superintendence, and forbade the establishment of new monastic rules.
It forbade superstitious practices and the worship of spurious or
unauthorized relics.

The whole series of canons sought to regulate and ameliorate the
influence of the Church on society. If many of the abuses aimed at
were too deeply rooted to be overthrown by mere legislation, the
attempt speaks well for the character and intelligence of Pope and
council. All mediaeval lawmaking, civil and ecclesiastical alike, was
but the promulgation of an ideal, rather than the issuing of precepts
meant to be literally executed. But no more serious attempt at rooting
out inveterate evils was ever made in the Middle Ages than in this
council.

The formal enunciation of this lofty programme of reform brought
Innocent's pontificate to a glorious end. The Pontiff devoted what
little remained of his life to hurrying on the preparations for the
projected crusade, which was to set out 1217. But in the summer of
1216 Innocent died at Perugia, when only fifty-six years old. If not
the greatest he was the most powerful of all the popes. For nearly
twenty years the whole history of Europe groups itself round his
doings.




SIGNING OF MAGNA CHARTA

A.D. 1215