Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 3.djvu/284

 268 POLITICAL HERESY.— THE STATE. worldly, and ambitious body of men like the Templars should be secretly engaged in the dangerous and visionary task of laying the foundations of a new religion, which would bring them no advan- tage if they succeeded in supplanting Christianity, and which was certain to lead them to destruction in the infinite chances of detec- tion. To admit this is to ascribe to them a spiritual exaltation and a readiness for martyrdom which we might expect from the asceticism of a Catharan or a Dolcinist, but not from the worldli- ness which was the real corroding vice of the Order. Secondly, if the Templars were thus engaged in the desperate enterprise of propagating a new faith under the eyes of the Inquisition, they would be wary in initiating strangers ; they would exercise ex- treme caution as to the admission of members, and only reyeal to them their secrets by degrees, as they found them worthy of con- fidence and zealously willing to incur the risk of martyrdom. Thirdly, if a new dogma were thus secretly taught as an indispen- sable portion of the Kule, its doctrines would be rigidly defined and its ritual be closely administered. The witnesses who con- fessed to initiation would all tell the same story and give the same details. Thus evidence of the weightiest and most coherent character would be requisite to overcome the inherent improbability that the Templars could be embarked in an enterprise so insane, in place of which we have only confessions extracted by the threat or application of torture, and not a single instance of a persistent heretic maintaining the belief imputed to him. Turning to the testimony to see whether it comports Avith the conditions which we have named, we find that no discrimination whatever was exercised in the admission of neophytes. Xot a single witness speaks of any preliminary preparation, though several intimate that they obtained entrance by making over their property to the Order.* Indeed, one of the charges was, that there was no pre- liminary probation, and that the neophyte at once became a pro- fessed member in full standing, which, as explained by a knight of Mas Deu, was because their services were considered to be at once required against the Saracens.f Youths and even children of tender years were admitted, although in violation of the statutes
 * Procfcs, II. 188, 407. t Ibid. II. 451.