hs. The poorer
people had all manner of strange notions about his holiness and his
supposed miracles; and about twenty years after his death, he was
admitted into the Roman list of saints.

CHAPTER XVI.

BONIFACE VIII.

A.D. 1294-1303.

PART I.

In Celestine's place was chosen Benedict Gaetani, who, although even
older than the worn-out and doting late pope, was still full of
strength, both in body and in mind. Benedict (who took the name of
Boniface VIII.) is said to have been very learned, especially in matters
of law; but his pride and ambition led him into attempts which ended in
his own ruin, and did serious harm to the papacy.

In the year 1300 Boniface set on foot what was called the Jubilee. You
will remember the Jubilee which God in the Law of Moses commanded the
Israelites to keep (Leviticus xxv.). But this new Jubilee had nothing to
do with the law of Moses, and was more like some games which were
celebrated every hundredth year by the ancient Romans. Nothing of the
sort had ever before been known among Christians; but when the end of
the thirteenth century was at hand, it was found that people's minds
were full of a fancy that the year 1300 ought to be a time of some great
celebration. Nay, they were even made to believe that such a way of
keeping every hundredth year had been usual from the beginning of the
Church, although (as I have said) there was no ground whatever for this
notion; and one or two lying old men were brought forward to pretend
that when children they had attended a former jubilee a hundred years
before!

How the expectation of the jubilee was got up we do not know. Most
likely Boniface had something to do with it; at all events, he took it
up and reaped the profits of it. He sent forth letters offering
extraordinary spiritual benefits to all who should visit Rome and the
tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul during the coming year; and immense
numbers of people flocked together from all parts of Europe. It is said
that all through the year there were two hundred thousand strangers in
Rome; for as some went away, others came to fill up their places. The
crowd is described to us as if, in the streets and on the bridge leading
to the great church of St. Peter's, an army were marching each way.

It is said that Boniface appeared one day in the robes of a pope, and
next day in those of an emperor, with a sword in his hand, and that he
declared to some ambassadors that he was both