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mmmi\ - i-^MÉifcf ■ ' ■hf.iiÙÊi^ft 
 
THE 
 
 L I F E 
 
 OF 
 
 L U C 1 LI 
 
 (alias Julius c/Esar) 
 
 V A N I'N J; 
 
 Burnt for Atheism at Thouloufe. 
 
 WITH 
 
 An Abftrad of his Writings, • 
 
 U E I N G 
 
 The Sam of the Atheiftical Dodrine taken 
 from Plato, Aristotle^ Averroes, Car- 
 DANUs and Pomponatius's PhiloCophy. • 
 
 ■■ . ' - 
 
 WITH 
 
 A Confutation of the fame; and Mr. Bayle'^s 
 Arguments in Behalf of Vanini, comp'leatlji - 
 anfwered. ^ ^.^^ ^C^a^w..^* ^ /^, 
 
 Trantlated from the Frerich in&o EngliÇ). . 
 
 LONDON:^ 
 
 printed' for W. Meadows at the Angel \n Corn- 
 hill. Mdccxxx. CPrice 2 s.) 
 
/i^^^^^^^^ ^^W^//^^^ ^^^^^'^^'^ 
 
 /ai /t-lû/â û'AA^ û-^/fL, — ^/^y^.-^^ , ^.. ^_. _ 
 
 l/>û:/^tlAf ^, ^cfir/ ^<^ A^ ^ û^.c^^ /^h (uJi^ a.^^ 
 
 
 a /W^ ^/?Û'/^^^^^ 
 
 J 
 
Ill 
 
 T O T H E 
 
 
 M 
 
 1 
 
 R E A D E 
 
 AKT imdouhtedly ^ill wou" 
 deTy how any "Body tsûould un^ 
 dertake to prite the Life of 
 Vanini -, a Terfon who merits 
 ed rather to he buried in per- 
 pettial Ohli<vioi2^ and whofe. Name has 
 been both infamous to Chrlftianity^ and 
 abhorred by all the honeft and well mean- 
 ing part of Mankind. Hut if it be 
 Conftdered^ to what purpofes his jnifë" 
 rahle End has been con'verted^ and what 
 tife has been made of it^ by oppofing his 
 Sham-Martyrdom to an infinite Numhef 
 of true ones^ in order to depreciate the 
 moji excellent Keligion^ and to eftahlijh 
 and propagate the modijlo T>oUrine of 
 thofe vulgarly {though wrongfully) called 
 Ifree-Thinkers i I am perfuaded^ I f^ys 
 upon this Confideration^ the necejfity will 
 appear y that thofe FaUs JJmild he repre* 
 /inted '-in a fmr an^ h&neft manner^ to 
 A 2 Vindicate 
 
iv To the Reader. 
 
 mndicate the righteous Caufe from hafe 
 Jfperfions. 
 
 That this Tiece has all the CharaUers 
 reqiiijite to diftingiiijh its worth and 'va- 
 lue^ the perufal will fufficiently teflify. In 
 it is perceivable an accurate and impar- 
 tial yudgment^ free from all Infimiations 
 or SuppofitionSy that either direUly or 
 confequentially fatmir of prejudice of Edti- 
 cation : Our Author [eems tohe fo cautious 
 of avoiding fuch an Imputation {not only 
 in this^ hut all his other Writings) when 
 an opportunity offers^ or an ohjeUion a- 
 gainji the Chriftian belief falls in his 
 way i that he^ with the great eft imparti- 
 ality illuftrates it^ urging it with the ut- 
 moft Energy and For ce^ to leave the Read- 
 er entirely fatisfied with his reply t and to 
 eradicate compleatly the moft dangerous 
 Œ)ouhts and Terplexities, 
 
 Vanini in his life time was famous all 
 ever Europe for his fophiflical Writings y 
 which were new and uncommon in their 
 kind^ and particularly adapted to the 
 Tafte of that Jge. T^hey were wrote in 
 a good Latin Style^ and fo artfully con- 
 trived^ that under the pretext of defend- 
 ing Chrift;ianity and Morality^ heflily in- 
 finuated the rankeft atheiftical Trinci- 
 fles^ aiming at nothing lefs^ than to de- 
 ftroy all Religion^ even the Natural not 
 excepted. The HardJJnps he underwent' 
 on that Account^ are by fome cried up for 
 
 Martyrdom^ 
 
To the Reader, 
 
 Martyrdom, though if we may helie've 
 Gramond, who was then fir ft Trefident 
 of the Parliament of Thouloufe, he would 
 have recanted when he found Sentence of 
 n^eath was pafl on him^ which was re- 
 jeïied^ they knowing him to he a malicious 
 'ÏDiffemhler, 
 
 He fet out from Naples with twehe Con-^ 
 federates^ as reprobate as himfelf, to di- 
 fperfe all o^er the Worlds in the manner of 
 the Jp oft les, his pernicious T>oUrine. Ton 
 will find him a Man of Learning, 'very 
 Jmhitious, Stihtle, of an eafy Addrefs^ 
 jomal in Converfation, and full of Spirit 
 and AUi^^ity, which the 'various ard ftir- 
 'prizing Ad'ventures of his Life fitfficiently 
 teftify ; and endowed with fuch bright na- 
 tural Faculties, that Hiftory can [car ce 
 produce his Equal : 'But as he mif applied 
 his talent, ^ro^idence made him as nO" 
 torious in his ^unijhment ; his Execution 
 being fo terrible that one cannot read it 
 without being Jloock' d. 
 
 He was a ftaunch T>ifciple of Plato, 
 Ariftotle, Averroes, Cardanus and Pompo- 
 natius, whom he copies e'very where, up" 
 on the Creation, the origin of Man, and 
 ether Matters relating to natural Thilo- 
 phy» But when he quotes ^em, to decide 
 "^in religious Affairs, he is quite ah fur d 
 and ridicidous 'y witnefs the famous Ho- 
 rofcope from Cardan, who pretended to 
 ft ate the nativity of Chrift, thereby to 
 
 pro've^ 
 
yi To the Reader. 
 
 ^ froije^ that his extraordinary ^atities 
 were not owing to his divine Nature^ 
 tut the Conftellation^ that prevailed at 
 Jois ^irth i which was calculated to fuh- 
 fvert the Chriftian 'Religion. 
 
 His Writings were numerous ^ as ap- 
 pears from the Catalogue at the end of 
 this Tiece. Mofl of them are lojl^ and 
 thofe that are now remaining^ viz. his 
 Amphitheatre and Dialogues, the Author 
 has taken Care to examine and confute 
 in their ftrongeji Arguments. In Jhort 
 you II fee ^ how the various Syjlems of the 
 chief atheiftical Writers have been af- 
 plied to account mechanically for the 
 miraculous Performances in the Old and 
 New Heftament^andthe ahfurdity offuch 
 Solutions expofed, And^ I may venture 
 to affirm^ yon II find in this Tiece not 
 only Entertainment for the Unlearned^ 
 lui alfo many Obfervations and TraUs 
 mt unworthy the moft Curious, 
 
 THE 
 
THE 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 l. QCcaJîon of the Writing this Piece, Pag. I.' 
 
 II. 'The Plan intended. 4. 
 
 III. Vanini*s Country and Parents^ ib. 
 
 IV. His Study and Teachers. 5. 
 '— His contempt of Thomas Aquinas; 7. 
 
 V. Received a Prieft. ib. 
 "— His Method of Preaching and his Averroifiical 
 
 Ladder. S. 
 
 — Refuted by Mr. de Fontenelle. 9. 
 
 VI. Studies the Law, ib. 
 
 VII. His Poverty at Padua praife-ivorthy. 10. 
 
 VIII. His favourite Authors ^ Ariftotle. ib. 
 
 — Averroes. 11. 
 
 — Pomponatius. ib. 
 
 — Cardanus. 12. 
 
 — Opinion of the Latter concerning the Immor- 
 
 tality of the Soul. 13 
 
 — Softened by Mr. Bayle. ib.' 
 •— Opinion of Pomponatius on the fame SubjeB» 
 
 16. 
 
 •— Mr. Bayle's Opinion of thefe tiw AutÏMS 
 
 better than that of Vân[n\. 18. 
 
 <-^ If lue fometimes attack what we feign to believe, 
 
 19' 
 
 IX. Vanini begins his impious Apcfilefiip. ib. 
 
 — If he made it Publick at Thouloufe. 20. 
 
 X. His feigned and true Voyages. 11. 
 
 — He cenf tires the Schifms ftibfifling between 
 
 Chrijiians. 2 1 . 
 
 r- Vanini's 
 
Jbe C O "NT EUT S: 
 
 — Vânmi s falfe Courage at Geneva. Pag. 22. 
 
 XI. Merry I'hought they have of that l'ovin in 
 
 Spain. ib. 
 
 XII. He goes to England, "where he is imprifoned 
 for forty nine Days. 23. 
 
 XIII. Every where miflrufted on account of his A- 
 verroifm. 24. 
 
 XIV. Becomes a Fryar^ and difhonours that State 
 after a deteflabte manner. aj. 
 
 XV. He cometh to Paris, where he corrupts many 
 
 People. ' 16. 
 
 — Idea that Garaflfe gives us of Vanini's Cm- 
 
 verfation. z6\ 
 
 XVI. He is made Almoner to the Marshal Baf- 
 fompiere. ib. 
 
 XVII. Becomes fufpeSled by his IVritings, which 
 the Sorbonne condemns to be burnd. ib. 
 
 XVIII. Retires to Thouloufe. 2^. 
 
 XIX. Imprudence 0/ Vanini and ContradiElions of 
 the Libertines. ib. 
 
 XX. T'he T'efiimony of Gramond and Borri- 
 chius. 30-' 
 
 — 'The authentick ABf of the Prccefs are want^ 
 
 ing. _ 31. 
 
 XXÎ. Writings of Vanini. 32. 
 
 -T- A merry WifJo of his, he would have been a 
 
 Bafiard. 3 3. 
 
 — Feigns to be Ortliodox as other ^Libertines do^ 
 
 XXII. A general view of his Amphitheatre. 37.- 
 • — Opinion of the Learned about that Book. 
 
 ib. 
 
 — That of the Author. 38; 
 
 The Preface is Vain-Gkrioiis.^ ib. 
 
 XX.111. He attacks the Esijlence of a principal and 
 
 intelligent Mover. 35?. 
 
 "XlvlV. He dtfues the Deity in order to dejlroy 
 
 his Esiftcuice. 40. 
 
 XXV. An 
 
 I 
 
The C O N T E N T s. 
 
 XXV. An Anfwer to that Definition. Pajr. 41. 
 
 XXVI. A cool Cenfure of Vanini*J cmam'nig 
 vùhat is faidy That the Mercy of the 
 Lord is above all his Works. 4?. 
 
 XXVII. T'he Horofcope^ or a Calculation of the 
 
 Nativity of the Chriflian Religion 
 made by Cardanus. 44. 
 
 ■ ■ ' ■ Looked tipon by Vanini as dangerous, 48. 
 
 XXVIII. A Refutation of that Calculation, ib, 
 
 XXIX. Vanini is the fir ft Author among the Mo- 
 derm of the Manichean Objedions. 
 
 50. 
 
 ■ "" To which he anfwers upon Spinofa'j Prin- 
 ciples, ib. 
 
 XXX. He makes God the Author of Sin. 5 r. 
 • Laughs at Predeftination. ib. 
 
 XXXI. And at Chrift'j Miracles; 52. 
 ' Refuted on that SubjeB. ib. 
 
 XXXII. He is merry about Hell. 53. 
 
 XXXIII. He is an Hypocrite in his Amphithea- 
 tre, "which he defpifes in his Dialogues. 
 
 ib. 
 
 XXXIV. A view of his Dialogues, their Ap- 
 probation. 54. 
 
 ■ The Dedication beggarly and flattering. 55. 
 ^ Comparifons drawn from the Sun already in 
 
 Vogue in Vanini'j Days. ib. 
 
 XXXV. "the Preface and Encomium. 5<5'. 
 XXX VI. the Plan of the Book. jy. 
 XXXVII. Atfirftfeems to be a Materialift. 59. 
 >■> » ■■ He believes the form of the Heaven to be 
 
 its Sculj and concludes for the Eterni- 
 ty of the World. ib. 
 
 — Attributes that belief to the Ancient Phi- 
 lofophers. 60. 
 
 — — Deifies Nature though he efleems it dtfordsr- 
 
 ed. 60. 
 
 Q ^ysats 
 
 \ 
 
The C O N T E N T s. 
 
 ^r~*^!'^^^^ Religion as a human Invention. ?,6u 
 
 XXXVIII. A fhort Refutation of that Syftem 
 h Mr. Barnard. 62. 
 
 XXXIX. Origin of Mankind according to Di- 
 odorus Siculns and Vanini. dg.' 
 
 Idle Notions of the Atheifis on that Subject. 
 
 6^. 
 
 Ifthefiyfi Meniuent on All four. 65. 
 
 A Remarkable Cafe of a young Man ardong 
 
 the Bea-s. eo, 
 
 XL. Profanatimof Vanini about our firfl: Parents. 
 
 ^ ib. 
 
 XL. I. His odious Paralel between the Empire of 
 
 God and that of the Devil. 67. 
 
 ■ Beautified and llluftrated by Mr, Bayle. 
 
 68. 
 XLII. A Refutation of faid Paralel 69. 
 
 XLIII. Vanini'j Jefts concerning the Immortali- 
 ty of the Soul. -71. 
 '—Defence of the German Nation. ib. 
 XL,! V. He Cenfures the Law 0/ Mofes. 72. 
 XLV. And the Chriftian Religion. 73. 
 
 •! And its Martyrs. jb. 
 
 " And Marriages. ib. 
 
 ' T'he Idea he gives us of Anti-Chriftî 73.- 
 
 — - And 0/ Jefus-Chrjft. 74. 
 
 ^^ ^«^ 0/?/;^ Eucharift. ib. 
 
 XLVI. And of the Affiles about the gift of 
 ^^ J^ongues. ib. 
 
 XL\ n. And of the RefurreEîion. 76. 
 
 • And of Socrates. 77. 
 
 ' Wickednefs of the atheiflical Conjectures. 
 
 XLVIIL He attacks the DoBriue of Devils. 
 
 78.' 
 1 — And of the Pagan Oracles: 7^. 
 
 rr— A flmt account of the different Opinions concern- 
 ing thofe : And that of Chryfippus. ib. 
 
 — Qf 
 
The C N T E N T s. 
 
 ,— . of Cicero and Lucian- Pag. 80. 
 
 Of the Primitive Chriftians. ib. 
 
 — Of Vanini and Father Tomafin. ib. 
 
 of Mr, Vandale and Mr- de Fontenelle. 81. 
 
 — of Father Baltus. ib. 
 XLIX Opinion of Vanini concerning the Periodi- 
 cal Returns he attributed to Religions. 82. 
 
 -»— Converfation of the Author with Mr. Bayle, .8 5 . 
 
 — 'That Libertines contradiEl themfehea, 84. 
 -— - As doth fome times Mr. Bayle. ib.. 
 L. The Idea Vanini gives us of Time. 85. 
 LI. The Prophane conclufîon of the Dialogues. ib. 
 
 — IVhere he laughs at the Fame of Paradife,Pur- 
 
 gacory and Hell, and ends with a luxurious 
 regret. 8(5. 
 
 LII. Vanini'j Condemnation related by Gramond, 
 in which he is defcrihed as an Acheift, 87. 
 
 ■=— A Seducer of Youth. ib. 
 
 — Prieft and Debauched. ib. 
 
 > Hypocrite and Prophane. 88. 
 
 •— Afterwards a Bigot, and Orthodox, through 
 
 Fear. . 8p. 
 
 — And afterward difcovering himfelf, is a 
 Blafplicmer againfl Jefus Chrifl:. 5)0. 
 
 LIII. Tl e FaB otherwife related by the French 
 Mercury. 92, 
 
 •— - The Relation of Gflrafïè, more conformable to 
 that of Gramond, and confequently more 
 probable. See the Advert if ement at the Be- 
 ginning of the Book. p^. 
 LIV. A CharaSler of Vanini deduced from what 
 hxs been related of him^ his Body and 
 Mind. 5?4. 
 —— ///V Erudition audVov^ny, ib. 
 
 His Hypocrify and Pride. 96. 
 
 •—— His Profanations and Criticifms. 97. 
 
 He ciiliuJates his own Narivity. 5>8. 
 
 — — His Morals. ib. 
 
 Mr- 
 
The C O N T E N T s. 
 
 — — Mr. La Croze*i" Judgment cênceming his Re- 
 cantations. Pag. 99* 
 
 — — Rigour of the Parliament, and Gramond'/ 
 Severity. loo. 
 
 •— — Vanini*i"laft Hours dreadftill. ib. 
 
 LV. Concerning the Latin Apology, luhich appear- 
 ed in favour of that Atheifl. ib. 
 
 LI V. Mr. Bayle'i negleSis concerning him as well in 
 Relation to the Fads as to the Argu- 
 mentacion. loj. 
 
THE 
 
 LIFE 
 
 O F 
 
 LUC IL 10 VANINI 
 
 To Mr. * * * * . 
 
 Work. 
 
 I R, 
 
 O U do me more Honour than The Occa- 
 I defervcj when you ask me a- Jj",°^ ^^*' 
 gain for what I had coUeded 
 concerning Lucilio Vanini's 
 Life. You remember that fince 
 the Year 1710, I was to have 
 continued l^HiJiohe des Ouvrages 
 des Saz'anSj which Work was always interrupted 
 by the learned Diftradions of the Author, and 
 finally flopped by his laft 111 nefs ; and by the 
 Occupations of his Brother f, who had faftained 
 
 f Mr. Bafnage, Miniftcr of the IrenchChmch. at the Hagm» 
 made feveral Abrtrafts for his Brother the Advocate, who 
 fell ill in 1709. 
 
 B that 
 
2 The Life of LucilioVaninî. 
 
 that Burthen from time to time, and would no 
 longer be troubled with it. I had then collected 
 fome Materials for the Continuation of a Work 
 which deferved my whole Attention, when Pro- 
 vidence called me from your City to Amflerdam ; 
 and a few Months after from Amfterdam to 
 England. 
 
 Among thofe Materials defigned for the 
 ^^*^^^ Journal, you had heard me fpeak of a Latin 
 Kini, by Book printed in Germany, under the Title of 
 Mr.Schram* The Life and Writings of the famous Atheifl 
 Julius C^sar Vanini ; wherein the Au" 
 thor treats of his Birth^ his Behaviour, his Edu^ 
 cation, and of his tragical End; the Whole taken 
 from his Writings, or other Authors worthy of Credit» 
 I made an Abftraât of that Book, and being 
 àt Work about it, I often wi(hed to fee with 
 my own Eyes, the ftrong and weak Side of 
 Vanini, I mean by reading all his Works. 
 By good Luck I found them in your Library, 
 you was pleafed to lend them me, I read them from 
 one end to the other, and I made ufe of *em 
 to give my Abftrad all the Certainty required 
 from a faithful Journalifl-. I read my MS. 
 to fome of my Friends, who approved it j I 
 do not now remember, if I did not (hew it, 
 to you likewife. Be that as it will, having fince 
 left your City, and Mr. Mcrtier, for whom I was 
 to have continued at Amfterdamj les Nouvelles 
 des la Republique des Letres, being dead, my Ab- 
 flrad was banilhed among my old Papers. 
 
 * De Vita et Scriptis famofi Athei Julii Cxfaris Vanini 
 traiiatus finguUris, in quo Genius, o> Mores (^ StuJia cum 
 ipfa Morte horrendu à Scriptis fuis rnrtoribus (^ alUs fd* dignis 
 Authoribtis feleHa funt, ©•, ne cui ojfevdiculo forent, trmrtt 
 iltiMs fimul funt refutati, à Johanne Maurlcio Schramm. 
 Cuflrini, Typ. (^ fumpt. Godofrcdi Heioinchii, Rej^ii RtgtH, 
 Neo-March, T)'pographi, 1709. 
 
 A 
 
^he "Life ^j/LucilioVawini. 5 
 
 A new Book , which appeared the Year Ux.it u 
 following, did not at all encourage me to take^"/'.* 
 it from thence. Mr. de la Crofe publithed his °^ ' 
 Entertainments upon divers SubjeHs of Hiftory, 
 Literature , Religion and Criticijm *. The 
 fourth of his Entertainments is A Dijfertation 
 upon Atheifm, which is well worth reading. 
 He fpeaks there of feveral Atheifts, and 
 Vanini is introduced in his turn. I muft 
 own I was a little difpleafed when I read that 
 Partage of his Differtation, becaufe it feemed to 
 me, that the Author had compiled there with 
 pretty good Judgment, the chief things to 
 be known concerning that Infidel, and taken 
 from me Materials, which I thought the 
 more entertaining and curious, becaufe no one 
 had ever given us any thing in French upon that 
 Subjeàt. I condemned therefore my MS. to 
 remain where I had put it, and it was going 
 to rot there at Eafe, if you had not asked me 
 for it again in your laft Letter. I (houid yet 
 refufe it you by a Principle of Modefty ; but 
 the Friendfhip and Obligations I owe you, will 
 not permit it. I chufe rather to revife my 
 MS. to reform it, to correct and even to 
 augment it, than to difappoint you a fécond time, 
 Befides, Mr. de la Crofe has omitted feveral im- 
 portant Remarks, which 1 have fupplied, and 
 perhaps fome will rather read Vani ni's Life, 
 in a little Volume by itfelf, than in the middle 
 of a tedious DilTertation, Afcer all. Sir, you are 
 Mafter of the MS. read it with fome Atten- 
 tion, and if it doth not pleafe you, do with ic 
 as they did with Van i n i j I atfure you I (hall 
 not take it ill in the leaft. 
 
 * The Book is printed at Amflerdumy by Koger. 17 ii. 
 
 B 2 2. I 
 
^. I'he Life of JLv cilio Van i n i. 
 
 II, I fiiall divide into five or fix Articles, all 
 what I have to tell you about our Neapolitan. I 
 fhall at firft fpeak of his Birth, and his Parents, 
 then of his Learning and Prxceptors ; after- 
 wards of his Travels, then of his Writings, 
 and of the Impiety hid in them, which dil- 
 covers itfelf by Degrees; and conclude with his 
 tragical Death, and a View of his Charader, 
 in oppofition to the Apologies of his Advocate, 
 * and the carelefsnefs of a celebrated Au- 
 thor, who in his Penfees Sur la Comète ^i^ has 
 cried up our Vanini for an honeft Man 
 and a true Martyr of Atheifm : This laft Ar- 
 ticle will perhaps be curious enough. And this 
 is the Method I intend to obferve in this Let' 
 ter : I with you may not have Reafon to repent 
 your Curioficy, nor 1 my Complaifance. 
 
 Vamni"? III. LuCILIO V A N I N I, waS bom ûtTllU- 
 
 Birrh, his ynfaito § in the Kingdom of Naples^ and not 
 
 cïmr ^^ Naples itfelf, as all the Editions of Moreno 
 
 andPaients.-D?^'''"^'.)' intimate, not even excepting the laft 
 
 by M. Du Pin**. I place his Birth in the Year 
 
 1585, and not 1579, as by an overfight Mr. la 
 
 Croje has done. The Day and Month are not 
 
 lînown, and I guefs only at the Year, from a 
 
 Paffage of his Dialogues upon Nature, where our 
 
 Infidel makes Alexander his Admirer fay to him, 
 
 you are hardly thirty Years old, and you have 
 
 ' enriched the Publick already with I do not know 
 
 * M. Arpe. Apohgid pro Julio C&fure Vmini, Neapolitano. 
 Cofmopoli. Typis Philaletheis. 1 7 1 1 . 
 
 :}: Tome i. P«g- 3J"<). C?> fnivuntes de Pelttion de 1704. 
 
 § 'Tis himfe.f tl.at acquaints us of it in the j-6th Dia- 
 • loguc, pag. 41+. fgo cum Tawifanum patriam mea>;nobiliJp'- 
 m-vn (^ ve'.ut in orbis aj.nulo gemmam, petcrem. Mr. Je le 
 Cro,e calls it the City Tauri;.-mo ; but I find no fuch City in 
 tlie Map?, hut a Market Town of that Name, a rew Leagues 
 from C'flro 
 
 •* The Edition of 5- Vol. Fol 1713. 
 
 how 
 
 I 
 
n'he Life (p/ !> u c i l i o V a n i n i. f 
 
 hoxv many illuftrious Monuments of Learning, 
 which have acquired you a great deal of Ho- 
 nour i ïhofe Dialogues having been printed ac 
 Paris in 1616, it is probable, if he lays true, 
 that he came into the V/orld towards the end of 
 15S5, or the beginning of the Year following. 
 
 His Fathers Name was 'yohn Bapn(ia Frt«/«?', His father! 
 Steward to Don Francis de Caflro, Duke of T'aii^ 
 Yofano, Viceroy of Naples, and afterwards Am- 
 ba(ïaâour 0Ï Spain to the Court of /Jowe». His His Mo- 
 Mother was called Beatrix Lopes de Nogueray^^^^' 
 ^ and if we may believe her Son, who omits 
 nothing to make himfelf efteemed, (he was of a 
 Spanifh Family of Diftindion. I would not re-.^"^^^"* 
 late here what he tells us of his Father, if itcumftance 
 did not give us to underftand how much Va- of his Fa- 
 nity and Puerility there was in the Genius of*^^"'^ 
 our Atheift. He fays that his Father * be-"°"'^- 
 ing near his End, and the Phyficians having 
 acquainted him with it, (liewcd fuch a De- 
 fire for an immortal Life exempt from all Lan- 
 guifViing and Slothfulnefs, that he arofe imme- 
 diately from his Bed, pronouncing thefe Words 
 of Vefpajtan^ it doth not behove me to die any otherivife 
 than fianding. As if a Saying did not loofe 
 of its Elegancy in paffing from the Mouth 
 of an Emperor into that of a Steward or 
 Farmer. 
 
 His Son, being born, was called Lucili o,HisCInfti- 
 but he became too arrogant to be contented ^n Name, 
 with an ordinary Name, and we fhail foon fee 
 how he was induced to take up another §. 
 
 IV. He was a great lover of Learning from HisSmdies. 
 his Infancy, and applied himfelf to it to 
 
 flic h 
 
 :|: Dial. 424. 
 
 * Amphit. p. if^. Vid. Swton. in Vefpnj-an. Cap 24. 
 
 § Gitrafe iays, That " the miftrable Lucilio changed his 
 
 "Name three or four times, according to the Country 
 
 " for 
 
^ ' The Life of l,vciLio Vanini. 
 
 fuch a Degree, that it foon filled him with 
 Prefumption. His Father fent him to Rome, 
 to ftudy there Philofophy and Divinity: His 
 Mafter was a certain Carmelite Fryer, called 
 B. Argottl^^^^^^^^^'^ ^ygott^, who at that time was very 
 famous. Vanini brags of it very much in 
 his Works J he teils us of his Wifdom, and 
 of his fedate Behaviour, and cries him up for 
 a Phœnix of the Preachers of his time \. In the 
 fame manner he mentions another Carmelite, 
 J. Bacon, called John Bacon, an Ornament fays he, to the 
 Averroist's, formerly my Praceptor, and of 
 "juhom 1 have learned to fxuear by none but A v E R. - 
 ROES. This he tells us in his Amphitheatre § ; a 
 fine ExprefTion for an Author, who propofes 
 there to refute the antient and modern A- 
 theifts ! 
 vanmiRu- From Rome he returned to Naples^ accord- 
 and Aftro-^"^ to Mr. Schramm*s Conjedure **, where he 
 logy. continued his Study of Philofophy. He de- 
 lighted much in Natural Philofophy, and out of 
 loveforthatScience, he applied hinifelf fome time 
 to Phyfick^ which is one of its Branches. Aftro- 
 nomy alfo imploy'd him confiderably, which 
 infenfibly flung him into the Whimfies of Af- 
 trologers. But he beftowed beft part of his 
 
 *' for beinp in Gafcony he called himfelf Pompeio, and among 
 " the Nobility he was known by no other Name. In Holland 
 •' his Name was JuUui C£far: When he was about printing 
 •' his Book at Paris he ftiled himfelf Jolio dfure Vanino ; 
 " and piinting his Amphitheatrum at Lyons, he added to it 
 " Taurifctno; and at Tholofe, when he was tried, he was 
 " called Sieur Lucilto. Garas. Do£t. Cur. p. 1014, 
 
 + Dial. p. lOf. Virum optimum ^ fapitnujjîmum. 
 
 § P. 17. Dtice Averroc, m cujus verba jurare ^«w'Joan- 
 ncs Baccontus, Averroiftarum princeps meritijjimus, olua^ f <e- 
 eettor coegerat. 
 
 ** De vita ô» Scripth Julii Cacfaris Vanini. p. 6, 
 
 time 
 
l!he Life cf Lucilio Vanini. 7 
 
 time upon Divinity, fuch as it was then, and 
 is ftill now taught in that Country. He doth 
 not feem to be well pleafed with it in his 
 Books, and he flips no Opportunity ')f giving 
 a fevere rub to the Scholaftich. Thomas A- 
 Q.UINAS, among others, although xtry much 
 refpeded by Men of his Party, feems to him 
 but a weak Realoner againft Impiety. He com- 
 plains in his Preface to the Amphitheatre^ that 
 although that Father*s Work againft ch.'^ Pagans 
 was very learned ; yet none of the Objections of 
 the Atheifts was there either well ftated wr con- 
 futed *. Neverthelefs, he protefts, . he is of 
 Opinion with Pope 'John XXII. .who in the 
 Confecration of this Saint, pronounced free- 
 ly ; he had done as many Miracles, as he 
 had decided of hard Queftions. 'Tis pity 
 that Miracles (hould have failed him, when 
 he wanted them moft, I mean againft Atheifts : 
 But probably V a n i n i would give us to under- 
 ftand, that the Miracles of his Church are of no 
 great Efficacy againft Libertines. 
 
 V. When he had finiftied his Studies, he gotHeismade 
 himfelf received a Prieft, and as he had a great ^ P'''^-Ai» 
 deal of Fire he foon came to be a Preacher. !^^ °^ ^% 
 
 ■» rt n 1 II f I manner or 
 
 I (hall not take upon me to tell you, whether Preaching. 
 his Sermons were excellent or no : But you 
 will judge very advantageoufly of them, if you 
 take his word for it. They were none of thofe 
 Monks Sermons, drawn from Phœbus and em- 
 broidered with continual Miracles, after the 
 manner of the Orators, on the other fide of 
 the Alps : But they were elaborate Difcourfes, 
 full of Juice, and nouriftied in fome meafure 
 with the Subftance of Truth. You may judge 
 of it, by a Fragment, which he gives us in 
 
 * Amfnitbtatr. in fr if at. 
 
 his 
 
s Hhe Life cfLv cilio VaninL 
 
 his thirtieth Dialogue. He remembers, fays heij 
 that preaching one Day upon the Queftion, IVhy 
 God made Men ? he refolved it by the famous 
 Scale of AviRROES, by virtue of which ic 
 was neceffary there ftiou'd be a gradation from 
 the loweft of Beings to the moft high. Ut 
 Wempe effet aîiquid quod imercejjlone fua fummis 
 ima coaftaret. Afterwards he himfelf propofes 
 this Scale according to the A v e r r o i s t s ; for 
 it is permitted to every Philofopher to make 
 his own, as to Divines to lay out their com- 
 mon Places. 
 
 tczk^"'* I. The fjrft matter according to our Italian, 
 is the lole Power, the pure ASi^ to wit God. 
 
 2. Next to Gcd are the Immaterial Sub- 
 ftames. 
 
 3. Next to Matter, is the form of Corporeity, 
 
 4. Betwixt thefe two are two Animal Souls, 
 the one Vegetative, the other Senfitive, 
 
 5. Above them are the Unàerjïanding, being 
 lefs than the Intelligences \ for exifting in Mat- 
 ter, it is immaterial and feparable from Mat- 
 ter ; diflinct from it by its ElTence, and con- 
 fufed with it for as much as it informs or 
 inftrucls it *. 
 
 What I obferve particular on this Head, 
 is, that fome celebrated Divines, among the 
 
 * Ipfe olim (7/i Vanini [peaks) concionando hanc quaeftio- 
 nem refolvi, Cur homo à Deo fu'/fet creatus ? Ut nempe a!i- 
 quid effet, quod iiKcrceflloae fua iummi? ima coaptarct,^— 
 Materia prima fccundum Averroiflas, fcla parentia, adtus pu- 
 rus, folus Dens. Prop;.' Deum SubfinntiA im/ncriales. Prope 
 Materiairt forma Corporeitatis. Inter hxc at>im£ brutae dux. 
 Vegetans 2c Sentirus; 8c fjper has potior Lntclle&ns, minor In- 
 ietJ'gentiis. Etenim in materia exiflens immaterialis, iêd à 
 materia icparabilis 5 fcparatus per effentiam, non fcparatuspcr 
 informacionem. Did. p. 254., 
 
 Proteftants 
 
The Life ^/ L u c i l i o V a n i n f * g 
 
 Proreftants have adopted Plato\ Scale, after 
 what Mr. Fontenelle has faid of it, to fliew 
 forth its Invalidity. " Some are mightily em- 
 barrafl'ed about the infinite Space, which is 
 between God and Human Creatures (fays that 
 bright Man) and they fill it up with Cf/ww/sand 
 Damons ; but with what (hall be filled up that 
 infinite Space there is between God and thofe 
 Genius's and Demons? For the diflance from 
 God to any Creature whatever, is infinite. 
 As it is neceflary, in a manner of fpeak- 
 ing, for God's Adion to traverfe an infi- 
 nite Vacuwn to reach thofe Dccmom, it might 
 as well come at once to Men, fince they 
 are but a few Degrees diftant from them, 
 and there is no proportion at all to the 
 *' firft Diftance. When Ccd treats with Men 
 by means of Angels, that is not to fay, 
 ** that Angels are neceflary for this Com- 
 munication, as Plato pretended ; God employs 
 them for Reafons, which Philofophy will ne- 
 " ver be able to difcover *'\ Neverthelefs 
 our Vanini would penetrare every thing, 
 and that in his Sermons, Averroes held 
 there St. Paul and St. Thomas's Place. It 
 is true the Hearers did not comprehend much 
 of it ; but that was to them a reafon for ap- 
 proving his Difcourfe ; for many People readily 
 facrifice their Reafon to the found offomehard 
 Words and obfcure Terms. 
 
 VI. Now our Vanini wanted nothing but He fludics 
 the Study of the Law, to give his Learning ^'^^ .^^^^ 
 that Air of Univerfality, which fo many Men ^^^^^^ 
 are fond of. He calls himfelf DoElor in utrcqiie 
 Jure, in the Title Page of his Dialogues, and 
 
 • Fontenelle Hift. des Oracles. Ch, vi. p. 74. 
 
 C it 
 
lo Ibe Life ofLv CIL lo VANiNié 
 
 it appears indeed, that he was not a Novice 
 in the Civil Law, nor even the Canonical. 
 His ftay at VII. From Naples he went to Padua, where 
 pW«»,andthe goodnefs of the Air, the foftnels of the 
 his laudable Qjj^^j.g^ and efpecially the Converfation with 
 ^^^^ ^' Men of Letters, detained him fome Years. He 
 there repeated all the Sciences which he had 
 run over, and although extreamly poor, he 
 ftudied with all the Ardour which a Difpofition 
 hot of it Self, and moreover inflamed by a pro- 
 digious Ambition, can furnilh. All is ivarm, 
 * lays he, to thofe that love ; have I not fuftained 
 at Padua the greatejl Frofl in Winter vsith a poor 
 and thin Drefs, animated only with a Defire of 
 Learning ? He fays in his Amphitheatre, that 
 having finiftied his Studies in that City, he found 
 • himfelj in a Capacity to go through all Europe, t(î 
 niijit the Univer/îties and afftjl at the Ajfemhlies and 
 Conferences of the Learned \. He boafts afterwards 
 that he had done it and perfected himfelf in 
 all kind of Learning. 
 HisFavou- Viil. His favourite Authors were Aristotle, 
 
 rite All- » 
 
 thors, AvERRoES, Cardan and roMPOiNA tius. 
 Thofe Names are fufRciently known ; M. Bayle 
 has given us a faithful pourtrait of them in 
 his Critical DiEîionary, and it may be fufficienc 
 here to obferve in what Efteem our V a n i n i 
 held them. 
 
 Arijlotk. As to Ariftotk, that went even to Admiration ; 
 he calls him the God of Phi/ofophers , ** The 
 DiBator of human IVifdoJU , and the Sovereign 
 Pontiff of the Sages. He owns that he devoted 
 himfelf entirely to him, and that he had him 
 continually in his Hands, before his Eye?, and 
 
 * Dial, p. 35-Î. 
 
 4: See the Preface of his Amphitheitre. 
 
 ** Dc Amirand, Natur. Arcan. Dial. 1 1 . 
 
 in 
 
 1 
 
Ihe Life ^/ L u c i l i o Va n i n i. i i 
 
 in his Mind. He borrows from him in feveral 
 Places, without naming him, and if it was worth 
 while, I could eafily make ic appear, that he 
 is not the Inventor of all thofe notable Inquiries 
 into the Myfteries of Nature, which he rccails 
 with fo much Oftentation, and about which 
 Alexander is introduced admiring him, as 
 if they were all new Difcoveries. 
 
 The Syftem of Averroes, which is but 
 a Branch of that of Artjiot/e, was fo much to his 
 liking, that he took care to recommend this Au- 
 thor to his Difciples in their beginning, and even 
 when they had no Tinfture of Philoibphy at all. 
 He himfelf acquaints us with this Particularity, 
 in his Dialogues jf. I0:jen the Btifinefs was, 
 fays he, fpeaking of one of his SchoIar5, to 
 initiate him in the Myfleries of Philofophy^ I took 
 great Care, that he fwore to no ones Name ; / con- 
 tented my felj "With putting into his Hands Aver- 
 R G E s's Books J iiéich he read with fuch Grcedinefs^ 
 and by which he profited fo much, that hefocn took upon 
 him to confute the Impertinencies of the Schclafticks, 
 who talk fiiperficially upon Matters. 
 
 PoMPONATius, a famous Averroist, 
 had left behind him at Padua, many Followers 
 and feveral Writings. Our Van i ni read 
 them greedily, and confirmed himfelf foon in 
 the fame Sentiments. Mr. Schramm believes c,./;.,^„,., 
 V A N I N I had ftudied under Pompona- Miftakc. 
 tius at Bottlogna * , and that they had 
 feen each other ; but he doth not take Notice 
 that Pofnponatius was born in 1452, and that 
 Vanani died in 1615?, but 34 Years old accord- 
 ing to my Calculation. Be that as it will, he 
 calls him always his Divine Mafler, Divinum 
 
 ff Amphith. p. 7,^0. 
 
 * Schramm de Vita & f'criptis Van'mi. ^. i-j, 
 
 C 2 i'i'^- 
 
[li ^be Life ofLv ciLio Y A iJi mi 
 
 Praceptorent^ and beflovvs great Enccmiums upon 
 his Works f. The Book where he treats 
 iibout Enchamments, and which was looked upon 
 as a dangerous one, feemed to him a Golden 
 Treatife : Liber aureus. 'Another about Defliny 
 charmed him, and a third about Caufes and 
 Natural Efteds, deferved alfo his higheft Ad- 
 miration. In fliort he had hardly any Doubt 
 left, but the Soul of Averroes had tranfmigra^ 
 ted into Pomponatius'i Body {*). 
 ^T r"^' Cardan is alfo one of thofe Authors, whom 
 he was a Va N I N I had ftudied much. He praifes him 
 Fooioran and finds fault with him in feveral Places. In 
 Atheift? Qj-je place, he gives him the Character of a Man 
 of great Senfe, and giving little Credit to Su- 
 perftirion tf. Naude doth not agree to the firft 
 Article, for he maintains that he was perfcdly 
 ftupid ; which appears fufiîcientiy from his own 
 Writings, when he relates the Tranfadions of 
 his Life. Mr. Eayle, a Man of a clear Under- 
 ftanding, finds in him rather the Character of 
 a Superfticious Man, than of an Atheift, and he 
 agrees with Naude, that Cardans chief Chara- 
 cter was Folly **', of which, as he pleafantly ex- 
 prefifes it, his Underllanding could pais for no- 
 thing but an Appendix. And truly how can a 
 Man like Cardan (who out of a finpid Ingenuity 
 owns himlelf guilty of the moft heinous and 
 difagreeable Vices, without excepting even that 
 of Proplianation) pa fs ior one in his Senfes 
 with thofe who have preferved theirs §. 
 
 t Divinus Pracccptor in Aurco opufcuio dc incantationibus. 
 Dial. p. 574. 
 
 * Amphit.DiJfertat.Vl.^. ;6. 
 
 -f-f Dial. p. 105. 204. 
 
 ** See Dift. Cm. The Article 0^ Cxrdan. 
 
 § Idem ibid. 
 
 Another 
 
 I 
 
I'he Life ^/ L u c i l i o V a n i n i. 13' 
 
 Another Folly ; Cardan and Pompoimtius had CarJan 
 borh writ upon the Immortality of the Souî, and 5^"^,^°^/vc 
 oppofed it when they feemed to ellablifliit. Pom- both writ 
 pouatiui began it, and made himfelf many Ene-onthelm- 
 mies, by advancing this very delicate Propofition, "1°^ § ^1 
 njiz,. That fince it was impoflible to prove it by 
 Natural and Philofophical Realbns, the fureft 
 way was to have recourfe to Revelation f. 
 Cardan maintained the fame thing, and copied 
 PQ7nponatius. Thefe two uniform Treatifes up- 
 on the fame Matter, gave them a very bad 
 Repute ; and the truth of the Matter is, thac 
 they did not manage their Orthodoxy with any 
 Condud. They are not contented to attack 
 there the Spirituality and Immortality of our 
 Souls, by the Principles oï Ariftotle's Philofophy ; 
 but alfo defend Atheifts, as being honeft Men, 
 whofe dilinterefted Virtue is more Praife- 
 worthy, than that of the moft couragious De- 
 fenders of the Immortality. Some would hav^e 
 advanced in our times, that Atheifm is not worfe 
 than Idolatry ; I do not know if they have not 
 flopped there, becaufe they dared not go any 
 farther. Cardan being bolder, made the 
 Scales to turn in Favour of Atheifm ; the Paf- 
 fage is fo remarkable, that I cannot help tran- 
 flating it here, io much the rather becaufe 
 Mr. Bayle has not quoted it, to my Knowledge, 
 in the Continuation of his Various Thoughts upon 
 Comets, " Let us nojv fee ^\, fays he, whe- 
 " ther the Belief of Immortality makes Men 
 " more virtuous and happy. As for my part, 
 *' I do not perceive it contributes any thing 
 *' towards it. We fee in Cicero and Diogenes 
 " LaertiuSy that the Epicureans were more up- 
 
 f See D;c?. Hifîor. c? Critic. The Article of Vomponatius. 
 ^*ir Cardanus De immortal, anim. Cap. 2. foi. j;?. 
 
 ': riche 
 
[r4 ^he Life ofLvcitio Vanini. 
 
 *' right and honeft, and had more true Good- 
 *' nefs towards Men, than the Stoicks or Pla~ 
 *' tonkks. The Reafon is, if I miftake nor, 
 *' what Galen advances, that Men grow good or 
 " bad by Cuftom\\. But no Body crufts them 
 " who make no Profeffion of an unlhaken Up- 
 *' righteoufnefs ; and therefore they are obliged 
 *' to obferve more their Honour than others, 
 *' and to prove themfelves fuch to the Publick, 
 " for fear Men (hould think their Praôices 
 *' are according to their Sentiments. Hence it 
 " is that few Men now a-Days equal the Faith 
 ** of Ufurers ; which otherwife lead a very 
 " bad Life. Let it be obferved alfo, that the 
 *' Sect of PharifeeSy who believed in the Re- 
 " furredion and Immortality of the Soul, never 
 " ceafed profecuting J4^s thrift i and that the 
 ** SaduceeSj another Seel, which rejeâed both 
 " thefe Articles, attacked him but very feldom, 
 *' once or twice at moft, and in fuch a Manner 
 " that it caufed him no great Uneafinefs. A- 
 ** gain, if you compare the Lives of Pliny and 
 " Seneca, their Lives I fay, and not their Words, 
 " you will find that Pliny with his Belief of 
 " the Mortality of the Soul, furpafles Seneca 
 *' in his moral Behaviour as much, as he Pliny 
 '* in his Difcourfe upon Religion and Virtue. 
 *' The £/'/V«^^^»J' cultivated Honefty, they en- 
 " tertained very officioufly the Children of their 
 " Pupils, and maintained at their Charges the 
 " Families of their dcceafed Friends. They 
 *' were looked upon every where as honeft 
 " Men, altho they did not regard much the 
 ** Worihip of the Gods, and denied their Ex- 
 
 +f Thar contradids his Principle, proving the Inequality 
 of the Sefts. 
 
 j0ence 
 
T^he Life ^/LucilioVani n-i. 15 
 
 " iflence very ftrongly*". It happens alfo from 
 " that flattering Opinion of another Life, that 
 the Wicked have room to exert their PafTions ; 
 the Good fuftcr many things contrary to the 
 Welfare of Society ; and the Laws fuftain 
 " a confiderable Shock, in as much, as upon 
 Confideration of ReHgion, they are foftened 
 " to fuch a Degree that often the very Foundation 
 of the Publick Good, and the Eafe of Man- 
 kind hes at Stake. Neither doth it feem to 
 me, that this Belief of Immortality, makes 
 Men more couragious. For Byutus was no 
 more fo than Cafftus ,• and if we will fay the 
 Truth, the Actions of Brutus were rather 
 *^ more cruel than thofe of Caffius. For the laft 
 " treated the /^/;0(i/'«»j, altho* great Enemies of the 
 '* righteous Caufe, in a more favourable man- 
 *' ner, than Brutus had done the Cities where 
 he commanded, and which were in Alliance 
 " with him. And laftly, what (hall we fay ? 
 *' Is it not Brutus f the fame Brutus the Stoick, 
 ** who delivered the Republick into Anthony's 
 " Hands, becaufe he had faved it to no pur- 
 *' pofe, altho' according to Law ,• after Caffius 
 " had refcued it by his good Condud". I have 
 copied the whole Paflage for feveral Reafons, 
 Firft, to make Cardans Character known, and 
 the Value one ought to put upon his Writings, 
 and efpecially upon that about the Immortahty 
 of the Soul. Secondly, to expofe Vam'ms Cha- 
 rader at the fame time, who retails thofe very 
 Thoughts in his Dialogues, and no Doubt ap- 
 proves themf. Thirdly, to make it appear that 
 the Paradoxes which have been lately vented a- 
 
 * They did not deny it abfolutely, but only ftammered 
 upon this Article. Epicurnm Balbutientem. Dtnatttra Deorum. 
 + Dial, p. 3z8. 
 
 broad, 
 
1 6 The Life of L ir c i l i o V A n i N i. 
 
 broad, and the Examples alledged to that Pur- 
 pofe, are not fo new as fome may imagine. 
 And laftly, to have an Opportunity of (hew- 
 ing our Acknowledgment to Mr. Bayle^ for thac 
 being fupported by many Reafons, furniftied 
 him by Cardan^ he yet was honeft enough to 
 keep an even Balance between Religion and A- 
 theifm ; maintaining againft the Italian Philofo- 
 pher, that it was not true that Religion had 
 done more harm than good in the World, as 
 he exprefies himfelf in SeBion 131, of h\s various 
 T'houghtSy &c. He believes even that Religion in- 
 fpires more Courage than Atheifm ; for lays he 
 in the fame Place, With Cardan s Leave : A Society 
 of Atheijls^ as being incapable of adminiflring to 
 each other Motives of Religion to make them coura- 
 geous^ coud en fier be difperfed than a Society of 
 Men that ivorjhip fome Deity. Behold here two 
 famous Authors in a Contradidion about the 
 Power of the Influence of Atheifm ! This is 
 not a proper Place to examine thefe Sentiments ; 
 let it fuffice that we have juftified in Part the 
 Judgment of Mr. Naudé upon Cardans Philofo- 
 phy, one of tlie great Matters of our Vanini, 
 Pomponatius had alieady treated upon the fame 
 Topick. I (hall quote here fome Pieces out of 
 his Book of the Immortality of the Soul^ by which 
 you may judge of the reft '*. He is very well 
 perfuaded that the Dodrine of the Immortality 
 of the Spirits, doth not difpofe Men to be 
 wicked, and that (ince they naturally love Fe- 
 licity and hateMifery ; to make them honeft it 
 fuffices to îhew them, that the Happinefs of Lije 
 conjifts in the PraSiice of Virtue^ and Mifery in the 
 PraEîice of Vice. He addsy that thofe who inculcate 
 Mortality of the Soul, open a M^ay to the mofl per- 
 
 * See Di<5t. Hift. Crit. Article, Pomponatius. 
 
 fen 
 
7>&^ i/f^ (?/ LuciLio Vanini. 17 
 
 fe^ Virtue^ which is that which hath not in T/tevi 
 any Recompenfe or Chaflifement. He a/fu fays, that 
 thofe Men are brutal^ to whom the Immrtaliiy of the 
 Soul muft be propofed as a Bribe : And that probably 
 there arefome Authors who have taught that DoSIrine, 
 •without believing it themfelves, and ufed that Stra^ 
 tagem to re/train the jenfual Inclinations of brutal 
 Minds *. All thofe Remarks, adds Mr. Bayle, 
 do not remove the Difficulty. But here is a 
 more reafonable Thought, founded upon Fafts. 
 He fays, that a great Number of zvicked People 
 Relieve the Im?nortality of the Souly and that many 
 Saints andjufiMendo not believe it. Here is the 
 whole Pafl-ige which Mr. Bayle has not tranfla- 
 ted. " And it is not generally true that they 
 are debauched People, who eftabliih the Mor-» 
 *' tality of the Soul ,• neither is it true, they are 
 '* all wife Men who believe the Immortality : For 
 " it is evident that abundance of ill Livers have 
 " Faith, but are led aitray by their Paffions ; 
 *' and on the contrary we know for certain, that 
 " a great Number of wife and juit Men held 
 " the Mortality of the Soul. Plato tells us in 
 " the firft Book of his Repuhlick, that the Poet 
 ** Sirnomdes, an excellent and divine Man in all 
 *' Refpeds, was of that Number. Homer ^ 
 *' accoiûi.ig to Ariftotle's Obfervation in his 
 *' Treatife upon the Soul Ch, 2. made no Diftin- « 
 
 *' dion betwixt Senfe and Underftanding : And 
 *' who is ignorant of Horner s Merit ? HippO" 
 ^' crates and Galen^ Perfons whofe Probity was 
 *' no ways inferior to their Knowledge, were 
 *' of the fame Opinion. Alexander Avhrodifeus^ 
 *' the great Alfarabus, Abubacer, Avempacius, 
 
 • Thefe^'are Mr. Bayle i Words, Dift. Hift. Sc Crit. Art,' 
 
 D V and 
 
1 8 ^he Life of L u c 1 1, i o V a n i iî t. 
 
 " and among the reft Plinius and Seneca, and 
 *' many others, are not far from this Sentiment". 
 Seneca in his 54th Epiftle, Lib. VII. fays in plain 
 Terms, that the Soul is mortal. And he ex- 
 prefles himfelf yet clearer in his Epiftle to Mar- 
 cia, where he fpecifies the Names of a great 
 . Number of other learned Men, who believed 
 the fame f. 
 
 Here it appears, how Cardan and Mr. Bayle do 
 not agree about the influence of Atheifm : Be- 
 fides, Pomfonatius does not hold the fame with 
 Cardan concerning Seneca. Cardan^ makes him a 
 Stokk and a good Orator, but not a very honeft 
 Man : Pomponatius miakes an Epicurean of him, 
 in point of the Mortality of the Soul, and yet 
 a very good Man. However thofe three Au- 
 thors, Cardan, Pomponatius and Bayle, agree in 
 this Point ; that Atheifm does not make Men worje 
 than they luould be vtherways. Now that Cardan 
 and Po7nponatius were profefled Infidels, notwith^ 
 ftanding their preliminary Proteftacions in thofe 
 ^* -, , two Treatifes, is ftrenuoufly denied by Bayle ; 
 IjJa beJfej. and indeed natural Equity demands that we 
 Opinion of fliould fufpend our Judgment upon Circumftan- 
 themthan (.gg only, unlefs by manifeft Prophanations Au- 
 civanim. ^^^^^ ^^^ off the Mask, as Vanini and o- 
 thers have done. Vanini is not fo equitable 
 as Bayle, towards the two Italians juft now men- 
 tioned. Pomponatius and Cardan'^', fays he, ivere 
 Men full of Knoijûledge and Learning. T'hey ivere 
 fo little dijlant from my Sentiments, that each of 
 them has given us a Treatife on the Immortality of 
 the Soul. I own ingenuoufly, I don't know as yet their 
 Sentiments upon that Head and the ?nanner in which 
 they have exprejfed themfelves, for thofe two Books 
 
 -J- Vo77)ponat. De immortalitate anime, p. 119. 
 "^ Amphit. Dillèrtat. 28. 
 
 are 
 
The Life ^/LucilioVanini. ig 
 
 {ire not yet come to my Hanà^^ my have they ap- 
 peared at the Fairs of Franckfortr, or in the Shops 
 of our Lutheran and Cahkiift Bookfdllers. After 
 all, I do not knozv, ij they have not done as Agrip- 
 pa, "who has compofed fo many Books about the evo- 
 cation and conjuration of Dsemons, although that 
 arch Knave * believed nothing cf it, after the Ex- 
 ample of all thofe Necromancers ^ who impcfe en the 
 Vulgar. See the firft Book De vanitate Scien- 
 tiarum, and the beginning of every Volume, 
 where Agrippa openly denies the Exiftence of 
 Damons. 
 
 Thus our Atheift furniHies us defignedly with 
 a Key to his pernicious Works. That Me- 
 thod of attacking, when one i^^ems to defend, 
 is not new. Carneades ufed it fometimes : Ci- 
 cero did as much in his philofophical Books; 
 Agrippa has imitated them; Cardan and Pom- 
 ponatius are come fince j and our Vanini has 
 taken a model from them in his Diflertations 
 and Dialogues. By the privilege of Hiftory, 
 I (hould name here him, who with a greater 
 Talent and more light than thofe Itali/ins, has 
 built upon all the others ; but as he is one of 
 your Heroes, and the Opinions of Men are 
 divided into the different Views they have af- 
 figned him; you would perhaps never forgive 
 me, if I put his Name in the Lift with Car- 
 dan, PomponatiuSj &c. 
 
 IX, Vanini having fini(h*d his Studies, re- v^^nhi un- 
 turned into his native Country, viz.. to Tau- ^^^^^}:^î^^ 
 rofanOy probably to regulate his Aftairs, and ^° ^ '^ 
 to put himfelf in a lituation of commencing 
 his Miffion. To that end, after he had done 
 
 * See Bayle's Di6t. Hift. Crit. Article Agrippa MeUnch' 
 ton in his Letter to Count d'Erbach calls him Sorcerer. Ep. 
 lin. S. p, 1 1. 
 
 D 2 hisL 
 
30 T^he Life of "Lv c it lo Va n i n t, 
 
 his Bulinefs, he returned to Naples, and 'twas, 
 there, as it is fuppofed, he formed the ftrange 
 Defign of going with thirteen of his Compa- 
 nions to fpread in the World his Atheifm. 
 Some pretend even, he ovvn'd this at Thou- 
 loufe before the Parliament. P. Marfenne re- 
 lates it in his Commentary upon Genefis, where 
 he refutes Vanini\ Impieties. " Before he wa? 
 *' executed at T'hotiloufe^ he confefied before 
 " the whole Affembly of the Parliament, that 
 " at Naples, he and thirteen others, had re- 
 " lolved to go through the whole World, to 
 *' fow the Dodrine of Atheifm, and that 
 '* France, had fell to his Lot. An impious 
 *' Apoftlefhip, adds Marfenne, which he exe- 
 *' cuted but too well at Paris and in other 
 " Places. * 
 
 I quote this Circumftance, becaufe it comes 
 from a grave Author; but I do not think it 
 probable for two Reafons, Firft, fuppofing 
 the Faft to be true, that Vanini, to turn the 
 Gofpel into ridicule, had ntfeded an Apoftle- 
 fhip of that Nature, I cannoc think he would 
 have own'd it in an abfolute Court of Juftice, 
 which could aggravate his Punifhment ; unlefs 
 one fuppofes, it was but a few Minutes before 
 Execution, when he faw there was no hopes 
 left for him. But Father Marfenne adds, he 
 made that CcnfclHon publlckly before all the 
 Judges. Was all the Parliament in a Body to 
 accompany him to the place of Execution ? That 
 is not likely at all. The other Realbn is, 
 that Gramoifid, who was upon the Place, and 
 befides, firft Prefidcnt of the Parliament, fays 
 nothing of if, neverthelefs, the thing was re- 
 
 * Marftme. Comment, in Gencf. p. 6jt,6ji. 
 
 markablc 
 
I'he Life ^/ li u c i l i o V a n i n i. 21 
 
 markable enough to be remembered, and of 
 too great Importance to be forgot, upon ac- 
 count of that impious Man, and of whofe 
 Death he relates the moft minute Circumftan- 
 ccs. If this negative Argument doth not per- 
 fuade all the Readers, we muft own at leaffc 
 that as Vanini gave a full Account of himfelf, 
 before he died, Gramcnd was in the wrong to 
 fupprefs this particular. 
 
 However it be, the Diflribution of thefe new 
 Apcfllcs being fettled, and F/ance being appoint- 
 led to our Vanini^ he from that time quitted 
 the name of Luci/io, and afl'umed that of Julius 
 Cafar. Ke thought perhaps, to make as confi- 
 derable fpiritual Conquefts among the Gauls, 
 as Julius Cafar had made temporal ones. But 
 he was diiappointed ; for he did not return to 
 Naples with his Friends in Triumph, nor did 
 he die fo nobly as the Roman Diétator. 
 
 X. Here we (hall follow him in all his"'* f^'"' 
 Courfes, according to the Method traced byyoygg^j^ 
 Mr. Schramm. You'll fee the Marches and 
 Countermarches of our turbulent Apoftle. He 
 croffed firft through a part of Germany, and 
 advanced as far as Bohemia, where he had fome 
 difcourfe with a Mcmncnite, and maintained ^r, • » 
 obftinately, that the Chnltians dilputed among ohjcétion 
 themfelves about Trifles, and that all thofe who agjinft 
 received the Creed of the Apoftles with thofe, Schifms. 
 of Nice, of Conflamimple and St. Athanafiw, 
 had no reafon to excommunicate and con- 
 demn each other. Our Italian being fatisfied 
 to have railed at the Chriftians about their 
 Doftrine and Schifms, makes an Anabaptift an- 
 fwer coolely according to his Cuflom, that 
 the Roman Catholicks * differ as much jrom the 
 Hereticks, as Truth frcm Faljhood, 
 
 * Dial. p. 34,9. 
 
 Having 
 
2z The Life of Lucilio Vanint.' 
 
 Having travelled all over Germany, he had 
 a mind to fee the Low-Countries, and he ftopped 
 at Amfterdam, where he had feveral Difputes 
 with an Atheift, vvhofe Impieties he obferves. 
 But they are rather, as 1 think, his own 
 Thoughts, which he only puts into the Mouth 
 of another, to have the malicious Pleafure of re- 
 futing them ill ; as we (hall fee by what follows. 
 When he had feen all Holland, and the prin- 
 cipal Cities of Brabant, which he accufes of be- 
 ing full of Infidels, he came to Geneva, where he 
 he had alfo, fays he, a long Difpute with a Dutch 
 Atheijt, whofe Blafphemies and Filthy he confuted 
 •with a great deal of Force and Courage, even to the 
 haz-ard of his Life *. As if there were any 
 danger in a Proteftant City, to launch out 
 vigoroufly againft Libertines, for one who is 
 a Papift? That may do well enough in Italy 
 or Spain, or among feme of the Peafants, 
 to whom Geneva is reprefented as a fafe 
 Retreat of Jews and Atheifts. But fuch is 
 the Charaâer of Vanini : You muft not rely 
 too much upon what he fays, for according to 
 Boileaus Epigram, f his IVords are frivolom, and 
 his Difcourfes no Articles of Faith. 
 
 XI. Since we mention Geneva, you cannot 
 imagine, Sir, how much the Southern Nations 
 are prejudiced againft that City. I remember, 
 that being lodg'd in Spain, at a Prieft's Houfe, 
 in the Kingdom of Valencia, the Governour of 
 the City, where I then was, being fick, fent 
 to all the Houfes in the Town to get fome 
 Fowls for his Money. They refufed him very 
 rudely. He being piqued at this Refafal, whicli 
 
 * Dial. p. 318. 
 
 + toikati Epigr. contre un Athée. Oeuvr. de Boile/iu 
 Tom. 1. 
 
 was 
 
^he Life f/ Lucilio Van in i. %i 
 
 was at an unfeafonable Time, becaufe the City,' 
 which had furrender'd idelf, had been rebel- 
 lious to Vhili^ V. he revenged himfelf wi:h a 
 great deal of Mildnefs : He commanded a Ser- 
 geant and two Soldiers, to go into all the Court- 
 yards, and to take by force, and without pay- 
 ing, what had been refufed him for a juft Price.- 
 The Sergeant and Soldiers, began with the 
 Priefts, as being beft ftock'd, and came to our 
 Houfc. My Landlord, a venerable old Man, 
 but very brisk, concefted fome time, but fub- 
 niitted at lafl:, being overcome by his Nephew's 
 and Houfe-keeper's Intreaties ; but not without 
 a great deal of Paffion. In (hort, he could not 
 contain himfelf any longer, when he faw that 
 the Soldiers, (hewing him his Fowls, laugh'd in 
 his Face. Is that^ fays he, the Law of God? It 
 is the Devil*s Law ! In Geneva itfelf there is no- 
 thing done like it. Eflb es Ley de Dios t Es Ley 
 de todos los Diablos ! In Genienjra no fe haze 
 talCofa.' 
 
 XII. Vanini finding himfelf no longer fecure F/t»iVs "» 
 at Geneva^ becaufe he perhaps r.fted there the^"^?"^""' 
 Libertine, went to Lyons, and took upon him|JJg"Qg^"g 
 alfo to hold forth there under Pretext of teach- for Mar- 
 ing Philofophy. But they difcovered the Ve-tyrdora. 
 nom, and he was obliged to flee, to efcape be- 
 ing burnt. The Plan of his Apoftlefhip was 
 thus often interrupted. He came to England, 
 and made Acquaintance at London, with one 
 Moravi, Chaplain to the Envoy of Venice, and 
 by his Afliduicy to the Carholick Faith, he drew 
 upon him, fays he, the P erf edition of the Prote- 
 ftants. He was put in Prifon, where he remained 
 forty nine Days, zvell prepared to receive the Oown 
 cj Martyrdom, which he wifhed for, fays he, with 
 ail the Ardour imaginable. This happened in 
 
 idi4. 
 
24 ^^^ ^^f^ ofLv ciLio Van IN I. 
 
 1614, and is the fécond Date we have found m 
 his Life, j 
 He is fuf- XIII. But fuch a Martyrdom did not agree 
 pefted in ^jth an Atheift. They let him out of Prifon, 
 ^'^^^/"'^hecrofs'd the Sea, and took the Road for Itafy 
 France again. Another Difappointment in his Views.' 
 again. Genoa feem'd very proper for him to raife him- 
 felf Difciples. He therefore undertook to 
 teach Youth, receiving Scholars of all Degrees: 
 Unhappily for him they had no great regard 
 there for Averroes. They look*d upon him as 
 an Arabian Philofopher, * a profefs'û Enemy of 
 the Immortality of the Soul ; he wrote againft 
 the Cbrijiian Religion, which he look'd upon as 
 falfe, by reafon of the pretended Myftery of 
 the Eucharift; the 'Jevùiflo he called childilh, 
 for the many Rites and Ceremonies; And 1-iftly, 
 the Mahometan^ he ftiles a hoggifh Reliji;i'<n, 
 becaufe of the carnal Enjoyment which it per- 
 mits and authorizes. Oar Vanini neverrhelefs, 
 was a perfed Averroift^ as we have obferv'd 
 already. He commenced his firCx L.e(:::tares 
 with the Principles of thar Philofopher; an 
 unhappy Obftinac}'', which accompany'd him 
 every where, and always drew upon him the 
 fame Sufpicion and Danger ! Some complained 
 of it, he was afraid, and returned to Lyons, 
 where he endeavoured to skreen hirnfe'F from 
 the Perfecution of the Clergy, by :-: Book 
 againft CWr;«, and other At heijtf^ wh^r^'V, un- 
 der pre:ence of combating tuem with all his 
 Might, he gives 'em, in fome mealure, the 
 Vidory, by the weaknels of his Anfwcrs. We 
 
 f- Amphit. p. n8. Such is the Hypcri-y vhich reigns from 
 tne End to the cfher cf his Amphitheatre. 
 
 * See Boyle's and Meren'i Diûionaries. Article Averroes. 
 
 ihall 
 
T^he Life f>/ L u c i l i o V a n i n i. if 
 
 ftiall fpeak prefently of nis Amphitheatre, when 
 we have conduded our Atheifl: to the End of 
 his Courfe. 
 
 XIV. But not trufting too much to his Books, f^'^'f'^^de 
 in which the Venom is vvrap'd up fo carelefsly,^yj.^y'^'^"ç 
 that it could not efcape the Obfervarion ofofthcCon- 
 Men of Underftanding, he went to Italy again, ^'ent for 
 where having been accufed of reaflumine his ^"^^ 
 lormer Impieties, he return d mto France^ and Crime. 
 took Orders upon him in Gtiienne^ but it is not 
 known in what Convent. The Patiniana tells 
 us this Particularity f. F. Merfenne, who con- 
 firms it, adds another, which, if it is true, is 
 a great Reproach to the Life of our Atheift, viz.. 
 That he was turn'd out of the Convent for his 
 diforderly Behaviour ; and among the reft, for 
 a Crime deferving of Fire and Faggot, which 
 good Manners forbid to name, and the Minime 
 dares not to exprefs himfelf but in Greek. I fhall 
 endeavour to tranflate the whole Paflage. " In 
 " that manner, fays the Fryer, fpeaking againft 
 ** Infidels, 'tis one hears Atheifts talk : IVe are 
 *' hontft Men, ive do nothing againft our Confci- 
 ** encCy ive would rather die than for/wear our 
 ** felves, or wrong any My. But with their leave, 
 " they don't fay true. There is not a worfe 
 " Man than an Atheift : And I prove it even by 
 " the Example of Vanini, the Cafar of the In- 
 *' fidels, who having taken upon him the Ha" 
 " bity and not being willing to diftionour himr 
 " felf by the Love of Women, thought to puc 
 " himfelf out of the reach of Infamy, by giv- 
 ** ing into the Excefs which is attributed to his 
 ** Country ; which being known in the Convene * 
 ** where he was, they turn'd him out as a vile 
 " Monfter *. 
 
 f Patiniana. p. 1 1 9. 
 
 * Merfen. Comment, in Genes, p. 6-j\. 
 
 E XV. Ba- 
 
[2(5 T'^^ Xif<? c/LuciLio VaKinï, 
 
 XV. Being banilh'd from the Convent he re- 
 tired to Paris : And as he always perfilled in his 
 Views, he negleàed no Opportunity to infinuate 
 his Parodoxes. He endeavoured to introduce 
 himfelf to the Pope's Nuncio, which was at 
 that time Roberto Vbaldiniy Biftiop of Politio, 
 To make his Court to him, and all the Clergy 
 in general, he undertook to write An Apology of 
 the Council of Trent : The Nuncio gave him 
 the Liberty of his Library, and free Power to 
 confult what Books he thought proper. This 
 Circumftance he tells us himfelf in his Works, 
 that you may not be (hock'd to fee fo many 
 antient and modern Atheifts alledged and refu- 
 ted there ; a Liberty which, every one knows, is 
 not allowed to Priefts, Patin tells us, that he 
 affeded to be Learned, but was not : But he 
 fpeaks only from Tradition. F. Merfenne^ who 
 was better informed about it, tells us, in the 
 Place of his Commentary, quoted above *, that 
 he did not acquit himfelf ill of the Functions 
 of his impious Apo/I'c/bip. He perverted a 
 great many young People, he gained fome Phy- 
 ficians, and had accefs to the Marfhall de Baf- 
 fompierrej who was not orherwife overburthcn'd 
 with Religion. I don*c doubt but he was, at 
 that time, known to F. Garajfe^ a Jefuit, who 
 ftiles him the Grand Patriarch of Atheifts, and 
 relates fome of his Converfations in his Do[î,ine 
 curieufe. You may judge, Sir, of our Vanini's 
 Converfations, and of his Policy, by the Sam- 
 ple Garajfe gives us of it, and which I ihnll 
 relate in his own Words, becaufe I know 
 you love the old Stile, and that you find in it 
 fome Graces, and a keenefs which is wanting in 
 
 • Sec above, p. 9. 
 
 ours 
 
T'l^e Life of Lu CIL lo V Ai; mu 27 
 
 ours. " As to Men (Vaniui fpeaks) they (lioulddo, 
 '* as the Rangers, or Keepers do yearly in 
 " great Forefts ; they go to examine, and to 
 " nnd out the withered Trees, and to clear 
 " the Foreft, cat down what is ufelefs, and 
 " fuperflnous or hurtful j keeping only the good 
 ** Trees, and the young Branches of Hope. 
 *' In like manner, faid that wicked Atheift, 
 " .every Year (hould be held a rigorous Vifita- 
 " tion, of all the Inhabitants, in the great and 
 populous Cities ; and every thing ufelefs, 
 '* and what hinders the reft from living fhould 
 " be put to Death. As for Example, rhofe 
 *' that follow no Bufinefs beneficial to the Pub- 
 ** lickj decrepid old Perfons, all Vagabonds 
 ** and idle People : Nacure Ihould be lopp'd, 
 the Cities cleared, and every Year at leaft a 
 Million (hould be killed ; who are like wild 
 " Brambles, or Nettles, and hinder others 
 " from growing *'. * Thofe are the Fruits of 
 Cardans and AverYoe*s School. 
 
 XVI. He had his Dialogue about Nature^^V™^* 
 printed in i6i6y which he dedicated to thejQ^jjJ^* 
 Mar/hall de Bajfoinpierre^ whofe Almoner he was, 
 
 fays M. Patin J with a Salary of 200 Cro-vns a 
 Year ; f but probably he had this Place not till 
 after this Dedication. For all that he w^as not 
 contented with this Place, which obliged him 
 to be regular ; he loved better to ramble about, 
 and to make Converts ; and in this manner hs 
 loft himfelf. 
 
 XVII. His Books were every Day more The Book 
 known, and more fufpected. 'H\s Amphitheatre ^^^^.^^^ 
 had begun to draw in fome Minds, by thCfo^f^g"^* 
 — Clr.g7. 
 
 * Doctrine curieufe. p. Sij*. 
 
 + In the Colleftion ot M. Patin's MSS. quoted in Apolog't* 
 pro Julio Caelare Vanini. The Apologift ridicules the MS. 
 
 £ 2 netv 
 
2 8 Ihe Life (?/Lucilio Vanini. 
 
 new Ideas and Paradoxes, which he fubftitUted 
 to the antient Tenets of common and fchola- 
 ftick Divinity. But his Dialogues, much more 
 impious, had defamed him to fuch a degree 
 among the Roman Clergy, (a Body of Men, na- 
 turally very jealous and miftruftful ; and ftiil 
 much more fo in proportion to their Ignorance, * 
 and the Charader of the Errors vvhofe Conta- 
 gion they dread) fo that they waited but for a 
 plaufible Opportunity to atcufe and cut him oflf. 
 They cou*d not condemn him upon his Books; 
 fof they were printed with Authority, approved 
 by feme DoBors, and he himfelf fubmitted all 
 his Writings to the Authority of the Holy See f ; 
 an excellent way to get clear of Embroils, by 
 means of Recantation ] However it be, the Ve- 
 nom was perceivable. Religion was there with 
 Neck and Heels tied together, delivered up to the 
 The Sor- Hands of the Profane and Atheifts. The Sorùonne, 
 demnsXs*^^ which two Dodors had approved his ftrangc 
 Books to Dialogues, recalled that Book to ^Éh-new Exami- 
 be burnt, nation, and condemned it to be burnt by the 
 Common Hangman. Rofet I think is the only 
 one who tells us this Circumftance, ** but it is 
 too probable to be omitted. We are told of 
 another in the Patiniana '"f, which is, that Va^ 
 nini feeing himfelf forfaken by all the World, 
 
 * This Word u only applied to the Times when Ignorance 
 reigned . 
 
 f This he doth in the Amphitheatre, at the End of the firft 
 Diflcrtation, and in the laft ot' his Dialogues, p. 495". 
 
 *♦ In Jiis tragical Hiftory, where he adds alio this; he 
 caufed to revive the wicked and abominable Book, called The 
 Three Impo/lors, which is printed publickly, and to the great 
 Scand.il of the Chriflinns. Hccompofed a Book about natural 
 Caufcs, and dedicated it to M. Bapmpterre. He afcribed to Na- 
 ture, what belorg'd properly to the Creator of the Univerfè. 
 The Sori/onne condemn'd this Book to the Flames. 
 
 *f P. fi. 
 
 hated 
 
Ibe Life c/ L u c i l i o V a n'i k i. 2^ 
 
 hated by the People, (hunried by honeft Men^ 
 perfecuted by the Clergy, and what touched 
 him neareft of all, under a continual Poverty ; 
 he launched out into the firft Aâion of Defpair, 
 which cou'd not but prove fatal to him. He 
 Tvrote to the Pope, that // they did not fovn give 
 him feme Benefice^ he was going to turn the whole 
 Chriflian Religion topfy-turvy, in three months time. 
 Patin^ who is made to fay this, pdds, that he 
 knew a Man oj Honour, who had feen that Let-- 
 ter, in which were ?nany other Ahfurdities. and 
 even very /hocking "Things. I am apt to believe, 
 that Vanini had couched this Letter upon Pa- 
 per, to difperfe his Spleen, and to divert him- 
 felf about it with his Friends, but there is no 
 likelihood of his having fent it to Rome. Princes 
 have long Arms, and the Popes yet longer 
 than other Princes. Vanini was not yet fo dif- 
 ordered in his Mind, as to infult in fo da- 
 ring a manner, the Lieutenant of God upon 
 Earth ; he had too much refpeâ: and venera- 
 tion for the Church. / would rather, fays he, 
 fomewhere *, draw upon me the anger o/Horace, 
 than that of our Inquifitors, whom 1 refpeEl and 
 •venerate as the Guardians of the Lord's Vineyard. 
 
 XVIIL This is certain, that he left Parisn^khPi^ 
 in lôi-j, and returned to Toulcufe. He did''" ^°^ 
 there what he had done every where elfe, with- ^gj^^/^^J^^, 
 out change of Method or Principles. He pro- 
 fefled there Phjjtck, Philofophy and Divinity , 
 and took Scholars of all Sorts. Gramond{ays, 
 he kept in clofe Quarters for fome time. 
 He had Art enough to introduce himfelf to 
 the firft Prefident, who charged him to inftrud 
 his Children : In which he fucceeded too 
 well to his Misfortune ,• for if we may be- 
 
 ♦ Amphit. p. 109. 
 
 jieve 
 
JO The Life of L u c i l i a V a n i n i. 
 
 lieve thofe who told it to M, Leibnitz. *, the 
 The Caufe Attorney General animated the People againft 
 ofhis death this miferable Wretch, and profecuted him 
 ^^?'^1'"^ with the utmoft Rigour, on purpofe to vex 
 
 'the Prefident, who began to love him. 
 
 XIX. There was a great deal of Impru- 
 dence in Vanims Condu6t. At the time when 
 he is lifted up from the Dirt and the Oppreflion 
 of the Clergy, and that he fees himfelf upon 
 the brink of Preferment, he endeavours fe- 
 cretly to teach and infmuate Atheifm. He 
 inftruâed the Children in the fear of God, 
 and thofe who were Men grown, in Irreligion, 
 Thofe are commonly the Marches and Coun- 
 termarches of wicked Spirits, and one of 
 thofe Contradictions, which it would be diffi- 
 cult to comprehend, and even believe, if we 
 did not know, that there are ftill extant fuch ' 
 profefs'd Infidels, who after they have inftruc- 
 ted their Children in the principles of Chrifti- 
 anity, to bring them up to Virtue and Mo- 
 defty, go afrerwards with their Friends to the 
 Tavern, and ridicule the fame religious Precepts, 
 which they have taught their Family. 
 
 XX. Grammondy who was fince rirft Prefi- 
 Gr/iwo»^ dent at Touloufe, reports in his Hiftory, that 
 *?^ ^^Tr" our Infidel did not ceafe ventine his Doftrine, 
 
 chii/s s Tel- ^ , J 1 < T • n 1 
 
 timony. ^^^d to ipread abroad his Impieties. But he 
 did yet more, fays Bor/khius in thejonrnal of 
 his Travels t- He was told at loloufe that 
 Vanitti had been burnr, becaufe he had efta- 
 bliftied there, fome fmall Alfemblles, about ten 
 of the Clock in the Evening, frequented by 
 fome of the Chiefs of the City, to whom lie 
 
 * ElTsys of Theadicee, towards the End. Sec the Index at 
 the Word Vanini. % 
 
 ■^ Apolog. pro Vanino, p. 59. 
 
 delivered 
 
The Life of luV Cl LI o Van in i. 51 
 
 delivered his libertine Principles. 'Tis likely 
 Borrichius means young Men, for it is not to 
 •be fuppoCed that Fathers of Families went there. 
 They would not have fuftered, in their City» 
 fuch a dangerous Perfon, although they had 
 been of his Opinion themfelves. Mr. Bayle^ who 
 was fo curious, and had lived at Touloufe eighteea 
 Months, tells us nothing of thefe Circumftan- 
 ces of Vanini's Life, it feems rather he did 
 not know them, or doubted of thofe he found 
 in Borrichius's Writings. Perhaps we may learn 
 fomething about it in his Supplement, which is 
 now in Hand ; for I have been aflured there is an 
 Article about Vanini in it. If the Gentlemen 
 of Touloufe^ who in the Records of their Par- 
 liament, polfefs all the Memoirs of this Pro- 
 cefs, unlefs they burnt 'em with the Criminal, 
 would favour the Publick with 'em, they might 
 do it very eafily, by fending a Copy thereof 
 to fome noted Man, whom the love for Sciences 
 and Literature, renders every Day dearer to 
 the learned, I mean, the Abbé Bigmn^ who 
 would not fail to impart it to the Publick, in 
 that valuable Journal, which is formed under 
 his Direftion : By that means we might be af- 
 fured of Fads, which we cannot now be pofi- 
 tive in. I know very well that we have Gra- 
 mond^ who was upon the Place, and that he is 
 particular as to the chief Circumftances ; but 
 there is a great deal of difference between the 
 report of an Hiftorian, who is very bigotted *, 
 and the authentick Pieces of a Court of 
 Judicature. Mean while, until thofe Gentle- 
 men fansfy us, or fome other curious Perfon 
 of Touloufe^ doth acquaint us with fome more 
 confiderable Particularities, (as it is eafy yet 
 
 * Soc Fatin'i Letters. Letter 91. 
 
 CO 
 
3^ TheLifeoftjVciïio Vanini. 
 
 to come to the knowledge of them) you muft 
 content yourfelf. Sir, with thofe I have col- 
 leâed. But before we come to the Death of 
 our Infidel, I (hall give you an Account of 
 the Impieties which fo vifîbly brought it upon 
 him : And that I can do no better than by 
 an Abftrad of his Works, fince it is always 
 true, that Authors draw their Pourtraits in 
 their Books, without thinking on it. 
 
 XXI. There is room to believe that all his 
 Works have not been publiftied. He tells us 
 rjww's himfelf, that his firft Eflays did not pleafe him 
 afterwards. They are Commentaries upon Na- 
 tural Philofophy f, where he refuted Cardan 
 in many Places. You may judge of their Me- 
 ^°P,!?^"i" rit, from this Paradox which he taught there, 
 tain . hyii- ^^.^^ ^^^^ ^j^^ Tûfîe is not one of the five Senfes, 
 
 He compofed afterwards Commentaries upon 
 Phyfick, Commentarii Medici^ which he efteem- 
 ed but little, as being made in hafte. He 
 
 Commcn- treated there of the Diftempers of the Eyes 
 
 tarii Mcdi-^j^çi ^hçij. Iiemedies * &c. 
 
 Afterwards he worked upon Morality-, and 
 wrote a Treacife about true Wifdom, De 'vera 
 Sapientia J. Garajfe had read that Book *, as it 
 appears from his DoElrine Curieufe. The choice 
 
 f See Schramm De Vita & Scriptis Vanini, p. So. 
 
 • See the fame. Ibid, and Vanini's Dialog, p. 88 and i65. 
 § See the (âme. Ibid, and Vanini's Dialog, p. 17 f. 
 
 * I quote this Faél upon the good faith of Vanini's Apolo- 
 gift. Apologia pro Vanino, p. 6. I have confulted (Jarajfe 
 iince. who (ays, he has read that Book, p. loif. Do&nne 
 Curieufe. I have fecn, fays he, but three of Vanini's Books, 
 viz. his uimphitheatrum, tha^t De fapientia, and his Dialogues. 
 In his Amphitheatre he fpcaks like an Hypocrite; in his Book 
 </« Sapientia like a Cynick, and in his Di^h^ue) like a com- 
 plcat Atheift. 
 
 of 
 
T!he Life ofLv ciLio Van i ni. 33 
 
 of fuch a Subjeft may teem perhaps ftrange in 
 Vanini*s Hands; but it is not uncommon for 
 the greareft Fools to write about true Wif- 
 dom. Garaffe {ays, that Book is writ, as if it 
 were done by a Heathen or Cyiiick Philojother. 
 
 Natural Magick was not out of the reach of 
 his Enquiries. He compofed a T'reatife, enti- 
 tuled ; Pbyjtco- '^fc 'cus traSiatus *, where- among 
 other Paradoxes, he maintained that Baftards 
 have more Senfe, more Beauty, and more 
 Strength than legitimate Children. He was fo 
 poffefled of that Prejudice, that he repeats it in 
 his Dialogues^ and makes no fcruple to wifli 
 himfelf a Baftard, whofe turpitude is fo amply 
 recompenced by the Advantages of the ordi- 
 nary Éffeâs. " Why do you fmile ? fays A" 
 *' lexander, becaufe I thought fays Julius, on a 
 *' pleafant Speculation I had juft now. Pray, 
 ** anfwers Alexander, impart it to me, if it was 
 ** but for to laugh. Julius Cafar anfwers t* 
 " Would to Godf I had been born from the 
 p *' left fide, and out of Wedlock ! My Parents 
 " would have worked to frame me with fo 
 
 " much Vigour that I fhould have had 
 
 " an extraordinary Beauty, a robuft Body and 
 " a clear Head : But becaufe I am a legiti- 
 " mate Child, I want all thofe Advantages. 
 " My Father was bent under the burden of 
 
 Years when he married, and all his Vigour 
 
 of Youth was cooled. His Strength was 
 " flackned, his Spirits very weak, and his na- 
 *' rural Faculties very much impaired ; he was 
 ** feventy Years old, that is all you can fay, 
 
 and confequently from thence it is I 
 
 «c 
 
 ** have obtained a -feeble Cop-,»-ipxion. And 
 
 * Dil p. 25*2 . 
 
 + Dial. p. 321. 3ia. 
 
 F *M£ 
 
54 Tl^^ i/f<?^/LuciLio Vanini; 
 
 " if you fee me of an afpiring Genius, a 
 *' gentle Deporcmcnt, and a Body fubjed to 
 " Infirmities, 'tis becaufe my Father, although 
 
 old, was agreeable, of an eafy Temper, and 
 
 that a young Woman (Philofophers laugh at 
 
 thofe Chriftian Marriages) took care to 
 "* warm him again. Moreover, he waited for 
 
 that fine Seafon, when Nature is renewed, 
 " and by the help of Bacchus he found himfelf 
 
 ^* yet Alexander. By all that is good, 
 
 *' thofe are not the Speculations of a drunken 
 " Man ! Thofe are Meditations of a Man 
 '*' profoundly Wife. 
 
 Begging Pardon of the Piiblick for the Liberty 
 J have taken in tra-iiflating this Paffage^ as mo- 
 dejily as pojjible, J proteft my only View in fo 
 doing ivaSy. to make Vanini'i CharaEler the better 
 known. 
 
 This ambitious Man ventured alfo upon a 
 Treatife, that Glory ought to be held in Con- 
 tempt, De contemnenda Gloria, where he pro- 
 pofed to refute all the Atheifts of his Time, 
 who accufed our Saviour of having aimed at 
 Glory, even to his Death : As if there were 
 great need to overthrow this lUufion for thofe 
 who read the Gofpel, and know that Jcfus 
 Chrifl always appealed to his Refurreétion, 
 which if it had not happened, would not have 
 failed ftaining his Name with perpetual Con- 
 tempt. 
 
 But this Atheiftical Objection pleafed Va- 
 
 nini enough to repeat it often, and to form 
 
 his own from it, as we fViall fee in the following. 
 
 Apologia It is probably that with the fame impious 
 
 prolcgcMo-View he compofed an Apology for Religion; 
 
 1^!" ^^ which he entituied, Defence of the Law of Mo- ^ 
 
 flF'^'ana.^^ W that q/ Chrift againft the Phyjicians, AJiro-: 
 
 mmers 
 
^he Life ofLv citto V a K i K i.- fi 
 
 homers and Politicians *. He tliere refuted thé 
 Atheifts of his Times, who advanced that M>- 
 fes made the Children of Jfrael pafs through thd 
 red Sea at the time of reflux or low VVater: 
 He alfo treated there at large upon the Te-' 
 nets of the Chriftian Religion, and in particu- 
 lar on the Immortality of the Soul, which Car- 
 dan and Pomponatius had attacked, and he made 
 it appear after his manner, that the Opinion of 
 the latter is of dangerous Confequence. All 
 this without doubt to have an Opportunity 
 of faying againft the Chriftian Religion, whac 
 he pleafed. 'Tis certain he had a good Opi- Libn'Aftjo^ 
 nion of Aftrology, and that confequently henomici, 
 was fomething of an Aftrortomer. He took 
 upon him to publilh A Treatife of Aflrommy^ 
 which- was printed in Germany. Alexander his 
 admirer acquaints us with that particularity in 
 his Dialogues. I have read, fays he f» thefé , 
 Eafter Holy- Days ^ your Books of Afironomy, printed 
 at Strasbourg, with a 'very fine Letter: Tou teach 
 there fotne things concerning the Stars ^ tuhich feem 
 to me admirable and divine. This Book muft be 
 very fcarce, fince M. de La Cro'z.e, whom every 
 body knows to be well verfed in the Hiftory of 
 Literature, without mentioning here his other 
 Accompliftiments, for all the Enquiry he made 
 could not light on it : He not only did not 
 find the Book, but alfo owns, that he no where 
 has feen mention made of it *. 
 
 To appeafe the Clergy, Vanini compofed alfo Apologia 
 An Apology for the Cotincil of Trent, divided intoj^/^J?""^;] 
 eighteen Books, and direcled againft the Pro-ii^t,. 
 teftants f. Mr. Schramm thinks he was not 
 
 * Amphithe3tr. p. 38. 
 f Dial. p. 5 1 . 
 
 * Entrtiien ft;r àrj.fuj. d'Hi/l. ùc. p. Jfj. 
 + See the l^rcface of the Amphitheatre. 
 
 F i {paring 
 
3^ 7be Life of LvciLio VAiJiiiiU 
 
 fparing there of Invedives againft Luther, and 
 I believe Calvin met with no better Treatment.- 
 It is a common Stratagem with Infidels, tQ 
 slcreen themfelves from the fecular Power un- 
 der the mask of Orthodoxy, and to lay hold 
 o£ the Body of the Tree, at the time when 
 they dig the Ground to root it out. No Per- 
 fons in thefe latter Times have feem'd to be 
 more interefted for the Dodrine of Grace, 
 than thofe who derided it moft in their Hearts. 
 This Stratagem, notwithftanding it is very 
 grofs, did not fail of Succefs. They are ap- 
 plauded in Converfation and all Conferences, 
 and through a fecret Jealoufy, others, who 
 counterbalance their Merit, are denied the juft 
 Encomiums of their Ability and Zeal. What 
 is pradifed in our Days did alfo happen in 
 Vanims Time. Clear-fighted Perfons, difco- 
 vered immediately in his Books, the Venom 
 which feized the Reader at the firft Approach, 
 and complained of it. But Vanini defended 
 himfelf, and protefted he was zealoufly affefted 
 to the Roman Religion, he wrote of true Wif- 
 dom, of Contempt of Glory; of the Truth 
 and the light of the Council of Trent y he rang- 
 ed himfelf under the formidable Canons of that 
 Council, as fome have skreened themfelves 
 fince behind other Canons ; he frowned at In- 
 novators, and maintained the Intereft of the 
 Church with a dazling Zeal. Thus he efcaped 
 the Cenfure, becaufe he aflumed an Air of Or- 
 thodoxy, which fatisfied fome weak Minds.' 
 He found fome Doâors of the Sorionne, who 
 approved his Works which were vifibly impious. 
 All thefe W^orks oî Vanini ^ whether they were 
 publifhed or not, are loft; we know the Titles 
 and Subjed of them, becaufe he acquaints us with 
 it himfelf in the two ijooks which are not pe- 
 
 ridi'd, 
 
Hhe Life (?f L u c i l i o V a n i n i, '37- 
 
 rllVi'd, wz.. his Amphitheatre and Dialogues^ of His -rfw- 
 which I am going to give you an Account with f^l^^l^^ 
 all the Fidelity you require of me. hgues. 
 
 XXII. The Amphitheatres Title is, Amphi- a general 
 theatrum aterna providentia Divim-Magicum^ C/jn- Ii^ca of his 
 ftiano-Pljyficumj Aftrologico-Catholicum, adverfus ve- ^^P^"^^'' 
 teres Philcfophosy Atheos, Epicureos, Pe^'pateticos, Sto^ 
 icoSy &c. That is. An .amphitheatre oj D 'vine Provi^ 
 dence, Divino-Mr.gimm/^hriJtiam^PhyJicumy Aftroh" 
 gicO'Cathîictim,againfi thear.tient Phtlvjcphers^Athe' 
 ifts. Epicureans J Peripateticksy Stoicks, éic. m Svo» 
 printed at LycnSy i<5i5, dedicated to Count de 
 CaftYOy Protestor of his Family and his Bene- 
 fador. It is approved by four Debtors, wz». 
 by Claude Deville, François de Soleil, jaques De^ 
 veine Û" Sève, who acknoivledge to have found 
 there nothing againft tne C"cholick and Roman 
 Faith : But on the contrary ' ^ey affirm, it con- 
 tains very profound and itrong Reafons, agree- 
 able to the moft lublime Doctrine of Matters 
 in Divinity, * and they admire the Advantage 
 it will procure to the juft Caufe. 
 
 Some Criticks have judg'd that Book pretty The Cpi- 
 innocent. The famous Morhoff f finds there "'°" °^ 
 fome good Proofs for the Immortality of theç^j^^^nup* 
 Soul, and he does not believe that Vanini pub- on his ^w». 
 lilh'd it with an Intention to attack the Chri/ii-t^'f^^'*^''^' 
 an Religion. Barleus alfo fpeaks well of it, and 
 Dieckman doth not like fome ihould find fo much 
 fault with this Book, as if he (hewM himfelf 
 a complete Naturalift in every Page. Never- 
 thelefs F. Merfenne, M. de la Crofe, and a Num- 
 ber of others, are of the contrary Opinion. 
 They difcover there a Stock of Hypocrify and 
 Malice, which lafts from the Beginning to the 
 
 * This is the Subftance of the Approbation. 
 t MorhoflF/« rolyhidor. Idem in MSS. de Hijl. Liter. ViJ. 
 ^pol. pre Vmin , p. 33. 
 
 End. 
 
'38 ne Life of L u c i l i o V a n i k i. 
 
 End. My Vote, I muft own, is of no great 
 Moment, but I aflure you ingenuoufly I fide 
 with the Opinion of the laft. I find the Am^ 
 fheatre a very dangerous Bookj and rather more 
 prejudicial* than the Dialogues. I agree, the 
 Venom is more hid there than in the laft ; But 
 it is alfo more methodical and enfnaring. He 
 feems to combat the antient and modern Athc- 
 ifts, and in eflfeâ: he gives them the Vic- 
 tory, by his weak and infignificant Anfwers. 
 But when I fay dangerous, I don't mean they 
 are fo to a Philofopher but indifterently armed. 
 No Sir, you'll find nothing uncommon in Va^- 
 nini. Some Ideas of Arijlotle^ and Averroes, up- 
 on Naturalifm ; fome Extravagancies of Cardan 
 and Pomponatiui's Horofcopes of the now reign- 
 ing Religions : And laftly, fome Difficulties of 
 Cicero * againft Providence, agitated before him in 
 Greece^ by Epicure, Straton, and Carneades, lightly 
 touch'd over again by Seneca : f Which are laftly, 
 produced with all their force, by the ingenious 
 Author which every one knows. This is all 
 you'll find in Vanini, on the Subjed of the Ex- 
 iftence of God, of the Author of Motion, of his 
 Providence, of his Attributes, of the Origin. 
 of Phyfical Evil, of the Immortality of the 
 Soul, &c. He immediately propofes the State of 
 the Qiieftiv->n plain enough, afterwards he relates 
 the beft Rcafoning of the Scholafticks, pretty 
 much at large ; then ridicules 'em, and lubfti- 
 tutes in their Place, either the greateft Nonfenfe 
 in the World, or the moft impious Naturalifm. 
 His Pre- He explains his Defign in the Preface, in a 
 face is ar- manner not becoming a modeft Philofopher. 
 logant. «» J pi-Qpofe^ fays he, in this Work, to unfold. 
 
 * Sec Lib. 1,11. De Natura Deorum. 
 + See the Book Je Provitienna. 
 
 " and 
 
T'bâ Life of LvciLio VAUitii2 ^p 
 
 *' and to make plain all the Myfteries of Provi- 
 dence; but don*t exped I (hould take *em 
 from the Declamations ufed by Cicero, nor 
 from thofe Dreams, or rather plaufible Ra- 
 vings of the Divine Philofopher ; and yet 
 much lefs from the abfiird Impertinencies of 
 our Scholafticks : But I (hall draw them from 
 the Source of the moft hidden Philofophy, 
 as being beft able to quench the thirft of cu- 
 rious Minds * ". You fee, he fpeaks of Ci- 
 cero with great Difdain, and yet he has ftole 
 from him through the whole Work ; as I hope 
 to make it appear in the Trandation I have pro- 
 mifed you, of the Book of T'he Nature of the 
 Gods; which will be publifh'd^ God willing, next 
 Year, if the Publick doth nor difcourage me. 
 
 XXIII. The firft Diflertations of the Am- He attacks 
 phitheatre feem, at firft fight, very innocent :^JfJ''o^K- 
 But don't truft him, for he focn overthrows mentsf of 
 again what he has eftablifh'd, or at leaft he the Necef- 
 burthens it with Difficulties, and flings himfelf, ^^y of ^he 
 at all hazard, into Averroes's Metaphyficks,^^'^ ^"^^ 
 where I muft own in^enuoufly I cannot follow Motion. 
 him. The necefiary Exiftence of a firft intelli- 
 gent Caufe of Motion, who has at leaft ranged 
 things in the Order we fee, is one of our chief 
 Arguments againft Atheifts. As for him, he 
 prevaricates upon this Proof, and omits no 
 turn to difimbarrafs himfelf from it; bur here 
 'tis where he entangles himfelf moft, and grows 
 perfedly unintelligible : Spi no/a is noz more ob- 
 icure in his Ethkks. You know, Sir, this is 
 the Cafe of all In.'idels : Norhinc; is more im- 
 penetrable than their Principles, and Providence 
 has wifely ordered it, that what is defigned by 
 the wicked to root out of the Hearts of Men, 
 
 ♦ Preface to the Am^hit. 
 
 the 
 
5ô ^he Life ofLv çiLio V an i n i. 
 
 the Belief of a Divinity, i:; always very ob- 
 fcure, and confequentjy improper to do the 
 Effed. Vaniniy afc^r having done all his Endea- 
 vours to weaken the Proofs of a firft Caufe o£ 
 Motion, fubftitutes another, as ridiculous as 
 poflGble to imagine. He reafons upon the 
 Number 5), and draws from it a pretended De- 
 imonftration, which he calls Divino-magica, or 
 Caballiflka, and boafts of having proved there- 
 by the Exiftence of God more ftrongly, than by 
 the Proof we proaucedi which is as antient 
 as the World ^felf. But once more that is his 
 way Î he mooks the Chriftians by propofîng 
 their Reafons in an unfair :rjanner; he embroils 
 them by Arijloulian Subtleties, and after he has 
 rejefted 'em, he fubilitutes new ones that are 
 pitiful. 
 He gives XXIV. He fucceeds befl: when he throws his 
 an ambi- D.^^bts on the hrft Truths, which are the 
 fiSn ofï^<^"^^^^^^" °f ^^^ others; fuch are for Exam- 
 theDivini-p!e, the Exiftence of God and his Providence, 
 ty« As the Nature of thefe two Objeds infinitely 
 
 exceeds our Capacity, he imagines to have re- 
 futed them, when he has (hewn the infinite 
 Difproportion there is betwixt the lownefs of 
 our Conception, and the heigth of thofe Ob- 
 ]e^s. As for Inftance, he thought to refute 
 the Divinity, by giving the following Definition 
 of it. 
 
 " You ask me, fays he, * what is God ; but 
 if I knew it, I (hould be God ; for no one 
 knows what God is, but God himfelf. We 
 may neverthelefs know him in fome meafure 
 by his Works, almoft in the Hime manner as 
 we know the Light of the Sun thro* a Cloud, 
 which eclipfesit. Behold now how our Hand 
 
 • AtnpfyU. p. 10. 
 
 makes 
 
« 
 
 ^he Life ^/ L u c i l i o V a n i n i. 44 
 
 makes bold to defcribe that firft of all Be- 
 ings, altho* perhaps very vainly. God is to 
 " himfelf his Beginninj? and his End ; the' he 
 *' has neither Beginning nor End. He has no 
 " need neither of one or the other, and yet he 
 ** is the Author of both. He fublifts continu- 
 " ally without any Time : Equally not fufcep- 
 *^ tible of what is pafl: or to come. He reigns 
 " every where, without any Place ; unmove- 
 ** able, without any Situation; fwift, without 
 ** Motion ; all, without all things; within eve- 
 " ry thing, without being enclofed ; without 
 " every thing, without being excluded. In 
 *' every thing, he governs all; without every 
 *' thing, he has created. He is good without 
 *' Quality; great without Quantity; univerfal 
 *' without Parts; unchangeable tho' he changes 
 " all : His Will is his Power, and the exerting 
 *' his Power doth not differ from his Will: 
 *' Simple, in him nothing is in Power, but eve- 
 *' ry thing in the Ad, he is in himfelf pure ; 
 " the firft, the middlen.oft, and laft Aft. In 
 ** (hort, he is all, above all, beyond all, before 
 " all, and after all, and he yet remains all." 
 
 XXV. Perhaps you'll fay Sir, I am very 
 bold to tranflate this Paffage after the famous 
 Mr. Sauy'in^ who has explained it in one * of his 
 Sermons in a concife manner indeed, but much 
 more elegant, than it is in Vanint himfelf; but 
 I beg you'd remember this is a Letter, where 
 we undertake to difcover with Exadnefs the 
 Venom of our AthtiB ; and not a Sermon 
 where commonly one is fatisfy'd with pointing 
 at it, which yet (hou*d be done with abundance 
 of Circumfpedion. As for the reft, you are 
 
 * The Title of the Sermon is/«r les profomleurs divines the 
 4th, Tcm. r. See Sanrin's Anfwer to Vanini's Definition. liiJ 
 
 G too 
 
4îi 7^<? Life of L u c i l i o V a n i n î. 
 
 too good a Philolbpher to be embarrafs'd with 
 our Atheift's Definition. 'Tis not dangerous 
 but to thofe who have a corporeal Idea of God : 
 But if we fuppofe, i. That God is afure Spi- 
 rit, and coniequently without the Sphere of 
 our Imagination. 2. That he is an infinite Spi- 
 ' rity and confequently beyond our Ideas : If one 
 fuppofes, I fay, thefe two Truths, which are 
 I'elf-evident, all the Clouds of Vanini are dif- 
 perfed ; all the Jingle of Words difappears: 
 And if any Difficulties remain, they are com- 
 mon to all Syftems and Sciences. ïou may judge 
 of it. Sir, from the (hort Recapitulation I ihall 
 make of that long Definition. 
 
 If I knew ixhat is God, I fiooud be God. Not 
 at all, becaufe it would be very eafy for God 
 to make himfelf known to an intelligent Being, 
 of the firft Order. 
 
 God is to himfelf his Beginning and End. That 
 is a heap of Words which fignifies nothing. 
 
 He is fufceptible neither of the pafl nor jiiture. 
 Without doubt. Is there any Paft or Futurity 
 in a pure, infinite, and eternal Spirit ? No, 
 Let us own to Vdnini that Eternity is incom- 
 prehenfible ; but he knows very well that it 
 may be demonftrated, as two and two make 
 four. As to the manner of this Eternity, whe- 
 ther it is a fix^d Point, or a continual Succefli- 
 on, v/e leave that to the Philofophers. 
 
 He reigns every v^here, withotit any Place ; that 
 is to fay, he is infinite, without being cor- 
 poreal: Agreed. One might make the fame 
 Difliculty about the Ul'i of our Souls, and an- 
 Iwcr to the fame purpofe; the Proportion being 
 oblerved. 
 
 He is good vcithout Qjuility. God*s Goodnefs 
 is fpiritual and moral : Our Infidel forgets him- 
 felf, with his Qt_iality. 
 
 Great 
 
^he Life ^/LuciltoVanini. ^3 
 
 Gveat luithout Qjiantity^ iiniverfal without Partf. 
 All rhis turns upon corporeal Ideas, which muft 
 be excluded. 
 
 Unchangeable vchen he changes all. This is no 
 Conrradiction ; for in changing all, God exe- 
 cutes his Oefign, and remains unchangeable. 
 
 Wl)ufe Will is Power, and ivhofe Will n conju- 
 fed zuith the Puwer. Obferve, this is very bold 
 for a Philofopher : Is it not to penetrate into 
 the moll obicure part of Divine Nature ? As 
 for me, who am not fo clear-lighted as our 
 Free-Thlnkers, I content my felf to fay, that 
 altho* the Will of God is always efficacious, 
 one may however diftinguifh this Will into con- 
 ceived 2inà executed: For how coa*d one explain 
 otherways the Predidionsof the Prophets, who 
 advife us of the particular Wills of God, ma- 
 ny Ages before their Accomplilhment? 
 
 In whom nothing is in Poiver, but every thing in 
 the ASl. Another Falfliood, in my Opinion, 
 which wou*d deprive God of his Sovereign Li- 
 berty., and introduce Naturalifm. 
 
 Lallly, He is all above J bejond, and wit hi 12 every 
 thing. All that borders upon the corporeal Ideas 
 which we have refuted already. 
 
 XXVI. This is not the only Place, where An infig- 
 Vanini mocks Religion, and the Attributes of"'']^^'?'^ 
 God. In another Place he pretends to defend ^."'^'",^1^ 
 the Scripture, and accufes the Pialmift of having p/almift. 
 faid, that the Mercy of the Lord is above all his 
 works. You may ealily comprehend what that 
 means, in the Mouth of a good Man, who is 
 poffefs'd of the Love of God, and who, in con- 
 iideration of his Unworthinefs, and the Bene- 
 faction of the Creator, extols that of his At- 
 tributes, which affefls and intercfts him moft. 
 Vauini takes it all in a metaphyfic9l Senfe, and 
 complains of the Preachers, who, founded upon 
 G 2 thefs 
 
44 Sl'^Z///^ ^5/ LuciLio Vanini. 
 
 thefe Words, fays he, utter Blafphemies, * 
 telling us, that God is infinitely more merci- 
 ful than juft. As if God was not a fimple and 
 pure Being, but a Composition of Beginning 
 and End, fubfequent to what he is compofed 
 of. Behold, Sir, 1 befeech you, his manner of 
 Philofophifing. Men fpeak of the moral At- 
 tributes of the Divinity, if 'tis permitted to 
 ufe the Expreflion, of his Juftice, and his Mer- 
 cy ; things where the Queftion is not about 
 Compofition. Neverthelefs, our Caviller feems 
 to be fo much in Pain about it, that he talks of 
 it, as of different Principles, which, by being 
 more or lefs exercifed in the Divine Eflence, 
 cou'd alter the (implicity thereof. Where is the 
 Confequence? 'Tis true, it would be impru- 
 dent to maintain, abfolutely in a Sermon, that 
 God is more merciful than juft : But for all 
 that, we (hould not call it Blafphemy, and bring 
 Heaven and Earth together, as if all was loft ; 
 fince the Perfon who unadvertedly fpeaks thofe 
 Words, takes them in the Senfe of the Pro- 
 phet, viz.. that as we are Sinners, nothing touch- 
 es us more than Divine Compaflion. But Va- 
 nini has his Views ; he endeavours to put the 
 Scripture againft itfelf, and embroil the Chri- 
 ftians, and afterwards to ridicule the Myftery 
 of Redemption. 
 cir Jan's XXVII. After he has thrown feme Clouds 
 '^j,°[°^j^P*_over the Exiftenoe and Perfedions of God, he 
 flian Rdi-fitt^cks the Chriftian Religion indireftly, but in 
 giori. a plcafant manner. You'd never imagine it, Sir ; 
 he fteak from Cardan, Jefuf Chrifi's Horofcope. 
 Some Men indeed, have doubted Cardan did 
 not believe the Truths of our Religion: Vani- 
 ni maintains that he was not very fupcrftitious, 
 
 ♦ Am^hit. Dijfert. XIX, towards Uic End. 
 
 and 
 
T^he Life ^/ li u c i l i o V a n i n r. 45 
 
 and yet proves the contrary, by quoting that 
 famous Horofcope, which he calls impious. We 
 will call him, if you pleafe, the fuperjlitiom 
 Atheifty and you'll fee if the Definition becomes 
 him, by examining one of his famous Aftrolo- 
 gical Whimiies: But under Condition that you'll 
 pardon me. Sir, if I bewilder my felf in the 
 Caîejîial Geography j for I have never wander'd 
 about in that Place. 
 
 Now he pretends that there have been in 
 the Conftellationsof (JK/^Vzx'/oar, fuch Wonders, 
 and in fo great a Number, that if we were to 
 ftick only to the natural and aftronomical Rea- 
 fons, this 'Jefus muft have had all the Grandeur 
 and Perfedions the Concourfe of Stars can fur- 
 ni(h : But the chief Points that charaderife 
 him, muft be CompoJJton, Juflice^ Fidelity^ Sim- 
 plicity and Charity, * not only for him felf, but 
 alfo for his Sedaries. He thinks, his Sed 
 was to root itfelf in the World, fo as to laft 
 until the return of the Eclipticks, that is 4000 
 Years, after which time there wou'd be a gene- 
 ral Reformation in the Univerfe. He doth 
 not fay pofitively, that all what appeared Divine 
 in Jefus Chrifl, had depended from the Con- 
 ftellations ; but he pretends it was God, who 
 caufed him to be born at that Jundure, to 
 make his Birth memorable in all Ages. 'Tis 
 with that Confdence, fays he, that I thought pro- 
 per to publijh this Horofcope^ altho* I kept it fecret 
 more than twenty Tears, by a Scruple of Religiou. 
 Thofe laft Words render Cardan fufpicious; 
 for, what reafon was there to fupprefs, by a 
 Scruple of Religion, a Difcovery, which invin- 
 cibly wou'd prove the Divinity of the Chri- 
 
 * Cardan, in Comment, ad Ptolomnr, Lib. z. p. i6g. Ed, 
 Lugd. isSy- 
 
 ftian 
 
Catdan, 
 
 ^^ The Life of Lucilio Vanini; 
 
 ftian Religion, if it was a good one? But 
 Cardan introduces into this Hon^fcope cer- 
 tain Things, which are not altogether agree- 
 able to the chief Articles of our Belief; and 
 this is the Scruple whicii detained him : Thofe 
 f(;it of cowardly Limitations and Precautions 
 are commonly a fign that there is a Snake in 
 the Grafs. 
 
 Be that as it will, this is the Horofcope ; 
 it is compofed of ten rare and fingular Cha- 
 raders *. 
 The ten I. THq ConjunSîion of the Heads of the Balance 
 
 of^rl?^^^ of the eighth and ninth Orb,not only in theElip- 
 c^rJ^'sHo- t^c Seâion with the Equinoâial Circle ; but alfo 
 rofcopeac-with the Head of the Ram of the little Circle 
 rw"? ^° ^^ ^^^ eighth Orb, in the Longitude with the 
 head of the Ram, which makes the Center of 
 the little Circle of the ninth Orb. From thence 
 our Italian draws wonders about the lafting of 
 Chriftianity, and he advances boldly, that it 
 will laft ^030 Years ; which far exceeds Laclan- 
 tmf*s Calculation, who gave it but 500 Years 
 in all, and of that of Dr. CrrJg^ who placed 
 its Period in the Year 3153 f, 
 
 2. The fécond €haraâ:er of the Horofcope 
 is the Comet, which appeared at his Birth, be- 
 ing the fame with that extraordinary Star, of 
 which the Evangelift fpeaks, which brought 
 the Philofophers from the remotell parts of 
 the Eûji to Bethlehem §. 
 
 3. The third is Jupiter^ who promifes fedate 
 Manners, gentle Deportment, Eloquence and 
 Wifdom. For that Reafciij fays Cardan, our 
 Saviour began to difpute in the "Temple being but 
 twelve Tears eld. 
 
 * Card.tn, ibid. p. 373. 
 
 t See Di£t. Hift. & Critique of Bajle, Tom. iii. 
 
 § Evangel. Matthxi. Ch. ii. 2. 
 
 4 The 
 
^e Life if LuciLio Va m ni. ^j 
 
 4. The fourth is the end of the Virgin, à 
 
 Scar ofthefirft Magnitude, which has more o£ 
 Venus than of Mars, and which portends alfo 
 Eloquence, favour of Men and knowledge of 
 Thin^îS to come. And every one hioius, fays he, 
 that Jeftts Chriji prophecy d. 
 
 5. The fifth is the point of the Autumnal 
 Equinox; for he was born, fays he, a Moment 
 before Midnight. 
 
 6. The fixth is the Summer Tropick, which 
 was in the middle of the Heavens at the time 
 of his Birch : And according to Ptolomy fignifies 
 a great Difpojttion to eftablijh a new Law in the 
 World. 
 
 7. The feventh is another Star called Hercules^ 
 of the fécond Magnitude and of the Nature of 
 Mars: Which announced to him and his Secta- 
 rians Combats, and Sufferings of Martyrdom, 
 to the Confeffors and alfo all the Orders of 
 religious Chivalry. 
 
 8. The eighth Sign is another Conjunftion 
 of the Head of the Ram, 'Jupiter and Saturn 
 being joined in Cancer. This Conjundion 
 portended him a publick and ftoameful Death. 
 
 9. The ninth is the Sun, which prefides over 
 all the Conftellations, and promifes a Death 
 followed by an immortal Name. 
 
 10. Laftly, the tenth is Mercury, who joins 
 there svith the Sun, and appoints the fenfe and 
 hability of the Legiflacor. And we know, fays 
 he, that the People of Paleftine were afto- 
 ni(hed at Jefus Chrifi*s Refponfes, which came 
 no doubt from human Wifdom and not the 
 Divinity, which may be without the Succours 
 of Conftellations. And this, concludes our Ita- 
 lian, are the ten Signs of this wonderfull Conflella- 
 tion, by the conccurfe of which we have feen a true 
 
 Reprefentation 
 
14^ The Life ofLv ci tib V A n i n f. 
 
 Reprefentation of the Wonders to come, ranged in 
 the eternal Order of Things. 
 
 Now Sir, what fay you to this Horofcope? 
 Is it not very juft, considering it was made after 
 the Time, and (hould we not apply to Cardan, 
 what the Author of the Nouveaux Elemens de 
 Géométrie^ faid to his brother Author of the 
 Art de penfer ; that he had not gueffed amifs at 
 "Things pafi? But among the reft, what think 
 you of the Paflfage, that the Refponfes of our 
 Lord had not been the produce of Divine IVtfdom ? 
 Is that the Language of a Chriftian^ or of a 
 Man, whofe Brains are confufed, and his Eyes 
 drowfy by Star-gazing ? What he adds, that 
 then wasfeena Reprefentation of the Wonders rang- 
 ed already in the eternal Chain of Things : Is that 
 any ways edifying, or doth it agree with what 
 he faid above, viz.. * that God is the firft Au- 
 * thor of that glorious Conftellation? In truth, 
 it cofts our Italians nothing to contradiâ: them- 
 felves ; Cardan doth it fometimes, and Vanini 
 always. 
 rmmi's What is your Opinion, the laft thinks of this 
 Thoughts Horofcope ? He regards it as the moft dange- 
 rofco^r^'^^*'^^ Venom that ever has been infinuaced a- 
 gainft the Chriftian Religion : For afcer he has 
 rehearfed all what we faid above, he falls in 
 a Paifion and darts Fire and Flames, he fetches 
 deep Sighs, and you would imagine he is going 
 to be choaked *, O perditijftmus Sermones ! O 
 nefanda verba ! inquinatijjimum Scrip tor em ! 'Tis 
 done, Chriftianity is going to expire and no- 
 thing remains but to raife it an Epitaphe ! 
 
 XXVIII. Neverthelefs you fee Sir, that this 
 Horofcope is of no moment at all. Aftrology, 
 according to the Sentiments of all Men of Un- 
 
 * See Dijfertat. vii, and viii. of the Amphitheatre, 
 
 derftanding 
 
 i 
 
The Life ^/LucilioVanini» 49 
 
 derftanding, is the moft pitiful of all Sciences. 
 Its Principles are Illufion itfelf. JAx.Bayle has 
 run ic down in fuch a manner, that it will ne- 
 ver recover the Blow. See his Penfees diverfes 
 and Vol. 1. de la Rep. aux quefliom d*un pro- 
 vincial^ on this Head, and 1 am perfuaded it 
 will move your pity to refle6t, that human 
 Minds have been amufed with fo trivial a 
 Science. All Cardans Horofcope is built upon 
 two Illufions, a certain FaB and an abfurd Con- 
 fequence. The Facî is, that we (hould know 
 the Day and Hour of the Birth of Jefus Chrifi ; 
 but nothing is more doubtful than that Suppoli- 
 tion. Confult the Chronologers, and all will 
 unanimoufly tell you , they are uncertain, 
 in that Refped, "jiz.. about the Year, the 
 Month, the Day, the Hour, and all what Car^ 
 dan fuppofes as agreed upon. The abfurd 
 Confequence he draws from this Conftellation 
 is, that it feems to him fo extraordinary, thac 
 it could not fuit any one but Jefus Chr/Ji; that 
 there has never been any more glorious, and 
 that without doubt God would not have cau- 
 fed him to be born under thac Conftellation, if 
 it fignified nothing. But Cardan does not per- 
 ceive that his Confequence is abfurd for feve- 
 ral Reafons. 
 
 1. He (hould have proved before hand, the 
 certainty of Aftrology in general, and the fo- 
 il dity of a Horofcope, before he made thac 
 of Jefm Chriji. 
 
 2. He (hould be po(itively affured of the 
 Year, Month, Day and Hour Jefus Chriji was 
 born in ; which he was not. 
 
 3. Were there no other Children born at 
 Jerufakm or Bethlehem about the fame time, or 
 perhaps the faine Minute ? Why (hould then 
 the fame Situation of Stars be favourable to 
 
 H Jefus 
 
50 î'i'^ Z/f^ ^/LuciLio V ANiNi. 
 
 '^efiis Chrifi and fatal to all the Infants of Beth-* 
 lehem .<* 
 
 4. Laftly, if there was any Appearance of all 
 that, how came it to pafs that it never has 
 been difcovered but fixteen Ages afterwards ? 
 God and Nature produce nothing in Vain : 
 Why (hould fo important a Conftellation have 
 been hid from us fo long a time ? 
 flow he XXIX. But I trefpafs on your Patience Sir, 
 ^"*^Y^ and Cardan and Vanini abufe mine, fo that I 
 tionsofthe^^^^ fay no more of thefe wild Notions. I 
 origin of have told you already that the Strength of the 
 Evil. Amphitheatre conlifts in reporting Cicero^ and 
 Cardans Objedions againft Providence j and 
 that is what he gives the greateft attention to. 
 He diftinguiu^es one Bi/lîculty from the other, 
 thofe of the phjïcal and moral Evil^ and he pro- 
 pofes them all very precifely. He forgets not 
 the common Anfwers; but calls 'em Illufions 
 and Scholaftical Filth. Bagatelles^ fays he, the 
 greatefi of Bagatelles! when he alledges a judi- 
 cious Solution. For Example, if you Anfwer 
 to the DiiTîcuîty taken from the moral 
 Evil ; that God would not 7nake perfect Crea- 
 tures, hut jiifcepitible of Blame and Praife, and that 
 t with that View he has endowed *em with a fort 
 
 of Liberty, which afftfied by Education, good Ex" 
 amples and Prayers, may rejiji Evil, and procure it- 
 felf by the goodnefs 0/ God a diftinguijhing Glory 
 upon Earth, and chiefly in Heaven. He runs down 
 St. BafiW Thoughts, which he introduces, in 
 an abufive manner. Nug.^, fays he, nugacifftma. 
 cules St". Nonfenfe, fays he, God only is the fovereign free 
 JSafil. Agent, Jefus Chrift aljo and the Holy Virgin ; 
 neverthelefi they never have finned: And behold 
 the Solution annihilated, and the difficulty re- 
 maining in all its Force. But where are then 
 all thole new and fatisfactory Ideas, which 
 
 are 
 
The Life of 1.V ciLio Va ni ni. 51 
 
 are promifed in the Title and Preface, and 
 which (hould be I'o remote from the Declama- 
 tions of Cicero^ the Ravings of Plato^ and the 
 Filth of Scholafticks ? 'Tis in vain for you to 
 feek 'em in the Amphitheatre. He has none to 
 give : He dreads the Inquifitors ,• or when he 
 hazards fomething, that is pure Naturalifm. 
 T'he Worlds fays he, is perhaps an Animal^ of Ana falls 
 •which ive all are Members : Thofe Modifications ""f" ^-'atu- 
 are ejfentinl to it. And thus finifhcs his pro-'^^" ™* 
 found Diflertation and Apology on Providence *. 
 
 XXX. He goes yet farther; for he pretends He makes 
 that God is the Author of all Things, and even Jj^'^'^.^^f^^^^' 
 of Sin. T'he knoviledge cf God is the Caufe of all 
 *Things, fays he, for that God j})oiild knovj any 
 'Thing without him f elf ^ except he had refulved fo to 
 dOj is a thing which contradiBs itfelf. There- 
 fore knowing himfelf^ as the Caufe^ he knows alfo all 
 the Effecls, and confeqtiently produces them f. But 
 if God has refolved to create a free Being, will 
 he ftill be the Caufe of its particular Determi- 
 nations, or the abufe of its Liberty ? He doth 
 not carry the Difficulty to that point. And 
 elfewhere he laughs at the Decrees of God^ 
 and of Predellination, after a profane manner. 
 *' Going down the Rhine^ fays he §, I embarked 
 at Strashourgh^\\\ùi a German Divine, who fee- 
 ing a Raven, when he entered the Boat, was 
 fo frighted, that he would go back: But I de- 
 *' clared to him, that, for my part, 1 was re- 
 ** folved to depart, if even I knew we were to 
 " perifli. The îinalterahle IVill of Gody faid I, 
 " mufl be done ; who from all Eternity has regu- 
 ** lated the Days of otir Life ; according to the 
 *' IVords of the Prophet. EncouragM by this 
 
 * See Difl'crrar. x. xi. xii. to xvi. ot the Awfhiih. 
 f Amphit. DifTcrt. xv. 
 § Dialog, p. 42;". 
 
 H 2 " Speech 
 
ce 
 
 52 5l?<? Z/f^f/LuciLio Vanint. 
 
 Speech, he defpifed the terrible Menaces of 
 the Rhine, and we came fafe to our Jour- 
 ney's End". 
 
 He com- XXXI. What Vamm did with refped to 
 cS'sMi-''^^ firft Truths in general, he doth alfo in re- 
 radc's "'ith gaî"d to Miracles. He puts 'em firft as Proofs 
 thoreot.'-r.againft Atheifts : Afterwards he allcdges the 
 Vcmmck. Objedion of Machiavel and others, who. re- 
 gard them as Fables, contrived, by Priefts to 
 acquire Glory at the expence of tlie Ignorant. 
 The Anfwer to Machiavel as to Miracles was 
 very eafy. He had nothing to do, but faith- 
 fully to mark the Circumftances, to diftinguilh 
 'em from Fables, viz., that they were nume- 
 rou?, CO ^fpicuous, continual, and even perfe- 
 cuted by human Authciity, and yet followed 
 by the Converfion of many thoufands of Souls. 
 But inftead of that, what does he ? In the A- 
 pology of the Miracles of St. Francis^ and St. 
 Dominick : In truth, fays he *, loth one and the 
 other profejfed Poverty and Humility : and conje- 
 quently 'tis not for Intereft, or vain Glory, that they 
 Refutation have publijhed their Miracles. What an Anfuer I 
 of tins j/anini would render the Miracles of C/;;-//? and 
 £o{j, his Apoftles fufpeded, and therefore he com- 
 
 pares 'em to thofc of St. Francis and Dintinuk. 
 But he will not remember that our Sr.vi' ur 
 and his Apoftles always lived among EnemieF, 
 where all their Words and Aâiions were equal- 
 ly obferved to make them a handle for Cnium- 
 ny and Perfecution : Inftead of that Sz. Francis 
 and Dcminick lived in Chriflian Countries, de- 
 voted from a long time to SuperOition ; and 
 they were armed with the Thunderbolts of the 
 holy Sea, to terrify or punifh Gainfayrrs; Dc- 
 ?ni}iick, among others, was the Inventor and 
 
 ''' Amphith. Diuciiat. viii. 
 
 6rft 
 
T^'be Life (?/ L u c i l i o V a n i n i. J3 
 
 firft Hero of the Inquifition. You may judge 
 then, whether it w^s fafe to conteft his Mi- 
 racles. But it was not fo with thofe of ^tÇus 
 Chrifl and his Apoftles; there were fure Re- 
 wards for thofe who could overthrow or dif- 
 prove them. 
 
 XXXII. He is alfo very witty upon eterml^'^'J^^'^J^ 
 Punifiwents : He declares firft^ that they cannot "Ji pu^ini^ 
 be proved from natural Reafons ; and when mcDts. 
 Scripture is ^Hedged againft him ; a holy Anfiuer ! 
 fays he, v^hicb however gives Atheifts no great un- 
 eajtnefi^ they having m mere faith in that holy 
 £)okj than I in ^fop'j Fables, in old IVomens 
 "Taies, or the Superftiticns of the Alcoran *. 
 
 XXXIII Laftly Sir, in the whole Amphithe- Uy^ocùÇy ^ 
 aire reigns an Air of Hypocrify and Malice/f^'S"^fjJ''° 
 which gives us a very difadvantagious Idea of ^^j*^,-,^^. 
 Vanints Heart. We have quoted fome Exam-zirre. 
 pies of it. And here is one more, with which 
 I (liall conclude the abllrad of that Book. As to 
 we., fays he, whofe Name is Chriflian and Sirname 
 Cathdicky Ij I had not learned it from the Churchy 
 who ÎS the infallible Miflrefs of Truth, I fhould 
 hardly believe the Soul to be immortal. I dont 
 blufo to jay it : On the contrary I glory in it, for 
 J fulfill St. Paul'-t Precept, in captivating my Un- 
 derfianding in Obeifance to Faith, which is Jlronger 
 in me, becaufe 'tis built upon that Principle ; G o d 
 HAS SAID iTJ. That Principle , which at firft 
 Sight feems fo edifying and is fo fubjeft of 
 bemg repeated by Authors great and little, 
 {God knows to what End) would be edifying to 
 me indeed, if I had not been made to hope 
 fomething elfe by the Title and Preface. What ! 
 Mr. Vanini, you promife us Mountains and 
 Wonders againft Atheifts, you take upon you 
 
 * Amphit. DifTert. xxviiA..^. 
 
 to 
 
54 îT/^^Z/f^^/LuciLio Van iNî. 
 
 to explain all the Myfteries of Providence', 
 you raife our Hopes with new Ideas in De- 
 lence of the firft Truths ^ and inftead of that, 
 you fend us back to Scripture. Was it worth 
 while to write a Book for that ? The meaneft 
 of the Licentiats at Naples could have done 
 as much. 
 
 Add to this, that Vanini himfelf had no great 
 Opinion of his Amphitheatre. He fays in liis 
 DialogueSj that he had advanced there many 
 Things which he did not give Credit to. " But, 
 '' fays Alexander *, you have given a phyfical 
 " Reafon, in your Amphitheatre^ why that Child 
 *' newly born, did fpeak Immediately after his 
 *' Birth. Puh ! fays yuUus^ I have advanced 
 *' in that Book many Things, I don't believe 
 '^ my felf : So goes the World. I am not fur- 
 *' prifed at it fays Alexander, I tell it every 
 *' Day to my Friends: This World is a Neft 
 " full of Fools : I except however the Princes 
 ^* and Popes. 
 
 XXXIV. Don't loofe Patience Sir, we are 
 at laft come to his ftrange Dialogues^ which are 
 in fo great Reputation and deferve fo little. Be- 
 hold here the Title, which difcovers the Im- 
 piety thereof. j^«//V Cafaris Vanini Neapolitani 
 I'heokgiy philofophi & juris utriufqtie DuBoris, de 
 admirandis Natura Regina Deaq; mortalium Ar- 
 canis-i Libri quatuor. Lutetia apud Adrianum Pe- 
 rler, anno i6i6. Sub privilégia Regis : That is to 
 fay, Of the Myfteries of Nature, the Qiieen 
 and Goddefs of Mortals. Lib. iv. by Julius 
 Cafar Vanini^ the Neapolitan, Dodor of Divi- 
 nity, Philofophy and Law at Paris. By Adrian 
 Perier. ï6i6. with the King's Priviledge. On 
 the back fide of the Title you read the fol- 
 
 + Dialog, pag. 41S. 
 
 lowing, 
 
l^he Life ^/ L u c i l i o V a N i n i. 55; 
 
 lowing Approbation, ** We underwritten Doc- 
 ** tors of Divinity of Paris^ certify to have read 
 ** thefe Dialogues of Julius Cafar Vaniniy a famous 
 ** Philofopher, and found nothing repugnant 
 *' to the Catholick, Apoftolick, and /^cw^k Re- 
 " ligion in them; but on the contrary,'* think 
 
 'em well worth being nriî^ted : The 20th of 
 ** May, 1616. Signed F. Edmond Corradin, 
 *' Guardian of tlie Convent of Minhnes at Fa- 
 ** ris. F. Claude le Petit^ Do6tor Regenr. 
 
 The Dedication is to the Marlhall of Baf- The Dedi- 
 fompierre ; it wou'd be good enough if it was cation 
 not Italian, and cringing. What fh all I fay, fays J^^^^^^^J^ ^^'' 
 he, 0/ the Charms of your Beauty ? '"Tis by that 
 means you have deferved the tendemefs of an infi- 
 nite Number oj Ladies, more charming than the 
 Helens of old. 'Tis alfo that fame Beauty, -which 
 triumphs over the Conceitednefs of Atheijis, and im- 
 pofes on them Silence, and fuppreffes their Impiety, 
 For "ivhen they but contemplate the Mnjefiy and State- 
 linefs of your Vtfage, they mufi readily own, that 
 even among mankind there are found fome Traces of 
 Divinity. His Enthufiafm carries him yet far- 
 ther, and betrays him. //' / was, fays he, a 
 Difciple of Plato, / fhoud kifs and adore you, as 
 the Soul of the World ! A villainous and very 
 iufpicious Commendation, after the Story of the 
 Convent, which I told you ! * 
 
 He finifhes his Dedication, asking a Charity He asks a 
 of his Heroe, in fo pitiful a manner, that I Charity, 
 am afhamed to relate it, pudenda, miferandaque 
 oratione, if you allow me the Expreffion of Sue- 
 tonius. He tells him that 'tis not furprifing that 
 every body compares him to the Sun ; and that he, 
 Vanini, gives him the Preference above it, f 'The 
 Sun, fays he, darting his golden Rays, has never 
 
 * See Paragraph XIV. 
 f Dial. Epift. Nar.cutatar. 
 
 enriched 
 
5^ The Life of Lucilio Vanini. 
 
 enriched me, but when your Excellency /hall pleafe 
 to cafl a favourable Eye upon me, I /hall then be 
 all Gold. Juft now the Marfhal was the Soul of 
 the World, in the Platonkk Scile, and all at 
 once he is no more than the Sun ; but then the 
 Rays of his Afped are'fo many precious Ingots, 
 that will make our Infidel eafy. He has great 
 need of it, fince he makes no fcruple of (hew- 
 ing us the Bag and Sticlk of Diogenes. 'Tis crue, 
 his Comparifons are not very philolbphical ; but 
 at that time they were falhionable. The Sun 
 was the Soul of all witty Performances ; it en- 
 tered every where, even into the Epiftles Dedica- 
 tory. Malherbe and Voiture, like the reft, dealt 
 much in Rays,^ and perhaps wou'd do fo ftill, 
 if Boileau had not ridiculed that ill Tafte in 
 his firft Poem *. " Authors of that Age, fays 
 " Mr. La Mottey with a Sneer, f knexv only to 
 *' give their Miftrefles a Preheminence above 
 " the Aurora, or Sun : Almoft all the Per- 
 " formances in Poetry turn'd upon that To- 
 pick» £ind I cannot conceive how they could 
 '* handle ib often an Expreflion, which muft 
 " put a Man out of Patience at firft fight. 
 An Appro- XXXV. The Advertifemcnt which follows 
 baton of j-^g Dedication of the Dialogues, recommends 
 jjgy.j'^'j, the Book as a Mafter Piece, which two Difci- 
 many learn- pics have induftrioufly compiled from the Au- 
 cd Kcù. thor's Ledurcs, to favour the Bookfeller and 
 Publick. Vanini is there named the Prince of 
 the Philofophers of his Time, and Aiiftotle rivi- 
 ved : JJnicus atate mfira verus Philofophorum Prin^ 
 cops & Anfloteles redivivus. Eminentiffimus & 
 mo Orbe clarijjhnus Vir. Befides, he is prai- 
 fed in Greek and Latin Verfes. One George Cer- 
 tain, a Phylicirtn ar Paris, makes no Difficiilcv 
 
 * Dilcours au Koy. Loileau Tom. i. 
 ■J- La Mode Diicours fur la Poclic. Tom. 
 
 to 
 
^/jâ Life of 'Lu ciLio Y Amu u '57. 
 
 to afcribe him a great (hare of Senfe, a fu perl- 
 er Capacity in Reafoning ; and the Laurel a- 
 bove all Italian Writers. 
 
 yaninuSy vir mente potens Sophiaque Magifter 
 Maximuiy Italia decus CT nova Gloria Guntis. 
 
 *Tis difficult to comprehend, how any Do(5lors 
 and Poets, at Paris^ were bold enough to approve, 
 and pralfe fuch Dialogues-, with lo much 
 Proftirution. Was it Ignorance ? Was it Ma- 
 lice ? fays Mr. de la Crofe; Ignorance from the 
 fide of the Divines, and Malice from the Po- . 
 ets*. You'll fee, Sir, from the Charafter I 
 am going to give you of the Book, that the Re- 
 fleàions of that learned Man, were not with- 
 out Ground. 
 
 XXXVI. If by the Amphitheatre, he had inDefign of 
 view to make Atheifts Philofophers, I doubtJ^'^J ^^'^' 
 not but by his Dialogues, he propofed to makea|erjeral 
 profane Men Atheifts, and to hurry them into Idea of the 
 Debauchery, after having given 'em a JDiflike to ^°°^' 
 Religion : 'J he Conclufion of the Book is 
 
 Perdiitto e tutto il tempo 
 Che in Amar non fi fpende, 
 
 AU the Time is loft which is not fpent in Love. 
 
 He reafons there but very little on matters 
 of Religion, he rails continually, and fome- 
 
 * Garajfe takes ofF the difficulty in his DoBr'we Curieufe. 
 
 p. 998. I muft here dilcovcr his raving Defpair in as ' 
 
 much as we' know this pciuicious Atheill, after he had obtain- 
 ed the Privilege and Approbation of theDo6lors, he malicioufly 
 changed his Defigft, and put in the Prel's, inftcad of what they 
 had feen, this iir,perfe£t Scheme of Atheifm, and what is ftiil 
 worfe, put to the Front of it a Title, which wou'd not have 
 pafs'd under the Seal of Fyance, or the Pens cf the Dodfors, 
 it they had look'd chofe Words in the Face. Da .tdmirandis < 
 
 TidtHrA Kt^ir.s Deaque, &c. 
 
 I times 
 
jS Tloe Life of L u c i l i o V a N i N i. 
 
 times in a (hocking manner, without taking the 
 trouble of covering his Impieties. 
 
 The whole Work is divided into Four Pares, 
 which all make fixty Dialogues. The ift Part 
 contains fourteen of them, treating of the Sun, its 
 Figure, Colour, its firft Mover, its Poles, and 
 Eternity : Of the Stars, of Fire, of Comets, 
 of the Rainbow, of the Thunder and Light- 
 ning, of Snow, Rain, Motion and Reft ; of Gun- 
 Powder, Air and its Corruption. The 4th, 
 5th, and (5th contain moft impious Sentiments. 
 
 The 2d Part is compofcd of thirteen Dialogues, 
 chiefly upon that part of Natural Philofophy, 
 regarding the Earth and Water. Cardan and 
 Ariftotle are there copied every where. 
 
 The 3 d contains twenty three Dialogues, wher© 
 he examines every thing regarding the Generati- 
 on of Animals, and the different Paffions of Men. 
 
 Laftly, The 4th has but ten Dialogues upon 
 the Religion of the Heathens, which he abufes 
 in fuch a manner, that it appears one may at- 
 tack the Chriftian Religion, under pretence of 
 confuting the Pagans. Here he difcovers his 
 Venom very openly, both upon the Oracles, the 
 Miracles, the Gift of divers Tongues to the 
 Apoftles, and the Paradife and Hell. Afterwards 
 he finifhes deploring the Time one loofes with- 
 out loving; fubmitting at the fame time his Book 
 to the Examination and Judgment of the Holy 
 See. You'll excufe me. Sir, for not following 
 him here Step by Step : My Letter wou'd fwell 
 too much, and be too tedious to you. I (hall 
 content my lelf with giving you an Abridg- 
 ment of his Syftem, in regard to Religion. 
 
 ' Longa eft ?}jateria, lougx. 
 
 Ambages^ fed fumma fequar faftigia rerunt. * 
 
 ♦ VirK. iEneid. Lib. i . 
 
 XXXVIL 
 
^'be Life é?fLuciLioVANiNi. jp 
 
 XXXVII. Firft, no body can deny his be- "« fecms 
 ins a Materialift. which is what we now-a-daysl^^V/^"" 
 call a Sptmjijte. 
 
 In refuting Pomponatiusy who held, that cer- 
 tain Intelligences mov'd the Heavens, he con- 
 cludes his Reafoning againft him in this man- 
 ner. " If God (fays he) is the caufe of all 
 ** things, and if he is omniprefent. Where is, 
 " I befcech you, the neceflity of your Intelli- 
 ** gences ? If his Omnipotence is much more 
 " than fufficient to have created the Heavens, 
 
 and adorn'd them with admirable Ingenuity, 
 ** without the Interpofition of any Creature, 
 
 why will you have it, he cannot move them 
 ** without their Afliftance ? " 
 
 Would you not fay. Sir, it is the force of 
 Truth makes him thus fpeak ? But hold, be not 
 deceived : A little while after, Alexander re- 
 fumes the Difcourfe, and by the Genius of 
 Pomponatiusy he conjureth his Difciple, JuHuf 
 Cafarj to declare unto him openly his Thoughts 
 concerning the firft Mover of the Heavens. 
 Vanini yields to his Requeft, and utters this 
 Confeffion. * Had I not been educated^ fays he. He fays the 
 in the Schools of Chriftians, I would ajfert, that the ^°"' °''^^* 
 Heaven is an Animal^ mov'd by its own P'orm ; [^^ ç^^J^^ 
 which is its Soul: But perceiving himfelf too for- 
 ward in his Affertion, he adds, becaufe a fcru» 
 pulous Piety hath feiz.ed the Underftandings of fom^ 
 Perfonsy and hinders them from attributing a Soul, 
 
 to the M^orld, What dare we then freely profefs ? 
 
 T'his (continues he) J'hat the Mafs of Heaven^ 
 which is globular, is mov'd fpherical/y, by its own 
 form. '^^^^ ^ ^^ 
 
 IVere I not a Chriftian, (fays he in another chriftirn/ 
 place) t 1 jhoud embrace that Opinion^ of the Eter-^^ would 
 _^_^___^____^__^__^______^__^__^__ conclude 
 
 * ViJ. Dial. IV. f Dial, p, 1 35-. j^'nity of 
 
 I 2 «/y the World. 
 
6o ^he Life of "Lv cilio Va n i n t. 
 
 nity of the M^orld^ becatife I can find no Origin cf 
 Aicumnins. The Foundation of his Acheifm is 
 very particular, he cannot difcover the Origin 
 of Mountains, as of Repubhcks ; thereforç 
 the World is Eternal. *Tis pity he did 
 not live in this our Age, when Dr. T. Burnet 
 would have taken him out of that Difficulty, 
 by his Syftem of the Caufes and Effeds of the 
 Deluge, fo excellently treated of in that inge- 
 nious Work. * 
 That the A little lower he fets forth the fame Impiety, 
 ^^.'^}^^ç as the Opinions of the antient Philofophers : 
 rhersle- '' ^^^ according to them, (fays he) but efpeci- 
 fieved fo " ally t Plato and Arijiotk, the World is Eter- 
 
 h- ^3 ^^" ^^^ Wherefore the Cuftoms and Rites 
 
 '"^ ' " which are now in ufe, have been repeated 
 *' above one hundred thoufand millions of 
 *' times, and v/iU be again as often as they 
 " have been. Nothing is new under the Sun, 
 " and this Vicifificude being Eternal, its Caufe 
 " muft be fo likewife: Now this Caufe can be 
 " fought for but in the Casleftial Bodies in God 
 " and the Intelligences; therefore it is by 
 *' the Influence of Cselcftial Bodies, guided by 
 ** Intelligences, appointed by God, that Laws 
 *' take their Rife, Increafe, and their End. " 
 He makes Proceeding a little farther, he intirely throws 
 a God of pff j^jg Yçji^ jjrij calleth Nature a Faculty of 
 
 an Î "nc''cr- ^'^^j or rather, Gud himfelf^ defining it by Mo- 
 
 rneîeU a\-tion, apologifing for the Faults or Imperfections, 
 
 Iv.vsitim- ^vhich are found in it by the Example of an Ar^ 
 
 p.-r ea. fificer^ ivbo having grofs and diforde/d matter to 
 
 work upon, cannot fucceed to make it perfeSl. In 
 
 like manner, fays he. Nature having found fuch 
 
 kind of matter^ produces eve)y thing imperfeB:, 
 
 Here is then a Ooà, dull and unaftive: A firft 
 
 ♦ Tdlmii Tlxcri-i Sacra, ^c. f Diil. LII. 
 
 Ciufe 
 
 ' À 
 
The Life t?/ I. u c i l i o V a n i n i. 6i 
 
 CauTe full of Imperfedion. It finds out a dif- 
 
 order'd and irregular matter to work upon, 
 
 and this matter is no other than itfelf; and 
 
 hence is the Origin of moral and phyfical 
 
 Evil cunningly difcover*d. . But let us hearken 
 
 again to our Atheift. 
 
 In what Religion (fays Alexander) have the He treats 
 
 antient Philofophers ador'd God ? " In the Re- ^jjj^'^j''' I 
 
 ligion of Nature only, (replies Vanini) which pure hu- 
 Nature is itfelf that God, fince it only is themanlnven- 
 Origin of the Motion imprefs'd in the Souls f'°"' . ^"'^ 
 
 ** of all Men. All other Religions, according to p^a? hath 
 
 " thofe antient Sages, were but Iliufions ; notoccafioned 
 
 ." forg'd by any good or evil Genius's, (for they the lîrft 
 
 *' never believed there were any fuch Beings) ° *" 
 bnt by Princes and Magiftrates, in order to 
 curb their People ; and fomented by ambiti- 
 ous and covetous Priefts, which, inftead of 
 true and real Miracles, to confirm its Veraci- ^^^ 
 
 ty, made ufe of certain Scriptures, the Ori- '^B 
 
 ginals of which are no where to be found; 
 and of which the Rewards and Punilhments 
 regard but another Life, fearing that the 
 
 *' Impofture (hou'd be too early difcover'd in 
 
 " this. For, added they, Whoever returned 
 fromrhenee? Thus it is, the Vulgar is kept 
 in Slavery, by the pretended dread of a fu- 
 preme Being, that Beholds all things; and 
 
 '' will Reward and Punifh. Lucretius^ the Epi- 
 
 " curean, hath fung this Truth. 
 
 * " Fear, in this World, hath firfl: occafion*d 
 *' Gods. " Such is the Religion of Julius Ca- 
 far Vanini^ and the impious Syilem from 
 whence Spimfa, and all the other Infidels of 
 our Age, have extraded their Opinions. And 
 
 * Vanini is miftaken, it is not Lttcretius hath faid thist it is 
 Tetronius, in the Fragments v/e have remaining of his.' See 
 J^Ir. Burmtins Fetronms. P. 676. 
 
 there 
 
pi I'he Life of Luc -i l i o V a n i n r. 
 
 there is a Manufcript in Holland^ among the 
 Curious, in which the above PaflTage is often- 
 repeated : So greatly hath it dazled fuperfi- 
 cial Minds. 
 A fhort XXXVIII. " But what is that Nature, * 
 Anfwer of" thus put for the Wife God? (fays a judicious 
 »«riff*%o" Jouî'^^lJft) Is it an univerfal Nature, that 
 thofe that" expands itfelf in all Creatures, and makes 
 confound " them what they are ? If fo, that Nature 
 God with«< jjjyf^ bg intelligent, fince it communicates In- 
 " teliigence to certain Creatures : And this is 
 " exadly the God we adore, omniprefent to all 
 " Beings, and their fole Creator. If by that 
 " Nature they underftand the particular Na- 
 " ture of each judicial Being, and which is 
 '^ not feparate from the Being itfelf, we asky 
 " Who is the Author of thofe particular Na- 
 '' tures ; are they Eternal, or do they produce 
 *' themfelves ? They are not the former, fince 
 *' the lame with thofe Beings, we perceive, are 
 " brought forth and die; and to fay they are 
 " the latter, is a monftrous Abfurdity. If 
 " they further aflert, that thofe particular Na- 
 " tures, are diftinft from thofe Beings, in 
 ^' which they inhere, and to whom they give 
 *' Being : We ask again. Have they any Idea 
 " of thofe Natures? If they have not, they 
 " know not that they fay. And if they have, 
 " let them be fo good as to communicate it to 
 " us; then we (hall make it eafily appear, 
 *' they muft necefiarily recur to a fupreme in- 
 ^^ telligent Principle. " This is an Argument 
 often made ufe of againft thofe Atheifts, and 
 which we muft not ceafe repeating, until they 
 have produc'd hew Cavils. They perpetually 
 affirm, it is Nature made all things; but what 
 
 * Nouv. de la Rep. àa Lettres, Nrrfw^. 1709. p. 494.. 
 
 do 
 
n^e Life of Lucilio Va"nini. 6j 
 
 do they really mean by that Nature ? Let them 
 but give us a clear and diftinft Idea of it ; lee 
 them inform us how the various parts of mat- 
 ter became organis'd of themfelves ? How 
 they can think, and, in (hort, how they are 
 deprived of, or lofe that Faculty of Think- 
 ing ? Let them but cooly perufe the laft of the 
 * Bilhop of Cambrays V.v: r-, and unfold to us, 
 if they can, theMechanifm ol ihe World, with- 
 out the Supposition of an all-wife Atheift. 
 
 Vanini^ without the leaft (hadow of Proof, 
 dogmatically alTerts, that all Religions are the 
 Inventions of Princes. But this is what he could 
 not fay of the Chriftian, fince all the Remains 
 of antient Hiftory confpire to difprove him. 
 He tells us, the Originals of our Scriptures are no 
 ^vhereto be found ; As if thatprov'd anything 
 againft thofe we poflefs, or that innumerable 
 and authentick Copies are not of the fame 
 Force and Value, in hiftorical matters, as the 
 Originals themfelves. The Promifes and Threats . 
 in the Gofpel, relate chieBy to a future State, 
 it's true ; yet it doth not from thence follow, j 
 
 but that the Wicked are often chaftis'd and pu- ] 
 
 nilh'd in this; as Vanini, and feveral others. i 
 
 XXXIX. Have you a mind to know. Sir, Origin of i 
 
 ivhatare his Thoughts concerning the Origin of Mankind, i 
 
 Mankind? This again, is a troublefome Preci-^'^'^°J'^'PS 
 pice, in the way of thofe Infidels ; nor do they 
 indeed, know how to efcape it ; they are drove, 
 about this matter, into difficult Straights : It is 
 here they abandon their Reafon, and talk ex- 
 travagantly. " Men fprang forth like Mu(h- 
 " rooms (fay they). D/Wojv/j SVcw/wMmagines the Opinion of 
 " firft Man was brought forth out of the Slime DioJcrus 
 " of the Earth (fay s T^a mni f) but if fo, ob- ^'"*^'*'' 
 
 * Demonft. of the Exift.of God, id Edit. Paris. 
 f Diai.XXXVlI. 
 
 ferves, I 
 
 i 
 
64. T^he Life cfLvciLio Vanini, 
 
 ferves Alexander ^ how doth it happen, that 
 
 in five hundred thoufand Years, fince 
 
 which, the World hath form'd itfelf, (ac- 
 
 *' cording to that Atheift) there has been 
 
 none brought forth in that manner? Ne- 
 
 verthelels, he is not the only (repHes Va' 
 
 nini) who hath taken that Story for Truth, 
 
 and is aflur'd, that by the concurrence of the 
 
 The fame" ^tars it is very pradicable —— and this is 
 
 with that the Opinion of Cardanus : fie pretends, that 
 
 ot Cardu- ** as the fmaller Animals, Mice, and Fifties, 
 
 "'*'- ' are produced by Putrefadion, it is very prob- 
 
 *' able, that the greater Animals, and even all 
 
 in general, are deriv'd from them alfo. A 
 
 handfome Method of reafoning, (replies ^/«'x- 
 
 ander) a Moufe may be brought forth our of 
 
 Putrefadion, therefore a Man may alfo 1 
 
 Are there not now fufficient heaps of Filth 
 and Slime? Why then is there not fometimes 
 a Horfe, fometimes an Ox produced from it ?■ 
 That's right, (fays Vanini) but Diodorus Si- 
 clus relates, that in a certain part of the Nile, 
 where it overflows, leaving behind it as it 
 were a Bed of Mud^ which as foon as it is 
 heated by the Sun, there are produced from 
 it. Animals of a monftrous Size. That's 
 well, (fays Alexander) but as for me, 1 could 
 never fubfcribe to fuch a Lye. 
 This is not all. Vanini refumes the Difcourfe, 
 and goes on, faying, " Others have dieam'd, 
 
 ibmeAthe-" ivon\ Mud, putrified by the Corruption of cer- 
 
 iftsaboutit." tain Monkeys, Swine, and Frogs; and tiience, 
 
 " (rhey fay) proceeds the great Refemblance 
 
 " there is betwixt our FlelVi and Propenrions, 
 
 " and thofe of thofe Creatures. Ociier Athe- 
 
 t Dial. ru:H. 
 
 ifts 
 
n^e Life ^/ L u c i l i o V a n i n i. "^j; 
 
 ^' theifts more mild have thought that none 
 
 " but the JEthiaftam are produced from aRace 
 
 " of Monkeys, becaufe the fame degree of 
 
 " heat is found in both. Truly (replies A- 
 
 *' lexnnder) I wonder thatthofe People can dif- 
 
 " pute the excellency of Man above other 
 
 ** Creatures, when they behold the uprightnefs 
 
 " of his Strufture. Well ! (anfwers Vanini) 
 
 " Atheifts cry out to us continually, that the 
 
 " firft Men went upon all four as other Bcaftsjf the firft 
 
 " and 'tis by Education only, they have changed JjJ^J|^ ™^ 
 
 " this Cuftom, which, neverthelefs in their^Qur, 
 
 *' old Age returns again. I fliould be glad 
 
 " to fee the Experiment (fays Alexander) If a 
 
 *' Child juft born, and brought up in a Fo- 
 
 ** reft, (hould walk upon all four. But let us 
 
 " abandon thofe Deliriums to Atheifts, and 
 
 ** hold to the Rules prefcribed by our Faith. 
 
 Is it poflible in fo fmall a fpace to heap to- 
 gether fuch wretched Nonfenfe ! The forma- 
 tion of Animals attributed to Putrefaftion, the 
 corruption of other Creatures or the pofition 
 of the Stars, and amongft the reft, the j^thio^ 
 pans to the race of Monkeys; however, if he 
 had faid, that the firft Monkey was brought 
 forth by a Devil and a She-Moor, that might 
 have been more likely; but it (hould be con- 
 fider*d an Ethiopian hath Reafon, a Monkey 
 hath none, and that no Being can communi- 
 cate to another, what it hath not itfelf. And 
 what do you think Sir, of thofe Men who 
 walked upon all four, and now their Defcen- 
 dants upon two ? It is certain, it is by Induf- 
 try and Education, for if a Child was brought 
 up in a Wood, he would undoubtedly live as 
 the Monkeys and Bears ; and in that Cafe 
 Experience miglit make for Vanini. A Man 
 of Credit aftiired me, that there was found 
 K in 
 
66 ^be Life ^/ L u c i l i o V A n i n t; 
 
 in Denmark^ a yoimg Man of about fonrteeit 
 or fifteen Years old, who lived in the Woods 
 with the Bears,and who could not be diftinguifti- 
 ed from them but by his Shape. They took 
 him, and learned him to fpeak,- he faid then, 
 he could remember nothing but only fince the- 
 time they took him from amongft the Bears. 
 But whence comes that Induftry equally a- 
 mongft all People of the Univerfe? Why is 
 there not fome Ifland, fome Trad, where Men 
 now walk upon all four? Why are they atpre- 
 fent all Bipèdes ? There can be given but one of 
 thefe two Reafons; either becaufe that God 
 created him in that Pofture, in which he hath 
 preferved himfelf in an uninterrupted Tradi- 
 tional Education, or becaufe that fuch is the ve- 
 ry Nature of his Being, and that that Induftry 
 which Vanini attributes to him is natural and 
 effential. 
 
 XL. What he adds concerning the Power of 
 Man above other Creatures is alfo as impious *. 
 bLnforln-^^ forme, (ï^ys Alexander) I always believed 
 cd to go- that Man had been made to mafter and govern 
 veinBrutes Brutes. How (replies Vanini) dare you fay that 
 '' Man can mafter a Bafilisk ? Yes, (anfwers A- 
 " lexander) and fometimes kills him ; and the 
 " Baiilisk fometimes kills the Man (replies jf«- 
 " lius) ; and where is that Man that ever framed 
 " a Republick for the Government of Baûlisks, 
 " Bees, Swallows or Eagles? Truly though 
 *' Man can fometimes catch them, he is oftner 
 " yet caught by them. The Crocodile know- 
 eth well how to prey on thofe who drink 
 along the Nile^ fecuring them in the wind- 
 ing of his Tail: And the Polypus fpares not 
 the Divers". 
 
 <c 
 
 * Dial, xxxvii. 
 
 To 
 
 jà 
 
T^he Life <?/ L u c i l i o V a n i n i. 67 
 
 To this Alexander judicioufly anfwers, " That , 
 ** our Natures are no more the fame fince thei,jo(^°nsof 
 *^' Fall": And Sighs in refleding on theFelici-r.iwwcon- 
 ty of our firft Parents. *' Groan not (anfwers «^«^^"'"S our 
 '* thereupon, Vanini in an ironical and profane J^ 7^" 
 " Manner) Man fince the Fall mafters the 
 *' Sheep, and could before the Fall, even the 
 
 *' Serpent." He paufes here, as if Aley:- 
 
 ander interrupted his Difcourfe, who upon that, 
 tells him he underflood what he meant. " This I 
 '* will fay (fays Julius) O happy Crime thac 
 ** has procured us fo great a Redeemer, for 
 " now we not only are Mafters of all Crea- 
 *' tures, but we have even the Angels for our 
 *' Inftrudors. But let us leave this I pray you 
 *' to the antient Sages of the Soybonne ; let us 
 *' rather exert ourfelves in philofophical Mat- 
 " ters". Thofe are fome of his common Tran- 
 fitions, after having fufficiently derided the 
 Myfteries of Chriftianity. 
 
 XLI. But nothing can come up to his Im-Hislmpie- 
 piety in the Parallel he draws between the Em- ^7 '" "^a^- 
 pire of God and that of the Devil, I hefitated';^f[^^^„°^; 
 fometime, whether I Ihould tranfcribe it into God!'^' 
 French. I determined at laft to do it, upon 
 confidering that Mr. Bay/e had already as good 
 as done it in the Article of Xenophanes, which is 
 no other than an Illuftration of Vanims Argu- 
 ments: Moreover, that it coincides with Mr. 
 Bayle*s chief Difficulty concerning the Confe- 
 quence of moral, and the extent of phyfical 
 Evil, but fufter me for once to act contrary 
 to my Inclination. 
 
 Exhorrefco rejerens .' 
 
 , * " One may infer from the Canon of t!ie 
 Scriptures ((^y^ Vanini, pevfonarinjT a Liber-- 
 
 '^ Dial. p. 420. 
 
 K 2 '' line) 
 
<?8 The Life of T. \j Cl Lio Vanini» 
 
 *' tine) that the Power of the Devil is greater 
 '' than that of God himfelf. It was againft 
 " the Will of God that Adam and Eve fell, 
 and loft all Mankind ; and even when the 
 Son of God came in the World, to attone 
 for that Evil, the Devil animating the Mind 
 " of his Condemners, Chrift declares, that that 
 iiHts his time and the Power of Darhiefsy and 
 fo ends his Life by a moft infamous Death. 
 *' One may likewife fay, that according to thofe 
 " Scriptures, the Will of the Devil is more 
 '' effeftiial than that of God. God ijjilh that 
 all Men flmild be faved -, Neverthelefs, there 
 are few that endeavour it : The Devil will- 
 ing that all Men (liould be damned. There 
 are an innumerable Many. Amongft the 
 Multitude of the Inhabitants of the Earth, 
 the Roman Catholicks only can be faved, if 
 from thefe you fubftraft the Jeivs^ hidden 
 Hereticks, Atheifts and Blafphemers, Simo- 
 *' nifts, Adulterers and Sodomites, all which 
 *' foall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, fcarcc 
 *' can you then find one in a Million. In like 
 " manner, under the Law of Mofes, all the 
 " Univerfe was under the Power of the Devil : 
 " The Hebrews only excepted, that adored the. 
 " true God, which were Inhabitants of a fmall 
 *' Trnâ:, not exceeding the extent of the Ifland 
 " of Great- Britain^ and who even alio often 
 '* forfcok his Worfhip ; nay, when they moft 
 *' ftoickly adhered to it, they were yet tor- 
 " mcnrcd by the Devil : It is thus (adds he) 
 " that Blafphemer argued, 
 Mr. B;:v'e Take? the trouble. Sir, to read over again the 
 hasilluftia- Article conceYniugXenophanes in the Hijîoricaland 
 ^i^fj''^''^ Critical D.iBionary, and you'll fee this difficulty 
 f^^'i^.J"^^^ iliuilratcd. Mr. Bayle makes ufc of all his Rhc- 
 toiickjand v/'thout having read our Atheift, as 
 
 it 
 
T^be Life ofLv Cl LI o VaniniJ '^^ 
 
 k appears by his Quotations, he falls exadly in- 
 to Vanims Method of Reafoning. '' My other 
 " Obfervation * (fays he at the End of his Ha- 
 ** rangue) is yet more decifive. The Catho- 
 " licks and Proteftants agree in this, that there 
 " are very few but will be damned. They 
 " fave but the Orthodox who live well and 
 ** repent of their Sins at the point of Death : 
 *' They do not deny but an habitual Sinner may 
 " be faved in cafe of a good Death-Bed Repen- 
 ** tance ; but yet they maintain, that nothing is 
 *' more fcarce than fuch a Repentance. Ac- 
 ** cording to that then it is evident, that for 
 " one Man faved, there may be a Million damn- 
 ** ed : Vanims ExprefTion exadly. Vix è mille 
 *' millibus unus eîeÙus aderit". I can aflfure you 
 Sir, this Article gave no fmall trouble to the 
 Commiflaries of the Confiftory of Rotterdam^ 
 who were appointed for the Examination of 
 the Dictionary, as may be feen by their Re- 
 gifters. Confider alfo, that Vanini no fooner 
 has given the Poifon, but he adminifters the 
 Antidote, and anfwers as well as he could to 
 the Libertines Argument. But in the Arti- 
 cle of Xenophanesy there is not the leaft anfwer 
 attempted to that Objeftion, although it is 
 urged with all the Strength and Eloquence the 
 Author was capable of. In the mean time, this 
 Objection is the fame as that of moral Evil 
 and phyfical Evil, confidered both together as 
 a neceltary Confequence of the former. 
 
 I {hall then at once anfwer (to Vanini and all An anfwcp 
 others who are deceived by this lllufion) that '^o ^'^"'"' 
 
 . and all o- 
 
 * Hiftorical and Critical Diftionary iu the Article of Xe' ^j^], ^j^jj 
 pQphanes Paf. 3057. col. 2. the difficulty, which is but f^o^t qj^- g^c^j^jj^ 
 in Vanini, is there at large, the Author employing two Co- 
 lumns and a half in llluftrating it, and I think, with more 
 piins than anv other part of the Didionary. 
 
 God 
 
7<5 "TheLifeofluVciLio Van i ni, 
 
 God is always the fupream Power and Mafter,' 
 although he futfers the Devil to ad at fome 
 times, and that it is both confiftent with his 
 Majefty and Perfeftions fo to do : That it is 
 not true, it vvas contrary to the Will of God^ 
 that Adam and Eve fell, fince he permitted it 
 fhould be fo. He created them free,and conform- 
 able to that Freedom they were to Aâ: Thac 
 it is falfe that all Nations except the Jews only, 
 were under the Dominion of Satan j and thac 
 it is yet more falfe, ûit'Jevûs were unhappy, 
 even when they acted according to the Will 
 of their Maker : That it is abfurd to fay the 
 Devil contrived the Death of the Son of God, 
 ivhich is evidently demonftrated in the Gofpels, 
 by our Saviour's rejefting the Advice of ^t.Peter, 
 as the Temptation of an Evil Spirit, and his 
 Declaration of that being his Hour and power of 
 Darknefs fignifying no more than that a liber- 
 ty was given to the Prince of Darknefs, as that 
 to Pilate^ "Thou fooiildfi have no power over rm 
 (fays he to him) were it not given unto thee from 
 God ! Further it (hould be confidered, it is 
 both ra(h and unreafonable to determine as 
 fome do, that of a Million of People there will 
 be fcarce one faved ,• that if God wills that all 
 Men fiiall be faved, it muft be underftood thac 
 thac muft be in a manner conformable to his 
 Wifdom and worthy of the Caufe of Virtue : 
 And if he wills there (hall be few, it is to 
 manifeft the excellency and dignity of fuch a 
 Salvai'on ; and in Ihort, that it is abfurd and 
 imprudent to determine without a pofitive 
 certainty thac the Number damned xvill be 
 oreater than the Number faved, fince at his 
 Pleafure God can anniliilate the Devil and all 
 his Conquefts ; and in the remaining dura- 
 rlon of the \Vorld encreafe the Number of 
 
 tiic 
 
^be Life ^/ L u c 1 1 * o V A N I N T. 71', 
 
 the Eleft by the converfion of the Hereticks,' 
 Jews, Turks and IdulaLors, according to his 
 Pi-edi<ftions, as the Sand of the 3v... 
 
 XLIII. I have already told you Sir, Vamiusvan'miv\à\' 
 Opinion concerning the Immortality of the*^"'" "-"^ 
 
 0^1 r • I L {-11 takipt; up 
 
 Soul, you may lee it here above, at the eighth ^^f £°,^, 
 Chapter, ivhei'e I fpeak of Pomponatius and and rails 
 Car damn. Our Author copies from them boch in ^ ^^'^ 
 his Amphitheatre and Dialogues, He openly ri- j^™f "^^^j^g 
 dicules the taking up of Elias into Heaven, who Soul. 
 caft himfelf down, he fays, in fome Precipice 
 to impofe upon the People, and make them 
 think he was fuddenly taken up by God. Ic 
 is true, he quotes this here as from Cardanus : 
 But repeats it as his own, and after having 
 fpoken of Mofes and Eli as ^ of which the A- 
 theifts have the fame Thought, this is the 
 Tranfition he adds : But let us abandon thofe 
 trifling Tales ; quafo mittamm has mgacijjimas 
 abellas, *. 
 
 Notwithftanding Alexander is not yet fatis- 
 fy'd ; and intreats his beloved Mafter to ex- 
 plain to him his Opinion, about the Soul's 
 Immortality, to which f Vanini anfwers, that 
 he defired to be excufed from fo doing; why 
 fays Alexander Ï Becaufe (replies the other) IHedoesnot 
 have vowed not to trouble myfelf about that^°J^^^^ 
 Queftion until I become old, rich, and a Ger- 
 man. I muft tell you, it is obfervable he 
 never loved that Nation, ufing them very free- 
 ly in the whole of his Dialogues. But had Defence of 
 he lived in our Days, and had the advantage ^^^^^^'^^ 
 of knowing them better, I doubt not but he 
 would have changed his Tone. Good Senfe 
 and Virtue are Qualifications belonging to all 
 Nations. The late Qiieen of Pruffia and her 
 
 * Dial. 1. \ Dial. p. 491. 
 
 Mother 
 
fi. *Fhe Life of L u-g l'i r o V a n f n r^ 
 
 Mother the Princefs Sophia Eledrefs nowa- 
 ger of Hanover, of whom we mourn the lofs, 
 are perpetual Monuments to vindicate the 
 worth of their Nation, in oppofition to all in- 
 difcreet Refleftions of Strangers. Father Bou^ 
 hoursy a French Jefuite, asked in one of his Dia- 
 logues, if a German could be a Man of Senfe? 
 But a German in return, asked, if a Frenchman 
 could have Judgment ? In (hort, the Conduâ: 
 of Vanini was very imprudent, fin ce Baffom- 
 piere, the Hero of his Dedication was a German, 
 and moreover, a Man exceeding compleat and 
 knowing. 
 Heridicules XLIV.He proceeds with abfurd witticifmsupon 
 ot^M^fh^ the Law of Mofes : He tells us he does not love 
 Hogs-Fle(h, and for fear of fcandalizing the 
 yewf, he feidom or never eats any: Often he 
 feems to infinuate that their Law-Giver, for- 
 bad it only out of Policy, it being very pernicious 
 to the Leprofy; a diftemper they had brought 
 with them out' of Eg)pt, and which, even now, 
 it is pretended they are much fubjeâ: to. He 
 likewife tells us the obfervation of thofe diffe- 
 rent Degrees of proximity in Marriage is mere 
 human Invention : And further affirms, that 
 were the nigheft Relations to marry they' 
 would fo relilh the fweets of it, that it would 
 render them incapable of any other Occupa- 
 tion, and that as to the Crime he can find 
 none. Moreover, that the antient Patriarchs 
 did lay with their nigheft Relations, and even 
 to this Day it is pradifed amongft the Per- 
 Jïam t. You fee he makes quick Work and 
 difpatches it in few Words, He thinks Mofes 
 aded wifely to cftablilh Sword-in-hand, a new 
 Religion, fince all other Forgers of Seds that 
 
 * Dial. p. 46. I Dial. p. 3:8. 
 
 did 
 
lihe Life ^/LucilioVanini. 75 
 
 did not go that way to work have perilh'd. 
 But let us fee what he fays againft the Chriftiaii 
 Rehgion, becaufe 1 am almoft tired of tracing 
 fuch grois Impieties. 
 
 XLV. According to him it is founded in Sim- His 
 plicity. The Original of the Scriptures are loft ; Thoughts 
 there is nothing certain in the Gofpels : Its Pro- ^^e ChH-^ 
 mifes and Threatnings have no relation to thisftjanReli- 
 Life, but that which is to come ; therefore not togion. 
 be mmded. The Miracles of 'J. Chrifl^ are like 
 unto thofe of St. Anthony^ and St. Dominicky and 
 likewife not to be heeded *. As to the Mar- And its 
 tyrs for it, that proves nothing, fince Vain Martyrs. 
 Glory and Melancholy (not Evidence, and a 
 fincere Conviftion) were the Reafons of their 
 Suffering, f* Befides, have not all Religions 
 {Jewifh, Mahometans^ Roman Catholicks, and CaU 
 'vinifls) had their Confeflbrs and Martyrs. Read 
 (fa) s he) the Reign of Mary Queen of En- 
 glandy and you'll fee how many Proteftanrs dar'd 
 Death for their Religion. If Chriftians are foj^^ P''°' 
 firm in their' Perfuafions, it is becaufe St. P^ulp^^^ ^' 
 has had cunning enough to reprefent to them Compari- 
 Marriage, as a Sacrament, and an Image of the ^«"s about 
 Union of J. Chrift wich his Church : And is not '^^^"^&e- 
 that fuiEcient to produce a ftubborn Faith **? 
 He thinks there is a good Reafon for the fame ' 
 Apoftie*s having foretold an Antichrift, and his 
 defcribing him with fuch fcandalous Marks, 
 iince, upon confidering his Charader, no body ^"^ ?". J* 
 will be willing to apply it to himfelf ,- fo that °"'^ " ' 
 Chriftianity will triumph, and remain fafe ^. 
 He alfo complains, that St. Paul fliould have 
 prophecy'd of that Antichrift as near his Time ; 
 fince there was then paft, in his Days, XVI 
 Centuries : f And that Prediction was not yet 
 
 * See above, § 3 2 . f* Dial. p. 35-7. ** Dial. 35-7 
 
 ^ Dial. L. f Dial. i&iJ. 
 
 h accom- 
 
74 ^^^ Life of L u c I L lo Van i n i. 
 
 acGomplifh'd. He forgets thofe fame Prote- 
 ftants of which he juft new fpoke ; and he will 
 not remember that they have always efteem*d 
 His deteft- the Pope as fuch. From St. Paul he pafles over 
 able Irony 5-5 Jefus Chrift, of vvhom he relates fome of his 
 ^^"j^^^^''"'"^ Anfvvers, ridiculing them by his execrable Iro- 
 Çhr'ift. ny : Saptenti[finici hac funt Chrifli aBa *! This 
 is the great Wifdom of Chrift i But it is ob- 
 jeded, that Chrift offer'd himfelf voluntarily to 
 Death : Which he would not certainly have 
 done, had he not been convinced of the Truth 
 of his Miflion. Ay, f (f^ys Vanini^ perfonating 
 an Atheift) it is the part of a wife Man, to 
 defpife tranfient and (hort Pains, to acquire an 
 immortal Name. This is the Impiety which 
 he boafts of having refuted, in his Book of the 
 Contempt of Glory, f* Upon the Myftery of the 
 Eucharift he is likewife profane, adviftng Ma- 
 riners, or Seafaring Men, which are generally 
 more fubjeâ: to Paffion than others, to partake 
 often of that Holy Sacrament, as an alTur'd 
 Lenitive for their atra bilariom Humours. 
 His Opini- XL VI. Upon the Gift of Tongues, which 
 T Gifr^of '^^^ Apoftles were eodow'd with on li^ntfunday. 
 Tongues he îevivcs the ancient Accufation of the Jews ; 
 which the and for a farther Illuftration of it, makes 
 Apoflles ^^g q£ certain Platonick Notions, which he de- 
 do\wcd r\àç.s in his Arnphitheatre. § He fays our Souls 
 with. polfefs in themfelves the Knowledge of all Lan- 
 guages and Sciences, fince they are derived 
 from the Deity hinrfelf, and partake of his Ef- 
 fence : But being dcprefs'd by the Weight of 
 material Bodies, they find much the fame Re- 
 fiftance in the Exertion of their Strength, as a 
 quick Fire clofe cover'd with Afhes. So that 
 the Fire of our Underftandings (hou'd be 
 
 * Diai. L. t Dial. ibiu. t* Sec above, Ch. 11. 
 § Dial. LIV. p. 408. 
 
 ftir'4 
 
 ^ 
 
^be Life of L u cilio V ai^iv f* ff 
 
 ftir'd up, if we would have thofe thick and 
 grofs Humours diflipated, and bright and pur& 
 Light fiiine forth : That therefore all our Know- 
 ledge is but a kind of Memory, as Plato ob- 
 ferv'd. This being laid down, he adds, that 
 when there is a quick Ebullition of the Hu- 
 mours, there refults a vehement Agitation of 
 the Spirits, which being convey 'd with Rapidi- 
 ty to the Brain, drives out as it were the 
 Knowledge of thofe different Tongues, which 
 are there hidden, juft as the Blow of one Flint 
 Stone, makes a Spark of Fire fly out of the 
 other. That it is known from Experience, than 
 during the Dog-days, a Perfon attack'd with 
 a violent Fever, fpeaks often Words of diflferenc 
 Tongues; and that Perfons having drank plen- 
 tifully of good Wine, from ftupid infipid Com-- 
 panions, become eloquent and agreeable. This 
 Line of Horace is not forgot *. 
 
 Facundi Calices quern non fecere difertum : 
 
 That in 'Thracia there was a Temple confecra" 
 ted to Bacchus, the Priefts of which never pro- 
 nounced their Oracles, until they had their 
 Bellies well fill'd with that God which they 
 
 there ador'd — ; Here is a great Preparation 
 
 our Author makes, but to what will it termi- 
 nate ? Why, to a grofs Impiety : ** For there- 
 " fore (adds he) the antient Philofophers hear- 
 " ing the Apoftles fpeak in different Languages, 
 ** tax*d them with Drunkennefs ,• as St. Luke 
 
 * Horace, Epift. f. Book i. 
 
 ,^id non Eirlftas defignat ? oferta recludtt 
 iifes jubet ejj'e ratas, in pr&lia trudit mermem, 
 SoUicitis animis onus eximu, addocet artes. 
 Yéicundi Calices quern non fecere difertum i 
 
 L 2 " teîis 
 
7^ ^he Life of L u c i l i o V a n i n ï. 
 
 " tells us in the Second Chapter of the ASis of 
 " the Apoftles." But behold his Honefty, It is 
 probable there was not one Philofopher a- 
 mongft the Crowd of Strangers of which St. Luke 
 fpeaks. They were Men fearing God, who 
 embrac'd Chriftianity, making a juft amends 
 to the Apoftles. And where does he difcover, 
 (\ would feign know) that Wine infpires us 
 with the Knowledge of Tongues, and makes 
 Men fpeak fuch noble things of God, and in 
 fuch a manner as to attraâ; Admiration ? As 
 for me, I confefs, I have known a great Num- 
 ber of Drunkards, of all forts, which yet could 
 fpeak but their Mother Tongues. 
 
 XLVII. As to the RefurrcSion of the Dead, 
 and the many Examples fhewn him of its Poffi- 
 bility, he ridicules the one and the other ; and 
 not only the Chriftians, but even the Pagans, who 
 believed that Doctrine, and feemingly attacks the 
 latter, with a View to be more fevere on the 
 former» * " Lucian would anfwer us, Cfays 
 " he) That all thofe little Stories have been 
 " invented by fome trifling Liars among the 
 ** Greeks^ or hypocritical Platonicks, thro^'ing 
 " them as a Mift before the Eyes — — but 
 " (Tays Alexander) Ptoo has maintained the Im- 
 *' mortality of the Soul againft many Philofo- 
 *' phers. It is true, (replies the other) but he 
 " has like wife held for the Immortality of the 
 Soul of that little Bird you lee in that Cage. 
 Was not Socrates (replies Alexander J a Man 
 of great Probity ? Yes, fays Vanini^ but he 
 taught that in a Republick, it was neceflary 
 the Vulgar Ihould be kept to their Duty by 
 fabulous Prodigies. Alex. Neverthelefs he 
 died chearfully, in defence of Truth, def- 
 
 ♦ Dial. LVII. 
 
 <c 
 
 !' pifing 
 
 À 
 
7'/?'^ Zif^ ^/ LuciLio Vanini. 1% 
 
 ** pifing the Worfhip of falfe Gods. Vamni, 
 *' I cannot think that it was out of Zeal to- 
 " wards Religion; but perhaps to avoid the 
 " Contempt which the fear of Death might 
 " have drawn upon him, in an Age when 
 " Strength of Mind and Conftancy were fo 
 " much admir*d. " Thus it is that unworthy 
 Pedant vilifies an illuftrious Philofopher. We 
 Ihall fee anon, how mirdful he is of that excel- 
 lent Morality, when he is himfelf in Priion. 
 What (he adds) is yet more worthy the In- ^ ^^'^^. 
 dignation of all true Friends to Socrates, as Igafioftlsé^ 
 efteem my lelf, judging of the Difpolition oi crates. 
 that great Msn by his own. He lays, perhaps 
 the Inquifitors of the Areopagus would not liften 
 to his Recantation. 'Tis thus he cafts a Slur 
 upon a glorious Life, crown'd with a no lefs 
 heroick Death, altho^ he knows 'tis what none 
 of theAntients ever pretended to, and which the 
 Epicureans^ and other Enemies to him and P/ato, 
 would never have forbore urging a<jainft them, 
 had there been the leaft Shadow of Truth in it. 
 
 Politickly fpeaking, Atheifts (hould not flop Impru- 
 ât fuch like Conjedures, for if that Method '^'^"'^p .°^. 
 (hould happen once to be in ufe, 'tis then Chri- conjec- 
 ftian Philofophers may fujfficiently annoy them tares, 
 with whole Volleys of Perhaps's, and that fo 
 effeftually, as to blemifh their moft fpecious 
 and innocent Adions : And, in fliort, to con- 
 fider it well, Conjedure for Conjedure, upon 
 whom can they more naturally fall ? On Men 
 perfuaded of the Exiftence of a fupreme God, 
 Witnefs and Judge of our fecret Thoughts and 
 Adions, who has in his Power only the Right 
 of Rewarding or punilhing; or on thofe who 
 thinking themfelves Indépendants in Nature, and 
 empowered to trample under foot Religion op- 
 prefs'd, have (haken off the Burthen of a pre- 
 tended 
 
70- The Life ofLv cilio Vanini^ 
 
 tended Governor, and thus qualify 'd themfelves 
 to fatisfy, without the leaft Remorfe, their fa- 
 vourite Paffions, tho perhaps not always thofe 
 confpicuous and open, as Gluttony, Drunken- 
 nefs, and Wantonnefs, &c. But yet fuch which 
 are not lefs pernicious and deftruâ:ive to Society, 
 tho' often hidden, as Pride, Malice, Contempt, 
 Anger, Vengeance, and Perfidioufnefs. 
 vanini be- XL VIII. Vanini, after having, in this man- 
 lieves nei-j^gj.^ calumniated SocrateSj ridicules the good 
 \xs% Dse- ^^'^ 6vil Genius's. He examines the Queftion 
 mons, nor concerning Dsemons and Oracles. As to the 
 Oracles, former, he believes there are no fuch Beings ; 
 and condemns Plato for having introduc'd them 
 without Teftimony. * There are no Reafons 
 (fays he) to convince us that there are either 
 good or evil Genius's, either beyond, or on 
 this fide the Moon; it is mere human Fancy 
 hath invented them. But fays Alexander^ there 
 are Magicians, and Necromancers, that be- 
 ivitch People. // credere e' di cortefia^ to believe 
 that is only out of good manners, anfwers Va- 
 '* nini. But that they perform any thing by 
 " the Mediation of Devils, I cannot think, 
 " fince I believe the Exiftence of Devils but by 
 *' the Perfuafions of Religion : But I had ra- 
 " ther afcribe thofe Effeds to natural Caufes.'* 
 Alexander^ not yet fatisfied, asks how the Eg)^- 
 tian Magicians wrought fo many Prodigies be- 
 fore Pharao : But this Difficulty does not puzzle 
 our Vanini. " Thofe Philofophers (fays he) 
 which deny the Exiftence of Da:mons, defpife 
 " the Hebrew Annals. Cardaixis, neverthelefs, 
 " tells us, it is very probable that thofe Im- 
 poftors, by the vehement Strength of their 
 " defiring Frogs, brought the Tafte of them into 
 
 • Dial. 480. 
 
 I' their 
 
Voe Life ^/ li u c i l i o V a n i n i. 79 
 
 " their Mouths, and that the Spittle thereof pro- 
 *' ducM thofe Cfeatures. For, adds tliat pro- 
 " found Naturalift, as we find that in Summer, 
 " from a Drop of Water, is brought forth a 
 *^ Frog, vvhy, in like manner, may they not 
 
 come forth from the Spittle ; fo much the ra- 
 *' ther, fince it is aflîfted with the Powers of the 
 ** Soul." I afiure you. Sir, that Vamni*s Book 
 is full of fuch wretched Nonfenfe, and it is fuch 
 Trafii, we dearly buy and ftudy : The fame time 
 we negleft the Reading and Meditation of 
 Numbers of much more excellent Things. 
 
 Our Atheift is more reafonable in fpeaking Opinions 
 of the heathenifti Oracles : Firft he applies them concerning 
 to the Devils, then he attributes them to Va- y^^(,}gsP" 
 pours of the Earth, after that to the Concur- 
 rence of the Stars; and laftly, after having 
 reafon'd thus at random, he falls in with the 
 Opinion of the late Mr. Vandale^ who imagin'd 
 them nothing elfe than the Effefts of Illufion 
 and Impofture. You know. Sir, this Opinion 
 is not new. The Epicureans conftantly ridiculed 
 them. Chryfipfus * compile a large Volume of That of 
 them ,• but Cicero divided all their pretended di- chr};/tppus. 
 vine Anfwers into four ClafTes, as he tells us, 1'*^^'^ ^^^ 
 towards the End of his Second Book of Divina- ^'"^''' 
 tion. 
 
 " But now I come unco thee. 
 
 Divine Apollo, tuho didfl dwell on Earth hlow, 
 To caufe the fatal Voice of Prieftejfes to fioiu. 
 
 " for Chryfippus hath fillM a large Volume con- 
 
 " cerning your Oracles, fome, as I believe, 
 
 falfe, and others fortuitoufly become true, as 
 
 it often happens in common Portents, the 
 
 .. ■ 
 
 * Cifero de Divinat. Ub. 2, Ch. $6. 
 
 Others 
 
Zo The Life of Ij M Cl Lio VaniniJ 
 
 " others fo confus'd and obfcure, that the In- 
 terpretation dorh want another Interpreter to 
 unfoid, and even tne Chance itfelf another 
 Chance ; and again, others fo ambiguous, 
 that ive fhould refer them to an able Logici- 
 an to underftand them. As that fet forth to 
 
 ^. one of the moft opulent Kings of AJta. 
 
 Crœfus cnjjir/g the Halys, Jball vverthrow a 
 mighty Power. 
 
 He thought indeed j he (hould overthrew the 
 Power of his Enemies, but he was overmrown 
 himfelf Cicero mendons many others, which muft 
 That of have ruin'd the Credit of Apollo. Lucian, who has 
 tucinn. xNXOKt fince, laugh'd at the whole Paganifln Sy- 
 ftem of Religion, not excepting even their O- 
 The Pri- racles. The Primitive Chriftians, tho' fuflici- 
 ch'^'tt ^^^^y knowing in the Arguments of Cicero and 
 r lans. ^piQ^y^^^ without greater Inquiry into the Rife 
 and Origin of thofe Foretellers of Fate, chofe 
 rather to attribute them to the Power of the 
 Devil, than to the Impofition of the Priefts, be- 
 caufe, by fo doing, they had a better Oppor- 
 tunity of exalting the Power of Chrift and his 
 Gofpel, which, maugre the Devil and his Super- 
 ftitlon, eflabliflti*d itfelf over all his Empire. 
 Vanini. Vaninij who rejeded the Gofpel, holds the Opi- 
 nions of Epicurus and Lucian^ and treats the 
 Of Father others as Cheats and Illufions. Father lomaffin, 
 Tomajfm. who perfectly underftood antient heathenifh 
 Antiquity, thought that the true Religion 
 v/ould fuffer no great Lofs, by allowing that 
 chofe pretended divine Oracles were nothing 
 elfe than Impofture ,• this he tells us plainly, 
 in his Method of fludyi}ig the Poets in a Chrijîian 
 M. Vm- -^^-inner *. Mr. Vandale. Phyfician at Harlem. 
 
 Mit. 1 
 
 • Sec bis Words \t\Chap.i. Book x. of that Trcatifc, and 
 which Mr. De Fontenclk quotes in the Preface to his Wji.des 
 Ondts. 
 
 an4 
 
The Life of 'Lv ci no Va ^ i n r. 8 1. 
 
 and an Anabaprift, was the firft among the 
 Moderns who dar'd break the Ice, and by a 
 defign'd Treatife, deprive the Devil of the Cre- 
 dit of thofe Oracles he had, during Chriftianity, 
 fo long enjoy'd. You may find an Abftrad of 
 his Book, in the Firft Volume of Nouvelles de 
 la Rep. des Lettres, wrote by Mr. Bayle. Mr. 
 Fontenelley found it fo well ftored with Ertf- 
 dition and good Reafoning, that he has 
 not thought it unworthy of illuftrating and 
 beautifying it in the French Tongue, as may 
 be feen in his Hiji. des Oracles , which has now 
 been publiihed above twenty eight Years, and 
 which aftords that Satisfadion in Reading, that 
 a Perfon, even of a contrary Opinion, muft be 
 pleafed with it. One would have thought that 
 after fo long and univerfal an Approbation 
 of that excellent Treatife, it was attacking 
 the common Sentiments of all Men, and ex- 
 pofing himfelf to an undoubted defeat in pre- 
 tending to find fault with it. Notwithftand- 
 ing Father Bahus a Jefuit of Strasbourg did not 
 mind its eftablithed Reputation, but being full 
 of the Writings of the Fathers, he could not 
 fuifer the leaft Attempt (hould be made to 
 combat Opinions, which they fo clearly em- 
 braced, and which appears in them as the 
 chief Glory of the Chriftian Faith: He has 
 therefore dedicated to yiv.de Font enelleh\\x\£é[ïy 
 a reply to his Hifl. des Grades, in which he 
 gravely and ferioufly endeavours to refute him, 
 placing him at variance with all the Chriftian 
 Antiquity, and even his own Church, which 
 harh adopted from thence what Notions (he 
 thought convenient. Mr. de Fontenelle., then im- 
 ployed with his Hifloire de r Académie Royale, did 
 not think fit to interrupt the ftudy of Nature, 
 and the annals of his Academy, to examine 
 
 M the 
 
8 % The Life of ILvcilio Vanini, 
 
 the reafoning and quotation of the Jefuit ; and 
 which would have brought him again in a Path 
 he had forfaken on account of its Cragginefs. 
 Upon which a Friend of Le Clens undertook 
 his Defence in the thirteenth Volume of his 
 Bibliothèque choijîe^ vvirhouc yet adopting every 
 one of our Academick's Notions. Father Bakus 
 anfwers this anonymous Author by a Dejence 
 cf his former Reply, which is not lefs learned 
 than the Reply itfelf; but which Mr- Le Clerc 
 has not found more perfuafive. The Contro- 
 verfy thus flopped, and Mr. (it? Fontenelle thought 
 it fufficienc to return his Apologift thanks, in 
 a Letter to Mr. Le Clerc, wrote about four or 
 five Years fince; and in which I have been in- 
 formed were thefe Words : // Father Baltus (fays 
 he) "will believe the Veracity of the Pagan Oracles 
 he is at Liberty : As for me I have turned my Stu- 
 dies another way. I imagine Sir, fuch a (hort 
 Hiftory of this Subjed might be acceptable to 
 you on account of the great concern you take 
 in the Republick of Letters. I now refume 
 the Thread of my Difcourfe, and return to 
 Vamm*s Impieties, on which I have a few Words 
 more to offer. 
 
 XLIX. Upon the duration of Religions hd 
 is altogether extravagant ; he has again re- 
 courfe to the wild fancies of Aflrokgers *. He 
 fays, *' That the Stars after many Years ap- 
 *' proaching one another form Conftellations, 
 ** which have a wonderful influence on fubîu- 
 " nary Things, and produce extraordinary 
 " Effeds; Mens Wills alter; their Imsgina- 
 *' tions grow warm and their Undcrflandings 
 " difordered. Whence happens that a skillful 
 
 Man, greedy of divine Honours, forefeeing 
 
 * Dial. \\\. 
 
 '' the 
 
T'/5'f Z//f^<?/ LuciLio Vanint. 85 
 
 " the Event, declares liimfelf a Prophet lent 
 ** from God^ and arrogates to himlelf many 
 " Wonders, which are the bare refult of the 
 " Conjunction of the Stars ; and thus the Vul- 
 " gar being dekided, admire and adore him. 
 " And thofe natural Eftefts rhey give the 
 " Name of Miracles, although in faft, they 
 " do not furpafs the power of Nature. Now 
 " therefore (fays he) I can anfwer to the 
 ** Queftion, for Oracles have ceafed becaufe 
 " they once begun ; and according to my fore- 
 " going Suppofitions , whatever beginneth 
 ** muft end : Now it cannot end, if there do 
 " not happen contrary Difpofitions,- fo after 
 " Oracles the Law, their oppofite, is come, and 
 " Oracles will again flourilh among our later 
 " SuccelTors". It is juft the fame Syftem we 
 have mentioned above, and which reminds me 
 of a Converfation I had about ten Years ago 
 with Mr. Bayle. I defired him he would in- 
 form me, which he thought the moft formida- 
 ble Objeâions that had been urged againft the 
 Chriftian Religion, becaufe I was willing to 
 be fufficiently provided before-hand againft 
 whatever might put a flop to the Faith of a 
 Philofophical Mind. The reply of that learned 
 Man, was much the fame with what is here 
 above recited. He told me, that many famous 
 and learned Phyficians, who had ftudied all 
 their Lives Aftronomy, after fo long and clofe 
 a Meditation, had concluded, that there hap- 
 pened in the World, from time to time, very 
 extraordinary and (according to their Princi- 
 ples) neceffary Revolutions, which rendered 
 Men more fulceptible of Religion at one time 
 than another. I found fome Years after in 
 reading Cardamis and Vnnini^ whence that fa- 
 mous Gritick had taken that Objedion ; and 
 M 2 which 
 
84 T/^^ Z/if<? (?/ LUCILIO V ANÎNT. 
 
 which other wife he did not feem to value much J 
 I am perfuaded, that in the main Vanini did 
 Atheifis rjot lay great ftrefs upon it. But it is natural 
 handle of *°^ Unbelievers to make an advantage of 
 any thing, any thing. They borrow from all Syftems, 
 and by that whatever may make their Caufe appear fpecious, 
 contraddt fh^j^gj-j çyg^ in their Souls they ridicule thofe 
 very Syftems, and on other Occafions utterly 
 explode them. We have already feen how 
 Vanini laughs in his Dialogues ^ at thofe Princi- 
 ples he has laid down in his Amphitheatre. 
 Celfus the Epicurean^ became a Platomcky when 
 h^ attacked Chriftianity : Our Atheift doth the 
 fame, when he reviles the Apoftles, or attempts 
 to refute their Difciples. Spimfa loved to pafs 
 for a Cartefian : His followers make ufe of 
 the fame Veil in order to deftroy Freedom, 
 and introduce a ftoical Fatality. Leenhoff^ for- 
 merly Minifter at Luvole, and now depofed, 
 made ufe of it likewife in his Paradife m 
 Earth. I take heed of putting Mr. Bayle in 
 the Lift of thofe Gentlemen, although the fame 
 variation hath happened to him fometimes. 
 When he attacked the literal Senfe of thofe 
 Words of the Gofpel, oblige them to come itiy he 
 laid down for Principle the firft axioms of na- 
 tural Reafon, and thence gave the Inquifitors 
 deadly blows, but afterwards having in view 
 other Enemies, he declared for Pyrrhonifm^ a- 
 gainft the certainty of Reafon, and undertook 
 to filence her Prefumptuoufnefs, by a Umple 
 Dialepfis of the Scepticks. In another place 
 he makes ufe of Arguments drawn from both 
 Philofophy and Religion in favour of Liberty, 
 iigsinft Mr. Saurin. But again, he denies that 
 liberty snd difgnifes it in agreeable Imagina- 
 tion deftitute of Reality'. And if it be ob- 
 j"cted to him, that Atheifm deftroys ail Vir- 
 tue 
 
Ibe Life ^/LucilioVanini. 2$ 
 
 tue, not only in making every'thing material, 
 but alio fatal and neceffary ; What doth he do ? 
 He retires under the Protediofi of the Synod 
 of Dortncht^ and there having fixed himfelf, 
 he dares the Attacks of the Orthodox. " If 
 " any one (fays he to his Proteftant Calvi- 
 " nift) (hould objeâ, that neither your Words 
 " nor Adions were congruous to the principle 
 *' of abfolute Predeftination and irrefiftible 
 *' Neceffity which moves the Will, what 
 *' would you anfwer him Sir? With good 
 " Arguments ; but which might many of them 
 " ferve the turn of a Spinojite, if you did re- 
 proach him that the care he takes of his 
 " Perfon, Family and Wealth, was not agree- 
 f* able to his Syftem. 
 
 L. '' Time (fays our Athelft) as to that 
 ** motion which the eternal Mover will never 
 " ceafe to imprefs on the World, is Eternal: 
 " So that whatever has ended by the Courfe 
 ^' of the Celeftial Motions, will certainly ap- 
 " pear again, by a periodical Return, not in 
 *' the fame Inviduals, as Plato hath dreamed, 
 .*' but only in the fame Specie. This is (adds 
 ** he, after advancing perfed Materialifm) the 
 " Rudiments of our fubtile Philofophy, which 
 *' bring forth all thofe Wonders ; but in com- 
 ** plaifance to the Chriftian Faith, I utterly 
 " deteft, and I have tacitly condemned them 
 " before I propofed them as the fubjed of 
 *' Converfation". 
 
 LI. The Conclufion is anfwerable to the o- 
 ther parts of the Book ; he complains of the 
 uncertainty and vanity of Arts, and Alexan- 
 der endeavours in vain to comfort him with 
 the Thoughts of the Glory he had obtained 
 in fuch youthful Years. And what have I more 
 of it than that, fays Vanini? But after all, he com- 
 forts 
 
S6 The Life of L u c i l i o V a n i n i. 
 
 forts himfelf likewife, though in fuch a pro- 
 fane manner, that his inward Sentiments are 
 He Jefts eafily perceived. " If my Soul ffays he) (ball 
 with Re- " perifh with my Body, as the Atheifts think, 
 putation. " i^hat pleafure can arife to it from Fame ? 
 " Perhaps with the fine Names of Glory and 
 " Reputation, it may be carried with lefs 
 *' trouble to the Grave. If on the contrary, 
 ** as we hope and willingly believe my Soul 
 " (hall not perifli, but will fly to feme upper 
 Of heaven '* Region, it will there enjoy fuch ravilhing 
 " and agreeable Pleafures, that it will efteem 
 " as nothing, the fplendid and illuftrious pomp 
 Of Purga-** and glory of the World. If it defcends to 
 tory *' the flames of Purgatory, thofe Prayers Dies 
 Ira, aies ilia, fo pleaflng to weak Women, 
 *' will be much more welcome to it, than the 
 Of HcII. " moft florid Rhetorick of T«//y, or the moft 
 " fubtile Arguments of Arijiotle ; or if (which 
 " God forbid) it fliould be delivered to the 
 " flames of the dark Tartarus, no' comfort or 
 *' pleafure, no deliverance can ever happen". 
 ^Alexander, dazled wich fuch Thoughts, is angry 
 with himfelf he had them not inculcated in hinx 
 from his tender Infancy. Would to God (fays 
 he) that from my Youth I had fet out with 
 thefe Principles! Julius anfwers him with this 
 fine Refledion. Think not (fays he) on pafi £- 
 vils^ take no heed of future ones and flmn thofe pre- 
 fern. Alexander neverchelefs Sighs for the lofs 
 of his youthful Age. Upon which Julius ask- 
 ing him the Reafon, he anfwers, It is becaufe 
 (fays he) / remembered that beautijul Paffage in 
 Amintas. 
 
 Perduto é tutto il Tempo 
 Che in amar non Ji f pende. 
 
!r>^^ X/f<? ^/LUCILIO V ANINlJ 8Vi 
 
 an excellent Conclufion for a Prieft and Philo- 
 fopher, who prefently after adds, that he fub- 
 mits all his Thoughts to the Judgment of the 
 Pope and the Church. 
 
 LII. I leave you to imagine Sir, what the 
 Converfation might be of one, who filled his 
 Books with fo much Epicurianifm, and thac 
 of the moft grofs fort. It appears by the 
 Evidence of feveral Authors, that he was not 
 accufed at T'houloufe, for his Writings, although 
 perhaps they helped to determine his Judg- 
 ment ; which (hews us his Converfation muft 
 have been rather worfe than they, (ince it was 
 that which really occafioned his Ruin. Here fol- 
 lows what Gramond tells us concerning him, air 
 " moft at the fame time, by order of Parliament, 
 ** was condemned to die, at T'houlouje^ Lucilio 
 ** Vanini, who was efteemed an arch Heretick 
 " by feveral ; but whom I always looked upon 
 " as an Atheiftj for I think a Man that de- 
 ** nies the exiftence of God^ deferves the latter 
 " rather than the former Title. This wretch- 
 ** ed Fellow pretended to be a Phyfician, but 
 " in reality ivas no other than a Deceiver o£ 
 ** Youth, who generally are imprudent and in- 
 ** confiderate. He laughed at whatever was 
 ** facred or religious: He abominated the In- 
 " carnation of Chrift^ and denied the Being o£ 
 " God, efteeming all Things to be made by 
 " Chance : He adored Nature as a fruitful 
 " Mother and firft Caufe of all Beings, which 
 " was his greateft Error, and whence all the o- 
 " thers derived, and which he had the bold- 
 " nefs ftubbornly to teach in a place fo holy 
 ** as Thouloufe. He prefently had a great Num- 
 " ber of Followers, amongft thole that juft 
 
 came from the Univerfities, and who being 
 " in their youthful Years, were more fufcep- 
 
 *' lible 
 
SS ^he Life ofl^ u c i l i o Van in i; 
 
 " tible of new Opinions. Having been borii 
 *' in haly^ he begun his Studies at Kome^ and 
 *' applied himfelf with Succefs to thofe parti- 
 cular Branches, Philofophy and Divinity, but 
 " falHng in Impiety and a defpifing of Holy 
 ** Things, he blemilhed his religious Charac- 
 ter by an infamous Book, intituled, Of the 
 Secrets of Nature ; in which he had the im- 
 '* pudence to aflert, that Nature was the God- 
 defs of the Unlverfe, Having retired into 
 France on account of a Crime, of which he 
 *' had been accufed in Italy^ he came at laft to 
 T'houkufe. There is not a Town in France 
 where the Laws are framed with greater 
 feverity againft Herefy, and although the 
 " EdiSl of Nants hath granted to the CalviniftSj 
 " an open Liberty of Trade between them 
 " and US, neverthelefs thofe SeElaries have 
 *' not dared to truft themfelves in this Place, 
 " which is the Reafon it is the only one in all 
 ** France free from this Peftilcntial Herefy. 
 " No Perfon is admitted a Citizen, whofe Faith 
 Firft hid- " is the leaft fufpeded by the Holy See. Vaniui 
 denatro«-" concealed himfelf for fome time, until Vain- 
 loufe. << QjQj.y induced him to treat fome My- 
 *' fteries of the Cathoiick Church Proble- 
 " matically, and afterwards he derided them 
 Afterward" openly; The young Men were atfirft ftruck 
 profane, *< ^yj^i^ great Admiration, being weak enough 
 Tl^tàiov' generally to efteem thofe Things which have 
 lowed by '' but few Approvers. They valued whatever 
 the young" he faid ; they imitated and followed him. 
 ^^°- " Being accufed of corrupting the Youth, he 
 Hypocrite." ^as caft into Prifon. He behaved at fir" as 
 " a Cathoiick, and feigned to be Orthodox ; 
 " which put back the Punilhmen: he deferved. 
 *' He was -ven juft a going to be fee at Li- 
 " berty on account of the ambiguity of the 
 
 " Proofs 
 
The Life ^/ L u c 1 1 1 o V a n i n r. $9. 
 
 ^^ Proofs againft him. Wlien Fyanconi, a Man 
 " of Fortune, and great Merit, as this one 
 " Circumftance lufficiently teftihes, dcpos'd, 
 *' That Vantni had often denied, in his Pre- 
 ** fence, the Exiftence of God, and fcott'd ac 
 '* the Myftcriesof the Chriftian Religion, they 
 *' brought together the Accused and the Accu- 
 " fer ; and this latter maintain'd what he had 
 *' advanc'd. Vaniui tvas brought before the Se- 
 *' nate-, and being feated on the Stool, was 
 " asked, What were his Thoughts concerning 
 " the Exiftenceof God ?" He anfwer'd, 'That^k feign'd 
 lUith the Churchy he ado/d a God in Three Perfons ; Coafc'^nTion 
 and thus Nature evidently deimnftratcd the Being 0/ concerniné 
 a. Deity. '* And having perceived, by chance, Religion, 
 *' a Straw on the Ground, he took it up, and 
 " ftretching forth his hand wirh it, he fpoke to 
 *' his Judges as follows. This Straw obliges 7ne 
 " to confefs there is a God — — and having end- 
 *^ ed his Difcourfe about a Providence, he ad- 
 *' • ded, this Grain being cafl in the Earth, appears^ 
 ^' at firft^ to he deftroy\i, and whitens ; then it be^ 
 ^' comes green ^ and /hots fort h j cut of the Earth, 
 *' tnfenjtbly growing : 'The Dew ajjifts its fpringing 
 *' up, and Rain gives it yet a greater Strength : 
 *' It is furnifh^d with Ears, oj which the Points 
 *^ keep off the Birds. The Stalk rifes, and is co^ 
 *' ver^d with Leaves ; it becomes yellow, and rifes 
 *' higher : A little after it withers until it dies : 
 *' It is ThraJFd; and the Straw bemg feparated 
 *' jrom the Cc/n, this latter ferves for the Nourijh- 
 *^ ment of Men, and the former is given to Ani- 
 *' mais, created for Mens Ufe. He concluded 
 *' from all this, that God was the Author of 
 " all Things. For to anfwer an Objeftion, 
 *' which might be made. That Nature was the 
 *' Caufe of thefe ProduElions, he took again his 
 *' Grain of Corn, and returning to his Author, 
 N " rea- 
 
90 'The Life of "Lv cit lo V a N i N i| 
 
 " fon*d thus. If Nature hath producd this 
 Grain, who hath produced that Grain which pre' 
 ceded this ? If that be alfo produced by Na* 
 turCy let us confder its Foregoer, and thus go to 
 the very firfi, which muft necejfarily have been 
 created^ Jtnce there can be imagind no other Caufe 
 of its ProduBion. He very amply prov'd after- 
 wards, that Nature was incapable of crea- 
 " ting anything; whence he concluded, that 
 God was the Creator, and Author of all Be- 
 ings. But all this he faid through Vanity or 
 Fear, rather than an inward Convidlon. 
 Found " Notwithftanding, as the Proofs againft him 
 condemn'd" ^^^'^^ convincing, he was, by Arreft of Par- 
 as an Infi-" liament, condemned to die, after they had 
 del. " pafs'd a whole Six Months in preparing things 
 
 " for a Hearing. I faw him in the Dung-Cart, 
 *' vvhen he was carried to Execution, making SporC 
 " of a Fryar, who was allow'd him, in order 
 '' to comfort and reclaim him from his Obfti- 
 " nacy. Such a momentaneous Affiftance is of 
 " little ufe to a defperate Man. It would be 
 *' better to allow thofe Criminals, condemn'd 
 " to die, a fufficient Interval, to the end, that 
 " they might have time to know themfelves, 
 ** and repent, after having thrown forth all 
 *' their Rage and Indignation. In France they 
 *' at once declare Sentence of Death to a Cri- 
 " minal ; and amidft the Horror, which the 
 *' Dread of the Execution caufes, they carry 
 " him to it. In Spain^ and all the reft of Eu- 
 *' rope, their Method is much preferable. They 
 ^* allow Criminals time fufficient to nppeafe the 
 '^ Horrors of Death, and expiate their Crimes 
 " by Penitence and Confefiion. Vanini^ wild 
 " and obftiriate, refusal the Confolation of the 
 " Fryar accompanying him, and infulted even 
 " our Saviour y in thefe Words. He fweatedvjitk 
 
 " IVeak' 
 
^he Life ^/ L u c i l i o V a n i n r, 91 
 
 ' 'fVeabtefs and Fear (fa id he) in going to fiiffer 
 ** Deaths and I die undaunted. This Villain had 
 " no reafon to fny he died fearlefs. I beheld Dejejfted 
 *' him intirely dejefted, and making a very illfeign,w 
 *' ule of that Philofophy he fo much boaftedthe Philo- 
 *' of. Being ready to be executed, he had^h^r. 
 ^ an horrible and moft wild Afped. His 
 Mind uneafy, and teftifying, in all his Words, 
 great Anxiety, altho' from time to time 
 he cried out, he died a Philofopher : But, 
 that he departed rather like a Brute, cannot 
 be denied. Before they fet Fire to the O'^^'oate' 
 '^'^ Wood-Pile, he was ordered to put his Tongue p'J^"f;fjJ° 
 
 out to be cut off, which he refus'd to do : Tongue, 
 " Nor could the Hangman take hold of it but whiciithey 
 * • with Pincers, in order to perform the Execu-p ^ 
 *' tion. There was never heard a more dread- 
 *' ful Screech than he then gav^e ,* you would 
 *' have taken it for the Bellowing of an Ox ; 
 ^' the reft of his Body was confumed by Fire, 
 '' and his Afhes thrown into the Air. Such 
 *' was the End of Lucilio Vanini (continues the 
 *' Hiftorianj that beaftly Scream he gave before 
 '' his Death, is a Proof of his fmall (hare of 
 " Conftancy. I faw him in Prifon, I faw him 
 at the Gallows, and likewife knew him be- 
 
 " fore his being arretted. Given up to his Paf- "^^oluptu- 
 ti n L„ °ii J • T7-_i.-_..„„r__r. . ous, and a 
 
 fions, he wallowed in Voluptuoufnefs, in Libertiae. 
 " Prifon he was a Catholick ; he went to Exe- 
 " cution deftitute of Philofophy, and at laft 
 " ended his Life raving mad. When living, he 
 *' fearch'd very much into the Secrets of Na- 
 ture, and rather profefs*d Phyfick than Di- 
 vinity, tho' he lov'd the Title of Divine. 
 When they feiz'd his Goods, there was found 
 a great Toad alive, (hut up in a large Cry- 
 ^' ftal Bottle, full of Water : Upon which, he 
 ^^ was accused of Witchcraft j but he anfwer'd, 
 N 2 ' " that 
 
$ 2 The Life of LucilioVanini. 
 
 " that that Animal being confum'd by Fire, 
 " was a fure Antidote againft all mortal and 
 In Prifon, " pcftilential Difeafes. He often went to the 
 crite'^-rd " Sacr^mencs during his Imprifonment, and 
 BigoJ " cunningly diffembled his inward Sentiments : 
 " But when he found there was no hopes of 
 " efcaping, he difclos'd them, and died as he 
 " hndliv'd." ^ 
 TheF;-."-;;-^ LUI. This is all that Gramma fays concern- 
 aSs"c^i r ^"<^ ^^"^' ^'^"^ •^'^«^'^5 Mercury fpeaks more in be- 
 cTrcum- half of his Conftancy; but the Author knew 
 iianccs- . but little of his Behaviour, when in Confine- 
 ment. And there certainly is a confiderable 
 Difference to be made, as to the Truth of a 
 Fa6l, related by one who ha? i.: but by hearfay, 
 and him who was actually an Eye-VVitnefs, as in 
 this Cafe, the latter living at PariSy and the 
 other upon the Place. Neverthelefs they in the 
 main agree, as to the Caufe of his Accufation; 
 and in c~)mparing their Relations, we difcover 
 the juft Time of his Imprifonment and Execu- 
 His Tn> tjon. " In the Month of November^ of the laft 
 P'J^^^"' ^ " Year * (fays the Mercury J was taken Prifoner, 
 lôl's. *" in the Town of Tholoufe^ an Italian^ a Philofo- 
 His Em- " pher, very learned, who went about in Fa- 
 ployrnent «' milies, teaching Children that were defirous 
 Hi^lmpt"" tounderftandPhilofophyperfcdly. He main- 
 tics. " tain'd, and taught, that our Bodies are with- 
 " out Souls, and that being dead, our Being 
 ** was deftroy*d like unto Brutes : That the 
 *' BleiTed Virgin (O execrable Blafphemy \) had 
 *' had .1 carnal Knowledge as other Women ; 
 *' and other Words yet more fcandalous, alto- 
 '* gether unworthy to be related or wrote. By 
 " hisEloqucnce, he fubtilyinftilled hispernicious 
 *' Opinions in the Minds of his private Audi- 
 • — ' 
 
 * Merc.frr,::. Tom. V. p. 63, C^. Ann. 1619, 
 
 ** tors. 
 
7*-^^ X//<? ^/ LuciLio Vaninî. 53 
 
 '* tors, infomuch that they began to give ear 
 " to the Belief of that falle Doctrine. But it 
 " coming to the Knowledge of the Parliament, 
 *' they publiflned a Decree againft this new Mi- 
 ** nifter : And he being apprehended, and que- 
 *' ftion'd, maintained his Inftrudions were 
 " Truths : Upon which he was condemned, and 
 '* his Sentence declared, importing, that he^^'s Sen- 
 *' fhould make an honourary Amends in his^^"*^^ 
 " Shirt, a Torch in his Hand, and drawn upon 
 " a Hurdle to the Place of Execution ; where 
 *' his Tongue being cut out, he (hould be 
 ** burn'd alive : All which was effeâed in the 
 ** beginning of February, \ in the Place call'd 
 *' la place du falin. He died as freely, and with His fup- 
 " as much Conftancy and Patience as ever ManP^^'*^^*^' 
 ** did. For coming out of the Prifon, he joy- ng'Jfand 
 " fully and briskly uttered thefe Words, In Conftancy 
 *' Italian: Let us go and die chearfuUy as a Philo- 
 *' fopher. But moreover, to (hew his Undaunt- 
 *' eduefs in dying, and the Defpair of his Soul, 
 ** when he was told to call out to God for Mer- 
 " cy, he fpoke thefe Words in die Prefence of 
 •' a thoufand Spectators: l'hère is neither Go^HisIaft 
 ** nor Devil^ for was there a God, I would intreat Words. 
 *' him to confume the Parlia?nem with his Thunder , 
 " as being altogether unjufl and wicked ; and was 
 . ** there a Devil, I would alfo pray to him to fwaU 
 " low it up in fome fubterraneous Place. But fince 
 *' there is neither the one nor the other, I can- 
 " not do it. " 
 
 Mr. la Crofe doth not rely upon the Autho- 
 rity of the Mercury, and I think him in the 
 right, the Relation of the Prefidents having 
 
 + How could Vanini have been kept four Months in Prifoo, 
 if he had prefently confefs'd his Crime, as the Mercury pre- 
 tends. 
 
 a greater 
 
^4 The Life ofLv cilio Vanini; 
 
 a greater Appearance of Truth. I likewife am 
 of Opinion, there is no great Credit to be gi- 
 ven to this Circumftance I have already rela- 
 ted,^ which is, Thar Vanini, before he was tied 
 to the Stake, confefs'd to all the Members of 
 Parliament, that at Naples, he, with thirteen 
 others of his Comrades, fet out for all Parts of 
 Europe^ to fpread the Doârine of Atheifm ; 
 and that France was allotted him. Gramond 
 rr ?1r?s no mention of it, and it is not at all 
 pi -t;.! Mf 'ie (hould have forgotten fuch a parti- 
 cular L.1ÎC Ml:ance, after having related many, 
 much more inlignificant. 
 ChT^a'aer ^^^* ^^^^^ having given you the moft certain 
 drawn ' Circumftances of the Life and Death of our 
 from his Unbeliever, I muft now. Sir, endeavour to give 
 "^TkS^ you likewife an Idea of his Charader, taken, 
 ^j '' not only, from what I have faid, but other 
 
 Parts of his Writings. 
 His Body. He was of a healthful Conftitution, tho' not 
 robuft, and of a mild Afped ; he was compen- 
 fated fufficiently for the weaknefs of his Com- 
 His Mind, plexion (if he may be belie/d) by the Qiiali- 
 fications of the Mind. He had (he tells us) a 
 great and fublime Underftanding, agreeable, 
 and of delightful Vivacity in Converfation. It is 
 certain that he lov'd Study, and made a very con- 
 His ia/;».fiderable Progrefsin a few Years. His Latin is 
 for the moft part pure, but often times fwell'd 
 and not natural ; which proceeds from an ill 
 direâed Imitation of the Roman Orator. We 
 imagine commonly to have got into his Style, 
 if we can imitate that in thofe eloquent Pieces 
 which he pronounced in the Senate : But we 
 do not take notice that this great Man^us 
 exalted it, £uitably to the Perfons for whom it 
 was intended, and that he was no lefs ingeni- 
 ous in the Simple and Diadadtick, than in the 
 
 Sublime 
 
^he Life ^/LucilioVanini. 95 
 
 Sublime and Oratorial. Read his familiar Let* 
 ters^ his Offices^ and his Tujculanes ; his B' loks o£ 
 the Nature of the Gods^ buc amongft the reft, 
 all the laft of Divination^ and you will agree 
 with me, nothing can be found more fimple and 
 precife. But Vanini had ftudied abundantly 
 more Cardanus and Averroes^ confus'd and hard 
 Wricers, than Pliny jun. Quintilian, or Cicero. 
 Prejudiced in favour of Ariflotle and his Follow- 
 ers, he could relifh no other than the Philofo- His Philo-: 
 phy firft taught him in his own Country, but^°P^^* 
 had Underflanding enough to perceive the 
 weaknefs of that of Thomas Aquinas, and the 
 Schoolmen : His native Religion, and the man- H's Irreli- 
 ner it is us'd, both by the People and Clergy, 2^°"* 
 did not prepoffers hi.n in favour of that of Re- 
 fits Chrifi. He thought thofe Grimaces and Ar- 
 tifices, as alfo the Cupidity he then beheld, 
 were from the beginning eflential to the Chri- 
 ftian Religion. Being out of conceit with the His ^Z"- 
 Gofpel which was not fuited to his Ambition, [^mous 
 he form'd the monftrous Defign to combat itproje<a. 
 where ever he could with Safety \ and the more 
 effectually to perform that, he efteem'd the 
 Ihorteft Method was to declare againft all Re- 
 ligions, not excepting even that of Nature. 
 Swelled with the boldnefs of the Undertaking, 
 this fécond Epicurus overun the World to wage 
 War with the Deity. And if we may believe 
 Report, he perfuaded thirteen of his Com- 
 rades to do the like alfo. From this one 
 Pafl'age of his Life one may judge of his 
 Prudence and Wifdom. He drew upon him- 
 felf a World of Enemies, equally great and 
 powerful, both by their Authority and Cha- 
 raders. Alarms and Uneafinefs followed him 
 every where, and threw him fometimes in Dif- 
 orders, which attacked even his Inteftines. Mi^ 
 
 hi 
 
p5 ne Life of Lucilio Vaninl 
 
 /;/ (fays he) praterita pericula & timorés memoria 
 repenti alvus folvitur. Diftruft never left him, 
 and got before him wherever he went. In vain 
 it was he took the Stick and Bag of Diogenes : 
 His Pover- Povery, which would have been valuable in a 
 ty. true Philofopher, in him became an eternal 
 
 Scandal, by his fpunging and flattering ways. 
 His Hypo- His Hypocrify, which was fo well manag'd in 
 "'fy- his Amphitheatre^ unmask'd itfelf in his Dia- 
 logues ; and made appear a Stock of Ambition 
 and Impiety, which were but too much con- 
 His Im- firm'd by his Deportment. Without Shame or 
 mo^efty. Modefty, he reprefents his Father having the 
 Conftancy of an Emperor, his Mother the Blood 
 of the true Spanijh Nobility, and himfelf the 
 Sentiments of a Socrates. But I miftake, he ex- 
 alted himfelf a Degree higher. God forbid 
 (fays he fomewhere) that Vanini (hould be re- 
 proach'd with the leaft Diflimulation : And not- 
 withftanding he attributes to Socrates a Pufilani- 
 mity, which muft have for ever defam'd him, as 
 when he tells us, that the Areopagus would not 
 ^ive ear to his Recantation * ; Would he not 
 have done better to have ftrip'd himfelf of his 
 pretended Courage, and have given it to Socra- 
 His mon- tes^ as juflly due ? Swell'd with Pride, no 
 ftrousPricle]^ame, but that of 'Julius Cafar, was worthy of 
 him : And as if the leaft Remnant of Chrifti- 
 anity was burthenfome to him, he denied that 
 given him in Baptifm. From the firft Page of 
 his DiahgjieSy having fuffer'd himfelf to be fuf- 
 ficiently praifed, both in Greek and Latitjj he in- 
 troduces his Interlocutor, faying, Good God ! 
 What a Lofs it is for thofe who are dcpriv'd 
 of your Converfation ! Bone Deus ! quantum 
 jaBura fit ab iis qui te non audiunt ! Who can dif- 
 ■ ■ 1*1" 
 
 * Sec above. ChA^. XLVII. 
 
 pute 
 
^he Life i?/ L u c i l i o V a n i n i. 97 
 
 pute you the Honour of having contributed to 
 the Improvement of Sciences ! Eja vir abfque 
 controverjia de quacumque Scientia optimé mérite * / 
 *' I will not do (fays Alexander again) as Tho- 
 " mas Mortis^ who hearing Erafffius difpure, 
 " whom he did not know perfonally, faid to 
 " him. You are a Devil, or Erafmus : But I 
 " (hall thus fpeak of your Wifdom, Either you 
 " are a God, or Vanini. " I am Vaniniy replies 
 Julius Cafar: \ All his Dialogues are incer- 
 fperfed with fuch like Modelly. In one he 
 difputes with Solomon, Julius and Alexander, 
 leaving the Stage to Solomon and Vanini. This^'^Impiai 
 latter fcurrilouUy treating the former, as a bad ^crnînâ 
 Naturalift, and the moft infipid of Moralifts ; jc/owc». 
 whilft in return, the other praifes him as the 
 God of true Philofophy, Vale Philofo^horwn Deus ! 
 That is the Conclufion of the Dialogue. ^ His 
 whole Works, tho' but Plagiarifm, yet he would His Plagi. 
 have *em thought Originals; altho' he Irnew^"'"^* 
 Cardanus, Pomponatius, Fracafler, and Scaliger 
 might claim whatever they contain ; excepting 
 his Profanations. We have related a fufficient His Profa. 
 Number to judge of the Author. But there °^'^°"^- 
 remain yet fome of fuch Nature, which for- 
 bids their citing, becaufe they depend upon ma- 
 nifeft Allufions to holy Words, which we vene- 
 rate, and he did not. Being as bad a Critick His 
 as Philofopher, he explains Scripture as one ^'^^î^'^.'j^^ 
 that had never ftudied it. He thinks that ^ ^'^^ " 
 St. Mark, in faying {Chap. vi. Ver. 5. of his 
 Gofpel) that our Saviour could not work a Mira- 
 cle in Naz^areth, gives to underftand, his Pow- 
 er was only Relative \ ,• that is co fay, fallaci- 
 ous, fitting, to dazle the Underftandings of the 
 
 * Dial. I. t See Dial. LIV. ^ It is Dial. XVI. 
 
 *^ Dial p. 439. 
 
 O Vul- 
 
^^^ yZ'i? Z/fif i5/LuciLîo Vanini;- 
 
 Vulgar, in a place where he was not known ; 
 but intirely ufelefs in his own Country, where 
 they knew what he was. Behold the Noble De- 
 fign he attributes to an Evangelift ! Notwith- 
 (tanding that, it is that very EvangeHft which 
 demonftrates, throughout his Gofpel, thatjefus 
 Chrift is the MefTiah, and the Son of God ; and 
 that his Miracles are from Heaven : That if he 
 wrought few in Nazareth^ it was becaufe of 
 their Unbelief, which, as it were, hindered him, 
 altho' he heal'd fome Sick, as it is obferv'd in 
 that Verfe quoted by our Atheift. Infatuated 
 with Aftrology, he is filly whenever he copies 
 ation"for"'^^'^^"^^^ and Agrippa, and adds the foolilh Sto- 
 Artrolo^v. ^"^^^ ^^"^"'' '^^^ ^^^'^ Country. And what is the 
 more particular in relation to that, is, that af- 
 ter he has calculated the Nativity of our Savi- 
 He calcu-our Jcfus Chrift, he would alfo do his own, 
 ]3ies his jjj^j found it to be very unhappy. " You have 
 dvity, ^' " taught us (fays he to CardanuSy in the 25 th 
 " Page of his Amphitheatre) that our A(5ti;>nS 
 *■' depend upon the Motion of the Cseleftial Bo- 
 " dies : And how do you then maintain they 
 " are not fram'dfor us ? Truly if thofe Conftel- 
 " lations are not made for us, I would not then 
 " fear Mars, which in the Orb prelîded at my 
 " Birth." * Now Mï?-j- is a Planet which fore- 
 tells Wars, Sufferings, and Tragick Deaths ; 
 How then can we, after this, doubt of the Ve- 
 racity of Aftrology ? Having no Principles of 
 Religion, not even of the Religion of Nature; 
 (ince he thought the World was eternal, and 
 guided only by blind NecelTity, we muft not 
 HisMorakbe furprized if his Morals were not perfedly 
 l^ad. good. I detefl: vain Accufations; and in rela- 
 
 tion to the Dead, I would have the moft ftrici 
 Equity obferv'd : But the pofitive Aflcrtions of 
 
 * Ami hit. p. Tf. 
 
 Father 
 
'The Life of LucrLioVANiNT. 99 
 
 Father Merfenne^ on the Conduft of Vanini in 
 tlie Monaftry, gives room for a ftrong Sufpicion. 
 Add to that the Teftimony of Vrefident Graimud^ 
 who was in the fame Place, and declares to 
 have known him exceeding V' -I 'iptuous, ftrength- 
 ens that Sufpicion : And in ihort, his Dialogues, 
 ib full of Obfcenity and profane Turns, renders 
 it highly probable. He fpeaks of one of his 
 MiftreflTes, named Ifabella^ which he ftil'd his 
 little Left Ey«y and for whom he composed amo- His wan- 
 rous Songs. This is a fine Confefîîon for a ton Stile. 
 Prieft, in a Book of Religion and Philofophy ! 
 He is delighted when he fpeaks of Generation, 
 doing it in fuch licentious Terms, that it is ea- 
 sily perceivable, his Heart is not very clean, 
 fince his Imagination is fo polluted. He goes 
 yet farther, and feems to approv^e Debauchery ; 
 for when he fpeaks about Arijlotle^ who receive 
 fuch confiderable Sums from Alexander, for the 
 Study of Animals, our Alexander confeflfes to 
 his Julius, that as for him, he had expended 
 his whole Eftate in keeping a little Animal 
 (he means a CourtifanaJ. * Julius gives his Ap- 
 probation, faying, That many will think he has 
 embrac'd the bell Choice. Is it then at all fur- 
 prifing Providence cut off this young Madman 
 in the beginning of his Courfe ? 
 
 Mr. de la Crofe charitably believes, that his Opinion at 
 Imprifonment wrought a Repentance, and that Mr. u 
 he fpoke to his Judges no lefs fmcerely ^^^^^^^f-Jf^^ 
 orthodoxly, when he made ufe of the common tj.'a£ting. 
 Inferences to demonftrate the Exiftence of God, 
 in (hewing the Straw. I would not condemn a 
 Judgment fo charitable ; and I am of his Opi- Very cha- 
 hion, that when things are doubtful, it is beft ritabie. 
 to incline to the leaft difadvantageons fide ; 
 But really I don't know whether this Rule can 
 
 f Dial. p. 298. 
 
 O 2 be 
 
menr oi:' 
 Tholoiife. 
 
 HarOinefs 
 of Gra- 
 tnond. 
 
 loa n^he Life ofLvciLioV K-i^mt» 
 
 be applied to a Man who lived and died as Vanini. 
 I would obferve again, that it did not become 
 our Italian to banter Socrates upon his Imprifon- 
 ment, and to behave fo ill in his; it is thus the 
 
 Rigour ofPveproaches he makes to others fall on himlelf. 
 
 the Parl:a- He iuug a Recantation, but it was not thought 
 fincere enough :o be heeded. We fay alfo, that 
 the Parliamen: of T/joloufe drove things a little 
 too far. It is, I confefs, the Intereft of Prin- 
 ces and Republicks to fupprefs Impiety, when 
 it dogmatifes, becaufe of the fatal Confe- 
 quences it may have among a Society of Chri- 
 ftlans: But I cannot tell whether that (hould 
 not be moderated by Prudence. Mr. la Crqfe 
 pretends, that a Retracing in form, as Vanini 
 did, fhould be fufficient; there being room to re- 
 new the Profecution if the Delinquent relapfed. 
 Gvamondy according to him, drops the Charac- 
 ter of an Hiftorian, by his harfh Method of 
 relating the Fa6t. The ill Condud and Mis- 
 fortunes of Men claim always a Right to our 
 Compaflion, and which it is unjuft to deny 
 them ; and though it be allowable to abo- 
 minate their Excelles, as they greatly deferve, 
 yet Humanity requires we fhould compaffionate 
 their Perfons. But if the Severity of Gramond 
 and the Parliament cannot admit of an Apo- 
 logy, neither I am perfuaded can the laft Hours 
 of Vanini-^ and particularly his blafpheming 
 againft Jefus Chrift. In that Paflage only is 
 confpicuous the moft grofs Hypocrify, fince he 
 openly infultshim whom he call'd upon in Prifon, 
 and of whofe Sacraments he bad partaken. All 
 OH'<ï»mf'st|^is fliould render Atheifm very fufpicious to us. 
 Apology, LY. Such was Vanini^ as I have reprefented 
 
 printed in *- i i r \ • tt/ • ■ A 
 
 Latin at him to you, both trom his own Writmgs, ana 
 
 Raterdam. fufficient Authority; judge then. Sir, what we 
 
 muft tliink of this Apologift, who pretends, to 
 
 give 
 
 The bft 
 Hours of 
 Vanini 
 dreadful. 
 
Jbe Life of î^vciLio Yah iti J. loi 
 
 give us an entire Juftification of him, in a fmall 
 Latin Treacife, lately publifti'd under this Title, 
 Apologia pro Julio Cafare Vanino, NeapoUtam^ i. e. 
 An Apology for Julius Cafar Vanini^ a Neapoli- 
 tan. I can affure you that Piece is not ferioufly 
 wrote. It is a Perfon of Learning who is the 
 Author, that drew it up by way of Banter, 
 and in order to try his Wit, in the Defence of 
 a Bad Caufe. And what is the mod ufeful in 
 that little Book is. That it relates both for and 
 againft, and is ample in Quotations, telling you 
 his Authority: Moreover, that there are feve- 
 ral Circumftances, taken notice of neither by 
 Mr. Schramm^ nor Mr. la Crofe. After having 
 briefly told us the Names^ the Country^ Travelsy 
 and Writings of Vanini^ he anfwers to eighteen 
 Heads of Accufation alledged againft him, at 
 each particular, making fome poetical or hifto- 
 rical Oblervations, which are always pleafing. 
 Thefe following are the Eighteen Articles, with 
 their Anfwers abridged; as the Author himfelf 
 gives them at the End of his Book. 
 
 Aecufati- 
 
 1. It is /aid Vanini knew not God. U/l}ich is °"^ ^^' 
 Gramond'i Expreffion. Deum ignorabat. gïnfthîm, 
 
 Anfw. Becaufe he would not dive cut of the and the Rc- 
 Reach of his Underftanding. plies of his 
 
 2. That he brought to light again the Book inti- -^P^'^S^"- 
 tuled. Of the Three Impoftors. 
 
 Anfw. Which is a Chimera. 
 
 3. iThat he hath advanced the very IVords of 
 Atheifis. 
 
 Anfw. Only to point out their Poifon. 
 
 4. Tloat he hath anfwe/d them very lightly. 
 Anfw. Becaufe thinking the old Anfwers fuffi- 
 
 cLently known, he look'd out chiefly for new ones. 
 
 5. 77;«t he held in Execration the Humanity of 
 Chrifi. 
 
 Anfw, 
 
fol The Life of LucilioVanini. 
 
 Anfiu. Calumny. 
 
 6. 'That he hath accusa the Virgin Mary of ha,-* 
 ving loft her Virginity. 
 
 Anjiu. A Fable. 
 
 7. That he efleem'd Nature the only God. 
 
 Anfw. There have been many illuftrious Per- 
 fons call'd Gods. 
 
 8. That he blant'd thofe Schoolmen viho reafond 
 about Angels. 
 
 Anfw. He relates the Words cf others. 
 
 Ç. That he required a phyjical Account of the Na- 
 ture of Devils. 
 
 Anfw. Becaufe there is much Superftition in 
 the Opinions of the Vulgar. 
 
 10. That he denied the Immortality of the Soul. 
 
 Anfw. No where. 
 
 I X T"/ at he was an Af^rofriypr, 
 
 Anfw. Very well, muft he therefore be an 
 'Atheift? 
 
 12. T'hat he contefted the future DefiruBion cf 
 the World by Ftre. 
 
 Anfw. After his Method. 
 
 1 3 . That he maintain d Fatality ï 
 Anfw. He meant Providence. 
 
 14. That he fancied Letters in the Heaven. 
 Anfw. By Superftition. 
 
 15. That he refutes neither Cardanus nor Haly] 
 Anfw. Becaufe he had already done it elfe- 
 
 where. * 
 
 16. 'fhat he laugl/d at f acred Things. 
 Anfw. Which, in fad, were not fuch. 
 
 17. That he was rejeEled by the Fyyars, and 
 turnd out of their Monaflery. 
 
 Anfw. As if by that he was rejefted of God. 
 
 18. Tioat laftly he was condemn d to die. 
 
 * I fuppofc in fomc of hi: Wnt-ir.g;-, which arc deftroy'd 
 or loft i that is what the Apologift means. 
 
 Anfw, 
 
T'be L/fe ofLvciLi o y Anin II ^03 
 
 'Attfw, As feveral other innocent Perfons have 
 been. 
 
 This may fuffice to (hew you that little Book 
 is not ferioufly wrote ; therefore, I do not 
 undertake to refute it : Neither indeed is Va^ 
 mini himfelf worthy of it. Let the PubHck on- 
 ly compare this Life with that Defence, and 
 decide accordingly. 
 
 LVI. But I cannot yet finifh without fpeak- 
 ing a word or two about Mr. Bay le. You know. 
 Sir, the great efteem I have always had for 
 his Ingenuity, and with what vehemence I 
 have withed he would turn it to a more uni- 
 form Ufe, and more worthy of him. I have 
 often been with him, but we never agreed in 
 any Point, but difputed about every thing. I 
 told him my Thoughts about feveral Parts o£ 
 his Works, as I would now do were he living. 
 So that I flatter myfelf no one will Refled 011 
 me, fince I take only the fame Liberty now, as 
 I would have done during his Life. Ic 
 then may be allowed me to obferve, that int 
 relation to Vanini^ Mr. Bayle cannot be excufed "' 
 
 for fpeaking about him in fo negledful a 
 manner as he does in his Penfees Diverfes. I 
 immediately fuppofe he had in his Library 
 GYamond^s Hiftory, fince he gives us to under- 
 fiand fo in his DiBionary, at the Article con- 
 cerning that Prejtdentj and where he fpecifies 
 the very Edition he makes ufe of I likewife 
 fuppofe he had Parkers Book de Deo, fince he 
 quotes him with Approbation, and pretty co- 
 pi oufly. Now in the firft Sedion of that Book, 
 (which is the more curious, becaufe it is an A- 
 bridgment of Atheifm and Atheifts, a Subject 
 very proper in itfelf, to relifli Mr. Bayle s 
 Tafte) there is found in it the very Pidure of 
 Vaijm'y and that long Pafiage of Gramoni 
 
 which 
 
104 T^he Life of Lv citio V an i n i. 
 
 which I above related at large *. It being thus^ 
 I ask, that it may be allowed me to believe, 
 that Mr. Bayle had read in Parker and Gramonâ, 
 the true Charader of Vanini. Nay, he confefles 
 as much himfelf in his Entretiens Poflhumes a- 
 gainft Mr. Jaquelet, although he gives us to un- 
 derftand, that it was but after the firft Edi- 
 tion of his Penfées Diverfes, in which he has 
 given us a very wrong Idea of the Charadcr 
 and Martyrdom of Vanim. That's well j but 
 yet he fhould have correfted that Article in 
 the latter Edition, or at leaft retrad it in the 
 Contimtation \ the Subjeft was of fufficient Im- 
 portance and Equity, which abfolutely required 
 it. There is fo much difference between an 
 honeft Man defcribed, as he has done Vanint, 
 and a Dcfcrlption of onp fnch ^^ i^ given US 
 of the fame by Gramond^ and between a Martyr 
 for Atheifm, and a notorious Hypocrite ^ fuch as 
 was our Neapolitan ; that it was undoubtedly re- 
 quired of Mr. Bayle's Exaditude to make a 
 Note at that part of his Treatife, and to let 
 us know he had received better Information 
 on that Subjecl, and befides, that .'all that 
 Ihould be amended ,in the Supplement to his 
 DiBionary. Had he done that, he would not 
 have expofed himfelf to the juft Reproaches of 
 Mr. Jaquekt, who confulted the truth of the 
 Hiftory, and took the advantage of it in his 
 Book, intituled. Examen de la Théologie de Mn 
 Bayle. 
 
 But after what manner is I'anini fpoke of 
 in that Book, intituled, Penfées Diverfes^ or i^/z- 
 rious Thoughts f ? Firft, he is reprefented as 
 an honeft Man, and afterwards as a Martyr 
 
 * See above, Ch. Lii. 
 
 •f- Ver.féci Viver[es, Tom.!, p: 35*6. and following Edition 
 of 1704. 
 
 for 
 
'J he Life ^/ L u c i l i o V a n i n i. i oy 
 
 for Atheifm. Let us quote the Words of chat 
 celebrated Philufophcr, adding thereto, fome 
 Obfervations which is all at prêtent I ihall do. J^Jj"^" ^j^^[' 
 " The detsftable Vanini (fays he) who tvas without 
 " burned in the Year 1612, ?it T'houkufe ^ tor foandarion, 
 *^ Atheifm, had always been pretty regular in ^jj^^^^j'"'' 
 " his Morals, and whoever would have under- Morilitt. 
 " taken to attack him on any other Point but 
 " liis Doftrine, would have run a great Rifque 
 *' of being accufed of Calumny. 
 
 To judge at firft Sight by the Method Mr. 
 Bayle takes, one would think he refolved to 
 opprefs us with fufficient Authority in fa- 
 vour of Vanini. Neverthelefs, contrary to his 
 ufual Cuftom he urges none, which appears 
 fomething furprifing in a Man, of that famous 
 Critick's Charaâer, fo curious in moft refpeds 
 and chiefly in what relates to the Hiftory of the 
 two laft Centuries, and that of the Atheifts. Was 
 his Library fo ill furnilhed, that he had no 
 Book in it that made mention of Vanini .<* Gra- 
 mondy Father Marfenne^ Garajfe^ Patin and all 
 thofe others which Mr. Bayle had read, did 
 they unanimoufly afifert, that oui' Neapolitan 
 was fufficiently regular in his Morals? He 
 (hould be well aflured of a Faâ: of that Impor- 
 tance before laying it down as the Foundation 
 of his Reafoning : Othenvife one may always 
 fay, that the Crimes of the Atheifts have been 
 defignedly palliated, whilft care was taken with 
 much Pains, and fearch to make confpicuous 
 the Failings of thofe that had the leaft Zeal 
 for Religion. 
 
 But this is not all, Vanini has been a true 
 Martyr for Atheifm, he openly dogmatized 
 and maintained his Opinions to his laft Breath. 
 This is the fécond Illufion of Mr. Bayle.'' When 
 !' I confider (fays he) that Atheifm has had 
 P " Martyrs, 
 
c6 'The Life of Lucilio Vanini. 
 
 Martyrs, I doubt no longer, but Atheifts 
 have a ftronger Idea of Honefty imprinted 
 " on their Minds, than thofe of the pweet and 
 *' profitable. For why did Vanini fo indifcretly 
 " amufe himfelf to dogmatize before Perfons 
 " who could eafily bring him to Juftice. If 
 " he fought but his own private Profit, he 
 *' (hould have contented himfelf with a per- 
 " feu fecurity of Confcience, without heeding 
 ** to have Difciples. He muft then have had 
 " the defign in making them either to become 
 " the Head of the Parry or to free Men from 
 " a burthen which in his Opinion hindered 
 " them from diverting thcmfelves at their Eafe. 
 He fuppofes here Atheifm has had its Mar- 
 tyrs, yet he aliedgcs but two Examples: The 
 firft is Vanini^ the other a certain Fryer, whom 
 Mr. Ricand mentions in his State of the Ottoman 
 Empire. But of the former I hope he will allow 
 us to think otherwife, fince it appears from 
 the pofitive Teftimony of Gramond^ that he 
 ufed his beft Endeavours for to fave himfelf. 
 And as to the latter who was named Maho^ 
 met Effendt, we ftiall fpeak of him anon, let us 
 leave him for a little while. It fuffices then 
 that Vanini is not a Martyr. 
 
 And fuppofing there are true Martyrs for 
 Atheifm, he reafons at random upon the. Prin- 
 ciples from whence they ad ; at firft giving 
 them a certain greatnefs of Soul, faying I doubt 
 not but Atheifts have in themfelves a jufl: 
 Idea of what is honeft, which is ftronger in 
 their Minds than that of what is profitable or 
 agreeable. It is certain it muft be fo, ilnce ac- 
 cording to Mr. Bayle^ they become Martyrs for 
 their Caufe: But if this laft Propolition be 
 denied, and it may be faid, that Atheifts may 
 dogmatize in private, but do not perfevere in 
 
 their 
 
n!he Life ^/ L u c i l i o V a n i n r, 107 
 
 their conftancy to Martyrdom, and confe- 
 quently tliac they have not an Idea of honefty 
 ftronger than thofe of what is fweet and profi- 
 table, then his Superflrufture falls. Let us 
 take for Example Vanini. It cannot be denied 
 but that he was an Atheift ; having but Wit 
 and Ambition, the thirft after Glory perpetu- 
 ally gnawing him i Mr. Bayle pretends he was 
 pretty regular in his Morals; All which makes 
 appear there was fome Idea in him of Honefty. 
 The Queftion is now to know whether that 
 Idea would have carried him to deprive him- 
 felf of what was fweet and profitable, and 
 even Life itfelf. But let us not Reafon up- 
 on the uncertain Inclinations of his Heart, let 
 us rather confult Fafts. It is then certain, 
 that in Mr. Bayle's fenfe what is fweet and 
 profitable has been ftronger than what is ho- 
 neft. For he (Vanini) recanted, he was a 
 perfe(5t Biggot in Prifon, he masked himfelf, 
 and remained fo until he found there was no 
 longer room for Hypocrify. Truly if Atheifm 
 had a triumphant Blow to ftrike, it was in the 
 Perfon of Vanini i an Author of thirty Years old, 
 full of Ambition for himfelf and the glory of 
 Atheifm, who had buffooned Socrates^ and fo- 
 lemnly declared in his Works againft DifiGmu- 
 lation. Such a Man, or none but the like, I 
 fay, fhould have the Idea of Honefty to that 
 degree, that the fweet and profitable (hould 
 never efface it, or be ftronger than it, efpecial- 
 ly in an occafion fo decifive as this i notwith- 
 ftanding his Strength failed, or more properly 
 that of Atheifm. 
 
 "Mr. Bayle always depending upon the con- ' 
 
 ftancy of Vanini prefumes this Qiieftion, For 
 
 ivhy did Vanini (fays he) Jo indifcreetly amufe 
 
 himfelf to dogmatize before Perfora vjho could eafi- 
 
 P 2 h 
 
1 08 *The Life of LucilioVanini. 
 
 l^ bring him to '^uftice^ if he fought but for his 
 own private Profit^ he fooulà have contented himfelf 
 with a perfecî tranquility ofConfcience without the de- 
 fire of having Difciples. The u'ord Indifcreetly, 
 here put in, is a fufficient Anfwer to the Queftiou 
 itfclt, young Men being for- the moft part fo, 
 but efpecially fuch as Vanini^ who overflowed 
 with Vanity and Pride. You have feen how 
 he praifes liimfelf in his Dialogues, and after 
 what manner he treats Solo?mn, St. Paul^ Jefus 
 Chrijl ; as well as the chief Articles of the 
 Chriflian Faith. Notwithftanding he would not 
 pafs for an Atheift. In his Dedication to Baf^ 
 fvfHpire^ he opprefles the Libertines with Re- 
 proaches ; in his Dialogues he calls them Ante- 
 Chrifts, and in (hort tov/ards the end of his 
 Book, he is fo afraid to be attacked that he 
 fubmits all to the Authority of the Holy-See^ 
 and recants beforehand of whatever might of- 
 fend it. His Vain-Glory obliged him to dog- 
 matize fecretly, but his Self-Jove provided him 
 always with a back Door to efcape. There- 
 fore as to what rejjards Ju/iice, he did not mind 
 it much, as Mr. Bayle imagines, as well by rea- 
 fon of his Charafter of Pr ieft, which feemed 
 to oblige him to fubmitto another Jurifdidion, 
 as becaufe of his Wit and Eloquence, upon 
 which he rely'd very much, without mention- 
 ing the Difficulties on the fubje(5l of Providence, 
 upon which he had for a long time reflcfted, 
 and which lie was very capable of rendring 
 confujcd. But afrer all Mr. Bayle can never 
 make n;e believe, that a Man io Pulillanimous 
 ns JAmini, hath braved a Prifon, he fo ill luf- 
 ferrd. // he fought but his private pyofit^ lie 
 f?:uld ccntent himjclf with quietly injvyiug a per^ 
 fe^l fecmity of Cmfcieucc. Tiiat would undoubt- 
 edly be the nicft prudçnt choice for an A- 
 
 ihciil. 
 
Tfe Life </ I. U C I L I O V A N I N T. 10^ 
 
 thelft. But there are mad Men, fuch as Vamni^ 
 who cannot forbear fpeaking, although it be 
 at their Peril, not that in Reality they are 
 animated by a Principle of Charity or Ho- 
 nefty ; but from either, that of Vain-Glory or 
 Folly, in order to diftinguifti themfelves from 
 the vulgar, or murder their time in Buffooneries 
 and merry making, Things very delightful to 
 young People, altho well convinced of the 
 truth of a Providence. Did Men always aâ: 
 according to fixed Principles be it Good or 
 Evil, }sA.x.Bayles Refleftions would be more 
 juft. But he has abundantly Ihown us himfelf 
 that the Adions of Men are not a neceflary 
 Confequence of their Principles. For {hould 
 an Atheift dogmatize, we muft not for that, 
 believe he has in view to form a Se£i:, or Cha- 
 rity towards the Publick, no, not in the leaft; 
 He fpeaks, argues, declares his Opinion, Jefts 
 or is Profane to divert his Friends, annoy the 
 Clergy, or laftly to extol his great Knowledge 
 and Penetration. And in faâ: he would be ve- 
 ry forry all Men (hould become Atheifts. 
 
 But Mr. Bayle may yet thus Reply. Obfti- Of Maho- 
 nacy is fufficienc to make Men Martyrs for ""'^ ^■^*"" 
 Atheifm, as in the Cafe of Mahomed Effendi. 
 But luckily this Exarnple is the only in its 
 kind, and therefore cannot be laid down as a 
 Rule. Moreover, that we are intirely in the 
 Dark concerning this pretended Marcyr, and 
 fhould we efteem him, fuch as that bafe Fel- 
 low who burned the Temple of Z)m«^, to acquire 
 himfelf a Name, (hould he, I fay, do any thing 
 but what would be approved of by all Men 
 of Judgment, and even Mr, Bayle himfelf, 
 were he now living? Then we might juflly af- 
 fert it was either a natural Difpofition, folly 
 or Melancholy v.'hich was the Caufe of fuch 
 
 Aâions: 
 
Jio The Life ofLv cil lo Va ni ni, 
 
 . Aâions: The Idea of Honefty having little 
 lliare therein if any at all. But however, that 
 be Vanini's Example is a Demonftration, that 
 the Thing in itfelf is neither natural nor pro- 
 bable; fince notwithftanding his great aflif- 
 tance of Youth, Knowledge, Philofophy, Am- 
 bition ZTid rnany Years Experience, he mife- 
 rably yielded, leaving us a living Image and 
 perpetual Monument of the Weaknefs of A- 
 theifm, that is to fay of Human Reafon, ab- 
 llraded from the Knowledge of God. 
 
 This Sir, is all I had to offer you upon 
 thofe Refledions of M.v.Bnyle, that concerns 
 our Atheift, I have took care to anfwer 
 them for fear of being accufed of hav- 
 ing flipped over the greateft Difficulty. I 
 thought it better to be a little prolix and 
 tirefome at once than have it to do a fécond 
 time : So much the rather, the Subjed being of 
 the utmoft Importance i and the great Name 
 of fo celebrated an Authot having impofed on 
 many. It was the Love of Truth only prompt- 
 ed me to thofe Reflexions. And now I fubmit 
 the Whole to your learned Judgment waiting 
 for your Decifion, which will fave that of the 
 Publick, or at leafl: that will encourage me to 
 exped a favourable from them. 
 
 London Aug. 
 JO. 1714. 
 
CATALOGUE 
 
 O F 
 
 Vaninh Writings. 
 
 COmmentarii Phydci. See his Dial. p. 88. 
 Commentarii Medici. Ibid p. 88, i66. 
 De Vera Sapientia. See Dial. p. 275 and G«- 
 
 rajfe's Curious Doftrine, p. 1015. 
 Tractatus Phyfico-Magicus. See Dial. p. 2 $2.' 
 De Contemnenda Gloria. See Dial, p, 3557. 
 Apologia prolege Motaica 6c Chriiliana. See 
 
 his Amph. p. 38, éy\, and Dial. p_ 1*5,32^. 
 
 Apologia pro Concilio Tridentino. See Amph. 
 p. 70, 77. 
 
 Libri Aftronomici, printed at Strasbourg. See 
 Dial. p. 31. 
 
 Apologia pro Chriftiana Religione adverfus A- 
 theos. See Dial. p. 439. Mr. La Croze di- 
 ftinguilhes this Piece from the others but 
 I take it to be the fame with the Amphi' 
 theatre. 
 
 Amphitheatorum iEterns providentise Divino- 
 Magicum, Chriftiano-Phyficum, Aftrologico- 
 Catholicum adverfus veteres Philofophos, 
 Atheos Epicureos Peripateticos, Stoicos &c, 
 printed at Lyons with Priviledge and Appro- 
 bation in 161 5. 
 
 Julii Csefaris Vanini Neapolitan!, Theologi; 
 Philofophi & J. V. Dodoris, de admirandis 
 Nature Reginae Deaeque Mortalium Arca- 
 nis. Lib. iv. printed ac Paris for Adrian Pe- 
 riery i6i6, with Priviledge and Approbation; 
 
^ K s Printed for W. Mea- 
 dows at the Jngel in CornhilL 
 
 I. I ^ R. Allen's Synopfis Medicine: Or, A Brief and Ge- 
 J J neral Colleftion of the whole Pradlice of Phy- 
 lick: Containing the Opinions and Judgments of the mod 
 celebrated Authors, concerning Diieafcs, their Caulès, and 
 Remedies: With mod Cafes in Surgery and Midwifery. To 
 vrhich are added Obfervations, very rare and uncommon: 
 And a Curious Treatife on all forts ot Foyfons. In two 
 Parts. Tranflated from the laft Edition; which is Enlarg- 
 ed, one third Part, by a Phyfician. Price 9 s. 
 
 2. An Anatomical and Mechanical Eflfay on the Whole Ani- 
 mal OEconomy ,• in one View. Wherein is (hewn the 
 wonderfull Conduft of jNature in all the Phxnomenx attend- 
 ing Human KnAic^, »«ritK ixiarty <~iiriniic Siilv|<"«0-« nr»l- <~om- 
 
 monly treated of. NecefTary for all Lovers oi Knowledge, 
 particularly Young Students in Anatomy, Thyfuk and Surge- 
 ry. With an Alphabetical Catalogue of Authors Names re- 
 fered to on feveral Occafions in the following Treatile. By 
 John Cooke, Student in Fhyfick, and late of the College 
 in Edenburgh. 
 
 5. The Ceremonies of the prefent Jeivs: Being a Oiort 
 and fuccinft Account of the Meats that are clean and un- 
 clean to them. Their manner of Killing. Their praying 
 at Synagogue, and at Home. Their Wafhing and Bathing 
 themlèlres. There Marriage Ceremonies, Divorce. Pse- 
 ccpts of the Women. Of Circumcifion. Their Profelites. 
 Synagogues. Schools. Learning. Contradls. WitnefTes. 
 Oaths. Vows, Sicknefs. Death. Burial. Mourning. 
 Prayers for the Dead. Belief of Refurreftion. Paradiie. 
 Purgatory. Hell. Of their Priefts and Rabbins. Their 
 manner of keeping the Sabbath. Paflbver. The Taber- 
 nacles. And all others their Fcafts and Fafts. To which 
 are added. The thirteen Articles of their Faith, and an Ac- 
 count of the feveral Se£ls of the Jevis, the Phari/eans, s(*d- 
 Juceans, and f.Jfeuienr, tUc Stimaritms, Cftrmes, and il.T^« 
 b'mifif . 
 
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