A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 4Lea, Henry Charles
History
A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 4
Lea, Henry Charles
Inquisition -- Spain
In 1552, we find the Suprema ordering the Saragossa tribunal to
prosecute and punish one of its commissioners in the mountains of Jaca,
accused of passing horses to France, but this was evidently due to the
fact that the offender was entitled to the fuero of the
Inquisition.[571] There was as yet no ingenious attribution of suspicion
of heresy to this contraband trade and, when in 1564, the Córtes of
Monzon prohibited the exportation of horses and mares from Aragon, the
only reason alleged was their scarcity in the kingdom.[572] The third
Lateran Council, however, in 1179, had denounced excommunication and
severe penalties on all who furnished the infidel with warlike material,
and this had been carried into the Corpus Juris; Nicholas IV had
specifically included horses and had sharpened the penalties; Boniface
VIII, in 1299, had placed the offence under the jurisdiction of the Holy
Office, and had ordered all inquisitors to make vigilant inquest in
their districts, and the prohibition was repeated in the annual bulls
_In coena Domini_.[573] The south of France, and especially the
contiguous territory of Béarn, had become interpenetrated with heresy
and a colorable pretext was afforded of invoking the aid of the
Inquisition to suppress the contraband traffic.
[Sidenote: _EXPORTATION OF HORSES_]
This was first confided, in 1573, to the tribunal of Saragossa, by a
commission empowering it to act in the premises. It accordingly inserted
in the Edict of Faith a clause requiring the denunciation of all who
sold arms or horses to infidels, heretics, or Lutherans, or who passed,
or assisted to pass, them to Lutheran lands. This brought in numerous
denunciations but, as there were no means of knowing what became of the
horses after they passed the border, the tribunal was powerless to
prosecute and so reported to the Suprema. It replied, August 25, 1573,
that further provision was necessary; assuming that Béarn was inhabited
by heretics under heretic rulers, the tribunal could proceed against and
punish, as fautors of heretics, those who bought or sold or passed
horses to Béarn, even when it did not appear that they had been sold to
heretics, and it was urged to be active in the matter. The edict was
therefore modified to include, as fautors of heretics, all concerned in
passing horses to Béarn; it was sent, with a secretary, to all the
principal fairs where horses were sold, to be published in the church,
with notice that the commissioner would receive any one who desired to
unburden his conscience. Exportation was forbidden, unless the owner was
known and would give security that the horses were not to be taken to
Béarn, or else would present himself with his horses before the
inquisitors within a designated time, so that note could be taken of the
animals and an account be required as to their destination. Another
device, which proved effective, was to register all the horses at the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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