564 
P I 
upon the death of that pontiff, in 1566, by the unanimous 
fuffrages of the conclave he was elected his fucceffor, 
when he took the name of Pius V. Little was the joy 
which the people of Rome expreffed at his coronation, as 
they dreaded a fevere government under a perfon in 
whofe rigid and auftere manners his fucceffive promotions 
from the condition of a fimple monk had made no change. 
Senfible of the coldnefs of the reception which he had 
met with, he obferved to thofe about him, “ I hope that 
fonie time hence the Romans will be as forry for my 
death as they are now for my advancement.” To render 
himfelf worthy of the grateful remembrance of virtuous 
and good men, he dilplayed great zeal and diligence in 
promoting a reformation in the manners and morals of all 
ranks of people. He repreffed the exceffive pride and 
oftentation of the cardinals, as well as the luxury in drefs 
and mode of living of the other orders of clergy. He alfo 
gave directions for banilhing all the proftitutes from 
Rome, not withftanding the fcandalous encouragement 
which they met with from fome of the cardinals and fena- 
tors; and he prohibited the bull-fights in the Circus, as 
well as all other diverfions which had a tendency to pro¬ 
mote irregularity and diflipation among the lower claffes. 
In purfuance of his determination to carry into execu¬ 
tion the decrees of the Council of Trent, Pius gave direc¬ 
tions for ftriclly obferving that which enjoined refidence 
on the clergy; and commanded that no perfons fhould 
be admitted to ecclefiaftical benefices who would not 
refide. And, when he was told that a drift adherence to 
fuck a decree would caufe the court at Rome to be defert- 
ed, he replied, that it was better that the court fhould be 
deferted than that the fervice of God ffiould be neglefted. 
With refpeft to his own relations, he commanded them 
all to retire from Rome, providing them with fmall 
penfions for their fubfiftence : excepting two of his ne¬ 
phews, who were attached to ftudy; one of whom, Mi¬ 
chael Eonello, who poffeffed fhining talents and an excel¬ 
lent difpofition, he was perfuaded by his friends to raife to 
the dignity of cardinal. 
While Pius was engaged in introducing a partial re¬ 
formation among the ecclefiaftics and the community at 
Rome, he difplayed his zeal againft the Proteftants, and 
thofe who were fufpefted of favouring their opinions, by 
perfecuting them with the fame mercilefs feverity which 
had rendered him odious in his former character of inqui- 
fitor. Peter Carnefecchi, a perfon of diftinfiion at Flo¬ 
rence, was, by his order, condemned to the flames, after 
having been convicted of correfponding with fome of the 
reformed religion in Germany, and with fome of his 
countrymen in Italy who were fufpedted of herefy. 
Aonius Palearius, one of the ornaments of his age as an 
elegant and liberal fcholar, underwent the fame fate, as 
we have feen in his life, (vol. xviii. p. 269.) for faying 
that in fome things the Lutherans were excufable, and 
for calling the Inquifition “ the dagger drawn againft 
' literature in general.” Not fatisfied with his endeavours 
to extirpate the reformed opinions out of Italy, in 1568 
he encouraged Charles IX. king of France to make war 
upon his Proteftant fubjefts, fending a confiderable body 
of troops to join the royal army, and permitting fome of 
the eftates of the church in France to be alienated, in 
order to fupply funds for carrying on hoftilities. 
Pius V. was not exceeded by the moft ambitious of his 
predeceffors in zeal for maintaining the high claims of 
the papal fee. This he (howed by iffuing, in 1568, his 
famous bull In Ccena Domini, which it was ufual to pub- 
liftiat Rome on Maunday-Thurfday every year, till it 
was fuppreffed by Clement XIV. By this bull anathemas 
were pronounced againft fuch perfons as (hould appeal to 
general-councils from the decrees of the popes, or (how 
any favour to fuch appellants; againft all univerfities 
which fhould teach the fuperiority of general-councils to 
the popes ; and againft thofe princes who fhould impofe 
reftraintson the ecclefiaftical jurifdiftion, or exaft contri¬ 
butions from the clergy. This bull, however, fo evi- 
u s. 
dently calculated to deprive princes of the fovereignty of 
their dominions, and to render them and their fubjefts 
entirely dependent on the will of the Roman pontiffs, 
was never received in any kingdom out of Italy. In the 
year 1569, Pitts conferred the title of Grand-Duke of 
Tufcany upon Cofmo de Medici, duke of Florence. 
During the fame year, he thundered out a bull of ex¬ 
communication againft Elizabeth queen of England, by 
which he pretended to abfolve her fubjefts from their 
allegiance to her, and anathematized all who fhould from 
that time acknowledge or obey her. This bull was fixed 
up in the night on the bifliop of London’s palace, and in 
other parts of the metropolis; but the days were paft 
when the appearance of fuch an inltrument could endan¬ 
ger the throne of an Englifh fovereign. Some bigotted 
Catholics, indeed, were encouraged by it to attempt exci¬ 
ting commotions againft the government; but their 
efforts were foon quelled, and they fuffered the puniffi- 
ment which their treafon deferved. 
In the year 1751, circumftances arofe which direfted 
the zeal of Pius againft the common enemy of theChrif- 
tian name, Selim, the Turkifh fultan, who, in the time of 
peace, and in violation of a folemn treaty, had invaded 
the ifland of Cyprus. Unable to arreft his progrefs, the 
Venetians, to whom the ifland belonged, ftrongly folicited 
his holinefs to employ his influence in procuring afliftance 
for them from the Chriftian princes. With their requeft 
Pius readily complied ; but of all the great European 
princes, he fucceeded only in his application to Philip II. 
king of Spain, who, from the fituation of his dominions, 
and the enmity which had long fubfifted between him 
and the Turkifh fultans, had no lefs reafon to dread the 
increafe of the Ottoman power, than either the Pope or 
the Venetians. He, therefore, without hefitation, entered 
into aleague with his holinefs and the republic, by which 
he bound himfelf to pay one half of the expenfe of a 
powerful armament which it was judged neceffary to 
employ, while the Venetians engaged to defray three- 
fourths of the other half, and the pope the remainder. 
The preparations of the combined powers were carried on 
with fuch celerity and difpatch, that about the middle of 
September a fleet was ready to fail from Meflina, confiding 
of upwards of 250 (hips of war, befides other veffels, and 
carrying, if we may believe the contemporary hiftorians, 
near 50,000 men. The command of this mighty arma¬ 
ment was given to Don John of Auftria, whom the pope, 
indulging the moft fanguine hopes with regard to the 
iffue of the war, exhorted to embrace the firft opportunity 
of engaging with the enemy, affuring him that he would 
obtain a complete viftory. He fent him at the fame 
time a confecrated ftandard, and a number of ecclefiaftics 
to officiate in facred things on-board the (hips; and he 
ordered a faft and jubilee to be proclaimed, with an abfo- 
lution from their fins to all who (hould acquit t’nemfelves 
with honour againft the infidels. In our life of Don 
John (vol. xi. p. 22T.) we have given an account of the 
memorable viftory which was foon afterwards obtained 
by this fleet over that of the Turks, near the gulf of 
Lepanto, the intelligence of which fpread univerfal joy 
throughout all Chriftian Europe. When it was brought 
to the pope, he cried out, in the words of facred writ, 
“ There was a man fent from God whofe name was John.” 
Pius furvived this great event only a few months, and 
was carried off by an attack of the (tone in 1572, when 
he was about the age of 68, after a pontificate of fix years 
and between three and four months. When compared 
with his predeceffors, notwithftanding the intemperance 
of his zeal for the Catholic faith, and his unjuftifiable en¬ 
deavours to extend the privileges and authority of the 
Roman fee, his name appears with honourable diftinftion 
on the lift of popes. His laudable efforts to promote a 
reformation of manners at Rome, and to compel the 
clergy to the regular difcharge of their duties, have been 
already noticed. He was alfo a lover and patron of learn¬ 
ing and of learned men, and fcarcely preferred any per¬ 
fons 
