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was an act of consistency that he should intreat the CHAP. queen mother to inflame her son's mind to the execution of the cruelties he commanded,53 and that he should express the highest indignation and alarm at the idea, that the French government meant to grant a peace to its Protestant subjects, and should implore the cardinals in France to defeat its accomplishment.55

54

To state of any man, that he is the advocate or author of murder, is to ascribe to him such a lamentable exemplification of human depravity in its most revolting sense, that the mind dislikes, on any evidence, to express, and even to conceive the imputation; and yet the preceding facts press the judgment towards that conclusion: nor is their effect abated, when we observe the directions and wishes of Pius V. as to the French general d'Assier. The pope's conduct on his capture, seems to furnish an additional illustration of what is possible in men of the highest station, when mercy, pity, charity, forgiveness, and benevolence, are superseded by a misconception of sacerdotal duty; which, separating

pope has been so perseveringly exterminating, so insatiable in his desire of extirpating the reformers.

53 Inflame the spirit of your son, that he may annihilate the relics of this civil war; that he may apply to the common enemies the punishments they have so justly merited.' Lett. 29 January 1570, p. 103. 54 See his letters of 29 January 1570, to Charles, p. 98; to Catherine, of the same date, p. 101; to the duc d'Anjou, the king's brother, p. 105. 55 Exert all your efforts to overturn these projects of a peace; never suffer France to deal so fatal a blow to the Catholic faith;' is his language, on 14 August 1570, to the cardinal Lorraine. p. 116. He wrote in similar terms to the cardinal of Bourbon, p. 119; and he told the latter, on 23d September, that he could not think of such a peace without shedding tears. p. 121. It had made every thing worse than ever in France. The orthodox faith would now decline every day, from the malignity of the heretics, and the lukewarmuess of the Catholics. ib. p. 126.

II.

56

BOOK itself from the moral obligations of life, and extinguishing all human sympathies, seeks to acquire a supposed merit by its unsocial and desolating intolerance. Wonderful perversion of a religion whose benevolence is, above all others, adapted to make mankind an affectionate family of gentle and generous brothers! Strange contradiction to its clearest and most indissoluble precepts! But the doctrine of preferring the tradition to the record, admits of the holiest laws being deformed by the most nullifying anomalies; by the most superseding contradictions. The will of the sovereign becomes then subjected to the convenience of the viceroy. The vicar, whenever he pleases, may thus displace his master. The worldly benefit of this device has occasioned it to be used in all systems, and in all ages.

As there was no hypocrisy in Pius V. we may anticipate that his transactions as to Elizabeth, were in congruity with his dealings in France. He sent money to assist Mary in Scotland against her Pro

56

It is his friendly biographer, Catena, the secretary of his successor, Sixtus Quintus, who has recorded the following circumstance. In mentioning the victory of the French count in 1569 at Moncontour, Catena states, that they made prisoner monsieur d'Assier, a leading Huguenot and general of the infantry, who had offered ten thousand crowns for his ransom.' Catena adds, 'the pontiff being assured of this, was vexed with the count, that he had not observed his command TO PUT TO DEATH IMMEDIATELY whatever heretic should fall into his hands.' The Italian is, 'Di che accertato il pontifice si dolce al conte, che non avesse IL COMMANDAMENTO DE LUI observato D'AMMAZZAR SUBITO qualunque heretico gli fosse venuto alle mani.' Cat. Vita Pio Quinto, p. 85. There can be no mistake in the meaning of the word ammazzare. In the common Italian dictionary, we find it 'ammazzare, to murder.' But it is remarkable, that the right of being himself the personal destroyer of heretics was claimed either by or for this pontiff; for before going to the stake, Palearius was compelled to sign a paper, that, like Samuel towards Agag, a pope might with his own hand in some cases put heretics to death: ' Quod ipsemet summus pontifex, in casu aliquo potest, etiam per se, hæreticos, occidere, ut legimus de Samuele.' Pott. Int. xx.

59

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testant subjects," and dispatched his secret priestly CHAP. envoy to England, in 1569, to declare privately from him, to certain of the nobility," that as a heretic, Elizabeth had forfeited all right to her crown, and that they should obey her no longer. He seconded this by his bull in the ensuing February," in which, asserting his power to overthrow and to destroy," and declaring this princess to be the slave of wickedness, and but a pretended queen ;' 62 he denounces an anathema against her; deprives her of her king

61

57 Pour aider la reine d'Ecosse.' Lett. Pius V. of 16th October 1567, p. 5. The bishop of Ross states, that he acted, in 1568, in his officia et obsequia, for propagating the Catholic religion, by the pope's command: Pio V. incitante et mandante. Vita, in Anders. 1. p. 6. That the bishop's offices were of the most treasonable nature, our subsequent pages will shew.

58 Sanders, then a confidential agent of the papacy, has transmitted this fact to us, and calls him Rev. Presbyterum Nicolaum Mortonum, Anglicum. De Visib. Monarchia, 1. 7. p. 730. I find the same fact thus mentioned in Natali Conte's contemporary history: At the same time his holiness sent Nicolas Morton to England, to publish, by the apostolic authority which he had, to some Catholic lords of the island, queen Elizabeth to be a heretic; for which he deprived her of all jurisdiction over the Catholics, who might, without any punishment, brand her as a heathen, and were not bound to obey her.' N. Conte Hist. v. 2. p. 52. ed. Venice, 1589.

59 Hereticam esse; ob eamque causam, omni dominio et potestate excedisse; impune que ab illis velut ethicam haberi posse; nec eos illixes legibus aut mandatis deincep obedire cogi' Sand. ib.

60 This is dated 5 kal. Martii, or 25 Feb. 1570. It is printed in Cherubini's Bullarum ; in Sanders de Schism. 423; in Ribadineira, p. 252; in Camden Eliz. p. 125, and elsewhere. I shall quote it from Sanders, as the Catholic authority most accessible to others.

61 He states Peter (and therefore every pope as his successor) to have been appointed Principem super omnes gentes et omnia regna; qui evellat destruat, dissipet, disperdat, plantet et odificet.' Sand. Schis. p. 423.

62Serva flagitiorum: prætensa Angliæ regina,' ib. 424; with whom the infestissimi of all nations have found a refuge as their asylum.' ib. A noble character to our queen, 'The refuge of the persecuted of every other country.' Pius could scarcely have inscribed to her a more dignifying epithet.

63 Declaramus predictam Elizabetham hæreticam et hæreticorum fautricem, ei que adhærentes in prædictis, anathematis sententiam incurrisse, esse que a Christi corporis unitate præcisos.' ib. 426.

BOOK dom;

JI.

64

65

66

absolves all her subjects from their obedience; forbids every one from daring to obey her commands or laws; and declares that all who should act contrary to these injunctions, should be involved in the same excommunicating severities."7

68

67

This public document expresses compendiously the spirit and object of his hostilities against her. But his admiring biographer, Catena, who was personally acquainted with him, supplies us with a more expressive detail of those exertions and machinations to overwhelm this illustrious female, which none but confidential agents could know or impart. What he states, Gabutius, another contemporary panegyrist, confirms; and their accounts accord

69

64 Quinetiam ipsam prætenso regni prædicti jure necnon omni, et quocumque dominio, dignitate, privilegio que privatam.' Sand. Schis. p. 426.

65 Et item proceres, subditos et populos dicti regni ac cæteros omnes, qui illi quo modo cumque juraverunt, a juramento hujusmodi ac omni prorsus dominii fidelitatis et obsequii debito, perpetuo absolutos.' ib. 427. Et privamus eandem Elizabetham pretenso jure regni.' ib.

66 Et interdicimus universis et singulis proceribus, subditis populis et aliis prædictis, ne illi ejusve monitis, mandatis et legibus audeant obedire.' ib. 427.

67 'Qui secùs egerunt, eos simili anathematis sententia innodamus.' ib.

68 Girolamo Catena was the secretary of the cardinal Alexandrini; and of the Sacra Consulta of the celebrated pope Sixtus Quintus, to whom he addressed his Life of Pius V. as narrating what he says Sixtus had seen with his own eyes and approved. In this dedication he thus mentions his authorities for his facts: What I write, I have taken partly from the original letters written by the nuncio and the princes themselves, and from the instructions and writings of the pope himself, which have come into my possession; partly from the unwritten relations of those who have managed these affairs. Other things I have seen myself, and learned from the mouth of the pontiff.' Dedic. No history could be founded on more authentic materials. It was printed at Rome in 1587, under the license of the papal court, and under the pontificate of the formidable Sextus V. We may be therefore sure, that, as far as human motives and means could operate, it states nothing untrue of his papal predecessor.

69 The life of Pius by Gabutius was approved of by Clement VIII.

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with those of the noble Spaniard, who at that time CHAP. also wrote his life," and with their coinciding contemporary, the zealous historian of their church, whose book is devoted to the transactions of the English Catholics." Catena thus describes what he frankly and encomiastically calls the Pope's 'conspiracy' against Elizabeth:72

'Besides the subsidies and provisions which he continually gave to many nobles," and to those who had fled that they might not abandon the Catholic faith, Pius suddenly deputed the bishop of Mondovi to be his nuncio in Scotland, with a large sum of money, that he might expend it for the benefit of the Catholic religion and of queen Mary Stuart,75 to whom he gave these pecuniary aids and salutary counsels.'76 The precautions of Elizabeth prevented this person from getting further than Paris."

who died 1605, and selected by the Bollandists to be inserted as his authentic biography in their Acta Sanctorum for May, v. 1. p. 615. 70 This is don Antonio Fuenmayor, whose 'Vida y hechos de Pio V.' (Life and Actions of Pius,) was printed at Madrid 1595. The authority of this book may be estimated by the author's dedicating it to don Francisco de Reynoso, abbot and lord of Resillos, who was 6 master of the hall and camarero secreto' to Pius V. The facts mentioned of this pope, in a friendly book addressed to his secret chamberlain, may be reasonably supposed to be authentic, as no one was likely to be a better judge of their truth or falsehood.

71 Hier. Pollini is this author. His Istoria Ecclesiastica was published at Rome in June 1594, with the permission of Clement VIII. He was a Florentine and a Dominican.

72 Catena unhesitatingly applies this term, 'congiura' to the transaction, and refers it to the pontiff's zeal. How brightly the zeal of Pius burnt, will be seen in the affairs of England.' p. 112.

73 Oltre le souventioni e provisione le quali continuamente dava a molti nobile.' Catena, p. 112.

74 Dando gli buona somma de denari.' Catena, ib.

75 Catena, p. 112.

76 6 A cui diede detti aiuti de denari e salutevoli consigli.' p. 112. 77 Being at Paris, he could not penetrate into Scotland, as was desired by queen Mary.' p. 112. Catena, like the Roman Catholics of that day, and since, calls Mary' the nearest in blood to Henry VIII.' and his legitimate heir; because Elizabeth being born of