The Political Economy of Juan de Mariana - Ludwig von Mises Institute

MARIANA'S LIFE AND WORKS
to study. Nor did he manifest less zeal for learning after
joining the order. The fact that he was appointed professor
at the Roman College, a highly important office, before his
ordination shows what his superiors thought 'of his qualifications.
Many a scholar has probably envied Mariana the
distinction of teaching at the famous university of Paris
when he was only thirty-three. Though it was unfortunate
that ill health compelled the young scholar to abandon a
splendid career, the forced leisure enabled him to give all
his time to study and literary activity, and to devote his
attention to the settlement of many burning questions. It
was his favorable review of the celebrated Polyglot Bible
of Cardinal Archbishop Ximenes that made possible the republication
of this work, and in questions of a similar
nature Mariana's word was decisive. His comnlentaries on
the Bible are still considered remarkable.
It was as an historian, however, that Mariana became
most famous. Although it cannot be denied that he lacks
the critical sense which today is expected of every student
of history, he nevertheless compares very favorably with
his contemporaries in this respect also. He tells many
heroic stories which can scarcely be more than beautiful
legends, but at the same time he discards many which had
been told and believed by other historical writers. Nor need
we assume that he believed all he wrote. He often saw
that some of these stories were simply inventions and was
even exasperated by them. Yet he inserted many things
into his work which can make no pretensions to historical
truth. He openly confessed that he "copied much more
than he believed" 1 and as Z. Garcia Villada tells us, this
statement of his has become famous among historians. 2
1 ipse etiam muIto plura transcribo quam credo. Historiae de Rebus Hispaniae, Lib. 15,
cap. 4, p. 412.
1I La medida de la fe que a varias de elias (cr6nicas) attribuia Mariana nos la da esa
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