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XIV.

The papal

IV. BENEDICT XI. who succeeded him, and CENT. whose name before his accession to the papal PART II. chair was NICOLAS BOCCACINI, learned prudence by this fatal example, and pursued more moder- residence are and gentle measures. He repealed of his own removed to accord the sentence of excommunication that his Avignon. predecessor had thundered out against the king of France and his dominions; but never could be prevailed upon to absolve NOGARET of his treason against the ghostly majesty of the pontificate. NOGARET, on the other hand, set a small value upon the papal absolution, and prosecuted, with his usual vigour and intrepidity, in the Roman court, the accusation that he had formerly brought against BONIFACE; and in the name of his royal master, insisted, that the memory of that pontif should be branded with a notorious mark of infamy. While this was transacting, BENEDICT died, A. D. 1304; upon which PHILIP, by his artful intrigues in the conclave, obtained the see of Rome for a French prelate BERTRAND DE GOT, archbishop of Bourdeaux, who was accordingly elected to that high dignity, on the 5th of June 1305. This step was so much the more necessary, in that the breach between the king and the court of Rome was not yet entirely healed, and, as NOGARET was not as yet absolved, might easily be renewed. Besides, the French monarch, inflamed with the desire of revenge, insisted upon the formal condemnation of BONIFACE by the court of Rome, the abolition of the order of Templars, and other concessions of great importance, which he could not reasonably expect from an Italian pope. Hence he looked upon a French pontif, in whose zeal and compliance he could confide, as necessary

to

1718.—Jo. RUBEUS, in Bonifacio, cap. xvi. p. 137.—The other writers on this subject are mentioned by BAILLET, in his Preface, p. 9.-See also BOULAY, Hist, Acad. Paris. tom. iv.

CENT. to the execution of his designs. Bertrand as◄ BERTRAND XIV.,, sumed the name of CLEMENT V. and, at the

PART II. king's request, remained in France, and removed

The dimi

nution of

the papal residence to Avignon, where it continued during the space of seventy years. This period the Italians call, by way of derision, the Babylonish captivity [b].

V. There is no doubt, but that the continued the papal residence of the popes in France greatly impaired authority. the authority of the Roman see. For during the absence of the pontifs from Rome, the faction of the Gibellines, their inveterate enemies, rose to a greater height than ever; insomuch, that they not only invaded and ravaged St Peter's patrimony, but even attacked the papal authority, by their writings. This caused many cities to revolt from the popes; even Rome itself was the grand source and fomenter of cabals, tumults, and civil wars; insomuch, that the laws and de. crees sent thither from France were publicly treated with contempt by the common people, as well as by the nobles [i]. The influence of this example was propagated from Italy through most parts of Europe; it being evident, from a vast number of instances, that the Europeans in general did not pay near so much regard to the decrees and thunders of the Gallic popes, as

they

al

[b] For an account of the French popes, consult chiefly Steph. Baluzii Vitæ pontif. Avenionensium, published at Paris in two volumes 4to in the year 2693. The reader may SO peruse, but it must be with the utmost caution, LONGUEVAL's History of the Gallican Church, and those who continued that work after his death. See more especially tom. xii. This Jesuit, and his successors, have shewn great industry and eloquence in the composition of this history; but they, for the most part artfully conceal the vices and enormities of the Roman pontifs.

[i] See BALUZII Pontif. Avenion. tom. ii. p. 290, 291.301. 309. 323. and many other places.-MURATORII Antigg. Ital. tom. iii. p. 397. 401. 409, &c.-GIANONNE, Histoire de Naples, tom. 111. P. 2801

they did to those of Rome. This gave rise to CENT. various seditions against the pontifs, which they XIV. could not entirely crush, even with the aid of the inquisitors, who exerted themselves with the most barbarous fury.

PART II.

schemes in

VI. The French pontifs, finding they could New draw but small revenues from their Italian domi-vented by nions, which were now torn in pieces by faction, the popes to acquire and ravaged by sedition, were obliged to contrive riches. new methods of accumulating wealth. For this purpose they not only sold indulgences to the people, more frequently than they had formerly done, whereby they made themselves extremely odious to several potentates, but also disposed publicly of scandalous licences, of all sorts, at an excessive price. JOHN XXII. was remarkably shrewd and zealous in promoting this abominable traffic; for, though he was not the first inventor of the taxes and rules of the apostolical chancery, yet the Romish writers acknowledge that he enlarged and rendered them more extensively profitable to the holy treasure [k]. It is certain that the origin of the tribute paid to the popes under the name of Annates, and which is generally affirmed to have been first imposed by him, is of a much earlier date [1]. Besides the abuses now mentioned, these Gallic popes, having abolished the right of elections, arrogated to themselves a power of conferring all the offices of the church, whether greater or smaller, according to their fancy, by which they soon amassed prodigious wealth. It was also under their government that

[k] Jo. CIAMPINUS, De vicecancellario ecclesiæ Rom. p. 39. -CAR. CHAIS, Lettres sur les Jubiles, tom. ii. p. 673. and others.

[1] BERNH. van ESPEN, Jus Eccles. universale, tom. ii. p. 876.-BOULAY, Histor. Acad. Paris. tom. iv. p. 911.—ANT. WOOD, Antiquit. Oxon. tom. i. p. 213.-GUIL. FRANC. BERTHIER. Diss, sur les Annantes, tom. xii. Hist. de l'Eglise Gallic. p. i.

CENT. that reserves, provisions, expectatives, and other XIV. impositions of the like odious nature, that had PART II. seldom or never been heard of before, became

The obse

of Clement

familiar to the public ear, and filled all Europe with bitter complaints [m]. These complaints exceeded all bounds, when some of these pontifs, particularly JOHN XXII. CLEMENT VI. and GREGORY X. openly declared that they had reserved to themselves all churches and parishes within their jurisdiction, and were determined, in consequence of that sovereign authority and plenitude of power which CHRIST had conferred upon them, his vicars, to provide for them, and dispose of them without exception [n]. It was by these and other such mean and selfish contrivances, which had no other end than the acquisition of riches, that these inconsiderate pontifs excited a general hatred against the Roman see, and thereby greatly weakened the papal empire, which had been visibly upon the decline from the time of BONIface.

VII. CLEMENT V. was a mere creature of quiousness PHILIP the Fair, and was absolutely directed and V. to Phi- governed by that prince as long as he lived. lip. WILLIAM DE NOGARET, the implacable enemy of BONIFACE VIII. notwithstanding he was under a sentence of excommunication, had the boldness to prosecute his master's cause, and his own, against BONIFACE, even in the pope's court; an instance of assurance this, not easy to be paralleled. PHILIP insisted, that the dead body of BONIFACE

[m] STEPH. BALUZII Miscellan. tom. iii. p. 479. 518. Ejus Vit. Pontif. Avenion. tom. ii. p. 60. 63. 65. 74. 154. 156. Gallia Christania Benedictinor. tom. i. Append. p. 13. WooD, Antiquit. Oxon. tom. i. p. 148. 201, 202. BOULAY, Hist. Acad. Paris. tom. iv. p. 911.

[n] BALUZII Pontif. Avenion. tom. ii. p. 873. tom. i. p. 285. 311. 681. S. ANT. MATTHÆI Analecta vet. ævi, tom, v. P. 249. s. Gallia Christiana, tom. i. p. 69. 1208. Histoire du droit Eccles Francois, tom. ii. p. 129. s.

XIV.

BONIFACE should be dug up, and publicly burnt; C E N T. but CLEMENT averted this infamy by his advice PART II. and intreaties, promising implicit obedience to the king in every thing else. In order therefore to keep his word, he was obliged to abrogate the laws enacted by BONIFACE, to grant the king a bounty of five years tithes, fully to absolve NoGARET of all his crimes, on condition of his submitting to a light penance (which, however, he never performed), to restore the citizens of Anagni to their reputation and honour, and to call a general council at Vienna in the year 1311, in order to condemn the Templars, on whose destruction PHILIP was most ardently bent. In this council every thing was determined as the king thought proper. For CLEMENT, terrified by the melancholy fate of BONIFACE, durst not venture to oppose this intrepid and obstinate monarch [0].

After

XXII, Ni

VIII. Upon CLEMENT's death, which happened John in the year 1314, many fierce contentions arose colas V. in the conclave about choosing a successor, the French cardinals insisting upon a French, and those of Italy demanding an Italian pope. a contest, which continued two years, the French party prevailed, and, in the year 1316, elected JAMES DE EUSE, a native of Cahors, and cardinal bishop of Porto. He assumed the name of JOHN XXII. and had a tolerable share of learning, but was at the same time crafty and proud, weak, imprudent, and covetous, which is allowed even by those writers who, in other respects, speak well of him. He is deservedly censured on account of his temerity, and the ill success that attended him, through his own imprudence, in

many

[o] Besides the common writers already cited, see GUIL. FRANC. BERTHIERII, Discours sur le Pontificat de Clement V. tom. iii. Historiæ Eccles. Gallic. COLONIA. Hist. Litter. de Lyon, tom. i. p. 349. Gallia Christiana Benedict. tom. i. p. 1189. & tom. ii. p. 829.

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