——Cujus solum amissas post sæcula multaPannonias revocavit iter, jam credere promptum est.Quid faciet bellis.
——Cujus solum amissas post sæcula multaPannonias revocavit iter, jam credere promptum est.Quid faciet bellis.
——Cujus solum amissas post sæcula multa
Pannonias revocavit iter, jam credere promptum est.
Quid faciet bellis.
The Poet means, that by the coming ofAvitustheHunnsyielded more easily to theGoths. This was written bySidoniusin the beginning of the reign ofAvitus: and his reign began in the end of the year 455, and lasted not one full year.
Jornandestells us:Duodecimo anno regni Valiæ, quando & Hunni post pene quinquaginta annos invasa Pannonia, à Romanis & Gothis expulsi sunt.AndMarcellinus:Hierio & Ardaburio Coss. Pannoniæ, quæ per quinquaginta annos ab Hunnis retinebantur, à Romanis receptæ sunt: whence it should seem that theHunnsinvaded and heldPannoniafrom the year 378 or 379 to the year 427, and then were driven out of it. But this is a plain mistake: for it is certain that the EmperorTheodosiusleft the Empire entire; and we have shewed out ofProsper, that theHunnswere in quiet possession ofPannoniain the year 432. TheVisigothsin those days had nothing to do withPannonia, and theOstrogothscontinued subject to theHunnstill the death ofAttila, A.C. 454; andValiaKing of theVisigothsdid not reign twelve years. He began his reign in the end of the year 415, reigned three years, and was slain A.C. 419, asIdacius,Isidorus, and theSpanishmanuscript Chronicles seen byGrotiustestify. AndOlympiodorus, who carries his history only to the year 425, sets down therein the death ofValiaKing of theVisigoths, and conjoins it with that ofConstantiuswhich happened A.C. 420. Wherefore theValiaofJornandes, who reigned at the least twelve years, is some other King. And I suspect that this name hath been put by mistake forValamirKing of theOstrogoths: for the action recorded was of theRomansandOstrogothsdriving theHunnsout ofPannoniaafter the death ofAttila; and it is not likely that the historian would refer the history of theOstrogothsto the years of theVisigothicKings. This action happened in the end of the year 455, which I take to be the twelfth year ofValamirinPannonia, and which was almost fifty years after the year 406, in which theHunnssucceeded theVandalsandAlansinPannonia. Upon the ceasing of the line ofHunnimundthe son ofHermaneric, theOstrogothslived without Kings of their own nation about forty years together, being subject to theHunns. And whenAlaricbegan to make war upon theRomans, which was in the year 444, he madeValamir, with his brothersTheodomirandVidemirthe grandsons ofVinethar, captains or kings of theseOstrogothsunder him. In the twelfth year ofValamir's reign dated from thence, theHunnswere driven out ofPannonia.
Yet theHunnswere not so ejected, but that they had further contests with theRomans, till the head ofDenfixthe son ofAttila, was carried toConstantinople, A.C. 469, in the Consulship ofZenoandMarcian, asMarcellinusrelates. Nor were they yet totally ejected the Empire: for besides their reliques inPannonia,Sigoniustells us, that when the EmperorsMarcianandValentiniangrantedPannoniato theGoths, which was in the year 454, they granted part ofIllyricumto some of theHunnsandSarmatians. And in the year 526, when theLombardsremoving intoPannoniamade war there with theGepides, theAvares, a part of theHunns, who had taken the name ofAvaresfrom one of their Kings, assisted theLombardsin that war; and theLombardsafterwards, when they went intoItaly, left their seats inPannoniato theAvaresin recompence of their friendship. From that time theHunnsgrew again very powerful; their Kings, whom they calledChagan, troubling the Empire much in the reigns of the EmperorsMauritius,Phocas, andHeraclius: and this is the original of the present kingdom ofHungary, which from theseAvaresand otherHunnsmixed together, took the name ofHun-Avaria, and by contractionHungary.
9. TheLombards, before they came over theDanube, were commanded by two captains,IborandAyon: after whose death they had Kings,Agilmund,Lamisso,Lechu,Hildehoc,Gudehoc,Classo,Tato,Wacho,Walter,Audoin,Alboin,Cleophis, &c.Agilmundwas the son ofAyon, who became their King, according toProsper, in the Consulship ofHonoriusandTheodosiusA.C. 389, reigned thirty three years, according toPaulus Warnefridus, and was slain in battle by theBulgarians.Prosperplaces his death in the Consulship ofMarinianusandAsclepiodorus, A.C. 413.Lamissorouted theBulgarians, and reigned three years, andLechualmost forty.Gudehocwas contemporary toOdoacerKing of theHeruliinItaly, and led his people fromPannoniaintoRugia, a country on the north side ofNoricumnext beyond theDanube; from whenceOdoacerthen carried his people intoItaly.Tatooverthrew the kingdom of theHerulibeyond theDanube.Wachoconquered theSuevians, a kingdom then bounded on the east byBavaria, on the west byFrance, and on the south by theBurgundians.Audoinreturned intoPannoniaA.C. 526, and there overcame theGepides.AlboinA.C. 551 overthrew the kingdom of theGepides, and slew their KingChunnimund: A.C. 563 he assisted theGreekEmperor againstTotilaKing of theOstrogothsinItaly; and A.C. 568 led his people out ofPannoniaintoLombardy, where they reigned till the year 774.
According toPaulus Diaconus, theLombardswith many otherGothicnations came into the Empire from beyond theDanubein the reign ofArcadiusandHonorius, that is, between the years 395 and 408. But they might come in a little earlier: for we are told that theLombards, under their captainsIborandAyon, beat theVandalsin battle; andProsperplaceth this victory in the Consulship ofAusoniusandOlybrius, that is, A.C. 379. Before this war theVandalshad remained quiet forty years in the seats granted them inPannoniabyConstantinethe great. And therefore if these were the sameVandals, this war must have been inPannonia; and might be occasioned by the coming of theLombardsover theDanubeintoPannonia, a year or two before the battle; and so have put an end to that quiet which had lasted forty years. AfterGratianandTheodosiushad quieted theBarbarians, they might either retire over theDanube, or continue quiet under theRomanstill the death ofTheodosius; and then either invade the Empire anew, or throw off all subjection to it. By their wars, first with theVandals, and then with theBulgarians, aScythiannation so called from the riverVolgawhence they came; it appears that even in those days they were a kingdom not contemptible.
10. These nine kingdoms being rent away, we are next to consider the residue of theWestern Empire. While this Empire continued entire, it was the Beast itself: but the residue thereof is only a part of it. Now if this part be considered as a horn, the reign of this horn may be dated from the translation of the imperial seat fromRometoRavenna, which was inOctoberA.C. 408. For then the EmperorHonorius, fearing thatAlaricwould besiege him inRome, if he staid there, retired toMillain, and thence toRavenna: and the ensuing siege and sacking ofRomeconfirmed his residence there, so that he and his successors ever after made it their home. AccordinglyMacchiavelin hisFlorentinehistory writes, thatValentinianhaving leftRome, translated the seat of the Empire toRavenna.
Rhætiabelonged to theWesternEmperors, so long as that Empire stood; and then it descended, withItalyand theRomanSenate, toOdoacerKing of theHeruliinItaly, and after him toTheodericKing of theOstrogothsand his successors, by the grant of theGreekEmperors. Upon the death ofValentinianthe second, theAlemansandSueviansinvadedRhætiaA.C. 455. But I do not find they erected any settled kingdom there: for in the year 457, while they were yet depopulatingRhætia, they were attacked and beaten byBurtoMaster of the horse to the EmperorMajoranus; and I hear nothing more of their invadingRhætia.ClodovæusKing ofFrance, in or about the year 496, conquered a kingdom of theAlemans, and slew their last KingErmeric. But this kingdom was seated inGermany, and only bordered uponRhætia: for its people fled fromClodovæusinto the neighbouring kingdom of theOstrogothsunderTheoderic, who received them as friends, and wrote a friendly letter toClodovæusin their behalf: and by this means they became inhabitants ofRhætia, as subjects under the dominion of theOstrogoths.
When theGreekEmperor conquered theOstrogoths, he succeeded them in the kingdom ofRavenna, not only by right of conquest but also by right of inheritance, theRomanSenate still going along with this kingdom. Therefore we may reckon that this kingdom continued in the Exarchate ofRavennaand Senate ofRome: for the remainder of theWestern Empirewent along with the Senate ofRome, by reason of the right which this Senate still retained, and at length exerted, of chusing a newWesternEmperor.
I have now enumerated the ten kingdoms, into which theWestern Empirebecame divided at its first breaking, that is, at the time ofRome's being besieged and taken by theGoths. Some of these kingdoms at length fell, and new ones arose: but whatever was their number afterwards, they are still called theTen Kingsfrom their first number.
[1]Apud Bucherum, l. 14. c. 9. n. 8.[2]Rolevinc's Antiqua Saxon. l. 1. c. 6.
[1]Apud Bucherum, l. 14. c. 9. n. 8.
[2]Rolevinc's Antiqua Saxon. l. 1. c. 6.
Of the eleventh horn ofDaniel's fourth Beast.
[1]Now Daniel, considered the horns, and behold there came up among them another horn, before whom there were three of the first horns pluckt up by the roots; and behold in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things,—and[2]hislook was more stout than his fellows,—and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them: and one who stood by, and madeDanielknow the interpretation of these things, told him, that[3]the ten horns were ten kings that should arise, and another should arise after them, and be diverse from the first, and he should subdue three kings,[4]and speak great words against the most High, and wear out the saints, and think to change times and laws: and that they should be given into his hands until a time and times and half a time. Kings are put for kingdoms, as above; and therefore the little horn is a little kingdom. It was a horn of the fourth Beast, and rooted up three of his first horns; and therefore we are to look for it among the nations of theLatinEmpire, after the rise of the ten horns. But it was a kingdom of a different kind from the other ten kingdoms, having a life or soul peculiar to itself, with eyes and a mouth. By its eyes it was a Seer; and by its mouth speaking great things and changing times and laws, it was a Prophet as well as a King. And such a Seer, a Prophet and a King, is the Church ofRome.
A Seer,Επισκοπος, is a Bishop in the literal sense of the word; and this Church claims the universal Bishoprick.
With his mouth he gives laws to kings and nations as an Oracle; and pretends to Infallibility, and that his dictates are binding to the whole world; which is to be a Prophet in the highest degree.
In the eighth century, by rooting up and subduing the Exarchate ofRavenna, the kingdom of theLombards, and the Senate and Dukedom ofRome, he acquiredPeter's Patrimony out of their dominions; and thereby rose up as a temporal Prince or King, or horn of the fourth Beast.
In a small book printed atParisA.C. 1689, entitled,An historical dissertation upon some coins ofCharlesthe great,Ludovicus Pius,Lotharius, and their successors stamped atRome, it is recorded, that in the days of PopeLeoX, there was remaining in theVatican, and till those days exposed to public view, an inscription in honour ofPipinthe father ofCharlesthe great, in these words:Pipinum pium, primum fuisse qui amplificandæ Ecclesiæ Romanæ viam aperuerit, Exarchatu Ravennate, & plurimis aliis oblatis; "ThatPipinthe pious was the first who opened a way to the grandeur of the Church ofRome, conferring upon her the Exarchate ofRavennaand many other oblations." In and before the reign of the EmperorsGratianandTheodosius, the Bishop ofRomelived splendidly; but this was by the oblations of theRomanLadies, asAmmianusdescribes. After those reignsItalywas invaded by foreign nations, and did not get rid of her troubles before the fall of the kingdom ofLombardy. It was certainly by the victory of the see ofRomeover theGreekEmperor, the King ofLombardy, and the Senate ofRome, that she acquiredPeter's Patrimony, and rose up to her greatness. The donation ofConstantinethe Great is a fiction, and so is the donation of theAlpes Cottiæto the Pope byAripertKing of theLombards: for theAlpes Cottiæwere a part of the Exarchate, and in the days ofAripertbelonged to theGreekEmperor.
The invocation of the dead, and veneration of their images, being gradually introduced in the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th centuries, theGreekEmperorPhilippicusdeclared against the latter, A.C. 711 or 712. And[5]the EmperorLeo Isaurus, to put a stop to it, called a meeting of Counsellors and Bishops in his Palace, A.C. 726; and by their advice put out an Edict against that worship, and wrote to PopeGregoryII. that a general Council might be called. But the Pope thereupon called a Council atRome, confirmed the worship of Images, excommunicated theGreekEmperor, absolved the people from their allegiance, and forbad them to pay tribute, or otherwise be obedient to him. Then the people ofRome,Campania,RavennaandPentapolis, with the cities under them, revolted and laid violent hands upon their magistrates, killing the ExarchPaulatRavenna, and laying asidePeterDuke ofRomewho was become blind: and whenExhileratusDuke ofCampaniaincited the people against the Pope, theRomansinvadedCampania, and slew him with his sonHadrian. Then a new Exarch,Eutychius, coming toNaples, sent some secretly to take away the lives of the Pope and the Nobles ofRome: but the plot being discovered, theRomansrevolted absolutely from theGreekEmperor, and took an oath to preserve the life of the Pope, to defend his state, and be obedient to his authority in all things. ThusRomewith its Duchy, including part ofTuscanyand part ofCampania, revolted in the year 726, and became a free state under the government of the Senate of this city. The authority of the Senate in civil affairs was henceforward absolute, the authority of the Pope extending hitherto no farther than to the affairs of the Church only.
At that time[6]theLombardsalso being zealous for the worship of images, and pretending to favour the cause of the Pope, invaded the cities of the Exarchate: and at length,viz.A.C. 752, tookRavenna, and put an end to the Exarchate. And this was the first of the three kingdoms which fell before the little horn.
In the year 751[7]PopeZecharydeposedChilderic, a slothful and useless King ofFrance, and the last of the race ofMerovæus; and absolving his subjects from their oath of allegiance, gave the kingdom toPipinthe major of the Palace; and thereby made a new and potent friend. His successor[8]PopeStephenIII, knowing better how to deal with theGreekEmperor than with theLombards, went the next year to the King of theLombards, to persuade him to return the Exarchate to the Emperor. But this not succeeding, he went intoFrance, and persuadedPipinto take the Exarchate andPentapolisfrom theLombards, and give it to St.Peter. AccordinglyPipinA.C. 754 came with an army intoItaly, and madeAistulphusKing of theLombardspromise the surrender: but the next yearAistulphus, on the contrary, to revenge himself on the Pope, besieged the city ofRome. Whereupon the Pope sent letters toPipin, wherein he told him that if he came not speedily against theLombards,pro data sibi potentia, alienandum fore à regno Dei & vita æterna, he should be excommunicated.Pipintherefore, fearing a revolt of his subjects, and being indebted to the Church ofRome, came speedily with an army intoItaly, raised the siege, besieged theLombardsinPavia, and forced them to surrender the Exarchate and region ofPentapolisto the Pope for a perpetual possession. Thus the Pope became Lord ofRavenna, and the Exarchate, some few cities excepted; and the keys were sent toRome, and laid upon the confession of St.Peter, that is, upon his tomb at the high Altar,in signum veri perpetuique dominii, sed pietate Regis gratuita, as the inscription of a coin ofPipinhath it. This was in the year of Christ 755. And henceforward the Popes being temporal Princes, left off in their Epistles and Bulls to note the years of theGreekEmperors, as they had hitherto done.
After this[9]theLombardsinvading the Pope's countries, PopeAdriansent toCharlesthe great, the son and successor ofPipin, to come to his assistance. AccordinglyCharlesenteredItalywith an army, invaded theLombards, overthrew their kingdom, became master of their countries, and restored to the Pope, not only what they had taken from him, but also the rest of the Exarchate which they had promisedPipinto surrender to him, but had hitherto detained; and also gave him some cities of theLombards, and was in return himself madePatriciusby theRomans, and had the authority of confirming the elections of the Popes conferred upon him. These things were done in the years 773 and 774. This kingdom of theLombardswas the second kingdom which fell before the little horn. ButRome, which was to be the seat of his kingdom, was not yet his own.
In the year 796,[10]LeoIII being made Pope, notified his election toCharlesthe great by his Legates, sending to him for a present, the golden keys of the Confession ofPeter, and the Banner of the city ofRome: the first as an acknowledgment of the Pope's holding the cities of the Exarchate andLombardyby the grant ofCharles; the other as a signification thatCharlesshould come and subdue the Senate and people ofRome, as he had done the Exarchate and the kingdom of theLombards. For the Pope at the same time desiredCharlesto send some of his Princes toRome, who might subject theRomanpeople to him, and bind them by oathin fide & subjectione, in fealty and subjection, as his words are recited bySigonius. An anonymous Poet, publish'd byBoeclerusatStrasburg, expresseth it thus:
Admonuitque piis precibus, qui mittere velletEx propriis aliquos primoribus, ac sibi plebemSubdere Romanam, servandaque fœdera cogensHanc fidei sacramentis promittere magnis.
Admonuitque piis precibus, qui mittere velletEx propriis aliquos primoribus, ac sibi plebemSubdere Romanam, servandaque fœdera cogensHanc fidei sacramentis promittere magnis.
Admonuitque piis precibus, qui mittere vellet
Ex propriis aliquos primoribus, ac sibi plebem
Subdere Romanam, servandaque fœdera cogens
Hanc fidei sacramentis promittere magnis.
Hence arose a misunderstanding between the Pope and the city: and theRomansabout two or three years after, by assistance of some of the Clergy, raised such tumults against him, as gave occasion to a new state of things in all theWest. For two of the Clergy accused him of crimes, and theRomanswith an armed force, seized him, stript him of his sacerdotal habit, and imprisoned him in a monastery. But by assistance of his friends he made his escape, and fled intoGermanytoCharlesthe great, to whom he complained of theRomansfor acting against him out of a design to throw off all authority of the Church, and to recover their antient freedom. In his absence his accusers with their forces ravaged the possessions of the Church, and sent the accusations toCharles; who before the end of the year sent the Pope back toRomewith a large retinue. The Nobles and Bishops ofFrancewho accompanied him, examined the chief of his accusers atRome, and sent them intoFrancein custody. This was in the year 799. The next yearCharleshimself went toRome, and upon a day appointed presided in a Council ofItalianandFrenchBishops to hear both parties. But when the Pope's adversaries expected to be heard, the Council declared[11]that he who was the supreme judge of all men, was above being judged by any other than himself: whereupon he made a solemn declaration of his innocence before all the people, and by doing so was looked upon as acquitted.
Soon after, uponChristmas-day, the people ofRome, who had hitherto elected their Bishop, and reckoned that they and their Senate inherited the rights of the antient Senate and people ofRome, votedCharlestheir Emperor, and subjected themselves to him in such manner as the oldRomanEmpire and their Senate were subjected to the oldRomanEmperors. The Pope crowned him, and anointed him with holy oil, and worshipped him on his knees after the manner of adoring the oldRomanEmperors; as the aforesaid Poet thus relates:
Post laudes igitur dictas & summus eundemPræsul adoravit, sicut mos debitus olimPrincipibus fuit antiquis.
Post laudes igitur dictas & summus eundemPræsul adoravit, sicut mos debitus olimPrincipibus fuit antiquis.
Post laudes igitur dictas & summus eundem
Præsul adoravit, sicut mos debitus olim
Principibus fuit antiquis.
The Emperor, on the other hand, took the following oath to the Pope:In nomine Christi spondeo atque polliceor, Ego Carolus Imperator coram Deo & beato Petro Apostolo, me protectorem ac defensorem fore hujus sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ in omnibus utilitatibus, quatenùs divino fultus fuero adjutorio, prout sciero poteroque. The Emperor was also made Consul ofRome, and his sonPipincrowned King ofItaly: and henceforward the Emperor stiled himself:Carolus serenissimus, Augustus, à Deo coronatus, magnus, pacificus, Romæ gubernans imperium, orImperator Romanorum; and was prayed for in the Churches ofRome. His image was henceforward put upon the coins ofRome: while the enemies of the Pope, to the number of three hundredRomansand two or three of the Clergy, were sentenced to death. The three hundredRomanswere beheaded in one day in theLateranfields: but the Clergymen at the intercession of the Pope were pardoned, and banished intoFrance. And thus the title ofRomanEmperor, which had hitherto been in theGreekEmperors, was by this act transferred in theWestto the Kings ofFrance.
After these things[12]Charlesgave the City and Duchy ofRometo the Pope, subordinately to himself as Emperor of theRomans; spent the winter in ordering the affairs ofRome, and those of the Apostolic see, and of allItaly, both civil and ecclesiastical, and in making new laws for them; and returned the next summer intoFrance: leaving the city under its Senate, and both under the Pope and himself. But hearing that his new laws were not observed by the judges in dictating the law, nor by the people in hearing it; and that the great men took servants from free men, and from the Churches and Monasteries, to labour in their vineyards, fields, pastures and houses, and continued to exact cattle and wine of them, and to oppress those that served the Churches: he wrote to his sonPipinto remedy these abuses, to take care of the Church, and see his laws executed.
Now the Senate and people and principality ofRomeI take to be the third King the little horn overcame, and even the chief of the three. For this people elected the Pope and the Emperor; and now, by electing the Emperor and making him Consul, was acknowledged to retain the authority of the oldRomanSenate and people. This city was the Metropolis of the oldRomanEmpire, represented inDanielby the fourth Beast; and by subduing the Senate and people and Duchy, it became the Metropolis of the little horn of that Beast, and completedPeter's Patrimony, which was the kingdom of that horn. Besides, this victory was attended with greater consequences than those over the other two Kings. For it set up theWestern Empire, which continues to this day. It set up the Pope above the judicature of theRomanSenate, and above that of a Council ofItalianandFrenchBishops, and even above all human judicature; and gave him the supremacy over theWesternChurches and their Councils in a high degree. It gave hima look more stout than his fellows; so that when this new religion began to be established in the minds of men, he grappled not only with Kings, but even with theWesternEmperor himself. It is observable also, that the custom of kissing the Pope's feet, an honour superior to that of Kings and Emperors, began about this time. There are some instances of it in the ninth century:Platinatells us, that the feet of PopeLeoIV were kissed, according to antient custom, by all who came to him: and some say thatLeoIII began this custom, pretending that his hand was infected by the kiss of a woman. The Popes began also about this time to canonize saints, and to grant indulgences and pardons: and some represent thatLeoIII was the first author of all these things. It is further observable, thatCharlesthe great, between the years 775 and 796, conquered allGermanyfrom theRhineandDanubenorthward to theBalticsea, and eastward to the riverTeis; extending his conquests also intoSpainas far as the riverEbro: and by these conquests he laid the foundation of the new Empire; and at the same time propagated theRomanCatholic religion into all his conquests, obliging theSaxonsandHunnswho were heathens, to receive theRomanfaith, and distributing his northern conquests into Bishopricks, granting tithes to the Clergy andPeter-penceto the Pope: by all which the Church ofRomewas highly enlarged, enriched, exalted, and established.
In the forementioneddissertation upon some coins ofCharlesthe great,Ludovicus Pius,Lotharius, and their successors, stamped atRome, there is a draught of a piece ofMosaicwork which PopeLeoIII. caused to be made in his Palace near the Church ofJohn Lateran, in memory of his sending the standard or banner of the city ofRomecuriously wrought, toCharlesthe great; and which still remained there at the publishing of the said book. In theMosaicwork there appearedPeterwith three keys in his lap, reaching thePalliumto the Pope with his right hand, and the banner of the city toCharlesthe great with his left. By the Pope was this inscription, SCISSIMUS D.N. LEO PP; by the King this, D.N. CARVLO REGI; and under the feet ofPeterthis, BEATE PETRE, DONA VITAM LEONI PP, ET BICTORIAM CARVLO REGI DONA. This Monument gives the title of King toCharles, and therefore was erected before he was Emperor. It was erected whenPeterwas reaching thePalliumto the Pope, and the Pope was sending the banner of the city toCharles, that is, A.C. 796. The words above,Sanctissimus Dominus noster Leo Papa Domino nostro Carolo Regi, relate to the message; and the words below,Beate Petre, dona vitam Leoni Papæ & victoriam Carolo regi dona, are a prayer that in this undertaking God would preserve the life of the Pope, and give victory to the King over theRomans. The three keys in the lap ofPetersignify the keys of the three parts of his Patrimony, that ofRomewith its Duchy, which the Pope claimed and was conquering, those ofRavennawith the Exarchate, and of the territories taken from theLombards; both which he had newly conquered. These were the three dominions, whose keys were in the lap of St.Peter, and whose Crowns are now worn by the Pope, and by the conquest of which he became the little horn of the fourth Beast. ByPeter's giving thePalliumto the Pope with his right hand, and the banner of the city to the King with his left, and by naming the Pope before the King in the inscription, may be understood that the Pope was then reckoned superior in dignity to the Kings of the earth.
After the death ofCharlesthe great, his son and successorLudovicus Pius, at the request of the Pope,[13]confirmed the donations of his grandfather and father to the see ofRome. And in the confirmation he names firstRomewith its Duchy extending intoTuscanyandCampania; then the Exarchate ofRavenna, withPentapolis; and in the third place, the territories taken from theLombards. These are his three conquests, and he was to hold them of the Emperor for the use of the Churchsub integritate, entirely, without the Emperor's medling therewith, or with the jurisdiction or power of the Pope therein, unless called thereto in certain cases. This ratification the EmperorLudovicusmade under an oath: and as the King of theOstrogoths, for acknowledging that he held his kingdom ofItalyof theGreekEmperor, stamped the effigies of the Emperor on one side of his coins and his own on the reverse; so the Pope made the like acknowledgment to theWesternEmperor. For the Pope began now to coin money, and the coins ofRomeare henceforward found with the heads of the Emperors,Charles,Ludovicus Pius,Lotharius, and their successors, on the one side, and the Pope's inscription on the reverse, for many years.
[1]Chap. vii. 8.[2]Ver. 20, 21.[3]Ver. 24.[4]Ver. 25.[5]Sigonius de Regno Italiæ, ad Ann. 726.[6]Sigonius ib. ad Ann. 726, 752.[7]Sigon. ib. Ann. 750.[8]Sigon. ib. Ann. 753, 754, 755.[9]Sigon. ib. Ann. 773.[10]Sigon. de Regno Ital. ad Ann. 796.[11]Vide Anastasium.[12]Sigon. de Regno Ital.[13]Confirmationem recitat Sigonius, lib. 4. de Regno Italiæ, ad An. 817.
[1]Chap. vii. 8.
[2]Ver. 20, 21.
[3]Ver. 24.
[4]Ver. 25.
[5]Sigonius de Regno Italiæ, ad Ann. 726.
[6]Sigonius ib. ad Ann. 726, 752.
[7]Sigon. ib. Ann. 750.
[8]Sigon. ib. Ann. 753, 754, 755.
[9]Sigon. ib. Ann. 773.
[10]Sigon. de Regno Ital. ad Ann. 796.
[11]Vide Anastasium.
[12]Sigon. de Regno Ital.
[13]Confirmationem recitat Sigonius, lib. 4. de Regno Italiæ, ad An. 817.
Of the power of the eleventh horn ofDaniel's fourth Beast, to change times and laws.
In the reign of theGreekEmperorJustinian, and again in the reign ofPhocas, the Bishop ofRomeobtained some dominion over theGreekChurches, but of no long continuance. His standing dominion was only over the nations of theWestern Empire, represented byDaniel's fourth Beast. And this jurisdiction was set up by the following Edict of the EmperorsGratianandValentinian.—[1]Volumus ut quicunque judicio Damasi, quod ille cum Concilio quinque vel septem habuerit Episcoporum, vel eorum qui Catholici sunt judicio vel Concilio condemnatus fuerit, si juste voluerit Ecclesiam retentare, ut qui ad sacerdotale judicium per contumeliam non ivisset: ut ab illustribus viris Præfectis Prætorio Galliæ atque Italiæ, authoritate adhibitâ, ad Episcopale judicium remittatur, sive à Consularibus vel Vicariis, ut ad Urbem Romam sub prosecutione perveniat. Aut si in longinquioribus partibus alicujus ferocitas talis emerserit, omnis ejus causæ edictio ad Metropolitæ in eadem Provincia Episcopi deduceretur examen. Vel si ipse Metropolitanus est, Romam necessariò, vel ad eos quos Romanus Episcopus judices dederit, sine delatione contendat.——Quod si vel Metropolitani Episcopi vel cujuscunque sacerdotis iniquitas est suspecta, aut gratia; ad Romanum Episcopum, vel ad Concilium quindecim finitimorum Episcoporum accersitum liceat provocare; modo ne post examen habitum, quod definitum fuerit, integretur. This Edict wanting the name of bothValensandTheodosiusin the Title, was made in the time between their reigns, that is, in the end of the year 378, or the beginning of 379. It was directed to thePræfecti Prætorio Italiæ & Galliæ, and therefore was general. For thePræfectus Prætorio ItaliægovernedItaly,Illyricum occidentaleandAfrica; and thePræfectus Prætorio GalliægovernedGallia,Spain, andBritain.
The granting of this jurisdiction to the Pope gave several Bishops occasion to write to him for his resolutions upon doubtful cases, whereupon he answered by decretal Epistles; and henceforward he gave laws to theWesternChurches by such Epistles.HimeriusBishop ofTarraco, the head city of a province inSpain, writing to PopeDamasusfor his direction about certain Ecclesiastical matters, and the Letter not arriving atRometill after the death ofDamasus, A.C. 384; his successorSiriciusanswered the same with a legislative authority, telling him of one thing:Cum hoc fieri—missa ad Provincias à venerandæ memoriæ prædecessore meo Liberio generalia decreta, prohibeant. Of another:Noverint se ab omni ecclesiastico honore, quo indignè usi sunt, Apostolicæ Sedis auctoritate, dejectos. Of another:Scituri posthac omnium Provinciarum summi Antistites, quod si ultrò ad sacros ordines quenquam de talibus esse assumendum, & de suo & de aliorum statu, quos contra Canones & interdicta nostra provexerint, congruam ab Apostolica Sede promendam esse sententiam. And the Epistle he concludes thus:Explicuimus, ut arbitror, frater charissime, universa quæ digesta sunt in querelam; & ad singulas causas, de quibus ad Romanam Ecclesiam, utpote ad caput tui corporis, retulisti; sufficientia, quantum opinor, responsa reddidimus. Nunc fraternitatis tuæ animum ad servandos canones, & tenenda decretalia constituta, magis ac magis incitamus: ad hæc quæ ad tua consulta rescripsimus in omnium Coepiscoporum perferri facias notionem; & non solum corum, qui in tua sunt diœcesi constituti, sed etiam ad universos Carthaginenses ac Bœticos, Lusitanos atque[2]Gallicos, vel eos qui vicinis tibi collimitant hinc inde Provinciis, hæc quæ a nobis sunt salubri ordinatione disposita, sub literarum tuarum prosecutione mittantur. Et quanquam statuta sedis Apostolicæ vel Canonum venerabilia definita, nulli Sacerdotum Domini ignorare sit liberum: utilius tamen, atque pro antiquitate sacerdotii tui, dilectioni tuæ esse admodùm poterit gloriosum, si ea quæ ad te speciali nomine generaliter scripta sunt, per unanimitatis tuæ sollicitudinem in universorum fratrum nostrorum notitiam perferantur; quatenus & quæ à nobis non inconsultè sed providè sub nimia cautela & deliberatione sunt salubriter constituta, intemerata permaneant, & omnibus in posterum excusationibus aditus, qui jam nulli apud nos patere poterit, obstruatur. Dat. 3 Id. Febr. Arcadio & Bautone viris clarissimis Consulibus, A.C. 385. PopeLiberiusin the reign ofJovianorValentinianI. sent general Decrees to the Provinces, ordering that theAriansshould not be rebaptized: and this he did in favour of the Council ofAlexandria, that nothing more should be required of them than to renounce their opinions. PopeDamasusis said to have decreed in aRomanCouncil, thatTithesandTenthsshould be paid upon pain of anAnathema; and thatGlory be to the Father, &c. should be said or sung at the end of thePsalms. But the first decretal Epistle now extant is this ofSiriciustoHimerius; by which the Pope madeHimeriushis Vicar over allSpainfor promulging his Decrees, and seeing them observed. The Bishop ofSevillwas also the Pope's Vicar sometimes; forSimpliciuswrote thus toZenoBishop of that place:Talibus idcirco gloriantes indiciis, congruum duximus vicariâ Sedis nostræ te auctoritate fulciri: cujus vigore munitus, Apostolicæ institutionis Decreta, vel sanctorum terminos Patrum, nullatenus transcendi permittas. And PopeHormisda[3]made the Bishop ofSevillhis Vicar overBœticaandLusitania, and the Bishop ofTarracohis Vicar over all the rest ofSpain, as appears by his Epistles to them.
PopeInnocentthe first, in his decretal Epistle toVictriciusBishop ofRoueninFrance, A.C. 404, in pursuance of the Edict ofGratian, made this Decree:Si quæ autem causæ vel contentiones inter Clericos tam superioris ordinis quam etiam inferioris fuerint exortæ; ut secundum Synodum Nicenam congregatis ejusdem Provinciæ Episcopis jurgium terminetur: nec alicui liceat,[4]Romanæ Ecclesiæ, cujus in omnibus causis debet reverentia custodiri, relictis his sacerdotibus, qui in eadem Provincia Dei Ecclesiam nutu Divino gubernant, ad alias convolare Provincias. Quod siquis fortè præsumpserit; & ab officio Clericatûs summotus, & injuriarum reus judicetur. Si autem majores causæ in medium fuerint devolutæ, ad Sedem Apostolicam sicut Synodus statuit, & beata consuetudo exigit, post judicium Episcopale referantur. By these Letters it seems to me thatGalliawas now subject to the Pope, and had been so for some time, and that the Bishop ofRouenwas then his Vicar or one of them: for the Pope directs him to refer the greater causes to the See ofRome, according to custom. But the Bishop ofArlessoon after became the Pope's Vicar over allGallia: for PopeZosimus, A.C. 417, ordaining that none should have access to him without the credentials of his Vicars, conferred uponPatroclusthe Bishop ofArlesthis authority over allGallia, by the following Decree.
Zosimus universis Episcopis per Gallias & septem Provincias constitutis.
Placuit Apostolicæ Sedi, ut siquis ex qualibet Galliarum parte sub quolibet ecclesiastico gradu ad nos Romæ venire contendit, vel aliò terrarum ire disponit, non aliter proficiscatur nisi Metropolitani Episcopi Formatas acceperit, quibus sacerdotium suum vel locum ecclesiasticum quem habet, scriptorum ejus adstipulatione perdoceat: quod ex gratia statuimus quia plures episcopi sive presbyteri sive ecclesiastici simulantes, quia nullum documentum Formatarum extat per quod valeant confutari, in nomen venerationis irrepunt, & indebitam reverentiam promerentur. Quisquis igitur, fratres charissimi, prætermissà supradicti Formatâ sive episcopus, sive presbyter, sive diaconus, aut deinceps inferiori gradu sit, ad nos venerit: sciat se omnino suscipi non posse. Quam auctoritatem ubique nos misisse manifestum est, ut cunctis regionibus innotescat id quod statuimus omnimodis esse servandum. Siquis autem hæc salubriter constituta temerare tentaverit sponte suâ, se a nostra noverit communione discretum. Hoc autem privilegium Formatarum sancto Patroclo fratri & coepiscopo nostro, meritorum ejus speciali contemplatione, concessimus. And that the Bishop ofArleswas sometimes the Pope's Vicar over allFrance, is affirmed also by all the Bishops of the Diocess ofArlesin their Letter to PopeLeoI.Cui id etiam honoris dignitatisque collatum est, say they,ut non tantum has Provincias potestate propriâ gubernaret; verum etiam omnes Gallias sibi Apostolicæ Sedis vice mandatas, sub omni ecclesiastica regula contineret. And PopePelagiusI. A.C. 556, in his Epistle toSapaudusBishop ofArles:Majorum nostrorum, operante Dei misericordiâ, cupientes inhærere vestigiis & eorum actus divino examine in omnibus imitari: Charitati tuæ per universam Galliam, sanctæ Sedis Apostolicæ, cui divinâ gratiâ præsidemus, vices injungimus.
By the influence of the same imperial Edict, not onlySpainandGallia, but alsoIllyricumbecame subject to the Pope.DamasusmadeAscholius, orAcholius, Bishop ofThessalonicathe Metropolis ofOriental Illyricum, his Vicar for hearing of causes; and in the year 382,Acholiusbeing summoned by PopeDamasus, came to a Council atRome. PopeSiriciusthe successor ofDamasus, decreed that no Bishop should be ordained inIllyricumwithout the consent ofAnysiusthe successor ofAcholius. And the following Popes gaveRufusthe successor ofAnysius, a power of calling Provincial Councils: for in the Collections ofHolsteniusthere is an account of a Council ofRomeconvened under PopeBonifaceII. in which were produced Letters ofDamasus,Syricius,InnocentI.BonifaceI. andCælestineBishops ofRome, toAscholius,AnysiusandRufus, Bishops ofThessalonica: in which Letters they commend to them the hearing of causes inIllyricum, granted by the Lord and the holy Canons to the Apostolic See thro'out that Province. And PopeSiriciussaith in his Epistle toAnysius:Etiam dudum, frater charissime, per Candidianum Episcopum, qui nos præcessit ad Dominum, hujusmodi literas dederamus, ut nulla licentia esset, sine consensu tuo in Illyrico Episcopos ordinare præsumere, quæ utrum ad te pervenerint scire non potui. Multa enim gesta sunt per contentionem ab Episcopis in ordinationibus faciendis, quod tua melius caritas novit. And a little after:Ad omnem enim hujusmodi audaciam comprimendam vigilare debet instantia tua, Spiritu in te Sancto fervente: ut vel ipse, si potes, vel quos judicaveris Episcopos idoneos, cum literis dirigas, dato consensu qui possit, in ejus locum qui defunctus vel depositus fuerit, Catholicum Episcopum vitâ & moribus probatum, secundum Nicænæ Synodi statuta vel Ecclesiæ Romanæ, Clericum de Clero meritum ordinare. And PopeInnocentI. saith in his Epistle toAnysius:Cui[Anysio]etiam anteriores tanti ac tales viri prædecessores mei Episcopi, id est, sanctæ memoriæ Damasus, Siricius, atque supra memoratus vir ita detulerunt; ut omnia quæ in omnibus illis partibus gererentur, Sanctitati tuæ, quæ plena justitiæ est, traderent cognoscenda. And in his Epistle toRufusthe successor ofAnysius:Ita longis intervallis disterminatis à me ecclesiis discat consulendum; ut prudentiæ gravitatique tuæ committendam curam causasque, siquæ exoriantur, per Achaiæ, Thessaliæ, Epiri veteris, Epiri novæ, & Cretæ, Daciæ mediterraneæ, Daciæ ripensis, Mœsiæ, Dardaniæ, & Prævali ecclesias, Christo Domino annuente, censeam. Verè enim ejus sacratissimis monitis lectissimæ sinceritatis tuæ providentiæ & virtuti hanc injungimus sollicitudinem: non primitùs hæc statuentes, sed Præcessores nostros Apostolicos imitati, qui beatissimis Acholio & Anysio injungi pro meritis ista voluerunt. AndBonifaceI. in his decretal Epistle toRufusand the rest of the Bishops inIllyricum:Nullus, ut frequenter dixi, alicujus ordinationem citra ejus[Episcopi Thessalonicensis]conscientiam celebrare præsumat: cui, ut supra dictum est, vice nostrâ cuncta committimus. And PopeCælestine, in his decretal Epistle to the Bishops thro'outIllyricum, saith:Vicem nostram per vestram Provinciam noveritis[Rufo]esse commissam, ita ut ad eum, fratres carissimi, quicquid de causis agitur, referatur. Sine ejus consilio nullus ordinetur. Nullus usurpet, eodem inconscio, commissam illi Provinciam; colligere nisi cum ejus voluntate Episcopus non præsumat. And in the cause ofPerigenes, in the title of his Epistle, he thus enumerates the Provinces under this Bishop:Rufo & cæteris Episcopis per Macedoniam, Achaiam, Thessaliam, Epirum veterem, Epirum novam, Prævalin, & Daciam constitutis. And PopeXistusin a decretal Epistle to the same Bishops:Illyricanæ omnes Ecclesiæ, ut à decessoribus nostris recepimus, & nos quoque fecimus, ad curam nunc pertinent Thessalonicensis Antistitis, ut suâ sollicitudine, siquæ inter fratres nascantur, ut assolent, actiones distinguat atque definiat; & ad eum, quicquid à singulis sacerdotibus agitur, referatur. Sit Concilium, quotiens causæ fuerint, quotiens ille pro necessitatum emergentium ratione decreverit. And PopeLeoI. in his decretal Epistle toAnastasiusBishop ofThessalonica:Singulis autem Metropolitanis sicut potestas ista committitur, ut in suis Provinciis jus habeant ordinandi; ita eos Metropolitanos à te volumus ordinari; maturo tamen & decocto judicio.
Occidental IllyricumcomprehendedPannonia primaandsecunda,Savia,Dalmatia,Noricum mediterraneum, andNoricum ripense; and its Metropolis wasSirmium, tillAttiladestroyed this city. AfterwardsLaureacumbecame the Metropolis ofNoricumand bothPannonias, andSalonathe Metropolis ofDalmatia. Now[5]the Bishops ofLaureacumandSalonareceived thePalliumfrom the Pope: andZosimus, in his decretal Epistle toHesychiusBishop ofSalona, directed him to denounce the Apostolic decrees as well to the Bishops of his own, as to those of the neighbouring Provinces. The subjection of these Provinces to the See ofRomeseems to have begun inAnemius, who was ordained Bishop ofSirmiumbyAmbroseBishop ofMillain, and who in the Council ofAquileiaunder PopeDamasus, A.C. 381, declared his sentence in these words:Caput Illyrici non nisi civitas Sirmiensis: Ego igitur illius civitatis Episcopus sum. Eum qui non confitetur filium Dei æternum, & coeternum patri, qui est sempiternus, anathema dico. The next yearAnemiusandAmbrose, withValerianBishop ofAquileia,AcholiasBishop ofThessalonica,and many others, went to the Council ofRome, which met for overruling theGreekChurch by majority of votes, and exalting the authority of the Apostolic See, as was attempted before in the Council ofSardica.
Aquileiawas the second city of theWestern Empire, and by some called the secondRome. It was the Metropolis ofIstria,Forum Julium, andVenetia; and its subjection to the See ofRomeis manifest by the decretal Epistle ofLeoI. directed toNicetasBishop of this city; for the Pope begins his Epistle thus:Regressus ad nos filius meus Adeodatus Diaconus Sedis nostræ, dilectionem tuam poposcisse memorat, ut de his à nobis authoritatem Apostolicæ Sedis acciperes, quæ quidem magnam difficultatem dijudicationis videntur afferre. Then he sets down an answer to the questions proposed byNicetas, and concludes thus:Hanc autem Epistolam nostram, quam ad consultationem tuæ fraternitatis emisimus, ad omnes fratres & comprovinciales tuos Episcopos facies pervenire, ut in omnium observantia, data profit authoritas. Data 1-2 Kal. Apr. Majorano Aug. Cos.A.C. 458.Gregorythe great A.C. 591,[6]citedSeverusBishop ofAquileiato appear before him in judgment in a Council atRome.
The Bishops ofAquileiaandMillaincreated one another, and therefore were of equal authority, and alike subject to the See ofRome. PopePelagiusabout the year 557, testified this in the following words:[7]Mos antiquus fuit, saith he,ut quia pro longinquitate vel difficultate itineris, ab Apostolico illis onerosum fuerit ordinari, ipsi se invicem Mediolanensis & Aquileiensis ordinare Episcopos debuissent. These words imply that the ordination of these two Bishops belonged to the See ofRome. WhenLaurentiusBishop ofMillainhad excommunicatedMagnus, one of his Presbyters, and was dead,[8]Gregorythe great absolvedMagnus, and sent thePalliumto the new elected BishopConstantius; whom the next year[9]he reprehended of partiality in judgingFortunatus, and commanded him to sendFortunatustoRometo be judged there: four years after[10]he appointed the Bishops ofMillainandRavennato hear the cause of oneMaximus; and two years after,viz.A.C. 601, whenConstantiuswas dead, and the people ofMillainhad electedDeusdedithis successor, and theLombardshad elected another,[11]Gregorywrote to the Notary, Clergy, and People ofMillain, that by the authority of his LettersDeusdeditshould be ordained, and that he whom theLombardshad ordained was an unworthy successor ofAmbrose: whence I gather, that the Church ofMillainhad continued in this state of subordination to the See ofRomeever since the days ofAmbrose; forAmbrosehimself acknowledged the authority of that See.Ecclesia Romana,[12]saith he,hanc consuetudinem non habet, cujus typum in omnibus sequimur, & formam. And a little after:In omnibus cupio sequi Ecclesiam Romanam. And in his Commentary upon 1Tim. iii.Cum totus mundus Dei sit, tamen domus ejus Ecclesia dicitur, cujus hodie rector est Damasus. In his Oration on the death of his brotherSatyrus, he relates how his brother coming to a certain city ofSardinia,advocavit Episcopum loci, percontatusque est ex eo utrum cum Episcopis Catholicis hoc est cum Romana Ecclesia conveniret?And in conjunction with the Synod ofAquileiaA.C. 381, in a synodical Epistle to the EmperorGratian, he saith:Totius orbis Romani caput Romanam Ecclesiam, atque illam sacrosanctam Apostolorum fidem, ne turbari sineret, obsecranda fuit clementia vestra; inde enim in omnes venerandæ communionis jura dimanant. The Churches therefore ofAquileiaandMillainwere subject to the See ofRomefrom the days of the EmperorGratian.Auxentiusthe predecessor ofAmbrosewas not subject to the see ofRome, and consequently the subjection of the Church ofMillainbegan inAmbrose. This Diocese ofMillaincontainedLiguriawithInsubria, theAlpes CottiæandRhætia; and was divided from the Diocese ofAquileiaby the riverAddua. In the year 844, the Bishop ofMillainbroke off from the See ofRome, and continued in this separation about 200 years, as is thus related by[13]Sigonius:Eodem anno Angilbertus Mediolanensis Archiepiscopus ab Ecclesia Romana parum comperta de causa descivit, tantumque exemplo in posterum valuit, ut non nisi post ducentos annos Ecclesia Mediolanensis ad Romanæ obedientiam auctoritatemque redierit.
The Bishop ofRavenna, the Metropolis ofFlaminiaandÆmilia, was also subject to the Pope: forZosimus, A.C. 417, excommunicated some of the Presbyters of that Church, and wrote a commonitory Epistle about them to the Clergy of that Church as a branch of theRomanChurch:In sua, saith he,hoc est, in Ecclesia nostra Romana. When those ofRavenna, having elected a new Bishop, gave notice thereof to PopeSixtus, the Pope set him aside, and[14]ordainedPeter Chrysologusin his room.Chrysologusin his Epistle toEutyches, extant in the Acts of the Council ofChalcedon, wrote thus:Nos pro studio pacis & fidei, extra consensum Romanæ civitatis Episcopi, causas fidei audire non possumus. PopeLeoI. being consulted byLeoBishop ofRavennaabout some questions, answered him by a decretal Epistle A.C. 451. And PopeGregorythe great,[15]reprehendingJohnBishop ofRavennaabout the use of thePallium, tells him of a Precept of one of his Predecessors, PopeJohn, commanding that all the Privileges formerly granted to the Bishop and Church ofRavennashould be kept: to thisJohnreturned a submissive answer; and after his death PopeGregoryordered a visitation of the Church ofRavenna, confirmed the privileges heretofore granted them, and sent hisPallium, as of antient custom, to their new BishopMarinian. Yet this Church revolted sometimes from the Church ofRome, but returned again to its obedience.
The rest ofItaly, with the Islands adjacent, containing thesuburbicarianregions, or ten Provinces under the temporal Vicar ofRome, viz.1Campania,2TusciaandUmbria,3Picenum suburbicarium,4Sicily,5ApuliaandCalabria,6BrutiiandLucania,7Samnium,8Sardinia,9Corsica, and10Valeria, constituted the proper Province of the Bishop ofRome. For the Council ofNicein their fifth Canon ordained that Councils should be held every spring and autumn in every Province; and according to this Canon, the Bishops of this Province met atRomeevery half year. In this sense PopeLeoI. applied this Canon toRome, in a decretal Epistle to the Bishops ofSicily, writtenAlippio & Ardabure Coss. A.C. 447.Quia saluberrime, saith he,à sanctis patribus constitutum est, binos in annis singulis Episcoporum debere esse conventus, terni semper ex vobis ad diem tertium Kalendarum Octobrium Romam æterno concilio sociandi occurrant. Et indissimulanter à vobis hæc consuetudo servetur, quoniam adjuvante Dei gratiâ, faciliùs poterit provideri, ut in Ecclesiis Christi nulla scandala, nulli nascantur errores; cum coram Apostolo Petro semper in communione tractatum fuerit, ut omnia Canonum Decreta apud omnes Domini sacerdotes inviolata permaneant. The Province ofRometherefore comprehendedSicily, with so much ofItalyand the neighbouring Islands as sent Bishops to the annual Councils ofRome; but extended not into the Provinces ofRavenna,Aquileia,Millain,Arles, &c. those Provinces having Councils of their own. The Bishops in every Province of theRomanEmpire were convened in Council by the Metropolitan or Bishop of the head city of the Province, and this Bishop presided in that Council: but the Bishop ofRomedid not only preside in his own Council of the Bishops of thesuburbicarianregions, but also gave Orders to the Metropolitans of all the other Provinces in theWestern Empire, as their universal governor; as may be further perceived by the following instances.
PopeZosimusA.C. 417, citedProculusBishop ofMarseillesto appear before a Council atRomefor illegitimate Ordinations; and condemned him, as he mentions in several of his Epistles. PopeBonifaceI. A.C. 419, upon a complaint of the Clergy ofValentiaagainstMaximusa Bishop, summoned the Bishops of allGalliaand the seven Provinces to convene in a Council against him; and saith in his Epistle, that his Predecessors had done the like. PopeLeoI. called a general Council of all the Provinces ofSpainto meet inGallæciaagainst theManicheesandPriscillianists, as he says in his decretal Epistle toTurribiusaSpanishBishop. And in one of his decretal Epistles toNicetasBishop ofAquileia, he commands him to call a Council of the Bishops of that Province against thePelagians, which might ratify all the Synodal Decrees which had been already ratified by the See ofRomeagainst this heresy. And in his decretal Epistle toAnastasiusBishop ofThessalonica, he ordained that Bishop should hold two Provincial Councils every year, and refer the harder causes to the See ofRome: and if upon any extraordinary occasion it should be necessary to call a Council, he should not be troublesom to the Bishops under him, but content himself with two Bishops out of every Province, and not detain them above fifteen days. In the same Epistle he describes the form of Church-Government then set up, to consist in a subordination of all the Churches to the See ofRome:De qua forma, saith he,Episcoporum quoque est orta distinctio, & magna dispositione provisum est ne omnes sibi omnia vindicarent, sed essent in singulis Provinciis singuli quorum inter fratres haberetur prima sententia, & rursus quidam in majoribus urbibus constituti sollicitudinem sumerent ampliorem, per quos ad unam Petri Sedem universalis Ecclesiæ cura conflueret, & nihil usque à suo capite dissideret. Qui ergo scit se quibusdam esse præpositum, non moleste ferat aliquem sibi esse præpositum; sed obedientiam quam exigit etiam ipse dependat; et sicut non vult gravis oneris sarcinam ferre, ita non audeat aliis importabile pondus imponere. These words sufficiently shew the monarchical form of government then set up in the Churches of theWestern Empireunder the Bishop ofRome, by means of the imperial Decree ofGratian, and the appeals and decretal Epistles grounded thereupon.
The same PopeLeo, having in a Council atRomepassed sentence uponHilaryBishop ofArles, for what he had done by a Provincial Council inGallia, took occasion from thence to procure the following Edict from theWesternEmperorValentinianIII. for the more absolute establishing the authority of his See over all the Churches of theWestern Empire.
Impp. Theodosius & Valentinianus AA. Aetio Viro illustri, Comiti & Magistro utriusque militiæ & Patricio.
Certum est & nobis & imperio nostro unicum esse præsidium in supernæ Divinitatis favore, ad quem promerendum præcipue Christiana fides & veneranda nobis religio suffragatur. Cum igitur Sedis Apostolicæ Primatum sancti Petri meritum, qui princeps est Episcopalis coronæ & Romanæ dignitas civitatis, sacræ etiam Synodi firmavit auctoritas: ne quid præter auctoritatem Sedis istius illicitum præsumptio attemperare nitatur: tunc enim demum Ecclesiarum pax ubique servabitur, si Rectorem suum agnoscat Universitas. Hæc cum hactenus inviolabiliter suerint custodita, Hilarius Arelatensis, sicut venerabilis viri Leonis Romani Papæ fideli relatione comperimus, contumaci ausu illicita quædam præsumenda tentavit, & ideo Transalpinas Ecclesias abominabilis tumultus invasit, quod recens maximè testatur exemplum. Hilarius enim qui Episcopus Arelatensis vocatur, Ecclesiæ Romanæ urbis inconsulto Pontifice indebitas sibi ordinationes Episcoporum solâ temeritate usurpans invasit. Nam alios incompetenter removit; indecenter alios, invitis & repugnantibus civibus, ordinavit. Qui quidem, quoniam non facile ab his qui non elegerant, recipiebantur, manum sibi contrahebat armatam, & claustra murorum in hostilem morem vel obsidione cingebat, vel aggressione reserabat, & ad sedem quietis pacem prædicaturus per bella ducebat: His talibus contra Imperii majestatem, & contra reverentiam Apostolicæ Sedis admissis, per ordinem religiosi viri Urbis Papæ cognitione discussis, certa in eum, ex his quos malè ordinaverat, lata sententia est. Erat quidem ipsa sententia per Gallias etiam sine Imperiali Sanctione valitura: quid enim Pontificis auctoritate non liceret? Sed nostram quoque præceptionem hæc ratio provocavit. Nec ulterius vel Hilario, quem adhuc Episcopum nuncupare sola mansueta Præsulis permittit humanitas, nec cuiquam alteri ecclesiasticis rebus arma miscere, aut præceptis Romani Antistitis liceat obviare: ausibus enim talibus fides & reverentia nostri violatur Imperii. Nec hoc solum, quod est maximi criminis, submovemus: verum ne levis saltem inter Ecclesias turba nascatur, vel in aliquo minui religionis disciplina videatur, hoc perenni sanctione discernimus; nequid tam Episcopis Gallicanis quam aliarum Provinciarum contra consuetudinem veterem liceat, sine viri venerabilis Papæ Urbis æternæ auctoritate, tentare. Sed illis omnibusque pro lege sit, quicquid sanxit vel sanxerit Apostolicæ Sedis auctoritas: ita ut quisquis Episcoporum ad judicium Romani Antistitis evocatus venire neglexerit, per Moderatorem ejusdem Provinciæ adesse cogatur, per omnia servatis quæ Divi parentes nostri Romanæ Ecclesiæ detulerunt, Aetî pater carissime Augusti. Unde illustris & præclara magnificentia tua præsentis Edictalis Legis auctoritate faciet quæ sunt superius statuta servari, decem librarum auri multa protinus exigenda ab unoquoque Judice qui passus fuerit præcepta nostra violari. Divinitas te servet per multos annos, parens carissime. Dat.viii.Id. Jun. Romæ, Valentiniano A.vi.Consule, A.C. 445. By this Edict the EmperorValentinianenjoined an absolute obedience to the will of the Bishop ofRomethro'out all the Churches of his Empire; and declares, that for the Bishops to attempt any thing without the Pope's authority is contrary to antient custom, and that the Bishops summoned to appear before his judicature must be carried thither by the Governor of the Province; and he ascribes these privileges of the See ofRometo the concessions of his dead Ancestors, that is, to the Edict ofGratianandValentinianII. as above: by which reckoning this dominion of the Church ofRomewas now of 66 years standing: and if in all this time it had not been sufficiently established, this new Edict was enough to settle it beyond all question thro'out theWestern Empire.
Hence all the Bishops of the Province ofArlesin their Letter to PopeLeo, A.C. 450, petitioning for a restitution of the privileges of their Metropolitan, say:Per beatum Petrum Apostolorum principem, sacrosancta Ecclesia Romana tenebat supra omnes totius mundi Ecclesias principatum. AndCeratius,SaloniusandVeranus, three Bishops ofGallia, say, in their Epistle to the same Pope:Magna præterea & ineffabili quadam nos peculiares tui gratulatione succrescimus, quod illa specialis doctrinæ vestræ pagina ita per omnium Ecclesiarum conventicula celebratur, ut vere consona omnium sententia declaretur; merito illic principatum Sedis Apostolicæ constitutum, unde adhuc Apostolici spiritus oracula reserentur. AndLeohimself, in[16]his Epistle to the metropolitan Bishops thro'outIllyricum:Quia per omnes Ecclesias cura nostra distenditur, exigente hoc à nobis Domino, qui Apostolicæ dignitatis beatissimo Apostolo Petro primatum, fidei sui remuneratione commisit, universalem Ecclesiam in fundamenti ipsius soliditate constituens.
While this Ecclesiastical Dominion was rising up, the northern barbarous nations invaded theWestern Empire, and founded several kingdoms therein, of different religions from the Church ofRome. But these kingdoms by degrees embraced theRomanfaith, and at the same time submitted to the Pope's authority. TheFranksinGaulsubmitted in the end of the fifth Century, theGothsinSpainin the end of the sixth; and theLombardsinItalywere conquered byCharlesthe great A.C. 774. Between the years 775 and 794, the sameCharlesextended the Pope's authority over allGermanyandHungaryas far as the riverTheysseand theBalticsea; he then set him above all human judicature, and at the same time assisted him in subduing the City and Duchy ofRome. By the conversion of the ten kingdoms to theRomanreligion, the Pope only enlarged his spiritual dominion, but did not yet rise up as a horn of the Beast. It was his temporal dominion which made him one of the horns: and this dominion he acquired in the latter half of the eighth century, by subduing three of the former horns as above. And now being arrived at a temporal dominion, and a power above all human judicature, he reigned[17]with a look more stout than his fellows, and[18]times and laws werehenceforwardgiven into his hands, for a time times and half a time, or three times and an half; that is, for 1260 solar years, reckoning a time for a Calendar year of 360 days, and a day for a solar year. After which[19]the judgment is to sit, and they shall take away his dominion, not at once, but by degrees,to consume, and to destroy it unto the end.[20]And the kingdom and dominion, and greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall, by degrees,be given unto the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.