rope. * Some disputes with the Lombards formed the next excuse for his delay; and in 1227 Honorius died, still pressing the departure of the monarch, and still pressing it in vain.

chine, which had been intended against the enemies of Christ, into an engine of domestic persecution and torture, it became more than|| ever the interest of the pope to keep alive a spirit, which might so easily be made to de- Accession of Gregory IX.-Gregory IX., viate into arbitrary channels. And thus the who was nephew of Innocent III., was immezeal for Crusades, which inflamed the breast diately raised to the pontifical chair, with loud of Innocent, passed without any diminution and unanimous acclamation. On the day of into those of his successors. Moreover, it is || bis coronation he proceeded to St. Peter's, well known how earnestly the holy See sup- accompanied by several prelates, and assumed ported the interests of Frederic II. against the pallium according to custom; and after Otho IV., as long as the former was the having said mass he marched to the palace of weaker party, and how zealously it began to the Lateran, covered with gold and jewels. raise enemies against him, as soon as he be- On Easter Day, he celebrated mass solemnly came powerful; while the industry, with at Sta. Maria Maggiore, and returned with a which it renewed and prolonged the contests crown on his head. On Monday, having said between the Guelphs and the Ghibelines mass at St. Peter's, he returned wearing two contests which lacerated the vitals of Italy crowns, mounted on a horse richly caparifurnishes melancholy proof, that its interests soned, and surrounded by Cardinals clothed were even at this time associated with every in purple, and a numerous clergy. The principle that is subversive of peace and bane- streets were spread with tapestry, inlaid with ful to society; and that it pursued those inter-gold and silver, the noblest productions of ests with callous, persevering, uncompromis- Egypt, and the most brilliant colors of India, ing obduracy.

and perfumed with various aromatic odors.
The people chanted aloud Kyrie eleison, and
their songs of joy were accompanied by the
sound of trumpets. The judges and the offi-
cers shone in gilded habits and caps of silk.
The Greeks and the Jews celebrated the
praises of the Pope, each in his own lan-
guage; a countless multitude marched before
him carrying palms and flowers; and the sen-
ators and prefect of Rome were on foot at
his side, holding his bridle—and thus was he
conducted to the palace of the Lateran.
The first and immediate act of a pontificate

Honorius III.-Innocent III. was succeeded by Honorius III., a native of Rome, who for four years had been governor of Palermo under Frederic II.; but the remembrance of that connexion was easily thrown off, as soon as he rose from the condition of a subject to that of a rival. Frederic had made a solemn vow to Innocent, to engage without loss of time in a new crusade; and on his coronation at Rome, in 1220, he renewed that promise with still greater solemnity to Honorius. In the year following, instead of proceeding on his expedition, he appears to have appointed, *See Fleury, Hist. Eccle. l. 78, sect. 65, where on his own authority, to some vacant see; in a part of the letter is quoted. The actual restitution virtue, as he maintained, of his royal right; of the territories of the Countess Matilda to the Roin violation, as the pope asserted, of the liberman See, is by some ascribed to this Pontificate. ties of the church. During the time consumed Raynaldus (ann. 1221, Num. 29) asserts, that the in this dispute, Damietta fell into the power imperial diploma existed in the Liber Censuum of the of the Mahometans. In the year 1223, at a || Vatican library-apud Pagi. Vit. Honor. iii. Sect. council held at Terentino in Campauia, the Emperor renewed his oath to depart, and that †This description is very faintly copied from a within the space of two years; and to give the following is a specimen: Divinis missarum officiis life of Gregory IX. cited by Odoricus Raynaldus; earnest of his sincerity, he espoused the reverenter expletis duplici diademate coronatus sub daughter of John of Brienne, King of Jeru- fulgoris specie in Cherubini transfiguratur aspectum, salem. In the year following, that he might inter purpuratam venerabilium Cardinalium, Cleriatone to the church for his continued delay, corum et Prælatorum comititivam innumeram, insigand evince to her the sincerity of his affec- || nibus papalibus præcedentibus, equo in phaleris pretion, he published some savage constitutions against heretics, which we shall presently notice. At the same time, in a long letter to the Pope, he complained of the general indifference to the cause of the Crusades, which then unfortunately prevailed throughout Eu

xxxi.

tiosis evectus, per almæ Urbis iniranda monia Pater

Urbis et Orbis deducitur admirandus. Hinc cantica concrepant, etc. etc. See Pagi, Vit. Gregor. ix., s. iii. Fleury, 1. 79. s. 31. There seems no reason to believe, that these demonstrations of joy or ebullitions of adulation exceeded the customary parade of the thirteenth century.

*

so gorgeously undertaken, was to urge the || cate; not to diffuse the word of God, but to renewal of the Crusades, both by persuasion amass money, and reap that which they have and menace, at the various courts of Europe. not sown.* And so they pillage churches, The forces of Frederic were already collected monasteries and other places of religion, which at Otranto, and, if we are to believe some our fathers have founded for the support of writers, the Emperor did actually embark, pilgrims and the poor. And now these Roand proceed on his destination as far as the mans, without nobility and without valor, innarrow sea between the Morea and Crete, flated by nothing but their literature, aspire to when a dangerous indisposition obliged him || kingdoms and empires. The Church was to return. It is at least certain, that he once founded on poverty and simplicity, and no more deferred the moment of his final depar- one can give it other foundation than that ture. The Pope was infuriated; he treated which Jesus Christ has fixed.' At the same the story of illness as an empty pretence, and|| time the Emperor continued to prepare for without waiting or asking for excuse or ex- immediate departure, in spite of the senplanation, instantly excommunicated the Em- || tence which hung over him. The Pope asperor. This took place on the 29th of Sep-sembled a numerous Council, and thundered tember, within six months from his elevation to the See; and the sword of discord, which was drawn on that day, had no secure or lasting interval of rest, until the deposition, or rather the death of Frederic.

forth a second excommunication; and in the spring following, without making any humiliation, or obtaining any repeal of the anathema under which he lay, Frederic set sail for the Holy Land.

The Emperor wrote several papers in his Frederic II. in Palestine.-If there had been justification, and ainong them a letter to Hen- a shadow of sincerity in Gregory's professed ry III. of England, containing much severe enthusiasm for the liberation of Palestine,and just reproach against the Roman Church. if he had loved the name and birth-place "The Roman Church (such was the substance of Christ with half the ardor with which he of his upbraiding) so burns with avarice that, clung to his own papal and personal dignity, as the ecclesiastical revenues do not content he would not have pursued the departed Emit, it is not ashamed to despoil sovereign Prin- peror with his perverse malevolence, he would ces and make them tributary. You have a not have prostituted the ecclesiastical censures, very touching example in your father King to thwart his projects and blast his hopes. John; you have that also of the Count of Yet he did so: his mendicant emissaries were Toulouse, and so many other princes whose despatched to the Patriarch and the military kingdoms it holds under interdict, until it has orders of Jerusalem, informing them of the reduced them to similar servitude. I speak sentence under which Frederic was placed, not of the simonies, the unheard-of exactions, || and forbidding them to act, or to communicate which it exercises over the clergy, the mani- || with him. At the same time, provoked, as fest or cloaked usuries with which it infects some assert, by a previous aggression from the whole world. In the meantime, these in- Frederic's lieutenant, he invaded with all his satiable leeches use honeyed discourses, saying forces the Apulian dominions of the Emperor. that the Court of Rome is the Church, our || Under these adverse circumstances, Frederic mother and nurse, while it is our stepmother made a hasty, but not inglorious, treaty with and the source of every evil. It is known by * In 1229, Gregory IX. levied an exaction of its fruits. It sends on every side legates with tenths in England with so much severity, that even power to punish, to suspend; to excommuni- the standing crops were anticipated, and the bishops obliged to sell their property, or borrow money at a high interest, in order to answer the demand. Erat Papa tot et tantis involutus debitis, ut unde bellicam, quam susceperat, expeditionem sustineret, penitus ignorabat. Matth. Paris, anno citato. Mention is made of the continual, though secret, maledictions with which the Pope was pursued.

* See Giannone, 1. xvi. c. 6. Sigonio seguitò la fede di Matteo Paris, il quale (ad ann. 1227, p. 286) scrisse: Animo nimis consternati in iisdem navibus quibus venerant plusquam 40 armatorum millia sunt reversi.' But this passage more probably relates to the numerous pilgrims, who had actually sailed to the Holy Land for the purpose of meeting Frederic, and who immediately returned on not finding him there. Fleury makes no mention of his having put to sea at all on this occasion; but Bzovius asserts-'per tri-ple duum in mare provectus cursum convertit ac se neque maris jactationem neque incommodam valetudinem pati posse asseruit.' Ann. Eccles. ad ann. 1227.

Fleury, 1. 79, s. 43. Giannone, l. 16, c. 6. The possession of the City and of the Holy Se pulchre was secured to the Christians, while the Tem

(now the Mosque of Omar) which had already been desecrated to the Mahometan worship, was left in the possession of the Saracens: a fair arrangement, which was misrepresented by the Pope and most ec

the Saracens, and instantly returned to the || On the occasion of an early and amicable defence of his own kingdom-a measure conference, Innocent refused to withdraw his which became the more necessary, since the predecessor's excommunication, until FrederPope had issued a third excommunication, ic should restore all that he was charged with releasing his subjects from their oath of alle- having plundered from the Church. The giance.* We do not profess, in this peaceful meeting had no result; and Innocent presentnarrative, to describe the details of military ly repaired to France, and summoned a very adventures, or to trace the perplexed and faith- numerous council at Lyons. less politics of Italy. We must be contented to add, that soine successes of the Emperor led to a noliow and fruitiess reconciliation; that this again broke out (in the year 1238) into open war, which lasted till the death of the Pope, three years afterwards. The period of nominal peace had been disturbed by the constant complaints and recriminations † of both parties. The perusal of those papers is sufficient to convince us, that if both had some, the Pope had the greater, share of blame and while the style, which the prelate assumes, is that of an offended and injured protector and patron, the language of the Emperor, though never abject, frequently descends to the borders of querulousness and humility.

Innocent IV. The cause of Frederic gained nothing by the death of Gregory, since he was succeeded by Innocent IV. This extraordinary person (Sinibaldo Fieschi, a Genoese) had been distinguished as cardinal by his attachment to the person, if not to the cause, of the emperor; and on his election to the pontificate, the people of Italy indulged the fond and natural expectation, that the dissensions which blighted their happiness would at length be composed. Not so Frederic; for he was familiar with the soul of Innocent, and had read his insolent and implacable character. To his friends, who proffered their congratulations, he replied, that there was cause for sorrow rather than joy, since he had exchanged a cardinal, who was his dearest friend, for a pope, who would be his bitterest enemy.§ And so, indeed, it proved.

clesiastical writers, and restored to history by Gibbon and Sismondi. Rep. Ital. chap. 15.

The plea which he gave was because no one should observe fidelity to a man who is opposed to God and his Saints, and tramples upon his commandments.' A new maxim (as Fleury simply observes,) and one which seems to authorise revolt.

†These disputes are related at great length by Fleury, liv. 81, sect. 32, &c.

On June 24, 1243. Celestine IV., in fact, intervened, but died on the sixteenth day after his election.

§ See Giannone, Stor. di Nap., lib. xvii., c. 3,|| and various authorities collected by Sismondi, Rep. Ital., ch. xvi.

First Council of Lyons.-As soon as the members were assembled* (in 1245) Innocent, taking his throne, with Baldwin, emperor of the East, on his right hand, began the proceedings, by conferring the use of the red bonnet on his cardinals f―to the end that they might never forget, in the use of that color, that their blood was at all times due to the service of the Church. At the same time he adorned them with other emblems of dignity, in imitation of regal pomp and state, and in scorn (as it was thought) of a favorite expression of Frederic, that a Christian prelate ought to emulate the meekness and poverty of the disciples of Christ. He then opened his discourse respecting the defence of the Holy Land, and of other states at that time endangered by the Tartar invasion, and concluded with some general reproaches on the character and conduct of Frederic,-that he

*See Giannone, lib. xvii., cap. 3. Sismondi, Rep. Ital., ch. xvi.

† Bzov. Ann. Eccles., ad ann. 1245. Giannone, loc. cit. Pagi. vit., Inn. IV. sec. xxxi. investigates the question whether this dignity was conferred at that time, or two years later.

Besides the affair of Frederic, to which our account in the text is nearly confined, the first Gene

ral Council of Lyons professed three grand objects. (1.) To assist the Latin emperor of Constantinople against the Greeks. (2.) To aid the emperor of Germany against the Tartars. (3.) To rescue the Holy Land from the Saracens. For the attainment of the first of these objects, the Pope ordained a contribution of half the revenues of all benefices on which the incumbents were not actually resident, (a wholesome and admirable distinction,) placing a still higher impost on the largest; also of a tenth of the revenues of the Church of Rome. For the second, he exhorted the inhabitants to dig ditches, and build castles. For the third, he commanded the priests, and others in the Christian army, to offer up continual prayers, moving the Crusaders to repentance and virtue. Besides which he promised a twentieth part of the revenues of benefices for three years, and a tenth of those of the Pope and his cardinals. He likewise encouraged all who had the care of souls to influence the faithful to make donations by testament and otherwise. The decree touching the levies of money displeased many prelates, who openly opposed it declaring that the Court of Rome now perpetually despoiled them under that pretext.

of the German barons. Henry was supported by numerous partisans, and waged a prosperous warfare against Conrad, the son of Frederic; and on his early death, William, Count of Holland, was substituted by the Pope as a candidate for the throne. Innocent's genius and activity suggested to him the most refined arts to insure success, and his principles permitted him to adopt the most iniquitous. He even departed so far from the observance of humanity, and the most sacred feelings of nature, as to employ his intrigues to seduce Conrad from the service of his father, into rebellious and parricidal allegiance to the Church. That virtuous prince, rejecting, with firmness, the impious proposition, replied, that he would defend the side he had chosen to thest breath of life; * and neither the Pope nor the Church gained even a temporary advantage by an attempt which covers them with eternal infamy.

had persecuted the pontiffs and other minis- || dience from the superstition or the turbulence ters of the Church of God; exiled and plundered the bishops; imprisoned the clergy, and even put many to a cruel death, with other similar charges. The same were repeated on the next day of meeting, and supported and exaggerated by the suspicious testimony of two partial and intemperate prelates. On both occasions they were boldly repelled by the emperor's ambassador, Taddeo di Suessa. After the delay of a fortnight, occasioned by an unfounded expectation of Frederic's appearance in person, the council assembled for the third time; and then, after premising some constitutions respecting the Holy Land, Innocent, 'to the astonishment and horror of all who heard him,' pronounced the final and fatal sentence against Frederic. He declared that prince deprived of the imperial crown, with all its honors and privileges, and of all his other states; he released his subjects from their oath; he even forbade their further obedience, on pain of excommunication, and commanded the electors to the empire to choose a successor. He presently recommended to that dignity Henry, Landgrave of Thuringia. For the kingdom of Sicily, he took upon himself, 'with the counsel of the cardinals, his brethren,' to provide a sovereign..

His death and character.-The same industrious hostility which had kindled rebellion among the German princes, was exerted with no less effect among the contentious states of Italy. The Guelphic interests were everywhere strengthened by the energy of Innocent; and the utmost efforts of Frederic were insufficient to restore tranquillity to Germany, or even to obtain any important triumphs over his Italian enemies. He died in Apulia, in the year 1250; and though he had never formally renounced the title of Emperor, his deposition was virtually accomplished by the edict of Innocent, since the rest of his life was spent in uninterrupted confusion and alarm, in the midst of battle, and sedition, and treason, without any enjoyment of the repose of royalty, and with a very limited possession either of its dignity or authority. The character of Frederic nas been vilified by Guelphic writers, and probably too highly exalted by the opposite faction. In the conduct of affairs purely temporal, he is celebrated for justice, magnificence, generosity, as well as for the patronage of arts and literature. Familiar with the use of many languages, and himself an author, he exhibited that disposition to cultivate sci

Deposition of Frederic.-Frederic was at Turin when he received the news of this proceeding. He turned to the barons, who surrounded him, and, with deep indignation, addressed them. The pontiff has deprived me of the imperial crown-let us see if it be so.' He then ordered the crown to be brought to him, and placed it on his head, saying, 'that neither pope nor council had the power to take it from him.' Most of the princes of Europe were, indeed, of the same opinion, and continued to acknowledge him to the end of his life. And we may remark, that the usurpation of Innocent was in one respect marked with peculiar audacity, he did not even plead the approbation of the Holy Council, but contented himself with proclaiming that the sentence had been pronounced in its presence. .* Nevertheless, his edict found willing obe-ence, and nourish every branch of knowledge,

which is so seldom associated with great vices. In regard to his long and complicated contentions with the Church, it is unquestionably true that he violated, without any known necessity, certain solemn obligations respecting the time of commencing his Crusade.

* Giannone, Stor. Nap., lib. xvii., ch. 4.