furd as the principles are on which the Papal empire is built, and however ridiculous and impracticable the defigns, and extravagant and chimerical the pretenfions of its rulers may appear in theory, yet have they, in innumerable instances, been reduced to practice, and often too with admirable fuccefs. There is no state where the Papal fupremacy was at all owned, but the temporal authority has alfo been tried. and exercifed, even in fome of its higheft branches. So that, whether gained by fubtilty, extorted by force and terror, or yielded up by voluntary abject conceffions, one way or other, these usurping Nimrods found themselves actually poffelled of that fovereignty which they fo much wifhed for, and fo falfely pretended to be their right. Appeals of all kinds were made to them, and all differences fubmitted to their decifion. They crowned and conftituted the emperors*;

in

and they made the canon referred to, appointing a peace for four years among Christian princes, under the pain of excommunication and interdict. In the zd general council of Lateran certain times were specified wherein all princes and foldiers were abfolutely prohibited from making war, and all Christians were by the fame canon exhorted to peace. The 3d general council of Lateran enjoined, under the pain of excommunication, the obfervation of the truce, of a ceflation of all acts of hostuity from the sun setting on Wednesday, to Monday morning, from Advent to the Octave after Epiphany, and from Septuagefima to the Octave after Easter. Fleury Eccl. Hift. tom. xviii, p. 225. Hift. du Droit. publ. Ecclef. Franc. tom. i. p. 448, 408. Dupin Biblioth. des Auth. Ecclef. tom. ix. p. 220, 223. & tem. &. p. 126.

From the days of Charlemagne the bishops of Rome were accustomed to crown the emperors; this, in process of time was confide ed as an evidence of the fovereignty of the one and the dependence of the other: and in favour of that fovereignty various pretences were formed; fome four ding it on the power committed to Peter; some on a fictitious donation of the rights of the empire by Conftantine the Great; fome on a conceffion of Charlemagne, equally ficti tious; and others derive it from the fenate and people of Rome, which is the opinion of Harduin a noted Jefuit of the prefent century: Verum reipfa accepere fammi pontifices Poteftatem eam temporalem qua nunc potiuntur, ab anno Chrifti circiter millefimo, non a Carolo aliquo, fed a fenatu populoque Romano, Unde hi qui fua jura omnia irrevocabiliter tranftulit in fummos Pontifices. etiam nunc imperatorem inftituunt non Germania quidem, fed Romanorum. But, however difficult it be to fhew by what wight they obtained it, it is foffici

in competitions and controverted elections they preferred whom they pleased*: they not only have demanded the fur

鼻

ently clear, that they have confidently claimed it; contending, as Glabrius Radulphus expresses it, neminem dici valere imperatorem, nifi quem Papa dele· gerit. Charles the Bald, afpiring to the empire to the prejudice of his elder brother, who had the preferable right, was invited to Rome by John VIII. according to others IX. having an offer made him of the crown by the Pope upon certain conditions, which he accepting, was crowned; conceding the right of appointing the emperors to the See of Rome; renouncing the principality of Rome and the neighbouring states; agreeing to use the years of the pontificate in the place of thofe of the imperial reign; taking an oath of fidelity, fubmitting to hold the empire as a benefice from the Pope, and even defcending fo low as to be called his secretary or counsellor of state: which conceffions the fucceffors of John knew well how to improve. "From that time," fays Mezeray," the "Popes pretended that it belonged to them to confer the empire, and that they “should not be called emperors who were not crowned by them." It was one of the hainous offences of Lewis of Bavaria, who drew on himself fuch a load of Papal vengeance, that he had the prefumption to ftyle himself emperor without the Pope's leave: Tanta fuperbia Ludovicus elatus eft, says Platina, ut abfque auctoritate Romanæ fedis imperatorem fe appellaverit. Adrian IV, wrote to Frederick I. that he had conferred on him a figñal favour, the fovereign authority of Rome and the kingdom of Italy. To fuch a pitch have they carried their infolence, that Celestine III. having fet the crown upon the head of Henry VI, who was kneeling before him, he pushed it off again with his foot, to fignify, according to Baronius, that he had not only the power to confer on him the imperial dignity, buz to degrade him again from it when there should be occafion. Heiff. Hift. de l' Emp. tome i. liv. i. ch. 2. liv, ii. ch. 13, 14. Harduin, opera varia, p. 610. Platina, p.226. Sigonius ad ann. 875. Spanh. Hift. Christ. p. 1360 et 1586. Mezeray, Hift. ad ann. 876. Hoveden ad ann. 1191. Ranulph. Polycron, Baron. Hift, du Droit, &c. tome i. p. 187, et 307.

* Innocent III. made it a law, that, as often as princes differed among themf.lves. the correction of them belonged to the bishops of Rome; and taking advantage of the difpute between Otho and Philip, who by different factions were both elected emperors, he determined, that it was their right to judge of the elections of emperors, and either to approve or reject as they saw caufe; which determination was alfo inferted in the Decretals as a standing law and maxim of the court of Rome. In the year 1254 the empire becoming vacant by the death of William, the electors were divided; one party chufing Richard brother to the king of England, another Alphonfo of Caftile: these two competitors disputed their rights before the Pope without being able to agree,

"And thus the Popes," fays an author already more than once quoted, "after 200 years of war which they had caused, not only rendered the mfelves

"inde

furrender of every kingdom in Europe, as tributary fiefs of the Roman See, but made the greater part of them really to be fo; impofing oaths of fidelity and vaffalage on princes*; enlift

" independent of the emperors, but fo reverfed matters, that the election of "thofe on whom their own ought to have depended, depended in the end them."

upon

In the monitory bull against Lewis of Bavaria his mock Holiness reprefented, "That the Roman empire having formerly been transferred, by the Holy “See, from the Greeks to the Germans in the perfon of Charlemagne, the "election of the emperor belonged to certain princes, who were divided, some' "having chofen Lewis of Bavaria, others Frederick duke of Austria; but Lewis "hath affumed the title of king of the Romans, without waiting till we had "examined his election, in order to approve or reject it, as we have a right to "do; and, not content with the title, he hath taken upon him the admini"Atration of the laws of the empire to the great contempt of the Roman church, " to which the government of the empire, when vacant, belongs," &c Blond. decad. ii. lib. 6. Decretal. Gregor. lib. i. tit. 6. de Ele&t. cap. 34. Hift. du Droit, &c. tome i. p. 354, 355. et tome ii. p. 67. Platina, p. 142. Spanh. p. 1746.

* Gregory VII. wrote to his legates in France to acquaint all the French, and to injoin them in his name, that each houfe fhould pay at leaft a penny every year to St Peter as an acknowledgment of his being their father and paftor. He demanded of William the Conqueror to pay up the arrears of Peterpence, and do homage for his kingdom as a fief of the Roman See. He wrote to the Spaniards, that Spain was the ancient inheritance of St. Peter, and though the Moors had invaded it, and poffeffed it for a long time, yet that the right of the church was unalienable. In confequence whereof he gave to Ebol, count of Rocey, all the country which he could recover out of the hands of the barbarians, on condition that he should hold it of the Roman See, and pay him a certain tribute. Stephen the first Chriftian king of Hungary is faid to have fubjected his kingdom to the See of Rome, on which account he obtained from Sylvester H. the title of Apoftolic. Geusa duke or king of Hungary having done homage for his territories to Henry IV, Gregory told him, that Hungary was fubject to the holy Roman church, and that none else had a right to homage for it; adding, that the misfortunes which had befallen his family were owing to the acceptance of the crown from the hands of Henry and not from himself. He claimed the right to all Italy, the isles of Sicily, Sardinia and Corfica, pretending, that he could difpofe of them as he pleafed, and that all the lords of thofe countries were obliged to take an oath of fidelity to him. He reproved the king of Denmark for not writing to him at the beginning of his pontificate; wanted to know what fuccours he might expect from him against his enemies: gave advices about his government that princes were to be corrected

as

enlifting them under their banners, and fending them on their frantic expeditions against infidels, to break them more tamely to the yoke. Royal titles and dignities have been

as well as taught by the Holy See, and that the found of that authority was gone, out into all the earth. To Demetrius king of Ruffia he pretended to grant that kingdem, but to be held as a fee of the Papacy; in confequence of his letters the fon of Demetrius fet out for Rome, that, after profeffing his allegiance, he might receive from St. Peter, by Gregory's hand, the kingdom which was to devolve upon him by his father's death. He injoined Bliflaus dyke of Poland to restore to Demetrius of Ruffia the money he had taken from him, and to the Roman See the lands that pertained to it. He claimed Saxony as a feudal te. nure held in fubjection to the Apoftolic See, to which he said Charlemagne had piously difponed it. He wrote to the king of Norway to fend fome from that country to Rome, to be more fully inftructed in the catholic faith, and to receive the orders of the Holy See: he forbade him to take part with any of the two brothers who were pretending to the crown of Denmark. He claimed in this manner a fuperiority over every country, especially thofe lately converted to the Chriftian faith, on this ground, that their princes had either delivered up their crowns into the band of the Pope, or put their kingdoms under the protection of the Holy See, or allowed a certain contribution to, be levied for the church of Rome. He appointed his legate fupreme governor of Corfica, allowing him the half of the revenues, referving the other half for the See of Rome. He received the oath of Landulph cuke of Benevent, by which he en gaged to lose his dukedom, if he failed of fidelity towards the Holy See or to Gregory and his fucceffors: like oatns he exacted from Richard rd duke of Capua, Bertrand count of Provence, &c. He exacted a folemn oath of fubjection from the emperor; as John XII. did of Otho, the form of which is given by Gra tian, who affirms there are copies of many tuch paths kep. in the Vatican library. Lothario, at his coronation by Innocent Ii, fwore an oath of fealty to his lord the Pope and bis fucceffors: a like pledge of fidelity did Innocent III. exact from various princes, whofe kingdoms he made tributary. In the bull of John XXII against Lewis, he declares the imperial dignity to be a fief of the Holy See, and that none can be emperor till be have firû taken an oath of fidelity to the Pope : and an oath of this nature continues ftill to be taken by the emperors at their coronation, in which they not only fwear " to abide by the Cathol faith, and

to be faithful protections of the church, but also to be subject and faithful to "the most holy father in Chrift the Pope of Rome, and to the holy, Catholic, apoftolic, and Roman church." Greg, Epish. paffim, Exavii Annal, ad ann. #206, et seq. Spank. Hift. al. 1434, | Bar. ann. 1133. Univers. med. Hiß, vol. 42. Dupin Bibith, tome 8. Heiff. Hifi, de l' Emp, tome i. p. 274 et tome iii, He. iv. ck. 4. p. 67. 12

* No less than eight different expeditions against the Saracens were set on foot, and carried into execution, by the artifices, or mad fuperftition of the

court

been created or annihilated at their word; and kingdoms, like toys, given away or fold to their fycophants and

flaves.

erart of Rome, upon the abfurd pretence of recovering the Holy Land, and deftroying the infidels who poffeffed it; a defign reprefented to be fo meritorious as to entitle all who engaged in it to every privilege which the church could Tavith on them here, and to eternal life hereafter. Thefe pretended holy wars commonly called Greifader, from the sign of the cross worn upon the clothes of the warriors, were both aftonishing evidences of the height of the Papal power, and means of firengthening and increafing it. There was fearce a nation in Europe, but one or other of them, had their princes, the flower of their nobility, and their armies sent off to perifh in the east, without the smallest proffect of fuccefs or advantage, at the mandate of the Pope, or the prea bing of monks and hermits, who were not only employed to recruit, but to go forth themfelves as generals at the head of thousands whom they conducted to the flaughter. No lefs than 3co,oco went out of Europe in the first ex; edition, and myriads after, during the space of near 200 years, while the number who returned were always inconfiderable; and thofe few who did, in exchange for fatigues, dangers, and a vaft éxpence of treasure and blood, brought home poverty, wounds, difeafes, fuperftition and pretended reliques. The church of Rome was the only gainer; ftrengthening the ecclefiaftical in proportion as the weakened the secular power. Some the cozened, some the flattered, fome the threatened under the pain of excommunication, and on fome the impofed it as a penance to take upon them the cross, and fight her battles, while the enriched herself with the froits at home. Though nothing could be more fatal to the interest of the western nations, yet nothing could have proved more favourable for the ambitious view's of the Roman court than thefe wars in the manner they were conducted. While the warlike princes, whom it feared or fufpected, were thus put out of the way, and the political frength and treasure of the western world exhausted, they acquired many privileges which before they had struggled for in vain, and accustomed the nations to the exercise of that defpotic authority, which for ages after could not be shaken off. In thefe expeditions the Popes were always the chiefs: the crossed emperors and kings were enlisted under their banner, and put under the command of them and their legates; the crofs was their livery': in the absence of these princes, they took into their hand the government of their kingdoms: the persons and the goods of all the croisez were declared under their protection; in their behalf they caused every process, civil or criminal, to be fufpended: and, for encouraging the defign, they made the use of indulgen ces and dispensations far more common than before: their legates received the alms and legacies which were given for promoting and preferving the foreign conquests; and these afforded them a fpecious pretext for levying tithes : fo that, if this ftrange and tedious war was not originally projected by the court of Rome with a view to her own aggrandizement, this in the event appeared to be the

fruit