Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/555

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VIVIERS


493


VIVIERS


fnnceof tho queen. On his return to Flanders, Vivos refrained from further intervention and declined when Catherine of Aragon appealed to him. During his stay at Louvain, Vives was associated with Erasmus and followed almost the same Line of conduct. On the advice of Erasmus he had pubUshed a commen- tary on St. Augustine's "City of God" (Basle, 1522). He displeased the theologians by his irreverence for the ancient commentators, and Erasmus by his pro- lixity. His attitude eventually made him an object of suspicion during the wars of religion. He attempted to resume his lectures at Louvain, but he spent nearly all the remainder of his life at Bruges, and died when he was undertaking a general apology for Christianity.

The works of Vives are very numerous and deal with piety, teaching and education, political economy, and philosophy. His books of devotion were very successful in their time; the "Introductio ad sapien- tiam" (15241 had fifty editions, and the "Ad animi exercitationem in Deum commentatiuncula;", eigh- teen. His chief work on teaching is the "Exercitatio linguae latina;" (153S) which passed through ninety- nine editions. This success was deserved. The book was one of the first in which the elements of Latin were clearly and simply set forth and broke with the scholastic traditions of the grammarians of the Lower Empire and ]Middle Ages. In his rhetor- ical and literary work-s, especially in the "De disei- plinis" (20 books, 1531), Vives formulated rules of style, insisting especiallj' on philosophy and history. He advocated that history should embrace human activity in its entirety and not confine itself to ac- counts of wars. He condemned the uncritioal tales of the "Golden Legend". In philosophy he mingled with original views ideas from Aristotle and even Aristotle as commentated by medieval dialecticians. Nevertheless he challenged their methods in the treatise "In pseudo dialecticos" (1519). With re- gard to the world and matter he professed more than one interesting opinion, such as that of evolution. His theory of knowledge was in accord with the Aris- totelean Hensism. But the philosophical ideas of Vives still call for deep study conducted by a spe- ciahst.

In education he put forth exact theories regarding regimen, establishment of the school, and the conduct of the masters. He devoted a special work to the education of women, "De institutione femina; Chris- tianse" (1523), of which forty editions appeared. Somewhat severe in spirit, subordinating woman to man and regarding the mind of woman as inferior, Vives nevertheless demands that woman be not left in ignorance and gives as definition of marriage: the legitimate union of one man and one woman for the mutual ownership of the whole of life. Finally, in various treatises and especially in the "De suhven- tione pauperum" (1.526) Vives shows himself as an organizer of public rehef . He proscribes mendicancy, expels poor strangers from the city, obliges the natives to work, recommends apprenticeship for those who have no trade, advocates asylums for the insane, schools for foundlings from the age of six, and provides for the administration of all this by voluntary gifts, the .sale of the products of the labour of the poor, the revenues of the ho.spitals, and taxes on rich eeclesia.sti- cal communities. Vpres put these ideas into practice in 1.525, despiletheprotestsof the Franciscans, which were rejected by the Parlement of Paris and by Charles V. Other cities followed this example. But Vives mingled some exaggeration with these doctrines. In the "De eommunione rerum" (1535) he does not seem sure of the legitimacy of private property. He had lights on many subjects, but never concentrated his efforts on a p.articular work.

BoNii.i.A T San Martin, Luis Vires y In filosofia dfl Tfnacimento (Madrid. 1903); De»dkvi9k.s nv Desert. Luis Vitct in Rerue hinpanique . XII (lOO.'j). 373; .\RNArD, Quid de pueris instiiuemii tinsent L. Viiea (Paris, 1887); Thibact, Quid de puellis instilu-


emiis senscrit Vives (Paris, 188S): Lecigne, Quid de rebus politicis senseril J.L, Vives (Rennea, 1898).

Paul Lejay.

Viviers, Diocese of (Vivarium), includes the Department of Ardeche, France. It was suppressed by the Concordat of 1802, and united to the See of Mende. Re-established in 1822, the diocese then in- cluded almost all the ancient Diocese of Viviers, and some parts of the ancient Dioceses of Valence, Vienne, Le Puy, and Uzes (see NtMEs), and was suffragan of the Archdiocese of Avignon. St. Anddol, disciple of St. Polycarp, evangehzed the Vivarais under Sep- timius Severus, and was martjTed in 208. His body was buried by Ble.s.sed Tullie. The "Old Charter", drawn up in 950 by BLshop Thomas, is the most complete document we possess concern- ing the primitive Church of Viviers. It mentions five bishops, who hved at Alba Augusta (Aps):


Saints Januarius, Septimus, Maspicianus, Melanius, and Avolus. The last was a victim of the invasion of the barbarian Chrocus (the exact date of which is unknown). In consequence of the ravages suffered by Alba Augusta, the new bishop, St. Auxonius, transferred the see to Viviers about 430. Promotus was probably the first Bishop of Viviers; the docu- ment al-so mentions later several canonized bishops: Saints Lucian and Valerius (fifth and sixth centiu-ies) ; St. Venantius, disciple of St. .\vitus, who was present at the councils held in 517 and 535; St. Melanius II (six-th century); St. Eucherius, St. P'irminus, St. Aulus, St. Eumachius, St. Longinus (.seventh cen- tury); St. Arcontius, martjT (date unknown, perhaps later than the ninth century).

It seems that the Diocese of Viviers was disputed, for a long time, by the metropolitan Sees of Vienne and .\rles. From the eleventh century its dependence on Vienne was not contested. John II, cardinal and Bishop of Viviers (1073-95), had the abbatial church of Cruas consecrated by Urban II, and accompanied him to the Council of Clermont. .Vfterwards, it is said that Conrad III gave Lower Vivarais as an in- dependent suzerainty to Bishop William (1147). In the thirteenth century, under the reign of St. lyouis, the Bishop of Viviers was oblige<l to recognize the jurisdiction of the Seneschal of Beaucaire. Bv the treaty of 10 July, 1305, Philip IV obliged the bish- ops of Viviers to admit the .suzerainty of the kings of France over all their temporal domain. We may also mention as bishops: Peter of Mortemart (1322- 25), coun.sellor of King Charles IV, and cardinal (1.327); PetcrofS.arcC'n.as(137.3-7.5),cardin,al in (137.5); John Fraczon, Cardinal de Brogny (13S3-9S), a swineherd during his childhood, cardinal in 1.385, and later, vice-chancellor of the Roman Church; he