formidable rival. While his cotemporaries denounced
his rational method, preferring their theological jargon and
scholastic metaphysics; how much the Aristotle of mediaevalism has
been neglected even latterly is a surprising fact.[56]

[56] The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have not
exhibited the same impatience for a worthy edition of the
works of Bacon with which Clement IV. expected a copy of the
_Opus Majus_. His principal writings remained in MS. and
were not published to the world until the middle of last
century.

But in proof of the prevalence of the popular suspicion, not even
the all-powerful spiritual Chief of Christendom was spared. Many
of the pontiffs were charged with being addicted to the 'Black
Art'--an odd imputation against the vicars of Christ and the
successors of St. Peter. A charge, however, which we may be
disposed to receive as evidence that in a long and disgusting
list of ambitious priests and licentious despots there have been
some popes who, by cultivating philosophy, may have in some
sort partially redeemed the hateful character of Christian
sacerdotalism. At a council held at Paris in the interest of
Philip IV., Boniface VIII. was publicly accused of sorcery: it
was affirmed that 'he had a familiar demon [the Socratic
Genius?]; for he has said that if all mankind were on one side
and he alone on the other, he could not be mistaken either in
point of fact or of right, which presupposes a diabolical art'--a
dogma of sacerdotalism sufficiently confident, but scarcely
requiring a miraculous solution. This pope's death, it is said,
was hastened by these and similar reports of his dealings with
familiar spirits, invented in the interest of the French king to
justify his hostility. Boniface VIII.'s esoteric opinions on
Catholicism and Christianity, if correctly reported, did not show
the orthodoxy to be expected from the supreme pontiff: but he
would not be a singular example amongst the numerous occupants of
the chair of St. Peter.[57]

[57] Leo X. (whose tastes were rather profane than pious)
instructed or amused himself by causing to be discussed the
question of the nature of the soul--himself adopting the
opinion 'redit in nihilum quod fuit ante nihil,' and the
decision of Aristotle and of Epicurus.

John XXII., one of his more immediate successors, is said to be
the pope who first formally condemned the crime of witchcraft,
more systematically anathematis