question, where a part of his heresies are contained; if he is confronted with the printed book he may deny it, that which he cannot do with his own hand writing. And so the people you mention, having the thing fully proved, can have no excuse if they dissemble or delay taking proper measures any longer. As for the rest, the large book, as also the other treatise, written with the author's hand, are here; but I must confess one thing to you, that I had a great deal of trouble to get what I sent you out of Mr. Calvin's hands, not that he does not desire, that such execrable heresies should be suppressed, but because he thinks that as he does not bear the sword of justice, his duty consists rather in exposing heresies by doctrine, than persecuting them by such means. I have importuned him so much, remonstrating to him the reproach of levity which I should certainly incur, if he did not give me his assistance: at last he agreed to give me what you see; besides this, I hope when the cause shall be in a better train, to recover in time about a quire of that very paper which the gentleman has caused to be printed. But for the present I think you sufficiently furnished with good materials, and you will find no difficulty of having more than enough for seizing his person, and commencing

But

his process. As for myself, I pray God that he would open the eyes of those who speak so wickedly, in order to learn to judge more favorably of the inclination which moves us. As for the part of your letter wherein it appears, that you are not willing to enter any further upon the subject of our former correspondence; I shall endeavor likewise, not to give you any trouble on that head, hoping that God at last will make you sensible, that I have not taken this step rashly; recommending myself to your favor, and praying to God to keep you in his. Geneva, March the 26th.'

Trie wrote a third time to his cousin on this business.

Trie's third Letter to Arney,

SIR, MY COUSIN,

I hope that I shall have satisfied you in part, as to what you have asked me, sending you the hand writing of him who has composed the book, and in the last of those letters which you have received, you will find that he has confessed his name, which he had disguised, but he excuses himself in calling himself Villeneuve, since that his name is Servetus, alias Reeves, saying that he took his name from

the city where he was born; besides, if it please God, I shall keep to my promise, that if there is any need for it, I shall furnish you with those treatises which he has caused to be printed, and written with his own hand, as well as the letters; I should have had a great deal of trouble in getting hold of them if they had been in this city, but they have been at Lausanne these two years. If Mr. Calvin had had them, I believe of whatever consequence they were, he would have immediately remitted them to the author. But since he has addressed letters to others also, these have kept them. I have even heard formerly that the aforesaid gentleman (Calvin) having given answers sufficient to content any reasonable man, seeing that he could gain nothing in a work of this kind, he would not condescend to read any more on the subject: as it was already stuffed with stupid fancies and nonsense, while the other did nothing else but repeat always the same song: and that you may know that it is not just now, that this unhappy man has spared no pains to trouble the church, endeavoring to mislead the ignorant with himself, it is more than twenty-four years ago that they have turned him out, and driven him from the principal churches in Germany, and if he had found any place of rest he would never

have left it.

Amongst the letters of Oecolampadius, the first and second are addressed to him in a title which very properly belongs to him, Serveto Hispano neganti christum esse Dei filium, consubstantialem Patri; Melancthon talks of him in some passages likewise, but I think that you have a very easy proof from what I have sent you, to proceed farther, at least for a beginning. As to the printer, I have not told you the marks whereby we understand that it was Balthazard Arnoullet, and William Gueroult his brother in-law; but there is sufficient proofs to confirm it, and indeed he cannot deny it; very possibly this will be at the author's charge, and that he will take all the copies into his own hand, but you will find that the impression is come from the shop that I have mentioned. As to what the messenger desires to be dispatched immediately, having delivered me your letters very late, for fear I suppose, that I should answer you to the purpose; wherefore I desire you will excuse my hurry. I believe I forgot to write to you, that after you shall have used the letters, you will not suffer them to be scattered, that they may be returned to me: and here I shall make an end at present, always recommending myself to your kind favor, without forgetting my cousin your brother, your brother, being glad that God

to me.

has blessed him with an offspring, as you write May God by his holy spirit direct you to do what is agreeable to him. From Geneva the last of March.'

From these letters it is manifest Calvin was the cause of the persecution of Servetus at Vienne; who else could enable Trie to communi. eate the information contained in his first letter? who else could furnish the sheet of the Doctor's book which accompanied it? It is evident he enabled Trie to communicate the materials for Servetus' condemnation. As to Trie's representing, that Calvin gave up the letters, &c. with reluctance, there seems some art and management in this to save the reformer from the reproach of betraying the Doctor into the hands of the common enemies of all protestants. Servetus complained upon his trial at Geneva that Calvin had sent those papers to Lyons, which caused his arrest and prosecution. Servetus' letters to Calvin were mentioned in the sentence pronounced against him at Vi

enne.

Calvin endeavored to get rid of the reproach of assisting the papists in the prosecution of the Doctor for heresy. But he never could plainly deny that he had given the papists information,