by a defeat, which was admitted even by their own friends, became more violent than ever in their hostility, and resorted to a new act of cruelty to wreak their vengeance on the unfortunate objects of their hatred. Under pretence that the Unitarians had violated the terms of the former edict, by promulgating their sentiments openly or clandestinely, they procured a new and more rigorous decree to be passed against them on the 20th of July 1660. In this the clause in the former, allowing to the Unitarians the space of three years for the arrangement of their affairs, the disposal of their property, and the consideration of the alternative proposed to them, was rescinded, and a new edict passed, enjoining them instantly to leave the kingdom, or join the communions authorized by the laws,-empowering all magistrates and others, in case of their disobedience, to bring them before the public tribunals, and even to put them to death. This unexpected ordinance reduced them to the greatest difficulties. Their enemies threw every impediment in the way to their settling their affairs. Many found it wholly impossible to dispose of their property at any price;others were obliged to part with it for what was considerably beneath its value; so that several of the noble and wealthy families who still adhered to the party, were reduced nearly to a level with the poorest among them. In these trying circumstances some made an outward show of abandoning their faith, and thus saved themselves from the evils of exile ;--but a very large proportion, rather than sacrifice their con

science

science at the throne of human power, submitted to the painful condition of being separated for ever from their native land. These undaunted confessors, comprising many thousand individuals of both sexes and all ages, yielding to their hard destiny, took a final leave of their country, and wandered with uncertain steps, friendless and destitute, to seek an asylum in some foreign clime. Of this honourable band about four hundred proceeded to Transylvania and Hungary; many bent their steps towards Prussia, Silesia, and Moravia; others emigrated to Holland and the Low Countries, and some passed over to England *. Thus was terminated the public profession of Unitarianism in the kingdom of Poland, about one hun

* There is a very affecting detail of the evils and sufferings endured by the Unitarians on account of these proceedings against them, and their banishment from the country, given in a letter of Samuel Przipcovius, dated Konigsberg 1663, and inserted at the end of Lubieniecius's History of the Polish Reformation. The following passage will show the feelings with which the unfortunate exiles contemplated their calamities. Postulas ut calamitatis et egestatis nostræ tibi descriptionem exhibeam. Infandum tu nempe jubes renovare dolorem, ne per vestigia luctuum iterum, et cruda adhuc et hiantia, necdum cicatricibus obducta retractare vulnera: horret animus ad exceptos tot fulminum ictus, attonitus et pavens. Qui nos casus hucusque agitaverint, quæque ipse miserrima vidi, et quorum pars quantulacunque fui exponere, non mens tantum, sed manus quoque ac calamus trepidat ac refugit. Fuimus, fuimus Troes, et vel ipsa non multo ante, benignitate Dei, tot per annos indulta ecclesiis nostris felicitas, acriorem sensum præsentium malorum reddit: ut etiam recordari pigeat, quando et quomodo et quibus gradibus, quod fuimus esse desymus. Et nisi mentes nostras causa, ob quam patimur bonitas, et commendare quondam a Domino hujus generis patientiæ solatia erigerent, tanta calamitatis procella prostratis atque obrutis pene optimum factu videbatur, quo levius ferantur præsentia, præteritorum memoriam amittere.

dred

dred and twenty years after its first introduction into that country, and after giving birth to a host of advocates, distinguished equally by their learning, their talents and their virtues, who were an ornament to their age and an honour to human nature.

For several years previously to its suppression in Poland, Unitarianism had obtained a firm establishment, and made considerable progress, in Transylvania. The settlement of Blandrata in Poland in 1558, has already been mentioned. In the year 1563 he went into Transylvania to attend the prince, John Sigismund the Second, who was labouring under a dangerous disorder; and his success in effecting the eure of his royal patient, joined to his insinuating manners, soon rendered him a favourite at court. The influence which he thus acquired encouraged him to attempt the introduction of his theological opinions into this country; and circumstances favoured his design in a degree far beyond what he could have anticipated. At the time of his arrival the reformed churches of Transylvania and Hungary, which were numerous and flourishing, were under the superintendance of Francis David, a divine of great learning and powerful eloquence, who resided at Clausenburg, or Coloswar, and whose distinguished talents and character had procured for him the esteem of the prince, and of many of the first nobility. David had originally adopted the Augsburg Confession, and had, in 1556, published a work in support of the Lutheran doctrine concerning the Eucharist. Shortly after this he embraced the Calvinistic system, which he appears

to

to have held when he became first acquainted with Blandrata. The unsettled state of David's opinions at this period disposed him to attend the more readily to Blandrata's objections to the leading articles of the popular creed; and the result of their conversations on these subjects was his entire conversion to Unitarianism.

The joint efforts of these two eminent individuals, after this event, to disseminate their opinions, though at first they acted with great caution in explaining their views of Christianity, soon attracted the notice and excited the alarm of the ministers of the reformed communions. Peter Melius, the superintendant of the reformed churches in Hungary, preferred a formal complaint against them to the prince, whom he prevailed upon to convoke a synod of the ministers of Transylvania and Hungary at Weissenburg (Alba Julia) in the month of May 1556, for the consideration and settlement of the controverted points. To this assembly Blandrata and David submitted several propositions, declaratory of their sentiments; but they were drawn up with so much care, and expressed in such ambiguous terms, that the synod found no cause for censuring them, and contented itself with subjoining to the several articles, its own "Limitations," or Commentary*.

Peter Melius seems to have been little satisfied with the result of these deliberations. Anxious to stop the

These propositions were published at Clausenburg in 1566, with the limitations of the Hungarian ministers and the judgement of another synod held at Vasarhelly. Petri Bod, Hist. Unitariorum in Transylvania, p. 12.

progress

progress of the new opinions, and with this view to impart to others his own fears, and inspire them with a portion of his own zeal, he assembled in the following year the ministers of his own district, to consider the best means of effecting his object. This synod was followed by some others, convened for the same purpose. The public mind being greatly agitated by these frequent public conferences, the prince, with the design of composing the differences and restoring tranquillity, summoned a general synod to be held at Weissenburg on the 3d of March 1568*,-Blandrata having promised that he would then publicly demonstrate the truth of his opinions. The proceedings of this assembly were formally arranged beforehand, and the discussions held at it were continued during ten successive days, the chief speakers being Francis David and Blandrata †, on the part of the Unitarians,

and

* The disputations at this synod were immediately pub lished at Weissenburg, under the following title :—“ Breviš Enarratio Disputationis Albanæ de Deo Trino et Christo du→ plici, coram Serenissimo Principe et tota Ecclesia decem Diebus habita, &c.

† If the report of the historian be worthy of credit, Blandrata made but an indifferent figure in these discussions, Being pressed on the ninth day by an opponent who had undertaken to reply to some of his observations-he exclaimed

Quod ad me vero attinet-Ego nec scio, nec possum illud explicare, raucedine enim laboro. Neque ego sum Doctor Theologia, sed Medicina. Bod, ubi supra, p. 43.

This historian relates (p. 43) that in the course of this year was confirmed a decree which had been passed at the diet of Thorde in 1557, and afterwards sanctioned by the states of the kingdom in 1563, securing to persons of all denominations the free exercise of their religion. From the UNION of the Re

formed