The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-10-22
MARTYR or PHILOSOPHY.
Giordnuo Bruno and His Doctrines.


Great interest has been manifested OF
late years, by the scientific world, In the career
and fate Of the Italian philosopher. Giordano
Bruno. It is known that he was publicly burned
at the stake by the Inquisition at Rome in the
year 1900, and it his been supposed that his Of
fence, like that OF Oalieo. was solely belief in
certain scientific truths which coniicted with
prevalent religious dogmas. Hence, he has been
regarded as a martyr OF sciences, and his oiy
revered accordingly. The Information concern
ing him was, however. very meagre, and the cur
rent accounts Of his life aud doctrines quite err
roneous. For example, DR.. John W. Draper, in
his " History Of the Intellectual Development OF
Europe" speaks OF him thus:
Bruno was born seven years after the death OF
Coperncus. He became a Dominican, but, like
30 many other thoughtful men Of the times was
led into beresy on the doctrine Of transuostan-
tistion. Not concealiDg his oplnipDs, no was
prosecuted, ned and led vagabond life in for
etRn countries, testifyng that wherever he
went he found skepticlsn under the polish OF
hypocrisy, aud that lie fought not against the
belief Of mem but against their pretended be.
lief. For teaching the rotation Of the earth he
had To lee to Switzerland. and thence to Eng
land, where, at Oxford. he gave lectures on cos
molOgy. Driven from England, France, and
Germany IN succession. he ventured in his eI.
tremity to return to Italy, and was arrested at
Venice where he was Kept In prison In the
Ptombi for six years. without books, or paper,
OF friends. Meantime the Inqusition demand
ed him as having written hereiical works.
He was, therefore, surrendered to Rome.
and, after further imprisonment OF two
years, tried, excommunicated add delivered
over To the secular authorities to be punished
as mercifully as possible and without the
shedding Of hts blood" the abOminabls formula
for burning man alive. He md collected all
the observations that had been made respecting
the new star in Cassiopeis la 1572; he had taught
that space IL infinite, and that II ~ n1ed with
sell luminous and opaque worlds, many Of them
inhabited-tb being his capital offence. lie
believed that the world IL animated by an in
telIl9ppt soul, tue cause OF forms. Uut not OF
matter; tnat II lives In all things, even such as
seem not to live that everything Is ready to
become organized that matter Is the mother of
forms and these their grave; that matter and
the soul Of the world together constitute Gsd.
Deus In nobis." In his "Cena de lie Cenere" he
insists that the Scripture was not intended to
teach science, but morals only. Tue severity
asseverations that he was struggling with an
orthodoxy that had neither morality nor belief.
Ihts was the aim OF bis work entitled " Ihe
Triumphant Beast" lie was burnt at Rome
FeD. 10, 1870. with both present and prophetic
sentence was passed upon him, perhaps 1t Is
with greater fear that We pass this sentence
upon me than receive IT," Hts tormenters ~
cosely observed, as the hames smut niin out Tor
ever from view, that he had gone to the imagi-
nary worlds he had SO wickcdly feigned.
Aud, In his Conflict between Science and
Religion" Dr. Draper also says:
Originally, Bruno WIS intended for the
"
led iutO doubt by his medItations ON tue sub
JvCts OF transubstantiation aud the inni dcuiate
conception. Not earn. to conceal his opin-
lone, no soon fell under the censure Of the sDir-
itual authorities, aud found Il necessary TO seek
refuge successfully IA Switzehand, France,
England, Germany. The cold scented eleuth
bounds OF the Ina listioD followed his track
romorselessly. and eventually hunted him back
to Italy. lie WAS arrested ia Venice and CON
nned IN the Piombi for six years, without books
or papers or friends.
Tho truth Is, Bruno was born nve, instead Of
seven, years after the death of Copernicus. His
first heresy was upon the subject neither OF
transub sanitation nor OF the i'm m aculste con
ception, but upon that OF the Trinity and the
divinity of Jesus Christ. II was in conseq uencs
OF proceedings against him ny the 1nquisition
for bis opinions on this matter that he was com
PEELED to iy from Naples and Rome and the ro-
tation of the earth did not come in question
He was not driven from country to country. but
went about with the greatest freedom for nf-
teen years lecturing In universities and publish
ing books, and came to Venice on the invita-
ton Of young nobieman who desired instruc-
ton from him. lie was connncd In Venice only
eight months and not In the Piom Di at all. but
IN the prison OF the IDquisition, aud, instead Of
Two years. he was nearly seven years Imprisoned
at Rome. His capital offence was not teaching
an inhnity Of worlds, but adeuial OF the divinity
OF Jesus Christ. 1t was not his tormentors, but
a bystander, who IN ade tho remark about his
going to the other worlds he had feigned, and
IL was not made at the place Of execution, but
Ia u letter written TO a friend. And. finally, thu
day OF lirunos execution was not Feb. 10, but
Feb IL. These aud other istakes hays been
completely shown and corrected by Prof. d.
menco Berti, in his recent life Of Bruno, found
Ell mainly upon original documents In the pro
ceedtngs against him, including hts own deposi-
tons, which were discovered in Venice few
years ago.
Giordano Bruno, or Bruni. was born at Nola.
near Naples, Ia tue year 1888, and was baptized
by the name of Flippo. Nothing Il known Of
his parents, except that his father was a soldier.
At the age OF ten or eleven ne was sent TO Ma
pies to pursue his studies, and there, In 1868.
when nfteen years old, lac entered the Dominl-
can convent. assuming the name of Giordan
by which he was ever after called. wnile sttll a
novice, he excited suspicion Of his orthodoxy
by discouracing q brother novice from reading
a mystical book in praise Of the Virgin Mary.
and by giving away all his images OF male and
female saints, retaining only the crucinK. TO
brighten him, the master OF the novicss drew up
an act OF accusation pg inst him, winch how
ever, WAS then destroyed, aud the proceeding
went no further In l5,2, AT the age of twenty
four, he was ordained a priest and celebrated
his FIRST mass, aud for the next three years went
about from one convent 10 another. finally COM
ing back to Naples. IL was some time durlng
this period, probably, that he wrote his comedy.
II Caudeaio," which he afterwsrd published
at Paris. lie had already begun to entertain
doubts on tho doctrine Of tho Trinity and in
Bin he imprudentiy gave lutheran to them IN
conversation with another Dominican. SHOWN Z
a Suspicious familiarity with the writings of
Aritns. The consequence was a denuncisti IN
Of him TO the Inquisition as n horetic, and mat
rsrs took such threatening turn, that he judged
It prudent to retire To the convent Of his order
az Rome. Hther the Officers Of the Inquisition
followed him, and he removed 20 Noli, IN the ter
rtory of Genoa, where, for lve mOnths, no sup
ported himself by teaching children grammar
ana Occurring TO adults on the planetary system
About this time. too, no began to consider with
favor the Copernican theory of which he says,
in one OF his works, that at nrst no regarded il
as unworthy even OF refutation, atterward bs-
gan to esteem IL PROBABLE, aud finally accepted
1t as simply true.
From Noh, Bruno went to Turin, and thence
on to Venice, where he published mis- FIRST b. ok
No copy OF II is eXtant, but It Il known that i
was cIllcd "rhe Signs Of the FINES :" and IL
contents must have been quito harmless, sino'
It was -uhmitte TO a Dominican priest, and ap