JOHN. 



more humanely difpatched him with poifon. Boniface him- 

 lelf did not long furvive the viclim of his cruelty, beiitg 

 carried off in the fame year by a fudden death. Upon this 

 event, John, a native of Rome, and the fon of one Robert, 

 ^vas elcfted pope, and governed tlie church during the fpacc 

 of about four months, but for fome caufe or other, not 

 fufficiently explained, he is not reckoned among the popes. 



John" XV. was clefted to the papal dignity in the year 

 ■98?, on the death of John, the fon of Robert, who has been 

 jult mentioned. Soon after the commencement of his puii- 

 tiiicate, Crcfcentius, a man of great power at Rome, af- 

 pired at the fovereignty of tiie city, feized the caillc of 

 St. Angelo, and affumed the title of confuL The pope, 

 .conceiving tliat he was in danger, implored the affillance of 

 the emperor Otho III., who promifedhim, that, if neccffary, 

 lie would come with his whole army, and fupport the apollolic 

 fee with the fame zeal which his father and grandfather had 

 difplayed. John informed Crefcentius of the imperial deter- 

 mination ; he fubmitted, and fent fome of the chiefs of his 

 .party to invite liis holinefs back to Rome, with the Itrongeii 

 affurances of fafety, and of that refpeCl which was due to 

 the fucceflor of St. Peter. John complied, and was per- 

 mitted to live unmolefted till towards the clofe of his ponti- 

 ficate. In the year 993, at a council held at the Lateran pa- 

 lace, file pope, after hearing read an account of the life and 

 fuppofed miracles of Ulderic, biHiop of Augulla, declared, 

 with the approbation of his biftiops, that from thenceforth 

 Ulderic might be worlhipped and invoked as a faint in 

 heaven reigning with Chrift. This is the firit inllance on re- 

 cord of the folemn canonization of a pretendedly meritorious 

 character, a practice which foon contributed to crowd the 

 Roman calendar with faints, and loaded the church with 

 \\ ealth, by die rich offerings with which the fuperftitious 

 multitude was encouraged to propitiate the favour of thofe 

 new mediators between God and man. About this period 

 the pope became engaged in a quarrel with the French 

 clergy, over whom he obtained a complete victory ; he had, 

 however, more trouble with Crefcentius who began to re- 

 fume his ambitious projefts at Rome. John applied again 

 for affillance to Otho, who marched an army to his aliill- 

 ance, but in the midil of thefe warlike preparations the pope 

 died in the year 996, and in the eleventh year of his poiitih- 

 cate. Three of his letters are extant m the ninth vol. of 

 the CoUea. Concil. 



John XVI. pope, was a native of Roflano, in Calabria, 

 of mean extraction, but a perfon of confiderable abihties 

 and addrefs. Jie was employed by the emperors Otho il. 

 and III. in affairs of confiderable moment; from the latter 

 he obtained poflelEon of the fee of Placentia, and held it 

 till he heard that Gregory V. was driven from Rome by 

 Crefcentius in the year 99;, when he bargained for, and 

 purchafed the popedom cf that ufurper, and then adumed 

 the title of John XVI. He was excommunicated by feveral 

 councils held in Italy, France, and Germany, and at length 

 the emperor Otho brought againit him a powerful army. 

 Tlie pope, or, as he is fometimes caUed, the antipope, en- 

 deavoured to make liis efcape from the city, but falling into 

 the l^^nli^ fome of Gregory's friends, they barbaroudy 

 depriveSJI^ of his fight, and cut off his nofe and c:u-s. 

 To complete the climax of their cruelty, they mounted the 

 tinhappy wretch on an afs, led him through the llreets of 

 the city, and forced him to exclaim " Whoever fhall dare to 

 jJifpoffefs a ! ope, let him be ferved like me." 



John XVII. pope, was elccled to the holy office on the 

 death of Silvtfter II. in the year 1003, in which year he 

 alfb died, after he had prefided over the church about five 

 wonths. It has b^n afferted, that from this time, tiie peo- 



ple were deprived of -voting at elefl:ions of the fovereign pon- . 

 tiffs, which was afterward* confined to the clergy. He w^s 

 fucceeded by 



John" XVIII. pope, who held theofRce to which he was- 

 elected in 1003, between five and fix years, but few of his 

 ac^shave come down to us, except his fending St, Bruno to 

 preach Chriftianity to the Ruffians, and his putting an end to 

 the fchilm which exiftcd between the eaftern and weftern 

 ciiurches. 



John XIX. pope, \vas fon- of Gregory, count of Tuf- 

 culum, and brother of Lenedid VIII. Upon the death of 

 the latter in tlie year 1024, the influence and wealth of Gre- 

 gory procured the election of his other ion, who was then 

 a layman. It was at this moment that he thought it ad- 

 vifable to afTume the name of John XIX. Early in this 

 pontificate an attempt was made, by the emperor Baiilius, to 

 allow the patriarch of Comlantinople tlie title of Univerfal 

 bifliop of the Eail, but John fent back the ambaffadors with 

 a rcfufal, telling them that the title of univerfal bifhop be- 

 came none but the fucceffors of St. Peter in the apoftohc fee. 

 In the year J026, Conrad, king of Germany, having entered 

 Italy v.ith an army, and haviqg reduced ail the towns which 

 had iliaken off the imperial yoke, went to Rome, where the 

 pope crowned him emperor, and his queen emprefs, with 

 the ufual folemnitics. On this occafion, Rudolph, king of 

 Burgundy, and Canute, king of England, wlio were on a 

 pilgrimage to Rome, were prefent. John died in 103^^, 

 Three of his letters are inlerted in the ninth volume of the 

 Collect. Concil. 



John XX. or XXI. pope, a Portuguefe, fon of one 

 Julian, a phyfician, became eminent for his acquaintance with 

 the fciences, particularly with that of medicine, the prafticc 

 of which he followed for fome time with great reputation. 

 He afterwards devoted himfelf to the church, and advanced 

 by degrees to high preferment. He was made cardinal by 

 Gregory X., and on the death of Adrian V., in 1276, he 

 was eletted to the pontiiic.d dignity, when he took the name 

 of John XX. or XXI. The firft'act of his pontificate wa« 

 to revoke the famous conllitiition of Gregory X. which 

 ordered that the cardinals fhould be fliut up in the conclave 

 during the vacancy of the papal fee. He did all in his power 

 to affill the Chriilians in the Eaft. He was ignorant of the 

 world, and became attached to the pretended principles of ju- 

 dicial allrology ; from thefe he thought he had many years to 

 live, and began to devife fchemes for the future. He was, 

 however, carried off in eight months after his elevation to 

 the holy fee. He was author of feveral tratls on logic, one 

 on phyfiognomy, and fome medical treatifes. One of his 

 letters to Edward I. king of England, is in the tenth volume 

 of the Colled. Concil. and fome others in the fccond volume 

 ofWiddingus' "Annal. Minor." 



JoHX XXI. or XXII. pope, a Frenchman by nation, 

 and by defcent, according to different writers, the fon of a 

 noble, a tavern-keeper, or a cobler. In early life he was 

 appointed to fome confiderable offices in the ftate, the duties 

 of which he performed with fo much credit to himfelf, as 

 to manifell very fuperior talents for public bufinefs. On 

 the death of Clement V., in 1314, the moft violent difputes. 

 occurred in the eleftion of a fucceffor to the holy fee. Thefe 

 were carried on for two years, after which the cardinals unani- 

 moufly elected James de Offa, tlie fubjedl of this article, 

 who EiTumed the name of John XXI. or XXII. During 

 his pontificate he founded feveral abbeys and bifhoprics ; 

 but he was not only the witnefs to, but the perpetrator of," 

 many cruelties with refpedl to the Francifcans ; fome of 

 whom were, bv his order, aftuaily (laved alive, as prepa- 

 ratory to their being bound to the Hake for burning, which 



favasrc- 



