A Looking Glass for Princes and Peoples Delivered, Book 2 · Part 4 · Chapter 28
CHAP. XXVIII. Of their cruell attempts against VENICE.
THeir two attempts were against Venice and greatThe Venetian question. Britaine: They minded the overthrow of the liberties of Venice, but States are not so soone killed as persons. Padre Pauli lib. 1. Of the quarrels of Pauli. 5. interdictum contr. Vene…os.Pope Paul the fith his quarrell with the Venetians was vile and flagitious, hee sought occasion to manifest his omnipotencie against them, & waited not on an honest cause of contest, but tooke the first that offered, and commanded them absolutelie, to set at libertie two Church-men, whom they had justlie imprisoned: The one was Scipio Sarraceno, a Chanon of Vincenza, for purse wing a womans Chastitie even in the Church, and other villanies: The other was Brandolino Valde-marino, Abbot of Nerues, who was a Magitian, and studied the Arte of composing exquite The Pope patronizes villanie.poyson, and had thereby cutte off his Brother his Servant, and indangered his Father. It was not vnlike to the quarrell of the Thessalonicians against Theodosius Officers, for imprisoning a Coatch-man deprehended in adulterie, whom the people would hauehave inlarged. Hildebrand coloured his treason and disloyaltie with the cover of the Cleargies Chastitie: But Paul the fifth comming on the stage acted that same part of vsurpation, by defending the villanies of the Cleargie. Hee commanded the Venetians also to repeale some Lawes which they had made to restraine the profuse dotations of their subiects, wherevnto the cunning avarice of Iesuits had induced them: And because they stood to their liberties, hee put them rashlie vnderunder an interdict, which when their Cleargie, and other Orders would not acknowledge, the Iesuits (whose Avarice occasioned the Law) by vertue of their fourth vow of blind obedience to Navar▪ Ma nual. cap. 27 …. 244. Lancel… Instit▪ lib. 4▪ …4 The Venetians wisedome and courage Edict. Vene… contr. Interdict. Paul. 5the Pope, maintained the Interdict, least they should incurre irregularitie.
But the Venetians opposed so worthilie, that the Pope repented his attempt, they managed the matter wiselie everie way by the Edicts of their Senate and Writtes of their loyall Divines: aPadre Paulo. Spalat. Vendrame▪ Marsil. Crassus. &c.The storme brake vp vponupon the faultie members of their Republicke, and the Iesuits were found in their treason, refusing their alledgeance, for to defend her in their iust cause: Therefore they were cast out as a pest of the Republicke, and the Pope forced to put a faire face on a foule retreate: Hee was glad in end to packe vp the quarrell, and dissemble the blow, which as yet is not cured. The Venetians would neither repeale their lawes, neither admit the Iesuits to this day, neither would enter inThey reiect the …esuits simplie. capitulation for agreement, but vponupon this condition expresselie, that the receiving of the Iesuits should not bee mentioned at all. And inacted a Law that they should not (b) Veueti—semper declararunt causá Iesuitatum▪ esse peculiare &c. Thuan. Conti… ▪ 16 12 Paulus▪ 3 ordinem probavis. At n… per Ordo ille à Venetis edict… publico explosus. Can. lib. 5. cap. 5. The Popes shamefull retreat. Quarrells Paul. 5▪ lib 5.bee admitted for an hundreth yeares: The which Law they renew everie yeare to keep that centurie of their proscription whole. I thinke heerein they repayed the Pope the old indignitie hee did to their Oratour Franciscus Dandalus whom hee caused lye vnderunder his Table as a Dogge at Avenion. This was another proofe of the Venetians wit and valour against the Pope, the former was against Paul the third, who approved an order institute by Baptista Cremensis, but they by a publicke Edict scoffed and condemned it.
This was the end of the Popes brawle: Blind Pride devised it, Temeritie began it, Pertinacie held it on foote, and Necessitie forced him to retire with shame, a few Cardinals with him raised this storme, but they could not lay it againe; that was a worke of great Kings by their Ambassadours: His former temeritie was turned in timorousnesse, hee durst neither hold out against the Venetians to the end, neither propone the Treatise of peace to the Consistorie fearing opposition, but to the Cardinals apart, and then told them in publicke audience when all was ended, The Venetians stucke to their liberties, and inAn vnlawfull Procedor hath an abrupt closure. the closure, would not admitte of any Ceremonie that smelled of Absolution or Benediction, least it should import guiltinesse on their part: Neither would they suffer in all their Dominions anie signe of ioy to be made by Bone-fire or reigning of Bells, least it should bee thought a formall reconciliation after a just censure; but suffered a rash and vniust Interdict to bee revoked by a verball declaration: The Cardinall Ioyeous sent by the Pope, declared that the Pope revoked his interdict, and they gaue him an Act of the revocation of their Protestation: Hee keeped no order in giving out an Interdict, and as little in revoking of it, the pronouncing Hee broke his Lawes.was in splene and passion and the retreate was in shame and confusion.
This was against their owne Lawes, for the interdicted persons should not bee received, vnlesse first they satisfie for their fault, or that they giuegive their oath for fulfilling of the commandements of the Church, aDesent. excom cap. Alma mater.But the late …asuists bRemittenda erit caut… turatoria. Seyrus. The saur▪ lib. 5. c. 15 n. 26. Vivald, Candel. p. 495.helpe the Pope in this straite, Avila sayeth, that that the Pope may relaxe an Interdict by his inward Act alone, Papa potest solo actu interiori relaxare Interdictum And Fernandes cFernand. part 2. c. 12, n. 22affirmeth, that the Pope may absolue, albeit the cause cease not, and (a) Rodrikez sayth, That one who is absent or vnwilling may bee absolved. All these cases serue to cure the Popes folie: His intention is good enough to vndoe that whereby he had plondered the world two(c) Potest absens vel invitus absolvi. Rodrik part. 1 cap. 8. n 83 n▪ 13. yeares: And while the Venetians held at the point of their innocencie, and would not bee absolved by him, he was forced abruptlie to declare them free.
But Becanus telleth vsus, That they are ashamed of the matter, for when it is obiected, hee frets and fumes,The Papists are ashamed of that quarrell. saying, That since the matter is setled, it ought not to bee wakened againe, because such doing is the worke of seditious men: Ais venetos—sed bis peccas. 1. quia cum lis illa sopita sit tu illam tuo flabello resuscitare non debes. Hoc seditiosorum hominum est. But I will serue him with his owne dilemmes. Either the Pope had a good cause in hand or a badde: If a good cause, why did hee quyte it so shamefullie? Where was his omnipotencie that hee could not double out the defence of the great and maine Article of his faith: If hee had an evill cause, where was his omniscience and infallibitie, that they suffered him to enter in such a quarrell? But the trueth is, it was the witlesse impotencie of his proude spirit. By their fretting they testifie they are ashamed of the cause, contest, and event. But if they had prevailed in this contest, they would hauehave put it in the Catalogue of the Popes victories over Princes, and gloried in it, as they did of Dandalus subiection to Clemens the fifth.aBecan ex am con. 53. Recitemus pactum memorabile Dandali magna panitentia magnum argumē tum Gretzer myst. Sal. 57. p. 462.
Thus was the Question & cariage of it vulgarlie takē vp, but God had a secreit in it to giuegive the Pope a foileThe secrets of that quarrell. at his owne doores, and that not so much in the opposition and event as in the cause which was not onelyonly avarice and pride, but most of all, the defence of sorcerie and villante. Heere in GOD would hauehave the world looking on the Whoore in her owne colours: Sathan also blinded the Pope, that hee saw no more, but to pouse his power, and smyled in his sleeue when hee brought Sanctissimus on the Stage to patronize Villanie. It is their custome to act and maintaine villanies, and though they confesse Iohn the tweluth to hauehave beene a monstruous adulterer, yet theyBaron. 983. damne the Councell that condemned him. Lastlie, God was heerein teaching the possibilitie of the Popes curbing, when a petite state (in comparison of great Kings) at his Elbow gaue him an irrecoverable blow for his folie.