I can’t help thinking there’s much more Reason to exclaim against the ridiculous Pretension of the Cardinals to an Equality with crown’d Heads, and to take Place of Sovereigns, tho’ a Cardinal is often but an ordinary Man at first, only rais’d to the Purple by good Fortune, and the Favour of the Pope; of which we have living Instances in two Creatures of the last Pontificate, the Cardinals Fini and Coscia. That such Cardinals shou’d presume to have the Precedency of an Elector of Bavaria, or of Cologne, of a Duke of Lorain, and in short, of every Prince whatsoever, is what, notwithstanding all my Respect to the Sacred College, I must own to be an Absurdity. That these Cardinals have conceiv’d such a high Opinion of their Dignity, is owing to the excessive Complaisance of the Princes of Italy, who every-where give them the upper Hand; and a Cardinal takes so much State upon himself, that he refuses the Precedency in his own House, to a Sovereign Prince of Italy. Our Princes on the other Side of the Mountains are perhaps as staunch Catholics, and as much devoted to the Holy See, as the Italian Princes are; yet they don’t pay this Homage to the Cardinals. And indeed, what Reason is there for it? We have seen Cardinals in the Service of Sovereigns; and I dare affirm, there are very few of ’em that wou’d refuse to be Pensioners to an Elector of the Empire.
When one Cardinal makes a Visit to another, the latter receives the Visitant at the Coach-door, and conducts him into the Chamber of Audience, where they both place themselves in Arm-chairs, under a Canopy; and after having been a few Minutes by themselves, the Gentlemen of the Cardinal that receives the Visit, bring them Ice, Chocolate, and Sweetmeats. When the Stranger goes away, the other waits on him to the Coach, lends him a Hand to put him into it, and even shuts the Coach-door. They give one another the Title of Eminency, but in all their Interviews there’s a great Air of Constraint.
The complete Number of Cardinals is Seventy. They are the Pope’s Counsellors in ordinary, and have the Right of electing him. They are distinguish’d into three Orders, viz. Six Cardinal Bishops, fifty Priests, and fourteen Deacons. Their Number was fix’d by Pope Sixtus the Vth. The first Cardinal Bishop is styl’d Dean of the Sacred College. He that is so now is Cardinal Pignatelli, Archbishop of Naples. This Dean, the first Cardinal Priest, and the first Cardinal Deacon, are styl’d Chiefs of the Order; and as such they have the Prerogative of giving Audience to Ambassadors, and to the Magistrates of the Ecclesiastical State, during the Vacancy of the Holy See. Innocent the IVth, while the Council was held at Lyons, made a Rule that the Cardinals Hat shou’d be red, to denote that they were always ready to shed their Blood for the Liberties of the Church. Boniface the VIIIth order’d that they shou’d wear scarlet Robes. Paul III. requir’d that their Bonnets shou’d be of the same Colour; and Urban the VIIIth granted them the Title of Eminency, which before that was only given to the Ecclesiastical Electors of the Empire, and to the Grand Master of Malta. The Council of Trent
own’d it to be the Right of all Nations, to put in for the Dignity of Cardinal; but those who push for it with the greatest Success, are the Kindred of the reigning Pope, the Nuncios in Germany, France and Spain, the Auditors of the Rota, the Clerks of the Chamber; and in fine, many of the Pope’s Great Officers.
There are few Examples in History of Cardinals that have quitted the Hat. The first that had a mind to do it, was the Cardinal Ardicinio; but Pope Innocent VIII. refus’d to consent to it, at the Remonstrance of the Cardinals, who represented to him, that the Church ought by no Means to be depriv’d of so good a Subject. Some time after this, Cardinal Borgia resign’d his Dignity to Alexander VI. The Cardinal Henry of Portugal quitted his too, for the sake of succeeding to his Brother,[9] the King Don Sebastian. After him, Ferdinand de Medicis, upon the Death of his Brother Francis de Medicis, without Issue Male, preferr’d the Sovereignty of Tuscany to the red Hat, which he restor’d to Pope Sixtus V. There are also several Instances of Persons who have preferr’d an austere Retirement to the vain Grandeur of the Purple, particularly Cardinal Maurice of Savoy, Ferdinand and Vincent Gonzague, Francis of Lorain, Camillus Pamphili, John Casimir of Poland; and Gabriel Filippuci of Macerata, so lately as in the Pontificate of Clement XI. This Resignation of the Hat cannot be made without the Pope’s Consent to it; and when this is done, the Cardinal who renounces it must pay the Officers of the Apostolical Palace the same Sum, as his Heirs wou’d be oblig’d to pay, if he was dead.
There being a Hat vacant by the Exaltation of every Pope, they commonly honour one or
other of the Pope’s Family with it who advanc’d them to the Purple; which is what they here call Restitution; and when they omit this Piece of Respect, they are accus’d of Ingratitude. Clement XII. has not yet made this Restitution to the Albano[10] Family, tho’ he has promoted half a score Cardinals. He thought it was more natural to confer that Dignity on his Kindred and Friends; and at the last Promotion which he made, he contented himself with making an Apology to the Albani, because he did not restore their Hat to them for that time, assuring them, that he wou’d take care to satisfy them, at the very next Promotion. The Albani were oblig’d to set a good Face on a bad Game; but I would not give them much for the Hat they are like to have of Clement XII. for you are to take Notice, that the Pope is fourscore Years of Age; that he is afflicted with the Gout and other Ailments; that there is not one Hat vacant, and yet the Holy Father hopes to live to make another Promotion, and then to satisfy the Albani.
The Pope pretends to the Prerogative of deposing the Cardinals, but they deny it. Be this as it will, there’s hardly an Instance that the Popes ever exercis’d this Act of Authority. Clement XI. had an Intention indeed to haue depriv’d Cardinal Alberoni of his Hat, because when the Cardinal was the Minister of Spain, he employ’d that Money against the Emperor, which the Pope had permitted him to levy upon the Clergy for the War against the Turks. But Clement XI. met with so much Opposition from the Sacred College, that he cou’d not accomplish it, and died. Whether Clement XII. will succeed better, and whether he will ever be able to deprive Coscia of
his Hat, which is what he seems to be very much set upon, I know not; for he too is thwarted under-hand by a great many of the Cardinals, who, as unworthy as Cardinal Coscia is of the Purple, are not willing that he shou’d serve as an Example for the future. The Pope is also too old to see the Issue of this Process, which, tho’ it has been fifteen Months depending, is not yet very far advanc’d. Cardinal Coscia is retir’d to Naples. He has been very much blam’d for quitting Rome, and People who know the Tricks of this Court, have assur’d me that he might have stay’d here safe enough. As for my own Part, if I had been the unfortunate Cardinal Coscia, I wou’d have retir’d, but not in the Manner that he did. Moreover I promise you, that were I in the Case that he is now, they shou’d cite me long enough before I wou’d be seen at Rome; and I think, whoever advis’d him to the contrary, was in the wrong[11].