The Pageant of Popes, Book 5 · Part 21 – Part 22
101. Paschal the second.
PAschal the seconde was an Italian called before Rainerus, hee was made Cardinall of S. Clements by Hildebrande his Scholemaister, & succeded Vrban. He when he sawe he shoulde be chosen, woulde not take the place vppon him vntil the people had cryed thre times S. Peter choseth thee worthie man Raynarde: Then hauinge a purple roabe vppon him, and a Miter on his head, he was brought vppon a white horse vntounto Lateran, where hee receyued the Popes Scepter, and had the gyrdle put about him, wheron are hanged seuen keyes, and as manye Seales. All the time he raigned he was continually busyed in warres, and …editio…s, attemptinge by all meanes possible to aduaunce yet hier the estate of the Popedome. He draue out furiouslye from their places all those bishops and abbots, yt were established by the Emperour. At this time there was a certaine prelate called Fluentinus, who seinge the greate enormityes that presently choaked the Christian Church, held opinion that Antichrist was incarnate and borne, and that he was reuealed herein. And therefore (sayth Sabellicus) the Pope held a councel against him, with the bishops of Italy and Fraunce, in Rome: amonge other canons he concluded it heresye to denye obedience to the Pope, and made a canon for paying of tenthes to priestes, concluding it siane against the holye Ghoste to sell the tenthes. He renued and published the excommunication against the Emperour, and caused the bishop of Mentz, of Collen, and of VVormes, to thrust him frō his estate, taking his Crowne from him with al princelye title, dignitye and honour. Yea and which is horrible to be heard, not content with this he did prouoke and arme his onelye sonne Henry the fifte, to rebell against him being his naturall father: A lamentable and pitifull case, to see the onelye child of so good & noble a father, not beinge prouoked by any iniurye on the fathers part, not onelyonly to despise, to forsake and reuolt from his father, denying to ayde him, but also to assault hym by force of armes, & to enclose him with his armye as he did, and toke him entrapped by treason, spoyled & robbed him of his royal estate, and forced the wretched and miserable man captiue to his owne child, to dye a double and dolefull death. Thus could the Pope put the sworde in the sonnes hand, forsing him to sheath it in his fathers bowels: Neither could this vnnaturall death of ye good olde man, cause the vnnaturall rancour to dye in the Popes breast, but for further reuenge he cōmaunded that the Emperours carkasse should not be buryed, but first be cast out of ye Church and be caryed from Leodos to Spira, where it rotted fiue yeares without any Christian burial. But lo what a wonder God wrought in the meane time. To testify (sayth Abbas Vspergensis) the Popes tyrannye, it rayned bloud at Spira. It were a lamentable thing to tell at large the maner of the Popes vnmerciful dealing with this good Emperour. For first the forenamed bishops comminge to him to Hilgeshem, they cōmaunded him to deliuer vp his Diademe, his Purple roabes, his Signet and other like ornaments belonging to the Empyre. Whē he required a reason thereof, they aunsweared partly for sellinge spirituall liuinges, but chiefely for the Popes pleasure. Wyth that the good Emperour sighing saide: Ye know you receyued your bishoprickes at my hande, that I gaue them freelye and am giltye of no suche cryme, and yet do you thus quite my curtesye? But the vnthankful prelates moued neither with allegeaunce, oath, nor benefite, prosecuted their purpose: and first yelding him no reuerence, they plucked frō him (sitting in his place of estate) his Crowne Emperial, and his Purple roabe, and his Scepter. He beinge thus stripped out of his royaltye and forsaken, sayde pacientlye Let God see and iudge. They leauing him, bestowed these things vppon the sonne creating him, & causing him forthwith to pursue his father, forcing him to flye but wyth ix. parsons to the Dukedome of Limborough, where ye duke beinge his deadly ennemye did also make speede to apprehende him. The Emperour perceyuing himselfe thus entrapped and fearing death, submitted himselfe to the duke, beseaching him rather to shewe mercye then vengeaunce: Herevpon the noble harted duke, thoughe the Emperour had whilom displaced him of his Dukedome, yet pityinge his miserye he both forgaue him & entertayned him curteously in his Castel, and wt an armye conducted him to Collen, where he was well receyued. But the sonne hearinge thereof besieged the Citye, but the father fled by night to Leodium, where so manye louinge hartes resorted to him, that he bad his sonne a battaile and ouerthrewe him, and still desyred that if his sonne were taken, he should be saued harmelesse. Yet the sonne ceased not, but renuinge the battaile preuayled and so dispossessed his father: whoe in the ende was brougth to such penurye, that he craued of the bishop of Spire to giuegive him but a prebende to liue vppon in ye Church: But the earle forgetting the benefites receyued of him in his prosperitye, denyed him flatlye and said, by ladye ye get none here. Thus after he had raigned 50 yeare in his life he lacked lyuinge, and after death he wanted a graue throughe malice of the Pope.
Pope Paschal held a councell of Princes and bishoppes about matter of gaynes, as homages and fealtyes due vntounto him, also he spoiled the bishop of Rauenna of his lands, and toke them into his owne handes: But afterwarde because he refused to confirme certaine bishops appointed by the Emperour Henry the fift, the Emperour (though la…e before he had kissed the Popes feete) apprehēded him, and cast him into prison, where he continued vntill he had cō firmed them all, and should by his Seale restore the priuiledge of ratifying a bishop, which was graunted to Charles the great, and confirme him to be Emperour. While (sayth Masseus) the Pope sate in his chayre after Masse, beholde the souldiours cryed vntounto him and his clergye, GiueGive vntounto Caesar that which is Caesars: and forthwith apprehended both him and all his clergye, and caryed them out, and stripped them out of their apparell so naked, that they lefte them not theyr breeches on, and ledde them thus hādled to Soractis mount, wher they put them in prison &c. This broyle being ceased, and Henry being crowned Emperour, Paschal renued vntounto him the auctoritye of appointing bishops, and pronounced openlye in the Church, that they were all held accursed, who soeuer would disanul the preuiledge which he had graunted: Then thy sange Gloria in excelsis, because of this peace betwene ye Emperour and the Pope. But as sone as the Emperour (this being done) was departed into Germanye, the Pope brake al his oathes, and went from his word in euerye thinge, saying yt hee did it not freelye and of his owne accorde, but that for feare hee yelded to the Emperours desire. Then was the priuiledge condemned, and the Emperour excommunicated, and terrible tragedyes sturred, which were all blazed throughe diuers countryes. Also hee by a councell diuorsed the clergye of Fraunce from their wyues, as Gregorie had done in Germanye, and draue diuers bishops frō their Seas, because they would not leaue theyr wyues. Againe to encrease the regiment of Rome, he reuiued the strife for the bestowīg of bishoprickes, which wrought great slaughter and bloudshed in all countreyes of Europe. Anselmꝰ archbishop of Canterbury, wyth sophistrye and cauillinge vphelde this Popes doing, as he did Pope V…banus being both their coūcelour at Rome, & their Uicar here in Englande. This Anselmus did depriue kinge Henry the first of all auctoritye in Ecclesiastical causes, and denyed to do homage to the kinge, thinking and auouching it to be vnlawfall, because it was due in the clergye vntounto the successours of S. Peter. Also he condemned in England the mariage of ministers: Pope Paschal dyed Anno 1118.
Matthaeus Pa…siensis wryteth in his Chronicle, yt when Anselmus accused his soueraigne kinge Henry the first of England, before the Pope at Rome for medling with the appointing of bishops and ministers, VVilliam VVarelwarst the kinges Proctour did aunsweare stoutlye in hys Princes behalfe, and amonge other thinges sayd, that the kinge would not for the losse of his kingdome lese his auctoritye in appointing of prelates▪ Whereto the Pope said: If as thou sayest thy kinge to hazarde his crowne, wil not forgoe his giuing of Ecclesiasticall lyuinges, knowe thou preciselye, I speake it before God, yt I will not suffer him without punishmēt, no not for the price of his head. Which beinge heard, Anselmus besought the Pope, to laye hands in despite of the kinge on those whom he had disgraded, & so (sayth Mattheus) the holye seate readye to yelde fauour to all, restored them to their former dignities by the intercession of White and red. But kinge Henry did depriue Anselmus of all his goodes, and confiscated his Archbishopricke and defyed the Popes auctoritye. Anno 1110. the Moone was darkened, as if she had lost her lighte, the yeare following it rayned bloud at Rauenna in Italy, & at Parma in the month of Iulye. Anno 1114. in December the Heauen appeared sodenlye of a very fierye and ruddye colour, as if it had burned, and the Moone suffered an Eclipse. The same yeare the riuer of Thames was drye for two dayes. Anno 1▪ 17. there were thonders, hayle, great windes, horrible dreadful and houge earthquakes, that ouerthrewe Churches, Towers, walles, buildinges, and destroyed men.
102. Gelasius the second.
GElasius the second called before Iohn Caietanus of a noble house, was sometime a monke, he succeded Paschal but not without great discention. For because he was chosen withoute the consente of the Emperour, one Cincius a mā of great power in Rome would not suffer this iniurye, but went with a troupe of souldiours to Palladiā minster, where the Cardinals were gathered together: and breakinge the gates open he rushed in vppon them, and stroke at euerye one that he mette. And as for the Pope with his necke wrongde awrye he threwe him on the ground, stamped on him wyth his feete, and cast him into prison: and as the Cardinals were rūning away, he hoysed them of their Mules and horses to the grounde, and vsed all the despite he could toward them. But ye Romaynes would not suffer this, and therfore by the ayde of the Normans they deliuered the Pope, & made his ennemyes to submit themselues, and to aske pardon wyth kissinge his feete. The Emperour hearing this sent a great ar…ye out of Germanye to Rome, which Gelasius fearing, fled by shippe wyth his companye to Caieta, and there was made a priest, for he was made Pope before beinge but a deacon. Henry the Emperour comming to Rome in the absence of Gelasius, created Maurice Burdinus archbishop of Bracharie Pope, and called him Gregorie the eight, and thē he returned frō Rome. Gelasius hearinge thereof returneth priuilye to Rome, and takinge harte to him he commeth into Praxis Church to saye masse, where he was so hindred by the contrarye syde, that he scant saued himselfe by running away: From thence he fled into Fraunce, where at the length he was entertayned by an abbot, in whose house hee dyed of a pleuresye in the seconde yeare of his raigne. In his life by a Legat that he sent, he held a councell in Collen, where he excommunicated the Emperour, and decreed yt the Popes of Rome should be iudged by none.