ties as we for our faints. Ab fove principium was their common formule. Pliny in his panegyrick on the good Trajan attests, that the Romans never omitted to begin their difcourfe, and affairs, by invoking the Deity. Cicero and Livy tell us the fame thing. No people were more religious; but they were too wife, and too great, to descend to the punishment of idle language or philofophick opinions: they were incapable of inflicting barbarous punishments on those who, with Cicero, himself an augur, had no faith in auguries; or on those who, like Cæfar, afferted in full fenate, that the gods do not punish men after death. IT hath often been remarked, that the fenate permitted the chorus in the Troad to fing: There is nothing after death, and death itself is nothing. You afk, what becomes of the dead? they are where they were ere they were born*. WAS ever profanation more flagrant than this? From Ennius to Aufonius all is profanation, notwithstanding the refpect for divine worship. Why were these things difregarded by the fenate? because they did not, in any wife, affect the government of the state; because they disturbed no infti-, tution, nor religious ceremony. The police of the Romans was nevertheless excellent; they were nevertheless abfolute mafters of the beft part of * Poft mortem nihil eft, mors ipfaque nihil, &c. SENECA. the world, till the reign of Theodofius the fecond. It was a maxim of the Romans, Deorum offenfa, Diis cura, Offences against the Gods concern the Gods only. The fenate, by the wisest institution, being at the head of religion, were under no apprehenfions, that a convocation of priests fhould force them to revenge the priesthood under a pretext of revenging heaven. They never faid, let us tear the impious afunder, left we ourfelves be deemed impious; let us fhew the priesthood, by our cruelty, that we are no less religious than they. BUT our religion is more holy than that of the Romans, and confequently impiety is a greater crime. Granted. God will punish it. The part of man is, to punish that which is criminal in the public diforder which the impiety hath occafioned. But if in the act of impiety the delinquent hath not even ftolen a handkerchief; if the ceremonies of religion have been in no wife disturbed, fhall we, as I faid before, punish the impiety as we would punish parricide? The Marshal d'Ancre had caufed a white cock to be killed when the moon was at full: ought we therefore to burn the Marfhal d'Ancre? Eft modus in rebus, funt certi denique fines; CHAP. CHA P. VII. On the Crime of Preaching; and of Anthony. A CALVINIST teacher, who, in certain provinçes, preaches to his flock, if he be detected, is punished with death; and those who have given him. a fupper or a bed, are fent to the gallies for life. In other countries, if a jefuit be caught preaching, he is hanged. Is it to avenge God that this Calvinift and this Jefuit are put to death? Have both parties built upon the following Evangelical law? If be neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican. But the Evangelift does not order that this heathen and this publican fhould be hanged, OR have they built on this paffage in Deuteronomy: If among you a prophet arife; and that which he bath faid come to pafs; and be fayeth unto you, let us follow ftrange Gods; and if thy brother, or thy son, or thy wife, or the friend of thy heart, fay unto thee, come, let us follow frange Gods; let them be ftraightways killed, ftrike thou fift, and all the people after thee. But neither this Jefuit nor the Calvinift faid unto you, come, let us follow ftrange Gods. THE Counsellor Dubourg, the monk Jehan * Chap. XIII. Chauvin Chauvin, named Calvin, the Spanish physician Servetus, the Calabrian Gentilis, all worshipped the fame God and yet, the prefident Minard caufed counsellor Dubourg to be burnt; and Dubourg's friends caufed prefident Minard to be affaffinated; Jehan Calvin caufed the physician Servetus to be roafted; and had likewife the confolation to be a principal means of bringing the Calabrian Gentilis to the block; and the fucceffors of Jehan Calvin burnt Anthony. Was it reafon, or piety, or justice, that committed these murders? THIS hiftory of Anthony is one of the most fingular which the annals of phrenfy hath preferved. I read the following account in a very curious manuscript; it is in part related by Jacob Spon. ANTHONY was born at Brieu in Lorrain, of catholic parents, and he was educated by the Jefuits at Pont-a-Mouffon. The preacher Féri engaged him in the proteftant religion at Metz. Having returned to Nancy he was profecuted as a heretick, and, had he not been faved by a friend, would certainly have been hanged. He fled for refuge to Sedan, where, being taken for a papist, he narrowly escaped affaffination. SEEING by what ftrange fatality his life was not in fafety either among papifts or protestants, he he went to Venice and turned Jew. He was pofitively perfuaded, even to the last moments of his life, that the religion of the Jews was the only true religion; for that if it was once true it must always be fo. The Jews did not circumcife him, for fear of offending the ftate; but he was no less internally a Jew. He now went to Geneva, where, concealing his faith, he became a preacher, was prefident of the college, and finally what is called a minister. THE perpetual combat in his breast between the religion of Calvin, which he was obliged to preach, and that of Mofes, which was the only religion he believed, produced a long illness. He became melancholy, at last quite mad, crying aloud, that he was a Jew. The minifters of the gospel came to vifit him, and endeavoured to bring him to himself; but he answered, "that "he adored none but the God of Ifrael; that "it was impoffible for God to change? that God "could never have given a law, and infcribed it with his own hand, with an intention that it “should be abolished." He spoke against Christianity, and afterwards retracted all he had faid, and even wrote his confeffion of faith, to efcape punishment; but the unhappy perfuafion of his heart would not permit him to fign it. The council of the city affembled the clergy, to confult what was to be done by the unfortunatè Anthony. The minority of thefe clergy were of opinion |
