INQUI 
the holy fcriptures j and whofe declamations againft the 
power, the opulence, and the vices, of the pontiffs and 
dergy, were extremely agreeable to many princes and civil 
magillrates, who groaned under the ufu-rpations of the 
facred order. The pontiffs, therefore, confidered them- 
felves as obliged to have recourfe to new' and extraordi¬ 
nary methods of defeating and fubduing enemies, who, 
both-by their number and their rank, were every way pro¬ 
per to fill them with terror. 
The number of thefe diflenters from the church of 
Rbrite was no where greater than in Narbonne Gaul, and 
the countries adjacent, where they were received and pro- 
teded in a Angular manner by Raymond VI. earl of Thou- 
loufe, and other perfons of the higheft diftinftion ; and 
where the bifhops, either through humanity or indolence, 
were fo negligent and remifs in the profecution of here¬ 
tics, that the latter, laying afide all their fears, formed 
fettlements, and multiplied prodigioufly from day to day. 
Innocent III. was 1 ‘oon informed of all thefe proceedings; 
and about the commencement of this century, fent le¬ 
gates extraordinary into the fouthern provinces of France 
to do what the bifhops had left undone, and to extirpate 
lierefv, in all its various forms and modifications, without 
being at all fcrupulous in ufing fuch methods as might 
be neceffary to effeft this falutary purpofe. The perfons 
charged with this giioltly commiflion were Rainier, a Cif- 
tertian monk, Pierre de Caftelnau, archdeacon of Mague- 
lone, who became alfo afterwards a Ciifertian friar. Thefe 
eminent miflionaries were followed by feveral others,among 
whom was the famous Spaniard Dominic, founder of the 
order of preachers, who, returning from Rome in the year 
1206, fell in with thefe delegates, embarked in their caufe, 
and laboured both by his exhortations and aftions in the 
extirpation of herefy. Thefe fpirited champions, who en¬ 
gaged in this expedition upon the foie authority of the 
pope, without either afking the advice or demanding the 
fuccours of the bifnops, and who inflicted capital punifh- 
ment upon fuch of the heretics as they could not convert 
by realon and argument, were diftinguifhed in common 
difcourle by the title of inquifitors, and from them the for¬ 
midable and odious tribunal called the inquifition derived 
its original. 
When this new fet of herefy-hunters had executed their 
commiflions, and purged the provinces to which they 
were fent of the greatelt part of the enemies of the Ro¬ 
man faith, the pontiffs were fo fenfible of their excellent 
fervices, that they eftablilhed miflionaries of a like nature, 
or, in other words, placed inquifitors, in almoft every city 
whofe inhabitants had the misfortune to be lufpedted of 
herefy, notwithftanding the reludfance which the people 
fhowed to this new inftitution, and the violence with 
which they frequently expelled, and fometimes maflacred, 
thefe bloody officers of the popifh hierarchy. The coun¬ 
cil held at Thouloufe, in the year 1229, by Romanus, car¬ 
dinal of St. Angelo, and pope’s legate, went (till farther, 
and erefted in every city a council of inquifitors, confid¬ 
ing of one pried and three laymen. This inditution 
was, however, fuperleded, in the year 1233, by Gre¬ 
gory IX. who intruded the Dominicans, or preaching 
friars, with the important commiflion of difcovering and 
bringing to judgment the heretics that w'ere lurking in 
France, and in a former epidle difcharged the bifhops 
from the burthen of that painful office. Immediately af¬ 
ter this, the bifhop of Tournay, who was the pope’s legate 
in France, began to execute this new refolution, by ap¬ 
pointing Pierre Cellan and Guillaume Arnaud inquifi¬ 
tors of heretical pravityat Thouloufe; and afterwards pro¬ 
ceeded, in every city where the Dominicans had a convent, 
to conllitute officers of the fame nature, chofen from 
among the monks of that celebrated order. From this pe¬ 
riod we are to date the commencement of the dreadful 
tribunal of the inquifition, which in this and the follow¬ 
ing ages fubdued fuch a prodigious multitude of heretics, 
oart of whom were converted to the church by terror, 
and the 1 eft committed to the flames without mercy. For 
the Dominicans erected, firft at Thouloufe, and afterwards 
SITION, 107 
at Carcaflone, and other places, a tremendous court, be¬ 
fore which were fummoned not only heretics and perfons 
fufpedfed of herefy, but likewife all who were accuied of 
magic, forcery, judaifm, witchcraft, and other crimes of 
that kind. This tribunal, in procels of time, waserefted 
in the other countries of Europe, though not every where 
with the fame fuccefs. 
The accounts we have here given (fays Dr. Moflieim) 
of the firft rife of the inquifition, though founded upon 
the moft unexceptionable teftimonies anti the moll au¬ 
thentic records, are yet very different from thofe that are 
to be found in moft authors. Certain learned men tell 
us, that the tribunal of the inquifition was the inven¬ 
tion of St. Dominic, and was firft erected by him in the 
city of Thouloufe ; and that he, of confequence, was the 
firft inquifitor. But many of the Dominicans, who, in 
our times, have prefided in the court of inquifition, and 
have extolled the fanftity of that inftitution, deny, at the 
fame time, that Dominic was its founder, as alfo that he 
was firft inquifitor, nay, that he was an inquifitor at all. 
They go ftill farther, and affirm, that the court of inqui¬ 
fition was not eredled during the life of St; Dominic. Nor 
is all this advanced inconfiderately, as every impartial in¬ 
quirer into the proofs they allege will eafily perceive. Ne- 
verthelefs, the queftion, Whether or not St. Dominic was 
an inquifitor? feems to be merely a difpute about words, 
and depends entirely upon the different fignifications of 
which the term inquifitor is fufceptible. That word, ac¬ 
cording to its original meaning, fignified a perfon invefted 
with the commiflion and authority of the Roman pontiff 
to extirpate herefy and oppofe its abettors, but not clothed 
with any judicial power. But it foon acquired a different 
meaning, and fignified a perfon appointed by the Roman 
pontiff to proceed judicially againft heretics, and fuch as 
were fufpedted of herefy, to pronounce fentence accord¬ 
ing to their refpeffive cafes, and to deliver over to the fe~ 
culararm fuch as perfifted obftinately in their errors. In 
this latter fenfe Dominic was not an inquifitor; fince it. 
is well known that there were no papal judges of. this na¬ 
ture before the pontificate of Gregory IX. but he was un¬ 
doubtedly an inquifitor in the original fenfe that was at¬ 
tached to that term. 
That nothing might be wanting to render this fpiritual 
court formidable and tremendous, the Roman pontiffs 
perfuaded the European princes, and more efpecially the 
emperor Frederic II. and Louis IX. king of France, riot 
only to enadt the moft barbarous laws againft heretics, 
and to commit to the flames, by the miniltry of public, 
jultice, thofe who were pronounced fuch by the inquifi¬ 
tors, but alfo to maintain the inquifitors in their office, 
and grant them their proteftion in the moft open and fo- 
lemn manner. The edidts to this purpofe iffued out by 
Frederic II. are well known; edicts every way proper to 
excite horror, and which rendered the moft illuftrious 
piety and virtue incapable of faving from the cruelleit 
death fuch as had the misfortune to be difagreeable to 
the inquifitors. Thefe abominable laws were not, how¬ 
ever, fufficient to reltrain the juft indignation of the peo¬ 
ple againft thefe inhuman judges, whole barbarity was ac¬ 
companied with fuperftition and arrogance, with a fpirit- 
of fufpicion and perfidy, nay, even with temerity and; 
imprudence. Accordingly they were infulted by the mul¬ 
titude in many places, were driven in an ignominious 
manner, out of lome cities, and were put to death in 
others; and Conrad of Marpurg, the firft German inqui¬ 
fitor, who derived his commiflion from Gregory IX. was 
one of many vidtims that were facrificed upon this ocia- 
fion. to the vengeance of the public, which his incredible 
barbarities had railed to a dreadful degree of vehemence 
and fury. 
When Innocent III. perceived that the labours of the 
inquifitors were not immediately attended with fuch 
abundant fruits as he had fondly expected, he add refled 
himfelf, in the year 1207, to Philip Auguftus, king of 
France,, and to the leading men of that nation, folicitiug 
them, by the alluring promife of the moft ample indul¬ 
gences. 
