The new politick lights of modern Romes church-government: or The new Gospel according to Cardinal Palavicini revealed by him in his history of the Council of Trent. Englished out of French.

Politick considerations upon that which is cal∣led fortune or misfortune.

This Maxime, That all which we see come to pass among men is the effect of a just pro∣vidence,

would cause if it were true, a very great disorder in the Religious Politick Government. Upon this Principle, t'would be taken for granted, that when a man is not Rich, 'tis a certain sign that he hath no vertue: because a just providence could not leave a vertuous man without temporal reward, nor without perferring him in the distribution of Riches, Honours, and Pleasures, before those who have not so much Vertue; and so it would come to pass, that the perfection or lack of Vertue, being thus openly marked by temporal felicity or misery; every one would be ready to reason thus, This man is Rich, so then he is vertuous, this man is Poor, so then either he is not vertuous, or else his Ancestors were not vertuous, which would cover the face of the Poor with con∣fusion; and in effect ordinarily poverty is shamefaced, because it doth suppose some sin, turpis egestas.

Yet it is not just to wrong all that be poor, by believing they have deserved their pover∣ty, by their own or Parents sin: there be poor which have been all their life most vir∣tuous, and so would be very Rich, if by a just providence they were recompenced ac∣cording to their merit. Indeed the number of this sort of Poor is not great, and of Ten Poor, it may be there is not one which is not Poor, for the punishment of his sin; but yet at last some such vertuous Poor there are, how small soever their number be: 'tis then necessary to cast forth this Maxime,

out of the Religious Policy; for if Poverty goes for Vice, or the mark of Vice without exception, to hear their generally speaking, all the poor are disgraced except the Monks, who make a Vow of Poverty, whereof we say nothing here; so that if a man should seek after Ecclesiastical Benefices, and should be put by, he will be disgraced, which would extreamly trouble the Common∣welth's repose; because no body would be able to suffer a putting by, or a putting af∣ter another, with so manifest a shame, per∣ciò che nessun potrebbe tolerare d'esser posposto con si manifesta vergogna.* 1.1

The opposite Maxime then is more con∣venient, which admits a fortune which pre∣sides in its turn over the distribution of temporal goods, and which regards this same Fortune as the enemy of Vertue. This Max∣ime being established, all the unfortunate may be able to cover the shame of their po∣verty, by accusing Fortune, the enemy of Virtue, which set her self to persecute them, and this kind of accusation will be a Puissant lenitive to their grief,* 1.2 è un ottimo lenitivo il poter accusar la fortuna come nemica della vir∣tù. This consideration is from an Author profound in feat of Policy, he proves that this recourse to an unjust Fortune, is neces∣sary to keep up the Publick quiet,* 1.3 è alta os∣servazione di qualche serittore che si fatti ab∣bagli siano necessarii per conservar la quiete nella Republica. After this manner also did the Nuncio Alexander, reason in the Diet at

Worms, whom our Cardinal also approves, and who upon this Principle did observe amongst the causes of Poverty, misfortune as the fifth, il disastro,* 1.4 that is to say the Dis∣grace of Fortune, enemy of Vertue.

Now the Providence of God cannot be enemy of Vertue; so that what one calls For∣tune in right carnal and Religious Policy, is not according to the Principles of our Car∣dinal, the same thing as divine Providence. Also he does not fear to say that it would be better if the Pope were in actual possession of all the Riches of the Universe, that he might make distribution of them to every one according as he deserved then to see them distributed as they be, by way of inheritance without any discretion, and to go from Father to Son, at hap-hazard,* 1.5 esser dono del caso nell'eredità dcl sangue. The Estates which go from Fathers to Children, by way of inheri∣tance, go to them according to his reckon∣ing by hazard, and not by divine Providence: otherwise he might say it would be better, that they went by the Order of the Popes Providence, then by that of the Divine: Thus in general it is true to say according to him, that Fortune hath a great share in di∣stributing Estates, nel conseguire i gran' beni suol haver parte la fortuna; and that ordi∣narily the events of Fortune do concur to make Vertue honoured, and Vice hated, gli auvenimenti della fortuna concorron tutti con fare che per lo più la bontà sia onorata ed amata, e'l vizio vituperato e odito.* 1.6 Which

comes to pass, because the goodness of di∣vine Providence corrects when it pleases, malignity of Fortune, Virtues enemy, or else the industry of man surmounts Fortune's malignity; for 'tis upon this account we say, That many times a man is the Artifice of his own Fortune,* 1.7 onde per lo più è vero il detto che eiascuno è fabro della propria fortuna. But when it is not so, this malignity of Fortune, doth not fail to show it self, and to make it appear that sometimes, and in her turn she presides alone over these events: Thus it was to Fortune that our Cardinal attribu∣teth, for example, the event of the Regency of Queen Catharine de Medicis in France,* 1.8 dalla fortuna fù riserbata ad havar la corona di Francia e l'assoluto imperio di quella Mo∣narchia.

So the Kingdom of England, being re∣conciled to the Church under Queen Mary, who preceeded Queen Elizabeth, he con∣cludes thereupon, That there are vicissi∣tudes of Fortune vanquished by Vertue, which fill mortals with admiration though without reason. Inconstancy being so Natu∣ral in the World, that the greatest of all marvels would be, if inconstancy did not rule therein vicende di fortuna ch' empiono di maraviglia i mortali. On the contrary, the advancement of Elizabeth, and the Here∣sies reestablishment, he attributes to For∣tune Victorious, rather than to the Spirit of that Queen,* 1.9 in ciò più adoperasse la fortu∣na che l'accortezza. But then there are

some things, which according to our Cardi∣nal, God never leaves to Fortune,* 1.10 as for ex∣ample the Election of a Pope, divina providen∣za la qual non vuole che un Papa si elegga à caso; which makes it appear according to the Cardinal that there be then some events, which God leaves to hazard and fortune, such, for example, as the dying of a child, without baptism, when by chance, there's no water to be found,* 1.11 è caso fortuito che non si tro∣vi acqua, or when the Child dyes in its Mo∣ther's Belly,* 1.12 è coso fortuito che'l fanciulli moia nel ventre: For then nothing hinders to ad∣mit a state wherein 'tis possible the Child may be saved provided it come by accident,* 1.13 ove non sia naturale ma accidentale. For God was able to leave these sort of accidents to Fortune, without providing for them in his Providence, toltine gli auvenimenti fortuiti.* 1.14 'Tis even the same in distribution of tem∣poral Goods, Honours, Riches, Pleasures, when 'tis made with injustice, that is, when the vertuous have the least share thereof: for then it appears that this event can have no other cause, but that enmity which For∣tune exerciseth against Vertue, when by ha∣zard that enmity becomes Victorious. The establishing of this Politick, and Religious Maxim hath been very important according to our Cardinal, as we have seen here be∣fore, for Publick repose and quiet, whereas on the contrary, the Zealous who refer all to divine Providence, attribute events to it altogether unjust: they overwhelm the Poor

with shame and confusion, so that they can find neither lenitive for their quiet, nor a vail for their shame, which fills all with con∣fusion, and makes it appear how dangerous it is under the pretence of Piety, to be ig∣norant, or to forsake the Rules of the right carnal and Religious Policy, which hath the repose, and Worldly felicity of People for its object, prudenza politica la∣qual habbia per oggetto la quiete è la felicità mondana de' popoli.* 1.15

Notes

• * 1.1

  l. 1. c. 25.
• * 1.2

  Ibid.
• * 1.3

  Ibid. l. 2 c. 10. l. 3. c. 16. & l. 12. c. 3.
• * 1.4

  l. 9. c. 9.
• * 1.5

  l. 24. c. 10.
• * 1.6

  l. 3. c. 8.
• * 1.7

  l. 9. c. 19.
• * 1.8

  l. 14. c. 3.
• * 1.9

  l. 14. c. 8.
• * 1.10

  l. 14. c. 10.
• * 1.11

  l. 9. c. 8.
• * 1.12

  Ibid.
• * 1.13

  Ibid.
• * 1.14

  Ibid.
• * 1.15

  l. 14. c. 8.