I N Q U I S I T I O X. 



143 



and exhorts the people to zealous and conscientious 

 endeavours in the extirpation of heretical praviiy. He 

 then publishes the letters monitory, or, what is other- 

 wise called, tke edict of I'aith ; by which all persons of 

 whatever condition or state, clergy or laity, are com- 

 manded, urulerpain of excommunication, to discover to 

 the inquisitor, " within the six or twelve days next fol- 

 lowing, any person, known to them, 1 ' who entertains 

 heretical opinion*, or is suspected of entertaining them, 

 lie then read* the sentence of excommunication, and 

 makes comments upon it, and promises indulgences to 

 loose who kball favour or support dim in the execution 

 of his office. The whole ceremony is of an imposing 

 ml awful nature; and in countries where the inquiti- 

 tion prevails in it* mot fearful ascendency, it is usual, 

 immediately after the publication of the edict, for those 

 who are present, and especially for the magistrates of 

 the principal cities, to engage themselves, under an 

 oath, solemnly sworn before the crucifix and the gos- 

 pel, to protect and to assist the ministers oldie inqui- 

 sition with all their .-uitltority and influence. 



There are three ways in which the process may be- 

 gin before (he inquisitorial courts: 1. By investiga- 

 tion, where the inquisitor snmsnnsM certain individuals 

 into his presence, and inquire* into the .-ttte of the 

 town or district where ti.c\ h.r. _'. liy accusation, 

 where a direct charge of heresy is brought before the 

 court against one or more person* distinctly named. 

 .unciatimi, where the inquisitor is merely in- 

 formed that certain heretical per>ous, or penons sus- 

 pected of heresy, (who are 1 !y named), 

 within the limit* of his jurUdHtion. This last i* 

 r the mo*t common mode, and it is that which 

 the inqui/iitor* are mutt desirou* to encourage. Infbrm- 

 atioos are a vow wily received without any respect to 

 the characters of the persona by whom they are given. 



iwet and iint wottbJe** of the clergy and of 

 the 1.. < and csWsts, just let Lose from prison, 



i.. <il 1 1 TMIII., trumpet*, and even children, are 



ceeds to call the witnesses. And here, too, the distinc- Inqimitinn. 

 tions of character are often altogether overlooked. Xo """;""""' 

 previous transgression of the decalogue, no loss of re- */ 

 pu tat ion or of credit in society, prevents the witnesses 

 from being listened to. Usurers, detested and abhor- 

 red, are permitted to give their evidence ; " also, com- 

 mon blasphemers, common gamesters, persons quite 

 intoxicated, and not merely exhilarated by wine, stage- 

 players and prize-fighters, apostates from religion, per- 

 sons bastinadoed, bankrupts, traitors, backbiters, and 

 spendthrifts." (Lim torch. Abritlg. p. 370.) And the 

 number of the witnesses is allowed as an equivalent for 

 their inadmissibility when they are severally consider- 

 ed. \Ve turn aside for a moment from this catalogue 

 of infamy, in order to prevent a mistake into which 

 our readers might naturally fall. When we speak of 

 witnesses, in Great Britain, we almost unavoidably 

 think of a charge regularly brought, the judges upon 

 the bench, the jury sworn, the criminal apprehended, 

 and in open court, the people admitted as auditors, 

 and the hole judicial assembly feeling and acting un- 

 der the assurance that they are responsible to an intel- 

 ligent and watchful public for every part of their pro- 

 ceedings. But, in the inquisitorial tribunal, when the 

 witnesses are summoned, the party accused has not 

 even been taken into custody. He remains in his 

 own house, and in the bosom of his family, engaged in 

 his ordinary occupations, and entering, it may be, into 

 the amusements of the place where he lives ; utterly 

 ignorant of all th.it has been done against him, and ut- 

 mprcpared for all that is to follow. In truth, the 

 deposition-, of the witnesses are view r<l, rather in con- 

 nection with the charge, than with the L>- uc. and relate 

 not SO much to 1 r the innocence of the. party 



accused, a* to th- . y or iiiiiiliu-icmy of the in- 



formation, lake the informer, the witnee.s arc sworn 

 to *ecre*y ; their names, and personal hi-torv, are most 

 industriously concealed ; and there are instances upon 

 record, where brothers and sister* have given evidence 



all 'aUowi-il' =. .niwrni. When the infer- agaiiut brothers and sisters, where tin- wile has depos- 



ination rvw been lodged, t! :n qtmtJMM are ed again** the husband, and the husband against the 



usually piuptMt-d : Whrtiur tin- inlvrmer koows the 

 person autpecte*) of brcy, and Low long he has 

 known him ? Whether be is suspected f brreny, on 

 Account of hi* word*, or on account of hi* actions? 

 Whether be ha* said or done the things imputed to 

 him ofU-tMT Utao once and whether in jel or in car- 

 nest, and in whose cucnpaity UKMC things were said or 

 done ? The answer* to these and similar question* arc 

 ritu n down 1 ;. the notary, and read over to the in- 

 lbrnu.T, who cither subscribe* hu name to the docu- 

 ment, or, put* under it the mark 

 e CTOM. I i sworn to *ecrc*y ; for tecre- 



sy, say th. doctors, i* the cJ*ff tiivm of the 



.:...n. Hit name, hi* personal apprarancr, the 



place of his abode, and every other ""Ti'mttinfr re- 



jpMting him, are itudioualy concealed by the inr|isi 



ion, lest the practice of informing should be discou. 



g*d ; and having once put the court in pg**r**ion of 



the rrq'iijitr intelligence, he drop* away entirely from 

 ew, and i .-.tin uu-nliooud, ami, if possi- 



ble, i* never again referred to in the whole course of 



the procn*. Thus doe* this mliou* tiilmn.il. called by 



an abuse of language the Holy Office, in Ui< 



step of it* judicial procedure, afford to the most 



mous the pleasure of gratification, witi uuty 



of concealment, and provide an ep|x>rtumty for indul- 

 ging the wont frvlui*:- and passions of our nature 



personal malice, envy, and revenge. 



After dismissing the inforuitr, tlie inquisitor pro- 



wife. 



next step is the apprehension of the victim. This Appnhtn- 

 UMially take* place in the night ; and for the most part " on . r lhe 

 too, under some favourable combiiiatioii of circuin- v ' Ltim - 

 stance*, when the proceeding, by iu uddeiinc>-. and in 

 ppaltiS character, k best fitted to\trpo 

 ance, ana prevent inquiry, and to multiply the occasion! 

 of secret fear, hike the tiger . t.., wild ani- 



mal from the thicket, the inquisitor nieilitate*, in si- 

 lence, hi* horrific purpose, regard* hi* prey with nxi- 

 .ilance, consulers the whole cae maturely and 

 well, and elect* hi* opportunity. Not the -li^htc-i hint 

 not a upicion i* breathed, till, in 



tbe dead time of the night, a band of monsters calmly 

 approach the residence of tbe accused, and demand an 

 entrance. To tbe question, In whose name is this re- 

 quired ? the answer i* " The Holy Office." In an in- 

 stant the tie* of nature are broken, every feeling of 

 friendship i* suppressed, and parents and children, or 

 aiiteri, or brothers, with a promptitude altogether incon- 

 ceivable, batten to deliver up tbe victim ; and the 

 wretched individual, scarcely recovered from his sur- 

 prise, and without knowing what he is accused of, i* 

 hurried away into the prisons of the Inquisition. Should 

 conviction afterwards take place, (and the rich mer- 

 chant, or wfr^fthf 1 ntiz'.-n very rarely escape*,) his pro- 

 perty is confiscated ; and the sentence of confiscation 

 jpplir retrospectively, not only to the date of his ap- 

 prehension, but to the time when the purity of his 





