part05+-第58章

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



this　most　pious　of　all　countries；　which　had　previously　been　so



docile；　and　which　had　stood　steadily　by　the　Vatican　against



Venice　in　the　recent　struggle；　would　again　set　an　example　of



submission。　Never　was　there　a　greater　mistake：　the　Vatican



received　from　Spanish　piety　a　humiliating　refusal。







Next　it　tried　the　old　weapons　against　the　little　government　at



Turin。　For　many　generations　the　House　of　Savoy　had　been　dutifully



submissive　to　religious　control；　nowhere　out　of　Spain　had　heresy



been　treated　more　cruelly；　yet　here；　too；　the　Vatican　claim　was



spurned。　But　the　final　humiliation　took　place　some　years　later



under　Urban　VIII。；the　same　pontiff　who　wrecked　papal



infallibility　on　Galileo's　telescope。　He　tried　to　enforce　his



will　on　the　state　of　Lucca；　which；　in　the　days　of　Pope　Paul；　had



submitted　to　the　Vatican　decrees　abjectly；　but　that　little



republic　now　seized　the　weapons　which　Sarpi　had　devised；　and



drove　the　papal　forces　out　of　the　field：　the　papal



excommunication　was；　even　by　this　petty　government；　annulled　in



Venetian　fashion　and　even　less　respectfully。＇1＇











＇1＇　The　proofsand　from　Catholic　sourcesthat　it　was　the　Pope



who　condemned　Galileo's　doctrine　of　the　earth's　movement　about



the　sun；　and　not　merely　the　Congregation　of　the　Index；　the



present　writer　has　given　in　his　History　of　the　Warfare　of　Science



with　Theology；　vol。　i。　chap。　iii。











Thus　the　world　learned　how　weak　the　Vatican　hold　had　become。　Even



Pope　Paul　learned　it；　and；　from　being　the　most　strenuous　of



modern　pontiffs；　he　became　one　of　the　most　moderate　in　everything



save　in　the　enrichment　of　his　family。　Thus　ended　the　last　serious



effort　to　coerce　a　people　by　an　interdict；　and　so；　one　might



suppose；　would　end　the　work　of　Father　Paul。　Not　so。　There　was　to



come　a　second　chapter　in　his　biography；　more　instructive；



perhaps；　than　the　first；a　chapter　which　has　lasted　until　our



own　day。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　A。　D。　White。











｛February；　1904；　number　DLVI。｝　II。











The　Venetian　Republic　showed　itself　duly　grateful　to　Sarpi。　The



Senate　offered　him　splendid　presents　and　entitled　him　〃Theologian



of　Venice。〃　The　presents　he　refused；　but　the　title　with　its　duty；



which　was　mainly　to　guard　the　Republic　against　the　encroachments



of　the　Vatican；　he　accepted；　and　his　life　in　the　monastery　of



Santa　Fosca　went　on　quietly；　simply；　laboriously；　as　before。　The



hatred　now　felt　for　him　at　Rome　was　unbounded。　It　corresponded　to



the　gratitude　at　Venice。　Every　one　saw　his　danger；　and　he　well



knew　it。　Potentates　were　then　wont　to　send　assassins　on　long



errands；　and　the　arm　of　the　Vatican　was　especially　far…reaching



and　merciless。　It　was　the　period　when　Pius　V；　the　Pope　whom　the



Church　afterwards　proclaimed　a　saint；　commissioned　an　assassin　to



murder　Queen　Elizabeth。＇1＇











＇1＇　This　statement　formerly　led　to　violent　denials　by



ultramontane　champions；　but　in　1870　it　was　made　by　Lord　Acton；　a



Roman　Catholic；　one　of　the　most　learned　of　modern　historians；　and



when　it　was　angrily　denied；　he　quietly　cited　the　official　life　of



Pope　Pius　in　the　Acta　　Sanctorum；　published　by　the　highest　church



authority。　This　was　final；　denial　ceased；　and　the　statement　is　no



longer　questioned。　For　other　proofs　in　the　line　of　Lord　Acton's



citation；　see　Bellarmine's　Selbstbiographie；　cited　in　a　previous



article；　pp。　306；　et　seq。











But　there　was　in　Father　Paul　a　trust　in　Providence　akin　to



fatalism。　Again　and　again　he　was　warned；　and　among　those　who　are



said　to　have　advised　him　to　be　on　his　guard　against　papal



assassins　was　no　less　a　personage　than　his　greatest　controversial



enemy；Cardinal　Bellarmine。　It　was　believed　by　Sarpi's　friends



that　Bellarmine's　Scotch　ideas　of　duty　to　humanity　prevailed　over



his　Roman　ideas　of　fealty　to　the　Vatican；　and　we　may　rejoice　in



the　hope　that　his　nobler　qualities　did　really　assert　themselves



against　the　casuistry　of　his　brother　prelates　which　sanctioned



assassination。







These　warnings　were　soon　seen　to　be　well　founded。　On　a　pleasant



evening　in　October；　1607；　a　carefully　laid　trap　was　sprung。



Returning　from　his　day's　work　at　the　Ducal　Palace；　Father　Paul；



just　as　he　had　crossed　the　little　bridge　of　Santa　Fosca　before



reaching　his　convent；　was　met　by　five　assassins。　Two　of　his　usual



attendants　had　been　drawn　off　by　the　outburst　of　a　fire　in　the



neighborhood；　the　other　two　were　old　men　who　proved　useless。　The



place　was　well　chosen。　The　descent　from　the　bridge　was　so　narrow



that　all　three　were　obliged　to　march　in　single　file；　and　just　at



this　point　these　ruffians　from　Rome　sprang　upon　him　in　the　dusk；



separated　him　from　his　companions；　and　gave　him；　in　a　moment；



fifteen　dagger　thrusts；　two　in　his　throat　and　onea　fearful　gash



on　the　side　of　his　head；　and　then；　convinced　that　they　had



killed　him；　escaped　to　their　boats；　only　a　few　paces　distant。







The　victim　lingered　long　in　the　hospital；　but　his　sound



constitution　and　abstemious　habits　stood　him　in　good　stead。　Very



important　among　the　qualities　which　restored　him　to　health　were



his　optimism　and　cheerfulness。　An　early　manifestation　of　the



first　of　these　was　seen　when；　on　regaining　consciousness；　he



called　for　the　stiletto　which　had　been　drawn　from　the　main　wound



and；　running　his　fingers　along　the　blade；　said　cheerily　to　his



friends；　〃It　is　not　filed。〃　What　this　meant；　any　one　knows　who



has　seen　in　various　European　collections　the　daggers　dating　from



the　〃ages　of　faith〃　cunningly　filed　or　grooved　to　hold　poison。＇1＇











＇1＇　There　is　a　remarkable　example　of　a　beautiful　dagger；　grooved



to　contain　poison；　in　the　imperial　collection　of　arms　at　Vienna。











As　an　example　of　the　second　of　these　qualities；　we　may　take　his



well…known　reply　when；　to　the　surgeon　dressing　the　wound　made　by



the　〃style〃　or　stiletto；　who　spoke　of　its　〃extravagance；〃



rudeness；　and　yet　ineffectiveness；Fra　Paolo　quietly　answered



that　in　these　characteristics　could　be　recognized　the　style　of



the　Roman　Curia。







Meantime　the　assassins　had　found　their　way　back　to　Rome；　and　were



welcomed　with　open　arms；　but　it　is　some　comfort　to　know　that



later；　when　such　conscience　as　there　was　throughout　Italy　and



Europe　showed　intense　disgust　at　the　proceeding；　the　Roman　Court



treated　them　coldly　and　even　severely。







The　Republic　continued　in　every　way　to　show　Sarpi　its　sympathy



and　gratitude。　It　made　him　many　splendid　offer；　which　he　refused；



but　two　gifts　he　accepted。　One　was　full　permission　to　explore　the



Venetian　archives；　and　the　other　was　a　little　doorway；　cut



through　the　garden　wall　of　his　monastery；　enabling　him　to　reach



his　gondola　without　going　through　the　narrow　and　tortuous　path　he



had　formerly　taken　on　his　daily　journey　to　the　public　offices。



This　humble　portal　still　remains。　Beneath　few　triumphal　arches



has　there　ever　passed　as　great　or　as　noble　a　conqueror。＇2＇











＇2＇　The　present　writer　has　examined　with　care　the　spot　where　the



attack　was　made；　and　found　that　never　was　a　scoundrelly　plot



better　conceived　or　more　fiendishly　executed。　He　also　visited



what　was　remaining　of　the　convent　in　April；　1902；　and　found　the



little　door　as　serviceable　as　when　it　was　made。











Efforts　were　also　made　to　cajole　him；to　induce　him　to　visit



Rome；　with　fine　promises　of　recognition　and　honor；　and　with



solemn　assurances　that　no　harm　should　come　to　him；　but　he　was　to