INNOCENT. 



and wi(his of the pops and the people." Innocent did not 

 coniiue his efforts to the Holy Land, he promoted a crufade 

 «gainit the Albigenfes. He liril attempted to convert 

 them by his miilionaries, one of whom was murdered, which 

 was the fignal for the difplay of all his wrath ; he did not 

 even deign to inftitutc an inquiry, but ordered the whole 

 race to be piirfiicd with fire and fword, and to be treated 

 with more I'evcrity than the Saracens themfdves. Immenfe 

 numbers of lives were facrificed in liis holy war, and bar- 

 barities pradil'ed, before unheard of; but the perpetrators 

 of them were applauded and rewarded by the cruel pontiff, 

 and the infernal fpirit by which tliey had been aftuated was 

 impioully called zeal in fupporting the caufe of God and of 

 the church. In 1 2 1 5, the fourth general Lateran council was 

 held at Rome, which was fo managed by the all-controlling 

 power of the pontiff, thatinfteadof exercifmg the funftions 

 of a deliberative body, it was made ufe of only as an in- 

 ftrument to regiller canons and decrees wliich Innocent had 

 drawn up, and which he permitted to be read for their appro- 

 bation. In this council a fentence, which had been pro- 

 nounced fome time before, fufpcnding Stephen Langton, 

 archbifhop of Canterbury, was coniirmed. The pope, 

 liltewife, thundered out a fentence of excommunication 

 againft the barons, which they treated with merited contempt, 

 and bravely perfilled in defending thofe privileges, the char- 

 ters of which they had lately compelled their monarch to 

 fign. In the year 1216, Innocent undertook, a journey to 

 Pifa ; but on his arrival at Perugia he was attacked with a 

 violent diforder, wliich put an end to his life in a few days. 

 According to Mr. Berington, " Innocent was learned, mag- 

 nificent, perfeverant, wife. In the knowledge of laws and 

 politics he had no equal : he pofTeffed the art of govern- 

 ment, and was obeyed more from fear than love. Ambition 

 was his ruling palfion, to gratify v/hich, he overftepped tTie 

 bounds of decency and jullice, playing as wantonly with the 

 folemn cenfiires of the church as if they had been inilituted 

 for t!ie common purpofes of wayward caprice or rel'entful 

 vengeance. To look into him for the amiable virtues of life, 

 or for thofe which iliould form the paftoral character, 

 would be lofs of time. The prerogative of the holy fee, 

 built up by adulation and misjudging zeal, filled his mind ; 

 its aggrandizement he fought fometimes, perhaps, from 

 motives which the cool reafoner may excufe ; and the meteor 

 of univerfal empire gleaming on his fenfes, did not permit 

 the operation of a difpafiionate and unbiaffed judgment. No 

 tears were fhed when Innocent fell, but thofe which Religion 

 *vept, too juflly pained by the inordinate exertions and 

 worldly views of her firll miniller." Innocent was the 

 author of a variety of works, which are enumerated by 

 Dupin, but the molt valuable are his " Epiflle^," which 

 threw confiderable light on the ecclefiallical hillory of his 

 time. His works have been collected in two volumes folio ; 

 the bed edition is that publiilied at Paris in 1682. 



IxN'ocEXT IV., pope, was a native of Genoa, and being 

 diitinguifhed for his learning and attainments, he was in early 

 life made canon of Parma, from which he was promoted to 

 the chancellorfhip of the Roman church. In 1227 he was 

 raifed to the purple by Gregory IX., and in 1243 he was 

 elevated to the papal throne, when he took the name of 

 Innocent IV. Previoufly to this he was on terms of llriA 

 intimacy with tiie emperor Frederic II., who had been en- 

 gaged in a contell with the court of Rome, and that prince 

 no fooner received the news of his exaltation, than he lent a 

 fplendid embafly to congratulate him upon his eleftion, and 

 to affure him tliat nothing fhould be wanting to re-eftablilli 

 harmony between t!ie church and the empire. The pope, 

 however, began to alTume a dignity inconfulent with friend- 



fliip, and he plainly declared that he was rcfolved to main- 

 tain the higheft pretenfions of the apollolical lee. Legate* 

 were dilpatched to accommodate all differences, but it was 

 of no avail, and hope.s of reconciliation being at an end, 

 Frederic prepared to reduce the pope to reafon by the terror 

 of his arms. Innocent, unable to refill the power of the 

 emperor, fled for proteftion to his native city, where he was 

 received with every mark of 'dillindion. Hei-e he affembled 

 a council, confiding of about 140 prelates, fome princes, and 

 the ambaffadors of mod of the crowned heads in Europe ; he 

 laid before this augud alfembly the motives which induced 

 him to call them together, defcribing the emperor as a tyrant, 

 a perfecutor of the church, and as guiky ofherefy, facrilege, 

 and other grievous crimes. The council gave credit to the 

 pontiff, and fanclioned the fentence of excommunication 

 pronunced againft him. This led to a moft deftruftive war, 

 which was carried on in Germany and Italy till the death of 

 the emperor Frederic in i2i,'o, who was fucceeded by lii;; 

 eldell fon Conrad, who took up his father's caufe with fo 

 much Zealand intrepidity, as rendered Innocent fully fenfible 

 of his inability to withiland that prince with his own forces 

 only. He accordingly made many imfuccefsful attempts 

 for obtainmg afTiilance, and iiis army was defeated, which fo 

 affected the pontiff, that he fell fick «nd died in the month of 

 December 1254, after he had prclided over the church nearly 

 twelve years. He had high notions refpefting the power 

 and authority of the papal fee : he pofTcflTed confiderable 

 learning ; was well acquainted with the divinity of the times, 

 and was regarded as the beft civilian of bis age. He was 

 author of a work entitled " Apparatus, Libris quinque 

 dillin£tus, in totidem Libros Decretalium," firft printed at 

 Venice in IJ/O ; and of feveral other pieces, befides twenty 

 letters, whicii are inferted in the eleventh volume of the 

 Collect. Concil. He was not only learned, but a great en-, 

 coiirager of learning, and is faid to have been the firft wh» 

 gave red hats to the cardinals. 



IsxoCEST v., pope, was born at a town on the If ere, in 

 Burgundy. When very young he entered the Dominican 

 order of preaching friars, and purfued his ftudies in divinity 

 with fo much fuccei's, that he was appointed to fill the theo- 

 logical chair in the nniverfity of that city, and was confidered 

 as one of the moll learned divines of tiie age. He obtained 

 confiderable preferment in the churcli, and about 127 1 was 

 nominated by pope Gregory X. archbifiiop of Lyons, and 

 foon afterwards was promoted to the facred college by the 

 title of cardinal bilhop of Oftia. On the death of Gregory 

 he was Uiianimoufly chofen his fnccefl'or in the papal dignity, 

 and took the name of Innocent V. Befides reconciling thofe 

 ftates of Italy which were carrying on the moil bloody wars 

 againft eadi other under the oppofite denominations of 

 Guelphs and Gibellines, and bringing about a peace between 

 the republics of Lucca and Piia, he projected the million of 

 a fplendid legation into the Eall, to obtain from the emperor, 

 Michael Palaeologns, the confirmation of the articles of union, 

 but he died before he could carry his delign into execution, 

 after a fhort pontificate of about five months. He wrote 

 " Commentaries" upon the Pentateuch, the Canticles, aI^^^ 

 tlie Gofpels: " Notes on the Epifll.".> of St. Paul," uA 

 other pieces, which have been publilhed fince his death. 



Innocent VI., pope, formerly called Stephen Aubert, 

 was brought up to the ftudy ai:d practice of the law, and in 

 J 33 J he was profeffor of the civil-law r.t Touloufe, and chief 

 judge of that city. In two years after we find him bilhop 

 of Noyon, and in 1340 he was tranflatcd to the fee of Cler- 

 mont. In 1342 he was raifed by pope Clement VI. to the 

 dignity of cardinal bifhop of Ollia, and at the fame time tip. 

 pointed grand pcnitcatiary of the Romifu churcIi. In I'JjS 

 S I ii- 



