Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 2.djvu/573

 ^NEAS SYLVIUS AS POPE. g^j- borrowed from his son-in-law, Matthias Corvinus of Hungary those of Eaab and Bacs, to perform his consecration ; in his coro- nation oath he swore obedience to Calixtus and his successors, to restore he Cathohc rehgion, and to persecute heretics; he wrote to Cahxtus as a faithful son of the Church, and obtained from him letters recognizing him as King of Bohemia; he sent envoys to Rorae, who held out promises that Eokyzana would follow, and settle on a lasting basis the submission of Bohemia. All this was mere skirmishing for position ; but when, a few months later, Ca- hxtus died, and was succeeded by J]:neas Sylvius, who took the name of Pius II., men might hope that some reasonable accommo- dation could be reached. Since he had gone to Basle in the suite of Cardinal Capramca, and had become the mouth-piece of the anti- UtT^'T^"""'^'^ ^' ^""'•'^ '^^'' "^y «"Pidity rather than by truth, and inspired by the hostility to the Church usually felt ^ the laity, the new pope had been occupied almost exclusively with German and Bohemian affairs, which he knew better than any Inang man ; he had taien part in the negotiations resulting n the Compactata; he was shrewd, clear-headed, and troubled mth few scruples, and, sharing f uUy in the papal anxiety to unite Chnstendom against the Turks, he might be expected to recogni e the vital importance of reconciliation with Bohemia. George made haste to send an embassy to renew his protestations of obe- dience, and to ask for the confirmation of the Compactata. Piu who took no shame m issuing a solemn bull condemning and dis- avowing all his early opinions uttered during his service with t^e council was prepared to break with his own traditions rather than with those of his predecessors. He gave a dubious response- George could win his recognition as king by extirpating ifeTsv' and he prom^ed to send legates. They came, but the^pZ S though he addressed George as Idng and as his dearest son when soliciting his co-operation in the crusade, shortly afterwards t^ok^ step which, with his knowledge of Bohemia, he knew could not but and a bitter enemy of Eokyzana, and this man Pius appointed ai I^mimstrator of the archbishopric, thus ousting Rokyfana.,^ a once ^^s in uproar. Wenceslas endeavored to assert himsdf but the power remained in Rokyzana's hands. George threw So prison Fantmus, who had been his procurator in the c^^Zl i