part05+-第59章

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



wise　to　yield。　Only　a　few　years　previously　he　had　seen　Giordano



Bruno　lured　to　Rome　and　burned　alive　on　the　Campo　dei　Fiori。　He



had　seen　his　friend　and　correspondent；　Fra　Fulgentio　Manfredi；



yield　to　similar　allurements　and　accept　a　safe　conduct　to　Rome；



which；　though　it　solemnly　guaranteed　him　against　harm；　proved　as



worthless　as　that　of　John　Huss　at　the　Council　of　Constance；　the



Inquisition　torturing　him　to　death　on　the　spot　where；　six　years



earlier；　it　had　burned　Bruno。　He　had　seen　his　friend；　the



Archdeacon　Ribetti；　drawn　within　the　clutch　of　the　Vatican；　only



to　die　of　〃a　most　painful　colic〃　immediately　after　dining　with　a



confidential　chamberlain　of　the　Pope；　and；　had　he　lived　a　few



months　longer；　he　would　have　seen　his　friend　and　confidant；



Antonio　de　Dominis；　Archbishop　of　Spalato；　to　whom　he　had



entrusted　a　copy　of　his　most　important　work；　enticed　to　Rome　and



put　to　death　by　the　Inquisition。　Though　the　Vatican　exercised　a



strong　fascination　over　its　enemies；　against　Father　Paul　it　was



powerless；　he　never　yielded　to　it；　but　kept　the　even　tenor　of　his



way。＇3＇











＇3＇　A　copy　of　Manfredi's　〃safe　conduct〃　is　given　by　Castellani；



Lettere　Inedite　di　F。　P。　S。；　p。　12；　note。　Nothing　could　be　more



explicit。











In　the　dispatches　which　now　passed；　comedy　was　mingled　with



tragedy。　Very　unctuous　was　the　expression　by　His　Holiness　of　his



apprehensions　regarding　〃dangers　to　the　salvation〃　and　of　his



〃fears　for　the　souls〃　of　the　Venetian　Senators；　if　they　persisted



in　asserting　their　own　control　of　their　own　state。　Hardly　less



touching　were　the　fears　expressed　by　the　good　Oratorian；　Cardinal



Baronius；　that　〃a　judgment　might　be　brought　upon　the　Republic〃　if



it　declined　to　let　the　Vatican　have　its　way。　But　these



expressions　were　not　likely　to　prevail　with　men　who　had　dealt



with　Machiavelli。







Uncompromising　as　ever；　Father　Paul　continued　to　write　letters



and　publish　treatises　which　clenched　more　and　more　firmly　into



the　mind　of　Venice　and　of　Europe　the　political　doctrine　of　which



he　was　the　apostle；the　doctrine　that　the　State　is　rightfully



independent　of　the　Church；and　throughout　the　Christian　world　he



was　recognized　as　victor。







Nothing　could　exceed　the　bitterness　of　the　attacks　upon　him；



though　some　of　them；　at　this　day；　provoke　a　smile。　While　efforts



were　made　to　discredit　him　among　scholars　by　spurious　writings　or



by　interpolations　in　genuine　writings；　efforts　equally　ingenious



were　made　to　arouse　popular　hostility。　One　of　these　was　a



painting　which　represented　him　writhing　amid　the　flames　of　hell；



with　a　legend　stating；　as　a　reason　for　his　punishment；　that　he



had　opposed　the　Holy　Father。







Now　it　was　indeed；　in　the　midst　of　ferocious　attacks　upon　his



reputation　and　cunning　attempts　upon　his　life；　that　he　entered　a



new　and　most　effective　period　of　activity。　For　years；　as　the



adviser　of　Venice；　he　had　studied；　both　as　a　historian　and　as　a



statesman；　the　greatest　questions　which　concerned　his　country；



and　especially　those　which　related　to　the　persistent　efforts　of



the　Vatican　to　encroach　upon　Venetian　self…government。　The



results　of　these　studies　he　had　embodied　in　reports　which　had



shaped　the　course　of　the　Republic；　and　now；　his　learning　and



powers　of　thought　being　brought　to　bear　upon　the　policy　of　Europe



in　general；　as　affected　by　similar　papal　encroachments；　he　began



publishing　a　series　of　treatises；　which　at　once　attracted　general



attention。＇1＇











＇1＇　For　the　extent　to　which　these　attacks　were　carried；　see　the



large　number　in　the　Sarpi　collection　at　the　Cornell　University



Library；　especially　volume　ix。











First　of　these；　in　1608；　came　his　work　on　the　Interdict。　Clearly



and　concisely　it　revealed　the　nature　of　the　recent　struggle；　the



baselessness　of　the　Vatican　claims；　and　the　solidarity　of



interest　between　Venice　and　all　other　European　states　regarding



the　question　therein　settled。　This　work　of　his　as　a　historian



clenched　his　work　as　a　statesman；　from　that　day　forward　no　nation



has　even　been　seriously　threatened　with　an　interdict。







Subsidiary　works　followed　rapidly　from　his　pen；　strengthening　the



civil　power　against　the　clerical；　but　in　1610　came　a　treatise；



which　marked　an　epoch；　his　History　of　Ecclesiastical



Benefices。＇2＇　In　this　he　dealt　with　a　problem　which　had　become



very　serious；　not　only　in　Venice；　but　in　every　European　state；



showed　the　process　by　which　vast　treasures　had　been　taken　from



the　control　of　the　civil　power　and　heaped　up　for　ecclesiastical



pomp　and　intrigue；　pointed　out　special　wrongs　done　by　the　system



to　the　Church　as　well　as　the　State；　and　advocated　a　reform　which



should　restore　this　wealth　to　better　uses。　His　arguments　spread



widely　and　sank　deep；　not　only　in　Italy；　but　throughout　Europe；



and　the　nineteenth　century　has　seen　them　applied　effectively　in



every　European　country　within　the　Roman　obedience。











＇2＇　The　old　English　translation　of　this　book；　published　in　1736



at　Westminster；　is　by　no　means　a　very　rare　book；　and　it　affords



the　general　reader　perhaps　the　most　accessible　means　of



understanding　Fra　Paolo's　simplicity；　thoroughness；　and　vigor。











In　1611　he　published　his　work　on　the　Inquisition　at　Venice；



presenting　historical　arguments　against　the　uses　which



ecclesiasticism；　under　papal　guidance；　had　made　of　that　tribunal。



These　arguments　spread　far；　and　developed　throughout　Europe　those



views　of　the　Inquisition　which　finally　led　to　its　destruction。



Minor　treatises　followed；　dealing　with　state　questions　arising



between　the　Vatican　and　Venice；　each　treatisethoroughly　well



reasoned　and　convincinghaving　a　strong　effect　on　the　discussion



of　similar　public　questions　in　every　other　European　nation。







In　1613　came　two　books　of　a　high　order；　each　marking　an　epoch。



The　first　of　these　was　upon　the　Right　of　Sanctuary；　and　in　it



Sarpi　led　the　way；　which　all　modern　states　have　followed；　out　of



the　old；　vicious　system　of　sanctioning　crime　by　sheltering



criminals。　The　cogency　of　his　argument　and　the　value　of　its



application　gained　for　him　an　especial　tribute　by　the　best



authority　on　such　questions　whom　Europe　had　seen；Hugo　Grotius。







Closely　connected　with　this　work　was　that　upon　the　Immunity　of



the　Clergy。　Both　this　and　the　previous　work　were　in　the　same



order　of　ideas；　and　the　second　fastened　into　the　European　mind



the　reasons　why　no　state　can　depend　upon　the　Church　for　the



punishment　of　clerical　criminals。　His　argument　was　a　triumphant



vindication　of　Venice　in　her　struggle　with　Paul　V　on　this　point；



but　it　was　more　than　that。　It　became　the　practical　guide　of　all



modern　states。　Its　arguments　dissipated　the　last　efforts



throughout　Europe　to　make　a　distinction；　in　criminal　matters；



between　the　priestly　caste　and　the　world　in　general。







Among　lesser　treatises　which　followed　is　one　which　has　done　much



to　shape　modern　policy　regarding　public　instruction。　This　was　his



book　upon　the　Education　given　by　the　Jesuits。　One　idea　which　it



enforced　sank　deep　into　the　minds　of　all　thoughtful　men；his



statement　that　Jesuit　maxims　develop　〃sons　disobedient　to　their



parents；　citizens　unfaithful　to　their　country；　and　subjects



undutiful　to　their　sovereign。〃　Jesuit　education　has　indeed　been



maintained；　and　evidences　of　it　may　be　seen　in　various　European



countries。　The　traveler　in　Italy　constantly　sees　in　the　larger



Italian　towns