Schaff - History of the Christian Church Vol. 8 - Media Sabda Org

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give himself up to mere good-fellowship. He studied hard, and on Aug. 11,
1539, attained with honor the degree of licentiate of the law.
His education being thus advanced, Beza, now twenty years old, came to
Paris, there, as his father desired, to prosecute further law studies; but his
reluctance to such a course was pronounced and invincible, so much so
that at length he won his uncle to his side, and was allowed by his father to
pursue those literary studies which afterwards accrued so richly to the
Reformed Church; but at the time he had no inkling of his subsequent
career. By his uncle Claudius’ influence the possessor of two benefices
which yielded a handsome income, and enriched further by his brother’s
death in 1541, well-introduced and well-connected, a scholar, a wit, a poet,
handsome, affable, amiable, he lived on equal terms with the best Parisian
society, and was one of the acknowledged leaders. f1276
That he did not escape contamination he has himself confessed, but that he
sinned grossly he has as plainly denied. f1277 In 1544 he made in the
presence of two friends, Laurent de Normandie and Jean Crespin, eminent
jurists, an irregular alliance with Claudine Denosse, f1278 a burgher’s
daughter, and at the time declared that when circumstances favored he
would publicly marry her. His motive in making a secret marriage was his
desire to hold on to his benefices. But he was really attached to the
woman, and was faithful to her, as she was to him; and there was nothing
in their relationship which would have seriously compromised him with the
company in which he lived. The fact that they lived together happily for
forty years shows that they followed the leading of sincere affection, and
not a passing fancy. In 1548 he published his famous collection of poems—
Juvenilia. This gave him the rank of the first Latin poet of his day, and his
ears were full of praises. He dedicated his book to Wolmar. It did not
occur to him that anybody would ever censure him for his poems, least of
all on moral grounds; but this is precisely what happened. Prurient minds
have read between his lines what he never intended to put there, and
imagined offences of which he was not guilty even in thought. f1279 And
what made the case blacker against him was his subsequent Protestantism.
Because he became a leader of the Reformed Church, free-thinkers and
livers and the adherents of the old faith have brought up against him the
fact that in the days of his worldly and luxurious life he had used their
language, and been as pagan and impure as they.