New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-09


Pope. But tho vaaanes OF pationalifm uid not stop
here Allegiance lightly given was as lightly taken
away Wner the evils of the schism began to press
th. University of Paris proposed foice both Pope
and anti. Pope TO abdicafe by general withdrawal
of obeuiepce For this radical measure il detnandeu
the royal authority. Charles VI was crazy, but no
was sane enough to perceive how ABSURD and HOG
ical was THIS scheme propoundcd by college OIL
thoolvgans VINO taught tho supremacy OF tho rope
and derived their orders from the Roman success
sion. When Clement died, Charles forbade the
card nails at Avgnon to proceed to another eect'oh
until they heard from HIM. but they paid no at'eh
ton to this order and set up another ahti-r rope
Benedict XIII. Benedict quarrelled Win tno h'ns
and the University. and under the sanction Oh
synod OF PARIS the allegiance OF FRANCE WAS WIN
drawn from him by a royal order IL was fes1oreu
bv royul order after five years. IL was again
withdrawn nv RIVAL order after another five years
Az one time Charles held conference Win the
King OF the Romans, Wenzel Of Bohemia, to settle
the distractions OF Christendom They were
stranoe mir for such q purpose "a mailman ana
druuknrd, Charles VI. enjoyed intervals OF reason
and. though feeble in mind ut all times. was still
beloved by his people for his personal sindlinees
Wenzcl day by day grew more besotted IN Ills VICES
and WAS only able to DO business in the morning
before lie haa umc to get drunk" lhe Two hihss
bet cen them agreed TO force the TWO ropes To ro
sign but this was task beyond their powers. MI
Creighton intimates that their mistake was IN a'-
suniing that any formal unity Of tho Church was
necessary or desirable. ajudgnent which VIC nnu
il hard TO reconcile with his lard descriptions OF
the miseries or the schsm although to most Inoderh
Protestants it will of course seem indi'putaoie'
There is little t. attract interest us in The anti
Popcs of Avignou. The legitimate pontlhs at hoho
are better worth study. Urban vi. was remark
able man. He was chosen because the caruihais
Thought they could rule him. When they hau
taken him from his books they fonnd that they had
a tyrapnical aud warlike master. lie believed that
the first Necessity for the restoration or peace 10
The Church was the re- establishment of tho Papal
independence aud that Independence could only be
secured by the consolidation Of his power as an lta
ian sovereign This object he pursued with deter
mnation which often degenerated into ferocity ana
a courage which could not always DO distinguished
from recklessness. When the Roman popuiace rose
AGAINST him. he seated himself oil his throne aud
ordered the doors of the Vatican to be thrown OPEN
Tho mob rushed in. He asked them calmly what
tLey wanted; and abashed by his dignity. they re-
tired IN peace. He found remarkable ally III the
person of fcrvent Italian girl. of humble origin
ana condition, whose career reminds us IN many
particulars OF that of Joan of Are. Later genera
tIOls reverence Der unueT THO uduio Vi r'' N~'""
rine of Sena. Her life was spent in a crusade Tor
the reformation of tho Church. Her public activ-
ity began during the last OF the captivity oil
Avignon. At her call Urban V. was Induced to re-
turn to Rome, but he ud not remain there
She went from city to city pleading for peace and
in the discharge of her mission sbraDk neither IRON
The tierce brawls of civic passion nor the COARSE
brutality of tho condottere camp. Before her eyes
foated the vision of pnrhe and reformed Church
htah tbs.f HnpICH
lual seat was to be at once the symbol ana the
beginning. Blinded bv her enthusiasm. she hailed
with delight the accession OF Urban VI, anu by
the side of the violent and vndctve Pope her pnre
and gentle spirit to stand as an angel OF ght
She did not long survive the disappointment oi .ue
cIsm aud though she remained constant ia her
allegiance TO Urban VI, his character and actions
must have been perpetual trial to her faith. Shs
died at the age of thIrtythrec. and The removal oil
unence for mercy ~ seen III the Increased VIM
dictiveness of Urban measures.
Urban was headstrong naughty. violent. furious.
savage and cruel. "Men said that he was mad.
that his head had been turned by his unexpected
elevation TO the Papacy. In truth Urban vi. is an
example of the wild excuses of an adventurous
spirit which had been IN early years repIcssed but
not trained by discipline. When he became Pope
he wished 10 compress into few years the grat'f-
cation of the desires of lifetime; he fancied that
his Office ic itself afforded him the means 81 giving
effect TO his personal schemes aud cnprices." This
rtpulsive Characterization IS Justified by what MI
Creighton tells us OF Urban's actions. His whole
career Is represented that OF bloodthlisty.
devil-driven tyrant What. then, are we to think
of the following sentence: His very virtues ONLY
lsnt intensity to the evil which he wrought; his
personal uprighness, sbdiGhuorCdrdHess and piefy
only tended to give strength to his pride and obSti
nacy"i
The attempt to heal the schisn by means OF
council called at Pisa under tho auspices OF the
cardinals OF both obediences was failure. Neither
the true Pope nor tho false one assenteato this
gathering; a very large part Of Europe was not
represented IL; and when 1t hal decreod the de-
pustion Of both pontifs heretics and schismatcs
and had elected Alexander ", followed after
short interval b. John XXIII IL appeared that the
net result was to give the Church three heads in-
stead of two. In fact the Council OF Pso was radi-
caly defective 1t had neither the sanction OF reg
uarity nor the general assent OF Christendom. Ii
did not venture 10 assert the concar principle
OF the subordination of q Pope to a council IL at
tempted a res olution which could only be Justified
by the subsequent ratification of the Church. and
that was never given. The solution was forceu at
last 10y the Emperor Sigsmnnd lie was strange
reformer. Needy, shIftv. adventurous. cruel. son
sual. superb in his Professions and weak IN his
resources, LIE was AMBITIOUS of revIving the old
glories OF the imperial dignity. and In the combina
tons Of European politics he found himself In
position TO compel tho summoning of ~ General
Council ut Constance. and to constitute himself its
protector. John KILL, who II not the Pops d.
jure, was tha only one Of the three claimants who
could now he called Pope de JdOio, was constrained
to call this council in 141a aud to preside It's
opening. Both his rivals were represented by le-
gates. But all three had lost tho respect and obedi-
ence of the Church. Jonn had been chosen. under
French pressure. for military and political reasons.
aud the OF affairs having changed, he was no
longer wanted. When the council declared him
deposed for misgovernment and immortality. he
yielded with the best grace possible. Gregory XII.
the survivor OF the Roman line, abdcated under
slight pressure. Benedict KILL, the Avignonese
ANTELOPE was again declared deposed, and passed
tho rest of his life IN obscurity. The prudent.