unfortunate king; or, in having spoken freely on the doubtful right of the conqueror. At length, their manners were foftened; they continued to tear out the heart, but not till after the death of the offender. The apparatus is dreadful, but the death is mild, if death can ever be mild.

CHAP. III

On the Punishment of Heretics.

THE denunciation of death to those who, in certain dogmas, differed from the established church, was peculiarly the act of tyranny. No Christian emperor, before the tyrant Maximus, ever thought of condemning a man to punishment merely for points of controversy. It is true, indeed, that two Spanish bishops pursued to death the Prifcilianifts under Maximus; but it is alfo true, that this tyrant was willing to gratify the reigning party with the blood of heretics. Barbarity and juftice were to him indifferent. Jealous of Theodofius, a Spaniard like himself, he endeavoured to deprive him of the empire of the Eaft, as he had already obtained that of the Weft. Theodofius was hated for his cruelties; but he had found the means of gaining to his party the heads of the church. Maximus was willing to display the fame zeal, and to attach the Spanish bishops to his faction. He flattered both the old and the new religion; he was as treacherous as inhuman, as indeed were all thofe who at that time either pretended to, or obtained

empire.

empire. That vaft part of the worldwas then governed like Algiers at prefent. Emperors were created and dethroned by the military power, and were often chofen from among nations that were reputed barbarous. Theodofius opposed to his competitor other barbarians from Scythia. He filled the army with Goths, and furprised Alaric the conqueror of Rome. In this horri ble confufion, each endeavoured to ftrengthen his party by every means in his power.

Maximus having caused the Emperor Gratian, the colleague of Theodofius, to be affaffinated at Lyons, meditated the deftruction of Valentinian the fecond, who, during his infancy, had been named fucceffor to Gratian. He affembled at Treves a powerful army, compofed of Gauls and Germans. He caufed troops to be levied in Spain, when two Spanish bishops, Idacio and Ithacus, or Itacius, both men of credit, came and demanded of him the blood of Prifcilian, and all his adherents, who were of opinion, that fouls were emanations from God; that the Trinity did not contain three hypoftafes; and moreover, they carried their facrilege fo far as to faft on Sundays, Maximus, half Pagan, and half Christian, foon perceived the enormity of these crimes. The holy bishops, Idacio and Itacius, obtained leave to torture Priscilian and his ac

complices

complices before they were put to death. They were both prefent, that things might be done according to order, and they returned bleffing God, and numbering Maximus, the defender of the faith, among the faints. But Maximus being afterward defeated by Theodofius, and affaffinated at the feet of his conqueror, had not the good fortune to be canonized.

It is proper to obferve, that Saint Martin, bishop of Tours, who was really a good man, folicited the pardon of Prifcilian; but being himself accused of herefy by the bishops, he returned to Tours, for fear of the torture at Treves.

As to Prifcilian, he had the confolation, after he was hanged, of being honoured by his fect as a martyr. His feaft was celebrated, and would be celebrated ftill, if there were any Prifcilianifts remaining.

This example made the entire church tremble; but it was foon after imitated and furpaffed. Prifcilianifts had been put to death by the fword, the halter, and by lapidation. A young lady of quality, fufpected to have fafted on a Sunday, was at Bourdeaux only stoned to death. These punishments appeared too mild; it was proved that God required that heretics should be roafted alive. The peremptory argument, in fupport

of

of this opinion was, that God punishes them in that manner in the next world, and that every prince, or his reprefentative, even down to a petty constable, is the image of God in this fublunary world.

On this principle it was, that all over Europe they burnt witches and forcerers, who were manifeftly under the empire of the devil; and alfo heterodox Chriftians, which were deemed ftill more criminal and dangerous.

It is not certainly known, what was the crime of those priests who were burnt at Orleans in the prefence of king Robert and his wife Conftantia, in the year 1022. How indeed should it be known? there being, at that time, but a fmall number of clerks and monks that could write. All we certainly know is, that Robert and his wife feasted their eyes with this abomi nable spectacle. One of the fectaries had been confeffor to her majesty, who thought she could not better repair the misfortune of having confeffed to a heretic, than by feeing him devoured by the flames.

Custom becomes law; from that period to the prefent time, a fpace of more than feven hundred years, the church hath continued to burn thofe that are guilty, or fuppofed guilty, of an error in opinion

CHAP.