If you would further understand the ground of this strange claim, whereby all Christian Islands at a clap are challenged to be parcel of St. Peters patrimony: you shall have it from Johannes Sarisburiensis, who was most inward with Pope Adrian, and obtained from him this very grant whereof now we are speaking.n At my request (saith he) he granted Ireland to the illustrious King of England Henry the second, and gave it to be possessed by right of inheritance: as his own letters do testify unto this day. For all Islands, of ancient right, are said to belong to the Church of Rome, by the donation of Constantine, who founded & endowed the same. But will you see, what a goodly title here is, in the mean time? First, the Donation of Constantine hath been long since discovered to be a notorious forgery, and is rejected by all men of judgement as a senseless fiction. Secondly, in the whole context of this forged Donation I find mention made of Islands in one place only:o where no more power ⟨p. 122⟩is given to the Church of Rome over them, than in general over the whole Continent (by East and by West, by North and by South) and in particular over Judea, Graecia, Asia, Thracia, and Africa; which use not to pass in the account of St. Peters temporal patrimony. Thirdly, it doth not appear, that Constantine himself had any interest in the Kingdom of Ireland: how then could he confer it upon another? Some words there be in an oration ofp Eumenius the Rhetorician, by which peradventure it may be collected, that his father Constantius bare some stroke here: but that the Island was ever possessed by the Romans, or accounted a parcel of the Empire, cannot be proved by any sufficient testimony of antiquity. Fourthly, the late writers that are of another mind, as Pomponius Laetus, Cuspinian, and others, do yet affirm withal,q that in the division of the Empire after Constantine's death, Ireland was assigned unto Constantinus the eldest son: which will hardly stand with this donation of the Islands supposed to be formerly made unto the Bishop of Rome and his successors. Pope Adrian therefore, and John of Salisbury his solicitor, had need seek some better warrant for the title of Ireland, than the Donation of Constantine.
If you would further understand the ground of this strange claime, whereby all Christian Ilands at a clap are challenged to bee parcell of St. Peters patrimonie: you shall have it from Iohannes Sarisburiensis, who was most inward with Pope Adrian, and obtained from him this very grant whereof now wee are speaking.n At my request (saith he) he granted Ireland to the illustrious King of England Henry the second, and gave it to bee possessed by right of inheritance: as his owne letters doe testifie unto this day. For all Ilands, of ancient right, are said to belong to the Church of Rome, by the donation of Constantine, who founded & endowed the same. But will you see, what a goodly title here is, in the meane time? First, the Donation of Constantine hath been long since discovered to be a notorious forgerie, and is rejected by all men of judgement as a senslesse fiction. Secondly, in the whole context of this forged Donation I find mention made of Ilands in one place only:o where no more power ⟨p. 122⟩is given to the Church of Rome over them, than in generall over the whole Continent (by East and by West, by North and by South) and in particular over Iudaea, Graecia, Asia, Thracia, and Aphrica; which use not to passe in the account of St. Peters temporall patrimonie. Thirdly, it doth not appeare, that Constantine himselfe had any interest in the Kingdome of Ireland: how then could hee conferre it upon another? Some words there be in an oration ofp Eumenius the Rhetorician, by which peradventure it may bee collected, that his father Constantius bare some stroke here: but that the Iland was ever possessed by the Romanes, or accounted a parcell of the Empire, cannot be proved by any sufficient testimonie of antiquitie. Fourthly, the late writers that are of another mind, as Pomponius Laetus, Cuspinian, and others, doe yet affirme withall,q that in the division of the Empire after Constantines death, Ireland was assigned unto Constantinus the eldest sonne: which will hardly stand with this donation of the Ilands supposed to bee formerly made unto the Bishop of Rome and his successors. Pope Adrian therefore, and Iohn of Salisbury his sollicitor, had need seeke some better warrant for the title of Ireland, than the Donation of Constantine.
- nAd preces meas illustri Regi Anglorum Henrico secundo concessit & dedit Hiberniam jure haereditario possidendam: sicut literae ipsius testantur in hodiernum diem. Nam omnes insulae, de jure antiquo, ex donatione Constantini, qui eam fundavit & dotavit, dicuntur ad Romanam Ecclesiam pertinere. Johan. Sarisburiens. Metalogie. lib. 4. cap. 42.Ad preces meas illustri Regi Anglorum Henrico secundo concessit & dedit Hiberniam iure haereditario possidendam: sicut literae ipsius testantur in hodiernum diem. Nam omnes insulae, de iure antiquo, ex donatione Constantini, qui eam fundavit & dotavit, dicuntur ad Romanam Ecclesiam pertinere. Iohan. Sarisburiens. Metalogie. lib. 4. cap. 42.
- oPer nostram Imperialem jussionem sacram, tam in Oriente quàm in Occidente, vel etiam septentrionali & meridianâ plagâ, videlicèt in Judaeâ, Graeciâ, Asiâ, Thraciâ, Aphricâ & Italiâ, vel diversis Insulis nostrâ largitate eis libertatem concessimus: eâ prorsus ratione, ut per manus beatissimi patris nostri Sylvestri Pontificis successorumque eius omnia disponantur. Edict. Constantin.Per nostram Imperialem iussionem sacram, tam in Oriente quàm in Occidente, vel etiam septentrionali & meridianâ plagâ, videlicèt in Iudaeâ, Graeciâ, Asiâ, Thraciâ, Aphricâ & Italiâ, vel diversis Insulis nostrâ largitate eis libertatem concessimus: eâ prorsus ratione, ut per manus beatissimi patris nostri Sylvestri Pontificis successorumque eius omnia disponantur. Edict. Constantin.
- pUltra Occanum verò quid erat praeter Britanniam? Quae à vobis ita recuperata est; ut illae quoque nationes terminis eiusdem insulae cohaerentes vestris nutibus obsequantur. Eumen. Panegyric. ad Constant.Vltra Occanum verò quid erat praeter Britanniam? Quae à vobis ita recuperata est; ut illae quoque nationes terminis eiusdem insulae cohaerentes vestris nutibus obsequantur. Eumen. Panegyric. ad Constant.
- qPomp. Laet. in Roman. histor. Compend. Jo. Cuspian. in Caesarib. Seb. Muster. in lib. 2. Cosmograph.Pomp. Laet. in Roman. histor. Compend. Io. Cuspian. in Caesarib. Seb. Mu•ster. in lib. 2. Cosmograph.
