INQUISITION. 



fometimes maflacrcd thefe bloody officers of the popifh hie- 

 rarchy. At lonijth, the council held at Thouloure, in the 

 year 1229,07 Romanus, cardinal of St. Angelo, and pope's 

 legate, went iliU farther, and erefted in every city a council 

 of inquifitors, conllfting of one prieft, and three laymen. 

 This inilitution was, liowcver, fiipcrfeded in the year 1233, 

 by Gregory IX. who entru lied the Dominicans, or Preach- 

 ing Friars, with the important commiflion of difcovcring and 

 bringing to judgn-.ent the heretics that were lurking in 

 France ; and in a formal epiltle difcharged the biiliops of that 

 painful office. Immediately after this, t'ae bifhop of Tour- 

 nay, who was ihe pope's legate in France, began to exe- 

 cute this new refolution, by appointing Pierre Cellan and 

 Guillaume Arnaud, inquifitors of heretical pravity at Thou- 

 loufe ; and afterwards proceeded in every city where the Do- 

 minicans had a convent, to conftitute officers of the fame kind 

 chofen from among the monks of that order. From this pe- 

 riod we are to date the commencement of the dreadful tribu- 

 nal of the inquifition, which in this and the following ages 

 fubdued fuch a prodigious multitude of heretics, part of 

 whom were converted to the church by terror, and the reft 

 committed to the flames without mercy. For the Domini- 

 cans erefted iirll at Thouloufc, and afterwards at Carcaf- 

 fone, and other places, a tremendous court, before which 

 were fummoned not only heretics, and pcrions fufpetied of 

 herefy ; but likewife al! who were accufed of magic, lor- 

 cery, Judaifm, witchcraft, and other crimes of that kind. 

 This tribunal, in proccfs of time, was erefted in the other 

 countries of Europe, though not every where with the fame 

 fuccefs. The method of proceeding in this court of inquifition 

 was at firll iimple, and almoil in every refpecl fimilar to that 

 which was obferved in the ordinary courts of juftice. But 

 the Dominicans modelled it after that of the tribunal, called 

 in the Roman church the tribunal of peace ; and hence arofe 

 that ftrange fyftcm of inquifitorial law, which in many re- 

 fpefts is fo contrary to the common feehngs of humanity, and 

 the plained dictates of equity and juftice. And that no- 

 thing might be wanting to render the fpiritual court formi- 

 dable and tremendous, the Roman pontiffs perfuaded the 

 European princes, particularly the emperor Frederic II. and 

 Lewis IX. king of France, not only to enaft the moft bar- 

 barous laws againft heretics, and to commit to the flames 

 thofe who were pronounced fuch by the inquifitors, but alfo 

 to maintain the inquifitors in their office, and grant them their 

 protedlion in the moft open and folemn manner. The edicts 

 iTued to this purpofe by Frederic II. are well known ; 

 edidts every way proper to excite horror, and which render- 

 ed the moft illuflrious piety and virtue incapable of faving 

 from the moft cruel death fuch as had the misfortune to be 

 difagreeable to the inquifitors. The laws of Frederic, in 

 relation to the inquifitors, may be feen in Limborch's Hif- 

 tory of the Inquifition, book i. chap. 12. 



The edift of St. Lewis, in favour of thefe ghoftly judges, 

 ilTued out in the year 1229, is generally known under the 

 title of Cupietita. 



After the death of Frederic, who had long before re- 

 pented the power he had given the churchmen, as having 

 ieen fome of the fruits of it, pope Innocent IV. erefted a 

 perpetual tribunal of inquifitors, and deprived the bilhops 

 and lecular judges of the little power the emperor Frederic 

 had left them. And this jurifdidtion, which depended im- 

 mediately upon himfelf, he took care to introduce into moft 

 of the ftates of Europe. In i 25 1 it was eftabliflied in Italy ; 

 in 1255 Alexander IV. appointed inquifitors in France, at 

 the requell of St. Lewis. But the inquifitors were fo fiery 

 bol, and niade fucb horrible butchery among the reputed 



heretics, that they raifcd an univerfal deteftation even in f • 

 Catholic countries themfelves. Hence it was that their )\ 

 proved very fliort both in France and Germany ; thoi, 

 they were occailonally exerting themfelves; and their powi - 

 was ellabhihed in many parts of France and Germany abo.it 

 the time of the Reformation by Luther; but aftcrw:^.! ,: ; 

 gradually declined. Nor was even Spain entirely lubjcoi 

 them till the time of Ferdinand and Ifabella, when ti 

 power was increafcd, under pretence of clearing the courr 

 of Judaifm and Mahometanifm. 



Tl-.e inquifition was firft introduced into Spain in the a 

 1478 ; but the firft inquifitor-general, and the fupr 

 council of the inquifition, were not fixed till the year : 4 

 This tribunal is arifen to fuch a height in Spain that : 

 king of Caftile before his coronation fubjefi? himfelf anc 

 his dominions, by a fpecial oath, to the moll holy trib 

 of the inqmfition. It is under the direction of an inquil. 

 general, appointed by the king, and confirmed by the pi., 

 and this inquifition has power to name particular inqn:li. 

 in every place where there is any tribunal of the iiiq'.ifith 



The' inquifition was eftabhflied in Portugal, at the pi 

 ing fohcitation of king John III. about the year 1536 : a; . 

 both the Spaniards and Portuguefe have eftabliihed it m 

 their territories in the weftern continent. 



The power of the inquifition was very much limited in feme 

 countries, particularly at Venice, where it was introduced 

 about the year 1 289, and where it was received under fuch 

 modifications, as proved a great check on its authority ; the 

 office confiding of fecular and ecclefialHcal perfons, though 

 the latter had been long endeavouring to bring it into their 

 own hands, but could never prevail with the Venetian fenate 

 to agree to it. Indeed at Venice it feemed rather a political 

 than a religious contrivance ; and ferved rather for the fecurity 

 of the ftate, than that of the church, rhere are appeals 

 from the fubaltern inquifitions in Italy, to the congregation 

 of the holy office refiding at Rome. 



The congregation wai'firft formed by Paul III. in 1542, 

 but finally eftab!i(hed by Sixtus V. in 1588. The members 

 of it, called fiipreme inquifitors, alFemble thrice in the week, 

 and every Thurfday in the prefence of the pope, who pre- 

 fides in it. 



The officers or minifters of the inquifition are the inqui- 

 fitors, who derive their power from the pope, either by word 

 of mouth, or by his apoftolic letters, and can be removed 

 only by him, or by authority conferred by him on thofe 

 cardinals who are the inquifitors-general ; vicars-general, 

 who manage the affairs of the inquifition during the abfence 

 of the irquilitors ; afkiTors and counfellors, who give their 

 advice in points of theology and law; the promoter fifcal, 

 whofe office it is to examine the depofitions of the witneffes, 

 to give information of criminals to the inquifitors, and to 

 demand their apprehenfion and impril'onment, and, finally, 

 when apprehended and admonifhed, to accufe them; notaries 

 or regifters, who write down the injunftions, accufations, 

 and all the pleadings of the caufes ; the judge and receiver 

 of the confifcated effeiits ; the executor and officials, who 

 apprehend and keep in cullody criminals ; the attendants or 

 familiars ; the crols bearers ; and the vifitors, who vifit all 

 the provinces of the inquifitors, and repc-rt to the inquifitor- 

 general and council whatever was proper to be amended. 

 The civil magiftrate is entirely excluded from the cognizance 

 of herefy ; but the inquifitors require their affiftance for the 

 punifliment of heretics, in coiifequer.ee of the fentence whicii 

 they pronounce : and they are leverely threatened with the 

 moil grievous punifliments, if they negle£l their duty. The 

 puniflunents inflicted by the inquiiitiou on heretics are eccle- 

 8 ilaftical 



