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BOOK first pontifical enactment of it was made by Clement VI., and it was impossible for human avarice or acuteness to have invented a more unlimited and inexhaustible organ of voluntary revenue. It was formed at once to last as long as the world, and to be applicable to every individual who should inhabit it. It therefore came boldly forward with universality and eternity stamped upon its existence.

The theory was, that the merits of our Saviour and of the saints composed a spiritual treasure, which might be applied to relieve every soul that was suffering in purgatory; that this treasure was committed wholly to the disposal of the popedom; that every pope, by the official indulgences which he should grant on this spiritual bank or fund, would liberate the individual who received them from his purgatorial state, which is distinguished from that of hell by being termed a temporal or temporary punishment, either entirely or for such term as the paper instruments expressed that as our Saviour's merits were infinite, to which those of the saints would be always adding, so was this treasure; and therefore, that it would be for ever inexhaustible, altho all the generations of mankind should apply for the papal remissions and receive them." To this

unavailing, as much as they may be preached.' p. 32. And it is lawful to grant them for a temporal aid ordained for spiritual things.' ib. p. 31. The pope alone can at his pleasure make plenary indulgences on a legitimate cause.' ib. p. 33.

76 On this important subject it may be right to present the reader with the pope's own words from his Decretalia. It is the bull Unigenitus. After reciting our Saviour's incarnation, it proceeds :-' He acquired a treasure for his church militant, wishing to lay up one for his children -which treasure he did not wrap up in a napkin nor hide in the ground, but he committed it to be dispensed salubriously to the faithful by St. Peter, the key-bearer of heaven, and by his successors, the Vicars

doctrine the further opinion became added, that all mankind, even the hierarchy themselves, must go into purgatory, and would therefore need these indulgences, as none but very few of the greatest saints would pass directly from their grave to heaven." The pains of purgatory were also represented to be such, that a day in that state would seem like ages elsewhere.78

Clement VI. made rather a moderate use of his

on earth; and for pious and reasonable causes to be mercifully applied, generally and specially, now for a total, now for a partial remission of the pœnæ temporales, due for past deeds. To the amount of this treasure, the merits of the blessed Virgin, and of all the elect, from the first just person to the last, are known to afford their aid; nor should there be any fear whatever of its consumption or diminution; as well from the infinite merits of Christ, as because the more that are drawn by it to righteousness, so much the more will the accumulation be augmented by their merits also.' Clem. Const. p. 56. Ed. Paris, 1524.

77 Cesarius had taught that none of the saints are free from the minuter sins, to which purgatory was applicable, but he placed redemption from them in charitable deeds. 2 Bib. M. p. 282. Innocent IV. inculcated that if they were not relaxata' in the life, they would 'gravant' after death. 3 Duch. 474. St. Teresa asserted, that of all the virtuous souls she knew, only three would go to heaven, senza purgatorio. Vita, c. 38. And as a greater alarm, it has been intimated, that even cardinal Bellarmine has been subjected to it. He had declared in his Amis. grat. c. 13, that vix ulli justi would escape the pœnam purgatorii acerbissimam; and on his death-bed he is stated to have said to the general of the Jesuits, Ego hanc spem non habeo.' Med. S. Ignazio, p. 227. As I read this, I felt it, to use Shakspear's language, to be the unkindest cut of all; for that the most wholesale defender of the pope's arrogated power should not be allowed merit enough to escape purgatory, seemed to me to be either the most impartial, or the most ungrateful thing I had ever noticed. But the inference was obvious; who, then, could expect to avoid it, unless, &c.

7 This was based on St. Austin's In Purgatorio erit dies unus tanquam mille anni,' in Ps. 37. To illustrate this, the Meditations of St. Ignatius adduce a story from St. Antoninus. A sick man, in great agony, was asked by an angel, if he would rather endure his bodily pains for a year, or those of purgatory for half an hour? He chose the latter, as by far the best bargain; but when he got there after his death, he cried out, 'You have cheated me, () Angel! you have cheated me.''How so?' was the answer. You agreed I was to be only half an hour, and you have let me be here 20 years. Twenty years! why, your body is not yet cold.' Medit. Ignat. p. 225. 4th Ed. Venez. 1761.

CHAP.

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BOOK

11.

80

new financial organ; but Boniface IX., who soon succeeded to the tiara," exerted it audaciously and outrageously. He was an illiterate, but clever man of business. Rapacious of money beyond all former precedent, he perceived what a productive engine of profit the Clementine doctrine of the spiritual treasury and its ingrafted indulgences was meant and could be used to be, and he coined and sent his legates with his papal bank paper to various parts of the Christian world." He poured his relaxations out and sold them, till they brought down contempt upon the holy see, and provoked animadversion and resentment from those, who had never thought before of censuring the popedom. He added another extension directly on the church itself, as an obligatory exaction, which was the annates, or first fruits of all the benefices which became vacant.83 He obtained the money he coveted, but the spirit

82

84

79 He was a contested pope, on a schism, from 1389 to 1404. 80 Paulus Langius thus describes him: Pene illiteratus; in conciliis tamen et ecclesiæ negotiis acutus et providus.' Chron. p. 845.

81 Erat pecuniæ avidus; ad quam colligendam plures legatos per diversas partes mundi ad negotiandum cum indulgentiis misit. Fuit maximus simoniacus. ib. Paulus gives an instance as to his own convent.1395, Boniface, by his legate, gave in Magdeburg plenary indulgences, on condition that pilgrims and others who wished to obtain them should remain 14 days in the said city, and visit seven churches, of which the church of our monastery, situate in the suburbs, was one.' ib.

82

Indulgentiæ plenariæ ita passim vendebantur, ut jam frequenti usu vilesceret clavium et literarum apostolicarum auctoritas.' p. 845. 83 Langius remarks: In 1404 Boniface died, qui primus annatam ecclesiæ beneficiis imposuit.' Chron. 847.

84

By these indulgences, the pope squeezed out and extorted maximas pecuniarum summas, quite sufficient for an expedition to the Holy Land against the Saracens; but what became of the money? O Heaven! we must be silent-but not for ever. Dies enim Domini revelabit.' Lang. Chr. 845. He adds afterwards of this pope, He made many exemptions for money, to the perpetual evil of the church, for by things of this kind the bonum obedientiæ sleeps, and the body of the militant church is confounded and destroyed.' ib. 847.

III.

of human nature rose into insurrection against such CHAP. claims and conduct in the pretended representatives of their Divine Master; and by these actions of Clement and Boniface, Wickliffe, Huss, and others became stimulated and enlightened into zealous and popular reformers.85

The revolt of the Bohemians from the popedom occasioned a new issue of these indulgences, for their extermination; but the agents differing about the handling of the spoil, they were ineffective, and were recalled. The council of Lyons condemned loudly their abuse."

86

The third pontiff who impaired the sanctity of the papacy was Innocent IV. whose rapacity peculiarly dissatisfied the English clergy, whom he plundered with reckless insolence and frequency. 88 But his

85 Langius marks the coincidence, p. 846. And as Wickliffe finished his Trialogus after 1372, and died in 1384, and wrote, the first of the English, against the kinds of indulgences, and their theory; we may refer to Clement VI. the cause of his opposition. But the conduct of Boniface gave new wings to all our old reformer's writings.

86 It was in 1468 that plenary indulgences were sent down to a German monastery, for semel in vita et semel in morte, to every one who would give, for the extirpation of the Bohemian heresy, as much as he consumed in a fortnight's maintenance of his family; but the differences arising, only one lady contributed. Chron. ap. Pistor. v. 1. p.

753.

They declared in 1449, that by the execrable abuses of the quest makers and indulgence bearers, incredible evils had occurred, to the great ignominy of the whole clergy; to the profanation of sacred things; to the enervation of ecclesiastical discipline; and to the intolerable decolorationem of the church.' Martene Thes. v. 4. p. 379.

In 1417, the pope John declared that he would take care (cavebit) in future of the nimiam indulgentiarum effusionem, ne vilescant. ib. 1707. 88 Matt. Paris abounds with instances and complaints of this pope's extortions. The remonstrance of Edward III. with Urban V. on the pecuniary rapaciousness of the popedom were so effectual, that the pontiff engaged to be more moderate in future in his collation of benefices in England; to grant a reasonable time for elections to be made; to admit the elected, if proper; and to confer benefices only on those who would

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BOOK namesake, Innocent VII., ensured the destruction of all its piety of character and conduct, by causing the municipal authorities of Rome to surrender to him and his successors, the sovereignty of the city.89 From that time the pope became a real temporal prince, and ever after acted as such. It is recorded by the honest German chronicler as the termination of his spiritual character." From that time, the pontiffs negotiated, intrigued, schemed and fought

reside in the island. On the statement, that he had given a great number of the higher benefices to persons not Englishmen, he declared that his donations had only been to his cardinals. Being told that the cardinals, by this means, took more revenues from England than from France, altho France was three times larger, he said he would be more moderate in future; he could not give up his annates, but he would find some means to lessen them, and would be more reserved as to expectancies and provisoes. See the document in Rymer, v. 7. p. 135. In 1389, the archbishop of Canterbury suspended the levy of an imposition made by the pope on the English clergy. ib. p. 624. In 1390, Richard II. and the parliament complained to the pope, Urban VI., that he had learnt to be so familiar with avarice, that when one see became vacant, he purposely made five or six translations; and that he conferred the ecclesiastical dignities and fatter benefices of England on foreigners, sometimes even on those who were mortal enemies to the government; many never resided, or if they did, were ignorant of English, and could not be understood by the people. All English who were in Rome soliciting benefices were ordered to retire home. Mandate of 3d May 1391.ib. p. 698. Yet the government occasionally granted licenses to make these solicitations, as in Rymer, v. 7. p. 672. This pope granted indulgences to those who should assist John of Gaunt against the king of Castile, who adhered to the anti-pope, Clement III. ib. p.507. Thus princes derived worldly benefit from this superstitious abuse.

69 This year (1405) the Roman citizens gave the keys of Rome to Innocent VII. and granted to him the temporal dominion of Rome, but not justly or laudably.' Lang. Chron. 849. Boniface IX. had repaired the castle of St. Angelo, and fortified his palace and capitol. Mag. Chron. Belg. 333.

90 See the remarks of Langius, Chron. p. 849. He cites Theodore Uric's Latin verses on the popedom in 1414, as coinciding with his own opinion, and they are as criminating as language can decently express. See them, p. 848. Gobelin, who lived in 1388, says, 'He that paid most money to the pope, obtained a bishopric. Some seeking an archiepiscopal see, gave him 40,000 florins, and others 60,000, and others 80,000.' Gob. Cosmod. 1 Meib. p. 317.