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enemy；Cardinal　Bellarmine。　It　was　believed　by　Sarpi's　friends



that　Bellarmine's　Scotch　ideas　of　duty　to　humanity　prevailed　over



his　Roman　ideas　of　fealty　to　the　Vatican；　and　we　may　rejoice　in



the　hope　that　his　nobler　qualities　did　really　assert　themselves



against　the　casuistry　of　his　brother　prelates　which　sanctioned



assassination。







These　warnings　were　soon　seen　to　be　well　founded。　On　a　pleasant



evening　in　October；　1607；　a　carefully　laid　trap　was　sprung。



Returning　from　his　day's　work　at　the　Ducal　Palace；　Father　Paul；



just　as　he　had　crossed　the　little　bridge　of　Santa　Fosca　before



reaching　his　convent；　was　met　by　five　assassins。　Two　of　his　usual



attendants　had　been　drawn　off　by　the　outburst　of　a　fire　in　the



neighborhood；　the　other　two　were　old　men　who　proved　useless。　The



place　was　well　chosen。　The　descent　from　the　bridge　was　so　narrow



that　all　three　were　obliged　to　march　in　single　file；　and　just　at



this　point　these　ruffians　from　Rome　sprang　upon　him　in　the　dusk；



separated　him　from　his　companions；　and　gave　him；　in　a　moment；



fifteen　dagger　thrusts；　two　in　his　throat　and　onea　fearful　gash



on　the　side　of　his　head；　and　then；　convinced　that　they　had



killed　him；　escaped　to　their　boats；　only　a　few　paces　distant。







The　victim　lingered　long　in　the　hospital；　but　his　sound



constitution　and　abstemious　habits　stood　him　in　good　stead。　Very



important　among　the　qualities　which　restored　him　to　health　were



his　optimism　and　cheerfulness。　An　early　manifestation　of　the



first　of　these　was　seen　when；　on　regaining　consciousness；　he



called　for　the　stiletto　which　had　been　drawn　from　the　main　wound



and；　running　his　fingers　along　the　blade；　said　cheerily　to　his



friends；　〃It　is　not　filed。〃　What　this　meant；　any　one　knows　who



has　seen　in　various　European　collections　the　daggers　dating　from



the　〃ages　of　faith〃　cunningly　filed　or　grooved　to　hold　poison。＇1＇











＇1＇　There　is　a　remarkable　example　of　a　beautiful　dagger；　grooved



to　contain　poison；　in　the　imperial　collection　of　arms　at　Vienna。











As　an　example　of　the　second　of　these　qualities；　we　may　take　his



well…known　reply　when；　to　the　surgeon　dressing　the　wound　made　by



the　〃style〃　or　stiletto；　who　spoke　of　its　〃extravagance；〃



rudeness；　and　yet　ineffectiveness；Fra　Paolo　quietly　answered



that　in　these　characteristics　could　be　recognized　the　style　of



the　Roman　Curia。







Meantime　the　assassins　had　found　their　way　back　to　Rome；　and　were



welcomed　with　open　arms；　but　it　is　some　comfort　to　know　that



later；　when　such　conscience　as　there　was　throughout　Italy　and



Europe　showed　intense　disgust　at　the　proceeding；　the　Roman　Court



treated　them　coldly　and　even　severely。







The　Republic　continued　in　every　way　to　show　Sarpi　its　sympathy



and　gratitude。　It　made　him　many　splendid　offer；　which　he　refused；



but　two　gifts　he　accepted。　One　was　full　permission　to　explore　the



Venetian　archives；　and　the　other　was　a　little　doorway；　cut



through　the　garden　wall　of　his　monastery；　enabling　him　to　reach



his　gondola　without　going　through　the　narrow　and　tortuous　path　he



had　formerly　taken　on　his　daily　journey　to　the　public　offices。



This　humble　portal　still　remains。　Beneath　few　triumphal　arches



has　there　ever　passed　as　great　or　as　noble　a　conqueror。＇2＇











＇2＇　The　present　writer　has　examined　with　care　the　spot　where　the



attack　was　made；　and　found　that　never　was　a　scoundrelly　plot



better　conceived　or　more　fiendishly　executed。　He　also　visited



what　was　remaining　of　the　convent　in　April；　1902；　and　found　the



little　door　as　serviceable　as　when　it　was　made。











Efforts　were　also　made　to　cajole　him；to　induce　him　to　visit



Rome；　with　fine　promises　of　recognition　and　honor；　and　with



solemn　assurances　that　no　harm　should　come　to　him；　but　he　was　too



wise　to　yield。　Only　a　few　years　previously　he　had　seen　Giordano



Bruno　lured　to　Rome　and　burned　alive　on　the　Campo　dei　Fiori。　He



had　seen　his　friend　and　correspondent；　Fra　Fulgentio　Manfredi；



yield　to　similar　allurements　and　accept　a　safe　conduct　to　Rome；



which；　though　it　solemnly　guaranteed　him　against　harm；　proved　as



worthless　as　that　of　John　Huss　at　the　Council　of　Constance；　the



Inquisition　torturing　him　to　death　on　the　spot　where；　six　years



earlier；　it　had　burned　Bruno。　He　had　seen　his　friend；　the



Archdeacon　Ribetti；　drawn　within　the　clutch　of　the　Vatican；　only



to　die　of　〃a　most　painful　colic〃　immediately　after　dining　with　a



confidential　chamberlain　of　the　Pope；　and；　had　he　lived　a　few



months　longer；　he　would　have　seen　his　friend　and　confidant；



Antonio　de　Dominis；　Archbishop　of　Spalato；　to　whom　he　had



entrusted　a　copy　of　his　most　important　work；　enticed　to　Rome　and



put　to　death　by　the　Inquisition。　Though　the　Vatican　exercised　a



strong　fascination　over　its　enemies；　against　Father　Paul　it　was



powerless；　he　never　yielded　to　it；　but　kept　the　even　tenor　of　his



way。＇3＇











＇3＇　A　copy　of　Manfredi's　〃safe　conduct〃　is　given　by　Castellani；



Lettere　Inedite　di　F。　P。　S。；　p。　12；　note。　Nothing　could　be　more



explicit。











In　the　dispatches　which　now　passed；　comedy　was　mingled　with



tragedy。　Very　unctuous　was　the　expression　by　His　Holiness　of　his



apprehensions　regarding　〃dangers　to　the　salvation〃　and　of　his



〃fears　for　the　souls〃　of　the　Venetian　Senators；　if　they　persisted



in　asserting　their　own　control　of　their　own　state。　Hardly　less



touching　were　the　fears　expressed　by　the　good　Oratorian；　Cardinal



Baronius；　that　〃a　judgment　might　be　brought　upon　the　Republic〃　if



it　declined　to　let　the　Vatican　have　its　way。　But　these



expressions　were　not　likely　to　prevail　with　men　who　had　dealt



with　Machiavelli。







Uncompromising　as　ever；　Father　Paul　continued　to　write　letters



and　publish　treatises　which　clenched　more　and　more　firmly　into



the　mind　of　Venice　and　of　Europe　the　political　doctrine　of　which



he　was　the　apostle；the　doctrine　that　the　State　is　rightfully



independent　of　the　Church；and　throughout　the　Christian　world　he



was　recognized　as　victor。







Nothing　could　exceed　the　bitterness　of　the　attacks　upon　him；



though　some　of　them；　at　this　day；　provoke　a　smile。　While　efforts



were　made　to　discredit　him　among　scholars　by　spurious　writings　or



by　interpolations　in　genuine　writings；　efforts　equally　ingenious



were　made　to　arouse　popular　hostility。　One　of　these　was　a



painting　which　represented　him　writhing　amid　the　flames　of　hell；



with　a　legend　stating；　as　a　reason　for　his　punishment；　that　he



had　opposed　the　Holy　Father。







Now　it　was　indeed；　in　the　midst　of　ferocious　attacks　upon　his



reputation　and　cunning　attempts　upon　his　life；　that　he　entered　a



new　and　most　effective　period　of　activity。　For　years；　as　the



adviser　of　Venice；　he　had　studied；　both　as　a　historian　and　as　a



statesman；　the　greatest　questions　which　concerned　his　country；



and　especially　those　which　related　to　the　persistent　efforts　of



the　Vatican　to　encroach　upon　Venetian　self…government。　The



results　of　these　studies　he　had　embodied　in　reports　which　had



shaped　the　course　of　the　Republic；　and　now；　his　learning　and



powers　of　thought　being　brought　to　bear　upon　the　policy　of　Europe



in　general；　as　affected　by　similar　papal　encroachments；　he　began



publishing　a　series　of　treatises；　which　at　once　attracted　general



attention。＇1＇











＇1＇　For　the　extent　to　which　these　attacks　were　carried；　see　the



large　number　in　the　Sarpi　collection　at　the　Cornell　University



Library；　especially　volume　ix。











First　of　these；　in　1608；　came　his　work　on　the　Interdict。　Clearly



and　concisely　it　revealed　the　nature　of　the　recent　struggle；　the



baselessness　of　the　Vatican　claims；　and　the　solidarity　of



interest　between　Venice　and　all　other　European　states　regarding



the　question　therein　settled。　This　work　of　his　as　a　historian



clenched　his　work　as　a　statesman；　from　that　day　forward　no　nation



has　even　been　seriously　threatened　with　an　interdict。







Subsidiary　works　followed　rapidly　from　his　pen；　strengthening　the



civil　power　against　the　clerical；　but　in　1610　came　a　treatise；



which　marked　an　epoch；　his　History　of　Ecclesiastical



Benefices。＇2＇　In　this　he　dealt　with　a　problem　which　had　become



very　serious；　not　only　in　Venice；　but　in　every　European　state；



showed　the　process　by　which　vast　treasures　had　been　taken　from



the　control　of　the　civil　power　and　heaped　up　for　ecclesiastical



pomp　and　intrigue；　pointed　out　special　wrongs　done　by　the　system



to　the　Church　as　well　as　the　State；　and　advocated　a　reform　which



should　restore　this　wealth　to　better　uses。　His　arguments　spread



widely　and　sank　deep；　not　only　in　Italy；　but　throughout　Europe；



and　the　nineteenth　century　has　seen　them　applied　effectively　in



every　European　country　within　the　Roman　obedience。











＇2＇　The　old　English　translation　of　this　book；　published　in　1736



at　Westminster；　is　by　no　means　a　very　rare　book；　and　it　affords



the　general　reader　perhaps　the　most　accessible　means　of



understanding　Fra　Paolo's　simplicity；　thoroughness；　and　vigor。











In　1611　he　published　his　work　on　the　Inquisition　at　Venice；



presenting　historical　arguments　against　the　uses　which



ecclesiasticism；　under　papal　guidance；　had　made　of　that　tribunal。



These　arguments　spread　far；　and　developed　throughout　Europe　those



views　of　the　Inquisition　which　finally　led　to　its　destruction。



Minor　treatises　followed；　dealing　with　state　questions　ar