| 382 Predecessor of ours still earlier than these-Pius II. on the Empire of the Portuguese being extended in his time to Guinea, a country of the blacks, gave on the 7th of Oct. 1462, a letter addressed to the Bishop of Rubi, who was about to set out for those parts, in which he not only bestowed upon that prelate full powers for exercising his sacred functions therein, with greater advantage, but, availing himself of this same opportunity, animadverted severely upon those Christians, who were accustomed to drag the Neophytes into slavery. (8) And even in our own times, Pius VII. influenced by the same spirit of religion, and love, as his predecessors, zealously interposed his official influence with those in power, that the traffic in blacks might at length entirely cease among Christians. Those decrees and anxious cares on the part of our predecessors have, with the blessing of God, proved of no little avail in protecting the Indians, and others above mentioned, from the cruelty of invaders and from the cupidity of Christian traders. Not to such an extent, however, that this Holy See can congratulate itself on the full success of its zealous efforts for the accomplishment of this end; seeing that the trade is still carried on by numerous Christians.
We, therefore, desiring to remove so great a disgrace as this from all the borders of Christendom, and the whole subject being maturely weighed, (some of our venerable brethren the cardinals of the holy Roman Church being also admitted to our council) do hereby, treading in the footsteps of our Apostolic Authority, admonish and earnestly adjure in the Lord all faithful Christians of every condition, that no one of them dare for the time to come, to harass unjustly Indians, blacks, or any other persons of this class, or to despoil them of their property, or to reduce them to slavery, or to lend aid or favor to others while doing such things towards them, or to exercise in that inhuman traffic, by means of which the blacks, as if they were not human beings, but the merest animals in whatever way reduced to slavery, are without any distinction, in violation of the laws of justice and humanity, bought sold, and sometimes condemned to the endurance of the most painful labors, and by which, moreover, through the hope of gain, that originally offered itself to the owners of slaves, by means of this same traffic, dissensions also and perpetual hostilities are as it were continually nurtured in the countries of those unfortunate men.
We, then, by virtue of our apostolic authority censure all the aforesaid practices as unworthy of the christian name, and by that same authority we strictly prohibit and interdict any ecclesiastic or layman from presuming to uphold, under any pretext or color whatsoever, that same traffic in blacks as if it were lawful in its nature, or otherwise to preach [prædicare] or in any way whatsoever publicly or privately to teach [docere] in opposition to those things which we have made the subject of admonition in this our apostolic letter.
In order, moreover, that this same letter [bull] of ours may the more easily become known unto all, and that no one may allege an ignorance of it, we decree and command it to be promulgated according to custom by one of our messengers at the gates of the church of the first of the apostles [St. Peter's] and of the apostolic chancellory [chancellery], as also at those of the Palace on the Monte Ciratorio, and in the Campo Di Fiore; and copies of the same to be left affixed in those same places.
Given at Rome, at the Church of St. Maria Maggiore, under the Fisherman's Seal, on the 3d day of December, 1839, in the 9th year of our Pontificate.
ALOISE LAMBRUCHINI, Cardinal.
FATE OF THE APOSTLES.
St. Matthew-This apostle and evangelist is supposed to have suffered martyrdom, or was slain with a sword at the city of Ethiopia.
St. Mark-This evangelist was dragged through the streets of Alexandria in Egypt, until he expired.
St. Luke-This evangelist was hanged upon an olive tree, in Greece.
St. John-This apostle and evangelist was put into a cauldron of boiling oil, at Rome, and escaped death! He afterwards died a natural death at Ephesus in Asia.
St. Peter-This apostle was crucified at Rome, with his head downwards, at his own request, thinking himself unworthy to die in the same posture and manner as his blessed Master.
St. James, the Great-This apostle was beheaded at Jerusalem.
St. James, the Less-This apostle was thrown from a pinnacle or wing of the temple, and then beaten to death with a fuller's club.
St. Philip-This apostle was hanged up against a pillar at Hierapolis, a city of Phrygia.
St. Bartholomew-This apostle was flayed alive, by the command of a barbarous king.
St. Andrew-This apostle was bound to a cross, whence he preached to the people until he expired.
St. Thomas-This apostle was run through
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