The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-08

/ Alter UeAtn tu6 DO0y DeCame SwOlten anu
blackened. owing to the putrefeation Of the
blood; and hence there originated among
such rs knew not the cause Of these appear
ancss a rumor that the Pope had been polson-
cd This account OF the cause OF the Pope's
| decease by confirmed In manuscript Diary.
ascribed to Burkhard and preserved in the
Corsini Library.
DR.. Parsons discusses briefly one more Of
the pretended facts brought forward to aus.
tain the theory OF Pope Alcxander's immor-
ality. We refer to the revolving orgy said to
have been celebrated in honor OF the prospec.
tive marriage Of Lucretin with the Duke Of
Ferrara. u banquet at which we are asked to
| fancy as participants tho aged pontiif. Caesar.
I.ucretia, and hity "respectables' fhonrstrJ.
| prostitutes. The charge rests exclusively on n
| passage in the true or false Burkhard.
| and. as DR.. Parsons suggests. the fe-
| male guests must have been hOnestr far
| beyond the wont OF their class. and the
servants present must have been miracles
OF secrecy. II all Rome did not rim. the
next day with echoes OF the Bacchanalian
rcvel. As n matter OF fact. excepting Burk-
hard, II indeed 1t be he who speaks in the pms
sage in question. not ono OF the chron-
iclers who dilate circum stantally on
all the festivities given at tho Vat
lean In honor OF Iucretia's ospousnls.
says a word about an orgy which would have
been mine OF wealth to gossips. How Is 1t
possible 10 account for such reticence on tho
part OF the Ferrarese ENJOYS. who were then
residing In the Vatican, awaiting the con-
venpnce Of Lucretix to conduct her to their
royal master rs u bride? Why. again. is COM
plete silence preserved on the part OF the secret
agent. sent by tho Marchoness OF Mantua.
sister of tho future bridegroom. who kept his
mistress informed as to the most trivial incl
dents At the papal court'
III.
Tho monument recently erected in Rome to
Giordnno Bruno by tho Italian Government
exhibits somo bns reliefs Of other martyrs to
truth" such us Huss. Servetus. Arnold OF
Bresca. and Campanclla. In nh essay on tho
subject DR.. Parsons contends that il is by no
means certain that Bruno was put to death.
and that. at all events. Cnmranela is improp-
.erly associated with him upon tho monument.
because tho Papacy. far from prosecuting him.
rescued him from secular persecution. He wds
in other words, not tho victim. but the bene-
flciary OF the Inquisition. We vii! only indi-
cate succincty some Of the grounds for these
assertions. which to many readers will seem
paradoxical First as to Bruno. It Is updis-
puted that in 1852 he was arrested by the
State Inquisitors OF Venice on the charge OF
heresy: that inter six yeRrs Of imprisonment
he was delivered to the Holy Office. or Roman
In0uisition. tried land pcrhaps) condemned
to the stake on Feb. q. 1000. Eut was the sem
tence executed. or. as frequently happened in
similar casos. was Bruno merely burnt in
efflgyI They who answer in the affirma-
tive rest solely on letter purport-
ing to come from learned German.
then in Rome. Gaspar Schopp. whica de-
scribes the execution Many critics have to-
MED the authenticity OF this epistle and. what
is moro to the purpose. Schopp stands alone
in his assertion. The Roman archives contain
documents relating to the trial. but not word
is said OF Il condemnation. nor is there any ac-
count of the execution. whereas in every SINH
lar case both Of these incidents are set forth in
detail. Again. the Relations" OF tho foreign
Ambassadors resident ut tho Holy See. which
never omitted any such items. make no
aluscn to the event. No. even in tho
correspondence OF the Venetian Ambassa-
dor. the agent Of Government which must
have felt an especial interest in the fate of
Bruno since 1t had brought about his DOWN
fall. Is there any reference to the alleged
catastrophe. Nor Is this all the negative evil
dence Cantn cites Ms. Of the Medicean
archives. datod at Rome on the very day Of
Bruno's trial. which narrates the burning Of
an apostate friar few days before. Hero
some mention Of Bruno's condemnation would
naturally occur. but there is not word. FL
nally. the celebrated Friar Paul Sarti. al
though he never missed an opportunity OF at
lacking what ho regarded Roman ntolcr.
ance. and although he continued this
course for many years after the trial
Of Bruno. never alludes TO the alleged
fate Of the Italian hereto. The same
silence Is observed in Ciacconio. San
drani. Alfani. Manno. and Ossat. none Of whom
was likely to have omitted to notice 81 i'm
portant an event had 1t occurred.
SO much for Bruno: now for Csmpanolia.
who. far from being hereto. WAS not only u
Catholic but nm exceedingly intoerant one. He
declared that the first error committed during
the Lutheran movement was in allowing
Luther to live after the Diets Of Worms and
Augsburg: he advised all governments to toll
crate no Lutherans within their limits. and
maintained that the Calvinistic dogma Of pro-
destination rendered oil princes wicked. the
people seditious, and theoloRians traitors.
What happened to Campanella was this: while
living in tho Ncapolitan territory about the
beginning Of the seventeenth century. lie WAS
charged with completely In a conspiracy Or
ganized against Spanish rule. Tho lay con-
spirators wore hanged. but the inculpated
ecclesiastics Campunola excepted We're AS
signed to tho In1uisition. Apparently the
Spanish Viceroy insisted on this exception ut
the instiGation OF Campanella's private enc
mics At all events. he was confined in
the fortress OF st. Elmo for twenty seven
years. Again and again the Holy Sec
vainly endeavored to procure his release.
and finally Pope Urban WILL. availng
himself Of tho accusation OF magical
practices. made against tho philosopher. in
sisted that such charge placed him
within tho solo jurisdiction OF tho InTuisition.
and succeeded In obtaining the friar's extra