The record-union., 1898-11-28
THE HERETIC.

IhE HEkEl llG.
Tn the execution of my Office of Sec
retary to the Inquisitors of the Holy
Office in this city of Antwerp, l nave
curiously observed the workings OF
beresy. And that which / remark ABOVE
ali is the incredible foolishness OF the
heretic-a thing which must surely give
pause to the least reflective. For, I'M
rrirnis. how should a common man De
wiser than the old, ancient Catholic anu
Apostolic Church, grounded upon sne
patriarchs, prophets and apostles! But
these ssectaries delight to make liars OF
Gods saints; and, although the force
of their scattered regiments hes Wnolly
an impious denial. they still nope 20
nrevai1 against the ordered legions or
Holy Church. So it is, in that dls-
orderly army, that an unconsldereu
chance often delivers me your heretlc
bound into the hands of his enemies.
Such an event is well exampled in
the particular affair of Gerard Ogier,
the pestilent preacher. which l Will re-
lata It happened in October, in the
year 1864, and began in this wise:
Upon a frosty evening. when l was SIT
ting alone in my chamber, my servant
came to me. saying that one Margaret
Houyuet desired TO speak with me. In
nv position man can never be prl-
vate. The said Margaret Houyuet
coming in, I perceived tall and meager
woman, with great eyes of black
luster Her lips made a scarlet thread
in her face, which narrowed swiftly up
on a peaked chin. She stood silent, and
under the shadow of her black hood her
eyes held me. l inquired of her what
was her business.
Honorable Master Secretary" she
made reply, they tell me it is to you l
must come to get a malignant hereto
taken"
l answered that she did right to come
to me, and sat down to- my desk TO
note her replies to my interrogations-
Name, Margaret Houyuet; unmarried;
age, 81; occupation, maker or bonnets.
Native to this city? Native of Brugcs,
but dwelling in this city for fifteen
years past. Desires to deliver TO the
Holy Office one Gerard Ogier, lately
sent from England to disseminate pes
tilent doctrine.
Further interrogated upon the doings
of the said Gerard Ogier, Margaret
Houyuet designated sufficient to have
burned the said Gerard Ogier seven
times over. You have, then, the
proper hatred toward the new religion,
I observed, when I had done with my
questions She regarded me as though
she understood not my words. re-
peated them. 1.-THE new religion?" she
asked. 1.-The new religion is all one
with a harlot-a painted harlot."
Il - p fr,II Of hnYs.
with women, one cannot always COM
prehend And thus, in the zeal of
virtue" said l, ''you spied upon this
man?" THUS and thus and
to gain the blood money" the deponent
answered. Upon that, I wrote an order
for the statutory reward, to be paid up
on the condemnation of the said Ogier,
and gave it to the woman. She looked
upon it as one looks who cannot read.
what is the sum?" she asked. tTwen-
ty-five fiorins." Margaret HouyAat
kneeled down beside the hearth, lit the
paper at the flame, witched it twist and
blacken in her fingers and wither into
air, and dropped the last fragment on
the tiles I regarded her steadfastly,
holding my peace. The times were
troubled, and distemper was much in
the air. Perchanee Margaret Houyuet
was a lunatic, and there was no Ge-
rard Ogier in the world. The fire whis-
pered in the silence, and / heard the
Cathedral chimes ringing without, far
and high and thin II have heard the
bells ring TO the tune of one plain song
for many wear and the
Jews bought a field with Iscariot his
money" said Margaret Houyuet, gaz-
ing upon me with a countenance IL
legible. "A green field, shuddering in
the wind. all specked with shadows
flying shadows" She got to
her feet, and I saw bright spot, re-
flected from the candle flame, gleam in,
each of her eyes "God keep you, Hon
orable Master Secretary" said Mar
garet Houyuet. and she went out.
The same night I had Gerard Ogier
brought into the prison. He was a
man of large stature, with yellow
locks and the face of a sheep. The
next day he was put to the question,
and so soon as his sinews cracked he
began to confess all. Sixteen years
since he had broken from the mon
astery of the Benedictines at Bruges.
Thence he fed to England. OF GER
tainty he did deny the miracle of the
Host. Latterly he had returned to the
Netherlands to preach the reformed
doctrines and so forth, and much more
to the same end. Whereupon the Judge
of the tribunal delivered sentence that
the prisoner should be burned alive.
(Without doubt a person roasting
quick at the stake presents a melan-
choly spectacle to the humane, but how
should ruth be shown toward one who
would wantonly persuade whole ma
tion into the flaming jaws of hel?)
On the third day after the condemna-
tion the fire was prepared in the mar
ket place, and thither / accompanied
the magistrates, the executioner and
the men-at-arms with the prisoner,
sorted with my duty. The streets were
thronged with the turbulent populace;