THE PROTEUS-LIKE CHARACTER OF THE INQUISITION, BOTH IN ANCIENT AND
MODERN TIMES.
WHEN I asserted that the Inquisition had never undergone any change,
that as it existed in the time of its founder, Innocent III., so it
continued in the days of its renowned legislator, Paul IV., and in
those of the fierce persecutors of good Christians, Pius V. and Gregory
XII., and that we find it still preserving the same character, in our
own time, under Gregory XVI. and Pius IX., I did not intend to lead
my readers to suppose that it invariably, after having arranged its
plans and established its system of laws, carried on its operations
with the same uniform regularity; and in undeviating exactitude pursued
its unchanging course, however baleful, with the steady progress of a
planet in its orbit, without ever deviating from it in the smallest
possible degree. No, such was not the idea I intended to give. In
its spirit it has always been the same, and its laws have never
undergone any change; but nothing is more varied, more uncertain,
more changeable, than the manner in which it has acted to attain its
purposes. With the same spirit and the same laws, the Inquisition
of Rome is, nevertheless, different from that of Spain, and the
Inquisition of the nineteenth century greatly varies from that of the
three preceding centuries. The slaughter of the Albigenses and the
Waldenses, that of the Moors, and the massacre of St. Bartholomew, are
events, so similar to each other, that whoever has read of the first
is little astonished at the second or the third. But between the
perpetration of these acts it was expedient that at least the period
of a century should intervene, in order that the people might have
time to recover from the shock they had experienced, and be induced to
receive fresh arguments in favour of a repetition of the same enormity.
In the meanwhile a thousand other events took place of a totally
different character. For example, Pius V., while he was burning his
heretics in Rome, or drowning them in the Lagoons of Venice, while
he persecuted the Moors in Spain, and sent his bands to destroy the
Jews, made himself patron of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem,
who, after having been driven out of Rhodes, were dispersed abroad in
various parts; he obtained for them the island of Malta; and lavished
his bounty upon them with unsparing hand, in order that they might
fortify themselves on that rock. Now what did these Knights of Malta
become? The pirates of the Inquisition, founded by Dominic di Guzman.
Yes; these crusaders, who assumed to themselves the title of Christian
Knights, ended by becoming a pack of plundering blood-hounds, ever on
the alert to hunt out their victims, and who, even now, do not blush to
acknowledge themselves as the _Familiars_ of the Inquisition; though
so dishonourable do they know their trade to be, that they are obliged
to carry it on under the mask of secrecy. But these heroes who still
keep up the empty title of Knights of Malta, ingloriously end their
degenerate career in the ante-chambers of the Vatican, as the Pope's
guards; for the Holy Office, when they are too old for more active
service, no longer takes any care of them, nor does it allow them the
smallest pension. Many Roman institutions have in the same manner
flourished and fallen away; others, although useless, still continue,
through a difficulty in getting rid of them.
It is now about four centuries since Rome instituted monkish and
knightly orders for the service of the Inquisition. The necessity for
them was first found out after the Council of Constance, and increased
after that of Trent. Martin V. was too dissipated to trouble himself
much about it, but his successor, Pius II., who had witnessed the death
of John Huss and Jerome of Prague, and who clearly saw the danger that
threatened the Church of Rome, in the spirit and the voice that arose
from the ashes of those holy men, felt himself called upon, in the year
1459, to institute an order of knighthood to be called after the name
of Jesus, whose employment should be to war against the Turks, for
in those days all were so called, who did not venerate the Church of
Rome. Accordingly under such pretext they undertook to wage war against
heretics of every description, whom, according to the Christian charity
of the popes, it was their duty to exterminate. This order was not
pleasing to Paul II. and was consequently abolished: but Alexander VI.,
that well-known monster of profligacy and crime, raised up a fresh body
of knights, for the service of the Inquisition, which he placed under
the protection of St. George, in the year 1492. These heroes could do
no less than imitate the example of their unprincipled founder, and,
in a very short time, gained for themselves an undesirable renown,
for their deeds of the most abominable licentiousness. The succeeding
Pope, however, laid them on the shelf. Leo X., in the year 1520, came
forward with a new order of knights, under the patronage of St. Peter.
It is well known that this pope lost no opportunity of putting this
favourite saint of his forward, on all occasions where money was to
be made of him. It was for the building of the church that bears his
name that indulgences were sent for sale, into Germany and Switzerland.
The new knights limited their services to the collecting of money for
St. Peter, that is to say, for the Pope; this degraded order, however,
soon died of decline. Paul III. felt more than any one the evils that
were likely to arise from the Council of Trent, and the danger of what
was called "reviving heresy:" in order therefore, to give greater
activity to the Inquisition, he founded an order of chivalry, under
the title of St. George of Ravenna, in the year 1538, the nominal
duty of which was to war against heretics, but its real object was to
renew the sanguinary scenes acted under Innocent III., and to repeat in
Germany the slaughters of Dauphiny, Languedoc and Navarre. Fortunately,
however, this pope became involved in a dispute respecting the
celebrated exchange of the duchy of Parma and Plaisance, in favour of
his natural son, Peter Lewis Farnese, and consequently, the Knights of
St. George had to pacify the minds of those who were offended at such
robbery and injustice; but it was found that this single order was not
sufficiently powerful for the purpose, wherefore another was created in
1542, called the Order of the Lily, in order to reward such as readily
submitted to the Papal authority in that matter.
But in the meanwhile the Reformers gained ground; Luther in Germany,
and Zwinglius in Switzerland, made great progress. Paul III. had
need of a society to oppose them; his knights were no longer equal
to the task--it was impossible to resist, by force of arms, so rapid
and wide-spreading an influence. Charles V., if he did not openly
declare himself a reformer, was but little favourable to Rome; and
Duke Frederic of Saxony, the most esteemed prince in Germany, was
an open convert to Protestantism. It appeared necessary, therefore,
that a society should be formed, which should present itself to the
world as a religious body, to act in favour of the Holy See. A Spanish
knight, weary of the occupation of war, and disgusted at the treachery
of his mistress, had at that time offered up his sword on the altar
of the Virgin, and devoted himself to her service, and he soon proved
himself a fit champion for the necessities of the times. This Spanish
knight was no other than Ignatius Loyola, who came to Rome in the
year 1540, and became the founder of a religious order which, for the
purpose of captivating the imagination of the whole Christian world,
and to gain universal homage, assumed the title of _The Company of
Jesus_! Every one would have thought that this order would have been
of the same description as that which was founded a short time before
by Gaetano Tiene, and that which soon afterwards owed its origin to
Giuseppe Calassanzio. Now it is the deceptive policy of the Inquisition
to make it appear that these knightly orders are for the purpose of
defending Christians from the attacks of infidels; and also for the
education of youth. But without doubt, the sole object of this grand
piece of machinery is entirely the upholding of the papacy; indeed,
the whole body of knights, as well as of friars, are nothing more
nor less than servants of the Pope. In illustration of this fact, we
read in the history of Pius IV., that in the year 1560, he founded an
order of knighthood, under the title of St. John Lateran, and that
the principal duty these heroes had to perform was that of carrying
His Holiness on their shoulders, seated in his chair of state, with
the privilege of kissing his most sacred foot, both before and after
the ceremony. In subjecting his nobles to this degrading office, the
Pope wisely considered that he was preparing them for the performance
of any servile act that the future exigencies of His Holiness might
require. The Roman people, however, turned the cross-bearing knights
into ridicule, calling them Knights of the Foot, and the Pope saw
with dissatisfaction that the order did not prosper. He determined,
therefore, to invest them with fresh dignity, and decreed that every
knight in service should also enjoy the title of Count Palatine, with
the privilege of creating doctors in every department of science. This
succeeded for a time; the knightly Counts were content to submit their
shoulders to the sacred burden, and kiss the foot they carried; but the
sarcasms of the Romans proved more powerful than the titles and honours
of the Pope; the knights began greatly to disrelish their occupation,
insomuch that the successor of Paul was obliged to stipend his titled
porters still more liberally, or run the risk of not being carried at
all.
Another curious fact connected with our subject may here be related.
Pope Sixtus V. had, or pretended to have, a firm belief in the miracle
of the Holy House of Loretto, which was stated to have occurred shortly
before his time. Now many persons, with the Bishop of Recanati, a town
a little way from Loretto, at their head, absolutely denied that such
an event as that the house should have flown through the air, from
Nazareth to Dalmatia, and finally to Loretto, had ever taken place. But
the Pope was determined to uphold the truth of the miracle, and created
an order of knights expressly to maintain and defend its authenticity;
this was in the year 1586, and the order was named after the town of
Loretto. Every knight, therefore, was bound to draw his sword in its
defence, and to challenge to single combat whoever should venture to
impugn its veracity. They were chiefly selected from the inhabitants of
the province signalized by the event. This order continued in existence
about a century, after which lapse of time, as no one appeared to
think it worth his while to contend with Rome on the subject of the
imposture, it was considered as useless, and was no longer kept up.
While these knightly orders were instituted on one hand, on the other,
many fresh monastic bodies were established, under new denominations,
and with different dresses; all, however, were employed by the Church
of Rome to uphold her doctrines and her practice, even to fanaticism.
If they were not both equally injurious to society, the only difference
was that the one was dreaded from its open use of the sword, whilst the
other excited fear from its secret machinations; as servants to the
Inquisition they were all obedient alike.
And now a word or two with respect to these secret machinations which
hitherto, it seems, people have been afraid to talk about. The monks,
whether to their credit or not I leave others to decide, have proved
themselves more doughty champions than the knights; inasmuch as the
latter could never stand against ridicule, whereas the former have
braved and overcome it; they have even derived strength from it: their
disciples, moreover, are expressly taught to despise it, and through a
long course of years a generation of men has been trained up, who are
appalled by no dangers or difficulties, and are capable of confronting
every obstacle, in the service of Rome.
The first experiment under this audacious system was made in the
13th century, when that knave Innocent III. bestowed on his church
the renowned Order of St. Francis of Assisi. This holy brotherhood
understood better than any other in the whole world how to live well at
the public expense, without any possessions of their own, and without
ever incurring labour or fatigue. The first principle they inculcate
in their order is, that there is no disgrace in the act of begging.
_Fratres nostri non erubescant._ Clothed with a coarse garment, bound
round their waist with cord, with sandalled feet and shaven crowns,
dirty and greasy, they are truly as lawful objects of ridicule, to
all who behold them, as the grossest cynic was to the enlightened
Athenians. Little, however, do they regard it; there are even among
them not a few who imagine they present an engaging appearance in their
strange garb, and pretend they would not exchange it for the gayer
costume of the cavaliers. The Franciscans attach so much importance to
their dress, that their rules enjoin the penalty of excommunication to
any one who lays aside the holy vestment, or cuts off the sacred beard.
It is considered a mortal sin for a _Capuchin_ to assume the guise
of a _Zoccolante_, and _vice versâ_. This prohibition is equally in
force with respect to all the monkish orders, and the neglect of it is
considered as a species of apostasy.
When human beings are reduced to such fanaticism, both in principle
and in practice, it is not to be wondered at if they are capable of
any crime they may imagine it their duty to commit. The obedience a
monk owes to his superior is more absolute than that of the soldier to
his commanding officer, inasmuch as it wears the cloak of religion;
the monk considers himself a spiritual soldier, and his obedience is
based in superstition. Moreover, every monastic institution is a secret
society, and a true monk should have the genius of a conspirator. He
should love his own order before any other, and be ready to shed his
blood in its defence. Every institution has its own particular saints.
The Franciscan sees in St. Francis and St. Anthony the first saints in
the whole world, the most favoured by the Virgin Mary, and the most
fruitful in miracles; and on the other hand, the Dominican considers
his St. Dominic and St. Vincent the paragons, the _ne plus ultra_ of
all sanctity and miracle-working. St. Dominic is not merely termed
holy, he is denominated the most holy; _Sanctissimus Pater Dominicus_.
Take one of these worthies, then, stolid by nature and rendered more so
by his education, and place before him any sort of disgraceful work,
and see if the Church of Rome will not be fully satisfied with her
disciple.
From these societies the subtle and busy instruments for the extension
of the Papal power have been selected; and by their means has Rome
preserved her influence over the conscience, and extended her work of
proselytism.
The knights, on the contrary, enjoyed too much liberty to remain long
in the service of the priests. It was, therefore, often contemplated
to unite the knightly with the monastic life; thus the Knights of St.
John of Jerusalem considered themselves partly a military and partly
a monastic order. Many professed chastity, poverty and obedience,
and sometimes a fourth vow was added, that of making war against the
infidels. But all this was insufficient to bring them completely under
subjection; a life of still greater mortification was necessary, in
order to humiliate and degrade the individual, and render him a mere
automaton; and this was a life purely monastic. Whoever professes
it, if he be sincere, ought to possess no faculty of willing or
understanding, apart from that of his superiors; to whatever order he
belongs he must bring himself to the persuasion that there is no hope
for him in the mercy of heaven, unless he be obedient to them; who
alone, according to the Romish doctrine, are responsible for his acts.
At the last dread tribunal he believes it will only be demanded of him,
has he been obedient?--this is all he has to look to; he who gives the
order is alone answerable for its justice or its iniquity. Such is the
teaching that these degraded beings are accustomed to receive. What its
results are we need only look round those countries where it is most
extensively carried on, to determine.
Now these so-called superiors ascend by regular degrees, and at their
head is the Pope himself. An order emanating from him, quickly extends,
by means of these subordinates, into any direction he chooses, through
all its ramifications. Every one knows that his ministers amount to
several hundreds of thousands, all belonging to the same system, sworn
to obedience, and ready to undertake whatever may be required of them.
I will frankly confess my own private opinion of this organization.
Doubtless it was planned by men of consummate ability. It is a
diabolical invention to effect the greatest possible mischief. And such
was the intention of the three or four popes who had a hand in its
formation. Providentially for society, the succeeding ones were men of
inferior genius, and did not see all its advantages. With respect to
the present time, I should imagine there is little danger, as these
gentry no longer enjoy the same credit as they did formerly. Moreover,
in those countries where papistical doctrines predominate, the monks
are held in the greatest disrepute: at least it is so in Italy, where
they are well known; and I believe the case is the same in Spain. With
respect to France, it is a matter of regret that they have renewed
their former influence in that country, which, since the revolution of
1850, has become the reproach of Europe. Who would have believed that
she would not only grant an asylum to Jesuits, but also become their
defender and their partizan? It is, however, to be hoped that such a
state of things cannot last long; and that this nation may at length
recover from her delirium. This hope is founded on the conviction
that he cannot in reality but detest the Papacy, which, at the present
juncture, actually excites in the people no other sentiment than
infidelity in everything pertaining to religion.
Now, with regard to England, so great was the enthusiasm of her
Reformation in the fourteenth century, and such was the spirit of the
people, and so firm their laws, that Rome had no longer any hope of
regaining the country she had lost. Had it not been for Ireland, she
would as soon have thought of establishing her empire in Jerusalem and
Antioch, as in London or Edinburgh. Nevertheless, her hopes once more
revived, on perceiving the good effects of her operations in 1829. The
Emancipation Bill, in the estimation of Rome, opened the door for her
return into England; and it was conjectured that in about thirty years,
by adopting every possible means, the "good old times," such as they
were in the early part of the reign of Henry VIII., might return.
The plan was no secret; in fact, about the same time the Jesuits
renewed their operations. Pius VIII. was pope; a good old man enough in
private life, but a great stickler for the Council of Trent. It was a
serious grief to him that this _sacro-santo_ Council was not law to the
whole world. He was what the Romans call a good Canonist; indeed he was
of opinion that the Canon Laws were the greatest possible blessing that
the bounty of the Deity had ever bestowed upon mankind. And if such
were his real opinion, independent of any personal interest or bias,
no doubt he meant well in maintaining it. The Catholic Emancipation
Act, therefore, quickly inspired him with the consolatory idea, that he
should soon be able to introduce the Canon Laws of the Council of Trent
into this kingdom, which, according to his view, was already preparing
a return to Rome.
The Congregation of the Propaganda at the same time naturally fostered
the idea of establishing a hierarchy of bishops and archbishops, in
order to govern the Church of England according to the Romish laws.
The project was a daring one, but there was work to do beforehand.
Every colonist, before he plants, begins by preparing the soil. In
like manner England had to be prepared to receive a Romish hierarchy.
I imagine it was in the policy of Pius VIII. to prepare this ground
in a better manner than it has been done by Pius IX. With another ten
years of Jesuitical labour, their attempt would probably have obtained
a better result, at least according to their own opinion; but it has
pleased the Lord to confound their councils.
In what does this work of preparation consist? The grand secret of
the Inquisition, the labour of the Jesuits, is to employ every means
in their power that is most likely to secure their end. All the world
knows that in the moral code of the Jesuits, which is also that of the
Court of Rome, it is maintained that, provided the end sought be a holy
and religious one, of which they make themselves the sole judge, ALL
_means_ whatever are good and lawful; and the reason, according to the
doctrine of Thomas Aquinas, is, that our actions take their character
from the end we have in view. Now the means employed to prepare England
to receive the ecclesiastical hierarchy, with the Council of Trent, and
the Canon Laws, on which her conversion depends,--the means, I say, are
truth or falsehood, as may best serve; promises and threats, secret
gifts, and hidden treachery; exaggerated praises to their friends, and
the foulest calumny to those they believe to be their enemies. These
are the means which the Inquisition invariably employs, in order to
gain its end.
With respect to preparing England for the late _coup de main_, it was
deemed expedient to arrange a grand Jesuitical mission to the two
universities of Oxford and Cambridge. How well this mission succeeded,
it is needless for me to bring proof. It is an acknowledged fact,
that a number of clergymen of the Church of England have seceded to
the Church of Rome since the year 1829. The rise and progress of
Tractarianism and Puseyism, and the actual state of affairs, must be
well known to all my readers. How many good-hearted people in England
are now lamenting over the wounds that have been inflicted on their
unhappy Church! God grant that they may one day,--and that day no
distant one,--be healed!
Let us now inquire what the Roman Propaganda has achieved in this
country from the year 1829 to 1850. It established, in the first
instance, four apostolic vicariates, and subsequently, four others. The
first four were entitled, "the district of London, the Western, the
Central or Midland, and the Northern District:" the other four were
established in the year 1840, and received the names of "the Eastern,
Welsh, Lancaster, and York Districts." The eight bishops attached
to these districts carried on their operations under the immediate
directions and superintendence of the Propaganda--the principal organ
of the Inquisition; and their schemes went on quietly enough, until
some among them, more ambitious than the rest, and not calculating
the danger there might be of losing all the fruits of their previous
labour, took advantage of the Pope's weakness, and the ignorance of
the greater portion of the cardinals, and hurried matters on to the
termination of the plot which was not originally intended to explode
so soon. The effect of this precipitation, however, has been to render
their measures for the conversion of England altogether abortive.
Providence, in its all-wise purposes, influenced a certain Doctor
Wiseman, whose ambition of being created a cardinal had long tormented
his soul, to lead the weak mind of Pius IX. to commit the egregious
blunder which has ruined the whole scheme laboured at by the Romish
Church, and the poor Jesuits, with so much toil and perseverance, to
bring to perfection.
I call it ruining the whole scheme, since the object was to go on
secretly with the work, until the fit opportunity should arrive, when
all the preparations should be complete, and men's minds sufficiently
prepared for the _denouement_. If they could have continued their
Jesuitical operations at the two universities for another ten years,
the doctrines of the English clergy, and the Liturgy of the Church
of England would have become altogether papistic. These delightful
Tractarians, full of affection for the sister church, as they term
that of Rome--full of admiration for the magnificence of her rites and
ceremonies--impressed with respect for her worldly authority, and with
veneration for her assumed apostolic succession, would readily have
bowed to auricular confession, and would have admitted their belief in
the real presence, and consequently in the efficacy of the sacrifice
of the mass. As to the vow of celibacy, there were hopes held out that
the Pope might be induced to modify it; so that there should no longer
be any obstacle in the way of a complete fusion of the two churches,
provided his holiness would recognise the English hierarchy. Such,
until the present outbreak, were the dreams of the Puseyites.
But instead of all this, the whole affair is lost through the folly of
the Pope and the ambition of Dr. Wiseman! An injudicious bull, in an
unlucky moment, gave premature existence to the famous hierarchy; and,
to complete the blunder, elevated the primate to the rank of cardinal.
Not even in any Catholic country can Rome create a cardinal without
the consent of the monarch, neither can she send bishops without
the permission of the government: otherwise, they would be speedily
sent back. In other Protestant countries, the affair is settled by
treaty; but no such precaution exists with respect to England: still
no pope, who had a grain of sense, would ever have dared to send to
it, in so unlooked-for a moment, and without any previous notice,
a batch of twelve bishops, with a cardinal at their head! Could a
greater insult be offered, or a mark of more supreme contempt? By it
the Pope has turned the English Government into ridicule, ignored the
Anglican Church, and declared that he alone is the spiritual head of
the country, and that he will govern it accordingly. It is, therefore,
assuredly the part of England to give the Pope a proper reply to
his arrogance, and not only to show a just resentment of the present
insult, but at the same time to prevent its ever occurring again.
Now what has been the conduct of the Inquisition with respect to
England? What has the cabal of Jesuits been about? Whenever Rome
expects to meet with opposition, she invariably has recourse to
indirect means to gain her ends. For example, it is her object to
overthrow the Church of England. She conducts her operations in a
twofold manner,--by endeavouring to pervert its ministers, and by
exciting them to hostilities against the Dissenters. Indeed, the
conflicting spirit between the two parties is greatly aggravated
by the increasing corruption of the clergy. Within the last twenty
years the Church of England has experienced immense losses, without
knowing from what part her enemy assailed her. And now that the
Jesuitism is discovered, what attempts are not made to conceal its
existence! Up to 1850 it was the fashion for the clergy of the High
Church party to profess Puseyism. I have frequently been shocked by
hearing sermons from reverends and right reverends, openly in favour
of Romish doctrines. At the present moment, however, they are all
ashamed of having appeared to favour them. The bishops, who at first
boldly advocated Tractarianism, both in doctrine and practice, are
now as zealous in opposing it, and the journals are full of their
correspondence with such of their clergy as have publicly been accused
of Puseyism.
All this is most skilfully turned to account by the Jesuit Propaganda,
who regularly correspond with, and receive their instructions from,
the Inquisition at Rome. The English bishops, without being aware of
it, have in their train their missionary from Rome, who, although he
may not belong, _ipso facto_, to the company of Ignatius Loyola, is
nevertheless in essence a rank Jesuit; and may probably be one of
their own clergy, nay, even their own private secretary. Who shall
say such emissaries are not to be found also in the public offices
of the Government, nay, in the very court of her Majesty, the Queen
of these realms? The Jesuits find their way into the highest society
in the kingdom, introduced by foreign ministers, who place them in
families as tutors and teachers of languages. I myself know several
Italians who profess to teach, who call themselves liberals, in fact,
who state that they are my intimates; and with such pretences they get
into respectable families with whom I am acquainted, who consequently
trust to them, receive them into their houses, invite them to their
tables, and allow them to converse with their children. Many of these
are Jesuits, or their friends, who are recommended by them. It is to
be noted that among the Italians at present in London, who teach their
own language, the partisans of the Jesuits are they who are the most
encouraged, get the most pupils, and receive the highest payment. So
that it frequently happens that the worthless and the ignorant find
abundance of employment, whilst the deserving and the learned starve,
for want of anything to do.
The Jesuits secretly spread the most atrocious calumnies against those
who oppose them, whilst others they load with extravagant praise.
For example, there are a few Italians here in London, who, like
myself, have, through conviction of its errors, abandoned the Church
of the Popes and the Jesuits. We are all of us loaded with abuse,
and persecuted in every possible manner; I in particular am the butt
for all their shafts. According to their representations, I have
been guilty of all imaginable crimes, but of these crimes no proof
whatever is offered; even witnesses suborned for the purpose have
failed to establish them. For my own part, I have treated my slanderers
with disdainful silence; others, however, have taken up my cause. A
Cardinal, who is at the head of these calumniators, has had the lie
publicly given to him. Any but a Cardinal or a Jesuit would have been
indignant at such an accusation.
I mention these things to show what is the work of the Inquisition
now going on in this country. Here they cannot imprison men, or
torture them, or burn them alive; still they have lies, calumnies,
and treachery to resort to; they sow discord among families, separate
friends, and everywhere foment dissension and strife. They are unable
to destroy Protestantism in England, but they excite the various
religious sects to wage war among themselves, and then declare, in
the face of all Europe, that the Protestants of England and Scotland
endeavour to destroy each other. How often have I heard it said
in Italy, "Oh! the Protestants cannot exist much longer; they are
perpetually at variance among themselves; they will be ruined by their
own dissensions." But the Divine Providence will protect them from
this fate, however artfully their enemies endeavour to keep their
disagreements alive. Still all this discord has considerably weakened
the Reformers, and retarded their progress; and if the Jesuits have
not succeeded in attaining their desired object, it is not because
their plans were not well arranged, or their mode of carrying them out
effective, but simply because the Almighty has willed it otherwise.
It is curious to observe with what malignant artifice they arrange
the threads of their meshes. True followers of the Inquisition, they
feign to be strenuous advocates for liberty, and are the first to call
out for it. What was the plea for Catholic Emancipation?--religious
liberty. Unquestionably the Inquisition desires to have religious
liberty in England, in Scotland, and in Ireland; and to obtain it,
pays court to, and unites with the dissenters, who being desirous of
the same privileges, naturally join their votes against the party that
opposes them. But does the Inquisition desire to see the same religious
liberty in Italy, in Spain, or in Germany? No indeed: throughout the
whole of the continent it cements itself in the strictest bonds of
union with every government that oppresses the people. It sits by the
throne of the Emperor of Austria, by the side of kings and queens,
and even of presidents of republics. But in England, on the contrary,
it flies from the Houses of Parliament, and the palaces of royalty,
and betakes itself to the manufactories of Manchester, Birmingham,
Liverpool, Bristol, and Sheffield. Upon the continent it employs
every possible means to be absolute, in spite of the people, while in
the British dominions it associates with, and makes friends of the
discontented and rebellious of every denomination, crying, "Brethren,
we are an oppressed people; they who oppress us, oppress you also. A
luxurious and extravagant court, a weak and improvident ministry, and
a parliament where our masters are our representatives; these are our
tyrants and yours. We are loaded with taxes, which are continually on
the increase. Scarcely can the working man find the means of existence.
The Church swallows up all our profits, and serves no other purpose
than to foment scandal and division. Let us unite our forces, and
attack our adversaries. Liberty is the people's right." Such is the
language of the Jesuits to the Chartists, and such the proclamations of
Dr. Wiseman and Co. in their appeal "to the good sense of the people of
England."
With whom did the liberal party in parliament vote? was it not with the
Catholics? It would scarcely be believed in Italy, that the Jesuits
could induce the liberals of this country to join with them under
the idea of gaining greater liberty, when their real object was to
re-establish among them, as far as it was possible, the power of the
Inquisition, even under the mask of freedom.
It was the Inquisition that, under Gregory XVI., bestowed a benediction
in Muscovy on the troops of the Czar against the unfortunate Poles,
and which, under Pius IX., celebrated the defeat of the Hungarians
by the armies of Austria and Russia. The same Inquisition, which is
capable of any enormity, is at the present moment on the point of
exciting the ignorant and desperate rabble of Ireland against the
British parliament. It would not surprise me to see ere long the affair
of the _Sonderbund_ of Switzerland renewed in Ireland and in England,
occasioned by a few wretched bishops, as it took place in the former
country on account of a few unworthy Jesuits. The real object of all
this disturbance is to introduce into the country the government
of Rome. All might have been prevented in the year 1815, when the
_Protestant powers_ made such haste to reseat the Pope on the throne,
and a still better opportunity was neglected in the year 1849, when,
the Romans having legitimately deposed the Pope from the government,
after his desertion of his people, foreign powers were allowed to
invade the country, and to bombard Rome and two other principal cities
of the state, to restore to him his justly forfeited temporal power.
And could not this invasion have been prevented? And why was it not
done? Was it not an offence against the Almighty? And will it not be
visited, sooner or later, with the punishment due to it? This question
naturally suggests itself to the minds of those who now, in virtue of
their faith, feel themselves called upon not only to resist and to
protest against it, but also to place every possible impediment to the
further progress of the Inquisition of Rome.