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Library；　especially　volume　ix。











First　of　these；　in　1608；　came　his　work　on　the　Interdict。　Clearly



and　concisely　it　revealed　the　nature　of　the　recent　struggle；　the



baselessness　of　the　Vatican　claims；　and　the　solidarity　of



interest　between　Venice　and　all　other　European　states　regarding



the　question　therein　settled。　This　work　of　his　as　a　historian



clenched　his　work　as　a　statesman；　from　that　day　forward　no　nation



has　even　been　seriously　threatened　with　an　interdict。







Subsidiary　works　followed　rapidly　from　his　pen；　strengthening　the



civil　power　against　the　clerical；　but　in　1610　came　a　treatise；



which　marked　an　epoch；　his　History　of　Ecclesiastical



Benefices。＇2＇　In　this　he　dealt　with　a　problem　which　had　become



very　serious；　not　only　in　Venice；　but　in　every　European　state；



showed　the　process　by　which　vast　treasures　had　been　taken　from



the　control　of　the　civil　power　and　heaped　up　for　ecclesiastical



pomp　and　intrigue；　pointed　out　special　wrongs　done　by　the　system



to　the　Church　as　well　as　the　State；　and　advocated　a　reform　which



should　restore　this　wealth　to　better　uses。　His　arguments　spread



widely　and　sank　deep；　not　only　in　Italy；　but　throughout　Europe；



and　the　nineteenth　century　has　seen　them　applied　effectively　in



every　European　country　within　the　Roman　obedience。











＇2＇　The　old　English　translation　of　this　book；　published　in　1736



at　Westminster；　is　by　no　means　a　very　rare　book；　and　it　affords



the　general　reader　perhaps　the　most　accessible　means　of



understanding　Fra　Paolo's　simplicity；　thoroughness；　and　vigor。











In　1611　he　published　his　work　on　the　Inquisition　at　Venice；



presenting　historical　arguments　against　the　uses　which



ecclesiasticism；　under　papal　guidance；　had　made　of　that　tribunal。



These　arguments　spread　far；　and　developed　throughout　Europe　those



views　of　the　Inquisition　which　finally　led　to　its　destruction。



Minor　treatises　followed；　dealing　with　state　questions　arising



between　the　Vatican　and　Venice；　each　treatisethoroughly　well



reasoned　and　convincinghaving　a　strong　effect　on　the　discussion



of　similar　public　questions　in　every　other　European　nation。







In　1613　came　two　books　of　a　high　order；　each　marking　an　epoch。



The　first　of　these　was　upon　the　Right　of　Sanctuary；　and　in　it



Sarpi　led　the　way；　which　all　modern　states　have　followed；　out　of



the　old；　vicious　system　of　sanctioning　crime　by　sheltering



criminals。　The　cogency　of　his　argument　and　the　value　of　its



application　gained　for　him　an　especial　tribute　by　the　best



authority　on　such　questions　whom　Europe　had　seen；Hugo　Grotius。







Closely　connected　with　this　work　was　that　upon　the　Immunity　of



the　Clergy。　Both　this　and　the　previous　work　were　in　the　same



order　of　ideas；　and　the　second　fastened　into　the　European　mind



the　reasons　why　no　state　can　depend　upon　the　Church　for　the



punishment　of　clerical　criminals。　His　argument　was　a　triumphant



vindication　of　Venice　in　her　struggle　with　Paul　V　on　this　point；



but　it　was　more　than　that。　It　became　the　practical　guide　of　all



modern　states。　Its　arguments　dissipated　the　last　efforts



throughout　Europe　to　make　a　distinction；　in　criminal　matters；



between　the　priestly　caste　and　the　world　in　general。







Among　lesser　treatises　which　followed　is　one　which　has　done　much



to　shape　modern　policy　regarding　public　instruction。　This　was　his



book　upon　the　Education　given　by　the　Jesuits。　One　idea　which　it



enforced　sank　deep　into　the　minds　of　all　thoughtful　men；his



statement　that　Jesuit　maxims　develop　〃sons　disobedient　to　their



parents；　citizens　unfaithful　to　their　country；　and　subjects



undutiful　to　their　sovereign。〃　Jesuit　education　has　indeed　been



maintained；　and　evidences　of　it　may　be　seen　in　various　European



countries。　The　traveler　in　Italy　constantly　sees　in　the　larger



Italian　towns　long　lines　of　young　men　and　boys；　sallow；　thin；　and



listless；　walking　two　and　two；　with　priests　at　each　end　of　the



coffle。　These　are　students　taking　their　exercise；　and　an　American



or　Englishman　marvels　as　he　remembers　the　playing　fields　of　his



own　country。　Youth　are　thus　brought　up　as　milksops；　to　be



graduated　as　scape…graces。　The　strong　men　who　control　public



affairs；　who　lead　men　and　originate　measures　in　the　open；　are　not



bred　in　Jesuit　forcing…houses。　Even　the　Jesuits　themselves　have



acknowledged　this；　and　perhaps　the　strongest　of　all　arguments



supplementary　to　those　given　by　Father　Paul　were　uttered　by　Padre



Curci；　eminent　in　his　day　as　a　Jesuit　gladiator；　but　who　realized



finally　the　impossibility　of　accomplishing　great　things　with　men



moulded　by　Jesuit　methods。







All　these　works　took　strong　hold　upon　European　thought。　Leading



men　in　all　parts　of　Europe　recognized　Sarpi　as　both　a　great



statesman　and　a　great　historian。　Among　his　English　friends　were



such　men　as　Lord　Bacon　and　Sir　Henry　Wotton；　and　his　praises　have



been　sounded　by　Grotius；　by　Gibbon；　by　Hallam；　and　by　Macaulay。



Strong；　lucid；　these　works　of　Father　Paul　have　always　been



especially　attractive　to　those　who　rejoice　in　the　leadership　of　a



master　mind。







But　in　1619　came　the　most　important　of　all；a　service　to



humanity　hardly　less　striking　than　that　which　he　had　rendered　in



his　battle　against　the　Interdict；his　history　of　the　Council　of



Trent。







His　close　relations　to　so　many　of　the　foremost　men　of　his　day　and



his　long　study　in　public　archives　and　private　libraries　bore



fruit　in　this　work；　which　takes　rank　among　the　few　great；



enduring　historical　treatises　of　the　world。　Throughout；　it　is



vigorous　and　witty；　but　at　the　same　time　profound；　everywhere　it



bears　evidences　of　truthfulness　and　is　pervaded　by　sobriety　of



judgment。　Its　pictures　of　the　efforts　or　threats　by



representatives　of　various　great　powers　to　break　away　from　the



papacy　and　establish　national　churches；　its　presentation　of　the



arguments　of　anti…papal　orators　on　one　side　and　of　Laynez　and　his



satellites　on　the　other；　its　display　of　acts　and　revelations　of



pretexts；　its　penetration　into　the　whole　network　of　intrigue；　and



its　thorough　discussion　of　underlying　principles；all　are



masterly。







Though　the　name　of　the　author　was　concealed　in　an　anagram；　the



book　was　felt；　by　the　Vatican　party；　to　be　a　blow　which　only　one



man　could　have　dealt；　and　the　worst　blow　which　the　party　had



received　since　its　author　had　defeated　the　Interdict　at　Venice。



Efforts　were　made；　by　outcries　and　calumnies；　to　discredit　the



work；　and　they　have　been　continued　from　that　day　to　this；　but　in



vain。　That　there　must　be　some　gaps　and　many　imperfections　in　it



is　certain；　but　its　general　character　is　beyond　the　reach　of



ultramontane　weapons。　The　blow　was　felt　to　be　so　heavy　that　the



Jesuit　Pallavicini　was　empowered　to　write　a　history　of　the



Council　to　counterbalance　it；　and　his　work　was　well　done；　but



Ranke；　the　most　unprejudiced　of　judges；　comparing　the　two；



assigns　the　palm　to　Father　Paul。　His　book　was　immediately　spread



throughout　Europe；　but　of　all　the　translations；　perhaps　the　most



noteworthy　was　the　English。　Sarpi　had　entrusted　a　copy　of　the



original　to　his　friend；　Antonio　de　Dominis；　Archbishop　of



Spalato；　and　he；　having　taken　refuge　in　England；　had　it



translated　there；　the　authorship　being　ascribed　on　the　title…page



to　〃Pietro　Soave　Polano。〃　This　English　translation　was；　in　vigor



and　pith；　worthy　of　the　original。　In　it　can　be　discerned；　as



clearly　as　in　the　original；　that　atmosphere　of　intrigue　and



brutal　assertion　of　power　by　which　the　Roman　Curia；　after　packing



the　Council　with　petty　Italian　bishops；　bade　defiance　to　the



Catholic　world。　This　translation；　more　than　all　else；　has　enabled



the　English…speaking　peoples　to　understand　what　was　meant　by　the



Italian　historian　when　he　said　that　Father　Paul　〃taught　the　world



how　the　Holy　Spirit　guides　the　Great　Councils　of　the　Church。〃　It



remains　cogent　down　to　this　day；　after　reading　it　one　feels　that



such　guidance　might　equally　be　claimed　for　Tammany　Hall。







Although　Father　Paul　never　acknowledged　the　authorship　of　the



history　of　the　Council　of　Trent；　and　although　his　original　copy；



prepared　for　the　press；　with　his　latest　corrections；　still



remains　buried　in　the　archives　at　Venice；　the　whole　world　knew



that　he　alone　could　have　written　it。







But　during　all　these　years；　while　elaborating　opinions　on　the



weightiest　matters　of　state　for　the　Venetian　Senate；　and　sending



out　this　series　of　books　which　so　powerfully　influenced