Subjects from their Oaths of Allegiance, and make it their Duty to take up Arms aginst their Sovereign. That he may depofe Kings without any Fault committed by them, if the Good of the Church requires it: That the Clergy are exempt from all Tribute to Kings, and are not accountable to them even in Cafes of High Treafon. That the Pope cannot err: That his Decifions are to be received and obeyed on Pain of Sin, though all the World fhould judge them to be falfe. That the Pope is God upon Earth, that his Sentence and that of God are the fame, and that to call his Power in Queftion, is to call in Question the Power of God. Maxims equally fhocking, weak, pernicious, and abfurd! which did not require the Abilities or Learning of Father Paul to demonftrate their Falthood and destructive Tendency.

It may be easily imagined that fuch Principles were quickly overthrown, and that no Court but that of Rome thought it for its Intereft to favour them. The Pope therefore finding his Authors confuted, and his Cause abandoned, was willing to conclude the Affair by Treaty, which, by the Mediation of Henry IV. of France, was accommodated upon Terms very much to the Honour of the Venetians.

But the Defenders of the Venetian Rights were, though comprehended in the Treaty, excluded by the Romans from the Benefit of it; fome upon ditferent Pretences were imprisoned, fome fent to the Galleys, and all debarred from Preferment. But their Malice was chiefly aimed against Father Paul, who foon found the Effects of it; for as he was going one Night to his Convent, about fix Months after the Accommodation, he was attacked by five Ruffians armed with Stilettoes, who gave him no lefs than fifteen Stabs, three of which wounded h ́m in fuch a Manner that he was left for dead. The

Murderers

Murderers fled for Refuge to the Nuncio, and were afterwards received into the Pope's Dominions, but were pursued by divine Juftice, and all, except one Man who died in Prison, perifhed by violent Deaths.

This, and other Attempts upon his Life, obliged him to confine himself to his Convent, where he engaged in writing the History of the Council of Trent, a Work unequalled for the judicious Difpofition of the Matter, and artful Texture of the Narration, commended by Dr. Burnet as the completeft Model of Hiftorical Writing, and celebrated by Mr. Wotton as equivalent to any Production of Antiquity; in which the Reader finds Liberty without Licentiousness, Piety without Hypocrify, Freedom of Speech without Neglect of Decency, Severity without Rigour, and extenfive Learning without Oftentation.'

In this, and other Works of lefs Confequence, he spent the remaining Part of his Life, to the Beginning of the Year 1622, when he was feifed with a Cold and Fever, which he neglected till it became incurable. He languished more than twelve Months, which he spent almost wholly in a Preparation for his Paffage into Eternity; and among his Prayers and Afpirations was often heard to repeat, Lord! now let thy Servant depart in Peace.'

On Sunday the Eighth of January of the next Year, he rofe, weak as he was, to Mafs, and went to take his Repaft with the reft; but on Monday was feifed with a Weakness that threatened immediate Death; and on Thursday prepared for his Change by receiving the Viaticum with fuch Marks of Devotion, as equally melted and edified the Beholders.

Through the whole Course of his Illness to the laft Hour of his Life, he was confulted by the Senate in public Affairs, and returned Anfwers in his greatest Weakness, with fuch Prefence of Mind, as could only arife from the Consciousness of Innocence.

On

On Saturday, the Day of his Death, he had the Paffion of our bleffed Saviour read to him out of St. John's Gofpel, as on every other Day of that Week, and spoke of the Mercy of his Redeemer, and his Confidence in his Merits.

As his End evidently approached, the Brethren of the Convent came to pronounce the last Prayers, with which he could only join in his Thoughts, being able to pronounce no more than these Words, Efto perpetua, Mayft thou laft for ever;' which was understood to be a Prayer for the Prosperity of his Country.

Thus died Father Paul, in the feventy-first Year of his Age: Hated by the Romans as their moft formidable Enemy, and honoured by all the Learned for his Abilities, and by the Good for his Integrity. His Deteftation of the Corruption of the Roman Church appears in all his Writings, but particularly in this memorable Paffage of one of his Letters: There is nothing more effential than to ruin the Reputation of the Jefuits: By the Ruin of the Jefuits Rome will be ruined; and if Rome is ruined, 6 Religion will reform of itself."

4

He appears by many Paffages of his Life to have had a high Efteem of the Church of England; and his Friend, Father Fulgentio, who had adopted all his Notions, made no Scruple of adminiftring to Dr. Duncomb, an English Gentleman that fell fick at Venice, the Communion in both Kinds, according to the Common Prayer which he had with him in Italian.

He was buried with great Pomp at the public Charge, and a magnificent Monument was erected to his Memorial,

VOL. III.

F

FRAGMENT

FRAGMENT OF

A COPY OF VERSES

Το

Lord March and Lord George,

SONS OF

His Grace the Duke of R―d,

ON THEIR

1

Dangerously falling through the Ice at Godwood: illuftrated with Notes Variorum, by MARTIN SCRIBBLER, Jun.-Suppofed to be written by B. THORNTON, Esq.

EAVE ruftic Mufe, the Cott and furrow'd

LE Plains,

The Loves of rural Nymphs, and Shepherd Swains;
Lay by the lowly Reed, whofe fimple Notes
Die on the lonely Hills round wattled Cotes,

Furrow'd Plains.] Left we fhould imagine that the Plains here meant were plain and even, as all Plains fhould

I

fhould be, the Author judiciously adds an Epithet which unplains the Plains at once.

Wattled Cotes.] An elegant Expreffion.

For Strains fublime fcrew up the pompous Lyre, And boldly fon'rous fweep the trembling Wire; Critics are in doubt what Instrument our Poet would here make use of; though I think it is plain, it can be no other than a Jew's Harp. Nor is it any Objection to say that this is fometimes in the Mouth of the Vulgar, fince its Notes feem adapted to such noble Subjects as this. For, as the Poet Fuftian Sackbut, fweetly fings:

Buzzing twangs the Iron Lyre
Shrilly thrilling,
Trembling, trilling,

Whizzing with the wav'ring Wire.

Son'rous] Who, that has not loft his Ears, can be fatisfied with the cutting off the long O in this Word? I fay, read Snorus; as the Bafs of a Jew's Harp, or, (as it fhould be written) Jaws-Harp, very nearly resembles Snoring. B-NTLY.

While condefcending Nobles circle round, In bending Attitude, to judge the Sound. This is truly fublime. Here we have the Humility, (a rare Virtue) the Manner of fitting or standing, and the Pofture of the Nobles who are (not barely to hear, but) to try, hang, or acquit the Sound, as they think fit, and all in two Verses.

Fancy delighted touches o'er the Strings,

And warbling to the Groves of Richmond wings. The laft Line, I confefs, has long puzzled me, and I fufpect it is a false Reading, and should be corrected thus:

And rambling thro' the Groves of Richmond fings.