The Pageant of Popes, Book 5 · Part 30
110. Hadrian the fourth.
HAdrian the fourth was an Englishmā borne called Nicolas Breakespeare, ye sonne of one Dan Robert a mōke of S. Albanes: he was first a reguler priest, & afterwarde a bishop, then a Cardinall, and finallye Pope of Rome. He being chosen by the clergye at Rome, would not ascende & take the place vntill they had consented vntounto him, that one Arnold bishop of Brixia whom he counted an hereticke, should be banished oute of Rome. This Arnold perswaded the Romaynes to recouer their libertye of choosinge theyr Maiestrates: and when the people withstoode the presumption of the Pope, it wroughte gre…te strife. This Hadrian a man of loftye courage forthwith did excommunicate the Romaynes, vntil they should driue out Arnold, and compell theyr Consulles to leaue theyr offices, & yeild the gouernemente of the Citye freelye vntounto him. In the meane time Fredericke ye Emperour hasted him to Rome with an armye, to put downe the rebels: the Pope and his clergye went out to meete him, whereby ye Pope thought to get oportunitye to be reuenged by the Emperours ayde vppō his ennemyes. The Emperour meeting with ye Pope alighted from his horse and went on foote, and attendinge on the Popes parson when he should alight, ye Emperour helde the lefte stirope, for the which the Pope scorned him for mistakinge the stirope, and sayde vntounto him: Ye shoulde hauehave held mee the right stirope. The Emperour takinge it paciently aunsweared him smilingly, I hauehave not (quoth hee) learned to holde a stirope, and you holye father are the first, to whom I euer did this seruice: And (quoth ye Emperour, because he sawe the Pope angrye that he aunswered) I would know of you whether this be my dutye to do it, of force, or of my owne curtesye: If a man offer it of curtesye, how wil you rebuke him for negligence? If it be not of dutye, what neede ye care on which side hee come vntounto you, that commeth to do you worship? Such sharpe talke passinge betweene them, they departed both full of wrath. But on the morowe the Emperour beinge a man of wisedome, neglected all that he had heard and seene touchinge the Popes statelye and proude minde, and sent for him desiringe him to come to his pauilion. The Pope came and ye Emperour went forth to meete him, and as he was tought the daye before against the Pope should alight, he held the right stirope, and so conducted the Pope in. As they sate together, Pope Hadrian beganne to talke in this maner. Princes (quoth hee) in olde time which came to craue the Crowne, were wonte to recompence the curtesye of the Church of Rome wyth some excellente benefite, that as it were preuenting the Popes blessinge and the crowne, that they should receiue by their dutifulnes, might notifye thē selues to all men by their noble deede: For so Charles deserued his Crowne by conqueringe the Lombardes, Otho his by asswaging the Berengarians, Lotharius his by suppressinge the Normans. Therefore your worthines may restore Apulia to be territorye to Rome, which nowe the Normans withholde, & then will we afterward sone do y• which is our dutye. The Princes therefore perceyuing yt the Pope would not crowne Fredericke, vnlesse he should first winne Apulia from VVilliam kinge of Sicill by his owne coste & charge, they promised it should be performed with a newe armye out of Germanye, as sone as the other armye were growne out, if so be he would crowne ye Emperour. Thereupon the next daye he was crowned with ye Crowne Emperiall, by the Pope in S. Peters Pallaice: and afterward hauinge executed aboue a thousande of the rebellious Citizēs, he prepared to returne into Germany. After the Emperours departure, ye Pope beinge disapointed of his ayde, purposed to set vponupon Apulia to winne it frō the king of Sicill, with such force as as he could make: first he excommunicated the kinge because he woulde not yelde it vp, and discharged his subiects of theyr alleageaunce, to make them to rebell against him. But because these thinges preuailed but little against kinge VVilliam, he set Emanuel the Emperour of Greece vppon him, because hee knewe that he had beene a mortal ennemye to king VVilliams father. VVilliam fearinge this sought for peace, & promised to yelde all to the Pope, but the Pope by the coū cell of certaine Cardinals (hopinge to gaine more by the warre then peace) refused the offer, & proclaymed warre against him. King VVilliam perceyuinge this to preuent the daunger in time, gathered an armye in haste out of all Sicill and sayled to Apulia wher he fought with Emanuel and ouerthrewe him. Afterwarde hee assaulted the towne Beneuent (where the Pope and his Cardinals weare) in such sort yt they dispayring to escape craued peace: VVilliam graunted it, and so was reconciled to the Pope, who then pronounced him king of both Sicils, making him first to sweare that he should hurt nothinge that belonged to ye Church of Rome. Thus the Pope returned to Rome wt foule shame, where contrarye to his expectation hee was troubled with ciuill discention, for the Consuls began to reclayme their libertye and auctoritye which he had taken awaye: and because he coulde not preuaile with his vaine thonderboltes of excōmunication, he departed to Arminy.
While these thinges were doinge, the Emperour abydinge at home, remembred with himselfe howe the Pope had taken from the Emperours the former right of inuestinge of prelates, and by his Legates had summoned all nations together, & had sowed ye seede of rebellion through all his Empyre, taken homage & fealtye of all the bishops in Germanye. Hereuppon he commaunded, that if the Popes Legates came into Germanye without his commaū dement, they should be kept out. He forbad that anye of his subiectes should appeale to Rome, he set his owne name in wryt…nge before the Popes: wherevppon the Pope was so wroth, that he sente letters to the Emperour rebuking him sharpelye for it. The copye whereof for the better vnderstanding of it, it thus.
Hadrians letter to the Emperour.
HAdrian bishop seruaunt to the seruaunts of God, sendeth greeting to Frederick themperour, and apostolicall blessinge. As the lawe of God promiseth longe life to them that do honour their parentes, so doth it threaten death, to them that dishonour their father or mother. The truth teacheth vsus that euerye one that exalteth himselfe shalbe brought downe. Therfore right wel beloued sonne in the Lorde, vvee do not a little marueile at your vvysedome, that ye do not so much dutye as becommeth you to S. Peter, and the holye Church of Rome: For in your letter sente vntounto vsus yee hauehave set your name before ours, whereby you do bewray your vanitye, I will not say your pride. VVhat shall I speake, hovve little ye obserue your fealtye, which ye are bounde by oath and promise to performe to S. Peter and vsus? Seing ye requier honour and allegeance of them that are Gods, and of al our honourable sonnes, bishops I meane. And ye wrap their holye handes within yours, settinge your selfe manifestlye against vsus: Ye shutte not onelye the Churches, but also the Cities of your dominion against the Cardinal sent from our owne side. VVhat shall I saye? Repent therefore repent we aduise you: for we feare least your noblenes whyle you deserue of vsus to hauehave both blessing and Crowne, vvill loose that vvhichwhich vve hauehave graūted you, by taking vppon you that which we hauehave not graunted. Fare ye well.
The aunsweare of Fredericke themperour to the Popes letter.
FRederick by the grace of God Emperour of the Romaynes Augustus euermore, to Hadrian Pope of Rome, and to al those that (are vvilling to cleaue to that vvhichwhich Christ began to do and teach) sendeth greetinge. The lavve of Iustice restoreth to euerye man his ovvne, For vve do not dishonour our auncestours, to vvhom vvithin this our kingdome vve yelde due reuerence, by vvhom vve hauehave enherited our Crovvne and regall dignitye. Is it knovvne that Syluester bishoppe of Rome in the time of Constantine the Emperour, had anye kinglye poart? But by his godlye graunte the Church obtayned libertye, peace vvas restored, and vvhat soeuer your princelye pontificality is knovvne to hauehave, it came by the bountifulnes of Princes: VVhereby vvhen soeuer vve vvrite to the Pope, by good righte vve set our ovvne name former, and accordinge to the rule of Iustice vve allovve it to him vvritinge to vsus. Loke ouer the Recordes and if ye marked not in readinge vvhichwhich vve auouche, there ye shall finde it. But vvhy shoulde vve not require homage and royal oathes tovvarde our parson of them, that are Gods by adoption, and possesse the royaltye belonging to vsus: Seing that he vvho taught both vsus and you, takinge nothing of a Prince but geuinge al goodnes to all men, yet payde tribute to Caesar, for himselfe and Peter, and gaue you an example that ye shoulde do the like. And so he teacheth you saying: Learne of mee, for I am humble and gentle of harte. Therefore let them eyther graunte vntounto vsus that belongeth to our royaltye, or els if, they vvill challenge this for their more commoditye, then let them paye vntounto God that is due vntounto GOD, and vntounto Caesar that is due vntounto Caesar. The Churches are shut to your Cardinals, and the Cityes are not open vntounto them, and reason good, because vvee see that they are not feeders but ste…ers of their flockes, not kepers of peace, but catchers of pence: not those that amend the vvorld, but that deuoure it. But vvhen vvee shall see them such, as the Church requireth, bearinge peace, giuinge light to their countreye, assistinge the cause of the lovvlye in equity, vve vvil forthvvith succour them vvith necessarye stipends and sustinaunce. But ye do much discredit your humilitye and curtesye, beinge the saueg…rde of all vertues, vvhen ye moue to secular parsons such questions as do not much further religion. Let therefore your fatherlye vvisedome prouide, least vvhile ye sturre aboute such vnmeete matters, yee giuegive offence vntounto those vvhichwhich applye themselues to giuegive eare to the vvords of your mouth, as it vvere to a shovver of raine after Harueste. For vve cannot but aunsvveare to those thinges vvhichwhich vve heare, vvhen vve see the detestable beast of pride to hauehave crept euen to Peters seate, so long as vve purpose God vvillinge continuallye to prouide for peace and the Church. Fare ye vvell.
Here may you discerne somwhat the dealing and spirite of the Romain bishops, which I leaue to eueryevery ones owne indifferent consideration. To returne to the matter, hereuppon this Pope Hadrian did excommunicate ye Emperour, and by his Legates sent from Rome prouoked rebellions against him in Italye and other places: and brought it secretly to passe, that the conspiracye of the rebels should be made the stronger, by these lawes confirmed among them by oath, that none of them should take peace with him, wt oute the whole consent of all the rest. And againe, that if this Pope Hadrian should dye, they should choose none to be Pope, but one of those Cardinals that were of the conspiracye against the Emperour. But shortlye after God punished this Hadrian very straungelye for (sayth Abbas Vspergensis in Frederico primo) it came to passe that this Pope Hadrian the fourth, going to Agnania to denounce the excommunication against the Emperour, after he had taryed there a fewe dayes, walked forth with some of his companye, to coole him selfe: And when he came to a certaine springe of water he drancke thereof, and forthwith a flye did enter into his mouth, and did cleaue to his throte in such sort, that no art of the Phisitiōs could get it away, and so he was choaked therewt, and died therof Anno 1159. in the fift yeare of his Popeship. But the Italians being thus set on by the Pope, deuised continuallye treasons against ye Emperour, amonge other, practised to hauehave murthered him by a certaine counterfeit foole, beinge in deede an excellente Musician, who had surelye slaine him, but yt the Emperour driuen to his shift leaped out at ye fifte window downe into a riuer, which ranne vnderunder ye place where he was: The foole beinge taken was also throwne downe out of the same windowe, and so he brake his necke. After this they hyred an enchanter of Arabia, who poysoned his bridle, his spurres, his ringes, and his stirope, and such other thinges, that with ye onlye touching thereof he should hauehave beene slaine: But he was bewrayed and hanged vp. This Pope Hadrian made king Henry ye second of Englande, Lorde of Irelande. Carion in his Chronicle wrytinge of Conradus the thirde, Emperour of Germanye sayth, that it is found written that this Pope Hadrian ye fourth euen a little before his death should say: that there is no kind of life vponupon earth more wretched thē to be Pope, and to get the Popedome by bloud is not to succeede Peter, but Romulus whoe for the kingdome slue his owne brother.