Christ. Others were styled BUDNÆANS, from Simon Budnæus, who maintained the opinion of the simple humanity of Christ, and denied his being a proper object of religious worship. But the designation by which they were afterwards most generally known was that of RACOVIANS, from the town of Racow, which for several years formed their metropolis. In the year 1579 the celebrated Faustus Socinus, the nephew of Lælius Socinus, arrived in Poland. He was born in 1539, and had at an early age imbibed the sentiments of his uncle, whose papers, after his death, fell into his hands. A conscientious attachment to his new opinions, induced him to relinquish the most splendid prospects in his native country, and to go into voluntary exile, in order to be able to prosecute his theological studies, and promulgate his sentiments with the greater facility and security. He retired first to Switzerland, and fixed his residence at Basil. From hence he was called into Transylvania by Blandrata, to assist him in refuting or stopping the dissemination of the opinion of Francis David respecting the worship of Jesus Christ. After that venerable confessor had been thrown into prison, and while the proceedings against him were yet pending, Socinus, alarmed by an epidemic disorder which raged in the country, withdrew to Poland. As it was understood that Socinus went further in his sentiments than most of the leading individuals among the Polish Unitarians, he was not permitted to join in communion with their churches, or to have any voice in the direction of their affairs. His splendid talents talents and high character, however, soon procured for him the friendship and patronage of persons of the first distinction in the country. This circumstance enabled him to give to the public, through the medium of the press, a considerable number of works, upon theological subjects. His writings, in which he is considered to have made liberal use of the manuscripts of his uncle, who was greatly his superior in learning, and particularly in his knowledge of the original languages of the Scriptures, served to methodize and fix the indeterminate, and frequently confused notions held at that time by many of the Polish Unitarians respecting the principal doctrines of Christianity, and to bring over nearly the whole body to his own sentiments concerning the unity of God, and the humanity of Jesus Christ *. The Unitarians of Poland were now become a large and powerful body, comprising in their number several of the first nobility, and eminently distinguished by their learning, talents, and general respectability of character. Their chief settlement was at Racow, a city which was built in 1569 by a nobleman attached to their interest, who erected for them a church and college-house. This collegiate establishment was on a large scale. It maintained a high * A Memoir of the life of Faustus Socinus was written by Przipcovius, and is inserted p. 419, &c. of his Works in folio. An English translation of this, from the pen of John Biddle, was published in 18mo, in 1653. Doctor Toulmin gave to the public in 1777, an excellent life of this celebrated individual in 8vo. Bock has also inserted a memoir in the second volume of his History of Antitrinitarianism, pp. 654 et seqq. degree degree of reputation, and was filled with scholars from every part of the continent of Europe. The number of the students amounted at one time to upwards of a thousand, of whom more than three hundred were of noble families. And credit may readily be given to the report of an historian concerning it, that those who came there Catholics, Lutherans, or Calvinists, were soon imbued with the sentiments of the professors, and went away enemies of the doctrine of the Trinity*. The printing establishment at Racow soon acquired a degree of celebrity equal to that of the college, from the number of publications which issued from it, the seeming novelty, the variety and importance of the subjects to which they related, and the genius, learning, and talents of the writers. Besides the college and printing-house at Racow, they had others on a smaller scale in other towns. Their churches were found in all the chief cities, towns and villages of the kingdom; but the principal were at Racow, Cracow, Pinczow, Lublin and Lubeck. We are now arrived at what may be termed the flourishing period of the history of the Polish Unitarians. For the prosperous condition to which they had by this time attained they were indebted to the patronage of some powerful families, to the favourable disposition of several successive monarchs, and Lamy, Histoire du Socinianisme, p. 104. For an account of the Racovian Church and College, see Lubieniecius's History of the Polish Reformation, pp. 239 et seqq. to what was denominated the PACTA CONVENTA, à kind of contract between the sovereign and the people, whereby every candidate for the throne was bound on oath, to preserve all the rights and privileges, both civil and religious, which belonged to the subjects of the state*. It may well be supposed that the Unitarians neither acquired nor enjoyed this state of prosperity with the cordial good-will of the other religious bodies, whether Catholic or Reformed. Both these parties viewed the wide dissemination of their tenets with alarm, as threatening to subvert those principles which they held in common, and which they regarded as the grand essentials of Christianity. They therefore exerted, without intermission, all the influence they could acquire, and resorted to every artifice, to obstruct their labours, and ruin their cause. With what success they planned and prosecuted their measures will be seen in the sequel. The first event that operated to the serious disadvantage of the Unitarian interest was a malicious prosecution instituted against an opulent merchant of their body, named John Tyscovicius, who had served the office of Questor, or Syndick, of the town of Biesk in Podolia, where he resided. It was insinuated by his enemies, that his accounts had not been fairly kept, and he was required to verify them on oath. *Hartnoch de Repub. Polonica, lib. ii. cap. ii. § 2. Hauteville, Relation Historique de la Pologne, chap. xviii. Το To this he readily assented on condition of being permitted to swear by Almighty God:-but it was insisted that he should swear by the triune God, or by the image of Christ on the cross; and for this purpose a crucifix, with the figure of the Saviour affixed to it, was placed in his hands. Indignant that his veracity should be questioned, and his religion insulted, he threw the crucifix to the ground, exclaiming that he knew of no such God as they proposed to him. For this act, which was construed into a heavy of➡ fence against the Trinity, he was immediately arrested and thrown into prison. Proceedings were forthwith instituted against him, which, after repeated appeals from one tribunal to another, ended in his condemnation. He was sentenced to have his tongue pierced, for his alleged blasphemy; to have his hands and feet cut off, for having thrown down and trodden upon the crucifix; to be beheaded for his rebellious contumacy, in appealing from the first tribunal that had given decision against him; and finally to be burnt at the stake for his heretical opinions. This sentence, horrible as it may appear, was, at the instigation of the Jesuits, executed in all its circumstances at Warsaw, on the 16th of November 1611*. The Catholics were greatly elated by their success in this cruel prosecution, and certainly not without reason, as they had been warmly opposed in the whole of the proceedings by many of the first indivi * Brevis Relatio de Johannis Tyscovicii Martyrio, ad calcem Sandii Bibl. Antitrin. p. 203. b 5 duals |