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twelve of whom were French, so that it would have been 

 an easy matter for the French majority to elect a French 

 pope ; but the clamour, not only of the clergy, but of 

 the laity of Rome, was so great that the majority did not 

 avail themselves of their opportunity, and allowed the 

 Archbishop of Bari, a Neapolitan, to be nominated and 

 unanimously elected to the vacant see, under the title 

 of Urban VI. Not many weeks passed away before the 

 French majority began to repent their haste, and ended 

 by publicly excommunicating Pope Urban VI., calling 

 him apostate and antichrist, and electing in his stead, on 

 September 2ist, Robert of Geneva, under the title of 

 Clement VII. The Italian bishops and clergy stood by 

 the Pope of their choice, who resided at the Vatican, 

 while the French bishops and clergy bowed allegiance 

 only to their Pope, who took up his residence at the old 

 papal palace at Avignon ; and thus it happened that for 

 the first time in the history of the Church there were two 

 popes at the same time, each pouring forth his anathemas 

 at the other, and each declaring himself to be the divinely- 

 ordained vicar of Christ on earth. Owing to this schism, 

 Wicliffe was allowed to preach his heresy without let or 

 hindrance, for the whole of Europe was in a constant 

 ferment, and the bishops could ill bestow time upon such 

 an insignificant person when two such lofty individuals 

 were attracting the attention of both clergy and laity. 



For forty years these rival popes and their successors 

 carried on a perpetual warfare, both with the sword and 

 the pen, Pope Urban being succeeded in turn by 

 Pope Boniface IX., Pope Innocent VIL, and Pope 

 Gregory XII., and Pope Clement by Pope Bene- 

 dict XIII. During this time there were not wanting men 

 who were bold enough to turn to account this papal 

 schism in the interest of reform. Wicliffe was working 

 silently but steadily in England, and actually had the 

 audacity to render the Bible in the vulgar tongue, so 

 that the people could read it in the churches, the thing 

 of all others that the popes and the cardinals dreaded, 

 for they well knew that, as soon as the Bible was read 

 and understood, the authority of the Church would 

 gradually wane, and eventually cease to exist at all. In 

 vain did the popes thunder forth their curses upon 



