Pope

Charles IX Du Mortier Mafter of the Requests, to defire 1561. the Ratification of the Appointment made bePius IV. tween the Queen-Mother and the King of Navarr, about the Government of the Kingdom; which Ratification could not be obtained but at the earnest Requeft of the faid King. And the States having spent much time in compiling the Petitions of the Provinces, at laft they came to St. Germain, the day before the above-faid Reconciliation of the Prince.

They were received in a Hall prepared for that purpofe; the King fat upon his Throne, on his left Hand was the Queen-Mother, his Sister Margaret on his right, the Duke of Orleans and the King of Navarr a little lower; and before, the Constable at the right Hand, and the Chancellor at the left, fat upon two Joint-Stools; the Duke of Guife, as Great Chamberlain, fat upon the King's Footftool, with the Great Mafter's Staff between his Legs, instead of holding it up with his Hand, which was thought very undecent.

There arofe fome Difpute about the Precedency, because the Princes of the Blood would not allow the Cardinals to fit above them, except the Cardinal of Bourbon, who took the upper End of the Prince of Condé his youngest Brother, declaring that he did fo, not as Cardinal, but as Prince of the Blood. The Cardinals of Chatillon and Armagnac confented to give the upper End to the faid Princes, but the Cardinals of Tournon, Lorrain, and Guife, withdrew from the Affembly; and the laft faid fcornfully in muttering, that fome Cardinals did honour to their Caps, while others were honoured by them (s).

When every one had taken his place, the Chancellor acquainted them with the Reafons

() Thuanus & Beze, ubi fuprà.

which had moved the King to prorogue the Charles IX States to that Time and Place; and exhorted them, in the King's Name, to fpeak freely.

1561. Pope Pjus LV.

Then James Britain, Pretor of Autun, fpoke XLVII. for the Commons: And having congratulated Britain's the Queen and the King of Navarr on the good the ComSpeech for Harmony that was between them, from which mons. the Happiness and Welfare of the Kingdom would flow, he faid, that the French Monarchy was compofed of three States, the Clergy, the Nobility, and the Commons.

As to the Clergy, it ought to be compofed of Men of fober Lives and Manners, well-skilled in the Holy Scriptures, learned and experienced, not covetous of Riches and worldly Preferments. This, may be evidently proved by the Authori ties of holy and profane Writers. It is faid in Deuteronomy, The Priests, the Levites, and all Deut. the Tribe of Levi, fhall have no Part nor Inbe- xviii. 1. ritance with Ifrael: they fhall eat the Offerings of the LORD made by Fire. Therefore fall they have no Inheritance among their Brethren: the LORD is their Inheritance, as he had faid unto them. Jefus. Chrift faid to his Apoftles, Go, preach, heal the Matth. x. Sick, cleanfe the Lepers, raife the Dead, caft out 7Devils freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither Gold, nor Silver, nor Brass in your Purfes, nor Scrip for your Journey, neither two Coats, neither Shoes, nor yet Staves; for the Workman is worthy of his Meat. St. Mark and St. Luke have related the fame Precept of our Lord. And again, No Man can ferve tivo Ma- Matth. vi. fters: for either be will bate the one, and love the 24other, or elfe he will hold to the one, and defpife the other. Ye cannot ferve God and Mammon.

And St. Paul to the Corinthians, Behold the third 2 Cor. xii. time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be 14, 18.

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Charles IX burthenfome to you; for I feek not yours, but you :
Did Titus make a Gain of you?

1561.

Pope
Pius IV.

As to the Sincerity of Confcience, and the w Science and Learning, they are moft neceffary to them, otherwise they would be unworthy of their

Mal. ii.
6, 7.

2.

Profeffion, and out of Condition of performing their Office. This we are taught by Hofea, Hof. iv. 6. My People are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me; Seeing thou haft forgotten the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy Children. Malachi confirms this, The Law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips: he walked with me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity. For the Priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should feek the Law at his mouth: for he is the messenger of the LORD of Hofts. And St. Paul in his Epift. to Timothy, 1 Tim. iii. A Bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, fober, of good behaviour, given to bofpitality, apt to teach, not given to wine, no Striker, not greedy of filthy lucre, but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; one that ruleth well bis own houfe, having his Children in fubjection with all gravity, &c. To this the Canon-Laws are conformable. The Priefts are exhorted to avoid the Vice of Ignorance as a Plague, the Nurfe of all Errors, according to Ifidorus. St. Jerom declares that the Duty of the Prieft confifts not only in the teaching of the Word of God, but likewife in confuting and oppofing Errors, and those that maintain them; which cannot be done without much Learning. Thefe are the Laws, Sir, by which the Clergy fhine in all their fplendor; but if they are defpifed, it must doubtlefs fall; when the Order is fubverted, the Form changed, the Obfervation of Laws neglected, Confufion

muft of courfe follow the Tranfgreffion of his Charles IX Holy Ordinance., The Examples of it, to my 1561. Pope great forrow, are too rife, notorious and manifeft, Pius IV. to the great detriment of your Subjects.

As to Learning, the greatest part will certainly own, that it is wanting in them; they perform their Office rather by hirelings, than by themselves as to their fober Lives and Manners, what Examples do they afford us? More Superfluities and Diffolutenefs in the most part, than Holiness and Modefty. Your Majefty, Sir, may know what large Eftates, Lordships, &c. they hold and are in poffeffion of, from the Liberality of your Predeceffors, and feveral of your Subjects; in that manner the Lord's Law has been polluted and fcorned, and the Name of Clergymen cannot belong to ignorant Fellows. Let us confider those ample Rights and Privileges which they enjoy; they have in their power all manner of jurifdiction, high, mean, and low, the execution of which is quite foreign to their Profeffion, because it belongs intirely to the Magistrates established by your Majefty, and not to any other.

Jurifdiction carries along with it Troubles and Cares about temporal Concerns; and fometimes touches upon Men's Lives; but the Ecclefiaftical Miniftry confifts in meditation, reading, interpreting the Holy Scriptures, preaching, and adminiftring the Holy Sacraments; to which he cannot apply himself, who gives up his time to fecular Business, in judging and deciding Cafes amongst private Perfons. The Clergy must rest fatisfied with the Right of Ecclefiaftical Cenfures, and thofe Spiritual only, according to the GofpelInftitution. If thy brother shall trefpafs against Mat xviii. thee (faid Jefus Chrift) go and tell him his fault 5. between thee and him alone; if he fhall bear thee, thou haft gained thy brother: but if he will not

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bear

1561. Pope Pius IV.

Charles IX bear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established; and if he shall neglect to bear them, tell it unto the Church; but if he ne→ glect to bear the Church, let him be unto thee as an beathen Man and a Publican.

8.

Jefus Chrift our Redeemer fhews us plainly, that all other kinds of Judgment do not belong to the Minifters of the Church, as we read in Luke xii. St. Luke, One of the Company faid unto him, Mafter fpeak to my brother that he divide the inbe-: ritance with me and be faid unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And be faid unto them, take beed and beware of covetouf nefs; for a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which be poffeffeth.

As to the ample Poffeffions of the Clergy, if they would affirm, that they can keep them lawfully, then they must be contented to hold a fingle Living or Dignity, and even in that Cafe they fhall be convicted by the fame Canons of Male-Adminiftration in the management of their Income. For it is certain, that the two Thirds of the faid Livings or Benefices are destined to be imployed in pious Works, to wit, in feeding the Poor; and in keeping the Churches and Prefbyteries in repair; and for that purpose these Gifts have been bestowed upon the Church, the Giver believing, that the Church-Ministers were the fitteft Perfons to be trufted with fuch an Administration; but Corruption of Life and Manners having crept into the Church by length of time, that diftribution of the Church-Revenues is become out of ufe, and the Clergy has appropriated to themfelves only what belonged to others in common with them.

: This affords us a good reafon, Sir, to befeech your Majefty to remedy that Evil. If there is

any