The Pageant of Popes, Book 5 · Part 1 – Part 6
81. Syluester the second.
SYluester the seconde was a Frenchman, in profession a monke, and called Gilbert, before he was Pope. He was of S. Benedicts order in an abbey at Florence, where he being a yonge man and addicted whollye to deuilishe artes, betoke himselfe to the deuill both bodye and soule. Afterward forsaking that abbey he went into Spaine delightīg much in prophane sciences, & came to Hispalis vntounto a certaine Philosopher being a Sarracen and expert in Magick, of whom he learned much both sorcerye and ambitiō, and began to deuise howe he might attaine to greate honour & riches: and thought in deede that coniuringe and Necromancye were the meetest wayes to come by hys purpose. He had espyed before in the house of his host a certaine cō iuring booke, and did his endeuour to steale it awaye, but the Magician kept it so deuoutlye, that Gilbert coulde not come by it: therfore he inueigled the Magiciās doughter, (wyth whom beinge in ye house he had good acquaintance) …o steale her fathers booke, and let him hauehave a sight thereof, ye mayde fulfilled his request, & so he obtayned his purpose. He hauing ye booke went about to depart by stealth, but fearing least this might endaunger his life for stealing the booke, he gaue himselfe to the deuill vppon this condition, yt he should warrant him to passe safelye into Fraūce, and to obtayne great dignityes. He came into Fraunce & taught the liberal Sciences, so as many had him in admiration, wherby he had a nomber of scholers and auditors, some of great calling that learned ye former artes of him, as Cōstantine abbot of Maximin, Lotharius Archbishop of Seuen, Otho the Emperours sonne, Roberte kinge of Fraunce, wyth sondrye other bishops, prelats & priestes of Rome. By the procurement of these parsons he was made first bishop of Remen, afterward by his leude artes he obtayned to be Archbishop of Rauenna: Last of all he obtayned to be Pope of Rome by the helpe of the deuill, whom he wt coniuration raysed out of hell according to the xx. of the Apocalips. For Peter Praemonstratensis & other wryters saye, that he was made Pope in the Thousande yeare of our Lords Incarnation: In the which yere sayth Masfeus, was a great and terrible earthquake, and a blasinge starre horrible to loke vppon the xiiii. day of December. In his Popedome he concealed his coniuring, and dissembled that familiarity which he had with the deuill: but yet he kepte in a certaine secrete place a brasen heade, of which when he demaunded anye thinge, hee receyued aunsweare of an euil spirit. At the length in his pontificality he would needes demaūde of the deuil how longe he should be Pope? the deuill aunswered doubtfullye and misticallye, sayinge he should not dye, vntill he sayd Masse in Hierusalem: He therfore conceyuing good hope of longe life began to ware carelesse, thinking to take heede enoughe of comminge in Hierusalem. But the vse was that on a certaine day of stations in the Lent time, ye Popes should say masse at Rome in the Pallayce of the holy Crosse, which was called Hierusalem: wherevppon Syluester not fearinge his life, nor heedefull enoughe to forecast the deuils despite, accordinge to custome said masse in the same Chappel, And by & by, a terrible shyueringe and quakinge came vppon him wyth a great feuer, and by the rumbling noyse of deuils (as Peter Praemōstratensis & Platina say) he perceyued his death was at hand, and that he must paye the deuill his fee. And thus bewayling & lamenting openly the abuse of his charmes, he confessed his fault, til he perished miserablye. And (sayth Benno) he commaunded his tongue and his handes to be cut of, wherewith he had blasphemed God in sacrifisinge vntounto deuils: thus he dyed Anno 1003. The reporte is that the tombe of this Syluester doth euer since prognosticate the death of the Pope, by the ratlinge of the bones and the gushing out of water that ryseth out of the groūd about it: as also (sayth Platina) is testifyed by ye Epitaphe written on his graue.
82. Iohn the 19.
IOhn the 19. an Italian, did likewise succeede Syluester, and gat to be Pope by ye deuils ayde: for (sayth Benno) the scholers of the sayde Syluester being coniurers, euerye one gaped for the Popedome. This Iohn did take from ye people the election of the Pope, sayinge in behalfe of his doing, that the clergye must teache the people, but not followe them: And againe, the lawe which is ruled by Gods spirite, is more worthye then that which is mans lawe. He allowed & commaunded to establishe in all Churches the feast of al soules, at the motiō of one Odiloe abbot of Clunie: whoe dreamed that soules were deliuered oute of Purgatorye by vertue of the masse, and sayd that he harde the deuils houle and roare, while the soules were takē frō them, through dirges & trentalles. After he had raigned 5. monthes, he was poysoned by his owne frendes. In his time the name of Cardinals began to grow to estimation, and many straunge monsters were seene, and diuers terrible earthquakes.
83. Iohn the 20.
IOhn the 20. called Fasanus after yt Iohn the 19. was poysoned, by magicke & coniuringe gat to be Pope. For from the foresaid Syluester till Gregorie the seuenth (a notorious parson) all the Popes were famous enchaunters: by theyr charming they sturred vp walking spirits, bugs, goblins, fierye sightes, & diuers terrible goasts & shapes of thinges, with howlinges and gro aninges aboute deade mens graues, perswadinge the simple people yt they were deade mens soules. And those spirites beinge coniured vp by priestes, deluded men, dessemblinge that they were the soules of the dead, complayning theyr vntollerable paynes in Purgatorye fyre, and craued to be released by the meritorious deedes of theyr frendes & kindred, bestowinge dirges, masses, and trentalles on them. But to returne to this Pope Iohn, hee (sayth Platina) beinge giuen to idlenesse, did nothinge worthye remembraunce. He dyed after he had beene Pope .iiii. yeares Anno 1009.
84 Sergius the 4.
AFter this Iohn, came Sergius to be Pope by the like meanes, who also in his Popedome exercised the same sorcerye still, by which he obtayned the seate: Yet some of the flatterers of Rome do highlye commende him, as one that in all his Popedome did no one thinge to be misliked. An vnmeete prayse for the prelates of that corrupte time, wherein the light of the Gospell was extinct: without the which nothinge can be pure and perfite. Amonge other praises this is one that he had, he was a very pleasāt, meerye, and familiar companion: In his tyme was great pestilence and famine in Italye, and in Loraine a fountaine turned into bloud. He dyed Anno 1012.
85 Benedict the eight.
BEnedict ye eight was borne in Thusca ye sonne of George bishop of Portua, brother to Albericus and Iohn, & was a layman: He had a nephew called Theophilactus, which was the scholer of Syluester, and by the magical charmes of this Theophilact, Benedict gatte to be Pope: and obtayned the place so longe as Henry Bauarius liued, whose ayde defended him, because he had bestowed on Henrie the crowne Emperiall. But after his death the Cardinals enuyinge him, deposed him and set vp another: and herevppon arose a cruel debate. Yet afterward he compounded for money with his aduersaries, and so the vsurping Pope being put out again, Benedict is restored wt great pompe: He graunted to the foresaid Henrie (as Barus testifyeth) to make at Bamberg builded by Henry a cathedral Church, but with this condition that the same Church should paye to the Pope yearely vnderunder the name of tribute, an hundred markes in siluer with a white horse furnished with trappings. He dyed Anno 1023. Peter Damianus cardinall of Hostia sheweth, as it is also written by Platina, Carion, and others, that this Benedict (or an euill spirit in his likenes) appeared rydinge on a blackehorse, and came vntounto a bishop of his familiar acquaintaunce, who amazed at this sight asked him, Art not thou Pope Benedict whom wee know to be dead? He aunsweared I am the same vnhappy Benedict: And howe do you sayd the bishoppe? I am cruellye tormented, but I may be eased quoth Benedict: And therefore go to my brother Iohn, who nowe is Pope, and bidde him repayre to such a place (naming it) and take the treasure that is there hiddē, and distribute it to the poore: And likewise he appeared to Pope Iohn, saying I hope to be deliuered, and I would to God that Odilo would pray for mee. Thus the deuil deluded this age, bearing them in hande that the distribution of moneye, and not ye death of Christe might bringe saluation to soules, to the great aduauncement of Purgatorye and masses.
86 Iohn the xxi.
IOhn the xxi brother of the former Benedict, and sonne of Gregorie bishop of Portua beinge as yet but a laye man, yet likewyse by the enchauntmente of his nephewe Theophilact, gat ye Popedome, as Benno a Cardinall wryteth. For the coniuring and charmes of these mē Theophilact, Iohn, Gratian, Laurence, Malsitan, Brazutus and other like, wrought and ruled all thinges at Rome according to the deuils appointmente, the aucthor of theyr artes: For (sayth Benuo,) Theophilact vsing to do sacrifice to deuils in woods & on mountaynes, caused women to runne after him, whom he with his enchauntments bewitched to louelove him: And this appeareth to be true by certaine bookes of his, which after his death were founde in his chamber. This Pope Iohn crowned Conradus Emperour, and was by him defended from the violence of the Romaynes, who had longe troubled him: ye Emperour threatned to destroy the Romaynes vtterly, if they should practise ought agaīst the Pope, and by this meanes he continued Pope xi yere. The latine Church doth highly commend him, but shewe no good workes that deserued it: He commaunded Princes to keepe a solemne kinde of geuinge almes, he appoynted priestes to say masse, and the people to fast: In his time began the superstitious fastes of S. Iohn Baptist, & S. Laurence. Of the counsell of Triburia Anno 1030. began in Fraunce a sect of fasters, who said that it was reuealed to them from heauen, that to fast Saturday with breade and water was sufficiente for remission of all sinnes, if so that they had made a vowe to keepe it: But the bishop of Camera did ouerthrowe this blasphemye, as derogatorye to the passion of Christe. Pope Iohn dyed Anno. 1034.