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necessary　to　devise　a　legal　cheek　which　should　make　such



absorption　of　estates　by　the　Church　more　and　more　difficult。







There　was　a　second　cause　of　trouble。　In　that　religious　atmosphere



of　Venice；　monastic　orders　of　every　sort　grew　luxuriantly；　not



only　absorbing　more　and　more　land　to　be　held　by　the　dead　hand；



thus　escaping　the　public　burdens；　but　ever　absorbing　more　and



more　men　and　women；　and　thus　depriving　the　state　of　any　healthy



and　normal　service　from　them。　Here；　too；　the　Senate　thought　it



best　to　interpose　a　check：　it　insisted　that　all　new　structures



for　religious　orders　must　be　authorized　by　the　State。







Yet　another　question　flamed　forth。　Of　the　monks　of　every　sort



swarming　through　the　city；　many　were　luxurious　and　some　were



criminal。　On　these　last；　the　Venetian　Senate　determined　to　lay



its　hands；　and　in　the　first　years　of　the　seventeenth　century　all



these　questions；　and　various　other　matters　distasteful　to　the



Vatican；　culminated　in　the　seizure　and　imprisonment　of　two



ecclesiastics　charged　with　various　high　crimes；among　these　rape



and　murder。







There　had　just　come　to　the　papal　throne　Camillo　Borghese；　Paul



V。；strong；　bold；　determined；　with　the　highest　possible　theory



of　his　duties　and　of　his　position。　In　view　of　his　duty　toward



himself；　he　lavished　the　treasures　of　the　faithful　upon　his



family；　until　it　became　the　richest　which　had　yet　risen　in　Rome；



in　view　of　his　duty　toward　the　Church；　he　built　superbly；　and　an



evidence　of　the　spirit　in　which　he　wrought　is　his　name；　in



enormous　letters；　still　spread　across　the　facade　of　St。　Peter's。



As　to　his　position；　he　accepted　fully　the　theories　and　practices



of　his　boldest　predecessors；　and　in　this　he　had　good　warrant；　for



St。　Thomas　Aquinas　and　Bellarmine　had　furnished　him　with



convincing　arguments　that　he　was　divinely　authorized　to　rule　the



civil　powers　of　Italy　and　of　the　world。＇1＇











＇1＇　For　details　of　these　cases　of　the　two　monks；　see　Pascolato。



Fra　Paolo　Sarpi；　Milano；　1893；　pp。　126…128。　For　the　Borghese



avarice；　see　Ranke's　Popes；　vol。　iii。　pp。　9…20。　For　the



development　of　Pope　Paul's　theory　of　government；　see　Ranke；　vol。



ii。　p。　345；　and　note　in　which　Bellarmine's　doctrine　is　cited



textually；　also　Bellarmine's　Selbstbiographie；　herausgegeben　von



Dollinger　und　Rensch　Bonn；　1887。　pp。　181；　et　seq。











Moreover　there　was；　in　his　pride；　something　akin　to　fanaticism。



He　had　been　elected　by　one　of　those　sudden　movements；　as　well



known　in　American　caucuses　as　in　papal　conclaves；　when；　after　a



deadlock；　all　the　old　candidates　are　thrown　over；　and　the　choice



suddenly　falls　on　a　new　man。　The　cynical　observer　may　point　to



this　as　showing　that　the　laws　governing　elections；　under　such



circumstances；　are　the　same；　whether　in　party　caucuses　or　in



church　councils；　but　Paul；　in　this　case；　saw　the　direct



intervention　of　the　Almighty；　and　his　disposition　to　magnify　his



office　was　vastly　increased　thereby。　He　was　especially　strenuous；



and　one　of　his　earliest　public　acts　was　to　send　to　the　gallows　a



poor　author；　who；　in　an　unpublished　work；　had　spoken　severely



regarding　one　of　Paul's　predecessors。







The　Venetian　laws　checking　mortmain；　taxing　church　property；　and



requiring　the　sanction　of　the　Republic　before　the　erection　of　new



churches　and　monasteries　greatly　angered　him；　but　the　crowning



vexation　was　the　seizure　of　the　two　clerics。　This　aroused　him



fully。　He　at　once　sent　orders　that　they　be　delivered　up　to　him；



that　apology　be　made　for　the　past　and　guarantees　given　for　the



future；　and　notice　was　served　that；　in　case　the　Republic　did　not



speedily　obey　these　orders；　the　Pope　would　excommunicate　its



leaders　and　lay　an　interdict　upon　its　people。　It　was　indeed　a



serious　contingency。　For　many　years　the　new　Pope　had　been　known



as　a　hard；　pedantic　ecclesiastical　lawyer；　and　now　that　he　had



arrived　at　the　supreme　power；　he　had　evidently　determined　to



enforce　the　high　mediaeval　supremacy　of　the　Church　over　the



State。　Everything　betokened　his　success。　In　France　he　had　broken



down　all　opposition　to　the　decrees　of　the　Council　of　Trent。　In



Naples；　when　a　magistrate　had　refused　to　disobey　the　civil　law　at



the　bidding　of　priests；　and　the　viceroy　had　supported　the



magistrate；　Pope　Paul　had　forced　the　viceroy　and　magistrate　to



comply　with　his　will　by　threats　of　excommunication。　In　every　part



of　Italy；in　Malta；　in　Savoy；　in　Parma；　in　Lucca；　in　Genoa；and



finally　even　in　Spain；　he　had　pettifogged；　bullied；　threatened；



until　his　opponents　had　given　way。　Everywhere　he　was　triumphant；



and　while　he　was　in　the　mood　which　such　a　succession　of　triumphs



would　give　he　turned　toward　Venice。＇1＇











＇1＇　For　letters　showing　the　craven　submission　of　Philip　III。　of



Spain　at　this　time；　see　Cornet；　Paolo　V。　e　la　Republica　Veneta；



Vienna；　1859；　p。　285。











There　was　little　indeed　to　encourage　the　Venetians　to　resist；



for；　while　the　interests　of　other　European　powers　were　largely



the　same　as　theirs；　current　political　intrigues　seemed　likely　to



bring　Spain　and　even　France　into　a　league　with　the　Vatican。







To　a　people　so　devoted　to　commerce；　yet　so　religious；　the　threat



of　an　interdict　was　serious　indeed。　All　church　services　were　to



cease；　the　people　at　large；　no　matter　how　faithful；　were　to　be　as



brute　beasts；not　to　be　legally　married；　not　to　be　consoled　by



the　sacraments；　not　to　be　shriven；　and　virtually　not　to　be



buried；　other　Christian　peoples　were　to　be　forbidden　all　dealings



with　them；　under　pain　of　excommunication；　their　commerce　was　to



be　delivered　over　to　the　tender　mercies　of　any　and　every　other



nation；　their　merchant　ships　to　be　as　corsairs；　their　cargoes；



the　legitimate　prey　of　all　Christendom；　and　their　people；　on　sea



and　land；　to　be　held　as　enemies　of　the　human　race。　To　this　was



added；　throughout　the　whole　mass　of　the　people；　a　vague　sense　of



awful　penalties　awaiting　them　in　the　next　world。　Despite　all



this；　the　Republic　persisted　in　asserting　its　right。







Just　at　this　moment　came　a　diplomatic　passage　between　Pope　and



Senate　like　a　farce　before　a　tragedy；　and　it　has　historical



significance；　as　showing　what　resourceful　old　heads　were　at　the



service　of　either　side。　The　Doge　Grimani　having　died；　the　Vatican



thought　to　score　a　point　by　promptly　sending　notice　through　its



Nuncio　to　Venice　that　no　new　election　of　a　Doge　could　take　place



if　forbidden　by　the　Pope；　and　that；　until　the　Senate　had　become



obedient　to　the　papacy；　no　such　election　would　be　sanctioned。　But



the　Senate；　having　through　its　own　Ambassador　received　a　useful



hint；　was　quite　equal　to　the　occasion。　It　at　once　declined　to



receive　this　or　any　dispatch　from　the　Pope　on　the　plea；　made　with



redundant　courtesy　and　cordiality；　that；　there　being　no　Doge；



there　was　no　person　in　Venice　great　enough　to　open　it。　They　next



as　politely　declined　to　admit　the　papal　Nuncio　on　the　ground　that



there　was　nobody　worthy　to　receive　him。　Then　they　proceeded　to



elect　a　Doge　who　could　receive　both　Nuncio　and　message；a　sturdy



opponent　of　the　Vatican　pretensions；　Leonardo　Donato。







The　Senate　now　gave　itself　entirely　to　considering　ways　and　means



of　warding　off　the　threatened　catastrophe。　Its　first　step　was　to



consult　Sarpi。　His　answer　was　prompt　and　pithy。　He　advised　two



things：　first；　to　prevent；　at　all　hazards；　any　publication　of　the



papal　bulls　in　Venice　or　any　obedience　to　them；　secondly；　to　hold



in　readiness　for　use　at　any　moment　an　appeal　to　a　future　Council



of　the　Church。







Of　these　two　methods；　the　first　would　naturally　seem　by　far　the



more　difficult。　So　it　was　not　in　reality。　In　the　letter　which



Sarpi　presented　to　the　Doge；　he　devoted　less　than　four　lines　to



the　first　and　more　than　fourteen　pages　to　the　second。　As　to　the



first　remedy；　severe　as　it　was　and　bristling　with　difficulties；



it　was；　as　he　claimed；　a　simple；　natural；　straightforward　use　of



police　power。　As　to　the　second；　the　appeal　to　a　future　Council



was　to　the　Vatican　as　a　red　flag　to　a　bull。　The　very　use　of　it



involved　excommunication。　To　harden　and　strengthen　the　Doge　and



Senate　in　order　that　they　might　consider　it　as　an　ultimate



possibility；　Sarpi　was　obliged　to　show　from　the　Scriptures；　the



Fathers；　the　Councils；　the　early　Popes；　that　the　appeal　to　a



Council　was　a　matter　of　right。　With　wonderful　breadth　of



knowledge　and　clearness　of　statement　he　made　his　points　and



answered　objections。　To　this　day；　his　letter　remains　a



masterpiece。＇1＇











＇1＇　For　Sarpi's　advice　to　the　Doge；　see　Bianchi　Giovini；　vol。　i。



pp。　216；　et　seq。　The　document　is　given　fully　in　the　Lettere　di　F。



P。　S。；　Firenze；　1863；　vol。　i。　pp。　17；　et　seq。；　also　in　Machi；



Storia　del　Consiglio　dei　Dieci；　cap。　xxiv。；　where　the　bull　of



excommunication　is　also　given。











The　Republic　utterly　refused　to　yield；　and　now；　in　1606；　Pope



Paul　launched　his　excommunication　and　interdict。　In　meeting　them；



the　Senate　took　the　course　laid　down　by　Sarpi。　The　papal　Nuncio



was　notified　that　the　Senate　would　receive　no　paper　from　the



Pope；　all　ecclesiasties；　from　the　Patriarch　down　to　the　lowest



monk；　were　forbidden；　under　the　penalties　of　high　treason；　to



make　public　or　even　to　receive　any　paper　whatever　from　the



Vatican；　additional　guards　were　placed　at　the　city　gates；　with



orders　to　search　every　wandering　friar　or　other　suspicious　person