I.

PART and usurpations. In the year 1455, after the death of Nicholas the Fifth, the Germans bewailed their condition to Frederic the Third, and sought to persuade him that he would no longer obey the Roman Bishops, unless they would at least give way to a Pragmatical Sanction for the maintenance of the liberties of the German nation; like that of the French kings for the privileges of the Gallican Church. They shewed that their condition was much worse than the French and Italians, whose servants (especially [of] the Italians) without a change they were deservedly called k.' "Rogabant, urgebant proceres, populique Germaniæ, gravissimis tum rationibus tum exemplis, tum utilitatem tum necessitatem imperii,” &c.-'the Princes and people of Germany intreated, and pressed both the advantage and necessity of the empire. They implored his fidelity, they prayed him for his oath's sake, and to prevent the infamy and dishonour of their nation, that they alone might not want the fruit of their national decrees, that he had as much power, and was as much obliged thereunto, as other kings,' &c. "Nec certè procul abfuit," &c.-"it wanted not much," saith Platina m. Molinæus goes further,-"his rationibus victus et permotus imperator," &c.-"the emperor being overcome and moved with these reasons, was about to make as full a Sanction for his subjects, as the king of France had done for his "." What hindered him? Only the advice of Æneas Sylvius, who persuaded him rather to comply with the Pope, than with his people, upon this ground, that "princes disagreeing might be reconciled, but between a prince and his people, the enmity was immortal." "Motus hac ratione imperator, spretá populorum postulatione, Æneam oratorem deligit, qui ad Callistum mitteretur"-" the emperor, being moved with this reason, despising the request of his people, sends the same Æneas as his ambassador to Callistus "." The truth is this; the emperor feared the Pope, and durst not trust his own subjects whence it proceeded, that seven years before his death he not only procured his son Maximilian to be crowned King

II.

of the Romans, but also took him to be his companion in the DISCOURSE empire, "ne post obitum suum (ut factum fuisset) transferretur imperium in aliam familiam:"-" lest the empire after his death (as without doubt it had come to pass) should have been transferred into another family P."

emperors

Yet, notwithstanding these bars or remoras, the uncertainty [Yet the of succession, and Papal pretensions, the emperors have done have done as much in relation to the Court of Rome, as the kings of England.

1. First; Henry the Eighth within his own dominions did exercise a power of convocating ecclesiastical Synods, confirming Synods, reforming the Church by Synods, and suppressing upstart innovations by ancient canons.

relation to the Court of Rome, as

the kings of England.]

convocated

firmed

The emperors have done the same. Charles the Great called Emperors the Council of Frankfort, consisting of three hundred Bishops: Synods; witness his own letter to Elipandus ;—“ Jussimus Sanctorum Patrum Synodale ex omnibus undique nostræ ditionis Ecclesiis congregari Concilium"-"we have commanded a Synodical Council to be congregated out of all the Churches within our dominions:" neither did he only convocate it, but confirm it and conalso;-" Ecce ego vestris petitionibus satisfaciens, congregationi Synods; Sacerdotum auditor et arbiter adsedi. Discernimus [lege Decernimus] et Deo donante decrevimus quid esset de hac inquisitione firmiter tenendum "-" Behold I, satisfying your requests" (that is, of the Elipandians and Fælicians, who made Christ but an adoptive Son of God), "did sit in the Council both as a hearer, and as a judge. We determine and by the gift of God have decreed what is to be held in this inquiry." And it is very observable how he disposed the resolutions of this Council into four books; the first book contained the sense of the Roman Bishop and his suffragans; the second of the Archbishop of Milan and the Patriarch of Aquileia with the rest of the Italian Bishops; the third, the votes of the German, French, and British Bishops; the last, his own consent. The Romans had no more part therein than others, to set down their own faith, and to represent what they had

P Molin., [ibidem, p. 482. D.]

[Carol. M., Epist. ad Elipand., Tolet. Civ. Episc., A. D. 794,] apud Goldast., [C. I. ed. 1607.] P. i. p. 3.

["Decernimus" is Goldastus' correction
(Rationale C. I., p. 12); from whom
apparently it was adopted in the folio
edit. of Abp. Bramhall.]

PART

I.

And by

them re

Church.

received from the Apostles ".--Neither did they only convocate Councils, and confirm them, but in them and by them reformed innovations, and restored ancient truths and orders. formed the So did the same emperor;-" By the counsel of our Bishops and nobles we have ordained Bishops throughout the cities, and do decree to assemble a Synod every year, that in our presence the canonical decrees and laws of the Church may [A.D.816.] be restored s." Ludovicus Pius convocated a Council at Aquisgrane to reform the abuses of the clergy, and confirmed the same, and commanded the constitutions thereof to be put in execution, as appeareth by his own epistle to Arno Arch- 104 [A.D.963.] bishop of Salzburgt. Otho the First called a Council at

[A. D. 1077 et 1080.]

Rome, and caused John the Twelfth to be deposed, and Leo the Eighth to be chosen in his place. The sentence of the Council was," Petimus magnitudinem Imperii vestri,” &c.— we beseech your Imperial Majesty, that such a monster may be thrust out of the Roman Church." And the emperor confirmed it with a "placet"-"we are pleased "." Henry the Fourth called a German Synod at Worms, and another of Germans and Italians at Brixia, wherein sentence of deprivation was given against Gregory the Seventh, and confirmed by the emperor. "Quorum sententiæ quod justa et probabilis coram Deo hominibusque videbatur, &c., ego quoque assentiens omne tibi Papatus jus quod habere visus es abrenuncio," &c. Ego Henricus, Rex Dei gratiâ, cum omnibus Episcopis nostris tibi dicimus, Descende, descende."-"To whose sentence, because it seemed just and reasonable before God and men, I also assenting, do declare thee to have no right in the Papacy, as thou seemest to have." "I Henry, by the grace of God King of the Romans, with all our Bishops do say unto thee, Descend from thy seat, descend." So [A.D.1160.] Frederic the First called a Council at Papia, to settle the right succession of the Papacy, wherein Roland the Cardinal was rejected, and Victor declared lawful Bishop of Rome. And all this was done with due submission to the emperor :— "Christianissimus Imperator," &c.-"The most Christian Emperor, in the last place, after all the Bishops and clergy,

11.

by the advice and upon the petition of the Council, received DiscoURSE and approved the election of Victory." I will conclude this first part of the parallel with the words of the same emperor in the same Council;-" Quamvis noverim officio ac dignitate Imperii penes nos esse potestatem congregandorum Conciliorum," &c.-" although I know, that, by virtue of our office and imperial dignity, the power of calling Councils rests in us, especially in so great dangers of the Church; for both Constantine and Theodosius and Justinian, and of fresher memory Charles the Great and Otho, emperors, are recorded to have done this; yet I do commit the authority of determining this great and high business to your wisdom and power z;" that is, to the Bishops there assembled.

lish Re

But it may be objected, that the emperors with their The EngSynods never made any such schismatical reformation, as formation that which was made by the Protestants in England.

not schismatical.

schism begun before the Reformation.]

I answer, First, that the schism between the Roman Court and the [The English Church (other schism I know none on our parts), was begun long before that reformation, in the days of Henry the Eighth, and the breach sufficiently proclaimed to the world, both by Romish Bulls, and English statutes. We could not be the first separators of ourselves from them, who had formerly thrust us out of their doors. It is not schismatical to substract obedience from them to whom it is not due, who had extruded us out of their society: but it is schismatical to give just cause of substraction.

necessity of [Great neFor proof reforma

cessity of

tion both in

ny of Adri

Secondly, I answer, that there was a great reformation both in Germany and England. whereof I produce two witnesses beyond exception, the one a Germany Pope, the other a Cardinal. The former is Adrian the Sixth, and England.] in his instructions to his legate in the year 1522, which the [Testimo Princes of the Empire take notice of in their answer. His an the words are these ;-" Scimus in hac sanctá Sede aliquot jam annis multa abominanda fuisse," &c.-"We know that, for some by-past years, many things to be abominated have been in this holy See, abuses in spiritual matters, excesses in commands, and, to conclude, all things out of order; &c. wherein, peratoris, lib. ii. c. [64.]

y Idem, [ibid.] P. i. p. 70.

Radevic., De Gestis Frider. I. Im

Sixth.]

I.

[Testimony of Cardinal Pole.]

PART for so much as concerns us, thou shalt promise that we will use all our endeavour, that first this Court, from whence peradventure" (sure enough) "all the evil did spring, may be reformed; that as corruption did flow from thence to the inferior parts" (of the Church)," so may health and reformation. To procure which, we do hold ourselves so much more strictly obliged, by how much we do see the whole world greedily desire such a reformation a." "O Adriane, si nunc viveres !” The other witness is Cardinal Pole, who makes two main ends of the Council of Trent; the one, the reconciling of the Lutherans; the other, "Quo pacto ipsius Ecclesiæ præcipua vel potius omnia ferè membra, ad veterem disciplinam et instituta, à quibus non parum declinárunt, revocentur,”—“to consider how the principal members of the Church, or rather almost all the members, might be reduced to their ancient discipline and ordinances, from which they had swerved 105 much b." Yet, when himself was sent afterwards by Paul the Fourth to reform the Church of England, it seemeth that he had forgotten those great deviations of the principal members, and those very representations, which he himself, with eight other selected Cardinals and Prelates, had made upon oath to Paul the Third. Then he saw, that this 'lying flattering principle,' that "the Pope is the lord of all benefices and therefore cannot be a simoniack," was the fountain, "Ex quo tanquam ex equo Trojano irrupere in Ecclesiam Dei tot abusus et tam gravissimi morbi," &c.-" from which, as from the Trojan horse, so many abuses and so grievous diseases had broken into the Church of God," and brought it to a desperate condition, to the derision of Christian religion and blaspheming of the name of Christ' and "that the cure must begin there, from whence the disease did spring d," by taking away all abuses in dispensations of all kinds, and ordinations, and collations, and provisions, and pensions, and permutations, and reservations, and coadjutorships, and expectative graces, and unions, and non-residence, and exemptions, and absolu

a Goldast., [ibid.,] P. ii. pp. 29, 31. Regin. Polus, De Concilio, [in fin.], fol. 86, 1. [edit. Venet. 1562.]

c Reformatio Angliæ, [by Card. Pole], edit. Venet. 1562. [fol. 94, 2. 95, 1.]

6

d Consil. delect. Cardinal. [de Emend. Eccles., Paulo III. jubente conscriptum,] edit. Lutetiæ anno 1612, pp. 131, &c. [et in Append. ad Fascic. Rer. Expetend. et Fugiend., p. 231.]