The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

GALLICAN DEMANDS. 349
and most painfully surprised the legates. The Frenchman
began with a complaint of the delay in ecclesiastical reform,
and then at once passed on to what mattered most, the actual
plans for reform. He declared that this destroyed the freedom
of the Galilean Church, and the authority of His Most
Christian Majesty. For centuiies, he continued, these
monarchs had issued ecclesiastical laws which were in no
way contrary to dogma, or injurious to the freedom of the
bishops, as the latter were in no way prevented from re-
siding the whole year round in their dioceses, from preaching
daily the pure word of God, from leading sober, just and
godly lives, and allowing the revenues of the Church to be
used for the benefit of the poor ! The Most Christian Kings
had founded nearly the whole of the churches and had, as
rulers of France, the right to dispose freely of the property
and revenues of the clergy, as they did of those of their sub-
jects in general, when the well-being and needs of the state
required it. Moreover, they possessed this right, this power
and authority, not from men but from God, who had given
men kings, so that they should obey them. The fathers,
therefore, must not do anything against these rights, or
against Galilean freedom, otherwise it was his duty to protest,
which he now did.^
This outburst on the part of du Ferrier, the offensive tone
of which was still further increased by several ironical ex-
pressions, was bound to cause much displeasure to the fathers
of the Council, and on the following day was severely condemned
by Carlo Grassi. Bishop of Monte fiascone.^ The
French bishops were also affected by the general feeling of
disgust, the Archbishop of Sens going so far as to declare
that du Ferrier intended to urge Charles IX. to follow in the
footsteps of Henry VHI.^ This opiiiion was shared by
^ See the text of the speech in Le Plat, IV., 233 seq. On the
impression it made, see the testimony collected by Susta, IV.,
271. See also Mendgqa, 697 seq. ; Baguenault de Puchesse,
366 seq.
2 See Le Plat, VI., 241 seq.
^ See Baguenault de Puchesse, 367 n. 2.