LP
ARTES
LIBRARY VERITAS
SCIENTIA
OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
TCEBOR
1-QUARIS-PENINSULAM AMCENAM
CIRCUMSPICE
The
George E. Wantz
(UM Medicine 1946)
Collection



THE
L
IF E
O F
SERVETUS.
BY
JAQUES GEORGE DE CHAUFFPIÉ.
BEING
An ARTICLE of his HISTORICAL
DICTIONARY, VOL. IV.
Printed at AMSTERDAM, HAGUE, and LEYDEN, in the Year
MDCCLVI,
Tranflated from the FRENCH,
By JAMES
YAIR,
Minifter of the Scots Church in CAMPVERE,
LONDON:
Printed for the AUTHOR, and fold by R. BALDWIN,
at No. 47. in PATER-NOSTER-Row.
MDCC LXXI,

TAUB
BX
9869
$4
AM

THE
Tranflator's Preface.
TH
HERE is not perhaps
any queftion in the whole
fyftem of human government
more difficult to be folved, than
that which concerns toleration
in matters of religion. What is
the proper definition of toleration?
What bounds and limits are to
be prefcribed? Or whether it is
to be unbounded and unlimited?
How far the civil Magiftrate is to
interpofe his authority in articles
of faith? If there are any parti-
A 2
cular

iv
PREFACE.
cular exceptions to be made in
different climates, countries, laws,
manners, cuftoms, &c. Or, if it
is to be allowed the fame ex-
tent in every age, and in all
communities? Thefe, I fay, and
many more difficulties that may
be fuggefted, to give them any
tolerable anſwer, will require
more penetration, a deeper in-
fight into human nature, and a
more perfect acquaintance with
the hiftory and connexions of
mankind, than many feem to
be aware of, who have entered
upon, and endeavoured to ex-
plain this hard chapter of hu-
man government. And it is
certain, whatever may be faid
by way of fpeculation upon this
fubject, that hitherto no ftate,
or monarchy, or republick, has
ventured on the experiment of
an univerfal toleration, notwith-
ftanding

PREFACE.
V
ftanding it has, and no doubt will
exercife men of reflection and
genius, though there is little
hope of believing they will be
brought to view it in the fame
point of light fo long as this
prefent world continues in its
prefent ftate of imperfection.
From what I have faid, I
fhall make theſe two remarks:
I. That thoſe who have taken
upon them to maintain or im-
pugn either fide of this quef-
tion, ought to ufe their anta-
goniſts with more foftnefs and
moderation of language, than
they generally do. The one, hav-
ing the countenance, and very
often the encouragement of a
civil and ecclefiaftical eſtabliſh-
ment upon their fide, may un-
happily make them too confi-
dent

vi
PREFACE.
dent in their caufe, and too
fevere in their expreffions;
while their adverfaries accounting
themſelves poffibly an oppreffed
and fuffering party, complain in
a ftyle dictated by a fenfible feel-
ing of injuftice, and tyranny.
II. We are not to imagine that
all thoſe who delivered Over
hereticks to the fecular arm,
and thoſe who put fentences againft
them in execution, were men
void of all humanity, principle,
or confcience, and therefore
deferve to be ufed with more
lenity, and good manners, than
they frequently meet with from
thofe into whofe hands they
fall, efpecially in the prefent
There is a very great
age.
odds between condemning thefe
bloody and unmerciful laws,
which cruelly puniſhed thofe
who

PREFACE.
vii
a
who diffented in the leaft ar-
ticle from the eſtabliſhment, and
making no kind of allowance
for the principles of education;
doctrine univerfally taught,
and believed; the violent fpirit
of the laws, both civil and reli-
gious; and alas, the common
practice of the times: When
many great, and no doubt
otherwife humane men, were
dragged in to be the Judges,
and fpectators of the moft fhock-
ing fufferings and tortures in-
flicted upon their fellow-crea-
tures: When under the fatal
word herefy, whatever contra-
dicted the doctrine or
doctrine or ceremo-
nies of the church, was a ca-
pital crime; and it was equally
criminal, and puniſhed with the
fame feverity, the denial of the
Pope's infallibility, or, eating a
bit of meat in Lent. Inftances
no

Viii
PREFACE.
no doubt may be given, when
unhappy men were punifhed by
their unrelenting Judges, from
pride, intereft, perfonal revenge,
or private views; but ftill we
can't but be perfuaded, that
many of thoſe who had the
fword in their hands, drew it
for the fuppreffing of herefy,
from a conviction they were
doing their duty to God, and
preferving good order and tran-
quillity in the ftate.
than
Few examples of perfecution
have made more noife,
that of Servetus at Geneva, in
the year 1553. Had he not ac-
cidentally eſcaped from prifon in
Vienne, he would have fuffered
the fame cruel death in a Popifh
country, which was unhappily
referved for him when he fell
into the hands of Proteftant
Ma-

PREFACE.
ix
Magiftrates: Had he been exe-
cuted in Vienne, he would only
have made one of an endleſs
lift of victims, which have been
made to the cruelty of Popery;
but to be fent to the flames
for herefy, by thoſe who were
but lately delivered from the
devouring jaws of an intolerant
religion, againſt which they fo
keenly and fo juftly remonftrated,
has drawn the attention, and
given full fcope to the cenfure
of mankind upon it; which in
the courfe of two ages, has been
thrown entirely upon Calvin.
While the Judges are forgot,
or overlooked, the whole load
of reproach has fallen upon that
famous Divine; how juftly, or,
how unjustly, muſt be left to
an impartial enquiry into, and
fair conftruction upon the
a
whole.
The learned,
a
candid,
and

X
PREFACE.
and laborious author of the Bio-
graphical Dictionary, in the fol-
lowing article, fo far as I know,
has furniſhed better materials,
more authentick documents, and
a fairer enquiry into the hiftory,
trial and untimely end of Ser-
vetus, than are to be found
any where elſe.
Truth is the foul of hiftory.
An agreeable ftyle, an elegant
expreffion, and lively obferva-
tions, may give it a gay and
fplendid figure; but when Truth
is fet afide, thefe are not only
of no value, but fpoil its native
beauty, and impofe upon the
world. As authors ought to be
impartial, readers ought to be
unbiaffed likewife: To mention
only the cafe before us, it fhould
be indifferent to either, whether
Calvin

PREFACE.
xi
Calvin was a reformed Divine.
The Proteftant Magiftrates of
Geneva judge Servetus an here-
tick, condemned to death for
the firſt time, by the Roman
Catholicks. The fame fentence
paffed upon him for the fecond
time, and executed at Geneva,
which had revolted from Popery:
I fay the author, and the reader
likewife, ought to take no other
fhare in theſe articles, except
honeftly to draw the moft na-
tural inferences or conclufions,
which are fupported by truth,
and truth only.
There is fome difficulty in
turning feveral phrafes of the
old French into English; as it
is well known what remarkable
changes that language has un-
dergone in the space of two
hundred

xii
PREFACE.
hundred years. However, I have
done my beft to preferve the
meaning of the original in the
tranflation. If any mistake or
inaccuracy fhall be found, the
candid reader will be pleafed to
forgive a fault unwillingly com-
mitted.
en
THE

гутдулла по за
THE
LI
I F
M
E
OF
SERVETUS.
MERVETUS (Michel) was born
either at Villa Neuva in Ar-
Se
27
di (23
ragon, 1509, or at Tudelle 22
in the kingdom of Navarre, 1511.
(A) It is alledged that he was born
bad
with
(2) Hift.
(A) Or at Tudelle in the kingdom of Na-
varre, 1511. Some make Terragone the
place of his birth. Mr. de la Roche (1) and (1) Bibl.
Mr. d'Alwoerden (2) followed by F. Niceron, Angl. t.
(3) make him born in 1509, at Villa Neuva 2. P. 79.1
in Arragon. They found the date of his birth M. Servet
upon an answer which he gave 28th Auguft, Bibl.
1553, "That he was then forty four years old." Rayen. t.
But Mr. Abbe d'Artigny, who has extracted 1. p.369.
his procefs from the archives of the Arch- d' Hom.
bishoprick of Vienna in Dauphene, pretends illuft t.
that he was born at Tudelle in 1511. The 11.p.224.
B
inter-
I.
(3)Mem.

2
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(4) D'
Artigny
Nov.
Mem. d.
1' Hift.
with a great deal of ingenuity and
inclination for the fciences; and
66
66
5MM
from
interrogation (4) is as follows; "After the
"oath by him taken upon the Holy Gospel,
to declare the truth, having afked his name,
" he told us that his name was Michel of
Critic. t. Ville Neuve, Doctor of Phyfick, aged forty
2. P. 100" two years or thereby, a native of Tudelle
(5) ib.
56, 57.
"in the kingdom of Navarre." The exa-
mination is of the 5th of April, 1553. Some
have believed that he was born at Ville Neuva,
becauſe he calls himself Michel of Ville Neuve,
and becauſe Calvin having reproached him for
difguifing his name, Servetus excufed himself in
faying," that he had taken his name from
the city where he was born." Mr. D'Artigny
(5) endeavours to reconcile the contradiction
there is between the two declarations of Ser-
vetus in the following manner.
"We may
(5) ib.
56, 57.
66
64
probably," fays he, "remove this difficulty by
fuppofing that Servetus' anceſtors, originally
" from Villa Neuma, had come to fettle at Tu-
"della. And indeed" continues he, "we don't
"fee any reafon which could determine Ser-
" vetus to difguife the name of his country
"before the judges of Vienne. This circum-
"ftance could be of no ufe on his trial: but
"it was not fo, with refpect to his true name,
"Servetus: as it was his intereft for feveral
" reafons, to conceal it, he always called him-
"felf in France, Michel of Ville Neuve." I
don't know if this reafon will be found fuffi-
cient; it appears to me that the fame motive
which engaged Servetus to difguife his true
name,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
3
from his earliest youth he applied
himſelf inceffantly to the moft fe-
rious ftudies, wherein he made fuch
a rapid progrefs, that at fourteen
years of age he understood Latin,
Greek, Hebrew, and had a pretty
extenfive knowledge of Philofo-
phy, Mathematicks, and the Scho-
laftick Divinity.(a) (B) Thofe (a) D
Artigny
who Nouv.
Mem. d'
t. 2. P.
name, ought naturally to have engaged him Hiftoire
likewife to difguife the name of his country, de Crit.&
and even his age. We find by the examina- d' Liter.
tion he underwent at Vienne, that he carefully 57.
diftinguished himself from Servetus, and that
he was afraid left he fhould be taken for Ser-
vetus. The fureft method to fhun being con-
founded with that man, was to multiply dif-
tinctions between the one and the other, in order
to fhew that they were from different countries,
and that the one was younger than the other.
But at Geneva, where it was known that Ser-
vetus and Michel de Villeneuve was the fame
perfon, there was no reafon to diſguiſe either
his age or his country: add to this, that Ser-
vetus had always given himfelf the title of
Ab Aragonia Hifpanus, or Villanovanus, at
the head of his works, at a time when he did
not think he ſhould have any reafon to conceal
his name or the country where he was born.
(B) Philofophy, Mathematicks, and the
Scholaftick Divinity.] It is Mr. D'Artigny
B 2
(6) who

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
tigny
Nov.
Mem.
d' Hift.
de Crit.
& de Lit.
t. 2. P.
who have written his life, pretend
that his father, who was a notary,
do
fent
(6) D'Ar- (6) who draws his picture fo much to his ad-
vantage; and he adds, That if he had made a
good ufe of his talents, there never without
injuftice, would have been refuſed him a diftin-
guifhed rank amongst the children who are
become famous by their ftudies. Mr. Simon
57. does not appear to have had fo high an opi-
nion of Servetus's knowledge: "It is evident,"
(7) Rep. fays he (7)" by this author's books, that
aux Sen-it coft him a great deal of trouble to write
quelques
"in Latin; and what he cites in Greek or
Theolog." Hebrew is fo very poor, that it cannot be,
de Hol- "inferred that he was a great proficient in
lande ch. « thefe languages; he was even afhamed
19.p.276. "himfelf of writing fuch pitiful books upon
tim de
(8) ubi
fupr.
66
"the Trinity; he retracts them in the preface
"which is prefixed to his Dialogues concern-
"ing the Trinity: Quod autem, fays he, ita
"barbarus, confufus, et incorrectus prior liber
proderit, imperitia mea et typographi in-
curia adfcribendum eft." Mr. D'Artigny
himſelf has cited this fame paffage, (8) and
adds, That this fecond work, notwithstanding,
is neither clearer, more methodical, nor better
written than the firft: I don't know very well
how to reconcile this with the high compli-
ments made Servetus. Read likewife this paffage
of a famous learned man: (9) "Profecto
"nec mifer ille homo, ut ut phrenefi laberaffe
"confendus fit, manuumque potius medi-
Leter. t. « carum, quam carnificum indignus fuiffe;
19.P.393. ab omni adeo lepore, ab omni ita penitus
(9) Shel-
born
Ameen.
66 arte

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
fent him to Toulouſe to ſtudy the
Law; and that it was in this city,
that in reading the Holy Scriptures
he began to form to himfelf a new
fyftem of Divinity, and took it in
his head to reform the Chriftian
Church: but they are miſtaken; for
it was neither at Touloufe, nor in
Africa, that he became an Anti-
trinitarian, but in Italy, (C) where
he
166
66
arte deftituebatur, ut nifi a paris infaniæ
reo laudari colique non potuerit."
(C) Antitrinitarian in Italy.] Thoſe who
make him go to Touloufe, as Meff. Roche
and Allwoerden, fay, That he read the Bible
there for the first time, and this reading con-
vinced him that the Church had great need of
a reformation, and that he imagined that the
Doctrine of the Trinity was one of theſe
tenets which ought to be rejected. Thefe
who make him go to Africa and become an
enemy of the Doctrine of the Trinity by the
converfation he had with the Mahometans,
are no lefs deceived: The voyage he made to
Africa, is, in all probability, a fable: for if he
had made fuch a voyage, he would have inti-
mated fomething of it in the preface to his
Ptolemeus, where he enumerates the different
countries he had vifited; but he does not ſpeak
of Mauritania except upon the report of ano-
ther; and he does not fo much as ufe one ex-
preffion which can give the moft diftant fufpi-
B 3
cion

6
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
he went, after leaving his own
country. About fifteen years of
bolage
uw boc
au
cion that he ever was in Africa. It is much
more natural to fuppofe that he became an
Anti-trinitarian in Italy, where he went upon
his leaving Spain, and where Socinianifm
(10) loc. began to grow. Mr. D'Artigny (10) has very
cit. p. 58, well obferved, " Italy," fays he," was then in-
59.
"fected with Hereticks, who began to fow
"there the feeds of Arianifm revived, and
"Socinianifm, from whence arofe the two
"Socinus's, uncle and nephew, Gentilis,
"Aleratus, Gallo, Paruta, Tella, Blandrata,
"Gonefius, and many others.-Servetus, who
"was much of the fame fentiments with thefe
"fanaticks, had frequent conferences with
"them; he was admired there for the ftrength
" of his genius, and the knowledge he had
"in Scholaftick fubtilties; as they talked of
66
nothing elſe at that time, but the pretended
"reformation of Luther and other innova-
"tors; it was concluded in the private meet-
<<
ings of Servetus and the Italians, that the
"tenet of the Trinity was one of the principal
"articles which ought to be rejected. Ser-
"vetus, who was chofen with common confent
"to ftrike the firft blow, fell to work with
"his Treatife De Trinitatis Erroribus, altho'
"he was then but eighteen years of age."
This account on the main, appears to me
very probable; but yet it deferves fome
fmall remarks. I can't conceive that Servetus
in going from Spain to Italy, could be as yet
of the fame fentiments with the founders of the
Socinian Doctrine; and fuppofe he was, from
whence

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
age he was taken into the fervice
of Charles the Vth's Confeffor,
called Quintaine, and went into
Italy amongst the attendants of
this Emperor, whom he faw crowned
at Boulogna. He quitted Italy to
go to Germany with Charles Vth's
Confeffor, who died about a year
after: (b) and Servetus finding (b) Vid.
himſelf without a mafter, re- gaterre
folved to fet up for a Reformer. avien.ap.
He went to Bafil in 1550, where eundem.
he conferred with Oecolampadius
about his opinions. (D] From Bafil
he
whence aroſe the neceffity of concluding in
their fecret affemblies, that the tenet of the
Trinity was one of the principal articles which
must be rejected? I could have wished that
Mr. Ab.d'Artigny had cited the author who
fpeaks of theſe conferences: on the other hand
it appears to me for certain, that Servetus
went first to Italy, and that the conferences
he had with the Anti-trinitarians, had infufed
into him theſe principles which he publiſhed
afterwards.
l'Interro-
de Servet.
P. 102.
(D) He conferred with Oecolampadius about
his opinions.] Mr. Rouchat (11) who places (11) Hift.
thefe conferences likewife in the year 1530, is de Refor.
miftaken in fuppofing them pofterior to the de Surffe
impreffion of Servetus his firit work against 107, 108.
B 4
the
to 3. P.

8
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
he went to Strafburg, to confer
likewife with Bucer and Capite,
ora now basenietinband
the Trinity, after having faid, that Servetus
having caufed to be printed at Bafil, or in the
neighbourhood, feven fmall books entitled
De Trinitatis Erroribus, and after having
expofed in few words the doctrine therein
contained, Mr. Rouchat adds, "Oecolam-
"padius oppofed the introduction of theſe
"herefies with all his might: the magiftrate
GC
having appointed him to examine Servetus's
"books, he extracted the erroneous and blaf-
"phemous propofitions contained in them,
"and published them at the faid magiftrate's
<< defire. He had a conference upon this
CC
fubject with Servetus, who in order to
fkreen himself, acknowledged that Jefus
"Chrift is the Son of God; but Oecolampa-
"dius made the hearers obferve, that Servetus
"fought nothing else but to throw duft in
"the eyes of his judges by this fhort con-
"feffion; and demanded of Servetus that if
" he would be a true chriftian, he muft con-
fefs, That Jefus Chrift is the eternal Son of
"God, and of the fame Effence with his Father.
"Servetus complained of this, that Oecolam-
86
padius who was fo mild, yet pushed him
"fo keenly; but Oecolampadius answered,
"I fhall be mild in other things, but not fo
"when fuch blafphemies are uttered against
"Jefus Chrift." The truth of the matter is,
A that the conferences between Servetus and
Oecolampadius were antecedent to the work
of the firft. They treated of the Trinity in
general, and of the Confubftantiality of Jefus
Chrift

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
9
and he irritated the firft of theſe
Divines, who was a very moderate
man,
Chrift in particular, which the Spaniard im-
pugned with an obftinacy and bitterness that
enraged his adverfary. This appears from two
letters of Oecolampadius to Servetus. They have
found favour however, with Mr. de la Roche,
(12) who fays, "That Oecolampadius refutes (12) Bibl.
"Servetus in a very civil manner:" Mean Angl.1.
while the firft accufes the other with blaf- 3. p. 85.
phemy, and blindly following Tertullian, to
the prejudice of the Scripture and all the fa-
thers, the beginning of the first letter is as
follows. "Johannes Oecolampadius, Serveto
"Hifpano Domini Spiritum precatur: Con-
" quereris me effe tibi moleftum et durum;
"mihi autem major conquerendi caufa eft.
66
Quafi enim otiofus effem, obtrudis mihi
"quicquid de Trinitate Sorbena ineptial.
66
66
gre fers quod Athanafium et Nazianze-
num, optime meritos Theologos, probem,
EC nec more tuo confutem. Contendis tanto
tempore ecclefiam Chrifti a fundamento
"fidei fuæ amotam. Non pateris ut ad de-
"clarationem numinibus novis utamur; quod
* tamen tibi permittis in fingendis gloffis pro
"tuo arbitrio. Tertulliani major eft honor
" apud te quam totius ecclefiæ. Fingis quafi
"nos, humano more, de filiatione Dei loqua-
mur, et crude faciamus filium Dei, abole-
amufque honorem filii Dei, id quod tu
..
CC
..
cum fumma blafphemia facis, deprehendo
"enim diabolicas illas verfutias: interim dum
"non fummam patientiam præ me fero,
"dolens Jefum Chriftum filium Dei fic deho-
"neftari, parum chriftiani tibi agere videor:
" in

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
man, to fuch a degree, that he
declared from the pulpit, "That
C <<< he
"in aliis manfuetus ero; in blafphemiis quæ
"in Chriftum, non item; fed paucis iterum
agam, et rationem fidei reddam : non ut
"curiofo et contentiofo fatisfaciam, fed ne
"vane perpetuo glorieris: tu negas in una
"perfona duas naturas; ego, juxta Johannem,
"dico, Verbum caro factum eft, &c." There
is a very juft reflection made upon this fub-
(13) Bibl.ject, (13) and is of ufe to fet the cha-
Raifin. t. racter of Servetus in its true light: "Ob-
1. p. 370. ferve," fay they," the age of the two dif-
putants: Oecolampadius was then forty-
eight, and Servetus at moſt in his twenty-
(14), fup- "fecond year (14); the firft upon the verge
pofing he of old age, and a divine loaded with occu-
was born «pations, did not difdain to yield to the
in 1509. « defires of a flanger, fcarce got out of his
379-
"
66
"infancy, who wanted to confult him upon
66 one of the moft ferious articles of religion;
"but this young ftranger has the infolence
"to treat this old divine as an ignorant
"fcholar, and to teize him both in publick
" and private, and to break out before him
"in the moſt provoking expreffions. The
"prefumption of youth, and the Spanish
"vanity fufficiently explain this conduct: To
"this muſt be added, a four, crofs, chican-
"ning, unmannerly temper, with a very un-
66
common degree of pride." We ſhall find
a new proof of this character of Servetus in
the following letter, where he endeavours
nevertheleſs to footh Oecolampadius. It is
without date, but must be pofterior to the
impreffion

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
11
"he deferved to be cut in pieces,
" and his bowels torn out of him."
On
Helvet.
cent. No.
16 Zuric.
1742.
impreffion of his firft work, for which he fo-
licits the divine of Bafil, that he would fuffer
the copies of it to go to France; there we fee
how much Oecolampadius had been enraged
against him. The letter is as follows: (15) (15) Epif.
"Quantum foleat iratus animus (maxime in ab Ecclef.
"his judicandis, quæ noftræ confuetudini et Reforma-
"rebus quas affectamus repugnant) caligare, tor. vel ad
"optime puto nofti, dum claris oculis de cof.fcript.
"Luthero et aliis judicare folebas. Ea prop-
"ter ne iracundiam fuper iracundiam tibi
"forte adderem, vehementer te adire timui,
" etiamfi hoc fumme defiderem, et adibo,
" modo patiaris, fin autem, abs te hoc unum
precor, ut ne me prohibeas, libros quos
jam hic habeo paratos, in Galliam mittere,
"cum inftent nundina Lugdunenfes; hoc
"enim tibi magis conducit quam cæteris aliis,
qui in orbe funt inauditis fententiam pro-
"ferre: Et fi tibi videatur utilius me non hic
permanere, fine dubio recedam, modo ne
putes me effe fugitivum. Deus enim novit
"confcientiam meam in omnibus quæ fcripfi
"fuiffe fanam, etiamfi tu forte propter cruda
CC
66
86
66
66
66
mea verba oppofitum arbitraberis ; fed tibi
"caufas, fi libenter audias, exponam, nec Lu-
theranorum nomine te ita graviter offen-
"dendum putavi, præcipue cum ex ore tuo
"audierim, Lutherum crude nimis charitatem
"tractare, folum enim fe ea facere dicit ne
"fit otiofus; et nullam omnino Deum chari-
"tatis habere confiderationem affirmat Me-
"lanchton. Crede mihi, intolerabiliora funt
"ifta

12
EUTLIFE OF SERVETUS.
On leaving Bafil, he left a manu-
fcript with a bookfeller called
Conrad
"ifta quam ea, quæ ego dico, et major hic
"animarum pernicies, præcipue cum inter
"vos de fide veftra non conftet: aliter enim
"propriis auribus a te declarari audivi, et
"aliter a Domino Paulo, et aliter a Luthero,
"et aliter a Melanchtone; teque in domo tua
"monui, fed audire noluifti. Regula tua de
"probandis fpiritibus te forte decepit; nam
"fi in tuo fpiritu fit aliqua formido, aut
"tenebræ, aut confufionis pars, non poteris
"de meo clare judicare, eo magis, quia
" etiamfi in uno errantem noveris, non prop-
terea debuiffes in cæteris damnare: nam
"fecundum hoc nemo eft mortalium, qui non
"effet millies comburendus; ex parte enim
26
omnes cognofcimus, et maximi Apoftolo-
ર rum fuerunt aliquando in errore, nec Lu-
"therum in cæteris damnas, etiamfi eum
CC
66
errare optime videas; et ego a te doceri
"petebam, quod tamen non fecifti, fed me
"prodifti. Conditionis humanæ ea eft infir-
"mitas, ut, noftris exceptis, cæterorum fpiritus
judicemus impoftores et impios, nam errata
"fua nullus intelligit. Secundo, te per Deum
oro ut nomini meo et famæ parcas, noli de
"aliis, qui præfentem quæftionem non con-
" cernunt movere tumultum, dicis me velle,
" quod omnes fint latrones, et quod nullus fit
CC
puniendus aut interficiendus: teftem invoco
"omnipotentem Deum, quod non fim in hac
"fententia, immo eam omnino deteftor; fed
"fi quid aliquando dixi, eft quia grave mihi
" videbatur interfici homines, eo quod in
quæftione

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
13
Conrad Roufs. In this perfor-
mance he attacked the Doctrine of
the Trinity: the bookfeller not
daring in all probability to print
it, fent it to Hagenau, where Ser-
vetus went himſelf in order to
haften the publifhing of it, and
the work appeared in 1531. The
The
year following he publifhed a fe-
cond upon the fame fubject. (E)
Servetus,
"quæftione aliqua circa intellectum fcripturæ
"fint in errore, cum fciamus inducendos fere
" in errorem etiam electos: Satis noftime
"caufam meam non ita irrationabiliter, trac-
tare, ut fim eo modo rejiciendus.
66
CC
Tibi
non magnum vifum eft, quod angelum
"intellexeris Spiritum Sanctum, et mihi erit
"magnum facinus quod hominem dicam effe
"filium Dei. Vale.
"Michael Servetus."
The moft rational part of this letter is that
which Servetus fays about toleration. He was
in the right to believe the people ought not to
be maffacred becauſe they are in an error: It
feems he began even at this time to be afraid
of what befel him afterwards; but his felf-
conceit and prefumption (prevented his fol-
lowing the rules of prudence.
(E) Publifhed a fecond upon the fame fubject.]
As theſe two performances are found joined
together in fome copies which are ftill extant,
I fhall
4

14
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
p. 80.
I have
myfelf
Servetus, bold and daring, ima-
gined he had a right to write
againft
I fhall likewife join them together under one
note; The title of the firft is, De Trinitatis
Erroribus Libri Septem, per Michaelem Ser-
vetum, alias Reves, ab Arragonia Hifpanum.
An. MDXXXI. It contains 119 leaves in
(16) Bibl. 8vo. (16) The place of impreffion is not
Angl. t.2. marked, but it is known that it was in Ha-
genau. Mr. Shelborn firmly believes (17)
that it was printed in this city, by John Secer
a copy of a famous bookfeller; this is what he concludes
it by me. from the types, which are he fays, the very
(17) Am-
enet. Li- fame with which Secer in the month of Sep-
ter. t. 2. tember 1530, had printed the Scholia of
P. 108. John Agricola, upon the Epiftle of St. Paul
to Titus, and with which he had printed in
1531, in 8vo. the Commentaries of Brentius
upon Job. Notwithstanding this work is very
fcarce, I can draw from different authors,
that there are ftill feveral copies extant.
(18) Bibl. de la Roche fays, (18) That he has had two
Angl. ubi in his hands, but as he does not fay where,
fupr.
I don't know whether thefe two copies are to
be reckoned amongſt the number of theſe
mentioned by other writers. Mr. Simon fays,
(19) Bibl. that there are two to be found in Paris, (19)
Critic. t. one in the King's library, which is incomplete,
1. p. 32. and the other in Mr. Colbert's library, which
is entire, Mr. Shelborn affures us, that he
has feen two, (20) one at Altorff when he
was a ſtudent there, in Mr. Guftavus George
Lit. t. 2. Zeltner's library, and the other in the publick
library at Ulm; he fays likewife, that there,
310. was one in the library of Prince Eugene of
(20) A-
meen.
P. 309,
Mr.
Savoy,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
15
against the Doctrine of the Tri-
nity, with as much freedom, as
the
Croze t.z.
Savoy, and another in that of the Landgrave
of Caffel; that Mr. John William Paterfon
was in poffeffion of one, and that the authors
of a periodical work at Berlin had the ufe of
two; Mr. Wolf of Hamburg informed Mr.
de la Croze in the month of September, 1720, Mor
(21) that he had copied Servetus's book with (21) Thef
his own hand, about two years ago; and upon Epift. la
the fame occafion he fpeaks of a printed copy, p. 159.
to be found in the publick library at Lubee.
Mr. Mofheim (22) had received a copy from (22) ib. t.
1. p. 266.
a Poliſh gentleman, and likewife one of the (23) Pet.
dialogues; mean while all theſe gathered to- Ad. Boy-
gether, amount to no more than about a fen. Hift.
dozen of copies, which is not very confider- M.Servet.
56. ap.
able, including even that copy which Grotius Shelborn
fays he had ſeen at Rotterdam. The reafon of ubi fupra.
this fcarcity is, the great pains taken to fup-
prefs this work, and that a great number of
copies were burnt at Francfort and other
places, which I learn from an hiftorian of Ser-
vetus, cited by Mr. Shelborn. (23) "Simul (23) ib.
ac publice confpiceretur liber, quafi com-
"muni incendio reftinguendo accurrebant viri
pii cordatique, infelicem lafcivientis ingenii
"foetum fuppreffuri, imprimis Francofordenfes
plurima libri exempla flammis tradiderunt,
cumque Ratisbonam quædam allata fuiffent,
et Jo. Quintadæ, Cæfari Carolo. V. a con-
"filiis ecclefiafticis, et confeffionibus privatis
"qui erat, vifa, indignabatur initio auctori,
66
66
66
66
86
66
quem a facie fibi notum ajebat, et quotquot
"nancifci poterat, exempla follicite abolenda
"curabat,

16
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
the reformers wrote againft Tran-
fubftantiation, and other tenets
peculiar
"curabat, tefte Cochlao-cum itaque undique
"fupprimeretur liber, contigit ut varius re-
periatur, et inftructiffimee extera Biblio-
"thecæ illo deftituantur." Mr. Wolf is the
only perfon who appears to have found any
genius or learning in this book, while he de-
ritefts his opinions. "Miratus fum," fays he,
(24) The. (24) hominis ingenium et doctrinam inter
medias deteftationes peftilentiffimarum erro-
rum in quibus animo, ni fallor, non malo
hæfit." Mr. Mofhiem judges the ftile both
of this and the dialogues to be barbarous;
(25) ib. t. (25) "barbaro dicendi genere confcripti.
1. p. 268. Mr. Simon fpeaks of it with a great deal of
(26) Bibl. contempt. (26) "There is fo little good
Crit. ubi fenfe in all this impious work,-that if it
fupr. p.
Epift. la.
Croze. t.
3. p. 159.
32, 33.
was common, both the work and the au-
"thor would be held in the greatest detefta-
tion. He is fo much at a lofs both as to
"the diction and the matters he treats of,
"that it is evident he did not underftand
"them, as appears from the words he begins
"with." Oecolampadius wrote to Bucer
concerning thefe two works in the following
(27) vid. words; (27) "Invifi hac hebdomada Bernates,
Bibl Ang." qui te et Capitonem falutant plurimum
t. 2. p.88. libellus De Trinitatis erroribus a quibuf-
"dam ex illis vifus duntaxat, fupra modum
"offendit. Vellem te fcribere Luthero, quod
"nobis infciis liber alibi excufus fit, impu-
"dentia enim erat adfcribere Lutheranis, jufti-
"ficationis rationem eos ignorare; ut de
66
reliquis taceam. Sed Photenianus ille vel
"" nefcio

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
peculiar to the Church of Rome,
Servetus muft have remained at
Straf-
"nefcio cujus fecte homo folus fapere fibi
" videtur. Nifi ab ecclefiæ noftræ doctoribus
CC
explodetur, peffime auditura eft. Tu, præ
"aliis oro vigiles, et fi non alibi, certe in con-
"futatione tua ad imperatorem ecclefias nof-
CC
66
81.
tras excufa, utcunque hac beftia irrepferit.
"abutitur omnibus in fuum fenfum, tantumne
"confiteatur, filium coeternum patri et con-
"fubftantialem, atqui hic eft qui fufcepit pro-
"bandum hominem Chriftum effe filium Dei."
This letter is dated Auguft 5, 1531., Ser-
vetus impugns in this work the doctrine of the
Trinity in a very fhocking manner: he calls
the Three Perfons, a pure imagination, a chi-
mera, metaphyfical Gods. (28) See what Mr. (28) ib.
de la Roche fays of his doctrine. (29)" He ibid.
"undertakes to fhew that the terms, Jefus (29) ib. p.
"and Chrift, and the Son of God, defign
nothing but a man, and he endeavours to
prove it by a great many paffages of the
Holy Scripture: he explains a great many
"other paffages agreeable to his own fyftem,
" and anſwers the objections of the orthodox;
"this part of his book is eafily underſtood;
"but when he explains his opinions about the
perfon of Jefus Chrift, what he fays, ap-
pears unintelligible. I fhall give only one
"inftance: Erat Chriftus, fays he, (30) (30) Ser-
"in mente Divina preformatus, erat quidam vet. de
" modus fe babendi, quem in fe ipfo Deus
difpofuit ut fe ipfum nobis patefaceret, fci- VII. fol.
"licet Jefu Chrifti effigium in fe ipfo defcri- 120 verfo,
"bendo." Servetus calls this reprefentation apud eun.
86
CC
..
CC
66
C
the
Trin.
error, T.

18
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
aux fenti.
226, 227.
Strafburg or in fome other part of
Germany till the year 1531; but
noitsflor
feeing
<<
66
the Face of God, and the word which has
been made Fleſh; he denies the Trinity, but
the idea he had of Jefus Chrift was very dif-
ferent from that which the Unitarians have in
our days. Sandius pretends that he had almoft
the fame fentiments as Paulus Samofatenus:
"fuit Servetus ejufdem fere opinionis quam
(31) Bibl.
"olim Paulus Samofatenus." (31) But Mr.
Antitrin. Simon has obferved that, on the contrary, (32)
p.9. Servetus declares that he is very far from the
(32) Rep fentiments of Paulus Samofatenus, whom he
des Theol. accufes as very ignorant of the myſteries of
de Hol- religion, becauſe he had no knowledge of the
lande. Hebrew language. "Paulus de Samofata,"
(33) De fays Servetus, (33) ante Arianos philofo-
Trin. er- "phos, et Trinitarios Chrifti myfteriorum,
ror. Lib. quæ in Hebraicis latent, penitus ignarus,
7. fol. iii. « fimplicem hominem, non Deum, qui nunc
"primum et non antea fuerit, Chriftum affe-
"rendo, philofophos Græcos Hebraice etiam
0 ignaros et Ariftotelica contagione infectos
"fcandalizavit, eofque in cœlum fine aliis
"afcendere coegit, ubi divinitates venari
"quilibet fuo fenfu coepit." It is evident
from this paffage that he acknowledged fome
kind of I don't know what divinity in Jefus
Chrift; and this is what we may fee from two
(34) idem other places cited by Mr. Simon. (34) " Ali-
qua divinitatis ejus præconia recolam,
apud eun. quorum radix eft, ut eum fuiffe Elobim
"memoria teneas, ex quo profunditatem
"arcani quomodo ab initio erat apud patrem
in oraculo contemplabis, et qualiter ipfe
apud eun.
fol. 112.
66
20197
❝ nunc

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
$19
feeing that the principal reformed
Churches held his doctrine in de-
gainst
teftation,
"nunc eft in patri realiter ficut antea erat in
"ipfo perfonaliter:" and a little below:
"Aliud Divinitatis præconium quod hæc
"omnia fuperat eft pater in eo manens, qui
" per ipfum folum videtur ipfe eft paterna
"facies, nec eft alia Dei perfona nifi Chriftus."
Mr. de la Roche therefore had reafon to fay,
(35) That fince Servetus rejected the doctrine (35) Bibl.
of the Trinity, he ought not to have fubfti- Angl. t.
tuted an opinion fo obfcure and fo little intel- 2. p. 82.
ligible in its place; Grotius owns that he had
not read the writings of Servetus exactly
enough to know all his tenets; but he plainly
acknowledges however, that his fentiments
were different from thofe of Socinus and his
followers. (36) "Serveti dogmata fateor non (36) Vot.
" omnia mihi effe nota, et ea quæ novi neque pro pace
"cum Socino, neque cum ejus difcipulis eccl. ap.
"congruunt." Mr. Simon has made a remark t. 1. p.
upon this occafion that ought not to be forgot- 33, 36.
ten, which is, that Grotius is in the wrong to
infinuate that Calvin had imputed things to
Servetus which he never faid, becauſe he did
not find in the copy which he had in his
shands, that which Calvin had objected againſt
him. "Serveti libri non Genevæ tantum,
"fed et aliis in locis per Calvini diligentiam
"exufti funt. fateor enim me dum vixi exem-
"plum vidiffe Latine in quo certe ea non
"reperi, quæ ei objicit Calvinus." "This
"learned critick," fays Mr. Simon, " pro-
bably did not know that there is a very
great difference between the work of Ser-
66
66
C 2
66 vetus
Bibl. crit.

20
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
261
eu
teftation, that he could find no
partizan, and that he had no re-
66
smodig
fource
vetus againſt the Trinity printed in 1531,
"and that which was printed in 1533." This
(37) Thef. is fo true, that Mr. Mofheim fays (37) that it
Ep. la
is not in the two works published by Servetus
Croze t. in 1531 and 1532 where we are to fearch for
1. p. 268.
his real fentiments, but in the lateſt publiſhed
by him in 1553.
"At enim vero cum iterum
poftea fententiam mutaverit homo præ con-
ceptæ hypothefeos præjudicio plane excæ-
catus, ex folo ejus quem Reftitutionem
"Chriftianifmi infcripfit, libro mens ejus vera,
66
66
66
66
maximaque hiftoriæ pars percipi poterit,
"ultima fcilicet ejus fcripta." I fhall add,
that Calvin is unjustly accufed of having
caufed the copies of Servetus's first work to
be burned, the contrary of which is proved,
citation (23.) This book was printed not
only at Hagenau, but likewife at Francfort.
(38.) Bibl. (38) In 1532 Servetus caufed to be printed
Angl. at Hagenau, another treatife againſt the Tri-
Shelborn. nity, with this title, " Dialogorum de Trini-
t. 2. p.12.
P. 108.
66
66
Amæn. tate Libri duo. De Juftitia Regni Chrifti,
Liter. t. 3. Capitula Quatuor, per Michaelem Serveto,
"alias Reves, ab Arragonia Hifpanum,
" MDXXXII." This work contains only
fix leaves in 8vo. Mr. de la Roche fays, he
had feen three copies of it, two at Geneva,
and one in Holland. (39) In an advertiſement
he retracts all he had faid in his former work,
as has been faid in the note (B), not that he
believed that what he had faid againſt the
doctrine of the Trinity was falfe, but becauſe
the work was imperfect and only in its in-
(39) ubi
fupr.
p. 85.
fancy.

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
21
JO
fource in a country where he was a
ftranger to the language, he re-
folved to go to France; he wanted
to perfect himſelf in the Mathema-
ticks, and above all to apply him-
felf to Medicine, for which he had
always a ſtrong inclination. His
hiftorians make him go from Straf-
burg to Lyons, where they make
him ftay two years; but the loofe
way in which they explain them-
felves,
Of
furniſhes
me with
fancy. The curious will not be diſpleaſed to
find the advertiſement here. (40) Lectori (40) F.
"falutem. Quæ contra receptam de Trinitate Niceron
"fententiam feptem libris fcripfi, omnia nunc,
"candide lector, retracto. Non quia falfa this in his
"funt, fed quia imperfecta; et tanquam a Mem.des
"parvulo parvulus fcripta. Precor tamen ut hom. ill.
ex illis ea teneas, quæ ad dicendorum in- t. 11, p.
"telligentiam te poterint juvare. Quod
autem ita barbarus, confufus et incorrectus
" prior liber prodierit, imperitiæ meæ et typo-
graphi incuriæ adfcribendum eft. Nec vel-
"lem quod propterea chriftianus aliquis offen-
"deretur, cum foleat aliquando Deus per
66
EC
66
ftulta mundi organa fuam fapientiam pro-
"ferre. Obferva igitur, obfecro, rem ipfam,
CC
nam fi mentem advertes, non te impedient
"impedita mea verba. Vale." We have ob-
ferved that thefe who have feen this fecond
work, agree that it is neither better, more
diftinctly,
C 3
235, 236.

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(e) ubi
fupr. p.
62, 63.
21-16
felves, is a proof that they have
advanced this fact purely on con-
jecture. Mr. d'Artigny (e) from
the anfwers of Servetus himself to
his judges at Vienne, and fome
other places, relates, that he went
to Paris, where he ftudied medi-
21st cine under the famous profeffors
Sylvinus and Fernel, and was re-
ceived Mafter of Arts and Doctor
of Medicine in this univerfity;
without all doubt he did not ne-
sb
900
glect
diftinctly, nor more methodically written than
the first. [Since I have written this remark,
there has been communicated to me theſe two
firft works of Servetus in MSS. bound in one
volume. I don't find any thing in them which
obliges me to alter what I have faid here: I
have confirmed the paffages I have cited from
other authors and found them exact; I have
likewife had in my hand a printed copy of the
firft work.] The titles of the four chapters
of the treatiſe "De Juftitia Regni Chrifti,"
are, "I. De Juftificatione. II. De Regno
"Chrifti. III. Collatio Legis et Evangelii.
"
IV. De Charitate." In 1533 Melanchton
wrote a letter to Camerarius, wherein he gives
his opinion about Servetus and his works.
He owns that Servetus is a man fubtle enough
in difpute, but that he has no kind of de-
cency, that he has confufed ideas, and that
he

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
23
211
idu (3)
glect to dogmatife, fince it appears
that Calvin oppofed his doctrine
being then in 1534 at Paris: they
were even to have had a confer-
ence together, the day and hour
were fixed, but Servetus did not
keep the appointment. (f) Servetus (f) Beza
after having taken the Doctor's Eccl. Ref.
cap, went and profeffed Mathema-t. 1. p. 19.
ticks in the Lombard Colledge: it
was probably at this time that he
was employed in making a new
Bolo
edition
Hift. des
Orio de Franc.
he does not meditate enough upon the mat-
ters he treats of, and that his idea of juftifica-
tion is altogether extravagant. "De Serveto
66
<6
66
66
rogas quid fentiam. ego vero video fatis
acutum ac vafrum effe in difputando, fed
plane gravitatem ei non tribuo. et habet,
ut mihi videtur, confufas imaginationes,
non fatis explicatas earum rerum quas agitac
cogitationes; de Juftificatione manifefte
"delirat." (41) Servetus did not neglect to (41) M
fend his books into Italy, where they were Epift. 1.4.
fpread in fo many places, that Melanchton P. 140.
thought himself obliged to write a letter in ap. Bibl.
1539, to the fenate of Venice, by which he Angl.t.z.
begs of them to take proper meaſures to pre- P. 88.
ferve their dominions from the deteftable
errors of Servetus. If Servetus, as it is pro-
bable, had got his Anti-trinitarian ideas-in
Italy, I don't fee any reafon to think it pro-
bable,
C 4
edit. Lon.

24
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
edition of Ptolemy's Geography,
to that publifhed by Pirckheymer
in folio, at Strafburg in 1525; as
he could not agree upon terms ad-
vantageous enough with the book-"
fellers in Paris, he made a better
bargain with a printer at Lyons,
and his Ptolemy appeared in 1535,
in one volume in folio. (F) In
1536,
(42) Bibl. bable, as Mr. de la Roche believes, (42) that
Angl.loc. Lælius Socinus, uncle to Fauftus, and fome
cit. p. 91. other Italians, began to oppofe the Doctrine
of the Trinity, after having read Servetus's
book; it is more likely that he had taken the
hint of attacking this article by converfing
with them, and being vain and prefumptuous,
he wanted to do it in another manner than
they.
(F) His Ptolemy appeared in one volume in
folio.] Mr. de Marzeaux who had in his
hands the edition of 1525, and that of Ser-
(43) Bibl. vetus, has given us an account of them; (43)
Raifon. t. that of Pirckeymer is intituled, "Claudii
Ptolemæi Geographiæ enarrationis libri
"octo, Bilibaldo Pirckeymero Interprete,
"annotationes Johannis de Regio Monte in
3. P. 1.
Ar. 13.
ઃઃ
errores commiffas a Jacobo Angelo, in
* Tranflatione fua Argentorati, 1525." Pirck-
eymer dedicates his tranflation to the bishop
of Brefcia, after Ptolemy there is found fifty
geographical maps with a defcription of the
countries, printed upon the back of them:
but

LIFE OF SERVETUS. I
25
1536, he had a keen difpute with
them phyficians of Paris, which
having
but Pirckbeymer, in a fhort advertiſement which
is at the end of the remarks of Johannes de
Regio Monte, declares, that he had no hand in
them, and that the bookfellers had made this
addition to make their wares fell the better.
"Sane," fays he, "nec hoc prætereundum,
"nihil a nobis præter Ptolemæi fcripta ac
"Johannis de Regio Monte adnotationes
"editum effe, cætera vero ab aliis utcunque
"addita, quo librarii merces fuas facilius ex-
"trudere poffent". It was upon this edition
that Servetus worked: he has made fome very
important corrections in Pirckheymer's tranf-
lation with the affiftance of ancient MSS. He
has not reviewed the defcriptions which accom-
pany the geographical maps with the fame
care; he has left them fo as they were, except
a few, which he has corrected, or which he
has even fuppreffed, that he might give new
ones, fuch as the defcriptions of France,
Germany, Spain, America; he has caufed
the defcription of Spain to be printed in an
Italick character, from a particular love to his
country, but he has not in the leaft meddled
with the defcription of Judea; he has given
it word for word as it was printed in the
edition of Strafburg. This edition of Ser-
vetus is intituled, Claudii Ptolemai Alexandrini
Geographica Enarrationis Libri oto, ex Bili-
baldi Pierckeymeri tralatione, fed ad Graca &
prifca Exemplaria a Michaele Villanovano, jam
primum recogniti. Adjecta infuper ab eodem
Scholia, quibus exoleta Urbium Nomina ad noftri
feculi

26
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
having obliged him to caufe his
apology to be printed againſt them,
-qul sil: vd batnainst erw
erw brit
feculi morem exponuntur. Quinquaginta illa quo-
que cum veterum tum recentium tabula adnečtun-
tur, variique incolentium ritus & mores expli-
cantur. Lugduni, ex Officina Melchioris & Gaf-
paris Trechfel Fratrum, MDXXXV. I have
had in my hands a very beautiful copy of this
edition. Servetus gave a fecond edition of his
Ptolemy in 1541, and dedicated it to Peter
Palmer, Archbishop of Vienne, to whom he
had formerly explained this work, and who
honoured him with his protection. It was
printed at Vienne by Gafpard Trechfel, at the
expence of Hugh de la Porte, bookfeller at
Lyons. This fecond edition, fays Mr. des
(44) ibid. Maizeaux (44), is as it were buried in obli-
P. 179
vion. The firft is only mentioned in the
Ptolemy of Mercator of 1605, and in the The-
atrum Geographia veteris of Bertius, printed in
1618. Mr. Fabricius, fays Mr. des Maiz-
eaux, does not mention either the firft, or the
fecond in his Bibliotheca Graca: this F. Ni-
ceron has faithfully repeated, without giving
himſelf the trouble to examine the matter.
Mr. des Maizeaux is deceived; Fabricius
does fpeak of the first edition given by Ser-
(45) Bibl. vetus. (45) "Sub Michaelis Villanovani no-
mine, qui Ptolemæi Geographiam, Ann.
1535, cum Notis edidit, latet Servetus qui
"Villanovæ in Arragonia, An. 1509, natus
"eft." The fecond edition has been un-
known likewife to Mr. de la Roche, and Mr.
Alwoerden, who have written the Life of Ser-
vetus: my author is pofitive, that it is more
Græc. v.
3. P. 415.
66
cc
exact

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
27
it was turned into a very confider-
able procefs before the parliament,
and was terminated by the fup-
preffion of this apology, which is
no more to be found; but the phy-
ficians were ordered to live upon
better
exact and correct by far than the firft. There
is one alteration which has appeared remark-
able to Mr. des Maizeaux, in the defcription
of France, Servetus had faid in the firft
edition, fpeaking of the gift of the King of
France of curing the King's Evil, by touching
the patients, Vidi ipfe Regem plurimos hoc lan-
guore correptos tangentem, an fanati fuerint non
vidi; but in the fecond, in place of an fanati
fuerint non vidi, he puts, plurefque fanatos paffim
audivi: this place has probably been corrected,
and there must have been fomething likewife
which had been found cenfurable in the de-
fcription of Judea, fince there is no fuch thing
in this edition. Mr. d'Artigny fays (46) that (46) Nov.
this is a very fplendid edition, and at the fame Mem. de
time fo uncommonly fcarce, that the only Hift. de
catalogue where he had found it was that of Critic. t.
Cardinal de Bois's library, which had been
3. p. 65.
fold publickly at the Hague. A paffage of
the defcription of Judea, which is found in
the first edition, made one of the heads of
accufation against Servetus at Geneva; that
which paffed on this occafion furniſhed matter
for a great many declamations againſt Calvin.
Let us fee how this affair is managed. Let
us first give the words as they ftand, being a
part
4

28
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(g) d'Ar-
tigny,loc.
better terms with Servetus, and to
ufe him with humanity. [g] He
cit. p. 62, caufed to be printed at Paris,
"Syruporum univerfa ratio ad
"Galeni cenfuram diligenter ex-
pofita; cui, poft integram de
63.
pelle is
deceived
CC
26
(C
con-
part of the introduction to the xli chart, which
(47) Mr. is that of the Holy Land. (47) "Hanc ter-
de la Cha-"ram Biblici Libri et Jofephus eos fecutus,
"Cananeam appellant, terram variarum
in faying
opum divitem, frugibus fertilem, aquis
that this "illuftrem, opimam balfamo, in medio orbis
is the xii. conftitam; quo fit ut nec frigore nimis
"rigeat, nec calore correatur, ob quam
"elementorum gratiam, æftimaverunt Ifra-
"helitæ five Hebræi eam quæ patribus
" olim Abrahæ, Ifaac et Jacob promiffa,
a Numine effet, terram videlicet lacte et
"melle fluentem. Ideo Jofuæ fortiffimi
" ducis ductu, quadragefimo anno poftquam
chart.
Bibl.
Raifon. t.
2. p. 120.
66
Ægypto exiffent, fuæ ditionis fecerunt
"Scias tamen, lector optime, injuria aut jac-
"tantia pura, tantam huic terræ bonitatem
"fuiffe adfcriptam, eo quod ipfa experientia,
"mercatorum et peregre profitentium, hanc
<< incultum, fterilem, omni dulcedine caren-
"tem depromit. Quare promiffam terram,
"pollicitam, et non vernacula lingua lau-
"dantem pronuncies." That is, according to
Mr. de la Chapelle's tranflation ; " The
" books of the Bible, and Jofephus, who
<< has followed them, call this land Canaan,
and fay, that it abounds in various riches,
047
"fertile

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
25
"concoctione defcriptionem, præ-
CC
fcripta eft vera purgandi me-6)
"thodus, cum expofitione aphorif-
"mi, concocta medicari, Michaele
"Villa Novano authore, in 8vo.
"1537, Venice 1545, & Ly-
CC
66
ons.
"fertile in fruits, well watered, full of balm,
" and fituated in the middle of the world,
"that which makes it neither incommoded by
too great cold, nor burnt up by heats: on
account of a climate fo happy, the Ifraelites,
formerly called the Hebrews, believed that
"this was the country flowing with milk and
"honey, which God had formerly promiſed
"to their fathers, Abraham, Ifaac, and
"Jacob; for this reafon, forty years after
"their departure from Egypt, they took
"poffeffion of it under the conduct of the
"valiant general, Jofhua. Know, however,
"friendly reader, that this is either a mistake,
CC
or pure oftentation, that they have afcribed
"fo much goodness to this country; for the
"experience of merchants and travellers have
"difcovered it to be uncultivated, barren,
" and deftitute of every thing agreeable." I
have not tranflated the laft words, adds Mr. (48) A-
de la Chapelle, becauſe I don't underſtand meen.
them; probably he did not underſtand High Lit. t. 19-
Dutch, and it is by this language, that we are
to explain thefe words. Mr. Shelborn has
difcovered the mystery of them. (48) The
land of Canaan is called in common ftyle,
in German, das gelobte land, which may fignify
P. 395
396.
two

30
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
ons." He publifhed likewife, Apo-
logetica Differtatio pro Artologia,
and a defence of Symphorein Cham-
pier, doctor at Lyons, entituled, In
Leonartium Fuffinum Apologia pro
Symphorio Campegio. [I don't
know
two things, in deriving the word gelobte from the
verb loben, to praife, it will fignify the praiſed
land, or land worthy of praife; but if the
word gelobte is derived from the verb geloben, to
promife, it will fignify the promiſed land: fo
the author of the advertiſement would fay,
that this land may be called the promiſed
land, but not the land worthy of praiſes;
this allufion to the original word in German,
has made Mr. Shelborn fufpect what was true:
he conjectures, that Servetus had spoke the
truth in denying theſe words to be his, there
being no probability that a Spaniard would
(49) De- call the German his vulgar tongue, or that he
claration underſtood the language fufficiently to make
pour fuch an allufion. We fhall fee afterwards that
maintenir
this conjecture was well founded, this paffage
foi, &c. having been objected to Servetus, he anfwered,
what we are going to fee from Calvin's own
account of it; (49) "They brought forth
"the book of Ptolemy with a preface, where
"the faid Servetus had boafted to have been
la vraye
Genev.
1559, in
8vo. & in
Opufc.
de Calv.
vid. p.50.
of the
French
(6
the corrector, and to have made fome tole-
"rable good advetifements, but when they
came to the land of Judea, he advertiſed
"the readers, that this was wrong, or out
in Lat. p. of oftentation, that they had made it fo
and the
Opufc.
m. 522.
"valuable,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
30
know how to reconcile the ex-
amination of Servetus upon this
apology, with what we read in the
advice to the reader, at the head
of his Treatife De Syrupis. I fhall
make ufe of the edition of Venice
wond
in
"valuable, fo good and fertile, becauſe the
experience of merchants had diſcovered
"that it was dry, barren, and unprovided
"with every commodity. True it is, that in
"the beginning, he muttered between his
teeth, that it was not his, but I knew how
"to clofe his mouth eafily, for by this means
"he was convicted of being an audacious
"man, in afcribing to himſelf what was not
"his own; he was therefore forced to main-
"tain fuch a blafphemy, faying, that there
66
66
was nothing but good in it. Then they
"afked him, who it was that had ſo deſcribed
"the goodness of the land of Judea? if it
"was not Mofes ? but fee, fays he, if others
"have written fo favourably of it? to this I
replied as the cafe required, how that others
agreed with Mofes, for fo it was, confider-
ing that he is moft ancient of all, and that
they follow his teftimony; wherefore the
principal fault lay in him, who by his
boafting had deceived thoſe who come after
him. For who is it who has faid, that this
"land is fo fat and plentiful, and that it flows
"with milk and honey? We may not cer-
66
66
15
..
66
tainly without a great affront to the Holyo
"Spirit who has spoken by the mouth of
"Mofes,
id

32
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
66
in 1 545, Illud obiter monen-
"dum eft, lector, me non effe
"illum quem corrupta quædam
"Furchfium Apologia depingit
"Campegius, ftudiofum Arabum
"fectatorem et digeftivorum Syru-
porum
Mofes, cancel fuch a commendation ! I
"added, befides that he had judged like a
"blockhead and a beaft, to eſteem the land
66
of Judea as they fee it now.That which
"I faid may be thought incredible, was it
"not that our magnificent lords, with many
"other perfons of worth and diftinction,
were witneffes fufficient; but this villainous
dog was fo far from being confounded by
thefe folid arguments, that he only wiped
"his mouth, faying, Let us pafs over this,
"there is no harm in it: and how that he
"had no kind of colour to paint his villainy,
"fo as he did, and they could not draw one
"word of confeffion from him." It being thus
proved that this paffage was really not Serve-
tus's, but the author's who had lent his pen
to the printers at Strafburg, we may examine
two questions: ift. Why Servetus kept to a
fimple denial, having the means in his hands
of proving that he was not to be blamed?
2d. Has Calvin deferved the bitter reproaches
which fome writers have thrown upon him on
this occafion?
1. As to the firft queftion, Mr. Maizeaux
appears to me to have hit this point in a great
meafure.

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
33
CC
porum Compegianum Defen-
"forum; cum ego Arabas ipfos
"cum Compegio negligendos
potius crediderim."] Thefe two
laft works, as likewife the apo-
logy againft the phyficians of Paris,
CC
have
t. 3.
176, 180.
meafure. (50) He believes that there are cer- (50) Bibl.
tain fituations wherein a man who is in Raifon.
danger of forfeiting his life, will not, either 3: P
from a mif-placed pride, or an affected con-
tempt of death, condefcend to ufe proper
means in his own juftification; and, he af-
firms, that this was the cafe of Servetus, in
the whole of this affair: he gave himfelf up
too much to his refentment, and took upon
him an air of pride and difdain, which exaf-
perated his enemies; add to this, that his
pride no doubt was touched by the reproach
Calvin made him, that if this was none of
his, he was an impoftor, by taking to himfelf
the honour of another's work; rather than
own it, he chofe to adopt this impious ex-
preffion, and impudently to maintain it, which
came to the fame thing as if he had been the
author of it himself. Mr. Shelborn makes
this reflection upon it: (51) Quis autem (51) Am-
enet. Li-
"non rideat novum hunc ex medentium
ter. t. 19
"fchola Atlantem, terrarum orbem, fuis in- p. 121.
"fcribi paffim humeris, cum peregrini eum
"fuftinerent? aut quis non ftolidam mon-
"ftrofi capitis indignetur pertinaciam, qui
" alienas quoque calumnias in criminum fu-
"orum rationes referri delectatus eft ?"
D
2. Has

34
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
have not been known to the hifto-
(h) id. ib. rians of Servetus, (h) the chagrine
which this procefs gave Servetus,
and the miſunderſtanding with his
brethren of profeffion, made his
living at Paris difagreeable to him.
He
bitter re-
2. Has Calvin deferved the
proaches which fome writers have thrown upon
him on this occafion? Mr. de la Roche con-
tents himſelf with blaming Calvin indirectly,
"I dare fay," fays he, in fpeaking of Servetus,
(52) Bibl. (52) "that he never intended to make any
"reflection to the prejudice of Mofes. I be-
2. p. 122. lieve by the words, vanus præco Judeus,
Angl. t.
"he wanted to point out fome modern tra-
"veller, who had publifhed an account of
"the Holy Land, and who had ſpoken of it
"as a very fertile country. Servetus was
"neither Atheist nor Deift; it appears by his
36
writings, that, he was firmly perfuaded of
"the truth of the Old Teftament, and there-
"fore I can't imagine that the words in
"C
queftion relate to Mofes." Mr. de la
Roche muft have read Calvin very negligently
to reafon in this manner; thefe words, vanus
præco Judaus, are not Servetus's, they are
the terms in which the queftion was made
his anſwer proves that he was not
thinking on any traveller in particular, fince
he fays in general, that others, as well as
Mofes, have written of it, and that it was no-
thing elfe, but the author of the advertife-
ment undoubtedly meant Mofes : to be
him;
con-

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
35
He went to Lyons, where he ftaid
fome time with the Frellon book-
fellers as corrector of the prefs;
he made a journey to Avignon,
returned to Lyons, and at laft
went and fettled at Charlieu,
where
convinced of which, it is fufficient to read the
paffage over again, and Servetus, although
he had not himſelf written this impious fen-
tence, yet he adopts it as his own; but be-
hold, a heavier accufation against Calvin:
F. Niceron, after having given the relation
of this divine, but fuppreffing the reafoning (53)
in it, adds (53) "Calvin had done well to Mem. d'
"have paffed by this article in filence, which Hom. ill.
gives us no great opinion of his incerity,
"and his regard for truth, and of his capa-
66
66
t. 11. P.
241.
de Crit.
t. 2. P
129.
city in the art of reafoning." We fhall fee
immediately, that if we fubftitute the name
of Niceron, in place of Calvin, this reflection
will be perfectly juft: but we must first hear
Mr. l'Abbe d'Artigny, (54) whofe memory (54)Nou.
has been a little flippery on this occafion too; d' Hift.
"As the accufers of Servetus had fworn his
ruin; they made no fcruple of forging
imaginary crimes against him, and his
" anſwers, however good they were, were
"turned into proofs against him."
After
this, the paffage of the edition of Ptolemy is
exhibited, inferted in the edition of 1525, and
curtailed in the edition of 1541. "It was there-
"fore very eafy for him," continues Mr. d'Ar
tigny, to justify himself, in faying, that he
66
66
D 2
<< was

36
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
P. 64.
where he practifed medicine for
(i) ibid. three years, (i) but for fome blun-
der he committed, he was obliged
to leave that place; Bolfec, the
only perfon who fpeaks of it, does
not fay what it was, but the paf-
fage
(C
was not the author of this paffage, and
"that afterwards he had fuppreffed it; he
" fays as much in effect, and adds, to evite all
"chicane, that he was not at all fpeaking of
"Mofes, but of the modern geographers:
"the ill-nature and difingenuity of his
"enemies turn thefe means of his juftifi-
"cation into a new crime." Let us examine
thefe facts impartially, 1. There is a book
produced, whofe title advertiſes an edition
reviewed upon a MSS. by Michael de Ville-
neuve, where the general preface is, as from
the publiſher; and at the head of fifty
geographical charts, which have every one
their introduction and particular defcription,
there is this infcription, Europa regionum tra-
ditio recens Michaelis Villanovani. Is there not
reafon to judge according to appearances, that
the fhocking paffage is his? 2. Servetus fays,
that it is not his, but not as the turn of the
expreffions of Mr. d'Artigny would infinuate,
"that he had fuppreffed it:" of this there is
neither trace nor veftige; he might have faid
it, and he has not faid it, he contents himſelf
with fimply denying it: let us be fair, and
judge candidly: Ought this fimple denial to
have been admitted as a means of juftification
4
when

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
37
(k) vie de
p.
fage deferves attention, in order to
know the character of Servetus.
"This Servetus," fays he, (k) Calvin p
"was arrogant and infolent, as 9. edd
1664.
"thofe have affirmed who knew ap. eund.
"him at Charlieu, where he
(C
66
lodged with la Riviere about the
year 1540, but was forced to
"leave that place on account of
"his extravagancies. He went to
"Vienne in Dauphine." Bolfec
is deceived as to the laft circum-
ſtance,
when the pannel alledges no proofs of it, as
he might have done? 3. Could any thing be
more natural than the objection Calvin made,
that if this was not his, he was a plagiary,
and took the honour of another's labour? What
anfwer does Servetus give to that? It is,
"That it was nothing but good." 4. It was
infifted upon, and demonftrated to him, that
there could be no queftion but about Mofes.
He anfwers not at all, "That the queſtion
"was only about modern geographers; but
"that others had written as Mofes had done."
Nothing was more natural than the reply
made him, That the principal fault would
then fall upon Mofes, as the most ancient
writer, who had boafted fo much of Paleſtine;
and by that had impofed upon others. Ser-
vetus contents himſelf with anfwering haugh-
D 3
tily

38
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
ftance, Servetus from Charlieu re-
turned to Lyons, where he found
Peter Palmer, Archbishop of Vi-
enne, whom he knew at Paris,
and this prelate, who loved learned
men, and encouraged them by his
favours, preffed him to come to
Vienne, where he gave him an
apartment in his palace. Servetus, as
a teftimony of his gratitude, pub-
lifhed the fecond edition of his Pto-
lemy, and dedicated it to him. He
might have lived very fweetly and
quietly at Vienne, if he had confined
himfelf
tily and difdainfully," Let us go on, there
is no evil in it." I appeal to any unpre-
judiced judge, if in this cafe, upon inspecting
the paffage, and upon the anſwers of Servetus,
without being acquainted either with the
edition of Pirck heymer, or of the fecond
given by Servetus, and all the marks which
afcribed the work to Servetus alone, any
one would have thought, reafoned, and de-
cided otherways, than Calvin did, misfor-
tunately for this great man: he is not lefs
odious ftill to certain people, than Servetus
himfelf; they have not the refolution to do
him that juftice, which no impartial man can
refufe, without doing violence to his own
judg-

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
himfelf to Phyfic, and his literary
occupation: but always full of his
former ideas againft religion, he
flipped no opportunity of eftabliſh-
ing his wretched fyftem; he made
frequent journeys to Lyons, where
he reviſed an edition of the Bible
in folio, printed by Hugo de la
Parte, to which he put a preface
in his fafhion, under the name of
Villanovanus, with marginal notes
(G). Calvin affures us that the
book-
judgment; give me leave to exprefs myfeif
in this manner, without the leaft inclination of
offending any perfon whatſoever.
(G) He put a preface in his fashion-with
marginal notes.] This bible has the title of
Biblia Sacra, ex Santis Pagnini tralatione, fed et
ad Hebraica Lingua amuffim ita recognita et fcho-
liis illuftrata, ut plane nova editio videri poffit.
Lugduni 1542, in fol. As this bible is very
rare, we believe that it will be very agreeable
to find the preface of Servetus here, and fome
of his notes, whereby we may judge whether
Calvin was in the right or in the wrong, when
he called them impertinent and impious. The (55) co-
preface is as follows, (55) " Michael Villanova- pied from
nus Lectori Salutem. Docuit nos fapiens ille ful copy
"Jefus Filius fuo in Proemio Libri fui, quem commu-
ecclefiafticum vocant, Hebraica verba deficere nicated
66
D 4
five
a beauti-
to me.

40
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
bookfellers gave him five hundred
livres for his trouble: he corrected
66
likewife
"five obtorpefcere, cum in aliam linguam
"fuerint tranflata, probe dijudicans vivam
"illam Spiritus energiam, dictionum empha-
"fes, concurfus, antithefes, allufiones et re-
liqua' ejus modi non poffe in verfionibus
"noftris ad unguem fervari, unde merito et
"olim et nunc, bibliorum interpretationi ple-
rique defudantes, rem integram funt nun-
quam affequuti; quum præfertim hiftoricum
et literalem fenfum, cui certum eft futuræ
"rei monumentum, ii qui Hebræorum res
geftas ignorant, facile contemnant. Unde
et myfticos fenfus illi et ridicule paffim
venantur. Ob quam rem te femel et iterum
"velim rogatum, chriftiane lector, ut primum
"Hebraica difcas, deinde hiftoriæ diligenter
"incumbas antequam prophetarum lectionem
66
66
66
66
26
66
aggrediaris; finguli enim, prophetæ fuam
"juxta literam fequebantur hiftoriam, quæ
"et futura præfigurabat, et in qua Chrifti
. myfteria fecundum Spiritum concludebantur:
nam omnia in figura contingebant illis, ut
"ait Paulus, et teftimonium Jefu Chrifti, ut
"ait Johannes, eft Spiritus prophetiæ, quan-
66
66
quam alius juxta literam fuerit tunc pro-
"phetarum fenfus, ut rei geftæ ferebat
". hiftoria. Quod fi fenfum illum effe vere
"literalem quis neget, eo quod vis literæ
<6
non femper vere congruat, id ego dicenti
"lubens concedam. Illud tamen perpenden-
"dum, Hebraicam linguam effe totam hyper-
"bolis plenam, et majora alia ibi contineri
66
myfteria: perpendendum item, quod fi
"literalis

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
41
likewife fome books for John
Frellon, and tranflated feveral
treatifes
66
alews
"literalis ille fenfus non dicatur, aliqualis
"tamen erat futuræ veritatis obumbratio,
"ut in umbra Davidis relucet veritas foli
"Chrifto conveniens. Ab ejus enim hiftoria
defumptæ in pfalmis funt prædicendi de
"Chrifto occafiones. Imo hac ratione dicitur ille
"fuiffe Chrifti typus. De Salamone enim in
"umbra dictum eft, Ero illi in partem, et
"de Ifraelitico populo dictum eft, Ex Egypto-
"vocavi filium meum, cum tamen foli
"Chrifto id vere conveniat, ut et literalem
66
propheticum fenfum effe de Chrifto dicamus.
"Adde quod liber hic dicitur fcriptus intra et
"extra, et duplicem effe conftat fcripturæ
"faciem inftar gladii utrinque fcindentis ;
"fæcunda eft fcripturæ vis, et fub vetuftate
"occidentis literæ novitatem ita continet
66
"vivificantis Spiritus, ut collecto inde uno
"fenfu, alium fit nefas omittere eo magis quia
"hiftoricus ille alium ultro patefacit; unde
et nos, literalem illum veterem, feu hifto-
"ricum paffim neglectum fenfum conati fem-
per fumus fcholiis eruere ut ejus typo-myf-
"ticus, imo verus innotefceret utque illum
qui fcopus eft omnium Jefum Chriftum fub
"illis umbris et figuris obvelatum, quem
"ob id non vident cæci Judæi, nos omnes
"revelata facie Deum noftrum clare videa-
66
66
mus. In qua re, ficut in ipfa Pagnini
"noftri verfione, non parum eft nobis poft
* omnia ejus annotamenta defudatum, anno-
tamenta inquam quæ ille nobis quamplu-
"rima reliquit, nec folum annotamenta fed
66
et

42
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
treatifes upon the Grammar, from
the Latin into Spaniſh. The
book-
66
66
et exemplar ipfum locis innumeris propria
manu caftigatum, ex quibus omnibus
"affirmare aufim, et integras magis nunc
"effe fententias, et Hebraicæ veritati pro-
66
pinquiores. Ecclefiæ tamen et Hebraicæ
"peritorum fit de hac re judicium, alii enim
"id judicare nequeunt. Quicquid vero com-
" modi hinc, lector, retuleris, primum Deo
"optimo maximo: deinde Hugoni a Perta
66
Lugdunenfi civi, gratias ago, cujus opera
"et impenfis hæc in lucem prodeunt. Vale."
In this preface we fee that Servetus had formed
a fingular fyftem of the prophecies, and that
he pretended they have their proper and direct
fenfe in the hiftory of the times when they
were delivered, and that they regard Jefus
Chriſt only fo far as the hiftorical facts therein
mentioned figuratively reprefent the actions
of our Saviour; or even that thefe prophe-
cies can't be applied to Jefus Chrift but in a
fublime and exalted fenfe, which is to be feen
in his notes, where Jefus Chriſt never enters
but as a ſecond perfon; for inftance, that the
pernicious counfel which Achitophel gave to
Abfalom, gave occafion to the first, and the
five following pfalms: So that upon theſe
words of the ſecond pfalm, "The Lord hath
"faid unto me, Thou art my Son, this day
"have I begotten thee," he makes the fol-
lowing note, "Ad diem refurrectionis Chrifti
"vocem hodie refert Paulus, ficut in die qua
evafit ab hofte, dicitur David hodie natus,
et hodie denuo factus rex." We fee by this,
that
66

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
43
book feller I have juft now named,
was a friend of Calvin, and it was
slaod
by
that he always pretends againſt the explication
of the Scriptures themselves, that it was the
actions of kings and prophets, which repre-
fented Jefus Chrift, and not the very words of
the prophets. We may fee a great many
examples of this in the Bibl. Angl. I fhall* T. 5.
confine myfelf to his notes upon three of the art. 2.
moft direct prophefies, to fhew in what man-
ner Servetus wrefts the fenfe of the Scrip-
tures, and if he was injured, when he was
looked upon as a man who had not the leaft
refpect for the cleareft articles of Revelation;
upon thefe words of pfalm cx. v. 1.
"The
"Lord faid unto my Lord," we read what
follows," Scilicet Salamoni, quem ut Chrifti
typum Dominum vocat David tranflato in
66 eum tanto regno. 1. Paralip. 29. Sciebat
"David ex fe oriturum Dei filium domina-
torem orbis, ideo fub dilecti filii typo eum
"Dominum vocat. Citato enim loco dicitur
"Salomon fediffe fuper filium Dei fecundum
"fortitudinem, a dextris Dei in umbra
"fcilicet." It is a misfortune that Servetus
did not live in the time of the Pharifees, he
would have furnished them with an anſwer to
a difficulty, whereby the Saviour confounds
them, and which was founded precifely upon
thefe words: he would have taught them, and
even Jefus Chrift himself, that this paffage
belongs only to Solomon, and that the
Meffiah is not brought in there, but only as
repreſented by Solomon. It has never been
called in queftion hitherto, but that theſe
words

44
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
by this means, that Servetus en-
tered into an epiftolary correfpon-
dence
words of the fame pfalm, "Thou art a prieft
"for ever, after the order of Melchizedeck,"
may be understood of Solomon, but our Spa-
niard learnedly teaches us, that this prince
had performed fometimes the functions of a
prieft. "Salomon facerdotem aliquando egit."
He explains the liii. ch. of Ifaiah about Cyrus,
by acknowleding that in a myftical fenfe the
truth is found in Jefus Chrift. Sometimes,
however, he forgets himfelf entirely, and
applies the prophefies which can only regard
the Meffiah to the hiftory of the Jews, with-
out faying, that they have the leaft refpect
to Jefus Chrift: fuch is the explication he
gives of the famous prophecy of the feventy
weeks of Daniel, which we fhall fubjoin here:
"Ab egreffu prædicti ait me a Deo fermonis
"de reftituenda et ædificanda Jerufalem, uf-
que ad ducem Cyrum Chriftum Dei, qui id
exfequitur, hebdomades funt feptem:
hebdomadifque fexaginta duabus refti-
et ædificabitur platea et foffa in
"anguftia fcilicet temporum, et poft eas
fexaginta hebdomades occidetur Cyrus et
" erit in nihilum: diffipabitque ædificium et
"defolabit Cambyfes Cyro fuccedens. Fædus
64
66
"tuetur,
CC
'
autem primum firmabit Darius, poft quem
" iterum fequitur Antiochi abominatio ftu-
"penda, et erit finis orbis Judaici." Here is
nothing which relates to Jefus Chrift, every
thing regards Cyrus his fucceffors and Antio-
chus.
(H) Obliged

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
45
dence with this famous reformer:
the way he behaved to Calvin,
obliged this laft to break all corref-
pondence with him. (H) There
are
(H) Obliged this laft to break all correfpon-
dence with him.] Mr. d'Artigny fays, (56) (56) ub.
"That Servetus had examined the works of fupr. p.
"Calvin very carefully, and not finding they 69.
"deferved the great reputation they had ac-
..
quired amongst the reformed, he confulted
"him not fo much to be inftructed by him,
"as to perplex him." I don't know if Ser-
vetus found that Calvin did. not deferve the
great reputation he had; I rather believe
that his vanity engaged him to break a
launce with fuch a famous champion, in.
order to raiſe himfelf; being flattered he could
effectually embarrass him. Be this as it will,
he fent from Lyons three queftions to Calvin,
concerning the Divinity of Jefus Chrift, Re-
generation, and the Neceffity of Baptifm.
I. "An homo Jefus crucifixus fit filius Dei,
et quæ fit hujus filiationis ratio."
2. "An
regnum Chrifti fit in hominibus; quando
quis ingrediatur et quando regeneretur."
"An Baptifmus Chrifti debeat in fide fieri
"ficut ccena, et quorfum hæc inftituta fint
"fœdere novo." Calvin anfwered him with
66
66
66
3.
a great deal of prudence and good manners: (57) In
(57) Servetus refuted his anfwer very haugh- his Opuf-
tily Calvin replied with vivacity, but at the cu. p.
fame time in fuch a manner, as teftified that m. 517-
the intereft of truth, the pride of his adver- Lat 1667.
518. ed.
fary, and the nature of the errors he defended, in fol.
extorted

46
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(58) ib.
P. 522.
are a great many falfehoods pub-
lifhed on this occafion againſt Cal-
66
vin.
extorted unwillingly from him, fome expref-
fions a little too fevere; this is what he fays
in effect: " Itaque quid tibi velis, non affe-
querer, nifi utcunque tuis deliriis effem
"affuefactus, ignofce; ita res me loqui cogit.
"Ego te nec odi nec contemno nec durius
"infectari velim: atqui ferreus fum nifi com-
movear, quum te fanæ doctrinæ tanta pro-
"tervia infultare video." (58) i. e. "I could
"not know what you mean, if I was not
"accuſtomed to your reveries; pardon the
66
66
66
harfhnefs of these words, the nature of the
thing forced them from me: I neither hate
you nor deſpiſe you, and I have no defign
"to push you too rudely; but I muſt be
"made of iron, not to be moved, when I
"fee you infulting the Sacred Doctrine with
"fo much pride." I imagine that it is this
anfwer, which Calvin fent to John Frellon,
having wrote him the letter, we fhall give
an account of juft now, after having obferved,
that Calvin concealed himſelf under the name
of Charles Efpeville, as he had formerly done
in his journey to Ferrara. The letter follows;
"Mr. John,
"As to your laft letters that came to my
"hand, upon my departure, I had no time
"to give an anſwer to the contents of them:
"fince my return, with the firft leiſure I
" have had, I have been very fond of fatis-
"fying your defire, not that I have any great
hopes of doing any good to fuch a man,
66
feeing

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
47
vin. Some have faid that the
divine of Geneva was fo piqued
66
againft
feeing him fo difpofed, but in order to try
"if there is yet any means of reclaiming
"him, which will be, when God fhall have
"fo wrought in him, that he becomes another
man. As to what he has written me with
"fuch a fpirit of pride, I have been willing
to bring down his arrogance, by talking to
"him in a harfher manner than I am accuf-
"tomed to do. But I could not do other-
66
CC
wife; for I affure you, that there is no
"leffon more neceffary for him to learn, than
"that of humility; and that must come from
"the Grace of God, and no where elfe. But
66
we ought likewife to put to our hand, if
"God grant his Grace to him, and to us,
"that he profits by our prefent anfwer, I
"(hall have wherein to rejoice; if he goes
'
66
66
on in fuch a ſtile as he has done hitherto,
you will but lofe your time in foliciting me
to take any further pains upon him, for I
"have other affairs upon my hands that are
more preffing; and I would have a fcruple
"of confcience to give myfelf any further
"trouble about him, not doubting but he is
66
a Satan, to turn my attention from other
"ftudies more ufeful. I intreat you there-
"fore, to fatisfy yourfelf with what I have
"done, if you can find no better way.
66
Whereupon after my hearty recommenda-
"tion, I pray our God to have you in his
keeping. This 13th. of February, 1546.
"Your fervant and entire friend,
66
"CHARLES DESPEVILLE.
39

48
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
73.
againft Servetus, that he wrote to
his friends, that if ever this here-
tick fhould fall into his hands, he
fhould order it fo, that it fhould
coft him his life (1). If Bolfee is
to
At the foot of this letter there is a note
from Frellon to Servetus, which he fent him
with Calvin's anfwer: Servetus was fo piqued,
that he conceived a very great hatred againft
Calvin, who complains that he never ceafed
to vomit forth injuries and imprecations againſt
(59) Loc. him. Mr. d'Artigny affures us, (59) That
cit. p. 70, their correfpondence in letters, confifted almoft
of nothing elfe but injuries and invectives,
which can hardly be believed; if it continued,
as the fame author fays, to the year 1548,
what Calvin wrote to Frellon won't fuffer us
to think that this divine gave himſelf fo much
trouble for more than two years in reading
and anfwering thefe injuries of Servetus: what
makes me think that their correfpondence
terminated in 1546, is a letter of Calvin's we
fhall ſpeak of in the following note.
What
probability is there that Calvin would keep
a correfpondence of letters with a man of
whom he had faid, that if he fell into his bands,
it fhould cost him his life?
(I) He should order it fo, that it should coft
him his life.] There are fome who fay, that
that which finifhed this divine's hatred againft
him, was, that Servetus had fent him in MSS.
his Reftitution of Christianity; wherein he had
inferted thirty letters he had written to Calvin.
(60) Mr.

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
49
to be relied on, Calvin wrote to
Cardinal de Tournon to purfue
..
the
Bibl. Rai.
P. 99.
(60) Mr. de la Roche (61) appears to be of (60) vid:
another opinion: he fays, that Servetus about t. 1. p.
fix years before he was imprifoned at Geneva, 376.
fent a MSS. to Calvin, to know what he (61) Bibl.
Angl.t.z.
thought of it, and that this piece was never
printed. This was not therefore his Reftitu-
tion of Christianity. Mr. d'Artigny is pofitive,
I don't know whether he has taken it from
the pieces of his procefs, that he had extracted
from the archieves of the archbishoprick of
Vienne, "That (62) Servetus wanting in his
(62) ubi
"turn to humble Calvin, who had treated fupr. p.
"him with very little refpect, and had fent 72.
"him a MSS. wherein he feverely repri-
"manded a great number of mistakes and
" errors he had remarked in his writings;
"above all, in his Chriftian Inftitutions, the
"favourite production of this pretended
"reformer: Calvin was fo irritated thereby,
"that he wrote to his friends, Farel and
"Viret, "That if fuch a heretick, &c."
Bolfec is the witnefs alledged for the letter
written by Calvin to Viret. Sorbiere fpeaks of
a letter to Farel, (63) and fays, that Grotius (63) Sol-
had feen it at Paris. Uytenbegaert affures
48, 49.
us, (64) that one of his friends had read it ed. 1694.
in a collection of MSS. letters, in four vols. (64)
where there were a great many original pieces, Kerklyke
and he fays, that he had even a copy
of it,
which could not come from a better hand. & p. 81,
"I have had," fays he, (65) "a MSS. 82.
copy which was fent me from a very good (65) ib.
"and authentick hand, who declares that he P. 76.
66
E
"had
vitiana
Hift. Rot.
t.47.p.2.

50
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
"had feen and read the original of a Latin
"letter from Calvin to Farel of the year
"1546, wherein the following words are to
"be read, Servetus nuper ad me fcripfit, et
"literis adjunxit magnum volumen fuorum deli-
66
riorum cum Thrafonica jactantia, me ftupenda
"et hactenus inaudita viforum. Si mihi placeat,
"buc fe venturum recipit, fed nolo fidem meam
"interponere; nam fi venerit, modo valeat mea
"authoritas, vivum exire nunquam patiar."
What a great noife about this letter! Mr.
d'Artigny fays, "That notwithſtanding the
"formal teſtimony of Bolfec and Grotius,
"who have faid, that they have ſeen this
"letter, fome proteftant hiftorians have not
"failed to deny that it exifts; without doubt,
"becauſe it does not contribute a great deal
"to Calvin's honour." I don't know who
thefe hiftorians are, the abbot fpeaks of, and
we are going to fee that this letter is in no
fhape to Calvin's difhonour. The author of
the extracts of the hiftory of Servetus upon
(66) Bibl. the article of thefe letters, fays, (66) "I fhall
Raif. ubi. not make any remark upon thefe witneffes
fupra p. « being fufpected; perhaps I might with little
377, 378. << trouble, prove it upon Bolfec; and the
"refpect I have for the memory of Grotius,
"fhould never hinder me to afk, with Mr.
"Alwoerden, Why did not the remonftrants
caufe all thefe MSS. letters to be printed,
"" which would have done fo much harm to
* Calvin and Calvinifm? why did not they
66
at leaft print two or three bundles of them,
"if they had of them actually four volumes
"compleat?" Here this able man is miſtaken;
Uytenbegaert does not fay, that all theſe four
volumes were Calvin's letters; he only afferts
that

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
51
66
that there was amongst them fome of this
reformer's; as for what follows, I willingly
adopt what this learned Journaliſt adds; " I
"frankly own, that it appears very probable
"to me, that Calvin did write what is im-
puted to him: If he was in good earneſt
"convinced, that his confcience obliged him
"to punish hereticks with death, might he
"not believe, that he was under an obligation
"to profecute Servetus criminally, if he fhould
"take it in his head to come to Geneva? and
"if he believed, that he was under fuch an
"obligation, is there any thing furprifing,
"that he fhould tell it in confidence to his
<< intimate friends? and does not fuch a con-
"fidence teftify the uprightnefs of his inten-
"tion, and the purity of his aim? had he
"been actuated by a principle of worldly
<hatred, and black revenge, can any one
"believe, that he would have been ſo ſtupid
66
as to have owned it to two perfons of this
"character? people may fay, if they pleaſe,
"that his zeal was blind; I fhall not fay but
"it was; but to conclude, theſe two letters
"about which fo much noife has been made,
"inconteftably prove, that he was actuated
"by zeal only, and not by any perfonal
"refentment." Here is an evident proof of
the fentiments which the Journaliſt afcribes to
Calvin, in that which he faid, that he could
not bring himself under any obligation if he
accepted the offer which Servetus made him,
to come and vifit him; which does him
honour. If Calvin had wanted to revenge
himself, he might very eafily have drawn
Servetus into the fnare, and deftroyed him.
He had no occafion to violate a fafe conduct,
E 2
as

52
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
this Spanish heretick (K). But we
may fee in the remarks, that all
this
as certain councils have done; and which Mr.
d'Artigny very well knows, an answer fome-
what equivocal, would have done the bufi-
nefs, and Calvin might have juftified himſelf
by examples fufficiently illuftrious. I wiſh
that moderate people were not forced to
awaken certain facts, by throwing out reflec-
tions, to which they can't be ignorant, that
there are anſwers abundantly mortifying, for
thoſe who draw them upon them.
(K) Cardinal de Tournon to perfecute this
Spanish heretick.] It does not appear to me
that Mr. d'Artigny, or Mr. de la Roche have
given any credit to this fable; But Mr. d'Al-
woerden adopts it, and he has been folidly
refuted by the Journalist cited in the preceding
remark; he obferves, (67) That Bolfec relates
it in a manner which fhews the little credit
that ought to be given to it. See what he is
(68) vit. made to fay in Latin; (68) " Nam omnes
"poftea modos perveftigarit Calvinus quibus
"homini nocere, necemque procurare poffet,
(67) ib.
P. 379.
Calv. c.
3. p. 8.
apud eun.
66
et fcripfit idcirco ad reverendum Dominum
"Cardinalem Turnoneum, eo ipfo tempore
"Regis Galliæ vices gerentem, Servetum de
"hærefi accufans, unde Cardinalis in rifum
"vehementer folutus, Hæreticus aiebat hic
"hæreticum accufat. From that time Calvin
"tried all forts of ways to hurt Servetus, and
"bring him to death; with this view he
"wrote to the Rev. Cardinal de Tournon,
"who was then vice-roy or regent of France,
66
bi accufing

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
53
this is either doubtful or falfe;
Servetus always very headstrong
in
"accufing Servetus of herefy, which made
"the Cardinal fay, burfting out in laughter,
"Behold one heretick wants to accufe ano-
<<ther." Behold a ftory, the fimple reading
of which expofes its falfehood! 1. Cardinal de
Tournon never was either vice-roy or regent
of France. 2. Francis I. being dead in the
month of March, 1547, and the perfecution
becoming general, in the beginning of Henry
IId's reign, it behoved to be only under this
laft, that Calvin imagined he could ftir up the
court againſt Servetus; and then, it was not
to the Cardinal de Tournon he was to apply;
he was difmiffed from all employments in
the beginning of this reign, and Cardinal
Lorrain became all-powerful at court: it was
to him that Calvin ought to have written, if
he wrote to any one, to do Servetus a mif-
chief in good earneft. 3. Cardinal Tournon
was always an implacable enemy of the re-
formed: fee his picture drawn by a catholick
hand: (69) All hiftorians agree in repre- (69) Vid.
"fenting Cardinal Tournon to us, as the d'Artig
"fcourge of herefy. He caufed the fevereſt
"edicts to be publiſhed againſt the innovators. 115. not.
"He eftablished at Paris a fiery court, (b)
(chambre ardente,) which was properly
an inquifition, and ordered all the tribu-
"nals of the kingdom to profecute the new
errors as crimes againſt the ſtate. The
fury of his zeal tranfported him fo far,
that he caufed all the hereticks to be
"burned, who had the misfortune to fall into
"his
.
CC
E 3
66
loc. cit.
P. 114.

54
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
in this fentiments, began a third
work againſt the Trinity, and
hod
other
"his hands." Behold the man they want to
make a correfpondent of Calvin by letters!
Whatever wickedness they would load him
with, they muft fuppofe him a perfect block-
head, to attempt fuch a correfpondence by
a criminal accufation of his enemy; as it would
appear by the loud fits of laughter they make
the Cardinal fall into, upon receiving this
letter. "I would fain know," adds the Jour-
nalift," if ever Calvin paffed for a fool."
4. But fuppofing that this reformer had been
capable of fuch extravagant folly, how can
we imagine that the Cardinal, "this fcourge
"of herefy," would have fatisfied himfelf
with laughing at this affair? that he made
himſelf merry with the accufer, needs not fur-
prife us, but that he neglected to profecute
fuch a heretick as Servetus, we can't fo eafily
be perfuaded of. 5. Thus Calvin himſelf
gives no other reafon in anfwer to the calumny
we are refuting, as we fhall fee by his own
words; that the calumny came originally
from Servetus, and that Bolfec knew nothing
of the matter, but from uncertain reports.
"I have no occafion," fays Calvin, (70) " to
54. edit. " infift longer to anfwer fuch a frivolous
in 8vo. calumny, which falls to the ground, when
"I fhall have faid in one word, that there is
"nothing in it. It is four years fince Servetus
(70) De-
claration
&c. p. 53,
and in the
Opufc.
in Lat. p.
m. 517.
66
..
forged this fable upon me, and made the
"report travel from Venice to Padua, where
"they made ufe of it according to their
fancy; I don't difpute, however, if it was
66
2
66
" by

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
55
other tenets of Chriftianity; which
coft him four years labour, and
then
CC
by deliberate malice he had forged fuch lies
to bring the hatred of many upon me, or
"whether fear made him fufpicious; only I
"demand how it could happen, that fince
"the time I difcovered him, he has lived
"three years in the fight of his enemies,
"without being difquieted, or ſpeaking one
"word about it to him; certainly either thofe
who complain of me muft confefs, that it
has been falfely invented, or, that their
"martyr Servetus, has had more favour
"from the papifts than I: if this had been
"objected to me with juftice, and that I had
"publiſhed it in order to have him puniſhed
"by any perfon whatſoever, I would not have
"denied it, and I don't think it could have
"turned to my difhonour." This I am con-
fident is fufficient to fatisfy reaſonable men;
above all, if we add to it what Calvin had
faid immediately before the paffage, I have
cited: "A report flies about, that I had
"endeavoured to have had Servetus appre-
"hended in a popish country, viz, at Vienne;
CC
upon which a great many fay, that I have
not behaved difcreetly, in expofing him to
"the mortal enemies of the faith, as if I had
"thrown him in the jaws of wolves; but I
66
pray you, from whence comes fo fuddenly
"this private dealing with the Pope's fatel-
"lites? It is very credible, indeed, that we
"fhould correfpond together by letters, and
that thofe who agree with me, as well
E 4
66 as

56
LIFE OF SERVETUS.I
then fent it in MSS. to a German,
called Marinus, one of his friends,
to cauſe it to be printed at Bafil;
whether the bookfellers of this
city durft not take it upon them,
or for other reafons, we know
nothing of, this project did not
fucceed: Marinus fent back his
send book,
66
"as Belial, agrees with Jefus Chrift, fhould
"enter into a plot with fuch a mortal enemy
as with their own companion." The Jour-
nalift who has fet himfelf to refute this idle
tale, is juftly furpriſed that Mr. d'Alwoerden
has paid fo much deference to this pretended
letter of Calvin's to Cardinal Tournon, fo
much the rather as the author of the dia-
(71) Apud logues inter Vaticanum et Calvinum," (71)
Clytab. talks of it as a very uncertain, thing. There
K. RI. are fome who ſay that Calvin wrote him.
Hift. p.2. felf to Cardinal Tournon plainly to this
P. 76.
6
purpoſe, If you are as zealous for reli-
gion as you pretend, you would not fuffer,
that Servetus who is amongft, &c. The
queftion here is only about a hearfay.' The
writer did not know that the fenfe of the
letter and the &c. marks a fufpenfion of the
meaning, the affectation of which demon-
ftrates, that they did not know very well
what the letter contained; but if it had
exifted and been fhewn to any perfon who
wanted to fee it, as Bolfec infinuates, how
has it happened that none of Calvin's enemies
5
ever

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
57
book, acquainting him, that he
was furely not ignorant why he
could not print it at Bafil at that
time. Not being able to fucceed
there, Servetus chufed to intruft
it with Balthazat Arnollet, book-
feller at Vienne in Dauphine, and
William Gueroult Arnollet's bro-
ther-in-law and director of his
printing-prefs. He gained them
by arguments and promifes, and
the work appeared in the begin-
ning of 1553, under the title of
Chriftianifmi Reftitutio (L). This
work
ever took a copy of it, and that it never has
been exactly known what were the words of
the original?
(L) The beginning of 1553 under the title
of Chriftianifmi Reftitutio.] Servetus, in order
to gain Arnollet and his brother-in-law, "Let
"them know," fays Mr. d'Artigny, (72) (72) ubi
"That, although his book was against Calvin, fupr. p.
"Melanchton, and other hereticks, he had 7
46
very ftrong reafons which would not allow
"him to put his name to it, nor the name of
"the city, nor of the printer; he added, to
"make them undertake it, That the impreffion
"fhould be at his own expence; that he
"fhould correct the proofs himself, and
promifed a gratuity to each of them of a
66
" hundred
74-

58
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
work was printed fo fecretly, that
not one perfon in Vienne had the
on leaft
"hundred crowns; a confiderable fum for
"that time." It appears by the anfwers of
the compofitors who were employed in this
book, that the printing of it was finished
(73) ibid. January 3, 1553 (73). The title of it, as
p. 117. Meff. de la Roche and d'Artigny have given it,
is, Chriftianifmi Reftitutio, h. e. totius ecclefie
apoftolicae ad fua limina vocatio, in integrum
reftituta, cognitione Dei, fidei chriftiana, jufti-
ficationis noftra, regenerationis, baptifmi, et
cane Domini manducationis. Reftituto denique
regno cælefti, Babylonis impia captivitate foluta,
et anti-Chrifto penitus cum fuis penitus deftructo.
MD LIII. Mr. Shelborn gives it with fome
(74) Am. difference (74); inftead of fidei chriftianae, he
Liter. t. reads fidei Chrifti; and after the title, fo as it
2. p. 352. is above, he adds, n
2
ἣν καὶ ἐγένετο πόλεμος ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ MDLIII, and
at the end of the book, M. S. V. 1553. Thefe
initial letters certainly defign the name of the
author, Michael Servetus Villanovanus. It is in
8vo. of 734 pages; fome fay there were eight
hundred copies caft off, and others raiſe the
(number to a thouſand. This book is excef-
66
fively rare, ipfa raritate major," fays Mr.
Shelborn. Mr. de Hafe, a Bremen divine,
affirms, That he never faw any perfon who
could fay that they had feen it in print,
except Sandius, who affirmed, That it was
in the library of the Landgrave of Heffe.
Mr. d'Artigny fays, "That the copies are
"become fo rare, that there is fcarcely four
66 or

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
159
leaft knowledge of it. Servetus
caufed all the copies of it to be
cob
tranf-
"or five known in the world," but he does
not tell us where thofe four or five are to be
found. Let us not forget the curious note
which he adds (75): "I have feen," fays he, (75)d'Ar-
"in Mr. Dufay's library, a piece of this book tig. loc.
"in MSS. it was a fmall quarto, about a
"finger thick, containing about 200 pages,
"written by the hand of Cælius Horatius
"Curio: fee the note at the head of this
66
6
6
8
C
copy of Mr. Dufay." Forfan ipfius
auctoris autographus codex hic MS. qui fuit
perlecebris Bibliopola Baptienfis, Coelii Ho-
<ratii Curionis. Videtur prima conceptio
(GALLICE L'ESQUISSE, a sketch) libri valde fa-
migerati, Michaelis Serveti, a Johanne Cal-
vino, cum ipfo Serveto combufti, cui titulus
Chriftianifmi Reftitutio, hoc eft, totius ec-
clefiæ apoftolicæ ad fua limina vocatio, &c.
typis Mandati. anno. 1553. Vinnæ Allobro-
gum. in 8vo. pag. 734, cujus exemplar
unicum, quod in Bibliotheca principis
Heffiæ quæ eft Caffelis, affervabatur, quæ-
⚫renti et perfcrutanti curiofo admodum prin-
cipi Eugenio a Sabandia, cum ab aliquot
annis pertranfiret Caffellas, pactare non
potuit, ipfo Landgravio comite et inquirente
adeo ut de jactura illius libri unici nullus
fit dubitandi locus. vid. Biblioth. Fayanæ.
p. 98. As every thing is interefting con-
cerning rare books, I fhall add here, what we
find in Bibliotheca exquifitiffima, part. 2. p.
209. no. 4514, which was fold at the Hague,
in
cit. p.75.

60
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
tranfported to Lyons, a part of
them was entrusted with Peter
Merrin
C
C
in 1732. By Adrian Moetyens, bookfeller.
Codex præclarus, et rariffimus nitide manu-
fcriptus in charta continet, auctoris ignoti
Mar delineatio Chriftianæ Theologiæ a pag. 1. ad.
64. Michaelis Serveti Reftitutio Chriftianifmi,
a pag. 65. ad 356. Ejufdem de Trinitate
divina, dialogi duo inter Michaelem et Pe-
trum; primus agit de legis umbris et Chrifti
complemento, angelorum animarum et in-
ferni fubftantia: fecundus modum genera-
tionis Chrifti docens quod ipfe non fit crea-
tura, nec finitæ potentiæ, fed vere adoran-
dus verufque Deus a pag. 357 ad. 480.
Idem de fide et juftitia regni Chrifti legis
juftitiam fuperantis et de charitate a pag. 481.
ad 584. ejufdem Serveti de generatione
fuperna et regno anti-Chrifti, libri IV. a pag.
585. ad 940. ejufdem epiftolæ XXX. ad
Joan. Calvinum Gebennenfium conciona-
torem a pag. 941. ad 1079. Ejufdem Serveti
figna fexaginta regni anti-Chrifti, et reve-
latio ejus jam nunc præfens a pag. 1079. ad
1089. idem de myfterio Trinitatis, et vete-
* rum difciplina ad Philippum Melanchtonem,
et ejus collegas. Item hiftoria de morte
truculenta Michael Serveti Hifpani ex
inftinctu Johannis Calvini Genévæ combufti,
anno Servatoris 1553, 27 Octobris a pag.
1090. ad finem, 4 voluminibus in folio.
He who has drawn up this advertiſement
otherwife exact, appears not to have known,
that except the first and the laft piece, all the
C
6
6
6
6
reft

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
61
Merrin Cafter of Types, expecting
fome opportunity of fending them
to
reft belong only to that work of Servetus,
called Chriftianifmi Reftitutio. The fame is
found in two vols. quarto, in the Bibliotheca
Sele&tiffima, which was fold at Amfterdam
in the month of November, 1743, by the
bookfeller Peter Mortier. The Delineatio
Chriftiana Theologia which is afcribed to
Joachim Stegmann, a famous Socinian; it is
alledged that it was afcribed to him by Samuel
Crellius; this is not exactly true: I have in
my hands the work of Servetus in MS. in a
large vol. in quarto, which was generously
communicated to me by the famous Doctor
Tronchin: at the head of the volume we find
likewife, Chriftiana Theologia Delineatio, on
which there is the following note written by
Crellius's own hand, "Num Joachimo Steg-
66
manno, num vero alteri alicui Unitario fit
"adfcribenda non fum certus; defcripta eft
manu foceri mei Johannis Precuffii, ecclefiæ
"Unitariorum in Polonia et poftea in exilio
66
miniftri, partim filii ejus eidem cogno-
"minis." We find after this Servetus's
work, Chriftianifmi Reftitutio, written from a
printed copy, the title is exactly the fame as
Shelborn had given it, with the Hebrew and
Greek words before the date of the year: at
the end likewife, we find the initial letters
of the author's name, M. S. V. and the
date 1553: after the work we have a picture
of Servetus in copper-plate, done at Am-
fterdam in 1607, by Chriftopher van Suhim,
engraver:

62
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
to Italy; John Frellon took upon
him to fend the reft of them to
Franc-
engraver; with a kind of abridgement of
Servetus's life in Dutch: after this follows
an account of his death, then follows a piece
in the Poliſh language, if I am not miftaken,
and a letter which has for a title, De Fuga Per-
fecutionis, being a mixture of Latin and Polish:
on the margin we read, "Epiftola cujufdam
"Unitarii ad amicum, varias continens rati-
CC
ones cur Jonas Schlichtingius ob libros
"editos, ad comitia regni citatos, non debeat
26
comparere." By the detail I have made,
we fee that this volume is moft curious, a kind
of engraved vignetto which they have fixed
upon the firft leaf of it, fhews that the MS.
has belonged to the famous library of Mr.
d'Uffemback, and a note of Crellius's upon
the works of Servetus, which follows that
which we have related above, is as follows,
"Chriftianifmi Reftitutio fubjuncta, defcripta
"eft partim a modo dicto focero meo Preuffio,
"partim a Jeremia Felbingero, partim ab
"ignoto mihi homine. In media parte libri
66
a pag. 367. ad. 840. incl. manus eft Filbin-
"geri; pag. 841, ufque ad 869. item pag.
"873, ufque ad pag. 920, eft manus ignoti.
"Primam partem libri et reliqua omnia focer
64
meus defcripfit. Ufi autem funt defcrip-
tores ifti codice Serveti typis impreffo,
quem Daniel Marcus Szent-Ivani, alumnus
"ecclefiæ Unitaria Tranfilvanicæ, poftea ple-
"baneis ecclefiæ Claudopolitanæ et epifcopus
"reliquarum per Tranfilvaniam ecclefiarum in
" Anglia

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
63
Francfort.
This book feller was
the common friend of Calvin and
Servetus,
"Anglia nefcio, ubi et quomodo nactus,
66
66
cum per Marchiam Brandeburgicam re-
mearet in patriam, (quod inter annum
"1660 et 1670, occidiffe collego) cum
"Preuffio communicaverat, hæc adfcripfi in
"gratiam ampliffimi et excellentiffimi de-
"mini poffefforis. Berolini die 3 Augufti,
66 1720.
TION
"Samuel Crellius.
66
Joannis Crellii Franci Nepos."
Mr. de la Roche who had read a MS. copy
of Servetus's work, has given publick notice
of it, (76) which has been followed by F. (76) Bibl.
Niceron, and Mr. d'Artigny: thefe who fhall Angl. t.z.
have no opportunity of feeing this book, will P. 97, 98.
not be ill-pleaſed to know the contents of it a
little more particularly. The Chriftianifmi
Reftitutio is compofed of fix parts. The firft is
intituled, De Trinitate Divina, quod in eo non
fit invifibilium trium rerum illufio. Sed vera fub-
ftantia Dei manifeftatio in Verbo et communicatio
in Spiritu. Libri feptem. The titles of the
feven books are as follows: De homine Jefu
Chrifti et Simulachris falfis. Liber primus. Let
us give the beginning of Servetus's book,
which contains partly the plan of this firſt
book. "Librum narrationis filii Dei, inftar
66
primæ apoftolorum prædicationis, a noti-
"oribus inchoabo ab iis, quæ cordati cuique
fint manifefta, et omnibus publice prædi-
cata, ut hæc noftra via facile principium
66
" habeat.

64
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
Servetus, and it was through his
hands the feveral pieces paffed:
they
"habeat. Ipfe Homo Jefu eft oftium et via,
66
a quo et merito exordium fumam, tum quia
"de ipfo nunc agetur, tum ut fophiftas repri-
66
mam, qui ad verbi cognitionem fine hoc
"fundamento afcendentes, in alium filium
"traducuntur, et verum filium Dei oblivioni
"tradunt. Quibus ego ad memoriam, quis
"fit ille verus filius reducere curabo. Pro-
"nomine ad fenfum demonftrante ipfum
" hominem verberibus cæfum et flagellatum
" concedam hæc tria fimpliciter vera effe.
"Primo hic eft Jefus Chriftus, fecundo hic eft
"filius Dei. Tertio hic eft Deus." After
having laid down theſe three propofitions, or
maxims, as he calls them, he answers the
three arguments of the Pharifees: explains
two texts, that of 1 John v. 7. and Matth.
xxviii. 19. and anfwers the reafons which are
alledged to prove the Trinity, and at laft im-
pugns this tenet, by metaphyfical arguments,
by paffages of Scripture, and fome other
reaſons. "De Trinitate divina liber fecun-
"dus, quorundam locorum expofitionem
" continens." The twenty texts which Ser-
vetus explains in this fecond book, are thefe
following: John i. 1. 1 Coloff. i. 15. Pf. ii. 7.
Gen. xlix. 10. Pf. xcv. 7. (according to the
vulg. xciv. 8) Pf. cx. 1. (vulg. cix.) Pf.
cx. 3. Ifa. vii. 14. Joh. iii. 13. Coloff. ii. 9.
Joh. xiv. 11. and viii. 58. and i. 15. Pet.
iii. 18. 20. After this he collects together all
the paffages where it is faid that God has
created

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
65
which they had written againſt
one another; it is alledged, (n) (n) ib. p.
vitev
that 78.
created all things by Jefus Chrift, Joh. x. 18.
After that he explains in what fenfe Jefus
Chrift in different places is called the Wif-
don, the Power of God, the Brightness of
his Glory, Gen. xix. 24. Hebr. ii. 16. " De
"Trinitate divina liber tertius, perfonæ
"Chrifti in Verbo præfigurationem oftendens,
"vifionem Dei et Verbi hypoftafim liber
" quartus. Nomina Dei ejufque effentiam
" omniformem manifeftans, et rerum omnium
"principia, liber quintus: in quo agitur de
"Spiritu Sancto." Then follow two dia-
logues, which make the fixth and feventh
book "Primus agit de Legis umbris et
"Chrifti complemento, angelorum, ani-
morum, et inferni fubftantia. Dialogus
"fecundus, modum generationis Chrifti do-
❝cens, quod ipfe non fit creatura, nec finitæ
potentiæ, fed vere adorandus verufque
"Deus." The fecond treatife of this work
of Servetus is entituled: De Fide et Juftitia
Regni Chrifti, Legis Juftitiam fuperantis, et de
Charitate libri tres. Liber primus de Fide et
Juftitia Regni Chrifti, in four chapters. cap. 1.
de Fide. cap. 2. de Fidei Effentia. cap. 3. de
Juftificatione. cap. 4. de Regno Chrifti. Liber
fecundus de Legis et Evangelii ac Judæi et Chrif-
tiani Differentia, in three chapters. cap. 1.
Quod Judæum excellat Chriftianus. cap. 2. Quod
in Lege fuerit fuftitia carnis, cum in Evangelio
fit Juftitia Spiritus. cap. 3. Quod in lege fuerit
Juftitia factorum, cum in Evangelio fit Justitia
F
Fidei

66
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
A
that by his means, he first got a
copy of this new work of Ser-
lood and to, rodius ads 2wvetus:
Fidei liber tertius, de Charitate cum Fide collata
et Operis Bonis in five parts. cap. 1. de Mer-
cede et Gloria Differentia. cap. 2. de Charitatis
illuftribus epithetis. cap. 3. Quid Fides efficiat,
Quid Charitas, et Opera. cap. 4. de Factorum
origine et efficacia. cap. 5. de Charitatis et
Fidei Collatione ipfiufque Charitatis Excellentia.
The third treatife is entituled, De Regenera-
tione fuperna et de Regno anti Chrifti libri qua-
tuor; de Orbis perditione et Chrifti reparatione
liber primus, in two parts. Pars prima, de
Orbis perditione et Chrifti reparatione. Pars
fecunda de Cælefti, Terreftri et infernali Satana,
et anti-Chrifti poteftate, et de noftra vittoria, liber
fecundus; pars prima, de Circumcifione vera,
cum reliquis Chrifti et anti-Chrifti myfteriis
omnibus jam completis. Pars fecunda, de anti-
Chrifti myfteriis omnibus jam completis. Liber
tertius, de minifteriis ecclefia Chrifti et eorum
efficacia, de Baptifmi efficacia, de Cana Domini.
Liber quartus, de Ordine Myfteriorum Regene-
rationis, de Catechifmo. De impofitione Manuum.
In the fourth part, we have thirty letters from
Servetus to Calvin. Epift. 1. de Chrifti filia-
tione. Ep. 2. de generatione Chrifti ex Dei
fubftantia, et an Deitas Chrifti dicatur Filius.
Ep. 3. de Chrifti æterna generatione digne tem-
poraria. Ep. 4. 8. de natura angelorum et
demonum, an babeant corpora, et de Gigantibus,
Genef. 6. Ep. 9. 20. de fide juftificante. Ep.
21. 30. de Natura et Potentia Fidei, et an poffit
amitti. The fifth piece of this work is the
0982
Signe

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
67
(o)
that (0) Le
Roche
Angl. t.
vetus: others only fay,
Calvin having learned that Ser- Bibl.
vetus was the author of this book, 2. p. 102.
and that he found means to get a
copy of it. Mr. d'Alwoerden is
filent as to the manner how this
ad work
Signa fexaginta regni anti-Chrifti et Revelatio
ejus jam nunc præfens. Laft of all, there is
de Myfterio Trinitatis et veterum difciplina ad
Philippum Melanchtonem et ejus collegas. Such
are the contents of Servetus's work, of which
I have a fplendid copy before me, (befides the
one communicated to me by Mr. Trenchin)
taken from the copy made from the very
original of Szent-Ivani, and where the pages
of the printed copy are exactly marked in the
margin. From a note of Samuel Crellius
found here, amongſt other remarks, I learn,
that he had made a prefent of that MS. now
in the poffeffion of Mr. Trenchin, to Mr.
Andrew Erafmus Scidel, Counſellor to his
Pruffian Majefty, after whofe death it was
purchaſed by Mr. de la Croze, who gave it
in a prefent to Mr. John Chriftopher Wolf,
of Hamburgh, by whom it was conveyed to
Mr. Uffemback's library, which being fold at
Francfort after the profeffor's death, Peter de
Hondt the bookfeller caufed the MS. to be
purchaſed, where Crellius had feen and
owned it, and from thence it came into Mr.
Trenchin's poffeffion. With refpect to the
printed original from whence thefe copies are
F 2
taken,

68
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
work fell into Calvin's hands; but
he affures us, that Calvin, who
found out by fecret means what-
ever concerned Servetus, knew
immediately that Servetus was the
author of this book. May not all
thefe
taken, there is fome probability that it has
fallen into the hands of the Jefuits, who per-
haps could give fome account of it; this at
leaft is what Mr. Crellius means in a note:
"Poftea Amftelodami, Ann. 1735, a clarif-
"fimo Stephano Agh, ecclefiæ Unitariorum
"Tranfylvanorum, tunc alumno ftudiofo
66
nunc profeffore gymnafii eorum Claudipoli-
"tani, percepti, opus illud typis impreffum
"Servetianum, jam inter Unitarios Tranfyl-
"vanos non reperiri. Nam eum eis, occu
66
pata a Leopoldo imperatore Tranfylvania,
"utrumque templum Claudiopoli a Romano-
"Catholicis adimiretur, imminente hoc peri-
«culo improvide fecuri, neglexerunt Bibli-
"othecam fuam e templo majore, ubi collo-
"cata fuerit, mature fubducere, quæ proinde
sa Jefuitis occupata fuit." (We fee in a
catalogue of Mr. de Boze's books, p. 40.
this work of Servetus, if not the only copy,
at leaft a very curious one; a fingularity
which ftruck me, is, that it is dated 1559,
whereas the book had been printed in 1553:
perhaps after Servetus's death, they put a new
title to fome copies which had efcaped de-
ftruction.) I flatter myfelf that thefe parti-
culars

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
69
thefe variations make us fufpect
that thefe gentlemen hazard their
conjectures only to bring Calvin
in the play? This is not all; the
hiftorians of Servetus pretend that
Calvin, by the affiftance of a
profelyte of his at Geneva, called
William Frie, found means to
arreft Servetus at Vienne : but it
is not difficult to prove, that there
is a great deal of paffion in every
thing that has been publiſhed on
this fubject, and many things are
advanced without proofs (M). Be
that
culars will not difpleafe the curious. I fhall
fay nothing here of Servetus's opinions, be-
cauſe I fhall have occafion to fay fomething of
them afterwards; and if my time allows me,
I fhall make them known more fully than
hitherto has been done.
(M) And many things are advanced without
proofs.] I have already obferved in the text,
that the hiftorians of Servetus don't agree
amongst themſelves: as to the manner in
which Calvin was concerned in the arrefting
this phyfician, let us firft give their different
accounts, and then make our obfervations
upon them.
Mr. de la Roche fays, (77) (77) ibid.
Although the Chriftianifmi Reftitutio had
F 3
"been
p. 102.

76
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
that as it will, William Trie of
Lyons, who had embraced the
reformed
"been printed very fecretly, Calvin under-
"ftood that Servetus was the author, and
"found means to get a copy of it.After
"which he caufed a letter to be written to
"Lyons, by one William Trie, in the month
" of March, 1553, in which Servetus was
"reprefented as extremely pernicious. This
"letter was accompanied with the title, the
"index and the firft fheets of his book.
66
Ser-
vetus complained of this at Geneva, during
"his trial, and faid that Calvin had fent
thefe letters to Lyons, that he might be
"arrefted and purfued as a heretick. About
"fifteen days thereafter, Calvin by the fame
"perfon fent to France, more than twenty
"Latin letters, which he had received from
"Servetus, that he might the more eaſily be
"convicted of herefy: There is mention
"made of theſe letters in the fentence, that
"was pronounced against him at Vienne."
(78) Apud Let us fubjoin Mr. Alewoerde's account (78):
Bib. Raif. « Servetus very foon furniſhed Calvin with
"that favourable opportunity, the latter was
"feeking to attack him more dangerously;
"for, in the beginning of the year 1553,
"he publiſhed at Vienne, a very pernicious
"book. It is true that this book was pub
❝lifhed under a feigned name, fince he there
mes calls himfelf Villaneuve: but Calvin who
t. I. p.
383, 384.
** detected what regarded Servetus by fecret
" means, immediately knew that Servetus
" was the author of this book. Serving him-
felf

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
74-
reformed religion and lived at Geff
neva, bkept a correfpondence by
letters,
bootar
"felf for that end, of a certain Lyonnefe,
"called William Trie, who lived in Geneva;
"he made Servetus's name publick, and that
"fo effectually, that he was put in prifon.
"That thefe things paffed in this manner,
" and that Calvin was the fole caufe of Ser-
"vetus's impriſonment, befides what I have
"already faid of the hatred he bore him, a
CL
great many other things put it beyond all
"doubt: First, the acts of the proceſs itſelf,
" and the fentence pronounced against him
"by the judges of Vienne, evidently prove
"it. Add to that, Servetus relates this very
"thing, which is contained in theſe pieces.
"Jerom Bolfec confirms it likewife. All this
" is confirmed, and clearly explained by the
"dialogues between Vaticanus and Calvin,
"which were publiſhed against Calvin's trea-
"tife, de puniendis Hereticis. From whence it
"appears likewife, that William Trie lived
"then at Geneva: befides, the magiftrates of
"Vienne teftified the fame thing, by the
"meffenger who came from the Genevefe to
"them; that is, that Servetus had been put
"in prifon at the inftigation of the chief
"minifter, which could mean no body elſe
"but Calvin." Mr. d'Artigny has, if pof-
fible, improved upon the reft (79); but we (79) Nov.
are obliged to him for publiſhing thefe pieces, Mem. de
which ferve to confute himfelf and them Critic. t.
likewife, after having faid that Frellon fur- 2. p. 78,
nifhed Calvin with a copy of Servetus's book, 79.
he
Hift. de

72
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
letters, with one of his relations
called Anthony Arney, eftabliſhed
at
he adds, "That Calvin was extremely
"fhocked at the difdainful manner with
" which he spoke of his perfon and works;
"but joy foon fucceeded this refentment,
"when he found that Servetus himfelf gave
" him an opportunity to deftroy him, which
" he had long fought after. There was then
"at Geneva one William Trie, born at
"Lyons, lately become a profelyte to the
"pretended reformed religion. He kept a
correfpondence by letters with one of his
"relations called Anthony Arney, fettled at
Lyons, who inceffantly exhorted him to
66
66
return to the bofom of the Romish church.
"Trie communicated Arney's letters to
"Calvin, who dictated the answers to them.
"It was by the help of this man that he
"wanted to fatiate his revenge: he made
" him write a letter to his relation, in the
"month of February, &c." At the end of
this ſtory comes William Trie's first letter,
which Mr. d'Artigny intitles, as he does the
reft of them, "Calvin's letter under the
name of William Trie." He gives them
from the original, and we are obliged to in-
fert them here, becauſe they will furnish us
with proofs againſt the hiftorians of Servetus,
Here is the firft:
"Sir, my Coufin,
"I thank you heartily for fo many fine
*remonftrances you have made, and don't
" doubt

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
73
at Lyons. This laft was conti-
nually exhorting him to re-enter
into
" doubt but you have acted from friendſhip,
"by endeavouring to bring me back to the
place I have departed from; fo much the
66
more as I am not acquainted with letters as
"you are, I fhall, however, do my best to
"fatisfy you as to the points and articles
"which you alledge: God has given me,
"however, fo much knowledge that I have
"fomething to answer. For God be praiſed,
"I am not fo ill-founded as not to know,
"that the Church hath Jefus Chrift for its
"Head, from which it never can be fepa-
"rated; and that it hath otherwife neither
"life nor falvation; and that above all, it
cannot exist but in God's Truth, which is
"contained in the Holy Scripture: and
"therefore, whatever you advance about the
"Church, I look upon as a perfect phantom
"except Jefus Chrift prefides in it, as having
"full authority, and that the word of God
"reigns there as the foundation and the
"fubftance, without which all your formali
"ties go for nothing. I beg you will reflect
"upon the liberty I take with you, which is
"not only to defend my caufe, but to give
66
you an opportunity of thinking ferioufly by
"yourſelf. But to be fhort, I am aftonished
"how you dare reproach me amongſt other
things, with our having no ecclefiaftical
difcipline or order; and that our teachers
"have introduced a licentioufnefs, which
CC
66
throws every thing into confufion; and yet
66
ss at

74
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
into the bofom of the church of
Rome. Trie in anfwering him
February
asmosi
"at the fame time, I can obferve (bleffed be
"God) that vices are better corrected here
"than among all your officials. And as to
"the doctrine, and what concerns religion,
"although there is more liberty here than
66 amongſt you, nevertheleſs it is not permitted
"to blafpheme the name of God, or that
"doctrines or wicked opinions fhould be
"fown without being repreffed. To your
< great confufion I can give you one example,
"fince I am forced to mention it, which is,
"that with you they fupport a heretick, who
<deferves to be burnt wherever he is found;
"when I mention to you a heretick, I mean
one who ſhall be condemned by the papifts,
Co
•
as well as by us, at leaft he deferves to be
"fo: for albeit we may differ in opinion
"about many things, yet we are ftill agreed,
"that there are Three Perfons in one Effence
" of God; and that the Father hath begotten
"the Son, who is his Eternal Wifdom before
"all time, and that he hath had his Eternal
"Virtue, which is his Holy Spirit. But
"when a man fhall fay, that the Trinity
"which we maintain, is a Cerberus, an in-
"fernal Minifter; and difgorge all the villa-
"nies that poffibly can be thought of, againft
"what the Scripture teaches of the eternal
"Generation of the Son of God; and that
"the Holy Spirit is the Efficacy of the Fa-
"ther and the Son, and with open mouth
fhall make a mock of all which the antient
"doctors

LIFE OF SERVETUS. I
75
February 26, 1553, reproaches
him for fupporting amongſt the
Sunday
Roman
doctors have taught, I beg to know what
"efteem and regard you can have for him?
"I fay this to obviate all the replies you
"can make me, and that you don't deceit-
CC
66
66
fully hold that for an error which we main-
"tain to be fuch: for what I have faid you
"will not only acknowledge to be an error,
"but a deteftable herefy, which is fufficient
"to abolish chriftianity; I am obliged to
fpeak freely: What a fhame is it that thefe
are perfecuted to death, who fay, That we
5 must invoke One only God, in the name of
Jefus Chrift; That there is no other fatisfac-
tion but that which has been made in the
"Death and Paffion of Jefus Chrift; That
"there is no other purgatory but in his blood;
"That there is no other fervice agreeable to
"God but that which he commands and approves
"by his Word; That all pictures and images
counterfeited by men, are fo many idols which
profane bis Majefty; That we ought to keep
"the Sacraments after the ufage appointed by
Jefus Chrift? But to fee that they are not
" content with putting fuch people fimply to
"death, but that they fhould be cruelly
"burned. And yet behold him who fhall
call Jefus Chrift an idol; who fhall deſtroy
"all the foundations of faith; who fhall
gather together all the dreams of the
"ancient hereticks; who fhall even condemn
"the baptifm of little children, calling it a
diabolical invention; and yet he fhall have
ero Bob
"the

76
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
Roman catholicks, fuch a danger-
ous heretick as Servetus; and to
66
prove
"the vogue amongst you, and be ſupported
"as if he had committed no fault. Where
" is, I pray you, the zeal you pretend to?
"and where is the wifdom of this fine Hier-
"archy you magnify fo much? The man I
fpeak of to you, has been condemned in
"all the churches which you reprove. In the
mean time he is tolerated amongst you,
" even to the printing of his books; which
"are fo full of blafphemy, that I need not
fay any thing more of them. This man
"is a Portugueſe Spaniard, called Michael
"Servetus for his proper name, but at pre-
"fent he calls himfelf Villeneuve, practifing
66
66
66
phyfic. He has made fome ftay at Lyons;
"juft now he is at Vienne, where the book
"I have mentioned, has been printed by a
"certain perfon who has directed the prefs,
"called Balthazard Arnoulet; and that you
66
may not think I talk upon hearfay, I fend
"you the first fheet as a fpecimen. You fay,
"that fuch books as contain nothing elfe,
"but that, we must keep to the pure fimplicity
66
66
66
CC
of the Holy Scripture, poifon the world;
"and if they came from any other quarter,
you would not fuffer them; mean time
you fofter theſe poifons, which are enough
to annihilate the Holy Scripture, and every
"article of the chriftian religion you believe.
"I had almoft forgot myfelf by mentioning
"this example; for I have been four times
"longer than I thought, but the enormity
66
"of

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
77
prove to him what he advanced;
he fent him the title, index, and
the
"of the cafe has made me go beyond bounds;
" and for this reafon I fhall not be long upon
"other matters; as in truth I don't fee any
"great neceffity of anfwering you upon every
"article. Only I intreat you to enter a little
"further into your own confcience, that
CC
you may judge yourfelf; fo that when you
"must appears before the great Judge, you
"may not be condemned. For to fay all in-
"one word, we have no other aim, except
"to afk of God that he would hear us;
"wherefore making an end for the prefent,
"I fhall pray to God that he may give you
CC
ears to hear, and a heart to obey; that he
"may take you in the mean time into his
"holy keeping; recommending myſelf with
great fincerity, to your favour, and that of
my coufin, your brother. From Geneva,
"February the 26th."
66
This letter occafioned a profecutien againſt
Servetus; but, as they could not in the mean
while find fufficient matter to caufe him to be
arrefted, Arneys had orders to write to Trie
and defire him to fend the treatife of Chrifti-
anifmi Reftitutio entire; Ory the inquifitor
dictated the letter himfelf. i Calvin," fays
Mr. d'Artigny, (80) " charmed with finding (80) ub.
"that every thing fucceeded according to his fupr. p.
"defire, compofed an anfwer in his confi-92.
"dant's name, and fent other papers which
"were more than fufficient to convict Ville-
neuve: the two following letters charac-
" terife
66

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
the four firft fheets of Chrif
tianifmi Reftitutio. Arneys piqued
bas
to
"terife this pretended reformer to perfection,
"who with an external fhew of great modera-
66
tion, and an ardent zeal for religion, me-
"ditated nothing elfe but revenge for per-
"fonal injuries." We fee that Mr. d'Ar-
tigny is highly delighted with the evil he
believes he can fay of Calvin, and we hall
fee below, that he publiſhes it with as
much affurance as it is ill-founded; let us
proceed to the other two letters which we
can't fupprefs without doing an injury to
truth: here is the fecond.
66
66
b "Sir, my Coufin,
"When I wrote you the letter which
you communicated to thefe who were taxed
<< in it with cowardice, I did not think the
"matter would have gone fo far; my fole
<< intention was to remonftrate against the
"flaming zeal and devotion of thofe who
"call themfelves Pillars of the Church, while
"they fuffer fuch diforder amongst them,
"and mean while fo cruelly perfecute thefe
poor chriftians who defire to follow God in
CC
6C
fimplicity: and fince the example was fo
"notorious, and that I was advertifede of it,
"I thought it gave me a very natural occa-
"fion to mention it in my letters inothe
"manner I have done; but fince you have
"publiſhed what I only wrote you privately,"
"God grant for the beft, that it may tend to
66
purge chriftianity from fuch ordures; con->
fidering

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
79
no doubt, with his friend's re-
proaches, communicated the letter
and
"fidering what deadly plagues they are, if
"they are fo much inclined to be employed
"this way as you fay, the thing does not
"appear to me to be very different, although
"for the prefent you can't furnish them
"with that which you defire, viz. the printed
"book. But I fhall put into your hands
"more than enough to convict him, viz.
"two dozen of pieces written by the perfon
"in queftion, where a part of his herefies
"are contained; if he is confronted with
"the printed book he may deny it, that
" which he cannot do with his own hand-
CC
writing. And fo the people you mention,
"having the thing fully proved, can have
"no excufe if they diffemble or delay taking
❝ proper meaſures any longer. As for the
"reft, the large bock, as alfo the other
"treatife, written with the author's hand,
"are here; but I must confefs one thing to
you, that I had a great deal of trouble to
CC
66
get what I fent you out of Mr. Calvin's
"hands, not that he does not defire, that
"fuch execrable herefies fhould not be fup-
"preffed, but becauſe he thinks that as he
does not bear the fword of juftice, his duty
confifts rather in expofing herefies by
"doctrine, than perfecuting them by fuch
" means. But I have importuned him fo
"much, remonftrating to him the reproach
❝ of levity which I would certainly incur, if
" he did give me his affiftance:nat laft he
gitivolin
agreed

80
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
and the fheets which accompa-
nied it, to Matthew Ory inqui-
fitor,
Huge
66
.
"agreed to give me what you fee; befides
"this, I hope when the cauſe ſhall be in a
"better train, to recover in time about a
quire of that very paper which the gentle-
man has caufed to be printed. But for the
prefent I think you fufficiently furniſhed
"with good materials, and you will find no
difficulty of having more than enough for
"feizing his perfon, and commencing his
66
67
66
66
proceſs. As for myfelf, I pray God that he
"would open the eyes of thoſe who ſpeak fo
"wickedly, in order to learn to judge more
favourably of the inclination which moves
66
46 11S.
Us. As for that part of your letter wherein
"it appears, that you are not willing to
enter any further upon the fubject of our
"former correfpondence; I fhall endeavour
"likewife, not to give you any trouble on
"that head, hoping that God at laſt will
"make you fenfible, that I have not taken
"this ftep rafhly; recommending myself to
CC
ce
your favour, and praying God to keep you
"in his. Geneva, March the 26th." Let
us add to this, William Trie's third letter.
CC
"Sir, my Coufin,
"I hope that I fhall have fatisfied you in
part, as to what you have afked me,
"fending you the hand-writing of him who
"has compofed the book, and in the laft of
"theſe letters which you have received, you
" will find that he has confeffed his name,
4
" which

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
81
fitor, whom Cardinal de Tournon
archbishop and governor of Lyons,
had
"which he had difguifed, but he excufes
" himſelf in calling himself Villeneuve, fince
"that his name is Servetus, alias Reves,
"faying that he took his name from the city
"where he was born; befides if it pleafe
"God, I fhall keep my promife, that if
"there is any need for it, I fhall furnish you
"with theſe treatifes which he has caufed to be
"printed, and written with his own hand,
6c as well as the letters: I would have had a
"great deal of trouble in getting hold of
"them if they had been in this city, but
they have been at Lufanne theſe two years.
"If Mr. Calvin had had them, I believe of
"whatever confequence they were, he would
"have immediately remitted them to the
"author. But fince he has addreffed letters
"to others alfo, thefe have kept them. I
"have even heard formerly that the aforefaid
"gentleman (Calvin) having given anſwers
"fufficient to content any reaſonable man,
feeing that he could gain nothing in a work
"of this kind, he would not condefcend to read
any more upon the fubject; as it was already
"ftuffed with ftupid fancies and nonfenfe, while
"the other did nothing elfe but repeat always
"the fame fong: and that you may know
"that it is not juft now, that this unhappy
66
66
6C
man has fpared no pains to trouble the
"church, endeavouring to miſlead the igno-
'66 rant with himfelf; it is more than twenty
four years ago that they have turned him
G
66 out

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
had ordered to come from Rome
to watch over the hereticks; Ory
having examined the pieces in
queftion, with Benedict Buatier
Vicar General to the Cardinal;
they refolved to advertiſe this
prelate, who was then in his caftle
of Rouffilon, three leagues below
Vienne,
"out, and driven him from the principal
"churches in Germany, and if he had found
any place of reft, he would never have left
"it. Amongst the letters of Oecolampadius,
"the first and fecond are addreffed to him in
a title which very properly belongs to him,
"Serveto Hifpano neganti Chriftum effe Dei
filium, confubftantialem Patri: Melanchton
talks of him in fome paffages likewife,
"but I think that you have a very eaſy proof
"from what I have fent you, to proceed
farther, at leaft for a beginning. As to the
printer, I have not told you the marks
"whereby we underſtand that it was Bal-
"thazard Arnoullet and William Gueroult
"his brother-in-law; but there is fufficient
" proofs to confirm it, and indeed he cannot
"deny it; very poffibly this fhall be at the
"author's charge, and that he fhall take all
"the copies into his own hand, but you will
"find that the impreffion is come from the
"fhop that I have mentioned. As to what
"the meffenger defires to be diſpatched im-
mediately,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
Vienne, the inquifitor wrote the
12th of March to Mr. de Villars,
the Cardinal's auditor, that he
might give information to the
prelate; this laft conjunctly with
this Grand Vicar, and with Lewis
Arzellier, Grand Vicar of the Arch-
biſhop of Vienne, whom he had
ap-
"mediately, having delivered me your letters
CC
very late, for fear I fuppofe, that I fhould'
" anſwer you to the purpofe; wherefore I
"defire you will excufe my hurry. I believe
"I forgot to write to you, that after you
"fhall have ufed the letters, you will not
"fuffer them to be fcattered, that they may
"be returned to me: and here I fhall make
66
an end at prefent, always recommending
"myſelf to your kind favour, without for-
"getting my coufin your brother, being
"glad that God has bleffed him with an
"offspring as you write to me. May God
by his Holy Spirit direct you to do what
"is agreeable to him. From Geneva the
66
"laft of March."
After giving the originals themſelves, it is
incumbent on me to prove what I have faid,
that there is a great deal of partiality in what
is published about Calvin on this fubject,
and that many things are advanced without
proofs.
G 2
1. I obferve

84
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
appointed, took proper meafures
and wrote to Mr. de Maugiron,
Lieutenant General for the King
in Dauphine, for whom he made
the neceffary fearch at Vienne.
They began the proceſs againſt
Servetus March 16, who is always
called Michael de Villeneuve ;
bak the
I. I obferve that if Calvin had caufed Ser-
vetus to be arreſted at Vienne, he would not
have denied it, according to the principles
he then had. "If it had been," fays he,
(81) De- "really objected to me, (81) that I had made
claration « him publickly known in order to have
&c. p. 54. «< him puniſhed by any perſon whatſoever,
"I would not have denied it; and don't
"think that could have turned out to my
"difhonour." A man who talks in this
ftrain deferves to be believed, and we ought
not to tax him with lying for the pleaſure of
it, without a demonftration.
II. The perfonal hatred which they afcribe
to Calvin againſt Servetus, is purely imagi-
nary, and contradicted even by facts. Calvin
detefted Servetus with refpect to his opinions,
but we have no proof that he hated his
perfon. They pretend that it was the Chrif-
tianifmi Reftitutio which determined Calvin to
deftroy Servetus. But in the year 1546, he
had fent a MS. of this book to the divine of
Geneva, or, according to others, a MS. at
leaf

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
85
994
the judges ordered him to Mr.
de Maugiron's houfe, interrogated
him, and afterwards examined his
papers. As Arnoullet was abfent,
the judges ordered William
Gueroult his brother-in-law di-
rector and corrector of the prefs,
to attend; but they could not
ad draw
leaft of the fame kind; and they affure us
that when Calvin conceived fuch an impla-
cable hatred againft him, that he wrote to
Viret and Farel in 1547, that he fhould cauſe
him to lofe his life if he could find him (82). (82) Vid
Behold however, fix years run, during which Rem. (I)
time the vindictive Calvin fuffers Servetus
to live in peace; the means of revenging
himſelf however, were not wanting, fince he
had in his hands the fame pieces upon which
they alledge, that this Phyfician had been
condemned at Vienne. He has a MS. of
Reftitutio Chriftianifmi, or at leaſt fomething
of that kind. He has letters of Servetus,
if it was by them that Calvin wanted to
ſerve himſelf, as means of deftroying Ser-
vetus, why did he delay producing thefe
materials till the year 1553? Would they
not have done the fame injury to Servetus
in the year 1547, that they did him fix years
after? Here we don't fee that implacable
hatred which the hiftorians of Servetus fo
freely afcribe to Calvin; add to this the
G3
manner

86
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
Raifon.
draw any information from him;
and as little by vifiting his houfe,
his printing-houfe, and his papers,
or by the queftions they asked the
printer's boys feparately. March.
18, Arnoullet being returned, was
interrogated, but to no purpofe;
fo that they came to this fentence,
"That
manner in which this divine expreffes him-
felf in his anſwer to Servetus, and which we
have related above (58). Mr. d'Artigny fays,
"That Calvin was exceedingly fhocked at
"the difdainful manner wherewith they talked
* of his perfon and his works." But I don't
know any place in this work where there is
any particular queftion about Calvin and his
works, except the letters which Calvin had a
long time after.
III. Mr. d'Alwoerden doubly deceives him-
felf in faying that Servetus publiſhed his
book under the feigned name of Villeneufoe,
and that Calvin made his true name known,
rectum nomen. Mr. de la Chapelle likewife has
(83) Bibl. believed without foundation, (83) that the
Sieur Villeneufoe had put his name at the
head of the book, but he had reafon to
correct the hiftorian of Servetus as to the
imputation he throws upon Calvin. The
name of Villeneuve was not unknown to the
magiftrates of Vienne; on the contrary, Ser-
vetus was known by this name only at
t. 1. p.
387.
4
Vienne;

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
"That there was not as yet fuffi-
«cient evidence for an imprifon-
"ment." But they refolved to
oblige Arneys to write to his
friend at Geneva, to fend him the
whole book, Chriftianifmi Refti-
tutio. Inftead of the book which
Trie could not get, he fent fome
letters
Vienne; there was therefore no neceffity for
making it known, that Villeneuve was Ser-
vetus; fo far from that, we find in our
Spaniard's fecond interrogatory, that he pre-
tends not to be Servetus, but only the Sieur
de Villeneuve. He was the very perfon who
had been imprifoned, interrogated, and fen-
tenced; Calvin is therefore accufed very im-
properly, of a thing which was quite ufelefs,
fince the name of Villeneuve had been on the
title-page of his book, every body muft have
known him at Vienne.
IV. It is afferted with great affurance, that
Calvin caufed Trie to write, that he is the
author of the letters of this profelyte, and
had dictated them; but where is the proof of
this fact? Has Mr. d'Artigny who tells us
that he has the originals of thefe letters,
given proofs of what he advances? What is
publiſhed with refpect to this, takes its rife
from the dialogues, inter Vaticanum et Calvi-
num. We read there what follows (84): (84) ib,
"Cum Michael Servetus curaret libros fuos
G 4
"imprimi

88
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
letters of Servetus's to Calvin,
which he prevailed upon this
divine to give him. April 4,
there was held a grand meeting
at the caftle of Rouffillon,brand
after a mature examination, it was
concluded, that Michael de Ville-
neuve phyfician, and Balthazard
Arnoullet
"imprimi Vienne, fuit quidam Lugdu-
"nenfis, Geneva habitans, qui literas
"fcripfit ad quendam Lugdunenfem amicum
"fuum, Lugduni habitantem, in quibus
<< literis inter cætera fcribebat talia, Nos non
favemus hæreticis, cum vos patiamini apud vos
"Michaelem Servetum, bominem maxime bære-
"ticum, qui facit imprimi libros plenos errorum,
"et is eft nunc Vienna in tali domo, &c. Has
"literas qui viderunt putant fcriptas fuiffe a
"Calvino ob ftylum fimilem, nec tantam
"Lugdunenfis illius eloquentiam ut potuerit
"tam diferte fcribere, ipfe quidem Lugdu-
"nenfis dixit fuiffe a fe factas. Fuerunt
"autem de induftria ita miffæ, ficut nobis
"narrarunt qui ipfi has literas viderunt ut
<< venirent in manus magiftratus, atque adeo
,66
CC
ipfius Cardinalis Turnonii, i. e. When Ser-
"vetus was taking care of the printing of
"his books at Vienne, there was a certain
Lyonnefe living at Geneva, who wrote a
"letter to a certain Lyonnefe his friend,
living at Lyons, wherein he faid; We don't
favour
66
66

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
898
CC
Arnoullet bookfeller, "Should be
"taken into cuftody, made and
"detained prifoners, to anfwer
upon their fincerity, the charges
"nand informations laid againft
"them." About fix o'clock in
the evening the Archbishop of
Vienne's Grand Vicar ordered
Arnoullet
66
46
favour bereticks, while you tolerate amongst
you Michael Servetus, a very great heretick;
who caufes books to be printed which are full
" of
of errors. He is just now at Vienne, lodged
"in fuch a boufe, &c. Thofe who have feen
"this letter, believe that it was written by
"Calvin, on account of the likeness of the
"ftyle; as the Lyonnefe was not orator
"enough to write fo elegantly. The Lyon-
"nefe faid, however, that they were written
"by himself, and as thofe have told us who
"have ſeen them, they were fent in fuch a
"way, as that they fhould fall into the hands
"of the magiftrates, and confequently into
"the hands of Cardinal de Tournon."
Obferve here, that Calvin's cotemporaries
only fufpected that he was the author of the
letters, and yet Meff. de la Roche, d'All-
woerde, and d'Artigny, more than two cen-
turies after, are perfectly fure that they were
dictated by Calvin. Obferve alfo, that William
Trie affirms, that he is the author of them;
that Calvin does not afcribe them to himſelf,
and

අප
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
Arnoullet to be arreſted, who was
carried to the Archbishop's prifon.
At the fame time the Vice-bailiff
went to Mr. de Maugiron's houſe,
where Michael de Villeneuve was
waiting on the faid gentleman in
his fickneſs, he told him that
there were a great many fick and
wounded
and that Arneys does not declare that he fuf-
pected that his relation had borrowed the
affiftance of another, notwithstanding of all
which, they are pofitive that Calvin had
written and dedicated thefe letters, for which
no reaſon can be given except that they are
determined at any rate to make him odious.
What is faid about the ftyle, fignifies little
except they had fome other of William Trie's
letters, and I can't fee upon what foundation
they can conclude, that thefe which were
written with his hand are not his own.
V. Let us examine the letters themselves,
and we ſhall find that they fufficiently intimate
their true author. We fee by the first, that
Arneys had attacked Trie upon changing
his religion, &c. that he had amongst other
things reproached him, "That amongst the
"reformed there was neither ecclefiaftical dif
"cipline, nor order; and that their teachers
had introduced a licence, to throw every
thing into confufion." The profelyte an-
fwers, and takes occafion from what he knew
about

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
36
91
wounded prifoners in the palace of
Dauphine, and begged of him.
that he would go along with him,
and vifitothem. Servetus con-
fented, and when he was making
his vifits, the Vice-bailiff fent
to the Grand Vicar, defiring he
would come and join them; when
he
about Servetus, to retort the reproaches he
had thrown upon him, and quickly to recri-
minate in his turn. Is there any thing more
fimple, and muft we go about to find a great
deal of myſtery in it? And what is the whole
affair? This friend at Lyons piqued without
doubt, at the reproach thrown upon his
church, communicates his letter to a vigilant
inquifitor; fteps are taken, they want to
know more of the matter, they caufe him to
write to Trie; what does this laft anfwer?
That he is furprifed that his relation had
fhewn his letter, that he had not mentioned
Servetus but to return his reproaches, and to
fhew the injuftice of perfecuting the reformed,
while they tolerated people of fuch a character
as Servetus. All this is very far from what is
pretended, that the letter had been written
with a defign to make it fall into the hands
of the magiftrates and Cardinal de Tournon.
We muft not forget that if Calvin himſelf
had formed an intrigue to deftroy Servetus,
he would have turned his view, towards
Vienne,

92
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
SERVETU
he arrived, they acquainted the
Phyfician, that he was their pri-
foner, and was to anfwer to the
charges and informations laid
againſt him; they ordered the
jaylor to uſe him civilly, accord-
ing to his rank; they left with
him his valet, called Benedict
Perrin,
Vienne, as it was there where he was to
attack him; Father Niceron has made a
reflection on this, without adverting to the
confequence: "We fee but too well," fays
he," the reaſon why he wrote to Lyons
" rather than Vienne, fince it was in the laft
66 city where Servetus lived, and where his
"book was printed." As there was really
no reaſon which could engage Calvin to
tranfact this affair at Lyons, it is a proof
that he did not act in it at all; and that there
was nothing but what was very fimple in the
correfpondence between Trie and his relation.
VI. What fhall we fay of the original letters
of Servetus to Calvin, fent to Lyons in order
to convict him? This has made a great deal
of noiſe, and one would think that the whole
cauſe was to depend upon it. Let us examine
what there is in it: 1. It is certain that
Calvin did not fend them from any motive
of his own, and that he made a great deal
of difficulty to give them up, and that
Trie very earnestly folicited him to furnish
him

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
93
Perrin, aged fifteen years, who
had been five years in his fervice;
and
him with fomething to prove what he had
afferted, "I muft confefs one thing," fays
he, to you, that I had a great deal of
"trouble to get what I fend you out of Mr.
"Calvin's hands-But I have importuned
"him fo much, remonftrating to him the
66
reproach of levity which I would certainly
"incur, if he did not affift me, at laft he
"agreed to give me what you fee." Nothing
is more natural; Trie is required to give
fuller proofs of what he had written, by way
of recrimination: he was afraid of being fuf-
pected of having afferted too much; he knew
that Calvin had kept a correfpondence with
Servetus; he begs of him to put him in the
way of getting clear of this fufpicion, and
at laft he obtains what he had defired. If
Calvin can be blamed at all, it is his giving up
theſe pieces too eafily; but really Servetus
could not make any thing of that, fince he
had caufed them to be printed: befides he
himſelf confented that they fhould be required
of Calvin, in a paper which he prefented
to the magiftrates of Geneva intituled, Articles
upon which Michael Servetus requires that John
Calvin fhall be interrogated, the 4th article is
in theſe words, "If about fifteen days after
"the faid letter, &c. there were fent befides,
"by the faid Trie more than twenty Latin
"letters, which the faid Servetus had written
"him, and he had fent them, befides the
"reft, at the request of others, that the faid
<< Servetus

94
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
and that day his friends had the
(p) d'Ar- liberty of feeing him (p). Servetus
tig. ub.
fupr. p.
shu was
78, 100. "Servetus might with the greater certainty,
"be accufed and convicted, as it afterwards
(85) Bibl. " happened." (85) Mr. de la Chapelle has
Angl.t.z.
commented upon this, and made fome
(86) Bibl. Conjectures that are very ill-founded (86).
Raif. t. 1. It is a certain truth that Calvin gave up no-
P. 395. thing without being required, and that with
P. 150.
great importunity. 2. It appears by the two
examinations Servetus underwent, that thefe
pieces alone would not have been fufficienti
to have condemned him in a rigorous manner.
3. His evafion makes more against him, than
the letters received from Geneva: it aug-
mented, and that juftly, their fufpicions;
gave occafion to new enquiries whereby the
copies of the Reftitutio Chriftianifmi were dif
covered; the affair was examined more
thoroughly, and it appears by the fentence,
"That the pieces in vindication of the here
"fies of Servetus are different from the
"letters and writings under the hand of the
"faid Villeneuve, addreffed to Mr. John
"Calvin preacher at Geneva." Although
thefe letters had never exiſted, Servetus
would not have been the lefs condemned.
The remarks which I have made won't allow)
me to give credit to what is related by the
author of the dialogues between Vaticanum et
Calvinum; that the magiftrates of Vienne in
putting into the meffenger of Geneva's hands,"
the copy of their fentence againſt Servetus,
added, "That Servetus had fallen into, their
"hands,

LIFE OF SERVETUS:
96
was therefore arrefted on the 4th
of April, and not in the beginning
of June, according to Mr. la
Roche (q), (N) The 5th and (q)loc.cit,
6th he was interrogated. After P. 103.
the
"hands, by the information of the chief
* preacher at Geneva." This must be falſe,
fince at leaſt it would have been by the infor-
mation of Trie; but this calumny is founded
on the fuppofition, that Calvin was the author
of the profelyte's letters. However, to dif
mount all the batteries of Calvin's enemies,
nothing elſe is requested, but plainly and
fimply to deny this fact, and to demand the
proofs of it.
(N) The 5th and 6th. he was interrogated.]
Mr. d'Artigny (87) has furnished us with (87) Nov.
theſe two examinations which deferve a place Mem.t.3.
here, both on account of the facts they con- p. 101,
tain, and becauſe of feveral particulars of&c.
Servetus's difingenuity in many things.
Examination I.
"The fifth of the month of April one
*thouſand five hundred and fifty three years,
"We, brother Matthew Ory, Doctor of
Divinity, Penitentiary of the Holy Apof
"tolick See, Inquifitor General of the Faith,
"in the kingdom of France, and over all
"the Gauls: Lewis Arbzellier Doctor of
"Law, Vicar General of the moſt reverend
"Lord

96
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
the fecond examination Servetus
fent Perrin to the monaftery of St.
Peter,
"Lord Mr. Peter Palmer, Archbishop of
"Vienne; Anthony de la Court, Lord of
"the Tour de Bois, Doctor of Law, Vice
"Bailiff, and Lieutenant General of the
"Balliwick of Vienne; we being come to
"the prifon of the Dauphinal palace of
"Vienne, and there in the jufticiary court,
" ordered to compear before us Michael de
"Villeneuve, graduated phyfician conftituted
"prifoner according to our orders, to the
prifons of the faid Dauphinal palace, and
" have interrogated him as follows:
ce
"And after the faid Villeneuve had com-
"peared before us, we remonftrated to him,
"that in the exercife of our duty through the
CC
kingdom, we had found fomething against
" him, which, according to the duties of our
"office, he was bound to anſwer us, which
"he promiſed to do; and after having
"taken the oath upon the Holy Evangelift,
66
66
we afked his name, he faid that his name
was Michael de Villeneuve, Doctor of
Phyfic, two and forty years old, or thereby,
"a native of Tudelle in the kingdom of
"Navarre, which is a city under the em-
"peror's jurifdiction; at preſent an inhabi-
tant of Vienne for twelve years paft, or
"thereby.
66
"Being interrogated where he lived after
" he left his own country? he anſwered, that
<< about feven or eight and twenty years ago,
"fometime before the Emperor went from
Spain

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
97
Peter, to ask the Grand Prior if
he had brought him the three
hundred
10199
"Spain to be crowned, he entered into the
"fervice of one Quintin the Emperor's Con-
"feffor, being only fourteen or fifteen years
"old at that time. He went with the faid
"Confeffor amongst the Emperor's train to
"Italy, where he faw him crowned at Bo-
"logna; and then followed the faid Con-
"feffor into Germany, where he lived about
a year: and after the death of the faid
"Quintin, he lived alone without any
"mafter; thence he came to Paris, and ftaid
"in the college of Calvi for fome time;
"after this he went to read Mathematicks in
"Lombard college; and after he left Paris
"he went to Lyons, where he lived for fome
"time, and from thence to Avignon, from
CC
Avignon to Lyons, and from Lyons to
"Charlieu; where he continued three years
"practifing Phyfick, and then he returned
"to Lyons, where he found my Lord of
"Vienne, and my Lord of St. Maurice;
"who made him come to Vienne, where he
"has remained to the prefent time.
Being interrogated, if he caufed any
"books to be printed? anfwered, that he
"caufed a book to be printed at Paris,
intituled, Syroporum univerfa Ratio ad Galeni
"Cenfuram; and likewife another fmall book,
"intituled, Apologetica Differtatio pro Afro-
logia; and another called in Leonartium
"Fuffinum, Apologia pro Symphoriano Campegio.
"And Annotations upon Ptolemy's Geo-
graphy,
6C
H
66

98
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
hundred Crowns due to him from
St. Andrews, and the Grand Prior
came and delivered him the faid
fum; there was in the prifon a
garden with a platform, which
looked towards the court of juftice
66
66
66
in
graphy, and faid, that he never caufed
any other book to be printed of his own
compofition; confeffing however, that he
"had corrected a great many without dimi-
"nishing or adding any thing of his own.
"Whereupon having fhewn him two
"fheets of paper, printed on both fides,
"and fome of his hand-writing upon the
64
margin; repreſenting to him, that there
"were fome propofitions in theſe written
66
notes, which might give offence, but
"owning at the fame time, that he who had
"written and made them, may be allowed
"to interpret and explain how he underftands
"them; for this reafon he was afked how
"he underſtood one of theſe propofitions,
"which faid, Juftificantur ergo Parvuli fine
"Chrifti Fide, prodigium monftrum Damonium;
66
CC
reprefenting to him, that if he understood
thereby that little children had not the
"Grace of Jefus Chrift by regeneration,
"more perfectly than they partake of Adam's
"fin by terreftrial generation, it would be
66
doing an injury to Jefus Chrift, requiring
" him to declare to us what he understood
by it: to which he anſwered, That he firmly
"believed,
CL

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
99
in the palace; above this platform
was a hog-ftie whereby one could
get down to the corner of the
wall, and thence get into the
court. Although the garden was
always kept fhut, yet fometimes
they
"believed, that the Grace of Jefus Chrift
"came by the regeneration of baptifm,
"furmounts the fin of Adam, as the Apoftle
"fays, ad Romanos quinto, Ubi abundavit De-
"liftum, fuperabundavit Gratia: and that
"little children are faved, without any
"acquired faith by baptifm, having faith
"always infufed into them by the Holy
"Spirit; and upon our reprefenting to him
that he ought to correct fome words written
<< with his own hand on the above fheets,
"which he promiſed to do; faying he could
EC
not know by the first view, whether it was
"his or not, confidering the length of time
"fince it was written; but taking a narrower
" look of it, faid he believed he had written
"it; and if any thing be found there againſt
"the faith, he fubmits it to the determination
"of our holy mother the Church, from which
"he never had, nor never would depart;
"and faid if any other thing is written there,
"he did it thoughtlefsly, or by way of dif-
546
pute, without ferioufly weighing it; and
"fince that time he was defirous to look
more carefully into what he had written
on the two fheets abovementioned, and to
66
H 2
66
give

100
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(88) It
d
they allowed the freedom of it to
prifoners above the common rank,
either to walk or for other reafons.
Servetus having gone in there in
the evening, examined every thing
narrowly. On the 7th of April
66
he
"give us his meaning or interpretation of
it; declaring to us that if there was any
"other thing which might be taken ill, or
66
fufpected of falfe doctrine, in reprefenting
"it to him he was ready to correct it. And
"that theſe two fheets may not be altered,
"we have ordered them to be marked, (88)
ought to c
be read,
by the ſecretary and the faid Villeneuve,
"and are marked page 421, 423, 424, and
avons fait" the title is De Baptifmo, cap. xvii. and
parapher. « with the faid anfwers containing three
"fheets including the prefent. We have
.compared them in his prefence, and they
are fubfcribed Michael de Villeneuve."
Nous les
6C
De Baptifmo cap. xvii. I don't know what
fheets theſe were, they could not be thoſe of
Chriftianifmi Reftitutio; for in this work in
the pages cited, he does not fpeak of Bap-
tifm, and in all the book there is no chapter
de Baptifmo cap. xvii. they must have been
fheets of fome treatife, on which Servetus
had written notes, and which did not come
from Geneva, but were probably found in his
houfe: Trie fays in exprefs words, that he
had fent the firft fheet of the book, but that
is not mentioned here at all.
4
Examin-

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
101
he got up at four o'clock in the
morning, and asked the key from
the jaylor, who going away to
work amongſt his vines; this laft
obferving that he had a night-
cap on his head, and in his night-
gown,
10
Examination II.
"The fixth of the faid month of April,
"We the Inquifitors and Vicars aforefaid,
"being come to the prifon of the Dauphinal
palace, and having ordered the above-
" mentioned Mr. Michael de Villeneuve to
"compear before us, and after having taken
"the oath upon the Holy Evangelift to
"declare the truth, was interrogated by us
૮૮ as follows:
"Firft, how he understood a propofition
of a letter in a bundle marked (Epiftola
< xv. a.) where he explains a living faith
" and a dead faith? and becauſe the faid
"letter appeared to us fufficiently catholick,
" and "contrary to the errors of Geneva, we
"made him read it; and after having read
"it, we aſked him how he understood thefe
"words? Mori autem fenfim dicitur, in nobis
C6
fides, quando tolluntur veftimenta, who an-
"fwered, Veftimenta fidei funt opera charitatis
" & virtutis."
66
Secondly, we fhewed him another letter
"marked xvi, which is de libero Arbitrio,
H 3
66
against

102
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
gown, did not fufpect that he was
dreffed, and his hat concealed
under the night-gown, gave him
the key, and went out a little
afterwards with his workmen.
When Servetus thought they were
cr
at
against thoſe who are for fervum Arbitrium,
"which he read likewife, and fhedding tears,
"he fpoke theſe words: Gentlemen, I will
"tell you the truth; as theſe letters were
"written when I was in Germany, about
"five and twenty years ago, there was
printed in Germany a book of one called
<< Servetus,
a Spaniard; but otherwife I
"don't know from what place of Spain he
"was, nor what place of Germany he lived
CL
ઃઃ
..
in; probably, hearing it had been faid
"that he was at Aganon; (89) the book
might have been printed there, at the faid
city of Aganon, four leagues from Straf-
burg. And after having read the faid book
"in Germany, being then but fifteen or
"feventeen years old, it appeared to him
"that he wrote as well, or better than
"others: with all this leaving Germany, he
" came to France, not bringing any books
"whatfoever along with him, intending
८८
only to ftudy Medicine and Mathematicks,
"which he has always done fince. Mean
while hearing that Calvin was in great
"efteem amongſt fome who faid that he was
" a very learned man; from the curiofity he
66
"had,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
103
at a proper diftance, he left his
cap of black velvet, and his furred
night-gown at the foot of a tree,
jumped from the terrace to the
hog-ftie, and got into the court
without hurting himfelt in the
leaft;
JB
"had, wanting to write to him without
"making any acquaintance with him, and
CC
66
actually did write to him, begging that
"this fhould remain between him and me
only fub figillo fecreti, and as a brotherly cor-
"rection to fee if he could make me change
my opinion, or if I could make him change
"his; for I could not fubmit to his affertion.
"And in this way propofed to him certain
queftions, gravis Difputationis, and he gave
me an anſwer: and feeing my queſtions
CC were taken from what Servetus had
"written, he told me that I was that very
"Servetus; upon which I replied, that
66
61
66
66
C6
although I was not that perfon, yet in
"difputing with him, I was willing to per-
"fonate Servetus, and to anfwer him as Ser-
vetus; for I was not very much concerned
" for whom he took me; only let us debate
upon our opinions, and upon thefe terms
we exchanged letters, till we were both
"piqued, and abufed one another. Ob-
ferving this, I gave him over, and for ten
years or thereby, I have not written to him
nor he to me, protefting before God and
you Gentlemen, that I was never difpofed
<<
66
66
66
66
H 4
66
tq

104
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
leaft; he got quickly to the gate
of othe bridge of the Rhone,
which was not very far from the
prifon, and got into the Lion-
nefe. They did not know of his
efcape till more than two hours
66
66
there-
"to dogmatize or maintain any thing of
"that kind, which might be found againſt
"the church or the chriftian religion. And
as to the third letter being the xviii, con-
cerning the baptifm of little children,
fuppofing he had been formerly of opinion,
"that he thought that Parvuli Carnis non
"erant capaces Doni Spiritus; he has left off
"all that long ago, and defires to regulate
"himfelf by what the church maintains.
44
66
"And after having fhewn him another
epiftle intituled, xxvii, which he feem-
ingly acknowledged, and faid that he had
written it in difputing in behalf of the
"faid Servetus; not that he adhered to it,
"or believed it, but only to fee what Calvin
"would think or fay to the contrary; and
"the argument of the faid epiftle is, de Tri-
"nitate et Generatione filii Dei, after the man-
ner of the faid Servetus's book.
66
66
86
66
"And after having fhewn him another
epiftle intituled, xviii, where he difputes
againſt the faid Calvin, de carne Chrifti
glorificata, quæ abforbetur a gloria Divini-
tatis, more plainly and fully than at the
transfiguration. He faid that he had
"addreffed

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
105
thereafter; there were very dili-
gent fearches made to difcover
him; they wrote to the magif-
trates of Lyons and other cities,
where they prefumed Servetus
might have fled, and feized upon
all
"addreffed himſelf to Calvin, when he was
"in a place where he had the fulleft liberty
"to ſay every thing he thought, and to
"anfwer all my queftions, figned Michael de
"Villeneuve.
"The fame day, the 6th of April, before
"us Inquifitor of the Faith and Vicar Ge-
"neral aforefaid, and we Anthony de la
"Court, Vice Bailiff of the Viennois above-
"named; recalling the aforefaid Villeneuve,
" and adminiftring the oath fo as above,
"and after reading the anfwers made this
"day by him, above written, to which he
"adhered, and faid they contained the truth,
" and has fubfcribed the two parcels of letters
" mentioned in the faid anfwers; which he
"has put a mark upon, and being marked
"likewife by our fecretary, ne varientur.
6C
"This being done, we fhewed him and
put into his hands a parcel of fourteen
<< letters, containing ten fheets; and having
"intimated to him, that we found fome-
"thing written therein which was incum-
"bent on him to anfwer; after having
"taken and looked at them, he told us, that
" he had written thefe fourteen epiftles a
long
86

106
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
all his effects. It is believed,
that the Vice Bailiff being an
intimate friend of Servetus, fa-
voured his eſcape; but there is no
proof of this, neither was the
jailor an accomplice of his flight.
The procefs begun, however, was
carried on, and June 17, he was
condemned to be burned alive in a
flow
"long time ago to Calvin, that he might
"know what he thought of them only by
62
way of difpute; as he had faid already,
"without adhering to any thing contained in
"them, except what fhall be approved by
"the church, and his honourable judges.
"And as to the contents of the faid epiftles,
"he is ready to anfwer us when we pleaſe,
"as to any article we fhall interrogate him
66
upon; which we promifed him we ſhould
"do, after having extracted the principal
points where it appears to us there is an
"error against the faith; and in the mean
"time, we have caufed to be marked the
"faid bundle, containing ten fheets, and
"fourteen epiftles; and at the beginning is
<< written as a title, Michaelis Epiftola quatu-
"ordecim; and to the narration, Jefum illum
"Nazarenum; and at the end is written,
"Utinam in Chrifto valeas et hac diligentius
mediteris. Amen.
" And

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
107
flow fire (O); and the fentence
was executed in effigy the fame
Sunday.
"And the contents as above, have been
"fubfcribed by us, Inquifitor, Vicar, Vice
"Bailiff, Prefident:
"MATTHEW ORY, Inquifitor
General.
"ARZELIER, Vicar.
"DE LA COURT, Vice Bailiff,
and Delphinal Judge."
We fee clearly that Servetus in many things
endeavoured to delude his judges, which he
did fo artfully, that they could not condemn
him to any rigorous punishment upon the
papers they had in their hands. By diftin-
guifhing himself from Servetus, as a man
unknown to him, whatever was found againſt
Servetus, could not be imputed to him; by
faying, that he had perfonated Servetus only
for the fake of difputing againft Calvin. He
weakened very much the proof theſe letters
furnished, and they could at moft, only
blame him for rafhnefs and imprudence in
maintaining heretical propofitions; and the
excufe for that, was the fubmiffion he teftified
for the church. He does not appear at this
time to be in a difpofition to hazard his life
for his fentiments, which will furnish us with
a very strong proof, that his ftiffneſs upon this
article at Geneva, arofe from fome other
principle than an attachment to his opinions.
(0) Condemned to be burned alive in a flow
fire.] The obligation for being fo well
inftructed

308
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
115, 118.
day. The effigy of Servetus was
put upon a dung cart with five
bales
inftructed in this whole procedure, is due to
Mr. d'Artigny, which throws a great deal of
light upon Servetus's hiftory; fee what he
(90) Nov. tells us (90), the reft of the month of April,
Mem. ub. they were bufy in making a new examination
fupr. p. of the books, papers, and letters of Ville-
neuve and Arnoullet, and copying the epiftles
addreffed to Calvin; the originals being de-
pofited in the Secretary's office. They let
the Inquifitor know, that there were two
preffes in a feparate houfe, which had not
been mentioned in d'Arnoullet's perfonal
anfwers; upon which he, with the Grand
Vicar, and Vice Bailiff, went to that place on
the fecond of May: there they found three
boys belonging to the prefs, Thomas de
Straton, John de Bois, and Claude Papillen;
the Inquifitor before he interrogated, endea-
voured to frighten them, by telling them,
that they could not be ignorant, that fince
the procefs against their mafter and Michael
Villeneuve had commenced, all perfons had
been commanded, upon pain of being treated
as hereticks, to diſcover what concerned the
book compofed by Villeneuve, which had
come from Arnoullet's printing-prefs; that
there was proof, that they, the printers,
had been employed in that book, and ex-
horted them honeftly to tell the truth," and
"if they had done wrong to afk pardon,
"the judges did not mean to puniſh, but
"only to correct them." The poor innocent
fellows

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
rog
bales of his books, and all was
burnt together. Let us return to
Servetus
fellows much frightened, fell upon their
knees, and Straton fpeaking for the reft,
acknowledged that they had printed a large
book in octavo, entituled, Chriftianifmi Refti
tutio, that they know nothing of its contain-
ing any heretical doctrine, but only heard of
it fince the procefs began; that they had
worked from the laft St. Michael's day, to the
3d of January, when the printing of the,
faid book was finished; and that they durft
not difcover it to the judges for fear of being
burnt; that upon the whole they afked their
pardon, and referred themſelves to their
mercy: he added, that Mr. Michael Ville-
neuve had printed the book upon his own
expences, and had corrected the proofs; and
that he, Straton, by his order, had fent on
the 13th of January five bales to Peter
Merrin, type-founder, living at Lyons, near
to Notre Dame de Confort. This was an
excellent difcovery for the Judges, and they
did not fail to inform the Archbishop of
Vienne immediately, who advifed the Car-
dinal de Tournon of it. Next day the In-
quifitor and the Grand Vicar went off for
Lyons. They began by interrogating Peter
Merrin, who told them ingenuously, that
about four months ago, or thereby, he had
received by a lighter from Vienne, five bales
with this addrefs; "remitted from Mr.
"Michael de Villeneuve, Doctor of Medi-
cine, thefe bales to Peter Merrin, type-
"founder,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
Servetus himſelf, befcaped from
the prifons of Vienne the 7th of
April,
founder, near Notre Dame de Confort."
And the fame day a clergyman of Vienne,
called James Charmier, came to defire him
from the faid Villeneuve, to keep the bales
till he came to take them away," that it
"was nothing elfe but clean paper;" and
fince that time he had no account of the faid
Villeneuve, nor had feen any body from him
to take the bales away, and that he never
knew whether they were clean paper or
printed books. After having taken his de-
pofition, the Inquifitor and the Grand Vicar
caufed the five bales to be carried away, and
returned to Vienne, where they were put
into one of the chambers of the Archbishoprick.
James Charmier was afterwards interrogated,
he always denied that he ever knew what theſe
bales contained, which he recommended to
Peter Merrin; but the great connexions be-
tween him and Peter Merrin, made him
much fufpected, and he was condemned fome-
time afterwards, to three years impriſonment.
The 10th of May the Inquifitor made an ex-
tract of the principal errors of Servetus's
book, " to make fuch cenfures upon it as
" it deferved more eafily." In the month of
June the procefs having been fufficiently in-
ftructed, the Vice Bailiff pronounced fentence
conformable to the King's Procurators con-
clufions. As Mr. la Roche has given this
fentence from a copy not fo exact as that
..
which

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
IN
April, not finding any retreat, he
refolved to retire to Naples,
there
which Mr. d'Artigny had in his poffeffion, we
fhall make uſe of this laft.
ec
66
"Between the Procurator of the King
"Dauphin, purfuer for the crime of fcan-
"dalous herefy, dogmatation, compofition
" of new doctrines of heretical books, fedi-
"tion, fchifm, difturbance of the union and
publick peace, rebellion and disobedience
to the ordinances made againſt herefies,
breaking and efcaping from the royal Dau-
phinal prifons upon the one part, and Mr.
"Michael de Villeneuve, Phyfician, formerly
"detained prifoner in the prifon of the Dau-
phinal palace of Vienne, and at prefent a
fugitive accuſed of the aforefaid crimes, on
"the other part.
CC
<6
દ
CC
66
<C
66
Having feen the pieces vindicating the
"faid herefies, and even the letters and
writings by the hands of the aforefaid Ville-
neuve, addreffed to Mr. John Calvin, Preacher
" at Geneva; acknowledged by the faid Vil-
"leneuve, his anfwers, confeffions, and de-
"nials; the anſwers and other procedures
66
66
concerning Balthazard Arnoullet, printer;
"certain bales and printed books, intituled,
"Chriftianifmi Reftitutio; the witneffes ex-
"amined upon the faid Villeneuve's having com-
"pofed, and cauſed to be printed, the faid book
EC
at his own charge; the reports of the Doctors
"of Divinity and other notable perfons upon
"the errors contained in the faid book and
"epiftles; which errors and herefies are
" evident
5

12
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
there to exercife his profeffion
of Medicine; but we are alto-
gether
66
e evident from the bare reading of them;
"acts made upon the faid Villeneuve's
eſcaping from prifon, and diligence ufed
"to apprehend him; adjournment for three
"days, and defaults obtained upon them;
"re-examination of witneffes; definitive con-
"clufions of the faid Procurator of the Dau-
66
phin King, and every other thing which has
"been remitted to us; the whole being confi-
"dered, we have declared, and do declare,
"the faid defaults to have been well and duly
"obtained; for the confirmation whereof, we
"have debarred, and hereby do debarr the
"faid Villeneuve, from all exceptions and
"defences declared, and do declare that he
" is attainted and convicted of the crimes
"laid to his charge; for reparation whereof,
"we have condemned, and do condemn him
"as to a pecuniary fine, to pay the fum of
"a thouſand livres Tournois of fine to the
Dauphin King: and immediately upon his
being apprehended, he fhall be carried upon
a dung-cart together with his books, the
firft opportunity, from the market at the
gate of the Dauphinal palace, through the
"feveral ſtreets, and cuftomary places to the
66
66
66
place of the hall of the faid city, and
"then to the place called the Charrure, and
"there to be burned alive at a flow fire,
" until his body be reduced to afhes. And
" in the mean time the prefent fentence ſhall
"be executed in effigy, with which the faid
"books

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
113
gether ignorant where he lived
from the 7th of April to the
month
66
" books fhall be burnt. And we have con-
"demned, and do condemn him to pay all
6C
66
expence and charges of procefs, the tax
"whereof we referve, declaring all and every
66 part of his goods forfeited, and confifcated
"to the profit of whom it may appertain,
"the faid expence of juftice and fine being
preferably delivered and paid out of the
"faid goods. De la Court Vice Bailiff, and
Judge Dauphinal, Gratet affeffor, Carier
"affeffor, Pietod affeffor, Duprat affeffor,
"A. de Bais affeffor, Beraud affeffor, Philip
"Morel affeffor, Damptefieu affeffor, Pertier
"affeffor, De Court affeffor, Loys Merd
"affeffor, Chriftofle affeffor: the faid fen-
"tence publiſhed in open court, and hearing
"of the faid Procurator of the King of
6C
Dauphinee. We the Vice Bailiff and Judge
" of the faid feffion in the hall of the
"Dauphinal palace in Vienne, the feven-
"teenth day of the month of June, one
"thoufand five hundred and fifty three years.
"Prefent, Meff. Phillebert Gollin, Alex-
"ander Rolland, Claude Magnin, Charles
"Verdency, Peter de Vignes, and a great
"many other perfons of quality of Vienne,
being preſent there, and I the underwritten,
"CHASALIS."
66
"The fame day about twelve o'clock, after
"the effigy was brought before the Dauphinal
"palace, the faid effigy was put upon a
"dung-cart by Francis Berode, executioner
4 of
I

114
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
month of Auguft; it is certain
that he went to Geneva; authors
differ
"of juftice, who was fent for on that
account, together with five bales of books
"compofed by the faid Villeneuve, and when
"the effigy and books were juft upon the
"faid cart, it was conducted and led by the
"faid executioner, from the gate of the
"palace through the streets and accuſtomed
66
places, to the hall of the prefent city of
"Vienne, and then to the place called the
"Charnive, where the faid effigy was fixed
"to a gibbet erected for that purpoſe, and
"afterwards burnt in a flow fire by the faid
❝ executioner, who has fully and entirely
"executed the faid fentence with regard to
"the faid effigy, according to the form and
66
56
tenor thereof; in prefence of Guignes
"Ambrofin, common crier and trumpeter of
"Vienne, Claud Reymet, Michael Baffet,
* catch-poles of the King of Dauphine,
"Sermet des Champs, Bolenger of Vienne,
" and a great many other perfons affembled
to ſee the ſentence put in execution. Thus
"has it been conducted, attefted, and figned
" by me,
46
"Secretary CHASALIS."
The fentence of the ecclefiaftical Judges was
not pronounced till fix months after that of
the Vice Bailiff, viz. Saturday the 23d of
December, 1553; it declared, "Michael
"de Villeneuve a heretick, accufed on ac-
count of herefy, compofing and printing
"Chriftianifmi Reftitutio; his goods confif-
CC
4
"cated

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
115
to the time of his
differ as
ftaying there before he was put
in prifon, and the manner of
his being arrefted (P). Calvin
having
cit. 1239
127-
"cated for the benefit of the courts of
"Vienne, deducting the expence of juflice;
" ordaining befides, that all the books of the
faid Villeneuve which can be found, fhall
"be burnt." Mr. d'Artigny has given this
fentence entire, (91) it is in Latin; I fhall (91) Loc.
obferve here, that befides the errors of Ser-
vetus about the Trinity and baptifm, there
are fome things in his book againſt the Pope's
authority, the Mafs, the Sacrament of the
Altar, and other points peculiar to the Church
of Rome, which alone were fufficient to have
burnt him, had there been no other herefies;
and thoſe who fhall read his book will have
no doubt, but this rendered him a great
deal more guilty in the eyes of his Judges
than all the reft.
(P) Before he was put in prison, and the
manner of his being arrefted] All the writers
of Servetus's life, being ignorant of the pre-
cife time when he got off from the prifon of
Vienne, make him go ftraight to Geneva,
wherein they are certainly miftaken; for from
the 7th of April, when he efcaped from
Vienne, until the 13th of Auguft, when he
was arreſted at Geneva, being more than four (9)Epift.
months, thefe gentlemen are unwilling to Calvin p.
credit Calvin, who in a letter to Sulzer, (92)
m.70.Ep.
fays, that Servetus had been four months in Sept.
1 2
3. Idus
Italy: 1553,

116
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
Raifon.
t. 2. p.
94, 95.
having learned that Servetus was
in the city, prevailed upon the
'
noqu
chief
Italy:" Re vero patefacta in carcerem eft
" conjectus (Vienna). Unde nefcio quomodo
"elapfus, per Italiam erravit quatuor menfes.
"Tandem huc malis aufpiciis appulfum,
Ce
unus ex Syndicis, me auctore in carcerem
"duci juffit." According to Calvin, no lefs
than four months had paffed when Servetus-
arrived at Geneva; he might be deceived as
to the places where Servetus had been, but
he could not be deceived as to the time. Mr.
(93) Bibl de la Chapelle (93), who likewife believed
that Servetus came ftraight to Geneva, pre-
tends to conclude from that calculation that
he muſt have been a long time in the city
before he was impriſoned; let us give the
words of the Journal: "In the request of
"Servetus dated Sept. 15, 1553, he fays,
" that Calvin had kept him in confinement
" five weeks, he must have been put in
"prifon then, the 10th or 11th of Auguft.
"But obferve, that if he efcaped from the
66
prifon of Vienne before the 17th of June,
"this must have been two months before his
"impriſonment at Geneva; let us allow two
"weeks of thefe eight for his journey, which
" is fufficient for a man who is flying from
68
punishment, and who certainly would not
"trifle away his time in a country where
"death was every where before his eyes.
"He must therefore have been near fix
"weeks at Geneva before he was arrefted;
"this calculation is eafy, and why have not
"thefe
naoling

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
117
chief Syndick to caufe him to
be put in prifon; there was found
upon
"theſe gentlemen made it? It was becauſe
"it did not anfwer their purpoſe to make it.
"In order to render the confinement of Ser-
66
vetus the more odious; according to fome,
"it was the very next day after he arrived,
according to others, even that very day,
"coming out from the fermon, where Calvin
"had obferved him; or, according to Mr.
"Allwoerden, Calvin had been informed by
means of his fpies, that Servetus had taken
"the road for Geneva, and of the very mo-
"ment of his arrival. His words in Latin
CC
are, Compertum habebat per exploratores Cal-
"vinus, Vienna difceffiffe Servetum, et Genevam
"venturum effe, neque latebat eum, fimulac
adveniffet adeffe hominem. A ftay of five or
"fix weeks was more than fufficient to ac-
quaint all the inhabitants of Geneva, that
"Servetus had fled to their city; Calvin
"without the trouble of fearches, or fpies,
"might very eafily have known it, and he
"could not be ignorant of it; it is indeed
"probable, that he was informed amongst
"the firft, and therefore altogether picardian
or cholerick as he was, he had time
CC
enough to proceed flowly, and do nothing
" in a rage, he had at least a whole month to
"reflect: for fuppofing Servetus arrived at
"Geneva the 1ft of July, it would be odd
"if he ſhould be fifteen days there without
"being known by any body; and Theodore
de Beza marks the precife day of his im-
prifonment
I 3

118
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
upon him ninety feven pieces of
gold, a gold chain, which weighed
about
"prifonment the 13th of Auguft, which
66
agrees perfectly well with the fix weeks
"which Servetus fays in his requeft, Sep.
"tember 15, he had been confined." Ob-
ſerve here, that Mr. de Alwoerden has without
any proof, fuppofed that Calvin was informed
by fpies, that Servêtus was to come directly to
Geneva. We must own that thefe fpies muft
have been very artful to know that a man,
who had efcaped from Vienne, about four
o'clock in the morning, without feeing any
mortal, and wandered about four months,
no body knows where, fhould at laft, come
to Geneva, and arrive there upon a fixed day.
Mr. de la Chapelle on the other hand, has
reafoned upon a falfe fuppofition, which is,
that Servetus went ftraight to Geneva, and
confequently must have ftaid there five or fix
(94) ibid. weeks. Mr. d'Artigny (94) feems to fall
fupr. p. into the fame mistake, which he might have
127.
..
prevented by adverting to the time of Ser-
vetus's efcape. "The fear of being difco-
"vered by the Catholicks, made him take
"the road to Switzerland rather than to Pied-
mont, and he arrived at Geneva, where he
"concealed himfelf for a month, waiting for
an opportunity of getting away." Mr. la
(95) Bibl. Roche (95) is nearer the truth with refpect to
Angl. t.2. Servetus's ftay at Geneva, but he is deceived
p. 109. as all the rest are, in making him come there
directly after his eſcape from Vienne.
"He
took," fays he, "the road to Geneva,
"where

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
119
about twenty crowns, and fix
gold rings. As it was neceffary
66
66
46
that
"where he came on foot, having lain the
night before at Luyfet, where he arrived
on horfeback; I could never difcover what
day it was he entered into Geneva, but he
lodged at the Sign of the Rofe; he had a
defign to hire a boat next day, to get over
"the lake, and then to Zurich." It appears
very plain to me, that Servetus was arreſted
foon after his arrival at Geneva, and that he
had not ſtaid fo long there as Meff. de la
Chapelle and d'Artigny make him: Calvin
feems to fay in the paffage cited, in the be-
ginning of this note, that he was impriſoned
directly. With respect to the day and the
manner of his being imprifoned, Sebaftian
Chateillon, otherwife Caftalio, has railed bit-
terly against Calvin, becaufe he made Ser-
vetus be taken hold of coming out of the
church upon a Sunday, a day on which no
perfon could be arreſted by the laws of Ge-
neva, except for a capital crime.
"Servetus
"fimulac confpectus die Dominico ex con-
"cione tractus eft in carcerem, unde poftea
nunquam exivit, nifi cum ad ignem ductus
"eft." And in another place, << Servetus
"venit Genevam, et eodem die viz. Domi-
"nico audivit concionem poft prandium, ibi
66
66
cum ante inceptam concionem, federet una
cum aliis, agnitus eft a quibufdam qui id
"continuo Calvino nunciatum iverunt, Cal-
"vinus e veftigio ad magiftratum reum de-
tulit aut deferendum curavit, ut Servetum,
I 4
66
propter

¥20.
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
that fome perfon fhould profecute
Servetus, to bring him to juftice,
Calvin employed a ftudent called
Nicolas de la Fontaine, (Q)
201
alduo
whom
edz doidw
te propter herefin, in vincula petat :" add to
this, the words following, "Geneva lex eft
*ne quem die Dominico capi liceat, nifi ob
66
capitale facinus." Thefe paffages are taken
from a MS. which has been communicated
to me; Caftalio is not mistaken as to the day,
if it is true that Servetus was imprifoned the
on 13th day of Auguft, as Beza fays, this was
upon a Sunday. But Servetus was guilty of
a capital crime, according to the laws then in
force against hereticks; it is falfe however,
di (that Servetus had been in the church, and
that he was from thence led to prifon, being
known by fome people. Mr. de la Roche
has very well obferved, that it is certain by
his own confeffion, that he did not appear in
publick for fear of being difcovered; but
why was he afraid, or how could he be
known? By his hiftory it does not appear that
he had ever been at Geneva, and he ought
naturally to be unknown there, except he had
betrayed himself by diſcovering his name.
att (But yet it is true, that there might be people
HOT who had feen him elſewhere, and probably it
was by this means, that Calvin was acquainted
with his arrival, sino bongo Sta
(Q) Calvin employed a student called Nicolas
de la Fontaine.] It is certain, that Nicolas
de la Fontaine appeared only for form, and
to

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
121
whom fome make Calvin's cook,
soiflur of mid grid of 2019vor
gand
to begin the proceſs. Calvin directed him,
and was the real accufer of Servetus; he made
another perfon to act in it, only to be free
of the trouble of impriſonment, which the
laws could not have difpenfed with, if he
had directly ſtated himſelf a party. Calvin
agrees to this himself; fee what he writes to
Farel, (96) the 20th of Auguft, 1553. (96) Epift
"Jam novum habemus negotium cum Ser- Calv. 20
"veto hac tranfire forte cogitabat. Necdum Auguft,
"enim fcitur, qui confilio venerit. Sed the letters
quum agnitus fuiffet, retinendum putavi, are not
"Nicolaus meus ad capitale judicium pœnæ my
numbered
in my
"talionis fe offerens ipfum vocavit."
He edition.
CC
66
1553.
fays to Suker in a letter, Sept. 8, "Tandem
"(97) huc malis aufpiciis appulfum unus (97) ib.
"ex fyndicis, me auctore in carcerem duci Ep. 5. Id.
Sept.
juffit, neque enim diffimulo, quin officii
1553-
"mei duxerim, hominem plufquam obfti-
' natum et indomitum quoad in me erat,
compefcere ne longius manaret contagio."
It was not to his friends only, that he ex-w
preffed himſelf in this manner, he was not
afraid to acknowledge the fame thing openly.
"I don't want to deny," fays he, "but that
"it was upon my accufation that he was
"made prifoner (98). For as by the laws of (98) De-
"the city it is neceffary that fome perfon P.
"fhould ftate himfelf a party to have the P11, 54*
"caufe opened, I confefs, that the perfon
"who demanded juftice against him, did it
"by my advice.- Let malicious and ill-
60
fpoken people throw out as much jargon.
66
as
claratorie
55.

122
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
or his valet, to give the affair a
more odious turn (R). Servetus
compeared
"as they pleaſe; I declare frankly, that
"fince according to the law and cuftom of
"the city, none can be imprifoned for any
"crime, without an accufer, or prior infor-
"mation; in order to bring this man to
"reafon, I have made it fo, that a party
"fhould be found to accufe him, not deny-
(99) con- ing, but the action laid againft him was
"drawn up by my advice, in order to com-
vini, in "mence the procefs." This is clear and
quo often- diftinct; Calvin owns it himfelf, that he was
dere co-in reality Servetus's accufer.
tra libel-
lum Cal-
hæreticos
natur, (R) Whom fome make Calvin's cook, or bis
jure gladii valet, to give the affair a more odious turn.]
coercen- Caftalio or Chateillon has many times repeated
it, that Nicolas de Fontaine was Calvin's
dos effe,
Edit. de
1612, in cook. (99) "An Calvini coquus potuerit de
12mo.
num. 131.
there is
another
66
edition of "
this work
in Switz-
erland,
1554
Cha-
66
"Serveti erroribus circa Trinitatem et fatum,
et ejus generis obfcuriffimas quæftiones, (in
quibus tot jam feculis fudavit ecclefia)
judicare? et primus lapidem jacere, aut ut
falfus teftis, eodem fupplicio affici, iis ju-
dicandum relinquo, qui norunt hominis
ignorantiam. Item an paftori licuerit ex
"culina fua accufatorem rei capitis depro-
mere, judicent ii qui Apoftolorum mores
published ingeniumque norunt. coquus ille non eft
"accufator, fed muta perfona, et accufatoris
of Martin" larva, ut ea deceptus magiftratus pateretur
Bellius, verum accufatorem Calvinum totam Ser-
vid. Bibl. « veti caufam agere; id quod ei non licuiffet,
Raifon. t. "fi. fecundum urbis legem, fuiffet ipfemet
teillon
it under
the name
2. p. 96.
66
66
"in

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
423
compeared for the first time, on
the 14th of Auguft: La Fontaine
likewife produced against him a
MS. and a printed book; Ser-
vetus owned that he was the
author of both, but faid, that
the MS. had never been printed;
that he had only fent it about
fix years ago to Calvin, to know
what he thought of it. The
accufer
"in vinculis." And in another place, " Cal-
"vinus ut inimicum fuum poffet apprimere,
"fubornavit accufatorem ex culina fua, ho-
"minem Serveti et Servetianarum quæfti-
"onum ignariffimum." Thofe who know
Calvin and the customs and manners of that
age, cannot but fmile when it is ſeriouſly
published, that this reformer had a cook with
the title of this office; there is great proba-
bility indeed, that a man who lived very
fparingly, and left only two hundred crowns
to his heirs, fhould want a cook! Read this
paffage of Beza, which Mr. de la Chapelle
furniſhes me with (100): "He abftained (100) Bi.
"from certain common victuals which he Raif. t. 2.
account of his ftomach, but P. 97-
this was without any delicacy, or being
"troublefore in company; one fault he had,
"that in his abftinence he had too little
"regard to his health, contenting himſelf
" loved on
"for

1242
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
accufer produced likewife a copy
of Ptolemy, and a Latin bible
with marginal notes; Servetus
confeffed that he was the pub-
lifher of both of thefeb works,
and author of the notes.
15th of Auguft, he fubmitted to
a new examination upon the fame
articles; he owned fome, and
denied others, and La Fontaine
The
was
"for many years, with one meal in four and
"twenty hours; never tafting any thing in
"the interval: his reafons were the weakneſs
"of his ftomach, and a head-ach, for which
" he found no better remedy from experi
66
ence, than a conftant fpare diet; fo that
"I have fometimes known him to faft till
"the fecond day." Florimond de Remond
who can't be fufpected of being favourable to
(101) See Calvin, witneffes the fame (101), "That he
"fhewed from his youth that he was not
court de- « given to the pleafures of the flesh, or
"his belly; that he was a great fafter, even
"in his younger years; that he was fo intent
Drelin-
fence de
Calvin. p.
109.
66
upon his labours, that very often he paffed
"whole nights without fleeping, and days
"without eating." Muft it not be owned, that
a man who lived in this manner, could not
eafily difpenfe with a cook! Thoſe who have
fucceeded Chateillon, being fenfible of the
ridicu

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
125
The
was diſcharged upon bail.
next day the accufer returned
to the charge, and brought with
him one German Colladon; he
prefented likewife a requeft, de-
firing that Servetus fhould be
made to anfwer more precifely,
and to diſcharge him from all
expence, &c.prin caufing his
effects to be profecuted by the
Procu-
ridiculouſneſs of the fable of the cook, have
taken another turn, contenting themſelves
with faying, that la Fontaine had been Mr.
de Falaix's cook, and thence went into Cal-
vin's fervice. Mr. d'Allwoerden thinks this
very probable," fed verifimilius tamen ar-
"bitror inde famam natam, effe de coquo
"Calvini, quod homo hic antea coquus fu-
"erit." We find the fame fact in Uylen-
bogaerd (102) in thefe terms, tranflated from ((c2)
the Low Dutch; "Calvin had a valet who Kerklyk
"had formerly been cook to a gentleman
"called Faleze, whom Calvin boafted much
"of, on account of his religion, although
"afterwards under his own hand, he treated
" him as a heretick, becauſe he was of con-
trary fentiments to his, upon the article of
predeftination. This man then, having
"become Calvin's valet, accufed Servetus,
"who was thereupon fummoned coming out
"of
Hiftor.
P. 74-

126
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
Procurator Fifcal. The 17th, La
Fontaine and Colladon produced
two letters from Oecolampadius,
and two paffages from Melanch-
ton, to prove that Servetus had
been condemned in Germany;
they recurred likewife, to the
paffage concerning Judea, which
was found in his Ptolemy. [We
have ſpoken of this article in the
note
" of the church, who having owned his
was put in prifon with Calvin's
<name,
"valet, who was immediately releafed upon
(103) Bi. " bail." Mr. de la Roche (103) believes,
Angl. t. that Nicolas de la Fontaine was a poor
2. p. 113. ftudent, and a kind of fervant to Calvin.
Mr. l'Abbe d'Artigny calls him a ſtudent in
Divinity, who was entirely devoted to Cal-
vin. Let us decide this queftion, and let us
confidently fay, that all this which has been
faid about the cook and the valet, is pure
calumny. One unanswerable proof of this, I
find in a requeft prefented by la Fontaine to
the Judges of Geneva, furnished me by Mr.
(104) ib. de la Roche (104). "There is humbly laid
p. 117,
118
"before you, noble and mighty Lords, by
"Nicolas de la Fontaine, having ftated him-
"felf prifoner in a criminal caufe, againſt
"Michael Servetus, for the great fcandal
and difturbance which the faid Servetus
" has

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
127
note (F).] They alledged like-
wife, his notes upon the 7th,
8th, and 53d chapters of Ifaiah,
his Chriftianifmi Reftitutio, and a
Latin letter he had written to Abel
Pepin, Minifter at Geneva. He
compearedra-new the 21ft of
Auguft, and there was fhewn
him a letter from his bookfeller,
Balthazar Arnoullet, written from
66
Vienne
has caufed for the fpace of twenty four
years, or thereby, through Christendom,
"by the blafphemies which he has uttered,
"and written againſt God; by the herefies
"wherewith he has infected the world; by
"the wicked calumnies and falfe defama-
"tions, which he has published againſt the
eminent fervants of God, efpecially againſt
"Mr. Calvin; whofe honour the faid preacher
"is bound to maintain, as his paftor, if he
"is to be looked upon as a chriftian; and
"likewife, on account of the fcandal and
"difhonour which might happen to the
"church of Geneva, fince the faid Servetus
"condemned the doctrine preached there, in
CC
a particular manner, &c." La Fontaine
gives himſelf here the title of preacher;
had he been Calvin's fimple valet, durft
he have done fo? or would the magif-
trates have fuffered themſelves to be fo
grofsly

128
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
,,
Vienne the 14th of July, 1553,
to James Bertet, living at Chaf-
tillon; by which he begged of
him," to deftroy fecretly, the
"copies of Chriftianifmi Refti-
"tutio which he had fent him,
becauſe that Gueroult had de-
ceived him by concealing the
errors which were in this book.
The fame day Calvin difputed
with Servetus upon the true fenfe
of the words Perfon and Hypo-
ftafis. After Calvin and the other
Minifters were retired, the Judges
ordered, that the books which
Servetus required, if to be found
at Geneva, or Lyons, fhould be
bought at his expence ; and that
he fhould keep by him fome of
thefe
grofsly impofed upon ? it is true that Calvin
fpeaks of him as of a man who lived in
his houfe, he calls him Nicolaus meus; it is
(105)
Dreling. very probable that he lodged with Calvin, as
defence others had done, and among the reft, the
de Calv. Lawyer Baudouin, to whom he dedicated his
works (105).
250. &
feq.
(S) Wherein

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
129
thefe Calvin had produced; and
the Judges granted him ink and
paper, according to his defire.
The 22d, Servetus prefented a
requeft to the Syndicks and
Council of Geneva, wherein he
required nothing but what was
juft (S), but which he did not
obtain.
460
(S) Wherein be required nothing but what
was just.] Mr. la Roche furniſhes us with the
request itſelf, expreffed in the terms following
(106):
(106)
Bibl.
Angl. p.
"To the very honourable Lords, my Lords, 135, 137-
"the Syndics, and Council of Geneva.
66
"Humbly fhews,
"Michael Servetus accufed, laying it
"down as a certain fact, that this is a new
<< invention. The Apoſtles, the Difciples,
" and the antient church, had no notion of
making a criminal procefs for any doctrine
"of the Scripture, or any queſtions arifing
" from it; which is evident in the first place,
" from the 18th and 19th chapters of the
"Acts of the Apoftles, where fuch accufers
were difmiffed and fent back to the churches,
"when there was no other crime but quef-
* tions about religion. In like manner in the
"time of the Emperor Conftantine the
"Great, when there were the grofs herefies
" of the Arians, and criminal accufations,
66
K
"both

130
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
obtain. The 23d of Auguft the
Procurator General prefented
thirty new articles, upon which
he required that Servetus fhould
be interrogated, the moft part
of thefe regarded his perfon, his
manners, and his conduct, and
which to fay the truth, had no
connexion with the affair in
(t) ibid. hand. (t) On the 28th there
appeared thirty eight new articles,
upon which the Procurator Ge-
138, 140.
neral
"both againſt Athanafius and Arius; the
"faid Emperor by his council, and the
* council of all the Churches, decreed, That
according to the ancient Doctrine, fuch
* accufations could not take place not even
<< in the cafe of fuch a heretick as Arius was;
" but that all their difputes fhould be decided
" by the Churches, and there it was where
"they fhould either be convinced or con-
"demned; and if they could not be gained
"by repentance, they fhould be banished.
"Which punishment has been always ob-
"ferved in the ancient Church against here-
"ticks, as is proved by a thouſand other
"hiftories and authorities of the Doctors.
"Wherefore, my Lords, agreeable to the
«Doctrine of the Apoftles and Difciples,
"who never allowed of any fuch accufations,
" and

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
131
neral required that the prifoner
fhould be interrogated, and that
he fhould anfwer in the affirma-
tive or negative. The articles
were preceded by a preamble
tending to fhew that Servetus
deferved death. The Procurator
General remonftrated to the
Judges, "That Servetus had
"prevaricated in his anfwers;
"that they were full of lies;
"that he made a mock of God
" and
66
"and according to the Doctrine of the
"ancient Church, wherein fuch accufations
were never admitted; the faid fupplicant
prays, that he may be difmiffed from the
criminal accufation.
"Secondly, my Lords, he begs you will
"confider that he has committed no offence,
"neither in your territories, nor any where
"elfe; that he has neither been feditious
"nor turbulent; for the queftions relating
to him are difficult, and ought to be put
<< into the hands of learned men. And that
"all the time he has been in Germany, he
'
never fpoke of thefe queftions, but to
"Oecolampadius, Bucer, and Capito; and
"that in France he never mentioned them
"to any perfon. And befides, he has always
reproved, and ftill reproves the Anabap-
"tifts
K 2

132
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
66
and his Word, in alledging,
corrupting, and giving a falfe
"turn to paffages of Scripture,
"to cover his blafphemies, and
"eſcape puniſhment."
He adds,
that Servetus had chofen his exam-
ples very ill, when he cited the
Apoftles in his requeft; and what
he had faid about the Emperor Con-
ftantine, was falfe; the laws of
the Emperor's which condemned
hereticks to death, were cited
againſt
"tifts feditions against Magiftrates, and who
"want to make all things common. He
"therefore concludes, that he ought not to
" be detained under any criminal accufation,
"for having propofed fome queftions from the
"ancient Doctors of the Church, but without
any fedition.
$6
46
<<
Thirdly, my Lords, becauſe he is a
ftranger, and does not know the cuſtoms
"of this country, nor in what manner he
"is to proceed in judgment, he humbly
"begs of you to grant him an advocate,
" who
may ſpeak for him. In doing fo,
you fhall do well, and our Lord fhall
profper your Republick. Given in your
city of Geneva, the 22d of Auguft, 1553.
"MICHAEL SERVETUS, of Villeneuve
* in his own caufe.'
86
66
Without

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
133
againſt him; it was faid he was
of the principles of the Anabap-
tifts, who deprived the civil ma-
giftrate of the fword. The Pro-
curator General at laft concluded,
that fince the prifoner knew the
art of lying fo well, they ought
not to give him an advocate as
he had defired; which was for-
bid by the law, and had never
been granted to fuch a deceiver as
he. The articles upon which he
ly had
Without examining the reafons, and the
facts against the penal laws, Servetus had
reafon to complain of his impriſonment in
Geneva: he was not a fubject of the Repub-
lick, he had not been detected in doing
any thing contrary to the law, and confe-
quently the magiftrates of Geneva had no
jurifdiction over him; what he had done
elſewhere, did not belong unto them, and
they could not retain a ftranger, without in-
juftice, who was paffing through their city,
and who continued in it peaceably. Befides,
what was more juft and equitable than to grant
an advocate to fuch a prifoner to defend his
caufe? Mr. de la Chapelle (107) looks upon (107) Bi
this requeft of Servetus we are here fpeaking Raifon.
of, as a proof that Calvir.'s defign was to t. 2. P.
have him punished, if he did not recant; and 139, 1419
K 3
finds

134
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
20T
had been examined that day, were
of the fame nature as the thirty,
upon which he had been already
interrogated, and had no concern
with the accufation of herefy.
Servetus declared the fame day,
that he perfifted in his belief,
except they could fhew him the
falfehood of his doctrine. Auguft
31 the Syndics and the Council
of Geneva received a letter from
the Vice Bailiff of Vienne, and
the
finds likewife in it a proof that the penal
laws were in force at Geneva. We fhall
fpeak of this laft article elſewhere; let us
content ourſelves here with that which con-
cerns Calvin. "We fee," fays this learned
Journalist," that his (Servetus's) defign was
46
to decry all penal laws made againſt here-
"ticks, except thofe which condemned them
"to banishment, a reprefentation fo juft, and
"fo natural, could not be a trifling incident;
" and we don't doubt but they felt all the
importance of it at Geneva. It is very
"probable that the matter was well weighed,
" and that they had taken time to confider
"what was for or against it. Thus the Lieu-
"tenant of the city did not anfwer this part
"of the requeft, till the 28th of Auguft,
"and that was the day when the Procurator
"General

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
135
the King's Procurator of the fame
city, dated the 26th, by which
they gave them thanks for ac-
quainting them that Servetus had
been arreſted and imprifoned at
Geneva; they intreated them to
remit back the prifoner, that the
fentence pronounced against him
might be executed. Their letter
was accompanied with a copy of
this fentence. This letter was
brought by the Viguier or Cap-
tain
"General remonftrated to the Judges, that
"Servetus had made an ill choice of his
66
examples, &c. We can't doubt but the
" advice of Calvin was taken on this head;
"they certainly confulted him upon every
"thing elfe, and how improbable is it that
"they would not have recourfe to his judg-
"ment, in fo ferious and delicate a queftion?
"But if this divine had declared himself for
"toleration, we may believe that his opinion
"would have had a great influence upon the
"Procurator, or at leaft upon the Judges.
"Since the voice of the court therefore, was
"unanimously for perfecution, let us ftick to
"it as a truth, that Calvin made the ballance
"incline to the moft rigorous fide.--Let
"us not therefore, be furpriſed at the bitter
"reproaches the prifoner threw upon him,
" in
K 4

136
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
tain of the King's palace at Vi-
enne; the fame day Servetus
having compeared a-new, the
Captain was brought in, and they
asked the prifoner if he knew
him, he answered yes, and that
he had been two days under his
guard, &c. Then he was asked,
if he would rather ftay at Geneva,
in the hands of the gentlemen
of the Council, or return to Vi-
enne with the jaylor, who was
come
"in a new requeft of the 15th of September.
"I have prefented you another requeft,"
fays he, "which was according to God.
"And in order to fruftrate it, Calvin has
"cited Juftinian before you; it is cer-
tainly wrong in him, to cite againſt me
"that which he himself does not believe;
"does not fuftain; he does not believe what
Juftinian fays, de facrofanétis ecclefiis et de
epifcopis et clericis, and other things con-
cerning religion, and knows very well that
"the Church was then corrupted; this is a
66
ઃઃ
great fhame to him." Whatever was in
this, it appears to me unquestionable, that
the repreſentations of Servetus in the firft
inftance were juft, and his demands perfectly
well founded; but we fhall fee afterwards,
that

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
137
come to demand him. Servetus
threw himſelf upon the ground,
pouring forth a flood of tears,
and faid, that he wifhed rather
to be judged by the Magiftrates
of Geneva, (T) and that thefe
gentlemen might do with him
whatever
that the voice of equity and reafon was
ftifled by unhappy prejudices.
(T) Wished rather to be judged by the ma-
giftrates of Geneva.] All this correfpondence
between the Magiftrates of Geneva and the
Judges of Vienne, furniſhes a new proof of
the power of prejudices, that the beft men
were prepoffeffed with; as to the manner of
acting with hereticks. For what reafon did.
they adviſe Vienne that they kept Servetus,
if they had no defign of giving him up?
Had the Judges of Vienne made any requifi-
tion? Was there not a great deal of cruelty
in propofing to the prifoner to chufe whether
he would ftay at Geneva, or be delivered up
to the juftice of Vienne? What kind of
queftion was this to afk a man, if he chufed
to go and be burnt at a flow fire? Was
not this enough to throw him under the
neceffity of fubmitting himself to a jurif-
diction which, as I have already obferved, had
no right over him; this was probably the
view they propofed in order to legitimate
their proceeding, which in its foundation was
altogether unjuft.
(U) To

138
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
140, 144.
whatever they pleaſed.
The
jaylor went away from Geneva,
having obtained an atteftation,
bearing, that Servetus had de-
clared that his eſcape from Vienne
was without the jaylor's confent.
(u) ibid. (u) The ift of September Servetus
generously refuſed to name the
creditors he had in France, that
he might not enrich his enemies
and expofe his friends. The fame
day the Judges appointed Calvin
to extract propofitions word for
word from the book of Servetus.
(U) They ordered at the fame
135.
time
(U) To extract propofitions word for word
from the book of Servetus.] Mr. de la Cha-
(108) ib. pelle has obferved (108) on account of this
P. 134, order, that in the manner the hiftorians of
Servetus relate the proceedings against him,
one would fay, that Calvin was every thing
at the fame time; accufer, party, witnefs,
and judge. Mr. la Roche fays, more than
once, "that he is forry to find Calvin fo
"often in his way;" the reflection Mr. de
la Chapelle makes on it is this, "Calvin
66
never appeared openly upon the ftage,
" but when it became him, that is to fay,
" with all the prudence and gravity fuitable
66
❝ to

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
$39
time that Servetus fhould anfwer
them in Latin. Servetus com-
peared
66
46 to his character. He never came to the
court but when he was commanded, and
"there he did nothing but by the order of
"his mafter. Upon every emergent it
"feems they had recourfe to divines, to
"confult with them, to confer with pri-
"foners, to direct interrogations, to make
"extracts, examine anfwers,
and many
"other things of this kind. At that time
"there was no divine who was not obliged
"to appear as often as his fuperiors required
"him; if Calvin appeared fo frequently
44
upon the ftage, let it be afcribed to his
"merit, to his reputation, and even to his
"credit if they pleafe; why not, I have
"nothing to fay againft it, and I believe in
"the ftation this paftor of Geneva was in,
"they were afraid of tranfgreffing, if they
"did any thing without him: but why
6C
reprefent him, as an impertinent hypo-
"crite, who intruded himſelf by his office
" in this affair; or as an implacable enemy,
"who earneftly folicited Servetus's death."
We fhall fee what Calvin fays himſelf upon
this fubject; as I have his works in Latin
only, I fhall borrow the following paffage from
the French of Mr. de la Chapelle: "In truth"
fays he, (109) "I will not deny but that he (109) De
was made prifoner upon my application.
66
66
claration
97, 98.
"But after he was convicted of his herefies, P. 11, 55.
every one knows, that I did not in the leaft
"infift that he fhould be puniſhed with
❝ death.

140
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
peared again the 15th of Septem-
ber; there were delivered to him
thirty
.
66
66
66
"death. And as to the truth of what I
fay, not only all good men will bear me
"witnefs, but I defy all malicious men to
ſay it is not fo: the proceeding has fhewn
"with what intention I did it. For when I
" and my brethren were called, I mean all
the Minifters of the Gofpel, it was not
owing to us, that he had not full liberty
given him, of conferring and treating of
"the articles wherein he had erred, in an
" amicable manner with us. Eight days
"after, I was again called by the magiftrates.
"After we had difputed a long time upon
"what he had often complained of, that it
<< was neither decent, nor proper to treat of
"the affairs of the chriftian religion before a
"temporal Judge, and even in prifon, I
60 anfwered him that it was true.-And at
"laft, when he defired that it fhould be
EC
referred to the judgment of other churches,
"I willingly accepted of this condition: for
"which reafon our magiftrates wanting to
66
abridge a multitude of words, commanded
me to extract certain propofitions from Ser-
" vetus's book, which fhould contain the
"chief difputes, and theſe to be delivered to
" him in writing. By the fame decree there
"was allowed him freedom and permiffion to
"retract what he knew he had erroneouſly
CE
wrote, to argue againft me, if he found
"he was falfly accufed; and to prove by the
"Word of God, what was unjustly con-
"demned

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
141
thirty eight propofitions, which
Calvin had extracted from his
book;
66
66
Bib. Raif
"demned by me.-I did immediately accord-
ing to my orders-Servetus had as much
"time to anfwer, as he pleafed to take; I
was obliged to make my replies to his
anfwers in two days.- He prefented a
request to fee thefe replies of mine, that
"he might oppofe them; which was granted
"him." It is evident that Calvin appeared
in this caufe no otherways than as a divine:
mean while we muft obferve with Mr. de la
Chapelle, that Calvin could not delate Ser-
vetus before the Magiftrates with any other
than a determined defign to have him cor-
porally punished, if he did not change his
opinion during the trial; (110) the proof of (110)
which is evident: Calvin could not be igno-loc. cit.
rant, as we fhall fee afterwards, that the p. 137.
laws which punifhed hereticks with death, &c.
were in force in Geneva. Befides, the action
raiſed againſt Servetus in de la Fontaine's
name, was a criminal caufe, which clearly
fhews, that thefe who raiſed it, knew very
well that if he was convicted, he would be
puniſhed with death: add to this, that Ser-
vetus in his requeft, Auguft the 22d, objected
againft the penal laws, which makes it evident
he was convinced that they wanted his life: in
fine, Calvin was very ill pleafed with him, who
I wanted to refer the affair to the Council
of two hundred, who had power to fufpend,
or abolish the penal law. We fhall ſpeak of
this propofition below.
(W) De-

142
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
book; he anſwered them in
writing; Calvin replied; his reply
was delivered to Servetus, who
made marginal notes upon it.
(W) Upon the 15th of September,
he
(W) Delivered to Servetus, who made mar-
ginal notes upon it.] All theſe pieces are to
be found amongſt Calvin's works, and Cal-
vin's extracts of them are exact. We fee in
Servetus's anfwers, a great deal of pride and
haughtinefs, and in the fhort notes he puts
to Calvin's reply, he treats him in the rudeft
manner. This is the proper place to make
known the fentiments of Servetus, as much
as is poffible; I fay as much as it is poffible,
becauſe after having read his work, I confefs,
there are innumerable things in it which
I don't underſtand. Servetus's head was full
of fcholaftick notions, and it appears, that
he had read the Fathers, and ancient Philofo-
phers, and that jumbling them all together,
he had worked out the moft extraordinary
fyftem perhaps, that ever was, and which
he himself perhaps did not underſtand. Be
that as it will, I fhall endeavour to put it in
the power of curious people to judge by
themſelves of the opinions of this famous
heretick.
I. I fhall obferve firft of all, that Servetus ap-
pears to me to have been deeply tinctured with
enthuſiaſm, and to have had a great deal of pride
and prefumption; judge of his enthufiafin by
the following prayer, to be found at the end
4
of

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
143
he prefented another requeſt,
wherein he fet forth the mifery
he
Chrifti.
of his introduction. (111) O Chrifte Jefu (111)
"fili Dei, qui de cælo nobis datus, Deitatem Reftitutio
patefactam in te ipfo vifibilem manifeftus, p. 4.
66
66
66
te ipfum aperi fervo tuo ut manifeftatio
tanta vere patefiat. Spiritum tuum bonum
" & verbum efficax petenti nunc tribue,
"mentem meam & calamum dirige, ut Di-
"vinitatis tuæ gloriam poffim enarrare, ac
veram de te fidem exprimere. Caufa hæc
66
66
tua eft, et tuam a Patri et Spiritus tui
"gloriam explicans quæ divino quodam im-
pulfu tractandum fefe mihi obtulit cum
"effem de tua veritate folicitus. Tractare
aliquando cæpi et nunc, iterum tractare
66
66
cogor, ut ex rei ipfius certitudine, et ex
"fignis temporum manifeftis, fum nunc piis
"omnibus oftenfurus. Lucernam non effe
"abfcondendam tu nos docuifti: Ut væ mihi
"fit, nifi evangelizem." I find a new proof
of his enthuſiaſm and pride at the fame time,
in the application he makes of what we read
in Dan. 12. and Revel. 12. of the combat
and victory of Michael over the Dragon;
"cogita, lector," fays he, (112) "quid apud (112) ib.
"Danielem et Johannem fignificet ille Mi-395, 396.
"chaelis futurus adventus, et pugna poft
66 annos defolationis 1260. Obferva bene-
ut a Conftantini et Sylveftri tempore, jam
6C
6C
annos 1260 regnaverit, papa verum An-
"tichriftus." It is in the fame view that
one of his interlocutors of his dialogues is
Michael, and that he has put at the head of
his

144
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
he fuffered in prifon, and defired
that his caufe fhould be referred
to
his book in Hebrew, taken from Daniel; and
in Greek, taken from the Apocalypfe, thefe
words, "At this time Michael the great
66
Captain did arife, and there was a battle
" in Heaven."
II. It is known that Servetus wanted above
all things, to oppofe the Doctrine of the
Trinity; he impugns it in plain terms in
his first book, but it must be owned, that
he attacks rather the language of the ſchool-
men than the article itfelf, fuch as is taught
in the Scripture; I make an exception how-
ever, of the explication he has given of
1 John v. 7. and Matt. xxviii. 19. that which
he fays at firft, upon thefe two paffages, may
give a general view of his fyftem; which
appears to me to be effentially the fame with
Sabellianifm. The words are,
"ad quorum
"facilem explicationem eft advertendum
quod una et eadem Deitas quæ eft in patre,
"communicata eft Filio immediate et cor-
poraliter, deinde eo mediatore, per mini-
" fterium angelici fpiritus, communicata eft
fpiritualiter Apoftolis in die Pentecoftes.
" Chrifto foli a natura eft Deitas infita cor-
poraliter et fpiritualiter. Deinde ab eo
datur aliis fanctus et fubftantialis halitus.
"Utrumque communicationis modum, cor-
CC
<C
6C
66
poralem et fpiritualem feorfum poftea expo-
"nemus, fubftantiam ipfam Spiritus Sancti
"oftendentes quod fit eadem Deitas cum
"Patre et Filio." With refpect to the
paffage

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
145
to the council of two hundred.
It is believed that this requeft
was
paffage of St. John, fee how Servetus ex-
plains it. The queftion is here, of what
paffed at the baptifm of Jefus Chrift. They
heard a voice the "Word," which teftified
from heaven, the "Father," who pronounced
it, confirmed the teftimony, and that Jefus
Chrift was his well-beloved Son, and the
Holy Spirit defcended in a vifible form;
"And thefe Three are One," becauſe they
give a joint teftimony to the fame thing, and
to the unity of the fame Divinity.
"Ma-
"nifefta ibi vox et auditus fermo de cælo
"teftatur hunc Jefum effe Filium Dei, Pater
"proferens ibi manifeftatur de cælo tefti-
"ficans, hunc effe filium fuum, et Spiritus
"in eum de cælo veniens ibi manifefte vifus
"teftaturet hæc omnia unum funt, quia
"conformiter de eadem re teftantur ejufdem
"Deitatis unitate." (114) He explains him- (114) ib.
felf upon the inftitution of baptifm, Matt. xxviii. p. 23.
ftill in a more fingular manner, Quanquam
"baptifmus," fays he, (115) "ex apofto (115) ib.
"lorum doctrina rite conferatur in nomine p. 24.
"Chrifti, cum Chriftus in fe contineat Patrem
"et Spiritum Sanctum, unctus unguentem
66 et unctionem, tamen latius voluit Chriftus
" omnia exprimere, Patri hominem deferre,
et Spiritum Sanctum baptifmo adjungere,
cum ibi Spiritus Sancti munus unice pate-
"fiat. Primo ergo ait, baptizate in nomine
"Patris, quia ipfe omnis doni eft primus,
verus et originalis fons: Jacobi i. in no-
mine Filii, quia per ipfum habemus recon-
86
66
66
66
"ciliationem,

146
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
P 92.
was fuggefted to him by Cal-
CC
66
46
vin's
"ciliationem, et donum hoc, nec eft aliud
nomen fub calo in quo oporteat nos falvos
fieri, Acts iv. in nomine Spiritus Sancti,
quia Spiritus Sancti donum in baptifmo
" datur.--Tres funt manifeftationis modi,
"feu perfonæ, non metaphyfica illa rerum
"incorporearum in Deo diftinétione, fed facra-
menti exhibitione per Dei οἰκονομίαν.”
66
III. Let us fee what he thought about the
perfon of Jefus Chrift. He appears to have
had very odd notions on this fubject; in
general we may fay that he pretended, that
the only Son of God had not properly not
exifted, before that Jefus was born of the
Virgin Mary; according to him, the Word,
which was no other thing but the Wiſdom of
God, was not the Son of God, but in this
Word there was found, the reprefentation,
the image of Jefus Chrift, which was after-
wards to exift. I don't know if I make my-
felf underſtood. I fhall give Servetus's own
words: "Verbum erat Aoyos, idealis ratio
66
jam hominem referens; id jam occulte
"referebat, in quo futurum erat-Jam olim
" in Verbo apud Deum erat futuri hominis
(116) ib. « Jefu Chrifti exemplar, perfona et effigies"
(116). The doctrine of Servetus upon the ar-
ticle of the Son of God, is fo perplexed, that it
is difficult to conceive what he means to fay.
"The Word was from all eternity in the
"Father; he came from the Father when he
"fpoke it; this was the fubftance of the
BE
Father, the Effence of the Body and the
Soul of Jefus Chrift, was the Divinity of
"the

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
147
vin's enemies, who contributed
as
"the Word and of the Spirit; the Word
66
was a fubftantial Light; in the Word
was the fubftantial Seed of the generation
"of the Man Chrift Jefus," and I can't tell
what more. Thefe are fome of the paffages
which contain Servetus's doctrine, which,
with others that I fhall cite, will prove, if I
am not miſtaken, that his book is the fruit
of the darkeft and moft difordered brain that
ever was. "Fuit vero," fays he,
fulgor divinus,
divinus, hominem ab
"referens et cum mundo proferens.
66
CC
66
(117) (117) De
æterno 1. 1.
Trinit.
Cum Chriftian.
Johanne vero dicimus Aoyov in principio Reftitu.
"mundi fuiffe, idealis rationis prolationem, P. 48.
apparentem externum Sermonem, Loqua-
"tionem, juxta proprium fignificatum verbi
"Ay quod eft, dico, loquor. Reliqui item
omnes Scripturæ loci Sermonem hunc ex-
ponunt, quia dixit Deus, loquutus eft
"Deus, non inani voce, fed Sermone vifi-
"bili. Eo magis quin Deus per hunc Ser-
"monem, per Verbum hoc, voluit mundo
"manifeftari, et externe apparere. Anti-
66
66
quior quoque Apoftolorum traditio Verbum
"hoc intelligit effe in Deo difpofitionem,
"difpenfationem externam lucidam et vifi-
"bilem.-Verbum manifeftationis Dei difpo-
"fitione divina fuit in ipfomet Deo, effentia
66
66
vifibilis, oraculum in nube ut verbum quis
"audiat et videat, magno Dei artificio, erat
"fubftantiale Verbum, oraculum in igne,
numen quoddam vifibile, perfonatus Deus.
"Dicebatur Elohim, Deus humana facie
"vifus, fons luminis, fons vitæ, Chriftus apud
L 2
"Deum,

148
LIFE OF SERVETUSI
as much, and even more than he,
to
"Deum, ab oraculo illo, verbo illo et Chrifti
"perfona, perfonato Deo, quafi ab ore
"Chrifti prodibat Spiritus omnia vivificans, et
"in ipfum Adam halitum vitæ infpirans.
"Ad imaginem ipfius Chrifti fecundam cor-
46 pus et animam factus eft Adam.-Verbum
in Deo proferente, eft ab eterno ipfemet
"Deus loquens et in nobis caligine apparens:
poft prolationem, eft ipfa Chrifti caro, in
66
&6
66 tua,
qua videtur Deus, fublata caliginis umbra.
"Ipfemet homo Jefus Chriftus eft Verbum
"Dei, vox Dei fubftantialiter ex ore Dei pro-
"latus. Quemadmodum fi te loquente vox
feu ore tuo emiffa nubes, muliere
poftea obumbrans, fieret genituræ ros in
" uterum decidens et eam gravidam faciens:
"ita Chriftus prolatione Dei in Maria fub-
"ftantialiter genitus." And a little further,
(118) ib. (118) "Siquidem vere loquendo Verbum
P. 50.
P. 50.
66
"erat ipfamet Dei effentia aut ipfa Dei effen-
"tiæ exhibitio. Non erat in Deo alia fub-
"ftantia aut hypoftafis, quam Verbum illud
"in lucida nube in qua Deus tunc fubfiftere
"videbatur. Et in ea ipfa relucebat facies
ઃઃ
et perfona Chrifti." He had faid before,
(119) ib. (119) "In perfona intelligitur Verbum caro
"factum, quia vultus ille perfona illa Elohim
" omnia creans, caro extitit. et hæc ipfa
"Chrifti facies, eft illa facies Dei multis
" olim vifa. In fubftantia eft Verbum caro
"factum, quia lucida illa oraculi nubes quæ
erat gloria Domini, ut ros genituræ Chrifti,,
"facta eft caro ifta fubftantialiter, eademque
*eft hujus carnis, quæ verbi illius effentia."
Read

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
149
to Servetus's deftruction; who
believing
Read likwife what follows, (120) " Totam (120) ib.
"æternitatem Deo effe dicimus inftar præ- P. 56.
"fentis momenti. Rejecto, igitur velamine
66
66
66
temporis medii, confidera horam hanc, in
qua corpus Chrifti generatur et concipitur,
"effe æternaliter ante mundi exordium Deo
vere prefentem. Quod ubi concefferis,
"concedes etiam Deum ab æterno protuliffe
"fubftantiale Verbum, et proferendo Filium
"hunc in Maria genuiffe in fubftantia fua.
Primogenitus igitur eft homo Chriftus et
"ab æterno genitus, cum prolatio illa ab
66
60
æterno facta, fit ipfamet carnis Chrifti
"generatio Effentia corporis et animæ
"Chrifti," fays he once more, (121) "eft (121) ib.
"Verbi et Spiritus Deitas. Chriftus ab initio P. 77, 78.
"eft tum ratione corporis quam ratione
"animæ. Caro Chrifti habet initium effendi
CC
a paterna Verbi prolatione. Et Chriftus
" in Spiritu Dei preceffit omnia tempora.
"Ille idem qui erat Spiritus Elohim eft nunc
Spiritus Chrifti.Ita in Deo non fuit
"inter res illas generatio invifibilis Filii,
"fed Verbi prolatione eft facta generatio poft
66
46
122.
apparentis carnis, qui eft filius Dei bene-
*dicti." Add to this, (122) "Non folum (122) ib.
" erat in Verbo idea hominis Chrifti, fed1 iii. p.
"fubftantiale femen generationis ejus-Non
"diceretur homo ille effe vere Filius Dei, fi
"eum fimpliciter in Maria creaffet, non fer-
❝ vata generandi ratione de fubftantia Patris.
"Subftantia fuit feminis in Verbo fubftantia
"Dei nobis exhibita. Et Deus per Verbum
" quodam modo corporatus et humanatus,
66
66
L 3
" olim

150
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
believing himfelf well fupported,
10
obferved
"olim in figura nunc in veritate." If you
want a more particular explication of the
(123) ib. hypoftafis of the Word, there it is: (123)
"Erat oraculum quoddam in ignea nube
"fubfiftens et fplendens, quod et gloria Do-
"mini dicebatur, et ejus majeftas in nube
"Sicut ipfe Chriftus eft nunc oraculum,
P. 119,
120,
66
ut olim in templo, in tabernaculo et antea,
"perfona Chrifti erat oraculum illud, unde
"Adam, Abraham, Mofes, et alii accipie-
"bant refponfa.-Ex lege colligitur Verbi
hypoftafis in nube illa, quæ fuit femen
66
genituræ Chrifti, fubftantia ipfa Verbi fuit,
"fubftantia archetypæ nubis, quæ fuit fub-
"ftantialis ros, terream
terream maffam irrigans
66
ut inde germinaret Chriftus-Subftantia
" eadem erat nubis, ignis et lucis. Non in-
quam creatæ et caliginofæ elementaris
nubis, fed increatæ, et fuperelementaris
"intus lucentis erat Deus in igne, et Deus
"ipfe ignis."
The Word however was not
God only, as you underſtand it here; fee what
(124) ib. is more diftinct: (124) "Imo ille qui dixit,
"Faciamus hominem erat Chriftus, erat Elohim,
"perfona illa Verbi quæ erat perfona Dei.-
P. 105.
66
Ipfe vero eft facies, imago, effigies, et
"figura Dei, habens in fe realiter formas
66
corporeas-Non eft fine fignificatione quod
"in veteri teftamento toties in Deo legas
"manus, oculos, faciem et pedes, corpora-
"libus oculis vifos, et quod nihil horum
" in novo teftamento reperiatur, fed ejus
"oppofitum, nempe Deus fpiritus eft. Ratio
"eft in promptu, quia tunc Chrifti apud
** Deum

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
VETUS
151
obferved no meafures with Calvin
or
"Deum perfona figurabatur. Non erat tunc,
realis diftinctio Patris a Filio, fed ipfi Deo
"tribuebantur forme corporeæ, quæ nunc
"funt in Filio.-Verbum illud, (125) per- (125) ib.
"fona illa, feu vultus ille Elohim, plus erat P. 116.
quam imago, erat ipfamet facies Dei, ipfe-
66
66
66
met Deus. Erat effigies quædam feu forma
ipfum effe Dei continens." This is not all;
"De fubftantia Dei eft caro ipfa Chrifti; in
ea videtur Deus; ipfa caro Chrifti habet
"effe Dei, et eft corporalis Deitas (126); caro (126) Di-
"Chrifti fubftantiam Verbi habens corpora- ibid. p.
alog. 2.
"liter fubftantialem ipfum, vitalem Spiritum 249, 250.
"divinum, et lucis Dei formam fubftantialem, 271, 272.
"eft vero cæleftis de cælo, de fubftantia Dei,
"illa caro Verbi, caro Dei exiftentiam habens
"æternam. -Nifi caro ipfa Chrifti effet
"cæleftis, de fubftantia Dei et corporalis
"Deitas, non effet ex Deo genita, et ita
61
non effet Filius Dei.-Qui non concedunt
carnem Chrifti effe confubftantialem Deo,
<inaniter fe Chrifti Divinitatem defendere
nugantur."
66
1. iv. P.
IV. Would you know how the creation was
performed according to Servetus? Comprehend,
if you can, what I am now to extract. (127) (127) ib.
"Sicut in Deo fuit prius femen generationis, de Trin.
"quam effet factus realis Filius Dei, ita in 146, 149,
"aliis generationibus hunc ordinem fervari 150.
" voluit Creator: vere fuit in Deo fubftan-
"tiale femen Chrifti, et in eo rerum omnium
"feminales rationes et exemplares forme.-
"In Deo erat prima Chrifti relucentia, fola
princeps omnium, deinde reliqua, per
66
L 4
66
ipfam,

152
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
or his Judges; if he had had the
CC
leaft
ipfam, in ipfa, et ex ipfa, fecundario modo
"fuit ordinibus dependentia. Sapientiam
"hanc dicimus principem ac mundi præfi
"dem quam in creatione manifeftavit Deus.
"Verbum vifibile angelis et hominibus
"exhibere ac per illam fui exhibitionem
omnia creans. Per Deitatem que eft nunc
"in re quavis, poteft Deus nunc novum
mundum creare, et per illam hypoftatice
apparere, quanto magis per Deitatem
* Chrifti? Si de fe ipfo Deus accepit figuram
6C
6C
et fubftantiam omnium creaturarum, quanto
"magis accepit figuram et fubftantiam
"Chrifti? Sine fui mutatione fe poteft hic
<< nobis Deus vifibilem exhibere et palpabilem
"in quavis forma. Cum ille in fe ipfo for-
mas omnes, et corpora omnia effentialiter
" contineat, illam tamen Chrifti formam ab
æterno cogitans, primam conftituit vitæ
fcaturiginem quam in creatione et incar-
"natione patefecit--Cogitatio illa Dei erat
hujus filii generatio; non erat tunc realis
** Filius a Patre diftinctus, fed erat naturalis
* fcientia Dei, vitam jam agens."
66
66
46
We muft fee what he fays a little lower;
(428) ib. (128) Sequitur Deum in principio vere ex
P. 154
nihilo et fine præfuppofita materia, creaffe
duplex cælum, unicam terram et lucem;
reliqua omnia creata poftea dicuntur, quia
"funt vere de non effe, ad effe producta.
"Non tamen funt creata prima illa creatione
66
ex nihilo, et fine præ-exiftente materia.
"Vere eft tunc aqua creata, ex aqua vero
funt cæli, ex aqua per evaporationem eft
66 aer

LIFE OF SERVETU S.
153
1
leaft modefty or difcretion, I
doubt
"aer, ex aerea tandem cocta materia et luce
"eft ipfe ignis, qui et aere fovetur. Imo
"flamma ipfa eft aer accenfus. Luminaria
"die quarto non creavit Deus fed fecit ex
"cæli concreta materia.-Sequitur Thaletem
"illum Milefium-non male dixiffe ex aqua
"effe omnia-jam conftat effe prius factam
"terram quam cælum-duplex eft cælum
66 creatum et tertium increatum." On this
occafion you will be taught what this third
heaven is, which is increated:
"Tertium
CF vero ultra hæc omnia eft cælum Divinitatis,
"lux inacceffa quam Pater inhabitat, quod
" dicitur cælum cælorum.--Hoc cælum
inhabitat Chriftus, et ab eo fplendorem
66
C6
accipiunt angeli longe inferiores qui hoc
tantum vident, quod eis per Chriftum (1)
" datur, hoc luminofum et igneum cælum.
"eft Verbi fulgor, rerum exemplar univer-
30
"fale, Deitas ipfa per Chriftum factum ac-
ceffibilis.- Tertium cælum non habet
peculiarem locum fed intra nos eft et inftar
21
168.
ignis omnia penetrat." (129) Let us give (129) ib.
the conclufion. (130) Ultimo ex præmiffis p. 158.
"comprobatur vetus illa fententia, omnia (130) p.
"effe unum quia omnia funt unum in Deo,
in quo uno confiftunt. Unicum eft prin-
cipium, unica verbi lux, lux uniformis,
et caput omnium, Jefus Chriftus Dominus
"nofter principium creaturarum Dei."
66
2
66
V. Are you defirous to know what the
Holy Spirit is? Conceive, if you can, the de-
(131) de
finitions Servetus gives of him: (131)
Erat Trin. 1.
Spiritus in archetypo fpirationis conftitutio v. p. 163.
ex
66 certa

154
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
doubt not but he might have
brought
CC
certa fempiterne in Deo conftans, et inde
"velut exiens. Prod bat cum Sermone Spiritus,
"Deus loquendo fpirabat, Sermonis et Spi-
"ritus erat eadem fubftantia fed modus
"diverfus--Imo feclufo, creato, halitu,
"fubftantia Spiritus Sancti, realiter differt a
"fubftantia Filii-Alius tamen et alius Divi-
"nitatis modus-Spiritus Sanctus ante huma-
nationem Verbi, in fe erat vere modus
"Deitatis fubftantialis, Spiritus homini non
"ita hypoftatice unitus. Nunc fubftantialem
"habet adjunctionem perpetuam humani
"Spiritus Chrifti-Modus divinus et fubftan-
"tialis, eft Spiritus Sanctus, modus æternus
"in Deo, et ejus plenitudo in Chrifto. Mo-
* dus æternus in Deo erat, in mente præ-
(132) ib. << formatio quædam." (132)
P. 184,
186.
If you don't underſtand this, examine what
follows: (133) "Ut omnia fummatim con-
"cludamus; Spiritus Sanctus in paucis
"diffinitur, Spiritus Sanctus eft fubftantialis
" modus divinus, fpiritui angeli et hominis
for accomodus. Quanquam Spiritus Sanctus
fubftantialiter unum faciat, cum ea quæ
"eft in Chrifto Spiritus creatura fanctificata,
"nihilominus in fe pura Deitas intelligitur,
"Secundum difpenfationis modum eft ex
"Deitate Deitas, ficut in ramulis et floribus
eft Deitas, ex Deitate feminis et radicis,
ficut in palmitibus eft Deitas ex Deitate vitis,
"fucceffione quadam diftributionis divine. Vere
" ergo eft Spiritus Sanctus modus fubftan-
tialis a Patre et Filio diftinctus, procedens
66
fenfibilis,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
155
brought himſelf off, but flatter-
ing
"fenfibilis, fubfiftens, aliud hic aliud ibi
"loquens et agens."
1.
VI. What I have marked in Italick in
the laft fection, naturally leads me to examine
if Servetus has adopted the fyftem of the
(To wav) whole, i. e. Spinofa's fyftem; he was
accuſed of it, and his anfwers gave a great
deal of reafon to fix it upon him: We may
alſo ſee more clearly that he believed that God
is the Univerfe, and that the Univerfe is
God; by joining fome paffages of his book,
he fays; (134)"Non eft Deus inftar puncti (134) ib.
"fed eft fubftantiæ pelagus infinitum, omnia l. iv. p.
"effentians, omnia effe faciens, et omnium 125, 129,
"effentias fuftinens.-Unam folam rem effe
"dicimus, et habere infinitorum millium
"effentias, et infinitorum millium naturas.
"Non folum innumerabilis eft Deus, ratione
" rerum quibus communicatur, fed ratione
" modorum ipfius Deitatis, modi divini funt
"in rebus ineffabiles, in ipfo Deo ab æterno
"præformati.-Rerum omnium effentia eft
"ipfe Deus. Deus ipfe eft comprehenfio et
66
86
130.
continentia rerum omnium-Omnia funt
"in ipfo ; ipfe dat effe rebus, et fingulis
"formis ipfum effe formale; in effentia fua
" rerum omnium ideas continens, eft veluti
"pars formalis omnium:" add what follows,
(135) Deus ubique eft rerum omnium (135) ib.
"effentia plenus. Rerum omnium effentiam epift. 6. p.
"in fe continet, ut fola fua effentia fine alia 588, 589.
"creatura fe hic nobis exhibere poffit, ut
" ignem, ut aurum, ut lapidem, ut electrum,
"ut virgam, ut florem, ut aliud quodvis.
66
"-Deus

856
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(136) ib.
epift. 7.p.
593.
ing himſelf with a triumph over
Calvin
"-Deus in ligno eft, lignum in lapide, lapis
"in fe habens effe lapidis; concedam igitur
"hunc effe vere lapidem, quoad effentiam
"formæ, quamquam defit materia lapidis ;
"concedam quoque ignem illum effe verum
66
ignem et effe id ipfum quod Deus. Loco
"item moveatur ignis ille, aut aura divini
Spiritus, aut lapis aut flos, an movetur
tunc Deus? Deus ubique femper exiftens
"immobilis, nec loco movetur, nec ob
"oftenfam illam formam alteratur, fed funt.
"illi modi difpenfationis, feu exhibitionis
"divinæ, qua fe nobis ut vult vere Deus
"exhibet, et in rebus agit."
66
66
He fays befides, (136). "Quæ vere funt,
in Deo funt, et bona funt facta, quamquam
"actibus malis, funt quædam poftea depra-
vata, ut diabolus ipfe et animus pravus,
qui etiam Deo infunt cum infitis acciden-
"tibus et a Deo ita fuftinentur-In Deo
" omnia confiftunt, accidentia Deo infunt,
atque ita Deo accidunt, quicquid in rerum
natura accidit Deo femper accidit, feu
"Deo incidit, non præter fpem fed Deo
"fufcipiente." Not only the devil is in
God, fo as depraved fpirits, but hell is no
other thing but God himfelf. As God is the
principle and end of all things, they return
dat laft to him, but to have a very different
.nifate; the devils and the wicked fhall return
238 to their principle, and in going into eternal
fire, they fhall go to God himſelf. Ignis
"ille ab æterno paratus eft ipfemet Deus qui
"eft ignis; non eft enim creatura aliqua Deo
66
66 coæterna.

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
157
Calvin by the credit of the party
ct
66
(6
which
coæterna. In igne eft oftenfus Mofi Deus,
et ignis a Deo paffim exivit in ultionem,
"indicans fe effe ignem ulcifcentem et in
judicio confumentem.
Potentiffimum ju-
"dicem decet in fe ipfo habere quo malos
puniat nec ulterius egere. Ipfe eft princi-
pium et finis omnium, et ficut omnia ab
"ipfo prodierunt ita omnia remanentia ad
"ipfum ridibunt, forte tamen inequali. Si
"hoc bene intellexiffet Origines, non dixiffet
"dæmones falvandos, eo quod effent ad fuum
"principium redituri, redibunt quidem, et
euntes in ignem ad ipfumet Deum ibunt."
(137)
<C
(137) ib.
dial. 1. P.
Fide et
Juftitia
That which he teaches about regeneration 245.
is founded upon the fame principles, and his
fyftem That all is God, and That God is all,
prevails every where; fays he, (138) "Ut (138) De
"vero cæleftem hanc novi hominis fubftan-
"tialem divinam generationem penitus affe- Regn.
"quaris, lector chriftiane, repetenda tibi Chrifti.
"funt quæ fæpius diximus, Creatoris fub-1. iv. p.
"ftantiam effe creaturæ, in unum plafma 549, 550.
varie unitam tam in animo quam in corpore,
6C
quorum omnium fpecimen eft Chriftus.
"Diximus vitalem Chrifti Spiritum effe ha-
"litum quendam, qui elementorum veram
"fubftantiam continet, fed incorruptibilem
CC
et novam. Sicut Verbum Dei eft hypofta-
"tice homo, ita Spiritus Dei eft hypofta-
"tice fpiritus hominis, et ita fe totum nobis
"communicat. In gratiam noftri eft Spiritus
"Chrifti Deo adglutinatus, ut ita fe nobis
""communicet, et Deo nobis adglutinet, Spi
66 ritus

158
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(139) ib.
P. 552.
which oppoſed this reformer;
CC
he
"ritus ipfe Chrifti humanus Deo in unum
adglutinatus, per refurrectionis gloriam et
"potentiam eft innovatus, ficut et caro ipfa.
"Anima ejus hinc dicitur innovata ob novam
"Deitatem, et novam incorruptibilem vitalis
"Spiritus fubftantiam. Ab eo item animæ
"noftræ fide reftitutæ fubftantialiter inno-
vantur, cum Chriftum totum, ordine nan-
"cifcuntur."
And a little further on;
"Hanc incorruptibilitatem (139) ita animæ
"noftræ fubftantialiter conjungit Chriftus, ut
"aliam dicas effe regentis animam quam
"ante: propter fubftantiam innovatam et
"novam Deitatem conjunctam. Sicut ergo
"vere eft in nobis intiger Spiritus ejus. Sicut
"animæ noftræ fanguine ipfo Chrifti vero
"reficitur, ita et vitali ipfo Spiritu in fan-
<<
guine fito. Vere et realiter funt in nobis
"cæleftia, incorruptibilia qualia Chriftus in
"cælo nunc fubftantialiter habet, fuperiora
"elementa, per quæ ipfi animæ noftræ fub-
"ftantialiter jungitur corpus ipfum Chrifti in
" interno homine."
99
That which is very remarkable is, that
Servetus nevertheleſs maintained that God is
incorporeal, invifible; but from the manner
in which he expreffes himself, we can't but
conclude however, that God is material, and
he feems at the fame time to fuppofe that God
is the Soul of the world, that he is diffufed
every where, and who modifies himſelf without
(140) de divifion, according to the bodies with which
Trin. 1. he is united. His words are, (140) "Si in
iii. p.120,
"rebus corporeis eft Deus, et res corporeas
121.
" in

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
159
he was the victim of his pride
and
"in fe refert, non ob id fequitur ipfum
"effe corporeum.
Nam Deus ipfe effentia
" fua eft mens omniformis. Ut in anima
CC
tua funt rerum corporearum et divifibilium
"formæ, ita in Deo. In eo effentialiter,
"in te accidentaliter. Incorporeus in fe Deus
tr
et imperceptibilis, ratione mirabile nobis
"prolata per Verbum fe exhibuit percepti-
"bilem et in Verbo erat Spiritus. Hoc non
"arguit in Deo corpus, fed ineffabilem et
"omniformem mentis rationem. Ipfius in-
"tellectus eft hæc mira potentia ut in eo
"reluceat corporis ratio. Abfque divifione
"vel mutatione, fitas effe in Deo formas
"vifibiles, fequens liber aperte docebit. Di-
"vifibilis non eft Deus, nec divifibilis eft
"Verbi fubftantia, cum divifibile fit corrupti-
"bile. Incorporeum vero, inftar imaginarii
"puncti, ficut nec animarum, fubftantia ipfa
65
fpiritus Dei, a qua Angeli et animæ emana-
"runt; non erat inftar puncti, fed inftar
"fubftantiæ flatus elementaris ; et elementaris
hujus erat archetypa in mente divina."
66
VII. When Servetus talks of the nature
of the foul, he is equally unintelligible; and
we cannot but believe that he conceived it
material. We fhall give the paffage here,
although it is pretty long, becauſe we find
in it what regards the circulation of the blood.
This place is not at all exact in Mr. la Roche,
nor in F. Niceron, who has copied him. The
paffage is, (141) "Dicitur in nobis ex trium (141) ib.
"fuperiorum elementorum fubftantia effe 1. v. p.
fpiritus triplexi, naturalis, vitalis, et ani- 169, 179.
BC
"malis-

160
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
and prejudice; this is the only
Bubnos
way
malis-Vere non funt tres fed duo fpiritus
"diftincti. Vitalis eft fpiritus, qui per anaf-.
"tomofes ab arteriis communicatur venis, in
"quibus dicitur naturalis. Primus ergo eft.
"fanguis, cujus fedes eft in hepate et corporis.
"venis. Secundus eft fpiritus vitalis, cujus
"fedes eft in corde et corporis arteriis. Ter-
"tius eft fpiritus animalis, quafi lucis radius,
cujus fedes eft in cerebro et corporis nervis..
"Per infpirationem in os et nares eft vere.
<inducta anima, infpiratio autem ad cor
"tendit, cor eft primum vivens, fons caloris,
in medio corpore. Ab hepate fumit liquo-
rem vitæ, quafi materiam et eum vice.
"verfa vivificat-Ex hepatis fanguine eft
"animæ materia, per elaborationem mira-
"bilem---hinc dicitur anima effe in fanguine,
et anima ipfa effe fanguis five fanguineus
fpiritus---Ad quam rem eft prius intelli-
"genda fubftantialis generatio ipfius vitalis
"fpiritus, qui ex aere infpirato et fubtiliffimo
66
દુઃ
fanguine componitur et nutritur, vitalis.
fpiritus in finiftro cordis ventriculo fuam
"originem habet, juvantibus maxime pul-
"monibus ad ipfius generationem. Eft fpi-
"ritus tenuis caloris vi elaboratus, flavo
66
CC
colore, ignea potentia, ut fit quafi ex
"puriori fanguine lucidus vapor, fubftan-
tiam in fe continens aquæ, aeris et ignis;
generatur ex facta in pulmonibus mixtione
infpirati aeris cum elaborato fubtili fanguine,
quem dexter ventriculus cordis finiftro com-
municat. Fit autem communicatio hæc,
"non per parietem cordis mediam, ut vulgo
uns1.creditur,
66
M
151

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
161
Pr
way of explaining his conftant
conduct
creditur, fed magno artificio, a dextro
" cordis ventriculo, longo per pulmones
"ducta, agitatur fanguis fubtilis. A pulmonibus
46
66
præparatur, flavus efficitur et a vena arteriofa
"in arteriam venofam transfunditur: deinde
in ipfa arteria venofa, infpirato aere mifce-
tur, et expiratione a fuligine repurgatur.
Atque ita tandem a finiftro cordis ventri-
"culo, totum mixtum per diaftolem attra-
"hitur, apta fupellex ut fiat fpiritus vitalis.
Quod ita per pulmones fiat communicatio
* et præparatio docet conpunctio varia, et
communicatio venæ arteriofæ cum arteria
66
66
66
66
<< venofa in pulmonibus. Confirmat hoc
magnitudo infignis venæ arteriofæ, quæ
nec talis nec tanta facta effet, nec tantam a
"corde ipfo vim puriffimi fanguinis in pul-
66 mones emitteret, ob folum eorum emolu-
mentum, nec cor pulmonibus hac ratione
" ferviret: cum præfertim antea in embryone
"folerent pulmones ipfi aliunde nutriri, ob
"membranulas illas, feu valvulas cordis,
"ufque ad horum nativitatis nondum apertas,
66
46
ut docet Galenus. Ergo ad alium ufum
"effunditur fanguis a corde in pulmones
"hora ipfa nativitatis, et tam copiofus---ille
66
itaque fpiritus vitalis a finiftro cordis ven-
"triculo in arterias totius corporis deinde
transfunditur, ita ut quis tenuior eft, fupe-
"riora petat, ubi magis adhuc elaboratur
præcipue in plexu retiformi, fub bafi
"cerebri fito, in quo ex vitali fieri incipit
animalis, ad propriam rationalis animæ
"fedem accedens, iterum fortius mentis
ignea vi tenuatur, elaboratur et perficitur
M
EC
in

162
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
conduct at Geneva, in all refpects
fo
66
"in tenuiffimis vafis, feu capillaribus arteriis,
quæ in plexibus choroidibus fitæ funt, et
"ipfiffimam mentem continent.---In vafis illis
eft mens, anima et igneus fpiritus, jugi
"flabellatione indigens, alioqui inftar externi
"ignis conclufus fuffocaretur----Animali illi
"et igneo fpiritui in illis choroidis vafculis
contento, communicatur infpiratus aer,
८८
66
46
parte exigua, per offa dicta ethmoide,
"tendens ad priores duos cerebri ventriculos,
"in fincipitis dextra, et finiftra conftitutos.
ubique capillares illæ choroidis arteriæ
aerem, illum dilatatæ hauriunt ad venti-
"landam animam---ille deinceps infpiratus in
❝ cerebrum aer a duobus ventriculis anteri-
"oribus fertur ad medium, five ad meatum
" quendam communem, concurfu fub pfal-
"loide facto, ubi lucidior et purior eft
"mentis pars, quæ divinitus innata fibi
"idearum femina exerens, ex femel jam ap-
"prehenfis imaginibus, poteft res
" fimilitudine quadam cogitare, five compo-
46
66
novas
nere, imaginata commifcere, ex aliis alia
"inferre, inter ea difcernere, et puram ipfam
"veritatem colligere, luftrante Deo.----Parte
"alia majore infpiratus aer per tracheam
arteriam venofam tranfeat, in qua flavo et
"fubtili fanguini mifcetur, ac magis elabo-
66 ratur. Deinde totum mixtum a finiftro
cordis ventriculo diaftole attrahitur--Hoc
totum veluti materia eft ipfius animæ ultra
totum hoc mixtum duo in anima fuperfunt,
"quod vivens fpiratione creatum, aut in fua
"materia productum eft Spiritus ipfe feu
"Divinitas
66
66

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
163
fo different from his behaviour at
Vienne
"Divinitas ipfa fpirando infita, omnia unum
" et anima una. Id medium quod principa-
"liter anima dicitur, habitus eft Spiritus,
"utrinque cum Spiritu effentialiter junctus.
"Subftantia eft ætherea, illi archetype fu-
"perelementari, et huic quoque inferiori
"fimilis: naturalis anima una vitalis et ani-
"malis. Ecce totam animæ rationem et
quare anima omnis carnis, in fanguine ut
"etpanima ipfa fanguis fit---Nam afflante
"Deo, infpirata per os, nares
"cerebrum, ipfius Adæ et natorum ejus illa
"cæleftis Spiritus aura, five idealis fcintilla
CC
et cor, et
et fpirituali illi fanguineæ materiæ intus
"effentialiter juncta, facta eft in ejus vifce-
"ribus anima, hoc modo tam diffimiles fub-
"ftantias poffe coire, poft Chaldæos docu-
"erunt academici-Duo funt in femine
quæ funt de effentia animæ Patris. Ea
"funt formalis, feu formatrix facultas eft
"lux ipfa et idea. Ex femine manifefte
"eliciuntur animantium aliorum animæ, ac
"etiam humanæ, accidente ipfi homini
"divinæ mentis habitu, in ea idea, quam
"feminis exigit ratio, ad quam anima for-
"matur." I willingly refer it to the adepts
to guess if the foul is any thing more than
the blood. I ought to add, that Servetus
pretends to explain in the fame tafte, all the
operations of the foul, but it is impoffible
to follow him in all the particular turns he
takes. Perhaps this note will be thought
exceffively long; my excufe is, that I believed
it would be well taken to make the abfurdity
vict
M 2
and

RUTV2
201
164
(142)
Dial. ii.
P-274.
be
SERVETUS.
igio LIFE OF SERVETUS.
and extravagance of the most part of Ser
vetus's notions more particularly known.
SHIP
VIII. We fhall draw up under this laft
head, fome opinions of this man become fo
famous, upon other detached points, that
perhaps are but little known. Is any one
fond to know in a few words, how he
formed his notions of the Trinity? For he
owned it; we fhall fee that his fyftem as
to this, is founded on Sabellianifm, as was
obferved in the beginning; Unde," fays he,
(142) totam nunc collige Trinitatis ratio-
nem. Pater eft Deus, Filius eft Deus,
"Spiritus Sanctus eft Deus. Pater non eft
"Filius, nec Filius eft Spiritus Sanctus,
"nec Spiritus Sanctus eft Pater juxta Per-
46
86
CC
46
66
fonæ proprietatem. In Filio a nobis
«videtur Pater, et in Spiritu Sancto intus
a nobis videtur Filius. Realiter Filius
"differt a Patre, et a Filio Spiritus Sanctus,
non effentialiter, quia eft eadem Deitatis
effentia. Pater eft totius difpenfationis,
et Deitatis origo, fimpliciter Deus, fine
creaturæ admixtione, vel participatione
aliqua, in fe confideratus incomprehen-
<< fibilis. Filius Deitatem habet Patris cum
corporali participatione creaturæ. Spiritus
Sanctus Deitatem habet Patris et Filii,
"creaturæ quoque participationem a Filio
milo accipiens, per quam procedit."Original
fin confifts in this, that by the fall of Adam,
1362 the Devil has acquired the power of per-
aninverting the body and the foul, and throwing
the motions of this laft into diforder, by
(143) De inftigating us; efpecially when his leffons
begin to get the afcendant over us about
twenty years of age. (143) "Omne itaque
regener.1.
p. 1. p.
362.
16
"mali

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
165
"mali genus a ferpente et Adam ducit origi-
"nem: et incipit in nobis quando fcientiam
"boni et mali habere incipimus, ftimulante
nos doctore ferpente, idque a puero. Adam
eft caufa efficiens noftræ perditionis, quia
ob ejus delictum facta eft ferpenti poteftas,
ut corporis et animi corruptionem caufet,
et inordinatus reddat omnes partes animæ
noftræ, quando nos fuam fcientiam docere
incipit-tempore quo prævalere incipit illa
2 Satana mala fcientia, prævalere etiam
98
2526
66
incipit in homine luxuriæ ftimulus, an-
Orgelus Satana, circa annum vicefimum."
We are not fufceptible of true falutary in-
ftruction, until thirty years of age; and
then it is, we ought to be baptized, after
the example of Jefus Chrift; and then it is,
we are regenerated. Triginta annorum
2016 Chriftus baptifmum accepit, exemplum
nobis dans, ac nos ita docens, ante eam
ætatem non effe quem fatis aptum ad
"myfteria regni cælorum. Sicut primus
"Adam tricefimo anno nafcitur, ita cum
Sit fecundo nos tricefimo anno renafcemur."
(144) He rails in the moſt outrageous man-(144) ib.
ner againſt the baptifm of infants, which 1. ii. p.
we may judge of by his conclufion of this
fubject. (145) " Pædobaptifmum effe dico (145) ib.
deteftandam abominationem, Spiritus Sanctil. iv. p.
"extinctionem,ecclefiæ Dei defolationem, 576.
lenie totius profeffionis chriftianæ confufionem,
"innovationis per Chriftum facta aboliti-
onem, ac totius ejus regni conculcati-
grivionem." Calvin does not appear to have
dunderſtood clearly, what he faid concerning
the foul's becoming mortal by fin, for he
does not feem to fpeak of any thing elſe
M. 3
but
412.

4166
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(146) ib.
P. 151.
દ
b
gains
but a fpiritual mortality.
"Animæ effen-
"tiam corruptibilibus carnis elementis in
aurum alligatum, (146) ita per Adam,
"Satana occidit, ut fit quodam modo anima
"reddita mortalis non quod in nihilum
Sdi (p) anima redeat, ficut nec caro, fed moritur
"quando cum dolore vitalibus actionibus
TGE ARE
pop sop
66
privatur, et in inferno languius detinetur,
quafi non amplius victura, contra vero
per Chriftum funt animæ redditæ im-
"mortales, ficut caro immortalis." I fhall
not rehearſe all the invectives of Servetus
againft thofe who admit the doctrine of the
Trinity; they fo far furpafs what we can
conceive, that neither the rudeness of that
age, nor the perfuafion of its reprefenting
God in a wrong light, can make any apo-
logy for language fo odious, and fo out-
rageous against a doctrine held in veneration
by almoſt all the chriftian church, Neither
is he more referved when he talks of the
Pope, and the church of Rome; and fup-
pofing there had been no herefy in his whole
book, what he fays upon this fubject was
fufficient to have condemned him to the
flames, by the Roman catholicks in the time
when he lived. According to Servetus, the
Pope is Antichrift, the Beaft to whom the
Dragon has given his power, Rome is Ba-
bylon, the antient feat of Satan, where the
Beaft continues in the fame idolatrous prac-
tices as before; the practices of the Maho-
metans are preferable to thofe of Rome:
in a word, the whole fecond book of the
treatife de Regeneratione, contain the moſt
violent invectives against the Roman church,
and againſt its worship; and on this occafion,
against

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
167
702
against the Trinity, which he looked upon
as a contrivance of the Popes. I might
produce very extenfive paffages to juftify
what I have faid; I fhall confine myſelf
only to fome few, whereby a judgment may
be formed of the reft. (147)
"draco ille magnus ferpens antiquus, quil. i. p.
"eft diabolus et Satanas, feductor orbis, 394 397,
01 qui poteftatem fuam Babylonice Beftiæ 402, 404.
406, 419.
"id eft papæ dedit--Qui papifticos ritus
66
66
66
Ipfemet eft (147) ib.
vere intelligit non effe fecundum Chriftum,
vere intelligit papam effe Antichriftum,
qui Chrifti regnum occupans, Chrifto con-
"traria ftatuat, et Chrifto contraria faciat-
"Babylonem effe Romam non eft quod du-
"bitetur-Hæc Satanæ antiqua fedes dicta
"nunc fedes Apoftolica--Adde quod in
" urbe ipfa fuit infignis pontificatus ad ido-
"lolatriam. Pontifex ipfe Satanas parentalis,
"jufta funebria, placandos manes, inferias
"exfequias, et alia pro mortuis fuffragia,
"ab Æneæ feculo Romæ docuerat; quos
66 omnes ritus ab ipfomet Satana inftructa
"Beftia ad unguem nunc fervat---ficut ubi
"colebatur Hecate reaλos, ita nunc a
"tritheitis colitur triceps Cerberus tres in uno
66
ranarum Spiritus--In hoc Papiftis Ma-
"humetani præferendi, quod idola abhorrent,
CC
et idololatriam papifticam maxime detef-
"tantur. Quanquam Deus nec in manu-
"factis templis habitet nec manibus huma-
"nis colatur, fed folo Spiritu; facerdotes
"tamen Papiftici, varia templa variorum
"fanctorum cultibus dedicant, et cadavera
"multa fuper altaria recondunt ftatuas, idola,
et fimulacra aurea, argentea, ærea, ferrea,
"lignea, lapides, variis picturis pulchre ador-
dinings
64
M 4
66
nata

168
LIFE OF SERVETUS. I
66
66
ક nata, illis fabre faciunt, cadaverum reli-
quias, intra idola reponunt, fuper humeros
portant, hunc orantes pro pefti, illum
pro tonitruis, et pro aliis morbis alios.
"ad hunc pro bobus, ad illum pro ovibus,
"ad alios pro equis et afinis peregrinationes
"inftituunt, et vota vovent. imo tot funt
"divo quod oppida et pagi--Unumquod-
"que artificum genus, fabrorum, futorum,
"tonforum, et reliquorum fuos habet pecu-
"liares divos, quibus fefta colit et bacha-
"nalia convivia."
dhay bloow
nom
After all this, what muft we think of
Serverus, who lived at Vienne, profeffing
a religion of which he draws fuch a fhock-
ing picture; who was a partaker in its wor-
ſhip, and who protefted in the examination
he underwent, that he fubmitted himfelf to
the decifion of the church? The leaft, certainly,
that we can ſay of him is, that he was a
great hypocrite, and at the fame time, he
muſt have had a ftrong dofe of enthufiafm,
or an unbounded ambition to make himfelf a
man of confequence, by the fingularity of
his opinions, in having written and cauſed
to be printed fuch a book as the Reftitutio
Chriftianifmi: although he did not put his
name to it, could he without the greateſt
folly, flatter himſelf he would remain un-
known? And notwithſtanding the remarkable
difference between this book and his first
works upon the fame fubject, there was
always conformity enough to detect them:
befides, he could not remain unknown, when
he made the letters which he wrote to Cal
vin, be printed; thefe alone were fufficient
to difcover him: there is no great appear
batesialib
ance

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
16:
Vienne [X]. The 22d of Sep-
slobi sini tember,
201
ance that Calvin miftook the author from
this particular, and much lefs that he would
be at pains to conceal it. I fhall finish this
long note by obferving, that if we examine
the whole fyftem of Servetus, we ſhall be
forced to own, that it is the moft abfurd and
obfcure, that ever entered into the mind of
mand and I dare fay, if his work was com-
mon, it would perhaps be the moſt defpi-
cable book that ever was, and we would give
ourſelves no trouble about it. Some books
have no other merit but their fcarcity; it is
fuppofed they contain great myfteries, and
there is infinite pains taken to find them out,
but we are altogether furpriſed fometimes, to
find nothing in them but the moſt abfurd
imaginations.
(X) In all refpects fo different from his
behaviour at Vienne.] It is not eafy to con-
ceive, how a man who had fo much addrefs
as to extricate himſelf out of the danger he
was in at Vienne, fhould become fo obftinate
and inflexible all at once, that he fhould
rather chufe to be burnt, than make the leaft
act of fubmiffion. The truth is, that Ser-
vetus flattered himself, and that protected
as he was, he did not believe he run the
leaft risk of his life. Let us canvass this
part of his hiftory, and we fhall find circum-
ftances in it, which fay a great deal for
abfolving Calvin. There was in Geneva at
that time, a difpute about jurifdiction be-
tween the Magiftrates and the Confiftory;
the rigid difcipline introduced by Calvin,
difpleafed

170
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
tember, he prefented another
petition, requefting that Calvin
(fhould be punifhed as a calum-
2qniator, which was accompanied
with
IgnA
obsah
attop difpleafed a great many people, they wanted
to moderate its feverity, by eſtabliſhing an
Sus appeal to the magiftracy. This was the fame
bom A thing as an attack upon Calvin himself, who
not being difpofed to yield, would have been
amol undone without recovery, if they had fuc-
ap. Bibl.
ceeded. A paffage from Beza will put thefe
(148) Pre- conjectures in their proper light. (148) At
face to the "this time when they were taken up in
Comment" oppofing the herefies of Servetus, there
of Joſhu. EC
was a dangerous confpiracy fecretly hatch-
Raif. t. 2. ing in the city, which tended to the de-
"ftruction of the Church, in taking from
109. vid. "it the exercife of difcipline; for fome of
"the grandees, who held, or who had ufurped
Calvin. p." the most part of the power of the govern-
329, 332. ment of affairs, were not fond of the word
p. 108,
Drelinc.
def. of
" of God being preached with boldness and
"efficacy. To thefe reforted certain de-
"bauched and incorrigible perfons, who, for
"very good reafons, were forbid the Sacra-
6C
ment by the Confiftory-Not being able,
" and indeed not daring to abolish the Con-
fiftory-they endeavoured to effectuate,
"that when the Confiftory fhould deprive
<6
any perfon of the Sacrament, the Council
"might have power to abfolve them, and
"give them permiffion to receive it.
But
"while the Confiftory and the Miniftry
" oppoſed this mifchief by ftrong remon-
finings
ftrances
المالية

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
171
with feveral articles he demanded
Calvin to be interrogated upon.
(w) The 10th of October Ser- (w) Bibl.
Angl. t.
vetus returned to the charge by 2. p. 145.
a
152.
is called
Amedee
"ftrances, one Amied Perrin, (149) at that (149) He
"time first Syndic, in order to make a be-
"ginning of this practice-gave letters to Garri and
"one Garnement, a favourite of his, for Amed
receiving the Sacrament, who had been Garrin by
"interdicted. They believed that neither
"Calvin nor the reft durft refufe it, when
thefe letters were prefented in full affem-
"bly; or in cafe they did refufe, this would
"raife a fedition, in which the Minifters
"would be the chief fufferers; Calvin,
"although he was not advertifed of this
"confpiracy till two days before the firft
"Sunday of September, which was the next
"Sacrament day, refolved at all hazards to
"do his duty.-It coft the Council a long
"time to break the neck of this under-
taking, which lafted about a year."
By this we fee that there was a divifion
at Geneva, when the affair of Servetus hap-
pened, and that the difputes were at the
higheſt in the month of September, 1553,
when the Spanish phyfician demanded that his
caufe fhould be brought before the Council
of two hundred. This hint was probably
fuggefted to him by the Syndic; what gives
Occafion to think fo, is, that this very Ma-
giftrate propofed afterwards, the remitting of
the caufe of Servetus to the two hundred, was
Calvin tells him, who was exceffively piqued
against
fome.

172
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
#553.
a new requeft, wherein we may
fee, that this miferable man was
in the moft deplorable condition;
notwithstanding the orders which
had
199
againſt the Syndic, to whom he gave the
(150) Ep. nickname of comical Cæfar. (150) Cæfar
ad Farel. comicus, fimulato per triduum morbo, din
" curiam tandem afcendit, ut fceleratum
"iftum pœna eximeret. Neque enim eru-
"buit petere, ut cognitio ad ducentos ve-
"niret." The reafon why they wanted to
il bring this caufe before this laft tribunal,
was, becauſe the fovereignty refides in the
Council of two hundred, and confequently
the right of making new laws, or repealing
the old, belongs only to them; fo that they
could fufpend the execution of the penal laws
which were then in force at Geneva, as we
fhall fee in the fequel. The carrying the
caufe of Servetus before the Council of two
hundred, was making Calvin run a very great
rifque; and by this we fee, that Servetus
had ſome reaſon to flatter himself." Thefe
"who favoured him," fays Mr. la Roche,
(151) Bi. (151) no doubt had made him hope
Angl. t. that he could fave his life; and it was
2. p. 162. « that, which kept him from obferving any
"meaſures." I even believe, that if this had
not happened, he would have defended him-
felf by fpeaking or writing much better.
And certainly it was for the fame reafon that
he requeſted not to be delivered over to the
Judges of Vienne, which evidently proves
that our Spaniard reckoned too much upon
66
the

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
173
had been given. As the procefs
of this phyfician was an affair of
the utmoſt importance, the ma-
giftrates of Geneva thought pro-
bed
66
66
46
per
I be
Calv. an.
1553-at
Latin
works.
the protection of Calvin's enemies, and that
a little more good conduct and referve, would
have faved him, which is teftified by Beza
and by Calvin himfelf. The firft of theſe
fays, (152) Fuit autem horum omnium (152) Vit.
(certaminum) ifte exitus, ut tandem per-
oditus ille (cui etiam factioforum unus tum the begin-
las prætoris affeffor in aurem infufuraffe quid- ning of
* dam credebatur, quo malum perdita ho- Calvin's
y minis animum obfirmaret, a vana illa fua
gn confidentia proditus-infælix vivus cre- Amft. ed.
"maretur." Let us hear Calvin; (153) (153) De-
aw In my opinion he was in no danger of clar.p.55-
Sw" being punished with any feverity, if he
Sd had fhewn himself in the leaft tractable,
ow" or given the leaft hope of returning to
18" the right way. But fo far was he from
aut taking the fmalleft moderate ftep, that
slo being more and more filled with oftenta-
tion, and blown up with pride, he rejected
with difdain, the beft advices which were
offered him, and might have been of very
V great ufe to him. It is enough for me,
bed" that it is known, that I never profecuted
"him with fo much cruelty, but that it
4 was always in his option to have pur-
2w
66
66
-
and chafed his life, in giving the fmalleft
ada token of modefty; which he certainly
29 would have done, if he had not loft his
noque fenfes.orIt must not be faid neither, that
adi
100 281 he

174
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
per to confult the Proteftant
Swifs Cantons. They fent them
the Chriftianifmi Reftitutio, with
Calvin's papers, and
papers, and the sp
COL
thespri-
foner's
"he was fteady in maintaining his opinions,
it was no fuch thing which governed him.
"For at Vienne he made nos fcruple of
"recanting, as often as they pleafed, if he
"could but get free. But I don't know what
" notion to form of that obftinacy he always
"fhewed here, except that a furious rage
"had taken poffeffion of him, to run him
headlong into that judgment, to which
"God had given him up. For, eight days
"after, when I was called again by the Ma-
"giftrates, and when, if he had pleaſed,
"he had the liberty of talking with us,
"the miſchief might have been repaired.
"But he excufed himfelf on account of his
66
grief, and vexation; fo that he would not
enter into converfation with us. From
"whence it may be probably conjectured,
"that he had formed to himſelf fome vain
<6
expectation I don't know where, which
"has ruined and deftroyed him."
Ya Mr. la Roche feems to believe, that the
capital fnare Servetus's falfe friends made him
fall into, was to engage him to throw out
a great deal of injurious language against
Calvin. Although that would have been
very imprudent, there is no probability that
even this would have made a great impreffion
either upon the Judges or Calvin himself.
"This Billingfgate ftyle," as Mr. de la Cha-
pelle

LIFE OF SERVETUS.I
175
foner's anſwers; and they re-
quired at the fame time, the
opinion of their Divines upon
this affair. All the anfwers agreed
in
of
pelle very justly obferves," was then, and
"for a long time afterwards, very much in
"fashion amongſt men of learning." In-
vectives and injuries were common, which
went for nothing in debates; it was the efta-
blifhed, or Chancery ftyle. Servetus's great
misfortune was, that his pretended friends
perfuaded him, that his life was in no danger;
in confidence of which, he defied juftice and
his Judges. We find proofs of this, in the
manner he defended himſelf againft his ac-
cufers. We have feen in note (F), that upon
the fubject of the paffage about the fertility
of Judæa, he did not condefcend to alledge
the proofs of his innocence with regard to this
article, which he had to fhew; on the con-
trary, he chuſed rather to place to his own
account, the injurious reflections upon Mofes,
faying, "that there was nothing in it but
"what was good." When he was reproached
with indecent expreffions he had ufed in
fpeaking of the Trinity, which could not
but be looked upon as blafphemous amongſt
Chriftians, he afked neither pardon nor
excufe. What he had wrote he obftinately
defended. I ought upon this occafion to
correct a fmall mistake of Mr. de la Cha-
pelle, who fays, (154) that the queftion (154) Bi
was upon the thirty feven articles extracted Raif. t. 2-
from his books, about the letter which he P. 125,
4
had
126.

176
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
in exhorting the magiftrates to
reftrain
had wrote to Mr. Abel Poupin or Pepin,
full of the most fhocking expreffions againft
the Faith maintained at Geneva, and where
he called the Trinity a Cerberus with three
heads; the Journaliſt adds, that he made this
anfwer. "I confefs I have wrote fo, and
"when you fhall teach me otherwife, I will
"not only embrace it, but I will kifs the
ground whereon you walk." Mr. de la
Chapelle is miſtaken; the thirty feventh article
extracted from his books regards the invec-
tives he had thrown out againſt the Baptifm
of Infants, and the anſwer of Servetus refers
to that, and not to the injurious expreffions
against the Trinity. I don't find that he had
repeated them, or that he had directly de-
fended them; on the contrary, it appears
that he had eluded this article, contenting
himſelf with offering no excufe; which fuf-
ficiently fhews his obftinacy, and the little
refpect he had for his Judges. We have
befides, a much ftronger proof of this, in
the article concerning his fyftem, that God
is the whole; fo far from foftening what he
advanced, as we have feen in the remark (w),
he feems to infult the whole univerfe.
I
don't think we can have any difficulty in
believing Calvin, comparing his relation with
(155) De- the propofitions of Servetus. (155) " In the
"whole procefs," fays Calvin," his impiety
"has been much better difcovered.-For as
" to what he faid, that all creatures are of
"the real Subftance of the Deity, and like-
clar. P.
89, 90.
wife that all things are full of an infinite
"God.

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
177
reftrain Servetus, and to hinder
his
"God. Such language he is not ashamed
EC
to utter, and even commit to writing.
I being exceffively vexed at fuch a mon-
"ftrous abfurdity, replied against it; How,
wretched man! if any one fhould ftrike
"this floor with his foot, and fhould fay,
"that he trampled upon God, would not
66
you be fhocked in fubjecting the Majefty of
"God to fuch an affront? But he faid, I
"make no queftion, but that this form and
"this table and every thing which can be
"fhewn, is the Subftance of God. Again,
"when it was objected to him, that then,
"according to his own account, the Devil
"would be fubftantially God. Smiling, he
"anfwered boldly, Do you doubt of it?
"For my part I ftick to this as a general
maxim, that all things are a part and
"portion of God, and that all nature is
his fubftantial Spirit." Except one is
violently prejudiced, he must confefs that
a man in the circumftances in which Ser-
vetus was, and behaved in this manner,
muſt have i fecret hopes that it would do
him no harm. And thus it follows from
all that we have faid, that Calvin's ene-
mies contributed more to the misfortunate
end of Servetus, than this reformer; and that
a little of that fubmiffion he practiſed at
Vienne, would have faved him; but as
they had rendered Servetus headſtrong and
infolent, Calvin was laid under the necef-
fity either of ruining himſelf, or of op-
pofing

178
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
his errors from fpreading. (Y)
i-end odoo
M
18
The
pofing every thing which could be favourable
to Servetus.
(Y) To reftrain Servetus, and binder his errors
from fpreading.] There are none of theſe
anfwers, which point out that kind of puniſh-
(821) ment the criminal deferved, but we may
clearly fee that the Swifs Magiftrates did not
think that Servetus ought to escape; the
reader fhall be judge of this. The Magif
trates of Zurich anfwered the 2d of October,
that they had confulted their Minifters, and
they exhorted the Council of Geneva to
oppofe the herefies of Servetus. "In confi-
(156) Bi.dence," fay they (156) "that you won't
Angl.t.2. fuffer the wicked intention of your faid
p. 163.
Mr. la
"prifoner to go further, which is entirely
Roche "contrary to the Chriftian religion, which
affures
"gives great fcandal and infult." The Mi-
us, this
nifters of Zurich exprefs themfelves more
paffage
has never ftrongly in their letter of the fame date (157).
been "Multa ergo fide et diligentia contra hunc
printed." opus effe judicamus, præfertim cum eccle-
(157) In- «fiæ noftræ apud exteros male audiant, quafi
Calvin. "hæreticæ fint et hæreticis foveant. Obtulit
p.m. 73. vero in prefenti Sancta Dei providentia oc-
ter epift.
"cafionem repurgandi vos, fimul ac nos a
"pravi mali hujus fufpicione: fi videlicet
"vigilantes fueritis, diligenterque caveritis
"ne veneni hujus contagio, per hunc ferpat
" latius. Id quod facturos A. V. nil dubi-
"tamus." The Magiftrates of Schaffhoufe
anfwered by a letter of the 6th of October,
that they had remitted the examination of this
affair to their Minifters, and that they had
bxs ban guts to of
fent
gailis

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
179
The 26th of October, and not
the 28th, as Mr. la Roche has it,
also so blues doid guide gass after
fent theſe gentlemens letter to the Council of
Geneva. Thefe laft, after faying that they
detefted the errors of Servetus, conclude
with theſe words (158), "Neque dubitamus (158) ib.
quam vos, pro infigni prudentia veftra, P. m. 74-
ipfius conatus repreffuri fitis, ne blafphe-
60
"miæ ipfius tanquam cancer latius depaf-
cantur Chrifti membra. Nam longis rati-
*onibus avertere ipfius deliramenta; quid
aliud effet quam cum infaniente infaniri ?"
Thefe gentlemen hoped that thoſe of Geneva
would reprefs the errors of Servetus, and
they judged it would be in vain to refute
them by long reafonings; is not this language
very plain? The Magiftrates of Bafil men-
tion in their letter of the 12th of October,
their having referred the examination of this
affair to their Divines; thefe, laft in their.
letter of the 18th of October (159), exprefs (159) ib.
in the beginning, the horror they have at P. m. 72.
the herefies of Servetus, and end by faying, Roche
"Poftremo, quod Servetum attinet hortamur, fays, that
"ut quod facere vos apparet, omne ftudium this letter
" in ipfo fanando albi beatis, modo quæ 12th of
<excitavit offendicula, et ipfa fanari queant oat. in
"Verum fi infanabilis in concepta femet per- my edit.
"verfitate perftet, fic pro officio veftro, it is the
"poteftateque a Domino conceffa coerceatur,
66
ne dare incommodum queat ecclefiæ Chrifti,
"neve fiant noviffima primis deteriora." They
mean that in cafe Servetus perfifts in his
obftinacy and is incurable, then the Council
of Geneva, according to their duty and exer-
cifing
N 2
Mr. la
is the
18th.

(180
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
fup. p.
166, 167.
Mr. la
Roche
affures us,
that this
paffage
has never
after Mr. d'Artigny; the fentence
againft Servetus was pronounced,
подн
noq boston
CC
66
Song
by
cifing the power which God had put into their
hands, fhould reftrain this heretick in fuch
a manner, that he ſhould not hurt the Church
of Jefus Chrift any more. Here is no ambi-
guity. The Magiftrates of Bern wrote like-
wife, that they had confulted their Divines,
and entreated the Magiftrates of Geneva to
put a stop to the further progreſs of theſe
(160) Bi. errors. "We beg of you," fay they, (160)
Angl. ub. "not doubting but you are thereto alfo in-
"clined, that you will take proper meaſures,
that fects and herefies as thefe are, or fuch
"like, be not fown in the Church of Jefus
Chrift, our only Saviour; preferving it
thereby from trouble and adverfity, ad-
vancing and increafing its glory." The
been Minifters of Bern expreffed themſelves in
printed. thefe terms. "Oramus Deum, ut det vobis
fpiritum prudentiæ, confilii et fortitudinis,
ut et peftem hanc ab ecclefiis cum veftra,
"tum aliis, avertatis, et fimul nihil remit-
"tatis, quod Magiftratui Chriftiano inconve-
"niens fit (161)." This letter is dated in
the year 1553. In weighing without preju-
dice all the anfwers of thefe churches, we
muft agree to the truth of what Beza fays,
that Servetus had been condemned with the
confent of all the Churches in Switzerland,
"ex omnium etiam Helveticarum ecclefiarum
"fententia." Mr. la Roche feems to make
this doubtful; and Mr. d'Alwoerden pretends
that Calvin had the art to let none of the
letters be printed but that of Zurich, becauſe
(161)
Inter ep.
Calv. p.
m. 73.
66
..
it

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
181
by which he was condemned to
be burnt alive. (Z) After the
fentence was pronounced upon
this or unfortunate Spaniard, he
appeared fometimes quite con-
founded and motionlefs, fome-
times fetching deep fighs, and
then crying after the Spanish
don, to elargone
157
manner,
Bibl.
Raifon.
it anſwered his view much better, which was
to maintain, that Servetus was justly put to
death. But, upon reading the anfwers of thefe
Swifs gentlemen, we fhall own that Mr. de
la Chapelle had reafon to fay, that (162) (162)
"All the churches of Switzerland agreed to
punish Servetus capitally, fince they all
"concurred in teftifying their utmoft ab- 173-
"horrence of his herefies; and requiring,
"that this outrage fhould not be left un-
' punished." We fhall fee afterwards, that
the practice of the Swifs fufficiently explains
what they underſtand by reftraining herefies.
66
(Z) Sentence against Servetus was pronounced,
by which he was condemned to be burnt alive.]
Mr. la Roche has given us this fentence and
the trial preceding. As thefe two pieces throw
a great deal of light upon this affair, we fhall
infert them, to fpare the reader the trouble
of having recourfe to another book. There
we fee for what crimes Servetus was con-
demned, and in what form judgment was
decreed againſt him.
"PRO-
N 3
t. 2. P.

182
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
opufc. p.
manner, Mifericorde! Mifericorde!
(x) Calv. (x) Two hours before his death,
m. 523. he defired to fpeak with Calvin':
this divine accompanied with
two magiftrates, went to prifon;
Calvin faid to him, that it never
entered into his mind to revenge
any perfonal injuries done him;
that
66
"PROCESS
"Made and formed before our moft
"refpectful Lords, the Syndics Judges
e of criminal caufes of this city, at the
"purfuit and inftance of the Lord Lieu-
"tenant of the faid city, and the faid
"caufes indited againſt
"MICHAEL SERVETUS, of Villa-
. neuve in the kingdom of
"Arragon in Spain,
"Who about three and twenty, or four
" and twenty years ago, has in the first place
attempted to have, and cauſed to be printed
*Hage-" in Agnon * in Germany, a book againſt
"the Holy and undivided Trinity; con-
nau.
66
..
taining many grofs blafphemies against it,
highly fcandalous to the churches of the
"faid Germans, which he without conftraint,
"confeffed, that he caufed the faid book to
"be printed, notwithstanding all the remon-
p" ftrances and reproofs given him for thefe
be falfe opinions, by the learned Evangelical
"Doctors amongst the faid Germans.
1097)
* Item,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
183
thatge
that more than fixteen years ago,
he had endeavoured to reclaim y
him from his errors; and that
in this view he had written to
him with a great deal of ten-
dernefs; that he had not ceafed
to give him proofs of his affec-
tion until he faw that he fell
a
"Item. Which book has been rejected
"by the Doctors of the faid German
churches, as full of herefies, and the faid
"Servetus declared fugitive by the faid Ger-
mans on account of the faid book.
"Item. Notwithstanding of which, the
"faid Servetus has perfevered in his errone-
"ous falfehoods, infecting here as many as
he could.
"Item. Not content with this, but the
"better to spread and pour out his faid
yenom and herefy, he has caufed lately
"to be printed, another book privately, in
"Vienne in Dauphine, full of the faid here-
fies; horrible and execrable blafphemies
against the Holy Trinity, against the Son
"of God, against the baptifm of little chil
"dren, and a great many other holy and
*fundamental articles of the Chriftian reli-
gion.
Item. He has voluntarily confeffed,
"that in this book he has called thofe who
"believe the Trinity,
Trinitarians and
Atheifts.
ocas zool"
N4
"Item,

184
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
a railing against him, becauſe
he had reprimanded him with
fome freedom. He exhorted Ser-
vetus to ask pardon of God,
for his having endeavoured to
deftroy the three hypoftafes of
his effence, and had called it a
Cerberus with three heads,inif
there
"Item. He calls the Trinity itſelf a
"Cs, and a th-h-d monſter.
"Item. Against the real foundation of
"the Chriftian religion, deteftably blafphem-
ing againſt the Son of God; he has faid
"that Jefus Chrift is not the Son of God
"from all eternity, but only from his incar-
"nation.
Item. And againſt that which the Scrip-
ture fays, that Jefus Chrift is the Son of
"David according to the Flesh, he misfor-
"tunately denies it, faying, that he was
"created of the Subftance of the Father,
66
having received three elements from him,
"and one only from the Virgin; in which
"he wickedly pretends to abolish the true
" and entire humanity of our Lord Jefus
"Chrift, the fovereign confolation of poor
"mankind.
"Item. And that the baptifm of little
"children is nothing but an invention of the
"Devil and witchcraft.
attention
"Item. And a great many other points
❝s and articles, and execrable blafphemies,
2
"" of

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
185
there was a real diftinction be-
tween the Father, the Son, and
Holy Spirit, &c. Thefe exhor-
tations were ufelefs: Calvin re-
tired. (z) Chateillon has given (z) ibid.
out, that Calvin was in a win- P. 511.
dow when Servetus was led to
puniſhment, and that he fmiled
when
"of which the faid book is full; highly
"fcandalous againft the honour and majefty of
"God, the Son of God, and the Holy
66
Spirit; which is a cruel and horrible
"murther, perdition and ruin to a great
"many poor fouls, being betrayed by this
"treacherous and deteftable doctrine: A
thing dreadful to rehearſe.
CO
66
66
"Item. And that Servetus, full of ma-
"lice, intitled his faid book fo drawn up
against God and the holy Evangelical Doc-
"trines, Chriftianifmi Reftitutio; that is to
fay, The Restoration of Christianity, fo much
"the better to feduce and deceive poor igno-
rant people; and the more eafily to infect
"the readers of his faid book with his mif-
"chievous and wicked venom, under the
cover of found doctrine.
66
66
"Item. And befides the aforefaid book,
"attacking our faith by letters, applying
"himfelf diligently to infect others with his
"poifon; he has voluntarily confeffed and
"owned that he had written letters to one
of the Minifters of this city, in which
66
" amongſt

186
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
when he faw him pafs by; but
thefe are of the kind of odious
reproaches, which ought not to
l be credited but upon very good
d() proofs, and not upon the tefti-
mony of a declared enemy. Mr.
la Roche looks upon this fact as
12
(aa) Bibl. a wretched calumny, (aa) Per-
Angl.t.z.
P. 188.
6C haps,'
ور
amongit a great many other horrible and
"enormous blafphemies, againſt our holy
"Evangelical religion, he faid, that our
gofpel was without faith, and without God,
" and that for one God we had a Cs
"with the h-ds.
" Item. And befides, he has voluntarily
"confeffed, that at the aforefaid place of
"Vienne, upon account of his wicked and
"abominable book and opinions, he was
"imprifoned, which prifon he perfidioufly
"broke and efcaped.
<Item. And Servetus has not only fet
"his doctrine in oppofition to the true Chrif-
"tian Religion, but an impudent inventor
" of herefies against the Papifts and others;
"fo that he was burnt in effigy at Vienne,
" and five bales of his faid books.
*
Item. And notwithstanding all this,
"being here in prifon, and detained in this
city, he has not left off from perfifting
"maliciously in his faid wicked and deteft-
"able errors; endeavouring to defend them
"with reproaches and calumnies againſt true.
"Chriftians,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
187
P. 152.
"haps," fays Mr. d'Artigny,
"he wanted to bring off Cal-
"vin as to this particular; (bb) (bb) Nov.
for every where elfe he draws Mem. t.2.
"a picture of him which does
"by no means flatter him." But
from what other motive but that
of truth, would Mr. la Roche
have
"Chriftians, and faithful maintainers of the
true, fpotlefs Chriftian Religion; calling
them Trinitarians, Atheiſts, and forcerers;
"notwithſtanding the remonftrances made
"him for a long time in Germany, as is
66
already faid, contemning the reprimands,
* impriſonments, and corrections that he
"has undergone both here and elſewhere,
"as is more fully, and at greater length,
<< contained in his procefs."
SENTENCE.
We the Syndics, Judges of criminal
caufes in this city, having feen the proceſs
"drawn up and formed before us, at the
"inftance of our Lieutenant of the faid
"cauſes prefent, against Michael Servetus, of
"Villeneuve in the kingdom of Arragon in
"Spain. By which, and your voluntary
"confeffions in our hands, a great many
"times repeated, and the books produced
"before us; it is evident and plain to us,
"published
that you Servetus have for a long time

188
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
have fpared Calvin on this article,
more than upon others. Farel
(accompanied Servetus to his exe-
cution, and he had a great deal
of trouble to make him fay, that
he wifhed the people would pray
to God for him. Thus it was,
that the unfortunate Servetus ex-
pired
"a doctrine falfe and altogether heretical;
"and the fame [not to mention all other
"remonftrances and corrections,] with a
"malicious and perverfe obftinacy, conti-
"nually fown and divulged, even to the
" printing of books openly, againſt God the
"Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and
" in one word, againſt the true foundations
" of the Chriftian Religion; endeavouring
"thereby to raife fchifm in the Church of
"God, whereby many fouls may be ruined
" and loft; a thing horrible and frightful,
"fcandalous and infectious, having no fhame
"or horror; to fet up yourſelf altogether
"againſt the Divine Majefty and the Holy
"Trinity, thus labouring with all your
might, and with obftinacy employing your-
"felf to infect the world with your here-
"fies, and naufeous heretical poifon; the
"act and the crime of herefy being grievous
"and deteftable, and deferving a fevere cor-
poral puniſhment. For thefe, and other
juft caufes moving us thereto, defiring to
purge the Church of God from fuch an
66
CC
66
"infection,

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
189
pired in the midft of the flames,
the 27th of October, 1553,
without fpeaking, or giving any
fign of repentance. Chateillon
in his dialogues inter Vaticanum
et Calvinum, relates feveral cir-
cumftances about the death of
Servetus, which appear to Mr.
brig
la Roche
"infection, and cut off from it fuch a cor-
rupted member; having taken deliberate
"confultation with our fellow-citizens, and
having invoked the name of God, that we
might give a righteous judgment: Sitting
upon the tribunal of our anceſtors, having
"God and his holy Scriptures before our
CC eyes: In the Name of the Father, of the
"Son, and of the Holy Spirit, by this our
"definitive and written fentence; we con-
"demn you Michael Servetus, to be bound,
" and to be led to the place of Champel, and
"there to be faftened to a ftake, and there
"to be burnt alive; together with your book
66
CC
6C
CC
.
r
you have written with your own hand, or
"printed; ay, and until your body be re-
"duced to afhes; and thus fhall you end
"your days by giving warning to others,
"who may commit the like in time coming.
"And we charge you our Lieutenant, to fee
"the prefent fentence put in execution."
There is one fingularity in this fentence
which deferves to be noticed, which is, that
the Judges of Geneva count it a crime in Ser-
vetus

190
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
la Roche either fabulous or un-
certain. They have no other
tendency but to make Calvin
odious, as if it had been this
reformer who had directed the
execution; but fuch is the cha-
racteriſtick of paffion, that it
betrays itſelf by thefe very arms
it
vetus for having attacked, or fet up himself
as a bold introducer of herefies againſt the
Popifh religion; if this was a crime, don't
thefe gentlemen condemn themſelves? What
no doubt hindered them to perceive this, was
that they fuppofed that a heretick had not-
the fame privileges as an orthodox perfon, and
therefore, Servetus was not authoriſed to do
what Calvin, and they themselves did every
day. This fentence gives occafion to make
another obfervation, which is, that the an-
cient penal laws against hereticks, were ex-
tant, and in force at Geneva; this is that
which proves the nature of theſe crimes upon
which the criminal was condemned. The
queftion here, was only about errors and
herefies: but how could they rank them with
crimes, and capital crimes too, if it was not
in confequence of laws which had declared
them to be fo? This is confirmed by the
quality of the Judges who gave themfelves
the title of Judges of criminal caufes; that
of Servetus was of this nature, and it could
only be fo in confequence of thefe laws. Mr.
d'Alwo-

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
191
it ufes for its own gratification.
The execution of Servetus, has
furniſhed materials for many de-
clamations againſt Calvin: they
have painted his conduct in the
blackeft colours: I am very far
from approving his, and the Ma-
giftrates of Geneva's (intolerance)
46
66
want
d'Alwoerden has obferved the fame thing.
"Ex legibus civitatis condemnatum effe Ser-
"vetum, Jo. Urigandus nofter fcribit. Nec
"id prorfus male. Nam, quod ex tota car-
"ceris ejus hiftoria conftat, nondum erat tum
ec temporis lex Geneva de hæreticis puniendis
et comburendis abrogata: alioquin ne actio
quidem in Servetum inftitui potuiffet;"
which explains the harfh manner with which
this phyfician was ufed, as Mr. de la Chapelle
has very well obferved (163). "They (163) ib.
began," fays he, "by depriving him of p. 164,
every means whereby he might procure to 165.
"himfelf the fmalleft comfort in prifon; they
"laid hold of ninety feven pieces of gold, a
EL
66
chain of twenty crowns, and fix gold rings,
"which he was fo effectually robbed of,
" that he never heard any more of them;
" afterwards they put him into a damp dun-
geon, where he was eaten up with vermin;
"this reſembles the Spanish inquifition not a
"little. It is true, that the prifoner obtained
"confronting of parties, the ufe of papers
"in his procefs, ink, pen, paper, books,
" and

192
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
want of toleration, and at the
fame time, I fhall not diffemble;
there are a great many things to
be faid, not to juftify non-tole-
ration. But, to diſcharge Calvin
from the blame thrown upon him,
I. It is evident that the reformer
had kept the principles he had
imbibed
"and the liberty of giving what explanations
"he thought neceffary, by word of mouth,
"or writing; which is not allowed at the
"tribunals of the holy catholick office. But
"the orders of the Magiftrates, if there were
CC
66
66
any fuch orders, to put him in a cleaner
"place, were never executed; he was not
"fuffered to have an advocate to direct him,
or to plead his caufe, which perfectly well
agrees with the ecclefiaftical proceedings of
"the epifcopal courts in cafes of herefy.
"On the whole, we fee fome fmall altera-
"tions which the light of the reformation
"began to make.- It was however at
"bottom, the fame fpirit which reigned,
" and the fame fanguinary law which was
"followed; this was carried on to the end;
"for when the question was to fix the nature
" of the puniſhment, they determined that
" which antient cuſtom had eſtabliſhed. In
"vain did ſome perfons more moderate, pro-
"poſe baniſhment, or, at leaft, a death lefs
"cruel than the flames; Calvin was amongſt
thefe laft, but in vain; I fay, did they
"make

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
193
imbibed in the Church of Rome,
concerning the punishment of
hereticks; (AA) and that he was
perfuaded
66
make any fuch overtures, the majority of
votes amongst the Judges, ftuck to the
"antient cuftom, and Servetus, declared a
"heretick, was to be burnt alive; that
"which certainly could not have been deter-
"mined in this manner, but in confequence
"of the laws and cuftoms of the city. It
"is purely, therefore, to theſe laws and
"thofe cuftoms, and not to Calvin's rage,
"that we are to afcribe the feverities Ser-
vetus underwent in prifon, and the inhu-
manity of the punishment to which he was
" condemned."
66
66
(AA) Imbibed in the church of Rome, con-
cerning the punishment of bereticks.] We fhall
not fufpect Calvin of having acted out of
perfonal hatred, if we maturely reflect upon
what we have faid in rem. M. obferv. ii. and
in rem. X. particularly the citation (153).
This Divine acted from his zeal for ortho-
doxy, and thought in good earneft, that the
Magiftrate had a right, and was under obli-
gation to punish hereticks with death. To
pretend that he embraced this opinion, and
that he undertook to defend it after the death
of Servetus, to cover what was odious in this
action, is to fuppofe a thing of which there
is no manner of proof; while there is all the
reafon in the world to believe, that his opinion
about the punishment of hereticks was always
the fame, fince it does not appear, that in
labouring

194
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
perfuaded in good earneft, that
they were to be extirpated by the
fword.
labouring to reform Geneva, he ever thought
in the leaft of abolishing the penal laws
againſt hereticks, that which he ought na-
turally to have done, if he had entertained
the principles of toleration: but on this
article he had kept to the prejudices of his
infancy, and education and prudential reaſons
had given them a new weight. Calvin was
born a Roman Catholick, and he had kept
by the principles of perfecution of that
church from whence he came. Herefy was
looked upon as a crime deferving the fevereft
puniſhment. "An heretick was then," as
(164) ib. Mr. de la Chapelle very well fays, (164)
a monſter of horror, a child of the
"Devil, an emiffary of hell, an enemy of
"God and man; this is the notion the
P. 153.
154.
66
66
common people amongst the papifts have
"of him to this day. In this way parents
"talk to their children, mafters to their
"fcholars, and priests to their parishioners.
"Judge then, how they would talk of an here-
"tick, when hereticks were almoſt as rare in
"Europe, as the Phænix in Egypt. Did they
"ftudy the canon law? Did they ſtudy the
"civil law or divinity? This laft was ftill
"worfe; hereticks were excommunicated
perfons, poifoners of mankind, publick
"pefts, guilty of high treafon, human and
"divine, in the moft capital inftance: in
"univerfities, in Parliaments, at the courts
"of Princes, as well as of the Popes; thefe
"defini-

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
195
fword. II. This opinion, fo far
from being peculiar to Calvin,
Bowl
was
"definitions were geometrical maxims, and
"theſe principles felf-evident. The refor-
"mation which happened, did not ſhake an
"opinion fo univerfally established; it was
"not thought to be an innovation of the
"Roman See; but that it was always an
"effential part of chriftian zeal. We find
"it in the moft celebrated, and moft valu-
"able laws of the Emperors; and we fee
"that the Fathers of the church almoſt all
"agreed, to reprefent herefy as the moft
"deteftable of all crimes; there were not
wanting paffages of Scripture where they
imagined the fame notions were to be
"found, and it is eafy to obferve, that the
"firft ceconomical councils, which were
CC
highly refpected by all the world, unmer-
"cifully let fly their moft furious anathemas
66
against every thing they called herefy;
"a prejudice fupported by fuch fpecious
"reafons, naturally paffed for an article of
"the Chriftian faith amongst the learned,
" and amongst the people, who had fhaken
"off the Roman yoke; and how many
"proteftants do we find at this day, who are
"fond of the fame opinion? At the begin-
66
ning, policy contributed as much to it as
" zeal. They would have ruined themfelves
" in the opinion of the people, and in the
courts of Kings, if they had fhewn the
"leaft favour to herefy, or to any one who
❝ owned himſelf an heretick; the reformers
02
" and

196
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
was the reigning opinion of the
moft celebrated and the moft mode-
adounod, solve
rate
"and the reformed faw the neceffity they
66
were under, of vindicating themſelves from
"this crime, and to speak of it with the fame
"deteftation as others: Hence their confef-
"fions of faith in order to prove their
CC
orthodoxy; hence their tragical exclama-
"tions againſt the rigorous treatment they
met with; hence thefe rigid precautions,
"to preferve amongst them the purity of
"the faith! Hence in fine the contradiction
"into which they fell, of perfecuting he-
"reticks in the fame manner they themselves
were perfecuted."
66
It is really one of the moft glaring con-
tradictions, to complain of being perfecuted
on account of religion, and pretend to have
a right to perfecute others. To fay that it
is the privilege of orthodoxy to fupprefs
herefy, and to burn hereticks, is to make
the world a theatre of murther. Every
mortal pretends to be orthodox, and if it is
agreed on both fides, that hereticks ought
to be burnt, every where the ſtrongeſt who
pretend to be orthodox, will kindle the
pile to deftroy thofe who think otherways than
they; and thus, according to the country,
the eſtabliſhed religion will eradicate every
thing which won't acknowledge it: this
would appear fo plain, that it requires but a
fmall fhare of good fenfe to be convinced
of it; but as there are people at this day
who don't perceive it, need we be furpriſed
that

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
197
rate Divines: it was the opinion
of all the Proteftant churches,
and every where hereticks were
uſed with ſeverity (BB). III. This
which
and
that Calvin, educated with fuch ftrong pre-
judices on this fubject, did not apprehend it,
and that he in good earneft, fell headlong
into perfecution. Calvin and others may be
reproached with this contradiction,
advantage may be taken from it, to juftify
the perfecuting of proteftants; but I can't
conceive why fome writers of the church of
Rome are fo much enraged against Calvin on
this account, fince they ought to fee that it
is only following their own principles, or, is
it only by chance, that what was at Vienne in
Dauphinee, and in the perfons of Cardinal
Tournon, and the Inquifitor, Matthew Ory,
and others, the effect and proof of a moft
commendable zeal for maintaining the truth,
was at Geneva the effect and the proof of a
falfe zeal? Becauſe it was Calvin who de-
fended the truth, let us fpeak out; both par-
ties acted from the fame motives, and were
equally in an error with regard to the means
of extirpating hereticks. I fhall not here
difcufs what relates to the fubject of tolera-
tion, becauſe this article is almoſt already
beyond its proper length.
(BB) And every where hereticks were used
with feverity.] I have in the beginning of this
article related the words which Calvin in his
letter to Sulzer afcribes to Bucer; to call his
teftimony
03

198
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(165)
which above all things, proves
that
teftimony in queftion on this fubject, would
be to tax him with a falfehood without any
proof; and would likewife be of very little
fervice to the queftion in hand, fince there
were plenty of other Divines who thought
in the fame way as Calvin did; fee what
Bulinger wrote to Calvin fix weeks before
Servetus's death (165). "Obtulit quidem
Inter ep." Dominus materiam per occafionem accom-
❝modatiffimam ampliffimo fenatui Genevenfi
this letter « fe, et ecclefiam expurgandi a labe feu
"foeditate hærefios, dum Servetum illum
"Hifpanum in manus ejus dedit.--Si ergo
"huic rependerit ampliffimus fenatus, quod
blafphemo nebuloni debetur, totus orbis
cemeret Genevenfis blafphemos odiffe hære-
"ticos, qui vero funt pertinaces hæretici,
Calv.
is Sep. 14.
66
66
gladio juftitiæ perfequi et gloriam Majef
<tatis divina vindicare." The fame Divine
three years after the punishing of Servetus,
writing to the Divines in Poland, approves
the treatment this blafphemer had met with,
in terms very exprefs, in thefe words, where
The declares the opinion of all the Divines in
(166) Ep. Switzerland (166). Quotquot in hifce
ad eccl. ecclefiis Chriftum et veram religionem an-
vel ad eos "nunciamus, blafphemum hominem et incu-
fcript. "rabilem, qui omnem inftitutionem rifit et
cent. 1. p. fugillavit, non inique capitis fupplicio
371, 372. affectum effe exiftimamus." Peter Martyr
(167) P. was likewife of opinion, that it was the
Mart. loc. duty of Magiftrates and Princes to puniſh
com. cl. hereticks (167). "Nam is authoritate ac
Hel. Ref
4. C. 13.
53T.
poteftate fua, ita debet fervire Domino,
ut

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
199
that we muft afcribe the misfor-
tunate
"ut puniat eos qui adverfantur. Quod nifi
faciat, videtur affentiri blafphemis et hære-
"ticis; rex enim cum iftos videt, et patitur,
perinde facit, ac fi illis adjungeret, et
"eorum flagitiis faveret." Melanchton him-
felf the moft moderate and mildeft of all the
reformers, approves what had been done at
Geneva. "Affirmo etiam," fays he, " veftros
"Magiftratus jufte feciffe, quod hominem
CC
૮
blafphemum re ordine judicata interfece-
Raif. t. 2.
runt." (168) I cannot conceive how this (168)
approbation can be efteemed ambiguous, for Inter ep.
it is a certainty, that the affair of Servetus letter is
was not the only cafe where Melanchton O&. 12.
declared his defire to caufe hereticks to be
puniſhed. Mr. de la Chapelle cites another
inftance little known, (169) taken from the (169) Bi
hiftory of David George. (170) The hifto- P. 171,
rian talks of a certain perfon who tranflated 172.
David George's book "about wonderful (170)
"things," into Latin. The tranflator, who Hift. D.
George
had been formerly a difciple of Melanchton, 168.&feq.
flattered himſelf that he would gain him; he apud euns
went to Wittenberg with this view, and in
converfation with Melanchton, he appeared
to deny the exiſtence of the Devil; Me-
lanchton, fhocked at this extravagance,
threatened to delate the man to the Ma-
giftrates, to have him put in prifon; and
this misfortunate fellow having every thing to
fear from a man who had the higheſt credit
in the city, went off privately as quickly as rar)
he could. "In hoc dum effet opere, tanta
fuit admiratione obftupefactus, ut ingentem
04
66
"fpem

200
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
tunate end of Servetus, not fo
much
"fpem ceperit, fe Philippum Melanchtonem,
" olim fuum præceptorem, facillime in Da-
"vidica fectæ focietatem pertracturum, et per,
"eum deinde totam Germaniam. Hac fpe
"fretus inftituit iter ad Wittembergam,
"comitanti Miniftro fideli et fecum ferente
"librum mirabilium excufum, fimul cum
triginta capitibus verfis-cum autem Wit-
"temburgam ingreffus, Melanchtonem poft
"lectionem auditam, falutaffet, cœpit ex
"illo quærere, an nihil audiviffet de magna
"-luce- patefacta; refpondit Melanchton
"fe non fine magno cordis dolore, intellex-
"iffe in toto illo terræ tractu præter idola-
"latriam et tyrannidem papanam, omne
66 genus portentofarum fectarum vagari,
"inter quas aliqua doceant diabolum nil
"aliud effe nifi inane nomen; interpres ait,
"fe libenter fateri, diabolum effe fpiritum ad
"malum impellentem efficacem in incredulis;
"et Melanchton inde certo concludebat,
CC
fpiritum, fi fimpliciter per fe agat, oportere
"etiam fubfiftere; cumque interpres quædam
"abfurda adderet poftea, dixit tandem Me-
"lanchton, ejus doctrinam effe fanaticam, et
"fi conftaret eum Wittemburgam veniffe, ut
"ibi fuas furias feminaret, fe effecturum apud
Magiftratum, ut ftatim in vincula conjice-
retur-abfoluto colloquio, interpres recta
"ad diverforium contendit, atque cauponi
"folvit, dimiffo prius famulo cum libro mira-
"bilium."
66
CC
Socinus himſelf is accufed for having be-
lieved that thofe who differed from his way
bugs
of

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
201
much to him, as to prejudices,
ช่วยต
and
of thinking, might be reftrained by force.
There is the fact taken from his life by
Przipcovius, as I find it related in one of
our Journals (171)." Francis David caufing (171) Bi.
"fome diforder in Tranfilvania, where a Brit. t.
"party was formed against the adoration of 4. p. 66,
"Jefus Chrift; Socinus was ordered from
"Bafil in 1578, in order to difmifs the ring-
"leader of an error fo fhameful and fo per-
"nicious. When Socinus arrived, he took
66
an apartment in the fame houſe where
"David lodged; but that which facilitated
"their converfation, did not reclaim the
"heretick, who was very active to get the
<< afcendant. The Prince of Tranfilvania
"caufed him to be put in prifon, where he
"died foon after; fo that all the world
"looked upon his death as a martyrdom.
"Obitus ejus martyrio fimilis, ftatim omnium
"in fe oculos converterit." Socinus's hifto-
rian does not incline we fhould believe, that
the head of the party had any hand in his
death; but it is very well obferved, after
all," that the Prince was a Socinian, and
"Blandrata likewife, who managed this
"affair. They had caufed their great Doctor
"to come from the heart of Switzerland,
"and without his confent, or in fpite of
"him, could they have got quit of a rival,
"who took it into his head to push Soci-
"anifm as far as in confequence of thefe
CC
principles, it could go. This was too
"much; they thought they were obliged to
"pique themſelves upon their orthodoxy with
regard

202
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(172)
Bibl.
Raifon.
and the eſtabliſhed laws; and
for
"regard to this oppofition by Francis David;
"and as in thefe times force was every
"where employed for fuppreffing of herefy;
"the Socinians themſelves, when they were
"mafters, were by no means of opinion
"that there fhould be a liberty of dogma-
"tizing: If they did not deliver the here-
"tick openly to the fecular arm, this arm
"made its weight be very fenfibly felt when
"the Prince favoured them."
Servetus himſelf teftifies in his requeſt of
the 22d of Auguft, that he believed, that
hereticks deferved banishment, which fhews
that it was then a general opinion, that here-
ticks ought to be punished one way or
another. It was likewife the opinion of
almoſt all the proteftant churches, as appears
by their confeffions of faith; whereof Mr. de
la Chapelle has given an abridgment upon this
article, (172) to which I refer, that I may
not be too tedious; and theſe who have the
loc. cit. p. Syntagma Confeffionum Fidei, may fatisfy them-
167, 168. felves, that there is nothing advanced upon
that fubject but what is true. And the uni-
verfal practice in this matter won't fuffer us
to doubt of it. Would we know what has been
done in Switzerland? In the year 1526
they caufed an Anabaptift at Zurich to be
drowned; in the year 1558 they burned the
body of David George at Bafil. There is
a very curious paffage upon this event, by
John Crifpin, in his ftate of the church
(173) ap. under the year 1558; (173) "The firft of
"May, the Minifters, Rector, Profeffors,
eun. p.
159, 160.
"and

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
203
for this reafon, fince his time
we
"and Schoolmafters of Bafil, having una-
66
nimoufly condemned the points of David
"George's doctrine, the Senate after full
"information of the whole, proceeded the
"13th of May, to finifh David George's
"procefs, viz. That all his writings, as full
"of impiety and deadly poifon, likewife his
"body or his bones, and whatever elfe
"remains of his burying place, fhall be
"burnt, with his effigy, which was found
"in his houfe, reprefenting him to the life;
" and that in general, all the effects of fuch
66
a wicked man, wherever they are found,
"fhall be confifcated, and adjudged to the
"regality. This fentence was proclaimed
"according to the cuftom of the place, and
"the whole form of the laws and ordinance
"of the city, was obferved in the execution
"of it." This law and thefe ordinances as
to an affair of this kind, were no doubt,
the antient ftatutes and penal laws againſt
herefy. The fame year they cauſed Valentine
Gentilis to make an "amende honourable,"
at Geneva, exactly according to the form
obferved in the church of Rome, and the
fentence bears, that the Judges pronounced
it according to ancient cuftom; (174) the (174) Cal.
fame Valentine Gentilis having been arreſted opufc. p.
upon the territories of the canton of Bern, m. 578.
in 1566; was condemned at Bern becauſe of
his opinions, to lofe his head (175). In (175)
England they were not lefs zealous, and all Bayle
by virtue of the ancient law; let us confine
Art. Gen-
tilis. (Jean
ourſelves Valent.)

204
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
(176)
Hift. of
Ref. t. 2.
P. 110.
we find ſeveral examples of he-
reticks
ourfelves to one fact, furnished by Mr. Burnet
(176).90
At this time there were many Anabap-
"tifts in feveral parts of England-diffe-
an, 1549. minating their errors, and making profe-
lites; fo a commiffion was ordered for the
"Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishops of
Ely, &c.--and fome others, three of
"them being a quorum, to examine and
fearch after all anabaptifts, hereticks, or
contemners of the Common Prayer; they
"were to endeavour to reclaim them, to en-
66
66
join them penance, and give them abfolu-
"tion, or, if they were obftinate, to excom-
"municate and impriſon them, and to deliver
"them over to the fecular power, to be fur-
"ther proceeded againft. One of thefe
"who thus abjured, was commanded to
..
carry a faggot next Sunday at St. Paul's,
"where there fhould be a fermon fetting
"forth his herefy. But there was another of
"thefe, extream obftinate, Joan Bocher,
"commonly called Joan of Kent; the de-
"nied that Chrift was truly incarnate of the
"Virgin, whofe fleſh being finful, he could
"take none of it; but the Word by the
"confent of the inward Man in the Virgin,
"took flesh of her. Theſe were her words.
They took much pains about her, and had
"many conferences with her; but ſhe was fo
"extravagantly conceited of her own notions,
"that he rejected all they faid with fcorn;
"whereupon fhe was adjudged an obftinate
"heretick, and fo left to the fecular power.
"The

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
205
reticks being puniſhed in dif-
ferent
"The fentence against her will be found in
"the collection, No. 35. This being re-
"turned to the Council, the good King was
"moved to fign a warrant for burning her;
"but could not be prevailed on to do it: He
"thought it a piece of cruelty, too like that
"which they condemned in Papifts, to burn
66
any for their confciences; and in a long
"difcourfe he had with Sir John Check, he
"feemed much confirmed in that opinion:
"Cranmer was employed to perfuade him to
fign the warrant the reafons of the
66
66
Archbishop did rather filence, than fatisfy
"the young King, who ftill thought it a
"hard thing (as in truth it was,) to proceed
"fo feverely in fuch cafes; fo he fet his
"hand to the warrant with tears in his eyes,
"faying to Cranmer, That if he did wrong,
"fince it was in fubmiffion to his authority,
"he fhould anfwer for it to God.
"ftruck the Archbishop with much horror,
"fo that he was very unwilling to have the
" fentence executed.- -But fhe continued
66
This
by jeers and other infolencies, to carry
"herſelf fo contemptuously, that at laft the
"fentence was executed upon her the 2d of
"May. Bishop Scorry preached at her burn-
"ing; fhe carried herfelf then, as fhe had
"done in the former part of her proceſs,
"very indecently, and in the end was burnt.
66
"This action was much cenfured, as being
contrary to the clemency of the Gofpel,
"and was made ufe of by the papifts, who
"faid, it was plain, that the reformers were
5
❝ only

206
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
ferent countries (CC). Let per-
thou
200157192 to fecution
"only against burning, when they were
" in fear of it themselves. The woman's
carriage made her be looked on as a
"frantick perfon, fitter for bedlam than a
"ftake." People had generally believed, that
all the ftatutes for burning hereticks had
been repealed; but now, when the thing was
better confidered, it was found, that the
burning of hereticks was done by the common
law; fo that the ftatutes made about it, were
only for making the conviction more eafy,
and the repealing of the ftatutes did not take
away that which was grounded on a writ at
common law.
I fhall enlarge no further, as it appears to
me, we can by no means call in queſtion the
truth of what I have advanced. That this
prejudice was general, and that thoſe who
complained of feverity when they fuffered,
made no fcruple of exercifing it upon others.
Muft we go fo far back as to the fixteenth
century, to find examples of the fame ab-
furdity? So true it is, that men with the
greateſt fincerity in the world, are in contra-
diction with themſelves.
(CC) Several examples of bereticks being
punished in different countries.] More than
fixty years after Calvin's death, we find the
fame judgment taking place at Geneva. In
1632, Nicolas Antony was condemned to be
ftrangled and afterwards burnt," becauſe,
"forgetting all fear of God, he had com-
"mitted the crime of apoftacy, and of high
"treafon against God, in the moſt capital
<< inftance;
4

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
207
fecution be blamed, and the
execution of Servetus difapproved,
I fubfcribe to the whole; but let
us not make it a crime in Calvin,
for having been under the fame
prejudices as all others in the age
he lived in were. Before I con-
clude, I ought not to omit fay-
ing,
"inftance; having oppofed the Holy Trinity,
"denied our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift,
46
blafphemed his holy Name, renounced
"his baptifm, to embrace Judaiſm and cir-
"cumcifion; had perjured himself, for which
"crimes, &c." But, that we may not think
that the clergy were the caufe of this execu-
tion, we ought to know that thefe of Ge-
neva endeavoured to engage the Magiftracy
to fufpend the execution of the fentence.
(177) Here is then an execution at Geneva (177) Ar-
on account of religion, a long time after ticle Ant.
Calvin; and appears an evident proof, that (Nicolas.)
the fame laws and the fame principles, had
the afcendant even then; there is another
example of the fame kind, more recent but
lefs known. It is indeed a cafe of witch-
craft, but we know that a crime of this
nature was puniſhed by virtue of the fame
laws as that of herefy; from whence it will
always follow, that at Geneva every thing
which attacked religion, was very roughly
handled. We fhall fee what this matter was,
by a letter from Mr. Chouet, Syndic at
Geneva,

208
LIFE OF SERVETUS..
ing, that there is a work afcribed
to Servetus, called Thefaurus Ani-
ma, feu Thefaurus Anime Chrif-
tiana, alias Defiderius Peregrinus,
printed in Spaniſh, in Latin, in
Flemish, and other languages;
Mr. d'Alwoerden contends, that
it does not come from Servetus
(cc). The
Geneva, to the late Mr. la Clerc, dated the
25th of March, 1690, which was commu-
nicated to me. Lately as I was turning
66
66
over our regifters, there fell into my hands,
"the trial of one called Michelle Chauderon,
"who was hanged in 1652, for the crime of
"witchcraft; which put me in mind, that
in one of your letters, Sir, fome time
ago, you mentioned this crime, and defired
(if I rightly remember,) I would examine
"it more particularly. I remember likewife,
"that I had begun a fmall collection about
"this affair. But other occupations have
6C
66
66
"C
6C
prevented my continuing this work. Hav-
ing ftopt there, I can't however but ac-
quaint you with what I have collected by
"the reading of this trial I have mentioned.
"It appears to me, that this woman was a
"very good fort of woman, extremely pious,
" as much as thefe kind of people without
66
learning can be; all her crime was, fhe
"was very credulous, and very timorous;
"when they put her in prifon, fhe did not
"believe fhe was a witch, but upon certain
"accu-

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
209
Servetus.
(cc). The author of the notes (cc) Hifl.
added to the new edition of the
Hiftory of Geneva, by Spon,
printed in 1730, pretends that
the fentiments of Servetus were
not fo deteftable as it was be-
lieved,
"accufations the most ridiculous in the
"world, fhe was vifited by the Doctors and
"Surgeons, who declared, they found a
"mark upon her lip which was not natural:
66
66
they were not however all of the fame
"mind; and befides, they talked of it in a
very doubtful manner: whereupon it was
pofitively affirmed, that fhe was a witch,
"and that he had the Devil's mark. They
66 put her to the queſtion: fhe poor credulous
" and timorous creature! was in great per-
66
plexity; fhe was perfuaded from her in-
"fancy, that this mark is only to be found
6C
upon witches; and that her Judges, who
"affirmed fhe had it, could not lye, being
"infallible: fhe begun to believe, that what
"they told her might be very true; and
CC
66
recollecting all the occafions that had
frightened her, fhe confeffed, That one
"day, going to the country alone, fhe faw a
"fhadow which terrified her much," (I don't
doubt but this was her own fhadow,)
"which kiffed her mouth, and that this was
"the Devil, to whom he gave herſelf up.
"This confeffion making a noife in the city,
66
66
two of the lower dregs of the people, her
neighbours, had each a fick child, and
P
" accufed

210
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
lieved, if they are judged by his
anfwers; but Mr. d'Artigny has
(dd) ub. very well obferved, (dd) that we
fupr. P. ought to judge of his fentiments
rather by his writings, than by
his perfonal anfwers; and the
151.
extracts
accuſed her as the caufe thereof: She
"owned that fometimes fhe had given them
"apples; and upon this fhe was condemned,
66
as I have already faid: This is the laft
"execution of this nature in our city, and
"hope there fhall never be any fuch like
"again." Judges who were capable of
condemning a poor creature upon fuch
proofs, would certainly have had no mercy
upon fuch a heretick as Servetus. How many
vexations have the Prefbyterians fuffered in
England, under the reigns of James I.
Charles I. and Charles II? I find, under the
reign of the firft, Neal, Biſhop of Wincheſter,
caufed to be hanged, one Wightman, a
dogmatizer of that time; and that King,
Biſhop of London, condemned one Legat to
be burnt for herefy; who was executed in
(178) Bi. Smithfield (178). Let us conclude, by an
Brit. t. 4 example ftill more recent: Peter Gunter of
p. 70. Pruffia; a farrier to trade, was beheaded at
Lubeck, in the month of October, in the
year 1687, by the confent of two univer-
fities, becauſe he would not own the Divi-
nity of Jefus Chrift. That of Kiel, was, that a
blafphemer ought to be punifhed with death;
but that it was neceffary, first to examine if
2
Gunter

LIFE OF SERVETUS.
211
extracts which we have given of
his book will enable us to decide
the queftion. The author of the
notes affures us, that this phyfi-
cian denied that he had compared
the Trinity to Cerberus: If it is
fo,
Hift.
1.
741. in
notis.
Gunter was guilty of this crime. The uni-
verfity of Wittemberg decided, that he was
attainted and convicted of blafphemy (179). (179) Bi.
In recollecting all that we have faid, and all Phil.
the facts that we have alledged, it appears Theol.
to me, that every unprejudiced perfon will Brom cl.
agree, that there is no reafon to impute it as 1- Fafc.5.
a crime in Calvin, becauſe he thought, as all
the world thought in his time, and as a great
many people have thought fince. There is
nothing with which he can be reproached,
except it could be proved, that he acted from
criminal motives; and even in that cafe, it
would be a queftion to know whether he did
not take the advantage of the rigour of thefe
laws, which he believed were juft. To con- (180) De-
clude; I fhall add two authorities furnished fin. de
Calv. p.
me by Mr. Drelincourt (180). Meifnerus, a
Lutheran Divine, in a Book intituled, Philo- (181) Ser-
fophia Sobria, part. 1. queft. 4. fays, That vetus did
none amongst them could fo much as contend not raife
that Servetus did not deferve death; not only
for herefy, but likewife for raifing a fedition, which the
(181) or for a notorious blafphemy; fuch as good
that of Servetus calling the Trinity a Cerberus Meifnerus
with three heads. Nicolas Hemmingius, a above all
Daniſh Divine, and Profeffor at Copenhagen, things.
in
286.
any fedi-
tion,
wishes

212
LIFE OF SERVETUS.
fo, he denied the moft evident
facts; fince this is found not only
in his letter to Abel Pepin, but
likewife in a great many places of
his book, which I have read with
my own eyes. or point dis
in his book, intituled, Syntagm. Inft. Chr.
cap. 1. prop. 38. "We condemn," fays he,
"this impious and wicked, lewd fellow,
"Michael Servetus, who outrageously tramp-
"ling upon the holy Fathers, had the impu-
"dence to bring back the condemned here-
"fies of Arius, and other fanaticks, who
"having been juftly accufed by John Calvin,
"they of Geneva inflicted the puniſhment
" upon him he deferved."
FINI S.



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