either directly or indirectly, that Servetus was a heretic, nor that he furnished the materials which enabled them to proeeed against him. Calvin openly confessed that he caused Servetus to be apprehended at Geneva, and that he employed La Fontaine to prosecute him for heresy. His words are ' I profess, before all the world, that I engaged one to be his accuser.' From first to last he appears to have been the prime mover of the persecution to which the Doctor was subjected, and to have done all in his power to procure his conviction: and it will be found, in the sequel, that he afterwards attempted to defend this cruel persecution. It appears Calvin's pride was mortified by the firm opposition Servetus made to his dogmas: he wanted him to submit to his dictates. This is evident from the following passage. 'This I will only give my word for at present (says Calvin) that I was not so mortally enraged against him, but that had he not been lost to all sense, it was in his power to have saved his life, by his modesty alone. Nor do I know what to say, unless it be this, that he precipitated himself to his end by his own fatal madness.' Had the Doctor possessed the good sense to compliment Calvin with the title of eminent sercant of Jesus Christ, and the modesty to have acknowledged that he had been totally wrong, whenever he had contradicted the assertions of that great man, that he heartily disavowed those opinions which he pronounced erroneous, and humbly submitted himself to him, he might, perhaps, have saved his life: as he could not bring himself to do this, but continued so fatally mad as to maintain doctrines which that reformer condemned, because he was still persuaded of their truth, and refused to pay him any homage, he precipitated himself to his end! It seems there was no way for him to save his life but by forfeiting his integrity, and degrading himself by a mean servility. Valentinus Gentilis, it may be supposed, according to Calvin's views, had more sense and modesty than Servetus; for being imprisoned at Geneva, in 1558, for heresy, at the suit of that reformer, he called him an excellent servant of God, and a great divine: and was merely banished. When the champions for reputed orthodoxy, rob us of our liberty, and actually endanger our lives, it is asking too much to require we should compliment them with the title of men of eminent piety, and flatter them with an enumeration of their excellent qualities. For those who usurp dominion over conscience, and expect every body to give im. plicit credit to their dogmas and be subject to their assumed authority, to complain that those who oppose them want modesty, however it may agree with their general character, is certainly very preposterous. Had the pope of Rome been enquired of, he would no doubt have said that Calvin, and all the reformers, wanted modesty when they dared to question the authority of the catholic church over them. SECTION II. Servetus is arrested at Vienne, makes his escape, is burnt in effigy with his books, goes to Genewa, is arrested there."" In consequence of William Trie's letters, Dr. Servetus was arrested, on the 4th of April, at Vienne. The Vice Bailiff followed him to the house of a sick gentleman, whom he was attending. Hetold him there were a great many sick and wounded prisoners in the palace of Dauphine, and begged of him to go along with him and visit them. Servetus consented, and while- he was making his visits, the Vice Bailiff sent to the Grand Vicar, desiring he would come and join them. When he arrived, they informed 1 the Doctor that he was their prisoner, and had to answer to the charges and informations laid against him. They ordered the jailor to use him civilly according to his rank. They left him his valet, called Benedict Perrin, a youth of fifteen, who had been five years in his service. That day his friends had the liberty of seeing him. The two next days he was interrogated. After the second examination, Servetus sent Perrin to the monastery of St. Peter, to ask the Grand Prior if he had brought him the three hundred crowns due to him from St. Andrews, and the Grand Prior came and delivered him the said sum. There was in the prison a garden with a platform, which looked towards the court of justice in the palace; above this platform was a hogsty, whereby one could get down to the corner of the wall, and thence get into the court. Although the garden was always kept shut, yet sometimes prisoners above the common rank were allowed the freedom of it. On the 7th of April, Servetus rose at four o'Clock in the morning, and asked, leave of the jailor to walk in the garden. The man observing that he had a cap on his head, and was wrapped in his night gown, gave him the key, and soon after went with his servants to work in his vineyard. As soon as the Doctor thought they were at a proper distance, he left his black velvet cap, and his furred night gown, at the foot of a tree, and putting on a hat, which he had concealed under his gown, he jumped from the terrace, got into the court, quickly passed the gate of the bridge of the Rhone, and escaped. His flight was not known till more than two hours had elapsed. Orders were dispatched every where to apprehend him; but he could not be found. However all his effects were seized. The process having been begun before his departure, was carried on in his absence, and, on the seventeenth of June, he was condemned to be burnt alive in a slow fire. The following is the sentence pronounced against him. 'Between the Procurator of the King Dauphin, pursuer for the crime of scandalous heresy, dogmatisation, composition of new doctrines, of heretical books, sedition, schism, disturbance of union and public peace, rebellion and disobedience to the ordinances made against heresies, breaking and escaping from the royal Dauphinal prisons on the one part, and Mr. |