William Farel attended Servetus to his laft Breath; and *that Divine had much a-do to make him fay, That he defired the People fhould pray for him. Thus, Servetus ended his Days without fpeaking, and fhewing any fign of Repentance t. I fhall fay nothing of feveral Circumftances of his Execution, mentioned by Sandius and others, because they appear to me fabulous or very uncertain.

Champel or Champey, a fmall rifing Ground about a Musket-fhot from Geneva, was then the common Place of Execution. I had the Curiofity to vifit that Place, hardly known to any Traveller, and to see that very Spot of Ground, on which Servetus expired in the Flames. I fhall occafionally obferve, That in the Year 1537, the Magiftrates of Geneva ordered, that fome large Stones, belonging to the Great Altar of the Cathedral Church, fhould be carried to Champel to make a Gibbet. Some of those Stones are still to be seen in that Place.

It will not be improper to obferve, That three Proteftants were burnt at Lyons by the Papifts, about Six Weeks before the Execution of Servetus. Beza tt informs us of this Particular. That Illuftrious Divine tells us, that fome other Perfons of the Reformed Religion were alfo burnt in the fame City, and in the fame Year, before thofe Three, abovementioned. The following words of the fame Au

*Ibid.

thor

ཐརཔ།། ཐཱ སུ་

4 See Calvin, ibid. and a Paffage of Beza quoted by me in the fifth Letter.

tt Hiftory of the Reformed Churches of France,

Vol. I. Book II. pag. 91, 92.

獻

thor are very remarkable. The he Year 1553, (Says he) is greatly memorable for the Triumph "of a great Number of excellent Martyrs, parti- » cularly at Lyons.

66

The Execution of Servetus made a great Noife, not only among the Roman Catholicks, but alfo among all the moderate Proteftants. The latter exclaimed against Calvin as being the Author of Servetus's Death; whereupon that illuftrious Reformer thought it neceffary to vindicate himself, and to publim a Piece, wherein he undertook to prove that Hereticks ought to be t to Death. That Piece came out in the beput ginning of the Year 1554, with this Title: Fidelis Expofitio errorum Michaelis Serveti, & brevis eorundem Refutatio: ubi docetur jure Gladii coercendos effe Hereticos t. It was figned by Calvin and Fourteen other Divines.

J

Calvin complains, That every body imputed to him what was done againft Servetus by the Magiftrates

Y 3

of

† Calvin fays in one of his Letters, that he writ that Piece in hafte. It was immediately confuted in a Book entituled, Contra Libellum Calvini, in que oftendere conatur Hæreticos jure Gladii coercendos effe. That Book was reprinted in Holland, in the Year 1612. I must obferve, That Calvin inferted in his Apology the Letter of the Zurich Divines, and left our thofe that were written by the other Ministers of Switzerland. Which puts me in mind of what he writ to Farel: Tigurini omnium vehementiffimi. (See page 303 of this Volume.) Calvin complains in that Work, That Servetus filled the Margins of all his Books with abufive Notes,

Ubi fupra, pag. 817, 818.

of Geneva. He acknowledges, that he caufed that Heretick to be apprehended and imprisoned; but he adds, That when Servetus was found guilty, he never fpoke a Word about the Punishment that fhould be inflicted upon him. I am willing to believe that Calvin never told the Judges in exprefs Words, That Servetus fhould be put to Death; but he plainly made it appear by his conduct, that he thought Servetus dederved to lofe his Life: nay, he wifhed for it, fince he writ thefe Words to his Friend, William Farel, Spero capitale faltem fore judicium *.

It was objected against Calvin, That Servetus had been apprehended at Vienne by his means, and that he had delivered him into the Hands of the Roman Catholicks, which was much the fame as if be had expofed him to wild Beafts. Calvin made a very weak Defense upon that Head, being contented to lay, That Servetus had spread a Report Four Years before, that he kept a private Correfpondence with the Roman Catholicks; and that if he had accused that Heretick then, the Papifts would not have been Three Years without molefting him. This was 110 Answer to the Charge laid upon Calvin. The Que ftion was, Whether or no that Reformer had lately informed the Roman Catholicks that Servetus was an Heretick. He fhould have anfwered that Question affirmatively or negatively. 'Tis certain that Servetus was imprifoned at Vienne by Virtue of Calvin's Information. The Prifoner charged him with it in a full Court; and it does not appear that Calvin did ever deny it. Befides, the Sentence pronounced againft Servetus at Vienne mentions the Letters and Books written with Servetus's own Hand, and fent by him to Calvin, (les Epitres & Ecritures de la main

te de

•?

*See the whole Paffage in my Fifth Letter,

† Ubi fupra, pag. 826,

de Server adressées à Calvin Prefcheur de Geneve, & par ledit Servet reconnues.)

Calvin difcovers a great Ingenuity in the follow. ing Words Nec vero (fays* be) fi vere id mi*hi objicerent, putarem effe negandi caufam, qui non diffimulo, me authore factum effe, ut in hac " urbe deprehenfus ad caufam dicendam poftulare tur. Obftrepant licet vel malevoli, vel maledici homines, ego libenter fateor, ac præ me fero (quia "fecundum Urbis leges aliter cum homine jure agi non poterat) ex me prodiiffe Accufatorem: net inficior meo confilio dictatam effe Formulam, qua, parefieret aliquis in caufam ingreffus. " sill to aboaH

66

ii S

Calvin fays in the fame Page: "Hoc tantum in præfentia teftatuin volo, me non ita capitaliter fuif fe infeftum, quin licitum fuerit, vel fola modeftia, *snifi mente privatus forer, vitam redimere. Sed nefcio quid dicam, nifi fatali væfania fuiffe cor reptum, ut fe præcipitem jaceret- Itaque pro babilis fufpicio eft alicunde vana fiducia inflatum fuifle, que illum perdiderit." Thefe laff Words confirm what I have obferved in my Vth Letter. plats! bad ha

t

7

Calvin was still very angry with Servetus, feveral Years after his Execution; as it appears from the following Words in his Commentary upon the Alts of the Apoftles, Chap. XX. ver. 28. However (lays the) we must not fancy that the Two Natures are confounded, as Eutyches maintained, or as it has been Y 4 falfly brs 2190gf s

Neantmoins, fi ne faut-il pas que nous imaginions une confufion des deux Natures, comme Eutyches a voulu faire, ou telle que Server ce vilein Chien orgueil leux Efpagnol a voulu forger en ce temps-ci, & C2

1

falfly afferted in our Days by that nafty, proud, Spanish Dog Servetus, &c. The Epiftle Dedicatory or Preface, prefixed to that Commentary, is dated Au gust ist. 1560.

I fhould have obferved in my firft Letter, That Şervetus never went into Barbary to get a more complete Knowledge of the Alcoran, tho' Spondanus and fome other Writers affirm it. What is laid of Servetus's Skill in the Arabick Language, is a mere Fiction grounded upon his pretended Journey into that Country.

To conclude, I must acquaint you, Sir, That the prefent Magiftrates and Divines of Geneva exprefs their Abhorrence for all manner of Perfecution upon all Occafions. They believe, That whoever preaches up Perfecution, ought to be looked upon as a Seditious Man, and a Difturber of the So ciety.

God Almighty will blefs and profper the Clergy of the Church of England for their Moderation; and I hope, their Chriftian Temper will be a powerful Means to put an End to a groundless Separation from a Church, that is the Glory of the Refor mation.

P. S. Far from being too prolix, I think I have been very fhort upon fuch a curious and im portant Subject.