t themselves successors to the apostles, who were poor,
needy, and destitute: I say, if they did but lay these considerations to
heart they would never be so ambitious of being created to this honour,
they would willingly resign it when conferred upon them, or at least
would be as industrious, watchful and laborious, as the primitive
apostles were. Now as to the popes of Rome, who pretend themselves
Christ's vicars, if they would but imitate his exemplary life, in the
being employed in an unintermitted course of preaching; in the being
attended with poverty, nakedness, hunger, and a contempt of this world;
if they did but consider the import of the word pope, which signifies
a father; or if they did but practice their surname of most holy, what
order or degrees of men would be in a worse condition? There would be
then no such vigorous making of parties, and buying of votes, in the
conclave upon a vacancy of that see: and those who by bribery, or other
indirect courses, should get themselves elected, would never secure
their sitting firm in the chair by pistol, poison, force, and violence.
How much of their pleasure would be abated if they were but endowed with
one dram of wisdom? Wisdom, did I say? Nay, with one grain of that salt
which our Saviour bid them not lose the savour of. All their riches,
all their honour, their jurisdictions, their Peter's patrimony, their
offices, their dispensations, their licences, their indulgences, their
long train and attendants (see in how short a compass I have abbreviated
all their marketing of religion); in a word, all their perquisites
would be forfeited and lost; and in their room would succeed watchings,
fastings, tears, prayers, sermons, hard studies, repenting sighs, and a
thousand such like severe penalties: nay, what's yet more deplorable,
it would then follow, that all their clerks, amanuenses, notaries,
advocates, proctors, secretaries, the offices of grooms, ostlers,
serving-men, pimps (and somewhat else, which for modesty's sake I shall
not mention); in short, all these troops of attendants, which depend on
his holiness, would all lose their several employments.

[Illustration: The Pope 320]

This indeed would be hard, but what yet remains would be more dreadful:
the very Head of the Church, the spiritual prince, would then be brought
from all his splendour to the poor equipage of a scrip and staff.
But all this is upon the supposition only that they understood what
circ