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diff --git a/old/60774-0.txt b/old/60774-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 4ce23fe..0000000 --- a/old/60774-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,17264 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Reformation in Europe in the -time of Calvin, Volume 3 (of 8), by Merle d'Aubigne - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: History of the Reformation in Europe in the time of Calvin, Volume 3 (of 8) - -Author: Merle d'Aubigne - -Release Date: November 24, 2019 [EBook #60774] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF REFORMATION IN EUROPE, VOL 3 *** - - - - -Produced by Brian Wilson, David Edwards, Colin Bell, Chris -Pinfield and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Obvious printer errors have been corrected. Hyphenation has been -rationalised. Inconsistent spelling (including accents and capitals) has -been retained. - -Small capitals have been replaced by full capitals. Italics are -indicated by _underscores_. Transliterated Greek is indicated by -+plus signs+. - -Running headers, at the top of each right-hand page, have been converted -into Sidenotes and moved in front of the paragraphs to which they refer. - -The anchor for Footnote 615 is missing and has been inserted at a likely -position. - - - - - THE - REFORMATION IN EUROPE - IN THE TIME OF CALVIN. - - VOL. III. - - LONDON - PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO. - NEW-STREET SQUARE - - HISTORY - OF - THE REFORMATION IN EUROPE - IN THE TIME OF CALVIN. - - BY J. H. MERLE D'AUBIGNÉ, D.D. - - AUTHOR OF THE - 'HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY' ETC. - - 'Les choses de petite durée ont coutume de devenir fanées, quand elles - ont passé leur temps. - - 'Au règne de Christ, il n'y a que le nouvel homme qui soit florissant, - qui ait de la vigueur, et dont il faille faire cas.' - - CALVIN. - - VOL. III. - FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, GENEVA. - - LONDON: - LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, ROBERTS, & GREEN. - 1864. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -The time at which this volume appears would seem to require a few words -of introduction. - -A day which closes a great epoch in the history of modern times, will -soon be called to the remembrance of Protestant Christians. The -registers of the Consistory of Geneva for the year 1564, bear under the -name of Calvin these simple words: - -_Allé à Dieu le Sabmedy 27 de May, entre huit et neuf heures du soir._[1] - -The author of this volume, having been invited by the Evangelical -Alliance to deliver an address on _The Reformation and the Reformer of -Geneva_, during the Œcumenical Conference held at Geneva in September, -1861, observed, in the course of his preparatory work, this important -date, and proposed to the assembly that on the tercentenary of the -Reformer's death, Geneva and the Reformed Churches in general, should -return thanks publicly to God that he had raised up John Calvin in the -sixteenth century, to labour at the reformation of the Church, by -re-establishing Holy Scripture as the supreme authority, and grace as -the only means of salvation. The members of the Conference, about two -thousand in number, adopted the resolution by acclamation.[2] - -As Christian Protestants were preparing to celebrate the anniversary, -the author desired to contribute something according to his ability -towards reviving the memory of the great doctor. Almost at the very time -when the idea of this Protestant festival occurred to his mind, he -proposed to describe in a special work, _The Reformation of Europe in -the time of Calvin_. Having published the first two volumes more than a -year ago, he looked forward to issuing another before the 27th May, and -he now presents it to the public. May it occupy its humble place among -the memorials destined to commemorate the Lord's work. - -The persecuting jesuitry of the seventeenth century, and the superficial -incredulity of the eighteenth, have calumniated the great Reformer of -the West. Times have changed, and the nineteenth century is beginning to -do him justice. His works, even those still in manuscript, are sought -after and published; his life and character, his theology and influence, -are the object of numerous studies which in general bear the stamp of -fairness; and even distinguished painters have found the subject of -their finest pictures in his life. - -We entertain no blind admiration for him. We know that he has sometimes -used bitter language. We acknowledge that, sharing in the faults of his -century, or rather of ten centuries, he believed that whatever infringed -on the respect due to God ought to be punished by the civil power, quite -as much as anything that might be injurious to the honour or the life of -man. We deplore this error. But how can any one study with discernment -the Reformer's letters and other writings, and not recognise in him one -of the noblest intelligences, one of the most elevated minds, one of the -most affectionate hearts, and in short, one of those true Christian -souls who unreservedly devote themselves to duty? An eminent scholar, -whom Scotland still laments—Dr. Cunningham, the successor of -Chalmers—said, in a work published a short time before his death, -'Calvin is the man who, next to St. Paul, has done most good to mankind.' - -No doubt he will always have his enemies. A journal of high character -and great circulation in Germany, speaking of a libel (_Schmæhschrift_ -is the word used), published some time ago against Calvin, asks 'From -what camp does it proceed—from jesuitical Romanism or atheistical -libertinism?' It is, indeed, from these quarters that the enemies of the -Reformer principally come; but we acknowledge that a man may be opposed -to Calvin, and yet not belong to either of these schools. - -Let us not disquiet ourselves, however, about such attacks; Calvin's -Master has said, _If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be -done in the dry?_[3] - -The author of the present volume thinks that the best way of doing -justice to his memory, is to make him known. The reader will meet in -this work with many sayings and doings of this great man, which are not -to be found in other histories. If a writer had the good fortune to lay -before the German public some unknown trait of Luther's life, all -Germany would be taken up with it. Shall we be more indifferent to the -life of our great Reformer? Certainly there are more striking actions in -the life of Luther, who so easily gains possession of our hearts; but we -may ask whether there are not features in the life of Calvin, which are -less frequent in that of the Wittemberg doctor; the manner, for -instance, in which the young doctor of Noyon, wherever he happens to be -(at Angoulême, Poitiers, &c.), is at once surrounded by distinguished -men, whom he wins over to the truth? - -The author desires, however, to remind some of his readers, that this -book is not the history of Calvin. The title expresses that clearly -enough: _History of the Reformation_ IN EUROPE _in the time of Calvin_. -It is the second series of a work of which the _History of the -Reformation of the Sixteenth Century_, was the first. The reformation of -the Western nations, of which Calvin was the soul, having a special -character, we thought it our duty to devote a special work to it; but we -shall not confine ourselves to relating the facts of the Reformation in -which Calvin took a direct part. One portion of the fourth volume will -describe the Reformation in England, from the fall of Wolsey. We purpose -also to continue retracing the leading features of the Reformation in -Germany, as we have already done in the first two volumes of this work, -in which the alliance of Smalkalde, the peace of Nuremberg, the -emancipation of Wurtemberg, and other analogous events have found their -place.[4] It is the Reformation as a whole which the author desires to -delineate. - -After speaking of France and Calvin, the author relates, in the present -volume, facts which concern Latin Switzerland (Suisse Romande), the -Waldensian villages of Piedmont, and finally Geneva. - -He does not think it proper to pass by unnoticed certain reproaches -which the first two volumes have brought upon him. 'It is a strange -idea,' some have said, 'to devote so much space to Geneva. Is it not -doing too much honour to a little city of a few thousand souls? History -requires great people and mighty personages. We meet with these at least -around Luther; but in Geneva, we find none but humble syndics and petty -citizens.' - -True, it is so. In this part of our history we have to deal with a -little city and a little people; and even in this democratic age, there -are persons who will put up with nothing but electors and kings. May we -be permitted to reply that what is small, as regards outward -appearances, is sometimes important as regards moral influence. This is -a truth often reverted to in Holy Scripture: _The ships, though they be -so great, yet are they turned about with a very small helm_.[5] - -This portion of our narrative contains two parts: one is devoted to a -man—Calvin; the other to a city—Geneva. These two existences seem in the -eyes of many persons to evolve separately, as if they were never to -meet. But there is a close relation between them: from the very -beginning they are destined to unite. Each is energetic, though without -parade, and their alliance will in some future day double their -strength. When Calvin and Geneva are one, many men and nations will feel -their powerful and salutary influence. It is a marriage that will -produce a numerous and active posterity. Whatever the friends of worldly -greatness may say, this union, when it took place, was an event of more -importance to the human race, than that which led a panegyrist of -Louis XIV. to exclaim, in reference to a celebrated event— - - Les Bourbons, ces enfants des dieux, - Unissent leurs tiges fécondes![6] - -The idea expressed above will not be generally accepted. The smallness -of the scene which it unfolds will prevent the second work from -interesting so much as the first. And yet there have been critics who -have felt the importance of the history of Geneva. May we be permitted -to give a few examples? - -The _London Review_ says: 'For the narrowness of the field—a small -city—the variety of characters presented may well astonish us. The -dew-drop is big enough to hold an image of the heavens and earth; and a -city closely studied mirrors an empire. The story is crowded with -incidents and surprises, with heroic deeds and endurance, and also with -foul deeds and shames.' Some reviewers have gone so far as to place the -facts of the second work above those of the first. The _New York -Observer_ says: 'The story of the times in which the Swiss Reformation -was wrought is surrounded with a sublimity, romantic grandeur, and -interest that attach to no part of the great German movement under -Luther.' - -We omit the remarks of other journals, particularly of the _Saturday -Review_, which rejoices to see 'the Genevese champions of liberty -brought to light.' We must, however, quote one more, the _Patriot_, -which says: 'Geneva is one of the smallest and one of the most heroic -cities of Europe. Had it been predicted, its history would have been -incredible. Geneva defied not only the Duke of Savoy and the Pope, but -the Emperor Charles V., and dared also his scarcely less powerful rival -Francis I.; and in spite of them all it won, first, its political and -then its religious liberties, and not for itself only but for Northern -Europe. More than once it was the Thermopylæ of Protestantism and -freedom, bravely held by an heroic little band scarcely more in -comparison with those who sought to destroy them than the three hundred -men of Leonidas in comparison with the Persians.' - -But if the opinions of some were favourable to the little city, the -criticisms of others were not so; and as the author will again speak of -Geneva in this volume, and (God willing) in others, he desires to say a -word of explanation with reference to these objections. - -If the work is found uninteresting, the fault must be ascribed to the -historian, not to the history. The talent of one of the great masters of -history would have prevented all reproach; but the workman damaged the -work. Can the present generation have become so fastidious as to cease -to feel interest in what is great and beautiful of itself, and to need -all the refinements of style in order to revive its morbid tastes? - -Geneva is a republic, and this, perhaps, may also have told against our -narrative. Some persons have fancied that when the author spoke of -liberty, he meant liberty in the republican form alone, and that may -have displeased them. But that is a mistake; the author has always had -in view that constitutional liberty which includes all modern liberties, -and not any particular form of it. He even believes that the monarchical -form is the most favourable to the liberties of a great nation. It has -been his lot to see side by side, a republic without liberty and a -monarchy in which all were free. - -The coldness, however, of some readers for the annals of a little -people, proceeds in the main from another cause. There are in reality -two histories: one which is external and makes much noise, but whose -consequences are not lasting; the other, which is internal, has but a -mean appearance, like the seed when it germinates; and which -nevertheless bears most precious fruit. Now what pleases the general -public is a narrative in which great armies manœuvre; while, on the -other hand, what touches the author is the movement of the soul, of -strong characters, enthusiastic outbursts, the low estate of humble and -tranquil hearts, holy affections, life-giving principles, the faith -which gains victories, and the Divine life which regenerates nations—in -a word, the moral world. The material world, physical and appreciable -forces, parks of artillery and glittering squadrons, possess but a -secondary interest in his eyes. Numerous cannons (it is true) give more -smoke; but to those external powers, which destroy life, he prefers the -internal powers which elevate the soul, warm it for truth, for liberty, -and for God, and cause it to be born again to life everlasting. If these -internal forces are developed in the midst of a little people, they -possess all the more attraction for him. - -If humble heroes are not popular, shall I therefore leave their noble -actions in obscurity? Shall I limit myself henceforward to bringing -princes and kings on the stage, with statesmen, cardinals, armies, -treaties, and empires? No: I cannot do so. I shall have to speak, -indeed, of Francis I. and Charles V., of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII., -and other great personages; but I shall still remain faithful to little -people and little things. It is indeed a petty city whose struggles I am -relating; but it is the city that for two centuries made head against -Rome, until she had resigned the task entrusted to her into the hands of -more powerful nations—England, Germany, and America. Let the liberals -despise her who at this very time most enjoy the fruits of her severe -struggles.... Be it so.... As for me, I have not the courage to follow -them. I call to mind the refugees she has entertained ... the asylum -they found there, and which their children still enjoy ... and I desire -to pay my debt. Oh! if she would only understand that she cannot exist -with honour in the future, unless, while loving liberty, she loves the -Gospel more than everything else. - -Let me say a few words more on the principles which have guided me in -composing this history. What it is necessary for us to study above all -things is, in my opinion, the beginnings. The formation of beings, the -origin of the successive phases of humanity, possess in my eyes an -importance and interest far surpassing the exhibition of what these -things have afterwards become. The creative epoch of Christianity, in -which we contemplate Christ and His apostles, is to me far more -admirable than those which succeeded it. Similarly the Reformation, -which is the creation of the evangelical world in modern times, has -greater attractions for me than the Protestantism which comes after. I -take a pleasure in watching life in its commencement. When the work is -done, its _summa momenta_ are over. In the first lines of the first -volume of my first work, I said that I should follow this rule. I shall -not be reproached for remaining faithful to it. - -An objection has been raised that this history is too full of details. I -might reply that it is not good to leave facts in vagueness; that they -must be analysed and described. The surrounding circumstances can alone -give an accurate knowledge of events, and impress on them the stamp of -reality. The author may here quote an authority which no one will -dispute. He remembers, that being in Paris at M. Guizot's, just as the -first volume of the _History of the Reformation_ appeared—about thirty -years ago—that illustrious writer said to him: 'Give us DETAILS, the -rest we know.' We do not think that many of our readers will fancy they -know more than he does. - -Another conviction also exercises some influence on the character of my -narrative. It seems to me that the study of the unknown has a peculiar -charm. Geneva and its struggles for liberty and the Gospel, are a _terra -incognita_, except to its citizens and a few men of letters. When -historians describe ancient or modern times—for example, the Revolution -of the Netherlands, of England, or of France,—they can only say a little -better what others have already said before them. Perhaps there is some -advantage in exploring a virgin soil—in adding new facts to that -treasury which ought to be the wisdom of nations. The author is not, -however, blind to the truth there may have been in some of the -criticisms upon his work—and while following the principles he has laid -down, he will endeavour to profit by them. - -He had hoped to publish the third and fourth volumes together this year. -Having been forced to pass the winter of 1862-63 at Nice, with -injunctions to abstain from work, he publishes one only now; but the -next, God willing, will not be long delayed. - -On returning from Nice, the author passed through Piedmont, partly to be -present at a synod in the Waldensian valleys, which reminded him of the -one described in this volume; and partly to make researches among the -General Archives of the kingdom at Turin. The valuable collections there -contained were liberally thrown open to him, and he was able to select -and transcribe some precious documents hitherto unknown, of which, as -will be seen, he made immediate use. While thanking the various persons -who have been useful to him in his researches, the author desires also -to express his acknowledgments to the translator of this work, Dr. H. -White, who has spared no pains in conveying to the English reader a -faithful and animated copy of the original. The translation has been -carefully revised by the author with great care, line by line and word -by word, and some changes, not in the French edition, have been -introduced. - -Will this work obtain a success similar to that which attended the -former one? That treated of the Reformation in Germany, with Luther as -its hero; this treats especially of the Reform in Western Europe, with -Calvin as its head. The scene of the latter being nearer home, ought to -have more interest for British readers; or shall a new-born passion for -Germany and the Germans make them look with indifference on all that -does not directly concern the country of Luther?... France, Holland, -England, Scotland, Switzerland should possess some attraction for them. -The history, hitherto almost unknown, of the Reformation of Geneva is -not only attractive in itself, it is also of importance with regard to -England. Geneva is the representative of a Christian system, of a great -doctrine,—that of the supreme authority of Holy Scripture, and of the -pure Gospel. The final triumph of this doctrine is of the greatest -consequence for the English churches. A well-known British theologian of -our day has said: 'Two systems of doctrine are now, and probably for the -last time, in conflict—the Catholic and the _Genevan_.'[7] - -May this work be of some little use in determining the issue! - - LA GRAVELINE, EAUX VIVES: - _Geneva, May 1864_. - -[1] Went to God between the hours of eight and nine o'clock in the -evening of Saturday 27th May. - -[2] Conférences de Genève en 1861, i. pp. 390, 391. - -[3] Luke, xviii. 31. - -[4] See Book ii. ch. xxi. xxii. xxvi. xxxi. xxxiii. - -[5] Epistle of St. James, iii. 4. - -[6] 'Those children of the gods, the Bourbons, unite their fruitful -races.' - -[7] Dr. Pusey, _Letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury_. - - - - - CONTENTS - OF - THE THIRD VOLUME. - - - BOOK IV. - TIMES OF HOSTILITY TO THE REFORM IN FRANCE. - - CHAPTER I. - CALVIN, THE FUGITIVE, IN HIS RETREAT AT ANGOULÊME. - (NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 1533.) - - Rights of Conscience, claimed by Protestants, repudiated by Rome—Calvin - in Flight—Accepts the Cross—Tillet's House, Rue de Genève—The Library—A - new Phase—Doxopolis—The quiet Nest—Calvin's Studies—The Forge in which - Vulcan prepares his Bolts—Men who rank themselves among Beasts—Calvin - attacks them—Noble intercourse of Friendship - PAGE 1 - - CHAPTER II. - THE EXILE TURNS PREACHER. - (DECEMBER 1533 AND JANUARY 1534.) - - The Greek of Claix—Men of Mark gather round him—Conferences at - Gérac—Prayer and the Search for Truth—Those who believe and those who - know—Calvin supplies Sermons for the Priests—He preaches in Latin - 15 - - CHAPTER III. - CALVIN AT NÉRAC, WITH ROUSSEL AND LEFÈVRE. - (WINTER 1533-34.) - - Religious Awakening in the South—Margaret arrives at Nérac—Evangelical - movement around her—Refugees, the Poor, and Children—Calvin goes to - Nérac—Roussel's Concessions and Calvin's Firmness—A candid old - Man—Lefèvre predicts Calvin's Future—A Lesson received by Calvin—He - rebukes the unequally yoked - 23 - - CHAPTER IV. - A DRAMATIC REPRESENTATION AT THE COURT OF NAVARRE. - (WINTER 1533-34.) - - The Lord's Supper at Pau—Opposition of the King of Navarre—The Mystery - of _The Nativity_—A Carpenter and a young Jewess—They are ill-received - at Bethlehem—They Lodge in a Stable—The Lord sends His Angels—Joseph - returns, and worships the Child—Amusing Interlude—Conversation between - the Shepherds—The Angels announce the Nativity—Shepherds and - Shepherdesses go to Bethlehem—The Shepherds discover the - Child—Adoration—Satan appears—He denies the Incarnation—Satan - conquered, and Christ triumphs—Effects produced by the Mystery - 32 - - CHAPTER V. - CALVIN AT POITIERS, AT THE BASSES-TREILLES, AND IN - ST. BENEDICT'S CAVE. - (SPRING 1534.) - - Calvin and Du Tillet at Poitiers—Calvin at the University—Awakening and - Renewal—Friends and Enemies—Calvin's successful Teaching—Invited to the - Lieutenant-General's—Conversation about Luther and Zwingle—Garden of - the Basses-Treilles—The first Calvinist Council—Calvin's Grotto—Earnest - Prayer—Calvin speaks against the Mass—Interruption—Appeal—The Lord's - Supper - 51 - - CHAPTER VI. - CALVIN AND HIS DISCIPLES BEGIN THE EVANGELISATION OF FRANCE. - (SPRING 1534.) - - Calvin and the four Brothers St. George—They desire to remain Abbots, - although Evangelical—They sacrifice a brilliant Position—France on the - point of awaking—The Missionaries sent out—Babinot and Vèron—The - Reformation and the Young—The Reformation and Science—How Faith and - Science should unite—Abusive Language against Calvin—Calvin leaves - Poitiers—His Letter to the Church of Poitiers—He will not be the Pope's - Vassal—Poitiers regrets Calvin—Calvin resigns his Benefices—His - Influence at Noyon - 65 - - CHAPTER VII. - THE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS OF PARIS IN 1534. - (SUMMMER 1534.) - - Progress of the Gospel in France—Calvin arrives in Paris—Martyrdom of - Pointet—Milon the Paralytic—His Gaieties and his Fall—His - Conversion—His Christian Life—Du Bourg, the Draper—Valeton, the - Receiver of Nantes—Giulio Camillo and his Machine—Contrary Opinions of - Sturm and Calvin—A Scholar and a Bricklayer—Catelle—A characteristic of - Calvin - 79 - - CHAPTER VIII. - CALVIN'S FIRST RELATIONS WITH THE LIBERTINES AND WITH SERVETUS. - (SUMMER 1534.) - - The Spirituals or Libertines—Calvin a Conservative—Murder and - Theft—Calvin begins the Struggle—False Liberality of the - Spirituals—Treatise against the Libertines—Servetus—He desires to win - Calvin and France—Calvin and Servetus on the Trinity—Luther, Zwingli, - and Bucer against Servetus—A Discussion appointed—Servetus stays - away—_Psychopannychia_—Character of Calvin's Divinity—His Happiness at - La Forge's—Determines to leave Paris—The Travellers robbed—They arrive - at Strasburg - 92 - - CHAPTER IX. - THE PLACARDS. - (OCTOBER 1534.) - - Temporisers and Scripturists—Feret sent by the Christians of Paris to - consult Farel—Movement in Switzerland—Farel writes the - Placards—Examined by the Paris Christians—Shall they be - published?—Posting of the Placards—Their Contents—Their Violence - neutralises their Success - 100 - - CHAPTER X. - THE KING'S ANGER. - (AUTUMN 1534.) - - Commotion caused by the Placards—A New Missive—Placard posted on the - King's Door—His Indignation—The King's Orders—Anguish of the - Reformed—Morin lays his Plans—The Sketch-maker betrays his - Brethren—Arrests—Valeton and his Books are taken—Du Bourg and the - Paralytic seized—Numerous Arrests—Duprat and De Tournon excite the - King—Grief of Queen Margaret—She intercedes in Roussel's Favour—Beda - accuses the King—_Mass of Seven Points_—The Queen's Preachers before - the King - 123 - - CHAPTER XI. - EXPIATIONS AND PROCESSIONS. - (END OF 1534 AND BEGINNING OF 1535.) - - Milon's Martyrdom—Du Bourg at the Stake—Poille's Sufferings and - Courage—Terror and Emigration—Quality of the Fugitives—Hardships of the - Flight—Roussel, Berthaud and Courault—The King urged to - persecute—Preparations for the Procession—The Procession—Calvin on the - Relics—Penitence of the King—The Two Januaries 21 - 140 - - CHAPTER XII. - ELOQUENCE AND TORTURES OF FRANCIS I. - (JANUARY 21, 1535.) - - Dinner at the Bishop's—The King's Speech—Effects of the King's - Rhetoric—The Procession on its Return—The Strappado—Martyrdom of - Valeton—Torture at the Halles—Proclamations and Punishments—La Forge - and other Martyrs—La Gaborite—The Holy Candle—The King's Motives—France - prepared for the Reform—Sturm's Sorrow—His Letter to Melanchthon— - Luther's Sentiments—The King's Hatred—His Letter to the Germans - 157 - - CHAPTER XIII. - CALVIN AT STRASBURG, WITH ERASMUS, AND AT BASLE. - (SUMMER AND AUTUMN 1534.) - - Calvin's Mission—Strasburg—The College and Matthew Zell—The Pastor's - Wife—Bucer and Capito—Deficiencies in the Strasburg Divines—Calvin - leaves Strasburg—Erasmus—His Interview with Calvin—Catherine Klein at - Basle—Peter Ramus on Calvin—Inward Work in Calvin—Cop at Basle—Grynæus - and Calvin—Fabri—Calvin exhorts to Peace—Translations of the Bible - 177 - - CHAPTER XIV. - INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. - (WINTER 1534.) - - News of the Paris Martyrs—Calvin advocates Compassion—Fresh - Victims—Indignation in Germany—Oswald Myconius—His first Sermon—His - Opinions on the Martyrdoms—Du Tillet's Anguish—Effect of these - Cruelties on Calvin—Determines to plead the Cause of his - Brethren—Theology restored—The Reformation is a Creation—The - _Institutes_—A Consciousness of Divinity within us—Cavillers and - Testimony of the Holy Ghost—Expiation—Faith and Charity—The Flame in - the Heart—Assurance of Victory—Grace is everything—God does not ordain - Evil—Morality restored in Religion—The Church—Appreciation of the - _Institutes_ - 194 - - CHAPTER XV. - CALVIN ADDRESSES THE KING AND DEPARTS FOR ITALY. - (AUGUST 1535.) - - The Martyrs Cornon and Brion—Letter to the King—The Evangelical - Doctrine is Truth—Truth Attacked and not Defended—Reign of - Brigandage—The Invincible Doctrine—Cause of the zeal of the Monks—Is - the Doctrine new?—Testimony of the Fathers—State of the World—Where the - True Church is to be found—Satan quiet or active—Tortures and - Patience—Printing of the _Institutes_—Calvin starts for Italy—His - Motives for going - 216 - - - BOOK V. - STRUGGLES OF THE REFORMATION. - - CHAPTER I. - EFFORTS IN THE PAYS DE VAUD. - (1521.) - - Uses of Opposition—Conciliation needful—Stagnation and new - Struggles—Vaud and Geneva—Farel—His Portrait—Greatness of the - beginnings of the Reform—The General prepares for Conquest—Fabri visits - Farel—Farel desires to return to the Combat—The Indulgence Seller at - Orbe—Farel preaches the Pardon of the Saviour—Friar Michael aroused - against him—His first and second Sermon—Hollard gives the lie—He is - severely beaten - 232 - - CHAPTER II. - PLOT OF THE WOMEN AGAINST REFORM; FAREL'S PREACHING. - (1531.) - - The Bailiff of Berne arrives at Orbe—The Monk in Prison—Romain - compelled to run for his Life—Beaten by the Women—Intercession in the - Monk's favour—Farel arrives at Orbe—Tumult—Plot of the Women—Friar - Michael's Examination—Michael liberated and Farel preaches—Singular - Congregation—Procession and Sermon—Farel preaches on Penance, - Indulgences, Confession, Images, and a Worldly Life—Farel hard to - please with regard to the Ministry - 248 - - CHAPTER III. - A NEW REFORMER AND AN IMAGE-BREAKER. - (1531.) - - Pierre Viret goes to Paris—Converted and returns to Orbe—His - Struggles—Conversion of his Parents—Farel and Viret—Viret preaches at - Orbe—The Peter, Paul, and John of Switzerland—Conversion of Elizabeth - d'Arnex—Conversion of a Priest—The Lord's Supper at Orbe—All the Images - thrown down—Arrest of the Priests—The Banneret appeals to the - People—Release of the Priests—The Iconoclasts imprisoned - 262 - - CHAPTER IV. - THE BATTLES OF GRANDSON. - (1531-32.) - - Malady of petty Questions—Farel's Wisdom—How he raised Recruits— - War—cries of the Reformers—Farel marches to Battle—Battle of Grandson - in 1476—Farel turned out by the Grey Friars—Struggle in the Benedictine - Convent—The Church opened to the Reformers—The Reformers - imprisoned—Reinforcements from Yverdun and Lausanne—The Grey-Friar's - Sermon—Fresh Struggle beginning—The Sentinel-Monks—Conspiracy of the - devout Women-Conversion of the Monks—Christmas Festival at - Orbe—Disorders of the Catholics—Council of the Reformed—First Act of - Religious Liberty - 276 - - CHAPTER V. - THE WALDENSES APPEAR. - (1526 TO OCTOBER 1532.) - - The Waldenses enquire about the Reform—Deputation to Œcolampadius— - Confession of the Barbes—Origin of the Waldenses—Marriage—Work—The - Mass—Natural Strength—Brotherly Love of Œcolampadius—Proposals for a - Synod—Martyrdom of Masson—Farel's Danger—His Journey and Arrival in the - Valleys—Conversations—Opening of the Synod—Election and Works—Farel's - Opinions gain ground—Discussion on Compromises—Harmony between the - Waldensians and Reformers—Old Waldensian manuscripts—Translation of the - Bible determined upon—Farel desires to go to Geneva - 293 - - CHAPTER VI. - PLANS OF THE EMPEROR, THE DUKE OF SAVOY, AND THE BISHOP - AGAINST GENEVA. - (1530-1532.) - - Bellegarde arrives at Augsburg—His Audience with Charles V.—The - Emperor's Anxieties—His Answer—Bellegarde's Letter to the Duke of - Savoy—His Designs against Geneva—Revolutionary Measures—The Bishop - sends his Secretary to Geneva—His constant Agitation and Anger—His - displeasure against B. Hugues—Charles V. orders Geneva to expel the - Sectarians—The _Zwing-Uri_ of Geneva—Freedom in sight - 312 - - CHAPTER VII. - THE REFORMERS AND THE REFORMATION ENTER GENEVA. - (OCTOBER 1532.) - - Farel and Saunier go to Geneva—Farel consults Olivetan—Farel calls upon - the Huguenot Leaders—They go to hear Farel—He shows them their - Deficiencies—Farel and his Hearers—Sensation in the City—His second - Lecture and its Effects—The Women of Geneva opposed to the Reform—Farel - before the Town Council—The Council divided—The name of Berne protects - him—The Episcopal Council deliberates—Conspiracy against Farel—Farel - summoned before Clergy - 328 - - CHAPTER VIII. - THE REFORMERS ARE EXPELLED FROM GENEVA. - (OCTOBER 1532.) - - Farel before the Episcopal Council—Speech of the Official—Veigy's - Invectives—Farel's Answer—A clerical Tumult—Syndic Hugues - interposes—Danger of Farel and his Friends—Olard tries to shoot - Farel—Farel turned out of Geneva—A Storm—A Priest tries to stab - Farel—He is protected by the Magistrates—Farel's Departure - 343 - - CHAPTER IX. - A JOURNEY TO THE VALLEYS OF PIEDMONT, AND STRUGGLES NEAR - NEUCHÂTEL. - (END OF 1532.) - - Farel desires to send Froment to Geneva—Recollections of their common - Dangers—Olivetan requested to translate the Bible—He fears the - Critics—Olivetan departs for the Valleys—An inhospitable Woman—Olivetan - and his three sick Friends—A Monk of St. Bernard—Olivetan in the - Valley—Neuchâtel—A Fight in the Church—Decree of the Council—A strange - Christmas Festival—The Curé heads the Battle—A Christmas - Sermon—Locle—The Oxen of the Brenets - 356 - - CHAPTER X. - THE SCHOOLMASTER AND CLAUDINE LEVET. - (NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 1532.) - - Froment departs for Geneva—Bad Reception at first—Desires to leave the - City—His Prospectuses—Great Success—Froment teaches—Difference between - Rome and the Reform—The bewitched Paula takes Claudine to hear - Froment—Claudine crosses herself and listens—Shut up three Days and - three Nights with the Gospel—Her Conscience finds Peace—Her Conversion - and Interview with Froment - 373 - - CHAPTER XI. - FORMATION OF THE CHURCH. FRIENDS AND OPPONENTS. - (MIDDLE TO THE END OF DECEMBER 1532.) - - The Bishop's Anger—Progress of the Gospel—Claudine lays aside her - costly Attire—The Ladies of Geneva—Conversion of many of them—Little - Assemblies—The Church without form and the Church formed—A Monk - preaches the Gospel—Th. Moine and a Sermon at the Madeleine—Four - Huguenots demand a Disputation—Discussion with the Vicar—The Armed - Priests—Tumult at the Madeleine—The Vicar of St. Germain's—Froment - forbidden to preach—St. Sylvester's Eve - 388 - - CHAPTER XII. - THE SERMON AT THE MOLARD. - (NEW YEAR'S DAY, 1533.) - - Crowd at Froment's Lodgings—He is called to preach at the - Molard—Invites the People to pray—His Text—Sermon at the Molard—The - Interruption—The False Prophets—God the sole Judge—The Magistrates - interfere—Froment's Escape and Concealment—Meeting of the - Council—Serious posture of Affairs—Froment assaulted—Forced to leave - Geneva - 403 - - CHAPTER XIII. - HOLY SCRIPTURE AND THE LORD'S SUPPER AT GENEVA. - (JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 1533.) - - Romish Reaction—Friar Bocquet sent away—Baudichon de la Maisonneuve— - Evangelical Meetings—Two kinds of Protestantism—Olivetan's - Work—Translation of the Bible—The Word and the Sacrament—Guerin—First - Sacrament at Pré l'Evêque—Guerin forced to leave—The Two Winds - 423 - - CHAPTER XIV. - FORMATION OF A CATHOLIC CONSPIRACY. - (LENT, 1533.) - - Olivetan's Remonstrance and Exile—Preparations of the Clerical Party—De - la Maisonneuve at Berne—Berne demands Freedom of Worship—Two Hundred - Catholics before the Council—They ask for Justice—Agitation against the - Lutherans—The Conspirators assemble—Secret Plots—Speeches of the - Leaders—Solemn Oath—Catholics meet at St. Pierre's Church—The Reformed - at Maisonneuve's—Goulaz and Vandel exhort to Peace—Vandel wounded - 434 - - CHAPTER XV. - FIRST ARMED ATTACK OF THE CATHOLICS UPON THE REFORMATION. - (MARCH 28, 1533.) - - The Catholics prepare to fight—The Standards of the King go forth—The - Troops are formed—An Alarm—Muster at the Molard—The three Corps—The - Artillery and the Banner—The Prayer of the Nuns—Agitation in the City—A - cruel husband—Reinforcement of Women and Children—Scene at - Maisonneuve's—Consolation and Prayer—Fight between Philippe and - Bellessert—The St. Gervaisians retire—Claudine Levet pursued—Plan to - burn out the Huguenots—Peigy's Troop change their Road—The Reformed in - Line of Battle—The Cannons planted—The Trumpet sounds—Tears and Prayers - 448 - - CHAPTER XVI. - TRUCE BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES. - (FROM MARCH 28 TO MAY 4, 1533.) - - Mediation of the Friburgers—Their Language to the Syndics and the - Priests—A Consultation—Joy and Murmuring—Plan of - Reconciliation—Articles of Peace—Dominican Song of Victory—The - Sacrament on Holy Thursday—Alarm of the Catholics—The Dominican at St. - Pierre's—Embassy to Berne—Is followed by Maisonneuve—His Speech to the - Council of Berne—The Syndic is Dumb - 470 - - CHAPTER XVII. - SECOND ATTACK, IN WHICH THE LEADER PERISHES. - (MAY 4, 1533.) - - War of the Tongue—Huguenots depart for Lyons—Festival of the Holy - Winding-Sheet—High Mass—Importance of the Struggle—Ideas become Acts—A - Holiday Evening ends in a Brawl—An Agent of the Clergy excites the - Crowd—Marin de Versonay—The Tocsin sounds—Wernli arms for the - Fight—Decisive Moment—His Appeals—His first Challenge—Skirmish in the - Dark—Wernli heads the Fight—His Death—How the Night was spent - 486 - - CHAPTER XVIII. - THE CANON'S DEATH MADE A WEAPON AGAINST THE REFORM. - (MAY TO JULY 1533.) - - The Corpse discovered—Distress of the Catholics—Arrival of Wernli's - Relations—The Burial—A Miracle—Preparations to crush the Reform—The - Bishop at Arbois—The Pope orders him to return to Geneva—His - Indecision—Determines to go—Importunity of the Mamelukes' Council—A - Coup d'Etat necessary—Two Victories to be won—Friburg demands the Trial - of Wernli's Murderers—Declaration of Religious Liberty - 503 - - CHAPTER XIX. - CATASTROPHE. - (BEGINNING OF JULY 1533.) - - Preparations to receive the Bishop—His Entrance—The Bishop at the - General Council—Agitation—The Magistrates consult the Charters—The - Bishop's despotic Intentions—Proscriptions—The Huguenots - entrapped—Escape of many—One of their Wives imprisoned—Strange Request - of the Bishop—Levet's Flight—He is pursued and taken—Various - Rumours—The Bishop cites the Prisoners before him—Attacks on the - Huguenots—The Courage of the Genevese—Elders of Geneva before the - Bishop—The Bishop persists in his Illegality—Firmness of the - Genevese—The Friburgers call for Vengeance—G. Wernli's Speech—Refusal - of the Two Hundred—Arguments for the Temporal Power—Opposition to - Absolute Power—The Prisoners in their Dungeons—Impatience of the - Mamelukes—Attempt to murder Curtet—Dangers accumulating—Geneva and - Calvin—Triumph and Tribulation—Hope - 516 - - - - - HISTORY - OF THE - REFORMATION IN EUROPE - IN THE TIME OF CALVIN. - - - - - BOOK IV. - TIMES OF HOSTILITY TO THE REFORM IN FRANCE. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - CALVIN, THE FUGITIVE, IN HIS RETREAT AT ANGOULÊME. - (NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER, 1533.) - - -Religion needs liberty, and the convictions inspired by her ought to be -exempt from the control of the Louvre and of the Vatican. Man's -conscience belongs to God alone, and every human power that encroaches -on this kingdom and presumes to command within it is guilty of rebellion -against its lawful sovereign. Religious persecution deserves to be -reprobated, not only in the name of philosophy, but above all in the -name of God's right. His sovereign Majesty is offended when the sword -enters into the sanctuary. A persecuting government is not only -illiberal, it is impious. Let no man thrust himself between God and the -soul! The spot on which they meet is holy ground. Away, intruder! Leave -the soul with Him to whom it belongs. - -These thoughts naturally occur to us as we approach an epoch when a -persecuting fanaticism broke out in France, when scaffolds were raised -in the streets of Paris, and when acts of terrible cruelty were -enthusiastically applauded by a royal cortége. - -These rights of conscience, which we record, are not new. They date -neither from our century, nor from the sixteenth. The Saviour -established them when he said: '_Render unto Cæsar the things which are -Cæsar's, and_ UNTO GOD THE THINGS THAT ARE GOD'S.' Since that hour they -have been maintained by many courageous voices. During three centuries -the martyrs said to the pagan emperors: 'Is it not an irreligious act to -forbid my worshipping the God whom I like, and to force me to worship -the god whom I dislike?'[8] In the fourth century Athanasius and Hilary -told the Arian princes: 'Satan uses violence, he dashes in the doors -with an axe ... but persuasion is the only weapon truth employs.'[9] In -later years, when the barbarians desired to bend the Church under the -weight of brute force, the hitherto servile clergy declared as loudly as -they could that religious doctrine did not fall under the dominion of -the temporal sword. - -[Sidenote: ROME, A PERSECUTING POWER.] - -When, therefore, in the bloody days of the Reformation, the power of -Rome, uniting in some countries with the power of the princes, wished to -constrain men's souls and force them to submit to its laws, the -evangelical christians, by claiming liberty in their turn, only asserted -the great principle of Jesus Christ formerly adopted by the Church -herself. But, strange to say! this principle which she had found so -admirable, when she had to employ it in self-defence, became impious -when it was appealed to in order to escape from her persecutions. Such -inconsistencies frequently occur in the history of fallen humanity. We -must call them to remembrance though it be with sorrow. There have -always existed many generous persons in the bosom of catholicity who -have protested with horror against the frightful punishments by which it -was attempted to make our forefathers renounce their faith; and there -are still more now, for the laws of religious liberty are gradually -becoming established among nations. But we must never forget that two -centuries of cruel persecution was the welcome the world gave to the -Reformation. When the day of St. Bartholomew saw the streets of the -capital of the Valois run with blood,—when ruffians glutted their savage -passions on the corpse of that best and greatest of Frenchmen, -Coligny—immense was the enthusiasm at Rome, and a fierce shout of -exultation rang through the pontifical city.[10] Wishing to perpetuate -the glory of the massacre of the huguenots, the pope ordered a medal to -be struck, representing that massacre and bearing the device: -_Hugonotorum strages_. The officers of the Roman court still sell (as we -know personally) this medal to all who desire to carry away some -remembrance of their city. Those times are remote; milder manners -prevail, but it is the duty of protestantism to remind the world of the -use made by the court of Rome, on emerging from the middle ages, of that -_pre-eminence_ in catholic countries, which she contends belongs to her -always, and which she is still ready to claim 'with the greatest -vigour.' Resistance to this cruel pre-eminence cost the Reformation -torrents of the purest blood; and it is this blood which gives us the -right to protest against it. - -Before we describe the scenes of horror that defiled the streets of -Paris at this period, we must follow in his flight that young doctor, -who, though illustrious in after years, was now the victim of -persecution. - - * * * * * - -The feast of All Saints being the day when the university celebrated the -opening of the academical year, Calvin (as we have seen), through the -channel of his friend Cop the rector, had displayed before the Sorbonne -and a numerous audience the great principles of the Gospel. University, -monks, priests had all been excited, scandalised, and exasperated; -parliament had interfered; and Cop and Calvin were obliged to flee. - -That man whose hand was one day boldly to raise the standard of the -Gospel in the world, whose teaching was to enlighten many nations, and -whose eloquence was to stir all France; that man who was yearly to send -forth from Geneva some thirty or forty missionaries, and whose letters -strengthened all the Churches; that man, still young, pursued by the -lieutenant-criminal and his sergeants, had been forced to steal out of -his chamber into the street and disguise himself in strange garments; -and in the beginning of November, he found himself in the back streets -on the left bank of the Seine looking on every side lest there should be -any one on his track. He had never been more tranquil than at the moment -when struck by this sudden blow. Francis I. resisted the insolence of -the monks; the Sorbonne had been compelled to disavow their most -fanatical acts; many Lutherans were able to preach the Gospel freely to -those around them; a reforming movement seemed spreading far and wide -through France ... when suddenly the lightning darted forth and struck -the young reformer. 'I thought I should be able to devote myself to -God's service without hindrance,' said he in his flight; 'I promised -myself a tranquil career; ... but at that very moment, what I expected -least, namely persecution and exile, were at the door.'[11] - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S FLIGHT] - -Calvin did not regret, however, the testimony he had borne to the truth, -and resigned himself to exile. Far from resembling the unbroken horse -(to use his own expression) who refuses to carry his rider, he -voluntarily bowed his shoulders to the cross.[12] _Never tire in the -middle of your journey_, was his maxim always.[13] Yet as he travelled -along those rough byroads of the Mantois, he often asked himself what -this severe dispensation was to teach him. Was he to retire from Paris -and renounce the idea of making that city the centre of his christian -activity? That would, indeed, be a hard trial for him. His people seemed -to be waking, and he must leave them!... Still he kept on his way. On -arriving near Mantes, he went to the residence of the Sire de Haseville, -to whom he was known, and there remained in hiding several days. He then -resumed his journey, either because he thought himself too near his -enemies, or because his host was afraid. - -Calvin took the road to the south; he crossed the charming plains and -valleys of Touraine, entered the pasturages and forests of Poitou, and -thence turned his steps towards Saintonge and the Angoumois.[14] This -latter province was the end of his journey. On a hill at whose foot the -Charente 'softly flowed,' stood the cathedral, the old castle and city -of Angoulême, the birth-place of Margaret of Navarre. Calvin entered the -gates of this antique town, and made his way to one of the principal -streets, which afterwards received in his honour the name it still -bears—_Rue de Genève_. In that street was a large mansion whose -principal apartment was a long gallery in which more than four thousand -volumes, printed or manuscript, were collected: it was one of the most -valuable private libraries then existing in France.[15] The fugitive -halted before this house. Learned works were doubtless well calculated -to attract him; but he was animated by another motive also. This mansion -belonged to the family of Du Tillet, whose members were reckoned among -the most learned in the kingdom. The father and two of his sons were -detained in Paris by their duties in the Chamber of Accounts, at the -Louvre and in parliament; but another son, Louis, canon of the -cathedral, was at Angoulême, and lived alone in that large house, when -he was not at his parish of Claix. Louis was Calvin's friend,[16] and it -was the remembrance of this gentle, mild, and rather weak young man, -whose disposition was very engaging, that had induced the fugitive to -bend his steps towards the Angoumois. - -[Sidenote: DU TILLET'S HOUSE AND LIBRARY.] - -Calvin stopped in front of his friend's house and knocked at the door, -it opened, and he went in: we cannot say whether he found the canon -there or not, but at all events the latter was filled with joy when he -heard of the arrival of the young doctor, whose 'great gifts and grace' -he admired so much, and whose intimacy had been so sweet to him. Calvin -told him how he had been obliged to flee from the attacks of the -parliament, and of the danger to which those who gave him refuge were -exposed. But Du Tillet thought himself the happiest of men, if he could -but shelter his friend from the search of his enemies. Once more he was -about to enjoy those spiritual and edifying conversations which he had -so often regretted and could never forget.[17] Even the persecution of -which Calvin was a victim made him all the dearer to his friend; and -Louis introduced him into the vast gallery, installed him in the midst -of the most eminent minds of all ages, whose celebrated works loaded the -numerous shelves, and established him, as in a safe retreat, in that -beautiful library which seemed prepared for the lofty intelligence and -profound studies of the theologian. - -Calvin, who needed retirement and repose, felt happy. 'I am never less -alone than when alone,' he used to say.[18] At one time, he gave thanks -to God; at another, taking the precious volumes from the shelves around -him, he opened and read them, assuaging the thirst for knowledge which -consumed him. A learned retreat, like that now given him, was the dream -of his whole life. Pious reflections crowded into his heart, and if -during his flight he had felt a momentary darkness, the light now shone -into his soul. 'The causes of what happens to us are often so hidden,' -he said in after times, 'that human affairs seem to turn about at -random, as on a wheel, and the flesh tempts us to murmur against God, -because he sports with men, tossing them here and there like balls, ... -but the issue shows us that God is on the watch for the salvation of -believers.'[19] - -[Sidenote: DOXOPOLIS.] - -A new epoch, a new phase, was beginning for Calvin: he was leaving -school, he was about to enter upon life, and a pause was necessary. The -future reformer, before rushing into the storms of an agitated career, -was to be tempered anew in the fire of the divine Word and of prayer. -Great struggles awaited him: the Church was waking up from the slumber -of death, throwing back the winding-sheet of popery, and rising from the -sepulchre. One universal cry was heard among all the nations of the -West. At Worms, a monk had demanded the Holy Scriptures of God in -presence of the imperial diet; a priest had demanded them at Zurich; -students had demanded them at Cambridge; at Spire, an assembly of -princes had declared that they would hear nothing but the preaching of -that heavenly Word; and its life-bearing doctrines had been solemnly -confessed at Augsburg in the presence of Charles V. Germany, -Switzerland, England, the Low Countries, Italy—all Europe, in a word, -was stirred at the sight of that new faith which had come forth from the -tomb of ages.... France herself was moved. How could a young man so -modest, so timid, who feared so much all contact with the passions of -men—how could Calvin battle for the faith, if he did not receive in the -retirement of the wilderness the baptism of the Spirit and of fire? - -And this baptism he received. Alone and forced to hide himself, he -experienced an inward peace and joy he had never known before. 'By the -exercise of the cross,' he said, 'the Son of God receives us _into his -order_, and makes us partakers of his glory.' Accordingly he gave a very -extraordinary name to the obscure town of Angoulême: he called it -_Doxopolis_, the city of glory, and thus he dated his letters. How -pleasant and glorious this retirement proved to him! He had found his -Wartburg, his _Patmos_, and unable any longer to hide from his friends -the happiness he enjoyed, he wrote to Francis Daniel of Orleans: 'Why -cannot I have a moment's talk with you?' he said, 'not indeed to trouble -you with my disputes and struggles; why should I do so? I think that -what interests you more just now is to know that I am well, and that, if -you take into account my known _indolence_, I am making progress in my -studies.'[20] Then after speaking of Du Tillet's kindness, of his own -responsibility, and of the use he ought to make of his leisure ... the -joy which filled his heart ran over, and he exclaimed with thankfulness: -'Oh! how happy I should think myself, if the peace which I now enjoy -should continue during the time of my retirement and exile.[21] The -Lord, whose providence foresees everything, will provide. Experience has -taught me that we cannot see much beforehand what will happen to us. At -the very moment when I promised myself repose, the storm burst suddenly -upon me. And then, when I thought some horrible den would be my lot, a -quiet _nest_ was unexpectedly prepared for me.[22]... It is the hand of -God that hath done this. Only let us trust in him, and he will care for -us!' Thus the hunted Calvin found himself at Angoulême, under God's -hand, like a young storm-driven bird that has taken refuge in the nest -under the wing of its mother. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S LABOURS.] - -The young canon took the liveliest interest in the fate of his guest, -and hoped to see the hospitality he showed him bear precious fruits for -learning and the Gospel. Calvin, too humble to believe that Du Tillet's -cares had any reference to himself, ascribed them solely to his friend's -zeal for knowledge and the cause of Christ; it seemed to him that he -could never repay such kindness but by constant labour, and that was all -he ever had to give. 'My protector's kindness,' he said, 'is sufficient -to stimulate the indolence of the laziest of men.[23] Cheer up, then! -let me make an effort, let me struggle earnestly. No more -carelessness!'[24] Then he shut himself up in Du Tillet's library, -gathered round him the books he wanted, and said: 'I must give all my -attention to study; this thought is constantly pulling me by the ear.' -If he took a moment's leisure, he felt 'his ear pulled,' that is to say, -his conscience was troubled; he hurried to his books, and set to work -with so much zeal, 'that he passed whole nights without sleeping and -days without eating.'[25] This was his _indolence_! - -A great idea was at that time growing in his heart. Parliament accused -and even burnt his brethren for pretended heresies. 'Must I be silent,' -he said, 'and thus give unbelievers an opportunity of condemning a -doctrine they do not know? Why should not the Reformed have a confession -to lay before their adversaries?'[26] As he examined Du Tillet's -library, he came upon certain books which seemed to him to bear -particularly on the existing state of suffering among evangelical -christians. He saw that apologies had formerly been presented to the -Emperor Adrian by Quadratus and Aristides, to Antoninus by Justin -Martyr, and to Marcus Aurelius by Athenagoras. Ought not the friends of -the Reformation to present a similar defence to Francis I.? If Calvin's -mouth is shut, he will take up the pen. God was then setting him apart -for one of the great works of the age. He did not indeed compose his -_Christian Institutes_ at this time, even under the elementary form of -the first edition, but he meditated it; he searched the Scriptures; he -drew out the sketch, and perhaps wrote some passages of that work, the -finest produced by the Reformation. And hence one of the enemies of the -Reform, casting a severe look on the learned library of the Du Tillets, -was led to exclaim: 'This is the forge where the new _Vulcan_ prepared -the bolts that he was afterwards to scatter on every side.... That is -the factory where he began to make the nets that he afterwards fixed up -to catch the simple, and from which a man must be very clever to get -out. It was there that he wove the web of his _Institutes_, which we may -call the _Koran_ or the _Talmud_ of heresy.'[27] - -[Sidenote: MATERIALISTS.] - -While Calvin was writing his first notes, he heard some strange rumours. -Men spoke to him of certain materialists in whose opinion the soul died -with the body. At first he hesitated as to what he should do. 'How,' he -asked, 'can I join battle with adversaries of whose camp and arms and -tactics I know nothing, and of whom I have only heard some confused -murmur?'[28] Another consideration checked him. Allied to them were -Christians who, while rejecting these errors, said that _time_ did not -exist for the soul separated from the body, and that the moment of death -was followed instantly by the moment of resurrection. 'I should not like -these good people to be offended against me,' he said. Calvin refused to -fire a shot against his enemies lest he should wound his brethren. - -But one day he was told of enormous and degrading sophisms. These -teachers said to their followers: 'God has not placed in man a soul -different from that of the beast. The soul is not a substance; it is -only a quality of life, which proceeds from the throbbing of the -arteries or the motion of the lungs. It cannot exist without the body, -and perishes with it, until man rises again whole.'[29] Calvin was -thunderstruck. To be a man and to rank yourself among beasts, seemed to -him foolish and impious. 'O God!' he exclaimed, 'the conflagration has -increased, and thrown out flakes which, spreading far and wide, have -turned to burning torches.... O Lord, extinguish them, we pray thee, by -that saving rain which thou reservest for thy Church!'[30] - -It was this gross materialism which absorbed Calvin's attention at -Angoulême. He saw the evil which these teachers might do the Reform, and -shuddered at the thought of the dangers which threatened the simple. -'Poor reeds tossed by every wind,' he exclaimed, 'whom the slightest -breath shakes and bends, what will become of you?'... Then addressing -the materialists he said: 'When the Lord says that the wicked kill the -body but _cannot kill the soul_, does he not mean that the soul survives -after death?[31] Know you not that, according to Scripture, the souls of -the saints stand before the throne of God, and that white robes were -given unto every one of them?'[32] Then resorting to irony, he -continued: 'Sleepy souls, what, I pray, do you understand by these -_white robes_? Do you take them for _pillows_ on which the souls recline -that are condemned to die?'[33] This mode of arguing was not rare in the -sixteenth century. Calvin, agitated by these errors, took up his pen, -and committed to paper the reflections which he published shortly after. - -Calvin loved to repose from these struggles on the bosom of friendship. -In the society of Du Tillet at Angoulême he found once more the charms -which that of Duchemin had procured for him at Orleans. All his life he -sought that noble intercourse, those _offices_, those kindnesses which -friendship procures.[34] Even when deep in study, he loved to see the -library door open, a well-known face appear, and a friend sit down by -his side. Their conversations had an inexpressible sweetness for him. -'We have no need,' said the young canon, 'of those secrets which -Pythagoras employed to produce an indissoluble friendship between his -disciples. God has planted a mysterious seed between our souls, and that -seed cannot die.'[35] - -[8] 'Adimere libertatem religionis, interdicere optionem divinitatis,' -&c. Tertullianus, _Apol._ cap. xxiv. - -[9] Athanasius, _Hist. Arian._ § 3. - -[10] 'Quis autem _optabilior_ ad te nuncius adferri poterat, aut -nos ipsi quod _felicius_ optare poteramus principium pontificatus -tui, quam ut primis illis mensibus _tetram illam caliginem_, quasi -exorto sole, _discussam_ cerneremus?'—_Mureti Orat._ xxii. - -[11] 'Cum promitterem mihi omnia tranquilla, aderat foribus quod minime -sperabam.'—Letter to Francis Daniel. - -[12] Calvin, _Harmonie Evangélique_. - -[13] Calvin, _Lettres Françaises_, published by Jules Bonnet, i. p. -349. - -[14] 'In agrum Santonicum demigrans.'—Beza, _Vita Calvini_. - -[15] 'Conclavi quodam in Tilii ædibus, plus quatuor librorum, tam -impressorum quam manuscriptorum, millibus instructo.'—Flor. Rémond, -_Hist. Heres._ ii. p. 248. - -[16] See Vol. II. book ii. ch. xx. - -[17] _Corresp. de Calvin et de Du Tillet_, published by M. Crottet, -p. 30. - -[18] 'Nunquam minus solum esse quam quum solus esset.'—Flor. Rémond, -_Hist. Heres._ ii. p. 247. - -[19] Calvin, _Institutes_, bk. i. ch. xvii. - -[20] 'Et pro ea quam nosti desidia, nonnihil studendo proficere.'—Berne -MSS. vol. 450, Calvin to Fr. Daniel. _Doxopolis._ - -[21] 'Si id temporis quod vel exilio, vel secessui destinatum est, tanto -in otio transigere datur, præclare mecum agi existimabo.'—Ibid. - -[22] 'Nidus, mihi, in tranquillo componebatur præter opinionem.'—Ibid. - -[23] 'Sane inertissimi hominis ignaviam acuere posset patroni mei -humanitas.'—Berne MSS. vol. 450, Calvin to F. Daniel. _Doxopolis._ - -[24] 'Mihi conandum est, serioque contendendum.'—Ibid. - -[25] 'Tam somni quam cibi omnino oblitus.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. -Heres._ ii. p. 247. - -[26] 'Debere nobis in promptu esse fidei confessionem ut cam proferamus -quoties opus est.'—Calvin, _Opp._ v. pars 4ta, p. 34. - -[27] 'In hac officina Vulcani....telam exorsus ad capiendos simplicium -animos....Alcoranum vel Talmud.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ ii. -p. 246, and French edition, liv. vii. ch. ix. - -[28] _Opusc. Franç._ de Calvin, p. 3. This letter is not in the -Latin edition. - -[29] 'Vim duntaxat vitam esse, aiunt, quæ ex spiritu arteriæ aut -pulmonum agitatione ducitur.'—_Psychopannychia_, Op. Lat. p. 1. - -[30] _Opusc. Franç._ p. 2, Preface. - -[31] Ibid. p. 12. _Opusc. Lat._ p. 5. - -[32] Revelation vi. 11, vii. 9. - -[33] 'O spiritus dormitorii! Quid vobis sunt stolæ albæ? Pulvinaria -scilicet in quibus ad somnum decubent?' _Opusc. Lat._ pp. 10, 11, -15. - -[34] Montaigne, _Essais_, liv. i. ch. xxvii. - -[35] Correspondance de Calvin avec Du Tillet, pp. 29, 34, 48. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - THE EXILE TURNS PREACHER. - (DECEMBER 1533 AND JANUARY 1534.) - - -By degrees, however, Calvin came out of his retirement. Shut up in his -library, he began to sigh for country air, like Luther in the Wartburg. -He went out sometimes, alone or with his friend, and rambled over the -hills and quiet meadows watered by the Charente. The neighbourhood of -Angoulême did not present the grandeur he was one day to find on the -shores of the Leman; but to him everything in creation was beautiful, -because he saw the Creator everywhere. He could even be profoundly -touched by the beauties of nature: 'In the presence of the works of -God,' he said, 'we are overcome with astonishment, and our tongues and -senses fail us.'[36] Not far from the city was a vineyard belonging to -the canon, to which Du Tillet one day conducted his friend. The -delighted Calvin returned there frequently; the remembrance of these -visits still lingers in those parts, and the vineyard still goes by the -name of _La Calvine_.[37] - -About this time their circle was increased: John Du Tillet, afterwards -bishop of Meaux, arrived at Angoulême. He too became attached with his -whole heart to Calvin: the latter, wishing to make himself useful to the -two brothers, offered to teach them Greek, and while teaching them to -read the New Testament, he led them to seek Christ. John listened -greedily to the young doctor's words; hence he was long suspected by the -Romanists, and having published in 1549 a very old manuscript, ascribed -to Charlemagne, _Against Images_—the _Libri Carolini_ are known to be -opposed to them—he occasioned loud murmurs: 'A man who has been Calvin's -pupil,' said the famous Cardinal du Perron, 'cannot well have any other -opinion.'[38] - -[Sidenote: CALVIN AT CLAIX.] - -These lessons, begun at Angoulême, were continued at Claix, where Du -Tillet used to spend a part of the year. People asked in the village who -that short, thin, pale young man was, who looked so serious and meek, -and whom they often met with the Du Tillets. The best informed said that -he gave them lessons in Greek. This study was a thing so extraordinary -in the Angoumois, that the country people, ignorant of the professor's -name, called him the _Greek of Claix_, or the _little Greek_. Some of -the better people of the neighbourhood of Claix occasionally met the -friends: they entered into conversation, and, says a contemporary, 'all -who loved learning esteemed the young scholar;'[39] his knowledge of the -classics, his taste so fine and accurate, attracted them to him. Certain -friends of the Du Tillets, ecclesiastics of good family, men of letters -and of feeling, soon shared this admiration of his virtues and his -talents: they were Anthony de Chaillou, Prior of Bouteville, the Abbot -of Balsac (near Jarnac), the famous De la Place, the Sieur de Torsac, -Charles Girault, and others. Calvin's appearance, his simple dress and -modest look interested these good men at first sight; and that clear and -penetrating glance which he preserved until the last, soon revealed to -them the keen intelligence and uprightness of the young _Greek_. They -conceived the most hearty affection for him. They loved to hear him -speak of the Saviour and of heaven, and yielded to his evangelical -teaching without a thought of being faithless to that of the Church. -This was the case with many Catholics at that time. They did not find in -Calvin the things that make fine talkers in the world—'nonsense, merry -jests, bantering, jokes, and all sorts of foolery, which pass away in -smoke,'[40] but the charms and profitableness of his conversation -captivated all who heard him. De la Place in particular received a deep -impression: 'I shall never forget,' he wrote years after, 'how your -conversation made me better, when we were together at Angoulême. Oh! -what shall I give you in this mortal life for the immortal life that I -then received?'[41] - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S FRIENDS.] - -The frequent visits paid to the _Greek_ by persons of consideration were -soon remarked by the clergy; on the other hand, Bouteville desired to -substitute more regular conferences for these simple conversations. He -lived at the castle of Gérac, situated in a less frequented -district.[42] 'Come to my house,' he said to his friends, 'and let each -of us state freely his convictions and objections.' Calvin hesitated -about going: 'he was fond of solitude, and spoke little in company;' but -the thought of bringing his friends to the Gospel decided him. - -[Sidenote: CONFERENCES AT GÉRAC.] - -One day, therefore, the modest doctor appeared in the midst of the Prior -of Bouteville's guests; one idea had absorbed him on the road to Gérac. -He thought that 'truth is not a common thing; that it rises far above -the capacity of the human understanding, and that we ought to purchase -it at any price.' At last when he joined his friends, after mutual -greetings had been exchanged, he spoke to them of the subject that -filled his heart. He opened the Bible, placed his hand on it, and said, -'Let us find the truth!'[43]... 'The whole conference,' says Florimond -Rémond, a staunch Catholic, 'had no other object but _the investigation -of truth_, a phrase which he had generally in his mouth.' Calvin, -however, did not set himself up as an oracle: addressing the conscience, -he showed that Christ answered all the wants of the soul; the -conversation soon became animated, his friends bringing forward -objections. He never was at a loss; 'having a marvellous facility,' they -said, 'in penetrating suddenly the greatest difficulties and clearing -them up.' The visitors of Gérac departed joyfully to their homes. - -After these conferences, Calvin returned quietly to his retreat, and -prayed for those to whom he had spoken and for others besides. 'If -sometimes we are cold in prayer,' he said, 'let us at once remember how -many of our brethren are sinking under heavy burdens and grievous -troubles; how many are oppressed by great anguish in their hearts and in -all extremity of evils.... We must have hearts of iron or steel, if such -sluggishness in prayer cannot then be expelled from our bosoms.'[44] - -Calvin felt the necessity of giving a solid foundation to the faith of -his friends. 'A tree that is not deeply rooted,' he said, 'is easily -torn up by the first blast of the storm.' He then committed to paper, as -we have said, the first ideas of his _Christian Institutes_. One day, as -he was starting for Gérac, he took his notes with him, and read what he -had just written to the circle assembled in the castle.[45] He did this -several times afterwards; but the notes served merely as a text on which -he commented with much eloquence. 'No one can equal him,' they said, 'in -loftiness of language, conciseness of arrangement, and majesty of -style.' He was not content with stating this doctrine or that: His fine -understanding grasped the organic unity of the Christian truths, and he -was able to present them as a divine whole.[46] It was no doubt the cry -of his conscience which had led him to seek salvation in the Holy -Scriptures; but he had not been able to study, compare, and fathom them -without his understanding becoming enlightened, developed, and -sanctified. The moral faculty is that which is first aroused in the -Christian; but it immediately provokes the exercise of the intellectual -faculties. The citizens of the kingdom of God are not those who know, -but those who believe; not the learned, but the regenerated. A church in -which the intellectual faculty is above the moral faculty, does not bear -the stamp of the Protestant and Christian principle; but every church in -which the divine faculty of the understanding is neglected, and where -learning is viewed with distrust, will easily fall into deplorable -error. - -Calvin's explanations, so deep and yet so clear, were not without their -use. Du Tillet, Chaillou, De la Place, Torsac, and others mutually -expressed their admiration and joy after the young doctor had retired; -then, at their homes and apart from the world, they meditated on the -consoling truths they had heard. Many of the most notable men of the -district were won over to evangelical convictions.[47] The Prior of -Bouteville, in particular, showed from that time so much faith and -zeal—he was, after Calvin's departure, so much the father and guide of -those who had received the seed of truth, that he was called throughout -the province: 'The Lutherans' Pope.'[48] - -Calvin's sphere widened gradually: he wrote to those to whom he could -not speak;[49] and ere long his friends asked why they should keep for -themselves alone the bread of life on which they fed?... One of them -giving utterance to this thought to the young doctor added: 'But you can -only reach the people in the churches.' It was scarcely possible that -Calvin, a fugitive from Paris, could visit the churches of the Angoumois -as an evangelical missionary. 'Compose some short Christian exhortations -for us,' said his friends to him, 'and we will give them to -well-disposed parish priests to read to their congregations.'[50] He did -so, and humble clerks read these evangelical appeals from their pulpits, -as well as they could. Thus Calvin preached through the mouths of -priests to poor villagers, as he had addressed the imposing Sorbonne by -the mouth of the rector. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN PROVIDES SERMONS.] - -This encouraged certain church dignitaries, especially the prior, who -were at once his disciples and his patrons. If Calvin could not preach -in French, why should he not teach in Latin? They surrounded the young -doctor, representing to him that Latin, the language of the Roman -Church, could not occasion any scandal, and asked him to deliver some -Latin orations before the clergy. Calvin, firmly convinced that the -reform ought to begin with the teaching of the priest, preached several -Latin sermons in St. Peter's Church.[51] In this way he inaugurated his -career as a reformer. All this could not be done without giving rise to -murmurs. The faithful followers of Rome complained of him, of the prior, -of all his friends, and this opposition might become dangerous. 'Fatal -instrument,' says a Romanist with reference to Calvin's stay in the -Angoumois, 'which was destined to reduce France to greater extremities -than the Saracens, the Germans, the English, and the house of Austria -had done.'[52] He was not, however, the only one who was assisting in -this excellent work. - -[36] Calvin, _Psaumes_, ch. civ. - -[37] Drelincourt, _Défense du Calvinisme_, p. 40; Crottet, -_Chron. protest_. p. 96. - -[38] _Perroniana._ - -[39] 'Ut erat omnibus qui litteras amabant carus.'—Flor. Rémond, -_Hist. Heres._ ii. 246. - -[40] 'Sornettes, plaisantes rencontres, railleries, brocards, et toutes -niaiseries, lesquelles s'en vont en fumée.' - -[41] 'Neque enim sum immemor quantum me meliorem reddideris.'—De la -Place to Calvin. Geneva MSS. - -[42] 'In arce quadam, non procul ab oppido Engolismensi sita.'—Flor. -Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ ii. p. 247. - -[43] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ (French ed. liv. vii. p. 389; -Lat. ed. liv. vii. p. 251.) - -[44] Calvini _Opp._ Ephes. vi. - -[45] 'Ibi _Institutiones_ suas Calvinus depromebat quantum quoque -die scripsisset ipsis recitans.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ ii. -p. 247. - -[46] 'Theologiæ suæ mysteria revelabat atque explicabat.'—Ibid. - -[47] 'Complures auctoritatis viros in suam sententiam pertraxit.'—Flor. -Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ ii. p. 247. - -[48] 'Butevillani prior lutheranorum papa postea cognominatus.'—Ibid. - -[49] Du Perron, in the _Perroniana_, mentions several of Calvin's -letters preserved by the Du Tillets. - -[50] 'Amico cuidam cujus rogatu breves quasdam admonitiones Christianas -scripsit.'—Beza, _Vita Calvini_, Lat. p. 4; French, p. 15. Bayle -(sub voce _Calvin_) thinks that Du Tillet was the friend of whom -Beza speaks; perhaps it was Chaillou. - -[51] 'Semel atque iterum in æde S. Petri obivit.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. -Heres._ ii. p. 251, &c. Crottet, _Chron. protest._ p. 97. - -[52] Varillas, _Hist. des Révolutions Religieuses_, ii. p. 459. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - CALVIN AT NÉRAC WITH ROUSSEL AND LEFÈVRE. - (WINTER OF 1533-34.) - - -[Sidenote: RELIGIOUS AWAKENING IN THE SOUTH.] - -While Francis I. was endeavouring to stifle the Reformation in the north -of France, it was spreading in the south, and many souls were converted -in the districts bordering the Pyrenees. Evangelical Christians of other -countries, some of whom were ministers, had taken refuge there, and -'towns and villages were _perverted_ suddenly by hearing a single -sermon,' says a Roman Catholic historian. On certain days, the simple -peasants and even a few townspeople, arriving by different paths, would -meet in a retired spot, in the bed of some dried-up torrent or in a -cavern of the mountain. They had often to wait a long time for the -preacher; the priests and their creatures forced him to make a wide -circuit; sometimes he did not come at all. 'Then,' says a Catholic, -'women might be seen trampling on the modesty of their sex, taking a -Bible, reading it and even assuming the boldness to interpret it, while -waiting for the minister.' - -At this epoch the Queen of Navarre arrived in the south. The noise -caused in 1533 by the rector's sermon and Calvin's disappearance, had -induced her to quit St. Germain for the states of her husband. Her -brother the king was then at a distance from Paris; her nieces with -their governesses, Mesdames de Brissac and De Montreal, and the somewhat -gloomy and oppressive etiquette which prevailed at the court of Queen -Eleanor of Portugal, was not much to the taste of the lively and -intelligent Margaret of Navarre. She therefore started for Nérac. Two -litters with six mules, three baggage mules, and three or four carriages -for the queen's women[53] entered the city, and took the road that leads -to the vast Gothic castle of the D'Albrets. It was a very scanty retinue -for the sister of Francis I. - -[Sidenote: QUEEN MARGARET AT NÉRAC.] - -Margaret alighted from her litter, and was hardly settled in her -apartments before she felt quite happy, for she had escaped at last from -the pomps and struggles of the court of France. She laid aside her showy -dresses and her grand manners; she hid the majesty of her house beneath -a candour and friendliness that enchanted all who came near her. Dressed -like a plain gentlewoman, she quitted the castle, crossed the Baise -which flows through the city, and rambled along the beautiful walks of -the neighbourhood, having for companions only the seneschaless of Poitou -or one of her young ladies of honour. But she had come for something -more than this. Having fled far from the palaces and cities where the -persecuting spirit of Rome and of the parliament was raging, she -occupied herself more particularly in giving a fresh impulse to the -evangelical movement in the southern provinces. Her activity was -inexhaustible. She sent out _colporteurs_ who made their way into -houses, and while selling jewellery to the young women, presented them -also with New Testaments, printed in fine characters, ruled in red and -bound in vellum with gilt edges. 'The mere sight of these books,' says -an historian, 'excited a desire to read them.' Around the queen -everybody was in motion, labouring and murmuring like a hive of bees. -'Margaret,' says the king's historiographer, 'was the precious flower -that adorned this parterre, and whose perfume attracted the best spirits -of Europe to Bearn, as thyme attracts honey-bees.'[54] - -The queen might often be seen surrounded by a troop of sufferers, to -whom she showed the tenderest respect. These were the refugees: Lefèvre -of Etaples, Gerard Roussel, converted priests and monks, and a number of -laymen, obliged to leave France, which they had been able to do, thanks -to the queen who had assisted their flight. 'The good princess,' said a -Catholic, 'has really nothing more at heart than to get those out of the -way whom the king wishes to deliver up to the severities of justice. If -I attempted to give the names of all those whom she has saved from -punishment, I should never finish.'[55] - -The Christians exiled for the Gospel did not make her forget the -wretched of her own country. One day, when Roussel was describing to her -the unfortunate situation of a poor family, Margaret said nothing; but -returning to her chamber, she threw a Bearnese hood over her shoulders, -and, followed by a single domestic, went out by a private door, hastened -to the sufferers, and comforted them with the tenderest affection.[56] - -She took pleasure in founding schools. Roussel, her chaplain, would -visit the humble room in which the children of the people were learning -to read and write, and going up to them would say: 'My dear children ... -the death of Christ is a real atonement. There is no sin so small as not -to need it, or so great that it cannot be blotted out by it.[57] Praying -to God,' he would add, 'is not muttering with the lips: prayer is an -ardent and serious converse with the Lord.'[58] - -[Sidenote: CALVIN AND ROUSSEL.] - -There was one feature, however, in this awakening in the south which, in -Calvin's eyes, rendered it imperfect and transitory, unless some remedy -were applied to it. There was in it a certain halting between truth and -error. The pious but weak Roussel manifested a lamentable spirit of -compromise in his teaching. Wearied with the struggles he had gone -through, he sheltered himself under the cloak of the Catholic Church. He -did not pray to the Virgin, he administered the Holy Sacrament in two -kinds; but he celebrated a kind of mass—a mournful and yet touching -instance of that mixed Christianity which aimed at preserving -evangelical life under catholic forms. - -Calvin at Angoulême was not far from Nérac, and his eyes were often -turned to that city. He longed to see Lefèvre before the old man was -taken from the world, and was uneasy about Roussel, whom he feared to -see yielding to the seductions of greatness. One of the christian -thoughts that had laid the strongest hold on his mind, was the -conviction that the wisdom from on high ought to reject every compromise -suggested by ambition or hypocrisy.[59] Ought he not to try and bring -back Roussel into the right path from which he appeared to be wandering? -Calvin left Du Tillet's house probably about the end of February, and -called upon Roussel as soon as he arrived at Nérac. - -The most decided and the most moderate of the theologians of the -sixteenth century were now face to face. Calvin, naturally timid and -hesitating, 'would never have had the boldness so much as to open -his mouth (to use his own words); but faith in Christ begot such a -strong assurance in his heart, that he could not remain silent.' He, -therefore, gave his opinion with decision: 'There is no good left in -Catholicism,' he said. 'We must re-establish the Church in its ancient -purity.'[60]—'What is that you say?' answered the astonished -Roussel; 'God's house ought to be purified, no doubt, but not -destroyed.'[61]—'Impossible,' said the young reformer; 'the edifice is -so bad that it cannot be repaired. We must pull it down entirely, and -build another in its place.'[62]—Roussel exclaimed with alarm: 'We must -cleanse the Church, but not by setting it on fire. If we take upon -ourselves to pull it down, we shall be crushed under the ruins.'[63] - -Calvin retired in sorrow. Type of protestant decision in the sixteenth -century, he always protested freely and boldly against everything that -was contrary to the Gospel. He displayed this unshakeable firmness not -only in opposition to catholic tendencies, but also against -rationalistic ideas. It would not be difficult to find in Zwingle, in -Melanchthon, and even in Luther, some sprinkling of neology, of which -the slightest traces cannot be found in Calvin. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN AND LEFÈVRE.] - -Nérac, as we have said, sheltered another teacher—an old man whom age -might have made weaker than Roussel, but who under his white hair and -decrepid appearance concealed a living force, to be suddenly revived by -contact with the great faith of the young scholar. Calvin asked for -Lefèvre's house: everybody knew him: 'He is a little bit of a man, old -as Herod, but lively as gunpowder,' they told him.[64] As we have seen, -Lefèvre had professed the great doctrine of justification by faith, even -before Luther; but after so many years, the aged doctor still indulged -in the vain hope of seeing Catholicism reform itself. 'There ought to be -only one Church,' he would frequently repeat, and this idea prevented -his separation from Rome. Nevertheless, his spiritualist views permitted -him to preserve the unity of charity with all who loved Christ. - -When Calvin was admitted into his presence, he discerned the great man -under his puny stature, and was caught by the charm which he exercised -over all who came near him. What mildness, what depth, what knowledge, -modesty, candour, loftiness, piety, moral grandeur, and holiness, had -been said of him![65] It seemed as if all these virtues illuminated the -old man with heavenly brightness just as the night of the grave was -about to cover him with its darkness. On his side, the young man pleased -Lefèvre, who began to tell him how the opposition of the Sorbonne had -compelled him to take refuge in the south, 'in order,' as he said, 'to -escape the bloody hands of those doctors.'[66] - -Calvin endeavoured to remove the old man's illusions. He showed him that -we must receive everything from the Word and from the grace of God. He -spoke with clearness, with decision, and with energy. Lefèvre was -moved—he reflected a little and weeping exclaimed: 'Alas! I know the -truth, but I keep myself apart from those who profess it.' Recovering, -however, from his trouble, he wiped his eyes, and seeing his young -fellow-countryman 'rejecting all the fetters of this world and preparing -to fight under the banner of Jesus,' he examined him more attentively, -and asked himself if he had not before him that future reformer whom he -had once foretold:[67] 'Young man,' he said, 'you will be one day a -powerful instrument in the Lord's hand.[68]... The world will -obstinately resist Jesus Christ, and everything will seem to conspire -against the Son of God; but stand firm on that rock, and many will be -broken against it. God will make use of you to restore the kingdom of -heaven in France.'[69] In 1509 Luther, being of the same age as Calvin -in 1534, heard a similar prophecy from the mouth of a venerable doctor. - -Yet, if we may believe a catholic historian, the old man did not stop -there. His eyes, resting with kindness on the young man, expressed a -certain fear. He fancied he saw a young horse which, however admirable -its spirit, might dash beyond all restraint. 'Be on your guard,' he -added, 'against the extreme ardour of your mind.[70] Take Melanchthon as -your pattern, and let your strength be always tempered with charity.' -The old man pressed the young man's hand, and they parted never to see -each other again. - -Did Calvin see the Queen of Navarre also? It does not appear that -Margaret was living at Nérac at that time; but he had some relations -with her. It has been said that she felt an interest in his exile;[71] -and it is possible that she had some share in the resolution he soon -formed of quitting the south. She may have assured him that he had -nothing to fear in Paris, if he committed no imprudence. But we have -found nothing certain on these points. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN REBUKES THE UNEQUALLY YOKED.] - -For the present, Calvin returned to Du Tillet's. The visits made to -Roussel and Lefèvre had taught him a lesson. He comprehended that it was -not only souls blindly submissive to Rome that incurred imminent danger; -he conceived the liveliest alarm for those minds which floated between -the pope and the Word of God, either through weakness or want of light. -He saw that as the limit between the two churches was not yet clearly -traced, some of those who belonged to Rome were lingering beneath the -fresh and verdant shades of the Gospel, while others who ought to belong -to the Reformation still wandered beneath the gothic arches of Romish -cathedrals and prostrated themselves at the foot of Romish altars. This -state of things—possibly approved of by many—Calvin thought dangerous, -and his principles going farther, he undertook 'to rebuke freely (as he -says) those who yoked with unbelievers, keeping them company in outward -idolatry.'[72] - -[53] Brantôme, _Capitaines illustres_, p. 235. - -[54] Olhagaray, _Hist. de Foix_, &c. p. 505. - -[55] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ viii. ch. ii. - -[56] Sainte Marthe, _Oraison funèbre de la Reine de Navarre_. - -[57] MSS. fol. 2. Schmidt, p. 131. - -[58] MSS. fol. 89 _a_, 177 _b_.—Ibid. pp. 145, 157. - -[59] Calvini _Opp._ James iii. 17. - -[60] 'Ecclesia in pristinam puritatem restituenda propositum ei aperuit, -inquiens nihil omnino sani in catholica superesse ecclesia.'—Flor. -Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ ii. p. 272. - -[61] 'Non destruendam sed fulciendam.'—Ibid. - -[62] 'Vetus illud ædificium planissime esse dejiciendum, et novum -instruendum.'—Ibid. - -[63] 'Ejusdem ruinis sepultum.'—Ibid. - -[64] Bayle, _Dictionnaire critique_, sub voce. - -[65] 'Eruditione, pietate, animi generositate nobilissimus.'—Bezæ -_Icones_. - -[66] 'Ut vix illorum manus cruentas effugerit.'—Bezæ _Icones_. - -[67] 'Futurum augurant.'—Beza, _Vita Calvini_. - -[68] 'Insigne instrumentum.'—Ibid. - -[69] 'Cœlestis in Gallia instaurandi regni.'—Ibid. - -[70] Ne perfervidum hoc ingenium omnia misceret atque everteret.'—Flor. -Rémond, ii. p. 272. - -[71] Freer's _Life of Marguerite_, ii. p. 120. - -[72] 'Rédarguer librement ceux qui s'accouplant avec les infidèles, leur -tenaient compagnie en idolâtrie externe.'—Calvin, _Comm. in 2 ad -Cor._, cap. vii. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - A DRAMATIC REPRESENTATION AT THE COURT OF NAVARRE. - (WINTER OF 1533-34.) - - -Henry and Margaret having quitted Nérac for Pau, where they intended -passing the winter, had reached those picturesque heights, separated by -a ravine, on which the city stands, and had entered the castle. The -queen had found pleasure in adorning it with the most magnificent -gardens then known in Europe, and liked to walk in them, conversing with -Cardinal de Foix, the Bishop of Tarbes, and many other distinguished -persons who admired her wit and grace. And yet these ecclesiastics often -caused her 'much vexation.' Surrounded by persons who made a regular -report to Francis I., watched by the king her husband and the -dignitaries of the Church who were at her court, this pious but weak -woman bent under the weight. She began the day by attending morning -service in the catholic church of the parish; then in the afternoon she -privately collected in her chamber the evangelical members of her court, -and the little band of exiles, with a few men and women of the people -who, coming forward awkwardly, took their seats timidly on the handsome -furniture of the queen. Roussel, Lefèvre, or some other minister, -delivered an exhortation, and the little assembly separated, feeling -that God had really been present in the midst of them.[73] - -[Sidenote: THE LORD'S SUPPER AT PAU.] - -One day some of these humble believers desired to partake of the Lord's -Supper. The queen was embarrassed: she did not dare celebrate it in the -church, nor even in her own room, lest one of the cardinals should enter -suddenly.... After some reflection Margaret thought she had found what -was wanted. Under the terrace of the castle there was a large hall -called _the Mint_, a secret underground place that could be approached -without attracting notice. By the queen's orders her servants privately -carried a table there, covered it with a white cloth, and placed a basin -on it containing 'a few slices of plain bread,' and by its side some -cups full of wine 'instead of chalices.'—'Such are their altars!' -ironically exclaims the catholic historian. - -On the appointed day, the believers, silent and agitated, came and took -their places not without fear of being discovered. The queen, forgetting -the pomps of the Louvre, sat down among them as a simple Christian. -Roussel appeared, but not in sacerdotal costume, and stood in front of -the table. 'Those who believe that there is nothing but an empty sign in -the Sacrament,' he said, 'are not of the school of faith.'[74] He took -common bread, says the indignant catholic narrator, 'and not little -round wafers stamped with images.'—'Remember,' continued Roussel with a -grave voice, 'that Christ suffered and died for us.' He then handed -round the cup 'without making the sign of the cross!' The worshippers, -deeply moved, bore a heavenly expression on their faces and felt the -presence of the Lord: 'The same Christ dwelt in the minister and in the -people.' No spy nor cardinal appeared, and the communicants, after -presenting an offering for the poor, withdrew in peace.[75] - -Notwithstanding its secresy, this celebration was talked about in the -castle. The King of Navarre was quite annoyed at it. A thoughtless, -changeable, and ever violent man, and liable to occasional worldly -relapses, he began to grow impatient at his wife's piety, and especially -at the 'feastings in the cellar.' He was habitually in a bad humour, and -found fault with all that Margaret did. - -One day as he returned to the castle from a hunting-party, he asked -where the queen was. He was told that a minister was preaching in her -chamber. At these words the king's face flushed. A faithful servant ran -to warn the queen: ministers and hearers escaped by a back way, and they -had hardly left the room, when Henry entered abruptly. He stopped, -looked round him, and seeing only the queen, agitated and trembling, he -struck her in the face, saying: 'Madame, you desire to know too much.' -He then left her indignant and confounded. This affront offered to the -dignity of the royal family of France did not pass unnoticed: Francis -'scolded Henry d'Albret soundly,' says Brantôme.[76] - -[Sidenote: THE MYSTERY OF THE NATIVITY.] - -Margaret, eager to win over her husband and to be agreeable to her -court, resolved to have a representation of some biblical dramas. -Possibly she might by this means reach those who would not come to the -sermons. She took for her subject _The Birth_ _of the Saviour_, and -having completed her poem distributed the parts among certain noble -maidens. These biblical representations, which displeased Calvin, -because of their theatrical form, and the Romish clergy because of their -evangelical truths, charmed the middle party, and as they belong to the -religious history of the epoch, we cannot pass them by unnoticed. -Margaret fitted up the great hall of the castle as a theatre. The -scenery was prepared, and shortly after Christmas placards announced the -representation of 'The Nativity of Jesus Christ.'[77] - -When the day came the hall was crowded. In the front rank of the -amphitheatre sat the king and queen, the latter wearing a plain dress -trimmed with marten's fur and a Bearnese hood. Near them were the -Cardinals De Grammont and De Foix with other members of the clergy. -Around the royal pair were Margaret's inseparable maids of -honour—Mademoiselle de St. Pather, the usual distributor of her alms, -Mademoiselle de la Batenage, Blanche de Tournon, Françoise de Clermont, -Madame d'Avangour, the greatest 'eaves-dropper' of the court, the -chancellor, chamberlains, and almoners. Her ten stewards, her esquires -and thirty-eight maids, her seventeen secretaries, and her twenty -valets-de-chambre were most of them present.[78] The invited strangers -occupied seats according to their rank. A first representation has -rarely excited more curiosity. - -[Sidenote: THE MYSTERY-PLAY.] - -The first act begins. The scene is placed at Nazareth, in the house of a -poor carpenter. A man in the prime of life and a young woman are talking -together. A proclamation has just been published in the market-place -ordering every one to go to the city of their family to be registered. -But these poor people belong to Bethlehem, and Bethlehem is a long way -from Nazareth. The woman is soon to become a mother, and the man is -uneasy about the consequences of the journey. The young Israelitish -woman, whose calm meek features indicate the serenity of a pious soul, -says to him: - - ... Us no danger shall come nigh, - For He whose power o'ershadowed me, - Holds in his hand both fruit and tree.[79] - -The scene changes, and we are at Bethlehem. It is quite dark, but a few -lights are visible through the windows of the houses. The same man and -woman—they are Joseph and Mary—have just arrived from Nazareth after a -fatiguing journey. Joseph, still anxious, begins: - - It is late and already night ... - Let us approach the nearest light. - -He knocks at the door, and asks to be admitted. The owner of the house -looks contemptuously on them and says that he lodges none but rich -people. Joseph goes a little farther on and knocks at another door: - - Will you please lodge my wife and me? - For the poor woman, as you see, - Is near her time. - -This man looks as contemptuously upon them as the other, and answers -that he takes in none but noblemen. Joseph, still undiscouraged, points -out a third man to his wife and says: - - Here is a man with pleasant look. - -He speaks to him, but the man is a _bon vivant_, and is annoyed by the -care-worn appearance of the travellers. 'I like,' he says, - - Dances, sports, women, good-cheer ... - No kill-joys are wanted here. - Pass on, my friends; - -Joseph, with a deep sigh: - - Onward then, and God will tell - Where he pleases we should dwell. - -But wearied by the journey, and uneasy about her condition, Mary begins -to change countenance: - - Woe's me, I feel the hour draw near - For the long-looked-for fruit t'appear. - -At these words, the startled Joseph looks round him, and discovering at -last a poor stable, which the wind penetrates on every side, he presses -Mary to enter it: - - I will take care - To shelter you from every hurtful air. - -He settles the young woman as comfortably as he can in the rude shed, -and prepares to go into the town to get what she requires. - - MARY. - - Go, go, my friend: I shall not be alone, - For where God is, there also is my home. - -Mary remaining alone offers up a touching prayer to her heavenly Father; -then, yielding to her fatigue, she lies down upon the straw and falls -asleep. - -The scene changes to heaven. The eyes of the Lord, which 'look upon the -sons of men,' are turned upon the earth, and are fixed with kindness on -Mary, whose sleep is gentle and peaceful. Then as the great moment -approaches, He orders the angels to leave heaven and announce to mankind -the news of a great joy. He gives each of them a message; some are to go -to Mary, others to Simeon. The humblest of them says: - - ... And I, Lord ... - I will go seek the least of all, - And tell him how _great_ he has become - Since the great one has become small. - -Hymns of praise immediately resound through heaven: - - Glory to Thee, Almighty Lord! - -And the angels depart upon their mission. - -The scene changes, and we are once more in the stable at Bethlehem. Mary -awakes and is still alone. Her heart is agitated by the most astounding -thoughts: the mystery of God which she discerns surprises and confounds -her. - - Strange! a virgin ... yet a mother - Of a son above all other, - Very God and very man! - Emanuel! of the Father dearest Son ... - May my hands be joined with thine? - May thy lips be touched by mine? - -At this moment the angels sent by God arrive: they enter the wretched -stable, filling it with their glory, and each salutes the poor virgin of -Nazareth in his own fashion. One of them says: - - All hail, happy dame, - Mother of the Son thou lov'st so dearly! - -Another, whose character appears to be humility, addresses the new-born -child: - - Little child, pray spare me not ... - Though I'm small I shall delight - To wait upon you day and night, - To wash you or to warm your bed.[80]... - -At this point Joseph returns with the provisions he has bought; he is -distressed at his inability to receive becomingly this child of heaven, -but resolving to give all that he has, he advances towards the stable. -On a sudden he stops in surprise ... he looks ... a divine light fills -the humble shed, and shines all around. - - What a strange gleam - There comes from within! - I'm like a man in a maze: - I am quite sure - I never before - Saw such a glorious blaze. - -He stops at the threshold and looks in. The angels have disappeared, and -he says: - - Mary, I see, - Has not lost her glee, - Her face with joy runs o'er ... - But why does she stare, - This virgin dear, - So constantly on the floor? - -Joseph looks more carefully, as he stands motionless at the door, and -discovers Jesus who has just been born: - - Yes! 't is the child! - -The honest carpenter does not know what to do; he dares not approach, -and yet he cannot remain apart; a struggle takes place in his soul. - - Here will I stay ... - No! I must go in. - -At last Joseph comes forward: he looks at the child, and kneeling humbly -before him, worships and kisses him. - - With this kiss I would cool - My heart with charity burning. - What a charming child, - So handsome and mild, - And that's the truth, I assure you. - -Mary is uneasy: she looks at the child, so weak and tender, and is -distressed at having nothing to wrap him in, - - For the night is cold. - - JOSEPH. - - I shall light this taper. - -He then lights the lamp. - - Where shall we put him? In the manger here ... - No better place in all the inn. - -This was the end of the first act. The spectators expressed the interest -they felt in the drama, at once so serious and so holy; and even the -Cardinals De Grammont and De Foix found nothing in it contrary to the -doctrines of the Church. As that was a time when people were very fond -of diversion, joke and jest followed. Several comic characters appeared -in the interlude, especially a poor monk, who was the soul of the -farce.[81] This was not Margaret's composition: even the catholics did -not charge her with it. The jesters retired at last, and the drama -proceeded. - -The scene represented the fields round Bethlehem, where shepherds and -shepherdesses were keeping their flocks during the watches of the night. -One shepherd worn out with labour, another with 'hunting the wolf,' had -fallen asleep; some shepherdesses followed their example; but one -shepherd and one shepherdess were awake and communicating their thoughts -to each other. - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - A something keeps me wide awake; - My usual sleep I cannot take. - It is not my flock, I'm sure, - For the fold is quite secure; - In my heart a joy I feel - And I seem good news to hear ... - Meanwhile I shall turn my eyes - To the star-bespangled skies. - -He contemplates the firmament. - - FIRST SHEPHERDESS. - - What seest thou, brother, when thine eye - Thou turn'st admiring to the sky? - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - I admire the great Creator - Who hath made all things, and we - Are his temple.... - - FIRST SHEPHERDESS. - - Tell me, shepherd, what He promised - To the patriarchs who waited - Patiently for ages?... - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - He has promised the Messiah, - His true Son, through whom alone - Life to us has been restored, - And salvation. - - FIRST SHEPHERDESS. - - Would to God the hour was nigh! - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - Come, Lord, and no longer tarry! - -Suddenly a bright light shines over the fields of Bethlehem, and a -heavenly voice says: - - Shepherds, awake, arise! - Behold the happy day, - When God by works for ever new - Shall his great love display. - -The sleeping shepherds and shepherdesses awake; they look about them and -perceive the angels surrounded with a heavenly glory. - - FIRST SHEPHERD. - - Heavens! what means this brightness here? - I am almost numbed with fear. - - SECOND SHEPHERDESS. - - By this clear and glorious light - My weak eyes are dazzled quite. - - FIRST ANGEL. - - Gentle shepherds, do not fear, - I am come your hearts to cheer, - With glad tidings.... - For to you upon this morn - The Saviour Jesus Christ is born. - As 'twas writ; and this the sign - How to know the child divine; - Wrapped in swaddling bands, the Son - Has a manger for a throne.... - The Jesus whom the Lord has sent - To fulfil his covenant. - -All the angels then sing the hymn of praise: - - Glory be to God most high. - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - Let us haste and feast our eyes - Where the hope of mortals lies. - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - In a hut so mean and poor, - If we cannot pass the door, - We can through some crevice spy[82] - Where our Lord and King doth lie. - -The shepherds and shepherdesses converse as they go on the reception -they will give to the Messiah, with a simplicity that may appear -excessive, but which is not devoid of grace and genuineness. - - FIRST SHEPHERD AND SHEPHERDESS. - - Let us from our plenty bear - Presents to their scanty fare. - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - Here's a cheese I'll take with me - In this basket. - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - And you see, - This great bowl of milk I'll carry, - And I hope 'twill please sweet Mary. - - FIRST SHEPHERD. - - I shall give this cage and bird. - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - I this faggot, for, my word! - The weather's cold. - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - This rude toy, - This rustic flute will please the boy. - - FIRST SHEPHERDESS. - - I will kiss his very cheek.... - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - Nay! 't is honour sure enough - But to kiss him in the foot.[83] - -Shepherds and shepherdesses all leave the fields and hurry to Bethlehem. - -The scene again changes to this town, where the shepherds and -shepherdesses arrive and look for the place where the child lies. - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - In this house with paint so gay - The holy child would never stay. - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - Nor in this palace would he rest, - But rather in some humbler nest. - - FIRST SHEPHERDESS, _searching carefully_. - - There's a place in this rude rock; - Can it be the honoured spot? - -Shepherds and shepherdesses draw near, and looking through the cracks in -the wall of the poor stable, discover Mary and Jesus. The second -shepherd exclaims with rapture: - - There's the child ... and there's the mother.... - - THIRD SHEPHERDESS. - - See how mild - Hangs on his mother's breast the child. - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - Call yon man to ope the door.... - (_to Joseph_) Hola! master.... - - JOSEPH. - - What means that noise without? - - FIRST SHEPHERD. - - The true fruit of heaven we seek. - - MARY. - - If God hath this great fact revealed, - By us it must not be concealed; - For to believers we the Christ must show: - Open the door.... - - JOSEPH, _opening the door_. - - You can come in. - -The shepherds and shepherdesses approach respectfully, and puny as the -child appears, they recognise in him the height of the eternal Majesty, -and worship him: - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - ... Thou art the promised seed - To Adam after his misdeed. - Abraham and David on this relied, - And both alike were justified. - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - The eye beholds a weak and powerless child; - But faith which comes of knowledge bids us bow - In honour and in adoration at his feet, - As the true God. - -After the adoration of the shepherds, the shepherdesses, a little -curious, surround Mary and enter into conversation with her. - - THIRD SHEPHERDESS. - - How is't no costly robes he owns: - Silver and gold and precious stones? - - MARY. - - Simplicity he liketh best, - Nor will he in choice clothes be dressed. - -The first streaks of dawn begin to appear. - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - The day is near ... I must begone. - - FIRST SHEPHERDESS, _approaching Mary_. - - May I just give his little toe - One single kiss before I go.[84] - - THIRD SHEPHERDESS. - - Our hands have touched, our eyes have seen, - The Lamb who takes away our sin. - -The shepherds and shepherdesses then present their humble offerings. - - FIRST SHEPHERD. - - Serving thee we'll live and die, - For without thee life is naught. - -The second act being finished, a new interlude was introduced to make -the spectators merry. The jesters reappeared and recited several -rondeaux, always containing some piquant and unexpected joke, which -called forth the laughter of the audience. The burden of the _virelais_ -(poems composed of very short lines, and with two rhymes) usually turned -on some monk, which greatly diverted the spectators. The cardinals and -the catholics who took pleasure in the drama were annoyed by the -satires.[85] - -The third act began. Satan, who was making the tour of the world, -arrived over the fields of Bethlehem, whither the shepherds had -returned, and absorbed in his own thoughts, said to himself: - - I have reigned until this hour - And subdued earth to my power; - With God above have warred unceasing, - And my triumphs are increasing. - -The shepherdesses, to whom he was invisible, expressed their joy in -hymns: - - Shepherdesses, maidens fair, - Listen to the song we sing: - Tidings of great joy we bring, - That take away all mortal care. - -Satan stopped and listened: becoming alarmed, he exclaimed: - - This is a hymn that chills my blood ... - What tidings have they heard? - -The shepherdesses, still unconscious of Satan's presence, continue -singing: - - Hail! to the Virgin-born, - Hail! to the Lord and Son, - Who in this happy morn, - The veil of earth puts on. - Loud praise to God be given - Who makes us heirs of heaven. - -Satan listening, and still more uneasy: - - To learn this secret, how I've toiled! - Shall it be hidden from me now? - -He disguises himself, and approaches the shepherds under the form of a -great lord, and says to them: - - Whence come you? - - FIRST SHEPHERD. - - From seeing Christ, the Saviour of mankind, - By whom in God we are regenerate. - Will you not go and see him, mighty lord? - I'll show the way. - - SATAN. - - Can this be true, or is it all a dream? - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - Go and see for yourself.... - - SATAN. - - God from his throne on high - For this world does not care.... - I am its king ... yes, I.... - . . . . - Come with me and make good cheer ... - But you must believe no mo' - That God can ever stoop so low. - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - He is my father, brother, all ... - I am his from head to foot.[86] - God is for me, and no false one - Shall this heavenly faith uproot. - - SATAN. - - Fools and madmen! are ye gods?... - - FIRST SHEPHERD. - - To the Son we leave the glory - Of being God. Enough for us - To be whatso'er he pleases, - And to know that He's the great I AM. - - SATAN. - - _Can you understand the Scriptures?_ - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - _With all humbleness we read them._ - - SATAN. - - Were he your father as you call him, - Would he leave you thus accursed, - Suffering poverty and want? - Blind ones, open wide your eyes! - Have you ever known a rich man - Leave his son, like field untilled? - Sons of God, indeed! whose store - Are cold and hunger, rags, and all that's poor. - - SECOND SHEPHERD. - - More we suffer, more our joys redouble; - For all your pleasures we'll not give a double.[87] - - THIRD SHEPHERD. - - In our hearts the Christ doth dwell - Who has conquered death and hell. - -At these words Satan becomes confused; he calls to mind his former -defeats, and knowing that the Son of God must crush him under his feet, -exclaims in terror: - - Murdered Lamb, who didst expel - Me and mine from heaven to hell.... - Thou still pursuest, and no place - Can hide me from thy angry face. - -Then the mysterious voice of God is heard again proclaiming the victory -of the new-born child: - - Satan's tyrant reign is o'er; - By the spotless Lamb 'tis ended, - Who to suffer on the cross - For us sinners has consented.... - At my right the Lamb shall sit ... - Angels sing the Lamb exalted - High o'er all, and Satan quelled. - -Then the angels sing the song of triumph, which ends the play: - - Glory be to God on high, - Who our greatest enemy, - Satan, hath o'erthrown. - Honours to the Lamb express - By whom all the blessedness - Of the Father is made known. - -The representation was finished and every one retired in admiration. The -king was grateful for this condescension in his wife, and Margaret took -advantage of it to induce him to listen to a few sermons. 'From the -comedy he went to the preaching, which took place in the queen's -chamber,' says a contemporary historian.[88] - -All were not equally satisfied with these representations. Cardinals De -Grammont and De Foix withdrew from the court, while the stricter -christians asked if it was lawful to introduce angels and even God -himself on the stage. If Calvin had gone on from Nérac to Pau, and had -been present, not far from the cardinals, at this mystery-play, he would -no doubt have blamed such performances, which he termed 'christianity in -disguise.' - -It is time to follow the reformer. - -[73] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ lib. vii. cap. iii. - -[74] MS. de la Biblioth. impér., No. 7021, fol. 146. Schmidt, -_Roussel_, p. 151. - -[75] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ lib. viii. cap. xii. - -[76] Brantôme, _Mémoires_. De Coste, _Reines illustres_. Matthieu, -_Hist. de François I._ - -[77] This drama, which we have been forced to abridge, will be found in -the _Marguerites de la Marguerite_, tom. i. pp. 148-206. - -[78] _Marguerite d'Angoulême_, par le comte de la Ferrière-Percy, -pp. 9, 13. - -[79] In translating the extracts for this poem, no attempt has been made -to give a polish to the verses, which was not found in the original. - -[80] - - Petit enfant, ne veuillez épargner - Moi très-petit ... car, soit pour vous baigner, - Ou pour chauffer vos draps en votre lit, - À vous servir je prendrai grand délit (_délice._) - -[81] 'Qui pro primo esset.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ vii. cap. -iii. - -[82] Il y aura quelque fente ou crevasse. - -[83] C'est assez au talon. - -[84] - - Madame, au moins, son petit bout d'orteil - Pour le baiser. - -[85] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Heres._ vii. cap. iii. - -[86] Je suis à lui de l'un à l'autre bout. - -[87] - - Plus nous souffrons, plus notre joie redouble; - De vos plaisirs ne donnons pas un _double_.[87a] - -[87a] The _double_ was the sixth part of a _sou_. - -[88] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ vii. cap. iii. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - CALVIN AT POITIERS, AT THE BASSES-TREILLES, AND IN ST. BENEDICT'S CAVES. - (SPRING 1534.) - - -Calvin meditated leaving the South. He had found a retreat in the hour -of danger; but as the storm seemed to blow over, he could go at last -from the place where he had been hidden, and resume a career that had -been so roughly interrupted. He was not at ease in Angoulême. On the one -hand the conversion of Du Tillet and some of his friends gave rise to -rumours among the clergy and people; and on the other, certain -traditional elements that Margaret and some of his hearers at Gérac -desired to retain, were displeasing to the reformer. Altars, images, -holidays dedicated to Mary and the saints, confessors and -confession—none of these things appeared to him scriptural, and he -sighed for the time when he could make the evangelical principle prevail -in all its integrity. He was in the habit of saying: 'Above all things -we must confess our Lord fully, without shrinking from anything -soever.'[89] - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S PROJECTS.] - -Where should he go? His thoughts led him first to Poitiers, whence he -proposed to visit Orleans, Paris, and then Germany and Switzerland, to -study and gain knowledge by intercourse with the reformers. In their -conversations at Gérac the Sieur de Torras had often spoken of Pierre de -la Place, who was then studying at Poitiers. Calvin would also meet -there with Charles le Sage, regent of the university, like himself a -native of Noyon. One consideration restrained him: Could he leave Du -Tillet? 'Where you go, I will go,' said the young canon; 'my heart is -filled with the faith that animates you.'[90] The idea of enjoying -Calvin's society at every moment, and of seeing in Switzerland and -Germany the noble-hearted men who were reforming the Church, filled him -with joy.[91] - -The two friends departed: Calvin under the name of Charles d'Espeville, -and Du Tillet under that of Hautmont, which seems to have been borne by -some members of his family. They arrived (probably about the end of -March 1534) in those plains and heaths of Poitou where so many great -battles had been fought, and where a humble combatant was approaching to -engage in nobler contests. Few provinces in France were so well -prepared. Abelard, who had lived in these western districts, had left -behind him some traces of the doubts set forth in his celebrated -treatise, _Sic et Non_ (Yes and No),[92] on the doctrines of the Church. -Here too a writer, unconnected with the Reform, had attacked the -_papomania_, and the clergy, who formed (it was said) a third part of -the population, exasperated the two others by their avarice and -irregularities. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN AT POITIERS.] - -Calvin stayed at Poitiers with Messire Fouquet, prior of Trois-Moutiers, -a learned ecclesiastic, and a friend of the Du Tillets, who had a house -there. The university was flourishing, it possessed learned professors, -and had a famous library. The desire of understanding—a feeling -springing up everywhere in France—was particularly felt here. The prior -of Trois-Moutiers conversed with his two guests on the public -disputations that were going on in the university. This excited Calvin's -attention: he went to the hall, sat down on one of the benches, and -listened attentively. No one, as he looked at this stranger, would have -supposed that under those pale, unattractive features was hidden one of -the heroes who change the face of the world in the name of truth alone. -Beneath much quibbling and idle trash the young doctor could see flashes -of light here and there. After the disputation, he called upon those -combatants from whom he had heard the language of christianity; he -stated his own ideas, and ere long the beauty of his genius and the -frankness of his language won them over. Calvin and these generous men -became friends and visited each other; at length, says an historian, -'they began to take walks together without the city,'[93] and as they -walked along the banks of the little river Clain, or rambled over the -fields, the young doctor spoke to them openly of Christ and of eternity. - -They did not trouble themselves, indeed, with scholastic theology and -metaphysical formulas: Calvin aimed at the conquest of their souls. He -required in every one the formation of a new man, and cared about -nothing else. In the midst of the disheartening weaknesses and immense -necessities of fallen humanity, a great spiritual restoration must be -carried out; the hour had come, and to accomplish the work it needed -special men invested with power from on high. Calvin was one of these -strong men, whom God has sent to the aid of human decay. At the moment -of the awakening, after the slumber of the Middle Ages, the heavenly -Father bestowed new creative forces on mankind. The Gospel, then -restored to the world, possessed a beauty which attracted men's souls, -and an authority which wrought in them an absolute obedience: these are -the two regenerating elements. All over Europe prophets arose among the -people, but they did not prophesy at their own impulse. Above them was -the sovereign, free, living, supernatural God who worked in them with -supreme power. - -Calvin was about to begin at Poitiers a work of regeneration. Indeed no -long time elapsed before numerous hearers crowded round him. Some were -offended by his words; and there were some who, looking only for -disputations and sophistry, tormented the young doctor with their -accustomed insolence; while others opposed the heretic 'with dilemmas -and cunning catches.' Others, again, who thought themselves masters of -the world, turned their backs on him, 'as if he were an ordinary -mountebank.' Calvin, surprised at such resistance, 'instead of -entangling himself in useless disputes,' seriously thrust aside these -frivolous subtleties, and 'put forward what is true.'[94] - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S FRIENDS.] - -But if the doctrine he announced met with enemies, it also met with -friends. The word of God perpetually separates light from darkness in -the spiritual world, as it did at the time of the creation of heaven and -earth. Generous men gathered eagerly round the young and powerful -doctor. These were Albert Babinot, jurist, poet, and law-reader; Anthony -Veron, procureur to the lower court; Anthony de la Dugie, doctor-regent; -Jean Boisseau de la Borderie, advocate; Jean Vernou of Poitiers, the -Sieur de St. Vertumien, and Charles le Sage, doctor-regent, a man of -great esteem, who possessed the entire confidence of Madame, the king's -mother.[95] One of these distinguished men especially won Calvin's -heart: it was Pierre de la Place, a native of Angoulême, a friend of Du -Tillet, afterwards president of the Court of Aids, and one of the St. -Bartholomew martyrs. But Le Sage, another of these eminent men, kept -himself rather aloof; he was from Noyon, and was not very anxious to put -himself in the train of the son of the old episcopal secretary; -moreover, he believed sincerely in the miracle of transubstantiation. - -This group of distinguished men, which now gathered round Calvin at -Poitiers, as formerly at Angoulême, fixed the attention of those who had -any intercourse with him. Calvin's attractive power, which is somewhat -doubted in the present day, struck even his enemies. 'Knowledge as well -as virtue,' says one of them on this occasion, 'soon wins love, and -eminent minds, whether for good or evil, require little time to become -known. Calvin, having retired to Poitiers, soon met with good store of -friends.'[96] He met them at the university, went to see them at their -houses, courted their society, and spoke freely of the knowledge of -God.[97] On many points they thought from the very first like him. When -he complained 'that they worshipped stocks and stones, prayed to the -dead, trusted in vain things, and desired to serve God by idle -ceremonies,'[98] everybody agreed with him, even Le Sage. But the young -doctor went still farther. Doubtless he condemned 'a rugged austerity; -he recommended people to be _loving_ (aimables) and kind to their -neighbours.'[99] But at the same time, he was true, even at the risk of -displeasing. Being present one day when some sincere catholics were -defending the doctrine of transubstantiation, Calvin unhesitatingly -declared, that we must receive Christ, even his body and blood, by -faith, by the spirit which gives life, and not by a sensual eating with -the mouth. Le Sage exclaimed, quite shocked, that this was the opinion -of the heretic Wickliffe, and even La Place 'stopped short in alarm, at -seeing so great a falling off from the religion in which he had been -strictly bred.'[100] Calvin was cut to the heart. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN AT THE LIEUTENANT-GENERAL'S.] - -But if he lost some friends, he gained others. The chief magistrate of -Poitiers, Lieutenant-general Pierre Regnier de la Planche, desired to -see him, and invited him to dine with De la Dugie, Babinot, Véron, -Vernou, and other acquaintances. Calvin accepted the invitation, which -caused some astonishment. 'This innovator,' said the catholics, 'desires -to court the magistrates, in order that they may give him importance by -their condescension.' Calvin never made any such calculations, but he -was 'burning with great zeal to extend the glory of the Lord on every -side.' He was received with respect, and took his seat at the table; -during dinner the conversation turned, it would seem, on mere -common-places. As soon as the meal was over, the company rose and went -into the garden. It was in this place, known as the _Basses Treilles_, -that the Sieur de la Planche often received his friends. That -magistrate, Calvin, Babinot, and the other guests conversed as they -walked, and the master of the house, turning the conversation on Luther -and Zwingle, blamed the reformers, and especially their opinions on the -mass. 'This was a frequent topic of conversation,' says a writer of the -sixteenth century, 'not only among the learned, but among the common -people, and was even talked of at table.' Calvin, who was well informed -and prepared, entered upon the subject and explained the chief points. -'Luther saw the truth,' he said, 'but he is like those who are walking -through a long and winding road; they perceive afar the dim glimmer of a -lamp, by means of which they can grope their way along the path they -must follow. Zwingle approached the light, but like those who rush too -hastily to good, he went beyond it.'[101] Then wishing them to -understand what there was in the Lord's Supper, he stated more in detail -the idea of the presence of Christ, a real one no doubt, but to be -received by faith and not by the mouth: thus taking a middle position -between Zwingle and Luther. These discourses, being as clear as they -were forcible, convinced the lieutenant-general and the friends he had -assembled. Calvin was requested to commit them to writing, which he did, -adds the historian, with an eloquence that brought him new disciples. -Regnier de la Planche was gained to protestantism, and his son Louis -subsequently took part in the struggles against the Guises. It was he -whom Catherine de Medici perfidiously interrogated one day in her -closet, whilst the Cardinal of Lorraine was hidden behind the tapestry. - -[Sidenote: GARDEN OF THE BASSES-TREILLES.] - -Henceforth the garden of the Basses-Treilles became a favourite resort -with Calvin: he was accustomed to go there freely and openly. There, -like Socrates in the garden of Academe, the young christian Plato and -his friends sought for truth.[102] The truth which the Reformation was -then restoring to the world, was of quite a different order, and of far -greater power than that of the Greek philosophers. Wherever its voice -was heard, the idea of a clerical priesthood disappeared, the -prerogatives of monastic life vanished, and a personal, individual, -living Christianity took their place. The divine revelations were given -to laymen in their mother-tongue, and the sacraments, stripped of their -pretended magical virtues, exercised a spiritual influence over the -heart. Such were the principles professed by Calvin in the garden of the -lieutenant-general. As he walked up and down beneath the pleasant shade, -he spoke to his friend of the heavenly Father, of his only Son, of -grace, and of eternal life. His disciples, as they listened, imagined -that all things were about to become new, and said to one another that -now at last a barren formalism in the church would give way to a living -power—a breath from heaven. The catholics of Poitiers were distressed. -'As our first parents,' they said, 'were enchanted in a garden, so it -was in the lieutenant-general's garden of the Basses-Treilles that this -handful of men were cajoled and duped by Calvin, who easily made a -breach in the souls of those who listened to him.' This is a remarkable -confession. - -One day a meeting was held there at which Calvin and his friends -consulted about what France needed most. The answer was easy: the -Gospel. But France, alas! rejected it. They did not confine themselves -to this topic, and Calvin was anxious to substitute in the church the -spirit for the form, life and reality for ritual observances. He -acquitted himself worthily of his task, and taking up the principal -point explained specially his spiritual doctrine on the Saviour's -presence. 'This,' says the catholic historian, 'was the first Calvinist -council held in France.'[103] The word 'council' is too ambitious, but -it was a meeting that bore fruit. The living faith which inspired the -young doctor gained over a few rebellious spirits. De la Place, who -raised numerous objections at first, but who was a man of common sense -and 'good conscience,' thought that he might possibly be mistaken. 'The -seed fallen into his heart began to grow, and it put forth fruit in the -season God had ordained.'[104] - -The agitation which Calvin excited in Poitiers, the admiration of some, -the uneasiness of others, grew stronger every day. The friends of the -Gospel began to run some risk by meeting together. If certain fanatics -should make themselves masters of the populace, the garden of the -Basses-Treilles might be attacked, and the police, under colour of -restoring order, might even go so far as to arrest the stranger. There -were often false alarms. Calvin's friends determined to look for some -solitary place where they might assemble in peace. One of them having -pointed out a _wilderness_ in the adjacent country—a number of deep and -isolated caverns which would shelter them from all investigations,—they -determined to go thither in little bands, and by different roads. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S GROTTO.] - -The next day the project was put in execution. Calvin set out with two -or three others; they traversed the pretty suburb of St. Benedict, took -a picturesque footpath, and after about an hour's walking, arrived at a -wild-looking spot in front of the ruins of a Roman aqueduct. Beneath -them flowed the tranquil waters of the Clain: thickly wooded rocks, -containing caverns of various depths, raised their imposing masses above -the stream. Calvin was charmed with the solitude. Gradually others -arrived, and the assembly was soon complete. Calvin and his friends -entered one of the largest of these caves. They were usually known as -the caves of St. Benedict or the Croutelles, but this one was called, -and has ever since borne the name of Calvin's grotto.[105] - -The reformer took his stand on the highest ground; his disciples -gathered round him, some of them leaning against the rock;[106] and in -the midst of a solemn silence he began to teach them, expounding what -was grandest of all—preaching Christ to them. This was a topic to which -he was constantly reverting. 'Better be deprived of everything and -possess Christ,' he said one day. 'If the ship is in danger, the sailors -throw everything overboard, that they may reach the port in safety. Do -likewise. Riches, honours, rank, outward respect—all should be -sacrificed to possess Christ. He is our only blessedness.' Calvin spoke -with much authority;[107] he carried away his readers, and was himself -carried away. On a sudden feeling his spiritual weakness, and the need -they all had of the Holy Ghost, he fell on his knees beneath those -solitary vaults; all the assembly knelt with him, and he raised to the -throne of God a prayer so touching and so earnest, that all who heard -him fancied themselves transported to heaven.[108] - -These pilgrimages to St. Benedict's caves were soon observed; -ill-disposed persons might follow the little groups on their way to the -meeting, and surprise the assembly. Calvin's friends resolved to change -their place of meeting frequently, sometimes going to a village, at -others to an isolated country-house.[109] The inhabitants of the -neighbourhood would join the little flock, and the preacher would bring -forward that christian truth which enlightens the world and man. When -they separated, he gave books to every one, 'and even prayers written -with his own hand.' - -[Sidenote: CALVIN ON THE MASS.] - -Calvin's opposition to the mass gave greater offence every day; the -catholics charged him with the crime of daring to deny that the priest -offered Christ himself in sacrifice, as an expiatory victim for the sins -of the people. He was moved by these observations, but not shaken. One -day when he and his friends were assembled in the cavern, he extolled -the sacrifice of the cross offered _once_, according to Scripture, and -then spoke so forcibly against the mass, that it was not possible, said -earnest catholics, to hear him without shuddering. It is true that -Calvin did not spare this Romish ceremony. He sometimes called it a -'mere monkey-trick and burlesque.' 'I call it a monkey-trick,' he said, -'because they mock the supper of the Lord, just as a monkey imitates -clumsily whatever he sees others do.[110] I call it a burlesque, because -the nonsense and gestures they introduce are better adapted to a -stage-play than to so holy a mystery.'[111] There were in the cave some -who believed sincerely in transubstantiation, and who habitually -attended mass with pious sentiments. Calvin's words—although they may -not have been literally those we have copied—wounded and vexed them, and -Le Sage, abruptly interrupting him, exclaimed: 'Our Lord, very God and -very man, is really and substantially under the appearance of the bread -and the wine.... In all ages, wherever men have known Christ, the -sacrifice of the mass has been offered up.' Surprised at this bold -outbreak, Calvin asked himself if he had committed a crime in setting -the Word of God above the traditions of Rome. He kept silence for a few -moments, and then lifting his hand and putting it on the Bible that lay -open before him, he exclaimed earnestly: 'This is my mass!'[112] Then -uncovering his head and placing his fur cap on the table, he lifted his -eyes to heaven, and said with emotion: 'O Lord, if in the day of -judgment Thou desirest to punish me because I have deserted the mass, I -will say to Thee: O God, Thou hast not commanded me to celebrate it. -Behold Thy Law.... Behold Thy Holy Scripture.[113]... Thou didst give it -us to be our guide, and I can find no other sacrifice in it than that -which was accomplished on the altar of the cross.' The hearers separated -in great excitement, touched with the reformer's faith at once so simple -and so strong, and it was with new convictions that some of them -retraced the solitary paths that conducted them to Poitiers. - -From that time many persons manifested a desire to receive the Supper -according to the Lord's institution. The various ceremonies, the -incense, the choral chants satisfied them no longer; they wished to have -a simple and real communion with the Saviour. A day was therefore -appointed, and they assembled in one of the caves of St. Benedict.[114] -The minister read the Word of God, and called upon the Lord to pour out -His Spirit on the little flock. He broke the bread and handed round the -cup; and then invited the worshippers to communicate mutually such -reflections and experiences as might be useful to the faith.[115] These -simple exhortations after the Supper were continued for some time in the -reformed Church. - -[89] _Lettres françaises de Calvin_, i. p. 119. - -[90] 'Tilius haustis animo Calvini opinionibus.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. -Hérés._ ii. - -[91] 'Miro desiderio eos videndi incensus, qui catholicæ ecclesiæ bellum -indixerant.'—Ibid. - -[92] See M. Cousin's excellent edition. - -[93] Varillas, _Hist. des Rév. rel._, ii. p. 473. - -[94] 'Riotes et cavillations ... arguments cornus et surprises -subtiles ... comme s'il était un bailleur de sornettes ordinaires ... -au lieu de s'entortiller dans des contestations superflues ... il -mettait en avant ce qui est ferme.' - -[95] 'Magnæ existimationis vir, præsertim apud regis matrem.'—Flor. -Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 251. - -[96] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. des Hérésies_ (éd. fr.), p. 890. - -[97] P. de Farnace, _Brief Recueil de la Vie de Messire P. de la -Place_, p. 11 sqq. Bayle's _Dict. Hist._ sub voce 'De la Place.' - -[98] Calvin, _Lettres Françaises_, i. pp. 70-71. - -[99] Calvin on James, iv. 17. - -[100] P. de Farnace, _Brief Recueil_, p. 11 sqq. - -[101] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ vii. cap. xi. Rémond exaggerates -Calvin's opinion about Luther and Zwingle. - -[102] 'Inter sylvas Academi quærere verum.'—Horace. - -[103] 'In horto illo primum calvinisticum celebratum fuit concilium in -Gallia.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 252. - -[104] De Farnace, _Vie de la Place_, p. 11. - -[105] La grotte de Calvin. See Crottet, _Chronique protestante_, p. -105; and A. Lièvre, _Hist. du Protestantisme du Poitou_, i. p. 23. - -[106] 'In locis secretis frequenter convenerunt.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. -Hérés._ ii. p. 253. Rémond declares that he had spared no pains to -trace out all Calvin's career in France. 'In conquirendis variis quæ eo -pertinent documentis, nulli labori peperci.' This has not prevented him -from occasionally seasoning his narrative with abuse and calumny. - -[107] Flor. Rémond, ibid. vii. cap. xi. - -[108] 'Precem magna vehementia et devotione.'—Ibid. ii. p. 252. - -[109] 'Per pagos etiam et villas.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. -p. 253. - -[110] 'Quod sicut simiæ hominum opera perperam, ita hi sacram cœnam -imitantur.'—Calvini _Opusc. lat._ p. 123. - -[111] 'Histrionicam actionem appello quod ineptiæ gestusque histrionici -illic visuntur.'—Calvini _Opusc. lat._ p. 123. - -[112] 'Monstrato Bibliorum codice, dixisse: Hæc est missa mea.'—Flor. -Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 261. - -[113] 'Ecce enim hic legem tuam.'—Ibid. - -[114] 'In locis illis secretis prima calvinistica cœna celebrata -fuit.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 253. - -[115] 'Non ipse solum explicabat, sed aliorum sententias -requirebat.—Ibid. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - CALVIN AND HIS DISCIPLES BEGIN THE EVANGELISATION OF FRANCE. - (SPRING 1534.) - - -It was necessary to begin the conversion of France on a larger scale. -Might not that country, whose agitations have often disturbed Europe, -and which never trembles but all around it is shaken—become, if it -received the Gospel, a centre of light and a powerful means of -strengthening the nations in justice and peace? That would no doubt have -happened, had it become protestant. Calvin, by labouring thirty years -for Geneva and France, laboured for the whole Christian world. He made -the first experiment at Poitiers, and (if we may use the word) began -that glorious evangelising campaign, which he was to direct until the -close of his life. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN AND THE ST. GEORGES.] - -Not content with evangelising the city, the young and zealous doctor -visited the castles, abbeys, and villages of the neighbourhood. In the -castle of Couhé, a few leagues south of Poitiers, there lived a -patriarchal family of great influence in Upper Poitou: it was that of -Guichard de St. George, baron of Couhé, and Anne de Mortemer his wife. -At their death they left four sons, who had early learned to keep God's -commandments. Ponthus, abbot of a Benedictine convent, was the best -known of the four brothers: 'He is a liberal and munificent man,' people -said, 'a patron of learning and learned men, whom he welcomes -heartily.'[116] - -[Sidenote: EVANGELICAL ABBOTS.] - -A rumour of the meetings held at Poitiers reached Ponthus; being -intimate with some of Calvin's disciples and occasionally receiving them -at his table, he begged them to bring the young doctor, and from that -day Calvin became one of his guests, according to a tradition preserved -in the province.[117] Although the conversations he had with the abbot -did not convert him, they made him take pleasure in the Gospel, and he -soon asked himself why this astonishing young man should not preach in -the Benedictine church? To address a learned and religious community -pleased the young doctor's mind. The abbot announced to his monks that a -Picard, brought up in the university of Paris and the holder of a -benefice at Noyon, would preach in the abbey-church. Accordingly Calvin -went into the pulpit and declared that whosoever had a firm and lively -faith in the grace of Christ was saved. Some of his hearers were -startled at a doctrine which made the Romish priesthood of no use. 'What -a perverse doctrine!' they said; 'why does the abbot allow this Picard -to preach it in his church?'[118] - -On the other hand the Abbot St. George was delighted with the young -man's sermons, but hesitated to take the decisive step. The Benedictine -abbeys were independent, powerful, and rich; the monks generally -belonged to noble families, and surpassed the other religious orders in -intelligence, morality, and extensive familiarity with classical and -christian learning. Ponthus felt a difficulty in leaving the quiet life -he led in his abbey, or in sacrificing his rich benefice, and exposing -himself to the vengeance of the laws.... He entertained the idea of -reconciling the Church with the world, according to the system -patronised by Margaret of Navarre. He would remain an abbot, but he -would be a christian abbot like Roussel, and although wearing his -friar's dress in the pulpit, he would preach the Gospel from it. Ponthus -made the experiment, and his sermons caused a great deal of talk. The -astonished hearers exclaimed: 'Why the abbot of Valence (it was the name -of his monastery) is preaching the rudiments of heresy.'[119] Guichard, -St. George's third brother, abbot _in commendam_ of Bonneveau, erelong -shared the convictions of Ponthus, and professed them like him, but -without giving up his benefice. The murmuring grew louder throughout the -district. 'Look,' said the catholics, 'the men who are caught in -Calvin's web still cling to their cloisters and do not forsake the -altars. The abbots stick to their flesh-pot (_marmite_), and dress -themselves in catholic robes although they are secret Lutherans. They -discharge their functions without showing what they are.'[120] - -Ponthus felt ill at ease, his honest soul did not long permit him to -halt on both sides. He sacrificed a brilliant position, dismissed his -monks, set some to study and others to learn trades; and then, feeling -convinced as Luther did, that a forced celibacy is a disorder invented -by men, and that marriage is the order of God, he took a wife. The abbot -of Valence (says an historian) was the first abbot in France who lifted -the mask and showed himself an open Lutheran. His brothers followed the -example he had set them. The Sieur de l'Orillonière, son of the eldest -(the baron of Couhé) was the first of the family to give his blood for -the protestant cause. Thus did the four brothers, full of zeal for the -Reformation, prepare for themselves and for their children a life of -suffering, combat, and exile, but also of faith, hope, and peace.[121] - -[Sidenote: THREE MISSIONARIES SENT OUT.] - -When Calvin saw this movement of life going on around him, he thought of -France. Would she remain behind Germany and Switzerland?... No. France -will awake ... she is already waking; erelong she will receive the -Gospel in its holy purity, and will increase in morality, in light, and -in liberty: such were his hopes. But for their realisation, men were -needed who, being regenerate themselves, should be fellow-workers with -God in this new creation. Calvin asked himself whether some of the -converts of Poitiers were not called to this work? Alas! what a small -company for so large a kingdom! How great the weakness of the Gospel -compared with the magnificence of Rome! 'God acts thus,' he said, 'in -order to strip us of all pride. And therefore he chooses the weak ones -of this world to confound the strong. If the iron grows red in the -fire,' he added, 'it is that it may be forged.'[122] He wished to forge -it and to make serviceable instruments out of it. One day being at the -usual meeting, he said: 'Is there any one here willing to go and give -light to those whom the pope has blinded?'[123] Jean Vernou, Philip -Véron, and Albert Babinot stood forward. Calvin had not forgotten the -Angoumois where he possessed beloved friends; thither and into the -adjacent provinces he will first send his missionaries and commence the -evangelisation of France: 'You, Babinot, will go into Guyenne and -Languedoc,' he said; 'Philip Véron, you will go into Saintonge and -Angoumois; and you, Jean Vernou, will stay at Poitiers and the -neighbourhood.' Calvin and the other brethren did not think that these -missionaries required regular theological studies; had they not received -the necessary gifts from God, 'neither more nor less than if He had -given them with His own hand?'[124] But they had need to be recommended -to the almighty grace of God. They therefore prayed together, and Calvin -called upon the Lord to accept the services of these pious men. He told -them to go and proclaim the Gospel, not in the name of any man, but in -the name of the Lord, and because God commanded it. A collection -provided for the expenses of this mission, and the evangelists departed. - -Babinot having reached the banks of the Garonne and entered Toulouse, -resolved to address in the first place the young noblemen who were -studying there. A learned man (he had lectured at Poitiers on the -_Institutes_ of Justinian), he was firm, upright, zealous in the faith, -and at the same time very gentle, so that he was called _the Goodfellow_ -(Bonhomme). Many students were brought to the light by him. He next -began to visit several little flocks in the neighbourhood, and -celebrated the Lord's Supper with them after the manner which the man of -God (as he called Calvin) had taught him.[125] 'He went through the -country, praying secretly here and there in humble conventicles.' A -regent or schoolmaster of Agen, named Sarrasin, having permitted him to -speak in his school, was himself converted to the Gospel, and -immediately began to teach the Word of God, but not so as to attract -observation. - -Véron, who was as remarkable for his activity as Babinot for his -gentleness, carried also into every place the news of the truth: he -spent more than twenty years in this occupation.[126] He walked on foot -through Poitou, Anjou, Angoumois, Saintonge, and even Guyenne. 'I -desire,' he said, 'to gather up the stray sheep of the Lord.' Wherever -he went, he invited souls to come to the good shepherd, _who giveth his -life for the sheep_; and those who could distinguish the voice of the -shepherd from that of the wolf, and see the difference between the call -of God and the inventions of men, answered and entered into the fold. -And hence he was called the Gatherer (_ramasseur_). 'Of a truth,' said -Cayer the priest, 'this Gatherer marches out and does not leave a corner -of our province, where he does not go sounding his way, to try and make -some prize.'[127] On arriving in any town or village, he inquired for -the best disposed persons, entered their houses, and sought to instruct -them in the truth. He had taken with him some of Calvin's manuscripts, -and when he desired to strengthen his hearers' souls, he would take them -out of his pocket-book, and show them, saying that they were the -writings of a great man; and then, after reading a few extracts, he -would return them carefully to their place. 'The _gatherer_,' said -fervent Roman-catholics, 'shows these papers as a great curiosity, as if -they were Sibylline verses.'[128] - -[Sidenote: THE REFORM AND THE YOUNG.] - -These evangelists especially addressed the young. Calvin would not have -religious instruction neglected, or subordinated to secular instruction: -it should have its separate place. He believed that all culture, but -especially religious teaching, ought to begin with early youth; that the -soul then possesses a power of receiving and appropriating what is set -before it, that it never will have again; and that if the seeds of a -religious life are not sown and do not germinate in the heart of the -child, the man will perish wholly. He had said to the three evangelists: -'Let your first attention be always to the professors and -schoolmasters.'[129] The zealous catholics observed this method. 'See!' -they said, 'as youth is easily led astray, they hide the _minister_ -under the cloak of the _magister_ (master).'[130] Calvin's friends thus -instilled their doctrines into the schools of Guyenne. Sarrasin -converted another schoolmaster named Vendocin, who became so firm a -Christian, that he preferred to be burnt over a slow fire to abjuring -Calvinism.[131] - -The men who devoutly adhered to the formulas of Rome were grieved when -they saw the young so readily receiving the evangelical doctrine. At -Bordeaux and Toulouse, at Angoulême and Aden, in the cloisters, in the -law-courts, and even in the market-places, the loudest complaints were -made. 'These _Mercuries_ (the name they gave to Calvin's missionaries) -are doing much mischief in the schools,' they said. 'As soon as the -captains of the young (i.e. the masters) are conquered, the little -soldiers march under their colours. The _young_ heads of _young_ folks -are more easily disturbed by the heretic _aconite_ than the old. They -rush into danger, without examining it; and they are lost before they -are aware of it. They embrace these new doctrines with such courage that -many, who have only down on their chins, expose themselves to voluntary -death, and thus lose both soul and body.'[132] - -[Sidenote: THE REFORMATION AND SCIENCE.] - -While Babinot and Véron were traversing the south, John Vernou held firm -at Poitiers, and aroused the students. The Reformation is fond of -learning: it looks upon science as the friend of religion. Faith, it -says, does not require of Christians to know only what is learnt by -faith, or not to know scientifically what they ought to learn. It -desires that we should know, and know well. But on the other hand, it -believes that true science cannot require of the adept to despise the -truths that faith reveals. It is essential to the progress of humanity -that there should always be a good understanding between faith and -science. And accordingly the Reformation calls upon them to be united. -Unhappily, disagreement is possible and even easy. The philosopher and -the christian fall with great facility into a lamentable onesidedness, -which makes the former despise religion, and the latter science. In -order that faith and science should seek each other and unite, the moral -element should prevail in those who are engaged with both. If it is -weakened, religion easily produces fanatics, and science unbelievers: a -moral torpor, the sleep of conscience is in every age the great and only -explanation of these two lamentable errors. As soon as the conscience is -awakened, as soon as that holy light is kindled in man, there is no -longer any fanaticism or incredulity. Such were Calvin's thoughts. His -disciple Vernou endeavoured like himself to unite faith with science in -the university of Poitiers, and scattered among the youth who frequented -it (as history tells us) the seeds of Christian doctrine. - -Calvin's three missionaries, Babinot, Véron, and Vernou, were soon -famous throughout the west of France, and the wrath of the clergy of all -ranks, and even of laymen of note, knew no bounds. The college -professors hunted in their Homers for terms of abuse to heap on these -heralds of God's word. 'These three worthy apostles,' they said, 'are -the agents of the decrees of the arch-heretic Calvin and the firebrands -of France.... Look at them ... these are the men that want to reform the -world.... Wretched Thersites, miserable Irus, Ithacan beggars ... who -set themselves up as the equals of Ajax and Achilles.... They were born -yesterday, like gourds, and yet they trace their genealogy, as if they -were descended from the apostles!' Ulysses, as we know, killed the -beggar Irus with a blow of his fist. These disdainful and bitter critics -remembered this, and hoped that the kings of France would give a -death-blow to the Reform. They dealt the blow, but protestantism was not -slain. - -When Calvin was subsequently settled at Geneva, Babinot, Véron, and -Vernou paid him a visit. They were delighted to find the Christian -professor surrounded with respect, and were never tired of listening to -him from whose lips they had heard at Poitiers the first words of life. -They did not, however, stay with him. Babinot and Véron returned to the -west of France to continue to propagate the Gospel there, which they did -until their death. As for Vernou, he was seized while crossing the -mountains of Savoy, and was burnt alive at Chambery, confessing Jesus -Christ his Saviour.[133] Let us return to Poitiers. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN LEAVES POITIERS.] - -The prior of Trois-Moutiers, with whom Calvin was staying, was one of -those who, though fond of learning and the Gospel, did not wish to break -with the Church. The conversations at the Basses-Treilles, the -'manducations' in the caves of St. Benedict, the evangelisation of the -city and country ... all made him uneasy. He was alarmed at the thought -that the officers might knock at his door some day, and that the -_heretic_ would be taken in his house. He therefore advised Calvin to -continue his journey. The reformer had ended his task; he was now to -turn his steps elsewhere; he bade his friends farewell. As he left them, -he could say like his Master: _What will I, if the fire be already -kindled?_ Calvin established the date of the Reformation at Poitiers, -when, writing at a later period to the Church which assembled in that -city, he said: 'Do not go astray from the doctrine which you have -received _in part from us_, since it has pleased God to make use of _our -labour_ for your salvation.'[134] Although removed, he still continued -to be the director of that Church. 'I know full well that you are -_spied_ (guêtés) by the enemy,' he wrote to them; 'but let not the fear -of persecution hinder you from seeking the pastures of life.... There is -a middle line between temerity and timidity.... Remain tranquilly -(_coyement_) in your hiding-place; but beware, my brethren, that you do -not shut the door against those who desire to come to the kingdom of -God.'[135] - -One thought absorbed him at the time he left Poitiers. It was the month -of April 1534; on the 10th of July he would be twenty-five years old. A -regulation of the Church, confirmed by the Council of Trent, fixed this -as the age at which those who have received the tonsure were promoted to -the priesthood. In early youth he had received the tonsure, that symbol -of sacerdotal royalty, borrowed (St. Jerome tells us) from the pagan -priests of Isis and Serapis;[136] and his age now summoned him to enter -holy orders. He did not want for friends who advised him to remain in -the Church for its reformation; the chapel of Gesine at Noyon, and the -cure of Pont l'Evêque awaited him, and many other doors would open -before him. He was invited to come and put himself in due order. But -Calvin shrank in alarm from the idea of enrolling himself among the -pope's soldiers. 'If I make myself the pope's vassal,' he said, 'how can -I conscientiously fight against the papists?... The sovereign majesty of -God would be offended!... I would sooner give up not only one benefice, -but a hundred, even of the most brilliant.[137] O cursed wealth of the -Church! There is not a single penny of it that is not defiled with -cheating, sacrilege, and robbery!' There was no ecclesiastical dignity -to which a mind so preeminently administrative might not aspire. But -Calvin was convinced that to save the Church it was necessary to -sacrifice Rome. Two paths lay before him: one broad and easy, the other -narrow and difficult: his choice was not doubtful. 'The Gospel,' he -said, 'is more than all the riches, honour, and ease of this world.... I -am ready to give up everything that withdraws me from it.' - -Calvin left Poitiers, accompanied by his faithful Du Tillet, who for two -years scarcely ever quitted him. The young canon was one of those honest -but weak natures who have absolute need of a support, and who not -knowing how to find it in the word of God, seek it in strong men. He -therefore attached himself to the young reformer, as the vine to the -elm. Alas! the day was to come, when terrified by persecution, and -unable to make up his mind to break with the Church, he would cling to -the papacy and take that for his support. - -[Sidenote: IMPRESSION HE LEFT AT POITIERS.] - -A surprising transformation had been effected in Poitiers, and Calvin -left behind him many regrets and tears. 'Oh! would to God that we had -many Calvins!' wrote Charles de Ste. Marthe, one of the professors of -the university. 'I am distressed that you have been taken from us; I -envy the country where you are, and my only consolation is that our -university is now filled with pious and learned men. Pray to God that, -by the Spirit of Christ, we may worthily proclaim the Gospel, in the -midst of our enemies and even in the midst of the flames.'[138] - -Calvin passed through Orleans, went on to Paris, and then proceeded to -Noyon, where he arrived at the beginning of May. He immediately informed -his relations and the bishop that he had come to resign his benefices. -We may imagine the astonishment of his friends. What! let slip the -opportunity of doing so much good in the Church! Renounce important -offices to join an obscure sect! It seemed the act of a madman; but -nothing could bend his unshakeable resolution. - -On Monday, May 4, 1534, in the presence of the grand vicar of -Monseigneur the bishop and count of Noyon, of his chancellor, and of the -notary of the chapter, Calvin resigned the chapel of Gesine in favour of -Master Anthony de la Marlière, and his cure in favour of another -ecclesiastic of Noyon. It would even appear that he sold his patrimonial -property at the same time.[139] - -Having broken the last ties that bound him to the Roman Church, Calvin -began to speak with greater freedom to those around him of the Gospel. - -He had found in his father's house two brothers and a sister, Anthony, -Charles, and Mary: these were the first persons he invited to Christ, in -affectionate and pious conversations. He then turned to some members of -the episcopal clergy and other inhabitants of Noyon. He put his hand (to -use his own expression) on those who were running elsewhere, 'to stop -them short.' Anthony and Mary were the first to answer to him. Charles -resisted longer; he received however at that time a seed in his heart -which germinated afterwards. - -A canon, named Henry de Collemont, some other clergymen, and a few of -the citizens, appear to have lent an ear to the pious and eloquent words -of their young fellow-citizen. However, he was anxious to return to the -capital, and about the end of May he was in Paris, where fresh struggles -awaited him. - -[116] Théodore de Bèze, _Hist. des Eglises ref._ i. p. 63. - -[117] Lièvre, _Hist. des Protestants du Poitou_, i. p. 38. - -[118] 'Hic Calvino in ecclesiæ navi suæ perversa dogmata prædicare -permisit.'—_Gallia christiana_ in loco. See also Lièvre, p. 38. - -[119] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ vii. p. 919. - -[120] Ibid. - -[121] This family has reckoned, even to our own days, men decided for -the Gospel. The interview of Armand-Louis de St. George, Count of -Marsay, with Voltaire, in his château of Changins, near Geneva, is well -known. Appointed British resident in that city in 1717, he acquired the -rights of citizenship (_France Protestante_, under _Saint -George_). The present head of the family, Count Alexander de St. -George, for many years president of the Evangelical Society of Geneva, -took an active part in the liberation of the Madiai and in other -christian works. - -[122] 'Calvinus interim, ferrum sibi in igne esse intelligens.'—Flor. -Rémond, _Hist. Hérés_, ii. p. 253. - -[123] 'Ut miseris papistis oculos aperiendi provinciam -susceperint.'—Ibid. - -[124] Calvin, _Harmonie évangélique_. - -[125] 'Manducationem quæ a viro illo Dei tradita erat celebrabat.'—Flor. -Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 252. - -[126] Ibid. lib. vii. cap. xii. - -[127] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ vii. cap. xii. - -[128] Ibid. cap. xi. - -[129] Ibid. - -[130] Ibid. - -[131] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ lib. vii. cap. xi. - -[132] Ibid. cap. xi. - -[133] Crespin, _Martyrol._ A. Lièvre, _Hist. des Protest. du -Poitou_. - -[134] Calvin à l'Eglise de Poitiers, _Lettres Françaises_, tom. ii. -p. 12. See also Lièvre, _Hist. des Prot. du Poitou_, tom. i. p. 33. - -[135] Calvin aux fidèles de Poitiers, _Lettres Françaises_, i. p. -433. - -[136] 'Rasis capitibus sicut sacerdotis Isidis atque Serapidis.'—Hieron. -xiii. _in Ezech._ cap. xliv. - -[137] 'Optimis et splendidis sacerdotiis, se protinus abdicat.'—Calvini -_Opusc. lat._ p. 90. - -[138] Lettre de Ste Marthe à Calvin, found by Jules Bonnet in the -library at Gotha (MSS. no. 404). - -[139] Desmay, _Vie de Calvin hérésiarque_, pp. 48, 49. Levasseur, -_Annales de Noyon_, pp. 1161, 1168. Drelincourt, p. 171. We possess -a deed by which Calvin sells to one of the king's mounted sergeants his -field of the Tuilerie for the sum of 10 livres tournois. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - THE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS OF PARIS IN 1534. - (SUMMER 1534.) - - -[Sidenote: PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL IN FRANCE.] - -Calvin found Paris very different from what he had left it, when he had -quitted it in such great haste eight months before. The times seemed -favourable to the Gospel. The King of England, although remaining -catholic at heart, had resolved to emancipate himself from the dominion -of Rome: this event had created a great sensation throughout Europe, and -men asked whether Francis I. would not imitate 'his good brother.' He -did not seem far from it. At that time he was uniting with the -protestant princes of Germany, he was restoring one of them to his -states, and laying before the French clergy articles of faith drawn up -by the author of the _Confession of Augsburg_. Calvin knew of these -strange acts of the monarch, and it was partly this which had induced -him to return to Paris. Francis I. was not the only person in France who -felt new aspirations. There was in all classes a leaning towards a -reformation. The learned called for liberty of thought, and desired to -see the reign of the monks come to an end. Certain statesmen wished to -deliver France from the enslaving influence of Rome, even while -maintaining its catholicity. William du Bellay, the king's most active -minister, called Bucer the reformer, 'an excellent professor of the best -theology;'[140] and wrote to him: 'Everything bids us be hopeful: the -king's taste for a better learning (that is, for the Holy Scriptures) -increases day by day.'[141] Bucer himself, who was full of hope, -communicated it to his friends: 'The pope's reign is falling very low in -France,' he wrote, 'and many people long for Jesus Christ.'[142] The -clergy became uneasy, and a Franciscan friar complained that 'the heresy -of Luther having entered France, had already covered so much ground, as -almost to call itself her mistress, even in Paris.'[143] Noblemen and -men of letters, citizens, students, and many of the lower classes hailed -the Reformation as the commencement of a new day. 'All who have any -sense,' it was said, 'whatever be their age or sex, when they hear the -truth preached, forsake bigotry.' - -Such were the circumstances under which Calvin came to reside in Paris -at the house of his friend La Forge, at the sign of the _Pelican_, in -the Rue St. Martin. The pious tradesman and his wife received him with -the most cordial hospitality, and fearing lest he should again expose a -life so precious to the Church, they conjured him not to trust too much -to what was said about the king's disposition, and to beware of teaching -in public, if he would not risk his life.[144] The flame of persecution -which appeared extinct, might break out again at any moment. - -[Sidenote: MARTYRDOM OF POINTET.] - -One martyrdom, of which he was told all the particulars, was well -calculated to enforce these rules of prudence. Calvin did not find in -Paris that strong and decided christian, Pointet the surgeon, whom he -had often seen at the meetings.[145] The monks, whom this bold man had -reprimanded so soundly for their immoralities, had raised a clamour -against him; Leclerc, the priest of St. André-des-Arts, had prosecuted -him; he had been imprisoned in the Conciergerie and condemned to be -burnt after being strangled. This was paying very dearly for the lessons -of morality he had given the friars. Before the hour of execution, the -gaoler had taken him into the prison chapel, and left him there with a -monk before an image. The confessor began to exhort him: 'Kneel down -before that image and ask pardon for your sins.' Seeing that his -penitent remained motionless, he seized him by the neck to force him -upon his knees. But Pointet, who was naturally of a 'violent temper,' -thrust the monk back roughly, saying: 'Satan, begone, and do not tempt -me to turn idolater.' The confused and exasperated confessor ran hastily -out of the chapel, and going to the criminal chamber told the president -and his two assessors what had passed, and begged them to come and bring -the man to reason. 'He is a madman, he is out of his senses,' exclaimed -the magistrates, as they accompanied the confessor. These three -individuals, who had just condemned Pointet to be strangled, having -repeated the invitation which the monk had given him, the prisoner, who -was annoyed by this persecution, treated them as he had treated the -monk; he called them 'bloodthirsty wretches, murderers, robbers, who -unjustly and against all reason put to death the children of God!' The -three judges, excited and terrified in their turn, hurried back to the -court, and there, heated by passion, they increased the severity of the -sentence, adding that Pointet should have his tongue cut out before -anything else was done to him. Had not that tongue called them -murderers? It was hoped that he would now show himself more tractable, -but they were mistaken. The steadfast christian could not speak, but he -refused to make the least sign of recantation, and to bend his head -before an image. The enemies of truth (as the chronicle styles them) -seeing this, had recourse to a fresh aggravation of the sentence: they -condemned him to be burnt alive, 'which was done as cruelly as they -could devise.' This death produced a deep impression on the minds of the -evangelical christians of Paris.[146] - -Calvin, yielding to the representations of his friends, resolved to -substitute 'private admonitions' for preaching at the assemblies, and -began by visiting the humble christians whom he had heard spoken of at -La Forge's. - -[Sidenote: THE PARALYTIC.] - -In the street which lay between the two gates of the law courts, there -was a shoemaker's shop. On entering it, no one was seen but a poor -hunchback, crippled in all his limbs, except the tongue and the arms. -This paralytic creature was the shoemaker's son, and by name -Bartholomew. 'Alas!' said his father, Robert Milon, to those who -expressed their compassion at the sight, 'he was not always so; he was -quite another person in his youth, endowed with excellent gifts both of -body and mind.'[147] In fact, Bartholomew was once the handsomest man of -the parish, very clever, and full of liveliness and imagination. He had -abused these gifts; he had followed his impassioned disposition, and had -launched into life, indulging in all the lusts of youth, in foolish -amours and other kinds of irregularities with which young folks -willingly defile themselves. Continually carried away by his impetuous -temper, he equally courted pleasures and quarrels, he rushed into the -midst of the strife as soon as any discussion arose, and displayed -unparalleled temerity in all his disputes. He got up balls and concerts, -despised the things of God, turned the priests into ridicule, and -laughed at pious men. Everybody in the quarter talked about Berthelot -(as he was called) and of his exploits; some with admiration, others -with fear. All the young men looked up to him as their leader. - -[Sidenote: MILON'S CONVERSION] - -One day, while giddily indulging in his ordinary diversions, he met with -a fall and broke his ribs. As he would not apply any remedy, the -mischief grew worse; the various parts of his body 'died little by -little,' and he was entirely paralysed. What a change in his life! Poor -Bartholomew, who had been so proud of his beauty, now weak, brokendown, -deprived of the use of his limbs, unable any more to associate with his -friends, was obliged to keep in his father's shop all day long. He was -deeply distressed, not only by the severe pains he suffered, but more by -the sight of his deformity. Sitting near the window, he had no other -amusement than to watch the passers-by, and his temper being still the -same, or rather soured by his misfortunes, he was not sparing of his -sarcasms. One day, seeing one of the evangelicals passing before the -shop, he began to insult him, and 'to scoff at the terrible majesty of -God.'—'Holloa! Lutheran!' he called out, adding all sorts of taunts. The -christian stopped; he was touched when he saw the pitiful condition of -the wretched individual who insulted him, and going up to him, said -affectionately: 'Poor man, why do you mock at the passers-by? Do you not -see that God has _bent your body in this way in order to straighten your -soul_?'[148] These simple words struck Milon: he had never thought that -his _soul_ was _bent_ as well as his body. 'Can it be true,' he asked, -'that God has made these misfortunes fall upon me, in order to reform -his misguided creature?' He lent an ear to the Lutheran, who spoke with -him, and gave him a New Testament, saying: 'Look at this book, and a few -days hence you will tell me what you think of it.' Milon took the -Gospel, opened it, and having begun, says the chronicler, 'to taste the -fruit of this reading, he continued at it night and day.' This little -volume was enough for him: he had no need of any teacher. The sword of -the Word of God pierced to the bottom of his heart, and his past life -terrified him. But the gospel consoled him: 'It was to him like a loud -trumpet sounding the praise of the grace of Christ.' Milon found the -Saviour: 'Mercy has been shown me,' he said, 'in order that the love of -God which pardons the greatest sinners, should be placed as on a hill, -and be seen by all the world.' He had now a curb that restrained him, -and prevented him from 'indulging in abuse, quarrels, bickerings, -squabbles and contentions.' The wolf had become a lamb. Bartholomew -imparted the riches he had found in the book of God to his father, to -the other members of his family, and to all the customers who visited -the shoemaker's shop. There was not a room in Paris that offered a -spectacle at once so interesting and so varied. - -Bartholomew's christian charity became as inexhaustible as his worldly -skill had once been fertile in inventing amusements. He devoted entirely -to God the restless activity which he had lavished on the world. At -certain hours of the day, the poor young man, 'unequalled in the art of -writing,' would collect the children of the neighbourhood round his bed -and dictate to them a few words of the Bible, teaching them how to form -their letters properly. At other times he thought of the necessities of -the poor, and laboured diligently with his own hands: 'etching with -aquafortis on knives, daggers, and sword-blades,' he executed many -unusual things for the goldsmiths. He spent the proceeds of his labour -in supporting several needy persons who possessed a knowledge of the -Gospel. He had also a fine voice, and played on several instruments -'with singular grace;' accordingly, every morning and evening he -consecrated to the praise of the Lord those gifts which he had formerly -dedicated to pleasure, accompanying himself as he sang psalms and -spiritual songs. People came from all quarters to this shop, which was -situated in the centre of Paris: some came 'by reason of the excellent -and rare things he did;' others 'visited him to hear his singing.' A -large number were attracted by the great and sudden change that had -taken place in him. 'If God has bestowed these gifts on me,' said the -poor paralytic, 'it is to the end that His glory should be magnified in -me.' He meekly taught the humble to receive the Gospel, and if any -hypocrites presented themselves, 'he took them aside, and launched on -them the thunderbolts of God.' 'In short,' adds the chronicler, 'his -room was a true school of piety, day and night, re-echoing with the -glory of the Lord.' - -[Sidenote: DU BOURG AND VALETON.] - -At some distance from this spot, but near De la Forge's, at the entrance -of the Rue St. Denis, at the corner of the boulevard, was a large -draper's shop, the _Black Horse_, belonging to John du Bourg. This -tradesman was a man of independent character, who liked to see, to -understand, and to judge for himself: he had never frequented the -schools or even had much conversation with the evangelicals, but for all -that, says the chronicle, he had not been denied the wisdom from heaven. -By means of the Holy Scriptures, which he read constantly, and in which -he humbly sought the truth, he had received from God the knowledge of -those 'glad tidings which (as it was said) the wise cannot obtain by -their own wisdom.' Forthwith he had begun to spread it around him with -an unwearying activity, which astonished his neighbours. 'That ardour, -which makes a great show at the beginning,' said some of his relatives, -'will soon end in smoke, like a fire of tow as the proverb says.' They -were mistaken; the Word had sunk into his heart, and taken such deep -root there, that it could not be plucked out. The priests had intrigued, -kinsfolk had clamoured, and customers had deserted him, but 'neither -money nor kindred could ever turn him aside from the truth.'[149] - -While his old friends were growing distant, new ones were drawing near -him. A receiver of Nantes, Peter Valeton by name, was often seen -entering his shop. Like Du Bourg, he was 'a man of sense and credit,' -but while the tradesman had been instructed in solitude by the Holy -Ghost, the receiver had come to a knowledge of the Gospel 'by means of -some good people with whom he associated,'[150] and then the study of -the New Testament had confirmed his faith. He did not stop here. Being -in easy circumstances, and fond of books, he bought all the writings of -the reformers he could procure. If there was one in any bookseller's -back shop, he would catch it up, pay for it instantly, hide it under his -cloak, for fear the volume should be seen, and hurry home with it. On -reaching his room, he would place it at the bottom of a large chest or -trunk, the key of which he always carried with him. Then as soon as he -had a spare moment, he would close his door, reopen the chest, take out -the precious book, and read it eagerly. He listened if any person was -coming, for though he was a faithful soul, he was still weak in the -faith, and was afraid of the stake. - -All these pious men joyfully welcomed those who showed any love for the -Gospel. There was sometimes present at their meetings a Picard -gentleman, by name John le Comte, belonging to the household of the -Amirale de Bonnivet, widow of the celebrated favourite of Francis I. He -was born at Etaples in 1500, had attached himself to Lefèvre, his -fellow-townsman, followed him into Briçonnet's service, and only left -him to enter Madame de Bonnivet's family, as tutor to her three sons. -Constantly attending the meetings of the little Church, he often spoke -at them, and every one appreciated his knowledge of Scripture (he could -read them in Hebrew), his sound theology, and his talent in expounding -the truth. We shall meet with him again in Switzerland. - -[Sidenote: GIULIO CAMILLO.] - -Another rather singular person attracted the attention of the assembly -by his dark complexion, his gloomy look, and mysterious air. He was a -celebrated Italian, Giulio Camillo of Forli (in the States of the -Church), philosopher, orator, poet, astrologer, philologist, and -mythologist, of great skill in the cabalistic science,[151] who -pretended to hold intercourse with the elementary beings, and had -laboured forty years in constructing a machine in the form of a theatre, -full of little niches, in which he lodged all our faculties and many -other things besides, and by means of which he pretended to teach all -the sciences. Francis I. having invited him to Paris, Camillo exhibited -to him, and explained, his wonderful machine, at which the king was -delighted, and gave him 500 ducats. Although taciturn and dreamy, he -courted the society of pious men. Paleario speaks of him in his -letters,[152] and he became intimate in Paris with Sturm, who willingly -received into his house the learned of all countries. The latter was -charmed to see a scholar, invited from Italy by the king, and of whom -all the world was talking, inclining towards the Gospel; and one day, -writing to Bucer, he said: 'Camillo professes not only profound science -but admirable piety also.... God often does something by means of men of -this sort; who, when their will is equal to their means, become great -patterns.'[153] Camillo knocked at the door and came in while Sturm was -writing. Sturm showed him the letter, and the Italian wrote at the foot: -'Would to God that my mind were in my hands, or that it could flow from -my pen!... If you could see it you would certainly recognise it as your -own.'[154] It would appear that Camillo was deceived. He was a man of -original mind, desirous of learning everything new, including the -Reformation; but there was some quackery in him. If his famous machine -did nothing for the progress of science, it advanced his fortunes, which -was a compensation in his eyes. Calvin was less pleased with him than -Sturm; the eagle eye of the reformer was not deceived. The Italian's -gloomy air seemed to hide some unbelief or heresy. 'If spiritual joy -reign not in our hearts,' he said, 'the kingdom of God is not in -us.'[155] - -Many other well-known persons visited the friends of the Gospel in -Paris; among them were Des Fosset, afterwards lieutenant-general of -Berry, Jacques Canaye, subsequently a famous advocate before the -parliament, besides other lawyers, noblemen, royal servants, tradesmen, -and professors. Persecution made them known, and we shall have to name -many of them among the exiles and martyrs.[156] - -Besides these adult laymen, a number of scholars or students was -observed at the evangelical meetings. Among them was a boy of Melun, -Jacques Amyot by name, 'of very low origin,' says Beza, picked up in the -streets of Paris by a lady, who, wishing to turn him to account, made -him attend her sons to college and carry their books. Amyot, who was to -be one of the most celebrated writers of the age, soon showed a -wonderful aptitude for Greek literature; he had even learnt to know -something of the Gospel. He was to change hereafter, to take orders, to -forget what he had learnt, and even to become 'a very wretched -persecutor;'[157] but at this time he was considered to be a friend of -the new doctrine. - -It was the common people, however, that were most numerous at these -conventicles. One of them, Henry Poille, a poor bricklayer from a -village near Meaux, told a friend one day 'that he had come to a -knowledge of the truth in the school of Meaux, thanks to Bishop -Briçonnet. Alas!' he added, 'the bishop has been overcome since then by -the enemies of the cross.' - -Even the most necessitous persons were active in good works. A poor -woman named Catelle had turned school-mistress out of love for children. -'It would be too cruel a thing,' she said, 'to exclude those of tender -age from God's grace!' - -But of all these evangelical christians of Paris no one had more zeal -than De la Forge. 'He never spared his goods for the poor,' says the -chronicler.[158] He had the Bible printed at his own expense, and along -with the alms which he distributed he would always add a kind word, and -often a Gospel or some other pious book. - -[Sidenote: A CHARACTERISTIC OF CALVIN.] - -Calvin was not however equally pleased with everything in Paris. He -willingly recognised the beauty of the city, but was terrified at seeing -fearful abysses and (as he called them) 'the depths of hell' side by -side with its magnificent palaces. He felt 'extreme sadness' at the -sight. An immense movement was then being accomplished all over the -world. As the sun of spring brings up the seed sown in the earth—the -tares as well as the good seed—the sun of liberty that was beginning to -shine quickened not only the germs of truth, but sometimes also those of -error. Calvin's soul was deeply grieved at this; but he did not stand -still. He had received from God the call to oppose all false doctrines, -and was preparing to do so. This is one of the main features of his -character. To the very last he combated the pride of those who wish to -know everything; the rage for subtleties, mystical pretensions, -immorality, unitarian doctrines, the deism which denies the -supernatural, and the pantheistic and atheistic theories. In Paris he -met with all these aberrations. His principal means of combating error -was to put forward the truth; yet he thought it useful sometimes to have -conversations and even conferences with his adversaries, of which we -shall see some examples. - -[140] 'Melioris theologiæ professor eximius.'—Strasburg MS. (June 20, -1534). - -[141] 'Etiam rex ipse, cujus animus erga meliores litteras in dies magis -ac magis augetur.'—Ibid. - -[142] 'Pulchre inclinabat regnum Papæ in Gallia. Ad Christum multi -adspirabant.'—Ibid. - -[143] 'S'y était fait place déjà fort large, jusqu'à presque se dire -maitresse, mêmement de Paris.'—Fontaine, _Hist. cath. de notre -Temps_, (Paris) p. 188. - -[144] 'Magnum vitæ periculum.'—Beza, _Vita Calvini_. - -[145] See Vol. II. of this History, bk. ii. chap. xxxii. - -[146] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 107 verso. - -[147] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 112 verso. - -[148] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 113. - -[149] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 113 verso. - -[150] Ibid. p. 113. - -[151] Tiraboschi, _Lettere italiane_, vii. p. 315. - -[152] Palearii _Op._ lib. i. ep. xvii. - -[153] 'Per ejuscemodi homines, sæpe Deus aliquid facit, qui quum quantum -possunt tantum velint, magno solent esse exemplo.'—Strasburg MS. -Schmidt, _G. Roussel_, p. 220. - -[154] 'Utinam animus esset nunc in manibus atque in calamo.'—Ibid. - -[155] Calvin, _in_ _I. Epist. ad Thessal._ - -[156] See below, chap. xi. - -[157] Th. de Bèze, _Dict. Eccles._ p. 11. _France protestante_, art. -_Amyot_. - -[158] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 113. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - CALVIN'S FIRST RELATIONS WITH THE LIBERTINES AND SERVETUS. - (SUMMER 1534.) - - -De La Forge willingly received all pious strangers visiting Paris. One -day Calvin saw at his friend's table certain individuals who, he -fancied, had something singular about them. His eyes were fixed on them -and he tried to make them out. One of them, named Coppin, from Lille, a -man of the people and of no education, but with boldness greater than -his ignorance, raised his voice, affected a sententious style, and spoke -like an oracle. 'Verily,' said Calvin, 'a fool never has any doubts.' A -little farther on sat Quintin from Hainault, who seemed to have more -education, and certainly more cunning. He assumed airs of superiority, -an imposing tone of voice, and expressing himself ambiguously, gave -himself the air of a prophet. 'The latter seems to me a big rogue,' said -Calvin of him.[159] Quintin was usually accompanied by a few disciples, -ignorant and fanatical persons who repeated all he said; they were -Bertrand des Moulins, Claude Perceval, and others. These bold and -adventurous sectarians having nothing and never working, looked out -wherever they went for some good-natured person who would keep them in -their idleness by supplying them with victuals and drink. They crept -into the house by meek enticing ways, making no display at first of -their particular doctrines, reserving these for the initiated only. They -strove to win over all who listened to them, and to that end spoke -continually of the Holy Ghost, and tried to make men believe that they -were His apostles. Simple souls allowed themselves to be caught. They -would have believed they had committed the unpardonable sin, if they had -not looked upon these people as saints. - -[Sidenote: THE SPIRITUALS OR LIBERTINES.] - -One day when there was a large party at De la Forge's, Quintin began to -publish his doctrines. Whatever was the subject of conversation, the -_spirit_ immediately appeared. Calvin lost all patience: 'You are like -those country priests,' he said, 'who, having but one image in their -church, make it serve for five or six saints. He is either St. James, or -St. Francis, or St. Basil, and the priest receives as many offerings as -there are saints.'[160] Sometimes, however, these 'spirituals,' as they -were called, betrayed themselves, and let their fanatical opinions slip -out. 'There are not many spirits,' said Quintin, 'there is only one -spirit of God, who is and lives in all creatures. It is this sole spirit -which does everything;[161] man has no will, no more than if he were a -stone.'[162] - -Such language surprised Calvin. He examined the strange prophets, and -discovered several capital errors in them. 'The Holy Spirit is our -reason,' said some, 'and that Spirit teaches us that there is neither -condemnation nor hell.'—'The soul,' said others, 'is material and -mortal.'—'God is everything,' said Quintin, 'and everything is God.' -Immoral doctrines were combined with this system. Calvin's conscience -was terrified: he had risen up for the purpose of destroying a -worm-eaten framework that men had built round the temple of God, and now -rash hands were presuming to destroy the temple itself. He wished to -destroy the superstitious traditions of so many ages, only to set the -Divine truths of the apostolic times in their place; and all of a sudden -he found himself face to face with men who desired no other God but -nature, and would change the world into a vast wilderness. Calvin did -not separate from Rome in order to be less christian, but to be more so. -He resolved, therefore, to attack those who under the cloak of -Protestantism suppress the mysteries of faith; to combat with the same -severity both pope and sectarians, and if he undertook to destroy the -fables of men, he would try still more to preserve the revelations of -God. Had not Luther cried out when speaking of these would-be -spirituals: 'It is the devil who seeks to turn you aside from the -truth.... Turn your backs upon the drivellers!'[163] Various -circumstances which were then taking place under Calvin's eyes, made him -understand more clearly the necessity of opposing these threatening -doctrines with the utmost energy. - -[Sidenote: A MURDER AND A THEFT.] - -One day a man had been murdered in the streets of Paris; a great crowd -had gathered round his body, and a pious Christian exclaimed: 'Alas! who -has committed this crime?' Quintin, who was there also, made answer -immediately, in his Picard _patois_: 'Since you want to know, it was -_me_!' The other said to him with surprise: 'What! could you be such a -coward?' 'It was not me, it was God.' 'What!' exclaimed the man, 'you -impute to God a crime which He punishes?' Then the wretched man, -'discharging his poison more copiously,' continued: 'Yes, it's thee, -it's me, it's God; for what thee or me does, it is God who does it; and -what God does, we do.'[164] Another analogous circumstance occurred in -the house of Calvin's friend. De la Forge had a servant to whom he paid -high wages; this man robbed his master, and ran away with the money. A -shoemaker of the neighbourhood, who held Quintin's opinions, having gone -to the shop the same day, found the tradesman very uneasy: 'The man who -has committed such a base action,' he said, 'might easily take advantage -of my credit, and borrow in my name.' Whereupon, as Calvin relates, the -shoemaker immediately began to flap his wings, and was up into the -clouds, exclaiming: 'It is blaspheming God to call this action base; ... -seeing that God does everything, we ought to reckon nothing bad.' Some -days later, this philosopher was himself robbed by a servant. -Immediately forgetting all his spiritual knowledge, he rushed out of the -house 'like a madman,' to search after the thief, and on reaching De la -Forge's, was lavish of his abuse against the culprit. De la Forge -ironically repeated to him his own words: 'But you accuse God,' he said, -'since it is He who did it.' The shoemaker sneaked of abashed, 'like a -dog with his tail between his legs.'[165] - -[Sidenote: FALSE LIBERTY OF THE SPIRITUALS.] - -Calvin began the contest. It was not with philosophy, or speculation, or -apologetics, that he fought these pretended spiritualists. 'God,' said -he, 'enlightens us sufficiently in Scripture; it is our want of knowing -them thoroughly that is the cause and source of all errors.'[166] He -attacked Quintin and pressed him hard. He quoted the commandments of God -against theft and murder: 'You call God impure,' he said, 'a thief and a -robber,[167] and you add that there is no harm in it.[168] Who, I pray, -has condemned impurity, theft, murder, if God has not?'... Quintin, who -was generally very liberal with passages from Scripture, answered with a -smile: 'We are not subject to the letter which killeth, but to the -Spirit which giveth life.... The Bible contains allegories, myths which -the Holy Spirit explains to us.'[169] 'You make your Scripture a nose of -wax,' said Calvin, 'and play with it, as if it were a ball.'[170]—'You -find fault with my language because you do not understand it,' said -Quintin.—'I understand it a little better than you do yourself,' -retorted Calvin; 'and I see pretty plainly that you desire to mislead -(_embabouiner_) the world by absurd and dangerous trifling.' - -The 'spirituals' were by turns protestant or catholic as suited them. -Their manner of seeing accorded very well with their pantheism, and they -would have been quite as much at their ease among the Hindoos and the -Turks. This broadness, which misled the moderate party, offended Calvin. -One day, when Quintin said with unction: 'I am just come from a solemn -mass, celebrated by a cardinal.... I have seen the glory of -God,'[171]—'I understand you,' said Calvin, rather coarsely; 'in your -opinion, a canon ought to continue in his luxury, and a monk in his -convent, like a pig in a sty.'[172] - -The pantheists made proselytes. 'By dint of intrigue and flattery, they -attracted the simple ignorant poor, whom they made as lazy as -themselves.' They tried to make way with the learned and the great, and -even to creep into the hearts of princes. Their high pretensions to -spirituality staggered weak minds, and the convenient principle by which -every man ought to remain in the Church to which he belonged, even were -it sunk in error, made timid and irresolute characters lean to their -side. A priest, who had become Quintin's head champion, succeeded in -deceiving the excellent Bucer by means of the false appearance he put -on; and ten years later, an elect soul, Margaret, was dazzled and -deceived by their hypocritical spirituality. About 4,000 were led astray -in France. - -Calvin was not one of those individuals 'who remain in doubt and -suspense;' from the very first he detected pantheism and materialism -under the veils with which these men sought from time to time to conceal -their errors, and boldly pointed them out. His uprightness and frankness -presented a very striking contrast to their dissimulation and cunning. -'They turn their cloak inside out at every moment,' he said, 'so that -you do not know where to hold them. One of the principal articles of -their creed is that men ought to counterfeit, whilst even the heathens -have said "that it is better to be a lion than a fox."'[173] - -He found that their doctrines were impious and revolutionary. To -confound God with the world was (he thought) to take from the world the -living personal God who is present in the midst of us; and consequently -to expose not only the Reformation and Christianity but the whole social -system to utter ruin. The conduct of these pretended 'spirituals' was -already sufficient in his eyes to characterise and condemn their system. -'What has metamorphosed Quintin and his companions from tailors into -teachers,' said Calvin, 'is that, preferring to be well fed and at their -ease to working, they find it convenient to gain their living by -prating, as priests and monks do by chanting.'[174] - -It was not until later that Calvin wrote his excellent treatise against -the libertines;[175] but, says Theodore Beza, 'it was then (during his -stay in Paris) that he first encountered those teachers who revived in -our times the detestable sect of the Carpocratians, abolishing all -difference between good and evil.'[176] He encountered a probably still -more dangerous doctrine. - -[Sidenote: SERVETUS.] - -About that time a stranger, whose proceedings were rather mysterious, -used to appear at rare intervals in the little circles of Paris. Many -persons spoke highly of him. They said, he could not be reproached with -any immoral tendencies, while his subtle understanding, his brilliant -genius, his profound knowledge of natural science, and his fiery -imagination, seemed as if they would make him one of the most surprising -and influential leaders of the epoch. This was Michael Servetus, a man -of the same age as Calvin. Born at Villenueva in Arragon, he had studied -the law at Toulouse, and afterwards published a daring work entitled, -_On the Errors of the Trinity_. He put himself forward as a teacher of -truth and a thorough reformer. The great mysteries of faith were to give -way to a certain pantheism, enveloped in mystical and Sabellian forms. -It was not Roman-catholicism alone which he desired to reform, but the -evangelical reformation also, substituting for its scriptural and -practical character a philosophic and rationalistic tendency. - -In order to accomplish this transformation of protestantism, Servetus -began by associating with the reformers of German Switzerland and of -Germany. Œcolampadius, having examined him, declared that he could not -count him a christian unless he acknowledged the Son as partaking -through all eternity of the real Godhead of the Father. Melanchthon was -alarmed at hearing his doctrines: 'His imagination is confused,' he -said; 'his ideas are obscure. He possesses many marks of a fanatical -spirit.[177] He raves on the subjects of Justification and the -Trinity.... O God! what tragedies this question will occasion among our -posterity!'[178] - -We may easily understand the painful impression Servetus made on these -two men, the most tolerant of the sixteenth century. He was, as we have -said, a mystic rationalist; but rationalism and protestantism, which -many persons confound together, are two opposite poles. Nothing excited -the indignation of the reformers more than this pride of human reason -which pretends unaided to explain God, and to accomplish without his -help the moral renovation of man. The Spanish doctor, finding himself -thus rejected by the German divines, quitted those parts sore vexed and -exclaiming: 'May the Lord confound all the tyrants of the Church! -Amen.'[179] He went to Paris under the name of Michael de Villeneuve. - -Servetus had an object in going to France. If he succeeded in planting -his standard in that mighty country, near that university which had been -for so many ages the queen of intelligence, his triumph (he thought) -would be secure. He willingly left Germany to the Germans. That French -nation which has the prerogative of universality, which succeeds in -everything, which is so intelligent, so frank, so communicative, so -practical and so active—he will select to be the organ of the second -Reformation. Servetus thought the French reformers more daring than -those of Saxony. He had heard of a young doctor of great ability, who -desired to carry the reform farther than Luther, and he thought he had -found his man. But he was mistaken; that man was far above his empty -theories. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN AND SERVETUS ON THE TRINITY.] - -Calvin could not and would not have any other God than Him who gives us -life, who has ransomed us, and who sanctifies us—the Father, God above -us; the Son, God for us; the Holy Ghost, God in us. This threefold -relation with God, which Scripture revealed to him and which entirely -satisfied his inward longings, forced him to recognise a _difference_ in -God; but on the other hand, _unity_ being essential to the Deity, he was -bound to maintain it at any cost, and he thus felt himself constrained -to embrace the idea of a divine Trinity. Against this doctrine Servetus -levelled his bitterest sarcasms. The Spaniard rejected what he -denominated an 'imaginary Trinity;' he called those who believed in it -'tritheists,' or even atheists, and abused them in coarse language. -'Jesus is man,' he said; 'the Godhead was communicated to Him by grace, -but He is not God by nature. The Father alone is God in that -sense.'[180] He invited Calvin to a conference; puffed up and charmed -with his own system, he fancied himself certain to convince the -reformer, and flattered himself with the hope of making him his -fellow-labourer. - -The task was not an easy one. The object of the Reformation was to raise -a spiritual temple, wherein troubled souls might find a refuge; and -Calvin saw rash hands presuming to make it a receptacle for every error, -and, in his own energetic language, 'a den for murdering souls.' He -stood forth, therefore, to maintain the apostolic doctrine, and -contended that Christ, who called himself the _only_ Son of God, was a -_son_, not like believers, in consequence of adoption; not like the -angels, because of their communion with the Lord; but in the proper -sense: and that if the son of a man has the nature of a man like his -father, Jesus, the only Son of God, has in like manner the nature of -God. - -It was a question that seriously occupied many minds at this period. -Servetus did not stand alone; other doctors, as Hetzer, Denck, Campanus, -and Joris, had professed analogous errors. One universal cry was heard -among the reformers when they saw Christ's divinity attacked. -Luther had declared that 'this little spark would cause a great -conflagration;'[181] Zwingle had demanded that 'this false, wicked, and -pernicious doctrine' should be opposed by every means;[182] and even the -moderate Bucer, forgetting his christian gentleness, had gone so far as -to declare from the pulpit that 'a man like Servetus deserved to have -his bowels plucked out and his body torn to pieces.'[183] Calvin -resolved to accept Servetus's invitation. These two young men, born in -the same year, gifted each of them with marvellous genius, unshakeable -in their convictions, are about to enter the lists. What blows they will -deal each other! What a struggle! Which will come off conqueror? If -Luther, Zwingle, and Bucer are so animated, what will Calvin be? He was -the one who showed the most moderate sentiments with regard to Servetus. -Alas! why did he not continue so to the last? 'I will do all in my power -to cure Servetus,' he said.[184] 'If I show myself in public, I know -that I expose my life; but I will spare no pains to bring him to such -sentiments, that _all pious men may be able to take him affectionately -by the hand_.'[185] Justice requires that we should take account of -these feelings of Calvin with regard to Servetus. - -[Sidenote: A DISCUSSION APPOINTED.] - -The discussion was therefore resolved upon, and a certain number of -friends were invited to be present. The time and place were settled, and -when the day arrived, Calvin quitted De la Forge's house, and, -proceeding down the Rue St. Martin to the Rue St. Antoine, found himself -at the appointed hour at a house in this latter street, which had been -selected for the colloquy. Servetus had not come, and Calvin waited for -him; still the Spaniard did not appear, and the Frenchman was patient. -What was the cause of his delay? Had Lieutenant-criminal Morin obtained -information of the meeting, and was he preparing to catch the two young -leaders by one cast of his net? After waiting for some time to no -purpose, Calvin withdrew.[186] Servetus, who lived as a catholic in the -midst of catholics, and made no scruple of taking part in the worship of -the Roman church, probably feared that a public discussion with Calvin -would make him known, and expose him to serious danger.[187] - -Servetus's challenge was not however without consequences. He had called -Calvin into the lists, he had made him the champion of the doctrine of -the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the opportunity of answering this -challenge occurred twenty years later at Geneva. If the struggle had -then been confined to a learned discussion between these two great -minds, it would have been right enough; Servetus himself had challenged -it. But the ideas of the times, from which Calvin (even while seeking a -relaxation in the form) could not free himself, led to one of those -distressing calamities, so frequent during a long series of ages in the -annals of Rome, but of which, God be thanked! there is only this one -instance in those of the Reformation. - -Calvin did not fight only with the tongue: he was then hurrying on the -printing of his first theological work. It was the book written against -those who said 'that the soul was only the motion of the lungs, and that -if it had been endowed with immortality at the creation, it had been -deprived of it by the fall.'[188] 'Let us put down those people,' he -said, 'who murder souls without appearing to inflict any wounds:' and -with this view he had composed a work on the _Immortality of the Soul_, -the title given it in a letter he wrote to Fabri.[189] It is to be -regretted that he afterwards substituted the rather awkward one of -_Psychopannychia_, 'the night or sleep of the soul;' as the first -indicates the subject more clearly. At the same time also he combated -the opinion of those 'good men,' as he calls them,[190] who believed -that the soul slept until the judgment-day. The first edition of this -work, which bears the date of Paris 1534, came out probably immediately -after Calvin had left that city or shortly before his departure. - -[Sidenote: CHARACTER OF CALVIN'S DIVINITY.] - -This work gave him a place apart in the ranks of the reformers. In this -his earliest theological treatise he displayed the character that -distinguished him, and which those who surrounded him had already been -able to recognise in his conversations. His theology would not be -negative, but on the contrary exceedingly positive. His first work does -not combat the errors of Rome. He stands forth as the defender of the -soul, the advocate of christian spiritualism. He will be, as a great -historian has said, 'the man called to build the Lord's citadel, of -which Luther had laid the foundation.'[191] The force of conviction, the -weight of proof, the power with which he employed the Scriptures, the -simplicity and clearness of style, struck every reader. We shall not -speak here of Calvin as a writer: we have done so elsewhere.[192] There -might, however, be discerned in this work a defect of which Calvin never -entirely cured himself: it contained energetic disdain and bitter -invective. He saw this himself; he did more, he moderated these -expressions in a second edition. 'I said certain things in it,' he -wrote, referring to the first, 'with a bitterness and severity which may -have offended certain delicate ears.[193] I have therefore struck out -some passages, added others, and changed many.' This did not prevent his -falling into the same fault again, which, it must be acknowledged, was -that of the age. - -In spite of his frequent discussions, Calvin was happy in the house of -De la Forge. Accustomed to a frugal life, he was little affected by the -abundance of all sorts of good things by which he was surrounded; but -the piety of the family delighted him much. He loved to see the master -distributing the Gospel, relieving the poor, and listening to the -interpretation of God's word, and took pleasure in his christian -conversation. 'Most assuredly,' he said, 'true happiness is not -circumscribed within the narrow limits of this frail life, and yet God -promises also to believers a happy life, even in this pilgrimage and -earthly dwelling-place, so far as the state of the world permits.'[194] -But the happiness of this blessed household was not to be of long -duration. Lieutenant-criminal Morin was ere long to enter it, throw the -wife into prison, lead the husband to the scaffold, and change the -happiness of a peaceful christian family into sorrow, groans, and tears. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN RESOLVES TO LEAVE PARIS.] - -Would De la Forge be the only victim? Would the first blows be aimed at -him? Would they not be aimed at Calvin, the author of that bold address -which had thrown both city and university into confusion? Could the -friend of Rector Cop long remain in the capital without once more -exciting the attention of his enemies? A great persecution was about to -burst forth, and if Calvin had been living in the Rue St. Martin at that -time, he would doubtless have been seized along with the pious -tradesman, burnt like the other martyrs, and the history of his life -would have shrunk to a paragraph in the simple annals of Crespin's -_Martyrs_. But the Father in heaven did not permit that _this sparrow -should then fall to the ground_. Calvin had powerful motives which urged -him to leave France. His time in Paris was so taken up with visits, -interviews, and other business, that he sank under the burden, without -being able to discharge what he looked upon as his first duty. He was -called to be a teacher rather than a mere preacher of the Gospel. To -accomplish the great task he had set himself, he needed repose, leisure, -and study, besides interviews and conferences with other theologians. He -adopted a great resolution. 'I shall leave France,' he said, 'and go to -Germany in order to find in some obscure corner the quiet refused to me -elsewhere.'[195] - -Du Tillet had determined to accompany him. The two friends made their -preparations; they procured two horses and two servants; and one day -towards the end of July Calvin bade farewell to the pious tradesman who -had been as a brother to him. Their clothes were packed away in -portmanteaus, in one of which they hid their money, and then they were -fastened on the crupper; and so the travellers departed, the masters on -horseback, the servants on foot. - -'On reaching the frontier,' says a catholic historian, 'Calvin could not -restrain his emotion; he lifted up his voice in distress that France -rejected the men whom God sent her, and even tried to murder them.'[196] -This exclamation appears rather doubtful, and the historian who reports -it is not always accurate. Still it is possible and not unnatural. - -The travellers having entered Lorraine, stopped at Delme near Nancy, -where they halted and walked about the town. During this time one of -their servants, who knew where the money had been hidden, took advantage -of their absence, placed the valise on the best of the two horses, and -rode away as fast as he could. When Calvin and Du Tillet returned, they -discovered the robbery. They wished to pursue the thief, but could not -catch him.[197] The two friends were greatly embarrassed, when the other -servant approached and offered them ten crowns which he had with him. -They accepted his offer and were able to reach Strasburg. - -If Calvin had remained in his own country, he would never have been able -to fulfil the career to which he was called; he had no other prospect -but the stake. And yet, he will indeed be her reformer.... True, he -quitted her, but a divine hand fixed him as near as possible to that -land of his affections and of his sorrows. From the picturesque valley, -whence the Rhone continually pours its waves into France, God was about -to scatter by Calvin's means, throughout all the provinces of that great -kingdom, the living waters of the Gospel of Christ. - -[159] _Calvin contre les Libertins._ _Opusc. franç._ p. 652; -_Opusc. lat._ p. 510. - -[160] _Opusc. franç._ p. 664; _Opusc. lat._ p. 520. - -[161] Ibid. p. 666; ibid. p. 523. 'Unicum esse spiritum Dei qui sit et -vivat in omnibus creaturis.' - -[162] 'Nullam homini voluntatem tribuunt, ac si esset lapis.'—_Opusc. -lat._ p. 669. - -[163] Luth. _Ep._ iii. p. 62. - -[164] 'Cest _ty_, c'est _my_, c'est Dieu; car ce que _ty_ -ou _my_ faisons, c'est Dieu qui le fait.' - -[165] _Opusc. franç._ p. 662; _Opusc. lat._ p. 518. - -[166] Calvin, _Matth._ xxii. 29. - -[167] 'Deum latronem, furem, scortatorem.'—_Opusc. lat._ p. 530. - -[168] 'Nigrum in album commutare.'—Ibid. - -[169] _Opusc. franç._ p. 663; _Opusc. lat._ p. 519. - -[170] 'Scriptura nasus cereus fiat, aut instar pila, sursum deorsumque -agitetur.'—_Opusc. lat._ p. 519; _Opusc. franç._ p. 663. - -[171] 'Se gloriam Dei videre.'—_Opusc. franç._ p. 688; _Opusc. -lat._ p. 547. - -[172] 'Tanquam porci in hara stertere.'—_Opusc. lat._ p. 541; -_Opusc. franç._ p. 688. - -[173] _Opusc. lat._ p. 501. 'Præstabilius sit leoni quam vulpeculæ -similem esse.' - -[174] Ut quemadmodum sacerdotes et monachi cantillando, sic ipsi -garriendo vitam quærerent.'—_Opusc. franç._ p. 652; _Opusc. -lat._ p. 511. - -[175] 'Adversus fanaticam et furiosam sectam libertinorum, qui se -_spirituales_ vocant, instructio,' &c.—_Opusc. lat._ p. 506. - -[176] Théod. de Bèze, _Hist. Eccles._ i. p. 9. - -[177] 'In Serveto multæ notæ fanatici spiritus.'—_Corp. Ref._ ii. -p. 660. - -[178] 'Bone Deus! quales tragœdias excitabit hæc quæstio ad -posteros.'—Ib. p. 630. - -[179] 'Perdat Dominus omnes ecclesiæ tyrannos! Amen.'—_Christ. -Restitutio._ - -[180] 'Declarat Christum esse Deum, non natura sed specie, non per -naturam sed per gratiam.'—_De Trinitatis Erroribus_, 1531, fol. 12. - -[181] Luther, _Ep._ iv. p. 423. - -[182] Trechsel, _Protestant. Anti-trinit._ i. p. 100. - -[183] 'Pro suggestu pronuntiavit dignum esse qui avulsis visceribus -discerperetur.'—Calvin, _Ep. et Resp._ p. 154. - -[184] 'Obtuli meam operam ad cum sanandum.'—Calvin, _Op._ viii. p. -511. - -[185] 'Nec per me stetisse quominus resipiscenti manum pii omnes -porrigerent.'—_Ibid._ - -[186] 'Diutius quidem sed frustra expectavit.'—Beza, _Vita -Calvini_. - -[187] Trechsel, _Die Protestant. Anti-trinit._ i. p. 110. - -[188] 'Qua ruina immortalitatem suam perdiderit.'—_Opusc. lat._ p. -19. - -[189] Calvinus Libertino (Fabri). Neuchatel MSS. - -[190] 'Nonnullos bonos viros.'—_Opusc. lat. Psychopan. Lectoribus._ - -[191] Johannes von Müller. - -[192] For Calvin's influence on the French language see my _History of -the Reformation_, vol. iii, bk. xii. ch. xv. - -[193] 'Quædam paulo acrius atque etiam asperius dicta quæ aures -quorundam delicatulas radere fortasse possent.'—_Calvinus -Libertino._ - -[194] Calvin, _Psaumes_, 128. - -[195] 'Relicta patria, Germaniam concessi, ut in obscuro aliquo angulo -abditus, quiete denegata fruerer.'—_Præf. in Psalm._ - -[196] Varillas, _Hist. des Rév. rel._ ii. p. 490. - -[197] Beza, _Vita Calvini_. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - THE PLACARDS. - (OCTOBER 1534.) - - -Calvin had hardly left Paris when the clouds gathered over the little -church of the metropolis. 'There was no year,' says a chronicler of the -sixteenth century, speaking of 1534, 'when such great marvels happened -in divers countries; but of all these marvels none is more worthy to be -remembered than that which caused it to be named _the year of the -placards_.'[198] - -The christians of Paris met together frequently in one another's houses. -'The Lord,' said they, 'commands His disciples to go forth and scatter -the doctrine of salvation into all corners of the world.' The hive was -swarming, as it had recently done at Poitiers. Le Comte, whom we have -mentioned, quitted his friends, and after many dangers reached Morat, to -assist Farel in his evangelical work.[199] Another Lutheran, whose -journey was to be productive of disastrous results, followed the same -road not long after. - -[Sidenote: TEMPORISERS AND SCRIPTURISTS.] - -There were, as we have seen, two distinct parties among the evangelical -christians of France: the _temporisers_ and the _scripturists_. They -sometimes came in contact, and each of them resolutely defended their -own views. The _temporisers_ looked to Margaret, to the king her -brother, and to alliances with Henry VIII. and the Protestants of -Germany. Knowing that Francis I. detested the monks, they hoped, with -the help of the Du Bellays, to give France a moderate reform, and -desired to do nothing that might offend him. They waited. - -As for the _scripturists_, that is to say, the evangelicals of the -school of Calvin, diplomacy made them feel uneasy; the king's protection -annoyed them, and the idea of recognising the bishops and the pope -alarmed them. They saw all kinds of superstition following in the train -of the hierarchy, and they were determined to resist stoutly everything -that might bring back the _idols_ to the temple of God. - -[Sidenote: FERET SENT TO CONSULT FAREL.] - -As the two parties could not come to an understanding, they determined -to send one of their number to Switzerland, in order to obtain the -opinion of Farel and the other refugees. Should they wait or should they -act?—such was the question they put. They selected for that consultation -a simple, pious, intelligent Christian, by name Feret, who belonged to -the royal pharmacy: he accepted the mission and departed. No one -suspected at that time that this journey would lead to an explosion that -would shake the capital, terrify France, and perhaps destroy the cause -of the Reformation. - -Feret proceeded to Switzerland. He had hardly crossed the Jura when a -striking spectacle met his eyes. Everything was in commotion, as in a -hive of bees. Farel, Viret, Saunier, Olivetan, Froment, Marcourt, -Hollard, Le Comte, and others besides, coming from Dauphiny, Basle, -Paris, Strasburg, or belonging to the country, were boldly preaching the -evangelical doctrine everywhere. At Neufchatel all _idolatry_ had been -removed from public worship; and the same had been done at Aigle, and in -its four _mandements_. Orbe, Grandson, and the Pays de Vaud were -beginning to make up their minds; Geneva was tottering; the old -Waldenses of Piedmont were holding out their hands to the new reformers. -In many places they were even 'destroying the altars and breaking down -the images,' according to the command in Deuteronomy.[200] What a -contrast with the timid precautions of the christians of Paris! Feret -was quite struck with it, and that alone was an answer. - -He explained to the christians to whom he was accredited the very -different state of things at Paris; he described the difficulties of -France and the two parties that existed among the reformed, and asked -for their advice. Farel and his friends held that a subject ought not to -rise in rebellion against his lord, but if the king of France commanded -anything forbidden by the King of heaven, it was necessary to obey him -who was the master of the other. These decided christians rejected all -those medleys of the Gospel and popery that Francis I., Margaret of -Navarre, Du Bellay, and even Melanchthon (as it was said) desired. -'These two (the Gospel and the pope) cannot exist together,' they said, -'any more than fire and water.' The mass especially, that main point of -the Romish doctrine, must, in their opinion, be abolished. If the papal -hierarchy was the tree whose deadly shade killed the living seeds of the -Word, the mass was its root. It must be plucked up, and thus prevented -from stretching its fatal branches any longer over the wide field of -Christendom. The writing and posting of placards were proposed. - -What indeed could be done? Oppression kept the boldest voices silent. It -was necessary to draw up an energetic protest against error, and place -it at the same moment, if possible, before the eyes of all France. Farel -undertook the task; he could not write without making use of 'his -trenchant style and thundering eloquence.'[201] He reflected on the -evils that afflicted his country. Indignation guided his daring pen; his -style was uneven, harsh perhaps, but masculine, nervous, and full of -fire. At length the evangelical protest was written, and Farel laid it -before his brethren, who accepted it, believing that it would be _like a -hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces_. The document was taken to the -printer's, and came out in two forms: in placards to be posted up -against the walls, and little tracts that were to be dropped in the -streets.[202] The sheets were packed up and intrusted to the care of -Feret, who departed with the precious bales containing 'the thunderbolt -forged on Farel's anvil.'[203] No one stopped him at the frontier; he -traversed Franche-Comté, Burgundy, and Champagne without difficulty, and -arrived in Paris. - -[Sidenote: DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PLACARDS.] - -The evangelical christians of the capital, impatient to receive news -from Switzerland, assembled hastily, and Feret laid the placard before -them. Those energetic words, written at the foot of the Jura, seemed -strangely bold when they were read under the walls of the Sorbonne, and -at the gates of the Louvre. That brave and pious minister, Courault, -came forward in the meeting as the organ of the 'men of judgment,' as -they were afterwards called. 'Let us beware of posting up these -placards,' he said; 'we shall only inflame the rage of our adversaries -thereby, and increase the dispersion of believers.' But on the other -hand, those who were alarmed at the steps taken by Francis I. to unite -the pope and the Gospel were delighted. 'Let us be cautious of so -squaring our prudence,' they said, 'that it does not make us act like -cowards. If we look timidly from one side to the other to see how far we -can go without exposing our lives, we shall forsake Jesus Christ.' In -their view it was of importance to confess the Lord in the sight of -France, and in order to do so, they were ready, like the martyrs of old, -to encounter death. Many of the opposite party gave way, and the -publication of the placard was resolved on. These sincere Christians -were so firmly convinced of the divinity of their doctrine, and so full -of faith, that they expected an intervention from God—not a miraculous -one indeed, but an extraordinary one—'a rushing mighty wind from -heaven,' and 'cloven tongues like as of fire,' which should kindle all -hearts. They thought that God would by this declaration open to France -the gate of His spiritual treasures. - -The consultation continued. Where should they circulate this paper? -asked some. 'All over Paris,' was the reply:—'All over France,' answered -others. They were not unknown individuals who deliberated thus: the -wealthy tradesman, Du Bourg, and his friends were there, and if -Bartholomew Milon could not act, at least he gave advice which was to -cost him dear. The warmest friends of the Reformation shared the work -between them: each man had his district, his province. 'They portioned -out the kingdom in order to do _the same in every city_,' says the -catholic Fontaine; and the night of the 24th of October was appointed -for this daring enterprise.[204] The placards were divided among those -who were to post them up or to distribute them. Knowing that unless God -made the truth enter into the heart, they would do nothing but _beat the -air in vain_,[205] these pious men exhorted one another to 'pray to God -with fervent zeal.' Then every man returned home, carrying with him a -bundle of placards and a parcel of tracts. - -[Sidenote: THE PLACARDS POSTED UP.] - -When the night came, the selected men left their houses, carrying the -printed sheets in their hands; and each one did his duty in his quarter, -silently and mysteriously. The fervent christian who thus hazarded his -life, took, however, certain precautions; he listened to hear if any one -were coming, hastily stuck the bill on the wall, and then glided -noiselessly away to some other place, where he posted up another. In a -short time the streets, market-places, and crossways were covered with -the evangelical proclamation, some being fixed even on the walls of the -Louvre. As the day appeared, most of these daring men returned home; but -others hid themselves, and from a distance watched to see what would -happen. - -A few persons began to come out of doors; they went up to the large -handbills and stopped to examine them. Gradually a crowd was formed, -some friars approached: hundreds of persons of every class collected -round the strange placards. They were read aloud, remarks were made upon -them, and the most diverse sentiments were expressed; many persons gave -vent to indignation and threats; some approved, the greater part were -astounded. The crowd was particularly large in the streets of St. Denis -and St. Honoré, in the Place Royale, in the city, at the gates of the -churches, and of the Sorbonne and the Louvre. Let us read this terrible -handbill, as it was read in the streets of the capital. The public of -our age will find it too severe and possibly too long, and we must -abridge it a little; but the men of the sixteenth century read it to the -end, and notwithstanding its defects, its action was powerful. Like the -shock of an earthquake, it made all France tremble. It began with a -solemn invocation:— - - TRUTHFUL ARTICLES - CONCERNING THE HORRIBLE, GREAT, AND UNBEARABLE ABUSES - OF THE POPISH MASS, - INVENTED DIRECTLY - AGAINST THE HOLY SUPPER OF OUR LORD, - THE ONLY MEDIATOR AND ONLY SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. - -'I invoke heaven and earth in witness of the truth against that proud -and pompous popish mass, for the world (if God does not apply a remedy) -is and will be by it totally desolated, ruined, lost, and undone; seeing -that in it our Lord is outrageously blasphemed, and the people blinded -and led astray. Which ought not to be borne any longer. - -'In the first place, every believing christian ought to be very certain -that our Lord and only Saviour, Jesus Christ, the great bishop and -pastor ordained of God, has given His body and soul, His life and blood -for our sanctification, by a perfect sacrifice. To renounce this -sacrifice as if it were insufficient, to replace it by a visible -sacrifice, namely, the mass, as if Christ had not fully satisfied for us -the justice of His Father, and as if He were not the Saviour and -Mediator, would be a terrible and damnable heresy. - -'The world has been, and in many places still is, filled with wretched -high-priests, who, as if they were our redeemers, set themselves in -Christ's place, and pretend to offer an acceptable sacrifice to God for -the salvation both of the living and the dead: do not these people make -the apostles and evangelists liars, and do they not even belie -themselves, since they chant every Sunday at vespers that Jesus Christ -is a _priest for ever_?... - -'Yes, by the great and admirable sacrifice of Jesus Christ all outward -and visible sacrifice is abolished. Christ, says the Epistle to the -Hebrews (which I entreat everybody to read diligently), _was offered -once for all.—By one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are -sanctified._ Christ offered _once_ and not _often_.... If the sacrifice -is perfect, why should it be repeated?... Come forward then, ye priests, -and answer if ye can! - -'That is not all. By this unhappy mass the whole world has been plunged -into a common idolatry. Are we not given to understand falsely that -under the forms of bread and wine Jesus Christ is corporeally, really, -and personally contained, in flesh and bone, as long, broad, and entire -as when He was alive?... And yet Holy Scripture and our faith teaches us -the contrary, that Jesus Christ, after his resurrection, ascended into -heaven. St. Paul writes to the Colossians, _Seek those things which are -above, where_ CHRIST SITTETH ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. Listen: St. Paul -does not say: Seek Christ who is in the mass, or in the sanctuary, or in -the box, or in the cupboard. He says: Seek Christ _who is in heaven_. If -the body is in heaven, it is not on earth; and if it is on earth, it is -not in heaven. A real body can never be in more than one place at a -time, where it occupies a certain space of a certain size. It is -impossible for a man twenty or thirty years old to be hidden in a bit of -dough like their wafer. - -'Augustin knew this well when he wrote: "Until the world comes to an -end, _the Lord is on high_; but His divinity is everywhere."[206] And so -did Fulgentius, when he wrote: "The Lord was absent from heaven, -according to his human nature, when he was on earth; and _he left the -earth when he ascended to heaven_. But as for the divine nature, it -never quitted heaven when he came down to earth, and did not leave the -earth when he ascended to heaven."[207] - -'When any one of us says: _Lo, here is Christ, or there_! the priests -say: We must believe him. But Christ says: _Believe it not_. At the -moment of the communion they chant _Sursum corda_, Lift your hearts on -high; but they do the contrary, and exhort us to seek Christ not _on -high_, but in their hands, in their boxes, and in their cupboards. - -'Nay, further, these blind priests, adding error to error, teach in -their madness, that after they have breathed upon or spoken over the -bread, which they take between their fingers, and also over the wine -that they put in the chalice, there remains neither bread nor wine, but -that Jesus Christ is there alone by _transubstantiation_.... Big and -monstrous words ... doctrine of devils, opposed to all Scripture. -I ask these cope-wearers, Where did they find that big word -TRANSUBSTANTIATION?... St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. John, St. Paul, and -the old Fathers never spoke of it. When they made mention of the Lord's -Supper, those holy writers openly and simply called the bread and wine, -_bread_ and _wine_. St. Paul does not say: Eat the body of Jesus Christ; -but: Eat this _bread_. Ah! Scripture employs no deception, and there is -no pretence in it. The bread is therefore bread. - -'Presumptuous enemies of the Word of God, shameless heretics, they are -not satisfied with pretending to enclose the body of Jesus Christ in -their wafer; but see into what absurdities their superstition leads -them. They are not ashamed to say that the body of Jesus Christ may be -eaten by rats, spiders, and vermin.... Yes, there it is printed in red -letters in their missals, in the twenty-second Item, beginning thus: If -the body of the Lord be eaten by mice and spiders, be reduced to -nothing, or be very much gnawed, or if the maggot is found whole -inside ... let it be burned and placed in the reliquary! - -'O earth! why openest thou not to swallow up these horrible blasphemers? -O hateful men! Is that gnawed body really the body of Jesus Christ, the -Son of God?... Would the Lord suffer Himself to be eaten by mice and -spiders? He who is the bread of angels and of all the children of God, -has been given us to feed vermin? Him, who is incorruptible, at the -right hand of God, will you make liable to worms and rottenness? Did not -David write the contrary, prophesying his own resurrection?... Wretches! -were there no other evil in all your infernal theology than the -irreverence with which you speak of the precious body of Jesus, are you -not blasphemers and heretics?... yea, the greatest and most enormous the -world has ever seen. - -'Kindle, yes, kindle your faggots, but let it be to burn and roast -yourselves.... Why should you kindle them for us? Because we will not -believe in your idols, in your new Gods, in your new Christs, who let -themselves be eaten by vermin, and in you also, who are worse than -vermin. - -'What mean all these games you play round your God of dough, toying with -him like a cat with a mouse? You break him into three pieces ... and -then you put on a piteous look as if you were very sorrowful; you beat -your breasts ... you call him the Lamb of God, and pray to him for -peace. St. John showed Jesus Christ ever present, ever living, living -all in one—an adorable truth! but you show your wafer divided into -pieces, and then you eat it, calling for something to drink.... What -would any man say who had never witnessed such monkey tricks?... Did St. -Paul or St. John ever eat Christ in that manner? and would they -acknowledge such mountebanks as the servants of God? - -'Finally the practice of your mass is very contrary to the practice of -the Holy Supper of Jesus Christ!... Certainly, there is no marvel in -that, for there is nothing common between Christ and Belial. - -'The Holy Supper of Jesus Christ reminds us of the great love with which -He loved us so that He washed us in His blood. It presents to us on the -part of the Lord the body and blood of His Son, in order that we should -communicate in the sacrifice of His death, and that Jesus should be our -everlasting food. It calls us to make protest of our faith, and of the -certain confidence we have of being saved, Jesus having ransomed us. By -giving to all of us only one bread it reminds us of the charity in which -we, being all of the same spirit, ought to live. That Holy Supper, being -thus fully understood, rejoices the believer's soul, in all humility, -and imparts to him all gentle kindness and loving charity. - -'But the fruit of the mass is very different. By it the preaching of the -Gospel is prevented. The time is occupied with bell-ringing, howling, -chanting, empty ceremonies, candles, incense, disguises, and all manner -of conjuration. And the poor world, looked upon as a lamb or as sheep, -is miserably deceived, cajoled, led astray—what do I say? bitten, -gnawed, and devoured as if by ravening wolves. - -'By means of this mass they have laid hands on everything, destroyed -everything, swallowed up everything. By its means they have disinherited -princes and kings, lords and shopkeepers, and all whom we could name, -dead or alive.... O false witnesses, traitors, robbers of the honour of -God, and more hateful than the devils themselves! - -'In short, the truth chases them, the truth alarms them, and by truth -shall their reign shortly be destroyed for ever.' - -Such was the proclamation posted up in Paris and all over France. We -trace in it, we must confess, the coarseness of the language of the -sixteenth century, and especially in a passage which must have greatly -stirred the anger of the clergy, where the placard, in speaking of the -pope and cardinals, priests and monks, calls them false prophets, -wolves, seducers, and gives them other names besides, which are rarely -employed in our days except in the bulls of the Roman pontiffs. We -discover in this writing the antipapistical spirit in all its -unreflecting force. Certainly, when it says that the true Supper of -Christ 'rejoices the believer's soul, and imparts to him all gentle -kindness and loving charity,' we taste the savour of the Gospel; but, -generally speaking, this manifesto is an engine of war with a brazen -head. If we transport ourselves to the early days of the Reformation, we -can understand that it was necessary to employ vigorous battering-rams -to beat down the old and apparently unshakeable walls of popery. Every -line in this placard reveals to us the warm-hearted, but also 'the -impetuous and eloquent Farel, frank, decisive, intrepid among men, who -had the admirable heart of the knight without reproach, with his thirst -for danger, and was the Bayard of the battles of God.'[208] The work -resembles the workman. - -While conceding something to the times in which the placard was written -and posted up, we may ask whether that act proceeded solely from a -movement of the mind free from every tinge of human passion, and was one -of the arms that the apostles would have employed. In any case it seems -to us certain that more moderate language would really have been -stronger, and more surely have attained its end. This is what the event -will show. - -[198] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 3. Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ -viii. ch. v. - -[199] Ruchat, _Hist. Réf. Suisse_, tom. iii. p. 132, after a MS. journal -of Jean le Comte. - -[200] Chap. vii. 5. - -[201] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. III. - -[202] Ibid. - -[203] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ liv. vii. chap. v. In the Latin -edition we read: 'Famoso libello a Farello, ut creditur, -composito.'—p. 228. - -[204] This is the date given in the _Journal d'un Bourgeois de Paris_, -p. 440. Fontaine, in his _Histoire Catholique_, gives the 18th October. - -[205] Calvin, _passim_. - -[206] 'Sursum Dominus est.'—Aug. _Ep. ad Dardanum_. - -[207] 'Secundum humanam substantiam dereliquerat terrain cum ascendisset -in cœlum.'—Fulg. _ad Thrasimundum_, lib. ii. - -[208] Michelet, _Hist. de France_; the volume entitled 'La Réforme.' - - - - - CHAPTER X. - THE KING'S ANGER. - (AUTUMN 1534.) - - -[Sidenote: A NEW MISSIVE.] - -The terrible placard posted up during the night in Paris and over a -great part of France, 'in every corner,' says Sturm,[209] produced an -immense sensation. The people were agitated, the women and the weak -alarmed, and the magistrates filled with indignation.[210] But the -adversaries of popery did not relax their blows. At almost the same time -there appeared another treatise 'against the pope's traffickers and -taverners.' This writing, which was less evangelical, was rather in the -mocking spirit of Erasmus. 'Everything must subserve the cupidity of the -priests,' it said; 'heaven, earth, and hell, time, all creatures animate -and inanimate, wine, bread, and oil, flax, milk, butter, cheese, water, -salt, fire, and fumigations.... From all these they knew how to -extract ... silver and gold. And the dress of the dealer adds to the price -of his wares, for a mass by an abbot or a bishop costs more than one by a -curate or a friar. Like women of ill fame, they sell their shame all the -dearer the gayer the ornaments they wear.'[211] The agitation increased -hourly; priests and friars, scattered among the groups of citizens and -people, fomented their anger, increased their terror, and circulated -false reports. 'The heretics,' it was said, 'have resolved to surprise -the catholics during divine service, and to murder men, women, and -children without mercy.' An absurd imputation, invented, says a Romish -historian, to make the reformers odious. It was believed all the same, -and horrible rumours began shortly to circulate among the crowd. 'A -frightful plot has been laid against the State and the Church. This -placard is the signal; the heretics intend to fire the churches and -palaces, massacre the catholics, abolish the monarchy, and reduce the -kingdom to a desert.... Death to the Lutherans!' - -Nowhere was the fury so great as at the Sorbonne among the doctors: the -first outbreak of their anger was incredibly violent.'This action,' says -the chronicler, 'led them into such fury that their former violence -seemed tolerable. No tempest ever equalled it in severity.'[212] The -thunderbolt was destined, however, to be launched from a different -quarter. - -Francis I., who was then at Blois, had for some time felt a certain -uneasiness with regard to the Reform. One day in 1534, when he was -complaining of the pope to the nuncio, and insinuating that France might -easily imitate the example of Henry VIII., 'Frankly, sire,' replied the -nuncio, 'you will be the first to suffer; the religion of a people -cannot be changed without their next demanding the change of the -prince.' It had been of no use to tell Francis that neither the German -princes, nor Henry VIII. himself, had been dethroned by the Reformation: -the nuncio's words had sunk like an arrow into his heart. - -[Sidenote: THE PLACARD ON THE KING'S DOOR.] - -Blois was not exempt from the evangelical movement, and the Reform had -made its way among the choristers of the royal chapel: it was one of -these who was commissioned to post up the placards in that city. Being -of a daring and enthusiastic temperament, this individual resolved to -post the protestant manifesto in the castle itself, to which he had easy -access.[213] Entering it at a favourable moment, he crept with his -handbills as far as the king's chamber, and being satisfied that there -were no servants or courtiers in the gallery, he fastened the paper to -His Majesty's door, and then retired hastily.[214] This imprudent and -guilty action, for it was disrespectful, was to be cruelly atoned for. - -Montmorency and the Cardinal de Tournon appeared in the morning before -the king as was their custom. They had the ear of Francis I., and had -long been looking for an opportunity to deal a desperate blow at the -Reformation. Just as these two personages were about to enter the king's -closet, they caught sight of the placard posted on the door; they -stopped and read it, and taking the matter seriously, not without -reason, they tore down the paper angrily, and carried it in to their -master.[215] Nothing in the world could excite him so much as an attack -like that: his royal dignity was in his eyes almost as sacred as the -Divine majesty. He trembled and turned pale; he took the paper and then -gave it back, and disturbed by such unheard-of audacity, he ordered them -to read it. - -[Sidenote: THE KING'S INDIGNATION.] - -It was what Tournon wanted. He read the document to the king, dwelling -on the most irritating passages; but the prince could not hold out to -the end. The insult offered to his person, the impression which such a -public scandal might produce on his allies, and especially on the pope, -the reflection that at the very moment when he was preparing the -reconciliation of protestants and catholics, a few fanatics should stir -up all the passions of the priests and the people, and cause his pacific -designs to fail—all this exasperated his mind more than the attack upon -the mass. Those who were about him took advantage of the opportunity, -and represented the affair as one of high-treason. Montmorency and De -Tournon drove the bolt deep into the king's heart. 'He burst into a -transport of passion,' wrote Sturm to Melanchthon; 'he was so inflamed,' -says the _Book of Martyrs_;[216] 'he put himself in such a rage,' says -Theodore Beza; 'he became so hot that everybody trembled about him,' -says the catholic Fontaine.—'Let all be seized without distinction,' he -exclaimed, 'who are suspected of _Lutheresy_. I will exterminate them -all.' - -The event caused a great agitation; nothing else was talked of, and -every one described it in his own manner. 'Do you know,' said some, -'that the king, in the very height of his passion, taking his -handkerchief from his pocket, pulled out a placard, which fell at his -feet: some clever fellow had slipped the copy in.' 'You may believe it, -if you like,' says Fontaine, estimating this popular story at its real -value. The whole household of the castle was immediately on the alert to -discover the author of the misdeed, which was no hard matter. The -Lutheran opinions of the chorister were known to many; he was arrested, -put in chains, and sent to Paris to be tried.[217] - -But the king's wrath was not to be confined to this man. The crime had -been committed everywhere, the punishment must be inflicted everywhere. -'Write and order the parliament to execute strict justice,' said the -king; 'and tell the lieutenant-criminal that, to encourage him, I -increase his salary by six hundred livres a year for life.[218] Let -inquisition be made forthwith through all the realm for the people who -are such enemies of God.' - -The parliament had not waited for the king's orders. On the morrow of -the famous day, the 26th October, the chief president, Pierre Lizet, -convened all the chambers, and the crowded court, being moved and -indignant, ordered a minute search and processions to be made. The -trumpets sounded, the people assembled, and an officer of the parliament -proclaimed: 'Whosoever shall give information as to the person or -persons who stuck up the said placards, he shall receive from the court -a reward of one hundred crowns; and all who conceal them shall be -burnt.'[219] - -All this while the evangelical christians, and especially those who had -set fire to the mine, alarmed at the terrible explosion it had made, -remained hidden and silent in their houses. They knew Morin's skill in -discovering his victims and inventing tortures; a dark future saddened -their countenances. Then were heard among them groans, and regrets, and -mournful deliberations. 'What shall we do?' they said. Take -flight!—What! leave home, and family, and country without knowing where -to go?... How gloomy the future! But is it not better to lose all these -than to lose your life?... Such were the heart-rending conversations -held almost everywhere.[220] Fathers and wives and children conjured -with tears those whom they loved to get out of the way of the king's -anger. Some of them, indeed, did leave their homes by night and -flee.[221] Many of those who had not posted the placards, but who were -known by the frank confession of their faith, thought that the danger -could not concern them.... The unhappy people hesitated and delayed, and -many of them paid dearly for their imprudent security.[222] - -[Sidenote: THE BRETHREN BETRAYED.] - -The lieutenant-criminal, a great opponent of the religious movement, and -a man of very dissolute life, of rare audacity in catching criminals, -and remarkable subtlety in entrapping them by their answers,[223] was -meditating the plan of his campaign. His vanity, his greed, his -hatred—all his passions were engaged in the business. He desired to -catch all the heretics together by one cast of his net. But how? A -bright idea struck him: by seizing one man, he hoped to take all the -rest. 'You know that shop where they sell sheaths and other such -articles, in the Rue de la Vannerie leading to the Grève,' he said to -one of his officers. 'Go and arrest the sheath-maker and bring him to -me.'—'Sheath-maker,' he said, 'you are one of the heretics, and what is -worse, you are their _convener_, I know full well. It is you, do not -deny it, who inform them of the places where their secret meetings are -to be held. I have a wish to assemble them; you will lead me to their -houses.' The poor man, understanding what he meant, tremblingly refused -to commit such treason. The lieutenant-criminal ordered a scaffold to be -got ready. As soon as the officials had left the room, Morin turned to -the sheath-maker: 'It is you that conduct the people to church, and it -is quite fair that you should begin the dance.' The wretched man -trembled. What a frightful alternative! How could he go to those whom he -was wont to summon to the temple of God, in order to deliver them to the -flames? There was a terrible struggle in his soul, but the fear of God -was overcome, the light of reason extinct, all regard for honour put -aside. 'Satan entered into Judas,' and he sought how he could betray his -brethren. Believing himself 'on the point of being burnt,' says Beza, he -promised all he was asked.[224] - -Paris was all in commotion. The streets were hung with drapery, -processions were made, and in order to wipe out the insult offered to -the mass, the _Corpus Domini_ was carried solemnly through every -parish.[225] Morin took advantage of this agitation to conceal his -proceedings. The treacherous sheath-maker went before him, pale and -trembling; sergeants followed him at a little distance, and this cruel -company glided silently through the streets. The sheath-maker stopped -and pointed to a door: Morin entered. The startled family protested -their innocence in vain. The lieutenant ordered the poor creatures to be -manacled, and then continued his pitiless course. 'He spared no house, -great or small,' says the chronicler, 'not even the colleges of the -university of Paris.' - -[Sidenote: VALETON AND HIS BOOKS SEIZED.] - -By degrees the news of this horrible expedition spread through the -capital; anguish seized not only the friends of Farel, but all who were -not fanatical adherents of Rome, and even the mere followers of learning -or of pleasure, who had no taste for the Reformation. 'Morin made all -the city quake,'[226] for no one knew that he might not be among the -number of the suspected. In many houses a look-out was kept, to observe -whether the terrible troop was coming. Nicholas Valeton the receiver, -who kept near the window, saw Morin approaching; hurriedly turning away, -he said to his wife: 'Here he is, take the chest of books out of my -room.... I will run and meet him; I will speak to him and detain him, so -as to give you time.' The startled young woman took the books and -hastily thrust them into a hiding-place. 'Arrest this man,' said the -lieutenant-criminal, immediately he saw Valeton; 'let him be put into -close confinement.' He then went upstairs and searched every corner, saw -the empty chest, but found nothing. Being impatient to interrogate his -prisoner, he did not stop, but proceeded straight to the prison whither -he had been taken. He could not entrap him. The receiver, being a clever -man, eluded all his questions. The lieutenant began to grow nervous; -thinking to himself that the receiver had influence, and was a man -likely to bear him a grudge, he resolved to destroy him by proceeding -more craftily.[227] The empty chest recurred to his mind; it must have -contained something that had been removed at his approach. He -immediately returned to the house of the accused, and standing near the -chest, said in a natural tone: 'Madame, your husband has confessed that -he kept his books and secret papers in this trunk. Besides, we are -agreed; I desire to behave mercifully towards him; if you give a certain -sum of money and tell me where the books are, I swear to you before God -that your husband shall suffer no prejudice.' The wife, who was 'young, -thoughtless,' and much disturbed by what had taken place, suffered -herself to be caught by this trick. Morin put so many 'crafty and subtle -questions,' that trusting in his promise, she told him everything. -'Good!' thought the lieutenant-criminal, 'he wished to hide his books -from us, because he felt himself guilty of heresy.' Having seized them, -he left the house, and putting the papers in a place of safety, went to -look for other victims. - -If there was one man in Paris who could not be suspected of having fixed -up the placards, it was the poor paralytic: he could hardly leave his -bed. That was of no consequence; and Bartholomew Milon was one of the -first towards whose house Morin turned his steps. He had had him in his -prisons before this; 'but,' says the _Book of Martyrs_, 'the Lord had -delivered him to make him serve for the consolation of his people in -this bitter season.' The lieutenant-criminal knew the shoemaker's shop -very well; it was noted down in his books. He entered, like one out of -his mind and foaming with rage, into the room where poor Berthelot was -lying. 'Come, get up!' he cried, looking fiercely at him. Bartholomew, -'not being terrified by the hideous face of the tyrant,' replied, with a -sweet smile: 'Alas! sir, it wants a greater master than you to make me -rise.'—'Take this fellow away,' said the brute to his creatures, and -after ordering them to carry with them a piece of furniture in which the -paralytic kept his papers, he continued his inglorious campaign. - -[Sidenote: ARRESTS.] - -The lieutenant-criminal now proceeded towards the gate of St. Denis, to -the sign of the _Black Horse_, and entered the shop of the wealthy -tradesman, Du Bourg. When they caught sight of him, all who had any -employment there were startled; but although they loved their master -well, no one stirred to defend him. The draper's wife, daughter of -another rich tradesman named Favereau, was not so tranquil: bursting -into tears and shrieking, she conjured the cruel Morin not to take her -husband away. Nothing could soften him, and he arrested Du Bourg. 'He is -one of those who pasted up the papers at the corners of the streets,' -said the lieutenant, and took him away. Next came the turn of the poor -bricklayer, Poille, who was captured in his wretched hut. - -After them many persons without distinction of rank or sex were shut -up—those who had condemned the placards as well as those who had -approved of them. Informers were not wanting; they were given a fourth -part of the property of the accused, and accordingly these _quadruplers_ -(as they were called)[228] were indefatigable in hunting out victims; -each of them could be accuser and witness in one. It was a reign of -terror, and all good people were astounded at it. - -The Sorbonne took advantage of this furious tempest to be avenged on -Margaret and to punish her friends. That princess had quitted Béarn at -the beginning of summer to be present at the marriage of her -sister-in-law, Isabella of Navarre, with Viscount de Rohan, and had -obtained her brother's permission for Roussel, who was with her, as well -as Courault and Berthaud, to preach in Paris. These moderate men were -strongly opposed to the act accomplished in the night of the 25th -October; they were thrown into prison all the same. As there was no -apprehension of offending the king's allies, many Germans were roughly -seized, catholics as well as protestants; it was enough to have a -transrhenane accent to be suspected of heresy. - -In the meantime Francis I. arrived in Paris. Cardinals, Sorbonne, -Parliament, all the ardent friends of Roman-catholicism, outvied each -other in zeal to confirm 'this wise and good prince'[229] in his -religion, which had been somewhat shaken. They must take advantage of -the crisis to detach him from his alliances with the English and the -Saxons. Now was the time for striking the blow and for severing these -guilty ties. Cardinal de Tournon was particularly indefatigable and -continually calling for punishments. When Du Chatel, bishop of Tulle, -declared his opposition to sanguinary measures: 'Your tolerance has a -suspicious look,' said De Tournon; 'it is unbecoming a true son of the -Church.'—'I am acting like a bishop,' answered Du Chatel, firmly, 'and -you like a hangman.' But nothing could check either the Cardinal or -Duprat. They said to Francis: 'Carefully preserve the honour which -Pius II. gave our kings when he said: The kings of France have this -peculiarity, that they preserve the catholic faith and the honour of -churchmen;' and added: 'We prevent the spreading of a fire, by knocking -down the houses which it has first touched, and even the adjoining ones; -do likewise, Sire; order those to be exterminated utterly and without -reserve, who rebel against the Church. Kindle the fires and erect -gibbets for the use of the Lutherans.'[230] - -A new act of madness (as some historians relate, but which we can hardly -believe) inflamed the king's wrath still further. The very night of his -arrival, we are told, the placards reappeared and were stuck on the -gates of the Louvre. Nay more; it is asserted that as Francis I. was -going to bed, he found the document under his pillow. The historian who -records these things is very prone to exaggeration,[231] and I am -inclined to think that such stories are mere fables invented by the -enemies of the Reform, its friends being just then too terrified to show -such boldness. - -[Sidenote: MARGARET'S SORROW.] - -No one was more alarmed and more agitated than Margaret. Nothing was -more opposed to her nature than the style of the placards; and in -reality they were not only an attack against Rome, but a protest against -the conciliatory catholic system of the Queen of Navarre. Those who -protested in this way bore a certain resemblance (not reckoning their -Christianity) to a well-known character in literature: they condemned -alike the fanatic Romanists and the spiritual Catholics— - - Les uns, parcequ'ils sont méchants et malfaisants, - Et les autres, pour être aux méchants complaisants.[232] - -The queen had not the slightest suspicion of the blow that was -preparing; and at the very moment when she believed the Gospel to be on -the point of gaining the victory, everything seemed ended for it in -France. Her brother's anger, the hard look he turned upon her, for -perhaps the first time, alarmed this princess who had, it is true, a -strong understanding, but also a heart easily moved and even timid. She -shed floods of tears: she had no doubt that the whole affair was the -result of a plot contrived between the Sorbonne and Cardinal de Tournon. -'My lord,' she said to the king, 'we are not sacramentarians. These -infamous placards have been invented by men who wish to make the -responsibility of their abominable manœuvre fall upon us.'[233] - -She resolved to do everything to save Roussel at least; the very thought -that he might be burnt terrified her. Why had she not left him at Pau? -Seeing the unusual coldness of the king, she commissioned the perfidious -Montmorency to present her petition. 'They are occupied at this moment,' -she wrote to him, 'with completing their case against Master Gérard; I -hope the king will find him deserving something better than the -stake.... He has never held an opinion tainted with heresy. I have known -him for five years, and if I had seen anything suspicious in him, I -should not have put up so long with such poison. I entreat you, fear not -to speak in my behalf.'[234] - -Montmorency, far from being disposed to do what the queen asked, -endeavoured to ruin not only Roussel, but also Margaret herself; while -Cardinals Duprat and De Tournon helped him to insinuate into the king's -mind that his sister had some share in the matter of the placards. The -coldness, the harshness even of Francis I. towards Margaret, increased -daily; heartbroken, and unable to bear up any longer, she left Paris -hastily. - -[Sidenote: BEDA ACCUSES FRANCIS.] - -Some went further than Duprat and De Tournon, and would have made their -vengeance fall upon the king himself. The impetuous Beda, that tribune -of the Sorbonne, who forgot neither his exile nor his imprisonment, -sought an opportunity of revenging himself on the prince who had -disgraced him. He hated Francis cordially; to do him an injury for the -mere pleasure of doing it was his ambition. Not satisfied with ascribing -the placards to Queen Margaret, he would accuse the king himself. Going -into the pulpit, he preached a sermon against that prince full of -invective. 'If it is not the king who had these bills posted up,' he -said, 'at least he is responsible for them. The favour he shows the -heretics, and his alliance with the King of England, are the cause of -all this mischief.' This time the priest was mistaken in fancying -himself more powerful than the sovereign. Being accused before the -parliament of high-treason,[235] Beda was thrown into prison, condemned -to do penance in front of the church of Notre Dame, and to be confined -for the rest of his days in the abbey of St. Michael, where he died. -Thus perished in obscurity this furious forerunner of the League. - -The revolutionary fury of the Romish champion softened Francis a little: -finding himself accused as well as his sister, he recalled her to Paris. -The queen, whose courage was as easily revived as it was cast down, -arrived at the Louvre full of hope, not doubting that she would win over -the king to the golden mean she loved so dearly. But she found Francis -less accessible than she had fancied, and still showing signs of his -ill-humour. But this did not stop her: imprudent and violent men had -wished to abolish the mass by means of a fanatical placard, she will try -to attain the same end by gentler and more prudent means. 'You want no -church and no sacraments,' said the king to her, abruptly. The queen of -Navarre replied that, on the contrary, she wanted both; and profiting by -the opportunity for carrying out her plan, she represented to her -brother that it was necessary to unite the whole of Christendom into one -body with the bishop of Rome at its head; and that for this object, the -priests should be brought to give up voluntarily certain scholastic -doctrines and superstitious practices which stripped the ritual of the -Church of its primitive beauty. Then, taking from her pocket a paper -which Lefèvre had drawn up at her request, during her stay in the south, -she presented it to the king: it was the confession of faith known as -the _Mass of Seven Points_. 'The priest will continue to celebrate -mass,' said Margaret to her brother, 'only it will always be a _public -communion_; he will not uplift the host; it will not be adored; priests -and people will communicate under both kinds; there will be no -commemorations of the Virgin or of the Saints; the communion will be -celebrated with ordinary bread; the priest, after breaking and eating, -will distribute the remainder among the people. Further, priests will -have liberty to marry.'[236] When Francis had heard the seven points of -his sister's mass, he asked her what was left of the Roman mass? Then -the queen, taking him on his weak side—glory—represented to him that by -means of this compromise he would unite all sects, and restore the -Catholic unity which had been broken for so many centuries. Was it not -the greatest honour to which a prince could aspire? - -[Sidenote: THE QUEEN'S PREACHERS BEFORE FRANCIS.] - -Francis I. appeared to be shaken, but yet he saw great difficulties. The -queen begged him to send for Roussel and the two Augustine monks, -Courault and Berthaud: 'They will show you, I have no doubt,' she said, -'that the thing is practicable.' The king was curious, says an -historian, and accepted the offer. The three evangelicals were taken -from their prison and conveyed to the Louvre, where the queen presented -them to her brother. She was full of joy: the matter of the placards, -which threatened to ruin everything, might possibly be the means of -saving everything. She was deceived. When Francis talked with her, it -was no trouble to be like a kind brother with a sister; but in the -presence of the two friars and Roussel he was a master. These persons -displeased him: the zeal with which they pointed out the errors and -abuses of the mass irritated him, and he sent them back hurriedly to -prison. Men more zealous than they were, had already left their dungeons -for the scaffold. - -[209] 'Per universam fere Galliam nocte in omnibus angulis affixerunt -manibus.'—_Corp. Ref._ ii. p. 855. - -[210] 'Perturbatus hac re populus, territæ multorum cogitationes, -concitati magistrates.'—Ibid. p. 856. - -[211] 'Qua quidem in re, nihil differunt a meretricibus.'—See the -writing _In pontificios mercatores et caupones_.—Gerdes, iv. p. -103. - -[212] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 112 verso. - -[213] _Journal d'un Bourgeois de Paris_, published by Lalanne, p. -449. - -[214] Fontaine, _Hist. Catholique_. - -[215] 'Ante regis conclave.'—_Corp. Ref._ ii. p. 856. - -[216] Crespin's _Martyrologie_. - -[217] _Journal d'un Bourgeois de Paris_, p. 449. - -[218] Fontaine, _Hist. Cath._ _Journal d'un Bourgeois de -Paris_, p. 452. - -[219] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 112 verso. - -[220] Crespin, _Martyrol._ folio 112 verso. - -[221] 'Quidam mature sibi consulentes aufugerunt.'—_Corp. Ref._ ii. -p. 856. - -[222] 'Qui ad se ea pericula spectare non putabant, qui non contaminati -erant eo scelere, hi etiam in partem pœnarum veniunt.'—Ibid. - -[223] Théod. de Bèze, _Hist. Ecclés._ p. 10. - -[224] Théod. de Bèze, _Hist. Ecclés._ p. 10. - -[225] _Journal d'un Bourgeois_, p. 44. - -[226] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 112. - -[227] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 113. - -[228] 'Delatores et quadruplatores publice comparantur.'—Sturm to -Melanchthon, _Corp. Ref._ ii. p. 856. - -[229] Florimond Rémond. - -[230] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ vii. ch. v. - -[231] Varillas. - -[232] 'The one, because they are wicked and evil-doers; the others -because they gratify the wicked.'—_Le Misanthrope._ - -[233] MSS. Bibl. imp. F. Supplément, No. 133. - -[234] _Lettres de la Reine de Navarre_, i, p. 299. - -[235] 'Beda conjectus est in carcerem accusatus criminis læsæ -majestatis.'—Cop to Bucer, 5th April, 1535. - -[236] _France Protestante_, art. _Marguerite_. Freer, _Life of -Marguerite d'Angoulême_, ii. p. 142. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - EXPIATIONS AND PROCESSIONS. - (END OF 1534 AND BEGINNING OF 1535.) - - -An expiation was required for the purification of France—solemn -ceremonies, sacrifices, and the stake. Nothing must be wanting to the -expiatory work. - -Du Bourg, Milon, Poille, and their friends were lying in prison, waiting -for the day when they were to appear before their judges. The poor -paralytic had remained as calm as in his father's shop: he was even -calmer. Formerly, when friends or kindred, well accustomed to lift him, -had taken him in their arms, he had cried out with the pain he felt in -every limb. But now, in prison, he bore it all without pain, and 'the -roughest handling seemed tender.' Receiving unknown strength from God, -he was tranquil and joyful under tribulation. That holy patience spread -peace in the hearts of his companions in misfortune. 'It is impossible -to tell the consolation he afforded them,' says the chronicler. They all -found themselves in a dark road which led to a cruel death, but this -poor man walked before them like a torch, to guide and gladden them with -its soft light. - -The day of trial arrived: it was the 10th of November, a fortnight after -the placards. Seven prisoners were taken to the Châtelet: entering that -ancient building, where some remains of Cæsar's walls are still to be -seen, they appeared before the criminal chamber, and the king's advocate -in his scarlet robe called for a severe sentence. The poor paralytic -could not be accused of running about the city to fasten up the -handbills; he was convicted all the same of having some at his father's -shop. Justice was at once prompt and cruel. These virtuous men were all -condemned to have their property confiscated, to do public penance, and -to be burnt alive at different places, and on different days. The court -thought that by spreading the punishments, they would extend the terror -more widely. The sentence was confirmed by the parliament.[237] - -[Sidenote: MARTYRDOM OF MILON.] - -On the 13th November, three days after the sentence, one of the turnkeys -entered the cell of the paralytic, and lifting him in his arms like a -child, carried him to a tumbril; the procession then took its way -towards the Grève. As he passed before his father's house, Milon greeted -it with a smile. He reached the place of execution, where the stake had -been prepared. 'Lower the flames,' said the officer in command: 'the -sentence says he is to be burnt _at a slow fire_.' This was a cruel -prospect, still he uttered none but words of peace. He knew that to -believe and to suffer was the life of a Christian; but he believed that -the grace of suffering was still more excellent than the grace of faith. -The enemies of the Reformation, who surrounded the burning pile, -listened to the martyr with surprise and respect. The evangelicals were -deeply moved, and exclaimed: 'Oh! how great is the constancy of this -witness to the Son of God, both in his life and in his death!'[238] - -The next day it was the turn of Du Bourg, the tradesman of the Rue St. -Denis. The wealth he had enjoyed during his life, the tears of his wife, -the solicitations of his friends, had been ineffectual to save him. He -was a man of decided character: when he had posted up the placard, he -had done so boldly, although he knew that the act might cost him his -life, and he stepped into the tumbril with the same courage. When he -arrived in front of Notre Dame, he was made to alight; a taper was put -into his hand and a cord round his neck, and he was then taken in front -of the fountain of the Innocents, in the Rue St. Denis, quite near his -house—he might have been seen from the windows—after which his hand was -cut off. The hand that had fixed up the terrible protest against Rome -fell to the ground, but the man stood firm, believing that 'if those who -do battle under earthly captains push forward unto the death, although -they know not what will be the issue, much more ought Christians who are -sure of victory to fight until the end.' Du Bourg was taken to the -Halles and there burnt alive.[239] - -[Sidenote: POILLE's SUFFERINGS AND COURAGE.] - -On the 18th it was Poille's turn. That old disciple of Briçonnet's -showed as much firmness as his master had shown weakness. The mournful -procession took its way towards the Faubourg St. Antoine, and halted -before the church of St. Catherine: it was here the stake had been -prepared for the edification of the believers of that district. Poille -got down from the cart, his features indicating peace and joy; in the -midst of the guard and of the surrounding crowd, he thought only of his -Saviour and his crown. 'My Lord Jesus Christ,' he said, 'reigns in -heaven, and I am ready to fight for him on earth unto the last drop of -blood.' This confession of the truth at the moment of punishment, -exasperated the executioners. 'Wait a bit,' they said, 'we will stop -your prating.' They sprang upon him, opened his mouth, caught hold of -his tongue and bored a hole through it; they then, with refined cruelty, -made a slit in his cheek, through which they drew the tongue, and -fastened it with an iron pin.[240] Some cries were heard from the crowd -at this horrible spectacle: they proceeded from the humble christians -who had come to help the poor bricklayer with their compassionate looks. -Poille spoke no more, but his eyes still announced the peace which he -enjoyed. He was burnt alive. - -The punishments followed one another rapidly; many other sentences had -been delivered. On the 19th November, a printer who had reprinted -Luther's works, and a bookseller who had sold them, were taken together -to the Place Maubert. The poor creatures had probably only thought it a -good speculation; they were however burnt at the stake. On the 4th -December a young clerk underwent the same punishment in front of Notre -Dame. On the following day, a young illuminator, a native of Compiègne, -who worked in a shop near the Pont St. Michel, died on the pile -constructed at the foot of that bridge. Sometimes it was deemed -sufficient 'to flog the accused naked,' to confiscate their property, -and to banish them.[241] - -[Sidenote: MORE FUGITIVES.] - -The terror was universal. All who had kept up any relations with the -victims, or had occasionally frequented the meetings, were uneasy and -troubled. There was great agitation in the evangelical houses: flight -seemed the only refuge, and many made preparations for their departure. - -Although we have spoken of the evangelical christians, we have not named -them all. There were some whose profession, without being as public as -that of Du Bourg, De la Forge, and Milon, was yet quite as sincere; many -of them made themselves known at this time. Of this number were several -nobles: the Seigneur of Roygnac and his wife, the Sieur of Roberval, -lieutenant to the marshal of La Marche; the Seigneur of Fleuri in -Brière, the Damoiselle Bayard, widow of Councillor Porte—all took the -road of exile deeply sorrowing.[242] Trouble and alarm had penetrated -even into the offices of the State: many government officers, Elouin du -Lin, receiver to the parliament of Rouen, and William Gay, receiver of -Vernay, being forced to choose between their livings and their -consciences, abandoned their posts and fled. Among the fugitives were -many who would not have been looked for among the converted. Master -Pierre Duval, treasurer of the privy purse, touched by grace divine in -the midst of the revels which came under his management, and his -secretary, René, also a convert, resolved to sacrifice those allurements -of the world, which vanish with life, and fly from the terrible wrath of -their master. Another Duval (John), probably of the same family as -Pierre, keeper of the lodge in the forest of Boulogne, which served as a -hunting rendezvous for the court, had been reached by the Word of God in -the midst of his stags and falcons, just as his cook, William Deschamps, -had been. In like manner, the Gospel had entered the Hôtel des Finances: -two clerks of the Treasury had begun to seek for the _treasure in -heaven_; their names were Claude Berberin and Leon Jamet, of Sansay in -Poitou. All these men disappeared suddenly; some lay hid in remote -villages where they had friends; some went to Basle, others to -Strasburg. Jamet, a friend of Clement Marot (who has addressed to him -four of those burlesque epistles known as _coq-à-l'âne_, and then in -great vogue), went to Italy, and took refuge at the court of the Duchess -René of Ferrara, who made him her secretary; and Clement himself, who -had already had more than one encounter with the law, for his hatred of -all constraint and not for his faith, got frightened also, and -accompanied his friend beyond the Alps. - -Side by side with these noblemen and servants of the king were found -more lowly men on every road in France. The trades connected with -typography (printers, booksellers, and binders) formed the most numerous -contingent in these bands of fugitives. The Reformation had gained many -followers among the masters and their workmen, and it was sufficient to -have printed, bound, or sold any of Luther's works, to be burnt alive. -Master Simon Dubois, John Nicole, the Balafré (the surname alone has -come down to us)—all of them printers, were in flight. Andrew Vincard, -the bookseller; Cholin and Jerome Denis, master-binders; and one Barbe -d'Orge, furbisher of books to the court, had disappeared. Master -goldsmiths, engravers; John Le Feuvre, a cutter of block-books (he may -perhaps have cut certain designs representing Christ and Antichrist, -which had been distributed along with the placards); a cooper, a -carpenter, a shoemaker; Girard Lenet, a painter; John Pinot, who kept an -inn, called the _Key_, on the Grève, notorious for lodging Lutherans; -the sister of the paralytic Milon, who could not bear to remain in the -city where her brother had been burnt—all these were flying far from -Paris.[243] - -Dauphiny was the province of France which had contributed most to the -evangelical brotherhood of Paris. Master Thomas Berberin, Pasqualis, -François, Gaspard Charnel, and a young friar named Loys de Laval, were -all from Dauphiny, and returned hastily to their picturesque home. - -[Sidenote: QUALITY OF THE FUGITIVES.] - -Several other fugitives were monks: there were brother Gratian and -brother Richard, both Augustines; brother Nicholas Marcel, a Celestine; -the precentor Jehannet, surnamed _the preacher_; and Master John le -Rentif, a secular priest, popularly known as the _prêcheur de -bracque_,[244] so called, probably, because having thrown off his -sacerdotal gown, he preached in breeches. In this fugitive flock there -was one black sheep, the famous doctor of divinity, Peter Caroli. The -Sorbonne had stopped his lectures at the college of Cambray for having -said: 'Nothing keeps us more from the knowledge of God than images; and -it is better to give sixpence to the poor than to a priest for a mass.' -He left for Switzerland, where his presence was not very highly -appreciated. 'At that time also went out Caroli,' says Beza, 'carrying -with him the same spirit of ambition, of contradiction, and of lewdness; -a man whom the spirit of God had not sent, but whom Satan had brought to -hinder the Lord's work.' - -The colleges, also, where the evangelical light was beginning to -illuminate some of the masters and pupils, supplied several fugitives. -Professors on whom the severity of parliament would have fallen, rose -up, bade farewell to their pupils, sorrowfully went out of their -studies, and disappeared. Master John Renault, principal of a college at -Tournay; Master Mederic Sevin; Master Mathurin Cordier, Calvin's mentor -and friend, had quitted Paris in haste, without taking leave of their -colleagues. All classes of society had furnished representatives to that -body which was hurrying from the capital along every road. These noble -Christians were often treated ignominiously in their flight: many had -pity on them, but others insulted them. They were sometimes obliged to -hide themselves in stables or in the woods; worn out by poverty and -hunger, clothed in 'coarse and dirty garments,' the better to elude -their enemies; but the peace of faith consoled them; they had been -unwilling to deny Christ; they had preferred, as Calvin says, to -renounce the life of this world to live for ever in heaven, and the hope -of a glorious resurrection prevented them from fainting.[245] - -Margaret shed many tears in secret, and her silent sorrow spoke -eloquently to her brother. Presently she risked a few prayers in behalf -of her friends, Roussel, Courault, and Berthaud. The king was still -irritated against them; but the love he felt for his sister prevailed. -He ordered the three doctors to be taken out of prison and put in a -convent: the dungeon was changed to a cell, which was some slight -relief; and a sharp reprimand was given to each of them. Roussel -declared that he had no desire to break with the Church, and retired to -his abbey at Clairac.[246] The feeble Berthaud, whom the punishments had -frightened, resumed his monastic dress without any reserve, and died in -the cloister; but the aged and intrepid Courault remained firm. In vain -did the king send him back to the convent; in vain was the monk's frock -put on him, and a chaplet in his hands; he kept silent, but at the first -opportunity, some days only after he had been sent to the cloister, he -escaped, and, although almost blind, took the road which Farel and -Calvin had already trodden, and reached Basle. - -[Sidenote: THE KING URGED TO PERSECUTE.] - -This pardon, almost a disgrace to the king who granted it, was the only -and the last expression of Francis's pity; after having given way to his -sister, he gave way to the courtiers, the cardinals, the Sorbonne, and -parliament. The king's indulgence to the three doctors served but to -hasten the terrible persecutions that were about to begin in France. The -people, especially at Paris, ignorant and superstitious, and not -imagining there could be any other religion than that which they had -been taught, were astonished, disturbed, and uneasy at seeing the great -number of men and women won to the Gospel; they were even touched by the -serenity of the martyrs. The chiefs of the ultramontane party, alarmed -at the agitation which was gradually spreading all over the capital, and -desirous of strengthening the faith of the masses, began to solicit the -king very earnestly. They reminded him of the paper against the mass, -and called for severer punishments and more striking satisfaction; they -represented to him that 'the inhabitants of Paris were much disturbed by -the multitude of those who had gone astray from the faith.'[247] They -seemed to see the waves of Luther's doctrine impetuously advancing from -Germany, and on the point of breaking over France. At all risks a dyke -must be raised up sufficient to stop them. 'Sire,' they said, 'transmit -faithfully to your successors that glorious title of eldest son of the -Church which you have received from your forefathers.... You know how -greedy the French mind is for novelties,[248] and where may that lead -us.... Give a public proof of your attachment to the faith.' Francis had -not forgotten the placard fastened by night to the door of his chamber, -and that evangelical remonstrance seemed in is eyes a scandalous libel -aimed at his majesty. Let there be more burnings then.... But it is -desirable that they should be accompanied with unusual pomp. By a royal -law and constitution, it was ordered that they should pray to the -Almighty for the destruction of heresy, and to that end there should be -a solemn procession and an expiatory sacrifice. Francis intended to -crown it with acts of barbarity. - -All Paris was astir: the streets were hung with drapery, -_reposoirs_[249] were erected, the most magnificent dresses were -preparing in the palace, and the victims in the dungeons were counted. -Francis had many motives for giving a grand spectacle and accompanying -it with bloody interludes: public policy was not without a share in -them. He wished to silence the evil tongues that were raving about his -friendly relations with Henry VIII. and the good grace with which he had -received the ambassador from the Grand Turk; he wished to draw down the -blessings of heaven upon his arms; he wished to show that if he -protected sound learning, he despised fanatical writings, and detested -the anonymous libels circulated at the same time as the placards, the -_Seven Assaults_, the treatise _Against the pope's traffickers_, and a -host of others. But the wrath that had seized him at seeing the criminal -handbill on his own door, particularly called for a terrible revenge, -and that without delay. - -The 21st January, 1535, arrived. Early in the morning a large crowd of -citizens and people from the surrounding country filled the streets; -even the roofs of the houses were covered with spectators. This curious -and agitated multitude still further augmented the general emotion: many -citizens of Paris had never seen anything like it before. 'There was not -the smallest piece of wood or stone, jutting from the walls, that was -not occupied, provided there was room on it for anybody, and the streets -seemed paved with human heads.' The innumerable concourse admired the -tapestry with which the houses were hung, the _reposoirs_, the pictures -filled with splendid mysteries. The people gathered particularly before -representations of the _Holy Host_, of the _Jew_ (probably the Wandering -Jew), 'and others of very great singularity.' Before the door of each -house was a lighted torch, 'to do reverence to the blessed sacrament and -the holy relics.'[250] - -[Sidenote: THE PROCESSION OF RELICS.] - -The procession began at six in the morning. First came all the crosses -and banners of the several parishes; then followed the citizens, two and -two, each with a torch, and the four mendicant orders, with the priests -and canons of the city. Never had so many relics been seen before. It -was not only living men who figured that day in the streets of the -capital to do honour to the mass; but there were St. Philip, St. Marcel, -St. Germain, St. Mery, St. Honoré, St. Landry, St. Opportuna, St. -Martin, St. Magloire, and many others, who, whole or in part, were -paraded before the people. The crowd regarded these ancient relics with -devout admiration: 'There's the body of the saint!... there are his -shoes and his breeches!' - -Thus spoke the devout; but what effect did these superstitions produce -on enlightened men? What would Calvin, in particular, have said, that -great friend of the worship in spirit and in truth paid to God alone? He -had left Paris some months since; but had he been there still, at the -moment of the procession, at De la Forge's or any other house before -which it passed, what would have been his feelings? These we learn from -one of his writings, in which he treats of all the relics displayed at -this time before the Parisians. This is the proper moment for showing -what he thought of these pretended relics of saints. Irony is a weapon -to be sparingly used in religious matters; we find it employed, however, -more than once in the Bible, for instance where Elijah speaks to the -prophets of Baal.[251] Calvin might therefore make use of it; but he was -not naturally given to humour, and a profound seriousness underlies his -irony. - -The holy bodies followed each other along the streets of the capital. -The admiration of the citizens increased at every moment; they believed, -as each relic passed them, that they were looking at an object unique in -the world. 'The marvel is not so great,' said Calvin subsequently. 'We -have not only _one_ body of each of these saints, but we have _several_. -There is one body of St. Matthew at Rome, a second at Padua, and a third -at Treves. There is one of St. Lazarus at Marseille, another at Autun, -and a third at Avallon.'[252] - -Soon the canons of the Holy Chapel came in sight, wearing their copes: -no church in Christendom possessed such treasures. 'Here is the Virgin's -milk!'—'Indeed,' said Calvin, 'there is not a petty town or wretched -convent where they do not show us this milk. If the Virgin had been -nursing all her life, she would hardly have been able to supply such an -abundance!'[253] - -'There is our Lord's purple robe,' said the people; 'and the linen cloth -he tied round him at the Last Supper, and his swaddling clothes!'—'They -would do better,' said Calvin, 'to seek for Christ in his word, his -sacraments, and spiritual graces, than in his frock, little shirt, and -napkin.'[254] - -'There is the crown of thorns!' was soon the cry. The sensation produced -by this venerated object was all the greater, and the struggles of the -people to get near it all the stronger, because it had never before been -seen in the processions.—'It is no rarity,' said Calvin. 'There are two -of these crowns at Rome, one at Vincennes, one at Bourges, one at -Besançon, one at Albi, one at Toulouse, one at Mâcon, one at Cléry, one -at St. Flour, one at St. Maximin, one at Noyon, one at St. Salvador in -Spain, one at St. Jago in Gallicia, and many others in other places -besides. To make all these crowns and gather all these thorns, they must -have cut down a whole hedge.'[255] - -'Here comes the true cross!' Again there was a rushing and shouting, -citizens and strangers crushing one another,—'It is not the only one,' -said the reformer, 'there is no petty town or paltry church where they -do not show you pieces; and if all were collected together, there would -be a load for a great barge, and three hundred men could not carry -it.'[256] - -Next appeared a silver-gilt shrine, which attracted universal attention: -it contained the relics of St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris; it -was the last anchor in the midst of the tempest, and was never brought -out except when France was in great peril. The butchers of Paris had -offered to carry this precious amulet, and had prepared themselves for -it by a fast of several days: they moved along barefoot and dressed in -long shirts. Around this somewhat ferocious group there was a continual -movement. 'There she is, the holy virgin of Nanterre,' was the cry. 'She -saved our forefathers from the fury of Attila, may she save us from -Luther's!' The people threw themselves upon the relic: one wished to -touch it with his cap, another with his handkerchief, a third with the -tip of his finger, some even more daring tried to kiss it. _Kiss the -Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is -kindled but a little._[257] - -After the relics came a great number of cardinals, archbishops, and -bishops, with coped and mitred abbots. Then, under a magnificent canopy, -the four pillars of which were borne by the king's three sons and the -Duke of Vendome, first prince of the blood, came the host carried by the -bishop of Paris, and adorned as if it had been the Lord in person. - -[Sidenote: PENITENCE OF THE KING.] - -Then appeared Francis I., without parade, bareheaded and on foot, -holding a lighted taper in his hand,[258] like a penitent commissioned -to expiate the sacrilege of his people. At each _reposoir_ he gave his -taper to the Cardinal of Lorraine, joined his hands and knelt down, -humbling himself, not for his adulteries, his lies, or his false -oaths—of these he did not think-but for the audacity of those who did -not like the mass. He was followed by the queen, the princes and -princesses, the foreign ambassadors and all the court, the chancellor of -France, the council, the parliament in their scarlet robes, the -university, the other corporations, and the guard. All walked two and -two, 'exhibiting every mark of extraordinary piety.' Each man carried a -lighted torch in profound silence. Spiritual songs and funereal airs -alone interrupted from time to time the quiet of this gloomy and slow -procession. - -In this way it traversed the different quarters of the capital, followed -by an immense crowd of people, and the inhabitants of each street, -standing in front of their houses, fell on their knees as the host went -by. The crowd was so great that bodies of archers, with white staves in -their hands, posted in every street, could scarcely keep open a passage -for the procession.[259] - -At length they arrived at the church of Notre Dame; the sacrament was -placed on the altar; mass was sung by the Bishop of Paris, and all -imaginable homage was paid to the host in order to atone for the insults -offered to it by the placards. From Notre Dame, the king and the princes -returned to the bishop's palace. - -There are days of evil omen in history. There is one especially that it -is sufficient to name to fill the mind with sorrow and mourning ... -fatal date which solemnly inaugurated in France the epoch of persecution -and martyrdom. On the _twenty-first of_ _January, 1535_, a king of -France, surrounded by his court and ministers, his parliament and -clergy, was about to devote to death with all due ceremony the humble -disciples of the Gospel. What the Valois began, the Bourbons continued, -and the most illustrious of them carried out on a vast scale the system -of galleys and of burning piles. Alas! there are dates which coincide in -a striking and pitiless manner. Four hundred and fifty-eight years later -there was another _twenty-first of January_. The simplest, the meekest, -the most generous of the Bourbons, condemned by misguided men to suffer -death, ascended the scaffold erected in a public place in Paris; he -received the death-blow on the _twenty-first of January_, 1793. We do -not presume to explain history; we do not say that the innocent -Louis XVI. paid the penalty of his predecessor's crimes, and that God -ordained the expiation commanded by Francis I. to be followed by -another. But the coincidence of these two dates startled us, and we -could not avoid stopping to contemplate them with a holy fear. - -[237] _Journal d'un Bourgeois_, p. 414. - -[238] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 43. - -[239] _Journal d'un Bourgeois_, p. 445. - -[240] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 113 verso. - -[241] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 113 verso. - -[242] _Chronique du Roi François I._ p. 130. This manuscript, published -by M. Guiffrey in 1860, has described several new facts. - -[243] _Chronique du Roi François I._ pp. 130-132. - -[244] The breeches-preacher; comp. Italian _brache_. - -[245] The list of those who were noted by the officers of justice as -having fled from Paris, of which the Bourgeois de Paris speaks in his -_Journal_, p. 446, is given more completely in the _Chronique de -François I._ pp. 130-132. - -[246] Gerardus Rufus ... decreto regio absolutus.'—Cop to Bucer, -Strasburg MS. - -[247] _Chronique du Roi François I._ p. 113. - -[248] 'Quam avido novitatis ingenio essent Galli.'—Flor. Rémond, -_Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 229. - -[249] These are temporary altars set up in the streets, and at which the -procession of the _Corpus Christi_ halts 'to repose the Holy -Sacrament.' - -[250] _Chronique du Roi François I._ p. 114. - -[251] 1 Kings xviii. 27. - -[252] Calvin, _Opusc. franç._ pp. 750-751. - -[253] _Calvin, Opusc. franç._ p. 745. - -[254] Ibid. pp. 727 and 736. - -[255] Ibid. pp. 736, 742. - -[256] Ibid. p. 734. - -[257] Psalms ii. 12. - -[258] Gamier, _Hist. de France_, xxiv. p. 556. - -[259] 'Innumera denique plebis multitudine.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. -Hérés._ ii. p. 229. See also the _Journal d'un Bourgeois de Paris_; -Fontaine, _Hist. Catholique_; Maimbourg, _Hist. du Calvinisme_; and the -_Chronique de François I._ - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - THE ELOQUENCE AND TORTURES OF FRANCIS I. - (21ST JANUARY 1535.) - - -[Sidenote: DINNER AT THE BISHOP'S.] - -[Sidenote: THE KING'S SPEECH.] - -All was not over: they had had the comedy (as it appeared to some); they -were now to have the oratorical address, and then the tragedy. In order -to stifle the Reformation, something more was wanted than relics, -chanting, and images: blood must be shed. But first of all there should -be a speech from the throne. We do not doubt the sincerity of the king -in his oratorical movements. The personal offence that had been done to -him, and the obstacles raised by the placards to his political plans, -most assuredly engrossed him more than the cause of Catholicism; but -all this was mixed up in his mind, and he was eloquent. The -ambassadors,[260] the court, the parliament, the Bishop of Paris -attended by the most distinguished of his clergy, the rector of the -university with his principal doctors, the provost of the merchants, the -sheriffs, and a great number of the leading officers and merchants of -the city had received orders to assemble after dinner in the bishop's -great hall. They expected a speech from the king, an event of no -frequent occurrence in those times, which made them all the more -impatient. Ere long Francis I. entered: his countenance was serious, -sad, and even gloomy. His children, the other princes of the blood, the -cardinals and great officers of state surrounded the throne, whence the -king could be seen and heard by the whole assembly. He took his seat and -said:[261] 'Messieurs, be not surprised if you do not see in my face -that look which is usual to me, and that joy which animates me whenever -I meet you. Do not marvel if the tricks of eloquence are foreign to my -speech. I do not come to talk to you of myself; we have to treat this -day of an offence done to the King of kings. It is proper that I should -assume another style and language, another look and countenance, for I -do not speak to you as a king and a master speaks to his subjects and -his servants, but as being a subject and servant myself, and addressing -those who are fellow-servants with me of our common King, of the Master -of masters, who is God Almighty. What honour, what reverence, what -obedience do we not owe to that great King!... What obligations does not -this kingdom, more than any other, owe to Him, seeing that for thirteen -or fourteen hundred years He has maintained it in peace and tranquillity -with its friends, and in victory against its enemies! And if, sometimes, -for sins committed against His divine goodness, He has wished to visit -us with punishment in temporal things, He has done it with so little -severity, that He has never exceeded the chastisement which a kind and -gracious father may use towards the faults of a humble and obedient son. -But as for spiritual things, which touch the Holy Catholic faith, God -has never forsaken France so far as to let her stray ever so little from -it; and He has shown her this favour, that, by common accord, she has -enjoyed the privilege of being the only power that has never nurtured -monsters, and which, above all others, bears the name and title of Most -Christian.... So much the more ought we to feel grief and regret in our -hearts, that there should be at this time in France men so wicked and -wretched as to desire to soil that noble name,—men who have disseminated -damnable opinions, who have not only assaulted the things which our -great King desires to be honoured, and acted so evilly that they do not -leave to others the power of doing worse, but have all at once attacked -Him in the holy sacrament of the altar. People of low condition, and -less learning, wicked blasphemers, have used with regard to that -sacrament, terms rejected and abhorred by every other nation. So that -our realm, and even this good city of Paris, which from the time when -letters were transported hither from Athens, has always shone in sound -and holy learning, might remain scandalised, and its light be -obscured.... Wherefore we have commanded that severe punishment be -inflicted on the delinquents, in order that they may be an example to -others, and prevent them from falling into the like damnable opinions. -And we entreat the misguided ones to return into the path of the Holy -Catholic faith, in which I, who am their king, with the spiritual -prelates and temporal princes, persevere.... Oh! the crime, the -blasphemy, the day of sorrow and disgrace! Why did it ever dawn upon -us?' - -'There were few of all the company,' says the chronicle, 'from whose -eyes the king did not draw tears.' After a few minutes' silence, -interrupted by the exclamations and sighs of the assembly, the king -resumed: 'It is at least a consolation that you share my sorrow. What a -disgrace it will be if we do not extirpate these wicked creatures!... -For this reason I have summoned you to beg you to put out of your hearts -all opinions that may mislead you; to instruct your children and your -servants in the Christian doctrine of the Catholic faith; and if you -know any person infected by this perverse sect, be he your parent, -brother, cousin, or connection, give information against him. By -concealing his misdeeds, you will be partakers of that pestilent -faction.' The assembly gave numerous signs of assent; the king saw the -devotion, zeal, and affection visible in their faces. 'I give thanks to -God,' he resumed, 'that the greatest, the most learned, and undoubtedly -the majority of my subjects, and especially in this good city of Paris, -are full of zeal for the Catholic religion.' Then, says the chronicle, -you might have seen the faces of the spectators change in appearance, -and give signs of joy; acclamations prevented the sighs, and sighs -choked the acclamations. 'I warn you,' continued the king, 'that I will -have the said errors expelled and driven from my kingdom, and will -excuse no one.' Then he exclaimed, says our historian, with extreme -anger: 'As true, Messieurs, as I am your king, if I knew one of my own -limbs spotted or infected with this detestable rottenness, I would give -it you to cut off.... And further, if I saw one of my children defiled -by it, I would not spare him.... I would deliver him up myself, and -would sacrifice him to God.'[262] - -[Sidenote: EFFECTS OF THE ROYAL RHETORIC.] - -At these words the king stopped: he was agitated and wept. The -spectators, affected by the sight of this new Abraham, burst into tears. -After the interruption necessarily occasioned by this moving scene, Du -Bellay, bishop of Paris, and John Tronson, Lord of Couldray on the Seine -and prevost of the merchants, approached, and kneeling before the king, -thanked him for his zeal—the first in the name of the clergy, the other -on behalf of the citizens—and swore to make war against heresy. -Thereupon all the spectators exclaimed, with voices broken by sobbing: -'We will live and die for the Catholic religion.' The author of the -_Chronicle of Francis I._, who was probably present in the assembly, -dwells upon the emotion caused by the monarch's address: 'We may clearly -show by this,' he says, 'that the speech of an eloquent and powerful man -may lead men's hearts at his will; for there was not a man in all the -company, whether native or foreigner, who did not more than once change -countenance, according to the different affections the words -expressed.'[263] - -Other emotions, those of anguish and terror, were next to be aroused. -After displaying his eloquence, the king was about to display his -cruelty. 'Francis, always in extremes,' says a very catholic -historian,[264] 'did not disdain to pollute his eyes with a spectacle -full of barbarity and horror.' On the road between St. Genevieve and the -Louvre, two scaffolds had been prepared, one at the Marksman's Cross in -the Rue St. Honoré, and the other at the Halles. Some of the most -excellent men that France possessed were about to be burnt after -suffering atrocious tortures. Altars, galleries, and inscriptions had -been placed on the bridges and in the streets. On the bridge of Notre -Dame, around a fountain, surmounted by a large crucifix, these lines -were inscribed: - - Ipsi peribunt, tu autem permanebis. (Ps. cii.) - Inimicos ejus induam confusione. (Ps. cxxxii.) - Videbunt in quem transfixerunt. (John xix.)[265] - -A little farther on stood an altar with an invocation to the Virgin and -all the saints to give help, strength, and grace against the attacks of -the enemies of the host. In other places were four stanzas in French, -each of which ended with this line: - - France florit sur toutes nations.[266] - -The king with his family, the nobles, and the rest of the procession, -having resumed his march, made his first halt at the Marksman's Cross. -Morin, the cruel lieutenant-criminal, then brought forward three -evangelical christians destined to be burnt 'to appease the wrath of -God.' They were the excellent Valeton, receiver of Nantes; Master -Nicholas, clerk to the registrar of the Châtelet, and another.[267] The -people were so excited by the procession, and by the cries raised in -every quarter, and even by the throne, against the reformers, that, when -the martyrs appeared, they rushed furiously upon them to snatch them -from the hangman's hands, and tear them to pieces. The guard drove them -back, and the disciples of the Gospel were preserved for a more -frightful death. - -[Sidenote: THE STRAPPADO.] - -The first who came forward was that brave man and respectable Christian, -Nicholas Valeton, who had always 'kept good company.' The king had been -struck with the circumstance of the hiding of his books, and ordered -them to be burnt with him. Valeton stood in front of the pile. With a -sort of refined cruelty, the wood with which he was to be burnt had been -taken from his own house; but this kind of irony did not affect him. -Another object attracted his attention: it was a kind of gallows, formed -of two poles, one fixed firmly in the ground, the other fastened to it -cross-wise, one end of which was raised at will by means of a cord -fastened to the other. The receiver looked calmly at this instrument of -punishment, to which they were about to fasten him to make him soar into -the air. Merely to burn these humble Christians would have been too -simple: the employment of the _strappado_ was to provide the people with -a more varied and more diverting spectacle. The priests knowing that -Valeton was a man of credit, and that he was moreover rather a novice in -heresy, desired to gain him: they approached him and said: 'We have the -universal Church with us, out of it there is no salvation; return to it, -your faith is destroying you.' This faithful Christian replied: 'I only -believe in what the prophets and the apostles formerly preached, and -what all the company of saints believed.' The attacks were renewed in -vain. 'My faith has a confidence in God,' he said, 'which will resist -all the powers of hell.' The good people who were scattered among the -crowd admired his firmness,[268] and the thought that he left a bereaved -wife behind him touched many a heart. - -The punishment began. The hangman bound his hands which he fastened to -the end of the strappado; the sufferer was then raised in the air, his -arms alone sustaining the whole weight of his body. The pile over which -he was suspended was then set alight, and they proceeded to their cruel -sport. The executioners let the unhappy Valeton fall plump into the -midst of the flames; then, reversing their movements, they raised the -martyr into the air only to let him fall again into the fire.[269] 'Make -the wretches feel that, they are dying,' a cruel pagan emperor had said; -a king of France carried out this order, and enjoyed it with all his -court, somewhat as savages do when they burn their prisoners. After -several turns at this atrocious sport had amused the king, the priests, -the nobles, and the people, the flames caught hold of the martyr from -his feet to the cord that bound his hands, the knot was burnt, and this -upright witness to Christ fell into the fire where his body was reduced -to ashes. This inhuman punishment was next applied by order of the _most -christian_ king to the two other martyrs. When the torture had lasted -long enough, the executioner cut the rope, if the fire had not consumed -it, in order that the victim might fall at last into the flames.[270] - -[Sidenote: TORTURES AT THE HALLES.] - -Francis I. and his courtiers were not yet satisfied. 'To the Halles! to -the Halles!' was the cry, and a mass of curious people rushed thither, -knowing that the executioners had prepared a second entertainment of a -similar kind. The king and his train had scarcely arrived, when they -began to set the frightful strappado in motion. A man known and highly -esteemed throughout the quarter, a rich fruit-merchant of the Halles, -had been fastened to it, and after him two other evangelical Christians -were served in the same way. Francis and his court witnessed the -convulsions of the sufferers and could smell the stench of their burning -flesh. There were, no doubt, among the spectators many individuals -feeling for the sufferings of others, but, surprising to say, there was -not a sign of compassion: the best of them suppressed the most -legitimate emotions. It was everybody's duty to think that, as a jesuit -says, 'the king wished to draw down the blessing of heaven, by giving -this signal example of piety and zeal.'[271] - -Francis returned satisfied to the Louvre: the courtiers around him -declared that the triumph of holy Church was for ever secured in the -kingdom of France. But the people went still farther; they displayed a -cruel joy; the deaths of the heretics had furnished them with an unknown -enjoyment.... It was long before the thirst for blood then awakened in -them was assuaged. They had just played the first act of a drama which -was to be followed by others bloodier still, the most notorious of which -were the massacres of St. Bartholomew, and, with a change of victims, -the massacres of September 1792. Certain enraptured clerks thought that -Francis I. surpassed Charles V., and exclaimed: - - 'Cæsar edit edicta, Rex edit supplicia.[272] - -Francis I. and his officers felt, however, some little vexation: certain -victims were wanting. They sought everywhere for nobles, professors, -priests, and industrials suspected of protestantism, whom they could not -find. A few days after these executions, on the 25th January, the sound -of the trumpet was heard in all the cross-ways, and the common crier -'cited seventy-three Lutherans to appear in person. In default thereof, -they were declared to be banished from the kingdom of France, their -goods confiscated, and themselves condemned to be burnt.' These were the -fugitives whom we have already pointed out. None of them appeared to the -summons; but one of them wrote to the king:[273] - - They call me Lutheran—a name - I have no right to bear. - Luther for me did not come down from heaven; - For me no Luther hung upon the cross - For all my sins; nor was I in his name - Baptised, but in the name of Him alone - To whom th' eternal Father grants whate'er we ask— - The only name in heaven by which the world, - This wicked world, salvation can attain. - -But the king was far from pardoning. Four days after this publication -(29th January) he issued an edict, 'for the extirpation of the Lutheran -sect which has swarmed and is still swarming in the realm, with orders -to denounce its followers.'[274] At the same time he addressed a -circular letter to all the parliaments, enjoining them to give 'aid and -prisons' in order that the heresy should be promptly extirpated.[275] -Lastly, the 'father of letters' issued an ordinance declaring the -_abolition of printing_ all over France under pain of the gallows.[276] -This savage edict was not carried out: it is, however, an index of the -spirit by which the enemies of the Reformation were animated. - -[Sidenote: PROCLAMATIONS AND PUNISHMENTS.] - -Francis I., after having thus made some excursions into the sphere of -Charles V.—the _proclamations_, returned into his own—the _punishments_. -Du Bellay interceded for the German protestants, and the king sent them -back to their own country; but, feeling his hands free as regarded his -own subjects, he sent fresh victims to the stake. On the 16th February, -Calvin's friend, the rich and pious trader, La Forge, about sixty years -of age, was dragged in a tumbril to the cemetery of St. John. 'He is a -rich man,' said some compassionate spectators; 'a good man that has -given away much in alms.' It did not matter: they burnt him alive. Three -days later a goldsmith and a painter were mercifully (for Francis wished -to see the arts flourish) stripped and flogged, deprived of their goods, -and banished. Many Lutheran women were banished also. On the 26th -February, a young Italian, named Loys de Medicis, perished in the flames -at the end of St. Michael's bridge; and his wife 'died in her bed of -grief at such infamy.' Shortly afterwards it was the turn of a scholar, -a native of Grenoble, who had posted up some of the placards in the -night. On the 13th March, it was that of the chorister of the royal -chapel who in his rash zeal had fastened the protest to his Majesty's -door; he was burnt near the Louvre. On the 5th May, a _procureur_ and a -tailor were dragged on a hurdle to the porch of Notre Dame, whence they -were taken in a tumbril to the pig-market 'and there hanged in chains,' -which were not consumed so soon as ropes. The same day, a shoemaker of -Tournay, banished from that city because he belonged to the sect of -Luther, died in a similar way, 'without repenting.' - -About the same time two journeymen, natives of Tours, and ribbon -weavers, arrived in Paris 'from Almayne,' bringing with them a Lutheran -book. 'Landlord,' said one of them imprudently, 'take care of this book -while we go into town, and do not show it to anybody.' The innkeeper -whose curiosity was thus aroused, turned the book round and round, tried -to read it, and at last, unable to hold out any longer, went and showed -it to a priest. The latter having opened it, exclaimed: 'It is a -damnable book!' The landlord informed against the travellers; Morin had -the two friends arrested ... their tongues were cut out, and they were -burnt 'alive and contumacious.'[277] - -[Sidenote: LA GABORITE.] - -Paris did not enjoy alone these cruel spectacles: piles were kindled in -many cities of France. A poor girl, Mary Becaudelle, surnamed the -Gaborite, had just returned to Essarts in Vendée, her native place, -after being in service at Rochelle with a master who had taught her the -Gospel. A grey-friar happened to be preaching in her little town and she -went to hear him. After the sermon, she said to him: 'Father, you do not -preach the Word of God,' and pointed it out to him. Ashamed at being -taken to task by a woman, the friar, who was alone, resolved to get -himself reprimanded a second time, but before witnesses. The plot was -arranged. The friar having insulted the doctrine of grace, the terrified -Gaborite exclaimed: 'If you insult the Gospel, the wrath of God will be -against you.' She was condemned to the stake shortly after, and endured -her punishment with such patience as to cause great admiration.'[278] - -About the same time two or three men were keeping watch, during the -night, in the chapel of the Holy Candle, at Arras in Artois. There was a -candle there, to which the devout used to sing hymns, because the -priests told them that it had been sent from heaven and was never -consumed. 'That is what we will see,' said these evangelicals: Nicholas, -surnamed the _Penman_, 'a man of good sense and well taught in holy -learning,' Jean de Pois and Stephen Bourlet, 'who had both received much -instruction from Nicholas.' One day they took their station round the -candle, determined not to fall asleep. The substitution generally -effected by the adepts at night, while the doors were closed, not having -been made, on account of these inquisitive men, the perpetual candle -came to an end and went out, like any other candle. Then Nicholas and -his friends calling in 'the poor idolaters,' showed them that there was -nothing left of their heaven-descended relic but the end of a burnt-out -wick. 'As the reward of their discovery these three Christians received -the crown of martyrdom together.'[279] - -The persecution spared no one. It was often sufficient for an enemy to -accuse a person of having a liking for the Gospel, when immediately the -police laid their hands on him. This was not the king's intention: he -had ordered that the judges should inquire whether 'enmity, pique, or -revenge gave rise to false accusations;' but the magistrates were not so -scrupulous. The terror was universal. 'One sees nothing in Paris,' said -a catholic eye-witness, 'but gibbets set up in various places, which -surely terrify the people of the said Paris, and those of other places -who also see gallowses and executions.'[280] Mezeray, while describing -these events, says: 'But for ten that were put to death, a hundred -others sprang up from their ashes.'[281] - -The enemies of the Reformation, feeling that the moment was decisive, -redoubled their efforts to destroy it. The French, save a certain -numerous class submissive to the clergy, were disposed to receive it. -They went to church, indeed, but the majority of the population would -willingly have embraced a religion in which the priest did not interpose -between man and God. 'Alas!' said the more fervent, 'if the king does -not interfere to save the Church, all the warmth of the French for the -catholic religion will soon be turned into ice.'[282] - -[Sidenote: THE KING'S MOTIVES.] - -The king had a special motive in supporting popery. A striking -transformation was going on in France as well as in other parts of -Europe; limited monarchy was changing into absolute monarchy. Francis I. -thought that men who set God above the king, and died rather than invert -the order of these two powers, were very dangerous to despotism, and he -swore that, though he courted this religion without his kingdom, he -would crush it within. Alas! the task was but too easy. Many were only -superficially gained. Nobles without high-mindedness or independence; -men of letters who jeered at obscurantism, but who had not tasted the -Gospel; ignorant and timid crowds turned their backs upon the Word of -God when the flames of the burning piles rose into the air. - -[Sidenote: STURM'S LETTER TO MELANCHTHON.] - -Terror spread through the ranks of the friends of the Reformation. -Sturm, who was deeply engaged with literature and philosophy, -broken-hearted at the sight of all these woes, abandoned his labours. -Many of the martyrs were his friends, and had eaten at his table. -Dejected, disturbed in the midst of the lessons he gave at the Royal -College (which the celebrated Ramus attended), having constantly before -his eyes the murderous flames which had reduced to ashes those whom he -loved, it seemed to him that barbarism was about to extinguish the torch -of learning, and once more overrun society, hardly awakened from its -long sleep. He condemned the placards; in his opinion, the Reformation -should make its way by a learned exposition of its doctrines, and not by -attacking popular superstitions; but at the sight of the punishments, he -thought only of the victims. He turned towards Germany where he had so -many friends, where there was possibly less decision than in France, but -a deeper and more inward faith; he thought of Melanchthon, sat down at -his desk, and as if he were in the presence of that tender-hearted man, -poured all his sorrows into his bosom. 'If the letters which I have -sometimes written you on the affairs of this country have been agreeable -to you,' he said, 'if you then desired that all should go well for good -men,—oh! what uneasiness, what anxiety, must not your heart feel in this -hour of furious tempests and extreme danger![283] We were in the best, -the finest position, thanks to wise men; and now behold us, through the -advice of unskilful men, fallen into the greatest calamity and supreme -misery. I wrote you last year that everything was going on well, and -what hopes we entertained from the king's equity. We congratulated one -another; but alas! extravagant men have deprived us of those propitious -times. One night in the month of October, in a few moments, all over -France, and in every corner, they posted with their own hands a placard -concerning the ecclesiastical orders, the mass, and the eucharist—one -would think they were rehearsing a tragedy[284]—they carried their -audacity so far as to fasten one even on the door of the king's -apartments, wishing by this means, as it would seem, to cause certain -and atrocious dangers. Since that rash act, everything has been changed; -the people are troubled, the thoughts of many are filled with alarm, the -magistrates are irritated, the king is excited, and frightful trials are -going on. It must be acknowledged that these imprudent men, if they were -not the cause, were at least the occasion of this. Only, if it were -possible for the judges to preserve a just mean! Some, having been -seized, have already undergone their punishment; others, promptly -providing for their safety, have fled; innocent people have suffered the -chastisement of the guilty. Informers show themselves publicly; any one -may be both accuser and witness.[285] These are not idle rumours that I -write to you, Melanchthon; be assured that I do not tell you all, and -that in what I write I do not employ the strong terms that the terrible -state of our affairs would require. Already eighteen disciples of the -Gospel have been burnt, and the same danger threatens a still greater -number. Every day the danger spreads wider and wider.[286] There is not -a good man who does not fear the calumnies of informers, and is not -consumed with grief at the sight of these horrible doings. Our -adversaries reign, and with all the more authority, that they appear to -be fighting in a just cause, and to quell sedition. In the midst of -these great and numerous evils there is only one hope left—that the -people are beginning to be disgusted with such cruel persecutions, and -that the king blushes at last at having thirsted for the blood of these -unfortunate men. The persecutors are instigated by violent hatred and -not by justice. If the king could but know what kind of spirit animates -these bloodthirsty men, he would no doubt take better advice. And yet we -do not despair. God reigns, he will scatter all these tempests, he will -show us the port where we can take refuge, he will give good men an -asylum _where they will dare speak their thoughts freely_.'[287] - -[Sidenote: LUTHER'S LETTER.] - -This letter to Melanchthon is important in the history of the -Reformation. Liberty of speech and of religious action is what -protestantism claimed in France; and in claiming these liberties for -itself, it secured them for all. We may imagine what an impression this -letter produced at Wittemberg. Melanchthon, who received it, and even -Luther himself, blamed a certain excess of vivacity in the French -reformers; but, like Sturm, they recognised in them disciples of the -Divine Word. A few days after, Luther writing to his friend Link, -complained of the evil times in which they lived, and especially of the -kings. 'With the exception of our prince (the Elector of Saxony),' he -said, 'there is not one whom I do not suspect. You may understand by -this language how little love and zeal for the Word of God there is in -this world. For the present, sing, I pray you, this psalm: _Expectans -expectavi Dominum_, I waited patiently for the Lord. It is through glory -and disgrace, through stumblings and strayings, through the righteous -and the wicked, through devils and angels, that we come to Him who alone -is good, alone is without evil.[288] Therefore, dear brother, I conjure -you lend no ear to any discourse, and have no other conversation than -what you have with _Him_. There are many excellent people among men, but -alas! they have less patience than stern justice. God help us!... He -permits the devil to be strong, and how weak he makes us! God puts us to -the proof. To trust in a man, were he even a prince, is not conformable -with piety; but to fear a man is shameful and even impious in a -Christian. May Christ, our life, our salvation, and our glory, be with -you and all yours!' Luther did not name Francis I. in this letter, but -it is well known that of all princes the king of France was the one in -whom he had the least hope. He was not mistaken. - -From this time Francis I. no longer showed the same favour to learning, -and especially to evangelical learning. The excommunication launched -against Henry VIII., the schism which followed, the hope of seeing -Paul III. embroiled with Charles V., and other motives besides, made him -incline once more towards Rome. But the placards were the principal -cause of this change. His wrath was unappeasable; he was determined to -abolish these new doctrines which were paraded even on the gate of his -palace. His indignation broke out in the midst of his courtiers and -cardinals, bishops and councillors of parliament. Nay more, he laid it -even before the protestant princes of Germany. Writing to them on the -15th February, he said: 'The enemy of truth has stirred up certain -people who are not fools but madmen, and who have incurred the guilt of -sedition and other antichristian actions. I am determined to crush these -new doctrines; and to check this disease, which leads to frightful -revolts, from spreading further. No one has been spared whatever his -country or his rank.'[289] - -Such were the king's intentions. Protestantism, and with it liberty, -perished in France, but God was mighty to raise them up again. - -[260] The _Chronique de François I._ p. 121, mentions among the -ambassadors those of the emperor, of the King of England, of Venice, and -of other princes, lordships, cities, marquises, counts, and barons of -Germany, Italy, and elsewhere. - -[261] This speech of which Theodore Beza and Mezeray speak in their -histories is found in the _Chronique de François I._, published by -Guiffrey in 1860, and the Registers of the Hôtel de Ville quite bear out -the _Chronique_. - -[262] _Chronique du Roi François I._ p. 125. - -[263] Ibid. p. 126. - -[264] Garnier, _Hist. de France_, xxiv. p. 540. - -[265] 'They shall perish, but thou shalt endure.'—'His enemies will I -clothe with shame.'—'They shall look on him whom they pierced.' - -[266] 'France flourishes above all nations.' - -[267] _Journal d'un Bourgeois de Paris_, p. 447. - -[268] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 113 verso. - -[269] 'Ad machinam alligati et in altum sublati, deinde in ignem e -sublimi dimissi, et rursum adducti.'—Sleidanus, fol. 136. - -[270] 'Carnifice demum abscindente funem, in subjectam flammam -corruebant.—Sleidanus, fol. 136. - -[271] L. P. Daniel, _Hist. de France_, v. p. 654. - -[272] 'The Emperor issues edicts, the King punishes.'—Ribier, _Lettres -d'Etat_, i. p. 358. - -[273] Clement Marot, _Epître au Roi_. - -[274] Isambert, _Anciennes Lois_, xii. p. 402. - -[275] This circular will be found in the _Bulletin de la Société de -l'Histoire du Protestantisme français_, i. p. 328. - -[276] Sismondi, _Hist. des Français_, xvi. p. 455. See also -Garnier, Rœderer, &c. - -[277] _Journal d'un Bourgeois de Paris_, p. 451. - -[278] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 114. - -[279] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 113 verso et fol. 114. - -[280] _Chronique du Roi François I._ p. 129. - -[281] Mezeray, _Hist. de France_, ad ann. 1535. - -[282] 'Gallorum ardorem erga catholicam religionem in glaciem abiturum -fuisse.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 230. - -[283] 'In turbulentissimis maximeque periculosis tempestatibus.'—_Corp. -Ref._ ii. p. 855. - -[284] The meaning of the Latin is not very clear: 'Et tragicis -exclamationibus.' - -[285] 'Cuilibet simul et testi et accusatori in hac causa esse -licet.'—_Corp. Ref._ ii. p. 856. - -[286] 'Serpunt quotidie latius pericula.'—Ibid. - -[287] 'Qui aliquando libere quod cogitant audebunt dicere.'—_Corp. -Ref._ ii. p. 857. - -[288] 'Per gloriam et ignominiam ... per diabolos et angelos.'—Lutheri -_Epp._ iv. p. 603. - -[289] Rex Galliæ ad principes protestantium. We have only the German -translation of this letter. _Corp. Ref._ ii. p. 834. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - CALVIN AT STRASBURG, WITH ERASMUS, AND AT BASLE. - (SUMMER AND AUTUMN, 1534.) - - -While evangelical light seemed on the point of extinction in France, one -of her sons was going to kindle a torch on the banks of the Rhine, and -afterwards on those of the Rhone, which would spread its bright rays far -and wide. Calvin had arrived at Strasburg. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S MISSION.] - -He who was to be the true doctor of the Reformation, its great captain, -was then in search of knowledge and of arms in order to teach and to -fight: this, as we have said, was the principal motive that induced him -to leave France. Like all noble characters who have played an important -part in history, Calvin felt his vocation. He wished to labour at the -renewal of the Church; and in order to do this, he must interpret Holy -Scripture, and explain the body of Christian doctrine. Hitherto he had -preached the Gospel like an ordinary believer; he had sown the Word in a -few insulated fields—at Orleans, Bourges, Angoulême, Noyon, and Paris; -now (without his being conscious of it) a wider sphere was opening -before him; and he was going to learn the truth of Christ's declaration: -_the field is the world_. There was a void space in Christendom, and God -called him to fill it. He was to create the new, the living theology of -modern times. France, where scholasticism was the only theological -science, did not suffice him; he was going towards Germany and -Switzerland, where the love and study of holy learning had arisen with -power. He saw from afar the lights that sparkled on the banks of the -Rhine, and on the plains of Saxony; and, like a traveller who catches -sight of a beacon in the midst of the darkness, he hurried towards the -places whence those distant rays reached his eye. A child of light, he -was seeking the light. - -[Sidenote: THE COLLEGE AND MATTHEW ZELL.] - -The free city of Strasburg possessed an intelligent middle-class and -wise magistrates. The revival of learning had begun there in the -fifteenth century; shortly after Luther had published his theses at -Wittemberg, the echo of the great reformer's voice was heard in that -city of the Rhine. Elementary schools were immediately established; -monks who had left their convents, and priests who were disenchanted -from their ancient superstitions, aided by pious and devout artizans, -undertook the education of the children. A Latin college was founded in -1524, where the canons of St. Thomas and other learned Christians had -begun a superior kind of instruction. The new life then spreading -through the Church, circulated vigorously in Strasburg; it fermented in -a more especial manner in Capito, Bucer, and Hedio. They conversed -together, communicating to each other the faith by which they were -animated: it was the spring sap pushing forth blossoms and giving -promise of fruit. Capito eloquently expounded the books of the Old -Testament; Bucer explained those of the New with much wisdom; Hedio -taught history and theology; Caselius, Hebrew; and Herlin, the art of -speaking. Professor John Sturm, then at Paris, and the friend of -Melanchthon, was about to be put at the head of the educational work in -his native city.[290] - -There was a pious man at Strasburg, whose house was known to all -Christian travellers, and especially to the exiles. He was Matthew Zell, -pastor of the church of St. Lawrence. When Calvin and Du Tillet arrived -in the capital of Alsace, they were in great distress, having been -robbed of their money as we have seen. In this imperial city with all -its beautiful buildings, over which soars the magnificent cathedral, -they knew not where to go. The name of Zell was familiar to Calvin, as -well as his generous hospitality; he knocked at his door, we are told, -and was cordially received. Calvin and Zell were very different -characters; but they appreciated each other, and when the reformer was -settled at Geneva, he did not neglect to salute Zell in his letters to -Bucer.[291] Zell was a man of practical and conciliatory spirit, and did -not trouble himself much with theological discussions; he cared only for -his dear parishioners, and was very popular. Bucer thought even too much -so. 'Matthew alone has the people with him,' he said.[292] To this day -his name is mentioned with affection in Alsace. - -As early as 1521 he preached the Gospel at Strasburg, and with such -unction and zeal, that an immense crowd surrounded his pulpit. Being a -man of generous disposition, he boldly defended those who were called -heretics: 'Do you know why they are attacked?' he said, 'because their -enemies are afraid that the indulgences and purgatory which they condemn -will bring them in no more money.'[293] Prosecuted by his bishop in -1523, he defended himself with spirit,[294] and escaped with losing his -post of confessor to the prelate. - -[Sidenote: THE PASTOR'S WIFE.] - -Calvin and Du Tillet soon noticed his partner, Catherine Schulz, -daughter of a carpenter in the city, a clever, intelligent, active, firm -woman, who had managed to obtain the ascendant over everyone, and a -little too much so over her husband. The young reformer saw in her one -of the types of the Christian woman, who cumbereth herself, who -receiveth the prophets honourably, but who, while doing good, sometimes -values herself more highly than she does others.[295] Catherine's soul -was troubled for a long time; she doubted of her salvation. At last the -voice of Luther reached her, and brought her peace. 'He persuades me so -thoroughly of the ineffable goodness of Jesus Christ,' she exclaimed, -'that I feel as if I were dragged from the depths of hell, and -transported into the kingdom of heaven. Day and night I will now tread -the path of truth.'[296] - -From that hour Catherine resolutely dedicated herself to the practice of -good works. The pastor of St. Lawrence often had a large number of -persecuted christians seated round his table, and kept them in his house -for many weeks. One night he received 150 pious men from a little town -of Brisgau, who, having left their homes in the middle of the night, had -arrived in great distress at Strasburg. Catherine found means to lodge -fourscore of them in the parsonage, and for a month had fifty or sixty -of them daily at her table. Even when her house was full, she displayed -the most unceasing activity abroad. Caring neither for dress nor worldly -recreations, the pastor's wife visited the houses of the poor, nursed -the sick, wrapped the dead in their grave-clothes, comforted the -prisoners, and organised collections in favour of the refugees. _She was -never weary in well-doing._ - -In the midst of her zeal, however, she took too much credit to herself. -One day, recounting her merits, she said: 'I have conscientiously -assisted my beloved Matthew in his ministry and in the management of his -house. I have loved the company of the learned. I have embraced the -interests of the Lord's Church. Hence all the pastors and a great number -of distinguished men testify their affection and respect for me.' -Catherine did not know all that these 'distinguished men' thought of -her; the colour would have mounted to her cheeks could she have seen a -certain letter from Bucer to Blaurer, of the 16th November 1533, in -which that celebrated Strasburg doctor complains of Zell's wife, 'who is -so over head and ears in love with herself;' or if that letter of the -3rd of February 1534 had been brought to her, in which her husband's -friend wrote of her: 'Catherine, like all of us, is too fond of -herself.'[297] - -At the time of Calvin's arrival in Strasburg, Bucer was much tormented -by Catherine's spirit of domination; perhaps he should have understood -that her defects were but the exaggeration of her good qualities. He -complained of her influence over her husband: 'Matthew Zell is certainly -pious,' he said, 'but ... he is ruled by his wife.'[298] Another time he -said: 'He ought to preach faith more fully, more earnestly, but ... his -wife drives him to care for nothing but works.'[299] The zealous Bucer, -who was so often journeying to reconcile Christians and Churches, could -not endure that Zell should think only of his parish, should see nothing -but his dear Strasburg, and ascribed even that to Catherine. 'Oh,' said -he, 'if Matthew were but more zealous for the unity of the Church!' And -yet Bucer esteemed him highly, and called him 'a God-seeking man, and of -upright heart.' Zell and Catherine were in those Reformation times a -Christian pair, worthy to figure in history, notwithstanding their -failings. Perhaps, however, Calvin recollected Catherine's character -when he reckoned patience and gentleness among the foremost qualities he -should look for in a wife.[300] - -Calvin already knew by reputation the eminent men who were living in -Strasburg. He was never tired of seeing and hearing them, both at their -own houses and at Matthew Zell's. He admired in Bucer, with whom he had -corresponded, and whom he afterwards called his father,[301] a noble -heart, a peaceful spirit, a penetrating mind, and an untiring activity. -Capito was not less attractive to him. Calvin knew that, disgusted with -the intrigues of the court, he had left the elector of Mentz, and in -1532 had gone to Strasburg in search of evangelical liberty, and from -that hour had watched with interest the movements of the Gospel in -France. He was, therefore, impatient to see a man who, by the extent of -his learning and the nobility of his character, held the first rank in -the learned city where he resided; and fortunately Capito, who went to -Wisbaden towards the end of August 1534, was still at Strasburg when the -reformer passed through it. All these doctors joyfully saw France -bringing her tribute at last to the work of Christian instruction. They -were struck with Calvin's seriousness, with the greatness of his -character, the depth of his thoughts, and the liveliness of his faith; -and the young doctor, for his part, drank in with delight that perfume -of learning and piety, which exhaled from the conversation and life of -these men of God. - -[Sidenote: DEFICIENCIES IN THE THEOLOGIANS.] - -One thing, however, checked him: in his opinion the Strasburg reformers -observed too strict a middle path, and sometimes sacrificed truth to -prudence. Calvin was troubled at this; by not breaking completely with -Rome, were they not preparing the way to return to it? He was all the -more alarmed, as the young canon of Angoulême had a great inclination -for this middle way. Calvin, who would have desired to put Du Tillet in -connection with decided reformers, saw the three doctors of Strasburg, -and especially Bucer, holding out their hands to Melanchthon to reunite -popery and the Reformation. Could he have led him into a snare?... 'I -find learning and piety in Bucer and Capito,' he said one day, 'but they -force me to desire in them firmness and constancy. We must be _liberal_, -no doubt, but not so as to spend the wealth of another. And what -precautions ought we not to take, when it is a question of spending -God's truth?... He did not give it us that we should contract it in any -way.'[302] True, these words are found in a document of later date; but -already the wavering Du Tillet was approaching the gulf into which he -was to fall. - -Calvin made up for his disappointments by devoting himself lovingly to -the French refugees at Strasburg. He consoled them, succoured them, and -gave them very trusty counsel.[303] To strengthen his exiled -fellow-countrymen was the work of his whole life. 'We must be -_strangers_ in this world,' he said, 'even if we do not quit the _nest_. -But blessed are those who, rather than fall away from the faith, freely -forsake their homes, and leave their earthly comforts to dwell with -Christ.[304] - -Calvin did not remain long at Strasburg. Did he fear the influence of -that city upon his friend? or did he find too many occupations and -disturbances which prevented his giving all his time to the work to -which he wished to dedicate himself? I think so, but there was something -else. He understood that instead of receiving knowledge from the hand of -others, he must personally work the mine of Scripture and dig up the -precious gems that it contained. He wished, like the bee, to extract a -store of the purest honey from the abundance of the flowers of the -divine Word. He had had enough of travelling, of disagreements, of -struggles, and of persecution ... his soul longed for solitude and quiet -study. 'O God,' said he, 'hide me in some obscure corner, where I may at -last enjoy the repose so long denied me.'[305] Calvin departed for -Basle. - -[Sidenote: ERASMUS.] - -Erasmus, as we know, had long resided in that city. Calvin desired to -see him. He was beyond all doubt much more a man of compromises than -Bucer; and from timidity, rather than principle, he inclined to the side -of the papacy. He was, however, a great scholar; had he not published -the New Testament in Greek? Having left Basle, at the moment of the -triumph of the Reformation there, he happened just at this time to be at -Friburg in Brisgau, on the road from Strasburg to Switzerland. Could -Calvin pass so near the town where he lived who had '_laid the egg_' of -the Reformation, and not try to see him? A writer of the sixteenth -century has given an account of the interview between these two men -who—one in the department of letters, the other in that of faith—were -the greatest personages of the day. - -Bucer desired to accompany Calvin and introduce him to Erasmus.[306] The -precaution was almost necessary: the old doctor was _ratting_, wishing -to die in peace with Rome. Paul III. had hardly been proclaimed pope, -when he who had kindled the fire offered his good services to him, in -order to maintain the faith and restore peace to the Church.[307] His -letter quite charmed the crafty pontiff. 'I know,' Paul answered, 'how -useful your excellent learning, combined with your admirable eloquence, -may be to me in rescuing many minds from these new errors.'[308] The -pope even had some idea of sending Erasmus a cardinal's hat. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN MEETS ERASMUS.] - -Calvin had not chosen his time well, yet Erasmus received him, though -not without some little embarrassment. The young reformer, impatient to -hear the oracle of the age, began to ask him numerous questions on -difficult points.[309] Erasmus, fearing to commit himself, was reserved, -and gave only vague answers. His interlocutor was not discouraged. Had -not the scholar of Rotterdam said that the only remedy for the evils of -the Church was the intervention of Christ himself?[310] That was -precisely Calvin's idea, and therefore following it up, he explained his -convictions with considerable energy. Erasmus listened with -astonishment. He perceived at last that the young man would not only go -farther than himself but even than Luther, and would wage a merciless -war against all human traditions. The scholar to whom the pope had -offered the Roman purple became alarmed; he looked at Calvin with -astonishment, put an end to the conversation, and approaching Bucer, -whispered in his ear: _Video magnam pestem oriri in Ecclesia contra -Ecclesiam_.[311] Erasmus broke with the French reformer as he had broken -with the German reformer. The two visitors withdrew. We believe the -account of this interview to be authentic, in opposition to Bayle who -carries his sceptical spirit everywhere. Calvin might have been proud of -this opinion of Erasmus. His censure might appear to him praise, and his -praise censure, as the poet says.[312] Luther had said: 'O pope, I will -be thy pestilence and death!' Calvin and Du Tillet arrived at Basle. - -That city possessed a university with distinguished scholars, good -theologians, and celebrated printers; but Calvin did not knock at any of -their doors. In a bye-street there lived one Catherine Klein, a pious -woman, who took delight in serving God, and loved to wash the feet of -the saints, as the Gospel says. It was her house the young doctor -sought. Coming to the banks of the Rhine, the two friends crossed the -famous bridge which unites Little Basle to the old City, and knocked at -this pious woman's door. Here Calvin found 'the obscure corner' he had -so longed for.[313] Catherine received him with frankness and soon -learnt the worth of the man she had in her house. She was not one of -those women who from vanity 'toy and coquet,' to use Calvin's own -words;[314] but of those who having the fear of God before their eyes, -are honest and chaste in their appearance.[315] Distinguished by her -virtues and piety, she loved to listen to Calvin, and never grew weary -of admiring the beauty of his genius, the holiness of his life, the -integrity of his doctrines, and the zeal with which he applied, day and -night, to study.[316] Calvin seemed like a lighted candle in her house; -and thirty years later, receiving as a lodger a man who was to be one of -the victims of the St. Bartholomew—Peter Ramus—this estimable woman took -pleasure in describing to him the reformer's mode of life.[317] The -illustrious philosopher, uniting his voice with that of the aged -Catherine, and standing in the very chamber that Calvin had occupied, -apostrophized the reformer, as 'the light of France, the light of the -Christian Church all over the world.'[318] - -In the early part of his stay at Basle, Calvin appears to have seen -nobody but his hostess and his inseparable friend Louis du Tillet. He -avoided all acquaintanceships that might have led to his being -recognised, and he went out but seldom.[319] Sometimes, however, he and -his friend would climb the hills which rise above the Rhine, and -contemplate the magnificence of that calm and mighty river, whose waters -are ever flowing onwards, with nothing to interrupt their majestic -course. - - Labitur et labetur in omne volubilis œvum.[320] - -[Sidenote: INWARD WORK IN CALVIN.] - -It was not fear of persecution that led Calvin to hide himself; he was -in a free city. But he had need to put himself out of the reach of the -strange winds of doctrine that were then rushing over the world, and of -all the sensations of one of the most troubled periods of history. He -wished to withdraw himself from earthly noises, and hear only the voice -of God and the music of heaven. Rapid emotions, now sorrowful, now -joyful, continually repeated, as he had so often felt in Paris, -neutralised each other and left nothing in his heart. He wished to fix -his looks on high, and give the thoughts which descended to him from -heaven the time to lay firm hold upon his mind, and become transformed -into a strong and unchangeable affection, which would become the soul of -his whole life. He had already learnt much; but it was not sufficient -for him to learn, he must create: that was the vocation he had received -from his Master, and to that end he must concentrate all the strength of -his intelligence and of his heart. When God desires to form the ripe ear -of corn, he proceeds slowly and silently, but powerfully. The little -seed is hardly thrown into the ground when the manifold forces of -different agents combine to fecundate the germ. During the coolness of -the night or the heat of the day, the earth imparts her juices, the rain -enriches it, and the sun-warms it.... Such was the inner process then -going on in the reformer. Divine and human forces were combining to -bring to maturity all the germs of beauty and strength that God had -deposited in his heart, will, and understanding, and to render his -genius capable of undertaking and accomplishing a great work in the -world. Calvin felt that he needed silence and concentration. Destined to -become one of God's mightiest instruments for his age and all ages to -come, it was necessary for him to live alone with God, that he should -have God in him, and that the divine warmth should so melt and purify -all his natural energies, as to fit him for the accomplishment of his -immense task. 'Ah!' said he, without thinking of himself, 'God wishing -to publish his law by Moses, led him to Sinai and took him into his -heavenly closet.'[321] Many of God's ministers have, after Moses, been -thus prepared for the work of their office. Luther had been carried away -to the Wartburg: Basle was Calvin's Wartburg, still more than Angoulême. - -He had, however, one acquaintance, or rather an intimate friend in that -city. This was Nicholas Cop, ex-rector of the university of Paris, and -now a refugee at Basle. How could Calvin, who had been the innocent -cause of his exile, remain long within the same walls without seeing -him? While preserving his incognito with respect to the public, he -called upon his dear fellow-soldier, and the latter saw that pale -familiar face enter his room. The friends now visited each other and -conversed together; but mystery for some time longer shrouded the person -of the young reformer. - -[Sidenote: GRYNÆUS AND CALVIN.] - -One day, however, Calvin spoke to Cop of an eminent man then in Basle. -This was Simon Grynæus, Melanchthon's schoolfellow, who in 1529 had -escaped with difficulty from the violent attacks of the papists of -Spire, and had been invited to Basle to take Erasmus's place. 'Well -versed in Latin, Greek, philosophy, and mathematics,' said Melanchthon, -'he possessed a mildness of temper that was never put out, and an almost -excessive bashfulness.'[322] And yet he has been compared 'to the -splendour of the sun that overpowers the light of the stars.'[323] - -Calvin knew Grynæus by repute; he met him, and was captivated by his -amiable and gentle disposition. Grynæus, on his side, loved Calvin, and -the two scholars often shut themselves up together in their room. 'I -remember well,' wrote Calvin to Grynæus in after years, 'how we used to -talk in private on the best mode of interpreting Scripture.'[324]—'The -chief merit in an interpreter,' said the Basle professor, 'is an easy -brevity without obscurity.' It is the rule Calvin followed. At this -time, under the direction of Grynæus, he studied Hebrew literature more -thoroughly.[325] - -Calvin's residence at Basle soon became known, even to strangers, and -the unseasonable visits which interfered with his studies and which he -so much dreaded, began again. One day a total stranger called upon -him.[326] He came (he said) on the part of one Christopher Libertet, -surnamed Fabri, a student of Montpelier, who had quitted medicine for -the ministry, and whom we shall meet again in Switzerland as Farel's -fellow-labourer. 'Fabri has desired me to inform you,' said the unknown, -'that he does not entirely approve of certain passages in your book on -the _Immortality of the Soul_.' This message from a student, delivered -by a stranger, might have offended Calvin. His work was a great success. -The power of conviction stamped on it, the weight of the proofs, the -force of the arguments drawn from Scripture, its lucidity of style, its -richness of thought, the glow of light that shone round every word of -the author—all these things subjugated its readers. But the enthusiasm -of some of his friends did not blind the author to the imperfections of -his work. With touching humility he answered Fabri, who had not long -left school: 'Far from being displeased at your opinion, your simplicity -and candour have delighted me much.[327] My temper is not so crabbed as -_to refuse to others the liberty I enjoy myself_.[328] You must know, -then, that I have almost entirely re-written my book.' This letter is -signed _Martinus Lucianus_, the name probably that Calvin went by at -Basle. The date, _Basle, 11th September_ (the contents show that the -year must be 1534), is an important mark in the reformer's life. - -Visits were not the only troubles that disturbed Calvin's solitude. His -incognito had hardly ceased before he was attacked by anxieties from -every quarter. The discords which broke out in France and Switzerland -filled him with sorrow. 'I exhort you with all my soul, you and the -brethren, to keep the peace,' he wrote to Fabri. 'In order to maintain -it, let us make all the greater efforts, the more Satan endeavours to -destroy it. I have been filled with indignation at hearing of the new -troubles stirred up by a man from whom I should have suspected nothing -of the sort. He has vomited the poison with which he was swollen during -a long period of dissimulation; and after darting his sting, he has run -away like a viper.' Was this man Caroli?—I cannot say. - -[Sidenote: TRANSLATIONS OF THE BIBLE.] - -In his retirement on the Wartburg, Luther had translated the New -Testament. Calvin engaged in a similar task at Basle. On March 27, 1534, -a translation was published by Pierre de Wingle at Neuchâtel: it was a -small folio, printed in double columns, and was from the pen of Lefèvre -of Etaples, but had undergone a revision with regard to certain -expressions which still retained a Romish colouring. It would appear -that this edition was suppressed, either because it had been made -without resorting to the original texts, or because Wingle himself was -dissatisfied with it.[329] He was soon to publish a more perfect -version, in which Calvin assisted while at Basle. We shall have occasion -to speak of this in connection with Calvin's cousin, Olivetan, the -principal translator. Another work—which was to be the great work of his -life—soon occupied the young reformer. - -[290] Schmidt, _Jean Sturm_, ch. iii. - -[291] Calvin to Bucer, 150 et. 1541. - -[292] 'Matthias qui solus adhuc populum habet.'—Bucerus Blauerero, 18th -Jan. 1534. - -[293] Rœrich, _Reform in Elsass_, i. p. 133. - -[294] _Christliche Verantwortung._ - -[295] Calvini _Opp._ - -[296] Fueslin, Beyträge, p. 196. Lehr, _Matth. Zell._ p. 67. - -[297] 'Quæ furit sese amando,—Etsi amat (ut nos omnes) sua impensius.' -See Rœhrich, _Mittheilungen_, iii. p. 132. - -[298] +Gunaikokratoumenos+.—Bucerus Blaurero, 16 Nov. 1533. - -[299] 'Ad opera uxor eum detrudit.'—Ibid. Jan. 1534. - -[300] Letter to Farel, dated Strasburg, May 19, 1539. - -[301] Letter to Bucer, October 15, 1541. - -[302] Calvin to Du Tillet, _Lettres Françaises_, i. pp. 4, 54. See also -the _Correspondence_ published for the first time by M. Crottet, p. 25. - -[303] Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 272. - -[304] Calvin, _Lettres Françaises_, i. p. 272. - -[305] 'Quiete diu negata fruerer.'—Calvin, _Præf. in Psalm._ - -[306] 'Cum Calvinus a Bucero ad Erasmum adductus esset.'—Flor. Rémond, -_Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 251. - -[307] 'In causam ecclesiæ tranquillandæ.'—Paulus papa Erasmo; Erasmi -_Ep._ p. 1539. - -[308] 'Ad novos errores ex multorum animis abscindendos.'—Ibid. - -[309] 'De intricatis aliquot religionis capitibus sermonem cum ipso -contulit.'—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 251. - -[310] 'Nec ulla superest medendi spes, nisi Christus ipse vertat -aminos'.—Erasmi _Op._ - -[311] I see a great pestilence rising in the Church against the -Church.—Flor. Rémond, _Hist. Hérés._ ii. p. 251. 'Ad Bucerum -Calvinum demonstrans dixisse fertur.'—Ibid. - -[312] Whose praise is censure and his censure praise. - -[313] 'Ut in obscuro aliquo angulo abditus.'—(Calv. _Præf. in -Psalm._) - -[314] 'Mignardent et folâtrent.' - -[315] Calvinus, _in Timoth._ 1. ch. ii. - -[316] 'Catherina Petita lectissima matrona sanctitate singularis ingenii -mirifice captus.'—_Ramus_, Basilea, 1571. See also the _Life of Peter -Ramus_, by Mr. Ch. Waddington, who was the first to direct attention to -this interesting passage, p. 194. - -[317] 'Tum Calvini hospita sæpe ac jucunde mihi narravit.'—_Ramus_, -Basilea, 1571. - -[318] 'Lumen Galliæ, lumen christianæ per orbem terrarum ecclesiæ.—Ibid. - -[319] 'Cum incognitus Basileæ laterem.'—Calv. _Præf. in Psalm._ - -[320] 'It flows and shall flow on for ever.'—Horace, _Ep._, bk. I. -Ep. ii. - -[321] Calvin, in _Matth._ iv. 1. - -[322] 'Pudore pene immodico.'—Erasmi _Ep._ p. 1464. - -[323] 'Solis radiantis splendor cæterorum siderum lumen obscurat.'—Bezæ -_Icones_. - -[324] Calvin, _Dédicace de l'Épître aux Romains_. - -[325] 'Sese hebraicis litteris dedit.'—Beza, _Vita Calvini_. - -[326] 'Jam mihi a nescio quo sermo injectus.'—Calvin to Libertet. - -[327] 'Tantum abest ut tuo judicio offensus fuerim.'—Ibid. - -[328] 'Neque enim ea est mea morositas.'—Ibid. - -[329] It would seem that the only copy extant is that in the library of -Neuchâtel. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - INSTITUTES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. - (WINTER 1534.) - - -Calvin had not been long in Basle when dreadful news arrived which -deeply agitated the inhabitants of that reformed city, and especially -Calvin himself. It was reported that in consequence of some -controversial placards which had been posted up in Paris, and throughout -France, the king's anger had broken all bounds, that the evangelicals -were persecuted, that the Châtelet directed the inquisition ... and that -the burning piles were preparing. Cop, Du Tillet, Calvin, and other -refugees conversed about these mournful events. Du Tillet blamed the -violent language of the placards; Calvin seems to have kept silence on -this point—at least in his famous epistle to Francis I. he does not -disavow the placards, which it would have been wise to do, if he had -decidedly blamed them. Days and weeks went by in the midst of continual -uneasiness; the air seemed big with storms, and terrible explosions from -time to time startled every compassionate heart. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S PLEA FOR COMPASSION.] - -At the end of November, Calvin heard of the successive deaths of -Berthelot, Du Bourg, Paille, and several others whom he had known. How -often he had sat at Du Bourg's table, how often conversed with the poor -cripple!... Calvin, in his emotion, was greatly surprised at those who -could find no tears for such sorrows. 'Let us reject that mad -philosophy,' he said in after years, 'which would make men entirely -unfeeling that they may be wise. The stoics must have been void of -common sense, when they trampled on the affections of man.... There are -fanatics even now who would like to introduce these dreams into the -Church, who ask for a heart of iron, who cannot support one little tear, -and yet, if anything happens to them, against their will, they lament -perpetually.... The affections which God has placed in human nature are -not more vicious of themselves than He who gave them. Ought we not to -rejoice in God's gifts? Why, then, should we not be permitted to feel -sorrow when they are taken from us? Let believers lament, therefore, -when one of their relations or friends is taken away by death, and let -them be sad when the Church is deprived of good men. Only, as we know -that life is given us in Christ Jesus, let our sorrow be moderated by -hope.'[330] - -One day, probably in December or January, Calvin saw an old man arrive: -he was half blind, and felt his way as he walked towards him. It was -Courault, who, liberated from prison by Margaret's influence, had -escaped from the convent where he had been shut up. It was a great joy -to the young doctor to see this venerable Christian again, whose death -three years later was to overwhelm him with such deep distress. The -refugees surrounded Courault, and wanted to know the terrible news from -Paris. He had not witnessed the punishments, but he could describe them, -and cries of sorrow rose from every heart. Courault was soon followed by -other fugitives. For some weeks there was a little repose; the sky was -heavy and threatening, but silent. - -On a sudden the tempest burst out again, the bolts fell furiously and -consumed many other victims. About the end of January 1535 the news of -the martyrdoms of the 21st of that month reached Basle. Calvin's soul -was perpetually agitated by these atrocious persecutions. 'Alas!' he -exclaimed, 'in France they are burning many faithful and holy -people!'[331] He saw them fastened to the _estrapade_, swinging in the -air, plunged into the flames, and then drawn out to be plunged into them -again.... 'With what furious rage the enemies of God are transported,' -he said; 'but though horrible curses and execrable reproaches are hurled -upon the Christians from every side, they continue to repose firmly on -the grace of Jesus Christ, having confidence that they will be safe even -in death.'[332] - -Calvin was not the only person to feel these keen emotions. 'As gibbets -were set up in various parts of the kingdom,' says Mézeray, 'and -_chambres ardentes_ were instituted, the Lutheran preachers and those -who had listened to them took flight, and in a few months there were -more than a hundred refugees who carried their sorrows and their -complaints to the courts of the German princes.'[333] Their tales -excited great indignation in Germany. True, the martyrs were often -calumniated, but in many cities the refugees from beyond the Rhine were -able to refute the falsehoods of their enemies. The true Christians were -not deceived, and they recognised the victims as their brethren.[334] -This was a consolation to the reformer. 'The news having spread to -foreign nations,' he said, 'these burnings were counted very wicked by a -large number of Germans, and they felt great bitterness against the -authors of such tyranny.'[335] - -[Sidenote: OSWALD MYCONIUS.] - -The 'bitterness' was still greater at Basle. Among those who shared -Calvin's sorrow was Oswald Myconius, the friend of Zwingle, antistes or -president of the Church, for whom the reformer entertained an affection -that lasted all his life. He called him 'his very excellent, most -esteemed brother, and very respected friend.'[336] Myconius, as we have -stated elsewhere,[337] was a distinguished philosopher and pupil of -Erasmus and Glareanus: while residing at Zurich, he had taught the -classics, and among his pupils was Thomas Plater; but the disastrous -battle of Cappel had made him renounce this duty. At the moment when -Plater, outstripping the fugitives, who were hurrying from the fight, -was about to enter the city, he encountered Myconius, who was pacing -backwards and forwards before the gates, full of anguish at the thought -of the dangers incurred by Zwingle, Zurich, and the Reformation.... The -professor had hardly caught sight of his pupil, when, running up to him, -he asked: 'Is Master Ulrich dead?' 'Alas! yes,' answered Plater. -Myconius, struck to the heart, stood motionless, and then, with profound -sorrow, exclaimed: 'I can live at Zurich no longer.' Plater, who had had -nothing to eat for twenty-four hours, went home with Myconius, who gave -him food, and then sat down by him, silent and oppressed by the weight -of his thoughts. At last Myconius took him into his room, and said to -him, with consternation: 'Where must I go?'... The pastor of St. Alban's -church at Basle had also fallen on the mountain of Zug. 'Go to Basle, -and become minister there,' said Plater.[338] Shortly after this the -professor and his pupil set out on foot for Basle, where they arrived -after many adventures and alarms. - -A few days later Myconius was called upon to preach the _Council -Sermon_, which was delivered at six in the morning. 'When I entered his -room on the morning of the appointed day,' says Plater, 'I found him -still in bed. "Father," said I, "get up; you have your sermon to -preach." "What! is it to-day?" said Myconius, and jumped out of bed. -"What shall be the subject of my sermon? Tell me." "I cannot." "I insist -upon your giving me a subject." "Very well; show whence our disaster -proceeded, and why it was inflicted on us." "Jot that down upon a piece -of paper." I obeyed, and then lent him my Testament, in which he placed -the memorandum I had just written. He went into the pulpit, and spoke -eloquently before an audience of learned men, attracted there by the -desire to hear a man who had never preached before. All were filled with -wonder, and after the sermon I heard Doctor Simon Grynæus say to Doctor -Sulterus (who at that time belonged to us): "O Sulterus, let us pray God -for this man to stay among us, for he may do much good." '[339] - -[Sidenote: SYMPATHY WITH CALVIN.] - -Myconius was nominated pastor of St. Alban's, and was soon after called -to replace Œcolampadius as president of the Church at Basle. He had -entertained some illusions with regard to Francis I. A Frenchman, a -strong partisan of that king, had persuaded him that Francis was not -ill-disposed towards the Gospel; that if he dissembled his sentiments, -it was only because of the prelates of his kingdom; and that if he once -obtained the possessions in Italy which he coveted, it would be seen -that he had not much liking either for the pope or the papists.[340] -Myconius was struck with indignation and grief, when he heard of the -barbarous executions with which that prince had feasted the eyes of the -citizens of Paris. He could sympathise all the more with Calvin, as, -although a man of mild and temperate disposition, he shared in the -decided and energetic opinions of the author of the placards. 'Why sew -new patches on so torn a garment?' he said, speaking of popery. 'We -should never meet the dragon but to kill him.'[341] A great unity of -sentiment drew Calvin and Myconius together in the disastrous times of -which we are speaking. The burning stakes of Paris drove them farther -from Rome, and bound them closer to the Gospel. - -There were minds, however, upon which persecution produced a very -different effect. Amid all this indignation and sorrow, Du Tillet -remained shut up in himself and silent. The gentleness of the Word of -God attracted him, but the bitterness of the cross terrified him. He had -quitted everything with joy, believing that a general reform of the -Church would be carried out promptly; but when he saw a mortal combat -beginning between the Gospel and popery, 'he felt a deep emotion, he -lost his rest,' as he tells us himself, 'and suffered inexpressible -trouble and anguish of mind.' Each of the punishments at Paris added to -the doubts and agitation of that candid but weak nature. He seemed to -fear schism only, but the prospect of persecution and reproach had some -share in his alarm. 'He did not understand,' as Calvin says, 'that while -bearing the cross we keep Christ company, so that all bitterness is -sweetened.' He kept himself apart, he passed days and nights filled with -torture. 'I have been lonely, and without rest for the space of three -years and a half,' he wrote to his old friend in 1538.[342] His intimacy -with the reformer was changed, and three years later he was to cause him -a sorrow as great, nay greater, no doubt, than that which Calvin had -felt when he heard of the deaths of the martyrs. - -The intrigues of the agents of Francis I. began to be attended with -success. They displayed inconceivable activity to mislead public -opinion. They spoke, wrote, and distributed everywhere 'certain little -books full of lies, in which it was said that the king had behaved -harshly to none but rebels, who desired to disturb the State under the -cloak of religion.' Men, and often the best of men, are unhappily prone -to believe evil. Germany began to cool down; even at Basle many people -were deceived; and although they did not believe all the calumnies -circulated against the martyrs, the impression still remained. 'If a few -sectarians have been punished,' said many good men, 'they are -anabaptists, who, far from taking the Word of God for the rule of their -faith, follow only their own corrupt imaginations, and have at bottom no -other doctrine but a contempt of the higher powers. We cannot defend the -cause of a handful of seditious people who desire to overthrow -everything, even political order.'[342a] - -[Sidenote: EFFECT OF THE MARTYRDOMS ON CALVIN.] - -Shut up with his books in the room he occupied at Catherine Klein's, -Calvin thought day and night of these cruel accusations, and his noble -soul felt indignant not only that the children of the heavenly Father -should be forced to suffer atrocious punishments, but that it was -attempted to defame their characters. 'These court practisers,' he said, -'load the holy martyrs after their death with undeserved blame and vile -calumnies, and endeavour to hide the disgrace of this shedding of -innocent blood under cowardly disguises. They thus put poor believers to -death, and no one is able to have compassion on them.'[343] The young -doctor saw himself between two rivers of blood—that of his brethren -already immolated, and that of other Christians who would certainly be -immolated in their turn. He had not been able to prevent the death of a -Milon and a La Forge; but he would at least try to turn away the sword -that threatened other lives. 'If I do not oppose it righteously and to -the best of my ability,' said Calvin, 'I shall fairly be called cowardly -and disloyal on account of my silence.' He will speak, he will rush -between the executioners and their victims. A heavenly word rang through -his soul: _Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are -appointed to destruction_.[344] He therefore formed one of those -resolutions which, in a character such as his, are unalterable. 'I will -obey Him who speaks to me from on high,' he said. 'I will reply to the -wicked tales that are circulated against my brethren; and as similar -cruelties may be practised against many other believers, I will -endeavour to touch foreign nations with some compassion in their favour. -Such was the reason,' he adds, 'which moved me to publish the -_Institutes of the Christian Religion_.'[345] Never had noble book so -noble an origin. Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, and Tertullian had written -their _Apologies_ by the light of the stakes of the second century; -Calvin wrote his by the light of those of the sixteenth. The publication -of the _Christian Institutes_ was the pitiful cry of a compassionate -soul at the sight of those who were going to the stake. - -[Sidenote: THEOLOGY RESTORED.] - -Calvin had long meditated the great subject which then absorbed him—the -system of Christian faith; and his book was to be the finest body of -doctrine ever possessed by the Church of Christ. During four centuries, -reckoning from the twelfth, minds of the highest order had formulated -abstract systems, in which scholastic rationalism and ecclesiastical -authority were habitually combined; they had wasted their strength in -running after expositions, contradictions, resolutions, conclusions, and -interminable _pros_ and _cons_; theology was lost in an arid wilderness. -It was about to come out of it in order to enter into new lands. But it -was not a trifling matter to make Christian science pass from death to -life, from darkness to light. It required an awakened conscience, a -heart thirsting for righteousness, a high intelligence, and a powerful -will boldly to break through all the _chains_,[346] to scatter to the -winds the _sentences_ and the _sums_ which the schoolmen had painfully -woven out of their brains or out of traditions that were often impure, -and to set up in their place the living rock of the heavenly Word on -which the temple of God is to be built. - -Calvin was the man called to this work. Until his time, dogmatics, when -passing from one period to another, had always advanced in the same -direction, from abstraction to abstraction. But suddenly the course was -changed; Calvin refused to tread the accustomed road. Instead of -advancing in the way of the schoolmen towards new developements of a -more refined intellectualism, he turned eagerly backwards, he heard the -voice of conscience, he felt the wants of the heart, he ran whither -alone they can be satisfied, he traversed fifteen centuries. He went to -the gospel springs, and there collecting in a golden cap the pure and -living waters of divine revelation, presented them to the nations to -quench their thirst. - -The Reformation was not simply a change in the doctrine or in the -manners or in the government of the Church: it was a creation. The first -century had witnessed the first Christian creation, the fifteenth -century witnessed the second. - -Luther, by the power of his faith, was the principal organ of this new -creation. Freeing himself from the thick darkness that had hung over -mankind for so many centuries, he had with holy energy hurled his -lightnings and thunderbolts in every direction around him, so that all -the horizon was lighted up. Calvin appeared; he gathered up these -scattered flames, and made them into an immense fire; and while the -gleams of the primitive creation of the Church had been confined almost -entirely within the limits of the Roman world, the fires of the new -creation are spreading to the ends of the earth. - -Calvin retired within himself to meditate on the work to which God -called him; he turned a deep glance into those depths of Scripture which -he had so often sounded. Holding the torch of the Spirit, he summoned -before him the great Persons of the Christian economy, not to make them -figure, as the schoolmen had done, in a learned fencing-match, but to -elicit from them the fundamental truths of faith, and plant the golden -columns of the temple of light and life. - -[Sidenote: THE INSTITUTES.] - -The _Institutes of the Christian Religion_ is Calvin's great -achievement; it is Calvin himself, and we must therefore describe it. -History, indeed, generally narrates the actions performed by the arm of -the soldier or the negociations of the diplomatist; but the work that -Calvin then accomplished, by spiritual force, far exceeds in the -importance of its consequences all that has ever been done by the pens -of the ablest statesmen or the swords of the bravest warriors. Let us -describe, therefore, this 'action' of a nature apart. 'Curious minds,' -as Calvin calls them, will perhaps pass over these pages: we regret it, -but we must write them all the same. - -'The whole sum of wisdom,' said the great doctor of modern times at the -beginning of his work, 'is that by knowing _God_, each of us knows -_himself_ also; and these two facts are bound to each other by so many -ties, that it is not easy to discern which goes before and produces the -other.' - -In fact, Calvin, when addressing man, shows him first of all _God -himself_—wonder of wonders!—_in man_. 'God,' says he to man, 'has -stamped in you a knowledge of himself, and he continually refreshes this -memory in you, as if he poured it out drop by drop. We have _a -consciousness of divinity graven so deeply on our minds_, that we cannot -erase it. The rebellion even of the wicked bears testimony of this, for -while combating madly to throw off the fear of God, that fear remains -inevitably clinging to them, as if it were in the marrow of their -bones.' But after ascribing to man the exquisite privilege of bearing -the name of God within him, Calvin immediately brings a severe charge -against the human race. 'Alas! we shall hardly find _one_ in a hundred -that cherishes this divine seed in his heart. Some through curiosity fly -away in vain speculations; others vanish in foolish superstitions; -others, finally, deprive God of his office as judge and governor, shut -him up idle in heaven, and thus remain without God in the world.... What -is to be done? Shall we toss and tumble continually, carried hither and -thither by many erroneous levities?'[347] - -Calvin then takes man by the hand, and wishing him to know the eternal -mysteries, places him before a vast spiritual mirror, the Holy -Scriptures, where all invisible things appear in their living reality. -Thus distinguishing himself from all the doctors of catholicism who had -spoken for ten centuries, he puts in the fore-front, in an absolute -manner, the full sufficiency and sovereign authority of the Word of God. - -'God,' said he, 'has opened his sacred mouth, to make known that he is -the God whom we should adore. When a handsome book in well-formed -characters is set before those who have weak eyes, or before decrepit -old men, they can hardly read two words consecutively; but if they take -a magnifying glass, forthwith they read everything distinctly. If we -wish to see clearly, let us take Holy Scripture: without it we have but -a confused and partial knowledge of God in our minds; but that drives -away all obscurity in us, and shows us clearly God's heart.' - -Already in the time of Calvin there were certain doctors who would strip -the Bible of its inspiration and christianity of its supernaturalism. -'There are, I know full well,' he said, 'despisers, and cavillers, and -mockers, who attack the Word, and if I had to fight out this quarrel -with them, it would not be difficult for me to silence their cackling. -But in addition to all the proof that reason brings, there is one above -all others. It is necessary that the same Spirit which has spoken by the -mouth of the prophets should enter our hearts, that he should touch them -to the quick, and convince them that the prophets have faithfully -declared what had been enjoined them from on high.'[348] The testimony -of the Holy Ghost—that is the proof of proofs. - -Calvin then turns to man, the self-worshipper, who puts himself in the -place of God, and reveals to him the sin that is in him. 'Come down -now,' he says, 'come down and consider thyself. Learn to know this sin, -derived from Adam and dwelling in us, like a glowing furnace, -perpetually throwing out flames and sparks, and the fire of which not -only burns the senses, but pollutes all that is most noble in our -souls.' There is no means by which man can escape of himself from this -wretchedness of his nature. 'If thou pretendest to rise by thy own -strength, thou standest on the end of a reed ... that snaps -immediately.'[349] - -Then Calvin shows man where his salvation is to be found, and describes -with grandeur the work of expiation. 'While our condemnation holds us -surprised, trembling, and startled before the judgment seat of God, the -penalty to which we were subject has been laid on the innocent. All that -can be imputed to us in the sight of God is transferred upon Jesus -Christ. The divine founder of the Kingdom has suffered in the place of -the children of the Kingdom.... Our peace can be found only in the -terrors and agony of Christ our Redeemer.'[350] - -But how does this work, accomplished _out_ of man, act _in_ man?... Such -is the great question the Reformer sets himself. Divine faith which lays -hold of the righteousness of Christ _upon the cross_ gives birth at the -same moment to the holiness of Christ _in the heart_. 'Man has no sooner -embraced the atonement with a faith full of confidence,' he says, 'than -he experiences an unalterable peace in his conscience. He possesses a -spirit of adoption, which makes him call God _my Father!_ and which -procures him a sweet and joyful communion with the heavenly Father. -Immediately the least drop of faith is put into our souls we begin to -contemplate the face of God, kind and favourable to us. True, we see it -from afar, but it is with an undoubting eye, and we know that there is -no deception.' - -A new question is here started. The young doctor is asked: Is man saved -by charity or without it? He makes answer: 'There is no other faith -which justifies save that which is united with charity; but it is not -from charity that it derives the power to justify. Faith justifies only -because it puts us in communication with the righteousness of Christ. -Whosoever confounds the two righteousnesses (that of man and that of -God) hinders poor souls from reposing on the sole and pure mercy of God, -plaits a crown of thorns for Jesus Christ, and turns his sacrifice to -ridicule.' - -Here Calvin puts forward the grand idea which characterises the -Reformation effected by his teaching; namely, _that it is only the new -man which we should value_. After insisting as much as any doctor on the -work that Christ does _without us_, he insists more than any on the work -Christ must do _within us_. 'I exalt to the highest degree,' he says, -'the conjunction that we have with our Chief,—the dwelling he makes in -our hearts by faith,—the sacred union by which we enjoy him. It is -necessary that we should perceive in our lives a melody and harmony -between the righteousness of God and the obedience of our souls.' - -But Calvin observed that many humble, timid christians were distressed -because they experienced only a weak faith. These he consoles, and the -images he employs are picturesque: 'If any one, shut up in a deep -dungeon,' he says, 'received the light of the sun obliquely and -partially, through a high and narrow window, he would not certainly have -a sight of the full sun, yet he would not fail to receive a certain -quantity of light and to enjoy its use. In the same way, though we are -shut up in the prison of this earthly body, where much obscurity -surrounds us on every side, if we have _the least spark_ of God's light, -we are sufficiently illuminated and may have a firm assurance.' - -May not that flame be extinguished, ask christians hesitatingly. 'No,' -said Calvin, 'the light of faith is never so extinct that there does not -remain some glimmer. The root of faith is never so torn from the heart, -that it does not remain fastened there, although it seems to lean to -this side or that.' 'Faith,' he exclaimed (and he had often felt it), -'faith is an armed man within us to resist the attacks of the evil -one.... If we put faith in the front, she receives the blows and wards -them off. She may indeed be shaken, as a stalworth soldier may be -compelled by a violent blow to step backwards. Her shield may receive -damage so as to lose its shape, but not be penetrated; and even in this -extremity the shield deadens the blow, and the weapon does not pierce to -the heart.' - -After consoling the timid and uplifting the wounded, this extraordinary -man, who speaks with the firmness of one of the captains of the army of -God, exhorts the soldiers of Christ to be brave: 'When St. John promises -the victory to our faith, he does not mean simply that it will be -victorious in _one_ battle, or in _ten_, but in _all_. Be full of -courage then. To fluctuate, to vary, to be tossed to and fro; to doubt, -to vacillate, to be kept in suspense, and finally to despair ... that is -not having confidence. We must have a solid support on which we can -rest. _God has said it_, that is enough. Being under the safeguard of -Christ, we are in no danger of perishing.'[351] - -Calvin turning to Rome seeks for the origin of its errors and -superstitions, and finds it in the pelagianism with which it is tainted. -Grace in all its fulness,—grace from the first movement of regeneration -until the final accomplishment of salvation, was the keynote of all -Calvin's theology; and it is also the powerful artillery with which he -batters the Roman fortress. Like St. Paul in the first century, like St. -Augustine in the fifth, Calvin is the _Doctor of grace_ in the -sixteenth. This is one of his essential features. 'The will of man,' he -said, 'cannot of itself incline to good. Such a movement, which is the -beginning of our conversion to God, Scripture entirely attributes to the -Holy Ghost. A doctrine not only useful, but sweet and savoury through -the fruit it bears; for those who do not know themselves to be members -of the peculiar people of God, are in a continual trembling.... No doubt -the wicked find in it a matter to accuse and cavil at, to disparage and -ridicule ... but if we fear their petulance, we must keep silence as to -our faith, for there is not a single article which they do not -contaminate with their blasphemies. Christ (he continues) wishing to -deliver us from all fear in the midst of so many deadly assaults, has -promised that those who have been given him by his Father to keep, shall -not perish.'[352] - -At this period Calvin hears a clamour raised against him. He is accused -of maintaining that God predestines the wicked to evil, and he replies -at once by reprobating such an impious doctrine. 'These mockers jabber -against God,' he says, 'alleging that the wicked are unjustly condemned, -since they execute only what God has determined.... Not so,' he -exclaims; 'far from having obeyed God's command, the wicked by their -lusts rebel against it as far as in them lies. There must be no fencing -with God; there must be no saying, with Agamemnon in Homer, speaking of -evil: It is not _I who am the cause_, but Jupiter and Fate.'[353] - -Calvin next hastens to show the fruits of faith: 'We have given the -first rank to doctrine,' he said, 'but to be useful to us, it must -_penetrate into the soul, pass into the manners and regulate the actions -of our life_.... Since the Holy Ghost consecrates us to be temples of -God, we must take pains that the glory of God fills the temple.... We -know those babblers who are content with having the gospel on their -lips, whilst it ought to sink to the bottom of the soul, and we detest -their babbling.' - -Calvin had carefully studied the condition of the Church during the -Middle Ages: what had he found there?... The separation of religion and -morality: a government, official doctrines, ceremonies, but all stripped -of moral life. At that time religion was a tree stretching its branches -wide into the air, but there was no sap flowing through them. To restore -a lively faith in religion, and through faith a holy morality was the -reformer's aim. He said: 'God _first impresses on our hearts the love of -righteousness_, to which we are not inclined by nature; and then he -gives us a certain rule, which does not permit us to go astray.'[354] -Accordingly, a morality, unknown for ages, became not only in Geneva, -but wherever Calvin's doctrine penetrated, the distinctive feature of -the Reformation. - -An important thought, however, still absorbs him. He wishes not only to -effect certain reforms in certain articles, but to constitute the -Church. In Calvin's estimation the Church is in an especial manner the -whole assembly of the children of God; but he acknowledges also, as -having a right to this name, the visible assembly of those who, in -different parts of the world, profess to worship the Lord: 'A great -multitude, in which the children of God are, alas! but a handful of -unknown people, _like a few grains on the threshing-floor under a great -heap of straw_. Our rudeness, our idleness, and the vanity of our minds -require external helps (he added), and for that reason God has -instituted pastors and teachers.'[355] - -[Sidenote: APPRECIATION OF THE INSTITUTES.] - -That was a solemn time for Calvin, when in the room he occupied at -Catherine Klein's, he finished his _Institutes_. In after years pious -Christians entered her house with respect, and one of them, Peter Ramus, -being there in 1568, five years after the reformer's death, exclaimed -with emotion: 'Here were kindled the torches that shed so great a light! -Here those illustrious _Christian Institutes_ were composed; and here -Calvin gave himself up wholly to heavenly vigils!'[356] - -The _Christian Institutes_ in its earliest form was a simple defence, -explaining briefly _law_, _faith_, _prayer_, _the sacraments_, -_Christian liberty_, and the nature of the _Church and State_. But the -French refugees at Geneva, and even distant protestants, continually -solicited Calvin to set forth the whole Christian doctrine in his book; -and accordingly it received numerous additions.[357] - -The _Christian Institutes_ are a proof that christian love prevailed in -Calvin's mind: indeed, he wrote for the justification of _believers, his -brethren_. However, by defending the reformed, he explained and -justified the Reformation itself. What are its principles? The formative -principle of faith and of the Church is, with him as with Luther, the -sovereign Word of God; but he asserts it with more decision than his -predecessor. Calvin is anti-traditional: he will have nothing to do with -host, or font, or festivals and other ceremonies preserved by Luther. He -did not _reform_ the Church, he _re-formed_ it; he created it anew. -Zwingle also was scriptural, as opposed to tradition; yet Calvin's -theology is different from his; that of the Zurich doctor was specially -exegetic, while that of the Geneva doctor was specially dogmatic. If -from the formative principle we pass to that which theologians call the -material principle, namely, that which distinguishes the nature and very -essence of its doctrine, we find that it is at heart the same in Luther -and Calvin—gratuitous salvation; but the former, clinging to Christian -_anthropology_, laid down as a fundamental article, the justification by -faith of the regenerate man; whilst Calvin, clinging particularly to -_theology_, to the doctrine of God, proclaimed first of all, salvation -by the sovereignty of divine grace. - -Calvin's polemics, in his _Institutes_, are essentially positive. Like a -master in the midst of artists, who are endeavouring to draw the same -picture, Calvin traces his outline with a bold hand, distributes the -light and shade, and succeeds in making an admirable work. And from that -time his rivals have only to look at it, to acknowledge the -imperfections of their own, with all their want of proportion and -extravagance.... Calvin destroys what is ugly, but he first creates the -beautiful. - -The _Institutes_ were admired by the finest spirits of the age. Montluc, -bishop of Valence, called Calvin the greatest theologian in the world. A -French writer of our day, who does not belong to the Reform, but is a -correct and profound thinker,[358] has characterised the _Institutes_ -'as the first work of our times which presents an orderly arrangement of -materials, with a composition thoroughly appropriate and exact;' and has -distinguished Calvin himself, 'as treating in a masterly manner all the -questions of Christian philosophy, and as rivalling the most sublime -writers in his great thoughts on God, whose style (he adds) has been -equalled, but not surpassed, by Bossuet.' - -[330] Calvin, _Actes_, viii. 2. - -[331] Calvin, _Préface des Psaumes_. - -[332] Calvin, _Actes_, vii. 59. - -[333] Mézeray, _Hist. de France_, ii. p. 981. The _chambres ardentes_ -were tribunals that pronounced the penalty of the stake against heresy. - -[334] 'Grave passim apud Germanos odium ignes illi excitaverunt.'—Calvin -_in Psalm._ - -[335] Calvin, _Préface aux Psaumes_. - -[336] Letters of Calvin to Myconius, March. 14, and April 17, 1542. - -[337] See my _History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century_, -books viii. and xi. - -[338] _Vie de Thomas Plater_, published by M. E. Fick, Doctor of -Laws. - -[339] _Vie de Thomas Plater_, published by E. Fick. - -[340] 'Videbis quid amicitiæ sit remansurum cum papa et -papisticis.'—_Myconius ad Bullingerum_, March 1534. - -[341] 'Cum draconi non aliter est congrediendum, nisi ut penitus -occidatur.'—Ibid. in post. epist. - -[342] Du Tillet to Calvin, September 7, 1538. - -[342a] 'Turbulentos homines qui totum ordinem politicum -convellerent.'—Calvin _in Psalm._ See also Beza, _Hist. eccles._, p. 14, -and _Vie de Calvin_, p. 19. - -[343] Calvin, _Préface des Psaumes_. - -[344] Proverbs xxxi. 8. - -[345] _Préface des Psaumes._ - -[346] 'Catenæ Patrum.' - -[347] _Institution_, liv. i. ch. i, ii, iii, iv. - -[348] _Institution_, liv. i. ch. vi. and vii. - -[349] Ibid. liv. i. ch. i.; liv. ii. ch. ii. and iii. - -[350] Ibid. liv. ii. ch. xvi. and xvii. - -[351] _Institution_, liv. iii. ch. ii.; liv. ii. ch. xii, xix, xx; -liv. xiii. ch. iii, iv, v. - -[352] _Institution_, liv. ii. ch. iii; liv. iii. ch. xxi, xxii, -xxiii. - -[353] Ibid. liv. i. ch. xvii, xviii. - -[354] _Institution_, liv. iii. ch. vi. - -[355] Ibid. liv. iv. ch. i. - -[356] 'Hic tanti luminis faces primum incensæ, &c.'—_Ramus_, -Basilea, 1571. - -[357] The successive additions are easily seen in the first volume of -Calvin's Works just published in Brunswick by three Strasburg divines, -MM. Baum, Cunitz, and Reuss. We there find the different editions of the -_Institutes_, and the passages peculiar to each are printed in larger -type. We refer to the _Synopsis_ in six columns of the editions of -1536-1539-1543/5-1550/54-1559, &c. In its first form the _Institutes_ -consisted of six chapters only; in the last, of eighty, divided into -four books. Our selections have been made from the complete edition. - -[358] M. Nisard. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - CALVIN ADDRESSES THE KING AND DEPARTS FOR ITALY. - (AUGUST 1535.) - - -The object of the _Christian Institutes_ was to make known to -Christendom, and particularly to the protestants of Germany, the -doctrines professed in France by the men whom the king was putting to -death. But was that all he had to do? Calvin thought he saw something -more pressing still. His representations, instead of passing through -Germany, might be addressed direct to the king. In his anguish and -solitary meditations, he had often asked himself why he should not do it -directly and publicly?... It was no doubt a great enterprise for a -persecuted and almost unknown young man to address that powerful -monarch, who was mercilessly throwing his best subjects into the flames. -Calvin did not at first entertain so bold a project. Later, he said to -the king: 'I thought of nothing less than writing things to be laid -before your Majesty.'[359] But the lamentable spectacle presented by -France was night and day before his eyes. And knowing that the same fate -was hanging over the heads of all who desired no other mediator but -Christ, was it right for him to be silent? - -In truth, the glare of the burning piles was reappearing in France. A -pious husbandman of Bresse, 'much exercised in the word of God,' by name -John Cornon, was arrested in his native village in the month of May and -taken to Macon. When brought before his judges, he spoke with such faith -and courage, that they were astonished and confounded. Accordingly at -the end of June, he was bound to a hurdle, dragged to the place of -execution, and there burnt alive.[360] Shortly after this, one Dennis -Brion, a man zealous for the gospel, was put to death during 'the great -days' of Angers, in order to terrify the crowds who flocked thither from -all parts for these festivals.[361] The flames which burnt these pious -confessors might perhaps shortly burn other men of God, whom Calvin -desired to save at any cost. He therefore determined to write to the -king, dedicating his book to him.... A bold step! - -[Sidenote: LETTER TO THE KING.] - -'Sire,' he said, 'you are yourself a witness by what false calumnies our -doctrine is everywhere defamed. Have you not been told that it tends to -nothing else but to ruin all kingdoms and governments, to disturb the -peace, to abolish all law, to confiscate lordships and possessions, and, -in a word, to throw everything into confusion? And nevertheless you hear -only the least part of these outrages. Horrible stories are circulated -against us, for which, if they were true, we should richly deserve to be -hanged a thousand times over.' - -What Calvin undertook to do was not merely to show that the evangelical -doctrine of the Reformation has the right to exist side by side with the -Roman Catholic doctrine. This philosophical and Christian stand-point -was not that of the sixteenth century. If the evangelical doctrine has a -right to exist, it is (said Calvin, boldly) because it is the truth. He -desired to gain over both king and people to those convictions, which in -his opinion were alone capable of enlightening and of saving them. - -'Our defence,' he said, 'does not consist in disavowing our doctrine, -but in maintaining it to be true. Truth deprives her adversaries of the -right to open their mouths against her. And for this reason, Sire, I -pray you to obtain full information of a cause which hitherto has been -treated with impetuous fury rather than with judicial gravity.... Do not -think that I am striving here in my own private defence, in order to -return to my native country. Verily, I bear it such human affection as -is right, but things are now so arranged, that I am not greatly -distressed at being kept out of it.... No, Sire, I undertake the common -cause of all believers, and even that of Christ himself, a cause now so -rent and trodden down in your kingdom, that it seems desperate.... No -doubt, Christ's truth is not lost and scattered; but it is hidden away -and buried, as if deserving of all ignominy. The poor Church is driven -out by banishment, consumed by cruel deaths, and so terrified by threats -and terrors, that she dares not utter a word. And yet the enemies of -truth are not satisfied. They insist with their accustomed fury on -beating down the wall which they have already shaken, and in completing -the ruin they have begun.' - -Here Calvin asks if no one is taking up the defence of these persecuted -Christians.... He looks ... alas! the evangelicals are silent, the queen -of Navarre scarcely raises her timid voice, and diplomatists are -persuading the Germans that the evangelicals of France are fanatics and -madmen ... every one trembles.... 'Nobody,' he exclaims, 'nobody comes -forward to oppose this fury. If even any should wish to appear to favour -the truth, they confine themselves to saying that we should in some way -pardon the _ignorance_ ... the _impudence_ of these simple folks. Thus -they treat God's most sure truth as _impudence_ and _ignorance_. Those -whom our Lord has so esteemed as to impart to them the secrets of his -heavenly wisdom, they call _simple folks_! who permit themselves to be -easily deceived, so ashamed are they of the Gospel.' - -Who then shall take the cause of truth in hand?... - -'It is your business, Sire,' said Calvin to the king, 'not to avert -either your ears or your heart from so just a defence. A great matter is -at stake. We have to learn how God's glory shall be maintained on earth, -how his truth shall retain its honour, and how Christ's kingdom shall -remain in its integrity.... A matter truly worthy of your ears, worthy -of your government and of your royal throne!... The idea which makes a -true king, is that the king knows himself to be a true minister of God -in the management of his kingdom. A reign which has not God's glory for -its aim, is not a reign but a mere brigandage.' - -Calvin had hardly spoken thus when he seemed to see Francis refusing to -turn aside from his brilliant fêtes to lend his ears to the meanest of -his subjects. The king listens to Montmorency, to Tournon ... he hastens -to meet the Duchess d'Etampes; he even welcomes artists and men of -letters; but these miserable religionists ... never! - -'Sire,' said Calvin, 'do not turn away in disdain of our meanness. -Verily, we confess that we are poor despicable folks,—miserable sinners -before God, reviled and rejected before men.... Nay, if you like it, we -are the scum of the earth or anything more worthless still, that can be -named. Yes, we have nothing left in which we can glory before God, -except his only mercy ... and nothing before men, except our weakness!' - -But the apologist immediately lifts up his head with holy pride: - -'Nevertheless,' he says, 'our doctrine must remain exalted, invincible, -and far above all the power and glory of the world. For it is not ours, -but that of the living God and his Christ, whom God has made King to rule -from sea to sea, and from the rivers unto the ends of the earth, ... and -whose magnificence the prophets have foretold, saying that he shall -overthrow kingdoms strong as iron and brass, and shining like silver and -gold.' - -Here the advocate of his brethren hears an objection from their enemies. -He sees them clustering round Francis, and incessantly repeating to him -that _these folks_, even while putting forward the Word of God, are only -its _perverse corruptors_.... 'Sire,' he continues, 'you can judge for -yourself, by reading our confession (the _Institutes_) to what an extent -the reproach is nothing but wicked calumny and brazen impudence. What is -more conformable with the christian faith, than to acknowledge ourselves -stripped of all virtue to be clothed with God? empty of all good to be -filled with Him? the slaves of sin to be freed by Him? blind, to have -our sight restored by Him? lame, that He may make us walk? weak, to be -supported by Him? in a word, to put off from us all manner of glory, -that He alone may be glorified?... Ah! we do not read of men being -blamed for drinking too deeply at the fountain of living waters; on the -contrary, the prophet bitterly reproves those who have hewed out broken -cisterns that can hold no water.'[362] - -Calvin even attempted—and a hopeless attempt it was—to touch the king's -heart: 'Consider, Sire, all parts of our cause. We are persecuted, some -of us are kept in prison, others are scourged, others forced to do -penance, others banished, others escape by flight.... We are in -tribulation, insulted, treated cruelly, looked upon as outlaws, and -accursed.... And for what?... Because we place our hope in the living -God, and believe that life everlasting is _to know the only true God and -Jesus Christ whom he hath sent_.' - -Calvin knew very well, however, that the victory would not be easy. He -had seen the priests closely, in the capital, in cities of second rank, -and in the country. He fancied he could hear the cries raised by the -curés in their parishes, and the monks in their convents. Wishing, -therefore, to enlighten the king, he did so in a rather coarse manner, -after the fashion of the times. 'Why,' he asked, 'do our enemies fight -so stoutly and so sternly for the mass, purgatory, pilgrimages, and such -rubbish?' ... Because the belly is their God, and the kitchen their -religion. Because, although some treat themselves delicately and others -starve upon crusts, they all eat out of the same pot which, without -these branches to warm them (the mass, purgatory, &c.) would not only -grow cold, but freeze entirely.' - -Calvin was not ignorant however that the really dangerous enemies of the -Reformation were not those priests and friars whom Erasmus and so many -others had often flagellated to the great delight of the king. He -imagined he saw haughty nobles, fanatical priests and doctors entering -the king's closet, and pouring their perfidious accusations into his -ear. 'I hear them,' he says, 'they call our doctrine _new_.... Verily, I -have no doubt it is _new_, so far as they are concerned, seeing that -even Christ and his gospel are quite new to them. But he who knows that -this preaching of St. Paul's is old, namely, that _Christ died for our -sins and was raised again for our justification_, finds nothing new -among us. True, it has long been hidden and unknown, but the crime must -be laid to the wickedness of man; and now that by God's goodness it is -restored to us, it ought at least to be received into its ancient -authority.' - -Here the enemies persist: they claim the old doctors of the Church as -being in their favour. This was the strongest argument in the eyes of -Francis, who affected a certain respect for ancient christian -literature. Calvin was familiar with the writings of the doctors: he had -studied them night and day at Angoulême, Paris, and Basle. 'The Fathers -have been mistaken, just like other men,' he said, 'but these good and -obedient sons (the Romish friars) adore the errors of the Fathers, and -put out of sight what they have said aright, as if they had no other -care but to pick out the rubbish from among the gold.... And then they -attack us with loud clamours as despisers of the Ancients. Far from -despising them, we could prove from their testimony the greater part of -what we are now saying. But those holy persons often differ from each -other and sometimes contradict themselves. They ought not to tyrannise -over us. It is Christ alone whom we must obey wholly and without -exception. Why do not our adversaries take the Apostles for their -Fathers, since it is their landmarks and theirs only that we are -forbidden to remove? And if they desire the landmarks of the Fathers to -be observed, why do they, whenever it suits their pleasure, overleap -them so audaciously?' - -Further than this, Calvin makes use of these doctors; he does not fear -them, on the contrary, he appeals to them. He calls them all up to make -them defile before the king and bear testimony against the doctrines of -Rome. - -'It was a Father, Epiphanius, who said that it was a horrible -abomination to see an image of Christ or of any saint in a christian -temple. - -'It was a Father, Pope Gelasius, who said that the substance of the -bread and wine dwells in the sacrament of the Holy Supper, as the human -nature dwells in our Lord Jesus Christ, united to his divine essence. - -'It was a Father, Augustine, who called it a rash theory to assert any -doctrine without the clear testimony of Scripture. - -'It was a Father, Paphnutius, who maintained that the ministers of the -Church ought not to be forbidden to marry, and that chastity consisted -in having a lawful wife. - -'It was a Father, Augustine, who contended that the Church ought not to -be preferred to Christ, because whilst ecclesiastical judges, being men, -may be mistaken, Christ always judges righteously.... Ah! if I wished to -reckon up all the points in which the Roman doctors reject the yoke of -the Fathers, whose obedient children they call themselves, months and -years would pass away in reading the long roll.... And then they reprove -us for going beyond the ancient boundaries!' - -Calvin did not forget that he was speaking to a prince. Struck with the -condition of the world at this important moment, when old superstition -and new doubts, old disorders and new immoralities, ambitions, war, and -desolations, were all conflicting together, he called loudly for a -remedy; and being convinced that the Reformation alone could save -society, he exclaimed: 'Oceans of evil are deluging the land. New -plagues are ravaging the world. Everything is falling into ruins. We -must despair of human affairs, or put them to rights, even if it be by -violent remedies. And yet men reject the remedy.... Ah! God's -everlasting truth alone ought to be listened to in God's kingdom. -Against it neither proscription, nor lapse of years, nor ancient -customs, nor any compact whatever, avails anything.' - -'But the Church,' say his adversaries. 'If we are not the Church, where -was it before you?' 'Alas!' answered Calvin, 'how often has not the -Church suffered eclipse, been deformed and oppressed by wars, seditions, -and heresies.... Does not St. Hilary reprimand those who, blinded by an -unreasoning respect, did not observe what sores were sometimes hidden -under a fair outside. You seek the Church of God in the beauty of its -buildings. But know you not that there it is that Antichrist will set up -his throne? Mountains, woods, and lakes, prisons, wildernesses, and -caves—these are to me safer and more trustworthy; for there prophesied -the prophets, who had withdrawn to them. God, seeing that men were -unwilling to obey the truth, permitted them to be buried in deep -darkness, and the form of a true Church to be lost, while still -preserving those who belonged to it, hidden and scattered here and -there. If you are willing, Sire, to give up a part of your leisure, and -to read my writings ... you will see clearly that what our adversaries -call a Church is a cruel gehenna, a slaughter-house of souls, a torch, a -ruin.' - -Finally, the young doctor, knowing that the cardinals were continually -repeating to Francis I., 'See what contentions, troubles, and -disturbances the preaching of this doctrine has brought with it,' gave -an answer to that vulgar accusation which is rather striking and -original: 'The Word of God,' he says, 'never comes forward without -Satan's rousing himself and fighting. A few years ago, when everything -was buried in darkness, this lord of the world played with men as he -list, and like a Sardanapalus, took his pastime in peace. What could he -do but sport and jest, seeing that he was then in tranquil possession of -his kingdom? But since the light shining from on high has chased away -the darkness, the prince of this world has suddenly thrown off his -lethargy and taken up arms. First, he resorted to force in order to -oppress truth; then, to stratagem to obscure and extinguish it. Oh! what -perversity to accuse the Word of God of the seditions stirred up against -it by fools and madmen! - -'Ah! Sire, it is not us who stir up troubles, it is those who resist the -goodness of God. Is it likely that we, whose mouths have never uttered a -seditious word; whose lives, while we lived under your sceptre, were -always simple and peaceful, should plot the overthrowing of kingdoms?... -Now, even that we are expelled, we cease not to pray to God for the -prosperity of your reign. - -'If there be any who, under colour of the gospel, stir up tumults; if -there be any who wish to conceal their carnal licence by asserting the -liberty and grace of God: there are laws and punishments ordained to -purge these offences. But let not God's gospel be blasphemed by the -evil-doings of the wicked.' - -Calvin thus brings his letter to a conclusion: 'Sire,' he said, 'I have -set before you the iniquity of our calumniators. I have desired to -soften your heart, to the end that you would give our cause a hearing. I -hope we shall be able to regain your favour, if you should be pleased to -read without anger this confession which is our defence before your -Majesty. But if malevolent persons stop your ears; if the accused have -not an opportunity of defending themselves; if impetuous furies, -unrestrained by your order, still exercise their cruelty by imprisonments -and by scourging, by tortures, mutilation, and the stake ... verily, -as sheep given up to slaughter, we shall be reduced to the last -extremity. Yet even then we shall possess our souls in patience, -and shall wait for the strong hand of the Lord. Doubtless, it will be -stretched forth in due season. It will appear armed to deliver the poor -from their afflictions, and to punish the despisers who are now making -merry so boldly. - -'May the Lord, the King of Kings, establish your throne in righteousness -and your seat in equity.' - -Such was the noble and touching defence which a young man of twenty-six -addressed to the king of France. He heard from afar the mournful cries -of the victims; and his soul being stirred with compassion and -indignation, he appeared as a suppliant before the voluptuous prince who -was putting them to death. - -After finishing an address of such rare eloquence, Calvin wrote the -date—_Basle, 1st August, 1535_, and then hastened to get the manuscript -printed.[363] - -[Sidenote: PRINTING OF THE INSTITUTES.] - -There was a house at Basle, on the heights of St. Pierre, known by the -sign of the _Black Bear_, where there was a printing office belonging to -Thomas Plater, the Valaisan. Calvin often went there. Plater, who had -come to Basle with Myconius, as we have seen, was at first a student, -then a professor, and finally 'the large sums gained by the -printers,'[364] had given him the desire to become a printer also. When -Calvin was looking for a publisher for his _Institutes_, the learned -Grynæus recommended Plater to him. The latter had the honour of printing -that work, and from that time Calvin kept up an occasional intercourse -with this singular man. When, some years later, Felix Plater, the son of -Thomas, who was going to study medicine at Montpelier, passed through -Geneva, Calvin, to whom he brought a letter from his father, called him -_my Felix_, and received him with much cordiality. 'I heard him preach -on Sunday morning,' said the young man in his memoirs; 'and there was a -great crowd of people.'[365] - -It was, as we have said, in August 1535, that Calvin handed Thomas -Plater his epistle to Francis I. to be printed. He had written it in -French, and the French edition bears the date of the 1st of August; but -he immediately translated it into Latin and printed this version on the -23rd of the same month, which is the date of the Latin edition.[366] It -is probable that the epistle to Francis I. was printed in both -languages, and that the French text was sent to the king, and the Latin -to the German doctors, in September 1535. - -Did Francis ever receive the letter? Did he listen to this admirable -apology? It is certain that his heart was not softened. It is even -possible that the pleasures and policy of the monarch made him -contemptuously throw aside this appeal from one of the poorest of his -subjects. However, nothing prevents us from believing that the king did -read it, for the style alone was worthy of a monarch's notice. Calvin's -friends, and even Calvin himself, hoped much from it. 'If the king would -but read that excellent letter,' said one of them, 'a mortal wound (or -we are greatly mistaken) would be inflicted on that harlot of -Babylon.'[367] But was an ambitious, false-speaking, and libertine king -competent to understand the noble thoughts of the reformer? - -[Sidenote: CALVIN STARTS FOR ITALY.] - -Calvin having published his appeal to Francis I., and perhaps ended the -correction of the proofs of the _Institutes_, thought of leaving Basle. -These publications would make a sensation; it would be known that -Catherine Klein's lodger was their author, and Calvin would find himself -courted and sought after.... 'It is not my object to display myself and -to acquire fame,' he said.[368] The fear of becoming famous induced him, -therefore, to get out of the way. He had, however, other reasons, for -quitting Basle: he felt himself drawn towards Italy. Shortly after, on -the 23rd August 1525, 'Calvin, having discharged his debt to his -country,' says Theodore Beza, set off with Du Tillet, shrinking from -eulogiums, thanks, and approbation, just as another man would shrink -from threats and violence. - -[Sidenote: CALVIN'S JOURNEY TO ITALY.] - -The two friends rode side by side, but their itinerary has not been -preserved. There are, as every one knows, many passes over the Alps, but -that which Calvin chose is as unknown to us as that of Hannibal—though -certainly not to be compared with it. It has been supposed that the -travellers took the road along the shores of the lake of Geneva. If they -passed through Switzerland, and purposed crossing the St. Bernard (as a -manuscript of the 17th century states), or the Simplon, or even Mount -Cenis, Calvin must have stood for the first time on the margin of those -beautiful waters. Be that as it may, he was going to pass the Alps. 'He -had a wish,' as Theodore Beza tells us, 'to know the Duchess of Ferrara, -a princess of exemplary virtue.' But other motives impelled the young -reformer. He desired to see Italy: _Italia salutanda_, as his friend -tells us. This desire of 'saluting' Italy, so common to the inhabitants -of the rest of Europe from the time when the Roman republic subjected -the nations, and which exists still in our days, Calvin felt like any -other man. - -But what did he go in search of!... Whilst he was climbing the Alps and -contemplating for the first time their immense glaciers and eternal -snows, what thoughts filled his mind? There was some talk then of a -council; had that event, which seemed near at hand, anything to do with -his journey? As Vergeria had gone from Italy to Germany, in order to -support the dominion of the pope, did Calvin wish to go from Switzerland -to Italy, in order to assail it? Or attracted by the almost evangelical -reputation of Contarini, Sadolet, and other prelates, did he long to -converse with them? Did he feel the necessity of seeing closely that -papacy, with which he was to deal all his life, and did he propose to -study, like Luther, its scandals and abuses? Did he wish to carry back -the gospel to that very country to which Paul had taken it? Or was he -only attracted by classical recollections, by the learning and -civilisation of that illustrious peninsula? There was a little of all -these inducements, probably, in Calvin's wish. He desired to visit the -land of heroes, martyrs and scholars, of Renée of Ferrara, and ... of -the popes. _Italia salutanda._ But his chief thought, we cannot doubt, -was to teach the principles of the Reformation, to proclaim to Italy -that Christ had come to destroy sin, and had opened a way to the -heavenly Father for all who seek him. A catholic historian says that the -young reformer 'had conceived the design of withdrawing from their -obedience to the pope the people nearest to his throne.'[369] There is -some exaggeration in this statement, but the substance is true. - -Calvin crosses the torrents, ascends the sloping valleys of the Alps, -climbs yonder high mountains which rise like impassable walls, and moves -courageously towards those Italian lands, where the men of the -Reformation are soon to be drowned in their blood, where persecution -certainly attends him, and perhaps ... death. It matters not: onward he -goes. We might say, after an historian, that like Mithridates, he -desires to conquer Rome in Rome. - -Let us leave him for a moment and turn towards those countries whither -he will come again, once more crossing the Alps, on his escape from the -prisons of Italy. After wandering over the adjacent regions, let us -direct our steps towards that city which is struggling so manfully with -bishops and princes, where courageous forerunners are about to prepare -the way for him, and which is to become, through the torch that will be -lighted there some day by the hand of Calvin, the most powerful focus of -the European Reformation. - -[359] Dedication of the _Institutes_. - -[360] Crespin, _Martyrol._ fol. 116. - -[361] Drion, _Hist. Chron._ i. p. 25. - -[362] Jeremiah, ii. 13. - -[363] See the Dedicatory Epistle at the beginning of all the editions of -the _Institutes_. - -[364] _Vie de Thomas Plater, écrite par lui-même_, p. 110. - -[365] Autobiography of Felix Plater, son of Thomas. - -[366] Decimo Calendas Septembris.—Latin edition, at the head of the -_Institutes_. - -[367] 'Magnum meretrici Babylonicæ vulnus illatum.'—Beza, _Vita -Calvini_. - -[368] _Préface des Psaumes._ - -[369] Varillas, _Hist. des Hérésies_, ii. p. 994. - - - - - BOOK V. - STRUGGLES OF THE REFORMATION. - - - - - CHAPTER I. - EFFORTS IN THE PAYS DE VAUD. - (1521.) - - -Struggles, political or religious, are the normal state of society and -the life of history. Their necessity in a christian point of view is -established by the highest of authorities: _I am not come to bring peace -upon earth but the sword_, said the Saviour of men;[370] and one of his -disciples sixteen centuries later, developing his master's words, added: -'As the greater part of the world is hostile to the gospel, we cannot -confess Christ without encountering opposition and hatred.'[371] - -[Sidenote: USES OF OPPOSITION.] - -This thought would be saddening indeed, did not experience and Scripture -teach us that opposition is often a means of developement; that the -gifts of God to man easily perish if nothing revives them; that -contradiction, resistance, and trial (thanks to the care of divine -providence) tend to civilise nations, and preserve to Christianity the -truth, morality, and life it has received from on high. - -Whence proceeds this moral influence of contradiction? A principle never -evolves all that it contains, says a school, except by coming in -collision with a contrary principle. In effect, the blow which a soldier -receives on the battle-field adds to his valour. The inflexible -obstinacy of Rome in upholding all abuses, excited Luther to display -with more energy the great principles of the Reformation. And at Geneva, -it was because the huguenots had to contend perpetually against a mean -despotism in the State and an incorrigible corruption in the Church, -that their souls groaned after liberty and a better religion. - -Yet contradiction is not all that is necessary: there must be -reconciliation afterwards. The twofold opposition of the huguenots -(high-minded as it was) against civil and religious despotism, would -have been ruined by its excess and would have ruined Geneva, if it had -not been moderated afterwards. It was not good for the State that 'no -one was willing to obey.'[372] It was not good for religion that -opposition to popery should consist in walking about the churches during -mass. Modern times needed, from their very cradle, authority in the -bosom of a free people, and pure doctrine in the bosom of a living -Church. God gave both to Geneva, and he did so essentially through the -Reformation. - -Care must be taken, however, that we go not too far in the way of -accommodation. The Reformation must make no concessions to popery. -Whenever it has gone down that easy incline, it has left its calm -heights and fallen among quagmires which have endangered its purity and -existence. - -But that was the conciliation which had to be carried out in those -times, and which ought still to be attempted in the Christendom of our -times. Between negative protestantism and Roman-catholicism there is a -middle path. On the one hand the gospel ought to supply this negative -protestantism with what is deficient in it, and on the other to take -away from Romanism whatever is erroneous in it. The huguenots, in part -at least, were transformed in the city of Calvin by the great principles -of the Reformation. It was by the potent virtue of the gospel that this -little city, which had been only an Alpine burgh, was so marvellously -metamorphosed and became in Europe the capital of a great opinion. - -One circumstance, however, tended to compromise its future. The Reform -triumphed, but not without losing strength, for the sword struck foul in -the struggle. 'If a man strive for mastery, he is not crowned, except he -strive lawfully.'[373] Calvin understood better than the other reformers -the spirituality and independence of the Church; and yet giving way to -the general weakness, he had recourse to the secular arm to maintain -discipline, and was unable to prevent the death of Servetus. That fatal -stake did more injury to truth than to falsehood. From that hour, the -doctrine lost its power, a stain soiled its flag, and error seized the -advantage of slipping into the ranks of those who were summoned to -combat her. Eminent minds were seen abandoning the doctrines of the -Reformation, chiefly on account of the civil intolerance by which they -were defended. And thus a more or less culpable stagnation followed the -powerful activity and glorious battles of the primitive days of the -Reformation. There were no more combats round the expiatory cross, the -eternal Word, the fall, grace, and regeneration. No more struggles, and -therefore no more life. The christian fortress that Calvin had erected -having been assailed for two centuries, shaken and dismantled, was on -the point of being razed to the ground; when fortunately the struggles, -entirely spiritual struggles, began again, and religion was saved by -them. When God, after ploughing Europe in the early part of this century -with the terrible share of a conqueror, awoke it from its long sleep, he -remembered Geneva, and revived there as in other places doctrine and -life. That city and all Christendom are now challenged again to the old -struggles, and also to new ones, in which faith shall triumph over -absolute thoroughgoing negations, which not only deprive man of the -grace and adoption of the children of God, but deny also the -immateriality and immortality of the soul. - -[Sidenote: VAUD AND GENEVA.] - -We shall not begin with the struggles of the Reformation in Geneva, but -with those which were fought in a country beautifully situated between -the lakes and the mountains,—the Pays de Vaud. The country was not -large, its cities were not populous, and the names of the men who -struggled there do not occupy an important place in the annals of -nations. Let us not forget, however, that there are two kinds of -history: the stage of one is a brilliant circle, of the other a humble -sphere. The actors in the former are great personages, in the latter men -of low esteem in their own day. But is not the least sometimes the -greatest of these two kinds of history? Are not events of small -dimensions geometrically similar to great ones? Have they not often a -deeper moral significance and a wider practical influence? With truth it -may be said of the struggles of Vaud and Geneva: _Magnam causam in -parvum locum concludi_, a great cause is here confined within narrow -limits. The scenes, so modest and obscure, so full of decision and life, -which this history presents, have probably done more to found the -kingdom of truth and liberty, than the disputes and wars of powerful -potentates. Such a thought as this has been expressed, even in Paris. A -contemporary writer, after tracing in his history of the sixteenth -century an outline of the portentous future threatened by the intrigues -of the papacy, regains his courage with the words: _Europe was saved by -Geneva_.[374] - -All the reformers have been men of strength; but while Luther and Calvin -have particularly contended for the principles and doctrines of the -Reformation, others, like Knox and Farel, applying themselves to the -practice, have specially undertaken to win certain countries or cities -to the gospel. The men of God, in all ages, have done both these things; -but not one of them has combined the two, like St. Paul. There were two -men in that apostle, the doctor and the evangelist. Calvin was the great -doctor of the sixteenth century, and Farel the great evangelist: the -latter is one of the most remarkable figures in the Reformation. - -[Sidenote: FAREL.] - -A catholic in his youth, fanatic in abstinence and maceration, Farel had -embraced salvation through grace with all the living ardour of his soul, -and from that hour everything appeared to him under a new face. His -desire to enlighten his contemporaries was intense, his heart intrepid, -his zeal indefatigable, and his ambition for God's glory without bounds. -A difficulty never stopped him; a reverse never discouraged him; a -sacrifice, even were it that of his life, never alarmed him. He was not -a great writer; in his works we meet occasionally with disorder and -prolixity; but when he spoke he was almost without an equal. The -energetic language which transported his hearers had been derived from -the writings of the prophets and apostles; his doctrine was sound, his -proofs strong, his expressions significative. Poets are made by nature, -orators by art, but preachers by the grace of God; and Farel had the -riches of nature, of art, and of grace.[375] He never stopped to discuss -idle or frivolous questions, but aimed straight at the conscience, and -exhibited before those who listened to him the treasures of wisdom, -salvation, and life that are found in the Redeemer. Full of love for -truth and hatred for falsehood, he inveighed energetically against all -human inventions. In his eyes the traditions of popery were a gulf in -which horrible darkness reigned, and hence he laboured to extricate -souls from it and plant them in the soil of God's Word. His manly -eloquence, his lively apostrophes, his bold remonstrances, his noble -images, his action frank, expressive, and sometimes threatening, his -voice that was often like thunder (as Beza tells us), and his fervent -prayers, carried away his hearers. His sermon was not a dissertation but -an action, quite as much as a battle is. Every time he went into the -pulpit, it was to do a work. Like a valiant soldier he was always in -front of the column to begin the attack, and never refused battle. -Sometimes the boldness of his speech carried by storm the fortress he -attacked; sometimes he captivated souls by the divine grace he offered -them. He preached in market-places and in churches, he announced Jesus -Christ in the homes of the poor and in the councils of nations. His life -was a series of battles and victories. Every time he went forth, it was -_conquering and to conquer_.[376] - -It is very true, as we have said, that the cities where he preached were -not large capitals; but Derbe, Lystra, and Berea where St. Paul -preached, were little towns like Orbe, Neuchâtel, and Geneva. Most -assuredly the Acts of the Reformation are not the Acts of the Apostles; -there is all the difference between them which exists between the -foundation of Christianity and its reformation; but notwithstanding the -inferiority of the sixteenth century, the labours of the reformers have -a claim upon the interest of all those who love to contemplate the -humble origin of the new destinies of mankind. Is there, after the -establishment of Christianity, anything greater than its Reformation? -Have not those weak movements which began in the petty spheres in which -Farel and Calvin lived, gone on widening from age to age? Are they not -the origin of that new religious transformation which, notwithstanding -the declamations and the triumphant cries of unbelievers, is now going -on in every nation of the earth? The source of the Rhone is but a thread -of water which would pass unnoticed elsewhere; but the traveller who -stands at the foot of the huge glaciers which separate the mountains of -the Furka and the Grimsel, cannot look unmoved at that little stream, -which, issuing imperceptibly from the earth, is to become a mighty -river. The thought of what it is to be inspires the friend of nature and -of history in this sublime solitude with emotions more profound than -those excited by its copious and monotonous waters at Lyons, Beaucaire, -or Avignon. It is for this reason we dwell longer upon the origin of the -Reformation. - -[Sidenote: PREPARATIONS FOR VICTORY.] - -A general who desires to capture an important city, first makes sure of -his position and occupies the surrounding country: and so Farel, -desirous of winning Geneva to the gospel, first set about enlightening -the neighbouring people. His operations were not strategic certainly; he -thought only of converting souls; and yet his labours in the Vaudois -towns and villages admirably prepared the way for his successes among -the huguenots. We have already seen what he did at Aigle, Neuchâtel, and -elsewhere;[377] we must now follow him into other parts of that -picturesque country, enclosed between the pointed citadels of the Alps -and the undulating lines of the Jura, whose waters flow—some by the lake -of Neuchâtel, the Aar and the Rhine to the North Sea, others by the lake -of Geneva and the Rhone to the Mediterranean: a symbol of the spiritual -waters which, issuing from the same hills, were soon to bear light and -life to the peoples of the north and of the south. - -[Sidenote: FABRI JOINS FAREL.] - -Farel was inactive (a singular thing!) at the moment when we are going -to see him prepare betimes for the conquest of Geneva. Wounded near -Neuchâtel by a riotous crowd, he had been placed in a boat, and carried -across the lake to Morat, as we have said in a former work.[378] His -friends in that town had welcomed him with emotion, and kept watch -around his bed. Condemned to repose, 'shivering with cold, spitting -blood,' and scarcely able to speak, he was communing in silence with his -God when he saw a young Dauphinese of good appearance, Christopher Fabri -by name, enter his room. This Frenchman, of whom we have already spoken, -had studied medicine at Montpelier, and there received the first rays of -the gospel. Having started for Paris, in order to complete his studies -in that city, he met with some friends of the truth at Lyons, who told -him of all that was going on at Neuchâtel and its vicinity. Fabri was -greatly moved, and being a man of lively, prompt, and decided character, -he suddenly changed his route, calling, and life, and instead of going -on to Paris turned his steps to Geneva, and thence to Morat. - -On arriving at that town, the student enquired after Farel, and on -presenting himself at the house, was admitted into the room where the -reformer was lying. Modestly approaching the bed, he said to him: 'I -have forsaken everything, family, prospects, and country, to fight at -your side, Master William. Here I am; do with me what seems good to -you.' Farel looked at him kindly, and ere long appreciated the young -man's lively affection and boundless devotion. He saw that they both had -the same faith, the same Saviour. As he was unmarried, he looked upon -Fabri as a son whom God had sent him,[379] and henceforward had frequent -Christian conversations with him, in which he sought to train him for -the ministry of the gospel. Farel would have liked to keep him always at -his side; but he loved Jesus Christ more than the tenderest son is -beloved; and accordingly, after a short but delightful intercourse he -asked the converted Dauphinese to go and preach the gospel at Neuchâtel. -Fabri, who had not expected so early a separation, exclaimed with tears: -'O master, my sorrow is greater to-day than when I left father and -mother, so sweet have been my conversations with you!' He obeyed, -however. - -Farel was never content with sending others to battle; he burned to -return to it in person, and to lead to the heavenly King, whose servant -he was, all the population which, enclosed between the Alps and the -Jura, spoke the language of his country. He thought that if the -intelligent people placed at the gates of France were won over to the -divine Word, they would become a focus to cast the light of the gospel -into that kingdom, and an asylum where the Christians persecuted by -Francis I. might find a refuge. - -A town lying at the foot of the lower slopes of the Jura attracted his -thoughts during his solitary hours at Morat: this was Orbe. The ancient -city of Urba, built, it is said, in the same century as Rome, was -situated on the Roman way that led from Italy to Gaul. Being rebuilt -later some little distance off, the kings of the first race of France, -as the people of Orbe boasted, had taken up their residence there, as -if, immediately after crossing the Jura, they had exclaimed at the -ravishing prospect of the Alps: 'It is enough! we will stop here.' A -torrent issuing from the lakes that are found in the high Jurassic -valleys plunges into the gigantic clefts of the mountain, and after -pursuing a subterranean and mysterious career, reappears on the other -slope, towards the plain, whence descending from one fall to another, it -gracefully sweeps round the beautiful hill on which the town of Orbe is -situated, surrounded with vineyards, gardens, and orchards, 'with all -kinds of plants and good things.'[380] - -[Sidenote: FAREL PREACHES AT ORBE.] - -A dealer in indulgences, attracted by this wealth, was just at this time -noisily selling his pardons for every offence. Farel, still detained at -Morat, hearing the sound of his _drum_, as Luther says, made an effort -to walk: he left the latter town, and proceeded to Orbe. On the next -market-day, being determined to resist the new Tetzel, he quitted his -inn and went to the market-place, where he found the indulgence-seller -offering his wares with much shouting. The monk, whose eye was always on -the watch, soon noticed in the middle of the crowd a little man with a -red beard and piercing eyes who caused him some uneasiness. Farel, -approaching slowly, took his place quietly before the stall and said to -the quack, just as an ordinary purchaser would have done, but with -concentrated anger: 'Have you indulgences for a person who has killed -his father and mother?' Without waiting for an answer, and wishing to -undeceive the superstitious crowd, he boldly stept on the basin of the -public fountain, and began to preach as if he were in the pulpit. The -astonished market-people left the monk and gathered round the new -orator, whose sonorous voice entreated the multitude to ask pardon of -the Saviour instead of buying indulgences from the monk. As the priests -and the devout were exceedingly irritated at both preaching and -preacher, Farel could not remain at Orbe; but a few drops of living -water had gushed forth, and some souls had had their thirst quenched by -them. A tradesman, Christopher Hollard by name, and one Mark Romain, a -schoolmaster, were converted to the gospel at this time. - -The whole town was in commotion, and the sisters of St. Claire, as -bigoted as those of Geneva, entreated their confessor to preach against -heresy. Such a request had great weight and must be attended to, for -these sisters were held in great consideration. Philippina of Chalons, -Louisa of Savoy, recently canonised at Rome, and Yoland, grand-daughter -of St. Louis, had assumed the veil in this convent. The struggle might -take place more freely in Orbe than in many other Vaudois towns. The -Sires of Chateau-Guyon, who possessed the lordship at the time of the -war between Switzerland and Burgundy, having taken the part of Charles -the Bold, had been deprived of their possessions by the League, and the -suzerainty adjudged in 1476 to the cantons of Berne and Friburg. The -municipal magistrates, chosen from the principal burgesses or nobles of -the city, were good catholics; but the superior authority belonged to a -bailiff, living at Echallens, and who was by turns a Friburger or a -Bernese. Now Berne was zealous for the Reform. The friar-confessor, full -of confidence in himself, smiled at the flattering request the nuns of -St. Claire had made him, and having no mistrust of his eloquence, he -said to the banneret, the Sire de Pierrefleur: 'I shall _create_ these -Lutherans _anew_ in the faith, as they were before.' Noble de -Pierrefleur, a fervent catholic but a man of good sense, who knew the -firmness of the reformers and saw Berne in the background, did not -believe that the new _creation_, with which the monk flattered himself, -was such an easy thing, and answered: 'I am far from your opinion, -father, for such people have more obstinacy than knowledge, and great is -the folly of those who desire to remonstrate with them.'[381] - -[Sidenote: FRIAR MICHAEL'S SERMON.] - -Michael Juliani (for that was the friar's name) was not to be stopped by -this opinion, and he gave notice of his sermons against the Reform, -which were talked about all over the city. The bells rang; priests, -monks, and devotees filled the church, and even those suspected of -Lutheranism attended. The orator was filled with joy at the sight of the -unusual crowd, and his head was turned. Had not his patron saint, the -archangel Michael, armed with a golden spear, trampled Satan under his -feet; and should he not gain a similar victory? Losing all moderation, -he began to extol in the most pompous terms Rome, the priesthood, and -celibacy, and to attack the reformers with violence and abuse. Five or -six Lutherans were noticed in the church, pen in hand, writing down all -the father said on a piece of paper which they held on their knees. When -the sermon was over, the offended bailiff of Diesbach, the grand -banneret and other notables, displeased with the presumptuous discourse, -accosted the friar and begged him to desist from abusive language and to -preach simply the doctrines of the Church. But in the eyes of certain -devout folks, the greater Michael's abuse, the greater his eloquence. - -The confessor, delighted at his success, and thinking, as they did in -many convents, that knowledge is a sign of the children of the devil -(Farel had studied at the university of Paris), and ignorance that of -the children of God, went into the pulpit again on the 25th March, and -took for his text: _Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the -kingdom of heaven_. 'Sirs,' he exclaimed, 'the poor in spirit here -referred to are the priests and friars. They have not much learning, I -confess, but they have what is better; they are mediators between man -and God, worshippers of the Virgin Mary, who is the treasure-house of -all graces, and friends of the saints who cure all diseases.... What -then can those want who listen to them? But who are the people who say -they are justified by faith? who are they who throw down the crosses on -our roads and in our chapels?... Enemies of Christ. What are those -priests, monks, and nuns who renounce their vows in order to -marry?—Unclean, impure, infamous, abominable apostates before men and -before God.'[382] - -The friar was continuing in this strain, when suddenly a loud noise was -heard in the church. The evangelicals present had been excited at the -very commencement of the discourse; at first they had restrained -themselves, and then whispered to each other; but when the monk began to -insult those who thought (as the Bible says) that _marriage is -honourable to all men_, one of them, unable to contain himself, stood up -and before the whole assembly repeated twice and with sonorous voice, -the words: 'You lie!'... The orator stopped in amazement, and everybody -turned towards the quarter whence these words proceeded. They saw a man -of middle age standing there greatly agitated. It was Christopher -Hollard, who had been converted by Farel's first sermon, and who -combined an honest heart with a violent character. His brother, John -Hollard, the late dean of Friburg, had embraced the Reformation and -married; Christopher, fancying the monk was reflecting on his brother, -had hastened to protest, rather coarsely, it must be acknowledged, but -with the frankness of an honest heart, which sees the commandment of God -blasphemed. - -[Sidenote: HOLLARD IMPRISONED.] - -This exclamation had hardly resounded through the church, when a great -uproar, caused by the people, drowned the Lutheran's voice. The men who -were present would have rushed from their places upon the disturber; but -the women who filled the nave were before them. 'All with one accord -fell upon the said Christopher, tore out his beard and beat him; they -scratched his face with their nails and otherwise, so that if they had -been let alone, he would never have gone out of the said church, which -would have been a great benefit for poor catholics.'[383] Thus spoke the -grand banneret, who had lost, as it would seem, a little of the -moderation he had shown on other occasions. The castellan, Anthony -Agasse, was not of his opinion: he wanted the culprits, if there were -any, to be punished by the law and not by the populace; and rushing into -the midst of this savage scene, he rescued Hollard from the hands of the -furies, and threw him 'into a dungeon to avoid a greater scandal.' - -[370] Matthew, x. 34. - -[371] Calvin _in loco_. - -[372] Bonivard, _Chronique de Genève_, passim. - -[373] 2nd Timothy, ii. 5. - -[374] Michelet, _Hist. de France au seizième siècle_.—_La Réforme_, -pp. 483, 484, 518. - -[375] Ancillon, _Vie de Farel_, ch. xi. - -[376] Revelation, vi. 2. - -[377] _Hist. of the Reformation of the sixteenth century_, vol. iv. -bk. xv. ch. iv, vii, viii, and ix. - -[378] _Hist. of the Reformation_, vol. iv. bk. xv. ch. ix. - -[379] Choupard MS. - -[380] See the manuscript _Mémoires du Sire de Pierrefleur, grand -banneret d'Orbe_, p. 2, published by M. Verdeil in 1856. - -[381] _Mémoires du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 13. - -[382] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, pp. 24-28. - -[383] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 16. - - - - - CHAPTER II. - PLOT OF THE WOMEN AGAINST REFORM; FAREL'S PREACHING. - (1531.) - - -The Reformation brought great benefits to women. The divine Word which -it placed in their hands, and which it desired to see in their hearts, -would free them from the dominion of the priest to put them under that -of the Saviour; give them that meek and peaceful spirit which (as Calvin -says) becomes their sex; and substitute for a religion of external -practices an inner, holy, and useful life. However, the women, attached -to their priests and ceremonies, and who are easily aroused, were often -opposed to the Reform, of which we shall have instances. - -Hollard's mother was not of this number. Strongly attached to her son, -she gave way to her maternal sorrow. Her son a prisoner, her son without -a protector, her son exposed to the vengeance of the exasperated -Roman-catholics—thoughts like these caused her the deepest anxiety. She -could think of nothing but saving him, ready to incur any danger, and to -brave even the anger of the enemies of the gospel. The bailiff of Berne, -she said to herself, alone can save Hollard. He lives at Echallens, in a -castle, surrounded with his officers; he is a haughty Bernese, a cold -diplomatist perhaps.... It matters not; the poor woman will go and -implore his help. Romain will not abandon her; if there are any -difficulties, any dangers, he will be near her; he will protect the -mother and deliver the son. Madame Hollard and the schoolmaster set off -together for Echallens, and presenting themselves at the castle, inform -the bailiff of Diesbach of the monk's insulting address and its -consequences.... O happiness! the Bernese magistrate is moved, grows -angry, and departs immediately. The lord-bailiff felt that the friar's -insults were the cause of all the disorder; that by denouncing the -married priests and monks as apostates and villains, he had attacked the -gospel and the Reformation, recognised by My Lords of Berne; and that -the friar was the person to be blamed. - -[Sidenote: FRIAR MICHAEL ARRESTED.] - -Arriving the same day about four o'clock, Diesbach would not go to the -guildhall or the castellan's; but sitting down in the open air near the -old castle,[384] he sent his officers to fetch Friar Juliani. The -sergeants carefully searched the convent and several houses without -finding the monk, who was hiding in the house of a woman named 'Frances -Pugin, instructress of girls in all virtue and learning.' Being informed -of the search, he took courage, left the house, and went straight to the -bailiff, who was still seated in front of the castle, waiting the result -of his enquiries. Friar Michael saluted him respectfully; but the lord -of Diesbach, rising up, caught him by the hand and said: 'I arrest you -in the name of My Lords,' and then, taking him to the prison, 'drew -Hollard out of his hole and put the said friar in his place.' Such were -the energetic proceedings of Berne. - -[Sidenote: ROMAIN IS ILL-TREATED.] - -Mark Romain, as pleased at having rescued his friend, 'as if he had -gained a thousand crowns, and thinking he had achieved a master-piece,' -says a contemporary, was going quietly home. Meanwhile the people, -alarmed at the arrival of the bailiff and the imprisonment of the monk, -had assembled in the market-place, and spoke of flinging the -schoolmaster into the river to punish him for having gone to fetch the -Sieur de Diesbach. Unfortunately Mark Romain came in sight just at this -moment. The townspeople, 'seeing him come joyfully along,' pointed him -out to one another. 'There he is,' they said, and began to cry: 'Master, -come here!' Romain, observing the tumult, passed suddenly from joy to -fear and took to flight, all following in pursuit. They gained upon him: -he looked from side to side to see if some door would not open to -receive him, but all remained closed. Arriving in front of the church, -he rushed into it; but had hardly set his feet inside, when he stopped -in astonishment. The women who had desired to tear Hollard to pieces -were in the church, as well as some men, on account of the _Salve -Regina_ which was said daily at five in the afternoon. Kneeling before -the altar, with clasped hands and eyes turned to the ground, they were -invoking the _Queen of heaven_: 'Hail, queen of mercy; we send up our -groans to thee! O thou who art our advocate, save us!' At the moment -when Romain entered, the women turned their heads and caught sight of -him; being suddenly changed into furies, they rushed upon him, as they -had done before upon Hollard, 'caught him by the hair, threw him on the -ground, and beat him.' The women were the champions of Catholicism in -Orbe. The grand banneret looked on quietly at this execution. 'I saw the -whole affair,' he said, 'and I did not think the schoolmaster would ever -get out alive.' Pierrefleur took care not to go to his help, and the -blows continued to fall on poor Romain, until one of his friends -arrived. 'I am certain,' says the banneret, who had seen all this -without being moved, 'that had it not been for the assistance he -received from this Lutheran, he would never have gone out of the place -until he was dead.'[385] We read in Scripture of people who ceased not -to beat St. Paul; Romain, who experienced 'this riotous and cruel rage,' -was afterwards a minister of the gospel. He was now going through his -apprenticeship. - -A mob had collected round the castle in which Friar Michael was -confined, and angry voices were heard loudly demanding his liberty. At -this moment the bailiff of Diesbach came out to return to his place of -residence, having Hollard by his side, whom he was going to restore to -his mother. When he saw the crowd he was much astonished, for 'all were -crying out and demanding their good father.' 'Why have you arrested -Friar Michael?' asked some. 'Why have you delivered Christopher?' asked -others. 'By order of My Lords of Berne,' answered the imperturbable -bailiff; and then added, pointing to the lofty walls of the castle, 'If -you can set him at liberty, you may take him ... but I advise you -not.'[386] 'We will be bail for our good father, body for body, goods -for goods,' exclaimed the burgesses; but the bailiff kept on his way -without answering them. - -The Sieur of Diesbach had hardly arrived at the great square, when he -perceived the ladies and other women of the city waiting for him, their -hearts full of sorrow and anguish. They all fell on their knees 'with -many tears,' and stretching their hands towards him exclaimed: 'Mercy -for the good father! set him at liberty!' These cries softened the -Bernese, he stopped and could hardly speak for emotion. He made them -understand, however, that it was not in his power to liberate Juliani, -and then returned home, for 'the hour was late.'[387] - -[Sidenote: FAREL ARRIVES AT ORBE.] - -The principal catholics now assembled to consider what was to be done. A -priest put in prison in Orbe, for a strictly Romish sermon.... What a -scandal! They resolved to appeal from the heretical Bernese bailiff to -the Friburgers who were good catholics. The grand banneret volunteered -for this important mission, and next day Noble P. de Pierrefleur and -Francis Vuerney set out for Friburg, where they related everything to -the council. The lords and princes of that city were much 'concerned and -vexed,' and a deputation composed of Bernese and Friburgers received -instructions to arrange the difference. But this measure, far from -diminishing the struggle, was destined to increase it. As the deputation -passed through Avenches, a Roman city older than the Cæsars, they fell -in with Farel, who for more than a month had been preaching the gospel -there, amid its ruined aqueducts and amphitheatres, and had met with -nothing but lukewarmness. Without hesitation the evangelist left -Avenches, and departing with the Bernese arrived at the banks of the -Orbe, whither the noise of battle attracted him. No ruins were to be -seen there: but seven churches and twenty-six altars testified to the -ancient splendour and Romish fervour of the city. - -It was the 2nd of April, Palm-Sunday. Mass had been celebrated, the -various offices had been said, even to vespers. Farel, who had stayed -quietly in doors, observing that the service was over, left his inn -'with presumptuous boldness.' His friends followed him, idlers flocked -round him, the devout ran after, and a crowd of men, women, and children -soon filled the church with a great noise. Then 'without asking leave of -any one, Farel went into the pulpit to preach.' But he had scarcely -opened his mouth, when everybody, 'men, women, and children, hissed, -howled, and stamped with all sorts of exclamations to disconcert him. -Dog, they cried; lubber, heretic, devil, and other insults: it was a -glorious noise.' 'You really could not have heard God's thunder,' said -Pierrefleur. Farel, who was accustomed to tumult, as a soldier to the -whistling of the bullets, continued his address. Anger got the better of -some of them. 'Seeing that he would not desist, they grew riotous, -surrounded the pulpit, pulled him out of it, and would even have -proceeded to blows.' The confusion was at its height, when the bailiff, -'fearing that worse would follow,' rushed into the midst of the crowd, -took the reformer by the arm, and escorted him to his lodging. - -The mixed commission was empowered to restore peace to this agitated -city; but as for Farel he had but one idea: _Woe to me if I do not -preach the gospel_. If he cannot preach it in the church, he will do so -in the open air. On the following day (Monday) he left the house of his -entertainer at six in the morning, and proceeding towards the great -square, began to preach. There was nobody present; it mattered not; he -thought that his powerful voice would soon collect a good assembly. But -satisfied with the victory of the evening before, the inhabitants of -Orbe had said to themselves that they would leave the preacher alone: he -had not a single hearer.[388] That was not, however, the only reason: a -plot was concerting against Farel—a women's plot naturally; for the men -in general were cold in comparison with the other sex. - -There was a noble dame at Orbe, a native of Friburg, Elizabeth, wife of -Hugonin, lord of Arnex, an honest and devout woman, but enthusiastic, -violent, and fanatical. Elizabeth, being persuaded that the death of the -reformer would be a very meritorious work, had assembled at her house -some other bigoted women, had addressed them, and worked upon them, so -that they had agreed to beat the reformer and even kill him: they only -waited for an opportunity. The same day at four in the afternoon a city -council was held at which the deputies of Berne and Friburg and even -Farel also were present. When the council was over, the reformer came -out: it was the moment that Elizabeth and her accomplices, informed of -the circumstance, had selected to carry out their plot. A gentleman, -Pierre de Glairesse, knowing the danger the evangelist ran, quitted the -council after him, and begged permission to accompany him. Meanwhile the -women who had left their houses were waiting for Farel in the middle of -a street through which he must necessarily pass. Approaching them -without any mistrust, they fell upon him unawares, 'and took him by the -cloak _so gently_,' says the chronicler ironically, 'that they made him -stagger and fall.' They then attempted to ill-treat him and beat him; -but Pierre de Glairesse rushing in between them, took him out of their -hands, and said, bowing to them very politely: 'Your pardon, ladies; at -present he is under my charge.' They all let go of him, and Glairesse -conducted him to the inn where My Lords of Berne awaited him. - -[Sidenote: FRIAR MICHAEL EXAMINED.] - -While Elizabeth was trying to kill the reformer, her husband, William of -Arnex, as bigoted as herself, was pleading the cause of the monk. The -mediators had ordered that Friar Michael should be put on his trial. He -was taken to the castle in agitation and alarm, and the lords of Berne, -bringing a criminal charge against him, said: 'You asserted that the -poor in spirit are the monks.' - -_Friar Michael_: 'I deny it.' - -'You said that to resist the pope, the bishops, and other ecclesiastics -is resisting the commandment of God.' - -_Friar._ 'I deny saying it in those terms.' - -'You said that few follow the new law, except a heap of lascivious -monks.' - -_Friar._ 'I deny having said it in that way, and I named nobody.' - -'You said that when priests marry, the women they take are not their -wives but their harlots, and that their children are bastards.' - -_Friar._ 'I confess it.' - -'You said that Mary was the treasure-house of graces.' - -_Friar._ 'I did.' - -'You said the saints, like St. Anthony, expel and cure certain -diseases.' - -_Friar._ 'I did.' - -'You said that those who deny that the books of the Maccabees form part -of Holy Scripture, are heretics.' - -_Friar._ 'I did.' - -'You said that those who have adopted the new law have no good in them, -and deny the articles of faith.' - -_Friar._ 'I did not.'[389] - -This mixture of denials and confessions disarmed the judges. They -listened to the solicitations of D'Arnex and set Juliani at liberty. The -Bernese, however, bound him to preach in future nothing but the Word of -God. 'Most honoured lords,' exclaimed the poor friar, 'I have never -preached anything that is not found in the holy gospel, in the epistles -of St. Paul, or in some other part of Holy Scripture.' Friar Michael, -confounded at not gaining a triumph as striking as that of his patron -with the brilliant helmet, and fearing lest he should be sent back to -prison, thought only of saving himself. He entered the convent for a -short time, and then fled into Burgundy,[390] The deputies returned home -and Farel remained. - -Shortly after Easter there came a mandate from Berne ordering that -whenever Farel desired to preach, he should be given a hearing, support, -and favour. As soon as the mandate had been read, the people, without -waiting for the opinion of the Council, exclaimed, 'Let him go about his -business, we do not want him or his preaching.' The lords of Berne -answered that Farel was to be free to speak, but that no inhabitant was -constrained to hear him. The evangelist gave notice that he would preach -on the Saturday after Quasimodo, at one o'clock, when he would expose -Juliani's errors. - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S STRANGE CONGREGATION.] - -The catholics, not content with the permission given them to keep away, -determined to organise a reception for Farel that should disgust him for -ever with preaching. As soon as the minister entered the church the -strangest of congregations met his eyes: all the brats (_marmaille_) of -the place were assembled; lying in front of the pulpit and all round it, -the children pretended to be asleep, snoring and laughing in their -sleeves. Farel observing three persons who appeared to be serious, went -into the pulpit and said, pointing to the little ragamuffins: 'How many -weapons Satan has provided to hinder our cause! Never mind, we must -surmount every obstacle.' Being determined to refute Friar Michael, he -began his discourse; but on a sudden the children started to their feet, -as sharp-shooters lying flat behind the bushes start up at the approach -of the enemy, and salute him with their fire. The young scamps exerted -their lungs, howling and shouting with all their might, and at last -quitted the church with a horrible uproar. 'Nobody was left but the -minister, quite amazed. And this was the first sermon preached in the -town of Orbe,' says the grand banneret maliciously.[391] - -The next day, Sunday, there was a great procession. Priests, monks, and -all the parish, chanting as loud as they could, proceeded according to -custom to St. George's, outside the town. Farel profited by the -departure of the enemy to seize upon the place, and the last parishioner -had hardly crossed the threshold of the church, when he entered it, -followed by his friends, went up into the pulpit, and loudly declared -the truth. Ten evangelicals, Viret, Hollard, Secretan, Romain, and six -of their friends, composed the whole of his congregation. Meanwhile the -procession was on its way back. First appeared the children two and two, -then the exorcist with the holy water and the sprinkler, then came the -priests, magistrates, and people, all singing the litany. The children, -seeing the minister in the pulpit, and remembering the lesson they had -received, rushed into the church, whistling, howling, and shouting as on -the evening before. The priests and people who followed them made -threatening motions, and Farel, understanding that the storm was about -to burst, showed a moderation he did not always possess, came down from -the pulpit and went out.[392] - -The clergy exulted: they ascribed Farel's retreat to weakness and fear, -and said openly in the city: 'The minister cannot refute the articles of -faith established by Juliani.' 'Indeed,' answered the Bernese bailiff, -'you have heard the monk and you now complain that you have not heard -the minister.... Very good! you shall hear him. It is the will of the -lords of Berne that every father of a family be required to attend his -sermon under pain of their displeasure.' - -[Sidenote: FAREL ON PENANCE.] - -They dared not disobey, and the church was thronged. Filled with joy at -the sight of such a congregation, Farel ascended the pulpit: never had -he been clearer, more energetic and more eloquent. He passed in review -all the subjects of which Juliani had treated; at one time attacking the -pardons which the Romish Church sells to credulous souls, at another the -doctrine which assigns the keys of heaven to St. Peter. 'The key of the -kingdom of heaven,' he said, 'is the Word of God—the Holy Gospel.' One -day Farel spoke of the stupid practices imposed upon catholics under the -name of penance. 'The penance which God demands,' he said, 'is a change -of heart, life, and conversation.'[393] Another day he battled with -indulgences: 'The pope's pardons take away _money_,' he said, 'but they -do not take away _sin_. Let every christian be aware that nobody can -escape the anger of God, except through Jesus.'[394] He thundered -against auricular confession: 'Confession in the priest's ears which the -pope commands,' he said, 'helps him to learn the secrets of kings and -aids him in catching countries and kingdoms. But how many souls have -been cast into hell by it! how many virgins corrupted! how many widows -devoured! how many orphans ruined! how many princes poisoned! how many -countries wasted! how many large establishments of men and women given -up to debauchery.... O Heaven, unveil these accursed horrors! O Earth, -cry out! Creatures of God, weep; and do thou, O Lord, arise!'[395] - -Farel, without possessing the iconoclastic ardour which Hollard -displayed ere long, was indignant at the worship paid to the images of -the saints, and strove against them with the arms of the Word. 'The -people,' he said, 'set candles before the saints who are out of this -world and have nothing to do with them.... While if those saints were -alive and had need of a light to read the Gospel by, instead of giving -them candles, you would tear out their eyes!' ... Then scandalised at -the disorderly living of the world and the Church, the christian orator -exclaimed: 'Farces full of scoffing, filth, and ribaldry: obscene and -idle songs, books full of vanity, lewdness, falsehood and blasphemy, -wicked and illicit conversations ... all this is suffered openly.... But -the New Testament which contains the doctrine and passion of Christ is -forbidden, as if it were the Koran of Mahomet, or a book of witchcraft -and enchantment.... O Sun, canst thou pour thy light on such countries? -O Earth, canst thou give thy fruits to such people? And thou, O Lord -God, is thy vengeance so slow against such a great outrage? Arise, O -Lord, and let the trumpet of thy holy Gospel be heard unto the ends of -the earth.'[396] - -Although the catholics were indignant, and not without reason, at the -order from Berne, which obliged them to attend the sermons opposed to -their faith, the reformer preached without difficulty the first and -second day; but on the third, the alarmed priests harangued their flocks -and thundered from their pulpits against the heretical discourses; and -from that time Farel counted few hearers in the church besides the -friends of the Gospel. The bailiff had the good sense not to observe -this disobedience. - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S CARE FOR THE MINISTRY.] - -The surrounding districts compensated Farel for the contempt of Orbe. -His reputation having spread into the neighbouring villages, the people -eagerly desired to hear him. Receiving message after message, and -touched at the sight of these worthy peasants knocking at his door, he -wrote to Zwingle: 'Oh! how great is the harvest! No one can describe the -ardour the people feel for the Gospel, and the tears I shed when I see -the small number of reapers.'[397] Several of the evangelicals of Orbe -asked to be sent out to preach, but Farel, thinking them not ripe -enough, refused. There were some who took offence at this, but it did -not move Farel. 'It is better to offend them,' he said, 'than to offend -God.' - -Saint Paul said: _Lay hands suddenly on no man_. Farel and the other -reformers desired that the minister should honour his ministry. He -required above all things a converted heart, but that was not enough. It -is a bad sign when the Church admits into the number of those who are to -point out the gate of salvation, either men who have not passed through -it or who have not the gift of the Word, or are deficient in wisdom. But -if the leaders of the Church are faithful, God will send them true -ministers. - -[384] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 17. - -[385] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 19. - -[386] Ibid. p. 20. - -[387] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 19. - -[388] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, pp. 21, 22. - -[389] 'Negat dixisse.'—_Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, pp. 24-28. - -[390] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, pp. 21-32. - -[391] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 35. - -[392] Ibid. - -[393] _Sommaire_, &c., par G. Farel, p. 191. We give Farel's exact -expressions on the subjects handled by Juliani, just as they are found -in his writings, without being able to say that they were precisely -those he employed on this occasion. - -[394] Ibid. p. 125. - -[395] Farel, _Sommaire_, pp. 96, 191, 210. - -[396] Ibid. p. 154. - -[397] 'Quanta sit messis, quis populi ardor in Evangelium, paucis nemo -expresserit. Sed paucitatem operariorum deflere cogimur.'—_Farellus -Zuinglio_, Orba, anno 1531. _Ep._ ii. p. 648. - - - - - CHAPTER III. - A NEW REFORMER AND AN IMAGE-BREAKER. - (1531.) - - -In 1511 William Viret, a burgess of Orbe, 'cloth-dresser and tailor,' -had a son born to him whom he named Peter. The boy had grown up in the -midst of the wool-combers, and had watched his father's workmen as they -pressed, or glossed, or fulled the cloths as they came from the hands of -the weavers. But he took no delight in this, for he was not born a -tradesman. It was the inner man that was to be developed in him: he felt -within himself a necessity for seeking God, which impelled him towards -heaven. He sought the society of the best-informed burgesses, and even -had some relations with the nobles;[398] but the first object of his -wishes was God. If he took a walk alone, or with one of his brothers -Anthony and John, along the picturesque banks of the Orbe, through the -charming country bathed by its waters, and even to the foot of the -Jura,[399] he looked around him with delight, but afterwards lifted his -eyes to heaven. 'I was naturally given to religion,' he said, 'of which -however I was then ignorant.... I was preparing myself for heaven, -seeing that it was the way of salvation.'[400] He resolved to devote -himself to the service of the altar, which his father did not oppose, -townspeople and peasantry alike regarding it as an honour to count a -priest among their children. Peter, who had a good understanding and -memory, soon learnt all that was taught in the school at Orbe, and -turned his eyes towards the University of Paris, that great light which -twelve years before had attracted Farel's footsteps. His father, whose -trade had placed him in easy circumstances, consented to send him to -Paris, whither the boy proceeded in 1523, being then a little over -twelve years of age. The same year and about the same time John Calvin -of Noyon, who was two years older than Viret, arrived in the same city -and entered the college of La Marche. Did these two boys, who were one -day to be so closely united, meet then, and did their friendship begin -with their childhood? We have not been able to satisfy ourselves on the -point. - -[Sidenote: VIRET GOES TO PARIS.] - -Viret distinguished himself at college by his love of study; 'he made -good progress in learning;' and also by his devotion to the practices of -the Roman Church. 'I cannot deny,' he said, 'that I went pretty deep -into that Babylon.'[401] In one of the last visits he made to Paris, -Farel seems to have remarked Viret, whose charming modesty easily won -the heart, and to have helped in freeing the young Swiss from the -darkness in which he still lay. The Gospel penetrated the soul of the -youthful scholar of Orbe almost at the same time as it enlightened the -large understanding of the scholar of Noyon. The mildness of his -character softened the struggles which had been so fierce in Farel and -Calvin. And yet he too had to tread the path of anguish to arrive at -peace. Perceiving a frightful abyss and an eternal night beneath his -feet, he threw himself into the arms of the Deliverer who was calling -him: 'While still at college,' he said, 'God took me out of the -labyrinth of error before I had sunk deeper into that Babylon of -Antichrist.'[402] The time having arrived when he should receive the -tonsure, he felt that he must make up his mind: the struggle was not a -long one; he refused, and was immediately 'set down as belonging to the -Lutheran religion.'[403] Foreseeing what awaited him, he hastily quitted -Paris and France, and 'returned to his father's house.' In after years -he exclaimed: 'I thank God that the mark and sign of the beast were not -set upon my forehead.'[404] - -[Sidenote: VIRET'S STRUGGLES.] - -Viret found Orbe greatly changed; the contest then going on between the -gospel and popery intimidated him at first. His was one of those -reflective souls which, absorbed by the struggles within, naturally -shrink from those without. Like other reformers, he had a difficulty in -quitting the body of catholicity, but a severe conscience obliged him to -seek truth at any sacrifice. Sometimes the Church of Rome, with all its -errors and abuses, alone struck his imagination, and he would exclaim -with emotion: 'It is the stronghold of superstition, the fortress of -Satan.'[405] Then all of a sudden and before he had time to defend -himself, the old system of catholicism resumed its power over him, and -he found himself in anguish and darkness. He struggled and prayed: the -truth, for a moment hidden, reappeared before his eyes, and he said: -'Rome asserts that antiquity is truth; but what is there older in the -world than lies, rebellion, murder, extortion, impurity, idolatry, and -all kinds of wickedness and abomination?... To follow the doctrine of -Cain and of Sodom is verily to follow an old doctrine.... But virtue, -truth, holiness, innocence, and thou, O God which art the Father of them -all, are older still!'[486] - -The priests of Orbe, who were strongly attached to the Romish doctrine, -seeing the cloth-dresser's son often solitary and full of care, began to -grow uneasy about him: they accosted him and spoke of the old doctors, -of the testimony of the saints, of Augustin, Cyprian, Chrysostom, and -Jerome. These testimonies had much weight in Viret's mind. His head was -bewildered, his feet slipped, and he was on the point of falling back -into the gulf, when snatching again at the word of God, he clung to it, -saying: 'No, I will not believe because of Tertullian or Cyprian, or -Origen, or Chrysostom, or Peter Lombard, or Thomas Aquinas, not even -because of Erasmus or Luther.... If I did so, I should be the disciple -of men.... I will believe only Jesus Christ my Shepherd.'[407] - -At length the divine Word delivered Viret from the theocratic dominion -of Rome, and he then began to look around him.... Alas! what did he see? -Chains everywhere, prisoners held fast 'in the citadel of idolatry.' He -felt the tenderest affection for the captives 'Since the Lord has -brought me _out_' he said, 'I cannot forget those who are -_within_.'[408] Two of these prisoners were never out of his thoughts: -they were his father and mother. At one time absorbed by the cares of -business, at another mechanically attending divine service, they did not -seek after the one thing needful. The pious son began to pray earnestly -for his parents, to show them increased respect, to read them a few -passages of Holy Scripture, and to speak gently to them of the Saviour. -They felt attracted by his conduct, and the faith he professed took hold -of their hearts. The grateful Viret was able to say: 'I have much -occasion to give thanks to God in that it hath pleased him to make use -of me to bring my father and mother to the knowledge of the Son of -God.... Ah! if he had made my ministry of no other use, I should have -had good cause to bless him.'[409] - -As soon as Viret met Farel again at Orbe, he immediately became one of -the evangelist's hearers, and ere long took his father along with him. -The most intimate union sprung up between these men of God. One -completed the other. If Farel was ardent, intrepid, and almost rash, -Viret 'had a wondrously meek temper.'[410] There was in him a grace that -won the heart, and a christian sensibility that was really touching; and -yet, like Farel and Calvin, he was firm in doctrine and morals. Farel, -always eager to send workmen into the harvest, persuaded his friend to -preach not only in the country but in Orbe itself. The young and timid -Viret recoiled from the task Farel proposed to him; but the reformer -pressed him, as others had pressed Luther and Calvin; he believed that -Viret, who belonged to the city, and was loved by everybody, would -receive a favourable welcome. The thought of the divine grace, the -strength of which he knew, decided Viret. 'Let it not be my mouth which -persuades,' he said, 'but the mouth of Jesus Christ; for it is Jesus -Christ who pierces the heart with the fiery arrow of his Spirit.'[411] - -[Sidenote: VIRET PREACHES AT ORBE.] - -On the 6th May 1531 an unusual crowd, not only of townspeople but of -persons from the neighbourhood, filled the church of Orbe; the son of -one of the most respected of the burgesses, a child of the place, was to -enter the pulpit. He was accused of being rather heretical, but he was -so inoffensive, that nobody would believe it; and besides, many of the -young folks of Orbe, who had sported with him on the banks of the river, -wished to see their old playfellow in the pulpit. The congregation, who -were waiting impatiently, saw the young man appear at last: he was of -small stature and pale complexion, his face thin and long, his eyes -lively, and the whole expression meek and winning;[412] he was only -twenty years old, but appeared to be younger still. He preached: his -sermon was accompanied by so much unction and learning, his language was -so persuasive, his eloquence so searching and penetrating, that even the -most worldly men were attracted by his discourse and hung, as it were, -upon his lips.[413] The proverb 'No man is a prophet in his own country' -was not exemplified in Viret's case. The 6th of May was a great day for -him. All his life through he preserved the recollection of his first -sermons. Thirty years later he said to the nobles and burgesses of Orbe: -'Your church was the first in which God was pleased to make use of my -ministry, when it was still in its youth, and I was very young.'[414] - -From that day Viret took his place in that noble army of heralds of the -Word which the Lord was raising among the nations. His part in it was -modest but well marked. The college of reformers, as well as the college -of the apostles, contained the most different characters. As the sap is -everywhere the same in nature, the Spirit of God is everywhere the same -in the Church; but everywhere alike each of them produces different -flowers and different fruits. The ardent Farel was the St. Peter of the -Swiss Reform, the mighty Calvin the St. Paul, and the gentle Viret the -St. John. - -[Sidenote: CONVERSION OF ELIZABETH D'ARNEX.] - -Farel, Viret, Romain, Hollard, and the other evangelicals waited for the -effects of the preaching at Orbe. They saw clearly 'some slight touches -and pricks, but few persons had been wounded and pierced to the quick,' -and so overwhelmed with the feeling of everlasting death, that they -thought of looking for help solely to the grace of Jesus Christ. All of -a sudden, and a month only after Farel's arrival, the report of an -unexpected conversion filled Orbe with astonishment, and became the -subject of general conversation. It was said—and he who repeated it -could hardly believe it—that Madame Elizabeth, the wife of the lord of -Arnex, the very same who had planned the women's conspiracy and so -severely beaten Farel, was entirely changed; that even her husband, who -had become bail for Juliani, and had set him at liberty, had changed -likewise. The bigots of both sexes could not deny the fact. 'Really,' -they said, 'she has become one of the worst lutherans in the city.' Not -long after, they made a great noise because at All Saints or some feast -of Our Lady, Elizabeth had a large wash or other manual labours at her -house.[415] They shook their heads, shrugged their shoulders, and -smiled. The evangelicals did not imitate them: they thought, to borrow -the language of one of their leaders, that though these iron-hearted -people smiled, it was a forced smile,[416] for they felt as if inwardly -choking.... They knew that God's word is a hammer, and that there is -nothing so hard, so massive, or so hidden in the heart of man that its -power cannot reach.... Had not Paul been a persecutor like Elizabeth and -Hugonin? - -Worse still, at least in the opinion of the catholics, happened ere -long. One of the ecclesiastics of the place was George Grivay, surnamed -Calley, an excellent musician who had been appointed precentor. He had -been trained by a fervent catholic mother, and had received a good -education in the church.[417] In order to receive further instruction -his parents had sent him to Lausanne, where he had been made chorister -and had particularly improved in the knowledge of music. On his return -to Orbe the nobles and priests had given him a flattering reception; and -he deserved it, for he enchanted the people by his singing or -electrified them by his discourses. But on the 10th May 1531, the same -month in which Viret delivered his first sermon, Grivat had gone up into -the pulpit and astonished his hearers by preaching the evangelical -doctrine in the clearest manner. This was too much; his father and his -brothers were in despair; nobles and friends who had received him so -well exclaimed in great irritation: 'Have we not given him good wages; -has not the Church fed and taught him? and now he wants to imitate the -cuckoo that eats the mother who reared it.'[418] - -[Sidenote: LORD'S SUPPER AT ORBE.] - -As these successive conversions gave the evangelicals more courage, they -took an important step. Feeling the necessity of being strengthened in -the faith by the celebration of the Lord's Supper, they asked for it, -and Farel, who was then at Morat, immediately returned to Orbe. On -Whitsunday (28th May) at six in the morning—an hour selected to insure -tranquillity for the act they were about to perform—he announced to a -numerous assembly collected in the church the remission of all sins by -the breaking of Christ's body on the cross; and as soon as the sermon -was ended, eight disciples came forward to break bread. They were -Hugonin of Arnex and his wife, C. Hollard and his aged mother, Cordey -and his wife, William Viret, Peter's father, and George Grivat, -afterwards pastor at Avenches; many of the evangelicals did not think -themselves sufficiently advanced in the faith to take part in this act, -and doubtless Peter Viret was absent. Two of the eight disciples -modestly spread a white cloth over a bench, on which they placed the -bread and wine. Farel sank on his knees and prayed, all following his -prayer in their hearts. When the minister rose up he asked: 'Do you each -forgive one another?'... and the believers answered Yes. Next Farel -broke off a morsel of bread for each, saying he gave it them in memory -of Christ's passion, and after that he handed them the cup. The minister -and these true disciples possessed by faith the real presence of Jesus -in their hearts. They had hardly finished when the exasperated priests -entered the church hastily and sang the mass as loud as they could. The -next day, Whitmonday, there was a fresh scandal: the evangelicals were -at work. 'Ha!' said many indignantly; 'they keep no holiday, _except the -Sunday_!'[419] - -If the evangelisation had continued in a peaceful course of christian -edification, the city would in all probability have been entirely gained -over; but the Reformation had its 'enfants terribles.' Calvin said in -vain: 'Those who are wise according to God are modest, peaceable, and -gentle. They do not conceal vices; they endeavour rather to correct -them, but provided it be in peace, that is to say, with so much -moderation that unity remains unbroken. Peaceable and loving -representations ought not to be laid aside, and those who desire to be -physicians must not be executioners.'[420] - -A fine stone crucifix in St. Germain's cemetery had been thrown down, -and another, which stood at a cross road near the city, had been -destroyed: but this had been done at night and it was not known by whom. -Ere long the ardent reformers grew bolder, and especially Christopher -Hollard, a true iconoclast of the Reform, who thought more of pulling -down than of building up. One day, as Farel was preaching before the -deputies of Berne and Friburg, Hollard flew at an image of the Virgin -and dashed it to pieces. Another day he threw down the great altar of -the church of Our Lady. This was not enough. - -According to Hollard, whose mind was upright, and even pious, but -ardent, extreme, and rather deficient in judgment, the Reformation, that -is to say, the destruction of images and altars, did not go on fast -enough, and he therefore resolved to carry it out on a grand scale. He -took twelve companions with him; and these agents of the judgments of -God (as they thought themselves), going from street to street and from -church to church, 'pulled down all the altars' in the seven churches of -the city; twenty-six heaps of rubbish bore witness to their triumph. -They could say, no doubt, that all worship paid to an image is a relic -of paganism; but their fault was to suppose that catholics ought to -adore God, not according to their catholic conscience, but according to -that of the reformed protestants. The people looked at each other with -alarm, but said nothing. 'I was greatly astonished,' says De -Pierrefleur, 'at the patience of the populace.' 'Sir banneret,' observed -some catholics, 'if we did not feel great loyalty towards our lords of -Berne, the body of Christopher Hollard would not have touched earth;' -that is to say, they would have hanged him. These combatants were pretty -well matched for gentleness. The catholics set up tables in the place of -the altars, upon which they celebrated mass 'rather meanly.'[421] - -[Sidenote: ARREST OF THE PRIESTS.] - -The intolerance of Christopher Hollard and of one of his friends, named -Tavel, threatened to substitute a new tyranny for the ancient tyranny of -popery. Alas! the protestant clergy have sometimes been known to oppose -the disciples and doctrines of the gospel, just as the Romish clergy -would have done. Intolerance is a vice of human nature which even piety -does not always cure. The priests saying mass at their little tables -offended Hollard and Tavel. Agasse was no longer governor; he had been -removed by the influence of Berne, and Anthony Secretan, one of the -reformed, put in his place. The two fiery Lutherans laid a complaint -before him against all priests as being murderers (of souls); and -according to the custom of the age, surrendered themselves prisoners. -The governor ordered the Roman ecclesiastics to be arrested, which was -no easy matter, for there were some sturdy fellows among them. Three -sergeants having attempted to seize Messire Pierre Bovey in the street, -the stout priest 'dragged them into the passage of a house,' and there -beat them so that they were glad to escape out of his hands. Having thus -defended himself like a lion, he remained free; but it was not so with -Blaise Foret, the curé, who 'went like a sheep straight to prison.' The -officers put him along with the rest, who were 'well treated at bed and -board, with permission to go all over the castle.'[422] Some bold -priests (for they were not all shut up) chanted mass at five o'clock in -the morning, notwithstanding the prohibition. The catholics attended -'armed with pikes, halberds, and clubs; and rang the bells as if the -city were on fire'. Before long the intolerant protestants received a -severe and well merited lesson. - -[Sidenote: RELEASE OF THE PRIESTS.] - -The grand banneret Pierrefleur, who was a man of the world, well read, -of a cultivated mind, charming simplicity, and profound intelligence, -combined great decision of character with Vaudois good-temper. Being a -catholic from conviction, and knowing that the majority of the -inhabitants were for the Roman faith, and disgusted at seeing the -priests in prison and the faithful compelled to hear mass almost in -secret, he summoned a general council of the people. 'Will you,' he -asked them, 'will you have the mass, and live and die in the holy faith, -like your forefathers? If you do wish it, let every one hold up his -finger, and if perchance there should be any one of a contrary opinion, -let him leave the assembly.' Every one raised his finger in token of an -oath, whereupon the Friburgers sent a herald to Orbe. The priests were -taken out of prison, and those who had helped to pull down the altars -were put in their place. There were fifteen in all, and among them was -Elizabeth's husband, the noble Hugonin of Arnex. They were not so well -treated at 'bed and board' as the priests had been, but were put on -bread and water; after three days, however, they were allowed to return -home.[423] During this time the priests and fervent catholics were -restoring the altars everywhere. It required more than twenty years for -the Reform in Orbe to recover from the blow inflicted on it by the -intolerance of Hollard and his friends. It was not until 1554 that an -assembly of the people decided by a majority of eighteen votes in favour -of the establishment of evangelical worship. The priests, nuns, and -friars then left the city for ever, amid the tears of their -supporters.[424] - -[398] 'Moy qui suis nay, et ay esté dès mon enfance nourry au milieu de -vous.'—_Ep. de Viret aux nobles et bourgeois d'Orbe_, p. 13. - -[399] These districts have been admirably described in a recent -work—_Horizons prochains_. - -[400] _Disputations Chrestiennes_, par Pierre Viret, Geniève, 1544. -_Préface._ - -[401] Ibid. _Préface._ - -[402] _Disputations Chrestiennes. Préface._ - -[403] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 37. - -[404] _Disputations Chrestiennes. Préface._ - -[405] 'Arcem illam superstitionis et idolatriæ, et Satanæ propugnacula. -Viret, _De verbi Dei ministerio_, Senatui Lausan. Ep. - -[406] _Disp. Chrest._ p. 9. - -[407] Ibid. pp. 195-6. - -[408] _Disp. Chrest._ Préface. - -[409] Viret: _Du vrai ministère de la vraye Eglise de Jésus-Christ_. -Préface. - -[410] Théod. de Bèze. - -[411] Viret: _Du vray ministère_, pp. 47, 57. - -[412] 'Fuit corpusculo imbecillo, moribus suavis.'—Melchior Adam, -_Vitæ erudit_. - -[413] 'Oris præcipue facundia excellens, ut homines etiam religioni -minus addictos, faciles tamen auditores habuerit, cum omnes ab ejus ore -penderent.'—Ibid. - -[414] _Du combat des hommes contre leur propre salut_, pp. 7-8. - -[415] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, pp. 133-134. - -[416] Un ris d'hôtellier. - -[417] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 263. - -[418] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 41. - -[419] We are indebted to the catholic Pierrefleur for these particulars. -_Mémoires_, p. 44. - -[420] Calvin, _Op._ S. Jacques, iv. 18. - -[421] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, pp. 41-42, 50-51. - -[422] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, pp. 52-53. - -[423] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 56. - -[424] 'Vicerunt nostrioctodecim suffragiis.'—Viret to Calvin, 11th -August, 1554. See also Pierrefleur, p. 297. - - - - - CHAPTER IV. - THE BATTLES OF GRANDSON. - (1531-1532.) - - -Farel's zeal was not cooled by the check he had received at Orbe; he saw -before him other places that must be evangelised. If he withstood the -ambitious demands of the new converts who, like Hollard, fancied -themselves more capable than they really were, and indiscreetly sought -for consecration to the holy office, he did but seek with more zeal for -servants of God, who possessed a spirit of strength, charity, and -prudence. Certain men appeared to him to have been ripened in France by -persecution. He invited into Switzerland Toussaint, Lecomte, -Symphoranus, Andronicus, and others. As soon as these brethren arrived, -he sent them into the harvest;[425] and frequently after fervent prayers -he seemed to see the whole valley enclosed between the Jura and the Alps -filled with the living waters of the Gospel. 'Of a truth,' said he, 'if -we look at the times that have gone before, the work of Christ is -glorious now.... And yet what roots remain to be torn up before the -field is ready to receive the divine seed.[426] What works to be -accomplished, what toils to be endured, what enemies to be overcome!... -We have need of labourers inured to labour.... I cannot promise them -mountains of gold,[427] but I know that the Father will never abandon -His own, and that He will give them an abundant harvest.' - -[Sidenote: MALADY OF PETTY QUESTIONS.] - -In Farel's heart overwhelming depression often followed close upon the -fairest expectations. One sorrow especially afflicted him: the malady of -petty questions seemed threatening to invade the new Church. At all -times narrow and ill-balanced minds attach themselves to certain details -in the doctrine of baptism, the Lord's Supper, the ministry, and so -forth: they are eager about _anise and cummin_[428] and by their minutiæ -encumber the kingdom of Christ. Farel, who with a holy doctrine and -unwearied activity combined a wise discernment and a large liberal -spirit, trembled lest this weakness of little understandings had crept -into the minds of the ministers to whom he addressed his call. There -happened to be at Strasburg just then a christian man named Andronicus, -whom the reformer desired to attract into Switzerland; but he wished to -know whether he was tainted with formalism or fanaticism—two evils which -sometimes met on the banks of the Rhine. He resolved to speak frankly to -him, and his letter shows us his opinion of the ministry: 'Dear -brother,' he wrote to Andronicus, 'do you possess Christ so as to teach -Him purely, apart from the empty controversies of _bread_ and _water_, -_taxes_ and _tithes_, which in the eyes of many constitute -Christianity?[429] Are you content to require of all that, renouncing -ungodliness and unrighteousness, they should arm themselves with faith, -and press to their hearts the heavenly treasure, Christ who sitteth at -the right hand of the Father? Are you ready to give to all authorities -what is their due—taxes, tithes—to pay them not only to the ungodly, but -also to the brethren? Do you seek Christ's glory only? Do you propose -simply to plant in their hearts the faith that worketh by charity? Are -you resolved to bear the cross? for, be assured, the cross awaits you at -the door. If you are ready to bear it, then, dear brother, come -instantly.' Such was the wise language of the most ardent of the -reformers. - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S MODE OF RECRUITING.] - -While Farel was thus loudly calling for new workers, he was getting rid -of the idle and cowardly, promising to all of them fatigue, insult, and -persecution: it was with such promises that the reformer levied his -soldiers. 'Do not look for idleness, but for labour,'[430] he said; -'only after fatigue will you find repose, and you will not reap until -after you have sown at your own cost. A wide door is opened, but no one -can enter except those who desire to feed the sheep and not to devour -them, and who are determined to reply with kindness to the insults with -which they are assailed. Labour and toil await you.[431] I can promise -you nothing but trouble.... If you will come with us, know that you are -entering into a hard service. You will have to fight not against craven -and disheartened adversaries, but against enemies brimful of decision -and strength. Be therefore a brave and noble soldier; attack the enemy -joyfully, and rush into the hottest of the fight, placing your -confidence in God, to whom alone belong the battle and the victory. It -is not we who fight, but the Lord.'[432] - -But Farel called to the battle in vain: the timid recruits would not -join the army. He received some little help indeed, but what was that -for so great a work? Then his appeals grew louder. In the presence of -the gigantic Alps, this humble man rose like them: his language swelled -and resembled rather the cry of a soldier struggling in the midst of the -enemy's ranks, than the sweet and subtle voice of the Gospel of peace. -'We are in the thick of the fight,' he said; 'the conflict is terrible; -we are fighting man to man ... but the Lord giveth the victory to his -own.[433] Take up the sword, set the helmet on your head, buckle on the -breastplate, hang the shield to your arm, gird your loins; and being -thus armed with the panoply of God, rush into the midst of the battle, -hurl the darts, throw down the enemy on every side, and put all the army -to flight.[434]... But alas! instead of joining the soldiers of Christ, -instead of rushing into the Lord's battles, you fear the cross, and the -dangers that lie in wait for you. Preferring your own ease, you refuse -to come to the assistance of your brethren.... Is that the behaviour of -a christian?... The Holy Scriptures declare that the Lord will exact a -severe reckoning for such cowardice.... Beware lest you bury the talent -you have received.... Call to mind that you must give an account of all -those souls, whom tyranny holds captive in its gloomy dungeons. You can -set the light before their eyes, you can deliver them from their chains, -you must conjure them to throw themselves into the arms of Jesus -Christ.... Do not hesitate.... Christ must be preferred to everything. -Do not trouble yourself about what your wife wishes and requires, but -about what God asks and commands.'[435] More powerful solicitations had -never been made; there was a new Paul in the world at this time. At last -Farel's earnestness prevailed. Andronicus and others hastened to him, -and laboured with him in the country that stretches from Basle and Berne -as far as Geneva. - -[Sidenote: FIRST BATTLE OF GRANDSON.] - -Delighted at receiving such helpers, the reformer hastened to fresh -combats. Every parish, village, and town was to be won to Christ by an -obstinate struggle. There is no soldier that has fought more battles. We -can only find a parallel to Farel in the convert of Damascus. He took -with him De Glautinis, minister of Tavannes, in the Bernese Jura, who -had come to his help, and quitted Orbe, leaving on his left the -picturesque gorge of the Jura, where the village of St. Croix lies hid, -and over which soar the lofty tops of the Chasseron, and turned his -steps towards Grandson. Ere long he came in sight of the celebrated -walls of the old castle which stood near the extremity of the lake of -Neuchâtel. This place, which was about to become an evangelical -battle-field, had witnessed a far different struggle. Here, in 1476, the -Swiss had rushed from the heights of Champagne and Bonvillars, while the -terrible roaring of the bull of Uri portended death, and the cow of -Unterwald uttered its warning sound.[436] Here they bent the knee in -presence of the hostile columns, and rising with shouts of '_Grandson!_' -playing their fearful music, unfurling their ancient banners, and -guarding them with their long and formidable spears, they charged the -Burgundians with the rush of the tempest. Vainly did the commander of -the cavalry, Sire Louis of Château-Guyon, brother of the Prince of -Orange and of the Lord of Orbe and Grandson,—vainly did he spur his -large war-horse and charge impetuously at the head of six thousand -horsemen; vainly did he seize the banner of Schwytz, In der Gruob of -Berne had given him a death-blow, and the Burgundians, as they saw the -gigantic warrior fall, were struck with terror. Grandson as well as Orbe -were lost to the family of that hero, and the sovereignty of the two -towns passed to the cantons of Berne and Friburg. A panic spread through -the ranks, and Charles the Bold was forced to fly, leaving behind him -four hundred silk tents embroidered with gold and pearls, six hundred -standards, and an immense quantity of plate, money, jewels, and precious -stones. This vigorous attack and glorious victory, the fame of which -still remained in that peaceful country, was a type of the work that -Farel was to accomplish. By his means, Berne was about to strike at -Grandson as well as Orbe a more formidable enemy than the Lord of -Château-Guyon.[437] - -On the shore of the lake at the entrance of the town stood the vast -convent of the Gray Friars. Farel and his friend De Glautinis, who -accompanied him, stopped before its walls and said to each other that to -this place doubtless the Lord had first directed their steps. They rang, -entered the parlour, and the superior of the monastery, Friar Guy Regis, -having asked them what they wanted, they begged him very coolly 'in the -name of the Lords of Berne,' to grant them the use of the church. But -Guy Regis, a resolute man and earnest priest, who knew all that had -happened at Orbe, was offended at such insolence. 'Heretic!' said he to -Farel. 'Son of a Jew!' exclaimed another monk. The reception was not -encouraging. The two ministers discussed with some friends of the Word -of God, what was to be done. 'Go to the priory on the hill,' said the -latter. 'As you bear a letter from Messieurs of Berne for the prior, the -monks will not dare refuse you.' - -[Sidenote: THE BENEDICTINE CONVENT.] - -Accordingly Farel, De Glautinis, and a few of the brethren, proceeded to -the Benedictine convent. They knocked and the door was opened; several -monks appeared. As they knew already something about the arrival of the -missionaries, they looked at them from head to foot, and Farel had -scarcely asked permission to preach, when a loud uproar arose in the -cloister. The sacristan hid a pistol under his frock, another friar -armed himself with a knife, and both came forward stealthily to lay -hands upon the _heretic_ who (according to them) was disturbing all the -churches. The sacristan arrived first; pointing the pistol at Farel with -one hand, he seized him with the other, and pulling him along, -endeavoured to drag him into the convent, where a prison awaited him. De -Glautinis observing this, sprang forward to rescue his friend, but the -other monk, arriving at the scene of combat, fell upon him, flourishing -his knife. Alarmed by the noise within the cloister, the friends of the -evangelists, who had remained at the door, waiting to know whether they -could hear Farel or not, rushed in and tore both him and his comrade -from the stout arms of the monks. The gates of the monastery were closed -immediately, and they remained so for a whole fortnight, so great was -the terror inspired by the reformers. - -Farel seeing there was nothing to be done at Grandson just then, -departed for Morat, beseeching De Glautinis, whom he left behind him, to -take advantage of every opportunity to proclaim the gospel. The monks -entrenched within their walls, trembled, deliberated, kept watch, and -armed themselves against this one man, as if they had an army before -them. Convent gates and church doors were all close shut. De Glautinis, -finding that he could not preach in the churches, determined to preach -in the streets and in private houses; but he had hardly begun when the -monks, informed by the signals of their agents whom they had instructed -not to lose sight of the evangelist, made a vigorous sally. Guy Regis, -the valiant superior of the Gray Friars, the precentor, and all the -monks came to the place where De Glautinis was preaching, and boldly -placed themselves between him and his hearers: 'Come,' said the -superior, 'come, if you dare, before the king or the emperor. Come to -Besançon, to Dôle, or to Paris; I will show you and all the world that -your preaching is mere witchcraft. Begone, we have had enough of you. -You shall not enter the churches.' As soon as this harangue was over, -the monks capped it by roaring out: 'Heretic, son of a Jew, apostate!' -The troop having thus fired their volley, hastily retreated within their -walls.[438] - -Some Bernese deputies, who chanced to be at Neuchâtel, hearing what was -going on at Grandson, went thither without delay. They did not wish to -force the people to be converted, but they desired that all under their -rule should hear the gospel without hindrance, and thus have liberty to -decide with full knowledge for Rome or for the Reformation. When the -Bernese lords arrived at Grandson, which is not far from Neuchâtel, they -ordered the conventual churches to be thrown open to the reformers. A -messenger was sent to Farel, who returned immediately, bringing Viret -with him, and from the 12th May the three evangelists began to preach -Sundays and week-days. The monks, surprised, irritated, and yet -restrained by fear of their dread lords, looked with gloomy eyes on the -crowd that came to hear the _heresy_. The superior of the Gray Friars, -who had a great reputation for learning, thought himself called upon to -resist the reformers. They had hardly left the pulpit when he entered -it, and thus Farel and Guy Regis attacked and refuted each other, -struggling, so to say, hand to hand. The evangelist preached grace, the -monk prescribed works; the former reproached his opponent with -disobeying Scripture, the latter reproached the other with disobeying -the Church. The monks went further still: they conjured the magistrates -to come to the defence of the faith, and the latter outlawed the -ministers, while the sergeants arrested them. The populace, seeing them -in the hands of the officers, followed them and covered them with abuse, -and they were shut up in prison.[439] - -Thus the struggle descended to the people and grew all the warmer. -Parties were formed, bands were organised. The catholics, in order to -distinguish themselves, stuck fir-cones in their caps, and thus adorned -stalked proudly through the streets. Their adversaries said to them as -they passed: 'You insult Messieurs of Berne;' to which they arrogantly -answered: 'You shall not prevent us.' - -[Sidenote: REINFORCEMENT FROM YVERDUN.] - -The inhabitants of Yverdun, a neighbouring town, which eagerly espoused -the cause defended by Guy Regis, organised, not a troop of soldiers, but -a procession. It quitted the town and passed along the shore of the -lake; clerical banners instead of military colours waved above their -heads, sacred chants instead of drums and trumpets filled the air. At -last this curious reinforcement reached the city where such a fierce -struggle was going on. The catholics no longer doubted of victory. Men's -minds grew heated and their passions were inflamed. Farel and his -friends, having been set at liberty, a black friar named Claude de -Boneto stuck to the reformer and loaded him with abuse. The latter -undismayed said: 'Christians, withdraw from the pope who has laid -insupportable burdens on your back, which he will not touch with the tip -of his finger. Come to Him who has taken all your burden and placed it -on his own shoulders. Do not trust in the priests or in Rome. Have -confidence in Jesus Christ.'[440] The council of Berne took up the -defence of the evangelist, and condemned friar Boneto.[441] - -As the support of Yverdun had produced no effect, help was sent from -Lausanne. On St. John's day (24th June) a cordelier arrived at Grandson -to preach in honour of the saint. The church of the Franciscans was soon -crowded, and Farel and De Glautinis were in the midst of the throng. The -strange things which the preacher said filled them with sorrow; -presently the reformer stood up, and (as was the custom of the times) -began to refute the monk. The latter stopped, and the eyes of the -assembly were turned upon the minister with signs of anger. The bailiff, -John Reyff of Friburg, a good catholic, unable to restrain himself, -raised his hand and struck Farel. This was the signal for a battle. -Judges, gray friars, and burgesses of Grandson, who had come armed to -the church, fell upon the two ministers, threw them to the ground, and -showered blows and kicks upon them. Their friends hastened to their -help, flung themselves into the midst of the fray, and succeeded in -rescuing the reformers from the hands of the riotous crowd, but not -before they had been 'grievously maltreated in the face and other -parts.' The grand banneret of Orbe saw it, and it is he who tells the -story.[442] - -[Sidenote: THE SENTINELS.] - -The evangelicals lost no time: one of them started off at once to see -the Sieur de Watteville, the avoyer of Berne, who chanced to be at his -estate of Colombier, three leagues from Grandson. That magistrate went -to the town, and wishing to put the inhabitants in a position to -exercise the right of free enquiry, according to the principles of -Berne, he ordered the cordelier and Farel to preach by turns, and then -went to the church, attended by his servant, with the view of hearing -both preachers. But there was something else to be done first. The -people were still agitated with the emotions of the preceding day, and -pretended that the reformers wanted to pull down the great crucifix, -which was much respected by all the city. Two monks, Tissot and Gondoz, -were distinguished by their zeal for the doctrines of the pope; sincere -but fanatical, they would have thought they were doing God a service by -murdering Farel. They had been posted as sentinels to defend the image -supposed to be threatened. Armed with axes hidden under their frocks, -they paced backwards and forwards, silent and watchful, at the foot of -the stairs which led to the gallery where the famous crucifix stood. -When the Lord of Berne appeared, one of the sentinels, seeing a strange -face, which had an heretical look about it, stopped him abruptly. 'Stand -back, you cannot pass this way,' he said, while his comrade rudely -pushed the Sieur de Watteville. 'Gently,' said the avoyer in a grave -tone; 'you should not get in such a heat.' The patrician's serving-man, -exasperated at this want of respect to his master, and less calm than he -was, caught the cowled sentinel round the body, and feeling the axe -under his frock, took it away and was about to strike him with it, when -the Bernese lord checked him. All the monks fled in alarm, and De -Watteville remaining master of the ground, placed his servant there on -guard. The latter, stalking up and down with the axe on his shoulder, -kept watch instead of the monks. - -He had been there only a few minutes, when about thirty women, with -flashing eyes and sullen air, each holding her serge apron gathered up -in front, made their appearance and endeavoured to get into the gallery. -Some had filled their aprons with mould from their gardens, and others -with ashes from their kitchens, and with these weapons they were -marching to battle. Their plan was not, indeed, to engage in a regular -fight, but to lie in ambush in the gallery near the pulpit; and then as -soon as Farel appeared, to throw the ashes into his eyes and the earth -into his mouth, and so silence the fearless preacher of the Gospel. This -was their notion of controversy. The troop approached: the avoyer's -serving-man, firm as became a servant of my lord of Berne, was still -pacing to and fro, axe in hand. He perceived the feminine battalion, -immediately saw what was their intention, and advanced brandishing the -weapon he had taken from the monks. The devotees of Grandson, seeing a -Bernese instead of a gray friar, were alarmed; they shrieked, let go -their aprons, suffered the mould and ashes to fall upon the floor of the -church, and ran off to their homes. - -[Sidenote: CONVERSION OF THE MONKS.] - -The conspiracies of the monks and of the women being thus baffled, the -Bernese magistrate did not take advantage of it to make Farel preach -alone. He wished the balance to be even. The gray friar therefore and -the reformer quietly took their turns. Tissot and Gondoz, who had -stopped De Watteville, were imprisoned for a fortnight. The two monks, -recovering from their passion, began to consider what this _Lutheran -doctrine_ could be which possessed such stanch adherents. The reformers -visited them, and showed them much affection. The monks were touched, -they saw that the heresy of which they had been so afraid was simply the -all-merciful Gospel of Jesus Christ. They left the prison with new -thoughts, and two years later, says the banneret, 'they received the -Lutheran law, were made preachers, one at Fontaines, the other at -Chavornay, married, and had a large family of children.' In the days of -the Reformation, as in those of the apostles, it was often seen that -those who 'kicked against the pricks' obtained mercy and became heralds -of the faith.[443] - -A last tumult was to cause the principles of religious liberty to be -proclaimed in Switzerland. It occurred at Orbe during the Christmas -holidays. The catholics, proud of the midnight devotions customary among -them at that season of the year, insulted the reformed: 'Go to bed,' -they said; 'while we are singing the praises of God in the church you -will be sleeping in your beds like swine.'... The reformers, who did not -like midnight masses with all their profanations, desired to take -advantage of the evening hours, when the cessation of labour gave an -opportunity of collecting a large congregation. At seven o'clock on -Christmas eve they asked the governor for the keys of the church: 'It is -not sermon time,' he answered, 'and you shall not have them.' They -rejoined that every hour, except at night, was sermon time; and being -determined to begin the evening services, they went to the church, -opened the doors, the preacher got up into the pulpit, and in a moment -the place was crowded. A few priests or bigots, peeping into the -building, exclaimed in surprise at the crowd: 'The devil must have sent -a good many there!' The minister (it may have been Viret) explained the -great mystery of faith, the coming of the Saviour, and asked his hearers -if they would not receive him into their hearts. The sermon had lasted -some time, and the clock struck nine. Immediately the bells rang, and -the catholics crowded into the church, although there was no service at -that hour. - -The reformed, being unwilling to quarrel, retired home quietly; but a -mischievous fellow, who had crept into the assembly with the intention -of exciting the people, began to whisper to his neighbours that the -heretics were going to destroy everything at St. Claire. This was false, -but they believed it; the crowd deserted the altars, and, meeting with a -few reformers in the streets, knocked some down, and broke the heads of -others; the best known among them had already reached home, but the -catholic population assembled in front of their houses, and threw stones -at their windows. Viret departed for Berne with ten of the reformed, in -order to make his complaint.[444] - -[Sidenote: FIRST ACT OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.] - -A few days later, on the 9th January 1532, two hundred and thirty -ministers assembled at Berne, among whom was the wise Capito, and formed -a sort of council. Having most of them left the Romish church, they -desired liberty not only for themselves, but also for their adversaries. -The laymen were of the same opinion. Berne, the representative of -protestantism, agreed with Friburg, the champion of popery, on this -subject. 'We desire,' said the Bernese, 'that every one should have free -choice to go to the preaching or to mass.' 'And we also,' said the -Friburgers. 'We desire that all should live in peace together, and that -neither priests nor preachers should call their adversaries heretics or -murderers. 'And we also,' said the Friburgers. 'Nevertheless, we do not -wish to hinder the priests and preachers from conferring amicably and -fraternally concerning the faith.' 'Quite right,' said the Friburgers. -These articles, and others like them—the first monument of religious -liberty in Switzerland—were published on the 30th January 1532.[445] It -is to be regretted that this proclamation of the sixteenth century was -not henceforward taken as a pattern in all christian countries, and in -Switzerland, where it was drawn up. The order did not for long prevent -violent collisions. - -We shall now leave this quarter, and follow elsewhere the great champion -of the Word of God, Farel; but we shall return here later. The -evangelical seed was to be sown still more abundantly in the Pays de -Vaud, and that soil, which appeared adverse at first, will produce and -has produced, in our days especially, the finest of fruits. - -[425] 'Fratres qui huc venerunt in messem missi sunt.'—Farellus -Andronico, Jan. 27, 1531. Choupard MSS. - -[426] 'Quam difficiles eradicatu supersunt radices, antequam novale -jaciendo semini sit idoneum.'—Farellus Andronico, Jan. 27, 1531. -Choupard MSS. - -[427] 'Aureos montes polliceri nolo.'—Ibid. - -[428] Matthew xxiii. 23. - -[429] 'Sine vanis controversiis vel aquæ vel panis aut censuum aut -decimarum, in quibus pars Christianismum putat.'—Farellus Andronico. -Choupard MSS. - -[430] Non est quod otium expectes sed negotium.'—Farellus Andronico, -Feb. 12, 1531. - -[431] 'Labores plurimi.'—Ibid. - -[432] 'Sed in ipso pugnæ æstu, robustos ac plenis viribus hostes alacer -aggrediaris, collocata in Deum fiducia, cujus est victoria sicut et -pugna; non enim nos pugnamus, sed Dominus.'—Farellus Andronico. Jan. 27, -1531. Choupard MSS. - -[433] 'Pugnam fervere, cum hostibus consertas manus jungere, victoriam -suis impartire, sed non citra sudorem.'—Farellus Andronico, April 1531. -Choupard MSS. - -[434] 'In medios hostes prosilire, jacula vibrare, hostes hinc inde -prosternere ac dissipare.'—Ibid. - -[435] 'Nec tantopere curandum quid uxor velit et poscat, sed quæ Deus -ipse petat et jubeat.'—Farellus Andronico, April, 1531. Choupard MSS. - -[436] Warlike musical instruments. - -[437] Chronique de Neuchâtel. Chant de bataille, par un Lucernois. -Müller, _Hist. de la Conféd. Suisse_. - -[438] _Chroniqueur_, p. 112. - -[439] 'Duræchet, gebalgets, verschmæht.... Gott gelæstert.'—Berne to the -bailli of Grandson, June 7. - -[440] _Sommaire_, etc. p. 181. - -[441] The Choupard MS. gives the sentence of Berne under the date of -17th June 1531. - -[442] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 167. - -[443] Choupard MSS. Stettler MSS. _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur._ - -[444] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, p. 74. Ruchat, iii. p. 45. - -[445] _Mém. du Sire de Pierrefleur_, pp. 82-85. Choupard MSS. -Ruchat, iii. p. 47. - - - - - CHAPTER V. - THE WALDENSES APPEAR. - (1526 TO OCTOBER 1532.) - - -On Friday, 12th July, Farel came from Morat to Grandson, where a quiet -conference was to be held. Four disciples of the Gospel begged to -receive the imposition of hands. Farel and his colleagues examined them, -and, finding them fitted for the evangelical work, sent them to announce -the Gospel in the neighbouring villages of Gy, Fy, Montagny, Noville, -Bonvillars, St. Maurice, Champagne, and Concise. But the conference was -to be occupied with more important business. - -[Sidenote: THE WALDENSES.] - -For two or three years past a strange report had circulated among the -infant churches that were forming between the Alps and the Jura. They -heard talk of christians who belonged to the Reformation without having -ever been reformed. It was said that in some of the remote valleys of -the Alps of Piedmont and Dauphiny, and in certain parts of Calabria, -Apulia, Provence, Lorraine, and other countries,[446] there were -believers who for many centuries had resisted the pope and recognised no -other authority than Holy Scripture. Some called them 'Waldenses,' -others 'poor men of Lyons,' and others 'Lutherans.' The report of the -victories of the Reformation having penetrated their valleys, these -pious men had listened to them attentively; one of them in particular, -Martin Gonin, pastor of Angrogne, was seriously moved by them. Being a -man of decided and enterprising character, and ready to give his life -for the Gospel, the pious _barbe_ (the name given by the Waldenses to -their pastors) had felt a lively desire to go and see closely what the -Reformation was. This thought haunted him everywhere: whether he -traversed the little glens which divided his valley, like a tree with -its branches,[447] or whether he followed the course of the torrent, or -sat at the foot of the Alps of Cella, Vachera, and Infernet, Gonin -sighed after Wittemberg and Luther. At last he made up his mind; he -departed in 1526, found his way to the reformers, and brought back into -his valleys much good news and many pious books. From that time the -Reformation was the chief topic of conversation among the barbes and -shepherds of those mountains. - - * * * * * - -In 1530 many of them, threading the defiles of the Alps, arrived on the -French slopes, and following the picturesque banks of the Durance, took -their way towards Merindol, where a synod of Waldensian christians had -been convened. They walked on, animated with the liveliest joy; they had -thought themselves alone, and in one day there had been born to them in -Europe thousands of brethren who listened humbly to the Word of God, and -made the pope tremble on his throne. .... They spoke of the Reformation, -of Luther, and Melanchthon, and of the Swiss as they descended the rough -mountain paths. When the synod was formed, they resolved to send a -deputation to the evangelicals of Switzerland, to show them that the -Waldensian doctrines were similar to those of the reformers, and to -prevail upon the latter to give them the hand of fellowship. In -consequence, two of them, George Morel and Peter Masson, set out for -Basle. - -[Sidenote: DEPUTATION TO ŒCOLAMPADIUS.] - -On their arrival in that city, they asked for the house of Œcolampadius; -they entered his study, and the old times, represented by these -simple-minded worthy barbes, greeted the new times in the person of the -amiable and steadfast reformer. The latter could not see these brave and -rustic men standing before him and not feel an emotion of respect and -sympathy. The Waldenses took from their bosoms the documents of their -faith, and presented them to the pious doctor. 'Turning away from -Antichrist,' said these papers, and Masson and Morel repeated the words, -'we turn towards Christ. He is our life, our truth, our peace, our -righteousness, our shepherd, our advocate, our victim, our high-priest, -who died for the salvation of believers.[448] But alas! as smoke goeth -before the fire, the temptation of Antichrist precedeth the glory.[449] -In the time of the apostles Antichrist was but a child; he has now grown -into a perfect man. He robs Christ of the merit of salvation, and -ascribes it to his own works. He strips the Holy Ghost of the power of -regeneration, and attributes it to his ceremonies. He leads the people -to mass, a sad tissue of jewish, pagan, and christian rites, and -deprives them of the spiritual and sacramental manducation.[450] He -hates, persecutes, accuses, robs, and kills the members of Jesus -Christ.[451] He boasts of his length of life, of his monks, his virgins, -his miracles, his fasts, and his vigils, and uses them as a cloak to -hide his wickedness. Nevertheless, the rebel is growing old and -decreasing, and the Lord is killing the felon by the breath of his -mouth.'[452] Œcolampadius admired the simplicity of their creed. He -would not have liked a doctrine without life, or an apparent life -without doctrine, but he found both in the Waldensian barbes. 'I thank -God,' he told them, 'that he has called you to so great light.'[453] - -Ere long the doctors and faithful ones of Basle desired to see these men -of the ancient times. Seated round the domestic hearth, the Waldenses -narrated the sufferings of their fathers, and described their flocks -scattered over the two slopes of the Alps. 'Some people,' they said, -'ascribe our origin to a wealthy citizen of Lyons, Peter de Vaux or -Waldo, who, being at a banquet with his friends, saw one of them -suddenly fall dead.[454] Moved and troubled in his conscience he prayed -to Jesus, sold his goods, and began to preach and sent others to preach -the Gospel everywhere.[455] But,' added the barbes, 'we descend from -more ancient times, from the time when Constantine introducing the world -into the Church, our fathers set themselves apart, or even from the time -of the apostles.'[456] - -[Sidenote: CONFESSIONS OF THE BARBES.] - -In the course of conversation, however, with these brethren, the -christians of Basle noticed certain points of doctrine which did not -seem conformable with evangelical truth, and a certain uneasiness -succeeded to their former joy. Wishing to be enlightened, Œcolampadius -addressed a few questions to the two barbes. 'All our ministers,' they -answered on the first point, 'live in celibacy, and work at some honest -trade.' 'Marriage, however,' said Œcolampadius, 'is a state very -becoming to all true believers, and particularly to those who ought to -be in all things _ensamples to the flock_. We also think,' he continued, -'that pastors ought not to devote to manual labour, as yours do, the -time they could better employ in the study of scripture. The minister -has many things to learn; God does not teach us miraculously and without -labour; we must take pains in order to know.'[457] - -The barbes were at first a little confused at seeing that the elders had -to learn of their juniors; however, they were humble and sincere men, -and the Basle doctor having questioned them on the sacraments, they -confessed that through weakness and fear they had their children -baptised by Romish priests, and that they even communicated with them -and sometimes attended mass. This unexpected avowal startled the meek -Œcolampadius. 'What,' said he, 'has not Christ, the holy victim, fully -satisfied the everlasting justice for us? Is there any need to offer -other sacrifices after that of Golgotha? By saying _Amen_ to the -priests' mass you deny the grace of Jesus Christ.' - -Œcolampadius next spoke of the strength of man after the fall. 'We -believe,' said the barbes modestly, 'that all men have some natural -virtue, just as herbs, plants, and stones have.'[458] 'We believe,' said -the reformer, 'that those who obey the commandments of God do so, not -because they have more strength than others, but because of the great -power of the Spirit of God which renews their will.'[459] 'Ah,' said the -barbes, who did not feel themselves in harmony with the reformers on -this point, 'nothing troubles us weak people so much as what we have -heard of Luther's teaching relative to free-will and predestination.... -Our ignorance is the cause of our doubts: pray instruct us.' - -The charitable Œcolampadius did not think the differences were such as -ought to alienate him from the barbes. 'We must enlighten these -christians,' he said, 'but above all things we must love them.' Had they -not the same Bible and the same Saviour as the children of the -Reformation? Had they not preserved the essential truths of the faith -from the primitive times? Œcolampadius and his friends agitated by this -reflection, gave their hands to the Waldensian deputation: 'Christ,' -said the pious doctor,' is in you as he is in us, and we love you as -brethren.' - -[Sidenote: THE MARTYRED BARBE.] - -The two barbes left Basle and proceeded to Strasburg to confer with -Bucer and Capito, after which they prepared to return to their valleys. -As Peter Masson was of Burgundian origin, they determined to pass -through Dijon, a journey not unattended with danger. It was said here -and there in cloisters and in bishops' palaces that the old heretics had -come to an understanding with the new. The pious conversation of the two -Waldensians having attracted the attention of certain inhabitants of -Dijon, a clerical and fanatical city, they were thrown into prison. What -shall they do? What, they ask, will become of the letters and -instructions they are bearing to their co-religionists? One of them, -Morel, the bearer of this precious trust, succeeded in escaping: Masson, -who was left, paid for both; he was condemned, executed, and died with -the peace of a believer. - -When they saw only one of their deputation appear, the Waldenses -comprehended the dangers to which the brethren had been exposed, and -wept for Masson. But the news of the reformers' welcome spread great joy -among them, in Provence, Dauphiny, in the valleys of the Alps, and even -to Apulia and Calabria. The observations, however, of Œcolampadius, and -his demand for a stricter reform, were supported by some and rejected by -others. The Waldensians determined therefore to take another step: 'Let -us convoke a synod of all our churches,' said they, 'and invite the -reformers to it.' - -One July day in 1532, when Farel was at Grandson, as we have seen, in -conference with other ministers, he was told that two individuals, whose -foreign look indicated that they came from a distance, desired to speak -with him. Two barbes, one from Calabria, named George, the other Martin -Gonin, a Piedmontese, entered the room. After saluting the evangelicals -in the name of their brethren, they told them that the demand that had -been addressed to them to separate entirely from Rome had caused -division among them. 'Come,' they said to the ministers assembled at -Grandson, 'come to the synod and explain your views on this important -point. After that we must come to an understanding about the means of -propagating over the world the doctrine of the Gospel which is common to -both of us.' No message could be more agreeable to Farel; and as these -two points were continually occupying his thoughts, he determined to -comply with the request of the Waldensian brethren. His -fellow-countryman, the pious Saunier, wished to share his dangers. - -The members of the conference and the evangelicals of Grandson gazed -with respect upon these ancient witnesses of the truth, arriving among -them from the farther slopes of the Alps and the extremity of Italy, -where they would have had no idea of going to look for brethren. They -crowded round them and gave them a welcome, overflowing with love for -them as they thought of the long fidelity and cruel sufferings of their -ancestors. They listened with interest to the story of the persecutions -endured by their fathers, and the heroism with which the Waldenses had -endured them. They were all ears when they were told how the barbes and -their flocks were suddenly attacked by armed bands in their snowy -mountains during the festival of Christmas in the year 1400; how men, -women, and children had been compelled to flee over the rugged rocks, -and how many of them had perished of cold and hunger, or had fallen by -the sword. In one place the bodies of fourscore little children were -found frozen to death in the stiffened arms of their mothers who had -died with them.... In another place thousands of fugitives who had taken -refuge in deep caverns (1488) had been suffocated by the fires which -their cruel persecutors had kindled at the entrance of their -hiding-place.[460] Would not the Reformation regard these martyrs as its -precursors? Was it not a privilege for it thus to unite with the -witnesses who had given glory to Jesus Christ since the first ages of -the Church? - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S DANGEROUS JOURNEY.] - -Some of the Swiss christians were alarmed at the idea of Farel's -journey. In truth great dangers threatened the reformer. The martyrdom -of Peter Masson, sacrificed two years before, had exasperated the -Waldenses of Provence, and their lamentations had aroused the anger of -their enemies. The bishops of Sisteron, Apt, and Cavaillon had taken -counsel together and laid a remonstrance before the parliament of Aix, -which had immediately ordered a raid to be made on the heretics: the -prisons were filled with Waldensians and Lutherans, real or pretended. -Martin Gonin, one of the two Waldensian deputies, was in a subsequent -journey arrested at Grenoble, put into a sack, and drowned in the Isère. -A similar fate might easily happen to Farel. Did not the country he -would have to cross depend on the duke of Savoy, and had not Bellegarde -and Challans laid hands on Bonivard in a country less favourable to -ambuscades than that which Farel had to pass through? That mattered not: -he did not hesitate. He will leave these quarters where the might of -Berne protects him and pass through the midst of his enemies. 'There was -in him the same zeal as in his Master,' says an historian;[461] 'like -the Saviour, he feared neither the hatred of the Pharisees, nor the -cunning of Herod, nor the rage of the people.' He made every preparation -for his departure, and Saunier did the same.[462] - -Just as Farel was about to leave Switzerland, he received unpleasant -tidings from France, and thus found himself solicited on both sides. He -wrote to his fellow-countrymen one of those letters, so full of -consolation and wisdom, which characterise our reformers. 'Men look -fiercely at you,' he said, 'and threaten you, and lay heavy fines upon -you; your friends turn their robes and become your enemies.... All men -distress you.... Observing all modesty, meekness, and friendship, -persevering in holy prayers, living purely, and helping the poor, commit -everything to the Father of mercies, by whose aid you will walk, strong -and unwearied, in all truth.'[463] - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S ARRIVAL IN THE VALLEYS.] - -Towards the end of August, Farel and Saunier took leave of the brethren -around them, got on their horses, and departed. Their course was -enveloped in mystery: they avoided the places where they might be known -and traversed uninhabited districts. Having crossed the Alps and passed -through Pignerol, they fixed their eyes, beaming with mournful interest, -on the lonely places where almost inaccessible caverns, pierced in the -ragged sides of the mountains, often formed the only temple of the -Christians, and where every rock had a history of persecution and -martyrdom. Their place of meeting was Angrogne, in the parish of the -pious Martin Gonin. The two reformers quitted La Tour, and following the -sinuosities of the torrent, and turning the precipices, they arrived at -the foot of a magnificent forest, and then reached a vast plateau -abounding in pastures: this was the Val d'Angrogne. They gazed upon the -steep ranges of the Soirnan and Infernet, the pyramidal flanks of mount -Vandalin, and the gentler slopes upon which stood the lowly hamlets of -the valley. They found Waldenses here and there in the meadows and at -the foot of the rocks; some were prepared 'to be a guard for the -ministers of the good law;' and all looked with astonishment and joy at -the pastors who came from Switzerland. 'That one with the red beard and -riding the white horse is Farel,' said John Peyret of Angrogne, one of -their escort, to his companions; 'the other on the dark horse is -Saunier.' 'There was also a third,' add the eye-witnesses, 'a tall man -and rather lame:' he may have been a Waldensian who had acted as a guide -to the two deputies.[464] Other foreign Christians met in this remote -valley of the Alps. There were some from the southern extremity of -Italy, from Burgundy, Lorraine, Bohemia, and countries nearer home. -There was also a certain number of persons of more distinguished -appearance: the lords of Rive Noble, Mirandola, and Solaro had quitted -their castles to take part in this Alpine council. Clergy, senate, and -people were thus assembled; and as no room could have held the number, -it was resolved to meet in the open air. Gonin selected for this purpose -the hamlet of Chanforans, where there is now only one solitary house. -There, in a shady spot, on the side of the mountain, surrounded by an -amphitheatre of rugged cliffs and distant peaks, the barbe had arranged -the rude benches on which the members of this Christian assembly were to -sit. - -Two parties met there face to face. At the head of that which was -unwilling to break entirely with the Roman Catholic Church were two -barbes, Daniel of Valence and John of Molines, who struggled for the -success of their system of accommodation and compliance. On the other -hand Farel and Saunier supported the evangelical party, who had not such -distinguished representatives as the traditional party, and proposed the -definitive rejection of all semi-catholic doctrines and usages. Before -the opening of the synod the two ministers, finding themselves -surrounded by numbers of the brethren, both in their homes and under the -shade of the trees where the assembly was to be held, had already -explained to them the faith of the Reformation, and several of the -Waldenses had exclaimed that it was the doctrine taught from father to -son among them, and to which they were resolved to adhere. Yet the issue -of the combat appeared doubtful; for the semi-catholic party was strong, -and described the reformers as foreigners and innovators who had come -there to alter their ancient doctrines. But Farel had good hopes, for he -could appeal to Holy Scripture and even to the confessions of the -Waldenses themselves. - -[Sidenote: OPENING OF THE SYNOD.] - -On the 12th September the synod was opened 'in the name of God.' One -party looked with favour on Farel and Saunier, the other on John of -Molines and Daniel of Valence; but the majority appeared to be on the -side of the Reformation. Farel rose and boldly broached the question: he -contended that there was no longer any ceremonial law, that no act of -worship had any merit of itself, and that a multitude of feasts, -dedications, rites, chants, and mechanical prayers was a great evil. He -reminded them that Christian worship consists essentially in faith in -the Gospel, in charity, and in the confession of Christ. '_God is a -spirit_,' he said, 'and divine worship should be performed _in spirit -and in truth_.' The two barbes strove in vain to oppose these views, the -meeting testified their assent to them. Did not their confession reject -'all feasts, vigils of saints, water called holy, the act of abstaining -from flesh, and other like things invented by men?'[465] The worship in -spirit was proclaimed. - -Farel, delighted at this first victory, desired to win another and -perhaps more difficult one. He believed that it was by means of the -doctrine of the natural power of man that popery took salvation out of -the hands of God and put it into the hands of the priests: 'God,' said -he, 'has elected before the foundation of the world all those who have -been or who will be saved. It is impossible for those who have been -ordained to salvation not to be saved. Whosoever upholds free-will, -absolutely denies the grace of God.' This was a point which Molines and -his friend resisted with all their might. But did not the Waldensian -confessions recognise the impotency of man and the all-sufficiency of -grace? Did not they call the denial of these things 'the work of -Antichrist?'[466] Farel moreover adduced proof from Scripture. The synod -was at first in suspense, but finally decided that it recognised this -article as 'conformable with Holy Scripture.'[467] - -Certain questions of morality anxiously occupied the reformer. In his -opinion the Romish Church had turned everything topsy-turvy, calling -those works _good_ which she prescribed though they had nothing good in -them, and those _bad_ which were in conformity with the will of God. -'There is no good work but that which God has commanded,' said Farel, -'and none bad but what He has forbidden.' The assembly expressed their -entire assent. - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S OPINIONS GAIN GROUND.] - -Then continuing the struggle, the firm evangelical doctor successively -maintained that the true confession of a Christian is to confess to God -alone; that marriage is forbidden to no man, whatever his condition; -that Scripture determines only two sacraments, baptism and the Lord's -Supper; that Christians may swear in God's name and fill the office of -magistrate; and finally, that they should lay aside their manual -occupations on Sunday in order to have leisure to praise God, exercise -charity, and listen to the truths of Scripture.[468] 'Yes, that is it,' -said the delighted Waldenses, 'that is the doctrine of our -fathers.'[469] - -Molines and Daniel of Valence did not, however, consider their cause -lost. Ought not the fear of persecution to induce the Waldenses to -persevere in certain dissimulations calculated to secure them from the -inquisitive eyes of the enemies of the faith? Nothing displeased the -reformers so much as dissembling. 'Let us put off that paint,' said -Calvin, 'by which the Gospel is disfigured, and let us not endeavour -slavishly to please our adversaries; let us go boldly to work. If we -permit compromises in some practices the whole doctrine will fall, and -the building be thrown down.'[470] Farel thought as Calvin did. -Perceiving this loophole for the two barbes, he urged the necessity of a -frank confession of the truth. The members of the assembly, pricked in -their consciences by the remembrance of their former backslidings, bound -themselves to take no part henceforward in any Romish superstition, and -to recognise as their pastor no priest of the pope's church. 'We will -perform our worship,' they said, 'openly and publicly to give glory to -God.'[470] - -The two barbes, who were no doubt sincere, became more eloquent. The -moment was come that was to decide the future. In their opinion, by -establishing new principles they cast discredit on the men who had -hitherto directed the churches. No doubt it was culpable to take part in -certain ceremonies with an unworthy object, but was it so when it was -done for good ends? To break entirely with the Catholic Church would -render the existence of the Waldenses impossible, or at least would -provoke hostilities which would reduce them completely to silence.... -Farel replied with wonderful energy maintaining the rights of truth. He -showed them that every compromise with error is a lie. The purity of the -doctrine he professed, his elevated thoughts, the ardent affection -expressed by his voice, his gestures, and his looks, electrified the -Waldenses, and poured into their souls the holy fire with which his own -was burning. These witnesses of the middle ages called to mind how the -children of Israel having adopted the customs of people alien to the -covenant of God, wept abundantly and exclaimed: '_We have trespassed -against God!_'[471] The Waldenses felt like them, and desired to make -amends for their sins. They drew up a brief confession in 17 articles, -in conformity with the resolutions that had been adopted, and then said: -'We adhere with one accord to the present declaration, and we pray God -that, of his great charity, nothing may divide us henceforward, and -that, even when separated from one another, we may always remain united -in the same spirit.' Then they signed their names.[472] - -The agreement was not however universal. During the six days' discussion -several barbes and laymen might have been seen standing apart, in some -shady place, with gloomy air and uneasy look, talking together on the -resolutions proposed to the synod. At the moment when every one was -affixing his signature to the confession, the two leaders withheld -theirs, and withdrew from the assembly. - -[Sidenote: OLD WALDENSIAN MANUSCRIPTS.] - -During the discussion, and even before it, Farel and Saunier had had -several conversations and conferences with the Waldenses, in the course -of which the barbes had displayed their old manuscripts, handed down -from the twelfth century, as they said: the _Noble Lesson_, the _Ancient -Catechism_, the _Antichrist_, the _Purgatory_, and others. These -writings bore the date of A.D. 1120, which probably was not disputed by -Farel. One line of the _Noble Lesson_ seems to indicate this as the -period when it was composed.[473] Since then, however, more recent dates -have been assigned to the other writings, especially to the -_Antichrist_, and even to the _Noble Lesson_. In any case, however, -these documents belong to a time anterior to the Reformation.[474] The -Waldensians displayed with peculiar pride several manuscript copies of -the Old and New Testament in the vulgar tongue. 'These books,' they -said, 'were copied correctly by hand so long ago as to be beyond memory, -and are to be seen in many families.' Farel and Saunier had received and -handled these writings with emotion; they had turned over the leaves, -and 'marvelling at the heavenly favour accorded to so small a people,' -had rendered thanks to the Lord because the Bible had never been taken -from them. - -They did not stop there: Farel addressing the synod, represented to them -that the copies being few in number they could only serve for a few -persons: 'Ah!' said he, 'if there are so many sects and heresies, so -much trouble and confusion now in the world, it all comes from ignorance -of the Word of God. It would therefore be exceedingly necessary for the -honour of God and the well-being of all christians who know the French -language, and for the destruction of all doctrines repugnant to the -truth, to translate the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek tongues into -French.'[475] - -No proposal could be more welcome to the Waldenses; their existence was -due to their love of Scripture, and all their treatises and poems -celebrated it: - - The Scriptures speak and we must believe. Look at the Scriptures from - beginning to end.[476] - -Thus spoke the _Noble Lesson_. They agreed 'joyfully and with good heart -to Farel's demand, busying and exerting themselves to carry out the -undertaking.' The proposition was voted enthusiastically, and the -delighted reformers looked with emotion and joy at this faithful and -constant people, to whom God had entrusted for so many ages the ark of -the new covenant, and who were now inspired with fresh zeal for his -service.[477] - -The hour had come for them to separate. John of Molines and Daniel of -Valence went to Bohemia, and joined the Waldenses of that country; the -pastors returned to their churches, the shepherds to their mountains, -and the lords to their castles. Farel mounted his white horse, Saunier -his black one; they shook hands with the Waldenses who surrounded them, -and descending from Angrogne to La Tour, bade adieu to the valleys. - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S VIEWS ON GENEVA.] - -Where should they go? What would be the next work undertaken by -Farel?... Geneva had long occupied his thoughts, and as he crossed the -Alps he had before him in spirit that city with its wants and its -inhabitants, especially those who were beginning to 'meditate on Jesus -Christ.'[478] Already, before his departure for Italy, Farel had -conceived the plan of stopping at Geneva on his return, and with that -intent had even received from my lords of Berne some letters of -introduction addressed to the leading Huguenots. 'I will go to them -now,' he said, 'I will speak to them, even if there is nobody that will -hear me.'[479] - -This idea, which never quitted him, was the beginning of the Reformation -of Geneva. - -[446] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 2. - -[447] Leger, _Hist. des Eglises Vaudoises_, p. 3. - -[448] 'Que Christ es la nostra vita, e verita, e paçs, e justitia, e -pastor.' _Confession de Foi des Vaudois._ - -[449] 'Enayma lo fum vai derant lo fuoc.'—_L'Antichrist._ - -[450] 'Priva lo poble de l'espiritual e sacramental manjament.'— -_L'Antichrist._ - -[451] 'El eyra, e persec, e acaisonna, roba e mortifica li membre de -Christ.'—Ibid. - -[452] 'Lo Segnor Jesus occi aquest felon.'—Ibid. - -[453] Letter from Œcolampadius, 13 Oct. 1530. - -[454] Anno 1170. - -[455] 'Suis omnibus venditis, officium apostolarum usurpavit.'—Stephanus -de Barbone, a dominican monk of Lyons, in 1225. - -[456] 'Aliqui enim dicunt quod duraverit a tempore Sylvestri, aliqui a -tempore apostolorum.'—Reinerius, 1250, _contra Waldenses_, ch. iv. - -[457] Scultet, ii. p. 294. Ruchat, ii. p. 320. - -[458] Latin paper of the barbes, 15th question. Ruchat, ii. p. 324. - -[459] 'Nisi per spiritum sanctum reparemur, nihil vel velimus vel agamus -boni.'—_Œcolampadii Confessio_, art. 1. - -[460] See the histories of Léger, Perrin, Muston, Monastier, &c. - -[461] Ancillon. - -[462] Choupard MSS. Léger, 2me partie, p. 7, etc. Monastier, i. pp. 167, -201. Kirchhofer, _Farel's Leben_, p. 153. - -[463] Letter of 26 July 1532. Choupard MSS. - -[464] Gilles, p. 40. Monastier, i. p. 201. We learn from the _Apologie -du translateur_ at the beginning of Olivetan's Bible (1535) that -Olivetan did not go into the valleys as some have believed; he speaks of -two deputies only under the pseudonyms of _Hilerme Cusemeth_ (Guillaume -Farel) and _Antoine Almeutes_ (+almeutês+, salter, Saunier). As for the -third, whom he calls _Cephas Chlorotes_, if he addressed the _Apologie_ -to him also, it was not because he had been to Angrogne, but because he -had joined the other two in asking him to undertake that edition of the -Bible. This Cephas Chlorotes is evidently Peter Viret (+chlôros+, -virens). - -[465] 'Las festas et las vigilias de li sanet, e l'aiga laqual dison -benieta, &c.' - -[466] Léger, _Confession de Foi des Vaudois_, p. 23, verso; -_Traité de l'Antichrist_, p. 75. - -[467] Léger, _Briève Confession de Foi_ (1532), p. 95. - -[468] Léger, _Briève Confession_, p. 95, verso. - -[469] Ibid. - -[470] Gilles, _History of the Churches of Piedmont_, p. 30. - -[471] Léger, _Hist. des Eglises Vaudoises_, p. 35. Ezra, x.; -Nehemiah, ix. x. - -[472] This _Briève Confession_ is in the library of the University -of Cambridge. Léger, p. 95; Muston, _Hist. des Vaudois_, &c. - -[473] Ben ha mil e cent anez compli entierament; line 6. - -[474] See the researches into the Cambridge MSS. and the German works of -Dieckhoff and Zezschwitz. The latter author is of opinion that the -_Waldensian Catechism_, the _Antichrist_, and other writings, belong to -the end of the fifteenth and the beginning of the sixteenth century. -_Catechisms of the Waldenses and Bohemian Brethren_ (in German), -Erlangen, 1863. - -[475] Olivetan's Bible: _Apologie du translateur_. - -[476] - - "Ma l'Escriptura di, e nos creire o deven."—_Nobla Leycon_, l. 19. - "Regarde l'Escriptura del fin commenczamente."—Ib. l. 23. - -[477] Gilles, Léger; Muston, Monastier. - -[478] Vol. II. p. 583. - -[479] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 6. Choupard and Roset, MSS. - - - - - CHAPTER VI. - PLANS OF THE EMPEROR, THE DUKE OF SAVOY, AND THE BISHOP - AGAINST GENEVA. - (1530-1532.) - - -Just when the Gospel was about to enter Geneva with Farel and Saunier, -the bishop-prince was making new exertions to recover his power. A -crisis was approaching: a decisive step must be taken. Which shall have -supremacy in the church—the bulls of the pope or the Scriptures of God? -Which shall have supremacy in the state—slavery or liberty? Great powers -had determined to oppress this little city; but humble servants of God -were about to enter it one after another, and planting there the -standard of Christ, secure the victory to independence and the Gospel. - -[Sidenote: BELLEGARDE'S AUDIENCE WITH CHARLES.] - -The Duke of Savoy, desiring to inflict a fatal blow on Geneva, had -invoked the co-operation of the most powerful monarchs of Europe, and -despatched to Charles V., then at the diet of Augsburg, the usual -minister of his tyranny, the man whom he had employed to put Levrier to -death, and to capture Bonivard. As soon as Bellegarde reached Augsburg -(11th September 1530) he waited on the Sire de Montfalconet, who at that -time discharged the office of grand equerry to His Majesty, and who 'had -great credit with the emperor, so that, nothing was kept secret from -him.'[480] Enemies whom the duke had at the imperial court had created a -very unfavourable impression of this prince; Bellegarde accordingly gave -a pension of 300 crowns to the equerry, who earnt them under the -circumstances we are describing, by following the envoy's instructions. -The latter, being impatient to draw the emperor into the plans concocted -for seizing Geneva, begged Montfalconet to ask his master at what hour -he would be pleased 'to permit him to pay his respects.' 'Tell him,' -said Charles, who had on his hands all the affairs of protestantism and -Germany, 'tell him that in consequence of my many engagements he must -wait a couple of days.' Bellegarde did so, and on the third morning -attended punctually in the emperor's chamber. Very impatient to see the -puissant monarch, he was rehearsing what he had to tell him about -Geneva, when instead of His Majesty he saw Montfalconet enter the room -alone with this message: 'The emperor desires me to say that for the -present you must only hand in his highness's letter, as well as that -from his most dread lady; and he will give you an audience directly -after.' The ambassador was much vexed at the delay; but to console him -the equerry confidentially informed him of the great trouble the -protestants of Germany were giving Charles. 'I assure you the emperor is -in such a condition,' he said, 'that it is impossible for him to bring -the affairs of the empire into anything like a reasonable state. He has -therefore forsaken the counsels of men to have recourse to the Lord -only. As the _help_ of the world fails me, said His Majesty this morning -(14th September), I hope Divine Providence will come to my assistance. -The emperor then confessed, and retired into the oratory of the palace -to receive the sacrament. He has also ordered that prestations -(confessions, communions, and prayers) should be made in every place -where there are any devout people.' - -While these two individuals were talking Charles came out of his -oratory. M. de Bellegarde made him a low bow, humbly presented him the -compliments of the duke and duchess, and handed him the letters. The -emperor, who was busy, told him to return the next morning at his levée. -Bellegarde did not fail, and Charles received him with much kindness. -'Give me news of his highness's health,' he said, 'and also of madam my -good sister (Duchess Beatrice), and of my nephew monsieur their son.' -Bellegarde answered his questions, and then made all the communications -to the emperor with which the duke had charged him. He hoped the emperor -would immediately enter into conversation with him about the plans -formed against Geneva, but it was not so. 'I am very glad,' said -Charles, 'that the duke has sent you to me; but, considering my great -occupations, be so good as to draw up a memoir of what you think most -expedient for the despatch of the business that brings you here, and -then deliver it to my lord Grandvelle.' - -Here was a fresh delay. The minister's answer, considering the numerous -offices he filled, had to be waited for; yet Bellegarde spoke seven -times with Charles V., 'each time giving his majesty some little -information about the duke's affairs.' But the emperor, while appearing -to listen to the disputes between Geneva and Turin, frequently had his -thoughts elsewhere. He was tormented with the state of the empire, and -did not conceal it from his brother-in-law's envoy. 'I do not mean,' he -said one day to Bellegarde, 'that the duke shall be either dismissed or -ejected; but the diet (of Augsburg) is all in confusion and broken up. I -have no great hopes.... It is a long while since I have found the -princes of Germany thus dilly-dallying, putting me off from day to day, -so that I am quite out of hope, and my head is confused.... Ah! if it -pleased God that other princes were of my opinion.... Christendom would -not be in such confusion.' These are the very words his majesty was -pleased to use, adds Bellegarde in his memoir. He was surprised at them. -That man who knew so well how to put one of his adversaries in prison -and another to death, was astonished that so mighty a prince as Charles -should not adopt an equally simple and expeditious method. He ventured -to give the emperor a little advice. He had learnt that the strength of -the protestants was in their union. 'Sire,' he said, 'break up the -alliances, as well past as future, which have been formed to your great -prejudice, and whose consequences are so dangerous.'—'At present,' said -Charles, 'there is no time. I cannot now reduce the princes and cities -of Germany that are opposed to the faith; but I am determined not to -abandon the work, and when I have completed it, what concerns his -highness (be sure you tell him) will not be forgotten.' This then was -Charles's plan: first to crush the protestants of Germany, and then the -huguenots of Geneva. In his opinion these were as dangerous for the -Latin races as the former for the Germans. - -[Sidenote: THE EMPEROR'S ANSWER.] - -At last, on the 6th October, Grandvelle, chancellor of the empire -(he was the father of the famous cardinal), accompanied by the -commander ——,[481] had an interview with Bellegarde, and gave him the -emperor's answer. 'With respect to Geneva, his majesty thinks that to -avoid falling into the danger which the duke has at all times feared and -avoided, no part or parcel of his states must become Swiss. You must -take all the more precaution, because the nature of the cantons is -always to extend and grow larger, and the rebellion and stiff-necked -obstinacy of messieurs of Geneva will incline them to plunge through -despair into this accursed error.[482] That would cause loss and damage -to the duke, and little credit to the emperor, considering that Geneva -is a fief of the empire. Here is the expedient the emperor has hit upon. -He orders both the duke and Geneva to lay before him within two months -their titles, rights, and privileges, and his majesty will then decide. -As for the prelates, the bishop, and the canons, the emperor recommends -both them and the duke to bring their quarrels to an end. By so doing -the duke will get rid of a great load of trouble, and will have the -prelates better under his direction and obedience.' After a few other -communications, the chancellor withdrew with the commander, and -Bellegarde immediately sent off a despatch conveying this decision to -the duke. - -[Sidenote: BELLEGARDE'S LETTER.] - -The Sieur de Bellegarde left Augsburg not long after, and returned to -Turin, determined to urge his master more than ever to destroy -independence and the Reformation in Geneva at one blow. What he had seen -at Augsburg, and the dangers with which German protestantism threatened -the supremacy of the pope and of the emperor, had increased his zeal. -The institutions of the middle ages seem to have had at that time no -friend more fanatical and no champion more zealous than the active, -intelligent, devoted, cruel courtier who had put Levrier to death at the -castle of Bonne. 'My lord,' he said to the duke, 'consider the peril to -which you are exposed in this business of Geneva, either because of the -neighbours who are so near, and are ravening wolves, or because of the -little faith the world now has in all the qualities, sound right, and -reasons a man may have. What will happen if we do not remain masters in -the struggle with this new sect? What vexations, losses, and cares, you -know that better than I do. They want to keep you in good humour, my -lord, but it is only the better to make game of you, and to increase at -your expense, on this side of the mountains or on that—everywhere, in -fact. You have documents in your chamber to show that the Genevans used -to pay you toll and subsidy; that they helped to portion the daughters -of your house; and, further, that they gave your predecessors aid in -time of war, and that in time of peace they appealed to them in their -suits and sentences.... And now what have they done? They have deprived -you of the vidamy, they have taken from you the castle on the island, -they have committed much injustice to the prejudice of your rights, and -have been guilty of murder and other intolerable evils.... Worse -still ... they are joining _that perverse sect_ in order to complete -their ruin. - -[Sidenote: HIS PLANS AGAINST GENEVA.] - -'But we shall soon put an end to it all, my lord. You have an emperor at -your service on whom everything depends. Will they dare be wicked and -rebellious in his presence?... Firstly, the emperor will replace them -under your authority, as you and your ancestors had them.... Next, for -their rebellion and the crimes they have committed, he will condemn them -to be deprived of some privilege—of that which is most injurious to you. -Finally, he will build for you, for your government, a castle or -fortress in the city, in whatever part you like, and exact from the -Genevans for the support of the garrison a tax to be paid every year. -The city will thus be kept well in subjection. As for the bishops, the -emperor will command them to pay you the respect which belongs to the -holy empire, as being its representative; he will order them to obey you -like himself, and will restore them to all obedience towards you ... -considering also that _the time approaches_ for their _general -reformation, as is but reasonable_. And if the said people of Geneva -will not obey (as their unreason may incline them) the emperor will put -them under the ban of the empire as rebels, and you shall seize them.... -_You will make them your subjects entirely, confiscating all their -privileges and possessions_; and thus you will be for ever established -rightfully in Geneva.'[483] - -We should not perhaps have quoted the words of the Sieur de Bellegarde -at such length, if the document from which they are extracted had not -been hitherto unknown. His allegations were false. No presents had ever -been made by the city of Geneva to the dukes of Savoy without a special -act declaring that the liberality was spontaneous and without prejudice -for the future. The vidamy was a fief conferred by the bishop, which -made the holder of it an officer of the latter. Lastly, the dukes of -Savoy were not vicars of the emperor. But if Bellegarde's allegations as -to the past were false, his schemes as to the future were outrageous. A -strong fortress shall be built in Geneva, the citizens shall pay the -garrison, and a brutal serfdom shall withdraw them from that _perverse -sect_ and keep them for ever in strict obedience under the yoke of their -master! As for the bishops, they shall be compelled to obey the duke, -especially as the time of _their general reformation_ approaches! It -would appear, then, that in the sixteenth century already _reason_ (as -Bellegarde says) demanded the abolition of the temporal power of -ecclesiastical princes. Were they more advanced then than in our days? I -think not. This rude policy aimed merely at substituting the despotism -of princes for the despotism of bishops, as being stricter and more -effectual. Lastly—the end crowns the work—if the Genevans resist, they -shall be conquered, and all their power and property confiscated. In -this manner, concludes the advocate of these revolutionary measures, the -rights of his master will be for ever secured. This is what Geneva had -to expect from Savoy; what had it to hope from the bishop? - -Pierre de la Baume, indignant at the duke's pretensions, had said to him -one day proudly: 'I am subject only to the pope.'[484] He had lately -softened down, in appearance at least, and was drawing nearer to Savoy, -so that the Genevans said: 'Our prince is reconciled with our -enemy.'[485] We are now transported into quite another sphere. If the -duke wished to reign by force, the bishop desired to use stratagem. The -pastor of Geneva was not in a position to build a fortress in the middle -of the city; it was by means of negotiations and intrigues that he would -crush the Reformation and liberty. The lion was succeeded by the -serpent. Pierre de la Baume, knowing the influence Besançon Hugues had -over his fellow-citizens, solicited his help. He wrote to him, during -the last year of Besançon's life, a series of letters we have also had -the good fortune to discover.[486] The bishop and the citizen of Geneva -were not such good friends as they had been. The former addressed many -reproaches to the latter, either because Hugues was dissatisfied on -political grounds, or perhaps because his catholicism had cooled down a -little in his frequent interviews with the reformed of Berne. - -[Sidenote: THE BISHOP'S SECRETARY IN GENEVA.] - -On the 11th of April 1532, the bishop, then at Arbois, impatient to -recover his former power in Geneva, resolved to open the campaign, and -wrote to Hugues: 'Besançon, I have always done for you everything that I -could; you have seen it by the results; I do not speak to reproach you, -but I am astonished that you should requite me so ill. If you had as -good an affection for me, as I have given you opportunity, you would -have _barked_ (aboyé) so well, that my authority would not have fallen -to its present depression, and I should not have the trouble, which I -must take, of restoring it. I well know the excuses that you can -make.... None is so deaf as he that will not hear. Nevertheless I have -trusted in you, and I still trust in your well-known fidelity. So act, I -pray, that I may have cause to continue it. In a little time I shall -send one of my people to Geneva on business; you will hear the rest from -him. I pray God that He will give you, Besançon, all that you -desire.'[487] Ten days later, Machard, the bishop's secretary, came from -Arbois to Geneva, charged with a political mission, and bearer of -another letter for Hugues, which, either on account of the delicate -matters to which it related, or because Machard was to explain them -verbally, is rather obscure. Hugues hastened to read the prelate's -missive: 'I send my secretary,' said De la Baume, 'on certain business, -which I have instructed him to communicate to you first. You will give -credit to what he says in my name as if I said it myself. I desire that -the affair in question may come to a good end, in order to gratify the -princes from whom it proceeds (the emperor and the duke, no doubt). Set -a willing hand to it, so that there may be friendly relations between me -and my subjects and the said princes, which is a thing of no trifling -consequence to all the republic.' - -Hugues did not care to enter into the plans formed by the bishop in -accord with the princes; so that when Machard returned to Arbois and -made his report, his master was much annoyed. He complained of the -excessive boldness and strange insubordination of the Genevans, and -wrote bitterly to the ex-syndic. 'Besançon,' he said, 'the news that you -have given me of Berne are a little compensation for the insolence and -ill practices that you and my subjects show towards my officers, -usurping my jurisdiction under the shelter of certain words that you -have uttered before the general council.... I intend to uphold this same -jurisdiction in opposition to you.... Indeed I have done so against -greater folks.... I hope that you will return to your duty and become my -subjects once more. That will give me the opportunity of being a good -master. Otherwise do not trust to me.... Matters shall not remain where -you have left them. Communicate this to my subjects, if need be.' - -[Sidenote: THE BISHOP'S ANGER.] - -The bishop was angry with Geneva, as this letter shows—sometimes more, -sometimes less, but always restless and agitated. One day he was told of -something Hugues had said which delighted him; not long after he would -hear of something the Genevans had done that increased his anger. About -the 13th May when he was informed that Hugues had displayed a very good -feeling towards him, the prelate was quite delighted, and wrote to him: -'I have been informed of your intention to declare everywhere the wrong -that my subjects are doing me. You will show me, I hope, by good -actions, when I shall require it of you, that you are not a man of _two -words_.' But ere long other tidings reached the bishop. He was filled -with trouble, fear, and pain; and gave way to all the emotions of a -restless and suspicious policy. He had fits of anger; he became rash, -violent; then he would suddenly collapse; he had neither strength, -feeling, nor courage. In general, however, it was indignation that -prevailed in him. Not one of his officers or of the canons (for there -was a collegiate church at Arbois) understood him, or consoled him, or -encouraged him. He was alone ... and vented his agitation in his -apartments or in his gardens. 'I think the answers made by my subjects -very strange,' he said, 'I should be sorry to be angry with them.'[488] -A few days later he wrote: 'I am quite amazed.... It seems that my -subjects do not understand their business.... If they do not mend, I -shall be forced to proceed in another way ... which will displease -me.... It seems to me that they would do well to obey their lord, and -not act the prince.... It cannot last.'[489] - -[Sidenote: LETTER TO HUGUES.] - -But it did last. Geneva, where they were listening to Olivetan, where -they were placarding everywhere, by the side of the pardon of Rome, 'the -great general pardon' of Jesus Christ, where the council unanimously -ordered the Gospel to be preached 'according to the truth, without any -mixture of fable;'[490]—Geneva, whatever Pierre de la Baume might say or -do, was separating from the bishop and the pope. On the 3d September -(1532), the bishop, more exasperated than ever, wrote again to Besançon -Hugues, but with an increase of ill-humour. 'I am displeased with the -way my subjects treat me from day to day, declaring that they will rise -against my authority.... That will last as long as it can.... I have -always been long-suffering; but now it would be better for me to be -angry.... If I attempt to do anything from which the Genevans will reap -neither pleasure nor profit ... they must not be surprised.... Certainly -I have little to thank my servants or my friends for serving me so -badly.... I think, Besançon, that you desire what is right, but I should -like to see the fruits. The people always find excuses in you.... They -say that I have allowed their proceedings.... I do not understand that -_dance_, and I affirm that I said nothing with that intention, from -which may God keep them. - -'THE BISHOP OF GENEVA.'[491] - -It was reported at Geneva that the bishop was willing to make some -concessions, that he had said so privately, and the huguenots took -advantage of it to assert their independence. On the 28th November -Pierre de la Baume wrote to Besançon Hugues from the Tour de Mai: -'Besançon, I have seen what you wrote touching the mode of proceeding -against my authority and to the detriment of my church. I know whence -that comes ... except that I have always been given to understand that, -according to the common opinion, my subjects would have been much better -guided and would have obeyed me better than they have done, if you had -been willing to set your hand to it, as you had promised me, -endeavouring to procure the peace of the city, which suffers the -greatest loss on my part. As to what you write about being under my -displeasure, the only regret I feel as regards you is that you have not -been willing to do what you promised. The recompense I made you was to -the end that you might keep my possessions in peace, but they are more -than ever in war. It is entirely your fault if my jurisdiction is not -still kept up. I write to you in order that you may perform your -duty.... You will do me a pleasure: I would not have so many words to be -without result.... As for me I am accustomed to do _something -vigorously_.... _I shall consider what it must be._' - -Such are the threatening words which close the correspondence of Pierre -de la Baume with Besançon Hugues. Until now all traces of this great -citizen had been lost after the 26th September 1532. If the letter we -have just given belongs to this year, that limit would be shortened by -two months. He must have died between the 28th November 1532 and the -18th February 1533.[492] - -Thus the bishop, continually engrossed with Geneva, thought of nothing -but recovering his former power. But the independence of that city had -enemies more formidable still. Charles V. had ordered the Genevans to -drive the Reformation from their walls. 'Full of anxiety for your soul's -health,' he wrote to them, 'and learning that certain new opinions and -sects are beginning to swarm among you,[493] we exhort you seriously not -to admit them, to extirpate them, and to set about it with the utmost -diligence, not to permit anything to be taught among you in the -leastwise opposed to the decrees and traditions of your ancestors; on -the contrary, to preserve with unshaken constancy the faith, rites, and -ceremonies that you have received from your fathers. You will thus -receive a worthy reward from Almighty God, and will merit from us every -sort of gratitude.' Geneva had not obeyed the orders of the puissant -emperor. The affairs of Germany had at first prevented him from -constraining the little city to follow his sovereign orders, which even -the barbarous tribes of the new world obeyed. But now the treaty of -Nuremberg was signed; Charles having come to terms with the protestants -of Germany might easily keep the promise he had made to his -brother-in-law through Bellegarde, and assist him against the huguenots -of Geneva. - -[Sidenote: FREEDOM IN SIGHT.] - -The perfidious murderer of Levrier was beginning to hope that it would -be possible to found a stronghold in Geneva, with its ditches and lofty -walls, flanked with towers and bastions, and a strong garrison of -halberdiers, arquebusiers, and artillerymen, who would keep the city and -country in complete subjection under the yoke of their master. When -Gessler was sent in the name of Austria to destroy the liberties of the -Swiss, did he not build a fortress above Altorf—_Zwing-Uri_, the yoke of -Uri? and had not the free children of those mountains to atone for the -smallest sparks of independence by long and costly imprisonment in -gloomy dungeons? Had not Pharaoh set the example in Egypt?... Why should -not they do the same to subdue the huguenots? Fortresses, cannons, -arquebusses, chains ... this was what Geneva had to expect. Before any -great length of time the Genevans were really to see a formidable force -marching against them, commissioned to carry out the plans of the -emperor and the duke. But God's providence had always kept the city, and -at this very moment a new force, the pledge of liberty, was about to be -given it. The Gospel of the Son of God was about to enter its walls. But -_he whom the Son maketh free, shall be free indeed_. - -[480] We have found among the archives at Turin (No. 49, bundle 12) the -_Mémoire de M. de Bellegarde au sujet de l'audience qu'il a eue de -S.M. Impériale touchant les différends que S. A. avait avec ceux de -Genève_. This manuscript of about 25 pages has supplied us with the -particulars in the text. - -[481] The name is illegible in the manuscript, but it looks like -_Conmes_. - -[482] Is the Reformation or union with Switzerland meant here? probably -both of them. - -[483] MS. _Memoir of Bellegarde_, Turin Archives. - -[484] Turin Archives, No. 19, bundle 12. - -[485] Ibid. 12th category, bundle 3. - -[486] Ibid. 12th category, bundle 4. The handwriting is almost as -illegible as that of Bellegarde's memoir. - -[487] Turin Archives. - -[488] Letter dated the eve of Pentecost. - -[489] Dated 1st July. - -[490] Vol. II. book III. chap. xv. pp. 615-634. - -[491] Turin Archives. - -[492] In a document at Basle under the latter date, the _late_ -(feu) Besançon Hugues is mentioned. Galiffe, _Hugues_, p. 459. - -[493] 'Novas quasdam opiniones et sectas apud vos pullulare -cœpisse.'—Turin Archives. We found this letter, which appears to have -been hitherto unknown, in the national archives at Turin. Geneva, bundle -12, No. 47. - - - - - CHAPTER VII. - THE REFORMERS AND THE REFORMATION ENTER GENEVA. - (OCTOBER 1532.) - - -On one fine autumn day (2nd October), Farel and Saunier 'having finished -their journey through Piedmont,' reached that beautiful neighbourhood -where the Alps and the Jura, drawing near each other, form a rich -valley, in the midst of which calmly sleep the pure waters of an azure -lake. They soon distinguished the three old towers of the cathedral of -Geneva rising high above the houses. They pressed their horses, whose -speed was relaxed through fatigue, and entered the city of the -huguenots. They had been directed to the Tour Percée,[494] which they -found in a street situated on the left bank of the Rhone, and bearing -its name. They stopped in front of the inn, dismounted from their -horses, spoke to the landlord, and took up their quarters under his -roof. - -[Sidenote: FAREL CONSULTS WITH OLIVETAN.] - -One of their first thoughts, after resting themselves, was to inform -Robert Olivetan of their arrival. Calvin's cousin, who was still tutor -to Jean Chautemps' children, hastened to them, delighted at the coming -of his brethren. Farel desired to consult with him on the best means of -advancing the knowledge of the Gospel in Geneva; but another idea had -also occupied him during his journey. Knowing how learned Olivetan was -in Greek and Hebrew, he had cast his eyes on him to make the translation -of the Bible which the Waldensian synod had decided upon. Farel having -spoken to him about it, Olivetan exclaimed in alarm: 'I cannot accept -such a commission, considering the great difficulty of the work and my -own weakness.'[495] Farel did not admit the excuse, and continued to -solicit his friend, who would not give way. 'You could do this work much -better yourself,' he said to the travellers. But Farel believed that God -gives every man a calling for which He has prepared him, and that -Olivetan was a scholar while he was an evangelist. 'God has not given me -leisure,' said Farel, 'He calls me to another work. He wills me to sow -the pure seed of the Word in His field, and water it and make it -flourish like the garden of Eden.'[496] He dropped the subject, however, -in order to talk with Olivetan about the evangelisation of Geneva. - -Chautemps' tutor, who had so often sunk under the weight of his task, -and so earnestly called for a stronger hand, looked upon Farel as one -sent from heaven. But how to begin? The evangelist of Orbe took from his -pocket the letters given him at Berne for some of the chief huguenots. -Olivetan saw that a door was opening for the Gospel, and without loss of -time the two friends went out to deliver the letters to their addresses. -Olivetan gave Farel the information he required, and explained to him -that although some of those to whom he was introduced inclined to the -side of the Gospel, the majority were content to throw off the Romish -superstitions, and were simply true patriots. - -The huguenots having opened the letters that Farel presented, found that -the bearer was William Farel, preacher of the Gospel, and that their -Bernese friends invited them to hear him speak. This was great news. No -name was better known than Farel's in the districts bathed by the lakes -of Geneva, Morat, Bienne, and Neuchatel. The huguenots, delighted to see -him, looked attentively at him, and some of them reflected on such an -unexpected incident, which religious and political motives rendered most -important in their eyes. Friends of the Reformation had often told them -that the independence of Geneva would never be secure until the dominion -of the bishop and the pope had given place to that of the Gospel, and -now the Gospel was knocking at their doors in the person of Farel. Was -it not he who had filled Aigle, Morat, Neuchatel, Valengin, Orbe, and -Grandson with the evangelical doctrine? Political men hoped that at his -voice the temporal dominion of the church would fall, and the phantoms -of the middle ages, which still entangled liberty, would flee away in -alarm to distant hiding-places. Religious men, who had found pleasure in -the words of Am Thun, of Olivetan, and of the Gospel more especially, -expected that this great preacher would make the light of heaven to -shine in their hearts. All, therefore, expressed themselves ready to -hear him,[497] and Farel, saying he should be happy to see them at his -inn, took his leave. - -[Sidenote: HUGUENOTS GO TO HEAR FAREL.] - -The news of the reformer's arrival spread through the city in a -moment.[498] 'Let us go and hear him,' said the huguenots; 'it is the -man they call _the scourge of the little priests_.'[499] But the nuns, -bigots, and friars were filled with anger. 'A shabby little preacher,' -said the sisters of St. Claire; 'one Master William, a native of Gap in -Dauphiny, has just arrived in the city.'[500] Every one prepared for the -morrow. - -On the morning of the 3d of October, the most notable of the huguenots -left their houses to go to the Tour Perce. They went singly, or at the -most two or three together, with a certain fear. One after another the -following persons might have been seen entering the inn: the amiable and -active Ami Porral, one of the syndics of the year; Baudichon de la -Maison Neuve, who had stuck up the 'Great Pardon of God;' syndic Robert -Vandel and his brother Pierre—all these intimate acquaintances of the -bishop; Claude Roset, secretary of state in the following year, and -father of the chronicler; syndic Claude Savoy, one of the most zealous -defenders of independence; Jean Chautemps, Olivetan's patron; Dominic -Arlod, afterwards syndic; Stephen Dada, descended from an illustrious -Milanese family, and properly called d'Adda, from the city of that name; -Claude Salomon, the friend of the poor and the sick; Claude Bernard; -Jean Goulaz, who had torn down the bill of the Romish jubilee from the -pillar of the cathedral; Jean Sourd, Claude de Genève, and lastly, the -energetic Ami Perrin, who several times syndic, captain-general, and -ambassador of the Republic at Paris, showed much zeal for the -Reformation at first, but afterwards incurred severe reproach.[501] -These citizens, who were the _élite_ of Geneva, with several other -persons of less distinction, arrived at the reformers' lodgings. The -landlord of the Tour Perce introduced them into a private room where -they found Farel and Saunier. The conversation began. - -[Sidenote: HE SHOWS THEM THEIR DEFICIENCIES.] - -The two evangelists were full of esteem for the men who were struggling -with such courage for independence and liberty against powerful enemies. -They were not slow, however, to observe that if, in a political light, -they held the most elevated sentiments, there were great deficiencies in -them in a religious light. The huguenots wanted neither pope nor -priests; but it was because of the tyranny of the one, and the -licentious conduct of the others;[502] as for the true doctrine of the -Gospel and the necessity of a moral transformation in themselves, they -had not troubled themselves about it. There was also a great void in -their religious system. Before they could become good protestants and -men morally strong, friends at once of order and liberty, this blank -must be filled up. They felt it themselves, and told Farel they desired -nothing better than to be instructed. The landlord brought in a few -benches and stools for them, and then Farel, having Saunier near him, -took his station before a little table. He placed a Bible on it, and -began to speak from the Word of God. An audience so select, an -opportunity so important for announcing the Gospel, had perhaps never -been offered to the reformer. He had before him the earliest champions -of modern liberty. These men had recognised the errors in the state, he -must now show them the errors in the church; they must learn that if man -may throw off despotism in earthly things, it is more lawful still to -throw it off in heavenly things. - -Farel undertook the task; he showed the huguenots from Scripture 'that -they had been abused until now by their priests; that the latter amused -them with silly tales that had no substance in them, and further, that -these cheats (_affronteurs_) allured them, if they felt it necessary, by -flattery, and gave the rein to their lusts.' He added that neither -councils nor popes would teach them to know Jesus Christ, but Holy -Scripture only; and urged them to abandon errors and abuses, whose -danger and absurdity he forcibly pointed out to them. The huguenots -listened to him attentively. 'They had no great sentiment or knowledge -or fear of God, but they already aspired to the religion that had been -adopted at Berne,' says a manuscript of the seventeenth century; 'and -God, seeing his people of Geneva stagnating in security, and wishing by -an effort of his mercy to show them the divine sweetness of his -clemency, animated the courage of his servants, Farel and Saunier.'[503] -The simple movement by which Farel, setting aside all patristic, -synodal, scholastic, and papal traditions, turned reverently towards the -fountain-head, and drank from the Word of God the faith that he -preached, specially struck his hearers. They rose, thanked him, and left -the room, saying as they retired that it seemed right to substitute the -Holy Scriptures for the teaching of the pope. This was the principle of -an immense transformation. The Reformation had taken its first step in -Geneva when the placards of the 'general pardon' of God had been stuck -up: it now took the second step.[504] - -'There was a great sensation in the city,' said Froment. Some of the -hearers, returning to their families or their friends, astonished them -by saying that henceforth their master should be neither M. La Baume, -nor M. Medicis or even M. St. Peter, 'but the Lord Jesus Christ alone.' -The astonishment was still greater in the political and ecclesiastical -bodies. Hitherto they had only had to deal with the heroes of liberal -emancipation; now they were in presence of the champions of the -religious movement. 'This thing having come to the notice of the -council, canons, and priests of the city, they were suddenly troubled -and disturbed.'[505] The monks were either astounded or very angry, -while the nuns of St. Claire were quite alarmed at 'this wretched -preacher, who was beginning to speak secretly at his quarters, in a -room, seeking to infect the people with his heresy.'[506] All of them -foresaw that this act would have innumerable and fatal consequences. - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S SECOND LECTURE.] - -There was soon a second meeting. Many of those who had not been at the -first wished to be present at this; and from the city, the Molard, and -the Rhone bridge, many citizens took their way towards the Tour Perce. -There were no women among them, but the men filled every corner of the -room, anxious to hear the Gospel. As Farel on the former occasion had -spoken particularly of scripture, he now addressed the huguenots on the -subject of living grace. He showed them that it was not the pardon of -the Church, but the pardon of God, that saves. Those prelates and -masters who, puffed out with magnificent titles, were continually -recommending pious works, were (he said) building the temple of God with -straw and stubble, instead of bringing together the living stones of -which scripture speaks. He maintained that when the priests spoke so -much of penance, vows, masses, fasts, aves, macerations, flagellations, -indulgences, pilgrimages, invocations to the Virgin and the saints, they -hardly left Jesus Christ the hundredth part of the work of redemption. -Farel and Saunier repeated strongly that pardon resides wholly in the -Saviour, and not in part only, 'at which those who heard him took great -pleasure.' Some meditated as they went away on what they had heard, and -that silent conversation of the soul speaking with its God began in the -quiet chamber of many a house. 'By this means a goodly number of -Genevans received a knowledge of the Gospel.'[507] Some of -them—Baudichon de la Maison-Neuve and Claude Salomon amongst -others—earnestly besought Farel to come and explain the Scriptures in -their own houses. - -This second meeting added considerably to the alarm in the catholic -camp, and the commotion was particularly great among the women, who were -at that time the main support of the papacy in Geneva. 'There is not one -of them,' said a reformer, 'that has any desire to learn the truth, so -tainted are they with the breath, teaching, life, and conversation of -their priests. There is a great intimacy between them; some are their -brothers, others their friends, neighbours, gossips.... I shall say -nothing more at present,' he added, 'to save the honour of the -ladies.'[508] The priests told their female parishioners that if they -did not turn out these unbelievers everything was lost. The Genevan -ladies, therefore, entreated their husbands and brothers to expel the -heretic preachers. A few citizens, who cared very little about the -Reformation, were carried away by their wives, and proceeding angry and -heated to the Tour Perce, desired Farel and Saunier to leave Geneva at -once, if they did not wish to be turned out forcibly. 'If we cannot -maintain what we say,' replied the reformers, 'we offer ourselves to -death.'[509] Having God for the author of their faith, they were -tranquil in the midst of tempests.[510] - -Thus, despite all the efforts of the husbands urged by their wives, and -of the wives urged by the priests, Farel remained. At that time a great -agitation prevailed in Geneva: canons, rectors, monks, and curates ran -up and down, talking with one another, 'and holding counsel together, -asked what they should do with those persons.'[511] - -[Sidenote: FAREL BEFORE THE TOWN-COUNCIL.] - -The magistrates, noticing the commotion occasioned by the arrival of -Farel and Saunier in the city, summoned them to appear before the bench, -and met to consult as to what should be said and done to them. The -council had not made up their minds either for or against the -Reformation, and many of the members arrived at the town-hall not -knowing clearly what they ought to do. Ex-syndic Balard, who was then -discharging the functions of vidame, a zealous Catholic whom Froment -calls (probably with some exaggeration) 'the head servant of the -priests,' was for immediate repression, and a few were ready to vote -with him. The majority, composed of men of moderate views, had no desire -to offend the canons and priests, but feared still more to offend Berne. -William Hugues, the premier syndic and Besançon's brother, was rather -favourable to the reformers. Only a small number of decided huguenots -were convinced that the new doctrine alone could free them from the -bickerings of the bishops and the dukes. Farel and Saunier were -conducted to the town-hall and taken into the council chamber. As they -entered, everybody looked with curious eye on that man with keen look -and red beard who was setting all the country in a blaze from the Alps -to the Jura. One of the magistrates most devoted to the Church -addressing Farel rudely, said: 'It is you then that do nothing but -disturb the world; it is your tongue that is stirring up tumult -everywhere and trumpeting rebellion. You are a busybody who have come -here only to create discord. We order you to depart from the city -instantly.' The angry looks of some of the councillors were at the same -time turned upon Farel, who being regarded as the scourge of the -priests, 'was for that reason supremely hated by them.'[512] The -reformer contained himself, and answered: 'I am not a deluder, I am not -a trumpet of sedition; I simply proclaim the truth.[513] I am ready to -prove out of God's Word that my doctrine is true, and,' added he in a -voice trembling with emotion, 'not only to sacrifice my ease but to shed -the last drop of my blood for it.' - -The reformer's noble simplicity touched the members of the council, and -supplied the huguenots with sufficient motives to undertake his defence. -Farel's judges appeared to be softened by his moderation. Then calling -to mind that St. Paul under similar circumstances had invoked the -respected name of imperial Rome, the evangelist resolved to follow his -example. 'Most honoured lords,' he said, 'are you not allies and -co-burgesses of Berne? Know, then, that my lords of Berne, who have at -heart to advance the Gospel, have given me letters wherein they bear -witness to my innocence and doctrine, and beg you to hear me preach -peacefully, assuring you that by so doing you will confer a pleasure on -them.' At the same time Farel produced the credentials with which their -excellencies had furnished him. The syndics took the letter. 'If you -condemn me unheard,' continued Farel, 'you insult God, and also, as you -see, my lords of Berne.' The latter plea touched the magistrates of -Geneva closely; and, accordingly, changing countenance, they gently -dismissed Farel and Saunier without imposing any punishment on them, but -begging them only not to disturb the public tranquillity by new -doctrines. The two ministers quitted the council chamber.[514] - -[Sidenote: DELIBERATIONS OF THE CLERGY.] - -Meanwhile an episcopal council was being held; and jurists, canons, and -priests were assembling at the house of the grand vicar. Monseigneur de -Gingins, abbot of Bonmont, deliberated as to what should be done. The -Reformation and the reformers, of whom there had been so much talk these -fifteen years, were in Geneva at last. The rock so long suspended over -their heads was at length detached from the mountain, and threatened to -destroy everything. What was to be done? The tumult was still greater in -the city than in the grand vicar's house. A crowd, attracted by the -summons of Farel and Saunier before the council, 'was scattered up and -down the streets,' and priests paraded the city, 'carrying arms under -their frocks.'[515] The reformers had some trouble to reach their -lodgings. - -The episcopal council prolonged its sittings. Monseigneur de Bonmont, a -sincere but moderate and liberal catholic, was ill at ease. Seeing angry -faces and flashing eyes around him, he represented that it would be -necessary to proceed cautiously and in accordance with justice. Some of -those present were exasperated, for in their eyes De Gingins' moderation -was flagrant treason. In their opinion it was necessary to prosecute -immediately not only the foreign preachers, but 'all who inviting them -into their houses (as Maison-Neuve for instance) to converse about the -Gospel, wished to live differently from what their forefathers, pastors, -and bishops had taught them.' The most reverend vicar represented that -persons were not convicted without being heard, that they must summon -these strangers before them, call upon them to explain their doctrine, -and then they would be sentenced upon full knowledge of the facts. This -alarmed the council, and Dom Stephen Piard, proctor to the chapter, -exclaimed with a frown:[516] 'If we dispute, all our office is at an -end.'[517] He urged that 'to discuss theological questions was to -overlook the authority of the church; that we must believe because Rome -has spoken; that these people with their Bibles were subtle spirits and -dangerous adversaries, ... and that the authority of the chapter would -be overthrown if they permitted any disputation.' - -[Sidenote: CONSPIRACY AGAINST FAREL.] - -Dom Stephen enjoyed a certain authority; the assembly was about to -refuse to hear Farel, when it was opposed by some of the members who -were most notorious for their fanatical zeal. In the sixteenth century -not only jurists regarded it as a duty to condemn heretics to death, but -devout persons, laymen as well as priests, thought they did an -acceptable thing to God by putting them to death. It would appear that -these latter persons had made up their minds to this meritorious work. -'Having deliberated to kill Farel and his companion,' says a manuscript, -'they found the best means of getting them to come would be by giving -them to understand that they desired to debate with them.' The pious -sister Jeanne de Jussie corroborates this statement.[518] The -conspirators carried the proposal to summon Farel. He was never to go -out again from the vicar-general's house; but first of all it was -necessary for him to enter it. Machard, the bishop's secretary, was -deputed to summon Farel and Saunier, and also Olivetan, 'to retract -publicly, or to explain before the episcopal council what they had -preached in the inn.' - -Ere long something transpired of the plot of these fanatical -ecclesiastics, and the huguenots, forming part of the little council at -that moment assembled in the town-hall, represented to their colleagues -that the priests had no other object than to draw the ministers into a -trap. Accordingly the two chief magistrates, Hugues and Balard, -accompanied Machard to the Tour Perce, to give a guarantee to Farel and -his friends. Some persons suspected Balard of wishing to get Farel and -Saunier into trouble. 'There is nothing more prejudicial to Geneva than -division,' he said; 'I wish those who disturb us were well out of us.' -But he was neither a coward nor a traitor; he was determined to send the -reformers away from Geneva, but to protect their lives.'[519] On -reaching the inn the bishop's secretary informed the evangelists that -the episcopal council invited them to retract the doctrines they had -taught, the presence of Balard and Hugues giving weight to the request. -Farel answered: 'We affirm these doctrines in the strongest way -possible, and again offer to die if we cannot prove them out of -scripture.' 'In that case,' resumed Machard, 'come before the episcopal -council to discuss with the priests, and maintain what you have said.' -'No harm shall be done you,' said the premier syndic and the vidame, 'we -pledge our word to it.' Farel and Saunier, delighted with this -opportunity of announcing the Gospel, set off, accompanied by Olivetan. -They were calm and full of joy, doubtless not expecting what awaited -them, but ready nevertheless to give up their lives. - -[494] Tour Percée. The sign of this inn was in existence until recently; -there was a _hole in the tower_. - -[495] Olivetan's Bible, _Apologie du translateur_. - -[496] Ibid. - -[497] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 3. - -[498] 'Percrebuit rumor de Farelli adventu.'—Spanheim, _Geneva -restituta_, p. 43. - -[499] 'Sacrificulorum flagellum.'—Ibid. - -[500] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 46. -Choupard MSS.; Roset MSS. liv. III. ch. 1. - -[501] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 4. Galiffe, _Notices généalogiques_, &c. - -[502] 'Cives multi non inviti, etsi nounullos, non tam pietatis cura, -quam Romanæ tyrannidis odium movebat.'—MS. of Benedict Turretini, -entitled _Initium et progressus Reformationis quæ facta est Genevæ_, in -the Berne Library, MS. _Hist. Helv._ v. p. 125. - -[503] _Hist. de la Réf. de Genève_, MS. of Badollet, regent of the -college of Geneva in the seventeenth century. Berne library, _Hist. -Helv._ v. p. 125. - -[504] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 5. Gautier MS. Spon I. p. 467. Roser -and Choupard MSS. - -[505] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 3. - -[506] La Sœur de Jussie, _le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 46. - -[507] Choupard MS. - -[508] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 4. - -[509] Ibid. Choupard MS. - -[510] Calvin. - -[511] Choupard MS. - -[512] Ruchat, III. p. 177. - -[513] 'Se non seditionis tubam sed veritatis præconem esse.'—Spanheim, -_Geneva restituta_, p. 43. - -[514] Choupard MS. Spanheim, _Geneva restituta_, p. 43. - -[515] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 4. - -[516] 'Supercilio adducto.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restituta_, p. 44. - -[517] 'Si disputetur, totum ministerium nostrum destruetur.'—Froment, -_Gestes de Genève_, p. 5. This is differently reported: Froment and -Choupard give _ministerium_: Roset and Spanheim _mysterium_. I have -preferred the former as the better reading. - -[518] Choupard MS. La Sœur J. de Jussie, _le Levain du Calvinisme_, -p. 47. - -[519] _Mém. d'Archéologie de la Soc. d'Hist. de Genève_, x. p. -cviii. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII. - THE REFORMERS ARE EXPELLED FROM GENEVA. - (OCTOBER 1532.) - - -[Sidenote: FAREL BEFORE THE EPISCOPAL COUNCIL.] - -While the upper house of the clergy was sitting at the vicar-general's, -the lower house had assembled in the streets. The armed curates and -chaplains watched what was going on, and when they saw the premier -syndic with ex-syndic Balard and the bishop's secretary enter the inn, -they guessed that they were about to conduct Farel before the episcopal -council, and had immediately made it known to their followers, to the -women and the common people. When the three reformers, accompanied by -the three Genevans, came out, there was already a little crowd in front -of the Tour Perce. The number increased as they proceeded along the -streets which lead from the banks of the Rhone to the top of the hill; -but the populace and the women were content to threaten and jeer at the -reformers, crying out as loud as they could, 'Look at the dogs, look at -the dogs.'[520] Thanks to the presence of the magistrates, the three -reformers arrived safe and sound in the Rue des Chanoines and entered -the house of the vicar episcopal. As those who were within as well as -those who were without had equally sworn Farel's death, it seemed -impossible for him to escape. The three evangelicals had to wait some -time; in fact the syndics had preceded them, and required of the -episcopal council that no harm should be done the ministers if they -freely explained their doctrines. This engagement having been taken, -Farel, Saunier, and Olivetan were called in, the two magistrates -remaining in the assembly to secure order. - -[Sidenote: VEIGY'S INVECTIVES.] - -The abbot-vicar of Bonmont presided; on his right and left sat the -canons, the bishop's officers, and the head priests, all in their -sacerdotal robes. The missionary, simply but decently dressed, came -forward followed by his two friends, and all three remained standing -before the assembly. The official, Messire de Veigy, a learned and -eloquent man, was ordered to speak. 'William Farel,' he said, 'tell me -who has sent you, for what reason you come here, and in virtue of what -authority you speak?' In Veigy's opinion it was necessary for the -preacher to be sent by some Romish ecclesiastical authority. Farel -replied with simplicity, 'I am sent by God, and I am come to announce -his word.' 'Poor wretch!' exclaimed the priests, as they shrugged their -shoulders. The official resumed: 'God has sent you, you say; how is -that? Can you show by any manifest sign that you are come in His name? -As Moses before Pharaoh, will you prove to us by miracles that you -really come from God? If you cannot, then show us the licence of our -most reverend prelate the Bishop of Geneva. Preacher never yet preached -in his diocese without his leave.' - -Here the official paused; and then disdainfully scanning the reformer -from head to foot, he said: 'You do not wear the dress that is usual for -those who are accustomed to announce the Word of God to us.... You are -dressed like a soldier or a brigand.... How is it you are so bold as to -preach? Is it not forbidden by a decree of holy church for laymen to -preach in public under pain of excommunication? That is contained in the -decretals of our holy mother church.... You are, therefore, a deceiver -and a bad man.'[521] Farel believed that it was his duty to announce the -Word of God, because Jesus Christ had said, _Preach the Gospel to every -creature_. He thought that the true successors of the apostles were -those who conformed to Christ's order, and that (as Calvin says), 'the -pope of Rome and all his tribe had no claim to that apostolical -succession which they alleged, since they no longer cared for the -doctrine of Christ.'[522] The clergy in whose presence he was standing -did not allow him time to speak. At last they had before them the -terrible heretic of whom they had been talking so many years. The -official's words had still further aroused their passions; they could no -longer contain themselves. Pale with anger they shuddered and clattered -with their feet as they sat. At last the mine exploded; they all spoke -at once, pouring insult and abuse on the reformer. Their excitement -carried them away; they rose from their seats, rushed upon him, and -pulling him now this way, now that, exclaimed, 'Come, Farel, you wicked -devil, what business have you to go up and down, disturbing all the -world?... Are you baptized? Where were you born? Where do you come from? -Why did you come here? Tell us by whose authority you preach? Are you -not the man who propagated Luther's heresies at Aigle and Neuchatel, and -threw the whole country into confusion? Who sent you into this city?' -The noise and tumult would not permit either Farel or the grand vicar to -speak; the weapons were heard to rattle which some of the priests -carried under their frocks. Farel remained still and silent in the midst -of this raging sea. At last Messire de Bonmont succeeded in interposing -his authority, made his colleagues resume their seats, and silence was -restored.[523] Then the reformer, nobly lifting up his head, said with -great simplicity, 'My lords, I am not a devil. I was baptized in the -name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and if I journey to and fro, it -is that I may preach Jesus Christ—Jesus Christ crucified, dead for our -sins, and risen again for our justification, so that whosoever believeth -in Him shall have everlasting life. As an ambassador of Jesus Christ I -am compelled to teach Him to all who are willing to hear me. I have, -however, no other right to speak than that which the commandment of God -gives to me His servant. My only aim is so to discharge my duty that all -the world may receive salvation, and it is for this cause and for no -other that I am come into this city. Having been brought before you to -give an account of my faith, I am ready to do so, not only at this -moment, but as many times as you please to hear me peaceably. What I -have preached and still preach is the pure truth and not a heresy, and I -will maintain it even unto death. As for what you say about my -disturbing the land and this city in particular, I will answer as Elijah -did to Ahab, _I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's -house_. Yes, it is you and yours who trouble the world by your -traditions, your human inventions, and your dissolute lives.'[524] - -[Sidenote: THREATS AGAINST FAREL.] - -The priests, astonished at the calm, simple, free and spirited language -of the reformer, had listened to him in silence so far, but the moment -they heard him speak of their human inventions and irregular lives, his -words were like daggers and disturbed their wicked consciences. It might -have been said that the infernal deities (it is the expression of a -reformer) were hovering about them and left them no repose. 'They fixed -their burning eyes on Farel; they gnashed their teeth,' says a -manuscript; and one of them starting up in a passion said: -'Blasphematur, non amplius indigemus testibus. Reus est mortis.'[525] -This was the signal for a scene more savage than the former. All rose -again, some impelled by violence and pride, others believing they were -supporting the cause of religion, and exclaimed: 'To the Rhone, to the -Rhone! kill him, kill him! It is better for this rascally Lutheran to -die than permit him to trouble all the people.'[526] These words, -without being those which the high-priest uttered against Christ were -very like them. Farel was struck by the resemblance. 'Speak the words of -God and not of Caiaphas,' he exclaimed. At these words the exasperated -priests could contain themselves no longer. They all started up together -and shouted out: 'Kill him, kill the Lutheran hound!' Dom Bergeri, -proctor to the chapter, still more excited than the others, urged them -on, exclaiming in his Savoyard dialect: _Tapa, tapa!_ (which, adds -Froment, means 'Strike, strike!') The sentence was immediately carried -into execution; they surrounded the three reformers; some caught hold of -Farel, others of Saunier, and others of Olivetan. They abused them, beat -them, spat in their faces, and uttered all sorts of cries, so that it -was like a pandemonium. In the midst of all this uproar Farel and his -companions 'preserved their patience and moderation.' The abbot of -Bonmont, syndics Hugues and Balard, and even a few priests, ashamed of -such a scene, tried to put an end to it. 'It is not well done,' said the -abbot, 'have we not pledged our word and honour to them?' Syndic Hugues, -a just, quick, and energetic man, disgusted with the behaviour of the -ecclesiastics, broke out at last. 'You are wicked men,' he said; 'we -brought you these men on your promise that no harm should be done them, -and you want to beat and kill them before our faces.... I will go and -set the great bell ringing to convoke the general council. The assembled -people shall decide.' Hugues was leaving the room to go and put his -threat into execution, when Balard, the other magistrate, desiring to -prevent anything that might compromise the cause of Rome, endeavoured to -calm him. However the syndic's threat had produced its effect; the -priests alarmed at the thought of a general assembly of the citizens, -and fearing lest it should decree their expulsion from Geneva, returned -to their seats rather ashamed of themselves. The abbot, taking advantage -of this new lull, desired Farel and his friends to withdraw, in order -that the episcopal council might deliberate. Farel left the room covered -with spittle and severely bruised.[527] - -[Sidenote: FAREL ASSAULTED.] - -While the superior clergy were behaving in this way, the inferior clergy -were assembling, and about eighty priests had collected before the house -of the vicar-episcopal, 'all well armed with clubs to defend the holy -catholic faith and prepared to die for it.' This mode of defending -religion, so different from that of the first fathers of the church, has -been made known to us through the reverend Sister Jeanne de Jussie. The -priests were stout, resolute men; they had formed a plot and were there -to carry it into execution. 'They wished,' adds Sister Jeanne, 'to put -that wretch and his accomplices to a bitter death.'[528] Such was the -exploit they contemplated, and for its accomplishment they carefully -surrounded the grand-vicar's house. They filled the narrow area of the -Puits St. Pierre and the Rue des Chanoines, and had even penetrated into -M. de Bonmont's courtyard and garden, so that it was impossible for -Farel to escape. The fanatical and agitated crowd, which had been there -for some time, was beginning to grow impatient that the episcopal -council sat so long. Farel and his two friends, when they had turned -into a long gallery, could hear the raised voices of some of the members -of the council, and the increasing noise of the crowd that filled the -courtyard. But another danger threatened them. - -One of the grand-vicar's servants, Francis Olard, surnamed Ginin, a -violent man, stood at the end of the gallery, having been posted there -arquebus in hand, as a sentinel. He had listened to the tumult from -within; the shouting from without excited and inflamed him. Was not this -Farel the enemy of his masters—a heretic whom everybody wished dead? His -weapon was ready: he levelled it at Farel and prepared to fire. Had the -priests stationed Olard there for this purpose, as the chronicles say, -or did he act of his own accord, being more fanatical than his masters, -as the servants of political or ecclesiastical corporations often are? -Be it as it may, the arquebusier pulled the trigger, the priming -flashed ... but the gun did not go off. Farel turning to him said coldly: -'I am not to be shaken by a popgun; your toy does not alarm -me.'—'Verily,' said his friends, 'God of His mercy turned aside -the blow, in order to preserve Farel for struggles still more -formidable.'[529] - -[Sidenote: DANGER OF FAREL AND HIS FRIENDS.] - -Meanwhile the council were still deliberating, and many wished Farel to -be put to death. Heresy in that age, as is but too well known, was -punished capitally; but the magistrates pointed to the danger of using -violence towards the preacher of the lords of Berne. Their opinion -prevailed, and the reformers having been brought into the room again, -the grand-vicar said: 'William Farel, leave my presence and this house, -and within six hours get you gone from the city with your two -companions, under pain of the stake. And know that if the sentence is -not more severe, you must ascribe it to our kindness and to our respect -for my lords of Berne.'—'You condemn us unheard,' said Farel. 'I demand -a certificate to show at Berne that I have done my duty.'—'You shall not -have one,' the abbot hastily replied; 'leave the room all of you, -without a word more.'[530] - -The priests and people collected in front of the house, learning that -Farel was about to appear, crowded one upon another, uttering angry -cries. It would seem that the reformer heard them and stopped an -instant, knowing full well what was in reserve for him. It was in truth -a solemn moment, perhaps his last. 'The caitiff dared not come out,' -said Sister Jeanne, afterwards Abbess of Annecy, 'for he had heard the -noise made by the church people before the door, and feared they would -put him to death.' Seeing that Farel hesitated, two of the senior canons -addressed him coarsely: 'As you will not go out willingly, and in God's -name,' they said, 'go out in the name of all the devils, whose minister -and servant you are.' Thus spoke a few fanatical priests. Their God was -the church, and there was no salvation for the sinner except in the -sacrifice of the mass: in them imagination took the place of -understanding, and passion of judgment. They had no idea of the living -faith which animated the hearts of Farel and his friends, and looked -upon them as impious. Putting aside the holy authority and wise precepts -of scripture, they had no other rule than strong attachment to their -church and the excess of zeal which carried them away. Inflamed by -violent passion they did not confine themselves to abuse. The sister of -St. Claire is far from wishing to conceal their exploits: 'One of them,' -she says, 'gave him a hard kick, the other struck him heavily on the -head and face; and in great confusion they put him out with his two -companions.'[531] - -[Sidenote: ATTEMPT TO STAB FAREL.] - -Farel, Saunier, and Olivetan quitted the house, and thus escaped the -ill-treatment of those reverend gentlemen. But turned out of doors by -the canons, they fell from Scylla into Charybdis: they had to experience -still more culpable excesses of religious fanaticism. The priests, -chaplains, sacristans, and the furious populace assembled in the street, -hooted, hissed, groaned, and howled; some threateningly flourished their -weapons. It was like an impetuous hurricane that seemed as if it would -sweep everything before it. It was a human tempest more terrible perhaps -than that of the winds: - - Venti, velut agmine facto, - Qua data porta ruunt, et terras turbine perflant; - Insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum.[532] - -On a sudden there was a movement in the crowd, those who were on the -outside falling back in alarm upon their comrades: there was a body of -armed men approaching. At this time up came the syndics and all the -watch with their halberds. 'Pray, sir priests,' said they, 'do nothing -rash.' The mob gave way. 'We are come to execute justice,' added the -magistrates. Upon this they took 'the caitiff,' placed him and his -companions in the midst of the guard, and all marched off in the -direction of the Tour Perce, the crowd parting right and left to make -way for the escort. The priests, fourscore in number, kept together, -forming a dark and agitated group, and so stationed themselves that the -three ministers must necessarily pass before them on their road to the -inn. They had heard that Farel and his friends were to be expelled from -the city; 'but the worthy men could not be satisfied with this,' says -Sister Jeanne. Considering that the syndics and even the episcopal -council refused to do justice to them, they were resolved to take the -matter into their own hands. Just as the three preachers were passing in -front of them, one of them rushed forward sword in hand upon Farel 'to -run him through.'[533] One of the syndics who was at the reformer's side -saw him, caught the assassin by the arm, and stopped him. This act of -the magistrate seriously grieved the devout. Laymen who prevented the -clergy from killing their adversaries were looked upon as impious. 'Many -were chagrined,' says the good nun innocently, 'because the blow -failed.' The halberdiers closed their ranks, thrust the priests and -their creatures aside, and the reformers continued on their way. The -mob, finding they could not touch the Lutherans, compensated themselves -with hooting. In every street through which they passed, men and women -cried out that they ought to be flung into the Rhone. At length the -procession reached the Tour Perce; the reformers entered, and the -syndics left a guard. - -[Sidenote: FAREL'S DEPARTURE.] - -They must go—of that there could be no doubt. Farel and his friends -might have been overwhelmed with sorrow, and have fainted in the midst -of their work; but their Heavenly Master had said, _When they persecute -you in this city, flee ye into another_. (Matth. x. 23.) What grieved -them was the thought of the generous men who had listened to them; these -Farel was determined not to abandon. If the tempest obliged him to -depart, he would take advantage of the first moment of calm weather to -introduce into Geneva that Gospel which many huguenots desired with all -their heart. The next day (4th October) a few citizens, friends of the -reformer, rose early, got ready a boat near the Molard, and went to the -Tour Perce to fetch the missionaries, hoping that if the latter set off -betimes they would not be observed. But the priest-party was quite as -matutinal as they were: some of them were already before the door, and -it is probable they had been there all night for fear the huguenots -should take advantage of the darkness to get the ministers away. Claude -Bernard, Ami Perrin, John Goulaz, and Peter Verne—all stanch -huguenots—came up; they gave the signal, a door was opened, and they -entered the inn. A few moments elapsed during which a number of priests -and citizens assembled in that part of the Rue du Rhone which lies -between the Tour Perce and the Molard. Presently the inn door opened -again, and the four huguenots came out with Farel and Saunier. When they -saw them the crowd became agitated. 'The devils are going,' shouted the -priests, as the two evangelists and their friends passed along. Farel, -seeing the numbers around him, wished to exhort them, 'as he walked -along;' but Perrin would not permit it, representing to him that it was -necessary to push on quickly for fear the priests should block the way. -When the reformers reached the water's edge, they got into the boat with -their defenders. The boatmen immediately began to row, and the crowd -that lined the shore could do nothing but hoot. Perrin, fearing -violence, would not land at any of the towns or hamlets of Vaud, but -steered the boat to an unfrequented place between Morges and Lausanne. -Here they all got on shore and embraced each other; after which the -huguenots returned to Geneva, and the reformers made their way to Orbe -and thence to Grandson. - -[520] 'Ce sont des cagnes, ce qui veut dire (adds Froment) ce sont des -chiens.' - -[521] La Sœur de Jussie, _le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 47. - -[522] Calvin, _Harmonie évangelique_, 1. p. 757. - -[523] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 5. Choupard MS. - -[524] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 6. Choupard MS. Choupard gives some -features that are not found in Froment. - -[525] He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? -He is guilty of death.—Matth. xxvi. 65, 66. - -[526] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 7. 'In Rhodanum, in Rhodanum! unum hunc -Lutherum necari præstat.'—Turretin MS. in the Berne library. - -[527] 'Sputis madidatus et pugnis contritus.'—Spanheim, _Geneva -restituta_. Froment, _Gestes_, pp. 5-7. Choupard and Roset, MSS. -&c. - -[528] _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 17. - -[529] 'Ictus tamen divina bonitate aversus, Deo servum suum certo -periculo eripiente.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restituta_, p. 43. Froment, -_Gestes de Genève_, p. 3. Roset MS. liv. iii. ch. 1. - -[530] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_ p. 48. - -[531] La sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, &c., pp. 47, 48. - -[532] - - The raging winds rush through the hollow wound, - And dance aloft in air, and skim along the ground; - The cables crack, the sailors' fearful cries - Ascend. - - DRYDEN. - -[533] "Pour le transpercer au travers du corps."—La Sœur de Jussie, p. -48. - - - - - CHAPTER IX. - A JOURNEY TO THE VALLEYS OF PIEDMONT, AND STRUGGLES NEAR NEUCHATEL. - (END OF 1532.) - - -[Sidenote: FAREL AND FROMENT.] - -Farel expelled from Geneva, with a heart full of love for those whom he -had been obliged to quit, meditated on the means of evangelising them, -and like a skilful general, was preparing even during his retreat for a -new and more successful struggle. After having saluted the Christians of -Orbe and Grandson he departed for the village of Yvonand, on the -southern shore of the lake of Neuchatel, where dwelt a youthful -Christian Anthony Froment by name, born at Val de Frières in Dauphiny in -1510, and consequently a year younger than Calvin and his countryman -Farel. The reformer invited several evangelists to meet him in this -village, and about the middle of October there came Olivetan, who had -been unable to stay in Geneva after the departure of his two friends; -Adam, Martin (probably Martin Gonin the Waldensian), and Guido (who must -not be confounded with the Belgian reformer Guido or Guy von Brès) who -with Farel, Saunier, Froment, and others formed a little council. Farel -gave an account of his mission: he described his journey to the valleys -of Piedmont, and the stormy reception he had met with at Geneva. They -all looked with interest on the fugitive missionary who had escaped as -by a miracle from the violence of the Genevan priests. Froment in -particular could not take his eyes off the reformer; every word of -Farel's made a deep impression on him, and disgusted with the ministers -of popery, he pitied the fate of the huguenots deprived of God's word by -the intrigues of the clergy. Farel, fixing his eyes on him, said: 'Go -and try if you can find an entrance into Geneva to preach there.'[534] -Froment was disturbed and speechless. He possessed learning and talents; -but he was young and without experience, and wanted that perseverance -and firmness by which other reformers were distinguished. His feelings -were sensitive, his imagination was ardent, but his character was uneven -and rather fickle. He is believed to have been drawn to the Reformation -more by witnessing the excesses of Rome than by the inner charms of the -Word of God. - -'Alas! father,' he said to Farel, 'how can I face the enemies from whom -you were compelled to flee?'—'Begin,' replied Farel, 'as I began at -Aigle, where I was a schoolmaster at first and taught little children, -so that even the priests gave me liberty to preach. True they soon -repented; and even now I seem to hear the curate exclaiming: "I would -sooner have lost my hand than introduced this man, for he will ruin all -our business." But it was too late; the Word of God had begun its work, -and the mass and images fell.' Froment, who was at that time full of -ardour and zeal, began to familiarise himself gradually with the idea of -going to the city that drove out the prophets. Farel, observing this, -persevered, and encouraged his disciple by the recollection of the great -dangers they had once incurred together. 'My dear Froment,' he said, -'you fear the men of Geneva; but were you not with me when I planted the -Gospel at Bienne, among the mountains, in the valley of Saint Imier, at -Tavannes, and near that mountain (Pierre Pertuis) which Julius Cæsar -tunnelled?... Were you not with me when I went to Neuchatel and preached -in the streets and market-place, and in the surrounding villages? Do you -not remember that we very often received our rent (_censes_), that is, -blows and abuse ... once in particular at Valengin, where my blood -remained for more than four years on the pavement of a little chapel, -near which the women and priests bruised my head against the walls, so -that we were both of us nearly killed?'[535] These remembrances were not -very encouraging. Some sided with Farel, others thought that a man of -twenty-two was too young to be launched into such a terrible gulf ... -for Geneva really alarmed them. Froment could not yet make up his mind -to attempt the enterprise. Another thought absorbed Farel. - -[Sidenote: OLIVETAN'S SCRUPLES OVERCOME.] - -That pious reformer's heart was still full of the glorious synod of the -valleys at which it had been decided to translate the Bible. He had -several times already entreated Olivetan to undertake that great work: -he repeated his entreaties both in the assembly and in private. Near -Yvonand there is a number of hills which form a sort of labyrinth around -a little river. Beautiful forests of majestic oaks stretch their -branches so wide and high that it is possible to walk beneath their -immense leafy arches—a circumstance which has earned for this district -the name of Arcadia. Was it in a private room or in these woods that -Farel urged Olivetan, as they trampled underfoot the dry leaves which -autumn had already loosened from the trees? I cannot tell: in either -case he no longer solicited, he 'importuned;'[536] but Olivetan—like -Froment with respect to Geneva—repeated his unwillingness to 'venture' -upon such a task. 'How,' said he, 'can I express Hebrew and Greek -eloquence in French, which is but a barbarous language compared with -them? You know it is as difficult as to teach the hoarse raven to sing -the song of the nightingale.'[537] Farel tried to encourage him: he -might do it. Olivetan's style is, considering the time, one of -remarkable elegance. But Calvin's cousin alleged other reasons: he had -certain fears. 'Such an undertaking,' he said, 'is like a ball in a -public building wherein everybody dances as he likes. I shall be -encompassed with critics, correctors, and calumniators.... They will not -be friends, I am very sure, but strangers devoid of charity, Christians -who will philosophise about the dot over an _i_, and bring forward a -thousand false imputations.'[538]—'St. Jerome undertook a similar work,' -said Farel. 'St. Jerome!' exclaimed Olivetan, 'he had more trouble in -answering such people than in all his work. How could I do it—I who am -but a petty page, a mere varlet, compared with such a knight?'[539] But -Farel pressed him so much that he thought himself bound to undertake it. -He promised, and it was well known that what he promised he would -perform. - -Farel had won a great victory. The French churches would have a good -translation of scripture. But a journey was necessary. 'Cross the Alps,' -he said to his friend; 'go to the Waldensian valleys, and come to an -understanding with the brethren about the translation.' Then turning -towards other members of the synod, he added: 'And you, Adam Martin and -Guido, go with him and preach to them the doctrine that will correct all -their errors.' - -This mission, which was to result in the publication of the Bible in -French, was not without importance or without danger. The evangelists -proposed to take the direct road by Mount St. Bernard; but before -reaching the lake of Geneva they would have to cross a district -belonging to the Duke of Savoy. Now the duke, the Count of Challans, and -the Sieur de Bellegarde were not at all anxious that the Waldensians of -the Piedmontese valleys should unite with the reformers of Switzerland. -The four friends determined, therefore, to travel by night. Having -supped at Yvonand with Farel and the other brethren, they began their -journey immediately after. It was at the end of October. They travelled -through the darkness, led by a guide who knew the country well. They -successfully accomplished their night journey, and arrived at Vevey the -next day before dinner-time. They began immediately to speak of Christ, -for they had no wish to fall into sloth and carelessness.[540] From -Vevey they proceeded to Aigle, where they found the evangelical -Christians of the place assembled to receive them. 'I salute you in -Christ,' said Adam, 'and exhort you to reprove one another as becomes -brethren and ministers of the word of truth.'[541] - -[Sidenote: A MINISTER'S HOME.] - -When they had almost reached the pretty village of Bex, in the midst of -its orchards and walnut trees, in front of the picturesque Dent de -Morcles, and the huge Dent du Midi, Martin was attacked with severe -pains. His companions immediately looked for a house where they could -lodge the sick man, but the country was so poor that they could not find -a room fit to receive him.[542] These poor brethren were on the highway -with their suffering friend, anxious and yet not knowing what to do. -Some one told them that about a league behind them, at the village of -Ollon, lived the minister Claude who would gladly receive them. They -accordingly retraced their steps, and arrived at Ollon, a little place -in the midst of the shady woods which extend to the foot of the mountain -on which are situated the charming hamlets of Chesières and Villars. -They asked for the pastor's house and it was shown them; they dragged -their friend to it and knocked at the door. Claude opened it himself, -and at the sight of a pale and fainting man invited the strangers in. -But on a sudden hasty footsteps were heard, a woman appeared flushed -with anger and with fiery eyes—a violent, wicked, pitiless, scolding -woman: she was the unfortunate pastor's wife. She screamed and -gesticulated, and instead of being grave, as Scripture requires such -women to be, she forgot all restraint and broke out: 'What's this, a -sick man? If you receive him into the house, I will leave it.'[543] -Claude durst not say a word: the voice of this Xantippe rose higher and -higher, and at last she turned her back on her husband and the -strangers, and disappeared in a passion.[544] Poor Claude was sorely -vexed and ashamed. 'We will not be the cause of a divorce,' said Adam, -'we will go away.'[545] The pastor, a good but weak man, who could not -keep his wife in order, let them go. - -[Sidenote: THE SUFFERING MISSIONARIES.] - -Thus not a house was opened to receive an expiring missionary. The poor -evangelists were quite disheartened. 'Let us cheer up,' said they, 'and -make haste to reach the Alps.'[546] The four travellers resumed their -journey, Martin probably on horseback; but on arriving at the foot of -the mountain beyond Martigny his pains increased. Martin was half dead, -Olivetan suffered from an inflammation of the bowels, Guido was -exhausted with fatigue, and Adam alone was unaffected. But ere long he -too was attacked. Seized with cholera (it is his own word[547]) he -thought his end was come. The four missionaries dragged themselves -painfully along the brink of the torrent, whose noisy waters alone -disturbed the silence around them. They lifted their eyes mournfully -towards those gigantic mountains which it seemed impossible for them to -cross, and ineffectually sought a refuge in the poorest of cottages. One -thing, however, was left them—the faithfulness of their Master. They -said to one another: 'God takes us down into the abyss when He pleases, -but His grace is almighty to lift us out of it again.'[548] At this -moment they caught sight of a wretched house. They went up to it, -explained their condition, and happily they were received in -consideration of their money. God, whom they had invoked, alleviated -their disorder, and the next day they were able to resume their journey, -feebly at starting, but gradually the mountain air gave them strength. - -They had been forced to incur extraordinary expenses, and Adam, who held -the purse, smiled as he saw its shrunken condition. Their good humour -began to return: he showed his friends the lean little bag, and said -merrily: 'Alas! our purse has been seized with such cruel pains in the -inside that there is scarcely anything left in it.'[549] They climbed -the mountain, and needing rest entered an inn situated between Martigny -and the convent of St. Bernard. They soon observed one of the monks, and -approaching him desired in spite of their weakness to discharge their -duty: they spoke to him of Jesus Christ, and of the grace he gives to -sinners. The monk, who belonged to the Augustine order, listened -attentively to their words, and began to talk with them, while the -evangelists pressed him closely by means of the Holy Scriptures. He was -touched and convinced. 'I will quit Antichrist,' he exclaimed. Adam -immediately took paper, sat down and wrote: 'Here is a letter for Master -Farel,' he said to the friar, 'go to him, and he will tell you what you -have to do.' The evangelist and the monk separated. Even down to our -days conversions have been effected among the brethren of this -monastery. - -At last the four friends arrived among the Waldenses, who listened -joyfully to their words of truth and love: some of these Alpine -shepherds were even known to have gone two days' journey to hear -them.[550] These poor Christians handed over to Olivetan towards the -printing of the Bible 500 gold crowns—an immense sum for them, and -begged that the publication should be hurried on.[551] Olivetan and the -barbes came to terms. Here finishes this episode, which to some may have -little interest except so far as it is connected with the history of the -French protestant translation of the Holy Scriptures. - -[Sidenote: DEPUTATION OF PEASANTS.] - -When this news reached Farel, his eyes were fixed upon another country. -The young and gentle Fabri, whom the reformer loved as a father loves a -son, was preaching at Neuchatel, when one day he saw some peasants -arrive who had been deputed from the village of Bole in the parish of -Boudry. These good people entreated him to come and settle among them. -The parish priest, a worthy man by the way, looked upon the Gospel not -as a proclamation of grace, but as a second law more perfect than the -first. Having heard the reformers inveigh against the corruption that -prevailed in the church, he had at first gone with them; but he soon -hesitated and shrunk back, when he found that their new morality reposed -on a new faith. In fact the ministers who preached in those quarters -said that the Gospel substituted a regenerative doctrine for the dead -ordinances of the law; that Christ's religion did not consist in -practices commanded by the priests, or even in a purely outward -morality, but in a new heart from which proceeds a new life. 'The law,' -said Calvin in later years, 'is like grammar, which after it has taught -the first elements, refers the learners to theology or some other -science, in order that they may be perfected.' The priest of Boudry -would have thought himself but too happy to see his parishioners endowed -with that external morality which did not satisfy the evangelicals. A -zealous doctor of the law, he turned against the doctors of grace, and -hence it happened that a few of his parishioners hastened to Neuchatel. - -Fabri followed these honest people, and the gentle and moderate reformer -was immediately engaged in a severe campaign. The village of Bole was -for the reformer; the little town of Boudry for the priest. There were -two places of worship in the parish, the church, and a chapel called the -Pontareuse, situated in a low out-of-the-way place. The government -decided that this should be for the use of both parties. Many catholics, -more fanatical than their priest, entered into a plot to oppose the -worship of the reformed. On the first Sunday in November 1532, the -latter went down full of peace and joy into the wild valley through -which flows the torrent of the Reuse, and where a few remains of the -little chapel are still visible. They entered and took their seats on -the benches, while Fabri went up into the pulpit. Meantime the -catholics, girding on their swords, which was not usually done, entered -the chapel and drew up near the altar.[552] While Fabri was preaching, -all the bells suddenly rang out together so as to drown his voice, and -the more he besought them to let him finish, the louder rang the -catholics in the belfry. Then those who were in the church began to -move, pushing and shouting. Fabri, seeing this disorder and profanation, -ceased speaking, and left the church. He had hardly got outside when the -catholics near the altar ran and shut the door, and fell like madmen on -the surprised, hesitating, and unarmed congregation.[553] The confusion -was very great, and it was this that saved the innocent. No one -distinguished friends from enemies: each man struck the first he met. -One or two evangelicals endeavoured to open the door, and at last they -succeeded and rushed out, but their position was not bettered. 'Their -adversaries, delighted at being able to distinguish them,' says an -eye-witness, 'fell upon them like wolves upon lambs, threatening them -with death.'[554] 'God help us!' exclaimed the poor people scattered -here and there. At last they succeeded in reaching their homes, -miraculously as it were, but with many bruises. They were happy at being -in peace. 'Our heavenly Father fought for us mightily,' they said.[555] -Clubs and swords only served to increase their repugnance for that -theocratical tyranny which men had substituted for the mild gospel of -Jesus Christ. - -[Sidenote: A PROTESTANT RISING.] - -The next day some of the reformed went to Neuchatel against the advice -of Fabri, who desired to wait for deliverance from the Lord and not from -men. To the friends who met them on the road, they told the story of the -plot to which they had nearly been victims. All the villages between -Boudry and Neuchatel were in commotion, and the peasants of Auvernier -and Colombier flew to arms, ready to join the Neuchatelans if they went -to the help of their brethren.[556] The council of Neuchatel decreed -that henceforth the chapel of Pontareuse should belong entirely to the -reformed. - -The catholics resolved to pay no attention to this. On Christmas day the -priest had already sung two masses before the hour appointed for the -evangelical preaching; and at the moment when the reformers arrived, he -resolutely began high mass 'with loud and long singing,' although there -was scarcely anybody to hear it. The reformed waited patiently, but when -the service was ended, and just as they were hoping that their turn had -come, they were surprised to see the catholics arriving in a crowd. -Fabri then wanted to go into the pulpit, but had great difficulty; one -pushed him one way, and one another, and all shouted out against -him.[557] Order being a little restored, one of the reformers went, as -was customary, to take a chalice for the celebration of the Lord's -Supper. The priest who had remained in the church, watching what was -going on, rushed upon him and snatched the vessel from his hands, crying -out, 'Sacrilege! Sacrilege!' The friends of the priests determined to -put an end to the service once for all. 'Some of them rushed like raging -lions upon the reformed, and hit them with their fists; and one of them -struck a governor (probably one of the communal councillors) with a -knife; but God,' says the document we quote, 'permitted only his clothes -to be pierced.' This did not end the battle. Others, going to a room -behind the altar, where they had hidden some large sticks, dealt their -blows lustily on all sides. The women rushed into the vineyards, tore up -the vine-props, and brought them to as many of their husbands as had -neither sticks nor knives. Some of them left the chapel and picked up -stones to throw at the minister, who was still in the pulpit, and kill -him. From every side they fell upon the poor evangelicals, calling them -'Rascally dogs!' Even the _sautier_ of Boudry, whose duty it was to -preserve order, joined in the riot, threw off his official robe, and -loudly hooting, struck harder than the rest. The parish priest, who -loved the law so much, had suddenly lost his balance. Incensed, and -beside himself, stripped to his doublet, and 'bareheaded like a -brigand,'[558] he directed the battle. His friends, well provided with -arquebuses, bludgeons, knives, and other weapons, seeing that the -evangelists had rallied round their pastor, rushed upon them, intending -to kill many of them; 'but it was God's will that this wolf should be -stopped on the way,' says the official document, 'and be driven back -into his den.' The reformed, who parried the blows as well as they could -with their hands only, at last succeeded in reaching their houses. They -told their relations and friends what had happened, and gave God thanks. -'It is indeed a great miracle,' they said with emotion, 'that there was -nobody killed. But the Lord Jesus Christ is a Good Shepherd; he keeps -his sheep so well in the midst of the sword, the fire, the lions, and -even death itself, that the wolves cannot snatch them out of his hand.' - -[Sidenote: A PRIEST HEADS THE RIOT.] - -While these songs of thanksgiving were being sung in the houses of the -evangelists, the curé was triumphing in the church. The battle was -scarcely terminated by the retreat of the reformed, when, proud of the -victory he had won by stones and clubs, he laid down the stake with -which he had armed himself, covered his head, arranged his disordered -doublet, put on his sacerdotal robes, and entered the church of Boudry -with a grave and composed air. Seeing it full, and wishing to profit by -the advantage he had gained, he went into the pulpit and exclaimed in -his burlesque manner: 'Some strangers have come of their own accord into -this country. One comes from Paris, another from Lyons, and a third from -I do not know where. This one is called Master Anthony, that one Master -Berthoud, another Master William, a fourth Master Froment (_i.e._ -_wheat_) with _barley_ or _oats_.... They carry a book in their hands -and boast of having the Holy Ghost. But if they had the Holy Ghost, -would they want a book? The apostles who were filled with the Holy Ghost -understood without book all languages and all mysteries. My brethren, -will you believe a stranger before a man of the country whom you know? -Do not associate with those devils; they will lead you into hell; but -come to confession as all your forefathers have done; open yourselves to -me upon the seven deadly sins, the five natural senses, and the ten -commandments. Do not be afraid; your consciences will be cleansed of all -evil. Put me to death in case I do not prove all I have told you.'[559] -The catholics left the church very proud of such a fine discourse. - -[Sidenote: REFORM ADVANCES AT NEUCHATEL.] - -Some of the friends of the reformed hurried off to Fabri, and reported -to him that the priest offered to prove all he had said, particularly -that he could absolve from the seven deadly sins and those of the five -senses. Without loss of time Fabri appeared before the castellan and -councillors of Boudry, and asked for a public disputation, offering to -die in case he could not show that all he had preached was true, and -that what the priest had said was false. The latter bluntly refused all -public discussion; he did not like combats of that kind, and compensated -himself in another fashion. - -One day, as he sat half undressed at his window watching the birds as -they darted through the air, and the people who were walking in the -street, he saw Fabri passing in front of his house. In great excitement -he called to him and began abusing him: 'Gaol-bird! forger!' he said, -stretching his head out of window; 'tell me why you corrupt Holy -Scripture?' Fabri, hoping the curé would grant him the discussion he had -so much desired, made answer: 'Come down and bring out your Bible; we -will take a clerk who can read it to the people, and I will show you -that I am no forger.' At these words the alarmed priest exclaimed: 'I -have something else to do besides disputing with a gaol-bird like you;' -and he retired hastily from the window. Such were the struggles the -reformers had to go through in order to transform the church. This -transformation was going on, and ere long the whole principality of -Neuchatel was won to the Reformation. - -In 1532 it penetrated into the mountain regions among the shepherds and -hunters of Locle and Chaux de Fonds. Claude d'Arberg, who had so often -followed the chase in these mountains, had built an oratory there to St. -Hubert, the hunters' patron saint. The saint (says the legend) was once -met by a bear, which killed his horse, but Hubert got on the bear's -back, and rode him home to the great astonishment of everybody. A more -formidable hunter was now about to tame the bears of these parts. Jean -de Bély, the evangelist of Fontaine, having gone to Locle at the time of -the fair of St. Magdalen, Madame Guillemette de Vergy had him seized -instantly and forced him to dispute for two hours in her presence with -the curé, Messire Besancenet. 'Put him in prison,' said the countess, -who was offended at his doctrines; but whilst the high-born dame was so -irritated at what she had heard, the priest, a good-natured man, -interceded in the kindest manner in favour of the heretic. The lady -released him, and the worthy vicar, taking Bély by the arm, led him -graciously to the parsonage, and drank wine with him. Already people -said that the mountain bears were beginning to be tamed. - -From Locle the Gospel made its way to Chaux de Fonds, and thence to -Brenets (1534). The earnest mountaineers had taken the images out of the -church, desiring to _worship God in spirit and in truth_, and were -preparing to break them in pieces and throw them into the Doubs, when -they saw two fine oxen approaching, driven by some devout inhabitants -from a neighbouring village of Franche Comté. 'We offer you these -beasts,' said they, 'in exchange for your pictures and statues.'—'Pray -take them,' said the people of Brenets. The Franche-Comtois gathered up -the idols, the Neuchatelans drove away the oxen, and 'each thought they -had made a fine exchange,' says a chronicler. - -With the exception of one village, the evangelical faith was established -throughout the whole principality of Neuchatel, without the aid of the -prince and the lords, and indeed in spite of them. A hand mightier than -theirs was breaking the bonds, removing the obstacles, and emancipating -souls. The Reformation triumphed: and after God, it was Farel's -work.[560] - -[534] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 10. - -[535] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 10, 11. The Choupard MS. (p. -490) mentions Anthony Boive, also from Dauphiny, as Farel's companion. -Did both Anthonys accompany the reformer? It is very probable. (See the -_Hist. of the Reformation_, vol. iv. book xv. ch. 11.) - -[536] Olivetan's Bible: _Apologie du translateur_. - -[537] Ibid. - -[538] Ibid. - -[539] Olivetan's Bible: _Apologie du translateur_. - -[540] 'Ab Yvoniaco a cœna solvimus, et Viviacum venimus pransum, ubi de -Christo locuti sumus.'—Adam to Farel from the Valleys, 5 Nov. 1532, -Choupard MS. The letter from which we take these particulars has escaped -notice until now. - -[541] 'Ut si monerent invicem quemadmodum fratres et verbi veritatis -ministros.'—Ibid. - -[542] 'Nullum erat cubiculum.'—Ibid. - -[543] 'Verum uxor garrula et duræ cervicis, pietate vacans, cœpit minari -marito de discessu.'—Adam to Farel, Choupard MS. - -[544] 'Furibunda abivit.'—Ibid. - -[545] 'Ne divortii causa essemus.'—Choupard MS. - -[546] 'Properamus ad Alpes.'—Ibid. - -[547] 'Quo mærore in pede Alpium me colera tam crudeliter -invasit.'—Ibid. - -[548] 'Gratia illius, qui quum videtur nos ducit ad inferos et -reducit.'—Choupard MS. - -[549] 'At crumenæ nostræ linteria cœperunt laborare tam aspere, ut nihil -prorsus in illorum corpore remanserit.'—Ibid. - -[550] 'Veniunt a locis distantibus a nobis itinere duorum -dierum.'—Choupard MS. - -[551] 'Ad typographum dati sunt quingenti aurei.'—Ibid. - -[552] 'Gladiis omnes ejusdem factionis præter consuetudinem -cincti.'—Fabri to Farel, Choupard MS. The particulars, which we extract -from this letter, were unknown until now. - -[553] 'Illi plusquam insani recta irruerunt in nos gladiis -evaginatis.'—Ibid. - -[554] 'Lupina rabie oviculos aggrediuntur mortem minantes.'—Fabri to -Farel, Choupard MS. - -[555] 'Optimus pater qui pro nobis potenter adeo pugnavit.'—Ibid. - -[556] 'Accincti ad arma toto spectarunt die si Neocomenses -proficiscerentur.'—Ibid. - -[557] Requête de MM. les gouverneurs de Bâle à MM. les maîtres bourgeois -de Neuchatel.—Choupard MS. - -[558] "Tête nue comme un brigand."—Requête de MM. les gouverneurs de -Bâle, &c.—Choupard MS. - -[559] Choupard MS. - -[560] Chambrier, _Hist. de Neuchatel_, p. 229. - - - - - CHAPTER X. - THE SCHOOLMASTER AND CLAUDINE LEVET. - (NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 1532.) - - -[Sidenote: FRESH ATTEMPTS UPON GENEVA.] - -Farel, seeing his labours in these different localities crowned with a -success that promised to be lasting, turned his eyes with all the more -ardour to Geneva. The numerous victories of Neuchatel and Vaud seemed to -augur new ones to be gained in the city of the huguenots. There were, -however, great obstacles. A fanatical party, directed by monks and -priests, was opposed to all change, and even the enlightened catholics, -who desired the abolition of crying abuses, kept repeating that the -church ought first of all to be maintained, and then reformed. 'A -purification is not enough,' said Farel; 'a transformation is wanted.' -But who was to bring it about? He had been banished from Geneva, and for -a time could not return there. - -Froment, young, poor, simple-minded, but intelligent, had refused to -undertake so difficult a task. Farel tried once more. Froment did not -understand how the attack of one of the strongest fortresses of the -enemy could be entrusted to so young a man. 'Fear nothing,' said Farel; -'you will find men in Geneva quite ready to receive you, and your very -obscurity will protect you. God will be your guide, and will guard your -holy enterprise.'[561] Froment yielded, but felt humbled; and reflecting -on the task entrusted to him, he fell on his knees: 'O God,' he said, 'I -trust in no human power, but place myself entirely in thy hands. To thee -I commit my cause, praying thee to guide it, for it is thine.'[562] He -did not pray alone. The little flock at Yvonand, affected at this call -which was about to take away their pastor, said: 'O God, give him grace -to be useful for the advancement of thy Word!' The brethren embraced, -and Froment departed, 'going to Geneva,' he tells us, 'with prayers and -blessings.' It was the 1st November 1532. - -He reached Lausanne, whence he took his way along the shore of the lake -towards Geneva. The poor young man stopped sometimes on the road, and -asked himself whether the enterprise he was about to attempt was not -sheer madness. 'No,' he said, 'I will not shrink back; for it is by the -small and weak things of this world that God designs to confound the -great.' And then he resumed his journey. - -The Genevese were much occupied at that time with signs in the heaven. A -strange blaze shone in the firmament; every night their eyes were fixed -upon a long train of light, and the most learned endeavoured to divine -the prognostics to be drawn from it. 'At the new moon,' says a -manuscript, 'there appeared a comet, at two in the morning, which was -visible from the 26th September to the 14th of the following month. -About this time Anthony Froment arrived in Geneva.'[563] Many huguenots, -irritated at the reception given to Farel, despaired of seeing Geneva -reformed, and its liberties settled on a firm basis. Some, however, who -were adepts in astronomy, wondered whether that marvellous sheen did not -foretel that a divine light would also illuminate the country. They -waited, and Froment appeared. - -[Sidenote: FROMENT COLDLY RECEIVED.] - -The young Dauphinese was at first much embarrassed. He tried to enter -into conversation with one and another, but they were very short with -the stranger. He hoped to find 'some acquaintance with whom he could -retire safely and familiarly;' but he saw none but strange faces. -'Alas!' he said, 'I cannot tell what to do, except it be to return, for -I find no door to preach the Gospel.'[564] Then, calling to mind the -names of the chief huguenots, friends of Farel, who (as he said) would -give him the warmest welcome, Froment resolved to apply to them, and -waited upon Baudichon de la Maison-Neuve, Claude Bernard, J. Goulaz, -Vandel, and Ami Perrin, ... but strange to say he everywhere met with -embarrassed manners and long faces. The mean appearance of the young -Dauphinese disconcerted even the best disposed. Farel (they thought) -might at least have sent a scholar, and not a working man. Geneva was an -important and learned city. There were men of capacity among the Roman -clergy, who must be opposed by a minister of good appearance, a -well-established doctor.... The huguenots bowed out the mean little man. -'Ah!' said Froment, returning to his inn, 'I found them so cold, so -timid, and so startled at what had been done to Farel and his -companions, that they dared not unbosom themselves, and still less -receive me into their houses.' Confounded and dejected at seeing all his -plans overthrown, he walked thoughtfully through the streets with his -eyes bent on the ground. He entered the inn, shut himself up in his -room, and asked himself what was to be done next. Those who seemed to -wish to hear the Gospel looked at him with contemptuous eyes. If he -spoke to any persons, they turned their backs on him. Not one door was -opened to the Word of God.... His feelings were soured. Wearied and -dejected he sank under the weight, and lost courage. 'I am greatly -tempted to go back,' he said.[565] - -Froment went to the landlord, paid his bill, strapped his little bundle -on his shoulders, and, without taking leave of the huguenots, bent his -steps towards the Swiss gate, and quitted the city. But he had not gone -many yards before he stopped; he felt as if he were detained by an -invisible hand; a voice was heard in his conscience, telling him he was -doing wrong; a force greater than that of man compelled him to retrace -his steps. He returned to his room, shut the door, and sat down; leaning -on the table with his head in his hands, he asked what God wanted with -him.[566] He began to pray, and seemed to witness in himself the -realisation of the promise: _I will lead thee in the way in which thou -shouldst walk_. He called to mind what Farel had told him, and what the -reformer had done at Aigle. A flash of light illumined his soul. They -will have nothing to do with him in Geneva, because his appearance is -mean. Be it so; he will undertake with humility the work that God gives -him; and since he is rejected as an evangelist, he will turn -schoolmaster. - -[Sidenote: FROMENT ADVERTISES HIS SCHOOL.] - -During his walks Froment had met with one Le Patu, a man but little -known, whom he asked if he could procure for him a place for a school. -Le Patu answered that there was the great hall at Boytet's, at the Croix -d'Or, near the Molard.[567] They went there together; Froment measured -its dimensions with his eye, and hired the room. He breathed again; he -had now one foot in the stirrup; it only remained to get into the -saddle, and begin his course. It was necessary to find scholars; with -God's help Froment despaired of nothing. Returning to the inn, he drew -up a prospectus, made several copies in his best handwriting, went out -with them, and posted them in all the public places. They ran as -follows: 'A man has just arrived in this city who engages to teach -reading and writing in French, in one month, to all who will come to -him, young and old, men and women, even such as have never been to -school; and if they cannot read and write within the said month, he asks -nothing for his trouble. He will be found at Boytet's large room, near -the Molard, at the sign of the Croix d'Or. Many diseases are also cured -gratis.' - -These papers having been posted about the city, many of the passers-by -stopped to read them. 'We have heard him speak,' said some with whom he -had conversed; 'he talks well.' Others thought that the promise to teach -reading and writing in a month was suspicious; to which more benevolent -men replied, that in any case he did not aim at their purses. But the -priests and devout were irritated. 'He is a devil,' said a priest in the -crowd; 'he enchants all who go near him. You have hardly heard him -before his magical words bewilder you.'[568] - -The school opened, however, and he did not want for young pupils. -Froment, who had talent (his book of the _Actes et Gestes de Genève_ -proves this), taught with simplicity and clearness. Before dismissing -his scholars he would open the New Testament and read a few verses, -explaining them in an interesting manner; after which (as he had some -knowledge of medicine) he would ask them whether any in their families -were sick, and distribute harmless remedies among them. It was by the -instruction of the mind and the healing of the body that the evangelist -paved the way to the conversion of the heart. The school and medicine -are great missionary auxiliaries. The children ran home and told their -parents all; the mothers stopped in their work to listen to them, and -the fathers, especially the huguenots, made them tell it again. Some of -the boys and girls were continually prattling about it; they even -'accosted men and women in the streets, inviting them to come and hear -_that man_.'[569] In a short time the city was full of the schoolmaster -who spoke French so well. - -[Sidenote: FROMENT'S SUCCESS.] - -Several adults resolved to hear him, either from a desire to learn, or -from curiosity, or in sport. Wives, however, stopped their husbands; -jesters played off their jokes, and priests uttered their anathemas. But -nothing could stop the current, for people thought the schoolmaster -would speak against the lives of the priests, the mass, and Lent.... -These worthy huguenots, as they passed through the streets, heard -'numerous loud jests and whispered hints' around them.[570] They took -their places behind the children and listened. Froment began: 'He speaks -well,' said his hearers. He did even more than he had promised; he -taught arithmetic, which was very acceptable to the Genevese, who are by -nature rather calculating. It was the sermon, however, which the hearers -waited for, and that was very different from what they had expected—a -homily instead of a philippic. In the course of his lessons Froment read -at one time a story from the Bible, at another one of our Lord's -sermons, giving the Scripture as the Scriptures of God, explaining as he -went on the difficult words, and then applying the doctrine -affectionately to the consciences of his hearers. They were all ears; -leaning forward and with half-opened mouth, each one seemed afraid of -losing a word. A few boys turned glances of triumph on those whom they -had brought there. Froment joyfully marked the effect produced by his -teaching. 'They were much astonished, for they had never heard such -doctrine.'[571] Some began to understand that evangelical Christianity -did not consist in mocking the priests and the mass, but in knowing and -loving the Saviour. 'Those who heard him conceived in their hearts some -understanding of the truth.'[572] - -In a short time the success of this simple instruction surpassed the -hopes of the teacher. Those who had heard him talked of the beautiful -discourses delivered at the Croix d'Or. 'Come,' said they, 'for he -preaches very differently from the priests, and asks nothing for his -trouble.'—'Good,' said some citizens more ignorant than the rest; 'we -will go and hear him; we will learn to read and write, and hear what he -says.'[573] Men, women, and children hastened to the hall, striving -which should be there first.[574] The poor man whom the Genevans had -repulsed had suddenly grown in their estimation. The disputes between -huguenots and mamelukes, the claims of the Duke of Savoy and Bishop De -la Baume were forgotten; nothing was thought of but the evangelist. At -the epoch of the Reformation nothing was more striking than the great -difference between the instruction given by the priests and that given -by the reformers. 'Their teaching,' it was said, 'is not such a cold, -meagre, lifeless thing as that of popery. True, our masters sing loud -enough, and preach whatever pleases their patrons, but they chirp out -divine things in a profane manner; their discourses have no reverence -for God, and are full of fine words and affectation.... In the others, -on the contrary, instead of mere words and idle talk, there is virtue -and efficaciousness, a life-giving spirit and divine power.'[575] - -[Sidenote: THE BEWITCHED.] - -The friends of the priests could not hear such remarks without feeling -the deepest alarm. 'Pshaw!' they said, 'you speak as if the man had -enchanted you. By what sounds, figures, or magical operations has he -bewitched you? Or is it else by fine words, great promises, or other -means of seduction ... by money?' From that time if they saw in the -street a man or woman who attended the meetings at the Croix d'Or, they -would cry out: 'Ho! ho! there goes one of the possessed!'[576] -Complaints were made and bitter reproaches: signs of disapprobation were -heard; but 'notwithstanding all this contrary movement the number of -hearers increased daily. Many of those whom curiosity had attracted were -interested, enlightened, and touched, and returning home they praised -and glorified God.'[577] - -All were not, however, won over to the Gospel. Certain huguenot leaders, -Ami Perrin, John Goulaz, Stephen d'Adda, and others, took no great -pleasure in the preacher's sermons; but believing that this new -doctrine, which fell from the skies, would overthrow the dominion of the -priests and mamelukes, they did not hesitate to range themselves among -Froment's hearers, and to support him energetically in the city.[578] -Ere long matters went still worse for Rome. Some of Froment's hearers -invited certain priests who were liberally inclined, to come and hear -the schoolmaster. The idea of sitting on the benches at the Croix d'Or -alarmed these churchmen, the huguenots repeated the Frenchman's words: -'Truly,' said the priests, 'these doctrines are good, and we should do -well to receive them.'—'Ho! ho!' said certain of the citizens, 'the -clerks who made such a brag are now converted themselves.' - -The alarm increased. The most bigoted monks and priests entered private -houses, addressed the groups assembled in the public places, and jeered -at Froment's doctrine and person. 'Will you go and hear that devil?' -they said; 'what can that little fool (_folaton_) know who is hardly -twenty-two?'—'That fool,' answered Froment's admirers, 'will teach you -to be wise.... That devil will cast out the devil that is in you.'[579] - -[Sidenote: CLAUDINE LEVET.] - -In truth an astonishing work was going on in Geneva at this time; many -souls were gained to the evangelical faith, and as in the times of the -apostles, it was the women of distinction who believed first,[580] -Paula, the wife of John Levet, and probably the same as Pernetta of -Bourdigny, was daughter of the lord of Bourdigny, in the _mandement_ of -Peney. The members of this house had been styled nobles or _damoiseaux_ -as far back as the thirteenth century, and many of them had been syndics -of Geneva.[581] This lady, prepared by the teachings of the evangelists -who had preceded Froment, 'had become very zealous for the Word,' and -earnestly desired to bring to the Gospel her sister-in-law Claudine, -wife of a worthy citizen, Aimé Levet. The latter, 'an honest, devoted, -and wondrously superstitious woman,' was upright and sincere, and more -than once had combatted zealously her sister's opinions. One day when -Paula was at Claudine's house, she conjured her to come and hear the -schoolmaster. 'I have so great a horror of him,' replied her -sister-in-law, 'that for fear of being bewitched, I will neither see nor -hear him.'—'He speaks like an angel,' answered Paula. 'I look upon him -as a devil,' retorted Claudine. 'If you hear him, you will be -saved.'—'And I think I shall be damned.' Thus contended these two women. -Paula was not discouraged. 'At least hear him once,' she said, and then -added with emotion: 'Pray hear him once for love of me!' She prevailed -at last, though with great difficulty. - -Dame Claudine, although yielding to her sister's entreaties, resolved to -protect herself thoroughly. She armed herself carefully with all the -antidotes provided in such cases; she fastened fresh-gathered rosemary -leaves to her temples, rubbed her bosom with virgin wax,[582] hung -relics, crosses, and rosaries round her neck, and shielded by these -amulets, she accompanied Paula to the Croix d'Or. 'I am going to see an -enchanter,' she said, so deceived[583] was she. She promised herself to -lead back the Demoiselle de Bourdigny into the fold. - -Claudine entered the hall and sat down in front of the magician in -mockery and derision, says the chronicle. Froment appeared, having a -book in his hand. He mounted on a round table, as was his custom, in -order to be better heard, and opening the New Testament, read a few -words, and then began to apply them. Claudine, without caring the least -for the assembly, and wishing to make her catholicism known, crossed -herself several times on the breast, at the same time repeating certain -prayers. Froment continued his discourse and unfolded the treasures of -the Gospel. Claudine raised her eyes at last, astonished at what she -heard, and looked at the minister. She listened, and ere long there was -not a more attentive hearer in all the congregation. Froment's voice -alone would have been 'wasted,' but it entered into the woman's -understanding, as if borne by the Spirit of God. She drank in the -reformer's words; and yet a keen struggle was going on within her. Can -this doctrine be true, seeing that the church says nothing about it? she -asked herself. Her eyes often fell on the schoolmaster's book. It was -not a missal or a breviary.... It seemed to her full of life. - -[Sidenote: CLAUDINE ALONE WITH THE BIBLE.] - -Froment having completed his sermon, the children and adults rose and -prepared to go out. Claudine remained in her place: she looked at the -teacher, and at last exclaimed aloud: 'Is it true what you say?'—'Yes,' -answered the reformer. 'Is it all proved by the Gospel?'—'Yes.'—'Is not -the mass mentioned in it?'—'No!'—'And is the book from which you -preached a genuine New Testament?'—'Yes.' Madame Levet eagerly desired -to have it: taking courage, she said: 'Then lend it me.' Froment gave it -to her, and Claudine placing it carefully under her cloak, among her -relics and beads, went out with her sister-in-law, who was beginning to -see all her wishes accomplished. As Claudine returned home she did not -talk much with Paula: hers was one of those deep natures that speak -little with man but much with God. Entering her house, she went straight -to her room and shut herself in, taking nothing but the book with her, -and being determined not to come out again until she had found the -solution of the grand problem with which her conscience was occupied. On -which side is truth? At Rome or at Wittemberg? Having made arrangements -that they should not wait meals for her, or knock at her door, 'she -remained apart,' says Froment, 'for three days and three nights without -eating or drinking, but with prayers, fasting, and supplication.' The -book lay open on the table before her. She read it constantly, and -falling on her knees, asked for the divine light to be shed abroad in -her heart. Claudine probably did not possess an understanding of the -highest range, but she had a tender conscience. With her the first duty -was to submit to God, the first want to resemble Him, the first desire -to find everlasting happiness in Him. She did not reach Christ through -the understanding; conscience was the path that led her to Him. An -awakening conscience is the first symptom of conversion and consequently -of reformation. Sometimes Claudine heard in her heart a voice pressing -her to come to Jesus; then her superstitious ideas would suddenly -return, and she rejected the Lord's invitation. But she soon discovered -that the practices to which she had abandoned herself were dried-up -wells where there had never been any water. Determined to go astray no -longer, she desired to go straight to Christ. It was then she redoubled -those 'prayers and supplications' of which Froment speaks, and read the -Holy Scriptures with eagerness. At last she understood that divine Word -which spake: 'Daughter, thy sins are forgiven thee.' Oh, wonderful, she -is saved! This salvation did not puff her up: she discovered that 'the -grace of God trickled slowly into her;' but the least drop coming from -the Holy Spirit seemed a well that never dried. Three days were thus -spent: for the same space of time Paul remained in prayer at -Damascus.[584] - -[Sidenote: HER CONVERSION.] - -Madame Levet having read the Gospel again and again desired to see the -man who had first led her to know it. She sent for him. Froment crossed -the Rhone, for she lived at the foot of the bridge, on the side of St. -Gervais. He entered, and when she saw him Claudine rose in emotion, -approached him, and being unable to speak burst into tears. 'Her tears,' -says the evangelist, 'fell on the floor,' she had no other language. -When she recovered, Madame Levet courteously begged Froment to sit down, -and told him how God had opened to her the door of heaven. At the same -time she showed herself determined to profess without fear before men -the faith that caused her happiness. 'Ah!' she said, 'can I ever thank -God sufficiently for having enlightened me?' Froment had come to -strengthen this lady and he was himself strengthened. He was in great -admiration at 'hearing her speak as she did.'[585] A conversion so -spiritual and so serious must needs have a great signification for the -Reformation of Geneva, and as Calvin says in other circumstances where -also only one woman seems to have been converted: 'From this tiny shoot -an excellent church was to spring.'[586] - -[561] 'Obscuritatem nominis præsidio futuram, Deum itineri ducem et -cœpto patronum.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restituta_, p. 47. - -[562] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 12. - -[563] Badollet MS. in Berne library, _Hist. Helv._ - -[564] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 13. - -[565] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 13. - -[566] 'Cum jam pedem ex urbe efferret, nescio qua vi humana majore, se -vel reluctantem revocari sensit.'—Spanheim, _Geneva rest._ p. 47; -Froment, _Gestes_, p. 13. - -[567] The sign of the Golden Cross is still on the house, but it was not -an inn, as some assert. - -[568] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 14. - -[569] Ibid. - -[570] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 14. - -[571] Ibid. - -[572] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 14. - -[573] 'Nous verrons ce que c'est qu'il dit.'—Froment, _Gestes_, -p. 14. - -[574] 'A viris et fœminis certatim ad Fromentium itum.'—Spanheim, -_Geneva restit._ p. 48. - -[575] Calvin, _passim_. - -[576] Badollet MS. in Berne library, _Hist. Helv._ - -[577] Froment, _Gestes_, pp. 14-15. - -[578] Council Registers, 31 Dec. 1532. - -[579] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 13. - -[580] 'And some of them consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the chief -women not a few.'—Acts xvii. 4. - -[581] Galiffe, _Notices Généalogiques_, I. p. 446. - -[582] 'Recente verbena tempora vincta, cera virginea pectus -munita.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restit._ p. 50. - -[583] 'Embabuynée,' Froment, _Gestes_, p. 16. - -[584] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 16; Gautier MS. - -[585] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 16. - -[586] Calvin on Lydia, Acts xvi. 14. - - - - - CHAPTER XI. - FORMATION OF THE CHURCH. FRIENDS AND OPPONENTS. - (MIDDLE TO THE END OF DEC. 1532.) - - -While the Gospel was thus manifesting its power in Geneva, the bishop -persisted in his inflexible hostility. The Genevan magistrates still -felt great regard for him. On the 13th December 1532 the council sent a -deputation to him to obtain his consent to a tax which was deemed to be -necessary: the Sieur de Chapeaurouge, the ex-captain-general Philippe, -and others appeared respectfully before him. Love of order and the -obedience due to established authority were characteristics of the -Genevese statesmen, and vexed as they were at the abuses which had their -source in the power of the bishop, they could not take upon themselves -to do anything without his consent. The bishop, flattered with these -attentions, made the deputation very welcome for a couple of days, but -on the third all his bad humour returned. When the ambassadors appeared -before him again he said hastily: 'I will grant you nothing, not a -single crown, and I will compel my lords of Geneva to ask my pardon on -their bended knees.' On the 26th December the deputation reported this -language to the council, who were annoyed at it; and while the bishop -was sending these messages to Geneva which did not advance the cause of -popery, the Reformation, on the contrary, was endeavouring in every way -to enlighten men's minds and win their hearts.[587] - -[Sidenote: PROGRESS OF THE GOSPEL.] - -Froment being in communication with Farel and the reformed of -Switzerland, received from them Testaments, tracts, and controversial -works, which his friends and he distributed all over the city, where -they were read with eagerness. Every day more persons were won over to -the evangelical faith. They were of all conditions of life. A certain -tradesman, named Guérin, a cap-maker, listened while working in his shop -to all that was said around him, and thought seriously of religion and -of the abuses of popery. One day he determined to visit the Croix d'Or, -and the words he heard there touched his heart and enlightened his mind. -Being sensible, intelligent, modest, and of decided character, he gave -himself up with all his heart to God's cause, and ere long became -Froment's helper. There were also persons of all ages among the -converts. Claude Bernard had a daughter between seven and eight years -old whom he early introduced to the knowledge of scripture. The child's -precocious understanding was struck with certain simple and clear -passages which condemned the popular superstitions; and the little -controversialist (we are told) confounded the ignorant priests. Unable -to answer her they spread a report that she was possessed of the devil. -A Frenchman of distinction, passing through Geneva, wished to see her, -and was charmed with her infantile graces and piety. - -It was soon apparent that there was something more than a new doctrine: -a moral reformation accompanied the revival of faith. In the days of her -bigoted Catholicism Claudine Levet had been very fond of dress; her -conscience now reproached her with having been unreasonable in her love -of costly attire, and more eager to ornament her body than to adorn her -soul. One day she shut herself up in that room where she had heard the -call of God, stripped off (says Froment) 'all superfluous bravery -(_braveté_), laid aside those ornaments and trappings which had only -served to show her off in a vainglorious way, as a peacock spreads his -tail,' and from that time she wore a plain and becoming dress. Having -sold her beautiful robes and other belongings, she gave the money to the -poor, particularly to the evangelicals of France, who having been -banished from their homes on account of truth had come to Geneva. All -her life she loved to receive refugees in her house. 'Verily,' they said -of her, 'verily, she follows the example of Tabitha who was called -Dorcas (Acts ix.), and deserves to be kept in perpetual remembrance.' - -Claudine did more than this: she spoke frankly and meekly of the -precious truth she had received, and 'scattered it wherever she happened -to be in the city.' The priests alarmed at such an astonishing -transformation endeavoured to bring her back to the practices of the -church; but Claudine 'showed them tenderly by scripture what was -necessary' (namely, faith and charity). All in the city were surprised -to hear her talk as she did.[588] - -[Sidenote: GENEVESE LADIES.] - -The news of her conversion made a great sensation, particularly among -the Genevese ladies. One day, when the most worldly of them had met -together, they talked of nothing but Madame Levet and her estrangement -from the mass and from amusements. They were Pernette Balthasarde, wife -of a councillor; the wife of Baudichon de la Maison neuve; the wife of -Claude Pastor, Jeanne Marie de Fernex, and many other rich and -honourable ladies.[589] 'Alas!' they said, 'how is it that she has -changed in so short a time?' They had loved her, and all the more -regretted that she was _lost_.... They vented their anger on Froment. -'She has heard that creature,' they said, 'and been bewitched by him.' -These ladies resolved that they would see her no more.[590] - -Claudine did not despair of her friends. She continued to live for God, -and all might see that a holy life, full of good works, proceeded from -her faith. The Genevan ladies, although unwilling to visit her, watched -her; and observing 'that she persevered in well-doing, and was still a -constant pattern of holy living,' they drew near her. They were curious -to know the cause of this singular change, and began to speak to her -when they met her, some even going to see her. Claudine received them -affectionately, spoke to them about that which filled her heart—this was -what her friends desired—presented them with the New Testament, and -begged them to read it and to love the Saviour. Several of these ladies -were converted, especially those whom we have named. Claudine, who was -their 'exemplar of life and charity,' pressed them to adopt a Christian -conduct. 'Put aside your great display,' she said to them, 'attire -yourselves simply and without superfluity, and give your minds to great -charities. Faith holds the first place, but after that come good works.' -From that time indeed these women showed great compassion for the -wretched. The fame of their good deeds spread abroad, and the Gospel was -honoured by them. It seemed admitted that no one could be a Christian -_unless he had some poor persecuted foreigner in his house_.[591] Such -was the Christianity of Geneva at the moment when it was beginning to -appear, and such it remained for two centuries. - -Aimé Levet, who was at first strongly opposed to Froment and the Gospel, -gradually softened down. The holiness and charity of his wife made him -appreciate the Word of God: 'thus Claudine won her husband to the -Lord.'[592] From that time she had more liberty, and the meetings at the -Croix d'Or being insufficient, little assemblies were held at her house -or at others. When there was no evangelist present capable of explaining -the Bible, they begged this pious christian woman to do it, saying: 'No -one has received from the Lord greater gifts than you.' Claudine would -then read the scripture, and set forth with simplicity the truths and -graces she had found therein. The reformers remembered the precept of -St. Paul, _Let your women keep silence in the churches_; but they added, -'This must be understood of the ordinary charge, for a case may happen -when it will be necessary for a woman to speak in public.'[593] Ere long -the modest Guérin, who studied his Bible day and night, and other -Christians likewise, took an active part in the work of evangelisation. - -[Sidenote: CHURCH IN TRANSITION.] - -The church was forming. At first there were a few souls awakened -separately here and there in Geneva; now with the element of -individuality, which is the first, was combined the element of -communion, which is not less necessary, for Christianity is a leaven -that _leaveneth the whole lump_. Those who had begun to believe -assembled to advance together in faith. Doubtless it was not yet a -church in its complete state, with all its institutions. Believers, even -without forming a church, may act upon one another, pray in common, and -celebrate the Lord's Supper together; things ordinarily begin in this -way. This state of transition, the lawfulness of which must be -acknowledged, proves that the ecclesiastical organisation, with its -ministers, elders, deacons, presbyteries, and synods, has not the first -place in Christianity, and that the pre-eminence belongs to faith and -christian sanctification. This imperfect mode of existence is -insufficient: it has many deficiencies, and is exposed to many dangers. -The church should be formed. Somewhat later, under Calvin, it attained -indeed its complete form in Geneva. It would be foolish to deny man the -right of being at first a child; but it would be no less so to refuse -him the right and duty of becoming a man. - -Just at this time the evangelicals received an unexpected help. A -Franciscan coming from abroad began to preach the Advent sermons in the -Rive church, and this monk, Christopher Bocquet by name, happened to -have some inclination for the Gospel. Being invited to preach in a city -where two parties were at war, he abstained from both superstitions and -abuse—frequent themes with many catholic preachers—but at the same time -he abstained from certain distinctive doctrines of the Reformation which -he did not quite understand, and keeping to a certain common ground of -Christianity, he delivered 'moderate' sermons.[594] Dressed in his brown -frock, and with the cord round his waist, and humbly bending his head, -he entered the Cordeliers' church, went up into the pulpit, and -contemplating the mixed crowd before him, proclaimed to all a Saviour -who had come not in magnificent array, but in gracious love, and called -upon every heart to rejoice at his sight. The evangelicals were edified, -and the number of persons frequenting the church increased every day. -But Friar Christopher 'had hardly finished his sermon,' when the -huguenots hurried away to Froment's meeting-place, where _the trumpet -gave no uncertain sound_. They were not the only persons who went -thither. Many catholics having heard the reformers say that the monk and -the schoolmaster preached fundamentally the same things, followed the -crowd going to the Croix d'Or, and some of them took a liking for what -they heard. - -Thus the people were more and more enlightened. The evangelicals met -sometimes at one house, sometimes at another; they read and discussed -the little tracts that were sent them, but above all applied themselves -to Holy Scripture. It was there only that these simple Christians were -willing to seek the light which their consciences needed. 'Let us -specially study the sacred writings,' they said, 'in order that we may -distinguish in religion what comes from God, from that which men have -added to it.'[595] The Genevans retired from these meetings strengthened -and full of joy, and their love for the Word of God continued to -increase. - -If the Reformation met with faithful adherents in Geneva, it also -encountered resolute adversaries. The astonished and bewildered priests -seemed to sleep. Contenting themselves with a war of trifles, they made -no active and combined opposition to the evangelical movement. It was -the laity who uttered the cry of alarm. Angry at the inactivity of the -clergy, they gave the signal of a 'holy war' destined in their opinion -to expel the infidels from their well-beloved Zion. Thomas Moine[596] -was at their head—a decided, impetuous man, a fluent speaker, and one -who had attained great consideration in the Romish party; he complained -that they had permitted the enemy to establish himself little by little -in the ancient episcopal city. He said that it was time to wake up, and -reproached the Genevese ecclesiastics for their cowardice. Moine did not -speak in vain. - -[Sidenote: SERMON AT THE MADELEINE.] - -The vicar of La Madeleine touched by his words, determined to exalt the -honour of his church and corporation, and gave notice that he would -preach against the heretical schoolmaster and the foreign preacher. The -large area was soon filled with fervent catholics, among whom were some -of the reformed, in particular Chautemps, Claude Bernard, Salomon, and -Perrin. The vicar praised the catholic apostolic Roman Church, extolled -its head, who was (he said) the representative of God, and defended its -worship and institutions. Then having praised the fold, he described the -'wolves' that prowled around it to devour the sheep. He accused Froment -of ignorance and falsehood, and conjured his hearers not to throw -themselves into the paws of wild beasts, thieves, and robbers.... - -On leaving the church the four huguenots who had heard him met to -inquire what was to be done. These men who at the first moment had, like -the others, given so bad a reception to the schoolmaster, had been -touched (three of them at least) by the simple preaching of the Gospel. -The Bible, as we have seen, had become their court of appeal, which -grieved the priests, who dared not deny the divinity of the book, but as -they had never studied it, were much embarrassed to find the proof of -their dogmas in it. After some deliberation Chautemps and his friends -waited upon the vicar. 'Froment,' they said, 'is a good and learned man; -you say that he has lied; prove it by Scripture?' The vicar having -consented, the huguenots demanded that the discussion should take place -in public, so that all might profit by it; but the priest desired it to -be held at the parsonage. The champions of the Reformation gave way, and -arrangements were made for the disputation to take place on the last day -of the year. The poor priest (Claude Pelliez by name) was greatly -embarrassed: he retired to his room, took up the Vulgate, which he did -not often open, and began to look for passages to oppose to the reformed -doctrines; but he searched in vain, he could find none. - -[Sidenote: A CONTROVERSY.] - -In the afternoon of the 31st December, St. Sylvester's day, Chautemps, -Bernard, Perrin, and Salomon went to the parsonage of the Madeleine, -wearing their swords as was customary. Some priests whom the curate had -invited were already there, but they had to wait for the champion of -Romanism who had not yet been able to find a single text. The four -huguenots took off their belts, threw their swords on the bed, and -sitting round the table with the priests, began to talk familiarly -together. At last the vicar, who had had some trouble to tear himself -away from his folios, in which he still hoped to find something, -appeared with a bulky volume under his arm. The huguenots rose as he -entered; beneath the table at which they were sitting stood some -wine-bottles which they and the priests had emptied while waiting for -him, and which Perrin had paid for. The conference now began. The vicar -opened his big volume, in which some strips of paper indicated the -places he thought favourable to him, and read a long extract opposed to -Froment's doctrine. 'What book is that,' asked Perrin; 'it is not a -Bible.' The huguenots added, 'You have not been able to find in the -Bible one word with which to answer Froment;' and laughed at him. 'What -is that you say,' retorted the priest, reddening with anger; 'it is the -_Postillæ perpetuæ in Biblia_ of the illustrious Nicholas Lyra!'—'But -you promised to refute Froment out of Scripture,'—Lyra,' said the -priest, 'is the most approved interpreter.' The huguenots were -determined not to accept the commentaries of man as if they were the -very Word of God. The Bible incorruptible and infallible, before which -all human systems must fall, was the only authority. 'Lyra is not a good -doctor,' said Perrin.—'Yes!'—'No!'—'Yes!'—'You do not keep your word.' -Perrin had understanding rather than real piety: he was a lamp, but it -had no oil. Haughty, violent, and headstrong, he wanted everything to -bend before him, and so did the vicar. The quarrel grew hot, and instead -of discussing they abused each other. Then one of the churchmen having -left the room stealthily, a band of priests suddenly entered with one De -la Roche at their head, who carried a naked sword which he pointed in -front of him. 'What!' said Claude Bernard, 'we came in good faith, we -four only, to your house to discuss; we have drunk with your friends, we -have thrown our swords on the bed ... and you traitorously send for an -armed band of priests. It is a trap.' With these words the four citizens -grasped their swords, made a way through their opponents, got out into -the street, and held their ground, ready to defend themselves. One of -the priests ran to the belfry of the Madeleine and began to ring the -tocsin.[597] Thus ended the first theological dispute at Geneva. - -[Sidenote: TUMULT AT THE MADELEINE.] - -It was about noon—a time favourable for a riot. On hearing the church -bell the city was thrown into commotion, and everybody hurried to the -spot. It was said that the huguenots desired to get possession of the -building so that the schoolmaster might preach in it. Priests came -forward with their adherents to defend the sanctuary; huguenots took up -arms to protect their brethren hemmed in in front of the church. 'Alas!' -said the friends of peace, 'the priests are ringing the tocsin, and thus -exciting the citizens to kill one another.' The four huguenots, with -drawn swords and their backs to the wall, prepared to give the churchmen -a warm reception; while their friends, as they arrived, drew up by their -side. The tumult was general. 'Let us close in to the church,' said the -priests, who wished to surround it to prevent the evangelicals from -entering. Huguenots and catholics hastened from every quarter to the -Madeleine. Terror seized the most timid. The poor ladies of St. Claire, -who were at dinner, hearing the noise, rose from the table in alarm, and -exclaiming, 'Alas! they have threatened to marry us ... they are going -to put their abominable plot into execution,' made a procession round -their church and garden with great devotion and many tears.[598] - -Just at this time the council broke up, and two of the syndics, Ramel -and Savoie, who were going home, had to pass through the midst of the -riot. The two parties were on the point of coming to blows. The syndics -advanced, checked the combatants by interposing their official staves, -and ordered them to lay down their arms, which was done. 'There was -neither violence nor bloodshed.'[599] - -But all was not ended. Some members of the chapter and several priests, -hearing that a fight was going on at the Madeleine, had collected in the -Rue des Chanoines, where William Canal, incumbent of St. Germain's, -harangued them. The catholic faith is threatened, the throne of the pope -is shaken, the great honour due to Mary is endangered.... We must fall -upon those who impugn it, and free the city from their persons and their -errors. Such was the sum of his discourse. - -The tumult being quieted round the church,[600] the lieutenant of -justice (Châteauneuf) had turned towards the Rue des Chanoines, where he -had been told that the priests were in commotion. Finding them -determined to follow Canal sword in hand to the Madeleine, he commanded -them to stop. The priest of St. Germain's, unwilling to submit to the -orders of a civil magistrate, rushed hastily towards the church. -Châteauneuf laid his hand upon him, when the rebellious parson turned -round and levelled his arquebuse at that officer; but a friendly arm -prevented his firing. Canal ran off, and the other priests -dispersed.[601] - -[Sidenote: FROMENT DESIRED NOT TO PREACH.] - -The council reassembled in the evening. Each opinion was represented in -that body, which halted between two opinions. After a riot like that -which had just occurred, it was necessary to take certain precautions, -especially as the morrow was New Year's day, and at such times men's -minds are more easily excited. The council summoned the principal -friends of the reform, and Froment also was invited, although the -Registers make no mention of his presence. 'We exhort you,' said the -syndics, 'to make Anthony Froment cease from disputing and preaching, as -well as the others who teach in private houses; and we conjure you to -live as your fathers did.' No one would make any promise; on the -contrary, the reformed withdrew, saying, 'We will hear the Word of God -wherever we can: nobody has a right to hide it.' Then turning to -Froment, they begged him not to be silent under such prohibition.[602] -'We are constrained,' they said, 'to hear the schoolmaster and his -friends, because the decree of the council ordering the Word of God to -be preached in every parish has not been observed.' The reformed, while -desiring before all things to obey God, put themselves in the right: -they appealed to lawful ordinances, and this was the ground which they -intended keeping. - -The council, acknowledging that this position of the evangelicals was -impregnable, sent for the Abbot of Bonmont, the vicar-episcopal, and -begged him to detain at Geneva the cordelier who had preached the Advent -so well, and to press the Dominicans also to provide a preacher -calculated to edify their congregation. They required further that there -should be true preachers of the Word of God in every parish. The -vicar-episcopal, being a peaceful man, promised everything, even to -punishing Canal the priest. - -The tumult was appeased, but great agitation still reigned in men's -minds. Some saw that the storm was over, others that it might easily -break out again. As it was St. Sylvester's eve, there were numerous -meetings throughout the city, catholics and huguenots being equally -excited, and both waiting anxiously for the morrow.[603] - -[587] Council Registers, 13 and 26 Dec.; Gautier MS. - -[588] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 18. - -[589] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 18. - -[590] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 17. - -[591] Froment, _Gestes_, pp. 16-18; Roset, _Chron._ liv. x. ch. ii. - -[592] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 17. - -[593] Calvin, 1 Cor. xiv. 34. - -[594] 'Moderatas ad populum conciones habebat.'—Spanheim, _Geneva -restit._ p. 48. - -[595] MS. erroneously ascribed to Bouivard in Berne library, _Hist. -Helv._ V. 12. - -[596] He signed his name _Mohennos_, which was pronounced _Moine_—the -spelling of the public registers. - -[597] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 49. - -[598] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 49. - -[599] Council Registers, _ad diem_. - -[600] 'Ab invasione per eos cœpta.'—Council Registers of 31 Dec. 1532. - -[601] Roset, _Chron._ liv. ii. ch. iv. - -[602] Berne MS. ascribed to Bonivard. - -[603] Council Registers. Roset, _Chron._ liv. ii. ch. iv. - - - - - CHAPTER XII. - THE SERMON AT THE MOLARD. - (NEW YEAR'S DAY, 1533.) - - -For nearly twenty years liberty had been clearing the ground on which -the Gospel was to raise its temple. For nearly eight years a few pious -voices had spoken of the doctrine of salvation in private conversations -and meetings; but the Reformation had not yet been preached in the face -of the people. The hour that was to make it a public and notorious thing -was about to strike; the world was about to witness the birth of the -principles of that moral power which for two centuries, whatever may -have been the meanness of its origin, has influenced the destinies of -christendom; which, fanning the flame, that is to say, inspiring the -friends of the Reformation with heavenly courage, has waged heroic -battles against the Jesuits and the inquisition, and preserved the -Gospel and liberty from dangerous assaults. Geneva was about to hear the -voice of a protestant. - -[Sidenote: A NEW YEAR.] - -The last night of the year 1532 had passed away, and first of 1533 was -beginning. In every house relations and friends were greeting the new -year, which the reformed hoped would be better than all that had gone -before. The family congratulations being over, they went to church. -Bocquet was again preaching at the Gray Friar's monastery, where many -evangelicals attended; but the monk had hardly finished, when numbers of -his hearers quitted the chapel and hurried eagerly along the Rue de Rive -to the Croix d'Or. There were many curious persons among them, who, -knowing that the council had prohibited Froment's preaching, were all -the more desirous of hearing him. In a moment the hall was filled, then -the stairs and passage ... and at last the street in front of the house. -Froment arrived with a few friends, and seeing the crowd, observed: 'The -streets are so full, that it is quite a crush.' He tried however to make -his way through the mass, and his friends assisted him; but do what he -would, all his exertions were ineffectual. - -Was all this unforeseen, or was it premeditated by some of the -huguenots? Were these energetic men determined at last to bring the -evangelist from his narrow schoolroom and force him to preach in public? -Is there not some truth in Sister Jeanne's statement that, on the -evening before, they had desired to make him preach in the large area of -the Madeleine? And may we not believe, that as they did not succeed -then, they now desired to compensate themselves by taking a still larger -space and making the reformer preach in the open air? These suppositions -appear probable, but there is no decided evidence in their favour. At -all events, the crowd recognized Froment, and saw that he could not -reach the usual place of his ministrations. Those who were in the street -perceived that if the evangelist succeeded in entering the Croix d'Or, -they would be left outside, which was not agreeable to them. One man -shouted out: 'To the Molard,' and in a short time the cry became -general: 'To the Molard, to the Molard.'[604] - -[Sidenote: FROMENT AT THE MOLARD.] - -The Molard was situated in the most populous quarter of the city, near -the lake and the Rhone. It was a large square, about 200 yards from the -Croix d'Or. Froment hesitated, but the crowd, getting into motion, -carried him along with them towards the south-west corner of the square, -where the fish market is still held. The fishwomen were there with their -fresh wares displayed on their stalls. The huguenots, finding no other -pulpit, took one of these stalls, and invited Froment to get on it. He -was determined, like his master Farel, to preach the truth in every -place. - -As soon as his head appeared above the others, the multitude that filled -the square manifested their delight, and those around him shouted louder -than ever: 'Preach to us, preach the Word of God to us.' Froment, who -was moved, answered with a loud voice: 'It is also the word that shall -endure for ever.' The tumult was so great that the preacher could not -make himself heard: 'He made a sign to them with his hand to keep -silence, and they were still.'[605] 'Pray to God with me,' he said, and -then getting off the stall, he knelt upon the ground. He was agitated: -the tears flowed down his cheeks;[606] a deep silence prevailed in that -square which was so often in those days the scene of tumultuous -movements. Some knelt, others remained standing; all heads were -uncovered, and even those who were strangers to the Gospel, appeared -thoughtful. Froment joined his hands, lifted his eyes to heaven, and -speaking so distinctly that all could hear him, he said:[607] - -[Sidenote: PRAYER AT THE MOLARD.] - -'Eternal God, father of all mercies, thou hast promised thy children to -give them whatsoever they shall ask in faith, and wilt refuse them -nothing that is reasonable and just; and hast always heard the prayers -of thy servants, who are oppressed in divers manners. Thou knowest now -what is the need of this people better than they or I do.... This need -is principally to hear thy Word. It is true we have been ungrateful in -not acknowledging thee as our only Father, and thine own son Jesus -Christ, whom thou hast sent to die for us, in order to be our only -Saviour and intercessor. But, Lord, thou hast promised us that -whensoever the poor sinner draws near thee, by reason of thy Son, born -of the Virgin Mary, thou wilt hear him. We know and even are assured -that thou desirest not the death and destruction of sinners, but that -they should be converted and live.... Thou desirest that they should not -remain under the great tyranny of Antichrist, and under the hand of the -devil and his servants, who are continually fighting against thy holy -Word and destroying thy work.... Our Father! look down upon thy poor -blind people, led by the blind, so that they both fall into the ditch, -and can only be lifted out by thy mercy.... Lift them out by thy Holy -Spirit, open their eyes, their ears, their understandings, their hearts, -in order that, confessing their sins, they may look to the goodness of -thy Son whom thou hast given to die for them. And since it hath pleased -thee, Lord, to send me to them, give both them and me the infinite grace -that by thy Holy Spirit they may receive what thou shalt put into the -mouth of thy servant, who is unworthy to be the bearer of so great a -message. But as it hath pleased thee to choose me from among the weak -things of the world, give me strength and wisdom so that thy power may -be manifested ... not only in this city but in all the world. How can -thy servant stand in the presence of such a multitude of adversaries, -unless thou art pleased to strengthen him? Show, then, that thy power is -greater than Satan's, and that thy strength is not like man's strength.' -Froment concluded with the Lord's prayer. - -[Sidenote: SERMON AT THE MOLARD.] - -The people were touched: they had often heard the mechanical prayers of -the priests, but not a prayer of the heart. They acknowledged that the -reformers were certainly not partisans, but Christians who desired the -salvation of all men. The evangelist rose and stood once more upon the -stall, which was about to become the first pulpit of the Reformation in -Geneva. He had heard of the proceedings of the vicars of the Madeleine -and St. Germain's, and was moved by the furious opposition of the -priests to the preaching of the Gospel. He had their swords and -arquebuses still before his eyes, and resolved to oppose them with the -sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It was necessary to lead -the Genevans away from the teachers who deceived them and direct them to -Scripture; it was necessary to break with the papacy. All eyes were -fixed on him: they saw him take a book—it was the Gospel. He opened it -at the seventh chapter of Matthew and read these words: _Beware of false -prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are -ravening wolves: by their fruits ye shall know them_. Then fixing his -eyes on his numerous audience, Froment began by expressing his faith in -the mysteries of God: 'Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, very God and -very Man, conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary, -knowing the things that were to happen, foresaw that false prophets -would come, not with hideous faces, but with the most pleasing exterior -in the world, under the colour of holiness, and in _sheep's clothing_, -so that the children of God might be deceived. For this cause he -exhorted his disciples to be _wise as serpents and harmless as doves_. -Our God does not desire to have a foolish, giddy people, but a people -endowed with great wisdom, who can distinguish between the doctrine of -God and the doctrine of man. They who do not know it go astray, and are -like swine which cannot discern good things from bad, and swallow -everything indiscriminately.... Ah! if the serpent, which is but a -brute, is so wise in his generation, if he shuts his ears so as not to -hear the voice of the charmer, if he casts off his old skin when the -time for doing so has come, shall we not fear to follow the -cunningly-devised doctrines of men? Shall we not cast off our old skin -to put on a new one? Yes, we must put off our old nature which is sin, -Satan, idolatry, impurity, robbery, hypocrisy, pride, avarice, and false -doctrine, and put on the new man, which is Christ.... It would be of no -use to hear the Word of the Gospel if we did not change our wicked -intentions, and to distinguish the false teachers if we did not avoid -them. What! if we recognized venomous beasts should we live among them? -If we saw a dish of poison should we not beware of eating it? - -'But Christ desires us further to be _harmless as doves_. Not with the -simplicity of monastic hypocrisy or bigotry, but with simplicity of -heart, without gall, lovely as that of doves.... If we walk in such -simplicity we shall overcome all our enemies, as Jesus Christ overcame -his enemies by his meekness.... Let us not begin fighting, killing, and -burning as tyrants do. The child of God has no other sword of defence -than the Word of God; but that is a two-edged sword, piercing even to -the marrow.' - -Everybody understood Froment's allusion, and many, as they thought of -the riot of the evening before, looked and smiled at each other. But -while these words, delivered with energy, were stirring the crowd -assembled in the Molard, there was still greater agitation in the rest -of the city. The priests were irritated; they had tried to shut -Froment's schoolroom, and now he was preaching in the great square. They -went from one to another and excited the laity. 'The Lutherans,' they -said, 'have taken their _idol_ to the Molard to make him preach there.' -The vicar-episcopal being instructed by them, apprised the syndics, who -sent for the chief usher (_grand sautier_) Falquet, and ordered him to -stop the preaching. That officer immediately went down to the Molard, -the sergeants cleared a way through the crowd, and going up to Froment, -who was then speaking with great boldness, he stretched out his staff -towards him and said, 'In the name of my lords I command you to cease -preaching.' - -Froment stopped, and turning to the chief usher answered him in a loud -voice, '_We ought to obey God rather than man_. God commands me to -preach His word, you forbid it; I am therefore not bound to obey you.' -The presence of the public force caused, however, some little sensation -in the audience. The evangelist noticing it turned to the people and -said, 'Do not be disturbed, my friends, but listen to what our Lord -says—that we must beware of false prophets.' Silence was restored, -everyone became calm, and Falquet, finding the evangelist was determined -to preach, thought it the safest plan to refer to his masters, and -withdrew with his officers. Froment then continued his discourse: 'In -order to be on our guard against false prophets, we must know what they -are, what is their doctrine and life, and with what they are clothed. -When they have been described to you in their natural colours, you will -avoid their teaching and their life as more deadly than the plague. The -plagues with which God has visited you heretofore[608] only touched you -outwardly; but this, more venomous than all the other poisons of the -earth, infects the soul, kills it, and casts it into perdition. With -this plague we and our fathers have been infected for nearly a thousand -years. Not that it came upon us suddenly, and in villanous and deformed -appearance; no, it came gradually, under the colour of holiness and in -sheep's clothing, these ravening wolves having even some good -intentions. But although Jesus Christ had warned us of their coming, and -had pointed them out to us, we have been blinded and led by the nose to -the ditch of deceit like cattle to water.... The son of perdition, who -sitting in the temple of God is worshipped as God—him you worship and -keep his commandments. Oh! what a fine master you serve, and what -prophets you have! Do you know them? Not to keep you in suspense I -declare openly that I am speaking of the pope, and that the false -prophets of whom I bid you beware are the priests, monks, and all the -rest of his train. - -'But some of you, who yourselves belong to that band, will say: "It is -you that are the false prophets! Our law is old, and yours is but of -yesterday, and brings confusion among the people of every country. While -our friends reigned, we enjoyed so much good, so many happy years, that -it was quite marvellous; but since you have come to preach this new law -there have been wars, famines, pestilences, divisions, strifes, and -ill-will. Certainly you are not from God." - -'Well, let us examine this statement; let us find out who are these -false prophets—we or your priests?... In order to discriminate in such a -matter the two parties ought to have a competent judge, who is no -acceptor of persons, and that the parties should not be judges in their -own cause. For if, in civil causes, we need good judges, good pleadings, -good witnesses, good reasons, and letters patent, how much more so in -the things of God!... We shall take, therefore, a competent judge, and -shall produce witnesses, documents, and ancient customs for the defence -of our right.' - -Curiosity was excited; the hearers asked each other what was the judge's -name. Hitherto the pope had been appealed to as sole judge of -controversies: who was Froment going to put in his place? - -'In the first place,' he continued, 'the judge shall be—God. Yes, God -who judges with righteous judgment, not regarding either rich or poor, -wise or foolish, and who gives right to whom it belongs;—the judge shall -be His true Son Jesus Christ, attended by His good and lawful witnesses -the prophets and apostles; and here,' said he, holding up the New -Testament, and showing it to the people, 'here are the sealed letters, -signed with the precious blood of our Lord, and the cloud of martyrs who -were put to death in order to bear this testimony. What read we there? - -'Firstly, the Lord condemns the Pharisees as _blind leaders_. Now, do -you not think that yours (the Romish priests) are condemned by him?... -Those who call themselves saints through their own merits, the only -saints of the church, and who wish to lead you by their bulls, pardons, -auricular confessions, masses, and other tricks or manœuvres which they -have invented out of their own heads ... which the Pharisees never dared -do. - -'Moreover, the Lord in St. Matthew bears this testimony: There shall -arise false prophets in the latter days who will say unto you, _Lo, here -is Christ or there_![609] Do they not tell you that Christ is there ... -in the inner part of the holy house, hidden in the farthest place, _in a -vessel_? Do not believe them. The true Christ is he who hath ransomed us -with his blood. Seek him by a real faith at the right hand of the -Father, and not in a house, in a cupboard, in the pyx ... as your new -redeemers and high-priests do. - -'And what says Jesus Christ to-day for the fuller identification of the -false prophets? He not only says that they come in sheep's clothing, but -that _they walk in long robes, devour widows' houses, and for a show -make long prayers_.[610] The Lord does not forbid wearing long robes for -the necessities of the body, but the hypocritical superstitions -connected with them, the wearers esteeming themselves holier than the -laity, by being dressed, shaven, and shorn differently from us.... Yes, -by such means they have devoured widows; I do not mean to say that they -eat women; it is a manner of speaking, as we say of tyrants that they -devour their people, and of lawyers that they devour their clients, that -is to say, their substance; and not that they eat men's flesh, as the -cannibals do. _They break their bones_ (to get at the marrow), says a -prophet, _and eat the flesh of my people, as flesh within the -caldron_.[611] - -'Look now, O people, I pray you, and judge for yourselves. Tell us who -are those who wear such clothing, such _long robes_, who _devour -widows_, making long prayers for show.... You know very well it is not -us, for we are dressed like other people; but if your priests were to -dress like us they would be apostate and excommunicate. - -'Nay more, we do not lead poor people to understand that they ought to -bring us a portion of their goods, and that then we will save them; that -praying for them and the dead, we will bring them out of purgatory.... -But your priests do so, and under such pretexts they have dragged into -their paws almost all the riches of the earth; and not a word must be -said about it ... for whosoever speaks of it will suddenly be put to -death, or be excommunicated, or called heretic and Lutheran. - -'Ah! Jesus Christ, St. Paul, and the other apostles paint them so truly -to the life that there is no one so blind or stupid as not to recognise -them easily, except those who are afraid of losing their soup-tickets. -The Holy Scriptures call them wells without water, anti-christs, -despisers of the Lord, and say that they _give heed to doctrines of -devils, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats which -God hath created to be received with thankfulness of them which -believe_.'[612] - -While Froment was thus haranguing the people in the Molard, the -magistrates assembled in the hotel-de-ville learnt from the chief usher -that the sermon was still going on. The syndics were exasperated. The -canons and priests argued that as the civil power was helpless, they -ought to take the matter into their own hands, and, grasping their arms, -prepared to descend. At the same time, the council being resolved to -make an example, ordered the preachers to be apprehended wherever they -were found; and consequently the lieutenant of police, the -procurator-fiscal, with sergeants, soldiers, and priests, marched in a -large body to the Molard, angry and indignant at the evangelist's -boldness, and determined to throw him into prison. If Farel had been -placed beyond their reach, Froment at least should not escape. While -this excited band was descending the Perron with deadly intentions, -Froment, who either had no suspicion, or did not care about it, was -continuing his discourse to the people of Geneva. - -'There are many other passages of scripture,' he said, 'which might be -brought forward for a stronger proof; but these must suffice to put you -in a position to judge whether we or your pastors are false prophets. -There is none among you who does not know that we do not forbid marriage -or meats; that we declare marriage holy, ordained from the beginning of -the world to all such as have not the gift of continence, without any -distinction of persons. But the pope does otherwise, and says that he -who hath not a lawful wife may keep a concubine (_Distinctio_ xxxiv. -cap. xvi. _Qui non habet uxorem, loco illius concubinam habere potest_); -for, he adds, I desire that they be holy.... Verily a wonderful holiness -is that!... I make you all judges. You have long known them better than -I have. - -'As for meats, we leave every man free, as our Lord has done, exhorting -the people to use them profitably, without excess or superfluity, giving -thanks to God.... But these do the very opposite. Although Christ was -sent by the Father to teach us the truth, they bring us lies, dreams, -false doctrines, prohibitions of marriage and of meats, and all sorts of -nonsense, as if they were holy things.'... - -[Sidenote: THE SERMON INTERRUPTED.] - -At this moment a confused noise was heard. Claude Bernard, whose eyes -and ears were on the watch, perceived a band of armed men entering the -square. The lieutenant of the city, the procurator-fiscal, the soldiers -and the armed priests, exasperated and impatient, were occupying the -Molard. Bernard saw that resistance would be dangerous and useless; -besides the Reformation must not be established in Geneva by violence, -it must make its way by conviction. There was not a moment to be lost; -every one knew what would be the fate of the evangelist if he were -taken.... He must be saved. Bernard therefore sprang from his place and -rushed 'in great excitement' towards Froment, shouting to him at the top -of his voice:[613] 'Here are all the priests in arms ... the -procurator-fiscal and the lieutenant of the city are with them.... For -the honour of God descend, get off the stall, and let us save your -life!... Make your escape!' Froment would not come down: they entreated -him in vain; his heart burnt within him, for he perceived that his -discourse was stirring their souls.... How could he forsake his work at -such a decisive moment? But the priests and arquebusiers were coming -nearer; Some of the huguenots were already grasping their swords and -preparing to resist the sacerdotal gang. There would have been bloodshed -and death. 'Pray, for God's honour, let us avoid the spilling of blood,' -exclaimed Bernard. Froment could not resist these words. Some of his -friends caught hold of him, lifted him off the stall and dragged him -away. They took him through a narrow private passage, and by this means -reached Jean Chautemps' house. The door opened and the evangelist was -put into a secret hiding-place. The priests and soldiers vainly -endeavoured to reach him; the mass of hearers was between them and him. -The lieutenant ordered the people 'under heavy penalties' to retire; and -when the preacher was in safety, the assembly dispersed. The magistrates -and priests returned angry and disappointed to report this second -failure to the syndics. The Word had not been sown in vain; many of the -hearers found that they had received a glorious new year's gift. Such -was the first day of the year 1533 at Geneva. - -[Sidenote: FROMENT IN HIDING.] - -All the priests and their followers had not returned to the hotel de -ville. Froment had disappeared, but he could not be far off. Some of -them prowled about the adjacent streets, trying to discover the -reformer's hiding place. At last one of them found it out. Chautemps was -known to be a decided evangelist, and they called to mind that Olivetan -had lived in his house. Several catholics stationed themselves under his -windows, and when the night came, they began to make an uproar. This -alarmed Froment's friends; and going to his hiding place they told him -that 'he must move to the house of another citizen.' They went out by a -back-door, and, owing to the darkness, he was conducted without being -recognised to the house of the energetic Perrin, who was more dreaded -than the honest Chautemps. Ere long, however, the priests and their -adherents followed him there: 'Ami Perrin,' they shouted, 'we will pull -down your house and burn you in it if you do not send the Lutheran -away.' Perrin made use of stratagem: going out to the riotous catholics, -he said: 'We have liberty to keep an honest servant in our houses -without impediment from anybody.' He then said to Froment: 'You are my -servant, I engage you as such, and you shall work for me.' At the same -time a few of Perrin's friends, stanch huguenots, came up the street, -presenting such a threatening front to the priests, that they were -forced to retire. The syndics determined to convoke the great council on -the morrow.[614] - -The circumstances were serious: the new doctrine had been preached -publicly, and Froment's bold address had made an impression, especially -on the huguenots. They had discovered that the surest means of -guaranteeing their political emancipation was to establish a religious -reformation. At the Molard, liberty and the Gospel had shaken hands. The -catholics asked whether the pope's sovereignty was about to fall to the -ground. The various parties grew warm, abused each other, and lively -discussions took place between them. The politicians maintained that if -the city was divided on such all-important matters, their -irreconcileable enemy Savoy would plant his white cross on the walls he -had coveted so long. Certain laymen, full of confidence in their own -ability, doubted whether strangers and madmen (_follateurs_) should be -permitted to vent their nonsense everywhere?... The priests spoke the -loudest: they asked the Genevans if they would forsake the faith of -their ancestors; if the catholic and apostolic religion, attacked, -overthrown, and annihilated, was to give place to a new doctrine that -would bring down the ruin of Geneva. The huguenots replied that if the -religion announced by the reformers was not that of the pope, the -schoolmen, the councils, and perhaps even of the Fathers, it was at -least that of the apostles and Jesus Christ, and consequently was older -than that of Rome. They represented that as the papal government was -nothing else than despotism in the church, it could produce nothing but -despotism in the state. The two parties became more distinct every day. -The syndics and councillors, wishing to restore concord, went from one -to another, trying to calm down the more violent; but it was a very hard -task. - -[Sidenote: THE COUNCIL MEETS.] - -On the 2nd of January, when the council of Two Hundred met, the premier -syndic proposed, 'that it should be forbidden to preach in private -houses or in public places without the permission of the syndics or the -vicar-episcopal,—and that all who knew of preachers guilty of infringing -this law should be bound to inform against them, under penalty of _three -stripes with the rope_.' At these words the huguenots exclaimed, 'We -demand the Holy Scriptures;' to which the friends of the priests -replied, 'We desire that sect to be utterly extirpated.' The council -thought to restore harmony between everybody by carrying a resolution -that Bocquet the gray friar should preach until next Lent.[615] - -The premier syndic, who was distressed at the strife and hatred by which -the citizens were divided, proposed that 'all men, citizens, and -inhabitants, should forgive one another.' The Genevans, who were prompt -to anger, were equally prompt to reconciliation. 'Yes, yes,' they -exclaimed, as they lifted up their hands, 'We desire to love those who -are of a contrary opinion.' And soon bands of men might be seen parading -the streets, in which persons of the most opposite opinions held one -another affectionately by the arm.[616] - -Meantime Froment remained in Perrin's house and wove ribbons, 'otherwise -he could not have stayed there,' as he informs us. Whilst seated in -silence at the loom, passing the shuttle to and fro, he deliberated -whether he should remain in hiding or again openly proclaim the Gospel? -Having made up his mind to go from house to house to strengthen those -who had believed, he went out and knocked at certain doors; a few of his -friends, armed with stout sticks, followed him at a distance, without -his knowledge, to prevent his being insulted. One day, however, a vulgar -woman abusing him roundly, Jean Favre, a violent huguenot, and his -body-guard, went up and gave her 'a sound slap on the face.' Froment -turned round, distressed at his friend's hastiness: 'It is not by -violence,' said he, 'that we shall gain friends, but by gentleness and -friendship.' - -[Sidenote: ATTACK ON FROMENT.] - -Another time Froment was crossing the Rhone bridge to go to Aimé -Levet's.[617] It was a holiday, and the priests at the head of a -procession were advancing on one end of the bridge as Froment arrived at -the other. They were carrying crosses and relics, mumbling prayers and -invoking the saints: _Sancte Petre_, chanted some; _Sancte Paule_, -chanted others. Froment, being taken by surprise and embarrassed, -determined to be moderate, and not to throw the saints into the river as -Farel had done at Montbeliard. He therefore stood still, but did not bow -to the images. When they saw this, the priests left off chanting and -began to shout: 'Fall on him!... fall on the dog!... to the Rhone with -him!' The devout women who followed them, breaking their ranks, rushed -upon the reformer; one caught him by the arm, another by the dress, -while a third pushed him from behind: 'To the Rhone' with him they -cried, and endeavoured to throw him into the river. But his body-guard, -consisting of John Humbert and some other huguenots, who were a little -way off, ran up and rescued Froment from the hands of these furies. Upon -this the women, priests, and sacristans, seeing that the Lutherans had -saved their _idol_, shouted still louder than before. A tumultuous crowd -filled the bridge. The huguenots, wishing to put Froment in a place of -safety, hurriedly thrust him into Levet's house, which was situated at -the corner of the bridge.[618] The populace, excited by the clergy, -instantly besieged the house: they flung stones at the windows, threw -mud into the shop, and at last rushed in and scattered the drugs and -bottles upon the floor. Levet was an apothecary—a profession much -esteemed. The huguenots, having put Froment in safety in a secret -chamber, went out and assisted by a few friends drove the priests, -women, and rioters from the bridge. - -At night Froment left his hiding-place and returned to Perrin's, where -he assembled a few friends and told them that he thought it was his duty -to leave the city on account of these 'raging tempests.' Chautemps, -Perrin, Levet, and Guerin were much distressed, but they confessed that -the violence of his enemies rendered the evangelist's longer stay in -Geneva useless. Claude Magnin offered to accompany him, and when the -night came Froment bade his brethren farewell. Proceeding cautiously, he -quitted the city, crossed the Pays de Vaud, and arrived at the village -of Yvonand, where he rested from his Genevese battles. - -Froment was not one of those eminent men who play a part because of -their great character, and whose influence is continually on the -increase. His ministry at Geneva during part of the winter 1532-33 was -the heroic period of his life, after which he seldom appears but in the -second or third rank: he was eclipsed by teachers who were superior to -him. In the briefness of his ministry he resembles those heavenly bodies -which attract all eyes for a few weeks, and then disappear; but he -resembles them also by the influence which the people ascribe to their -ephemeral passage. Froment's stay in Geneva shook the Romish traditions, -secured the Holy Scriptures from oblivion, began to shed a few rays of -light in the city, and laid the first foundations of the Church. Ere -long the Word of God was carried thither in greater fulness by Farel and -Calvin: the sun poured out all its light, and a solid majestic edifice -was built on the foundations laid by the poor schoolmaster. - -[604] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 22. - -[605] Ibid. - -[606] Ibid. - -[607] These particulars, this prayer, and the first sermon that followed -it have been recorded by Froment himself in his _Gestes de Genève_ -published by M. Revillod, pp. 22-42. - -[608] The plague was then pretty frequent at Geneva. - -[609] Matth. xxiv. 23. - -[610] Matth. xxiii. 14; Mark xii. 38; Luke xx. 46. - -[611] Micah iii. 3. - -[612] 1 Timothy iv. 1-3. - -[613] 'Anhelo pulmone, in effusissimam vocem laxato.'—Spanheim, _Geneva -restit._ p. 52. - -[614] Froment, _Gestes_, pp. 43, 44. La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, -&c. p. 50. - -[615] Council Registers, 2 Jan. 1533; Gautier MS. Roset MS. _Chron._ -liv. ii. ch. v. La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Hérésie de Genève_, p. 50. - -[616] Council Registers, 2 Jan. 1533; Gautier MS. Roset MS. _Chron._ -liv. ii. ch. v. La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Hérésie de Genève_, p. 50. - -[617] 'In Leveti ædes, in ponte quo flumen Rhodani transitur sitas, -migrat.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restit._ p. 50. - -[618] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 4. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII. - HOLY SCRIPTURE AND THE LORD'S SUPPER AT GENEVA. - (JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 1533.) - - -[Sidenote: THIRST FOR THE GOSPEL.] - -Froment's departure did but increase the love of the Gospel in serious -minds. Deprived of what they considered their right—hearing the Gospel -preached—they suffered from the want, and were determined to free -themselves from the spiritual destitution to which they were reduced by -the clerical system. Others felt no less decided aspirations for -liberty, and were unwittingly the instruments of a greater revolution -than they had imagined. These Genevans felt, as if by inspiration, that -at the beginning of the sixteenth century society was passing through a -crisis, and that a new phase was opening for mankind. They did more than -observe it: they were personally the chief actors in the revolution that -was about to be accomplished in the world. Leaving the barren nations in -their lifeless stagnation, the men of this little city shouted -'Forward!' and rushed into the arena. - -Froment had hardly left Geneva before the partisans of the reformation -raised their heads. The Romish Church had on its side the bishop-prince, -the clergy, the Friburgers, and even the majority of the council and -people; but if the friends of reform were in a minority as regards -material force, they surpassed their adversaries in moral strength. The -historian asserts that from this moment the two parties were nearly -equal in power.[619] The grey friar Bocquet, who 'had managed with so -much address,' says a manuscript, 'that both parties went to hear him -with equal eagerness,'[620] now began to preach the christian truth more -openly. The astonished priests were still more exasperated against the -monk than they had been against the reformer, and solicited that he -should be silenced. - -The hands of the clergy were ere long strengthened by a powerful ally. -On February 23, six Friburg councillors, stanch catholics, entered -Geneva, the bearers of a threatening letter. 'If you wish to become -Lutherans,' said they to the council, 'Friburg renounces your alliance.' -The syndics answered to no purpose that they desired to live as their -forefathers had done: the Friburgers made a great disturbance about the -grey friar's sermons, and the council decided, 'for the love of peace,' -that Bocquet should leave Geneva. - -[Sidenote: BAUDICHON DE LA MAISONNEUVE.] - -The friends of the Gospel, seeing that even the Franciscan was taken -from them, did not lose heart. The Holy Scriptures remained: they read -in their homes Lefèvre's New Testament, and formed meetings at which the -Word of God was explained. The assemblies 'which took place in the -houses here and there were multiplied,' and the number of believers -increased every day.[621] They met ordinarily at the end of the Rue des -Allemands, at the house of Baudichon de la Maisonneuve, who henceforward -became a most zealous protestant. Sprung from a noble and powerful -family in the republic, he had a decided character and some talent, and -carried to extremes his convictions and his desire to make them succeed. -Individual life had prevailed during the feudal times; in the sixteenth -century the social element was growing stronger every day. There were, -however, certain natures which still maintained their independent -individualism, and Baudichon was one of them. Accordingly, so long as it -was only a question of destroying the old order of things, he acquitted -himself valiantly; but he was less useful, when it was necessary to -build up the new order. He seems, however, to have been aware of his own -insufficiency. His arms were a house (_maison_), and above the crest an -open hand with these words: _Except the Lord build the house, they -labour in vain that build it_. - -The Lord did build: assemblies were formed, and Baudichon's house became -the _catacombs_ (says an old author) in which the new Christians held -their humble meetings.[622] They arrived, saluted each other -fraternally, sat down in a large room, and remained a few moments in -silence. They knew that though they were many, they had all one sole -Mediator, present in the midst of them although unseen. Then one of them -would read a portion of Scripture, another of the better informed -explained and applied it, and a third prayed.... The believers departed -edified from their meetings, 'which were so different (they said) from -the pope's mass.' - -Sometimes a great treat was granted them. Some evangelical foreigner -passed through Geneva; the news spread immediately to every family; the -place and time were named when he would preach, and the believers -flocked thither from every quarter. 'What is his name?' they asked one -day. 'Peter Maneri.' 'What is he?' 'A minister.' 'Where is he staying?' -'At Claude Pasta's.' And Claude Pasta's rooms were filled immediately. - -These first evangelicals of Geneva were not content merely with being -taught sound doctrine; they knew that a cold knowledge of God can save -no man, and that it is necessary to live with the Spirit of Christ, and -as He lived. They had formed a fund among themselves, and Salomon was -the treasurer. Every one brought his mite for the relief of the poor, -whether Genevans or foreigners. Thus these christians learnt at once to -believe, to love, and to give. - -Two kinds of protestantism were already beginning, however, to appear in -Geneva, which have not ceased and perhaps never will cease to exist—an -external and an internal protestantism. The pious and humble Guerin had -a servant who, full of admiration for his master's sermons, was also a -great talker. One day, wishing to do the same as his master, he began to -preach in the open street before a number of people. 'Why do you go to -mass?' he said: 'you are idolaters.... Instead of worshipping God, you -adore a wafer!' The poor orator was taken up and compelled to leave the -city in consequence of his sermon. Another day some huguenots entered a -pastrycook's shop: it was a Saturday in Lent. They asked for a plate of -meat. 'Impossible,' said the master. 'Not so much ceremony,' rudely -returned the huguenots. The pastrycook ran off to inform against them, -and they were condemned to pay a fine of sixty sous each, which -occasioned some disturbance. 'Lutherans, huguenots, heretics!' shouted -one party; 'Pharisees, mamelukes, papists!' answered the other.[623] - -[Sidenote: OLIVETAN'S WORK.] - -In the midst of these disturbances the most important work of the -reformation was progressing at Geneva. The pious Olivetan was labouring -night and day at the translation of the Bible. He believed that nothing -was more necessary for the Church of his time, and in his great love for -it, he determined to do all in his power to supply the want. 'O poor -little Church,' he said, 'although thou art desolate, mis-shapen, and -rejected, and countest for the most part in thy family the blind, the -lame, the maimed, the deaf, the paralytic, orphans and strangers, simple -and foolish ... why should we be ashamed to make thee such a royal -present? Do we not all need the consolation of Christ? For whom does the -Lord destine his Scripture, if not for his little invincible band, to -whom, as the real leader of the war, he desires to impart courage and -boldness by his presence?'[624] - -Nothing disturbed Olivetan so much as the sight of the Church of his -day. The more he studied it, the more he was grieved by its misery and -convinced of the necessity of a total reformation, accomplished by the -Word of God. Never perhaps had its condition caused so profound and keen -a sorrow in any one. When he was alone in his room and seated at his -table, these bitter recollections would recur to him: 'I love thee,' he -exclaimed; 'I have seen thee in the service of thy hard masters; I have -seen thee coming and going, worried and plagued; I have seen thee -ill-treated, ill-dressed, ill-used, ragged, muddy, torn, dishevelled, -chilled, bruised, beaten, and disfigured.... I have seen thee in such -piteous case, that men would sooner take thee for a poor slave than the -daughter of the universal Ruler, and the beloved of his only Son. -Listen,' added he, 'thy friend calls thee; he endeavours to teach thee -thy rights and to give thee the watch-word, that thou mayest attain to -perfect freedom.... Stupified and bewildered by so many blows, bowed -down by so many cares brought upon thee by thy rough masters, wilt thou -persevere? wilt thou go thy ways and complete the foul and grievous task -with which they have burdened thee?'[625] - -[Sidenote: TRANSLATION OF THE BIBLE.] - -But Olivetan soon stopped in the midst of his work and asked himself -whether 'the humble translator' (as he calls himself) was capable of -performing such a task. He looked upon himself as the meanest of -believers, 'as one of the smallest toes on the lowly feet of the body of -the Church.'[626] But his very humility induced him to increase in -diligence. He procured the best copies of the Scriptures and compared, -as he tells us, 'all the translations, ancient and modern, from the -Greek down to the Italian and German.' Above all, he made great use of -the French translation by Lefèvre of Etaples, but rendered certain -passages differently. He studied the various texts, the use of the -Masoretic points, marks, consonants, aspirates, and unusual expressions. -He deliberated whether he should preserve in French certain Greek terms, -such as _apostle_ and _bishop_, or express them by the corresponding -word in French. 'If I preserve the Greek word,' he said, 'the thing -which it signifies will remain unknown, just as it has been to the -present day.' He therefore translated the Greek word _apostle_ by the -French word _envoyé_ (sent); instead of _bishop_ he wrote _surveillant_ -(overseer); and _ancien_ (elder) instead of _priest_. Then he added -mischievously: 'And if any one is surprised at not finding certain words -in my translation which the common people have continually on their -lips, imagining they are in Scripture, such as _pope_, _cardinal_, -_archbishop_, _archdeacon_, _abbot_, _prior_, _monk_, he must know that -I did not find them there, and for that reason I have not changed -them.'[627] - -On the 13th March the printer De Vingle asked permission to print the -Bible in French. The council was much divided, for the friends of the -clergy opposed his prayer. On the one side they called out _Scripture!_ -and on the other _Church!_ The syndics thought it their duty to steer a -middle course, and granted permission to reprint Lefèvre's Bible without -adding or retrenching a word. They were afraid of Olivetan's -translation, and we shall see by and by where he was forced to get it -printed.[628] - -Another desire absorbed the evangelicals of Geneva about this time. When -Guerin, Levet, Chautemps, and others met together in some humble room, -they expressed the happiness they should feel at assembling round the -Lord's table to commemorate his death. They had long ceased to take part -in the communion of the Romish Church, defiled as they thought it by -wretched superstitions; and desired earnestly to see the Lord's Supper -re-established among them in its apostolic purity. The christians of -Geneva asked for the Bible in the first place, and for the Sacrament in -the second. That is in the regular course. The Word of God creates the -christian: the Lord's Supper strengthens him. Christ first imparts to -his disciples the knowledge of the truth, which He does by the ministry -of the Word. Then He desires them to understand that he gives not only -christian ideas to believers, but that he gives himself, his own -life—that he comes (in his own words) to _abide in them_.[629] This is -the second phase of faith, and the Lord's Supper is its sign. - -[Sidenote: GUERIN.] - -The christians of Geneva, enlightened by Scripture, desired the Holy -Communion. But, said they, who will give it us? They had no ministers. -Had not Luther declared ten years before that in order to avoid -irregularity, the assembly, making use of its right, ought to elect one -or more believers to exercise the charge of the Word, in the name of -all.[630] They turned their eyes on Guerin. Few of the reformed were so -much esteemed as he was. Being an evangelical christian and not a -political huguenot, he had 'an ardent love for his brethren' and a zeal -full of boldness to profess the Gospel. It required some courage to -preside at the Lord's Supper in Geneva in the presence of the Romish -mass. 'The flesh is always cowardly,' said a christian of Geneva, 'and -pulls backwards, like an aged ass; and accordingly it needs the goad and -spur as much as he does.'[631] Guerin possessed, moreover, a cultivated -understanding, and was learned in theology.[632] - -There remained one question: Where should the communion be held?—'At -Baudichon's,' answered one of them. 'No,' said the more prudent; 'not in -the city for fear of the opposition of the priests, who are very -irritated already.' Upon this Stephen d'Adda said, 'I have a little -walled garden near the city gates, where nobody can disturb us.' The -place was selected, the day named, and an hour fixed which would permit -them to meet without disturbance. It was early in the morning, as it -would appear.[633] - -[Sidenote: FIRST SACRAMENT AT GENEVA.] - -When the day arrived, many persons went out of the city and quietly -directed their steps towards D'Adda's garden, situated in a place called -Pré l'Evêque, because the bishop had a house there. A table had been -prepared in a room or in the open air. The believers as they arrived -took their seats in silence on the rude benches, not without fear that -the priests should get information of the furtive meeting.[634] Guerin -sat down in front of the table. Just at the moment (we are told) when -the ceremony was about to begin, the sun rose and illumined with his -first rays a scene more imposing in its simplicity than the mountains -capped with everlasting snow, above which the star of day was beginning -his course. The pious Guerin stood up, and after a prayer he distributed -the bread and wine, and all together praised the Lord. The communicants -quitted D'Adda's garden full of gratitude towards God. - -It was not long, however, before their peace was troubled. Their enemies -could not contain themselves, and threatened nothing less than -excommunication and imprisonment. There were disputes. The priests -shrugged their shoulders at the sight of those paltry assemblies. They -said that the reformed, by busying themselves so much about _Christ_, -deprived themselves of the _Church_; while Olivetan and Guerin -maintained that the catholics, by speaking so much of the _Church_, -deprived themselves of _Christ_. The meeting of a few souls endowed with -a lively faith, who came to glorify Jesus Christ, was (they believed) a -truer church than the pope, cardinals, and all the pomps of the Vatican. -The exasperated priests vented their anger specially on Guerin, and the -danger which threatened him was so great, that he had to leave the city. -Hurrying quickly away, he took refuge at Yvonand with his friend -Froment, from whom he had received so much enlightenment.[635] - -Thus Farel, Froment, and Guerin were compelled, one after another, to -quit Geneva; but the catholics laboured in vain: 'the reformed met every -day in houses or gardens to pray to God, to sing psalms and christian -hymns, and to explain Holy Scripture. And the people began to dispute -with the priests, and to discuss with them publicly.'[636] - -Thus there were two winds blowing in different directions at Geneva—one -from the north, the other from the south. They could not fail to come -into violent collision and to engender a frightful tempest. - -[619] Ruchat, iii. p. 186. - -[620] Berne MS., ascribed to Bonivard, _Hist. helv._ v. 12. - -[621] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 47.—'Domatim conventus habere.'—Turretini MS. - -[622] 'In Domonovani Baudichonii ædibus, quæ concionum ordinariarum -_crypta_ erant.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restit._ p. 58. - -[623] Council Registers, 4th and 26th March. Froment, _Gestes_, p. -47. - -[624] Olivetan's Bible, _Dedication_. - -[625] Olivetan's Bible, _Dedication_. - -[626] 'Comme l'un des plus petits orteils des humbles pieds du corps de -l'église.'—Olivetan's Bible, _Apologie du translateur_. - -[627] Olivetan's Bible, _Apologie du translateur_. - -[628] Council Registers, Bellard, 1533. - -[629] St. John xv. 4, 5. - -[630] 'Wie man Kirchen Diener wählen und einsetzen soll.'—Luth. -_Opp._ lib. xviii. p. 433. - -[631] Calvin. - -[632] Spon, _Hist. de Genève_. - -[633] It seems clear from Froment's narrative (p. 48) that the first -communion took place before the riots (p. 51), and therefore probably -before the middle of March. Spon confirms Froment's account (i. p. 481). -On the other hand Sister Jeanne de Jussie says that a sacrament was -celebrated after the first riot, on Holy Saturday, April 10th (_Le -Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 61). The only way of reconciling these two -statements is to admit (as we have done) two different celebrations (in -March and April), and not one only. - -[634] 'Furtivo conventu.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restit._ p. 45. - -[635] Froment, Gestes, pp. 48-51. Gautier MS. Spon, _Hist. de -Genève_, i. p. 481. - -[636] _Vie de Farel._ Choupard MS. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV. - FORMATION OF A CATHOLIC CONSPIRACY. - (LENT, 1533.) - - -Evangelical zeal was the occasion of the persecution. Its enemies were -angered; they could not understand the inappreciable life then -fermenting among their people. If a meeting was suppressed in one house, -it was held in another. 'They could not find any remedy against this.' - -One, however, offered itself. A dominican monk, an inquisitor of the -Faith, had just arrived in Geneva. 'He is a great orator,' was the -report in the city, 'a fervent catholic, just the opposite of Bocquet.' -He had come to preach the Lent sermons in the greyfriar's stead, and -everybody hoped he would repair the evil the other had done. 'Deliver us -from this heresy,' said the heads of the Dominicans to him. The monk, -flattered by this confidence and proud of his mission, prepared a fine -discourse, and the next day or the next but one after Guerin's departure -he went into the pulpit. St. Dominic's church was crowded, and a good -many evangelicals, including Olivetan, were present. After a short -introduction the monk began with loud voice and ardent zeal to decry the -Bible, to abuse the heretics,[637] and to exalt the pope. 'He uttered -without restraint all that came into his head.' 'I will blacken them -so,' he had said, 'that they shall never be washed clean.' - -[Sidenote: OLIVETAN BANISHED FROM GENEVA.] - -Great was the excitement among the huguenots. 'If any one of us is so -bold as to move his lips,' they said, 'such a little liberty makes our -masters bawl out like madmen; but they are allowed to pour out their -poison and infect the world with it.' Olivetan, who was present during -the sermon, could hardly contain himself, but as soon as it was ended, -he got upon a bench, thinking it would be wrong of him not to make the -truth known. 'Master,' he said, 'I desire to show you honestly from -Scripture where you have erred in your discourse.' These words created -great astonishment. What! a layman presume to teach the Church.... The -priests and some of their creatures surrounded Olivetan, abused him, -pushed him off the bench, and would have beaten him. 'Whereupon up came -Claude Bernard, Jean Chautemps, and others, who took their friend away -from the monks and people who desired to kill him.'... But he did not -escape so easily: the council sentenced him to banishment, without -hearing or appeal. Everyone regretted him: 'He was a man,' they said, -'of such learning, godly life and conversation!' Olivetan was forced to -leave. Geneva, suffering under a violent commotion, cast off the -evangelists one after another, as the sea casts up the fragments of a -wreck.[638] - -The clerical party was beginning to doubt whether these banishments were -enough.... When Farel was expelled, Froment appeared; when Froment had -got away, Guerin presided over a Lutheran sacrament; when Guerin had -been obliged to make his escape, Olivetan got upon a bench in the church -and publicly contradicted an inquisitor! He too was gone, but others -would not fail to come forward.... Canon Wernli, equerry De Pesmes, the -bold Thomas Moine, and other catholic chiefs, thought that an end should -be put to this state of things. The reformed saw the danger that -threatened them. Baudichon de la Maisonneuve consulted with his friend -Claude Salomon. They argued that as Friburg desired to enslave their -consciences, they ought to apply to Berne to deliver them. Salomon -wished to consult the Genevese councillors favourable to the Reform. -'No,' said Baudichon, 'let us ask nobody's opinion; let us do the -business alone. Which of the council would join us? John Philippe, John -Lullin, Michael Sept, Stephen of Chapeaurouge, Francis Favre, Claude -Roset? True, they are all friends of independence, but they have an -official position. If we apply to them, we shall only compromise them. -We are at liberty to expose our own lives, but not those of our friends. -Let us go to Berne alone.' Nevertheless two magistrates, Domaine d'Arlod -and Claude Bernard, were informed of their intention. They were -embarrassed, for they knew that such a step might cost the lives of -those who ventured it. The courage of the two patriots affected them. -'We believe we are following God's will,' said Maisonneuve. 'In that -case,' replied Arlod, 'we shall give you no instructions either verbal -or written, we shall only say: _Do whatsoever God shall inspire you to -do_.' It was with these words, recorded in the registers, that the two -Genevans departed for Berne.[639] - -[Sidenote: BERNE AND LIBERTY OF WORSHIP.] - -As soon as they arrived, they appeared before the council and explained -how the clergy were endeavouring to stifle the germs of faith in their -birth. The Bernese did not hesitate: greatly irritated by the violence -which the Genevans had used towards Farel,[640] in despite of their -letters of recommendation, they made answer that they would do -everything to support the Gospel in Geneva. - -On the 25th of March the council of Geneva met. There was evidently -something new: many of the members wore an anxious look; others appeared -cheerful. Du Crest, the premier syndic, a man devoted to the Romish -Church, announced with an air of consternation, that he had just -received a letter from Berne in which the council of Geneva was severely -reprimanded. In truth, the Bernese did not mince matters: they -complained of the violence done to Farel and the persecution organised -in Geneva against the evangelical faith. 'We are surprised,' they said, -'that in your city the faith in Jesus Christ and those who seek it are -so molested.... You will not suffer the Word of God to be freely -proclaimed, and banish those who preach it.'[641] - -This letter troubled the council. 'If we concede what Berne demands,' -they said, 'the priests will get up fresh disturbances. If we refuse, -Berne will break off the alliance, and the reformed will revolt.' -Whichever way they turned, danger seemed to threaten them. 'So that they -knew not what answer to give,' adds the register. Almost all of them -were enraged against Maisonneuve and Salomon. They were brought before -the council and confessed that they had gone to Berne and had solicited -the letter which had been sent. Upon this several mamelukes called out -'treason;' but the consciences of these two noble citizens bore witness -that they had served the cause of liberty and justice. They remained -firm, and the council, being disturbed and undecided, adjourned to the -next day the question of what was to be done.[642] - -The agitation spread from the council-room to the chapter-house and into -the city. Everyone spoke about Berne's demand of full liberty for the -gospel. The canons, priests, and most devout of the laity were unanimous -for refusing; the daring Thomas Moine became the soul of this movement. -They resolved, upon his proposition, to intimidate the council and -obtain from it the total suppression of the evangelical meetings. -Forthwith the most zealous of the party went into the city and visited -from house to house.[643] At the same time Moine got a few of his -friends together and proposed to go to the council in a body: their -numbers, he doubted not, would overawe the syndics, and the catholics -would obtain their demands. This measure was resolved upon, and the -meeting fixed for the morrow. - -[Sidenote: PROTEST OF THE TWO HUNDRED.] - -Next day, when the council met, they were told that a considerable -number of citizens desired an audience. They were admitted, to the -number of about two hundred, including Thomas Moine, B. Faulchon, -François du Crest, Percival de Pesmes, and Andrew Maillard: their -countenances bore the mark of violent passions. 'Most honoured lords,' -said Moine, who was a clever speaker, 'notwithstanding the edict which -bids us live like brothers, many persons are endeavouring to sow -disorder and dissension among us. Some of them have gone to Berne, and -the lords of that place have written you a letter which disturbs all the -city.... Who are those guilty men who go and denounce their country to -the foreigner? Were they deputed by the council? What instructions did -they receive? What answer did they bring you? We beg to be informed on -these matters. We wish to know them, and whether anything has been done -tending to the ruin of the republic.' - -The premier-syndic, amazed at such a speech, begged Moine and his -friends to retire, and the embarrassed council determined to -procrastinate. - -'We will do everything in the world to bring this difficult matter -to a happy conclusion,' they answered. 'We will assemble the Sixty, -the Two Hundred, the heads of families, even the general council, if -necessary ... the whole republic. Rest content with this promise.' - -'We have been deputed,' answered Moine, 'to demand that you should -produce before us those who went to Berne. We will not leave this room -until we have seen them. If you do not summon them, we will go and fetch -them.' - -On hearing these words the council grew alarmed. What a disturbance and -what violence there would be in the council-chamber if the two huguenots -should appear before these excited catholics!... The syndics replied -that they would return an answer. This procrastination put the mamelukes -beside themselves. It was not Moine alone who protested: the two hundred -who surrounded him raised their hands and shouted in menacing tones: -'Justice, justice! Let us keep our promise to Messieurs of Friburg—that -Geneva would preserve the faith of its fathers.' The alarmed syndics -endeavoured by exceeding gentleness of manner (says a manuscript) to -appease the tumult; and the two hundred discontented catholics returned -to their homes with haughty look and resolute air. 'If the council -haggles any more,' they said, 'we will do ourselves justice!' In the -city, men said: 'We thought the catholics decrepid, downcast, asleep, or -dead ... but they are opening their heavy eyes; their strength is -returning, and the swift-flying vultures are about to pounce upon their -prey.'[644] - -In fact, two of the syndics, and several councillors, with other laymen -of the catholic party and some priests, went into the city, and -endeavoured to persuade all they met to enter into the plot formed -against the Gospel. They told them that there was nothing to be expected -from the council. 'If the faith of our fathers is to stand, by our own -hands it must be supported,' they said. 'Hold yourselves in readiness to -march against the Lutherans.' - -[Sidenote: AGITATION AGAINST THE LUTHERANS.] - -The _Lutherans_, they said. It was indeed the Reformation that was then -stirring up all the wrath of the clerical party. Some of its members, no -doubt, hated liberty as much as the Gospel; but most of the catholics -would have tolerated the ancient franchises of the people. The point on -which they were all agreed was an unquenchable opposition to that new -doctrine which they called _Lutheranism_, Luther being in their opinion -its great apostle. This Lutheranism was fundamentally what was -afterwards named Calvinism, for Luther and Calvin were one in the great -evangelical principles. All the reformers preached in the sixteenth -century, in Europe, and particularly at Geneva, that the pure grace of -God was the only power of eternal salvation, and that the Church was -composed of all those who possessed true faith, and not of those who -slavishly adhered to a dominating hierarchy. The doctrines of -Lutheranism and of the Reform[645] might differ, in regard to certain -abstract questions, as touching the finite and the infinite, for -instance: Lutheranism might put in bolder relief the _immanence_ of God, -while the Reform inclined towards his _transcendance_, to use the -language of philosophers and theologians; but they were and they are -agreed in all that is essential; and it was these living doctrines that -a powerful party was endeavouring to expel from Geneva. - -[Sidenote: SECRET PLOTS.] - -On Thursday night the canons, priests, and chief 'partisans of the papal -religion,' as Wernli, De Pesmes, Moine, and their friends, met in the -vicar-episcopal's great hall. They arrived one after another, most of -them armed to the teeth, and breathing vengeance: the room was soon -filled, and many stood in the courtyard. Their intention was carefully -to arrange the plot that was to free them from the Reform. Some -huguenots, informed of the conspiracy, drew near to watch their -adversaries. The circumstances, the tumultuous crisis that was -approaching, the interests to be discussed, the violent passions with -which the two parties were animated, the late hour at which this -conference was held—all combined to render it a solemn one. Men's minds -became clouded, and certain huguenots of ardent imagination, who gazed -at a distance upon the walls behind which these plotters were assembled, -indulging in fantastic visions, fancied they saw the furies, torch in -hand, stirring up discord;[646] but they were merely monks clad in their -long robes, and holding the torches with which the hall was lighted. At -length the proceedings began.[647] Some of the speakers represented that -the number of rebels increased daily; that the sacerdotal authority -decreased proportionately; and that if things were allowed to go on so, -ere long nobody would take any account of the Church. 'Let us not lower -ourselves to dispute with heretics. Let us not wait for help from the -magistrates. The Council of Sixty is about to meet, but they will -hesitate just like the ordinary council. Those bodies are too weak; we -must act without the government; we are the strongest. If it comes to -fighting, the defenders of catholicism will be ten, perhaps twenty, to -one. When the evangelists are conquered, we will invite the bishop back, -who will return with all the banished mamelukes, and inflict on the -rebels the punishment they deserve. Geneva, preserved from the -Reformation, will no longer be able to spread it through the surrounding -countries, and will be in future ages the support of the papacy. Let us -execute justice for ourselves; let us fly to arms, ring the tocsin, draw -the sword, and call upon the faithful to march against those _dogs_, and -make a striking example of the two traitors who went to Berne. Let us -kill all who are called Lutherans, without sparing one;[648] which will -be doing God a good service. We are assured of the bishop's pardon: his -lordship has already sent us the pardons in blank. At the sound of the -great bell, let everyone go armed to the Molard, and let the city gates -be shut, so that nobody may escape.' This is what was said in the -vicar-episcopal's house. The leaders agreed upon the place of meeting, -the number of the armed bands, the names of those who should command -them, and the manner in which the reformed should be attacked; -everything was arranged. The assembly applauded; the conspirators, -raising their hands, bound themselves by a solemn oath to execute the -plan and to secresy;[649] after which they retired to take a brief -repose. The festival of Easter was approaching: more than two centuries -before, the Sicilian Vespers had filled Palermo and all Sicily with -massacre; the enemies of the Reformation in Geneva desired also to -celebrate the same festival with rivers of blood. - -The Council of Sixty met the next day (Friday, 28th March 1533). Never -perhaps was there a body more divided. When the catholics demanded that -the promise made to Friburg should be kept, the huguenots represented -that if the council decided in favour of the Romanist party, not only -would the bishop resume his former power, but that having seen the -Reform on the brink of triumphing, he would throw himself into the arms -of Savoy, as the only power capable of saving the Roman faith. The -council, placed between these two fierce currents, remained in its usual -indecision, and declared in favour of neither. This was just what the -leaders of the Romanist party expected. Everything was prepared for -carrying out the _conspiracy_ (to use Froment's word) which had been -planned the night before.[650] - -[Sidenote: THE PARTIES ASSEMBLE.] - -The cathedral had been selected as the place of meeting. The first who -entered it was the valiant canon, Peter Wernli. He was armed from head -to foot, and advanced into the sanctuary as a general goes to battle. -Wernli handled the sword as well as his brother, who was a captain in -the service of the king of France. Gifted with the strength of a -Hercules or a Samson, he designed, like the first, to drive Cerberus out -of the city; and like the second, to pull down the pillars of the -temple. He said to those who had gathered round him in St. Pierre's: 'We -will cut off the heads of those who went to Berne and of all their -friends.' Three hundred armed canons and priests came after him, and -then a great number of their lay followers. 'The Lutherans threaten us,' -said some of these angry citizens; 'they want to rob the churches and -convents.' Such a tale could not fail to excite their minds still more. - -The huguenots, informed of the plot arranged at the vicar-general's, and -observing the catholics making ready for the attack, saw at once that -their first act would be to seize Baudichon de la Maisonneuve, on -account of his journey to Berne, and inflict on him the fate of -Berthelier and Levrier. They therefore assembled to the number of sixty -around their friend to defend his life at the price of their blood. Some -of Moine's partisans went to inform the assemblage at St. Pierre's that -they had seen several persons enter Maisonneuve's house. - -This information was a signal of battle to the conspirators. 'Forward!' -they cried: 'let us go and attack them!' Two catholics, friends of -peace, who happened to be in the church (B. Faulchon and Girardin de la -Rive), fearing a civil war, ran to the council. 'Both parties are under -arms,' they said; 'some at St. Pierre's, others at Baudichon's: the -first are preparing to march down against their opponents.... Should -they do so, there will be a great disturbance:[651] look you to it.' The -council, suspending all other business, ordered the four syndics to -proceed with the badges of their office, first to St. Pierre's (for the -aggressors were there), and next to Maisonneuve's, and command both -parties to return immediately to their homes.[652] - -The task was a difficult one, but the four magistrates did not hesitate -to undertake it. Preceded by their ushers they entered the cathedral, -with the syndical staff in their hands. At the sight of them the crowd -grew calm. 'We desire to know,' said the premier-syndic, 'the cause of -this meeting.' The assembly answered with one voice: 'We are going to -fight the Lutherans who are assembled in the Rue des Allemands. They are -always keeping us in fear, and we must put an end to it. We can no -longer endure such a pest in the city.... They are worse than the -Turks.'[653] - -[Sidenote: VANDEL WOUNDED.] - -At this moment two of the reformed, uneasy as to what might happen, -approached the cathedral, and mounting the steps before the porch, stood -there some time, peeping into the church, undecided whether they should -enter. The priests and mamelukes perceiving them, exclaimed: 'Look at -the wicked wretches, they are come to spy the christians!' At last, with -more zeal than prudence, the two evangelicals entered. They were J. -Goulaz and P. Vandel, the latter a man of twenty-six, who had adopted -the Reform, but always retained a great affection for his old catholic -friends.[654] Addressing the syndics with great mildness, he said: 'Pray -put an end to this disturbance, lest worse should come of it.' When the -mamelukes heard his words, they became angry and drew their swords to -strike the two huguenots. Portier, the episcopal secretary, a violent -and fanatical man, seeing Vandel, exclaimed: 'How is it that you are -here, traitor!' Several of them rushed upon Vandel, threw him to the -ground, and trampled on him; Portier, drawing his dagger (_sanguidede_) -and seizing the young man 'in a cowardly manner by the back,' (says the -Council Register) stabbed him near the left shoulder, intending to kill -him. Vandel lay seriously wounded on the pavement of the cathedral 'with -great effusion of blood.'[655] - -A crowd of priests immediately gathered round him and began to lament -loudly, not because a man had been stabbed, but because blood had -defiled the temple. 'Never after was bell rung or divine service -performed in that church, or even in the other churches, because the -mother-church was closed, until it was purified by My lord the -suffragan,' says Sister Jeanne. - -Goulaz, it is reported, seeing his friend on the ground, ran off to the -evangelicals and told them all. Some of them, notwithstanding the danger -which they incurred, proceeded to the cathedral, and obtained the -syndics' permission to carry Vandel away. They removed him to -Baudichon's house, where they got him to bed. A few huguenots -constituted themselves his nurses, and as they looked on their pale and -blood-stained friend, they asked one another what would happen next. - -[637] Lutheranos proscindentem.'—Turretini MS. - -[638] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 49.—Gautier MS. - -[639] Council Registers, 20th March, 1533.—Gautier MS. - -[640] 'Violentia qua in Farellum sævitum.'—Spanheim, _Geneva -restit._ p. 57. - -[641] Letter from Berne, 20th March, 1533.—MS. Archives of Geneva, No. -1090. - -[642] Council Registers, 25th March, 1533.—Gautier MS. - -[643] 'Accendunt clerici plebem sibi obnoxiam.'—Spanheim, _Geneva -restit._ p. 57. - -[644] Council Registers, 26th March, 1533.—Gautier MS.; Roset -_Chron._ liv. ii. ch. ix. - -[645] The word Reform is applied exclusively to the Franco-Helvetic or -Calvinistic portion of the Reformation. - -[646] 'Nocte furiis facibusque strenue a clero subditis.'—Spanheim, -_Geneva restit._ - -[647] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 51. - -[648] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 51. - -[649] 'Solenni sacramento.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restit._ - -[650] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 50.—Roset MS., _Chron._ liv. ii. -ch. x.—Gautier MS. - -[651] The register has the word _ovaille_ (ovallium), Council -Registers, 28th March, 1533. - -[652] Roset MS. _Chron._ liv. ii. ch. x.—Gautier MS. Council Register -_ad diem_. La Sœur de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 51. - -[653] _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 51. - -[654] Galiffe, _Notices généalogiques de Genève_, I. p. 80. - -[655] La Sœur de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 52.—Froment, -_Gestes de Genève_, pp. 50-51. - - - - - CHAPTER XV. - FIRST ARMED ATTACK OF THE CATHOLICS UPON THE REFORMATION. - (MARCH 28, 1533). - - -This effusion of blood, far from calming men's minds, served but to -inflame them. 'All good christians were more excited than before,' says -Sister Jeanne. The skirmish in which, being seven hundred against two, -they had gained the advantage, was an omen of victory! They looked at -each other and counted their numbers. 'We are the majority and well -armed,' they said; 'we must sally out boldly and fight these rascals.' -The principal leaders, lay and ecclesiastic, withdrawing into a private -part of the cathedral, held a final council. The most influential -represented that the huguenots had celebrated the sacrament, that they -persevered in holding their meetings 'here and there,' that the -sacerdotal authority was decreasing and the number of heretics -increasing, and that there was only one means left of saving the Romish -faith—putting every heretic to death.[656] The syndics stretched out -their wands in vain, and ordered them to keep the peace. All was -useless. 'Now is the time,' cried the priests; 'let us run to the great -bell and give the signal.' At the word many hastened to the tower of the -church and began to ring the tocsin. At the same time those who were in -the church prepared to march. - -[Sidenote: CATHOLICS PREPARE TO FIGHT.] - -Three of the syndics were devoted to the catholic party: Nicholas du -Crest, Pierre de Malbuisson, and Claude Baud. Finding that they could -not stop the riot, they determined if possible to direct it. Claude -Baud, lord of Troches, in whose castle many a plot had been concocted -against the independence of Geneva, would have desired to make an end of -the Reform, but not by violent means. Seeing, however, that it was -impossible to check the torrent, he put himself at the head of the -_émeute_, but with the hope of restraining it, and afterwards of -repressing the Reform by legal means. 'Shut the doors of the church,' -said Baud. This had a surprising effect: the catholics on a sudden grew -calmer. The syndic feared that if they came to blows, the two parties -might become confused in the battle, and that friends would strike -friends without recognising each other. He ordered a great bundle of -laurel boughs to be brought in, and addressing the crowd around him, -said: 'Formerly, citizens, they used to give garlands to the conquerors; -I give you these laurels before the victory: they will distinguish you -from the wicked.' The combatants each took a sprig and fastened it to -their caps; and then the pious catholics who were in the crowd, wishing -to give a religious character to the _émeute_, proposed that they should -implore the blessing of heaven before they started. The ecclesiastics -were silent immediately, and turning to the choir, prostrated themselves -in fervent devotion before the high altar. All present knelt down 'with -great abundance of tears,' and sang the famous hymn of the Roman -breviary: - - Vexilla regis prodeunt.[657] - -As soon as the strain was ended, one of the priests said: 'Let us -commend ourselves to the blessed Virgin, that she may intercede for us -and for the holy faith!' And all, as with one voice, joined in the -_Salve Regina_—a prayer which the people were accustomed to sing at the -execution of a criminal. The echoes of this ominous chant having died -away in the aisles of the vast cathedral, the priests rose from their -knees: one of them took the cross, while some laid hold of other -banners. 'Behold,' they said, 'behold the standards of the king -advancing.' The excitement grew greater every minute. It was Friday, the -one before Passion Week. 'Let us this day call to mind the day on which -our Lord was willing to shed his blood for us, and therefore let us not -spare ours. Let us take vengeance on his enemies who crucify him anew -more cruelly than the Jews did.'[658] They uttered such cries that 'it -was quite pitiful to hear them,' and 'there was no heart so hard as not -to melt into tears.'[659] - -[Sidenote: THE CORPS ARE FORMED.] - -All this emotion was not without a cause. The religion of the middle -ages was disappearing. We believe that it must disappear altogether; and -yet we are touched by the enthusiasm displayed by its adherents, which -was worthy of a better cause. Syndic Baud, who wished to give an -appearance of legality to the clerical movement, called Percival de -Pesmes, and ordered him to go with a body of men and fetch the banner of -the city. At length the great bell, which had kept on ringing, was -silent; the ringers came down from the tower and joined the rest of -their party. The churchmen then formed into companies and elected their -captains; all were full of courage and ardour, and St. Pierre's -resembled a parade-ground rather than a church. The companies defiled in -front of the high altar, and the syndic, ordering the doors to be thrown -open, all the clerical army quitted the temple, descended with a firm -step the steep street of the Perron, and proceeded towards the Molard, -which was the general rendezvous for those who desired on that day to -destroy both the reformed and the Reformation in Geneva. - -As soon as the tocsin was heard, the city was agitated to its most -retired quarters, and even the inhabitants of the surrounding districts -had listened with alarm to its ill-omened sound. The startled and uneasy -citizens caught up their arms, rushed hastily from their houses, and ran -'like poor wandering sheep without a shepherd,' some one way, some -another, not knowing where to go, what was the matter, and whether the -enemy was within the walls or without. The peasants of the vicinity, -forewarned by the agents of the canons, entered the city in arms. The -confusion continued to increase: some cried 'Fire,' others 'Fall on;' -all shouted 'Alarm, alarm!' Some ran to the gates, others to the -hôtel-de-ville, and others to the ramparts; but the priests who had -contrived the affair, and who were marching 'in large bands' from -different quarters towards the Molard, excited the ignorant people to -follow them, and shouting so as to drown all other cries, 'Down with the -Lutherans,' thus made it known who were the enemies to be attacked. 'To -the Molard,' they added; 'Down with the dogs that want to destroy our -holy mother Church.' No fervent catholic hesitated; all ran along the -streets, isolated or in bands; they drew their swords, then arquebusses -rattled.... It was like a flock of birds in search of their prey, -opening their talons, and plunging swiftly upon the Molard.[660] - -[Sidenote: THE MUSTERING OF THE HOSTS.] - -Meanwhile the main clerical body, that which started from St. Pierre's, -arrived. It numbered from six to seven hundred men—canons, priests, -monks, sacristans, and devout laymen, all well armed, Syndic Baud -marching at their head, and 'wearing his great hat and feathers.' When -this body debouched on the square by the arcade of the Fort de l'Ecluse, -the Molard and adjacent streets were filled with an agitated and -confused crowd. But immediately, by the syndic's order, companies were -formed in imitation of that of St. Pierre's, and all the people put -themselves 'in order for fighting.' Baud having thus drawn out his -corps, proceeded to count them: there were about 2,500 men,[661] not -reckoning the old men, women, and children, who shouted and wept, and -although unarmed, added to the tumult. The catholics were full of hope. -To the majority of them, the struggle was a mere party matter; but -others, better instructed and better theologians than the rest, felt -that it was an effort to expel for ever from Geneva the doctrines of -protestantism touching the pre-eminence of Holy Scripture, -justification, works, the mass, the Church, and especially grace, to -which alone the Reformation attributed salvation, while the Romish -Church claimed a part in conversion for the natural powers of man, and -looked upon this difference between the two Churches as the essential -point. At the same time, however, it must be acknowledged that just then -they troubled themselves very little about theology. Being ready to -contend with the arms of men of war, the two bodies were especially -animated by political passions. The catholics feared lest their enemies -should succeed in escaping. 'Shut the gates of the city,' said the -syndic, 'so that no one can take flight.' Again cries were heard: -'Forward, lead us to Baudichon's.' 'No,' answered Baud, 'let us wait for -the other corps before we attack.' - -There were still three bands to come: the first, commanded by the -bishop's equerry, Percival de Pesmes, was to come straight from the -hôtel-de-ville, bringing the banner, as we have said; the second, -commanded by Canon de Veigy, descending from the west, was to make for -the Molard by the Rue de la Cité; the third, coming from the suburb of -St. Gervais, was to cross the Rhone bridge, and was commanded by Captain -Bellessert. 'He was a stout fellow and like a madman,' says Froment. The -band that he conducted was the most violent in the republic. These three -corps united with the 2,500 men already at the Molard could not fail to -give the death-blow to the reformed and the Reformation. - -But as they did not appear, the catholics and mamelukes who were ready -for fighting, zealous in the cause of the pope, and overflowing with -hatred for the Reform, became impatient, and striking the ground with -the butt-ends of their guns, desired to march forthwith. 'Forward!' they -cried. 'Let us wait,' said the syndic, whether because he feared that -'their business would not take well,' as the chronicle says; or because -he wished by an imposing force to constrain the reformed to surrender -without fighting; or, lastly, because he hoped that if he -procrastinated, some unforeseen circumstance might happen to disarm the -combatants. 'We want artillery,' he said, 'to besiege Baudichon's -house.' This quieted the most ardent, by giving them something to do; -they hurried off to the arsenal, but it was doubtful whether it would be -opened to them, as the captain-general was opposed to them. The -artillery-keeper, named Bossu (hunchback), in consequence of his -infirmity, a man of vulgar character and suspected morals, and a strong -partisan of the priests, did not hesitate. He delivered up the artillery -to the catholics, who dragged away the cannon with much uproar, planted -them in the square, and loaded them.[662] - -At this moment arrived the band led by the descendant of the crusaders, -the young and dashing Percival de Pesmes, eager to fight, like his -fathers, for the pope and his Church against these new Saracens. He bore -the great banner with pride, and, defiling with his corps, drew them up -in line of battle. Syndic Baud took the banner from his hands, and -planted it in the middle of the square. The people, electrified at the -sight, 'raised a loud shout.'[663] There is no longer any doubt: the -republic is arming, the city banner floats above the catholic ranks, and -the huguenots are only rebels. - -[Sidenote: THE NUNS OF SAINT CLAIRE.] - -The monks took the most active part in this business; the convents were -therefore empty, all but that of Saint Claire, which alone was not -deserted. The nuns, however, wished to take part in the struggle: -'Alas!' they said, 'our worthy fathers have gone to share in the fight -with a number of monks, because it is in behalf of the faith.... Let us -kneel before God that He may show mercy to the poor city.' The mother -abbess drew a cross of ashes on the foreheads of the sisters, after -which they marched in procession round the cloister, invoking in devout -litanies the protection of the whole celestial choir. Then forming a -cross, they took their places in the middle of the choir, and there, -distracted and weeping, they fell on their knees and cried aloud: -'Mercy, O God! through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary and -all the Saints! Give victory to the Christians, and bring the poor -wanderers back to the way of salvation.'[664] - -At this moment the sisters heard a noise at the gate of the convent: it -was a few good catholic women who, very much afraid themselves, came to -bring the sisters tidings calculated to add to their distress. 'If the -heretics win the day,' they said, 'they will certainly make you all -marry, young and old—all to your perdition.'[665] This was the customary -bugbear of the poor nuns. They were superstitious and even fanatical, -but nothing indicates that they were not pure. A tradition to the effect -that there was an underground communication between their convent and -that of the gray friars is a fiction as void of foundation as the -frightful news of a _forced marriage_ brought by their indiscreet -friends. The terrified nuns crossed themselves, sang their litanies once -more, and cried louder than ever: 'O holy Virgin, give victory to the -Christians!' - -[Sidenote: A CRUEL HUSBAND.] - -The agitation in the city was then at its height; the shouts of the -priests were frightful,[666] They bawled lustily to those who lagged -behind, exhorted those who appeared indifferent, and animated the whole -body with voice and gesture, as hunters urge their hounds after the -stag. The catholics responded to the tumultuous clamours of these -ministers of disorder and strife. But the tempest was not confined to -the streets: scenes still more harrowing were taking place in the -houses. 'Alas!' said the wisest men, 'there is no humanity left, and -they take no account of the ties of nature.' One of the most fiery -catholics, hearing the tocsin, was hurriedly fitting on his armour, when -his wife, a fervent Romanist like himself, and whose father was at the -head of the Lutherans, was filled with terror at seeing her husband's -animation, and looked at him with a dejected countenance. She was Micah, -daughter of Baudichon de la Maisonneuve. Her catholic faith did not make -the young wife forget the sweet and holy ties that bind a child to her -father. She shuddered at each malediction uttered by her husband against -the author of her days. At length her grief broke out in a flood of -tears. Her fanatical husband, exasperated to the highest degree against -Maisonneuve, who was regarded as the main support of the heresy, turned -back and, without showing the least pity, said: 'Wife, cry as much as -you please. If we come to blows and I meet your father, he shall be the -first on whom I shall try my strength.... I will kill him, or he shall -kill me.' And then, callous at the sight of Micah, whose tears flowed -faster at these words which pierced her heart, the barbarous husband -said as he left her: 'He is a bad Christian, a renegade, the worst of -the worst—this wretched Baudichon!'[667] Micah was twice married: first -to Bernard Combet, and secondly to Guyot Taillon. We have not been able -to discover which of her two husbands was so cruel; probably it was the -first. - -These distressing scenes became more heart-rending every moment. In the -houses nothing was heard but the cries and groans of mothers and wives, -of daughters and young children. The streets echoed with the oaths of -the men who cursed _that law_ (the Reformation), and the first man who -had brought it there. 'In truth, it is not possible,' says the -chronicler, 'to describe the cries and tears which then filled the whole -city.' But the mournful sounds of grief and sorrow which rose in the air -could not drown the fanatical and sonorous voices of the priests.[668] - -During this time a deep and solemn awe prevailed in Baudichon's house. -The evangelicals were not insensible to the hatred which was arrayed -against them, but the greatness of the danger gave them that calmness -which the Christian experiences in the presence of death. The strong -encouraged the weak, addressing them in words of piety and feeling: -'Ah!' they said, 'if all the world would agree in the truth, we should -be at peace; but as the majority fight against it, we cannot confess -Christ without encountering resistance and hatred. It is the malice of -the wicked one that divides us into contrary bands, and everywhere -kindles strife and debate.'[669] - -[Sidenote: NOVEL REINFORCEMENT.] - -An unexpected reinforcement added to the numbers of the catholic troop. -The women of that party had not all a tender soul and bruised heart, -like Baudichon's daughter: the virtues of the evangelical women, the -eagerness with which they had renounced their jewels and dress in favour -of the poor, had excited the displeasure of many of them; and the -thought that they no longer came to kneel with them at the altar of -Mary, had filled them with anger and hatred. The tempest then sweeping -through the city fanned the evil passions of the weaker sex. In every -house the wives and sisters, and even the mothers of the catholics got -ready; they assembled the children from twelve to fifteen years old, and -proceeded with them to the Place d'Armes, where they had agreed to meet. -'In this assemblage of women,' says Sister Jeanne, who was very intimate -with them, 'there were full seven hundred children from twelve to -fifteen years old, firmly resolved to do good service along with their -mothers.' - -When these ladies met, they held a parliament of a new sort; and their -speeches were far more impassioned than those of the men. They had no -doubt that their husbands would put all their adversaries to death, but -were vexed to think that their wives would be left alive. 'If it should -happen,' said one of them, 'that our husbands fight against the -unbelievers, let us also make war and _kill their heretic wives, in -order that the breed may be extirpated_.'[670] This was the only way, -these pious ladies thought, of preserving Geneva catholic; if the wives -and children were spared, the heresy would shoot forth again in a few -years. A unanimous cry of approval was raised by the women, and even by -the accompanying children, and the Amazons immediately prepared for the -combat. They armed their children, distributing little hatchets and -swords among them; when there were no more weapons to give out, their -mothers told them to fill their hats and caps with stones. They, too, -fiercely gathered up their aprons, which they filled with missiles. -Sister Jeanne does not omit a single detail in her narrative, for it is -of this that she is most proud. Some of these women had stationed -themselves at the windows to crush the evangelicals at the moment of -battle by pouring their missiles down upon them; but the more determined -marched with the children to the Molard, where they arrived with loud -shouts. Strange madness! as if God who requires in the Christian woman -_a meek and quiet spirit_, and forbids her to be adorned 'with braided -hair and costly array,' did not all the more forbid her to arm herself -with stones and march to battle. Frenzied and guilty women! Some -huguenots, observing them from afar, asked with astonishment what could -be the meaning of such a singular assemblage. They seemed to resemble -those druidesses who (as it is related) when their sanctuary was -threatened, ran to and fro along the shore of the lake, in black robes -with hair dishevelled, and waving torches in their hands.[671] - -Delighted at the sight, the priests, unwilling to be behindhand, -exclaimed: 'We will be the first to defend our spouse the Church.' There -were about one hundred and sixty armed priests in the square. If the -clergy and women set the example, shall the citizens remain behind? The -whole body assembled at the Molard shouted again and again 'Forward, -forward!' The syndics did not incline to attack, but the excited crowd -carried them away.[672] The plan was to march to Baudichon's house, -where the huguenots had assembled, to set fire to it, and thus, having -forced them to come out, to murder them as they were escaping from the -flames by the doors and windows.[673] Citizens, priests, women and even -children, wished to have the privilege of being the first to strike -Maisonneuve, Salomon, and their friends; torrents of heretical blood -were to flow in the streets. 'Forward!' they repeated, but amid the -general agitation the beautiful plumes that ornamented the syndic's hat -remained stationary. Baud wishing to temporise, and to avoid bloodshed, -refused to give the signal: 'To be more sure,' he said, 'and in order -that none may escape from our hands, let us wait for the corps from St. -Gervais.'[674] The syndic still hoped that the reformed would lay down -their arms and surrender at discretion to an imposing force. - -[Sidenote: FEELINGS OF THE REFORMED.] - -The reformed assembled in Baudichon's house on the left bank of the -river, at the corner of the streets of the Allemands and of the -Corraterie (about 450 paces from the Molard) had gradually seen their -numbers increase. Many of their friends, who at first desired to remain -at home, observing the danger that threatened their brethren, had come -to their help, determined to conquer or die with them. The enthusiasm -had spread even to the children and excited them to acts of devotedness -beyond their years. 'A young apprentice went there, in spite of father, -mother, and priests, and exhorted them all to be of good cheer.'[675] -The elder portion were not blind to the gravity of the situation, but -they remained firm, being full of confidence in God. 'As a spark,' they -said, 'may suddenly set fire to a whole city, so Geneva has in an -instant been stirred up to riot.... But let not our hearts be troubled; -the Lord holds the tempests and whirlwinds in His hand, and can appease -them whenever He pleases.' - -Sinister omens might intimidate them. They had before them the unhappy -Vandel, faint and bleeding.... They approached the wounded young man -with compassion. 'See,' they said, 'see how the bishop and his officers -treat the best citizens.' Noticing the paleness of his face, they -despaired of his life, and gloomy thoughts filled their hearts. - -[Sidenote: PRAYER OF THE REFORMED.] - -This was not the only presage of the danger that threatened them; the -shouts of the catholics, increasing in violence, reached even there. -They looked at each other with astonishment and even with alarm. 'What -fury!' they said; 'how large a number against so few!' And some of them -added: 'If God be not for us, we are undone.' But others, changing the -words, answered: '_If God be for us, who can be against us?_' De la -Maisonneuve was the firmest. Possessing a quick and even violent temper, -an enthusiast for liberty and truth, he was at this solemn hour calm, -thoughtful, and christianlike. No one was more exposed than he: his -house was to be as it were the battle-field; but forgetful of self, he -went up to such as were dejected and said: 'We must show our -magnanimity, even should they drive us to despair. The wicked are -already erecting triumphal arches ... in the air. God does not look to -numbers, be they great or small, but to the cause for which they fight. -If we are under the banner of Jesus, God will be a wall of brass to us.' -These words encouraged such as were shaken, and gave joy to their -afflicted hearts; and scarcely had Baudichon uttered them than those who -stood round him fell on their knees and bowed before the Lord. One of -them prayed: 'O God, thou givest the rein to the wicked only so far as -is necessary to try us. Stop them, therefore, and restrain them, lest -they hurt us. Change the hearts of our enemies, and look only to the -cause for which we are going to fight.' This simple prayer availed more -than a _Salve Regina_. Rising from their knees, the friends of the -Reform stretched out their hands and said: 'We swear to die in God's -cause, and to keep faith and loyalty with one another.' And, like the -martyrs of the early ages, they waited for the blow with which they were -threatened, because they refused to abandon the Gospel which God was -then restoring to Christendom. - -While the evangelicals were praying, the band so impatiently expected -from St. Gervais began to cross the bridge at last. The ex-syndic -Jean-Philippe, now captain-general, who inclined to the Reform from -political motives, being called by his office to repress all disorder, -had taken his post between the bridge and the city, near Baudichon's -house, and those who belonged to neither party had rallied round him. -Just as the corps from the suburb was debouching from the bridge and -entering the city, Philippe ordered them to return. At these words their -leader, Bellessert the butcher, furious at the attempt to stop him, flew -into a passion, and with horrible oaths struck the captain-general so -violently with his halberd that he fell to the ground. At the instant -Claude de Genève, and other citizens who followed Philippe, dashed -forward to meet the assailants; the captain sprang to his feet, and, -turning sword in hand upon the man who had struck him, wounded -Bellessert. At the same time, his followers, hitting right and left, -drove the St. Gervaisians back upon the bridge. The latter attempted in -vain to resume the offensive; Philippe's troop did not give them time to -breathe. Many had been wounded, and disorder was in their ranks; they -were too proud and violent to give way if they had not suffered much -loss. At last they fled and returned dejected to their houses.[676] The -captain's followers immediately closed the bridge gate to prevent the -people of the suburb from returning into the city.[677] - -This measure exposed the reformed in St. Gervais to some danger. Aimé -Levet lived, as we have said, at the other end of the bridge. His wife, -distressed at the struggle and the wounds her brethren were about to -give and to receive, had gone out, imprudently perhaps, and standing in -the street, tried to discover what was going on. At this moment, the -catholic women of the quarter, inflamed by the sight of their idol -Bellessert's wounds, and determined not to be behind the women of the -city in warlike zeal, caught sight of Claudine Levet, to whom they -attributed all the mischief. With a loud cry they rushed upon her, -exclaiming: 'Let us begin the war by throwing this dog into the Rhone.' -Claudine, seeing the furies coming, uttered a shriek, and 'being -tricky,' according to Sister Jeanne, returned hastily into the house and -shut the door. It was certainly a very lawful _trick_. The catholic -women instantly moved to attack it: but much as they tried to break the -door down, they could not succeed. They then vented their fury on the -apothecary's drugs: at first they took what served for show, and then -entering the shop 'threw them all contemptuously into the street.'[678] -This expedition against the drugs did not calm them: leaving the shop -and standing in front of the house, they turned their angry eyes to -Claudine's windows and used insulting language. Madame Levet remained -calm in the midst of the uproar, and 'raised her thoughts to heaven, -where she found great matter of joy to blot out all her sorrows.' At -last the catholics retired, 'very wroth because they could not get at -this woman or any other.' Claudine was saved.[679] - -[Sidenote: PLAN TO BURN OUT THE HUGUENOTS.] - -While this was going on, the third band expected at the Molard, that -headed by Canon Veigy, had assembled in the upper part of the city. The -immobility of the reformers, who did not leave Baudichon's house, -fretted the canon and those whom he commanded. 'They keep themselves -still as hares,' he said: 'we must compel them to leave their form.' -This they prepared to do. It had been decided, as we have said, by Moine -and his friends, the chiefs of the movement, that they should surround -and set fire to Baudichon's house, so that the heretics should be -stifled, burnt, driven out, and dispersed. In the opinion of some it was -a capital idea of the huguenots to shut themselves up in one house, for -by this means a single match would suffice to get rid of them.... But -the plan of fire-raising was not to everybody's taste. 'It cannot be -done without great mischief,' said the wiser heads; 'the whole street -might be burnt down.'... The barbarous plan had, however, been resolved -on, and its execution entrusted to Canon Veigy's corps. It was a -churchman who had been charged with the cruel duty. 'Canon de Veigy was -to pass through the narrow street of the Trois Rois,[680] behind the -Rhone, set fire to Baudichon's house, and drive _the others_ into the -street, so that they could escape nowhere.'[681] - -The canon's band was preparing to descend into the city to perform its -task, when some catholics, running to the hôtel-de-ville, announced the -defeat of the troops from St. Gervais. 'We may expect a similar -encounter,' said the canon and his subordinates; and being not at all -eager to measure weapons with the captain-general, they resolved to join -the crowd on the Molard, by passing to the east, in order to be out of -the reach of Philippe's attack, and to have a reinforcement to burn the -huguenots. Changing their direction, they descended by the Rue Verdaine. -When they arrived at the Molard, they were very ill received. Everybody -reproached them, calling them cowards and traitors. The priest-party -were 'greatly astonished and vexed because they had not set fire to the -house, as had been agreed upon.'[682] - -[Sidenote: HUGUENOTS ON THE DEFENSIVE.] - -The news of this scheme for burning them out had reached the citadel of -the reformed. Maisonneuve and his friends hesitated no longer. Thus far -they had responded to the fury of their adversaries by remaining quiet; -they desired as much as possible to spare the effusion of blood; but now -their moderation became useless. At first they had been only sixty, -their numbers had increased, but they were still inferior to their -adversaries: they determined, however, to repel force by force.[683] -They sallied forth, therefore, calm and silent, for they felt the -gravity of the moment. On arriving in the Rue des Allemands they drew up -in line of battle five deep, according to the Swiss practice. The front -rank was about 250 paces from the enemy. They were determined not to -take the offensive. 'We will wait for our adversaries,' they said; 'but -if they attack us, we will sooner die than retreat a single step.' - -Although they were, as we have said, by no means numerous in comparison -with the several catholic bands, they were firm and full of hope. There -were neither priests, women, nor children with them to embarrass them: -all were stout, resolute, disciplined men, who feared not to fight one -against ten. They did not, however, place their confidence in their -strength; they did 'not turn from one side to the other to set their -hopes in vain things;' the most pious among them 'repeated that there -was not one spark of certain help for them except in God alone.' - -The fight was about to begin. The reformed, knowing that the city -artillery had been surrendered by the Bossu to their adversaries and -pointed at the Molard, had procured some cannon, probably by the -intervention of the captain-general. The huguenots marching boldly on -two sides of the great square, had planted their guns—some in the Rue du -Rhone, others in the Rue du Marché, only ninety paces from the -catholics. On each side the artillery was ready to be discharged, the -arquebuses were loaded, the spears and halberds were in the hands of the -combatants, the women and children of the Romish party were bringing -stones. There were transports of anger, cries, and terrible -threats.[684] All were prepared for the onset, and a massacre seemed -inevitable.[685] - -At this moment the sound of a trumpet was heard; it was not the signal -of battle, but the prelude: the city crier, stopping at the corner of -some neighbouring street, proclaimed, 'that every foreigner should -retire to his lodging under pain of three lashes with a rope.' In this -way they cleared the place where the battle was to be fought. The -trumpet and the crier's shrill voice soon died away, and there was a -deathlike silence. On each side there were noble souls, lovers of peace, -who were a prey to the deepest emotions at the thought that brothers -were about to attack brothers, and many turned a sorrowful look on the -streets that were soon to be stained with the blood of their -fellow-citizens. These compassionate men would have liked to restrain -the fratricidal arms, but they trembled before the priests. 'No one,' -says a contemporary, 'dared venture to speak to the ecclesiastics to -propose peace; the great pride of the priests intimidated them, and they -feared to be called Lutherans.'[686] To desire to prevent the shedding -of blood, was to be a partisan of the Reformation.[687] The parties cast -threatening glances at each other, and the two armies were about to come -into violent collision. - -[Sidenote: PRAYERS AND TEARS.] - -Then the agony burst forth. Some of the wives, mothers, and daughters, -who were in the Place du Molard, and who up to this moment had been full -of ardour for the combat, were moved and could not restrain their -anguish. The tenderness of their sex resumed its sway: they let go their -aprons, and the stones contained in them fell to the ground. They burst -into tears and gave utterance to long and sorrowful moaning. 'Alas!' -they said, 'the father is armed against the son, brother against -brother, neighbour against neighbour.... They are all ready to kill one -another.'[688] The emotion became almost universal. - -Whilst many of the catholic women were thus transformed, the evangelical -women who remained at home were praying. They reflected that, however -the world may torment and vex, nothing can happen but what God Himself -has ordained. They put the immutable decree of the Lord, who wills to -maintain the kingdom of His Son for ever, in opposition to the wicked -conspiracies by which the men of the world assail it, and doubted not -that God would look upon and help them in their necessity. - -'It was God's will,' said Froment, 'to avoid bloodshed, and He ordained -it accordingly.'[689] - -[656] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 51. - -[657] 'The standards of the king go forth.'—Rambach, _Anthologie -christliche Gesänge_, i. 104. The use Dante made of the first line of -this hymn is well known: - - Vexilla Regis prodeunt Inferni.—_Inferno_, xxxiv. 1. - -[658] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 53. - -[659] Ibid. Froment, _Gestes_, &c. p. 51. - -[660] Council Registers, _ad diem_.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 51. -Gautier MS. - -[661] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 51. The -number is probably exaggerated. - -[662] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 52.—La Sœur J. de Jussie, -_Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 53.—Roset MS., liv. ii. ch. viii. - -[663] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, &c. p. 53. - -[664] Ibid. p. 57. - -[665] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, &c. p. 57. - -[666] Roset MS. _Chron._ - -[667] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, &c. p. 54. - -[668] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 54.—La Sœur J. de Jussie, -_Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 54.—Roset MS., _Chron._ liv. ii. -ch. x.—Gautier MS.—Chonpard MS. - -[669] Ibid. - -[670] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, &c. p. 54. - -[671] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, pp. 54, -55.—Gautier MS. - -[672] 'Plebs mota syndicos codem traxit.'—Turretini manuscript in the -library at Berne. - -[673] 'Civis cujusdam domus concursu facto petitur; jam tormenta majora -dirigebantur.'—Turretini MS. - -[674] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, pp. 54, -55.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 50.—Gautier MS. - -[675] Choupard MS. - -[676] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 52.—Council Registers of the -28th March, 1534.—La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, -p. 54.—Gautier MS. - -[677] Ibid. - -[678] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, &c. p. 57. - -[679] Ibid. - -[680] The Three Kings may still be seen carved over the gate of the -large house (called Trois Rois) in Bel Air. - -[681] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 53. - -[682] Choupard MS.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, pp. 52-54.—Gautier MS. - -[683] 'Erumpunt qui convenerant a protestantibus, vim vi -repulsaturi.'—Turretini MS. at Berne. - -[684] 'Clamor, saxa, minæ, furor.'—Turretini MS. - -[685] Utrinque ad cædes in proximo.'—Ibid. - -[686] Froment, _Gestes_, &c. p. 54. - -[687] Ibid. - -[688] Froment, _Gestes_, &c. p. 54. - -[689] Ibid. p. 55. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI. - TRUCE BETWEEN THE TWO PARTIES. - (FROM MARCH 28 TO MAY 4, 1533.) - - -Just at that time some foreigners were staying in Geneva, and -particularly seven merchants of Friburg, who had come for the fair. They -looked with sorrow on the spectacle around them, and could not -understand how citizens could go so far as to kill one another, 'to -satisfy the appetite of their priests,' says a manuscript.[690] These -worthy Switzers came forward to mediate. The chiefs of the catholic -party, not doubting that they were on their side, asked for their -support. 'We do not meddle in business of this kind,' wisely answered -the Friburgers, 'except it be to restore peace, since we are co-burghers -and good friends with you as well as with the others.' They proceeded to -the Rue des Allemands and said to the reformed: 'Look at the great -multitude of people that is against you. This matter must be settled -before worse befals you.' The reformed, who were ready for the battle, -made answer: 'The disturbance did not begin with us, and we should be -distressed to do anything to the disadvantage of the Council or of the -people. We only ask to be left at peace and to live according to God, -obeying the magistrates, as the Gospel commands. We are acting in -self-defence, for they have conspired to kill us. If so many priests and -monks remain assembled in the square, rest assured that we shall defend -ourselves to the last, if it please God to assist us. But we are not -pleased at having to fight against fathers, brothers, relations, friends -and neighbours to gratify the appetites of the priests and monks.'[691] - -[Sidenote: MODERATION OF THE FRIBURGERS.] - -The Friburgers, encouraged by these words, returned to the Molard and -addressing the priests, said: 'It is neither good nor honourable, and -above all it is not in accordance with your office, thus to excite the -people to kill one another. It is your duty to be in your houses or at -church praying to God rather than be thus in arms. When the people are -at variance, you should reconcile them instead of exciting them to shed -blood.' These were christian words, and the laymen delivered an -excellent exhortation to the clergy; but the latter were so enraged that -they would listen to nothing. After the pacific address of the -Friburgers, 'they showed themselves more heated than ever in their -desire that all should be killed.' - -These worthy merchants, astounded at finding ecclesiastics so eager for -battle, thought that the laymen would be more moderate, and went off to -parley with the magistrates. 'If there is any bloodshed,' they said, -'all the blame will be laid on you. Do your duty: it is yours to -command; order the two parties to withdraw to their homes.' The honour -of the magistrates, who at heart desired peace, was touched, and they -resolved to put down the tumult. Turning to the priests, upon whom the -whole affair depended, they said to them before the people: 'You must -restore peace.' But the clergy would do nothing, and indeed excited the -people all the more to attack the Lutherans. The indignant Friburgers -determined to frighten them. 'We pray you, sirs, not to be so high,' -they said, 'for if it should come to fighting, we would rather be on -their side than on yours.... They are very different soldiers from you, -in better order and well-armed ... we have seen them.' Then pointing to -the listening people, they continued: 'Do you think, sir priests, that -the men here, who have their children, parents, and friends on the other -side, wish to kill them or to be killed by them for love of you?... -Indeed, we pray them to withdraw. And if after that you desire to attack -your enemies, think what you are about; perchance, you may not have the -opportunity of returning.' - -The worthy Friburgers did not stop here; after speaking to the -magistrates and priests, they began to harangue the people. Approaching -the citizens, they spoke to them singly: 'You have sons, relations, and -friends on the huguenot side; do you want to kill them, or be killed by -them? We advise you to let the priests fight it out by themselves.' - -Many highly approved of this remonstrance. 'We are very foolish,' they -said; 'why should we get killed for the priests?... Let them defend -themselves, if they like. Let them contend with Holy Scripture and not -with the sword.' Some whom reason could not convince were seized with -fear.[692] The good sense of the Friburgers dissipated the charm of -sacerdotal fanaticism. The natural affections, repressed for a moment, -resumed their power. 'Let the affair be arranged,' was the cry from all -quarters; 'Arbitrate, arbitrate.' - -[Sidenote: A CONSULTATION.] - -The magistrates, seeing the priests deserted, regained their courage. -There was not a moment to be lost. The council assembled in the middle -of the Molard, the ushers keeping off the crowd; the syndics were the -first to protest against the spilling of blood; many influential -councillors supported them, and the majority of the people seemed to -declare in favour of peace. Then the premier-syndic, Nicholas du Crest, -Claude Baud, and Pierre de Malbuisson, attended by several captains, -advanced to treat with De la Maisonneuve and his friends. The foremost -of the huguenots, seeing them approach, thought that the battle was -beginning, and one of them, a prompt and energetic man, arranging a -piece of artillery, began to take aim at the centre of the group, and -got ready to apply the match. 'The shot would have made a terrible -breach,' says Froment. This rapid movement alarmed those who were -approaching; on all sides they shouted out, 'Peace is made.' At these -words the gunner stopped, the soldiers drew back, the syndics came -forward on one side, Baudichon and his friends on the other, and the two -parties conferred together.[693] - -Confidence was not yet restored. It was agreed to give hostages: three -notable men were given up on each side, and among the six was a canon -named Guet. Immediately the sound of the trumpet was heard in the city, -and the herald proclaimed: 'Every man shall lay down his arms and return -quietly home, without quarrel or dispute, under pain of being hanged; -and no one shall sing song or ballad, provoking to quarrel, under pain -of being whipped and banished.' - -The most diverse opinions prevailed at that moment in the city. The -priests and fervent disciples of Rome could find no comfort. Wishing to -destroy the Reformation at any cost, they thought it very christian-like -to put the reformed to death. They were particularly envenomed against -the captain-general; some of them publicly called him a traitor. 'This -peace vexes the christians sorely,' writes Sister Jeanne; and -accordingly they were heard exclaiming: 'We ought now to _despatch them -from the world_, in order to be no more frightened or vexed on their -account.' 'To say the truth,' adds the devout nun, 'it would have been -better than letting them live.'[694] - -But while some of the catholic leaders, as Wernli and Moine, returned -home gloomy and discontented, hoping that the business was merely -adjourned; others, both reformed and catholics, gladly recrossed the -thresholds of their homes, and were welcomed with tears of joy. Wives -embraced their husbands, the little children clung round their fathers, -while the elder ones took off their swords. The politicians smiled as -they witnessed the joy of some and the chagrin of others; they shook -their heads and thought that one party or the other would break the -truce as soon as they fancied it would be to their interest to do so. -'It is a sham peace,' they said.[695] But nothing could console certain -of the monks. 'Alas!' they muttered in their convents, 'the christians -would easily have discomfited and reduced the heretics to subjection, -and now these wicked ones will gain the supremacy in the city.'[696] - -[Sidenote: PROJECT OF RECONCILIATION.] - -On the following day (29th March) the council of sixty assembled 'to -settle the strife of the day before.' The tempest was not yet entirely -appeased; the catholic members of the council looked with threatening -eyes on the most notable of their colleagues, Jean Philippe, François -Faure, Claude Roset, and others. These were the men to be attacked, they -thought, for the strength of the anticlerical movement lay with them. -But for a time, reconciliation was all the fashion. They resolved to -frame a compromise which would satisfy both parties; and some of the -magistrates and principal citizens met to arrange a system for uniting -Rome and the Gospel.'[697] - -The Two Hundred, who were joined by many other citizens, being assembled -on the 30th March, the premier-syndic first liberated the hostages and -then proposed the famous project of reconciliation. The council having -accepted it, he forwarded a copy to the captains of each company; and -turning to the Abbot of Bonmont, who pretty regularly discharged the -functions of bishop, considering the prelate's continual absence, the -chief magistrate said to him: 'Mr. Vicar, I shall give you also a copy -of this decree, in order that you may take care to make your priests -live properly.' All the laymen agreed that there lay the main -difficulty. The sitting broke up. - -Each company was immediately drawn up on its Place d'Armes; the captain -stood in the centre: huguenots and mamelukes listened to this strange -decree which, regulating a religious matter, was ordered by the civil -authority and proclaimed by the soldiers. - -[Sidenote: ARTICLES OF PEACE.] - -'In the name of God, the Creator and Redeemer, Father, Son, and Holy -Ghost,' read the captain, and all bared their heads. 'In the interest of -peace, it is resolved,' continued the officer with sonorous voice, 'that -all anger, grudges, injuries, and ill-will between any soever of our -citizens and inhabitants, as well ecclesiastic as secular, and also all -battery, insult, and reproach, committed by one side or the other, be -wholly pardoned.' - -The listeners appeared satisfied. - -'_Item._ That every citizen, of what state or condition soever he may -be, live henceforward in peace, without attempting any novelty until it -be generally _ordered to live otherwise_.'—'Really, here is a reform,' -said the huguenots, 'but it is in the future.' - -'_Item._ That no one speak against the holy Sacraments, and that in this -respect every one be _left at liberty according to his conscience_.' - -Liberty and conscience! what strange words. If the people of Geneva -gained that, everything was gained. - -'That no one,' continued the captain, 'preach without the license of the -superior, the syndics, and the council; and that _the preacher say -nothing that is not proved by Holy Scripture_.' - -No article caused greater satisfaction. 'Good,' said some of the -reformed, 'our doctrine is that of Holy Scripture.'—'Good,' said some of -the catholics, 'the superior will contrive that no heretic preaches.' - -The captain added the prohibition to eat meat on Friday, to sing songs -against one another, or to say 'You are a Lutheran,' 'You are a papist.' -Moreover he ordered the heads of families to inform their wives and -children of the decree. The catholic ladies and their boys had been -sufficiently forward at the time of the battle not to be forgotten. - -The captain having finished said to his company: 'Let those who desire -peace and love hold up their hands and make oath before God.' - -The reformers, who obtained Holy Scripture and liberty of conscience, -held up their hands. The catholics seeing that the episcopal authority -and fast days were left them, did the same; but in one of the companies, -a huguenot who did not care for this mixture, said: 'I refuse!'—'To the -Rhone with him,' exclaimed the catholics immediately; 'to the Rhone. -Throw him into the Rhone without mercy, like a mad dog.'[698] Nobody, -however, was drowned, and next day there was a general procession -through the city to return thanks to God for the peace. - -The catholics triumphed. Religious liberty and the Bible seemed such -strange things that they had nothing to fear from them. They learnt the -contrary afterwards; but at this time the words looked like a decoy, -that had no reality, merely intended to attract and catch the huguenots. -On Palm Sunday, a very learned dominican (as it was said) come from -Auxerre, was commissioned to preach the victory of Rome. The crowd was -so great that the convent church could not contain it. He was conducted -to the open space in front of the building, where he got up into a -pulpit that had been brought out for him. Standing proudly before his -congregation, the disciple of St. Dominic said: 'Here I am ready to -enter into the lists with these preachers. Let my lords of Berne send as -many as they like, I will undertake to confound them all.' He had a -copious flow of 'big words, to the great contempt of the Word of -God.'[699] The huguenots, scarcely able to contain themselves, -exclaimed: 'These canting knaves desire to blindfold the eyes of the -simple, so that they may not see the sun which has risen on us in his -brightness.' - -The dominican continued hurling his thunderbolts without intermission, -then suddenly the assembly became disturbed. The women screamed, the men -were agitated ... it was believed that the huguenots were sallying from -the city (for the convent was in a suburb) and about to fall on the -congregation. 'Shut the gates' (of the city), cried some; and the devout -were still more frightened at this exclamation. Some drew their swords, -others their daggers, all got ready to defend themselves. The poor monk, -fancying the Lutherans were there already and about to put him to death, -grew frightened, turned pale ... 'and fell out of the pulpit in a -faint.' But no huguenots appeared. The congregation began to enquire -into the cause of the alarm, and discovered a young hare which had been -let loose among the people, and was running here and there between the -women's dresses. It was a trick played by some foolish jester. There was -a good deal of laughter in the city at the intrepid champions of Rome -who had so heroically drawn their daggers against a leveret.[700] - -[Sidenote: THE LORD'S SUPPER.] - -A ceremony of another kind, more serious and absorbing, was in -preparation. It was Passion-week, and the evangelicals felt the -necessity of meeting in a spirit of christian fraternity around the -Lord's table. On Holy Thursday (10th April) fourscore men and several -women assembled in the garden at the Pré l'Evêque. First, one of them -washed the feet of the others, in remembrance of the like act done by -our Lord. It was not an idle imitation with them: they understood -Christ's meaning: 'reminding them that no one should refuse to descend -to serve his brethren and equals, however low and abject the service -might be;' and they felt that 'if charity is abandoned, it is because -every one takes more than he wants, and despises almost all the others.' -After the washing of the feet, the holy sacrament was celebrated. These -energetic men humbled themselves like little children before God, and -approaching the table in sincere faith, many experienced that the -presence of the Redeemer, although spiritual, is real and strengthens -the inner man. - -As soon as the news of this celebration became known, all the city spoke -of it, and sarcasms were not spared. 'These _Jews_,' they said, 'have -bitten one after another into a slice of bread and cheese, in token of -peace and union.... And thereupon the catholics laughed,' sister Jeanne -informs us.[701] - -But the laughter was soon changed into fear. As they returned from the -Pré l'Evêque, several huguenots (and some of the most dreaded were among -them) walked through the streets together. A few silly gossips having -caught sight of them in the distance, reported everywhere that large -bodies of heretics were assembling in the squares and plotting to -prevent the celebration of the mass on Easter Sunday. It being Holy -Thursday, the communion was about to be administered in the churches; -but the women, terrified by the tales they heard, did not dare stir out. -The men grasped their arms; the priests and monks did the same; and both -pastors and flocks began to celebrate the supper of peace, protected by -breastplates, daggers, and clubs. All of them kept their ears on the -watch; they were agitated at the least noise; but no one came to disturb -them, and the communion passed off quietly.[702] - -[Sidenote: CONVENIENT INTERPRETATIONS.] - -'It will be on Good-Friday then,' said a few of the catholics; 'the -huguenots, it is well known, are preparing to make a demonstration that -day in the Dominicans' church, where the monk of Auxerre is to preach.' -To prevent such a mishap it was decided that the good father should -preach at St. Pierre's, 'the like of which had never been seen within -the memory of man, on such a day.' The canons believed themselves safe -in their cathedral, as in a fortress. For more security numerous bodies -of men patrolled the city; one of the chief catholics, M. de Thorens, -paraded proudly up and down surrounded by a troop of bravoes. On Friday -morning, priests and worshippers went armed to St. Pierre's. Some of the -reformed were astonished at seeing them under arms on such a day, and -reminded them of our Lord's words: _Put up thy sword in his sheath_. -That means, said the priests, 'that it must be kept close _until it is -time to draw it_.' Convenient interpretations are always to be found. - -These good people were disquieted without a cause: there was not the -least disturbance, and the preacher of Auxerre said whatever he -pleased.[703] But he did not feel at ease in the city of the huguenots, -and Easter Day was no sooner past than he returned 'hastily into his own -country.' No one dared preach after his departure, which greatly -surprised devout catholics.[704] - -The ordinance of the council had forwarded religious liberty in Geneva, -but it was little more than in theory; the practice was more difficult. -In the opinion of some, Geneva ought to be entirely reformed; in the -opinion of others, entirely catholic: men of decision asked 'how long -they would halt between two opinions?' and daring partisans repeated -that the sword alone could cut the difficult knot. The premier-syndic, -Nicholas du Crest, and councillor Roy started for Berne to pray the -senate not to support the Reform; while the evangelicals, on the other -hand, desired that it should be allowed to develope itself freely. Many -had a fervour of mind, a sincere hunger and thirst for righteousness; -their souls sought after eternal salvation; and they were as ambitious -of heavenly truth as conquerors are of glory and empire. The clergy, by -depriving them of their ministers, had reduced them to simple attempts -at mutual edification; but they desired the full preaching of the -Gospel, without which the Church pines away. 'We are suffering from -want,' they said; 'we are deprived of our rights. A bold monk is -perpetually shouting that he is prepared to confound all the ministers -that Berne is willing to send us.... Well then, let us ask Berne for -ministers whose learning and eloquence may reduce these insolent and -prating Dominicans to silence.' - -[Sidenote: EMBASSY TO BERNE.] - -The journey of Syndic du Crest disquieted Maisonneuve. Who can tell but -the respect due to the chief magistrate of the republic may induce the -powerful canton of Berne to take a false step?... He will endeavour to -prevent so great a misfortune. He communicated his intentions to the -faithful Salomon, who being full of confidence in his friend, departed -with him immediately on this perilous journey.[705] - -Du Crest and Councillor Roy, arriving at Berne on the 6th April, fancied -one day they saw Maisonneuve and Salomon in the street. They stopped in -surprise, eyed them both from head to foot, and looked as if -petrified.... It was really the two huguenots. The premier-syndic was -exasperated, and going up to them, asked rudely, 'What are you doing -here?' 'We are told that you have instructions to speak against us,' -answered Maisonneuve: 'we are here to defend ourselves.' The next day, -when the two magistrates went to the council, they were still more -surprised to find the two reformed leaders in the outer hall. They hoped -at least to enter the council-room alone; but no! the door was hardly -open when the two huguenots went forward unceremoniously with the two -magistrates, and sat down quietly at their left. Was there then a second -power in Geneva, which also sent its ambassadors? - -Maisonneuve was in reality an ambassador; his heart burnt for a great -cause—that of the Gospel and of the new times. The truth which he -represented filled him with courage: he rose first, even before the -Genevan magistrate had spoken, and said with holy boldness: 'Most -honoured lords, we and a great number of our fellow-citizens desire the -pure Word of God to be preached in Geneva. The voice of the Gospel, so -little heard in times of yore, is now resounding throughout Christendom, -and we do not wish to give up hearing it. Neither banishment nor threats -can reduce us to carelessness and inactivity.' And then without fearing -the premier-syndic, who was listening, he continued: 'My lords, do you -know to what extremity we are reduced? Our magistrates are making war -upon us, and trying to drive from Geneva that Gospel which you have -established in Berne. After the visit we paid you recently, they -summoned us before them.... And this Nicholas du Crest here present has -trampled our liberties under foot and spoken to us as if we were -thieves.... Instead of answering your letters they went from house to -house exhorting their partisans to take up arms. They rang the tocsin; -gathered together the canons, priests, and common people; and contrived -a wicked and bloody conspiracy.... And why, my lords? We must (they -said) cut off the heads of those who went to Berne.... Behold, most -honoured lords, the value they attach to your citizenship!... O -liberties of Geneva! O alliance of the League! O justice of the laws!... -Everything is trodden under foot by priests determined to leave us for -our inheritance nothing but slavery and superstition, tears, sighs, and -groans.... A remedy must be applied, and you alone can do it, most -honoured lords. A fanatical monk, who preaches against pure religion, -has offered to enter the lists against every minister of the Gospel you -may send us.... Do what he asks.... Grant to us and our brethren one of -your preachers. Obtain for him a public place where he may freely -declare the Word of God. Let him combat with this dominican in a -properly regulated discussion, and thus ensure the triumph of the -Gospel.' - -Maisonneuve knew the risk he incurred by speaking with so much -frankness, and he therefore added: 'Perhaps you will also see that this -just request does not prevent our returning home and living there in -peace.'[706] - -[Sidenote: THE ENVOY'S DISCOMFITURE.] - -The syndic and the Genevan councillor, who had not expected such a -speech, were embarrassed. Having come as accusers, they found themselves -accused. The angry looks of the Bernese councillors disturbed the -magistrate of Geneva still more than the words of the protestant -ambassador. The avoyer, turning to the syndic, asked him whether he had -any answer to make. 'We have no orders on the subject, and, therefore, -have nothing to say,' was his reply. 'Well then,' said the lords of -Berne, 'we will send a deputation to Geneva shortly, to see what is -going on there with regard to religion.'[707] - -The council rose. It seemed as if a favourable wind was about to blow on -the evangelical ship. But a storm was preparing, which might perhaps -dash it to pieces. - -[690] Choupard MS. _Vie de Farel._ - -[691] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 57. - -[692] Roset MS. _Chron._ - -[693] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 55.—Council Registers, 28th -March 1533.—Roset MS. _Chron._ liv. ii. ch. 10. - -[694] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 56.—Council -Registers of 28th and 29th March.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 56. - -[695] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 56. - -[696] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, pp. 55-56. - -[697] Council Registers, 29th March. - -[698] Council Registers for the 30th March.—La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le -Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 59.—Gautier MS. - -[699] Gautier MS. Extracted from the petition presented to Berne by -Maisonneuve and Salomon. - -[700] Council Registers from 2nd to 11th April.—Gautier MS.—Spon, -_Hist. Eccl._ pp. 490-492. - -[701] La Sœur J. de Jussieu, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 61. - -[702] Ibid. p. 60. - -[703] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, p. 60. - -[704] Ibid. p. 61. - -[705] Council Registers of the 2nd and 11th April. Gautier MS.—Spon, -_Hist. Eccles._ I. pp. 490-492. - -[706] Requête de ceux de Genève.—Council Registers of 11th April, -1583.—Gautier MS.—Spon, _Hist. Eccles._, p. 491. - -[707] Requête de ceux de Genève.—Council Registers of 11th April, -1533.—Gautier MS. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - SECOND ATTACK, IN WHICH THE LEADER PERISHES. - (MAY 4, 1533.) - - -The Reformation of Geneva numbered in its ranks the friends, not only of -evangelical truth, but of political liberty. There was both good and -evil in this. The vigorous hand of the huguenots may possibly have been -necessary to restrain the intrepid mamelukes; but it was to be regretted -that the arms of the flesh shone beside those of the spirit. If -reasoning by syllogism is bad in religious subjects, reasoning by the -pike is worse still. Some partisans of the Reform gave a new version of -the _Compel them to come in_ of the Romish Church, by practising a -little of the _Compel them to go out_. Both of them need a little -indulgence. The human mind having been kept in darkness for ten -centuries, required a lengthened education before it could understand -that it is unholy to employ in religion any other weapons than those of -free conviction. - -[Sidenote: WAR OF THE TONGUE.] - -There was another kind of hostility, pretty frequent in those times, and -more conformable to the manner of our days than swords and guns—the use -of ridicule. The Genevans of both schools usually began with legitimate -discussions, the catholics alleging the infallibility of the pope, and -the reformed opposing them with that of the Word of God. They debated on -this subject in the streets and in the convents, around the fire and -even in the council. But they often passed from discussion to ridicule. -One day, when the priests were walking in procession and singing aloud -the prayers for the conversion of heretics, some huguenots, standing at -the corner of a street, fancying a resemblance between their harsh -chants and the voice of a certain thick-skinned animal, said laughingly -to one another: 'Give some thistles to those noisy braying donkeys.' -'Alas!' exclaimed the nuns in their cloister, 'they make so many jests -that you could not write them down in a year!' It is Sister Jeanne who -records this fact, but her narrative is so full of fables that we cannot -guarantee its authenticity.[708] - -Most of the priests were stronger in arm than in mind, and preferred a -fight with swords to one with words. That devout canon and valiant -knight Messire Pierre Wernli was bursting with rage. He harangued in the -convents, in private houses, and even in the streets; he wished to fight -and prove, halberd in hand, that supreme respect was due to the papacy. -He held frequent conferences with the heads of the party, both lay and -ecclesiastic, at Percival de Pesmes', at M. de Thorens', or at the -vicar-episcopal's. All kept their eyes and ears open, determined to take -advantage of the first opportunity to secure the triumph of their cause. -They thought the time for action had come at last. - -It was now the beginning of May, the date of the fair at Lyons, at that -time much frequented by the Genevans. Some of the principal huguenots -hesitated, however, to go there. It seemed difficult for them to leave -Geneva just at that moment, for all the indications of a storm were -visible in the sky. They believed, however, they should have time to -make the little journey before the crisis arrived. Some of the more -daring among them posted up bills with the words: 'Let us go to the fair -before the war and deliverance of Geneva.' They departed, and in certain -secret meetings it was said that the huguenots who remained behind ought -to be killed, and the gates shut against those who were away: thus the -religion of Geneva would be saved. But in the opinion of others, it was -proper that the pomps of religious worship should form a prelude to -these combats of the faith. - -[Sidenote: HIGH MASS.] - -Sunday, the 4th of May, was the feast of the Holy Windingsheet. The -linen cloth, in which the body of Jesus Christ was buried, and on which -(it was said) the print of his face had remained, was exhibited that day -in Geneva, and on other days in ten or twelve different cities which all -pretended to possess it. At the moment when the Reform was endeavouring -to restore Christ's true image to the Church, such as it is found in -Holy Scripture, the most ardent partisans of catholicism were found -exhibiting on a sheet the features, which sixteen centuries, as they -alleged, had not been able to efface. To give more importance to the -feast, the vicar-general entrusted the service to Pierre Wernli, who was -looked upon as one of the most important of the canons, and was at the -head of the most bellicose. The congregation was large. Great fervour, -internal emotion, and ardent prayers rendered the service that day more -than usually solemn. Wernli, who had put on his finest sacerdotal robes, -presided over the ceremony with religious enthusiasm and swelling pride. -He was fanatical but sincere. His motto was: 'Everything for the honour -of God and holy Church.' Convinced of the efficacy of the sacrifice of -the mass, he repeated the _introit_, chanted the offertory, consecrated -the host, and went through the elevation. The sympathetic accents that -rose from his heart resounded through the arches of the cathedral. 'What -a fine voice!' said some; 'what a fine man! There is not such another -officiater in the world, and we have not seen so fine a service in -Geneva for these ten years!'[709] After the mass of the Holy -Windingsheet, the catholics could not doubt of the approaching triumph -of the Church. - -A new contest was about to begin. We do not forget the small extent of -the field of battle. We are not describing the destinies of the empire -of the Persians or the Romans, of the Russians or the Germans; but those -of a little city, surrounded by a narrow territory. Here, everything is -on a small scale; yet the combat of which we are about to speak led to -the return of the prince-bishop; and if the plans formed between that -ecclesiastical prince, the duke of Savoy, and the emperor himself had -been carried into execution at that moment, as everything seemed to -forebode, liberty and the Reformation would have perished in Geneva. -Would that loss have produced no effect? Are we mistaken in thinking -that the great battle which was to last during all the 16th century—a -battle which the Gospel and liberty fought against Rome, Jesuitism, and -the Inquisition, and which is undoubtedly the most important of modern -times—might not have had the same issue, if this little city, so full of -living faith and heroic courage, had not fought in the ranks, and -imparted to protestantism the vigour necessary to conquer formidable -enemies? When they hear of these petty struggles, many of the friends of -liberty and the Gospel perhaps may say: 'Let us not despise such little -things. It is we whom the narrative concerns. These people were the -first to fight for the precious gifts which we now enjoy in peace.' - -Wernli did not intend to remain satisfied with a mass: he believed a -fight was necessary. He had hardly laid aside his robes, his cross, and -stole, when he thought of donning his armour: this was part of his -piety. He had no trouble in persuading his brethren, for the priests -were more zealous than the laymen in these disturbances.[710] The first -battle having proved a failure, they prepared for a second. In the -Reformation of Geneva facts play as important a part as ideas. The great -questions of rights, liberty, and truth were not elaborated simply in -the studies of a few lawyers or divines, but were discussed around the -hearths of burghers, at the meetings of evangelicals, and in the general -council of the citizens, and were decided in the streets in the midst of -formidable struggles. Ideas became acts; doctrines gave birth to events; -theories set men's hearts beating, armed their hands, and produced great -deliverances. There may have been some evil in this mighty activity, but -it was an unavoidable evil. - -On the afternoon of the festival, Wernli and a great number of other -ecclesiastics met in council at the vicar-episcopal's. They bitterly -regretted that the good-nature of the Friburgers and the weakness of the -syndics had caused the failure of their plot. They had lost the game, -and must begin again. A project adjourned needs not on that account be -given up. The catholics should take advantage of the time when the -absence of the principal huguenots would make the victory easy. - -[Sidenote: A HOLIDAY EVENING.] - -During this discussion a few citizens of both parties were promenading -near the Rhone, apparently thinking only of taking a little recreation. -It was the evening of a holiday, and the setting sun poured its rays in -floods of flame upon the lake. The west was on fire, the water reflected -the image of the sky, and flashed with bright and flickering colours. -But the citizens thought little at this moment of the beauties of -nature. However great the apparent calm without, their souls were -agitated by fierce passions. By degrees they entered into conversation; -they spoke of religion, as was their custom; they debated with warmth, -then they began to dispute and to abuse each other, and finally hands -were raised and blows were struck. - -The sun set; the brightness died away, all grew pale round the city, and -daylight was fading into darkness. The hour, so favourable for walking, -had attracted many abroad; the noise drew still more. Huguenots and -mamelukes, catholics and reformed, hurried to the Molard. 'What is the -matter?' they asked. The parties were already forming into two distinct -groups. Every one as he arrived joined his friends; they arranged -themselves in order, they soon counted their numbers, and two bands drew -up face to face. Some of the more impetuous went in front and excited -the crowd. The gaoler of the episcopal prisons and his brother, both -great brawlers, who handled the dagger cleverly, 'very riotous men' -(says a manuscript) thorough bravoes of the 16th century, were among the -most violent. Monks and priests of the lower rank mingled with the -people in the square, while their superiors were in consultation at the -vicar-episcopal's. They excited the crowd, and complained loudly that -the Friburgers had hindered them on the 28th March from destroying the -heretics, which, they held, would have been a necessary severity. - -Meanwhile the two parties, though already face to face, apparently did -not think of coming to blows. One Pinet, sent by the clergy 'to apply -the match, began to work upon the people.' He glided from group to -group, and strove to inflame the minds of the catholics. 'Who will fight -along with me on behalf of his religion?' he said. Then turning towards -the huguenots, he challenged them, shouting out, with an oath: 'Your -creed is a rascally one, you Lutherans! If there is a man among you -willing to maintain the contrary, let him come here and fight.'[711] -This challenge was repeated several times, but the reformed feared a -disturbance. 'Peace has been made,' said they, 'do not break it.' Some -of them added: 'Be on your guard, Pinet is a sad scamp.' Nobody would -'take the bait.' One huguenot, however, the impatient Ami Perrin, could -not contain himself; provoked by the priests' agent, he rushed upon him -and nearly killed him. Both huguenots and catholics ran between them to -separate them. Peace was restored or at least seemed to be; but a spark -had been struck out, and the fire was about to be kindled.[712] - -[Sidenote: MARIN DE VERSONAY.] - -A young Catholic, Marin de Versonay, agitated by the scene which he had -just witnessed, left the square and hurried up the Rue du Perron. -Versonay was a man of narrow mind but ardent imagination, and -fanatically attached to the Romish Church, which he looked upon as the -sole and exclusive source of holiness and everlasting happiness. -Moreover he had an unbounded affection for his cousin Percival de -Pesmes, and the profoundest respect for the sovereignty of the bishop. -His ancestors had conferred great services upon Geneva. In 1476 his -grandfather Aymon, councillor to the bishop John Louis of Savoy, had -lent his plate to the city to quiet the Swiss, who threatened it with -pillage. The young nobleman wished to do for Geneva more than his -grandfather had done—he wished to destroy heresy. His wife, with whom -the priests were great friends, urged him on night and day.[713] - -The members of the episcopal council, the canons and principal priests, -were all armed and waiting at Messire de Bonmont's house the issue of -this skirmish. At every noise they pricked up their ears, fancying they -heard the footsteps of a messenger; but none appeared, and everything -seemed to betoken that peace would not be disturbed. Pinet had withdrawn -in confusion, and Perrin, notwithstanding his natural impetuosity, knew -very well that the reformed did not wish to take the initiative and -break the public peace. Tranquillity was restored. A few citizens of -both parties still remained in the Molard, but many of the catholics and -huguenots had left, and to seal their concord had gone to drink -together, saying that they intended to remain friends. The match had -gone out.[714] - -Young de Versonay and the impetuous canon were going to rekindle it. The -former, whose imagination had been excited, directed his steps to De -Bonmont's house. He knocked violently at the gate and shouted aloud: -'Help! help! they are killing all good christians!' At the sound of -these imprudent words the canons and priests caught fire; some remained -doubtful and motionless, but Pierre Wernli, 'that good knight,' -immediately sprang to his feet. The service he had celebrated in the -cathedral was hardly over, when he had thought of another, and said to -himself that this very day the Reformation must be buried in a -winding-sheet from which it should never rise again. Accordingly, after -taking off his sacerdotal robes, he had put on his breastplate and -cuishes, belted his sword to his side, seized his heavy halberd, and -thus armed,[715] had gone to the vicar-episcopal's. Immediately Wernli -heard Versonay's voice, he thought the hour was come. Standing in the -midst of the priests, and grasping his weapon, he invited his colleagues -by a glance to follow him. Many hesitated, and then, 'burning with love -of God,' says one of his greatest admirers, 'this good champion of the -faith, seeing that nobody got ready for the fight, lost patience, would -not wait for the other churchmen, and went out first with fiery -courage.'[716] The die was cast; the battle was about to begin, for no -one was able to stop the impetuous canon. - -[Sidenote: THE TOCSIN SOUNDS.] - -However, three other priests, less notable but quite as violent—Bertholet, -Manillier, and Servant—ran to St. Pierre's and ordered the ringers to -sound the tocsin loudly and hurriedly. These men, themselves alarmed at -what was told them about the riot, rang immediately, 'to the great -terror of Christians,' says sister Jeanne. Over all the city swelled the -majestic voice of _Clemence_, an ancient bell, well known at Geneva, -which bears this inscription on the rim: - - EGO VOCOR CLEMENTIA. - AVE MARIA, GRATIA PLENA. - PLEBEM VOCO, CONVOCO CLERUM, - VOX MEA CUNCTORUM - FIT TERROR DEMONIORUM. - -In truth Clemence at this moment 'was calling the people and -convoking the clergy,' and as for the 'demons, whom her voice was to -affright,' ... they were the reformed—at least in the eyes of the -priests. The huguenots who remained in the Molard, thought that the -papists meditated returning to the attack and killing them in their -houses. The darkness increased the agitation caused by the dismal sounds -from the belfry. 'What is the matter?' said the citizens. 'The heretics -are assembling in the principal square to plunder the churches,' -answered some of the catholics. 'Let us rally on the other side, in -front of the stalls,' was the reply. Some said truly that it was a false -alarm; that the huguenots had gone to the river bank simply for a walk, -as is everywhere customary on a Sunday evening, and that they were -already returning home; but the more violent would listen to nothing; -they hurried from all quarters, summoned by the tocsin, and displayed -their banners. On the side of the stalls they shouted with all their -might: 'Rally here, all Christians, and be of good heart in defence of -holy faith.' And great was the tumult among them. It was quite pitiful -to hear their cries in the streets.[717] The other churchmen, who at the -first moment had hesitated to follow the canon, took courage, and -leaving the vicar's house, descended to the Molard. - -In the priests' eyes it was a decisive moment. A great number of them, -no doubt, thought only of their personal interests, but many believed -that the issue of the struggle was a question of life or death for -catholicism in Geneva. They shuddered when they saw those whom they -termed unnatural children, turning away from the bosom of their mother's -breast—the papacy. 'These curious and rebellious minds,' they said, -'imagine that they will overthrow the Church ... but the gates of hell -shall not prevail against it.... O bride of Christ! thou who procurest -for us the chaste and everlasting embraces (_castos æternosque -amplexus_) of the divine Spouse, we are thine for ever!' - -[Sidenote: WERNLI'S APPEAL.] - -Wernli had made up his mind to give his life, if necessary, for the -cause of Rome. This was not with him the hasty resolution of a moment. -Seeing the progress of the Reformation, he had vowed to sacrifice -everything for its destruction, and it was with this intention he now -descended from the neighbourhood of St. Pierre's to the Molard. It was -necessary to accomplish on the 4th May what the 28th March had been -unable to do. 'Wernli desired to be the first,' says Froment, 'to -support as a man of war the holy mother Church.' He was both the hero -and the victim of this important day. Vainly did the people shout to him -on every side that 'Peace was made;' ... he would hear nothing. 'He was -the most obstinate and the maddest of the priests.'[718] Full of venom -and devotion for the cause of popery, he exclaimed: 'Ho! all good -christians to my aid.' Many laymen and clerks joined him, and they -proceeded hurriedly towards the square. 'The canons and other churchmen -were the first under the flag,' says Sister Jeanne. In a short time -fifteen hundred men, 'many of them priests,' were assembled.[719] - -During this time, other ecclesiastics were gathering in arms in the -court of St. Pierre, so as to stop the huguenots who might desire to go -to the scene of the tumult. Three reformers, coming from the Bourg du -Four, soon arrived with hasty steps in front of the cathedral. The -sacerdotal corps immediately barred the way, and the priests began to -attack them. One of them was 'unfortunate enough to receive -_twenty-eight_ wounds at their hands, and fell to the ground.' As for -the other two, 'the dogs took flight,' says the bulletin of St. -Claire.[720] - -[Sidenote: WERNLI HEADS THE FIGHT.] - -At this moment Wernli and his followers reached the Molard. The night -was dark, the stars above gave a faint light; men appeared like shadows, -and it was hard to distinguish friends from foes. Obscure and confused -noises, inarticulate sounds, marks of approbation or of anger, issued -from the darkness. It was like the hoarse roaring of the sea before the -storm bursts forth. For a few seconds there was a dead silence, then on -a sudden loud shouting. When the canon arrived, armed from head to foot, -he heard the cries of the reformers, and, stirred with anger, he -flourished his halberd, and pointing it in their direction, shouted out -in his Friburg patois: 'Dear God! where are these Lutherans who speak -ill of our law?... God's blood! where are they?'[721] With a coarse -oath, he turned round to his followers, and said, 'Courage, good -christians! do not spare those rascals.' One might fancy him the giant -Goliath, who, with a helmet of brass upon his head, and armed with a -coat of mail, came forth, spear in hand, to defy the army of -Israel.[722] - -The warlike canon had hardly given the signal when the combat began. It -was a fine spring night, everything was pale and grey; it was, as we -have said, easy to make mistakes; the silence and obscurity imparted a -certain solemnity to the struggle. The shadows moving about the Molard -became agitated; they rushed upon each other, and dealt frequent blows -in the darkness. One shadow ran after another, but on both sides they -fought desperately and at close quarters. From time to time there was a -brief gleam; sword met sword, and flashed fire. The violent Perrin and -the zealous Claude Bernard were at the head of the huguenots, and struck -stoutly. Among the catholics, John Rosetti and Canon Viole were those -who rushed with greatest fury upon their adversaries. All four fell -wounded on the spot. Others besides them were hit, and their blood -flowed; but they were not noticed, and the combatants trampled the -wounded under foot, until their friends, recognising them, carried them -to some neighbouring house. A blow more famous than all was about to be -struck; a victim more notable was about to bite the dust. - -Wernli, who had remained at the top of the square, unable to see his -enemies, was challenging them with all the strength of his lungs. 'Where -are they?' he kept on shouting and swearing; 'Where are these Lutherans -who speak ill of our law?' Some huguenots who were not in the square, -but in the Rue de la Croix d'Or (all the adjoining streets were full of -catholics and reformers), answered him, 'They are here.' The canon, who -could not see, but who could hear, rushed halberd in hand in the -direction whence the reply came. He reached his enemies, striking them -with the head and the butt of his weapon, which he handled as easily as -his breviary. By killing Lutherans he hoped to kill Lutheranism itself. - -The huguenots whom he had attacked did not remain idle, but parried the -priest's blows with their naked swords. At last one of them, whom the -long and pointed blade provoked, sprang forward, caught hold of the -halberd, broke it in two and flung the pieces away. The hero of the -clergy, finding himself deprived of his favourite weapon, lost not a -moment; he drew his two-handed sword and rushed upon his adversaries, -cutting and thrusting like a Switzer of Grandson. The huguenots, finding -themselves so vigorously attacked, no longer stood upon the defensive; -they fell upon the champion of the papacy. 'They charged him,' says -Sister Jeanne, who adds, 'but he defended himself valiantly.' His -breastplate protected his body from the neck to the waist, so that all -the blows aimed at him glanced off, 'so completely and cunningly was he -armed.'[723] At last a man named Pierre l'Hoste, as is believed, a poor -carman, impatient at the long struggle, looking upon Wernli as a soldier -and not a priest, approached him, and, moving round him in search of the -weak point in his armour, plunged his sword into his body. The canon -staggered and fell. 'Thus was the blasphemer killed, and he lay in the -square without moving hand or foot.'[724] The struggle occurred in front -of the house of Councillor Chautemps, one of the most zealous of the -evangelicals. Wernli fell on the steps. _They that take the sword shall -perish with the sword._[725] Some priests who were near, seeing their -captain fall, fled each to his convent or to the cloister of St. -Pierre.[726] - -[Sidenote: DEATH OF THE CANON.] - -The death of the general did not, however, put an end to the fight. -Priests with their partisans, and huguenots, were still exchanging blows -when the syndic of the guard, the head of the military department, -arrived. He raised his official bâton and ordered the citizens to return -to their houses. De Chapeaurouge, commander of the cavalry, zealously -assisted him. 'Stop!' they both exclaimed. All their calling was -useless, so great was the popular emotion, and so inflamed was their -courage, says the chronicle. The syndic, advancing into the midst of the -combatants, conjured them to separate; but he received a blow on the -head from the hands of a priest.[727] What the canon's death had not -been able to do, the magistrate's wound accomplished. This incident put -an end to the contest. The reformed, full of respect for the syndic, -sheathed their swords and withdrew to their homes. - -Some priests, however, with a few of their partisans, refused to obey. -They were unwilling to fail this time, and did not intend that their -project should come to nothing. They were determined to bury the Reform. -Exasperated bands paraded the streets, challenging and insulting the -huguenots, who refused to chastise the braggart priests. Even this -forbearance did not appease the fanatics; they continued their -provocations until daybreak. 'All night the christians were under arms,' -says Sister Jeanne, 'seeking those wicked dogs; but it was of no good, -for they were all hidden!'[728] When daylight began to appear, the -clergy and their allies, fatigued with the tumultuous night, went off to -bed, and thus ended their second attack. Now they will try to obtain by -intrigue and terror, what arms have failed to procure them. - -[708] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 62. - -[709] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, p. 63. - -[710] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 55.—Gautier MS. - -[711] Froment, _Gestes_, p. 57. - -[712] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 57.—La Sœur J. de Jussie, -_Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 61. - -[713] Contemporary MS.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 58. - -[714] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 57.—La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le -Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 61.—Galiffe, _Notices généalogiques_, I. p. 48. - -[715] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, &c. p. 62. - -[716] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, pp. 61-62. - -[717] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, pp. 67-68. - -[718] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 58. - -[719] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. -61.—Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, pp. 57-58. - -[720] 'Ces chiens prirent la fuite.'—_Le Levain du Calvinisme_, -p. 63. Gautier MS. Council Registers of May 11. - -[721] 'Char Dey, o sont tey ces toux Luthérians..... Sang Dey, o son -tey?'—Choupard MS. Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 58. - -[722] 1 Samuel xvii. - -[723] La Sœur J. de Jussie, p. 63. - -[724] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 59. - -[725] St. Matthew xxvi. 52. - -[726] Choupard MS.—Roset MS. _Chron._ liv. ii. ch. xvi. - -[727] Choupard MS.—Roset MS.—_Chron._ liv. ii. ch. xvi. - -[728] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. -63.—Council Registers of the 4th and 23rd May. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - THE CANON'S DEATH MADE A WEAPON AGAINST THE REFORM. - (MAY TO JULY 1533.) - - -Wernli's death was to be fruitful in serious consequences. The priests -were about to show what the violent death of an ecclesiastic might mean, -and the terrible consequences it carries with it. To sacrifice the -liberties of Geneva and the evangelical Reformation on his tomb, was, in -their opinion, the only offering that could appease heaven. - -Next morning at sunrise, a few citizens left their houses and proceeded -towards the field of battle. They perceived a man, dressed like a -warrior, lying on the steps of a house; a great sword lay a few -paces off. They approached, stooped down and touched him ... he was stark -dead ... it was the canon, Messire Pierre Wernli. His body had lain all -night in the street, unobserved by every one. As Councillor Chautemps, a -peaceable man, had remained indoors, the body had not been perceived. -The cuirass bore the marks of the blows received by the champion of the -priests. His garments were bloody and his features still wore a fierce -look. Those who gazed upon him were moved. A canon, a chief of the -Church, he who the day before had officiated with so much state at St. -Pierre's, surrounded by all the pomps of the service, had been struck -down by the huguenots ... and there he lay dead. Some ran off to spread -the news: 'Messire Pierre lies bathed in blood near the Molard.' Canons -and priests, monks and mamelukes, and even the huguenots, ran out and -surrounded the dead body. 'All the city was troubled when they found the -corpse.'[729] The devout knelt down, and striking their breasts, -exclaimed with tears: 'O blessed martyr, sacrificed to God!' According -to some good catholics, he took his place in the ranks of the confessors -who, like Thomas à Becket, had been put to death for honouring the holy -Roman Church. This species of canonisation disgusted the huguenots: -'What!' they said, 'a priest fights with the halberd and sheds the blood -of citizens—he turns soldier, and you make him a saint! Rather recognise -in his death the just judgment of God.'[730] At that moment, there came -up a woman of mean appearance, who fell shrieking on the body. She -pressed it in her arms, with many sighs and groans. She was the canon's -housekeeper, they said; but the manuscript which records this incident -gives her a more significant name.[731] - -This death was a great event, and the members of the council felt the -liveliest apprehensions. Wernli was not only a canon, but a Friburger, -and belonged to a powerful family. What would not be the wrath of his -fellow-citizens! 'Had we known of this murder last evening,' said the -mamelukes, 'the sword would have taken vengeance on Messire Pierre's -assassins, and the night would have been a night of terror and death.' -Their rage would have been so great that they would have entered every -house and made a general massacre. But the abler men of the party made -less noise, and thought of the advantage they might derive from the -catastrophe. The most extreme measures now became legitimate, and the -canon's death was to result in the triumph of the pope. Even now, a few -catholics assembling round the corpse, traded upon the scene, and -uncovering Wernli's wounds, pointed them out to the people, and thus -sought to arouse their anger. Others succeeded in preventing the gates -from being opened, lest the huguenots who had crossed swords with the -canon should escape. When the reformed learnt that the city was closed, -although it was broad daylight, they asked if it was intended to murder -them, and some immediately armed themselves and went to Baudichon de la -Maisonneuve's house.[732] - -[Sidenote: BURYING THE DEAD.] - -About nine o'clock the body was lifted up and carried into Chautemp's -house, where it was placed decently on a bed. The cuirass was taken off, -the stains of blood washed away; it was arrayed in the priest's -canonical robes, and the devout folks knelt around it. Every moment -other catholics, men and women, took the places of those who left. The -same day, at five in the afternoon, an immense procession descended from -St. Pierre's to do honour to this 'blessed martyr.' The priests placed -the canon on a showy bier, and when they came out of the house, 'the -people uttered a loud cry.'[733] Some of the reformed joined in the -funeral train; all enmity (they thought) should perish in the presence -of the dead. The body was taken into the cathedral, and buried at the -foot of the great crucifix. The council, wishing to hold the balance -even, imprisoned a few men who passed for the most violent of both -parties.[734] - -[Sidenote: WERNLI'S RELATIONS ARRIVE.] - -Five days later, a herald from Friburg and many of Wernli's relatives -appeared in deep mourning, and demanded that the body should be given up -to them; they also called for signal reparation. At five o'clock the -same day, the body was exhumed in the presence of an immense crowd, and, -wonder unheard-of! the canon stood upright, and the blood flowed from -his wound as fresh as if he had been alive. 'Of a truth,' said those in -the cathedral, 'this is a miracle, a testimony borne to the holy Roman -faith, for the maintenance of which his body was mangled. His blood -cries for revenge.'[735] - -But the reformed said that popery is full of such cheats (_piperies_) -and idle dreams, opposed to common sense, by means of which impostors -deceive the simple. They believed that when the Son of God became man, -many signs of divine power had accompanied that great miracle; and that -if the sun acts upon the earth, and transforms a poor grain of wheat -into a magnificent ear of corn, it is very reasonable to admit that he -who created the sun exercises his sovereign action here whenever he -wills it, and effects transformations still more marvellous; but they -would not suffer the tricks of men to be placed in the same rank with -the interventions of the supreme power of the Creator. The miracle -having been confirmed by _eight hundred witnesses_, says Sister Jeanne, -the body was laid in a coffin and carried to the lake, all the priests -singing, while the women and some of the devout made the air re-echo -with their cries and groans. The coffin was placed in a boat and taken -to Friburg.[736] - -[Sidenote: THE REFORM MUST BE CRUSHED.] - -The priests thought the moment had now come for getting rid of the -evangelicals for ever. At first, the reform had been a mere thread of -water, but the thread had suddenly increased, and become like an Alpine -torrent, which, if it were not checked, would overthrow the altars and -sweep away crosses, images and holy water, priests and prelates. Had not -an illustrious canon been attacked and carried away by this devastating -flood? 'Now,' said the priests, 'must be accomplished what our Lord told -the apostles: He that hath no sword, let him sell his garment and buy -one. If we do not crush these accursed Lutherans now, they will never -cease to trouble the churches, to plunder, beat and kill.... Let us sell -everything, even our wallets, to procure spears and swords.'[737] They -set the example; they never went out except well supplied with arms -under their frocks. The sisters of St. Claire and all the devout women -of Geneva exclaimed with delight on seeing the clergy so resolved: 'Ah, -if the clerks were not so stout-hearted, these ravening wolves would -exterminate us.'[738] But the more reasonable of the men saw that the -clubs of the priests would not suffice alone. 'The hour is come,' said -they at Geneva and Friburg, at Chambery, and wherever Rome had faithful -followers; 'the bishop must return to Geneva, and resume his former -authority.' A deputation started from Friburg for Arbois to entreat -Pierre de la Baume to return to his episcopal city. - -[Sidenote: THE BISHOP AT ARBOIS.] - -Since the death of Besançon Hugues, the bishop had taken no steps to -recover his power. Wounded by what had occurred in his principality, he -kept his vexation to himself, made up his mind to remain quiet, and -sought consolation at Arbois in good living. 'I have received your -capons,' he wrote, 'send me some fish. I have been enjoying myself, and -am much better supplied with provisions here than at Geneva.' He was at -heart neither wicked nor cruel; he had taste, education, and talent, and -his conversation abounded in wit. But he had two passions—the table and -money, besides a weak and selfish temper which made him incline one time -to the duke, another to Geneva, and appear servile or tyrannical -according as he hoped to obtain anything by baseness or by despotism. -The Genevans, and particularly the huguenots, knew him well. 'He wants -to ride _one_ and lead the _other_,' said Robert Vandel, 'and does -nothing except for his own advantage.' - -When the Friburgers arrived at Arbois, they drew him from his stupid -tranquillity, disturbed his feasting, and firmly represented to him that -they wanted to know whether he desired to maintain catholicism in -Geneva, or to let it perish. They even attacked him with personal -arguments, which they knew must have great force for him. 'Return to -your city, my lord,' they said, 'to recover your lost authority, and -protect your threatened rents.' But La Baume was too timid, and would -willingly have lived anywhere except in his own diocese and -principality. He defended his absenteeism in a singular manner. 'Many of -these heretics have uttered great threats against me,' he said; 'they -will kill me like poor Wernli.'[739] A mightier voice than that of -Friburg now made itself heard. - -The condition of Geneva was known in all catholic countries. Men were -uneasy everywhere; even Pope Clement VII. felt anxious. He did not -admire those ecclesiastics who, following the example of Leo X., -neglected business for pleasure. In some places the catholics imagined -that if the Reform were crushed in Geneva, the recoil would act on the -Reformation in general; that the other protestant nations would feel its -effects, and that such a defeat would be the beginning of the end. -Representations to this effect reached the pope from every side, and he, -being a skilful politician and having the saving of the Roman court at -heart, wrote to the bishop: 'I command you to proceed to Geneva -immediately you receive this bull, under pain of excommunication. Is it -not singular that you pass your life in a foreign province as if you -were not the pastor of that city? You, by your absence, are the cause of -all the misfortunes with which it is afflicted.... Go, speak, act ... -defend the flock which Jesus Christ and the holy see have entrusted to -you, and rescue your sheep from the ravening wolf that is preparing to -devour them.'[740] - -The poor bishop, when he read the bull, was seized with the most violent -emotion. He saw himself between two dangers almost equally great: the -pope who threatened him with excommunication, and the huguenots who -threatened him with death. What was to be done? He was urged on both -sides. At last he formed an heroic decision and determined to obey the -pope. He will leave Arbois and the pleasant life he had led there, with -all its earthly advantages, and go to that terrible city which appears -to him inhabited by wild beasts thirsting for his blood. 'Only you must -obtain a safe-conduct for me from Messieurs of Geneva,' he said to the -Friburg ambassadors, who were greatly surprised at having to ask a -safe-conduct for a prince who desired to visit his principality, for a -bishop who desired to enter his diocese. However, they promised -everything. - -[Sidenote: THE BISHOP INVITED TO RETURN.] - -Wernli's death had not only enraged the enemies of the Reformation, but -had weakened its friends and occasioned a reaction in Geneva favourable -to catholicism. The syndics and council now leant decidedly that way, -and the return of the bishop seemed to them the only means of restoring -order. 'The bishop does not need a safe-conduct,' they said; 'only let -him come. If anybody threatens him, we will punish him so severely, that -Monseigneur shall have cause to be satisfied.'—'Let him come back, let -him come back,' was the general cry except among the pious evangelicals -and the proud huguenots. The emancipation had hardly begun, when a -strong counter-revolution threatened to stifle it. On the 26th May the -council elected Domaine Franc, Stephen d'Adda, and Bon Officher to go -and humbly urge their bishop and prince to return. Thus Geneva herself -was preparing to bury its Reformation and its liberty. - -Other Genevans had arrived at Arbois before the deputies from the -council. The principal mameluke chiefs, whether banished or emigrant, -who found the bread of exile bitter, had started for Arbois as soon as -they had heard of the canon's death. Full of that exasperation and -agitated by those dreams which self-exiled and banished men ordinarily -have, they endeavoured to make the bishop share their hopes and hatred. -'Nothing is juster and easier,' they said, 'than to put the leading -huguenots into prison, on suspicion of being concerned in the attack -upon Wernli. They will be executed, or if the people oppose, they can be -transported suddenly to some castle in Savoy, as Lévrier was formerly, -and then we can do our pleasure on them. After that nothing will be able -to disturb the holy union of Geneva with Savoy and the pope.' But Pierre -de la Baume had already recovered a little from the heroic resolution he -had formed after reading the papal brief. The violent language of the -mamelukes aroused all his terrors. 'The Genevans,' he said, 'are proud, -independent, and fond of tumult; at the least word that displeases them, -they fly to arms. No ... afraid as I am, I dare not go to Geneva.' 'Do -not fear, we will accompany you,' answered the mamelukes. 'The -Friburgers on their part will provide you with a guard; the Genevan -catholics, who are ten to one, will do the same; the duke is resolved to -support you.... It is impossible that we should not crush the rebels.' -The calculation was correct and the argument unanswerable. Pierre de la -Baume, finding himself summoned by the pope, and surrounded with spears -and spearmen, horses and chariots, again resumed an heroic courage, and -almost made up his mind to appear in the city of the huguenots. - -Just at this moment the Genevan deputies arrived, and the bishop-prince -showed at first a very courteous humour, and replied with an amiable air -that he would return to Geneva _in a month_. Always uneasy, he still -tried to procrastinate. So many things may happen in a month—perhaps, -finally, he may never return to his episcopal city. 'I regard you as my -well-beloved subjects,' he said, 'and desire to appear as your true and -good prince.' Stephen d'Adda, a decided member of the opposition, placed -but little trust in these fine words. In reality they were playing a -little comedy at the priory of Arbois: the bishop was afraid to go, and -one or two of the deputies preferred that he should not come.[741] - -[Sidenote: A COUP D'ÉTAT NECESSARY.] - -Will he go or not? No one could tell. There were certain moments when La -Baume felt inclined to cross the Jura, and then all of a sudden he felt -as if _nailed_ to his priory of Arbois. Never was it more difficult to -arrive at a decision—it was like a nightmare. His friends began to -deliberate; they quite agreed with him that if he desired simply to -re-establish his residence in the episcopal city, it would be better for -him not to go there at all. He would always have to begin again with the -independence of the huguenots and the heresy of the reformed, with -alarms and riots. The evil would even be worse than before, for the -cause of liberty and reform had made great progress since the bishop had -left Geneva. He is compelled, therefore, to gain two victories if he -returns: first, he must trample under foot the franchises of the people -and get rid of the huguenots; and, second, he must silence the -evangelical teaching and expel the reformers and their adherents. The -prince-bishop and his imprudent advisers were convinced that a _coup -d'état_, and (if we may use the term) a _coup d'église_, were the only -remedies for the critical and almost desperate position of affairs. -Geneva was to go back to the superstitions and servility of the middle -ages. It was necessary to extinguish the double torch of political -independence and christian truth which a divine hand had kindled, and so -put Christendom beyond the reach of these treacherous lights. But the -timid La Baume shrank with alarm from such a herculean task; he knew his -own weakness, and felt the enterprise would be too arduous for him. - -Meantime the Friburg ambassadors in Geneva were preparing the way for -him. They demanded aloud, what he proposed to do in secret. Being -admitted to the Council on the 23rd May, they said: 'We accuse all who -were in the Molard at the time of Wernli's death, including the syndic -of the guard and the commander of the cavalry.' They spoke haughtily, -and required immediate satisfaction. A whole section of the -population—the most innocent in this affair, even the party which had -been attacked—was to be criminally prosecuted! It was a monstrous -demand. However, the Friburgers spoke loud, and many of the huguenots -were dejected. The Council, being divided and intimidated, made answer -at last that they would authorise the lieutenant and the -procurator-fiscal 'to arrest all whom Messieurs of Friburg accused.' -Thus the plot was in a fair way: liberty and Reform had, however, a -moment's respite.[742] - -[Sidenote: DECLARATION OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY.] - -Two ambassadors from Berne, Councillor Sebastian de Diesbach and -Banneret John de Weingarten, arrived at Geneva, and had conferences with -the men of both parties. Their ideas gradually became clearer, and truth -sprang out of the conflict of opinions. They saw that this position of -affairs, which seemed an inextricable chaos, had one possible solution, -namely, liberty. 'We have seen and heard everything,' said Diesbach; -'the only means of enjoying peace is to _permit every one to follow the -movements of his conscience, so that no one be constrained_.[743] Let -the mass and feast-days and images remain for those who like them; but -let the preaching of the Gospel be granted to those who desire it, and -let one of the seven parish churches be assigned them for that purpose. -Let no one be ridiculed for going to mass. _Let every one abide in his -own free-will and choice._[744]... Moreover, as the Old and New -Testaments are the foundation of our faith, and as those who follow the -Gospel cannot exist without reading them, let the booksellers be -permitted to sell publicly the Holy Scriptures and any other books of -piety.' Thus 'liberty for all' was the great salutary principle then -proclaimed in Geneva. This theory, which gives honour to God and -independence to man, was not generally admitted until two or three -hundred years later. But we take note of the epoch when the right was -first proclaimed. It is sometimes asserted that the idea of liberty for -all only appeared in the 18th century, and that it was put forward for -the first time by the free-thinkers of England, France, and Holland. It -is not so: religious as well as political liberty asserted their just -and holy claims at Geneva more than three centuries ago. Switzerland and -the Reform are the first in the field. These principles were so simple -and so true that the Council was convinced; in the face, however, of -formidable adversaries, they feared their own weakness. The syndics -replied to the Messieurs of Berne: 'Stay with us to help us!' The 27th -of May, 1533, deserves a mark of honour in the annals of religious -liberty. - -[729] Council Registers of 4th and 25th May. - -[730] 'Justa Nemesi gloriosus ille miles fœdo ictu,' &c.—Spanheim, -_Geneva restituta_, p. 60. - -[731] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. -63.—Council Registers of 4th and 5th May.—Roset MS. _Chron._ - -[732] Council Registers of 4th and 5th May, 1533.—La Sœur J. de Jussie, -_Le Levain du Calvinisme_, pp. 63-64.—Gautier MS. - -[733] La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 64. - -[734] Ibid.—Council Registers of 2nd July, 1533.—Froment, _Gestes de -Genève_, p. 59. - -[735] La Sœur J. de Jussie, p. 65. - -[736] Council Registers of 9th May.—La Sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain -du Calvinisme_, pp. 64-66.—Gautier MS.—Froment, _Gestes de -Genève_, p. 59. - -[737] _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 66. - -[738] _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 66. - -[739] Sordet, _Mémoires d'Archéologie_, ii. p. 19.—Council Registers, -May 19.—Gautier MS. - -[740] _Mémoires pour les Diocèses de Genève_, &c. par le curé -Besson, p. 62. - -[741] Council Registers of 21st May, 2nd and 22nd June.—Froment, -_Gestes de Genève_, p. 62.—Gautier MS. - -[742] Council Registers of 22nd May, 1533. - -[743] 'Permettre à chacun de suivre les mouvements de sa conscience, en -telle sorte que personne ne soit contraint.'—Council Registers, 27th -May. - -[744] 'Que chacun demeure en sa volonté et en son franc -arbitre.'—Council Registers, 27th May. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX. - CATASTROPHE. - (BEGINNING OF JULY, 1533.) - - -While these fine liberal theories were being proclaimed at the hôtel de -ville and hailed with joy by noble minds, some enemies of the Reform -maintained that they were only got up for the occasion, because the -reformed were not yet the strongest party, and the bulk of the people, -who looked upon them as mere trash, was occupied with other things. The -report grew stronger every day that the bishop had made up his mind at -last, that his resolution was not to be shaken, and that in obedience to -the pope he was about to return to Geneva. The liberty so lately -proclaimed was, therefore, seriously endangered. - -[Sidenote: PREPARATIONS TO RECEIVE THE BISHOP.] - -Every preparation was made for the reception of the prince, whose -approaching arrival began to turn people's heads, as usually happens in -such a case. Priests, mamelukes, and ducal partisans believed that the -hour of their triumph was at hand, and that independence and Reform -would be effectually buried. Every man who owned a horse had him -dressed, as no one was permitted to go and meet the bishop on foot.[745] -The trumpeters rehearsed, the artillerymen got out their guns. Jacques -de Malbuisson, one of the chiefs of the catholic party, thinking that -there was nothing too fine for a bishop and prince, especially for one -who was bringing to the city, as a token of welcome, submission to the -pope in religious matters, and to an ecclesiastical sovereign in -temporal matters, hung the walls of the episcopal palace with beautiful -tapestry, covered the tables and floors with silk and woollen cloth, and -filled the rooms with rich furniture. Pierre de la Baume had appointed -him quartermaster, and the good catholic intended that the beauty of the -decorations should make the Genevans comprehend the greatness of their -prince. - -If a servile crowd was preparing to sacrifice to a priest the liberties -of the people and the Word of God, those who esteemed these treasures -far above all others, anticipated with sorrow that all the old vexations -were about to be revived. The Two Hundred were assembled: one proud -huguenot, jealous of the political liberties, could not contain himself, -and rising in the Council, said: 'There is a report that the mamelukes -who deserted the city some seven years ago are to escort the bishop and -return with him: I ask if it is true?' Instantly the storm broke out. -Some said 'Yes!' others 'No!' The debate grew warm; they provoked and -abused each other, gave one another the lie, and used very irritating -language.[746] At last the huguenots conquered, and the Two Hundred -ordered that the mamelukes should not be allowed to enter, for fear that -there should be discord instead of harmony in the city. - -The syndics foresaw that such a resolution would probably excite -confusion in the procession accompanying the bishop; and as they wished -to avoid all disputes, they sought an opportunity for bringing men's -minds together. Assembling the leaders of the opposing parties, they -entreated them, as a sign of peace, to dine together. Such a banquet, -they thought, would reconcile factions and dissipate the fears of the -prelate. It was an _argumentum ad hominem_. How could Pierre de la Baume -be afraid of men who drank together? Libations were indeed copiously -poured out in honour of concord, for the Genevans were always ready in -this respect; but the convictions of the two parties remained the same. -Wine had no power to change either the champions of the pope or of the -people, neither the Guelphs nor the Ghibelines.[747] - -On Tuesday, 1st of July, the prince-bishop descended the Jura, attended -by his chancellors, the president De Gevigny and many of the nobility, -meditating the counter-revolution he hoped to bring about. The Friburg -deputies, 'knowing the prelate's timid humour,'[748] went to meet him at -Gex, in order to protect his entrance. They turned back with him and -drew near the city. This event, which filled the catholics with joy, was -a great trouble to the proud huguenots and pious evangelicals, and -nearly broke their hearts. The procession seemed to them like a funeral -train. Were independence, liberty, the growing Reform—those inestimable -riches which are the life of man—to be carried like a dead body to the -grave? Were those bells, just beginning to ring, tolling a funeral -knell? Everything seemed to point that way. - -Just as the brilliant escort that was riding out to meet the bishop -crossed the bridge over the Rhone, a troop of about fourscore catholics -appeared, all carrying arquebuses. The premier syndic, who was watching -them with uneasy look, ordered them to return. 'We are going to our -prince,' answered they with spirit. The magistrates and their escort -lost sight of them for a few moments, but the troop was again visible -when the procession got out of the city. 'They are the most violent of -the party,' said some of the syndic's followers. 'They will play us some -scurvy trick.' A second time the syndic ordered them to return, and a -second time they answered, 'We are going to our prince,' and continued -their way. - -[Sidenote: THE BISHOP'S ENTRANCE.] - -The cortège having proceeded half a league from the city, waited for the -bishop, who came in sight about four in the afternoon. By his side were -the magistrates of Friburg, and behind him the chiefs of the mamelukes, -banished from Geneva but proud of braving those who had expelled them. -The intimidated syndics dared not forbid their entrance into the city. -Nor was this all: the fourscore arquebusiers surrounded the prelate, -assuming the duty of a body-guard. The bells rang out, the artillery -roared, and the friends of the clergy shouted repeated _vivats_. The -throne was regaining strength; the majesty of the prince enhanced its -splendour, and His Highness inspired respect in all who saw him.[749] - -These bursts of joy soon came to an end. The bishop had hardly entered -the city, when its appearance changed. New faces were seen -everywhere—faces which seemed to breathe of nothing but revenge. At -night conferences were held at the palace, among the canons and the -other partisans of despotic rule. Everyone talked about the horrible -resolutions come to in these meetings—it was all the same whether the -resolutions were true or fictitious. Many of the reformed were -exceedingly distressed. 'The heretics felt great contrition,' says -Sister Jeanne, 'for they knew full well that the bishop brought no good -to them, but would injure them as much as he could.'[750] - -The prelate was firmly resolved to have recourse, if necessary, to -force, banishment, and death. But his character and interests inclined -him also to accomplish peacefully, if he could, the great revolution he -so strongly desired. He wished to act in such a way that appearances at -least should be on his side. - -Desiring to give his restoration the double sanction of religion and -policy, the bishop ordered a grand procession for Thursday, 3rd July, -after which a general council of the people should be held. The -procession took place: canons, priests, and friars, walking in order, -sang or chanted their litanies with great fervour, and prayed that God -and the Virgin would be pleased to preserve the holy Roman Catholic -Church in Geneva. When the singing was over, the general council was -held. The refugees, who had forgotten nothing and learnt nothing, would -have preferred a prompt and vigorous repression to this liberal meeting; -but the bishop was unwilling to begin by imprisoning citizens. Besides, -the impatient exiles would lose nothing by waiting.[751] - -[Sidenote: THE BISHOP AT THE GENERAL COUNCIL.] - -All the bishop's partisans proceeded proud and joyful to the council of -the people; the magistrates with uneasiness, and a few huguenots with -sad and suffering looks. As soon as the assembly was formed, the prelate -appeared, attended by his nobles. He was determined to claim full -sovereign power in Geneva, and to take it by force if it were disputed. -Two great principles—the good pleasure of the prince and the -constitutions of the people—met face to face on the 3rd of July, in the -general council of Geneva. La Baume had taken his precautions; he had -brought several distinguished men with him from Franche Comté, and among -them the bailiff of Dôle, a learned and eloquent magistrate. This -orator, imagining to win the Genevans by flattering and flowery -language, delivered a very fine oration; but his Burgundian eloquence -produced no great effect upon the huguenots. After him the prince-bishop -came forward, and, speaking with a fine clear voice and in very -intelligible language, he asked the syndics and the people whether they -recognised him for their prince and lord. The question was skilfully -put. If they answered _No_, they made themselves rebels, and severe -measures became lawful; while, if they answered _Yes_, they surrendered -to the prelate, and all was over with liberty and the Gospel. The -magistrates, who were careful not to fall into a trap, saw that it was -necessary to make a distinction. Convinced that they held their -charters, franchises, and legislation from God quite as much as the -prince did his power, they made a reserve. 'Certainly, my lord,' they -replied, 'we regard you as our prince, and are ready to obey you; _but -in adopting for guide our liberties, customs, and franchises, written -and unwritten, which we beg you to respect, as you promised to do a long -while ago_.'[752] The embarrassed bishop-prince thought it essential not -to open up the delicate question of the constitution he had ratified, -and, letting alone for the moment all that concerned his temporal power, -he spoke only as a bishop, and delivered to the Genevans a devout -exhortation on the salvation of their souls. In reality, the great -object of his terror was the Reformation; the great desire of his heart -was the triumph of the papacy. 'Have the fear of God before your eyes,' -he said, 'and keep the commandments of holy Church.' He knew full well -that 'holy Church' would recommend the people to recognise his power -without any restriction. He pronounced these words 'in so devout and -humble a manner that everybody wept, and the general council broke up -without dispute or tumult, for which God be praised.'[753] - -[Sidenote: THE CHARTERS CONSULTED.] - -The Genevans were not, however, ready to bend their necks to receive the -yoke the bishop presented to them. The various members of the assembly -had hardly dispersed before the agitation broke out. Huguenots and -independent catholics declared boldly and with one accord that they -would maintain the constitution; the courtiers and mamelukes alone -supported the absolute privileges of the prelate. 'No despotic power,' -said one party. 'No resistance to the orders of our prince,' said the -other. Offended at the new pretensions of the bishop, the citizens -resolved to oppose him with the antique monuments of their liberty. -There was a vaulted chamber in the hôtel de ville called the _Grotto_, -in which the venerable charters of the Genevan people were enclosed -under many bolts and bars. Not suffering themselves to be disturbed by -the arbitrariness of the bishop, by the eloquence of his orators, or the -terrible bands of Friburg and Turin, the citizens determined to consult -the sacred documents of their franchises. The syndics proceeded to the -Grotto; the rusty bolts yielded to the stout arms of their officers; -they took out the noble parchments of their ancestors, and all eyes were -eagerly turned upon the title-deeds in which were inscribed the duties, -rights, and liberties of the people. The roll was placed upon the table; -it was unfolded, and, while the others listened, one of the magistrates -read the words written therein. 'In the name of the holy, perfect, and -undivided Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.' Could the bishop -trample under foot a charter which reposed on so sacred a foundation? -The magistrate continued his examination. This document, drawn up by -Bishop Adhemar in 1387, contained (to use its own words) 'the liberties, -franchises, and immunities which the citizens of Geneva have enjoyed so -long that the memory of man runneth not to the contrary.' The Genevans -were moved, and passing the parchment from hand to hand, read certain -portions of it, and swore to defend their rights.[754] - -The syndics having no doubt that these old documents would be received -by the bishop with the profoundest respect, quitted the hôtel de ville, -carrying their venerable charters with them, which they laid before the -prelate. They pointed out to him the immunities that were secured to -them, and withdrew full of hope. But Pierre de la Baume did not care the -least for these old papers, and would not give himself the trouble to -decipher such disagreeable documents: he was in a hurry to see them -restored to the cellar where they had slept so long. He intended to -govern after a more modern fashion. The Reformation, on the other hand, -was about to be accomplished by maintaining, in opposition to episcopal -usurpation, the most lawful rights of the most ancient liberty.[755] - -[Sidenote: DESPOTIC PLANS.] - -The bishop no longer hesitated. When he had asked the general council to -recognise his sovereignty, the magistrates had replied by limiting it -according to the constitutions of the people. It was necessary therefore -to renounce all idea of reigning with mildness, and to govern by force. -Pierre de la Baume was not the first bishop excluded from his episcopal -city, who had reentered it with thoughts of violence. Tales of -unheard-of cruelties had been imprinted on the memory of the people. In -the tenth century, the bishop of Cambray having been driven from his -city by the burgesses who were exasperated against him, had returned -with foreign soldiers; and these mercenaries, the ministers of his -revenge, had pursued the citizens even into the churches, killing some, -cutting off the hands and feet of others, putting out the eyes of some, -and branding many on the forehead with a red-hot iron.[756] About two -centuries later, another bishop also returning forcibly into his city, -his followers had seized one of the most respected and wealthy citizens, -notwithstanding the promise to spare his life, and had fastened him by -the feet to the tail of a horse, which they forced into a gallop.[757] -The bishop of Geneva did not purpose imitating these episcopal -proceedings; manners, though rude, were softened; he meant to content -himself with less. He would have the principal supporters of the -Reformation and of Geneva seized, and would get rid of them simply by -the sword—either in Geneva, as in the case of Berthelier, or in some -lonely castle, as in the case of Levrier. Then the prince-bishop would -exercise, without control and in his own way, that sovereignty which -appeared to him absolutely necessary in order to stifle the -protestantism of some and the independence of others. - -Freed from the importunate antiquarians who put their trust in dusty -charters, the bishop began to prepare for the execution of his designs. -He counted his forces and felt sure of victory. In the first place there -was the Council, which, being mostly catholic, supported him at heart; -then there were the priests and their adherents; then the Friburgers; -then the banished mamelukes, and finally a certain class of people, -skilful in the use of the arquebuse, 'and who would handle it well,' -said the bishop. The total of his partisans being thus reckoned, the -bishop enquired who were the huguenot chiefs he ought to get rid of. It -is hardly probable that La Baume did this alone or simply aided by one -of his secretaries or officers of justice. Weakness was one of the most -marked features of his character; he had no energy, although he -sometimes pretended the contrary. But those around him made up for it. -The proscription that he was about to carry into execution was -essentially due to the encouragements and solicitations of the enemies -of the Reformation and of independence. 'Finding himself strong and -powerful,' says a contemporary, 'both on the part of the Friburgers and -of the enemies of God and the city (namely, the mamelukes) who were now -within the walls, the bishop desired to exercise his tyranny.'[758] Some -of his friends shrank from such severity, and would have desired to -divert him from it; but the most violent men prevailed. 'My lord,' they -said, 'must exercise his power against certain citizens and burgesses, -and by this means extirpate and eradicate the Lutheran sect and -heresy.'[759] - -[Sidenote: PROSCRIPTIONS.] - -The proscribed were selected indifferently from among the evangelicals -and huguenots. One of the first pointed at was Chautemps. He was not -only a heretic, but his children had been trained up in heresy, and he -had kept for a long time in his house Olivetan, the translator of the -Bible, who had dared reprimand a dominican preacher in full church. Aimé -Levet came next; at his house the religious meetings were most -frequently held. Pierre Vandel—youngest son of that Claude, whom twenty -years before Bishop John of Savoy had cast into prison[760]—a man of -resolute character, readily putting himself in the foreground, was -joined with the other two. Ami Perrin did not belong to the evangelicals -properly so called, but he had been the chief of the four huguenots -whose zeal for controversy had proved so embarrassing to the vicar of -the Madeleine, and passed for the boldest of all the band. Others were -afterwards pointed out: Jean Pecolat, an ill-sounding name in episcopal -ears; Domaine d'Arlod, Jean Veillard, Anthonin Derbey, Henry Doulens, -Jacques Fichet, Claude de Genève, and Philibert de Compey, a nobleman in -high esteem. Although a Savoyard and of gentle birth, Philibert was -huguenot at heart; the count of Genevois took advantage of the -opportunity to confiscate all his lands and lordships, 'and the poor -pervert was deprived of his property,' says a contemporary. There were -still a few more whose arrest was determined on, and among them Pasta -and Rozetta.[761] The bishop and his friends, all full of zeal, hoped to -catch other citizens after these;[762] but they thought it prudent not -to do everything at once. If the first attempt succeeded, they would -follow it up by a second, and would lay their hands upon such citizens -as they had not thought of at first. 'I have proscribed all those whom I -can remember; those whom I have forgotten I will proscribe as they recur -to my mind.' This saying of a great master in the art, found its -application in Geneva.[763] - -The bishop, having ended his first task, began to consider how he could -lay hold of the proscribed, which was no easy matter. The most natural -way would have been to capture each of them in his own house; but he -feared, that if he went to work in that fashion, some would hide -themselves, others would escape, and others would be rescued in the -streets. The alarm would spread in a moment, and the daring huguenots -would entrench themselves in Baudichon de la Maisonneuve's house. Above -all, Pierre de la Baume was wanting in frankness; he excelled, whenever -he pleased, in appearing amiable to those whom he hated. He resolved to -give them an invitation, and to hold out his hand graciously to the men -whose death he was plotting. He will invite them to his palace, -'trusting in his faith,' but without keeping it.[764] He will thus take -them all by one cast of the net, then he will tie the knot, and the poor -wretches shall leave the saloons of the palace only to descend to its -dungeons. It was thought an excellent stratagem, and preparations were -made for carrying it out. - -The next day, July 5th, the bishop's officers called on the citizens -entered in the black list, and in his name gave them an invitation, -which must have appeared to them either a great honour or a treacherous -snare. If any of them raised objections, the messengers assured them, in -the prelate's name, that no harm would come to them. Some through -candour, others from ignorance, and others also from rashness, proceeded -to the episcopal palace. They had put on their finest suits and wore -their swords. What could the bishop want with them?... Probably to -obtain some concessions, and they were firmly decided not to make any. - -Others, who were more clear-sighted or more prudent, took to flight. The -clerical riots which had preceded the bishop's coming, the -unsatisfactory company by which he was surrounded, and the demands he -had made—all combined to give food for thought to minds possessed of any -discernment. Women, more keen or more timid, generally see clearer in -such cases than men: their conjugal love takes the alarm. It would -appear that Claudine Levet and Jaquéma Chautemps felt all the tender -solicitude of their sex, and conjured their husbands not to place -themselves in the cruel hands of the bishop, and to quit their homes, -their children, and their country which they could now serve better -abroad. These two excellent christians were among the number of those -who escaped. Maisonneuve, against whom the mamelukes were much -irritated, set out for Berne, full of indignation against the bishop's -tyranny. To this city, next to God, he always looked for deliverance. -Several others also quitted Geneva.[765] - -[Sidenote: HUGUENOTS ENTRAPPED.] - -Meantime Perrin, D'Arlod, Vandel, and their friends proceeded to the -palace. The gates opened before them and they entered my lord's -antechambers. But they had hardly arrived, reckoning on the gracious -audience that had been promised them, when they were seized, heavily -fettered, and led away to the episcopal prison.[766] The impetuous -Perrin and the courageous Vandel were compelled to yield to force. The -bishop's officers took them down into the dungeons, and as if cords, -iron doors, and bolts were not enough, their feet were set in the stocks -and their hands were manacled.[767] - -[Sidenote: CONJUGAL DEVOTION.] - -When the news was told the prince-prelate, it was the pleasantest -tidings he had ever received. He breathed again, and yet he was not -entirely satisfied: he wanted some prisoners whom he had especially set -his heart upon—particularly Levet and Chautemps. But if the husbands had -disappeared, their wives might suffer for them. Pierre de la Baume -ordered Jaquéma Chautemps to be seized, but Claudine Levet remained at -liberty. Claudine was a pious christian woman, firm in faith but of -gentle character, and she was spared; but Jaquéma, who it will be -remembered was taught by Olivetan, possessed perhaps some of that -courageous decision which was found in Calvin's cousin and in Calvin -himself. Claudine was the woman of the New Testament; Jaquéma seems -rather to remind us of the heroines of the Old. It is to be regretted -that we have not the same information about her as about Claudine. At -all events she paid for her husband. The delicate woman, the wife of one -of the chief persons in the city, accustomed to the comforts of life, -used to the company of one of the most original French writers of the -day, the tutor to her children, was shut up in a narrow cell, and -treated roughly like a conspirator. Ancient and modern times have -witnessed more than one instance of conjugal devotion. Many wives, -seeing their husbands threatened with a cruel death, have been able to -say to them: - - . . . . . . Et quel autre que moi - A le droit d'y prétendre et de mourir pour toi?[768] - -The Reformation also has furnished many similar examples. - -As part of the huguenot leaders were now in prison, the bishop and his -confidants deliberated what should be done with them. It was quite out -of the question to put them to death publicly in Geneva, like -Berthelier. The simplest way would be to behead them secretly in their -dungeons; but that would be known immediately, and would create terrible -excitement. 'They durst not kill them in the city for fear of the -people.'[769] The bishop's councillors proposed to send them out of -Geneva in a boat by night, and convey them either to Friburg, which was -calling for victims to avenge Wernli's death, or to the castle of -Chillon, where Bonivard was shut up, or to Jussy near Mount Voiron, or -lastly to the strong castle of Gaillard at the foot of the Salève, 'and -there do as they pleased with them.'[770] They decided on the last plan, -and orders were given for carrying it out. - -Thus everything proceeded to the bishop's satisfaction. As some of the -principal huguenots were about to be sent out of Geneva, it became -necessary 'to catch other citizens after them and serve them the same,' -that is, carry them also out of the city; for the fear of the people -continually pursued the bishop. He was planning how to continue the work -he had undertaken, when news was brought him which greatly troubled him. - -One of his agents, commissioned by him to take note of everything that -occurred in the city, came and told him that not only Baudichon de la -Maisonneuve had escaped, but that he had gone to Berne to demand -help.... What a check! what danger! If the fugitive brings back the -Bernese, they will undertake the defence of heresy ... it will triumph. -The harder the blow which La Baume desired to strike, the more dangerous -would it be if it failed. He was therefore in great alarm and in a great -passion also. He ordered his officers to pursue those who had escaped, -to take horses so as to catch them up, and to bring them back bound to -prison where their friends awaited them. But he did not rest satisfied -with sending after the fugitives such persons as were under his own -orders, he wanted others to track them down, to catch them in the rear -or in front: this induced him to make a very extraordinary demand. - -As soon as the syndics had heard of the arrest of some of the most -notable of the citizens, they had summoned the council. Astounded at the -tyrannical act, and alarmed for the future of the republic, they -deliberated what was to be done. Should they abandon their -fellow-citizens to the illegal vengeance of the bishop, or should they -revolt against their prince? They were plunged into silent stupor when a -messenger from the bishop appeared. No doubt he had come to give some -explanation, to make an excuse, and perhaps to declare that the bishop -would withdraw his fatal decree! No such thing: the council soon learnt -that he was charged with an extraordinary message. - -[Sidenote: STRANGE REQUEST OF THE BISHOP.] - -The episcopal messenger, having made the customary salutations, said: -'My lord has decided to send his officers beyond the frontiers to take -certain _criminals_ (this was the term he applied to those noble -citizens). Our very reverend prince therefore requires the council to -lend him some of the city officers to accompany his own and pursue the -fugitives in the territory of Savoy.' This was too much. De la Baume -required the magistrates of Geneva to employ in oppressing citizens the -power they had received to defend them. Such an audacious proposition -disgusted the syndics; they did not hesitate to refuse his demand; -desiring, however, to keep on good terms with him to the last, they gave -a specious motive for their refusal. 'Pray pardon us,' they answered the -bishop, 'if we cannot do it; we should be afraid lest the duke, whose -territories our officers would have to enter, should be angry with us -for violating the treaties.' This refusal threw him into a great -passion. He believed, perhaps not without reason, that the duke of Savoy -would overlook the violation of territory, as its object was to catch -huguenots. 'Return,' he said to his officer, 'and tell those gentlemen -to do justice, and that if they do not, there are fourscore in the city -who will help me to do it. Add, that they are to act straightforwardly.' -The magistrates remained firm. But the prelate found some little -consolation in the cooperation of people better disposed than the -syndics of Geneva to subserve his anger.[771] - -Aimé Levet, instead of escaping by the right bank, on which his house -was situated, had chosen the left bank, and thrown himself into that -beautiful country which extends between the Rhone and the lake on one -side, and Mount Voiron and Mount Salève on the other, and where the wide -opening which these two mountains leave between them, permits the -traveller to contemplate the magnificent range of the Alps of Mont -Blanc. Was it Levet's wish to avoid taking the usual road of the -fugitives, on which he was sure to be arrested; or did he intend hiding -in the mountains, as the fine month of July invited him, to climb the -easy and graceful slope of the Voiron, or to scale, by the road called -l'Echelle (the ladder), the abrupt walls of Salève, whose enormous rocks -overhang the plain? That is possible; other fugitives had done so. Levet -wandered for some time in that part of the valley where the sandy -torrent of the Arve utters a low murmur; but, thinking only how he -should escape his persecutors, he had no leisure to contemplate the -dazzling vision of the Alps lighted up by a July sun, which made so -striking a contrast with the gloomy paths he was then traversing. He -knew that mamelukes, priests, ducal partisans, and above all, the Sire -de Montagny, castellan of Gaillard, would follow in his track. How -strange his destiny! Only a few months ago he had been a zealous -catholic, and then the surprising conversion of his wife had led to -his.... Now, he was wandering about as a fugitive, without a place where -to lay his head. We cannot tell all the anguish he went through, and all -the groans he uttered. He did not lose courage, however, for he knew Him -who was his protector, and who maintains the right. He was assured of -being able to stand before God and His angels at the very moment when -men were hunting him down. He had wolves behind him eager to tear him in -pieces, but 'God saves His poor sheep, even out of the jaws of the -lions.'[772] - -[Sidenote: LEVET PURSUED AND TAKEN.] - -They were indeed in pursuit of him. Messire de Charanzonay, a canon of -Geneva, had kept his eye on Levet: he knew that he had made off in the -direction of the mountains, and that he must be found either in the -bailiwick of Gaillard, or in the parish of Bonne. He had an interview, -therefore, with the castellan of Gaillard, M. de Montagny, a good -catholic and Savoyard, who furnished him with aid; a band of men left -the castle, and the chase began, the canon leading the way. Erelong, -poor Levet heard the footsteps of the people in search of him: he was -seized. The canon, eager to vent his anger, had him scourged without any -form of trial, and after he had been soundly beaten, sent him off to the -castle of Gaillard.[773] Levet, encompassed by guards, was conducted to -that fortress, situated at the point where the Arve, issuing from the -mountains, enters the plain, and where many an innocent man had been -imprisoned. The drawbridge fell and rose again, the massive gates -opened, the armed sentinels halted to see the huguenot pass, and at last -Levet, doubly guilty, as a liberal and as an evangelical, was thrown -into a deep dungeon. From that moment the husband's captivity assured -the liberty of the wife. - -[Sidenote: FRIBURG DEPUTIES CALL FOR REVENGE.] - -Other circumstances happening on the same day (6th of July) rejoiced the -bishop and his court, and put to the proof the firmness of the council -as well as the tranquillity of the citizens. A man sent from the Pays de -Vaud reported that a number of well-armed Friburgers had arrived at Nyon -and threatened Geneva. They were the avengers of Wernli's blood. 'Go and -tell the captain-general,' said the syndics, 'and bid him look to the -safety of the city.' Shortly after this, a citizen told the council that -the Friburgers who were in Geneva were preparing to set out for the -castle of Gaillard. Presently a third person came and informed the -syndics that the Friburgers were crossing the lake from Nyon, and that -their boats could be clearly distinguished from the upper part of the -city, making for the south. Finally, news came from Gaillard that -Wernli's relations, accompanied by a great number of Friburg -men-at-arms, had entered the fortress, vowing they would wash their feet -in the blood of the evangelicals. The council did not know what to do, -and the city was filled with apprehension.[774] - -The extremes of anguish were felt in the homes of the prisoners. The -most sinister stories were propagated through the city as to the -severity employed by the bishop towards his captives. Some began to lose -courage and to ask—it was a question often put in the time of the -Reformation—why the disciples of the Gospel had to endure not only the -afflictions common to all men, but calamities from which their enemies -were exempt? 'Ah!' replied the wiser ones, 'the corn is first threshed -in the barn along with the straw; but afterwards it is pressed and -crushed alone on the millstone.'[775] All were not to be comforted, and -from many an afflicted house the cries of sorrow rose to heaven. - -Meanwhile, the avoyers of Friburg pressed the council to grant to -Wernli's relations the justice they demanded, and insisted that the -Genevans arrested on the 23rd May and 4th June should be brought to -trial immediately. The mamelukes cried still louder than the Friburgers, -and demanded the trial of the eleven persons imprisoned on the 5th July. -While the case of the Friburgers was entirely judicial, that of the -mamelukes was political: they wished to take advantage of a trial to -effect a revolution. The council instructed the procurator-fiscal to -have the accused brought before him, as the Genevan constitution -required; but the fiscal declared he could not do so on account of the -order of the prince, who had cited the case before himself. The bishop -meant to be at once judge and interested party, and to substitute -clerical despotism for the protecting forms of the lay tribunals. The -alarmed magistrates immediately waited on the prince to make their -humble but resolute protest.[776] - -Pierre de la Baume had just dined when the syndics appeared. 'I have -cited the cause before me,' he said: 'I have my reasons.' The syndics -represented to him that he might pardon men after sentence, but not try -accused persons, who must necessarily appear before the lawful -tribunals. 'I cite the case before me,' repeated the bishop. The -indignant syndics bowed and withdrew. Sebastian de Diesbach, the -banneret of Weingarten and other deputies from Berne, had arrived at -Geneva, and Baudichon de la Maisonneuve, as it seems, had returned with -them. The syndics prayed their intervention, and the Bernese spoke to -the bishop; but the passionate headstrong churchman would not listen to -them. He stretched the cord at the risk of breaking it. 'I have cited -the case before me,' he said again. - -The spirit of blind fanaticism was felt in other places besides the -palace: it agitated the mamelukes, carried away the episcopalians and -even a few of the Friburgers. They had sworn the death of liberty and -the Reformation, and were already planning the means of preventing for -ever their return to Geneva. They went up and down the city, and were -quite indefatigable. As you looked at them you would have said—the -comparison was made at the time—that coming after the deluge, and -wishing to prevent the waters from invading their dwellings again, they -had said to one another: 'Let us build a tower whose top may reach unto -heaven.' 'They built the tower of Babel,' says a contemporary, -'presuming, like the giants, to fight against God.' - -[Sidenote: ATTACKS ON HUGUENOTS.] - -They did indeed come to blows. On that very day (7th July) some horsemen -of the episcopal party who were riding at Plainpalais in front of the -convent of their friends the Dominicans, saw three of the most -considerable of the Genevese citizens go past: they were Philippe the -captain-general, John Lullin afterwards syndic, and Francis Favre who -was a member of the ordinary council in the following year. The -cavaliers immediately rode at them, calling them traitors and Lutherans. -The three huguenots were hated and feared by the mamelukes, who knew -them to be men ready to sacrifice their lives for the ancient liberties -of their country. If they had not been included in the first -proscription, it was partly through fear, for their boldness was -indomitable; and also because it had been preferred to begin with pious -evangelicals like Chautemps and Levet. True, Ami Perrin had been -arrested; but without having undergone the great change which Scripture -calls 'a new birth,' he was still in the front rank whenever the cause -of the Reformation was in question. It was he who had actively protected -Farel. Besides the episcopal _sbirri_ could not well distinguish between -protestants who were such inwardly and those who were so outwardly only. -However, neither persecution nor insult abated the courage of the -citizens. They knew that God often suffers the wicked to act for a few -days, and permits them to raise high towers against his elect. Then on a -sudden he strikes the huge mass, he loosens the joints and scatters the -materials, so that the mighty edifice whose summit was to rise to heaven -falls into dust, and is scattered to the winds. - -The syndics, being determined to resist the bishop and his usurpations, -convened the council of Sixty on the 8th July, and explained to them how -he purposed to place Geneva under the government of his good pleasure, -and by way of beginning, was preparing to try in his own court the -noblest of the citizens. The future that threatened Geneva filled the -assembly with emotion and fear. What was to be done? Resort to force, -policy, or diplomacy? The Genevans, in self-defence, looked for simpler -and more affecting means; they had recourse to one of those measures -which are almost unique in history, and exhale a perfume of antiquity. - -[Sidenote: ELDERS OF GENEVA BEFORE THE BISHOP.] - -There were in Geneva certain Nestors of liberty, who, uplifting their -hoary heads among three generations of their children, gave utterance to -words of wisdom. To these they had recourse. Councillors—their sons -probably—went to fetch them, and these venerable witnesses of the -ancient liberties entered the presence of the council, where seats were -placed for them. Although the vigour of their bodies was weakened, their -hearts now beat stronger for their country than in their younger days, -and their memory recalled to them distinctly the times of yore. -Accordingly, when they heard of the dangers by which the republic was -threatened, and of the bishop's intention to usurp judicial power, they -were filled with sadness and alarm. 'Criminal causes,' they said, -'belong to the civil magistrate; the practice has never varied in that -respect, and the bishop's claim to hear them himself is a novelty -without precedent.' The council of sixty resolved to send a deputation -to the prince, composed of the four syndics and six of these aged -citizens, who felt happy to bear, before they died, a last testimony to -the liberties of their country. If the bishop laughed at the ancient -papers of ancient Geneva, would he also laugh at these ancient men? - -The deputation, proceeding slowly through the streets, took its way -towards the palace. The fathers of the country walked with tottering -steps, supported by the younger ones, and advanced towards the residence -of the haughty priest whom Rome had sent to the shores of the Leman, and -who was trampling under foot the most venerable rights. Never had men -going to plead the independence of a nation inspired more tenderness, -sympathy, and respect. People watched and blessed them as they passed, -and prayers were raised to heaven that God would accompany with his -strength this extraordinary step in favour of liberty.[777] - -The bishop, informed of the movement, had desired to surround himself -with all that could give a specious appearance to his usurpations. And -accordingly, when they entered the hall, the deputation found not only -the prelate sitting in pomp—not only his councillors, officers, and the -ambassadors of Berne and Friburg ranged around him,—but also the -relatives of the canon. Pierre de la Baume paired the suppliants of -Friburg against the elders of Geneva. The syndics respectfully expressed -to him their surprise that he should appear to look upon the council -with suspicion, that several citizens of note had been thrown into -prison, and lastly that his lordship, contrary to the laws, had cited -the case before his own tribunal. But, while the elders turned a look at -once mild and penetrating upon the prince, and their hoary heads seemed, -as it were, to bring the old times before him, Wernli's relatives, -shaking their black garments, again called for vengeance, declaring that -the prince had promised to do them justice, and praying upon him to be -faithful to his word. 'Yes,' said the bishop immediately, 'yes, I cite -the cause before me.' The syndics, determined not to give up the most -venerated laws of the State, placed before him the ancient constitution -of the people, and pointing to the twelfth article, read as follows: -'That no inquisition upon lay malefactors, or other process whatsoever, -can or shall be held, except by summoning the four syndics and four -citizens of the said city of Geneva, who shall be chosen by the other -citizens.[778] And that the trial and sentence of the afore-named -malefactors belongs and shall belong to the aforesaid citizens, and not -to any other persons whatsoever.' The constitution having thus spoken, -the syndic ceased. - -[Sidenote: THE BISHOP WILL NOT YIELD.] - -Then the elders, who had hitherto kept silent, and whose grave, modest, -and firm looks inspired respect, came forward. One of them, speaking for -all, raised his trembling hands, 'and declared that such had always been -the law of Geneva, and that never in the course of their long lives had -they had the pain to see the prince trample it under foot.' The feeble -voices and calm looks of these venerable men added a strange, and one -might almost say a heavenly, force to their testimony. That humble -speech in favour of liberty possessed an eloquence more penetrating than -the most admirable orations of a Cicero or a Demosthenes. But, if -liberty had never been more touching, despotism had never been more -obstinate. The syndics conjured the bishop in vain, in the name of the -laws and of God, to surrender the prisoners to them, according to the -law, so that they might try them conformably with their office; Pierre -de la Baume kept repeating: 'I cannot, I have cited the cause before -me.' The Friburg ambassadors begged the syndics to consent to the -episcopal citation, 'for this time only,' but the magistrates of Geneva -were unwilling that the franchises of the city should be violated either -now or later. They quitted the bishop's palace with sorrow, and the six -elders followed them.[779] - -When they arrived at the hôtel-de-ville, the council of sixty was still -sitting. They gave a faithful account of their mission. They reported -that the bishop-prince persisted in his iniquitous _non possumus_, and -although the council felt deep pain at hearing the statement, no one -flinched. These Genevans knew the fidelity that freemen owe to the -institutions of their ancestors. The ambassadors of Berne then asked to -be admitted. Importuned by their allies, the Friburgers, and by the -councillors of the bishop, these haughty Bernese, unfaithful to their -renown, had come to imagine that the Genevans might very well, for -_once_, on this solemn occasion, renounce their charter and their -rights. Sebastian de Diesbach therefore invited the council to try if -they could not 'consent to this citation, which the prelate positively -would not recal.' Thus the only allies of Geneva solicited them to enter -voluntarily upon the path of concessions.... The council deliberated, -and the Sixty were unanimous. Here is the resolution which the secretary -entered upon the register: 'Ordered to reply to My Lords of Berne, that -we will not consent to this citation, as it is entirely contrary to our -franchises, and resolved to ask them to be pleased to aid us with their -advice.' My Lords of Berne did not like to see their advice rejected, -but as they withdrew they said that such men deserved to be free.[780] - -This new refusal exasperated the mamelukes. They were determined to use -Wernli's death as an instrument of war to beat down the ancient edifice -of Genevese liberties, to root up the foundations of the Reformation, -and to establish on the ruins their own theories concerning the absolute -power of the pope and the prince. Consequently they demanded the -convocation of the Two Hundred, hoping to find favourable voices among -them. The great council met the next day, and the Friburg ambassadors -appeared before it, attended by a great number of the relations and -friends of the canon—all dejected, gloomy, and silent, like the -suppliants of ancient times. It was not fanaticism which animated the -greater part of them. They had played with Wernli in their childhood; -they had loved him in their youth; they venerated his memory now that a -terrible catastrophe had stretched him dead in the streets of the city. -If they had been unable to defend him in the hour of danger, they wished -to do everything now the hour of vengeance was come. It was not -sufficient to have sprinkled his body with their tears, the blood of -victims must flow in the very spot where the martyr had been struck -down. 'Most honoured lords,' said the canon's brother, 'the justice -which men owe to one another is written on earth in the hearts of the -just; why, then, should you trample it under foot? You have not yet done -justice for the death of him who was our brother and our friend; on the -contrary, you left the criminals free to come and go for six weeks. His -body lies in the grave, but his blood, sprinkled on the stones of your -city, calls for vengeance. If you are armed with the sword, it is not -for mere show but to strike malefactors. And yet your tribunals are -dumb, and your sword slumbers in the sheath. Permit my lord bishop to -cite the case before him. If you refuse, you may rest assured that we -shall seek other means of avenging the death of our friend, and we shall -drown our sorrow and anger not in the waters of justice but in blood.' -The Friburgers spoke as if it were a murder: they forgot that the canon -had put on a cuirass, that he had grasped the halberd, that he had gone -fully armed to the scene of tumult, that he had rekindled the dying -flames, and attacked the huguenots, who had only used their arms in -legitimate self-defence. The avoyer of Friburg seconded the eloquent -menaces of Wernli's brother.[781] - -[Sidenote: REFUSAL OF THE TWO HUNDRED.] - -The Two Hundred saw that a war with Friburg and Savoy would be the -consequence of their refusal, but they had taken their stand on the rock -of right and were not to be moved. 'We do not know of any guilty persons -who have been allowed to come and go freely in the city,' they said. 'If -it be so, the blame lies with the procurator-fiscal whose duty it was to -apprehend them, and not with us who are judges. As for permitting my -lord to cite the cause before him, we cannot do so; it would be a -violation of the franchises, for which we and our forefathers have often -risked our bodies and our goods.' The syndic added that the council -would consent to the bishop's naming two persons to be present at the -examination, but on condition that they had no deliberative voice. The -Friburgers and mamelukes could not make up their minds to accept this -proposition. They were specially vexed that Coquet, syndic of the guard, -whom they looked upon as devoted to the reform, should be among the -number of the judges, whilst in their opinion he ought to be in the -prisoner's dock.[782] - -[Sidenote: ARGUMENTS FOR THE TEMPORAL POWER.] - -If it had been a mere question of punishing the author of the canon's -death, the prelate would perhaps have trusted to the syndics; but he -aimed at destroying both liberty and the Reformation in Geneva, and for -that he trusted to himself alone. To supplications, threats, and -violence some consented to add reasons. There was a kind of argument -used only in scholastic debates to prove that priests were the best -judges both in civil and political matters. This strange proposition was -demonstrated by syllogism. The major was: 'He is the best fitted to -judge who is nearest to God.' The minor this: 'Ecclesiastics are nearer -to God than laymen.' The conclusion is evident. They had recourse also -to arguments derived from astronomy. 'As there are two great lights in -the universe,' it was said, 'so there are also two in society. The -Church is the sun and the State is the moon. Now the moon has no light -of her own; all her light is derived from the sun. It is evident, -therefore, that the church possesses in itself, formally and virtually, -the temporal jurisdiction of the state.'[783] - -Such arguments had great strength in the prelate's eyes: he appointed -two deputies, his bailiff and his attorney, and sent them to the Two -Hundred with orders to defend the rights of the sun. The union of the -two powers in a single individual supplied them with their principal -argument. The BISHOP was hardly mentioned in their speech but only the -_prince_. 'The bishop is your prince,' they declared; 'and you, the -syndics, are his officers. He may therefore command you as his subjects, -and when he transfers to his tribunal a cause which is in your hands, -you have only to obey.' This theory of absolute power could not pass in -Geneva. 'We are not the prince's officers,' replied the magistrates, -'but syndics of the city, elected by the people and not by my lord. He -has no power to institute us, and even his own officers, nominated by -himself, make oath to us, whilst we make oath to nobody.' Then the -syndics, turning to the Friburg deputation, continued: 'Sirs, you helped -us in the time of Berthelier, help us again now. It is not we, but the -bishop and his officers who alone occasion the delay of which you -complain. Let two deputies from the bishop, two from Berne, and two from -Friburg, assist at the trial, and be witnesses of our uprightness.'[784] - -The bishop persisted in his demand: the deputies from Berne, desiring to -terminate the difference, proposed that the cause should be remitted to -two judges nominated by the council, two by the bishop, two by Berne, -and two by Friburg. The Genevans replied that a people were not at -liberty to sacrifice the smallest portion of their rights; and fatigued -with these endless importunities, they added: 'If our offer is refused, -we will convoke the general assembly of the people and do what it shall -ordain.' The Bernese, knowing very well that if the matter was referred -to the people no arrangement would be possible, exclaimed: 'Pray do -nothing of the kind.' - -Whilst even Berne was soliciting the syndics to give way, the wives, -relations, and friends of the prisoners conjured them to persevere in -their resistance. They feared to hear every morning that it was too late -to act. 'It is time to bring the matter to an end,' said the syndics to -the Bernese. 'The prisoners are only accused; is it just to make them -suffer as if they were guilty? Go and speak plainly to the prince; make -him comprehend the duty which our liberties impose upon us.' The Bernese -went to the episcopal palace, but neither the bishop nor the Friburgers -who were with him would yield an inch. 'Messieurs of Geneva will not do -otherwise than they have said,' coldly answered Pierre de la Baume. -'Very good! and we for our part will not do otherwise than we have -declared.' The Friburgers added with a menacing tone: 'We are about to -return home and there ... we shall consider another remedy.' This remedy -was war: the Friburg deputies would return with an army.[785] - -[Sidenote: THE PRISONERS IN THEIR CELLS.] - -While these things were going on, the huguenots and evangelicals, seized -by the bishop's order, were still in prison bound hand and foot. Pierre -Vandel, Claude Pasta, the Sire de Compey, Domaine D'Arlod, the energetic -Ami Perrin and others, not forgetting Jaquéma, awaited their fate in the -gloomy vaults of the episcopal residence. In every house in Geneva and -at the town-hall people were constantly talking of them. 'The -prisoners,' they said, 'are kept in close confinement.' Such severity -excited universal compassion, and the secretary of council mentions it -in the Registers.[786] However if the bishop had been able to deprive -them of freedom of motion, there was another he could not take from -them, which was a sweet consolation for those who had received the -gospel in their hearts. 'Though they were bound and made fast in the -stocks,' says Calvin, 'still while praying they praised God.' It is of -Paul and Silas, shut up in the prison at Philippi, of whom the reformer -is speaking; but what he says of the liberty of prayer, which exists -even in spite of chains, may be applied to some of those who were now in -the prelate's dungeons. - -Just at this time a report circulated through the city that the bishop -was secretly preparing boats for the removal of the prisoners to some -castle. It was said that certain stout watermen were ready to grasp the -oar, that an armed force would accompany the captives, and that as soon -the episcopal officers were upon the open lake they would laugh at the -syndics and the huguenots. These reports still more excited the anger of -the citizens. One of them, a daring man named Pierre Verne, watching the -boats moored on the shore, sought the means of preventing this unlawful -abduction: he thought he had found one, simple and in his opinion -infallible, and waited (as we shall see presently) until the veil of -night concealed him from the eyes of the enemy.[787] - -If the prince's councillors were contriving how to get the huguenot -captives away, certain of the mamelukes were vexed that there were still -so many at liberty, and that the bishop was so slow in apprehending them -all without exception. It seemed to them that the _coup d'état_, or -rather _coup de main_, of which they had dreamt was long in coming; and -they knew that if a bold stroke is to succeed, the execution must be -prompt. Some of them began therefore to make amends for official -slowness by separate acts of violence. - -[Sidenote: ATTEMPT TO MURDER CURTET.] - -It was harvest time, and Jean Ami Curtet or Curteti, a man well disposed -towards the Gospel and belonging to a family which Duke Philibert le -Beau had ennobled, had gone out in the morning to visit a field which he -possessed on the banks of the Arve. He examined the ears and the stalks: -everything promised a fine harvest. Knowing that when wheat is once -ripe, there should be no delay in reaping it, he ordered the labourer -who accompanied him to begin to cut it. But he was destined to fall -before his corn, and on that very spot.... A sudden noise was heard, -some men in disguise fell upon him, knocked him down, beat him and left -him for dead in his own field. The news soon reached the city. 'It is -some gentlemen in disguise who have murdered him,' said the people. On -hearing the mournful news, the relations and friends of Curtet seized -their arquebuses, and about forty of them hastened towards the Arve -bridge. They raised the poor man who was seriously wounded, and bearing -their sad burden returned slowly into the city, their hearts bursting -with anger. As the procession passed in front of a house where some -Friburgers lodged, one of the Genevans called them 'Rascals and -traitors!' The Friburgers, innocent of the attempt, swore that they -would demand satisfaction for such an outrage; but the sad procession, -passing slowly through the principal streets of Geneva, under the -windows of the chief citizens, called up very different thoughts. Men -asked each other whether the partisans of the prince-bishop intended to -add murder to illegal arrest; whether it was sufficient to wear a mask -and strange garments to deprive citizens of their lives, without any -risk to the murderers; and whether every huguenot, as he was engaging in -the most innocent occupations, might be suddenly laid dead by a masked -enemy in the fields bequeathed to him by his ancestors?[788] - -While these dangers were accumulating on the heads of the friends of the -Reformation in Geneva itself, perils not less great were gathering round -the city. People arriving from the country on the left bank of the Rhone -and of the lake reported that armed Friburgers and Savoyards were -assembling in great numbers at the castle of Gaillard, and that one of -the Wernlis commanded a part of them. It was well known that this -person, exasperated by the death of his relative the canon, combined in -his heart, along with the love and respect he bore to his memory, a more -energetic sentiment—that of revenge. The knights and soldiers who -gathered round him caught the infection of his anger. But not at -Gaillard only were armed men assembling, according to the reports of the -country people: there were some higher up, in the direction of the -mountains, at Etrembières, where there was a ferry over the Arve to the -_mandement_ of Mornex. Others were assembling higher still around the -picturesque hill of Montoux, and especially at the village of Collonges, -at the foot of the hill. At the same time, the people who came to Geneva -from the right bank of the Rhone and the lake, from the side of the -Jura, brought similar tidings, and spoke of armed men in the Gex -district, and particularly at the Grand Saconnex, three-quarters of a -league from Geneva. The city was beginning to be surrounded by its -enemies.[789] - -The time seemed near when the projects conceived by the bishop at Arbois -were about to be realised. That prelate, who reproached his friend -Besançon Hugues for not having '_barked_' loud enough to prevent the -fall of his authority, proposed not only to bark himself against the -'_wolves_,' but also to bite them. One of those priests whom Rome had -raised to the rank of princes of nations had said: 'I am accustomed to -act vigorously.... I shall consider what it must be.' The pontiff was -preparing to fulfil his own prophecies. - -[Sidenote: GENEVA AND CALVIN.] - -The future of Geneva was indeed threatening. On the 10th of July a -gloomy veil seemed to be closing over that noble city. A fanatical party -was preparing the shroud in which it designed to bury the independence -of the citizens and the Reformation of the Church. That city, for which -many persons had already anticipated a more glorious destiny, was about -to be reduced to a mere provincial town, occupying an undistinguished -place in the world, and subject to the enervating influence of Rome, -without life and without liberty. - -But other things were written in heaven. God was preparing both Geneva -and Calvin to deliver battle together, on the result of which was to -depend the triumph of the Gospel and the liberty of modern nations. And -to prepare for these glorious events, the steps of the great reformer -were soon to be directed, undesignedly on his part, towards that small -but energetic city, unique of its kind in Europe, and of which the man -of God was not then thinking. - -We shall not forget that other nations have also added their stone to -the edifice of civil and religious liberty. From Switzerland, Germany, -the Low Countries, the British Isles, France, and afterwards America, as -well as other countries, were to proceed some of the acts destined to -secure the triumph of God's right and man's liberties. - -And yet Calvin and Geneva did something. Calvin possessed an inflexible -resolution. God had said to this man as he had said of old to one of his -prophets: _As an adamant harder than flint have I made thy forehead; -fear them not, neither be dismayed at their looks, though they be a -rebellious house_.[790] It was not by chance, as it is termed, that such -a character was called to the midst of a people who had shown in -terrible struggles, watered with the blood of their best citizens, an -indomitable resistance to absolute power. At the period of history we -are describing God was preparing Calvin and Geneva each apart; but the -union of those two natures, predestined (if I may say so) for each -other, could not fail to produce remarkable effects in the world. The -reformer was about to concentrate in this little corner of earth a moral -force which would contribute to save the Reformation in Europe, and to -preserve in a few more favoured spots those precious liberties to which -all nations have equal rights. - -It was necessary in the 16th century that a great man and a little -people should serve as a centre to the Reformation. The firmness of the -one, the energy of the other, tempered like steel in the waters of the -Gospel, were to give the tone to nations that were greater though -possibly less decided, and to impress the seal of unity on other -energies. _Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth!_ - -While waiting for this new dawn, sorrow reigned in Geneva. The reformers -were expelled, their most fervent disciples were in prison, or wandering -through the country; and the sword was suspended over the heads of all -the friends of God's word. The mamelukes triumphed. The friends of the -Gospel and of liberty asked with anguish if the day of great tribulation -was come at last.... The wives of the prisoners and of the fugitives -expected to hear every moment of some new tragedy. Children called for -their fathers, who came not to the call. Groans and lamentations, -apprehension and even cries of anger, prevailed everywhere. - -[Sidenote: FAITH AND HOPE.] - -Only a few souls, putting their trust in God, preserved some little -hope. Knowing that 'God is not God unless He is on a throne, that is, -unless he governs the world, they feared nothing, however terrible it -might be,'[791] from the hands of the powers of the earth. In the midst -of agitated hearts and dejected faces, there were eyes which, though -dimmed with tears, were raised towards heaven with a glance of hope and -faith. - -[745] 'Pedestris benda.'—Council Registers of 22nd and 30th June. - -[746] 'Valde irritatoria.'—Council Registers of 22nd and 30th June. - -[747] Council Registers of 22nd and 30th June. Gautier MS. - -[748] Mémoires du diocèse de Genève, par le curé Besson, p. 63. - -[749] Council Registers of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd July. Froment, _Gestes de -Genève_, p. 61. Gautier MS. - -[750] La sœur Jeanne de Jussie, _Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 67. -Gautier MS. - -[751] Council Registers of 2nd and 3rd July, 1533. La sœur J. de Jussie, -_Le Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 67. Gautier MS. - -[752] Council Registers of 3rd July, 1533. - -[753] La sœur J. de Jussie, _Le Levain_, p. 68. - -[754] 'Senatus, sua libertate subnixus, jus suum strenue -tuetur.'—Spanheim, _Geneva restituta_, p. 62. - -[755] 'Libertates, franchesiæ, immunitates, usus, et consuetudines -civitatis Gebennensis.'—_Mémoires d'Archéologie de la Soc. d'Hist. de -Genève_, tome ii. p. 312. Council Registers of 4th July, 1533. - -[756] 'Alios interfecerunt, alios truncatis manibus et pedibus -demembraverunt; quibusdam vero oculos fodiebant, quibusdam frontes ferro -ardente notabant.'—_Scriptur. gallic. et franc._, viii. p. 281. - -[757] 'Ad equi caudam pedibus alligatus . . . . vir dives et probus.'—G. -de Noviguto, _Op._ p. 510. - -[758] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 61. - -[759] Ibid. - -[760] Vol. i. p. 73. - -[761] Their names are given by Froment in his _Gestes de Genève_, -pp. 61-62. - -[762] Ibid. - -[763] See Plutarch's _Life of Sylla_. Council Registers of 5th -July. - -[764] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 61. - -[765] Council Registers of 5th July. La Sœur Jeanne de Jussie, _Le -Levain du Calvinisme_, p. 64. Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, pp. -61, 62. - -[766] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 62. - -[767] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 62. - -[768] - - ... Who besides me - Can claim the right to die for thee?—_Alceste._ - -[769] Froment, _Gestes de Genève_, p. 62. - -[770] 'Et illec en faire à leur plaisir.'—Ibid. - -[771] Council Registers of 5th July, 1533. - -[772] Calvin. - -[773] Council Registers of 5th July and 6th August, 1533. - -[774] Council Registers of 6th and 7th July. - -[775] Calvin, _Op._ passim. - -[776] Council Registers of 6th and 7th July, 1533. Roset MS. liv. iii. -ch. xiv. Gautier MS. - -[777] Council Registers of 8th July, 1533. Gautier MS. - -[778] 'Nisi vocatis sindicis et quatuor civibus dictæ civitatis.'—Mémoires -d'Archéologie de la Société d'Histoire de Genève, -ii. p. 323. - -[779] Council Registers of 8th July, 1533. Roset MS. _Chron._ liv. -iii. ch. xiv. Gautier MS. - -[780] Council Registers of 8th July, 1533. Roset MS. _Chron._ liv. -iii. ch. xiv. Gautier MS. - -[781] Council Registers of 9th July, 1533. Roset MS. _Chron._ liv. -iii. ch. xiv. Gautier MS. - -[782] Council Registers of 9th July, 1533. Roset MS. _Chron._ liv. iii. -ch. xiv. Gautier MS. - -[783] 'Cum tota claritas lunæ sit a sole, patet quod jurisdictio -spiritualis, quæ comparatur soli, habet in se formaliter vel virtualiter -jurisdictionem temporalem.'—Goldasti, _Monarchia_, ii. p. 1461 et -seq. - -[784] Council Registers of 9th July, 1533. - -[785] Council Registers of 9th July, 1533. - -[786] Council Registers of 12th July, 1533. - -[787] Council Registers of 12th July, 1533. - -[788] Council Registers of 14th July, 1533. - -[789] Council Registers of 10th July, 1533. - -[790] Ezekiel, iii. 9. - -[791] Calvin. - - - END OF THE THIRD VOLUME. - LONDON - PRINTED BY SPOTTISWOODE AND CO. - NEW-STREET SQUARE - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of History of the Reformation in Europe -in the time of Calvin, Volume 3 (of , by Merle d'Aubigne - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HISTORY OF REFORMATION IN EUROPE, VOL 3 *** - -***** This file should be named 60774-0.txt or 60774-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/0/7/7/60774/ - -Produced by Brian Wilson, David Edwards, Colin Bell, Chris -Pinfield and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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