The new politick lights of modern Romes church-government: or The new Gospel according to Cardinal Palavicini revealed by him in his history of the Council of Trent. Englished out of French.

ARTICLE XIII. The Pope is the Stomach of the Churches Body, which disperses shares of Nou∣rishment to all his believing ones, that be Members of his Body.

'TIs true that all the Tribute which the Pope levies upon the World, seems to tend to enrich only the Vassals of his Tem∣poral Domain, or his home-born Subjects, questi tributi raccolti da ogni paese Christiano paian colare ad arrichir solo i vassali del do∣minio temporale;* 1.1 nevertheless in truth it is not so, in verità non è poi così.

But to make the thing better understood, we must use the Fable which whilom Mene∣nius Agrippa made use of when the people of Rome revolted against the Senate, and re∣fused

to fight for it; This sage Polititian told them, that

one day the Members made a revolt against the Stomach, and refused to contribute towards its nourish∣ment, but incontinently they perceived that they all fell to languish.

One may say 'tis the same thing with the Pope, who as the Stomach, does not digest for himself only the Goods which he possesses, but to distribute out to those Believing Ones, that be his Members.

That which ought then to be so much the more stronger in application of this Simili∣tude concerning that of the Body Natural, is this, The other Members which labour for the Stomach, can never be the Sto∣mach, so they have not that particular rea∣son to maintain the Stomach's Interests, but in the Mystick Body of the Church, there is no Member but that may one day become Stomach,* 1.2 no faithful Catholick, but may hope to become Pope, habbiamo un cor∣po dove ogn' altro membro si può convertire in stomaco, si come chilo in sangue e poi questo in carne. So that all these faithful Catholicks have a particular Interest to contribute to the Pope's Felicity according to the Flesh, because this Felicity returns back again to them according to the share they have in the distribution made by him after his having di∣gested it, as the Stomach of the Church; and besides, they or some of theirs may one day arrive to this quality of Stomach, and then shall they too digest all the Goods of

the World, first for themselves, and after∣wards for others.

It should follow from hence, may some say, that in time all the Riches of the World will flow to Rome, to enrich the Pope's Court; but though it should be so,* 1.3 fingiamo che con longo giro di secoli questi beni colassero nella corte, what hurt would there be in it, that all the Goods of the Earth that now pass from one to the other, by way of Inhe∣ritance, at a venture, without regard to me∣rit, should be distributed by the Pope to every one according to Justice,* 1.4 and accor∣ding to their Merits? Pongasi mente se verun disconcio arrechi alla felicità civile, che molti beni passino da esser dono del caso nell'heredità del sangue, ad esser distribuzione della giustizia nel riconoscimento del merito.

So that although all the Goods of the World should actually pass by distribution of the Pope, as Victuals do through the Stomach, and as of right all the Goods of the World belong to the Pope, as a King, whose Inheritance is the whole Universe, there is no body but may see that the Car∣nal Felicity of the Church would be there∣by more perfect, at least no body can deny but that the Pope hath right to levy upon the whole Earth what is necessary to make a Carnal Felicity sutable to his Royalty, to make him the richest, the most glorious, and the most happy, even according to the Flesh, of all the Kings and of all the Emperors of the Earth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  l. 2. c. 26.
• * 1.2

  l. 3. c. 10.
• * 1.3

  l. 24. c. 10.
• * 1.4

  Ibid.