The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1864-09-24
NHApTER LII.
B1suor-ArosrLE-rorr.

HIsHor-ArosrLE-rOrE
Nicholas Brcakspearc was created cardinal
and Archbishop of Albano in lli6, by Pope
Fugenius, and forthwith despatched TO convert
the heathcu nations Of Denmark Sweden, Rut
Norway to the Christian faith. He was accom-
panied by numerous rCtiuuc, and, if the
moukish chrOniClCrs are 10 be believed, his sue
cess in the holy work was marvellous. It is not !
anywhere asserted that he was endowed with the
miraculous gift of tongues, or that he had learned
Morse in the ordinary way The conversions Of
the common people, who presented themsclves in
crowds 70 receive baptism, could not, therefore,
have been effected by preaching The clericu
ChrOniClers easily account for the success of the
cardinal arChbishOp's mission. Supernatural aid .
was abundautly yOuchsaied to him; there were .
continual pOrtents, signs In the heavens, the /
significance of which the most bgOted worship /
per Of the Scandinavian dciues could not mis-
understand.
One expcdient adopted by the astutc archbishop |
must have told with great force. Having first /
obtained the consent Of the kings and chief men |
Of the three kingdoms, he caused as great a num- |
Der Of the most yencratcd idOls-Thor, Wooden, |
and the rcst-as could be procured, 20 be col |
lcCted at indicated spots, where great Casts were
prepared for all comers, the carcases OF the |
animals 70 be eaten being roasted by the flames |
Of the burning images Evidently, If Thor or |
Wooden were genuine gods, they would never
allow themselves to be consumed in cooking flesh |
for the dClCCtatiOn Of Christian stOmachs. No |
eloqueuCe was required to enforce or illustrate |
that conclusion. There does not, in fact, appear
las Broakspearc succeeded in etleCting a complete
revolution in the religious ideas of tho SCand-
nayian peoples and that the effect of his labOrs
was permanent He is held 10 be the apostle of
those nations as certainly as st. Patrick was of
Ireland. He founded bishOprc at Drontheim,
an arChiepiScOpa see at Upsal, which still exists.
The fame of his success had preceded him to
Rome, finding wide echoes there and he, arriving
in the Eternal city in llj4-a few days only
before the death OF Pope Anastatiu s-was unani-
mously elected by the conclaye that pontitfs sue
ccssor. lie accepted the awful dignity with real
or icignCd reluctanCe-nO doubt the latter-and
ascended the pOntihcal throne, to which, in the
opinion ofuuiyersal ChristendOm, all other thrones
were subordinate, under the title of Adrian "
truly a marvellous height to have been climbed,
with such comparative case, by Hcrtfordshirc
sWincherd
In some respects Adrian " was certainly
type OF the Divine Being whose yiCegereut he
assumed to he. The Roman people crowned
him, but it was with thOrnS. They cried "All
hail. as TO a supreme monarch, and insisted that
he should be subject even as themselves, and
gave him to drink from iewelled goblet, brim-
ming with the vinegar, mingled with gall Of
humiliation and defeat. The English Pope was
not man TO submit to that humiliation, to accept
that del, at. But he could patiently abide his
time, as he had done in the monastery Of st.
Rufus. Til he could strike etectually, the
tearing claw should be carefully hidden beneath
! the soft, silkcn exterior. Let me not forget TO
mention that Henry III, King OF England, sent
! Robert, Abbot of the monastery of st. Adams,
and three bishops, to congratulate the new Pope
| on his elevation. Adrian ~ was exceedingly
| graifod, especially by the visit and homage of
| the ST. Adams abbot, and showed his gratitude
] by eXempting the monastery from any gCclesils-
| tica jurisdiction except his Own-that is of the
/ pOpes. Few pantomimes present such fantastic
| change of scene and characters. The exemption
| from the jurisdiction Of the Archbishop OF Can
| terbury remained in force till the time of Henry
| VII.
The temporal kingdom of the Popcs had de-
| parted from them. Weighed in Roman balances,
| they had been found wanting, and the Papal pOpu-
! latiOn had been for many years governed by
| senate, composed of fifty six members, chosen by
delegates from the thirteen districts Of the city of
| Rome A republic, in fact had been established,
| with Arnold of Bresca at lis head. This able
disciple of AOelard was an energetic rctormer In
restricted sense. He disputed none of the spirit
ual dogmas of the Church, but wished 10 conhne
the clergy, his Holiness the Pope inclusive, to
their spiritual duties. He would deprive him and
! them OF all temporal dominion. These teachings
! were condemned as "pOitiCal heTcsy" by the
| second Lateran Council. That unentorccanle
decree Arnold could afford to smile at A sincere,
| earnest man Arnold seems to have been, but pos
sessed of singular hallucinatOns. One was, and
il was an article of faith with him, that Rome
was, ought TO be, and would be again, mistress of
the world, the kings and people of which would
be content TO receive their laws from the Senate
of the Roman republic, elected by delegates from
| the thirteen quarters of the city Of Rome. As
| suredly very remarkable illusion that
The government of the senate, of which Arnold
efficient one. The mass of the Roman people
supported, respected it. Evidently, then, the
ambitious HertfOrdshire swineherd-fully re-
solved as he was to establish the plenary power
of the Papacy, and its temporal as we'll as spiritual
sway-had a difficult, perilous game to play.
Perhaps no other man-nOt even a Hildebrand-
would have played il so cautiously or so surely.
| The religious faith of the people was he satisfied
himself, unweakened. Even the arch-enemy of
the Church, Arnold, acknowledged the power of
the keys, the authority Of the priest TO bind and
TO loose in the next world. Possessed Of that
iulcrum, Adrian ~ had no doubt whatever OF
being able TO uproot and scatter to the winds the
usurping republic of Rome.
No doubt at all. At the same time, no one was
more impressed with the wisdom Of the Italian
saying, "Che "a piano ga sano," than the new
| Pope. lie was secret and stealthy as Louis NapO-
leon Bonaparte himself. For an entire year the
English Pope was the Jealous chief pastor, and
chief pastor only, of the Church-apparently in
different to secular enthusiastically even with
Arnold himself. His real piety rendered the
assumption of such part comparatively easy. II
was essentially necessary TO acquire a reputation
for ascetic sanctity with the populace. In that
Adrian ~ completely succeeded. He was saint
upon earth, the beatihcation Of whom, scion les
regles, would after his death be mere matter Of
form.
All that time Adrian " was cautiously sound
ing the clergy of Rome, without whose Jealous
cooperation nothing etectual could be done, lie
found them, as he expected, animated by fierce
enmity to the republicans; and all, as sOonas II
man sat In ST. Peters chair, willing TO follow his
lead, unite their fortunes with his. Nothing more
was required. Victory was organzedi the day
Of battle with the foes of the ChurCh's temporal
dominion would infallibly see those impious foe.
trampled into dust by the awful powers of that
Church. IL proved so. That which seems very
remarkable Is that, as in the case of Louis NapD.
leon, not one of the many hundreds Of persons
necessarily in the secret Of the scheme for over.
throwing the Republic betrayed the confidence
. repOsed in him. This circumstance has embDld.
ened certain writers to assert that Adrian " did
not contemplate the overthrow Of the civil govern
mCnt Of Rome; that the doing so was sudden
inspiration suggested by opportunity. We happen
to have q modern instance which retutes the false
logic of that assumption.
The wOunding Of cardinal-t was at first
Observation-Disclosures the streets Of Rome lWheheI
this was or was not in the papal programme
have no means Of Judging gave the anNlously
expected signal. At once rolled the thuuders Of
the Vatican; the living lightning OF interdlct wa
Illuminated against the city OF Rome, and ODeyel
with alaCrity by the clergy. The churches wert
Immediately Closed the priests withheld thei
ministratiOns; there could be no marrying o
q giving i'm marriage; no administration OF tn,
sacTaments; no extreme JUNCTION; no viaticun
for the dying, and the soul was compelled to qui
its tenement OF clay unanointed, unhouselled, am
unannealod, and necessarily, therefore, In TIN
firm belief Of the age, taking the road-not tn
p primrose one-to the everlasting bonfTei th
dead buried like dogs in uncOnsecrated ground