SKETCH OF MICHAEL SERVETUS. 103 



full of malice, entitled the said book, though crammed with heresies, against 

 the holy evangelical doctrine, ' Christianismi Restitutio ' ' The Restoration of 

 Christianity ' the better to deceive and seduce poor, ignorant folks, poisoning 

 them all the while they fancied they were sitting in the shadow of sound doc- 

 trine. Item. With attacking our faith by letters as well as by his book, and 

 saying to one of the ministers of this city that our holy evangelical doctrine 

 is a religion without faith, and, indeed, without God, we having a Cerberus 

 with three heads for our God. Item. For having perfidiously broken and escaped 

 from the prison of Vienne, where he had been confined because of the wicked 

 and abominable opinions confessed in his book. Item. For continuing obstinate 

 in his opinions, not only against the true Christian religion, but as an arrogant 

 innovator and inventor of heresies against popery, which led to his being burned 

 in effigy at Vienne, along with five bales of his books. Item. And in addition 

 to all of which, being confined in the jail of this city, he has not ceased mali- 

 ciously to persist in the aforesaid wicked and detestable errors, attempting to 

 maintain them, with calumnious abuse of all true Christians, faithful followers 

 of the immaculate Christian religion, calling them tritheists, atheists, and sor- 

 cerers, in spite of the remonstrances made to him in Germany, as said, and in 

 contempt of the reprehensions and corrections he has received, and the im- 

 prisonment he has undergone as well here as elsewhere. 



" Now we, the syndics and judges in criminal cases within this city, having 

 reviewed the process carried on before us, at the instance of our lieutenant 

 having charge of such cases, against thee, Michael Servetus, of Villanova, in 

 the kingdom of Aragon, in Spain, whereby guided, and by the voluntary con- 

 fessions made before us, many times repeated, as well as by thy books pro- 

 duced before us, we decree and determine that thou, Michael Servetus, hast, 

 for a long time, promulgated false and heretical doctrine, and, rejecting all 

 remonstrance and correction, hast maliciously, perversely, and obstinately, con- 

 tinued disseminating and divulging, even by the printing of books, blasphemies 

 against God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, in a word, against the 

 whole foundations of the Christian religion, thereby seeking to create schism 

 and trouble in the Church of God, many souls, members of which, may have 

 been ruined and lost horrible and dreadful thing, scandalous and contaminating 

 in thee, thou, having no shame nor horror in setting thyself up in all against 

 the Divine Majesty and the Holy Trinity, and having further taken pains to 

 infect, and given thyself up obstinately to continue infecting, the world with 

 thy heresies and stinking heretical poison case and crime of heresy grievous 

 and detestable, deserving of severe corporal punishment. 



" These and other just causes moving us, desiring to purge the Church of 

 God of such infection, and to cut off from it so rotten a member, we, sitting 

 as a judicial tribunal in the seat of our ancestors, with the entire assent of 

 the General Council of the state, and our fellow-citizens, calling on the name 

 of God to deliver true judgment, having the Holy Scriptures before us, and 

 saying, In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we now pronounce 

 our final sentence, and condemn thee, Michael Servetus, to be bound and taken 

 to Champel, and there bound to a stake, to be burned alive, along with thy 

 books, printed as well as written by thy hand, until thy body be reduced to 

 ashes. So shall thy days end, and thou be made an example to others who 

 would do as thou hast done. And we command you, our lieutenant, to see 

 this our sentence carried forthwith into execution." 



The staff, according to custom, was then broken over the prisoner, 



