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324 CASSIAN 0F STANLEY ducere. Ego vero hactenus vobiscum sum, quod tato animo opto cum vestra ecclesia latissime diffusa et longa successionis serie con– spicua, aequis legibus posse conjungi. Sed obstat ad id obtinendum video a vestris exigi, ut quaedam certa fide credamus, quae credere non possumus, nisi prius de eorum veritate persuasi. Ea autem nobis aut rationibus meris probari debet, aut sacran1m literarum aucto– ritate ». In this long letter, too long by far to analyse here, he goes on to state that whilst in two works, in particular, which he has been reading of late and which uphold the Catholic position he finds much with which he can agree, yet, nevertheless, he cannot accept sorne of the inferences that are made in them. However, it must have been such sentiments as those expressed at the end of this letter that raised the Nuncio's hopes regarding the possibility of Grotius' conversion. There he writes : « Sed illud te per illum candorem atque amicitiam tuam ut credas precor, nullum mihi in judicando impedimentum esse ex pudore mu– tandae sententiae. Nam cum in bis, in quibus aetatem trivi, in literis inquam humanioribus et in jure, quotidie improbem quae antea proba mihi videbantur, nec id profiteri crubescam, cur me in iis rebus, in quibus minus laboravi, in quibus summa ingenia quotidie dissident, pudeat errorem agnoscere? Nihil ab animo meo longius abest, quam pertinacia: sed quia didici, quicquid non ex fide fit, id est a stipulante conscientia, peccatum essc, quicquam agere, quicquam affirmare quod non rectum verumque dictet animus, reformido. Deum precor, ut si quid discendum mihi ad salutem restat, id mihi pro summa sua mi– sericordia patefaciat, paratus ducentem sequi etiam per gravissima incommoda, quod et feci et facio hactenus in ea veritate, quae mihi illuxi t... » 38 • Encouraged by the sentiments of open-mindedness regarding re– ligious truth which he discovered in Grotius, di Bagno, then, wrote to Hemelarius on January 16th, 1624. This letter is so important for our present purpose that we give it here at length. Admodum Rªº. D"º. Jo. Hemelario Canonico Antuerpiensi. S. Aclmodum R.clc Domine. Excmplar littcrarum Groti a D. Tua mihi transmissum, legi libenter; atque in ipso quandam animi eius ingenuitatem agnovi. Unde spem maximam concepi, divinam Miseri– cordiam non permissuram praeclarum altumque ingenium istius viri, atque ad veritatem ediscendam paratum, diutius haesitare. At profecto auribus cius sanam doctrinam instillare solis epistolis, nimis reor 38 P.C. MoLHUYSEN, Bríefivisseling van Hugo Grotius II, 's-Gravenhagc 1936, 316-317; J.F.M. STERCK, De bekeering van Hugo de Groot, in Hístorisch Tijdsc!zrift 1(1923) 22-38. The ful! text of· the letter is given in both works, but more complete explanatory notes to it will be found in J.F.M. STERCK, art. cit., 34-36. I should like to cxpress my thanks to Fr. Zeno, O.F.M.Cap., of the Dutch Province, who, at short notice, obtained a copy of: this article for me. Cf. J. TER MEULEN - P .. T.J. DIERMANSE, Bibliographíe des écrits imprimés de Hugo Grotius, La Raye 1950, 31, 109, 623.