Labbæus, vol. 13, p. 619. Council of Basil, An. Dom. 1439. The 34th Session for the Deposition of Pope Eugenius 4. The holy general council of Basil * pronounces, decrees, and declares the above-mentioned Pope Eugenius 4th to have been, and to be, notoriously and manifestly contumacious, disobedient to the mandates and precepts of the universal church, and persevering in open rebellion, a constant violator and despiser of the sacred canons of councils, a notorious disturber of the peace and unity of the church, a notorious scandaliser of the universal church, a simoniac, a perjured man, incorrigible, schismatical, wandering from the faith, an obstinate heretic, guilty of dilapidating the rights and possessions of the church, unserviceable and injurious to the administration of the Roman popedom, and to have rendered himself unworthy of all title, rank, honour, and dignity. Him, therefore, for these reasons the same holy council declares and pronounces to be justly deprived of the papacy and Roman high priesthood. The third part of the Council of Florence. An. Dom. 1439. We subjoin, therefore, entire and at full from the Vatican copy, the same constitution and all things abovesaid, containing the sound and catholic doctrine, and published with the approval of the holy council of Florence. Eugenius, Bishop, servant of the servants of God, &c. After the fashion of Dioscorus and the condemned council of Ephesus, they have proceeded with inexpiable depravity to a certain venomous and execrable sentence of deprivation of the dignity and office of the chief apostleship. And now they prosecute the same enterprise so vehemently, as far as lies in their power, that the evil spirits of the whole world seem to have collected in that den of robbers at Basil. * We decree and declare that all and each of the above were and are schismatics and heretics, and in addition to the punishments declared in the abovesaid council of Ferrara, with all their aiders and defenders of every condition, that they may receive a deserved portion with the aforesaid Coran, Dathan, and Abiron, they shall be punished with suitable punishments. Abbè Fleuri's Ecclesiastical History, book 116.-(Printed at Nismes 1779.)An. Dom. 1431. The reason which constrained the fathers* to take all these precautions, was the certain intelligence which they received that Pope Eugenius had issued a decree for the dissolution of the council. As the true object of the pope was only to prevent the reformation of the church, the fathers, desirous of providing for the safety of the council, renewed the two decrees of the council of Constance, already recited. * Viz. the Fathers assembled at Basil. Concilium Basileense, An. Dom. 1439. Labbai, tom. 12, p. 619. De Depositione Eugenii papa quarti. Sessio 34. * * Sacrosancta generalis synodus Basileensis pronunciat, decernit, et declarat, Gabrielem prius nominatum Eugenium Papam 4, fuisse et esse notorium et manifestum contumacem, mandatis seu præceptis ecclesiæ universalis inobedientem, et in aperta rebellione persistentem, violatorem assiduum atque contemptorem sacrorum canonum synodalium, pacis et unitatis ecclesiæ perturbatorem notorium, universalis ecclesiæ scandalizatorem notorium, simoniacum, perjurum, incorrrigibilem, schismaticum, a fide devium, pertinacem hæreticum, dilapidatorem jurium et bonorum ecclesiæ, inutilem et damnosum ad administrationem Romani pontificii, omni titulo, gradu, honore et dignitate se rendidisse indignum. Quem proptereà eadem sancta synodus a papatu et Romano pontificio ipso jure privatum esse, declarat et pronuntiat. Concilii Florentini, pars 3, An. Dom. 1439. Labbæi, tom. 13, p. 1186.-(Parisiis, 1672.) Eandam igitur constitutionem, supradicta omnia sanamque et catholicam doctrinam continentem, sacro approbante Florentino concilio promulgatam, integram et extensam ex Vaticano codice hic subjicimus. Eugenius Episcopus servus servorum Dei, ad perpetuam rei memoriam. More Dioscori et damnatæ Ephesina synodi ad quandam venenatam execrabilemque assertæ declarationis seu privationis sententiam a dignitate et officio summi apostolatus inexpiabili quodam scelere processerunt. Nunc verò tam furiosè tam impiè, quantum in eis est, id idem persequuntur, ut ad illud Basileense latrocinium totius orbis dæmonia confluxisse videantur. Decernimus etiam et declaramus omnes et singulos prædictos fuisse et esse schismaticos et hæreticos, et una poenis in præfato Ferrariensi concilio declaratis, tanquam tales, cum omnibus eorum fautoribus et defensoribus cujuscumque status...extiterint...ut cum prædictis Core, Dathan, et Abiron meritam accipiant portionem, pœnis condignis omninò puniendos. L'Abbe Fleuri Histoire Ecclesiastique, livre 116.-4 Nismes, 1779.)-An. Dom. 1431. La raison qui obligea les péres a prendre toutes ces precautions fut la nouvelle certaine qu'on recut que la Pape Eugene avoit donnè un decret pour la dissolution du concile.. * Comme le veritable dessein du pape ne tendoit qu'a empêcher la réforme de l'eglise, les péres voulant pourvoir a la suretè du concile renouvellerent les deux décrets de Constance, dejà rapportès. ་་་། ་ 1459. Pius 2, who in the council of Basil stood up for the authority of councils against popes recants, and excommunicates all persons who dare to appeal from a pope to a general council. Extracted from the great Roman Collection of Bulls printed at Luxembourg 1727.-Bull of Pope Pius 2. An. Dom. 1459. prescribing that no one shall dare, under any pretence, to appeal in such a manner from our ordinances, judgments, and decrees, or from those of our successors, or to assent to such appeal interposed by any one else, or to use them in any way. If, however any one shall act otherwise from the day of the publication of these presents, of whatever condition, rank, order, or state he be, whether it be imperial, royal, or pontifical, he shall incur the sentence of excommunication from the apostolic court, from which he shall only be absolvable by the Pope of Rome, if he be at the point of death. From the Commentaries of Eneas Sylvius upon the Acts of the Council of Basil, p. 9-(Printed at Basil An. ) We might adduce many examples of Roman pontiffs, if our time permitted us, who were either heretics or stained with other vices. Nor does it escape us that Marcellinus, in compliance with the emperor's command, offered incense to idols, and that another, which is worse and more horrible, was raised to the popedom by the arts of the devil. Paul 2nd violates his Oath. The Abbe Fleuri's Ecclesiastical History, vol. 15, book 112, p. 603. (Published at Nismes 1779.) Paul 2. An. Dom. 1464. The laws which the cardinals had passed in the conclave, and which they made the new pope swear to observe, were, that he should continue the war against the Turks; that he should restore the ancient discipline of the Roman court; that within three years he should assemble a general council; that he should not increase the number of cardinals beyond 24, &c. It was necessary to reduce these laws to practice, and herein was the difficulty. The pope, who when he was a cardinal had sworn to do this, and who had confirmed his oath as soon as he was elected pope, thought little of violating it. The pope to obtain the good will of the cardinals raised their dignity by some striking privileges. He caused them to wear silk mitres, similar to those which the sovereign pontiffs alone had previously carried. He permitted their horses and mules to have scarlet cloths, and he desired that the cardinals' caps should be of red silk. Bullarium Magnum Romanum. (Luxemburgi, 1727.) An. Dom. 1459, p. 370. Pius 2. præcipientes deinceps ut nemo audeat quovis quæsito colore, ab ordinationibus, sententiis, sive mandatis quibuscumque nostris, ac successorum nostrorum talem appellationem interponere, aut interposita per alium adhærere, seu eis quomodo libet uti. Si quis autem contra fecerit, a die publicationis præsentium, in cancellaria apostolica, post duos menses, cujuscumq status, gradus, ordinis, vel conditionis fuerit, etiamsi imperiali, regali, vel pontificali præfulgeat dignitate, ipse sententiam excommunicationis incurrat, a qua nisi per Romanorum pontificem et in mortis articulo absolvi non possit. Comment. Enea Sylvii. de Gestis Basileensis Consilii, Lib. (Basilea ex officina.) 1 p. 9. De Romanis verò pontificibus liceret exempla admodum multa referre, si tempus sineret, quoniam aut hæretici, aut aliis imbuti vitiis sunt reperti. Nee nos fugit Marcellinum jussu Cæsareo idolis thurificasse, alium vero quod majus et horribilius est, diabolicâ fraude Romanum pontificatum ascendisse. L'Abbe Fleuri's Histoire Ecclesiastique, livre 112, p. 603, tom. 15. (Oct. Nismes 1779.) Paul 2, An. Dom. 1464. Les lois que les cardinaux avoient etablies dans le conclave et qu'on fit jurer au nouveau pape, etoient qu'il continueroit la guerre contré les Turcs; qu'il retableroit l'ancienne discipline de la cour Romaine; que dans trois ans il assembleroit un concile general, qu'il n'augmenteroit point le nombre des cardinaux audela de vingquatre, &c. Il s'agissoit de réduire toutes ces lois en pratique, et c'étoit la difficulté. Le pape qui avoit jurè de le faire etant cardinal, et qui avoit confirme son serment, aussitôt après qu'il avoit ètè elu pápe, se mit en peu de peine de le violer. Le pape pour se concilier la bienveillance des cardinaux voulut relever leur dignitè par des marques éclatantes. Il leur fit prendre des mitres de soie, semblables a celles que les souverains pontifs seuls portoient auparavant. Il permit que leurs chevaux ou leurs mules eussent des housses de couleur d'écarlate: il voulut que les bonnets des cardinaux fussent de soie rouge. Roscoe's Life of Lorenzo de Medici, fol. edit. tom. 1, p. 177. An. Dom. 1477. * The public agitation excited by the assassination of the Duke of Milan had scarcely subsided, before an event took place at Florence of a much more atrocious nature, inasmuch as the objects destined to destruction had not afforded a pretext in any degree plausible for such an attempt. Accordingly we have now to enter on a transaction that has seldom been mentioned without emotions of the strongest horror and detestation a transaction in which a pope, a cardinal, an archbishop, and several other ecclesiastics, associated themselves with a baud of ruffians to destroy two men, who were an honour to their age and country, and purposed to perpetrate their crime at a season of hospitality, in the sanctuary of a Christian church, at the very moment of the elevation of the host, when the audience bowed down before it, and the assassins were presumed to be in the immediate presence of their God. At the head of this conspiracy were Sixtus 4 and his nephew Girolamo Riario. Scipio Ammirato's History of Florence.-Part 2, book 24, p. 116. (Printed at Florence 1641.) Francesco was next desirous of ascertaining what assistance he could reckon upon if he set about it and if the pope would consent to it and having learned that assistance would not be wanting, and that not only the pope, but the king also, one of whose grandsons the pope had made a cardinal, would favour the enterprise, he united himself with Francesco Salviati, archbishop of Pisa. The archbishop desirous of avenging himself, and also hoping by this means to advance himself in the pope's favour, not only tendered his exertions, but promised to engage others of his family in this enterprise. Muratori's Annals of Italy. An. Dom. 1477. Pope Sixtus 4, p. 263. (Printed at Lucca, 1763.) Count Girolamo Riario, nephew of Pope Sixtus, favoured this unworthy enterprize. As far as we can judge from what happened subsequently, the old pope suffered himself to be mixed up in this black design of the Pazzi with this bad man; and the rather forasmuch as he, as well as King Ferdinand, were offended with Lorenzo di Medici on account of the league which he had entered into without their concurrence with the Venetians and the Duke of Milan. The 26th of April was selected for the meditated enterprise, and the cathedral of Florence was also fixed upon, and the very time of the holy sacrifice, that is to say, when the most holy host was elevated, to perpetrate this infamous deed. Julian de Medici was killed at that time and place by Francesco da Pazzi, who with his brother had accompanied thither Cardinal Riario. But Lorenzo de Medici, hav |