Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-05-01
Papal Recommendations.

Pope Plus TX has issued bill of excommu-
nication against the King of S lrdinia and oil
other persons who have been concerned, directly
or Indirectly, 10 'the sinful insurrection' in the
provinces, ''iu usurping, occupying and lnva
ding them" The Instrument fills several col
umns 10 the English newspapers. 1t devotes
Victor Emmanuel and bis aiders and abetters
to the severest penalties in this life and to more
dreadful punishment in the world to come and
from these there is GO escape except by re-
pentance which includes the restoration OF all
the territory that has been annexed to Sar
DINA.
This proceeding has called to mind a remark
of Macaulay, in his essay on Ranke's History OF
the Popes. The Church of Rome, he says,
"sti confronts hostile kings with the same spirit
with which she confronted Attila." To great
extent, indeed, the spirit of the Church seems
to be uabrokeu, but the spirit of kings and peo-
pie can 10 longer be subdned by ecclesiastical
authority. The thunders of the Vatican have
lost their terroEa. la former times, when the
supremacy of the Church of Rome was universal
ly acknowledged in Europe, the excoinmunica
ton of King carried with it the most fearful
penalties. Subjects were released from their al
legiance, public worship ceased, the churches
were closed, the sacraments were not admins
tered and the maladiction extended even to the
dead, to whom the rites Of sepulture were de
MED. By the common law OF England, private
person accommodated was incapable of being
witness, or OF bringing all action; and was to
be Stunned, like a man injected with leprosy,
by his servants, his friends, and his family
His carcass, after death, was supposed to be iu-
cable of corruE tion-a privilege unfit for those
who had died in SO irregular manner.
The history OF Europe abounds in examples
of the terrorS inspired by accommodation, and
the consequent subsection of naughty monarchs
to the Pope of Rome. In the year 99S, Robert,
king of France, was accommodated by Gregg
ry ", for marrying Bertha, his cousin, in the
fourth degree, and persisting in keeping her,
he was Immediately Abandoned by his coprtiers
and all his domestics except two. The latter
threw to the do % all the vctuals which their
master left at meals, and purified by fire the
vessels in which he had been served SO fear
full were they of what had been touched by an
communicated person. 1t was even alleged
that the queen had given birth to monster,
which had neck and head ike a goose!
Votaire observe, that there was nothing mon
strous in the affair, but the insolence of the
Pope, and the weakness ofthe king who, giving
way to superstitious terrors or afraid of civil
connections, at last repudiated the gentle Bertha,
and got termagant in her place.
English history furnishes another memorable
example. Henry H. one of the proudest kings
who ever sat upon throne was awed into sub
lection to Beckett, no less haughty primate, by
the threat of accommodation. When Beckett
was murdered by four gentlemen of the kings
household, Henry fastened to protest his limo
cence and submit to the decision of the Holy
See. Although cleared of all concern in the
murder-to give satisfaction for some passionate
and hasty words, which had instigated his SER
wants to perpetrate the act-he made the hum
blest Acknowledgements, and large concessions
to the Pope. Finally, in order to obtain COM
plete reconciliation, he went barefooted to the
tomb of Beckett, watched all night "the holy
reli1ues," and had his bare shoulders scourged
by the ncensed eccesastics. This occurred in
the middle OF the 18th century.
Let us DOW see how king of Italy bears him
self under the same circumstances, in this era of
the worlds history. At the opening Of the Sar-
dinian Chambers on the first of April, Victor
Emmanuel briefly referred to the then expected
Papal accommodation, in the Royal speech
He said: "Firpn, like my ancestors, in the
Catholic religion and in the respect due to the
Supreme Chief of that religion, | shall, if the
ecclesiastical authority makes use of spiritual
arms for temporal interests, in safe conscience
and in the traditions of my worthy ancestors
find strength to maintain entire the civil liberty
and authority for which l only indebted to
God and to my people,"