An Ecclesiastical History, Antient and Modern, from the Birth of Christ to the Beginning of the Eighteenth Century, Tr. with Notes by A. MacLaine (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1810. Excerpt: ... appears, that the college of electors, who chose the Cent.' Roman pontiff, and who after this period were x'-called cardinals in a new and unusual acceptation of that term, consisted, according to their original establishment, by Nicolas II. of only two orders, namely, cardinal bishops and cardinal clerks, or presbyters n. It is necessary to observe, before we finish this digression, that the famous decree of Nicolas could not obtain the force of a law. It is evi dent, says Anselm, bishop of Lucca o, that ' the edict of Nicolas is, and always has been, w without the smallest degree of weight or autho rity. But in affirming this, I have not the "least design to cast any reflection upon the "blessed memory of that pontiff, or to derogate from the applause that is due to his virtues...."As a man, however, he was fallible, and, "through the weakness that is inseparable from ' humanity, was liable to be seduced into measures that were inconsistent with equity I i 3 "and f_We must therefore take care that we be not misled by the error of Onuphr. Panvinius, who affirms, that the cardi?ial bishops were not added to the college of cardinals before the pontificate of Alexander III. Nor are we to listen to the supposition of those writers, who imagine that certain d aeons were, from the beginning, members of that college of cardinals, by whom the popes were elected. There were indeed, in the Roman church long before the edict of Nicolas, and there still remain, cardinal deacons, i. e. superintendants of those churches which have hospitals annexed to them, and whose revenues are appropriated to the support of the poor; but they were evidently excluded from the election of the pope, which, by the edict of Nicolas, was to be made by the cardinal bishops and clerks a...