God Almighty not suffering those who have rais’d themselves to that greatness, out of the Bowels of those that are in Purgatory, themselves to remain long without punishment for their faults. He will not permit those Families that are elated and grown insolent with the wealth and blood of those poor carkases that are buried in their Churchyards, to continue long in this world themselves. Heaven is offended to behold sacred things transformed into profane, Churches into Palaces, Alms into Thefts, Crosses into Swords, Altars into Lordships, Holy things into Comedy and Sport, Divine Worship into an adoration of Riches, or rather adoration into Riches.
He that shall be pleas’d to run over the actions of all the Popes, that is, the History wherein all the Families that have afforded any Popes to the world, Shall finde this for an infallible truth, that they are either all as it were extinct, or the small remainder that is left reduc’d to a very mean and inconsiderable condition: As if heaven could not endure the Patrimony of Saint Peter should be made an universal scandal to the world, and be an occasion of eternizing the memory of the Sacriledge they have committed.
I had lately an opportunity of discourse with an Abbot born in Rome, and experienc’d in their transactions: falling into some speech about the Nephews, and finding their vices, or at least errors by him, with more vehemence reprehended, than by me, I took the courage to accost him in this manner, How is it possible, Sir, that the Nephews of the Popes that are living, reading the lives of their Predecessors that are dead, that their Blood should not freeze in their veins to finde them extinct, some one way, some another, in spight of all their care to eternize themselves? how is it possible but some gripes of Conscience must torment them when they remember all their wealth belongs to the Church?
The Abbot would suffer me to go on no further, but cutting me off in the middle, he reply’d, Sir, He which has too much money, has no time to read over the lives of them that are dead; money puts thoughts alwayes into their heads of eternizing themselves, sometimes by acquiring, sometimes by contriving: The Popes Nephews do read Books, but it is only when they want money, and then ’tis too late.
And who is there now, would not be amaz’d at such an answer? For my part I believe all the Romans are of the same opinion, and are in much doubt of the salvation of the Nephews. And accordingly another of them of judgement little differing from the Abbot, told his friend; That the Popes Nephews must of necessity go to Purgatory, for they would be asham’d to go into Paradise, where Christ was, whom they had so wickedly despoil’d in this world.
These expressions perhaps may seem but raillery, and appear but satyrical reflections at first sight; however they come from the very heart, though those that speak them may force themselves into a smile to dissemble it, as the Apothecary conceals the nauseousness of his pills by covering them with silver.
A great part of the sober men in Rome have been very serious in discovering the cause, why the Popes Families are of so little duration, seeing their riches so vast.
Some are of opinion, it proceeds from the reasons abovesaid, that is, that God Almighty takes them out of the world as a punishment for the injuries they have done the Church, in robbing it of the greatest part of its treasure, to make their own house insolent and high.
Others are of opinion the Curses and Execrations of the people do pierce the Divine Ears in such manner, that the Divine Justice seems as it were oblig’d to take them away so immaturely, to give an account of the vileness of their behaviour towards the subjects of the Church.
And indeed the people of the Ecclesiastical State are so ill satisfied, and so ill treated by the ill Government of Rome, that is by the Popes Nephews who domineer and lord it over them, that from morning to night they fill the air with their exclamations, from one corner, When will there be an end of their Extortions? from another, O God revenge the cruelties of these Nephews, who have ruin’d us. Nor do the curses thrown out against the Nephews rest at the people only: The very Priests and Ecclesiasticks themselves do daily sacrifice upon their Altars for the destruction of them, who devouring all they can get, leave not the good people so much as will pay for the celebration of a Mass.