Search -
Renaissance in Italy : the Catholic Reaction
Renaissance in Italy the Catholic Reaction Author:John Addington Symonds Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER X FEA PAOLO SAKPI Sarpi's Position in the History of Venice -Parents and Boyhood — Entrance into the Order of the Servites—His Personal Qualities —... more » Achievements as a Scholar and Man of Science—His Life among the Servites—In Bad Odour at Rome—Paul V. places Venice under Interdict—Sarpi elected Theologian and Counsellor of the Republic —His Polemical Writings—Views on Church and State—The Interdict Removed—Roman Vengeance- Sarpi attacked by Brain—His Wounds, Illness, Recovery—Subsequent History of the Assassins— Further Attempts on Sarpi's Life —Sarpi's Political and Historical Works —History of the Council of Trent —Sarpi's Attitude towards Protestantism—His Judgment of the Jesuits—Sarpi's Death—The Christian Stoic. Fea Paolo was the son of Francesco Sarpi and Isabella Morelli, Venetians of the humbler middle clasj. He was born in 1552, christened Pietro, and nicknamed Pierino because of his diminutive stature. On entering the Order of the Servites he adopted the religious name of Paolo, which he subsequently rendered famous throughout Europe. Since he died in 1623, Sarpi's life coincided with a period of supreme interest and manifold vicissitudes in the decline of Venice. After the battle of Lepanto in 1571, he saw the nobles of S. Mark welcome their victorious admiral Sebastiano Veniero, and confer on him the honours of the Dogeship. In 1606, he aided the Republic to withstand the thunders of the Vatican and defy the excommunication of a Pope. Eight years later he attended at those councils of state which unmasked the conspiracy, known as Bedmar's, to destroy Venice. In his REVIEW OF SARPI'S LIFE 85 early manhood Cyprus had been wrested from the hands of S. Mark; and inasmuch as the Venetians alone sustained the cause of Christian civilisation against Turk ...« less