes instance who began to sit in the Temple of God and to be extolled aboue all that is worshipped and whilest they goe about to establish their owne power they extinguish all charitie and Christian simplicitie c. As if the decree of the immortall God kept not alwayes one course That no periured persons shall inherit the kingdome of heauen The most part of the best sort of men such as were iust and honest and ingenuous and simple haue left in writing That at that time they foresaw the Empire of Antichrist to be beginning and those things to come to passe that our Sauiour Christ Iesus had long before foretold Sigebert and Auentine after diuers others doe note Auent l. 5. That the prodigious wonders that were obserued in those times did astonish the minds of most men The heauens saith he seene many times to burne the Sunne and Moone to lose their light the starres to fall from heauen to the earth burning torches fierie darts flying through the ayre new starres neuer seene before Sigebert in Chron. Auent l. 5. pitched pauillions and armies in the ayre encountring one another and innumerable the like whereby the people were confirmed in their opininion But especially when they saw the sonne to conspire against the state and life of his father Conrade against Henrie who had appointed him to be his successor An. 1095. and that by the persuasion compulsion and approbation of Pope Vrban instigated or rather bewitched by the cunning of Mathilda his father in the meane time leauing nothing vndone that might regaine him to his duetie obedience who preuailing nothing by his just gentle exhortations was enforced in the Councels and solemne assemblies of the Empire to beg vengeance from heauen and earth euen with teares in his eyes All this in the meane time was couered vnder a pretence of that sacred and plausible expedition to Hierusalem the mysterie whereof William of Malmesburie opened before vnto vs That by that meanes Vrban might recouer his authoritie at Rome or rather diuert the minds of men imployed about remote affaires from those more necessarie businesses that touched them more neerely at home That whilest they bended all their endeuors abroad to persecute the Infidels they might neglect Antichrist freely wasting all at home in the Church Neither wanted he in that impure and darke world a bait whereby to win and allure the simple people to that war which was an absolute absolution from all their sinnes without any penance What greater encitement could there be to men who were to inuade a countrey wherein all things were left to the
doing something won the Kings heart with many persuasions to intreat the Pope to come againe into the campe and comming againe he receiued him integrato officio with intire duetie that is hee held his right stirrop Otho Frising de gestis Frederici l. 2. c. 20. But whilest they all reioyced at it thinking all matters well Adrian saith vnto them There remaineth yet one thing for your Prince to doe hee must conquer Apulia for Saint Peter which William of Sicilia possesseth by force and that done let him come to vs to be crowned And verie hardly obtained they of him to deferre this conquest till after his coronation The Acts of the Vatican produced by Baronius Baron an 1155 art 8. sequēt doe onely say That Frederick refused to hold the stirrop in the end was brought to doe it stregulam say they fortiter tenuit that otherwise Adrian would not receiue his kisse Yet this is the Adrian that said To couet the Popedome is not to succeed S. Peter in feeding the sheepe but Romulus in committing paricides because a man cannot attaine thereto without shedding the bloud of his brethren and now he is entred is as hot in the businesse as any of the rest Anton. ex Ioh. Sarisbur Halinando Part. 2. Tit. 17. c. 1. § 9. Now Frederick at the last hauing recouered his good fauour Arnold was apprehended in Tuscan by the seruants of Adrian and deliuered vnto him and was condemned vnder pretence of heresie and burned aliue and his ashes cast into the riuer Tiber. But when Frederick returned into Germanie either because of the hot season of the Canicular dayes which the Germans could not well endure or for the cold satisfaction he had receiued from Adrian or some other affaires calling him backe thither Adrian in his absence made so good vse of his opportunitie that William Duke of Calabria and King of Sicilia who had vndertaken the inuestitures of Bishops in his lands by the rebellion that he stirred vp of the Lords his subiects against him is constrained to fall downe at his feet to obtaine pardon and to acknowledge himselfe his liege vassall And so this successe besides his naturall disposition raised vp his heat against Frederick vpon the first occasion offered A Bishop of London then was taken by robbers in Germanie and it seemed vnto Adrian that Frederick stirred not in it as he ought who in the meane time was at Bezanson in Bourgondie whither he was come to marie Beatrice the Earls daughter He sendeth to him his Legats the Cardinall Rowland Bernard with his letters of complaint or rather of reproach for that he ill remembred saith he Radcuicus Canonic Frising l. 1. c. 10. Sigon de regno Jtal. l. 12. Quanto studio Imperialis Coronae insigne tibi contulerimus With what affection we haue giuen him the Imperiall Crowne beneficia and the good turnes or rather benefits Thus saith mildly Sigonius But Radeuicus an Author of that time Canon of Frisingen produceth a copie of the letters in rougher tearmes Remember thou Quantam tibi dignitatis plenitudinem honoris contulit mater tua Romana Ecclesia What ample dignitie the Church of Rome hath bestowed vpon thee and that thou hast receiued from her hand maiora beneficia the greatest benefits that might be Clauses which properly offended the Princes as if the Pope should haue said That the Emperour held the Empire by homage of him and that the Empire were his fee. And so much the more saith Radeuicus did they hold themselues to the strict interpretation of his words because they knew that the Romans rashly affirmed That the Empire of the citie and the realme of Italie had not beene possessed till then by our Kings but of the donation of Popes Which they were not content onely to say but represented in writings and pictures and so conueyed to posteritie Insomuch saith he that there was written ouer a certaine picture of the Emperour Lotharius which was set vp at the Palace of Lateran Rex venit ante fores iurans prius vrbis honores Post homo fit Papae sumit quo dante Coronam The King before his gates doth come which sweares first to the towne Whom both the Pope his seruant makes and after him doth crowne That after he had taken his oath he was made the Popes seruant and receiued the Crowne in gift of him When Frederick was told of this picture being then about Rome he complained thereof to Adrian who promised him to cause both the writing and picture to bee taken away least so vaine a thing should giue matter of strife and discord betweene two the greatest persons in the world And indeed that such was the meaning of Adrian appeareth by his owne letters to Arnulph Archbishop of Mence Fredericke of Cologne and Hillin of Treuers in these words Auent l. 6. The Roman Empire was translated from the Greekes to the Germans so as that their King was not called Emperour till after he was crowned by the Pope Before the consecration he is King after he is Emperour Whence hath he then the Empire but from vs From the election of his Princes he hath the name of King from our consecration the name of Emperour of Augustus and Caesar From vs then he hath the Empire Call to mind antiquitie Zacharie aduanced Charls and gaue him a great name that he might be Emperor to the end that frō thenceforth for euer the king of Germanie might be an Aduocat of the Apostolike See that Apulia by him reduced might be subiect to the Bishop of Rome which is ours with the citie of Rome and not the Emperours For Rome is our seat the seat of the Emperour is Aix in Ardenna All that the Emperor hath he holdeth of vs. As Zacharie translated the Empire of the Greeks to the Germans so may we from the Germans to the Greekes Behold it is in our power to giue it to whom we will and for this are we established of God ouer nations and ouer kingdomes for to destroy and plucke vp to build and to plant c. Thus you see the enterprise of Adrian it remaineth for vs to shew what Frederick doth thereupon without forgetting by the way that this is that Adrian who writing to Henrie King of England Adrian Epist ad Regem Angliae Henr. apud Matth. Westmonaster was not ashamed to say That Ireland and all islands on which Christ the Sunne of righteousnesse hath shone by right appertaine to Saint Peter and to the Church of Rome Therefore that he should honourably receiue him thither without preiudice of the said rights and namely pay him a penie pention by the yeare for euerie houshold OPPOSITION Krantz l. 6. c. 35 So soone as Frederick had seene that picture of Lotharius doing homage hee suddenly turned away his sight and fretted at it without speaking a word for there was Innocent the second sitting in his Pontificall chaire
from that we read before in his letters to the Archbishops of Mentz Cologne Treuers Then they presented their letters which Frederick gaue to Otho Bishop of Frisingen to interpret the tenor whereof we may read in Radeuicus ful of submission satisfaction reuerence The particular clauses are By occasion of the word Beneficium thy heart as I am informed hath beene moued which truely ought not to moue the heart of an inferiour nor yet of so great a man For although the word Beneficium be taken by some in another signification yet it should then haue beene taken as we meant it and in the sence it hath from his original for it is composed of bonum factum and with vs we call beneficium non feudum not a fee but bonum factum a good action in which sence it is found in all the bodie of holie Scripture where it is read That we are gouerned and nourished ex beneficio Dei by the benefits of God non tanquam ex feudo not as by a fee but by his blessing And so your magnificence knoweth that wee haue so honourably set the signe of Imperiall dignitie on your head that all men may iudge it to be vt bonum factum as a good deed or a good action And thus corrected he not only his former letters but also the inscription of the picture of Innocent the second Post homo fit Papae He was made the Popes vassall He proceedeth Some haue also turned these words to another sence Contulimus tibi insigne Imperialis Coronae Wee haue giuen thee the signe of Imperiall dignitie he had said more harshly plenitudinem dignitatis the fulnesse of dignitie that is to say the whole dignitie but without cause and of set purpose because they loue not the peace of the Kingdom and of the Church for by this word contulimus we vnderstand nothing but imposuimus wee haue set it vpon thy head Radeuicus l. 1. c. 13. And thereby he renounced also the rest of the verse of Innocent Sumit quo dante Coronam That the Emperour receiued the Crowne in gift from the Pope And by this mild interpretation of Grammar Frederick was appeased who moreouer declared vnto the Legats and gaue them in writing certaine articles in default of which a seed of discord would continue betwixt them to which they promised the Pope should satisfie being in no manner willing to derogat from his royall dignitie So for this time he yeelded them peace And note here with what faithfulnesse the same was done Baron an 1158. art 6. Adrian saith Baronius did it in wisedome for to giue place to wrath interpreting also this word beneficium for to auoid discord and not in good earnest An. 1158. for these things could not long subsist This was in the yere 1158. And neuerthelesse Frederick passed the Alpes for to appease the rebellions of Lombardie and to refresh his armie not long after he led it into the Popes lands whereby ariseth againe a new quarell It was an auncient custome saith Otho Bishop of Frisingen Otho Frisingens l. 2. c. 13. since the time that the Roman Empire was deriued to the Frenchmen vntil this present that so often as the Kings had a purpose to enter into Italie they sent some of their seruants afore being men of vnderstanding who visiting euerie citie and town demaunded those things that belonged to the Kings reuenew which the inhabitants call Fodrum whence it came to passe that at the Princes comming the cities townes and castles which either altogether refused to pay the same or did not wholly pay it were oftentimes rased euen with the ground for an example to posteritie Another iustice also followeth from ancient custome that the Prince entring into Italie all dignities magistracies ceased and all matters were ordered ad ipsius nutum according to the laws iudgement of the Lawyers Radeuicus l. 2. c. 15. When Frederick therefore by his officers thought to vse these rights namely in Fodro colligendo Adrian began through the instigation of some to bee grieuously offended saying That he had receiued euill for good and that the Emperour was ingratefull for his benefits especially when hee heard that as well the Cities and Lords as the Bishoppes and Abbots had acknowledged the Royalties of the Prince And thereupon hee wrote Letters vnto him in shew mild but in deed beeing well considered full of sharpe reproofe which hee presented vnto him by a vild and base messenger who before they were red was suddenly vanished At this Frederic was againe greatly moued and the rather for that a little before he had refused at his request to confirme Wydo sonne of the Earle of Blandrara in the place of Anselme Archbishop of Rauenna being by the people and Clergie chosen therunto vnder pretence that he was sub-deacon of the Church of Rome who could not be translated to any other Church without his commaund although Adrian in many other things of greater importance dispensed withall as it pleased him wherefore neuerthelesse resolued to trie him in this yet once more by sending the Bishop of Verde with verie honourable letters is againe refused He therefore then commaundeth his Secretarie That thenceforth in the Letters that hee wrot to the Pope Radeuicus l. 2. cap. 18. Nomen suum praeferrens Romani Episcopi subsecundet he should set his name first and the Popes afterward and should speake to him onely in the singular number Adding that either the Pope ought to write vnto him after the custome of his Predecessours or else not thinke it straunge if he followed in his letters the auntient manner of Princes Adrian was not pleased at this therefore admonished him that this was not to giue due reuerence to S. Peter redemaunding of him an accompt of his Royalties and other rights abouesayd Frederic answered that he had followed the auntient custome and agreeable to reason that Bishops should render vnto Caesar the things belonging vnto Caesar Sigon de regno Jtal. l. 12. Radeuicus l. 2. cap. 18. For his Cardinals hee had shut the gates of Cities against them because they came non ad praedicandum sed ad praedandum not to preach but to make spoyle And to encrease this mischiefe in the meane time the Letters of Adrian are intercepted written to them of Milan and some other Cities whereby hee stirred them vp to rebellion against Frederic Radeuicus l. 2. cap. 30. And thereupon also Frederic sent his Embassadors to Rome to the Senat and people Then Adrian growing verie impatient sent foure Cardinals to Frederic at Bononia who post lene principium after a gentle beginning propound vnto him these hard Articles That hee should vnknowne to him send no more messengers to Rome seeing all the Magistrates there were of S. Peter with all the Royalties That he should not collect the Fodrum of the Demaines of the Church except in the time when he commeth to
Italie an enemie to the Church and those that tooke his part namely the Millanois and their adherents were excluded from the communion of the Church In the meane time Innocent died in the yeare 1216 and Otho in the yeare 1218 who as an argument of repentance left by testament the ensignes of the Empire to young Frederic Krantzius speaking of the causes of discord betweene Otho and Innocent although for the most part inclined towards the Popes Krantz l. â— c. 33. 34. saith That the Emperour demaunded through Italie the auntient rights of the Empire whereof long since some of them were transferred to the Church He also challenged that great inheritance of Mathilda a woman of great estate in Italie as appertaining vnto him by a double right for he seemed to be the heyre of his Aunt who descended from the Marquesses of Saxonie and also as falling to the Empire for want of heires And hereupon Innocent saith he exhorted the Princes Electors that forasmuch as he had cast off Otho first excommunicated and then deposed to chose vnto the Empire another Prince offering vnto them Frederic of the age of 20 yeares of whom although he had the administration of his Gardenship he couerted all to his owne profit for the Continuor of the holie warre saith Frederic being yet a child and a pupill Continuator belli sacri l. 3. c. 10. was depriued by Innocent his tutor of the inheritance of his Kingdome and beeing free was made tributorie without respect either of the prayers of Henrie his father or Constance his mother or his owne promise made vnto them Blond Decad. 2. l. 6. Blondus noteth two bold Decrees of this Pope the first so often as one Prince shall offend another that the correction shal belong to the Bishop of Rome The which was done vpon the difference betweene the Kings of Fraunce and England and is inserted into the Decretals The second That two striuing for the Empire hauing voyces alike Extra de election c. Venerabilem he whom the Pope alloweth shall be preferred which is there red and put in practise in fauour of Otho the fourth and ought to be receyued as lawfull by this meanes he was made the Arbitrator of the whole world But the Bookes especially written by himselfe doe testifie how much this mysterie did pricke him forward The Bishop of Rome saith he Innocentius 3. ser in festo Syluestri Papae vseth the Globe in signe of Empire the Globe is the signe of the Empire vseth the Mytre in signe of his Popedome But the Mytre he vseth alwayes and euerie where but the kingdome neyther euerie where nor alwayes because the Papall authoritie is both the first and the worthier and further spread than the imperial for among the people of God the Priesthood went before the kingdom when Aaron the first priest went before Saul the first king Jdem Serm. 1. in festo Gregorij Papae Noah also was before Nemroth when of him the Scripture saith That Babylon was the beginning of Nemroth but Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered sacrifice vpon it But speaking of the Priests and Kings he calleth the Priests Gods and the Kings Princes From the Gods he saith thou shalt not detract and the Prince of the people thou shalt not curse and when the Apostle spake of the King All humane creatures be yee subiect euen for Gods cause to your Kings as the most excellent or to you leaders as sent by him The Lord saith to Hieremie the Priest of the Priests of Anatoth I haue appointed thee ouer Nations and Kingdomes that thou maiest pull downe and destroy build and plant c. But to Peter especially he sayd Thou shalt be called Cephas that is to say head wherin the fulnesse of the senses consist Who did euer read such Diuinitie And yet behold there is worse When our Lord and Sauiour sayd vnto S. Peter Duc in altum Jdem in Serm. 2. de festo Sancti Petri. cast into the deepe this deepe Sea is Rome which obtayned and holdeth the prioritie and principalitie aboue all the world as if he sayd Goe to Rome and transport thy selfe with all thine to the Citie there cast thy nets abroad to take In another place The Church of Rome oweth not any reuerence to any person but the Pope who hath no superior but God But yet see here his companion and corriuall The Bishop of Rome saith he hath the Church of Rome his spouse and yet bringeth in other Churches subiect vnto him This is the first that I knew that hath gone so farre as to call himselfe the spouse of the Church arrogating to himselfe the true and incommunicable title of the Lord who is the true and onely spouse of the true Church and therefore the Church of Rome cannot be the true Church if the Pope be her spouse nor the Pope her spouse Bernard ad Eugen Epist 237. if the Church of Rome be the true spouse Let vs heare what S. Bernard saith writing to Pope Eugenius It remaines now that thou take care that the spouse of thy Lord who is committed to thee be made the better by thee If thou bee a friend of the spouse thou shalt not call his beloued My Princesse but Princesse challenging nothing to thy selfe in her vnlesse if occasion were to giue thy life for her If Christ haue sent thee thou must make account thou art sent to serue and not to be serued Can a man thinke that it is sufficiently excused by that poore distinction of Bellarmine Bellarmin de Romano Pontif l. 2. 31. of a principall or subalterne spouse I omit his comparison of the two lights which God hath placed in the firmament the Sunne and the Moone the Sunne hee compareth to the Pope the Moone to the Emperour for doubtlesse he that feareth not to violat the commaundements of Christ himselfe the King of kings wee may thinke he will little spare the Princes of the earth And truely vnder the pretence of this spirituall authoritie hee required at the same time the temporall homage of the kingdome of England for there being a controuersie betweene the Bishops Suffragans of the Archbishop of Canturburie and the Monkes touching the election of the Archbishop the Monkes pretending that they onely ought to chuse him and the Bishops saying they could not doe it without them Both of them comming to Rome Innocent persuaded the Procters of the Monkes to chuse Stephen Lanthon a Cardinall Priest his seruant and albeit they protested they could not doe it without the King and their Conuent being ouerborne with his threats of excommunication hee ouercame them and pronounced sentence for the Monkes against the Bishops giuing the Monkes likewise to vnderstand that he would excommunicat them if they obeyed not his Decree King Iohn who then raigned was much offended as well because Innocent had said Math. Paris in Johan p. 216. That it was
words We seuerely prohibit this error Matth. Paris in Henrico 3. and excommunicat the maintainers and defenders thereof as men saith our Author that dare touch the holie hill to be oppressed with Gods glorie and that rashly endeuour to search out the inscrutable secrets of God and are presumptuously inquisitiue into the iudgements of God which are like bottomelesse depthes Afterwards the Author also noteth in diuers places how they laboured as much as in them lay to ouerthrow the Parisian Academie to whose lawes and statutes they would in no wise be subiect since they were made Confessors and Counsellors to kings The students therfore were constrained to contribute and make a collection euerie one according to his meanes to send to Rome and euerie ones weekes allowance was cut shorter But they found the Pope aduerse to their proiects as also the Cardinals of the same stampe who in the behalfe of the Mendicants augmented the number of Diuinitie Doctors that so they might be brought in by meanes of which schisme the Vniuersitie was in great danger of a dissipation What was the effect and issue of all these turbulencies will afterwards more manifestly appeare Concerning the Waldenses they did so spread abroad both in France and Germanie that throughout the course of all histories we may as it were discerne their prints and footsteps And also in Lombardie where Petrus Veronensis a Dominican vsed all rigour of Inquisition against those who were called Credentes Beleeuers indicting vpon them all kind of seuere punishment when seising on some of the principall he was found slaine in the territories of Mylan One Carinus was apprehended for this slaughter who notwithstanding the tenth day after was dismissed by the Pretor as guiltlesse and Petrus Veronensis least others should bee discouraged canonized by the Pope for a Saint But we must not omit to mention how Innocent though he imployed much labour and studie to this end and in authorizing his Decretals nor any of his successors could euer effect that the French Churches would be subiect to them As concerning the Canons they rested in the auncient collection of them which commonly is called Corpus Canonum and for the Epistles of the Popes they approued of none but til Gregorie the seconds time that is to say before Boniface Archbishop of Magunce infringed the libertie of the French Synods about the yeare 742 which was so sound and good law Johannes Andreas in Prologū l. 1. Nichol. 1. ad Episc in Gallia constitutos in Epist Bonifacij l. 3. Epist 42. that Iohn Andreas a famous Ciuilian testifies in his Prologue vpon the Decretals That whosoeuer cited any thing not conceiued within this bodie of the Canons he was to be esteemed a criminall of false testimonie The which is farre from that opinion which Pope Nicholas the first held in the nineteenth distinction aboue by vs mentioned 53. PROGRESSION Alexander the fourth succeeds Innocent He treats with Richard Earle of Cornwall and with the king of England for his sonne Edmonds inuestiture in the kingdomes of Apulia and Sicilie Conradinus pretended Emperour and Frederick Duke of Austria not much differing in yeares are both beheaded in the market place of Naples A duell appointed betweene Peter king of Arragon and Charles of Aniou Diuers succession of Popes POpe Innocent dying at Naples the Gouernour shut the gates and enioyned the Cardinals to chuse a successor This was Renaldus of Anagnia Cardinall of Hostia who was called Alexander the fourth This man whether out of the late vision mouing him or his owne natural instinct thereto enclining gaue greater hopes of better regiment which principally was conceiued from this because after his arriuall he solicited in generall by letters to make prayers in his behalfe vnto God That he might proue fit and sufficient for the gouernement of the Church For his other successors saith Mathew neuer vsed any such custome as also for that in his letters especially in those to the Bishops of Germany a copie whereof is to be seene in Auentine Auent l. 7. Matth. Paris in Henrico 3. he sharply rebuked their abuses and vices But saith Mathew giuing too much eare to the imposterous whisperings of flatterers and to the wicked suggestions of men auaricious that is to his Cardinalls his simplicitie was suddenly diuerted and misled And his Bulls which is as it were the earnest and testimonie of Papall integritie came to be tearmed vnexpected fraud although in these poynts also I cannot excuse him that relying on the aduice of some in whom hee was most confident and by the persuasion of Pope Innocent the fourth his predecessor who on his death bed animated the Cardinalls thereunto in that he powerfully determined to continue the warre begun against Fredericks partakers especially against Manfred Fredericks naturall sonne The which resolution was pretended with deuotion and pietie because Nocera a citie of Calabria was then held by the Saracens And in that it was not fit the king of England should so soone discouer the fraud intended to him a Legat was sent which by a ring inuested Edmond his sonne king of Apulia and Sicilia and this incircumspect Prince thought that hee both possessed the cities and the harts of the subiects too Wherfore he presently set forward on his journy taking care for nothing but how he might conuey his treasure through France Presently after another Legat called Rustand was sent to demand a Tenth in England Scotland and Ireland as also he had authoritie to absolue the king of his vow of going to the Holie Land so he would commence a warre against Manfred Thus this credulous Prince suffered himselfe to be deluded with these artes nay and Rustand moreouer both in London and other cities preached the Crosse against Manfred in expresse words And Christians wondered saith the Author when they heard him promise as largely vnto them for the effusion of Christian bloud as sometimes he did for killing of Infidels And the Preachers instabilitie moued mockerie and laughter As also on a certaine day at the end of a sermon not doubting to adde Be sonnes of obedience And wherein should this consist I pray you Why be bound to such or such a Merchant in such or such a summe of money But now obserue the Catastrophe Manfred defeated the Popes forces in Apulia and the subiects of the kingdome vnderstanding that the Pope had constituted them a foraine king vnknowne to their Nobilitie as also that the Croisadoes were diuerted from their first ends and imployed against them as Infidels they all repayred to Manfred yea euen they who before were of the Popes partialitie raising against him a mightie armie Wherefore saith our Author the vsuall respect and deuotion borne by the Prelats and people towards our mother the Roman Church and our Lord our Father and Shepheard the Pope was almost expired For though that Court had many times with great bitternesse of spirit terrified Christs faithfull ones yet it neuer so mortally
who testified That this had been the profession of their ancestors and that their Doctors were come vnto them out of Bohemia namely from those first who many ages before as we haue shewed setled themselues in those parts And it is cleere by the Acts of the Courts wherein they were judged that they were of good manners graue modest abhorred lying periurie and other vices which the aduersaries themselues to their great commendations doe testifie Walsingham in Hypodeigmate Neustirae in Henrico 2. Idem in Richard 2. as also doth the writer of the English historie in the yeare 1401 speaking of the persecution of the Lollards imputeth to them the same doctrines as to the Waldenses howsoeuer others malitiously disguise the same and by that name were especially called the disciples of Wickliffe who had drawne many after them from the yeare 1389. Moreouer their Priests saith he more Pontificum after the maner of Bishops An. 1401. created new Priests affirming that euery Priest had as much power of binding and loossing and to administer other Ecclesiasticall things as the Pope himselfe giueth or can giue 61. PROGRESSION Of Benedict the thirteenth and Innocent the seuenth and of the faith they promised before they entred the Popedome how they afterward performed the same Of the contentions betweene the Pope and the Romans The solemne oath taken by Gregorie the twelft to procure the vnion of the Church and how he performed the same And of the sundrie shifts of the said Gregorie to auoid the meeting of Benedict touching the vnion The Cardinals call a Councell at Pisa and with the helpe of Princes depose Benedict and Gregorie from the Popedome The preposterous and prodigious entrance of Iohn the 23. into the Popedome and his most infamous departure TO Boniface in his obedience succeedeth Cosmarus Cardinall de S. Cruce named Innocent the seuenth but before they proceeded to election the Cardinalls tooke a solemne oath That whosoeuer were chosen Pope for the better effecting of the vnion of the Church should renounce the Popedome whensoeuer he were requested thereto on condition that Peter de Luna called Benedict the thirteenth created in Auignion did yeeld to performe the like oath Thus haue we here two riuals Benedict the thirteenth and Innocent the seuenth Benedict when he was Legat in Spaine before the Kings Princes Prelats Clergie and people blamed openly Clement to the king of France and Vniuersitie of Paris protesting in his sermons Theodor. Ã Ny l. 2. c. 33. and publike acts That if he came to succeed him he would leaue nothing vndone pertaining to the same which was the cause that many Princes vpon this hope promoted his dignitie with the Cardinalls who neuerthelesse being admonished to fulfill his promise he flatly refused to doe it so that by the kings commaund certaine noblemen of France are driuen to besiege him in his palace of Auignon kept him prisoner the space of three yeares and openly renounced his obedience whiles the Princes of Germanie by counsel taken among them labour greatly the same with Boniface no more resolued to leaue the Popedome than the other Which the Frenchmen perceiuing set Benedict at libertie and againe acknowledged him Innocent the seuenth on the other part Platina in Jnnocent 7. successor of Boniface who before his Popedome was wont to say That it was the fault onely of the Popes that this schisme so pernitious to all Christendome was not extinguished but after he was aduanced to that dignitie cannot endure to heare the least word spoken of that matter yea being requested by the Romans to take away this schisme and to quench the seditions especially considering the king of France promised to put to his helping hand and Benedict at his instance repugned not the same he sent the Romans to Lewis his nephew lodged in the hospitall of the holie Ghost tanquam ad certum carnificem saith Platina as to a certaine hangman who cut the throats of eleuen of them and cast them out at window saying That by this and none other meanes the schisme and seditions were to bee taken away Thus they performed the faith they promised afore their Popedome Boniface as we haue seene had spoyled the Romans of their libertie with the hope of profit by the Iubilie who not long after made them feele his cruell tyrannie Innocent being come to the Popedome tooke the same course The chiefest and most honourable of the people being willing to returne to their auncient libertie entreat Innocent to restore vnto them the state of the Commonwealth and namely to put into their hands againe the Capitoll Ponte Miluio and the castle S. Angelo and in this they were borne out by the Colonni On the contrarie the Vrsini their aduersaries disputed That it were better the citie should be gouerned by the Pope and thereupon arose sedition combats and slaughters in the middest of the citie and whatsoeuer violences are woont to be done in ciuile dissentions The Colonni bring in Ladislaus king of Hungarie and Naples into the citie The Pope on the other part one Muschardâ— a great captaine of the Church and both of them with great forces But when he saw himselfe to be the weaker he fell to capitulation and released Campania to Ladislaus for certaine yeares to the people and the Colonni the Capitoll and the gouernement of the citie on condition That the officers should be approued and allowed by him and vpon this Ladislaus departed the citie And scarcely is he returned into his kingdome but the Pope continueth his former crueltie by his nephew so that the fire encreased so much in the citie that Innocent goeth to Viterbe Theodor. l. 2. c. 34. 35. 39. 41. whence notwithstanding a while after he is called backe by the people who were wearie of so many and so great disorders stirred vp by the factions euer and anon and feared least by the flight of Innocent Ladislaus would take occasion to inuade the citie and hauing there strengthened his affaires he sent forth his thundering Bulls against Ladislaus But as concerning the vnion Benedict being solicited by the Frenchmen L. 2. c. 38. dealeth with Innocent to grant a safeconduct to some of his to treat with him about the vnion Innocent suspecting that he went about some guile refuseth to doe it Whereupon Benedict excusing himselfe often saith That there is no want in him and in his Epistles published casting all the fault on Innocent who could hardly saue himselfe from blame Theodorick noteth though verie fauourable to him That hee made question of it at Viterbium Whether he were held to make the said vnion calling then into doubt saith he that which when his election was in hand in the Conclaue was sayd to be altogether expedient whereby no little suspition against Innocent arose among them of the Court murmuring and saying one to the other That indeed he would not make the vnion And he could hardly appease them but that when he
to Christ of the Philosophers to Paule they double vpon vs euen till they be hoarse What new doctrine is this Mark 1. v. 27. Act. 17. v. 19. Math. 19. v. 8. Joh. 9. v. 29. Joh. 5. v. 46.47 We know that God hath spoken to Moses but this man we know not whence he is To whom preposterously boasting of their antiquitie we may easily answer with the words of Christ himselfe From the beginning it was not so Had ye beleeued Moses or his writings yee had likewise beleeued me Had yee beleeued the sacred word of God the holie Scriptures inspired from aboue the true antiquitie the onely treasurie of the Charters of the Christian Church ye had likewise beleeued me But truely if yee be not ouer hard of beliefe I doubt not but in this worke I shall satisfie you touching both these scruples Let them not make you beleeue the Popes haue bin alwaies such as you now adore Behold here their beginning their progression their encrease their secret subtile cruell outragious enterprises violences assaults A Mysterie not without mysterie so called vnder pretence of the ministerie ending in this prodigious estate that we see in this two-headed monster whilest the ministers of the Gospell the Prelats Bishops Archbishops Patriarches partly vnder Heathen Princes endured cruell persecutions partly vnder Christians though greatly enriched by them whom they obeyed willingly and in all humilitie at the first but afterwards their desires encreasing with their meanes more carelesly and rather for a fashion than otherwise shortly after by open ambition and flattering some in their sinnes especially Phocas in his murder they were made Vniuersall Bishops and secular Princes in Italie excluding Emperours and not content to withdraw themselues from their obedience they likewise absolued both the nobles and people of that oath of allegiance wherewith they were bound At the last threatening with both swords they mingled prophane things with holie confounding and deuouring the holie in the prophane They set kings together by the eares that so they might ruin at one the other and they by their ruine and ouerthrow rise to the highest step of their power They crowne Emperours make and vnmake them at their pleasure trampling them vnder their feet They are now Emperours and Popes together the Lords and Monarches of the world now higher than the Angels equall with God himselfe nay gods great and omnipotent subrogating and abrogating the commandements of the highest God creating God himselfe at their pleasure nay causing him to be created by those whom they call their creatures Now let him whosoeuer he be that yet doubteth couple compare these two extreames together A minister of God sometime a Prelat of the Church now made a god sitting in his throne vsing God if we may beleeue it as his officer Sometime humble and gentle yea the seruant of seruants yeelding obedience to all Princes whatsoeuer now proud cruell treading vpon the neckes of the greatest powers the greatest Princes Sometime glorious for the sanctitie of his life suffering ioyfully for the name of Christ all torments and tortures whatsoeuer now prophane puffed vp with a vaine title of holinesse embrued made drunken with the bloud of Saints What reason what proportion can there be I pray you betwixt two extreames so different so repugnant And what should stay vs but that with astonishment we may crie out A Mysterie great Babylon In so strange a noueltie so diuers changes is it possible that any man should obiect the antiquitie of the Popedome where Satan raigneth so visibly vnder the onely name to say no more the maske of S. Peter Let them not abuse you with the name of the Church the Catholike they call it thereby inferring the Roman Church For the Church of Rome is not nor euer was the Vniuersall the Catholike Church a part thereof it was so long as it continued pure and vnpolluted but yet but a part with others not aboue others And therefore by her fall her ruine the flock of Christ cannot perish though that perish vtterly by her defection the flocke of Christ cannot fayle though that faile vtterly True it is that the Church of Rome was once pure and chast and no small part of the Spouse of Christ so long as she hearkened to his voyce and stopped her eares against the voyce of strangers hauing alwayes before her eyes her vow and contract of mariage But the adulterer with false keyes crept into her bed-chamber nay perhaps by her selfe was let in by the posterne Hee hath defiled her bed and with that contagious copulation her beautifull countenance is become pale and gastly her naturall colour defiled with paintings her true doctrine infected with forged tales in so much that in a manner she is become nothing else but falshood and lyes Other Churches haue done their best endeuours to oppose themselues against her as that of Africa France Germanie Greece and other the East Churches Neither were there wanting in her selfe faithfull dogs who with the danger of their liues ceased not so long as they might to barke at him when he began first to increase to dig and to breake through the wall opposing and interposing their defences making head against him euen in the breach vntill at the last by the collusion of the Roman Clergie hauing obtained the end of his designments and ouerrunning all things at his owne pleasure he made the house of God according to the prouerbe the stable of Augia the caue of Cacus miserably oppressing all the godlie yea pietie it selfe From thence forward the suppressed gronings of the godlie brake forth and the mournefull plaints of that woman that flew from the dragon of our doue the purer Church were euery where heard Her footsteps sometimes though flying from the face of the persecuters you might discerne but yet by the persecuting rable vnmanured defaced halfe couered Her voice amongst the Salmonean thunders of the Popes was hardly heard being euery where interrupted by the noise of the sparkling flames about her and as it were in Phalaris bull in the writings of the Monks and the mouthes of her aduersaries least we should lament the tortures of the godlie turned into the bellowing of an Oxe Doest thou aske therefore where our Church was so manie ages past Where it fed her flockes where it lay at noone Cant. 1. v. 7. Heare I pray thee what S. Iohn the Euangelist saith The woman that is the Church persecuted by the Dragon Apoc. 12. v. 6. 16. did flie into the wildernesse where shee hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and threescore dayes that is propheticall daies a time certaine and that not short Shee is not therefore to be sought in the Popedome in the light of the world in the middest of pride and excesse It is likewise sayd that the dragon which deceiued the whole world hauing great wrath persecuted the woman and cast out
August de ciuit Dei li. 20. c. 19. Baron Annal. to 1. an 45. art 17. 18. sit vpon the ruines of the Temple of Salomon or rather in the church for the Apostle would neuer call that the temple of the diuell which was Gods temple And therefore saith he some imagine that this Antichrist note well these words is a Prince with the whole bodie of those which belong vnto him and thinke it more proper to expresse it in Latine as it is in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in templum non in templo meaning that he shall sit as if himselfe were The Temple of God and his verie Church it selfe Ireneus l. 5. c. 25 Tertullian cauersus Iudaeos contra Marcio lib. 3. Hieron in Caâ—a in Isai c. 47. Euseb li. 2. c. 25. Ambros in 2. Thess â— c. 2. August lib. â—8 de ciuit Dei c. â— Andâ— Casaâ— in Apocal. c. â— In Beda Oecumen Lyran. Thomas Caiet in 1. Pet. c. vlt. Bellarmin de Romano Pontis lib. 2. c. 2. Tertul. aduersus Iudaeos lib. 3. contra Marciâ— Hieron ad Algasiam quest 17. Aret Andre in Apocal. 〈…〉 Glossa Ordin ibid. Hieron ad Marcellam viduam Idem contra Iouinian lib. 1. Which jumps with that maxime of the Popes adherents That in his person the whole Church resideth and consisteth Wherefore it is now manifest that Antichrist shall haue his seat in the Church Christian Now let vs see whether in the Latine Church or no. Ireneus surely searching after the number of 666 which is the name of the beast in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though in so obscure a point he pronounce nothing definitiuely yet giueth he vs plainely to vnderstand that he thou gâ—â— it to be there For saith he It is verie likely for such is the name of the Empire which now swayeth in the world They call themselues Latines So likewise doe Tertâ—llian Ierome Ambrose Augustine Andrew B. of Caesarea Beda Oecumenius Lyranue Aquinas Caietan and others when by Babylon they vnderstand Rome as well in the first Epistle and last chapter of Saint Peter as in the Reuelations And Bellarmin himselfe is cleere in this opinion and Baronius affirmeth that by Babylon in the places before rehearsed cannot bee meant but Rome much more when by the whore clothed in scarlet which maketh drunke all the kings of the earth they vnderstand Rome as Tertullian Ierome Aretas Andrew of Caesareâ— the Ordinarie Glosse Bellarmin also and Baronius and others doe Nay wee say fâ—â—â— her that the Ancients vnderstand it of the Roman Church whose corruption they saw euen in those dayes to encrease so fast for to her applieth Saint Ierome those words of the Apocalyps Go out of her my people saith the Lord and be not partaker of her sinnes nor of her plagues flye out of Babylon and let euerie one saue his owne soule for she is fallen she is fallen and is made a receptacle for diuels an habitation of all vncleane spirits For surely saith he there is the holie Church there are the trophies and monuments of the Apostles and Martyrs and there is the confession of Christ But withall saith he there is ambition and oppression luxurie of the bellie and of the throat which goe to overthrow the preaching of the Crosse And therefore he summoneth all well disposed people to depart out of her though built vpon Christ the true rocke by the preaching of Saint Peter and though her Prophets which deceiued her cried out Peace peace the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord to lull them asleepe in their owne securitie And he seemeth farther to strike at her verie Hierarchie when as in his preface to the bookes of Didymus of the holie Ghost Idem in Prefati in lib. Dyd de Spir. sancto we find these words When I liued saith he in Babylon an inhabitant of that purple whore after the lawes of the Quirites or citizens of Rome I would haue written something of the holie Ghost and haue dedicated the treatise to the Bishop of that citie and behold that seething pot which was seene in the Prophet Ieremie looking out of the North beginneth alreadie to boyle and the Senat of Pharises cried out at me all at once neither was there so simple and meane a scribe of all that ignorant rabble which conspired not against me Wherefore I am now as it were out of captiuitie returned to Hierusalem and after that cottage of Romulus and those Lupercall sports come to visit againe the hosterie of the Virgine Marie and the sepulchre of our Sauiour c. Had this holie Father liued in the dayes of our fathers and seene what passed in these later ages what would he haue said And truely to vnderstand those passages of the Apocalips of Rome Painim as some would haue it and not of the Church of Rome were to make it of a mysterious prophesie as all acknowledge it to be a meere storie cold and friuolous or was it fitting that the Prophet with so maiesticall a preface speaking in the name of God and by his spirit should aduertise vs that the Roman Empire should persecute the Christians which had alreadie seene the bloud of his brother shed and so many thousand Christians slaughtered in all quarters of the Empire And againe where will a man find vs in Rome Painim those ten kings made drunke with his cup seeing there were in Rome no kings at all And therefore the Iesuites themselues haue beene forced to yeeld this point Ribera Apocalip c. 14. num 42. 57. Viega in 17. Apoc com 1. sect 3. This must saith Ribera bee vnderstood of Rome not onely such as she was vnder the Emperours but also such as she shall be in the later dayes And Viega saith That the name of Babylon must be referred to her and not only to that Rome which serued Idols before it receiued the faith of Christ but also to that Rome which shall be in the dayes of Antichrist By which words what can be meant but the Papacie and the Church of Rome Ca. Proposait extra de prabeÌ„d Gloss ib. Lib. â— cerem Pontis c. 1. But some man will say When was it seene that a Pope called himselfe God And I answer That neither are the Popes themselues ouer sparing in calling themselues Gods on earth and the Canonists are ouer prodigall of such titles and of far greater also if greater may bee whilest they make them to participate of the Deitie and with power to commaund both in heauen and hell as the sequell of this discourse will but too apparantly declare and it were but needlesse to repeat here what I haue long since sufficiently proued in my treatise of the Church cap. 9. But this is the point and this is that which God so often forewarned vs of That Antichrist should enter into the Temple and Church of God with false â—eyes In all deceitfulnesse of iniquitie saith Saint
the Churches Editio Parisien Epist 18. Pa. mel 55. but Cyprian complained thereof vnto Cornelius as of a wrong and in barre of such proceedings pleaded the lawes and constitutions of holie Church These fellowes saith he after all this presume to passe the sea c. For seeing sayth he that by vs all it hath beene alreadie ordained according to rules of equitie and iustice That euerie ones cause should be heard in the place of the fact committed and that to euerie Pastor should be allotted his proper portion of the flocke which he was to ouersee and for which he should stand answerable vnto God it is not fit that those ouer whom we are set should run from place to place to make the Bishops who are at vnitie among themselues to square and fall foule one of another for example Cornelius and Cyprian but that euerie one answere for himselfe in the place where the defendant may haue both accusers and witnesses face to face vnlesse perhaps these few desperate companions thinke the authoritie of the Bishops of Africa who haue condemned them to be lesse meaning lesse than that of Cornelius to whom they fled By all which it euidently appeares that it was the least part of Cyprians thought to acknowledge anie right of appeale to the See of Rome Bellarm. de Pontif. Rom. lib. 2. cap. 33. Wherefore when Bellarmine sayth that the constitution alledged by S. Cyprian That euerie cause should be heard in the place of the fact committed is to be vnderstood onely of the first instance the words themselues and those which follow are too too cleere against him The cause sayth Cyprian hath beene heard sentence is passed it is not fit that a censure of Priests or Bishops should be retracted as rash and vnaduised And as friuolous is that which he sayth that the word lesse is not spoken in comparison of the Pope but of the cause for those words vnlesse they thinke the authoritie of the Bishops of Afrike to be Lesse must necessarily be vnderstood in comparison of them with other Bishops of those against whom they complained with him to whom they sayled that is vnto Cornelius And all this suiteth with the veine of Cyprian as also doth that in his Treatise of the vnitie of the Church The other Apostles sayth he were the same that S. Peter was of like honour of equall authoritie and power but the beginning proceedeth from vnitie to shew that the Church is one where yet to bolster out this pretended Primacie one or other hath corrupted the text in sundrie places contrarie to the truth of manuscripts acknowledged in the Paris edition by the learned Turnebus For betweene these words Pasce oues meas and Et quamuis either Pamelius or some other before him hath inserted these Super vnum illum aedificat ecclesiam suam illi pascendas mandat oues suas that is He hath built his Church vpon him alone i. S. Peter and him hath he commaunded to feed his sheepe And whereas Turnebus readeth Tamen vt vnitatem manifestaret vnitatis eiusdem originem ab vno incipientem sua authoritate disposuit i. yet that he meaning Christ might declare this vnitie he hath declared by his authoritie that this vnitie should take her beginning from one alone Pamelius with like honestie as before betweene these words manifestaret and vnius hath thrust in these Vnam Cathedram constituit i. he hath established one Chaire Likewise after those words before mentioned The Apostles were all the same that Peter was c. after the word proficiscite he addeth Primatus Petro datur The Primacie is giuen vnto Peter And againe vnto these words vt vna Christi ecclesia monstretur he addeth Cathedra vna i. and one Chaire And to conclude where S. Cyprian sayth Qui ecclesiae renititur resistit in ecclesia se esse confidit i. He which resisteth the Church can he hope that he is in the Church Pamelius betweene these words resistit and in ecclesia foisteth in these Qui Cathedram Petri super quam ecclesia fundata est deserit i. he which forsaketh the Chaire of Peter vpon which the Church is builded And the like doth he in manie other places of this Treatise which additions how incompatible are they with the sence and scope of the text it selfe where it is said The Lord hath giuen after his resurrection equall power to his Apostles and againe They were all the same that Peter was as also with that Nullitie pronounced elsewhere against appeales made ouer the sea Cyprian in Concil Carthagin siue de sentent Episcop 73. editio Parisiens Cyprian de Alâ—ator and diuers other places of the same Author None of vs sayth he hath made himselfe a Bishop of Bishops through feare and tyrannie to force his Collegues to his obedience The heauenlie goodnesse hath bestowed vpon vs the ordering of the Apostleship and hath by his heauenlie fauour dignified the Vicars seat of the Lord Christ said to all the Apostles and in them to all Bishops which should succeed them in their Vicariall ordination He which heareth you heareth me Idem ad Puppien Epist 66. editio Parisien so that sayth he one of vs may not iudge another but we attend he excepteth none the iudgement of our Lord Iesus who alone hath power Vnus solus to ordaine vs to the gouernment of his Church and to iudge our doings Thus farre Cyprian immediately vpon whose death the Church of Afrike to cut off all claime of this pretended jurisdiction decreed That the Bishop of the first See should not be called Prince of Priests or chiefe Bishop Idem in Concil Carthag siue de sentent Episcop epist 73. Concil Afric art 6. Capitu. Carol. Magn. li 7. c. 17. Bochell Decret Ecclesiae Gallic li. 5. tit 5. cap. 1. or by any other like name Which decree our French Church heretofore vnderstood expressely of the See of Rome And now let the indifferent Reader judge which edition that of Pamelius or this of Turnebus sorteth and suiteth better with these sayings of Cyprian and consequently whether these are not Harpyes clawes which thus defile the pure foord of the Fathers writings to our hands and what they haue done in this Epistle who can warrant vs that they haue not done in the other writings of the same Father and of all other Fathers But here may we see as in a glasse the audaciousnesse of Baronius Baron to 1. an 33. art 21 an 34. art 203. passim who would make vs beleeue that the meaning of S. Cyprian was cleane contrarie for first he sayth That S. Cyprian acknowledged S. Peters Chaire as supreme Iudge ouer all Churches in the world grounding himselfe vpon the Epistle before rehearsed and so notoriously corrupted which yet he is not ashamed so often to repeat as if it were as true as Gospell and who cannot make his owne cause seeme good if he may be
Councell of Nice calling thither the Bishops out of all parts and he calleth this dispatch of the Emperor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a precept or commaund and in the title it is said Theodoret. l. 1. c. 7. Sozom. l. 1. c. 16. That he enioyned And Theodoret The Emperour saith he not able to compose matters in Alexandria 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 assembled that great Councell And Sozomen vseth the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. he called them together Also the Synod it selfe writing to the Churches Acta Concil Nicaen vol. 1. We say they here assembled by the grace of God and fauour of Constantine our Prince beloued of God c. And likewise writing to the Churches of Aegypt they vse these words By the grace of God and commaundement of the Emperour Socrat. l. 1. c. 5. Gelaz Cyzicen l. 1. Likewise Socrates and Cyzicenus vse the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. he gathered or assembled them together as Eusebius had done before them Neither is there any Father or Historian of the Church which speaketh in other manner Baron an 324. art 131. to 3. Concil Rom. 2. c. 1. And all this done by Constantine after the time that Baronius acknowledgeth him to haue beene a good and a perfect Christian and withall most forward to aduance the Church to wit after his baptisme and a whole yeare after that supposed donation of his What now will he say to this seeing the whole Church hath euer held this for a most holie and lawfull Councell backe againe to his old ward and to his conjectures The Councell of Rome saith he was held one yeare before vnder Syluester ad Traiani Thermas and why not at Lateran if that had beene his owne palace as he said before Constantine and Helena his mother were there present But will this Cardinall stand to this Councell where the Priests of Rome now called Cardinals stood behind the place where the Bishops sat Baron an 324. But to the matter Who dareth to doubt saith he but that Syluester and Constantine at this Councell concluded to call that other afterward at Nice And we aske againe Who dareth to affirme it seeing there is no such thing mentioned in the Councell nor the Arrians there so much as named A silly ghesse as euer was But if Baronius will needs stand to ghesses why may not wee doe the like and say Who doubteth but that it was there accorded that Constantine himselfe should call it seeing that indeed he did call it as all histories record and that without contradiction of any for aught that yet appeareth to the contrarie Yet is not Baronius ashamed to build hereupon as vpon an vndoubted veritie Baron an 325. art 13. sequent And if all faile at least saith he this is sure that Hosius presided there as Legat of the Bishop of Rome Let vs therefore see if he proue his embassage here any better than hee did that other at Alexandria before mentioned Euseb de vita Constant lib. 3. Edi◠Lat. c. 7. Ib. c. 11. Eusebius in the life of Constantine speaketh in this manner He which presided ouer the Imperiall citie meaning the Bishop of Rome was not in this assemblie by reason of his age but his Priests there present supplied his roome Now Victor and Vincentius are named for such in the acts of the Councell but of Hosius who should least of all haue been forgotten there is no mention made to any such effect Why then saith he Athanas Apoleget 1. did Hosius first subscribe before all the rest I answer Because he was principally imployed by the Emperour for the composing of this difference in regard whereof he did the like also in the Councell of Sardica And seeing that Victor and Vincentius wrot in this manner We haue subscribed for the reuerend Syluester our Pope and Bishop Acta Concil Nicaen why did not Hosius the like if he were also his Legat Why subscribed hee in his owne name I Hosius Bishop of Corduba of the Prouince of Spaine doe so beleeue for so we find it euen in the old Roman Code it selfe Baronius replieth out of the title of a certaine Epistle written as he saith from the Councell vnto Syluester by his Legats Baron an 325. art 2. which is nothing else but to presuppose the thing in question the title therefore is this To Syluester the most blessed Pope of old Rome Hosius Bishop of Corduba a Prouince in Spaine and Macarius Bishop of Constantinople and Victor and Vincentius Priests of Rome appointed or ordained by your direction Not to say that this Epistle with that which followeth are both noted in the verie acts of this Councell to be of little credit I aske onely Whether he will haue Macarius also to be one of the Popes Legats and whether that word Direction ought not to be restrained to Victor and Vincentius as Eusebius would haue it But the truth is Baron an 325. art 54. that Baronius when he alledgeth this title leaueth out Macarius to blind his reader and to saue himselfe from this absurditie Last of all if Hosius had been his Legat should not he also haue opened the Councell which yet he did not The Bishop Theodor. l. 1. c. 7. sayth Eusebius which sat vppermost vpon the right hand standing vp made a short speech to the Emperour and rehearsed a certaine hymne to giue thankes to Almightie God and this was Eustathius Bishop of Antioch because the Bishop of Alexandria stood now as a partie against Arrius Fiftly Baronius groweth verie cholericke to see the Bishop of Rome ordered by the sixt Canon of this Councell as the other Bishops of Alexandria Antioch and Ierusalem were he saith That these Canons are mangled and must be corrected by those of Chalcedon And if they were so yet might Baronius put all that he should gaine thereby in his eye and doe himselfe no harme as we haue alreadie shewed against Bellarmine Ruffinus of all the rest sticketh most in his stomacke for bounding the Popes jurisdiction with these words Ruffin l. 1. c. 6. Suburbicariarum Ecclesiarum curam gerat i. That he should take care of the Churches neere about the citie And Baronius telleth vs that Regiones Suburbicariae and Vrbicariae Baron an 324. art 54. in the Imperiall lawes of those times were all one And that Regiones Vrbicariae comprised besides Italie the isle of Sicilie Afrike Aegypt and many other countries Forgetting in his choler that the verie Canon it selfe now in question assigneth Aegypt to the Bishop of Alexandria and consequently not to him of Rome Author for this assertion he hath none nor reason more than this Lib. 14. Cod. Theodos l. 6. tit de Canon frumentar vrbis Roma that these Prouinces were called Vrbicariae which we denie not and the reason may be because they yeelded a yearely reuenew of corne Vrbi to the citie of Rome according to the
which the Author himselfe attributeth vnto all The like care sayth he did Alexander the Bishop take in Antioch being the first which caused his name to be registred in the writings of the Church which is true But Baronius addeth that he did it at the instance and request of Innocentius hauing no other argument for this assertion but this that Innocent wrote a letter to him for as touching anie such matter Theodoret speaketh not a word 8. PROGRESSION Of the attempts of Innocentius and Syricius vpon the Churches of Spaine and Afrike THe Bishops of Rome finding no passage open to their intended Supremacie through the constancie of the Easterne Church bent their course backe vpon the West especially vpon Africke where they thought to meet with lesse opposition To. 1. Concil Damasus had alreadie broken the ice vnto them as appeareth by that Epistle of his written to Stephanus Bishop of Mauritania wherein hee qualifieth the Church of Rome with the title of the Firmament of all Bishops and Top of all other Churches emboldened no doubt thereunto by letters sent before that time vnto him from the said Stephanus who complained that certaine Bishops had bin deposed in Africke adding that this was so done notwithstanding they all knew well ynough Ibid. That censures of Bishops and all other Church causes of moment ought to be reserued to the audience of the Bishop of Rome whom he there tearmeth The Father of Fathers being of the verie brood and ofspring of those rebell Bishop of Africke of whom Saint Cyprian complained in his dayes who being reproued and censured for their faults would presently crosse the seas and run to Rome for Sanctuarie All which to be vnderstood with this condition If those decretall Epistles inserted among the Councels ought to haue any credit which as wee haue alreadie said the more learned sort reiect as counterfeit vntill the time of Pope Syricius who now entreth vpon the stage And indeed the old Roman Code leaueth them all out vntill the time of this Syricius This Syricius about the yeare 386 An. 386. in his first Epistle to Himerius Bishop of Arragon is verie quicke and saith That it is not lawfull for any Priest of the Lord to be ignorant of the decrees and statutes of the See Apostolike and therefore requesteth him to make knowne such ordinances and decrees as he shall send vnto him not onely to those of his owne Diocesse but also to those of Carthagena Andalusia Portugall Galeace and others that is in effect to all the Prouinces of Spaine Which could not saith he but hee glorious vnto him which was a Priest of so long continuance Pro antiquitate sacerdotij sui purposing to vse the ambitious humor of this Prelat onely to make himselfe and the authoritie of his See great in Spaine And in his fourth Epistle to the Bishops of Africke he goeth a step farther and telleth them That without the priuitie of the See Apostolike that is to say of the Primat none might presume to ordaine a Bishop And this word Primat some interpret for the Bishop of Rome in regard of the claime which was made vnto the Primacie not long before by Damasus and these late presumptions of Syricius himselfe in his first Epistle the rather because it is improbable that hee would impart this title of The See Apostolike to any saue onely to the See of Rome OPPOSITION Concil Carth. 2. ca. 12. The Africanes therefore assembled vpon this occasion a second Councell at Carthage in the time of this Syricius where they decreed in this manner It seemed good vnto all that without the leaue of the Primat of euerie Prouince no man hereafter presume in what place soeuer to ordaine any Bishop without any reference at all to the Bishop of Rome But say they if necessitie so require any three Bishops by order from the Primat may consecrate a Bishop And it is to be noted That in this verie Canon they call the chaire of the Metropolitan the First Chaire or Chiefe See and that Gratian inserting this Canon in his booke of Decrees Distinct 64. C. extra conscientiam 5. followed the intent of this Councell of Carthage and not of Syricius referring it to the Metropolitan Bishop not to the Apostolike See though he falsely report it vnder the name of Innocent And in the yeare 397 An. 397. the third Councell of Carthage went a little farther Syricius at that time also sitting Pope and decreed That the Bishop of the first See should not be called the Prince or Chiefe of Priests Concil Carthag 3. ca. 26. or High Priest or by any other such name but onely The Bishop of the first See As for the name of Vniuersall Bishop that the Bishop of Rome it selfe should not bee called by that name Which last words are also in Gratian though now Distinct 99. ca. primae sedis 3. through the good order which of later times hath beene taken in these matters they are no longer to be found in the Councell it selfe A thing not to be forgotten for it was fit that all these things should meet and march together Corruption of doctrine as well as of discipline and that Syricius should be the man who should first establish the forbiddance of Priests mariages though by generall consent reiected in the Councell of Nice and not receiued for six hundred yeares after in the West doe what his successors could doe Bringing in also the the commemoration of Saints into the Liturgie and daily seruice of the Church in imitation perhaps of that Carmen Saliare vsed heretofore among the Romans wherein the names of all their gods werewith much solemnitie rehearsed For that was the disease of that age to fashion themselues in all points after the rites and ceremonies of the Heathen 9. PROGRESSION Of the decree of Pope Innocent concerning Appeales to Rome IN the yeare 401 came Innocent who would not be so put backe he An. 401. Innocent Epist 2. ad Victric Rothomagens c. 3. in his second Epistle to Victricius Bishop of Roan published this generall decree That the greater causes after that they had beene censured by the Bishop should be referred to the See of Rome as the Synod saith he hath ordained and the laudable vse and custome of the Church requireth Yet haue we hitherto seene the contrarie both in the one and also in the other But he goeth on seeking to practise what he proiected Epist 7. ad Episc Maced vpon the Macedonians and persuading them that he did the like in all other places Let vs therefore now see whether he found any better successe in this his attempt than his predecessors had before him OPPOSITION The question then is as you see about great causes An. 402. In the yeare 402 was held the Mileuitan Councell and after that in the yere 413 another at Carthage An. 413. where no petie causes were in handling but the maine doctrine
of the Church the schisme of Donatus and the heresie of Pelagius where both were condemned and Pelagius concerning whose doctrine Pope Innocent thought fit to suspend his judgement was excommunicated And all this done without consulting the Bishop of Rome onely sentence being alreadie passed he was entreated to joyne his authoritie and voyce with theirs for so goe the words of those Fathers in a letter which they sent vnto him reported by S. Augustine We haue say they Concil Carth. ad Innocent to 1. pa. 469. August Epist 90 by common consent pronounced Pelagius and Caelestius to be excommunicated c. for the amendment if not of them yet of those whom they haue seduced Which done we haue thought good deere brother to signifie so much vnto thee to the end that vnto this ordinance of our mediocritie thou shouldest ioyne the authoritie of the See Apostolike So that here we see a sentence plainely and absolutely giuen and yet vnder these tearmes of humilitie there is no disparagement or inequalitie to be obserued In like sort the Fathers of the Mileuitan Councell Concil Mileuit in Epist ad Innocent to 1. Concil apud August Epist 92. Concil Mileuit c. 3. Seeing say they that the Lord of his speciall grace hath placed thee in that Apostolike See being such a one as that our negligence would be condemned if we should conceale anything from thee which maketh for the good of the Church rather than our feare excused as if we doubted of thy good acceptance we therefore entreat thee to vse thy Pastorall care and diligence in these so great perils and dangers of the members of Christ c. Their meaning was that hee should doe in these cases of heresie within the limits of his jurisdiction in the West as they had alreadie done in the East But when they saw that vpon their round dealing with them in the East he was the rather inclined to absolue them in the West they made short worke and passed this decree in full Synod Whosoeuer shall say that the grace of God in which we are iustified by Iesus Christ is auailable onely for the remission of sinnes past and that it is no helpe to vs against sinne hereafter let him bee Anathema And thereupon adde they farther This errour and impietie which hath euerie where so many followers and abettors ought also to be Anathematised and condemned by the See Apostolike As if they should haue said It is high time Innocent that now you shew your selfe and doe your duetie All which Innocent as one not willing to breake with them passed ouer and seemed not to vnderstand but as if they had fled to him as to their superiour frameth them an answer onely to futher his owne ambition Apud August Epist 90. to 1 Concil apud August Epist 91 You haue saith he well obserued the ordinances of the ancient Fathers and not troden vnder foot that which they not in humane wisedome but by diuine order haue established namely that whatsoeuer is done in places though neuer so remote should for finall conclusion be referred to the audience of the See of Rome And againe You haue Apud August Epist 92. saith he had due regard of the Apostolike honour I say of him which hath the charge and care of all other Churches in asking aduise of him in these perplexities and intricate causes Following herein the ancient Canon which you as well as my selfe know to haue beene obserued in all the world And where I pray you good Innocent and when was it so obserued for saw you not the contrarie in Afrike it selfe and in these two last Councels practised But let vs see whether they vse him any better in his matter of Appeales The Fathers of the Mileuitan Councell spake plainely Concil Mileuit Can. 22. It hath beene say they thought fit in the case of Priests Deacons and other inferiour Clergie men if in their causes they complaine of the wrongfull iudgement of the Bishop that then the next adioyning Bishops shall heare and end their cause by the consent of their owne Bishop And if they thinke fit to appeale from them also yet that they appeale not but onely to the Councels of Afrike or to the Primate of the Prouince But if any shall presume to appeale beyond the seas that no man presume to receiue that man to his communion And it is verie probable that the like decrees were made in other Churches of the West howsoeuer Gratian 2. q. 6. c. 35. to saue the Popes jurisdiction addeth these words Vnlesse saith he they appeale to the See of Rome whereas it was properly against that See that they raised this countermure and bulwarke of defence Bellarmine yet goeth more finely to worke and saith That this Canon concerneth only the inferior Orders But the Canon next precedent which properly prouideth for the cases of Bishops is linked with this as wel in reason as in order the conclusion is general Whosoeuer shall offer to appeale beyond the sea c. without any distinction betweene Priest and Bishop Concil Carthag apud Balsam Can. 31. ex Concil African and in the margent there is noted this diuers lection Aliàs That they appeale not beyond the sea but to the Primates of their Prouinces as it hath often beene ordained in case of Bishops and so are all sorts of Clergie men comprised And in like manner is this Canon read in the Greeke copies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And to conclude this point we may not forget that Saint Augustine himselfe was present at this Councell All these things standing as they doe let vs now see what arguments Baronius hence draweth to the preiudice of the Churches of Spaine and Afrike in fauour of the Pope And first saith he in the third Councell of Carthage Baron to 5. an 497. art 55. can 48. it is decreed That concerning the baptisme of the Donatists Syricius Bishop of Rome and Simplicianus of Milan should be consulted The one saith he as head of the Church the other for the worthinesse of his person whereas the Fathers themselues make no such difference but say they we haue thought good to consult our brethren and fellow Priests Syricius and Simplicianus and no maruell seeing that Aurelius Bishop of Carthage wanting fit ministers to furnish his Churches wrot ioyntly to Anastasius Bishop of Rome and to Venerius Bishop of Milan to supplie his want calling them Holie Brethren Secondly Concil Carthag 3. ca. 26. Distinct 99. ca. primae sedis he taketh on because we alledge the Canon Primae sedis That the Bishop of the first See should not be called Prince or the Chiefe of Priests or High Priest or by any such like name And I would know whether these are not the verie words of the Canon it selfe or are they not so reported by Gratian in the Decrees Yea but he wil not that we should extend them to Rome especially
did by vertue of that Canon of Chalcedon Extat inter Epist Illustr Concil Chalced. And the truth is that this Anatolius in the Epistle which hee wrot to the Emperour Leo vpon this occasion brandeth Pope Leo with the marke of an heretike and censureth him to be vnworthie of the Priesthood 12. PROGRESSION Of sundrie variances which fell out betweene the Churches of Rome and Constantinople by occasion of the Canon of Chalcedon AFter this Canon of Chalcedon there was euer debate continuing betweene the two Churches of Rome and Constantinople the one refusing a superiour the other not admitting of an equall the one seeking to stretch the wings of his authoritie and jurisdiction ouer the East the other ouer all And this was the cause why the Bishops of Antioch and of Alexandria seeking to crosse the attempts of the Bishop of Constantinople who was lately start vp to this authoritie and was therefore the more obnoxious to hate and enuie had recourse oftentimes to him of Rome and as it had beene in despight of the one subiected themselues to the tyrannie of the other Baron vol. 6. an 482. art 1. Whence the Pope himselfe and Baronius his champion for him take no small aduantage for if we will beleeue them Simplicius hereupon gaue confirmation to Calendinus Bishop of Antioch Simplicius Epist 14. hauing no other proofe or ground than this That Simplicius in a certaine Epistle of his to Acatius Bishop of Constantinople saith That he had receiued vnder the wing of the See Apostolike Euagrius li. 3. c. 10. the Priesthood of Calendius But Euagrius an Historian of that time saith simply without any reference vnto any That Calendius vndertooke the sterne of that See and persuaded all which came vnto him to pronounce Anathema against Timotheus as against one which troubled the Church of Alexandria and whose predecessor Stephen was notoriously installed by Acatius as Baronius himselfe affirmeth but he addeth farther That Simplicius had made Acatius his Vicar generall in the East His reason is for that Simplicius vpon the troubles of the Church of Alexandria Simplic Epist 17 Delegatum tibi munus attendes sensus tuos prudenter attolle complaineth to him That he had not aduertised him therof willing him to behaue himselfe wisely in the charge which was delegated vnto him Committed then it was but by whom must we needs vnderstand that by him and why not as well either by the Church or by the people seeing nothing is expressed And farther these are Simplicius his own words And if he did delegate such a charge vnto him yet where shal we find that the other accepted of it as from him Acatius in Epist ad Simplic And I would know whether in his Epistle to Simplicius he euer calleth him by any higher Title than the Archbishop of Rome and in the cause of Timotheus he professeth That as for his so great a dignitie he held it onely from Christ the Prince of Priests And a man may easily perceiue by the complaint which Simplicius made vnto him Simplic Epist 1. that if euer he did make him offer of such an office hee made but little reckoning of his kindnesse And the like may be said when he offered to make Zeno Bishop of Seuile his Vicar in those parts Simplicius also in his Epistle to Acatius speaking of one Iohn who was elected in the roome of the said Timotheus It remained only saith he that after our thanksgiuing vnto God he should by the assent of the See Apostolike receiue his desired confirmation Whereupon Baronius setteth his marke in the margent Baron an 482. vol. 6. art 14. with these words It belongeth to the Bishop of Rome to confirme the Patriarches and doest thou see O Reader saith he that the ancient custome was that the election neither of the Bishop of Alexandria neither yet of Antioch was held for good without the authoritie of the Bishop of Rome and yet he produceth no one Canon to this purpose or any one case wherein it was so practised Nay we find that when Acatius made light of his commaund and when he was willed by the Emperour Zeno to beare out Petrus Moggus against Iohn who was an Orthodox Bishop he qualified his stile with faire words and reasons It was reason saith he that one condemned by publike decree meaning this Petrus Moggus should also be acquited in a common assemblie Where was then this omnipotencie of the Pope when he spake in this manner Yea but in the end saith Baronius when this Iohn was deposed be appealed to the Bishop of Rome as Athanasius had done before him and for proofe hereof voucheth Liberatus the Archdeacon Liberatus in Breuia c. 18. who dwelt too farre off to be a good witnesse in this cause But if his appeale was no other than was that of Athanasius we are at an accord for we haue alreadie proued that Athanasius did not appeale in forme of law as we commonly call Appeales but had onely recourse vnto him and so Euagrius expoundeth it vnto vs Iohn saith he as Zacharie reporteth Euagr. Histor Eccle. c. 12. 15 hauing giuen a summe of money contrarie to his oath taken to the Emperour was chosen Bishop of Alexandria whence the Emperour commaunded him to be banished who flying thence went vnto old Rome where he made much trouble saying that for obseruing the decrees of Leo and the Canons of Chalcedon he had beene deposed from his See Where you see there is no mention of any appeale or of judiciall proceeding For saith he Simplicius moued with these words wrot vnto Zeno thereupon who sent him word againe That he was deposed indeed but that it was for periurie And shortly after Simplicius died and Iohn withdrew himselfe into Italie where the Bishopricke of Nola was conferred vpon him And Liberatus also saith That Acatius by his letters required the See of Rome That if any of his Clergie fled vnto him Ad eundem confugerint he would be pleased not to receiue them which are the proper tearms vsed in these and the like cases OPPOSITION All these contentions about jurisdiction proceeded from that Canon of Chalcedon An. 472. to which the Popes would by no meanes stand and yet they neuer talke vnto vs but of Councels especially of those foure first generall Synods which they vse commonly to paralell with the holie Scriptures But in the meane time came forth a certaine Edict from Leo the Emperor Leo Imperat. li. 16. c. de Saâ—ros Eccles in this maner We decree and ordain That the holie Church of this most religious citie Mother of our pietie and of all Christians whatsoeuer of the Orthodox religion and the most holie See of this royall citie meaning Constantinople in regard that she is the royall citie shall haue all priuiledges and honours concerning the creation of Bishops and taking of place before all others and all other poynts whatsoeuer which they now
his predecessors haue done before him Vita Ludouici Aimon l. 5. c. 14. why commeth he not vnto me all this while The Bishops said If he be come to excommunicate we will send him away excommunicated againe And Hincmar Archbishop of Rheimes writing to Pope Adrian the second Flodoard in Hist Rhemensi Jdem l. 5. c. 16. telleth him in plaine tearmes That Gregorie came into Fraunce with an euill intent and purposing to beare out the children against the father He came saith he into Fraunce and after his comming our peace continued not also he returned not with so good credit as was fit he should and as his predecessors were wont before him And the Chronicle of S. Denis The ministers of the diuell saith he preuailed so farre Chron. Dionys as to vnite all the sonnes against him and maliciously made the Apostolike of Rome to come into Fraunce vnder colour of pietie as it had beene to mediate a peace betweene the King and his children but the truth it selfe afterward appeared And of the Apostolike it was commonly said That his comming was onely to excommunicate the King and the Bishops if they supported the father and were not in euerie respect obedient to the sonnes but when the Bishops heard say this they protested That they would neuer obey him for feare of his excommunication for say they the authoritie of the auncient Canons is farre different from this course And when Lewis was fully reestablished in his kingdome not by the authoritie of Gregorie but as the Historian of the Church of Rheimes reporteth by the common consent of the Bishops Gregorie vnable to maintaine those Bishops whom he had drawne into this practise they were glad though vnder a most gracious Soueraigne yet to saue themselues in Italie from the rigor of the lawes the others were faine to confesse the action and plead guiltie acknowledging themselues vnworthie of the place they held and in effect to be deposed especially Hebo Archbishop of Rheimes and Agobard of Lions And this was in those dayes all the feare that the Bishops of Fraunce had of the Popes excommunications And in this time it was That Claud of Turin taught openly both by tongue and pen That he was not Apostolicall who sat in the Chaire of an Apostle but he that did the office of an Apostle And this reacheth vnto the death of Lewis An. 839. which fell in the yeare 839. Adde we hereunto that the Emperour Lewis treading the path of Charlemaigne and other his predecessors with the aduise and counsell of the Prelates and the rest of the learned of his kingdomes enacted lawes for the better ordering of the Churches of his dominions not onely concerning their policie and gouernment but also touching Faith without asking leaue or expecting a Mandamus from the Pope whatsoeuer Baronius and his Benedict the Leuite prate vnto vs as may appeare by the Articles of Lewis Capitularia and the Abbot Andegisus who collected those Lawes maketh no mention of the Pope in the Preface to them Also he assembled Councels within his owne Estates at Thionuille at Aix and Pauia where you shall euer find Extat ante Concil Paris To. 3. Concil By the commaund By the wholesome commaund of the glorious Prince By the grace or gift of God Emperour c. making bookes of this subject And in the Councell of Aix la Chapella the Bodie of the people speaketh of the Clergie in generall and sayth By them are we made Christians who hauing the keyes of the kingdome of heauen in their hands iudge in a sort before the day of iudgement and so had no need to be beholding to Rome for the keyes An. 828. But in the yeare 828 we find a particular Edict of Lewis whereby to appease the wrath of God incensed at that time against him and his people for the manie corruptions growne in among them he commaunded a fast to be held throughout his kingdomes And besides sundrie other Councels he called foure seuerall Synods for the reformation properly of the Church of Fraunce namely at Mence at Paris at Lions and at Tolousa there to handle discusse and find out things belonging to Christian Religion Concil Aquisgra 3. to Concil what the Prince what the people held either answerable or contrarie to the reuealed will of God what had beene retained what omitted either in part or in whole how the Clergie behaued themselues wherein they erred and departed away from the rule of holie Scripture And in all this no mention made of the Popes authoritie Baronius maketh much of certaine Epistles written about this time by a Monke of Greece named Theodorus with his complices in Idolatrie to the Pope of Rome Baron an 817. art 21 22. sequent by reason of the haut titles which he giueth him magnifying him aboue all other Bishops It were a verie sufficient answere to say That this was a Monke offended with his Patriarch of Constantinople for taking away his Images and therefore no matter what he sayth But yet examine we his letters Coaequandum Angelis First he calleth the Pope Equall to the Angels Will Baronius abet this flatterie seeing that the Apostle to the Hebrewes after the Psalmist speaking of our Lord and Sauior Christ saith Thou hast made him little lesser than the Angels How can he make the Pope equall to them but as he is more than a man as God himselfe as he that maketh himselfe God as S. Paule speaketh in the second of the Thessalonians chap. 2. Secondly he calleth him The Great Light Prince of Bishops and Apostolike Pope In that he calleth him Prince of Bishops it imports nothing but the Primacie of his See But you shall see how this same Monke wrote at the same time scarce changing a penne betweene to other Patriarchs for to him of Alexandria he wrote To the most holie Father of Fathers and Light of Lights Doe not these words weigh downe those other of Great Light And as he calleth the one Pope of Rome Apostolicum verticem so doth he the other Pope of Alexandria as he calleth him of Rome Apostolike so the other The crowne or top of all Apostolikes And what aduantage now hath Baronius gotten for the Pope Yes sayth he for the Pope of Rome is called The supreame Light and the other is called onely the Light of Lights First what faire play to turne a die And whereas but two pages before by his owne confession the Monke called him onely Magnum Lumen a Great Light now to make him say Supremam Lumen the Supreame Light Secondly who knoweth not that Light of Lights in all tongues especially in the language of the Scriptures implieth more than a Great Light Baronius his replie is That the Bishop of Alexandria was so called in regard that Cyrill his quondam predecessor was Legat à Latere for the Pope of Rome First that hath alreadie beene proued to be false Secondly
the Popish Histories doe witnesse That the Clergie of Rome were growne to that passe and so ambitious in those dayes that they made no conscience to obtaine the Popedome by fraud by force or by corruption it being an ordinarie practise for the successor to reuerse the Acts of his predecessor thereby reuenging the delay of his owne aduancement Platina in Stephan 6. whereof we need no other author but Platina himselfe But what thinke we did the Christian world then say when they saw one Pope dig another out of his graue degrade those Bishops which another had consecrated the Acts which one made by another disallowed all ordinances vocations missions and the whole administration reuoked and vtterly abolished and one Synod to contradict and ouerthrow another and yet both the one and the other boldly and peremptorily vsing these words Per sancti Spiritus iudicium edicimus interdicimus c. We say and vnsay commaund and forbid by the sentence of the holie Ghost The Spirt of God then if you beleeue them must be contrarie to it selfe and so must the truth And neuerthelesse they sticke not boldly to affirme D. 19. c. Enim vero Luitprand l. 1. c. 8. That whatsoeuer the Church of Rome doth appoint or ordaine must be for euer and irreuocably obserued of all Luitprand being greatly offended with the fact of Formosus ingeniously acknowledgeth the errour of Stephen Most holie Father saith he hereby you may know how wickedly he dealt that is to say to abrogat all those ordinances that were made by Formosus because they that receiued the Apostolicall benediction of Iudas before his treason were not after it depriued thereof except it were by their owne sinnes for that benediction that is giuen by the Ministers is not infused by that Priest that is seene but by him that is inuisible Iesus Christ our Lord. Bellarmine goes about to salue the matter saying That he degraded not those that were ordained by Formosus by a formall decree but that onely de facto he made them to be reordered A commaund saith he Bellarm. l. 4. de Rom. Pont. c. 12. that did not proceed of ignorance but of hatred against Formosus But yet wee find by their owne Authors that this was done by the authoritie of a Synod celebrated at Rome and by an expresse Decree But if such tergiuersations may serue turne what wickednesse is there that cannot be defended This Heresie of Stephen yea of the Councell of Rome was it but small when Stephen in his Synod declared Formosus neither to be nor to haue beene Pope who I say made himselfe the Head of the Church being deceiued in his knowledge of the Head of the Church let any man looke into his conscience and his knowledge whether he fell into a light Heresie or no. But here he will follow Sigebert for his Author An. 902. Sigebertus in Chron. That notwithstanding the contradiction of the greater part Stephen the sixt degraded those that had been ordained by Formosus And is he not therefore so much the more an Heretike by how much the more obstinat he was to be ordered by the counsell of his brethren But Sigebert in the yeare 902 peremptorily affirmeth That all his ordinances were to be made void and did other things against him horrible to be spoken This then was a decree An. 903. and in the yere 903 speaking of the Synod held by Pope Iohn at Rauenna the Archbishops of France being present Before them saith he was the Synod burnt which Stephen had made for the condemnation of Formosus This decree was concluded in the next full Synod and in the yeare 900 he affirmed That by this occasion this question had beene for manie yeares disputed in the Church not without great scandale the one part iudging the consecration of those that Formosus had ordained to be nothing the other by a more holie counsell iudging them to be of force This was a question of law not of fact and consequently the solution of Bellarmine altogether void Baron to 10. an 897. art 4. an 900. art 2 3 4. Truly Baronius speaking of these times is strucken with a kind of horror and cals them infelicissima luctuocissima ecclesiae Romanae tempora The most vnfortunat and lamentable times of the Church of Rome worse than the persecutions of the Pagan Emperours Heretikes Schismatikes But he layed the fault vpon the Tusculan princes then powerfull in Rome as if the other part had yeelded Popes more holie and as if both the one and the other had not entred by theft and consequently come in at the window and not at the dore When sayth he the Church of Rome suffered the Princes of Tuscane to beare rule whether by money or by armes ouer the people and Clergie of Rome they thrust into the Chaire of Peter the throne of Christ men monstrous and infamous in their liues dissolute in their manners and wicked and villanous in all things and then the Queene of Nations so he calleth the Church of Rome being robbed of the garments of her glorie and ioy sits in heauinesse mourning and lamenting Let the Reader here note what helpe they giue vs to argue against the perpetuitie of their pretended succession when by his owne confession he here spake of ten Popes that did immediatly succeed one another but he addes that God would haue it so to giue the world to vnderstand that the Church as a Commonwealth dependeth not vpon the wisdome or vertue of those which gouerned but from the efficacie of the promise of God which makes it firme and constant for euer Why then should it seeme strange that there should be anie interruption in this personall succession For hath he euer seene families continued by monsters And when they happen in the Church as he acknowledgeth is not the mercie of God to be acknowledged therein which euen of stones raiseth seed vnto Abraham and beateth downe Antichrists sitting in the seat of Christ with the breath of his mouth Jbid. art 6. Moreouer Baronius acknowledgeth that whilest Stephen digged vp the carkas of Formosus the Church of Latran the chiefe seat of the Pope by the diuell was vtterly ouerthrowne to the ground from the Altar to the gates euen that saith he in which Pope Stephen kept his residence Which is an argument vnto vs that we are admonished by this destroying Angell that we are hereafter to seeke here the rubbish of the Church Neither let vs forget that Stephen for his wickednesse was strangled in prison and neuerthelesse Iohn the tenth his successor cals him Stephen of happie memorie in the acts of the Councell of Rauenna which saith Baronius was done in reuerence of his predecessor Baron vol 10. an 904. art 4. We may rather say because all impietie was with them pietie that vertue and vice were with them onely measured by commoditie But at this time Theophilact the Archbishop of the Bulgarians
the onely man in that age famous in Diuinitie who expounding these words Vpon this rocke I will build my Church Theophil in Matth. c. 16. made no mention of the Pope of Rome because sayth he Peter confest him the sonne of God the Lord sayth That that confession that he made should become the foundation of the faithfull in such sort that euerie man that would build the house of faith must necessarily put this confession for his foundation c. Yea saith he euerie one of vs being made the house of God is the Church insomuch that if we be built vpon this confession of Christ the gates of hell nor our sinnes shall preuaile against vs. And to proue that he vnderstood not this priuiledge to belong to the Church of Rome but to euerie Christian that is the house of God and the Church vpon these words To thee I will giue the keyes of heauen c. he saith Ioh. 20. The keyes that bind and lose forgiue and aggrauate our sinnes For they that like Peter are thought worthie Episcopall grace haue power to lose and retaine sinnes for though it were onely said to Peter To thee I will giue yet that power was once giuen to all the Apostles when he said Whose sinnes ye remit shall be remitted for that word I will giue signifieth a future time that is after the resurrection And therefore to shew that he thought the keyes not to be attributed more to Peter than the rest of the Apostles he sayth vpon the Epistle to the Galathians Theophil ad Gal. c. 2. Paule shewed himselfe to be equall to Peter Manie the like places there are in this Author though he were one of those that came last and of those as we haue said elsewhere whose writings some haue taken care to corrupt the better to accommodat them to the controuersies of the times 37. PROGRESSION Of the miserable estate of Italie through the wickednesse of the Popes and the wilfulnesse of the people Of Theodora and her daughters three famous harlots that ruled the Popes and the Citie of Rome at their pleasure Of the abhominable and wicked life of Iohn the thirteenth HEre we enter into an age which is renowmed onely for this That in the state of Italie there was nothing but confusion in the Church darknesse and in the Popes idlenesse and a headlong licentious libertie to commit all sinne that it was no maruell that Baronius began his Historie with these words An yron age barren of all goodnesse and a leaden age abounding with all wickednesse For as touching the State the Emperour Lambert hauing beene traiterously slaine as Berengarius a Prince commended for his great vertue thought he had ouercome all his affaires Benedict the third prouoked by the Marquesse Albert called Lewis the third the sonne of the Emperour Arnulph against him and crowned him at Rome but Berengarius surprised him vpon the sudden at Verona and hauing taken him pluckt out his eyes and setled himselfe in the Empire for manie yeares notwithstanding his prosperous successe was interrupted by the faction of the Popes assisted by the power of the Marquesse Albert then arbitrator at Rome The Hungarians on the other part and the Sarasens without resistance troubled all Italie Neither were there wanting malecontents who called in strange Princes Rodulph K. of Burgoigne Hugh K. of Arles who as it were by turnes entring Italie with their powers crowned themselues at Rome but yet with condition to ratifie the pretended donations and because they had need of the Popes helpe were content to remit much of their authoritie and yet sped neuer the better And as touching the Church it was easie to judge in so great a perturbation of all things how pale the face of it was especially in Italie where all this while there was not a man of fame that appeared nor action that had anie shew of care in it of the Church in such sort that they that haue writ the Historie thinke they haue sufficiently commended a Pope when they haue reported him to haue done nothing so naturall a thing was it for them to haue done euill In the yeare 904 Benedict the fourth died An. 904. and contrarie to all law say they Leo the fift succeeded who after fortie daies was deposed by his chapleine Christopher nouo exemplo Sigon de Reg. Jtal. li. 6. Platina in Benedict 4. Leo. 5. by a new example saith Sigonius malis artibus by deceit and cunning saith Platina setled himselfe in his place Sergius the third being now twice driuen from the Popedome made friendship with the Marquesse Albert and so supplanted him and placed himselfe in his throne and then at his owne pleasure inueighed against the memorie of Formosus and pronounced his Acts to be void insomuch that Bellarmine laboured no lesse in the justifying of him than of Stephen Then was there no more question either of the election of the Clergie or of the consent of the people Here saith Platina consider how much these haue degenerated from their ancestors for they like holie men contemned such dignities as were freely offered them and betooke themselues to prayer and preaching these with corruption and ambition seeking the Popedome and hauing gotten it laying aside all diuine worship no otherwise than cruell tyrans exercise their malice one against the other that with the better securitie they might afterward follow their owne pleasures when there should be no bodie of power to bridle their sinne An. 911. Anastasius in the yeare 911 succeeded Sergius An. 913. and him Landus in the yeare 913 and him succeeded Iohn the eleuenth the Archbishop of Rauenna commendable onely in this that they liued not long Platina in Christoph 1. sequ God saith Platina taking them out of the world as so manie monsters But Sigonius without malice speakes thus of Iohn That the Clergie and people being assembled together for the choice of the Pope there was nothing done in this election according to law for Albertus the Marquesse at the persuasion of Theodora his mother in law not out of the Church of Rome but of Rauenna nor by the voices of the Clergie but his owne riches Luitprand l. 2. c. 13. nominated for a successor Iohn the Archbishop of Rauenna Luitprand who liued in those times speakes somewhat louder He obtained sayth he the Popedome by such horrible wickednesse contra ius fasque against all law both diuine and humane Theodora an impudent harlot obtained Virago-like the Monarchie of the Citie of Rome who had two daughters Marozia and Theodora not onely equall vnto her but farre surpassing her in their lasciuious life of one of these namely Marozia Pope Sergius had in adulterie Iohn who after the death of Iohn of Rauenna got the Popedome that is to say the twelfth of whom we shall speake hereafter and by the Marquesse Albert her husband she had Alberick who afterward vsurped the principalitie of Rome
herein than the rest That oath which he made Richard Prince of Capua to take Gregor 7. in Epist post 21. l. 1. l. 8. post Epist 10. is verie notable I Richard by the grace of God and Saint Peter Prince of Capua by what diuinitie doth he couple the creature and the Creator together from this houre and euer hereafter will be faithfull to the holie Church of Rome and to the Apostolike See and to thee a helper to hold obtaine and defend the royalties of Saint Peter and his possessions with a true faith against all men and I will giue my best assistance that thou maist securely and honourably hold the Popedome of Rome and the dominions of S. Peter These clauses according to his owne interpretation goe farre And I will neither seeke to inuade or obtaine thy principalities nor presume to rob or wast them without the leaue and licence of thee and thy successors that to the honor of S. Peter shall enter What other words could he vse to a captaine of theeues But to King Henrie when I shall be admonished by thee or thy successors I will sweare alleageance reseruing still my fidelitie to the holie Church of Rome These things fell out about the yeare 1073. And the same oath tooke Robert for Apulia and Calabria doing his homage Gregor l. 2. Epist 71. And if we may beleeue the Epistle of Gregorie the seuenth in the yeare 1073 there came to Rome in pilgrimage the sonne of Demetrius king of Russia whom he inuested into his kingdome in the name of S. Peter Vndoubtedly affirming that this his petition should be ratified and confirmed by the consent of his father if he should possesse his kingdome by the gift of the See of Rome Thus abusing as it appeareth by the stile the sottish deuotion of this young man In like manner in the yeare 1081 was the Earle Bernard besotted who gaue for the remission of his sinnes the earldome of Prouence As for the donation of the Countesse Mathilda we shall speake thereof in his due place But it is worthie the consideration from what ground it should arise that he writes to Philip K. of France daring to promise him remission of his sinnes if he would take part with him We will An. 1080. saith he and in the name of the Apostle we commaund that thou hinder not in any sort that election which the people and Clergie of the Church of Rheimes are to make whereby it may be thought lesse canonicall but if any man shall goe about by any endeuor whatsoeuer to hinder it thou shalt giue thy best helpe to withstand him Goe forward therefore that we may not be thought in vaine to haue spared the sinnes of thy youth and to haue expected thy amendment but especially endeuour to make S. Peter thy debtor that is Hildebrand who makes himselfe Peters successor in whose power is thy kingdome and thy soule who can bind and loosse thee in heauen and in earth by which thy diligence and execution of iustice thou maiest deserue his eternall grace and fauour Here I may aske who discernes not the voyce of the diuell tempting our Sauiour in the Gospell But the Aphorismes which they call the Popes Dictats published by him about the yeare 1076 lay him open to the view of euerie man That the Church of Rome hath no other foundation but from God Why then alledge they Peter That the Bishop of Rome onely is by right called Vniuersall and therefore he alone hath right according to S. Gregorie the Great to be either the forerunner of Antichrist or Antichrist himselfe That he alone may depose and restore Bishops what then shall we say of so many Bishops that in the Church for so many yeares and ages in so many countries haue beene lawfully by good and worthie lawes without any respect of him nay in despight of him placed and displaced That his Legat though otherwise inferiour in degree must take place aboue all other Bishops in Councels and may denounce the sentence of deposition against them The reuerend generall Councels therefore in which diuers Bishops haue beene Presidents and taken the vpper place and pronounced sentence in the presence of his Legats yea many times against them too whither are they now gone That the Pope may depose such as are absent And this saith Baronius is to cut off occasions and excuses from our aduersaries yea the Emperor himselfe who being absent he had excommunicated why then doe they so much wonder that he should vse the same law against him That we must not remaine in the same house with such as he hath excōmunicated What is this but like the Pagan high Priests to interdict fire and water Greg. l. 2. Epist 37. But how happie is it for Christendome that few beleeue it To conclude That it is lawfull for him onely according to the necessitie of the time to make new lawes to ordaine colonies of a religious house to make an Abbie and contrarily to diuide a rich Bishopricke and to vnite the poorer That he onely may vse the Imperiall ensignes That all Princes are to kisse the feet of the Pope onely That his name onely is to be recited in Churches That no generall Synod is to be called without his commaund That no booke may be accounted canonicall without his authoritie That all causes of greatest importance of what Church soeuer must be referred to him That he may absolue subiects of their allegeance towards their Prince That he can iudge of all men and no man can iudge of him And all this because the Church of Rome hath neuer erred nor as the Scripture witnesseth shall euer erre That the Pope of Rome if he be canonically ordained is vndoubtedly made holy by the merits of S. Peter That there is but one onely name in the world that is the Pope he had almost said that which the Apostle speaks of our Sauiour A name aboue euery name Phil. 2.9 Acts 12.4 the onely name vnder heauen whereby we must be saued Now gentle Reader what doest thou expect but that ouer and aboue all this he should adde Because the Pope is Christ he is Antichrist himselfe But before we come to the chiefe Oppositions we are to note some particular things not to be contemned Leo the ninth saith the Abbot of Vrsperg being at Menze and the Archbishop himselfe celebrating Masse An. 1052. it fell out that a certaine Deacon called Hunibert read a lesson that made not for the Pope Leo being admonished hereof by one of his friends commaunded him twice or thrice to bee silent who neuerthelesse proceeded The lesson being ended he called him before him and presently degraded him Wherewith the Archbishop being offended and much moued protested That neither he nor any man else should end the seruice at that time except his Deacon were restored vnto him in the same state he was in before in so much that the Pope to satisfie
Decree they degrade him and put his sonne into his place The circumstances are set downe by Krantzius and Helmoldus Helmold l. 1. cap. 32. Krantzius l. 5. ca. 20. in Saxon. which let not the Reader thinke tedious to read The Bishops saith he of Mence Cologne and Wormes were commaunded to goe vnto him and to bring from him howsoeuer vnwilling the Imperiall Ensignes the Crosse Scepter Halberd Kingdome sword and Crowne but the Emperour enquiring the cause thereof they answere him That he committed Symonie in conferring of Bishoprickes and Abbies To whom the Emperour replied Tell me yee Bishops of Mence and Cologne by the name of the eternall God what I haue receiued from you they answered Nothing Glorie to God on high saith the Emperour that in this point we are found faithfull doubtlesse your great dignities might haue brought great gaine into our Chamber if we had sought after it my Lord of Wormes knowes we are not ignorant whether freely or for gaine we receiued him My good fathers violate not your faiths we now wax old haue patience a little and end not our glorie with confusion we require a generall Court If we must yeeld we will deliuer our Crowne to our sonne with our owne hands But they making offer to inforce him he retired himselfe a little and putting on his Imperiall ensignes and returning vnto them The goodnes of the eternal God saith he the election of the Princes gaue them vnto me God is able to preserue them vnto me and to withhold your hands from this your enterprise although we want our forces to defend vs not doubting of any such violence But yet let the feare of God bridle you since pietie cannot and if neither of them will behold here am I vnable to withstand your force Hereupon the Bishops paused a while but at the last the one encouraging the other they went to the Emperor tooke the Crown from his head and taking him out of his seat spoyled him of all his royall robes The Emperour fetching a deepe sigh spake in this manner The God of vengeance behold and reuenge this iniquitie you commit against me I suffer an ignominie the like whereof was neuer heard of before but it is God the iust Iudge that punisheth me for the sinnes of my youth But yet you are not free from this offence because you haue broken your oaths and therefore you shall not auoyd the reuenge of a iust Iudge God neuer prosper you vpon the earth but let your portion be with him that betrayed Christ This saith Krantzius is the narration of our Annales And Sigonius describes this matter almost in the same words Sigon l. 9. de regno Italia By which narration it plainely appeareth that this poore Emperour was not deposed because he had inuested Bishops for money which they of their owne accords acknowledge but purely and simply because according to the antient laws of his predecessors he did inuest them which the Synod calleth the Henrician heresie or of Guibert alias Clement 3 the Guibertine by which account all Princes were in those dayes heretikes But so farforth did the crueltie of Paschal extend Krantz Saxon. l. 5. cap. 21. Henric. Herford cap. 68. that he caused all that were inuested by Henrie to be digged out of their graues sixe yeares after their death but he demanding penance of the Legats is proudly reiected vntill he did humbly submit himselfe to Paschal But Paschal euerie thing thus falling out according to his owne mind by an honorable embassage is entreated to come into Germanie whilest the Emperour being depriued of his Kingdome is left to lead a priuat life in the Castle of Ingelheim But yet shortly after by the helpe of some of his friends he retireth himselfe into Cologne and being conducted by the Citizens to Liege he was honorably receyued by Othbert Bishop of that place and Henrie Duke of Lorraine And from thence hee dispatched Orators to all Christian Princes especially Philip the first King of Fraunce to lay open vnto them this miserable tragedie But his sonne pursueth him euen to that place notwithstanding those protestations he made that he only fought some little place of rest where he might end his life And at the last by his indeauours he brought it to passe that he got him againe by force into his power where his estate was such at the last that he intreated the Bishop of Spire sometimes his deare friend and aduaunced by him to giue him a place where he might liue as a Clerke in the Church of S. Maries which he had founded which was cruelly denied him And so a few dayes after being ouercome with griefe he dyed And that it might appeare that the impietie of his sonne had not altogether extinguished his loue and pietie towards him he sends vnto him for his last present testimonie of his fatherlie loue his Seale-ring and his sword who neuerthelesse in fauour of the Pope Auent l. 5. Annaliū Boior Helmold l. 1. cap. 33. and to expresse his obedience towards him kept his father for fiue yeares together vnburied in a solitarie Chappell of the house Here saith Helmoldus the Historiographer He was verie good to those Churches which he found to be faithfull vnto him but as for Gregorie and others who lay in ambush against his honour as they endeauoured the worst they could against him so he the like against them extreame necessitie as many affirme enforced him thereunto for who would willingly endure the least losse of honour We read of many that haue sinned who haue beene relieued by repentance Dauid sinning and repenting continued a King and a Prophet But King Henrie casting himselfe downe at the Popes feet praying and repenting is trodden vnder foot and could not obtaine that in the time of grace that Dauid obtayned in the time of the Law But let those dispute hereof that dare or know these things This only one thing we may know that the See of Rome at this day rues that fact For as many as since that time haue raigned of that stocke haue vsed their best endeauours to humble the Churches least they should gather strength against Kings and attempt as much against them as they haue done against their forefathers But Henrie the junior raigned for his father and there was peace betweene the Kingdome and the Priesthood but yet not long For neither did he prosper being all his life time ensnared as his father was by the Apostolike See And he was a Priest that here speaketh This Henrie according to most writers was called the fourth we following Onuphrius and Sigonius make him the third All this happened from the yeare 1099 to 1106. An. 1106. But let vs not forget an Epistle of this Paschal writ to the Archbishop of Polonia at the entrance of this age An. 1102. about the allegation of Councels Pascha l. Epist ad Archiep. Poloniae As if saith he any Councels may
of this inuestiture hee had made himselfe the doore Epist Paschalis ad Henric. Regem Anglorum data Beneuenti That they who entred not by him forsooke God who is the true doore and were theeues and robbers applying that vnto himselfe which our Sauiour spake of himselfe and was to be communicated to no other putting himselfe thereby into his place This saith he is to handle the Church as a handmaid not as a spouse This repugneth the Canons of the Apostles and the Synod of Antioch And yet was there euer word spoken hereof By which allegations neuerthelesse he abused the ignorant and simple people 45. PROGRESSION Of the strange pride of Calixtus the second and of his barbarous crueltie towards Gregorie the eighth Of the degrading of maried Priests and of that which happened to Cardinall Iohn of Creme the Popes Legat comming into England to put downe the mariage of Priests IOhn of Gaieta succeeded Paschal called Galasius the second being created without the knowledge of Henrie who remained at Pauia but vnderstanding hereof went directly to Rome wherewith Galasius being amazed fled by sea to Tarrachina and there caused himselfe to be consecrated by the Bishops of his owne faction at the same time that Henrie caused Mauritius Burdinus to be consecrated at Rome who crowned him the second time and was called Gregorie the eighth Whereupon Galasius excommunicated them both being vpheld and defended by the Princes of Apulia He restored to Gualterus Archbishop of Rauenna the jurisdiction ouer the Bishops of Aemilia whom his predecessors had taken away that he might draw him away from the Emperour And yet neuerthelesse finding no safetie in Rome by reason of the Frangepanes was resolued to leaue there the Bishop of Port An. 1119. and to goe into France where in the yeare 1119 he held a Councell at Vienna but died soone after at Clugni in whose place the Cardinals that were there present with the helpe of the Clerkes and Laitie of Rome chose Guido Bishop of Vienna the brother of Stephen Duke of Burgondie vncle to Baldwin Earle of Flanders and a neere kinsman of Henries who was called Calixtus the second but it is to be doubted whether their great affinitie could support him in the Popedome D. 12. c. Non Decet which otherwise would be verie feeble and subiect to ruine But let the Reader note touching their pretended succession what this election might be without Rome in a monasterie made by the followers and traine of a Pope newly dead and a few others although the Romans afterward gaue their consent thereunto Hauing saith Auentine Auent l. 6. corrupted the Romans with money he bestowed vpon them which he had borrowed and begged of his friends In the meane time Cunon Bishop of Prenest the Legat of Galasius continued his practises in Germanie withdrawing vnder the shadow of excommunication the Princes from the seruice of Henrie and to this end holding diuers Councels at Cologne Fritzlare and elsewhere alwayes vnder a pretence to reconcile the kingdome with the Priesthood that is to say to draw to the Popedome the authoritie of the Empire So that in the end in a Councell at Wormes in the yeare 1122 An. 1122. the Emperour wearied with so many molestations and seeing no other end but the ruine of the State granted to Calixtus whatsoeuer he would The forme of whose agreement written by Vrsperge is as followeth I Henrie Abbas Vispergensâ—in Chron. Krantz Saxon. l. 6. c. 41.42.43 Sigon de regno Italiae l. 10. by the grace of God Emperour Augustus of the Romans for the loue of God and the holie Church of Rome and our Lord Pope Calixtus and for the soueraigne good of my soule I leaue to God and to his holie Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paule and to the holie Catholike Church all inuestiture by the ring and the staffe and I grant election and consecration to be made in all Churches See here for what Gospell these Popes did striue Calixtus in like sort I Calixtus c. grant that the election of the Bishops and Abbots of the kingdome of Germanie be done in thy presence without simonie and violence c. but let him that is chosen receiue his inuestiture of thee by the Scepter except in all thinges which are knowne to belong to the Church of Rome and doe all things which by right belongs vnto thee But in token of this insolence the Legats of Calixtus would that these letters should be published with a lowd voice in the open fields neere the Rhene where were assembled people from all parts But Calixtus when they were brought to him caused them to be hanged in the church of Lateran to the end that all men might behold them But Otho of Frisingens saith Otho Frising l. 7. c. 16. That the Romans boasted that this agreement was but onely for Henrie and not for his successors by which couenant saith he the Church vnder Calixtus the second in magnum montem creuisse encreased to a great height Whereupon this was written of him at Rome Ecce Calixtus honor patriae decus Imperiale Burdinum nequam damnat pacemque reformat Behold Calixt our countries honour worth Imperiall That wicked Burdine punisheth and peace reformes with all Neither did his affaires lesse succeed at Rome for Gregorie the Antipope vnder the fauour of certaine Earles was maintained at Sutri But Calixtus returning out of France to win his fauour they deliuered him into his hands And here the notable insolencie of Calixtus is recited by the Abbot Suggerus Abbas Suggerus in vita Ludouici Crassi in the life of Lewis the Grosse They put saith he this Antipope or rather Antichrist ouerthwart the backe of an ill fauoured Camell clothed with raw and bloudie Goats skinnes and the better to reuenge the ignominie of the Church of God they carried him through the middest of the citie Calixtus condemning him to perpetuall prison in the mountaines of Campania and to preserue the memorie of so great a reuenge they painted him in the chamber of the Palace troden vnder the feet of Calixtus This Gregory neuerthelesse held the See of Rome three yeares D. 12. c. 1. but no fault was imputed to them when Calixtus was not ashamed to write to all the Bishops It is not lawfull in the least point to wander from the rules of the Apostolike church that is the Roman for as the sonne of God came to doe the will of his father so fulfill you the will of your mother whose head is the Church of Rome The Reader may note in this comparison not so much the absurditie as the blasphemie when neuerthelesse this Canon did still continue reformed in a Decree by Gregorie the thirteenth and strengthened by a lye For whereas the old Decree said simply Calixtus Papa omnibus Episcopis that he might make this Gregorian Canon more auncient by a thousand yeares saith Calixtus Papa primus and addeth in the first Epistle
the rod of a Pastor of which the Apostle saith What will yee shall I come vnto you with the rod or in the spirit of meekenesse And what say I she hath a rod yea she hath a sword also according to the same Take vnto you the helmet of saluation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God c. And yet by that which followeth it is apparent that against some which had troubled him he would not haue refused the helpe of another sword I let passe the Satyres of Bernard a Monk of Clugni vnder this Peter his venerable Abbot wherein he wonderfully disciphereth the Pope and the Court of Rome not to wearie the Reader I wil quote onely some few verses to this purpose although the rest be of the same nature O mala secula venditur insula pontificalis Infula venditur haud reprehenditur emptio talis Venditur annulus Hinc lucra Romulus auget vrget Est modò mortua Roma superflua quando resurget Si tibi det sua non repleat tua guttura Craesus Marca vel aureus à modo non Deus est tibi Iesus O wicked times wherein the Crowne and See is sold And yet the merchandise thereof is vncontrold The Ring is also sold But Romulus doth gaine Superfluous Rome now dies when shall it rise againe Not Craesus could suffice if Rome should giue he his Nor any gold for now no God or Christ there is Also Peter Deacon continuer of the Chronicle of Mont Cassin sheweth Chron. Cassinens Petri Diac. l. 4. c. 116. 117. that when the Emperour of Greece had sent his embassadours to Lotharius when hee assisted Innocent in the warre against the Monkes of Mont Cassin there was among others a Greeke Philosopher who disputed against him Peter Deacon that Pope Innocent was excommunicated his words are these In the Westerne climat we see that prophesie fulfilled As the people is so shall the Priest he Whilest Bishops goe out to warre as your Pope Innocent doth He distributeth money presteth souldiers for the warres and is clothed in purple No doubt but hee alledged other reasons which he telleth not But besides them that in the midst of the Roman Church we haue heard thunder it out so lowd against Popes and the Court of Rome and their actions there are found some in these times which openly fell away from it assailing their doctrine it selfe and in our France by their preaching drew many Prouinces from it and from thence as hereafter we shall see spred themselues into neighbour nations These were Peter Bruis in the yeare 1126 and after him his disciple Henrie about the yeare 1147 the first being a Priest and the other a Monke who first in the Diocesses of Arles of Ambrum and of Gap then after throughout all Auuergne Languedoc and Guienne preached against Transubstantiation the sacrifice of the Masse Masses Suffrages and Oblations for the dead Purgatorie worshipping of Images inuocation of Saints single life of Priests Pilgrimages superfluous holydayes consecrations of water oyle Frankinsence and other Romish trash but especially they inueyed against the pride and excesse of Popes and of his Prelats whom they called Princes of Sodome and the Church of Rome they tearmed Babylon the mother of fornication and confusion Which we learne from that venerable Peter Petrus Abbas Cluniacen l. 1. Epist 1. 2. Abbot of Clugni in some of his Epistles where he taketh vpon him to confute them And it is great pitie that their bookes are with so great diligence abolished that we are constrained to vse the writings of our aduersaries for to picke out their doctrine whose testimonie by reason of their hatred and calumnie may justly be suspected For it is imputed vnto them That they beleeued onely the foure Euangelists and reiected all the other bookes of the Bible And here Peter truely skirmisheth with his owne shadow seeing that they verily affirme following the auncient Fathers That the rule of religion is to be sought onely out of the Canonicall Scripture And the Abbot himselfe seemeth to haue perceiued that he had done them iniurie when he saith of these things and the like But because I am not yet fully assured that they thinke and preach so I will deferre my answer vntill I haue vndoubted certaintie of that they say Also I ought not easily giue assent to that deceiuing monster rumour or common report c. I will not blame you of things vncertaine So Saint Bernard more credulous than reason required reproueth them That like the Maniches they condemned the vse of matrimonie and of flesh and denied also baptisme to infants But especially against Henrie he obiecteth the keeping of a concubine and playing at dice. In like manner we read in Tertullian That monstrous opinions and crimes were imputed to the first Christians Bernard in Cantic serm 66. Yet Bernard in the meane time saith They are sheepe in habit Foxes in craft Wolues in crueltie These are they that would seeme good and yet are not wicked and yet would not seeme so It must needes be then that their outward conuersation was good It is also confessed that their disciples went cheerefully to the fire and constantly suffered all extremities for the doctrine of their faith Can that agree with a dissolute life doctrine And they were in the meane time followed with such a multitude Epist 240. 241. in vita Bernard l. 2. c. 5. that the Temples saith Bernard remained without people the people without Priests Priests without their due reuerence Christians without Christ the Churches to wit the Romish were reputed Sinagogues The argument brought against them was as in these dayes Haue our Fathers then so long a time erred are so many men deceiued Yet were they defended by notable persons both of the Clergie and Laitie and by some also of the Bishops and nobles of the realme namely by Hildefonsus Earle of S. Giles vnder whose protection they preached in his countries The people of Tholouse also where Peter preached the word of God the space of twentie yeares with great commendation and in the end was burned Henrie also his disciple some few yeares after being betrayed to Albericus Cardinall of Ostia was carried bound to in chaines into Italie and neuer afterward seene notwithstanding the persecution was hot all that time against the poore people without any difference of age or sex Now as we haue noted that the corruption of doctrine euer accompanied the iniquitie of this Mysterie there arose in this time Peter Abayllard a man of most subtile wit who brought in againe the opinions of Pelagius and others following who destroyed as we haue elsewhere shewed the free justification in the faith of Christ Iesus that is to say tooke the Christian Church by the throat against whom Saint Benard writeth diuers treatises and maintaineth the aunceint truth taught by S. Augustine S. Hierome Prosper and Fulgentius in the Church sweepeth
measure inforced him according to the example of his predecessors to forsake Rome and to hold his See at Velitre Who neuerthelesse prouiding himselfe against them vnder a pretence of a Sarasen warre called a Councell at Verona in the yeare 1184 where the Emperour Frederick himselfe was present An. 1184. Naucler vol. 2. Gener. 40. Frederick making benefit of the time hauing now pacified Lombardie and receiued Alexandria into fauour touching which citie there had growne so great contention betweene him and Alexander seemed to reduce things to their pristinat state Sigon l. 14. de regno Jtal. as appeareth by these articles That all the citizens of Alexandria should at his will and pleasure depart the citie and so long should abide from thence till they were brought in by his Deputie or Lieutenant in a solemne manner that by this act it might appeare he gaue and they receiued their countrey from the hand of the Emperour and so the citie should from hence forward be called Caesaria In this Councell Lucius the third so farre preuailed by meanes of the Emperours presence to represse the Romans that they were proclaimed as enemies to the Church But on the other part as Frederick requested to crowne his sonne Henrie Emperor he expresly denied it vnlesse he would restore first vnto him the inheritance of the Countesse Mathilda and other dueties which he withheld from the Church thereby not so much renuing an old quarrell as determining it at his owne pleasure It was also requested by the Emperour That he would receiue into fauour those Ecclesiastical persons that were ordained by the Antipopes whereunto he consented but the day following when he should haue laid his hands vpon them vtterly refused it and referred it to another Synod Fearing saith Krantzius least the Church Krantzius l. 6. Saxon. c. 47. as in former times should fall into a most dangerous schisme which euill the neerer they knew it the more they feared it Euen so both with grudge and discontented minds dismist the Councell And now Frederick passing forward into Italie straitly pursued the cities that held with the Church and on the other part Lucius was resolued to vse all extremities euen when he died in the citie of Verona hauing neuer dared to looke backe toward Rome and in the same place was chosen for his successor Lambert Archbishop of Milan who was named Vrban the third It is a thing worthie to be noted That this Lucius excommunicated the Waldenses and Albienses because they did weare sandalls on their feet and a hood saying they did therein imitat the plainnesse and simplicitie of the Apostles But out of all doubt it was rather through malice let it suffice vs that he had no greater crimes to charge them withall There is also extant another Decree of his Abbas Visperg in Chron. extra de Judicijs Tit. 1. c. Clerici 8. Abbas Vrsperg Ex Epistola quadam Pragens vniuers ad Oxoniensem tempore Wenceslei Jmperatoris scripta Sigon de regno Jtal. l. 15. ex Naubrig Vrsprergens Viterbiens Krantxius in Saxon. l. 6. c. 52. That a Clergie man for euerie crime should be conuented before an Ecclesiasticall Iudge notwithstanding any other custome whatsoeuer Here is also of him a certaine Epigram which is alluded to the fish called a Pike being in Latine Lucius who deuoureth other fish Lucius est piscis Rex atque tyrannus aquarum Aquo discordat Lucius iste parum Deuorat ille homines hic piscibus insidiatur Esurit hic semper hic aliquando satur Amborum vitam si laus aquata notaret Plus rationis habet qui ratione caret Lucius is a fish a tyran in water Like to this Lucius as mother to daughter He deuours men this fishes doth eat He still hungers this sometime's full with meat If both their liues we equally should praise He hath most reason that reason denayes In the remainder of the historie of these times wee must follow the selfe same steps Vrbanus although he continued not long notwithstanding in that little time purchased the name of Turbanus through the troubles which hee euerie-where procured Frederick made peace with William King of Sicilia and for the better confirmation thereof maried his sonne Henrie to Constance the daughter of Roger the grandfather of the said William who dying without issue was the next heire This manage pleased not Vrban and the lesse because Frederick in an assemblie holden at Geilhausen caused the Prelats of Germanie to write vnto him to preserue the tenthes held in fee and other rights to the Nobilitie being by her worthily obtained in the defence of the Church But as hee prepared at Verona to excommunicat him they of Verona to whom hee was now retired made knowne vnto him That they would not endure that in their citie such a Decree should be published against the Emperour Whereupon he departing to Ferrara for the same purpose was preuented by death The Abbot of Vrsperg of him thus briefely speaketh Being borne in Milan in hatred of the Emperour he was verie trouble some to the Church which had a while beene quiet but he was preuented by the will of God and died hauing continued in the seat but one yere ten Moneths and fifteen dayes An. 1187. In the yeare 1187 the Cardinall Albert his Chauncelor chosen by the Cardinals at Ferrara succeeded him being called Gregorie the eight who soone after writ to all Princes to persuade them to goe personally into Palestina to recouer Hierusalem which the infidels had forcibly gotten from the Christians assuredly promising them life euerlasting and the protection of the Church during the time of their absence for the safetie both of their states goods And doubtlesse the miserable estate there of the Christians persuaded many to vndertake this journey as the Emperour Frederic Philip king of Fraunce and Richard King of England and diuers other Princes in their owne person Notwithstanding Gregorie saw not the successe thereof death preuenting him in Pisa euen at the setting forward of this enterprise But the Cardinals that were of his traine chose in the same place Cardinall Paule a scholler of Rome who was Clement the third being so named because the dissention that had continued betweene the Popes and the Romans the space of fiue and fortie yeares was extinguished and appeased by his meanes vpon condition that they might haue a Patricius But the Senators and Gouernours of the Citie created by them before they enter into that office should be inuested permantum with a mantle by the Pope Now Frederic died in this voyage after many notable worthie exploits An. 1190. in the yeare 1190 hauing entred into a certaine riuer in Armenia called Serra to refresh himselfe in the violent heat of summer the suddaine cold to the extreame heat striking inwardly into him presently ouercame his vital parts Otho de S. Blasio cap. 35. Abbas Vrspergens Sigon de regno Jtal. l. 15. A Prince
ruinate Frederick not forbearing to say that the Empire of Germanie flourished more than was for his profit But saith Auentine that could not well be brought to passe by the meanes of the Bishops of Germanie and the reasons are these Because they were then yet vniuersally giuen to the loue of artes Auent l. 7. Annal. Boiorum and of the common good and not subiect to seruitude not as now shunning labours and giuen to sloth idlenesse and pleasures they applied themselues to wisedome in study on bookes in louing Christ and diligent feeding their sheepe they tooke care of the Common-wealth and prouided for Christian preaching The Ecclesiasticall dignities of these men were first conferred vpon them by our Emperors and Princes then fom the time of the Emperour Henry the fift the Clergie and people being assembled and suffrages by each man particularly giuen they were chosen with the ioint consent of the people and all the Priests the common Pastours of soules and at length in the time of this Frederick the second by the Clergie alone the people excluded For which causes the Bishops of those times in their titles beginnings of Epistles and Decrees did not write Apostolicae sedis gratia that is to say By the fauour of man as now they doe but after the manner of S. Paul sola miseratione diuina By the only mercy of God they acknowledged they had receiued that gift and office c. Wherefore Gregorie would take away and make voide this order and subuert this authoritie of Bishops and reduce all things to the power of one man neither could he otherwise oppresse Frederick whom they openly proclaimed their most deare and most pious Prince and seemed they would in no wise for sake him matters remaining as they did The Emperour then saith the Authour after he had appeased the rebellion of Austria came to winter at Turin and Gregorie by the counsaile of one Mathew a preaching Frier for there is nothing that such sort of men will not vndertake entreth into a league with Iames Tiepoli Duke of Venice hauing allured into the same confederacie the Bishops of Milan Bononia Bresse and others of Lombardie ouer whom was appointed Generall Gregorie de Montelongo that they might breake forth into open rebellion vpon the first occasion offered And least Frederick should receiue aid from Germanie he won the Germane Princes and Captaines according as he vnderstood they were led with couetousnesse or ambition in distributing vnto them the Tenthes and other Ecclesiasticall goods for to engage them against their Bishops and did so much by the cunning practises of himselfe and of the Preaching Friars that working vpon the passions and naughtie affections of men he brought a good part of Germanie to sheath their swords in their owne bowels Wherefore things thus set in order he proceedeth to excommunicate Frederick and vnder pretence of zeale the conspirators of Italy take armes at the same time assemble the troupes of Germanie assisted with his Legats men of chiefe authoritie but particularly pricked forwards by one Albert Behan a noble Churchman factious and learned to whom he had committed the care of the whole businesse for foure yeares hauing first by oth secretly bound him vnto him and armed him to that end with three Bulls The first was an inuectiue against Frederick a Prince as it said beleeuing amisse concerning Christ hauing none other drift than to ouerthrow Christian Religion which that he may more easily effect he laboureth to bring the Pope and Cardinalls into extreame pouertie The second conteined an interdiction of Diuine seruice to all the followers of Frederick and pronounced all his officers vassalls and subiects absolued from their oth of fidelitie The third a prohibition that no man of what qualitie or condition soeuer should assist him in deed word or will vnder paine of eternall damnation And he fortified these Bulls with gifts benefices and dignities for to corrupt and win more easily the Counsellors Secretaries of Princes according as he knew each man more or lesse capable of this seruice And here Auentine declareth particularly all the circumstances Thus at length this mightie rebellion in Germany brake forth and at the same time were these Buls carried about by the Preaching Friers But on the other part Conrade sonne of Frederick calleth to him all the good men and inuiteth the faithfull Princes and cities of the Empire to their duetie and setleth himselfe to a defence Of all the Bishops to whom those Buls came not any one obeyed the Pope and of all the Abbots as few they all were astonied at this noueltie all are inflamed with anger all protest publikely That the Pope hath in Germanie no right without the consent of the Bishops of Germanie Let the Bishop of Rome say they feed his Italians We being ordained of God dogs of the flocke will keepe away the Wolues that come couered in sheepes skinnes Learne hence what this counterfeit Vicar would doe to others when he beareth himselfe thus towards his brethren and collegues And in like manner said Sigefride Bishop of Ratisbone and others in a solemne sermon before Otho Duke of Bauaria promising at their owne charges euerie yeare to maintaine six hundred horsemen for the excellent most Christian and most pious Emperour Frederick So Conrade Bishop of Frisingen so Eberard of Saltzburg and Radiger Bishop of Bathaw or Passaw in so much that he gaue a boxe on the eare to him that deliuered him those Bulls in the temple and cast him into prison Wherefore they all declared that Albert and in him the Pope himselfe to be an enemie of the Christian Commonwealth a disturber of peace a most dangerous hypocrite and a false Prophet Neither yet is Eberard content with this he reconcileth Frederick of Austria with the Emperour and the Pope excommunicateth this Prince of Austria but Eberard presently absolueth him and moreouer writeth to Otho Duke of Bauaria That he could doe nothing more acceptable to God than to expell that Albert a serpent in his bosome out of his dominions Also the Bishop of Bamberge taketh the messengers of Albert and strippeth them the Bishop of Brixen stoppeth the passages of the Alps to the end that none might go to Rome the same did also the Bishop of Alteich whom he had excommunicat for praying to God for Frederick In a word All the Bishops not onely called his commaundements into doubt but as a hater of Christian concord and as a most pernitious arch heretike throughout the religions of all Priests and Monkes excommunicat him and declare him worse than the Turkes Iewes Saracens or Tartarians published with a lowd voyce That such things were done by the Pope among Christians against diuine and humane right against the lawes against the Commaundements against the law of nations and the doctrine of Christ as would not be committed among the most cruell Tartarians It came so farre that the Bishops of Ratisbone and of Bathaw led troupes of crossed
contemners of ordinarie Pastors and their supplanters creepers into royall chambers and adulterators of confessions as they that roaming ouer vnknowne Prouinces administred a libertie and boldnesse of sinning All these complaints being heard the Pope commaunded that this new booke which they called The eternall Gospell should secretly and with as little scandall as could be to the Friers be burnt with some other inuentions which were said to proceed from Ioachims erronious braine This execution therefore was closely and priuily performed and with as little scandall as possible might be to the Friers through the speciall diligence of Cardinall Hugo and the Bishop of Messina both which were of the Predicant Order so as this tumult at that time ceased and slept The opinions of this Gospell were these That God the Father raigned vnder the Law and the Sonne vnder Grace but by the rising of the foure Orders Mendicants the holie Ghost began then to raigne and so should doe while the end of the world and that from this time forward they onely should be saued that beleeued in this new Gospell That Christs Gospell was not true perfect nor sufficient to saluation as also his Sacraments were of little esteeme but if this new one were compared with that it as farre exceeded it as the Sunne doth the Moone and so consequently that the Church which should be grounded on this new Gospell would in the same proportion excell the other precedent The authors notwithstanding of these inuentions which were to be extirpated the Pope did tollerat and support because any thing whatsoeuer seemes just and equall to them so it make for their prerogatiue and power and they were afraid especially least these their hucksters should grow out of grace with the people by whose tongues and talons so much good bootie and spoyle came vnto their hands Wherefore that same William of S. Amors one of wonderful estimation amongst good men both preached writ against them declaring in his sermons That he affected aboue all other crimes to be zealous in discouering of hypocrisie because this brought more damage and preiudice to true pietie than all the other besides as also in that the Church was now ouergrowne with the same sinne and no bodie for feare of the Pope and Prelats durst lay hand to the irradication of it Amongst others wee read at this day a booke of his intituled De periculis mundi seu nouissimorum temporum which begins thus Quia nos vacantes sacris Scripturis Matth. Paris in libro de Antichristo c. printed at Basil in the yeare 1555 and no wayes to be suspected of falsitie seeing Mathew Paris in a great volume that he writ against Antichrist comprehends the same wholly and entirely ascribing it to the Vniuersitie of Paris and this questionlesse because it was made and publisht by authoritie thereof especially in that hee alwayes speakes in the Plurall number In which booke he conuinceth them That they preached vnsent or at least without a Mission canonicall against and contrarie to the veritie of the sacred Scriptures and fraudulently concealing that which should most principally be deliuered That they crept into houses and insinuated into the peoples priuities by confessions Gulielmus de Sancto Amore lib. de periculis mundi edito Basileae An. 1555. whom by this means they bring vnder their power the easier to commaund and rule them And they call themselues Generall aiders and supporters of the Church preferring themselues before all men euen before the religious Orders themselues And to appeare the more holy they deuise new and superstitious traditions That they loued the highest places at inuitements the chiefest chaires in Synagogues reuerences and low bowings in the open market places and of men to be called Rabbies That they vaunted of the great good they did in the Church of God boasted of their owne and their followers myracles and chalenging the prayse of that they neuer performed That vnder pretext of humilitie they insinuated themselues into the Courts of Princes and affect to be reputed Courtiers That they smoothed the defects of men and arrogantly assumed a farre greater zeale than that of ordinarie Pastors That at first men entertaine them joyfully but at last they grow wearie of them the which happened quite contrary with the true Apostles That they asked with importunitie and receiued indifferently not to releeue necessities but to prosecute their delights and pleasures To conclude That they solicited and sued to obtaine letters commendatorie from great men And here the Reader may obserue the maners and carriage of these Neotericke Pharisies The same man deliuered in a certaine sermon Duo Conciones Gulielmi de Sancto Amore in Antilogia Basileae edita An. 1555. That Christ chose plaine and simple men to preach but Antichrist on the contrarie for the propagation of his falsities and errours made election of men of a double heart subtile and expert in worldlie policies and not onely Antichrist himselfe made choyce of such but also his members and champions No maruell therefore though they persecute the professors of the Christian faith to death seeing Iohn saith in his Apocalyps I saw a beast rise out of the sea that had seuen heads and seuen hornes this beast was intended by Antichrist and his followers And certaine yeares after Iohn de Poliaco Williams disciple and Laurence an English man defended these propositions publikely in Sorbon In a sermon of his he particularly admonished the Church Laurentius Anglicus in defensione Gulielmi de Sancto Amore Tractat. Cauendum esse à Pseudoprophetis Serm. 2. in die Philippi Jacobi Thomas Cantipratensis in Apibus mysticis That a great danger hung ouer her head by the Monkes That they were the seducers and ministers of Antichrist of Antichrist who was hard at their doores But when the Pope had suppressed the scandall of this new Gospell least it might haue prejudiced his affaires taking an occasion of reuenge against William of S. Omers and some other his like for the denunciation of these truthes whether by right or wrong he published and declared him for an heretike as also he complained of him to our Princes that had need of his helpe and fauour and caused him to be expelled out of the Vniuersitie which remained as it were desart and forsaken exciting in like manner Thomas Bonauentura and others to write against him so as all true Diuinitie yeelded to Sophistrie and Paul to Aristotle But so the Mendicants on the other side euen seazed on the Diuinitie Scholes and the Canonists on the Ciuilians chaire that so all points were decided by Gratian and Lombard and of the holie Scriptures there was not so much as any mention in scholes Out of their studies therefore from this time forward came bookes easie to be smelt by their verie titles as Summae Repertoria Quodlibeta Rosaria Legendae Specula in Sententias Decreta Ordines Monachorum Regulas Confessiones Tractatus de
Clements election Iohn also Duke of Burgondie and many other Princes The recourse was such as at the entring in of the multitude a wall instantly falling downe many were crushed amongst whom Charles the kings brother and the Duke of Britaine were sore hurt and the Pope himselfe was ouerthrowne and his Myter strucke from his head whereof one jewell of inestimable price was lost And all these things presaged disaster and ruine This made all men beleeue that he transferred the Papacie into France for some speciall end because this new Pope at his first entrie created many French Cardinals in whose hands lay the whole authoritie and power of election Then on the other side that the Romans might not grow into any great discontent he sent them three Cardinals on whom he conferred the dignitie of Senators that so they might in some sort supplie his absence Now in the years 1308 Albertus being slaine An. 1308. the electors chose for Emperour Henrie sonne to Henrie Count of Lutzemburg called the seuenth being a Prince of noble valour and fortitude imposing on him the Diademe at Aquisgrane who presently sent embassadours to Clement being at Auignion to obtaine at his hand that his coronation might be celebrated at Rome which Clement yeelded vnto vpon this condition That within the space of two yeares hee should goe into Italie But Henrie not attending an appointed day passing the Alpes came into Italie where he found many cities of the Guelphish faction ill affected towards him who had formerly bound themselues vnto him in very strict league as also Robert king of Sicilia the Popes friend who supplied them with forces to erect strong garrisons where speciall need did require An armie in like manner he brought with him to defend their league and societie But so on the other side many that receiued him with great applause suffered him willingly to haue both succours and captaines but especially in Lombardie which being more remote from Robert was the lesse subiect to his plots and stratagems When he came to Viterbe the Clergie and people of Rome met and saluted him conducting him honourably to Rome At his entrie he discouered a conspiracie on foot against him and therefore for his securitie he bound the Nobilitie to him by oath and put sufficient defensiue forces into all the strong places Many also adde hereunto That out of a new and vnknowne example he would haue exacted a tribute of the people on the same day when other Emperours contrariwise were woont to giue great largesse For these respects therefore the Guelphes found fit opportunitie to stirre vp the people against him especially being backed by Robert king of Sicilia who vnder colour of honouring this festiuitie was come thither Henrie therefore being crowned at S. Iohn Laterans leauing the citie to the Cardinals was enforced to retire to Tiuoli whither he being gone they then manifestly shewed how they were not so precisely enjoyned to set the Crowne on his head as to forbid him the Citie For vpon his occasion Clement presently enacted this Law Henricus Steron in Annaâ—ibus sub annum â—313 Clemès Ne sede vacante aliquid innouetur Jdem de sententia de re iudicata Collenuc lib. 5. Henricus Stero in Annalibus Trithem in Chron. in Abbate Hen. 13. That the elected kings of Romans in Germanie could neither be held nor taken for absolute Emperours before they receiued this title and inuestiture from the Popes owne hands and moreouer That during the Interregnum and vacancie of that dignitie the Pope should rule and commaund ouer all the Cities and precincts of the Empire But the controuersie betwixt them lasted not long For this good Prince going towards Sienna and besieging Bonconuento by the way in few dayes after he was poysoned whereof he died Out of the precedent Storie let the Reader conjecture of his death although in this point all writers consent that this poyson was administred to him by one Bernard a Dominican who was Henries confessor in the Hoast from whence grew this verse Iure dolet mundus quod Iacobita secundus Iudas nunc extat mors Caesaris haec manifestat The world much grieues a Iacobine making great shew of pietie Should proue a second Iudas poysoning th' imperiall Majestie And some affirme the Popes Legat instigating him thereunto They that put their hands into these practises belieue they vnfaynedly thinke you in their hearts Transubstantiation Others relate that the Dominican Priests in commemoration of this haynous deed were commaunded afterwards to communicat onely with the left hand An indictment was framed against this criminall by Henrie Count of Flanders and other Noble men of the Armie but the partie after he saw the effect of this poison made an escape Auentine notes that Clement became an enemie to Henrie because in receiuing the Crowne he denyed to take an othe before the Cardinals saying How it was against the custome of his predecessours and the libertie of Christian religion that a Prince of Princes and Lord ouer all the whole earth should be put to an oath by a seruant of seruants By meanes whereof he stirred vp Robert of Naples and other Princes against himselfe then he perceiuing this Robert's practise to take away his life by poyson appointed him a day of triall when he meant to haue pronounced him a rebell and Traytor and so haue stript them of his kingdome But Clement gaue him to vnderstand that it belonged not to him to dispose any way of the kingdome of Naples but to the Roman See of which he held in homage Clement being made Pope by Charles Count of Valois his procurement according to Antoninus he promised by solemne oath to performe six things which are set downe Antonin parte Tit. 21. c. 1. parag 3. Villan in Historia Florent both in Antoninus and other writers First that he should absolue all those that had colleagued against Boniface and that he should redeliuer the hat to the Cardinals Collanaes one thing he reserued to be propounded in due and conuenient time which was to rase out the verie memoriall of Boniface excluding his name out of the Catalogue of Popes and to disinterre his carcasse An. 1310. Chronic. Martini Chronic. Monsort Thom. Walsingham in Chronico In the yeare therefore 1310 in Auignion Philip King of Fraunce being publiquely excused by him of some matters that hee had attempted against the memorie of Boniface sometimes Pope hee pronounced further in the Kings behalfe That what hee did hee did out of a good mind intention and zeale the Kings Orators beeing then present and these things consequently as hath beene sayd were confirmed by the testimonie of the Popes Bulls this businesse was presently referred to Pope Clement who in this Processe of Boniface tooke vpon him to bee both accusant and defendant the Pope vndertaking both to examine and finally to determine this controuersie Item At the same time Pope Clement absolued William de Nogarete
changed except the Senat at any time thought good to vse some prorogation Lewis proceeded yet further by the Romans instigation who had many times in vaine summoned and solicited the Pope as their naturall Bishop to reside at Rome causing election to be made of Peter Corbario of Rietto An. 1327. a Frier Minorite by the Clergie and people of Rome he beeing a verie learned man and fit for the managing of any gouernement who was called Nicholas the fift and there were many that he made both Cardinals and Bishops Nay and moreouer Iohn being conuinced in a solemne Councell of heresie he condemned him to be burnt which sentence was presently and publiquely executed in effigie or picture After the performance whereof setting all things in as good order as was possible in Italie he thought good to returne into Germanie which was wonderfully molested by Iohns arts and stratagemes From such a forme of contention kindled in Christendome what could bee expected but a generall confusion and so much the rather because some yeares before Iohn called Philip de Valois and other Princes into Italie with preualent forces against Lewis and the more to endeere vnto him Philip who afterwards came to the kingdome hee permitted him to leuy a tenth of his whole Clergie Antonin part 3. tit 21. c. 6. part 6. 9. Auent l. 7. Guiielmus de Naugiaco vnder pretext of an entring into a warre against the Infidels which custome his predecessors had formerly taken vp Thus all things hung in doubtfull balance by the variable successe of affaires till Lewis in Germanie came to an accord with Frederick who was glad to redeeme his owne libertie by yeelding vp the Empire Now Nicholas the fift Iohns corriuall in Italie An. 1334. Supplem Martini being deliuered into Iohns hands by the Pisanes who reuolted from Lewis Antonin part 3. tit 21. c. 6. part 15. Summa Constit à Greg. 9. ad Sixt. 5. vsque constit paternuÌ„ morem Annales Franciae Christianus Massaeus in Chronico Guilielmus Ockam in opere 90 dicrum Adâ—ianus 6. in quaest de confirmat he was cast into prison Wherefore Iohn king of Bohemia interposed himselfe to procure some peace betwixt them vpon conditions but during the negotiations in the yeare 1334 Iohn dyed at Auignion Christendome being all ouer in turmoyles but especially all the Prouinces and cities of Italie All Historiographers concurre in this That Iohn left behind him a huge treasure in readie coyne some say fifteene and others fiue and twentie Milliones auri millions of gold which for those times was verie wonderfull For vnder colour of recouering Palestina he gramd and gript all the world And yet hee was not ashamed to admonish Edward king of England That hee should not impose such grieuous burdens vpon the Irish The gouernement of whom saith he my predecessor Adrian granted vnto you vnder certaine conditions But by what right or succession suppose you should these people any wayes belong to the Pope For other matters he publikely preached in Auignion That the souls yea of the most holie and faithfull did not behold the face of God before the last day of judgement which he pretended to vnderstand from certaine visions of one Tundall an Irish man And two Monkes he sent to Paris one a Minorite and the other a Dominican to preach this opinion out of his suggestion and to exhort the Sorbon to imbrace the same labouring also the like in other Vniuersities But king Philip of Valois assembled all the learnedest Diuines of his kingdom at Bois de Vincennes who expresly censured this opinion to be plaine heresie In these things Thomas Wallis Durandus de Sancto Portiano William Caleth and other Authors are plentifull Auentine addes That he read a certaine Epistle of the Diuines liuing amidst these dissentions especially of those of Paris by which they taxed him of heresie persuading him to renounce this opinion which they say he did by their persuasion not many dayes before his death But he might rather peraduenture be condemned of heresie by the moderne Diuines of the Roman Church because as the same Author relates he sent for certaine men that dwelt in the confines of Bohemia and Austria who had painted the Trinitie Auent l. 7. vnder the formes of an old man a young man and a doue as yet at this day they vse to doe whom he charged with irreligion denouncing them to be Anthropomorphites whom he condemned to be burnt although in so cleere a Sun-shine of the Gospell both Bellarmine and other of his followers are not ashamed to allow and defend the same Jn extrauag Johan 22. tit de verb. signific c. 1. 2. 3. 4. cap. ad Candidorem Cum inter non nullos quia quorundam Nicholas the fift wonderfully promoted the Minorites and Iohn laboured hard according to the vsuall inconstancie of the spirit of lyes to suppresse beat them downe and this by such arguments as plainely ouerthrew the Mendicants foundation For concerning the question Whether Christ or his Apostles held any thing in proper he saith we must herein beleeue the holie Scripture by which the articles of our faith must be confirmed which teacheth vs That they possessed something in proper and therefore to beleeue otherwise was heresie and he that otherwise affirmed was to be reputed an heretike And because their most glorious pretext was in a wilfull pouertie he turned them to beggerie indeed enioyning them to be content with meere almes shewing how the custome de facto permitted to them by Nicholas the fift with an exception of propertie reserued to the Church of Rome was but a plaine delusion and cousenage that so they might cunningly be exempted from that pouertie which they professed and therefore the Mendicants being driuen to beg their liuing from doore to doore grew mightily incenst against him He further argued That Christ neuer commaunded nor aduised Christians to relinquish their goods That hee neuer set downe any other rules of pietie to the Apostles than to other Christians to whose perfection the possession of mouables or immouables were no wayes repugnant That the Apostles neuer vowed pouertie nor neuer out of vow renounced their temporall goods who questionlesse euen as other godlie men doe both might and may with a good conscience contend for temporall goods and the naked vow was no furtherance at all to Christian perfection But to this point he grew saith Auentine That such Franciscans as now liued from hand to mouth and begged from doore to doore that spake against his opinion in preaching That Christ and his Apostles possessed nothing he condemned of impietie and pernitious errour banisht them out of the Christian Commonwealth called them Fraterculos Sillie brethren and many also he burned The same Auentine obserues in these times That what was formerly distributed for the sustentation of the poore was now conuerted to ornaments setting forth of walls and glorious pompe which was out of
and least of all ouer the Maiestie Imperiall and if he vsurpe the same they are bound by diuine lawes to resist him therein by word by deed by all meanes and all endeuours and not doing so they should be vniust and iniurious to God as on the contrarie they that fight for him and these false prerogatiues may be reputed to be the diuels champions That the Emperours confirmation belonged not to the Pope much lesse his election nay and this manner of his coronation by reason of many abuses growing from the same brings some danger to the Empire But so on the contrarie the Emperour being a Christian Prince by the consent of the Clergie and people may nominat a Pope and the partie being absent confirme him nominated If he be accused or obiected against he may reduce him into the true way and judge him by a Councell That Peter when he liued as he was a man might fall nay and erre neither was the Pope by any priuiledge exempted from error And whereas it was said to Peter Oraui pro te this may be extended likewise to the rest of the Apostles therfore he could be no surer of his faith constancie than the rest of the Bishops That only the Canon of the sacred Bible is the fountaine of truth in whose disesteeme wee must neither beleeue the Pope nor the Church That we ought not to beleeue the Popes and Cardinall onely about the sence and meaning of the Scriptures or any principall poynt of faith because verie often by their wicked interpretations and opinions they haue led miserable men to hell That the Christian Church is properly the generall bodie and number of the faithfull not the Pope or the Cardinals no not the Roman Church it selfe and the same is truely represented in a lawfull and general Councel of the Churches which was to be called by the Emperour with the consent of other Christian Princes and in times past was so perpetually called And surely my verie conscience vrgeth me to comprehend as briefly as I can what hee speakes of these things because neuer any man more plentifully displayed by what degrees and pretences the Popes haue attained to this height of tyrannie As also I would request the Reader not to thinke it tedious to read ouer the booke it selfe especially speaking of the Court of Rome Marsil Pataui part 2. c. 24. Those saith he which haue visited the Roman Court or to speake more significantly a Staple of traffickes more horrible than a denne of theeues Or they who haue not seene it may vnderstand by the report of a multitude of men worthie of credit that it is at this day become the verie receptacle of all bad and wicked practicioners both spirituall and temporall For what other thing is it than a concourse of Simoniacks What other than an harsh rude bawling of Barretters an Asylum for slaunderers and the trouble and vexation of honest men There the innocents iustice is hazarded or at least so long protracted if they be not able to compasse it by money and bribes that at last exhausted and toyld with innumerable disturbances they are enforced to let fall their miserable and tedious suites For there indeed humane lawes reecho and sound out but diuine precepts are are silent or seldome heard There are counsels and consultations of inuading Christian Princes by armed and violent power conquering and taking the same from them to whose custodie and iurisdiction they were lawfully committed but for purchasing of soules there is neither care nor counsell taken Whereunto we may annexe That there no order but perpetuall horror and confusion inhabites And as for my selfe that haue seene and beene present me thinkes I behold that fearefull statue which in the second of Daniel was represented to Nabuchadnezzar in a dreame hauing an head of gold armes and breast of siluer bellie and thighes of brasse yron legs and the feet one part yron and the rest of earth And so applying it in euerie part Brasen breasts and thighes saith he because of the shrill and large promises and the vocall though fallacious absolution from sinnes and penalties and the vniust and terrible maledictions and condemnations of such as but defend their owne libertie or obserue due fidelitie to their Soueraignes though through Gods protection all this rage and tumor is but vaine and innocuous And no maruell it is that the Index Romanus forbad all men the reading thereof Iohn de Iandun a Gantois maintained the same propositions who also was comprehended in the same sentence of condemnation a man of rare learning in those tempestuous dayes as may plainly be collected by his workes printed both at Venice and Florence Also Leopald of Bebemburg Doctor of the lawes and Bishop of Bamburg who handled the same argument namely That the Emperour had absolute power of gouerning the Empire presently after his election and the Popes coronation added nothing to him to whom he was neither vassall nor feudatarie He also conuicted Constantines donation to be a mere fable The title of the booke is De translatione Imperij printed at Paris anno 1540 but Michael of Cesenna Generall of the Franciscans spake much more broadly and confidently for he said expresly The Pope was Antichrist the Roman Church Babylon which was drunke with the bloud of the Saints And therefore Antoninus placeth him among the Fratricelli or poore Friers of Lyons who as formerly wee saw were the verie progenie of the Waldenses This man and his followers particularly auerred That Pope Iohn was an heretike and all the Popes and Prelats that should come after him Antonin parte 3. tit 21. c. 5. sect 1 And diuers saith Antoninus were burnt in sundrie parts of the world that stood firme in this opinion He also notes That long time after the Marquisat of Ancona Florence it selfe was full of them from whence being expelled they dispersed themselues ouer the countries of Greece as also that Lewis of Bauaria the Emperour was a supporter of these opinions and amongst others he makes mention of one Iohn Castiglio and Francis de Harcatara Franciscans Paulus Aemilius in Carolo Pulchro who were burnt Hereupon our Paulus Aemilius descends into these words Vnder king Charles the Faire there liued many admirable wits and most learned men This age flourished in learning Some of them were verie holie men and some contending ambitiously to excell others exceeding a meane grew to be wicked and impious Others there were of whose manners and intentions a doubtfull coniecture may bee made Good men grieued for the euils of the times and silently lamented And they who were called Fraterculi condemned both by deed and writing Ecclesiasticall wealth and opulencie and preached That riches the purple robe and domination were vnbeseeming and vnproper for religion c. But in the life of Philip de Valois we learne both out of him and other French writers That Pope Iohn what need soeuer he had of our
by this meanes to abate Lewis his affection towards the English But saith the Author the Cardinals Auent l. 7. a peruerse kind of men detracted day after day for the space of three yeares in diuers conuocations deluding him while at length they resolued That his impietie towards the Popes the greatest gods vpon earth was no wayes to bee let passe vnpunished The summe therefore of his answer was this That Lewis should first so dispose of himselfe as to giue full satisfaction to the Church and then he might solicit the Pope for his absolution The Pope caused his Monetorie in forme of a Placart to be fastened on the gates of all the Churches in Auignion wherein he was commanded to surcease his Imperiall administrations and vnder paine of excommunication within a certaine day to submit himselfe to the Church The embassadours declared That they had a large commission to giue the Pope contentment so he would but set downe his demaunds in speciall articles Albertus Argent in Chron. when he thus enioyned That he should vnfainedly confesse all his errors and heresies Item That he should resigne the Empire and not to reassume the same before by the Popes fauour it were conferred vpon him to commit both himselfe his sonnes his goods and his whole state to the Popes will and disposition with many other strange and vnusuall iniunctions There was no man supposed that euer Lewis would haue accepted of these conditions and yet he did not onely subscribe vnto them vnder hand and seale but a Protonotarie being present who was sent from the Pope for this purpose he both sware their obseruance and also neuer to reuoke them so as the Pope and all the Cardinals were herewith astonished The embassadours therefore taking an oath in his name desired certaine articles of penance to â—e deliuered to them supposing that no obstacle now remained behind But then the Pope abusing maliciously his simple humilitie digested other articles which concerned not his person but the verie State and respects of his Empire As that he should reuoke all the Decrees enacted against Iohn the two and twentieth Christs Vicar cut off former Acts recant all opprobries and publikely by a perpetuall Edict establish That the Empire was the fee and donation of the Pope and that he neither could iustly be or bee called Caesar before he confirmed him in the same as also that he should deliuer Ockam with his Collegues and associats into his hands The which articles being communicated to the Princes Electors and cities Imperiall by copies sent all ouer they met at Franckfort the yere 1344 in the the moneth of September to deliberat and consult of them There with joynt consent all solemne rites obserued they decreed That these articles were most impious and tending to the ouerthrow of the Empire That the Emperour by his oath Imperiall vndertaken could by no meanes assent thereunto That embassadors shold be sent to the Pope to complaine of these articles and if he persisted in this seueritie they would let slacke no meanes to preserue the honour rights and safetie of the Empire To conclude they sent Princes and great States to the Pope who vnderstanding their resolution was the more incensed to Lodouikes destruction ruine and thereupon he began to plot with the king of Bohemia with Charles his sonne and the Bishop of Treues their vncle to erect another Emperor opposit to Lewis the which egge was hatcht some two yeares after Auentine here notes That the king demaunding of the Parisian Diuines about this affaire they made answer That Clements answers were not onely wicked and insolent but contrarie to all Christian equitie and iustice Clement therefore the yeare 1346 An. 1346. in the administration of the Sacrament bitterly cursing Lewis he denounced him both an heretike schismatike admonishing the Princes by a certaine day to chuse another Emperor That the Church might not long be destitute of an Aduocat otherwise the Apostolicall See would thinke vpon one He also deposed the Archbishop of Magunce from Virnberg because hee had maintained the prerogatiues of the Empire constituting Gerlac Nassau in his place The Bishop of Strasbourg he absolued after he had taken an oath no more to assist Lewis He employed Bernard of Lutzemberg Elector of Treues and by his solicitations through money and promises drew vnto himselfe many Princes And thus by the negotiations of this new Elector of Magunce he called a Dyet at Reynsey vpon Rhine wherein Charles of Lutzemberg sonne to Iohn king of Bohemia was annointed Emperour the fourth of that name And he being then in France to ayd king Philip against the English the Pope absolued him of his oath made to Lewis and encouraged him both with words and meanes to assume the Diademe Imperiall Lewis on the other side assembled the States at Spire complaining of so great and singular a treacherie entreating and importuning the Princes both Ecclesiasticall and secular to reuenge this iniurie done vnto him who also vndertooke his protection detesting both the Popes and Charles his attempts Then Ockam and many others writ the more vehemently against Clement as hereafter you shall see and a more cruell warre than euer before arose in Germanie wherein notwithstanding the Popes fauour and assistance Charles hauing alwayes the worst when he came to Aquisgrane to bee crowned the gates were shut against him and when the Bishop of Liege would haue receiued him the citizens expelled the Bishop himselfe and raysed the siege layd to it Yet being confirmed by the Pope he determined to be crowned at Collen especially the Bishop fauouring him but the inhabitants refusing him he was enforst to be consecrated at Bona while at length Lewis opposing his wisedome to Charles his youthfull heat was taken out of the world in the yeare 1347 An. 1347. Paulus Langius in Chron. Citicens de an 1347 leauing the place vacant Some say he dyed of poyson othersome say of an Apoplexie But certainely the most famous men of that age highly commend this Prince who to the accumulation of all vertues beseeming a noble and renowmed Prince was in nothing defectiue but in his mild and soft proceeding with the Popes In the meane while Clement publishing a Bull in fauour of Charles wherein he enioyned the Princes of Germanie to receiue him as the faithfull child of the Church extorting this fruit from all his labour and studie imployed That from that time forward none was to be reputed Emperour whom the Pope Christs Vicar did not approue of and to beleeue otherwise was a most pernitious heresie And for the surer obligation of them to these poynts he vrged them to an oath which part of the Princes shrunke from and some verie openly oppugned For said they doth that seruant of seruants so swell and insult in pride and arrogancie as that openly with a shamelesse countenance he contends to surmount the vices and insolencies of all the most cruell tyrans we haue
see Rome againe whether Charles the Emperour with the Empresse came to salute him and then againe to remoue all suspition three moneths after hee departed out of Italie One onely thing Charles performed in this journey for hee caused the Pope to seeke for Peter and Paules heads amongst the old ruines and rubbish which saith our Authour beeing by Gods fauour and furtheraunce found hee put them in an eminent place in Saint Iohn Laterans Church adorned with much siluer gold and many gemmes Let the Reader but marke well this imposture what probabilitie or likelihood there is That after the reuolution of a thousand and three hundred yeares they could be discerned or distinguished from other sculls The Pope during all this was not idle for besides Carillaes erecting of cittadels in all the strong places of Romania Vrban particularly bent his whole studie to build palaces at Oruietto and Montefiascone for the Cardinalls Transalpines thither to retire in time of immoderat heat least complaining of distemperature of ayre they might make this an occasion to depart farre from the citie whither he meant to haue reduced them but that in his returne into France he died at Marselles These things occurred in the yeare 1371 when Peter Beaufort a Lymosine and nephew to Clement the sixt was created Pope by the name of Gregorie the eleuenth At which time Rome was gouerned by a Senator who by the Popes order was to be changed euerie sixt moneth and the gard of the citie was committed to certaine Banderets which is to say to diuers captaines of seuerall wardes or quarters so tearmed of certaine Banners or Colours which euerie one had And this order tooke place since vnder Vrban the fift certaine noble strangers being preferred to the dignitie Senatoriall as Rubeus Tissius a Florentine a Guelph out of Prato and Bolsena and Boniface and Richard out of Pistoria which I deliuer to this end because the Banderets to the yeare 1400 possessed the greatest part of the Roman State Italie moreouer was euerie where tumultuous with factions but especially the Florentines made some signe of affecting libertie whither many cities from all other parts sent their ayd and not being able to maintaine themselues they forraged all ouer the territories of the Church The Popes could not digest the Emperour neither at Rome nor in Italie and therefore Gregorie determed to reduced againe at length his See to Rome Blondus relates That a Bishop being admonished by him to repayre into his owne diocesse he made this answer And you holie Father why goe you not to your owne Church Others say he did this being persuaded in reuelations by S. Briget and Katherine of Sienna But when he saw this was dipleasing to the French Cardinalls and also to his neere kinsmen he caused a number of Tryremes to be priuily built vpon the Rhodan and so with such as he made priuie to his resolution he was in them first conueyed to Genoa from thence to Coruetto and so in the yeare 1376 in the moneth of Ianuarie he came to Rome by land Thus after seuentie yeares continuance his seat at Auignion came to an end But Gregorie not long after dying there began the most grieuous schisme that euer was in the Roman Church And at his first accesse Gregorie was entertained by the Romans with great applause they supposing that together with him wealth and riches would enter into their citie But when Gregorie seemed to terrifie the whole world with his thundrings and excommunications that he sent forth neere at hand among the rest excommunicating the Florentines by the meanes of Bernabo Visconti they drew thither one Iohn Haucut and English captaine a man of great fame for his martiall prowesse with his forces and nothing respecting the Popes interdict but contemning his censures they enforced the Priests to celebrate sacred offices and the Genowayes themselues permitted the vse of all holie functions to those Florentines which were fled into their citie though they were generally interdicted wheresoeuer they liued they therefore called likewise vpon themselues the Popes interdict And Bernabo whom he held for a friend afarre off comming neerer hand draue Gregorie into some suspition and jealousie least vnlookt for hee might procure him one disturbance vpon another Now therefore he began to repent himselfe of his returne and being at poynt of death in the yeare 1378 An. 1378. he aduised the Cardinals that they should no more giue any credit to reuelations seeing he being deceiued by the persuasions of S. Briget and Katherine of Sienna returned into Italie with such disastrous and ominous successe Amongst other Doctors Gerson notes this in his treatise De examine doctrinarum Machiauel l. 3. de Historia Florentino Machiauel is the Author that writes how this Cregorie while he liued in Auignion gouerned Italie by Legats who through their wonderfull auarice and pride ouerthrew many cities one of which had his seat at Bologna who abusing to his owne purposes the famine and dearth of an hard yeare attempted to make himselfe Lord of all Tuscan and namely of Florence by reducing them to such an extreame miserie and famine From whence sprung the originall of that warre aboue mentioned All which his designes notwithstanding fell to the ground For other matters these good Popes were euer hammering of some deepe mysterie Gerson in Tractat de examin doctrinarum for Innocent the sixt instituted a feastiuall day in memoriall of the launce and nailes wherewith our Lord was pierced and by the same Theologie I pray you why may not Caiphas and Pilate be put into the Legend of Saints And Pope Vrban the fift consecrated that Sonday which is called Laetare Rosa which hymne was first sent to Ioan queene of Sicilia that famous harlot who killed her husband Then after him all his successors continued the custome euerie Lent to gratifie one Prince or other with this donatiue Aurea illa Rosa With that golden Rose which they consecrated in a Masse with wonderfull pompe diuers prayers annoynted ouer with Balsamum scattered with powdered Muske sprinkled with holie water and lastly fumed with Frankencense in signe say they both of triumphant and militant Ierusalem in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holie Ghost For Antichrist Christs Ape must needs haue his Sacraments apart which Ierome foresaw would come to passe At the same time also came forth those Sigillaries certaine Formularies in the Roman Church called Agnus Dei which are vsually hallowed of the Popes in the first yeare of their Papacie and are also renewed in the seuenth yeare the prayers by which they are consecrated being altogether execrable and accursed By their veneration and honour blot out the sinnes of vs thy seruants let the spots of our offences be cleansed pardons obtained graces conferred and at length let them deserue to enioy eternall life together with thy Saints and elect Of Christ the true Lambe of God what could be spoken more
of all the great men in the Land which then flourished eitheir in letters or armes obtaining so far by his diuine labour and zeale that truth from his mouth was harkened vnto by many embraced and receiued and happily preached for many yeares so as that light of the Gospell reuiued by his operations and endeauours no puff or whirle-wind could extinguish but rather it kindled vnto vs another fire all Europe ouer I forbeare to speake of the learning incomparable soliditie of his writings all which being duely wayed especially in so tenebrous an age amiddest so fearefull flashings and lightnings whereat the greatest Princes of the world stooped and trembled I thinke no man can justly make any doubt but that his spirit receiued illumination courage and confidence from aboue that God wrought in and by him and in the weakenesse of a wretched and abject man in respect of the world he intended the ruine of Sathans Empire of that same plenarie power so much boasted of and so long time affected by the Popes In so much as Luther seemes to haue spoken most worthily The bodies of the Saints rise againe when there is a resurrection of the Gospell of Iesus our Sauiour so as these pettie desperat Bishops are able to preuaile nothing at all against them with their Herods and Pylats All the Clergie out of doubt he wonderfully amazed and astonisht For Thomas Waldensis in his Epistle to Martine the fift spares not to tell how he wondered and admired at his irrefragible assertions at the perspicuous authorities and inconuincible reasons which he produced Thom. Waldens in Epist ad Martin 5. Thom. Walsingham in Rich. 2. Gulielm Caxtonius in Chron. Anno 1171 1372. alias fructus temporum And the Chronologers of those times seeme greatly to complaine that both king Edward and all his chiefe Counsellors gaue attentiue eare to him as also that the king was woon by him to enact by Parliament That the Bishops from thenceforth should be confirmed by their Metropolitans as in times past and not be tied vpon this occasion to goe personally to Rome But Waldensis mentions some particular men that in England entertayned his doctrine certaine Diuines and Masters of the Vniuersitie of Oxford Robert Rigg Chauncellour of the same Vniuersitie together with the two Proctors and many others whom he seuerally nominates In the Court the king himselfe and the Prince of Wales his son were his auditors Iohn Duke of Lancaster Lewis Clifford William Neuill Iohn Klenbow Richard Struny Thomas Latimer Iohn Montacute who defaced Images throughout all his jurisdiction Iohn of Salisburie who being at poynt of death rejected the Papisticall Sacrament with diuers others of the chiefest Nobilitie Besides Iohn of Northampton the Major of London and sundrie other notable Citizens and Burgesses who many times disturbed the Bishops assemblies and conuenticles which were called for the suppressing of Wickliff But so on the other side he wanted not many potent and mightie aduersaries among the Bishops Prelats Monkes but especially the Mendicants who after Edwards death obtained of Richard the second that Wickliff should be expelled England he therefore repairing into Bohemia brought a great light to the doctrine of the Waldenses when Iohn Hus being yet but a young man had diuers conferences with him about diuine matters But at length beeing recalled home againe from exile about the yeare 1387 the last of December An. 1387. he meekely in his Countrie yeelded vp his soule to God and was buried in the Church of Lutterworth within the Countie of Leicester not without a singular miracle shewed herein notwithstanding the implacable rage and furie of his aduersaries although in the yeare 1428 by Pope Martine the fifths order An. 1428. he was by the Prelats in England disinterred and burnt But God in his good time will re-demaund the bodies of his Saints of all the elements to whom he will then most gratiously communicat his hapinesse and glorie Amen Here we may also adjoyne the principall heads of Wicklifs doctrine as they are set downe by William Wydford his aduersarie who inuents many of them out of his owne braine the more to stir vp enuie against him but in a ward wee may boldly affirme that they are no other in substance then such as are receiued into the confessions of our Churches as may euidently bee seene in many treatises which are extant both in Latine and English Touching the Pope besides the points by vs premised he taught That in the Apostles time there were two only orders of Clerks those were Priests and Deacons for other degrees they proceeded from the pride of the Papacie That the Pope who counterfeitly professed himselfe to be the seruant of Gods seruants in the worke Euangelicall was of no place or degree but Sathans speciall Atturney and procurator that he might perpetually proiect and practise treason against Christ also that he was pointed at throughout all the Scriptures for Antichrist not his person simplie but the chaire and Papall dignitie from whence by meanes of the creeping in of all excesse and sensualitie confusion hath inuaded the Church how it was a most palpable heresie to beleeue that euerie militant Church in Europe depended on his See and authoritie That no man could ground out of the Scriptures how such a Vicar entred into the Church and therefore must needs haue come in otherwise by worldly courses and Sathans subtilties That Christ had neuer any meaning to constitute a Caesarian Pope one that should be both Pope and Emperour at an instant And therefore it belonged to Princes seriously to ioyne both their hearts and hands for the prohibiting of such a Sathan to beare rule in the church His principall Disciples in England grew verie famous both by edition of books and for Martyredome as Walter Bret Iohn Aston Iohn Ashwaly Nicholas Herford Iohn Puruer Richards Wits Iohn Oldcastle Peter Clarke William Taylor William With whose workes and labours Bale cites out of the auntient monuments the seed whereof brought forth afterwards the fruits into England which we both haue and daily see Thomas Walsingham specially notes Thomas Walsingham in Richarde 2. that when the Archbishop of Canterburie had sent Wicklifs condemnation to Robert Rigg Chauncellour of the Vniuersitie of Oxford to be diuulged he appointed them to preach that day whom he knew to be the most zealous followers of Wickliff in contempt saith he of the Archiepiscopall precept and among others he ordayned one Philip Rippinton a Chanon of Leycester to preach on Corpus Christi day who concluded his Sermon with these words For speculatiue doctrine saith he such as is the point of the Sacrament of the Altar I will set a barre on my lips while God hath otherwise instructed or illuminated the hearts of the Clergie The same Author sayth That in the yeare 1378 Pope Gregorie the eleuenth his Bull being presented and read at Oxford An. 1378. and seconded with expresse letters both to the
king the Archbishop and all other the chiefest and principallest Bishops wherein he vsed to them great reprehension for the slight care they had taken in the suppressing of Wicklifs doctrine Those of the Vniuersitie were long time in suspence Whether they should receiue the Popes Bull with honour or reiect it with reproach and at last verie small account was made of it 60. PROGRESSION The contention betweene the Romans and the Frenchmen about the election of the Pope Of the diuision in the Popedome betweene Vrban the sixt and Clement the seuenth Of the Practises of Vrban to aduance Charles Duras to the kingdome of Sicilia and of the treacheries towards Ioan Queene of Naples and Otho Duke of Brunswick her husband Of the Iubilie begun by the said Vrban but ended in the time of Boniface the ninth THe Church of Rome as we haue seene is marked in Histories with many schismes of which some of them lasted for many yeares And now we enter into the six and twentieth so quoted by their Authors and the longest of all the rest for it continued for fiftie yeares Pope against Pope the States of Europe and all the Churches of Christendome diuided or rather rent and torne asunder whiles they repeale the Acts one of another and condemne each others ordinances curse and excommunicat the one the other and openly pronounce the one the other to be Antichrist and that in bookes published and yet extant concerning that matter Whereby many euen in despight of their teeth open their eyes to know them for such as they are insomuch that many detesting openly their hypocrisie forsake their Synagogues and the others are made at least so much the more vnexcusable of their enormities In the yeare then 1378 Gregorie the eleuenth being deceased the Cardinalls enter into the Conclaue at Rome and the Romans requested that they would create Pope if not a Roman yet at least an Italian least if he were a Frenchman he should withdraw his seat to Auignion yea not content with prayers they make a tumult about S. Peters by the instigation as it was thought of Cardinall Vrsino who affected the Seat But the Frenchmen on the other side being desirous to haue the Seat with them left nothing vnattempted to the contrarie though wearie of the Lymosine Popes who for many yeares had transported the Myter ouer from one to another Notwithstanding in the end partly for feare and partly by bribing Bartholmew Archbishop of Barrie a Neapolitan is created Pope and called Vrban the sixt the Frenchmen in the meane time complaining that they had beene forced in their suffrages Theodor. à Nyem l. 1. de Schism inter Vrban 6. Clement 7. Platina in Vrban 6. Blondus Decad. 2. l. 10. And here some Authors note That Vrban had promised by oath to renounce the Popedome whensoeuer they should require it though the Cardinals signified by letters his election to the Christian Princes as lawfull and themselues adored him Three moneths then being past and the weather waxing verie hot for he had beene created in March the French Cardinalls for change of ayre request leaue of him to depart to Anagnia which Vrban granteth and they assigne their place of meeting at Fundi whither they come and to make their partie the stronger they entice thither three Italian Cardinalls with promise to each of them secretly to make him Pope if he came thither and then they chose for Pope the Cardinall of Genoua by the name of Clement the seuenth against Vrban the sixt It is obserued That when Vrban was requested not to returne into France these words chanced to escape from him That he would euer abide at Rome and that he rebuked the Bishops openly for that they resided in Court whereas they ought to be in their Diocesses which the Cardinall of Pampelone tooke verie grieuously against him Platina addeth That these Cardinals had pilled the former Popes after their death and feared to be called in question for it And let the Reader hence judge with what goodlie and lawfull reasons matters were gouerned in these Conclaues Each of them then laboured which could draw more Princes and States of Christendome to their obedience and to Vrban obeyed all the Italians and the Florentines themselues being absolued from the excommunication of his predecessor so that there onely wanted to him the Earle of Fundi Francis de Vico who held Viterbe and Ioan Queene of Naples whom he had lost onely by his peeuishnesse and of strangers the Germans Englishmen and Portugals To Clement obeyed the kings of France and Spaine And some there were which acknowledged neither the one nor the other whence they were called Newters Let vs come to Vrban in him was manifestly verified the prouerbe Theodor. à Nyem l. 1. c. 1. He which maketh a Pope knoweth not what he doth For Theodorie à Nyem his Secretarie who wrot this historie telleth vs That before his Popedome he was an humble and deuout man and withheld his hands from all bribes an enemie and persecuter of simonie and zealous of chastitie and iustice And out of that which followeth may easily be judged whether he were an hypocrite or whether the infection of the Seat did not change his habitude This good Queene of Naples had reioyced exceedingly at his promotion to the Popedome and for many dayes in Naples had caused bone-fires of ioy to be made to honour him and besides other things had sent vnto him in gift 40000 ducats part in gold and part in siluer for his first expences Otho also Duke of Brunswick her husband had held him verie deere before he was Pope and wonderfully reioyced of his Popedome but hee notwithstanding was the first that felt his pride for one day presenting drinke vnto him in his collation in presence of many Cardinalls he out of pride stayd a long time before he would take the cup out of the hand of so great a Prince kneeling before him tell one of the Cardinalls said vnto him Holie Father it is time to drinke And some such like actions helped forward the schisme not a little The Author addeth here of his master That this saying as then fayled not in him Asperius whilest misere cum surgit in altum None 's more proud than the wretch that 's high aduanced And also that Corde stat inflato pauper honore dato A poore man aduanced to honour L. 1. c. 8. hath his heart puft vp with pride But likewise verified that saying of the Wise man His heart shall be hard with euill in his later dayes Notwithstanding Otho before the schisme brake forth omitted nothing that he could to reconcile him with the Cardinalls yet receiueth no better vsage from him for hauing requested him to approue the mariage of his cousen the Marquesse of Montâ—errat with Marie heire of Sicilie whereunto all the Barons of the kingdome consented he flatly refused him hauing an intention by any meanes to make the kingdome of Sicilie
That with a good conscience and without the damnation of his soule he could not consent to the vnion The old Cardinals laboured to get away from him but he chargeth them vnder most grieuous paynes that they should not depart yea if the regent of Luca had not by his wisedome prouided for them their persons had bin in no safetie But the Cardinall of Liege a man of a great spirit in disguise escaped from Luca and got to Pisa yet being discouered by some seruants of Gregorie he continued there not without great danger of his life In like manner all the rest by little and litle steale away being moued neither with his promises nor threats from which they publiquely appeale and solemnely signifie the same vnto him sitting in consistorie amiddest his new Cardinals The Cardinall of Liege first maketh knowne to the world by his Letters Cap. 33. 34. That God ought rather to be obeyed for if saith he the Pope commaund or would constraine to such things as tend to the destruction of soules it is most manifest that he ought not be obeyed neither by diuine nor humane right yea and that man meriteth who for not obaying in such a case doth suffer his seuere censures And thus haue wee now a two-fold Schisme of Benedict against Gregorie and of Gregorie against his owne Cardinals Now vpon this departure of the Cardinals from Gregorie Benedict making vse of this occasion objecteth vnto him his craftie sleights which at length hath burst forth into so euill an issue Whereupon hee withdrew himselfe into the countrie of Arragon where he was borne seeing there was no more hope of the vnion But Gregorie seeing him departed and being not yet wearie of deceiuing assigneth a Councell at Aquileia and to strengthen the same createth againe new Cardinals whilest on the other side Benedict appointeth likewise his Councel in Arragon Both of them euer vnder pretence of vnion but which neither of both desireth both laboring to assure thereby the Popedome to himselfe alone Which part of the Cardinals of Benedict perceiuing they find meanes to escape away from him and come to Pisa There the Cardinals of both sides ioyned together and by the consent of the Florentines Lords of Pisa determined to hold there a Councell Thither are both after a solemne manner cited to be present either personally or by their proxie hauing fit and due commission Both do testifie That it belongeth not to them to call a Councell The Cardinals on the contrarie maintaine that seeing the Popedome is doubtfull and diuided neither of the striuers for it could call a Councell because it would be a particular and not an vniuersall one where a part onely should be present Cap. 36. 37. 38. Wherefore they passe further and entreat the Emperour and Princes of the Empire the Kings of Fraunce England Hungarie Arragon Polonia and others that they would be present by their Embassadors which the greatest part agreed vnto Then after many Sessions when neither they themselues nor any in their name appeared all things well and duely examined Cap. 44. they all with one voyce pronounce That Benedict and Gregorie damnably contending for their Popedome are pronounced truly and notoriously in a petition presented and exhibited to the sacred and vniuersall Synod That they haue bin and are verie Schismatikes nourishers defenders fauourers approuers and obstinat maintainers of an old Schisme heretikes strayed from the faith ensnared with notorious crimes and enormous periuries notoriously scandalizing the vniuersall holie Church of God with incorrigibilitie contumacie and obstinacie in notorious euident and manifest crimes and for these and other causes haue made themselues vnworthie of all honour and dignitie and also of the Papall they and each of them besides the foresaid iniquities crimes and excesses committed that they might raigne commaund and beare sway are ipso facto cast away and depriued of God and of the sacred canons and also cut off from the Church c. Moreouer all Christians of all sorts yea Emperours Kings and others in any dignitie are declared for euer absolued from their obedience forbidding the faithfull of Christ in no wise to obey or intend to obey the foresayd striuers for the Popedome or either of them neither shall they yeeld them either counsaile helpe or fauour or receiue them or repaire vnto them vnder paine of excommunication c. Moreouer all and singular proceedings and sentences of excommunication suspension or other censure and payne of priuation also of orders and dignities c. giuen and thundered forth haue beene and are disanulled reuoked voyd of no strength efficacie or moment Moreouer promotions or rather profaâ—ations made of any whomsoeuer to be Cardinals by the said contenders for the Popedome and either of them to wit by the sayd Angelus from the third day of May and by the foresaid Peter from the fiftenth of Iune of the yeare past 1408 haue beene and are disadnulled An. 1408. reuoked and made void Which when Benedict vnderstood swelling with choler he createth twelue Cardinals in Arragon Gregorie as many in Germanie but some of the wiser of them refused the hats And for an vpshot of his deceitfull slights he feareth not to publish That all difficulties remoued he was readie to repaire to what place the Emperour Robert Sigismund king of Hungarie and Ladislaus king of Sicilie should like of Cap. 46. 47. 48. But seeing saith the Authour that there were manifestly so many enimities and rancours for the causes aforesayd betweene Robert Sigismund and Ladislaus it seemeth vnpossible by any reason or humane wisedome that they should be able to agree together how to make a vnion in the Church I would we could haue as good a witnesse of the craftie wiles of Benedict though this man doth in many places liuely enough represent them whence it is apparant that they stroue to excell each other in wickednesse But it was needfull that the guiles of Gregorie should bee more exactly shewed as him whom they doe rather approue and enregister in the Catalogue of Popes Theodor. Ã Niem l. 2. c. 33. Furthermore he at length hauing suffered many troubles from his countriemen the Venetians whom he vsed no better than others he getteth him to the coast of the Abruzzo and flying for refuge to Caieta committeth himselfe to the protection of king Ladislaus who commaundeth him to be obeyed in his jurisdictions In the meane time the Cardinals of both obediences chose Pope Peter Philargas of Candie by Nation a Greeke a Franciscan Frier and named Alexander the fifth he that was woont to say That he had bin a rich bishop a poore Cardinall Cap. 51. 52. and a beggarly Pope A man saith the Authour liuing delicately and drinking of strong wines who wholly gouerned himselfe by the counsailes of Balthasar Cossa Cardinal Deacon who was afterward Iohn the three and twentieth the most wicked among all the Popes Therefore saith Theodorick he was no sooner come
to the Popedome but that all things brake forth into vnbridled licentiousnesse so that in the tenne moneths that hee raigned he brought more infamie to the seat than others in so many yeares The sayd Pope also inserted in the signature of the Roll that he made for the familiars of Cardinals that he had made that signature so largely because that euerie one of the same Lord Cardinals in the Conclaue had promised That if he were chosen Pope he would graunt all things that their familiars should request Which he particularly describeth the Reader may see further there So hard a thing it was euen in a matter so long consulted of after so great a confusion of all things to find an honest man among so many of the Roman Court and to proceed in election without manifest Symonie Now he died at Bononia the third of May 1410 and here Theodorick finisheth that Historie Baptista Panaetius of Ferrara a Carmelite telleth vs that Balthasar Cossa Monstrelet vol. 1. cap. 62. Baptista Panaetius Ferrariens Serm. 56. the inward familiar of Alexander who after was Iohn the three and twentieth or as some others say the foure and twentieth neuerthelesse that he might succeed him poysoned him by Marsilius de Parma his Phisition hired with abundance of money and that being nere his death hee sayd to his Cardinals that which Christ had to his Apostles My peace I giue vnto you my peace I leaue with you How could this slaue of Sathan Prince of the world giue that peace which the world cannot giue who in that verie little space of time had banded and opposed Wenceslaus king of Bohemia against the Emperour Robert in Germanie and in Italie had crowned Lewis of Aniou king of Sicilie and sent him against Ladislaus by his own absolute power without any forme of law But it may be they will be more wise and circumspect in chusing his successour Being then at Bononia where that Balthaser resided as Legat or rather ruled as Lord he commaundeth the Cardinals to elect a Pope that should be to his liking And they offered vnto him many of which he thought none fit enough Johan Stella in Pontificibus till at last they requested him plainely to expresse his opinion Giue me saith he the cloake of S. Peter and I will giue it to him that is to be Pope which done he put it on his owne shoulders and sayd vnto them Papa suâ—â—ego It is I am Pope How farre from Christ whose Vicar he maketh himselfe I am not come saith he of my selfe And though the Cardinals did in no sort approue the same yet none durst at that time speake against it But he fearing least in tract of time they should attempt something against him dispatcheth Legats presently into Germanie to the Princes to entreat them that the Emperour Robert being deceased they would chose for king of the Romans Sigisâ—â—nd king of Hungarie whom to that â—nd hee commendeth for all kind of vertues requisit Which hauing obtayned hee assigneth a Councell at Rome vnder colour to set the Crowne on his head but indeed that by his ayde whom thus hee had obliged vnto him hee might firmely establish his seat Memorable is that which Nicholas Clemangâ—â— Archdeacon of Bayeux a man famous in those times hath left written in a certaine Epistle of his Almost foure yeares agoe saith he at the great instance of some that most perfidious Balthasar lately deposed from Peters seat which he most filthâ—lie defiled had assembled a Councell at Rome in which were verie few strangers held some sessions with some Italians and courtiers wearing out the time in matters superfluous and nothing belonging to the profit of the Church And when before the first meeting of the Councell Masse was celebrated after the accustomed maner for to inuocat the holie Ghost when the Councell was set and Balthasar himselfe in a chaire prouided for him higher than the rest behold a direfull and deadly Owle the messenger as they say euer of death or calamitie comming forth of her lurking holes suddenly with a horrible voyce flew and sat vpon the middle beame of the Temple with her eyes directly fixed on Balthasar All began to wonder that this night-bird which shunneth the light was come in full day light into the middest of a companie and not without cause tooke this prodigie for a presage of euill lucke Behold said they with a low voyce one to another the spirit is present in forme of an Owle And whilest they beheld Balthasar and one another they could hardly refraine themselues from laughter Balthasar himselfe vpon whom onely the Owle had bent the sight of her eyes blushing with shame began to sweat to be troubled in mind and to burne within himselfe and at length not finding any other meanes whereby to helpe himselfe from this confusion he brake vp the Councell rose and departed There followed afterward a second Session in which againe in like manner as before the Owle failed not to come without being called I beleeue turning her sight euer towards Balthasar who seeing her come againe was with good cause troubled with greater shame than before and not being able to endure her looke any longer he commaunded she should be driuen away with frighting clamours and with staues but she would not be feared neither with showts nor other disquietings till being grieuously stricken many blowes with staues she fell downe dead in the sight of them all This saith he I learned from a faithfull friend of mine who in those dayes came directly from Rome and being adiured by me with all vehemencie when by reason of the rarenesse I had begun to doubt of the matter he confirmed the things he had vttered to be most true He added also That all they that were present there were brought into great contempt and derision of this Councell and by little and little the whole Councell being dissipated nothing fruitfull was there at all enacted But they thinke it sufficiently prouided for when they caused this place and the like to be quite raced out of bookes yea whole bookes according to their accustomed good faith In the meane time Benedict and Gregorie retained still on both sides the Papall dignitie notwithstanding their condemnation the one at Rimino in Romania the other at Perpignan in the frontire of Spaine each accompanied with their Cardinals and vpholden by the Princes aboue mentioned and all Christendome was exceeding wearie of so long a schisme whereunto after so many yeares they had in vaine sought remedie in the Councell of Pisa Wherefore the Emperour Sigismund vndertooke to call a Councell and the better to induce all Christian Princes to embrace the same he taketh paynes to ride about almost all Europe and visit them in person that by communicating his mind vnto them he might remoue out of the way the difficulties that might hinder so great a worke Neither did Pope Iohn seeme to be against it either because he hoped he should
conuersant in the Court of Rome he was reputed humble and deuout but he was no sooner setled in the Popedome but he was changed into another man he began to tyrannize ill demeaning himselfe towards those Cardinals that had chosen him and doing other outrages vnaduisedly He had a nephew called Francis Pregnan an vnprofitable member more licentious than is fit to be spoken vpon whom he would bestow many dukedomes and earledomes in the kingdome of Sicilia and intitled him vnto them and would willingly if it had beene in his power haue made him Souldan of Babylon too notwithstanding it were too apparent that he was vnable to gouerne a small familie To conclude there was no man euer in the Popedome more wicked and more cruell in so much that hee caused many Bishops and Cardinals barbarously and cruelly to be murthered Secum super hoc vt aestimo diabolo dispensante the diuell as I thinke dispensing with him for it or atleast wise ioyning with him in the execution thereof Of Boniface the ninth He was of a goodlie stature but a vicious nature For we read of none that euer bare rule in the Apostolike See that durst presume so publikely and with so little shame to commit the sinne of simonie scandalizing without respect of difference and ordaining Archbishops Bishops Prelats Clerkes and Priests and all for gaine He likewise made his brothers Marquesses Dukes Earles Of Innocent the seuenth In him vertue and vice was at variance he was a great dissembler firie in carnall affection He enriched his kindred with temporalties and tooke no care to confirme the vnion in the Church which he had promised and sworne to doe Of Gregorie the twelfth How he hath and doth carrie himselfe touching his kindred and that vnion that is to be made by him 〈◊〉 is apparent ynough And these foure gaue no almes which is a signe of damnation and though a fault in all yet worst in a Prelat because no man can be saued without charitie And this he writ being notarie of the Apostolike letters An. 1408. in the yeare 1408. There was likewise an Epistle directed to this Gregorie which he calleth delusorie of the officers of the Church of Rome wherein he is called The damnable forerunner of Antichrist Neither is Benedict his competitor forgotten therein There they protest That the world from thence forward will make no account of their excommunications but rather make a jeast of them since it manifestly appeareth that they both draw men into open perdition being the one and the other vnworthie of the Popedome especially Gregorie to whom they attributed most was a drunkard an heretike a destroyer of the Church of God a man accursed And in like manner they speake of his most familiar friends namely of Gabriel who was afterward Eugenius the fourth whom they call his first borne sprung from his raines and of the Cardinall of Raguse they say he was a Demoniacall Monke an infernall Legat and the like of diuers others The Author in the end concludeth That this schisme was come to that passe that the Princes of both parts contemned these Popes and nothing regarding their Bulls knit themselues in friendship alliances and mariages one with the other in such sort that a man might truely say that all things on both sides were doubtfull We haue neither a true Pope nor a true king of the Romans Behold here againe that succession they boast of He likewise writ a treatise of the inuestiture of Bishops and Abbots and attributeth the right to the Emperour Henrie Token Deligat of the Bishop of Magdeburge in the Councell of Basil maketh mention of him in his treatise That the Councell is aboue the Pope Here our France doth the rather offer it selfe to our consideration because one of these contendants was then resident at Auignion Clement therefore being departed the Cardinals chose Petrus de Luna called Benedict Froissard saith That the election was made vpon condition If it pleased the king of France and his Counsell otherwise he was not to be receiued yea that when he gaue the king to vnderstand of his Popedome he carelesly answered That it was doubtfull whether hee should acknowledge him to be the true Pope or no. He sent therefore vnto him some of the most learned of the Vniuersitie of Paris as master Iohn of Gigencourt master Peter Playons others to admonish him That the Christian faith was much weakned by this schisme that the Church could not long continue in that state In so much that the Vniuersitie of Paris was not of opinion that the Clergie seeking grace and fauour should send their petitions to Auignon notwithstanding that Benedict had before opened the fountaine of grace to all Clergie men which the king likewise forbad by their counsell vntill it were otherwise determined The Duke of Britaine did the like notwithstanding some Princes of France fauoured Benedict because he denied them nothing The king therefore without the knowledge of the Pope disposed of such benefices as were voyd in so much that the Cardinals began to feare least he should likewise lay hands vpon those benefices they held within the kingdome and therefore they sent a Legat vnto him to assure him That if Benedict were lesse pleasing vnto him they would enter the Conclaue againe to chuse another to his owne contentment The Legat being heard and withall a Frier Minorite who resided with the king in behalfe of Boniface Pope of Rome it was concluded in Councell not without the consent of the Vniuersitie That both the riuals should be commaunded to resigne the Popedome Froissard l. 4. c. 58. and all the Cardinals their Cardinalships and that certaine Clergiemen that were men knowne to be honest and of a good conscience should be chosen out of Germanie France and other nations who deliberating of the cause amongst themselues with good aduice and without all fraud should restore the Church to her former state and vnitie Which sentence of the Vniuersitie the king approued and so did the Dukes of Orleance and Burgundie and their Counsellors Whereupon he sent embassadous to the kings of Germanie Bohemia Hungarie and England vndertaking for the kingdome of Castille Nauarre Arragon Sicilia Naples and Scotland that they should yeeld their obedience vnto him to whomsoeuer he and his realme should grant his There was much time spent in these embassages but yet with this fruit That Richard king of England agreed to whatsoeuer the king of France thought conuenient and the Emperour Wenceslaus in the yeare 1398 with many other great Princes came to Rheimes to consider of this businesse with the king notwithstanding he pretended the cause of this his journey to bee the mariage of the daughter of the Duke of Orleance to the Marquesse son of Brandebourg There after many deliberations those great Princes being assisted with the greatest and grauest personages of their States decree That Petrus de Alliaco Bishop of Cambray should goe in
betweene both was the Emperour who would haue it so to be transferred that it should be thought dissolued Neuerthelesse he found so much reason in the proceeding of them of Basil that he gaue them for Protector of the Councel Conrade de Windzberg whereby he manifested both that he approued the Councell and disliked the wiles of Eugenius namely that which the Author noteth The embassadours requested that the Fathers would repaire and transferre the Councell to another place which one thing Eugenius seemed to haue sought that so he might either disperse the Fathers of the Councell or take away the libertie thereof During the Parliament of Mentz was disputed among the Diuines in the Councell of Basil of the person of Eugenius the one part affirming That he is an heretike others That he is a relapse and some denying both the more grieuous sentence carried it away That he was an heretike and a relapse both together The Diuines therefore set downe in writing eight Conclusions which they call Truthes and send copies of them throughout all the world which were such First It is a Truth of Catholike Faith That a sacred generall Councell hath power aboue the Pope and all other whomsoeuer Secondly That a generall Councell lawfully assembled cannot without the consent of the same be by the Pope of Rome his authoritie either dissolued or transferred or prorogued for a time and that is of the same Truth Thirdly That he which obstinatly opposeth himselfe to these Truthes is to be iudged an heretike Fourthly Pope Eugenius the fourrh hath repugned these Truthes when first by the fulnesse of Apostolike power he attempted to dissolue or transferre the Councell of Basil Fiftly Eugenius being at length warned by the sacred Councell hath reuoked the errours repugnant to these Truthes Sixtly The dissoluing or transferring thereof the second time by Eugenius attempted is contrarie to the Truthes aforesaid and containeth an vnexcusable errour concerning faith Seuenthly Eugenius enterprising againe to breake vp or transferre the Councell is fallen into his errours formerly reuoked Eightly Eugenius being admonished by the Synod to reuoke the dissolution or translation by him attempted for the second time persisting in rebellion after his contumacie declared and erecting a conuenticle at Ferrara declareth himselfe obstinat Neuerthelesse the Fathers would haue these yet publikely be examined by all the Doctors both of the Ciuile and Canon Law for the space of six dayes Lewis Cardinall and Archbishop of Arles sitting President a man of great learning and courage and they would that all should speake their opinion of them The Abbot of Palermo vulgarly called Panormitan tooke vpon him the defence of Eugenius yet durst not denie that hee was an heretike but onely that he was a relapse whom he would rather should be called a Prolapse because from a relapse is no returne On the contrarie Iohn de Segouio a Spanish Diuine of great fame stifly maintaineth out of his owne sayings That he is an Infidell rather than a beleeuer a member of Sathan rather than of Christ opposing to that singular Glosse alledged by Panormitan That the iudgement of the Roman Church ought to be preferred before all the world the authoritie of S. Hierome Orbis maior est vrbe The authoritie of the whole world is greater than of one onely citie The Bishop of Arges proceedeth That the Pope is onely the Minister of the Church Panormitan waxing in choler contendeth That he is Lord thereof Segouia replieth Take heed what thou sayest Panormitane that is a more honourable title for the Bishop of Rome whereby he calleth himselfe the Seruant of the seruants of God For that is taken from the saying of Christ to his disciples when they asked which of them should be the greatest for you know that he answered The Princes of the Gentiles rule as Lords ouer them c. But the Archbishop of Lyons Embassador of the French king stoutly proued by many reasons that Eugenius was an heretike and detested the lacke of courage of them that had created such a man Bishop of Rome The Bishop of Burgos Embassadour for Spaine insisting on the three former conclusions concludeth out of all the Law diuine and humane That the Councell is aboue the Pope that he is an heretike which denieth it But comming to other things which properly respected the fact of Eugenius It seemed saith the Authour that he somewhat departed from himselfe and was no more Burgensis neither did that grace appeare in his words nor that grauitie in his speech or chearefulnesse in his countenance and if he could haue seene himselfe perhaps he would haue beene abashed at himselfe For who saith he did not then see the force of the truth which furnished this man speaking for it with sentence and words but speaking against it tooke away from him that verie eloquence which naturally was ingrafted in him Yet thus much modesty shewed both he and Panormitan that they sayd ingeniously That the iudgement of the Diuines was to be beleeued and not their opinion who were not instructed in the holie Scriptures What Doctors of the Canon-law are these what assessours or assistants of Popes and of Councels which neglected to read the holie Scriptures The Authour proceedeth to declare what was done vpon those three conclusions vpon the first namely which hath two points Whether the Councell be aboue the Pope and whether Catholike faith commaundeth to beleeue so And for the Popes authoritie was solemnely cited Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke c. Item I haue prayed for thee Peter c. By conference then of places and by the exposition of the Fathers they manifestly proue that these things were promised to the church not to Peter much lesse to the Pope and indeed that many Popes haue grieuously erred and of these they produce examples That the Church which is represented by a Councell is the mother of all the faithfull and by consequent of the Pope whence of Annacletus and Calixtus it is called Mother That the Church is the Spouse of Christ the Pope onely his Vicar a Vicar who can neuer be aboue the Spouse who is one bodie with the bridegroome That these words euer in their mouth maketh nothing for them Whatsoeuer yee shall bind on earth c. for this power was giuen to the Church not vnto Peter for edification not for destruction which consequently may be taken away from the Pope if he abuse it who is onely Vicar and Steward of the Church therefore not equall to the Church seeing Christ sendeth Peter himselfe to the Church tell it sayeth he to the Church which if he will not heare he ought to be accounted an heathen and a publican That this Church ought to be heard by the Pope in a generall Councell lawfully assembled And that all those Canonists which buzze into his eare that the Pope cannot be iudged but by god alone that the first Seat is iudged of none that though he should leade multitudes of soules
common consent of the States George Prodebraccius a great captaine and a professor of their religion who restored the condition and sliding state of these Churches And as he constantly perseuered therein notwithstanding the threats of the Emperour and Pope hee was excommunicated by Paul the second and his Estate exposed to the first inuaders thereof Matthias king of Hungarie tooke vpon him the conquest of this Prouince by the instigation of Rodolfe the Popes Legat with the approbation of the Emperour Fredericke the third and by the fauour of many of the great men of the kingdome But after many battels fought with variable successe he could not bring his purpose to passe And in the meane time this valiant Prince was thereby hindered from the necessarie warre which he had prosperously made against the Turkes being accused of ingratitude for that he had set vpon George to whom he was verie notably obliged for hauing generously set him free out of prison without any ransome and also giuen him his daughter in mariage when he was chosen king of Hungarie In hatred of which fact euen after the death of George when Matthias was declared king by the Pope the States of the kingdome of Bohemia would neuer giue their consent vnto it but preferred before him Vladislaus sonne of Casimir king of Polonia who although he was oftentimes instigated by the Pope against George yet would neuer be persuaded to take armes against him judging it a thing vnworthy vnder pretence of the Catholike Faith to violat the faith giuen to each other And this bringeth vs to the yeare 1470. 64. PROGRESSION The Atheisme of Sixtus the fourth and his abhominable and wicked life whom Innocent the eighth succeeded both in the Popedome and in all impietie Of Alexander the sixt by what diuellish meanes he attained the Popedome and of his abhominable incestuous life and miserable death Charles the French king passeth into Italie with a mightie armie and of his valiant proceedings there NOw it was thought that the Popes were come to that height of impietie and tyrannie that they could hardly ascend to a higher step and yet by that which followeth we shall easily perceiue that they found meanes to adde both a ridge and pinnacles to that building It is beyond all beleefe especially we reporting it had we not their owne Authours to witnesse it against them In the yeare 1471 Francis de Rouere borne in Sauoy Generall of the Franciscans got the Popedome who was called Sixtus the fourth Of this man Onuphrius giues this testimonie That for his great learning as long as hee was Cardinall all questions that concerned matter of Faith were committed to him Where let the Reader note from that which followeth vpon whose faith the Catholike Faith depended At the first onset he made shew of calling a Councell at Lateran vnder a twofold pretence The reformation of the Church and The holie Warres The causes were both verie plausible both for the allaying of the grieuous gronings of good men and the freeing them of their feares But the place was not thought so fitting being that out of which there neuer came any thing profitable to the Church The Emperour Frederick desired that it might be in the borders of Germanie and at the instant request of the Archbishop of Carnie who gaue his best assistance to forward the Reformation the Emperour and Princes called an assemblie of many Bishops at Basil But Sixtus hearing thereof Stumfius in Histor Heluetia sent Angelus the Bishop of Suesse to the Senat of the citie threatening to interdict them if they sent not the Archbishop to Rome bound hand and foot accounted not the rest of the Bishops that were with him for excōmunicat persons But the Senat of Basil not enduring that so great a wrong shold be offred vnto them in a free city the Legat excommunicating them departed in choler Frederic neuerthelesse persisted in his purpose but yet the better to pacifie Sixtus he desired that the Councel might be called at Vtina in Friuli a countrey in Italie but that pleased him not neither This difficultie so soone as he saw he had ouercome withall established his seat with the mutuall Legations of Princes hee bent all his endeuours to the encrease of the honour and greatnesse of his friends and kindred Volateran Onuphr Volateran and Onuphrius say in expresse tearmes That he was accounted by the iudgement of all verie louing and indulgent towards his kindred for whose sakes hee had done and granted many things praeter fas jusque against all lawes humane and diuine Hee created therefore two Cardinals and that not without a mysterie Peter Riere whom hee had brought vp from a child with his brother Ieronimo and Iulian his brothers sonne who was afterward Iulius the second Peter being in a short time strangely inriched became so sumptuous that he seemed to be borne to spend money for he consumed in those two yeares wherein he liued a Cardinall two hundred thousand crownes in his ordinarie houshold expence left fortie thousand crownes in debts and other infinit riches and mouable goods He died weakened and worne out with pleasures But neuerthelesse a Legat a mad choyce it was in Italie It is he whose prodigious prodigalitie Baptista Fulgosius describeth to be such Baptista Fulg. dict factor memorab l. 9. Baptista Mantuanus in Alphonso l. 4. that hee vsually gaue to Tiresia his harlot pantofles wrought all ouer with pearle of whom likewise Baptista Mantua writeth these verses wherein Iupiter thus saluteth him in hell At tu implume caput cui tanta licentia quondam Foemineos fuit in coitus tua furta putabas Hic quoque praetextu mitrae impunita relinquit Sic meruit tua foeda Venus c. But thou O Bauld-pate who once mightest freely Glut thy desires with womens companie Thinkst thou thy Myter can here thy thefts defend Such hath the desert of thy leacheries been c. To the reproach and ignominie both of Pope Sixtus and himselfe Of Iulian we shall speake hereafter in his place Hauing prouided for these two that were neerest vnto him both in bloud and affection he bent his endeuours to the promotion of the rest of his kindred He made therefore his brother Ieronimo brought vp with him the Prince of Forlie and Imola whether by right or wrong hee regarded not whom he maried to Catherina the bastard daughter of the Duke of Milan hauing first bestowed a hat vpon Ascanius the Dukes sonne to get his fathers consent Presently after he raised Leonard his brothers sonne whom he maried to a bastard of king Ferdinands and made him Gouernour of Rome He made Iohn also the sonne of Cardinall Iulian Prince of Soria and Senogallia who maried Ioan the daughter of Frederick of Montefeltro Duke of Vrbin from whom came Franciscus Maria who his vncle dying without heires male obtained the dukedome and in this manner did he exalt diuers others He was so liberall say
against all order they determined of a successor without the Conclaue because the Cardinall of S. Peter ad Vincula being mightie in friends and fame and power had gotten so many voyces on his part that there was not any man that durst so much as mutter against him Wherefore by a new example he entred the Conclaue assured before of the Popedom and the doors being neuer shut was chosen the first night who to signifie the greatnesse of his designes euen in the first entrance of his Popedome would be called Iulius the second Whereupon euery man saith Guicciardine was strucken with a kind of astonishment for that they had consented vpon the choice of such a Pope as all men knew to be dangerous intollerable truculent and vnquiet yea that he had alreadie practised strange hatreds against many great personages But hauing noted in him those parts that were best worthie the consideration That saith he which stood him in best stead for the attainment of this dignitie were the large promises that he made to those Cardinals Princes Barons and others whom hee knew to be best able to aduance and forward that businesse thinking it good policie not to denie them any thing they should aske Moreouer he gaue much money and many benefices and Ecclesiastical dignities as wel of his own as other mens for that opinion there was of his bountie that diuers there were that came vnto him offering vnto him what they possessed to vse their money their names their offices their benefices at his pleasure no man considering with himselfe that he had promised a great deale more than hauing obtained the Popedome he was either able or ought to performe being heretofore accounted so vpright and so true that Alexander the sixt though he were his great enemie otherwise speaking all the ill that might be of him acknowledged that onely vertue in him But hee that verie well knew that no man might more easily deceiue than hee that was thought neuer to deceiue feared not a little to cracke that credit to get a Popedome And thus much concerning the manner of his election Hee had a daughter which was named Felix whom hee presently maried to Iordanus Vrsinus and his neece his sisters daughter to Antonius Columna And thus hee setled himselfe at Rome From thence forward hee bent his endeuours by armes to bring Romania vnder his subiection and to recouer all that which Borgia and others had gotten into their possession and if any refused to obey hee was presently excommunicated Then he shooke off that moderation which in his Cardinalship he retained both in word deed saith Onuphrius in so much that he thought it not ynough to be modest himselfe but he tooke a care to receiue none but such into his house Onuphr in Iulio 2. So hard a matter it is and euer hath been to know the humor of him that affecteth a Popedome His first exploit was to driue the Benteuoli with their wiues and children out of Bononia and to leaue their houses and families to the furie of the people Then he turned his mind to the ruine of the Venetians whom he excommunicated and made a prey to whomsoeuer should first lay hands on them Our Lewis the twelft with whom he had first made a league after the battell won at Abdua against the Venetians he greatly suspected notwithstanding hee had the greatest part in the fruit of that victorie He attempted all the wayes he could to driue him out of Italie and wanted no subtile deuises to compasse it He incited Lewis and Maximilian the Emperor against the Venetians conspired with the Venetians against them both He interdicted Alphonsus Duke of Ferrara and made open war against him because he had taken part with France and being commaunded to depart did not obey Lewis himselfe hauing sent certaine forces to Alphonsus Christoph Massaeus l. 20. Chron. vnder the conduct of Caluimontius Iulius excommunicated Caluimontius and all the chiefe leaders of the armie Wherefore Maximilian and Lewis to the end they might represse his insolencie entred into consideration by what meanes they might call him to a Councell whereupon in the yeare 1510 in the beginning of September Guicciard l. 9. An. 1510. Lewis held a nationall Councel at Tours wherein it was enquired Whether it were lawful for the Pope without a cause to make warre against a Prince It was concluded not lawfull And whether any such Prince defending may not assault him withdraw himselfe from his obedience It was concluded lawfull Moreouer it was resolued to maintaine in France the Pragmaticall sanction and in all causes to neglect his censures and that the king before he should withdraw himselfe from his obedience should certifie Iulius by his embassadors of these articles ordained by his Clergie that if hee should not obey them he might vnderstand that he was to be called to a generall Councell And moreouer it was decreed That the king should impose vpon the Clergie of France a certaine summe of money to be imployed against Iulius if he should proceed in his determination It happened in the meane time that the Bishop of Gurse arriued in the behalfe of the Emperour who was heard in that honourable assemblie at what time there came likewise a messenger who gaue them to vnderstand of the obstinacie of Iulius wereupon the 27 of September a generall Councel was called by the consent of all at Lions to be celebrated about the beginning of March following All this was done by the aduice of fiue of the chiefe Cardinals of S. Crosse Cosentia Spaniards Bayeux S. Malo French and the Cardinall of S. Seuerine an Italian consenting with the Emperour and king That Iulius should be enforced to the Councell to which end they were departed from him Guicciard l. 9. notwithstanding if we may beleeue Guicciardine they had as bad minds and were as little to be trusted as himselfe So vniuersall was the corruption of that See how good soeuer the desires of the king were In the meane time Iulius is not idle though hee thought of nothing lesse than what became a Pope he agreed by meanes of the Cardinall de Medicis with Marcus Antonius Columna and other young men of Florence to kill Peter Soderin the Standard-bearer of the Commonwealth of Florence because he was said to be the man that persuadeth the Florentines to take part with Fraunce which turned to his great infamie Being resolued to attempt Ferrara he thought it better first to inuade Mirandula which forasmuch as it fell out to be a long siege being much troubled that things succeded not according to his expectation he came to the siege in his owne person a thing neuer heard of before nor euer to be expected that the Vicar of Christ on earth saith Guicciardine should inuade a Christian citie and being old and sickly should in his owne person set forward a warre against Christian Princes first raised by himselfe wherein he was so
earnestly bent and ouer hastie that he neuer thought any thing done with speed ynough but euer kindled with furie cried out to the captaines and chose his owne lodging amongst the ordnance insomuch that in his kitchin two of his seruants were slaine with a shot whatsoeuer his Cardinals could persuade to the contrarie telling him That hereby both his owne person and the whole See were made a scandall and a laughing stocke to the whole world And therefore saith Monstrelet to this purpose He left the chaire of S. Peter and tooke vpon him the title of Mars the god of war displaying in the field his triple crowne and spending his nights in the watch How goodlie a thing it was to see the Myters Crosses and Crosier-staues flying vp and downe the field God he knoweth It is not likely any Diuels could be there where blessings were sold at so base a price Mirandula being taken he set forward with his armie against Ferrara and neglecting these conditions that the Emperor offered and the counsel of Ferdinand of Spain his friend he persisted in his determination Wherupon it was thought good to cite him to the Councel of Pisa on the one side those fiue Cardinals with the Prelats of Fraunce and Germanie vrging it as beeing a man notoriously scandalous incorrigible a stirrer vp of warres and altogether vnfit to rule the Popedome for which cause the authoritie of calling a Councell was diuolued vnto them on the other side king Lewis the twelfth being readie by force and if need were to march against him with his armie in his owne person notwithstanding he had no assistance from Maximilian who hauing made a truce with the Pope was therefore by the writers of that age condemned of inconstancie It is worthie the noting that by the commaund of Lewis there was money coyned in Fraunce which yet remaineth in the custodie of some in the one side wherof there was this mot I will destroy Babylon and in some I will destroy the name of Babylon that it might seeme no new thing to any that Rome is Babylon to vs hauing so great an Authour euen the Father of Fraunce Iulius therefore created eight new Cardinals that he might thereby win vnto him other Princes contrary to that he had promised at his election Triuultius therefore the leader of the French forces hauing freed Ferrara from feare taken Bononia publiquely fastened his placarts whereby Iulius was cited to Pisa he retired himselfe in despaire to Rome no lesse wounded in his mind that the Duke of Vrbin his Nephew had stabbed the Cardinall of Pauia his Legat and inward friend in a manner before his eyes for his many and monstrous wickednesse saith Guicciardine worthie the greatest and most grieuous punishment Then gathering heart he confirmed his truces mollified the mind of the Emperour woon him from the alliance of Fraunce and thinking now he had ouercome all difficulties he applied his thoughts onely to Lewis thundring against him with his excommunications and interdicting his kingdome But our Clergie yeelding him neuer the more obedience proceed still in setting forward the Councell of Pisa which at the last was thought to be more safe and commodious to transferre to Milan where againe these good Cardinals got no better reputation than Iulius at Rome At length Iulius with his confederats raised an armie which doubtlesse would daily encrease greater by reason of the jealousie that many Princes had of the greatnesse of Fraunce and aboue all the Spaniard for fear of the realm of Naples which the French pretended a right vnto But king Lewis seeing himselfe alone against so many enemies either open or readie shortly to declare themselues resolued to win time and commaunded Gaston de Foix his Lieutenant generall in the Duchie of Milan to omit no occasion of fighting with the Popes armie wherein if he got the victorie he should with all speed march to Rome and there assaile the Pope without any reuerence towards him Yet notwithstanding that it might be estemed he did it lawfully and by good right he doth all by the authoritie of the Councell which appointed their Legat in the armie who receiued in the name thereof the cities conquered in the warre This was the Cardinall of S. Seuerin ordayned by the Cardinals Legat of Bononia A man saith our Authour more adicted to warre Guicciard l. 10 than religion Therefore Gaston after some notable exploits of armes for to draw the Popes armie to battaile besieged Rauenna In the meane time Iulius armie came to succour it vnder the conduct of Iohn de Medicis after Leo the tenth exiled from Florence whom he had aduanced chiefely in hatred of the Florentines But Gaston marched against them and vpon an Easter day gaue them battell wherein he obtayned that so renowned victorie of Rauenna The Legat taken and the most part of the commaunders of the armie vpon the first newes thereof Iulius despairing was readie to forsake Rome but the death of Gaston interrupted the course of the victorie and so gaue him time to breath and settle himselfe in his seat And that so much the more for that the Mareschal de la Palice with the French forces which he commaunded after the death of Gaston was called backe into Fraunce to oppose themselues against the Switzers who partly in fauour of Iulius partly moued by their owne commoditie had spred themselues ouer Bourgundie Now he turned this victorie obtayned by the French men to his owne commoditie by setting before the eyes of all Princes of how great moment it was that the power of the French men should be repressed This he doth with the States of Italie chiefely the Duke of Ferrara and the Florentines to withdraw them from their league with France he blameth the kings indiscretion who not knowing how to vse his good fortune had withdrawne his succours and abandoned his confederats to his discretion And now he onely spake of shaking off the Arragonois and of driuing the Spanish forces out of Italie or defeating them by whose helpe notwithstanding he had beene maintayned in his aduersitie for to procure to himselfe the kingdome of Naples Lastly he thought himselfe in sufficient safetie by the friendship and confederacie of the Switzers Moreouer he now openly despised the Councell of Pisa which had beene translated to Milan because it was onely maintayned by the French forces who had now ynough to doe to defend their owne and taking againe courage opposed vnto it another Councell at Lateran excommunicating all them that adhered to that of Pisa and king Lewis by name from whom by his Bull set forth be tooke away the title of Most-Christian transferring it to the king of England whom he solicited to make warre against Fraunce the kingdome whereof by the Councell of Lateran and in an expresse Bull he exposed to him that would first inuade it But amidst such and so great thoughts saith Guicciardine and others perhaps greater more secret for nothing so
prostituteth setteth to sale and vttereth his Indulgences At his will and pleasure moreouer hee openeth heauen curseth the earth quencheth Purgatorie shutteth hell as if he were God he maketh Saints bindeth diuels commaundeth Angels maketh himselfe President in generall Councells Head of the Catholike Church yea Spouse thereof which Titles are due vnto none but to Iesus Christ alone incommunicable to any creature God on earth made out of earth commaunding in heauen he ordaineth a god to be worshipped on earth which he will haue to be beleeued and doth beleeue to be God whom he causeth to be carried about on horsebacke before him for to get to himselfe the greater reuerence euen for the most part among his vilest carriage among scullions and lackeys And all these things vnder the name of Christ and vnder pretence of his Vicarship Because sayth he after Christs glorious resurrection all power was giuen him from the Father in heauen and in earth In so much that in the Masse which the Seat being vacant is celebrated for obtaining a new Pope Cerem Roman l. 1. Sect. 15. de officio Missae Astol sede vacāte this Tractus of the Prophet is sung The Head thereof shall proceed out of it to wit of Israel and a Prince shall come from the middest of it which was spoken of our Lord Iesus Christ There is also that of Saint Iohn in the Gospell applied to the future election I will not leaue you orphans I will aske the Father and he shal giue you another Comforter which was spoken of the holie Ghost so that now there is nothing so blasphemous that they are ashamed or dare not vse Further so soone as hee is elected and hath put on red hose and shooes he is carried and set vpon an Altar the seat of their God and there worshipped consequently with religious worship due to God What need more Cerem Rom. l. 1. sect 1. c. 6. Erasm in 1. ad Tim. c. 1. In the verie Scholes Leo the tenth being Pope they feared not to dispute Note Reader how farre they extended his Vicarship Whether the Pope might abrogate that which is decreed in the writings of the Apostles Whether he might ordaine any thing contrarie to the doctrine of the Gospell Whether he might add to the Creed a new article of Faith Whether he haue greater power than S. Peter or but equall Whether hee may commaund the Angells or can take purgatorie quite away Whether he bee but meere man or as it were God Whether with Christ he partake of two natures Diuine and humane How many enormities are committed in these words yea in the least of them How manifoldly they offend the Diuine Majestie When therefore wee call to mind all these things how can wee otherwise applie or expound that propheticall place of S. Paule 2. Thess 2. v. 4. He exalteth himselfe against all that is called God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that is worshipped For let them shew vs in all these sixteene ages any other so that he sitteth as God in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God In the Church it selfe so that wee must not seeke him among the Turkes in Assyria yea if we beleeue him hee himselfe is the whole Church which he contracteth into his own person the Head and the bodie the Bridegroom and the Spouse both together And to whom againe besides may we applie the Reuelation of S. Iohn Of the beast ascending out of the earth Apocal. c. 13. v. 11. 17. v. 3. which had two hornes like the Lambe but spake like the Dragon of the woman sitting vpon a Scarlet coloured beast full of names of blasphemie For where is there more speech of Christ and lesse beleeuing him where more giuing him kisses together with buffetings where so monstrous so outragious blasphemies vnder that most holie name Is not this properly to put on Iesus a purple garment to put a reed in his hand and to say vnto him in mockerie as if he saw nothing in humane affaires especially in the gouernement of the Church Which of vs was it that smote thee And thus much for his spirituall domination Now of the temporall Wee found the Bishops of Rome vnder persecution had learned by the Testament of our Sauiour not to affect worldlie power but to be readie contrariwise to suffer cruelties from earthlie Princes By the Epistles of S. Paule and S. Peter and also by their examples to honor the kings and powers of the world to obey the froward and those that were hard to be pleased not to rule as Lords ne quidem in Domini cleros from whence came the name of Clergie And surely till the time of Constantine and some time after they had not any temporall jurisdiction yea and after that by the gifts of Christian Princes they were enriched for many ages they spake and liued submissiuely after the manner of vassals and seruants and as other subjects suffered both generall and prouinciall Councels to be called and assembled without contradiction by Christian Emperours and Princes and submitted themselues vnto them and their ordinances and at their commaundements came and went without complaining without so much as muttering of these their documents or pretensions But if it were a thing so important to the honour of Christ and the safetie of the Church as they would make men beleeue that this Vicar of Christ should be acknowledged through all the world girded and armed with two swords where was now their zeale that they suffered with such negligence their rights of so great moment to perish to be withheld to the manifest damage of S. Peter to be prescribed and to be vsurped from him the monarchie of the whole world without any gain-saying interpellation or any declaration of those rights But the Roman Empire now falling to ruine by reason both of the inward diseases of the same and the sundrie irruptions of the Northerne people the Bishops of Rome began to build on those ruines and to abuse the absence and weakenesse of the Emperours whom they expelled out of Italie by the armes of the Lombards and confined them to Greece and vnder colour that they would not admit Images into their Temples cut them off from the Church absolued their subjects from their oaths of fidelitie and withdrawing them from obedience to their Princes bound them at last to themselues In Italie the Lombards waxing too strong they supplanted them by the Frenchmen and after that the Frenchmen by the Germans opposing euer them that were farthest off against them that were nearer and so soon as any had gotten credit and authoritie with the people they cast him out by intruding another which could not but necessarily depend on their fauour And when the Germans went about to settle and establish their Empire in Italie they stirred vp factions against them in Germanie and caused the sonnes by breaking the bond of duetie both diuine and humane naturall and ciuile to rise