[12th council of Clermont, A. D. 1095. About the end of this century the practice of difciplining one's felf was introduced; the custom of doing penance for others took place; the feafts of the four feafons were obferved; feveral councils enjoined abftinence on Fri days and Saturdays; mafs for the living was to be cele

brated but once a day, a second permitted for the dead;

the priests were enjoined penance, who, through negligence, fhould let fall the hoftiaall the faithfull were obliged to communicate at Eafter; the communion was hitherto received under both kinds; a decree was made in England against the marriage of priests, by Lanfranc, bishop of Canterbury, in a fynod held at Winchefter 1.

CENTURY THE TWELFTH.

other eccle

In this century the pope of Rome and other fiaftics attempted with great vigour to fubject to themfelves princes, and their kingdoms and ftates, urging, that the fplendor of their dignity was to that of the majefty of emperors and kings as the effulgence of the fun to the borrowed light of the moon; and therefore they demanded from crowned heads the most extravagant marks of refpect:-they then claimed the right of conferring royal dignity, and particularly prefumed to confider the imperial crown as abfolutely at their difpofal, and by the pretenders they fet up, difpofed of entire kingdoms, provinces, and countries: they excommunicated emperors, kings, and princes, on the flighteft occafions; laid their dominions under an interdict; discharged their fubjects from their fidelity, and even diffolved the facred bonds of marriage.

Laval's Hiftory of the Reformation in France.

Dupin's Church Hiftory, vol. iii. p. 121.

Laval's Dedication to the Hiftory of the Reformation in France, Walch's Hiftory of the Popes.

And

⚫ And Dupin †, much to the fame purpose, tells us, that the church of Rome was difturbed by obftinate fchifms; the popes at war with the emperors; the kings and bishops difputing about their temporal rights; the immunities of the church, and of ecclefiaftical perfons, ftrenuously oppofed, and in confequence, were as vigorously fupported by the bishops, and maintained by the decrees of councils; the church over-ftocked with monaftic and other orders of monks; fcholaftic divinity made the common study of the clergy; and the dignity of the facraments, and the external worship, were greatly affected by many prevailing herefies. The struggles and contentions betwixt the pope and the emperor were not confined to Italy and Germany alone, which were the kingdoms and dominions of the emperor; but feveral bishops in France took occafion to oppose the king; but, as they were not enough united to enter all into the fame league with the pope, the king generally carried his point §.

In England, where the king had hitherto conferred the bishopricks and abbies, Anfelm, archbishop of Canterbury, in the year 1102, in obedience to the pope's decrees, began to refuse to confecrate bishops nominated by the king. This conteft held for many years, the king, viz. Henry I. maintaining his right, and the archbishop, fupported by the pope, oppofing it: the king, in hopes to bring the pope to hear reafon, fent an ambaffador to Rome, who, provoked by the rough anfwers and menaces of the pope, declared, that his mafter would never yield up his authority, though he loft his kingdom in its defence; to which the pope, with no lefs boldness, replied, he would never fuffer the king to nominate to the benefices if he loft his head. The king, on the ambaffador's return, exerted his authority; and Anfelm, the archbishop, was obliged to quit the kingdom; nor could he return without

+ Dupin, Century XII.

§ Dupin's Preface to the twelfth Century, folio edit.

complying with the king's pleasure.—But this prince dying, and a civil war enfuing, it was easy for the clergy to introduce into England what the pope had done in his empire.

In that space of time, between the years 1122, wherein Henry renounced the inveftiture by the pope, and 1145, it became a rule almost every where in Germany, that, upon the death of a bishop, his fucceffor fhould be chofen by the chapter, and confirmed by the metropolitan; that the abbots fhould be chosen by the monks, and then confirmed by the bishop, if the monaftery were not exempted and if it were, then the pope was to be applied to for his confirmation; that the other benefices, which were de jure patronatus, should be conferred by the bishops upon the prefentation of the patron; and that all the reft fhould be at the entire difpofal of the bishop. Nevertheless, the election of the popedom came under no new regulation *.

-

However, the emperor held a right with refpect to fome churches; and the pope, unwilling to revive the old quarrel, as it were, fhared fnacks with him under various pretences. amit ist793 &

France, however, retained the royal prerogative (called the Regale) of conferring all fimple benefices vacant upon the bishops death, until a fucceffor was appointed.

But near the close of the next century we find Boniface VIII. had a sharp conteft with Philip of France, and ruined the kingdom, in great measure, by the excommunications, interdicts, &c. and, at length, deprived the king of his throne, and for fome time gave it to the emperor Albert, depriving thofe of their benefices, who held them under the king overThis proved one confiderable means of enlarging the power of the pope..

Another confiderable means of increafing the papal power was the bufinefs of tythes, firft fruits, &c. which

* Father Paul of Beneficiary Matters, p. 106.

+ Abstract from Father Paul of Beneficiary Matters, ibid.

3

was

was made to extend to fisheries, hay, wool, bees, &c. which were exacted under the feverest cenfures. And in order the better to promote their wealth and power, they revoked a law that had been made, that the church fhould reject the donations and legacies of public finners; but this obftacle was removed, and the pope and clergy endeavoured to prove thofe donations a kind of extenuations where they could not be pronounced meritorious.

The large opportunities which the court of Rome. had in their hands, of obliging by the difpofal of so many benefices, drew thither a concourfe of the clergy of all forts; of those who had no beneficies, to obtain them; and those who had, to get them exchanged for better: and this occafioned frequent abfence, they were obliged to purchase indulgence or abfence of leave from their cures.-Commendams was also another pretty. device: when an elective benefice became vacant fuch as a bishopric abby, the care of it was recommended by the fuperior to fome perfon of merit, or of intereft, till another was chose: afterwards it was given for a certain time.

But among other measures that contributed to render the pope fupreme governor of all Chriftendom, and to center the riches of the world in the treasury of the church, were the crufades or martial expeditions against infidels, especially as the clergy were fond of preaching against heretics, as they called them and their protectors. "This device," fays Mezeray," was a very fuccefsful means to aggrandize the pope; for they ordered princes to enroll themselves in thofe expeditions; they retained the fovereign command of those armies by their legates; and they became, in fome fort, lords in chief of all who went to the crufade, not only because the pope exacted obedience from them, but because they took the other under their protection till their return, which

This is farther confidered in the State of Religion in England, introductory to the Neceflity of a Reformation.

was like letters of state, and suspended all civil and criminal proceedings §."

But the greatest fupport of all this ufurpation was the eftablishment of the inquifition in Italy, and the confirmation of Gratian's collection of canon laws. Add to this the practice of canonization as an excellent means to fecure conftancy in the faith of the Romish church; to enrich the papal treasury; and to extend that power not only to the difpofal of temporal crowns and kingdoms, but even of celeftial crowns too, when it was fubfervient to their ambition or interest.

Pope Celeftine III. was a remarkable instance of this boundless ambition, who having been formerly obliged by Henry with feveral favours, was more inclinable to crown him, in order to which the young empe ror haftened to Rome with his emprefs, and they were both crowned by this holy father in an unprecidented and moft remarkable manner. The ceremony is thus related*: after the emperor had taken his oath to defend the church, and the patrimony of St. Peter, &ch the emperor and emprefs were brought into the church: and placed by the pope; and mass being folemnly ces lebrated by him, he anointed firft the emperor, using certain-folemn words, and afterwards the emprefs; then fitting down in his pontifical chair, he held the imperial crown between his feet, and the emperor kneeling and bowing down his head, and likewife the empress did. respectively receive the crown from his feet, which was no fooner on each of their heads, but the pope, with his foot, fpurned it off to the ground, in token that he had power to depofe them at his pleasure: after which, the cardinals ftanding round received the faid crown, and reverently put it upon the head, first · of the emperor and then of the emprefs, and then concluded the coronation with pomp and magnificence un

Mezeray's Life of Philip Auguftus.

Hiftory of Popery, vol. i. p. iii. p. 417, who cites Hoveden, Vignier, Baronius, Ranulphus in Polychronico, lib. vii. c. xxvi.