New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-20
INQUISlTORIAL METHODS.
THE WORKINGS OF THE HOLY OFFICE
IN ITALY DURING THE LAST
CENTURY
From The Nineteenth c, injury.

From The Nineteenth Century.
or late years a great deal CT attention has
been directed to the subject or the lhqulsiuoti
This TO doubt, is due IN some ccgree 10 the ap.
pearance Of DR.. Lea's learned but desultory ana
i'll arranged work viii n has been very widely
read and not, upon the whole, perhaps, very
judiciousy criticised But DR.. Lea deals win
the medieval IpQuisitivn o-ly The modern IN
QUESTION seems TO me oil more i'i'eres, anu IN
portance for several reasons | viii mention
here merely two. One is that It Is much nearer
to US Until toward the close OF the last century
IL was in good working order throughout South
ern Europe Nay even in our own century,
after the Congress of Vienna. II was re-estaD-
ished though with attenuated attributes. IN
Spain. Portugal Bavaria and the fapal sta.es;
countries was. indeed, brief But in Rome J,
fingered as a spiritual tribunal with power to
infct temporal penalties until TIE do"hla'' oi
the Pope's civil princedoIu, In 1Siu
Another reason why the modern InQuistion.
which may date from the issue in lo42 CT
Paul ITS Bull. "Licet ab ntiO'-deservcs more
attention than the medieval Is because lis prac-
tice was more regular, more settled more-lf |
may the Notwithstanding. And perhaps ltaIy
is the country in which its working may be best
studied In Spain /; was 10 grea; extent
political engine. and to this fact many writers
impute its INSCRIPTIONS savagery. for which no
one so far as / know, except Do Maistre. mas
in these latter days attempted 10 apologize The
same may DC said Of 1t a organized In Portu-
gal But in Italy. where IL was a purely ecce-
siastical court il was certainly less sanguinary
And there can he no doubt Of its popularity IL
that country during the seventeenth century
and. at all events the early part Of the eigh-
tenth popularity due not only to its congru-
BUSINESS with the religious sentiment Of the pop
ulaton. who regarded hercsy as the worst Grim,
any man could commit. but also &c the hlgh
character Of its officials.
The strappado the torture specially al
fected by the Italian Inquistion in the last cent
ury. The hands Of the person to be tortured
were fastened behind his back and ne was at.
tached by his wrists to a cord and elevated BY
means OF pulley almost 10 the roof Of me
torture chamber, and then let fall. with all
the weight Of his body. TO within short dis
tance of the floor. Sometimes plummets were
attached 10 his feet. to increase the severity n
this torture. The torture Of fire had its ad-
mirers. 1t consisted in exposing the feet Of the
accused. well anontai with lard and securely
fastened. TO fierce heat But, although per-
sIasive of confession. II was found to be very
dangerous, and on that account was seldom
used. as repugnant 10 the nildnt 81 and hpnig-
nifty OF an ecclesiastical tribunal. The boot and
the thumbscrcw were occasionally employed 'nr
clared TO be Unfit subjects FOR the slrappaio.
But fancy tortures-if one may so speak were
disaowed. Ard wise provision enjoined thar
no torture should be given until nine or ten
hours after food. OF course. all confessions
made under torture would not receive equal
credence. II the accused ~onf ss,-d things wildly
phrase IN the Holy Otica-a judicOus inquisitOr
would receive them with prudent sccptiCisIn.
And any confession obtained by rigorous exam
ination must be subsequently, ratified in cold
blood. If the expression may be allowed. Re-
fusal to ratify wouli expose the r,cusant 20
repetition OF the torture II may here Ne noted
with what pains the juriep-u Tents of the !ioiy
Office applied the nsclves to determine eQUitabiy
nice points which arose from time to time n
their practice. Take. fJr example. the III st0n,
II thu judy. in thu tribunal NJ cxaminatirn--
not in the torture Chamhtr- should say - No
accused. Confess or VIII give you the strap
pad'.' and the accused accordingly confe-ses.
should such n confession he regard a as eXtCrtei
by fear Cf the straupaGo?" 80" ansV ers "a
Their aSini. fer it is a light menace. and seems
rather a bit Of Dragging hy the Judge than any
thing else. always provided that the Judge is ~ot
a person i terrible asTcc'. and accustomed -
say such things ana to Do them: for ia that ase
the confession should he reg rd,d as obtained w
fear Of torments."