s.

The term of Bruno's sojourn in Geneva seems doubtful, and the precise
nature of his employment when there is also uncertain; but his
independent spirit brought him into dispute with the rigid Calvinists of
that city, who preached and exacted a blind faith, absolute and
compulsory. Bruno could not accept any of the existing positive
religions; he professed the cult of philosophy and science, nor was his
character of that mould that would have enabled him to hide his
principles. It was made known to him that he must either adopt Calvinism
or leave Geneva: he declined the former, and had no choice as to the
latter; poor he had entered Geneva, and poor he left it, and now turned
his steps towards France.

He reached Lyons, which was also at that time a city of refuge against
religious persecutions, and he addressed himself to his compatriots,
begging for work from the publishers, Aldo and Grifi; but not succeeding
in gaining enough to enable him to subsist, after a few days he left,
and went on his way to Toulouse, where there was a famous university;
and having made acquaintance with several men of intellect, Bruno was
invited to lecture on the Sphere, which he did, with various other
subjects, for six months, when the chair of Philosophy becoming vacant,
he took the degree of Doctor, and competed for it; and he continued for
two years in that place, teaching the philosophy of Aristotle and of
others. He took for the text of his lectures the treatise of Aristotle,
"De Anima," and this gave him the opportunity of introducing and
discussing the deepest questions--upon the Origin and Destiny of
Humanity; The Soul, is it Matter or Spirit? Potentiality or Reality?
Individual or Universal? Mortal or Eternal? Is Man alone gifted with
Soul, or are all beings equally so? Bruno's system was in his mind
complete and mature; he taught that everything in Nature has a soul, one
universal mind, penetrates and moves all things; the world itself is a
_sacrum animal_. Nothing is lost, but all transmutes and becomes. This
vast field afforded him scope for teaching his doctrines upon the world,
on the movement of the earth, and on the universal soul. The novelty and
boldness of his opinions roused the animosity of the clergy against him,
and after living two years and six months at Toulouse, he felt it wise
to retire, and leaving the capital of the Languedoc, he set his face
towards Paris.

The two books--the fruit of his lectures--whi