Concerning the simony or sacrilege of some popes, a brief account is given from Platina and other papistic writers, in the _Chronijk van den Ondergang, 9th Book, for the year 828. p. 281. col. 2._ and _p. 282. col. 1._ The writer of said chronicle, having related the complaint of the king of France about the revenue of twenty-eight tonnen gold,[63] annually drawn by the popes from said kingdom, proceeds, to say: “How true the foregoing is, appears sufficiently from the fact that John XXII. at his death left two hundred and fifty tonnen gold ($7,000,000) in his private treasury; as Franciscus Petrarcha, a credible writer, plainly states.
[63] 2,800,000 guilders, or $784,000.
Boniface VII., finding that he could no longer remain in safety at Rome, surreptitiously took the precious jewels and treasures from St. Peter’s coffers, and fled with them to Constantinople.
Clemens VIII., and other popes, were at various times convicted of such sacrilege, by their own people.
Gregory IX. sold his absolution to the emperor for a hundred thousand ounces of gold.
Benedict IX., being stricken with fear, sold to Gregory VI. the papal chair, for fifteen hundred pounds of silver.
The simony and sacrilege of Alexander VI. is also sufficiently known, from his epitaph, which we, for certain reasons, omit.
Further, how Leo X., through Tetzel, and many other popes, through their legates and nuncios, sold their letters of indulgence, is better known throughout all so-called Christendom than the popes of Rome desire. Compare this with _Chron. Plat_. (old edition) _fol. 183. Fran. Ala. fol. 58. Onpartijdigen Rechter, fol. 28._
Concerning the open tyranny, secret treachery, and deadly poisoning, imputed to some of the popes, the following account is given from Vergerius and others:
_I. Their Tyranny._--Julius II. had more than two hundred thousand Christians put to death, in the space of seven years.
Gregory IX. caused the emperor’s envoys by whom he was informed, that Jerusalem was retaken, to be strangled, contrary to all justice.
Clemens IV. openly beheaded Conrad, the son of the king of Sicily, without valid reasons, or legal proceedings.
It is not necessary to give a recital here, of the innumerable multitude of true Christians, who, through the pretensions of some popes, were deprived of life, in all parts of the earth, by fearful deaths at the hands of the executioner, only on account of their religion; for this is sufficiently known, and needs no further demonstration.
_II. Their Treachery._--The Emperor Frederick, at the diet of Nuremburg, openly complained of the treachery of Pope Alexander III, and that in the presence of the princes of the empire, before whom he read the letter containing the treason, which the pope had sent to the soldiers of the Turkish emperor.
Gregory II. secretly issued a prohibition, not to pay to the Emperor Leo his customary (and due) tax.
Alexander VI. availed himself of the assistance of the Turks (or at least, called upon them), against the French. _III. Their Poisoning._--Ancient writers mention, that Pope Paul III. poisoned his own mother and niece, that the inheritance of the Farnesi might fall to him.
Innocentius IV., through a priest, administered poison to the emperor, in a host, thus removing him from this life.
Moreover, how another pope, whose name is sufficiently known, put to death by poison, in accordance with Turkish custom, the brother of Gemeno Bajazet, the Mohammedan emperor, which was contrary to common justice, because he was ransomed with two tonnen treasure, needs not to be recounted, as the fame of it has gone out both into the east and the west.
This same pope had at a certain time determined to poison in like manner some cardinals, when the cupbearer made a mistake in the tankard containing the poison (as the ancient writers have annotated), and he who had arranged this, was himself served with it, insomuch that he died with the cardinals who had drank of it. Compare _De Tractaten Contarœne, Vergerij des Onpartijdigen Rechters_, especially _pp. 48, 49, 50_, with the _Chronijk van den Ondergang, first part, for the year 1227. p. 544. col. 1. 2._ Also, _p. 768. col. 2._ of the bad conduct of Pope John XXIV., taken from _Fasc. Temp. fol. 187. Platin. fol. 401. Onufr. fol. 406. 417. Hist. Eccl. Casp. Hedio. part 3. lib. 11. Chronolog. Leonh. lib. 6. Henr. Bull. of the councils, 2d Book, chap. 8. Joh. Stumph. fol. 21. Hist. Georg. lib. 6. Seb. Fra._ (old edition) _fol. 31_ to _fol. 89. Hist. Andriani fol. 53_ to _fol. 66._ _Jan Crisp. fol. 256_ to _369. Chron. Car. lib. 5. Zeg. fol. 326._