A.C. 1439 chancellor of Lincoln; Robert Barton, precentor of Lincoln; John Salisbury, doctor of divinity; and John Simon Defborough, bachelor in common law, were chofen for this purpose, and received inftructions to act against all papal difpenfations and other abuses which had crept into the church of Rome; especially that of providing livings for unqualified perfons. Pope Martin would have avoided convening this council, if it had been in his power, but finding himself strongly preffed by the emperor and other powers in Christendom, he ordered cardinal Julian to open and prefide in the affembly. A. C. 1441. Since the council of Conftance, the Huffites of Bohemia had been treated with fuch rigour, as ferved only to confirm them in the belief of their tenets, which they refolved to maintain in fpite of the decrees of the council. The principal article on which they infifted, was the communion in both species; and their refolution, in this particular, was oppofed by the pope and the catholics in fuch a manner, as filled Bohemia with civil war and confufion. On the death of their king Winceflaus, his brother, Sigifmund the emperor, claimed the fucceffion; but was rejected by the Huffites, as a perfecutor of their fect, and a notorious faith-breaker. Martin V. espousing the cause of Sigifmund, and publishing crufades against the Huffites, they found themfelves obliged to ftand in their own defence, and chofe for their general one Zifca, who defeated the emperor in feveral engagements. This war continued 1 till the meeting of the council at Bafil; which, confidering the bad fuccefs of Sigifmund, refolved to make peace with the Huffites. With this view the fathers invited them to fend deputies to the council, who, being fent accordingly, prefented four articles; to which, fhould the council agree, they offered to reunite themfelves with the church. They demanded, that the communion should be admini ftered ftered in both fpecies to the laity in Bohemia: that AC. 144. finners fhould be corrected according to the law of God, by thofe to whom fuch correction properly belonged that the word of God should be preached by well qualified paftors: and, that the clergy fhould have no jurisdiction over temporalities. The fathers of the council exhaufted all their art and eloquence in perfuading the Bohemians to fubmit to the church at difcretion; but, finding them in-flexible, refolved to grant their demands, on condition that they fhould be previously explained, in order to avoid new difputes. They accordingly explained them in their own way, and the Concordat was fettled, to the fatisfaction of all parties. This affair being accommodated, Sigifmund was acknowledged king of Bohemia, after having approved of the Concordat, and fubfcribed fome other conditions but he had no fooner mounted the throne, than he broke his promife; and the pope refused to fign the Concordat. The troubles of Bohemia were renewed; and, being fomented by the court of Rome, continued till the Huffites were entirely ruined. between the nius, Though the council of Bafil had been convoked Difference by pope Martin V. that pontiff died before the council and meeting of the affembly, and was fucceeded in the Pope Eugepapacy by Eugenius IV. who took umbrage at the invitation which had been fent to the Huffites; alledging, that as they were heretics who had been already condemned in the council of Conítance, they deferved no indulgence; and on that pretence he published a bull to diffolve the council. The fathers, far from fubmitting to this mandate, refolved by a majority to continue the feflions: and this difpute produced a real fchifm; fome acknowledging the authority of the council, and others adhering to the pope. Several decrees were made to exalt the authority of the council above that of the The A.C. 1441. the pope, and thefe, as faft as they were enacted, with them a good number of bishops to the pope's A. C. 1441. council, which acquired ftill more reputation and authority from the arrival of the Greek emperor with a numerous train of his prelates at Ferrara; from which place, in the fucceeding year, Eugenius tranflated the council to Florence, where it formed a fort of union between the Greek and Latin churches, though this was of very short duration. cation in nire. In the midst of these transactions, Chicheley The convoarchbishop of Canterbury dying, was fucceeded by England peJohn Strafford, fon of the earl of Strafford bifhop titions the of Bath and Wells, and lord high treasurer of Eng- theate king against land. Soon after his elevation to the metropolitan of Premufee, the clergy, in convocation, complained that the act of premunire was, by the chicanery of the common lawyers, turned into an engine of oppreffion, which fubjected them to vexatious fuits: they therefore moved that either application might be made to parliament for repealing the ftatutes of provifor and premunire, or for fettling the true fenfe and meaning, fo as that the clergy might not fuffer by the arts of quibbling lawyers. But these were deemed, by the majority, points of too delicate a nature for them to difcufs, and the motion was laid afide. This grievance, however, becoming more and more intolerable, the bishops afterwards took it into confideration; and, after various debates, both houses of the convocation refolved to address his majefty, and petition that the claufe "Or Elfe"where" in the statute of premunire fhould be expunged. It was enacted in the ftatute, That if any purchase, or purfue, or caufe to be pur'chafed or pursued, in the church of Rome, Or ८ 66 Elsewhere," any such translations, proceffes, fentences of excommunication, bulls, inftruments, or any thing affecting the king's rights, &c.' And common lawyers, difpofed to harrafs the clergy, ufed to put fuch conftruction upon the words Or "Elfe Q 4 66 A. C. 144. The duke of pope by the council at Bafil. Elfewhere," as brought them within the ftatute, even when they profecuted any matter of ecclefiastical right before the ecclefiaftical courts within the kingdom. They therefore obferved that those words," Or Elfewhere," referred only to the place in which the pope might chance to prefide; and prayed that fome remedy might be applied to this evil: but the times were too unfettled for them to expect immediate fatisfaction. During thefe efforts of the clergy in England, the Savoy chofen council of Bafil continued to proceed against pope Eugenius, whom they at length depofed, and chofe in his room Amadeus, duke of Savoy, who had refigned the administration of his dominions, and retired to a life of folitude at Ripale. This new pontiff affumed the name of Felix V. and now a double fchifm was formed in the church between two general councils and two popes, who condemned and excommunicated one another, and all their adherents mutually. In order to terminate this fcandalous. contention, an affembly was held in Germany by the princes and prelates of the empire; who could find no other expedient for that purpose than the convocation of a new council, till the meeting of which they fhould remain neuter. This propofal was confirmed by the diet of Frankfort; and the council of Bafil affented to it, though with reluctance. Mean while pope Felix, being difcontented at the proceedings of the fathers at Bafil, who he thought acted with too high a hand, retired to Lausanne, on pretence that the air of this place was more healthy than that of Bafil; and Eugenius tranflated his council from Florence to Rome, where the feffion was held in the church of St. John of Lateran. A, C. 1442. At length, the German princes, affembling at Frankfort, unanimously refolved that if Eugenius hould refufe to give them fatisfaction with refpect |