336 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



must be found. It was seen even by the most devoted theologians 

 that mere denunciations and use of theological arguments or 

 scriptural texts against the scientific idea were futile. 



To this feeling it was due that, even in the first years of the 

 century, the Jesuit casuists had come to the rescue. With ex- 

 quisite subtlety some of their acutest intellects devoted them- 

 seves to explaining away the utterances on this subject of 

 saints, fathers, doctors, popes, and councils. These explanations 

 were wonderfully ingenious, but many of the older churchmen 

 continued to insist upon the orthodox view, and at last the Pope 

 himself intervened. Fortunately for the world, the seat of St. 

 Peter was then occupied by Benedict XIV, certainly one of the 

 most gifted, morally and intellectually, in the whole line of Ro- 

 man pontiffs : tolerant and sympathetic for the oppressed, he saw 

 the necessity of taking up the question, and he grappled with it 

 effectually. While severe against exorbitant usury, he rendered 

 to Catholicism a service like that which Calvin had rendered to 

 Protestantism, by quietly but vigorously cutting a way through 

 the theological barrier. In 1745 he issued his encyclical, Vix 

 pervenit, which declared that the doctrine of the Church re- 

 mained consistent with itself ; that usury is indeed a sin, and 

 that it consists in demanding any amount heyond the exact amount 

 lent, but that there are occasions when on special grounds the 

 lender may obtain such additional sum. 



What these " occasions " and " special grounds " might be, was 

 left very vague ; but this action was sufficient. 



At the same time no new restrictions upon books advocating 

 the taking of interest for money were imposed, and the Pope 

 openly accepted the dedication of one of them. 



Like the casuistry of Boscovich in using the Copernican theory 

 for " convenience in argument," while acquiescing in its condem- 

 nation by the Church authorities, this encyclical of Pope Benedict 

 broke the spell. Turgot, Quesnay, Adam Smith, Hume, Bentham, 

 and their disciples pressed on, and science won for mankind an- 

 other great victory.* 



* For Quesnay, see his Observations sur I'lnt^rfit de I'Argent, in his OEuvres, Frankfort 

 and Paris, 1888, pp. 399 ef .teq. For Turgot, see the Collection des ficonomistes, Paris^ 

 1844, vols, iii and iv; also, Blanqui, Histoire de I'^conomie Politique, English translation, 

 p. 373. For an excellent though brief summary of the efforts of the Jesuits to explain away 

 the old action of the Church, see Lecky, vol. ii, pp. 256, 257. For the action of Benedict 

 XrV, see Reusch, Der Index der Verbotener Biicher, Bonn, 1885, vol. ii, pp. 847, 848. For 

 a comical picture of the " quagmire " into which the hierarchy brought itself in the squar- 

 ing of its practice with its theory, see Dollinger as above, pp. 227, 228. For cunningly 

 vague statements of the action of Benedict XIV, see Mastrofini, Sur I'Usure, French 

 translation, Lyons, 1834, pp. 125 and 255. The abb6, as will be seen, has not the slightest 

 hesitation in telling an untruth, in order to preserve the consistency of papal action m the 

 matter of usury ; e. g., pp. 93, 94, 96, and elsewhere. 



