of his election, and fled to a mountain, to avoid being found, until he was discovered by a pigeon; and when he could not avoid the acceptation of his office, to show his great humility, he introduced a new style into his bulls; for he was the first who inserted that expression, Servus servorum Dei, (Servant of the servants of God,) though Monsieur Mazeray (who deserves to be looked upon as the most accurate and impartial historian this age hath produced) assures us, that the title Pope; of Father of the church; of His Holiness; of Pontifex Maximus; of Servus servorum Dei, were common to all bishops before his time, of which we shall say more hereafter. But let him be as humble in his title as he please, it cannot be denied that, from the time that he was pope, he used all the means he could, fair and foul, to make himself greater than any of his predecessors. And so indeed he did; for, notwithstanding all his obligations to the Emperor Mauritius, and the professions he had made to him, Phocas no sooner rebelled and killed Mauritius, and made himself emperor, than Pope Gregory acknowledged him, sent a legate de latere to him, gave him all the assistance and countenance he could to support his wicked action and title, and received again from him, all those offices which might contribute to his own greatness; and he did indeed many great things, and raised the papacy to a higher pitch than ever it had been at: and this was about the year 600, for he died not till 605." Religion and Policy, vol. 1. p. 47. As this was the most important era of the papacy, and as the events, above referred to, prepared the way for the bishop of Rome's being declared universal bishop, it may be worth while to enter a little more into detail; and I shall merely remark, in passing, that if it were true that the popes, as the successors of Peter, were to be really the head of the Catholic church, and universal bishops, it is somewhat strange, that 600 years should elapse, ere the church was favoured with this head on earth, which is now declared, by all good Papists, to be so necessary to

her existence.

Gregory the Great will be allowed to have been, in comparison with some, a good, and in comparison with others, a great man; but these very qualities gave him the power of exalting the dignity of his see above all its former greatness. "It has ever been," says Bower, in his life of this pope, "even from the earliest times, a maxim with the popes, never to part with any power or jurisdiction which their predecessors had acquired, by what means soever they had acquired it; nor to give up the least privilege, which any of their predecessors, right or wrong, ever had claimed. From that maxim no pope has hitherto swerved, no, not Gregory himself, however conscientious, just, and scrupulously religious, in other respects."

It fell out, during the reign of this pope, that the bishop of Constantinople began to assume the title of universal bishop, or patriarch; and it appears, that he had, at least, the authority of one council, and the consent of one emperor, for his so doing. Constantinople was now an imperial city, as well as Rome. It threatened to become even the imperial city; and who could then deny its bishop the title of the æcumenical or universal bishop? When Gregory heard of the new title of one whom he considered his inferior, he became dreadfully alarmed, as well he might; for it now depended upon the caprice of an emperor or empress, whether Rome or Constantinople should be

the mother and mistress of all churches. Gregory, for a time, forgot all other cares. He saw the very Christian religion in imminent danger; not because the bishop of Constantinople had assumed a higher title than he possessed, but because the title itself, as he maintained, was impious and antichristian. He wrote letters to his nuncio at Constantinople, (for popes, by this time, had their ambassadors at foreign courts,) charging him, as he tendered the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, to use his utmost endeavours with the emperor and with the empress, and above all, with the bishop himself, his beloved brother, to divert him from ever more using the proud, the profane, the antichristian title, of universal bishop. Such, let it be observed, was Pope Gregory the Great's opinion of the title which has been borne by his successors for twelve hundred years. His nuncio did all that he could to persuade the eastern patriarch to renounce his new title; but he could not prevail. It had been bestowed upon him, he said, by a great council, and not upon him alone, but also on his successors; that he had not power to resign it, nor would his successors stand to his resignation, if he should.

Gregory afterwards wrote a long letter to the patriarch himself, loading the title of universal bishop with all the opprobrious names he could think of; calling it vain, ambitious, execrable, antichristian, blasphemous, infernal, diabolical; and applying to him who assumed it, what was said by the prophet Isaiah of Lucifer: "Whom do you imitate," says he, "in assuming that arrogant title? whom but him, who, swelled with pride, exalting himself above so many legions of angels, his equals, that he might be subject to none, and all might be subject to him?" "The apostle Peter," continues Pope Gregory, "was the first member of the universal church. As for Paul, Andrew, and John, they were only the heads of particular congregations; but all were members of the church under one head, and none would ever be called UNIVERSAL." Here is a plain avowal, by a pope, that no pope, or even apostle, possessed the authority of universal bishop, or head of the church. "Again," says Pope Gregory to his dear brother of Constantinople, "if none of the apostles would be called universal, what will you answer on the last day to Christ, the Head of the church universal? You, who, by arrogating that name, strive to subject all his members to yourself.""But this is the time which Christ himself foretold; the earth is now laid waste and destroyed, with the plague and the sword; all things that have been predicted are now accomplished; the king of pride, that is, antichrist, is at hand; and what I dread to say, an army of priests is ready to receive him; for they who were chosen to point out to others the way of humility and meekness, are themselves now become the slaves of pride and ambition." Greg. l. 4. ep. 32. If any pope had written in the same style a thousand years after, he would have been called a reformer, and a follower of Luther and Calvin.

Finding it impossible to make any impression upon the stubborn patriarch, or pope of the east, Gregory wrote letters to both the emperor and the empress, begging and beseeching them to prevail upon the said patriarch to give up his diabolical title. After declaiming against the title, as quite antichristian, against the patriarch as a disturber of the peace of the church, and the good order established by Christ, and against all who encouraged him in so impious and detestable an attempt, VOL. I.-91.

he addresses the empress thus: "Though Gregory (speaking of himself) is guilty of many great sins, for which he well deserves thus to be punished, Peter is himself guilty of no sins, nor ought he to suffer for mine. I therefore, over and over again, beg, entreat, and conjure you by the Almighty, not to forsake the virtuous steps of your ancestors, but, treading in them, to court and secure to yourself the protection and favour of that apostle, who is not to be robbed of the honour that is due to his merit, for the sins of one who has no merit, and who so unworthily serves him." Greg. l. 4. ep. 34. Here Gregory lets out the secret cause of his opposition to the title assumed by the bishop of Constantinople. It was derogatory to the see of Peter, which he himself had the honour to fill. It was, therefore, antichristian, diabolical, and every thing else that is bad.

He was as unsuccessful with the emperor and the empress, as he had been with the patriarch himself; nay, the emperor rather favoured the new title, as befitting the bishop of what he now wished to be considered the imperial city. Gregory, almost in despair, wrote letters to some of the greatest bishops in the east, endeavouring to excite their zeal against the proud title assumed by their patriarch. The bishop of Alexandria wrote a letter to Gregory, in which he calls him also universal bishop, thinking it would end the controversy, if the two rivals were called by the same title, and put upon a footing of equality; but Gregory spurned at this with great indignation: "If," says he, in his reply, "you give more to me than is due to me, you rob yourself of what is due to you. I choose to be distinguished by my manners, and not by titles. Nothing can redound to my honour that redounds to the dishonour of my brethren. I place my honour in maintaining them in If you call me universal pope, you thereby own yourself to be no pope. Let no such titles, therefore, be mentioned, or ever heard among us. Your holiness says in your letter that I commanded you. I command you! I know who you are, who I am. In rank you are my brother, by your manners my father. I therefore did not command; and beg you will henceforth ever forbear the word. I only pointed out to you what I thought it was right you should know." Greg. l. 7. ep. 36. See Bower's Lives of the Popes:-Life of Gregory.

'Perhaps it would be uncandid to say, that all this was said in hypocrisy, while Gregory was really labouring to get the obnoxious title transferred to himself alone. There are circumstances, however, which excite a strong suspicion that it was even so. Seeing the emperor, Mauritius, did not enter into his views, but that he countenanced the bishop of Constantinople, Gregory seems so far to have withdrawn his allegiance from him, as to rejoice in the successful treason of Phocas, who murdered his master and his children, and was proclaimed emperor in his stead. Gregory was unable to contain his joy at this event. He wrote Phocas in the most fulsome style of congratulation. "We," says he, " have been hitherto most grievously afflicted; but the Almighty hath chosen you, and placed you on the imperial throne, to banish, by your merciful disposition, all our afflictions and sorrows. Let the heavens therefore rejoice, let the earth leap for joy, let the whole people return thanks for so happy a change. May the republic long enjoy these most happy times! May God, with his grace, direct your heart in every good thought, in every good deed! May

the Holy Ghost, that dwells in your breast, ever guide and assist you, and that you may, after a long course of years, pass from an earthly and temporal to an everlasting and heavenly kingdom."

Phocas received the imperial throne by treason and murder; and when in possession of absolute power, he showed himself as great a monster of cruelty and wickedness, as any of his predecessors had been; but Pope Gregory the Great lauds him, and praises him, and calls upon heaven and earth to praise him, for no other reason, so far as appears, than that he would deliver the see of Rome from the dis-. grace of having the patriarch of Constantinople preferred before the bishop of Rome, under the title of universal bishop. It was the manner of popes to attach themselves to those successful monsters who could help them to the attainment of the object of their ambition; and they again lent all their influence to confirm such monsters in the power which they had usurped. If you will get me proclaimed emperor, I shall take care that you be proclaimed universal bishop, seems to have been the understanding between the traitor and murderer, Phocas, and the most holy father of the church of Rome. The thing was done. Phocas became emperor; and though Gregory did not live to enjoy all the fruits of this revolution; though he did not receive, in his own person, the high title of universal bishop, Phocas lived to confer it upon one of the popes within three years of the death of Gregory. Yes, Boniface III. prevailed upon the bloody monster, Phocas, to revoke the decree, settling the title of universal bishop on the patriarch of Constantinople; and he got a new decree, settling this title upon himself and his successors. Gregory the Great had condemned this title, as vain, proud, profane, impious, execrable, blasphemous, antichristian, heretical, diabofical; but no matter; when it came to be applied to the pope of Rome, it was all good and lawful. It has been claimed and borne by the popes to this very day; and, therefore, they are justly chargeable with all the blasphemy and execrableness which their great Father, saint Gregory, laid to the account of it.

Now indeed the pope appeared as a god on earth. He sat in the temple of God, showing himself as God. He received his high dignity from a traitor and a murderer; and, it must be allowed, that the power which it conferred has been often exercised in a manner corresponding with its origin, and the character of him who conferred it. The title of universal bishop, as vested in the patriarch of Constantinople, seems to have been no more than a badge of honour; at least he did not pretend to universal jurisdiction in virtue of it. But no sooner was the title transferred to the pope of Rome, and he thereby declared head of the church, than he began to show his power and authority in a very arbitrary manner. He immediately called a council at Rome, and had it decreed, that no election of a bishop should thenceforth be deemed lawful and good, unless made by the people and clergy, approved by the prince or lord of the city, and confirmed by the pope, interposing his authority in the following terms: We will and command, volumus et jubemus. See Bower's Life of Boniface. This bound the bishops, in all countries, to the pope of Rome, through them it bound all the inferior priests, and through them, all the people to the same supreme head, so that in fact the pope became absolute monarch of what was called christendom. It is true that some coun

tries yielded more prompt obedience than others, and some never submitted at all; but these were comparatively few, at least in the western empire. Thus was the papal supremacy introduced and established, in the year 607, which is usually marked as one of those periods at which the prophetic number of 1260 years is understood to commence. The pope, however, was not yet high enough. He had got the full command of the spiritual sword, but the temporal one was also necessary, in order to give the necessary effect to the other. A temporal kingdom, and the power of calling out an armed force, were necessary, in order to his maintaining the dignity to which he had attained. It is true, the pope never made any great figure, as a military commander; but he found it necessary, in order to the maintenance of his dignity, to get the sovereign power over certain portions of rich territory in Italy; and he obtained this by the aid of another traitor, whose usurpation he encouraged. This was Pepin, who was a sort of prime minister to Childeric, king of France. The king was a silly, and the minister was a clever man; and the latter saw no good reason why he should not occupy the place of the former. He resolved, therefore, to take the opinion of the pope as upon a question of morality, or divinity, or casuistry, or politics, no matter which. The question which he proposed to his holiness, was, 66 Who best deserved to be styled king; he who was possessed of the power, or he who was only possessed of the title?" The crafty pope, says Bower, in his Life of Pope Zachary, well understood the true meaning of that question; and therefore solved it, we may be sure, in favour of Pepin; declaring that, "in his opinion, he ought rather to be styled king, who possessed the power, than he who possessed only the title."

Pepin had now what would be received as a divine authority, for supplanting his master, king Childeric; and this was immediately done. Most of the great men in the kingdom were Pepin's creatures and dependants, and, therefore, easily brought over to maintain his title to the kingdom. Now, as one good turn deserves another, the pope naturally looked to Pepin, as one able and willing to advance his power and dignity. The pope of the day did not live to reap the fruit of his good offices, on behalf of the usurper; but, as usual, his successor took advantage of his labours, and improved them for the aggrandizement of the holy see. Stephen II., successor of Zachary, had a quarrel with the king of the Lombards; and the holy father, being unable to cope with so powerful a prince, applied once and again to Pepin, now king of France, to help him. Pepin acknowledged his obligations to his holy father; and brought such a powerful force to bear upon the king of the Lombards, as soon made him submit, and promise to give up the territory, which he had violently taken from the emperor, not to the rightful owner, from whom he had taken it, but to the holy see of St. Peter, so as to make the holy apostle appear to the world as no better than a resetter of theft.

The king of the Lombards, however, after Pepin had withdrawn his army, refused to perform his promise. He attacked the pope a second time. He besieged Rome itself, and reduced the city to the greatest extremity; when the poor pope was obliged to apply to Pepin again, to save his city and his life. He first addressed a letter to Pepin, as from himself, in the following style:-" To defend the church is, of all