CALVINISTS IN COUNCIL.
While the events narrated in the previous chapter were occurring at his
house, Christian Lebrenn was climbing in the company of his mysterious
guest the slope of Montmartre, along the path that led to the abbey.
"Monsieur Lebrenn," said Monsieur John, who had been in deep silence, "I
should feel guilty of an act of ingratitude and of mistrust were I any
longer to withhold from you my name. Perhaps it is not unknown to you. I
am John Calvin."
"I feel happy, monsieur, in having given asylum to the chief of the
Reformation, to the valiant apostle who has declared war to Catholicism,
and who propagates the new ideas in France."
"Alas, our cause already counts its martyrs by the thousands. Who knows
but I may soon be added to their number? My life is in the hands of the
Lord."
"Our enemies are powerful."
"Among these, the most redoubtable ones will be the Jesuits, the
sectarians whose secret you surprised. Their purposes were not so well
concealed but that I already had intimation of the endeavors of their
chief to gather around himself active, devoted and resolute men. Hence
the lively interest I felt in the narrative of your relative, the
one-time page of Ignatius Loyola, when the latter was still a military
chieftain. That revelation, coupled with yours, has given me the key to
the character of the founder of the Society of Jesus, his craving after
power, and the means that he uses in order to satisfy his ambition. The
military discipline, that turns the soldier into a passive instrument of
his captain, is to be applied to the domination of souls, which are to
be rendered no less passive, no less servile. His project is to center
in himself, to direct and to subjugate human conscience, thanks to a
doctrine that extenuates and encourages the most detestable passions.
Ignatius Loyola said the word: 'The penitent of a Jesuit will see the
horizon of his most ardent hopes open before him; all paths will be
smoothed before his feet; a tutelary mantle will cover his defects, his
errors and his crimes; to incur his resentment will be a dreaded
ordeal.'"
"I shuddered as I heard that man distribute the empire of the world
among his disciples in the name of such an impious doctrine. It cannot
choose--the painful admission must be made--but impart to the Jesuits a
formidable power until man be regenerated. Thanks, however, to God, the
Reformation also now counts fervent adepts."
"The disciples of the Reformation are still few in number, but their
influence upon the masses of the people is no less extensive, due to the
moral force of our doctrine. All straightforward, pure and generous
souls are with us. Men of learning, poets, merchants, enlightened
artisans like yourself, Monsieur Lebrenn; rich men, bourgeois, artists,
professors; even military men will gather this evening at our meeting to
confess the true Evangelium."
"Civil war is a fearful extremity. All the same, the day may come when
the men of arms will be needed by the Reformation."
"May that untoward day never arrive! My opinion is that patience,
resignation and respect for the laws and the Crown should be carried to
the utmost limit possible. Nevertheless, should the sword have to be
drawn, not for the purpose of imposing the Evangelical church through
violence, but for the purpose of defending our lives, and the lives of
our brothers, I should not, then, hesitate to call upon the men of arms
who are partisans of the Reformation. Among these, it is my belief, we
shall number a young man who has barely emerged from adolescence, and
who gives promise of becoming a great captain at maturer age. He is
called Gaspard of Coligny. His father bore himself bravely in the late
wars of Italy and Germany. He died leaving his sons still in their
childhood. Madam Coligny raised them in the Evangelical faith. About a
year ago I found a place of refuge under her roof, at her castle of
Chatillon-on-the-Loing, in Burgundy. I there met her eldest son,
Gaspard. The precocious intellectual maturity of the lad, his devotion
to our cause, awakened in me the best of hopes. He will be one of the
pillars of the new temple--besides a terrible enemy raised against the
Pope and Satan."
"Monsieur," put in Christian, interrupting John Calvin in a low voice,
"we are shadowed. I have noticed for some little while three men not far
behind us, who seem to be timing their steps to ours."
"Let us stop, let us allow them to pass. We shall ascertain whether they
are bent upon following us. They may be friends, like ourselves bound to
our assembly."
Christian and John Calvin halted. Shortly they were passed by three men
clad in dark colors, and all three carrying swords. One of these seemed,
as he passed closely by John Calvin, to scan his face intently in the
moonlight. A moment later, after having proceeded a little distance with
his friends, he left them, retraced his steps, and walking towards
Christian and his companion, said, courteously touching his cap with his
hand:
"Monsieur Calvin, I am happy to meet you."
"Monsieur Coligny!" exclaimed the reformer gladly. "You did come--as I
hoped you would."
"It was natural I should respond to the summons of him whose doctrines I
share, and for whom my mother entertains so much esteem and affection."
"Are the two gentlemen you are with of our people, Monsieur Coligny?"
"Yes. One is French, the other a foreigner, both devoted to our cause. I
have felt safe to bring them to our assembly. I vouch for them, as for
myself. The foreigner is a German Prince, Charles of Gerolstein, a
cousin of the Prince of Deux-Ponts, and, like him, one of the boldest
followers of Luther. My other friend, a younger son of Count Neroweg of
Plouernel, one of the great seigneurs of Brittany and Auvergne, is as
zealous in favor of the Reformation as his elder brother for the
maintenance of the privileges and dominion of the Church of Rome."
"Sad divisions of the domestic hearth!" observed John Calvin with a
sigh. "It is to be hoped the truth of the Evangelium may penetrate and
enlighten all the hearts of the great family of Christ!"
"May that era of peace and harmony soon arrive, Monsieur Calvin,"
replied Gaspard of Coligny. "The arrival of that great day is anxiously
desired by my friend Gaston, the Viscount of Plouernel and captain of
the regiment of Brittany. With all his power has he propagated the
Reformation in his province. To draw you his picture with one stroke, I
shall add that my mother has often said to me I could not choose a wiser
and more worthy friend than Gaston Neroweg, the Viscount of Plouernel."
"The judgment of a mother, and such a mother as Madam Coligny, is not
likely to go astray regarding her son's choice of his friends," answered
John Calvin. "Our cause is the cause of all honorable people. I would
like to express to your friends my great gratification at the support
they bring to us."
Gaspard of Coligny stepped ahead to inform his friends of John Calvin's
wish that they be introduced to him.
Upon hearing the name of the Viscount of Plouernel, Christian had
started with surprise. Accident was bringing him in friendly contact
with one of the descendants of the Nerowegs, that stock of Frankish
seigneurs which the sons of Joel the Gaul had, in the course of
generations, so often encountered, to their sorrow. He felt a sort of
instinctive repulsion for the Viscount of Plouernel, and cast upon him
uneasy and distrustful looks as, accompanied by Gaspard of Coligny and
Prince Charles of Gerolstein, he stepped towards John Calvin. While the
latter was exchanging a few words with his new friends, Christian
examined the descendant of Neroweg with curiosity. His features
reproduced the typical impress of his race--bright-blonde hair, aquiline
nose, round and piercing eyes. Nevertheless, the artisan was struck by
the expression of frankness and kindness that rendered the young man's
physiognomy attractive.
"Gentlemen," said John Calvin, whose voice interrupted the meditations
of Christian, "I am happy, in my turn, to introduce you to one of ours,
Monsieur Lebrenn, a worthy coadjutor in the printing office of our
friend Robert Estienne. Monsieur Lebrenn has incurred no little danger
in affording hospitality to me. Moreover, it is to him we are indebted
for the discovery of the locality where we are to meet to-night."
"Monsieur," replied Gaspard of Coligny addressing Christian with
emotion, "my friends and I share the sentiments of gratitude that
Monsieur John Calvin entertains for you."
"Besides that, Monsieur Lebrenn," added Neroweg, the Viscount of
Plouernel, "I am delighted to meet one of the assistants of the
illustrious Robert Estienne. All that we, men of arms and war, have to
place at the service of the cause of religious liberty is our sword; but
you and your companions in your pursuit, you operate a marvelous
talisman--the press! Glory to that invention! Light follows upon
darkness. No longer is Holy Writ, in whose name the Church of Rome
imposed so many secular idolatries upon the people, an impenetrable
mystery. Its truth owes to the press its second revelation. Finally,
thanks to the effect of the press, the hope is justified that
Evangelical fraternity will one day reign on earth!"
"You speak truly, Monsieur Plouernel. Yes, the invention of the press
bears the mark of God's hand," observed John Calvin. "But the night
advances. Our friends are surely waiting for us. Let us move on, and
join them."
With Gaspard of Coligny on one side, and the Viscount of Plouernel on
the other, John Calvin, the great promoter of the new doctrines,
proceeded to climb the slope of the hill of Montmartre.
Much to his regret, the extreme astonishment that the affable words of
the descendant of the Plouernels threw him into, deprived Christian of
the power to formulate an answer. He followed John Calvin in silence,
without noticing that, for some time, Prince Charles of Gerolstein was
examining him with increasing attention. This seigneur, a man in the
full vigor of life, tall of stature, of a strong but open countenance,
fell a little behind his friends and joined Christian, whom he thus
addressed after walking a few steps beside him:
"Believe me, monsieur, if, a minute ago, I failed to render just praise,
as my friends did, to the courageous hospitality you accorded John
Calvin, I do not, therefore, appreciate any the less the generosity of
your conduct. It was that your name fell strangely upon my senses. It
awoke within me numerous recollections--family remembrances."
"My name, Prince?"
"Spare me that princely title. Christ said: 'All men are equal before
God.' We are all brothers. Your name is Lebrenn? Is Armorican Brittany
the cradle of your family?"
"Yes, monsieur. It is."
"Did your family live near the sacred stones of Karnak, before the
conquest of Gaul by Julius Caesar?"
Christian looked at Charles of Gerolstein without attempting to conceal
his astonishment at meeting a stranger acquainted with incidents that
ran back so many centuries in his family's history. The Prince pursued
his interrogatory:
"Towards the middle of the Eighth Century, one of your ancestors, Ewrag
by name, and son of Vortigern, one of the most intrepid defenders of the
independence of Brittany, and grandson of Amael, who knew Charlemagne,
left his native land to take up his home in the lands of the far North."
"Yes, after the great Armorican insurrection. During that uprising the
Bretons appealed for aid to the Northman pirates, who had established
themselves at the mouth of the Loire. Ewrag afterwards embarked for the
North with those sea-faring peoples."
"Did he not leave behind two brothers?"
"Rosneven and Gomer."
"Ewrag, who first settled down in Denmark, had a grandson named Gaelo.
In the year 912 he was one of the pirate chiefs who came down and
besieged Paris under the command of old Rolf, later Duke of Normandy.
Gaelo was recognized as a member of your family by Eidiol, at that time
dean of the Parisian skippers."
"Yes, indeed. Gaelo was taken wounded into the house of my ancestor
Eidiol. While dressing the wound of the Northman pirate, the words
'Brenn--Karnak' were discovered, traced with indelible letters on his
arm. It was a custom, often followed in those disastrous days, when ware
or slavery frequently scattered a family to the four winds. They hoped,
thanks to the indelible marks, to recognize one another should fresh
upheavals happen to throw them again in one another's way."
"After wedding the Beautiful Shigne, one of the Buckler Maidens who
joined the expedition of Rolf, Gaelo returned to the North. Since then
there have been no tidings of him."
"Yes. For all these past centuries we have remained in ignorance
concerning that branch of our family. But, monsieur, I cannot understand
how you, a German Prince, can possess such exact information of my
humble family, which, besides, is of Gallic race. I wish you would
explain yourself."
Christian was interrupted by John Calvin, who, turning back, said to
him:
"Here we are at the top of the hill. Which path are we to follow now
out of the many in sight? Be so good as to lead us out of this maze."
"I shall walk ahead, and show you the path to follow," answered
Christian.
As Christian hastened his steps to take the lead of the group, the
Prince of Gerolstein said to him:
"I can not at this moment carry on the conversation that for a thousand
reasons I am anxious to hold with you. Where could I meet you again?"
"I live on the Exchange Bridge, facing the right side of the cross as
you come from the Louvre."
"I shall call upon you to-morrow evening, Monsieur Lebrenn;" and
extending his hand to the artisan, Prince Charles of Gerolstein added:
"Give me your hand, Christian Lebrenn, we are of the same blood. The
cradle of my own stock is old Armorican Gaul. The course of the
centuries, and the accidents of conquest have raised my house to
sovereign rank, but it is of plebeian origin."
After cordially clasping the hand of the amazed Christian, the Prince
rejoined John Calvin and his friends. At that moment, Justin, who had
been stationed on the lookout at the head of the rocky path that led to
the quarry, walked rapidly up to his fellow workman, saying:
"I had begun to feel uneasy. All the persons who have been convoked to
the meeting have arrived long ago. I counted sixty-two. I am here on the
lookout. Master Robert Estienne requested one of our friends to plant
himself near the mouth of the excavation leading to the underground
issue of the cavern. You know that gallery, cut behind the large rock,
which recently sheltered us from the eyes of Loyola and his disciples. I
inspected the passage this morning. It is open."
"In case of danger you will run and notify the assembly. I understand."
"From his side also Master Robert Estienne's friend will give the alarm
in case of need. It is not likely the quarry will be invaded by both
passages at once. One will always remain free. Our friends can
deliberate in perfect safety."
"If the gathering is not disturbed by some accident, friend Justin, I
shall return by this path and we shall reenter Paris together."
"Agreed. Our arrangements are made."
A moment later, Christian, John Calvin and his friends entered the
quarry. There they found assembled the leading partisans of the
Reformation in Paris--lawyers, literary men, rich merchants, seigneurs,
courtiers and men of arms and of science. Thus, besides Gaspard of
Coligny, Prince Charles of Gerolstein and the Viscount of Plouernel,
there were present the following personages of distinction: John
Dubourg, a Parisian draper of St. Denis Street; Etienne Laforge, a rich
bourgeois; Anthony Poille, an architect, and brother-in-law of Mary La
Catelle, who, herself, had been invited as one of the most useful
promoters of the Reformation; Clement Marot, one of the most renowned
poets of those days; a young and learned surgeon named Ambroise Pare,
the hope of his art and science, a charitable man who opened his purse
even to the sufferers whom he attended; and Bernard Palissy, a potter,
whose work will be imperishable, and who is as well versed in alchemy as
he is celebrated in sculpture. A small number of chiefs of guilds were
also present. The guilds, being plunged in ignorance, were still under
the influence of the monks, and entertained a blind hatred for the
Reformation. A few wax candles, brought along by several of the persons
present, lighted the bowels of the cavern and threw a flickering glamor
upon those grave and thoughtful faces. When John Calvin entered the
cavern he was recognized by some of the reformers. His name immediately
flew from mouth to mouth. Those who had not yet seen him drew nearer to
contemplate him. The resolute stamp of his character was reflected upon
his pensive countenance. A profound silence ensued. The reformers ranked
themselves in a circle around their apostle. He stepped upon a block of
stone in order to be better heard, and proceeded to address them:
"My dear brothers, I have just traversed the larger portion of France. I
have conferred with most of our pastors and friends in order to
determine in concert with them the articles of faith of the Evangelical
religion, the basis of which was laid by the immortal Luther. If the
formula of our common belief is adopted by you, such as it has been
adopted by most of our friends, the unity of the reformed church will be
an established thing. This is our Credo:[35]
"'We believe and confess that there is one only God, a sole, spiritual,
eternal, invisible, infinite, incomprehensible, immutable essence, who
is all-powerful, all-wise, all-good, all-just and all-merciful.'"
"That we believe; that we confess," answered the reformers.
"'We believe and confess,'" continued Calvin, "'that God manifests
Himself as such to man by creation, and by the preservation and guidance
of creation; furthermore, by the revelation of His Word, gathered by
Moses, and which constitutes what we call Holy Writ, contained in the
canonical books of the Old and the New Testament.'"
"That is the Book; the only Book; the Code of good and evil; the
instructor of men and of children alike; the divine source of all
goodness, all power, all consolation, all hope!" responded the
reformers.
"Moses was a disciple of the priests of Memphis. I can well see how he
gave out this or that Egyptian dogma, as emanating from divine
revelation--but that remains, however, a hypothesis. I do not accept the
pretended sacredness of the texts," said Christian Lebrenn, apart; while
Calvin continued:
"'We believe and confess that the Word contained in the sacred books,
which proceed from God to man, is the norm of all truth; that it is not
allowable for man to change the same in aught; that custom, judgments,
edicts, councils and miracles must in no manner be opposed to Holy Writ,
but, on the contrary, must be reformed by it.'"
"We want the Word of God pure and simple. We want it disengaged of all
the Romish impostures, that, for centuries, have falsified and
perverted it," the reformers replied.
"Here," said Christian, again to himself, "here starts the freedom of
inquiry. That is the reason for my adherence to the Reformation." Calvin
resumed:
"'We believe and confess that Holy Writ teaches us that the divine
essence consists of three persons--the Father, the Son and the Holy
Ghost, and that this Trinity is the source of all visible and invisible
things. That is our belief.'"
"It is an article of faith with us; it is the foundation of our
religion," chorused the reformers, while Christian Lebrenn added, to
himself:
"This also belongs to the domain of hypothesis--and of religious
absurdities. One more article of faith to be rejected."
"'We believe and confess,'" continued Calvin, "'that man, having been
born pure and clean in the image of God, is, through his own sin, fallen
from the grace he had received, and that all the descendants of Adam are
tainted with original sin, down to the little children in their mothers'
wombs. That is our belief on these subjects.'"
"We are bound to accept all that is found in the sacred books. The will
of the Lord is impenetrable--let it be done in all things. Our reason
must humble itself before that which seems incomprehensible," was the
response of the reformers.
"Oh, God of Love and Mercy!" exclaimed Christian Lebrenn, apart. "To
proclaim in Thy name that Thy will smites the unborn child even in its
mother's womb! Just God! Thou who knowest all things--past, present and
to come--Thou knewest Thy creature, man, who is not but because Thou
hast said, Be! was bound to fall into sin. Thou knewest it. Generations
upon generations, all guiltless of the sin of the first man, were to
undergo the terrible chastisement that it has pleased Thee to inflict
upon them. Thou knewest it. And yet, Thou art supposed to have said:
'Man, you will fall into sin. The original stain shall mark your
children even in their mothers' wombs'! Merciful God! Pardon the
infirmity of my intellect. I cannot believe a father will devote his own
children to eternal misery. I cannot believe a father can take pleasure
in allowing his children's mind to waver between justice and injustice,
especially when he knows beforehand they are fatedly certain to elect
iniquity, and when he knows the consequence of their choice will be
fearful to themselves and to all their posterity. Just God! What is the
constant aim of the thoughts and efforts of every honorable man, within
the limits of his faculties? To give his children such an education as
will keep them from the path of vice; an education that may justify him
to say: 'My children will be upright men!' And yet, Thou, almighty God,
Thou art supposed to have said: 'I _will_ that the evil inclinations of
my children carry the day over the good ones; I _will_ that they become
criminals, and that they be forever damned!' Never shall I accept such a
doctrine."
John Calvin continued his Credo:
"'We believe and confess that, as a consequence of original sin, man,
corrupt of body, blind of mind, and depraved of heart, has lost all
virtue, and, although he has still preserved some discernment of right
and wrong, falls into darkness when he aspires to understand God with
the aid of his own intelligence and human reason. Finally, although he
should have the will to choose between right and wrong, his will being
the captive of sin, he is fatedly devoted to wrong, is destined to
malediction, and is not free to choose the right but by the grace of
God.'"
"Such," responded the reformers, "is the will of the Lord. We fall into
darkness if we strive to understand God with the aid of our own reason."
"No! No!" Christian said to himself, "God never said: 'My creatures,
instead of loving Me and adoring Me in all the splendor of My glory,
shall adore Me in the darkness of their intelligence, dimmed by My
will.' No! God has not said: 'Man, you shall be fatedly devoted to
wrong! You shall be for all time a captive of sin! I enclose you within
an iron circle from which there is no escape but by My grace!' If God's
omnipotence made man sinful or good, why punish or reward him? Another
article of faith to be rejected."
"'We believe and confess,'" Calvin proceeded, "'that Jesus Christ, being
God's wisdom and His eternal Son, clad himself in our flesh to the end
of being both God and man in one person. We worship Him so entirely in
His divinity, that we strip Him of His humanity. We believe and confess
that God, by sending us His Son, wished to show His ineffable goodness
toward us, and by delivering Him to death and raising Him from the
dead, wished that justice be done and heavenly life be gained for us.'"
"Glory to God!" cried the reformers. "He has sent us His Son to redeem
us with His blood! God has been crucified for the salvation of man!"
Communing with himself, Christian Lebrenn only said: "Another absurdity
laid by Calvin at the door of the Godhead. Can God condemn man for the
pleasure of afterwards redeeming him? O, Christ! Poor carpenter of
Nazareth, the friend of the afflicted, the penitent and the
disinherited, you do not wrap yourself in an impenetrable cloud. I see
your pale and sweet smile encircled by a bloody aureola, and bearing a
stamp that is truly human. Your divine words are accessible even to the
intelligence of children. Your Evangelical morality should and will be
the code of all humankind. The chains of the slave will be broken, said
you now more than fifteen hundred years ago; and yet, the Pharisees, who
call themselves your priests, have, during all these centuries, owned
slaves, later serfs, and to-day they count their vassals by the
thousands. Love ye one another, said you; and yet, the Pharisees, who
call themselves your priests, caused, and to this hour continue to
cause, torrents of Christian blood to flow. I do not share the belief of
the reformers, but I remain with them body and soul so long as they
combat the cruelties, the iniquities and the idolatries of the Roman
Church! I remain body and soul with them so long as they devote their
lives to the triumph of your doctrine, O, Christ! in the name of
equality and human fraternity! In that does the real strength lie, the
real power of the Reformation. Of what concern to us are those Mosaic
dogmas concerning original sin, the fatedness of evil, the inherent
wickedness of man? The Reformation _acts_ valiantly, it _acts_
generously, it _acts_ in a Christian spirit in seeking to restore your
Church, O, Christ! to its simplicity and pristine purity by combating
the Pope of Rome."
Calvin continued: "'We believe and confess that, thanks to the sacrifice
our Lord Jesus Christ offered on the cross, we are reconciled to God and
fit to be held and looked upon as just before Him. Accordingly, we
believe that we owe to Jesus Christ our full and perfect deliverance. We
believe and confess that, without disparagement of virtues and deserving
qualities, we depend upon them for the remission of our sins only
through our faith, and the law of Jesus Christ.'"
"The law and faith in Jesus Christ is embraced in that" responded the
reformers. "It is our code. The law and faith in Jesus Christ--that
means love towards our fellow men; it means equality; it means
fraternity; it means revolt against the idolatries, in whose name the
greatest malefactors are and believe themselves absolved of their crimes
by the purchase of indulgences! Only through faith and the practice of
the Evangelical law will our sins be remitted."
"'We believe and confess,'" proceeded Calvin, "'that whereas Jesus
Christ has been given us as the only intermediary between us and God,
and since He recommends to us that we withdraw into seclusion in order
to address, in private and in His name, our prayers to His Father, all
the inventions of men concerning the intercession of martyred saints is
but fraud and deception, schemed in order to lead mankind aside from the
straight and narrow path. Furthermore, we hold purgatory to be an
illusion of the same nature, likewise monastic vows, pilgrimages, the
ordinance of celibacy to clergymen, auricular confession, and the
ceremonial observance of certain days when a meat diet is forbidden.
Finally we consider illusions the indulgences and other idolatrous
practices through which grace and salvation are expected, and we regard
them as human inventions calculated to shackle human conscience.'"
"That is the essence of the Reformation," said Christian Lebrenn, apart.
"The reform of action, the militant reform. Hence it is that my dignity
as a man, my mind and my heart are with it. It is a long step towards
the reign of pure reason, planted upon the freedom of inquiry. The road
is cleared. Man is in direct communion and communication with God
through prayer, without the intervention of any church. No more
Popes--the incarnation of divine and human autocracy, as Ignatius Loyola
understands it! No more dissolute and savage pontiffs, claiming to be
Your vicars, O, God of mercy! No more saints, no more purgatory! Down
goes the traffic in indulgences! No more monastic vows--the idle monks
shall become honest and industrious citizens! No more priestly
celibacy--the pastors shall themselves become heads of families! No more
auricular confession--a bar to Ignatius Loyola, whose aim is to take
possession of the conscience of mankind by means of the tribunal of
penitence; through the conscience of mankind, the soul of man; through
the soul, the body; and thus to rear the most frightful theocratic
tyranny! O, sweet carpenter of Nazareth! May the Reformation triumph!
May your Evangelical law in all its pristine purity become the law of
the world! The power of the casqued, the mitred or the crowned
oppressors will then have ceased to be! No more Kings, no more priests,
no more masters!"
"No more Popes! No more cardinals, or bishops! No more idolatry! No more
celibacy! No more adoration of images! No more confession! No more
intermediaries between God and man! Such is our confession, such our
belief," cried the reformers in answer to Calvin, who continued:
"'We believe and confess those Romish inventions to be pure idolatries.
We reject them. Sustained by the authority of the sacred books, by the
words and acts of the apostles--I Timothy 2; John 16; Matthew 6 and 10;
Luke 11, 12 and 15; the Epistle to the Romans 14, and other Evangelical
texts--we believe and confess that where the word of God is not received
there is no Church. Therefore we reject the assemblages of the papacy,
whence divine truth is banished, where the sacraments are corrupted,
adulterated and falsified, while superstitious and idolatrous practices
flourish and thrive in their midst.'"
"Yes," answered the assembled reformers, "let us draw away from the
usurping Roman Church--that impure Babylon; that sink of all vices;
that notorious harlot; that poisoned well, whence flow all the ills that
afflict humanity! No more Popes, bishops, priests or monks!"
"'We believe and confess,'" Calvin continued, "'that all men are true
pastors wherever they may be, provided they are pure of heart, and that
they recognize for sole sovereign and universal bishop our Lord Jesus
Christ. Therefore we repudiate the papacy; we protest that no church,
even if it call itself "Catholic," can lay claim to any authority or
dominion over any other church.'"
"Therefore we do repudiate the Church of Rome! Christ is our Pope, our
bishop! There should be no intermediary between him and us!" responded
the reformers.
"'We believe and confess,'" Calvin went on, "'that the offices of
pastors, deans and deacons must proceed from the election of their own
people, whose confidence they will thus show they have earned. We
believe that, in order to exercise their functions, they should
concentrate within them the general rules of the church, without
attempting to decree, under the shadow of the service of God, any rules
to bind human conscience.'"
"Freedom of conscience--that means human emancipation!" Christian
exclaimed to himself. "All honor to the Reformation for proclaiming that
great principle! May it remain faithful thereto!"
The reformers meanwhile answered: "Yes, we wish to elect our own
pastors, as they were elected in the primitive church;" and John Calvin
continued:
"'We believe and confess that there are but two sacraments--baptism,
that cleanses us of the soilure of original sin; and communion, which
nourishes us, vivifies us spiritually by the substance of Jesus Christ,
a celestial mystery accessible only through faith.
"'Finally, we believe and confess that God has willed that the peoples
on earth be governed; that He has established elective or hereditary
kingdoms, principalities, republics and other forms of government. We
therefore hold as unquestionable that their laws and statutes must be
obeyed, their tributes and imposts paid, and all the duties that belong
to citizens and subjects must be fulfilled with a frank and good will,
even if such governments be iniquitous, _provided the sovereign empire
of God remains untouched_. Therefore we repudiate those who would reject
government and authority, and who would throw society into confusion
through the introduction of community of goods among men, and thereby
upset the order of justice.'"
"No! No!" was Christian's muttered comment at these words. "Man must not
submit to an iniquitous authority! No! No! John Calvin himself realizes
the offensiveness to human dignity of such a resignation, and its
contradiction to the very spirit of the Reformation. Is not the
Reformation itself a legitimate revolt against the iniquity of the
pontifical authority, and, if need be, against whatever temporal power
might seek to impose the Roman cult upon the reformers? Indeed, after
having set up the principle, 'The peoples must submit to their
governments, even if these be iniquitous,' Calvin adds, '_provided the
sovereign empire of God remains untouched_.' No obedience is due an
authority that would raise its hand against the sacred rights of man, or
aught that flows therefrom."
"Such, dear brothers," concluded John Calvin, "is our confession of
faith. Do you accept it?"
"Yes, yes!" cried the reformers. "We accept it. We shall practice it. We
shall uphold it, at the risk of our property, our freedom and our life!
We swear!"
"This, then, is the confession of faith of those 'heretics' whom the
Catholic clergy represents to ignorant and duped people as monsters
steeped in all manner of crimes, and vomited upon earth out of hell, as
inveterate foes of God and man," said Calvin. "What do these 'heretics'
confess? They confess the fundamental dogmas of the Christian Church, as
revealed by the Divinity itself. But these 'heretics' reject the
inventions, the abuses, the idolatries and the scandals of the Church of
the Popes. In that lies our crime, an unpardonable crime! We attack the
cupidity, the pride and the despotism of the priesthood!
"Here, on this very spot where we are now gathered in council in order
to confess the most sacred of rights, the freedom of conscience, seven
priests have pledged themselves with a terrible oath to secure the
absolute omnipotence of Rome over the souls of men, and to found the
reign of theocratic government over the whole earth! The new
organization is named the Society of Jesus. It is intended to and will
become a formidable instrument in the hands of our enemies. The
circumstance is a symptom of the dangers that threaten us. Let us
prepare to combat that new militia everywhere it may show itself.
"Our Credo, our confession of faith is fixed. This confession will be
that of all the Evangelical churches of France. And, now, what attitude
must we assume in the face of the redoubled persecutions that we are
threatened with? Shall we submit to them with resignation, or shall we
repel force with force? I request our friend Robert Estienne to express
his views upon this head."
"It is my opinion," replied Robert Estienne, "that we should address
fresh petitions to King Francis I, praying that it may please him to
allow us to exercise our religion in peace, while conforming ourselves
to the laws of the kingdom. Should our petition be denied, then we
should draw from the strength of our convictions the necessary fortitude
to sustain persecution to the extreme limit possible. Beyond that we
shall have to take council again."
"I share the opinion of Robert Estienne," said John Dubourg. "Let us
resign ourselves. An upright man should drain the cup of bitterness and
pain sooner than let loose upon his country the horrors of a fratricidal
conflict."
"Monsieur Coligny, what is your opinion?"
"Monsieur," replied the young noble, "I am, I think, the youngest man in
this assemblage; I shall accept the opinion that may prevail."
"Speak. You are a man of arms. We should know your opinion," returned
Calvin.
"Since you insist, monsieur," Coligny began, "I should here declare
that my family owes a good deal to the kindness of the King. It has
pleased him to entrust me--me who am barely passed the age of
youth--with a company of his army. I am, accordingly, bound to him by
bonds of gratitude. But there is to me a sentiment superior to that of
gratitude for royal favors--that sentiment is the duty that faith
imposes. While deploring the cruel extremities of civil war, which I
hold in horror; while deeply regretting ever to have to draw my sword
against the King, or, rather, against his ill-omened advisers, I should
feel constrained to resort to that fatal extremity if, persecution
having reached the limits of endurance, it became necessary to defend
the lives of our brothers, driven face to face with the alternative,
'Die, or abjure your faith!' As to pronouncing myself with regard to the
opportune moment for the conflict, in case, which God forfend, the
conflict must break out, I leave the decision to more experienced heads
than my own. At the moment of action, my property, my sword, my
life--all shall be at the service of our cause. I shall do my duty--all
my duty."
Ambroise Pare, the surgeon, was the next to speak. "Both Christ and my
professional duties," he said, "command me to bestow my care upon friend
and enemy alike. I could not, accordingly, brothers, bring hither any
but words of peace. Let us be inflexible in our belief. But let us force
our persecutors themselves to acknowledge our moderation. Let us tire
their acts of violence with our patience and resignation. Let us leave
the swords sheathed."
"Patience, nevertheless, has bounds!" objected the Viscount of
Plouernel. "Has not our resignation lasted long enough? Does it not
embolden the audacity of our enemies? Would you resort yet again to
humble petitions? Very well. Let us pray, let us implore, once more. But
if we are answered with a denial of justice, let us, then, resolutely
stand up against our persecutors. We are the majority, in several
mercantile cities, and several provinces. Let us, then, repel force with
force. Our enemies will recoil before our attitude, and will then do
justice to our legitimate wishes. I hold that to carry our forbearance
any further would be to expose our party to be decimated day by day.
Then, when the hour of battle shall have come--it is fatedly bound to
come--we shall find ourselves stripped of our best forces. In short, let
us make one more peaceful effort to secure the free exercise of our
religion. Should our appeal be denied--to arms!"
"Brothers," advised Prince Charles of Gerolstein, "I am a foreigner
among you. I come from Germany. I there assisted at the struggles and
the triumph of the Reformation preached by the great Luther. In our old
Germany we did not appeal and request. We affirmed the right of man to
worship his Creator according to his own conscience. Workingmen,
seigneurs, bourgeois--all proclaimed in chorus: 'We refuse to bend under
the yoke of Rome; whosoever should seek to impose it upon us by the
sword will be resisted with the sword.' To-day, the Reformation in
Germany defies its enemies. Germany is not France; but men are men
everywhere. Everywhere resolution has the name of resolution, nor are
its consequences anywhere different. We are bound to uphold our rights
by our arms."
"Monsieur Christian Lebrenn, what is your opinion on the grave subject
before us?" asked Calvin. The printer replied:
"History teaches us that to request from Popes and Kings a reform of
superstition and tyranny is absolutely idle. Never will the Church of
Rome voluntarily renounce the idolatries and abuses that are the sources
of its wealth and power. Never will a Catholic King--consecrated by the
Church and leaning upon it for support, as it leans upon
him--voluntarily recognize the Reformation. The Reformation denies the
authority of the Pope. To attack the Pope is to attack royal authority.
To overthrow the altar is to shatter the throne. All authority is
interdependent. What is it that we demand? The peaceful exercise of our
creed, while conforming to the laws of the kingdom. But the laws of the
kingdom expressly forbid the exercise of all creeds, except that of the
Catholic Church. Either we must confess our faith and then expose
ourselves to the rigors of the law, or escape them by abjuration; or,
yet, resist them, arms in hand. Are we to obtain edicts of tolerance? We
should entertain no such hope. But, even granted we obtained them, our
security would be under no better safeguard. An edict is revocable. The
end of it all is fatedly one of three conclusions--abjuration,
martyrdom, or revolt. The blood of martyrs is fruitful, but the blood of
soldiers, battling for the most sacred of rights, is also fruitful. We
neither should, nor can we, I hold, hope for either the authorization,
or tolerance, of our cult. Sooner or later, driven to extremities by
persecution, we shall find ourselves compelled to repel violence with
violence. Let us boldly face the terrible fact. But, suppose, for the
sake of our peace of conscience, we said: 'It still depends upon the
Church of Rome and the King of France to put an end to the torture of
our brothers, and to prevent the evils of a civil and religious war.' To
that end a decree conceived in these terms will suffice: '_Everyone may
freely and publicly exercise his religion under the obligation to
respect the religion of others_.' Such a decree, so just and simple,
consecrating, as it does, the most inviolable of rights, is the only
equitable and peaceful solution of the religious question. Do you
imagine that such a decree would be vouchsafed to our humble petition?"
"Neither King nor Pope, neither bishops, priests nor monks would accept
such a decree," was the unanimous answer. Christian continued:
"Nevertheless, in order to place the right on our side, let us draw up
one last petition. If it is rejected, let us then run to arms, and
exterminate our oppressors. It is ever by insurrection that liberty is
won."
"Will Brother Bernard Palissy let us know his views?" asked Calvin when
Christian had finished.
With a candor that breathed refinement, the potter replied: "I am but a
poor fashioner of earthen pots. Seeing the issue is to shatter them
resolutely--according to the opinion of our friend the printer--I shall
tell you what happened to me the other day. I was wondering how it came
about that the Evangelical religion--benign, charitable, peaceful, full
of resignation, asking for naught but for a modest place in the sun of
the good God in behalf of its little flock--should have so many
inveterate enemies. Being a little versed in alchemy, 'Let's see,' said
I to myself, 'when, mixing the varnish, colors and enamel with which I
decorate my pottery, I encounter some refractory substance, what do I
do? I submit it to the alembic. I decompose it. In that way I ascertain
the different substances of which it consists. Well now, let me submit
the enemies of the Reformation to the alembic in order to ascertain what
there is in their composition to render them so very refractory.' First
of all, I submit to my philosophic alembic the brains of a canon. I ask
him: 'Why are you such a violent enemy of the Evangelical faith?' 'Why!'
the canon makes answer, 'because, your clergymen being men of science as
well as preachers, our flocks will also want to hear us preach as men of
knowledge. Now, then, I know nothing about preaching, and still less
about reading or writing. Since my novitiate I have been accustomed to
taking my comfort, to ignorance, to idleness. That's the reason I
sustain the Church of Rome, which sustains my ignorance, my delightful
comfort and my idleness.' Through with that monk, I experimented with
the head of an abbot. It resisted the alembic. It shook itself away,
bit, roared with vindictive choler, resisting strenuously to have that
which it contained within seen by me. Nevertheless, I succeeded in
separating its several parts, to wit: the black and vicious choler, on
one side; ambition and pride, on the other; lastly, the silent thoughts
of murder that our abbot nourished towards his enemies. That done, I
discovered that it was his arrogance, his greed and his vindictiveness
that kept him in a refractory temper toward the humility of the
Evangelical church. I afterwards experimented upon a counsellor of
parliament, the finest Gautier one ever laid eyes upon. Having distilled
my gallant in my alembic I found that his bowels contained large chunks
of church benefices, which had fattened him so much that he almost burst
in his hose. Seeing which I said to him: 'Come, now, be candid, is it
not in order to preserve your large chunks of church benefices that you
would institute proceedings against the reformers? Isn't it damnable?'
'What is there damnable in that?' he asked me. 'If it were damnable
there must be a terrible lot of damned people, seeing that in our
sovereign court of parliament, and in all the courts of France, there
are very few counsellors or presidents without some slice of an
ecclesiastical benefice which helps them to keep up the gilding, the
trappings, the banquets and the smaller delights of the household, as
well as the grease in the kitchen. Now, then, you devil's limb of a
potter' (he was talking to me) 'if the Reformation were to triumph,
would not all our benefices run to water, and, along with them, all our
small and large pleasures? That's why we burn you up, you pagans!' At
hearing which I cried: 'Oh, poor Christians, where are you at? You have
against you the courts of parliament and the great seigneurs, all of
whom profit from ecclesiastical benefices. So long as they will be fed
upon such a soup they will remain your capital enemies.' That is my
reason, brothers, for believing we shall be persecuted all our lives.
Let us therefore take refuge with our captain and protector Jesus
Christ, who one day will wipe out the infliction of the wicked and the
wrong that will have been done us.[36] Therefore, let us suffer; let us
be resigned, even unto martyrdom; and, according to the judgment of a
poor potter, let us not break the pots. Of what use are broken pots?"
"Will our celebrated poet Clement Marot acquaint us with his views?"
asked Calvin.
"Brothers," said the man thus called upon, "our friend Bernard Palissy,
one of the great artists of these days--and of all future days--spoke to
you in his capacity of a potter. I, a poet, shall address you on the
profit that can be drawn from my trade for our cause. Why not make one
more endeavor to use the methods of persuasion before resorting to the
frightful extremity of civil war? Why not endeavor to draw the world
over to our side by the charm of the Evangelical word? Listen, the other
day a thought flashed through my mind. The women are better than we.
This acknowledgment is easily made in the presence of our sister, Mary
La Catelle, whom I see here. She is the living illustration of the truth
of what I say. None among us, even the foremost, excels her in
tenderness or pity for the afflicted, in delicate and touching care for
deserted children. I therefore say the women are better than we, are
more accessible than we to pure, lofty and celestial sentiments.
Furthermore, to them life is summed up in one word--_love_. From
terrestrial love to divine love it is but one aspiration higher. Let us
endeavor to elevate the women to that sublime sphere. The common but
just saying, Little causes often produce great results, has inspired me
with the following thought. I asked myself: 'What do the women usually
sing, whether they be bourgeois or workingmen's wives?' Love songs. The
impure customs of our times have given these songs generally a coarse,
if not obscene turn. As a rule, the mind and the heart become the echo
of what the mouth says, of what the ear hears, of what engages our
thoughts. Would it not be a useful thing to substitute those licentious
songs with chaste ones that attract through love? Hence I have
considered the advisability of putting in verse and to music the sacred
canticles of the Bible which are so frequently perfumed with an adorable
poetic flavor. My hope is that little by little, penetrated by the
ineffable influence of those celestial songs, the women who sing them
will soon be uttering their sentiments, not with the lips only but from
the depth of their hearts. Our aspirations will then be realized."
Clement Marot was about to recite some of the charming verses composed
by himself, when Justin suddenly broke in upon the assemblage crying:
"Danger! Danger! A troop of archers and mounted patrolmen are coming up
the road to the abbey. I have seen the glitter of their casques. Flee
by the opposite issue of the quarry!"
A great tumult ensued upon the artisan's words. Justin took up one of
the candles, ran to the gallery that was masked by the huge boulder, and
entered the narrow passage, ordering all the others to follow him.
"Brothers!" cried out the Viscount of Plouernel, "let all those of us
who are men of arms remain here and draw our swords. The patrol will not
dare to lay hands upon any of us. The court must reckon with our
families. As to you, Calvin, and the rest of our friends whom no
privilege shelters from the pursuit of our enemies, let them flee!"
"You can leave the place in all safety," added Gaspard of Coligny; "the
armed patrol, finding us ready to cross irons with them, will not push
their search any further."
"Should they push forward so far as to discover this other issue," put
in Prince Charles of Gerolstein, "we shall charge upon them vigorously,
and shall force them back far enough to leave the passage free for our
retreat."
John Calvin, whose life was so precious to the Evangelical church, was
the first to follow upon the heels of the torch-bearer Justin. The other
reformers pressed close behind. The gallery, narrow at the entrance,
widened by degrees, until it opened into an excavation surrounded by
bluffs, up one of which a narrow path wound itself to the very top of
the ravine, with the tierred fields and woods stretching beyond on the
further slope of the hill of Montmartre. Robert Estienne, Clement Marot,
Bernard Palissy and Ambroise Pare remained close to Calvin. Christian
Lebrenn assisted Mary La Catelle to cross the rocky ground. When the
fugitives were all again assembled in the hollow of the excavation, John
Calvin addressed them, saying:
"Before separating, brothers, I renew to you the express recommendation
not to attempt a rebellion, which, especially at this season, would only
subserve the cause of our enemies. Resignation, courage, perseverance,
hope--such must be our watchwords for the present. Our hour will come.
Assured, after this night's council, of the adhesion of the reformers of
Paris to the Credo of the Evangelical church, I shall continue my
journey through France to engage our brothers in the provinces to
imitate the example of Paris by opposing the violence of our enemies
with patience." And turning to Christian: "Monsieur Lebrenn, you uttered
a sentiment the profoundness of which has impressed me strongly. A
simple decree to the effect that all are free to profess publicly their
own creed while respecting the creed of others, you said, would prevent
frightful disasters. Let the blood, that may some day flow, fall upon
those who, by denying justice, will have kindled the flames of civil
war! Anathema upon them! For the very reason that equity and right are
on our side we are in duty bound to redouble our moderation."
After touching adieus, exchanged by Calvin and his co-religionists, it
was agreed to return to Paris in separate groups of threes and fours, to
the end of not awakening the suspicion of the guards at the Montmartre
and St. Honore Gates, who were no doubt apprized of the expedition of
the patrol against a nocturnal assembly of heretics held on Montmartre.
Day was about to dawn. John Calvin, Robert Estienne, Clement Marot,
Ambroise Pare, Bernard Palissy and a few others ascended the path that
led out of the ravine, and took their way across-fields in the direction
of the St. Honore Gate. Other little groups formed themselves, each
striking in a different direction. Christian, Justin, John Dubourg,
Laforge, who was another rich bourgeois, Mary La Catelle and her
brother-in-law the architect Poille, took the road to the Montmartre
Gate, where they arrived at sunrise. Although their group consisted of
only six persons, they decided, out of excessive caution, not to enter
Paris but by twos--first John Dubourg and Laforge; then Mary La Catelle
and her brother-in-law; lastly Justin and Christian. Their entrance,
thought they, would awaken no suspicion, seeing that already the
peasants, carrying vegetables and fruit for the market, crowded in the
neighborhood of the gate with their carts. Soon separated from their
friends in the midst of the medley of market carts, Justin and Christian
were but a few steps from the arched entrance of the gate when suddenly
they heard a loud clamor, and these words, repeated by a mob of voices:
"Lutherans! Lutherans! Death to the heretics!" A pang of apprehension
shot through the hearts of Christian and his companion. Some of their
companions who preceded them must have been recognized at the gate. To
rush to their assistance would have been but to share their fate.
"Let us not attempt to enter Paris at this hour," suggested Justin to
Christian, "we are workmen in the printing shop of Robert Estienne. That
would be enough to cause us to be suspected of heresy. Gainier, the spy
of the Criminal Lieutenant, has surely given the mob our description.
Let us go around the rampart and enter by the Bastille of St. Antoine.
That gate is so far from Montmartre that it is possible the alarm has
not been given from that side."
"My wife and children would be in mortal agony not to see me home this
morning," answered Christian. "I shall make the attempt to go through,
under shelter of the tumult which, unhappily for our friends, seems to
be on the increase. Do you hear those ferocious cries?"
"I do not care to run the danger. Adieu, Christian. I have neither wife
nor children. My prolonged absence will cause uneasiness to no one. I
prefer to go to the Bastille of St. Antoine. We shall meet shortly, I
hope, at the printing shop. May God guard you!"
The two friends separated. Christian, whose anxiety increased every
minute, thinking of Mary La Catelle and those with her, decided to enter
Paris at all risks. Nevertheless, noticing not far from where he stood a
peasant driving a cart filled with vegetables and overspread with a
cloth held up by hoops, he said to the rustic, drawing a coin from his
pocket:
"Friend, I am exhausted with fatigue. I need a little rest. Would you be
so good as to take me in your cart only as far as the center of the
city?"
"Gladly, climb in and go to sleep, if you can," answered the peasant as
he pocketed the coin.
Christian climbed in, ensconced himself in a corner of the wagon and
raised a little fold of the cloth in order to catch a glimpse of what
was going on outside, seeing the tumult waxed louder and more
threatening. Alas! Hardly had the wagon passed through the gate and
entered the city when Christian saw at a little distance Mary La
Catelle, her brother-in-law Poille, John Dubourg and Laforge--all four
manacled. A troop of archers held back with difficulty the furious mob
that loudly clamored for the lives of the "heretics," those "heathens,"
those "Lutheran stranglers of little children"! Pale, yet calm, the four
victims looked serenely upon the surging mass of fanatics. With her eyes
raised to heaven and her arms crossed over her bosom, Mary La Catelle
seemed resigned to martyrdom. The imprecations redoubled. Already the
most infuriate of the populace were picking up stones to stone the
victims to death. The wagon in which Christian was concealed slowly
pursued its way and saved the artisan the harrowing spectacle of the
mob's murderous preparations. Later he learned the details of the arrest
of his friends. La Catelle and her brother-in-law, who had long ago been
reported by the spy Gainier as hardened heretics, had been recognized
and seized by the agents of the Criminal Lieutenant, who had been posted
since midnight at the Montmartre Gate. John Dubourg and Laforge, who
came a few steps behind La Catelle, having yielded to a generous
impulse and run to her assistance, were, in punishment for the very
nobility of their act, likewise suspected, arrested and manacled.
Christian also learned later that Lefevre was the informer against the
meeting of the reformers at Montmartre. The bits of paper Lefevre had
picked up while directing the search of the sergeant in the garret of
Christian's house, proved to be bits of Calvin's draft convoking the
assembly, and on one of these the word Montmartre was to be read. Armed
with this evidence, Lefevre had hastened to impart his suspicions to the
Criminal Lieutenant, and caused the patrol to be ordered afield; but
these, finding themselves confronted with the seigneurs at the entrance
of the quarry, and seeing these determined to resist them, had not dared
to effect an arrest.
Christian jumped out of the wagon in the center of Paris and hastened
his steps towards his house. Hardly had he stepped upon the Exchange
Bridge when he saw the Franc-Taupin running towards him. Josephin had
watched all night for the artisan's return. He informed him of the
arrest of his wife and children, of the danger that awaited him if he
entered his house, and induced him to take refuge in a place of safety.