SUBSCRIPTIONS TO AN ATTESTED FACSIMILES COPY OF THE SECOND EDITION OF THE CANONS AND DECREES OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT. ¿go Angelus Masserellus Opus obelesin sacri cone. Triden secr. Þ. Preface. Page XVI. I mdon Published by 3. Duncan Paternoster Row Jan 1834, content with the more sober and historical statements to be found in the authorities which have been mainly and almost exclusively cited in the preceding memoirs. And when the reader has perused the testimony of eye-witnesses and parties, of leaders themselves, unexceptionable, and even favourable to their subject as they are, let him honestly say, (without denying considerable exception, but smothered and quenched,) whether, in the whole compass of history, any legislative assembly, the farthest possible remote from religion of any kind or degree, can be pointed out, in which more of exclusively secular motives and objects, more interested policy, more immoral and dishonourable intrigue, more flagrant injustice towards the party devoted to suppression, and more violent and indecorous internal contention were exhibited, than in this professedly religious convocation of all the spiritual wisdom and piety of Christendom, arrogating to itself the peculiar direction of the Holy Spirit, and undertaking to enact and issue laws, both for the defence and guidance of the universal church, and for the correction or condemnation of its enemies. other purpose than to disguise the disproportionate and extravagant superiority in number of the Italians. APPENDIX. Page 69.-Colloquy of Ratisbon in 1546. SOME account of this religious assembly, bearing so sensibly, as all the national ones did, on the operations and authority of the Tridentine council, may prove acceptable to the reader. A papal relation of it was published in the year after its meeting under the title Actorum Colloquii Ratisponensis ultimi, quomodo inchoatum, ac desertum, quæq; in eodem extemporali oratione inter partes disputata fuerint, verissima narratio. Jussu Cæ. Ma. conscripta et edita. Lovanii Apud Martinum Rotarium, Anno 1547. Cum gratia et privilegio. It is a small volume, unpaged, and apparently but little known. As might be expected, its contents are distinguished by the sectarian partiality of the communion with which it originated; and it is accordingly entitled to very moderate confidence. The principal disputants were, the Spaniard Malvenda and the better-known Bucer; and the superiority is of course made to appear to remain with the former. Happily, other accounts are in existence. The laborious and accurate Seckendorf has detailed their contents, Comm. de Luth. lib. iii, sect. 35, § cxxxii, although he seems to have been ignorant of the work mentioned above, at least has made no mention of it. The protestant narrations are in German, and probably not less veræ than the verissima. The discussion commenced in January of 1546, and was on the subject of Justification- a subject which admits of much sophistic misrepresentation and evasion. One of the earliest and most remarkable features in it is, the stipulation insisted upon by the Roman party, that nothing should be binding upon them which they might assert inconsistent with apostolic tradition, or the decrees of the church; and that, if anything through error or imprudence escaped them, of this description, it should be considered null and unsaid-an eminently prudent precaution, by which they effectually secured themselves against the effect of any concession which the force of truth might extort; and by it they virtually acknowledged, that the whole matter of discussion was prejudged and predetermined, and that the exhibition of debate was perfect mockery. We might almost imagine this was an invention of the protestants, did we not read in plain letters, and in the little book, these words:-Duo se (the catholics, as they call themselves) interim pro se collegisq; suis testata facere. Primum, nullum dictum suum collegarumve in hoc congressu quomodocunque elatum, ejusmodi fore, ut ejus sententia et assertione velint sacris scripturis, aut apostolicis traditionibns, aut Ecclesiæ Catholicæ decretis adversare, sed si quid tale vel errore vel imprudentia exciderit, pro irrito ac non dicto haberi. The rest substantially agrees with the account of the Lutheran historian, particularly as to the contents of the imperial letters, in which one of the injunctions was, that of secresy: this occasioned the sudden dissolution of the meeting on the part of the protestants. In fact, they thought they saw, (and there is no reason to believe their vision false,) that the whole affair was intended as a trap, and if they fell into it, those who set it would attain their object. They complained, likewise, and with equal appearance of truth, of the arrogant and overbearing conduct of Malvenda, who knew, and behaved as if he knew, that the sword and power were on his side. It is the one and uniform object of Romanists, in all discussions with their opponents, to force the breaking up of them in such a manner as to make it appear to be the act of the latter. Page 155.—Reserved Cases. As these are recognized and established by the 7th chapter and 11th canon of the Doctrinal Decree of Penance in the 14th session of the council, and as, of course, they are still in force, although, on a recent occasion, the Irish Doctors of the papal communion assuming prelacy, thought fit virtually to deny the fact, it has appeared desirable to repeat in these pages a document of not very common occurrence. It is copied from a Quaternio (the usual form of printing such things in Rome) without a date, but, from historic and other circumstances, probably of the age of Leo X. I have two, evidently different, editions, but agreeing almost to a letter, and apparently of the same age. |