part05+-第54部分

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weightiest　matters　of　state　for　the　Venetian　Senate；　and　sending



out　this　series　of　books　which　so　powerfully　influenced　the



attitude　of　his　own　and　after　generations　toward　the　Vatican；　he



was　working　with　great　effect　in　yet　another　field。　With　the



possible　exception　of　Voltaire；　he　was　the　most　vigorous　and



influential　letter…writer　during　the　three　hundred　years　which



separated　Erasmus　from　Thomas　Jefferson。　Voltaire　certainly



spread　his　work　over　a　larger　field；　lighted　it　with　more　wit；



and　gained　by　it　more　brilliant　victories；　but　as　regards



accurate　historical　knowledge；　close　acquaintance　with　statesmen；



familiarity　with　the　best　and　worst　which　statesmen　could　do；



sober　judgment　and　cogent　argument；　the　great　Venetian　was　his



superior。　Curiously　enough；　Sarpi　resembles　the　American



statesman　more　closely　than　either　of　the　Europeans。　Both　he　and



Jefferson　had　the　intense　practical　interest　of　statesmen；　not



only　in　the　welfare　of　their　own　countries；　but　in　all　the



political　and　religious　problems　of　their　times。　Both　were　keenly



alive　to　progress　in　the　physical　sciences；　wherever　made。　Both



were　wont　to　throw　a　light　veil　of　humor　over　very　serious



discussions。　Both　could　use；　with　great　effect；　curt；　caustic



description：　Jefferson's　letter　to　Governor　Langdon　satirizing



the　crowned　heads　of　Europe；　as　he　had　seen　them；　has　a　worthy



pendant　in　Fra　Paolo's　pictures　of　sundry　representatives　of　the



Vatican。　In　both　these　writers　was　a　deep　earnestness　which；　at



times；　showed　itself　in　prophetic　utterances。　The　amazing



prophecy　of　Jefferson　against　American　slavery；　beginning　with



the　words；　〃I　tremble　when　I　remember　that　God　is　just；〃　which；



in　the　light　of　our　civil　war；　seems　divinely　inspired；　is



paralleled　by　some　of　Sarpi's　utterances　against　the　unmoral



tendencies　of　Jesuitism　and　Ultramontanism；　and　these　too　seem



divinely　inspired　as　one　reads　them　in　the　light　of　what　has



happened　since　in　Spain；　in　Sicily；　in　Naples；　in　Poland；　in



Ireland；　and　in　sundry　South　American　republics。







The　range　of　Sarpi's　friendly　relations　was　amazing。　They



embraced　statesmen；　churchmen；　scholars；　scientific



investigators；　diplomatists　in　every　part　of　Europe；　and　among



these　Galileo　and　Lord　Bacon；　Grotius　and　Mornay；　Salmasius　and



Casaubon；　De　Thou　and　Sir　Henry　Wotton；　Bishop　Bedell　and



Vossius；　with　a　great　number　of　others　of　nearly　equal　rank。



Unfortunately　the　greater　part　of　his　correspondence　has



perished。　In　the　two　small　volumes　collected　by　Polidori；　and　in



the　small　additional　volume　of　letters　to　Simon　Contarini；



Venetian　Ambassador　at　Rome；　unearthed　a　few　years　since　in　the



Venetian　archives　by　Castellani；　we　have　all　that　is　known。　It　is



but　a　small　fraction　of　his　epistolary　work；　but　it　enables　us　to



form　a　clear　opinion。　The　letters　are　well　worthy　of　the　man　who



wrote　the　history　of　the　Council　of　Trent　and　the　protest　of



Venice　against　the　Interdict。







It　is　true　that　there　has　been　derived　from　these　letters；　by　his



open　enemies　on　one　side　and　his　defenders　of　a　rather　sickly



conscientious　sort　on　the　other；　one　charge　against　him：　this　is



based　on　his　famous　declaration；　〃I　utter　falsehood　never；　but



the　truth　not　to　every　one。〃　（〃La　falsita　non　dico　mai　mai；　ma　la



verita　non　a　ogniuno。〃）＇1＇　Considering　his　vast　responsibilities



as　a　statesman　and　the　terrible　dangers　which　beset　him　as　a



theologian；　that　in　the　first　of　these　capacities　the　least



misstep　might　wreck　the　great　cause　which　he　supported；　and　that



in　the　second　such　a　misstep　might　easily　bring　him　to　the



torture　chamber　and　the　stake；　normally　healthful　minds　will



doubtless　agree　that　the　criticism　upon　these　words　is　more



Pharisaic　than　wholesome。











＇1＇　For　this　famous　utterance；　see　notes　of　conversations　given



by　Christoph；　Burggraf　von　Dohna；　in　July；　1608；　in　Briefe　und



Acten　zur　Geschichte　des　Dreissigjahrigen　Krieges；　Munchen；　1874；



p。　79。











Sarpi　was　now　spoken　of；　more　than　ever；　both　among　friends　and



foes；　as　the　〃terribile　frate。〃　Terrible　to　the　main　enemies　of



Venice　he　indeed　was；　and　the　machinations　of　his　opponents　grew



more　and　more　serious。　Efforts　to　assassinate　him；　to　poison　him；



to　discredit　him；　to　lure　him　to　Rome；　or　at　least　within　reach



of　the　Inquisition；　became　almost　frantic；　but　all　in　vain。　He



still　continued　his　quiet　life　at　the　monastery　of　Santa　Fosca；



publishing　from　time　to　time　discussions　of　questions　important



for　Venice　and　for　Europe；　working　steadily　in　the　public　service



until　his　last　hours。　In　spite　of　his　excommunication　and　of　his



friendships　with　many　of　the　most　earnest　Protestants　of　Europe；



he　remained　a　son　of　the　church　in　which　he　was　born。　His　life



was　shaped　in　accordance　with　its　general　precepts；　and　every　day



he　heard　mass。　So　his　career　quietly　ran　on　until；　in　1623；　he



met　death　calmly；　without　fear；　in　full　reliance　upon　the　divine



justice　and　mercy。　His　last　words　were　a　prayer　for　Venice。







He　had　fought　the　good　fight。　He　had　won　it　for　Venice　and　for



humanity。　For　all　this；　the　Republic　had；　in　his　later　years；



tried　to　show　her　gratitude；　and　he　had　quietly　and　firmly



refused　the　main　gifts　proposed　to　him。　But　now　came　a　new



outburst　of　grateful　feeling。　The　Republic　sent　notice　of　his



death　to　other　powers　of　Europe　through　its　Ambassadors　in　the



terms　usual　at　the　death　of　royal　personages；　in　every　way；　it



showed　its　appreciation　of　his　character　and　services；　and　it



crowned　all　by　voting　him　a　public　monument。







Hardly　was　the　decree　known；　when　the　Vatican　authorities　sent



notice　that；　should　any　monument　be　erected　to　Sarpi；　they　would



anew　and　publicly　declare　him　excommunicate　as　a　heretic。　At



this；　the　Venetian　Senate　hesitated；　waited；　delayed。　Whenever



afterwards　the　idea　of　carrying　out　the　decree　for　the　monument



was　revived；　there　set　in　a　storm　of　opposition　from　Rome。　Hatred



of　the　terrible　friar's　memory　seemed　to　grow　more　and　more



bitter。　Even　rest　in　the　grave　was　denied　him。　The　church　where



he　was　buried　having　been　demolished；　the　question　arose　as　to



the　disposition　of　his　bones。　To　bury　them　in　sacred　ground



outside　the　old　convent　would　arouse　a　storm　of　ecclesiastical



hostility；　with　the　certainty　of　their　dispersion　and



desecration；　it　seemed　impossible　to　secure　them　from　priestly



hatred：　therefore　it　was　that　his　friends　took　them　from　place　to



place；　sometimes　concealing　them　in　the　wall　of　a　church　here；



sometimes　beneath　the　pavement　of　a　church　there；　and　for　a　time



keeping　them　in　a　simple　wooden　box　at　the　Ducal　Library。　The



place　where　his　remains　rested　became；　to　most　Venetians；



unknown。　All　that　remained　to　remind　the　world　of　his　work　was



his　portrait　in　the　Ducal　Library；　showing　the　great　gash　made　by



the　Vatican　assassins。







Time　went　on；　and　generations　came　which　seemed　to　forget　him。



Still　worse；　generation　after　generation　came；　carefully　trained



by　clerical　teachers　to　misunderstand　and　hate　him。　But　these



teachers　went　too　far；　for；　in　1771；　nearly　one　hundred　and　fifty



years　after　his　death；　the　monk　Vaerini　gathered　together；　in　a



pretended　biography；　all　the　scurrilities　which　could　be



imagined；　and　endeavored　to　bury　the　memory　of　the　great　patriot



beneath　them。　This　was　too　much。　The　old　Venetian　spirit；　which



had　so　long　lain　dormant；　now　asserted　itself：　Vaerini　was



imprisoned　and　his　book　suppressed。







A　quarter　of　a　century　later　the　Republic　fell　under　the　rule　of



Austria；　and　Austria's　most　time…honored　agency　in　keeping　down



subject　populations　has　always　been　the　priesthood。　Again　Father



Paul's　memory　was　virtually　proscribed；　and　in　1803　another



desperate　attempt　was　made　to　cover　him　with　infamy。　In　that　year



appeared　a　book　entitled　The　Secret　History　of　the　Life　of　Fra



Paolo　Sarpi；　and　it　contained　not　only　his　pretended　biography；



but　what　claimed　to　be　Sarpi's　own　letters　and　other　documents



showing　him　to　be　an　adept　in　scoundrelism　and　hypocrisy。　Its



editor　was　the　archpriest　Ferrara　of　Mantua；　but　on　the



title…page　appeared；　as　the　name　of　its　author；　Fontanini；



Archbishop　of　Ancira；　a　greatly　respected　prelate　who　had　died



nearly　seventy　years　before；　and　there　was　also　stamped；　not　only



upon　the　preliminary；　but　upon　the　final　page　of　the　work；　the



approval　of　the　Austrian　government。　To　this　was　added　a　piou