Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 3.djvu/126

 HO GUGLIELMA AND DOLCINO. the charity of God. The fourth state was commenced by Sega- relli, and will last till the Day of Judgment. Then follow prophe- cies which seem to be based on those of the Pseudo-Joachim's Commentaries on Jeremiah. The Church now is honored, rich, and wicked, and will so remain until all clerks, monks, and friars are cut off with a cruel death, which will happen within three years. Frederic, King of Trinacria, who had not yet made his peace with the Holy See, was regarded as the coming avenger, in consequence, doubtless, of his relations with the Spirituals and his tendencies in their favor. The epistle concludes with a mass of Apocalyptical prophecies respecting the approaching advent of Antichrist, the triumph of the saints, and the reign of holy pov- erty and love, which is to follow under a saintly pope. The seven angels of the churches are declared to be Benedict, of Ephesus ; Silvester, of Pergamus ; Francis, of Sardis ; Dominic, of Laodicea ; Segarelli, of Smyrna ; Dolcino himself, of Thyatira ; and the holy pope to come, of Philadelphia. Dolcino announces himself as the special envoy of God, sent to elucidate Scripture and the prophe- cies, while the clergy and the friars are the ministers of Satan, who persecute now, but who will shortly be consumed, when he and his followers, with those who join them, will prevail till the end.* Segarelli had perished at the stake, July 18, and already in August here was a man assuming with easy assurance the danger- ous position of heresiarch, proclaiming himself the mouthpiece of God, and promising his followers speedy triumph in reward for what they might endure under his leadership. Whether or not he believed his own prophecies, whether he was a wild fanatic or a skilful charlatan, can never be absolutely determined, but the balance of probability lies in his truthfulness. With all his gifts as a born leader of men, it is safe to assert that if he had not be- lieved in his mission he could not have inspired his followers with the devotion which led them to stand by him through sufferings unendurable to ordinary human nature ; while the cool sagacity which he displayed under the most pressing emergencies must Chron. cap. xv. (Muratori, IX. 599).— Cf. Lib. Sententt. Inq. Tolos. p. 360.^ Pelayo, Heterodoxos Espanoles, I. 720.
 * Muratori IX. 449-53.— Guill. Nangiac. Contin. ami. 1306.— R. Fran. Pipini