P E T R I R A M I

The final thing, therefore, was this: such authority was obtained against Ramus that infinite power was permitted to the three Aristotelian judges without help, without provocation of the judges concerning the Aristotelian Animadversions; so many machines, so many forces, so many powers were needed to confound the argument of the dialectical disputation; scarcely, may God love me,

Scarce was Priam worth so much, nor all of Troy.

But let us attend to the rest: Quintinus and Bomontius yielded to this great power, and even greater greed, having nevertheless written down their opinion before on the whole disputation, testifying that it pleased them that in philosophy, just as it had always been before, it should be free to dispute in every direction; but they withdrew from that concession because they understood that they had not been brought as partners in the decision, but as witnesses to the injury that was being done to Ramus; and Ramus himself did the same, not without resentment, when he was insultingly mocked by those three; and he said that he hoped for such times in which such judges would by no means have received equal pleasure from their own deed. Thus, the cause was conquered by force, or at least oppressed for a time by the opinion of certain men.

although concerning the Animadversiones

Therefore, the Aristotelian Animadversions are condemned by the triumviral sentence, not only with the cause unheard, but plainly unknown; this could be expected from such judges. The Dialectical Institutions are afflicted by the ruin of the same fire, for no other reason than that they were the work of the same artist; for they had not injured the Aristotelians by a word, and indeed they had never even been accused by them, but had been praised by the Aristotelians before that day; what judge, other than these, ever condemned what had not been accused? Concerning which the defendant had been asked nothing? The author of the Animadversions and the Institutions is forbidden, as if by water and fire, from the whole kingdom of Philosophy, with a heavy penalty added, that he should never enter into any part of Philosophy either by writing or by teaching. This, indeed, is not to refute with dialectical sharpness, but to drive the dialectician from the platform. And all these things are confirmed by the authority of the King, although he was the most humane of all kings and the most loving of letters, yet he was induced by false and most impudently fabricated calumnies. Therefore, with his tongue constrained...