Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-02-04
CHE 8ntlana 9erala.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1864.
The Paradise of Pleasure, or the
Abolition of Slavery I'm the RePub-
sic Of Bologna Six Hundred Years

and IN these times VIII De reau Win
interest
"In the year 1867, a transaction was
completed, which alone ought TO be suf-
fcient to inmortalise the republic OF
Bologna. There is among the records OF
that city, q book entitled The Paradise
of Pleasure, which contains the decree
OF the third Of June, 1857, by which all
the slaves and villains were manumit-
ted, and annually taxed in certain
quantity Of corn, which was consigned
TO the care of an officer already institute
ed, and called the pretor of the sack,
who was appointedin the same manner
as the pretors of the castles. This law
at first prepared 10y legislators, was re-
cited and approved by the councils OF
the people, assembled, according to the
usage, by the ringing OF bells. The rec
ord is in substance,-'In the beginning
God Almighty planted a paradise Of
pleasure, in which he placed man whom
he had created and clothed with white
robe of innocence, giving him a perfect
and perpetual liberty; but the wretch,
unmindful of his own dignity and the
divine munifcence, tasted of the apple
forbidden him by the commandment of
Heaven, and thereby dragged himself and
all his posterity down into this valley
of misery, poisoned the human race, and
most miserably bound it in chains OF
diabolical servitude; and thus from in
corruptible it was made corruptible
from immortal, mortal subjected to
continual vicissitudes and most griev-
Gus slavery. God, however, beholding
that the whole world had persisted, had
compassion on the human race, and sent
his only begotten son, born Of the Virgin
Mary, who, co operating with the grace
Of the Holy Ghost, to the glory OF his
owndignity, breaking the bonds with
which we were held captive, restored us
to our primitive liberty and therefore
it is very justly questioned, whether man,
whom nature from the beginning pro
duced and made free, and the law of ma
tons only subjected to the yoke Of ser
vitude, ought not to be restored to the
blessing of manumission.
These men have been shame to the
cause OF liberty. In consideration Of
which, the noble city of Bologna, which
has always fought for liberty, recollect-
ing the past and providing for the future,
in honor Of Jesus Christ, our Lord and
Redeemer, has redeemed, with a price in
money, all those who, in the city OF b.
logna and it's bishopric, were found con-
fined in servile condition, and after dill
sent examination deeGs e tbfmgt to Re treeii
any kind Of slavery in the city or epis-
copacy, shall dare to remain or be de-
tanned in it, to the end that so great a
mass Of natural liberty, redeemed by a
price, should not be corrupted by any
remaining mixture of slavery, as a mod
crate fermentation corrupts the whole
mass and the society of one evil de-
braves many that are good. In the time
Of that noble man and podesta, D. Ac-
cursius, of Lorixana, whose reputation
spreading far and wide, shines like a
star, and under the examination Of D.
Jacob Grataeeli, his judge and assessor,
whose skill, wisdom, constancy and
temperance recommended him oall men,
the present memorial is made, which by
its proper name ought justly to be called
PARADISE, containing the names of all
the masters and all the slaves, both male
and female, that it may appear by what
servants and maids liberty is acquired,
and at what price; to wit, ten pounds
for those of more than fourteen years of
age, whether men or women, and eight
pounds for all under that age, to every
master for every one whom he holds in
servitude. This memorial was written
by me, Conrad Sclariti, a notary, deput-
ed to the office of servants and maids /;
and may it remain to posterity monu-
ment of this transaction"
John Adams, second President Of the
United States, who made the above
translation, remarked upon it as fol-
lows Amidst the melancholy gloom
of factions and RIGHTEOUSNESS, of injus-
tice and cruelty, Of fraud and violence,
such CLEAN of humanity, equity and
magnanimity, is refreshing. 1t shall be
left to our own reflections, the first of
which will undoubtedly be, wish to
see paradise of pleasure in each of the
United States of America.
These sentiments Of republican peo-
pie of the middle ages, are possessed Of
especial interest, as showing what the
opinions then were of the character and
tendency of the Christian religion re-
specting slavery. Bologna, it should be
remembered, was distinguished seat OF
learning, whittier youths resorted from
all parts of Europe. In the year 1918
there were ten thousand students there
at the University for the study Of the
law. j. w. p.
PETRIPAcTIos.-A correspondent of the
I'll h. ,s,