22.06.2013 Views

The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

366 HISTORY OF THE POPES.<br />

Ca<strong>the</strong>rine de' Medici, which at first sight gives a wrong impression<br />

: " in no way and for no reason must you show mercy<br />

to <strong>the</strong> enemies <strong>of</strong> God ; you must use all rigour with men<br />

who will show no mercy ei<strong>the</strong>r to God or your sons."^ He<br />

himself acted on this principle, not out <strong>of</strong> harshness but <strong>from</strong><br />

a sense <strong>of</strong> duty.<br />

It is, however, clear that in <strong>the</strong> second half <strong>of</strong> his reign <strong>the</strong><br />

Pope did not attach to <strong>the</strong> repression <strong>of</strong> heresy <strong>the</strong> same<br />

predominating importance which he did at first ; <strong>the</strong> fact<br />

that <strong>from</strong> 1569 to 1572 <strong>the</strong>re were only two autodafes in Rome<br />

points to this. 2 At <strong>the</strong> beginning <strong>of</strong> 1570 <strong>the</strong> Capuchin,<br />

Pistoja, who was highly esteemed by Pius V., remarked to<br />

him that he saw every day manifest examples <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pope's<br />

zeal for <strong>the</strong> administration <strong>of</strong> justice, but <strong>the</strong> Pope ought to<br />

bear in mind that for one passage in <strong>the</strong> Sacred Scriptures<br />

where God is called just, <strong>the</strong>re are ten which bring out His<br />

mercy. Let <strong>the</strong> Vicar <strong>of</strong> Christ <strong>the</strong>n take care to perform<br />

works <strong>of</strong> mercy instead <strong>of</strong> justice on <strong>the</strong> heretics, since <strong>the</strong><br />

unhappy souls which were being sent to perdition through <strong>the</strong><br />

power <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Turks afforded him every opportunity <strong>of</strong> exer-<br />

cising <strong>the</strong> former virtue.^ <strong>The</strong> zeal with which Pius V., <strong>from</strong><br />

that time forward, worked for <strong>the</strong> formation <strong>of</strong> a league<br />

agere quibus impunitas auget audaciam, patientia furorem,<br />

dementia feritatem. Intelligere potes, quam inutile sit eorurti<br />

consilium, qui suadent, ut differas et procrastines, etc." To<br />

Charles IX., June 16, 1566, in Laderchi, 1566, n. 423.<br />

" Si<br />

superiores reges Franciae dissimulando et tolerando id malum<br />

crescere non fuissent, facile extirpare haereses et regni sui paci et<br />

quieti consulere potuissent ; neglectis praedecessorum nostrorum<br />

paternis hortationibus, dum istiusmodi carnis prudentia nituntur,<br />

sublata pace, quae sine unico rectae veraeque religionis cultu<br />

manere non potest, regnum illud ... in extremum periculum<br />

adduxerunt." To Sigismund <strong>of</strong> Poland, March 26, 1568, in<br />

GouBAU, 73.<br />

^ March 28, 1569, ibid. 155.<br />

" See supra p. 312.<br />

'<strong>The</strong> Venetian ambassador, April 15, 1570, in Cantu, Eretici,<br />

II., 410.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!