y
of Calas innocent, and recommended them to the benevolent justice of his
majesty. The duke de Choiseul, who never let slip an opportunity of
signalizing the greatness of his character, not only assisted this
unfortunate family with money, but obtained for them a gratuity of
36,000 livres from the king.

On the ninth of March, 1765, the arret was signed which justified the
family of Calas, and changed their fate. The ninth of March, 1762, was
the very day on which the innocent and virtuous father of that family
had been executed. All Paris ran in crowds to see them come out of
prison, and clapped their hands for joy while the tears streamed from
their eyes.

This dreadful example of bigotry employed the pen of Voltaire in
deprecation of the horrors of superstition; and though an infidel
himself, his essay on toleration does honour to his pen, and has been a
blessed means of abating the rigour of persecution in most European
states. Gospel purity will equally shun superstition and cruelty, as the
mildness of Christ's tenets teaches only to comfort in this world, and
to procure salvation in the next. To persecute for being of a different
opinion, is as absurd as to persecute for having a different
countenance: if we honour God, keep sacred the pure doctrines of Christ,
put a full confidence in the promises contained in the holy scriptures,
and obey the political laws of the state in which we reside, we have an
undoubted right to protection instead of persecution, and to serve
heaven as our consciences, regulated by the gospel rules, may direct.

CHAPTER V.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE INQUISITION.

When the reformed religion began to diffuse the gospel light throughout
church. He accordingly instituted a number of inquisitors, or persons
who were to make inquiry after, apprehend, and punish, heretics, as the
reformed were called by the papists.

At the head of these inquisitors was one Dominic, who had been canonized
by the pope, in order to render his authority the more respectable.
Dominic, and the other inquisitors, spread themselves into various Roman
catholic countries, and treated the protestants with the utmost
severity. In process of time, the pope, not finding these roving
inquisitors so useful as he had imagined, resolved upon the
establishment of fixed and regular courts of inquisition. After the
order for these regular courts, the first office of inquisition was
established in the city of Thoulouse, and