mselves, and known in the
history of Geneva under the nickname of Libertines; and the consequence
was that they were both expelled from the city after less than two
years' residence.

[Illustration: A procession. [TN]]

Calvin retreated to Strasbourg, and devoted himself to theological
study, especially to his critical labors on the New Testament. Here, in
October, 1539, he married the widow of a converted Anabaptist.

The Genevans found, after a short time, that they could not well get on
without Calvin. His rule might be rigid; but an authority even such as
his was better than no settled authority at all; and the Libertine party
seem to have been unable to construct any efficient and beneficent form
of government. Accordingly, they invited Calvin to return; and, after
some delay on his part, in order to test the spirit in which they were
acting, he acceded to their invitation, and in the autumn of 1541, after
three years' absence, once more made his entry into Geneva.

Now, at length, he succeeded in establishing his plan of
church-government. By his College of Pastors and Doctors, and his
Consistorial Court of Discipline, he founded a theocracy, which aimed
virtually to direct all the affairs of the city, and to control and
modify both the social and individual life of the citizens. The
Libertines still remained a strong party, which was even augmented after
Calvin's return, by men such as Ami Perrin, who had strongly concurred
in the invitation to Calvin, but who were afterward alienated from him
by the high hand with which he pursued his designs, as well as by their
own schemes of ambition. The struggle with this party lasted, with
varying fortune, for no less a period than fifteen years, and was only
terminated in 1555, after a somewhat ridiculous _emeute_ in the streets.
Perrin and others, driven from the city, were executed in effigy; and
the reformer's authority from this date was confirmed into an absolute
supremacy. During the long struggle with the Libertines occurred also
Calvin's controversies with Sebastian Castellio, Jerome Bolsec, and
above all, Michael Servetus.

After the execution of Servetus, and the expulsion of the Libertines two
years later, Calvin's power in Geneva was firmly established, and he
used it vigorously and beneficently for the defence of Protestantism
throughout Europe. By the mediation of Beza he made his influence felt
in France in the great struggle that was there going on be