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

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ABJURATION OF BAIUS. 377<br />

<strong>the</strong>mselves. That was why he was presenting this apologia ;<br />

<strong>the</strong> Pope must, decide whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> bull had not been fraudu-<br />

lently obtained. On March i6th, 1569, Baius sent a similar<br />

letter to Cardinal Simonetta, who, however, was already dead<br />

by <strong>the</strong> time it arrived.^<br />

It was very obvious what <strong>the</strong> consequences <strong>of</strong> this must be.<br />

Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Franciscans in Flanders, it is true, encouraged<br />

<strong>the</strong> mad idea that <strong>the</strong> Pope was inchned to withdraw <strong>the</strong> bull,<br />

whereas in fact a Papal brief <strong>of</strong> May 13th, 1569, declared that<br />

even if <strong>the</strong> bull had never been issued, it would have to be<br />

now ; <strong>the</strong> Pope now confirmed it, and imposed perpetual<br />

silence upon all who approved <strong>the</strong> propositions condemned.<br />

Morillon received <strong>from</strong> Granvelle <strong>the</strong> difficult task <strong>of</strong> inducing<br />

<strong>the</strong> hot-headed scholar to recant, and <strong>the</strong>n to absolve him<br />

<strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> ecclesiastical censure under which he had fallen.<br />

On June 20th, 1569, Morillon set himself to discharge this<br />

duty. At first Baius was surprised that he should have brought<br />

down ecclesiastical penalties upon himself by his remon-<br />

strances to <strong>the</strong> Pope ; but he <strong>the</strong>n knelt down to ask for<br />

absolution. When, however, Morillon insisted that he must<br />

first recant, he rose to his feet and declared that he must first<br />

receive a copy <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bull, because <strong>the</strong> latter itself admitted<br />

that some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> condemned propositions could be defended<br />

" in rigore and according to <strong>the</strong> strict sense <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> words. "^<br />

521.<br />

^ Le Bachelet, II., 50.<br />

'Morillon to Granvelle, March 20-21, 1569, in Poullet, III.,<br />

^ In reality <strong>the</strong> bull does not admit this, but says that <strong>the</strong><br />

propositions are " rejected " according to <strong>the</strong> tenor <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> words<br />

and in <strong>the</strong> sense in which <strong>the</strong>y had been maintained by <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

defender " Quas quidem sententias . . . quanquam<br />

nonnullae<br />

aliquo pacto sustineri possent in rigore et proprio verborum sensu<br />

ad assertoribus intento haereticas, etc., damnamus." <strong>The</strong> bull<br />

is written without punctuation marks and Baius placed a comma<br />

after " intento " although it should obviously come after " possent<br />

" so that <strong>the</strong> " in rigore " etc., refers to " damnamus." <strong>The</strong><br />

controversy concerning <strong>the</strong> " Comma Planum " is still being<br />

carried on.

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