Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 2.djvu/407

 THE INQUISITION ORGANIZED. ggj permanent footing by assimilating its organization to that of the institution elsen-here. He increased the number of inquisitors to hve and placed their appointment and removal in the hands of the Dominican master and provincial, or either of them. Kerlinger and Loms, however, were to remain as two of the five and no power, whether imperial or episcopal, should have authority to in- terfere with the free exercise of their functions.* A further extension of the power of the Inquisition granted by Charles IV. was of no great importance at the time, but has the highest interest to us as the first indication of what was to come A leading feature of the Beghard propaganda was the circulation among the laity of written tracts and devotional works Com- posed m the vernacular, they reached a class which was not whoUy Illiterate and yet was unable to profit by the orthodox works of which Latin was the customary vehicle. For the suppression of this effective method of missionary work the Inquisition was in- trusted with a censoi-ship of Hterature, to which further reference will be made hereafter. Less interesting to us, but probably more important at the time, was the permission granted to the inquisitors to appoint notaries. It will be remembered how ieal- ously these appointments were guarded, and this concession was evidently looked upon as a special favor. The inquisitors ap- parently had been trammelled by the lack of notaries, and they were now a,uthorized to appoint one in each diocese, and to re- place him when removed by death or disability f As regards the seizure of the Beguinages, it was ruthlessly earned out by Kerlinger. Those of Miihlhausen had been very flounshing, and on February 16, 1370, four of them were deliv- ered by him to the magistrates to be converted to public uses- probably the city's share of the plunder. It would seem, how- ever, that obstacles were thrown in his way. The jealousy of the bishops was not hkely to look with favor upon this permanent establishment of the Inquisition in their dioceses, with prisons and landed property that would render it independent. Mosheim (Eecard. Corp^ Hist. H. lU3-4).-Rayna.d. ann. 1372 No. U^^i^u 3^" Mosheim de Beghardis pp. 380-3. ^ ^^^J Mosheim de Beghardis pp. 368-74, 378-9.-B6hmer, Regest. Karl. IV. No.
 * Cbron. Magdeburg. (Leibnitii S. R. Brunsv. Ill 749) -Herm Cnr^.ri r-i,