walls of the cities; that he ridiculed the monastic life; and, lastly, that he ascribed justification solely to faith in the mercy of God forgiving our sins through Jesus Christ. In his examinations, he appears to have manifested great firmness. When questioned by the Cardinals of the Inquisition, he addressed them (it is an enemy who reports his words) :-" Seeing that your Eminences have so many credible witnesses against me, it is unnecessary for you to give yourselves or me longer trouble. I am resolved to act according to the advice of the blessed Apostle Peter, when he says, 'Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow his steps, who did no evil, neither was guile found in his mouth; who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.' Proceed, then, to give judgment: pronounce sentence on Aonio, and thus gratify his adversaries and fulfil your office." Judgment was given; and he was condemned, after more than three years' imprisonment, to be suspended on a gibbet, and his body to be committed to the flames; though, according to some authorities, he was burned alive.

The Romanists, according to their frequent practice in such cases, pretended that Aonio was repentant, and died in the communion of their Church. And there is a minute to this effect extant, which purports to be an official document of the Dominicans who attended him in his last moments. But this assertion is refuted by an author, Laderchius, who drew his materials from the records of the Inquisition, and who says: "When it appeared that this son of Belial was obstinate and refractory, and could by no means be recovered from the darkness of error to the light of truth, he was deservedly delivered to the fire, that, after suffering its momentary pains here, he might be found in everlasting flames hereafter." Indeed, the last letters which Paleario wrote to his family on the morning of his death, sufficiently show the falsity of the pretended recantation. They would, we may readily conclude, have expressed his contrition, had he felt any, for opposing the Popish doctrines. These letters to his wife and children are as follow:

"MY DEAREST WIFE,—I would not wish that you should receive sorrow from my pleasure, nor ill from my good. The hour is now come when I must pass from this life to my Lord and Father and God. I depart as joyfully as if I were going to the nuptials of the Son of the great King, which I have always prayed my Lord to grant me through his goodness and infinite mercy. Wherefore, my dearest wife, comfort yourself with the will of God and with my resignation, and attend to the desponding family which still survives, training them up and preserving them in the fear of God, and being to them both father and mother. I am now an old man of seventy years, and useless. Our children must provide for themselves by their virtue and industry, and lead an honourable life. God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with your spirit! Thy husband,

*Laderchius, the continuator of the Annals of Baronius.

"AONIO PALEARI.

Article and Memorial, copied from a record belonging to San Giovanni de' Fiorentini di Roma. This memorial, together with the letters which follow, are reprinted in the original Italian by Schelhorn, as referred to by Dr. M'Crie.

"LAMPRIDIO AND Fedro, beloved CHILDREN,-These my very courteous Lords do not abate in their kindness to me even at this extremity, and give me permission to write to you. It pleases God to call me to himself by this means, which may appear to you harsh and painful; but, if you regard it properly, as happening with my full resignation and pleasure, you will acquiesce in the will of God, as you have hitherto done. Virtue and industry I leave you for a patrimony, along with the little property you already possess. I do not leave you in debt: many are always asking when they ought to give. You were freed more than eighteen years ago: you are not bound for my debts. If you are called upon to discharge them, have recourse to his Excellency the Duke, who will not see you wronged. I have requested from Luca Pridio an account of what is due to me, and what I am owing. With the dowry of your mother, bring up your little sister as God shall give you grace. Salute Aspasia and sister Aonilla, my beloved daughters in the Lord. My hour approaches. The Spirit of God console and preserve you in his grace! Your father,

"Rome, July 3d, 1570."

"AONIO PALEARI.

The superscription was, "To his dearest wife, Marietta Paleari, and to his beloved sons Lampridio and Fedro Paleari, at the hill of Valdenza, in the suburbs of St. Caterina."

After these last farewells, he rendered up himself to the tormentors, and entered his eternal rest.

Many of the works of Aonio Paleario are extant;* but the treatise on "The Benefit of the Death of Christ" is not included in any collection of them, probably because it appeared anonymously. The original title was, Trattato utilissimo del Beneficio de Giesu Christo crucifisso verso i Christiani. Venetiis, apud Bernardinum de Bindonis. Anno Do. 1543. Its publication attracted great attention; and it was attributed by some to Cardinal Pole, supposed at that time, as already observed, to favour the doctrines of the Reformation.

"Many are of opinion," says Vergerio,† "that there is scarcely a book of this age, or, at least, in the Italian language, so sweet, so pious, so simple, and so well fitted to instruct the ignorant and weak, especially in the doctrine of justification. I will say more: Reginald Pole, the British Cardinal, and the intimate friend of Morone, was esteemed the author of that book, or partly so: at least it is known that he, with Flaminio, Priuli, and his other friends, defended and circulated it." So great was its popularity, that forty thousand copies are said to have been sold in six years; and it was translated into several other languages. It was, however, as before noticed, particularly distasteful to the Romish authorities; and consequently the most strenuous attempts were made to suppress it. It is forbidden by the various Prohibitory Indexes, in which the title only is recited, without Paleario's name ; and, indeed, in one Index, it is ranked amongst the books of which the authors were not certainly known. How successful the

* He published in his lifetime four books of epistles, fourteen orations, and three books in verse on the immortality of the soul. After his death appeared Testimonia et Actio in Pontifices Romanos et eorum Asseclas; also a letter to the Reformers in the Council of Trent, first printed, it would seem, by Schelhorn. One or two other pieces have been ascribed to him.

+ Quoted by Schelhorn, Amenit. Eccles.

attempts to suppress this treatise were, shall be told in the words of Mr. T. B. Macaulay. In a paper published in the "Edinburgh Review" for October, 1840, entitled, "The Revolutions of the Papacy," he says: "It was not on moral influence alone that the Catholic Church relied. In Spain and Italy the civil sword was unsparingly employed in her support. The Inquisition was armed with new powers, and inspired with a new energy. If Protestantism, or the semblance of Protestantism, showed itself in any quarter, it was instantly met, not by party teasing persecution, but by persecution of that sort which bows down and crushes all but a very few select spirits. Whoever was suspected of heresy, whatever his rank, his learning, or his reputation, was to purge himself to the satisfaction of a severe and vigilant tribunal, or to die by fire. Heretical books were sought out and destroyed with unsparing rigour. Works which were once in every house were so effectually suppressed, that no copy of them is now to be found in the most extensive libraries. One book in particular, entitled, 'Of the Benefit of the Death of Christ,' had this fate. It was written in Tuscan, was many times reprinted, and was eagerly read in every part of Italy. But the inquisitors detected in it the Lutheran doctrine of justification by faith alone. They proscribed it; and it is now as utterly lost as the second decade of Livy."

Such, indeed, has been the opinion, repeatedly expressed, of other writers; and no copy of the original Italian work is known to exist. It is quite possible that it still may lurk in some unexplored recesses; but there is no certainty of this being the case. It was, however, translated into Spanish and French; and Dr. M'Crie, in his valuable "History of the Reformation in Italy," showed that an English version had been made not later than the year 1577.* It was this statement that attracted the attention of the present editor, and induced him to make researches for a book which he felt persuaded must survive in its English dress. He was successful, three or four years ago, in finding the copy of the fourth English edition, from which this volume is now printed; and he has since ascertained the existence of two other copies. It is very probable that more may from time to time be discovered.

This English translation was made, not from the Italian original, but from the French version; and it would appear, from the translator's preface, that he was ignorant of the name of the author. His own initials (A. G.) only are given; but it may be supposed that these letters designate Arthur Golding, who was long and laboriously employed in Queen Elizabeth's reign in rendering into English the works of several of the foreign Reformers, of the Latin classics, and of other writers. That the translation, however, here given is really that of Paleario's work, is proved both by its agreement with Paleario's own description of it in his defence already cited, before the Senate of Sienna, and by the testimony of Riederer, who appears, according to Dr. M'Crie's statement, to have seen the original, and who has supplied a detailed account of it.

The present is a faithful reprint from the copy in the possession of the Editor. The spelling and the punctuation have been modernized; but no liberty has been taken with the text, except by the rare introduction of a word absolutely needed to complete the sense. Such additions are included

From the will of Thomas Bassinden, printer in Edinburgh, who died Oct. 18th, 1577.

in brackets. The passages quoted from the Fathers have been subjoined; the Scripture references also have been corrected, and the verses of the chapters given. These Scripture references are in the ancient copy very incorrect; and, as it is frequently a mere allusion that is made, the Editor is not certain that he has in all cases discovered the texts referred to.

He would only add his earnest prayer, that the re-printing of this interesting relic of the age of the Reformation may, by God's blessing, prove acceptable and useful to the Christian reader. Perhaps the attention now called to it may lead to its re-translation into its original tongue; and it may be instrumental again in disseminating the doctrine of Christ crucified in the land in which it at first appeared.

FROM MANUSCRIPT NOTES WRITTEN IN EGYPT.

(To the Editor of the Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine.)

THE UNDER-SHEREEF OF MECCA.

OCTOBER 25th, 1844.-The Sheikh Said Isaac, Under-Shereef of Mecca, paid a visit to Mr. L. to-day. He is one of the few nobles of Mecca who retain the key of the holy Kaaba, that most sacred of all the temples of the Mahometans. He is reported to be a good geographer, and does not hesitate to affirm that the Mahometan theory of the globe is false: he has also acquired much general information, and has travelled far in India, China, and the isles of the Orient. There are some very learned men now residing in the city of Mecca, he tells us, whose attention is directed towards astronomy and the kindred sciences, in the hope of reconciling the language of the Koran with the evidence of facts. The books, maps, and instruments in the library delighted him much. He borrowed a small globe, that he might demonstrate to the Grand Nopti, by its aid, the true bearings of Arabia and Borneo, and point out the distance between some other places in the Indian sea. The Sheikh is on his way to Constantinople, whither he has been summoned by the Sultan on matters connected with his religion. He is the bearer of many regal presents: among them is a block of sandal-wood weighing one hundred and fifty pounds, together with costly preserves, and spices, from China and Japan.

Tuesday, 29th.-Returning from the city this morning, I found Mr. L. engaged with that interesting personage, Sheikh Isaac of Mecca. Being in the hareem-part of the house, that is, in my apartment, I did not scruple to offer my salutation, at which he seemed highly gratified, but never lifted his eyes towards me; which was intended as a mark of profound respect. It reminded me of the manner of the Coptic Patriarch, who observed the same ceremony, though I was presiding at my own table, and he the guest. We were much pleased with this nobleman's astronomical knowledge. I showed him a small planet-sphere without names: he seemed quite familiar with it; but the key, or written map, confused him he gave the names of all the principal stars in Arabic, often mentioning, too, their European names. I then made him a present of a solar system, saying I hoped he would not disregard it, because it was made by a female. To which he replied, that after knowing the English ladies of India, he could not regard us as he did other women; for that we had minds equal to our husbands

:

and brothers. He inquired if there were much intellectual advancement in the noble hareems of Egypt. I answered, that in several noble families there were individuals who could both read and write; but they were few, compared with those who sought no higher accomplishments than sewing and embroidery. This, he observed, was always the case: they liked tinsel rather than gold. Nevertheless, there are many jewels of purest water in the secret recesses of these hareems. I particularized some: at which he expressed pleasure; for he knew the families, and said that the report of such facts had even reached the holy city, Mecca.

Mr. L. showed the Sheikh all the scholastic books of the Malta press, printed in Arabic, and presented him with a copy of each; a gift with which he appeared delighted, and said, when he got home he should prize them highly. Examining them individually, he came to one on Christianity laying it aside, he said, "I will not take this, as it might alarm my people, for I have sixteen with me from the holy temple; but, my friend," and he looked at Mr. L. with intense interest, and spoke with emphasis, "I believe the time is fast approaching, when there will be neither Christians nor Mahometans, but we shall all be servants of the same God!" This was a remarkable speech from a Mussulman so high in dignity and authority as the Under-Shereef of Mecca: does it indicate that the High-Priests of the Prophet are even now prepared to see the fall of Islamism? for the Crescent is to bow before the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: or, must we infer from this remark that the Mahometan tradition points to the destruction of Christianity? Mr. L. endeavoured to elicit more on this subject; and the Shereef admitted, that in Mecca they possessed an ancient book of Prophecies, written by a learned Magrebin, who had fought in Spain. In this book it was distinctly foretold, that before the last days, the dry land shall be covered by the sea, and the present bed of the waters shall be transformed into luxuriant fields: a process of nature, however, which, he said, he could never believe.

We had a long conversation respecting the arts of Arab deception, charming serpents, and incantation. The Sheikh altogether denied the power of the pretended magician, and says, that no Mussulman of a right faith believes in such abominations, and that the man is an Egyptian lie!

November 2d. The nobleman from Mecca called again, and presented to me choice gifts from the Holy City of the Arabs; namely, coffee, spices, and perfumes. The coffee which is set apart for the use of the Sultan, comes from the sacred Hedjas, and is of an exquisite flavour. The spices were from Sumatra and Yeman; and with them was a jar of preserved nutmegs, a delicious sweet-meat; the external coat, the mace and the nut, being preserved entire in the purest honey. The perfumes were from Mecca, in two small glass bottles, very beautiful, with tops of pure gold: one was the oil of cedar-wood, which is most rare and precious; the other was an essence unknown to me. The Shereef told us, that the Sheikhs or Priests anoint themselves with these perfumes before they enter the sacred Kaaba, or grand Temple of the Hedjas. It is a curious fact, that a dignitary in the service of the Prophet should present to me, a Christian woman, such hallowed gifts; for by Mahometans they are esteemed the symbols of purity. Cairo.

A. L.