BASLE
336
BASLE
fu] army in Northern Italy; an Assembly of the
French Clergy at Bourges (Februarj', 1432) de-
clared for the continuation of the council at Basle
and resolved to send representatives; the Duke of
Burgundy ■nTote that he would send the bishops
of his o\\'n nation and would use his influence with
the King of England to induce him to do likewise;
the Dukes of Milan and Savoy were equally sym-
pathetic, while the Paris University declared that
the devil alone could have inspired the pope to
adopt such a course. Thus encouraged the council
held its third pubHc session (29 April, 1432) in which
the pope was commanded to withdraw the Bull
of dissolution and to appear at Basle either per-
sonally or by proxy within three months. A similar
summons was addressed to the cardinals, and both
pope and cardinals were threatened with judicial
proceedings unless they complied. In the fourth
public session (20 June, 1432) it was decreed that
in case the papal throne should become vacant
during the time of the council, the conclave could
be held only at its place of session; that in the
meantime Eugene IV should appoint no cardinals
except at the council, nor should he hinder any
person from attending, and that all censures pro-
nounced against it by him were null and void.
They even went so far as to appoint a governor for
the territory of A%-ignon and to forbid any papal
embassy to approach Basle unless letters of safe-
conduct had been previously requested and granted.
Sigismund was in constant communication with the pope and urged him to make some concessions. In the beginning Eugene IV agreed to allow a national council to be held in some German city for the reform of abuses in the Church of Germany and for the settlement of the Hussite controversy. Later on, he was willing to permit the council at Basle to continue its discussions on church reform, the Hussite controversy, and the establishment of peace among Christian nations, provided that its decisions were subject to the papal confirmation, and provided, too, that a council should be held in Bologna, or some Italian city for the reunion of the Eastern Church. Sigismund forwarded this letter to Basle (27 July) and exhorted the delegates to moderation. On the 22d of August, the pleni- potentiaries of the pope were received at Basle and addressed the council at length, pointing out that the monarchical form of government was the one established by Clirist, that the pope was the supreme judge in ecclesiastical affairs, and that the Bull of dissolution was not due to the pope's jealousy of a general council as such. They ended by de- claring that the assembly at Basle, if it persisted in its opposition to Eugene, could be regarded only as a schismatical conventicle and was certain to lead, not to reform, but to still greater abuses. In the name of the pope they made an offer of Bologna or some city in the Papal States as the place for the future council, the pope to resign his sovereign rights over the city selected, so long as the assemblj- should be in session. The council replied to this communication (3 September) by reasserting the superiority of a general council over the pope in all matters appertaining to faith, dis- cipline, or the extirpation of schism, and by an absolute rejection of the offers made by the pleni- potentiaries.
In the sixth pubUc session (6 September), at which were present four cardinals (Cai'sarmi, Branda, Castiglione, and Albergati) and thirty-two bishops, it was proposed to declare Eugene and his eighteen cardinals contumacious, but this proposal was postponed, owing, mainly, to the representations of Sigismund. In October, the standing orders for the transaction of the business of the council were drawn up. Without reference to their ecclesi-
astical rank the members were divided into four
committees, on which the four nations attending
the council should be equally represented. The
votes of the cardinals or bishops were of no more
importance than those of the professors, canons, or
parish priests; in this way it was secured that the
inferior clergj' should have the controlling voice
in the decisions of the council. Each committee
was to carry on its sittings in a separate haU and to
communicate its decisions to the others, and it was
only when practical unanimity had been secured
among the committees that the matter was intro-
duced at a public session of the whole body. This
arrangement, whereby the irresponsible members
had gained the upper hand, tended to bring affairs
to a crisis. In the seventh public session (6 Novem-
ber) it was arranged that in case of Eugene's death
the cardinals should appear at the council within
60 days for the holding of the conclave. Shortly
aftem'ards, at the eighth public session (IS Decem-
ber), the pope was allowed a further term of sixty
days to withdraw the Bull of dissolution, under
threat of canonical proceedings in case he failed to
comply, and, finally, at the tenth public session
(19 February, 1433) this threat was enforced, and
in the presence of five cardinals and forty-six bishops
the pope was declared contumacious and canonical
proceedings were instituted against him.
Eugene IV, afflicted with bodily suffering, de- serted by many of his cardinals, and hard pressed by Italian rebels, endeavoured by every means in his power, together ^\nth the support of PhUip, Duke of Milan, to bring about a settlement. He proposed (14 December, 1432) an Italian to',\-n as the place for the council, allowing the assembly at Basle four months to settle up the Hussite controversy; on the rejection of this, he agreed that it should be held in a German city provided twelve impartial bishops and the ambassadors of the different coun- tries so wished it. Later still (1 Februan,', 1433) he accepted a German to'mi unconditionally, and even went so far as to agree to accept (14 Februarj', 1433) Basle itself in case the decrees against the papal power were withdrawn, his own legate allowed to preside, and the number of bishops present at least seventy-five. These offers were rejected by the council (March, 1433), the decree about the superiority of a general council renewed (27 April), and it was mth difficulty that Duke William of Bavaria prevented the opening of the process against the pope in the twelfth general session (13 July). Meanwhile Sigismund had made peace with Eugene and had received the imperial crown in Rome (31 May, 1433). He requested the council not to proceed further against the pope until he liimself should be present, and on the other hand he pressed the pope to make some further concession. In response to this appeal Eugene issued (1 August, 1433) a Bull in which he declared that he was willing and content that the council should be recognized as lawfully constituted from the beginning and continued as if nothing had happened, and that he himself would assist its deliberations by every means in his power, pro^'ided, however, that liis legates were admitted as real presidents, and that all decrees against him- self or his cardinals were withdrawn. This declara- tion coincided exactly vrith the formula sent by Coesarini to the emperor (IS Jime) except that the pope had inserted "we are wiUing and content " (volumus et contentamur) in place of the words "we decree and declare" (decemimtis cl dcclaramits). Tliis change was displeasing to the council, implying, as it did, mere toleration and not the approbation which they desired; so reljnng upon Eugene's troubles in Italy with the Colonnas, the Duke of Milan, and others, thej' refused to accept even this con- cession. Finally, on the 15th of December, 1433;
