:

Stephanus Baluzius [Étienne Baluze], Vitae Paparum Avinionensium Volume 1 (Paris: apud Franciscum Muguet 1693) columns 1136-1137:

[testimony of Fernandus Petri, Dean of Tarazona (Tirasonensis) in Spain:}

Interrogatus super lxxx capitulo dixit quod die Martis prima sequenti post electionem post Vesperos [the late afternoon of Tuesday, April 12, 1378], cum ascenderent omnes auditores sacri palatii, qui erant decem, ut credit, et iste testis cum illis tanquam auditor per scalam sancti Petri qua ducit ad currale primum palatii, Cardinalis Mediolanensis [Simon de Borsano] descendens per dictam scalam dixit Dominis auditoribus, "Quo itis vos alii?" Et Dominus Robertus de Straton Prior auditorum respondit sibi, "Imus ad exhibendum reverentiam Papae." Et dictus Cardinals facie turbata, elevando manus turbato modo, admirative dixit, "Et cui? Et elevatis oculis in caelum dixit, "O Deus, adjuva Ecclesiam tuam." Et illatis verbis turbatus descendit.

 

Caesaris S. R. E. Cardinalis Baronii, Od. Raynaldi et Jac. Laderchii Annales Ecclesiastici   Tomus septimus (Lucca: Typis Leonardi Venturini 1752) sub anno 1378, iii, p. 302:

[Raynaldi: "Agitasse pariter Cardinales patria Lemovicenses de Bartholomaeo archiepiscopo Barensi renuntiando Pontifice consilia testatur Robertus e Straton causarum sacri palatii apostolici auditor (Vatican Archives, de Schismate Tome II, p. 67), atque a gente Gallica ad Italicam, ob mutuum livorem, non ob populares motus, pontificatum traduxisse"]

quia domini Cardinales tunc existentes in urbe non potuerunt concordare ad invicem de aliquo eligendo ex se ipsis, antequam ingrediebantur conclave, duae partes illorum, ut dicitur, decreverant eligere reverendissimum patrem tunc archiepiscopum Barensem; et hoc secrete aliqui ex ipsis intimarunt, de quo, ut audivi, satis fuit tristis et dolens.

---

This statement of Robert Straton is taken by Rainaldi as being confirmatory evidence for the political alignment of the cardinals before the Conclave opened. It does not matter to Rinaldi that Straton twice makes it clear that he is only repeating gossip, not telling anything that he knew from personal experience. Rinaldi is more concerned with amassing names on the side of his opinion than in evaluating the nature and content of their testimony. Stratton's remarks are, in fact, worthless as to the facts, having value only as to the nature of common opinion.

Rainaldi also cites Straton on p. 309, in section xiv, as confirming that the coronation of Urban VI took place "servatos eosdem ritus sine ullo tumultu populari in Urbano papali cultu exornando, testatur Robertus Straton causarum sacri palatii auditor." Straton's name is used to bolster the remarks of Bartolomeo de Zabriciis de Bononia, Bishop of Recanati and Macerata, a follower of Urban VI, but his remarks are not quoted. Indeed Robert Straton's deposition has yet to be published. He was apparently not one of those deposed by the Ambassadors of Aragon or the Ambassadors of Castile, whose names can be found in Baluzius I, columns 1286-1292.

 

November 14, 2013 4:35 PM

© John Paul Adams, CSUN
john.p.adams@csun.edu