Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 3.djvu/629

 CENSORSHIP OF BOOKS. 013 lowed this with a bull in which he deplored the dissemination of heretical books in Germany, and directed the inquisitors to exam- ine all suspected writings, condemning those found to contain errors, after which it became an offence punishable by the Inquisi- tion to copy, possess, buy, or sell them. No trace remains of any results of these regulations, but they are interesting as the first organized literary censorship. About the same period Eymerich was engaged in condemning the works of Raymond Lully, of Ray- mond of Tarraga, and others, but he seems always to have referred the matter to the Holy See and to have acted only under special papal authority. When, as we have seen, Archbishop Zbinco burned WicklifTs writings in Prague, a papal commission decided that his act was not justified, and their final condemnation was pronounced by the Council of Rome in 1413.* With the gradual revival of letters books assumed more and more importance as a means of disseminating thought, and this increased rapidly after the invention of printing. It became a recognized rule with the Inquisition that he into whose hands an heretical book might fall and who did not burn it at once or de- liver it within eight days to his bishop or inquisitor was held vehe- mently suspect of heresy. The translation of any part of Script- ure into the vernacular was also forbidden. It was not, however, until 1501 that any organized censorship of the press seems to have been thought of, and even then Germany was the only land where the issue of dangerous and heretical books was considered to re- quire it. All printers were ordered in future, under pain of ex- communication and of fines applicable to the apostolic chamber, to present to the archbishop of the province or to his ordinary all books before publication, and only to issue those for which a li- cense should be granted after examination, the prelates being com- manded on their consciences to make no charge for such license. All existing books in stock, moreover, were to be subject to similar inspection, and of such as should be found to contain errors all copies accessible were to be delivered up for burning, f It shows to what a state of contempt the German Inquisition t Albertini Repertor. Inquis. s. vv. Lih-i, Scriptwa.— Raynald. aim. 1501, No. 36.
 * Mosheim de Beghardis, pp. 368, 378.— Eymeric. pp. 311-16.