would naturally, almost necessarily, become more sensitive to the caution required in the literary productions to which he would then be understood to give a more responsible, and indeed official, sanction. But how far soever these or other circumstances might operate, it seems to be a settled conviction with those who draw their information from the fountain-head, that there never was any serious design in the ruling and real Councils of Rome, that the excited hopes of learned Christendom respecting the biblical editions in question should ever be accomplished; and in harmony therewith, that all which has been published in the journals, even Papal, of the day concerning such publication, is pure falsehood; like a great many other things which appear daily. If, after all, it should please the Sovereign of Rome to confer on his subjects, and those who are not so, the highly valuable boon of a Vatican impression of the celebrated Vatican manuscript, there can be little doubt that they will, one and all, feel abundantly grateful: but they have a right, one and all, to expect, that, for the future, no such flourishes of trumpets as Dr. Wiseman's will be sounded, unless there be some personages to appear on the stage. -The inevitable result of the whole is, how little reliance is to be placed upon the judgment or assertions of the President of Oscott College, on any subject of critical theology. Freely, however, may be conceded to the Doctor formidable powers of sentimental argumentation, equally potent to the establishment of any vice or falsehood. And no less freely is he entitled to the praise of consummate dexterity in the management of patristic erudition, whether his own or contributed, for the utmost amount of its ambiguous worth,-the "wood," as Milton has sagaciously characterized it, "in which the Papists love to fight, not with the hope of victory, but to obscure the shame of an open overthrow." But even here, the arrow shot by Palmer, though with every disadvantage of the author's himself having partially blunted it, evidently still rankles in the Doctor's sides. He must therefore be content to bless himself with the laudatory tribute of female admiration in the "Complete Catholic Directory, for 1844," p. 355, where "he stands unrivalled, 'Like a lone and lovely star, The brightest where a thousand are." Read his works; they are fountains of living waters,-mines containing exhaustless treasures," &c. CATO. * Learned, and rather proclaimed, accessions have lately been made from Oxford to Oscott, in the persons of individuals whose laudable honesty reflects tenfold infamy upon others; who, with equal cause, want the moral principle to do the same. In temporal matters such conduct would be characterized as it deserves. PROGRESS OF PROTESTANTISM IN FRANCE. (To the Editor of the Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine.) EVERY accession made to the cause of truth is interesting to the Christian public, in whatever country such events may transpire; but when any of those who have long been enthralled by a vile superstition, bearing the name of Christianity, are brought to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, the Christian church will rejoice, and give glory to Him alone who is the "author and finisher of our faith :" such events are now taking place in many parts of France. A remarkable religious movement has recently begun to appear in the very centre of the Roman Catholic population of the departments of La Haute Vienne, La Charte Inferieure, and Var. Never, perhaps, since the days of the Reformation, has anything like it been seen in this country. The following brief details are extracted from one of the journals of the capital: "The commune of Villefavard, in the department of La Haute Vienne, contains a population of six hundred souls. The whole of this population, with the Priest of the parish, and the Mayor at its head, have just joined the Protestant Church. It appears that the Prefect of the department had some time ago opposed the establishment of Protestant worship at Villefavard; but the Minister of Justice, in answer to the representations made to him on the subject, authorized the establishment of a Protestant cause in the commune; and, on the 7th of July last, divine worship according to Protestant forms was solemnly begun in that place, in the presence of the municipal authorities." Many persons from the neighbouring parishes were present on the occasion; and among them, also, a gracious revival of scriptural Christianity has commenced. The exCurate of the parish of Villefavard, whose heart is truly converted to God, encourages the people daily to persevere in the truth. A similar work begins to manifest itself in the environs of Matha, in the department of La Charte Inferieure. In twenty-five of the surrounding parishes, the people are earnestly inquiring for the " good old way" of salvation by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The distribution of the holy Scriptures without note or comment, has been one principal instrument in causing and promoting this extraordinary revival; which, we hope, is only the beginning of much more extensive good. WILLIAM TOASE, Paris, August 27th, 1844. IN corroboration of the statement made by our Parisian correspondent, we give insertion to the following communication recently published by the British and Foreign Bible Society.-EDIT. LAST Sunday, the 7th instant, the church, on which the seals had been placed by order of the Sub-Prefect, with a view to prevent the Gospel from being preached in it, was at length opened, and given up to the inhabitants, whose property it is. The labours at this time carrying on in the fields kept many from attending; but still the church itself was not only full, but there were as many as it held standing on the outside. Mention is made of one thousand two hundred persons from Villefavard and the neighbouring communes having been present. During the two hours that the service lasted, the crowd, in the church and outside, remained stationary, attentive, and deeply affected. Three Pastors officiated on the occasion. One of them, the President of a Consistory, opened the service with prayer, and the reading of a chapter from the Bible, followed by some pertinent observations, and a brief account of the religious movement manifested in Saintorge, under the sanction of the local authorities; which movement was also brought about by the labours of the Colporteurs. The second Pastor ascended the pulpit, for the purpose of reading the official documents published by the Prefect and the Mayor, in which the legality of their worship is acknowledged; and he concluded with a short and appropriate address. The third Pastor endeavoured to set forth, in his discourse, the following :-That a religion which has for its sole Head Jesus Christ, God; for its Confessor, God; and for its Saviour, God; a religion which has for its interpreter the Bible, and God the Holy Spirit for its Sanctifier; is a religion from God: while, on the other hand, that religion which has at its head a mere man, the Pope; for its Confessor, a Priest, who also is a man; for its saviour the works of man; for its sacrifice in the mass, man again, &c. ; is necessarily a religion emanating from man. From this contrast the Preacher drew the inference, that, in the religion of God, in which everything is derived from God, salvation is by free grace. The declaration of this truth met with a powerful sympathy on the part of those who heard it. At the conclusion of this Meeting, many persons from the surrounding communes, who had previously en treated the Minister recently established at Villefavard to visit them, and to converse with them on the holy Scriptures, repeated their request afresh; and there is reason to hope that the spark, which has thus fallen in the midst of the department, may soon be kindled, and burn in all directions. "In the mean time," writes the friend from whom the above account has been obtained, "we behold a commune, consisting of more than six hundred souls, passing over, with their Mayor, their Curé, (that is, their former Curé, converted to Protestantism, and become a teacher,) and their church, to the Protestant faith, or at least to the Protestant worship; and if all are not converted to the Lord, all will at least have, in future, an opportunity of hearing the word of God. Even at present, the reformation which has been effected in the commune of Villefavard manifests its influence upon those around them who are still Roman Catholics, by compelling their Clergy to be less haughty and less exacting." But I must still relate, though very briefly, two facts connected with Villefavard. Before the regular introduction of Protestant worship in the commune, two Priests went through the whole of it; but, finding their applications everywhere rejected, they at length cried out, "Unhappy men that ye are, we will call down hail from heaven upon your fields!" It really happened, that, a few days afterwards, several heavy storms of hail occurred; but though in the immediate and surrounding neighbourhood of Villefavard, they did not affect the place, which the Lord entirely spared. The Priest who, in opposition to every one, took up his post in the barn which, as already noticed, was purchased for a very large sum, The Minister.-Where was your gown before you brushed it? The Curé. In the mire. The Minister-Exactly so; and we, too, were in the mire of Roman Catholicism, under which we groaned. As the Curé boasted of his love for the Bible, the Minister thought proper to read certain passages to him out of the last Encyclical Letter of the Pope. The Priest declared, that, notwithstanding its contents, he should have no fear in distributing the holy Scriptures. "How many parishioners have you?" asked the Minister. "One thousand five hundred," was the reply. "Well, then," responded the other, "I will make you an offer of one thousand five hundred Bibles, which, I think, may be beneficially distributed in your parish." "Not by a Protestant: it would have a prejudicial effect." 'If so, I will send a Roman Catholic along with you, to accompany you in your visits to the various houses in the parish." "No, no: send the Bibles you speak of to me at once." "Certainly not; for in that case you would not scruple to burn them. But come, do you accept my offer?" "Before I do so, I must consult my Bishop." What, then, are you afraid he will not grant his sanction to the proposed distribution of the holy Scriptures? But supposing I were to give you 1,500 francs, to distribute among your parishioners, do you think the Bishop would dis"Most assuredly approve of it?" not." "Then the whole comes to this,-that both you and he think money of far more importance than the Bible!" VOL. XXIII. Third Series. OCTOBER, 1844, 3 M 826 MEMOIRS OF GREGORIO PANZANI, OF ARREZO.* GOOD service has been recently done to the Protestant community, by calling attention to a volume which had nearly been forgotten,the 'Memoirs of Gregorio Panzani;" first published in England by the Rev. Joseph Berington, a Romish Priest, in the year 1793. The coincidences in this interesting Memoir are so remarkable, that it is impossible to peruse it without continually exclaiming, with the wise. man, "That which hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done, is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun." The immediate occasion of the mission of this Romish Priest into England was, the dissensions which had arisen among the adherents of the Italian sect in England, (in 1634,) where the Jesuits, as their 66 For the following article we acknowledge ourselves to be indebted to a late Number of the "Churchman's Monthly Review and Chronicle." The reviewer, having noticed a recent publication of the Rev. William Goode, M. A., the excellent Rector of St. Antholin's, &c., entitled, "Two Treatises on the Church," recognises the great good he has done to the cause of Protestantism, by directing the attention of the public to the "Memoirs of Gregorio Panzani." They were originally written in Italian; of which, by means of one whom the Romish historian Dodd terms "an eminent Prelate, of singular candour and scrupulosity," an accurate translation was made. The late Mr. Berington, an authority of high repute in the Popish hierarchy, considers these Memoirs to be "authentic; of which no one can doubt who, from contemporary writers, has examined the minute histories of the times." The transactions with which we are acquainted coincide with the statements of Panzani. Where no extrinsic vouchers appear, there is still ample evidence of their truth; for in matters of secret negotiation, what more can be required than the attestation of a creditable witness, whom no facts or opposition of testimony contradict? A copy of the Memoirs in our library bears the following title-page:-"The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Catholic Religion in England, during a Period of two hundred and forty Years, from the Reign of Elizabeth, to the present Time: including the Memoirs of Gregorio Panzani, Envoy from Rome to the English Court in 1643, 1644, and 1645. With many interesting Particulars relative to the Court of Charles L., and the Causes of the Civil War. Translated from the Italian Original, by the Rev. Joseph Berington." 8vo. London.EDIT. manner is," were contesting the authority of the Romish “Bishop of Chalcedon."+ The advisers of His Holiness 66 came to a resolution to send over an agent, at once to inform themselves of the true state of + Bishop of Chalcedon.-The projected mar riage between Charles, Prince of Wales, and the An Infanta of Spain, and the great indulgence which affairs among the Catholics, and to feel the pulse of the nation with regard to other concerns. He that was chosen for this office was Gregorio Panzani, of Arrezo, a secular Priest of experienced virtue, of singular address, of polite learning, and in all respects well qualified for the business." (Memoirs of Panzani, p. 132. 8vo. 1793.) The first thing we observe in the narrative of his proceedings is, the stealthiness of the emissary's movements, and the traitorous conduct of the unhappy King, Charles I. "The Queen (herself a Papist) was first made acquainted with the design; and she communicated it to the King, who gave his tacit consent; but, at the same time, singular care was taken that the matter should not be divulged among the Catholics or Protestants; who, from different views, might have obstructed its execution. In a little time, a favourable occasion offered for effecting the project. Monsignor Mazarin being deputed Nuncio Extraordinary to the Court of France, Panzani joined him as attendant; and having made some stay in Paris, the latter privately passed over into England, under the pretence of satisfying his curiosity with the fashions and customs of the country, as other strangers often did. This was toward the end of 1634." (Page 133.) The emissary, on arriving in town, first paid his respects to the Queen; who, after discussing his business, "signified the event to His Majesty, whose only reply was, that Panzani should be cautious, and carry on his business with secrecy; and, above all things, not to mingle with state affairs." (Page 134.) Soon after, in reporting progress to Cardinal Barberini, at Rome, Panzani notices "the King's good inclinations." "One of the court Preachers," he says, "having inveighed against schism in a sermon before His Majesty, the King was heard afterwards to say, that he would willingly have parted with one of his hands, rather than such a schism should have happened. Some persons," adds Panzani, were pleased to interpret this of the Puri 66 tanical defection; but the manner of his delivering himself, and his falling immediately after into a panegyric of Pope Urban, gave the Italian a different view." (Page 135.) In the same letter he informs the Cardinal of several other matters, which, though in themselves trivial, plainly demonstrated the dispositions of those concerned in them; such as, that "the Archbishop of Canterbury had ordered the Psalms to be sung in the Gregorian method used in the Church of Rome, and that the King himself had been the first to adopt it; and that the Universities, which formerly made use of the books of the first Reformers, were now enjoined to apply themselves to the ancient Fathers and Councils." (Page 136.) Panzani goes on to state, "That Catholic schoolmasters were allowed to teach in several parts of the city of London; that both writings and discourses of Protestants were in a different key from what formerly they had been; that the King's Preachers often took occasion to run into praises of the moderate Papists; that they recommended the use of auricular confession, extolled the beautifying and adorning of churches, and the paying a respect to the name of Jesus by bowing, &c.; that they disclaimed many popular calumnies fixed on the Church of Rome,-owning her to be the mother-Church, and author of happiness to many nations. Altars, images, &c., he said, were mentioned with respect; and many, in common conversation, wished for a re-union." (Page 139.) Soon after this, Panzani obtained an interview with Windebank,* the An interview with Windebank.-Sir Francis Windebank, who in these Memoirs acts so conspicuous a part, had, in 1632, been made Secretary through the interest of Dr. Laud,-himself, the year following, promoted to the see of Canterbury. Windebank was much attached to the Catholic party," whose extraordinary patron," says Lord Clarendon, "indeed he was." In 1640, for his friendly conduct to that people, articles of impeachment were by Parliament prepared against him; when he withdrew into France, was formally reconciled to the Church of Rome, and died in that communion in 1646. (Dodd's |