HISTORIES, DIARIES, LETTERS, AND OTHER DOCUMENTS, WITH PLATES. BY THE REV. JOSEPH MENDHAM, M. A. ECA Cætera item omnia à sacris Canonibus, et œcumenicis Conciliis, ac præcipue à sacro- Bulla Pii IV. super forma juramenti professionis fidei. Bullar. Mag. In sacro- LONDON: JAMES DUNCAN, 37, PATERNOSTER-ROW. MDCCCXXXIV. 555. 'He,' Pallavicino, frequently quotes the Acts of the Council; the Vatican, it seems, is 'furnished with plenty of them; the Acts of Paleottus, of Mensottus, of the bishop of Salamanca, &c. O how thankful would many men be to his holiness, would he bless the world with the sight of these! yea, what would they not willingly give to purchase them! If then they are such as will abide the test, why are they still kept under lock and key? Is it not to be suspected, that the wares are adulterate, when the merchant will not be per'suaded to bring them into the light? Is the Court of Rome so self-denying, as not to pub'lish those things, which make for their advantage? May we not then conclude, that either they are such as will not endure the trial; or in case they will, that besides what makes for them, they contain those matters also, which make more against them?' The Necessity of Reformation, with respect to the Errors and Corruptions of the London: Printed by W. CLOWES, Duke-street, Lambeth. ΤΟ GREGORY XVI. SOVEREIGN AND PONTIFF OF ROME, TO WHOM IT IS COMPETENT TO ATTEMPT THE ONLY MEANS, WHICH, IF ADOPTED, WOULD BE EFFECTUAL, OF EXONERATING HIS CHURCH FROM THE CONTINUED CHARGE OF SUPERSTITION AND IDOLATRY, OF PERFIDY, CRUELTY, AND ASSUMED DOMINION OVER SECULAR SOVEREIGNS, BY CALLING A COUNCIL, FOR THE EXPRESS PURPOSE OF CONDEMNING AND ABOLISHING EVERY ENORMITY WHICH CLASSES ITSELF UNDER THOSE OFFENSIVE HEADS ; THE PRESENT MEMOIRS OF A COUNCIL, TO WHICH, WITH OTHERS, THEY ARE PRINCIPALLY INDEBTED FOR THEIR ORIGIN OR ESTABLISHMENT, ARE NOT IRREVERENTLY ADDRESSED BY ONE OF THE BEST WISHERS TO HIS TEMPORAL AND ETERNAL WELFARE, THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. THE two principal and celebrated historians of the Council of Trent are Fra Paolo Sarpi and Cardinal Pallavicino; the former a Romanist by continued communion with the Roman church, although essentially not far removed from the faith of a protestant; the other a complete and determined adherent, as well as advocate, of the Italian see. The history of the latter, written with the professed design of confuting and demolishing that of the former, has, in the judgment of the intelligent and equitable even of his own communion, only served to confirm the substantial accuracy of the work assailed by him*. That the cardinal, with all his good will to accomplish what he had undertaken, and with every facility, encouragement, and advantage, which he enjoyed, from free and unbounded access to the original, although probably universally partial, documents in the Vatican, should yet fail in the attempt at substantiating a single charge of moment against the object of his hostility is surely one of the strongest and most unexceptionable testimonials in its favour, which it could well have received. In his cordial endeavour, therefore, to do the work of an enemy, he has performed for his intended victim a better service than could readily have been afforded by his best friend. Its full effect has been given to this advantage in favour of the original historian of the last even * See De Tribus Historicis Conc. Trid. Auct. Cæs. Aquilinio, Ant. 1662. See likewise the conclusion of the Preface to the viith vol. of Le Plat's Collectio Monumentorum Conc. Trid. |