New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-21

docmas prescribed by the church 10 Is easy
say that the burthen of Machiavcllis pon'ica
writings is anything but controversy WIN III
papacy-much as he detestcd tine latter ana ut
| lighted in satirizng it-and in the case oil
transcendentalist Ike Bruno 1t is clear that 'h
wings OF philosophy often carried the 'hihh'r
n snhcre in which contemporary ecclesiastical
questions ceased TO I've factor OF any great con
scoucncc in the problem. The tendency, ever
among the Popcs themselves and among sucf
familars of theirs as the scholarly Bembo. was II
scnaratc philosophy from religion and to face
tbe proposition that there might be two source:
If truth A., long as religion was left undisturic'
in its dominion by the spcculations Of philosophy
the Inouistion was content to Let the disputant;
of tbo Universities go on with their harangncs
Rut il is not alone the death of such q man as
Rruno or Vanini at tie stake which points to 4
conflict between the frce-thOught Of the phioS
ophcrs and the narrow teaching and worse prac-
tice Of the church. From the beginning one oil
the clements of humanism that are more than
merely conjectural is revolt against the papacy
II was a revolt provoked in great measure by the
MYRIAD evils of sacerdotalism. These prepared
the way for the freer criticism of dogma. In
itself the schism Of 37S was terrific blow to
the prestige Of the Holy See. The spectacle OF
two pontifs. each claiming primacy and an
nfallihility which by their natur" could not be
divided might have undermined belief and given
an impctus to frec-thoucht in a far less cynical
age than the Renaissance How much more sub
ycrsivc Of the authority Of the church must such
a combination of circumstances have been when
the structure Of each court was honcycombcd
with vice II is an open question as to whch
was the greater Babylon, Avignon or Rome.
n IL an indication Of the lack or cnctratlon
which characterized the Renaissance. in the midst
OF the learning so zcalously cultivated that men
neglected to find the point Of departure OF the
Roman Catholicism OF that day from primitive
Christianity or rather that they did not snatch the
kernel Of Tn, religion from the dcliling shroud
in which il was envcloped. There were men
whose spcculations were colorcd. as the rlatonsm
of Pico was colorcd. by lofty spiritual ycarninss'
and from Pctrarch 10 Vanini the aim Of every
serious thinker was truth. Yet the tone OF 'hc
Renaissance was not that Of Pico della Mirandold.
but that Of Boccaccio or Poggo, even IN rico
time. Perhaps the "Dccamcron" or the e." Fa-
cctacr i, 81 fer guide 10 the essence of the move
mcnt which finally gave birth TO so idcalistic
thinker az Bruno than any one Of the rarrh"d
trcatiscs of the latter himself What tho R"nais-
sance hnnacrrd for was liberty The prodigious
elasticity OF their actual life demanded for men
duccd much grra,cr neNibili,y Of conscience than
.hcv wer. permitted under the Reminding at
mosphcr, of mcdacvaisnf. They found. it may
10 surmiscd. exactly what they wanted in the
license Of Pcaaio or Boccaccio and this license.
In tho rebound. nolirshcd free thought. In brief.
Pocgio's spirit Of freedom. Of audacious int"Fro-
cation and comment when il is detached from his
was the accident Of his age
brines rs close TO the real significance OF tho mon
whom Mr. owen discusses. The achievement ol
thcn ALL 70 repeat MS words, consists in dir"c-
tion rather than goal" If We except the poetry
Of Petrarch. the literary style 81 Eocraccio, ana
tie sta,,craft Of Machavclli. II j. for this rca
son that now that they have served their purppT"
books like the Dccamrron- or the Fac"tiac are
so much unpleasant lumber for any but anti
quarian investigation.
Tho service OF the leaders OF the Renaissance 20
civilization MAS that they maintained continual!
state OF intellectual friction. that th"y rendered
mpossble the repetition OF such stasnat"n n
hat Of medieval scholasticsm. The reaction
was sometimes carried too far, ana we know mat
Bruno looked with passionate disapIroval upon
.ome phases OF humanism. He felt that 1t tended
q cecate from ia" hoqmss Of the fathers of III"
'burch ONLY 20 no enmeshcd In those OF pagan
literature. There il, in fact. something IN m"
,oracous classicism Of Pctrarch which. for all 's
God effect upon Italian letters, Will occasionally
,ugpcst n correspondence between him AMI the
lilrttantc OF modern times. who IL so. fascinated
~ the antinnc authors in hs library that h" for
ets ~ look ont Of the window STILL Bruno l.
he elimination Of n period Of development whose
lebt 70 classical literature it would b" nara 70
COMPUTE We call him the elimination, though
he last chapter in Mr.. Owens volum" deals with
-anini. and recalls tina. the latter wa@ burned
4 Toulouse nineteen years after Bruno WIS
,nrncd at Rome. His title 70 the last woT J. now
yer. il a. title OF chronology merely; ana Mr'
)wcn would have given hi' work NOR" i"H'l-
ous termination had hr either lnfroduce1 Nhhihi
cforc Bruno or paused upon III" CONTAMINATION ol
he Nolan's mctroric career III" pan'hfiSu ~
-anini is intere-'inc, bat il fades before INC
plrndor Of Bruno's solution 81 III" secret 81 '''
infinite I, is the splrndor OF l'rnnos Speculf'loh
which lifts him above his predecessors. ''nic-
iardini 20 whose picty Mr. owen "spccihN 70
crs had ethical eincw and - had Ponponizn, /
Who was also a daring thinker There Is
orcsbadowjng of Brnno's mpcrions dialrcics i'll
shrcwd debating. of which Mr.
,wen gives an illustration in an admirable imng-
nary argument between Pomponazzi ana Ac""-
mi n padua. But Eruno's Imagination was
more subtle turn, and ho gave more OF an up
-ard Impetus TO philosopllic thought than had
ny OF H., Italians before him. His soaring au-
acty and idealism mark the highest Icach OF
,cnaissanc. philosophy, and are tlr richest legacy
Z the latter 10 tho speculation OF to-day IL"
FINISHES by all odds the best chapter III Mr.
wrns book This is, in the first place. because
the character OF his work, and secondly, be-
,use Of the incidents Of his life. wide
ravcllcr and militant wherever he went. his steps
rom Naples to Rome and then on to othrr i'ai'ah
tics 10 France, Switzerland, England and to
orm.pv whence he eventually returned 10 the
,uth where he died, are succession OF en-
cri.ncc, which give the narrative Of his career
~ almost romantic accent. 1t is Mr.. Ovens
,erit to have given his sketch OF Bruno pliancy
nd animation All his chapters, indeed. have
II interest sprincing from his pleasant treatment
the men considered, as well as from the ideas
rystalized in the latter. There is naturally moro
philosophy than biography in his book and