nd control over all persons and transactions, 322, &c.
were also among the mysteries of the society. (19) Histoire de la Compagnie de Jesus,
Two copies of them however, the one larger tome iii., p. 48, &c. Boulay s Historia
and morb minute than the other, entitled Acad. Paris., torn, vi., p. 559-648, and in
Privata Monita Societatis Jesu, and Secreta many other places ; and a great numbei
Montta, &c., were said to have been ob- of writers, especially those among the Jan
tained, the first from a ship bound to the senists. [The Jesuits were expelled from
East Indies, and captured by the Dutch, and France A.D. 1594 ; but permitted to return
the other found in the Jesuits college at again, at the commencement of the next
Paderborn. But the Jesuits have always century. They were expelled from Venice
and constantly denied their genuineness; in 1606, from Poland in 1607, and from Bo-
nor have the world the means of substan- hernia in 1618; to the last-named place how-
tiating their authenticity, except by their ever, they were allowed to return two years
coincidence with the visible conduct of the after. TV.]
Jesuits. According to these writings, which (20) [It was under Lainez, the general of
have beefi repeatedly published during the the order next after Loyola, that the spirit of
two last centuries, nothing could be more intrigue entered freely into the society. .Lai-
crafty and void of all fixed moral principle, nez possessed a peculiar craftiness and dex-
than th, general policy of the Jesuits. See terity in managing affairs; and was frequently
Schroe.ckh 1 .v Kirchengesch. seit der Reform., led by it into low and unworthy tricks. His
vol. iii., p. 647, &c. Tr.] ruling passion was ambition ; which however
(18) Before the Jesuits arose, the Do- he knew how to conceal from the inexpe-
rninicans alone had the control of the con- rienced most artfully, under a veil of humil-
sciences of the European kings and princes, ity and piety. Under him the society as-
But they were superseded in all the courts, sumed a graver and more manly character
by the Jesuits See Willh. du Peyrat, An- than under his enthusiastic and often ludi-
HISTORY OF THE ROMISH CHURCH.
91
13. The pontiffs who governed the Latin or Romish church in this
century, after Alexander VI. [1492-1503], Pius III. [1503], Julius II.
[1503], Leo X. [1503-1521], and Adrian VI. [1521-1523], who have been
already mentioned, were Clement VII. [1523-1534], of the Medicean fam
ily ;(21) Paul III. [1534-1549], of the illustrious family of Farnese;(22)
Julius III. [1550-1555], who was previously called John Maria de
Monte ; (23) MarceUiu II. [1555], whose name, before his pontificate, was
MarceUiLs Cervinus ;(24) Paul IV. [1555-1559], whose name was Jthn
Peter Cara/a ,-(25) Pius IV. [1560-1566], who claimed to be a descend,
ant of the Medicean family, and bore the name of John Angelas de Medi-
cis ;(26) Pius V. [1566-1572], a Dominican monk, whose name was Mi
chael GliisleruS) a man of a sour temper and excessive austerity, who is
crous predecessor ; and its constitution was
a master-piece of artful policy, rendering it
a terrible army, that dared to undermine
states, to rend the church, and even to men
ace the pope. See the Versuch einer neuen
Gesch. des Jesuiterordens, vol. ii. Schl.~\
. (21) [Clement VII. was a bastard; but
Leo X. removed this stain, by an act of legiti
mation. His political sagacity was such as
would better have adorned the character of
a minister of state, than a minister of Christ.
Civil history informs us, on what principles
he acted with the emperor Charles V. See,
concerning him, Jac. Zieglcr s Historia
dementis VII., in Schelhorn s Amoenitat.
Historise eccles. et litter., vol. i., p. 210,
&c., and Sarpi s Histoire du Concile de
Trente, tome i., p. 61, &c. Scfd.]
(22) Respecting Paul III. there has in
our age been much learned discussion, be
tween cardinal Quirini, and several distin
guished men, as Kiesling, Schelhorn, and
others ; the former maintaining that he was
a good and eminent man, and the latter, that
he was a crafty and perfidious character.
See Quinnus de Gestis Pauli III. Farnesii.
Brixiae, 1 745, 4to. [And Schelhorn s Epis-
tola de consilio de emendanda ecclesia, Zu
rich, 1748, 4to. Quirini, ad catholicum ae-
quumque lectorem animadversiones in epis-
tolam Schelhornii, Brescia?, 1747. Schcl-
Jiorn s second Epistle, 1748, 4to. Kies-
ling s Epistola de Gestis Pauli III., Lips.,
1747. Concerning this pope in general, and
respecting his views in regard to a general
council, see Sarpi s Histoire du Concile de
Trente, tome i., p. 131, &c. Thus much
is clear, from the discussions of these learn
ed men, that Paul III. was an adept in the
art of dissimulation, and therefore better fitted
to be a statesman, than the head of the
church. His whole conduct in regard to
the council forced upon him by the cardinals,
proves this. That in his youth he was a
great debauchee, appears from his two grand
sons, Farnese and S/OTZOj whom he created
cardinals, and of whom the father of the first
and the mother of the last, were his illegiti
mate children. Schl.~\
(23) [" This was the worthy pontiff, who
was scarcely seated in the papal chair, when
he bestowed the cardinal s hit on the keeper
of his monkeys, a boy chosen from among
the lowest of the populace, and who was
also the infamous object of his unnatural
pleasures. See Thuanus, lib. vi. and xv.
Hotlinger, Hist. Eccles., torn, v., p. 572,
&c., and more especially Sleidan, Historia,
lib. xxi., folio, m. 609. When Julius was
reproached by the cardinals for introducing
such an unworthy member into the sacred
college, a person who had neither learning,
nor virtue, nor merit of any kind, he impu
dently replied by asking them, What merit
or virtue they had found in him, that could
induce them to place him (Julius) in the
papal chair 1" Mad]
(24) [He reigned only twenty-two days.
See Sarpi, 1. c., tome ii., p. 139. Schl.~\
(25) ["Nothing could exceed the arro
gance and ambition of this violent and impet
uous pontiff, as appears from his treatment
of queen Elizabeth. See Burners History
of the Reformation. It was he who, by a
bull, pretended to raise Ireland to the priv
ilege and quality of an independent kingdom ;
and it was he also who first instituted the
Index of prohibited books, mentioned above,
$ 9." Mad.-]
" (26) [His family was very remotely, if at
all, descended from the Medicean family of
Florence. His character seemed to be to
tally changed, by his elevation to the papal
dignity. The affable, obliging, disinterested,
and abstemious cardinal, became an unsocial,
selfish, and voluptuous pope. So long as the
council of Trent continued, which he con
trolled more by craft and cunning than by
direct authority, he was very reserved ; but
after its termination, he showed himself with
out disguise in his true character. This also
may deserve notice, that this pope, in the year
1564, allowed the communion in both kinds,
in the diocese of Mayence : which allowance
92 BOOK IV.-CENT. XVI. SEC. III. PART I.- CHAP. I.
now accounted by the Romanists a saint ;(27) Gregory XIII. [1572-1585],
previously cardinal Hugo Buoncompagno ;(28) Sixtus V. [1585-1590],
a Franciscan, called Montaltus before his advancement to the papal throne,
who excelled all the rest in vigour of mind, pride, magnificence, and other vir
tues and vices ; Urban VIII. [1590], Gregory XIV. [1590-1591], Innocent
IX. [1591] ; (these three reigned too short a time to distinguish them,
selves) ; [Clement VIII., 1592-1605]. Some of these were more, and oth
ers less meritorious ;(29) yet if compared with most of those that ruled the
church before the reformation by Luther, they were all wise and good men.
For since the rise of so many opposers of the Romish power, both within
and without, the cardinals have deemed it necessary to be exceedingly
cautious, and not commit the arduous government of the church to a per
son openly vicious, or to a rash and indiscreet young man. And since
that period the pontiffs do not, and cannot, assume such despotic p^wer of
also the Austrians and Bavarians had obtained
of the pope. ( Gudenus, Codex Diplom. Mo-
gunt., torn, iv., p. 709). See Sarpi, 1. c.,
tome ii. ? p. 183, &c. ScJU.]
(27) [Pius V. was of low birth, but had
risen as a Dominican, to the office of general
commissary to the Inquisition at Rome. And
as pope, he practised on the cruel principles
which he had learned in that school of cru
elty. For he caused many eminent men of
learning, and among others the noted Pale-
arius, to be burned at the stake ; and he
showed so little moderation and prudence in
his persecuting zeal, that he not only ap
proved of all kinds of violence, and let loose
his warriors on France, but also employed
the baser methods for the destruction of her
etics, insurrections, and treason. Yet this
method of proceeding had the contrary effect
from what was intended, in France, in Eng
land, in Scotland, and in the Netherlands.
That he also laboured to prostrate entirely
the civil power before the spiritual, and by
unreasonably exempting the clergy from all
civil taxation greatly injured Spain, France,
and Venice, may be learned from civil his
tory. By his command, the Tridentine Cat
echism was composed and published. Clem
ent X. gave him beatification, and Clem
ent XI. canonization ; which has occasioned
many partial biographies to be composed of
this pope. Schl.~\
(28) See Jo. Pet. Maffei, Annales Greg-
orii XIII., Rome, 1742, 4to. [He was
elected by means of the Spanish viceroy of
Naples, cardinal de Granville, and was of a
milder character than Pius V. Yet he openly
approved the bloody massacre at Paris on
St. Bartholomew s eve, and participated in
a treasonable plot against queen Elizabeth.
His idea of introducing his reformed kaleudar
as pope, drew on him obloquy from the Prot
estants ; and his attempt to free the clergy
from all civil jurisdiction, also from the
French. He published the Canon Law im
proved and enlarged. Schl.]
(29) Pius V. and Sixtus V. distinguished
themselves above the rest ; the former, by his
extreme severity against heretics, and by pub
lishing the celebrated bull called In Ctzna.
Domini, which is [was, till the reign oi
Clement XIV.] annually read at Rome, on
the festival of the Holy Sacrament ; and tho
latter, by his many vigorous, splendid, and
resolute acts for advancing the glory and
honour of the church. The life of Pius V.
has been written by many persons in our age,
since Clement XI. enrolled him among the
saints. On the bull : In Ccena Domini, and
the commotions it occasioned, Giannone has
treated, in his Histoire civile de Naples, lib.
xxxiii., cap. iv., tome iv., p. 248, &c., [and
still more fully and circumstantially, the au
thor of the Pragmatic History of this bull.
ScU.] The life of Sixtus V., by Gregory
Leli, has been often published, and in differ
ent languages ; but it is in many parts de
ficient in fidelity. [Sixtus V. was a com
plete statesman, and possessing a high de
gree of dissimulation he could play any part ;
and instead of the fruitless attempt of his
predecessors to reduce the heretics again to
obedience, he endeavoured to increase his
power by conquering the kingdom of Naples,
by retaining the princes that were still in hii
interests, and by encroachments upon their
power. The Jesuits, for whom he had no
partiality, hated him. The splendour of the
city of Rome, the papal treasury, and the
Vatican library, owe much to him. He like
wise promoted the Romish edition of the
Septuagint in 1587, and the edition of the
Latin Vulgate, Rome, 1590, in 3 vols. fol.
While a cardinal in 1580, he published at
Rome the collected works of Ambrose, in 6
vols. See Dr. Walch s History of the Popesk
p. 399. Schl.1
HISTORY OF THE ROMISH CHURCH. 83
deciding on the greatest matters according to their own mere pleasure, aa
their predecessors did; but they must pronounce sentence ordinarily ac
cording to the decision of their senate, that is of the cardinals, and of the
congregations to which certain parts of the government are intrusted.
Moreover neither prudence, nor the silently increasing power of emperors
and kings, and the continual decrease of ignorance and superstition, will
permit them to excite wars among nations, to issue bulls of excommunica
tion and deposition against kings, and to arm the citizens, as they formerly
did, against their lawful sovereigns. In short, stern necessity has been the
mother of prudence and moderation, at Rome, as often elsewhere.
14. The condition of the clergy subject to the Roman pontiff, remain,
ed unchanged. Some of the bishops at times, and especially at the coun
cil of Trent, very earnestly sought to recover their ancient rights, of which
the pontiffs had deprived them ; and they supposed that the pontiff might
be compelled to acknowledge, that bishops were of divine origin, and deri
ved their authority from Christ himself. (30) But all these attempts were
frustrated, by the vigilance of the Romish court, which did not cease to
repeat the odious maxim, that bishops are only the ministers and legates of the
vicar of Jesus Christ resident at Rome, and that they are indebted for all
the power and authority they possess to the generosity and grace of the
apostolic see. Yet there were some, particularly among the French, who
little regarded that principle. And what the Romish jurists call reser
vations, provisions, exemptions, and expectatives, which had drawn forth
complaints from all the nations before the reformation, and which were the
most manifest proofs of the Romish tyranny, now almost entirely ceased,
15. Respecting the lives and morals of the clergy and the reformation
of inveterate evils, there was deliberation in the council of Trent : and on
this subject some decrees were passed, which cannot be disapproved. But
good men complain, that those decrees have to this day found no executor,
and that they are neglected with impunity by all, and especially by those
of more elevated rank and station. The German bishops, as every one
knows, have almost nothing except their dress, their titles, and certain
ceremonies, from which the nature of their office could be inferred. In
the other countries very many of the prelates, with the tacit consent of the
pope, are more devoted to courts, to voluptuousness, to wealth and ambi
tion, than to Jesus Christ, to whom they profess to be consecrated : and
only a very small number care for the interests of the Christian communi
ty, or of piety and religion. Moreover, those who are most attentive to
these things, can scarcely escape invidious remarks, criminations, and vex
ations of various kinds. Many perhaps would be better and more devout,
were they not corrupted by the example of Rome, or did they not see the
very heads of the church and their servants, wholly devoted to luxury,
avarice, pride, revenge, voluptuousness, and vain pomp. The canons as
they are called, almost everywhere continue to adhere to their pristine
mode of life, and consume often, not very piously or honestly, the wealth
which the piety of former ages had consecrated to the poor. The rest of
the clergy however, cannot at their pleasure everywhere copy after these
preposterous moral guides. For it must be admitted, that since the refor
mation by Luther, much more pains is taken than formerly, to prevent the
lower orders of the clergy from disregarding the rules of sobriety and ex-
(30) Here may be consulted, Paul Sarpi s Historia Concilii Tridentini.
94 BOOK IV. CENT. XVI. SEC. III. PART I. CHAP. I.
ternal decency, lest their open profligacy should give, offence to the peo
ple.
16. Nearly the sams praise belongs to the monks. In most of the
governors of monasteries, there are things which deserve the severest rep
rehension ; nor are idleness, gluttony, ignorance, knavery, quarrels, lasciv
iousness, and the other once prevalent vices of the monasteries, entirely ex.
pelled and banished from them. Yet it would be uncandid to deny, that in
many countries the morals of the monks are subjected to stricter rules;
and that the remaining vestiges of the ancient profligacy, are at least more
carefully concealed. There have also arisen some, who have laboured to
restore the almost extinct austerity of the ancient rules ; and others who
have attempted to establish new fraternities for the public benefit of the
church. Matthew de Baschi, an Italian, an honest but simple man, of that
society of Franciscans who supposed they obeyed the precepts of their
founder more religiously than the others, and who are commonly called
Observant Friars (Fratres de Observantia), thought himself called of God
to restore the institutes of St. Francis to their original and genuine integ
rity. His design being approved by Clement VII. in the year 1525, gave
rise to the fraternity of Capuchins ; which experienced the bitter indigna
tion of the other Franciscans, and exhibited a great appearance of gravity,
modesty, and disregard for worldly things. (31) The fraternity derived its
name from the cowl, (caputium), a covering for the head sewed to the
Franciscan coat, which St. Francis himself is said to have worn. (32)
. Another progeny of the Franciscan order, were those called Recollets in
France, Reformati in Italy, and Barefooted (Discalceati) in Spain ; and
who likewise obtained the privileges of a separate association distinct from
the others, in the year 1532, by authority of Clement VII. They differ
irom the other Franciscans, by endeavouring to live more exactly accord
ing to the rules of their common lawgiver. (33) St. Theresia, a Spanish
lady of noble birth, aided in the arduous work by P. John de Matthia, who
was afterwards called John de St. Cruce, endeavoured to restore the too
luxurious and almost dissolute lives of the Carmelites to their pristine grav
ity. Nor were these efforts without effect ; notwithstanding the greatest
part of the Carmelites made opposition. Henco the order was divided du
ring ten years, into two parties, the one observing severer and the other
laxer rules. But as this difference as to their mode of life among members
of the same family, occasioned much animosity and discord, Gregory XIII.
in the year 1580, at the request of Philip II. king of Spain, directed the
more rigid Carmelites who were called Barefooted (Discalceati) from their
(31) See Luc. Wadding s Annales Ordi- out mother. The order had the misfortune,
nis Minorum, torn, xvi., p. 207, 257, &c., that its first vicar-general Bernhard Orhin,
ed. Rome. -Hipp. Hclyot s Histoire des and afterwards the third also, turned Prot-
Ordres Monastiques, tome vii., cap. xxiv., estants ; which wellnigh worked its ruin,
p. 264. And especially, Zac.h. Bovcrius, Yet it afterwards spread itself over Italy,
Annales Capucinorum. [The founder of France, Spain, and Germany, with extraor-
the order of Capuchins, is not well known, dinary success. Schl. ]
Some give this honour to Matthew Bas- (32) See Du Fresne s Glossarium Latin-
chi, and others to the famous Lewis dc Fos- itat. medii aevi, torn, ii., p. 298, ed. Bened.,
scmbrun. Bover supposes, that Baschi de- [art. Caputium.]
vised the cowl, but that Fosscmbrun was (33) Luc. Wadding s Annales, torn, xvi.,
the author of the reform ; and he thence in- p. 167. HelyoCs Histoire des Ordres, tomf
fers, that his order was not the work of men, v : i., cap. xviii., &c., p. 129, &c.
but like Mdchizedck vithout fa .her and with-
HISTORY OF THE ROMISH CHURCH. 95
going with naked feet, to separate themselves from the more lax. Sixtus
V. confirmed and extended this separation, in 1587 ; and Clement VIII.
completed it in 1593, by giving to the new association an appropriate chief
or general. A few years after when new contests arose between these
brethren, the same pontiff in the year 1600, again separated them into two
societies, governed by their respective generals. (34)
17. Of the new orders that arose in this century, the most distinguish,
ed was that which proudly assumed the name of Jesus ; and which has
been already noticed among the props of the Romish power. Compared
with this, the others appeared ignoble and obscure. The reformation af
forded occasion for various societies of what are called Regular Clerks.
As all these professed to aim at imitating and restoring the ancient virtue
and sanctity of the clerical order, they tacitly bear witness to the laxity of
discipline among the clergy, and the necessity of a reformation. The first
that arose were the Theatins, so named from the town Theate or Chieto
[in the kingdom of Naples], whose bishop at that time was John Peter Ca-
raff a t afterwards pope Paul IV., who, with the aid of Cajetan de Thienwis
and some others, founded this society in the year 1524. Destitute of all
possessions and all revenue, they were to live upon the voluntary bounties
of the pious ; and were required to succour decaying piety, to improve the
style of preaching, to attend upon the sick and dying, and to oppose man-
fully and vigorously all heretics. (35) There were also some convents of
sacred virgins connected with this order. Next in point of time to them,
were those that assumed the name of Regular Clerks of St. Paul whom
they chose for their patron, but who were commonly called Barnabiles,
from the temple of St. Barnabas at Milan which was given to them in the
year 1535. This fraternity was approved by Clement Vll. in 1532 ; and
confirmed by Paul III. in 1535. It honoured as its founders Antony Ma-
via Zacharias a knight of Cremona, and Bartholomew Ferrarius a knight
of Milan, also Jac. Antony Morigia of Milan. At first they renounced all
possessions and property, like the Theatins, living solely upon the gratui
tous gifts of the pious ; but afterwards they deemed it expedient to hold
property and have certain revenues. Their principal business was, to la-
bour as preachers in reclaiming sinners to their duty. (36) The Regular
Clerks of St. Majoli, also called the Fathers of Somasquo, from the town
Somasquo where their first general resided, had for their founder Jerome
JEmilianus, and were approved by Paul III. in the year 1540. and then
by Pius IV. in 1543. (37) These assumed the office of carefully instruct
ing the ignorant and especially the young, in the precepts of Christianity.
The same office was assigned to the Fathers of the Christian doctrine,
both in France and in Italy. A distinguished society of this 4 name, was
collected in France by Ccesar de Bus ; and it was enrolled among the le
gitimate fraternities by Clement VIII. in the year 1597. The Italian soci
ety owed its birth to Marcus Cusanus a knight of Milan, and was approved
by the authority of Pius V. and Gregory XIII.
(34) Helyot, Histoire des Ordres, tome i., Helyol with great industry and accuracy,
jap. xlvii., p. 340, &c. prosecutes the history of the other sects
(35) Helyot, Histoire des Ordres, tome which we have here mentioned.
Jv., cap. xii., p. 71, &c. (37) See the Acta Sanctor., Februar
(36) Helyot, 1. c., tome iv., c. xv., p. 100. torn, ii., p. 217, &c.
T n this part of his noted and excellent work,
6 BOOK IV. CENT. XVI. SEC. HI.- PART 1. CHAP. I.
18. It would occupy us too long and would not be very profitable, to
enumerate the minor fraternities which originated from the perturbation
excited in the Romish church by the heretics of Germany and other coun
tries. For no age produced more associations of this kind, than that in
which Luther held up the Bible, against ignorance, superstition, and papal
domination. Some of them have since become extinct, because they had
no solid basis ; and others have been suppressed by the will of the pontiffs,
who considered the interests of the church as retarded rather than advan
ced by the multitude of such societies. We also omit the societies of
nuns ; among whom the Ursulines were distinguished for their numbers
and reputation. (38) But we must not pass over the Fathers of the Ora
tory, founded in Italy by Philip Nerius, and publicly approved by Gregory
XIII. in 1577 ; because they have had not a few men distinguished for
their erudition and talents, (among whom were Ccesar Baronius, and af
terwards Odoric Raynald, and in our age James Laderchius, the celebra.
ted authors of the Annals of the Church), and because they have not yet
ceased to flourish. The name of the sect is derived from the chapel or
oratory, which Nerius built for himself at Florence and occupied for many
years.(39)