part05+-第54章

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valves　of　the　veins；　that　he　made　known　the　most　beautiful



function　of　the　iris；its　contractility；and　that　various



surmises　of　his　regarding　heat；　light；　and　sound　have　since　been



developed　into　scientific　truths。　It　is　altogether　likely　that；



had　he　not　been　drawn　from　scientific　pursuits　by　his　duties　as　a



statesman；　he　would　have　ranked　among　the　greater　investigators



and　discoverers；　not　only　of　Italy；　but　of　the　world。







He　also　studied　political　and　social　problems；　and　he　arrived　at



one　conclusion　which；　though　now　trite；　was　then　novel；the



opinion　that　the　aim　of　punishment　should　not　be　vengeance；　but



reformation。　In　these　days　and　in　this　country；　where　one　of　the



most　serious　of　evils　is　undue　lenity　to　crime；　this　opinion　may



be　imputed　to　him　as　a　fault；　but　in　those　days；　when　torture　was



the　main　method　in　procedure　and　in　penalty；　his　declaration　was



honorable　both　to　his　head　and　heart。







With　all　his　devotion　to　books；　he　found　time　to　study　men。　Even



at　school；　he　had　seemed　to　discern　those　who　would　win　control。



They　discerned　something　in　him　also；　so　that　close　relations



were　formed　between　him　and　such　leaders　as　Contarini　and



Morosini；　with　whom　he　afterwards　stood　side　by　side　in　great



emergencies。







Important　missions　were　entrusted　to　him。　Five　times　he　visited



Rome　to　adjust　perplexing　differences　between　the　papal　power　and



various　interests　at　Venice。　He　was　rapidly　advanced　through　most



of　the　higher　offices　in　his　order；　and　in　these　he　gave　a　series



of　decisions　which　won　the　respect　of　all　entitled　to　form　an



opinion。







Naturally　he　was　thought　of　for　high　place　in　the　Church；　and　was



twice　presented　for　a　bishopric；　but　each　time　he　was　rejected　at



Rome；partly　from　family　claims　of　less　worthy　candidates；



partly　from　suspicions　regarding　his　orthodoxy。　It　was　objected



that　he　did　not　find　the　whole　doctrine　of　the　Trinity　in　the



first　verse　of　Genesis；　that　he　corresponded　with　eminent



heretics　of　England　and　Germany；　that　he　was　not　averse　to



reforms；　that；　in　short；　he　was　not　inclined　to　wallow　in　the



slime　from　which　had　crawled　forth　such　huge　incarnations　of　evil



as　John　XXIII。；　Julius　II。；　Sixtus　IV。；　and　Alexander　VI。







His　orthodox　detractors　have　been　wont　to　represent　him　as



seeking　vengeance　for　his　non…promotion；　but　his　after　career



showed　amply　that　personal　grievances　had　little　effect　upon　him。



It　is　indeed　not　unlikely　that　when　he　saw　bishoprics　for　which



he　knew　himself　well　fitted　given　as　sops　to　poor　creatures



utterly　unfit　in　morals　or　intellect；　he　may　have　had　doubts



regarding　the　part　taken　by　the　Almighty　in　selecting　them；　but



he　was　reticent；　and　kept　on　with　his　work。　In　his　cell　at　Santa



Fosca；　he　quietly　and　steadily　devoted　himself　to　his　cherished



studies；　but　he　continued　to　study　more　than　books　or　inanimate



nature。　He　was　neither　a　bookworm　nor　a　pedant。　On　his　various



missions　he　met　and　discoursed　with　churchmen　and　statesmen



concerned　in　the　greatest　transactions　of　his　time；　notably　at



Mantua　with　Oliva；　secretary　of　one　of　the　greatest　ecclesiastics



at　the　Council　of　Trent；　at　Milan　with　Cardinal　Borromeo；　by　far



the　noblest　of　all　who　sat　in　that　assemblage　during　its　eighteen



years；　in　Rome　and　elsewhere　with　Arnauld　Ferrier；　who　had　been



French　Ambassador　at　the　Council；　Cardinal　Severina；　head　of　the



Inquisition；　Castagna；　afterward　Pope　Urban　VII。；　and　Cardinal



Bellarmine；　afterward　Sarpi's　strongest　and　noblest　opponent。







Nor　was　this　all。　He　was　not　content　with　books　or　conversations；



steadily　he　went　on　collecting；　collating；　and　testing　original



documents　bearing　upon　the　great　events　of　his　time。　The　result



of　all　this　the　world　was　to　see　later。







He　had　arrived　at　middle　life　and　won　wide　recognition　as　a



scholar；　scientific　investigator；　and　jurist；　when　there　came　the



supreme　moment　of　a　struggle　which　had　involved　Europe　for



centuries；a　struggle　interesting　not　only　the　Italy　and　Europe



of　those　days；　but　universal　humanity　for　all　time。







During　the　period　following　the　fall　of　the　Roman　Empire　of　the



West　there　had　been　evolved　the　temporal　power　of　the　Roman



Bishop。　It　had　many　vicissitudes。　Sometimes；　as　in　the　days　of



St。　Leo　and　St。　Gregory；　it　based　its　claims　upon　noble



assertions　of　right　and　justice；　and　sometimes；　as　in　the　hands



of　pontiffs　like　Innocent　VIII。　and　Paul　V。；　it　sought　to　force



its　way　by　fanaticism。　Sometimes　it　strengthened　its　authority　by



real　services　to　humanity；　and　sometimes　by　such　monstrous　frauds



as　the　Forged　Decretals。　Sometimes；　as　under　Popes　like　Gregory



VII。　and　Innocent　III。；　it　laid　claim　to　the　mastership　of　the



world；　and　sometimes；　as　with　the　majority　of　the　pontiffs　during



the　two　centuries　before　the　Reformation；　it　became　mainly　the



appanage　of　a　party　or　faction　or　family。







Throughout　all　this　history；　there　appeared　in　the　Church　two



great　currents　of　efficient　thought。　On　one　side　had　been



developed　a　theocratic　theory；　giving　the　papacy　a　power　supreme



in　temporal　as　well　as　in　spiritual　matters　throughout　the　world。



Leaders　in　this　during　the　Middle　Ages　were　St。　Thomas　Aquinas



and　the　Dominicans；　leaders　in　Sarpi's　days　were　the　Jesuits；



represented　especially　in　the　treatises　of　Bellarmine　at　Rome　and



in　the　speeches　of　Laynez　at　the　Council　of　Trent。＇1＇











＇1＇　This　has　been　admirably　shown　by　N。　R。　F。　Brown　in　his



Taylorian　Lecture；　pages　229…234；　in　volume　for　1889…99。











But　another　theory；　hostile　to　the　despotism　of　the　Church　over



the　State；　had　been　developed　through　the　Middle　Ages　and　the



Renaissance；it　had　been　strengthened　mainly　by　the　utterances



of　such　men　as　Dante；　aegidio　Colonna；　John　of　Paris；　Ockham；



Marsilio　of　Padua；　and　Laurentius　Valla。　Sarpi　ranged　himself



with　the　latter　of　these　forces。　Though　deeply　religious；　he



recognized　the　God…given　right　of　earthly　governments　to



discharge　their　duties　independent　of　church　control。







Among　the　many　centres　of　this　struggle　was　Venice。　She　was



splendidly　religiousas　religion　was　then　understood。　She　was



made　so　by　her　whole　environment。　From　the　beginning　she　had　been



a　seafaring　power；　and　seafaring　men；　from　their　constant　wrestle



with　dangers　ill　understood；　are　prone　to　seek　and　find



supernatural　forces。　Nor　was　this　all。　Later；　when　she　had　become



rich；　powerful；　luxurious；　licentious；　and　refractory　to　the



priesthood；　her　most　powerful　citizens　felt　a　need　of　atoning　for



their　many　sins　by　splendid　religious　foundations。　So　her　people



came　to　live　in　an　atmosphere　of　religious　observance；　and　the



bloom　and　fruitage　of　their　religious　hopes　and　fears　are　seen　in



the　whole　history　of　Venetian　art；from　the　rude　sculptures　of



Torcello　and　the　naive　mosaics　of　San　Marco　to　the　glowing



altarpieces　and　ceilings　of　John　Bellini；　Titian；　and　Tintoretto



and　the　illuminations　of　the　Grimani　Psalter。　No　class　in　Venice



rose　above　this　environment。　Doges　and　Senators　were　as



susceptible　to　it　as　were　the　humblest　fishermen　on　the　Lido。　In



every　one　of　those　glorious　frescoes　in　the　corridors　and　halls



of　the　Ducal　Palace　which　commemorate　the　victories　of　the



Republic；　the　triumphant　Doge　or　Admiral　or　General　is　seen　on



his　knees　making　acknowledgment　of　the　divine　assistance。　On



every　Venetian　sequin；　from　the　days　when　Venice　was　a　power



throughout　the　earth　to　that　fatal　year　when　the　young　Bonaparte



toss