Ochinus Bernadine

Ochinus Bernadine, (Ital. Occhino, or Ochino,) to whom we have already had frequent occasion to allude, was born at Sienna, in Italy, A. D. 1487. He was of humble origin, and laboured under great disadvantages in early life. The deficiencies of his education, however, were amply compensated by the brilliancy of his genius ; and few men ever possessed, in a more remarkable degree, the power of clothing their thoughts in striking and suitable language. He spoke his native tongue with such fluency and elegance, as at once to convince, and captivate every heart. 

Ochinus entered the order of Franciscan Monks, called Cordeliers, at an early age ; but some cause of dissatisfaction arising, he quitted that order in disgust, and began to devote himself to the study of Physic. On reflection, however, he resolved once more to assume the monkish habit, and lead a life of rigour and austerity. Accordingly, in the year 1534, he entered the order of Capuchins ; and his conduct was so eminent for its piety and regularity, that he was twice elected Vicar-general of the order—at Florence, in the year 1538, and at Naples in 1541. On the testimony of Ant. Mar. Gratiano, Bishop of Amelia, a zealous Catholic, Ochinus has been represented as the founder of this order. This Prelate, in his life of Cardinal Commendoni, relates that Ochinus, having observed great laxity in the discipline of the order of St. Francis, withdrew himself, for the purpose of living more according to its ancient strictness ; and that, finding some of his brethren disposed to second his views, he restored the institutions of St. Francis in all their pristine vigour ; and, in conjunction with Matthew D'Urbino, a man of extraordinary piety and sanctity, established the order of Capuchins. But this statement cannot be true, if, as we are told, Ochinus did not assume the habit of a Capuchin till 1534 ; for the establishment of this order took place in the year 1525, under the Pontificate of Clement VII., and in the year 1534, under the Pontificate of Paul III., the number of religious belonging to it amounted, if we are to believe Spondanus, to at least three hundred. 

Ochinus is described, by all his biographers, as possessing an active and ingenious turn of mind, and a rich and fertile imagination. As a pulpit orator, it is said, that no man ever attained a higher degree of popularity. His preaching was the theme of admiration, not only with the vulgar, but also amongst persons of distinction and quality. Princes and Prelates were frequently in the number of his audience ; and the first critics of Italy contended for the honour of having him as their Preacher. Charles V., who attended his preaching when in Italy, is reported to have said,—"That man would make the stones weep!" And Sadolet and Bembo, who were still more capable of appreciating his merits as a pulpit orator, assigned to him the palm of popular eloquence. At Perugia, the inhabitants were induced, by his discourses, to lay aside their mutual animosities, and bring their law-suits to an amicable settlement ; and at Naples, his appeal to the charitable feelings of his audience, on one occasion, was so effectual, that the almost incredible sum of five thousand crowns was collected at the close of the service. 

Ochinus is represented as a man of singularly venerable aspect, with a long beard flowing gracefully down upon his breast, and a pale countenance, which bespoke the austerity of his mode of life. He was received as an inmate into the palaces of Princes and Nobles, where he observed the same rigour and abstinence, which habitually distinguished him. In his meals he confined himself to one dish, and that too of the plainest description ; and abstained almost entirely from wine. He declined the use of the costly beds, and sumptuous apartments, which his hosts prepared for him, and reposed upon the bare ground, with no other covering than his own cloak ; and so great was the reputation for sanctity which he had acquired throughout Italy, that the very mention of his name awakened a feeling of veneration in all who heard it. When he paid a visit to the palaces of Princes, or Bishops, he was always met and. received with the honours due to one of superior rank. The reception which they gave him was more like that of a Sovereign Prince than of a poor monk ; and when he took his departure from their houses, they insisted upon accompanying him on his way, and shewing him all those marks of attention, which they were in the habit of paying to persons of distinction alone. 

It has been asserted, by some of the biographers of this singularly gifted man, but apparently without sufficient authority, that he was appointed Confessor to the Pope. A statement to this effect is made, with some degree of confidence, by Lubieniecius, which, however, is unsupported by any direct evidence. Bayle regards the matter as extremely doubtful ; and Sandius alludes to it only as a rumour. The fact is in itself unimportant, for the popularity of Ochinus was such, that, in the eyes of his numerous and devoted admirers, an appointment of this kind, however deservedly bestowed, could have thrown no additional splendour upon his character. 

During one of his preaching excursions into the South of Italy, in the year 1541, Ochinus formed an intimacy with John Valdez and Peter Martyr ; and so complete a change was wrought in him by his intercourse with these enlightened advocates of the principles of the Reformation, that he soon fell under the suspicion of heresy, and incurred the charge of having given utterance to sentiments, at variance with those of the Catholic Church. In the year 1542, he was appointed to preach at Venice during Lent, where he attracted, as usual, large and crowded audiences ; but having introduced into his discourses topics at variance with the discipline of his Church, he was cited to appear before the Pope's Nuncio, and dismissed with a gentle reprimand. A short time after this, Julius of Milan, a disciple of Valdez, and an intimate friend of Ochinus, was committed to prison, by order of the Nuncio ; and this harsh treatment of his friend drew from him the following spirited remonstrance: "What mode of proceeding is now left to us, Sirs ? To what purpose do we undergo such troubles and hardships, O illustrious city, Queen of the Adriatic, if those who preach the truth are consigned to prison, shut up in dungeons, and loaded with chains and fetters ? What security shall we have for our own persons ? What free range will be left to truth ? Would that the truth might be spoken candidly and openly! How many blind, who are now shut out from an enjoyment of the light, and enveloped in darkness, would then be illuminated!" The Nuncio, incensed by these animadversions of Ochinus, immediately interdicted his preaching, and sent an account of the affair to the Pope: but the Venetians, who were great admirers of Ochinus's eloquence, prevailed upon the Nuncio, at the expiration of three days, to withdraw his interdict ; and Ochinus, whose conduct was narrowly watched during the remainder of his stay at Venice, avoided all further use of irritating and offensive language. 

When the term of his mission at Venice had expired, he proceeded to Verona, whither he summoned certain brethren of the Capuchin order, who were intended for the priesthood, with a view to their preparation for the sacred office. In pursuance of this design, he expounded to them the Epistles of Paul ; but allowed himself unusual liberty in the course of his expositions. The Pope, who had hitherto been his friend, and who, it was supposed, had intended to raise him to the dignity of Cardinal, was now greatly incensed at his conduct, and issued an order for his appearance at Rome. He immediately set out on his way thither ; but when he had proceeded as far as Bologna, he called upon his friend, Cardinal Contarini, who had recently returned from the Council of Ratisbon, and found him just upon the point of death. The Cardinal unbosomed himself freely to Ochinus, and informed him that, although he had strenuously resisted the Protestants on other points, he secretly agreed with them on the subject of Justification through Christ. While Ochinus was at Bologna, he abandoned his intention of proceeding to Rome, and hastened to Florence, to consult with his friend, Peter Martyr, whose advice he was anxious to procure in this emergency. This interview led to a determination, on the part of both, to leave Italy without delay ;—a determination which was accelerated by a report, that Ochinus's arrival at Rome was to be the signal for his destruction, six Cardinals having been appointed to sit in judgment upon him. Nor was this report a groundless one; for he afterwards learned, that a body of armed men was sent to Sienna and Florence, to seize and detain him. 

The immediate cause of Ochinus's abrupt departure from Italy has been variously stated by different writers. Some have said, that, in a sermon delivered before the Pope on Palm Sunday, he alluded, in severe terms, to the pride of the Chief Pontiff, and contrasted it with the humility found in the character of Christ ; and that, at the close of the discourse, one of the Cardinals informed him, that he had incurred the displeasure of his Holiness, and advised him instantly to seek safety by flight. We are also informed, that, in discoursing on the subject of the Trinity, he stated the arguments against that doctrine ; but, under a pretext that the time was then too far advanced for him to proceed, delayed the refutation of them to a future opportunity, and, in the mean time, took his departure from Italy. Some Catholic writers, moreover, inform us, that he went over to the Protestant party, in consequence of having been disappointed in his expectation of obtaining a mitre, or a Cardinal's hat. But all these rumours are unworthy of credit; and the last, in particular, is altogether at variance with Ochinus's known character for integrity. It probably originated in the mortification felt by the Catholics, at his defection from their party ; and may be set down as one of those stale devices, which writers, who are hardly pressed, seldom scruple to employ, in the course of controversial warfare. 

Ochinus had many powerful friends in the North of Italy, whom he had attached to his cause, by the piety and integrity of his life, no less than by his brilliant and matchless eloquence, as a pulpit orator. Among these was the Duchess of Ferrara, who aided his flight to Venice, by supplying him with a disguise, and furnishing him with the pecuniary provision necessary for his journey. From Venice he pursued his course to Geneva, where many Italian exiles had previously taken up their abode, and formed themselves into a separate religious society. Ochinus's motive for making choice of Geneva, as the place of his retreat, is said to have been a hope, that he might be elected Pastor of this little Church: but in this hope he appears, from some cause or other, to have been disappointed. 

The departure of so celebrated, and justly popular a character, from his native country, and his renunciation of the doctrines of the Romish Church, were subjects of universal astonishment and regret amongst his Catholic friends. Cardinal Caraffa addressed an expostulatory letter to him, in which, after bestowing upon him the most extravagant encomiums, and calling him his "Father," he breaks out into the following exclamation: "O, infatuated old man! who has bewitched thee, that thou shouldst make to thyself another Christ, whom thou hast not learned from the Catholic Church!" Claudio Tolomeo, on hearing of his flight, addressed a letter to him, commencing with these words : "On returning from my villa to Rome a few days ago, I unexpectedly heard some news, which not only took me by surprise, but absolutely astounded me, by its absurdity and incredibility ; for I was told, that, by some unaccountable means or other, you had been induced to go over from the Catholics to the Lutherans, and to give the sanction of your name to that heretical and impious sect. I was all consternation at this intelligence !" Other eminent individuals expressed themselves in terms equally honourable to the character of Ochinus, and equally descriptive of the sorrow which they felt at his change of opinion: but the brethren of the Capuchin order were overwhelmed with grief, at the loss which they had sustained ; and Boverius, their historian, tells his readers, that he could not refrain from tears, when he came to that part of his narrative, which related to this subject. 

On the arrival of Ochinus at Geneva, he published a vindication of himself in three letters, of which one was addressed to the chief magistrate at Sienna, his native city ; another to Claudio Tolomeo ; and a third to Jerome Mutius. In this vindication, he animadverted, with considerable warmth and severity, upon the Pope, and all who still remained in communion with the Romish Church. In the years 1542 and 1543, he likewise printed, at the same place, two distinct volumes of Sermons, for the use and instruction of his countrymen in Italy. Calvin seems, at this time, to have extended his favour and protection to Ochinus ; and even at a much later period to have held his character in high estimation. In a letter addressed to Melanchthon, Feb. 14th, 1543, he writes thus: "We have among us Bernard of Sienna, a great and illustrious man, whose departure from Italy has excited no small commotion in that country." Some writers, nevertheless, affirm, that Calvin caused this "great and illustrious man" to be expelled from the city of Geneva ; but in justice to the memory of the stern reformer, let us add, that the report appears to be entirely destitute of foundation. 

Ochinus visited Castalio at Basle, in the year 1545 ; and proceeded, in the course of the same year, to Augsburg. Here he preached, in his native language, to a congregation, consisting principally of Italians. His pulpit addresses, which were a series of expositions, founded on the Epistles of Paul, displayed all his usual eloquence, and elicited universal admiration; and the substance of them was published, soon after their delivery, in the Latin and German languages. In 1547, however, the unsettled state of affairs, at Augsburg, compelled him to leave the comfortable asylum, which he had found there, and return to Basle. But his stay at Basle was short; for in the same year he proceeded to Strasburg, where his friend, Peter Martyr, was then residing. In the course of the autumn, they both visited England, at the pressing solicitation of Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. Peter Martyr was immediately appointed to a vacant Divinity Professorship at Oxford ; and Ochinus, who brought with him letters of recommendation from his friend Curio, found employment as a Preacher to a congregation of Italian Protestants in London. The intention of the latter was to have spent the remainder of his life in England, but that intention was frustrated by the unlooked for death of Edward VI. ; and the melancholy change which took place, on the accession of Mary, drove him, together with many other Italian exiles, from the kingdom. 

During his residence in England, a work of his against the Pope was translated into English by "Master John Ponet," and bore the following title. "A Tragcedie, or Dialogue of the unjust usurped Primacy of the Bishop of Rome, 1549," 4to. A copy of this translation is now in the Archiepiscopal Palace at Lambeth. Ochinus's Sermons on Predestination and Election were also rendered into English, about the same time, by Anne Cooke, and printed in London by John Daye, A. D. 1550. 

On the accession of Mary, Ochinus returned, by way of Strasburg, to Geneva, where he arrived on the 28th of October, 1553,—the day after the martyrdom of Servetus. During his stay at Geneva, on this occasion, he married ; but his residence in that city was short. When he was informed of the cruel fate of Servetus, he expressed himself in such terms concerning it, as to leave no room for doubt, that it excited his just abhorrence. It appears to have been this circumstance which induced him, very shortly, to quit Geneva for Basle, where some of his old friends were still residing ; and where, as we are told, he supported himself, by following the profession of an author. 

In 1555, after two years spent at Basle, Ochinus succeeded John Beccaria as Preacher to a congregation of Italians, who had recently been driven by persecution from Locarno, and compelled to take refuge in the territory of Zurich. The members of this little community came in a body to Zurich, at the beginning of the year, in quest of an asylum; and being ignorant of the German language, the Magistrate of that city appointed Beccaria to be their Minister, whose sufferings in the cause of Protestantism had already procured for him the title of Apostle of the Locarnians. When Beccaria had exercised the functions of Pastor among them for a few months, he was succeeded by Ochinus, who was installed in his office, at the earnest entreaties of the whole congregation, in the month of June, 1555. 

Towards the close of that year, Ochinus sent into the world a Dialogue on the subject of Purgatory, which he dedicated to Francis Lismaninus, one of the earliest patrons of Unitarianism in Poland: but hitherto his own mind appears to have received no peculiar bias in favour of the Unitarian doctrine. In the year 1559, however, he visited Lismaninus, and seems to have embraced that doctrine, in the course of some private conferences, held upon the subject, at Pinczow. This fact, which is overlooked by his biographers, throws great light upon the history of his opinions, and enables us to account for the liberal tendency of his subsequent writings. For the knowledge of it we are indebted to " The Will of George Schomann,"who says, "When I was present at Pinczow, in the year 1559, I lived upon familiar terms with Peter Statorius, John Thenaud, Francis Lismaninus, George Blandrata, and Bernardine Ochinus, and became clearly convinced, that the doctrine of a perfect equality in the persons of the Trinity is founded in error, and forms no part of the Christian Faith ; but that there is One God, the Father, One Son of God, and One Holy Spirit ; although there were still many things relating to this subject, which we did not yet understand." 

About two years after the occurrence, to which the above memorandum relates, Ochinus published a Catechism of the Christian Religion, which he inscribed to the members of his congregation at Zurich. This Catechism is so rare, that many for a long time doubted, whether it had ever been published. Its title, according to Vogt, was— " II Catechismo, overo Institutione Christiana di M. Bernardino Ochino da Siena, in Forma di Dialogo, Interlocutori, il Ministro et Illuminato. Basil. 1561," 8vo. It was just such a production as might have been expected, after the conferences alluded to by George Schomann. The sentiments taught in it were, for the most part, of an orthodox complexion, but were occasionally interspersed with observations verging towards Antitrinitarianism, as well as with doubts concerning some points, deemed fundamental by the majority of Christians. Bayer, who had seen three copies of Ochinus's Catechism, in the libraries at Dresden, says, that its author, in most of his opinions, follows in the footsteps of the Lutherans ; but is not entirely free from the errors of Socinus, and the scepticism of Des Cartes. 

After the publication of his Catechism, it is probable, that the sentiments of Ochinus became still more liberal, till at last he entirely discarded all his remaining orthodox prepossessions. It is said that Queen Elizabeth, on her accession to the throne, had serious thoughts of inviting him back to England, as the person most likely to compose the religious differences which existed, and settle the forms of English Protestantism. Had her intention upon this point been carried into effect, it is not, perhaps, too much to say, that the constitution of the Protestant Church of this country might have assumed a character, more in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the New Testament. Some orthodox Protestant writers have even gone so far, as to deem it a subject of congratulation, that this plan was frustrated ; and to regard its failure as a providential deliverance from all possibility of taint, or contamination, from the Antitrinitarian opinions, which this great and good man is known to have imbibed after he left England. 

In the year 1563, two volumes of Dialogues appeared in Latin under his name, which created a considerable sensation among the members of the Helvetic Churches. In the twenty-first of these Dialogues, the author brought forward several arguments in favour of Polygamy, for which he was banished from the state of Zurich, and turned adrift, in the midst of winter, with the whole of his family, at the advanced age of seventy-six. "The severe Doctors of the Helvetic Church," says a writer in the Monthly Review, (Vol. LXIII. p. 322,) "never made charity a fundamental article of their creed: and without sympathising in his misfortunes, they proceeded to damn his principles. They were not accustomed to seek for candid apologies in the infirmities of age, or the chagrin which ariseth from ill treatment; but finding him in an error, they applied the common argument of bitter zeal to correct it. The method they took with poor Ochinus was short, but irresistible; for they banished him at once from their state and Church, as the best method to preserve the peace and purity of both." But after all, it is by no means certain, that Ochinus meant to defend Polygamy, or to do anything more than give a fair statement of the arguments for and against it. This, in fact, may be said to be the character of all his Dialogues, which are written in a spirit of the greatest impartiality; and in which, as Ruarus observes, " he disputes in the Academic manner, so that it is sometimes impossible to ascertain, whether he takes the part of the interrogator, or the respondent." This led Beza, in his usual testy manner, to say, that, "Gentilis was less cunning than Ochinus, who seems, like the Academics, to doubt of everything, and to believe nothing." But the truth is, that it was not so much on account of the Dialogue on Polygamy, as of those on the Trinity, that he fell under the displeasure of the Magistrates and Ministers of Zurich. In the eyes of these Protestant inquisitors, no greater crime could be committed, than to unravel the sophistry, by which the Trinity had so long maintained its ground in the Christian world ; and Ochinus, who indirectly attacked this doctrine, was deemed guilty of an offence, for which no subsequent concessions could atone. 

The Dialogues, thirty in number, were originally written in Italian; and afterwards translated into Latin, by Castalio, from the author's manuscript. This latter fact is called in question by Ruarus, in a letter to Ab. Calovius; but Castalio himself vouches for its truth, in his exculpatory epistle to the Chief Magistrate and Senate of Basle. Calovius, however, was mistaken, in supposing that these Dialogues were published by Laelius Socinus, under the name of Felix Turpio. They were published in Ochinus's own name. The first volume is dedicated to the Earl of Bedford, and the second to Prince Nicholas Radzivil ; but the name Felix Turpio does not occur in any part of either volume. Bullinger informs us, in his Preface to the Works of Simler, that Ochinus "got them printed (per Italum quendam) through a certain Italian, who was his intimate acquaintance and friend;" and this friend, it is supposed by Ruarus, was Peter Perna, whose name appears on the last page of each volume. "Laelius indeed," as Ruarus observes, "it could not be, for the Dialogues were published A.D. 1563, the year after his death." But may not the friend in question have been Celius Secundus Curio, to whose inspection they were submitted by the censor of the press, and by whom they were pronounced not unfit for publication ? And may not Bullinger have expressed himself thus enigmatically, from a feeling of delicacy towards Curio, whose character was highly and universally respected, notwithstanding the freedom of his opinions on certain religious subjects ? Curio, as we have already seen, was principally instrumental in their publication, but he escaped harmless ; and in vain did Ochinus allege his ignorance of the law, which required that a manuscript, printed in another place, should be previously subjected to the censorship at Zurich. His Judges were peremptory ; and it was decreed, that, having published a book, which ought to have been suppressed, and which had brought the Church, and the Republic into disrepute ; and having, moreover, done this contrary to the laws, and edicts of the Magistrates, it was their will and pleasure, that he should immediately be expelled from the city and territory of Zurich. Bullinger states, in a letter to Simler, that an opportunity was given to Ochinus of retracting what he had written, but that, having no fair and legitimate excuse to offer, and declining to hold a disputation on the subjects on which he had given offence, he was dismissed by the Senate, and ordered to quit the country, with his whole family. In the proposal, to which Bullinger here alludes, there is, it must be admitted, some appearance of candour and fair-dealing ; but Ochinus knew the spirit in which it was made, and with characteristic prudence, declined the treacherous offer. 

In compliance with the terms of the sentence passed upon him, he set out immediately for Basle, and entreated the Ministers and Professors of that place to intercede with the Magistrates on his behalf, and to procure permission for him to take up his abode in that city: but his application was unsuccessful, and he was not allowed to remain there even till spring. He then went to Mulhausen, with his children, in the depth of an unusually severe winter ; but being still pursued by the malice of his enemies, he resolved, after a short residence in that town, to seek an asylum in Poland, where he hoped to find that protection, which was denied to him in Switzerland, and where he arrived in the month of May, 1564. Poland, however, did not afford him a permanent home; for it unfortunately happened, soon after the time of his entering that kingdom, that measures were adopted for the expulsion of all foreign Preachers, whose sentiments varied from the established creed ; and Ochinus had become peculiarly obnoxious to the Catholics, not only on account of his change of sentiments, but also in consequence of an Apology, which he had published, abounding in charges of various kinds against the Romish Church. He officiated, for a short time, to a congregation of Italians, resident at Cracow ; and Lubieniecius informs us, that some of the Nobles interested themselves on his behalf, and offered to procure the royal permission for him to remain in the kingdom; but that he refused, and said it was his wish to be obedient to the higher powers, though he should even perish by the road, amidst the wolves of the forests. Here, however, it should be observed, that Cardinal Borromeo, at the express request of the Pope, had written to Hosius and Commendoni, urging them to use their influence, in procuring his expulsion from Poland ; and that Beza had, at the same time, addressed a letter to the Reformed Churches of that country, entreating them to do the same. He therefore felt himself under the necessity of quitting Poland, and directed his steps towards Moravia. The plague detained him some time at Pinczow, on his way ; but he found a kind friend in Jerome Philipovius, one of the early patrons of the Unitarians in Poland, who took him into his house, attended upon him with the greatest care during his illness, and supplied him with everything necessary to facilitate his recovery. For these humane attentions, he is said to have expressed his sense of obligation, at his departure, by saying, " I thank God, brother Philipovius, that He has rendered thee worthy of conferring a kindness upon Ochinus, in such distress!" Having lost three of his children by the plague, the poor old man pursued his weary way, and died within three weeks at Slacow, about twelve months after his barbarous expulsion from Switzerland. 

Beza, in a letter to Dudithius, ascribes all the misfortunes which befel the family of Ochinus, and particularly the accidental death of his wife, to the special interposition of God, on account of his supposed erroneous opinions. To this unfeeling and presumptuous charge, Dudithius, with admirable judgment, thus replies: " It is customary, I perceive, with you, whenever any one meets with a miserable end, immediately to exclaim, that ' it has happened by the just judgment of God.' It is inhuman to trample upon the ashes of the dead ; nor ought we to form an opinion of the piety of any one, from the manner of his death ; else, what shall we say of Josiah and others ? What shall we think of Christ and his Apostles, and an innumerable company of martyrs, who suffered an ignominious and excruciating death ? What, too, shall we say in the case of your own Zwingle ? That illustrious herald of the word of God, and true disciple of Christ, is said to have been slain in the front of the battle ; a miserable kind of death, and one which was unworthy of a Christian Teacher! Cease, then, thus to think with the vulgar, that, if a person meets with a violent and unexpected end, you are immediately at liberty to conclude, that he is an impious man!" The published writings of Ochinus were as follow. 

1. Sermons, 1542, 16mo. These Sermons, which were in Italian, were sixteen in number, and on the subject of Justification. Another volume appeared in 1543, 8vo., containing twenty-six Sermons. In 1562, a much larger collection was published at Basle, in Two Parts, 8vo.; Part I. containing fifty, and Part II. sixty-five Sermons. These were followed, in the course of the same year, by Part III., containing seventy-nine Sermons on Faith, Hope and Charity ; Part. IV. containing fifty-one Sermons on the Soul, and various other subjects; and Part V., of the contents of which Vogt gives no particulars. In 1545, was published, in 4to., at Neuburg, on the Danube, a volume of Ochinus's Sermons, in German, on Justification, Good Works, Confession, Indulgences, Purgatory, and other Subjects, differing but little, in point of doctrine, from the published opinions of Luther. A reprint of this volume, with six additional Sermons, appeared at the same place, and in the same form, A.D. 1556. An English translation of twenty-five of Ochinus's Sermons on Election and Predestination, translated from the Italian by Anne Cooke, was also published in London, by John Daye, in 1550, 8vo. 

2. A Tract " De Beneficio Christi," mentioned by Sandius, but not by Vogt, or Walchius. 

3. An Exposition upon the Epistle of Paul to the Romans, 1545, 12mo., Ital. A Latin translation of this by Castalio was published at Augsburg in 8vo.; and a German translation from the Latin, at the same place, in 1546, 8vo. Both these were from the press of Phil. Ulhart. 

4. Three Sermons on the Duty of a Prince, Ital. A Latin version of these, by Celius Horatius Curio, was published at Basle, in 1550, 8vo.; to which were added Five Sacred Declamations, addressed to Edward VI., King of England, also translated from Italian into Latin, by C. H. Curio. Salig observes, that the Three Sermons on the Duty of a Prince were taken from Ochinus's published volumes of Sermons. 

5. An Exposition of the Epistle to the Galatians, Ital. Of this Exposition a German version was printed at Augsburg, by Val. Othmar, 1546, 4to. 

6. A Hundred Sacred Apologues, in Five Books, Ital. and Lat., Geneva, 8vo. This edition is without date ; but Aug. Bayer mentions another edition of the Italian, which was probably the first, and was published, by Gerard, at Geneva, 1554, 8vo. Of these Apologues, German and Dutch translations were published; the former, A.D. 1556 — 1559, 4to., and the latter, A.D. 1607, 8vo. 

7. A Dialogue concerning Purgatory, Ital. and Lat., Zurich, 1555, 8vo., Gesners. This Dialogue is inscribed to Francis Lismaninus ; and the collocutors are Theodidactus, a Carmelite, a Franciscan, a Benedictine, a Dominican, and an Augustan Friar. A German version of it appeared at Zurich, in 1555, 8vo.; a French one in 1563; a Dutch one, of which Vogt does not give the date  and an English one at London, in 1657, 12mo. 

8. On the Presence of the Body of Christ in the Sacrament of the Supper, in which there is a clever Treatise on the Origin and Errors of the Mass, and another on the Settlement of the Controversy among the Reformed Churches: to which we have added the Labyrinths of the same Author on the Divine Prescience, and on Free-Will and Necessity: all now first translated out of Italian into Latin. Basle, 8vo. The Italian titles of the "Labyrinths," and the "Dispute on the Presence of the Body of Christ in the Sacrament of the Supper," are given by Vogt, (Catal. Historico-Crit. Librorum Rariorum, p. 495,) who leaves it to his readers to determine whether the latter is the same as the work, entitled, "Sincerae et verae Doctrinae de Ccena Domini Defensio, contra Libros iii. Joach. Westphali, Hamb. Past. Tigur. 1556," 8vo. 

9. A Book on Polygamy, written in Poland, and dedicated to Sigismund II., King of Poland. This work is mentioned by Sandius, (B. A. p. 5,) on the testimony of Bzovius, under the year 1542, § 30. 

10. Thirty Dialogues, divided into Two Books, of which the First is concerning the Messiah, and contains eighteen Dialogues ; and the Second on various other Subjects, but principally the Trinity. Basle, Peter Perna, 1563, 8vo., Lat. The first Book is dedicated to the Earl of Bedford ; and the second to Prince Nicholas Radzivil. These Dialogues, like all the works of Ochinus, were written originally in Italian. Castalio rendered them into Latin. They were also translated into Dutch, and various other languages. 

11. A Catechism, 1561, Basle, 8vo., Ital. Doubts have been expressed by many writers, whether Ochinus ever wrote a Catechism ; but Vogt mentions several copies of it, which existed in his time in private, as well as public libraries. (Catal. pp.490, 491.) Its title is, "II Catechismo, overo Instituzione Christiana di M. Bernardino Ochino da Siena, in Forma di Dialogo, Interlocutori, il Ministro et Illuminato." Aug. Bayer says, that he read the explanation of the sixth Commandment, but found nothing in it on the subject of Polygamy. 

12. A Letter, in which Ochinus gives the Reason of his Departure from Italy. Venice, 1542, 8vo., Lat. This Letter was composed in Italian. A French version of it, with another Letter of Ochinus, appeared in 1544, 8vo. 

13. The Acts of Pilate. These Acts are mentioned by Reimannus and Deckher ; and are classed by the latter among Atheistical writings. 

The great scarcity of Ochinus's works has been the theme of bibliographers for upwards of two centuries. They were all rigidly suppressed, on account of the alleged heresies of their author, and his severe satires against the Church of Rome. Further accounts of them may be seen in the works of Vogt and Walchius.

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