Causes　of　the　decline　of　their　influence
  Corruption　of　most　human　institutions
  The　Jesuits　become　rich　and　then　corrupt
  Esprit　de　corps　of　the　Jesuits
  Their　doctrine　of　expediency
  Their　political　intrigues
  Persecution　of　the　Protestants
  The　enemies　they　made
  Madame　de　Pompadour
  Suppression　of　the　Order
  Their　return　to　power
  Reasons　why　Protestants　fear　and　dislike　them
  JOHN　CALVIN。
  PROTESTANT　THEOLOGY。
  John　Calvin's　position
  His　early　life　and　precocity
  Becomes　a　leader　of　Protestants
  Removes　to　Geneva
  His　habits　and　character
  Temporary　exile
  Convention　at　Frankfort
  Melancthon；　Luther；　Calvin；　and　Catholic　doctrines
  Return　to　Geneva；　and　marriage
  Calvin　compared　with　Luther
  Calvin　as　a　legislator
  His　reform
  His　views　of　the　Eucharist
  Excommunication；　etc
  His　dislike　of　ceremonies　and　festivals
  The　simplicity　of　the　worship　of　God
  His　ideas　of　church　government
  Absence　of　toleration
  Church　and　State
  Exaltation　of　preaching
  Calvin　as　a　theologian；　his　Institutes
  His　doctrine　of　Predestination
  His　general　doctrines　in　harmony　with　Mediaeval　theology
  His　views　of　sin　and　forgiveness；　Calvinism
  He　exacts　the　same　authority　to　logical　deduction　from　admitted
  truths　as　to　direct　declarations　of　Scripture
  Puritans　led　away　by　Calvin's　intellectuality
  His　whole　theology　radiates　from　the　doctrine　of　the　majesty　of　God
  and　the　littleness　of　man
  To　him　a　personal　God　is　everything
  Defects　of　his　system
  Calvin　an　aristocrat
  His　intellectual　qualities
  His　prodigious　labors
  His　severe　characteristics
  His　vast　influence
  His　immortal　fame
  LORD　BACON。
  THE　NEW　PHILOSOPHY。
  Lord　Bacon　as　portrayed　by　Macaulay
  His　great　defects　of　character
  Contrast　made　between　the　man　and　the　philosopher
  Bacon's　youth　and　accomplishments
  Enters　Parliament
  Seeks　office
  At　the　height　of　fortune　and　fame
  His　misfortunes
  Consideration　of　charges　against　him
  His　counterbalancing　merits
  The　exaltation　by　Macaulay　of　material　life
  Bacon　made　its　exponent
  But　the　aims　of　Bacon　were　higher
  The　true　spirit　of　his　philosophy
  Deductive　philosophies
  His　new　method
  Bacon's　Works
  Relations　of　his　philosophy
  Material　science　and　knowledge
  Comparison　of　knowledge　with　wisdom
  GALILEO。
  ASTRONOMICAL　DISCOVERIES。
  A　brilliant　portent
  The　greatness　of　the　sixteenth　century
  Artists；　scholars；　reformers；　religious　defenders
  Maritime　discoveries
  Literary；　ecclesiastical；　political　achievements
  Youth　of　Galileo
  His　early　discoveries
  Genius　for　mathematics
  Professor　at　Pisa
  Ridicules　the　old　philosophers；　invents　the　thermometer
  Compared　with　Kepler
  Galileo　teaches　the　doctrines　of　Copernicus。
  Gives　offence　by　his　railleries　and　mockeries。
  Theology　and　science
  Astronomical　knowledge　of　the　Ancients
  Utilization　of　science
  Construction　of　the　first　telescope
  Galileo's　reward
  His　successive　discoveries
  His　enemies
  High　scientific　rank　in　Europe
  Hostility　of　the　Church
  Galileo　summoned　before　the　Inquisition；　his　condemnation　and
  admonition
  His　new　offences
  Summoned　before　a　council　of　Cardinals
  His　humiliation
  His　recantations
  Consideration　of　his　position
  Greatness　of　mind　rather　than　character
  His　confinement　at　Arceti
  Opposition　to　science
  His　melancholy　old　age　and　blindness
  Visited　by　John　Milton；　comparison　of　the　two；　when　blind
  Consequence　of　Galileo's　discoveries
  Later　results
  Vastness　of　the　universe
  Grandeur　of　astronomical　science
  BEACON　LIGHTS　OF　HISTORY。
  DANTE。
  A。D。　1265…1321。
  RISE　OF　MODERN　POETRY。
  The　first　great　genius　who　aroused　his　country　from　the　torpor　of
  the　Middle　Ages　was　a　poet。　　Poetry；　then；　was　the　first　influence
  which　elevated　the　human　mind　amid　the　miseries　of　a　gloomy　period；
  if　we　may　except　the　schools　of　philosophy　which　flourished　in　the
  rising　universities。　　But　poetry　probably　preceded　all　other　forms
  of　culture　in　Europe；　even　as　it　preceded　philosophy　and　art　in
  Greece。　　The　gay　Provencal　singers　were　harbingers　of　Dante；　even
  as　unknown　poets　prepared　the　way　for　Homer。　　And　as　Homer　was　the
  creator　of　Grecian　literature；　so　Dante；　by　his　immortal　comedy；
  gave　the　first　great　impulse　to　Italian　thought。　　Hence　poets　are
  great　benefactors；　and　we　will　not　let　them　die　in　our　memories　or
  hearts。　　We　crown　them；　when　alive；　with　laurels　and　praises；　and
  when　they　die；　we　erect　monuments　to　their　honor。　　They　are　dear　to
  us；　since　their　writings　give　perpetual　pleasure；　and　appeal　to　our
  loftiest　sentiments。　　They　appeal　not　merely　to　consecrated　ideas
  and　feelings；　but　they　strive　to　conform　to　the　principles　of
  immortal　art。　　Every　great　poet　is　as　much　an　artist　as　the
  sculptor　or　the　painter：　and　art　survives　learning　itself。　　Varro；
  the　most　learned　of　the　Romans；　is　forgotten；　when　Virgil　is
  familiar　to　every　school…boy。　　Cicero　himself　would　not　have　been
  immortal；　if　his　essays　and　orations　had　not　conformed　to　the
  principles　of　art。　　Even　an　historian　who　would　live　must　be　an
  artist；　like　Voltaire　or　Macaulay。　　A　cumbrous；　or　heavy；　or
  pedantic　historian　will　never　be　read；　even　if　his　learning　be
  praised　by　all　the　critics　of　Germany。
  Poets　are　the　great　artists　of　language。　　They　even　create
  languages；　like　Homer　and　Shakspeare。　　They　are　the　ornaments　of
  literature。　　But　they　are　more　than　ornaments。　　They　are　the　sages
  whose　sayings　are　treasured　up　and　valued　and　quoted　from　age　to
  age；　because　of　the　inspiration　which　is　given　to　them；an　insight
  into　the　mysteries　of　the　soul　and　the　secrets　of　life。　　A　good
  song　is　never　lost；　a　good　poem　is　never　buried；　like　a　system　of
  philosophy；　but　has　an　inherent　vitality；　like　the　melodies　of　the
  son　of　Jesse。　　Real　poetry　is　something；　too；　beyond　elaborate
  versification；　which　is　one　of　the　literary　fashions；　and　passes
  away　like　other　fashions　unless；　redeemed　by　something　that　arouses
  the　soul；　and　elevates　it；　and　appeals　to　the　consciousness　of
  universal　humanity。　　It　is　the　poets　who　make　revelations；　like
  prophets　and　sages　of　old；　it　is　they　who　invest　history　with
  interest；　like　Shakspeare　and　Racine；　and　preserve　what　is　most
  vital　and　valuable　in　it。　　They　even　adorn　philosophy；　like
  Lucretius；　when　he　speculated　on　the　systems　of　the　Ionian
  philosophers。　　They　certainly　impress　powerfully　on　the　mind　the
  truths　of　theology；　as　Watts　and　Cowper　and　Wesley　did　in　their
  noble　lyrics。　　So　that　the　most　rapt　and　imaginative　of　men；　if
  artists；　utilize　the　whole　realm　of　knowledge；　and　diffuse　it；　and
  perpetuate　it　in　artistic　forms。　　But　real　poets　are　rare；　even　if
  there　are　many　who　glory　in　the　jingle　of　language　and　the
  structure　of　rhyme。　　Poetry；　to　live；　must　have　a　soul；　and　it　must
  combine　rare　things；art；　music；　genius；　original　thought；　wisdom
  made　still　richer　by　learning；　and；　above　all；　a　power　of　appealing
  to　inner　sentiments；　which　all　feel；　yet　are　reluctant　to　express。
  So　choice　are　the　gifts；　so　grand　are　the　qualities；　so　varied　the
  attainments　of　truly　great　poets；　that　very　few　are　born　in　a　whole
  generation　and　in　nations　that　number　twenty　or　forty　millions　of
  people。　　They　are　the　rarest　of　gifted　men。　　Every　nation　can　boast
  of　its　illustrious　lawyers；　statesmen；　physicians；　and　orators；　but
  they　can　point　only　to　a　few　of　their　poets　with　pride。　　We　can
  count　on　the　fingers　of　one　of　our　hands　all　those　worthy　of　poetic
  fame　who　now　live　in　this　great　country　of　intellectual　and
  civilized　men；　one　for　every　ten　millions。　　How　great　the　pre…
  eminence　even　of　ordinary　poets！　　How　very　great　the　pre…eminence
  of　those　few　whom　all　ages　and　nations　admire！
  The　critics　assign　to　Dante　a　pre…eminence　over　most　of　those　we
  call　immortal。　　Only　two　or　three　other　poets　in　the　whole　realm　of
  literature；　ancient　or　modern；　dispute　his　throne。　　We　compare　him
  with　Homer　and　Shakspeare；　and　perhaps　Goethe；　alone。　　Civilization
  glories　in　Virgil；　Milton；　Tasso；　Racine；　Pope；　and　Byron；all
  immortal　artists；　but　it　points　to　only　four　men　concerning　whose
  transcendent　creative　power　there　is　unanimity　of　judgment；
  prodigies　of　genius；　to　whose　influence　and　fame　we　can　assign　no
  limits；　stars　of　such　surpassing　brilliancy　that　we　can　only　gaze
  and　wonder；growing　brighter　and　brighter；　too；　with　the　progress
  of　ages；　so　remarkable　that　no　barbarism　will　ever　obscure　their
  brightness；　so　original　that　all　imitation　of　them　becomes
  impossible　and　absurd。　　So　great　is　original　genius；　directed　by
  art　and　consecrated　to　lofty　sentiments。
  I　have　assumed　the　difficult　task　of　presenting　one　of　these　great
  lights。　　But　I　do　not　presume　to　analyze　his　great　poem；　or　to
  point　out　critically　its　excellencies。　　This　would　be　beyond　my
  powers；　even　if　I　were　an　Italian。　　It　takes　a　poet　to　reveal　a
  poet。　　Nor　is　criticism