CASARTELLI
397
CASAS
seventeenth century. It will suffice to recall the con-
troversies concerning Quietism (Michael Molinos,
Fenelon, Madame Guyon), the Gallican Liberties, the
right of Rigale, the Four Articles of 1682, the Chinese
Hires controversy between the Jesuits and the Do-
minicans and other orders, not (o speak of various
doctrinal errors of I he time, not unlike our own in its
extravagant theological fancies, and the diffusion of
lax moral theories so frequently condemned by con-
temporary popes.
The Casanatense Library (sir below) still preserves 1125 manuscript volumes of opinions, reports, and statements (voti, relazioni, posizioni) concerning mat- ters treated in the various Congregations to which Casanata belonged. So far these precious materials have been too little utilized to justify a satisfactory account of the part he played in contemporary ecclesi- astical administration. His curial duties did not pre- vent him from taking an interest in letters and the Boiences, He was on friendly terms and corresponded with the learned men of his day. Among those whom he encouraged most was Zaccagni (q. v.). whom he induced to publish the well-known collection of ma- terials for the ancient history of the Greek and Latin Churches. "Collectanea monumentorum veterum Ec- clesiae graca? et latina?"' (Rome, 1694, 4to). His chief service to learning, especially the theological sciences, was the Casanatense Library (Biblioteca Casanatense) founded and endowed by him. While living he had collected a library of about 25,000 vol- umes; this he left to the above-mentioned Dominican convent of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, together with an endowment fund of 80.000 scudi (almost as many dollars), to provide for the administration of the trust and for the acquisition of new books. In 1655 the same convent had inherited the library of Giam- battista Castellani, chief physician of Gregory XV, with 12,000 scudi for the erection of a suitable edifice. Cardinal Casanata, moreover, ordered that the new library should be accessible to the public six hours daily, excepting feast-days. In addition to the li- brary staff he provided for a college (theologi casana- tenses) of six Dominicans of different nationalities (Italian, French, Spanish, German, English, Polish). Each of them must previously have received the degree of Doctor from one of the most famous univer- sities of Europe. Aided by the resources of the library, they were to devote themselves to the defence and propagation of Catholic doctrine. Moreover, two professors were to expound regularly the text of St. Thomas Aquinas ("Surnma Thcologica" and other writings). In other words, by means of the new library, he had created at Rome another centre of intellectual activity (see "Minerva", 1892-93, II, 622). After the loss of the temporal power (1870) the library was declared national property, but the Dominicans were left in charge until 1884. At pres- ent the Casanatense Library is entirely under lay management. It has 5238 manuscripts, among them til Creek codices (15 of them the gift of Casanata), and 230 Hebrew texts (rolls and books), among which are 5 Samaritan codices. The incunabula (books printed before 1500) number 2030; there is al~o a large collection of Roman governmental proc- lamatio ditti) from 1500 to 1870, comedies
of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, etc.
Father Cloche, the General of the Dominicans, placed in the library a statue .if Cardinal Casanata, the work of the sculptor I.e Gros. An inscription records the formal permission of Clement XI to preserve there the books of heretical authors.
TouBOlf, Hommes Ulustrea de Vordre de .taint-Dominique (1743 in . !V. 534 -.,., ; Monummla Ord. Prmd. Histonca, XIII. ;j:j5: Bacalabi, Index codieum armcorum bibliotheca Casanaiensis < 1 I Qusta vo Sacbhdotb, Cataloao
dri codiri rhrau-i deUa biblioteea Casanatense (Florence, 1897); Vaqiao and Coi.ANF.iti, La Biblioteca Casanatense (Rome,
U. Benioni.
Casartelli, Louis Charles. See Salford, Dio-
cese OF.
Casas (originally Casaus), Bartolome de las, b. at Seville, probably in 1474; d. at Madrid, 1566. His family was from France and settled at Seville. He called himself Casaus during his youth, and changed the name to Casas later on.
Francisco Casaus, or Casas, the father of Bartolome\ had accompanied Columbus on his second voyage and brought back an Indian boy whom he left to his son as a servant. Bartolome studied law at Salamanca, took his degree of Licentiate, and enjoyed a fair reputation as a lawyer. He possessed the confidence of the Spanish Governors of the Antilles after the departure of Columbus, and the first of these, Ovando, took him to the Island of Hispanola in 1502. Both Ovando and his successor, Velasquez, relied, in more ways than one, on the advice of Las Casas, who did not, however, remain much longer a layman, for in 1510 we find him a secular priest.
The condition of the Indians, especially those of the Greater Antilles, was not a satisfactory one. The earliest Spanish colonists in America were not the choicest examples of their race, neither were they numerous enough to improve the country and its resources as fast as they wished. Hence it was that the Indians were pressed into service; but those of the Antilles were not fitted for labour. With them the women, not the men, formed the labouring class. This the Spaniards did not know and, as Europeans, could not understand. Nor could they comprehend how the Indian was physically unfit for manual labour, owing to the lack of training. Hence the aborigines were overworked, and in many cases harshly treated, while epidemics were imported from the Old World, and a rapid decrease of the indigenous population set in. Las Casas saw all this, and sought to prevent it by every means at his disposal. He received, in the first, years of his activity, full support from the clergy in America, and still more in Spain, where Cardinal Cisneros was counted among his most unfailing supporters.
In becoming a priest Las Casas gained two im- portant points: almost complete freedom of speech and material independence. As an ecclesiastic he could penetrate nearly everywhere, and express himself as he liked. The rapid disappearance of the Indians in the Antilles caused much concern in Spain. Fears were entertained that it would ruin the colonies. Las Casas proposed a remedy. He suggested and, with characteristic vehemence, in- sisted that the natives should be placed under the control of the Church, and separated from contact with any portion of the laity. This measure could not replace the many aborigines who had already perished, and it gave but little relief to the remnant. Yet the Crown, always anxious toassisl the Indians, and most favourably impressed by the philanthropic endeavours of Las Casas. was willing and eager that he should make a trial. The north-eastern coast of South America (Venezuela) was selected, and Las Casas was sent there in 1519 with ample means for the experiment. It must be stated, however, that when Las Casas was in Spain the second time, in 1517, he had made great efforts to secure farmers as emigrants for the Antilles, but failed. About the same time another measure of relief was proposed: the importation of negroes. Las Casas was one of its advocate,. When he went to Venezuela lie took with him seven negroes as his own personal slaves, and it is certain that he recommended the distribu- tion of negroes through the Antilles, allowing five or six hundred to each island.
The charge often made against Las Casas, that he introduced negro slavery into the New World, is unjust. As early as 1505 negroes were sent to
