at one million eight hundred thousand. He estimates the population of the
tribes east and west of the Mississippi as follows:—
Tribes East Of Mississippi River.
Indians in New England and New York 4,715
Indians from New York, at Green Bay 725
Wyandots, in Ohio and Michigan 623
Miamies 1,200
Winnebagoes 4,591
Chippewas 6,793
Ottawas and Chippewas of Lake Michigan 5,300
Chippewas, Ottawas, and Putawatomies 8,000
Putawatomies 1,400
Menominees 4,200
Creeks 23,668
Cherokees 10,000
Chickasaws 5,429
Choctaws 3,500
Seminoles 2,420
Appalachicolas 340
Total 81,904
Tribes West Of Mississippi River.
Sioux 27,500
Iowas 1,200
Sauks of Missouri 500
Sauks and Foxes 6,400
Assinaboines 8,000
Crees 3,000
Camanches 7,000
Crows 4,500
Arrepahas, Kiawas, &c. 1,400
Caddoes 800
Snake and other tribes within the Rocky Mountains 20,000
Gros-ventres 3,000
Arrekaras 3,000
Cheyennes 2,000
Minatarees 1,500
Mandans 1,500
Black Feet 30,000
Tribes west of Rocky Mountains 80,000
Total 201,300
The above tribes, although within the territory of the United States, are
not within what is commonly called the Indian Territory.
Mr. McCoy states the names and numbers of the indigenous and emigrant
tribes within the Indian Territory, so called, as follow:—
Indigenous Tribes.
Osage 5,510
Kauzau, or Kansas 1,684
Otoe and Missouria 1,600
Omaha 1,400
Pawnee 10,000
Puncah 800
Quapau 450
Total 21,444
Emigrant Tribes.
Choctaw 15,000
Cherokee 4,000
Creek 3,600
Seneca and Shawanoo of Neosho 462
Wea 225
Piankasha 119
Peoria and Kaskaskias 135
Ottawa 81
Shawanoe of Kauzau River 764
Delaware 856
Kickapoo 603
Putawatomie 444
Emigrant 26,289
Indigenous 21,444
Total 47,733
Among the population of the emigrant tribes are included thirteen hundred
and fifty negro slaves.
Mr. McCoy estimates that, of the one million eight hundred thousand
Indians in North America, about seventy thousand may be classed with
civilized man, having in greater or less degrees advanced towards
civilization.
-------------------------------------
By the Indian Territory is meant the country within the following limits,
viz.: Beginning on Red River, on the Mexican boundary, and as far west of
the state of Arkansas as the country is habitable; thence down Red River,
eastwardly, along the Mexican boundary to Arkansas; thence northwardly,
along the line of Arkansas, to the state of Missouri; thence north, along
its western line, to Missouri River; thence up Missouri River to Puncah
River; thence westerly as far as the country is habitable; thence
southwardly to the place of beginning.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF THE FATHERS OF THE REFORMATION, FOUNDERS OF
SECTS, AND OF OTHER DISTINGUISHED INDIVIDUALS MENTIONED IN THIS VOLUME.
John Wickliffe.
A celebrated doctor, professor of divinity at Oxford, and deservedly
considered as the forerunner of Luther in the reformation. He was born at
Wickliffe, in Yorkshire, about 1324, and educated at Queen’s College, and
afterwards at Merton, and in 1361 raised to the mastership of Baliol
College. In 1365, he was made, by the scholars, head of Canterbury Hall,
just founded at Oxford by Archbishop Islip; but his elevation was opposed
by the monks, and Langham, the next primate; and the pope, to whom the
dispute was referred, displaced him and his secular associates. Thus
disgraced by violence, he retired to his living at Lutterworth, in
Leicestershire, meditating revenge against the authors of his unjust
privation. In the works of Marsilius of Padua, and other bold writers, he
found ample room to indulge his opposition; and, well aware of the
popularity of attacking a foreign power, which overawed the throne, and
submitted the industry and the revenues of the kingdom to its own
avaricious views, he loudly inveighed against the errors and the
encroachments of the Romish church. His writings alarmed the clergy, and a
council was assembled at Lambeth, by Archbishop Sudbury, 1377, and
Wickliffe summoned to give an account of his doctrines. He appeared before
it, accompanied by the duke of Lancaster, then in power; and he made so
able a defence, that he was dismissed without condemnation. His acquittal,
however, displeased the pope, Gregory XI., who directed his emissaries to
seize the offending heretic, or, if he were protected by the great and
powerful of the kingdom, to cite him to Rome, to answer in person before
the sovereign pontiff. In consequence of this, a second council assembled
at Lambeth, and the nineteen propositions, which the pope had declared
heretical, were so ably vindicated by the eloquence of the undaunted
reformer, that his judges, afraid of offending the nobles, or of exciting
a commotion among the people, who loudly supported the cause of their
champion, permitted him to depart in safety, and enjoined on him silence
in matters of religion and of controversy. Undismayed by the power of his
enemies, Wickliffe continued to preach his doctrines, which were now more
universally spread; and a third council, therefore, assembled, under
Courtnay, the primate, 1382, and twenty-four propositions of the reformer
were condemned as heretical, and fourteen as erroneous. The severity of
the church was, at the suggestion of the pope, and the concurrence of the
weak Richard II., directed with effect against the supporters of the new
heresy; but, while some of his followers suffered punishment for their
adherence to his principles, Wickliffe unhappily died at Lutterworth,
1384, at a time when nothing was wanting to emancipate the English nation
from the tyranny of Rome, but the boldness, perseverance, and eloquence,
of a popular leader. Of the several works which he wrote, his Trialogus is
almost the only one which has been printed. The noble struggle which
Wickliffe had made against the gigantic power of Rome was almost forgotten
after his death, till Martin Luther arose to follow his steps, and to
establish his doctrines on a foundation which will last till Christianity
is no more. The memory of Wickliffe was branded with ignominy by the
impotent Papists, and by the order of the council of Constance, whose
cruelties towards John Huss and Jerome of Prague are so well known, the
illustrious reformer was declared to have died an obstinate heretic; and
his bones were therefore dug up from holy ground, and contemptuously
burnt.
Jerome of Prague.
The celebrated lay reformer was born at Prague, about the year 1370. Very
little is extant relative to the early part of his life; but he was very
eager in the pursuit of knowledge, and spent his youth in the universities
of Prague, Paris, Heidelberg, Cologne, and Oxford. At the latter
university, he became acquainted with the works of Wickliffe, translated
them into his native language, professed himself, on his return to Prague,
to be an open favorer of him, and attached himself to the Reformed in
Bohemia, over whom Huss presided. Before the council of Constance, Jerome
was cited on the 17th of April, 1415, when Huss was confined at that
place. On his arrival, he found that he could not render any assistance to
Huss, and therefore thought it prudent to retire; and, on behalf of Huss,
he wrote to the emperor. At Kirsaw, Jerome was seized by an officer of the
duke of Sulzbach, who immediately wrote to the council concerning him, and
they directed him to send his prisoner to Constance. On his arrival at
that place, he was immediately brought before the council, accused of his
attachment to Protestant principles, and was remanded from the assembly
into a dungeon. As he was there sitting, ruminating on his approaching
fate, he heard a voice calling out in these words:—“Fear not, Jerome, to
die in the cause of that truth which, during thy life, thou hast
defended.” It was the voice of Madderwitz, who had contributed to the
comfort of Huss; but, in consequence of it, Jerome was conveyed to a
strong tower, and exposed to torture and want.
This suffering brought on him a dangerous illness, and attempts were then
made to induce him to retract his principles; but he remained immovable.
Unhappily, however, for his subsequent peace of mind, he was at length
induced to retract, and acknowledged the errors of Wickliffe and Huss,
assented to the condemnation of the latter, and declared himself a firm
believer in the church of Rome. But the conscience of Jerome would not
allow him to suffer that retraction to remain; and he accordingly
recanted, and demanded a second trial.
Accordingly, in the month of May, 1416, Jerome was again called before the
council, and charged with his adherence to the errors of Wickliffe, his
having had a picture of him in his chamber, his denial of
transubstantiation, with other matters of a similar description. On these
articles he answered with equal spirit. Through the whole oration he
manifested an amazing strength of memory. His voice was sweet, distinct,
and full. Firm and intrepid, he stood before the council; collected in
himself, and not only despising, but seeming even desirous of death.
His speech did not, however, excite pity; and he was delivered over to the
civil power for martyrdom. When surrounded by blazing fagots, he cried
out, “O Lord God, have mercy upon me!” and a little afterwards, “Thou
knowest how I have loved thy truth.” With cheerful countenance he met his
fate; and, observing the executioner about to set fire to the wood behind
his back, he cried out, “Bring thy torch hither: perform thy office before
my face. Had I feared death, I might have avoided it.” As the wood began
to blaze, he sang a hymn, which the violence of the flames did not
interrupt.
Jerome was, unquestionably, an excellent man. His Christianity must have
been sincere, thus to have supported him; and the uniform tenor of his
virtuous life corroborated the truth of that opinion. His temper was mild
and affable, and the relations of life he supported with great piety and
benevolence. He was a light set upon a hill; and though for a few moments
it was obscured and darkened, yet it again burst forth, and continued to
shine with splendor and advantage.
John Huss.
A famous divine and martyr, born in Bohemia, 1376, and educated at Prague,
where he took his degrees, and entered into the ministry. The writings of
Wickliffe converted him from the superstitions of Rome, and, with eloquent
zeal, he began to preach against the power and influence of the pope. His
efforts proved successful; the Papal authority began to be slighted in
Bohemia; but the archbishop of Prague issued two mandates against the
heresies of Wickliffe, and the labors of Huss and his followers; and this
exertion of power was soon seconded by a bull from Rome, for the
suppression of all tenets offensive to the holy see. Huss exclaimed
against these proceedings, and, though summoned to Rome to answer for his
conduct, he, supported by the favor of Wenceslaus, king of Bohemia,
disregarded the pope’s authority, and was excommunicated; and, soon after,
his friends and adherents were included in the same interdict. After
causing, by his opposition to the Papal decrees, various tumults in Prague
and Bohemia, Huss was prevailed upon to appear at the council of
Constance, to give an account of his doctrines. The emperor Sigismund
granted him his protection, and insured security to his person; but when,
soon after, he reached Constance, 1414, he was seized as a heretic, and
imprisoned, and, after a confinement of severe hardships for six months,
he was condemned without a hearing; and, when he refused to recant his
errors, he was tumultuously sentenced to be burnt. The emperor indeed
complained of the contempt shown to his authority, and of the perfidy used
towards the delinquent, but all in vain. Huss was inhumanly dragged to
execution; he was stripped of his sacerdotal habit, deprived of his
degrees, and, with a paper crown on his head, with pictures of devils
round, and the inscription of “Heresiarch,” he was burned alive, July,
1415. He endured his torments with uncommon fortitude and truly Christian
resignation. His ashes were collected, and then sprinkled in the Rhine.
John Œcolampadius.
An eminent German reformer, born, in 1482, at Weinsberg in Franconia. He
was converted to the Protestant faith by reading the works of Luther;
became professor of theology at Basle; embraced the opinions of Zuinglius
respecting the sacrament; contributed much to the progress of
ecclesiastical reform, and died in 1531.
Œcolampadius was of a meek and quiet disposition; in the undertaking of
any business he was very circumspect; nor was there any thing more
pleasing to him, than to spend his time in reading and commenting. His
publications are numerous, consisting chiefly of annotations on the holy
Scriptures.
Martin Luther.
The celebrated reformer was born at Isleben, in Saxony, 10th November,
1483. His parents wished him to devote himself to the labors of the bar,
but an extraordinary accident diverted his purpose. As he walked one day
in the fields with a fellow-student, he was struck down by lightning, and
his companion killed by his side; and this had such effect upon his mind
that, without consulting his friends, he retired from the world, into the
order of the Augustines. In this seclusion he found by accident a Latin
Bible, which he never before had seen, and in perusing it he was
astonished at the little knowledge of Scripture and of Christianity which
the clergy then imparted to the people. From the convent of Erfurt he was
removed to Wittemberg University; and here he read lectures on philosophy,
for three years, to numerous and applauding audiences. The completion of
St. Peter’s Church at Rome at this time required extraordinary sums, and
the pope, Leo X., to fill his coffers with greater facility, published
general indulgences for the forgiveness of sins to such as would
contribute to the pious work. The Dominicans were intrusted with the
selling of these indulgences in Germany, and in paying their money the
good friar Tetzel informed the superstitious people that they might
release themselves not only from past, but also future sins. This pious
imposition did not escape the discerning eye of Luther; he published, in
1517, a thesis, containing ninety-five propositions on indulgences, and
challenged opposition. Tetzel was not silent on the occasion; but while
he, with the voice of authority, called his opponent a damnable heretic,
and whilst he burnt the thesis with all possible ignominy, Luther asserted
boldly the inefficacy of indulgences, and regarded penitence and works of
mercy and charity alone capable of forming a reconciliation with Heaven.
Though attacked by numbers, Luther had the satisfaction to see his
sentiments embraced with eagerness by the body of the people; and, when
summoned by the pope to appear at Rome to answer for his conduct, he had
the firmness to refuse, though he, at the same time, in the most
submissive manner, exculpated himself, and deprecated the resentment of
the supreme pontiff. Maximilian, the emperor, was anxious to support the
cause of Rome; but Luther happily found a protector and friend in the
elector of Saxony, and, upon an assurance of personal safety, he did not
refuse to appear at Augsburg before the Papal legate, Cajetan. The
conference ended by the refusal of Luther to submit implicitly to the
pleasure of the Papal see. The pope, however, finding that violence could
not destroy the obstinacy of Luther, had recourse to milder means, and his
agent Miltitius was employed to visit the reformer, to argue with him, and
to offer terms of reconciliation. Luther was struck with the civilities
and the temper of the Papal missionary; but, instead of making submission,
he was roused to greater opposition by the exhortations of the Bohemians,
and the able support of Melancthon, Carolostadius, and other learned men.
In 1519, he was engaged in a personal controversy at Leipsic with Eccius,
divinity professor at Ingolstadt; but it tended only to sow greater enmity
and deeper variance between the disputants. The same year, his book
against indulgences was censured by the divines of Louvaine and Cologne;
but Luther disregarded their opinions, and appealed for protection to the
new emperor, Charles V. Though he had written, at the suggestion of
Miltitius, a letter to the pope, not indeed of submission, but rather of
exculpation, in language bold and energetic, he was in 1520 formally
condemned by a bull from Rome, which, after enumerating forty-one of his
heretical opinions, denounces against him the vengeance of the church, and
excommunication, if within sixty days he did not make a due submission.
This violent conduct Luther answered by “The Captivity of Babylon,” a book
in which he inveighed bitterly against the abuses of Rome; and then,
calling the students of Wittemberg together, he flung into the fire the
offensive decree, which he called the _execrable bull of Antichrist_. In
1521, he was summoned to appear before the emperor at the diet of Worms,
with a promise of protection; and, though his friends dissuaded him, and
told him that, as his opponents had burned his writings, so they would
treat him after the manner of Huss, he declared, with fearless voice, “If
I knew there were as many devils at Worms as tiles on the houses, I would
go.” At Worms he was required by Eccius to retract his opinions; but he
declared that, except what he advanced could be proved contrary to
Scripture, he neither could nor would recant. His obstinacy proved
offensive to the emperor; but, as he had promised him his protection, he
permitted him to depart. Charles, nevertheless, published his edict
against him and his adherents, and placed him under the ban of the empire.
Luther, however, remained secure under the protection of the elector, who
had thus effected his deliverance, and in the castle of Wittemberg, which
he denominated his _hermitage_ and his _Palmos_, he held a secret
correspondence with his friends, or composed books in defence of his
opinions. At the end of ten months, when the emperor was departed for
Flanders, he again appeared publicly at Wittemberg, and had the
satisfaction to find that, instead of being checked, his doctrines had
gained ground, and were universally embraced through Germany. In 1522, he
published, in conjunction with Melancthon, a Latin translation of the New
Testament; and the work was read with avidity by the German nation. In
1524, he had to contend with Erasmus, a man who had apparently adopted his
sentiments, though he had not the manliness to acknowledge them; and he
now found in him an able antagonist enlisted in defence of the pope. In
1524, Luther threw aside the monastic habit; and the next year he married
Catherine de Bore, a nun who had escaped from a convent; and though he was
ridiculed by his enemies, and censured for taking a young wife, he
defended his conduct by scriptural texts, and again set at nought the
authority of Rome and the cavils of her advocates. In 1525, the emperor
called a diet at Spires, in consequence of the war with the Turks, as well
as the troubled state of Germany in consequence of religious disputes; and
in the sitting of the next year he proposed that the edict of Worms should
be duly enforced, the Catholic religion supported, and heretics punished.
The new doctrines, though thus openly attacked by the head of the empire,
were ably defended by the electors of Saxony and Brandenburg, the
landgrave of Hesse, the prince of Anhalt, and others; and in another diet,
held again at Spires, these dissentient princes protested against the
measures of the empire, and were consequently called _Protestants_. In the
midst of the confusion of Germany, a confession of faith was drawn up by
Melancthon, the mildest and most moderate of Luther’s followers, and, as
it was presented to the emperor at Augsburg, it has been called the
_Augsburg Confession_. Thus the opposition raised against the mighty
empire of spiritual Rome by an obscure monk, was supported by intelligent
princes and powerful nations, and Luther, now regarded as the champion of
the faith through Germany, had nothing to apprehend from his persecutors,
but had only to labor earnestly to confirm what had been so happily
established. His German translation of the Bible appeared in 1535, and was
received with grateful raptures by the Germans. He died at Isleben, 18th
February, 1546, aged 63. This illustrious man, engaged, as Atterbury has
observed, against the united forces of the Papal world, stood the shock
with bravery and success. He was a man of high endowments of mind, and
great virtues. He had a vast understanding, which raised him to a pitch of
learning unknown in the age in which he lived. His works, collected after
his death, appeared at Wittemberg, in seven volumes, folio.
Ulriucus Zuinglius.
A zealous reformer, born at Wildehausen, in Switzerland, 1487. He studied
the learned languages at Bâsle and Berne, and applied himself to
philosophy at Vienna, and took his degree of doctor of divinity, at Bâsle,
1505. For ten years he acquired popularity as public preacher at Glaris,
and in 1516 he was invited to Zurich to undertake the office of minister.
The tenets of Luther, which were now propagated in Germany, encouraged the
Swiss preacher to oppose the sale of indulgences, and to regard them as
impositions from the court of Rome upon the superstitious credulity of the
people. Undaunted in the publication of his opinions, he continued to
increase the number of his adherents, and in 1523 he assembled the senate
and the clergy of Zurich, and presented before them in sixty-seven
propositions the minute articles of his faith. Though opposed by the
bishop of Constance, his doctrines were adopted by the full senate, and he
was exhorted to preach the word of God, whilst all pastors were forbidden
to teach any thing but what could be proved by the gospel. Another synod
still more powerfully favored the cause of Zuinglius and of truth; images
and relics were removed from churches, processions were forbidden, and the
greater part of the outward worship and ceremonies of the church of Rome
was abolished. While, however, successful in the establishment of his
doctrines in the canton of Zurich, Zuinglius met with violent opposition
in the other members of the Swiss confederacy, and, after the fruitless
conferences of Baden between Œcolampadius on the part of Zurich, and of
Eckius on the part of the Catholics, both sides had recourse to arms. In
one of the first encounters, the great champion of the reformation was
slain, 11th October, 1531. As a leader, Zuinglius displayed great
firmness, deep learning, and astonishing presence of mind. Though he
opposed the doctrines of the Romish church, he greatly differed from the
German reformer, and each, unhappily, paid little respect to the opinions
of the other. His followers continued to increase; and in bearing his name
they maintained doctrines on original sin, and on grace, which were
rejected by the other seceders from the jurisdiction of Rome. According to
Zuinglius, salvation was extended not only to infants, who died before
baptism, but to heathens of a virtuous and moral life. Some alterations
were afterwards introduced by Calvin, by Beza, and others; but whilst the
proselytes to these new opinions acquired the name of _Calvinists_ in
France, and in other parts of Europe, the Zuinglians, who firmly adhered
to the tenets of their founder, assumed the appellation of
_Sacramentarians_. The works of Zuinglius, as a controversialist, were
respectable, chiefly written in German, and were comprehended in four
volumes, folio.
Martin Bucer.