WITH ESSAYS AND DISSERTATIONS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. NUMBER IV. CONTAINING, 1. An Historical Account of the Oaths and Vows exacted by the Popes from the Bishops fubject to them. Forms of the Oaths taken by Archbishops Chichley and Cranmer, &c. P. 187 II. Remarks on Hiftory, by Mr Addison; with the Characters of fome eminent Hiftorians. 194 196 III. Animadverfions on Mr Pope's Univerfal Prayer. 200 ib. V. The INCONSTANT; or, GENERAL LOVER. VI. A Letter to the Archdeacon of, expofing the Frauds practifed in obtaining Briefs for charitable Collections; Instances of the fame. 208 VII. A Plan for the Reformation of the Stage; from the French 211 of Lewis Riccoboni. VIII. Of Annihilation and Restauration, being a Continuation of the Supplement to Cyclopædia; by Cosmopolita. IX. Of Practical Phlebotomy, in the fame Manner; by Mr Jerome Norman, of Bristol, Surgeon. X. Letters concerning the Plan and Specimen of a Supplement to Cyclopædia, in No III. anfwer'd, and the Syftein and Dictionary Form compared; by Cofmopolita. 215 LONDON: Printed for EDWARD CAVE, at St John's Gate. M.DCC.XLV. Pr. 6d Mifcellaneous Correspondence, &c. NUMBER IV. To SYLVANUS URBAN, Gent. SIR, T HE following little History, its hoped, will be of fome ufe to English Proteftants, to make them fenfible of the true Spirit of Popery, and to make them fee what they must expect, notwithftanding all their fair Pretences of their being against Perfecution, if that Sect should ever be eftablished in this Kingdom. I have fome reason to think, that the Roman Pontifical is a Book but little known to either the English Clergy or Laity. The few Copies of it which are in England, are either locked up in Libraries, or are in the Hands of a very few curious and inquifitive Men: And the Roman Miflionaries are fo hardy, as obftinately to deny the Contents of it, believing the Book itself can't be produced. I have here given an Inftance of one, who, tho' not a Papift, was a Favourer of their Notions of Sacerdotal Powers, and abfolutely denied, in Contradiction to Eye-fight, that the Word Perfequar is in the Oath taken by their Bifhops; tho' every one who understands Latin knows, that there is none, or but little Difference betwixt that and Profequar. Yours, &c. MAN J. L. Vindicate of the Ordinat. of the Church of England: A brief HISTORY of the Oath fworn to the Pope of Rome, by all who were confecrated Bishops of that Church. ANY hundred Years, after Chrift, had paffed before the Bishops of Rome could acquire any Primacy above other Bishops. When they at firit fet themselves up to be Patriarchs of the Western Church, and, in confequence of their dreaming, that they were the Succeffors of St Peter, the pretended Prince of the Apoftles, to be the Chiefs or Heads of the Holy Catholick and Apoftolick Church, they exacted nothing of the Bishops of the feveral Diocefes, but a Promife of Obedience to them, fuch as all Inferiors at that time made to their Superiors. But afterwards the Council of Lateran under Pope Pafchal H. 1079. appointed the following Profeffion to be made by all Archbishops to whom the Pall was fent. "I anathematize every Herefy, and, in particular, that which di'fturbs the State of the prefent Church which teaches and afferts, That an ANATHEMA is to be contemned, and, the Cenfures of the Church or • Pope to be defpifed. And I promise Obedience to the apoftolick See, and to our Lord Pope Pafchal and his Succeffors under the Teftimony " of * of Chrift and the Church, affirming all that the Holy Univerfal Church of Rome affirms, and condemning all that the condemns. This Promise (if the References which Labbe and Coffartius make to the 5th and 6th Epiftles of Pope Pafchal be well grounded) was all that was impofed by that Pope: And that not on all Bishops, but only on all Archbishops to whom he fent the Pall; and yet from the first Words of these Epiftles it appears, that the Princes and States of Chriftendom looked on it with Amazement, as a new and unheard of Thing. • You have fignified to me, faid that Pope to the Archbishops of Palermo and Guefna, that the King and the Chief of the Kingdom are 'amazed, that the Pall was offered to you by our Legats on this Con'dition, that you should fwear the Oath which they brought to you • written by us. Then there was a particular Vow made by fuch as the Popes fent in Miffions. The first Instance of this is a Promise which Boniface Bishop of Mentz (who is called the Apostle of the Germans) made to St Peter and his Vicar, Pope Gregory II. and his Succeffors, about He died the beginning of the eighth Century which follows as it is Anno 755. among his Epiftles, In the Name of God and our Saviour Jefus Chrift, in the fixth Year of Leo the Great, crowned by God Emperor, the fixth Year after his Confulate, and the fourth Year of Conftantine the Great, Emperor, bis Son, the fixth Indiation. I Boniface by the Grace of God Bishop, promise to Thee St Peter, Prince of the Apoftles, and to thy bleffed Vicar Pope Gregory, and his Succeffors, by the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, the infeparable Trinity, and by thy moft facred Body, that I fhall fhew forth all the Faith and Purity of the Holy Catholick Faith, and, that, God affifting me, I fhall perfift in the Unity of the fame Faith in which the Salvation of all Chriftians does without all doubt confist; and, that I fhall in no Sort, and upon no Perfuafion, concur against the Unity of the common and univerfal Church; but, that, as I have 'faid, I will fhew forth my Faith and Purity, and give my Concurrence in all Things to Thee, and the Advantages of thy Church (to whom the Power of Binding and Lofing is given by the LORD GOD) and to thy Vicar and hisSucceffors. And if I fhall know that the Bishops carry themselves contrary to the antient Appointments of the Holy Fathers, I fhall have no Communion nor Conjunction with them; but rather, if I can, I fhall hinder it; and, if I cannot, I fhall presently give Notice of it faithfully to my apoftolical Lord. And if (which God forbid) I fhall endeavour to do any thing against the Contents of this my Promife, any manner of way, either on Defign, or by Accident, let me be found guilty in the eternal Judgment, and let me in'cur the Punishment of Ananias and Sapphira, who prefumed to lye and deal fraudulently (even about their own Property) unto Thee. This breviate of an Oath, I Boniface, a fmall Bishop, have written with my own Hand, and having laid it on thy most bleffed Body, as is before mentioned, I have, God being Witnefs and Judge, made ⚫an Oath which I alfo promife to keep.' ་ B But it appears by another Letter written in the 26th Year of the Reign of Conftantine the Emperor, that he had taken Epift. 135. . another Oath eight Years before that; for he begins that Letter, written to Pope Zacharias, with these Words: Almost thirty • Years ago I bound myself by a former Vow under the Service and • Obfervance of the apoftolical See, by the Confent and Command of the apoftolical Prelate Gregory, &c.'" Pope Gregory VII. about 1236, pretending to a higher Title over Bishops, ordered the following Oath to be taken to him by them, which is inferted in the Decretals of Pope Gregory IX. Tit. XXIV. de Jurejurando Cap. 4. The Rubric obferves, that here is put the Form of an ' Oath containing ferven Heads, according to which Bishops swear to the Pope: But, that at this Time all who receive any Dignity from the Pope are fworn to him.' To which is added this Superfcription.. GREGORY III. to PETER Subdeacon. I. N. Bishop will be faithful from this Hour as before, to Saint Peter and to the Holy Roman Church, and to my Lord Pope C. and ⚫ his Succeffors canonically entering. I will not be neither in Counsel, nor in Deed, that he may lose his Life or Limb, or be taken with an ' evil Caption. The Counsel which be fhall manifest [impart] to me either by himself, or by Letters, or by a Nuncio, I will not betray to any one to his Damage: The Papacy of the Holy Roman Church, < and the Rules of the Holy Fathers, I will be affifting to defend and retain (faving my Order) against all Men: When I am called to a Synod I will come, unless I fhall be hindered by a canonical Hindrance. An apoftolical Legate, but whom I certainly know, I will treat honourably in going and returning, and will help in his Neceffities. The Thresholds of the Apoftles I will vifit every Year, either by myself or a special Nuncio, unless their Licence abfolves me. So God me help, and thefe Holy Gospels.' DeSacris Ordinat. Part iii. p. 1o. It does not appear to me, whether this Oath was ever inserted in any of the Roman Pontificals; but the learned Morinus has affured us, That fome Things are added in the later Pon⚫tificals which are not in all the antient ones: And, that the later the Pontificals are this more appears in them.' Evident Proofs of this, are the following Inftances. The Oath taken by Archbishop Chicheley, 1414. was conceived in the following Terms: "I Henry Archbishop of Canterbury will be faithful and obedient to 'bleffed Peter, and to the Holy apoftolical Roman Church; and to my Lord John xx111. and to his Succeffors canonically entring. I will 'not be in Counsel or Confent, that they lofe Life or Limb, or be 'taken with an evil Caption: The Counsel which they shall entrust me 'with by themselves or Nuncios, or Letters. I will not knowingly 'discover to any one, to their Damage. The Roman Papacy, and the Royalties of St Peter I will be affifting to them to retain and defend, faving my Order, against every Man. The Legate of the apoftoli'cal See I will honourably accompany in his going and returning; and will help in his Neceffities. Being called to a Synod I will come, unless I fhall be hindred by a canonical Hindrance. The Thresholds Vita per Duck P. 12. of |