' " Anno 1579, jam quadragenarius migravit in Poloniam." — Vita Faust. Socin.
* " Extat apud me ipsius Blandratae epistola, non tamen scripta sine Theseo (Statorio) xm bene novi, in qua (iregorium Paulum a Tritheismo ad Samosateni dogma
si Blandratum
revocare nititur. Incidit enira Blandrata in Transylvaniam rediens in quondam Fran ciscum David, paulo magis, quam superiores illi ut aiunt providum." — Beza, Ep. 81.
2 " Ecclesiis Polonicis, quae solum Patrem Domini Jesu summum Deum agnoscunt, publico adjungi ambivit, sed satis acerbe atque diu repulsam passus est, qua tamen ignominia minime accensus, vir, non tam indole quam animi institute, ad patientiam compositus, nulla unquam alienati animi vestigia dedit."— Vita Faust. Socin.
36 THE PKEFACE TO THE READER.
his ; which is as hard a condition as can be put upon any perfectly con- quered enemy. This himself delivers at large on sundry occasions, especially insisting on and debating that business in his epistles to Simon Ronembergius and to Sophia Siemichovia. On this score did he write his disputation " De Baptismo Aqufe," with the vindication of it from the ani- madversions of A. D. (whom I suppose to be Andrew Dudithius), and of M. C, endeavouring with all his strength to prove that baptism is not an ordinance appointed for the use of Christians or their children, but only for such as were converted from Paganism or Mohammedanism; and this he did in the year 1580, two years after his coming into Poland, as he declares by the date of the disputation from Cracovia, at the close thereof. And in this persuasion he was so fixed, and laid such weight upon it, that after he had once before broken the assembly at Eacovia, in his old days he encourages Valentinus Smalcius,^ then their teacher, to break them again, because some of them tenaciously held their opinion ; and for those who, as Smalcius informed him, would thereupon fall off to the reformed churches, he bids them go, and a good riddance of them. By this means, T say, he utterly broke up, and divided, and dissolved the meeting at Eacovia, which was collected upon the principles before mentioned, that there remained none abiding to their first engagement but a few old women, as Squarcialupus^ tells him, and as himself confesses in his answer for them to PaUeologus.^ By this course of behaviour, tlie man had these two advantages: — (1.) He kept fair with all parties amongst them, and pro- voked not any by joining with them with whom they could not agree ; so that all parties looked on him as their own, and were ready to make him the umpire of all their differences, by which he had no small advantage of working them all to his own principles. (2.) He was less exposed to the fury of the .Papists, which he greatly feared (loving well the things of this world), than he would have been had he joined himself to any visible church profession ; and, indeed, his privacy of living was a great means of his security.
2. His second great advantage vras that he loas a scholar, and was able to defend and countenance them against their opposers, the most of them being miserably weak and unlearned. One of their best defensatives, before his joining with tliem, was a clamour against logic and learning, as himself confesseth in some of his epistles. Now, this is not only evident by experi- ence, but the nature of the thing itself makes it manifest that so it will be : whereas men of low and weak abilities fall into by-persuasions in religion, as they generally at first prevail by clamours and all sorts of re- proaches cast on learning and learned men, yet if God in his providence at any time, to heighten the temptation, suffer any person of learning and ability to fall in amongst and with them, he is presently their head and
1 "Nam quod niihi ohjicis me communionem cum fratribus, et Christi fidelibus sper- nere, nee cuiare iit cum ipsis cocnam Domini celebrem, respondeo, me postquam in Poloniam veni, nihil antiquius habuisse, quam ut me quam maxima fratribus conjun- gcrcm, licet invenisscm illos in non paivis religionis nostrre capitibus, a me diversum sentire; quomadmoduni multi bodieque sentiunt ; quod si nihilonnnusaqiiaB baptismum una cum illis non accipio, hoc prreterca fit, quia id bona conscientia facei'e nrqueo, nisi publici' ante protestor, me nou quod censeam baptismum aquiB mihi moique similibus, ullo mode neccssarium esse, etc." — Ep. ad Sophiam Sicmichoviam, femiuam noliilcm.— Ep. 11 ad Valent. Smile, anno 1604.
2 " Dico secessionem Kacovicn>ium ac delirium, e.'^se ab ecclcsia ratione sejungen- dum, nisi vclis conciliabula qua^que amentium anicularum partes ecclesite Christiance aut ecclesiam appellare."— Mar. bquarcialup. Ep. ad Faust. Socin. p. 8.
3 " Hue accedit, quod Racovienses isti, sive ccetus Racoviensis, qucm tu petis atque oppui^nas, vel non amplius cxtat, vel ita hodie mutatus est, et in aliam quodammodo forruam versus, ut agnosci non queat."— Socin. Prajfat. ad Palaaolog.
THE PREFACE TO THE READER. 37
ruler without control. Some testimony hereof our own days have afforded, and I wish we may not have more examples given us. Now, how far he availed himself of this advantage, the consideration of them with whom he had to do, of the esteem they had of his abilities, and the service he did them thereby, will acquaint us.