Books Fatal to Their AuthorsDitchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)
History
Books Fatal to Their Authors
Ditchfield, P. H. (Peter Hampson)
Authors; Prohibited books
Unfortunately for him, Harsnett, Bishop of Chichester, and afterwards
Archbishop of York, doubted the marvellous powers of the pious author,
Dr. Darrell, and had the audacity to suggest that he made a trade of
casting out devils, and even went so far as to declare that Darrell and
the possessed had arranged the matter between them, and that Darrell had
instructed them how they were to act in order to appear possessed.
The author was subsequently condemned as an impostor by the Queen's
commissioners, deposed from his ministry, and condemned to a long term
of imprisonment with further punishment to follow. The base conduct
and pretences of Darrell and others obliged the clergy to enact the
following canon (No. 73): "That no minister or ministers, without
license and direction of the bishop, under his hand and seal obtained,
attempt, upon any pretence whatsoever, either of possession or
obsession, by fasting and prayer, to cast 'out any devil or devils,
under pain of the imputation of imposture, or cozenage, and deposition
from the ministry." This penalty at the present day not many of the
clergy are in danger of incurring.
CHAPTER IV. SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY.
Bishop Virgil--Roger Bacon--Galileo--Jordano Bruno--Thomas
Campanella--De Lisle de Sales--Denis Diderot--Balthazar Bekker--Isaac de
la Peyrère--Abbé de Marolles--Lucilio Vanini--Jean Rousseau.
Science in its infancy found many powerful opponents, who, not
understanding the nature of the newly-born babe, strove to strangle
it. But the infant grew into a healthy child in spite of its cruel
stepmother, and cried so loudly and talked so strangely that the
world was forced to listen to its utterances. These were regarded with
distrust and aversion by the theologians of the day, for they were
supposed to be in opposition to Revelation, and contrary to the received
opinions of all learned and pious people. Therefore Science met with
very severe treatment; its followers were persecuted with relentless
vehemence, and "blasphemous fables" and "dangerous deceits" were the
only epithets which could characterise its doctrines.
The controversy between Religion and Science still rages, in spite of
the declaration of Professor Huxley that in his opinion the conflict
between the two is entirely factitious. But theologians are wiser now
than they were in the days of Galileo; they are waiting to see what the
scientists can prove, and then, when the various hypotheses are shown to
be true, it will be time enough to reconcile the verities of the Faith
with the facts of Science.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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