ftakes the true Senfe of a Paffage, he takes Notice of it in the Marginal Notes, wherein he alfo mentions feveral Things relating to the Hiftory of the Philofophers. Befides, the Tranflator has inferted a Differtation in the Life of Socrates, and another in the Life of Heraclitus. He has also added, at the End of the Book, feveral Obfervations concerning the Eclectick Philofophers, of whom Mr. Stanley fays nothing at all. Many confiderable Additions have been alfo inferted in the Text between Two Crotchets. The Tranflator has left out the Comedy of Aristophanes, entitled Nubes, and that Part of Sextus Empiricus's Hypotypoles, that are in the English Edition. As for what concerns the Hiftory of the Oriental Philofophy, he has inferted Mr. Le Clerc's Latin Tranflation of that Piece. and the Notes and Obfervations of that Learned Man.

ARTICLE

ARTICLE XXXVI..

AN HISTORICAL ACCOUNT, never before publish'd, of the Life and Trial of MICHAEL SERVETUS. In Jeveral Letters to ****. By the Author of thefe Memoirs.

* Letter IV.

SIR

N

On the 23d of Auguft, Servetus being brought to

the Bar, the Attorney General exhibited XXX. new Articles against him, and required that he should be interrogated upon each or them. Most of thofe Interrogatories concerned his Perfon, his Life and. Conversation. .

Here follow fome of his Anfwers; That his Parents were not of Jewish, but of Christian and Ancient Extraction, and lived nobly (vivans noblement); That he compofed his laft Book (Chriftianifmi Refti tutio,) without looking into the firft printed in Germany; That when he was in that Country, he imparted his Opinions to none but Oecolampadius, Bucer, and Capito; That he published his laft Book with a good Intention, following the Dictates of his Confcience; That Mr. Calvin, and Mr. Abel Poupin (alias

Pepin)

*The Third Lester may be seen above, Art. XXVIII.

Pepin) abufed him much more in feveral Latin and French Books, than he had abused them in the Latin Letter † written to the Latter; That if he is miftaken in his Doctrine concerning Baptifm, he is ready to change his Opinion, and begs Mercy, (qu'il demande mifericorde, criant merci); That he was not come to Geneva with a Defign to ftay in that City, &c. That he told his Landlord and Landlady he intended to fet out the next Day for Switzerland; And that he did not appear Abroad for fear of being discovered.

It was upon this Day, that the Prifoner declared that he was impotent, as I have obferved in the third Volume of thefe Memoirs, where you may fee upon what Occafion he made fuch a Declaration,

On the 28th of Auguft the Lieutenant brought in XXXVIII. Articles, about which he defired that the Prifoner fhould be examined, and that he fhould anfwer each of them Affirmatively or Negatively.

1

Thofe Articles were inferted at the End of a long Preamble of the Attorney-General, the Defign of which was to fhew, that Servetus deferved to be pur to Death. The Attorney-General reprefented to the Judges, that Servetus varied in his Anfwers; that! they were full of Lies; " and that he derided God "and his Word, by alledging, corrupting, and wreft"ing the Paffages of the Holy Scripture, to conceal "his Blafphemies, and avoid being punished" He added, that Servetus had made a wrong Choice of the Examples quoted by him, in his Petition, out of the Acts of the Apofties; and that what he faid of the Emperor Conftantin, was falfe. Befides, he alledg ed against the Prifoner the Laws of thofe Emperors, who condemned Hereticks to Death, He further faid,

that

+ 1 bave published that Letter above, in the XVI Article. See the Word Servetus in the Index.

that Servetus was condemned by his own Confcience, and fenfible that he deferved Death; And that like the Anabaptifts, he deprived the Magiftrates of the Right of the Sword. Laftly, he concluded, that fince Servetus knew fo well how to tell Lies, he should not have an Attorney, as he defired; That fuch a Thing was forbidden by the Civil Law, and never granted to fuch Seducers.

The Articles, about which the Prifoner was exami ned on that Day, concern rather the Impreffion of his Book, his Perfon, his Life and Converfation, than his Doctrine.

He answered, among other Things, that fince his Return from Germany he had imparted his Opinions to none in Writing but to Mr. Calvin and Mr. Pepin,' and that he had alfo writ a Letter to Mr. Peter Viret; That he had never committed Fornication, (the Judges asked him whether he had committed that Sin); That he believed his Doctrine to be true, till he should be convinced of the contrary, &c.

The 31. of Auguft the Syndics and Council of Geneva received a Letter from the Vice Bailiff and the King's Attorney at Vienne, dated the 26th of the fame Month, wherein they gave many Thanks to thofe Magiftrates for informing them, that Servetus had been apprehended in their City, and that he was their Prifoner; and defired them to fend him back to Vienne, that their Sentence might be execu ted upon him. That Letter was delivered to the Magiftrates of Geneva by the Viguier or Captain of the Royal Palace at Vienne."

mk ed

On the fame Day, Serverus being brought to the Bar, the Captain came in; and the Judges asked the Prifoner whether he knew him. He anfwered he did, and that he had been two Days under his Cuftody from Tuesday till Friday in the Morning, &c. Being asked by the Judges whether he had rather ftay at

Geneva, or go back to Vienne with the Jaylor that was come to fetch him, he threw himself upon the Ground, melting in Tears, and begged of the Judges that they would rather try him at Geneva, and deal with him as they fhould think fit, (que Meffieurs fiffent de lui tout ce qu'il leur plairoit.)

He further faid, That he had been examined twice at Vienne; That he was asked whether he had been in Germany; That they fhewed him fome Sheets of a Manufcript, which he had fent to Calvin, and fome Letters which he had writ to him. He added, that he looked upon the Mafs as a wicked thing, (qu'il tient la Meffe mefchante,) and had writ against it as the Proteftants; That he went to Mass at Vienne, which was a finful thing; and that he had done it for fear of being put to Death.

Servetus cannot be excufed for going to Mafs a gainst his Confcience; for he might have retired into a Proteftant Country, But perhaps he was a fraid of being profecured by the Proteftants as an Antitrinitarian. His Herefy was known to feveral Proteftants of Geneva, Switzerland, and Germany; but the Roman Catholicks in France knew nothing of it, before he publifhed his Chriftianifmi Restitutio.

t

The Jaylor of Vienne left Geneva, having got an Atteftation importing, how Servetus had declared, That he had made his Efcape without his Affiftance.

On the First of September Servetus refufed, our of Generofity, to name thofe, who were in his Debr in France. The Judges asked him feveral Questions a bout it, at the Sollicitation of the Sieur de Maugiron, who writ a Letter to them to inform them that the King had given Servetus's Eftate to his Son,

On the fame Day Calvin appeared again before the Prifoner. The Judges ordered him to extract feveral Propofitions word for word out of Servetus's

Book,