e fears, of princes and
magistrates, expatiate on the insolence and treason of the two Gregories
against their lawful sovereign. [29] They are defended only by the
moderate Catholics, for the most part, of the Gallican church, [30] who
respect the saint, without approving the sin. These common advocates of
the crown and the mitre circumscribe the truth of facts by the rule
of equity, Scripture, and tradition, and appeal to the evidence of the
Latins, [31] and the lives [32] and epistles of the popes themselves.

[Footnote 26: Theophanes. (Chronograph. p. 343.) For this Gregory is
styled by Cedrenus. (p. 450.) Zonaras specifies the thunder, (tom. ii.
l. xv. p. 104, 105.) It may be observed, that the Greeks are apt to
confound the times and actions of two Gregories.]

[Footnote 27: See Baronius, Annal. Eccles. A.D. 730, No. 4, 5; dignum
exemplum! Bellarmin. de Romano Pontifice, l. v. c. 8: mulctavit eum
parte imperii. Sigonius, de Regno Italiae, l. iii. Opera, tom. ii. p.
169. Yet such is the change of Italy, that Sigonius is corrected by the
editor of Milan, Philipus Argelatus, a Bolognese, and subject of the
pope.]

[Footnote 28: Quod si Christiani olim non deposuerunt Neronem aut
Julianum, id fuit quia deerant vires temporales Christianis, (honest
Bellarmine, de Rom. Pont. l. v. c. 7.) Cardinal Perron adds a
distinction more honorable to the first Christians, but not more
satisfactory to modern princes--the treason of heretics and apostates,
who break their oath, belie their coin, and renounce their allegiance to
Christ and his vicar, (Perroniana, p. 89.)]

[Footnote 29: Take, as a specimen, the cautious Basnage (Hist. d'Eglise,
p. 1350, 1351) and the vehement Spanheim, (Hist. Imaginum,) who, with a
hundred more, tread in the footsteps of the centuriators of Magdeburgh.]

[Footnote 30: See Launoy, (Opera, tom. v. pars ii. epist. vii. 7, p.
456-474,) Natalis Alexander, (Hist. Nov. Testamenti, secul. viii.
dissert. i. p. 92-98,) Pagi, (Critica, tom. iii. p. 215, 216,) and
Giannone, (Istoria Civile Napoli, tom. i. p. 317-320,) a disciple of the
Gallican school In the field of controversy I always pity the moderate
party, who stand on the open middle ground exposed to the fire of both
sides.]

[Footnote 31: They appeal to Paul Warnefrid, or Diaconus, (de Gestis
Langobard. l. vi. c. 49, p. 506, 507, in Script. Ital. Muratori, tom. i.
pars i.,) and the nominal Anastasius, (de Vit. Pont. in Muratori, tom.
iii. pars i.