Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 5.djvu/613

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ESPEJO


541


ESPEN


la Guadeloupe, etc. (Paris, 1654), 4, 45-46; Moreau de S.unt- Mery, Lois et constitutions des colonies francaises, I, 18, 29, 33, 36, 51; Margrt, Belain d'Esnambuc et les Normands auz An- tilles (1863); Idem, Les Seigneurs de la Martinique in Reinte mar. et colon. (Paris, 1878); Breard, Documents relatifs a la marine Normande (Rouen, 1SS9), 147, 179. 181, 190.

J. Edmond Roy,

Espejo, Antonio, a Spanish explorer, whose fame rests upon a notable expedition which he conducted into New Mexico and Arizona in 1582-.3. According to his own statement, he was b. in Cordova, but the dates both of his b. and d. are unknown. Following the reports brought to Mexico from the north by Cabeza de Vaca and the Franciscan monk, Marcos de Nizza, a powerful expedition had been fitted out under the governor, C'oronado, in 1540, which after passing through the territories of the Pueblo tribes of the Rio Grande, had penetrated as far a.s the province of Quivira, probably the country of the Wichita Indians on the Middle Arkansas, returning m the summer of 1542. Two Franciscan volunteers, Father Juan de Padilla and a lay brother, Luis, remained behind, of whom the first was afterwards murdered by the tribe — the first missionary martyr of the United States — while of the fate of the other nothing was ever known. Forty years later three other Franciscans undertook to establish missions among the Tigua, about the present Bernalillo, New Mexico. Soon rumours of their death at the hands of the Indians came back to Mexico, and finding the authorities dilatory in the matter, Espejo, a wealthy mining proprietor, offered to equip and lead a search expedition at his own ex- pense. The offer was accepted and, being regularly commissioned, with only fourteen soldiers, a number of Christian Indians, and a cavalcade of horses and mules, he left San Bartolome, Chihuahua, for the north on 10 Nov., 1582. From the junction of the Concho with the Rio Grande he ascended the latter stream, through populous tribes, to the pueblo of Puara, where he learned definitely of the murder of the three missionaries. Fearing punishment, the Indians had deserted their pueblo, and fled to the mountains.

Having accomplished his first purpose, Espejo de- termined to explore the unknown country beyond. After visiting several of the neighbouring pueblos he crossed over to the Zuni, near the present Arizona line, where he found three Christian Indians of Coronado's earlier expeilition. Here several of the party decided to return, and with only nine soldiers and a party of Indians he pushed on to the Hopi (Moqui) villages in northern Arizona, where he met a friendly reception and was given guides to a mountusn country farther on — apparently some fifty miles northward from the site of Prescott — where he procured some rich speci- mens of silver ore. Returning to the Rio Gramle, he visited several other pueblos farther up the river and then went over to the Pecos, noting other mines l)y the way. In consequence of the threatening attitude of the Tanos tribe he finally decided to return to Mexico, arriving at his starting-point in September, 1583, having accomplished, without bloodshed and with a handful of men, a.s great results as had been obtained by Coronado with a whole army and at the cost of an exterminating warfare upon the Indians. He soon afterwards submitted a report, with a map of the regions explored, but his later proposition to or- ganize a colonizing expedition was defeated by the jealousy of the viceroy.

E8PK.10. Relacinn del viage, efc. in Pachkco, Colecciiin de Documntos inrdilos (Madrid. 1864-1881), XV; also a variant version, Spmiisli and English, in II\khivt. Voi/ofjrs (London. 16(X)). Ill: SilKV, Thi- Catholic Churrh in fnlonial Days (New York, 1S.S6I; 11. II. HANrnofT, llislorii of .\r,zomi and New Mexico (.San Francisco, 1889), XVI 1 of .■.>inpldp works.

James Mooney.

Espen, Zegbr Bbrnhard Van, also called EsrE- Nius, a Belgi.in canonist, b. at Louvain, 9 July, 1640;


d. at Amersfoort, Netherlands, 2 Oct., 1728. He completed his higher studies at Louvain, became priest in 167.3, and doctor of civil and canon law in 1675. He soon began to teach canon law at the University of Louvain where he was obliged to lecture only for six weeks during the simiraer vacation ; the professor might explain one or other important chapter of the decretals, at his choice. He never accepted any other chair at the university, and he resigned even this position in order to devote him- self entirely to study. He was consulted by all classes on account of his profound learning in canon law, and his famous work, "Jus canonicum univer- sum", although it raised numerous just criticisms, still remains remarkable. The author is accused, not without reason, of having borrowed considerably from the works of his pretlecessors, notably from Thomas- sin, yet it must be recognized that Van Espen pos- sessed the art of setting forth in a lucid and intelligible way the discipline of the ancient Church ; he also cast light upon questions which up to his time had been very obscure. His clear and concise style gives to his work a value which the labours of his predecessors do not possess. He collected the most recent legislative decisions of the Church and discussed them with judgment, except where party spirit blinded him. He had also the incontestable merit of showing with pre- cision the special law of Belgium. Benedict XIV rec- ognized his authority in this matter. On the other hand he was a strenuous defender of the Galilean theories. He misconstrued the right of religious authority and exaggerated beyond measure the right of the civil power. It may be added, however, that he exalted and combated in turn all power, even the ci\dl power. He exalted the power of the bishops in order to lessen that of the religious orders, and the rights of an ex- tinct chapter in order to combat the powers of the pope. He gained for himself unpleasant notoriety in the Jansenist conflicts, by denying the importance of the famous distinction between right and fact with regard to the doctrine of Jansen; he declared that it was of little consequence to admit that Jansen had taught the propositions condemned by the Bull "Unigenitus" (1713) provided the doctrine itself was rejected.

The Jansenist quarrels led to Van Espen's ruin. On being consulted by the Jansenists of Holland with re- gard to the ordination of the Jansenist Bishop of Utrecht, Cornelius Steenoven, he pronounced in favour of this ordination, which had been performed without the authorization of the Holy See. An un- successful attempt has been made to justify Van Es- pen's conduct in this matter, on the ground that he merely declared that episcopal ordination performed by a single bishop was valid. This was not the whole question, nor was it indeed the principal question, viz. to determine whether an episcopal orduiation, performed without the pope's consent, was admissi- ble. His action in this matter and his Jansenist doc- trines brought about his suspension a divinis by the Bishop of Mechlin. The latter summoned him to make a declaration of orthodox faith. At the order of the civil power, the University of Louvain con- demned and deprived (1728) Van Espen of his uni- versity fimctions. In the meantime he fled, and took refuge first at Maastricht, and afterwards at Amers- foort, where he found protection in the Jansenist community, and where he died. The August inian D<;sirant, profes.sor at the University of Louvain, is accused of having fabricated false documents in the controversy with Van Espen. Tliis struggle is known as the "Forgery of Louvain". Dcsirant was con- demned by the academical a\ithoritios and banished forever fniin his n:itive country. The l)est edition of the wiirks of \';in I'lsiicn, all of which are on the Index, is that pulilishcil in four volumes at Louvain, 17.53. A fifth volume, "Supplemcntum ad varias coUec-