Page:History of Freedom.djvu/261

Rh carnal and unchristian king, the Vaudois of Provence were exterminated in the year 1545, and Paul Sadolet wrote as follows to Cardinal Farnese just before and just after the event: "Aggionta hora questa instantia del predetto paese di Provenza a quella che da Mons. Nuntio s'era fatta a Sua Maestà Christianissima a nome di Sua Beatitudine et di Vostra Reverendissima Signoria, siamo in ferma speranza, che vi si debbia pigliare qualche bono expediente et farci qualche gagliarda provisione.—È seguito, in questo passe, quel tanto desiderato et tanto necessario effetto circa Ie cose di Cabrieres, che da vostra Signoria Reverendissima è stato si lungamente ricordato et sollicitato et procurato." Even Melanchthon was provoked by the death of Cromwell to exclaim that there is no better deed than the slaughter of a tyrant; "Utinam Deus alicui forti viro hanc mentem inserat!" And in 1575 the Swedish bishops decided that it would be a good work to poison their king in a basin of soup-an idea particularly repugnant to the author of De Rege et Regis Institutione. Among Mariana's papers I have seen the letter from Paris describing the murder of Henry 111., which he turned to such account in the memorable sixth chapter: "Communicò con sus superiores, si peccaria mortal mente un sacerdote que matase a un tirano. Ellos Ie diceron que non era pecado, mas que quedaria irregular. Y no contentandose con esto, ni con las disputas que avia de ordinario en la Sorbona sobre Ia materia, continuando siempre sus oraciones, 10 preguntò a otros theologos, que Ie afirmavan 10 mismo; y con esto se resoIviò enteramente de executarlo. Por el successo es de collegir que tuvo el fraile alguna revelacion de Nuestro Señor en particular, y inspiracion para executar el caso." according to Maffei, the Pope's biographer, the priests were not content with saying that killing was no sin: "Cum illi posse, nee sine magno quidem merito censuissent." Regicide was so acceptable a work that it seemed fitly assigned to a divine interposition.

When, on the 21 st of January 1591, a youth offered his services to make away with Henry IV., the Nuncio