Page:Imperialdictiona03eadi Brandeis Vol3b.pdf/214

SER SERVETUS or SERVEDE,, was born in 1509 at Villa Nuova in Arragon; hence he took the cognomen of Villanovanus, his other name, Reves, being a family one, or perhaps only the transposition of the first two syllables of his surname. His father, who wished his son to follow his own profession as a lawyer, sent him to study at Toulouse; but the youth gave his mind wholly to literature and theology. On his return to Spain he obtained the patronage of Quintana, the imperial confessor, and then accompanied him back into Italy and Germany. He seems to have taken up his residence at Basle in 1530; and amidst theological conferences with Œcolampadius, he began to manifest a tendency toward speculation, which, though ingenious and subtle, usually opposed itself to current beliefs. In 1531 appeared at Hagenau his earliest production, "De Trinitatis Erroribus," lib. vii. The book, which seems to have caricatured the doctrine, was suppressed by the emperor's mandate; and the author next year published some dialogues in apology, but without any retractation. In 1533 Servetus went to France, and studied medicine at Paris, writing a book, "Ratio Syruporum," and quarreling with the physicians of the capital. In self-defence he wrote an "Apologia," which was suppressed by order of parliament. Then he left that city, and remained two years as a corrector of the press at Lyons, and edited Ptolemy's Geography. At Lyons he devoted himself also to the study of medicine, and coming back to Paris in 1537, he took the degree both of A.M. and M.D. The Sorbonne began to stir against him, especially as he taught astrology as well as mathematics, and he prudently withdrew to Vienne, where he published an edition of the Latin Bible with notes, and where for several years he engaged in the practice of medicine. His next book, "Christianismi Restitutio," which was the fruit of some years' study, appeared anonymously at Vienne in 1553. It made a great sensation, and suspicion soon falling on Servetus through one of his correspondents, De Trie, he was imprisoned by the inquisition. During the process against him he contrived to escape, and fled to Geneva, hoping to find an opportunity of getting to Naples. After his flight he was condemned in June, 1553, as an outlaw, and his person being safe from the flames to which he was doomed, he was burned in effigy. He was discovered in Geneva, on the eve for his departure to Zurich, and at Calvin's suggestion he was apprehended on the 13th of August, 1553. His formal accuser was a Frenchman, Nicholas de la Fontaine, Calvin's secretary; but Calvin framed the thirty-eight articles of charge, and attended himself the second hearing of the case. When the council of Geneva sent information to Vienne that they had Servetus in custody, that council demanded him back to face his original accusers. But the prisoner knowing the fate awaiting him, begged hard to be kept and tried at Geneva; and the protestant syndics of Geneva, standing upon their prerogative, retained him. The prosecution was conducted by the attorney-general on a general charge of treason, to which Servetus replied at length, striving to show that he could not be branded as a disturber of society. Calvin and he, after a lengthy correspondence, were at length confronted, and the epithets each applied to the other were not very nice. As Calvin had broken with the libertine party in the council, Servetus hoped to gain by the quarrel, and insolently craved that an indictment should be served on the reformer. The Swiss churches were consulted on the issue, and they were unanimous in condemning Servetus, though they disagreed as to the amount of punishment to be inflicted on him. The influence of Calvin was on the wane toward the end of the investigation: but on the 26th of October the unhappy Servetus was condemned to be burned on the following day. Calvin, though he had no qualms as to inflicting capital punishment for such heresy, and hoped that such would be the sentence passed on the poor Spaniard, requested a more lenient form of it, but his request was not complied with. Farel attended Servetus, but seems to have made no impression on him. The sad sentence as pronounced was carried into effect on the 27th of October, at a place called Champel, two miles from the city. The sufferer as the flames devoured him cried out repeatedly, "Jesus, thou Son of the eternal God, have mercy on me." The death of Servetus, from the scene of it and the connection of Calvin with it, has acquired a polemical celebrity. Had he been tried at Vienne, most probably he would have been put to death, and little would have been heard of the deed. The original documents of the trials were first brought to light in 1842; and they show that in Geneva the magistrates claimed the power of punishing heresy with death, and needed not to be stirred up to the act by any pressure from their theologians. Assaults on Calvin and the Genevan ministers are not among the charges that preface the sentence of death, though Servetus had not spared them, calling Calvin a "Simon Magus," a "liar," a "murderer." Nations had not then learned that man is responsible only to God for his belief; and Calvin had not risen in enlightenment above his compeers. Nay, Servetus himself held the same theory, for, in his proposed indictment against Calvin he puts the alternative, "Till the cause be decided for his death or mine." It was, however, a melancholy stain on the history of the new opinions which then stirred society and sprang from free investigation, that they who held and advocated them should refuse to others what they so sternly claimed for themselves. The courage and consistency of Servetus do not stand so high as his intellectual endowments; statements amounting to virtual equivocation were made by him during his trial both at Vienne and Geneva. A passage in the "Restitutio," of which only three copies are said to be extant, seems to anticipate Harvey's discovery of the circulation of the blood.—(Rilliet, Relation du  procès intente contré Servet, 1844; Calvin's Letters.)—J. E.  SERVIN,, was descended from a good family in Vendomois; in his youth cultivated literature with success; and having completed his legal studies, was called in 1589 to the post of advocate general to the parliament of Paris. While in that capacity, he distinguished himself as a defender of the liberties of the Gallican church. His pleadings in favour of that body drew down on him the censure of the Sorbonne, and called forth a virulent reply from the jesuits. In 1590 he published a work entitled "Vindiciæ secundum Libertatem Ecclesiæ Gallicanæ, et Defensio Regii Status Gallo-Francorum sub Henrico IV., rege," in defence of Henry IV.; and in 1598, having been joined in a commission for reforming the university of Paris, he delivered a remonstrance on the subject, which was subsequently printed. His voice was again raised in support of the constitution in 1620, when, on the occasion of Louis XIII. requiring to register certain edicts, he maintained the rights of the parliament, and remonstrated in writing against the proceedings of royalty. While protesting against a similar stretch of the prerogative in 1626, he suddenly fell and expired at the king's feet.—W. J. P.  SERVIUS,, the celebrated grammarian, flourished about the commencement of the fifth century after Christ. He was the intimate friend of the learned Macrobius, by whom he is introduced as a speaker in the "Saturnalia." His principal work is the elaborate and most valuable commentary on Virgil, which has been often edited. Servius was the author of several grammatical works of minor value, some of which are now extant. The best recension of the commentary on Virgil will be found in the edition by Burmann, Leyden, 1746.—G.  SERVIUS TULLIUS, the sixth king of Rome, belongs to the mythical period of legend, and the facts of his life as commonly given cannot be relied on. According to the ancient story he was the son of a female slave, who belonged to the household of Tarquinius Prisons, the fifth king of Rome. Moved by auguries and omens, Tarquinius adopted him as his son, and on the king's death Servius succeeded to the throne. His long reign of forty-four years was passed in peace, like that of Numa. The chief events of it were (1), The organization of a new constitution, for the full account of which we must refer to Niebuhr. Its general tendency was to raise the condition of the plebs, and to protect them against the patricians. (2) The completion of the great wall round the city, including all the seven hills, with the exception of the Aventine, which was left open in order that the natives of other cities might not be hindered from offering sacrifice there. (3) The Latin league, an alliance or federation formed upon equal terms between Rome and the principal towns of Latium. The reign of the old king ended in a lamentable manner. His cruel and ambitious daughter, Tullia, conspired with his son-in-law, Tarquinius Superbus, to destroy her father. Servius was murdered by the retainers of Tarquinius, who succeeded him as seventh and last king of Rome. Servius Tullius was certainly of foreign origin; but the ancient authorities were not agreed whether he was a Latin or an Etruscan, nor are modern writers a whit more unanimous on the subject. It is certain that his constitution was highly advantageous to the lower orders, and he was long after revered by the people as one of their greatest benefactors.—G.  SESOSTRIS, the name given by the Greeks to the king of Egypt, whom Manetho and the monuments term or 