VIII. in

the papal sec.
singular friendsliip which iiave liitherto flourished between the Roman rhurch and our lord tlif king and his predecessors in tlie realm, to the glory of'God, the ■ advancement of the christian faith, and the glorious exaltation of the church, the kinc:, and the realm ; seeing also that crying offences are rising up on every side, and that tiic churches and ecclesiastics are threatened with sjjolia- tion and even de.ith, and tiiat the laity do abhor and slum the company of clerks, and utterly exclude them from tlieir councils and doings, as if conscious of a conspiracy against them, to the gieat peril of souls, with other sundry and divers perils, which neither tongue is able to tell nor writing to decl.ire, — thought good in this crisis of extreme necessity promptly to run with weeping voice and lamentable sighs to the circumspect wisdom of your holiness, be- seeching your fatherly mildness, and humbly praying you to condescetid to provide some wholesome remedy in the premises, whereby the profitable agree- ment and mutual love which have continued so long between the church, the king, and the realm, might be maintained in their integrity, and the state of the JVench church might continue in godly peace and quiet, and that you would vouchsafe to provide, that we and our states may be secured by tiie recall of the aforesaid summons, and that by the study of your apostolic wisdom and fatherly piety, the aforesaid dangers and offences maybe obviated. The Most High long preserve your holiness to his holy church.
These things discoursed and done, then followed the year of our Lord 1303. In that year we find in the French king's records —
A Declaration of Master William dc Nogaret, made against Pope Boniface VIII,, Avith his Appellation also made at Paris, before the King and his Council in the Palace of the Louvre.'
In the name of the Lord, Amen. In the year of the same Lord 1303, the first indiction. the 12th day of March, and the ninth year of the popedom of the most holy father the lord Boniface VIII., by God's providence pope, in the presence of us public notaries and witnesses subscribed, the noble William de Nogaret, knight, worshipful professor of laws, standing before the most excellent prince the lord Philip, by the grace of God most noble king of France, spake viva voce, and delivered in in writing, the things following : —
" There were false prophets among the people, as there shall be also among you false teachers. &c." (2 Pet. ii.) St. Peter, the glorious prince of the apostles, here foretold, that, like as there were false prophets in former times, so there should arise false teachers, bringing in sects of perdition, by whom the way of truth should be defaced, and who should covetously make merchandise of us with feigned words ; and he further added, that such teachers did follow the way of Balaam of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness, but had his bridled ass to correct his madness; which, speaking in a man's voice, did utter the foolishness of the prophet. All which things as they were foretold by the great patriarch himself, so your eyes see them fulftUed this day to the letter. For there sitteth in St. Peter's chair the master of lies, causing himself to be called ' Boniface,' that is a well doer, whereas he is notable for all kind of evil doing, and thus he hath assumed to himself a false name; and whereas he is not the true ruler, he calleth himself the lord judge and master of all men. And having come in contrary' to the order a])pointed by the holy fathers, and alst) contrary to the rules of reason, and so not entering in at the door, into the Lord's sheepfold, he is not the shepherd or his hireling, but rather a thief and a robber. For while the true husband of the Roman church was yet living- (being one who delighted in simplicity), this man deceived him, and induced him with feigned flatteries, and gifts, and bribes, to put away his spouse, contrary Ui the truth, who cried, 'Those whom Gnd hath coupled let no man separate ;' and at length laying violent hands upon him, having falsely persuaded him that what this deceiver said came from the Holy Spirit, he dared to take to himself with wicked embraces that Holy Church which is mistress of all the churches, calling himself her husband, whereas he cannot be ; for Celestine, the true Roman bishop, agreed not to the said divorce, being deceived by such deep Hubtlety; but nothing is so incompatible with agreement as error and (1) Ex registro. [Dupiiy, Preuves, p. SP.— Ed.] (2) Meaning Celestine.— Ed.
ARTICLES OF XOGAUETA AGAINST BONIFACK. 595
deceit, as even human laws bear witness. I say nothing of his violence. French But because the Spirit inspireth where he will, and he that is led of the m^iory. Spirit is not under the law, the holy universal church of God not knowing the . rv craft of this deceiver, uncertain and doubting whether it proceeded from the jo'qo'
Holy Ghost that Celestine should part with his government, and the people — !
entreating it for fear of a schism, suli'ered the afoixsaid deceiver until, according to the doctrine of our Lord, by liis fruits it might be known whether the man came to the said authority by the Holy Ghost or otherwise : but his fruits, as is plainly hereunder declared, are now manifest to all men, by which it is appa- rent to the world that he came not in by God but otherwise, and so not by the door, into the sheepfold. His fruits are most evil, the end whereof is death; and therefore it is necessary that so evil a tree, according to the Lord's sentence, should be cut down and cast into the fire. Nor can that avail for his excuse, which is said by some men, that the cardinals did agree upon him again after the death of the said pope Celestine, seeing that he could not be the husband of her, whom it is manifest he had defiled by adultery, whilst her first husband was yet living and worthy to have the vows of marriage kept unto him. Therefore, because that which is done against the Lord turnetli to the injury of all men, and in so great a crime (by reason of the consequences) any one of the people, a woman, and even an infamous person, is admitted to bear testimony — therefore I, like the bridled ass, using the voice of a mere man, sufficient to bear so great a charge only in virtue of the Lord's power and not my own, take in hand to rebuke the madness of the said false prophet Balaam, The pope who, at the instance of king Balak, that is, of the prince of the devils whom he "'*^" o'"- serveth, is ready to curse the people blessed of the Lord ; and J beseech you, ua^j^am' most excellent prince and lord Philip, by the grace of God king of France, that who was like as the angel of God, in time past, met in the way w'ith a drawn sword the ^°"' ^^ prophet Balaam going to curse God's people, so you, who are anointed to God's execute justice, and therefore (like the angel) a minister of the Lord, would people for meet with the drawn sword of your power and office this said wicked man, who money ^"^ is far worse than Balaam, that he accomplish not that evil which he intendeth to the people.
1. I propound first, that the aforesaid man, who nameth himself Boniface, Articles is no pope, but wrongfully keepeth the seat which he indeed hath, to the great pro- damage of all the souls of God's holy church. I say also, that his entering ''""•"'^^j'' was in many ways faulty, and that he entered not in at the door, but other- pope Bo- wise, and therefore is to be judged a thief and a robber. niface.
2. I propound also, that the said Boniface is a manifest heretic, and utterly cut off from the body of the holy church, because of many kinds of lieresy, which shall be declared in convenient place and time.
3. I propound also that the said Boniface is a horrible simoniac, and such an one as hath not been since the beginning of the world ; and the mischief of this sin of his is so notorious to all the world, that it is manifest to all that will impartially judge, for he blasphemously declared in public, that he was incapable of the sin of simony.
4 . I propound also, that the said Boniface, being implicated in manifest Tlie i-.a- and heinous sins without number, is so hardened in them, that he is utterly '''p incorrigible, and lieth steeped in a depth of wickedness, insomuch that he and au''^' cannot be suffered any longer without ruin to the state of the chmch. His popes by mouth is full of cursing, his feet and steps are swift to shed blood. He utterly a^ep™],,. teareth in pieces the churches which he ought to cherisli, wickedly wasting the ed out. goods of the poor, and making much of wicked men that give him rewards ; persecuting the righteous, and lording it over the people, not ministering unto
them ; laying a grievous bin-then and an intolerable yoke on the ciiurches, on the people of God, and on the nobles of the people, despising the humble and persecuting the lowly among the people ; not gathering after Christ, but scattering, bringing in new and damnable heresies never before heard of; speaking evil of the way of truth, and with robbery making himself equal to ^he pope the Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for ever. And he, being most covetous, thinketh thirsteth for gold, covetetli gold, and by subtle device getteth gold of every p'^^f"^ sort of people ; and with feigned words, sometimes by flattering, sometimes by with threatening, sometimes by false teaching, utterly disregarding the honour of Christ. God, and only to get money withal, he maketh merchandise of us all, envying
596 APPKAL OF CERTAIN FRENCH NOBLES.
French ^'U loviiig noiic but himsclf, nourishing wars, hating and disturbing tlic peace Hftory. of his subjects. He is hacknied in all atrocious sins, contending and striving ~~Tr~ against all the ways and doctrines of the Lord ; he is truly that aboniination of the temple, which Daniel, the Lord's prophet, described. Therefore I *'^"'*' answer, that laws, weapons, and all the elements, ought to rise against him The po|>e who thus overthroweth the state of the church ; for whose sins God plagueth theabo- the whole world : and, finally so insatiable is he, nothing remaineth to satisfy of'ic'soi'a- '^'"' wilhal, but only the insatiable mouth of hell, and the fire that cannot be lion. quenched, but cimtinueth for ever.
Therefore, seeing that this wicked man, who ofTendeth both dod and all men, ought to be condemned by a general council and sentence of all men, I ask, with all possible earnestness, and beseech you, my lord and king afore- said, that ye would give notice to the prelates, doctors, princes, and people, our brethren in Christ, and especially to the cardinals and all prelates, that they all convene a council, in which the aforesaid wicked man having been con- demned, the church may by the worshipful cardinals be provided with a shepherd, and before such council I offer myself ready lawfully to pursue the points aforesaid. And whereas the said man, being in the highest dignity, cannot in the mean time be suspended by a sujierior, and therefore ouglit to be held as suspended ipso facto for the causes aforesaid, the moment his state is called into judgment in the manner aforesaid ; therefore I beseech and require the said cardinals by you, and I presently require them of the church of God, that the person of this wicked man being put under arrest, the church of Rome may be provided with a vicar who may minister those things that may appertain, until the church of God be provided with a pontiff, and that the said wicked man may not let and hinder the prosecuting hereof.
But I require these things of you, my lord king aforesaid, affirming you to be bound to comply for many causes : first, for the faith's sake ; secondly, for the dignity of your kingly office, to which it belongeth to root out such pesti- lent men; thirdly, for your oath's sake, which you made for the defence of the chinches of your realm, but which the aforesaid ravener utterly tearetli in pieces ; fourthly, because you be the patron of the churches, and therefore are bound not only to the defence of them, but to the getting back again of their property, which this man hath wasted ; fifthly, because, following the footsteps of your predecessors, you ouglit to deliver our mother, the Roman cluireh, from so wicked a band wherein by oppression she is tied and bound. I require that a public instrument be made of these requests by these notai-ies here present, under the witness of the worshipful men that be here present.
These things were done and spoken, as is aforesaid, at Paris, in the king's palace of the Louvre, in the year, indiction, month, day, and pontificate afore- said, in the presence of the reverend fathers in Christ, the archbishops of Sens and Narbonne, and the bishops of Meaux, Nevers, and Auxerre, and the noble earls, Charles of Valois and Louis of Evreux, Robert, duke of Burgundv, John de Chalons, lord D'Arlay, John de Dampierre, lord de St. Diziers, Gaucher de Chatillon, constable of France and earl of Porcean, and many others specially called and requested to be witnesses thereto.
After this protestation of Master de Nogaret, immediately ensued the appeal of certain nobles, pronounced and published against the said Boniface, in form as folloAveth :' —
Tlie ap- In i^ie name of the Lord, Amen. In the year of the same Lord 1303, the pellation first indiction, the 13th day of June, and the ninth year of the popedom of Frenclf" Boniface VIII. By the tenor of this public instrument, knoiv all men, that in nobles the presence of the most serene prince, loi'd Philip, by the grace atfainst of France, and of the fomous and reverend fathers in Christ, the archbishops niface and . bishojis, religious men, abbots, and priors, and of the noble earls and