INTRODUCTION. 9 sipate, ruinate, plant, and build."t And in the same bull he de- clares that " he thereby deprives the queen of her pretended right to the kingdom, and of all dominion, dignity, and privilegewhatso- ever; and absolves all the nobles, subjects, and people of the king- dom, and whoever else have sworn to her, from their oath, and all duty whatsoever, in regard of dominion, fidelity, and obedience." s Pope Clement VI. (anno 1346) pretends to depose the emperor Louis IV. Pope Clement V. (anno 1311), in the great synod of Vienna, de- clared the emperor subject to him, or standing obliged to him by a proper oath of fealty.' Pope Boniface VIII. (anno 1294) has a decree extant in the canon lawrunning thus : "We declare, say, define, pronounce it to be of necessity to salvation, for every human creature to be subject to the Roman pontiff." 4 The which subjection, according to his intent, reaches all matters; for he there challenges a double sword, and asserts to himself jurisdiction over all temporal authorities : for, "One sword," says he, " must be under another, and the tempo- ral authority must be subject to the spiritual power; whence, if the earthly power go astray, it must be judged by the spiritual power." 5 The which aphorisms he proves by scriptures admirably expounded to that purpose. This definition might pass for a rant of that boisterous pope, " a man above measure ambitious and arrogant,"6 vented in his passion against King Philip of France,* if it had not the advantage (of a Regnans in excelsis, cui data est omnis in coelo et in terra potestas, unam sanctam, catholicam et apostolicam ecclesiam, extra quam nulla est salus, uni soli in terris, vide- licet apostolorum principi Petro, Petrique successori Romano pontifici, in potestatis Plenitudine tradidit gubernandam: hunt unum super omnes gentes et omnia regna principem çonstituit, qui evellat, destruat, dissipet, disperdat, plantet, et ædificet. P. Pius V. in Bull. contra R. Eliz. (Camb. Hist., anno 1570). 2 Ipsam prætenso regni jure, net non omni quocunque dominio, dignitate, privile- gioque privamus; et iterum proceres, subditos, ' Apostolicaauctoritatede fratrumnostrorum concilio declaramus, illsjuramenta pru- dicta fidelitatis existere et censeri debere.Clemen., lib. ii. tit. 9. Vide Conc. Vienn., p. 909. 4 Subesse Romano pontifici omni humanæ creaturse declaramus, dicimus, definimus, et pronunciamusomnino esse de necessitate salutis. Extray., com. lib. i. tit. 8, cap. 1. e Oportet gladium esse sub gladio, et temporalem authoritatem spirituali subjici po- testati.lbid. Ergo si deviat terrennapotestas judicabitur a potestate spirituali.Ibid. ' Vir super modum ambitiosus et arrogans.Binius in Vita Bonif..VIII. ° Boniface V11I. was one of themost flagitious of men, as well as the most ambitious of tyrants. His high -sounding language towards Philip ofFrance may no doubt " pass for a rant," as our author terms it; but, not to speak of the infallibilityascribed to the popes, which must, in the estimation of the Roman church, stamp even their ranting with authority, we cannot impute to a mere transient burst of " passion" the bull which he launched against Philip, inwhich he excommunicated him by name, absolved his subjects from allegiance, and laid his kingdom under an interdict, offering it at the same time to the Emperor of Austria. That bull was approved by all the cardinals. Boniface was a fair type of the pretensions of the Romish see. He spoke out, in his insolent audacity, what others, with more caation or timidity, concealed. He certainly
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