VERGIL
V51
VERMEULE
ceding his adherence to the Reformation, he yet declares that the truth must be defended despite every inquisi- tion. He then went to Basle. His brother had previ- ously died, probably of poison.
The earliest tield of Protestant labor for Vergerins was the villages in the Yeltlin, in the Orisons, and he became pastor of the little village of Vicosoprano. His powerful sermons, in some instances, led the people to instantaneously abolish the mass and destroy their im- ages. The field was not, however, commensurate with his desires, and his situation became nnpleasant. He was obliged to take part in negotiations with the adherents of Servetus and Socinus among the immigrants from Italy ; the region where he labored was predominantly and im- movably on the side of Rome ; he was dissatisfied with the established form of government in the Zwinglian churches, and incurred the charge of ambitions med- dling, and also excited strong feeling by his advocacy of the Calvinian doctrine of the Lord's supper. In 1553 a synod framed a confession for the Grisons, and directed that all who wotdd not subscribe to its tenets should be excluded from fellowship in the Churcli; and, though Vergerius had been the successful means of winning eight congregations from Rome to the (iospel, he was obliged to leave the country. He found a refuge with duke Christopher at Tubingen, and in a few months re- turned to his late home with the title of counsellor to that patron, after which he definitely established him- self at Tubingen in September, 155o. Thenceforward he lived in privacy, except when employed in some bold missionary enterprise to imreclaimed countries. Poland was his favorite field, and was much indebted to him on account of his earnest evangelical labors. He also vis- ited king Maximilian at V^ienna in 1558, and presented him with practical evangelical writings, and was suc- cessful in inclining him to ftivor the Reformation. He revisited the Grisons on both evangelical and diplo- matic missions, being especially influential in preparing for a renewal of the treaty between that canton and France. In addition to such labors, he occupied him- self with the writing of numerous works — polemical, di- dactic, and exegetical. Among other works, he publish- ed the Bohemian confession of 1535; and, at about the same time, he showed inclination to connect himself with the Bohemian Church, having written in 15G1 to its senior, in Little Poland, for admission to its fellow- ship. He was, however, deterred from consummating the arrangement by an unwillingness to make so impor- tant a change at the advanced age he had now reached. His motive had been the growing intolerance of the Lu- theran Church, which denied peace and comfort to all who held the milder Melancthonian views. His request to be sent to the colloquy of Poissy in 1561, as the dele- gate of the German churches, was denied by the duke, because the Coimcil of Trent would grant no safe-con- duct unless Vergerius should recognise the Romish Church. The greatest fault of Vergerius was a dispo- sition to participate in every undertaking and to assert his own authority. He thus excited much opposition against himself. Many of his coreligionists of early times, as Delia Casa and others, were guilty of unwor- thy assaults upon him ; but many of the most prominent personages of the Papal Church gave him an excellent reputation. He died at Tubingen Oct. 4, 1565, and An- drea delivered a panegyric over his remains. See Sixt, P. P. Vergerius, etc. (Brunswick, 1855) ; and Herzog, Rtul-Eivyyklop. s. v.
Vergil, PoLYDORE, a priest of the Roman Church and an ecclesiastical historian, was born at Urbino, Italy, about 1470. He acquired a considerable literary repu- tation by his Proverbiorum Lihelliis (1498) and De Re- rum Inventorihns (1499). In 1501 he was sent to Eng- land by pope Alexander VI, to collect the papal tribute called Peter's pence, and was the last to hold that office. He remained in England the greater part of his life; became rector of Church -Langton, in Leicestershire; archdeacon of Wells in 1507; and a prebendary of Here-
ford and Lincoln the same year; then prebendary in St. Paul's, London, in 1513. When he had been in Eng- land nearly fifty j'ears, he returned to Italy, having re- ceived a present of three hundred crowns and leave to hold his archdcaconrj' of Wells and his prebend at Here- ford during life. He died in Italy about 1555. He was the friend of Erasmus, and wrote several works of value. Ills principal work is a voluminous Latin History of Iviglaiid, llistorhe Anglicce Lihri XXXVI (Basle, 1533, fol.). Two volumes of an old English edition of this work were edited by Sir Henry Ellis for the Camden Society (1844-46). The Agathynian Club published (N. Y. 1868) a translation of liis De Rerum Iiwentoribus, by John Langlcy, with an Accoimt oj" the Author and his Works, by Dr. W. A. Hammond.
Verhaghen, Pietek JoziiF, a Flemish painter, was born at Aerschot, South Brabant, about 1728. He stud- ied with great diligence, and soon gained the patronage of prince Charles of Lorraine. He visited France, Sar- dinia, and Ital\' at the expense of the government ; and while at Rome he painted two pictures which gained him considerable notoriei;y, one representing Christ Crowned with Thorns, and the other Christ with the Disciples at Eminatis. Through the fame of the latter he gained an audience with pope Clement XIV, who presented liim with two gold medals. He afterwards visited Vienna, where he was patronized by the empress Maria Theresa, to whom he gave the picture of Christ at Einmaus. He returned to Louvain in 1773, where he was honored by the citizens with a public reception. He executed many works for the churches and convents of his country, and died in 1811. See Spoouer, Biog. Hist, of the Fine A i-fs, s. v.