Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-06-06
FLAGELLATToN.

former AGE may be reekoned the severe
.penanees inflicted by the church for the
purpose Of purifying the spirit by morti-
flying the flesh and Of these perhaps the
most extraordinary was that Of hacella-
ton. This was administered freely by
the priests, and was submitted to even in
public, with much apparent fortiude and
humility, by the most powerful mobiles in /
the land, and in nsomeinstanees, by crowned I
heads. These fagellations were some
times extremely severe. and natl4iaa .nt
an excess or religious enthusiasm, or a
keen sense Of ones own Interest, could
have induced the serfs and mobiles of Eu-
rope in past ages to submit their naked
shoulders TO the lash.
Among the most remarkable intances
of sovereigns who have been publicly
fagellated, may be mentioned that Of
Raymond, Count of Thoulousc, whose
regal authority extended over a very con-
siderable part of the south Of France.
For having given protection TO the Albi-
genses, Pope innocent III, much in
censed, published a bull of exeommunica-
ton against. His dominions were seized
nor could he succeed in eflecting their
restoration until he submitted to be flagel-
lated by the Legate of the Pope; who
stripped him to the waist, at the entrance
of the church, and drove him up TO the
altar in that situation, all the while beat
ling him with rods?
The penanee of Henry II. of England,
is well known. The whole body Of the
priesthood were deeply incensed at the
murder of Thomas-a Beckett and stroye
to spirit up the people to a revolt-the
King was obliged to submit to public
fagellation in order to preserve his king
dom-from which it would appear that
it is a desirable thing to be King. The
manner in which he expiated his errors
did not differ materially from that inn
posed on Raymond, Count of Thoulouse
The last instance of a sovereign who
, received this kind of correction from the
church, was Henry ". of France, on the
seventeenth of September, 1896; thil
. was to absolve him from excommunica
a ton, and free him from heresy. But TIM
: Prince was allowed an indulgence, thol
, seldom granted-viz: to receiUe fagella
1 tion By proryl and it is universally al
: lowed that this is by far the most com
Portable manner of receiving thi1 salutary
chastizement. His proxies on this IN
teresting occasion were Messieurs DOS
sat, and Du Perron, who to recompenst
them for having suffered for good of III,
church and state, were afterwards mad,
Cardinals. During the performance o
! the ceremony Of absolution in the churcI
of st. Peters, and while the chorister
were singing Miserere mel Deus, til,
Pope, at every verse, beat, with rod
on the shoulders of the two proxies. Blu
as further indulgence to the King, whl
was thus disciplined by proxy, the tw,
gentlemen, who represented him on thi
occasion, were suffered TO keep their coat
on during the operation, and the lashes
: is said, were not laid on with any degre
of vigor. And sometime afterwards,
report having been spread that these gen
tlemen had been compelled to strip them
) selves naked in the church and underg
a dreadful 1agellation, NJ. D'Ossat con
} tradicted it in a document since publishel
, in which he stated that the dicipline wa
merely nominal operation, necessary il
i order to comply with the rules set dowi
{ in the Pontificial, but, they felt it n
: more than it had been a fly that passe.
u over them, SO well coated they were.
Be this as it viii, it Is a matter Of hl
2 torical record, that Henry II. Of Englan,
: and Henry ". of France, Kings Of til
? two most powerful States in Europe, pull
> licly submitted to the dicipline Of hage
lation, the one to preserve his crown ID
!, : other, to qualify him to take possession q
Il it.