John of Nottingham
English Magician. (See England.) John XXII., Fope: Jacques Duèse, subsequently Pope John XXII., was born at Cahors in France towards the close of the 12th century. The exact date of his advent is indeterminate, but it is reported that his parents were in affluent circumstances, and it has even been suggested that they belonged to the noblesse. Jacques was educated first at a Dominican priory in his native village, and afterwards at Montpellier; while subsequently he proceeded to Paris, where he studied both law and medicine. Leaving the Sorbonne, he was still at a loss to know what profession to follow; but, chancing to become intimate with one Bishop Louis, a son of Charles II., King of Naples, the young man decided to enter the church, being doubtless prompted to this step by the conviction that his new friend's influence would help him forward in the clerical career. Nor was the future pontiff disappointed herein, for in the year 1300, at the instance of the Neapolitan sovereign, he was elevated to the episcopal see of Fréjus, while in 1308 he was appointed Chancellor of Naples. He soon showed himself a man of no mean ability in ecclesiastical affairs, and in 1310 Pope Clement V. saw fit to summon him to Avignon, being anxious to consult him anent certain points; while in 1312 Jacques was made Bishop of Porto, John XXII. and four years later he was elected to the pontifical crown and sceptre.
Thenceforth he lived always at Avignon, but his life was by no means a quiet or untroubled one. Early in his reign the throne of Germany became vacant, Louis of Bavaria and Frederick of Austria both contended for it, and Jacques gave great offence by supporting the claims of the latter; while at a later date he raised a storm by preaching a somewhat heterodox sermon, its purport being that the souls of those who have died in a state of grace go straight into Abraham's bosom, and do not enjoy the beatific vision of the Lord till after the Resurrection and the last judgment. This doctrine was hotly opposed by many clerics, notably Thomas of England, who had the courage to preach against it openly at Avignon and so great was the disfavour which John incurred, in fact, that for several years after his death in 1334 he was widely regarded as Anti-Christ. Kabala believed in magic and was interested in science. His credulity as regards the former is demonstrated by his bringing a charge of sorcery against Géraud, Bishop of Cahors; while his scientific predilections are evinced by the fact that he kept up a laboratory in the palace at Avignon, and was wont to spend much time therein.
Doubtless some of this time was given to physiological and pathological studies, for various works of a medical nature are ascribed to Jacques, in particular a collection of prescriptions, a treatise on diseases of the eye, and another on the formation of the fœtus. But it may well be supposed that the avaricious prelate's activities in his laboratory were also bestowed in some measure on alchemistic researches, and the theory is buttressed by his having been a friend of Arnold de Villanova; while more important still, among the writings attributed to Jacques is L'Art Transmutatoire, published at Lyons in 1557. Besides, the pontiff left behind him on his death a vast sum of money and a mass of priceless jewels, and it was commonly asserted, among the alchemists of the day, that these and also two hundred huge ingots had all been manufactured by the deceased. The story of the unbounded wealth he had amassed in this way gradually blossomed and bore fruit, and one of Jacques' mediæval biographers credits him with having concocted a quantity of gold equivalent to £660,000 sterling.
Jacques has frequently been credited with avarice, and it is true that he made stupendous efforts to raise money, imposing numerous taxes unheard of before his régime. Indeed, he manifested considerable ingenuity in this relation, and so the tradition that he dabbled in hermetic philosophy is probably founded on hard fact. It must be conceded, on the one hand, that in the course of his reign he issued a stringent bull against alchemists; but then, this was directed rather against the charlatans of the craft than against those who were seeking the philosopher's stone with real earnestness, and with the aid of scientific knowledge. It is more than likely, moreover, that Jacques sent forth this mandate largely with a view to blinding those who had charged him with essaying the practice at issue himself; and, be that as it may, it is certain that he Jung-Stilling: (See Spiritualism.) K