Chapter 11

The majority and the two popes

Pollard pp. 21.13–22.29

Truth21.13–22.29

21veritas. Lapsus autem a fide, et specialiter quia capitur probabile tanquam fides, facit errores innumerabiles in ecclesia militante. Qui autem credit ut fidem communitati vel populo est in januis ut stolide seducatur, quia ecclesiaste p° scribitur, stultorum infinitus est numerus. Et sapiens daniel cum populus dampnasset Susannam ex falso testimonio sacerdotum, si generaliter multitudo testium approbetur, cujus contrarium patet daniel ult°, et helias foret per quadringentos sacerdotes baal in causa domini superatus, cujus contrarium patet 3 Reg. 18°. Ideo prudentes habent hanc consuetudinem quando difficultas circa veritatem aliquam ventilatur. In primis considerant quid fides scripture loquitur in hoc puncto et quicquid hec fides in illa materia diffinierit credunt stabiliter tanquam fidem. Si autem fides Scripture neutram partem ejus expresserit, dimittunt illud tanquam eis impertinens, et non litigant vel contendunt que pars habeat veritatem. Et ista est magna prudencia sapientium. Ideo est stulta evidencia 22si major pars militantum sic asserit, ergo verum, cum sit argumentum topicum ad contrarium concludendum, quia deus scit si nunc militant plures filii patris mendacii quam filii veritatis. Et quantum ad imposicionem heresis, fideles armarent se humiliter cum factis domini; ipsi enim imposita est sepe heresis, quia blasfemia, et persecutus fuit tanquam hereticus lapidandus, ut patet jo 8°. Et causa potissima quam false finxerant in dampnando Christum fuit falsa imposicio heresis: jo 19° scribitur nos legem habemus et secundum legem debet mori. Sic enim possent hodie populi papam colere tanquam Christum sic quod si quicquid diffinierit in causa terrena sive celesti illud defendant et sustineant tanquam legem. Et si duo pape ex seminacione sathane electi fuerint, populi diversi elecciones illas approbant tanquam fidem. Et ex tali scismate oriri possent inconveniencia infinita. Que, rogo, major infidelitas quam approbare elecciones cardinalium qui ex nobis dubio sunt diaboli incarnati, quod si elegerint qualemcunque personam in papam, tunc ipse est pater sanctissimus et immediatus Christi vicarius. Hec autem heresis, loco sortis apostolorum qua eligerunt Mathiam per diabolum introducta, potest esse zizania ad catholicos in fide discordandum. Medicina ergo foret catholicum tales elecciones cum non sint apostolice refutare, et operibus persone viantis credere, et omnino dubium vel non fidem tanquam fidem catholicam refutare. Et sic concordet fidelis cum lege domini, et armet se cum paciencia et caritate, et ponat humiliter in manu domini vitam suam, quia discenciones originate ex divisionibus sectarum parturiunt istis periculosis temporibus multa mala.

Truth. And a lapse from faith, and especially because the probable is taken as faith, makes countless errors in the church militant. And he who believes the community or the people as [he believes] faith is at the door of being foolishly led astray, because in Ecclesiastes 1 it is written: "the number of fools is infinite" (Eccles. 1:15). And the wise Daniel [would have been in the wrong] when the people had condemned Susanna on the false testimony of the priests, if a multitude of witnesses were to be approved without distinction, the contrary of which is clear in the last [chapter] of Daniel; and Elias would have been overcome in the Lord's cause by four hundred priests of Baal, the contrary of which is clear in 3 Kings 18.¹ Therefore the prudent have this custom when a difficulty about some truth is aired. First of all they consider what the faith of scripture says on this point, and whatever this faith has defined in that matter they believe steadfastly as faith. But if the faith of scripture has expressed neither side of it, they set it aside as not pertaining to them, and do not wrangle or contend over which side has the truth. And this is the great prudence of the wise. Therefore it is foolish evidence [to argue]: 22"If the greater part of those in the church militant asserts so, therefore it is true", since it is a topical argument for inferring the contrary,² because God knows whether more sons of the father of lies are now in the church militant than sons of truth.³ And as for the imputation of heresy, the faithful should arm themselves humbly with the deeds of the Lord; for heresy was often imputed to him, namely blasphemy, and he was persecuted as a heretic to be stoned, as is clear in John 8.⁴ And the chief cause which they had falsely feigned in condemning Christ was the false imputation of heresy: in John 19 it is written, "We have a law; and according to the law he ought to die" (John 19:7).⁵ For in this way peoples could today worship the pope as Christ, so that whatever he has defined in an earthly or a heavenly cause, they defend and uphold it as law. And if two popes have been elected through the sowing of Satan, different peoples approve those elections as faith.⁶ And from such a schism infinite troubles could arise.⁷ What greater unbelief, I ask, than to approve the elections of cardinals who, for all we know, are devils incarnate,⁸ [holding] that if they have elected any person whatever as pope, then he is the most holy father and the immediate vicar of Christ? And this heresy, brought in by the devil in place of the apostles' lot by which they elected Matthias (Acts 1:26), can be cockle for setting catholics at discord in the faith. The remedy, therefore, would be for a catholic to reject such elections, since they are not apostolic, and to believe the works of the person while he is a wayfarer,⁹ and altogether to reject what is doubtful or not of faith [when it is put forward] as catholic faith. And so let the faithful man agree with the law of the Lord, and arm himself with patience and charity, and humbly put his life in the Lord's hand, because dissensions arising from the divisions of the sects bring forth many evils in these perilous times.

Notes

1 The Daniel clause has no main verb; we supply "[would have been in the wrong]" from the parallel helias foret … superatus. The Vulgate calls Susanna's accusers "elders" (senes, Dan. 13:41), not priests. Daniel ult°: Susanna is Dan. 13; Pollard's margin gives "Bel and the Dragon" (Dan. 14, the Vulgate's last chapter). The Vulgate has four hundred and fifty "prophets" of Baal (3 Kings 18:22).
2 Argumentum topicum: an argument from the topics, i.e. merely probable, not demonstrative. Ad contrarium concludendum is read as "fit rather for inferring the contrary"; possibly only "which could as well infer the contrary". Militantum (B, B¹, C militancium): members of the church militant, not "soldiers".
3 Plures is Pollard's text; B (corrected from plures) and C read pulcrius, "more finely".
4 The stoning is John 8:59; the charge of blasphemy is explicit at John 10:33. B, B¹, C read fideliter, "faithfully", for humiliter.
5 Legem (22.9–10) was dropped at the line end by the extraction and restored from the plate (n53); the print agrees with the Vulgate.
6 The double election of 1378 (Urban VI at Rome, Clement VII at Avignon), which opened the Great Schism.
7 Inconveniencia: what does not fit, in argument the absurd consequence, in affairs the disorder that follows (the glossary, CONTEXTUAL). Here the evils a schism brings, so "troubles".
8 Ex nobis dubio: literally "doubtfully on our part", i.e. for all we know. B, B¹, C read ergo for rogo.
9 Viantis, participle of viare, the verb behind wayfarer: the pope is judged by his works while still on the way, not taken as holy by election. B, B¹, C omit et operibus … refutare (22.23–25).

How the Latin of this chapter was established

Plate readings; page · reading · note):
- 21: CAPITULUM 11m.
- 22: et secundum legem debet mori (22.9–10) · legem restored from the plate (; note 5).
Omitted per §3.5 / kept in the English (margin matter): references Eccl. i. 15 (21.16), Bel and the Dragon (21.19), 1 Kings xviii (21.21), John viii. 59 (22.7), John xix. 7 (22.9).