494 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



their jarring opinions with soothing 

 toleration, and left the world at 

 peace.' 



What was the state of that infi- 

 delity of which we hear so many 

 complaints, in the thirteenth and 

 fourteenth centuries, at the aera of 

 the Reformation? How far did those 

 go, who preceded Luther, and were 

 advocates of reformation, yet were 

 deemed sound members of the 

 church ? We are of opinion that the 

 investigation of these points might 

 throw some new light on this great 

 event, often and ably as it has been 

 treated ; and certainly by no one 

 better than by the incomparable 

 Sleidan. Mr. Planta agrees with 

 those who have preceded him, as to 

 the causes which brought about this 

 singular revolution in human af- 

 fairs ; the chief of which were, the 

 oppressions exercised by the Romish 

 hierarchy, the wealth and power 

 which it had amassed, the claims 

 which it arrogated, and the igno- 

 rance and bad lives of its clergy.—^ 

 A specimen of the ignorance of that 

 body will be found in the following 

 passage : 



' The generality of the priest- 

 hood did not scruple to acknowledge 

 their deficiency in the most elemen- 

 tary parts of learning. The canons 

 of the collegiate church of Zuric 

 having to notify an election to the 

 bishop of Constance, confessed that 

 they transmitted it in the hand- 

 writing of their notary, because se- 

 veral of them could not write. In 

 the examinations for holy orders, it 

 was deemed amply sufficient that 

 the candidate could read, and tole- 

 rably comprehend what he read : 

 even after the Reformation had 

 made some progress, the people 

 firmly believed, and the priests con- 



firmed them in the persuasion, that 

 the bells travelled every passion 

 week to Rome to receive fresh bap- 

 tism ; and that the exorcisms of 

 priests could effectually dispel 

 swarms of locusts, and all manner 

 of insects. When, at an assembly 

 of the clergy in the Valais, mention 

 was made of the Bible, only one of 

 the priests had ever heard of such 

 a book : and several, on other oc- 

 casions, did not scruple to declare, 

 that it would be an advantage to 

 religion if no gospel were extant ; 

 and that the study of the Greek and 

 Hebrew languages greatly savoured 

 of heresy.' 



Of the state of morals, the fol- 

 lowing extract will give an idea : 



' All men must feel a painful 

 conviction when they learn, from 

 the charges that were brought by 

 the citizens of Lausanne against 

 their clergy, that the priests used 

 often, even in the churches, and in 

 the midst of divine service, to strike 

 the persons to whom they bore ill 

 will, some of whom had actually 

 died of their wounds: that they 

 walked the streets at night dis- 

 guised in military dresses, brandish- 

 ing naked swords, and insulting the 

 peaceful inhabitants : and that the 

 frequent rapes, ^'iolences, and in- 

 sults they committed were never 

 punished oi even restrained. The 

 following are the w^ords of the eigh- 

 teenth article : *' We have also to 

 complain of the canons, that they 

 reduce the profits of our town bro- 

 thel, several of them carrying on the 

 traffic of prostitution in their own 

 houses, which they throw open 

 to new comers of all descriptions." 

 It is no small corroboration of the 

 merited clamours raised against 

 the clergy, that their own zealous 



