70 Excufes for the BULL fhewn to be vain. Here is a great noise about a trifle, will fome zealous defender of the fee of Rome fay. It is a matter of stile, this conclufion is the common form of all bulls, fo that they have no reafon to pretend to lay fuch a stress upon the terms. I have not examined A whether the Roman chancery concludes all thofe bulls with this threatning; but were it fo, would you think this anfwer, Sir, very fatif factory? Let this conclufion be found in ever so many other places, it cannot be allowed here. Why? Because it fquares altogether with the tenor of the brief, and because it squares with it in the most impious manner. If I found a blafphemy at the end of an act, would he who drew it up juftify himself by representing to me, that it was a matter of ftile, a mere C form? Now nothing is more blasphemous than to dare to affert, that God will punish those who fhall oppole perjury. B It is faid, that at Padua there happened one day to be brought to the cenfor of books, a tranflation of the D Alcoran, for leave to print it. He was at that moment fo absent from himself, that without any other examination he wrote at the end of the manufcript, that he permitted it to be printed, as having nothing in it contrary to the catholick faith. Every one cried out upon this approbation. But the examiner might alledge the fame excufe as that which I am refuting. He need only have faid, that he had kept to the common form. Now, which of the two do you believe to be the most contrary to the chriftian religion, the Alcoran, or the bull of Clement VI. I have heard fome perfons alledge, in excufe of the Pontiff, as follows: "The bull, fay they, is dated from Avignon, where the popes held their fee for fome time. Clement VI. was a French gentleman, born a fubject to king John. Thefe circumftances, Feb. fay they, may have put the pope in great dependence upon the prince, who perhaps might have abufed the afcendant which he had over his old fubject, to extort this difpenfation from him." This is the most plaufible excuse that can be alledged in favour of a bad caufe. To which I answer, that, were it so as here reprefented, there would be a great deal of cowardice in the Pontiff to condefcend to fuch a demand. But it does not appear, either that the king required any thing like it, or that the pope had put himself on the footing of having the cowardly complaifance for that prince, which he is fuppofed to have had. There are even proofs to the contrary. After the bull in question, Dom Luke d'Acheri relates another, which difpenfes with the king and queen's fafts and abftinences from meat, but with great precautions. For that purpose there must be an atteftation, not of one phyfician only, but of feveral, as to the alteration which fafting caufed in their majefties health. The confeffor and the faculty muk agree together, that the king is in a condition, which makes that permiffion abfolutely neceffary, and if they shall have determined a little E lightly, he difcharges his own confcience from it and lays the fin at their door *. To excufe the king from his oath, it is fufficient he is a little incommoded by it, but to excufe him from the fafts of the church, the inconveniency muft be confiderable and well attefted. Here is a director, whofe delicacy we cannot but admire! He carries his fcruple fo far as to fear left those he directs fhould fwallow a gnat, and to make ufe of the fame figure in the gofpel, he permits them to fwallow a camel, G But the question is not here upon the contrariety of this conduct; what I will only conclude from it, F is, -de carnibus vefci poteritis, de concilio tomen medicorum, quotiens confeffor & medici boc vobis videbitur expedire, quorum confcientias oneramus, Spicilegium, P. 377 1751. CHARACTER of King JOHN of France. is, that in this permiffion to eat meat B But to prove in a more direct manner, that the king had not demanded of the pope to be abfolved from the oaths which might be inconvenient to him, and that the holy father granted him this favour with out being follicited for it, we need only to obferve the beginning of the bull. It begins thus: We readily acquiefce to your defires and your requests, but especially to that which you make to us, as to the means to C procure you the favour of God, peace of foul and eternal falvation *. difhonefty and perjury! If Mr. Jurieu had known of this bull, it would have been an excellent article against the popes, in his Juft prejudices against popery. Some confident of the pope's fhould have represented to him, before he let fuch a fcandalous piece flip, that one precaution fhould have been taken, which was, to erase the third commandment out of the decalogue. His church had fuppreffed the fecond for a long time, that it might not prejudice the worship of images; its neighbour, in good Roman policy, ought not to be more fpared. That The oftner I read over this brief, the more I confider the circumftances of it, the more it feems to me not to be extorted from the pope. The holy father did things This bull is dated from Avignon, with a good grace, he gratified the April 20, 1351. In the beginning king in it out of his own good pleaof this year the king had come into fure, voluntarily, and, if I may fo that country. It is very probable, fay, with gaiety of heart. that he confulted the pope about the which, above all, perfuades me of ftate of his confcience, as his director. D this, is the character of king John, The beginning of the bull infinu- who does not feem capable of makates it. He went to him with very ing fuch a demand. You know, good intentions, and much like thofe Sir, the hiftory of that prince: He of the young man in the gospel, who had the misfortune to lose the battle afked Jefus Chrift what he fhould do of Poitiers against the English, and to obtain eternal life. But what a to be taken prifoner. The victoriE ous prince + carried him into England the year following. By the treaty of Bretigni, concluded fome time after, and confirmed by the oath of the two kings, John gives up to K. Edward feveral provinces, and a great many very confiderable F lands. Before this affair was finished, the captive king was reconducted into France. If ever treaty contained hard and burthenfome clauses, it was certainly that of Bretigni. It would be too foft an expreffion, to fay with the bull, that they could G not be obferved without inconveniency. In reading this treaty, we immediately reprefent to ourselves a difference in the answer!" If you will be faved, keep the commandments," fays our Saviour to him t. But he who calls himself his vicar, teaches to violate them. For this purpose he furnishes expedients to the king, who comes to confult him. To make him enjoy peace of foul, to procure him the favour of God in this life, and in the end eternal falvation, he indulges him in making fraudulent treaties, which he may confirm by an oath, and violate them afterwards if he finds them a little inconvenient. An admirable way to procure our felves peace of confcience and falvation, by infidelity, king Voris veftris libenter annuimus, iis præcipuè per quæ, ficut piè defideratis, pacem & falutem anima, Deo propitio, confequi valeatis. Matt, xix. 17. The Black Prince. 72 king triumphant, treading upon his vanquished enemy's neck, and forcing him to fubmit to the conditions he thinks fit to impofe on him. In the mean time, this oppreffed prince never seems to have had any thought of making ufe of this bull, which A had been dispatched for him above ten years before. The Odioufnefs of the BULL, &c. Feb. Do not be furprifed, Sir, at my giving this bull the title of odious. You will not think it too hard, if you will but confider, that it not only tends to fmooth the way to treachery, to facilitate perjury, but even to perpetuate them. That a pope fhould have abfolved a prince from any particular oath, under any Far from defigning to break the pretence, good or bad, would not treaty, we know that, in 1362, he be very furprising. The bishops returned into England to furrender themselves, at a certain time, afhimself a prifoner again. This pro fumed to themselves the cognizance ceeding has very much puzzled the B of those cafes. But that which furhiftorians to account for the true prizes, is to fee a pope giving to a motives of it. The most probable prince's confeffor an indeterminate that has been alledged, is, that he power to absolve him not only from had been very much offended at the the treaties which he has made, but efcape of the duke of Anjou, his also which he shall make for the future. fecond fon, who had ftolen away Furthermore, he grants the fame fafrom Calais, where he had been left your to all the fucceffors of this upon his parole. He was one of prince, fo long as the monarchy shall the hoftages for the fecurity of the fubfift; that is to fay, that the foltreaty. The king his father, there- lowing kings fhall have nothing to fore, repaffed the fea, as well to ex- do but to chufe fuch a confessor as cufe this fault, as to put an end, they fhall think proper, who by with the king of England, to the prefcribing fome flight alms to them, reft of the difficulties which retarded D'or fome prayers to mutter over in the execution of the treaty of Bre Latin, fhall difengage them aftertigni. He had obtained his liberty wards from their oath. The numonly on condition of executing it ber of years ought not to weaken faithfully. He was refolved, there- this fine privilege, fo that the bull fore, at any rate whatever, to pro- may have operated alfo in the revocure the accomplishment of it. They cation of the edict of Nantes, 334 attribute to this prince, on this oc- E years after it had been difpathed. cafion, a faying worthy of being This is anticipating the future in a tranfmitted to all posterity, That if manner very dangerous to morality, truth and honefty were banished from and to the publick fecurity; it is the rest of the world, yet they ought giving occafion, for a long feries of to be found again in the mouths of ages, to treachery and perjury. kings. It will eafily be granted, upon these several paffages of hi- F ftory, that this prince was a much honefter man than the pope, and that it is wronging his memory to afcribe to him the having been earnest to obtain this odious bull. King John had the misfortune to die in England three months after his return thither, G I believe then, that I have prov ed, that king John had not follicited fuch a fhocking privilege as this. It is very true, that from Philip the Fair, the kings of France faw with pleasure, that the popes fhould have their fee at Avignon, in order to have them a little better under their thumb, and in their dependence. But on this occafion the place of the pope's This fine faying is afcribed also to Charles V. Both of them may have faid it; but it is much better attributed to the king of France, than to that Emperor, zobu did not always regute bis conduct by that excellent maxim. 1751 Character of Pope pope's refidence is of no fervice to excufe his bull. B abundance of horfes, which he often rode for diverfion. His manners in general were moft gentleman-like, and not at all ecclefiaftical. He took great care to enrich his nephews. Another falvo may, perhaps, be fuggefted for this. Some catholick, not well verfed in history, will endeavour to attribute to fome anti-pope What is fingular, is, that on occathis bull, fo infamous for his church. A fion of fome croisades which he had The date from Avignon feems, at in view, he wrote a very severe letfirst fight, to favour this conjecture. ter to the knights of Rhodes, known But were this fuppofition well-ground- at prefent by the name of knights ed, it would not remedy the bad of Malta, upbraiding them with effects of the bull, becaufe after the the very fame faults. He cenfures extinction of the fchifm it was de- them for their too great curiofity in creed in a council, that all the con- fine horfes, and in general for loving ceffions of thofe falfe popes fhould expence too much. He afked them have force and vigour as before *. whether that is the defign of the But, Sir, if you will but confult any goods of the church, and the use Hiftory of the popes, you will fee that is to be made of them? Matthat this fubterfuge cannot take thew Villani, who has given us place. Clement VI. never has been the character of this pope, in his put in the clafs of anti-popes. He C History of Florence, adds, that bemuft not be confounded with Cle- ing archbishop he kept no decencies ment VII.. who was called Robert with the ladies; that when he was of Geneva, the last of the male race ill, he was attended by ladies, in the of the counts of Geneva, who has fame manner as relations take care of not been put in the rank of lawful the feculars. He died, Dec. 6, 1352 popes. As for Clement VI. he was elected very regularly by a fcore D of cardinals affembled in conclave. To fave you the trouble of turning over any author of the Lives of the popes, here are fome particulars about Clement VI. He was called Peter Roger, and was the fon of a gentleman of the Limofin. He was made a monk in the convent of Au. vergne. He went to study at Paris, where he fucceeded very well. He paffed for learned, and Petrarch, who was his cotemporary, mentions him as a very learned man. You fee plainly, this is not a means to have his bull excufed; on the contrary, it is an aggravating circumftance. Although a man of ftudy, when he was raised to the pontificate, his tafte was turned entirely to oftentation. He maintained his houshold in a royal manner; his tables were magnificently ferved. He had a great number of efquires and gentlemen, February, 1751. I find a very curious little particular in Ciaconius, a dominican monk, who wrote the Lives of the popes. A poet, who had fome favour to afk of this Clement, believed, that to obtain what he defired, he ought to prefent him with fome Latin verfes, which fhould praife him E very much, and contain withes for his profperity. But it was a Norman encomium, which, in cafe of refufal, became a fatire, accompanied with imprecations against the Pontiff, pretty much like the play of Perfpective, where, according to the F different point of view, the fame figure prefents alternately a fine lady and a monster. Here is the encomium feen on its bright fide. 'G Laus tua, non tua traus, virtus non Scandere te fecit hoc decus eximium. claufa. Fundere res quæris, nec tua multiplicas, Vivere te faciat hic Deus omnipotens +. See in the fpicilegium, tom. 4. P. 353, Decretum fynodi Laufanenfis, ubi rata volunt patret que tempore fchifmatis alta funt, + Ciacenius, Vita pontificum, tem.2. f. 489. 74 Of the Height to which ROCKETS afcend. Feb. The poet was denied, notwith him to practise perjury with those flanding this fine encomium; but he of another communion, by means of revenged himself for it by giving his a difpenfation dispatched by the dafriends the key. He told them pri- tary of the Vatican. But this prevately, they were retrograde verfes, caution would fignify nothing: The which fhould be read backwards, fpeculatift, who has pointed it out, beginning with the laft word, in this A did not confider, that the pope would relieve fuch prince from his fecond oath, as well as the firft. I am, &c. manner, Omnipotens Deus hic faciat te vivere parvo Tempore, non ftabilis fit tua conditio, &c. HE ufe of rockets is, or may be, fo confiderable in determining the pofition of diftant places to each other, and in giving fignals for naval or military purpofes, that I thought it worth while to examine C what height they ufually rife to, the better to determine the extent of the country, thro' which they can be feen. I therefore, at the exhibition of the late fire-works defired a friend of mine, who I knew intended to be only a distant spectator, to obferve the angle of elevation to which the greatest part of them rofe, and likewife the angle made by the rocket or rockets, which fhould rife the highest of all. D Here is fomething of more confe- B quence than this joke, and which I must not omit. It is a very curious anecdote, which I draw from the fame fpring as the bull of Clement VI. I mean from the late bishop of Salisbury, Dr. Burnet. This prelate then told us alfo at his table, that about the end of the laft century, K. William, and the elector of Brandenburgh, Frederick-William, meeting together to confer about the fituation of the affairs of Europe, lamented the little dependence they could have on treaties, and their not knowing how to truft the catholick princes. Thereupon the elector faid to the king, that he would communicate to him a remark he had made; which was, that in the treaties with the princes of the Roman church, it is better to keep to their fingle pro E mife than to let an oath intervene ; because, in the first case, they fometimes pique themselves upon their honour, and are defirous of paffing for honeft men: But if an oath is added to it, the ecclefiafticks immediately take cognizance of it, and F do not fail to abfolve the fovereign from it. The bishop of Salisbury had this anecdote from K. William's own mouth. A politician has propofed an expedient to give a firmness to the treaties concluded with the catholick G princes; which is, to have the first oath backed with another, wherein fuch foreign fhould renounce the privilege which his religion gives My friend was provided with an inftrument, whofe radius was 38 inches; and, to avoid all uncertainty in its motion, it was fixed in an invariable pofition; and its field, which took in ten degrees of altitude, was divided by horizontal threads. The ftation my friend chofe was on the top of Dr. Nifbett's houfe in King ftreet, near Cheapfide, where he had a fair view of the upper part of the building erected in the Green Park. There he obferved, that the fingle rockets which rofe the moft erect, were ufually elevated at their greateft height about 6° above his level; and that amongft these there were 3 which role to 7°; and that in the last great flight of rockets, faid to be of 6000, the creft of • See our Magazine for 1749, p. 191, &c. the |