penance inflicted for very scandalous offences; the latter provision, however, was nullified, by permission given to the bishop to commute public for private penance, if he saw sufficient grounds for so doing. The former decrees respecting pluralities were renewed. Cardinals and prelates were admonished not to exceed the bounds of moderation in their manner of living, furniture, dress, &c. Solemn injunctions were issued to all ecclesiastics of every rank, and to all members of universities, to receive and hold whatever the council had decreed, to promise and profess due obedience to the Roman Pontiff, and to anathematize publicly all heresies. Excommunication, which had been so often inflicted on slight grounds that it was rather despised than dreaded, was to be very cautiously enforced, and only for weighty reasons; magistrates were strictly forbidden to interfere with the bishops in this matter, or to prevent the exercise of their power. Neglect or refusal to pay tithes was especially mentioned as a valid ground for excommunication. Priests keeping concubines, or retaining any suspicious females in their houses, were condemned to suffer the loss of a third part of their incomes; if they persisted, they incurred suspension; for a third offence, privation; for a fourth, excommunication. Should any bishops be found guilty of such an offence, and refuse to amend, they were to be reported to the Pope, who would exercise his own discretion in the infliction of punishment. The children of priests were forbidden the enjoyment of any ecclesiastical place or office in the church in which their fathers officiated-an enactment which unwittingly betrayed the inefficiency of the laws of continence. A severe law was passed against duelling, subjecting the parties, both principals and seconds, to excommunication, (in which sentence even the sovereigns, princes, or nobles, in whose dominions the duel was permitted to take place, were included,) confiscation of all their property, perpetual infamy, and the punishments inflicted for manslaughter, with denial of the rites of Christian interment, if either fell in the conflict. It is very strange that an enactment so manifestly interfering with the civil power, and, in fact, usurping its prerogatives, should have been unnoticed by the ambassadors, and suffered quietly to pass. The clause in the first decree passed under Pius IV., by which the legates reserved to themselves the right of proposing all business to the council, received a modified, interpretation, whereby all intention to innovate, or introduce anything prejudicial to the powers of general councils was disavowed; why, then, was not the clause expunged? Instead of the projected reform of the secular powers, which had made so much noise, a brief but comprehensive chapter was inserted, renewing all former canons and decrees of general councils, in favour of the immunities of the ecclesiastics, and against those who should violate the same; and exhorting all sovereigns to ensure due reverence to the clergy on the part of their subjects, to prevent any infringement of their privileges, and to patronise and support the church to the utmost of their power. Lastly, it was declared that all the decrees passed respecting the reformation of manners and ecclesiastical discipline were to be so understood and interpreted as to preserve always, and in all things, the authority of the apostolic see! Thus, in open defiance of all Christendom, securing the continuance of whatever enormity or abuse the Pontiff for the time being might think fit to support and defend!* And, indeed, the whole reformation (as it was called) decreed by the council was so framed and constituted as to be altogether useless, inoperative, and vain. The greatest evils were left untouched: if some few abuses were corrected, others were introduced; the papal power, the great source of tyranny and corruption, was not meddled with; but on the contrary, the Pope assumed the sole right to expound, administer, or dispense with the decrees of the council, and obtained by its last decree an apparently legal sanction for his usurpations.† The "acclamations of the fathers" closed the proceedings of the council. The Cardinal of Lorraine made himself con * Pallav. 1. xxiii. c. 10—12; xxiv. c. 7. Sarpi, l. viii. s. 66, 77. † See Preservative against Popery, vol. i. tit. i. pp. 54-75. Some of the fathers at Trent, when their endeavours to procure reform proved unavailing, expressed their discontent in satirical verses, such as the following:: "Concilii quæ prima fuit, si quæris, origo, Le Plat, vii. pars 2. p. 389. BB spicuous on that occasion. After having called on the assembly to declare their best wishes and prayers for the Pope, the Emperor and other European monarchs, (including the souls of those who had died since the opening of the council,) the legates, the cardinals, the ambassadors, and the bishops, he thus proceeded :— Cardinal. "The most holy and oecumenical Council of Trent-may we ever confess its faith, ever observe its decrees. Fathers. "Ever may we confess, ever observe them. C. "Thus we all believe we are all of the same mind; with hearty assent we all subscribe. This is the faith of blessed Peter and the apostles; this is the faith of the fathers; this is the faith of the orthodox. F. "Thus we believe; thus we think; thus we subscribe. C. "Abiding by these decrees, may we be found worthy of the mercy of the chief and great high priest, Jesus Christ our God, by the intercession of our holy Lady, the Mother of God, ever a virgin, and all the saints. F. "Be it so, be it so: Amen, amen. C. "Accursed be all heretics! F. "Accursed, accursed !"* As the committee, appointed to prepare an index of prohibited books, had not finished their task, that business, together with a projected catechism, and a revised edition of the Breviary and Missal was referred to the Pope. In March, 1564, the Index was published. It was alphabetically arranged, each portion being divided into three classes, comprising, 1. Authors, all whose works were absolutely prohibited; 2. Particular books forbidden, the other productions of the same writers being allowed; 3. Anonymous publications. The following "rules" were prefixed : : "1. All books condemned by the supreme Pontiffs, or general councils, before the year 1515, and not comprised in the present Index, are, nevertheless, to be considered as condemned. "2. The books of heresiarchs, whether of those who abroached or disseminated their heresies prior to the year above-mentioned, or of those who have been, or are, the * See Appendix, No. 7. s or leaders of heretics, as Luther, Zuingle, Calvin, hasar Pacimontanus, Swenchfeld, and other similar ones, ltogether forbidden, whatever may be their names, titles, bjects. And the books of other heretics, which treat ssedly upon religon, are totally condemned; but those *h do not treat upon religion are allowed to be read, after g examined and approved by Catholic divines, by order e bishops and inquisitors. Those Catholic books also are itted to be read which have been composed by authors have afterwards fallen into heresy, or who, after their have returned into the bosom of the church, provided have been approved by the theological faculty of some olic university, or by the general inquisition. 3. Translations of ecclesiastical writers, which have been rto published by condemned authors, are permitted to ad, if they contain nothing contrary to sound doctrine. slations of the Old Testament may also be allowed, but to learned and pious men, at the discretion of the p; provided they use them merely as elucidations of the te version, in order to understand the holy scriptures, ot as the sacred text itself. But translations of the New ment made by authors of the first class of this index are ed to no one, since little advantage, but much danger, ally arises from reading them. If notes accompany the ns which are allowed to be read, or are joined to the e edition, they may be permitted to be read by the persons as the versions, after the suspected places have expunged by the theological faculty of some Catholic 'sity, or by the general inquisitor. On the same condialso, pious and learned men may be permitted to have is called Vatablus's Bible, or any part of it. But the e and prolegomena of the Bible published by Isidorus s are, however, excepted; and the text of his editions is be considered as the text of the vulgate edition. Inasmuch as it is manifest from experience that if the Bible, translated into the vulgar tongue, be indiscrily allowed to every one, the temerity of men will cause evil than good to arise from it, it is, on this point, d to the judgment of the bishops, or inquisitors, who by the advice of the priest or confessor, permit the spicuous on that occasion. After having called on the assembly to declare their best wishes and prayers for the Pope, the Emperor and other European monarchs, (including the souls of those who had died since the opening of the council,) the legates, the cardinals, the ambassadors, and the bishops, he thus proceeded : Cardinal. "The most holy and oecumenical Council of Trent-may we ever confess its faith, ever observe its decrees. Fathers. "Ever may we confess, ever observe them. C. "Thus we all believe: we are all of the same mind; with hearty assent we all subscribe. This is the faith of blessed Peter and the apostles; this is the faith of the fathers; this is the faith of the orthodox. F. "Thus we believe; thus we think; thus we subscribe. C. "Abiding by these decrees, may we be found worthy of the mercy of the chief and great high priest, Jesus Christ our God, by the intercession of our holy Lady, the Mother of God, ever a virgin, and all the saints. F. "Be it so, be it so: Amen, amen. C." Accursed be all heretics! F. "Accursed, accursed!"* As the committee, appointed to prepare an index of prohibited books, had not finished their task, that business, together with a projected catechism, and a revised edition of the Breviary and Missal was referred to the Pope. In March, 1564, the Index was published. It was alphabetically arranged, each portion being divided into three classes, comprising, 1. Authors, all whose works were absolutely prohibited; 2. Particular books forbidden, the other productions of the same writers being allowed; 3. Anonymous publications. The following "rules" were prefixed : "1. All books condemned by the supreme Pontiffs, or general councils, before the year 1515, and not comprised in the present Index, are, nevertheless, to be considered as condemned. "2. The books of heresiarchs, whether of those who abroached or disseminated their heresies prior to the year above-mentioned, or of those who have been, or are, the * See Appendix, No. 7. |
