J. H. Merle D'Aubigné - History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin (Vol. 1-8)

621'Videres in ædibus illis perpetuo accedentes et discedentes atque exeuntes aliquos.'—Camerarius, Vita Melanchthonis , p. 40.

622'Quanta dissipatio reipublicæ et ecclesiæ.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 740.

623'In plerisque dicebat regem esse non alienum a libro Philippi quo locos ille tractat communes .'—Gerdesius, Hist. Evang. renov. iv. p. 114.

624'Regem Gallorum apud pontificem de pace et mitigatione tantarum rerum acturum esse.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 976.

625'Si monarchæ aliqui efficerent ut aliqui boni et docti viri amanter et libere inter se colloquerentur.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 740.

626'Et interdum præter rem tumultuantur.'—Ibid.

627'Usitatam ecclesiæ formam conservare, quantum possibile est.—Ibid.

628'Ut Celsitudo tua, propter Christi gloriam, hortetur summos monarchas.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 740.

629'Sed nihil opus est, te currentem , ut dici solet, adhortari.'—Ibid.

630'Assentior tibi, mi Bucere, desperandam esse concordiam cum pontifice romano.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 275.

631'Dass die obere Gewalt eine heilige sey.'—Schmidt, Zeitschrift für Hist. Theol.

632'Consentientibus symmistis meis.'—Consilium Buceri, Strasburg MSS.

633 Hist. of the Ref. of the Sixteenth Century , vol. ii. bk. viii. ch. viii.

634Melanchthon's memoir will be found in the Corpus Reformatorum , published by Dr. Bretschneider, ii. pp. 743-766. I am indebted to Professor Schmidt for a copy of Bucer's memoir, which is in the Strasburg library. The volume containing Hedio's memoir has disappeared from the archives; we have, however, found a few extracts.

635'Concordia esse non potest nisi inter eos qui sunt de ecclesia.'—Consilium Buceri MS.

636'Pontifex et summi reges agnoscant ecclesiæ morbos.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 743.

637'Nisi inter eos qui Christo vere credunt.'—Consilium Buceri.

638'Nec etiam ut nulla omnino labes tolleretur.'—Ibid.

639'Creari tales oporteret.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 746.

640'Locum de justificatione, ut a nostris tractatur, probare regem .'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 1017.

641'Viva vivorum membrorum Christi communione.'—Buceri Consilium MS.

642'Hic unus nodus de missa videtur inexplicabilis esse.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 781.

643'Orationes et legendas multas ineptas et impias abrogandas aut saltem emendandas.'—Ibid. p. 1015.

644'Veram Christi in cœna præsentiam exprimi.'—Buceri Cons.

645'Plurimi in manifesta turpitudine vivunt.'— Corp. Ref. ii. p. 764.

646Schmidt, Zeitschrift für Hist. Theolog. 1850, p. 35.

647'Ut Christus ecclesiam suam ... redigat in concordiam piam et perpetuam.'— Corp. Ref.

648'Hos articulos Francisco regi non displicuisse multa sunt quæ suadent.'—Gerdesius, Hist. Evang. renov. iv. p. 124.

Table of Contents

=THE PROVOST'S WIFE.=

CALVIN, as it will be remembered, had studied and evangelised at Orleans, and his teaching had left deep traces, particularly among the students and with certain ladies of quality. The wife of the city provost seems to have been one of the souls converted by the ministry of the young reformer. The narrative he has devoted to her, the full details into which he enters, show the interest he took in her conversion. 649This woman, who occupied a distinguished rank in the city, had found peace for her soul in faith in Christ; she had believed in the promises of the Word which Calvin had explained; she had felt keenly the nothingness of Roman pomps and superstitions; the grace of God was sufficient for her; and caring little for outward adorning , she strove after that which is not corruptible , the ornament of the women who trusted in God . 'She is a Lutheran,' said some; 'she belongs to those who have listened to the teaching of Luther's disciples.' Her husband the provost, a person of influence, a great landowner, an esteemed magistrate, a man of upright, prompt, and energetic character, was touched by the purity of his wife's conduct, and, without being converted to the Gospel, had become disgusted with the Roman superstitions, and despised the monks.

The provostess (to adopt the language of the manuscripts) fell ill, sent for a lawyer, and dictated her will to him. Lying on a bed of sickness, which she was never to leave again, full of a living faith in Christ, she felt certain of going to her Saviour, and experienced an insurmountable repugnance to the performance over her grave of any of the superstitious ceremonies for which devout women have ordinarily such a strong liking. Accordingly, while the notary, pen in hand, was waiting the dictation of her last will, she said: 'I forbid all bell-ringing and chanting at my funeral, and no monks or priests shall be present with their tapers. I desire to be buried without pomp and without torches.' The lawyer was rather surprised, but he wrote down the words; and her husband, who remained near her and knew her faith, promised that her wishes should be kept sacred. When she died, the mortal remains of this pious woman were laid in the tomb of her father and grandfather, with no other accompaniment than the tears of all who had known her, and the prayers of the children of God who formed the little evangelical flock of Orleans.

=THE PROVOST AND THE MONKS.=

When the ceremony was over, the provost proceeded to the convent of the Franciscans, in whose cemetery the burial had taken place. He was a liberal man, and, though despising the monks, did not wish to do them wrong, even in appearance. The friars, already much irritated, did not understand what the magistrate wanted with them, and received him very coldly. 'As you were not called upon to do duty,' he told them, 'here are six gold crowns by way of compensation.' The monks, who had reckoned on the death of this lady as a great windfall, were by no means satisfied with the six gold pieces; and, even while taking them, looked sulkily at the widower, and swore to be revenged.

Not long after this, the provost having determined upon cutting down a wood he possessed near Orleans, was giving directions to his workmen, when two monks, following the narrow lanes running through the forest, arrived at the spot where the owner and the woodmen were at work, boldly addressed the former, and demanded in the name of the convent permission to send their waggon once a day during the felling to lay up their store. 'What!' answered the provost, whom the avarice of the monks had always disgusted, 'a waggon a day! Send thirty, my reverend fathers, but (of course) with ready money. All that I want, I assure you, is good speed and good money.' 650

The two cordeliers returned abashed and vexed, and carried the answer to their superiors. This was too much: two affronts one after the other! The monks consulted together; they desired to be revenged by any means; such heresies , if they were tolerated, would be the ruin of the convents. They deliberated on the best manner of giving a striking lesson to the provost and to all who might be tempted to follow the example of his wife. 'These gentlemen, to be revenged, proceeded to devise a fraud,' says Calvin. Two monks particularly distinguished themselves among the speakers: brother Coliman, provincial and exorcist of great reputation among the grey friars, and brother Stephen of Arras, 'esteemed a great preacher.' These two doctors, wishing to teach the city that monks are not to be offended with impunity, invented a 'tragedy,' which, they thought, would everywhere excite a horror of Lutheranism.

Brother Stephen undertook to begin the drama: he shut himself up in his cell and composed, in a style of the most vulgar eloquence, a sermon which he fancied would terrify everybody. The news of a homily from the great preacher circulated through the city, and when the day arrived, he went up into the pulpit and delivered before a large congregation (for the church was crammed) a 'very touching' discourse, in which he pathetically described the sufferings of the souls in purgatory.... 'You know it,' he exclaimed, 'you know it. The unhappy spirits, tormented by the fire, escape; they return after death, sometimes with great tumult, and pray that some consolation may be given them. Luther, indeed, asserts that there is no purgatory.... What horror! what abominable impiety!' 'The friar forgot nothing,' says Beza, 'to convince his audience that spirits return from purgatory.' The congregation dispersed in great excitement; and after that the least noise at night frightened the devout. The way being thus prepared, the impudent monks arranged among themselves the horrible drama which was to avenge them on the provost and his wife.