GIROLAMO SAVONAROLA.

CHAPTER I.

THE CHILDHOOD OF SAVONAROLA.

The Church disunited-Nicholas V.-Superstitious practices -Family and birth of Savonarola-Tutored by his grandfather Michele-Physiology and psychology-Mysticism embodied in Italian life and art-Calixtus III.-Pius II.Canonization of Catharine of Sienna-Probable influence of such circumstances on the infant mind of Savonarola.

THE grief of the Church for the loss of her pristine unity was not to be consoled by the licentiousness of the Vatican, nor was the ample learning of Nicholas V. sufficient to compensate the decay of the ancient faith. He might repair, or rebuild altars and temples-remove simony from among the practices of his court--sign a concordat with the German church;—but what availed these or greater benefits, while that faith had been corrupted, and superstition yet received the sanction of the so-called vicar of Christ? Only so recently as the year 1450, this superstition had been made to subserve the avarice of the clergy and people of Rome. The jubilee had again been celebrated, and such multitudes had been induced to seek plenary indulgence at the tombs of the Apostles, that many were crushed to death in churches, and many perished by the accidents insepar

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THE POPE VICAR OF MAMMON.

B. I.

able from all great assemblages of the people. Ninety-seven pilgrims were thrown at once by the pressure of the crowd from the bridge of St. Angelo, and drowned. These physically were the victims of idolatrous imposture, but there were others afar off who were spiritual sufferers. Nicholas V., with all his learning, had not fortitude to resist the pernicious precedent of former pontiffs, who had afforded, to those who were prevented by personal occasions from locally attending, the facilities of redeeming their omission at a distance. Indeed, not only salvation, but full and complete indulgence for all manner of sin and crime had been brought to every man's private door. For the greater convenience of purchasers, and the greater profit of the venders, both the jubilee and its indulgences had frequently been permitted to every place in Christendom. Those therefore who would not or could not come to Rome might lawfully stay away, if they paid the price for the privilege of receiving at home the anticipatory pardon for which, at a lesser rate, they must have crossed the Alps. In a word, the pope was no longer the vicar of Christ, but of Mammon. No man can serve both.

Nor could the pope attempt such double service without a feeling of shame. To the Poles and Lithuanians, for instance, a private jubilee had been accorded, on the condition that every pious person should pay for his indulgence half of the charge which he would have incurred by the pilgrimage to Rome. This contrivance would have raised a sum so enormous, that the blushing traffickers were compelled by the natural operations of conscience to reduce the proportion to one quarter. The proceeds were even then so considerable, that half of them were confided to the king of Poland for the prosecution of the holy war, a fourth to the queen Sophia for charitable uses, and a fourth for the repair of the

CH. I.

BIRTH OF SAVONAROLA.

Roman churches.

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They might have been worse applied; but having been levied on superstition, and, in great part, on that of the poor, they were nevertheless accursed.

Providence had decreed that at this period, GIROLAMO SAVONAROLA should appear on the stage of the world.

This extraordinary man, whom Luther placed with John of Hüss and Jerome of Prague amongst the martyrs of protestantism, was descended from a noble and illustrious race, originally of Padua, and was born of Nicolo Savonarola and Helena his wife, on the 21st of September, 1452, at Ferrara, and soon afterwards baptized with the name of Girolamo Maria Francesco Mattheo. His mother was of the ancient house of Buonacorsi at Mantua, but for his instruction he seems to have been mainly indebted to his father and grandfather. The latter, named Michele, was a celebrated physician; one of the men, whom, to his honour, Nicholas D'Este, Duke of Ferrara, invited to surround his person. To that city, accordingly, the Savonarola family seem to have removed together from Bologna, where they had previously resided. Nor were the brothers of Girolamo undistinguished; the eldest, Ognibene, being a soldier; the fourth, Marco, becoming a Dominican, receiving the habit from the fraternal hands of Girolamo; and the fifth, Alberto, being remarkable for learning and for charity. So beneficial is female association to the mind and heart of youth, that we are glad to find a brief record of two sisters, Beatrice and Clara, of whom the former died early, unmarried, and the other lived long a widow, universally respected, in the house of her brother Alberto. But we hear little of the mother-a deficiency of information to be deeply regretted. Several men of genius have owed so much of early inspiration to