Theodore Beza, the Counsellor of the French Reformation, 1519-1605

Theodore Beza THE COUNSELLOR OF THE FRENCH REFORMATION 1519-1605 BY HENRY MARTYN BAIRD PROFESSOR IN NEW YORK UNIVERSITY AUTHOR OF "HISTORY OF THE RISE OF THE HUGUENOTS OF FRANCE," " THE HUGUENOTS AND HENRY OF NAVARRE," AND " THE HUGUENOTS AND THE REVOCATION OF THE EDICT OF NANTES " U.N1V. OF MICH. CLASS LIBRARY Accession, !^!c\o G. P. PUTNAM \S SONS NEW YORK AND LONDON Zbc IRiucfcevbocker iptese 1899 Ifoeroes of tbe IReformatlon EDITED BY Samuel /iDacaule^ ^acfcson PROFESSOR OF CHURCH HISTORY, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY Aicupeo-eis papier fj.dTU)v, to Sk avrb irvevfj-a. DIVERSITIES OF GIFTS, BUT THE SAME SPIRIT. THEODORE BEZA Copyright, 1899 BY HENRY MARTYN BAIRD Entered at Stationers' Hall, London Ubc Ifmtcfeerbocfcet press, Wew 10or?t PREFACE IT is not a little surprising that there seems to be no life of Theodore Beza accessible to the gen eral reader either in English or in French. In Ger man there is, it is true, a satisfactory biography by Heppe, written for the series of the " Lives and Select Writings of the Fathers and Founders of the Reformed Church," edited by Hagenbach, besides a masterly work undertaken by that eminent scholar, J. W. Baum, on a much larger scale, but unfor tunately left incomplete at his death. Both bio graphies, however, were published many years ago, and by Baum the last forty years of the activity of Beza are not touched upon at all. Yet of the heroes of the Reformation Theodore Beza is Ly no means the least attractive. Kis course of activity was long and brilliant. He presided over the Reformed Church in the French-speaking coun tries through a protracted series of years, its recog nised counsellor and leader in times of peril both to Church and to State. The friend of Calvin, he was also the friend and adviser of Henry IV. until within five years of that monarch's end. Thus his permanent influence can scarcely be exaggerated. Moreover, his career was rich in incidents of drama tic interest. Certainly no more impressive and iii IV Preface romantic scene can be found in the history of the period than the appearance of Beza at the Colloquy of Poissy, when for the first time Protestantism secured a hearing before the King and royal family, its advocates not being forced upon their unwilling notice, but, on the contrary, formally invited to set forth the reasons for its existence and for its separa tion from the Roman Catholic Church. The history of Protestantism in France could not be written with the part played by Beza omitted. The author has therefore had not a little to say of him in his History of the Rise of the Huguenots and in his Huguenots and Henry of Navarre.1 But the protagonist in the drama of the French Reformation merits separate treatment, and a thorough know ledge of the man and of his work requires a develop ment of his life and actions that could find no place in a general history. For the facts I have gone back to the original sources, most of all to Beza's own autobiographical notes and to his letters. An indefatigable writer, Beza has left us a great mass of correspondence, much of it of historical importance. A portion of that which he judged to be of most permanent value in its bearing upon theological subjects saw the light during his lifetime, first separately and after wards in his collected theological works, entitled Tract at iones Theological. I shall have frequent oc casion to draw upon these. Of his correspondence more strictly historical in interest, down to and in cluding the Colloquy of Poissy, Professor Baum 1 New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1879, 1886. Preface V gathered a large store in the documentary append ices of his biography. Professor Baum had also, many years since, copied with his own hands, but not utilised, several hundred letters still preserved in the libraries of Geneva, Zurich, Basel, etc. These copies have recently become the property of the French Protestant Historical Society and been added to that society's rich collections in Paris. Most of these letters have never been published. I have been able to secure for my book many interest ing facts and illustrations derived from this source. Besides his letters, I have made great use of Beza's extended treatises contained in the collection already referred to. The original chronicles and memoirs of the time, including the Hist oire Ecclesiastique des Egliscs Reformces, erroneously attributed to Beza himself, but undoubtedly composed under his gen eral supervision, have been my guide throughout the narrative. For the titles of most of these works I refer the reader to the appended Bibliography. As in my earlier histories, so it is now again both a duty and a pleasure to express my gratitude to Baron Fernand de Schickler and Mr. N. Weiss, president and secretary respectively of the French Protestant Historical Society, for many acts of kindness and for valuable help in my later re searches. I owe to the courtesy of Mr. Ferdinand J. Dreer, of Philadelphia, the facsimile of an inter esting letter of the Reformer, now in his rare col lection of manuscripts. New York University, September 15, 1S99. CONTENTS CHAPTER I I5I9-I539 CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH I Vezelay — Birth — Parentage — Marie Bourdelot — Child hood in Paris — Becomes a Pupil of Wolmar at Orleans and Bourges — Fellow-Student of Calvin — Begins Civil Law — Love for Classical Literature — Success in Poetry — A Licentiate in Law — Returns to Paris. CHAPTER II 1539-1548 BEZA IN PARIS 16 Present and Prospective Revenues — Mental Struggles — Repugnance to Practice of the Law — Urgency of his Father — His Studies — External Quiet and Internal Un rest — Secret Marriage with Claudine Desnoz — First Lit erary Effort — The Juvenilia — Not Attacked till after Beza's Conversion — His Own Regret — Etienne Pasquier's Estimate — Imitation of Ovid and Catullus. CHAPTER III 1 548-1 5 50 CONVERSION — CALL TO LAUSANNE — " ABRAHAM'S SACRIFICE" 32 Illness — His Own Account of his Conversion — Retires with his Wife to Geneva — First Intention to Become a Protestant Printer — Jean Crespin — Personal Appearance vii viii Contents — Kindly Received by Calvin — Visits Wolmar at Tiibingen — Pierre Viret — Annexation of the Pays de Vaud by Bern (1536) — Establishment of Protestantism — Disputa tion in Cathedral of Lausanne — Caroli, Farel, and Blancherose — Iconoclasm — " Academie " or University — Beza Called to Chair of Greek — Hesitancy and Acceptance — His Second Poetical Work-— Drama of Abraham's Sacrifice. CHAPTER IV 1554 TREATISE ON THE PUNISHMENT OF HERETICS . 52 Execution of Michael Servetus — Protest Signed "Martin Bellius " — Ascribed to Sebastian Chasteillon or Castalio — His Scholarship — Beza Maintains that Heretics ought to be Punished by the Civil Magistrate — Even Capitally — His Arguments from Holy Scripture. CHAPTER V 1 549-1 558 BEZA'S ACTIVITY AT LAUSANNE . -71 Illness — The " Five Scholars of Lausanne " — Labours for their Release (1552, 1553) — Beza's Brother and his Father Try to Bring him back to France and to Roman Catholic ism — Providential Leadings — Renewal of Alliance be tween Bern and Geneva — Persecution of Waldenses by French Parliament of Turin (1556) — Beza and Farel In tercede with Zurich, Basel, and SchafThausen — With German Princes — Beza Pleads for Christian ' Union — Piedmont Reverts to the Duke of Savoy — Persecution at Paris — Beza's New Intercession — His Irenic Exposition of the Reformed Faith — Incurs Danger of Alienating Old Friends — Is Defended by Calvin. CHAPTER VI 1558, 1559 becomes calvin's coadjutor — rector of the university of geneva .... 96 Why Beza Left Lausanne — Pierre Viret Advocates Stricter Discipline — Opposition of Bern — Beza's Attitude — Re Contents ix moves to Geneva (1558) — Calvin's Plan of a True Uni versity — Theological School with Beza as Rector — Other Schools Projected — Solemn Opening (1559) — The Livre dn Recteur — Calvin and Beza Lecture on Alternate Weeks — Self-Sacrifice — Subscription to Confession of Faith. CHAPTER VII 1560 BEZA AT N^RAC 1 10 Assembly of Notables at Fontainebleau — Beza Pressed by the King and Queen of Navarre to Come — Preaches be fore them — Manly Advice — Infatuation of Antoine of Bourbon and his Brother — Perilous Return to Geneva — Salutary Influence on Jeanne d'Albret — The Eyes of French Protestants Set on Beza. CHAPTER VIII 1561 RECALL TO FRANCE . Il8 Changes since Beza Left France — Bloody Legislation and Practice under Francis I. and Henry II. — Church of • Paris Instituted (1555) — Organisation of French Re formed Churches (1559) — Tumult of Amboise — Rapid Progress — Cardinal Odet de Chastillon — Worship in Suburbs of Paris — Protestant Grandees Absent them selves from the Coronation of Charles IX. — Great Public Assemblies — Papal Nuncio Disheartened — Protestants Promised a Hearing — Catharine de' Medici Dissuaded by Venetian Ambassador — Viewed with Suspicion — Justifies himself — Why Calvin is not Summoned — Theodore Beza Invited in his Place — Reluctantly Accepts. CHAPTER IX 1561 RECEPTION AT COURT ...... 139 Discouraging News at his Arrival in Paris — Summoned to Saint Germain en Laye — Attitude of Grandees — Preaches before the Princess of Conde — Presented to the Queen- Mother — Interview with Cardinal Lorraine — The Cardi- X Contents nal Professes to Acquiesce in Beza's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper — Catharine's Delight — Madame de Cursol Sceptical — Calvin not Surprised at the Cardinal's Deceit — Reluctance of the Prelates to Discuss — The Queen- Mother's Resoluteness. CHAPTER X 1561 - SPEECH AT THE COLLOQUY OF POTSSY . 153 Protestants hitherto Denied

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