eye on all kinds of literature, suppressed several academies, which had been erected about this time by the nobility for the advancement of learning; and, having received orders from the emperor to introduce the inquisition, desired pope Paul III. to send from Rome to Naples a deputy of that formidable tribunal. It was this that excited the people to take up arms in order to defend themselves against this branch of spiritual tyranny, which the Neapolitans never were patient enough to suffer, and which, on many occasions, they had opposed with vigour and success. Hostilities ensued, which were followed by an accommodation and a general pardon; while the emperor and viceroy, by this resolute opposition, were deterred from their design of introducing this despotic tribunal into the kingdom of Naples. Several other attempts were afterwards made, during the reigns of Philip II., III., IV., and Charles II. to establish the inquisition in Naples; but, by the jealousy and vigilance of the people, they all proved ineffectual. At length the emperor Charles VI., early in the eighteenth century, published an edict, expressly prohibiting all causes, relating to the holy faith, from being tried by any persons except the archbishop and bishops as ordinaries. See Giannone, lib. xxxii. and the Modern Univ. History.

This appears from the unhappy end of all

the ecclesiastics who had attended Charles, and followed him into his retirement. No sooner was that monarch dead, than they were seized by order of the court of inquisition, and were afterwards committed

to the flames, or sent to death in other forms equally terrible. Such was the fate of Augustin Casal, the emperor's preacher; of Constantine Pontius, his confessor; of the learned Egidius, whom he had nominated to the bishopric of Tortosa; of Bartholomew de Caranza, a Dominican, who had been confessor to king Philip and queen Mary, with above twenty more of less note. All this gave reason to presume that Charles died a protestant. Certain it is, that he knew well the corruptions and frauds of the church of Rome, and the grounds and reasons of the protestant faith, though business, ambition, interest, and the prejudices of education, may have blinded him for a while, until leisure, retirement, the absence of worldly temptations, and the approach of death, removed the veil, and led him to wise and serious reflections. See Burnet's History of the Reformation.

XIV. I shall not enter into a contest with those writers, whatever their secret intentions may be, who observe, that many unjustifiable proceedings may be imputed to some of the most eminent promoters of this great change in the state of religion. For every impartial and attentive observer of the rise and progress of this reformation will ingenuously acknowledge, that wisdom and prudence did not always attend the transactions of those who were concerned in the glorious cause; that many things were done with violence, temerity, and precipitation; and, what is still worse, that se

lution were actuated more by the impulse of passion and views of interest, than by a zeal for the advancement of true religion. But, on the other hand, the wise and candid observer of human affairs will own, as a most evident and incontestable truth, that many things which, when stripped of the circumstances and motives that attended them, appear to us, at this time, as real crimes, will be deprived of their enormity, and even acquire the aspect of noble deeds, if they be considered in one point of view with the times and places in which they were transacted, and with the frauds and crimes of the Roman pontiffs and their creatures, by which they were occasioned. But, after all, in defending the cause of the reformation, we are under no obligation to defend, in every respect, the moral characters of its promoters and instruments. These two objects are entirely distinct. The most just and excellent cause may be promoted with low views, and from sinister motives, without losing its nature, or ceasing to be just and excellent.

The true state of the question is, whether the opposition of Luther and other reformers to the Roman pontiff arose from just and solid reasons; and this question is entirely independent of the virtues or vices of particular persons. Let many of these individuals be supposed as odious as, or still more detestable than, they are represented by their adversaries, provided that the cause which they supported be allowed to have been just and good.

* See Geddes' Spanish Protestant Martyrology, in his Miscellaneous Tracts, tom. i.

The translator has here added some paragraphs, to render more perspicuous the important observation of the learned author; and the continuator takes the opportunity of remarking, as an excuse for the intemperance and vehemence of Luther, that the mildness of a Melancthon, and the timidity of an Erasmus, would never have produced the desired reformation.

I. THE Spaniards and Portuguese, if we may give credit to their historians, exerted themselves, with the greatest vigour and success, in the propagation of the gospel, among the darkened nations; and it must, indeed, be allowed, that they communicated some notions, such as they were, of the Christian religion to the inhabitants of America, to those parts of Africa where they carried their arms, and to the islands and maritime provinces of Asia, which they reduced under their dominion. It is also true, that considerable numbers of these savage people, who had hitherto lived, either under the bondage of the most extravagant superstitions, or in a total ignorance of any object of religious worship, embraced, at least in outward appearance, the doctrines of the Gospel. But when we reflect on the methods of conversion which were employed by the Spanish missionaries among these wretched nations, on the barbarous laws and inhuman tortures that were used to force them into the profession of Christianity; when it is considered, farther, that the denomination of a Christian was conferred upon every poor wretch who discovered a blind and excessive veneration for his stupid instructors, and who could by certain gestures, and the repetition of a little jargon, perform a few superstitious rites and ceremonies; then, instead of rejoicing at, we shall be tempted to lament, such a propagation of the Gospel, and to behold the labours of such miserable apostles with indignation and contempt. Such is the judgment passed upon these missionaries, not only by those whom the church of Rome placed in the list of heretics, but also by many of the most pious and eminent of her own doctors, in France, Germany, Spain, and Italy.

||

Rome in the execution of this extensive design. And accordingly, from their rise, this peculiar charge was given to them, that they should form a certain number of their order for the propagation of Christianity among the unenlightened nations, and that these missionaries should be at the absolute disposal of the pope, and always ready, at a moment's warning, to repair to whatever part of the world he should fix for the exercise of their ministry.* The many histories and relations which mention the labours, perils, and exploits of that prodigious multitude of Jesuits, who were employed in the conversion of the African, American, and Indian infidels, abundantly show, with what fidelity and zeal the members of this society executed the orders of the successive pontiffs. And their labours would have undoubtedly crowned them with immortal glory, had it not appeared evident, from the most authentic records, that the greatest part of these new apostles had more in view the promotion of the ambitious views of Rome, and the advancement of the interests of their own society, than the propagation of the Christian religion, or the honour of its divine author. It may also be affirmed, from records of the highest credit and authority, that the inquisition erected by the Jesuites at Goa, and the penal laws, whose terrors they employed so freely in the propagation of the Gospel, contributed much more than their arguments and exhortations, which were but sparingly used, to engage the Indians to embrace Christianity.§ The converting zeal of the Franciscans and Dominicans, which had, for a long time, been not only cooled, but almost totally extinguished, was animated anew by the example of the Jesuits; and several other religious orders, that slum

* See Lafitau's Histoire des Decouvertes et Conquetes des Portugais dans le nouveau Monde, tom. iii. p. 420. All the relations given by this eloquent writer (who was afterwards created bishop of Sisteron) are taken from the Portuguese historians.-The other writers who have thrown light upon this part of ecclesiastical history, are enumerated by Fabricius, in his Lux Salutar. Evangelii toti Orbi exoriens.

* When the fanatic Ignatius first solicited the confirmation of his order by pope Paul III., the learned and worthy cardinal Guidiccioni opposed his request with great vehemence. But this opposition was vanquished by the dexterity of Ignatius, who changing the articles of his institution, in which he had promised obedience to the pope with certain reorder by a solemn vow of implicit, blind, and unlimited submission and obedience to the Roman pontiff. This change produced the desired effect, and made the popes look upon the Jesuits as the chief support of their authority. Hence arose the zeal which Rome has ever shown for that order. It is remarkable, that Ignatius and his company, in the very same charter in which they declared their implicit and blind allegiance to the court of Rome, promised a like implicit and unlimited allegiance to the general of their society, notwithstanding the impossibility of serving two absolute masters, whose com mands might be often contradictory. See Histoire des Religieux de la Compagnie de Jesus, printed at Utrecht in 1741.

† See Jo. Alb. Fabricii Lux Evangelii toti Orbi exoriens, cap. xxxii. p. 550.

B. Christ. Eberh. Weismanni Oratio de Virtutibus et Vitiis Mission. Roman. in Orat. ejus Aca. dem.

§ See the Hist. de la Compagnie de Jesus, tom. ii

III. Of all the Jesuits who distinguished themselves by their zealous and laborious attempts to extend the limits of the church, none acquired a more shining reputation than Francis Xavier, who is commonly called the Apostle of the Indies.* An undaunted resolution, and no small degree of genius and sagacity, rendered this famous missionary one of the most proper persons that could be employed in such an arduous task. Accordingly, in 1522, he set sail for the Portuguese settlements in India, and, in a short time, spread the knowledge of the Christian religion, or, to speak more properly, of the Romish system, over a great part of the continent, and in several of the islands of that remote region. Thence, in 1529, he passed into Japan, and laid there, with amazing rapidity, the foundations of the famous church, which flourished during so many years in that vast empire. His indefatigable zeal prompted him to attempt the conversion of the Chinese; and with this view he embarked for that extensive and powerful kingdom, in sight of which he ended his days, in 1552.† After his death, other members of his insinuating order penetrated into China. Of these missionaries the chief was Matthew Ricci, an Italian, who, by his skill in the mathematics, became so acceptable to the Chinese nobility, and even to their emperor, that he obtained, both for himself and his associates, the liberty of explaining to the people the doctrines of the Gospel. He may, therefore, be considered as the parent and founder of the Christian churches, which, though often dispersed, and tossed to and fro by the storms of persecution, still subsist in China.S

IV. The jurisdiction and territories of those princes, who first threw off the papal yoke, being confined within the limits of Europe, the churches that were under their protection could contribute little to the propagation of the Gospel in those distant regions of which we have been speaking. It is, however, recorded in history, that, in 1556, fourteen protestant missionaries were sent from Geneva to convert the Americans,|| though it is not well

* The late king of Portugal, in 1747, obtained for Xavier, or rather for his memory, the title of Protector of the Indies, from Benedict XIV. See the Let tres Edifiantes et Curieuses des Missions Etrangeres, tom. xliii. The body of this sainted missionary lies interred at Goa, where it is worshipped with the highest marks of devotion. There is also a magnificent church at Cotati dedicated to Xavier, to whom the inhabitants of that Portuguese settlement pay the most devout tribute of veneration and worship. † See the writers enumerated by Fabricius, in his Lux Evangelii, &c. cap. xxxix. p. 677. Add to these Lafitau's Histoire des Decouvertes des Portugais dans le nouveau Monde, tom. iii. iv.-Histoire de la compagnie de Jesus, tom. i.

J. B. Du-Halde, Description de l'Empire de la Chine, tom. iii.

§ It appears, however, that before the arrival of Ricci in China, some of the Dominicans had already been there, though to little purpose. See Le Quien, Oriens Christianus, tom. iii.

p. 570

design, or with what success it was carried into execution. The English also, who, toward the conclusion of this century, sent colonies into the northern parts of America, transplanted with them the reformed religion, which they themselves professed; and, as their possessions were extended and multiplied from time to time, their religion also made a considerable progress among that rough and uncivilized people. We learn, moreover, that about this time the Swedes exerted their religious zeal in converting to Christianity many of the inhabitants of Finland and Lapland, of whom a considerable number had hitherto retained the impious and extravagant superstitions of their pagan ancestors.

V. It does not appear, from authentic records, that the sword of persecution was drawn against the Gospel, or any public opposition made to the progress of Christianity during this century; and it would betray a great ignorance, both of the situation, opinions, and maxims of the Turks, to imagine, that the war they waged against the Christians was carried on upon religious principles, or with a view to maintain and promote the doctrines of Mohammed. On the other hand, it is certain, that there lay concealed, in different parts of Europe, not a few persons who entertained a virulent enmity against religion in general, and, in a more especial manner, against the religion of the Gospel; and who, both in their writings and in private conversation, sowed the seeds of impiety and error, and instilled their odious principles into weak, unsteady, and credulous minds. In this pernicions and unhappy class are generally placed some of the Peripatetic philosophers, who adorned Italy by their erudition, and particularly Pomponatius; several French wits and philosophers, such as Bodin, Rabelais, Montagne, Bonaventure des Perieres, Dolet, Charron; some Italians, at whose head appears Leo X., followed by Bembo, Politian, Jordano Bruno, Ochino; and a few Germans, such as Theophrastus Paracelsus, Nicolas Taurellus, and others.* It is even reported, that, in certain provinces of France and Italy, schools were erected, whence whole swarms of these impious doctors soon issued to deceive the simple and unwary. This accusation will not be wholly rejected by such as are acquainted with the spirit and genius of these times; nor can it be said with truth, that all the persons charged with this heavy reproach were entirely guiltless. It is nevertheless certain, on the other hand, that, upon an accurate and impartial examination of this matter, the accusation brought against many of them will appear to be entirely groundless; and that, with respect to several who may deserve censure in a certain degree, their errors are less pernicious

ligni invited into France, when, in 1555, he had formed the project of sending a colony of Protestants into Brazil and other provinces of America. See Charlevoix, Histoire de la Nouvelle France, tom. i.

to lead us to the improvement of the mind and to the knowledge of things.

Cardan was a man of a bold, irregular, enterprising genius, who by a wild imagination, was led into the study of astrology and magic, by which he excited the astonishment and attracted the veneration of the multitude, while his real merit as a philosopher was little known. He was accused of atheism, but seems much rather chargeable with superstition. His life and character seem to have formed an amazing mixture of wisdom and folly; and nothing can give a more unfavourable idea of his temper and principles, than the hideous portrait he has drawn of himself in his book De Genituris. His knowledge of physic and of mathematics was considerable, and his notions of natural philosophy may be seen in his famous book De Subtilitate et Veritate Rerum, in which some important truths and discoveries are mixed with the most fanatical visions, and the most extravagant and delirious effusions of mystical folly. See the ample and judicious account that has been given of the character and philosophy of this writer (whose voyage to Britain is well known) by the learned Brucker, in his Historia Critica Philosophiæ, tom. iv.

This philosopher, less known than the former, was born in 1508, at Cosenza, in the kingdom of Naples, and was the restorer of the philosophy formerly taught by Parmenides, upon whose princi-|| ples he built a new system, or at least, a system which appeared new, by the elegant connexion which he gave to its various parts, and the arguments used to maintain and support it against the philosophy of Aristotle. It was the vague and uncertain method of reasoning which the Stagirite had introduced into natural philosophy, that engaged Telesius to compose his famous book De Principiis Rerum Naturalium. In this work, after having refuted the visionary principles of the Aristotelian philosophy, he substitutes in their place such as are immediately derived from the testimony of the

senses, even heat and cold, from which, like Parmenides, he deduces the nature, origin, qualities, and changes, of all material beings. To these two principles he adds a third, namely, matter; and on these three he builds with some dexterity his physical system, for a part of which he seems also to have been indebted to a book of Plutarch, De Primo Fri: gido. It will be entertaining to the philosophical reader, to compare this work of Telesius with lord Bacon's physical account of the story of Cupid and Cœlus, in his book de Principiis et Originibus, &c.

Campanella, a native of Calabria, made a great noise in the seventeenth century, by his innovations in philosophy. Shocked at the atheism and absurdities of the Aristotelian system, he early acquired a contempt of it, and turned his pursuits toward something more solid, perusing the writings of all the ancient sages, and comparing them with the great volume of nature, to see whether the pretended copies resembled the original. The sufferings that this man endured are almost incredible; but they were said to be inflicted on him in consequence of the treasonable practices which were imputed to him, partly against the court of Spain, and partly against the kingdom of Naples, which (it was supposed) he had formed the design of delivering into the hands of the Turks. He was freed from his prison and tortures by the interposition of pope Urban VIII., who gave him particular marks of his favour and esteem, and, finding that he was not safe at Rome, had him conveyed to Paris, where he was honoured with the protection of Louis XIII. and cardinal Richelieu, and ended his days in peace. As to the writings and philosophy of this great man, they are tinged, indeed, with the colour of the times, and bear, in many places, the marks of a chimerical and undisciplined imagination; but, among a few visionary notions, they contain a great number of important truths. He undertook an entire reformation of philosophy, but was unequal to the task. For an account of his principles of logic, ethics, and natural philosophy, see Brucker's Hist. Critica Philosophiæ, tom. iv. He was accused of atheism, but

Ramus, that ingenious French philosopher, who, by attempting to substitute, in the place of Aristotle's logic, a method of reasoning more adapted to the use of rhetoric and the improvement of eloquence, excited such a terrible uproar in the Gallic schools. Nor must we omit here the mention of Theophrastus Paracelsus, who, by an assiduous observation of nature, by a great number of experiments indefatigably repeated, and by applying the penetrating force of fire* to discover the first principles or elements of bodies, endeavoured to throw new light and evidence on the important science of natural philosophy. As the researches of this industrious inquirer into nature excited the admiration of all, his example was consequently followed by many; and hence arose a new sect of philosophers, who assumed the denomination of Theosophists, and who, placing little confidence in the decisions of hutributed all to divine illumination and repeated man reason, or the efforts of speculation, atexperience.

IX. This revolution in philosophy and literature, together with the spirit of emulation that animated the different sects or classes into which the learned men of this age were divided, produced many happy effects of various kinds. It, in a more particular manner, brought into disrepute, though it could not at once utterly eradicate, that intricate, barbarous, and insipid method of teaching theology, which had hitherto prevailed in all the schools and pulpits of Christendom. The sacred writings, which, in the preceding ages, had been either entirely neglected, or very absurdly explained, were now much more consulted and respected in the debates and writings of the Christian doctors than they had formerly been; the sense and language of the inspired writers were more carefully studied and more accurately developed; the doctrines and precepts of religion taught in a more methodical manner, and with greater connexion and perspicuity; and that dry, barren, and vapid language, which the ancient schoolmen affected so much in their theological compositions, was wholly exploded by the wiser part of the divines of this century. It must not, however, be imagined, that this reformation of the schools was so perfect, as to leave no room for improvement in succeeding ages; this, indeed, was far from beunjustly; he was also accused of suggesting cruel measures against the protestants, and not without reason.

*The principal merit of Paracelsus consisted in inventing, or at least restoring from oblivion and darkness, the important science of chemistry, giving it a regular form, reducing it into a connected system, and applying it most successfully to the art of healing, which was the peculiar profession of this philosopher, whose friends and enemies have drawn him in the falsest colours. His application to the study of magic, of which he treats in the tenth volume of his works, under the denomination of the Sagacious Philosophy, is a circumstance dishonourable to his memory, and nothing can discover a more total absence of common sense and reasoning than his discourses on that subject. As to his philosophi cal system, it is so obscure, and so contradictory, that we shall not pretend to delineate it here.

† See, for an ample account of the lives, transac tions, and systems of these philosophers, Brucker's Historia Critica Philosophiæ.