the story of mankind-第40部分

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students　of　Wittenberg　and　Erfurt　and　Leipzig　offered　to

defend　him　should　the　authorities　try　to　imprison　him。　The

Elector　of　Saxony　reassured　the　eager　young　men。　No　harm

would　befall　Luther　as　long　as　he　stayed　on　Saxon　ground。



All　this　happened　in　the　year　1520。　Charles　V　was　twenty

years　old　and　as　the　ruler　of　half　the　world；　was　forced　to

remain　on　pleasant　terms　with　the　Pope。　He　sent　out　calls

for　a　Diet　or　general　assembly　in　the　good　city　of　Worms　on

the　Rhine　and　commanded　Luther　to　be　present　and　give　an

account　of　his　extraordinary　behaviour。　Luther；　who　now

was　the　national　hero　of　the　Germans；　went。　He　refused　to

take　back　a　single　word　of　what　he　had　ever　written　or　said。

His　conscience　was　controlled　only　by　the　word　of　God。　He

would　live　and　die　for　his　conscience



The　Diet　of　Worms；　after　due　deliberation；　declared

Luther　an　outlaw　before　God　and　man；　and　forbade　all　Germans

to　give　him　shelter　or　food　or　drink；　or　to　read　a　single

word　of　the　books　which　the　dastardly　heretic　had　written。

But　the　great　reformer　was　in　no　danger。　By　the　majority

of　the　Germans　of　the　north　the　edict　was　denounced　as　a　most

unjust　and　outrageous　document。　For　greater　safety；　Luther

was　hidden　in　the　Wartburg；　a　castle　belonging　to　the　Elector

of　Saxony；　and　there　he　defied　all　papal　authority　by　translating

the　entire　Bible　into　the　German　language；　that　all　the

people　might　read　and　know　the　word　of　God　for　themselves。



By　this　time；　the　Reformation　was　no　longer　a　spiritual

and　religious　affair。　Those　who　hated　the　beauty　of　the　modern

church　building　used　this　period　of　unrest　to　attack　and

destroy　what　they　did　not　like　because　they　did　not　understand

it。　Impoverished　knights　tried　to　make　up　for　past　losses　by

grabbing　the　territory　which　belonged　to　the　monasteries。

Discontented　princes　made　use　of　the　absence　of　the　Emperor

to　increase　their　own　power。　The　starving　peasants；　following

the　leadership　of　half…crazy　agitators；　made　the　best　of

the　opportunity　and　attacked　the　castles　of　their　masters　and

plundered　and　murdered　and　burned　with　the　zeal　of　the　old

Crusaders。



A　veritable　reign　of　disorder　broke　loose　throughout　the

Empire。　Some　princes　became　Protestants　（as　the　‘‘protesting''

adherents　of　Luther　were　called）　and　persecuted　their

Catholic　subjects。　Others　remained　Catholic　and　hanged　their

Protestant　subjects。　The　Diet　of　Speyer　of　the　year　1526

tried　to　settle　this　difficult　question　of　allegiance　by　ordering

that　‘‘the　subjects　should　all　be　of　the　same　religious　denomination

as　their　princes。''　This　turned　Germany　into　a　checkerboard

of　a　thousand　hostile　little　duchies　and　principalities　and

created　a　situation　which　prevented　the　normal　political

growth　for　hundreds　of　years。



In　February　of　the　year　1546　Luther　died　and　was　put

to　rest　in　the　same　church　where　twenty…nine　years　before　he

had　proclaimed　his　famous　objections　to　the　sale　of　Indulgences。

In　less　than　thirty　years；　the　indifferent；　joking　and

laughing　world　of　the　Renaissance　had　been　transformed　into

the　arguing；　quarrelling；　back…biting；　debating…society　of　the

Reformation。　The　universal　spiritual　empire　of　the　Popes

came　to　a　sudden　end　and　the　whole　Western　Europe　was

turned　into　a　battle…field；　where　Protestants　and　Catholics

killed　each　other　for　the　greater　glory　of　certain　theological

doctrines　which　are　as　incomprehensible　to　the　present　generation

as　the　mysterious　inscriptions　of　the　ancient　Etruscans。







RELIGIOUS　WARFARE



THE　AGE　OF　THE　GREAT　RELIGIOUS

CONTROVERSIES





THE　sixteenth　and　seventeenth　centuries　were　the　age　of

religious　controversy。



If　you　will　notice　you　will　find　that　almost　everybody

around　you　is　forever　‘‘talking　economics''　and　discussing

wages　and　hours　of　labor　and　strikes　in　their　relation　to　the

life　of　the　community；　for　that　is　the　main　topic　of　interest

of　our　own　time。



The　poor　little　children　of　the　year　1600　or　1650　fared

worse。　They　never　heard　anything　but　‘‘religion。''　Their

heads　were　filled　with　‘‘predestination；''　‘‘transubstantition；''

‘‘free　will；''　and　a　hundred　other　queer　words；　expressing

obscure　points　of　‘‘the　true　faith；''　whether　Catholic　or

Protestant。　According　to　the　desire　of　their　parents　they　were

baptised　Catholics　or　Lutherans　or　Calvinists　or　Zwinglians

or　Anabaptists。　They　learned　their　theology　from　the　Augsburg

catechism；　composed　by　Luther；　or　from　the　‘‘institutes

of　Christianity；''　written　by　Calvin；　or　they　mumbled　the

Thirty…Nine　Articles　of　Faith　which　were　printed　in　the　English

Book　of　Common　Prayer；　and　they　were　told　that　these

alone　represented　the　‘‘True　Faith。''



They　heard　of　the　wholesale　theft　of　church　property

perpetrated　by　King　Henry　VIII；　the　much…married　monarch　of

England；　who　made　himself　the　supreme　head　of　the　English

church；　and　assumed　the　old　papal　rights　of　appointing　bishops

and　priests。　They　had　a　nightmare　whenever　some　one

mentioned　the　Holy　Inquisition；　with　its　dungeons　and　its

many　torture　chambers；　and　they　were　treated　to　equally　horrible

stories　of　how　a　mob　of　outraged　Dutch　Protestants　had

got　hold　of　a　dozen　defenceless　old　priests　and　hanged　them

for　the　sheer　pleasure　of　killing　those　who　professed

a　different　faith。　It　was　unfortunate　that　the　two

contending　parties　were　so　equally　matched。　Otherwise

the　struggle　would　have　come　to　a　quick　solution。

Now　it　dragged　on　for　eight　generations；　and

it　grew　so　complicated　that　I　can　only　tell　you　the　most

important　details；　and　must　ask　you　to　get　the

rest　from　one　of　the　many　histories　of　the　Reformation。



The　great　reform　movement　of　the　Protestants

had　been　followed　by　a　thoroughgoing　reform

within　the　bosom　of　the　Church。　Those　popes　who

had　been　merely　amateur　humanists　and　dealers　in　Roman

and　Greek　antiquities；　disappeared　from　the　scene　and

their　place　was　taken　by　serious　men　who　spent　twenty　hours

a　day　administering　those　holy　duties　which　had　been　placed

in　their　hands。



The　long　and　rather　disgraceful　happiness　of　the　monasteries

came　to　an　end。　Monks　and　nuns　were　forced　to　be　up

at　sunrise；　to　study　the　Church　Fathers；　to　tend　the　sick　and

console　the　dying。　The　Holy　Inquisition　watched　day　and

night　that　no　dangerous　doctrines　should　be　spread　by　way　of

the　printing　press。　Here　it　is　customary　to　mention　poor

Galileo；　who　was　locked　up　because　he　had　been　a　little　too

indiscreet　in　explaining　the　heavens　with　his　funny　little

telescope　and　had　muttered　certain　opinions　about　the　behaviour

of　the　planets　which　were　entirely　opposed　to　the　official　views

of　the　church。　But　in　all　fairness　to　the　Pope；　the　clergy　and

the　Inquisition；　it　ought　to　be　stated　that　the　Protestants　were

quite　as　much　the　enemies　of　science　and　medicine　as　the　Catholics

and　with　equal　manifestations　of　ignorance　and　intolerance

regarded　the　men　who　investigated　things　for　themselves

as　the　most　dangerous　enemies　of　mankind。



And　Calvin；　the　great　French　reformer　and　the　tyrant

（both　political　and　spiritual）　of　Geneva；　not　only　assisted　the

French　authorities　when　they　tried　to　hang　Michael　Servetus

（the　Spanish　theologian　and　physician　who　had　become　famous

as　the　assistant　of　Vesalius；　the　first　great　anatomist）；　but

when　Servetus　had　managed　to　escape　from　his　French　jail　and

had　fled　to　Geneva；　Calvin　threw　this　brilliant　man　into　prison

and　after　a　prolonged　trial；　allowed　him　to　be　burned　at　the

stake　on　account　of　his　heresies；　totally　indifferent　to　his　fame

as　a　scientist。



And　so　it　went。　We　have　few　reliable　statistics　upon　the

subject；　but　on　the　whole；　the　Protestants　tired　of　this　game

long　before　the　Catholics；　and　the　greater　part　of　honest　men

and　women　who　were　burned　and　hanged　and　decapitated　on

account　of　their　religious　beliefs　fell　as　victims　of　the　very

energetic　but　also　very　drastic　church　of　Rome。



For　tolerance　（and　please　remember　this　when　you　grow

older）；　is　of　very　recent　origin　and　even　the　people　of　our　own

so…called　‘‘modern　world''　are　apt　to　be　tolerant　only　upon　such

matters　as　do　not　interest　them　very　much。　They　are　tolerant

towards　a　native　of　Africa；　and　do　not　care　whether　he　becomes

a　Buddhist　or　a　Mohammedan；　because　neither　Buddhism　nor

Mohammedanism　means　anything　to　them。　But　when　they

hear　that　their　neighbour　who　was　a　Republican　and　believed

in　a　high　protective　tariff；　has　joined　the　Socialist　party　and

now　wants　to　repeal　all　tariff　laws；　their　tolerance　ceases　and

they　use　almost　the　same　words　as　those　employed　by　a　kindly

Catholic　（or　Protestant）　of　the　seventeenth　century；　who　was

informed　that　his　best　friend　whom　he　had　always　respected

and　loved　had　fallen　a　victim　to　the　terrible　heresies　of　the

Protestant　（or　Catholic）　church。



‘‘Heresy''　until　a　very　short　time　ago　was　regarded　as　a

disease。　Nowadays　when　we　see　a　man　neglecting　the　personal

cleanliness　of　his　body　and　his　home　and　exposing　himself

and　his　children　to　the　dangers　of　typhoid　fever　or　another

preventable　disease；　we　send　for　the　board…of…health　and　the

health　officer　calls　upon　the　police　to　aid　him　in　removing　this

person　who　is　a　danger　to　the　safety　of　the　entire　community。

In　the　sixteenth　and　seventeenth　centuries；　a　heretic；　a　man

or　a　woman　who　openly　doubted　the　fundamental　principles

upon　which　his　Protestant　or　Catholic　religion　had　been

founded；　was　considered　a　more　terrible　menace　than　a　typhoid

carrier。　Typhoid　fever　might　（very　likely　would）　destroy　the

body。　But　heresy；　according　to　them；　would　positively　destroy

the　immortal　soul。　It　was　therefore　the　duty　of　all　good　and

logical　citizens　to　warn　the　police　against　the　enemies　of　the

established　order　of　things　and　those　who　failed　to　do　so　were

as　culpable　as　a　modern　man　who　does　not　telephone　to　the

nearest　doctor　when　he　discovers　that　his