But to the concluding words of the volume we would direct the attention of those who desire to become acquainted with the secret of a life which was marked by enjoyment as great as ever fell to the lot of man. This final touch to the picture is free from any such exaggeration as might have been even expected, and would have been pardoned, from the hand of filial reverence and affection; while it gathers up all the particulars of the "Life" which has been so delightfully recorded, into the principle which formed and animated it. The Work thus presents to Englishmen of the higher class, not only a most interesting chronicle of the events of a remarkable political period, but such a model of the Christian character in an eminent statesman, as must be of enduring value. The name of William Wilberforce is imperishable: so, too, is the example which confers upon his name its brightest honour.

THE FIRST PROTESTANT MISSION.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

DEAR SIR,-During the long life of your valuable periodical, hardly any interesting fact relating to Church history has been left unnoticed in it. Amongst the rest, a mention has been made there of that which is the subject of my present paper. But that mention was a slight one; and, as the fact itself is one of painful interest, and, as again your more ancient volumes are seldom, I fear, read, you will allow me, perhaps, to tell the story over once again with a few additional particulars. I have been happy enough to procure the rare and curious volume in which the history is given in detail; and few, I think, of the fictions of romance can exceed it in the strangeness of its incidents.

In the course of the year 1555 A.D., the Church of Calvin received an unexpected application, which doubtless gave no little pleasure to the great Reformer. A French Knight of Malta, by name Nicholas Durand Villegagnon, having carried out a colony of emigrants under the sanction of Admiral Coligny, had settled with them in Brazil, on a small island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. He had given out, in the first instance, that he was actuated mainly by religious motives, and by a desire to secure for himself and fellow voyagers the free exercise of their religion; and, shortly after his arrival, the Admiral, it appears, received a letter from him, acquainting. him with the nature of his settlement, and requesting him to

procure and to send out to him some of the Genevese ministers, and others with them, who might at once be chaplains to the colony and missionaries to the savage aborigines. Coligny, upon the receipt of this letter, entered into communication with the Church of Geneva, and according to De Thou's account, wrote to Calvin on the subject, and Calvin communicated the matter to his presbytery. Two of the number, Peter Richer and William Chartier, presently declared their readiness to undertake the service, and they were soon joined by several coadjutors, among whom was a young man named John de Levi, who subsequently (summa fide ac simplicitate, says De Thou) published the whole story of the voyage.

It is this narrative, which lies before me, entitled "Historia Navigationis in Brasiliam."* The author wrote, it seems, in French originally, but gave his little book a Latin garb at the request of the Landgrave of Hesse, to whom he has prefixed a very touching dedication. The picture given therein of the trials of the Huguenots is most pathetically drawn.

The narrative itself is full of simple piety. He is minute in his details of the perils of his voyage, and of the various incidents attending it. No sooner had the little party landed at the settlement, which was named after Coligny, than they were received with open arms by Villegagnon, who returned his thanks to God for their arrival. Then, addressing them with the air of deep emotion, "My sons," said he, "(for I esteem myself your father) as Christ did nothing for Himself, but all for us, so God, I trust, will lengthen out my life till this post shall be so well fortified as that you shall cease to stand in need of me. I am doing everything for you, and for all who may continue to resort to me as you do. My object is to establish an asylum for all faithful refugees who may be expelled from France or Spain, or elsewhere beyond sea; a place where, without the fear of king or emperor, they may purely worship God." This speech over, the whole party proceeded to a little room in the centre of the island, which had been built by Villegagnon to serve the purpose of a chapel, and there they held a service after the plan of the French Reformed Church. Peter Richer was the preacher-his text, Psa. xxvii. iv. Villegagnon's demeanour during Richer's preaching was that of an ecstatic hearer: often did he clasp his hands together; often did he lift his eyes to heaven; deeply did he sigh. Sermon ended, his guests were entertained. The repast was rude and primitive; but, after the hardships of the voyage, every bitter thing was sweet. They were as rudely lodged as fed, and were expected, fatigued as they were, to work hard at the forti

Published in 1586.

fications of the castle which Villegagnon was constructing. He was courteous, however, in his bearing to them; made arrangements for a regular performance of divine worship; and expressed a wish to have the Lord's Supper solemnized afterthe manner of the Protestants. Previous to the administration, he offered up two lengthy prayers; one addressed to God the Father, the second to the Son, which are given us in Levi's book, word for word, he says, as they were uttered. They are couched in the most fervent language; full of thankful acknowledgments and spiritual desires. Nothing could well

exceed them in the humbleness of their confessions, and the earnestness of their appeals. Then, on his bended knees, he received the bread and wine, as they were ministered to him in Protestant simplicity. And yet, amidst all these outward signs of an enlightened piety, the pastors soon discovered that which gave them pain. Although he had professedly renounced the dogma of transubstantiation, as gross absurdity, and seemed as little favourable to consubstantiation, yet both he and one of his colleagues maintained, in opposition to the ministers, that cloudy misty notion on the subject (not in fact distinguishable from the doctrines he repudiated), that the body and blood of Christ are contained within the outward signs-the very notion, in fact, of the ritualists of our day. Professing, however, an earnest desire to be rightly informed upon the subject, he dispatched one of the two ministers, William Chartier, to Europe, that he might ascertain the precise opinions of reformed divines upon the subject, but, more especially of Calvin, for whom he expressed the highest possible esteem, and by whose judgment, in a letter addressed to him, he promised to abide. Calvin was also addressed at the same time by Richer, the pastor, who remained with Villegagnon.

The letter, which is inserted by Beza, in his publication of Calvin's correspondence, is curious and interesting. It is dated from "Antarctic Gaul, March, 1557." Beginning with the Apostolic benediction, "I was unwilling," he says, "brother, to let an opportunity slip without informing you of our affairs. I particularly wish that the mercy we have hitherto experienced at the hand of the Lord should be made known to you, that you may join with us in thankfully acknowledging His goodness, in taking so much care of all of us, and bringing us safely to our destination, after so many risks by sea and land. Satan indeed, as is his wont, exposed us to a diversity of perils on our voyage, but as children of so great a Heavenly Father, (however unworthy of the name) we constantly experienced His helping hand, which, from day to day, He is ever more and more graciously extending to us. On the very day after our landing, Villegagnon wished to have a public preaching of God's word. On

the following week he begged to have the holy supper of the Lord administered, which he and some of his attendants religiously partook of, having delivered, in the first instance, a statement of his faith, to the great edification of the assembly present. What could have happened more in unison with our desires? What could, in short, have answered more opportunely to our wishes, than that our true Church might make its appearance with its sacramental badges? Such are the mercies with which our Gracious Heavenly Father has vouchsafed to follow us. This region, being uncultivated and thinly populated, produces scarcely anything which would suit the taste of the people of our country. Millet indeed, wild figs, and certain roots of which they make flour, it does yield to its inhabitants. But bread it has none, nor wine, nor anything approaching wine. Nor has it any fruits (as far as I know) which we have at any time made use of. Nevertheless it is well with us, and we are in good health; nay, to adduce myself as an example, I am more vigorous than ever. But so also it is with all the others. The physician would ascribe this blessing to the climate, which is so temperate as to answer to our May. But that I may not do such injury to Him, who is the highest, greatest, best of beings, I will say what is my view of the matter. In this way does our Gracious Heavenly Father show us His paternal kindness, who, in a land barbarous and wild as this, so ministers His bounty to us as that we feel ourselves not dependent upon bread, but on the Word of God. His favour to us here supplies the place of all temporal delights. The thing which alone is trying and distressing to us in no small degree, is the barbarism of the people, which cannot well be greater than it is. To say nothing of their cannibalism, which is the universal practice, I have to grieve over the gross dulness of their minds. It is a darkness that may be felt. Even of the moral goodness of God they have not the least idea, nor of the distinction between good and evil. Nay, the very vices which nature of itself reproves in other nations, are regarded here as virtues. At least they do not recognize the turpitude of vices, so that, in this respect, they little differ from the brutes. But what is worst of all, God's very existence is unknown to them; so far are they from observing His law, or from admiring His power and His goodness. The hope therefore of gaining them to Christ is entirely taken from us. This, as it is the heaviest of all our trials, so do we find it the most hard to boar. I seem to hear it said in answer, that they furnish a smooth surface to us on which it is easy to bestow a colouring without anything to interfere. But let such a person know that the diversity of language is no slight impediment. Add to which, we have no interpreters who are faithful to the Lord. We had proposed,

indeed, to use the instrumentality and industry of men of this sort; but we found they were the veriest limbs of Satan, and that nothing is more odious to them than Christ's holy Gospel. In this matter, therefore, we must make a halt, and wait with patience, till some youths who have been sent by Villegagnon to the savages, to be instructed in their language, have acquired the knowledge of it. It is for this end that they are now conversant among them; and God grant it may not be attended with damage to their souls! When we shall have been endowed by the Most High with such a gift as this, we may hope that this Edom shall be Christ's possession. Meanwhile we expect a fresh supply of colonists, by intercourse with whom this barbarous nation may be civilized, and our Church receive an increase. Had we but a sufficient supply of hands, we should doubtless be plentifully furnished with provisions. That our market is so poor and scanty, is owing to the fewness of inhabitants, and the supineness of our husbandmen. But, in all these matters, the Most High God will provide for us. Anxiously do we desire to be commended to the prayers of all the Churches of our country."

The hope expressed in the latter portions of this letter was soon, alas! to be extinguished. Within a month or two after this letter was dispatched, Villegagnon's true character began to show itself. Whereas he had previously expressed it as his wish that the sacraments should be administered in their primitive simplicity, he now, on the contrary, insisted, on the alleged authority of Cyprian and Clement, that water should be mixed with the wine at the Lord's Supper, and salt and oil with the baptismal water. And soon too he began to change his note altogether with reference to Calvin. That eminent reformer was now pronounced to be the worst of heretics, and he declared himself no longer willing to await the opinion he had seemed so anxious to obtain. The little band of Genevese had now to encounter his stern looks, and to infer, from his whole treatment, the alienation of his mind from them. Rarely was he present at their sermons, the length of which he imperiously limited to half an hour. There was a mystery in this sudden change of his demeanour, which they could not easily account for. They suspected that, as a vessel from France had lately touched upon the coast, he might possibly have received some dispatch from Cardinal Lorrain, to menace him for the change of his religion, and that he had succumbed in consequence. But they afterwards heard, on their return home, that his apparent conversion to the Protestant faith had been the result of a secret compact between the Cardinal and himself before he crossed the seas; and that they had agreed by such a fraud as this to make Calvin and his Church their dupes.