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

TAXATION. 105
needs ot the times. As early as November, 1567, the Pope
found hunself in great financial difficulties ;^ he set himself
to devise a way of meeting them without overburdening his
subjects,^ but since he could not avoid having to give assistance
to the French Catholics, to his great grief he at length found
himself obhged to impose some extraordinary taxes upon his
subjects,^ though he took care that they should fall principally
upon the wealthy, and that the clergy should make a suitable
contribution.'*
Since the revenues steadily continued to decline—it was
calculated in 1570 that the falling off since 1538 was as much
as 400,000 scudi^—while the wider interests of the Church,
the helping of the oppressed Catholics, especially in France,
and the Turkish war, demanded ever greater and greater
sacrifices, the Pope, in 1569, found himself obliged to impose
a further extraordinary tax of 500,000 scudi upon imports, a
^ See the *brief to the " dux Nivern." of Novembi r 15, 1567 (in
summa fisci nostri inopia), Arm. 44, t. 13, n. 73b, Papal Secret
Archives.
^ *" Die noctuque cogitat quonam pacto pecunias reperire
possit minimo cum populorum et plebis damno." (Arco on
November 8, 1567, State Archives, Vienna). In the interest of
his subjects Pius V. also issued severe enactments against the
acceptance of presents by the state officials ; see Stiidien und
Mitteilungen aus dem Benediktinev- und Zisterzienserordens, I.,
3, 213.
^ The hopes which had been built upon the recovery of ancient
coins at Civitavecchia were not fulfilled. (C/. *Avviso di Roma
of March 22, 1567, Urb. 1040, p. 372, Vatican Library ; cf. on
this matter Spicil. Vatic, 83 seq.) ; see Gratiani Epist., 277.
For the taxes cf. the *reports of Arco of November 8 and 15, 1567-
State Archives, Vienna.
* See Laderchi, 1567, n. 141 seq., 146 seq.; cf. Guillaume,
L'abbaye de Cava, Cava de' Tirreni, 1877, 320. In order that it
might be able to pay the tax, Ancona in a *brief of February 8,
1568, obtained permission to increase the tax on slaughtering.
Communal Archives, Ancona.
* See Sereno, 398.