The King conceived great indignation upon this proceeding of the Pope, and began to advise with the Prelates, Bishops, and Counsellors of greatest trust with him, how to ward off such a Storm; and things were carried so far, that the Council-Royal seem’d resolv’d to create a Patriarch in France, particularly for the Gallicane Church, who should not in any wise be subject to, or have so much as the least Communication with the Church of Rome: And ’tis likely the French, who affect Novelties, would not have been backward to close with this Resolution.
But whilst Matters went on in this manner, it so came to pass, that the King, as he lay with a great Army at S. Cloud, two Leagues from Paris, was on the first day of August, in the year 1569. wounded in the belly with a two-edged Knife, by a Dominican Fryar named Jaques Clement Native of the City of Lans, and of the age of twenty three years, as he was receiving Letters from the hand of the said Friar, who was upon his knees; of which Wound he died within fourteen hours, in regard his Entrals were pierc’d, having imploy’d this short in ordering such things as concerned his Soul.
This Murder hapned seventy eight days after the Summons by the Pope for his Appearance at Rome, within seventy days; and his Holiness rejoyced not a little at it, since hereby the displeasure, which the Consistory of Cardinals, the People, and Nobility had conceiv’d against him, as one that car’d not much to see the destruction of a Kingdom, which would breed disturbance to the common quiet of Italy, from Age to Age, both by Sea and Land.
Great were the Stirs which succeeded in France after the King’s death; inasmuch as Henry King of Navar, next Heir to the Crown, began to endeavour the possession thereof, by warring against the Lords of the Ligue, who were back’d and upheld by the Spaniards, by whom the Succession of Henry was infinitely opposed.
In these Commotions and Broils of France, the Pope gave not those Assistances to the Ligue, which they expected and required; and this upon several accounts, but especially because he would not condescend to the Instances of the Cardinals and the Spaniards, who much solicited him; giving them this answer, When we were against the dead Henry, all you were our Opponents; Now that you would persecute the living Henry, we will not side with you, for the sake of our own Interest.
It was not a little displeasing to the King of Spain, that the Pope did not succour the Ligue, nor declare Excommunicate those Princes and Prelates that followed the side of Navar; so that the King resolv’d to make some Protestations to the Pope concerning this Tergiversation. But his Holiness wanted not Pretexts to fence with, and in a manner made sport with those Spanish Cardinals, who importun’d him either to unite with the Ligue, or send considerable Assistance to it.
Gregory the Thirteenth had Nephews, who did not degenerate from the Name of Buoncompagno; that is to say, they little car’d to do good, and less to do evil. Nevertheless, according to the Instinct which seems natural to Pope’s Nephews, this Family of Buoncompagno could not restrain it self from disgusting some of the principal Persons of the City, by the death of two Gentlemen, pretended to be slain by accident, through the indiscretion of the Sbirri or Serjeants. A Policy observed by all Nephews, to colour their vindicative Outrages upon all occasions.
From hence it may be gathered, That the intention of the Buoncompagni propended more to Evil than to Good; and accordingly they fail’d not to give Instances of the former, though ’tis hard to find any of the latter.
But if Nephewship ever did good in Rome, ’twas in the time of Pius the Fifth, when all the Proceedings of the Nephews were directed to Good, in regard they wanted Spirit to gainsay the good intention of this Pope; who could not endure to see them in Rome, out of a jealousie, that being fatned with the Treasure of the Church, they might fall into the same wicked Road, which had been trodden out by so many others.
Paul the Fourth (for there is not much to be said of Pius the Fourth) took not the same course; for he advanc’d a Nephew, who for the space of neer five years, knew not how to do any thing but evil, and evil so enormous, that his Uncle was forced to drive him out of Rome, and his Successor to put him to death in Rome.