History of the Catholic Church from 600 to 1600, Ecclesiastical epoch 1300-1600 · Century 16 · Part 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Of POPES.
Many and great were the revolutions of this Century: therefore it ſeems more expedient, to divide it into three parts, according to three main differences of occurrents; and in every part to continue the former method of chapters. The first part is from the year 1500, untill the year 1517; ſhewing what things hapned before the Reformation. The ſecond part from the year 1517, untill the year 1563; containing things from the beginning of the Reformation, untill the cloſe of the Councel at Trent. And the third part from 1563, untill the year 1600; declaring the main occurrents after that Councel.
PIUS III. was choſen An. 1503. not ſo much for his reputed goodneſs, but when the Competitours could not prevail, they providing to their next advantage (according to their wonted manner, ſaith Guicciardin.) did conſent to the election of this old ſick Cardinal, that they might not fall from their hope, albeit time may intervene. This is a ſpecial reſpect of the Cardinals in the election, as Cumin Ventura (who had been oft in that Conclave) ſheweth in Theſor. Politic. And ſo it hapned, for he died within 27 dayes.
2. JULIUS II. one of the competitours, had then procured the ſuffrages of ſo many Cardinals, that on the firſt day of their aſſembly, October 31. he was proclaimed Pope, every one wondring (ſaith Guicciardin. lib. 6.) that they had choſen one, whom they knew to be ſo froward, cruel, factious and continually unquiet: but he had made large promiſes, unto the Cardinals, Princes and others, which could promote his buſineſs. He eſtabliſhed his chair ſhortly after, firſt by contracting his daughter Felix unto Jordanes Urſinus, and then his ſiſters daughter Lucretia unto Antonius Columna. Then he ſet himſelf to regain all Romandiola: and ſo he took Ceſena and Forolivio from Caeſar Borgias the ſon of Pope Alexander the VI. he expelled the family of Bentevoli out of Bononia: he excommunicated the Venetians, and gave their Lands unto the firſt who could take them. Lewes the XII. King of France (ſurnamed Pater Patriae) overthrew the Venetians at Abdua: albeit he gave the greateſt part of his purchaſe unto Julius, yet he envieth the proſperity of Lewes, and combined again with the Venetians, to expel him out of Italy: Wherfore Lewes aſſembled a Nationall-Councel at Tours in the beginning A Kings querees concerning the Pope,of September An. 1510. where he propounds the queſtion, Whether a Pope may lawfully move wars againſt a Prince without cauſe? They anſwer, It is not lawfull. Then he aſketh, Whether a Prince being ſo provoked might for his own defence deny obedience unto ſuch a Pope, and invade him? It was determined, He may lawfully. There they decree alſo to eſtabliſh the Pragmatica Sanctio, and to contemne the Papal cenſure in all time coming. Before the King would deny obedience, he reſolves firſt to certifie the Pope of theſe articles, and aſſure him, that if he ſhall continue in ſuch frowardneſs, he ſhall be ſummoned to a generall Councell: (for Lewes had the concurrence of the Emperour Maximilian, with the advice of five Cardinals, two Spaniſh, two French and one Italian.) The Pope deſpiſeth all. Therefore on May 19. An. 1511. Lewes proclaimed a generall Councel at Piſa Septemb. 1. to the end, that by generall advice they may provide againſt the preſent and imminent evills of the Chriſtian Church. Julius rageth, and hindereth the meeting at Piſa: but they convene at Lions: where it was treated of Pope Julius's ſimony and A Councel againſt the Pope.continuall ſtirring of wars; and that Popes muſt be curbed by authority of Councels; and that Chriſtians can not be in ſafety, if one have abſolute power, and know that he is free of cenſure: then they ſuſpend the Pope from adminiſtration of the Papacy, &c. Jo de Serres & Guicciard. The Pope hath another Councel at Lateran, and granteth Bulls of pardon unto all and everie one that ſhall kill any French man, and gives the kingdom of France unto the firſt Conquerour. In the mean time he killeth Peter, a Captain of the Florentines, becauſe he had adviſed them, to join with France: he beſiegeth Ferraria, and lay perſonally at the ſiege of Mirandula: the Vicar of Chriſt takes arms againſt a Chriſtian City, ſayth Guicciardin. As he was marching over the River Tiber, he throwes his keies over the bridge, ſaying, Seing Peter's keies ſerve not, I will ſee what Pauls ſword Peters keies & Pauls ſword.can doe. King Lewes faintes not in his courage for all the curſes, and did coine his money with this inſcription, Perdam Babylonem. Briefly it is writen, that within 9 years Julius killed two hundred thouſand Chriſtianes by unneceſſarie wars, ſo that Onuphrius ſayth, he deſiring to enlarge his revenues, was more given to wars than became a Prieſt: and Budaeus libr. 4. de aſſe calleth him a prieſt of Bellona, and not of Chriſt. His predeceſſours gave large priviledges to the begging Friers: and Julius was liberall to his confederats in the wars, eſpecially unto the Swiſers, and gave them the title, Defenders of the libertie of the Church; with a golden ſworde, a bonnet, &c. When he heard, that they wer entring into Italie, for the words in the Letany, Sancte Petre, Ora pro nobis, he ſayd, Sancte Schwizere, Ora pro nobis, Hotting. in Analet. Histor. Theolog. pag. 73. ex Helvet. Annal. Neither was he careleſs of the gain of indulgences, as the Epigram ſhewes, Fraude capit totum mercator Julius orbem: Vendit enim coelos, non habet ipſe tamen, &c. Hee reneweth the Bull of Pope Pius II. againſt them who appeall from the Pope unto a Councel, and ordaines him who appealeth to be accurſed, and the appellation to be nulle. A litle before his death, he had ſtrange purpoſes, to waſte Italy, France and Spain, ſaith Guicciardin. lib. 11. He was ſo imperious and peremptory in his ſtatutes, that after his death and before the new election, the Cardinals thought it expedient, to limite the power of the Pope by ſome conſtitutions. This was propounded; but ſome for fear of offending, and ſome being moved with hope, and few with regarde of the publick good, conſented to lay the purpoſe aſide. So Ann. 1513. John Medices Captain of the Papall armie, aliàs
3. LEO X. being 37 years of age was choſen by policy of the young Cardinals. On the day of his coronation he threw among the multitude a 100000. golden Ducats. Guicc. At the entreaty of his brothers wife Alfonſina he took from Francis Feltrius the Dukedom of Urbino, and gave it to her ſon Laurence Medices, whom he made Governour of Hetruria: but Laurence enioyed it not long, being expelled by the Florentines, untill the year 1530. when his nephew Clemens 7. took all liberties from the City, and made Alexander the baſtared ſon of Laurence the firſt Duke of Florence. Leo expelled Borgeſius and his Brother Cardinall Alfonſo out of their native City, not without the note of ingratitude; Onuphr. And therefore Alfonſo with ſome other Cardinals conſpired to kill the Pope: it was bewrayed, and they were deprived of their hats, and fled. The Pope made a paction with the Spaniſh Ambaſſadour, that he would pardon Alfonſo, The Popes perjurie.if he would bring him to Rome; and he gave him a ſafe conduct. The Ambaſſadour brought him, and afterward the Pope killed him. When the Ambaſſadour objected perjurie unto him; hee ſaid, A fault againſt the life of a Pope is not contained in a ſafe conduct, albeit the ſame were expreſly and individually named; Guicciard. libr. 13. He confeſſed the fact in the Colledge of Cardinals: and for the ſame they would forſake him. The The election of Cardinals.ſame day to engadge new friends, (the Colledge not willingly, but for fear conſenting) he creates 31 Cardinals: from whom by paction he received 50000. Crounes. And this is the lawfull Calling of the Clergie, whereof the Romaniſts bragg continually, ſaith Ph. Mornaeus in Myster. pag. 619. In time of their election there was a lightening and thunder, wherewith the litle babe JESUS fell out of the lap of the mothers image, and the keies out of the handes of S. Peter, even in the Church, where in they all were. Many did then interprete, that this did portend and foreſhew the ruine of that See. As indeed the ſame yeare Martin Luther at Wittembergh began to oppoſe the Popes indulgences, and after one errour more were eſpied by him and many others: whereupon followed the famous and gracious Reformation, as followes. He uſed (as Guicciard. ſpeakes libr. 13.) The ſelling of indulgences.the authority Apoſtolical too licentiouſly, by the advice of Cardinal Puccius, ſowing abroad moſt large indulgences, without difference of time or place, not only for confort of the living, but to pull ſouls of the dead out of purgatorie: and becauſe it was known, that ſuch indulgences were granted only for gain of money, which the Emiſſaries exacted ſhameleſly (for the exacters had bought the ſelling of theſe pardons from the Popes officers) Leo himſelf incurred mens evill will in many places, and gave many ſcandals, eſpecially in Germany: where his miniſters ſolde theſe wares for a very ſmall gain, and in kitchines they would lay on a caſt of a Die, a power to take a ſoule out of purgatorie. And eſpecially it was offenſive, that it was notorious, how the Pope had given all the gain of theſe pardons from ſundrie parts of Germany unto his ſiſter Magdalen, &c. And the Friers were not aſhamed, to preach in their Sermons, that at the ſound of a penny caſt into a baſine, the ſouls in purgatory doe leap for joy, and inſtantly flee away into the heavens: yea and ſome ſaid, When that taxe were payed, all ſins wer forgiven. Neither were they more modeſt in other Countries, affirming boldly, God doth preſently execute whatſoever pleaſeth them, according to that ſaying of Chriſt, Whatſoever yee bind on earth, ſhall be bond &c. They require ten pence for everie ſoule; and if one pennie were given leſſe, the pardon was not available. Mornaeus in Myst. ex Christ. Maſſaeo in Chron. ad Ann. 1515. This gain (ſaith Langius à Monk) was ſcandalous unto the holy ſons of the Church, wherupon the queſtion began to be commonly ſcanned, of the power of Chriſts Vicare: and whence was this new doctrine, which the antient Popes never knew? But more of this hereafter, God willing. Onuphrius ſayth, Leo did erect new offices, to reap gain unto himſelf, and that he was given extreamly to hunting, halking and to pleaſure, and that he ſpended wholl days in luxury and muſicke more than became a Pope. He ſtirred up the Emperour Charls againſt Henry I. King of France. When newes was brought to him, ſitting at ſupper, that the French were expelled out of Millane, Placentia, Parma, &c. he ſaid, In his time he had three cauſes of joy, 1. that when he was baniſlied by Pope Alexander, he was reſtored. 2. that he was called Apoſtolick. 3. that he had driven the French out of Italie. And ere he had done with ſupper, he became colde and ſtiff, and then a fever overtook him: the next morning he was tranſported from Manliana villa into Rome, where he died Decemb. 3. An. 1521. Ja. Sannazarius gives the reaſon, why he gote not the ſacrament before his death, Sacra ſub extrema ſi fortè requiritis, hora,
Cur Leo non potuit ſumere? Vendiderat.
But he had ſaid no leſs truly, if he had written, Becauſe he was not a Chriſtian. For ſome write, that when his Secretary Cardinal Bembus did once Pope Leo's blaſphemie.lay before him a ſentence of the Goſpell; Leo anſwered, It is well known, how that fable of Chriſt hath been profitable unto us theſe many ages bypaſt. He openly denied the immortality of the ſoule: and therefore in the Lateran Councel (as followes) that queſtion was moved, and determined againſt him. Bellarmin. ſaith, that he was not an heretick for that errour, becauſe it was not determined by a Councel before that: Bellarmin. de Ro. Pont. libr. 4.