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views of the Inquisition which finally led to its destruction。



Minor treatises followed; dealing with state questions arising



between the Vatican and Venice; each treatisethoroughly well



reasoned and convincinghaving a strong effect on the discussion



of similar public questions in every other European nation。







In 1613 came two books of a high order; each marking an epoch。



The first of these was upon the Right of Sanctuary; and in it



Sarpi led the way; which all modern states have followed; out of



the old; vicious system of sanctioning crime by sheltering



criminals。 The cogency of his argument and the value of its



application gained for him an especial tribute by the best



authority on such questions whom Europe had seen;Hugo Grotius。







Closely connected with this work was that upon the Immunity of



the Clergy。 Both this and the previous work were in the same



order of ideas; and the second fastened into the European mind



the reasons why no state can depend upon the Church for the



punishment of clerical criminals。 His argument was a triumphant



vindication of Venice in her struggle with Paul V on this point;



but it was more than that。 It became the practical guide of all



modern states。 Its arguments dissipated the last efforts



throughout Europe to make a distinction; in criminal matters;



between the priestly caste and the world in general。







Among lesser treatises which followed is one which has done much



to shape modern policy regarding public instruction。 This was his



book upon the Education given by the Jesuits。 One idea which it



enforced sank deep into the minds of all thoughtful men;his



statement that Jesuit maxims develop 〃sons disobedient to their



parents; citizens unfaithful to their country; and subjects



undutiful to their sovereign。〃 Jesuit education has indeed been



maintained; and evidences of it may be seen in various European



countries。 The traveler in Italy constantly sees in the larger



Italian towns long lines of young men and boys; sallow; thin; and



listless; walking two and two; with priests at each end of the



coffle。 These are students taking their exercise; and an American



or Englishman marvels as he remembers the playing fields of his



own country。 Youth are thus brought up as milksops; to be



graduated as scape…graces。 The strong men who control public



affairs; who lead men and originate measures in the open; are not



bred in Jesuit forcing…houses。 Even the Jesuits themselves have



acknowledged this; and perhaps the strongest of all arguments



supplementary to those given by Father Paul were uttered by Padre



Curci; eminent in his day as a Jesuit gladiator; but who realized



finally the impossibility of accomplishing great things with men



moulded by Jesuit methods。







All these works took strong hold upon European thought。 Leading



men in all parts of Europe recognized Sarpi as both a great



statesman and a great historian。 Among his English friends were



such men as Lord Bacon and Sir Henry Wotton; and his praises have



been sounded by Grotius; by Gibbon; by Hallam; and by Macaulay。



Strong; lucid; these works of Father Paul have always been



especially attractive to those who rejoice in the leadership of a



master mind。







But in 1619 came the most important of all;a service to



humanity hardly less striking than that which he had rendered in



his battle against the Interdict;his history of the Council of



Trent。







His close relations to so many of the foremost men of his day and



his long study in public archives and private libraries bore



fruit in this work; which takes rank among the few great;



enduring historical treatises of the world。 Throughout; it is



vigorous and witty; but at the same time profound; everywhere it



bears evidences of truthfulness and is pervaded by sobriety of



judgment。 Its pictures of the efforts or threats by



representatives of various great powers to break away from the



papacy and establish national churches; its presentation of the



arguments of anti…papal orators on one side and of Laynez and his



satellites on the other; its display of acts and revelations of



pretexts; its penetration into the whole network of intrigue; and



its thorough discussion of underlying principles;all are



masterly。







Though the name of the author was concealed in an anagram; the



book was felt; by the Vatican party; to be a blow which only one



man could have dealt; and the worst blow which the party had



received since its author had defeated the Interdict at Venice。



Efforts were made; by outcries and calumnies; to discredit the



work; and they have been continued from that day to this; but in



vain。 That there must be some gaps and many imperfections in it



is certain; but its general character is beyond the reach of



ultramontane weapons。 The blow was felt to be so heavy that the



Jesuit Pallavicini was empowered to write a history of the



Council to counterbalance it; and his work was well done; but



Ranke; the most unprejudiced of judges; comparing the two;



assigns the palm to Father Paul。 His book was immediately spread



throughout Europe; but of all the translations; perhaps the most



noteworthy was the English。 Sarpi had entrusted a copy of the



original to his friend; Antonio de Dominis; Archbishop of



Spalato; and he; having taken refuge in England; had it



translated there; the authorship being ascribed on the title…page



to 〃Pietro Soave Polano。〃 This English translation was; in vigor



and pith; worthy of the original。 In it can be discerned; as



clearly as in the original; that atmosphere of intrigue and



brutal assertion of power by which the Roman Curia; after packing



the Council with petty Italian bishops; bade defiance to the



Catholic world。 This translation; more than all else; has enabled



the English…speaking peoples to understand what was meant by the



Italian historian when he said that Father Paul 〃taught the world



how the Holy Spirit guides the Great Councils of the Church。〃 It



remains cogent down to this day; after reading it one feels that



such guidance might equally be claimed for Tammany Hall。







Although Father Paul never acknowledged the authorship of the



history of the Council of Trent; and although his original copy;



prepared for the press; with his latest corrections; still



remains buried in the archives at Venice; the whole world knew



that he alone could have written it。







But during all these years; while elaborating opinions on the



weightiest matters of state for the Venetian Senate; and sending



out this series of books which so powerfully influenced the



attitude of his own and after generations toward the Vatican; he



was working with great effect in yet another field。 With the



possible exception of Voltaire; he was the most vigorous and



influential letter…writer during the three hundred years which



separated Erasmus from Thomas Jefferson。 Voltaire certainly



spread his work over a larger field; lighted it with more wit;



and gained by it more brilliant victories; but as regards



accurate historical knowledge; close acquaintance with statesmen;



familiarity with the best and worst which statesmen could do;



sober judgment and cogent argument; the great Venetian was his



superior。 Curiously enough; Sarpi resembles the American



statesman more closely than either of the Europeans。 Both he and



Jefferson had the intense practical interest of statesmen; not



only in the welfare of their own countries; but in all the



political and religious problems of their times。 Both were keenly



alive to progress in the physical sciences; wherever made。 Both



were wont to throw a light veil of humor over very serious



discussions。 Both could use; with great effect; curt; caustic



description: Jefferson's letter to Governor Langdon satirizing



the crowned heads of Europe; as he had seen them; has a worthy



pendant in Fra Paolo's pictures of sundry representatives of the



Vatican。 In both these writers was a deep earnestness which; at



times; showed itself in prophetic utterances。 The amazing



prophecy of Jefferson against American slavery; beginning with



the words; 〃I tremble when I remember that God is just;〃 which;



in the light of our civil war; seems divinely inspired; is



paralleled by some of Sarpi's utterances against the unmoral



tendencies of Jesuitism and Ultramontanism; and these too seem



divinely inspired as one reads them in the light of what has



happened since in Spain; in Sicily; in Naples; in Poland; in



Ireland; and in sundry South American republics。







The range of Sarpi's friendly relations was amazing。 They



embraced statesmen; churchmen; scholars; scientific



investigators; diplomatists in every part of Europe; and among



these Galileo and Lord Bacon; Grotius and Mornay; Salmasius and



Casaubon; De Thou and Sir Henry Wotton; Bishop Bedell and



Vossius; with a great number of others of nearly equal rank。



Unfortunately the greater part of his correspondence has



perished。 In the two small volumes collected by Polidori; and in



the small additional volume of letters to Simon Contarini;



Venetian Ambassador at Rome; unearthed a few years since in the



Venetian archives by Castellani; we have all that is known。 It is



but a small fraction of his epistolary work; but it enables us to



form a clear opinion。 The letters are well worthy of the man who



wrote the hist
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