BONI- inferior to the university of Paris, either in politeness or any FACE, other respect. Abp. Cant. The avarice of the court of Rome. Id. 859. A. D. 1253. Id. p. 864. cestrens. This year, Matthew Paris reports a remarkable instance of the avarice of the court of Rome. It seems, the bishop of Lincoln had ordered some of his clergy to compute the value of the livings held by foreigners. Upon the calculation, it was found, that the present pope, Innocent IV., had impoverished the Church more than all his predecessors put together. And that the revenues of the foreign clergy in England, who had been preferred by the court of Rome, amounted to more than seventy thousand marks per annum, which exceeded the crown revenues by at least two thirds. In the beginning of April the next year, Richard de Wich, bishop of Chichester, departed this life. He had his first academical education at Oxford, from whence he removed to Paris. From Paris he travelled to Bononia, where he made so considerable a progress in the canon law, that after seven years' study he was made one of the professors in that faculty. Upon his return, he was entertained by Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, who had a great esteem for him, and made him his chancellor; and afterwards he was chancellor of the university of Oxford. He was consecrated by the pope in 1245, and managed his office with great capacity and conduct. He had a great talent for the pulpit, where he appeared very frequently; and as for his life, it was altogether suitable to his doctrine. In short, he had the character of a very learned and holy prelate, and was canonized after his death. Upon the quindenes of Easter, there was a parliament held at London. And here the king, pressing for money to furnish him for his voyage to Gascony and the Holy Land, the archbishop of Canterbury, the bishops of Carlisle, Salisbury, and the elect of Winchester, were sent by the lords spiritual to wait on his highness. Their business was, to try to persuade him to resign to the Church those liberties he had so solemnly sworn to maintain; particularly the freedom of elections, which was the principal and fundamental privilege. For now, as the historian words it, all sees and abbeys were filled by court intrusion; and thus the Church suffered extremely both in prelates and people. The four bishops, . III. answer to who were sent with the message, told the king, that provided HENRY he would please to redress these grievances, and give them K. of Eng. the benefit of Magna Charta, they would endeavour to supply his occasions. The king replied he was much trou- 460. bled for his misconduct in this matter, and desired that The king's they would assist him in the reformation. "You remember," the bishop's says the king," that I preferred this Boniface to the highest address. station in the Church, and advanced him to the see of Canterbury. And you William of Salisbury, who were but a cursitor, cannot forget from what a slender employment you were thus promoted. And you, Silvester of Carlisle, were but an under clerk in the chancery, and entirely raised by your prince's favour, who overlooked a great many divines of merit, to make you a great man. And as for you, brother Ethelmar, it is well known what pains I took to browbeat and bribe the monks, to bring you to the noble see of Winchester; when, indeed, considering your defects in age and learning, I should rather have provided you a good preceptor. Now my lords," says he, "it concerns you no less than myself to show your repentance for your want of qualifications, and resign those promotions you have thus unjustly gained. Such an instance of integrity will never be lost upon me. Such a significant reprimand of my former partiality will put me upon my guard for the future, and prevent me from preferring any person to a bishoprick without due merit." The bishops, finding themselves somewhat embarrassed, and that there was more under the king's jest than they could well answer, told him they did not move for any retrospections, but only for security for the future. At last, after a long debate, the lords spiritual granted the king a tenth part of the revenues of the Church for three years; the first payment of which was to commence when the king, by the advice of his barons, set forward on his expedition to the Holy Land. And now the bishops proceeded to a solemn excommunication of those who broke any part of the great charters; and the king repeated his oath to keep every article without any collusion or indirect practice what soever. Paris, P. 865, 866, In August, after the recess of this session, the king set 867. sail for Gascony, and arrived at Bourdeaux. VOL. II. M m BONI About this time, pope Innocent IV. directed a bull to the Abp. Cant. bishop of Lincoln, to put him upon some service that prelate FACE, The bishop of Lincoln's pope. And did by no means like, as appears by his answer. Matthew Paris, though he does not mention the contents of the bull, takes notice, in general, that the bishop looked upon the instructions as unreasonable and unjust. The letter carries an air of great freedom and honesty, and opposes the pope's pretended plenitude of power with a plainness very unusual in this age. I shall give the reader part of it. "I desire your prudence," says the bishop, "to take notice, letter to the that I am ready to obey an apostolical order, with all the filial respect and duty imaginable: but whatever contradicts the character of apostolical instructions, I declare myself an enemy against and, that out of regard to my great ghostly father. For to both these parts of behaviour, I am bound by God Almighty's command. To apply this, the apostolical instructions must of necessity be agreeable to the doctrine of the apostles, and our blessed Saviour, who is principally represented by his holiness the pope. For, our Lord Jesus Christ has declared, he that is not with me is against me:' but the sanctity of the apostolick see is such, that it can never appear in opposition to our blessed Saviour. From hence it plainly follows, the letter above mentioned, (meaning the pope's bull) is altogether different from an apostolical character. First, because of the non-obstante, so frequently made use of, now-a-days, which has nothing of natural equity in it. Indeed this scandalous clause brings in, as it were, a deluge of mischief upon Christendom: and gives occasion to a great deal of inconstancy, breach of faith, and bold measures: it shakes the very foundation of trust and security, and makes language and letters almost insignificant. And thus, the purity of religion, and the peace of society, suffer extremely by this latitude. Besides, next to the sins of Lucifer and Antichrist, there cannot be a greater defection, or which carries a more direct opposition to the doctrine of our Saviour and his apostles, than to destroy people's souls by depriving them of the advantage of the pastoral office and yet, it is evident, those persons are guilty of this sin, who undertake the sacerdotal function, and receive the profits without discharging the duty: for, not to perform III. dam potes 461. the office of a pastor, is, in the scripture account, a downright HENRY murdering of the sheep. These two instances of misbeha- K. of Eng. viour, because they tend so strongly to the destruction of truth and virtue, and strike so directly at the happiness of mankind, may justly be called crimes of the most flaming malignity. And as in moral productions, the cause of good is better than its effect, so, in the propagation of vice, the original and source of the mischief is worse than the disorder that proceeds from it. From hence it is evident, that those who bring such unqualified persons into the Church, and debauch the hierarchy, are most to blame; and that their crimes rise in proportion to the height of their station. The holy apostolick see therefore, which has so full an authority assigned by our Saviour, 'for edification Omnimoand not for destruction,' as the apostle declares; the holy tatem. apostolick see, I say, which has her authority under this restriction, can never countenance or command so horrid and pernicious a prevarication. To attempt anything of this kind, would be a notorious abuse, if not a forfeiture of her authority: it would be straying to a lamentable distance from the throne of glory, and the representation of our blessed Saviour: instead of this, such persons may be said to be placed in the chair of pestilence, and in a manner, to sit upon the bench with the Devil and Antichrist. Neither can any person who continues in the communion of the Church, and pays a due regard to the apostolick see, obey any commands of this kind, though imposed by the most glorious angel in heaven. On the contrary, he ought to rebel, if I may call it so, against the order, and oppose it to the utmost of his power. For this reason, since the instructions above mentioned are so plain a contradiction to the catholick faith, and the sanctity of the apostolick see, I must refuse them upon the score of duty, and not comply even out of deference to the person by whom they are sent. Neither can your prudence justly put any hardship upon Filialiter et me for this non-compliance; because, properly speaking, it is obedienter no contumacy or disobedience, but a filial respect: for, to sum up all in a word, the holy apostolick see has its commission only for edification, and not for destruction. For that is the true plenitude of power which extends only to edification. But these provisions, as they call them, have a non obedio. FACE, BONI- manifest tendency to destruction. Therefore the holy Abp. Cant. apostolick see can, by no means, allow such a liberty: for to conclude, these practices are revealed by flesh and blood, which shall not inherit the kingdom of God, and not by the father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Paris, p. 870. Annal. By the bishop's mentioning provisions, it is plain his letter was directed against that abuse. These provisions were commonly made in favour of foreigners, who were unacquainted with the English language, and by consequence unqualified for their function. By the forms of salutation in this remonstrance, it looks as if the address was made to the cardinals: if this was the case, it was only to convey it more inoffensively to the pope through their hands: however, Matthew Paris and Westminster are positive it was directed to the pope. But the Annals of Burton seem to account more exactly for this matter; they inform us that this letter was sent to one Innocent, a secretary of the pope's, who had instructions to enjoin the bishop of Lincoln to institute a Roman boy to the first vacancy in his diocese. B2P But let the conveyance be immediate or not, his holiness This remon- was equally concerned in the contents. When the letter was read to him, he was terribly enraged, and broke out into a very immoderate rant. "What old doting man," says he, "is this, that has outlived his brains and his manners, and presumes to censure my conduct with so much confidence? By St. Peter and St. Paul, were it not for the restraint of my own temper, I would confound him to such a degree, make him such an example, such a prodigy of a wretch, that the world should stand amazed at his punishment. For is not his sovereign, the king of England, our vassal? nay, is he not our slave? It is but therefore signifying our pleasure to the English court, and this antiquated prelate will be immediately laid by the heels, and be put to what farther disgrace we shall think fit." 326. 328. strance highly resented by the pope. The cardinals dis suade the pope from proceeding against the bishop. When the cardinals were acquainted with the letter, they endeavoured to moderate the pope's resentment: they told him it was by no means advisable to resolve upon any rigours against the bishop; for, to speak plainly, he had advanced nothing but truth. "Sir," say they, "we must not censure him, for he is a catholick and most holy prelate; more regular and religious than ourselves. He has the fame of one of the |