CENT. ries []. And they were the principal counsellors, XVI. by whose instigation and advice Leo X. was determined to that most rash and imprudent measure, even the public condemnation of Luther.

SECT. I.

The state

and of the

public schools.

XIII. The principal places in the public schools of learning of learning were filled very frequently by monks of the Mendicant orders. This unhappy circumstance prevented their emerging from that ignorance and darkness which had so long enveloped them; and it also rendered them inaccessible to that auspicious light of improved science, whose salutary beams had already been felt in several of the European provinces. The instructors of youth, dignified with the venerable titles of Artists, Grammarians, Physicians, and Dialecticians, loaded the memories of their laborious pupils with a certain quantity of barbarous terms, arid and senseless distinctions, and scholastic precepts delivered in the most inelegant style; and all such as could repeat this jargon with a certain readiness and rapidity, were considered as men of uncommon eloquence and erudition. The whole body of the philosophers extolled Aristotle beyond all measure; while scarcely any studied him, and none understood him. For what was now exhibited, as the philosophy of that famous Grecian

sage,

solemnly degraded from their priesthood, and were burnt alive on the last day of May, 1509. Jetzer died some time after at Constance, having poisoned himself, as was believed by some, Had his life been taken away before he had found an oppor tunity of making the discovery already mentioned, this execra ble and horrid plot, which, in many of its circumstances, was conducted with art, would have been handed down to posterity as a stupendous miracle. This is a very brief account of the matter; such as are desirous of a more circumstantial relation of this famous imposture, may consult the authors mentioned in the beginning of this note.

[7] See Bilib. Pirkheimeri Epistola ad Hadrianum Pontif. Maxim. de Dominicanorum flagitiis, in opp. ejus, p. 372 This letter is also to be found in Gerdesii Introd. ad Histor Renovati Evangeli, tom. i. p. 170. Append.

XVI.

sage, was really nothing more than a confused CENT. and motley heap of obscure notions, sentences, and divisions, which even the public doctors and SECT. I. heads of schools were unable to comprehend. And if, among these thorns of scholastic wisdom, there was any thing that had the appearance of fruit, it was crushed and blasted by the furious wranglings and disputes of the Scotists and Thomists, the Realists and Nominalists, whose clamours and contentions were unhappily heard in all the European academies.

XIV. The wretched and senseless manner of The state teaching theology in this century, may be learned oftheology. from many books yet extant, which were wrote by the divines it produced, and which, in reality, have no other merit than their enormous bulk. The expositors of the holy scriptures were very few in number during this century; and there were scarcely any of the Christian doctors that had a critical knowledge of the sacred oracles. This kind of knowledge was so rare, that, when Luther arose, there could not be found, even in the university of Paris, which was considered as the first and most famous of all the public schools of learning, a single person qualified to dispute with him, or oppose his doctrine upon a scripture foundation. Any commentators, that were at this time to be found, were such, as, laying aside all attention to the true meaning and force of the words of scripture, which their profound ignorance of the original languages and of the rules of criticism rendered them incapable of investigating, gave a loose to their vain and ir. regular fancies, in the pursuit of mysterious significations. The greatest part of the public teachers belonged to these classes of divines, which we have formerly mentioned under the titles of Positivi and Sententiarii, who were extremely fond, the former of loading their accounts, both of the truths

C 4

SECT. I.

CENT. truths and precepts of religion, with multiplied XVI. quotations and authorities from the writings of the ancient doctors; the latter of explaining the doctrines of the gospel by the rules of a subtile and intricate philosophy.

The liberty

religious

XV. It must at the same time be observed, of debating that the divines of this century disputed with a subjects. good deal of freedom upon religious subjects, and even upon those that were looked upon as most essential to salvation. There were several points of doctrine, which had not been as yet fixed and determined by the authority of the church; nor did the pontiffs, without some very urgent reason, restrain the right of private judgment, or force the consciences of men, except in those cases where doctrines were adopted that seemed detrimental to the supremacy of the apostolic see, or to the temporal interests of the sacerdotal and monastic orders. Hence it is, that we could mention many Christian doctors before Luther, who inculcated not only with impunity, but even with applause, the very same tenets that afterwards drew upon him such heavy accusations and such bitter reproaches. And it is beyond all doubt, that this great reformer might have propagated these opinions without any danger of molestation, had he not pointed his warm remonstrances against the opulence of Rome, the overgrown fortunes of the bishops, the majesty of the pontiffs, and the towering ambition of the Do

The nature

of religious

minicans.

XVI. The public worship of the Deity was now worship as no more than a pompous round of external cereit was cele- monies, the greatest part of which were insignithis time. ficant and senseless, and much more adapted to

brated at

dazzle the eyes than to touch the heart. The number of these, who were at all qualified to administer public instruction to the people, was not very considerable; and their discourses, which

contained

XVI. SECT. I.

contained little else than fictitious reports of mi- CENT.
racles and prodigies, insipid fables, wretched quib-
bles, and illiterate jargon, deceived the multitude
instead of instructing them. Several of these
sermons are yet extant, which it is impossible to
read without the highest indignation and con-
tempt. Those who, on account of their gravity
of manners, or their supposed superiority in point
of wisdom and knowledge, held the most distin-
guished rank among these vain declaimers, had a
common-place set of subjects allotted to them,
on which they were constantly exercising the
force of their lungs and the power of their elo-
quence. These subjects were, the authority of
the holy mother church, and the obligations of
obedience to her decisions; the virtues and merits
of the saints, and their credit in the court of hea
ven; the dignity, glory, and love of the bles
sed Virgin; the efficacy of relics; the duty of
adorning churches, and endowing monasteries;
the necessity of good works (as that phrase was
then understood) to salvation; the intolerable
burnings of purgatory, and the utility of indul
gences. Such were the subjects that employed

the zeal and labours of the most eminent doctors
of this century; and they were, indeed, the only
subjects that could tend to fill the coffers of the
good old mother church, and advance her temporal
interests. A ministry, who would have taken it
into their heads to inculcate the doctrines and
precepts of the gospel, to exhibit the example of
its divine author, and the efficacy of his mediation,
as the most powerful motives to righteousness and
virtue, and to represent the love of God and man-
kind as the great duties of the Christian life, such
a ministry would have been very unprofitable ser-
vants to the church and to the papacy, however
they might have promoted the cause of virtue and
the salvation of souls.
XVII. The

CENT.

SECT. I.

The cor

XVII. The state of things, that we have been XVI. now describing, exhibits to our view the true causes of that incredible ignorance in religious matters, which reigned universally in all counrupt and tries, and among all ranks and orders of men; an condition ignorance accompanied with the vilest forms of of the peo- superstition, and the greatest corruption of manper geners. The clergy, who presided over the rites and

miserable

ple in

neral.

ceremonies of the church, were far from shewing the least disposition to enlighten the ignorance, or to check the superstition of the times; nay, instead of opposing, they rather nourished and promoted them, as conducive to their safety, and favourable to their interests. Nor was there more zeal shewn in stemming the torrent of immorality and licentiousness, than in dispelling the clouds of superstition and ignorance. For the prudence of the church had easily foreseen, that the traffic of indulgences could not but suffer from a diminution of the crimes and vices of mankind; and that, in proportion as virtue gained an ascendant upon the manners of the multitude, the profits arising from expiations, satisfactions, and such like ecclesiastical contrivances, must necesşarily decrease.

A reforma- XVIII. Such then was the dismal condition of tion in the the church. Its corruption was complete, and dently de- the abuses that it permitted were gone to the

church ar

sired.

greatest height of enormity. But in proportion to the greatness of this corruption was the ardour and impatience with which all, who were endowed with any tolerable portion of solid learning, genuine piety, or even good sense, desired to see the church reformed and purged from these shocking abuses. And the number of those who were affected in this manner was very considera, ble in all parts of the western world. The greatest; part of them, indeed, were perhaps, over-moderate in their demands. They did not extend their