True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-02-22

What is an accommodation ! The
communication of . King, the interdict
of kingdom, is illustrated in the history
of King John, the son Of Henry the II.
The power and authority which the Arch
bishop of Canterbury had acquired, by
Becket's triumph over Henry, shows itself
in the next reign; and the King and
kingdom of England are placed under in
terdict, the effect of which may be seen
by the following historical account of it.
"The nation was, of a sudden, deprived
of all exterior exercise of its religion the
alters were despoiled of their ornaments;
the crosses, the reliques, the images, the
statues of the saints, were laid on the
ground, and, as if the air itself were profa-
ned, and might pollute them by its con-
tact, the Priests carefully covered them
up, even from their own approach and VEN
Grafton. The use of bells entirely ceased
in all the churches the bells themselves
were removed from the steeples and laid
on the ground, with the other sacred uten-
sils; mass was celebrated with shut doors,
and none but the priests were admitted to
that holy institution. The laity partook
Of no religious rite, except baptism to
newl y born infants, and the communion to
the dying The dead were not inferred in
consecrated ground; they were thrown
into bitches, or buried in common fields !;
and their obsequies were not attended
with prayers, or any hallowed ceremony.
Marriages were celebrated in the church
yard; and that every action of life might
bear the marks of this dreadful situation,
the people were prohibited the use Of
meat, as in lent, or times of the highest
penance were debarred from all pleasures
and entertainments, and even to salute
each other, or so much as to shave their
boards and give any decent attention to
their person and apparel. Every circum-
stance carried symptoms of the deepest
distress, and of the most immediate appre-
hension of divine vengeance and indigna-
ton"
Such is the force and power of an in
terdict; it can be better imagined than
described.
In the accommodation of King, all
his adherents are included. John was
communicated; and the sentence pro-
ceeded to absolve all Johns subjects from
their oaths of fidelity and allegiance, and
to declare every one accommodated who
had any commerce with him, either in
public or in private! In vain did King
John attempt to hold out against the Pope,
and he was finally driven to subscribe to
all the conditions which the Pope was
pleased to impose upon him.
Not only did the papal power presume
to hurl its thunders of accommodation
against individuals and Kings, but against
assemblages of people, for whatsoever pur-
pose met together 1t is interesting to
note, in the same reign of John, that after
the disgrace of the King, the Barons met
and adopted "Magna Charta" But the
Pope, (Innocent) considering himself as
feudal lord of the kingdom" issued bull,
in which, from the plenitude of his Apos.
tolic power, and from the authority which
God had committed to him, to build and
destroy kingdoms, to plant and overthrow" "
he annulled and abrogated the whole char.
ter, and pronounced general excommuni.
cation against every one who should perse.
we're in maintaining such reasonable and
iniquitous pretensions!
These historical facts show not only the
grasping and aspiring inclinations of the
Pope, but prove the absolute supremacy Of
his temporal power as it existed in the thir.
teenth century. Similar scenes and simi.
lar struggles to these already described in
England, were of continual occurrence in
all the countries in which, at that day, the
Romish Church had foothold 1t needed
but little-a slight offence was sufficient to
cause this arrogant Pontiff to turn loose his
anathematic bull and the furious animal,
blinded with a thousand curses, rushed
madly amid the indiscriminate masses Of
mankind!
1t seems strange to us of this age--nay,
sir, we are astounded-when we look thro
the telescope of centuries, and behold afal
of, in dim chamber, feeble old man
alone as it were, holding his court amid the
deserted ruins Of an ancient city, without
an army, without feet, without a sword
weighing in the hollow of his hand tn,