Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	church_n	power_n	secular_a	1,359	5	10.4493	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62177	Advice given to the Republick of Venice how they ought to govern themselves both at home and abroad, to have perpetual dominion / first written in Italian by that great politician and lover of his countrey, Father Paul the Venetian, author of the Council of Trent ; translated into English by Dr. Aglionby ; dedicated to His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.; Opinione come debba governarsi internamente ed esternamente la Repubblica di Venezia. English.	Sarpi, Paolo, 1552-1623.; Aglionby, William, d. 1705.	1693 (1693)	Wing S693; ESTC R22760	39,883	142

Spiritual Monarchy has increased and in it the Goodness of Christian Princes is not more to be admired than the Dexterity of the Popes in not omitting any occasion to gain ground At present the Emperour is chosen by a Pontifical Bull where the Power of Election is committed to the Three Ecclesiastical and Four Secular Electors with an Obligation nevertheless in the Emperour chosen to receive his Confirmation and Coronation from the Pope so that the Subject is at last become Prince over his own Prince not without some reflection of Weakness upon Otho the Fourth Emperour of Germany who in the year 994. agreed with Pope Gregory to settle the Election in this manner for the Honour as he thought of the German Nation but with great Diminution of the Imperial Dignity To this Grandeur of the Papacy if we add that of having subjected to its power all the other Bishops of Christendom and obtain'd to be own'd the first of all the Patriarchs who long contested its Primacy I say so high a Power ought to make all other well-govern'd States very wary in their proceedings with it and to have a careful Eye upon all those occasions wherein the pontifical Authority may be still enlarged because 't is observed that all Courtesies and Favours of Princes are in that Court turn'd to Debts and Claims in the space of a few years and to obtain the possession they do not spare for Exorcisms and Anathema's There is one Custom or rather Abuse introduc'd in that Court which deserves great consideration from Princes which is the power the Pope has assum'd of deposing Princes and Soveraigns and giving their Kingdoms and States to others under pretext of ill Government The Prodigal Son in the Gospel did not lose his Right to his portion though he was resolv'd to dissipate and consume it viciously because that Title which we receive from Nature can never be lost in our whole Life The Kings of Navar were fain to go Vagabonds about the World for the sake of a Bit of Parchment which Pope Julius the Second put out against them whereby King John the Second lost his Kingdom which was given to Ferdinand● of Arragon and had not providence brought them to the Crown of France there would have been no mention in the World of the Kings of Navar From this Liberty of taking away Kingdoms the Popes assume that of Erecting them Pope Paul the Fourth made Ireland a Kingdom and Pius the Fifth Erected Tuscany into a great Dutchy Queen Elizabeth of England was deposed by Paul the Third and according to the usual custom her Kingdom given to Philip the Second of Spain who was to execute the Papal Sentence but he met with the Winds and Seas and the English Ships which quite defeated his Armada In France by a priviledge of the Gallican Church they admit of no Bulls that contain Deprivation of Kings but keep to the Right of Succession and indeed to depose an actual King and give away his Kingdom is not only to destroy a suppos'd Delinquent but to punish an Innocent Successour and likewise to prejudice the Right of Election in those who have it On the other hand England has often thought fit to make it self Tributary to the See of Rome by the Peter-Pence the first time under Pope Leo the Fourth and more remarkably under King John in 1214. to avoid the Invasion from France but Henry the Eighth delivered himself once for all and not only refused the Tribute but made himself amends by seizing the Church-Lands The fresh Example of Paul the Fifth towards this Republick is never to be forgot who charitably would have govern'd another bodies House under pretext that the Master did not understand how to do it himself And the constancy of the Venetian Republick will have given fair warning to the Court of Rome how they undertake such Quarrels since they were forced to come to an agreement with very little satisfaction or Honour on their side having been obliged tacitely to give up their claim for to demand peremptorily and then relinquish the Demand is a sign it was not well founded in Justice and the Absolution refus'd was proof enough that the Excommunication was void in it self So that the advantage that has accrew'd to the Venetian Government from the Contest has been much greater than the damage sustain'd in it If ever for the future which I scarce believe there should happen an occasion of an Interdict from the Court of Rome to the Republick I should advise presently to post up in Rome an Appellation to the future Council which is a cruel blow to them For first it insinuates the Superiority of the Council over the Pope and secondly it revives the memory of Councils and lets them see they are not things quite forgot all the World over If there be care taken to examine well all Bulls that come from Rome and the Observation of what has been hitherto practis'd be strictly continued it may be hop'd that the Republick shall not undergo any greater Subjection than other Princes but rather shall have some Liberty above them particularly more than the Spaniards who find their account in complying with the Tyranny of Rome because they receive at the same time great Favours from it and are proud of maintaining its Authority To say truth the Popes hitherto have shew'd little kindness to the Republick and except the Priviledges granted by Alexander the Third which serve more to register to the World the Action of the Republick in restoring and protecting him than for any thing else For the Doge might of himself without the Papal Concession have assum'd those other little Ornaments of the Ombrella the Standard and the Sword So that bating the Concessions of the Decimes upon the Clergy and the Nominations to the Bishopricks this Country of ours feels but slender Effects of the Pontifical Kindness which may be an advantage upon all Occurrences of Interest of State to stick the closer to that because there needs no Complements where every one desires but his own In considering the Secular Power of the Pope we will do it upon Five Heads which may serve to examine all other Princes Interests with the Republick First If it be advantageous to the Republick to have the Church grow greater Secondly What Title Inclination or Facility the Popes may have to acquire any part of the State of the Republick Thirdly What Inclination Title or Facility the Republick may have to acquire any part of the State of the Church Fourthly If the Church may unite with the Republick to acquire the State of any other Princes Fifthly If the Church can unite with other Princes to hinder the progress of the Arme of the Republick To begin with the First we will answer with a General Rule which is That it never is advantageous to a Prince who desires to remain free and powerful to let another grow great except it be to lessen a Third who is greater

than them both and if he that is thus agrandiz'd be a Neighbour his advancement is so much more to be feared These Alterations indeed may not be so dangerous to a little Prince who does not fear depending upon a great one to avoid being molested by one who is already too strong for him But to come closer to the Case of the Republick we will say That if the Church could make it self Master of any part of the King of Spain's Dominions in Italy where he is the greatest Prince they might hope for the consent of the Republick which is the Second Great Italian Potentate because by that means the Republick might become the First and however the strength of the Church will always give less jealousie to the Republick than the Spanish Power in Italy for the Nature of the Pontifical Principality is Elective and Temporary and the Aims and Designs of that Court vary according to the Genius of the several Popes and sometimes it is subject to long Vacancies whereas the Monarchy of Spain is successive and as one may say Eternal and govern'd by standing lasting Maxims But if the Church be to grow great by the Spoils of any other Italian Prince it would be the Interest of the Republick to oppose it because the Damage thence resulting is evident and the Advantage dangerous It ought to be well consider'd how the State of the Church is increased in this last Century The custom that was in the Church before to give Infeodations upon slight Acknowledgments had brought that power to be more of show than real strength but Julius the Second succeeding Alexander the Sixth made Borgia Duke of Volentine Nephew to Alexander who had seiz'd upon all those Infeodations in Romania refund them to the Church and added to them the conquest of Bologna and got also from the Republick the Cities of Cervia Rimini Ravenna Faenza Imola and others to which under Clement the Eighth was added the whole Dutchy of Ferrara and lately that of Vrbin So that these Acquisitions alone would make up a great Principality and the Church seems to want nothing towards the making of it the most considerable power of Italy than the addition of Parma and Piacenza and some little Independent Castles in the Territories about Rome Besides it can never more be lessen'd by Infeodations that being quite left off by that Court So that to let the Church grow any greater in Italy generally speaking cannot be for the Interest of the Venetian Republick To the Second Point What Title Inclination or Facility the Church may have to acquire any portion of the State of the Republick we shall say That since the Court makes profession of the Extreamest Justice and that likewise they are loth to begin the Example of Princes usurping upon one another I think they can hardly set up any Title but upon the Polesine of Rovigo which they say was formerly annex'd to the Dutchy of Ferrara and in the times that the Dispute was between the Dukes of Ferrara and the Republick the Popes always shewed themselves smart Defenders of the Dukes Of Four Interdicts published by the Church against the Venetians Two of them were for this very cause the first in the year 1305. the Second in the year 1483. under Sixtus the Fourth at which time indeed the Republick had taken the whole Dutchy of Ferrara by the Instigation of the Pope himself but he being Friends with the Duke commanded them to restore what they had taken which they refusing to do he fulminated his Excommunication and Interdict but a Peace following the Republick kept by agreement the Polesine of Rovigo The Third Interdict was in 1505. under Julius the Second because the Republick had several Cities of Romania in their possessions and the last of all was now lately under Paul the Fifth So that if the Popes shewed such a concern for the thing when it was only belonging to the Dukes of Ferrara much more would they do it now when the profit would be their own So that we may believe that as to this they do own a Title and have likewise inclination enough to regain this bit of Territory that is lopp'd off from them We are therefore to consider what Facility they have to do it and I do not believe that ever of themselves they will kindle the fire but make advantage of one ready kindled by some other as it happened under Julius the Second Nay if they reflect upon the great Rule of preserving the Liberty of Italy they will not for so small a matter enter into a League against the Republick for it is of greater concern to them not to break the Ballance of Dominion in Italy lest the Tramontani should take advantage of it and subdue all But this very Reason was strong in Pope Julius the Second's time and yet was without Effect in a Mind bent all upon particular Interest wherefore I conclude that we are not to expect greater Temper in the Modern Popes but ought to rest satisfied that if a powerful Foreign Prince should promise them the acquisition of the State of the Republick they would embrace the motion without delay To the Third Question I say That the Republick might have just Reason to make themselves amends for the Country they lost in Romagna it not being a thing they had usurp'd from the Church but a voluntary Dedition of those Cities who were tyranniz'd over by little Tyrants that had taken occasion from the Negligence of Popes to make themselves Masters of those places They were yielded up by the Republick to take off Julius the Second who was the great Fomentour of the Fire which was kindled against the Venetians in the League of Cambray where the Forces of all the Princes of Christendom were united against them and without doubt upon good circumstances the Republick might justifie the re-taking of these Towns and I believe there is Inclination enough to do it all Princes being willing to extend their Territories but the point is the Facility of doing it which I think altogether remote for all other Italian Princes if not out of conscience yet out of Ostentation of Religion would be backward to fall upon the Church and except it should happen that some one of them should grow too powerful for all the others united and so be able to right himself I think the State of the Church need not fear being lessen'd To the Fourth Question I answer in the Negative and do not believe that the Church would joyn with the Republick to acquire the State of any other Prince except it were such a one as the Church had a pretence upon and then they would keep all which would not please the Republick Besides we ought to reflect upon the Genius of the Popedom which being Elective most commonly the Popes have no other aim than to keep all quiet and preserve the general Respect of Princes towards them that in that decrepit Age they may