dal's Translation, p. 454, Edit. 1729), the following observations occur:-"The Christian Church had never been in "so deplorable a condition as in the fifteenth century. The "justice and mercy of God, and the meritorious death of "Christ, were scarce any longer the object of a Christian's faith. But the far greatest part of the people's religion was "made to consist in pilgrimages, and the worshipping of the "blessed Virgin, saints, and relics. As for the Clergy, they "made it their whole business to support themselves in that "height of grandeur and power they had attained to, several "centuries since; and to see that no man presumed to offer to dispute their immunities. Church-discipline was never more "remiss. One would have thought that the Clergy looked

upon their spiritual power and jurisdiction, but only as a "rampart to secure their temporal privileges. Provided their rights were untouched, every one might do what seemed "good in his own eyes. The authority of the Church was become the main point of Religion.

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"The Papal power had increased exceedingly every century, each Pope having endeavoured to enlarge it as much as possible. They were come at length to dispose of all the "church preferments in Christendom, and to be the supreme "judges in all causes ecclesiastical. National synods were

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quite out of doors. And, indeed, what use would they have been of, since the Court of Rome claimed the cognizance of all Church matters? In a word, the Pope was become the centre of Religion, to which every thing must needs tend. The privileges of particular Churches, the "prerogatives of sovereigns, were all annulled by the Nonob"stante clause, which was usually inserted in every Bull. “But it was not only over spirituals, that the Popes had "stretched their authority. They pretended moreover to ex"tend it over temporals, under colour that no case could hap "pen but wherein religion was concerned, Kings themselves "were not out of their reach. In all the marriages of Princes "there was occasion for the Pope's dispensation, Neither

peace nor truce of any moment was concluded without the "Pope being mediator or guarantee. Some Popes were seen "to carry their pretensions so far, as to enjoin peaces or truces "without the consent of the parties concerned. In short, it ❝ is extremely probable that they would have wholly engross "ed the temporal power as well as the spiritual, if the schisms "of the fifteenth century had not caused them to lose a great "deal of ground. The revolutions of the following century “made them lose still more. Nevertheless the Popes were be"come real Sovereigns, not only with respect to the power "they had grasped, but likewise with regard to the immense “riches which through numberless channels flowed into the ❝vast ocean of the Apostolic chamber. Tenths, first-fruits, “taxes for the use of the chamber; dispensations for all sorts of "matters, as well repugnant to the law of God, as contrary to "the canons of the Church; subsidies exacted every now “ and then from the Clergy, for the occasions of the Holy See; "crusadoes; benefices, which were seldom bestowed without a "previous bargain with the Apostolic chamber; in a word,

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simony openly practised by many Popes, some of whom "were accused and convicted, were inexhaustible fountains “from whence flowed the riches and luxury of the Court of "Rome. It was next to impossible, that purity of life and of "true religious principle, should keep itself unspotted amidst "so much grandeur and affluence, On the contrary, the Popes "were so much the more liable to make an ill use of their power, as the generality of them were not born for so high "a station. Accordingly we find in history, that Rome and "Avignon (the seats of the Popes) were the centre of pride, "avarice, luxury, sensuality, and of all the most scandalous ❝vices. The Popes were neither learned nor religious.

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Hardly was there one to be found that might pass for an ❝honest man, even according to the maxims of the world. "And yet all the preambles of their Bulls were stuffed with "expressions of their zeal, their charity, their humility, their

justice: whilst for the most part what they enjoined, was an

"authentic proof of their pride and tyranny. I do not in "the least aggravate matters. The authors which wrote "before the Reformation have said a hundred times more. "And the same has been even publicly preached before the Councils.

"We may easily imagine that such kind of Popes did not "take much care to fill what they call the sacred college, with

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persons truly pious and religious. It is true, indeed, during "this century there were Cardinals of great fame, and ❝ eminent for their wit, their eloquence, their political virtues, " and their capacity for temporal affairs. But they were for "the most part worldly-minded men, who considered religion ❝ but as a means to make their fortune. The Legates who were sent to the several states of Christendom were so many "incendiaries, who made it their business to sow discord and "division among Princes, or to spur them on to shed the "blood of their own subjects. In a word, they minded nothing but the interests of their Master and the Roman See, "making no conscience to break through all the rules of re ligion and equity, in order to compass their ends.

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"The rest of the Clergy in general were no better. Most of the Bishops were promoted to the Episcopacy, purely for having shewn themselves sticklers for the court of Rome, or "been of service to Princes in their temporal concerns. They "were persons brought up at court, and instructed in the "maxims of the world. Cruelty, injustice, dishonesty, were "but too common among them. These were even deemed as "so many virtues, when employed in the persecution of such "as they termed Heretics, especially of such as dared to " question any of the Pope's or the Clergy's pretended rights.

"As for real learning, it was scarce so much as heard of in "this century, School-divinity and skill in the canon-law, "were all that Ecclesiastics valued themselves upon. It was "the only road by which they could hope to arrive at church "dignities. On the other hand, the Monks, who had crept into most of the professorships in the universities, had over

run divinity and philosophy with such a heap of jargon, as "served only to give their disciples false notions of learning, and to teach them to wrangle.

"All Europe passionatly wished that the Church might be "reformed. Several Bishops seemed to desire the same." "Nothing was talked of in the Councils but the necessity of "going through with so noble a work. One would have even "thought that the Councils of Constance and Basil intended "to labour at it to some purpose. But the well-affected had "neither prudence nor resolution enough to withstand the "artifices and violence of the opposite party. We shall see "in the sequel, that it was the Popes, the Cardinals, and the "Chiefs of the Clergy, who opposed with all their might the "Reformation intended, because they were very sensible that "it would prove prejudicial to their temporal concerns. ❝the other hand, when a man considers with what eagerness "and animosity they laboured to root out the pretended he-, "resies, which combated the worldly grandeur of the Clergy, "he can make no other inference from thence, but that they "themselves perceived the necessity of a reformation which "they would not admit, and that the fountain of the corrup "tion was in the heads of the Church, from whence it had but "too great an influence upon the inferior Clergy."

On

After giving an account of the schism in the Popedom itself, which began in 1378, and lasted fifty years, through which period there were actually two Popes, and at one time three, RAPIN proceeds:

"This abstract, as short as it is, will enable us to guess at "the character of the Popes, who were at the head of the Church during these fifty years. They were men who "sacrificed the peace and quiet of the Church to their own "private interests, and damned without mercy, as far as lay in their power, all that were not of their party. They "would without scruple have involved all Christendom in a bloody war upon their score, if the sovereign princes had not been wiser than themselves. Surely a man cannot but

“form to himself a very melancholy idea of the state of the "Church of those days, when he considers that the Christians ❝ of both sides acknowledged for Christ's vicars, Popes whom they detested and abhorred, and who indeed were so little worthy of the station they enjoyed, that several of them "were deposed for heresy, simony, and perjury."

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After observing upon the Councils of Basil and of Pisa, he remarks upon the Council of Constance:

“The schisms manifestly tended to the dissolution of "the Papal dignity, which served for a basis and foundation "to most of the Clergy's privileges, and to the Hierarchy "itself. Castile, Arragon, Navarre, Portugal, had stood "neuter some years, without owning any of the contending "Popes. France had withdrawn her obedience from Benedict

XIII. without transferring it to Gregory XII. In a word, "the whole world in general, began to contemn their excom❝munications, which they so visibly abused. There was dan"ger, therefore, that people would learn by degrees to do "without a Pope: by which means the foundation of the "Hierarchy would have been undermined, and perhaps a new "form of government introduced into the Church. The "Cardinals and Prelates of whom the Council of Constance "was composed, were so highly concerned to avoid this in "convenience, that it is no wonder they should sacrifice all to

attain their ends. This is the true reason of their conduct. "But they took care to proceed in a very different manner, with regard to the pretended Heretics, who openly called the Clergy's privileges into question. In order to root out a -"heresy so prejudicial to them, they made use of fire and sword, rather than recede from the least of their interests.

All the world knows that JOHN HUSS and JEROME of 6 PRAGUE were burnt alive at Constance; but every body has not been at the pains to examine for what errors they suffered that rigorous punishment.They were then, and still are to this day, charged with having maintained im