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36 THE HISTORY OF HERESIES,
He refused to retract, and was sentenced to death. Just before
Others died Martyrs for
laying his head on the block, he said :
"
the Son ; I die a Martyr for the Father." Unfortunate man !
dying an enemy of the Son, he died an enemy of the Father,
likewise (7).
37. George Blandrata was another of the disciples of Servetus.
He was born in Piedmont, and was a physician, and the
writings of Servetus having fallen in his way, he embraced his
errors. The Inquisition was very strict at that period in Pied
mont, so he consulted his safety by flying, first, into Poland, and,
afterwards, in 1553, into Transylvania (8). He here succeeded in
getting himself appointed physician to the Sovereign, John Sigismund,
and to his Prime Minister, Petrowitz, a Lutheran, and by
that means endeavoured to make them Arians. There were a
great many Lutherans and Calvinists in the country, and they
all joined in opposing Blandrata s doctrines, so the Sovereign, to
put an end to the dispute, commanded that a public confe
rence (9) should be held in his presence, and acted himself the
part of judge. The conference took place in his presence, in
Waradin, between the Reformers and Blandrata, and several
other Arian friends of his. They began by quoting
the various
passages of the Scripture used by Arius to impugn the Divinity
of Christ. The Reformers answered, by quoting the interpreta
tion of these texts by the Council of Nice, and by the Holy
Fathers, who explained them in their proper sense. This doc
trine, they said, we should hold, otherwise every one might
explain away the Scriptures just as he Arians then stepped forward and cried
pleased. One of the
"
out : How is this ?
When you argue with the Papists, and quote your texts of Scrip
ture to defend your doctrine, and they say that the true meaning
of these texts is only to be found in the Decrees of Councils
and the works of the Fathers, you at once say that the Holy
Fathers and the Bishops composing the Councils were men sub
ject to be deceived, like any one else that the Word of God
alone is sufficient for understanding the Articles of Faith that it
C5
is clear enough in itself, and requires no explanation ; and now
(7) Spomlon. ad Ann. 1561, n. 34;
Van Rjinst, sec. 16, p. 327; Gotti,
(8) Jovet, His. Rel. p. 291; Gotti,
s. 2, n. 6; Nat. Alex. t. 19, art. 14.
c. 115.
(9) Jovet, p. 294.