part05+-第57章

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in　readiness　for　use　at　any　moment　an　appeal　to　a　future　Council



of　the　Church。







Of　these　two　methods；　the　first　would　naturally　seem　by　far　the



more　difficult。　So　it　was　not　in　reality。　In　the　letter　which



Sarpi　presented　to　the　Doge；　he　devoted　less　than　four　lines　to



the　first　and　more　than　fourteen　pages　to　the　second。　As　to　the



first　remedy；　severe　as　it　was　and　bristling　with　difficulties；



it　was；　as　he　claimed；　a　simple；　natural；　straightforward　use　of



police　power。　As　to　the　second；　the　appeal　to　a　future　Council



was　to　the　Vatican　as　a　red　flag　to　a　bull。　The　very　use　of　it



involved　excommunication。　To　harden　and　strengthen　the　Doge　and



Senate　in　order　that　they　might　consider　it　as　an　ultimate



possibility；　Sarpi　was　obliged　to　show　from　the　Scriptures；　the



Fathers；　the　Councils；　the　early　Popes；　that　the　appeal　to　a



Council　was　a　matter　of　right。　With　wonderful　breadth　of



knowledge　and　clearness　of　statement　he　made　his　points　and



answered　objections。　To　this　day；　his　letter　remains　a



masterpiece。＇1＇











＇1＇　For　Sarpi's　advice　to　the　Doge；　see　Bianchi　Giovini；　vol。　i。



pp。　216；　et　seq。　The　document　is　given　fully　in　the　Lettere　di　F。



P。　S。；　Firenze；　1863；　vol。　i。　pp。　17；　et　seq。；　also　in　Machi；



Storia　del　Consiglio　dei　Dieci；　cap。　xxiv。；　where　the　bull　of



excommunication　is　also　given。











The　Republic　utterly　refused　to　yield；　and　now；　in　1606；　Pope



Paul　launched　his　excommunication　and　interdict。　In　meeting　them；



the　Senate　took　the　course　laid　down　by　Sarpi。　The　papal　Nuncio



was　notified　that　the　Senate　would　receive　no　paper　from　the



Pope；　all　ecclesiasties；　from　the　Patriarch　down　to　the　lowest



monk；　were　forbidden；　under　the　penalties　of　high　treason；　to



make　public　or　even　to　receive　any　paper　whatever　from　the



Vatican；　additional　guards　were　placed　at　the　city　gates；　with



orders　to　search　every　wandering　friar　or　other　suspicious　person



who　might；　by　any　possibility；　bring　in　a　forbidden　missive；　a



special　patrol　was　kept；　night　and　day；　to　prevent　any　posting　of



the　forbidden　notices　on　walls　or　houses；　any　person　receiving　or



finding　one　was　to　take　it　immediately　to　the　authorities；　under



the　severest　penalties；　and　any　person　found　concealing　such



documents　was　to　be　punished　by　death。







At　first　some　of　the　clergy　were　refractory。　The　head　of　the



whole　church　establishment　of　Venice；　the　Patriarch　himself；　gave



signs　of　resistance；　but　the　Senate　at　once　silenced　him。　Sundry



other　bishops　and　high　ecclesiastics　made　a　show　of　opposition；



and　they　were　placed　in　confinement。　One　of　them　seeming



reluctant　to　conduct　the　usual　church　service；　the　Senate　sent　an



executioner　to　erect　a　gibbet　before　his　door。　Another；　having



asked　that　he　be　allowed　to　await　some　intimation　from　the　Holy



Spirit；　received　answer　that　the　Senate　had　already　received



directions　from　the　Holy　Spirit　to　hang　any　person　resisting



their　decree。　The　three　religious　orders　which　had　showed　most



oppositionJesuits；　Theatins；　and　Capuchinswere　in　a



semi…polite　manner　virtually　expelled　from　the　Republic。＇2＇











＇2＇　For　interesting　details　regarding　the　departure　of　the



Jesuits；　see　Cornet；　Paolo　V。　e　la　Republica　Veneta；　pp。　277…279。











Not　the　least　curious　among　the　results　of　this　state　of　things



was　the　war　of　pamphlets。　From　Rome；　Bologna；　and　other　centres



of　thought；　even　from　Paris　and　Frankfort；　polemic　tractates



rained　upon　the　Republic。　The　vast　majority　of　their　authors　were



on　the　side　of　the　Vatican；　and　of　this　majority　the　leaders　were



the　two　cardinals　so　eminent　in　learning　and　logic；　Bellarmine



and　Baronius；　but；　single…handed；　Sarpi　was；　by　general　consent；



a　match　for　the　whole　opposing　force。＇3＇











＇3＇　In　the　library　of　Cornell　University　are　no　less　than　nine



quartos　filled　with　selected　examples　of　these　polemics　on　both



sides。











Of　all　the　weapons　then　used；　the　most　effective　throughout



Europe　was　the　solemn　protest　drawn　by　Sarpi　and　issued　by　the



Doge。　It　was　addressed　nominally　to　the　Venetian　ecclesiastics；



but　really　to　Christendom；　and　both　as　to　matter　and　manner　it



was　Father　Paul　at　his　best。　It　was　weighty；　lucid；　pungent；　and



deeply　in　earnest；in　every　part　asserting　fidelity　to　the



Church　and　loyalty　to　the　papacy；　but　setting　completely　at



naught　the　main　claim　of　Pope　Paul：　the　Doge　solemnly　declaring



himself　〃a　prince　who；　in　temporal　matters；　recognizes　no



superior　save　the　Divine　Majesty。〃







The　victory　of　the　friar　soon　began　to　be　recognized　far　and



near。　Men　called　him　by　the　name　afterward　so　generally　given



him；the　〃terribile　frate。〃　The　Vatican　seemed　paralyzed。　None



of　its　measures　availed；　and　it　was　hurt；　rather　than　helped；　by



its　efforts　to　pester　and　annoy　Venice　at　various　capitals。　At



Rome；　it　burned　Father　Paul's　books　and　declared　him



excommunicated；　it　even　sought　to　punish　his　printer　by　putting



into　the　Index　not　only　all　works　that　he　had　ever　printed；　but



all　that　he　might　ever　print。　At　Vienna；　the　papal　Nuncio　thought



to　score　a　point　by　declaring　that　he　would　not　attend　a　certain



religious　function　in　case　the　Venetian　Ambassador　should　appear；



whereupon　the　Venetian　announced　that　he　had　taken　physic　and



regretted　that　he　could　not　be　present；whereat　all　Europe



laughed。







Judicious　friends　in　various　European　cabinets　now　urged　both



parties　to　recede　or　to　compromise。　France　and　Spain　both



proffered　their　good　offices。　The　offer　of　France　was　finally



accepted；　and　the　French　Ambassador　was　kept　running　between　the



Ducal　Palace　and　the　Vatican　until　people　began　laughing　at　him



also。　The　emissaries　of　His　Holiness　begged　hard　that；　at　least；



appearances　might　be　saved；　that　the　Republic　would　undo　some　of



its　measures　before　the　interdict　was　removed；　or　at　least　would



seem　to　do　so；　and　especially　that　it　would　withdraw　its　refusals



before　the　Pope　withdrew　his　penalties。　All　in　vain。　The



Venetians　insisted　that　they　had　committed　no　crime　and　had



nothing　to　retract。　The　Vatican　then　urged　that　the　Senate　should



consent　to　receive　absolution　for　its　resistance　to　the　Pope's



authority。　This　the　Senate　steadily　refused；　it　insisted；　〃Let



His　Holiness　put　things　as　before；　and　we　will　put　things　as



before；　as　to　his　absolution；　we　do　not　need　it　or　want　it；　to



receive　it　would　be　to　acknowledge　that　we　have　been　in　the



wrong。〃　Even　the　last　poor　sop　of　all　was　refused：　the　Senate



would　have　no　great　〃function〃　to　celebrate　the　termination　of



the　interdict；　they　would　not　even　go　to　the　mass　which　Cardinal



Joyeuse　celebrated　on　that　occasion。　The　only　appearance　of



concession　which　the　Republic　made　was　to　give　up　the　two



ecclesiastics　to　the　French　Ambassador　as　a　matter　of　courtesy　to



the　French　king；　and　when　this　was　done；　the　Ambassador　delivered



them　to　the　Pope；　but　Venice　especially　reserved　all　the　rights



she　had　exercised。　All　the　essential　demands　of　the　papacy　were



refused；　and　thus　was　forever　ended　the　papal　power　of　laying　an



interdict　upon　a　city　or　a　people。　From　that　incubus；



Christendom；　thanks　to　Father　Paul　and　to　Venice；　was　at　last　and



forever　free。







The　Vatican　did；　indeed；　try　hard　to　keep　its　old　claim　in　being。



A　few　years　after　its　defeat　by　Fra　Paolo；　it　endeavored　to



reassert　in　Spain　the　same　authority　which　had　been　so　humbly



acknowledged　there　a　few　years　before。　It　was　doubtless　felt　that



this　most　p