1 N N O C E N T. 



pa: 



cruelly perfecutcJ, and tl.ofe wlio refufed to return to the tUe kinfr's camp, lie found, vliat Le little expefted, that ^ 

 bofom of the Catholic church were punifhed with fines, ba- had fallen into the hands of a generous enemy ; the vidior: 

 riifhnient, theconlifcation of goods, and in fonie inilaiices king fent fome of_^his principal officers to beg Ins hulnn 

 with death. He efpoufed the caufe of Chr\ foftom, and 

 even refufed to hold communion with the eallern churches, 

 on account of their treatment of that eminent man. He 

 \va3the firft who perfecutcd the Novatianj at Ron:e, by de- 

 priving theui of their churches, and preventing their 

 alTcmbling in public, for religious \> orfhip ; the Pelagians 

 : likewife under his lalh ; he declared them not only un 



^ and to affurc him he was ready to enter into an 



cominodation upon the terms which he had formerly offered 

 by his deputies. Innocent readily acceded : the terms wxni 

 drawn up and executed, in confequence of which the poj- 

 abl"olved Roger from excommunication, and folemnly invciU 

 him with the kingdom of Sicily, the dukedom of Apuli; 

 and the principality of Capua ; while, on the other hand. 



worthy of Chrillian communion, but of human fociety, and the king acknowledged Innocent for lawful pope, and en- 



even of life. He died in the vear4i7, after having pre- gaged to affill him whenever his aid fliould be required, 



'" ' '" ' ■ Upon the recovery of his liberty Innocent returned to Rome; 



fided over the chnrcli about fifteen years. He Mas a per- 

 fon of great addrefs, and a lively genius, and wa.s well ac- 

 quainted with the traditions of the cliurch. His decretats 

 lufltciently (hew his ufurping and domineering fpirit, and his 

 wilhes to make the Chrillian world fubmit to his infolence ; 

 they have been frequently quoted by the advocates oi the 

 fee of Rome, to dcmonilrate how early the popes claimed, 

 as the fuccelTors of St. Peter, an univerfal authority and ju- 

 rifdiftion. Tliir^y-fonr letters, in the firll volume of tiie 

 " Letters of the Popes" have been attributed !o this pon- 

 tiff, but by many of the ableft critics the greater part of 

 them has been regarded as Uippofititious. 



'iKXOCr.KT II. pope, a defcendant from a noble family at 

 Rome, afcended the papal throne in the year i i :;o. He had 



nocent i 

 but the remainder of his life was fpent in much difquiet. 

 The laft two years of his life were wholly occupied in re- 

 ducing fevcral cities which attempted to (hake off the yoke 

 of the apoliolic fee, and to recover their ancient liberty. 

 Tlie Romans alfo refufed to obey him as their prince, reftored 

 their fcnatc, and created their own magillratcs. In the 

 midll of thefe calamities the pope fell fick, and died in 

 114:;, after a pontificate of nearly fourteen years. In pri- 

 vate life he was moil highly elleemed on account of the fua- 

 vity of his manners, but from the fevcral revolts which took 

 place while he was head of the church, it has been fufpefted 

 that his adminilbation of government was not conduced 

 with prudence and wii'dom, and that his zeal for exalting 



already filled fome refpcdable offices in the church, and the papal pretenfions was not behind that of any of his pre- 

 js faid to have led a moll exemplary hfe from his infancy, deceflbrs. Forty-three of his letters are inferted in the 

 and to have been diilinguilhed for eminent abilities and ftri'a tenth volume of the Colleft. Concil. 



probity, while he was at the fame time of a mod humane and Innocent III. pope, originally called Lotharius, was a 



courteous difpofition. He was promoted to the facred col- defcendant from the illultrious houfe of the counts of Segni, 



lege by the title of cardinal St. Angelo, and was employed and born at Anagni about the year 1 161 After purfuing 



by feveral of the popes in important negociations at home his lUidics at Rome, he went to the univerfity of Paris, 



and abroad. Upon the death of Honorius II. he was where he was admitted to the degree of doftor. Fiom this 



elected his fuccefTor by a part only of the conclave, the reft period he was advanced very rapidly in the church ; was or- 



choofing Peter de Leon, the fon'of a Jew, who took the dained fub-deacon by Gregory VIII., and preferred to the 



name of Anacletus II., and was acknowledged by the kings dignity of cardinal-deacon by Clement III., under the title 



of Scotland and Sicily, while Innocent was received by the of cardinal St. Sergius, and St. Bacchius. On the death 



Other princes of Europe. Being driven from Italy, he fled of pope Celelline III. in the year 1198, Lotharius was 



to France, where he held feveral councils, at one of which elefted his fucceffor, being then only in his thirty-feventh 



he thundered out a fentence of excommunication againft year. Being at this period only in deacon's orders, he was 



Anacletus, and all his adlierents. He crowned the emperor firft ordained prieft, in order to his being able to undertake 



Lotharius with great folemnity, and for the fupport of his the high office of pope, when he affumed the name of Inno- 



new dignity granted to him, to his daughter, and to his fon- cent HI. From the moment of his exaltation, he feems ta 



in-law, during their lives, all the cftates of the countefs Ma- have fet before him, as objects for his imitation, the cha- 



tilda. On the death of Ins rival, another pope was chofen racier and conduct of pope Gregory Vll., and with equal. 



by the fame party, who took the name of Vittor, but who, intrepidity and addrefs, purfued his plans of ambition, till 



probably, feeling himfelf unequal to contend with the power he arrived at a height of dcfpotifra, which the world beheld 



of Innocent, threw himfelf at the feet of tlie pontiff, and with wonder and aftonifiiment, but to which the Hates of, 



thus put an end to the fchifm in the church. Innocent, Europe fubmitted with a filence that was highly difgraceful 



having now no enemy to diflurb his peace, took up his len- to them. " Under this young and ambhious priefl," fays. 



dence at Rome, and fummoncd a general council to meet in Gibbon, " the fucceffors of St. Peter attained the full me-^ 



the Lateran in the year 1 139. This was the mod numerous ridian of their greatnefs ; and in a reign of eighteen years, 



council that had ever been held, confiiling, it is reported, he exercifcd a defpotic command over the emperors and kings 



of a thoufand bilhops, befides a crowd of abbots and other wliom he raifed and depofed ; over the natians, wliom an in- 



ecciefiaftics, who, befides other Imfinefs, declared the ordi- terdift of months or years deprived, for the offence of their 



nations of Anacletus null ; excommunicated Ro^er, king rulers, of the exercife of Chriftian worlhip. Tr\ the council 



of Sicily, and condemned the opinions of the famous Ar- of the Lateran he nfted a? the ecclcfiaftical, almoft as the tem- 



iiold of Drefcia. Innocent, after this, was not contented poral, lovcreign of the Eaft and Weft. It was at the feet, 



with- the pacific duties of his office, but aflually marched in of this legate that John of England furrendered his crown ; 



perfon, with his army, againft the prince who feemed tn fet and Innocent may boaft of the two moll fignal triumphs 



at his defiance the fentence of excommunication. Roger over fenfe and humanity, trie eftabliHiment of tranfubftantia- 



was too well (Icilled in military taflics to leave the event of tion, and the origin of the inquifition. At his voice, two 



the contcft doubtful, he attacked the epifcopal army, which crufades, the fourth and the fifth, were undertaken ; but 



he pi-t to flight, aiid was fo completely fuccefsful, as to take except a king of Hungary, the princes of the fecond order 



the holy: pontiff prifoncr, with feveral cardinals, and other were at the head of the pilgrims ; the forces were inadequate- 



perfoiis of diftinftion. When lunocent was condudled into to the dcfign ; nor did the effeds correfpond with the hopes 



and 



