Arragon, Castille, Navarre, and Scotland were mclined by their example and authority to the obedience of Clement the Seventh, and after his decease, of Benedict the Thirteenth. Rome and the principal states of Italy, Germany, Portugal, England,69 the Low Countries, and the kingdoms of the North, adhered to the prior election of Urban the Sixth, who was succeeded by Boniface the Ninth, Innocent the Seventh, and Gregory the Twelfth.

From the banks of the Tyber and the Rhône, the hostile pontiffs encountered each other with the pen and the sword: the civil and ecclesiastical order of society was disturbed; and the Romans had their full share of the mischiefs of which they may be arraigned as the primary authors.70 They had vainly flattered themselves with the hope of restoring the sea of the ecclesiastical monarchy, and of relieving their poverty with the tributes and offerings of the nations; but the separa tion of France and Spain diverted the stream of lucrative devotion; nor could the loss be compensated by the two jubilees which were crowded into the space of ten years. By the avocations of the schism, by foreign arms, and popular tumults, Urban the Sixth and his three successors were often compelled to interrupt their residence in the Vatican. The Colonna and Ursini still exercised their deadly feuds the bannerets of Rome asserted and abused the privileges of a republic: the vicars of Christ, who had levied a military force, chastised their rebellion with the gibbet, the sword, and the dagger; and, in a friendly conference, eleven deputies of the people were perfidiously murdered and cast into the reet. Since the invasion of Robert the Norman, the Romans had pursued their domestic quarrels without the dangerous interposition of a stranger. But in the disorders of the schism an aspiring neighbor, Ladislaus king of Naples, alternately spported and betrayed the pope and the people; by the former he was declared gonfalonier, or general, of the church, whi the latter submitted to his choice the nomination of the

69 An epistle, or declamation, in the name of Edward III., (Baluz Vit. Pap. Avenion. tom. i. p. 553,) displays the zeal of the English nation against the Clementines. Nor was their zeal confined to words: the bishop of Norwich led a crusade of 60,000 bigots beyond e sea, (Hume's History, vol. iii. p. 57, 58.) odai visuosmoste osglad

7 Esides the general historians, the Diaries of Delphinus Gentilis, Peter Antonius, and Stephen Infessura, in the great Collection of Muratori, represent the state and misfortunes of Rome, goes off of ka

magistrates. Besieging Rome by land and water, he thrice entered the gates as a Barbarian conqueror; profaned the altars, violated the virgins, pillaged the merchants, performed his devotions at St. Peter's, and left a garrison in the castle of St. Angelo. His arms were sometimes unfortunate, and to a delay of three days he was indebted for his life and crown: but Ladislaus triumphed in his turn; and it was only his premature death that could save the metropolis and the ecclesiastical state from the ambitious conqueror, who had assumed the title, or at least the powers, of king of Rome.711 ob sete I have not undertaken the ecclesiastical history of the schisi; but Rome, the object of these last chapters, is deeply interested in the disputed succession of her sovereigns. The first counsels for the peace and union of Christendom arose from the university of Paris, from the faculty of the Sorbonne, whose doctors were esteemed, at least in the Gallican church, as the most consummate masters of theological science.72 Prudently waiving all invidious inquiry into the origin and merits of the dispute, they proposed, as a healing measure, that the two pretenders of Rome and Avignon should abdicate at the same time, after qualifying the cardinals of the adverse factions to join in a legitimate election; and that the nations should subtract 73 their obedience, if either of the competitors preferred his own interest to that of the public. At each vacancy, these physicians of the church deprecated the mischiefs of a hasty choice; but the policy of the conclave and the ambition of its members were deaf to reason and entreaties; and whatsoever promises were made, the pope could never be bound by the oaths of the cardinal. During fifteen No evicnodo todio edt,basi odi

ftw,rowoq bas

It is supposed by Giannone (tom. iii. p. 292) that he styled himself Rex Romæ, a title unknown to the world since the expulsion of Tarquin. But a nearer inspection has justified the reading of Rex Ramæ, of Rama, an obscure kingdom annexed to the crown of Hunexow yodi gary.

72 The leading and decisive part which France assumed in the schism is stated by Peter du Puis in a separate history, extracted from authentic records, and inserted in the seventh volume of the last and best editior. of his friend Thuanus, (P. xi. p. 110-184.) 2006

73 Of this measure, John Gerson, a stout doctor, was the author or the champion. The proceedings of the university of Paris and the Gallican church were often prompted by his advice, and are copiously displayed in his theological writings, of which Le Clerc (Bibliothèque Choisie, tom. x. p. 1–78) has given a valuable extract. John Gerson acted an important part in the councils of Pisa and Constance.

years, the pacific designs of the university were eluded by the arts of the rival pontiffs, the scruples or passions of their adherents, and the vicissitudes of French factions, that ruled the insanity of Charles the Sixth. At length a vigorous reso lution was embraced; and a solemn embassy, of the titular patriarch of Alexandria, two archbishops, five bishops, five abbots, three knights, and twenty doctors, was sent to the courts of Avignon and Rome, to require, in the name of the church and king, the abdication of the two pretenders, of Peter de Luna, who styled himself Benedict the Thirteenth, and of Angelo Corrario, who assumed the name of Gregory the Twelfth. For the ancient honor of Rome, and the success of their commission, the ambassadors solicited a conference with the magistrates of the city, whom they gratified by a positive declaration, that the most Christian king did not entertain a wish of transporting the holy see from the Vatican, which he considered as the genuine and proper seat of the successor of St. Peter. In the name of the senate and people, an eloquent Roman asserted their desire to cooperate in the union of the church, deplored the temporal and spiritual calamities of the long schism, and requested the protection of France against the arms of the king of Naples. The answers of Benedict and Gregory were alike edifying and alike deceitful; and, in evading the demand of their abdication, the two rivals were animated by a common spirit. They agreed on the necessity of a previous interview; but the time, the place, and the manner, could never be ascertained by mutual consent. "If the one advances," says a servant of Gregory," the other retreats; the one appears an animal fearful of the land, the other a creature apprehensive of the water. And thus, for a short remnant of life and power, will these aged priests endanger the peace and salvation of the Christian world." 74

The Christian world was at length provoked by their obsti. nacy and fraud: they were deserted by their cardinals, who embraced each other as friends and colleagues; and their revolt was supported by a numerous assembly of prelates and ambassadors. With equal justice, the council of Pisa deposed

3.74 Leonardus Brunus Aretinus, one of the revivers of classic learn ing in Italy, who, after serving many years as secretary in the Roman court, retired to the honorable office of chancellor of the republic ci Florence, (Fabric. Bibliot. Medii Evi, tom. i. p. 290.) Lenfant has given the version of this curious epistle, (Concile de Pise, tom. i. p 192-195.)

the popes of Rome and Avignon; the conclave was unani-
mous in the choice of Alexander the Fifth, and his vacan-
seat was soon filled by a similar election of John the Twenty-
third, the most profligate of mankind. But instead of extin-
guishing the schism, the rashness of the French and Italians
had given a third pretender to the chair of St. Peter. Such
new claims of the synod and conclave were disputed; three
kings, of Germany, Hungary, and Naples, adhered to the
cause of Gregory the Twelfth; and Benedict the Thirteenth,
himself a Spaniard, was acknowledged by the devotion and
patriotism of that powerful nation. The rash proceedings of
Pisa were corrected by the council of Constance; the em-
peror Sigismond acted a conspicuous part as the advocate or
protector of the Catholic church; and the number and weight
of civil and ecclesiastical members might seem to constitute
the states-general of Europe. Of the three popes, John the
Twenty-third was the first victim he fled and was brought
back a prisoner: the most scandalous charges were sup-
pressed; the vicar of Christ was only accused of piracy,
murder, rape, sodomy, and incest; and after subscribing his
own condemnation, he expiated in prison the imprudence of
trusting his person to a free city beyond the Alps. Gregory
the Twelfth, whose obedience was reduced to the narrow pre-
cincts of Rimini, descended with more honor from the throne;
and his ambassador convened the session, in which he re-
nounced the title and authority of lawful pope. To vanquish
the obstinacy of Benedict the Thirteenth or his adherents, the
emperor in person undertook a journey from Constance to
Perpignan. The kings of Castille, Arragon, Navarre, and
Scotland, obtained an equal and honorable treaty with the
concurrence of the Spaniards, Benedict was deposed by the
council; but the harmless old man was left in a solitary cas-
tle t excommunicate twice each day y the rebel kingdoms
which had deserted his cause. After thus eradicating the
remains of the schism, the synod of Constance proceeded
with slow and cautious steps to elect the sovereign of Rome
and the head of the church. O
the church. On this momentous occasion,
the college
of twenty-three cardinals was fortified with thirty
deputies; six of whom were chosen in each of the five great
nations of Christendom, the Italian, the German, the
French, the Spanish, and the English: 75 the interference

5

” I cannǝt overlook this great national cause, which was vigerously

of strangers was softened by their generous preference of an Italian and a Roman; and the hereditary, as well as personal, merit of Otho Colonna recommended him to the conclave. Rome accepted with joy and obedience the noblest of her sons; the ecclesiastical state was defended by his powerful family; and the elevation of Martin the Fifth is the era of the restoration and establishment of the popes in the Vat

The royal prerogative of coining money, which had been exercised near three hundred years by the senate, was first resumed by Martin the Fifth," and his image and superscrip

maintained by the English ambassadors against those of France. The latter contended, that Christendom was essentially distributed into the four great nations and votes, of Italy, Germany, France, and Spain; and that the lesser kingdoms (such as England, Denmark, Portugal, &c.) were comprehended under one or other of these great divisions. The English asserted, that the British islands, of which they were the head, should be considered as a fifth and coördinate nation, with an equal vote; and every argument of truth or fable was introduced to exalt the dignity of their country. Including England, Scotland, Wales, the four kingdoms of Ireland, and the Orkneys, the British Islands are decorated with eight royal crowns, and discriminated by four or five languages, English, Welsh, Cornish, Scotch, Irish, &c. The greater island from north to south measures 800 miles, or 40 lays' journey; and England alone contains 32 counties and 52,000 parish churches, (a bold account!) besides cathedrals, colleges, priories, and hospitals. They celebrate the mission of St. Joseph of Arimathea, the birth of Constantine, and the legatine powers of the two primates, without forgetting the testimony of Bartholomey de Glanville, (A. D. 1360,) who reckons only four Christian kingdoms, 1. of Rome, 2. of Constantinople, 3. of Ireland, which had been transferred to the English monarchs, and, 4. of Spain. Our countrymen prevailed in the council, but the victories of Henry V. added much weight to their arguments. The adverse pleadings were found at Constance by Sir Robert Wingfield, ambassador from Henry VIII. to the emperor Maximilian I., and by him printed in 1517 at Louvain. From a Leipsic MS. they are more correctly published in the Collection of Von der Hardt, tom. v.; but I have only seen Lenfant's abstract of these acts, (Concile de Constance, tom. fi. p. 447, 453, &c.)

76 The histories of the three successive councils, Pisa, Constance, and Basil, have been written with a tolerable degree of candor, industry, and elegance, by a Protestant minister, M. Lenfant, who retired from France to Berlin. They form six volumes in quarto; and as Basil is the worst, so Constance is the best, part of the Collection.

77

See the xxviith Dissertation of the Antiquities of Muratori, and 1st Instruction of the Science des Médailles of the Père Joubert and the Baron de la Bastie. The Metallic History of Martin V. and ais successors has been suposed by two monks, Moulinet, a French