mine what are called the liberties of the Gallic church: and the Jesuits were their principal coadjutors in this business. But to these machinations very strong opposition was made, both by the parliament of Paris, and by the very able writers, Edmund Richer, John Launoy, Peter de Marca, Natalis Alexander, Lewis Ellies du Pin, and others; who had the courage to bring forward the opinions of their fathers, some with more spirit and erudition, and others with less, and to confirm them with new arguments and authorities. The court, indeed, did not always reward these protectors of their country according to their merits; nay, frequently showed itself opposed to them, with a view to please the angry and menacing pontiff: yet this afforded little advantage to the papal cause. The French kings, it seems, would rather have their rights silently maintained than publicly defended with noise and war, in open declarations and disputations: nor did they esteem it below their dignity to temporize occasionally; and to pretend great reverence for the mandates and edicts of the pontiffs, in order more easily to obtain from them the objects of their wishes. But if they perceived the Romish prelates taking advantage of this complaisance to extend their authority, they remembered that they were kings of the French, that is, of a nation for a long time most impatient of Romish servitude. This is abundantly confirmed by the contests of Lewis XIV. with the pontiffs". ["It was with a view to this that Voltaire, speaking of the manner in which the court of France maintains its prerogatives against the Roman pontiff, says, pleasantly, that the king of France kisses the pope's feet, and ties up his hands." Madl.] • Many, both of the Lutherans and Reformed, and they men of great merit and learning, lament the augmentation of the Romish power in France during this century, and the gradual corruption of the minds of both the noblesse and the clergy, by the prevalence of Italian notions respecting the papal power, which the ancient French people viewed with abhorrence and from this they infer, that the famous liberties of the Gallic church were much abridged in this century, by the influence, principally, of the Jesuits. Into these views they are But I the Rhine'; Christian William, marquis of Brandenburg * ; Ernest, prince of Hesse'; John Frederick, duke of Brunswick'; and Frederick Augustus, king of Poland, subjected themselves to the Roman pontiff. Of the men of genius and erudition, the illustrious Jo. Christian, baron of Boisneburg, privy councillor to the elector of Mayence, and a noted Mæcenas in that age; Christ. Ranzovius, a knight of Holstein*; Caspar Scioppius; Peter Bertius; Christopher Besoldus'; Helfr. 7 [This prince, at his solemn renunciation of protestantism, in the year 1614, assigned as his reasons, the common arguments used by catholics to prove the truth of their religion, and the falsehood of the protestant. But it was believed at the time, and even by catholic historians, that a principal motive with him was, to secure the favour of the emperor and of the Spanish court, in order to make sure his heirship to the duchy of JulianCleves. See Schroeckh, Kirchengesch. seit der Reform. vol. iv. p. 370. and Schlegel's note here. Tr.] 8 [At the capture of Magdeburg by the imperial troops, in 1630, he was taken prisoner, and carried to Vienna, where his conversion took place. The grounds of it, which he published, were chiefly, that the protestants had no legitimate priesthood. See Schlegel's note here. Tr.] 9 This very learned and good prince was converted in 1651, by the celebrated Capuchin monk, Valerius Magnus. See Gruber's Commercium Epistol. Leibnitianum, tom. i. p. 27 35. Mémoires de la Reine Christine, tom. i. p. 216. But it is manifest from the writings of Ernest himself, that he, as well as Anth. Ulric, duke of Brunswic, and many others, did not go over to such a Romish church as actually exists, but to a very different one, which had long since ceased to be, and of which his imagination formed an idea. [He put entire confidence in his favourite preacher, Henry Julius Blum; and when solicited to apostatize, refused, unless the catholics could first convert Blum. The Jesuits then applied themselves to Blum, and offered him an income of 2000 dollars annually, if he would turn catholic. Blum consented. A dispute was held 2 [He was the elector of Saxony, and to qualify himself for the throne of Poland, made profession of the catholic religion in the year 1697. See Schroeckh's Kirchengesch. s. d. Reform. vol. vii. p. 74. and Henke's Kirchengesch. vol. iv. p. 559. Tr.] 3 He apostatized to the Romish church in 1653, following the example of Ernest, prince of Hesse; and was a man of great distinction, but rather a man of letters, than a sound reasoner or philosopher. See Gruber's Commercium Epistol. Leibnitianum, containing his and Conring's Epistles, tom. i. p. 35. 37. 39. 48. 56. 60. 70. 76. 93, &c. 4 See Jo. Moller's Cimbria Literata, tom. i. p. 520. [He defended Lutheranism at Helmstadt in 1649. But the next year, at Rome, the splendour of the Jubilee, and the arguments_of Lucas Holstenius overcame him. See Henke, Kirchengesch. vol. iv. p. 300, &c. Tr.] 5 [He was a German, learned, ardent, restless. He became a papist about A.D. 1600; fell out with the Jesuits; and fought much against the protestants. See Bayle, Dictionnaire, vol. iv. art. Scioppius. Tr.] 6 [Bertius was rector of the theolo 2 Ulr. Hunnius; Nich. Stenonius, a celebrated Danish physician; Jo. Phil. Pfeiffer, a professor at Königsberg1; Lucas Holstenius with his kinsman, Peter Lambecius; Henry Jul. Blum, professor at Helmstadt, a learned but vain man'; Daniel Nessel; Andrew Fromm'; Barthold Nihusius, Christ. gical college of Leyden. Being an Arminian, he was censured by the synod of Dort, and afterwards excommunicated. He retired to France, became a catholic, was a professor at Paris, historiographer to the king, and died in 1629. See Rees's Cyclopædia, article Bertius. Tr.] ' [Besold was a learned and excellent man, professor of law at Tubingen, and after his conversion to the Romish church in 1635, professor at Ingolstadt. He published his motives; and appears to have been sincere; though the timidity of his character, and the troubled state of the times, seem to have had an influence. His revolt was a serious loss to the protestants. See Henke, Kirchengesch. vol. iii. p. 517. and Schlegel's note here. Tr.] [He was the son of the famous Egidius Hunnius, and brother to Nicholas. He was professor of law at Giessen and Marpurg, turned catholic in 1631, was made councillor and vicechancellor at Treves, and died in 1636. See Henke and Schlegel, loc. cit. Tr.] 9 [This celebrated anatomist travelled for improvement as far as Italy. On his return, he was made professor of anatomy at Copenhagen. But preferring Italy, he soon removed to that country. There, at the age of 37, in the year 1675, he became a real catholic, changed his profession, was created a titular bishop, and sent as papal legate into Germany; where he died in 1686. He was first a great anatomist, and then a very sincere catholic, and a man of blameless life. He wrote many tracts in defence of popery. See Jo. Moller's Cimbria Literata, tom. ii. p. 867, &c. Tr.] 1 [See Henke's Kirchengesch. vol. iv. p. 305. He apostatized in 1694; published his apology for it; and died the next year. Tr.] 2 [This distinguished literary man was born at Hamburg in 1596; first studied medicine, but afterwards de voted himself to Latin and Greek literature, and to ecclesiastical antiquities. He early travelled to Italy and Sicily. Returning, he pursued study in Holland. Being denied a scholarship at Leyden, he left that place in disgust, and after travelling a year or two, settled in Paris, A. D. 1624. Here he was promoted, became a catholic, and an author. He next went to Italy, where he was in high esteem; was made librarian to the pope, and came near to being a cardinal. He died 1661, aged 65. He was one of the most learned men of his age, and a sincere catholic, but not bigoted. See Jo. Moller's Cimbria Literata, vol. i. p. 257. and vol. iii. p. 321-342. Tr.] 3 [Lambecius was a countryman and nephew of Holstenius, and a rector at Hamburg. But he had a bad wife, and besides, also fell into ill fame as a teacher of false doctrine. He therefore abandoned his country, office, wife, and religion, and became a Librarian at Vienna. Schl.-This very learned man, and voluminous writer and editor, died in 1680, aged 52. See Jo. Moller, Cimbria Literata, vol. i. p. 323. and vol. iii. p. 391-414. Tr.] 4 He apostatized in 1654. [See above, p. 84, note (1.) Tr. See Jac. Burchard's Historia Biblioth. Augustæ, pt. iii. p. 223. 233. Gruber's Commercium Epistol. Leibnitianum, tom. i. p. 41. 95. 135. 137. 379. 388. 410, &c. In these Epistles he is usually called Florus. [He was the son of Martin Nessel, a rector of Bremen, and studied law. He and his father both turned catholics in 1667. Daniel succeeded Lambecius, as librarian at Vienna, and died A. D. 1700. See Henke's Kirchengesch. vol. iv. p. 302. Tr.] 6 [He was a provost at Berlin, and from the year 1662, laboured much to unite the protestants and catholics. His apostasy took place at Prague, in 1667. See Henke, loc. cit. iv. p. 303: and Schlegel's note here. Tr.] Hellwig, Matth. Prætorius'; and some others of inferior note and standing, revolted to the Romish party. But if from these you except such as we are abundantly assured were led to this change by their domestic misfortunes, their desire to advance their rank and glory, their inordinate desire of wealth and worldly advantages, their fickleness of mind, their imbecility of intellect, and other causes of no better character, you will reduce the whole number to a few persons, whom no one will greatly envy the Roman catholics". § 17. The christians of the East, who were not of the Romish communion, opposed the papal envoys no less firmly than the Europeans. Nor do the more ingenuous catholics themselves deny that those who give us splendid accounts of the great extension of the papal authority among the Nestorians and Monophysites, and of the favourable disposition of several of the prelates of these sects towards the Romish church, deceive us with fictitious statements. On the other hand, the sovereign pontiffs suffered two very severe losses in the East during this century; the one was in Japan, the other in Abyssinia. What occurred in Japan has already been stated among the evils which the christian cause in general experienced. It remains, therefore, only to give account of the occurrences in Abyssinia or Ethiopia.-In the beginning of the century, the mission to the Abyssinians, which had been interrupted in the preceding century, was renewed by the Portuguese Jesuits with very favourable auspices. Fo the emperor Susneius, who assumed the name of Seltam Segued at his coronation, after his 7 [Concerning Nihusius, see above, p. 81, note (1). Prætorius was noticed also, p. 76, note (8). Hellwig was a physician, and son-in-law to J. P. Pfeiffer, mentioned in p. 85, note (1). He apostatized with his father-in-law, A. D. 1694. Tr.] Of these men, and others of a similar character, an account is given by Godfr. Arnold, Kirchen- und Ketzerhistorie, pt. ii. book xvii. ch. iii. P. 912, &c. Weismann's Historia Eccles. sæcul. xvii. p. 738. Walch's Einleitung in die Religions-Streitigkeiten, vol. ii. p. 728, &c. [Henke's Kirchengeschichte, vol iii. and iv.] With these may be joined the best writers on civil and literary history. 9 See the express declarations, made by Jo. Chardin, in various parts of his travels. Add, respecting the Armenians, Urban Cerry, Etat présent de l'Eglise Romaine, p. 170: also concerning the Copts, p. 216. 222, &c. That some small, but poor congregations were collected among these sects, no one denies. Thus, near the middle of the century, the Capuchins collected a very small company of popish converts among the Asiatic Monophysites, whose prelate resides at Aleppo. See le Quien, Oriens Christianus, tom. ii. p. 1408. victories over his enemies, influenced partly by the eloquence of the Jesuits, and partly by the hope of confirming his authority by the aid of Portuguese troops, committed the direction of all religious affairs, in the year 1625, to Alphonso Mendez, a missionary from Portugal; or, in other words, created him patriarch of the nation. The next year, he not only himself publicly swore obedience to the authority of the Roman pontiff, but also required all his people to forsake the religion of their fathers, and to embrace that of Rome. But that new prelate, with his associates, by his ill-timed zeal, himself subverted the foundations of the papal authority, which appeared to be so well established. For, in the first place, he resolved to subdue the people, the greatest part of whom, together with their ministers, held their ancient religion more dear than life itself, by means of terror, wars, and very severe punishments, in the manner of the Portuguese Inquisition. In the next place, those who yielded obedience to the commands of the emperor, the prelate ordered to be baptized and consecrated anew, after the Roman form; as if they had previously been entirely without the true christian ordinances which was an injury to the religion of their fathers that the clergy regarded with more horror than they did the tortures and violence inflicted on recusants. And lastly, he did not hesitate to rend the commonwealth into factions, and to encroach even upon the authority and the prerogatives of the emperor. Hence arose, first, civil commotions and formidable insurrections; then, the indignation of the emperor himself, and a general abhorrence of the Jesuits; and finally, a public edict of the emperor, in 1631, which gave the citizens full liberty to embrace which of the two religions they preferred. The son of Seltam, Basilides, who succeeded to the throne on the death of his father in 1632, thought proper to clear the country of these troublesome strangers; and therefore, in the year 1634, he drove Mendez and the whole body of Jesuits and Portuguese from Abyssinia, with no kind of indulgence or tenderness'. From this time onward, such an abhorrence of See Job. Ludolf's Historia Ethiopica, lib. iii. cap. xii. Mich. Geddes, Church History of Ethiopia, p. 233, &c. Matur. Veisse la Croze's Histoire du |