known that the Cardinal of Lorrain affifting at the Council of Trent, publickly declared that the Faculty of Divinity at Paris, the Univerfi ties of the Kingdom, and in a word, all France was perfuaded, that the Pope, far from being Infallible, ought to fubmit to the Decifions of Councils, and it does not appear that this Afsertion, made him incurr any Reproach from the Court of Rome.

Yet has the World with amazement feen, that the Pope lookt upon this Declaration as an injury done to his Authority; infomuch, that the King having nominated to the Epif copacy, fome of thofe that affifted at that Aff fembly; and who are as well recommendable for their Piety and Virtue, as for their Knowi ledge and Learning; Bulls were refufed them, on pretence that they do not make Profeffion of a found Doctrine.

te If this foundation is folid, we are like to have no more Bifhops for the future: Since all the Ecclefiafticks of the Kingdom, and particulars ly those that in the Universities take the necef fary Degrees to attain to Prelacies, with an invincible fteddiness maintain the Propofitions which the Pope complains of agus bak

Tho' this refufal has not the leaft glimme! ring of Reason, yet does it nevertheless, raife a very great Scandal, and produce Disorders, beyond expreffion. And indeed, the Pope's Obftinacy is the Caufe, that thirty five Cathes dral Churches remain deftitute of Paftots, and this in a time when a vast number of newly Converted

R 2

Converted Perfons ftand in need of Inftruction, for their being fortified and confirmed in the Orthodox Belief, and when the Prefence of the Bishops is very necessary in their Dioceffes."

Who could ever imagine that the Pope, who is proposed to us as an Image of Holiness and Virtue, fhould remain fo wedded to his Opinions, and fo jealous of the fhadow of an Imaginary Authority, that he should leave the third part of the Churches of France Vacant because We will not own him to be Infallible!

Those that infpire these thoughts into the Pope, can they fancy they fhall make us change our Opinions? And are they fo blind, as not to know that those Unhappy times are past, when a grofs ignorance joined to a Faintnefs in the Government, and falfe Prepoffeffions, rendred the Pope's Decrees fo very dreadful, however unjust they might be ; and that thofe Difputes and Quarrels, far from augmenting their Power, do only ferve to caufe enquiry to be made into the Origine of their Ufurpations, and lef fen the Veneration of the People rather than encrease it? &c.

And to give fome colour to fo fcandalous an Innovation, he refers to that famous Bull, ftil'd in Cana Domini, because it is read at Rome every Thursday of the Holy Week. True it is, that if this Decree, whereby the Popes Deelare themselves Soveraign Monarchs of the World, be legitimate; the Majefty Royal will then depend on their humour, all our Liberties

will be abolish'd, the Secular Judges will no longer have the Power to try the Poffeffion of Beneficies, nor the Civil and Criminal Caufes of Ecclefiaftical Perfons; and we shall quickly fee our felves brought under the yoke of the Inquifition, dedi

Thus, however unjust and abusive this new Decree may be, it is much lefs dangerous by the frivolous Menaces it contains, than by its being built upon a Title altogether void and vicious; and that in this Conjuncture, it looks as if Rome would at prefent follow the fteps of Julius the 2d. renew his Animofity and Rage 7 against France, without making reflection how odious his Memory is in the Christian Common-wealth. vice

When Pope Gregory the 4th meaning to ren der himfelf Arbitrator of the Dispute that arofe between Lewis the Debonnair and his Children, threatned the Bishops of France to Excommunicate them if they did not clofe with his Designs: Those Prelates being furpri zed at a Procedure fo contrary to the Canons, couragiously anfwer'd, That they would not obey the Pope's Will, and that if he come with a defign to Excommunicate them, he should himself return Excommunicated: Si Excommunicaturus veniret, Excommunicatus abiret; as if they meant to fay, That he, who without lawful Caute, and through humane Motives, undertakes to fufpend one of the Members of Jefus Christ from the Communion of the Church,does feperate himself from it by such an unjust attempt. R 3

Let

a

Let us further urge, that the ill use which the Popes have in fo many Occafions made of the Authority with which they are entrusted in giving it no other Bounds than thofe of their own will, has been the fource of almost all the incurable Mischiefs, with which the Church is afflicted, and the moft fpecious Pretences of the Hereticks and Schifmaticks that the laft Age produc'd, fo as the Divines affembled by Pope Paul the Third's Order, did fincerely own; and befides at prefent, the bare Idea of the Infallibility, and indirect Power which the Complaifance of the Italian Doctor does Attribute to the See of Rome, upon the Temporality of Princes, is one of the greateft Obstacles that oppose the Converfion, not only of individual Perfons, but of whole Provinces; and Peoples minds cannot be too thoroughly convinc'd that these new Opinions do not make part of the Doctrine of the Univerfal Church &..

If he had been an Envoy from the Empe rour of the Turks, from the King of Perfia, or fome other Infidel Prince, he would not have been fo rigorously us'd. Is it that the Pope means to have no more Commerce with France? Is he perfuaded that his Power reaches no farther than the Diocefs of Rome, and his Partri archfhip than the Neighbouring Provinces, ftiled Suburbicarial? Does he intend to renounce the Quality of Head of the Church, and Common Father of the Faithful? &c.

And in this occafion the Thunders of the Varicum have nothing formidable; they are Tranfitory

Tranfitory Fires, that exhale into fmoak, and which do neither hurt nor prejudice, fave to thofe who darted them.

And tho' this Bull be neither publish'd nor executed in the Kingdom, it is not the less a bufive. We do not doubt, but that a more mo derate Pope, reflecting upon the diforders which fuch an Innovation is capable of produ cing, would imitate the Example of Clement the Fifth, who, by a folemn Decree, did for ever abolish the memory of what his Predeceffor Boniface the Eight had unjustly under taken against King Philip the Fair; And this Retractation, which proves that the Popes are not Infallible, fince the one destroys what the other had built; among others, revokes the Bull, Unam San&tam; wherein Boniface, whofe proud Conduct was blamed by the whole Church, declares that the Sword of Soveraigns is fubjected to the Popes Spiritual Faulchion, &c.

It then we put in an Appeal to the future Council againit the Cenfures contain❜d in the Bull, and against the Interdict that is a Confe quence and acceffary of it; it is because that not only the Decifions of Popes, but their very Perfon, when they fail in their Duty in the Government of the Church, is to fubmit to the Correction and Reformation of the Gene ral Council, in what regards as well Faith as Difcipline. An indifputable Truth whence We shall never depart, whatever endeavours the Partizans of the Court of Rome may ufe.

R 4

The