Post by Admin on Oct 9, 2016 13:01:31 GMT
CHAP. XCVI.
Of the Inquisition.
HEre we must not omit the order of Predicants, Inquisitors after Hereticks; whose power when it ought to be founded upon the holy Scriptures, yet they derive it all from the Canon-Law, and Pontifical Decrees, as if it were impossible the Pope should erre; leaving the Scripture as a dead letter, and onely the shadow of Truth, and reject it, as the Buckler and de∣fence of Hereticks. Neither do they receive the Tra∣ditions of the ancient Fathers and Doctors, because they may both deceive, and be deceived; but preten∣ding that the Roman Church cannot erre, of which the
Page 328
Pope is the Head, and therefore the Authority of his Court is the Rule of their Faith; enquiring no further in their examinations, than whether men believe in the Church of Rome: which if any person refractory do grant, then, quoth they, the Church condemns such or such a Proposition, as heretical, scandalous, and offen∣sive to pious ears; and then compel the person to re∣voke and recant his Errour. If the offender continue to justifie himself by Reason or Scripture, or both, straight with great clamour and mouthing they inter∣rupt him, telling him he is not before the Chair of Doctors, or a Convocation of Scholars, but a Tribu∣nal of Judges: he is not to dispute there, but to answer directly whether he will stand to or abide the Decree of the Church, or renounce his Opinion: if not, they shew him Faggots and Fire, saying, Hereticks are to be convinced with Faggot and Fire, not with Scripture and Arguments; and so compel a man not convicted of any perverse obstinacie contrary to his Conscience, to abjure those things; which if he deny, they deliver him over to the Secular power, as a deserter of the Church, to be burnt; saying with the Apostle, Remove the evil thing from among you. In ancient times, such was the lenity and meckness of the Church, that they neither punisht those that relaps'd into Judaism nor Blasphe∣mies: and Berengarius revolting to a most damnable Heresie, was not onely not put to death, but continued in his Archdeaconship. But now, if a man slip into the least Errour, 'tis much more than his life is worth; and he shall be thrown into the Fire by these Inquisitors for a trifle. Perhaps it is now convenient for the Church to use such severe chastisement, for fear of losing its innate piety. Sometimes Hereticks are In∣quisitors after Hereticks; which was the occasion of the Decree which Clement made. But Inquisitors ought not to hold dark Arguments, and talk in wrang∣ling
Page 329
Syllogisms, with Hereticks; but to labour to con∣vince them by the Word of God, then to determine the matter according to the Decrees and Canons of the Church, and either to reduce him to the Orthodox Faith, or pronounce him a Hereticks: for he is no He∣retick, who is not obstinate; nor is he a favourer of Hereticks, who seeks to defend an innocent person con∣demned of Heresie, left he should be deliver'd up by these cruel and ravenous Inquisitors, to be butchered without a cause. And although it be expresly provi∣ded in the Law, that the Inquisitors shall have no pow∣er of Examining, nor any Jurisdiction over any suspi∣tion, defence, or favour of Heresie, which is not a He∣resie manifestly exprest, and absolutely already con∣demn'd; yet these bloudy Vultures, going beyond the Priviledges and Commission of their Office, against all right, and contrary to the Canons themselves, take upon them to meddle with ordinary things, arrogating and usurping the power of Popes in those things which are not Heretical, but onely Scandalous or offensive to the ear; most cruelly raging against the poor Coun∣try-women, whom being once accused of Witchcraft, and condemned without the examination of any lawful Judge, they expose to most strange and unheard-of Torments, till having extorted from them what they least thought to confess, they finde matter to proceed upon to condemnation: and then they think they do the Office of Inquisitors truly, when they never leave the business off, till the poor woman be burnt, or else have so far gilded the Inquisitors hand, until he take pitie of her, as sufficiently purg'd: for an Inquisitor may alter the punishment from penal into pecuniary, and convert it to the use of the Office; by which there is not a little Money to be got: and some of these poor creatures are forc'd to pay them an annual Stipend, for fear of being harass'd to Torment. And when the
Page 330
Goods of Hereticks are confiscated, then the Inquisi∣tor gets no small matter. The very accusation, or highest suspicion of Heresie, nay the very Citation of the Inquisitor, is enough to bring a womans credit in question, which is not to be salved without money given to the Inquisitor; which is no small gain. Thus while I was in Millain, several Inquisitors did torment many honest Matrons, & some of very good Quality, and privately milk very large sums from the poor affright∣ed and terrified women; till at length, their Cheating being discovered, they were severely handled by the Gentry, hardly escaping Fire and Sword. When I was President of the Commonwealth in the Citie of Mediomatricum, I had a very great Contest with an In∣quisitor, who being a loose fellow, had hal'd a poor Country-woman into his Slaughter-house, being a place of disrepute; and all for a very slight Accusati∣on; not so much to Examine her, as to Crucifie her. This woman when I undertook to defend her Cause, and found, and had made it evident, that there was no∣thing of Proof to make out the Crime, the Inquisitor made answer, that there was one proof not to be que∣stion'd, That her mother many years ago was burnt for a Witch. Which Article when I shew'd how imperti∣nent it was, and that it was not for the Law to con∣demn one for the fact of another; presently he, lest he should have seemed to have talkt out of Reason be∣fore, produces this Argument: That therefore it was so, and the Proof good, because Witches were wont to devote their children to the devil; as also because they are wont to Conceive by lying with the devil, and therefore there is an inherent Guiltiness in the Off∣spring. Wicked Father, said I, is this thy way of Theologie? Are these the Fictions for which thou har∣riest silly women to Torture? are these the Sophisms with which thou condemnest Hereticks? Thou thy
Page 331
self, in my opinion, art far worse than Faustus or Donatus. Grant it were as thou sayst, dost thou not hereby abro∣gate the grace of Baptism, if for the impiety of a Parent the Off-spring should be the devils due? And if it were true that Incubi did generate, yet was never any one of that opinion so infatuated, as to think those Spirits did mingle any thing of their own nature with the suffoced seed. But I tell thee upon the true grounds of Faith, and by the true natures of our Humanities, we are all one mass of sin, and eternal malediction, sons of perdition, sons of the devil, sons of the wrath of God, and heirs of hell: but by the grace of Baptism Satan is cast out of us, and we are made new creatures in Jesus Christ, from whom no man can be separated but by his own sin: for far is it from truth, that he should suffer for another mans sin. Seest thou not now how invalid thy most sufficient Proof is, how vain in Law, and indeed how absolutely Heretical it is? The cruel Hypocrite grew very wroth against me, and threatned to sue me as a favourer of Hereticks. How∣ever, I persisted in defence of the poor creature, and at length by the power of the Law I delivered her out of the Lions mouth; and the bloudy Monk stood rebuk'd and sham'd before um all, and ever after infamous for his Cruelty; and the Accusers of the poor wo∣man in the Capitol of the Church of Metz, whose Subjects they were, were very considerably Fin'd.
Of the Inquisition.
HEre we must not omit the order of Predicants, Inquisitors after Hereticks; whose power when it ought to be founded upon the holy Scriptures, yet they derive it all from the Canon-Law, and Pontifical Decrees, as if it were impossible the Pope should erre; leaving the Scripture as a dead letter, and onely the shadow of Truth, and reject it, as the Buckler and de∣fence of Hereticks. Neither do they receive the Tra∣ditions of the ancient Fathers and Doctors, because they may both deceive, and be deceived; but preten∣ding that the Roman Church cannot erre, of which the
Page 328
Pope is the Head, and therefore the Authority of his Court is the Rule of their Faith; enquiring no further in their examinations, than whether men believe in the Church of Rome: which if any person refractory do grant, then, quoth they, the Church condemns such or such a Proposition, as heretical, scandalous, and offen∣sive to pious ears; and then compel the person to re∣voke and recant his Errour. If the offender continue to justifie himself by Reason or Scripture, or both, straight with great clamour and mouthing they inter∣rupt him, telling him he is not before the Chair of Doctors, or a Convocation of Scholars, but a Tribu∣nal of Judges: he is not to dispute there, but to answer directly whether he will stand to or abide the Decree of the Church, or renounce his Opinion: if not, they shew him Faggots and Fire, saying, Hereticks are to be convinced with Faggot and Fire, not with Scripture and Arguments; and so compel a man not convicted of any perverse obstinacie contrary to his Conscience, to abjure those things; which if he deny, they deliver him over to the Secular power, as a deserter of the Church, to be burnt; saying with the Apostle, Remove the evil thing from among you. In ancient times, such was the lenity and meckness of the Church, that they neither punisht those that relaps'd into Judaism nor Blasphe∣mies: and Berengarius revolting to a most damnable Heresie, was not onely not put to death, but continued in his Archdeaconship. But now, if a man slip into the least Errour, 'tis much more than his life is worth; and he shall be thrown into the Fire by these Inquisitors for a trifle. Perhaps it is now convenient for the Church to use such severe chastisement, for fear of losing its innate piety. Sometimes Hereticks are In∣quisitors after Hereticks; which was the occasion of the Decree which Clement made. But Inquisitors ought not to hold dark Arguments, and talk in wrang∣ling
Page 329
Syllogisms, with Hereticks; but to labour to con∣vince them by the Word of God, then to determine the matter according to the Decrees and Canons of the Church, and either to reduce him to the Orthodox Faith, or pronounce him a Hereticks: for he is no He∣retick, who is not obstinate; nor is he a favourer of Hereticks, who seeks to defend an innocent person con∣demned of Heresie, left he should be deliver'd up by these cruel and ravenous Inquisitors, to be butchered without a cause. And although it be expresly provi∣ded in the Law, that the Inquisitors shall have no pow∣er of Examining, nor any Jurisdiction over any suspi∣tion, defence, or favour of Heresie, which is not a He∣resie manifestly exprest, and absolutely already con∣demn'd; yet these bloudy Vultures, going beyond the Priviledges and Commission of their Office, against all right, and contrary to the Canons themselves, take upon them to meddle with ordinary things, arrogating and usurping the power of Popes in those things which are not Heretical, but onely Scandalous or offensive to the ear; most cruelly raging against the poor Coun∣try-women, whom being once accused of Witchcraft, and condemned without the examination of any lawful Judge, they expose to most strange and unheard-of Torments, till having extorted from them what they least thought to confess, they finde matter to proceed upon to condemnation: and then they think they do the Office of Inquisitors truly, when they never leave the business off, till the poor woman be burnt, or else have so far gilded the Inquisitors hand, until he take pitie of her, as sufficiently purg'd: for an Inquisitor may alter the punishment from penal into pecuniary, and convert it to the use of the Office; by which there is not a little Money to be got: and some of these poor creatures are forc'd to pay them an annual Stipend, for fear of being harass'd to Torment. And when the
Page 330
Goods of Hereticks are confiscated, then the Inquisi∣tor gets no small matter. The very accusation, or highest suspicion of Heresie, nay the very Citation of the Inquisitor, is enough to bring a womans credit in question, which is not to be salved without money given to the Inquisitor; which is no small gain. Thus while I was in Millain, several Inquisitors did torment many honest Matrons, & some of very good Quality, and privately milk very large sums from the poor affright∣ed and terrified women; till at length, their Cheating being discovered, they were severely handled by the Gentry, hardly escaping Fire and Sword. When I was President of the Commonwealth in the Citie of Mediomatricum, I had a very great Contest with an In∣quisitor, who being a loose fellow, had hal'd a poor Country-woman into his Slaughter-house, being a place of disrepute; and all for a very slight Accusati∣on; not so much to Examine her, as to Crucifie her. This woman when I undertook to defend her Cause, and found, and had made it evident, that there was no∣thing of Proof to make out the Crime, the Inquisitor made answer, that there was one proof not to be que∣stion'd, That her mother many years ago was burnt for a Witch. Which Article when I shew'd how imperti∣nent it was, and that it was not for the Law to con∣demn one for the fact of another; presently he, lest he should have seemed to have talkt out of Reason be∣fore, produces this Argument: That therefore it was so, and the Proof good, because Witches were wont to devote their children to the devil; as also because they are wont to Conceive by lying with the devil, and therefore there is an inherent Guiltiness in the Off∣spring. Wicked Father, said I, is this thy way of Theologie? Are these the Fictions for which thou har∣riest silly women to Torture? are these the Sophisms with which thou condemnest Hereticks? Thou thy
Page 331
self, in my opinion, art far worse than Faustus or Donatus. Grant it were as thou sayst, dost thou not hereby abro∣gate the grace of Baptism, if for the impiety of a Parent the Off-spring should be the devils due? And if it were true that Incubi did generate, yet was never any one of that opinion so infatuated, as to think those Spirits did mingle any thing of their own nature with the suffoced seed. But I tell thee upon the true grounds of Faith, and by the true natures of our Humanities, we are all one mass of sin, and eternal malediction, sons of perdition, sons of the devil, sons of the wrath of God, and heirs of hell: but by the grace of Baptism Satan is cast out of us, and we are made new creatures in Jesus Christ, from whom no man can be separated but by his own sin: for far is it from truth, that he should suffer for another mans sin. Seest thou not now how invalid thy most sufficient Proof is, how vain in Law, and indeed how absolutely Heretical it is? The cruel Hypocrite grew very wroth against me, and threatned to sue me as a favourer of Hereticks. How∣ever, I persisted in defence of the poor creature, and at length by the power of the Law I delivered her out of the Lions mouth; and the bloudy Monk stood rebuk'd and sham'd before um all, and ever after infamous for his Cruelty; and the Accusers of the poor wo∣man in the Capitol of the Church of Metz, whose Subjects they were, were very considerably Fin'd.