132 THE MIDDLE AGES. A.D. 1294-1517.
history. There were not wanting men who said, like Langenstein, vice-chancellor of the University of Paris, that perhaps it was God's purpose that there should be two popes indefinitely, even as David's kingdom was divided under two sovereigns.^ Yea, and there were men who argued publicly that it made little difference how many there were, two or three, or ten or twelve, or as many as there were nations.^
At his first consistory Gregory made a_good beginning, when he asserted that, for the sake of the good cause of securing a united Christendom, he was willing to travel by land or by sea, by land, if necessary, with a pilgrim's staff, by sea in a fishing smack, in order to come to an agreement with Benedict. He wrote to his rival on the Rhone, declaring that, like the woman who was ready to renounce her child rather than see it cut asunder, so each of them should be willing to cede his authority rather than be responsible for the continuance of the schism. He laid his hand on the New Testament and quoted the words that " he who exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." He promised to abdicate, if Benedict would do the same, that the cardinals of^both lines might unite together in a new elejction ; and he further promised not to add to the number of his cardinals, except to keep the number equal to the number of the Avignon college.
Benedict's reply was shrewd, if not equally demonstrative. He, too, lamented the schism, which he pronounced detestable, wretched, and dreadful,^ but gently setting aside Gregory's blunt proposal, suggested as the best resort the via discussio)iis, or the path of discussion, and that the cardinals of botli lines should meet together, talk the matter over, and see what should be done, and then, if necessary, one or both popes might abdicate. Both popes in their communications called
iDuPin, 11.821.
2 Letter of the Uuiv. of Paris to Clement VIL, dated July 17, 1394. Chartul. in. 633, nihil omnino curandum quot papae sint, et non modo duos aut (res, sed decern aut duodecim iinmo et singulis regnis singulos prefici posse, etc.
8 Hcec ezecrnnda et detestanda, diraque divisio, Niebeim, pp. 209-213, cives both letters entire.
§ 14. FURTHER PROGRESS OF THE SCHISM. 133
themselves "servant of the servants of God." Gregory addressed Benedict as "Peter de Luna, whom some peoples in this wretched — miserabili — schism call Benedict XIII."; and Benedict addressed the pope on the Tiber as " Angelas Correr, whom some, adhering to him in this most destructive — pernicioso — schism, call Gregory XII." " We are both old men," wrote Benedict. " Time is short ; hasten, and do not delay in this good cause. Let us both embrace the ways of salvation and peace."
Nothing could have been finer, but it was quickly felt that while both popes expressed themselves as ready to abdicate, positive as the professions of both were, each wanted to have the advantage when the time came for the election of the new pontiff to rule over the reunited Church.
As early as 1381, the University of Paris appealed to the king^ of France to insist upon the calling of a general council as the way to terminate the schism. But the duke of Anjou had the spokesman of the university, Jean Ronce, imprisoned, and the university was commanded to keep silence on the subject.
Prior to this appeal, two individuals had suggeste(i, the same^idea, Konrad of Gelnhausen, and Henry of Langenstein, otherwise known as Henry of Hassia. Konrad, who wrote in 1380,1 and whose views led straight on to the theory of the supreme authority of councils,^ affirmed that there were two heads of the Church, and that Christ never fails it, even though the earthly head may fail by death or error. The Church is not the pope and the cardinals, but the body of the faithful, and this body gets its inner life directly from Christ, and is so far infallible. In this way he answers those who were forever declaring that in the absence of the pope's call there would be no council, even if all the prelates were assembled, but only a conventicle.
In more emphatic terms, Henry of Langenstein, in 1381, justified the calling of a council without the pope's interven-
1 Gelnhausen's tract, De congregando concilio in tempore schismatis, in Martfene-Durand, Thesaurns nov. anced., II. 1200-1226.
2 So Pastor, I. 185. See also, Schwab, Gcrson, p. 124 sqq.