1804. ] Manufcripts in the Library of the late King of France. 333 
ledge, my pupils are enabled to travel in 
the ancient world, and to examine its 
cuftoms, ufages, and monuments. 
The ordinary routine of Seen ate i$ 
to begin by Spain, and proceed from the 
weit to the eaft. I take, however, a con- 
trary route, to the end that my tract may 
be conformable to the chronological feries 
ef events, and to the progrefs of the hu- 
man underftanding. ‘Thus, in fetting out 
on their travels, my auditors pay a vifit to 
Egypt, which, as far at leaft as our tradi- 
tions carry us, gave birth to literature, 
arts, and {ciences. I fhow, either in ha- 
ture, in relief, or in figures, the monu- 
ments which are ftill exifting. : 
I follow the fame method relatively to 
each of the countries we have to explore, 
pafling from Africa into Afia. We ob- 
ferve the manners, ufages, and monuments, 
of the Perfians, as we had already taken 
a furvey of thofe of the Egyptians. 
Paffing through Afia Minor in the 
fame way, we proceed thence to Europe, 
After having vifited Greece, we bend our 
courfe to Italy, next to Spain, next to the 
Northern and Gothic nations, and, laftly, 
toGaul. Having confidered France un- 
der the domination of the Romans, we 
examine her condition under her kings ; 
and in contemplating the principal monu- 
ments of the French monarchy, we diftin- 
guifh thofe which ftill exift from thofe 
which Vandalifm has deftroyed. 
ee 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
Account of the Manufcripts relating to 
English Hiftory in the National Library of 
France. 
SECOND PART of the PROCEEDINGS 
againft JOAN of ARC, containing the 
PaRTICULARS relative to the PRO- 
CESS, to the TiME of the ARTICLES of 
ACCUSATION being prefented, and after 
the OPINIONS of LEARNED MEN had 
bcen taken upon them. 
(Continued from p. 220, No. 113.) 
T forms a peculiar feature in thefe 
Proceedings, that they are all prepared 
and executed according to the rules and 
forms of the Inquifition. Not only the 
nature of the affair, the quality of the 
Judges, the mode of procedure, and the 
procefs itielf, put this matter beyond 
doubt, but the unfortunate Joan was con- 
ducted to execution with a mitre upon 
her head, as is the practice in Madrid and 
the Eaft Indses. 
The Inquifition having in all cafes cau- 
tioufly concealed the particulars of their 
proceedings, it becomes extremely im- 
portant to examine the prefent with cou: 
fiderable attention. This Tribunal owes 
its origin to a caule rational enough, viz, 
the proteétion and maintenance of the Cas 
tholic Faith; but the mode of procedure 
which it has created and adopted, the 
power it has aflumed over perfons, its 
pretenfions to be exempt from the review 
of any fecular tribunal, its dreadful - 
verity, concealed under the appearance of 
mildnefs and conciliation, had long caufed 
its authority to be doubted, and finally 
rejected, in France. It would appear that 
its courfe of procedure was: 1ft, to efta- 
blith, by extrajudicial informations and_ 
interrogations, the certainty of the crime 
with which the accufed is charged: 2dly, 
to inftitute proceedings in form againtt 
thofe whom it deems guilty: 3dly, to caufe 
judgment and fentence to be given by the 
doctors who have been fpecially confulted 
for that purpofe: athly, to do all that 
is poflible to bring back the guilty to the 
faith from which they have deviated ; 
and, sthly, never to fhew favour to thofe 
who again relapfe into error, who are 
placed in the rank of confirmed apoftaey. 
This Tribunal, it is true, affects to 
have no power over the life of the indi- 
vidual; and that when it has failed to re- 
{tore the culprit to the path of truth, he 
fhould be delivered over to the fecular 
power, exhorting the Judges to treat the 
criminal with mildnefs ; but, at the fime 
time, by a moft incredible abufe of autho. 
rity, it affumes a moft alarming dofrine 
of infallibility, while it profefles the di- 
rect contrary. The Inquifition takes for 
granted, as a fettled point, that Princes 
have pronounced fentence of death againft 
heretics and foreerers; but this is not 
generally true in France, where theie rigo- 
rous punifhments never exifted but in very 
particular cafes, which applied much lefs 
to the cafe of Joan than to the Albigeois. 
It alfo afumes a right to judge of the doc- 
trine and of the conduét of the accufed; 
and when fentence is paffed, if the fecular 
Judges were to examine the judgment, or 
prefume to decide upon the juftice or in- 
juftice of the decree, or to mitigate the 
punithment to any thing lefs than death, 
they would themfelves be amenable to the 
Inquifitorial Tribunal, although ecclefi- 
aftical Judges moft clearly have never had 
any right to exceed the limits of peneten- 
tiary punifhment impofed by the canons 
of the Church. 
‘Such, at leaft, is the a&tual ftate fof 
things at the prefent moment, though it 
poflibly might have been different in for- 
mer times; and, if it were otherwife, the 
; exhortation 
