Of the Ungodly Life and Disorderly Conduct of Some of the Popes

Many of the ancient writers, even good Romanists, are so full of the many ungodly and utterly disorderly deeds of some of those who occupied the papal chair, and who are placed in the Register of the true successors of Peter, that one hardly knows how to begin, much less how to end.*

Therefore, so as not to raise any doubt about our impartiality, we will not bring forward all of them, but only a few, and these not the worst, but, set beside those we will not mention, the very best examples of the kind; and we will then soon leave them, for we have no desire to stir up this sink of rottenness and pollute our souls with its stench.

Concerning the simony or sacrilege of some popes, a brief account is given from Platina and other papistic writers, in the Chronijk van den Ondergang, 9th Book, for the year 828, page 281, column 2, and page 282, column 1. [n79-1] The writer of that chronicle, having related the complaint of the king of France about the revenue of twenty-eight tonnen gold,* drawn yearly by the popes from that kingdom, goes on to say: "How true the foregoing is appears clearly enough from the fact that John the Twenty-Second at his death left two hundred and fifty tonnen gold ($7,000,000) in his private treasury, as Franciscus Petrarcha, a credible writer, plainly states. [n79-4]

Boniface the Seventh, finding that he could no longer stay in safety at Rome, secretly took the precious jewels and treasures from Saint Peter's coffers, and fled with them to Constantinople.

Clemens the Eighth, and other popes, were at various times convicted of such sacrilege by their own people.

Gregory the Ninth sold his absolution to the emperor for a hundred thousand ounces of gold.

Benedict the Ninth, struck with fear, sold the papal chair to Gregory the Sixth for fifteen hundred pounds of silver.

The simony and sacrilege of Alexander the Sixth are also well enough known from his epitaph, which we omit for certain reasons.

Further, how Leo the Tenth, through Tetzel, and many other popes, through their legates and nuncios, sold their letters of indulgence, is better known throughout all so-called Christendom than the popes of Rome wish. Compare this with Chron. Plat. (old edition), folio 183; Fran. Ala., folio 58; Onpartijdigen Rechter, folio 28.

Concerning the open tyranny, secret treachery, and deadly poisoning charged against some of the popes, the following account is given from Vergerius and others

1. Their Tyranny. Julius the Second had more than two hundred thousand Christians put to death in the space of seven years.

Gregory the Ninth had the emperor's envoys, by whom he was informed that Jerusalem was retaken, strangled, contrary to all justice.

Clemens the Fourth openly beheaded Conrad, the son of the king of Sicily, without valid reasons, or legal proceedings.

There is no need to recount here the countless multitude of true Christians who, through the pretensions of some popes, were deprived of life, in all parts of the earth, by dreadful deaths at the hands of the executioner, only on account of their religion; for this is well enough known, and needs no further proof.

2. Their Treachery. The Emperor Frederick, at the diet of Nuremburg, openly complained of the treachery of Pope Alexander the Third, and that in the presence of the princes of the empire, before whom he read the letter containing the treason, which the pope had sent to the soldiers of the Turkish emperor.

Gregory the Second secretly issued an order forbidding the payment to the Emperor Leo of his customary (and rightful) tax.

Alexander the Sixth made use of the help of the Turks (or at least called upon them) against the French. [n79-8]

3. Their Poisoning. Ancient writers mention that Pope Paul the Third poisoned his own mother and niece, so that the inheritance of the Farnesi might fall to him.

Innocentius the Fourth, through a priest, gave the emperor poison in a host, and so removed him from this life.

Moreover, how another pope, whose name is well enough known, put to death by poison, according to Turkish custom, the brother of Gemeno Vajazet, the Mohammedan emperor, contrary to common justice, since he had been ransomed with two tonnen treasure, need not be recounted, as the report of it has gone out both into the east and the west.

This same pope had at one time determined to poison some cardinals in the same way, when the cupbearer made a mistake with the tankard that held the poison (as the ancient writers have noted), and the man who had arranged this was served with it himself, so that he died with the cardinals who had drunk of it. Compare De Tractaten Contarcene, hergerij des Onpartijdigen Rechters, especially pages 48, 49, 50, with the Chronijk van den Ondergang, first part, for the year 1227, page 544, columns 1 and 2. Also page 768, column 2, of the bad conduct of Pope John the Twenty-Fourth, taken from Fasc. Temp., folio 187. [n79-6] Platin., folio 401; Ontc f r., folios 406, 417; Hist. Eccl. Cusp. H.edio., part 3, book 11; Chronolog. Leonh., book 6; Henr. Bull. of the councils, 2nd Book, chapter 8; Joh. Stumph., folio 21; Hist. Georg., book 6; Seb. Fra. (old edition), folio 31, folio 89; Hist. Andriani, folio 53 to folio 66. [n79-7] Jan Crisp., folio 256 to 369; Chron. Car., book 5; Zeg., folio 326.