"His memory was so extraordinary, that he could
immediately
put his
hand on any MS.
hand on any MS.
Sarpi - 1868 - Life of Fra Paolo Sarpi
'
To the surprise of many, but to no one more than to the author him-
self, the History of the Council of Trent now appeared. This last Council
of the Church of Rome, Which sat at intervals from 1545 till 1563, is too
generally known to require more particular notice than that it was assembled
in order to correct, illustrate and fix with perspicuity the doctrines of the
church, to restore her discipline, and to reform the lives of the clergy.
The preponderance of papal authority, and subsequent interpretation of
the decrees of Trent being so distasteful to many of tbe'members of the
Church of Rome/Sarpi wrote an authentic account of that assemblywhicly
although called to cement the divisions in the Church, in reality widened
them.
The writer of these pages took pains at Venice to obtain particulars
respecting the History of the Council of Trent. The original MS. is in
the writing of Sarpi's amanuensis Franzano, and on the first page of the
MS. is written by Fra Paolo Sarpi " L'Ht'st0ria dell Uoncilio Tridentino,
scritta do Pietro Suave Pohmo. " The other words " L'H1'strrria' dell Con
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? Er. 67. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 207
a
cilia Tridentino, " either head the other books which are in all eight, or _
are on the margin also written by Fra Paolo as are the corrections
throughout. This is worthy of notice, as it has been alleged that the
original MS. was written by Sarpi, in place of being dictated by him and
the corrections made by others. The reverse is the fact, as is attested on
the MS. by the Secretary Fontano. ' But to any one who has examined
the MS. , it is evident that every word must have been read by Sarpi, or
to him, from the many and minute corrections by his own hand. It is in
good preservation, bound by four leather thongs and parchment cover,
and consists of one thousand and eighty three pages , closely and finely
written, and carefully pointed. Paolo Sarpi did not publish his own work.
It has been observed that this MS. was borrowed from him by the Arch-
bishop de Dominis; who it is believed had it copied, carried to England
and published in London without Sarpi's knowledge, with a dedication
to the King of Great Britain by de Dominis. This dedication gave him
great pain; many, as Sarpi wrote were the defects of the Church of Rome
he never could hear it spoken against without regret, and although his own
language against the Court of Rome was very strong, still the unprejudic-
ed have always pronounced the History of the Council of Trent as did the
learned Sir Roger Twysden, " to be written with so great moderation
learning and wisdome, as might deserve a place amongst the exactest
pieces of ecclesiastic story any age hath produced. "
In Italy, many of her scholars, and they are not few, assured the
writer, "that none but the most profoundly ignorant hold any opinion
but that of admiration for the works of Fra Paolo Sarpi, and for his efforts
to reform the Romish Church. "
No one can reasonably affirm that this History was written in haste,
who is acquainted with the difficulty of research, and with the toil and
perseverance necessary to collect, collate, and embody materials for any
Work. Fra Paolo's aim was truth, and he did not shrink from the laborious
search after it in writing and compiling his History / and he had the
peculiar advantage, as we have seen, of personal acquaintance with many
who had attended the Council, and who were in possession of many me-
morials which no one else ever saw.
' It is to be regretted that the work of Fra Buonfiglio Capra perished by
fire; he had collected with great assiduity authentic references to all the
authorities consulted by Sarpi in the History of the Council of Trent, and
it is a well known fact that the materials for that work were in the Quirini
Library.
1 Deputato alla Canceleria Segreta, 16 Feb. 1772, arid by Bettiu Librarian.
"SS. Italiani de la Marciana, Classe v, N" 26.
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? 208 " THE LIFE or [s. D. 1619.
I Besides these, there are the journal of Chiergato, N uncio of Adrian VI; the
Acts of the Legation of the Cardinal Gaspar Contarini at Ratisbon; some of
the letters of the Cardinal del Monte, President of the Council of Trent
under Paul III; those of Viscomti, agent of Pius IV; the Memoirs of the
Cardinal Amulio; the despatches of the Venetian Ambassador at the
Council; the greater part of those of the French Ambassador, collected by
the friends of Fra Paolo, M- Groslet, De Thou, and others. To these may
be added, the Relazione, letters and speeches of the prelates at Trent;
the History of the Council, by Milledonne; the Acts of Massarelli; the
papers containing the votes of the prelates and theologians during the ses-
sions of the Council; the Memorials of the Spanish ambassador Vergos;
the Conciliary Acts of Salmio, Bishop of Verdun; the MSS. of the Cardinal
Borromeo; and many other MSS. relating to the latter years of the Council,
examined by Griselini 1785, in the Collection of the Senator Gradenigo.
Sarpi had also access to the libraries of the Vatican, of Padua, of Milan,
of Mantua, and of Venice; and the rare Collections of books and MSS. of
the Grimani, Contarini, Donati, Manutii, and of the monastic bodies were
at his disposal. '
At Rome, Sarpi's work was prohibited, some say before it was publish-
ed. l If it was so, it must have been in consequence of the information
that Paul V had received from the friars who wished to poison Sarpi,
and who were told to procure leaves of his writings, but this is of little
consequence. It is probable that Sarpi. never intended to publish his work,
and that he referred to its publication after his death when he said he
would do more against those who sought his life, dead than living. Ful-
ganzio's remarks on the History are interesting. It was more read than
any ecclesiastical History that is known. " The idea prevailed, and it was
published in Rome as an undoubted fact, that he (Fra Paolo Sarpi) was
the Author of the History of the Council of Trent, in eight Books, printed
in the Italian language in London, and which was afterwards translated
into all the most common languages of Europe, an argument, that this is
no ordinary work. And it might be, that at Rome they had also taken
it as a proof that F. Paolo was its author, that for a long term of years,
the Father spared no pains, either through friendship or cost, to obtain
information concerning the celebration of this Council, not only in Italy,
but abroad. And at the time when he had free intercourse with the
Princes, he was most intimate with the Ambassadors of France, Monsieur
de Fresnes, de Mes, and Du Ferrier, and particularly the latter, who at-
tended the said Council. No judgment can be given on his writings,
unless it be done with the discretion of a skilful artizan, who by one
1 Index Lib. Prob. Gregory XVI, Romae, 1841. Deor. 22 Nov. 1619.
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? mr. 67. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 209
claw, knows the size of the Lion, and who could, as history relates, by
the measure of one finger comprehend the proportions of the Colossus of
Rhodes. "
But it is to be feared that few have the discretion of the skilful artisan
of whom Fulgenzio speaks, and while some have said that the History is
the most noble in any language, others have pronounced it but a lengthened
satire.
It was not an easy task to write without satire of a Council unlawfully
constituted, and entirely under the guidance of the Popes, their Legates
and adherents. There is much pungent satire in the work, yet the style
is dignified and agreeable, not redundant yet strictly correct, and evidently
that of a master,,'. 1iut to praise a work so long held in high esteem is as
presumptuous as to criticise it. " I would rather, " said a scholar of no mean
degree, " have been the Author of the History of the Council of Trent than
of any book I know. "
Curiosity was much excited to discover who wrote a History which was
received by scholars with enthusiasm. Although he never said so, Sarpi
was at once pronounced to have written it, and the liberal minded of the
Church of Rome ever regarded its author with admiration. It is a mistake
with respect to the work to speak of Sarpi as a partizan. /These comments
of Gibbon and d'Alembert ought sufficiently to negative the imputation.
" Since the origin of theological factions, Arminus Marcellinus, Fra Paolo,
Thuanas, Hume, and perhaps a few others, have deserved the singular
praise of holding the balance with a steady and equal hand. Independent
and unconnected, they contemplated with the same indifference the
opinions and interests of contending parties, or, if they were seriously at-
tached to a particular system, they were armed with a firm and moderate
temper which enabled them to suppress their affection and to sacrifice
their interest, " and " Fra Paolo is perhaps the only monk who has risen
above monastic prejudice, who saw and judged the interests of society
with the extensive survey of a philosopher, and the nobility of a man of
birth. "/
He had the wisdom to point out to his countrymen what they are now
beginning to believe, that the temporal power of the Pope was the great
prop of the abuses of the Church of Rome, and as this, together with his
protest against the doctrines of the Jesuits, was what throughout life he
insisted upon, he takes pains to show in the History of the Council of
Trent, by what means their false theology was inserted into its decrees.
This is seen in Father Salmeron's proceedings with regard to the
sacrifice of the Mass, ' as well as his known approval of the English Liturgy
1 Appendix.
H
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? 210 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1619.
and confessions of the Reformed Churches. And it is probable that Sarpi's
approval of opposition to Salmeron's opinions, was what drew upon him
the charge of Bossuet, " Sous un froc il cachoit un coeur Calvinists, et il
travailloit sourdement a descrediter la Messe, qu'il disoit tous les jours. "
It is hoped that sufficient has been said in this biography to prove that
Sarpi had Written much of his great work in early life. His History of
the Council has been preserved that his countrymen may read for them-
selves, and judge how one and another nation sent their prelates to Trent
to obtain the restoration of ancient doctrines and rites, and saw them
return obliged to conform to the pleasure of the Pope and his Legates,
who often were made to receive against their will what was contrary to
their conscience. It was in vain that in many of the Sessions of Trent the
Scriptures were cited as the rule of faith, they were not received as of
sufficient authority alone, unless the dogma or article of faith was sup-
ported by tradition or long use, and therefore it is not marvellous that
Sarpi dissented from some of the decrees of the Council.
It has been observed that he wished a free Council to be assembled at
the time of the Interdict, he well knew that some would have sought to
exclude the Jesuits from it, and then he and Fra Fulgenzio and some of
the seven might perhaps have seen the Holy Scriptures, the prohibited
book, unchained and open to all, and might have heard again the
eloquent Fulgenzio preaching the Gospel of Christ, as he had done before
he was hindered by the Nuncio.
Sarpi longed for freedom, he knew and felt one of the noblest sayings
ever embodied in words, that " he is the freeman whom the truth makes
free and all are slaves besides, " and to him the truth was dear. He had
laid hold of it with the full grasp of his intellect, but he felt that it need-
ed a still more powerful lever to raise his heart heavenwards, and he ever
spoke and wrote of that divine grace, which had unbarred to him the
gates of heaven, with a devotion which was as humble as it was sincere ;
he could look beyond the superstitions of an overcharged ritual, and
pray for the time when all would perceive that Heaven requires not
merely acts of devotion but the service of the heart. Throughout life We
have seen that he looked for a reformation of the visible church, a return
to its ancient usages, and that although he was disappointed at the issue
of the disputes with Pope Paul V, he was too Wise not to know that he
had given a stimulus to those who came after)( him to shun atheism as
repugnant to human nature, ' and to persevere in the struggle for re-
formation.
If then a friar, so surrounded with superstition as Sarpi was, could long
1 "L'ateismo repugna alla natura humans, " MS. Sarpi.
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? B1'. 67. ] FHA PAOLO SARPI 211
to break through the trammels with which the Church of Rome was sur-
rounded, why again we ask should not his successors do the same? Let but
one of the clergy arise, let him but follow the example given him; let
the voice of controversy be mute, but let the voice of entreaty be strong;
let him in the full vigor of powerful intellect, but with words shorn of all
personality, with that charity which is as faithful as enduring, with that
generosity which never triumphs over another, and with all that holy
zeal which will nerve him to the noble task, let him dwell on the
benefits of the death of the Saviour, and thousands will listen now, as
they did when the Servite told out to crowds that the sacrifice of-
fered on Calvary was as complete as infinite.
As the History of the Council of Trent by Pallavicino was not
published for more than thirty years after that by Sarpi, any notice
of its criticisms lies beyond our province. ' All are familiar with Vol-
taire's ridicule of Pallavicino's remarks. Perhaps his foes past, present
and future cannot be better answered than by the moderate pen of Mr.
Zouch.
" We have already had occasion to mention this veherable Ecclesiastic.
It was said of Father Paul that he not only knew more than other men,
but that he knew better, and that he seemed to have Wisdom by habit.
I " Attempts have recently been made by some modern writers amongst
the high Catholics, as they are denominated, to depreciate the fame,
and invalidate the authority of this great man. These attempts are
vain. His works will be held in veneration long after the names of his
adversaries are sunk in oblivion. '}
We must now attend to the alliance between the Venetians and the
faithful Hollanders which was formed this year; it was probably
advised by Sarpi, and it gave him great pleasure. The diplomacy of
the seventeenth century was such as to perplex honest men, and an
honest ambassador could ill discharge his duty; still there were such
men, and none knew better than the Venetians how to appreciate them,
of which Sarpi gives many proofs. '
Again the subject was mooted, whether a power which acknowledged
the Pope could employ soldiers professing the Reformed religion. On
this question Fra Paolo supplied the Senate with a lucid reply in the
affirmative.
It is needless to enter further on the history of Europe of this date
1 Istoria del Concilio di Trento, scritta dal P. S. Pallavicino, della Compa-
gnia di Gesv. Roma, MDCLVI. Marciana.
2 Nor is that feeling yet dead in Venetia, as eyewitnesses of the recent
reception of the Ambassador from a great northern power can tell, when S.
Mark's palace resounded with a spontaneous tribute to talent and worth. 1866.
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? 212 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1621.
than to remark that intolerance again burst forth, and that the hills and
dales of the Valteline reech. oed with the cry of the wretched in-
habitants; their mountains formed no shelter for them, and like
the apostolic, good, and learned Church of the Valdesi, many Were
pursued and slain. The Papists amongst the Grisons were resolved to
free themselves from the government of the Reformed, and while Fra
Paolo, was still looking for reformation in the Church to enter from
the Grisons, he had the sorrow to behold the papal party triumphant,
and to learn that the Grisons were subdued or slain in the frightful contest.
After a reign of nearly sixteen years Paul V died, and was suc-
ceeded by Alessandro di Bologna, who took the name of Gregory XV.
By the address of his nephew' the papal party prevailed in France,
Italy and Austria, where the Sovereign had once been willing and
anxious for the restitution of the rights of the early Church. '
This had an indirect influence upon Venice, and Fra Paolo beheld
_his country settle down into comparative carelessness and indif-
ference as to the abuses of the Romish Church. Those who really felt
anxiety on the subject were not of sufficient number to have weight
in the Senate; fear of offending Rome was again paralyzing freedom.
Had Paolo Sarpi then 'effected nothing? Had the long, weary, and
arduous life which he had led, all the persecution he had suffered, all
the brilliant hopes he had formed for his country, beeri as the down
of the thistle on the bosom of the blast?
No! Seek deeper into the page of history, search longerin the
archives of his country, rend the veil from volumes which are not his,
give them back to their writers, but let the fame of Sarpi shine forth
in all the lustre that his integrity (IQISerVeS. ' No one can deny but
that by Sarpi's means the reign of Paul V had been productive of good
to Italy. Italy has never since been so blind to her political interests/
and her patient suffering was one day to be rewarded. The impress
of the seal of the pontificate was to be effaced, if gradually yet surely,
from the land, the Papacy received a blow from the resistance of
Sarpi to Paul V, from which it has never recovered; -no bull of
excommunication ever reached Venetia in after days; rulers and
subjects were forced to believe that the power of the Pope, and what
he termed the rights of the Church were wrongfully usurped, and
some gave credit to the opinions of Sarpi that the Pope was neither
Supreme Pontiff, nor infallible ruler of the Church, but merely Bishop of
Rome and liable to err, as did St. Peter and all men.
Sarpi enjoyed his high reputation for learning till the end of his
1 Appendix.
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? mr. 69. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 213
life, and when permitted, he sometimes received people of distinction.
"Many princes honored him with letters, and one royal personage, on
sending his son to Italy, told him that he must not fail to visit the
' Orbfs term; ocullus. ' " He had however little time for visitors,
especially as he now had a new charge. The Nuncios had caused
disquiet by many infractions on existing laws, they were the medium
of the demands of the Auditor of the papal chamber, which Fra
Paolo thought were often as unlawful as superstitious, and he there-
fore proposed that a scrutiny of all Laws should be made by a cano-
uist appointed for the purpose. The Senate immediately appointed
Paolo, who discharged this duty till his death, when a counsellor,
called " Theologian for . the revision of Papal Bulls," succeeded him.
The Nuncios were thus deprived of some power, as they had been in
the habit of yielding entirely to the interests of the Court of Rome.
These duties, however, increased the burden of labor which Paolo had
to perform, and was induced to undertake from conscientious motives,
not from gain, for as through life, so now in old age, he was indif-
ferent to Wealth. . ' ' .
" His latter years were spent very monotonously, owing to his being al-
most a prisoner except when the public service or his profession required
him to go abroad. His food was a little bread toasted on coals, to escape ill
intent, and having no relation but a very old cousin, he had nothing to
wish for his family. In him ambition was wholly dead, and now he was
content that any one rather than himself, should enjoy the merit of any of
his scientific discoveries. "
" Such was his fidelity in the public service, that the prince honored him
in a manner which had never been done before; he had free access to the
two secret archives, and free permission to examine all the writings of the
State as also of the government.
"His memory was so extraordinary, that he could immediately put his
hand on any MS. he wished to examine, and as these Archives contained
public documents of laws, treaties of peace and war, truces, confederations,
negotiations, with all the despatches for centuries past from all parts of the
world, in old volumes which it was difficult to decipher, this was no easy
matter.
" There could be no greater proof of the entire confidence of the Govern-
ment in the integrity of Sarpi, than the permission thus given to him to
examine and arrange its most secret Archives. It was a work of interest
but very arduous, and his health suffered from it, for on Easter day, when
in his accustomed place in the Segreta, he was suddenly seized with cold
as if he had been frozen, accompanied by hoarseness and numbness. He
had never had any catarrh before, but from this and ague he now suffered
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? 214 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1622.
severely for three months, yet he never changed his way of life, or relaxed
his laborious occupation, a diminution of his strength was apparent, and
he often said that he never was well after this illness. " '
There was little to cheer him from Rome, the power of the Jesuits being
very great there, in consequence of the countenance they received from
the Pope and his nephew. They soon gave trouble to Venice, but Fra Paolo
counselled the Senate not to give way. The Jesuits wished to be reinstated
in a Greek College which they had once possessed, but he plainly told the
government that if they were established thergthe sons of ignorant people
would be educated in the maxims of a society inimical to it. This remon-
strance was not likely to please the Curia; but Paolo did not consult his own
interest; he was well aware of the opinion which the new Pope held of his
being the Counsellor of the Republic, as on his accession, Gregory XV
said, " that there never would be a perfect peace between the Apostolic see
and Venetia, except such an one as Fra Paolo Sarpi chose. " On this Fra
Paolo not only determined to relinquish the public service, but to quit the
States of Venice. He was in declining years; but on many accounts it
would have been a sacrifice i-f he had left his country. The King of Great
Britain had not been able to prevail upon him to leave it, and the State
certainly would not have permitted him to do so. He had however resolv-
ed to go to the Levant, Constantinople, or elsewhere, and had obtained
information from travellers, particularly from a Jew who had often made
the journey; he even provided himself with a passport, and had every
thing ready to meet any adverse fortune, and was determined to depart,
rather than that his prince or country should receive any ill, although he was
sure that the Senate would rather have gone to war on his account than
withdraw their protection. It was not however so to be, and Sarpi was to
suffer neither from the threatened malevolence of the Pope Gregory, or
of his successor, Urban VIII. Ere the latter had ascended the pontifical
throne, Fra Paolo Sarpi was beyond the reach of wrong.
It was unlikely that the publication of so remarkable a work as his
History of the Council of the Church would not be productive of great
opposition by the Papal Nuncios and other adherents of the Curia, one
instance of this may suffice, and again the attack came from one who had
forsaken the reformed religion.
The Prince de Conde? , immediately on the appearance of Fra Paolo's
History of the Council of Trent, had made enquiries concerning it of
the Venetian ambassador at Paris, who had informed the good Servite,
and this appears to have influenced him in not wishing to meet the
Prince when he came to Venice. It was in vain that he excused him-
? MS.
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? AT 70. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 216
selfllhe Prince insisted so peremptorily, that the Senate gave orders that
he was to be received. A meeting without the walls of the Convent
was appointed, at the house of the afore--mentioned ambassador who
was lately returned from Paris. The conversation was taken down, and
a more desultory one has seldom been heard; the Prince endeavcring
to discover Sarpi's opinions, but he left the Prior to answer for him in
general terms as to the mass and as to his being a foe of the Jesuits, but
it is apparent that the Prince knew that he did not agree withhim, he
then questioned Sarpi on the religious sects, on the Reformed Church
of France, the superiority of the Council over the Pope, the liberty of
the Gallican Church, whether it was lawful to employ men at arms of
different religions, the excommunication of Princes, but above all, who was
the author of the History of the Council of Trent.
" The Prince blamed the Huguenots, without even touching upon the
most trivial points of their doctrine, the Father dexterously diverted
him from this topic, by alluding to the valor and prudence of his
father and grandfather; as to the Pope and Councils and their rela-
tive superiority, he put the Prince in mind of the Sorbonne and the
change and degeneracy of France since the admission of the Jesuits,
and the difference between the old and modern Sorbonnist, Without touch'
ing on the point of superiority, as the Father wished to have done.
And as to the liberty of the Gallican Church, the Father passed it over
in general terms, saying that the Parliament of France and the Sor-
bonne had maintained these liberties as the natural right of all Chur-
ches, but that in France they had been better defended than elsewhere. As
to the employment of soldiers of different opinions in religion, he only
observed that Julius II had employed the Turks at Bologna, and
Paul III the Grisons in Rome, whom he called angels sent by God to
defend him, and yet they were heretics. They then discoursed diflhsely
on the excommunication of Princes, and the Father obliged the Prince to
speak of Gregory VII, and made him confess that he had seen many
public and private documents by which it appears, that if the Pope had
not made such pretensions as to forbid princes to be present at mass,
and other services of the Church, controversies would not have attained
such a height; but the chief point was as to excommunication, whether
princes under it had cause of complaint, as excommunication was only
a spiritual sentence; whether they should be exposed to the rebellion
of their subjects, and to the plots of those who watched for their lives
or sought to deprive them of their crowns.
" As to the Father being the author of the History of the Council
of Trent, he told the Prince that it was he who had divulged this in
France, and had said as much to the Venetian Ambassador then resi-
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? 216 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1622.
dent at the Court of the Most Christian King, so that the Ambassador
was obliged to write to the State, and he only answered further, that
at Rome it was well known who was the author, and with all his
turnings and windings the Prince could get nothing more out of him.
"Such was the celebrated conversation of the Prince of Conde? with
Sarpi, and such the admirable way in which he parried the attacks of
the Prince. On no occasion did he ever avow that he was the author
of the History of the Council. If
We have the account of the above from Fulgenzio, who was present
and who describes the Father 'as a rock against which the waves dashed
harmlessly. There is a longer account of these interviews signed by Fra
Paolo to the Senate. ' Now let us notice the last work which Fra Paolo is
known to have written, the MS. is intitled, Notes on the Popes. He spoke
well of Paul V; the Pontiff was dead, and Sarpi veiled his failings.
There was also amongst his MSS. a chronological list of illustrious per-
sons in the handwriting of Franzano, divided into twelve small columns,
beginning 2021 BC. and ending A. D. 1622, with notes by Sarpi.
Plots against his life were now less frequent, but it was not unusual
for Sarpi's enemies to charge him with hypocrisy. It is a vast but easily
broken web which the envious weave over the good. And the Cardinal
Sforza, who appears to have done so but only for amusement, used to call
Fra Paolo a hypocrite, on purpose that he might hear Fra Amante defend
him. This he did, as well as Asselineau, in conversation with M. Villiers,
who plainly told the Nuncios, that Fra Paolo took an unusual me-
thod from that of hypocrites, who only appeared outwardly pious, but
that he never made any outward show but lived in the strictest retirement.
That no one had ever seenhim do a hypocritical action, such as telling his
heads when he went through the streets, kissing medals, speaking with
pretended spirituality, or clothing himself sordidly, that he was cleanly
in his attire which although poor was becoming, and this was the touch-
stone, he did not aspire to rank nor honor, he did not care' for money,
or to receive anything from any body, and he was not austere, but gentle
and agreeable to all, and that he had always heard every one speak in
commendation of his 'great virtue and strict integrity, but that he would
be glad to hear from the Nuncio what grounds he had for believing the
contrary that he might know what to credit. The Nuncio was suddenly
surprised by this question, and wishing to extricate himself from his
dilemma, blamed the life and actions of the Father, but here he was
foiled, because, on the Ambassador again pressing him to say in what,
and if he called it hypocrisy that he never flattered the Court, nor sought
1 Arch. Ven.
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? /ET. 70. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 217
ecclesiastical dignities, nor fled retirement, nor wore long rosaries, nor
told his beads, nor was seen at stations in the Churches, nor wore bad
clothing, the Nuncio offered no reply. H
" Similar conversations passed at the different Courts after the com-
motions in Spain, between the Ambassador Contarini and the King
of France, and with the Nuncio Ubaldini, who censured the Father's
Writings with great severity.
" (Angelo) Contarini on the other hand, a man of singular candor, suavity,
and gentle nature, of strong understanding and therefore not contentious,
answered him that he could not argue with his Lordship, as he Was
neither a theologian nor a jurisconsult, but that as to the Father's
writings, he was certain that they were neither so void of learning nor
so impious as the Nuncio said they were, which was evident by the
learned and scientific professors who commended them, but that as to
his life and manners he was positive, not only from hearsay but from
his own knowledge, that they were both irreprehensible, and the
Ambassador concluded by repeating that he led a holy, retired, and
exemplary life. To which the Nuncio answered, that it was on ac-
count of his irreprehensible life that he believed him to be a bad man
and a hypocrite. "
" Such," exclaims Fulgenzio, "was the comparison of these prelates
of the Roman Court with the doctrines of Christ and his Holy Apos-
tles, who taught us to know faith by their works, and the tree by its
fruit! " And after an enumeration of Fra Paolo's life--long virtues, his
friend concludes thus, "' and if these be the signs whereby Christ has
taught us to know hypocrites, let it be referred to the judgment of
others, for neither God nor man will permit the innocent to be so
unfortunate as that those tyrants who had power over their lives,
should also have power over their fame and memory. The righteous is
like the palm tree which rises above the weight of calumny, and God
never willed that tyrants should have power over them. " '
Without pausing long on the death of Foscarini, who was well known
to Fra Paolo, we need only notice that his letter, with a bequest to
the good Servite to pray for his soul, was refused by him. ' Fra Paolo
did not believe in purgatory, of this there are many proofs besides
Pallavicino's remarks. Nor did he wish to accept money from an enemy
of the state; but it is only justice to Foscarini to add, that he was
declared innocent, which was entered on the records of the Council of
Ten, where the writer of these pages saw it. 3
1 MS.
1 Letter to the Signory. F. P. S. , 28th April 1622.
_3 Registro 39. Criminale, 0011 X, 1622, Giugno 16: " Fu dichiarato innocente. "
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? 218 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1623.
Sarpi never recovered from the illness from which he had suffered in
his sixty ninth year, " but with his usual resolution he bore up as
well as he could, till he entered on his seventy first year; it was then
evident that his great soul was about to dislodge.
" It was impossible to keep him warm, and he had such an entire
loss of appetite that it was impossible to procure any food for him
that he did not dislike, he was surprised at his want of sc1f-com-
mand. He masticated with difficulty, bent double, and walked with
great weariness to his gondola, or up stairs. He slept but little, and
his dreams were no longer unintelligible and incongruous, but distinct,
natural, speculative, and as he was very observant of everything, he
told his friends/that this showed a gentle rising of the soul from the
body. " '
Notwithstanding all these demonstrations of declining health, Sarpi
did not give up his studies or his work at the Ducal palace, and
when Marco Trevisano, whose freedom of speech and truth were much
liked by the Father, would often reprove him for his intemperate love
of study and toil, as if he were insensible to approaching age, he
heard him speak with pleasure, but he Went on as before. On several
occasions his strength seemed to fail him, and he was obliged, in
walking through the Merceria, to lean on the arm of Fra Marco. He
did not conceal his illness, he showed that he expected death, but spoke
of it as freely and cheerfully as if it had been a matter of indifference,
a debt to nature, a long rest after a weary day's journey. "
He was often heard to repeat, besides ejaculatory prayers, many
passages from the Holy Scriptures, and he frequently said, "Nunc
dimittis servum tuum Domine etc. " " Now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. " To his familiar
friend he would say, " Ahl we are near the end of the day. " On one
occasion when they were occupied with the affairs of the province and
spoke of the nomination of a Prior, he said "I shall not be here. " '
The following minute particulars of his last illness are given by
Fra Fulgenzio. " On Christmas day, the festival of the Nativity of our
Lord, when we saluted him with the usual compliments, 'Ad multos
annos, Sancte Pater,' he immediately answered, ' that this year would
be his last' and he spoke so seriously, that it was evident that he
did so with greater earnestness than he usually spoke of the brevity
of life. There can be no doubt but that he felt very ill, because in
general he made no change when he had fever; but on the Epiphany '
1 MS.
1 MS.
-" January 6.
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? mm. 71. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 219
his illness increased, and at his return from the palace, where he had
been summoned three times, he was worse. During the two following
days he could neither eat nor sleep, but he would not remain in bed.
On Sunday he rose, celebrated mass and dined in the refectory. After
dinner, Signor Seehini came to see him, and remained with him for
some time, he told the Padre that he thought he was very ill, he
confessed he was, and that he was obliged to lie down upon a chest
in his clothes with a coverlet over him. He continued much the -same
till the following Friday, occupying himself as usual in reading and
writing, and when outstretched upon his chest, and too weak to do it
himself, others read to him. On Monday morning, having dressed
himself, he was suddenly seized by a complete prostration of strength
both in his hands and feet; he could not stand without support, and
could not move his hands without tremor; this was followed by such
a loathing of food that it required all his resolution even to try to
take any. His faculties were unimpaired; his tranquillity and cheerful-
ness never forsook him, and till the day on which he died he comfort-
ed those around him by cheerful remarks saying. 'I have consoled you
as long as I could, and now I can do do no more, it is your part to
cheer me. ' The physicians supposed his disorder to be epilepsy, some
suspected poison, but there were no signs of either, it was rather a
decay of nature.
" On Wednesday, he wished to leave his room, as if eager to meet
all his old companions in the refectory once more, he went to dinner,
but, as it was at some distance from his rooms besides the stairs, he
was obliged to be supported thither, trembling all over. Nevertheless,
he received every visitor, conversed as usual, said nothing of his ill-
ness except to his doctor and that very briefly but to his friend and
physician Asselineau he spoke of his state without any reserve, beg-
ging him not to tell Fra Fulgenzio because it would grieve him, but
he knew that the Padre's last hours were near.
"On Thursday morning, ' he sent for the Prior, and begged him to
commend him to the prayers of the Fathers, and when service was
finished that he would be pleased to administer the holy communion
to him, and added that he had lived in the poverty of the Order,
having nothing of his own; that all which had been granted to him
according to the rules of the Order, remained in his rooms. The Padre
then gave the small key of a cupboard to the Prior in which was the
remainder of his salary from the Serene Republic. This cupboard, and
another where he kept state papers, Were the only ones which he kept
1 January 12.
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? 220 THE' LIFE oF [A. n. 1623.
locked. He dressed himself as usual, and spent all the morning in
listening to Fra Fulgenzio and Fra Marco, who by turns read the
Psalms, the narrations of the Holy Evangelists, and the Passion of
Christ to him; he made them pause at intervals while he remained in
devout meditation, but such was his languor that his efforts to kneel
were wholly ineffectual. As soon as the service in church was conclud-
ed, at the sound of a smell bell, the Prior and all the friars with
torches in their hands brought the most Holy Sacrament to him as he
lay on his bed dressed in his usual habit. He partook of it with that
devotion which was to be expected from one who was so sincere, it
drew tears from the eyes of all present, and the remarkable example
of one so well prepared to pass to a' blessed life was deeply impressed
on all.
He did not wish any one to watch him during the night; he always had
said it was ostentatious, that it incommoded others without doing him any
good, that it disturbed him as he thought he disturbed others, and that he
could not suffer another to lose his rest for him. He would not permit Fulgen-
zio to remain with him, and rose and dressed himself the following morning.
He had always scrupuously attended to all the rules of the Convent; he
would not take broth or meat or any other food but that usual in Lent,
and when eating his dinner he turned playfully to the cook saying, " Fra
Cosmo do you treat your friends thus, to make them break fast days? "
It was not superstition, but a firm and acquired habit to observe whatever
was ordered even to the minutia in things not essential. In the evening,
three attendants remained with him, but although he required to have
some one to give him restoratives, he helped himself, remaining perfectly
quiet, and was only heard sometimes to ejaculate, " O God! "
On Saturday, the only day he remained in bed, he was in great weakness
of body but in full vigor of mind. The most Serene Prince and the most
excellent Senate sent for Fra Fulgenzio to question him as to the state of
the Padre's health. The mournful answer was, that he believed his life
was drawing fast to a close, and that his case was hopeless. The most
excellent Signor Ottavino Buono wished to know what was the state of
his mind. Fulgenzio answered, that although in great bodily weakness,
his judgment and memory were the same as they had ever been when he,
Maestro Paolo, served his Serenity and the Senate for seventeen years, and
had counselled them in their greatest difficulties. The same day he recei-
ved visitors; and when the Most excellent Signor Bassadonna came in,
the Padre took off his cap and thanked him for his visit; when he was
gone, he heard reading for a considerable time with great attention.
There were then three question regarding matters of grave importance
submitted to him. Fra Paolo, two hours before midnight, wrote an an-
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? mr. 71. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 221
swer and sent it to the college, and the same evening it was read in
the Senate and his advice followed.
Night coming on, and weakness increasing, the Passion of our Saviour
was read to him from the gospel of John. He spoke of his own sins and of
his strong confidence in the blood of Christ, and often repeated, " Quem
proposuit Deus mediatorem per fidem in sanguine suo, " from which he
seemed to receive great consolation; he repeated, though with great faintness
various passages from St Paul, protesting " that he had nothing to present,
to God but misery and sins, yet nevertheless he desired to be plunged in
the abyss of divine mercy, " and this he expressed with so much submis-
sion and yet so much cheerfulness, that all present wept. His strength
totally failing, he received extreme uuction, and about three o'clock was
again visited by those physicians who had seen him shortly before. But
as he had not been previously visited by Tebaldi, the Padre told Fra
Fulgenzio to give him an account of his illness.
To the surprise of many, but to no one more than to the author him-
self, the History of the Council of Trent now appeared. This last Council
of the Church of Rome, Which sat at intervals from 1545 till 1563, is too
generally known to require more particular notice than that it was assembled
in order to correct, illustrate and fix with perspicuity the doctrines of the
church, to restore her discipline, and to reform the lives of the clergy.
The preponderance of papal authority, and subsequent interpretation of
the decrees of Trent being so distasteful to many of tbe'members of the
Church of Rome/Sarpi wrote an authentic account of that assemblywhicly
although called to cement the divisions in the Church, in reality widened
them.
The writer of these pages took pains at Venice to obtain particulars
respecting the History of the Council of Trent. The original MS. is in
the writing of Sarpi's amanuensis Franzano, and on the first page of the
MS. is written by Fra Paolo Sarpi " L'Ht'st0ria dell Uoncilio Tridentino,
scritta do Pietro Suave Pohmo. " The other words " L'H1'strrria' dell Con
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? Er. 67. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 207
a
cilia Tridentino, " either head the other books which are in all eight, or _
are on the margin also written by Fra Paolo as are the corrections
throughout. This is worthy of notice, as it has been alleged that the
original MS. was written by Sarpi, in place of being dictated by him and
the corrections made by others. The reverse is the fact, as is attested on
the MS. by the Secretary Fontano. ' But to any one who has examined
the MS. , it is evident that every word must have been read by Sarpi, or
to him, from the many and minute corrections by his own hand. It is in
good preservation, bound by four leather thongs and parchment cover,
and consists of one thousand and eighty three pages , closely and finely
written, and carefully pointed. Paolo Sarpi did not publish his own work.
It has been observed that this MS. was borrowed from him by the Arch-
bishop de Dominis; who it is believed had it copied, carried to England
and published in London without Sarpi's knowledge, with a dedication
to the King of Great Britain by de Dominis. This dedication gave him
great pain; many, as Sarpi wrote were the defects of the Church of Rome
he never could hear it spoken against without regret, and although his own
language against the Court of Rome was very strong, still the unprejudic-
ed have always pronounced the History of the Council of Trent as did the
learned Sir Roger Twysden, " to be written with so great moderation
learning and wisdome, as might deserve a place amongst the exactest
pieces of ecclesiastic story any age hath produced. "
In Italy, many of her scholars, and they are not few, assured the
writer, "that none but the most profoundly ignorant hold any opinion
but that of admiration for the works of Fra Paolo Sarpi, and for his efforts
to reform the Romish Church. "
No one can reasonably affirm that this History was written in haste,
who is acquainted with the difficulty of research, and with the toil and
perseverance necessary to collect, collate, and embody materials for any
Work. Fra Paolo's aim was truth, and he did not shrink from the laborious
search after it in writing and compiling his History / and he had the
peculiar advantage, as we have seen, of personal acquaintance with many
who had attended the Council, and who were in possession of many me-
morials which no one else ever saw.
' It is to be regretted that the work of Fra Buonfiglio Capra perished by
fire; he had collected with great assiduity authentic references to all the
authorities consulted by Sarpi in the History of the Council of Trent, and
it is a well known fact that the materials for that work were in the Quirini
Library.
1 Deputato alla Canceleria Segreta, 16 Feb. 1772, arid by Bettiu Librarian.
"SS. Italiani de la Marciana, Classe v, N" 26.
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? 208 " THE LIFE or [s. D. 1619.
I Besides these, there are the journal of Chiergato, N uncio of Adrian VI; the
Acts of the Legation of the Cardinal Gaspar Contarini at Ratisbon; some of
the letters of the Cardinal del Monte, President of the Council of Trent
under Paul III; those of Viscomti, agent of Pius IV; the Memoirs of the
Cardinal Amulio; the despatches of the Venetian Ambassador at the
Council; the greater part of those of the French Ambassador, collected by
the friends of Fra Paolo, M- Groslet, De Thou, and others. To these may
be added, the Relazione, letters and speeches of the prelates at Trent;
the History of the Council, by Milledonne; the Acts of Massarelli; the
papers containing the votes of the prelates and theologians during the ses-
sions of the Council; the Memorials of the Spanish ambassador Vergos;
the Conciliary Acts of Salmio, Bishop of Verdun; the MSS. of the Cardinal
Borromeo; and many other MSS. relating to the latter years of the Council,
examined by Griselini 1785, in the Collection of the Senator Gradenigo.
Sarpi had also access to the libraries of the Vatican, of Padua, of Milan,
of Mantua, and of Venice; and the rare Collections of books and MSS. of
the Grimani, Contarini, Donati, Manutii, and of the monastic bodies were
at his disposal. '
At Rome, Sarpi's work was prohibited, some say before it was publish-
ed. l If it was so, it must have been in consequence of the information
that Paul V had received from the friars who wished to poison Sarpi,
and who were told to procure leaves of his writings, but this is of little
consequence. It is probable that Sarpi. never intended to publish his work,
and that he referred to its publication after his death when he said he
would do more against those who sought his life, dead than living. Ful-
ganzio's remarks on the History are interesting. It was more read than
any ecclesiastical History that is known. " The idea prevailed, and it was
published in Rome as an undoubted fact, that he (Fra Paolo Sarpi) was
the Author of the History of the Council of Trent, in eight Books, printed
in the Italian language in London, and which was afterwards translated
into all the most common languages of Europe, an argument, that this is
no ordinary work. And it might be, that at Rome they had also taken
it as a proof that F. Paolo was its author, that for a long term of years,
the Father spared no pains, either through friendship or cost, to obtain
information concerning the celebration of this Council, not only in Italy,
but abroad. And at the time when he had free intercourse with the
Princes, he was most intimate with the Ambassadors of France, Monsieur
de Fresnes, de Mes, and Du Ferrier, and particularly the latter, who at-
tended the said Council. No judgment can be given on his writings,
unless it be done with the discretion of a skilful artizan, who by one
1 Index Lib. Prob. Gregory XVI, Romae, 1841. Deor. 22 Nov. 1619.
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? mr. 67. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 209
claw, knows the size of the Lion, and who could, as history relates, by
the measure of one finger comprehend the proportions of the Colossus of
Rhodes. "
But it is to be feared that few have the discretion of the skilful artisan
of whom Fulgenzio speaks, and while some have said that the History is
the most noble in any language, others have pronounced it but a lengthened
satire.
It was not an easy task to write without satire of a Council unlawfully
constituted, and entirely under the guidance of the Popes, their Legates
and adherents. There is much pungent satire in the work, yet the style
is dignified and agreeable, not redundant yet strictly correct, and evidently
that of a master,,'. 1iut to praise a work so long held in high esteem is as
presumptuous as to criticise it. " I would rather, " said a scholar of no mean
degree, " have been the Author of the History of the Council of Trent than
of any book I know. "
Curiosity was much excited to discover who wrote a History which was
received by scholars with enthusiasm. Although he never said so, Sarpi
was at once pronounced to have written it, and the liberal minded of the
Church of Rome ever regarded its author with admiration. It is a mistake
with respect to the work to speak of Sarpi as a partizan. /These comments
of Gibbon and d'Alembert ought sufficiently to negative the imputation.
" Since the origin of theological factions, Arminus Marcellinus, Fra Paolo,
Thuanas, Hume, and perhaps a few others, have deserved the singular
praise of holding the balance with a steady and equal hand. Independent
and unconnected, they contemplated with the same indifference the
opinions and interests of contending parties, or, if they were seriously at-
tached to a particular system, they were armed with a firm and moderate
temper which enabled them to suppress their affection and to sacrifice
their interest, " and " Fra Paolo is perhaps the only monk who has risen
above monastic prejudice, who saw and judged the interests of society
with the extensive survey of a philosopher, and the nobility of a man of
birth. "/
He had the wisdom to point out to his countrymen what they are now
beginning to believe, that the temporal power of the Pope was the great
prop of the abuses of the Church of Rome, and as this, together with his
protest against the doctrines of the Jesuits, was what throughout life he
insisted upon, he takes pains to show in the History of the Council of
Trent, by what means their false theology was inserted into its decrees.
This is seen in Father Salmeron's proceedings with regard to the
sacrifice of the Mass, ' as well as his known approval of the English Liturgy
1 Appendix.
H
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? 210 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1619.
and confessions of the Reformed Churches. And it is probable that Sarpi's
approval of opposition to Salmeron's opinions, was what drew upon him
the charge of Bossuet, " Sous un froc il cachoit un coeur Calvinists, et il
travailloit sourdement a descrediter la Messe, qu'il disoit tous les jours. "
It is hoped that sufficient has been said in this biography to prove that
Sarpi had Written much of his great work in early life. His History of
the Council has been preserved that his countrymen may read for them-
selves, and judge how one and another nation sent their prelates to Trent
to obtain the restoration of ancient doctrines and rites, and saw them
return obliged to conform to the pleasure of the Pope and his Legates,
who often were made to receive against their will what was contrary to
their conscience. It was in vain that in many of the Sessions of Trent the
Scriptures were cited as the rule of faith, they were not received as of
sufficient authority alone, unless the dogma or article of faith was sup-
ported by tradition or long use, and therefore it is not marvellous that
Sarpi dissented from some of the decrees of the Council.
It has been observed that he wished a free Council to be assembled at
the time of the Interdict, he well knew that some would have sought to
exclude the Jesuits from it, and then he and Fra Fulgenzio and some of
the seven might perhaps have seen the Holy Scriptures, the prohibited
book, unchained and open to all, and might have heard again the
eloquent Fulgenzio preaching the Gospel of Christ, as he had done before
he was hindered by the Nuncio.
Sarpi longed for freedom, he knew and felt one of the noblest sayings
ever embodied in words, that " he is the freeman whom the truth makes
free and all are slaves besides, " and to him the truth was dear. He had
laid hold of it with the full grasp of his intellect, but he felt that it need-
ed a still more powerful lever to raise his heart heavenwards, and he ever
spoke and wrote of that divine grace, which had unbarred to him the
gates of heaven, with a devotion which was as humble as it was sincere ;
he could look beyond the superstitions of an overcharged ritual, and
pray for the time when all would perceive that Heaven requires not
merely acts of devotion but the service of the heart. Throughout life We
have seen that he looked for a reformation of the visible church, a return
to its ancient usages, and that although he was disappointed at the issue
of the disputes with Pope Paul V, he was too Wise not to know that he
had given a stimulus to those who came after)( him to shun atheism as
repugnant to human nature, ' and to persevere in the struggle for re-
formation.
If then a friar, so surrounded with superstition as Sarpi was, could long
1 "L'ateismo repugna alla natura humans, " MS. Sarpi.
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? B1'. 67. ] FHA PAOLO SARPI 211
to break through the trammels with which the Church of Rome was sur-
rounded, why again we ask should not his successors do the same? Let but
one of the clergy arise, let him but follow the example given him; let
the voice of controversy be mute, but let the voice of entreaty be strong;
let him in the full vigor of powerful intellect, but with words shorn of all
personality, with that charity which is as faithful as enduring, with that
generosity which never triumphs over another, and with all that holy
zeal which will nerve him to the noble task, let him dwell on the
benefits of the death of the Saviour, and thousands will listen now, as
they did when the Servite told out to crowds that the sacrifice of-
fered on Calvary was as complete as infinite.
As the History of the Council of Trent by Pallavicino was not
published for more than thirty years after that by Sarpi, any notice
of its criticisms lies beyond our province. ' All are familiar with Vol-
taire's ridicule of Pallavicino's remarks. Perhaps his foes past, present
and future cannot be better answered than by the moderate pen of Mr.
Zouch.
" We have already had occasion to mention this veherable Ecclesiastic.
It was said of Father Paul that he not only knew more than other men,
but that he knew better, and that he seemed to have Wisdom by habit.
I " Attempts have recently been made by some modern writers amongst
the high Catholics, as they are denominated, to depreciate the fame,
and invalidate the authority of this great man. These attempts are
vain. His works will be held in veneration long after the names of his
adversaries are sunk in oblivion. '}
We must now attend to the alliance between the Venetians and the
faithful Hollanders which was formed this year; it was probably
advised by Sarpi, and it gave him great pleasure. The diplomacy of
the seventeenth century was such as to perplex honest men, and an
honest ambassador could ill discharge his duty; still there were such
men, and none knew better than the Venetians how to appreciate them,
of which Sarpi gives many proofs. '
Again the subject was mooted, whether a power which acknowledged
the Pope could employ soldiers professing the Reformed religion. On
this question Fra Paolo supplied the Senate with a lucid reply in the
affirmative.
It is needless to enter further on the history of Europe of this date
1 Istoria del Concilio di Trento, scritta dal P. S. Pallavicino, della Compa-
gnia di Gesv. Roma, MDCLVI. Marciana.
2 Nor is that feeling yet dead in Venetia, as eyewitnesses of the recent
reception of the Ambassador from a great northern power can tell, when S.
Mark's palace resounded with a spontaneous tribute to talent and worth. 1866.
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? 212 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1621.
than to remark that intolerance again burst forth, and that the hills and
dales of the Valteline reech. oed with the cry of the wretched in-
habitants; their mountains formed no shelter for them, and like
the apostolic, good, and learned Church of the Valdesi, many Were
pursued and slain. The Papists amongst the Grisons were resolved to
free themselves from the government of the Reformed, and while Fra
Paolo, was still looking for reformation in the Church to enter from
the Grisons, he had the sorrow to behold the papal party triumphant,
and to learn that the Grisons were subdued or slain in the frightful contest.
After a reign of nearly sixteen years Paul V died, and was suc-
ceeded by Alessandro di Bologna, who took the name of Gregory XV.
By the address of his nephew' the papal party prevailed in France,
Italy and Austria, where the Sovereign had once been willing and
anxious for the restitution of the rights of the early Church. '
This had an indirect influence upon Venice, and Fra Paolo beheld
_his country settle down into comparative carelessness and indif-
ference as to the abuses of the Romish Church. Those who really felt
anxiety on the subject were not of sufficient number to have weight
in the Senate; fear of offending Rome was again paralyzing freedom.
Had Paolo Sarpi then 'effected nothing? Had the long, weary, and
arduous life which he had led, all the persecution he had suffered, all
the brilliant hopes he had formed for his country, beeri as the down
of the thistle on the bosom of the blast?
No! Seek deeper into the page of history, search longerin the
archives of his country, rend the veil from volumes which are not his,
give them back to their writers, but let the fame of Sarpi shine forth
in all the lustre that his integrity (IQISerVeS. ' No one can deny but
that by Sarpi's means the reign of Paul V had been productive of good
to Italy. Italy has never since been so blind to her political interests/
and her patient suffering was one day to be rewarded. The impress
of the seal of the pontificate was to be effaced, if gradually yet surely,
from the land, the Papacy received a blow from the resistance of
Sarpi to Paul V, from which it has never recovered; -no bull of
excommunication ever reached Venetia in after days; rulers and
subjects were forced to believe that the power of the Pope, and what
he termed the rights of the Church were wrongfully usurped, and
some gave credit to the opinions of Sarpi that the Pope was neither
Supreme Pontiff, nor infallible ruler of the Church, but merely Bishop of
Rome and liable to err, as did St. Peter and all men.
Sarpi enjoyed his high reputation for learning till the end of his
1 Appendix.
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? mr. 69. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 213
life, and when permitted, he sometimes received people of distinction.
"Many princes honored him with letters, and one royal personage, on
sending his son to Italy, told him that he must not fail to visit the
' Orbfs term; ocullus. ' " He had however little time for visitors,
especially as he now had a new charge. The Nuncios had caused
disquiet by many infractions on existing laws, they were the medium
of the demands of the Auditor of the papal chamber, which Fra
Paolo thought were often as unlawful as superstitious, and he there-
fore proposed that a scrutiny of all Laws should be made by a cano-
uist appointed for the purpose. The Senate immediately appointed
Paolo, who discharged this duty till his death, when a counsellor,
called " Theologian for . the revision of Papal Bulls," succeeded him.
The Nuncios were thus deprived of some power, as they had been in
the habit of yielding entirely to the interests of the Court of Rome.
These duties, however, increased the burden of labor which Paolo had
to perform, and was induced to undertake from conscientious motives,
not from gain, for as through life, so now in old age, he was indif-
ferent to Wealth. . ' ' .
" His latter years were spent very monotonously, owing to his being al-
most a prisoner except when the public service or his profession required
him to go abroad. His food was a little bread toasted on coals, to escape ill
intent, and having no relation but a very old cousin, he had nothing to
wish for his family. In him ambition was wholly dead, and now he was
content that any one rather than himself, should enjoy the merit of any of
his scientific discoveries. "
" Such was his fidelity in the public service, that the prince honored him
in a manner which had never been done before; he had free access to the
two secret archives, and free permission to examine all the writings of the
State as also of the government.
"His memory was so extraordinary, that he could immediately put his
hand on any MS. he wished to examine, and as these Archives contained
public documents of laws, treaties of peace and war, truces, confederations,
negotiations, with all the despatches for centuries past from all parts of the
world, in old volumes which it was difficult to decipher, this was no easy
matter.
" There could be no greater proof of the entire confidence of the Govern-
ment in the integrity of Sarpi, than the permission thus given to him to
examine and arrange its most secret Archives. It was a work of interest
but very arduous, and his health suffered from it, for on Easter day, when
in his accustomed place in the Segreta, he was suddenly seized with cold
as if he had been frozen, accompanied by hoarseness and numbness. He
had never had any catarrh before, but from this and ague he now suffered
Z
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? 214 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1622.
severely for three months, yet he never changed his way of life, or relaxed
his laborious occupation, a diminution of his strength was apparent, and
he often said that he never was well after this illness. " '
There was little to cheer him from Rome, the power of the Jesuits being
very great there, in consequence of the countenance they received from
the Pope and his nephew. They soon gave trouble to Venice, but Fra Paolo
counselled the Senate not to give way. The Jesuits wished to be reinstated
in a Greek College which they had once possessed, but he plainly told the
government that if they were established thergthe sons of ignorant people
would be educated in the maxims of a society inimical to it. This remon-
strance was not likely to please the Curia; but Paolo did not consult his own
interest; he was well aware of the opinion which the new Pope held of his
being the Counsellor of the Republic, as on his accession, Gregory XV
said, " that there never would be a perfect peace between the Apostolic see
and Venetia, except such an one as Fra Paolo Sarpi chose. " On this Fra
Paolo not only determined to relinquish the public service, but to quit the
States of Venice. He was in declining years; but on many accounts it
would have been a sacrifice i-f he had left his country. The King of Great
Britain had not been able to prevail upon him to leave it, and the State
certainly would not have permitted him to do so. He had however resolv-
ed to go to the Levant, Constantinople, or elsewhere, and had obtained
information from travellers, particularly from a Jew who had often made
the journey; he even provided himself with a passport, and had every
thing ready to meet any adverse fortune, and was determined to depart,
rather than that his prince or country should receive any ill, although he was
sure that the Senate would rather have gone to war on his account than
withdraw their protection. It was not however so to be, and Sarpi was to
suffer neither from the threatened malevolence of the Pope Gregory, or
of his successor, Urban VIII. Ere the latter had ascended the pontifical
throne, Fra Paolo Sarpi was beyond the reach of wrong.
It was unlikely that the publication of so remarkable a work as his
History of the Council of the Church would not be productive of great
opposition by the Papal Nuncios and other adherents of the Curia, one
instance of this may suffice, and again the attack came from one who had
forsaken the reformed religion.
The Prince de Conde? , immediately on the appearance of Fra Paolo's
History of the Council of Trent, had made enquiries concerning it of
the Venetian ambassador at Paris, who had informed the good Servite,
and this appears to have influenced him in not wishing to meet the
Prince when he came to Venice. It was in vain that he excused him-
? MS.
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? AT 70. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 216
selfllhe Prince insisted so peremptorily, that the Senate gave orders that
he was to be received. A meeting without the walls of the Convent
was appointed, at the house of the afore--mentioned ambassador who
was lately returned from Paris. The conversation was taken down, and
a more desultory one has seldom been heard; the Prince endeavcring
to discover Sarpi's opinions, but he left the Prior to answer for him in
general terms as to the mass and as to his being a foe of the Jesuits, but
it is apparent that the Prince knew that he did not agree withhim, he
then questioned Sarpi on the religious sects, on the Reformed Church
of France, the superiority of the Council over the Pope, the liberty of
the Gallican Church, whether it was lawful to employ men at arms of
different religions, the excommunication of Princes, but above all, who was
the author of the History of the Council of Trent.
" The Prince blamed the Huguenots, without even touching upon the
most trivial points of their doctrine, the Father dexterously diverted
him from this topic, by alluding to the valor and prudence of his
father and grandfather; as to the Pope and Councils and their rela-
tive superiority, he put the Prince in mind of the Sorbonne and the
change and degeneracy of France since the admission of the Jesuits,
and the difference between the old and modern Sorbonnist, Without touch'
ing on the point of superiority, as the Father wished to have done.
And as to the liberty of the Gallican Church, the Father passed it over
in general terms, saying that the Parliament of France and the Sor-
bonne had maintained these liberties as the natural right of all Chur-
ches, but that in France they had been better defended than elsewhere. As
to the employment of soldiers of different opinions in religion, he only
observed that Julius II had employed the Turks at Bologna, and
Paul III the Grisons in Rome, whom he called angels sent by God to
defend him, and yet they were heretics. They then discoursed diflhsely
on the excommunication of Princes, and the Father obliged the Prince to
speak of Gregory VII, and made him confess that he had seen many
public and private documents by which it appears, that if the Pope had
not made such pretensions as to forbid princes to be present at mass,
and other services of the Church, controversies would not have attained
such a height; but the chief point was as to excommunication, whether
princes under it had cause of complaint, as excommunication was only
a spiritual sentence; whether they should be exposed to the rebellion
of their subjects, and to the plots of those who watched for their lives
or sought to deprive them of their crowns.
" As to the Father being the author of the History of the Council
of Trent, he told the Prince that it was he who had divulged this in
France, and had said as much to the Venetian Ambassador then resi-
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? 216 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1622.
dent at the Court of the Most Christian King, so that the Ambassador
was obliged to write to the State, and he only answered further, that
at Rome it was well known who was the author, and with all his
turnings and windings the Prince could get nothing more out of him.
"Such was the celebrated conversation of the Prince of Conde? with
Sarpi, and such the admirable way in which he parried the attacks of
the Prince. On no occasion did he ever avow that he was the author
of the History of the Council. If
We have the account of the above from Fulgenzio, who was present
and who describes the Father 'as a rock against which the waves dashed
harmlessly. There is a longer account of these interviews signed by Fra
Paolo to the Senate. ' Now let us notice the last work which Fra Paolo is
known to have written, the MS. is intitled, Notes on the Popes. He spoke
well of Paul V; the Pontiff was dead, and Sarpi veiled his failings.
There was also amongst his MSS. a chronological list of illustrious per-
sons in the handwriting of Franzano, divided into twelve small columns,
beginning 2021 BC. and ending A. D. 1622, with notes by Sarpi.
Plots against his life were now less frequent, but it was not unusual
for Sarpi's enemies to charge him with hypocrisy. It is a vast but easily
broken web which the envious weave over the good. And the Cardinal
Sforza, who appears to have done so but only for amusement, used to call
Fra Paolo a hypocrite, on purpose that he might hear Fra Amante defend
him. This he did, as well as Asselineau, in conversation with M. Villiers,
who plainly told the Nuncios, that Fra Paolo took an unusual me-
thod from that of hypocrites, who only appeared outwardly pious, but
that he never made any outward show but lived in the strictest retirement.
That no one had ever seenhim do a hypocritical action, such as telling his
heads when he went through the streets, kissing medals, speaking with
pretended spirituality, or clothing himself sordidly, that he was cleanly
in his attire which although poor was becoming, and this was the touch-
stone, he did not aspire to rank nor honor, he did not care' for money,
or to receive anything from any body, and he was not austere, but gentle
and agreeable to all, and that he had always heard every one speak in
commendation of his 'great virtue and strict integrity, but that he would
be glad to hear from the Nuncio what grounds he had for believing the
contrary that he might know what to credit. The Nuncio was suddenly
surprised by this question, and wishing to extricate himself from his
dilemma, blamed the life and actions of the Father, but here he was
foiled, because, on the Ambassador again pressing him to say in what,
and if he called it hypocrisy that he never flattered the Court, nor sought
1 Arch. Ven.
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? /ET. 70. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 217
ecclesiastical dignities, nor fled retirement, nor wore long rosaries, nor
told his beads, nor was seen at stations in the Churches, nor wore bad
clothing, the Nuncio offered no reply. H
" Similar conversations passed at the different Courts after the com-
motions in Spain, between the Ambassador Contarini and the King
of France, and with the Nuncio Ubaldini, who censured the Father's
Writings with great severity.
" (Angelo) Contarini on the other hand, a man of singular candor, suavity,
and gentle nature, of strong understanding and therefore not contentious,
answered him that he could not argue with his Lordship, as he Was
neither a theologian nor a jurisconsult, but that as to the Father's
writings, he was certain that they were neither so void of learning nor
so impious as the Nuncio said they were, which was evident by the
learned and scientific professors who commended them, but that as to
his life and manners he was positive, not only from hearsay but from
his own knowledge, that they were both irreprehensible, and the
Ambassador concluded by repeating that he led a holy, retired, and
exemplary life. To which the Nuncio answered, that it was on ac-
count of his irreprehensible life that he believed him to be a bad man
and a hypocrite. "
" Such," exclaims Fulgenzio, "was the comparison of these prelates
of the Roman Court with the doctrines of Christ and his Holy Apos-
tles, who taught us to know faith by their works, and the tree by its
fruit! " And after an enumeration of Fra Paolo's life--long virtues, his
friend concludes thus, "' and if these be the signs whereby Christ has
taught us to know hypocrites, let it be referred to the judgment of
others, for neither God nor man will permit the innocent to be so
unfortunate as that those tyrants who had power over their lives,
should also have power over their fame and memory. The righteous is
like the palm tree which rises above the weight of calumny, and God
never willed that tyrants should have power over them. " '
Without pausing long on the death of Foscarini, who was well known
to Fra Paolo, we need only notice that his letter, with a bequest to
the good Servite to pray for his soul, was refused by him. ' Fra Paolo
did not believe in purgatory, of this there are many proofs besides
Pallavicino's remarks. Nor did he wish to accept money from an enemy
of the state; but it is only justice to Foscarini to add, that he was
declared innocent, which was entered on the records of the Council of
Ten, where the writer of these pages saw it. 3
1 MS.
1 Letter to the Signory. F. P. S. , 28th April 1622.
_3 Registro 39. Criminale, 0011 X, 1622, Giugno 16: " Fu dichiarato innocente. "
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? 218 THE LIFE OF [A. D. 1623.
Sarpi never recovered from the illness from which he had suffered in
his sixty ninth year, " but with his usual resolution he bore up as
well as he could, till he entered on his seventy first year; it was then
evident that his great soul was about to dislodge.
" It was impossible to keep him warm, and he had such an entire
loss of appetite that it was impossible to procure any food for him
that he did not dislike, he was surprised at his want of sc1f-com-
mand. He masticated with difficulty, bent double, and walked with
great weariness to his gondola, or up stairs. He slept but little, and
his dreams were no longer unintelligible and incongruous, but distinct,
natural, speculative, and as he was very observant of everything, he
told his friends/that this showed a gentle rising of the soul from the
body. " '
Notwithstanding all these demonstrations of declining health, Sarpi
did not give up his studies or his work at the Ducal palace, and
when Marco Trevisano, whose freedom of speech and truth were much
liked by the Father, would often reprove him for his intemperate love
of study and toil, as if he were insensible to approaching age, he
heard him speak with pleasure, but he Went on as before. On several
occasions his strength seemed to fail him, and he was obliged, in
walking through the Merceria, to lean on the arm of Fra Marco. He
did not conceal his illness, he showed that he expected death, but spoke
of it as freely and cheerfully as if it had been a matter of indifference,
a debt to nature, a long rest after a weary day's journey. "
He was often heard to repeat, besides ejaculatory prayers, many
passages from the Holy Scriptures, and he frequently said, "Nunc
dimittis servum tuum Domine etc. " " Now lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. " To his familiar
friend he would say, " Ahl we are near the end of the day. " On one
occasion when they were occupied with the affairs of the province and
spoke of the nomination of a Prior, he said "I shall not be here. " '
The following minute particulars of his last illness are given by
Fra Fulgenzio. " On Christmas day, the festival of the Nativity of our
Lord, when we saluted him with the usual compliments, 'Ad multos
annos, Sancte Pater,' he immediately answered, ' that this year would
be his last' and he spoke so seriously, that it was evident that he
did so with greater earnestness than he usually spoke of the brevity
of life. There can be no doubt but that he felt very ill, because in
general he made no change when he had fever; but on the Epiphany '
1 MS.
1 MS.
-" January 6.
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? mm. 71. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 219
his illness increased, and at his return from the palace, where he had
been summoned three times, he was worse. During the two following
days he could neither eat nor sleep, but he would not remain in bed.
On Sunday he rose, celebrated mass and dined in the refectory. After
dinner, Signor Seehini came to see him, and remained with him for
some time, he told the Padre that he thought he was very ill, he
confessed he was, and that he was obliged to lie down upon a chest
in his clothes with a coverlet over him. He continued much the -same
till the following Friday, occupying himself as usual in reading and
writing, and when outstretched upon his chest, and too weak to do it
himself, others read to him. On Monday morning, having dressed
himself, he was suddenly seized by a complete prostration of strength
both in his hands and feet; he could not stand without support, and
could not move his hands without tremor; this was followed by such
a loathing of food that it required all his resolution even to try to
take any. His faculties were unimpaired; his tranquillity and cheerful-
ness never forsook him, and till the day on which he died he comfort-
ed those around him by cheerful remarks saying. 'I have consoled you
as long as I could, and now I can do do no more, it is your part to
cheer me. ' The physicians supposed his disorder to be epilepsy, some
suspected poison, but there were no signs of either, it was rather a
decay of nature.
" On Wednesday, he wished to leave his room, as if eager to meet
all his old companions in the refectory once more, he went to dinner,
but, as it was at some distance from his rooms besides the stairs, he
was obliged to be supported thither, trembling all over. Nevertheless,
he received every visitor, conversed as usual, said nothing of his ill-
ness except to his doctor and that very briefly but to his friend and
physician Asselineau he spoke of his state without any reserve, beg-
ging him not to tell Fra Fulgenzio because it would grieve him, but
he knew that the Padre's last hours were near.
"On Thursday morning, ' he sent for the Prior, and begged him to
commend him to the prayers of the Fathers, and when service was
finished that he would be pleased to administer the holy communion
to him, and added that he had lived in the poverty of the Order,
having nothing of his own; that all which had been granted to him
according to the rules of the Order, remained in his rooms. The Padre
then gave the small key of a cupboard to the Prior in which was the
remainder of his salary from the Serene Republic. This cupboard, and
another where he kept state papers, Were the only ones which he kept
1 January 12.
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? 220 THE' LIFE oF [A. n. 1623.
locked. He dressed himself as usual, and spent all the morning in
listening to Fra Fulgenzio and Fra Marco, who by turns read the
Psalms, the narrations of the Holy Evangelists, and the Passion of
Christ to him; he made them pause at intervals while he remained in
devout meditation, but such was his languor that his efforts to kneel
were wholly ineffectual. As soon as the service in church was conclud-
ed, at the sound of a smell bell, the Prior and all the friars with
torches in their hands brought the most Holy Sacrament to him as he
lay on his bed dressed in his usual habit. He partook of it with that
devotion which was to be expected from one who was so sincere, it
drew tears from the eyes of all present, and the remarkable example
of one so well prepared to pass to a' blessed life was deeply impressed
on all.
He did not wish any one to watch him during the night; he always had
said it was ostentatious, that it incommoded others without doing him any
good, that it disturbed him as he thought he disturbed others, and that he
could not suffer another to lose his rest for him. He would not permit Fulgen-
zio to remain with him, and rose and dressed himself the following morning.
He had always scrupuously attended to all the rules of the Convent; he
would not take broth or meat or any other food but that usual in Lent,
and when eating his dinner he turned playfully to the cook saying, " Fra
Cosmo do you treat your friends thus, to make them break fast days? "
It was not superstition, but a firm and acquired habit to observe whatever
was ordered even to the minutia in things not essential. In the evening,
three attendants remained with him, but although he required to have
some one to give him restoratives, he helped himself, remaining perfectly
quiet, and was only heard sometimes to ejaculate, " O God! "
On Saturday, the only day he remained in bed, he was in great weakness
of body but in full vigor of mind. The most Serene Prince and the most
excellent Senate sent for Fra Fulgenzio to question him as to the state of
the Padre's health. The mournful answer was, that he believed his life
was drawing fast to a close, and that his case was hopeless. The most
excellent Signor Ottavino Buono wished to know what was the state of
his mind. Fulgenzio answered, that although in great bodily weakness,
his judgment and memory were the same as they had ever been when he,
Maestro Paolo, served his Serenity and the Senate for seventeen years, and
had counselled them in their greatest difficulties. The same day he recei-
ved visitors; and when the Most excellent Signor Bassadonna came in,
the Padre took off his cap and thanked him for his visit; when he was
gone, he heard reading for a considerable time with great attention.
There were then three question regarding matters of grave importance
submitted to him. Fra Paolo, two hours before midnight, wrote an an-
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? mr. 71. ] FRA PAOLO SARPI 221
swer and sent it to the college, and the same evening it was read in
the Senate and his advice followed.
Night coming on, and weakness increasing, the Passion of our Saviour
was read to him from the gospel of John. He spoke of his own sins and of
his strong confidence in the blood of Christ, and often repeated, " Quem
proposuit Deus mediatorem per fidem in sanguine suo, " from which he
seemed to receive great consolation; he repeated, though with great faintness
various passages from St Paul, protesting " that he had nothing to present,
to God but misery and sins, yet nevertheless he desired to be plunged in
the abyss of divine mercy, " and this he expressed with so much submis-
sion and yet so much cheerfulness, that all present wept. His strength
totally failing, he received extreme uuction, and about three o'clock was
again visited by those physicians who had seen him shortly before. But
as he had not been previously visited by Tebaldi, the Padre told Fra
Fulgenzio to give him an account of his illness.
