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



wrote　the　history　of　the　Council　of　Trent　and　the　protest　of



Venice　against　the　Interdict。







It　is　true　that　there　has　been　derived　from　these　letters；　by　his



open　enemies　on　one　side　and　his　defenders　of　a　rather　sickly



conscientious　sort　on　the　other；　one　charge　against　him：　this　is



based　on　his　famous　declaration；　〃I　utter　falsehood　never；　but



the　truth　not　to　every　one。〃　（〃La　falsita　non　dico　mai　mai；　ma　la



verita　non　a　ogniuno。〃）＇1＇　Considering　his　vast　responsibilities



as　a　statesman　and　the　terrible　dangers　which　beset　him　as　a



theologian；　that　in　the　first　of　these　capacities　the　least



misstep　might　wreck　the　great　cause　which　he　supported；　and　that



in　the　second　such　a　misstep　might　easily　bring　him　to　the



torture　chamber　and　the　stake；　normally　healthful　minds　will



doubtless　agree　that　the　criticism　upon　these　words　is　more



Pharisaic　than　wholesome。











＇1＇　For　this　famous　utterance；　see　notes　of　conversations　given



by　Christoph；　Burggraf　von　Dohna；　in　July；　1608；　in　Briefe　und



Acten　zur　Geschichte　des　Dreissigjahrigen　Krieges；　Munchen；　1874；



p。　79。











Sarpi　was　now　spoken　of；　more　than　ever；　both　among　friends　and



foes；　as　the　〃terribile　frate。〃　Terrible　to　the　main　enemies　of



Venice　he　indeed　was；　and　the　machinations　of　his　opponents　grew



more　and　more　serious。　Efforts　to　assassinate　him；　to　poison　him；



to　discredit　him；　to　lure　him　to　Rome；　or　at　least　within　reach



of　the　Inquisition；　became　almost　frantic；　but　all　in　vain。　He



still　continued　his　quiet　life　at　the　monastery　of　Santa　Fosca；



publishing　from　time　to　time　discussions　of　questions　important



for　Venice　and　for　Europe；　working　steadily　in　the　public　service



until　his　last　hours。　In　spite　of　his　excommunication　and　of　his



friendships　with　many　of　the　most　earnest　Protestants　of　Europe；



he　remained　a　son　of　the　church　in　which　he　was　born。　His　life



was　shaped　in　accordance　with　its　general　precepts；　and　every　day



he　heard　mass。　So　his　career　quietly　ran　on　until；　in　1623；　he



met　death　calmly；　without　fear；　in　full　reliance　upon　the　divine



justice　and　mercy。　His　last　words　were　a　prayer　for　Venice。







He　had　fought　the　good　fight。　He　had　won　it　for　Venice　and　for



humanity。　For　all　this；　the　Republic　had；　in　his　later　years；



tried　to　show　her　gratitude；　and　he　had　quietly　and　firmly



refused　the　main　gifts　proposed　to　him。　But　now　came　a　new



outburst　of　grateful　feeling。　The　Republic　sent　notice　of　his



death　to　other　powers　of　Europe　through　its　Ambassadors　in　the



terms　usual　at　the　death　of　royal　personages；　in　every　way；　it



showed　its　appreciation　of　his　character　and　services；　and　it



crowned　all　by　voting　him　a　public　monument。







Hardly　was　the　decree　known；　when　the　Vatican　authorities　sent



notice　that；　should　any　monument　be　erected　to　Sarpi；　they　would



anew　and　publicly　declare　him　excommunicate　as　a　heretic。　At



this；　the　Venetian　Senate　hesitated；　waited；　delayed。　Whenever



afterwards　the　idea　of　carrying　out　the　decree　for　the　monument



was　revived；　there　set　in　a　storm　of　opposition　from　Rome。　Hatred



of　the　terrible　friar's　memory　seemed　to　grow　more　and　more



bitter。　Even　rest　in　the　grave　was　denied　him。　The　church　where



he　was　buried　having　been　demolished；　the　question　arose　as　to



the　disposition　of　his　bones。　To　bury　them　in　sacred　ground



outside　the　old　convent　would　arouse　a　storm　of　ecclesiastical



hostility；　with　the　certainty　of　their　dispersion　and



desecration；　it　seemed　impossible　to　secure　them　from　priestly



hatred：　therefore　it　was　that　his　friends　took　them　from　place　to



place；　sometimes　concealing　them　in　the　wall　of　a　church　here；



sometimes　beneath　the　pavement　of　a　church　there；　and　for　a　time



keeping　them　in　a　simple　wooden　box　at　the　Ducal　Library。　The



place　where　his　remains　rested　became；　to　most　Venetians；



unknown。　All　that　remained　to　remind　the　world　of　his　work　was



his　portrait　in　the　Ducal　Library；　showing　the　great　gash　made　by



the　Vatican　assassins。







Time　went　on；　and　generations　came　which　seemed　to　forget　him。



Still　worse；　generation　after　generation　came；　carefully　trained



by　clerical　teachers　to　misunderstand　and　hate　him。　But　these



teachers　went　too　far；　for；　in　1771；　nearly　one　hundred　and　fifty



years　after　his　death；　the　monk　Vaerini　gathered　together；　in　a



pretended　biography；　all　the　scurrilities　which　could　be



imagined；　and　endeavored　to　bury　the　memory　of　the　great　patriot



beneath　them。　This　was　too　much。　The　old　Venetian　spirit；　which



had　so　long　lain　dormant；　now　asserted　itself：　Vaerini　was



imprisoned　and　his　book　suppressed。







A　quarter　of　a　century　later　the　Republic　fell　under　the　rule　of



Austria；　and　Austria's　most　time…honored　agency　in　keeping　down



subject　populations　has　always　been　the　priesthood。　Again　Father



Paul's　memory　was　virtually　proscribed；　and　in　1803　another



desperate　attempt　was　made　to　cover　him　with　infamy。　In　that　year



appeared　a　book　entitled　The　Secret　History　of　the　Life　of　Fra



Paolo　Sarpi；　and　it　contained　not　only　his　pretended　biography；



but　what　claimed　to　be　Sarpi's　own　letters　and　other　documents



showing　him　to　be　an　adept　in　scoundrelism　and　hypocrisy。　Its



editor　was　the　archpriest　Ferrara　of　Mantua；　but　on　the



title…page　appeared；　as　the　name　of　its　author；　Fontanini；



Archbishop　of　Ancira；　a　greatly　respected　prelate　who　had　died



nearly　seventy　years　before；　and　there　was　also　stamped；　not　only



upon　the　preliminary；　but　upon　the　final　page　of　the　work；　the



approval　of　the　Austrian　government。　To　this　was　added　a　pious



motto　from　St。　Augustine；　and　the　approval　of　Pius　VII　was



distinctly　implied；　since　the　work　was　never　placed　upon　the



Index；　and　could　not　have　been　published　at　Venice；　stamped　as　it



was　and　registered　with　the　privileges　of　the　University；　without



the　consent　of　the　Vatican。







The　memory　of　Father　Paul　seemed　likely　now　to　be　overwhelmed。



There　was　no　longer　a　Republic　of　Venice　to　guard　the　noble



traditions　of　his　life　and　service。　The　book　was　recommended　and



spread　far　and　wide　by　preachers　and　confessors。







But　at　last　came　a　day　of　judgment。　The　director　of　the　Venetian



archives　discovered　and　had　the　courage　to　announce　that　the　work



was　a　pious　fraud　of　the　vilest　type；　that　it　was　never　written



by　Fontanini；　but　that　it　was　simply　made　up　out　of　the　old



scurrilous　work　of　Vaerini；　suppressed　over　thirty　years　before。



As　to　the　correspondence　served　up　as　supplementary　to　the



biography；　it　was　concocted　from　letters　already　published；　with



the　addition　of　Jesuitical　interpolations　and　of　forgeries。＇1＇



Now　came　the　inevitable　reaction；　and　with　it　the　inevitable



increase　of　hatred　for　Austrian　rule　and　the　inevitable　question；



how；　if　the　Pope　is　the　infallible　teacher　of　the　world　in　all



matters　pertaining　to　faith　and　morals；　could　he　virtually



approve　this　book；　and　why　did　he　not；　by　virtue　of　his　divine



inerrancy；　detect　the　fraud　and　place　its　condemnation　upon　the



Index。　The　only　lasting　effect　of　the　book；　then；　was　to　revive



the　memory　of　Father　Paul's　great　deeds　and　to　arouse　Venetian



pride　in　them。　The　fearful　scar　on　his　face　in　the　portrait　spoke



more　eloquently　than　ever；　and　so　it　was　that；　early　in　the



nineteenth　century；　many　men　of　influence　joined　in　proposing　a



suitable　and　final　interment　for　the　poor　bones；　which　had　seven



times　been　buried　and　reburied；　and　which　had　so　long　been　kept



in　the　sordid　box　at　the　Ducal　Library。　The　one　fitting　place　of



burial　was　the　cemetery　of　San　Michele。　To　that　beautiful　island；



so　near　the　heart　of　Venice；　had；　for　many　years；　been　borne　the



remains　of　leading　Venetians。　There；　too；　in　more　recent　days；



have　been　laid　to　rest　many　of　other　lands　widely　respected　and



beloved。











＇1＇　For　a　full　and　fair　statement　of　the　researches　which　exposed



this　pious　fraud；　see　Castellani；　Prefect　of　the　Library　of　St。



Mark；　preface　to　his　Lettere　Inedite　di　F。　P。　S。；　p。　xvii。　For



methods　used　in　interpolating　or　modifying　passages　in　Sarpi's



writings；　see　Bianchi　Giovini；　Biografia　di　Sarpi；　Zurigo；　1847；



vol。　ii。　pp。　135；　et　seq。











But　the　same　persistent　hatred　which；　in　our　own　day；　grudged　and



delayed　due　honors　at　the　tombs　of　Copernicus　and　Galileo　among



Catholics；　and　of　Humboldt　among　Protestants；　was　still　bitter



against　the　great　Venetian　scholar　and　statesman。　It　could　not　be



forgotten　that　he　had　wrested　from　the　Vatican　the　most　terrible



of　its　weapons。　But　patriotic　pride　was　strong；　and　finally　a



compromise　was　made：　it　was　arranged　that　Sarpi　should　be　buried



and　honored　at　his　burial　as　an　eminent　man　of　science；　and　that



no　word　should　be　spoken　of　his　main　services　to　the　Republic　and



to　the　world。　On　this　condition　he　was　buried　with　simple　honors。







Soon；　however；　began　another　chapter　of　hatred。　There　came　a　pope



who　added　personal　to　official　hostility。　Gregory　XVI；　who　in　his



earlier　days　had　been　abbot　of　the　monastery　of　San　Michele；　was



indignant　that　the　friar　who　had　thwarted　the　papacy　should　lie



buried　in　the　convent　which　he　himself　had　formerly　ruled；　and



this　feeling　took　shape；　first；　in　violent　speeches　at　Rome；　and



next；　in　brutal　acts　at　Venice。　The　monks　broke　and　removed　the



simple　stone