John Paul Adams, CSUN
john.p.adams@csun.edu
:
Ludwig von Pastor (editor), Acta inedita historiam Pontificum Romanorum praesertim saec. XV, XVI, XVII illustrantia. Volumen I: A. 1376-1434 (Friburgi Brisgoviae: Herder 1904), no. 3, pp. 5-10:
Cogitis me, Re(verendissi)me pater, ad respondendum in certis articulis per proprium iuramentum primo super isto, quid nvi de electione Domini Nostri ante conclave; ad hoc videlicet respondeo, quod propter laborem et dolorem, quos passus sum in infirmitate ipsius sancte memorie domini Gregorii, statim et subito fui infirmus et sic similiter durante conclavi fui infirmus ad mortem et sic ante conclave et in conclavi nichil scio, sed postea queritur, quid scio et a quibus et ubi et quomodo scio. Ad hoc respondeo, quod, dum sic eram infirmus, venit ad me unus familiaris meus et dixit quod papam viderat domoinum cardinalem S. Petri et sibi in cathedra et pontificali habitu existenti reverentiam fecerat ad pedum oscula in capella palatii presentibus pluribus cardinalibus et dicenti palam et publice, quod non erat papa, sed male faciebant, trufari de eo. Et statim post duas oras vel circa venit ad me quidam magnus prelatus et dixit mihi, quod papa petierat ab eo de me et ipse responderat sibi, quod eram valde infirmus, et quod papa responderat: non est infirmus, set antiquus prelatus et spectat videre finem. Ipse autem magis affirmavit sibi, me fore infirmum, et tunc papa dixit sibi: saluta eum ex parte mea; tunc ego petivi: quis est papa? respondit mihi ille prelatus, quod dominus Barensis erat papa et cardinales eum eligerant et dimisserunt in possessionem palatii.
Ego autem ex lpredictis verbis pape suspectionem habui, quibus dixit, quod ego tanquam antiquus episcopus spectabam videre finem, ergo iste dubitat de papatu, et maxime, quia omnes cardinales preter tres fugerant extra urbem et aliqui ad castrum S. Angeli. tunc volens diligenter inquirere veritatem facti statim, quod fui liberatus, ivi ad dominum Florentinum [Cardinal Corsini] ac ipsum interrogavi, ut scivi et mihi respondidit, quod ipse Barensis factus erat per eum papa et de eo ipso concluserat in S. Spiritu die precedente diem conclavis.Tunc replicavi de domino S. Petri; respondidit, quod hoc fecerant propter fuggere rumorem Romanorum, et petivit a me, quid dicebant domini ultramontani; respondidi, quod nesciebam, quia non iveram ad alios.
Ego tunc ivi ad dominum cardinalem S. Angeli, qui breviter respondidit mihi, quod Barensis erat electus propter eorum et Lemovicensium miseriam et discordiam et noluit ultra exprimere.
Ivi ad dominum cardinalem de Agrifolio et supplicavi, quod diceret mihi veritatem pro salute anime mee, quia non intendebam adorare tamquam vicarium Iesu Christi non vicarium Iesu Christi, et de hoc protestabar, tamquam in die iudicii mihi redderet rationem. Ipse autem respondidit mihi: vide non dubites, quia pro certo a tempore S. Petri citra non sedit aliquis in sede sua magis iuste quam iste. ideo male facis tantum tardare. Ego etiam replicavi: miserum consilium habuistis eligere alium a vobis, quia tot estis in una natione, quod poteratis eligere, quem volebatis. Tunc respondidit michi ac cum lacrimis dixit: Domine Viterbiensi si male fecimus male habeamus, invidia nostra hoc fecit, quia Lemovicensis [Jean de Cros] voolebat omnino esse papa, dominus S. Eustachii [Flandrin] volebat esse papa; ego cognoscens eos, nullum volebam eorum, sed assentiebam in dominum Pictavensem [Guy de Malsec] vel dominum Vivariensem [Pierre de Sortenac], quorum quilibet erat suficientissimus; finaliter videns, quod non poteram quod volebam, significavi domino S. Petri, si sibi placebat Barensis, quod consentirem et forte aliqui alii consentirent; et sic fecerunt omnes, quia re vera in conscientia nullus contentabatur de dominis S. Eustachii et Lemovicensi et de aliis fieri non poterat, quod volebam postea.
Ivi ad dominum Vivariensem [Pierre de Sortenac]; facta sibi simili conscientia respondidit, quod si volebam responsionem, quod pranderem secum, alias nunquam responderet mihi. ivi ad prandium et post prandium solus cum solo feci sibi questionem, dicens, quod ipse semper fuit verax in sermone et nunquam ipsum a veritate separare poterant, et ydeo singularem confidentiam habens rogaveram, quod pro salute anime mee et sue diceret veritatem, quia non volebam esse ytolatra, nec ipse deberet velle, quod ad instantiam suam sum ydolatra. Respondidit mihi breviter: Domine VIterbiensi non malinconicetis, quod ipse Barensis est papa concorditer electus antequam intraremus conclavi. Tunc replicavi: viriliter vos habuistis tota nacio Lemovicensis que potuit papam eligere et nescivit. Ad hoc respondidit, quod male se habuerant et ideo plangerent. et predicta fuerunt in domo sua Rome sita.
Demum ivi ad dominum Glandatensem et ipsum interrogavi de simili questione, qui similiter respondidit, quod si volebam responsum ab eo, quod intrassem prandium secum. Acceptavi et ivi et post prandium dixi: R(everendissi)me mi domine, semper fuistis mihi dominus et singularis amicus et semper de vobis confidi singulariter, pro Deo consuletis anime mee, que sic afflicta est, et narravi sibi verba, que dixit michi prelatus supradictus, propter quod sumsi suspectionem, et tunc ipse dixit; Domine Viterbiensi, quia esitatis? nunquam vidistis ipsum [Barensem] per omnes dominos adorari, nunquam ipsum in consistorio generali, nunquam ipsum vidistis sine contradictione conferre episcopatus et abbatias? vadatis ad reverentiam citius quam potestis, quod contentetis vos bene de ipso, quia pro certo ipse est ita papa sicut fuit S. Petrus.
Omnia predicta fuerunt Rome in domibus dictorum cardinalium facta et dicta de mense Aprilis et Maii 1378. Postea vidi ipsum coronari cum processione solempni et ire ad S. Ioannem et redire cum toto populo indifficienter cum omnibus cardinalibus, archiepiscopis, episcopis, abbatibus et prelatis et sacrosancto.
Camerarius infirmatus post aliquos dies asignatis sibi multis recessit et fuit gravissime infirmus in Anagnia; ad hoc petita et habita licentia a domino nostro yvi et similiter ad dominum de Agrifolio, quos vidi et dei gratia sanavi et a domino cardinali extraxi, quod nullus cardinalis veniret Romam, sed expectabant papam ibi.
Iteravi questionem meam domino de Agrifolio et post multa dixit, ut supra; cui replicavi: quid ergo quod omnes cardinales male locuntur? Respondidit, quod omnes habent Romam hodio, et super hoc fecit mihi litteram credencie Domino Nostro, per quam supplicabat, quod in quacunque parte Italie vellet ducere eos contentabantur.
Similiter iteravi questionem meam domino Vivariensi in orto predicto et idem respondidit id quod supra.
Item ad dominum Lemovicensem, qui ascendens equum me videns a longe declinavit equo dicens: Domine Viterbeinsi, vos venitis ad loquendum mihi et ego volo loqui vobis, et dimisso equo duxit me ad cameram et fecit me ibi potare et post potum feci sibi questionem meam, cui respondidit sic: Domine Viterbiensi, veritas est, quod Barensis est verus papa et ideo ipsum honoretis et revereamini sicut papam et si nescivimus observare papatum, forte melius est, quia vere totus mundus acediabatur de Domino Nostro, tunc Deus dedit inter nos discordiam; vadatis, non stetis in aliquo ambiguo. Replicavi: quid, queso, est quod omnes dimisistis eum solum? Respondidit: quia nolumus mori in aere Romano nec occidi ab eis. Replicavi: Domini mei Maioris Monasterii [Gérard du Puy, OSBClun.], de Luna cum Florentino et S. Petri non veniunt et sunt cum ipso. Respondidit: venire debent breviter. Dicta fuerunt predicta Anagnie de mense iunii anno domini 1378.
Et quia eciam aliis mittatur feci per scribam meum scribi et hic me subscripsi manu propria et exinde sigillo roboravi cuncta anno domini 1379 die prima mensis novembris ego Nicolaus Viterbiensis episcopus.
[Vatican Secret Archives, Armamentarium LIV, n. 17, f. 74b-75b]
It is unfortunate for Nicholas' reputation that he makes Cardinal Corsini brag that he had arranged the election of Prignano on the day before the conclave began. All other reports have it that Corsini nominated and supported the Cardinal S. Petri [Tebaldeschi] at the Conclave on April 8. Nicholas actually says that he was at death's door, but he got up and ran to Cardinal Corsini's house to find out who the new pope was—hardly credible. Nor is it particularly credible to think that Corsini would unburden himself to anyone just at that time. The very ill Nicholas then runs off to the house of Cardinal Noellet [S. Angeli], who gave him an account and asked him what the Ultramontani were saying. However, according to other sources Cardinal Noellet wasn't at home at all, but escaped from Rome entirely and went into hiding at Ardea, aided by the Abbot of S. Paolo fuori le mure (an Ulramontanist) to whom the Cardinal had fled for protection. Nicholas then took himself off to Cardinal de Agrifolio's house—an increasingly exhausting odyssey for a man who had been in bed for days—and asked the same information of that Cardinal, who assured him that there never was a more just pope than the new pope. This is the most remarkable of Nicholas' revelations, because Cardinal de Agrifolio was in refuge in the Castel S. Angelo at the time. Pierre de Sortenac [Vivariensis], at whose home Nicholas also called, and where he was invited to stay for dinner, was also at the Castel S. Angelo, despite his confidential conversation after dinner with Nicholas. His lies become ever more fanciful. Still on the same day, Nicholas also visited and and dinner with Cardinal Lagier [Glandatensis]. Amazingly Cardinal Lagier had actually gone home after the tumultuous aborted conclave.
Nicholas tries to cover his tracks by stating that all the meetings and conversations took place in the houses of the named cardinals in the months of April and May, 1378. That statement is absurd; the question he was asking all the cardinals was only relevant on the evening of April 8 and on April 9. After that, there was no question as to who had been enthroned in St. Peter's on the afternoon of April 9 or crowned as pope on April 18. If he is still asking questions in May, he must have had very serious doubts as to the validity of the election of Urban VI.
Nicholas then claims to have been the confidential agent between the cardinals at Agnani and Urban VI, and that Cardinal de Agrifolio sent word to Urban that the did not want to come to Rome, but that they would follow him to whatever place in Italy he should wish. This completely misstates the nature of what was taking place in June of 1378. At the beginning of May, Agrifolio and Pictavensis [Guy de Malsec] had left the city, according to the Bishop of Cordoba, Menendus {Baluzius I, 1149]. During May, others departed. Cardinal Atgerius fled, according to his own testimony, one Sunday in June, having been warned that the Cardinals who were already in Anagni were casting doubts on the validity of Bartolomeo's election. Cardinal de Borsano and Cardinal de Luna were still in the city on Corpus Christi [June 17], according to the testimony of Franciscus Fernandi, Cantor of Palencia {Baluzius I, 1457). Cardinal Tebaldeschi [S. Petri] was still in Rome on June 18, and so Nicholas' remark about S. Petri being with Urban and not wanting to come to Anagni would have to be placed in the last week of June or in July. At the time that Sortenac was supposed to be telling Nicholas that Urban was the true pope, the Cardinals had decided as a group (by mid-July) that the election of Urban was certainly invalid and that he had to be removed. They were actually sending letters and messengers to Urban, demanding that he abandon his pretensions to the papacy. Marsilius de Inghen, the Nuncio of the University of Paris, reported on July 27 that it was already the talk of Tivoli on that day that the Cardinals wanted to proceed to a new election. (Du Bellay IV, 466; Denifle, no. 1608).
The unhappy fact is that Nicholas of Viterbo has no information of his own to offer. He is merely placing on record items fed to him by Urban VI and his advisors to reinforce their case. The sole purpose of the 'conversations' is to establish the legitimacy of Urban VI. The document is intended for the eyes of people who had no knowledge of the events or issues. It is mere propaganda.
John Paul Adams, CSUN
john.p.adams@csun.edu