thinking ministers, he was taught to believe that it was not necessary to interfere; and, when he was under other guides, he was too irresolute to act with vigor. To govern a nation so impetuous and volatile as the French, at a time when freedom of thought began to prevail, a prince of a more energetic character was requisite. Sometimes, indeed, he was peremptory; but he was not consistently firm or steadily resolute. He acquiesced in measures which in his heart he disapproved; and he neglected the enforcement of those which he conceived to be just, expedient, and salutary. Under his sway, infidelity and faction alarmingly gained ground; and by assisting the American colonists, he increased the agitations of his realm.

Even in Spain and Portugal, though in a much less degree than in France, freedom of thought, in the affairs of religion, began to diffuse itself among the higher and middle classes. The vigilance of the government, however, prevented it from being dangerous. In the extensive territories of the house of Austria, a similar freedom was repressed by the spirit of Maria Theresa, whose bigotry, at the same time, prompted her to infringe the rights of her protestant subjects. Her son, the emperor Joseph, was himself a free-thinker, while he professed an adherence to the doctrines of the Romish church. This prince might justly be called the imperial projector. Many of his whims, like those of the ingenious but profligate duke of Buckingham, "died in thinking:" others were matured into schemes. With his political plans we have no concern on this occasion: it is only requisite that we should take notice of his regulations in the affairs of the church. He would not, he said, impeach the established doctrines; but he had a strong inclination to abridge the papal power in his dominions ;

i "Under the virtuous Theresa," the protestants of Hungary (says Dr. Townson) "were not less vexed than under the pro"Aigate prince, who was taught, that his deviations from virtue 66 might be made up for by zeal to the true church.”

and, with him, an inclination was soon converted into an act. Pius, being acquainted with the freedom of Joseph's sentiments, apprehended an attack from that enterprising innovator; and his fears were not visionary; for the emperor, in 1781, began with imposing restrictions upon the operation of bulls and rescripts sent from Rome. This ordinance was followed by an exemption of monasteries from all obedience to the chiefs of the different orders at Rome; a measure which the partisans of the pope, as might be expected, reprobated in warm terms. The generals of the orders desired the subalterns to maintain with spirit the constitutions of their establishments; but they were over-awed into submission by the firmness of the emperor, who also released all the colleges of missionaries from their dependence on the papal court. He farther displeased the pontiff by ordering that no money should be sent into foreign countries for masses; that no dignity should be solicited at Rome without his permission; that pilgrimages should be discontinued; and that the number of images and ornaments in churches should be diminished. The disgust felt by Pius at this conduct, was not allayed by the liberal edict of Joseph, granting full toleration to all the protestants in his dominions, as well as to all members of the Greek church; and the dissolution of a great number of monasteries, with the conversion of the buildings into colleges, hospitals, or barracks, increased the indignation of the vicar of St. Peter'.

Thus harassed and (as he thought) insulted, Pius resolved to visit the emperor, who, among other demands, had insisted upon presenting, in future, to all vacant bishoprics and benefices in the Milanese and Mantuan territories. The pope remonstrated against this profane encroachment upon his supposed right of patronage; but he was persuaded by some of his counsellors to promise acquiescence in this point, if Joseph

k

* Promulgated on the 13th of October, 1781.

1 Mémoires Hist. et Philos. sur Pie VI. chap. xi.-Coxe's Hist. of the House of Austria, vol. ii. chap. xlv.

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thinking ministers, he was taught to believe that i was not necessary to interfere; and, when he wi under other guides, he was too irresolute to act w.. vigor. To govern a nation so impetuous and voi as the French, at a time when freedom of the began to prevail, a prince of a more energetic racter was requisite. Sometimes, indeed, e peremptory; but he was not consistently f.. steadily resolute. He acquiesced in measures in his heart he disapproved; and he neglect enforcement of those which he conceived to expedient, and salutary. Under his sway, and faction alarmingly gained ground; and 1ing the American colonists, he increased *' tions of his realm.

41

Even in Spain and Portugal, though in less degree than in France, freedom of th the affairs of religion, began to diffuse its the higher and middle classes. The vigil government, however, prevented it from gerous. In the extensive territories of Austria, a similar freedom was represse · of Maria Theresa, whose bigotry, at i prompted her to infringe the rights ou subjects. Her son, the emperor Jos a free-thinker, while he professed an. doctrines of the Romish church. justly be called the imperial projec whims, like those of the ingenious. of Buckingham, "died in th matured into schemes. With have no concern on this occasion. that we should take

affairs of the ch

the establis

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Aigate pa

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would engage to desist from his career of reform. This was an engagement which none who knew that potentate could expect from him; and, with regard to the intended visit, he declared that it would be wholly fruitless, although, in a private letter to Pius, he had hinted that all disputes might be better accommodated in such a way than by mere correspondence. His holiness, to the surprise of all, repaired to Vienna, in the hope of warding off a storm which blew with increasing violence. Joseph, in one of his interviews with his spiritual father, claimed the right of altering the ecclesiastical government in his own territories, while he suffered the catholic doctrines to remain unimpaired. The pontiff, finding expostulation useless, returned to Rome, and suffered the storm to rage. He probably thought, that Joseph was little better than a heretic, however he might pretend to doctrinal purity; and, on the other hand, the emperor imputed to the pope the narrowness of bigotry, and a want of philosophic liberality of sentiment.

The continuance of Joseph's reformative measures no longer surprised the pope, who had now witnessed the inflexibility of that prince's character. The see of Rome lost the presentation to bishoprics in Lombardy and other Austrian dependencies; its nuncios were deprived of their power and jurisdiction in Germany; and, by these and other attacks, the lustre of the papacy was visibly eclipsed,

Other catholic sovereigns, even those who had acquired the reputation of piety, did not scruple to assail that fabric which was thus weakened. Unfortunately for the cause of the papacy, there seemed to be a general disposition, during the pontificate of Pius, to diminish the authority of the see over which he presided. The court of Madrid assumed a greater degree of religious freedom than it had been accustomed to exercise; claimed rights nearly equal to those which the Gallican church had long maintained; reduced the inquisition to a state of passive subserviency; and made a farther diminution of the papal demands of