Pope Paschal II, in 1000, deprived Henry IV, and excited enemies to persecute him; telling them that they could not "offer a more acceptable saciTtice to God than by im- pugning him who endeavored to take the kingdom from God's Chinch." Pope Gregory VII says: "For the dig- nity and defence of God's holy Church, in the name of Al- mighty God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I depose from imperial and royal administration king Henry, son of Henry sometime emperor, who too boldly and rashly hath laid hands on thy Church; and I ahsolve all Chris- tian subjects to the empire from that oath whereby they were wont to plight their faith unto true kings; for it is right that he should be deprived of dignity who doth en- deavor to diminish the majesty of the Church. Go to. therefore, most holy princes of the apostles, and what I said, by interposing your authority, confirm; that all men may now at length understand, if ye can bind and loose in heaven, that ye also can upon earth take away and give empires, kingdoms, and whatsoever mortals can have ; for if ye can judge things belonging unto God, what is to be deemed concerning these inferior and profane things? And if it is your part to judge angels, who govern proud princes, what becometh it you to do towards their ser- vants? Let kings now, and all secular princes, learn by this man's example what ye can do in heaven, and in what esteem ye are with God; and let them henceforth fear to slight commands of holy Church, but put forth suddenly his judgment, that all men may understand that not cas- ually, but by vour means, this son of iniquity doth fall from his kingdom." Pope Boniface VIII, in 1204, has a decree extant in the canon law running thus: "We de- clare, say, define, pronounce it to be of necessity to sal- vation for every human creature to be subject to" the Ro- man pontiff. One sword must be under another, and the temporal authority must be subject to the spiritual power, whence, if the earthly power doth go astray, it must be judged by the spiritual power." Before him, pope Inno- cent III affirmed "the pontifical authority so much to exceed the royal power, as the sun doth the moon ;" and applies to the former the words of the prophet Jeremiah— Eccc, eonstitui te super gentes et rer/na — "See, I have set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, and to destroy and to throw down," etc. Of this power that pope made experiment by deposing the emperor Ofho IV, "whom," says Nauclerus, "as re- bellious to the apostolical see, he first did strike with an anathema; then him persevering in his obstinacy, did, in a council of prelates held at Rome, pronounce deposed from empire." This monstrous authority was avowed by that great council under this pope which, according to the Council of Trent, did represent or constitute the Church, when it was ordained that if a " temporal lord, being re- quired and admonished by the Church, should neglect to purge his territory from heretical tilth, he should, by the metropolitan and the other comprovincial bishops, be noosed in the band of excommunication ; and that if he should slight to make satisfaction within a year, it should be signified to the pope, that he might from that time de- nounce the subjects absolved from their fealty to him, and expose the territory to be seized on by Catholics," etc. Pope Pius V, in 1570, begins his bull against queen Eliz- abeth in these words : " He that reigneth on high, to whom is given all power in heaven and in earth, hath committed the one holy catholic and apostolic Church, out of which there is no salvation, to one alone on earth, namely, to Peter, prince of the apostles, and to the Roman pontiff, successor of Peter, to be governed with a plenitude of power. This one he hath constituted prince over all na- tions and all kingdoms, that he might pluck up, destroy, dissipate, ruinate, plant, and build." And in the same bull he declares that "he thereby deprives the queen of her pretended right to the kingdom, and of all dominion, dignity, and privilege whatsoever; and absolves all the nobles, subjects, and people of the kingdom, and whoever else have sworn to her, from their oath, and all duty what- soever, in regard of dominion, ridelitv, and obedience." The bull of pope Sixtus V, in 15S5, against Henry, king of Navarre, and the prince of Condi?, begins thus: '•• The au- thority given to St. Peter and his successors. bv the im- mense power of the Eternal King, excels all the powers of earthly kings and princes. It passes uncontrollable
sentence upon them all ; and if it find any of them resist- ing God's ordinance, it takes more severe vengeance of them, casting them down from their thrones, though never so puissant, and tumbling them down to the lowest parts of the earth, as the ministers of aspiring Lucifer." He then proceeds to thunder against them, " We deprive them and their posterity forever of their dominions and kingdoms;" and accordingly he deprives those princes of their kingdoms and dominions, absolves their sub- jects from their oaths of allegiance, and forbids them to pay any obedience to them. "By the authority of these presents, we do absolve and set free all persons, as well jointly as severally, from any such oath, and from all duty whatsoever in regard of dominion, fealty, and obedience: and do charge and forbid all and every of them that they do not dare to obey them, or any of their admonitions, laws, and commands."