JOHN M. KELLY LIBRARY
Donated by
The Redemptorists of
the Toronto Province
from the Library Collection of
Holy Redeemer College, Windsor
University of
St. Michael s College, Toronto
HOLY KDEEMQBEIBRARY, WIND
" m DEALINGS ; .
ITH THE IIQUISITION;
OR,
PAPAL ROME,
HER PRIESTS, AND HER JESUITS.
WITH IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES.
BY THE
REV. GIACINTO ACHILLI, D.D.,
LATE PRIOR AND VISITOR OF THE DOMINICAN OUDEJIEAD PROFESSOR OF
THEOLOGY, AND VICAR OF THE MASTER O^RlE SACRED
^ - ^*^
APOSTOLIC PALACE, ETC., ETC.
" Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers : the snare
is broken and we are escaped." Ps. cxxiv., 7.
"It is time for thee, LORD, to work; for they have made void thy law."
Ps. cxix., 126.
NEW YORK:
HARPER <fe BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS,
82 CLIFF STREET.
1851.
HOLY RDEEMER
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Page
My Reasons for giving the History of my Imprisonment to the
World 5
CHAPTER II.
Of the Subjects treated upon in this Narrative 18
CHAPTER III.
MyCreed 27
CHAPTER IV.
First Letter to Gregory XVI 43
Second Letter to Ditto 50
Letter to Pius IX 62
CHAPTER V.
The Inquisition in the Nineteenth Century 71
CHAPTER VI.
The Subtlety of the Inquisition 89
CHAPTER VII.
The Jesuits 106
CHAPTER VIII.
The Dominicans, and my Life among them 130
CHAPTER IX.
My Conversion 160
CHAPTER X.
My Farewell to Rome 187
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XI. Page
Naples and the Neapolitans 218
CHAPTER XII.
The Monks of Naples 247
CHAPTER XIII.
My Exile 261
CHAPTER XIV.
The Italian Church 270
CHAPTER XV.
My Mission 288
CHAPTER XVI.
The Castle of St. Angelo 327
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION,
CHAPTER I.
MY REASONS FOR GIVING THE HISTORY OF MY IMPRISONMENT
TO THE WORLD.
IT was in the month of July, 1842, that I was released,
by order of Pope Gregory, from my first imprisonment in
the dungeons of the Inquisition. On this occasion, one of
the Dominican monks who serve the office of inquisitor in
quired of me, with a malicious look, whether I, also, in
tended, one day, to write an account of the Inquisition, as
a well-known author had done before me, with respect to
Spielberg, in his celebrated work, " Le mie prigioni."
Perceiving at once the object of this deceitful interrogation,
which was only to afford a pretext for renewing my incar
ceration at the very moment when liberty was before me,
I smiled at my interlocutor, and exclaimed, " How is it pos
sible, Padre Inquisitor e, you can imagine I can have any
idea of vindicating myself on account of the imprisonment I
have undergone ? No, be assured, whatever injustice you
may have committed toward me, I shall attempt no vindi
cation. You know full well that in this country there ex
ists no tribunal higher than your own : even that of con
science is silent here, and prostrate before you. Should I
make my complaint elsewhere, and appeal to the justice of
another land, how could I hope, unknown and unfriended as
I am, that my story would be listened to ? Distrust is nat
ural to man. One only tribunal remains ; from that nei
ther you nor I can escape ; and it is to that same tribunal
that I shall be able to summon the pope and his cardinals.
Nay, setting aside the idea of my own appeal, they will be
summoned to appear by the great Judge himself. I be-
6 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
lieve in the declaration of Scripture, * "We shall all appear
at the judgment-seat of Christ. And it is there, Padre In-
quisitore, that our cause shall be tried, and the justice of
your decrees adjudicated. Moreover, I shall not, at the
present time, describe my imprisonment ; not because I have
not sufficient materials, but because it shall not be said that
I seek to avenge myself, in publishing to the world what
you study to hide, and laying open to sight what you would
keep concealed from every eye. This time I shall make it
my business to write concerning my liberty rather than my
confinement. The latter, indeed, might gratify the merely
inquisitive, but the former will be a source of satisfaction to
many kind hearts. If I speak of my imprisonment alone, I
merely enjoy the advantage perhaps a useless one of en
gaging for a while the ear of the public ; but if I treat of
the liberty I have gained, O Padre Inquisitore, the holy
and the real liberty I have achieved, then indeed I may
hope to see around me those generous spirits who, also es
caped from their imprisonment, flock to the true standard
of liberty to the Word of God."
At these words the inquisitor appeared perplexed, and,
alluding to a former part of my observations, abruptly re
marked, " You have said you should not write an account
of your imprisonment this time ; have you, then, any idea
of returning here ?"
" At any rate, you may rest assured that, should I ever
again be shut up in the Inquisition, no consideration will
prevent me from giving a full account of all I may have
seen or heard, as soon as I am released."
" Oh ! another time you would not get away so easily."
" I can readily imagine it. Indeed, I do not know how
it has happened that I have got off so cheaply in the pres
ent instance, with only three months confinement. Wheth
er I shall ever return here or not, I can not say ; but, in
case you should lay hands on me again, would you then,
Padre Inquisitor^ permit me to give a short account of
my treatment ?"
" Only let us see you back, and then it will be time
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 7
enough to talk about it," replied the inquisitor, with an air
of spiteful derision, that sufficiently indicated what kind of
treatment I might expect.
Now, as it has happened that my return did take place,
I feel myself authorized, and indeed called upon, to keep
my word. The inquisitor no doubt resolved that, if I ever
again fell into his power, I should not a second time escape ;
and his purpose was very near being realized. Every pre
caution was taken to render my confinement more severe,
and every means of escape provided against. And as it
was imagined that the prisons of the Inquisition were less
secure than those of the Castle of St. Angelo, I was speed
ily removed to that fortress. In fact, every thing indicated
a determination, on the part of the Church of Rome, to keep
me in perpetual incarceration, so that I should altogether
have despaired of ever knowing the blessing of liberty again,
had my chance of obtaining it at all rested on the will of
my enemies. Often, no doubt, the inquisitors have said
among themselves, " Ah ! this time our prisoner will have
no opportunity to write his narrative." And I, on the other
hand, kept repeating to myself, " This time I shall effect
my escape, even better than the last : they trust in their
jailers and in their doors of iron, and I in that invisible
hand which throws open the doors and lays the jailers
asleep."
They had apparently as much reason and probability on
their side as I had on mine. Their prognostications, how
ever, completely failed, while mine were realized ; a proof,
at any rate, of the superior value of my principle, com
pared with their own. How often may they not have been
tormented with the thought that I might possibly effect my
escape ! And all the while I had no intention of the kind.
I will show hereafter how many offers of assistance were
made, both to myself and to my friends, in case of my at
tempting flight, which they, as well as myself, had the res
olution to refuse. In short, the inquisitors were miserable,
lest they should fail in their promise to retain me in their
custody whenever they caught me again. Why should not
8 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
I observe mine toward them ? Since our first contest is de
cided, the performance of my promise naturally follows.
But ought this to he my sole motive why I should give
an account of my imprisonment ? No, indeed ; there are
others of a better and a higher nature ; and the principal
one of all arises from the reverence I feel for the truth, to
my devotion for which my imprisonment bears testimony.
The Church of Rome, which has become the Church of
Satan,* incessantly boasts itself as the sole Church of Christ,
under the title of catholic and apostolic ; and, according to
its old practice of lying, it has endeavored to persuade the
world that we, the people of Rome, are so penetrated with
its doctrines and so attached to its rites, that the denomin
ation "Roman" may be considered synonymous with that
of "Papist." And, in order that it may not belie itself, it
has established a sacrilegious tribunal, wherein the Romans
are taught that neither human reason nor divine authority
ought to stand in their way of promoting its views ; and
that, if they are but faithful to the system it has framed,
all imaginable sins will be pardoned them ; nor will the
means of leading a life of pleasure be withheld ; but, on
the contrary, if they express an opinion adverse to this
priestly sect, every species of malediction will be showered
upon their heads : they will be imprisoned, persecuted, and
even put to death ; their families consigned to want or ex
ile, and their very names loaded with infamy and held in
execration.
An actual hell seems indeed to be at the command of
this church, and it may be known by the name of the In
quisition.
"What direful evils have not been reported respecting this
institution ! and few indeed of them have been overcharged.
I do not intend here to repeat concerning it what may be
found in various historical relations. The "History of the
* I speak of the church of the pope and of the cardinals, of the priests
and of the Jesuits ; not of the few true believers to be found here and there,
even in Rome, hidden from the eyes of the world, and who may truly be
called "first-begotten children, whose names are written in heaven."
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 9
Spanish Inquisition," and the "Mysteries of the Inquisition,"
by Fereal, afford abundant information on the subject. But,
without consulting history, so universal is the present det
estation of the Inquisition, that its name alone is sufficient
to excite in the minds of all rational beings a sentiment of
horror and repugnance, little inferior to what Christians
experience with respect to hell itself ; with this difference
that with the idea of hell, however terrible, is associated
that of eternal justice, which punishes only sin ; while the
Inquisition, based on extreme wickedness, strives to perse
cute virtue and to punish good actions. No one complains
of the existence of hell ; not even the unhappy wretches
who are confined there can impugn the justice of the eter
nal Legislator ; but every voice is lifted up against the In
quisition, and every unfortunate being who may be thrown
into its dungeons will raise his cry against so detestable a
tribunal. Let us suppose a soul released from the horrors
of hell ; such a one would doubtless abundantly praise the
Divine mercy ; but should any one be freed from the Inqui
sition, even on the score of mercy, still he would complain
of the injustice that had confined him there, even though it
were for a short time only, and would detest it ever after
accordingly.
The Inquisition is truly a hell invented by priests. To
unmask and to destroy their infernal work is, then, the main
object I have before me in writing this account of my im
prisonment.
It has of late years been pretty generally believed that
the Inquisition at Rome thanks to the civilization of the
age had been altogether abolished, or, at any rate, so great
ly deprived of power as to be merely employed in settling
points of controversy, censuring books, or granting dispen
sations : very few had any idea that it still exercised in the
present day the power of imprisoning those among the Ital
ians who, although they believed in the Bible, had no faith
in the Council of Trent. Many persons, indeed, altogether
denied the continuance of its existence. Who would, then,
ever have credited that, under the pontificate of Pope
A 2
10 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
Pius IX. and the constitution he had granted, there would
have been found any vestige of it remaining ? For my own
part I can truly aver, that having been absent seven years
from Rome, I could not have believed it possible. How
could the Chamber of Deputies and the Inquisition be com
patible with each other ? A chamber of priests alone could
be expected to support so execrable a tribunal.
Impressed with this idea, it was about the beginning of
last year that I left London for Home. I well knew that
the Inquisition had existed in full vigor during the whole
period of the pontificate of Pope Gregory, but I naturally
thought it was extinct under Pius IX. Indeed, I felt quite
persuaded that the inquisitors, not only in Rome, but through
out the whole of the Papal States, had no longer any oppor
tunity for the exercise of their abilities ; that the localities
of the Holy Office, throughout all the States of Rome, were
converted to other uses ; that all its prisons were thrown
open ; that the immense host of secretaries, officers, clerks,
familiars of every description, who were its spies and agents,
were altogether dismissed, and that its very name wouJd no
longer be known in Rome.
On the 5th of February, 1849, the Constituent Assembly
met at Rome : on the evening of the 8th, it was solemnly
decreed that the temporal power of the pope should cease.
in consequence of his flight from the city, and his desertion
of his subjects ; and the new government assumed the title
of the Roman Republic. The day following, this decree
was proclaimed from the Campidoglio, and in a moment the
aspect of all things was changed. The Rome of the popes
became the Rome of the people. The papal arms were
torn down, ecclesiastical rights and privileges abolished,
onerous taxes done away with every thing was altered.
To the priests, no other possession remained than the Church ;
and even of this the property was vested in the popular au
thorities.
A fortnight after the new government had been in power,
it was arranged that the deputies, the triumvirate, the mil
itary, and the people should assemble together, on the Sun-
DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION. 11
day, in the Church of St. Peter, to offer up their solemn
thanksgiving in a "Te Deum." I was myself present on
the occasion, accompanied by some friends ; and we all of
us, from our hearts, offered up our thanks to the Lord for
having delivered our country from the heavy yoke of the
pontifical government ; and to my thanksgiving I added a
prayer for the overthrow of the popish religion the most
pernicious and corrupt system of moral slavery that has ever
been invented by the ingenuity of man.
" Oh !" I exclaimed, " let us pray that that infamous gov
ernment, which, for worldly ends, has violated every thing
that is most sacred our religion may never more be re
established. Let us supplicate that the idolatry of popery
may be abolished, and that, from the present period, the
worship of statues and pictures, expressly forbidden by God
in the second commandment of the Decalogue, may be dis
continued throughout the whole world. Let us pray that
the mystery of abomination may at length be taken away,
and that to all the people may be discovered and made
known the man of sin, the son of perdition, the adversary ;
he who exalts himself above every one, and is called a di
vinity or god, who sits in the temple of God as God, show
ing himself to all, and asserting that he is God. Let us
pray that the holy name of Jesus Christ may be no longer
profaned and blasphemed by a class of people who have un
worthily usurped it, and, as it were, solely to abuse it. And
let us pray that the holy "Word, the Gospel of the Redeemer,
be no longer persecuted in Rome and incarcerated in the
Inquisition."
At these words my companions started. "Is it true,
then," said one of them, " that the Bible itself is persecu
ted by the Church of Rome, and that the followers of the
sacred Evangelists are incarcerated in the Inquisition ?"
" By-the-way," exclaimed another, " can you tell me what
has become of the Inquisition? Is it shut up?" "I im
agine so," observed a third. " I should like to ascertain
the fact," was the remark of a fourth. " Let us go to
it," was the general cry ; " let us go and see whether it be
12 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
shut or open, and let us endeavor to penetrate into its re
cesses.
The service being concluded, every one hastened to leave
the church. We directed our steps toward the far-famed
Holy Office, which is to the left of St. Peter s, behind the
colonnade. It was built by Pius Y. about the middle of the
sixteenth century, on account of the old building in the Via
di Ripetta having been destroyed by fire, by the Romans,
after the death of Paul IV. We had no difficulty in enter
ing ; there were no guards to prevent us ; and we saw no
one in our way. All was silent, but nothing was in disor
der. " Oh ! there is nobody here," said one. " And yet,"
observed another, " the place does not appear to be aban
doned. Let us knock at the door." " But, unquestionably,"
was the remark of all of us, " there can be no one here.
Not the inquisitor s themselves would have the hardihood
to attempt to carry on their proceedings under the present
government. A Republic and an Inquisition would indeed
form a curious anomaly !"
We had not yet finished our disquisition on the absurdity
and even the impossibility of such a coalition, when, aroused,
it would seem, by the noise made by our party, a Domini
can friar made his appearance at one of the doors. His
countenance expressed doubt and apprehension, and his step
was uncertain. He cast his eyes around, and as he saw
that we were, for the most part, young men, he appeared
greatly to doubt our prudence and our moderation. Who
knows what his sensations were at first seeing us ! With a
faint voice, he asked what we wanted ; and understanding
that we were desirous to inspect the place, and more espe
cially to visit the prisons of the Inquisition, he hesitated,
drew back a few paces, and excused himself, saying that
he had not the power to conduct us about, as he was only
there with his superior. In fact, he was a lay-brother, and
servant to the reverend father, the Commissioner General
of the Inquisition.
I knew this friar very well, but he was not aware of my
presence, as I did not at first address myself to him.
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 13
" Frate mio," said I to him, " I do not wonder that you
are afraid of us, since every thing must be an occasion of
dread to those whose lives have been an incessant source
of reproach to them. Nevertheless, I own I am surprised
that up to the present hour, when the government arid the
people have sung the Te Deum for the Roman Republic,
you and your superior, with as many as surround him, should
have the assurance to show yourselves in this place, if not
to continue your former evil practices, at least to testify
your readiness to do so. And tell me, my dear Dominican,
for by this time you have sufficiently recognized me, do you
not think I deserve to be called your friend, if I save you
from the outrage to which you have rendered yourself liable
this day ? Neither I nor any body else could answer for
your life if it were known that, through your means, the In
quisition still existed in Rome. Tell me without hesitation
who and how many are here."
"All," replied he, " are here at present who were here
originally. There are the same number of officials, and
they occupy their usual quarters. The head commissioner
is in yonder department, with his whole suite, and at this
very moment they are at table."
"Pray," demanded I, " are his companions with him?"
" One is there ; the other is away."
" Are the keepers of the prison here ?"
" Yes, all three."
" Then there are still prisoners ?"
At this interrogation the poor Dominican, who, among
many bad, might be termed a good man, made no other re
ply than shrugging his shoulders, leaving me to guess his
meaning. It was too evident that there were still prison
ers remaining, and that the hateful tribunal still existed in
full power !
My friends insisted on visiting the building. I dissuaded
them, however, from attempting it, assuring them that no
one of its inmates would open the doors to us without our
using a degree of violence which would be highly unbecom
ing. The monk had already left us, and we descended the
14 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
stairs we had previously mounted. The great gateway of
entrance was no longer unoccupied : the porter was there
with some other persons ; among them I recognized one of
the jailers, whom I well remembered, as he was the same
that kept me in custody in the year 1842. Two others also
I knew, who were spies of the Inquisition. The jailer was
courteous enough in his way.
"Good-day, signer ; how fares it with you?"
"And how fares it with you?" I returned. "Are you
still jailers of the Inquisition ? Have they not yet dismissed
you?"
"No, we have not been dismissed; we are still in the
exercise of our functions : we are all paid as usual, and as
long as that is the case, yon know, we are bound to con
tinue our service."
"It is an evil employment : how is it that you are not
ashamed to be found in it ? Besides, it is a dangerous one
now. The very name of the Inquisition is sufficient to corn-
promise any one at the present juncture. Take my advice,
my friend, and, before you are turned out by force, depart of
your own accord. Should the people be given to understand
that the Inquisition still continues, that all its officials are
still in this place, judges, commissioners, clerks, keepers,
spies, etc., and consequently dungeons and prisoners, I as
sure you, the building would soon be set fire to, and those
consumed who belong to it."
I have entered into this minute detail to show that the
Inquisition, as it existed in former times, still continued un
der Pius IX. ; and that, when he took flight with his car
dinals, he left it on the same footing as usual. Indeed, I am
not wrong in asserting that Pius IX. and the cardinals gave
strict orders that no one belonging to the Inquisition should
quit his post on pain of certain expulsion. A further proof
of this is, that after our visit to the Inquisition all the in
mates remained at their post, until the Triumvirate sent to
turn them out by force, and took possession of the place with
all that it contained.
It is a fact, then, that popery is always the same ; bar-
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 15
barons, as in the Middle Ages, in which it took its rise ; fe
rocious, as in the time of Gregory VIII. ; increasing in cru
elty more and more, as under Innocent III., Boniface VIII.,
Paul IV., Pius V. ; and stolid, as since the restoration in
1815: always seeking to connect itself with kings, and to
model its cabinet on the plan of that of Austria and Rus
sia. Popery always has the same spirit and the same laws ;
though, with respect to its habits and temper, it not unfre-
quently wears a mask. Thus Pius IX. put on the show of
liberality ; but this pope, believed so liberal by many, was
always secretly combined with the Jesuits and the Inquisi
tion.
It is, therefore, to unmask and to expose popery, as it is
at the present day, that I undertake the writing of this
work ; that the world may know that in Rome, and in the
Roman States, excepting during the five months of the Re
public, the infamous and hateful Inquisition has always been
in existence. I have already said enough to bear out my
assertion, that one of my chief reasons for writing an ac
count of my imprisonment is an offering that I desire to
make to truth. The fact is, that Christianity suffers more
now than in former times under this harsh slavery. Relig
ion, being an affair between God and man, can not be bound,
limited, or prescribed by human laws ; she must be free as
thought itself To this conclusion the civilization of the
present day has arrived ; and all sound philosophy teaches
that what we wish for ourselves we ought to allow to oth
ers. In matters of religion, every one desires the enjoyment
of the most complete liberty. None are more tenacious on
this point than the priests of Rome themselves : they com
plained bitterly when the Turkish government, or that of
the Czar, forbade them the performance of their rites, or the
attempt to gain a proselyte. Do not they desire their lib
erty most ardently in all those countries where the Greek
Church is predominant ? What would they not say to the
Genevese if they attempted, in their own city of Geneva, to
subject the papist to any privation or restraint ? All the
world knows how they swarmed to the British Parliament
16 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
to obtain the famous emancipation. And even that was not
enough for them : how incessantly have they not since pre
sented themselves before it, with fresh demands and re
newed audacity ? The papists, throughout the whole of
England and Scotland, desire to possess the liberty to talk,
to write, to preach, and to assemble themselves together.
In every quarter they desire to build churches and found
colleges, schools, and houses for the seclusion of men and of
women. In this country are to be found priests of various
orders ; and numerous companies of Jesuits have establish
ed themselves in different parts of the British dominions,
whence they send forth their missionaries to every part of
the habitable globe. All these desire to possess the most
unrestrained liberty. And I by no means blame either those
who seek or those who grant it.
I maintain, however, that these very priests, who in other
countries seek not only to be in entire freedom themselves,
but even to rule arbitrarily over others, refuse, in their own,
to grant the least liberty of thought to any one whosoever.
The Roman clergy insist on their right to speak and to act
in England, in Scotland, and in Ireland, in the same man
ner as they do in Rome ; but they do not allow either the
English, the Scotch, or the Irish to act as they please in the
Papal States. It is known to every one how many new
churches the Roman Catholic priests have built in various
cities of this island, besides those they already possessed ;
but to the English, on the other hand, not even a single
church is allowed ; and it was made a great favor that they
were permitted to assemble for Divine worship in a humble
building beyond the gate of the Piazza del Popolo, outside
of the walls of Rome. So habituated are the Roman Cath
olic clergy to act in this manner, that the complaints and
remonstrances of the whole world have no influence what
ever upon them, either in changing their conduct, or in ren
dering them ashamed of it. So many years have they prac
ticed their iniquity, that they have lost the power of blush
ing ; and such is the evil consequence of their habits, that
they no longer feel the least pang of conscience either at the
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 17
continual neglect of their own duties, or their perpetual in
vasion of the rights of others.
Viewing things in this light, no one, I may venture to
hope, will blame me if I speak out boldly of many things
which have lately taken place. Doubtless I shall incur
the severe censure of the papal court, which will rise up
against me, and loudly pour forth its heaviest maledictions.
Truly, instead of the furious outcries in which the partisans
of the pope have hitherto indulged, I would counsel them
to endeavor to answer me in a more worthy manner, and
with the same pacific spirit by which I shall be guided in
my writing. As to their clamor and their upbraidings,
nay, even their slanders, they will excite in me no more
fear than my imprisonment occasioned me ; neither will any
extent of abuse they may try to cast upon me remove from
their own heads the disgrace of the accusations I shall
bring against them, and the truth of which I challenge
them to disprove. I shall call things by their proper
names, and shall distinguish persons according to their act
ual merits, or otherwise. But, that no one may conclude
that I am instigated by a spirit of vindictiveness, or a de
sire to injure the reputation of those at present belonging
to the court of Rome, I shall be careful to speak of individ
uals as little as possible ; for as no base motive inspires my
pen, so I do abhor, above all things, to defile my paper with
unworthy matter. In treating of any subject of a dishon
orable nature, I shall spare the names of some- who may be
connected with it, and endeavor to act with charity toward
those who are yet living. Nevertheless, I propose in these
pages to give a warning for the time to come ; I shall un
fold in them the iniquity of the present day, in order that
they may serve as a lesson for the future. It will, howev
er, be necessary occasionally to state openly through whose
fault such things as I relate were effected. I shoud be
sorry for it to be said that I undertook this work to gratify
any bad feeling ; my sole motive has been to make the
truth evident, that all may apprehend it. It was for hear
ing and speaking the truth that I incurred the hatred of the
18 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
papal court. It was for the truth s sake that I hesitated
at no sacrifice it required from me ; and it is for the truth
that I lay the present narrative before the public.
It is of little importance what outcry or party is raised
against me. Abuse is the only reply that has hitherto been
offered me ; but I disregard it and return it not. If any
one writes in opposition to me, all that I ask is a fair op
portunity of replying to him ; I know my own fallibility to
be great, and I have always hitherto been disposed to ac
knowledge an error, when it has been pointed out to me by
candor and common sense. I refer principally to matters
of religion. If any one opines that my language is not con
sonant with Scripture, I should desire that I might be called
upon to explain it ; because, as I write to elicit the truth,
whoever corrects in me an error also promotes the same
object. And this is my rule of conduct with respect to
others. The time is now arrived for the full development
of the truth ; mankind, wearied of being so long enchained,
by the opinions of others, in the darkness of error, now make
the most strenuous efforts to free themselves from their
mental bonds. It is a struggle between the oppressors and
the oppressed. Those who continue to advocate the right
of oppressing will be hated by society, as well as those who
desire to preserve the privilege of lying. Falsehood is no
longer a venial offense ; it is a serious crime, and when re
sorted to by persons in authority, it is always for the pur
pose of oppression. The motto of the present age is Lib
erty and Truth.
CHAP TEH II.
OP THE SUBJECTS TREATED UPON IN THIS NARRATIVE.
THE title of this work has reference to my six months
imprisonment in the Inquisition at Rome ; consequently, it
will principally treat of the Roman Inquisition, both as it
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 19
exists at present, and as it existed in the more flourishing
times of the Roman court.
Is the Inquisition of the nineteenth century, as it existed
under Gregory XVI. , and as it now exists under Pius IX.,
the same as the Inquisition of the sixteenth century, under
Paul IV. and Pius V. ? This is the important question
which every one asks, and to which it is fitting that I
should reply.
How is it, will be next demanded, that the Inquisition,
which for three centuries has waged war against civiliza
tion in all countries where popery has flourished how is
it that it has existed so long, loaded as it has always been
by the protests, the complaints, the threats, and the exe
crations of all people ? To this question, also, I shall reply.
What advantage, it may then be inquired, has popery
actually derived from the Inquisition, on account of which
it has incurred so much odium on all sides ? This is a fair
subject of inquiry, and I shall lend my hand thereto, and
state my views thereupon. But at the very outset we shall
have to pause in amazement at the incongruous spectacle
presented to our contemplation in French and Austrian sol
diers marching side by side with the Jesuits, and becoming
the tools of this same institution.
Let all those who have not hitherto sufficiently observed
these things during the progress of the late events, observe
them now ; note them well, and learn to draw a right in
ference from them. It is for us to transmit to posterity the
record of what has passed in our own times. Why should
we refrain from speaking of it ? Through fear of offending
the two powers who have, in the affairs of Rome, so basely
lent their aid to support the despotism of*the pope ? I am
not accustomed to disguise my sentiments. I call him base
who commits a base action, were he my own brother.
That Austria and France have dishonored themselves in
lending their services to the pope, in the bombardment of
the three principal cities in his dominions, in order to bring
them back to the rule of the Jesuits and the Inquisition, is
a fact that admits of no question. The people of these two
20 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
countries may seek to excuse themselves by throwing the
blame on their respective governments ; but I am of opin
ion that the army, however employed by the government,
represents the nation, more especially in the case of a re
public. I shall offer, therefore, a few observations on this
subject, which may serve to elucidate more problems than
one. Such as, Whether the papacy be a religious or a po
litical system ? Whether the papacy can reform itself, now
that it is reduced to extremities ? Whether the overthrow
of papacy would injure the cause of real religion in Italy ?
And here we shall have to define what papacy really is,
and in what respect it differs from pure and primitive Chris
tianity. We shall also give a brief statement of the doc
trines of the Church of Rome, its conduct as respects the
Holy Bible, and the reasons that have influenced the popes
to prohibit the reading of that inestimable treasure. This
will bring us to consider, Whether it be possible for a sys
tem of nominal Christianity to exist, in an enlightened age
like the present, contrary to the institution of Christ him
self, and to the doctrines of His apostles ? Whether the Ital
ians, especially those of Rome and the Roman States, can
be compelled to maintain such a system, in opposition to the
convictions of their own judgment ; and whether the civil
ized nations of Europe could, in the present day, endure a
religious persecution ? Whether liberty in matters of relig
ion ought to be confined to mere liberty of thought, or wheth
er it should not extend to liberty of speech and forms of wor
ship ? Whether, while all other nations seek this liberty for
themselves, to the Romans alone every reasonable demand
for it should be invariably refused ?
All these points will be fully treated of in the present
work, and no degree of discussion or opposition that it may
draw forth will be unacceptable or displeasing to me, for
in disquisitions like those which I propose, it is desirable
that every voice should be heard. Shall my arguments or
my representations be contradicted ? So much the better ;
the public will decide which is in the right. I have no ob
jection to be attacked, or even to be overcome, should it be
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 21
fairly shown that I am in the wrong. "When I throw down
the gauntlet, I desire it should be taken up, and I am pleased
when I meet with a resolute antagonist. Should I declare,
for example, that the popes and their adherents have been
guilty of uttering falsehood, I must prove it, or I am myself
the culprit. But should I establish the truth of my asser
tion, I have then a right to demand that the popes arid their
adherents should be stigmatized as false, accordingly.
Am I to be told that a pope is not to be censured because
he is infallible, or, in other words, because he is pope ? If
the fact of his falsity be established, is he to be held guilt
less through reverence to the imaginary keys of St. Peter ?
And with respect to these keys, what is to be understood by
them ? Are they really given to the popes ? and how, and
for what purpose ? Well may it be said that one question
leads to another. Suppose I happen to have no more re
spect for the popes than they have shown, and still show,
toward those whom they call heretics ; I shall feel myself
at liberty to tell the whole world what my opinion of them
is, and why I am led to entertain it. On all other matters
I make it a sacred rule to explain my views with all possi
ble clearness, and on every occasion to tell the entire truth.
Why, then, am I to conceal or palliate it in this. How
many have failed in their object in consequence of conceal
ing a part of the truth ; how many others, through declar
ing it little by little, have had their lives sacrificed before
they had concluded ! No such temporizing will be mine ;
I am resolved to declare it entirely, at once, and without re
serve or disguise, whatever may be the result. It is a great
and holy cause which I have undertaken to advocate, and
one in which I have already learned to suffer without a
murmur. And what could my enemies inflict upon me
worse than they have done already ? I verily believe they
indulge the hope of getting me a third time into the Inqui
sition. Should it be realized, my life would unquestionably
be forfeited to their revenge. But shall I be terrified at the
thought ? Assuredly not ; fear has never yet been allowed
to take root in my breast. Should I again fall into their
22 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
hands, let them do with me as they think fit. In the mean
while they can not, at any rate at present, prevent me from
doing what most pleases myself; that is to say, what my
duty calls upon me to do ; what my most sacred obligation
as a minister of the religion of Christ demands of me. I
shall declare the truth to the world ; before God and in the
face of man I shall make it known ; and at the present junc
ture, are there not thousands, nay, millions, disposed to list
en to it ?
Now since it is an incontrovertible fact that I was im
prisoned in the Inquisition from July 29, 1849, to January
19, 1850, on this topic I shall also write and disclose every
particular connected with it. Six months of close impris
onment, under the most barbarous of tribunals, without any
sufficient cause, is not a circumstance to be lightly passed
over ; neither ought I to be silent with respect to the cru
elties and injustice to which any one, however innocent,
may be subjected under its tyranny.
The story of my imprisonment presents a new feature in
the annals of the Inquisition. Secure of their privilege, sat
isfied with the possession of their prey, which they were per
suaded no earthly power could force them to surrender, they
delayed my condemnation, partly because the tribunal was
not yet entirely reorganized, owing to the absence of the
pope and the cardinals, and partly because in consequence
of the fact of my imprisonment being well known, and many
persons of high consideration having declared themselves in
terested in my favor they feared their designs might be
frustrated, were it made public that I had received my final
sentence. Their only course, therefore, was to condemn me
to suffer in secret. But hundreds were continually inquir
ing as to my fate, and it would have been highly impolitic
in the priestly party to afford any opportunity for comment
ing upon it.
In cases of this kind, the principal object of the subtle in
quisitors is to gain time, and in the mean while to spread
abroad vague and uncertain reports, relating to further ac
cusations than those originally alleged, in order to distract
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 23
the attention and confuse the minds of the friends of the
party accused. And this measure was speedily adopted with
regard to myself. A report was circulated that I had been
guilty of other crimes than those for which I was placed in
the Inquisition. We shall soon see what these crimes were,
and how quickly they vanished away. The fact was, that
I was detained captive in order to grace the triumphal car
of Pio Nono on his return to Rome. I was expected to ac
knowledge once more the sovereign and the pontiff in him
whose temporal supremacy and spiritual infallibility I had
alike denied. I was to humble myself before him, confess
my guilt, abjure my present creed, implore forgiveness ; and
then, after many supplications for mercy, I might, if really
repentant, hope to be permitted to vegetate, during the re
mainder of my days, in nominal freedom and positive bond
age.
Such probably were the intentions of my persecutors,
which were in a single moment rendered vain and hopeless
by my quietly withdrawing myself from their protection
when they least expected it. It will be well that I should
explain the system usually observed by the inquisitors, and
show their manner of calculating, which, except in the pres
ent instance, has perhaps been hitherto infallible. A pris
oner to escape from the Inquisition without being retaken !
escape, too, from the Castle, in which he was placed for
greater security ! was ever such a thing heard of? Cer
tainly this was a triumph for the nineteenth century of
which the sixteenth could not boast. I shall treat, then,
concerning my escape ; not only of the fact itself, but of the
causes that rendered it possible to be effected. I shall show
the motives that induced the French to restore me to lib
erty, and the manner in which they granted what I had full
right to demand at their hands.
A few pages will be given to the transactions of the
French with regard to myself, which I shall accurately de
tail, in order that no future historian may deceive the world
by a false account.
But, before my departure from the Inquisition, there are
24 DEALINGS WITH THE INaiJISITION.
two circumstances on which I shall dwell more at large, un
der the impression that those persons for whom I chiefly
write will be greatly interested in a minute account of all
that took place on those occasions. I refer to my examina
tion before the judge of the Inquisition, and my conference
with the theologian of the same establishment, who was
sent to endeavor by his arguments to bring me back to the
Church of Home. How such an idea ever got into their
heads I can not imagine. They knew that I had abjured
their system in consequence of a thorough conviction of its
falsity. They knew that for ten years I had studied the
subject night and day. They were not ignorant that such
attempts had been made before, and that they had always
proved unsuccessful. Papal Rome had had to lament the
defeat of many of her champions, who had leagued together
to overcome me.
I was greatly surprised to see this theologian, and still
more so to hear that he had been sent by the cardinal vicar,
by order of the pope. Our conference, then, which took
place privately, in a corner of the rich saloon of Julio Ro
mano, in the Castle of St. Angelo, is now destined to be
come public, and I shall with great satisfaction undertake
the office of making it so, in order that not only all that
passed between us may be known, but that the manner of
it may also be understood.
The Romish priests always expect that persons placed in
the Inquisition will lose courage, and become unable to ex
ert their strength of mind. And this persuasion they nat
urally indulge in from the established fact that the major
part of those who are incarcerated within its walls do be
come enfeebled, even to wasting away, and begin to implore
compassion. But they do not call to mind how many others
are to be found in the annals of the same Inquisition who
have displayed the most heroic fortitude, have resisted all
the vain arguments of their fallen and corrupt Church, and,
full of zeal, have opposed the truths of the Bible to their
decrees, the Gospel to tradition, the true Word of God to the
vain conceits of men. In short, it was resolved to try their
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 25
arts on me. I shall faithfully relate the result of their en
deavors, in order that it may furnish an example, and serve
for the edification of others. The conferences between the
theologian of the Romish Church and myself will occupy
an important portion of this work.
My imprisonment was also intended to deprive me of the
benefit of any communication with my friends. Such were
the orders issued from the first, and they continued in full
force throughout the whole period of my confinement ; the
jailers were threatened with punishment if they allowed
the least communication with me whatever. Nevertheless,
though how it happened I can not tell, I certainly was vis
ited by many. Meanwhile I enjoyed full liberty of mind,
and was too sensible of the importance of my mission to rest
from the work of God. Within those walls I not only served
as a witness of the Truth, I was also an expounder of it.
With my Bible in hand, I discoursed of religion to all who
came into my presence, satisfied, each time, that I was ex
alting the name of Christ in casting down that of the pope,
and that I was building up again the pure religion of our
fathers on the ruins of the superstitions introduced by the
priests. I was full of faith in the declaration of the Lord
that Babylon should be destroyed ; that a voice should cry,
" Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of
her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues."*
This voice, I repeated to myself, shall be mine ; I will
execute the command of the Eternal Judge ; I will warn
my brethren. Yes, I will warn them, in the name of God,
and in the power of Christ, to take vengeance on this shame
less harlot.
" Reward her even as she has rewarded you, and double
unto her double, according to her works : in the the cup
which she hath filled, fill to her double. How much she
hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much tor
ment and sorrow give her ; for she saith in her heart, I
sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day ; death, and
* Rev., xviii., 4.
B
26 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
mourning, and famine ; and she shall be utterly burned with
fire ; for strong is the Lord God who judge th her. And
the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and
lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for
her."*
In this manner I communed with myself, and thus I made
known my sentiments to others. Neither did my opinions
remain confined within the walls of my prison ; frequently
they made their way abroad, without being conveyed by
any messenger from myself; nor was I permitted to ap
proach any stranger from without. I mention this lest any
one should be compromised among those who are at present
under the clutches of that barbarous tribunal.
May what I have to relate tend to the glory of God and
to the welfare of souls, and may it lead to the shame and
dishonor of those instruments of wickedness whose business
it is to do the work of Satan. Those who do not blush at
their evil deeds will have to endure the disgrace of hearing
themselves spoken of with reproach ; and perhaps, on this
account alone, they may be induced to desist from the com
mission of further offense. I do not altogether despair of
producing some salutary effect in them through the means
of this publication. If nothing further, it will at least
strike their minds, enter into their hearts, and perhaps, as
I sincerely desire, lead them back to a state of moral health.
My story will be told with simplicity, and my observa
tions given with freedom. My chief care will be to give
no just cause for reproach. If many, as will probably be
the case, differ from me, it will give me little concern. If
they should be my friends, I should request them to specify
their objections I might, perhaps, sometimes profit by
them. At any rate, I deem it expedient to open my whole
mind to my readers, and to disclose in all sincerity what I
believe in matters of religion, so that no one may be mis
taken in me, and that with regard to the tendency of my
mind and operations there may not be two opinions. So
that, should my name survive the tomb, posterity may know
* Rev., xviii., 6-9.
DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION. 27
that it was I who preached to the brethren of his native
country religious reformation.
If I had published this declaration before I fell a second
time into the hands of the Roman Inquisition, I should have
been spared the trouble of making so many explanations to
the pope and cardinals with respect to my change of opin
ions. They would then have had a more clear and definite
idea of what existed in the interior of my mind, and would
not have deceived themselves with the hope that I was not
so attached to the truth as to resist their artifices as firmly
as, through the grace of God, I was enabled to do. And
they would then necessarily have had a less confident hope
that, through their instigation, that return which St. Peter
speaks of in his second epistle (chap, ii., ver. 22) might
have taken place, but which the theologians of the Inqui
sition would have denominated a wonderful return to the
arms of the Holy Mother, the Church of Rome.
CHAPTER III.
MY CREED.
THE first time that I was laid hold of by the Inquisition,
I blamed myself for not disclosing more fully what my be
lief was at that period. Already for several years I had
received the doctrines of the Bible ; I had become a theo
logian of the true primitive Church. I can not, however,
say that as yet I was a firm believer, since I had not the
spirit of the Gospel of Christ abiding in me, which is nei
ther the fruit of our reading, nor the work of our own intel
lect, but is given us immediately from God. I was a Chris
tian in mind, but not in heart. If Christianity, as some
suppose, were a mere opinion, a belief, it would suffice, in
order to become a Christian, to admit the truth of the Scrip
tures. The absurdity of which is manifest, from the consid
eration that, in this case, the first Christian would have been
28 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
no other than the devil, since he was the first to acknowl
edge the truth of Christianity. I understood and acknowl
edged the truth, although I was not yet fully actuated by
it ; I possessed the understanding of faith, but not faith it
self ; I could instruct others in its precepts, but was not my
self capable of obeying them. This, I apprehend, was a
state necessary for me to undergo preparatory to the great
change, as the state of the chrysalis is essential to the pro
duction of the butterfly. I stood midway between the old
and the new man : the old man was already buried, but the
new man had not yet come to life.
What, then, would have been my profession of faith at
that period ? That of a theologian, who draws his argu
ments from the Bible ; that of a man, who, aware not only
of the errors of others, but of his own also, renounces, con
demns, and endeavors to get rid of them by every possible
means. This profession of faith I had not yet publicly
avowed, but in many ways it might have been surmised ;
and, putting together the various opinions I had already
made known, it was not difficult to form a pretty correct
idea as to the whole of my religious persuasions. I by no
means wanted the courage I wanted only a fitting oppor
tunity to declare myself.
Every action, to be well performed, ought to be done in
its proper time and place. The true reason, therefore, why
I had not avowed my full sentiments was, that a fitting op
portunity had not yet presented itself.
But Rome was not ignorant of my real opinions. Sur
rounded as I was with spies, although leading a private life
in Naples, separated from the Dominicans, apart from soci
ety, and buried among my books, the papal court found no
difficulty in becoming acquainted with my state of mind,
and was displeased thereat ; and since there appeared but
little hope that I should retrace my steps, it would have
been very glad had I come so far forward as to afford a
pretense for my apprehension.
The Inquisition, ever since the year 1833, had been en
deavoring, by means of their secret spies, to discover in my
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 29
conduct some ground for accusation. But these worthy
emissaries, either through want of ability, or from not being
so malicious as the Inquisition required, brought nothing
against me that the Holy Office could take hold of. Their
accusations, as far as I could learn, were vague, uncertain,
and frequently contradictory. Among my accusers were
two cardinals. One of them stated that during all the time
I had lived with him (I think it was during Lent, in 1835),
although he had studied my character with great attention,
he never could make me out satisfactorily ; that he had
listened to above forty of my sermons, and never found in
them a single expression to which he could object ; but that
in my private conversation he had often detected much bit
terness against the court of Rome, and, in many points, di
rect opposition to the Council of Trent ; and that, although
not himself altogether a disciple of Bellarmin, he felt shock
ed at the severity of my attacks upon that celebrated writ
er ; neither, he continued, did I spare the other two histo
rians and annalists of the Church of Rome, Orsi and Baro-
nio ; that I spoke highly of Fra Paolo Sarpi to Cardinal
Pallavicino ; that I ridiculed the sanctity of Gregory VII.,
and went so far as to say that it would be well to take the
opinion of the Countess Matilda on that point. The other
cardinal who accused me expressed himself as follows :
" I have nothing to say against Father Achilli myself,
but my vicar has told me that he is unstable in his faith.
I think him a dangerous character : it would be best to
make a friend of him, by kind treatment. I see no middle
path ; we must either make him a bishop, or shut him up
in the Inquisition."
This worthy cardinal was generally considered to be rath
er deficient in judgment. I am of a contrary opinion. In
deed, when I read his letter, among other documents re
specting my cause in the Inquisition,* I judged him to be
more crafty than many of his brethren.
* On one occasion I was left alone by the inquisitor, above an hour, in one
of the apartments of the Holy Office, while the cardinal was preparing my
process. He had inadvertently left on the. table a bundle of papers, con-
30 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
Among other accusations brought against me, there was
one written by two Dominicans, who had formerly been my
pupils in theology, and these friars deposed that I manifest
ed a continual spirit of opposition to many of the doctrines
of the Church of Rome, and that they entertained but little
doubt that I should shortly renounce it altogether which,
indeed, I had already done. I was also accused by them of
paying no respect to authority. Another Dominican assert
ed that I did not believe in the power of the keys to ab
solve the penitent ; and that I explained in a perfectly new
manner the words of Christ addressed to Peter : " And I will
give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven," &c. ;*
that my explanation, he continued, was as follows : "I will
give unto thee," signifies a promise that Jesus Christ makes
to Peter, and not a power which he confers upon him, as the
Church of Rome asserts. " The keys" signify knowledge,
whereby we unlock and arrive at the mysteries of science,
&c. "Of the kingdom of heaven," signifies of my Church
upon earth ; on which account we say in our prayers, " Thy
kingdom come." Thus, " I will give unto thee the keys of
the kingdom of heaven," means, I promise to give unto thee
the knowledge of my Church, that is to say, to place thee
within it, to give thee fully to understand its principles and
its doctrines, and the spirit with which it is animated. And
the following passage, " Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven," is to be interpreted by
another, " Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound
in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven."! And this, again, by the following :
" Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them,
and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. "$
" Ye" it being no longer said to Peter alone, but to all the
apostles ; yea, to all the disciples also, which includes all
taining the correspondence of the Inquisition with its agents, and from
which my accusations were drawn. I deemed myself at full liberty to pe
ruse these documents, and obtained from them much important matter re
lating to my affairs.
* Matt., xvi., 19. t Ibid., xviii., 18. f John, xx., 23.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 31
believers. Wherefore St. Augustine exclaims, What is said
to St. Peter is said to all : Quod dictum est Petro dictum
est omnibus. To you believers, what ye bind shall be se
curely bound, and what ye loose shall be entirely loosed.
This interpretation had given such great uneasiness to
the poor friar, that he found it necessary to disburden his
conscience by relating the whole to the inquisitor. I do
not recollect on what occasion or in what place I told him
all this ; it is, however, perfectly true ; and I imagine, in
his own mind, the friar did not disagree with me, though
he found it extremely difficult to reconcile it with the tenets
of the Church of Rome, which preach that Jesus Christ, in
these words, confers upon Peter the authority of the keys,
by which is to be understood the power of excommunica
tion and of absolution to whomsoever he thinks proper, and
for whatever cause he may judge expedient ; and that this
power is still possessed by the heirs of St. Peter, the popes
of Rome.
My opinions on these heads were extremely unpalatable
to the Church of Rome, and the more so from the conse
quences that might attach to them. Other accusations
were also preferred against me, with reference to the fa
mous dogma of Transubstantiation. It was asserted that I
did not appear to believe in the literal sense of the words
of Christ respecting the bread and wine of the Last Supper.
All this, however, was very imperfectly related by my
accuser, so that I think no great effect was produced by his
disclosures on the minds of the reverend inquisitors.
Much clearer was the account of a poor nun, written, as
she stated, at the instigation of her confessor. With great
simplicity, she related a conversation she had held with me
in the confessional respecting the two sacraments, which
entirely occupied the spiritual thoughts of this poor sister,
Confession and the Holy Supper. She said, with respect
to the first, that of all the confessors she had ever heard
of, I had the most strange and singular method. I would
listen, she said, with the greatest patience, to the disclosure,
not only of her sins, but of her thoughts and her feelings as
32 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
well in short, of all her deficiencies ; and that I was very
earnest in directing her conscience with respect to what
she ought to do, according to the dictates of the Spirit, but
that, when we were arrived at that point when I ought to
have given absolution to her, I invariably turned my back,
saying that it belonged to God alone to give absolution for
sins committed against himself, and that we can only ab
solve each other for the offenses we may have mutually
committed against each other. The priest and the bishop
can, in the name of the Church, absolve such sins as are
committed against the Church, and nothing further.
" One day I said to him," added the nun, speaking of
me, " I believe that Confession, as the Church teaches, is
a sacrament instituted by Christ for the remission of all
sins whatsoever. Is it not so ? I think not, replied he,
* because I do not find any passage in the Holy Scriptures
where the institution of this sacrament is spoken of. And
the injunction of St. James, " Confess your sins to one an
other ?" They are of the same signification as those that
follow, " and pray one for another." Do you imagine that
only nuns and monks are to pray for the remainder of man
kind ? " Confess your sins to one another" signifies that
it is your duty to confess to me the sins you have commit
ted against me ; and I, on the other hand, will do as much
toward you, if ever I should offend you. Then it is un
necessary that I should reveal to a confessor the sins I may
have committed against the laws of God ? Not only un
necessary, but the practice is pernicious, if you believe that
the confessor can, on the part of God, pardon you. We
read that this power is granted by God to his Christ, who
says, " But, that ye may know that the Son of man hath
power on earth to forgive sins," &c. God can delegate to
another, in an extraordinary mission, authority to announce
to others that he has pardoned them, as we read in the case
of Nathan with respect to David. But who do we ever
read of that was appointed by God to act as a confessor,
and to give absolution in his stead ? Jesus Christ has giv
en to believers the power to remit their own offenses en-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 33
tirely and forever, and this he has done because he is con
stituted the Head of the Church, that is to say, of the peo
ple who are believers ; to which people God has promised
remission of sins through faith in Jesus Christ. Then,
said I to him," continued the nun, " how shall I be as
sured that my sins are forgiven me, unless a prophet is sent
to tell me so, as he was to David ? Oh ! you will know
it, replied he, through evidence of your own faith, if you
can truly say to yourself, " I believe in the remission of
sins." Is not faith more convincing than words ? Man s
words may deceive you, but not the word of God. If you
were to hear from me, what you have so often heard from
others, " I absolve you from your sins," what assurance
would you have that you were really absolved? What
am I but a sinner like yourself ? Do you apply for health
to a sick man, or for wealth to a poor one ? Oh ! how is it
possible that you can prefer to be so continually deceived ?
Poor deluded being, come out of this darkness, and open
your eyes to the light. Then, I replied, my father, ac
cording to your idea, I ought never to confess to any one.
How, then, could I partake of the Holy Supper? St.
Paul, he returned, has said, " Let a man examine him
self, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup."
St. Paul nowhere tells us that it is first necessary to con
fess to a priest. "
Here terminated the first part of her account, which was
entirely confined to Confession. The second part related to
the Communion, and was as follows :
" One day I was at confession : my heaviest crime was a
want of faith in the sacrament of the Holy Supper. I ac
cused myself of having entertained doubts as to the real
presence of Christ in the Eucharist. What do you under
stand by the real presence ? demanded he. The sub
stance presented before us of the body, blood, soul, and di
vinity of Jesus Christ. If such be your opinion, you are
deceived, he pursued ; this substance can not exist in the
bread and wine. You know that this sacrament is insti
tuted by Christ to eat and to drink. Hence the precept,
B2
31 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUiSITION.
"Eat and drink;" and, again, the penalty for non-observ
ance : "If ye eat not of this bread and drink not of this cup,
ye have no life in you." Understand well that the body of
Christ was not made to be eaten, nor his blood to be drunk.
The natural body of Christ was offered in sacrifice once
only,^ which is enough for our sanctification, if you believe
St. Paul speaks the truth. I believe it, indeed, replied I,
but I also wish to believe in the Holy Mother, the Church
of Rome. My good daughter, he said, if these two should
be opposed to each other, to which of them would you give
credence to St. Paul or to the Church of Rome ? I
should certainly be more inclined to believe St. Paul, since
he speaks through Divine inspiration. The case is plain,
then St. Paul and the Church of Rome are in opposition.
The apostle calls that which we eat in the sacrament bread,
and that which we drink wine ; whereas the Church of
Rome pretends that the bread and the wine vanish away
at the appearance of the body and blood of Christ. But
then, I rejoined, where is the sacrament ; where is the
communion of the body and blood of Christ ? Clearly in
the bread and in the cup. You believe St. Paul listen to
his words : " The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not
the communion of the blood of Christ ? The bread which
we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ ?" f
To be candid," added the nun, " this doctrine led me away
for a time ; and in communicating in future, I intended to
eat of the bread, and to conjoin myself by faith only to our
Lord Jesus Christ. From which period I could no longer
adore the sacrament, saying to myself, This is merely bread ;
it can have no particular signification shut up there ; and
so all my devout prayers to this same sacrament were sud
denly put an end to. I experienced a sort of repugnance in
bending my knee as I passed before the altar, saying to my
self, If it be merely bread, it is an act of idolatry to wor
ship it ; and at length I felt shocked to see others prostrate,
and adoring this bread, and offering up prayers to it, as if
it were God. Afterward, I confess, I experienced much
* Heb., x., 10. t 1 Cor., x., 16.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 85
suffering when other confessors undertook to lead me back
to my old belief. It was necessary to prohibit me from
thinking on the words of St. Paul, of which no one was able
to give me a satisfactory explanation, unless I should call
the reply of a certain reverend father (to whom I confided
my difficulty) a satisfactory one, when he assured me that
he thought it wiser not to trouble his head about such mat
ters, lest he should have to find the best argument and the
most satisfactory explanation within the walls of the In
quisition."
This poor nun, who was at that time converted by my
arguments, was afterward compelled to denounce me to the
Inquisition, which she had done through fear of being her
self confined there, had she refused, as the Inquisition ob
tains possession of the greater part of its victims by threat
ening those who will not denounce them with imprisonment
themselves . And I have no doubt that she was so threaten
ed more than once. Alas ! no person shut up there has ever
escaped : one must live as the priests command or die !
From these and other similar accusations was my process
got up before the Inquisition in the year 1842. Here, then,
was my profession of faith, warranted on very respectable
authority. I was very glad to see an account of it ; and, to
say the truth, I felt not a little proud of it. I hastily put
together these few notices, and hid them for future use. I
was annoyed that I had not time to read more of the vo
luminous process, and to extract from it other portions. I
should, perhaps, have found a complete series of accusations,
which might have completely laid open my entire Christian
belief. In fact, there were denunciations with respect to
what I had taught in the schools, in the confessional, and
in the pulpit. Doubtless the opportunity was not lost of
accusing me of frequently controverting the doctrines of
Thomas Aquinas respecting the pretended propitiatory sac
rifice of the Mass, the number of the Sacraments, the value
of Indulgences, the torments of Purgatory, and other similar
doctrines of that time, handed down to us as dogmas of re
ligion.
36 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
If these accusations were joined to others which I saw in
the volume at the Inquisition, chiefly from Naples, with re
spect to my preaching, then indeed there would have been
nothing wanting to satisfy the Holy Office that I was a her
etic, in every sense of the word, and richly merited to be
consigned to the flames.
The Dominicans, to whom, in honor of their founder,^ has
hitherto been granted the great privilege of being the chief
agents in the Inquisition, hold Thomas Aquinas and his doc
trines in the highest esteem and veneration, insomuch that
their principal school is called after his name. There is no
degree of praise that they have not lavished on their mas
ter, on whom they have even bestowed the title of Angelic;
and they have represented him, as all the world knows, with
a radiant sun in his breast, as symbolic of his wisdom, and
a dove at his ear, to indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit,
revealing to him the truth. Among other pleasant stories
recorded of him is one which relates that the crucifix ad
dressed him in a set speech, in approbation of his doctrine,
saying, " Thomas, thou hast written well concerning me !"
The Dominicans swear to follow altogether the theological
and philosophical views of Thomas Aquinas, and it is indis
pensably requisite to take an oath to that effect before ad
mission into their colleges. At the present juncture, all who
do not agree with the Jesuits flock to the schools of the
Dominicans. Indeed, I am of opinion that these two par
ties divide among themselves the whole Church of Rome :
those who are not Jesuits or Molinists are Dominicans or
Thomasines. Other schools of theology are of little ac
count, and are scarcely known, having no followers beyond
the immediate establishments ; such as the Benedictines,
the Augustines, the Carmelites, and others.
* Domenico di Guzman was the first inquisitor, under Innocent III. (1215),
to whom he suggested the great project of destroying by an armed force all
the Protestants of that period, chiefly known under the denominations of
Albigenses and Waldenses. This friar, in conjunction with the pope,
founded an order of knights, whom he frequently led on himself, and who
were renowned for their massacre of these good Christians, who, retaining
the Gospel, rejected the new doctrines of the Fourth Council of the Lateran.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 37
Brought up myself in this school of Aquinas, I was early
imbued with his doctrines. Five years I studied the writ
ings of this author, so celebrated for learning and scholastic
subtlety. Unquestionably Thomas Aquinas was not the
original framer of the Romish doctrines : they were already
produced, and he did no more than defend and explain them.
The most ingenious of theologians, he possessed a rare fac
ulty of persuasion ; so that if, instead of the doctrines he un
dertook to defend, he had had others placed before him, still
more opposed to the truth, he would equally well have rec
onciled them at once to the Holy Scriptures and to the teach
ings of Aristotle. In his Summa Theologia is to be found
all that can be most interesting to Rome, except il diritto
nuovo of the Council of Trent. I have always admired
the ingenuity of this writer, but very early I experienced
considerable difficulty with respect to some of his theories.
Having completed my course of study, I was appointed,
in my twenty-fourth year, to the duty of teaching. The
first book on which I had to display my ability was this very
Summa Theologia of Thomas Aquinas. Many opinions
were formed as to how I should acquit myself on the occa
sion. It was predicted by some who had heard me strongly
object to various points in the Thomasine doctrines, that I
should not prove very faithful to them. The General of
the Dominicans hesitated to confide to me a school belon^-
C5
ing to the order, after he had heard that in my examination
I had shown but little respect for the scholastic doctrines ;
and he wrote to a certain cardinal, who had sought to en
gage my services as professor of theology in a seminary,
" I would willingly accede to the request of your eminence,
with respect to the Reader Achilli, were I not obliged, for
certain reasons, to examine him a little further as to his or
thodoxy."^ After the lapse of a year, however, he granted
me permission to officiate at Viterbo, where, for a consider
able length of time, I was professor of various sciences at
the Seminary and Bishop s College, as I was also of theol
ogy in the College of the Dominicans.
Letter from Father Velzi to Cardinal Galeffi (1825).
38 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUlSlTiON.
My labors in these situations obtained for me, from the
very beginning, considerable reputation, and not a few
friends gathered round me. Still I had many enemies, and
chiefly among the friars a class of gentry who to a very
little good adjoin a large share of evil. Few among them
are respectable in character, the major part of them being
lazy vagabonds, who, to avoid every species of exertion, ei
ther physical or mental, and to pass their whole lives in
sloth and ignorance, adopt the frock and cowl, which at
once authorize them to receive food, clothes, and lodging
without any trouble or labor on their part. Altogether
they constitute the worst part of society, and only serve to
demoralize it by their bad example. As I could never en
dure them, and shunned all intercourse with them, it was
natural that I should incur their hatred and censure.
It appeared that those among the friars who disliked me
feared me no less, since in all their attempted persecutions
they studiously avoided coming forward and avowing their
hostility. However this may be, out of the cloister I was
equally beloved and protected. Many bishops had a regard
for me, and several cardinals. Pope Gregory XVI. looked
upon me with a favorable eye, and recommended me to the
general of our order ; and his predecessor, Leo XII. , had of
fered me the post of Deputy Master of the Sacred Palace in
the year 1827.
In the mean while my enemies grew more and more un
easy every day, and were more and more disappointed. Did
they attack me on one side ? They were speedily put to
confusion. On the other ? It frequently happened they in
flicted injury on themselves alone. Often, I believe, they
despaired altogether of accomplishing their evil intentions
toward me. One only method remained, by means of which,
secretly and securely, and without danger of being discovered
by myself or my protectors, they might effect their object,
and this was the Inquisition ; for in that place no one, not
even the dearest friend, can afford protection or support.
Every accusation has to be fully entered into. The ac
cuser gives his name to the tribunal, which for its own part
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 39
affects to be ignorant of it. The same with the witnesses.
Rarely does it happen that they are examined a second
time. Their first deposition is sufficient.
They began in this manner with respect to myself, in or
der to undermine the edifice they were determined to de
stroy ; and the first attack was made at Viterbo, in concert
with certain parties in Rome, and some of the Dominicans
from Naples, who were also invited to lend their assistance.
But observe the foolishness and blindness of men ! They
who wielded this powerful weapon against me thought to
destroy me with it, instead of which they were the means
of giving me fresh life. They undertook to explain to others
my profession of faith, which I had not yet been able to make
out clearly to myself. They reared the structure in the
most solemn manner before the Inquisition, that they them
selves might no longer doubt, and that the memory of my
conversion from papacy to pure Christianity, which began
about the year 1830, from which epoch the earliest of my
accusations are dated, might forever be preserved. May the
Lord be praised !
Why do not my present enemies publish these facts in the
manner in which they took place ? I should like to see the
secret accusations against me openly detailed. Instead of
falsely framing charges of immorality which never existed,
let them state my real crimes. They might show " that in
point of religious belief I could not depart from the Holy
Scriptures, that my Christianity did not extend beyond the
Bible ; that I was greatly opposed to the later doctrines of
the Roman Church ; that my theology had existed eighteen
centuries, neither more nor less ; and that every article that
did not conform itself to this old theology I neither owned
for doctrine nor for Christianity." Such was the epitome
with which a Dominican friar of Naples wound up a length
ened declamation, to prove that I was guess what : a Nes-
torian, a Novatore.
To say the truth, if the Commissioner of the Inquisition
had communicated to me the substance of the above, I
should have leaped for joy. But in the opinion of the friar,
40 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
these premises were terrific. A heretic, according to the
Bible ! A Novatore, according to primitive Christianity !
These titles were for me a source of pride and gratification.
The inquisitor thought it far better that I should not be
made acquainted with these charges. He did not foresee
that I might read them without his permission. But since
I had read them over, and retained them perfectly in my
memory, it frequently happened that I made use of them in
my replies to the inquisitor. For example, when he asked
me Quid sentis de fide ? I remember my answer was,
" To those who are good Latin scholars, this question may
be considered in three points of view : you might intend to
ask me what I think concerning faith ? or, what do I think
I ought to believe ? or, lastly, what is it that I do believe ?
I will readily reply to all these points. 1st, What do I
think concerning faith ? That it is a gift from God, by
which we are made believers in the truths that He has re
vealed. 2d, What do I think I ought to believe ? The
truth alone, which He has revealed to us, according to what
is written in the authentic book of Divine Revelation, and
interpreted according to the spirit and common sense of
Christendom. 3d, What is it that I do believe ? The an
swer is already given."
" Then," rejoined the inquisitor, " you believe nothing but
what you find written in the Bible ?"
" Certainly."
" And you think that all that was said and done by Jesus
Christ is recorded in that book ? How is it, then, that St.
John tells us, that if that had been the case, the whole
world would not have contained the books that would have
been written ?"
" I am glad, Father Inquisitor, to hear you quote a text
from the Evangelist, which, if I interpret it aright, leads us
to infer that Jesus did many other things which we do not
know ; and not, as you imagine, that we know them from
other sources, and that, as they are told to us from these
sources, so we ought to believe them. I do not believe, Fa
ther Inquisitor, more than I find written, because I know it
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 41
to be sufficient ; I am satisfied that I am not deceived ; and
besides, I believe that no one should add to what is written
from Divine inspiration. You have quoted St. John, I now
quote him in my turn, and I select that passage in which,
speaking of his Revelation, he affirms as follows :
" If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add
unto him the plagues that are written in this book ; and if
any man shall take away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of
life.
"Is it not clear, from this, that we are instructed neither
to add to nor to take away from what is written ? The
faith, therefore, that I profess, is the same that was defined
by Jesus Christ himself, emanating from him eighteen cen
turies ago. This law was never abrogated in order to in
graft new doctrines upon the old, or to make us falsify our
original belief. Are you of opinion, Father Inquisitor, that
we can possess a different faith from our fathers ? I speak
of those early fathers, who, in this country, renounced idol
atry to follow Christ ; of those very men to whom the apostle
addressed the invaluable testimony, Your faith is spoken
of throughout the whole world ! In all other matters I am
willing to go with the nineteenth century, but as regards
religion I do not depart from the first. I do not know, Fa
ther Inquisitor, what your opinion is, but I am firm in the
belief that all Christians ought to be similarly minded, and
that the Church should return to its first state, both as re
gards discipline and faith."
Such, then, at that time, was my profession of faith, in
which I was continually, through the operation of various
circumstances, being perfected, not a little assisted by the
machinations of my enemies themselves. It is true, I had
not yet sufficient courage to seek for occasions of trial ; but
on their occurrence, I invariably experienced such grace and
favor from God, that in no instance was the opportunity lost
of deriving due profit from them. And since it has been or
dained by Providence that I should bear solemn testimony
in favor of the pure and true religion of Christ, and pub-
42 DEALINGS WITH THE INQ-UISITION.
licly make avowal of my faith before men and before God,
so it was expedient that I should, in the first instance, make
declaration of it in the face of my enemies, and of that very
tribunal before which so many had sacrificed their lives in
defense of the same holy cause.
I did not at that time perceive the lofty designs of this
all- wise Providence : my eyes were not open to behold the
hidden destiny which, nevertheless, was in store for me. I
walked in darkness, and only knew that I should not lose
my way, because I was assured that a Divine hand would
be my protection and my guide.
At present, however, through the mercy of the Lord, I see
my way more clearly. By his power I have been snatched
from the abyss of perdition, delivered from the malice of
my enemies, and conducted to a land where there is liberty
of belief, and where man lives honorably in obedience to
the laws of truth and justice.
My first step, 011 finding myself a free man in a free coun
try, was to make a full and unqualified declaration of my
religious belief, that there might not remain the least shad
ow of doubt as to my entire secession from the Church of
Rome.
Every one acquainted with me knows that I never at
tempt to disguise what I feel ; should prudence occasion
ally enjoin me to be silent, it is only for a very short time
that I can listen to her dictates. My energy increases be
fore an opposing barrier, until, like a rushing torrent, it
levels and destroys every object it meets with. Thus, no
sooner did an outlet present itself for the manifestation of
my opinions, than they eagerly pressed forward, and swept
away all opposition that stood in their way.
I was full of wrath against the Church of the priests ever
since I had been aware of the deceit in which I had been
educated, and still more so on account of having myself
been instrumental in propagating her doctrines and her er
rors. This wrath I had hitherto been obliged to restrain
within my own breast ; but when I arrived in Corfu, in the
year 1842, I found an opportunity for giving way to it, of
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 43
which I quickly availed myself. My tongue was not idle,
and my pen was more active still.
I regret that I have not kept copies of several letters I
wrote at that time to divers cardinals at Rome, which, al
though full of stern reproof, were written without bitter
ness, and in a conciliatory spirit ; and I still remember
them with pleasure, because I know that they evinced how
strong my feelings were upon the subject.
I shall, however, here present to my readers copies of
two letters which I wrote about the same period to Pope
G-regory XVI., as well as of one which I subsequently ad
dressed to his successor, Pius IX. ; and these will form the
subject of the succeeding chapter.
CHAPTER IV.
LETTER I.
To GREGORY XVI., Bishop and Sovereign of Rome, GIA-
CINTO ACHILLI, Minister of the Italian Catholic Church.
HOWEVER known my sentiments may already be to you,
from several letters which I have recently written to your
two cardinals, Polidori and Lambruschini, still I regard it
as desirable to make a more ample declaration to yourself,
so as to throw greater light on my faith, and to leave no
longer in doubt the form of religion which I follow and
profess.
Believe not, Holy Father, that I am urged to this step
by any feeling of resentment in consequence of the injuries
done me in Rome by certain of your ministers, or that I
wish to avenge myself thus for the hundred days during
which I was shut up last year in the Inquisition without
any just cause. May God pardon you your offenses as en
tirely as I pardon you that act, though it brought upon me
heavy sufferings ! I have been enabled to derive benefit
from it ; and that which by you was designed for my in-
44 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
jury, the all-wise God has turned to my advantage. So
that now, on reckoning up my account, I find that my gain
has been far greater than my loss ; that my sorrow has
been turned into joy ; that the plot has turned against the
plotters, to whom nothing has remained but remorse for the
attempt, and the shame of a miserable defeat.
Holy Father, if you really fear God, you know sufficiently
that He is not to be trifled with in other words, we can
not lie to Him, nor purpose one thing and say another. Al
low me, then, now to summon you into His presence, to dis
cuss your faith and my own, for we are both equal before
Him ; the Decalogue and the Gospel are equally imposed
upon us both. Excepting these, I know no other law to di
rect me in my belief and in my actions, and I am convinced
that there should be no other for any one who calls himself
a Christian.
Tell me, I pray you, whence you derive those of your dog
mas which exist not in the Gospel, and those numerous doc
trines which are not to be found in any book of the Scrip
ture ? I am entitled to ask you ; for, after examining your
lauded fountains of tradition, your theologians and the Fa
thers, so dishonestly edited, I have found superabundant
fraud, both in interpretation, assertion, supposition, and in
ference ; for all seem to be concentrated in the object of
making the pope universal sovereign ; establishing him as
head and lord of the entire Church, with full and absolute
power of loosing and binding that is, of destroying and
building up declaring his Church, as a spiritual kingdom,
superior to every state, to every people, to every dynasty ;
so that, according to this theory, the power of the pope is
made to absorb every other power, from that of God him
self, who alone, in other times, judged men to life or to per
dition, down to that of the lowest baron, who can only have
from the pope the legitimate power over his vassals.
Such fables might be told in the vaunted days of Greg
ory VII., when they were coined with the design of ex
tending the papal mantle over the whole world, subjecting
to him, as far as possible, the kingdoms of Europe and Asia.
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION. 45
Such was the object of the Crusades. Such was the object
of the foundation of the numerous orders enrolled, under
various devices, for the purposes of the popes, and sent to
the most remote countries, to preach, together with the Gos
pel, the primacy, the sovereignty, the infallible, irresistible,
fearful omnipotence of the Most Holy Bishop of Rome ; un
der pain, if they did not, of being severely punished, and
with the promise, if they did, of being rewarded, after death,
with the honors of the altar.
History, Holy Father, teaches us this whenever we read
it with the necessary discernment. These orders, however,
increased, spread, and were laden by Rome with privileges,
exemptions, and even riches ; for the monks, yet more than
the priests, played the papal game, related to the nations
the holiness of the popes, how the Holy Spirit chose them,
and how Christ and the Virgin conversed with them famil
iarly. Happy whoever could obtain an Agnus Dei or oth
er favor, while for an indulgence, silver and gold were spent
without restraint. Hence the immense riches which, from
every quarter, showered upon Rome, and rendered the popes
proud, their courts insolent, their city the most beautiful in
the world.
But times changed ; that is to say, many well-informed
persons among the faithful perceived the imposture of these
sellers of Christ ; and first with words, afterward by acts,
revolted against the disorder which not only blinded them
with error, but despoiled and oppressed them.
And now came the epoch of the Reformation of that re
ligious rising which, excited by God, and guided by the Spir
it of the Lord, succeeded in enlightening and persuading
half Europe to separate from the theories of popery, with
out fear of offending religion nay, rendering justice, by so
doing, to that Gospel which the popes had adulterated, which
Rome had profaned, which had been made an instrument of
extortion and falsehood by the aid of priests and monks.
But this lesson, honestly given to them by nations, was not
enough to correct the popes ; even the half of their prose
lytes who remained to them were sufficient to maintain their
46 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
courts in all their luxury ; and one hope comforted them
that by the use of skillful artifices, they might destroy the
work of Luther and of Henry VIII. as they had done that of
so many others.
Holy Father, how has this hope for three centuries failed
your predecessors ! Nay, you yourself have had the grief
of losing several districts in the north and in the south, which
called themselves yours, without any hope that they will
ever return to you again.
If you wish to know the reason, I can tell it you. It is
because our times are no longer in accordance with the im
postures that you sell by your monks, who, full of ignorance
and superstition, still hawk about the fables of Rome. The
world will no longer listen to your universal primacy, be
cause every one knows that it does not extend beyond the
two millions and a half of people, which, by the deference
of the sovereigns of Europe, it is still permitted you to gov
ern by force of arms.
Your indulgences, your relics, are specifics which are gone
out of use. The excise upon sins, which you enforce once a
year, to be paid through your privileged exactors, is, be as
sured, paid by the generality in false money, inasmuch as
now nearly every one comprehends that, however great may
be the authority you possess, that power assuredly is want
ing to you which belongs to God alone. Still, it is to be
bitterly lamented that a great part of Europe still tolerates
that trickery of yours a spectacle revolting to the good
sense, not to say to the religion, of mankind that a jug
gler should boast of being able to transform, by virtue of cer
tain words, a portion of bread and wine into Deity. Too
great, Holy Father, too great is the abuse attempted to
be practiced on your adherents, placing them in the very
condition of those who were once taught that gods might be
born in a garden. Why so far outrage your friends as to
make them afterward ashamed of themselves, when they
come to reflect upon the fraud ? It makes them hate and
curse you when this happens. In these our days, when even
children are angry at being deceived, men have sufficient
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 47
self-love rather to bear blows than to be treated with fraud
and delusion.
And do you know what follows ? The gravest of all evils
the total loss of religion. Roman Catholics, if not quick
in taking refuge in some reform or other, become Atheists
at the first moment that, having their eyes open, they per
ceive they have been drawn into such gross errors. They
feel an indignation which makes them discredit every thing,
believing that there can be nothing good where so many
evil things are presented to them to swallow. Just as,
when in a most exquisite dish we find foreign substances
which offend our senses, we do not endeavor to separate
them, but rather reject the whole ; so it happens to pa
pists when they perceive the falsity and fraud which lie
hidden under the Roman faith.
What now will you say, Holy Father, if I prove to you
that by means of popery men become more wicked, and are
so speculatively ? The power that you confer of absolving,
to whom does it not secure pardon ? Who is there that,
having fulfilled that rite of yours, does not feel persuaded
that he has settled his accounts, to open them again with
equal extravagance ? Let the fact convince you. Where
are the greatest numbers of robbers, traitors, adulterers, if
not in the midst of your Catholics ? And why ? Because
it costs them nothing to cast themselves at the feet of one
of your plenipotentiaries to cancel every iniquity. If you
have been at Naples, you know of whom it is that the
churches are full, who it is that beat their breasts before
the altar, who are those that weep all day at the confession
als ! And such as Naples is, such are all the other coun
tries more or less papist.
But there is more still to observe. Who are generally the
most wicked persons in every locality ? (I am speaking only
of Italy, indeed only of Southern Italy a country emphat
ically Roman Catholic.) Forgive me, Holy Father, but it
is a matter of fact priests and monks ; whatever iniquity,
wickedness, and abomination has ever existed upon the
earth, you will find among them. Haughtiness, luxury,
48 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
ambition, pride where do they most abound ? In your
temples. There the excessive love of money, falsehood,
fraud, duplicity, cover themselves with a sacred vail, and are
almost in security from profane censures. And oh ! how great
are the horrors of the cloisters (sepulchra dealbata), where ig
norance and superstition, laziness, indolence, calumny, quar
rels, immorality of every description, not only live, but reign.
The most abominable vices, long banished from all society,
have there taken refuge ; and there will they continue mis
erably to dwell, until God, outraged by them, shall rain
down upon them the curse of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Am I exaggerating ? or do not you yourself, while read
ing this paragraph, utter the sigh of sorrowing conviction ?
Well, but who are to be blamed for such evils ? Mankind,
you will tell me, evasively. But I reply, are not the im
mense mass of Protestants also a part of mankind, who live
quite differently, and who are honest and respectable ?
Worshiping the same Deity, followers of the same Gospel,
their temples are truly the house of prayer, their Sundays
the Lord s day, their ministers patterns of probity and mo
rality. Can this be denied concerning the Protestant clergy
in general ? But thousands of accusations can be most just
ly made against the Roman Catholic clergy. Will you vent
ure to deny it ? You must first hide the episcopal prisons
of your state, and numerous other places of punishment for
ecclesiastics ; you must prevent the world from knowing of
the Ergastolo of Corneto, full to overflowing with priests
and monks, whom you send there yourself when they be
come intolerable to you. Find me any thing like this in
Germany or in England countries eminently Protestant.
I have, I think, proved to you that your popery renders men
more wicked.
It follows, from what has been said, that such a religion
is the pest of society. And so indeed it is, as that which
conceals the truth, disfigures the Gospel, promotes error,
favors ignorance and bigotry. Hence comes the ruin of poor
Italy, which, owing to this system of belief, is in many parts
desert, the country uncultivated, the commerce in a deplora-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 49
ble condition. Italy, once the queen of the world, is now
the servant and slave of the nations. Kings consulting with
their confessors how best to oppress their people. Jesuits
restored to the ascendant ! Monks continually enriching
themselves ! And, while all the rest of the world is pro
gressing, Italy alone is going back on account of her popery,
which degrades, debases, and renders her contemptible in
the sight of God and man.
Holy Father, are you grieved by what I say ? I rejoice
not in your grief, but in the hope that your grief may be for
your benefit. It rests with you, if you will, to change the
system. Be not ashamed of having erred till now. You
will be the man of the age, a man glorious in all history ;
you will be the true apostle of Jesus Christ, if, renouncing
the vanity of your primacy, which can last to you but little
longer, you lay down the titles and the dignities which do
not belong to you. You, better than any other, can bring
back to Italy the religion of Christ in its purity ; taking
away all that has been maliciously invented, to defraud the
faithful for the profit of the clergy. The imposture is now
thoroughly understood ; there are no longer persons who be
lieve in confession, in the mass, in the suffrages of purgatory,
in the patronage of saints. Your indulgences have lost all
their credit ; your excommunications are totally valueless ;
your bulls and canons only raise a smile.
How is the world changed in regard to you ! Once all
Catholics, even the least earnest, spoke of the pope with
every respect. Now your very court speaks ill of you. Ac
cusations against yourself personally, which circulate through
the world, and state things in the highest degree dishonor
able, originate with Romans. You will call this the work
of Satan, but I must, with more suitable language, call it
the hand of God that terrible hand which is preparing
your punishment.
It has happened to you now as it happened three centu
ries since to Pope Clement VII. Then Germany and En
gland separated from Rome under his eyes. Poland and
Spain are about to do the same at present under yours.
C
50 DEALINGS WITH THE INCiUISITION.
Hasten, Holy Father, to accept the call which Heaven
makes to you. I;espise not the voice of God as your ill-ad
vised predecessors despised it. Your mea-sure is now full.
In the first days of your pontificate you saw the most vio
lent revolution which ever happened in your states a sin
cere expression of the opinion and wishes of every one. It
was echoed and applauded by all Italy. Italy wishes for
you no longer ; Italy no longer believes, respects, or loves
you. It was requisite, then, for the Austrians to interfere.
Will they interfere another time ? Or, if they do, will they
be able to extinguish the flame ?
Regard not who it is who gives you these suggestions. I
am less hostile to you than you imagine. Nay, I protest to
you that I have no hostility in my heart, except toward
your doctrine and policy ; I have none toward yourself, whom
I regard with religious affection, and for whom I desire the
holy light of God to promote your repentance and that of
your brethren.
CORFU, January 15, 1843.
LETTER II.
To GREGORY XVI., Bishop and Sovereign of Rome, GIA-
CINTO ACHILLI, Minister of the Italian Catholic Church.
IT is not party spirit it is not a craving to contend with
you, but the love of truth, the interests of religion and of
the charity of the Gospel, which induce me to write to you
again.
In the Church of Jesus Christ it has ever been the cus
tom for the elders to treat with the bishops upon the most
important matters. Thus Jerome did with Damasus, and
Bernard with Eugenius. I do not set myself up as a judge.
I only wish to be a truthful witness in a cause where there
are a thousand accusers. The issue lies between you arid
the Church that is, between the Christian people and one
Bishop of Christendom. No question could be more import
ant, from the subject to which it relates, the parties who
compose it, the period at which it is raised. The subject
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 51
is the faith of the Gospel, the only law given to Christians.
The parties are a multitude against a few, a people against
individuals, the Christian Church against its pretended
lords. The period is the nineteenth century. The terms
of the question : whether a whole world should continue to
believe in you, to obey you, to follow you, wherever you
are pleased to lead it. You support the affirmative, which
others deny. I will openly deliver my solemn testimony.
The Christian world will no longer believe in you, be
cause you have deceived it, and because you continue in
your intention of deceiving it. It believed you as long as
you announced the truths of religion, as they are written
in the book of the common faith. To you, more instructed
than others, it gave the faculty of explaining the mysteries
of charity, the symbols of the Divine Word. Your speech
should have been simple and pure, but you adulterated it
with false doctrines, with fallacious arguments, with senses
extorted from the philosophy of the pagans you explained
the Gospel by the theories of Plato and the sophistries of
Aristotle. The world no longer knows what to believe.
Your doctors have exalted themselves above the apostles ;
they perverted in their language the holy expressions of
those epistles which men of God left for the instruction of
the faithful. A new Word prevailed over the old an
earthly and human over the heavenly and divine. The
faith, the patrimony of a free people, was made over to a
caste which domineered over them. The property of the
simple was usurped by the cunning ; the inheritance of the
poor of Jesus Christ was extorted from them by the rich,
who, clad in purple and gold, disdained the title of breth
ren and friends the only appellation of Christians and
chose instead to be called fathers and lords. And the peo
ple were deceived by them.
Yes, the people ; they who constitute the Church were
deceived by the ministers of a religion which knows noth
ing but the people, which is only given to the people by
which whosoever aspires to be the first is condemned to be
the last the people, who, as St. Peter says,
52 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" Laying aside all malice, and all guile, and evil speak
ing, as new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word,
in order to grow thereby, after having tasted that the Lord
is gracious ; to whom coming, as to a living stone, disal
lowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious, they
are built up as living stones, a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable unto
God by Jesus Christ .... a chosen generation, a royal
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, which in time
past were not a people, but now are the people of God :
which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained
mercy."
Yes, the people, deceived by you, have good reason no
longer to believe in you. You have deceived them with
your doctrines yours, and not those of the Gospel ; invent
ed for your profit alone, not for the benefit of men s souls,
to which you have even denied consolation, when they could
not give you silver and gold in payment for it. You have
deceived them, too, with your practices, when you, so ava
ricious, have preached disinterestedness ; you, so impure,
chastity ; you, so vindictive, pardon ; you, so insubordinate,
submission ; you, so turbulent, peace ; you, so self-indulgent,
temperance ; you, so indolent, industry ; you, so immoral,
holiness.
Thus to this day you have deceived the people, and the
people have ceased to believe in you, perceiving that God
did not dwell in you, that God no longer spoke through your
untruthful lips.
How, indeed, could they longer believe in you, when your
words were in open contradiction with the Word of God
your institutions with its principles ?
God pardons him that believes you declare none ab
solved but by works ! God will be worshiped by believers
in spirit and in truth ; He prohibits sculptures and images,
so that no one may ever give worship and homage to an
other.
Oh, how many things have you taught, how many divers
practices have you adopted ! How have you changed the
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION. 53
temple of prayer, the mystic table of the Lord s Supper, the
simple hymn of the faithful, the pure preaching of the Word !
Who ever saw in the ancient churches who could have
anticipated in the modern ones, the golden ornaments of
your sacerdotal crowns and vestments ? so that, on solemn
days, your whole person shines in the temple like a sun, to
which the almost dazzled eyes of a deluded multitude of
disciples are turned, substituting, alas ! the senses for spirit,
earth for heaven, man for Deity.
Fatal illusion, which has caused such great evils through
out Christendom ! these appearances are supposed to be
faith, and in these religion is made to consist. Deny it if
you can. What is, in fact, the faith of the people, and what
must it be from your practical instruction ? That, of course,
which they see and hear with you. And what else do they
see and hear but superstitions and errors ? To whom are
the solemn days dedicated ? To the saints. Concerning
whom are the most glowing orations made in the churches ?
The saints. Who is over the altars ? A saint, at full
length ; with, or perhaps without, a small crucifix, scarcely
visible. Which way do the people turn on entering the
temple ? To the spot where they see an image exciting to
their feelings. And what follows ? The people worship
it. And your priests, spectators of this superstition, are si
lent. You are consistent in being so, for none but your
selves deserve to be blamed for this abuse you, who place
the image there you, who relate its miracles, so as to ena
mour the simple who trust you ! You are silent also be
cause it is your interest. Oblations, gifts, offerings, follow
the adoration. But are not the people deluded ? What
matters it, if only the priesthood be profited !
The people, however, will not believe themselves deluded
in doing what they see you do. Who is there among you
that does not adore the saints, does not adore and kiss their
relics ? It is useless to urge the distinction about sorts of
worship which you make in the schools. The people know
it not, because they have never been taught it. It is shut
up in your books, from whence it never comes out except to
54 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
be learned by those who have to support and defend it
against every attack. In short, it is the doctrine of contro
versy, not of practice.
If you regulated the practice by the doctrine, you would
prohibit kneeling before images and relics ; but you are the
first to kneel. You would not permit the use of incense to
relics and images, practiced from antiquity in honor of God
alone ; but it is you who offer incense to them. You would
not tolerate even the candles on the altar, to inspire the
people with a high idea of the majesty of God ; but you
light them yourselves. You come upon us with the dis
tinction of the school, between the worship and adoration
of images.
Who are you who dare to distinguish, where the law pre
cludes all distinction ? It is God who says in the second
commandment, " Thou shalt not make unto thyself any
graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth : thou shalt not bow down thyself to them,
nor serve them." (Exod., xx. ; Deut., v.) But you have
purposely taken this commandment out of your Decalogue,
dividing the last into two, in order to complete the num
ber ten.
Need I remind you of all the other inventions by which
you have deceived the people, making them believe that you
have found them in the Scriptures, and that they have,
moreover, the suffrage of a constant tradition within the
Church ? The people, having now learned to read, take
the Bible in their hands, and look for your doctrines in it.
"Where, they ask, is the precept for auricular confession, of
which the Church of Rome makes an express command, and
has declared it a sacrament ? Not a word of it can be
found in the Gospel, nor the slightest allusion in the letters
of the apostles. But perhaps some Christians of the early
times practiced it ? For four centuries they did not even
know it by name, and when it began to spring up it found
more opponents than followers, no one even venturing to re
duce it into a precept. The people seek in the Bible the
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 55
famous doctrine of purgatory, and how great their surprise
to find that our Lord Jesus Christ, who brought life and
immortality to light, with the double eternity of rewards
and punishments, has never mentioned purgatory, nor have
His apostles.
You send them to read a sentence of the Book of the Mac
cabees, and wish Judas Maccabeus to teach the Christian
people what Jesus Christ did not teach. But the people,
who are not wanting in sense, ask their priests what is the
value of that Book of Maccabees ? The conscientious priest
is obliged to reply that it is one of the apocryphal books, it
having never been received by the Hebrews, from whom we
are bound to receive faithfully the books of the Old Testa
ment ; not being written originally in their language ; never
being quoted, either by Christ or by his apostles ; conse
quently, not received in the ancient Catholic Church, and
only inserted among the sacred books by the Council of
Trent, to whom it was an object to authenticate the doc
trine of purgatory. So much for the Scripture proof. Now
let us go to the tradition of the ancient Catholic Church.
You will admit that, for two centuries, prayers for the
dead, and still more the doctrine of purgatory, never entered
men s heads. Tertullian, that imaginative mind, which
saw so many other things upside down, was the first to rec
ommend prayers for the dead, without, however, mentioning
purgatory. Toward the end of the fourth century, Augus
tine, another African mind, spoke more decidedly both of
prayers and of a sort of suffrages for the dead. However
others choose to act, shall we rely on the authority of his
discoveries ? Even the purgatory of Augustine was not an
existing fire, but one which is to be lighted up at the final
destruction, through which then, and not previously, souls
shall pass. This theory is of perhaps equal value with his
theory about the Antipodes, whose existence that learned
man denied !
The case is similar with all the other dogmas which, since
the time of Gregory VII. , have originated in the Church of
Rome. Is the Christian Church bound to receive the wick-
56 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
ed inventions of Honorius III., proposed and sanctioned by
him in the Lateran Council (1215) ? Shall she adhere to
his famous dogma of transubstantiation, invented by the her
etic Eutychus, unknown in the first ages, and ably contra
dicted by Pope Galatius ? (De Duab. Christ. Natur.)
Can she abide by the impious doctrine that the sacrifice of
Christ, offered once for all, as a full satisfaction, even to the
end of the world, should be renewed every day by hund
reds, by thousands, by hundreds of thousands of priests, who
say that they are authorized to offer it, both for the living
and the dead ? Most enormous sacrilege, to which the
whole Bible is opposed, and which the Apostle Paul loudly
condemns in his epistles ! What elder or bishop in the first
centuries ever allowed himself to celebrate your mass, or
the sacrifice which you call unbloody, or to make use of
any thing but the simple commemoration of the Supper of
the Lord, very far removed from that idea with which you
have clothed it in the ages of error and ignorance ? Is the
sacrament which you now celebrate the original august mys
tery of the Divine food, instituted indeed in substances of
bread and wine, but containing spiritually the body and
blood of Christ ; which are communicated to His Church,
that is, to the multitude of believers, not materially and
physically, as you say, but in virtue of faith ? Yes ! if you
will but celebrate it with that simplicity with which it was
celebrated by the first bishops and elders of the Catholic
Church, we will come willingly to receive it at your hands.
Celebrate it in all its extent, and the people will approach
the eucharistic table to eat of the Divine bread, and to drink
of the Divine cup. But the people desire both the one and
the other, and can not yet understand the reason for which
you have taken the cup from them.
Is it not the precept of Christ that every believer should
drink of that cup as well as eat of that bread ? Was not
this the practice of the primitive times of Christianity ?
The Greek Church has always retained that practice, and
the Reformation immediately resumed it. The people have
as good a right to the cup as have you priests even better
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 57
than you, since you can not avail yourselves of it without
the Church properly so called. In taking it alone, you per
form an act contrary to His institution, which is to " com
municate" that is, to take it together, as the word itself
teaches you. Yes ! Only on this condition will the people
remain united to you, that you be faithful in the exercise
of the ministry, not altering the faith, not changing the
practice, not deceiving them in any thing.
They are willing to confide in you as the appointed serv
ants of the Church in the offices of religion. But, instead
of this, you think of nothing but to command. The yoke of
Christ, which He made easy, and His burden, which He
made light, you have rendered so heavy and insupportable
that the people refuse to bear them. Something very dif
ferent from indulgences and benedictions is needed to satisfy
the people. In the present day fables please none but chil
dren, and lies are no longer tolerated by any. The Chris
tian people desire from us, the ministers of its Church, the
Word of Life as announced by Jesus Christ, as preached by
the apostles, as written in the sacred books of our faith.
If, instead of chaplets and Agni Dei, which are decep
tions, you, the Bishop of Rome, were to give the Bible to
the people, you would see how readily they would follow
you ! But it must be the Bible translated into their own
language, so that they may comprehend it. Give them the
Bible ! Bestow on them those sacred books which Moses
and the prophets, the evangelists and the apostles wrote for
the people, and not for the priests only ! Give the people
that which is their own ; they have a right to it of which
you can not deprive them. It is the testament of our God,
who left his people the heirs of His holy Word ; in reading
which, faith will be granted, and to the belief of which are
attached salvation and life.
Who gave you the power to deprive the people of their
privilege and highest benefit ? Fear lest God end by aveng
ing His oppressed ones, and causing a curse to fall upon you.
You venture to excommunicate the people, if they read
the Bibles which a beneficent Christian society has taken
C 2
58 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
pains to print in all languages, on purpose that all nations
may enjoy the benefit of reading them. You condemn the
charity and the religion of those good men, who, in their
zeal for souls, undertake this work with much expense to
themselves ? Pope Gregory, what manner of spirit are
you of? As one of the bishops of Christendom, you should
have a care to feed your flock ; on what will you feed them,
if not on the pure and holy Word of God ? You ought,
therefore, to be well disposed toward all who take this
Word from the holy originals in Hebrew and Greek, and
faithfully translate it into the vulgar tongue, so as to enable
you and other bishops to administer it to your flocks. You
ought yourself to accept these sacred volumes from their
hands, and, accompanying them with the warmest expres
sions of paternal solicitude, recommend them to the reading
and the study of your children. What do I say ? You
ought, on your own account, to print them, and not wait for
others to supply you with them. You will then see the faith
ful in your Church apply themselves eagerly to that Divine
book, and draw from it food and nourishment. But, alas !
you do just the opposite. You do not print it, and you do
not choose that others should print it. You never give it to
the people, and you do not wish that others should give it.
I will add what I hear is said you do not read, and you
do not wish that others should read it. And for this you
allege as your sole reason, the pretext that the people are
not capable of understanding it. Truly they do not under
stand it in Latin, but they would understand it in their own
language. The Germans and the English, to whom their
own churches impart it, do understand it ; why should it
not be understood by the French, the Italians, and the
Spaniards ?
You say, in your Encyclical of last March, that the Coun
cil of Trent, in order to explain the Bible to the people, pro
vides that in each cathedral church a canon should be
charged to deliver, during each year, certain lectures on the
Scriptures. And think you that this is enough ? I know of
this provision, and I know, too, how it is practiced. Would
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION. 59
that this were done in all the cathedrals, and that the num
ber of lectures amounted to twenty in a year ! But, let me
ask you, has every village its cathedral and its theologians
authorized to lecture on the Scripture ? Away with such
excuses ! why abuse the inexperienced with illusive words,
which only mock the people ? The fact is, you do not wish
the Scriptures to be read, still less read aloud, by any one
who, having no interest in nattering you, would consult
them in order to investigate your doctrines. Those humble
souls, to whom the Lord would reveal the knowledge which
He denies to your theologians, would find in them the falsi
ty of your system ; instead of believing in you, they would
begin to believe in Jesus Christ, who announces to his peo
ple salvation by faith, and not by works ; remission of sins
to sinners by grace, and not by penance ; satisfaction by the
merits of Jesus Christ, arid not by those of good men ; Jesus
Christ the sole Mediator with God, not the Virgin and the
saints ; Christ the Head and Chief of the Church, not Peter
nor you ; Christ alone perfectly holy, Christ alone infallible.
These, and other such things, the people would find in
the Bible, if they read it. And the consequence would be,
that they, being the many, finding themselves deceived by
you, who are the few, would summon you to judgment for
having too long kept them in error, to the serious injury of
religion, as well as to the danger of their own souls. Think
you that the antiquity of dates, the traditions of canons, or
the authority of the Fathers would then serve to defend
your cause ? The people, with the Bible in their hands,
after having confuted your errors, and those of your councils
and of your fathers, all of whom, being uninspired men, were
but too liable to err, as in fact they did err the people
would pronounce such a sentence as would oblige you and
your theologians to return to the Bible, that is, to the true
Catholic Church of the first three centuries ; reforming, by
this means, what has been added since, whether by the de
sire of novelty, or by the spirit of ambition and interest.
Do you know what the people are ? They are the Church
of Jesus Christ. We are the ministers or servants of this
60 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
Church, and we therefore depend upon the people. This
truth, announced by Jesus Christ, and openly taught by His
apostles, but which men have willfully denied, begins now
to revive. The people, whom it has been attempted to de
prive of their privileges, now begin to reclaim them. The
man who now reads in his own language the Epistles of
St. Peter and St. Paul, discovers in them his own privileges ;
he reflects on the usurpation practiced upon him, and claims
the rights to which he is entitled. The people, as consti
tuting the Church, to which the ministers are servants in
the dispensation of mysteries and in the office of preaching,
will then have the help of Christ, even to the end of the
world. On this people-Church the promises of the Redeem
er descended, and we only participate in them as part and
ministers of the people.
Bishop of Rome ! continue, if you will, as long as men
Adll allow you, to sit on the throne of the Caesars, who are
dead, but invade not that of Jesus Christ, who lives and
reigns. He is the only Sovereign of the people-Church, nor
does He allow himself to be represented by others. He gov
erns it at all times by His own laws, nor does He suffer others
to usurp His rights, by substituting their own laws for His.
And does it follow that He must be longer silent, because
He has borne with you in silence until now ? It is now
nearly the middle of the nineteenth century. Do you not
see the providence of God in operation over all material
and earthly things ? When was there ever such prog
ress in enlightenment, such knowledge of the arts of indus
try ? Remote nations approach each other by the easiest
means, connect themselves in the most rapid manner, and
form plans for a degree of union, of peace, and of prosperity,
such as has never before existed. Nations which slept for
ages have woke up full of vigor and energy ; their steps are
those of a giant ; their look is that of the eagle ; they meas
ure the earth in its vastness, and overrun it in all its ex
tent. The people of our day differ widely from those of by
gone times ; their wants are more strongly felt, their lan
guage is more decided.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 61
In former times, no Roman could have been found to speak
to his pope with frankness. You have now found one who
spares you not, who dares to present himself before you ; not
on his knees to adore you, but erect, to speak to you with
freedom, and to tell you what he thinks. And with him
are thousands, nay, millions, who partake his views. And
who is this man ? An Italian, a minister of an Italian
Church a church which assembles to pray to God in the
Italian language, and to listen to the reading of His holy
Word. And in whose name does he minister ? In that of
God. By whom chosen and received ? By the people, who
are the Church ; and previously by yourself, and by the
Church of the priests ; if, indeed, that church of yours be
really a church, consisting, as it does, of priests only, with
out people. You are called the Latin Church, but where
is the Latin people ? From the time that the language of
the priests has ceased to be the language of the people,
priests and people no longer form one church, unless by the
word church you mean a theater, with a stage for the act
ors and a space for the spectators. The country from the
Alps to the sea is Italy ; its inhabitants are called by all
the world, Italians ; its language is Italian, and has been so
for four centuries. "Where is there room for a Latin Church ?
Such did exist before God extinguished it ; but God has ex
tinguished it, and man can not maintain it in existence.
Yes, Pope Gregory, Italians we are, and Christians we are
resolved to be. What shall be the name of our Church ?
Answer, or the people will answer for you, " The Italian."
The Italian Church we are, by the will of God and in the
name of Jesus Christ who presides over us. Will you join
us ? You, too, are an Italian. You, too, are a Christian.
Nay, you are a minister and an elder, as St. Peter designa
ted himself; and among the elders we will recognize you
as a bishop, whenever you will return with us to the Chris
tianity of primitive times ; otherwise we must part.
Understand that in religion there is no compromise, and
we are persuaded that the religion of the first three centu
ries is alone the pure and true Christianity. Can you deny
62 DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION.
this ? You are a conscientious man ; do justice, then, to
your country, since the providence of God has made you
pope, that is to say, Bishop of Rome, in the nineteenth cen
tury. Blame us not that in wishing to be Christians we
refuse to be Romanists. Within the present century, heav
en and earth will contradict you ; posterity will condemn
you ; and an Omnipotent God will pass your sentence, doom
ing you to be the last of a series which has existed long
enough by coming down to our own days.
JULY, 1844.
LETTER III.
To Pius IX., Bishop and Sovereign of Rome, GIACINTO
ACHILLI, a Minister of the Italian Catholic Church.
IT is not unknown to you that I addressed two letters to
your exalted predecessor, Gregory XVI., making a full re
tractation of the Romish doctrines which I had professed,
more or less, up to 1841, and declaring to him my entire
belief in Divine Scripture alone, to the exclusion of every
thing else. In this faith I intend to live and die, so help
me God and His holy Word !
Being appointed, however, by the will of the Lord, a min
ister and elder in His Church, I can not abstain from the
exercise of that employment without entailing upon myself
God s anger, and committing a culpable desertion of duty.
My ministry is consecrated to the Church of Jesus Christ,
and I am deeply impressed with the obligation of fulfilling
my vocation. "The Pastor and Bishop of souls" gives me
both the command and the strength to discharge my duties.
The Church, which is the people, calls me to serve it. I
must be faithful to my ministry, rendering a good account
of the charge intrusted to me.
I have been bidden to keep in remembrance " that true
faith which is in me," and "to keep alive that gift of God
which is in me by the imposition of hands," seeing that
God " has not given us a spirit of fear," but of strength, and
of love, and of a sound mind. Therefore " I must not be
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 63
ashamed of the testimony of our Lord." " I know in whom
I have believed, and I am persuaded that He is able to keep
that which I have committed unto Him against that day."
I therefore " keep the form of sound words which I have
heard, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." " I keep
that good thing, which was committed unto me by the Holy
Ghost, which dwelleth in me." I profess before God and
the Lord Jesus Christ " to preach the Word, to be instant in
season and out of season, to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
long-suffering and doctrine." I purpose to be vigilant in
every thing, " to endure afflictions, to do the work of an
evangelist, to make full proof of my ministry."
Such being my office, such my obligations, here I stand
before you, Holy Father, " studying to show myself approved
of God, a workman not needing to be ashamed, rightly di
viding the "Word of Truth." I know that the elders who
have performed well the duty of ruling should be " reputed
worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the
Word and in doctrine." You are the elder to whom was
recently committed the charge of ruling over the Church
of our country, and this charge was committed to you by
other elders, who divide among them the various offices of
that church, or who are called to preside over other churches.
You, the overseer, or Bishop of the Church of Rome, took
upon you the heavy responsibility of feeding that portion
of the flock of Christ, and of strengthening your brethren
with good example and holy doctrine. Your brethren, who
look to you for counsel and direction, depend in a certain
degree on you, regarding you as an elder brother, whose
judgment and prudence may aid their timidity and weak
ness. On you, therefore, it devolves to propose to them that
which is of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, and which
tends to the welfare of His Church. You it behooves to re
store the truths of religion to their primitive purity ; to take
away every extraneous admixture, thus separating the good
wheat from the tares, in order to give to the Christian peo
ple the nourishment of faith and of salvation. Your breth
ren look up to you in this subject, which ought to be con-
64 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
ducted with harmony, in order to preserve the union of the
Christian churches ; and although each possesses over hia
own church an equal authority, they nevertheless hesitate
to act without you ; they expect you to set this work in
motion, and to be their model in the reformation of doc
trine.
Yes, Holy Father, the reformation of doctrine is the seri
ous business to which you and your brethren are called by
the people to turn your earnest attention, for it is well known
to all Christians that upon the purity and holiness of the
doctrines of the Church depend the purity and holiness of
the actions of believers. Now the doctrines which proceed
from men are neither pure nor holy, seeing that " God hath
concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy
upon all." Therefore none but the doctrines of God are
the truth in religion ; all others are lies.
Think you, then, that those are doctrines of God which
are not contained in His Book, but are opposed to the sa
cred precepts of His holy Word ? Have you ever compared
the doctrines taught in primitive times with those of later
ages ? Have you ever compared the dogmas of the Decre
tals with the doctrines of the Bible ? I have compared
them, and have shuddered at the result ; in amazement that
so many strange novelties, amounting to an actual renun
ciation of the ancient faith, the pure creed of our fathers,
should ever have been introduced into Christianity.
Strip yourself, then, of that fatal prepossession that your
predecessors were holy and infallible. Examine carefully
the sources of the existing belief. Observe what is from
God, and what proceeds from man. Man has erred in pre
suming to legislate in the things of God. Not only singly,
but in the aggregate, men have erred. The Divine assist
ance was no doubt promised, but it was for preserving the
ancient doctrines, not for framing new ones ; the Holy Spir
it is with those who believe in the ancient Scriptures, but
not with those who tamper with the Divine Word. In the
Middle Ages the ministers of the Catholic Church reveled
in innovation, and from that time the desire for change has
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 65
grown upon them to such a degree that primitive Christian
ity can no longer be recognized.
Think you that it was ever permitted to men to add their
ideas and thoughts to the ideas and thoughts of God, or to
take any thing away from the Divine Book ? Are you not
rather persuaded with me that whosoever does this, on him
are denounced the chastisements of God, as it is written in
the last verse of the Divine Revelation " God shall take
away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy
city, and from the things which are written in this book ?"
To add to the meaning, or to change it ! to overturn on cer
tain points the entire system and spirit of the Divine Legis
lator ! I ask you, who were an elder before me, and a ruler
among the elders, are such things to be endured ? How
ever ancient these errors maybe, however concealed by some
or acquiesced in by others, shall prescription prevail to this
extent ? No ! no antiquity can establish the abuses of re
ligion ; and even if the whole world were combined to main
tain error (supposing such a thing were possible), even that
would not hinder its destruction by any single person who
had with him the Word of Truth. This, then, is the point
at issue ; the abuses of Rome have existed long, and obtain
ed for a long time the support of the multitude ; do they for
that reason cease to be abuses ? Her errors have been adopt
ed, applauded, followed ; do they on that account cease to be
errors ? And must not abuses and errors be reformed, where
soever they may be found, or however long they may have
existed ?
But with whom does it rest to effect a reform in matters
of religion ? Who is to promote it, and by what means ?
I reply, first, the bishops ; then the elders ; afterward all
who have a zeal for religion. The instrument of reforma
tion is most simple, viz., the Word of God as it stands writ
ten in the Holy Scriptures, pure as our forefathers received
it, powerful in itself to change the face of the whole uni
verse. The truths of that sacred book constitute the whole
of Christianity ; out of it there exists no truth for the Church.
Be it yours, then, Holy Father, with the sacred Bible in
66 DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION.
your hand, to reform the doctrine corrupted by your prede
cessors ! No one so well as you can do this work ; no one
so much as you is bound to do it by conscience and by spe
cial obligation.
Let this consideration sink deep into your mind, How sad
is the present state of religion in Italy, that country with
which you are most closely connected ? Where, now, can
be found among us that holiness of faith, whence alone pro
ceeds holiness of works ? When we look for Christianity,
what do we see around us ? Infidelity or superstition. In
fidelity in all those classes who call themselves enlightened ;
superstition in those who follow the teaching of your priests.
On the one hand are men who have cast off all belief, and
have rejected Christianity with popery. Seeing that both
Gospel and Canons came to them from the same hands,
they have concluded that both must be lies ; that both be
ing preached to them with the same fervor, nay, the Canons
sometimes exalted above the Gospel, both have been con
trived only to shackle consciences, to degrade the spirit of
man, to subjugate the people to the rule of one individual
who has had, in all ages, an appetite for power ! Thus,
not distinguishing the work of man from pure Christianity,
which is the work of God, they have rejected every thing
alike, and live the life of infidels. On the other hand, we
behold men who receive implicitly all that is taught them
to whom all is gold which is sold by the priests to whom
all is sacred which has any show of religion or piety who,
not caring for faith, seek only for good works ; and, think
ing little or nothing about God and Jesus Christ, run after
saints and the Virgin, relics, images, and indulgences !
These two classes, generally speaking, comprised all the
Christianity of Italy ; and to this unsoundness is to be re
ferred the reigning immorality, the want of energy of mind,
the absence of virtue and of union among our citizens. " The
Church which divides the races within our country" was
the great subject of lamentation to that immortal genius,
who, three centuries ago, on the banks of the Arno, reveal
ed to the world the wickedness of princes. " The Church
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 67
which demoralizes the people" with its doctrines even more
than with its practices, is the lamentation which I, a son
of Italy, a minister of the Italian people, raise aloud to heav
en, and which, with all the strength that is in me, I would
echo in the ears of all good men who love our country. Yes !
from the Church, or rather from those who call themselves
the Church, proceeds all that series of evils which degrades
our beautiful land, and lowers our people in the eyes of the
stranger. Nor will I ever cease to utter my voice until,
in this respect more than any other, our beloved Italy shall
be seen reforming herself, and by these means returning
gloriously to holiness of faith, to purity of morals, to mutual
love among our citizens.
And you, Holy Father are not you, like me, an Italian ?
do not you, like me, feel burning within you the sacred love
of country " la dolce carita del natio loco ?" Oh ! I will
not so wrong you as to suppose you now destitute of a sen
timent which has hitherto distinguished you ; a sentiment
which ought rather to grow stronger in your mind, now that,
as bishop of the most ancient of cities, you occupy the most
glorious of thrones. To you the applauding people ascribe
a generous liberality ; from you are expected good laws, and
ameliorations in the difficult details of government. From
you they hope to receive that in which they would receive
every thing which by one act you have the power to give
them a religious reformation. Whoever thinks correctly,
knows that on this point depend social improvement, public
prosperity in a word, every good thing which, by the favor
of Divine Providence, citizens are capable of acquiring.
Without this, we shall always remain in wretchedness, un-
happiness, disunion. Without this, there will never be con
tentment, nor any tranquillity among the people. The
spirit of restless change will continue to agitate them to
their own injury, it is true, but also to the destruction of
yourself and of others who are their princes.
Reform, then, let us have in the Church ; but what re
form, and in what particulars ? Must I repeat it ? Re
move every thing invented by popes, decreed by popes, de-
68 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
signed for the interest of popes. All this is popery, no*
Christianity ; and we are resolved to be henceforth Chris
tians, not papists. The reformation is complete when once
the sentence is uttered, " The Bible, and nothing but the
Bible."
For instance, that you, Pius, should be Bishop of Rome,
is not contrary to the Bible. But this is contrary to it, that
you should assume a bishopric over those sees which have
already another bishop ; for all bishops are equal, each one
the pastor of his own flock, and each independent of the
other. For my part, you should have my vote to be bishop
of all Italy, were all the other bishops removed ; but you
can not rightfully coexist. That elders, too, should exist,
is in accordance with the Bible and you may call them
priests, if you will ; but as for friars, they are contrary to
the Bible ; their vows are repugnant to the Gospel, what
ever your theologians may say of them ; and their ministry
useless, at least, if not hurtful, to the Church.
What, again, do we mean by the Church ? You know
well that in the Word of God it means the Christian people.
It is contrary, then, to the Bible for the Church to mean the
priests only. Let it please you, Holy Father, to consider
well, for a moment, this point, which is at present of the
highest importance. Do you believe that what has been
usurped should be restored ? Let it, then, be by your means
that the people resume their ancient rights, and repossess
the Church according to their right. But what Church will
you restore to the people of Italy ? The Latin ? But where
is now the Latin people or the Latin language ? Do you
not perceive what a scourge God sent you when the priests
of Rome wished to appropriate the Church to themselves
and to make it their private property, declaring themselves
princes and governors, and the people subjects and slaves
to the Church of the priests ? It was a chastisement not
unlike that which God sent in the valley of Shinar, when
daring men set themselves to build the famous tower which
was to reach to heaven. Audacious priests, in the thir
teenth century, also attempted to raise themselves into a
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 69
spiritual power, intending to hold the people forever in sub
jection. But God sent among them by degrees the spirit
of confusion, rendering their language unintelligible to the
people, so that people and priests were compelled to sep
arate. With the priests remained the ancient language, in
which they had dictated laws at variance with the G ospel ;
and, sometimes in Christ s name, sometimes in the name of
Moses, had oppressed, burned, tortured the people ; a lan
guage associated with crimes which daily mounted up to
the throne of the Omnipotent, provoking the infliction of con
dign punishment such crimes as prayers addressed in the
temple to saints instead of to God ; the Word of Truth ex
changed for fables ; and Christian teaching founded no lon
ger on the ancient doctrine of the Bible, but on the new doc
trine of the Canons. The whole language of Catholicism,
having become exclusively Romish, had adulterated the
things of God, the doctrines and maxims of the religion of
Jesus Christ.
So grievous a scandal drew down upon Home the anger
of the Eternal, who seemed, as it were, to repeat the an
cient words, " Let us go down, and there confound their lan
guage." That beautiful idiom, which, originating in Lati-
um among the descendants of Romulus, grew with the great
ness of ancient Rome, the language of Virgil arid Tully, be
came confused and lifeless ; and Rome, the new Babel, be
held issuing from her bosom and growing up at once a gen
eration of sons who understood not the language of their
fathers. The Church of the priests felt the heavy blow
which came upon it from heaven ; but, instead of weeping
and humbling herself before God instead of repenting and
correcting her faults, she persisted in her error, and launch
ed her anathemas against the people ; declaring, like the
haughty synagogue of old, that it was enough for her to
comprehend herself as for the people, so much the worse
for them if they did not understand her language !
What followed ? People and priests became divided.
The Church and the nation became separated forever ; the
Church and priests called themselves Latin, while the na-
70 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
tion and the people called themselves Italians. This is a
great fact which has not hitherto been sufficiently regarded.
The people, ever under subjection to the tyranny of the
priesthood, had not the spirit to resist oppression, and hardly
even to open their eyes to look upon its chains. In the
mean time the priests labored to impress them with a be
lief that such was their natural condition. Slaves by the
will of the strong, they were taught to believe themselves
so by fatality of nature and by the will of God. Such was
the consequence which naturally resulted.
But enough ! The people have opened their eyes. They
have beheld their chains. Like a lion they have burst
through them. They threaten their former oppressors with
a look that may well make them tremble. Their roaring
was like the waking up of nature, indicating a grand change
in the face of the world. The people have declared that
the times are gone by when they would submit to be badly
governed by their pretended masters, and that they, the peo
ple, are arbiters in their own affairs. Now we priests are
specially bound to do justice to the people ; for to us, more
than to others, has their cause been confided. Be it ours,
then, to enlighten them, which is the first thing they need.
Be it ours to assist and protect them with that holy aegis
which they themselves have confided to us. Let us unite
with them in the true religion of our forefathers. When
God extinguished our Latin language, he meant thereby to
punish us priests, and not the people. Let us submit to
that punishment. The Latin language has corrupted the
truths of the Catholic Church, and therefore God has ex
tinguished it. Let our church rise again in the Italian lan
guage, and let this be the ancient church of apostolic times.
Exile, anathema, to the Church of the Middle Ages ! Thus
alone can we priests become again united to the people ;
thus alone can we recover the Church ; for once more let
it be said the Church means the people, bishops and priests
being only the ministers of the people. It is not in the na
ture of things that the language of the Church should be
other than the language of the peopte. Italian is our Ian-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQ.UISITION. 71
language, and Italian must necessarily be that of our
church.
This church it is which I desire to serve as a minister.
"Will not you, Holy Father, serve it as bishop ? Gladly
would I then return to you ; and with me many who are
now alienated from it would gladly return. Thenceforth
they will have no cause to separate from it, for Jesus Christ
will truly reign in our church, and with Him will reign
union, peace, concord, charity. Oh, what a sight were this !
" How good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell
together in unity !" Thus united in the Italian Church, we
should remove every thing which separates us from other
Christian churches. Germany, England, Switzerland all
other countries at present divided from the communion of
Rome, would be again united with us in one faith. Nations
would be drawn together in the bonds of brotherhood. And
you, Holy Father, would be the blessed instrument by which
wou]d be realized the Divine prophecy, " There shall be one
fold and one Shepherd."
" The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all.
Amen."
MALTA, 1846.
CHAPTER V.
THE INQUISITION IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
WE are now in the middle of the nineteenth century, and
still the Inquisition is actually and potentially in existence.
This disgrace to humanity, whose entire history is a mass
of atrocious crimes, committed by the priests of the Church
of Rome, in the name of God arid of His Christ, whose vicar
and representative, the pope, the head of the Inquisition,
declares himself to be this abominable institution is still
in existence in Rome and in the Roman States. I have
72 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
heard of some avowed or concealed papists belonging to
Great Britain, who, on occasion of the public demonstra
tions that took place in the principal cities of the kingdom
on account of my liberation, had the boldness to deny that
I had ever been incarcerated in the Inquisition at all, or that
such an establishment existed in Rome at the present pe
riod. I shall not take up my own time, or that of my read
ers, in arguing with these persons, any more than I should
with those who might deny that it was day when the sun
was in its zenith.
In the month of April last, during my stay in Dublin, an
immense number of people, of all ranks and classes, attend
ed the meetings that were held in my favor, to express their
joy in seeing me, and the satisfaction they experienced in
hearing me. The whole body of papists were considerably
annoyed on the occasion, and not knowing in what manner
to put a stop to the proceedings, some of them took it into
their heads to spread a report through the city, affirming
that I was not the identical Dr. Achilli imprisoned by the
Inquisition, but an impostor, who assumed his name. This
poor invention, however, was not very likely to serve them,
as it would have been easy for me to prove my identity. In
like manner, any one who should persist in denying the
present existence of the Inquisition in Rome would soon find
his statement refuted and held up to ridicule. And this
being granted, can any one attempt to justify the conduct
of the Church of Rome in permitting it ?
I do not know what to think of the impudence of a cer
tain writer, unquestionably not an ordinary personage, who,
a short time ago, published an article in the " Dublin Re
view" (July, 1850), entitled " The Inquisition," the object
of which was to persuade the world that, after all, this In
quisition, respecting which so much unjust clamor (!) had
been raised, contained nothing but what might honestly be
considered necessary for the present state of society and the
interests of religion. Every religion, it was stated, had been
intolerant. What by us, in the present day, is denominated
intolerance, " entered into the very spirit of the Jewish re-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 73
ligion." (P. 423.) The learned writer, who, by-the-way,
we verily believe to be at this present time a cardinal, and,
to his shame, an Englishman, leads the reader to the con
clusion that the Almighty himself, the true founder of the
Jewish religion, has countenanced intolerance. He then
proceeds to observe : "Of the five great religions which di
vided the Gentile world the Greek, the Roman, the Egyp
tian, the Persian, and the Indian there is not one which
can claim exemption from the charge." (Ib.) His infer
ence, therefore, is, that it is no wonder that Christianity also
is in a similar state ; and this involves the further conclu
sion that Christianity itself, in this respect, is a system of
religion similar to these five great religious systems which
divided the pagan world. This is the doctrine held out to
us by a cardinal archbishop ! Like the preceding religions,
Christianity, according to him, has always been more or
less intolerant. With respect to papacy, it is most true
that in practice it has always been more or less so, but in
theory it has been always the same. In fact, Thomas Aqui
nas, the leading theologian and doctor of the Church of
Rome, lays down the following doctrine, which his emi
nence and others of his school seem very ready to act upon.
"It is," says he, " much more grievous to corrupt faith,
which is the source and life of the soul, than to corrupt
money, which but tends to the relief of the body. Hence,
if coiners and other malefactors are justly put to death by
the secular authority, much more may heretics not only be
excommunicated, but even justly put to death. "* For ex
ample, if you, reader, a Christian of intelligent mind, should
deny that the bread and the wine, in consequence of a few
words uttered over them, should cease to be actually bread
and wine you, in that case, have corrupted the faith of
the Thomasine school, which is that of the Church of Rome ;
and the reverend inquisitor speedily lays hold of you, with
sufficient argument before him to condemn you to death, for
the glory of God.
These barbarities were formerly common in Spain and
* St. Thorn., 2d, 9 : xi., art. 3.
D
74 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
Italy ; but now ! ! Is the theory of the Church of Rome, I
ask, still in favor of these practices ? I ask whether it he
possible for Cardinal W , who is an Englishman, to re
nounce this doctrine, and at the same time remain consist
ent to his principles ? Is it not manifestly a contradiction ?
It is his duty,^ then, as a Roman Catholic and an arch
bishop, to condemn you to death, whenever he may have
the power so to do, if you refuse to believe that the bread
and the wine, over which a priest has breathed the words
" Hoc est corpus meum" have not forthwith ceased to be
bread and wine. Yes, his eminence, faithful to his oath,
and sanctioned by the theological and legal decision of the
Thomasine doctors, must of necessity consign you to the
flames. Are flames no longer resorted to, as attracting too
vividly the attention of the public ? It matters not ; poison
will get rid of a heretic equally well, and more secretly.
The reverend Jesuits Busemban, Sa, Escobar, arid oth
ers, readily give their vote to that effect. When, in the
year 1842, I was for the first time delivered over to the In
quisition, the general of the Dominicans, the oldest of the
inquisitors,! exclaimed before the council, " This heretic,"
speaking of myself, "we had better burn him alive." Such
was the humanity of one who had grown gray among the
corruptions and evil practices of his profession ! His prop
osition, however, was not seconded, it being the first time I
had been accused ; but what might not have been my fate
if this old man had been living, and appointed to judge me
in the year 1850 ? In fact, I heard last year, while I was
in Rome, that another of these precious theologians, less
fierce and furious than the Dominican, suggested a more
moderate proceeding, in the following terms :
"I should advise that Achilli be so dealt with as to pre
vent the possibility of his ever troubling us any more."J
* The bishops swear to observe the laws of the Inquisition.
t Father Ancarani, an inquisitor of forty-five years standing.
J This most reverend personage is a man of mild temper, apparently in
capable of cruelty. He was at that time one of the counselors of the In
quisition.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 75
This, unquestionably, evinced no intention of setting me at
liberty. And at a later period, after I had written my let
ters to the pope, and published many other things in oppo
sition to the Romish doctrines, the same monsignore, speak
ing of me to one of his adherents, who was more my friend
than his, observed,
"I was right in the advice I gave in 1842, that Achilli
should be so dealt with as to prevent the possibility of his
ever troubling us any more. Had it been followed, we
should not have had the present annoyance. And who
knows what worse he may not have in store for us ?"
I am, indeed, much indebted to this monsignore : I hope
to do far better yet for the true Church of Christ.
What, then, is the Inquisition of the nineteenth century ?
The same system of intolerance which prevailed in the bar
barous ages. That which raised the Crusade, and roused
all Europe to arms at the voice of a monk* and of a her
mit, f That which in the name of a God of peace, man
ifested on earth by Christ, who, through love for sinners,
gave himself to be crucified brought slaughter on the Al-
bigenses and the Waldeiises ; filled France with desolation,
under Domenico di Guzman ; raised in Spain the funeral
pile and the scaffold, devastating the fair kingdoms of Gran
ada and Castile, through the assistance of those detestable
monks, Raimond de Pennefort, Peter Arbues, and Cardinal
Torquemada. That which, to its eternal infamy, registers
in the annals of France the fatal 24th of August, and the
5th of November in those of England. That same system
which at this moment flourishes in Rome, which has never
yet been either worn out or modified, and which, at this
present time, in the jargon of the priests, is called " the
holy, Roman, universal, apostolic Inquisition." Holy, as the
place where Christ was crucified is holy ; apostolic, because
Judas Iscariot was the first inquisitor ; Roman and univers
al, because from Rome it extends over all the world.
It is denied by some that the Inquisition, which exists in
Rome as its center, is extended throughout the world by
* Bernard of Chiaravalle. t Peter the Hermit.
76 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
means of the missionaries. The Roman Inquisition and the
Roman Propaganda are in close connection with each other.
Every bishop who is sent in partibus infidelium, is an in
quisitor charged to discover, through the means of his mis
sionaries, whatever is done or said by others in reference to
Rome, with the obligation to make his report secretly. The
apostolic nuncios are all inquisitors, as also are the apostolic
vicars.
Here, then, we see the Roman Inquisition extending into
the most remote countries. In India, for example who
would ever believe that the Inquisition was at work there ?
So far from Rome ! in the dominions of the English ! The
bare assertion would meet with ridicule. " Oh ! the Inqui
sition in India ! No, no, we can not believe that. In name,
indeed, it may be there, but never in actual reality." For
tunately, however, I have a letter by me, which I received
in this country in March last. The original has been seen
by many persons ; among others, by Sir Culling E. Eardley,
through whom, indeed, I received it. It came to hand very
opportunely. It is written in English, and, if not elegant
in its phraseology, it is at least sincere, and to be depended
upon. It is as follows :
" DEAR AND REVEREND SIR, I hope you will excuse me
if I, who am a stranger to you, take the liberty to address
you the present letter. But the same God who delivered
you from the brutal hands of your persecutors (for which I
congratulate you) has given me courage to rise from my
lethargy in which I was ; and, kneeling before his presence,
I heard a voice, saying, Write to Mr. A. [Achilli] for advice,
and fly again from this Babylon. Therefore, full of confi
dence, I take the pen, in order to relate to you all my story.
" I am a Roman Catholic priest, and, as soon as I was or
dained, being very anxious to preach the Gospel to the poor
Hindoos, I left Rome on the 2d of March, 1840, being then
twenty-three years of age, and was sent by Propaganda
Fide to India ; and there, being able to speak the English
language, I was appointed, by the Roman Catholic bishop
of Bombay, as military chaplain, and was sent to a military
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 77
camp at Belgaum, where I was a very zealous and bigoted
Roman Catholic priest till God was pleased to open my eyes
in the following manner :
" A Protestant clergyman of the Church of Scotland,
named Taylor, celebrated the marriage ceremony to two
Catholics, and this hurt my feelings very much ; therefore
I thought it my duty to write him a letter in very impolite*
manner, as is the custom of all Roman Catholic priests to
do, to which he answered very kindly, and sent me also
some Protestant books to read ; of course I refused to read
them, and I returned them to him. But God put it into his
heart to call as he did on me. He spoke to me a new lan
guage which I had never before heard ; it was the language
of a true Christian (how the sinner is justified before God).
This language, by the grace of God, touched my heart in such
a manner that I took a Protestant book and began to read.
It was The Spirit of the Papacy, which opened my eyes,
and I began to perceive the errors of the Church of Rome.
Then, quite another man, I opened the Holy Bible, and con
firmed myself that the Catholic religion is in perfect contra
diction to the Word of God, and that the Protestant Church
was the Church in which God called me ; therefore I opened
my mind to the Rev. Mr. Jackson, who was the military
Protestant chaplain at Belgaum, and a great friend of mine.
He advised me to write to Dr. Carr, bishop of Bombay,
which I did ; and his lordship was pleased to answer me in
a very polite manner, begging me to write my sentiments
about the real presence of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Sac
rament, and a treatise on the spiritual power of the pope,
which I also did ; and then he wrote to me to go to Bom
bay, where I embraced the Protestant religion, that is to
say, the pure religion of the Gospel.
" A Spanish Jesuit priest, named Francis Xavier Serra,
whom I never saw before, called on me in a secular dress,
and, speaking the Italian language well, he told me that he
was an Italian layman, and having heard that I was an Ital-
* As the style does not interfere with the sense, it has not been deemed
necessary to correct the foreign idioms in this letter.
78 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
ian too, he called on me ; but he did not mention any thing
about religion, saying he did not care about it ; and he was
very kind to me. He called on me four or five times ; till
one day, being a very agreeable evening, he begged me to
take a round with him, which I did. And we went near
the Catholic church, and, to my great surprise, I was taken
by four men, and forced to go to the vicar general, where
they forced me to write a letter to the Protestant minister,
Mr. Valentine, in whose house I lived, stating my intention
to return to the Catholic religion ; which, I am very sorry
to say, I did. They then closed me in a room till Sunday,
when the vicar took me by force to the pulpit, and dictated
to me what I-was to say to the congregation ; and he obliged
me to declare that I left the Catholic religion for worldly
motives, which was quite contrary to my sentiments. When
night came, they took me from the room in which I was
closed, and delivered me to a captain of a French ship, as
a prisoner, with the order to take care of me to Marseilles,
where he delivered me to the bishop, who, with a French
priest, sent me to Rome. From Rome I was sent, as a pun
ishment, to a convent at Perugia, where I remained for five
years, till I got again my liberty, and returned to Rome ;
this was in November, 1848.
" I am sure, sir, you are not surprised to hear the treach
ery made to me at Bombay by that Jesuit and by the vicar.
Besides, you must know that the vicar, whose name is
Father Michele Antonio, for his bad character had been
put in jail for six months by the British government at
Bombay.
" Now, sir, I live in a most miserable state of mind, be
ing from my heart a Protestant, yet I am obliged to observe
the Roman Catholic forms, which is quite contrary to my
feelings. I am very sorry that I had not in India the
Christian courage which you have demonstrated just now
in Rome ; but you must know that they threatened me with
brutal menaces, and that I was too young.
" I am at present firmly resolved to fly from this Baby
lon, and embrace again the pure doctrine of the Gospel ;
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 79
to remain in the faith, by the grace of God, till my death,
and to preach it throughout the world
" I have the honor, &c.,
" Your brother in Jesus Christ,
" N. N."
"ROME, the 26th Feb., 1850."
This adventure at Bombay proves that the Inquisition is
not only in existence, but sufficiently daring to carry on its
operations even within the British dominions ; and we see
the manner in which it acts. In Bombay, the recantation
of this poor priest is all that is known (as an English mis
sionary, who was there at the time, told me) : it was said,
indeed, that he had since left the country ; but no one knew
of the treachery of the Jesuit, or of the tricks of the apos
tolic vicar.
Similar events occur more or less frequently in various
parts of the world, most commonly in the Levant, since the
Turkish governor does not grant his protection to foreigners,
and the obliging consuls of Austria, France, and Naples
generally have the complaisance to arrest whomsoever the
bishops require, and send them to Rome. It is notorious that
in Constantinople, in the year 1847, an Armenian priest, D.
Giovanne Keosse, although an Ottoman subject and born in
Constantinople, was seized in the night by four bullies from
the Austrian embassy, and hurried into a steamer, to be
conveyed as a prisoner to Marseilles, and thence to Rome,
to be handed over to the Inquisition. And all this took
place by order of the Armenian Catholic bishop.
This Keosse, who was confined in a cabin on board
the steamer, found means to effect his escape, by slipping
through the window into a boat, while the vessel was dis
embarking a part of its passengers and goods at Smyrna.
He subsequently put himself under the protection of the
American consul ; and the Austrian, finding himself dis
covered, gave up the aft air, and so it ended. Keosse, how
ever, did not feel at all sure of his safety from the grasp
of the Inquisition so long as he remained under the Ottoman
government ; and being advised to go to Malta, he went
80 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
there without delay, and there he remains at the present
period. This affair of Keosse was much talked ahout ; sev
eral journals took it up ; and some went so far as to insult
the embassy for acting in the character of inquisitors.
I certainly think these gentlemen must be ashamed of
themselves for having lent their aid to the Inquisition of
Rome, pretty much in the same manner as the French have
reason to blush for having lent six chasseurs of Vincennes
to effect my imprisonment in the same place. But such is
the witchcraft of this renowned harlot, that, almost with
out being aware of it, " all nations have drunk of the wine
of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth
have committed fornication with her."^
We have seen Constitutional Austria and Republican
France degrade themselves so far as to bombard our cities,
to replace upon the throne whom ? the head of the In
quisition ! And Spain, that has shown so much determin
ation in resisting priestcraft, monkery, and the dominion of
the Inquisition, she also hastened to Rome and for what
purpose ? To assist in the restoration of the papacy.
But let us inquire what is the Inquisition of the present
day in Rome ? It is the very same that was instituted at
the Council of Verona, to burn Arnold of Brescia ; the same
that was established at the third Council of the Lateran, to
sanction the slaughter of the Albigenses and the Waldenses,
the massacre of the people, the destruction of the city ; the
same that was confirmed at the Council of Constance, to
burn alive two holy men, John Huss and Jerome of Prague ;
that which at Florence subjected Savonarola to the torture,
and at Rome condemned Aonio Paleario and Pietro Carne-
secchi. It is the self-same Inquisition with that of Pope
Caraffa and of Fr. Michele Ghistieri, who built the palace
called the Holy Office, where so many victims fell a sacri
fice to their barbarity, and where, at the present moment,
the Roman Inquisition still exists. Its laws are always the
same. The Black Book, or Praxis Sacrce. Romance In-
quisitionis, is always the model for that which is to succeed
* Rev., xviii., 3.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 81
it. This book is a large manuscript volume, in folio, and is
carefully preserved by the head of the Inquisition. It is
called Libro Nero, the Black Book, because it has a cover
of that color ; or, as an inquisitor explained to me, Libro
Necro, which, in the Greek language, signifies " the book
of the dead."
In this book is the criminal code, with all the punish
ments for every supposed crime ; also the mode of conduct
ing the trial, so as to elicit the guilt of the accused ; and
the manner of receiving the accusations. I had this book
in my hand on one occasion, as I have related above, and
read therein the proceedings relative to my own case ; and
I moreover saw in this same volume some very astounding
particulars : for example, in the list of punishments I read
concerning the bit, or, as it is called by us, the mordacchia,
which is a very simple contrivance to confine the tongue,
and compress it between two cylinders composed of iron and
wood, and furnished with spikes. This horrible instrument
not only wounds the tongue and occasions excessive pain,
but also, from the swelling it produces, frequently places the
sufferer in danger of suffocation. This torture is generally
had recourse to in cases considered as blasphemy against
God, the Virgin, the saints, or the pope. So that, according
to the Inquisition, it is as great a crime to speak in dispar
agement of a pope, who may be a very detestable character,
as to blaspheme the holy name of God. Be that as it may,
this torture has been in use till the present period ; and, to
say nothing of the exhibitions of this nature which were dis
played in Romagna, in the time of Gregory XVI., by the
Inquisitor Ancarani in Umbria by Stefanelli, Salva, and
others, we may admire the inquisitorial zeal of Cardinal Fe-
retti, the cousin of his present holiness, who condescended
more than once to employ these means when he was bishop
of Rieti and Fermo.
Every one knows how the Holy Inquisition has surpassed
every other tribunal by its exquisite ingenuity in torturing
human nature. Must I bring examples from the Inquisi
tion of Spain ? That of .Rome has had her own to answer
D 2
82 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
for as well. Through the mercy of Heaven, the former has
come to an end, but that of Rome is in full vigor.
I do not propose to myself to speak of the Inquisition of
times past, but of what exists in Rome at the present mo
ment ; I shall therefore assert that the laws of this institu
tion being in no respect changed, neither can the institution
itself be said to have undergone any alteration. The pres
ent race of priests who are now in power are too much
afraid of the popular indignation to let loose all their in
quisitorial fury, which might even occasion a revolt if they
were not to restrain it ; the whole world, moreover, would
cry out against them, a crusade would be raised against the
Inquisition, and, for a little temporary gratification, much
power would be endangered. This is the true reason why
the severity of its penalties is in some degree relaxed at
the present time, but they still remain unaltered in its
code.
Concerning the method of conducting a process, I read in
the Libro Necro as follows : " With respect to the examina
tion, and the duty of the examiners either the prisoner con
fesses, and he is proved guilty from his own confession, or
he does not confess, and is equally guilty on the evidence of
witnesses. If a prisoner confesses the whole of what he is
accused, he is unquestionably guilty of the whole ; but if he
confesses only a part, he ought still to be regarded as guilty
of the whole, since what he has confessed proves him to be
capable of guilt as to the other points of accusation. And
here the precept is to be kept in view, no one is obliged to
condemn himself, nemo tenetur prodere se ipsum. Never
theless, the judge should do all in his power to induce the
culprit to confess, since confession tends to the glory of God.
And as the respect due to the glory of God requires that no
one particular should be omitted, not even a mere attempt,
so the judge is bound to put in force not only the ordinary
means which the Inquisition affords, but whatever may enter
into his thoughts as fitting to lead to a confession. Bodily
torture has ever been found the most salutary and efficient
means of leading to spiritual repentance. Therefore the
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 83
choice of the most befitting mode of torture is left to the
judge of the Inquisition, who determines according to the
age, the sex, and the constitution of the party. He will be
prudent in its use, always being mindful at the same time
to procure what is required from it the confession of the
delinquent. If, notwithstanding all the means employed,
the unfortunate wretch still denies his guilt, he is to be con
sidered as a victim of the devil, and, as such, deserves no
compassion from the servants of God, nor the pity or indul
gence of holy mother Church : he is a son of perdition. Let
him perish, then, among the damned, and let his place be
no longer found among the living."
This most astounding page is followed by another, in
which is given the mode of obtaining a conviction. Various
means are pointed out to establish the guilt of the prisoner,
and to declare him deserving the condemnation of the tri
bunal. For example, Titius is accused of having eaten meat
on Friday or Saturday. The Inquisition does not permit
the name of the accuser to appear, neither those of the wit
nesses. The accusation is laid that Titius has eaten meat
in the house of Caius. Sempronius is the accuser, and he
summons the family of Caius to give evidence ; but, as these
have been accomplices in the same affair, they can not be
induced to depose against Titius ; perhaps other witnesses
may be brought, who may be equally incompetent ; in which
case the wary judge endeavors to draw from the prisoner
himself sufficient to inculpate him. He will first inquire
respecting several other families the points which he wish
es to know with regard to that of Caius. He will try to
learn at what other houses Titius has been accustomed to
eat, in order to know concerning the house of Caius, where
the meat was eaten. The accusation sets forth that on such
a day, at such an hour, Titius went to the house of Caius,
where the whole family were present, and that all sat down
to table, &c., &c. If Titius admits all the circumstantial
matters brought forward by the accuser with respect to time,
place, and persons, but is silent, or denies entirely the only
crime imputed to him, he stands convicted : the accuser had
84 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
no necessity to bring forward witnesses : judgment is pro
nounced.
This practice is still employed by the Inquisition. In the
year 1842, I was accused of having spoken, in a certain
house, against the worship of saints. If the judge had made
my accusation known (as is the case in all other tribunals
throughout the world), saying to me, You are accused of
having, in such a house, spoken of such and such matters,
in the presence of so and so, I should have known my ac
cuser by the part he would take in the question. But in
stead of interrogating me in a straightforward manner, I
was made to give a description of the house in question, to
gether with that of several other houses ; to describe the
persons belonging to it, and many other persons at the same
time ; to discuss the real subject of accusation, mixed up
with other irrelevant matters, in order to mislead me as
much as possible, and prevent me from gaining any insight
whatever of the points of which I was accused, or of the
persons who had accused me. Whether I confessed or not,
I was to be declared guilty, or, as they term it, reo convinto.
With regard to these denunciations, the Inquisition de
clares that in matters of offenses against religion, it is the
positive and bounden duty of every one to become an ac
cuser. Children may and ought to accuse their parents,
wives their husbands, and servants their masters. The law
is, according to the decrees of several popes, that whoever
becomes acquainted with any offense committed against re
ligion, whether from his own knowledge or from hearsay, is
bound, within fifteen days, to bring forward his accusation
before an inquisitor, or the vicar of the Holy Office ; or,
where these are not present, before a bishop. The crime,
whatever it may be, not only attaches to the principal and
the accomplices, but also to every one who knows of it and
does not reveal it. So that if you, for example, dear reader,
should unfortunately belong to the Church of the Inquisition,
you would be obliged to accuse not only me, who address
you, but all those who, together with yourself, listen to me ;
and whoever knows that you have listened to my discours-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 85
es, although he himself may never have heard me, is under
the obligation to denounce you to the Inquisition. The pun
ishment for non-observance of this duty is excommunication,
which excludes the party subject to it from the benefit of
all the sacraments, and shuts him out from the kingdom of
heaven. Moreover, besides excommunication, he is liable
to be imprisoned in the Inquisition, and to suffer such other
punishment as may be deemed necessary. Even the very
cardinals, and the inquisitors themselves, are not exempt
from this obligation ; the pope himself has followed the ex
ample. My letters to Gregory XVI. were immediately for
warded to the Inquisition by his own hand. I have reason
to believe that Pius IX. did the same when I wrote to him.
All this we may overlook ; but that a wife should be obliged
to accuse her own husband, or a mother her children, is too
dreadful to think of.
I will here relate a fact which it always pains me to re
call to mind, and which, until the present occasion, I have
never before spoken about. During my residence at Viter-
bo, my native town, where I was public professor and teacher
in the Church di Gradi, I was one day applied to by a lady
of prepossessing appearance, whom I then saw for the first
time. She requested, with much eagerness, to see me in
the sacristy ; and as I entered the apartment where she was
waiting for me, she begged the sacristan to leave us alone,
and suddenly closing the door, presented a moving spectacle
to my eyes. Throwing off her bonnet, and letting loose in
a moment her long and beautiful tresses, the lady fell upon
her knees before me, and gave vent to her grief in abund
ance of sighs and tears. On my endeavoring to encourage
her, and to persuade her to rise and unfold her mind to me,
she at length, in a voice broken by sobs, thus addressed me :
" No, father, I will never rise from this posture unless
you first promise to pardon me my heavy transgression."
(Although much younger than herself, she addressed me as
her father.)
" Signora," replied I, "it belongs to God to pardon our
transgressions. If you have in any way injured me, so far
86 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
I can forgive you ; but I confess I have no cause of com
plaint against you, with whom, indeed, I have not even the
pleasure of being acquainted."
" I have been guilty of a great sin, for which no priest
will grant me absolution, unless you will beforehand remit
it to me."
" You must explain yourself more fully ; as yet, I have no
idea of what you allude to."
"It is now about a year since I last received absolution
from my confessor, and the last few days he has entirely
forbid me his presence, telling me that I am damned. I
have tried others, and all tell me the same thing. One,
however, has lately informed me, that if I wish to be saved
and pardoned, I must apply to you, who, after the pope, are
the only one who can grant me absolution."
" Signora, there is some mistake here ; explain yourself:
of what description is your sin ?"
" It is a sin against the Holy Office."^
" Well, but I have nothing to do with the Holy Office."
" How ? are not you Father Achilli, the vicar of the Holy
Office ?"
" You have been misinformed, signora ; I am Achilli, the
deputy master of the Holy Palace, not Office ; you may see
my name, with this title, prefixed to all works that are print
ed here, in lieu of that of the master himself. I assure you
that neither my principal nor myself have any authority in
cases that regard the Inquisition."
The good lady hereupon rose from her knees, arranged
her hair, wiped the tears from her eyes, and asked leavo
to relate her case to me ; and, having sat down, began as
follows :
"It is not quite a year since that I was going, about the
time of Easter, according to my usual custom, to confess my
sins to my parish priest. He being well acquainted with
myself and all my family, began to interrogate me respect
ing my son, the only one I have, a young man twenty-four
* Every offense of which the Inquisition takes cognizance is called " an
offense against the Holy Office."
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 87
years of age, full of patriotic ardor, but with little respect
for the priests. It happened that I observed to the curate
that, notwithstanding my remonstrances, my son was in the
habit of saying that the business of a priest was a complete
deception, and that the head of all the impostors was the
pope himself. Would I had never told him ! The curate
would hear no further. It is your duty, said he, to de
nounce your son to the Inquisition. Imagine what I felt
at this intimation ! To be the accuser of my own son !
Such is the case, observed he ; there is no help for it :
I can not absolve you, neither can any one else, until the
thing is done. And, indeed, from every one else I have
had the same refusal. It is now twelve months since I
have received absolution ; and in this present year many
misfortunes have befallen me. Ten days ago I tried again,
and promised, in order that I might receive absolution, that
I would denounce my son ; but it was all in vain, until I
had actually done so. I inquired then to whom I ought to
go to prefer the accusation, and was told to the bishop, or
the vicar of the Holy Office, and they named yourself to
me. Twice already have I been here with the intention
of doing what was required of me, and as often have I rec
ollected that I was a mother, and was overwhelmed with
horror at the idea. On Sunday last I came to your church
to pray to the Virgin, the mother of Christ, to aid me through
this difficulty ; and I remember that when I had recited the
rosary in her honor, I turned to pray also to the Son, say
ing, Lord Jesus, thou wert also accused before the chief
priests by a traitorous disciple, but thou didst not permit
that thy Mother should take part in that accusation. Be
hold, then, I also am a mother, and although my son is a
sinner, while thou wert most just, do not, I implore thee,
require that his own mother should be his accuser. While
I was making this prayer the preaching began. I inquired
the preacher s name, and they told me yours. I feigned to
pay attention to the discourse, but was wholly occupied in
looking at you, and reflecting, with many sighs, that I was
under the obligation to accuse to you my own child. In
88 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
the midst of my agitation, a thought suddenly relieved me :
I did not see the inquisitor in your countenance. Young,
animated, and with marks of sensibility, it seemed that you
would not be too harsh with my son. I thought I would
entreat you first to correct him yourself, to reprimand, and
to threaten him, without inflicting actual punishment upon
him."
I shall not recapitulate my injunctions to this poor woman,
to tranquilize her mind with respect to having to denounce
her son. I advised her to change her confessor, and to be
silent with regard to him any how, she was not in fault.
And if confession, I further remarked, be a sacrament that
pardons sins, it can never be made a means of unwarrant
ably obtaining information as to the words or deeds of an
other.
But had I really been vicar of the Holy Office, what was
my duty in this matter ? To receive the accusation of this
mother against her own son. An unheard-of enormity ! She
naturally would have made it in grief and tears, and I should
have had to offer her consolation. And since this horrible
act of treason has the pretense of religion about it, I should
have employed the aid of religion to persuade her that the
sacrifice she made was most acceptable to God. Perhaps,
to act my part better, I might have alluded to the sacrifice
demanded of Abraham or Jephtha, or cited some apposite
texts from Scripture to calm and silence the remorse of con
science she must have experienced on account of the ini
quity of bringing her child before the Inquisition.
Now let us see what is done by the inquisitors. In what
is called the Holy Office, every thing is allowable that tends
to their own purposes. To gain possession of a secret, no
means are to be disregarded, not even those against our
very nature. For a father and a mother to reveal the
thoughts of their own children, so trustingly confided to
them a revelation which may lead to their death is so
great a crime that we can not imagine one more base. And
yet the Inquisition not only sanctions, but enjoins it to be
done, daily. And this most infamous Inquisition, a hundred
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 89
times destroyed and as often renewed, still exists in Rome
as in the barbarous ages ; the only difference being that the
same iniquities are at present practiced there with a little
more secrecy and caution than formerly, and this for the
sake of prudence, that the Holy See may not be subjected
to the animadversions and censure of the world at large.
CHAPTER VI.
THE SUBTLETY OF THE INQUISITION.
THE case of this poor woman, obliged to denounce her
son, is in accordance with both the old and new regulations
of the Inquisition ; and the manner in which it was en
deavored to be enforced is of common occurrence. Many
other means are also in use among the artifices of this Holy
Office, to induce persons to betray their friends. A wife,
however, who is called upon to accuse her husband, has to
encounter more difficulty than a mother under the obliga
tion to accuse her children. Indeed, such a circumstance
would never take place if the husband should discover that
it was the intention of his wife to lay open his secret thoughts
before so horrible a tribunal, the consequence of which would
be speedy arrest, torture, and condemnation ! ! The diffi
culty of this case could not escape the observation of the
Roman court. Besides, if it was known as a certainty that,
in even a single instance, a wife, to oblige a priest, had be
trayed her own husband, and that the priest had made use
of the confessional to induce the woman to the commission
of such an act, would the husband any longer calmly see
his wife going to confession, and not apprehend that between
her and the confessor some plot might be hatching ? A sin
gle doubt, a mere suspicion, would be enough to sow discord
between a married pair ; and as in Italy it happens that
the physical temperament is sufficiently ardent easily to fall
into excesses, it might happen that, through the agency of
90 DEALINGS WITH THE INGlUISITION.
the priest, the husband might beat, repudiate, or even mur
der his wife.
How, then, is it to be managed that the wife shall be
tray her husband with the least chance of his discovering
her treachery ? The best method is, that she should be in
structed by her confessor to go to another town, where she
is not known, and there make her disclosure, keeping it se
cret that she is the wife of the accused, and concealing his
real name, till the confessor has disclosed the affair to the
Inquisition, which alone knows all the intricacies of the
proceedings. And since, moreover, it might happen that
the husband might know that his wife, under a false pre
tense, had gone to another place to see the inquisitor, or the
bishop s vicar, the Inquisition grants to other persons the
privilege of receiving an accusation, constituting them sub-
inquisitors for that single case, under the pledge of inviola
ble secrecy. This arrangement is not merely imaginary,
but really takes place ; and in confirmation of it, I will here,
for the first time, relate another fact which happened to
myself.
In the year 1832 I was living at Yiterbo, occupied with
many duties, which precluded me from the enjoyment of a
moment s leisure. In the Civic College I was, during seven
years, Professor of Logic, Metaphysics, and Ethics ; in the
College di Gradi, during five years, I was chief Professor
of Theology ; in the Bishop s Seminary, I was Professor of
the Holy Scriptures, which chair was founded by myself,
and ceased on my departure after I had held it for two
years. I was sub-master of the Sacred Palace three years
under Cardinal Velzi, and three years under the most Rev
erend Father Buttaoni ; I was also yearly preacher at the
Church di Gradi, and superior of the monastery, with the
title of grand vicar. And, lastly, I was confessor to the
apostolic delegate, who is the governing prelate of the prov
ince ; and, as such, I was in the habit of receiving many ap
plications from all classes of people, who had recourse to
me to obtain favor or justice from the delegate.
One day, when I was very busy, a lady was announced,
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 91
who, without sending in her name, earnestly desired to see
me. I imagined she only came with some request concern
ing the delegate, and therefore sent word that I was too
much occupied at that moment to be able to see her. The
lady persisted, and I sent the same excuse. At last, seeing
that I was firm, the lady handed a letter to the lay brother,
sealed with a large seal, and directed to "The Very Rev
erend Father, Professor Gr. Achilli, Gradi, Viterbo." The
seal was that of the Roman Inquisition, signed by the com
missary general. The letter was as follows ;
" VERY REVEREND FATHER, The Sacred Congregation
of the Most Eminent and Reverend Cardinals, in their sit
ting of Wednesday, the have desired me to hand
over to you the inclosed form of denunciation, according to
which you will have the goodness to examine and interro
gate the lady who is the bearer of it, avoiding to ask of her
her name, the place she comes from, and her connection
with the party accused, all which are already known to the
Sacred Congregation. For this purpose I am authorized to
invest you with all necessary authority on this particular
occasion, and for this time only. I recommend to you all
necessary prudence, and to be mindful of the inviolable se
crecy due to the Holy Office, the slightest breach of which
is punished with ecclesiastic censure, and is finally referred
to the pope.
" You will have the goodness to send back, with all dili
gence, after the performance of this duty, not only the form
ula of questions, with the answers to them, but also the pres
ent letter, of which no copy is to be taken.
" May the Lord prosper you.
"ROME, from the Palace of the Holy Office, ?
March, 1832." $
When I had finished reading this letter, I felt a curiosity
to see this mysterious visitor. I therefore descended to the
apartment where she was waiting for me, and I saw a lady
about thirty years of age, well dressed, and in a style that
92 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
announced her to belong to the wealthier class : her accent
showed that she came from another part of the country.
She received me with some degree of consternation in her
manner, and replied to me half trembling, and with down
cast eyes and evident anxiety.
" Signora, I have received a letter through you ; the con
tents must be known to you. Will you inform me in what
manner you obtained it ?"
" From my confessor ; I do not know whether directly
from Rome, or through the bishop."
"Can you make it convenient to prefer your accusation
another time ?"
" I pray you, let me do so at present, since to-morrow I
am obliged to return home."
I considered with myself whether I could not find some
excuse for not acting in this business, and so avoid all
trouble by sending the signora away, or whether I had not
better sacrifice a little time to receive the accusation, and
hear what it was about.
" Well, then," said I, " let us to business. I should imag
ine it would not occupy much time what is your opinion ?"
I then sat down before a table, and unfolded the formu
lary of questions, which were comprised in a printed sheet.
I looked over the paper to ascertain its tenor, and of what
it treated. I thought no more of the lady ; my mind was
entirely occupied in considering how I should proceed, when
a deep sigh aroused me, and made me turn my eyes toward
her. She began to weep outright.
" What is the matter, signora ? why do you weep ?"
Tears and sobs were her only reply. I endeavored to
speak comfort to her.
" Signora, do not weep ; calm yourself; reveal the cause
of your affliction, and you may find relief. If you disclose
your mind to me, I may, in my turn, say something that will
console you ; but if you do nothing but shed tears, I must
send some other person to attend to you, for I have business
which I can not postpone."
She grew calmer by degrees, and I began my task. The
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 93
formula was in Latin ; I had to translate it into Italian :
her own answers were to be written down exactly.
I was displeased to see the act begin, In the name of
God," &c. : I felt, also, unwilling to put my own name at
the head of the document, which said, " Before me, A. B.,
a certain woman presented herself." I had, nevertheless,
a great desire to know the whole affair, and was, in a cer
tain degree, pleased that the Inquisition had, on this occa
sion, required my services. I had always abhorred the
Holy Office, and had intended, even from my earliest youth,
to expose its iniquity, as far as it was possible for me to do
so, whenever an occasion should occur. " The present is a
good opportunity," I said to myself, " to get at the myste
ries of the Inquisition. I shall doubtless learn some curious
matters, which may be useful to me hereafter."
" Now, signer a, you must remember that it is your duty to
declare the truth. I suppose it is no trifling affair that has
induced you to denounce a person to the Inquisition ; above
all, I desire to know what may have been your motives ?"
" To save me from a hell."
" Sometimes it happens that in seeking to avoid one hell
we may fall into another ; that in endeavoring to silence a
scruple we may incur remorse ; arid that the means we take
to save the soul of another may endanger our own. Tell
me, from what kind of hell do you seek to be delivered by
this act ?"
" The hell that I experience in entering a church. It is
not every one who goes there that finds it a Paradise. God
is there, Jesus Christ, the most holy Madonna, saints, angels,
and holy water. It is there we are baptized, confess, and
receive the grace of God. I alone participate in none of
these ordinances in the church, therefore it has become hate
ful to me, and the priests are odious in my sight."
" And how does all this happen ?"
" Father, it is as I say. You will understand it all. Re
lieve me from this load, and I shall hope to be able after
ward to make peace with God and the saints, and be de
livered from this hell."
94 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" Well, what is the deposition the accusation you have
to make ?"
" Allow me, father, to relate my story from the begin
ning. I can not tell you by halves."
So saying, she remained thoughtful a few moments, and
then exclaimed,
1 I hardly know where to begin. I would inform you,
but"
" Courage relate the affair simply as it is. I wish not
to know either more or less than you choose to tell me. For
example, I ask neither your name, your place of residence,
nor what connection you have with the party accused."
" Ah ! father, these are the express conditions on which
I consented to disclose what I have to unfold. Shame for
bids me to reveal either my name, my residence, or my con
nections, since, were you ever to visit the town where I,
with my family, reside, you would recollect a deed of which
I am sure you can not approve. And where would be the
use of concealing the place of my residence, and telling you
the name of the party whom I am to accuse ? It is too
well known that you should not yourself immediately rec
ognize it. Oh, is it possible that at this price alone I am
to recover my peace ! at this, and at no other, to be admit
ted anew to the privilege of confession, and the benefit of
the other sacraments ! That to be a Christian I must con
sent to betray another ! to betray the person whom in all
the world I best love ! enjoined to do so both by Divine and
human laws !"
As she concluded she arose, and I observed that with the
fingers of her right hand she pressed upon her left, and turn
ed round a ring that was there on the annular finger. She
then resumed :
" Where, then, shall we in future hope to place confi
dence ? How trust in the sacredness of vows pledged at the
altar ? Can God be in contradiction to himself? Are there
two sets of laws, the one natural and the other contrary to
nature ? and are they both obligatory ? Ought I, at the
same time, both to love and to hate ? Oh ! what would
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 95
he say if he knew what occupies me at this moment ? And
can I return joyfully to him, who little suspects what I am
doing, to still live with him, and call him by the tenderest
names, until the day comes, or perhaps the night, when the
officers of justice shall secretly enter the house, apprehend,
and take him away and to what place ? To the dungeons
of the Holy Office ! And who would have placed him there ?
I, myself, hy the very act I am going to commit. But if I
do not do so, I am in a state of perdition, since there will
be no longer pardon or absolution for me ! Excommunica
tion, from which no one can deliver me, will be my fate !
And he also will be excommunicated. His soul will be for
ever lost unless it be purified in the Inquisition ! Both of
us to lose all hope of salvation and eternal life, and that be
cause we refuse to make fitting sacrifice on earth ! These,
father, are the thoughts that agitate me, that divide my
soul, that have led me here, and that have since sealed my
lips. What ought I to do ? what reveal ? I am miserable,
because I listen at once to the flesh and the spirit ; and
whichever way I force myself to act, I am always divided
against myself. Oh ! why are not you, who are called fa
thers, husbands as well ; then, as other men, you would
have wives to love, and you would better comprehend these
matters, and would see the value of the text, Do not to
others what ye would not- that men should do unto you. "
" Let us come to an end, signora. You have promised the
Inquisition to make an accusation, and that as a matter of
duty, or, rather, from scruples of conscience. When you
made this promise, you no doubt imagined you did what
was right."
"No, father, I do not deceive myself; I never thought
I was doing right. In every point of view I considered I
was doing wrong. Nevertheless, I judged it necessary, as
it is necessary to have an arm or a foot cut off that is in a
state of gangrene. I looked upon it as a castigation from
the Almighty ; as if my house had been burned, or a heavy
beam had fallen on my shoulders. I thought that God was
angry with me on account of my sins, and that to appease
96 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
Him I must sacrifice to Him what was most dear to me. I
have often felt as if I should not survive so dire an event ;
the mere idea of it is afflicting to me beyond expression. Fa
ther, I am here to make a sacrifice of myself upon the altar,
I regret to say it, of the Inquisition."
" And do you desire, signora, that I should be the priest
on the occasion ? It is an office I have never performed.
My hand is more ready to be stretched out for good than
evil. I should feel remorse in sacrificing you. I thought
that you were come to make your deposition voluntarily, of
your own free will ; and even in that case I should have
had some hesitation in receiving it : I repeat, I have never
undertaken the office of an inquisitor. In the present case,
I will by no means lend my aid to an act of violence. I
am a minister of a God of Peace, of Christ, who died for our
sins ; and it is on condition of believing in what HE has
done for us that we obtain pardon. I do not find that any
sacrifice is required of us, to be reconciled to God, unless it
be the sacrifice of our spirit on the altar of faith. A hum
ble and a contrite heart, says David, God, thou wilt not
despise. I find throughout the whole of the Bible a con
tinual invitation to seek God ; and to find Him there is but
one way, which is Jesus Christ. He has said, I am the
way, the truth, and the life ; no man cometh to the Father
but by me. Moreover, He says to. us, Come unto me, all
ye that labor and are heavy laden,, and I will give you rest.
And this is more particularly addressed to sinners, whose
duty it is to go to Christ, and it is ours to endeavor to in
vite, to lead, to bring them to Him. Do you understand
me, signora to Him, and to Him alone, and not to the In
quisition."
"Ah! my father," here exclaimed the signora, "what
balm you pour into my wounds ! Your last words have
restored me to life. It is to Christ, then, and not to the
Inquisition, that I shall trust my husband. Yes, my hus
band is he whom I am called upon to accuse, because he
had spoken ill of the pope, the bishop, and the priests, and
had on one occasion declared that if he could be assured
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 97
that the pope was St. Peter himself, he would neverthe
less spit in his face if he could. I told my confessor of
this, not to accuse my husband, but to learn what course I
had better pursue with him ; adding, that at times he was
so excited as scarcely to know the meaning of the words he
uttered. But, without further inquiry, my confessor en
joined me to denounce him to the Inquisition. Finally,
however, he proposed that I should do so to the bishop ;
but as I would consent to neither proposition, he obtained
permission from Rome that I should come to you at Viterbo
to prefer my accusation, without disclosing my name, or
that the party accused was my husband. But you have
shown me how far better it is that I should recommend him
to the love of Christ than to the wrath of the Inquisition.
It appears that you agree with me that in religion there
can not be any law contrary to nature. Oh ! how often
have I repeated on this occasion, what my husband so con
stantly asserts, that the priests have a religion and a moral
ity contrary to nature ! To compel a wife to accuse her
husband ! Is it not a demoralization ? A bad wife may
do so through motives of revenge a good one would rather
accuse herself. It is a base thing, in any case, to accuse a
person secretly, without giving him any opportunity of ex
culpation, or allowing him to know who is his accuser. It
is a crime that no moral duty can justify. Even the con
templation of such a step has driven me to the brink of self-
destruction. But my confessor assured me that, in that
case, both my husband and myself would be undoubtedly
damned. And in confirmation of this, I once read, in some
old work, a story of a certain woman who had refused, be
fore her death, to make one of these disclosures, and in con
sequence not only was her soul condemned to the torments
of hell, but her body also found no rest in the grave, being
continually forced to leave it, until, being conjured with
holy water to declare the cause of its disquiet, it replied
that it was so punished because it had not obeyed the in
junction it had received to accuse certain heretics to the
Inquisition ; but as all present earnestly prayed to the Ma-
E
98 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
donna, it was granted to this unhappy body to return to life
for the space of half an hour, that it might prefer its accu
sation to the Inquisition, after which it died anew."
" And do you believe this story ?"
" I was unwilling to do so ; but the priest showed me
that the book was printed con licenza de" superiori. To
tell the exact truth, my idea was to obey our Holy Church
in this barbarous law, and then to commit suicide, leaving
behind me a letter to my husband explaining the motives
that had led me to the act. But, God be praised, I shall
now neither accuse him, nor put an end to my own exist
ence. You have doubly saved my life in saving my honor
and my conscience. God will reward you for the charity
you have shown me. I shall return to my home and to my
family. But what must I say to my confessor ?"
" Leave him altogether. He must never know what has
passed between us. Signora, I have prevented you from
betraying your husband, and you tell me I have restored
you to life. Will you, then, betray me ? I do not think so.
God be with you ; I shall immediately burn these papers
from the Inquisition, along with the letter you have brought
me, and their contents will be buried in your breast."
" Oh ! yes, there they shall remain, and with a lasting
recollection of yourself. Farewell."
" Farewell."
In relating this story I have not hesitated about going
into particulars, since no one now can injure the good lady,
who is gone to her eternal rest. She lived a few years after
this adventure, and wrote to me occasionally. She died like
a good Christian, loving Jesus her Redeemer, and believing
in his good tidings, and detesting, with all her heart, the er
rors of the Church of Rome. In one of her letters she told
me that her old confessor, a few months after her visit to
me, came to her to inquire whether she had delivered the
letter from the Inquisition, and that, fearing to compromise
me, she was puzzled to find an answer. She did not so
much regard her own danger, and therefore replied as fol
lows : " Signore, do not talk to me any more of this busi-
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION 99
ness : Father Achilli has too much good sense to crouble his
head at all ahout the Inquisition. Consequently, the letter
found its way into the fire. What would you have me do
more ? For a woman I think I have done quite enough."
This answer, which did not involve any falsehood, left the
confessor in doubt, without furnishing him with the means
of injuring either of us. He subsequently interrogated her
again on this point, and all the reply he obtained was, " I
know nothing about it ; I have told you not to talk to me
about it any more." I was myself questioned on the sub
ject ten years afterward, at the time I was in the Inquisi
tion, and I got out of the affair by saying, as was the fact,
that I had never received any accusation from the lady
with respect to the letter itself I was silent.
But what cruelty, what malignity does not this case re
veal ! To pervert the natural feelings of the heart, so as
to induce a wife not only to accuse her husband, but to spy
out his most secret thoughts, the very inmost of his mind,
and to disclose what might peril his very life ! I have given
but one instance, but I could relate many more of the same
character. The wife of a bricklayer, whose name I never
knew, about the same time, came to me at Viterbo to ac
cuse her husband by order of her confessor. She came from
Vitorchiano, a fief of the Roman Senate. I sent her away,
however, telling her I had nothing to do with the Inquisi
tion. Several came to me from other parts no fewer than
four or five ; and all these were wives who had come to de
nounce their husbands to the Inquisition. I took care to
give them all the same answer. And if so many cases of
this sort came to my own knowledge, how many more must
there not have been who have applied to the vicars them
selves, or to the inquisitors of the Holy Office ?
In my time there was a report that in Ancona two in
quisitors had seduced wives and daughters in order to in
duce them to accuse their respective husbands and fathers.
In the year 1842, in the month of September, having left
the Roman States, I was at Ancona, from which place I em
barked for Corfu, and it was during my stay in the former
100 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
place that an inquisitor endeavored to persuade two virtu
ous girls to accuse their uncle of some alleged profanation,
in order to have a pretext for his imprisonment. The in
quisitor was angry with this honest man because he had
forbidden him his house, and thought, by throwing him into
prison, to be able at all hours to visit the nieces, imagining
they were favorably disposed toward him. But they were
much better than he was ; they threatened him with pub
lishing his dishonest proposals, and so the matter ended.
This same inquisitor is famous for his persecution of the
Jews. His edict against them, published in 1843, is known
to all the world. In it all the Jews under his jurisdiction
that is, not only those of Ancona, who are very numerous,
but those also of Pesaro, Osimo, Sinigaglia, Loreto, &c. are
ordered, within the term of three months, to sell all their
possessions in land, houses, &c., under penalty of confisca
tion ; within eight days to abandon all their shops outside
the Ghetto ;* and within three days to dismiss from their
houses all their Christian servants, both male and female,
even the nurses of their children. They were prohibited
to sleep a single night out of the Ghetto ; to take a single
meal, or to hold any communication with a Christian. Nay,
to the shame and disgrace of the Inquisition be it spoken,
these children of Israel and of Judah were even prohibited
from singing the Psalms of David in their service for the
burial of their dead.
That so precious a document might not be lost, I took
care to have it reprinted at Corfu, from the authentic copy
that was sent to me by the secretary of the lord high com
missioner ; and, as my readers will easily believe, I wrote
my observations upon it pretty strongly, not only as to its
author, but also as to the whole tribe of the inquisitori. I
was desirous of knowing what was generally thought to be
the reason of the publication of this edict. A letter from
Ancona on the subject stated as follows :
" The father inquisitor is a person of very licentious habits,
* The Ghetto is a part of the city, inclosed within walls, in which the
Jews are confined. It exists in every city of the Roman States.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 101
and, at the same time, extremely greedy of money. He be
came offended with our women (the Jewesses) because they
would not listen to his propositions ; he allured, he threat
ened, but could never render them subservient to his desires.
At length he took a fresh occasion of offense against us be
cause we refused to pay him a considerable sum of money
which he claimed, and not for the first time, saying that his
predecessor had had many such donations, and it was for
that reason that he had looked upon us favorably ; and that,
if we did not make him similar acknowledgments, we need
not expect any service or consideration from him. After
due deliberation upon the matter, however, it was resolved
that we should not give him any thing ; and now see what
has happened !"
The predecessor of this personage is well known to every
body as having extorted as much money as he possibly could,
brought many respectable persons into trouble, seduced many
women, and finally fled from his situation to seek an asylum
in Tuscany.
The inquisitor of Ancona does not act differently from his
brethren. Any one who wished to write a history, not of
the Inquisition, but of the actual inquisitors in the Roman
States, need only take the trouble to ask what is thought
of them from Rome to Bologna ; in Umbria, La Marcha,
Romagna ; in short, wherever there is an inquisitor or a
vicar of the Holy Office, and he will hear some extraordi
nary stories which would disgrace the most scandalous
chronicle .
Rome takes no notice of these scandals, and winks, as the
saying is, at personal immorality, to obtain that which con
stitutes her moral code wealth and dominion ; for, dealing
in immoral acts, immoral agents are necessary. Would an
honest man do for an inquisitor ? Would a follower of
Christ, who said, speaking of man and wife, "Whom God
hath joined, let no man put asunder" would he sow dis
cord between them, and demoralize the wife, to make her
betray in the basest manner her own husband ? Does not
an inquisitor require to be one whose heart is hardened
102 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
against every gentle and social feeling, so that he may not
hesitate to commit barbarities which are unknown among
the most savage nations ?
Are the torments which are employed at the present day
at the Inquisition all a fiction ? It requires the impudence
of an inquisitor, or of the Archbishop of Westminster, to deny
their existence. I have myself heard these evil-minded per
sons lament and complain that their victims were treated
with too much lenity.
" What is it you desire ?" I inquired of the inquisitor of
Spoleto.
" That which St. Thomas Aquinas says," answered he :
" death to all the heretics."
Hand over, then, to one of these people a person, however
respectable ; give him up to one of the inquisitors (he who
quoted St. Thomas Aquinas to me was made an archbishop)
give up, I say, the present Archbishop of Canterbury, an
amiable and pious man, to one of these rabid inquisitors :
he must either deny his faith or be burned alive. Is my
statement false ? Am I doting ? Is not this the spirit that
invariably actuates the inquisitors ? And not the inquisi
tors only, but all those who in any way defile themselves
with the Inquisition, such as bishops and their vicars, and
all those who defend it, as the papists do. There is the re
nowned Dr. Wiseman, the archbishop of Westminster accord
ing to the pope s creation, the same who has had the assur
ance to censure me from his pulpit, and to publish an in
famous article in the Dublin Review, in which he has raked
together, as on a dunghill, every species of filth from the
sons of Ignatius Loyola ; and there is no lie or calumny that
he has not made use of against me. Well, then, suppose I
were to be handed over to the tender mercy of Dr. Wise
man, and he had full power to dispose of me as he chose,
without fear of losing his character in the eyes of the nation
to which, by parentage more than by merit, he belongs,
what do you imagine he would do with me ? Should I not
have to undergo some death more terrible than ordinary ?
Would not a council be held with the reverend fathers of
DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION. 103
the company of Loyola, the same who have suggested the
abominable calumnies above alluded to, in order to invent
some refined method of putting me out of the world ? I
feel persuaded that if I were condemned by the Inquisition
to be burned alive, my calumniator would have great pleas
ure in building up my funeral pile, and setting fire to it with
his own hands ; or, should strangulation be preferred, that
he would, with equal readiness, arrange the cord around my
neck ; and all for the honor and glory of the Inquisition,
of which, according to his oath, he is a true and faithful
servant.
And since we are on this subject, allow me to relate a
fact concerning myself, which strongly evinces the subtlety
of the Inquisition, according to the practice of the Jesuits,
in availing themselves, in foreign parts, of the assistance of
bishops and dignified personages.
Every one knows how miraculously I escaped a second
time from the horrors of the Inquisition. And all those who
had any feeling rejoiced at it ; and such as met with me
expressed their satisfaction with kindness and polite atten
tions. In the month of January of the present year I was
at Paris, and was visited by a vast number of persons of
every class, not only Protestants, but Catholics also, who ex
pressed the interest they took in my recovered liberty. I
waited upon the government ministers, and others who had
assisted me, to thank them for their services ; but they in
terrupted me by assuring me that they had done no more
than follow the impulse of their own hearts and the dictates
of humanity ; that they had merely performed a duty ; and
were rejoiced to think that their interference had so well
succeeded, that instead of being shut up in the prisons of the
Inquisition, I was at liberty to walk about the streets of
Paris as I thought proper.
In the midst of this universal pleasure, which appeared
to animate all I met, and which was responded to by the
public journals, I exclaimed to one of my friends,
" Observe how the voice of the whole people is with me ;
not a word is uttered on the contrary side, except by the
104 DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION.
journal of the Jesuits, which, to my credit be it spoken,
thinks proper to abuse me in a foolish, senseless article,
full of contradiction, written in the vulgar language of the
streets or of their own sacristy, and only worthy of con
tempt."
One day a friend came to tell me that it appeared the
Jesuits had employed some other party to vilify me.
" It is impossible," I observed, " that such an office should
be undertaken by an honest and well-bred Frenchman. To
insult a person who had miraculously escaped from the In
quisition ! No ; a true-hearted Frenchman would no more
undertake such a task than he would seek to persecute one
who had escaped from shipwreck or from fire, or who had
evaded the hand of an assassin. To insult one freed from
the Inquisition might be allowable in a Jesuit, but never in
a Frenchman. What a surprise it would be to him to read,
in the Messager de la Semaine, an abusive article against
me, full of falsehood and calumny ! But you ought to re
ply to it, I have been told ; these are no Jesuits who write,
but members of the Assembly, and others who call them
selves gentlemen. I do not answer those, I replied, who
lie for the pleasure of lying and calumniating. Such writers
may reply to themselves.
My friends took some trouble to discover the writer of
this article, and ascertained it to proceed from the pen of a
diplomat, M. de Courcelles, the ex-minister at Rome, who
had endeavored to negotiate the return of Pius IX., but with
out success, and given such proofs of his devotion to the Jes
uits and other priests at Rome. This M. de Courcelles, after
having by his subtlety contrived the French plot against
Rome herself, and tarnished the honor of his nation by a
thousand falsehoods, has returned thus disgracefully to Paris,
and has had the meanness to accept the task from the Jes
uits themselves of writing a miserable article against me,
as mean and as black as their own garb.
It was a brilliant idea of the Inquisition to get a French
diplomatist, a member of the National Assembly, to vouch
for their lies; and here M. de Courcelles came forward.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 105
To strengthen his assertions, it was thought necessary to
look out for some one in England also who would corrobo
rate them ; and after six months diligent search, as they
could find no other, and were anxious not to lose more
time, they got the recently created cardinal archhishop of
"Westminster to take up the pen against me. This second
production was even more abusive than the first. The
bishop had far less sense of shame about him than the mem
ber of the National Assembly, particularly when he had the
cardinal s hat in view. It is related of Cardinal Pallavici-
no, the celebrated Jesuit, that being chosen by the court of
Rome to write the history of the Council of Trent, in op
position to that by Paolo Sarpi, on which occasion he was
promised the rank of cardinal, the poor man suffered griev
ously in his mind on account of the number of lies he had
to invent ; and sending for a red cap, the insignia of his fu
ture dignity, he shook it in his hand, and placing it on his
head, exclaimed with bitter sighs, " Ah ! how much I en
dure on your account !" Oh! quanta petite patior ! In
like manner, the good Dr. Wiseman, at the sight of the red
hat and all that pertains to the cardinalate, has judged it
expedient to make a sacrifice of honor and of truth, and to
rake up the most offensive matters, to present them to his
co-religionists in the British isles. The indecency and re
volting nature of this article shows to what an extent the
immorality of a bishop of the Church of Rome may pro
ceed. I consider myself sufficiently justified by the article
itself, as I had already been in Rome by the documents laid
before the British consul, proving the falsehood of the accu
sations laid to my charge at Viterbo (which was effected by
my friends while I was in prison). Besides, every one knows
that I was held in high estimation by the Church of Rome
until the very day when I was handed over to the Inquisition.
I have never been the subject of complaint or reproof, much
less of punishment. I was on good terms with all the bish
ops until that time, and appointed by them to preach and
to hear confessions. Indeed, I should have blamed myself
had they been dissatisfied. Have I not many letters from
E 2
106 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
them requesting my services ? Was I not appointed to
preach during Lent before the court at Naples ? In good
sooth, it requires the brazen impudence of a monsignore to
lie so openly and so basely.
See now the work of the Inquisition. It says to its co
adjutor, You shall have a cardinal s hat if, right or wrong,
you raise an outcry against the heretic Achilli. But you
must not call him a heretic, because that term in England
would not avail you ; you must assert that he believes in
nothing at all ; above all, you must say that he is an im
moral man, addicted to all sorts of licentious habits (a com
mon case, you know, in such as take the oath of celibacy).
Say of him whatever evil comes into your head ; no matter
about time or place. Say a great deal, that a part at least
may be believed. Relate suppositions as facts, and com
ment on your own statements. Cry out loudly, raise re
ports, and give them publicity. Stick at nothing ; hazard
whatever may tend to discredit your adversary. In this way
you will weaken his endeavors. What can he do to vindi
cate himself ? Does he bring you into court ? Shall you
have to pay a fine ? Double the amount will be raised to
pay it. Are you thrown into prison ? Call to mind the
martyr of Turin. In short, earn a cardinal s hat ! !
The temptation is too powerful for a bishop of the Church
of Rome. It is in this manner that the Inquisition man
ages its affairs throughout the whole world, and works so
as to gain its ends, by promises and threats, by fraud and
subterfuge.
CHAPTER VII.
THE JESUITS.
THE term Jesuit has various significations. It generally
means the followers of Ignatius Loyola, who profess the
rules of the Company ; and also those who are in strict
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 107
friendship with them, who eat their bread and are support
ed by them, and who are always anxious to ingratiate them
selves in their favor. These may be considered the acolytes
of the Jesuits. Moreover, some are called Jesuits who are
even opposed to the sect of Loyola, and are averse to any
connection whatever with its members, but who still think
and act according to the principles of the Jesuits ; they are
equally subtle and ambitious, intriguing, time-serving, de
ceitful, and hypocritical in every respect as are the Jesuits
themselves. The world is full of such persons, and they are
called Jesuits because they are in reality of the same school
as the sons of Loyola, whose doctrines and maxims they fol
low, although they do not profess to be his disciples. It
would be as ridiculous to see a soldier or a statesman, for
example, in the dress of a Jesuit, as it was to see the Em
peror Charles V. in that of a friar ; but what would you say
on hearing that Jesuitism was more flourishing among so
ciety at large than even in the company itself? Would
you not smile to see the present members of the French As
sembly marching as in a procession, each with a Jesuit by
his side ? Father A., for example, with M. de Montalem-
bert ; Father B. and M. de Courcelles ; Father C. and Gen
eral Oudinot, the bombarder of Rome ; until we come to
the last couple, Father Root an and the President of the Re
public, Louis Bonaparte ! This sight might make you smile ;
but the thought it would inspire would kindle, as it does in
me, a sentiment of indignation.
In this work I shall have occasion to speak of every de
scription of Jesuit. Meanwhile, I have a few remarks to
offer with respect to these sons of Ignatius. What part do
they take in the Inquisition ? The most active and the
most influential. They are its right hand. Without their
aid the twelve cardinal inquisitors would sit in vain ; their
long and secret meetings every Wednesday throughout the
year in the great hall of the Minerva would tend to no ef
fect. Of what service would be the weekly congregation of
about seventy members of the Inquisition, held in the great
hall of the Holy Office at the Vatican every Monday, with-
108 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
out the zeal and unwearied activity of the Jesuits ? Ap
parently they are nothing ; in reality, every thing. Among
the servants of the Holy Office a Jesuit is never to be found
rarely among their coadjutors. A Jesuit is never seen
entering the palace of the Holy Office, or in conversation
with an inquisitor. It might even be imagined that the rev
erend fathers were opposed to the institution, or, at least,
that they shunned all relation and intercourse with it. And
so studiously do they keep up this appearance, that many
persons actually believe that the Jesuits have nothing what
ever to do with the Inquisition. Indeed, I was at one time
of the same opinion myself, till I was fully enlightened on
the subject by a Jesuit himself, a worthy Jesuit ! who had
been my tutor in the Belles Lettres in the College at Viter-
bo, and whom I met again at Tivoli in September, 1833.
I was there in the discharge of my duty as visitor of the
Dominicans, and at the same time availing myself of the
salubrity of the climate, which was beneficial to my health.
Accordingly, I was accustomed to walk every day for some
hours in the country. The good Jesuit was soon aware of
my regularity in this habit, and as the time I selected was
invariably the last two hours of the day, he proposed to me
to become my companion on these occasions. I believe it
was the first time that a Jesuit had been seen walking
abroad in company with a Dominican. My former master
had become my friend ; and although I had never at all
liked the society of the sons of Loyola, yet I found this one,
and another or two of a similar description, to be honest and
worthy men, who, to their misfortune, had adopted the robe
of the Jesuits. I was regularly visited, almost daily, by my
friend, who came either alone or in company with a lay
brother ; we walked out together, and entered into familiar
conversation. One day we spoke about the Inquisition. We
were alone, in that beautiful grove of olives which crowns
the pleasant hill on which the town of Tivoli stands, so well
known to Horace.
" How does it happen," said he to me, " that you have
never been embroiled with the Inquisition ? Some time ago
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 109
I was told that you were vicar of the Holy Office ; but I
have since, on better authority, learned that you were mere
ly vicar of the Sacred Palace. And I was glad that it was
so ; it would have grieved me much to have heard that you
were an agent of the Inquisition."
" Oh ! I had neither inclination nor ability for the office :
treachery, deceit, and malice are the necessary qualifications
for its agents. An inquisitor must be suspicious, prone to
judge amiss, to convert shadows into substance, and to see
every thing in the darkest colors. In the eyes of an inquis
itor, every individual is evil and deserving of punishment.
How could I be led to form injurious opinions respecting my
brethren, when I am naturally disposed to see things in a
charitable point of view, and as far as possible to make
excuses for others ? An inquisitor, besides, is one who is
lost to all sentiments of humanity, without heart or feeling,
and more indifferent than a stoic. God preserve me from
the temptation of ever connecting myself in the slightest
degree with the Inquisition."
" As far as I see, then, it appears you have never enter
tained the least desire for such an office. I give you joy.
The Inquisition is injurious to the Dominicans, who are
prompted by an insane ambition to become inquisitors ; and
this entails on them the hatred of the whole world. The
Franciscans are too prudent to connect themselves with it.
The Jesuits, more cunning than the rest, act as the monkey
did when he made use of the cat s paw to get the chest
nuts."
" How! do the Jesuits meddle with the Inquisition ?"
" My dear friend, is it new to you ? What would the In
quisition be without the Jesuits ? The Dominicans may
call themselves inquisitors, but they could not even decline
the noun Inquisition unless the Jesuits taught them. In
fact, what do the inquisitors search out ? They sit still to
receive denunciations. The Holy Office would be but bad
ly supported if it depended solely on the exertions and abil
ities of its own immediate officials.
" Unquestionably, St. Dominic, with his cloudy intellect,
HO DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
was an inquisitor ; Peter of Verona, commonly called Peter
the Martyr, was more efficient, but his imprudence cost him
his life. I marvel much that a similar fate did not befall
Domenico di Gusman ! He slew, and caused to be slain,
many more than Peter of Verona ever did ; of a ruddy com
plexion, fierce and sanguinary, he was equally imprudent as
his disciple. Far otherwise was Ignatius Loyola ; cautious
and wary in all his operations, and, although a soldier,
averse to exposing himself to danger, he cautioned his fol
lowers to use the utmost prudence in carrying out their
measures, and by no means to expose themselves foolishly
to public odium or indignation. I say foolishly, because
what, after all, is the amount of profit to those who are in
the service of the Inquisition ? You, who are a Dominican,
understand this better than I do."
" Oh ! it is next to nothing. Our inquisitors in Umbria
and Romagna receive from the Holy Office in Rome, under
the head of vestment money, the paltry sum of three scudi
(about 13s. 6d.) a month, which they have no means of in
creasing, unless they can occasionally pick up a trifle by
saying a few masses. The monastery allows them no other
advantage than the ordinary diet of the friars. Besides, it
not unfrequently happens that, on account of the inquisitors
claiming exemption from the ordinary duties of the monas
tery, the prior deprives them of what he grants to the other
members. In a visit I once made to the monasteries of Spo-
leto, Foligno, Perugia, and other places, I found that the
priors and the inquisitors were in open dispute with each
other. The former complained that the latter refused to
sing in the choir ; and they, on the other hand, were indig
nant that they had not sufficient to eat, nor any wood to
burn during the winter."
" They were not denied what was wanted for an auto-
da-fe, I suppose ; but continue your recital."
"Well, these disputes were settled by the provincial and
by myself, and it was arranged that the inquisitors should
thenceforth sing in the choir, and be subject to the prior as
to all the duties of the monastery ; the prior, on the other
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. Ill
hand, was to be considered under the obligation of treating
the inquisitors with civility, and allowing them the same
advantages as were enjoyed by the rest of the brotherhood.
At Spoleto, the inquisitor was not inclined to take his din
ner at the usual hour with the rest of the community, and
the prior frequently obliged him to go without any dinner
at all. The inquisitor complained to the general of the
order at Rome, and he wrote me word to accommodate the
matter between the parties. It was proposed that a certain
sum should be allowed by the prior for the dinner and sup
per of the inquisitor. Fifteen baiocchi (sevenpence half
penny) were all that was offered by the liberal-minded prior
for the daily expenses of the inquisitor, and it was not with
out infinite trouble that I got the sum raised to seventeen
baiocchi and a half. I mention this matter to show how
little profit accrues to an inquisitor if the duties of his office
are honestly discharged. An inquisitor once told me in con
fidence that he found it necessary, in order to live, to ab
stract a little money occasionally from the office, by aug
menting, in his accounts with it, the amount of his expenses.
Another lost his situation at Perugia because it was discov
ered that he had regularly charged double for the mainte
nance of the prisoners under his care. And at Faenza, a
certain inquisitor seized upon a poor shoemaker, and impris
oned him, that he might be obliged to work for him ; and
when he wanted his clothes to be mended, he laid hold of
some tailor, whom he shut up on the pretense that he in
dulged in a habit of profane swearing."
" What a scandal ! How base they become ! How de
graded is that faith which requires the support of such a
race of inquisitors ! The office itself is too degrading to be
exercised by any person of probity or honor. At one time
the Inquisition was greatly enriched by fines and confisca
tions ; and many spontaneous offerings were made to it
by the rich, who freely opened their purses to get out of trou
ble. Money also came in from numerous patents ; in short,
the Inquisition was enabled to allow a good salary even
to its clerks. But the times are altered ; the Holy Office
112 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
has lost its credit, and consequently its officials are bank
rupts."
" But how," I suggested, " have the Jesuits become con
nected with the Inquisition ? "We have departed from our
original question."
" Doubtless you imagine that the Holy Office is engaged
in taking notice of crimes or offenses against religion. It
is true, when such cases occur, they proceed according to
rule. But you are not to conclude that such is the sole oc
cupation on which above seventy counselors, and twelve
cardinals, with the pope at their head, are engaged in the
weekly meetings. If it be necessary to punish, as they say,
all who deserve it, they ought to begin with unbelievers,
and they would find many among the cardinals themselves,
who in points of religion have no belief whatever ; and the
same infidelity descends throughout every class of society.
But it never happens that any of these unbelievers are sub
jected to punishment ; on the contrary, those heretics alone
are the objects of attack who are unbelievers merely as to
some of the doctrines of Rome, although firm in their faith
as regards the doctrines of Christ and of His apostles. But
of these, few allow themselves to be seized by the Inquisi
tion. An Italian who changes his creed generally con
trives, before the fact gets known, to make a pilgrimage to
Geneva,* and the Holy Office has to delay its vengeance
till its victim can be arrested. Were the Inquisition to have
no other care than to look after heretics, it would be the
same as if the Jesuits were to have nothing else to do than
to attend to their schools for young boys ; in which case two
thirds of the order might well be dispensed with. It is well
known that at Rome every thing opposed to clerical gov
ernment is considered as heresy, and excommunicated ac
cordingly ; but real heresy is the last subject to be thought
of or attended to. The principal object of the Inquisition
is to possess themselves, by every means in their power, of
the secrets of every class of society. Consequently, its
* A common expression in Italy to denote that a person has become
Protestant.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 113
agents enter the domestic circle, observe every action, list
en to every conversation, and would, if possible, become ac
quainted with the most hidden thoughts. It is, in fact, the
police not only of Rome, but of all Italy ; indeed, it may be
said of the whole world. Now the Dominicans, even with
the assistance of the priests, would be altogether unequal to
this task, were not the Jesuits themselves the secret officials
of this police. The mere government spy seldom is enabled
to arrive at the exact truth : it is difficult for him to get at
the secrets of a family ; he is met with counter operations ;
schemes are laid expressly to deceive him, and he is fre
quently put to considerable trouble and inconvenience to
ferret out an affair, without obtaining any final success. For
a long time the Italians, and more especially the Romans,
have learned the art of playing upon the credulity of the
spies, and making them believe things quite contrary to
truth. But nothing of this sort takes place with the Jes
uits, to whom no door is closed, no curtain drawn, no vail
or shadow cast over secret or mystery. What they can not
learn from the men they ascertain from the women ; what
the father will not disclose the son will reveal ; and what
the master of the house may be desirous to hide, the serv
ant may bring to light. The spy has need of frequent and
lengthened research, whereas the Jesuit arrives at the fact
at once. As has been before observed, the spy is deceived
by false statements, which is not the case with the Jesuit.
The confessional leads to many interesting discoveries ; and
where this is insufficient, much is learned even from the
children in the schools. The police daily sends forth its nu
merous spies, who disperse themselves throughout the whole
of Rome, and pursue their investigations not only by day,
but by night also. Frequently, overcome with the fatigue
that the incessant labor of one day has produced, they are
obliged to devote the whole of the succeeding one to a com
plete state of rest. It is different with us. You know the
church of the Gesu. Every morning at break of day, as
the doors are opened, twelve reverend fathers ascend the
steps of the sacred edifice, dressed in their robes and sur-
114 DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION.
plices, and seat themselves in their chairs of confession. At
that early hour, who are they who present themselves to
give an account of their sins ? Servants of both sexes, and
all the old men and women who are stirring betimes in the
morning, shop-keepers and work-people ; in short, all those
who are better acquainted with other people s business than
with their own. So that in less than an hour all the trans
actions and gossip of the city are related at these twelve
confessionals ; from whence, at the termination of the au
dience, they are taken home, as you may imagine, to be ex
amined, discussed, and, with due caution, registered as cases
of conscience, &c.
" What is done in the church of the Gem is also done in
those of St. Ignatius, of St. Andrew on the Monte Cavallo,
of St. Vitale, and others belonging to the Fathers of the
Company. Frequently a fact or a conversation, that is half
ascertained in one place, is fully disclosed and confirmed in
another. The cleverest among our body have the office of
confronting those they desire to examine ; and every day
they go from house to house, collecting whatever intelli
gence of interest may present itself. In this manner we
become acquainted with the most minute and secret affairs
of the city. But our exertions do not end here. We have
our nocturnal oratories, as that of the Caravita in Rome,
whither the elite of good society generally resort. We have
besides, as you know, our courses of spiritual exercises, which
are always well attended ; the conferences for the scrupu
lous, where they w r orm every thing out of them ; friendly
visitations, which are never deficient in supplying informa
tion ; and of these latter, there are always a vast abund
ance over the whole country. Every one who is desirous of
place or office applies to us ; and it is impossible to be more
courteous or zealous than we are in proffering our services.
And what we ask of the government for our friends, we
naturally succeed in obtaining. We supply families with
servants, and change them when required. Consequently,
every one is obliged by us, and entirely devoted to us.
" What I have told you respecting Home is equally true
DEALINGS WITH THE INGIUISITION. 115
with regard to all other places wherever we are to be found ;
in Naples, Turin, Genoa, Modena, Verona, or any where else.
Look, for instance, at this little town of Tivoli. No one stirs
a foot but we are aware of it ; and we have no occasion to
go out of our houses for information. I myself have been
here seven years ; I have never ascended the stair-case of
any house in the place, and yet I am well acquainted with
the affairs of every family that resides here : what they are
doing, what they are talking about, what their intentions
are, even to the most minute matters ; in proof of which,
the next time we are walking out together, ask any ques
tion of me respecting any person we may chance to meet,
and you shall have copious information."
We were here interrupted in our conversation by two other
Jesuits, who were returning from their walk, and who ac
companied us home.
The next day we met again. My companion was accom
panied by a youth, who had, I believe, the charge of a school.
He was also a Jesuit, and on terms of strict intimacy with
my friend. We passed through the town with but little
conversation ; the two Jesuits, with their eyes bent to the
ground, appeared to take no notice of the passers-by, yet I
observed they never failed to see when they were saluted,
nor did they ever omit to return the salutation. As soon as
we were fairly out of the town, we began to enter into fa
miliar conversation.
" Well," observed my friend, " what do you think of our
discourse of yesterday ?"
" To tell you the truth, I was greatly surprised at what
you told me."
" You would perhaps be pleased if I made the experiment
I talked of."
" Oh, I am fully persuaded of the accuracy of your asser
tions. Besides, I am but little interested in the concerns of
this place. Nevertheless, I will not refuse your offer. But
tell me, in the mean while, how is it that the Jesuits, who
perform such services for the Church, are never raised to
places of dignity or profit in it ?"
116 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" You must understand, that if we had any desire that
way, we should soon obtain what we wished for. We, who
have the power of disposing of these situations to others,
might easily choose for ourselves. If any other person than
yourself had put this question to me, I should have given
him the answer which our institution puts into our mouths :
* A Jesuit is sworn to aspire to no ecclesiastical dignity ; nor
can he accept any, without a special dispensation from the
pope. But this reply will not be sufficient for you, to whom
I have disclosed so many of our secrets. I tell you, then,
that we should never succeed in our undertaking of support
ing the Church of Rome, unless we kept ourselves aloof from
all her honors and dignities. A man once placed high in
the Church has finished his career. A bishop and a car
dinal serve very well to make a splendid appearance : in
the human body, the head governs the members ; but in the
moral body of the Church, the case is reversed, and the more
active and influential members govern the head. Thus the
bishop is not the moving power in his diocese ; it is his vicar
or his confessor. In like manner, it is his theologians, and
not the cardinal, who sway the congregation ; he says Yes
or No, as they direct him. The theologians and the con
fessors, then, are really at the head of affairs, and not the
cardinal or the bishop. The pope himself is subject to the
same regulation. I smile when I hear of the pope s holding
a secret consistory. The Romans believe that he is then
actually himself engaged with his cardinals in the discus
sion of important matters, whereas the true secret consistory
is held by the general of the Jesuits and his counselors, and
it is by them that every thing is discussed and decided.
Now all this could not be done were we not simple monks,
and open to no ambition but that of serving the Holy See."
At this moment some ladies passed us, whom the Jesuits
were the first to salute by taking off their hats ; but from
the coolness with which the civility was acknowledged, I
saw there was but little friendship between the parties.
"Can you tell me," said I to my friend, " who these la
dies are ?"
DEALINGS WITH THE INQ,UISITION. 117
" yes, I can tell you not only their names, but their
ages too, if you desire it."
" Have you ever been in company with them ?"
" Never ; but that does not prevent me from being able
to furnish you with every minute particular in their biog
raphy."
Whereupon he entered into so many details concerning
the history of these ladies, that I was astonished at the ex
tent of his information ; but I was still more surprised to
hear the younger Jesuit contribute his share as well, and
even correct some points which the other had advanced. I
had the curiosity to inquire how long this youth had been
in Tivoli, and discovered that he was a Pole, and had only
been six months in the place.
A priest came by next, and respecting him also we had
a full and minute account. Afterward the Princess Santa
Croce passed in her carriage ; my two Jesuits made her a
profound reverence, and the elder of them entertained me
with the history of the lady till we reached home.
The following day I thought I would engage my chron
icler on some other interesting matters, and I led the sub
ject to Rome and the cardinals.
" You are acquainted," I said to him, " with the major
part of the Roman cardinals, especially, I suppose, with such
as are friendly to the Holy Office ?"
" I know them all, both friends and enemies, if not per
sonally, at least by reputation ; and of every one of them I
could, if you wished it, give all the circumstances of their
lives, from their birth to the present day. You may rest
assured that a Jesuit, after ten years experience, unless he
chance to be a stupid fellow, in which case he is soon ex
pelled from the society, ought to know far more than the
most expert and practiced officer of police. For my own
part, I am conscious that I possess a certain dexterity in
these matters ; and it is on this account that I have been
sent into various places, and intrusted with so many com
missions. I can not, however, imagine why they have kept
me seven years in Tivoli, doing nothing but what my office
118 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
as professor of moral theology requires, to settle cases of
conscience. Still, they have given me my degree (il gra-
do),* and I imagine I shall shortly be called to Rome to at
tend to other matters."
"To be one of the twelve who every morning at an early
hour occupy the confessionals at the Gesu! /"
The Jesuit smiled significantly, as much as to say, " I be
lieve so."
" But tell me, my dear master," I rejoined, " would you
not be more useful in other matters ? How well you could
impart instruction in Greek and Roman literature ; not only
my testimony, but that of all your other pupils, might be
brought forward. You direct the studies of youth with so
much judgment ! Besides, it is an occupation, as I under
stand it, worthy of a Jesuit. But to go about spying into
other people s affairs, to serve the Inquisition and the court
of Rome, is an employment that God may perhaps pardon
you for exercising, but society never will."
" My dear friend," replied he, " such is the price at which
we are admitted into the society of Jesuits. It is necessary
to do many things to which we may be naturally averse, to
do many contrary to our nature and even to our conscience."
(And here a sigh betrayed the anxiety he felt.) " You will
perhaps ask why I remained among the Jesuits before I had
received my degree ? I can understand the question. But
you, who are now a theologian and a preacher, turn to the
7th chapter of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, where
the apostle laments his own state, speaking of himself:
For the good that I would, I do not ; but the evil which I
would not, that I do ; and concludes with that memorable
exclamation, wretched man that I am ! who shall de
liver me from the body of this death ? I can assure you
that more than once I have proposed to myself to quit the
society while I had yet power to do so ; and then a thousand
thoughts came into my mind : What will they say of me if
* An expression among the Jesuits to denote that the party is admitted
to the last profession ; that is, that he has taken the solemn vow, in virtue
of which he can never in future be expelled from the society.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 119
I leave the society which hitherto has been as a mother to
me ? I shall have to endure the remorse of one who, as it
is written, has put his hand to the plow, and has looked
back ; and, on account of my dereliction, I shall be ad
judged unworthy of the kingdom of heaven. I desired so
much to become a Jesuit, that I abandoned, as you know,
my chair at the Sapienza, and gave up my inheritance to
my brothers ; I bade adieu to all the world, and buried my
self in this cloak, which I have now worn for fifteen years.
How is it possible to retrace my steps, to disclaim my own
words, to give the lie to myself ? Ah, my friend, I pray you
may never repent having assumed your present habit, that
you may never experience the regret I have endured ! But
all this has passed away. I am now a Jesuit, fixed in my
vocation. In taking my last vows, I have sworn to die in
my order. Nothing can now alter my determination."
After this conversation several days passed without my
friend s making his appearance ; and I dared not inquire
after him, fearing he might possibly have repented of the
confidence he had reposed in me, and be desirous of break
ing off our intimacy at once. But I was mistaken. He
still retained his regard for me ; but that which would have
been commendable in any one else was, it appears, in a
Jesuit a fault, a weakness, and contrary to the rules of the
order. The old spiritual director of the establishment had
found the conduct of my friend to be very reprehensible.
This old man was not himself the superior, but the superin
tendent ; he was one of the assistants of the general of the
order, and usually resided at Tivoli, where he was well
known as the celebrated Father Sineo. He was the oracle
of the society, and was consulted in all matters of import
ance. He generally inhabited an apartment secluded from
the rest, like those idols of the Church of Rome which are
withdrawn from the light of day, and shut up in obscure
places, to inspire more veneration ; or, if placed in a niche,
they are covered with a curtain to guard them from the
profane eyes of the multitude, who would go crazy in their
senseless adoration if they saw them always before their
120 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
eyes. In like manner, this Father Sineo lived at Tivoli, like
the cuckoo in the fable, who delivered his oracular sayings
from his hole in the rock to those who went to consult him.
Now this reverend father, seeing the intimacy that sub
sisted between my friend and myself, and fearing that some
secrets of the company might be disclosed to me, summoned
him into his presence, and told him that it was not befit
ting that a Jesuit should be seen more than once in public
company with a stranger to the order ; that our friendship
might degenerate into familiarity, and so on into mutual
confidence, to the danger of the betrayal of the secrets of
the institution. That, in fact, the general of the order had
learned that we were every day walking out together ; and
although this might not in itself be objectionable, still his
reverence advised him to break off such a public display.
My good Jesuit had consequently to make a further sacri
fice, and deprive himself of this little solace ; he wrote to
me on the occasion, assuring me that it was not from any
diminution of friendship on his part if he could not meet me
as usual."
I understood all this perfectly well, and continued my ac
customed walks alone. Still my Jesuit was not forbidden
to talk with me in private, and it was not long before he
came to pay me a visit, when I expressed to him my satis
faction that our conversation had not been overheard.
" Oh !" replied he, " Father Sineo would not, in that case,
have let me off so easily. "Without doubt, I should have
been immediately sent away."
" I trust they would have done you no further injury," I
observed.
" The Jesuits are not like the friars and the nuns, among
whom those who transgress have to submit to a public pen
ance ; for instance, a Capuchin who cuts off his beard is
obliged to eat with the cats* until it grows again. But
* To eat with the cats, mangiare co gatti. This curious punishment is
literally put into practice in the Capuchin monasteries. The culprit sits on
the ground in common with the cats, of which there are always plenty in
these houses, and is not even allowed to defend his plate against any at
tacks his feline companions may venture to make upon it.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 121
with the Jesuit it frequently happens that no one knows
that he is undergoing punishment ; and he himself only
perceives that he has incurred the displeasure of his supe
rior, by finding that he is constantly and most ingeniously
thwarted in all his inclinations and wishes. In some cases
the offender is made to change his residence, to leave his
country, and to travel into Asia or America. Moreover, if
any Jesuit commits any great crime, his offense is concealed,
that no scandal may attach to the company ; for it desires,
more than any other body, to be esteemed irreprehensible,
as if its members were gifted with the privilege of impec
cability. It is, moreover, always expected that a Jesuit
thus protected by his company should consider himself bound
to expiate his crime by the greatest possible show of repent
ance, after which he is again taken into favor. Generally,
those who are sent into foreign countries are not allowed to
return until they have signalized themselves in some praise
worthy manner. It is considered a great favor to be called
to Rome, as it is also a heavy punishment to be banished
from it. For my own part, I have many times requested
to be sent to some foreign country, but I never could obtain
my wish. To tell the truth, I should much prefer a mis
sion to England. I differ from my brethren in that respect ;
although a Roman, the air of Rome, and more particularly
of the Vatican, is too heavy for my liking."
" But tell me," I asked, " what do the Jesuits do out of
Italy ; in France, for example, or in England ? I do not
suppose they employ themselves in the duties of education,
the principal object of their foundation. For my part, I
never could understand what business they could have ei
ther in England or in the United States."
" Still," replied he, " there are many in both those coun
tries, and many more will follow. It is our desire and our
hope to obtain the same influence in England that we have
in Italy. Protestantism in that country already inclines
greatly toward Catholicism, and will do so still more in pro
portion as the Jesuits gain ground there.
" Our success is much impeded by other priests and monks,
F
122 DEALINGS WITH THE INGIUISITION.
who, in their ignorant fanaticism, imprudently attack the
Protestants, and thus only strengthen their opposition to the
Church of Rome. We, on the other hand, have the art of
introducing ourselves among them without exciting atten
tion ; consequently, without creating suspicion or alarm.
Apparently occupied with our own affairs, we appear to
take no notice of those of other people. "We readily asso
ciate with them, sit at their tables, and converse on gen
eral topics ; we never oppose or contradict what they may
advance. Do they talk of the Bible ? we are ready to talk
on the same subject. We always, however, have some strong
arguments in reserve, for which most of them are not pre
pared ; scholastic doctrines, which the Bible does not dis
avow, and which are received with great willingness ; so
that while, on the one hand, we lament that there should
be an episcopacy separate from Rome, we talk largely, on
the other, on the important doctrine that the bishops are
the successors of the apostles, and thus prepare the way for
the conclusion that the pope is the successor of St. Peter.
In fact, you will find that, in consequence of this doctrine
of apostolic succession, the Episcopalians generally entertain
a respect for the chair of St. Peter, in which the chief of
the bishops is seated.
" The principle being admitted, the consequence natu
rally follows. And it is to be noted, that if any one speaks
slightingly of the Roman episcopacy, the Bishop of London
is the first person to reprove him ; and, moreover, the En
glish episcopacy calls that of Rome her sister. It is not
so, however, with the Presbyterians and other sects. The
Church of England retains the two sacraments of Baptism
and the Holy Supper, both of which, according to their be
lief, and according to ours also, confer sanctifying grace
(gratiam sanctificantem), not only ex opere operato, but
also ex opere operantis, and thus the minister becomes an
advocate, sine quo non, for justification in Baptism, and for
the real presence in the Eucharist. Should a doubt be ex
pressed as to the sacred character of the minister, or as to
the efficacy of the consecration of a bishop, as practiced in
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 123
their Church. ; should their white robes or their Book of
Prayer be criticised, the same outcry is raised by them as
would be raised by the sandaled friar if you ridiculed his
tunic or his legends of St. Francis.
" The state of the case is this : Missionaries in general
are imprudent, and begin by depreciating points which their
opponents most especially hold in reverence. "We, on the
contrary, take care to inform them that these matters, inas
much as they are traditions of greater or less antiquity, are
deserving of consideration ; and the more so, as they come
near the traditions of the apostolic Church of Rome.
" Do you think the Episcopalian clergy would ever con
sent to change their Book of Prayer ? We might as soon
be expected to give up our Mass-book and Breviary. They
can not, therefore, blame us if we are tenacious in keeping
to our ritual, Liturgy, and other ecclesiastical observances.
" In the Church of Rome there are canons, whose office
we ourselves deem objectionable ; those, for instance, who,
for a sum of money, often of considerable amount, make it
their business to pray for other people (Heaven knows what
sort of prayers are those they mutter in the choir). Well,
in the English Church, every bishop has his canons, who
have the negotium in otio, and otium in negotio, to go every
day into the choir, to repeat twice a day the same service ;
and for this easy task they are well paid in good English
pounds. Suppose, now, a canon from St. Peter s at Rome
should present himself at the Cathedral of St. Paul s, or at
Westminster Abbey, you would find that the reverend can
ons there would receive him with more courtesy than they
would show to either Luther or Calvin.
" Observe now," he continued, " our method of proceeding
in England. We get acquainted with the Episcopalians ;
our time would be lost with others ; and while we praise
their doctrines, we endeavor to show how near they are to
our own. We compare the respective churches, their bish
ops with ours, the canons with the laws of discipline, the
Mass-book with the Prayer-book, the robe with the surplice,
and so on. The only point on which we can not assimilate
124 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
is our celibacy and their matrimony. And here we argue
that as it is a matter of discipline, the Church might alter
it, should it be deemed expedient to do so, the pope having
the power to dispense with the observance.
" If any one complains that with us the cup is not given
to the laity, we observe that this too might easily be ar
ranged if there were no other difficulty. But the clergy of
the Reformed Church of the present day, both ministers and
bishops, have for the most part an idea that the Reforma
tion has taken away much which might have been retained.
They begin to be sensible of a certain dryness in their wor
ship, without either an image or the cross ; no one knows
why the miter has been taken from the bishop and the gown
from the priest. We observe to them that it would not be
amiss to restore those customs which are harmless. And
thus, by degrees, in some churches we see images set up
over the communion table, which give it the appearance
of an altar. And if an image is not allowed, at least a
handsome cross may be painted and gilded, before which the
minister, as he passes, may make his obeisance. The miter
which the bishops no longer wear on their heads in sign of
jurisdiction, is transferred to their coat of arms, their car
riages, and their plate ; and seeing it thus painted and en
graved, the desire naturally arises in the breast of some of
them to wear it also.
" Our priests are wedded to their collar, the English
ministers to their white cravat. If we had the courage to
show ourselves in London in our gowns, I would wager that
they also would wish to be clothed in the long black garb,
close to the throat, with a single row of buttons."^
" It appears, then, that your mission to the British Isles
is exclusively to convert their Episcopalian ministers to the
Church of Rome ?"
" Not them exclusively, but principally, as being the most
accessible. We do not, however, altogether lose our time
while looking after the sectarians also. In fact, some of us
take the Presbyterians, and those who are called Dissenters,
* This prophecy has come to pass.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 125
under our especial care. In ingratiating ourselves with the
Episcopalians, they become sufficiently friendly to evince no
great displeasure against us if we now and then succeed in
leading away one or two of them from their faith. In short,
we have nothing to fear from them either in England or in
Scotland ; so long as we handle them gently, they never
turn against us. But it is very different with the Presby
terians, the Baptists, the Methodists, the Independents, and
others of a similar class ; we can not deceive them into a
belief that their opinions approximate to ours ; every thing
regarding papacy they hold in such abhorrence, that, as they
express it, they would rather enter into a league with the
arch-fiend himself than with us. How, then, do we pro
ceed with them ? I have already said it is in vain to think
of overcoming them by argument. Our efforts are directed
to sow enmity between them and the Episcopalians. And
from this we derive a double advantage ; they cease to
trouble themselves respecting us, and endeavor to annoy
their adversaries. The result of the whole is, that the
Episcopalians (I speak more particularly of the most zeal
ous) end by preferring us to the Dissenters, and will one
day or other bestow on us privileges that will be denied to
the latter.^ Thus, from their mutual discord, we gain an
increase of power."
" The plan is worthy of the Jesuits," I replied ; " but do
you think it will succeed ? Will they not ultimately be
come aware of your intentions ? And may it not happen
that all parties, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Baptists, Dis
senters, and others may unite, and direct their hostilities
against yourselves ?"
" In that case our mission would terminate, and it would
no longer be possible for our Church to maintain its estab
lishments in that country. We must, to use the common
phrase, shut lip shop. But such a union is impossible. You
might sooner expect the dog to be in friendship with the
cat, the wolf and the lamb to feed together, or the fox and
the goose to share the same repast, than that these differ-
* Here likewise the Jesuit has proved himself a true prophet.
126 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
ent sects should harmonize together. I do not speak so
much of the people as of their different ministers. They
are always disputing among themselves, frequently on very
trivial matters ; and we gain ground from their dissensions.
It is our business, then, to add fuel to the flame of their
controversy. Should they relax ever so little, we endeavor
to invent some new cause for debate, and to engage in it
the most influential and wealthy individuals. It would be
a sad affair for us were a religious alliance to take place in
England if the bishop of the Established Church gave the
hand of fellowship to the Scotch Presbyterian and the Dis
senter the reproach of Protestantism, on account of its di
vision, would then be taken away, and the cause would pre
sent a new aspect to the Catholic world !
" I can tell you, moreover, that the desire to become Prot
estant would then extend even into Italy, which at present
smiles at the disputes between the ministers of various de
nominations in England, similar to the quarrels which once
prevailed in Italy between the different orders of monks, as
to whether the robes of the minister should be white or
black, and as to their specific form for an Episcopalian
would never preach his sermon in a Geneva cloak, neither
would a Presbyterian pray to God from the Liturgy of the
Church of England ; whether the sermon should be writ
ten or extempore ; whether the prayers should be offered
up standing or kneeling ; whether the organ should accom
pany the choir or not ; and other points not worth enumer
ating, but which not unfrequently become state questions.
" You know the great political axiom, Divide and rule.
As long as we can keep the Reformation divided, it will
never be strong enough to attack us. In its early period,
being united, it could do so. And those were terrible times
for the Church of Home ! All her means and all her sol
diers were then put in requisition. Paul the Third, in this
very town of Tivoli, in the year 1540, observed that another
order was necessary to save the bark of St. Peter from ship
wreck another body of soldiers, who should receive secret
instructions how to combat against Protestantism, by di-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 127
viding, and putting it in opposition to itself. And for this
especial object the Jesuits were instituted. Think how
much it must have cost to accomplish their purpose with
out discovery ! The disclosure of their proceedings would
involve some frightful particulars.
" If the Protestants could be persuaded that their weak
ness is occasioned by their dissensions, and that the best mode
they could adopt would be to unite and make common cause
against us, they most certainly might, with the means they
possess, combat the Roman Catholic faith so effectually,
that it would fall even in Rome itself. It is on this ac
count that we are so vigilant with respect to England. The
people there are capable of every thing when once aroused.
Woe to us if they take it into their heads to recommence a
religious war ! I dread lest it should take place. It is one
of my especial precautions that no imprudence on the part
of Rome should compel the people to such a necessity. Rome
has united the throne and the altar, the royal scepter with
the crosier of the bishop. Nothing is spoken of but the di
vine rights of religion and of the state. And, in the mean
while, the patience of the people, who are oppressed, tor
mented, and rendered miserable, is worn out. This most
insupportable yoke is imposed on them in the name of God,
of Christ. What might not be expected to take place were
the people to become aware of the treachery of the priests ?
Who could be expected to restrain them from open rebell
ion, from bursting their bonds, from throwing off their yoke ?
" The present moment is favorable for Protestantism to
gain proselytes, should it be so inclined, which, however,
certainly will not be the case ; not that every Protestant
does not desire to see all the world reformed, beginning with
Rome herself, but because, when the period arrives, when
political discord shall smooth the way for Protestantism in
Italy, and when a helping hand would be sufficient to ef
fect the change which the Italians themselves would assist
in procuring yes, in that very moment, the most fatal for
Rome, the English and Scotch Protestants would lose their
object in perplexing the Italians with the question whether
128 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
their new church should be Episcopalian or Presbyterian.
It is well for us that such is the character of that people,
and there is no question that we should do all in our power
to preserve it. Woe to Rome if she does not watch over
England, and woe to Catholicism if the Jesuits give up
their important mission."
" My dear master, you have greatly enlightened my mind
on these matters. I should never have imagined such a
mode of proceeding. Have you ever yourself been in En
gland, and become acquainted with these Protestants ?"
" No, I have never visited England ; but we Jesuits
know every thing concerning a country without having our
selves been in it, since all we possess is common to the
whole company, from the clothes we wear even to our very
knowledge and ideas. Whatever we know, we are obliged
mutually to communicate to each other. Thus we put into
circulation the capital of thought and information which
each individual brings to the common stock, taking care not
to let it get abroad."
" Are you of opinion, then, that England will make an
advance toward the Church of Rome ?"
" It depends entirely on the industry of the Jesuits. If
Rome confides the task exclusively to us, you may rest as
sured some bold stroke will be effected ere long, and that
without England being aware of our maneuvers. England,
you know, is an exceedingly rich country, and consequently
strong and powerful. Now it is natural that those who are
conscious of strength should fear no danger ; so England, in
consequence of her wealth, is liable to no fear, and takes no
measures of prevention for the future. We already enjoy a
considerable degree of liberty there, and shall have still
more in a short time.
" The bishops, rolling in their riches, and proud of a nu
merous clergy dependent upon them, imagine themselves
sufficiently strong and secure ; they sleep in their imagin
ary safety, and amuse themselves by looking at us, who ev
ery now and then are raising some church or other in their
own immediate vicinity. One of these prelates, I believe
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 129
the Bishop of Manchester, a little while ago went about
saying, Ah, these poor Jesuits ! they go about trying and
trying, and they effect nothing. Let his lordship wait a
little longer, and then he will be able to judge more cor
rectly, not only as to what we have been doing, but what
we intend to do."
" But where are the funds for all these expenses ?"
" Where ? Every country in which we carry on our op
erations is made to furnish us with the necessary expenses.
And if it sometimes happens that we incur, in any particu
lar place, an expense before we have collected the money,
we consider it as a loan to be repaid to us, with usury. Now
what we spend in England is all English money ; we have
the art of obtaining it even from the Protestants themselves.
Instigated by curiosity, they come to our churches to wit
ness our ceremonies, and do not go away without leaving
behind them more than we gain from the Catholics them
selves."
" How fearful is the power exercised by your company !
How formidable to society ; and the more so from its secrecy.
Take care that you be not discovered."
" Discovered ! and suppose we were ? How many times
have we not been driven out of France, and have we not
always re-entered it ? In England, indeed, we have never
been proscribed, in consequence of the principle which we
ourselves preach there, political and religious toleration.
For my own part, I fear for our situation in Italy, since we
are on the side of the sovereigns ; if any thing should ever
endanger their stability, we should be the first to fall ; and
our ruin would precede that of the sovereigns. Should it
occur in our time that the Jesuits are banished from Rome,
bear in mind, that whoever the pope may be, he too will
find it necessary before long to fly.^ But in England we
shall never incur the risk of being banished, therefore it is
that we increase and multiply there so abundantly. We
have establishments, schools, and all that we desire to have ;
and these good Protestants themselves furnish us the means.
* The Jesuit was again correct in his prediction.
F 2
130 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
If it should please Providence that we should live long
enough to meet again at some future period, you will rec
ollect what I have foretold ; at any rate, let it be according
to the will of God. Adieu, my good friend. I must return
to our convent, where Father Sineo is expecting me."
CHAPTER VIII.
THE DOMINICANS, AND MY LIFE AMONG THEM.
WHOEVER speaks of the Inquisition immediately recalls
to mind the race of monks who appear to be, even from their
origin, the primary agents of this terrible institution.
These monks are called Dominicans from the name of
their founder ; and it was by the advice of Pope Innocent
III. that their order was instituted. They called them
selves preachers, because they went to different cities preach
ing ; not, however, the Gospel of Christ, but the rosary of
the Virgin Mary, the most absurd system of prayer that the
Christian world has ever yet had ; a system, indeed, dia
metrically opposed to the doctrine of Christ, who says, " But
when ye pray, use not vain repetitions . . . after this man
ner therefore pray ye : Our Father, &c." Now the rosary
is a repetition of fifteen Pater Nosters, with one hundred
and fifty Ave Marias, and it is said that the Virgin herself
taught this stupid form of devotion to Domenico di Gusman.
The fact, however, is certain, that he was the promoter of
it, leaving it as a heritage to his followers.
The rosary was the Marseillaise hymn of the Crusaders
when, headed by St. Dominic, they ravaged the provinces
of Languedoc, Narbonne, and Dauphiny, to exterminate the
heretics, as they called those true Christians who would not
subject themselves to the dominion of the pope.
The order of the Dominicans can boast of many men of
great talent ; yet they allowed themselves to be seduced
from the primitive mode of worship, and to become in their
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 131
turn seducers, to perpetuate this absurd system. It is from
them that every thing most foolish and malignant in the
barbarous ages, both in Spain and Italy, has been continued,
down to our own times. A multitude of fanatics started up
on the same field, who at first called themselves monks or
hermits, then friars or brothers, afterward regular clergy, in
order to distinguish themselves from those who call them
selves priests, after the Greek presbiteros, or elders.
In every age there has been a rivalry and emulation be
tween all these parties to serve the papal cause, always,
however, first taking good care of themselves. It therefore
happens that those in whom the love of that system has
prevailed over the love of themselves, have advanced to the
highest distinctions in the Romish Church ; while, on the
contrary, those in whom the love of themselves has been
the dominant passion, have remained behind, and are held
in little consideration, like the monks of San Francesco
d Assisi.
Among all these various parties, I think the Dominicans
hold a middle rank ; though not the most active, they are
by 110 means the most idle and selfish of the ecclesiastical
orders ; they are zealous in things belonging to the Church,
and have many theologians and preceptors among them,
some of whom are ambitious of appearing eloquent in set
sermons, studied for the purpose.
The inquisitors also occupy themselves in preaching ; not
that they wish to instruct the Christian world, but because
it is the only means of procuring them money, of which they
are perpetually in want, not so much for their personal ne
cessities as for their personal vices.
The Dominicans are known to be rich, and to lead an
easy life. Their dress is the most becoming, or, I should
say, the least unbecoming of all the tunics, capes, hoods,
cowls, gowns, and scarfs that form the monkish garb ; and,
certainly, their mode of life is less irrational than that of
the other orders ; still, they are full of hypocrisy and de
ceit. They have a code of laws, but although they swear
to obey them all, they do not observe half of them. The
132 DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION.
superior of the monastery has power to dispense with the
observance of any of them on the slightest pretext. Ac
cording to their rules, they ought all to dress in woolen
only, restrict themselves to meager diet, rise in the night
to pray, and so forth. They do nothing of the kind, how
ever, and so far I do not blame them ; but they are wrong
in practicing so many deceptions. They profess never to
eat meat in the refectory or room for their common meals,
and it is true that in the refectory itself they do not eat it ;
but there is another room near it, which they call by an
other name, where they eat meat constantly. On Good Fri
day they are commanded by their rules to eat bread and
drink water. At the dinner hour they all go together into
the refectory to eat bread and drink water ; but having
done so, for the sake of appearance, they go one after the
other into another room, where a good dinner is prepared
for them all. I do not blame them for enjoying it, but I
blame them for first feigning an abstinence which none of
them intend to keep. When I made a profession of these
rules at the age of seventeen, I was totally unacquainted
with such pharisaical deceptions. I looked upon the Do
minicans as a noble order, where propriety of life was ob
served ; and, above all, I was pleased that the sciences and
literature were studied among them, and that professors and
preachers came to teach them.
The first year, called the year of novitiate, which is the
time given for deliberation, passed away without my seeing
what was going on, for I was kept apart from all the other
monks. Nevertheless, I was twice strongly tempted to re
nounce my career ; but some friends I had in the monas
tery prevailed upon me to remain. But the eye becomes
accustomed to see deformities, the ear to hear follies, and
the mind to stupefy itself by the habits it contracts ; thus,
after some time, I became a monk, and attached to the sys
tem ; for as I believed Domeriico di Gusman to be a great
saint, so also I believed his order to be a useful and respect
able institution.
Being by nature frank and sincere, I could not endure
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 133
false and lying practices ; but it may easily be imagined
that these people can readily find distinctions and subtleties
to render their professions in plausible accordance with their
deeds. Besides, evil example goes a great way. There
were persons in the monastery whom I much esteemed ; and
seeing them live in ease and apparent sanctity, I tranquil-
ized my mind in order to associate myself to the same sys
tem. Besides, I led a life of study : at the age of sixteen I
had completed not only the courses of natural philosophy,
mathematics, natural history, and experimental philosophy,
but also those of civil and criminal law. All this was be
fore I entered the monastery of the Dominicans ; they were
therefore rather proud of me, partly because I was the only
one who was thus distinguished, and partly because they
hoped by my example to attract others to recruit their fra
ternity.
I professed the institution of the Dominicans with the
view of being freed from every distraction, and enabled first
to perfect myself in the sciences, and afterward to teach
them to others. I preferred this task to every other, and
it was a passion with me to learn all that was worthy of
being learned. The hours of the day were insufficient for
this desire, and during several years I accustomed myself to
pass two whole nights every week in reading and writing.
My most delightful study was that of the classics, both
ancient and modern ; but I felt it necessary to apply my
self to the sciences, especially to logic, for which I had much
taste. I studied the philosophy of the Peripatetics, in order
to become acquainted with it, though I did not teach it ;
also the theology of the schoolmen, to purify it from the
dross by which it is defiled. All that I acquired of these
sciences was by studying books, as I learned nothing from
the teaching of preceptors, which was at that time incon
siderable among the Dominicans.
I must confess that I was at this time well contented
with my condition, and would not have changed it for any
other, because it enabled me to satisfy my desire of learn
ing. I had all the comforts of life necessary for a student,
134 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
and amply sufficient leisure, uninterrupted by any thing ei
ther to trouble me or distract my attention. I had, in short,
retirement, quietude, and an abundance of books. I thought
also that I should have had learned conversation, but in this
I was mistaken.
The life of the Dominicans is intended for the cultivation
of the sciences ; and the design, not only of Domenico di
G-usman himself, but of the succeeding heads of the order,
appears to have been to form an institution of learned men
devoted to the service of the Romish Church.
The privileges accorded by the laws of the order to any
individual who cultivates the study of the sciences, and,
moreover, the privileges and honors granted to this order
by the popes, corroborate this design. The doctor, or mas
ter of theology, as he is called, enjoys many distinctions
and advantages : his degree is equal to that of the princi
pal universities, and the same as that of the Sorbonne and
of Salamanca. With the Dominicans the road which leads
to this academical rank is long and difficult, while in the
other orders, and from the class of priests, the path is easy
and short. A doctor of theology, among the Dominicans,
is chosen from the class of professors after many rigid ex
aminations, and after a course of lectures which last twelve
years ; but, once elected, he is free from all the inconven
iences of a monastic life, and enjoys every comfort and honor.
Happy, then, is he who can attain to this high rank ! The
number, however, is very limited ; hence arise disputes and
intrigues to obtain admittance into it.
// Maestro Domenicano is generally considered as a per
sonage of much importance, and he would not abandon this
way of living for any other employment ; or, if he accepted
one, he would consider himself unhappy in having given up
his cherished idleness.
It is related of Friar Orsini, a Dominican who in his
youth was made cardinal and bishop of Benevento, and in
his old age was elected pope under the title of Benedict
XIII., that one day, being with his fellow-monks in the mon
astery of the Minerva, he said, " If I had not been removed
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 135
from my office of lecturer to my order, I should now have
been a Padre Maestro;" thus manifesting that his eleva
tion to the papal chair was regarded by him as a loss.
At the age of thirty I was a Maestro, to which high rank
no one had ever before attained so early. My having taught
many different things at the same time was of use to me, as
during the seven years of my lecturing I occupied three
chairs at once, viz., those of theology, Holy Scripture, and
philosophy. The head of the order was anxious to advance
me to this degree, as he wished to promote me to the post
of rector, or principal of the Minerva, which is the highest
of all that the order has to bestow.
They endeavored still more studiously to make me a dev
otee to the Romish system, as they perceived I was depart
ing from it more and more every day ; and they thought
the best means for accomplishing their ends would be to ap
point me to offices of importance, at the same time holding
out delusive promises of even higher dignities. This is the
net by which they entrap many, but I was one of the few
who did not allow themselves to be ensnared ; on the con
trary, I several times entreated the general of the order to
allow me to remain in peace with my occupations at Viter-
bo, in the exercise of which I desired to live and die ; but
he obstinately refused to comply with my request, and or
dered me to renounce my professorships and repair to Rome.
The Bishop of Viterbo interested himself for me, in order
that I might not be compelled to leave the place against my
will, and he adopted every method, both of persuasion and
entreaty, on the occasion ; but the general was no friend
to the bishop, whose mediation, therefore, only served to
strengthen him the more in his determination to withdraw
me from Yiterbo and bring me to Rome. At last I could
resist no longer, and was obliged to surrender my two pro
fessorships into the hands of the bishop, who reluctantly ac
cepted my resignation, at the same time muttering strong
expressions of resentment against the general of the Do
minicans.
It was thus that I was forced, at the close of 1833, to
136 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
quit Viterbo, having first received a thousand proofs of
friendship from the bishop, the Prelato Governatore, and
from all classes of the inhabitants.
There was one crafty man, however, who, while he ca
ressed me openly, used to calumniate and injure me behind
my back, of which I, in my own unsuspecting nature, was
not for some time aware. This man, a certain M. Spal-
letti, noted for his villainous character, was vicar to the
bishop ; by much intrigue he afterward succeeded in getting
himself made Bishop of Sutri and Nessi, but he finished his
career by being driven away by the inhabitants, loaded with
crime. This man hated me because I was a friend of the
delegate s, who, for many good reasons, was opposed to him.
After my departure, Spalletti began to raise various reports
against me by means of his acolytes. He also made use of
some Dominican monks, who, through jealousy, were dis
pleased with my advancement, as well as of some persons
whom I had reproved while residing in Viterbo. All these
were unfriendly to me, and conspired with Spalletti against
me. But the good Monsignor Sisti, governor of the prov
ince, discovered this secret conspiracy, and he one day called
Spalletti to him, and gave him to understand that he was
able to frustrate all his designs. Spalletti, finding himself
discovered, denied having entertained any, and declared him
self to be one of my best friends.
I was told of these evil reports, but I took no more notice
of them than as if they had been concerning a stranger, as
I endeavor not to glory in applause, nor to suffer any kind
of depression from false and injurious accusations. I feel as
acutely as any one the force of injustice ; but, having made
a solemn vow not to revenge it, I leave it to the Almighty,
and the only relief to my feelings is the consciousness of my
innocence ; and I have generally had the gratification of
seeing some friend, almost as if inspired by Providence, take
up my cause, to the confusion of my adversary. In the af
fair with Spalletti, I had for my defenders not only the Pre
lato Governatore, but also the most respectable persons in
Viterbo. The Cardinal Gamberini, to whom I made some
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 137
complaint about the conduct of the vicar of Viterbo, said to
me, " Leave that unhappy man who calumniates you to
himself; he is in such discredit with all good people, that
being slandered by him is rather an honor than otherwise."
I went to Rome in obedience to the general of the order,
and when he saw me he said,
" I am very glad you are about to begin a new career -
for it will confer great honors upon you, while it will also be
of the highest utility to the order."
In the course of a few days he presented me to some car
dinals, by whom I was received with the most friendly wel,
come. The Cardinal de Gregorio predicted that I should
become master of the Sacred Palace, and afterward a car
dinal. Cardinal Polidori, also, said to me, " I wish this new
charge may give you the opportunity of acquiring much
knowledge, and that the Lord may grant you, at the same
time, much humility." Some days after the general said
to me,
" The pope wishes to see you, and has ordered me to con
duct you to him to-morrow."
I had known Pope Gregory well from the time when he
was Abbot of St. Romualdo. I had gone several times to
see him, and he always used to give me a good reception,
presenting me with chocolate and books, as the monks are
in the habit of doing. I had also visited him when he was
created cardinal ; and, finally, I had waited upon him when
he was pope, being presented to him by Padre Velzi, master
of the Sacred Palace, as Vicario del Magistero. Behold
me now again before him : the pope granted us a private
audience, and was in a very good humor.
" Holy Father," said the General Jabalot, " I present to
you the new rector of the College of the Minerva."
" Oh ! my dear Achilli," said the pope. " I rejoice, Pa
dre Generate, that you have made so young a rector."
And here he said some very nattering things of me that
he had known me ever since 1825, and had always esteemed
me ; with many other compliments of the like nature. He
then recommended me to the general, and, turning to me, said,
138 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
" Now that you are in Rome, I shall have the pleasure
of seeing you again ; come whenever you like, and on Thurs
day mornings especially you will find me more at liberty :
go to my cameriere, and he will introduce you at once, with
out taking you the round of the ante-chambers."
The general was quite pleased with this reception, and
said to me confidentially,
" The pope wished me to call you to Rome, and from
what he has told me, it appears that he has much good
will toward you ; indeed, he certainly has a great partiality
for you."
Soon after he said,
" The pope speaks of you with much interest, and has
great hopes of you. I therefore feel more and more delight
ed that I have brought you to Rome, and I hope you also
will be well pleased at my having done so. I have been
wishing for the last two years to have you at the Minerva ;
recollect when you came here, at the beginning of 1831, to
graduate,* how I then said to you that I required you in
Rome, and I offered you some employments ; but you de
clined my proposals, and preferred returning to Yiterbo.
You know that whoever seeks for preferment must reside
principally in Rome ; and your spirit, your talents, the many
friends you have among the most illustrious personages, as
well as the interest the pope takes in your welfare, guaran
tee to you the highest honors and dignities in the Church."
" Padre Generale" I replied, " if this ambition to attain
to high rank and dignity existed in my mind, I should then
feel the necessity of remaining in Rome ; but if I desire to
attend to the service of my ministry, then it appears to me
that I can be useful any where. Besides, as most talented
men crowd into Rome, it is well, I think, that some like my
self, assuming for argument s sake that I possess the quali
fications you are pleased to attribute to me, should be dis
persed here and there in different parts of the country. I
assure you, Padre Generate, that if I had not been compel-
* L Esame ad gradus. The Dominicans so call the examination for the
degree of Doctor of Theology.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 139
led by you, I should not have left Viterbo, where I think I
was very useful ; at any rate, I should have preferred going
elsewhere instead of coming to Rome. I do not know why
this climate feels so heavy to me, and why it depresses my
spirits, but so it is. I will, moreover, tell you frankly, that
the monastery of the Minerva has for me something repuls
ive ; and from the time I left it in 1826, I never had any
desire to return."
" Then you do not like Rome ?"
" Oh, on the contrary, Padre Generate, I like Rome very
much ; you know that I am a Roman, although born in Vi
terbo, and God knows how I love this unhappy city ! But
it is precisely because I love it that I can not live in it :
something that I can not describe makes me suffer while I
remain in Rome, but I feel it less when I am any where
else."
" I do not understand what you mean."
" Well, then, Padre Generate, I must explain. Do not
you see the corrupt state of this city ? Does it not appear
as if you were in Babylon when you go to the court of the
pope and cardinals ? And of what does the clergy of Rome
consist ? Is it not of a number of ambitious men, who serve
in the Church only through their avidity to acquire a higher
grade, and who endeavor by every species of intrigue to frus
trate the designs of each other ? You may see this in every
class and in every order, from the College of the Cardinals
to the Capuchin monastery. What is the monastery of the
Minerva, to which you have now so eagerly called me, think
ing to insure my happiness ? An asylum for discontented
persons, each one of whom is trying to rise above the other :
every lecturer wishes to be Maestro, and every monk longs
to be the superior. From this ambition arise discord and
artifice, murmurings and scandal, often generating the black
est calumnies. The monastery of the Minerva is odious to
me, because here, more than elsewhere, the monks quarrel
with each other ; and the scandal of their disagreements
has spread throughout the monasteries of the provinces, and
causes the greatest disorders."
140 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" From what I hear, you are not contented with your
present situation ; you are like the Israelites, who sighed
after the leeks and onions of Egypt."
" I confess to you, Padre Generate, that, with your per
mission and that of the pope, I should be most delighted
either to return to Viterbo, or to leave Rome, and go to any
other city, to do all you wish."
" Well, this is curious ! What a miserable figure I should
make, undoing all that I have done ! What would the pope
say ? What would the cardinals whom we have visited say ?
Even the monks would find something to say if you were
no longer the rector whom I have appointed."
"As to the monks, you need not trouble yourself about
them : they have already murmured enough that I am
placed here. Accustomed as they have been to see only
aged men called to the office, they do not like my being
where I am ; they would, indeed, be very glad if I remained
no longer. I could easily, through the aid of the pope or
the cardinals, find means to resign, without any blame ac
cruing to your reverence."
At this moment we were interrupted. Several days pass
ed before I again saw the superior, who then received me
with great coldness. This man had, as is well known, a
remarkable talent for preaching, so that he passed for the
finest orator of his time. The Jesuit Finetti and the Fran
ciscan Pacifico of Brescia were certainly inferior to him.
Proud of the applause he continually received, this Father
Jabalot daily expected to be elevated to the dignity of car
dinal, so much so that among his friends he himself spoke
of his cardinalship as certain and near at hand. Father
Velzi, another Dominican, the Maestro of the Sacred Pal
ace, had been created a cardinal a short time before ; every
thing, therefore, encouraged our general in the belief that
he too was a cardinal "in fieri" for so in Rome are those
called who are about to be made cardinals, or who so flat
ter themselves. Consequently, he immediately assumed an
air of dignity and patronage. Such was this Father Jab
alot ; bulky in person, gentle in his manners, he was al-
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 141
ready prepared for the cardinal s hat. To those who con
gratulated him, he mildly answered with downcast eyes
and a modest smile of internal approbation ; and when any
one spoke of his high attainments, of his claims to the of
fice, of the ornament he would be to the sacred purple,
" Stavasi tutto umile in tanta gloria" he was humble
amid so great glory.
The good friar was well aware that I was not one of
those who pay court to cardinals, real or expectant. He
knew very well that he could not make a tool of me to ad
vance his ambition ; that, on the contrary, eschewing all
ambitious views myself, I should have been a continual
thorn in his side ; in fact, he saw he had gained nothing by
having brought me to Rome ; and I think he repented hav
ing done so. However that might be, he was determined
to try a last expedient. " Perhaps," said he, " you do not
like to be the principal of a college, since the office is one
of very great responsibility ; and accustomed as you are to
have your time at your own disposal, you may perhaps find
it too great a confinement. If this be all your difficulty, I
can easily rectify that point ; I have other posts to offer you
which perhaps you may like better ; for instance, the office
of librarian at the Casanateme is vacant, and I can offer it
you, if you would like it ; in fact, the pope, only the other
day, speaking of you, told me that he should be pleased to
see you in that post. I am persuaded he would be delight
ed if I mentioned to him that you had made the exchange.
You shall have three days to turn it over in your mind, and
then you can give me your answer."
" My answer," I replied, " is ready this moment, if you
will permit me to give it ; I have no need of ruminating on
the matter to come to a decision. It is not the office of
principal that is the difficulty with me ; on the contrary,
that is the very one in which I feel I could do some good.
But I find it impossible to live in this Roman monastery,
where there is nothing but opposition, contrariety, and dis
sension. Suppose for a moment I should wish to reform
any abuses that might exist in the college, I should be sure
142 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
to encounter a war of persecution, as has ever been the case.
My predecessor has not yet recovered from the effects of his
attempt in that way. Above all, there is one thing in which
I feel the great necessity of alteration, and that is, in the
course of study. We are barbarians with our scholastic the
ology ; it is that of the Middle Ages ; it is horrible ! Aris
totle is taken as the expositor of the Bible ; his works, with
those of Pietro Lombardo, are the two text-books of Thomas
Aquinas. In Christian schools the apostle should explain
the philosopher. The famous motto of the Platonists, Ipse
dixit, has its counterpart in the motto of the Thomasines,
Ut ait philosophus et magister sententiarum Now, Fa
ther General, does this appear to you to be the proper way
to explain theology, which is the science of reasoning upon,
and drawing conclusions from, the principles of Divine Rev
elation that is to say, from the Holy Scriptures ? since
there is no other revelation than what they set forth."
" But our order has always held this system of instruc
tion ; our theology has always been that of St. Thomas Aqui
nas, which is authorized by the Church ; and whoso has
ever deviated from his doctrine, said Pope John XXII., has
always been suspected as to his faith (fuit semper de fide
suspectus). How would you think of introducing any re
form in such matters ? Most certainly, all the lecturers
and masters would to a man rise against it.
" For my part, I can not see why the system hitherto
adopted should not be still pursued ; our order has been al
ways distinguished for its theologians, and this distinction
they derive from the study of the Summa Theologies of
St. Thomas Aquinas. Take this from them, and it would be
like taking the sun from the universe ; all would be dark
ness."
" Father General, I knew that this was a sore subject ;
and though I could sustain some weight of odium if I thought
I could do any good, I see I should not be seconded, and
therefore I should labor in vain. For this reason have I
deemed it unadvisable to open my mouth on the subject ;
for it is written, Non effundas sermonem ubi non est audi-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 143
tus. My voice would be as the voice of one crying in the
wilderness. Perhaps the time is not yet come ; perhaps I
am not the instrument destined for such a work ; or perhaps
it is to be brought about in some other way. I feel that the
monastery of the Minerva is no longer the abode for me, and
that Rome itself is no longer the place in which I can dwell.
I hope that you will, for my own justification, make these
reasons known. Let it be clearly understood that my not
remaining at the Minerva, or in Rome at all, has depended
on myself alone."
"And the pope?"
" I will undertake to excuse myself to him. And he is
so good a man that I am sure he will not find the argu
ments I shall lay before him unreasonable."
"Of course you will speak to him of the theology of St.
Thomas Aquinas ?"
" Oh ! as to that, we have often talked together on the
subject, when he was simple Padre Abate Cappellari of
St.Romualdo; and perhaps he was really the first who
made me take this view of the subject. Believe me, Father
General, I am no innovator ; nor is this a novelty ; it is a
thing that has been long desired, according to the exigen
cies of times and persons. The sentiments I have expressed
are those which the favorers of scholastic theology have oft
en endeavored to smother, but which they have never been
able to extinguish ; and now it seems to me they are ready
to break forth anew. Theology, such as it is at present
among us, can no longer stand ; and the reason, Father Gen
eral, is, because it is not so ancient as it ought to be. In
matters of religion, there are neither discoveries nor novel
ties ; that which was established in the beginning, that
same should remain forever. Can the Bible ever become
old or obsolete ? To me it appears that it can not ; and
yet, in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, an attempt was
made to remodel and modernize it in some particulars. This
work of the Dark Ages must be destroyed, and the original
system renewed. And what I call reform is not a novelty,
as some imagine, but simply a return to the ancient religion."
144 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" Let this discourse go no further, for I fear, if others
should hear it, they may conceive a bad opinion of you.
This, you very well know, is the constant cry of heretics ;
they want a reform in the Church, but it is not their office
to effect it ; it is that of the pope alone, as sole head of the
Church. It is always dangerous to speak of reform, for it
invariably savors of heresy ; and, at any rate, I would not
advise you to give utterance to such sentiments, especially
in Rome."
Father Jabalot was one of those blind followers of the
doctrines of Rome, who, between Christ and the pope, would
rather have decided for the latter than the former. Leo XII. ,
speaking of him, used to say, that he thought Father Jaba
lot one of the most ambitious men in the world ; that is to
say, most ambitious to serve the papal chair. He could not,
then, well agree with me, who saw in the past nothing but
a system of corrupted faith and relaxed Christian morality.
In his eyes the pope was infallible ; a dogma which, in our
age, every Roman theologian, who is not an actual fanatic,
is ashamed of sustaining. It was impossible to reason with
such a man upon theology, because he always preferred be
lieving whatever was most preposterous, foolish, and least
credible. His was a weak mind in a robust body. Such a
man being the head of the order was one of my principal
reasons for not wishing to reside in Rome, especially in an
office which would have brought me into perpetual collision
with him. On the contrary, from that moment I was in
cessantly contriving how I might withdraw from the whole
race of friars, who had now become odious to me. Their
superstitions on the one hand, and their irregularities on the
other, every day diminished my esteem and attachment to
the order. Truly, it required much to make me dislike
those whom before I had sincerely loved ; and yet this work,
by Divine mercy, was perfecting in my soul.
I had long dissented from the Romish doctrines, but was
still bound by certain ties of friendship perhaps the force of
long habit and the prejudices of education had much to do in
the matter so that it appeared very difficult to take the res-
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 145
olute step which should entirely separate me from all and
every thing with which I had so long been closely connected.
And yet that Providence which governeth all things at length
effected even this.
Rome did all she could to attach me to her side ; but in
this point I, who at any other time should have been most
docile, now remained inflexible.
" It appears to me incredible," said a friend of mine, "that
neither pope, cardinals, nor generals of orders have eloquence
enough to persuade you to stay in Rome, to be loaded with
honors and dignities."
Father Velzi, the Maestro of the Sacred Palace, having
some little time before been created cardinal, and sent as
bishop to Monte Fiascone, it was my office, as his vicar, in
the discharge of my duty, to be in the midst of all the fes
tivities which are customary on these occasions, and, more
over, to accompany the new cardinal to his diocese, and to
attend upon him. Viterbo being in the immediate vicinity of
Monte Fiascone, I often divided my time between the two, and
was but too happy to render every service to my excellent
friend, who frequently asked me to pass some days with him.
I had a great regard for this man on account of his excel
lent qualities ; with all he was obliging ; for me he evinced
a particular friendship. I was entirely in his confidence, and
he occasionally in mine. Our conversations were very in
teresting, and the most perfect familiarity existed between
us when we were together. Though a cardinal, he assumed
no superiority over me, but, as is customary with the Italians,
as with the French in cases of intimacy, addressed me in the
second person singular.
Cardinal Velzi was by no means a friend of the Father
General Jabalot ; consequently, these two friars divided the
order into two parties. As may be imagined, I was on Vel
zi s side, without, however, making enemies on the other, for
some of whom I had a great friendship, and especially for
the good old Father Brochetti, who was then the provincial.
But, as happens in all party matters, and above all among
monks, I was frequently reproved by both.
G
146 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" What says your Brochetti ?" Yelzi would ask, smiling.
"Well, what ie your cardinal doing ?" Brochetti and Jab-
alot would inquire, ironically. I had more than once en
deavored to unite these conflicting spirits, but always in
vain. I could never induce Brochetti to dine with the car
dinal, or the cardinal to write a friendly letter to the pro
vincial. These dissensions were chiefly fomented by But-
taoni, the Maestro of the Sacred Palace, and Degola, sec
retary of the Congregation of the Index, who, holding every
thing from Velzi, were opposed to Jabalot ; and on the other
side by some foolish monks, who, aspiring to certain petty
appointments in the gift of the general, paid exclusive court
to him.
It appeared as if Father Jabalot wished to gain me over
by offering me the rectorship of the Minerva. He now pre
vented me, as much as he could, from visiting Cardinal Velzi
as often as I could have wished ; the distance I was from
him, and the nature of my employment, which kept me oc
cupied every day in the week, rendered my opportunities
of seeing him comparatively rare.
" You have not much time now to pay your visits to Car
dinal Velzi," said my good old friend Brochetti to me one
day. I could not thereupon forbear reflecting with regret
how two men of talent were, so to say, lost ! Here were
two most excellent individuals hating and carping at each
other without any reason. And so it often happens, that
for the slightest causes inveterate hatreds are nourished,
whence the most deplorable consequences frequently spring.
What a proof of the weakness of human nature ! Surely
man is the best and the worst of all created beings.
The fact is, that I had now given my decided opinion not
only against the office of principal, but against any other
which would require me to reside in Rome, and especially in
that Pandemonium, the Minerva, with the Father General
Jabalot.
There were, likewise, other motives which urged me to
leave Rome, and those were my aversion to the government
of Pope Gregory and his Cardinal Lambruschini. The pris-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 147
ons were full of honest citizens, who had sacrificed their best
interests for the love of their country ; hundreds of good men
were in exile, and their children and wives were pining in
misery, exposed to every insult and derision. These and
similar atrocities moved my indignation, and frequently made
me speak against the government. It was a miserable sight
at that time in Rome to behold the acts of tyranny and op
pression that were daily exercised, and it was beyond endur
ance to hear the insulting answers which the pope and cer
tain cardinals gave to those who craved grace or justice.
We see at the present moment what the Gregorian, school
of domination is capable of.
Though reared among monks, I still felt myself a citizen,
and hated the government as much as the most zealous lover
of his country could do. Hence it would have been impos
sible for me to remain in Rome without exposing myself to
the persecutions of the police by the animadversions I should
continually have been tempted to make.
One day I was summoned into the presence of Cardinal
Galeffi, chancellor of the Roman university, who offered me
a chair at the Sapienza. Here was a new difficulty for me !
Still the same question of staying in Rome, and residing in
the monastery of the Minerva ; every hope and comfort van
ished at the thought of these two evils. I was also offered
the choice of two professorships in the University of Macerata,
namely, that of Holy Scripture, vacant by the resignation of
Professor Matteucci, or that of theology, which Professor Bor-
getti would have ceded to me.
Macerata is a pretty city, the capital of La Marca, in the
province of Ancona. I preferred this locality to that of Rome,
and was just upon the point of making arrangements accord
ingly, and of declining the offers of the general of the Do
minicans and of Cardinal Galeffi ; but, can any one with
impunity renounce even the honors of the Church of Rome ?
The renunciation is always suspected. I had before me the
example of Father Giovanni da Cupistrano, ex-general of
the Franciscans, a highly respectable character, whether as
regarded his learning or his holy life. He had more than
148 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
any one served the Church of Rome, but had twice refused
to be made a bishop, and had shown himself indifferent as
to the honor of a cardinal s hat, which the pope seemed will
ing to confer upon him. Aged, and worn out by fatigue and
study, he wished to leave the turmoil of Rome, and pass the
remainder of his life in retirement. He refused certain of
fices proposed to him by Cardinal Galeffi, saying, "I have
served your eminences long enough ; I have need to think a
little of myself; pray leave me in peace, and I will pray for
you." The cardinal insisted, and the good old man (as he
himself says in his apology) began to lose patience, and
finally gave an answer that seemed somewhat abrupt to the
cardinal, who pronounced it offensive to the Roman Church,
viz., to the pope and cardinals. This was sufficient : poor
Cupistrano, in spite of his gray hairs, was cast into the pris
on of the Inquisition, and after three years hard treatment
in the " Holy Office" in Rome, was condemned to perpetual
incarceration in a monastery. This event made me determ
ine to extricate myself from this web of obliging offers, which
were as so many snares and fetters to my feet.
The thought of Cupistrano being in the Inquisition made
me tremble, and Cardinal G-aleffi alarmed me. I saw no
other means of escape than by quitting Rome ; and yet this
was to be done with judgment ; my plan, therefore, was not
to accept any appointment, and at the same time to find
something which might justify my absence.
Cardinal Velzi sent for me about this time to Monte Fi-
ascone, to stay a few months in order to assist him in put
ting his seminary in order. This occupation was agreeable
to me, because I myself had proposed a new plan of instruc
tion, which, in less time than had hitherto been required,
would have produced better scholars in various branches of
learning. I omit other offers I had from several bishops who
were my friends ; but I may observe that Cardinal Micara
wanted me at Frascati, and Cardinal di Gregorio wished to
have me for Penitentiary at Santa Maria Maggiore.
About this time the Father General Jabalot died suddenly,
and Padre Olivieri, commissary general of the Inquisition, was
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION. 149
appointed to the office. This man formed a third party in
the order, being little friendly toward Jabalot, and a decided
enemy to Velzi. Olivieri was a man of singular character,
an example of what a man of little talent, but of laborious
habits, can accomplish. He was slow and dull of compre
hension, but yet, by dint of application to books, he had made
himself master of the Hebrew, Syriac, Greek, and Arabic lan
guages ; he understood German, and read the English news
papers daily, and all this without masters, by indefatigable
study day and night. Of the Hebrew and Chaldee lan
guages he had been for some years professor in the Sapienza
at Rome, and of the Greek elsewhere. Indeed, I never saw
his equal for tenacity of purpose in any thing he undertook ;
he was capable of sitting day and night over a single vol
ume. On one occasion, having returned on foot from Turin
to Rome in 1815, as soon as he came to the Minerva, tired,
hungry, and covered with dust, the first thing he asked for
was the Timseus of Plato, in Greek, to examine certain pas
sages which he had recollected as he was walking. Such
was the singular character now elected father general of the
Dominicans. The storm lowered more and more : the gov
ernment of the order was bound up with that of the Inquisi
tion, and whoever was not friendly to that institution was
sure to be persecuted.
These changes happened between Easter and Pentecost,
1834. I had preached the Lent sermons at Monte Fiascone,
whither the worthy Cardinal Velzi had invited me.
" my good Achilli," said he to me one day, " I perceive
that this order of ours will become a real disorder. The Fa
ther General Jabalot was a weak man ; he has allowed a
world of abuses to be introduced. The Father General Oli
vieri is an austere and obstinate man, and one who knows
nothing of the government of a fraternity, however small ;
besides which, accustomed for years only to the cells and
dungeons of the Inquisition, a heartless being such as he is
will, I foresee, destroy every good regulation, and finish by
ruining every thing. I advise you, by all the friendship I
entertain for you, not to remain in Rome, nor to accept any
150 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
appointment which obliges you to reside in the Minerva.
Keep aloof till we see how things are likely to go on ; if you
like to come here, my house, my seminary, and every thing
you may desire shall be at your disposal."
A letter from the Father General Olivieri now called me
to Rome. On my arrival he saluted me as rector of the Mi
nerva, and spoke to me of certain arrangements he had made
with regard to the collegians and professors. Prudence for
bade my showing any opposition at that moment, and sug
gested the expediency of my letting him say and do what
ever he thought fit, till an opportunity should present itself
of getting quit of my embarrassing situation, and leaving
Rome altogether. Meanwhile he charged me with several
occupations, in proof of his particular esteem, making me privy
to certain important secrets, and submitting to me the de
cision of some of the affairs of the order. One of the most
important of these was in the monastery of Santa Sabina,
upon the Aventine Hill in Rome, in which at that time was
the general novitiate of two provinces, the Roman and the
Lombard. This monastery was immediately under the gen
eral, and he elected me as visitor in his place. This was an
appointment I could not refuse ; and since I had accepted it,
it became me to fulfill it with all due care and exactitude.
The superior of the monastery of Santa Sabina was one
of the most extraordinary men I had ever seen among the
Dominicans, one Fra Savoldello, a Venetian. This man had
under him two other strange beings, little inferior to himself
in eccentricity, and these were as his arms wherewith to
work the machine which was to transform innocent, docile,
good young men, apt and easy to be trained in all that is
right, into malicious, headstrong, ill-educated monks, capable
of no one thing that is useful to themselves or to society.
Such was the spirit of that novitiate as ordered by the late
Father General Jabalot.
As soon as these monks saw me, they agreed, as they knew
me well, to hide as much as possible from me, and whispered
in the ears of the young men that they must not reveal any
thing to me relative to the establishment. But I, seeing the
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 151
embarrassment of the heads of the monastery, easily imag
ined their malice, and therefore gave orders that the novices
should be brought before me immediately, one by one in suc
cession, and not in a body, as the prior had proposed. I also
requested both the prior and the novice master to leave the
room. The first of these poor creatures who was introduced
began first to weep, and then said,
" I thought that the life of a monk was a very different
thing to what I have found it. I thought I was to serve
God, and to prepare myself for the ministry of the Holy
Church ; I imagined I should have to study useful things,
to instruct my mind ; and, above all, I fancied that the life
of the cloister was one of peace and tranquillity ; that the
brethren respected and loved one another. I entered these
walls with no other feelings or sentiments, and, for my part,
I have always endeavored to practice the duties they incul
cate ; but I am sorry to say that this is not the system which
I find here ; the laws are good , but they are not put in prac
tice ; every thing is governed by the caprice of the superior,
who often gives contrary orders, and makes us lose our time
in things of no value. Instead of useful books to form the
mind and make men of us, they put into our hands none but
ascetic works, calculated to make us bigots. The lives of
the saints, abounding with the greatest absurdities, are what
they perpetually give us to read, and their conversation is
only on austerities and miracles. I therefore come to say
that this life will not do for me ; and I beg my parents may
be informed of it, that they may come and fetch me away.
I wish to get out of this place as soon as possible, for it is
worse than a prison it is a perfect hell."
" My good child," said I, " there is no difficulty in your
leaving immediately, as you are not professed. I myself
will take care that your relations are made acquainted with
your wish, in order that they may send you a change of
clothes, and take you home. But tell me, why are you so
troubled as to weep ? Perhaps you are afraid of me, or
have some other occasion for fear."
" Oh no, I am not afraid of you ; you have not a surly,
152 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
threatening face ; and, besides, I know now that all the
youths like you. If you were our superior, I should not
take this step, since I am not so much discontented with
the order, or with a monastic life ; but I feel I can not live
with such a race of beings as there is here. I love religion,
not bigotry ; good people, not fanatics."
" Then you have something to say against the local su
periors ! Speak out."
" Oh, no, I will not say any thing, because well I can not,
and ill I will not speak of them."
I endeavored to persuade him to try his vocation a little
longer. I told him all superiors were not like Savoldello
and his agents ; that, once out, he would find better people,
and more liberty as his years increased ; but, nevertheless,
if such were his feelings, if he did not feel the same voca
tion in him, he had better return to his former way of life,
which he did accordingly.
The second had been trained by Savoldello, and replied
to my questions in a manner which led me to suppose that
every thing was well conducted ; others were in the same
story ; but one was so witty, and so well exposed the whole
by-pjay of these wretched friars, that I must quote some of
his conversation with me. Upon being asked if he had any
thing to say, he replied,
" I have plenty to say, but I can not speak."
-Why?"
"Because my mouth is shut, like that of a newly-made
cardinal."*
" And who has shut your mouth ?"
" Our pope, the novice master."
" Oh ! if that be all, I am superior to him, and can open
it again ; so I command you to speak."
" There is a difficulty in doing so, nevertheless ; in obey
ing you, and not him, I shall expose myself to persecution
from him, which would be terrible ; and you could not re
move the penance he would enjoin."
* Alluding to the ceremony in the creation of a cardinal, in which the
pope first shuts the cardinal s mouth and then opens it.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 153
" I promise you, in the name of the father general, to
protect you against any persecution from -him. You know
that the general can change the master ; and I can tell you
thus much, that it is very probable he will change him, un
less he does his duty."
" In that case I will speak. You must know the prior,
the novice master, and the Procurators all join in perse
cuting us. Nevertheless, we frequently hear them quarrel
ing among themselves ; and only the other day I thought
they would have come to blows : when, however, there is a
question of some new rigor or observance, as they term it
that is to say, some fresh torment or vexation for us, then
they are in perfect harmony with each other. We are tired
of this system, which forms neither the Christian nor the
man, but the hypocrite and the animal. All politeness, all
decency among them is banished. They are filthy in their
persons, and would wish us to be the same. Cleanliness
and neatness they call worldly-minded foppery. For my
part, I never thought that to be a monk it was necessary
to be a dirty sloven. And then both prior and master do
nothing but send us to hell. On every little disobedience
they cry out, You ll go to hell. If we speak a word in
the hours of silence, if we raise our hoods, if we look about
us in the least, if ever we laugh, to hell with us ; I say
nothing about singing : there is then no hell bad enough."
" Tell me, what do your masters teach you ? what do
they point out to you as the way of salvation ? and in what,
according to them, does the Christian life consist ?"
" The master says that to be saved we have only to imi
tate the patriarch St. Dominic, be devout to the Madonna,
and observe the rules of the order, and then we shall be the
best Christians in the world, because these lead to perfec
tion."
" Does he ever speak of Christ ?"
" Scarcely ever ; he gives us the lives of the saints of the
order to read, and recounts to us the miracles done by them."
My visit to the monastery of Santa Sabina had the effect
of making some quit the habit, and others open their eyes to
G 2
154 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
a better mode of life. The general made some changes in
the plans, but not such as I pointed out to him. In short,
the same system was practiced every where by monastic
bigotry ; and what the followers of it desired least of all
was to reform themselves.
The institution of monastic fraternities was a bad thing
from the very commencement : they were devised about the
beginning of the thirteenth century by that knave, Innocent
III., who commissioned the wild fanatics Domenico di Gus-
man and Francesco di Assisi to establish, as to them seemed
best, a body of idle fellows especially calculated to maintain
the cause of popery, principally in Italy, and from thence to
propagate their doctrines over all the world. Hence these
two orders have ever been rivals. If one had a saint in a
particular branch, the other wanted one directly. For ex
ample : the Dominicans lauded to the skies the doctrines of
their dear Thomas Aquinas, whom they call the angelic doc
tor, and behold, the Franciscans immediately cry up their
Bonaventura da Bagnorea, whom they dub the seraphic ; so
the Franciscan order chose to have a thaumaturgus (a grand
miracle worker) in the friar Antonio da Lisbona or da Pado-
va, and the Dominicans, not to be behindhand with their
rival brethren, immediately exalted Fra Yincenzo Ferreri to
the same dignity.
Whoever wants to see how far the art of publishing fables
as things divine has gone, let him read the lives of these two
let him compare one with the other, and see which could
draw the longest bow.
As the Franciscans preach up their Antonio as the great
est saint in heaven, so do the Dominicans exalt their Yjn-
cenzo as having the power of Omnipotence itself in his
hands, so as to work prodigies and miracles at the beck and
call of any one, as a conjurer plays his tricks at the pleas
ure of the company. St. Anthony, we are told, preached to
the fishes w r hen men would not listen to his discourses ; St.
Vincent, in order to convert an impenitent sinner, wrote a
letter to the Holy Trinity, and received an answer. St. An
thony, to prove transubstantiation, made a hungry mule
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 155
kneel before the Host, regardless of the food offered by its
master ; St. Vincent had only to ring the bell for any mira
cle that was called for. What Franciscan would not swear
by the miracles of his St. Anthony ? and what Dominican
would not be filled with wonder and faith at the recounting
of the miracles of his St. Vincent ? whom they adore, under
the figure of a youthful friar, with a flame on his head (as
represented of the apostles at Pentecost), an open book in his
.left hand, two wings on his back, and his feet in the act of
rising or dancing, by which they intend to represent the aii-
gel who is spoken of in the tenth chapter of the Revelation.
In fact, these impostors assert that one day he flew from his
pulpit round the church, and then, having ordered a corpse
to be brought to him, he restored it to life, and asked it who
he, St. Vincent, was ; upon which the resuscitated body re
plied, " Thou art the angel of the Apocalypse ;" and, so say
ing, he died once more.*
Now such follies (which I know not that I ever had be
lieved, and which I certainly had then rejected) form the
food of all the devout. Could I live among such ? Every
day I felt my soul further alienated from them and their
system. In fact, I remained a friar solely to combat against
friars. They were already aware that I was no longer one
of them, and they feared in me a potent adversary.
The Father General Olivieri called me one day, to com
municate to me, as he said, an important measure. Bro-
chetti, the provincial, was with him.
" "When I sent you to Santa Sabina," he said, " it was
not only the wants of that monastery which I had in my
mind, but those of several others, which I and the provincial
had thought of sending you to visit. They are the monas
teries of the Roman province along the line that terminates
with Terracina on the one side, and Lucca on the other. It
will be a journey of some months, which the father provin
cial can hardly undertake, on account of his health and in
firmities. He is willing to be represented by you, and I
give my assent and approbation to the measure. This jour
* Teoli: Life of Vincenzo Perreri. Home, 1825; Naples, 18J7.
156 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
ney is very pleasant in fine weather. The father provincial
will accompany you a part of the way, and the rest you will
go alone."
I received this announcement with pleasure ; not because
I had again to be mixed up with monks, their intrigues, and
their immoralities, but because it held out the prospect of
my getting out of Rome, in which I could no longer bear to
reside. As soon as Brochetti had gone out of the room, Fa
ther Olivieri added :
" You know Brochetti is old, and his head does not serve
him so well now, so that he is not capable of conducting the
business of the provinces. I have begged of him to let you
have the management, not only of the visitations, but also
of the direction of the monasteries, and the government of
the province. He will remain in office pro forma, and you
will, in reality, act as provincial. So you will learn what
may be your own office in future."
" I accept, willingly, this new charge," I replied, " to
serve the order, and to do what is agreeable to you, Father
General, and to my good friend, the Provincial Brochetti,
whom I revere as a father. With him I am certain I shall
perfectly agree, and I hope I shall meet your wishes also.
Such a charge is fraught with difficulties, but I am not of
a nature to be daunted by them. On principle, I hate evil ;
I have pity on those who commit it, and I do all I can to
lead them back to good. I am a sworn enemy to hypocrisy,
and I would it were banished from society. I could never
agree with that axiom of St. Bernard s, Would that my
brethren were hypocrites ! Utinam fratres mei hypocrites
essent ! No ; rather would I there was not a hypocrite on
the face of the earth ; for hypocrites are liars who falsify the
things of Christ under the cloak of religion. We have many
who pursue this system, and I assure you, Father General,
that I shall make it my especial care to mortify and expose
them ; certainly I will persecute these Jesuits."
At these words the father general laughed heartily.
" You are right," said he ; " persecute as many Jesuits as
you find among the Dominicans."
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 157
Our visit began with the monasteries of the " Campagna
Romana ;" thence we went into Umbria and Tuscany ; re
turning, we visited those of Patrimonto and S. Pietro. To
gome of them the good Brochetti accompanied me ; but this
he only did for a little relaxation, for he did not mix him
self up in any business whatsoever ; and, with the excep
tion of making a short discourse at the opening and closing
of each visit, he did nothing. The rest was left to me. I
acted as visitor, with full authority ; so much so, that many
things I did not even think it necessary to mention to him.
The good old man was daily at his prayers. Oh, what a
holy man he would have been if his head had not been full
of popish errors ! He prayed even during the night ; but,
instead of praying to God, he was praying to the saints, and
lavishing his affections upon the mother of Christ, instead
of turning them to Christ himself. Whenever I found him
in his room, he was always repeating his rosary and the of
fice of the Blessed Virgin. Once there arose an argument be
tween us about fasting, for which he was a great advocate.
" I think you do not much like fasting," said he.
" No ; to say the truth, I do not. A moderate fast may
be very well as a sanitary measure, but I do not think it
equally good as a moral system, especially as those who prac
tice it generally attach so much importance to it. Is it not
true, my good father, that you, for instance, every time you
fast, indulge yourself in the belief that you thereby merit the
grace of .God ? and yet you teach me the doctrine of St. Paul,
which says, grace is such precisely because it has no merit
of works. Grace is a gratuitous gift. If, then, our justifi
cation be by grace, it can not be by works. What will ren
der you justified before God ? Certainly not your own works,
but the works of Christ, the Just One, imputed to us, the un
just, by faith in Him alone. This is my doctrine, and I
know it to be yours also. But yet you trouble yourself about
works, and attach merit to the exercise of them. I do that
which my faith suggests, and I attach no importance there
to. Precisely as a servant who does his duty ; he obeys his
master, and does his will, without pretending that the mas-
158 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
ter is therefore his debtor. Who dare say to the Lord, Here
are my works, now give my thy gracious gifts ? I should
be ashamed to offer to the Lord my fast as a thing accept
able to him. When the Scripture tells that all the works
of our righteousness are before the Lord as filthy rags, I en
deavor to do what faith inspires, and to do it for duty s sake,
and from no other motive."
Father Brochetti was a great admirer of the Thomasine
school, and inclining a little to Jansenism. He was a firm
upholder of the doctrine of St. Paul to the Romans and the
Gralatians, that we are justified by grace through faith. Oft
en, when we have been preaching together on religion, has
he repeated these words to me :
" Remember that grand maxim, which our school has al
ways maintained against the Jesuits, We are justified by
grace, through faith. This is what does honor to the Do
minicans, who follow the doctrine of St. Augustine and St.
Thomas."
I observed to him that the force of his truth came from
St. Paul, arid that, if we had it not through Divine revela
tion, we should not have been bound to believe it.
" I am not obliged to believe Thomas or Augustine," I
added, "but I am obliged to believe Paul."
The good old man was silent at these observations, and
seemed to receive them with approbation. He often read
the Bible, but never allowed himself any other than the
Vulgate, with the notes. He disliked the Italian -version ;
but one day he found me reading the New Testament, trans
lated by Martini : he took it from me, smiling, and said,
" Let us make an exchange," at the same time giving me
a Latin version of the Vulgate. As he read the Bible him
self, so he recommended others to read it, but always with
the notes of the Holy Fathers.
This visitation kept me employed from the summer of
1834 till February in the next year. My old friend accom
panied me as long as the fine weather continued ; when it
began to break up, he returned to winter quarters, to take
care of his health.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 159
I had now all the burden on my own shoulders. I had
to provide for the wants of several monasteries, and to hear
the complaints of the monks. I had to reconcile spiritual
with worldly interests ; external strictness with interior com
fort ; to reconcile contending minds ; to settle differences, and
harmonize discord ; to rouse the slothful ; to excite emulation
in spiritual things ; to inculcate a love of study, and an ob
servance of the rules ; and to correct the vicious with mildness.
Every one will remember the name of Domenico Abbo,
who was condemned, ten years after the period I am speak
ing of, for enormous crimes, to be beheaded in the Castle
of St. Angelo at Rome. He was at this time a Dominican
friar, superior and reader at the little monastery of Nepi,
near Rome. I had had several reports against him, and I
went to verify the matter. I found him culpable in many
things, and I advised him to renounce his present offices, and
to retire to another monastery, repent of his evil ways, and
lead a better life ; he denied the whole, and turned against
me, uttering the bitterest threats. I then suspended him
from his ministry, removed him from office, and ordered him
to leave in a few days. He appealed to the bishop, the
provincial, the general, and got up a certificate from certain
persons in the neighborhood, to prove his good conduct ; he
sent some of his friends to intercede with me for pardon, but
I could not relax my decree toward one so incorrigibly bad,
and I insisted upon his quitting the monastery. He accord
ingly went to Rome, quitted the Dominican order, was or
dained priest, and was on the point of being made a prel
ate, through the protection of Cardinal Lambruschini and the
favor of Pope Gregory ; but the Divine justice had prepared
to make an example of him. He committed the most enor
mous crimes. The facts became public ; the people took
part against him, and the government was obliged to act
promptly in order to calm the popular tumult. One tribu
nal condemned him to death ; another confirmed the sen
tence ; Cardinal Lambruschini was afraid for his own safety ;
the pope was obliged to consent, and the wretched man s
head rolled on the scaffold. He on that occasion had moved
160 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
a strong party against me, saying I had persecuted him be
cause he was not of my way of thinking. He excited hatred
in many toward me, but I thought no more of him, and the
affair passed away.
The visitation made me acquainted with many things of
which I was before ignorant, but which certainly were not
virtues either in a Christian or a citizen, and on my return
to Rome I made known to several persons the effect my
visit to the monasteries had produced upon my mind.
Meanwhile, I had been sent for by the Cardinal Arch
bishop of Capua as preacher of the Lent sermons in his ca
thedral. The father general allowed me to accept the in
vitation on condition that I should return immediately and
enter upon my new office. Accordingly, I left for Naples
in February, 1835, but certainly not with the intention of
returning to Rome, but, on the contrary, with that of speed
ily emancipating myself from monkish thraldom.
CHAPTER IX.
MY CONVERSION.
THE aversion which from that time I conceived for every
thing savoring of Romanism, pope, cardinals, bishops, priests,
and friars, proceeded, no doubt, from the change which for
several years had been working in my mind. I already was
no longer a papist, because I had long ceased to believe in
many doctrines which are matters of faith in the Romish
Church. I will now state how this was brought about.
While holding the head professorship of theology in the col
lege of Santa Maria di Gradi at Viterbo, and with great
zeal advocating and teaching the Romish doctrine, a very
flourishing school, not only of Dominican students, of which
the college consisted, but likewise of other friars and priests,
used daily to attend my lectures, and be present at our cir-
colo, or " circle," as we call our meeting for scholastic ex-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 161
ercise, when a theological proposition is given, and defended
by a professor and a student, while other professors and stu
dents raise objections. The exercise is in Latin, and in the
logical form of reasoning as held by Aristotle. I had order
ed that this exercise should take place three times a week,
while the theological lectures were five in number during
that period. At the "circle," it sometimes fell to my turn
to defend, while the others objected. One day I was de
fending the doctrine of transubstantiation ; one of the best
disciples in the school was with me, whose name I feel a
pleasure in mentioning Father Baldassare Conti, a Roman,
who afterward filled the professor s chair of theology in the
Minerva at Rome with so much honor. The question was,
" Whether the bread and wine in the sacrament of the Eu
charist are, in virtue of the words of consecration, actually
and substantially changed into the body and blood of Christ,
together with His soul and His divinity ?" We maintained
the affirmative, and three or four others, with fictitious earn
estness, denied the proposition, advancing arguments which
they took care beforehand to assure us were all borrowed
from the heretics. The game went off as it invariably did ;
we were, of course, right, and our opponents wrong. The
reasoning of my good and clever Conti, and especially what
I contributed myself, were the ne plus ultra for the school,
and even elicited uproarious applause. The heretics were
discomfited, the Roman Catholics triumphant. We were
the two heroes who had gained the battle ; the laurel crown
alone was wanting. Who, after our arguments, could pos
sibly have doubted a doctrine so boldly asserted, so power
fully demonstrated ? Who would have dared to have sided
with the heretics, viz., with those who denied transubstan
tiation ? I believe a shadow of doubt did not enter the
mind of any one excepting myself. In the midst of this
universal satisfaction, I alone remained unconvinced. To
me, the answers to the objections appeared feeble and in
adequate. I was disquieted within me. I asked the young
Conti how he was pleased with the " circle ;" whether any
answers seemed to him to want weight ?
162 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
" I am pleased with the arguments I brought forward,"
he replied, " and still more so with what you yourself ad
vanced. Indeed, I am not aware that more could possibly
have been said. But, after all, the matter is a mystery
which can not be explained by reasoning ; faith must come
to our aid. Henry Moore, a celebrated Englishman, has
well observed, as Erasmus relates, Crede quod habes, et
habes Believe you receive, and you do receive.
Of course, it was not proper for me to communicate my
doubts to the young student ; he was better pleased in hav
ing discovered, as he fancied, the mystery of that religious
impossibility than an alchemist would have been in finding
the philosopher s stone.
I had none in whom I could confide. My colleague and
friend, Professor Borg, was a man who would rather have
renounced his reason, or doubted of his very existence, than
have denied a dogma of faith ; besides which, he was of
opinion that such points ought not to be too freely discussed.
" What did you think of our controversy ?" said I.
" All went off well," he replied ; "he is an excellent
young man, that Conti. What he said pleased me very
much ; and very true is that famous verse of Dante with
which he concluded :
Vedi che in fronte ha scritto : adora e taci. "
It would evidently have been useless to enter upon any
discussion with such a man as my good friend Borg ; I there
fore came to the conclusion that I had better study the thing
by myself, and endeavor to ascertain the real truth.
It is this important question which so many have racked
their brains to understand in the Romish sense. The mat
ter resolves itself simply into this : Are the words, " This is
my body," " This is my blood," to be understood in a lit
eral sense ? Every one must see the absurdity of it. The
least consideration will show that Christ said these words
in the same sense as hfe said on another occasion, " I am the
bread that came down from heaven," and no one ever sup
posed that He was actually bread, and subsequently changed,
or transubstantiated. A little examination was sufficient to
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 163
shake my belief in that doctrine which I had hitherto pro
fessed. Would Jesus Christ have told us things that were
impossible to be ? Now it is impossible, absolutely impos
sible, that what is bread should at one and the same time
be His body, and that what is wine should be contempo
raneously His blood. This can not be, either simultaneous
ly or successively. The Church of Rome saw the first to
be an absurdity, and therefore held to the second. But how
can the body of Christ become bread, and His blood wine,
if such change be not in accordance with the laws of na
ture ? Could Christ deceive us ? Now it is not true that
bread and wine, according to nature, have ceased to exist
in the sacrament, for we see they do exist ; that which we
see, touch, and taste, are natural bread and wine. Can
there be faith against nature ? And yet that is against na
ture which neither is nor can be : whatever is, must be ac
cording to nature s laws. There may be substances of a
higher nature, and subject to superior laws than those with
which we are acquainted, but they can never exist in con
tradiction to them, since nature herself, in that case, would
be destroyed. Therefore what is bread and wine can not
not be bread and wine ; Grod, omnipotent as he is, can not
order it otherwise. But the sacrament, after consecration,
is always natural bread and wine ; therefore it is not the
substance of the body and blood of Christ.
And what, I should like to know, would be the use of
this pretended transubstantiation ? "Would it merely be
that the faithful might materially eat the body and drink
the blood of Christ ? Now who does not see that this so-
called eating and drinking of Christ is entirely metaphor
ical ? " The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, "#
said St. Paul. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh
profiteth nothing : the words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit and they are life,"f said Christ. The expressions
to eat and drink signify to believe, to identify one s self with,
as also to accept any thing with pleasure. " Kill and eat,"$
said the Spirit to Peter in the vision at Joppa, figuring un-
* Rom., adv., 17. t St. John, vi., 63. \ Acts, x., 13.
164 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
der the unclean animals the Gentiles. Now all this Peter
well understood, and never imagined he was to eat those
animals, much less the Gentiles that he might fall in with,
but to convert and receive them into the communion of the
Christian faith.
Why, then, should we eat Christ ? To believe in Him
to unite ourselves to Him ? But this is entirely the work
of the Spirit, and has nothing whatever to do with matter ;
on the contrary, every thing material is repugnant to this
union of faith. Corporeal substance may be a type, a figure
of the spiritual, but nothing more. Baptismal water is the
outward and visible sign of the spiritual and purifying grace,
because, as the former cleanses the body from impurity, so
does the latter wash away the stain of sin from the soul.
In the same manner as bread and wine are the common
daily food of the body, and as through them we receive
nourishment and strength, so the body and blood of Christ,
immolated and shed for us, are the continual aliment of our
faith, which give vigor to our souls, arid are the substance
of our spiritual life and salvation. The words of Christ are
truly divine, full of truth and wisdom. The interpretation
of the Romanists is a groveling human conception, full of
error, falsehood, and absurdity. Christ could not better
symbolize the effect of his passion and death. And we can
not more grossly abuse it than by attributing to a sinful
priest the virtue and power of the Savior ; with the addi
tional enormity, that what Christ has been able to do once,
a wretched priest can repeat as often as he chooses. The
doctrine of transubstantiation, considered in relation to Christ
himself, is a falsity and an absurdity ; considered as regards
so many thousands of wicked priests, is an impiety and an
abomination.
Thus did I reason with myself, and became fully con
vinced that such was not the meaning of Christ s words,
that such was not the Christian faith, that such was not
the belief of our fathers ; that thousands of Christian doc
tors in all ages have refuted the doctrine of transubstantia
tion, the author of which was Eutychus, a heretic, and
DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION. 165
whose dogma was presented to the Church by Pope Innocent
III., who had it confirmed by the Council of Lateran (1215).
In consequence of this reasoning, I already disbelieved in
the virtue of the Mass, which can only be a propitiatory sac
rifice, so far as it presents a true and living Christ, to be
immolated each time it is celebrated. Take away the doc
trine of transubstantiation, and the Mass, in its grand es
sential, is nothing but a lie a solemn imposture, an actual
sacrilegious assault against Christ ; who being now glori
ous, according to our faith, is also impassible, and as such,
can neither be " broken" nor eaten by us. To eat Christ !
the bare mention of such a thing is blasphemy. Far less
was the crime of those who crucified the Lord ; indeed, they
knew not that he was Christ. What should we have said
to those who, knowing Christ who, having heard the words
which we read in St. John, vi., 53, " Verily, verily, I say
unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in you," had straightway,
from devotion, begun actually to eat the body and drink the
blood of Christ ? Which of His disciples would not have ex
claimed against a similar act of barbarity ? And yet they
would not have been more guilty than the theologians of the
Romish Church, who take the words of Christ literally.
After this period, in saying mass I was no longer a Chris-
tophagus ;# I had ceased to believe in what I did. And
what, in reality, was the act that I performed ? I know
not. I was like Luther, and so many others, who no longer
believed the Mass, who had rejected its doctrine, and learn
edly refuted its errors, but still continued to celebrate it. I
said it, indeed, as seldom as possible ; always with a bad
grace, as if under compulsion, and frequently I could not
restrain my sighs. .1 was, moreover, ashamed of saying it
in the presence of sensible and intelligent persons, as if
afraid of their censure for performing an act, in the efficacy
or virtue of which I no longer believed. I contrived, too,
to say it at those hours when there were the fewest persons
in the church, and at the most secluded altars. I always
* Christ-eater.
166 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
refused solemn masses. In short, the Mass, which for oth
ers was a delightful service, had become for rne a very pain
ful one. I endeavored sometimes to regard it as a simple
prayer, leaving out the idea of a sacrifice or sacrament ; but
this was impossible when what is termed the offertory was
to take place, and still more so at the time of the consecra
tion and elevation of the host and the chalice. Although I
myself was no longer an adorer of the bread and wine, yet
at my mass there never failed to be some who adored my
bread and wine, believing it transubstantiated, and so I was
the occasion of that idolatry.
Thus I consider that the dogma which constitutes the
Mass, with its double element of transubstantiation and
propitiatory, sacrifice, is the most fatal of Romish doctrines,
the most detestable of all heresies, and the most abominable
of all practices. Around this, as their sun, revolves all the
rest of the papal system. The power which, according to
this doctrine, the priest has of fabricating in an hour, not
one, but as many Christs as he pleases, and of offering them
to God as victims of a sacrifice which in itself is enough to
atone for the sins of all, and to take out of purgatory as
many souls as he pleases this pretended power, I say, is
the occasion of so much pride in the priests as to make them
think themselves privileged persons, sacred and unapproach
able, and to consider their head, the pope, holy, infallible,
and having all authority in heaven and in earth.
In disbelieving the doctrine I denied the power. To me
friars, priests, and prelates all savored of imposture ; and
the more I advanced, the more I felt myself adverse to such
hypocrisy. The pope daily became more abominable in my
eyes. In him, i. <?., in his ambition, I saw a Lucifer, who,
after having seduced himself, has had power to seduce oth
ers, thus causing the fall of so many shining stars from
heaven to hell.
Now many say, " I believe so, because the pope so be
lieves ; if the pope errs, I must err with him ; if he were
to call virtue vice, and vice virtue, I must be his echo, and
in all and through all follow him." Such is the language
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 167
of the Jesuits, from Bellarmine to Father Perrone. " ye
foolish ones, who hath bewitched you ?"
As my creed changed, so did rny conversation. Lenient
to the laity, I was severe toward ecclesiastics ; for the for
mer I was full of compassion, for the latter I had only re
proof ; their vices were become insufferable to me ; with
their example continually before me, I endeavored to be as
opposite to them as possible. It was my ambition to be un
like others of my class ; they, for the most part, were un
occupied and idle ; I made it a rule to keep myself con
stantly employed ; they were generally given to gluttony,
I was habitually temperate ; they were heedless spend
thrifts, imprudent, dissipated, curious after other people s
business, and intriguers in private houses ; I never interfered
in what did not concern me, and was an enemy to the in
trigues and cabals in which they took so much satisfaction.
" Why do you scarcely ever go to hear confessions ?"
asked one of those friars who delight in hearing them con
tinually.
" Because you and all your fraternity, not knowing how
better to employ your time, pass the whole day in listening
to the business of others," answered I. " There is no rea
son that I should follow your example ; on the contrary, I
do what you do not ; I study to learn, that I may be able
to teach others ; in short, I endeavor in every way to be
useful to my fellow-creatures."
"Why do you so seldom attend choir?" was the inquiry
of one of those Epicurean friars, who, had he not had the
fatigue of choir, i. e., of singing at the top of his voice, and
chanting psalms, would probably have had no means of di
gesting his dinner, and preparing his stomach for supper.
" Because," said I, " I have so many other corporeal ex
ercises that I am in no need of this."
" But the prayer, which is a duty we all owe to the Al
mighty ?"
" No doubt pleases me when made in spirit and in truth.
But prayer, to be in spirit, should be free, not necessarily
attached to the Psalms of David. What have you said or
168 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
done by reciting three, six, nine, or a dozen psalms in Lat
in ? What have you achieved ? I am sure you do not
know yourself. If you go to ask something from the supe
rior of the convent, your first care is that your petition
should be intelligible and have a meaning. When you
were in your own family, and had any favor to request of
your father, I presume you asked simply for what you want
ed. You certainly did not begin by reciting poetry or sing
ing in Latin. And is not God our first, our true, real, and
heavenly Father ? Why then do we pray to him in psalms ?
The most we can do is to sing psalms in his honor and praise ;
I but prayer, real prayer, should be in our mother tongue,
clear, expressive, and simple. My good brother, he who
doeth otherwise erreth, following false traditions, and trans
gressing the commandments of the Lord. Remember what
Christ says, Matt., vi., 7 : But when ye pray, use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen do ; for they think that they shall
be heard for their much speaking. And observe the preced
ing verses : And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the
hypocrites are ; for they love to pray standing in the syna
gogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be
seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their re
ward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet,
and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which
is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret shall re
ward thee openly.
" These are the reasons why I come to choir so seldom.
I prefer offering my prayers unto the Lord in the seclusion
of my chamber. I fear that reproof of Jesus Christ, Matt.,
xv., 7-9 :
" Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the
commandments of men. "
These and similar lessons did I give to my companions in
profession, and as I perceived truths myself, so did I en
deavor to impart them to others.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 169
Toward the end of my residence at Viterbo I was made
superior of the monastery Di Gradi, and also of two con
vents of Dominican nuns. I had for some time seen things
in a new light, with a view to reform ; I saw not much, or
clearly, as yet, but sufficient, nevertheless, to place me far
out of the common sphere. In Lent, 1833, certain friars
came to me to ask permission to eat meat, on account of
slight indisposition ; and I was very lenient with them.
The nuns came with the same request, and I willingly
granted them all they required. The rumor got abroad that
I allowed every body to eat meat. Among the monks was
a good old man, the Padre Maestro Linares, who, more
over, was the confessor to the nuns. One evening he came
to my rooms, and said that he ought to address me with
every respect ; but that, as the oldest of the house, a mas
ter of theology, and not to fail in his duty, he felt compelled
to represent to me the complaints of certain religious monks
and nuns, subject to my jurisdiction, which complaints were
chiefly touching the numerous dispensations I had granted
for eating meat that Lent. " At this rate," said the worthy
father, " the precept of fasting would be rendered null and
void, were liberty accorded to every one not to observe it"
(which was true enough). " I think," added he, " that many
of those to whom you have granted the dispensation to eat
meat might have abstained without much inconvenience."
" I think so too," I replied ; " but I wished to save them
even this little inconvenience. In short, they asked for what
they wanted, and I granted it to them ; I did not feel their
pulse, or look at their tongue, like a physician ; I supposed
they wanted to eat meat, and I gave the permission pre
cisely in the same manner as I should have wished it to be
granted to me, had I asked it of my superiors."
" Ah ! you must not be so indulgent. This is a question
of an observance of a divine institution Lent !"
" I think, on the contrary, I ought to be as indulgent on
this point as possible, calling to mind the words of our Lord,
Matt., xv., 10, 11, where it is written, And he called the
multitude, and said unto them, Hear, and understand : not
H
170 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that
which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man. Strive
as you can, my good father, to prove that Lent is of divine
institution ; with all due deference, I can not agree with
you. I find no ordinance of the kind instituted by the Lord ;
of Him, indeed, it is written, that He fasted forty days and
forty nights ; and it appears that He took nothing during
that time ; but He has not taught us to do it now. Our
Lent is not, therefore, an imitation of Christ s fasting ; with
us it principally consists in abstaining from certain meats,
and eating less of others. Both one and the other are hu
man institutions in Christianity ; they are precepts of the
Church, and articles of tradition. To eat somewhat less at
certain times, for us, who generally live quite well enough,
I consider a very good sanitary principle, and as such I rec
ommend it occasionally ; but not so the abstaining from
meat altogether, which is often prejudicial to health, and,
moreover, what is substituted for it by the Roman regime is
unwholesome."
" But we are commanded to keep Lent."
" Well, and I am authorized to dispense with the observ
ance in those who require it of me ; and I do so with pleas
ure, and without much importunity."
In this manner I was frequently led into a discussion
upon the various doctrines of the Church of Rome, which
one by one glided from my belief in an incomprehensible
manner, insomuch that my very disbelief seemed to be the
effect of inspiration.
Frequently the decisions of my understanding were the
promptings of my heart. I was called by an internal voice
in my soul to that which I did contrary to the teaching of
the Church. For instance, I was displeased with myself
latterly whenever I went to confession. I as yet knew noth
ing of the contrary doctrine, and yet I felt within me a con
viction that the practice of confessing one s sins to a fellow-
man was not, neither ever could be, enough to form a pos
itive command upon, particularly one of such rigor ; I felt
all this before I was well persuaded of its truth. It is not
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 171
possible, said I to myself, that this command should be of
apostolic date. I had not yet fully examined the question,
but had already decided it in my own breast. On this point,
however, I dared not to speak to others. In fact, I alto
gether left off confessing. I remember the last time that I
related my offenses to a priest, I felt as much repugnance
in doing so as the most timid child could have experienced.
My penitentiary was a certain Doctor Semeria, formerly a
Dominican, but then living in Yiterbo as a simple priest ; a
man learned in many sciences, and one who had been pro
fessor of theology ; but that which redounded to his credit
in my eyes was his goodness of character, his Christian sim
plicity, and his gravity of demeanor, which obtained for him
universal love and esteem. My friend, while I was yet a
child, was my confidant ; he knew all my secrets when I
chose him for confessor ; I did nothing without consulting
him. To such a one I had no difficulty in opening my heart,
and disclosing all the operations of my mind ; but I found
I could not do it truly and fully unless in familiar conver
sation. The confidence I had in him vanished in the for
mality of confession. More than once, in the course of it, I
have been obliged to interrupt myself, and rise from my
knees, because in that attitude I lost confidence in my friend,
who, perceiving my embarrassment, would often kindly fore
stall me, and say, " Let us converse without restraint."
Confession had at length become so odious to me, that I
could no longer bear it myself, nor endure the practice in
others. People were continually wanting to confess to me,
and I always found some pretext for not hearing them.
From the earliest period of my ministry I was obliged to
apply myself to this branch of duty. I was not yet twenty-
four when I was sent, by the Bishop of Viterbo, to confess
even nuns. In 1830 I was appointed by Cardinal Gazola,
bishop of Monte Fiascone, to officiate for a month as confess
or and preacher in two of his monasteries. The good old
man chose me for his own confessor likewise (I shall have
occasion to speak of him again) ; Cardinal Gamberini would
have me afterward at Orvieto. This man, reputed a first-
172 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
rate lawyer, was made prelate, then Bishop of Orvieto, after
ward cardinal, and, lastly, Minister of the Interior in Rome.
He had never been a theologian himself, nor was he much
their friend, but a sworn enemy of the Casuists. The priests
in the neighborhood were all ignorant men ; his own theo
logian, for every bishop has to appoint one, was any thing
but what his title and office required.
" I wish to confess myself to you," the cardinal said to
me, one day ; " I trust you will not deny me this favor."
" To say the truth, your eminence, I do not like to confess
any one who has nothing but his sins to communicate to
me ; I have so many of my own, that really I hardly like
to be burdened with those of other people. A confession of
sins makes me melancholy, and I feel that I am not per
forming my proper duty in receiving them. Excuse the
comparison, but I really feel like an actor reciting his part,
and this is a part I know but imperfectly. If sometimes I
am forced to play it, I do so as well as I can, but it is pain
ful to me to listen to a catalogue of the sins of other people."
" But I know that you do confess the common people, and
even nuns ; why will you not confess the bishop ?"
"It is true, I arn more ready to confess the common peo
ple, and I have great patience also with the nuns, although
I am so little interested about their sins, that when they
recount them to me I never speak, letting them go on with
out interruption, and when they have finished, I make but
few observations, directing them to ask pardon of God, who
alone can absolve and pardon. I then dwell a little on the
incidents of their life, good or bad as they may be, and es
pecially on their peculiar habits, taking occasion to instill
into them the moral precepts of the Gospel, correcting their
defects, and exhorting them to walk in the way of virtue.
Now, such schooling as this, of which both the people and
nuns stand in need, and which I adopt in the confessional,
your eminence does not require."
" If every body thought like you, we poor cardinals and
bishops should find 110 one to shrive us."
" So much the better ; you would then confess to God,
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 173
who alone is able to remit sins. Does your eminence imag
ine that the holy fathers ever dreamed of confessing ? Bish
op Fenelon says that he sought throughout the whole of
their biography, and examined the minutest detail of their
lives, and their pious and religious practices, and found not
one single word about confession. We must therefore con
clude, he adds, that confession was not in use at that
epoch.
" But those fathers were saints, and therefore did not re
quire confession."
" Saints, I agree, far more so than we are ; but your em
inence, I suppose, would not infer that they were without
sin ; for it is written, If we say that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we
have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not
in us. "*
" Well, St. John here says that we ought to confess our
sins, and this is precisely what I wish to do."
" I consider that the Evangelist here speaks of confessing
to God those sins committed against God, in the same man
ner as St. James speaks of confessing to men those sins es
pecially committed against men, when he says, Confess
your faults one to another" (v. 16). Thus, for instance, if
I should offend your eminence, I know I am in duty bound
to come and acknowledge my offense, and implore forgive
ness, and your eminence knows what is written : If thy
brother trespass against thee . . . and if he repent, forgive
him ; and if he trespass against thee seven times in a day,
and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I re
pent, thou shalt forgive him. f Such is the law of confes
sion according to the Gospel, clear, and sufficiently easy for
the comprehension of the meanest capacity. Now we must
not confound these laws with those of the Council of Late-
ran under Innocent III., and of the last Council of Trent.
According to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are only obliged
* 1 John, i., 8, 9, 10. t Luke, xvii., 3.
174 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
to confess our sins to God ; according to the Canons and
the Decretals, we ought to reveal them also to a priest called
a confessor."
This conversation entered deeply into the mind of the
cardinal, and I believe produced a good effect, since, some
years after, when I met with him in Rome, " I remember
well," said he to me, " our conference at Orvieto, touching
confession, and the more I have reflected upon it, the more
true I have found it." Certain it is, that from that time
such were my sentiments ; for which reason I desisted from
confession, and counseled others to do the same, so far as
their sins alone were concerned. The case was widely dif
ferent when I had to exercise my ministry, not as regarded
authority, with which I did not consider myself invested,
but for the sake of charity and friendship then I fulfilled
it most willingly. I was the friend of all those who came
to confide to me their secrets, and to receive from me coun-
sel and advice ; and I exercised this duty with the greater
pleasure the more I saw they were in want of it. As to
bigots, I drove them from my confessional. I was more par
ticularly attentive to the duty of instructing the young men.
During the time of my ministry in the Romish Church, I
have confessed a vast number of persons I should think
many thousands, and of all classes. At first I did so in the
firm belief that, in virtue of the power conferred upon me
by the bishop, I really had authority to pardon sins ; but
subsequently my persuasion was, that confession made to a
priest as a sacrament had the efficacy of obtaining pardon
from God, and that the words of the Absolution were a dec
laration to that effect. In the first case, I acted, if not ac
cording to the doctrine of the Bible, at least in accordance
with the tenets of the Roman Church. But in the second,
I acted neither in agreement with the Bible nor with the
Church of Rome. Under this conviction, then, it was that
I omitted the form of Absolution, as being unquestionably
anti-scriptural, and limited myself to a prayer, muttered be
tween the teeth, according to the usual mode of giving ab
solution, and in which I asked God to regard the faith of
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION. 175
those penitent people, granting to them pardon of their sins
through the merits of Jesus Christ. But even then I found
occasion to accuse myself, since those that had made their
confession to me believed that they went away absolved
through the efficacy of my ministry. They were deceived,
therefore, in consequence of my silence ; whereas, on the
other hand, if I had spoken out, and explained my senti
ments, they would have been scandalized and offended at
my not conforming to the usual custom. I found, therefore,
that the better way was to give up the so-called Confession
al, wherein, as the people imagine, the priest becomes in
vested with the authority of a forgiver of sins ; and to any one
who asked me to listen to their sins, I proposed any place
excepting the confessional, where we could both sit down,
and have our conversation without any show of hypocrisy.
This system I began in Rome, and followed also in Naples,
confessing many persons, and even nuns, at the grating of
the parlors, i. e., I held a conference with them on their
moral and religious wants, terminating with a prayer to
God that He would pardon their sins through the blood of
our Lord. But this system could not be continued without
my coming under the notice of the Inquisition. In fact,
when I was called to answer to this and other charges, I
was accused of having acted with contempt toward religion
in spretum religionis since I had not observed the laws
and ordinances of the Church. At last I was tired of liv
ing in the midst of opposition. My conscience daily alien
ated me more and more from the practices of popery, while
my soul expanded to the convictions of pure Christianity.
I had taken an aversion to image worship, to the adoration
of relics, and the patronage of saints, and their whole cat
alogue of miracles. In Viterbo I had often ridiculed the his
tory of the monastery Di Gradi, in which it is asserted that
in or about the year 1220, while St. Domenico di Gusman
was on his way through those parts, staying in the house
of Cardinal Capoccio, bishop of that city, Mary the mother
of Jesus one night appeared to both the cardinal and the
saint, and conducted them in spirit to the site of the pres-
176 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
ent church of the monastery Di Grradi, where at that time
stood a forest ; and here, addressing the two holy men, she
said, "It is my desire to have a convent established in this
place for my dear brethren the predicators [preachers], where
I shall be honored, arid my rosary preached up by them."
So saying, she burned a circle in the wood with a lighted
torch, marking out the boundary of the future building.
Now, as the vision appeared to each of them, in the morn
ing they compared notes, and setting out together to the
wood, found there a circle actually marked out by fire.
This history, which is entered in the chronicles of the mon
astery, is believed by the monks as a fifth Gospel. Was it
possible that I should longer believe such a story ?
There is also in Viterbo another monastery of Dominican
monks, called La Madonna delta Quercia, the history of
which is, that an image painted on a tile, and placed in an
oak-tree in the midst of a wood, began performing mira
cles about the commencement of the fifteenth century. De
vout supplicants thronged from all parts, and the graces
that were bestowed, and the miracles that were performed,
surpassed the most sanguine expectations. Thousands were
healed of various infirmities ; thousands, in various ways,
received assistance from Providence, in dangers, in persecu
tions, in recovering lost property, and in retrieving their
honor. But the greatest and most astounding miracles of
all were those performed on persons who had been blind
from their birth, and recovered their sight by the virtue of
that picture, and on others who eight days after death had
returned to life.
These fables, for a time, I had believed in as true. Blind
like the rest, because born in the land of darkness, I at one
time used to go and pray to the image Delia Quercia (of
the oak). One miracle, however, is certain, and that, too,
the work of no other than the so-called " Madonna" (a hor
rible figure of a woman with a child in her arms), namely,
the enormous riches which rained down upon the Frati for
more than three centuries in consequence of it.
The monastery is very large, with a magnificent church,
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 177
in the Bramante style, surrounded by houses inhabited by
the families of the servants and husbandmen who cultivate
the immense extent of land belonging to the fraternity, and
which brings in every year a considerable revenue.
There is a book upon these pretended miracles, printed
more than a hundred years ago, which relates them with
the utmost minuteness of detail. This book is sold to the
devotees who are continually going there to pour their mon
ey into the treasury ; and after I began to disbelieve those
miracles, and the influence of that Madonna, I named it the
Book of Industry. It is written in the worst possible style,
and is full of grammatical errors.
" Why do you not correct it ?" said Father Pastori, who
was at that time the superior of the monastery ; " why do
you not revise it, and render it more readable ? If you
were to arrange the stories in proper order, and dress them
up in flowery language, it would be perused with pleasure,
and would tend to increase the number of devout worshipers
of our Madonna."
" Oh, I should like very much to correct it as it ought to
be, but then I am afraid it would be much less readable than
at present."
" How so ?"
" Because out of three hundred pages there would not re
main one."
Upon this the old fellow began to grow angry. I will
not here repeat how many threats he thundered out against
me for incurring, as he said, the displeasure of the Madon
na delta Quercia. Little evil, however, has as yet befallen
me, that I can trace to this cause.
One day this same old man, who, to say the truth, after
all, had really a partiality for me, was holding a conversa
tion with myself and some others, among whom was Car
dinal Velzi, who, as well as myself, belonged to that mon
astery, at least to that section or family, though neither of
us resided there.
" I have been thinking," said Father Pastori, " of some
way of reviving the worship of our holy Madonna ; it is
H2
178 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
very much on the decline ; what do you think we should
do to awaken the dormant devotion of the people in the
neighborhood ? I remember, when I was a young man,
that all the province of Patrimonio and Umbria, as far as
La Marca, used to send pilgrims, votive offerings, wax can
dles, money for masses, and quantities of other offerings.
Now there is scarcely any thing brought even at the two
fairs, and all the rest of the year we receive nothing at all.
It is evident that the people no longer think of us, and that
their piety is becoming lukewarm. I wish, therefore, to re
kindle their devotion to the Madonna, and I think that the
best way of doing so would be to have sent about through
all the neighborhood the large picture of the Virgin, with
all the miracles inscribed around it ; but as the engraving
is not a very good one, I have thought of ordering another
upon the same plan. What do you say to my idea ?"
The cardinal shrugged his shoulders, and neither said yes
nor no. I was silent also.
" Well, I say, what do you think of it ? The present en
graving was executed more than two hundred years ago,
and was retouched about one hundred years since. It is
now high time to have a new one, for it seems to have lost
its efficacy."
"I know very well," said Cardinal Velzi, "that these
things pass current among the people as matters of pious
belief ; but the fact is, there are too many of them in South
em Italy. I proscribed many similar observances within my
own jurisdiction when I was master of the Sacred Palace ;
besides, these miracles are not sufficiently attested."
" Your eminence will doubtless recollect," added I, " how
both of us two years ago prohibited the image of the Ma
donna of the Augustines of Viterbo, which was surrounded
with a legion of devils, crying out, To hell with Viterbo.
This story is said to have originated at the beginning of the
fifteenth century, when one day a letter issued forth from
the sacred image, commanding the devils to quit the pre
cincts of the city, and to follow the said letter as far as it
should go. Off went the letter, and away went the devils ;
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 179
the former fell to the ground about a mile distant, and the
latter all sank into the earth ; in perpetual memory of which
event, even to this day bubbles up a well of boiling sulphu
reous water, which is said to take its rise from hell.^ This
madonna has ever since enjoyed the title of Liberatrix, or
Deliverer. I had frequent disputes with the prior of the
Augustines on this head, and threatened to seize all his
pictures if he made a trade of selling them. The only de
fense he could make was, that the engraving was ancient,
of the same epoch as that of the Madonna della Quercia ;
and I recollect answering that I did not approve of the im
age Della Quercia either, and that, for my part, I should
do every thing I could to prevent its circulation also : what,
then, do you think I should do if I saw the image Della
Quercia, with all its pretended miracles around it, re
stored ? Oh ! do not entertain any such idea, my dear Fa
ther Pastori. I shall be obliged to oppose it, and I am glad
too to see that our friend the cardinal is of the same opin
ion with myself. And now, since we are upon this topic,
let me, as a son of the monastery, give you another piece
of advice. This church of ours has latterly become so filthy
and disgusting, on account of its wooden and papier mache
statues, its exhibition of heads, arms, legs, and every other
part of the body, presented as votive offerings for all kinds
of pretended cures, that, what with these, and the misera
bly painted tablets, broken blunderbuses, rusty daggers, and
other objects which disfigure the walls from top to bottom,
any person of good sense would be ready to rush out of the
place at the mere sight of them. I should propose, there
fore, to take down all these things, whitewash the walls,
which is very much wanted, and put all these votive offer
ings, or monuments of brigandism and superstition, into two
or three large rooms adjoining the church, so as to form a
kind of museum of curiosities for such as may feel inclined
to inspect it."
The good old man could no longer contain himself, but
* This is the famous Bullicame of Viterbo, a thermal spring, which ex
isted many years before this famous madonna. Dante makes mention of it.
180 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
broke out into violent indignation, exclaiming that I was an
innovator, a man whose opinions were of the most danger
ous description, &c. The cardinal, however, interposed be
tween us, and so the matter ended.
By this time the change in my manner of thinking began
to be publicly talked about. I was represented as not being
one of those bigoted Frati who give credence to every relig
ious lie, under the cloak of "holy faith ;" that I was no great
votary of saints and relics, and disbelieved all their miracles.
Many other circumstances concurred to establish this opin
ion of me, one or two of which I will briefly relate.
I was requested to write the religious life of Santa Rosa,
the patron saint of Viterbo.^ This, however, I declined, on
the plea that Santa Rosa would not be over-well pleased
with my work ; upon which the task was separately under
taken by rny friend Dr. Selli and my uncle Dr. Mencarini.
The former produced a small treatise, of little or no import
ance, and I allowed it to circulate ; the latter set to work
in good earnest, and forwarded to the " censor" a large vol
ume. Now this uncle of mine had been a second father to
me, and was a man whom, of all others, I loved and re
spected. He was versed in many sciences, a man of refined
learning, and a professor of natural philosophy ; he was,
moreover, a man who shone in society, a sincere friend, a
benefactor to his country, and was universally esteemed and
beloved.
I was surprised to see so large a volume on so trivial a
subject as was afforded by the life of a poor baker s daugh
ter ; certainly she showed a great deal of talent in the part
she took in the political disputes between the Guelfs and
Ghibellines, which occurred in her time ; and as she was on
the pope s side, that is, for the liberty of the " commune"
(for popes were liberals in those days), she joined in the cry
against the Emperor Frederic II. She was consequently
persecuted by the Imperialists, and ran through all the coun
try declaiming against them. She died at the early age
* Every town in Italy has its patron saint, besides several subordinate
ones. Naples has its St. Janaarius, and about fifty subalterns.
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 181
of eighteen, poor but honored, and highly eulogized by her
fellow-citizens. The ignorance of the times attributed to
her the power of working miracles, and superstition " dub
bed" her a saint. There is no doubt she was a very excel
lent young woman, and as such, and on no other account,
do I honor her memory. I dare say my uncle thought much
as I did on the matter ; but he got so bewildered with the
mass of materials which so many earlier biographers had
collected together, that he did little more than copy what
he found in their works, without giving himself the trouble
of investigating their authenticity.
There are not in the whole world such bona fide liars as
the writers of the lives of saints, who, for the glory of God,^
allow themselves every species of invention and exaggera
tion. Can a lie ever tend to promote the glory of God ?
It is a principle I have never acted upon with regard to any
one. My uncle was deceived by a parcel of old impostors,
and it was for me to undeceive him.
" Now," said I to him one day, " do you believe all you
have written ?"
" No," he replied ; " I was disgusted with a great many
things ; but I thought it my duty to write, or rather to re
peat them, because, having been asserted so long ago, they
are now known and believed by every body."
" Now, my dear uncle, do not say by every body, for there
are ourselves in this very place who believe nothing about
them ; and who knows how many others may not have the
same good sense ? Why should we, then, seek to deceive
the ingenuous and simple-minded, particularly the young,
who would no longer read the old trash about this said St.
Rosa unless it were dressed up in the pleasing garb of a
good style, and written with a show of historical erudition ?
Is it not a pity a sin ?"
" But if I were not to relate what has been already writ
ten and handed down, what would there be to make a life
of?"
" Little, my friend ; little, but good. I should give the
* Ad majorem Dei gloriam is the motto of the Jesuits.
182 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
simple truth. This same Rosa was a very good creature,
and a woman of spirit for the age in which she lived ; full
of courage, and loved her country as much as any one. The
priests represent her as devoted to the pope ; but I, on the
contrary, maintain that she was devoted chiefly to politics,
and only in a secondary degree to matters of religion. In
fact, the people of Viterbo were almost all Patareni ;* and
yet, between the pope and the emperor, they held most to the
former, because he did not, like the latter, threaten the lib
erty of the commune by imposing upon them any particular
code of laws, but allowed the people to govern themselves
by their own institutions. In short, to me the actions of St.
Rosa appear so entirely mixed up with the political events of
her time, that if I were writing her life, I should connect it
with the history of that period merely as an episode."
" And who would you get to read it?"
" Every body, except a few bigots. Perhaps you are writ
ing for them ?"
These remarks appeared so far to influence my uncle, that
he began to correct his great volume, which soon became
reduced to half its size, but gained double in value. Still,
I regret to say, that some stories were left which would
have been far better away. The truth of the matter is,
that although I no longer believed in the miracles of Rome s
catalogued saints, yet I had not as yet acquired sufficient
courage to wage a war of extermination against them. I
was more severe with another relation of mine, Dr. Nicola
Grispini, who had written the life of Lucia di Narni, a bigot
beatified by Rome. He was at that time Professor of Rhet
oric in the college at Viterbo, and is now Bishop of Poggio
Mirteto, in Sabina. He too had followed the old biogra
phies, and without any selection, had dressed up their worn-
out falsehoods in elegant modern phraseology. The manu
script was sent to Rome and duly approved, with the nihil
obstat from two theological censors, and the imprimatur
from the master of the Sacred Palace ; and, as a matter of
course, was about to be printed, when by chance it fell un-
* A class of heretics so called.
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 183
der my notice. Never in my whole life had I seen such a
tissue of gross falsehoods. I immediately stopped the print
ing of it, and referred it again to the master of the Palace,
arid received his authority to make all the corrections I
might think necessary previous to its publication.
" My dear Dr. Nicola," said I to him, " where on earth
did you find all the nonsense that you have put together in
this volume ?"
" In the biographies of the Beatified* Lucia, and espe
cially in that written by a very reverend Dominican, under
the approbation of the master of the Sacred Palace."
" I am delighted to hear it ; but these relations are all
evidently untrue, and some of them are absolutely immoral.
Such, for instance, is that which states that a wife, in con
sequence of some vow, refused the conjugal duty to her hus
band a thing quite at variance with sound morality. Here
now is a story invented by some one in the first instance,
repeated by others, and now related again by yourself, and
which, having once more escaped the eyes of the censor,
would have been in print in a very short time. Had I not
happened to have seen it, the religious world would again
have been regaled with the same lies and the same impos
ture ! And what is all this story about angels descending
from heaven to minister to your Beata ! and all the saints,
and the Madonna, the mother of Jesus, coming down to hold
conversation with her ! Away with all these fables ; we
have already too many of them ; they disgust even the most
simple-minded. Religion holds such falsehoods in abhor
rence ; they are called pious, whereas they ought rather to
be termed impious beliefs ; for it is highly impious to mix
falsehood with truth in order to mislead the understanding
and deprave the heart. You surely are not so simple as to
believe every thing that is printed con licenza de superiori,
under which authority you have admitted all these foolish
stories about Beata Lucia. But I can not; allow the reprint
ing of them. Revise your book, purge it of such ridiculous
matter, and I will then give it my approval."
* Beata is a degree below saint, like Bachelor of Arts to Master.
184 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
My friend was easily guided, and having left out what he
considered the most difficult to swallow, the work was fin
ished ; but I was still too indulgent, and allowed much to
remain which ought to have been expunged ; but the fact
is, as I said before, although I saw what my duty was, I had
not then the moral courage to act entirely up to it, a courage
which is particularly the gift of God s grace.
My reformation must have been the immediate work of
God, and therefore from Him I felt myself destined to re
ceive the perception and knowledge of the truth. St. Paul
gloried in having received the Gospel, not from men, but
from God, through whose command he also received authority
to preach it. His reform was instantaneous, as was his con
version, and they are wonderful in our eyes. A gradual con
version and a progressive reformation are not so astonishing.
The lightning flash amid the darkness of night affects the
senses in a far greater degree than the opening dawn that
gradually brightens into day. I imagined I had already re
ceived the full daylight of truth, whereas it was only that
of the morning star, the sweet harbinger of a brighter day.
"What shall I say, then, of my entire conversion ? God alone
knoweth. My understanding unquestionably began to be
illuminated about that time, but the conversion of my heart
took place at a much later period. I began to be aware
that we are not saved by our own merits, but by the merits
of Christ. I knew, moreover, that those merits are not im
puted to us by the efficacy of the sacraments, but by virtue
of faith. This, the only true system of salvation, I already
taught in the schools ; I preached it in the pulpit, and sus
tained it in public, as well as in private conversation, and
therefore I had incurred the hatred of the priesthood, and of
the Jesuits of the Romish Church. But for all this I was
not as yet converted at heart. So true it was, that I did not
at that time even understand the difference between these
two conversions. I was already a Protestant, but not yet
sufficiently a Christian. My life had not undergone a formal
and complete change, but only a partial amendment. My
virtue arose from self-love, and not from faith. I had ac-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 185
quired some practice in the habit of well-doing, but was not
yet guided by Divine inspiration. My heart had desires, but
not affections. I spoke of Divine love, but did not yet expe
rience it in my soul. Oh ! what joy possessed me when I
first began to feel its influence. Oh ! how delightful is the
life of a believer. He lives by faith. He may vacillate for
a moment, but he soon returns to the principle that forms the
system of his life. The believer, far from considering him
self infallible or sinless, feels, on the contrary, the weakness
of his nature, trembles for himself, and incessantly humbles
himself before God. True faith does not attribute to man
strength that he does not possess. Peter was weak when he
believed himself to be strong. Jesus Christ said to the apos
tles, " All ye shall be offended because of me this night."*
And what was Peter s reply ? " Although all shall be of
fended, yet will not I." And lo ! Peter the believer, who
esteemed himself stronger than all his brethren, and vaunted
himself accordingly, met with the severest humiliation. Who
could say with Cephas, " If I should die with thee, I will
not deny thee in any wise ?" To such a one the reply is
ready : " Verily, I say unto thee, That this night, before the
cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. "f
So true it is that conversion is the work of faith, and this
comes by grace. In me faith has been awakened after much
experience, accompanied by conviction in the understand
ing, and affection in the heart. I thank the Lord, who has
made me a believer through His grace ; and so much the
more do I thank Him as He has given me this grace for the
conversion of others. I felt the necessity of my giving up a
system which I had found defective in so many points, and
experienced a strong desire to assist others in getting out of
the same mire. I could no longer hide the truths I had
discovered. I seemed a traitor to myself, to my duty, and
to the will of God in concealing my enlightenment, while,
on the other hand, I saw the danger of publicly acknowl
edging it. The only way was to communicate my princi
ples in secret. But the Inquisition is a tremendous power ;
* Mark, xiv., 27. t Matt., xxvi., 34.
186 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
it possesses every possible means of discovering the most hid
den secrets ; and in that part of Italy where its laws are in
vigor, nothing is concealed from its penetration.
I began my mission in the manner I have related, and
the Inquisition soon commenced its proceedings against me.
More than once did its officers try to circumvent me and
arrest my progress ; but the beneficent hand of Providence
was over me, and guided and protected me, so that I never
feared any thing. No one knew better than I did the arti
fices of that diabolical tribunal, and the means it employed
to hunt out its object. And yet I was not afraid ; I felt a
certain secret assurance in my mind of my final success. I
accordingly quietly pursued the path that Providence and
the hand of the Lord had opened out to me, knowing not
where my steps might lead me. I was like a man blind
folded, but led by a faithful friend ; sure of His care and
love, I willingly abandoned myself to His direction.
I will now state what happened to me on leaving Rome
in 1835, as well as what took place after my departure
from Italy in 1842 ; all which will fully explain the com
plete history of my conversion, which, while it has been to
me the most fortunate event of my whole life, will also, I
hope, prove the commencement of an era in the history of
Italy, which my fellow-countrymen have been expecting
and looking for during the last 300 years. I look upon this
circumstance as the first link of a long chain, that is one
day to be completed. My individual conversion and ref
ormation will be the means of effecting that of many others
how, or in what mariner, I am unable to judge ; certain
ly not as calculated upon in the popish Sanhedrim, but ac
cording to the secret arrangements of the Most High. I
read in this conversion of mine a most extraordinary event :
Rome did all she could to retain me as her defender, as a
theologian, qualified in every respect to serve her purposes ;
and I, on the contrary, against the inclination of the nat
ural man, did all in my power to show how much I de
spised her service and her flattering offers indifferent alike
to her honors and her gifts, drawing down upon myself her
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 187
eternal odium and vengeance. Still, I must acknowledge
that it was not myself, but a secret spirit within me, that
resisted, overruling my natural inclinations, and preventing
my being led away by the proffered allurements of ambition
and wealth. I began to look without apprehension on my
position with respect to the Church, and my duties connected
with it. The dormant idea of hierarchy had faded from my
mind, and that of community occupied its place. I required
not the assistance of the pope to understand the Bible ; I
looked to the Savior alone to elevate my soul toward God.
It had now become impossible for me to remain any longer
under so vile a subjection. Higher inspirations came over
me ; I was led into other paths, through the adorable dis
positions of that Providence by whom the destinies of all
men are ordained ; the same which, after having permitted
for all- wise ends the abomination of popery to dominate dur
ing so many ages in Italy, seems now to will its destruction.
So may it be. Amen.
CHAPTER X.
MY FAREWELL TO ROME.
IN the month of February, 1835, I had so arranged my
affairs that nothing stood in the way of my projected de
parture from the Eternal City. I hesitated some time be
tween two separate modes of accomplishing my purpose ; a
sudden flight, or the more regular way of setting out in due
form and with the permission of the appointed authorities.
The first would put an immediate end to all my embarrass
ment, and give me my complete liberty at once. I was at
first disposed to adopt this method, but subsequently aban
doned it on reflecting that I should thereby give occasion to
a great deal of discussion with respect to my reasons for so
suddenly leaving Rome, more especially as I had never yet
publicly given any idea that I was at all dissatisfied with
188 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
her doctrines, or that I differed in opinion with the monks,
or had quitted that faith which I had hitherto advocated to
the world with so much applause. It only remained to me,
therefore, to adopt the latter plan, which in a quieter and
more convenient way would suit my purpose, and excite no
troublesome inquiries. Accordingly, after due deliberation,
I arranged all my plans, and left the result to Providence.
Cardinal Serra di Cassano had requested me to preach dur
ing Lent in his archiepiscopal church at Capua. I accepted
the duty, and forwarded to the good Father General Olivi-
eri my resignation of the post he had conferred on me, which
he was pleased to accept on condition that I should return
to Rome as soon as my duties at Capua were over, where,
he gave me to understand, fresh promotion awaited me. I
made him no promise, merely hinting that it was possible
I might return, unless God should think fit to order my steps
elsewhere. He did not appear to comprehend my meaning,
and my projects were confined to my own keeping.
"I hope," said he to me, "you will present yourself to
the pope. Cardinal Polidori told me that he wished to see
you. I think it would be as well for you to keep up the et
iquette in these matters."
" As you wish me to do so, reverend father, I will go to
the pope ; but, to tell you the truth, I thought I might dis
pense with the ceremony."
" Why, you know the pope has a regard for you ; he fre
quently inquires after you ; and it was only the other day
he was talking of a dinner given by Cardinal Velzi at the
Villa Salara, where he said he met you and Cardinal Cas-
tiglioni before he became Pius VIII."
" I certainly remember that dinner, and the conversation
I then held with Cardinal Cappellari, now Pope Gregory.
He spoke very forcibly concerning truth, and his words will
ever remain engraven on my memory ; he extolled it as su
perior to every thing, declared that it was God himself, that
all truth proceeded from Him, and that all who obeyed the
truth were the sons of God. He spoke of Jesus, the Christ,
as the visible form of Truth, who, being fully imbued with
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 189
it, as St. John says, showed to the world that in Him, the
Word, the Logos, the Divine Wisdom was incarnate. He
reminded me that in His death Christ bore witness to the
truth ; and we can not better follow Him, and become like
unto Him, than by a veneration for, and a strict obedience
to the truth. And here, placing his hand on my shoulder,
he added, My dear friend, ever advocate the truth ; live
for it, combat for it, even die for it, and God will be your
reward. This holy advice I listened totas if it came from
an angel ; at that moment I really believed him to be in
spired. I remember also another remark he made. Car
dinal Castiglioni had exhorted me to read Pallavicino s His
tory of the Council of Trent ; to which I replied that I had
already given it a perusul, as well as that by Friar Sarpi.
Well, then, exclaimed the good old man, read Pallavicino
again ; and he thundered his words out so loudly that some
present thought he was angry with me. * What s the mat
ter with Castiglioni? asked Cappellari. He wishes me,
I replied, to read over and over again the History of the
Council of Trent by Pallavicino. He is so passionately
fond of that history, that he advises every body to read it,
observed Cappellari ; for my own part, I should like to see
a third writer on the subject, who would give us the true
account of that council. But this work, which ought to be
written in Rome, and from the archives of the Vatican, could
never be published there. Then, observed I, the truth
must not be spoken in Rome ! to which Cardinal Cappellari
replied with a smile and a sigh."
Olivieri listened to me with profound attention, then
wrung my hand, and recommended me anew to pay my re
spects to the pope.
There was at this time living in Rome a very respectable
man, a certain Father Parchetti. He was well known to a
great many people, but had few friends. His universal tal
ent in all kinds of literature had gained him considerable rep
utation ; he was of a liberal and kindly disposition, a keen
investigator in all matters of science, and was more wor
thy of honors than he was ambitious in looking after them ;
190 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
he had, in fact, never received any promotion, simply "be
cause he despised it. Strict in his own habits of life, he
was indulgent toward others ; kind and charitable to the
poor, and easy of access to all who were not themselves
proud or overbearing. He was a great talker, and was
sometimes sarcastic and even satirical in his speech, which
arose from a naturally ardent temperament.
To the monk Cappellari he had been a friend, but to Pope
Gregory he was an enemy. We had been acquainted with
each other from our earliest youth ; I never, however, talked
about our friendship before other people, as he was in dis
grace with the court, and consequently his associates would
have shared in the contempt bestowed upon him by their
party. I had not at that time sufficient firmness to go
against the tide, and boldly declare my opinion in his fa
vor ; but still I had a great regard for him, on account of
his sincerity and truth ; and I discovered in him so many
estimable qualities, that I overlooked his trifling defects.
He had frequently given me his counsel and advice. I had
consulted him with respect to my scruples of conscience ; I
had laid before him my new theological views, and he had
considerably enlightened me on the subject, and confirmed
me more and more in my new opinions. I had recourse to
him whenever I required advice. He first taught me what
Rome really was Home, as influenced by priests and monks,
by prelates and cardinals. Whoever wanted information re
specting the papal court, applied to Father Parchetti, who
knew the secret history of every one connected with it, and
was perfectly well informed in the history of the Romish
Church ; his experience was of seventy years standing, in
the course of which time he had become well acquainted
with every thing that had happened in Rome, and every
exact detail as to place, time, and person.
"Well," said I to him one day, "I am going to leave
Rome. I thank you for your good advice as to keeping
clear from the snares of office, and becoming ambitious in
my views. See how well I have eschewed every thing of
the kind ! I am going to Naples, on the plea of having to
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISlTlON. 191
preach at Capua during the ensuing Lent. I shall be heart
ily glad to leave this place ; I most thoroughly detest it, or,
rather, the people who govern in it, and sincerely hope never
to return to it. I shall find some good reason or other to
remain in Naples when Lent is over ; at any rate, I can pe
tition for my secularization,* and I shall then be at liberty ;
and in the quiet of private life, occupied entirely with my
studies, I may hope to obtain tranquillity and peace."
" No, my friend," replied Parchetti, " do not hope for peace
in Italy under any circumstances. It is not enough that you
keep quiet. You know full well that among other evils to
which those gentry who call themselves our masters are sub
ject is that of envy. Do you imagine they would let you
rest ? And, suppose you quit the brotherhood of the monks,
you would still be among the priests. "Well, then, there is
the bishop and his vicars, and others of their set, who would
load you with calumnies, and persecute you in a far greater
degree than you have had to endure hitherto, and which
your present strength would by no means enable you to sup
port. Here there is no middle path ; we must be either big
ots or hypocrites, as they are, or become subject to their ha
tred and their malediction, and exposed to every danger and
every evil through their instrumentality. They have adopt
ed as their motto, He who is not with us is against us ; and,
consequently, they reckon every one as their enemy who re
moves himself ever so little from their prejudices, their cus
toms, and their society. He, moreover, who refuses to bend
the knee before the idol of the Vatican, is, as you very well
know, looked upon as a heretic : here, it is not God in whom
we are to believe, but the pope. C and T are a
couple of atheists ; nevertheless, they were both made car
dinals. But if you and I were to declare that we believed
in the Bible, and in the Bible alone, we should be speedily
handed over to the Inquisition, and there condemned as her
etics if, indeed, they would do us so much honor ; for they
begin to be sensible that the term heretic is no longer one
* The relinquishing of the religious habit and office for that of the sec
ular clergy.
192 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
of so great reproach as formerly ; but still, not to allow us
to escape, they would give out that we were condemned for
some offense or other against the civil laws, such as theft,
adultery, and the like. There is poor Capestrano condemn
ed to perpetual imprisonment in the dungeons of the Inqui
sition ; I once asked one of the officials of the Holy Office
what he had to say against such a respectable old man :
He is a great scoundrel, was the reply ; and on my inquir
ing why he bestowed on him that epithet, Why ? rejoined
he ; because he is guilty of a great many crimes. How !
I exclaimed ; has he then robbed, borne false witness, or
committed murder ? But what an abominable thing it is
to attribute crimes to so good a man as Capestrano ! I will
tell you what crimes you yourselves are guilty of, and for
which he has justly reproved you the crime of Herod, who
condemned John to death ! Now listen to me, my dear
friend : as long as you remain among either friars or priests,
you will never enjoy a moment s tranquillity ; but you can
not get out of their way so long as you stay in Italy. The
first conclusion therefore is, that in this country you will
never be at peace, since both friars and priests will unite to
persecute you."
"And what, I pray you, is the second conclusion?"
" The second is, that as long as you continue in the priest
ly office yourself, you never can hope for rest. It is not
enough that you cease to be a friar, you must also cease to
be a priest : both are equally bad ; there is no choice be
tween them ; they uphold the same system, and the system
itself is bad. You must renounce it altogether if you would
be at peace. But a great difficulty stands in the way; a
great obstacle is to be overcome before this can be done ;
and it is this very obstacle that has hitherto prevented me,
also, from shaking off this terrible slavery, which I have a
hundred times desired to do. The difficulty I allude to is
one which deprives an Italian of all courage ; it is, that of
being obliged to quit one s native country, and for evermore
to lose the idea of returning to it. Geneva, they say, is a
fine city ; and I have heard that in London, too, one may
DEALIPCGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 193
hope to find the means of subsistence. But another Italy
we can never hope to see ; and nothing, I fear, could com
pensate for its loss. I speak in a worldly point of view.
Certainly such a step requires courage. I can easily con
ceive that the first step is the grand difficulty : and, after
all, a great deal is in our own imagination ; and we Ital
ians, like all Southern nations, are swayed more by our im
agination than by our senses ; our understanding, indeed,
may be said to feed upon it. Now, if you have more cour
age than I confess I possess, and can decide on taking the
grand leap that will place you beyond Italy, I feel assured
you will at length find peace and become happy."
" This project of yours," I replied, " is the true, tjie only
one ; I have frequently entertained the same idea. But, as
you observe, it presents a difficulty that appears insurmount
able ; to quit one s native country, to leave one s relatives
behind us, to lose all one s property and one s means of sub
sistence, to reduce one s self to indigence, and undergo pri
vations always more or less humiliating, is a sacrifice, my
dear Parchetti, that a man is not prepared or willing to
make. There must be some great motive, or, to speak more
correctly, some sudden impulse from above, similar to that
which arrested Saul on his way to Damascus, to impel a
man to do that concerning which he was before uncertain
and irresolute. Perhaps the day will come when I may
myself be thus influenced ; but at present I must proceed
gradually, till I acquire greater experience ; and I shall al
ways submit to the will of God. As we are on this sub
ject, however, tell me, Father Parchetti, and tell me sin
cerely, for our old friendship s sake, what is your opinion of
the Protestants ? I speak of those of Geneva and London."
" You have chosen rather a dangerous subject to discuss
in Rome ; but, however, as we are alone, and no one can
overhear us, I will speak out ; and may it be for the glory
of God and the advancement of truth ! This is not exactly
the first time I have touched upon the argument between
Protestantism and Romanism ; and you know how excited
I get on these interesting topics, and how apt I am to for-
I
194 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
get the place I am in, and to whom I address myself. It
has happened more than once that I have inveighed against
the Holy Office in the presence of some of its officials, and
have, in various public places, spoken pretty freely about
Rome, likening her to Babylon, and Geneva to a second
Jerusalem. It was fortunate for me that the Inquisition
did not get hold of it. Since, however, I have up to the
present day escaped being burned alive, and since the ears
of the public have become accustomed to my remarks, I do
not imagine they will molest me, now that I am old. In
fact, they content themselves with vilifying me in their
own way ; they call me a madman, a foul-mouthed fellow,
who speaks ill of every body, and so on. And in this man
ner they repay me for the attacks I make upon them, which
I do not cease from doing in the cause of the truth.
" But to return to our subject. Protestantism is early
Christianity revived, which protests against and denounces
later Christianity, that is to say, Romanism, or, more prop
erly, Popery. Having given this definition, the truth of
which it is impossible to deny, I proceed to observe that I
consider the Protestants are right de jure, but that the Ro
manists arrogate that right to themselves de facto. I will
explain myself more clearly. The Protestants have the Bi
ble on their side ; their doctrine is founded on its truths, and,
fortified with them, they boldly challenge the Romanists to
enter the field of controversy. And against these truths pa
pistical arguments can not stand. For this reason I main
tain that the Protestants are right de jure. On the other
hand, the Romanists boast of their traditions, a series of al
leged facts more or less ancient, altogether irreconcilable
with Scripture, but received on the authenticity of respect
able men, whom their own Church has dubbed as saints
and doctors. These traditions have given rise to various
decisions in councils, and these, again, have occasioned the
celebrated decretals of the popes, bulls, and pontifical con
stitutions, which serve as so many dogmas of faith with all
the upholders of Romanism. And this is how they possess
their right de facto.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 195
" Now these two parties are similar to two armies, which
have been opposed to each other for the last three hundred
years ; but they are by no means of equal strength : I speak
of human strength. The Protestants have gained over to
their side many men of learning and sense, yet they have
hitherto failed in their attempts to overthrow the papacy ;
they have, however, humbled it, and prevented it from dom
ineering over the whole of the Christian world.
" Romanism is nevertheless content with its de facto pow
er, which it upholds through the authority of its doctrines
and the activity of its Propaganda. It has proclaimed to
the vulgar herd that the holy men who have worked mira
cles were all of them of its own Church ; and this assurance
is sufficient for those who have no better principle to guide
them than the criterion of authority. It has, moreover, found
means to send its missionaries to all parts of the world. The
great secret of Rome is this money to send out missioi^L-
ries, and missionaries to send back money. Whoever sees
the expenditure of the Propaganda Fidei, praises the zeal
of Rome, and imagines that the pope makes an immense
sacrifice every year to supply the wants of such an institu
tion. How many bishops, vicars apostolic, friars, and mis
sionary priests derive incomes from the Propaganda ! And
who supplies all this money ? Is it Rome ? and where does
it come from ? Again, who maintains the court of Rome,
with all its crimes and all its caprices ? who, if it is not the
Propaganda ? Look at the fraternities of Rome the Da-
teria, the chancery, the office for briefs, the council, the
bishops and regulars, the rites and indulgences, sacred rel
ics, and the like : whence do all these derive support ? Evi
dently from foreign parts. And what, in return for all this
money and protection, does Rome send abroad ? Indul
gences and quackeries. Who are they who sustain the court
of Rome, and the papacy, in all its ambition I will not
say its honor, because it never had any if they be not the
Romanists abroad ? and not only they, but even Protestants
themselves, now contribute to the coffers of the Romish
Church. How willing are the English to pay at our festi-
198 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
vals ; and Rome wants nothing else, desires nothing else,
but money. She thinks herself the first power in the world,
and has gone so far as to insult and hold in derision the
Protestants. They must be good people, indeed, to submit
to it, for they have it in their power to make Rome trem
ble, and reduce her to dust.
" But to return to the subject of religion. The Protest
ants have only one defect, that of being divided among them
selves, and often waging war upon each other. And now I
w T ill tell you a secret that you can not know as yet, but I
do. It is one of the artifices of Catholic missionaries (es
pecially of the Jesuits) to sow discord as much as possible
among the Protestants, because they can afterward profit
by it, by fishing in troubled water, according to the com
mon saying. So long as the Protestants will moot the ques
tion whether their Church should be Episcopalian or Pres
byterian, and go on excommunicating each other, Roman
priests and friars will make proselytes from each party.
Now these good Protestants do not see how this very ques
tion is settled de facto, without noise, or rumor, or division,
by the Romanists. They have their priests and friars the
former governed by bishops, and consequently Episcopalian ;
the latter (and in these I include monks and regular cler
gy, &c.) subject to their superiors, who are nothing more
nor less than presbyters. Consequently, this set, which ex
ceeds that of priests in numbers, is, in fact, Presbyterian.
Priests and friars have also their disputes ; and it is impos
sible there should not be disputes among any body of men
whatsoever ; but they are soon settled, for both parties have
the Church between them in common, as well as the pul
pit and the confessional. There is no difficulty in passing
from one order to another, as you well know ; and when
they do, they change not only their habits, but their rites,
forms of prayer, and every branch of discipline. I do not
see why it should not be permitted to Protestants to do so
likewise. But, above all, what I blame is, that the Epis
copalians, for example, shut their churches against the Pres
byterians. I here speak of the ministers ; because the peo-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 197
pie themselves would care little about mere forms, provided
they find in their pastors (whether Episcopalian or Presby
terian) that spirit, and knowledge, and zeal, that is accord
ing to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ."
" My dear friend," I replied, " what you say is excellent.
It never struck me before, and certainly books would never
have imparted it to me. I thank you for the lesson, and
again repeat, that though I quit with sorrow the one Rome
I so much love, I do so execrating from my soul the other
that I so much hate ; and who can say whether you do not
hate it even more than I do, and did not hate it long before
I did, because you have known it longer and better than I
have ! But tell me another thing (and may the blessing of
God be with you !) : Do you think this wicked Rome this
Babylon, as you call it, and which St. John the Evangelist
calls the great whore, with whom the kings of the earth
have committed fornication ^ do you think it will always
remain in such transgressions, or do you believe a day will
come in which popish Rome will be reformed, and that we
shall unite with the Protestants to form one only Church ;
that is, one and the same body of believers in the pure doc
trine of ancient Christianity ? Tell me truly your opinion
do you prophesy that it will be so ?"
"I will tell you what I think, but first I will say that
which I believe. I believe that Popish Rome will be de
stroyed. The eighteenth chapter of the Apocalypse strength
ens me in this belief. I also think that papal Rome can
in no way reform itself. Popes are bound hand and foot, so
that they can not move. Popery is become immovable a
petrifaction. Can she alter her creed to any thing different
from that composed by Pius IV. ? She must first destroy
the Council of Trent. Can the Latin Church return to the
faith of the Greek Church, in all in which the latter is right ?
She must first destroy the Council of Florence. Can she,
in short, be brought to approve the doctrine that the Re
formers profess ? and that, too, after having burned as many
of the Reformers themselves as she could get into her clutch-
* Rev., xvii., 2.
198 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
es ? This scandal was first committed by the Council of
Constance, in which those two holy men, John Huss and Je
rome of Prague, were sentenced to be burned alive ! Would
Rome, then, condemn the Council of Constance ? The
French, in one of their Gallic propositions^ (which, by-the-
by, is not prohibited!), would come forward and say that the
council is superior to the pope, and can not be destroyed by
him. So you see that Rome has deprived herself of every
means of extrication, and shut the door upon the possibility
of return.
" Papal Rome must therefore necessarily remain as she
is, or cease to live. But she will never die by her own hand,
and she will make every possible struggle against any other
that may be lifted up to give her her death-stroke, unless
it be the hand of God, which, let us hope, will strike her so
surely that she shall never raise her head again. So be it.
Amen. And this may be the case even in our time. Do
you not think, indeed, that she herself is hastening the mo
ment, and that, as David says, she hath fallen into the pit
she dug for others ?
" Yes, yes ; the Lord blindeth those whom He wills to
destroy. Rome is committing the greatest blunders every
day, and does not know how to correct them. And the day
will come when she will make a last and fatal one. Can
you guess what it will be ?"
" Certainly not ; but I should like to hear it from you."
" Listen, then, and remember it, because I shall not live
to see it, but you may. I am already old, arid the Lord will,
most likely, soon take me to himself, before my eyes have
seen the salvation of Italy.
" But now mark what I foretell. The war between Ca
tholicism and Protestantism will be renewed. However im
probable a religious war may appear in these times of lib
eralism, it is nevertheless inevitable, and can not be far dis
tant. And Rome herself will be the exciting cause, inas-
* A certain declaration of the clergy of France in relation to the infalli
bility of the pope.
t That is to say, not by the-Holy Office in Rome.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 199
much as the missionaries of the Propaganda, ignorant and
blind as they are, and liars by profession, industriously cir
culate the report that through their labors all the world is
about to be converted to papacy ; that the Madonna and the
saints are working miracles on every side. And so they will
instigate Rome to commit some act of imprudence.
"Remember the case of Leo XII. , who in 1824 created
an archbishopric of Grand Cairo, and, without any consulta
tion with the viceroy, appointed as archbishop that inefficient
youth Cashiur, and gave him for vicar such a knave as Fa
ther Canestrari, sending them both to Alexandria to make
converts of all the Mussulmans, beginning with Mahomet
Ali himself. The end of the affair was ridiculous enough,
excepting for the condemnation of the poor archbishop. But
who can tell what was the real intention of Pope Leo and
his advisers ? Now what I foresee is this : the influence of
Rome in the British Isles must produce its effect, which is
that of converting the Protestants to our faith. If to the En
glish and Irish missionaries which Rome has hitherto em
ployed, those of Italy, and more especially the Jesuits, are
united, proselytes can not fail. In fact, they will be so nu
merous, and will excite so much interest, that Rome will be
led to imagine that the time has arrived for her to take En
gland by assault. Accordingly, the pope* will create bishops
and archbishops, declaring the Protestant hierarchy com
pletely null and abolished. England, not being prepared
for this master-stroke of policy, will for the moment be too
astonished to testify her sense of its audacity ; but soon rec
ollecting her former history, and conscious of her power, she
will shake off the lethargy that has so long oppressed her,
and permitted an enemy to enter into her house, and per
ceiving that not only is her substance wasted, but her rights
usurped, and her Church outraged, she will do that which
every person of sense would do when conscious of having
erred, of having been incautious, ill-advised, and imprudent :
she will correct her vain indulgence, and withdraw the hand
of friendship from the Church of Rome ; she will institute
new laws to prevent usurpation, and she will drive away
200 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
the aggressors, forcing them to yield what they have stolen ;
in short, she will destroy the nests of these crows the only
method of preventing their increase and once more put
them to flight and banish them beyond her seas. England
will do this the very day that Home gives her sufficient prov
ocation ; and that day will be fatal in its results. Italy,
wearied out with popery, will profit by the opportunity ; all
her strength will be exerted to break her old chains, and
break them she will ! The papacy will be destroyed in
Italy by the Italians themselves ; and the idol of the Vati
can, before which the pagans of modern times have for so
many ages bent the knee, will be driven into exile, an object
of mockery and derision. Yes, the man of sin, the son of
perdition, who has seduced the world by his lies, will have
the finger of scorn pointed at him by the whole world. This,
my friend, is what I prophesy ; when it comes to pass, rec
ollect what my words have been."
These sentiments, delivered by the good old man in the
year 1835, now appear as if they had been dictated by in
spiration.
One evening, Cardinal Polidori conducted me to the pope,
who was in a very jovial humor. A Venetian priest, a friend
of his holiness, was present. The cardinal conversed with
the priest, while the pope led me aside and addressed me as
follows :
What is the purport of this nocturnal visit ? You fol
low the example of Nicodemus, who visited the Lord at
night."
" His eminence the cardinal chose this time to present me.
I am come to ask the blessing of your holiness before I set
out for Capua, where I am summoned by the cardinal arch
bishop to preach during Lent. The papal benediction will,
I trust, be followed by the blessing of God."
" May the Lord bless you ! After Easter I hope you will
return to Rome : is not that your intention ?"
" I can not promise. After so many years of fatigue, I
need a little repose. I may perhaps visit Naples for a short
period."
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 201
" Naples is a dangerous place to go to : its luxurious cli
mate, its numerous attractions of every description, so pow
erfully enchant the mind that it is difficult to get away from
their seductive influence. I hope you will not become a Ne
apolitan. But tell me, is there any particular reason why
you are desirous to quit Rome ? It appears to me that you are
not quite satisfied with your situation here. Perhaps mat
ters are not according to your mind at the Minerva. But
the monks are not better at Naples than they are at Rome :
I am of opinion that if you complain of them here, you
would equally do so there."
" In that case, Holy Father, I should find means to sep
arate myself from them altogether. Your holiness would
not withhold from me your permission to secularize,* as
many others do."
" And if that should not be sufficient ?"
" God will provide for the rest."
I now began to be persuaded that my getting rid of my
employments at Rome, of quitting the city, and even of
abandoning the monks, would not be sufficient. Father
Parchetti had foretold it all ; the pope, too, seemed to be
fully aware of my discontent, and to have a pretty good idea
of what was to follow. Nevertheless, I had not yet learned
to go boldly forward ; I advanced in my onward path step
by step, and passed through many states of sorrow and
temptation. For example, though I already abhorred papa
cy, I still continued to visit the pope, and even felt a vener
ation toward his person, which no doubt was the result of
habit and early education. I detested the cardinals as a
body, yet I was on friendly terms with several of them :
there was no great harm in that. But with respect to the
Mass, although I was thoroughly persuaded of its imposture,
and of the two great heresies in its doctrine, I still continued
to perform it, certainly without devotion, but with a show
of earnestness ; I very seldom celebrated it, but had not the
courage to abandon it altogether. I became anxious and
* To quit the monastic life, and to live as a simple priest. See note to
p. 191.
202 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
worn out, and felt a strong necessity to throw myself into
the arms of a better faith, since my present one, so far
from satisfying me, every day rendered me more and more
wretched.
It is worthy of remark, the importance I attached to this
departure from Rome. I seemed to be leaving it never more
to return. On every former occasion of absence I had never
thought it necessary to make parting visits to my friends,
but now I raked up all my acquaintance to bid them fare
well. Many days were consumed in parting and compli
mentary visits, which I had never before been accustomed
to make. One day I was dining with Monsignore Cioja, the
governor of St. Spirito, and two of that order of canons (which,
I believe, is now abolished) were there. The discourse turned
on Germany and England. One of these canons was a man
of learning ; not so the other ; both of them, however, joined
in the conversation.
" Do you not think Luther was in the wrong," said one
of them to me, " in making himself the head of a Church ?
And in England, what a farce it is to see the king placed
at the head of religion !"
" You do not understand what you are talking about,"
replied I; "Luther never made himself the head of the
Church, neither are the kings of England at the head of re
ligion. Both the Lutherans and the Anglicans acknowledge
no other head than Jesus Christ. He, as St. Paul asserts, is
the sole Head of the Church. And for this reason, my dear
canon, that a Church does not mean a body of priests or bish
ops, but a people and congregation of believers. It is very
well that the bishops should have authority over the priests,
and among all the bishops one must be the chief: in the
Latin Church, the first, the head of the other bishops, is the
Patriarch of Rome ; in the Greek Church it is the Patriarch
of Constantinople ; in the Anglican Church there are two
primates, who for the government of the Church, as regards
worship, depend altogether on the king and the Parliament.
What do you consider objectionable in this ?"
" That the king and the Parliament," replied the other
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 203
canon, " can understand nothing at all about ecclesiastical
matters, as the bishops do ; that the King of England and
the Parliament have never been addressed in the character
or person of Peter, in the words Feed my sheep ; that the
king and the Parliament have no apostolic succession they
do not belong to the hierarchy consequently, are not in
vested with any spiritual authority whatever."
" Allow me," I rejoined, " to make a few comments on
your observations. You say the kings of England and the
Parliament do not understand ecclesiastical matters. You
imagine that the Protestant sovereigns are as uninformed in
Church affairs as the rulers of Roman Catholic countries,
who require to consult their theologians on such points (and
these are nowadays invariably Jesuits). The sovereigns of
England, of Prussia, of Hanover, of Wittemburgh, and other
Protestant dominions in Germany, understand quite as much
about religion as the pope and his cardinals.* The first
study of Protestants is the study of their Bible, in which
they are all well read. In the British Parliament there are
men learned in every department of science ; there are even
bishops and their primates. The Parliament then, in cases
of difficulty, resolves itself into a council, in which religious
questions are wisely argued and brought to a settlement.
No one among them pretends to infallibility ; if the question
before them is not made sufficiently clear in a first sitting,
it is argued in a second or in a third, until they are agreed
upon it. There are no oracles in England or in Germany ;
these are for the benefit of Rome only : there are only be
lievers, who, however, are possessed of true Christian knowl
edge, and are under the guidance of the Lord. Now it was
to the believers that the words of Christ were spoken, Feed
my sheep. Peter is not intended to denominate the per
son (his true name, indeed, was Simon), but it is an appel
lative, as when, for instance, I call you canon. By Peter
is to be understood every one who is a man of firmness and
stability in short, a believer. And for this reason it is that
St. Augustine, alluding to these words of Christ to Peter,
* It were devoutly to be wished the latter knew as much.
204 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
says more than once, What was addressed to Peter was
addressed to all ; that is to say, to all believers. Quod
dictum est Pctro, dictum est omnibus. Therefore to you
and to rne, who are neither the Apostle Peter nor his priv
ileged successors to us two, who are not even hishops, but
simply believers, are the words of Christ spoken, Feed my
sheep. Do you see any difficulty now in this matter ? If
the sovereigns of England and the members of the Parlia
ment are in the true faith, have they not also the office of
feeding the people committed to their charge ?
" Can you define to me what is the nature of this apos
tolic succession, which is so much talked of in Rome ? Is it
a peculiar right of heirship which the apostles bequeathed
you ? And what, I ask, would be the nature of the be
quest ? The apostles were rich in faith, and consequently
were full of the Holy Spirit and celestial gifts. As they
had faith, they also possessed an understanding of the holy
"Word, and they had that Spirit which rendered their teach
ing infallible. Being full of faith, they accomplished prod
igies. But can you really believe that faith is transmitted
by succession, and granted as a privilege to a particular
class of men ? According to your view, then, who would
be the true successors of the apostles ? The pope and his
bishops ? But are they grounded in faith, as the apostles
were ? If so, then truly are they their successors. But if,
on the other hand, they are wanting in this faith, to which
of the apostles would they succeed ? To that only one who
was without faith to Judas Iscariot.
" I can very well understand how apostolic succession may
take place among the true servants of the Lord among
those who live conformably to the Divine laws. Without
doubt, this succession is bestowed on those zealous ministers
of religion who, in the midst of danger, difficulty, and priva
tion, warm with holy charity for the salvation of others, bear
to distant regions the name of Jesus Christ. Would you
equally bestow the title on those fat priests, clothed in their
rich gala dresses of various colors, who rise from their lux
urious tables, glutted with the choicest viands, to repose on
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 205
soft couches, or to seat themselves in their gilded coaches, and
endeavor therein to digest their sumptuous meal ?
" The apostolic succession through the laying-on of hands is
an idle dream, invented by priests, in order that the laity may
not look at their vices, but at their dignity ; and on account
of that quality, at least, hold them in some sort of respect !
Now I should propose that if these persons are to be objects
of public veneration, Judas Iscariot also, who was one of the
chosen twelve, should be held in the same estimation by Rome.
" But let us return to the sovereign and Parliament of En
gland, who, according to your doctrine, ought to have no ec
clesiastical jurisdiction, since they are not in the ecclesiastical
hierarchy. That is to say, they are not of those for whom
their mother requested of the Lord the highest offices in the
Church, saying, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one
on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom. *
At that time it was that the first idea of a hierarchy arose
among the followers of Christ. Concerning which project,
however, I find no other approval on the part of our Lord
than that contained in his subsequent words spoken to the
apostles and to their successors : Ye know that the princes
of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that
are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be
so among you ; but whosoever will be great among you, let
him be your minister ; and whosoever will be chief among
you, let him be your servant. ! Might not this, now, be the
beginning of the ecclesiastical hierarchy?"
" St. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ himself gave some,
apostles ; and some, prophets ; and some, evangelists ; and
some, pastors *and teachers. $ Now here is sufficient gra
dation to form a hierarchy. And the apostle says, in an
other place, that there are in the Church of Christ divers
ities of gifts .... differences of administrations .... di
versities of operations .... to one is given by the Spirit the
word of wisdom ; to another the word of knowledge by the
same Spirit ; to another faith by the same Spirit ; to an
other the gifts of healing by the same Spirit ; .... to an-
* Matt., xx., 21. t Id,, 25-27. t Ephes., iv., 11.
206 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
other prophecy ; to another discerning of spirits ; to another
divers kinds of tongues ; to another the interpretation of
tongues, ^ &c. Now all this being of ordination, implies
an office and a ministry derived from another. And we
call this a hierarchy."
" On the contrary, I find that all this is operated in
the Church by the same Spirit and by the same Lord.
There are/ says St. Paul, diversities of operations, but it is
the same God that worketh all in all. f Do you find a hie
rarchy in the human body ? You are aware that the apostle
has likened the Church to the human body. Listen to, and
consider his words : For as the body is one, and hath many
members, and all the members of that one body, being many,
are one body, so also is Christ. $ And so it also is with the
Church of Christ."
" But is there not a hierarchy belonging to the Church in
heaven ? Equally, then, there must be one in the Church
upon earth."
" Nego consequentiam et paritatem. It is no reason that
because it is so in heaven it must be so upon earth. Besides,
I know nothing concerning the hierarchy in the Church in
heaven. If by Church you mean the assembling together of
human spirits who are blessed in the Lord, in my opinion, they
are equal among themselves, and God himself is over them
all. They have neither rank nor office ; nor have I ever
been able to suppose who was the greatest among them."
"Was not St. Michael, the archangel, called the chief of
the heavenly hierarchy ?"
" In that case he would belong to the hierarchy of the an
gels, not to that of men. But the Romish Church finds a
hierarchy everywhere. I assure you, I know of none ; there
is none mentioned in the Bible. How is it, then, revealed
to us ?"
This argument was long and interesting. On quitting the
house we crossed the Piazza, and all three (the two canons
and myself) went into the Church of St. Peter. Before leav
ing Rome, I appeared to myself to be under the necessity of
* 1 Cor., xii. t Ibid. J Ibid.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 207
paying a visit to this church, which, every time I entered it,
inspired me with different sensations. I had never been so
devout as to worship at what is called the tomb of St. Peter
and St. Paul, because (I believe, the first time I entered the
place) I overheard a priest say, speaking of this tomb, "I, for
my part, have no faith in the authenticity of this ; and I have
good reasons for doubting it : if, however, it were not credited,
who would come here to visit and to pray to the holy reliques,
and fulfill their vows of gifts and thanksgiving ?" Ever after
this, I looked upon the place where so many lamps are burn
ing and so many people praying with great indifference. I
never either knelt or prayed there, but always turned another
way. On the present occasion, my two priests knelt down
to offer a short prayer to St. Peter ;# I, without taking notice
of them, occupied myself with looking up into the cupola till
they should have finished.
" What a prodigy of art ?" exclaimed one of my compan
ions. " This truly may be called a church ! In the whole
world there is not another like it. I should call it the tem
ple, per antonomasia, like that of the Jews. What say you ?
It must have cost its weight in gold."
" I should rather call it Aceldama, or the field of blood, f
since the price of it was not so much gold as it was blood."
" Truly," rejoined the other canon, " your remark is just:
the field that the high-priests purchased with the money of
Judas was so called. And St. Peter s was built with that
derived from the sale of indulgences, sent into Germany by
Leo X."
" Since we are on this subject," said the elder of my com
panions, turning himself toward me, " explain to me a little
about these same indulgences. Is it true, as they say, that
a plenary indulgence immediately introduces one into para
dise ?"
" No doctrine whatever," I replied, " is so completely in-
* Many persons believe that the body of St. Paul lies under the church,
in the Via Ostia; others are of opinion that it is buried by the side of St.
Peter. The Romish Church favors both these beliefs.
t Matt, xxvii., 8.
*>
208 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
comprehensible to me as that of indulgences. According to
what is stated concerning them, it would appear that the in
finite merits of Jesus Christ, and of the saints, and of the
Virgin Mary, are, by authority of the pope, bestowed on such
individuals as perform certain prescribed works, one among
which is the payment of a sum of money. Much has been
written on the subject as to the origin, nature, and effect of
these indulgences, and all agree that there is in the Church
a treasury, or bank, of these merits, and that the pope has
the power to draw upon it, and dispose of it as he chooses.
This is what is taught : it is of very little consequence whether
theologians believe it or not, so long as the people do."
" You believe, then, that the theologians have no faith in
indulgences ?"
" I am certain they have not. Whoever attentively exam
ines this doctrine finds it to be new, extravagant, and anti-
scriptural. The early Christians knew nothing about it :
there is no vestige of it in the writings of the fathers. How,
indeed, can it be supposed that the pope has the power to ap
ply the merits of Jesus Christ to a person who pays him a
sum of money, who makes a pilgrimage, or who prays before
a particular image ; or to one who persecutes the heretics,
who delivers them up to the Inquisition, and does his utmost
to have them burned alive ? The Scripture teaches us that
the merits of the passion and death of Christ are applicable
to us through faith ; not through the operation of any man,
but from Jesus Christ himself, who is the only Head of the
invisible Church, the only High-priest ; as it is written of
Him, He, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangea
ble priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to
the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever
liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high-
priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from sinners, and made higher than the heavens ; who need-
eth not daily, as those high-priests, to offer up sacrifice, first
for his own sins, and then for the people s ; for this he did
once, when he offered up himself. ^ Such is the doctrine of
* Hebrews, vii., 24-27.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 209
St. Paul concerning the merits of Christ, and their applica
tion. As to the merits of the Virgin Mary and other saints,
I conceive the inventors of indulgences are altogether mistak
en, since no human being whatsoever has any merit due to
him for his good works, as it is written, So likewise ye, when
ye shall have done all those things which are commanded
you, say, We are unprofitable servants. * Certainly, no one of
them has any overplus to bestow as a legacy to the Church
of Rome."
" What doings are these !" exclaimed the canon, turning
to his companion. " Who, after hearing these few revela
tions, can believe any longer in the virtue of indulgences ?"
" My dear friends," continued I, " there are many other
things I could tell you, should I have the pleasure of meeting
you again. It is useful to discuss these topics, in order to
elucidate the truth ; if you can not do so with me, at least
do so among yourselves. Do not be afraid of reading books
that are called heretical. You know very well that in this
country, whatever is not in accordance with their own doc
trines the priests condemn as heretical ; and it frequently
happens that these doctrines are nothing else but what re
gards the miter and the belly, as Erasmus said."
This conversation was not without its good effects . My
two canons began to open their eyes. Some years afterward
I met one of them at Naples, who told me of a work on the
Bible which they had undertaken conjointly. Their views
were truly Christian. May it be the will of God that through
faith they may be regenerated into newness of life.
I continued to pay my parting visits, letting all my friends
know that I was about to leave Rome.
" You intend," observed some of them, " to return to us,
we hope."
" I can not say," I replied ; " I do not think my return
probable."
" Oh ! but you will, though," said Monsignore Ubaldini ;
" a canon of St. Peter s assured me that you would return
to Rome to be consecrated bishop. The pope told Monsig-
* Luke, xvii., 10.
210 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
nore Acton so the other day, when he was speaking about
you."
" May Heaven preserve me from such a misfortune ! If I
could have foreseen such an intention on the part of the pope,
I should have done all in my power to have got out of the
way of such a chastisement from God."
" How ! do you call a bishopric a chastisement from God ?"
11 And can you esteem it otherwise ? The office of a bish
op, such as it is at present in the Romish Church, is alto
gether unscriptural. Read the Epistles of St. Paul to Tim
othy and to Titus, and compare what a bishop ought to be
with what he really is."
" Well, if you were to be made bishop, you might begin
by giving a better example."
" Yes, and that would serve to send me more speedily to
the Inquisition."
" How ! a bishop, for doing his duty, would be sent to the
Inquisition ?"
" Unquestionably. The first duty of a bishop is to preach
a sound doctrine ; and that would be sufficient to condemn
him at once. The doctrine at present taught by the bishops
is no longer that of the evangelists or the apostles, but that
of decretals and canons. Do you imagine, my dear monsig-
nore, that I could be brought to tamper with my conscience
so far as to preach differently to what I thought ? Do you
recollect what I said to you when Monsignore Acton and your
self used to come to me of an evening to study theology : that
the foundation of this science could be found in no other
place than in the Holy Scriptures ? We ought, therefore,
as soon as ever we perceive that any doctrine which may be
offered to us is in opposition to the Scriptures, immediately to
reject it. This you admitted as a principle. We had none
of us at that time made application of it, but we were quite
resolved to do so when necessity required it. Well, this ne
cessity presented itself to me the moment I became aware that
certain doctrines in the Romish Church are opposed to Holy
Scripture. You, too, may arrive at the same conclusion, if you
will take the trouble to examine these matters for yourself."
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 211
" Oh ! that is not very likely to happen. My practice is
to rely entirely on the authority of the Church of Rome, and
so I am spared the trouble of any investigation."
This maxim of Monsignore Ubaldini s, I am sorry to say,
is generally adopted by men of mere worldly wisdom in the
Romish Church. They allege that they are themselves not
competent to judge in questions between the Church and the
Bible, which of the two has reason on their side, and that it
is consequently better to avoid discussion, lest their con
science should be disturbed. " We have no business," say
they, " to call the Church to account for any of its acts ; we
are bound, on the contrary, to give an account if we have
not obeyed her." This is their argument, which is full of
sophistry and deceit.
Two opposite feelings at that time influenced my mind with
respect to my leaving Rome. I was convinced of the neces
sity of separating myself from a class of persons whom I held
in such aversion ; I longed to escape altogether from the city
that I considered was polluted by their presence ; and I must
frankly confess that I could not help condemning to the utmost
the whole race of priests, and invoking the vengeance of
Heaven upon the Vatican, hoping that I should myself one
day see the people, blessed with the light of truth, and aware
of their own rights, rise up against their oppressors. All this
made me desirous to hasten my departure from Rome. On
the other hand, I was about to quit the land of my affection :
a Roman by birth,* I loved my native country, as I love it
now, and as I ever shall love it while life remains. How,
then, could I tear myself away without grief of heart ? In
the midst of my desire to depart, I was overwhelmed with
affliction ; at one time I expressed my satisfaction, at another
my grief, at the thought of going.
In walking through the streets, I met on every side lordly
priests, who seemed to be the masters of Rome ; cardinals in
their gilded coaches, whose looks denoted their desire to be
saluted by the passers-by. But I turned aside from their
* My family is one of the oldest in Rome, and celebrated for its hostility
to the popes, and the persecutions it has endured.
212 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
path, and looked on the people ; that beloved people, who are
not made to be the slaves of priests ; an intelligent people,
full of genius and good sense, exceedingly amiable in conver
sation, uniting wit and elegance of diction with judgment and
discernment in their mode of thinking ; a people proud of
their traditionary history, with a natural superiority about
them which the priests have never been able to overrule.
How frequently have I heard one of the laity disputing with
a priest, and sometimes having the best of the argument ! I
have often stopped to admire their various costumes, especially
on festivals ; and I took pleasure in witnessing their gayety.
One day, passing along the Lungara, in the Trastevere, I
observed a number of persons, chiefly women, collected to
gether around one of those mendicant friars who go about re
lating visions and miracles to the people, to induce them to
bestow more liberal gifts and offerings to their saints and their
madonnas. He had a box in his hand, like those in which
church money is generally collected, and was just then beg
ging baiocchi for one of his saints. I had the curiosity to stop
to hear what was going on between him and the people, who
were joking and laughing around him.
" Uncle Friar, "* said one of the women, " what a glorious
life you lead ! We poor creatures must work hard to get
through the day ; our husbands have to sweat to gain a mor
sel of bread ; and we are destitute of almost every comfort ;
but you, through the favor of St. Francis, can live in plenty,
without a single care ; you have nothing upon earth to do but
to come and tell your miracles to us, in the hope of drawing
a little money out of our pockets, for you are never satisfied.
Come, work us a miracle, if you can ; persuade St. Francis,
who has such w r onderful power, to cause us to find a good
purse of money when we return liome : I promise to share it
with you."
" It is a good joke," observed another woman, " for the
friar to seek money of us poor folks. Let him go to the pope ;
he has got plenty."
* A popular mode of addressing the friars at Rome and Naples : Zifrate,
which is similar to zii (uncle).
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 213
" Would it not be better," said a fellow who was standing
by, " for the friar to make our fortunes by giving us the lucky
numbers in the lottery ? We could give him rare contribu
tions then."
" Well !" said the friar, " let me go ; I see it is of no use
my staying here."
" No, no !" exclaimed several voices ; " you shall not go
without giving us the numbers."
" These friars," observed an old woman, " have dealings
with the devil ; they are sure to know what numbers will
turn up prizes."^
" I think," said a boy, " that we had better take the old
friar home, and keep him without victuals till he tells us."
Another proposed that he should be taken to the osteria,
and well plied with wine, in order to get the secret out of him.
The friar consented to this latter proposition, on the under
standing that the wine was good. Accordingly, off they set
in a pretty strong body ; and no doubt they got merry enough.
This little incident led me to reflect on the cause of the
idleness and immorality of the common people ; and I saw
clearly that it had its origin from the example of this odious
class of society, which shuns all manner of employment, de
testing industry, and every thing tending to produce, while,
on the other hand, it is greedy to consume : a parasitical race,
living entirely at the expense of others, and on the fat of the
land too, without ever troubling their heads about its cultiva
tion. Oh ! how I should like to root out these impostors,
scandalous alike for their slothfulness, their ignorance, and
their vices !
These idle drones are the real cause why, in the southern
parts of Italy, we find our population so generally inert and
sluggish. They see these friars, who, like the ravens in the
parable, " sow not, neither reap," enjoy all the necessaries of
life. Is it not very natural that they should look with an
envious eye on such an easy lot, and endeavor as much as
possible to make their own like it ? Let us hope, for the wel-
* The prevalent idea throughout Italy is that priests and monks can name
the numbers in the lottery that will come up prizes.
214 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
fare of my dear country, that this worthless race may be
wholly extirpated ; and that in future, if any one be determ
ined to turn monk or hermit, he may do so in the best man
ner he can, without coming to disturb others, who in the holy
bands of matrimony obey the Divine laws let him, I say,
separate himself entirely from the world, and live in a wil
derness at once, and renounce, in good earnest, and not in de
ceitful words, the comforts and the pleasures of society.
I was on the point of departure from Rome, when I re
ceived a summons from Cardinal Falsacappa. I had never
been particularly friendly with him, and did not know that
he interested himself about me. I thanked him for having,
as he said, spoken favorably of me to the pope, and also for
his courteous expressions. But the principal object of his de
siring to see me was to keep me at Rome, or at least to ob
tain a promise from me that I would return, as soon as my
business at Capua was terminated.
" No," said I, " I can not promise what I do not intend to
perform. Indeed, to tell your eminence the plain truth, I do
not mean ever to return to Rome again, unless a wonderful
miracle should take place."
" And what would that be ?"
I was silent, to give him to understand that what I had in
my mind was not to be spoken in the ear of a cardinal with
out danger ; and, in fact, his eminence appeared to take my
meaning perfectly well.
" I understand," said he ; " it is not always prudent to
speak out : confidence can only exist between friends. A
cardinal is frequently to be pitied, since he inspires no confi
dence, and never enjoys the delights of friendship."
" And what more than you already possess do your emi
nences desire ?"
" I ask of you, what is it that we really possess that is so
valuable ? You, who are intimate with so many cardinals,
know what their life is. Are there in the whole world men
more sacrificed than we are ? Loved by no one, not even by
our nearest relatives, we are frequently hated by our own
brethren, and are certain to incur the odium of all those who
DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITlON. 215
desire our favor, protection, or interest, and fail in their hopes.
Our very servants are often our enemies : they spy out our
faults, and make them known to the public. Every one
praises us to our face, even to adulation ; behind our backs
their censures amount to calumny. Does this appear to you
an enviable life ? I think a cardinal is more an object of
compassion than of envy. Our only advantage is in the op
portunity we occasionally have of doing good to others. And
if we always availed ourselves of it, it would be well for us ;
otherwise, even that is a misfortune. I mention these things
to give you my own idea of a life which many esteem as so
fortunate and happy. I can not, therefore, wish you may
ever wear a cardinal s hat. Far better is a private life."
" I am glad to hear this from your eminence. You are not
the first cardinal who has made these complaints. Cardinal
Velzi, among others, frequently exhorted me never to desire
a dignity like his own, observing that he himself would glad
ly relinquish it. For my part, I make my bow to their emi
nences, and do not trouble my head with their affairs."
"I understand you have but little veneration for them.
But I do not wish to assume the cardinal over you. Consid
er me as a friend, and speak to me as such."
" Well, then, to a friend I should in all confidence say,
that I leave Rome grieved at heart on account of the abom
inable acts of the government, and the false and anti-scrip
tural character of the Church. I would say to a friend that,
having no longer any hope of seeing things mend in so cor
rupted a system, my prayer was, that all that was incapable
of being reformed might be cut off. All this I should say to
a friend, though not to a cardinal. It would need no explana
tion, since the political and religious state of Rome is suffi
ciently notorious."
The good cardinal sighed. He sought, however, to per
suade me that under such circumstances one ought not to
abandon one s countiy, but rather remain in it, and endeavor
to be of use. But I convinced him that the idea was alto
gether hopeless ; that neither he nor I, even with the assist
ance of some few others, whom we might be able to rely upon,
216 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
could do any thing toward the reforming of that which was
old and callous. It had been tried before, and without suc
cess, and the lives of those who made the attempt were sac
rificed. And here I remember that the poor cardinal threw
his arms round my neck, almost weeping.
" All honest men, then," he exclaimed, " all real lovers of
their country, will abandon us ! Surely the wrath of God
hangs over us May I be taken hence before I see the
punishment that is preparing for this unhappy country !"
Such were the parting words of the good man as he dis
missed me from his presence. It is well known how he sub
sequently was the victim of his own philanthropy.^
I next visited Cardinal Micara, an old friend of mine, long
before he found out that I was also intimate with Lugi da
Bagnaja, his enemy and rival, but whom I esteemed for his
many good qualities. I esteemed Micara also for his talents
and his liberality, and, above all things, I liked to hear him
declaim against the court of Rome. No cardinal was ever so
severe as he was against the vices and the luxury of this
court. He always himself, on gala days, appeared in his old,
shabby, dark-colored coach, drawn by very ordinary horses,
and with servants in the plainest livery. He generally re
sided in the Capuchin monastery, where he dined with the
monks on the common fare. Being made Bishop of Frasca-
ti, he inhabited an apartment in the Seminary, and accus
tomed himself to the same table as the professors. He would
have been accounted an excellent man in every respect had
he not retained too much of his early education in the clois
ter, which rendered him jealous, invidious, and censorious ;
faults too generally the result of an intercourse with the broth
erhood.
The cardinal was not much liked by his colleagues. I
have frequently heard them openly abuse him. This, how
ever, was by no means to his disadvantage ; indeed, the com-
* He died of grief, in consequence of the treatment he experienced from
Gregory XVI., who, when the cardinal was pleading before his holiness
the cause of some poor Liberals who were sacrificed by the cruelty of Car
dinal Lambruschini, the pope harshly reproached him, saying, "Your emi
nence must look to your own acts."
DEALINGS WITH THE INCiUISITION. 217
mon people, who instinctively hate the whole race of cardi
nals, liked him all the better on that account. Many of his
sayings were in great repute among them, as well as many
passages in his discourses before the pope and cardinals, in
which he boldly denounced the manner of living among these
" princes of the Church."
At length, having paid and received all my visits, I quit
ted Rome with a lacerated heart. I had never before ex
perienced so much reluctance to absent myself as I felt on
the present occasion. I seemed to have given up so many
things ! I could not express my sensations : I was like one
who is obliged to leave his family at the very moment when
they most require his assistance ! I was separated from them
in body, but present in spirit. My affections were divided
between love for the people and hatred for the priests. Yet,
although I was overcome with grief, I did not despair. I
remembered our Redeemer, who wept over Jerusalem ; and
my trust in the providence of the Almighty was a balm to
my soul. A voice appeared to sound in rny ears with words
of comfort to my heart : " Weep not, endure yet for a season,
and you will witness the salvation of your country !"
"Farewell, Rome!" I exclaimed; "the land of my fa
thers, the country of my predilection. Thou hast had a glo
rious page in the annals of the world ; thou hast enjoyed a
state that no other land can boast, the memory of which will
endure to all generations. But what now remains of all thy
former grandeur ? A melancholy recollection ! On every
side we behold the remains of thine opulence, thy beauty,
and thy prosperity. Such was Rome ! Her name only now
remains her existence is gone ; but the name lives, and
will long be preserved. Let us, however, hope she may yet
revive ; not the Rome of the Ciesars, but of the people ; not
the haunt of superstition, but the abode of truth. Alas ! at
the present moment, where is the boasted wisdom of the Sen
ate, the majesty of the people ? A foolish government dis
honors, an evil one persecutes us, and renders the descend
ants of heroes imbecile and depraved. Farewell, then, Rome
of the priesthood ! The mists from the Tiber are thickening
K
218 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
around thee, and shutting out from thy sight the Vatican
which has enslaved thee with its sorceries. Oh, my beloved
Home ! a sun is arising in the east which shall gladden all
around, and dispel the darkness of the horizon a sun which
shall not again be obscured."
Thus did I bid adieu to Rome. And what was to be my
future destiny ? I knew not. My going to Naples was a
mere pretext to enable me to get away. I felt a strong im
pulse to extend my journey to a far greater distance. The
idea of a more spiritual separation from Rome was also busy
in my brain ; a separation more complete than could be ef
fected by any distance of sea or land ; and for this, uncon
sciously to myself, every thing was preparing. The ways
of the Lord are different from our ways ; they are the dis
positions of that adorable Providence which regulates the
most important actions of our lives.
CHAPTER XL
NAPLES AND THE NEAPOLITANS.
ON quitting Rome I no longer thought of its material ob
jects, its churches, and its palaces, but of its unworthy gov
ernment, and its degraded race of priests and friars. As yet
I had never visited Naples ; I fancied to myself that in most
respects it was less objectionable than Rome. I passed over
the Pontine Marshes, that famous Maremma on which Pope
Pius VI. expended so large a sum in order to drain it, and
render it free from the malaria that infested it, but which
still continues the same. I arrived at Capua, which town I
was soon to revisit to preach the Lent sermons ; a vast num
ber of priests were here mixed up with a few townspeople
and soldiers. At length I reached the city of Naples, where,
as every one knows, the eye, wandering among the busy
throngs that are perpetually hurrying through the streets,
discovers, on every side, innumerable hats of priests and
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 219
cowls of monks ; and, what at first sight excites so much
surprise, friars of every color, order, and denomination, who
pursue each other through the crowd as regardless of the
tumult as if they were in the seclusion of their own clois
ters. Well !" thought I to myself, " Rome is not the only
place that is overstocked with these gentry ; Naples has its
full share of them as well."
Naples is an exceedingly fine city, abundantly enriched by
nature, and endowed with every gift calculated to ameliorate
the condition of man and to improve society. In casting our
eyes over this delightful country, where variety and harmony,
beyond the reach of art, prevail on every side ; where Na
ture, often in other countries sparing of her bounty, here lav
ishes her utmost to produce the beautiful, the lovely, and the
enchanting, we are called upon to acknowledge that it is a
land especially gifted by Providence. As I then saw and en
joyed it, I blamed myself for not having visited it sooner, and
I made a resolution to remain in it until some weighty reason
should determine me to the contrary.
As it wanted but a few days to Lent, I chose to remain in
cognito during that time, busying myself in studying the ge
nius of the people, and the manners and habits of the vari
ous classes. The tumult of the city, at all hours and in all
parts, was equally novel and strange to me, as was likewise
the great contrast I observed between those who were in au
thority and those whose duty it was to obey : the first, full
of importance and proud of their privileges, assumed not
merely an air of superiority, but of disdain and contempt for
the lower classes, who, in their turn, aware of their necessi
ties and humiliated by their lot, betrayed in their counte
nances a sense of their utter degradation, and seemed them
selves to authorize the slavery that debased them.
This moral deformity presented a strange contrast to the
physical beauty that reigned on every side : the one inspiring
satisfaction and delight, the other abhorrence and disgust.
Naples itself is a paradise ; but the Neapolitans, to what are
they to be likened ? Whatever they are, it is the govern
ment which has made them so. The people and by the
220 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
people I do not merely understand the lower orders, but even
those who inhabit the court have not a single fault that is
not to be attributed to their rulers : the better they are by
nature, the worse they become by their education. This evil
is more apparent in the capital than in the provinces ; an evi
dent proof that the government and the court occasion the
evil, and the consequent demoralization ; in fact, it is with
the king himself, who sets the example, that the whole mis
chief originates.
Suppose a lazaroni steals a handkerchief out of your pock
et ; might he not plead in excuse that others commit far
greater robberies with impunity ? Does not theft pervade
every rank of society, even to royalty itself? What bare
faced depredations are not made on the public purse, under
the title of salaries and stipends for duties which do not ex
ist ! "Whatever vices prevail in the lower classes are inva
riably to be found in a greater degree in the higher, and
more especially in the court circle. Lying, which is so com
mon a vice among the lower orders, is elevated to a science
in the middle class, while among the nobility it is regarded
as a grace and a sort of gallantry, and with the king and his
ministers it is esteemed as an essential principle in the art
of governing.
The wife who lies to her husband, and the children who
do the same to their parents, encourage by their example
the servants, who consequently lie to their masters ; and all
these persons are encouraged to do so by the priest, who, in
his confessional, pardons, without any sort of hesitation, every
species of falsehood of which they accuse themselves. Ly
ing and thieving, which in all civilized countries are held in
detestation, are in this unhappy land almost regarded as vir
tues. Blame is only attached to the practice when it is un-
skillfully performed, so as to bring disgrace upon the order of
liars and thieves en masse.
I reflected much on the lamentable condition of a people
destined by nature to be virtuous rather than vicious, and I
was moved at the consideration of the real cause of their
misery. The immorality of the people is entirely owing to
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 221
its government ; that is to say, to its unjust laws and its cor
rupt magistrates. The police protects every description of
iniquity, and leagues itself with malefactors. Money, the
source of all evil, changes the face of every thing. Both wit
ness and judge are notoriously sold to the highest bidder ; it
is money, therefore, and not right, which decides a cause.
For money, the police is either alert or otherwise ; it either
invents crimes or conceals them. For money, the king grants
pardons, and out of the sums so applied a large portion finds
its way into the pockets of the confessor, and the servants
about court. What wonder can there be, then, that the ex
ample of the ministers of religion, whose office it is to gov
ern and to instruct, should be so generally followed ? Money
is, in reality, the god that is worshiped in Italy. Naples is
the kingdom of the Church ; Rome is the state. It is in Na
ples that the papistry of Rome is in the fullest vigor, and the
poor Neapolitans furnish abundant proof of the iniquity of the
system : they are the rowers of the pope s grand bark, and
the king is at their head. The priests rule in every direc
tion ; they insinuate themselves in a thousand ways into ev
ery body s concerns, and, directly or indirectly, possess an in
fluence over all. Through confession they obtain dominion
over the very minds of men, and discover their most secret
thoughts and intentions. Whoever would ascertain what
priestcraft really is, and the mischief it occasions in Italy,
let him go to Naples.
It was during Lent, in the year 1835, that I went to Capua,
and was the guest of Cardinal Serra Cassani. The cardinal
was an exceedingly polite man, but to myself his attention
was more than ordinary. His attendants remarked to me
that they had never known him so much at home with any
one before, and that he addressed me as his dearest friend.
Every day I preached, both morning and evening, and I
had also other duties assigned to me by the cardinal : to
draw up rules for monastic bodies, to lay down a plan of
study for the seminary, to suggest measures of reform with
respect to the clergy, &c., were what I had to attend to.
Besides which, he was in the habit of frequently consulting
222 DEALINGS WITH THE iNdUISITION.
me on other matters. Our conversation was unrestrained ;
and I frequently had the satisfaction of declaring the truth
to one whose ears had hitherto been accustomed only to the
voice of adulation, as he was exceedingly wealthy, and held
a sort of court, in which his will was absolute. Did it hap
pen that any one contradicted or offended him, even in a sin
gle instance, he was sure to visit the culprit with his indig
nation ; and if he were in his service, he ran the risk of be
ing immediately discharged. All his dependents, therefore,
trembled before him, and watched with anxiety the expres
sion of his eye. However much he might be in the wrong,
his servile followers were obliged to say, " Your eminence is
in the right." He was like one of the feudal barons of the
Middle Ages with respect to the state and tyranny of his
conduct. I was greatly amused at his extravagances ; and
as I did not fear him, I sacrificed nothing of my own inde
pendence in my demeanor toward him. No argument of
any consequence took place between us, although I often en
deavored to lead the conversation to serious topics ; the car
dinal, in fact, had not much head for subjects of high im
portance. All that I could do was to present a few words
of truth to him, in the simplest form, since he was incompe
tent to enter into any grave discussion. He disliked to talk
of religion, but delighted to expatiate on the Church ; on
the dignity of bishops and cardinals ; of the privileges of the
clergy, of their immunity, &c. He was frequently at issue,
nevertheless, with his clergy, and had many important law
suits with the heads of the cathedral and the collegiate church.
Consequently, he was generally disliked : it may indeed be
averred that he was beloved by no one at Naples, not even
by his own relations.
I relate these circumstances, which are well known to all
his acquaintance, in order that the true character of these
sons of the Church of Home, in her last days, may be known.
The cardinal, who was a man of very slender ability, had
already occupied the post of apostolic nuncio at the court of
Bavaria, and had performed good service in that capacity
for the Holy See, having obtained, as he himself told me,
DEALINGS WITH THE INCiUISITION. 223
from that country large sums of money by the sale of in
dulgences and papal dispensations. He had, moreover, ex
ecuted many important commissions on the part of the Prop
aganda and the Inquisition ; and even, on one occasion, had
successfully resisted the power of the king in his attempt to in
terfere in some ecclesiastical matters. "Your majesty must
recollect," said he, " that you are the subject of the Church."
These few words, the cardinal observed, were sufficient to
stop the proceedings of his majesty.
In these matters he was adroit enough. His altercations
with the King of Naples were perfectly amusing, and no
one was more frank than he was in expressing his senti
ments. But the worst of it was, that all his courageous ef
forts were directed either to matters of no importance what
ever, or to support things decidedly wrong and bad. Never,
in a single instance, that ever came to my knowledge at
least, was there any subject discussed between the king and
him of a noble or useful nature, though he was continually
perplexing his brains with government affairs, and censuring
the ministers, or giving them his advice.
He took great delight in all private gossip and Neapolitan
jokes, which are often none of the most decent, and encour
aged all dealers in satire, provided it was directed against
classes he deemed fitting subjects for it, more especially
against the monks, for whom he professed very little regard.
With the pope or the cardinals, however, it was different :
no one was permitted to censure them in his presence.
Nevertheless, I often took the liberty of doing so myself, on
which occasions I never failed to receive a gentle reproof.
" Ah ! you are no friend to cardinals," said he to me one
day.
" On the contrary," I replied, "I am so much their friend,
that nothing would give me more pleasure than to introduce
a good reform among them, and give them an opportunity
of becoming estimable characters. The good Bishop Bar
tholomew, the primate of Hungary, was of the same opinion
when he exclaimed before the Council of Trent, Illustrissi-
mi et reverendissimi cardinali indigent illustrissima et
224 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
reverendissima reformatione* Three ages have elapsed
since this exclamation was made, but nothing as yet has re
sulted from it. Who, indeed, can ever reform them, so long
as they alone possess the privilege of doing so ?"
" The pope, who is their superior, may reform them."
" And the pope himself, who is to reform him ?"
" The Almighty."
" May it be so."
On my leaving Rome, Olivieri, the Father General of the
Dominicans, and head commissioner of the Inquisition, had
deputed me to go to Mugano, in the diocese of Nola, where
the celebrated new saint, Philomena, the pretended worker
of so many recent miracles, is held in great veneration.
The Inquisition was not quite satisfied with the manner in
which the priest Don Francesco di Lucia had exhibited these
miracles to the public. This priest, it seems, was in pos
session of certain reliques, fragments of bones, which he had
brought away from Rome in the year 1802, and subsequently
inclosed within a little image of papier mache, originally a
figure of Christ, such as are sold at Naples, to which he added
a female mask and suitable garments, disposing the image in
a sleeping attitude. Thus metamorphosed into a female,
the worthy priest soon found a name for his saint, although
no one could tell whether the bones had belonged to a male
or a female. f Be that as it may, he was the first to celebrate
their fame and set up a sanctuary, in which such astonish
ing prodigies were soon said to be performed, that ignorant
peasants came in crowds from all the neighboring parts to
worship the new idol, bringing their offerings with them, and
inducing other devout idolaters to do the same.
I was therefore authorized by the commissioner to reprove
the priest on account of the numerous tales he had spread
abroad respecting the life, death, and miracles of his won-
* " The most illustrious and most reverend cardinals require a most illus
trious and a most reverend reformation."
t In the cemetery near to these bones, a broken stone was found, on
which was to be read the following inscription : Lumena in Pace -5? Fi . . .
Don Francesco, on the authority of the sacristan, had no doubt the word
Filumena was signified by the Fi. . . .
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 225
derful saint. I was directed to inform him that not one of
his boasted prodigies could be believed, since there was no
evidence whatever of their having actually occurred ; and
that the Roman Inquisition entirely disapproved of his con
duct, and was on the point of condemning all the books he
had published on the subject of his saint.
I undertook this office with considerable satisfaction, as I
had for a long time been disgusted with all the fabulous
stories of saints and miracles that inundated Italy and Eu
rope, and were even introduced into the sermons of the mis
sionaries of the Propaganda. Accordingly, during the Holy
week, when I had no duty to perform, I took upon me to go
to Mugnano, accompanied by Monsignor Angostini, a preacher
in the collegiate church of Santa Maria. Our arrival was
hailed with great pleasure by Don Francesco, who, at the
sight of us, flattered himself that two preachers from Capua
had actually become followers of his saint. He accordingly
began, in his usual style, to vaunt her perfections, and the
wonders she had performed.
" See," said he to me, pointing to the image, " this saint is
different from all other saints in existence. She knows be
forehand the favors her devotees come to ask of her, and she
shows in a decided manner whether she intends to grant
their suit or not. A few days ago, a bishop, I shall not tell
his name, came to pay his respects to Saint Philomena. I
saw at once that she was displeased at his visit, as she visi
bly changed countenance, and assumed a pale and sad as
pect ; whereas, on the very same day, when the Marchioness
of Riso, from Naples, came here, her aspect was altogether
different. I wish you could have seen how handsome she
looked ! The marchioness told me that she had come to ask
a favor, but that she found it was granted even before she
had arrived at Mugnano."
"I hope our visit will be acceptable to your saint," said
I, " and that she will look favorably upon us when you
make us acquainted with her. I do not know whether my
friend here has any boon to ask of her. For my own part,
I require nothing at all from her saintship."
K2
226 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
Before withdrawing the curtain that concealed his oracle
from the common gaze, the priest showed us a piece of mar
ble upon the altar, which, he said, having been accidentally
broken in two pieces, the saint miraculously joined them to
gether, and made it as perfect as before. I, however, begged
leave to point out to him that there were pretty evident
marks of its having been joined together in the ordinary
way, by mastic. He also showed me a little shrine, from
which, as he assured me, the reliques of the saint, after
having been carefully placed there by his own hands, sud
denly disappeared, because the owner of it was not sufficient
ly devout. As I could allege nothing to the contrary, I
made no remark upon this, but merely smiled at his absurd
ity. Don Francesco now rang the great bell of the church,
lighted the candles upon the altar, and assembled the peo
ple. Among them I particularly noticed twenty or thirty
young girls, who were maintained at the expense of the
priest out of the money given to Saint Philomena ; their
office was to pray to the saint in behalf of those persons who
presented gifts to her.
Now these girls, with loud, shrill voices, frequently raised
to their extremest pitch, chanted their customary prayers,
in the same style of excitement as the poor old women at
Naples, in the chapel of St. Januarius, invoke the saint to
perform his annual miracle of liquefying his own blood.
Other young girls sounded the various bells belonging to the
church, while Don Francesco, devoutly kneeling, exposed the
sacred reliques. We, for our part, were lost in admiration
at beholding such solemn ceremonies on so ridiculous an oc
casion as the appearance of a painted doll, dressed in female
attire, with a few bones withinside, and which was called
Saint Philomena.
" Oh ! how beautiful she is," exclaimed Don Francesco,
turning toward us. " Observe the charming color of her
cheeks ; she is like a rose of Paradise !"
" Which is a good sign, I suppose, is it not ?" I replied.
" She must be greatly pleased with our visit."
" Undoubtedly she is," he returned, " and quite disposed
to grant whatever you may ask of her."
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION, 227
* Is she then omnipotent ?"
" Why, as to that, she is the daughter of the Omnipotent
God, and dispenses all his favors ; she keeps the treasury of
the Divine grace, and to her friends she denies nothing ;
what she receives in heaven, she freely bestows upon earth ;
she takes from the hand of God, and gives to us."
" Don Francesco," said I to him, " all this appears to me
an idle dream ; it agrees with no doctrine in theology.
Christianity is not based on these superstitions, but on real
facts. Who has told you that your saint is such as you re
port her to be ? Besides, what you affirm concerning her is
also affirmed of hundreds, nay, thousands of other saints, who
are said to be equally powerful ; all have access to the Di
vine treasury, all deal in miracles, prodigies, and conjura
tions alike. Now, with so many saints to intercede for us,
what becomes of the office of Jesus Christ, of whom it is said
by John that he is our only advocate with the Father, that
he intercedes for us ? Moreover, He himself says, Come
unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. ^ No man cometh unto the Father but by
me. f Now it is clear that you, Don Francesco, have re
course to others than the Lord Jesus Christ to gain admis
sion to the Father. Take care you do not altogether mistake
the way, and teach what is not true. For it is written, If
the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. "$
Don Francesco appeared greatly disconcerted by so public
a rebuke as this : it was what he so little expected. He
concealed his embarrassment, however, as well as he could,
and continued, but with less assurance, his account of Saint
Philomena.
" See here," said he ; " one can not deny that her hair
grows, or that she has moved her feet ; they are more
stretched out and curved than they were. She even chang
ed her position a little time ago."
" She, do you say ? Tell me, do you mean the saint her
self, or the pasteboard image ? for I do not suppose you have
operated the change, or transubstantiation, of the saint into
* Matt., xi., 28. t John, xiv., 6. t Matt., xv., 14.
228 DEALINGS WITH THE INClUISITION.
papier mache, and vice versa ! What does it signify if the
paper doll has become a little twisted by the changes in the
temperature of the atmosphere ? Why, the ropes of the
church bells are affected in the same way ; they become
longer when the weather is damp, and shorter when it is
dry. These miracles of yours all arise from natural causes.
Even suppose it otherwise, what benefit would it be to
the Church if the image really moved itself about ? Di
vine miracles always have an important object, never being
wrought but for purposes of exceeding utility. Do you ever
read in the Bible about miracles performed as it were in
sport, or to satisfy vain curiosity, such as these of your saint ?
Religion has no need of such, and they do her no honor. I
wish to Heaven that we had never talked of the miracles
of Saint Anthony, of Saint Vincent, and others, which are
only derogatory to the excellence and the truth of those
operated by the Savior and his apostles. In those early
days of Christianity there was a necessity for miracles, in
order, as one of the fathers expresses it, to water the new
plants of the religion of Christ. Those plants are now
strong and healthy, and have no need to be watered as
they formerly were."
At these words I saw the priest evince great signs of dis
satisfaction. He eyed rne askance, his lip quivered with a
sort of convulsive movement. It appeared that he had a
reply ready for me, which he had probably been concocting
all the time I had been lecturing him. I paused, therefore,
to give him an opportunity of speaking.
" Then you have no faith in the miracles of St. Philo-
mena?"
" What miracles do you mean ? Those you have spoken
of are no miracles at all. The operations of nature, even
when most extraordinary, are not miracles. Miracles are
above the power of nature, and contrary to her laws. All
that you have brought forward is child s play mere non
sense. As to the other marvels you tell me of the in
stantaneous cures that have been effected, of gifts and vi
sions from heaven, of angels appearing, and of devils being
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 229
put to flight I hold them all to be pure inventions. You
seem angry with me for discrediting your account ; I hope
you will be less so with the cardinals of the Inquisition,
who, I can assure you, as well as myself, highly disapprove
of your wonderful relations, and hold them all as fables.
And, moreover, I have to inform you, which I do in the
presence of Monsignor Angostini, brother of the pope s sac
ristan, that the rebuke I have given you is at the spe
cial direction of the Commissioner General of the Holy Of
fice."
At these words the priest hung down his head as one
who already hears the judge pronouncing his sentence. I
saw that he was effectually humbled, and therefore did not
carry my reproof any further.
" My dear Don Francesco," I said, " the religion of Jesus
Christ, which we both profess, is truth in its most luminous
aspect ; but it is as a mirror, which becomes sullied by hu
man breath. If it be entirely from God, man can add noth
ing to it. It is our duty to receive it such as it is, without
seeking to embellish it with our own inventions, however
holy or spiritual they may appear to be. Grievous super
stitions have in this manner been introduced into Christian
ity. If our holy fathers of the early ages could return to
this world, they would find so many abuses and falsehoods
among us that they would no longer recognize the holy
spouse of Christ. Give up, therefore, Don Francesco, these
idle stories about St. Philomena, which cause great injury
to the simple-minded, in leading them to worship, instead
of the Lord Jesus Christ, a created being nay, even dead
bones and a senseless image. May God pardon you the of
fense you have already committed."
In carrying out the orders of the Commissary General
Olivieri, I certainly rather exceeded the limits of my au
thority, since I gave the priest reason to apprehend more
than was actually intended ; but I wished, if possible, to
put a stop to his proceedings. My companion shrugged his
shoulders, and though he would not himself have willingly
gone so far, still, seeing the air with which I carried it off,
230 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
he made no objection, but, on the contrary, nodded several
times in token of approbation.
And what, it may be asked, was really the effect of my
lecture on the mind of Don Francesco ? I verily believe it
had none whatsoever, since, as I afterward understood, he
continued his practices exactly in the same style, and I
never heard that the Inquisition took any steps toward in
terfering with them. Perhaps Don Francesco may have
learned to accommodate his lies on the subject according to
the prescribed rules of the Holy Congregation of Rites, and
consequently is no longer at variance with Rome. The mir
acles attributed to this saint have been trumpeted forth to
all the world, and her worship, or rather idolatry, extends
every where. The King of Naples, his whole family, and
the members of his court, are among her most zealous
supporters, and Don Alfonzo d Avalos, the court grand mas
ter of the ceremonies, has the honor of being her treas
urer !
"What is your opinion with respect to this Saint Philo-
mena ?" inquired the cardinal one day, as we were discours
ing together.
" I think it is a gross piece of idolatry to worship her," I
replied. " I reproved Don Francesco for his fanaticism pret
ty severely. But how is it possible to convince a priest ?
One might as well argue with a block of stone. To what
a pass has religion come in this country of ours ; to the wor
ship of images and reliques ; to the adoration of the Ma
donna and the saints. And God, or Jesus Christ, serve only
as names to cover or sanction this species of idolatry, under
the title of the Christian religion. No, your eminence, this
is not Christianity ; it has been corrupted by the priests al
together. And what are our bishops about ? They shut
their eyes to what is going on, regardless of their responsi
bility in these matters. Every shepherd is bound to take
care of his flock ; he who neglects this duty is a hireling,
and unworthy of his charge. Now, what is the Bishop of
Nola about, while these impostures are being carried on in
his diocese ?"
DEALINGS WITH THE iNdUISITION. 231
" Why, they say they pull together in that respect ; but
I do not believe it," replied the cardinal.
It is notorious how the worship of saints increases, as well
as the fame of their miracles. The priests and the bishops
favor the practice alike. The cardinal, although he ap
peared to disapprove of this affair of Saint Philomena, was
only instigated by his desire to pay greater homage to other
saints, whose repute he was more interested in advocating.
But what can be advanced in favor of these proceedings,
when it is seen that the greatest saint in the Romish Church
is that of whom the greatest lies have been invented ? They
only are true saints who, without any of these pretensions,
died, according to the old Latin phrase, net bacio del sig-
nore ; they alone are those whom God acknowledges as such,
and whom we trust to meet in heaven.
During my stay at Capua, before the termination of Lent,
a certain Monsignor Lasteria, bishop of Zante and Cepha-
lonia, came on a visit to Cardinal Serra. He was a native
of Capua, and had formerly been the cardinal s secretary.
The object of his visit was apparently to solicit the good
offices of the cardinal with the Propaganda, to obtain leave
for him to resign the bishopric he held, possibly with a view
of obtaining a translation to some see in the dominions of
the King of Naples. The cardinal had broached the matter
to the Propaganda some time before, but the grand difficulty
appeared to be the providing another bishop for Zante and
Cephalonia. I was applied to on the occasion, and asked if
I knew of any fit person whom I could recommend to this
bishopric, which was a difficult post to fill, as the Romish
Church was there placed between the Anglican and the
Greek Church. His eminence repeatedly urged me to name
some one of my acquaintance to present to the Propaganda
instead of Monsignor Lasteria.
I was wearied by these frequent applications, and one
day briefly told the cardinal that I had neither a Titus nor
a Timothy to propose, hoping that after such an observation
I should be no more troubled on the subject. But not many
days after he came to seek me with a very satisfied and
condescending air.
232 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" I hope," said he, " that you will acknowledge the will
of God in the proposition I am about to make you. The
Holy Father, on the recommendation of the secretary of the
Propaganda, has signified his approval of your succeeding
Monsignor Lasteria yourself in the bishopric of these two
Ionian Islands ; and, besides which, he invests you with the
charge of the bishopric of Corfu. He observed, however,
after having spoken very favorably of you, that he could
not oblige you to accept this office in a foreign country ; but,
at any rate, if it did not please you, it need only be for a
short time, as he should himself be better satisfied to have
you in Rome."
" Many thanks to your eminence, as well as to the pope,
and to the secretary of the Propaganda. This office, which
in the time of the apostles was very desirable, according to
the words of St. Paul to Timothy,^ is now no longer so ; at
least, not in my eyes. Indeed, such as the episcopacy is in
our day, I would counsel no man to accept it, far less would
I accept it myself. My objection does not apply alone to
the see of the Ionian Islands, but to every bishopric what
soever belonging to the Church of Rome. The laws and
general usages connected with them are such that I could
never conform myself to them either as regards practice or
precept. I wish it therefore to be understood that I do not
refuse a poor bishopric in the hope of obtaining a rich one,
but it is the dignity itself, the prelacy that I object to ; what
I consider, therefore, as a dangerous acquisition, I am by no
means disposed to possess."
" Come, take three days to consider of it. Your refusal
is too hasty ; you ought to reflect before you decide. Offer
up your prayers these three days to the Lord and the most
holy Madonna that they may enlighten you."
" Well, I will wait three days, and offer up my prayers
to the Lord, and at the end of that time will communicate
the result to your eminence."
A few hours after the expiration of the allotted period,
the cardinal came to me again to know my decision.
* lTim.,iii., 1.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 233
" Every thing," observed I, " strengthens me in the reso
lution I have already expres&ed to your eminence of declin
ing to accept the bishopric. I look at what is true in the
office and at what is false. The duty of a bishop is essen
tially that of a shepherd ; as the one leads his flock to pas
ture, so the other conducts his people into the way of truth.
But the shepherd has become the doctor. He has, and very
inappropriately, assumed a command, an authority, a juris
diction, a power which usurps dominion ; yet He who said
to Peter, Feed my sheep, feed my lambs, also said to him,
arid to all the apostles, Ye know that the princes of the
Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are
great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so
among you.* Now the office of a bishop at the present day
is totally opposite to what it ought to be. By a bishop we
understand an ecclesiastic who, in consequence of possessing
a dominion, has authority and a right to command, which
right it is pretended he receives from Christ, through the
apostles. But it is evident that the apostles themselves
never had such right. And what are our present bishops ?
Shepherds ? Would to God they led their flocks to the pas
tures of truth to the holy Word ! If any one in the pres
ent day were to fulfill his duty as bishop, according to the
original signification of the office, he would soon be at issue
with Rome, from whence all the scandal proceeds, and which
stigmatizes as innovations any return to the customs and ob
servances of the early times of Christianity."
" I have no more to say, then. If you refuse, I will write
and tell them they must choose another. Have you any
one to propose ?"
" There is at Rome, among the Dominicans, a missiona
ry, one Father Hynes, an Irishman, who has lately come
over from the United States in the hope of obtaining pro
motion. He would be very fit for the Ionian Islands."
The next day the cardinal came again with a letter in
his hand. "I am going to send," said he, "your answer to
Rome. I have stated that, for certain private reasons, you
* Matt., xx., 25, 26.
234 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
can not accept the offer that has been made you. Am I
right ? Shall I send the letter ? or do you think better of it ?"
" I request your eminence will forward the letter at once.
And since you have already shown me so much kindness, I
am encouraged to open my mind still further to you. I
wish to send these two other letters to Rome, one to Car
dinal Polidoro, prefect of the Congregation of Discipline,
and the other to Monsignor Acton, the secretary, to request
from the pope my secularization. I wish to quit the order
to which I belong : it brings me too much before the pub
lic. I have no ambitious desires, and would rather lead a
quiet life, as a simple priest, without any office whatsoever
in the Church. I feel myself called by God to preach ac
cording to his Word, and in the performance of that duty I
would willingly spend the remainder of my existence. I
should also resume the delivery of my scientific lectures.
I have another strong reason for relinquishing this order, in
which I can never hope to enjoy any tranquillity, since with
my own eyes I have witnessed the irregularities that are
practiced in the different monasteries I have visited. It
has, moreover, the additional dishonor of having provoked
the pope to dismiss the Father General Olivieri.* At Rome,
in that most abominable monastery of the Minerva, all who
have any good about them are sure to be persecuted, as was
the case with my friend Brohchetti. I can no longer live
among such people. I shall request my passport, and leave
them."
" And where will you go ?"
" I can not tell : probably I shall remain some time in
Naples, if they will leave me alone. I foresee a secret per
secution hatching up against me. I shall live entirely to
myself, if I am allowed to do so, and shall attend solely to
study and preaching."
The cardinal did all in his power to dissuade me. He
* For six hundred years it had never happened that the general of the
order had been dismissed by the pope. It was the contrivance of a few
ambitious friars, among whom Monsignor O Flnan, bishop of Killala, in Ire
land, was the most active.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 235
averred I was tempted by the devil, that I was relinquish
ing a very desirable position, that I should give great offense
at Rome, and only bring ruin on myself. He added, that
he should immediately set about writing letters in opposition
to mine, to throw all possible impediments in my way ; and
said many other things, just as they came into his head. I
let him talk on, and pursued my own measures.
In this state of affairs I left Capua with abundance of
courteous expressions on the part of the cardinal, which it
is needless to repeat. But in a letter that he wrote to Car
dinal Caracciolo, archbishop of Naples, he reiterated all the
personal compliments he had paid to me, of which letter
the archbishop kindly sent me a copy, and I still preserve it
among other papers. Cardinal Serra, moreover, on my taking
leave of him, made me some presents, and favored me with
two appointments one to preach during Lent, in 1847, in
another of his churches, and the other to confess, in per-
petuo, in the whole of his vast diocese, which he told me
was a distinguished privilege that he never before granted
to any one.
This authority to pardon sins, which the bishops take upon
themselves to grant, is a great abuse in the Church of Rome.
It is a gross imposition, a monopoly, a very usurpation. I
do not here enter into the question of auricular confession ;
I confine my remarks, for the present, to the privilege of
granting absolution for sins, which the bishops confer on
their friends. To myself it was given in its utmost lati
tude, for an unlimited period, and for every species of crime.
In general, the power is not granted for any length of time.
In Rome, it is seldom for more than six months ; in Naples,
three only. When it is granted for a year, it may be an
nually renewed on application to the bishop. It is seldom
conceded without the party s being examined on the doc
trine of casuistry at least, and never for every description of
sin. Every bishop has his own list of reserved cases, that
is to say, some particular sins, not comprised in the general
list of pardonable offenses ; and for these the confessor is
obliged to seek the assistance of the bishop. There are
236 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
some, indeed, which the bishops themselves can not absolve,
the pope always reserving to himself, in these graver mat
ters, the power of absolution ; and the confessor is obliged
on such occasions to apply to his holiness himself, who, in
his turn, refers him to the grand penitentiary, since neither
the pope nor any of the bishops receive a confession, which
office is always confided to their inferiors, being considered
one of far less dignity than that of consecrating a church,
blessing a cemetery, or baptizing the bells.
It is a sure sign that a priest, who is appointed confessor
to a diocese, is a particular friend of the bishop, since, on the
slightest disagreement between them, or the least feeling of
ill will, he is forthwith suspended from his office. I must
here observe that I always enjoyed the friendship of those
prelates who from time to time granted me this great priv
ilege in their several jurisdictions, since not a single one of
them ever suspended me in the execution of my office, even
at a time when I began to be suspected of entertaining he
retical opinions. It was also an honorable distinction in my
favor that none of the bishops by whom I was appointed
ever thought it necessary to subject me to the usual exam
ination. Neither did I ever solicit the office, it having been
invariably bestowed on me as a mark of their individual
good will. I have a whole bundle of these diplomas, many
bearing the signature of cardinals, and one from the chaplain
of the King of Naples, for all the royal churches in the king
dom of the Two Sicilies. Some were presented to me out
of compliment ; as, for instance, by the Bishop of Nocera, on
the occasion of his returning my visit to him, in the year
1836, when his first act was to present me with the office
of confessor. The same also took place with the Archbishop
of Sorrento the first time I was in his company, which was
at dinner in his own house. It is astonishing to see the ex
ceeding politeness and courtesy with which these worthies
bestow on their subordinates the power to pardon the most
grievous offenses against the Majesty of Heaven. Would
they, with equal grace and condescension, have granted it
for offenses committed against themselves ? A circumstance
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 237
that took place between one of these dignitaries and myself
will throw a little light on the subject.
I went one day to Sorrento, to endeavor to promote a rec
onciliation between the archbishop and a poor priest of Meta,
whom the archbishop had, for a number of years, hated and
persecuted to such an extent as to create a great scandal
through the whole diocese. The chief cause of offense com
plained of by the archbishop was, that the priest had written
some satirical lines upon him, and had also spoken of him
with little reverence. The priest had subsequently heartily
repented of the act, and had in every possible manner im
plored forgiveness for the offense : he had written many let
ters in the humblest style, and had frequently got persons
of character and respectability to intercede for him. It was,
however, all in vain. The archbishop was obstinate, and
persisted in holding the priest in suspension from the per
formance of all ecclesiastical duty within his diocese. The
last hope remained with me, and out of compassion for the
poor fellow, I undertook the task, as well as for regard
toward the archbishop, who, before being acquainted with
me, had spoken of me with kindness ; in return, therefore, I
was equally anxious to be useful to him. My visit to him
took place after we had exchanged two or three polite notes,
and was apparently the result of a desire for greater mutual
acquaintance, but, for my own part, my principal object was
this affair of the priest. As the archbishop had no idea of
the kind, I waited for a favorable opportunity to introduce
the subject, which soon presented itself on his grace s be
stowing on me the diploma of a confessor.
" Then I am authorized, in virtue of this, to receive con
fessions of all offenses committed against God, and to grant
pardon and absolution to whoever repents ?"
" Unquestionably ; and, moreover, I invest you with power
to do so, in all reserved cases, for the term of a year."
" This is certainly a very desirable power, and one for
which I have for some time been particularly anxious. I
can then absolve in those cases reserved for your grace ?"
" Yes ; and for those referred to the synod of the diocese."
238 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
"It is well ; I shall then absolve whoever truly confesses,
however great his sin may be."
"To be sure ; it is to the greatest sinners that God ex
tends the chiefest mercy, and we, as his ministers, should re
ceive them with open arms," observed the archbishop.
" How gracious the Lord is to pardon so freely," I con
tinued ; "I am lost in admiration whenever I reflect on the
manner in which Jesus Christ pardoned the poor woman,
and also the publican in the parable, immediately on his
asking it. And how difficult we find it to follow his blessed
example ! how reluctant we are to pardon those who have
offended ourselves ! notwithstanding Jesus Christ has told
us, If ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your
Father forgive your trespasses. ^ And it avails us little if
we do so once or twice, or even ten times ; for Christ com
manded Peter to forgive seventy times seven, which signifies
to forgive without limitation ; as it is written, If thy brother
trespass against thee, rebuke him ; and if he repent, forgive
him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day,
and seven times in a day turn to thee, saying, I repent, thou
shalt forgive him. "f
At these words I fancied I perceived in the countenance
of the archbishop an acknowledgment of the sacred nature
of this duty, and accordingly I thought it best to seize the
opportunity without further preparation. " Monsignore," I
exclaimed, " these divine assurances encourage the poor
priest Lasteria to ask anew of your grace pardon for the of-
feiise he acknowledges he has committed, and of which he
now thoroughly repents."
" No," loudly roared out the archbishop, "it is not true
that he repents ; he only feigns to do so, that I may be in
duced to pardon him. To all others I am willing, but to
this person I can never extend that favor."
" Monsignore, the poor man came to me yesterday with
tears in his eyes. I hope/ said he, that my archbishop
will at length consent to pardon me, for the love of God,
and that the blessed God may also pardon him his sins.
* Matt., vi., 14. t Luke, xvii., 3, 4.
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 239
Oh ! what comfort shall I experience if he restores me to his
favor ! and if you obtain permission for me to go and make
my peace with him, I shall then be content to die. "
" I can not receive him ; neither will I pardon him, till
I am thoroughly convinced of his repentance and humilia
tion."
" What, then, must he do ?"
" Go into a monastery, and remain there till I recall him."
" And for what purpose ?"
" To undergo penance."
" God makes no such condition to us. We should be bad
ly off if for every offense we had to undergo a suitable pen
ance ! Now if God pardons on the sole consideration that
Jesus Christ has made satisfaction for us, as faith teaches
us, can we find any excuse for not pardoning those for whom
Christ has suffered ? On what condition does Christ pardon
our sins ? What penance has he enjoined ?"
" What ! do you deny, then, that the Church has a right
to impose penance ?"
"I find that the custom is very much lessened. The
question, however, at present, has nothing to do with the
Church. It is altogether a personal offense, and you have
yourself full power to remit "
" No, no, I can not remit ; the offense has been too pub
lic."
" All the better. Your eminence will grant the more
public and solemn forgiveness."
" It appears to me that you are come here to preach me
a sermon rather than to pay me a visit."
" Exactly ; it is the visit of a preacher. Ought I to waste
my time in vain speeches or idle compliments ? I avail my
self of the present opportunity to discuss an affair of equal
importance to your eminence and to the priest, and I declare
it is for the regard I entertain for both parties that I inter
est myself in it. If the priest, on his part, has need of your
pardon, it can not be denied that it would be equally ad
vantageous for your eminence to grant it him, to put a stop
to this scandal, and all the idle talk of the neighborhood,
240 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
as well as to the imprecations of the numerous relatives
and friends of the priest, who form a large party in Meta
and Sorrento."
" What a capital advocate you are !"
" Have I, then, gained my cause ?"
"Tell your client to do as I have said let him go into
a monastery, and then he may send to me again, and I may
perhaps take his petition into consideration. Now let us
talk of something else."
In this way it was that the archbishop closed the door
upon all hope of reconciliation : he refused his brother the
forgiveness which he asked of him for the love of God. A
year after, the cholera put an end to his life. . . . How fear
ful are thy judgments, Lord ! Here was a man who will
ingly pardoned all sins committed against God, but who
knew not how to pardon a single fault against himself.
Such is the character of the higher clergy in the Romish
Church ; indulgent in the extreme to all those who do not
stand in the way of their interests or their ambition, they
are implacable in their hatred, and cruel and fierce in their
vengeance.
No sooner had I taken up my abode in Naples, after the
termination of my preaching at Capua, than I was exceed
ingly courted by the bishops and the superiors of the order.
I had the offer of a pulpit in their churches on every side.
I chose before all others the Lent discourses for 1836, in
the principal church of the Dominicans, as a testimony of
my good will toward them. In 1837 I was again engaged
by the Cardinal of Capua. In 1838 I officiated for the
Cardinal of Naples ; and in 1839 I preached for the papal
nuncio in his church of St. James.
In this manner passed over the six years that I remained
in Naples ; my occupation was not confined to the city, but
extended to the neighboring parts. Besides the duty dur
ing Lent, every Sunday and festival throughout the year I
preached in various churches, and occasionally on other days
of the week. Frequently I have delivered two or three
sermons in the course of the same day. A part only of these
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 241
discourses was prepared beforehand, as it was impossible
for me to write even one half of what I preached ; and, in
general, I found no difficulty in getting through my task, as
I had accustomed myself from an early period to extempore
delivery, which had now become easy and familiar to me ;
sometimes, however, not being exactly in the mood, I could
not express myself with equal fluency as at others. Still I
think it is the preferable mode for evangelical preaching,
as, notwithstanding a few trifling inconveniences arising
from occasional repetition and inexactitude, its simplicity
presents a great advantage, since, with regard to expression,
the less it is studied, the more it is true, persuasive, and
touching. Moreover, he who is completely master of his
subject need not fear that he will want words or proper ar
rangement, according to the opinion of Horace
" Cui lecta potenter erit res,
Nee facundia deseret hunc, nee lucidus ordo."
But my preaching was originally commenced, as is custom
ary with all students in religion, with the study of rhetoric,
and was limited by certain rules which teach the manner
of arranging the various parts of an oration ; hence I at
first experienced a sort of vainglory in my pursuit, and pant
ed to acquire the fame of an eloquent orator ; but I after
ward changed my style when I became convinced that a
sacred speaker ought to be governed rather by the influence
of the Holy Spirit than by rules of art ; I therefore applied
myself more to prayer than to study, and my discourses be
came less brilliant but more efficacious. Any one who had
heard me preach at these different epochs would readily
have perceived the change I speak of, though he might not
have understood the reason of it. My first attempts aimed
at great elegance of style, and I was ambitious to be thought
an able writer. My sermons at the court of Lucca were of
this character : I was then about twenty years of age, and
had not yet been ordained priest. Persons of high distinc
tion were among my auditors, among whom I may reckon
Lazaro Papi, the Marquess Cesare Lucchesini, Professor Gi-
gliotti, and the famous personages Teresa Bandettini and
L
242 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
Costanza Moscheni. I was honored with their friendship,
and they approved of my pulpit labors. Alas for me ! How
little at that time had I been educated in the school of the
Redeemer ! The favor of men was all I sought after. By
degrees, however, I began to perceive that all this was
vanity.
From Lucca I proceeded to Home, and from thence to
Viterbo. My preaching had much improved; it had less
display, and was more suitable to its design. I reserved
my flowers of eloquence for panegyric orations (which in my
then darkened state greatly occupied me), and began to be
more grave and sedate in my style. On rny removal to
Naples, these feelings increased, as I thought more deeply
on matters of true religion, and my sermons assumed an
evangelical tone, which was agreeable to persons of talent ;
and I was perfectly indifferent as to the opinion of those
who disliked it.
The last of my Lent duties, that at the Church of St. Gi-
acomo at Naples, was the actual commencement of my new
style. I gave a series of thirty-seven discourses, in which
I not only avoided all papistic doctrines, but set forth those
contained in the Scriptures themselves ; such as justifica
tion by faith, the sole mediation of Christ, his only priest
hood, and single sacrifice, &c. These were entirely new
views in a country where nothing else was taught than the
efficacy of works of merit, the intercession of saints, the pre
tended dignity of the priests, the great value of the Mass
applied to souls in purgatory, and the necessity of worship
ing the Madonna.
I saw very clearly that my advocating anew the practice
enjoined in the ancient and holy teaching of our forefathers
would excite the fiercest animosity against me. I began to
hear it rumored about that my sermons were more Protest
ant than Catholic ; I received several anonymous letters on
the subject ; and as at that time I preached every Sunday
in the church of St. Peter the Martyr, I saw many priests
among my congregation who had very much the look of
spies. Notwithstanding all this, I stuck to my argument,
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 243
and continued to preach in the same style the doctrine of
early Christianity, bringing texts from Scripture alone in
support of my propositions, rarely citing the fathers, and
never the theologians of the Romish Church.
The altered character of my discourses soon gave rise to
many conferences among the bigots of the Neapolitan cler
gy, and to many letters from Rome. The cardinal arch
bishop asked me one day if it was true that these confer
ences and letters had reference to the new doctrines I was
advocating.
" They are new," I replied, " in the same manner that
the moon every fresh month is called new, though she is
nevertheless as old as the world."
" But they assert that you no longer preach the necessity
of good works, faith alone being sufficient."
" That is not exactly the case ; I stated that works are
not good unless they are the fruits of faith, and that others
are of no avail ; as St. Paul says, Whatsoever is not of
faith is sin, * which signifies all disorder and deviation from
the right road."
On another occasion the good cardinal reproved me be
cause I had asserted in one of my sermons that the most
beneficial mode of confession was that which was made to
God, and the best penitence a sincere renewal of the heart
and an humble return to Him.
"It is very true," was my reply ; " and if your eminence
calls upon me to prove it, I am ready to do so from the Holy
Scriptures."
" There is no necessity ; your proposition may be true, ab
stractedly considered that is to say, viewed theoretically ;
but in practice you would not find it so useful."
" I understand, it would not be so useful to the priests
and the confessors, but greatly more so to the people. If
every body was in the habit of confessing to God alone, what
necessity would there be for such a host of priestly confessors ?
But the question is, not what we ourselves prefer, but what
we ought to teach the people. I wish to God that every
* Rom., xiv., 23.
244 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
one would confess to his priest less, and to his God more, as
our fathers had the grace to do in former times."
I paused, but the cardinal, not having a reply ready, re
mained silent. I therefore continued : " Your eminence has
already shown me so much kindness, that I am encouraged
to lay open my mind more fully. Is it not a fact, that in
no other place is there so great a herd of confessors as at
Naples ? What now is their real object ? Your eminence
will tell me that it is to listen to a recital of sins, and to
give absolution for them ; but I maintain that their real ob
ject is to get money ; and it is more notoriously the case in
Naples than elsewhere. The predecessor of your eminence,
Cardinal RufFo, when he conferred the office of confessor on
any one, used to say, There, my dear fellow, there s a good
fifteen ducats a month for you, if you know how to go to
work !
" Now I happen to know that his hint was not thrown
away : the least industrious among them get their fifteen
ducats, and as to the others ask the confessors of the nuns
what they gain by their business. I do not mean to say
that they require payment for an absolution ; that would be
too barefaced. They do not sell, but they accept gifts ; if
not for themselves, for the souls in purgatory, or for some
miraculous image, for which they require masses and other
oblations. Is it not true that they impose, as a penance,
the obligation to cause a number of masses to be celebrated ?
And to whose pecuniary benefit, if not the confessor s ? And
in cases of death-beds, how vast is the speculation of these
gentry ! Let your eminence look to the operations of the
Jesuits in this line of business ; to the missionaries, to the
Liguorini, to the Theatines, the Franciscans, the Domini
cans, and other worthies of the same class, who despoil
houses, impoverish families, and frequently turn mother and
children out of doors, destitute and forlorn. These evils, as
your eminence knows far better than I do, are the results of
the practice of confession. I would that your heart were
equally pained as mine is by the reflection. Although I
have not the authority of a bishop in this place, still, if I
DEALINGS WITH THE INQ.UISITION. 245
were silent on the occasion, I should consider myself as
guilty of favoring the practice. Much more is required of
him who is in reality the pastor of this flock, who has as
sumed the office of watching over it, and to whom are ad
dressed the words that were spoken to Timothy : I charge
thee .... preach the Word ; be instant in season, out of
season ; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and
doctrine. "*
Cardinal Caracciolo wrung my hand, and exclaimed, with
a sigh, " Oh ! what a hard trial it is to be a bishop ! What
a burden on one s shoulders ! I see many evils in the Church,
and would fain apply a remedy to them, but I know not
how."
Naples, in point of religion, is an extraordinary country ;
the people generally believe that they have more than the
whole world besides ; and such indeed would be the fact,
if superstition were synonymous with religion. No people
upon the whole earth are more superstitious. All the old
superstitions of Greece and Rome have taken refuge among
them. Idolatry is the foundation of their faith ; they have
no idea of worship without some statue or picture to bow
down to. A God that is not visible to the eye is altogether
unknown to them, or exists as a king whom no one is allow
ed to approach. The God of the Neapolitans has conse
quently a vast number of ministers to whom supplication is
made. At the time I am speaking of, they had no less than
fifty patron saints, and I have no doubt the number is now
greatly augmented. Every one of these saints has his own
state ministers. At the head of them all is St. Januarius,
who acts as their president. But this does not exclude St.
Gaetano to be prayed to as a sort of minister of finance, who
is considered to be in the department of the Divine Provi
dence. The ministry of grace and justice appear to be di
vided between St. Anthony, St. Vincent, and St. Andrew
Avellino. The Jesuits endeavored to foist St. Francis Xa-
vier and St. Louis Gonzaga into this office as well, but it ap
pears they are not considered to have succeeded.
* 2 Tim., iv., l, 2.
246 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
St. Januarius, who, like John Bull, may be looked upon
as the prototype of his countrymen, both with respect to
their good and bad qualities, has a sort of jealous feeling
toward others, and more particularly toward the Jesuits,
since it appears he considers them as likely to interfere with
his dignity. He is sometimes thought to be a little vindic
tive, choleric, and presumptuous, on which account the Nea
politans occasionally reprove him, and not over gently, in
their devotions. I scarcely think a pure and spiritual relig
ion would be possible in this country, at this time, where
all is so material and so sensual. I have often considered
the problem, and am inclined to doubt its practicability, at
least with respect to the present generation. They are a
people perpetually on the look-out for miracles, and conse
quently flock around their saints and their madonnas, since
the priests assure them that they perform wonders in that
way. In their belief, a religion without its daily stock of
miracles is no religion at all.
I have sometimes heard the Neapolitans discoursing to
gether respecting the Protestant religion, and they have de
clared that they could not see how there could be a religion
without saints to work their miracles. They are a people
who do not readily believe any thing but what is incredible
and repugnant to common sense ; so that the more improb
able the miracle is, the more willingly it is credited. II
prodigio o e grosso o e niente, is a common saying with them ;
small doings are not worthy of great saints.
In the midst of this ignorant race, born and educated in
the grossest errors and prejudices, there exists a class of per
sons who do not believe in the superstitions of the vulgar,
as they call these pretended miracles of St. Januarius and
other saints, neither in the inventions of purgatory and sim
ilar stories, having read in some book, or heard some one
affirm, that they are no better than fables ; but, unhappily,
they also extend their unbelief to all that is related of Christ
and of his apostles, and in fact assert that all these writings
might be tied together and thrown into the fire as old and
worthless.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 247
These are the learned, people of genius, who go to church
merely to gratify the sight, or to delight the ear with har
mony, and who kneel before the reliques and the images in
a procession for the sake of appearance, as they term it.
They go to confession at Easter to deceive the priest into a
belief of their piety, and receive the communion that they
may escape censure. As lying and hypocritical as they are
unbelieving and immoral, they form a very extensive class,
most injurious to society in a thousand different ways ; chiefly
because being, as they are, without faith in religious matters,
they are equally so in social affairs ; and being weak-minded,
through continual falsehood, they are mean in all their un
dertakings ; timid and pusillanimous, with a mixture of irri
tability and boldness. In morality they are monsters of de
pravity, and this miserable land abounds with such people
more at this present time than ever ; in the face of its glo
rious sun, it is covered with the thickest darkness.
Between these two extremes of the direst superstition and
utter unbelief, is there for these people no middle path of
religion of pure early Christianity ? God alone knows. I
have sometimes persuaded myself that there must be such ;
I have again doubted, and again I have returned to my
former hope ; at any rate, I will not despair of it. Christian
charity, and trust in God s mercy and providence, alike for
bid me so to do.
CHAPTER XII.
THE MONKS OF NAPLES.
SEPARATED from human ties, apart from the laws of na
ture, there is no race of beings, in my estimation, so useless
to society, so immoral, and so absurd, in a religious point of
view, as they who call themselves monks. The Jesuits are
monks, as well as those instituted by St. Francis of Assisi ;
both have the same degree of worth and the same defects.
248 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
I used to believe that the monks reckoned among- their vir
tues kindness, gentleness, humility, and moderation ; I im
agined that they were full of charity toward their neighbor ;
and believing nothing of them but what was good, I thought,
when I entered into their society, I should be living among
saints. Who would have supposed that all their imaginary
virtues should fade before my eyes from the time I became
bound to them by vows which prevented my return ? Every
day the pleasant delusion became less and less, and bitter
experience continually operated to undeceive me, at various
periods of my sojourn among them.
I had paid strict attention to the proceedings of the Do
minicans both in Rome and Tuscany, and from what I had
observed I was led to form a resolution to escape from them,
and to renounce their society forever. The request I had
made to the court of Rome from Capua with respect to my
secularization had at first been received with dissatisfaction,
but finally, on my reiterated applications, backed by a letter
from Cardinal Polidori, the pope granted my petition in the
terms in which it was made, and for the reason I had stated,
which was, that the order had become odious and insuffer
able to me.
Monsignor Acton informed me that the permission was
made out and at my disposal. He besought me, however,
on the score of our old friendship, not to put it in execution,
but to wait and see whether I could not find in the city of
Naples a better race of monks, with whom I might associate
happily, and pass my future days in tranquillity. I also re
ceived letters to the same purpose, first from Cardinal Poli
dori, and afterward from Cardinal G amber ini, both friends
of mine, in which they urged me to delay my projected sec
ularization until I had assured myself that my repugnance
to remain in the order could not be overcome. Cardinal
Polidori informed me that such appeared to be the wish of
the pope, who seemed anxious, he said, that I should not act
upon the permission he had granted me till I found myself
absolutely obliged to do so.
The good Acton took a great interest in my behalf on this
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 249
occasion, writing to the Cardinal Archbishop of Naples and
to others, and also several times to the apostolic nuncio, now
Cardinal Feretti, who was equally kind in endeavoring to
persuade me to seek an asylum among the monks of Naples
after leaving those of Rome.
" Are you not of opinion, monsignore," said I to him, " that
these monks of Naples are birbanti (vagabonds) as well as
those of Rome?"
" Nay, I think they are worse," replied he. " But it is
precisely on that account that you ought to stay among them.
If we did not 4o all we could to keep a few good persons
among this class of gentry, we should have a community of
a character qualified to inspire us with fear, and to compro
mise us utterly. I believe the monks of Naples are more
ignorant and more turbulent than any others ; and I repeat,
it is for that very reason I request you to place yourself
among them, where you will be most useful, both through
your example and your teaching."
" But they will drive me to despair."
" In that case, then, you must leave them."
" But why, in the mean time, should I be made to endure
?uch a tribulation?"
"To do good ; to be useful to your brethren, for the glory
f God"
" "Well, be it so. I will consent to make the experiment,
ommending myself to Him."
In the mean while, the Dominican monks had had re
course to all their powers of persuasion to induce me to take
up my abode among them. Solicited on one side to enter
the monastery of St. Dominic, and on the other that of St.
Peter the Martyr, I chose the latter. The monks could
hardly show me civility enough in their demonstrations of
friendship and regard. They even declared me figlio di
quel convento ;* and though I declared I had no desire for
any situation beyond that of preacher or professor among
them, they forced upon me the office of vice-prior, and sub-
* " An adopted son of the monastery." A great mark of esteem and favor
among the Dominicans, including many separate privileges.
L 2
250 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
sequently that of prior itself; and if I had not vigorously
opposed the measure, they would even have elected me their
provincial.^
Behold me, then, once more domiciled among the monks ;
not, however, as one of their society, nor with the intention
of remaining permanently among them. They were not
aware that I had the pope s rescritto\ in my pocket, in virtue
of which I could turn my back upon them whenever I chose ;
and I must acknowledge, the idea that I could do so was a
source of great satisfaction to me ; it rendered me more tol
erant, and at the same time gave me couragfe to do my duty :
indeed, I accepted the priorate for no other reason than to
be better enabled to be of service to the community. I be
gan with looking into the state of their finances, and with
augmenting their income. But my principal endeavor was
to benefit their moral and religious condition, as far as I could
hope to do so among a set of people who had been educated
in principles diametrically opposed both to sound morality,
and pure and true religion. Nevertheless, the ascendency I
acquired over their minds, and the friendship they felt for
me, greatly seconded my views ; and, to say the truth, they
were far more docile than I had anticipated ; and if I had
been at liberty to carry out my system as I could have wish
ed, I do not doubt that I should have formed them into a
good and regular community.
But there were in other monasteries belonging to the same
order many despicable monks, who united in their own per
sons every vice that can be found in human nature. These
appeared to hate the faintest trace of honesty or virtue, and
were always ready to plot, to calumniate, and to stick at
nothing to promote their own interest. I frequently took oc
casion to reprove them, and threatened, more than once, to
make public their infamous proceedings, unless they thought
proper to desist from their practices. But all my remon
strances were in vain. At length I lost all patience : I
fought manfully against them for a long time, but the gen-
* The head of all the religious houses of the same order in the province,
t An answer to a petition.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 251
eral of the order, Ancarini, was on their side, and lent them
his powerful protection ; I therefore felt that I had nothing
more to do but to hold out to the end of my year of prior-
ate, and then to give in my rescritto to the proper officer,
which I accordingly did in the month of August, 1839, and
finally separated myself from the order.
A new epoch in my life now commenced. I had never
really been a monk, although I had lived so long among
them. I therefore gladly threw off my monk s dress, and
relinquished all the titles it had conferred on me except that
of Doctor of Theology, which, as one not belonging to the
order, I considered I had a perfect right to retain, it being
granted to persons who had acted as professor in certain
sciences for a determinate period, and subsequently gone
through an examination, both of which I had satisfactorily
done.
This degree is equally open to the laity as the clergy, on
the fulfillment of the necessary stipulations ; and, once con
ferred, can never be taken away, not even on account of
heresy, since it is a title not granted for a man s belief, but
for his ability. The obligation to teach is not made a pre
liminary condition, it is a subsequent duty ; and the doctrine
of the Roman Church is, that even if the doctors themselves
go into perdition, they still retain their degrees. I do not
feel proud pf the title as it was when I received it, but I
confess I do as it has been since my embracing the reformed
religion. In the first instance, all my labor was in favor of
Rome ; now my most strenuous endeavors are in opposition
to her doctrines. But even up to that time I had always
regarded myself as a doctor of the Holy Scriptures, and they,
and they only, have occasioned the change in the aspect of
my degree.
But how, it may here be asked, did I, on my seculariza
tion, get over the monastic vows which, it has been alleged,
I took ? I must inform my readers that it is the custom of
the Dominicans, contrary to the practice of all other monas
tic bodies, in their religious profession to make but one sin
gle vow, which is that of obedience. My profession, there-
252 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
fore, was nothing more than a promise to be obedient to the
superior of the order, and was couched in the following
terms : "I, Brother Giovanni Giacinto Achilli, promise obe
dience to God, to the most blessed Virgin Mary, to the Pa
triarch St. Dominic, and to you, most reverend Father Gen
eral of the Order of Preachers, according to the rules of St.
Augustine, and the constitution of the Order of Preachers."
Now it can not be urged against me that I promised more
than I expressed. Had I belonged to any other order, I
must have vowed three things : obedience, chastity, and pov
erty. The Dominicans require obedience only. Some the
ologians pretend that in this obedience every thing else is
included ; but this is neither legal nor philosophical. No
one is obliged to do more than he has promised, even when
the promise is valid and pleasing to God, which I do not con
sider to be the case with respect to the vows of the cloister.
But when I obtained my secularization, the pope, who can
do every thing, dispensed with my vow, and consequently
released me from obedience to the order of Dominicans.
The only condition was that I, as priest, should continue
subject to the bishop of the place I inhabited. I do not
mention this because I desire to justify myself in the sight
of Rome, for I consider that the vows of the monastic or
ders are impious in themselves, as being contrary to the laws
of nature, and in opposition to the eternal decr.ee of God ; I
only wish to state what at that time were my relations and
my. ties to that Church which I have now abandoned.
My relinquishing the Dominican order was the signal for
numerous desertions. Many of my friends were not slow to
follow my example ; among them I may mention two cel
ebrated men, the Rev. Father Talia and the Rev. Father
Borghetti, equally respected on account of their years and
their learning, as well as for their personal probity. Nei
ther will I conceal the name of another, for whom I had the
sincerest regard the Rev. Giovanni Martucci, who at that
period, although very young, was Professor of Natural Phi
losophy. These persons, disgusted, equally with myself, at
the falsehood with which they were surrounded, no sooner
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 253
saw me throw off the cloistral habit, than they likewise de
manded their rescript and quitted the Neapolitan brother
hood. The worthy old men wept for joy that the Lord had
graciously, before their death, liberated them from the so
ciety of the prevaricators.
I remember Father Talia, who was exceedingly esteemed
among the clergy of Naples, expressed himself in the fol
lowing terms before the cardinal archbishop :
" I do not believe that your eminence will suppose that I
am actuated by an overweening desire for liberty in eman
cipating myself from the order of these monks ; I would
rather persuade you that my doing so has been occasioned
by the pure love of truth and virtue, which the monks al
together refuse either to acknowledge or to practice. Your
eminence may say that I am an old man, and as such might
have been contented to finish the remainder of my days in
the cloister ; but I would observe that my spirit is not af
fected by age, and that before I terminate my earthly ca
reer, I, a man, though old in body, not in mind, would leave
behind me to the youth of the present generation an exam
ple of Christian courage, showing that when an institution
becomes corrupt, it is one s duty to abandon it, early or late,
as it may be ; for, as the homely proverb expresses it, Bet
ter late than never. "
To this the cardinal replied that he was willing to admit
that the good father had his own reasons for quitting the
Dominican habit ; that he could not suspect a man like him
to be actuated by light-mindedness ; and that his friendship
toward him would always remain the same. And the good
old man felt himself not a little comforted with these kind
assurances.
The monks, however, and more particularly those to whom
our desertion from the order was a bitter reproof, were by
no means humbled ; on the contrary, they were exceedingly
irritated at our proceedings, and set themselves to consider
how they could most persecute and injure us, in which in
tent they were greatly encouraged by the assistance they
derived from Rome I mean from the head of the order,
254 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
which, unfortunately, was at that time represented hy the
monk Angelo Ancarini, a man of the most dark and gloomy
character that ever disgraced humanity. His history might
all be told in these few words : he was, during forty-five
years, an inquisitor of the Holy Office.
We, meanwhile, united ourselves in stricter bonds of
friendship, mutually aiding each other, and defending our
selves, as well as we could, from the continual attacks of
our malicious adversaries, who never let a single day pass
without some effort to annoy us by their false and calumni
ous reports. We exhorted each other to patience and en
durance. Nevertheless, our dear friend Martucci, although
of a pacific disposition, and always ready to forgive, could
not forbear exclaiming, " Oh, these wretched monks ! never
was there seen a race so perverse and evil-minded as they
are !" And I likewise, who had proposed to myself to en
dure every thing with fortitude and resignation, could not at
all times bridle the indignation I felt at their malicious at
tacks.
The most infamous slanders were preferred against the
two good old men and the excellent Martucci ; for my own
part, I had less to complain of. It appeared that they had
a dread of my numerous friends, who always stood forward
in my defense. Still, in a crafty and insidious manner, as
is customary with the Jesuits, they endeavored to ensnare me
to my ruin. Indeed, I was informed that such was their in
tention. But, as I am naturally averse to think evil of any
one, I could not persuade myself of the truth of the allega
tion. I held the monks and the priests in so little esteem,
that I fancied, as I never troubled my head about them, they
also were very ready to forget me altogether.
I occupied a handsome house in the Toledo ; had two good
servants, plenty of books, such as were necessary in my gen
eral studies, and a small circle of most excellent friends, who
were in the habit of visiting me. I had in other places been
annoyed by idle visits from people I cared nothing about ; I
determined, therefore, to make myself a more rigid monk
now in my own house than I had ever been in the monas-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 255
tery. In the midst of my favorite pursuits, enrapt in the
most delightful contemplations, undisturbed by the continu
ous roar of the city^ without, while within an unbroken si
lence prevailed feeling that I was in the midst of the busy
world, but enjoying a pleasing solitude I was tranquil and
happy, as a man who rests after a wearisome labor, or a tired
warrior who tastes the blessing of peace. I sought after, I
wished for nothing more than peace and tranquillity of con
science ; and I may truly say I possessed it, since God gave
it to me ; but my invidious enemies sought to deprive me of
it. Oh, evil-minded men ! cease to persecute him who is
protected by the providence of God.
Affairs were in this state when I received a kind visit
from my uncle, Dr. Moncarini, of Viterbo, who, as he had a
great regard for me, was desirous to assure himself of my
well-being after my secession from the monks. He proposed
to me that I should return with him and settle at Viterbo,
where he assured me every one, from the bishop down to the
humblest laborer, would be glad to see me. But I had left
Rome with the resolution to remove myself as far as possible
from its walls ; even Naples was not sufficiently distant to
insure my deliverance from the machinations of the city that
I abhorred, and which had become my most bitter enemy.
I had often revolved in my mind the idea of abandoning
Naples, and even of quitting Italy altogether if an occasion
should present itself. But how could I hope to bring my
self to such a determination without the severest shock to
my feelings ? It appeared as if nothing short of absolute
necessity could impel me to desert my native country. As
yet, however, this necessity had not become evident to my
judgment. I imagined I could continue to enjoy my new
ly-awakened liberty of conscience in the secrecy of my own
breast ; whereas of this very liberty the natural consequences
were my emancipation from the cloister, my separation from
Rome, and my withdrawal from all that had hitherto formed
the duties of my ecclesiastical office !
* Every one who has been at Naples knows how incessant is the noise
and bustle of the Toledo.
256 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
Who was there that did not know that I had altogether
given up the practice of confessing, while the bishops still
continued to send me their diplomas for the performance of
that ceremony ? As to the Mass, I scarcely ever celebrated
it; and after several months neglect, I remember I said it
once, from the weak and unworthy motive, I blush to ac
knowledge, that it might not be supposed the bishop had for
bidden me to do so. My preaching, too, afforded the most
convincing proof that I was no longer in agreement with
Rome. How, then, could I continue such a system in the
Roman States or at Naples ? How could I hope to remain
unobserved, when so many eyes of monks and of priests were
upon me ?
I began to see how utterly impossible it was that my ref
ormation might, as I had fancied, take place without its be
ing publicly known, and consequently without its drawing
down upon my head all the hatred and the persecution of
Rome. I have since bitterly condemned this weakness in
myself, as being contrary to the Spirit that had enlightened
me. To a frank and open character, deceit is detestable ;
and I might have known that without deceit, without dis
guising the truth, neither by the Church nor by the govern
ment should I have been permitted to continue in the country.
Perhaps the idea of this reconciling of adverse principles,
or, in other words, of serving "two masters," arose in my
mind from seeing that many persons without any belief
whatever, without observing any of the forms of religion,
were permitted to live free and unmolested, not only in Na
ples, but even in Rome itself. In Naples there are priests
whose conversation is that of infidels, but who nevertheless
celebrate the Mass and hear confessions ; and many others
who, having abandoned the Mass and every ecclesiastical
rite, live with other men s wives, and openly declare their
unbelief. Nobody, however, takes any notice of them ; the
bishop does not consider it to be his duty, since, having left
the work of the ministry, they are in a certain degree inde
pendent of him ; and the government makes it a rule not to
interfere with priests unless they are charged with civil of-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 257
fenses, taking no cognizance of their morality, still less of
their faith. I therefore naturally concluded that I too should
be allowed to live quietly at Naples, provided I conducted
myself as a good citizen and professed the faith of a Chris
tian. The fact is, that if I had believed in nothing at all, I
should have given offense to no one ; if I had even adopt
ed the language of Voltaire, I should have merely raised a
laugh ; but in speaking the language of the Bible, I attacked
the priesthood, and incurred its hatred arid its persecution.
The case, I may say, is precisely the same at Rome, where
for heretics, that is to say, Protestants, there is the Inquisi
tion always ready ; but as for unbelievers and Atheists, so
long as they are obedient to the pope, and outwardly rever
ential toward the Church, they are rather favorites than
otherwise, and nothing stands in their way of receiving a
cardinal s hat. Well may Home be called by St. John "the
mother of abominations !"
It was a providential circumstance that I had occasion to
leave Naples, for a short time only, as I thought, on account
of some important business which called me to Rome in the
year 1841. I set off with the intention of returning at the
end of a fortnight ; but He who is my Master and my Guide
ordered otherwise : it was according to his good pleasure that
while I was on the point of leaving Rome to return to Na
ples, I was arrested by an invisible enemy, and that enemy
was the Inquisition. I look upon that event as one of the
most fortunate of my life ; if it had not befallen me, I should
certainly have returned to Naples, to the quiet comfort of a
private life and a peaceful home, enjoying a little world of
my own in the middle of a great city, and living solely for
myself.
But this was too mean and limited a sphere to satisfy me ;
I felt that I was not destined to live alone, intent only on
my own advantage, but to be useful to others, to contribute
to the wants of a people, and to lend my aid toward the sal
vation of a nation. I had an important mission to accom
plish ; I considered it was given to me by God. Was it in
the power of man to take it away ?
258 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
The poor monks, for so I call them now, also had their
mission, but it was one evidently opposed to the designs of
Providence, and without doubt was confided to them by the
source of all evil. I had, however, the satisfaction of coun
teracting their malice, not through my own strength, but
through the grace and goodness of God.
On hearing that the Inquisition had laid hold of me, these
wretched monks of Naples began to chant their hymn of
victory : " He who made war against us," said they, " is
fallen ; he who branded us with dishonor is fallen, to rise no
more. The Inquisition will root out from the earth the very
memory of his name."
Thus they rejoiced over my apprehension. Two or three
of them were in correspondence with the Holy Office, through
the General Ancarini, arid communicated whatever malice
came into their heads concerning me. But their accusa
tions were so palpably gross and untrue, that Ancarini him
self, skilled as he was in the art of fabricating a charge for
the Inquisition, could not make use of them. One of his let
ters relating to this business fell into the hands of a friend
of mine : it was to a certain Father Avezzana, a Domini
can, belonging to the Monastery del Vomero at Naples.
Among other passages were the following : "I fully believe
all you say, but it must be related in a different manner for
the cardinals to believe it You should endeavor, in
stating a fact, to state it so as to make it tell to have ef
fect : another time consult with Father de Luca and Father
Trevalini."
In May, 1848, when I came through Naples on my way
from Malta to London, and stopped there a few days, anoth
er friend showed me a letter from the same Ancarini, di
rected to a lady, evidently one of his devotees, since the let
ter began, " Carissima Figlia in Gesu Cristo," in which he
prayed her to use her influence with the Marquess Andrea,
minister del Culto, to compel certain persons to depose against
me, especially as to what occurred at the time of Lent, in
the Church of St. Giacomo, where the marquess himself, and
others of the ministry, frequently came to hear me. It ap-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 259
peared, however, that Andrea did not trouble himself about
the matter, if, indeed, the lady ever solicited him on the oc
casion. This letter my friend found between the leaves of a
book which belonged to an ex-Dominican nun of the Mont-
fort family.
I relate all this to show what kind of men these monks
are, and how they act in concert with the Inquisition. In
the conducting of my process, among the various documents
relating to my cause that I was enabled to get a sight of, I
saw many papers in their handwriting, and some in that of
Ancarini s secretary, Father Spada, a Sicilian, who, although
I do not believe him to be naturally a bad man, was capa
ble of going to any extreme in the way of his business, even
to the burning of heretics, if required by his patriarch, St.
Dominic, or by any one who might be considered his repre
sentative.
Among other papers produced by the monks, I saw a let
ter from my uncle Mencarini, written at Naples, while he
was staying in my house, addressed to the Bishop Scerra, at
Rome. In this letter, which was couched in the most friend
ly terms, he spoke of the base and unworthy conduct of An-
carini, and several others among the brotherhood, all of
whom he designated as instruments of the Inquisition ; and
he advised the bishop, as secretary to the Congregation of
Discipline, to put a stop to such proceedings, lest I should
be so far irritated by them as to make disclosures that might
cover them with confusion. It appears that this letter had
been intercepted at the office, and so had fallen into the
hands of Ancarini, who had it copied by his secretary ; for
I can not suppose that the bishop, who was so friendly to
ward my uncle and myself, would have had the weakness to
send it being strictly confidential to be copied for the use
of the Inquisition. If that were the case, I should be obliged
to class him with Ancarini himself, and with others, who, for
right or wrong, have sold themselves to the Inquisition.
Another circumstance is worth relating. The two prin
cipal agents in my accusation were Ancarini and Cardinal
Lambruschini.
260 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" We ought to burn this heretic alive," said Ancarini, at
one of the sittings of the Inquisition ; at another he was a
little more moderate, and only suggested my being sent to
the galleys for life. The cardinal asserted that I was not
only a heretic, but a conspirator as well. In a meeting of
cardinals at the Holy Office, this dreamer assured their emi
nences and the pope that he could bring proof that I was
a heretic in religion, a Free-mason, a Carbonari, a member
of a secret society, and I know not what besides.
Several of the cardinals, who were personally acquainted
with me, opposed his remarks ; but he was obstinate in his
assertions, declaring that he had papers in his possession,
and expected others from Naples, which would prove the
truth of what he advanced. It appears he was furnished
with the fabricated documents of the monks, instigated by
Ancarini, and expected to receive more of the same descrip
tion. But, above all, he hoped to gain possession of my
private papers, for which object he had directed the papal
nuncio at Naples to make a diligent search in my own house,
and to forward all that he could lay his hands upon to
Rome.
The nuncio could not refuse the secretary of state s order,
but he was obliged to act through the agency of the police,
which was refused when it was understood I was in the
hands of the Inquisition ; for the Neapolitans have the great
est horror of that establishment, and, to their honor, would
never allow of it among themselves, rising up in open revolt
every time the pope or the bishops endeavored to introduce
it. It is an interesting fact, that the minister of police re
fused the pope s nuncio permission to break into my private
dwelling, and possess himself of my papers. I have been
assured that he said to the nuncio, "I have no charge to
prefer against Signor Achilli ; he has lived in Naples quiet
ly, and in obedience to the laws, and has gained great credit
as a preacher. The police has had no reason to suspect him
of belonging to any secret society."
Cardinal Lambruschini made but a sorry figure before the
Inquisition after this event ; I fancy he was not very ready to
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 261
come forward any more with his papers and precious docu
ments.
I have frequently had occasion to observe how remark
ably all those who at that juncture sought to oppress and
calumniate me, have come to shame and confusion, without
any effort on my part toward hostility or revenge. God him
self has defeated and humbled them, and covered them with
infamy in the sight of mankind. Ancarini died loaded with
execrations. Lambruschini is still, for his greater punish
ment, among the living. Many others from Naples, and
other parts, who persecuted me, have been signally visited
with the chastisement of the Almighty. To Him be all
honor, glory, and praise. Amen.
CHAPTER XIII.
MY EXILE.
IT was in the month of September, 1842, that I found
myself beyond the walls of Rome, in the province of Sabina,
in a fine country, near Nazzano, in the neighborhood of
Mount Soracte. I had chosen this situation as a commo
dious one, and sufficiently distant from the capital to allow
me to arrange and settle my affairs previous to my final
departure from Italy.
And how bitter was the thought that I was about to leave
my native country ! Nevertheless, I saw that it was nec
essary for rny spiritual good I should do so, in order to fol
low with more advantage the path which had been assigned
to me by the will of the Lord. In no part of Italy had I
as yet been able to find a secure asylum, where I could hope
to be safe from the attacks of the pope, his monks, and his
Inquisition. Though I was set free from the prison of the
Holy Office for want of any definite charge being establish
ed against me, I was still under its strict surveillance. All
my proceedings were watched, all my words noted ; and I
262 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION,
was committed to the especial care of spies, bishops, and
similar agents of the government. I could not, therefore,
be considered as at liberty, although no longer within the
walls of a prison.
In the mean time, regardless of these annoyances, I con
tinued to speak without any disguise about my departure, of
my separation from Rome, of my renouncing the Church, and
of my voluntary exile. Indeed, before being released from the
Holy Office, I had altogether given up my connection with
the Church of Rome ; I had abdicated all right and privilege
of serving it, and consequently was exonerated from all its ob
ligations. I was desirous to avoid all future imputation as to
retaining any of its honors, its dignities, or its gifts, and there
fore I renounced them altogether. I knew that, according to
the faith of the Church, it might be imagined I must retain
the effect of the unction imparted to the priesthood by the im
position of hands. I revolved in my mind how I could best
free myself from this as well, and I saw no better method than
by altogether renouncing the doctrine, and publicly protesting
against it.
Before leaving this part of the country, I judged it expe
dient to apply to Rome for my passport ; not, indeed, so much
out of absolute necessity as from motives of convenience. My
letter was addressed to one of the officials of the Inquisition,
who called himself my friend. I received in reply an intima
tion that the cardinals were not aware of the necessity of my
request, which was as much as to say that, being clear from
all imputation, and entirely set at liberty, I was unquestion
ably free to go wherever I pleased. Some of the cardinals,
indeed, suggested that I had better return to Rome, in order
to make my peace with the Holy See. I received other let
ters, at the same time, full of dangerous flattery and enticing
offers the more dangerous as they were made by my dearest
friends, to whom it is always extremely difficult to reply in
the negative.
"Well," I exclaimed to myself, " I must be firm in my res
olution; the more I am pressed and solicited to remain, the
mere speedily shall my departure take place. As long as I
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 263
am met with reproaches and annoyances, I have nothing to
fear ; hut when the opposite measure of kindness and entreaty
is adopted, I am too weak to resist ; and I can not look for a
miracle in my favor if I needlessly expose myself to danger.
Onward, then, and let me depart, in the name of God."
But where ? In what part of the world should I seek an
asylum ? At Geneva ? or at Malta ? I at length determ
ined for the Ionian Islands. Previous to my departure, I called
upon all my friends in the neighborhood, and I wrote farewell
letters to others who were beyond my reach. I did not neg
lect to visit my relations ; and, having provided myself with
a servant, I set off for Ancona, stopping on the road occasion
ally in those towns where I chanced to find any of my ac
quaintance.
The Governor of Ancona, Monsignor Orfei (now Bishop of
Cesena), was an old friend of mine, consequently I did not
hide from him the reason of my leaving Italy, or the place I
had chosen for my retreat, which I had frequent occasion to
discuss with him during the fortnight I remained in the place.
I mention all this as a proof that I neither fled from my coun
try, nor sought in any way to conceal myself; and that my
going into exile was a matter of free choice, dictated by con
scientious motives, and nothing else.
I left Ancona on the 4th of October, and two days after
ward reached Corfu. I was fortunate enough to get included
in the passport of a family with which I traveled, without
any separate mention being made of my name ; this was a
necessary precaution, to insure me from molestation on the
road. But at Corfu I was on free ground, protected by the
laws, and under colors that owe no obedience to the pope.
Here, then, I blessed the Lord, and offered up my thanksgiv
ing to Him for having thus far preserved me from the jaws of
the lion, and from the hands of those who sought to ensnare
my soul. For the first time in my life I breathed the fresh
air of true liberty of that precious liberty of spirit which is
granted to the children of God. I sought for a minister of the
Holy Evangelists, and soon became acquainted with the Rev
erend John Lowndes, an independent minister, and secretary
264 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
co the Bible Society. I ran to him as a famished man would
co obtain bread ; I opened my whole mind to him ; I chose
him for my spiritual director ; and he has always proved him
self to be one of my best and most esteemed friends.
My stay at Corfu was marked by many events. The first
was a persecution emanating from Rome, clumsily enough con
ducted by two emissaries of the Inquisition the papal con
sul, and the curate of the Romish Church. The first of these
had the boldness to present himself before the lord high com
missioner of her Britannic majesty with a dispatch from Car
dinal Lambruschini demanding my expulsion, as having been
guilty of enormous crimes. Being asked, however, by the
consul, to state the nature of one at least of these pretended
crimes, he could not find in his pocket dictionary any term
suitable for his purpose. I was subsequently assured that the
secretary of the lord high commissioner reproved him for his
assurance. The second of these worthies contented himself
with speaking all manner of evil of me, whom he hardly knew
by sight. It appears that both of them had a miserable pit
tance allowed them, for which they amused themselves in in
venting and promulgating their abominable falsehoods. I
know that the director general of the police, Captain Lau
rence, twice summoned before him one of these detractors, a
Neapolitan tailor, and severely reprimanded him ; and I also
know that this tailor confessed he had been paid for his slan
ders.
Several of the Maltese, who constitute the most vile and
wretched part of the population of Corfu, had at one time
taken it into their heads to follow me in the streets with in
sulting and threatening words ; and when some of my friends,
who were more disgusted with it than I was myself, inquired
as to the reason of their doing so, they replied that the curate
had desired them. I might have called the curate to account
for this, had I been vindictively disposed ; but the case was
otherwise.
I must now say a few words upon a subject which per
haps may by some be deemed foreign to " my dealings with
Rome," but still it is in some degree connected, with the
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 265
principal facts of my history. And, at any rate, it will be a
page devoted to the memory of two dear friends, whose loss
I have not yet ceased to lament to Attilio and Emilio Ban-
diera, universally honored and deplored by all good men for
the sacrifice they made for their country.
These two noble, pure, generous, and high-minded youths
were compelled, in consequence of being betrayed, to resign
their commissions in the Italian-Austrian navy. They re
paired to Corfu at separate times, and, as I was already on
friendly terms with both of them, they requested me to allow
them to remain in my house and partake of my table. For
four months I had the pleasure of the society of Emilio, the
youngest of the brothers, and two months that of Attilio. It
is not my intention in this place to relate their history, since
it is already well known how, at the head of a few Italians,
they embarked from Corfu, and landed on the shores of Ca
labria, where, in a skirmish with the troops of the Bourbon
king, they were taken prisoners, and, under I know not what
barbarous laws, were, with seven others, put to death, their
only crime being a devoted love for their country.
Who among the virtuous and the brave has not mourned
their loss ? And who among them would not have consid
ered himself honored in their friendship ? None valued it
more than myself, who was regarded by them as a brother,
to whom they confided their parting injunctions, and who
was a minister of the church of which they had become
members, the Italian Church, opened in Corfu in March,
1844, with Emilio Bandiera at my side.
I have hitherto been silent before the public respecting
these young men, while others have spoken and written the
history of their fate. But my silence was solely occasioned
by knowing that the Jesuits and their followers, availing
themselves of the well-known fact of our intimacy, had
spread abroad the report that I was only interested in the
success of religious reform so far as it might lead to a po
litical one ; that for religion itself I had no respect what
ever, and only assumed the appearance of it to ingratiate
myself with the English, whose money and protection I cov-
M
266 DEALINGS WITH THE INGIUISITION.
eted ; and in proof of all this they brought forward my friend
ship and intimacy with the brothers Bandiera.
And here observe how far malice will lead men astray.
The Dublin Revieiv, in July, 1850, stigmatizes me to the
religious world as a mere political adventurer, while to the
political world it represents me as a religious enthusiast,
changeable, inconsiderate, and inexperienced, and an immoral
person, and a hypocrite to boot.
As to the Jesuits themselves, I care little about them or
their opinions, except as they influence the minds of other
people. Certain it is that, in consequence of their calumni
ous insinuations, the religious cause which I advocate, in the
face of my country and before the whole world, has in some
degree been impeded.
Before I was known, and had gained the confidence of my
good brethren in the faith, it was no doubt an unfavorable
circumstance in their eyes that I was so closely associated
with persons who appeared to have no other object in view
than political alterations. I confess I had not, at that time,
sufficient Christian fortitude to meet these insidious attacks,
and therefore felt it prudent to be silent with respect to my
beloved friends, the Bandiera, until I should have established
my religious reputation on a firm basis, and have acquired
the confidence of the public with respect to my mission.
Now, however, God be praised, I am so far advanced in the
general estimation of the Christian world, that I may speak
out, and reply, as is incumbent on me, to the calumnies with
which I have been assailed.
If I was so united, so closely united with the brothers Ban
diera, it was because religious reform was the most noble,
the most sublime idea in their minds, and because they felt
the necessity of destroying the abhorred papacy, and restoring
to their beloved country the ancient pure Christianity of our
fathers. On this head their language and their ideas, as
w r ell as their faith, were similar to my own. The only dif
ference between us was, that they had not themselves as yet
put their hands to the work, beyond confiding in Him who
knows how to bring it about by ways of His own.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 267
A reform in the Church is not to be effected by force of
arms, nor by clamor and sarcasms. Temperate argument,
and mild persuasion, and virtuous example, are the proper
means, and such as the Reformers of the sixteenth century
employed. The arguments, moreover, require to be based
upon the written Word, which, among all religious sects, is
preserved as a touchstone of truth. Now my young friends
had not the boldness to consider themselves sufficiently well
instructed in the Holy Word to enter into a theological dis
cussion with the people, or a controversy with the priests of
Rome. They were desirous of reform, and in the further
ance of it they were content that I should lead the way, de
claring themselves my followers. They had the hope that,
in various parts of Italy, conscientious priests might be found
capable of being reformed themselves, and afterward of con
ducing to the reformation of others. They had a great de
sire to see the Bible circulated ; we sent several copies of
the Diodate edition to friends at Venice, Trieste, Ancona, and
other places, and they themselves always carried about with
them one which I had formerly given them ; we had fre
quent conversations together respecting the meaning of dif
ferent passages ; and Attilio, especially, carefully wrote out
any particular view which might arise in our minds on our
perusal of them.
Emilio Bandiera, speaking to an Italian, who professed
that, for his own part, he cared nothing about religion, thus
expressed himself in my hearing :
"It is every man s duty to care about religion. He who
makes a boast that he has none at all is to be held in abhor
rence. I would never choose such a one as my friend much
less would I have a wife of such a character, or children, or
even servants. Do you imagine that any society could pos
sibly hold together, in the proper discharge of its mutual du
ties, without religion ? What would a political reform avail
you without it ?"
On another occasion, when one of his countrymen asserted
that, good or bad, he would never change his religion, Emilio
observed,
268 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" Your words are devoid of sense. If the religion you pro
fess be, in your estimation, good, keep it ; watch over and de
fend it ; if, on the other hand, it be not so good as you first
thought, by all means change it forthwith ; that is to say, get
rid of your present false notions, and take up those better
opinions which hitherto you have not had. It was so that
our ancestors did, whether Gentiles or Jews ; as soon as they
perceived that their religion was no longer good, in obedi
ence to the dictates of their conscience they adopted Chris
tianity, which appeared to them the only true one."
Both the brothers had a high regard for truth in its pure
and simple form. I will here quote a passage from the note
book of Attilio : " The most important truth must, of neces
sity, be religious truth : it is present with us at all periods of
our life, and is connected with all our necessities. The in
fluence of religion is universal, and I believe that whoever
has the folly to endeavor to escape it, is nevertheless pursued
by it, in spite of himself. Every individual in society who is
irreligious has to endure a greater struggle than he is aware
of, and the more obstinate he tries to be, the more he has to
endure."
blessed spirits ! without doubt you were visited with
heavenly consolation at the extreme moment of your separa
tion from this miserable life. You believed in the words of
our glorious Redeemer ; you confessed yourself sinners be
fore Him, since every living soul is such in His sight. But
in the eyes of men ye were justified. It was neither inter
est nor ambition that led you into the midst of danger, but a
disinterested love for your country and your fellow-men. He
who judges of the merit of an enterprise by its success, may
say that your prudence was at fault in undertaking it ; but
I am of a different opinion. I assert that you were in polit
ical matters what John Huss and Jerome of Prague were
in those of religion, the precursors and the first martyrs.
May the Lord bestow His blessing on your labors, by blessing
also the labors of those who may follow in your steps !
The two brothers left Corfu with twenty followers. Above
a hundred Italians remained in the Ionian Islands, all equally
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION. 269
acquainted with what was going on, and in which all were
interested. No opposition was made to their project of form
ing armed bands upon the mountains which traverse Italy,
the chain of the Apennines beginning in Calabria, in order
to strengthen the revolution which had become necessary
for the country. The two Bandiera, Marro, Ricciotti, and
Nardi, with a few others, were the first who offered them
selves for the enterprise ; and, accordingly, they set out to
join the forces that were already on the mountains, expect
ing their arrival. A single night would have been sufficient
to take them there, as the mountains extended to the sea
shore. But, unfortunately, three days were lost among the
inhabited parts, and this delay was fatal to them.
Thus it was that they fell into the hands of the enemy ;
not by private treachery, as has been falsely and malignant
ly represented. What treachery could there be where there
was no secrecy ? Their intentions and their expedition were
known from the first to every body, and twice they had an
encounter with the king s troops. Yet would it be believed
that the desire to calumniate and injure me has pushed the
writer of the article I have already alluded to, in the Dub
lin Review, so far as to make him dare to assert that I,
their friend, their counselor, their bosom-refuge in their hour
of trouble I it was who tempted these valorous brothers
into the battle-field, and procured their capture and their
death, in order that I might possess myself of their effects !
Had I been capable of harboring the thought of such an
enormous crime toward any one, toward them I could have
no motive for doing so, since they arrived at Corfu in so des
titute a condition that they were actually obliged to part
with the few articles of dress they could spare in order to
supply themselves with the requisites for their expedition ;
this they stated in a letter to Mazzini shortly before they
left Corfu, which letter he published in his memoirs of them.
When my friends set out for Calabria, I also took my de
parture from Corfu to settle at Zante. It was understood
between us that I should undertake in that place, where I
could be free from interruption, a work connected with the
270 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
religious reform of Italy, and it was settled that I should
there receive communications and instructions from them as
to my future proceedings.
My exile was not similar to that of other emigrants who
were left in peace by all parties. I had never given cause
of offense to my government in political matters, but I had
done so with respect to its religion. I had not designated
the king as a knave, but I had stigmatized the pope as an
impostor : it would have been a small matter for me to un
mask the character of a man who has always been a slave
to ambition and self-interest. I rather chose the task of
disclosing to the world the presumptuous iniquity of one who
calls himself holy and infallible, as God himself; the spir
itual father of all men ; the Lord over all believers ; placed
above all ; with the power to save and to destroy ; to open
heaven, and to close the gates of hell. Such a center of
blasphemy, such an exalted idol, I resolved to combat and
overthrow ; I felt an enmity toward this enemy of God, this
falsifier of holy truth, this opposer of every moral and civil
improvement : I determined to wage such an incessant war
fare against him that he should finally be obliged to suc
cumb, and while life remains to me I will continue so to
do. Let the Jesuits, the Inquisition, the priests, and all their
spies combine their efforts against me. I heed them not,
neither do I fear them, however numerous they may be.
The power of hell has no influence over those who are com
missioned to preach the kingdom of heaven. Against them,
as it is written, " the gates of hell shall not prevail."
CHAPTER, XIV.
THE ITALIAN CHURCH.
WHEN I left Rome, and threw myself as an exile into the
Ionian Islands, I confess I had not at first a clear idea of
the task that Providence had assigned me. Still I felt as
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 271
if I was destined for some high purpose. I acknowledged
the hand that was guiding me through new ways and un
known paths, and in my humble prayers to the Lord I re
peated the words of the prophet : " Speak, Lord, for thy
servant heareth."^
Often did I meditate on the designs of Providence. But
how can man comprehend the ways of God ? It was with
me as with the great German reformer Luther ; he felt
that he was in the hands of the Lord ; he felt the necessity
of obeying the voice which called on him to reform the
Church ; and he was obedient, without knowing what he
performed. I, too, obeyed a divine call when I separated
myself from Rome, and, renouncing her honors and her dig
nities, quitted Italy for a foreign land, where I knew not
what awaited me from the hand of the Lord : I only knew
that I was ready to execute His will.
And it was His will, I doubt not, that a work should be
commenced, which will be the most important, the most il
lustrious of all the events of the present age the religious
reformation of Italy, the establishment of a new church, to
be called the Italian Church, founded on the ancient doc
trines of Christianity, with its original form of worship, and
with no other novelty than the adoption of the language
common to the country. For three centuries has there been
a struggle for religious reform in Italy, which has occasion
ed the sacrifice of so many noble victims, burned by the In
quisition of Rome, drowned in the lagoons of Venice, and
hungered, poisoned, or strangled in the prisons of Naples, of
Tuscany, of Piedmont, and of Lombardy.f
The popes, the true tyrants of their country, have uni
formly endeavored with all their might to arrest its prog
ress ; and they had the power so far to destroy it as to cut
the tree down to the earth, leaving only the trunk and its
green roots under the soil. This reform, so necessary for
the people, and so desired by all good men, now appears as
* 1 Sam., iii., 9.
t Vide M Crie s "History of the Reformation in Italy;" Bird s " Sketch,"
&c.
272 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
the dawn of a brighter day than has ever yet arisen upon
my beloved country. It derives not its name from men, but
from the Divine Founder of our belief, and is consequently
only known under the denomination of Christian Reform ;
and as being more particularly connected with Italy, and
as the language of worship ought to be exclusively that of
the country, so the Church which is to be the result has re
ceived the title of the Italian Church.
The reformation that we advocate and preach is not
founded on novelty. "We profess no other belief than what
the Holy Scriptures distinctly and directly authorize, and
we repudiate all that in later ages has been added by men.
Our worship, therefore, goes back to the practice of prim
itive Christianity, pure, simple, and spiritual ; adapted to
the requirements and the devotion of the faithful ; not bound
by laws to any particular form, but varying according to
the necessities of times, places, and persons. Our doctrine
is in agreement with the Bible, and our forms are similar
to those of the Reformed Evangelical Church. The slight
difference that may exist between ourselves and the mem
bers of other reformed churches does not prevent us from
hailing them as brethren. Moreover, as we profess to de
rive our origin from no one principal founder, and render
thanks to God for having through His grace enabled us to
reform ourselves, we are willing to extend our sympathy to
ward all our Christian brethren, whatever may be their de
nomination. We even hope that our Church will be distin
guished by a greater spirit of conciliation than is perhaps to
be found in others. Each of us will be enrolled in the Evan
gelical Alliance, and will preach the doctrines of union and
concord faith, charity, and good works.
Whether we shall adopt the Episcopalian or the Presby
terian form of government, I can not as yet say. To tell the
truth, I am not at present greatly interested about the ques
tion, since I consider it altogether a secondary one. It will
greatly depend on the bishops of the Latin Church in Italy.
If they receive and promote our views, it is probable that
they may, like the bishops of England, be received by the
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 273
general body of the Reformers ; otherwise they will be done
away with, as is the case in Scotland, Switzerland, and oth
er countries , we shall have pastors in their stead, and among
them some will be appointed, as presidents, to offices of
greater authority. I am inclined to believe that the change
of name will be sufficient to induce the reform. The word
bishop is of Greek origin, and would be better rendered by
the word moderator, inspector, or superintendent, which would
at once get rid of the idle notion of the reformed bishops re
specting the apostolic succession, and all its presumed rights
and privileges. I maintain the absolute necessity of a com
plete and thorough reform of what is degraded and abused.
As to any thing further, I am, for my own part, indifferent
about it.
The Italian Church must be built on the ruins of the Latin
Church, which is already an anachronism. The Church of
Christ must arise from the destruction of the Church of the
Popes, which has become a blasphemy and an impiety. I
do not believe it possible for the Church of the Priests to be
reformed : it must be destroyed, as it is written in the 1 8th
chapter of the Revelations. It is the people of this Church
that will be reformed, and it is precisely the object that I
myself and a few others are endeavoring to effect.
The religious reformation of Italy, at the time I am now
writing, in the month of December, 1850, has already made
no inconsiderable progress ; and, except for the interference
of an Inquisition, similar to that which existed in the time
of Pius IY. and Pius V., it is impossible, humanly speaking,
for it to be checked or destroyed.
Undoubtedly, in some parts of Italy it is yet concealed, in
asmuch as it is denounced by the present government, and
may be said to exist, as was the case with the Church her
self, in early times, among the catacombs.
We have seen, with our own eyes, the Bible itself perse
cuted not only in Rome, but in Tuscany also. A scandalous
process was instituted against a printer for having published
the New Testament according to the faithful version of Dio-
date, at a period, too, when the liberty of the press was pre-
M 2
274 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
tended to be unrestrained. In Piedmont and Genoa the peo
ple are more fortunate, since the Bible is allowed to circulate
in those parts ; and our brethren the Waldenses, since they
have obtained their civil freedom, have also had their relig
ious liberty granted them. But in all other parts of Italy the
^Jews are better off than we are. They are allowed to assem
ble together and to open their temples to the public ; they can
educate their children in their own faith, and they are not sub
ject to the pains and penalties of the Romish Church. The
Jews are at least tolerated in Rome, but we are not. Still we
have our secret meetings, even in Rome, with a prison staring
us in the face ; we read our Bibles, and meditate on their con
tents, and we converse with each other on the essentials of sal
vation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the true faith, as
revealed in His Holy Word ; and to these vital points we ad
join all that is necessary for Christian doctrine, at the same
time confuting the errors of the Church of the Middle Ages.
And what our brethren are personally engaged upon in Italy,
we, who are banished on that very same account, are cany-
ing on in other countries. The day will assuredly come when
we shall be reunited, and publicly return thanks to God for
having associated us in the same faith, and saved us through
the same hopes. And this day, we trust, is not far distant.
Eight years have now passed away since I first put my
hand to this great work, and it has never, during all that time,
ceased to go forward. As a minister of the Gospel, a servant
of the Church, I called on my brethren to arise from their
slumbers, and witness the brilliant light that was visible in
the horizon. I called upon them to break the bonds with
which they had hitherto been fettered ; and, with the Bible
in my hand, I endeavored to enlighten their eyes and con
vert their souls.
Could I hope the day would arrive when I might myself
behold the salvation of my country, I would ask of the Lord
that I might then depart in peace from this life, singing the
song of Simeon,^ and hoping for the benediction of the Al
mighty.
* Luke, ii., 29.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 275
I have been accused as a man of extravagant desires, of
overweening ambition. I do not deny it. My desire is, that
the people of Italy should be no longer the slaves of the priest
hood, at once the prey and the laughing-stock of the Jesuit ;
that they should worship God, and not bow down before a
wafer, a painted canvas, sculptured brass, or wood, or stone ;
that this beloved people should be taught to believe in tlie
revelation of God, and not in the false inventions of the priests.
These and similar desires have possessed my mind, and led
me to implore their fulfillment from the Lord. And as to
my ambition, it is to be foremost in this good work, and to
teach others to labor effectively, through the grace of God,
in the same holy cause.
My preaching in the Italian Church, as I have already
stated, began about eight years ago, and I have been contin
ually occupied in carrying it forward. From Corfu to Zante,
and from thence to Malta, where, in the midst of opposition,
not only from my enemies, but also from my weaker breth
ren, I established my church.
It was contrary to the opinion and advice of many that I
went to this latter place.
" Reflect," they wrote to me, " on the ignorance and bar
barity of the people ; consider that they are much more sub
ject to their priests and their monks than they are to their
English rulers, and that they will wage an incessant war
fare against you. You will endanger your own safety, and
run the risk of injuring your cause ; you will also endanger
us, who are powerless to afford you assistance."
I received this letter in Cephaloriia at the moment I was
setting out for Malta, and it came from one whom above all
others I had expected to labor with me in the vineyard of
the Lord. The letter was displeasing to me ; and in the
panic fear with which the writer appeared to be possessed,
I clearly saw the suggestions and instigations of that evil
one, of that adversary the devil, who, as St. Peter says, " as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may de
vour,"* and who now sought to devour my works.
* 1 Peter, v., 8.
276 DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION.
At this time, too, in order to impede my progress, a Mal
tese journal, notorious for its bad and abusive character,
thought fit to publish several articles against me. In one
of them, written by a Portuguese, probably connected with
some foreign policy, after stating that I was come among
the Maltese to convert them to Protestantism, it was pro
posed to the people to welcome me with a chiarivari of
cudgels, stones, and other offensive missiles. This man had
previously met me at Zante, when he told me he was him
self a Protestant, and wished me all manner of success.
Another writer, who I believe had been an English cler
gyman, but who, on account of his misdeeds, had lost his sit
uation, asserted that I was well paid for what I was doing
by the Bishop of Gibraltar, and that I was nothing more
than an agent, if not a zealot, for my own private interest.
I had met him a short time before in Cephalonia, where he
inhabited the same house with myself, and he also, with
many friendly protestations, encouraged me in my views.
In a third article I was roundly accused of political in
tentions ; of having led on the two brothers Bandiera to
their destruction, and of being an impostor and a hypocrite ;
and the public was accordingly called upon to treat me as
I deserved. The writer of this third tirade was a miserable
Italian, of whose character the less that is said the better ;
I congratulate myself on never having exchanged a word
with him.
These three articles appeared either the day before or the
very same day that I arrived at Malta, and instead of being
discouraged or alarmed at their threats, I boldly advanced
before my enemies, defied their malice, and provoked their
indignation still further by publishing my writings and open
ing the Italian Church. These proceedings silenced the re
ports against me ; the fears that were entertained of me
gradually faded away ; there was no longer any occasion to
dread a public disturbance on account of the Italian Church ;
on the contrary, it began to meet with encouragement when
it was seen that it was frequented by some of the most re
spectable inhabitants of the place. Our congregation began
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 277
to assume an air of stability. Others were associated with
myself in the ministry, and it was my intention to consult
them on all matters of importance. In this way I proceed
ed to compose the Liturgy,* prepare a collection of hymns, f
and make other arrangements, so that in the event of my
absence the work of God might still go on.
The Rev. M. A. Camilleri, a Maltese and a Roman Cath
olic priest, a worthy and excellent person, was the first to
associate himself with me. He invited me to his own house,
and set about making preparation for the establishment of
our chapel. He conducted a religious journal, entitled " The
Indicator," which subsequently became the organ of the
Italian Church. It was not long before we were joined by
a young barefoot Carmelite friar, called Father Antonio, but
whose real name was Pietro Leonini Pignotti, a Roman.
He had been for some years at Malta, among the friars of
his order, and used frequently to engage in conversation with
us on spiritual matters. I admired him for the sincerity
and openness of his character, and expected much from the
zeal and affection he displayed for the religious reformation
of our country. Leonini was followed by Saccares, who was
sent to me from the Bishop of Gibraltar. He also was a
young friar of the Capuchin order, from the Roman States,
and renounced his obedience to the Church of Rome in order
to join us.
In this manner our small family increased in number, and
I foresaw that it would continue to do so. My letters from
Italy spoke of many persons who were desirous to associate
themselves with us ; among others, my old pupil in theology,
whom I had always esteemed, and augured well of his fu
ture destiny, Father Luigi de Santis, a Roman by birth, and
curate at the Maddalena in Rome. He wrote to me in the
most affectionate style, and it was with great pleasure I
communicated the contents of his letter to my friends, who,
* " Form of Divine Service in the Italian Church in Malta." Malta : 1847.
Printed by Vassali.
t " Psalms and Hymns for the Italian Church in Malta." 1848. Printed
by Vassali.
278 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
together with myself, could not but admire how the Lord
chose out of Rome herself the men that were to combat
against her.
All this confirmed me more and more in the opinion that
the very " set time" was come when a religious reaction was
about to take place in Italy against the Church of the Priests,
and that it was conformable to the will of God. Another
idea now entered my mind, to connect a college of mission
aries with our Italian Church in Malta, from which we
might send forth our new preachers throughout Italy. This,
however, did not take effect ; for it is written, " My ways
are not your ways, neither are your w r ays my ways."
I had already communicated my project to several of my
friends ; I now spoke of it to Dr. Gobat, the bishop of Jeru
salem, who was passing through Malta, and several meet
ings were held 011 the occasion. It was settled that my plan
should be proposed to the Malta College Committee in Lon
don. Accordingly, in the month of May, 1847, I set out for
this capital, in order to arrange as to the best mode of car
rying the plan into execution.
The committee appeared to be pleased with my idea, and
to be willing to follow it out. It was proposed to unite my
college to their own, and to call it the Theological Branch
of the College of St. Julian at Malta, which was to be
placed under my direction, with the understanding that in
all important matters I should communicate with the prin
cipal.
I have no doubt that the committee of the Malta College
were sincere in their offer to grant me this support. The
readiness with which they entered into my views, their ap
probation, and the promises they made me, were sufficient
to make me believe that the hand of Providence was in the
affair. I was not, indeed, acquainted with all the members
of the committee some of them were not present but the
few objections that were raised were overruled by a major
ity of votes in my favor.
Every thing was well arranged ; one thing alone was
wanted, and that was money, which some people deem the
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 279
most essential of all things ; for my own part, I have never
given it the first place in my consideration, having always
hitherto found it supplied by the good providence of God
when it was most needed.
In the present instance, however, this very necessary ar
ticle was required, not only for my theological branch, but
also for the college itself, or, rather, for the school for the
youths. The mode of procuring it was to be by calling
meetings ; and for this purpose I made a tour, accompanied
by a secretary belonging to the committee, through the prin
cipal towns in England, holding these meetings at various
places, which afforded a large amount in donations and sub
scriptions.
It is almost incredible, the sympathy which many persons
evinced for this missionary college. My name, the story of
my conversion, my protest in my letters to the pope, the
Italian Church, all afforded abundant interest to those who
saw that a reformation had already commenced in Italy
through a religious movement at Rome.
My brethren in the cause were immediately summoned to
the spot destined for the Theological College. To Leonini
and Saccares were added De Santis, and also Cerioni, of Tesi,
in the Roman States, who had lately come from Alexandria,
where he had been secretary to the Bishop of Cairo. A fifth
came from Smyrna, an Armenian priest named Giovanni
Keosse, who stated that he had escaped, through the assist
ance of a bishop, and under the protection of the Austrian
embassador, from the clutches of the Roman Inquisition,
which had laid hold of him at Constantinople. I can not
tell how it happened that this Keosse, on his arrival at Mal
ta, was placed by the principal of the college among my
people. I should have been willing enough to have receiv
ed him if he had brought any recommendations with him ;
but he came in a furtive sort of manner, and the reports I
received concerning him were by no means to his advantage,
BO that I began to suspect some evil design on his part ; and,
in fact, he soon showed himself in his proper colors.
A bundle of papers arrived at Malta one day directed to
280 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
the committee ; they were anonymous, and contained vile,
and, at the same time, ridiculous charges against Leonini
and Saccares. I was informed that Keosse was the author
of these slanders ; the Armenian, received from motives of
kindness, was already a traitor who stabbed in the dark.
I needed no further proofs of his baseness to give him to un
derstand that he must forthwith take his departure ; he then
thought fit throw off the mask ; he was an agent for the op
posite party.
" I think," said one of my friends to him, " you need not
wait the coming of Dr. Achilli ; he has declared that if you
can not prove the truth of your accusations, he will without
ceremony turn you out of the house."
In fact, finding himself discovered, the Armenian did not
think proper to wait my return : he departed, saying he
could live no longer where such disorder was going on.
I arrived at Malta in December of the same year. The
accusations against the two priests were proved to be false,
and Keosse was declared to be a calumniator ; I therefore
caused a sitting to be held before the two authorities of the
college, the principal and the vice-principal, Keosse being
present, and at this sitting he was prohibited from all in
terference with my theological branch. I imagined that he
would also be expelled from the other departments, but he
had more favor and protection than I anticipated ; he re
ceived money to sustain his charges, and to endeavor to
substantiate them ; and, at the same time, through the in
terest of some of the officials, he obtained the situation of
professor of the Turkish language ; so that, although I dis
missed him, another brought him back ; I closed one door
against him, the principal opened another for his readmit-
tance.
Five months of vexation, opposition, and annoyance suc
ceeded. It was in vain that I complained and protested.
This Keosse was employed as a tool to separate me from the
Malta College, to make me close the missionary depart
ment, and to lose all the ground I had previously gained.
Nay, what was the worst of all, he had the art to induce
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION. 281
some English clergymen, and others who called themselves
Protestants, to oppose themselves to my proceedings.
I have been rather diffuse on this head, as it relates to
the history of the Italian Church. Keosse himself, after
having accomplished his mission the college being de
stroyed, and myself compromised in the estimation of those
who were not acquainted with the business after having
awakened discord, inseminated scandal, turned Protestant
ism into derision, and elated the Jesuits with their victory,
now turned his back on the Malta Protestant College, and
repaired to Rome to receive the reward of his labors : doubt
less he will be made a bishop.
We see, then, that the Italian Church can already boast
of persecution in the treatment of her promoters, who have
been oppressed and calumniated, and betrayed by false breth
ren. And this very circumstance may be adduced as evi
dence of its divine origin, since the early Christian Church
was equally afflicted and unfortunate. Indeed, such trials
are promised to all the followers of Christ. Let us thank
God that we have been accounted worthy to suffer for the
truth.
And yet the Italian Church of Malta was beautiful in
promise ! The college was her seminary, but she herself
was free and independent. My first agreement with the
committee was couched in the following terms :
" If the college and the theological branch are under the
patronage of the Bishop of Gibraltar, do not on that account
imagine that my church will also be subject to him. I shall
consider it my duty to be equally courteous to him as to your
selves ; but neither in one nor the other do I recognize the
head or ruler of our Church. Furthermore I declare, that
my companions, as well as myself, not being members of
the Anglican Church, we purpose to be in communion with
all Christian reformed churches whatever, beginning with
your own."
These were my very words on accepting my office and
uniting myself to their body. And, in accordance with these
sentiments, I may add, that we have occasionally enjoyed
282 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
communion with the Episcopal Anglican Church, and also
with the Scotch Presbyterians; and at our own church, on
the Thursday before Easter in 1848, we had the satisfaction
of partaking of the holy communion with Christian minis
ters and members of many denominations.
The Italian Church disclaims the spirit of sectarianism,
and fraternizes with every other church that lives in the pu
rity of the Christian faith ; she abhors the spirit of intoler
ance and exclusiveness. She desires to be catholic in the
true and original sense of the word.
The Italian Church I had established at Malta augured
well, not only for the place itself, but for the whole continent
of Italy, and for the island of Sicily also. I do not think it
possible for the Anglican Church to prosper in Malta. All
the efforts that have been made to that effect, for the last
forty-eight years, have proved to the contrary. The English
language is not adapted for a people who have received the
language of Italy through tradition, from the Knights of
Malta, and from its commercial relation with Sicily and the
Levant, whose merchants carry on their traffic in Italian.
Besides, it is to be noted that the people have no sympathy
with the religion of their rulers, especially in these times,
when they are on bad terms with their governors. Ireland
is a speaking example of the truth of this remark. If re
form be at all possible in Malta, it must be of Italian origin,
and the Italian language must be employed both for teach
ing and for worship.
My esteemed friend Camilleri, who exclusively devotes
himself to the service of his native place, is at length con
vinced of this fact, and joins me in the work I am under
taking.
It may be urged that the Maltese have a language of
their own, but it is neither studied nor cultivated, and is
little esteemed ; it is entirely confined to the lower orders,
and is a spoken, not a written language : the Italian, on the
other hand, is the language of the educated classes. I have
always advanced these arguments to those who sought to
ameliorate the religious condition of this people. I have dis-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 283
countenanced the translating into the Maltese language ei
ther the New Testament or the English Liturgy, as has been
done by the Bishop of Gibraltar, since whoever in that coun
try desires to read, chooses the Italian language, which is
preferred to all others ; and it is on this account that none
but an Italian Church can hope to supersede the Latin one,
and that only after a long, laborious effort. Provided the
Italian Church were established in Malta, it would greatly
tend to its extension in Sicily, since the place is much resort
ed to by the Sicilians both for business and pleasure, and
lately, indeed, by unfortunate refugees. During the whole
time that our church was open, many worthy Sicilians fre
quented it in preference to any other, and each of these, on
returning home, carried with him at least his Bible, with the
Christian C atechism, which we gave away on the occasion.
All is now over, through a jealousy the most foolish, the
most incoherent I ever heard of. Weak men suffered them
selves to be deceived and overcome, and after having made
their first false step, had the folly to persist in and vindicate
their error. I witnessed the fall of a church which yet was
" built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. "* I had
to lament over the destruction of the little work we effected
in the Lord s vineyard, and the dispersion of the laborers.
Oh, how many tears have I shed over the destruction of our
infant Church ! God alone knows what I have done to raise
and preserve it. Those who, to their eternal disgrace, have
occasioned this evil, will doubtless meet with due punish
ment. At any rate, I have the consolation of being free from
remorse.
These reverses, nevertheless, served to instruct us with re
spect to the future. I, in particular, had occasion to ac
quaint myself with many things that I had not known be
fore, and to undeceive myself with respect to many others.
I had it in contemplation to commence my work with an ap
peal to the priests of the Romish Church. Their conversion
would naturally have led to that of the laity. I argued
* Ephes., ii., 20.
284 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
with myself that if I could gain over to the Gospel of Christ
the present ministers of the Romish Church, and separate
them from the pope s bulls, the people would assuredly fol
low their example ; that the conversion of the ministers could
not be a very difficult matter, since, as they are all more or
less read in the Holy Scriptures, I could call their attention
to them, and make it evident how widely papistry is sepa
rated from early Christianity. " The Bible will be the touch
stone," I said, " to which I can refer the two doctrines, Chris
tian and papist. The Bible itself will decide the question."
My reasoning was just, and I have found by experience
that whenever a priest has consented to undergo the trial,
he has finally been obliged to yield, and has acknowledged
me to be the victor. The same success has attended my
writings ; Cerioni has frequently assured me that some ar
ticles of mine in the " Indicator" led him to examine the
question, and that the consequence was his abandoning the
Romish Church ; and the same was asserted by two other
members of the Theological College, besides many others.
The same success more particularly occurred in Rome. Many
declared themselves willing to abide by the testimony of the
Bible ; but, as sure as they came to argue the matter, so
sure was I to gain the victory. I shall not relate here how
many of the priests, seeing that from the authority of the
Scriptures the falsity of the Romish doctrines was made
manifest, ended by concluding that the Bible was no better
authority than the bulls of the popes or the decrees of the
councils. I wish to confine myself more particularly to the
mention of those who, impressed with the authenticity of
the Holy Word, and convinced that the principles of Chris
tianity can not disagree with its teaching, drew the natural
consequence, in sincerity and good faith, that Popery is not
Christianity.
It may be asked, "What advantage do I gain in converting
a priest from the Church of Rome ? I answer, I gain a
friend, an associate, who, if I desired it, would be ready, for
his own part, to nominate me his bishop. If I was an am
bitious man, I could assume an authority over most of these
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 285
whom I have thus won over to the truth I could become
their head, and establish a church which should be called
after my name, and so add another to the numerous sects
which already divide the Christian world. But there is no
danger that this will take place. I have invariably reject
ed the idea, whenever it has been suggested to me, as un
worthy of a minister of the Gospel. Priests above all people
are naturally inclined to sectarianism ; they are accustomed
to regard the Church as of higher importance than the Bible ;
according to them, religion is not the work of God alone,
but of God and man together. Hence it is that the priest
hood, in every Christian sect, is that which divides, opposes,
denounces, and excommunicates. It is through the priest
hood that we have schisms, and we shall continue to have
them so long as in the Church of Christ the believer is not
placed before the minister, the spirit before the form, grace
and faith before outward rites and observances.
The Roman priests, more than any others, naturally fall
into this error, being desirous, even in their reform, to pre
serve their old customs. But there is another obstacle of no
less importance the priest has been accustomed to live, as
they term it, by the altar. We know it is written, " The
laborer is worthy of his hire ;" and Jesus Christ himself
quotes the old saying, " Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that
treadeth out the corn." It therefore is clear that every min
ister, of whatever sect he may be, who duly works, has a
right to be provided for. But this, which is a sound doc
trine, becomes nevertheless objectionable when it is made a
dominant principle, the axle on which the wheel turns. The
minister who serves the Gospel is maintained by those to
whom he dispenses its truths, but he is not equally to be so
maintained on the sole ground of his priestly office when he
is unemployed.
It is a difficult matter to drive this idea from the heads
of the priests and monks of the Romish Church, the major
part of whom are accustomed to an idle life, setting aside
the laborious duty of saying Mass ; so that even when they
leave their ancient creed from motives of conscience and
286 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
clear conviction, their first inquiry is how they are to live.
Hence it follows that many of them are kept in their alle
giance to Rome, because they fear they shall die of hunger
if they desert her. Others, on the contrary, deceived by false
statements, forsake the Church of Rome, and throw them
selves boldly into any reform whatever, under the vain hope
of finding the means of becoming rich in so doing. The first
err through too great timidity, and the second through too
great rashness. Both the one and the other are very little
serviceable to the cause. I have had experience with both
kinds with those who, before joining me, looked for an
agreement on my part that I should always be at the ex
pense of their maintenance, and with others who unreserv
edly associated themselves with me under the idea that I
should, with a liberal hand, supply them with all the money
they wanted.
On the contrary, I have been poor ever since I left the
Church of Rome ; still, I never solicited aid from any other
than God alone. I admit, however, that His goodness never
failed me. I have labored hard to gain my living, but have
never eaten the bread of idleness ; and I have sometimes,
through my own exertions, been able to provide for the ne
cessities of my brethren. I have never regretted the priva
tions I have had to undergo ; I have even frequently con
cealed them, in order not to be burdensome to others. My
companions have seen all this, and can bear witness how I
have confided my necessities to the care of the Divine Prov
idence, and how often it has happened that some one has
spontaneously come forward to our relief at the moment we
most required it, and through the agency of man we have
been fed by the hand of G-od.
But the priest who leaves the Church of Rome persuaded
of the truth, but not converted by it, is always in search of
" what he shall eat, what he shall drink, and wherewithal
he shall be clothed," and is unhappy and desponding if he
"be not supplied according to what he thinks necessary.
The idea of providing for these priests, and the great dif
ficulty of finding the means of doing so, has, in fact, hitherto
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 287
prevented me from calling them to me. I had had a sad
experience on the subject when I associated myself with
those at Malta. As long as they were well fed, peace and
harmony prevailed ; but the very day our means failed, they
rebelled against me, with the exception of one or two, and
turned out ungrateful, unthankful, and altogether unworthy.
This lesson, among others, has taught me that in my work
of reform I must not seek the aid of priests. They would
be nothing but a burden and a trouble to me. It is not they
who constitute a reform, but the believers ; and among the
believers I have always observed that the priests do not hold
the first place, if by the word believer is to be understood a
man endued with faith and religious zeal. I hope our Ital
ian Church will institute good laws with respect to its min
isters ; in the mean time, I shall get my operations forward,
without again associating myself too closely with any of the
priests who may be converted. I shall exhort them to work
as I do, and gain their own bread.
St. Paul " labored with his own hands ;" and why should
not a priest who has not much to do in his ministry employ
his leisure time in some civil or literary employment ? I
even indulge the hope that we may at last return to the old
practice in this matter, when the priests did not form a caste,
but were merely the heads of the families that were the
most respected, and chosen by the people, on account of their
wisdom or piety, to the office of minister or elder.
The inconveniences to which we are now subject in Italy,
through the priests, warn us in time as to what arrange
ments we ought to make respecting them. It is certain
that as to exalt Christ we must abase the pope, so to raise
the spirit of Christianity we must combat the idolatry of
mere forms ; and that to purify religion, which has become
corrupted by priests, we must in every possible way make
war against every thing that comes under the head of priest
craft.
t
288 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
CHAPTER XV.
MY MISSION.
MEDITATING on the events that had taken place at Malta,
I was compelled to acknowledge that the method which I
had deemed the hest to evangelize Italy, viz., a missionary
college, was not the way that Providence had appointed.
In fact, instead of proving an advantage, it turned out to
be a complete ohstacle to my success, and gave occasion to
so much scandal that at length I began thoroughly to be dis
gusted with it.
I moreover felt a conviction that the mission which I had
confided to others would be carried out better by one per
son alone ; at least, that I ought at all events to begin it
by myself. Having entertained this idea, and becoming
more and more satisfied of its propriety, the next considera
tion was, where and in what manner my mission should take
place.
It was about the end of the year 1848, while I was still
in London, doubtful whether or not I should return to Italy,
when another thought came into my mind as to the expe
diency of my first making a voyage to the United States.
In the midst of this uncertainty, the news arrived that Pope
Pius IX. had fled from Rome. This intelligence, which to
some occasioned so much affliction and grief, and to others
equal joy and satisfaction, particularly struck me, not so
much as a matter of surprise and wonder, but as involving
in it the most important consequences.
" So," I exclaimed within myself, "the pope has fled from
Rome has abandoned the government of his states ! The
constitutional pope has lost his kingdom, he has fallen from
his assumed eminence. He is no longer popular ; the Ro
mans have ceased to love or to esteem him ! he has given
them frequent cause of offense, and on the 16th of Novem-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 289
ber he completed his work of provocation. The Romans
are not to be despised their anger is terrible : in the same
degree that they formerly loved, they now abhor the pon
tiff ! I see hirn dethroned ! He has fled, only to work
greater evil ; his flight is to betray his people ! But he will
never return ! Woe to him if he should attempt it !"
These ideas continued to haunt my mind ; I carefully ex
amined and weighed them over, and discerned a connection
between a political event which was known to every body,
and a religious one which was apparent to myself alone.
The times were serious ; they occasioned me to fall into a
profound meditation, and led me to offer up more fervent
prayers to the Lord.
I went about consulting my friends, and, among others,
one that I hold in the highest esteem and regard, Sir Cull
ing Eardley Eardley. I passed a day with him at his seat,
Belvedere, near Erith. We were both silent some minutes,
considering whether it would be prudent for me to go to
Rome.
"Oh ! yes," I exclaimed at last, "the present is the very
moment when it would be best for me to go among my
brethren, in my native land, to speak of Him who is the
first-born among many brethren. (Romans, viii., 29.) The
hour is propitious, and I hope not to lose it ; the utmost of
my desire is, that the door should be opened for me to enter."
" But do you not think," suggested Sir Culling, " that
your life might be endangered ? You know how incensed
those priests are against you ! If they lay hold of you "
" Oh ! fear them not ; I do not believe that they have now
any longer the means to injure me. The pope has already
lost all moral power in Rome, and he will soon lose his
physical power also. Whatever happens, I believe I shall
be protected by the Almighty ; He has protected me hith
erto, and will doubtless continue to do so, more especially
when I am exposed to danger in His service.
" Are you of opinion that your presence in Rome will be
useful to the cause of the G-ospel ? and that the Romans, in
the midst of their present political struggle, will find time
N
290 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
to turn their attention to matters of religion ? Do you sup
pose that now, when every one is vociferating for civil lib
erty, they would listen with complacency to a person who
should talk to them of religious liberty, of spiritual liberty,
of the liberty of the children of God ?"
"Without a doubt I do ; I understand the Roman char
acter better than any one, and I feel confident that, even in
the midst of their political agitation, they would be interest
ed in religious concerns ; and the more so when they were
made to understand that the religion which their priests had
taught them was a false one. Among the numerous doc
trines that their Church professes, several are not Relieved
by many persons ; but it is through instinct and natural good
sense that they refuse to accept them, and not from having
proved them to be false. No one has hitherto been allowed
to instruct the people, or to give them any books that treat
of religious subjects in their proper point of view ; and more
especially is it forbidden to put the Bible into their hands.
Now what would happen if the Romans heard one of their
fellow-citizens speaking to them the language of truth, in
opposition to the teaching of the priests ? speaking it with
the Bible in his hand ; and that Bible, moreover, in their
mother tongue ; and handed over to them, that they might
read it themselves, and teach their children to do so, and by
it to reform both their faith and morals ? Yes ! my Romans
would be delighted at the present juncture to listen to what
they have so often desired to hear, and what no one has
hitherto been allowed to explain to them, I am perfectly
aware that zeal ought to be guided by prudence ; I shall
therefore not go and declaim abroad, in the piazzas, but shall
rather endeavor to find my way into the houses ; and, be
fore I hold forth in public, I shall commune with individuals
in private. I shall, in fact, make what is called a personal
appeal. It was so that the primitive Church was formed
by its Divine Head. The Lord, then, shall be my guide in
all that I do."
"Well, then," observed my friend, after a pause, "in or
der to obtain that guidance, it must be the subject of prayer."
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 291
Upon which we both knelt down, and as the Spirit dictated,
I besought the Lord to guide us in our proposed work, ac
cording as seemed best to His gracious pleasure. My friend
also preferred his supplication, that the desire which influ
enced our minds, and the love which inspired our hearts to
convey the truths of the Gospel to our brethren, might be
graciously strengthened by His Divine assistance ; that the
doors might be opened, and the paths prepared to facilitate
our undertaking.
We both derived comfort from our prayers, and we felt it
to be the will of Heaven that I should go to Rome. I made
some further remarks on the subject, and particularly that
I considered it to be a providential circumstance that I was
not impeded by any engagement with the Malta College, but
was free in every respect. I remarked, too, that my mission
was not from men, but from God alone, and, consequently,
that I depended solely on Him, to whom all obedience and
glory is due.
These were not, however, the only supplications that were
at that time offered up in behalf of my success. I requested
of my brethren of the Evangelical Alliance the benefit of
their prayers also, that I might be directed by the Lord in
my difficult task ; and I know they were fervently made, so
that I felt myself sufficiently encouraged, and was full of
ardor to commence my work.
In the mean while the news from Rome became more and
more important, since after the flight of the pope, and after
he had refused to receive the embassy from the Senate and
the people, who solicited his return, the public feeling against
the papal court every day continued to increase, as well as
their dislike to whatever savored of the priesthood. Every
one delivered his free opinion on passing events ; the Roman
journals were loud in their denunciations : every thing prog
nosticated the destruction of the papal government, and with
it that the Church, that hypocritical Church, would cease
to torment the people, and thus the greatest obstacle to their
liberty would be removed.
I set out from London on the 8th of January, 1849. I
292 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
passed through France, recommending the true welfare of
Italy to the prayers of our brethren. I took the road through
Genoa and Tuscany. The defeat of Charles Albert had
thrown a gloom over men s minds ; they deplored the sacri
fice of so many noble youths in the plains of Lombardy, with
out any advantage to their country. Nevertheless, the grief
they experienced in nowise diminished their courage, or less
ened their ardor to engage afresh in their glorious attempt
to drive the Austrian out of the land, and liberate the coun
try from a foreign yoke.
I, as a good citizen, felt a lively interest in every thing that
was going on, and participated in the hopes and fears of these
good people. I often entered into political discussions with
them, but it was always with the purpose of introducing re
ligious remarks, which gradually gave a tone to our whole
conversation without their being themselves aware of it. I
had some pocket Bibles and Testaments with me, and occa
sionally produced one, to give a text in the original words ;
it generally happened that others also were desirous of look
ing into the book, and it ended in presenting them with a
At Leghorn I supplied myself with a large quantity of
Italian Bibles, which I carried with me to Rome. As at the
time of my landing at Civita Vecchia the pontifical govern
ment still nominally existed, the officers of the custom-house,
before they allowed me to set off for the capital, were de
sirous to inspect my books.
" Two cases of books !" exclaimed they.
" Well," said I to them, " I will tell you what the cases
contain. They are all copies of one single book, and which
book I maintain it is not necessary to subject to inspection.
To whom, pray, would you submit it for that purpose ? To
the head of the Inquisition ? Understand, then, that the
book which I take to Rome is the Bible the true Bible. Do
you suppose that the Bible would be objected to by the In
quisition ?"
"If it be actually the true Bible," returned one of the
officers, " I should say it would not."
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 293
" But if it be not the true one ?" suggested another.
"I can assure you it is," I rejoined ; "you may, indeed,
yourselves readily imagine that an ardent lover of his coun
try, as I am, would never introduce a false Bible into Rome."
"Can we see this Bible ?" asked a third.
"Without doubt," I replied; and, opening one of the
cases, I handed four Bibles to them, which was one a piece ;
" will you allow me, gentlemen, to present each of you with
a copy ? it will serve as a remembrance."
Great was the satisfaction of the whole party on the un
expected acquisition. They could not sufficiently admire
the present, and thank me for it. I had myself already in
wardly returned thanks to God, who had granted me to en
ter into my native country under such favorable auspices.
I arrived at Rome on the evening of the 2d of February.
The coach stopped as usual at the Porta Cavalleggeri, under
the lofty walls of the Inquisition.^ I raised my eyes to sur
vey the massive boundary that was erected to shut out the
Holy Office from the profane gaze of the passer-by. Alas !
what horrors have been enacted within its circuit ! What
direful prisons exist around the grand hall of the tribunal !
some immediately under the roof of the building, exposed to
the suffocating heat of summer, which renders them almost
as close and unendurable as a furnace ; others, which are ex
cessively cold in the winter, are on the basement, and into
them the water niters from the adjacent grounds, and occa
sions a perpetual humidity. The dungeons are deep under
ground, like burial vaults, and in the middle of them is a
cemetery for the bodies of such as have been put to death
within the walls. These wretched places have only been
discovered recently, and were laid open to the inspection of
the people during the time of the Republic.
In the midst of the court-yard rises the vast edifice where
the cardinals meet at stated periods (besides their weekly
sittings at the Minerva), and the counselors every Monday
prepare the decisions. In the same building are the grand
* These walls were thrown down during the Republic, so that at present
the Inquisition can be seen on every side.
294 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
archive chamber, over the door of which is written " Scorn-
municato e chi entra" the chancery, the secretary s office,
and the secret printing-office ; the various apartments for
the different offices attached to the establishment, as well as
for the servants, the officials, and the jailers ; the places of
punishment also, where in former times the unfortunates un
der accusation were tortured in various ways, by the cord,
by fire, by boiling water, and other atrocious inventions,
which it would be too painful to describe.
These places now present a different aspect, and appear
to be appropriated to other purposes, so that it might hardly
be discovered that they had originally served for chambers
of torture, were it not that here and there an iron ring affix
ed to the wall, and other indications of that sort, afford too
sure evidence as to their former uses.
This little description has arisen in my mind on having
occasion to speak of the locality ; as I have before said, all
was concealed at that time behind lofty walls, but I was well
acquainted with the precincts. I remembered my own im
prisonment, when, more than for myself, I grieved for so
many other victims sacrificed in that abode by superstition,
by fanaticism, and not unfrequently by private vengeance.
In the midst of these melancholy recollections, I felt grate
ful that I was permitted to revisit my beloved country, to
which I was returning, not from any motives of earthly in
terest, but from a sincere love for higher and heavenly con
siderations. I was not the bearer of gold or of other worldly
treasure, but of a treasure infinitely more valuable. I felt a
pride in entering into Rome laden with Bibles ; and it ap
peared to me as a dream that I was permitted to do so, with
out any one presuming to interfere with me. I subsequently
ordered another package to be forwarded, not only to myself,
but also to other brethren, who were associated with me in
the same good work. In the mean while, an extensive edi
tion of Diodati s New Testament was published at Rome.
The Bible, therefore, it might now be said, had entered and
taken peaceable possession of the city, and was distributed
among the people.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 295
I had always admired the Roman people, so ready to re
ceive the truth when it was pointed out to them. Whoever
asserts that they are a prejudiced race, does not sufficiently
reflect on their shackled condition ; it is to their teachers we
must look.
The Romans are papists through necessity, since they are
never permitted to listen to any others than their popish
priests, or to open a book which is not of papistic tendency.
To be judged candidly, they should first receive, as other na
tions do, a liberal education. I am convinced that their nat
ural good sense is such, that if the truths of Christianity were
once fairly laid before them, they would accept them readily.
Still it is not the work of a moment, and a fit time is re
quired to unfold them.
It is not to be questioned that the first half of the year
1849 was for Rome a time of liberty, but it was also a time
of agitation. A new order of things engaged the attention
of all classes ; and the minds of all ranks of persons were in
a state of commotion, and divided between hope and fear.
The subject of all their conversation, the primary object of
all their thoughts, were public affairs, political measures, and
the existence of civil rights. Threatened on all sides from
the earliest period, they knew that without a special Provi
dence their republic could not continue to exist ; in such a
precarious state of affairs, then, the majority dared not com
promise themselves with the priests, certain of a reaction
from the papal government on the first opportunity. They
were aware that of all the dangers they had to dread, the
most fatal one was to be suspected of heretical tendencies.
In Rome, the Bible itself is heresy, as the priests assert it
is from it that all heresy proceeds. Therefore, a man who
studies it is suspected of doing so in order to find a pretext
to separate himself from the Romish Church, so general is
the idea that the sacred Scriptures and the papal Church
are not in agreement. The suspicion is increased if the ver
sion consulted be one of those that are prohibited in Rome.
Among all the Italian translations, the most odious and most
proscribed is the famous one of Diodati, which that learned
296 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
and holy man brought out in Geneva about the end of the
sixteenth century. Admirable as it is, and the most correct
according to the Hebrew and the Greek, its text might serve
as a standard for others. A few years ago this Bible was
scarcely known in Italy, even by name, and in order to ob
tain a copy, it was necessary to apply to some Englishman,
who could himself only introduce it secretly ; and woe to
him in whose possession it was afterward found !
What now were the grand fears respecting this book ?
That whoever read it was certain to have his mind alien
ated from the Church of Rome. A higher eulogium could
scarcely be bestowed upon it. Its extraordinary fidelity and
extreme perspicuity, notwithstanding the difficulty of render
ing perfectly one language into another, will always render
it a work of the greatest use.
In distributing this Bible, I was accustomed to dwell on
its value to those who were not already acquainted with it,
and also to explain the mode of reading so as to understand
it. The chief rule is that the Bible can never contradict
itself : obscure passages should be explained by others more
clear. " The Bible explains the Bible," is the canon of St.
Augustine. It is not true that the fathers are necessary to
interpret it ; they may sometimes be useful, but more fre
quently they do harm, since every one has a different system.
The Church of Rome orders the study of the fathers in
preference to that of the Scriptures ; and this she does be
cause in the diversity of their opinions the reader becomes
bewildered, and is obliged to have recourse to her for ex
planation. The grand maxim of the Church, that no pri
vate man can be a judge of the Holy Scriptures, is true in
one sense ; no private individual can impose his own under
standing of the Holy Word upon another person, it being re
vealed to every one for his own especial good. He may,
for the edification of others, reveal the fruits of his own ex
perience, but no man can be the spiritual master over an
other. We have one only spiritual master, and that is our
Lord Jesus Christ. This observation applies to all persons,
even to the pope himself, who, if he be a sincere believer
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 297
and an intellectual man, may comprehend the Word of God
as any other sincere believer and intellectual man, whether
priest or layman, may comprehend it ; if, on the contrary,
he is ignorant and stupid, he is not better than any other
person of the same description. The privileges of the popes
are as unfounded as their pretensions.
Among intelligent people and there are such in the
Church of Rome one of the chief objections against study
ing the Scriptures is an idea of their wanting perspicuity.
I was asked by one person how it was possible for him to
understand so obscure a work. " Why not ?" I asked him;
" are not you as good a judge as the pope ? Nay, if you
are a believer, and he is not, you are. in that case a better
judge than he can be."
" But to understand the Scriptures in a proper manner, it
is necessary to read the fathers !"
" And who has told you so ? Doubtless persons who wish
to discourage you, since it requires no little resolution to un
dertake the reading of the fathers, a series of more than forty
volumes in folio ! ! No, no, read your Bible, and never trouble
your head about the fathers."
Every day I was thus occupied in conversing about the
Scriptures. At first I sought out for persons to introduce
the subject to : in a little time I was myself sought out by
them. My house became a general rendezvous, and it fre
quently happened that from morning till night I had not a
moment to myself, so many persons were calling on me ei
ther to ask for Bibles or to discourse with me on what they
had already been reading. Many whom I had never seen
before came and introduced themselves to me, requesting a
Bible, and several repeated to me the very topics I had ar
gued with others, which showed me how widely the truth
might be spread through mutual communication. I had at
that time but few of the female sex among my converts, but
I have since been informed that many have received the
truth through their husbands, their fathers, or their brothers.
Besides the Bible I circulated a few tracts which I had
written expressly for the purpose ; and I also availed my-
N 2
298 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
self of those I had published at Malta, and in Tuscany,
through the medium of friends. The most acceptable of
all these was that " On the benefit resulting from the death
of Christ," by Aonio Paleario, published at Sienna in 1543.
This valuable little book, which treats expressly on our just
ification by faith, and is, in my opinion, the best explana
tion of the two epistles of Paul to the Romans and the Ga-
latians that I have yet seen, was so vigorously sought out
and destroyed by the Romish Church, that of fifty thousand
copies that were printed during the author s lifetime, it
would scarcely be possible at the present moment to find
even a single copy in existence ; and I myself owe the resto
ration of it to accidentally discovering an old translation of
it in English, in my first visit to London in 1847, which I
retranslated into the original Italian. The author was
burned by the Inquisition on account of this work, along
with the renowned Pietro Carnesecchi, a most learned and
pious prelate ; and Cardinal Moroni, after a wearisome im
prisonment, narrowly escaped a similar fate. His offense,
as well as Carnesecchi s, was having put this little treatise
of Paleario s into circulation.
Two extensive editions of my translation were published
in Florence, and of these I distributed many copies among
my friends in Rome.
The experience I had gained in these matters taught me
that the present moment was a favorable one to sow, to
plant, and to graft ; and we had to hope that our labors
would be visited and nourished by the sun and the rain
from heaven. We are, indeed, assured that when the seed
is thrown into good ground, in the vineyard of Christ, it not
only takes root and flourishes, but also bears fruit. It is
true that the wild boar of the forest has since entered in,
and with his savage tusks rooted up, wasted, and destroyed ;
but a portion of the seed yet remains in the ground, and in
due time, with the blessing of heaven, will not fail to bring
forth good fruit.
It was my constant endeavor to avail myself of every op
portunity to lead the conversation to religious subjects : not
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 299
a day passed without making some progress, and in all places
I kept my object in view. Sometimes a discussion took place
in a friend s house, and frequently in shops and other places
of business ; and as it is customary with us for the most re
spectable people to frequent cafes, both morning and even
ing, I did not neglect to visit them likewise, in the hope of
meeting in them some to whom my discourse might be ac
ceptable. Neither was I alone in this idea ; the few good
and faithful friends who labored in the same cause acted as
I did, and gave a tone to the conversation in these places,
as well as in the clubs and other places of public resort.
Sometimes, when we had got a few persons together, we
repaired to one of the halls of the Campidoglio, or to the
ruins of the Coliseum. In the latter place we had on one
occasion a very interesting meeting. It was on a fine after
noon in May, and the French army, outside the walls, were
carrying on their barbarous and most unjust siege. I had
many friends in Rome at the time, who had come up from
the provinces, and were desirous to hear about our reform ;
I therefore appointed them to meet me at the Coliseum ;
several Romans also were of the party, and altogether we
formed a numerous body. I opened the Bible, and began
to read to them the first verse of the fifth chapter of the
Epistle to the Romans, explaining to them the signification
of the expression of being justified through faith. I then
proceeded to read the first verse of the eighth chapter of
the same epistle, and commented on the meaning of the
words "to be in Christ Jesus." I next inquired of a boy
who was present if he could repeat to me the Ten Com
mandments, which when he did as he had learned them from
his priest, I took occasion to show that, according to the
Church of Rome, instead of ten commandments there were
only nine, since the second, as it is given in the twentieth
chapter of Exodus and the fifth of Deuteronomy, was want
ing. It is impossible to describe the amazement of my hear
ers on discovering this deceit on the part of their Church,
against which they did not fail to exclaim in no very meas
ured terms. It was toward evening, and we were seated
300 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
among these celebrated ruins ; the moon was rising, and be
gan to shed her yellow rays upon the broken arches around ;
the scene was picturesque and impressive ; and while our
breasts were saddened by the contemplation of these remains
of Roman grandeur, our souls were still more oppressed by
the thought of the desolation that had fallen on Christianity
itself.
One of my favorite resorts was the Circolo Popolare.
Those persons who take it into their heads to calumniate the
Romans on every occasion, designate this assembly as a dem
ocratic club, expressly organized, riot merely to uphold the
Roman Revolution, but to sow discord and disorder in soci
ety, anarchy in the government, and to effect the complete
demoralization of the people ; and in support of their asser
tion they cite the evil that was effected by the popular clubs
in France. I, who was in Rome all this time, and took no
part in the government, nor held any office under it ; I, who
am also a Roman, and one who holds in the highest esteem
principles of order, moderation, and justice I can declare
what the Circolo Popolare really was. It was a club where
citizens of every rank and condition met together, to pro
mote by their united counsel and operation the liberty and
national independence of their country. It was founded in
the time when moderation prevailed, and Pio Nono favored
the cause of liberalism, and put himself at the head of the
people ; and he was supported by intelligent and just men,
actuated by sincere patriotism, and free from self-interested
motives. I was myself a member, as was the Count Ma-
miani, the Abbe Gioberti, the Marquess Savorelli, and many
more, whose characters were sufficient to stamp respectabil
ity upon any place they frequented. The rooms were open
every evening, and there were always a number of persons
present to read the journals, to talk over the news, and not
unfrequently to discuss political affairs, either legislative or
financial.
In war time, the conversation turned on the position of
the enemy, on our own fortifications and means of defense.
In the midst of these discussions there arose the cheering
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 301
thought of the protection of the Almighty, the acknowledg
ment of His good providence in our prosperity, and a sense
of His justice in times of adversity. The consideration of
these points was more particularly assigned to myself. I
was the messenger of "good tidings from Zion" always
good to such as are willing to receive them. My ministry
took a new form a new character : I was a Christian citi
zen, and under that title I was acceptable to all classes, and
the more so as I was not suspected of looking out for prose
lytes, my style of conversation having nothing dogmatical in
it. Indeed, I entered the more readily into political mat
ters, since I rendered them subservient to the cause of relig
ion. Pio Nono was my type of popery ; the betrayer of his
people, the bombarder of Rome, of Bologna, and of Ancona,
as he was, he yet was not in my estimation the worst of
popes : from every one of them, I asserted, the same treat
ment must have been expected in similar circumstances. It
was not so much the pope as the system that was to be ab
horred, accursed, and sent back to the infernal world, from
which it originally came.
The city of Rome owes its present state of desolation to
the popes : it is they who have made it what it is. The
desert between the Coliseum and the Church of St. John
Lateran is a record of Gregory VII., the paramour of the
Countess Matilda : the ruins of the Borgo, sometimes called
the city Leonia, recalls the treachery of Clement VII. , the
bastard of Medici, who, from recent investigations, has been
suspected of himself bringing in the army of Bourbon, and
authorizing the sacking of Rome, with all the horrors related
in the history of that period. The popes, to raise palaces for
their so-called nephews, and to erect their churches, have
destroyed the finest and most interesting monuments. And
to what cause is to be attributed the scarcity of inhabitants
in this city, which at one time in itself alone contained dou
ble the number of the present inhabitants of the whole
of the Papal States ? To the policy of the popes, who, to
shine the more conspicuously in insulated stillness, like a
will-o -the-wisp in a fog, have always desired a city of the
302 DEALINGS WITH THE INC1UISIT1ON.
dead, surrounded by a desert campagna. The system, there
fore, is to be attacked, and not so much those who are at the
head of it. They die, but the system is always living ; and,
consequently, men fitting for its service are never wanting.
If I had been pope, it is probable I should have been no bet
ter than Gregory VII., or Clement VII., or Pio Nono. I know
that if some of the Italians had Pio Nono in their power, they
would handle him very roughly ; I, on the contrary, would
not harm a hair of his head. I would, however, take care
to place him where he should no more have it in his power
to injure society. But what others would do to him person
ally, I would do to the office to his pretended spiritual au
thority, and to his ostentatious, nay, blasphemous dignity. I
would have the papacy itself judged by the rational and re
ligious in civilized society, and by them condemned to the
ignominious death it deserves.
In this manner I was accustomed to deliver my sentiments
on such topics as were presented by the occurrences of the
day. Generally our political discussions terminated in re
ligious reflections, as it was natural they should do. At that
time all classes of the people felt what an insult, what an
outrage it was on humanity, to have their city besieged in
the manner it was by a base enemy, and still more base bom
bardment.
One day, as I was walking along the Corso, a bomb-shell
fell in the Piazza Colonna : " Ha !" exclaimed a Roman,
" here is a gift from Pio Nono." " Yes," I observed, "it is
a Bull that he sends us from Gaeta." This remark was
mightily approved of, and the idea was so generally taken
up, that the bomb-shell, for a whole fortnight, was kicked
about the streets of Rome under the title of the Pope s Bull.
Afterward, drawings and engravings were handed about, rep
resenting the bomb-shells that were showered upon Rome,
with the following words inscribed upon them : Pio Nono
to his beloved children, health and apostolic benediction.
Pope Pius the Ninth, in lasting memorial of the event.
Pius the bishop, the servant of the servants of God.
Unquestionably the pope could not have succeeded better
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 303
than lie has done, had he studied the means ever so deeply,
in removing from the minds of the people all respect for the
papacy, and in exposing more completely its imposture, than
by besieging and bombarding Rome, and the other two prin
cipal cities of his dominions. He never reflected that the
altered state of the times would occasion a result exactly op
posite to that which he anticipated. In fact, he has abso
lutely lost all that he intended to regain. The mere depri
vation of his temporal dignity would have been a far less mis
fortune to him ; he would then have preserved his spiritual
power. Now, however, he has forfeited them both. How
much longer, we may ask, will he, or any one in his place,
retain possession of the government of the Roman States, now
that all trust and all veneration for the papal dignity is for
ever done away with ?
These reflections often came into my mind the short time
that Rome was a republic, and they were strengthened when
I afterward saw the city taken possession of by French sol
diers, and the old abhorred government once more imposed
upon the citizens. It would be a difficult matter to render
any people so subservient, and most of all the Romans, as to
submit long to a government merely effected by force ; it can
only be upheld by France and Austria so long as their bay
onets are at hand to support it ; and these bayonets are wield
ed by C atholics ! Is not this the last proof that was want
ing to show that Romanism is opposed to Christianity, which
never has recourse to weapons of destruction. Who can love
a religion that is obliged to seek the aid of arms ? that, to
return to the place from which it has been driven, calls in
foreign troops, selects deadly artillery, lays siege, batters
down the walls, and showers into the town shells, grenades,
rockets, and other projectiles, to slaughter, and to destroy,
and to commit every ravage in order to replant a standard
which at once displays and disgraces the sign of the cross ?
At our Circolo, religion and politics were brought side by
side the throne of the popes by the Cross of Christ. One
evening a member arose and addressed the assembly as fol
lows:
304 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" I think we are wrong in continuing any outward show
of respect for the religion our priests lay down to us, which
is, in fact, no religion at all, though they seem to think that,
like Midas in the fahle, who had the power of turning every
thing he touched into gold, so whatever they lay their hands
upon must of necessity become holy, sacred, and divine.
Until just now we had the Apostolic custom-house and the
Apostolic coat of arms ! Did the apostles, then, collect cus
toms in their kingdom ? or had they their coats of arms, their
sumptuous carriages, and their richly-caparisoned horses ?"
" St. Peter," observed another, " made it his boast that
silver or gold had he none. "
" But what," said I, " has the pope to do with St. Peter?
I maintain that he never was in Rome at all. Even if he
had been, there is no reason why the pope should call him
self his successor."
" What," inquired another, " have you good argument to
show that St. Peter never was in Rome ?"
Hereupon I brought forward the strong reasons that exist
against the supposition, and the still greater absurdity of
the assertion that he occupied the pontifical throne for twen
ty-five years.
" At any rate," I added, " even granting that he had
been here, that circumstance could not possibly have invest
ed the Romish bishops with any right or privilege, since
they themselves have never ventured any attempt to prove
that he bequeathed to them the right of succession at his
death."
Another evening we had a long conversation on the sub
ject of the Savior and His Gospel, when one of our number,
who had been listening with much attention, demanding a
hearing,
"Let it not surprise you, brother citizens," said he, " that
I, who am as deeply interested in public matters as your
selves, now make a proposition which may seem to be alto
gether a private matter, an affair between God and man.
Is not this hall sacred to the rights of the citizens ? and
have we not these rights from God ? Every time that we
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 305
meet here in the service of our country, this hall becomes a
temple in which the Deity presides. In destroying the gov
ernment of the priests, and in depriving the pope of his au
thority, we have most certainly no intention to offer any of
fense either to religion or to God ; we assert unequivocally
that the religion we are desirous to profess is not one of hu
man councils or of vain traditions, and we are not disposed
to admit that the pope is God. Nay, so far are we from
imagining that we have outraged the Deity in deposing the
pope, that, to undeceive all those who may have entertained
such a notion, I propose that our Circolo Popolare, instead
of remaining under the auspices of Pio Nono, should be placed
under the immediate protection of God. To which end, I
move that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died for our
salvation, should be declared the only Head and Lord of the
Circolo Popolare, and that his statue should be placed here
accordingly."
" Let it be so," exclaimed several voices ; " we agree to it."
It was necessary, before the proposition could be carried,
that it should have a certain number of signatures, and I
gladly affixed my name to it. Oh ! who can express the
satisfaction I experienced at so signal a manifestation of a
sincere religious feeling. I saw in it the operation and fruit
of the Bible. It is needless to add that it was carried amid
general acclamations, and these excellent young men throng
ed round me afterward, rejoicing and exclaiming, "We have
done right, we have exalted Christ and abased the pope.
Glory and honor to the Lord Jesus Christ ; to the pope con
fusion and disgrace. He has dared to excommunicate us,
we in our turn will excommunicate him. It is the Church
Avhich has the right to excommunicate, and the people con
stitute the Church."
Yet this noble outburst of pure religious feeling has been
basely misrepresented, by the enemies of civil and spiritual
reform, as the language of profanity. France traitorous
and degraded France joined in the senseless outcry, with
the hypocrisy that has marked all her proceedings under
her present most unworthy president, though she must well
306 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
know how universal, in Catholic countries, it is to put all
places of public resort under some saintly protection or oth
er. If in this instance the Romans wisely chose to range
themselves under the banner of their Savior rather than un
der that of any one who might be impiously exalted by the
priests to share in the honor and worship due to Him alone,
they had, at any rate, the example before them of the Flor
entines, who did the same thing in the time of Savonarola,
that unhappy monk, who yielded up, amid^the flames light
ed by the Inquisition, the life that he had devoted to un
masking the enormities of the papal Church, and her instru
ments the priests.
With equal disingenuousness was it pretended to be un
derstood by the same enemies of truth, whether moral or re
ligious, that the motto of the Roman republic, Dio e il Po-
polo, God and the People, signified The People is God, Dio
e il Popolo. Thus wickedly did they bear false witness
against their neighbor, and seek to confound right and wrong
in the minds of those who would otherwise willingly have
been led to form their opinions according to the rules of can
dor and justice.
At this juncture, when the pope was struggling with the
people for the possession of power, the Romans displayed
great courage and enthusiasm. It was not imagined that a
people sold to the Church would have possessed such a spirit
of independence. The priests had declared that the Ro
mans would not know how to go on without the pope and
the cardinals, whereas any one who was present in Rome
in the year 1849 can bear testimony that they never were
so full of contentment as when they had shaken their intol
erable priestly yoke from their necks. Of all the misfor
tunes, of all the evils that befell them on their defeat, the
most insupportable was the sight of the cardinals and the
pope once more parading in the streets of their city. In the
provinces the feeling against the crimson dignity was even
stronger still. The legations were ready to call for the usurp
ation of the Austrian rather than be again subjected to the
priests.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 307
The short time that it was allowed me to enjoy my lib
erty in Rome, I had no time to occupy myself with looking
after the neighboring towns, except so far as writing letters
to them, sending them Bibles, and deputing some of my
friends in those quarters to speak to the people the words
of truth. It was my intention, if the republic had lasted,
to take a circuit in the country in order to extend my mis
sion. But every body knows how soon we were surrounded
by .hostile troops, so that it was impossible for me to go be
yond the walls of the city.
I was frequently advised to betake myself to some other
place, but I doubted the sincerity of these councils, and sus
pected some treachery ; for the bigoted priests, and the Jes
uit party, as they were termed, regarded my being in Rome
with an evil eye, and I have reason to believe that they
hated to see me among the living, and were most anxious to
number me with the dead. . My friends continually cau
tioned me to beware of them, and, above all, not to eat or
drink in the company of priests, friars, or their partisans ;
and I was so far influenced by their apprehensions, that I
have not unfrequently refused invitations from persons of
whom I had cause to be distrustful.
Before I received these cautions, however, soon after my
arrival in Rome, I paid a visit to the Dominicans belonging
to the Minerva to see after my friends there. The general
of the order, Father Ajello, was my principal inducement ;
he was a worthy old man, whom I had known in Naples,
and highly esteemed. I was received by him with every
possible kindness ; he brought old times to my remembrance,
and spoke gratefully of the attentions I had shown him in
my office of prior : with him I willingly took a cup of choc
olate, which is the usual compliment the friars offer their
guests.
Apropos of these friars, I may observe that some of them
are at present exactly in a similar state of mind to what I
was myself while among them ; that is to say, greatly de
sirous to be acquainted with the truth, as was the case with
the blind man in the Gospel, when he exclaimed, " Lord,
308 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
that I might receive my sight. "# The opportunity only is
wanted, or some impulse to occasion them to open their eyes
to the light. Should any one ask them why they remain as
they are, they might probahly reply as the cripple at the
pool of Bethesda, " Sir, I have no man to put me into the
pool."f I have myself, on various occasions, seen so many
persons who have evinced their desire for the truth which
leads to the putting on of the new man, that I feel confi
dent, if the Lord would grant us to breathe the air of lib
erty once more in our much-loved country, we should see,
even from the very monasteries, men come forth as preach
ers of the Gospel, apostles of the Truth.
A very small number as yet have had the courage actu
ally to issue from their dens of corruption and death, and in
those who have attempted it the step is not altogether com
plete. Either from the want of sufficient means, or that
the period which Providence, has assigned for these great
changes has not yet arrived, these brethren, that might make
themselves so useful, are for the present content to remove
themselves a short distance from Rome, and to take no fur
ther measures.
I have had the same experience with others. Three years
since a dear friend of mine in Rome, struggling between light
and darkness, life and death, called upon by the Spirit to
come forth, and retained by the flesh in bonds, wrote to me
at Malta such moving letters as almost brought tears into
my eyes. " Pray for me," he exclaimed ; " pray that the
Lord may enable me to overcome in this conflict ; pray that
the Spirit may triumph over the flesh."
I showed his letter to my friends, and besought them to
add their prayers to mine for the relief of our brother who
was undergoing the same struggle that I had myself endured,
and the severity of which I knew full well. Soon after, I
left Malta to visit England, which I then did for the first
time. My route lay through Switzerland and France, and
wherever I met any of our brethren in these countries, I did
not fail to ask their prayers also, that our friend in Rome
* Mark, x., 51. t John, v., 7.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 309
might have the strength to break asunder the bonds in which
he was held, and to vanquish his spiritual adversaries. It
appeared that our united prayers in his behalf were not
without success, since before 1 returned from London to
Malta our convert was already there, expecting my arrival.
He is now a diligent laborer in the Lord s vineyard, and it
is to be hoped that our earnest supplications may be bene
ficial also to many others who are now undecided and wa
vering. We are indeed often disappointed in our most san
guine expectations, and deceived in our most flattering pros
pects ; but all we have to do is to commit ourselves to the
care of the Divine providence, after having done our utmost,
as faithful ministers in Christ.
In my last visit to Rome I entertained the idea that among
the various monasteries with which the city abounds, many
would be found who would listen to the word of God with
enthusiasm, and that a considerable portion of the monks
would unite with me in the good cause. Accordingly, on
my arrival I made a circuit among the monasteries, declar
ing the necessity of separating Christianity from popery, as
utterly incompatible with each other. I entered into the
discussion of various particulars, and although I met with
considerable opposition, the major part of my hearers listen
ed to rne with docility, and evidently derived advantage from
my arguments. But when on the very point of conviction,
of declaring their disbelief of the Romish faith, and of pro
fessing their adherence to the true principles of Christianity
when they were just prepared to abandon the Mass it
was then, even at the decisive moment, that I saw them
doubtful, apprehensive, and vacillating in their resolution ;
and it ended with some of them avoiding me from that time,
as if the very sight of me reproached them with their weak
ness.
I had an interesting meeting, in the Church of Santa
Maria Maggiore, with my old friend and companion, Father
Borg, a Dominican, and one of the penitentiaries belonging
to that Basilica ; a good man and a sincere one ; a papist
from conviction, and thoroughly conscientious. He had been
310 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
a professor at the same time with myself in the monastery
Di Gradi at Viterbo. He was acquainted with every par
ticular of my life ; but I had not at that time let him into
the secret of what was going on in my mind with respect
to my religious belief, as I deemed him unfit to give the
matter impartial consideration. He had seen with the ut
most surprise and consternation the events that had befallen
me, and, ignorant of what was passing in my mind, he could
not in any way satisfy himself as to the great change I had
experienced. From the time I had left Viterbo we had never
met, but I felt assured of his regard. I could not now remain
in Home without paying him a visit, and, as nothing at the
present moment forbade my doing so, revealing my sentiments.
Accordingly, I set off one morning for the Church of Santa
Maria Maggiore. The canons were chanting their regular
service in the choir, and my friend was seated in his confes
sional, waiting for sinners to come before him to receive their
pardon, and holding in his hand his long rod,^ with which
to touch the heads of those who should kneel before him.
He did not expect to see me ; I passed before him smiling,
and saluted him ; then turned back again, and did the same ;
at last he recognized me, and stretched out his hand to me,
scarcely crediting the evidence of his senses.
"What, Achilli?"
" Yes, at your service. How do you find yourself?"
" You here ?"
" Yes, I am come on purpose to pay you a visit."
" But tell me, are you not a Protestant ?"
" My dear Borg, what does your question imply ? I have
nothing to protest against yourself."
" But against the pope?"
" I assure you I have nothing whatever to do with him."
" You are, then, a heretic !"
" Oh, no, my friend, I am a Christian ; I believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ, and in His Gospel."
* The penitentiaries of the four principal Basilicas of Rome hold a long
rod or wand, in sign of their extended power to absolve even the most enor
mous crimes.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 811
" And in nothing else ?"
" Is it necessary to my salvation to do so ? Is it not writ
ten, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved, and thy house ? "*
" Every body here has declared that you have become a
Protestant."
" I repeat to you that I am a Christian hear the profes
sion of my faith a Christian according to the Bible ; all
that is written in that holy Book I believe, and nothing that
is not to be found therein."
" Then you do not believe in tradition ?"
" Certainly not in that of the Decretals and of the Canons,
which are exclusively of the Church of Rome, and in sup
port of which she can produce neither authority nor reason ;
I believe in the traditions of the Church Universal, which
includes not merely the Romish Church, but the Greek also,
and all the reformed Churches in Christendom. For ex
ample, it is a true tradition that certain books are the true
writings which compose the canon of the Holy Scriptures."
" Well, but do you not believe that there are seven sacra-
merits ; that the Church has the power to absolve sins ;
that in the sacrament of the Holy Supper there is present
the real body and blood of Christ ?"
" My dear friend, what a world of questions all in a breath !
Had we not better discuss them separately ? Every one of
them requires a long dissertation. But I can tell you I do
not believe that you have ever had power to pardon the sins
of any one, notwithstanding your office of penitentiary, unless
they were offenses committed against yourself."
My friend, upon this observation, hastily quitted his con
fessional in his eagerness to cope with the argument, and in
vited me to follow him to his own room in the College of
the Penitentiaries adjoining the church. I found there two
other old penitentiaries, whom I had formerly esteemed as
my masters, Father Galleani and Father Chiappa. They
were both glad to see me, and hearing that Father Borg had
engaged me in discussion, they lent an attentive ear to it,
* Acts, xvi. f 31.
312 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
in order to aid their colleague, if it should prove necessary.
Thus I found myself alone against three stout adversaries.
" You do not believe, then," rejoined my friend, "that our
confessors, approved by the Church, have the power of ab
solution ?"
" I believe they may have, if the Church alone is sinned
against."
" And if it be against God ?"
" In that case God alone can pardon, or one who has re
ceived power from Him to do so. We read that Jesus Christ
alone has that power, and this furnishes a convincing proof
of His divinity. His enemies were wiser than they were
aware of when they said, Who can forgive sins but God
only ? "
" But the Church has received the power through St.
Peter, along with the keys."
" Keys signify, in the spiritual sense, no other power than
that of intelligence. We say, the key of the mystery, the
key of the business, the key to an enigma, or a cipher, or
characters. Therefore Christ, when he speaks of the keys
of the kingdom of heaven, means us to understand knowl
edge and intelligence in heavenly things, or in the essentials
of the Church. By the words Whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matt., xvi.,
19), you understand binding and loosing, pardoning and the
reverse. Well, then, if such be the sense of the passage, the
sins that are to be pardoned are those which we commit
against each other ; and it was with reference to our duty
on such occasions that Peter asked of Christ, Lord, how oft
shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? til]
seven times? (Matt., xviii., 21.) If, therefore, I offend
you, Father Borg (which I would not willingly do, if con
scious of it), and confess the evil I have committed, it is your
duty to forgive me."
" Your interpretation respecting the kingdom of heaven
is altogether new to me. Why should it be called the king
dom of heaven ?"
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 313
" My good friend, it is the kingdom of heaven for which
we supplicate the Lord in the prayer which He has Himself
given us, Thy kingdom come ; were it otherwise, we ought
to say, May we come into thy kingdom. And it is the same
kingdom of which Christ speaks to His disciples when He
says to them, Because it is given unto you to know the mys
teries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
(Matt., xiii., 11.) Now here are the keys of the kingdom
of heaven given to all the disciples, that is, to all believers.
In fact, the privilege granted to Peter was also granted to
all the faithful alike. Christ says, Verily I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,
and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven. (Matt., xviii., 18.) But, to put the matter beyond
doubt, the very same power of pardoning sins is given to all
the disciples : Receive ye the Holy Ghost : whose soever
sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose soever
sins ye retain, they are retained. (John, xx., 22, 23.) Do
you imagine now that Jesus Christ at that time made so
many penitentiaries of His disciples, or that He granted them
the reserved cases in Bulla Coanse ?"
" But St. Thomas Aquinas does not understand it in that
way," observed Chiappa ; " read his work."
" My dear master, it is better to read the Holy Scriptures,"
replied I ; "in them only should we believe. I know quite
enough of Thomas Aquinas ; you yourself may remember
how much time I wasted over his works ! I am sorry I did.
I feel myself now called on to make up for it by giving my
whole attention to the Holy Word, not only to counteract the
impressions I formerly received, but what I have also taught
to others, when I myself was blind and leading the blind. You
refer me to Thomas Aquinas, and I refer you to the Bible."
" How ! you reject the authority of the Angelic Doctor )
he to whom the celebrated crucifix spoke, saying, Thou
hast written well of me, Thomas / you dare to contradict
him and make your appeal to the Bible ! None studied it
more than he did, none understood it so fully. Do you pre
tend to say that you know it better ?"
314 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" But," said I to him, " you are now going upon another
question. I think it would be as well to settle the original
one first."
" I can not argue." replied he, " with one who doubts such
authority. You know what Pope John XX. said of Thomas
Aquinas : that whoever departed from his doctrine, semper
fuit de veritate suspectus." So saying, up rose Father Chi-
appa and abruptly left the room.
Father Galleani was a more quiet disputant. From the
subject of Confession we passed to that of Transubstantiation,
and to the propitiatory sacrifice of the Mass. When I found
myself engaged in this argument, I confess that, losing sight of
moderation, I assailed the popish system with great warmth,
and inveighed against the impiety of its doctrines, so injuri
ous to the sacred mystery of the passion and love of Christ.
" I can not conceive, my dear master," I observed, " of an
idea more degrading to Christianity a bread god ! I say
bread, since what the Church of Rome calls the body of
Christ is actually neither more nor less than bread. It was
bread in the hands of Christ himself when He said, This is
my body, and it is as bread that it forms the mystery of the
Eucharist. Christ brake no other substance than the bread,
nor ate any other himself, nor gave any other to the apostles.
Unquestionably it is a figurative sign, a representation of
the body of Christ, which having suffered upon the cross, has
become spiritual food, a vital nutriment, for all true believ
ers. Bread itself can only be eaten in a natural way ; Christ
living in the body could not be eaten without occasioning
His death. But you will tell me that it is a miracle. I an
swer that God can unquestionably work miracles, but He
can not act against himself Christ living and conversing as
a human being could not be eaten without ceasing to con
verse and to live. Tell me, moreover, how could Christ sub
stantially eat himself? This monstrous belief was never
that of our fathers, who always considered, when they met
together to eat this bread, that it was a symbol of the natural
body of Christ, and of His mystical body, the Church. And
this is the true signification of the sacrament. Neither in
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 315
one view nor in the other can the words be taken in their
literal sense."
" But you are aware that the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas,
asserts that the whole of Christ is in the sacrament in actual
substance, under the form of bread and wine ; and that it is
not circumscribed, as water in a basin ; nor definitive, as the
soul within the body ; but sacramentally, spiritually, and
substantially present at the same time."
" But if it be one, it can not be the other : the substance
of the body of Christ is physical and not spiritual ; if it be
substantial, it can not be spiritual, and vice versa"
Here we were interrupted by Father Borg, who, finding I
gave up no one point, and that the argument was pushed on
to contradiction I with the Bible in my hand, and my op
ponent with his Thomas Aquinas thought best to put an
end to it by changing the discourse. God grant that what
I then advanced may be like seed thrown into good ground,
which in due time produces its fruit of life eternal !
After my first few visits to the monasteries, I began to per
ceive that I was looked upon with suspicion, and had to en
counter many sour glances. I thought it better, therefore,
to give up my mission among these people for a while, un
less they themselves should come in search of me. In fact
several, of various orders, did come, more especially toward
evening, wearing a secular dress, and requesting me to keep
their visit secret.
At no time did I feel more impressed with the importance
of the mission which the Lord had confided to me than in
the latter days of the republic. It was then that I witnessed
prodigies of conversion, not among the priests or friars, for
they, seeing the probable restoration of the papal government
at hand, quickly relapsed into their accustomed notions, and
were ready once more to submit their necks quietly to the
bonds that held them captive alike in mind and body ; it was
among the laity, the professional men, and men of science,
the tradespeople and artists, that the greatest progress was
made. Some few were of mature age, but the greater part
were young men, who were enabled, through the blessing of
316 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
the Almighty, to open their eyes to the light, and to rejoice
their hearts with the love of truth. Many whom I had never
before seen came to tell me that they had heard of my min
istry, and had become acquainted with the doctrines I taught,
and desired to open their minds to me, and to co-operate with
me in the establishment of a Church, in which Christ should
be supreme, and His Holy Word recognized.
Some of the best informed among them could give me
very sufficient reasons for their belief; others were anxious
to correct their ideas, and to get rid of their errors. I as
sisted as many as I could with my own instructions, and sup
plied others with useful books for their perusal. But, as
much as possible, I showed them from the Bible itself the
arguments connected with our subject, and I endeavored to
avoid all appearance of undue authority, and to unfold my
views in a familiar and friendly tone, as one brother with
another, and occasionally we engaged together in prayer. In
this, however, I took care to avoid any approach to a set
form or rite, leaving that to be adopted upon mature delib-.
eration, when our Church could openly assemble without
danger.
During the first month or two I had prayer-meetings at
my own house every Sunday and Friday ; at which, as
Christians before God, we all assembled. But these it was
soon found necessary to discontinue, as they were looked upon
with a jealous eye by the priests, evidently with the inten
tion of revenging themselves, at some future time, when the
old order of things should be restored, against such of us as
might then remain in Rome.
I thought it best, therefore, not to compromise any of my
converts, and gave them to understand that 1 could no lon
ger receive them at that time as a congregation. Never
theless, on Sundays I admitted a few to private worship ;
and sometimes we met at each other s houses, or in some
artist s studio, where it was our custom to read a portion of
the Bible, and offer up our prayers. And I arn assured that
many still continue to do so in such a manner as to evade
the search that is made for them by the government, the
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 317
despotic and uncharitable government of the priests. May
the Lord continue in all those who have thus far received
the truth, that fervent spirit which shall enable them to hold
fast together, until it shall please Him to reunite us, free cit
izens, under liberal laws, such as His gracious providence
has bestowed on other nations.
On the 2d of July the French troops entered Rome. An
army of forty thousand men, with all the resources of mili
tary art, had laid siege to the city, and for three months re
mained under its walls, one third of which time was passed
in hard fighting, with heavy loss on both sides, but chiefly
on theirs. After a continual thundering of artillery a bom
bardment, in fact, of fifteen days a breach was effected
and mounted ; but, nevertheless, the city was not entered
until the enemy learned that no further resistance could be
maintained, when the wearied, half-famished troops, covered
with dust and scorched by the sun, made their inglorious
entry into Rome, with a tremendous park of artillery, and
every hostile demonstration, to receive from the entire pop
ulace unequivocal marks of scorn and derision, even from the
women and children.
In those unhappy days I did not leave the house. Grieved
to see the overthrow of a government which the majority of
the people had ardently longed for, the only one fitting for
our country in the estimation of every one who is no longer
content to endure the deadening influence of the papal yoke
indignant at beholding a foreign power so disgracefully
violate its own honor, its own laws, in order to invade and
oppress us, I preferred, as many others did, to remain at
home, that I might neither see nor hear what was going on.
I was sufficiently rewarded for doing so in a series of agree
able visits ; from morning till night I had people with me
conversing on religious matters, and I had frequent opportu
nities of distributing the Bible among them, and, through
them, to others.
On the 24th of June I had entered into the married state.
During the seven years that I had been emancipated from
Rome, I might at any time have done so. And at first I
318 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
had seriously thought of it, seeing that I was at the head of
a small establishment, and imagining that a wife would
greatly lighten the burden of it, besides the advantage it
would have afforded in a more free and confidential inter
course with the sex. But I objected to it for two reasons :
first, because, having engaged in so difficult an undertaking
as that of a religious reform in Italy, I foresaw it would be
incumbent on me to journey about to different places, and
that therefore I must be alone, in order to do so without
hinderance or impediment ; and, secondly, that my enemies
might not, with their accustomed calumny, assert that my
desertion of the Romish Church was solely prompted by my
desire to renounce my celibacy ; for, although that in itself
might have been accounted a sufficient reason to abandon
the faithless Church, so prophetically described by St. Paul
as " forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from
meats" (1 Tim., iv., 3), yet I should not have wished it to
be said that I had been actuated by that motive only, and
not by higher and more spiritual ones. But I afterward saw
the necessity and even the duty of such a step, since by tak
ing it I should place myself in a state of equality with other
men. The words of St. Paul to Timothy, "A bishop must
be the husband of one wife," I consider to be something more
than mere advice that Christian pastors should marry. For
my own part I have always inveighed against the law of
celibacy, and invariably have advised my friends to marry.
Why should not I, then, while yet in the prime of life, set
them the example ?
" "What a scandal to the Church," I observed one day to
some Romish priests, " is this vow of celibacy among the
clergy. And, after all, if considered synonymous with that
of chastity, where is it kept sacred ? Very rarely by either
bishop, cardinal, or pope. As to the lower order of priests,
what with temptation from within and example from with
out, the vow is continually violated ; and if the observance
of it be alike injurious to nature and to society, as it un
questionably is, can it be good in itself, or proper to be en
forced ?"
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 319
" Well, then," said they, " show us how we can release
ourselves from this vow, and engage in matrimony."
" The Republican government," I answered, " have made
a law which declares that these vows shall be no longer
binding, and that every citizen shall enjoy equal rights. This
law, which was issued in the month of May last, authorized
all of us to marry, since the sole legal impediment was the
pretext of a binding vow of celibacy."
"It is very true," observed one of the priests ; "we are
now at liberty to get married in Rome, but no one, as yet,
has had the courage to set the example."
" Then I will," I exclaimed ; "I promise you that before
this government is at an end I shall be married, and so set
the example of a holy action to Rome."
Shortly after this conversation I offered my hand to Miss
Josephine Hely, the youngest daughter of Captain Hely, an
amiable young lady, carefully and virtuously brought up,
and happily for herself, as for me, imbued with Protestant
principles, by a dear friend of hers, Mrs. Tennant, the wife
of the Rev. Mr. Tennant, the minister of the English Church
at Florence. This lady had always manifested a mother s
tenderness for her, and it is in grateful acknowledgment of
it, on the part of my wife, and equally on my own, that I
pay this testimony to her worth. We were publicly and
solemnly joined in holy matrimony on the 24th of June,
1849, according to the rites of our Italian Church ; but as
the government which authorized that act has since fallen,
or, rather, has become suspended, we took care, on arriving
in England, to have our marriage registered at the Parish
Church of St. Martin in the Fields.
I was convinced, in the very commencement of my con
jugal life, that I had not been too sanguine in my hopes of
finding a congenial companion and valuable helpmate in my
destined and beloved partner. The similarity of our relig
ious views, and the facility with which she expressed herself
in my native language, which was indeed hers also, and her
ardent desire to co-operate with me in my designs, all made
me look upon my union with her as another of the precious
320 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
favors for which I had to be grateful to the Lord, equally
likely to increase my own happiness, and to extend the sphere
of my usefulness to others.
My wife loved me as a minister of the Gospel. She was
aware what the followers of Christ had to expect. I had
myself forewarned her that, if she anticipated comfort in
my affection and delight in my society, she would also have
to experience much trouble. On our very wedding day I
told her that the lot she would have to share with me would
in all probability be more marked by tribulation than by
joy, and that in this world we might be called on to suffer
in the flesh for the spirit can not be injured to endure
persecution even unto death. My dear wife bowed her head
in resignation to the will of Heaven, and assured me that she
also was desirous to become a handmaid of the Lord, and was
ready to do His will.
It was ordained that we should soon be put to the proof.
Scarcely a month had passed over our heads when a sudden
stroke divided us. "Was this misfortune foreseen by me ?
Had I no indication of its approach? It would be folly in
me to say that I did not expect it. But so it was, I had no
help for it. The hand of Him who is mighty to save kept
me in Home in the midst of danger and alarm. Even my
wife, who is naturally timid, seemed at that time endued
with a courage that rendered her insensible to the imminent
peril that awaited me. "We talked together much concern
ing the difficulties of my position, without being able to come
to any positive decision. In short, we saw the storm ap
proaching, but knew not how to avoid it. Some advised
me to be circumspect ; others spoke out plainly of the prob
ability of my being put into prison. But I laughed at them.
" Why do you not get away ?" asked one of my best friends.
" Do you not know that already arrests are made on every
side ? Do you think it likely that they will spare you, who
have rendered yourself so obnoxious to the priests?"
" My dear friend," I replied, " the present government
have but one fault to charge me with, that of having aban
doned the Church and reformed my creed, and, as a natural
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 321
consequence, if you will, entered into matrimony. Now for
this pretended crime I am only responsible to the Inquisi
tion. The civil tribunals have nothing against me ; I am
no political offender. It is well known that I have lived as
a private citizen, and never held any office under the re
public, so that I am easy on that score. As to the criminal
courts, thank Heaven! I have no cause to fear them; nor
in that of the vicar general can any charge be laid against
me for immorality. Do you think that the tribunal of the
Inquisition can ever be re-established? under the protection
of France too ? It is not to be thought of. At any rate,
without the pope and the cardinals there can be no Inqui
sition in Rome, and they are not likely to return just yet.
Indeed, I shall not wait for them ; I shall be far away be
fore they come."
" Your reasoning is very good ; but do you imagine justice
will be done to you ? Have you never heard the logic of
priests ? Stat pro ratione voluntas : they have only to de
sire it, and your ruin is certain."
"My dear friend, prudence is very desirable, but not so
that restless apprehension which takes possession of the
mind to the exclusion of all other feeling, and leads us to
imagine danger where none exists. Our Lord authorized
His disciples, when they should be persecuted in one city, to
flee unto another ; but who, as yet, has persecuted me ? If
I fly without such persecution, what answer shall I give to
the Lord when He shall say to me, Shepherd, I had in
trusted a flock to your care ; I had even given you my lambs
to feed, and to guide unto the paths of salvation ; you were
their guardian ; and, behold, you saw the wolf approach,
and you fled. You are not their true shepherd, but a hire
ling who careth not for the sheep. Leave it to Pio Nono,
who is no true shepherd, to desert his flock ; but you
Ah ! my friend, above all, I should dread so terrible and so
just a reproof. I will only fly when the Lord, who has placed
me here, enjoins me to do so. Until He declares His will,
I shall remain where I am."
At this my friend shook his head, and added, " Since you
2
322 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
are resolved, may the Lord keep and protect you. He will
either remove the danger from you, or but, whatever be
His pleasure, may His gracious will be done."
"Amen," I answered.
Toward the end of July I was informed that another case
of Bibles had arrived, directed to me, and was lying at the
custom-house.
"Alas!" I exclaimed, "my poor Bibles have come too
late !" The custom-house had returned to its old system ;
the inspector of books was again upon the alert on the part
of the master of the Sacred Palace ; it would be impossible
to get them out of his hands. Still I would make the at
tempt, not indeed personally, but through the mediation of
others ; and the attempt was fatal to me. My Bibles were
confiscated, and were turned into an evidence sufficient to
condemn me. The endeavor to introduce the Bible into Rome
is a crime not to be pardoned, " neither in this world nor in
the next ;" it is reckoned as the real sin against the Holy
Roman Church, a more direful one, in their estimation, than
that against the Holy Ghost.
"Now, indeed," my friends observed, "there is cause for
fear. This case of Bibles is a body of crime : hasten out of
Rome ; depart without loss of time."
I confess I did indeed feel a cold shudder, even to my very
bones, as I thought of it. I saw that my fate would be the
same as that of the books. If they were shut up, could I
hope to remain at liberty ? This occurred on the 26th of
July. I might have got away, but I had always accustomed
myself, especially in times of trouble, not to rely on my own
judgment, or act from my own will. As a believer in the
Divine providence, I desired in all things to be governed by
the will of God, and accordingly I sought in prayer His guid
ance, determined to act as His influence should direct me.
He appeared to require a sacrifice of me ; my testimony to
Himself and to our Blessed Savior. My flight would have
characterized me as an apostate, a deserter from my duty.
Could I terminate my mission so unworthily ? Should I by
a single act lose all that I had obtained with so much exer-
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUIS1TION. 323
tion ? I remembered the prayer I had offered up on enter
ing Rome, "0 Lord, as in this same city Thou didst send
thine apostle Paul to overthrow idolatry, and to announce
the glad tidings of salvation, and didst ordain that he should
remain for the space of two years within these walls, so grant
to me, thy servant, that being also sent here in thy service,
I may remain here at least for the term of one year, in the
continual exercise of my mission, through Jesus Christ our
Lord." This prayer which I then offered up in faith could
not but be granted ; and Divine favor is not given by halves.
I therefore considered that as I had yet only been six months
in Rome, there were six more that I had to remain to do the
Lord s will : it mattered not under what circumstances I
should be placed, I had still my work to do. The apostles
even in prison continued their labors. Whatever it pleases
God to appoint for the future, it is rny duty at present to re
main in Rome.
These reflections imparted so much comfort and satisfac
tion to my mind, that I look back upon these days as the
happiest of my life. I regarded my dear companion with
confidence and holy joy, and more than once asked her if she
too were not willing to do the will of the Lord, and whether
He sent us joy or tribulation, to bless His holy name.
" Ah ! yes," she replied, " have we not frequently prom
ised it to each other ? Was it not our prayer when we were
first betrothed, and was it not renewed on the day of our mar
riage ? I am ready to submit to the will of the Lord."
This also was an inexpressible satisfaction to me. To see
a beloved wife, whom only one short month before I had re
ceived as a precious gift from heaven, so well disposed to
make the greatest sacrifices for the love of God ! Every
thing tended to confirm me in the thought that it was my
duty to wait with resignation the fate that should be allotted
to me.
From the 26th to the 29th I remained at home, distribu
ting the Bible and speaking of the Gospel of Christ to all who
came to visit me. From an early hour in the morning un
til late in the evening I had a perpetual throng of visitors.
324 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
On the evening of the 29th I felt more than usually tired,
having been engaged in speaking the whole of the day. My
wife was not very well, and at about eleven o clock we re
tired to rest. At twelve I heard a violent knocking at the
front door. It was the Inspector of the Police, with three
officials from the Inquisition, escorted by six of the chasseurs
de Vincennes. Yes, the soldiers of the French republic, after
having destroyed a government as legitimate as their own,
now lent their assistance to the tools of the pope to execute
the orders of the Inquisition !
These nocturnal visitants evidently came for the purpose
of arresting me. I asked by whose authority they acted.
The inspector, Signer Volpone, replied, " By authority of the
Prefect of Police" (at that time an officer of the French re
public). We exchanged but few words. I commended my
wife to the care of the Lord, leaving her with her brother
Henry and her sister Elizabeth, who at that time were living
with us, and allowed myself to be taken away to the palace
of the governor.
The next morning the chief bailiff came to reconnoiter me ;
and after some deceitful words and lying promises on the
part of the Prefect of Police, sent me off, under an escort, to
the Inquisition, where I was placed in a cell wherein two
priests were already confined on the charge of having taken
part in the affairs of the republic. They knew me by sight,
it appeared, though I did not myself recollect having ever
seen them before.
There were altogether in the prisons of the Holy Office
at that time about fifteen priests ; not one of them was ac
cused of any pretended heresy, but all of having written as
well as spoken against the temporal power of the pope.
My two fellow-prisoners soon became on friendly terms
with me. Their desire to hear me deliver my sentiments
on religious matters made them forget every thing else ; they
were famishing after the doctrines of the Truth of the Word
of God. I had not a Bible with me ; I had not been allow
ed to bring one ; but I cited passages from memory, and as
I was well acquainted with the Vulgate edition, I quoted
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 325
the Latin text ; and I frequently heard such remarks as,
" Oh ! I was not aware of it !" " Indeed ! I never reflected
on that before !" " You are quite right ; your argument is
undeniable."
The authority of the Church was the grand topic ; we
continually returned to it ; the primacy of the pope, as de
rived from the Apostle Peter. What a surprise it was for
them to hear themselves contradicted in this belief, which
they regarded as an absolute axiom ; to be told that among
the apostles no one was head or chief; that Jesus Christ
never gave any distinct diploma to St. Peter ; and that, on
the contrary, He expressly declared that no one should be
lord or master over the others, since they were all brethren.
" But Peter," said they, " was always foremost in speak
ing ; he answered for the rest, without being called upon to
do so, as one having authority."
" St. Peter," I replied, " was characterized by his great
boldness, which, indeed, often amounted to presumption ; his
words to our Lord were, Though all men should be offended
because of thee, yet will I never be offended ; * and, again,
Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee ! t
You know how this proud boasting ended. He was also bold
when he requested Jesus to enable him to walk upon the
water ; but this daring soon gave place to fear, and he began
to sink. His presumption even went so far as to rebuke
his Lord and Master when He told His disciples that he
must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things . . . and be
killed. $ And did not Peter well deserve the reproof he re
ceived : Get thee behind me, Satan ; thou art an offense
unto me ; for thou savorest not the things that be of God,
but those that be of man ? So much for the authority of
this prince of apostles, as he is called, and his claim to su
premacy, dignity, and infallibility in the Church ! St. Paul,
at any rate, does not seem to admit it when he says, But
when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the
face, because he was to be blamed. II It is to be noted that
* Matt., xxvi., 33. t Id., xxvi., 35. J Id., xvi,, 21.
$ Id., xvi, 23. |) Galat, ii., 11.
326 DEALINGS WITH THE INQ,UISITION.
this took place at Antioch, where, according to the Church
of Rome, St. Peter established the first pontifical chair, and,
consequently, where he may be supposed to have spoken ex
cathedra"
My poor friends had no more to say. One of them was
extremely docile, and from the first was disposed to admit
the authority of the Bible. The other was equally desirous
to understand the truth, but he could not divest his mind of
its old prejudices : he was pained to see the idols of his tem
ple destroyed. We discussed these subjects every hour of the
day, and during part of the night. An oppressive, suffoca
ting heat prevented our sleeping ; what little breath we had
we employed in these discourses and in occasional prayers.
The second day after my arrival, the least docile of my new
friends yielded to my arguments ; both were now converted
to my opinions. Toward evening we were engaged on the
important question as to the sole mediation of Jesus Christ,
to the exclusion of that of the Virgin Mary and of the saints,
when suddenly the door of my prison opened, and I was laid
hold of by two of the officials of the Inquisition, and by them
taken out and delivered over to a party of carbineers, to be
conducted to the Castle of St. Angelo.
My two friends were in despair at seeing me removed ;
one of them could scarcely refrain from tears. I shared in
their emotion, and invoked the blessing of Heaven in their
behalf.
Arrived at the castle, I was confided to the guidance of a
single carbineer, who took me within side, and led the way
to the upper part of the fortress, where the secret prisons are
situated.*
" Can you tell me, my friend," inquired I of the carbineer,
who seemed a good sort of man, " why I am removed from
the Inquisition to this castle ? Is it better or worse with
respect to accommodation ?"
" Pretty much the same," he replied. " As far as I can
* There are also dungeons under ground, so horrible that no one has been
known to survive in them more than a few days ; they are like wells, com
pletely dark, and wet. But these ore no longer made use pf.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 327
learn, it appears that you have heen removed from the In
quisition because the great wall that lately surrounded it is
now destroyed, and the prison is not considered sufficiently
secure. I believe, too, that it has been deemed expedient to
place you out of the way of the priests who are confined
there. You are looked upon with great mistrust in conse
quence of your dealings about the Bible. You know it is
prohibited in Rome."
I was now locked up in the remotest part of the fortress
La Gemella Seconda.
CHAPTER XVI.
THE CASTLE OF ST. ANGELO.
CONDUCTED into this cell, in which, from some unseen
cause, there was a most offensive odor, I was shown in one
corner a mattress that seemed to have served as a bed for
dogs.
" There," said my jailer, "you can take your rest when
you like. We can not leave you any light, for it is alto
gether prohibited in your case. It is a new regulation,
which is not in force with respect to prisoners for political
offenses. We do not know, at present, on what charge you
are brought here."
So saying, the jailer retired, closing the first and second
doors, and I remained in darkness in the middle of my dirty
cell, oppressed by the heated unwholesome air which I could
scarcely breathe. I was abandoned by man, but my God
was with me. Hence, though deprived of every thing, I
felt I was not utterly forsaken. Fatigued and exhausted, I
needed repose, but without food, which for three days I had
scarcely tasted, I could not sleep. I passed the night in
prayer to my God, and found comfort in the remembrance
of my Savior s sufferings.
Sometimes my thoughts reverted to my Christian breth-
828 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
ren, and particularly to those who, as I well knew, contin
ued to love me.
" Oh !" said I to myself, " if they could know of my im
prisonment, I am certain they would put up their most fer
vent prayers to the Almighty : my dear friends in England
brethren of the Evangelical Alliance friends in France
and in Geneva ! God, thou wilt listen to the supplica
tions of thy children, and grant their prayers !"
The following day, by the little light which glimmered
through a high, narrow window, I could better examine
my habitation, and found the bad smell proceeded from the
pavement, the bed, and still more from a wooden box, placed
at the outside of the window, as if to obstruct both the air
and the light, and which contained a quantity of filth and
rubbish, which there were no means of removing, as the box
was fastened down at the outside, and had on the inner side
an iron grating, which, together with the bars of my win
dow, prevented any access to it. My inviting mattress was
to serve the double purpose of bed and chair. The walls,
on which my eyes must necessarily rest as soon as I opened
them, were scrawled over with monstrous figures and dol
orous inscriptions in charcoal by those who had been con
fined there. I thus learned that this cell had contained
thieves, assassins, and, among others, the notorious Abate
Abbo, of whose horrible crimes and cruelties I have already
made mention.
At a certain hour of the day I was visited by the jailer,
who said to me, courteously,
" I am sorry you should be treated in this manner. I
know who you are, and I know what you are accused of;
you have cause to rejoice in your alleged o flense, but at pres
ent it is expedient that you should resign yourself to this
most hard treatment ; perhaps I may be able in some meas
ure to soften the rigor of it. Suffer patiently, and put in
practice what you teach others."
" My kind friend," I replied, " you have a heart formed
for compassion. The exhortations and professions that I
hear from your lips show me you intend to do all you can
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 329
to cheer rny imprisonment, and even though you should not
be permitted to offer me any other charity, I shall always
be grateful for this that I receive your sympathy. Oh ! be
lieve me it will be requited to you by Him who has said
through Jesus Christ, Whosoever shall give to drink a cup
of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily, I say
unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. "*
" And where is it that Jesus Christ says these words ?"
" In the Gospel written by St. Matthew."
" I would willingly read it if I understood Latin."
"It is to be had in Italian good Italian ; I will tell you
where you can procure it, by asking for it in my name."
This man in a very short time became my friend. I can
now speak of him without fear of doing him any injury by
my disclosures, because I have heard that he has given up
his employment, and is no longer in the Roman States.
He was not the only jailer, but he was one of the chief
among them : he was nevertheless always in fear of his
subalterns, who watched him very closely, and informed
against him whenever they had any excuse for so doing, in
somuch that, however cautious he might be, he was fre
quently reproved by the superior for being too indulgent.
These prisons were all filled with people thrown in for va
rious imputations, and consequently subject to various courts.
Eighteen different tribunals, some lay and some ecclesi
astical, were re-established in Rome on the return of the
priests ; besides these, there were the Inquisition and the
French court martial. The greater part of the prisoners did
not know under what judges they would come, or what crime
was to be imputed to them. Thus passed away six months,
and none of them yet knew by whom or for what offense they
were going to be tried. As to myself, I was very soon told
on whose accusation I was placed there, without, however,
being informed upon what charge.
Captain Gemiari, who had the custody of those detained
in the fort, came, after a few days, to tell me that I was un
der the tribunal of the Inquisition ; that the Commissary
* Matt, x., 42.
330 DEALINGS WITH THE INCiUISITION.
of the Holy Office, Signer Cipolletti, had sent for him, to
tell him I was to be watched with the utmost vigilance, and
treated with the greatest rigor, without seeing any one, or
communicating with a single individual, either verbally or
in writing ; in short, without light in the evening, or any
thing whatever beyond what was absolutely necessary to
prolong my existence. This official communication was suf
ficient to prevent my flattering myself that I should meet
with gentle treatment, or even with common humanity, un
less I obtained some indulgence from the good nature of the
jailer.
Captain Gennari, when he spoke to any one of his mode
of acquitting himself in his office, used to say, " I do my duty
as a soldier, and if my own father were imprisoned here, from
whatever cause it might be, I should not treat him any better
than the rest." Nevertheless, this impartial man knew how
to relax his severity toward those who could afford to be
generous.
My imprisonment continued with unabated rigor, and all
the consolation I found was in the comfort of the Holy Spirit
and the kindness of the good jailer. He redoubled his vis
its, and often came twice during the day to condole with me.
" Tell me," said he, one day, "what I can do for you, to
render your confinement less irksome."
" You can do me one favor, which would be the greatest
of all under this heavy tribulation. You know my resi
dence, where my wife now is ; go, and inquire for a book
for me the book that I constantly read, and the not having
it with me now is my greatest trouble that is, my Bible.
In this way you may render me a double service. Tell that
dear creature that I am in good health and perfect tranquil
lity of mind."
" Yes," said he, " I can serve you so far, and I promise you
I will."
On the morrow he came back in high glee.
" Your wife and all the rest salute you, and she sends you
the book."
" God be thanked !"
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 331
My good jailer offered to take care of my Bible for me,
and asked me to make him acquainted with its contents.
No one can imagine how I enjoyed the first time I read it
to him ; and he continually contrived opportunities for avail
ing himself of my instructions. I spoke to him one day of
the jailer at Philippi, and how he was called by God, and
taught by the holy apostles. Another time I read to him
the parable of the Prodigal Son, which touched him so much
that he would read it again himself.
" Oh, what a noble book is this Bible !" he exclaimed ;
" but do the priests believe that it contains the word of
God ?"
" They say they believe it," I replied, " but their actions
contradict their assertion ; in fact, they neither read it them
selves nor let others read it."
" I understand why this book does not approve all that
they say. If we were to read it attentively, could we after
ward believe in their childish stories ?"
Whenever I expounded the Scriptures to him, he seemed
as if he could not look at the pure doctrines of Christianity
without confronting them with the practices of popery.
One time he did not visit me as usual, but another came
in his place.
" Is it true," said my new jailer to me, " what they say
of you, that you are put into prison for reading the Bible ?
But how is that ? is it prohibited ? Is not it the book of
God?"
" Yes, certainly it is the book of God ; this the pope con
fesses ; nevertheless, he does not wish it to be read, because
he says that no man but himself can understand what God
says."
" Would God, then, have spoken not to be understood ?
Is it likely that God would speak only to the pope, and a
few others, like the kings of the earth ? I believe that
God has spoken for all, and that what is written is written
for all."
"My good friend, you show more intellect than the pope,
and more good sense than all his priests. Do not let them
332 DEALINGS WITH THE INClUISITION.
impose upon you. Read the Bible ; you will obtain one ....
ask for it in my name, and it will be given to you."
Three or four other jailers came to me ; all spoke, more
or less, the same language ; these were all soldiers. Were
they not more worthy than cardinals ? But of all the men,
the first was the one to whom I was the most attached,
and he, by the mercy of God, was the most attached to me.
I was his counselor in his difficulties, his consolation in his
afflictions. I was, he said, a friend and a father to him ;
and he was of great benefit to me, for he frequently was able
to temper the severity of my imprisonment.
" I know," said he, one day, " why they do not wish you
to hold any communication with others. It is that you may
not speak to them of the Bible, of the Gospel, of Jesus Christ.
I will not be the means, however, of depriving those who
would derive profit from it of this opportunity. I will open
the door that communicates with some other cells, where
several have already begged me to allow them to speak to
you ; M.Gazola has often made the request. I know that
you will always do good, and never harm to any one ; now
I will willingly give you an opportunity to do this good, and
I trust that God will protect us both from the power of our
enemies."
"Oh! my dear friend," said I to him, "it is surely the
Lord who has inspired you ; do not doubt that He will be
with us if w r e faithfully serve Him."
After this time the door of my prison was occasionally left
unfastened, so that I might communicate with those who
were confined in the same part with myself. Several that
could not visit me in the daytime came at night. I am
sorry that I can not at present enter into more particular
details, since, at the time I am writing, the major part of
my fellow-prisoners are still in confinement, and the remain
der are either in Home or in the Papal States, and, conse
quently, under the jurisdiction of the Inquisition. I could
otherwise relate many things which our good brethren would
be delighted to hear ; I may, however, make the general re
mark, that whenever I communicated with my fellow-pris-
DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION. 333
oners, our conversation invariably turned on religious mat
ters ; it was a subject of rejoicing for us when our prison
doors were opened, which each day the jailer was requested
to do at as early an hour as possible. I continued my lec
tures for the space of a month, and during that time my
Bible was in frequent circulation among them.
The treatment experienced in this prison is certainly not
so bad in most cases as it is in every other within the walls
of Rome. The Castle of St. Angelo is chiefly set apart for
prisoners of distinction. Cardinals and prelates who fall
into disgrace with the pope are confined in it. For this pur
pose there are a variety of apartments ; in one of them are
shown the iron rings that had the honor of securing the cord
with which the celebrated Cardinals CarafFa, Coscia, and
others were hung. Pope Clement VII. was likewise a pris
oner in this fortress at the time of its occupation by the Im
perial forces, which he himself had called into Rome. The
records of this edifice, which, as every body knows, was orig
inally the mausoleum of the Emperor Adrian, would throw
considerable light on the history of the papacy, and unfold
many of the evil deeds of the popes. It has been the scene
of the most unheard-of cruelties, as well as of the most shame
less and revolting obscenities. The well-known orgies of
Pope Alexander VI., which were celebrated partly in the
gardens of the Vatican and partly in the Castle of St. An
gelo, have left a stain upon its walls which can never be ef
faced. Like the pope s bulls, it serves " ad perpetuam rei
memoriam. "* In one of the halls are the notorious pictures
by Julio Romano, of which it would be difficult to decide
whether the artistical skill they display be more admirable, or
the subjects they represent more grossly indecent and detest
able. Colonel Calandrelli, one of the most valiant defend
ers of the republic, and a triumvirate after Mazzini a gentle
man equally learned in the history of his country as he has
shown himself brave in her service, has assured me that he
has a work ready for publication, in which the whole history of
this celebrated castle is unfolded from authentic documents.
* Every papal bull commences with these words.
334 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
My imprisonment was a source of much trouble and un
easiness to the three cardinals whom the pope had commis
sioned to take the reins of government. They frequently
sent for Captain Gennari to inquire concerning me, and to
give fresh orders respecting my safe incarceration. I re
member, on one occasion, the good jailer, having kindly open
ed for me the door of communication, hastily returned, and
with his hand made signs to me to re-enter my cell with all
speed, that he might again close the door. Another time,
very early in the morning, while I was yet lying on my be
fore-described mattress, the outer door was opened in a very
unusual manner, and I heard the voice of Captain Gennari,
who loudly called out, "Here he is ; come in, sir, and certi
fy for yourself that Signor Achilli is here ;" then opening
the door of my cell, he called to me by name, and on my re
plying to him, observed to his companion, " You hear the
voice of Signor Achilli, do you not ? Be assured the cardi
nal s orders will be duly attended to." Then putting his
head into my cell, he whispered to me, " He comes from the
cardinal vicar with fresh orders as to your more close con
finement."
After this my poor jailer began to take fright, and could
no longer allow me to have my door opened as usual ; he
assured me that he was afraid for me as well as for himself,
as the first thing that would be done, in case his indulgence
was discovered, would be his own removal, and the appoint
ment of another in his place, who would have orders to treat
me with greater severity. I afterward learned that a new
prisoner, who had been placed in a cell near to my own for
some misconduct two or three days before, had informed his
father confessor that he had seen me go out and converse
with other prisoners ; and from what he heard, it appeared
that I had preached Protestant doctrines to them, and that
they had become my followers. The confessor told all this
to the cardinals ; but, fortunately for me, he had the repu
tation of being so great a liar that he obtained no credit with
them for his statement, however true it might be, and I heard
no more of it.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 335
In the midst of these apprehensions, and with the possi
bility of finding myself put into irons, my courage never gave
way, neither did my zeal diminish in the cause of my friends.
I continued, as often as I could, my accustomed discourses,
as if I were at liberty and in a land of freedom. I took no
precaution as to whom I addressed myself ; my sole care was
to render my subject intelligible, and to impress on the mind
of my hearers a lasting idea of its importance : with the
learned my arguments were more scientific ; with the unin-
structed, more simple and familiar.
In this way my mission continued to progress even within
the walls of a prison. The cardinals, in ordering my incar
ceration, imagined they had put a stop to my operations,
whereas they only accelerated them. We laughed, inside
the castle, at the wise precaution of sending me where many
of the bravest and the best of the Roman citizens were at
that time confined. The city itself was a desert in compar
ison with the prisons, which were full to overflowing. If I
had been allowed to remain at liberty in my own house, I
could not have obtained half the success I met with among
my fellow-prisoners. Unquestionably I suffered very much
in my confinement, separated from my dearest friends, and
tormented by the thought of the grief they must feel ; but,
in the midst of these sorrows, I derived consolation from the
idea that the grand work on which I was engaged was,
through the grace of God and the blessing of his Divine
providence, steadily advancing. I rejoiced, too, that it was
carrying on in Rome, and at a time when, through foreign
compulsion, every thing was returning to papacy and to Pio
Nono, who had not only destroyed His own work of liberty,
but even the small remains of it that had existed under his
predecessors.
At a period when the most horrible slavery was imposed
on us through the generosity and consistency of the French
nation, I alone remained free I, the most hated of all, the
most detested by the pope and the cardinals, even more so
than Mazzini I had the privilege granted me by the repre
sentatives of the two governments to make war against the
336 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
pope and the papacy with undiminished advantage and suc
cess. And this was all they gained in shutting me up in
the fortress of St. Angelo.
Every time they renewed their persecution of me, I think
my power increased. I am not a man to be easily put
down. In considering myself as a servant of the Lord, I
feel myself as a rock, on which the tempestuous ocean spends
its utmost fury in vain.
The severity of my imprisonment denied me the gratifica
tion of seeing any of my friends who were at liberty, neither
was it in the power of my kind-hearted jailer to be of any
service to me in the matter. There were too many doors to
pass through, and each of them had its own separate turn
key, and it was hopeless to think of conciliating them all.
The only person who had hitherto been allowed to visit rne
was the English consul, Mr. Freeborn, who had, when I was
first taken, obtained permission to do so from the French gen
eral ; but the cardinals interfered, and gave orders that no
permission should be valid except what came from the Inqui
sition or the pope, so that an end was soon put to his visits.
A deputation from the Evangelical Alliance, composed of
my two good friends, Mr. Tonna and M. Meyrueis, the one
an English and the other a French gentleman, who were
sent to intercede in my behalf, were also, on application to
the cardinals, refused admittance. On referring their peti
tion to the pope they were again denied, and I found that
I was more rigorously treated after it more closely confined
to my cell, and threatened with even greater severities.
Nevertheless, through the blessing of God, I never before
enjoyed such perfect tranquillity of mind ; never in society
had I been conscious of more cheerfulness ; and when I was
drawn into conversation, I inspired others with the same
feeling. I bade them trust in the providence of God, who
would restore to his people their rightful liberty. Hence
arose a long discussion on this divine attribute. I let every
one propose his objections, which it w r as a pleasure to me to
answer. Another time I was consoling one of my compan
ions for the injustice of the tribunal that judged him. " Oh,
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 337
my friend," said I, " you look for justice from men. Can
you expect it from those who do not fear God ? Is not jus
tice an attribute of the Deity ? No man can be just who
departs from God. How, then, can justice be restored among
us ? By regaining the knowledge and faith, the fear and
love of God. And what we say of justice may equally be
said of truth. There can be no truth among a people where
the pope is exalted into the place of God. From the earli
est times he has been a liar, and his lies obtain credence
even in other countries because they emanate from Rome.
If we, then, no longer admit them, let us be the first to de
nounce that popery by which Rome is oppressed and dis
honored."
These discussions could not fail to produce their effect,
which was gradually to withdraw those who listened to
them from popery, and to lead them unto God through
Christ. The blessing of God is with those who honor Him,
and I hope myself to reap the fruits of what I have sown.
I relate these things, not to take pride in them as my own
work, but as proceeding from the bounty of the Lord. I
should not have come to prison by my own choice, but for
wise ends it was so decreed by Divine providence.
Whoever views my imprisonment merely as the work of
man, sees in it only injustice and cruelty ; but those who
regard it as the permission of God, discern in it abundant
proofs of his wisdom and love. Many a time have I blessed
God for the favor he showed me in choosing me to com
mence the great work which will be redemption to the Ro
mans and regeneration to all the world. It has commenced,
and is now in progress. To carry it on, God has chosen per
sons who would not have been thought of by us, any more
than we should have thought of Galilean fishermen becom
ing the apostles and promulgators of a doctrine which was
to revolutionize the whole world.
The reformation of Rome is intrusted to Romans. On
the reformation of Rome depends that of Roman Catholi
cism. Those who would concur and co-operate in this work
must do it by succoring the Romans.
P
338 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" What do you think," said one of my companions in prison
one day, " will our reform go on ? Will Rome ever be re
formed ? Will Italy ever become Protestant ?"
" I believe," replied I, " that Home will be reformed one
day, like London, Berlin, Edinburgh, and Geneva. The ques
tion whether Italy will ever become Protestant was discuss
ed by me one evening with the Abate Gioberti, at Paris, in
December, 1847. He referred me to some pages of his
Modern Jesuit, in which it is maintained that Italy never
will be Protestant ; I, on the other hand, referred him to
history, to the true history of our country, which shows how
great has been the tendency toward Protestantism in Italy,
and what efforts have been made to promote it. I agreed
with the learned Abate that the title of Protestant, as ex
pressive of a division or religious sect, should be avoided.
The Italians, and among them the Romans, profiting as they
ought to do by three centuries experience of other nations
who have abandoned popery, could not properly denominate
themselves any thing but Christians. Were they once to
renounce the pope, none else could impose upon them either
doctrine, form, or name. The questions which to this time
have agitated Protestantism, and which now divide England
into various parties Episcopalian and Presbyterian, Bap
tist, Methodist, &c., &c., would never disturb the peace of
Italy. On right principles, the Italian Church would be or
ganized with great simplicity, and every one be left at full
liberty to worship God in the manner best suited to his own
spiritual views. What I now call the Italian Church does
not assume to be a national church with exclusively privileged
forms of government ; no, it presents itself to Italy as its an
cient church in the unity of faith and spirit, but in diversity of
form, government, and modes of worship. Being thus asso
ciated with all the Christian churches throughout the world
it would have nothing exclusively Italian but the language.
In these conversations with my friends I had the satisfac
tion to think that what was said to few would be repeated
to many. What I uttered within the walls of the castle in
a secret cell, was quickly circulated throughout Rome, and
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 339
spread abroad, making an impression that could not be ef
faced. In this manner five months of my imprisonment had
already passed away, and I was yet left in ignorance of the
crime by which it had been incurred.
I had forwarded my protest to the French government, and
the strongest remonstrances had been sent to Paris by my
dear brethren of the Evangelical Alliance, yet there appeared
to be no prospect of my release ; but I may, however, say
with sincerity, that since I have consecrated my life to the
Christian ministry, so long as I am engaged in its service I
am satisfied. I was now in the full exercise of this ministry
during my imprisonment, and no one who has heard my nar
rative can doubt the satisfaction it gave me. Thus far,
therefore, I was contented with my situation ; and if I could
have supposed that the Roman government would not alter
it, but that I might continue to pursue the same course, I
should in truth have besought both God and men to leave
me in it, because I might have been as useful, imprisoned
in Rome, as at full liberty elsewhere.
But the priests were tired of enduring my boldness and
audacity. It was like an insult to them that I continued in
prison to repeat the very same offenses for which I had been
incarcerated. All my friends declared to me that I must
either be released and sent out of Rome by the contrivance
of foreigners, or that I should be put out of the way alto
gether by the priests themselves.
Reflecting on this idea, I began to think whether it was
the will of God my life should be sacrificed ; but a voice
within seemed to tell me no. I had done too little, as yet,
to see my work so soon crowned with success.
It was the 24th of December a solemn day in Rome, full
of kindly feelings as well as of superstitious observances. On
this day good wishes are exchanged and presents made among
friends ; favors are granted, and the boon that should then
be asked it would be a sin to deny. We prisoners wished
happiness to those who opened our doors, and they cheerfully
returned our salutations. My good jailer, full of kindness,
came to me before I had risen.
340 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
" G-ood morning," said he, " and better luck ; I bring you
good news."
"What news?" said I.
"An order is come from the French general Baraguai
d Hilliers to let two gentlemen speak with you undoubtedly
two of your friends ; and, what is still more satisfactory, it
is with the consent of the cardinals."
" Do you know the names of these friends of mine ?"
" Only one of them, * Monsignor Bambozzi and companion/
so it is written."
" My dear fellow, do you really believe these can be my
friends ? If they were so, do you think the cardinals would
let them speak to me ? They did not give this permission
to those two who posted all the way from England and France
to obtain it. I do not know who Signor Bambozzi is, and I
can not imagine what he can want with me."
" But if they be not friends, what can they be ?"
" Enemies, assuredly. No person sent by the cardinals
can have any occasion for an order from a French general."
" It may be a trick one of those tricks so frequently play
ed off in priestly Rome. Baraguai d Hilliers does not know
the priests ; they may be plotting together something to com
promise him."
This visit, announced with so much ceremony on Christ
mas eve, did not take place till the last day of the year. The
supposed friends were the fiscal judge of the Inquisition, Mon
signor Bambozzi, and his secretary, a Dominican advocate.
Monsignor Bambozzi is one of the most courteous of men.
Those who, hearing of the fiscal judge of the Inquisition,
might picture to themselves an austere man, with a crafty,
sinister air, would find they were quite mistaken in their
idea. No, he is a very polite little man, a sacristan priest,
paying compliments to every body, always smiling, with his
snuff-box in his hand ever ready to offer a pinch. The other
was a poor, needy-looking personage, with nothing unfavor
able in his aspect, and evidently following this occupation
to earn his bread.
I was first desired to give an exact description of myself.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 341
The prelate then made a sign to the other to write, and be
gan to dictate to him in Latin.
"A certain man (homo quidam) appeared before me de
claring himself to be What is your name ?"
I told him my name, my age, &c. He went on :
" Giacinto Achilli, son of , born at , aged
, &c., dressed" (here followed the description of my
dress from head to foot) " confined in this prison, &c. ; being
asked if he knows why he is detained in prison, answers
Answer this question.
" It is what I wish to know. I have been six months
confined here, and have never yet been told, nor do I know
the cause of my imprisonment.
" Interrogated whether he knows under what tribunal he
is now examined, answers,
" * It is what I wish to know.
" And being told that he is examined by the magistrates
of the Holy Roman Universal Apostolical Inquisition, answers
Speak frankly :
" I am glad of it.
" Admonished to tell the truth, and to recognize in this
fact the justice of God and not the vengeance of man, he re
plied to the first part,
" I promise to tell the truth ; on the second he was silent."
At this juncture Monsignor Bambozzi drew out a quire
of paper, covered with writing, and began to read the first
page, from which I perceived it was the minute taken down
the second day of my imprisonment by a judge of the cardinal
vicar, consisting of a general interrogatory on the whole of
my life that is to say, my education, my studies, my pub
lic functions, my occupations, my journeys, and especially that
to the Ionian Islands, Malta, England, &c., till my return to
Rome ; what I had done during the Roman republic, and fin
ishing with my imprisonment. All this, confronted anew
with numerous questions, formed the subject of my first in
terview with Monsignor Bambozzi and his companion.
In a moment the news resounded through St. Angelo that
the judges of the Inquisition were come, with the special per-
342 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
mission of the French authorities, to take possession of me.
The indignation this intelligence excited was great, and was
expressed in no very measured terms against both the priests
and the French. I smiled amid the universal excitement,
but I may safely say I was the only one who did so.
Four days afterward the judge and his companion were
again announced, and I had to submit to a fresh and very
long interrogatory, carried on, like the former one, in Latin.
First, as to why I had abandoned the order of the Domin
icans, from which I had received, even up to the latest mo
ment that I was connected with it, the greatest proofs of es
teem and good-will, insomuch that I had been promoted,
while yet in my youth, to posts so high and important that
they were difficult to be obtained even by the aged.
Secondly, why I had afterward abandoned the ministry
of the Roman Church, my theological functions, the Mass,
and other religious duties, thus showing myself thankless and
ungrateful for the education I had received, and for the in
terest taken in me at Rome ?
Thirdly, what complaint I had to make, if any, of the
lenient correction I received on my being summoned before
the Inquisition in 1842, the sole object of which was to re
call me to the right path ?
Fourthly, and lastly, why I had left Home, and quitted
Italy altogether, to take refuge in Protestant countries, thus
making myself a public subject of conversation, to the scan
dal of my best friends, and the fearful injury of my own soul ?
To these questions I calmly and briefly replied,
First, that with regard to leaving the Dominicans I had
been induced to do so from motives of conscience, though I
still retained a grateful remembrance of all the kindnesses
I had received from them ; and that what I had done was
with the full permission and license of Pope Gregory XVI.
Secondly, that it was equally from motives of conscience
I had left the ministry of the Roman Church.
Thirdly, that, far from bringing any complaint against the
Inquisition, I had quietly resigned to it all the charges of the
ministry, testifying thereby to every one who might be will-
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 343
ing to understand me, that from that time I intended no
longer to be connected with the Church of Rome in any way
whatsoever, regarding myself as subject to no one, in mat
ters of faith, save God alone.
Fourthly, that my leaving Rome, and Italy altogether, was
the natural result of the steps I had previously taken ; that
whether I went to the English or Spanish dominions, or any
other, could be a matter of consequence to no one, provided
I lived an upright life wherever I might be ; and as I felt
conscious that this had been the case hitherto, I did not con
sider myself called upon to render an account of my actions
to any man.
I had reserved to myself a more lengthened and argu
mentative conversation when Monsignor Bambozzi should
enter upon the question of matters of faith ; but he not only
left that subject untouched upon, but even turned it aside
when I endeavored to lead his attention toward it ; nay, he
went so far as to order the jailer to let me take the air every
day, for about a quarter of an hour, on the terrace of the
castle, saying that he was quite satisfied with me, and that
we were perfectly agreed. But how he could imagine we
were so, when my opinions had been diametrically opposed
to his, and all my answers a direct rebuff to his questions,
I can not understand. The fact is, that the Inquisition has
always been about as anxious after truth, for its own sake,
as Pontius Pilate was in the presence of the Lord.
Both my judge and his companion, however, upon taking
leave of me this second time, shook hands with me, saying
that I should see them again shortly.
Eight days elapsed, when I was once more asked for. " It
is Bambozzi," cried my fellow-prisoners ; and I went down
stairs laughing, in the expectation of seeing him again, but
in his place I beheld a priest of the Oratory, alone. He was
full of compliments and civilities on our meeting, and I asked
him at once his name and the cause of his visit ; for, as soon
as he opened his mouth, I perceived by his accent that he
was not an Italian. He replied that he had come to see me
purely out of good-will, and showed me his name in the
344 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
title-page of a book : " Dr. Augustine Theirier, of Prussian
Silesia, Professor of Ecclesiastical History in the College of
the Propaganda in Rome." He went on to say that he was
grieved to find me in such a situation, but that still all might
turn out for the best if I would only be teachable toward
God, and the Holy Mother of the Roman Catholic Church.
This at once brought us to the question whether the Roman
Church alone had a right to be called Catholic. I main
tained that it was a church, but not the Church, and, by
logical consequence, could not be called universal, for the
simple reason that Rome is not the whole world : that the
pope was bishop of the Roman Church alone, and not of the
Catholic Church ; the proof being that many hundreds of
bishops exist in the Church, some dependent upon, and oth
ers independent of Rome, without reckoning all those Chris
tian churches which pride themselves on having no other
bishop than Him mentioned by Peter: "For ye were as
sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the Shepherd
and Bishop of your souls."*
He asked me, smiling, what my church was. I told him
it was that of which St. Paul speaks :f " The general assem
bly and church of the First-born, which are written in heav
en." To a few other questions I replied to the same pur
port. He exhorted me to read his book, printed by the Prop
aganda, in which he had shown me his name, and thereupon
we took leave.
This book is a "History of the Reformation in Sweden,"
written, it would appear, on purpose to blacken the fame
of those Reformers, the good King Gustavus and the excel
lent OlofF Peterson ; and to have the opportunity of using
every description of epithets the most offensive against Lu
ther. It has had the honor, as the author told me, of being
translated into French by M. de Montalembert, and into
English by Dr. Newman, who is also become a priest of the
Oratory. A second and third visit from Dr. Theiner, who
came to me with other books of his own writing, which he
earnestly requested me to read, were occupied with continual
* 1 Pet., ii., 23. t Heb., xii., 23.
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 345
questions on the Roman Church, he resting upon certain
passages of the holy fathers to prove that it is the Catholic
Church, and I upon passages from the fathers also, to show
that what they called Catholic was the Roman Church, to
gether with all others, those only excepted which deviated
from the teaching of the Holy Scriptures and from the faith
of Christ, the Roman Church "being so different in our days,
especially since the Council of Trent, from what it was in
those of the holy fathers, that if they were now living they
would be the first to protest against it and to separate from
it ; that, before the present Roman Church could be called
Christian, a reformation in it was indispensable, the Jewish
and the pagan elements being so mixed up with both its
doctrines and worship that there hardly remains a shade of
primitive Christianity ; that, let but the pope undertake this
reformation, we would be with him, otherwise we must re
main separated ; nor should his threats terrify us, nor his
Inquisition rob the Christians of Italy of their faith or their
union ; that I had shown an example to the brethren how
to propagate in this country the pure and simple doctrine of
Christ ; that the Bible, and the Bible alone, was sufficient
to destroy the whole edifice of the pope ; and that on the
day when I saw reprinted in Rome the New Testament in
Italian, and, moreover, beheld the avidity with which the
Romans received it, I exclaimed, " The death-knell of the
papacy is sounded."
My heart almost leaped out of my breast with joy at hav
ing been able, in the prisons of the Roman Inquisition, to
render this testimony to the truth and to the religion of
Jesus Christ.
" I am as happy as possible now," I said to several of
those good friends who were with me in prison, and who
asked me every time they saw me how I got on with the
papal theologian. " I am only afraid that, feeling how firm
I am, Padre Theiner may discontinue his visits, and tell the
cardinals and the pope that every attempt to bring me back
to the Roman Church is useless."
He had, in fact, at his second visit, shown me a letter of
P 2
346 DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION.
the cardinal vicar, in which he appointed him, by the pope s
desire, to come to me under the guise of a visitor, to hold con
ferences with me, and to discover some way of recovering me
to their faith.
At the end of each visit, however, I had always requested
him to report every thing I had said to him ; adding, that ev
ery day I felt more and more firm and fixed in my purpose ;
and that, if it should please God that I should he released from
prison, I should, with the aid of his Holy Spirit, continue my
mission with all the more vigor from perceiving, by His hav
ing conferred on me the grace of being allowed to suffer six
months incarceration for His name s sake, that it could not
be otherwise than acceptable in His sight.
At the same time I bade him, and the pope and cardinals
likewise, to remember, that the persecution to which I had
been subjected could not be approved or justified even by Ro
man Catholics themselves ; and that, if it had no other effect,
it would at least have the most desirable one of ultimately
working the abolition of the Roman Inquisition, never more
to be restored.
Padre Theiner and I were, on this third visit, in the full fer
vor of our controversial arguments, when the captain of the
castle came to inform me that two chasseurs de Vincennes
were arrived to take me to the French Council of War, to give
evidence in the trial of Signor Cernuschi, deputy of the people
under the republic.
How I, separated as I was, and had been for six months,
from the rest of the world, by a decree emanating from the In
quisition, could be summoned by a foreign authority to appear
before a military tribunal, was what I could not comprehend ;
and my theologian was still more astonished at it than I was.
The captain added that there was the permission of the car
dinal vicar. " Let us go, in the name of the Lord," was my
thought. Padre Theiner accompanied me to the carriage ; I
got in, and two soldiers, armed with carbines, took their pla
ces by me, one on each side. The tribunal was held at the
Ecclesiastical Academy in the Piazza Minerva, the great in
stitution of the Dominicans, who were, as I have already stat-
DEALINGS WITH THE INCIUISITION. 347
ed, the founders of the Inquisition ; and I have often reflected
since upon the retributive justice of Providence, in appointing
that very place for the sitting of the tribunal which was to
break down the power of that villainous establishment by set
ting one of its victims free, to disclose its iniquities to the world.
The Capitaine Rapporteur was alone ; he put a few ques
tions to me concerning Cernuschi, and said certain things to
me which I forbear to mention, as well as some other things of
little import to any one but myself, for fear of causing trouble
to parties still remaining in Rome, subjected to the treacheries
and basenesses of a government at this present moment one of
the most tyrannical, and, at the same time, the most degraded
in Europe. I was then remanded to the castle.
The next day, the 19th of January, Dr. Theiner again called
upon me, and we recommenced our discussions with more an
imation than ever. Our subject was the bishopric of St. Pe
ter at Rome, and the privilege of succession bequeathed by him
to the pope ; he intent on demonstrating, I on confuting it.
Our arguments lasted till nearly dark, and no doubt would
have lasted longer still, as we were neither of us inclined to
cut the matter short, had they not been suddenly interrupted
by the entrance of the jailer, with the information that the two
chasseurs were come again to take me to the Military Com
mission.
I held out my hand to my disputant. " Farewell !" said I
to him, " farewell, Padre Theiner ; offer my respects to the
cardinal vicar, and thank him from me for your visits ; I as
sure you they have given me real pleasure. I hope we may
both of us derive profit from them, and be confirmed by them
more and more in the Word of God."
I again pressed his hand, and then got into the carriage, and
seated myself between the two soldiers.
This time my vehicle was an open one, and as it traversed
the long street from the Castle of St. Angelo to the Piazza
Minerva, I saw and was seen by many persons. I was re
garded with curiosity. It was, indeed, a singular spectacle to
see a prisoner of the Inquisition under the guard of the French
republic.
348 DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION.
I found the Capitaine Rapporteur even more conciliatory
in his deportment toward me than he was before, and I felt
persuaded that he entertained a personal sympathy toward me.
I will not, however, repeat our conversation. I will only say
that it cheered me greatly, and made me feel so thoroughly
as if I were my own master, that I determined to try if it was
really the case.
I walked into an ante-chamber, where I saw several sets of
military garbs and accouterments. In a moment I found my
self in the uniform of a French soldier. I proceeded toward
the doors on the landing ; they were open ; not a single indi
vidual any where to be seen to oppose my egress. It was half
after five in the evening, consequently dusk. I did what any
one else, I suppose, in my situation would have done, and I
did it with a smile of confidence and joy. I descended into
the Piazza Minerva, passed through the Strada Pie di Marmo,
the Piazza del Collegio Romano, and walked down the Corso
in my military garb. Unrecognized, uninterrupted, I arrived
at a place where I changed my dress. Here I found money
prepared for me ; a passport and a carriage with post-horses
were soon ready, and at seven in the evening I found myself
beyond the walls of Rome.
I offered up my thanksgiving to the Lord, and implored his
blessing upon my country, my brethren, and the infant church,
which will one day shine forth in the luster of truth, so that
it may again be said of the Romans that " their faith is spok
en of throughout the whole world."
In six hours after leaving Rome I arrived at Civita Vec-
chia, where I rested till morning. I then delivered several
letters, and afterward went on board a French steamer of war.
The whole of that day I passed in port, engaged, the greatest
portion of it, in returning my grateful thanks to my Almighty
Father, and praying to Him to provide for me in all respects.
I likewise, finding I had an opportunity of getting it posted,
wrote a farewell letter to my brethren in Rome.
The next day we sailed for Toulon, whence I proceeded to
Marseilles, and thence to Lyons, where I stopped a day, to em
brace my excellent friend, Mr. Fisch, and other brethren, who
DEALINGS WITH THE INaUISITION. 349
felt as if they could not bless and thank the Lord enough for
my unexpected liberation. In Paris I was greeted with the
same rejoicings. Oh, what enjoyments has the Christian life,
even in this world ! In my own case, all that I have suffered
now seems sweet and delightful to me. It is indeed to my
body like a dream, but to my spirit it is a precious and endur
ing reality. Never, I hope, shall I forget the gratitude which,
under God, I owe to the brethren of the Evangelical Alliance,
who have indeed set an example, with regard to myself, of the
most edifying Christian charity.
At Paris I laid aside my incognito, which in fact was of no
use to me after I embarked at Civita Yecchia ; but the French
government, through whose assistance I had escaped, stipulated
that I should not resume my own name before I reached Par
is. It was, consequently, my duty to obey. Several among
the old ministry assured me that they would have gladly lent
me their services, had they been in power ; but as that was
not the case, they rejoiced in seeing it done by others, and they
seemed to be of opinion that the way in which my liberation
had been effected was the only one that could have been adopt
ed to avoid a dispute with the pontifical government ; and that,
on the other hand, had I been suffered to remain in prison, it
would have been a lasting disgrace to France to have it said
that the power of the Inquisition was restored and upheld
through her medium ; and that, if assistance had not been af
forded me at an earlier period, it was only because it had been
given out that I was confined on account of moral delinquen
cies, and not for my religious tenets.
" And I," said the ex-minister, " was one of the first to be
misled by these charges ; but when they were all proved to
be malignant inventions, brought forward only to injure you,
there was but one wish on the subject, and that was to see
you set at liberty."
Notwithstanding this flattering testimony of the ex-minister,
I have no doubt there were many, even among the French,
who would much rather I had remained in the power of the
Inquisition ; the Jesuit party especially, among whom were
eeveral members of the National Assembly, were loud in their
350 DEALINGS WITH THE INdUISITION.
outcries against me, and renewed in their journals their old
calumnies, which had so often been answered before, and to
which, indeed, the act of the government itself in liberating
me was more than a sufficient reply.
I shall not here relate all the kindness and affection I expe
rienced on the part of my friends at again seeing me among
them. One of the first visits I made was to our dear brother
in the Lord, the Pastor Frederic Monod. I had scarcely sent
in my name, when the whole of his numerous family came
out to welcome me, and fervent were the praises and thanks
givings that were offered up to the Giver of all good, who
had delivered me from the hand of my enemies, and from them
that sought to destroy my soul.
" Come," said my good friend, " let us go to my brother
Adolph s ; our friends are met together there on your account ;
they have not yet heard of your liberation, and are at this very
time consulting together on the best means to adopt, in order
to influence the government in your behalf."
We accordingly proceeded together to the house. Frederic
entered first, while I remained at the door. " Brethren," he
exclaimed, " before you proceed any further in your delibera
tions, you will rejoice to learn what a signal favor it has pleased
Heaven to grant. Our brother Achilli has, through the mer
cy of God, without any assistance of ours, been released from
his imprisonment. He is now in France ; he has arrived at
Paris, and is actually at the door of this very house ; he is
come to salute you, and to offer up conjointly with yourselves
his thanksgivings to the Lord."
At this moment I entered, and great was the joy with which
I was received by these dear brethren. After we had return
ed thanks for the signal mercies we had experienced, I, follow
ing the example of St. Peter, " beckoning unto them with the
hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had
brought me out of the prison."
I had now only one thing wanting to complete my content
ment, which was the restoration to me of my dear partner, the
sweet solace of my troubles, and the sharer of my hopes. And
this additional blessing was soon granted to me. At the time
DEALINGS WITH THE INQUISITION. 351
of my leaving Rome my wife was at Florence. As soon as
she heard of my arrival at Paris, she set off to rejoin me, un
der the protection of some friends.
About the middle of February we returned together, after
a most eventful year s absence, to England, where, ever since
my arrival, I have received the same, and even increased to
kens of regard and interest in my welfare that I had done be
fore, and of which I shall ever retain the most grateful remem
brance. Nevertheless, I view my mission as inseparably con
nected with my native country ; to resume my labors there,
sooner or later, in the establishment of a reformed Italian
Church, is the holy ambition of my heart, the unceasing ob
ject of my prayers. Meanwhile I endeavor to preserve the
germ of it alive by celebrating Divine worship, " pure and un-
defiled before God," and imparting religious instruction on the
Sabbath, and at fit seasons, to as many of my unfortunate fel
low-refugees, and others of my countrymen, as show themselves
desirous of it, trusting that " what is sown in tears may be reap
ed in joy," and that the great " Lord of the harvest" may be
pleased to send his laborers therein, and to bless their efforts
and their hopes.
THE END.
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JJ1-
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BX 1723 .A3 1851 SMC
Achi 111, Giacinto, b.
1803.
Deal ings with the
inquisition, or, Papal
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