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icg
John’s inclination
to Popery.
history of the swedes.
Arrival of
Jesuits.
[1569—
was crowned in Cracow on the 27th December,
1587, after he had issued a declaration that the
question relative to the Swedish portion of Livonia
should be postponed until he succeeded his father
in the kingdom of Sweden, wherein the estates of
Poland at length acquiesced.
But it was not enough for John’s desire of
honour to unite rival kingdoms; he wished also to
reconcile contending religions. It is well known
that the schism in the church produced several
attempts at mediation. Such was the Interim of the
emperor Charles V., which had been rejected in
Sweden so early as 1549 2. Men of learning and
piety had busied themselves with similar
endeavours. In respect to the abuses of the ancient
church, they all proceeded upon the principle, that
the abuse does not take away the use, and sought
to show how often the very points which might
have been most strongly blamed, had had in their
origin a wholesome and Christian meaning. It
belongs not to the historian to judge theologically ;
but if he should even remove to the standing-point
taken up by those men, it would be merely to make
one remark, which properly belongs to his own
department, that experience teaches just the contrary,
and that the abuse in very deed takes away the use.
If any thing be clear from history, it is this; that in
its sphere the personal element is the most weighty.
It is not a chain of propositions and truths, but of
volitions and actions; not theoretical, but practical.
Nothing does it show so plainly as this ; that the
best things are by vicious usage marred for
centuries, and for ever ; like as in this destruction,
nothing is more wonderful than the
inexhaustible-ness of good, continually springing up again in new
and unexpected forms.
John might be denominated a learned prince.
He spoke German, English, Italian, polish,
understood French, was not ignorant of the Greek, and
so well versed in Latin, that he often made without
preparation long Latin speeches to his envoys.
Theology was the science of that age, and he had
abundant time during his captivity for the reading
of theological works. He was occupied especially
with the writings of George Cassander. These
breathe a spirit of genuine meekness, and display
much knowledge of the usages of the most ancient
church, on the ground of which the author believed
that he should be able to reconcile the disputants3;
wherefore the well-meaning emperors Ferdinand I.
and Maximilian II. employed him in their essays
of mediation. But we should do John too much
honour if we were to conclude that he had penetrated
to the core of the question itself. He loved
hierarchic like all other pomp, and imagined
ceremonies for divine worship as he did arms for
the provinces, decorations for his buildings, and
additions for his title. Meanwhile he believed
himself engaged in a serious investigation, as
appears from the particular words of his instruction
for his ambassadors of April 19th, 1573, when after
the death of Sigismund II. he sought the crown of
Poland for himself ; wherein the king, having
promised his protection to the religion and freedom of
the Poles, adds this condition:—"On the other
hand we reserve to ourselves the right of practising
whatsoever Christian religion it pleaseth us, the
same to remain likewise to our heirs, seeing that
we ourselves know not what religion these may
elect when they come to mature years4."
From a hierarchical point of view new lights are
hardly to be expected. Thus John was reconducted
nearer and nearer to the old church ; especially
out of affection for his wife, who had faithfully
shared with him the loneliness of his captivity.
Eric during the last year of his reign already cried
out upon him as a papist; an accusation which he
vehemently repudiated, wishing that God might
never procure either for him or his son the crown
of Sweden if it were true s. " The queen of
Sweden,"—writes cardinal Stanislaus Hosius in 1572
from Rome to Catharine Jagellonica,—" is here
extolled to heaven on account of her care for the
eternal salvation of her husband. He has already
intimated his wish that some learned and pious
Jesuits may be despatched to him. Hereof the
whole town converses." In another letter the
cardinal reproaches her with suffering herself to be
persuaded by the king to take the holy supper
under both forms, of bread and wine, instructing
her how she may answer the objections of her
spouse, and at the same time bring him back
gradually into the bosom of the church. She must
exhort him first to restore the office of priests and the
sacrifice of the mass". Might that be done, then
would the church be so tender a mother that she
could even permit the use of the cup to the laity.
In the year 1574 the same promise is repeated with
the addition, that some token of return must first
be given in Sweden, particularly the restoration of
the mass with its ceremonies ; then might
negotiations be opened regarding the cup 7. In his letter
to the king of the 7th January, 1576, the cardinal
congratulates himself that the return to the
ceremonies was being gradually effected ; and in
another, of October, 1577, he thanks God for the king’s
conversion. Two Jesuits from Louvain, Florentius
Feyt and Laurentius Norvegus, (the latter was
usually called in Sweden cloister-Laurence,) came
to Stockholm, and gave themselves out for
evangelical preachers. From the labours of the latter
especially the cardinal expects much 8, because he,
as a Norwegian, could easily make himself
understood. " Seek before all," he writes to John Herbest,
the queen’s court-chaplain, " that he may obtain a
church wherein to preach. Let him avoid offence;
let him extol faith to heaven, and depreciate works
without faith, preaching Christ as the only
mediator, and his cross as the only means of salvation ;
thereupon let him show that nothing else has been
preached in the papacy." The same cardinal
accounts all methods against heretics to be lawful.
When Henry of Valois in the year 1573 was elected
2 The opinion of the archbishop, Laurence Peterson, and
others, upon the Interim of the emperor Charles V., Upsala,
March 30, 1540, is printed in Celsius, Monumenta, p. 43.
3 His Consultatio de Articulis Relig. inter Catholicos et
Protestantes Controversis, was printed at Stockholm in 1577,
on the king’s instance, but without statement of the place or
year.
4 Baazii Inventorium Eccl. Svio-Goth. p. 333.
5 The secretary Swen Elofson, who heard the words.
6 Sacerdotium et sacrificium. Nihil est ecclesia matre
benignius, si tantopere calix iste cordi est. Stanislai Hosii
Opera, Colon. 1584, ii. 338.
7 Ut missae saciificium cum suis ca?rimoniis restitueretur,
ac turn demum de calice deliberatio susciperetur. 1. c. 379.
8 Divinitus id factum esse puto, quod venit ad vos
Nor-vegius ille, quem esse virnm prudentem ac bene doctuin et
non vulgari judicio praeditum audio. 1. c. 408.
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