2'>d S. No 85., Aug. 16. '57.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



121 



LONDON, SATUBDAY, AUGUST 19,1857. 



NOTES OF SIB EOGER TWVSDEN ON THE HISTORY 

 OF THE COUNCIL OF TRENT. 



In Sir Roger Twysden's MS. journal of the 

 persecutions to which he was subjected by the 

 parliament, he states that one of the principal 

 crimes laid to his charge was his "holding corre- 

 spondency by letters intercepted both to Priests 

 in my owne County, and strangers abroad of ill 

 consequence." He proves how frivolous the charge 

 was, by telling us that he had been for many years 

 anxiously endeavouring to obtain a genuine history 

 of the Council of Trent ; and for this purpose had 

 entered into a correspondence with Fulgentio, the 

 friend, disciple, and ultimately the biographer of 

 Sarpi, to whom he had obtained an introduction 

 through their mutual friend the accomplished 

 Biondi. It would appear indeed, from several en- 

 tries in his Common-Place Books, that Sir Roger 

 had at one time the intention of writing a biography 

 of Father Paul. He sent his brother William to 

 Paris, Geneva, and Rome, to collect materials for 

 it, and to obtain a true elucidation of the circum- 

 stances attending the smuggling into England of 

 Sarpi's History of the Council, and to investigate 

 the truth as to certain alleged tamperings with 

 the text of that work. If acceptable to you I 

 will, from time to time, furnish you with extracts 

 from his brother's letters on these subjects j and 

 others from Sir Roger's Diaries and Common- 

 place Books, illustrative of these proceedings. 



With reference to the frivolous charges of the 

 parliament, Sir Roger says : — 



" As soone as I came sensible of the differences 

 in religion, I did conceive many poynts in dispute 

 w* the Church of Rome, backt by no auntient 

 Councell, and, indeede, not many of them made 

 good (as they are now held) by other then y'' late 

 assembly at Trent. I observed Manutius, in hys 

 epistle at Rome, 1564, beefore y° acts of it, bade 

 us dayly expect the History of y* Councell, yet it 

 appeared not. I found by Cardinall Perron 

 {Epist. Romce, 11 Julii, 1606, au Roy Hen. 4.) 

 the entyre acts and disputes of it, w* all the His- 

 tory and proceedings in y'' same, to bee extant at 

 Rome, but shewed hym with so great a charge of 

 secresy as S"^ Edwine Sandis (^his relation of Re- 

 ligion in the West, " Speculum Europce ") might 

 not unfitly write it, to have been guided w*'' such 

 infinite guile and craft, w*''out any sinceryty, up- 

 right dealing, or truth, as themselves will even 

 smile in the triumph of their wits, when they hear 

 it mentioned as a master stratagem, that they did 

 not, in their late Councells {Concil. Gen. Romce, 

 1608, to. 4, 1612) set more of s" causes of sum- 

 moning of it, then in y'' Papall letters indicting it, 

 not prefixing any history as of others. 



" By all which, I concluded it would trouble 

 any man at Rome, to write a true discourse how 

 things past in it, especially when, after 50 years, 

 nothing of that nature appeared thense. Ney, 

 when one did come from Italy, though apparently 

 writ by one of the Roman Communion, yet no 

 approver of the abuses in that Court, it was pro- 

 hibyfed by the Inquisition there {Decreto, 22 

 Novemhris, 1619) ; although it appeared to me 

 writ with so great moderation, learning, and wis- 

 dome, as it might deserve a place amongst the 

 most exactest peeces of ecelesiastick story any age 

 hath produced. 



" But, it beeing given out, an History of y' 

 Councell was in hand at Rome (Lit. dat. Romce, 

 26 November, 1633), composed by one Terentio 

 Alicati, a Jesuite, though it seemes he hath not 

 hitherto finisht y'' worke ; I writ to a friend of 

 myne, then in travel, to get it me as soone as it 

 came out; and, in my letter, spake somewhat of 

 y^ Geneva edition of that allready printed, w'^*' I 

 took not so well done as y*^ English, and gave 

 some reasons of my opinion. 



" I know not by what fate that I thus writ to a 

 private friend came after it to Padre Fulgentio's 

 eare or eye ; and I, having recovered from beyond 

 seas y® life of Padre Paolo MSS., many years 

 beefore it was printed ; and by it, finding y* 

 learned man to have writ divers peeces not scene 

 publiquely, I did (by a noble friend of myne, S"" 

 Francis Biondi) some tymes write to Padre Ful- 

 gentio. The subject was, eyther an Inquisition of 

 some particular I was not so wel satisfyed w*** in 

 y'= History of that Councell, or else, what means I 

 might use to get those other peeces of Padre 

 Paolo's. To the first, I doe not remember what 

 answer he returned ; to y® second, w'"* was y® most 

 considerable, this of the 21 April, 1638, ' Daver 

 alcune cose, 8fc.,' that he had some things, w'^^ bee/ore 

 hys death, he would place in y^ hands of some who 

 might render them useful; bid, not trusting any 

 Italian, he must have a stranger for y^ scribe ; yet 

 one of supreame fydelyty, exquisite knowledge in 

 y'^ Italian toung ; w*hmt w*^^ conditions he would 

 admit of none to undertake it. 



" Upon this, I writ to a friend of myne in Italy, 

 to treat W*** hym ; and if hee would part with 

 these peeces, I would eyther give hym mony for 

 y" originalls, upon his assurance of their beeing 

 Padre Paolo's, or find means to have them tran- 

 scribed. Upon w'^*' he writ unto me in effect, the 

 15*'' October, 1638, that, having treated with 

 Padre Fulgentio, he did not perceive I was likely 

 to have eyther copy or originall ; hys propositions 

 carrying allmost impossiDilities of beeing per- 

 formed ; w*^** he attributed to y" many eies were 

 over hys actions ; that some others beefore me had 

 treated for y"^ same, yet w**^ no better successe. 



" I had likewise correspondence w* some 

 French, as w* Mon" de Cordes, &c. &c." 



