The Brutish Thunderbolt, Declaration 1 · Part 14 – Part 21
Of the kingdome of France.
THere is extant in Nicolas Gillius a french man, and a Chronicle writer, an excellent epiſtle of pope Boniface the 8 which we will ſet downe. Boniface the ſeruant of the ſeruants of God, to Philip the french king: Feare God and keepe his commandements. We will hauehave you know that in ſpirituall things and temporall things you are ſubiect to vsus: there appertaineth to you no beſtowing of benefices and prebends: and if you hauehave the keeping of anie that are void, reſerue the profit therof for the ſucceſſors: and if you hauehave bestowed anie, we decree that the gift thereof is voide: we count thoſe fooles that beleeue otherwiſe. Geuen at Laterane 4. of the Nones of December in the 6. yeere of our popedome. This inſtrument of pope Boniface is without doubt ſet downe in his regiſter according to the cuſtome, by the kéepers of the librarie: but let vsus heare what the other partie anſwereth. For we ſhall know by the kings anſwer what credence and authoritie we ought to giuegive to theſe regiſters of the popes. Philip by the grace of God king of France, to Boniface that carrieth himſelf for the chief biſhop, ſendeth ſmal greeting or none at all. Let your great follie know, that in temporal things we are ſubiect to none: that the beſtowing of any churches or prebends that are vacant, doth belong vntounto vsus by our princely right, and to reape the fruits thereof against all poſſeſſours, to maintaine our ſelfe profitablie: and as for thoſe that thinke otherwiſe, wee count them doltes and mad men. Theſe things are cited out of the Britaine Chronicles of Armorica: the 4. booke ch. 14. and out of Nicolas Gillius in the french Chronicles, whereby we may eaſilie coniect, that howſoeuer we grant that theſe furious letters aforeſaid were ſent vntounto kings by the popes, yet did they ſharpelie and vehemently repreſſe their boldnes and raſhnes. And yet the ſame Steuchus the maſter of the popes librarie as we hauehave ſaide, truſting to his regiſter, durſt in the ſame book of his * write thus, Pag. 198.and cauſe it to be printed at Lyons. Boniface the 7. against Philip the king of France, bicauſe hee did exalt himſelfe against the Church, when the pope had vnfolded to him the old monuments, whereby he taught, that France was ſubiect to the church of Rome both in holie and prophane things, for which it was neceſſarie that he ſhould reuerence and worſhip the pope as Lord of his kingdom, when he deſpiſed him, he did excommunicate him.
Of the empire of Germanie.
THe ſame Steuchus writeth nothing touching this empire by reaſon of the great power of Charles the fift, whom Steuchus was afraide to offend. But we hauehave elſe where verie manie teſtimonies. Firſt in the canoniſts *, wherin is contained c. tibi. Domino▪ dist. 63.the oth of the emperor Otho, which he gaue to the pope. Which pope Clement affirmeth to be the oth of alleageance, in c. de iureiur. in Clem.which vaſſals do giuegive to their patrones when they receiue a fée. Whence the Canoniſts do ſtoutly diſpute and reaſon, that the emperor is the popes vaſſall, and that he holdeth of him his empire by the name of a fée: but alſo pope Innocentius the 3. writeth, * that the right to chooſe the emperor in c. venerabilem, extra, de elect. c. 2. de re iud. in 6. in c. 1. ext. Ne ſed. vacan.came vntounto the princes of Germanie from the apoſtolike ſea. And * that the emperor may be depoſed by the pope. And *, that the pope when the empire is void is emperor. And héerupon roſe that boldnes of pope Innocentius the ſecond, that hée painted in the Laterane church at Rome, the emperor Lotharius, as a vaſſall lieng proſtrate at his féete, and receiuing the imperiall crown at his hands: and did write theſe verſes vnderunder the ſame picture:
Rex venit ante fores, iurans prius vrbis honores.
Pòſt homo fit papae: ſumit, quo dante, coronam.
The king before the doores did come,
The cities honors first he ſweares:
That done the popes man he is made,
Of whom he takes the crowne he weares.
The memoriall whereof is extant in the chronicles of Hirſaug. in the life of the abbat Hartuing, & in Radeuic. * And when as lib. 1. num. 9. & 10.the ſame day the emperor Friderike had reaſoned with the legates of pope Adrian, Radeuic writeth that they anſwered thus, Of whom thē hath he the empire if not from our Lord the pope? Moreouer, there is extant in Iohn Auentine *, an epiſtle of pope Adrian vntounto Lib. 6. pa. 636.the archbiſhops of Treuirs, Moguntine, and Colen written thus: The Romane empire was tranſlated from the Grecians vntounto the Almaines: ſo that the king of the Almaines was not called emperor before he was crowned by the Apostle. Before the conſecration he was king: after the conſecration emperor. From whence then hath he his empire but from vsus? By the election of his princes he hath the name of king, by our conſecration he hath the name of emperor; and of Augustus, and of Caeſar. Therefore by vsus he reigneth: our ſea is at Rome: the emperors at Aquis nigh Arduenna, which is a wood of France. The emperor hath all that he hath from vsus. As Zacharie tranſlated the empire from the Grecians to the Almains, ſo we may tranſlate it from the Almaines to the Grecians. Lo it is in our power to giuegive it to whomſoeuer we will: being therefore ſet ouer nations and kingdoms, to destroy and pluck vp, to build & plant. Thus writeth the pope of the Germane empire: boldly ynough as it ſéemeth: ſéeing he ſendeth him to Aquiſgranus, and into the wood Arduenna, as if he were ſome ſhéepherd or neatheard. Shall there be any of the Counſellers of the moſt victorious emperor that can abide that fierce & importunate voice of that tyrant? But let vsus heare more.
Of the kingdome of Spaine.
STeuchus in the ſame ſecond booke: Gregorie Pag. 133.the ſeuenth, ſaith he, writing to the kings and princes of Spaine, ſaith thus: You know that of old the kingdome of Spaine belongeth to the church of Rome. And ſhortly after out of the regiſter of Epiſtles of the ſame pope, which he affirmeth to be kept religiouſly in his librarie, he ſetteth down this epiſtle. Gregorie the biſhop, the ſeruant of the ſeruants of God, to the kings, earles, and other princes of Spaine, greeting. We will hauehave it knowne to you, that the kingdome of Spaine, was giuen by the ancient decrees to S. Peter and the holie church of Rome for their right and propertie; and ſo foorth.
Of the kingdome of Hungarie.
COncerning the ſame there is a teſtimonie of like ſort extant in the ſame maiſter of the librarie. Gregorie the holie biſhop, Pa. 186.the holy lord to his beloued ſonne Salomon king of Hungarie, greeting. As thou maist learne of the ancients of thy countrie, the kingdome of Hungarie is proper to the holie church of Rome; being in times past offered and deuoutly deliuered by king Stephen to S. Peter, with all the right and power thereof. And againe: The ſame Gregorie writing to Geuſus king of Hungarie: we beleeue thou knowest that the kingdome of Hungarie, as alſo other most noble kingdoms ought to be in the ſtate of their owne libertie, and to be in ſubiection to none other king of any other realme, ſaue onelyonly to the holie and vniuerſall mother the church of Rome.
Of the kingdome of Polonia.
ALbertus Krantz in Wandal. lib. 8. ca. 2. Lakoldus was duke of Cracouia at this time, and he that bare rule throughout all Polonia. He had from Iohn biſhop of Rome the crowne: bicauſe he did … Lodwik lawfull emperor, bicauſe the pope did curſe and excommunicate him. For the popes were now come to that maiestie (which ſecular princes cal preſumption) that they made kings: citing the words of him that was first pope after Christ: Behold, ſaith Peter, heer be two ſwords. Againſt which the princes interpret the words of the eternall biſhop: Put vp thy ſword into the ſheath, of the carnall, humane, and ſecular ſword: as if it were not lawfull for the pope to fight with it. But Lakoldus being named and conſecrated king by the pope, made al the kingdome tributary to S. Peter, that there ſhould be paid yeerly for euerie one a penie, which pence are called Peter-pence.
Of the kingdome of Ruſcia.
STeuchus in the ſame booke *. Alſo the Pag. 1….kingdom of Ruſcia is of right and deſtraint of the church of Rome, as appeereth by the ſame ancient moniments. Gregorie the ſeuenth writing to the king and queene of Ruſcia: To our beloued children, ſaith he, Demetrius king of Ruſcia, and to the queene his wife, greeting, and the apostolike bleſſing. Your ſonne viſiting the ſhrines of the Apostles, came to vsus, and bicauſe he would obtaine that kingdome by the gift of S. Peter by our hands, he craued it with deuout petitions, hauing giuen due alleageance to the ſame S. Peter the Apoſtle: affirming vndoubtedly that that petition of his ſhould be confirmed and establiſhed by our conſent, if he might be rewarded with the grace and defence of the Apostolike authoritie: to whoſe petitions we gaue conſent: and we gaue him the gouernment of our kingdome in the behalfe of S. Peter, namely, with that intention of louelove, that S. Peter ſhould defend you and your kingdome by his interceſſion to God.
Of the kingdome of Sicilia.
CLement the fift. * Againe, we must not In clem. paſtoralis de ſent. & reiud.paſſe ouer with ſilence, that the king of Sicilia himſelfe being our knowne ſubiect, and the ſubiect of the church of Rome by reaſon of the foreſaid kingdome, and being a liege man and vaſſall, hath his continuall abode in the ſame kingdome.
Of the kingdome of Scotland.
POlydore Virgil writeth thus in his ſeuentéenth booke. In the meane ſeaſon Boniface the pope being wearied by the Scots with their petitions, forbad king Edward that hee ſhould not heereafter trouble the Scots with war: bicauſe that realme was before committed by the Scots to the tuition, and made ſubiect to the power of the pope of Rome. And therfore he auouched that it was in his power alone to giuegive it to whomſoeuer he would, or to take it from whomſoeuer he would.
Hitherto hauehave we reckoned vp all the kingdoms of Chriſtian kings, which the pope auoucheth they hold and poſſeſſe as a fée or benefit receiued from him. By euerie one whereof, and by them all in generall, we leaue it to men of courage to iudge whether this ſéemeth to be the humilitie of a modeſt paſtor of the church, ſo greatly commended of Chriſt, or rather boldnes and hawtines of a fierce and intollerable giant. Alſo we would hauehave them thinke with themſelues whether this ſo great proud ſpeaking of the popes, came not from the ſame ſpirit from whence that oration of the tyrant Nero, came, which is left by Seneca to the poſteritie in his firſt booke of Clemencie: Of al mortal men I was liked and choſen to ſerue in the place of the Gods vponupon earth. I am to the nations the iudge of life and death. It is in my hand what condition and ſtate eueryevery man hath. What thing ſoeuer fortune would hauehave giuen to any mortall man, ſhe pronounceth it by my mouth. People and cities conceiue cauſes of ioy by our anſwer. No part doth any where floriſh ſaue onelyonly when I am willing and fauourable. Theſe ſo manie thouſands of fencers which my power doth ſuppreſſe, ſhall be girded at my becke. It is my iuriſdiction what nations ought to be quite cut off, which ought to be tranſported, to whom libertie ought to be granted, from whom it ought to be taken, what kings ought to be bond-ſlaues, and vponupon whoſe head the princely crowne ought to be ſet, what cities ſhal come to ruine, and which ſhall floriſh.