SIXTEENTH CENTURY.
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spared no expense, either in procuring manu- scripts, or in recompensing the editors for their trooble. The work was commenced in 1602, aod for fifteen- years was continued without interruption ; it is equally astonishing, that nei- ther the long and tedious application wearied the constancy of the learned editors, nor the oppreasire cares which derolred on Ximenes, relaxed either his zeal, or affection for this un- dertaking. The whole charge of the work, in- clading the pensions of the editors, the wages of the transcribers, the price of books, the expense of journeys, and toe cost of the impression, amounted, according to the calculations that were made, to more than fifty thotisand crowns of gold. Amao Guillen de Brocar was the
Erinter of this stupendous work.* Pope Leo X. iToured Ximenes with manuscripts from the Vatican library, frequently praised bis magnifi- cence and generosity, and even consulted him in the most important occurrences of his pontifi- cate. The cardinal died soon after the work was finished; and doubts being started by the church of Rome, whether it was proper to bring it into general circulation, it did not receive the permisaon of Leo X. for its publication until '7 the 22d of March, 1620; and the copies were not distributed to die world at large before 1522. 15^. Trials for witchcraft arose from the bollst of three popes; Alexander VI. 1494; JuUus II. 1621 ; Julius III. 15224
- A anan nomber, (It is thongfat not more than four,)
were printed on Tellum. Oneof thflaeistaid tobe In the Vatlcatn Utanrr; anotlier in the Escnrial i and a third was lately poRhaMd at the aale of tile Mac-Caithy library, by Mr. O. Blbbeit, for ^840. The reitof the copies, of which only six hondred wen printed, were npon paper. The piice afUxed to the work, by the bishop afAvila, by order of tt>e pope, was two goUen ducats and a half) or aboat fortr Uvrea of French money ; a considerable sum at that period.
t Fope^ bnlls are written on parchment, with a seal of cold. aUrer, wax, or lead, called a bull. On one side aie the heads of Peter and Panl, and on the other, the name and year of the pope. In the formula, the pope la called "Semnt of the aerrants of God."
t The foUowinf; /acf j will shew a terrible and disgrace- fal exhlUtian of delusion and cruelty ; and to what extent icnoranee and superstition held the credulous in tear :— Ftre taniidKd witches werebnmt in Genera, in IJi J. — One tfaooaaod, in the diocese of Como, in a year ; and one handled per annum for years. Nine hundred in Lorraine, b et wee n 1180 and H8»- An incredible number In France, abont 1510. One sorcerer confessed that he had twelve hundred assodateei — One hundred and flity-aeven were burnt at WurtzborKh only, between lSS7and 16W* old and yaaag, clerical, learned, and ignorant At lindheim, thbrty were burnt in four years, out of a population of six IraiMtrcd. In 1749, Maria Renata was burnt at Wurtz- borcli ; and, in two centtuies, fifteen thousand seven hun- dred were bnmt in that city ; and, throughout Germany, one hundred thousand altogether. — Three thousand were executed in Sogtand, under the Long Parliament. Bit Matthew Hales bnmt two In ltS4; and, in I/lD, Ins. Hicks, and her daughter, aged g, were banf^ed at Hunt- ingdon. Statutes against this supposed crime were passed Ii7 Henry VIII., IM1 ; EUxabeth, ItSl ; and James I.— In Bale's trial at Bury St. Edmund's, Dr. Browne, the author at the book on Vmlgar Smn, was a witness in support .. of Ote pmseriitfcm. — Barrington estimates the Judicial murders for witchcraft in Xngland, in too years, at thirty tbooaand. — In Scotland, tiioosands were bnmt In about IM years; and the last in I7aa, at Dornoch ; and, among the Tiedms were persons of the highest rank, while all or- ders in the state coocnrred. James I. even caused a whole aasize to be prosecuted for an acquittal. — Northampton- B l« n amed the soperstttlon about witchcraft later than
1622. The edict of Nuremberg was issued at the diet held in that city, by the pope's legate, in this rear, bv which, amone other things, it was decreed, " That printers should print no new things for the future ; and that some holy and learned men, appointed for the purpose by the magistrates, within their several jurisdictions, should peruse and examine what came from the press, and that what the^ disapproved should not be sold." The edict being variously interpreted, Luther wrote to the princes who had sanctioned the diet, acquainting them that he had reverenUv and with pleasure read it, and also proposed it to the church of Wittemberg ; but that since some persons of the highest quality refused to obey It, and put various constructions upon it, he thought it prudent to declare his judgment respecting its meaning, which he hoped would be consonant to their own. After this introduc- tion, he stated the articles of the edict, and pro- posed his opinions as to the sense of them, and, in particular, respecting the decree before men- tioned, observed, " That whereas they had de- creed, that no more books should be published, unless they were first approved and licensed by learned men chosen for that purpose, he was not, indeed, against it ; but, however, that he under- stood it so as not at all to be extended to the books of the Holy Scripture ; for that the pub- lishing of those could not be prohibited."
Whilst the more learned aidversariesof Lather were thus zealously engaged in their literary endeavours to check the progress, and discount- enance the perusal, of Luther's translation, the powerful aid of civil authority was palled in to assist the design. The Duke George of Saxony persecuted, with unrelenting severity, the clergy of his district who were inchned to Lutheranism ; recalled the students from the schools and uni-
any other county. Two pretended witches were executed at Northampton, In 17SS, while the SpecMorwasin course of publication in London, and five others seven years aiter- wvda. — Nine women of Husbands Bosworth were exe- cuted by the sapient magistrates of Leicester, in July, 1818, owing to a boT of the place having fits. In 184$, the rev. Mr. Lawes, of great a«e, a cooper, and sixteen wo- men, were executed at one time, at Bory St. Edmund's.— The Scotch Solomon, James, called witchcraft high-trea- son against God, and, therefore, he prohibited the usual rules of evidence.— The last burning in Scotland was in Sutherland, in 17n; the wretch who acted as Judge waa captain David Ross, of Little Dean.— Only in 1811 the lawa against witches in Ireland were repealed: and, at Olams, a servant girl waa burnt so late as 1788 1— In New Eng- land, in 16^, above four hondred were accused, and nine, teen put to death ; one refusing to plead, was pressed to death.— So late as 17SO, a Frenchman drew a large audi- ence, among whom was the royal commander at CuUoden and Fontenay, to see him get into a quart-bottle. The bottle stood on the stage, but the Frendunan, taking the money, disappeared. — Superstition had its origin in savage tribes and nations, in thor ignorance of the causes of na- tural phenomena. Benefits were ascribed to a good spirit, and evils to a bad one. This primary idea waa enlarged and dlvendfled by dreaming during Imperftet sleep, (or thinking while the volition was torpid.) and by illusions of the senses, which led to belief in ghosts, signs, omens, ftc. These causes were augmented by enthusiasts, and played upon by cunning impostors. Hence, there are snpersti. tiona in proportion to ignorance, and the passions are sub- dued by appeals to them. Most priests profess, too, to be in communion with the good genius, and to be able to suddne the evil one. And then chiefs of tribes use tha priests to assist in governing the people by their feais.
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