by the influence of local memory and imagination.  From his confinement in the old prison near St. Peter’s, to the court where he was accused, during the long and cruel trial, until the fatal eminence of Champel, every event arises before us, and the air is peopled with thick coming visions of the actors and sufferer in the dreadful scene.  Who that has read the account of his death has not heard, or seemed to hear, that shriek, so high, so wild, alike for mercy and of dread despair, which when the fire was kindled burst above through smoke and flame,—­“that the crowd fell back with a shudder!” Now it strikes me, an original MS. of the work for which he was condemned still exists; and I, thinking that others may feel the interest I have tried to sketch in its existence, will now state the facts of the case, and lay my authorities before your readers.

“We condemn you, said the council, Michael Servetus, to be bound and led to Champel, where you are to be fastened to a stake, and burnt alive together with your book, as well the printed as the MS.”

“About midday he was led to the stake.  An iron chain encompassed his body; on his head was placed a crown of plaited straw and leaves strewed with sulphur, to assist in suffocating him.  At his girdle were suspended his printed books; and the MS. he had sent to Calvin.”

This MS. had been completed in 1546, and sent to Geneva for his opinion.  Calvin, in a letter to Farel says: 

    “Servetus wrote to me lately, and accompanied his letter with a
    long volume of his insanities.”

This long volume was the MS. of the “Restitutio Christianismi,” now ready for the press.  We {153} have seen that it was sent to Calvin.  It was never returned, but produced in evidence, and burnt with him at the stake.  Nevertheless, he either possessed another copy or took the pains of writing it afresh, and thus the work was secretly printed at Vienna, at the press of Balshazar Arnoullet in 1553.  Of this edition, those at Frankfort were burnt at the instance of Calvin; at Geneva, Robert Stephens sacrificed all the copies which had come into his hands; so that of an edition of one thousand, it is said only six copies were preserved.  These facts I owe to the excellent Life of Calvin by Mr. T.H.  Dyer, recently published by Mr. Murray.  Now does the following MS. bear relation to that described as recopied by Servetus, from which Arnoullet printed? or is it the first rough sketch?  Can any of your readers say into what collection it passed?

The extract is from the Catalogue of the Library of Cisternay Dufay, by Gabriel Martin, Paris, 8vo. 1725, being lot 764., p. 98., and was sold for 176 livres.

    “Librorum Serveti de Trinitate Codex MS. autographus.  In fronte
    libri apparet note quae sequitur, manu ipsius defuncti D. du Fay
    exarata.