CHAP. bishop Lanfranc could not be ignorant, for it was III. but in the year nine hundred ninety-three, when John 'State of France. the Fifteenth granted a bull of canonization of Ulric Bishop of Augsburgh in a very different stile, and with much less ceremony than is practised in these days. It was done in an assembly of the clergy, where the Pope being present "cum Episcopis et "Presbyteris astantibus Diaconis, et cuncto Clero," (no mention then of the Cardinals,) the present Bishop of Augsburgh stood up and desired that a little book" (libellus)" that he had in his hand containing the life and the miracles of Ulric might be read ; which done, the Pope with the advice and consent of all the rest declared him a saint with this expres sion, "Honoramus servos ut honor redundet in Do"minum, qui dixit, Qui vos recipit, me recipit a." This age is confessed in all histories to deserve the name of the Iron age; not only from the inhumanities which were committed by the incursions of the barbarians into almost all the borders of Europe, but for its ignorance and irregularity of manners, which Monsieur Mezeray says was rather in respect of the Roman Church (in which he says the disorders and crimes were horrible) than of those of France or Germany. It is very true there were in France some learned and pious Bishops; but it is as true there were too many who were neither learned nor pious, and who engaged their persons in war with all pleasure and delight in blood and rapine. The crown was stripped of all pretence to the empire, or to any power in Germany or Italy, and indeed was reduced into so narrow a circle of dominion (though some of a Bullar. tom. i. the 1 the kings before the expiration of the line of Charle- CHAP, magne had several sons,) that they left only, the eldest son the title of King, and granted appanages to the younger; being sufficiently infested with their ill neighbour kings who had been raised to those dignities by the improvidence of the ancestors of the crown; and from this wise reformation the power of the kings did sensibly and presently begin to grow, though so many of the roots of it were pulled up. But the line of Charlemagne expiring about this time, and the crown being set upon the head of Hugh Capet, great wisdom and moderation was to be used at. home, and many condescensions abroad before the natural lustre could be attained. The bishops only retained and enlarged their power by the King's want of power; and they called frequent councils, in which little or nothing of religion was handled but differences and contests between great persons; which were decided according to the number of friends both parties had in the council. t: 2.16m " appeals to on cases of The marriages within the degrees prohibited (which Origin of the Popes had now declared to be to the seventh de- the Pope gree, contrary to former usage) made a great part of marriage. the business of councils, and was often the sole occasion of convening those assemblies. As soon as any husband or wife were displeased one with the other, or that any man had a mind to separate them, they had nothing to do but to draw up articles and swear that they were kindred within the degrees prohibited, and to produce nine witnesses thereupon, (which were never wanting,) and the Bishop, who was well prepared, presently declared the marriage to be void. If either party appealed, a council was called; and whatsoever they determined, he who liked it not appealed H 4 CHAP. pealed to the Pope, who laid hold on the occasion to III. give his definitive sentence; so that in the time of John XIX. puts all der an in riage of Ro bert and Bertha. the distractions in France he began to settle a supreme judicature there, which all parties acquiesced in; the kings, as I have said before, calling often to them for help against their own bishops, and so introduced that authority which could never have introduced itself, and which gave them much trouble afterwards, and produced much mischief before the crown recovered strength enough to expel it. Upon this occasion it may be seasonable enough France un- to give an instance of that wonderful presumption, terdiction being the first that can be given, and upon which preon the mar- cedent they afterwards founded much of their usurpation. It was about the year one thousand when Robert the son of Hugh Capet came to be king, and shortly after buried his wife, after whose decease he was inclined to marry Bertha the daughter of the King of Burgundy, who was his kinswoman in the fourth degree. And he (having held a child with her in baptism) supposed that he might make this marriage lawful by the authority of the Gallican Church, which had in all times given those dispensations; whereupon he caused all the bishops of his kingdom to assemble, who having heard the case and the reasons which induced the King to desire that marriage, were of opinion that upon the consideration of the public good he might take her for his wife, notwithstanding all canonical hindrances. Whether Benedict the Eighth or John the Nineteenth was then Pope I cannot determine; but one of them it was, (and the French historians impute it to the last,) who was so highly offended because he had not been consulted, that he excommunicated the bishops who f III. who had authorized the marriage, and likewise the CHAP. King and the Queen who had contracted it, if they did not immediately separate themselves. The King was much offended with the sentence, which beside the presumption, seemed to him to be contrary to the good of his state, and therefore refused to obey it; with which the Pope was so offended that he forthwith published an interdict of the whole kingdom, which had never been before heard of: to this sentence the people generally submitted themselves with that humility that all the domestic servants of the King (excepting two or three) abandoned him, and they cast whatever was taken from his table to the dogs; there being no man how poor soever that would eat any of the meat which he had toucheda. So much had a little usurpation, together with the intermission of the proper and natural government, and the ignorance and stupidity of the nation, moped the people, that they were terrified with a thing they had never before heard of, and only because they had never before heard of it; but they were afterwards often put in mind of it. CHAP. IV. Progress of Papal Usurpations from Gregory VII. Gregory VII. (Hildebrand) excommu nicates the BUT to return. to return. In the next vacancy Cardinal Hildebrand was chosen, who called himself Gregory the Seventh; who indeed laid about him and made a Emperor. great noise in the world, no man before having presumed to brandish the ecclesiastical sword with so much lustre and obstinacy. Upon his election, like a wise man, he made sure of all titles; and so sent ambassadors to the Emperor Henry the Fourth, to desire him that he would approve his election, which the Emperor very graciously did, and sent an ambassador to Rome to that purpose, who with all formality gave his approbation there. This the Pope very ill requited shortly after; his great spirit engaging him in disputes, and disposing him to send uncomely menaces to the Emperor: and yet the reverence for him in Rome itself was not so great, but that a particular person, having taken offence at him, took him out of the church when he was saying mass, and carried him to prison. With these menaces the Emperor was so incensed that he called a council |