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The history of the popes, from the close of the middle ages : drawn ...

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PIUS V. AND THE INQUISITION. 295<br />

own long experience as Grand Inquisitor ; this had shown<br />

him that many <strong>of</strong> those summoned before <strong>the</strong> tribunal <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> faith brought false witnesses to speak for <strong>the</strong>m, and that<br />

in <strong>the</strong>ir depositions accused persons helped each o<strong>the</strong>r, and<br />

by means <strong>of</strong> cunningly devised excuses and artifices deceived<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir judges and even <strong>the</strong> Popes. ^ Several accused persons<br />

had even succeeded in obtaining <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> tribunals <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

faith and <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong> Popes documents in <strong>the</strong>ir own favour,<br />

as for example certificates in which <strong>the</strong>y were declared to be<br />

good Catholics, both in <strong>the</strong>ir life and <strong>the</strong>ir beliefs, or else<br />

Papal briefs and consistorial decrees which ensured to <strong>the</strong>m<br />

<strong>the</strong> protection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pope, and prevented <strong>the</strong> Inquisition<br />

<strong>from</strong> taking any fur<strong>the</strong>r action against <strong>the</strong>m. <strong>The</strong>ir former<br />

errors were thus maintained and even more widely spread<br />

under <strong>the</strong> aegis <strong>of</strong> such declarations. In order to obviate<br />

this abuse Pius V. <strong>the</strong>n proceeds to give <strong>the</strong> Inquisition a<br />

free hand to take steps against heretics in spite <strong>of</strong> such docu-<br />

ments, especially when <strong>the</strong>y had given fresh signs <strong>of</strong> heresy.<br />

Even when a trial had been decided by <strong>the</strong> authority <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Council <strong>of</strong> Trent itself, <strong>the</strong> Inquisition has <strong>the</strong> right to reopen<br />

<strong>the</strong> case and re-examine it. Finally, <strong>the</strong> Pope renews <strong>the</strong><br />

bull <strong>of</strong> Paul IV. <strong>of</strong> February 15th, 1558, against heretics and<br />

schismatics.^ It is obvious to whom <strong>the</strong> Pope refers when he<br />

complains that even some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Popes had been deceived by<br />

<strong>the</strong> heretics.<br />

Some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> decrees <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Cardinal Inquisitors form a<br />

corollary to this stern edict. It was certainly in order to<br />

foil <strong>the</strong> intrigues <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> prisoners <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Inquisition in <strong>the</strong> mat-<br />

ter <strong>of</strong> mutual assistance, that it was enacted that except<br />

when <strong>the</strong>y were making <strong>the</strong>ir defence, those who were im-<br />

prisoned might only confer with o<strong>the</strong>r persons, or read or<br />

write, with <strong>the</strong> permission <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Inquisitors. Anyone who<br />

broke this rule might be subjected to torture. Even <strong>the</strong><br />

^<strong>The</strong> printed version <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> bull in Bull. Rom., VII., 499 is<br />

very much mutilated at this point ; it may be completed <strong>from</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

text in Laderchi.<br />

- For this bull see Vol. XIV. <strong>of</strong> this work, p. 303.

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