asure.

So, too, among the Jews who were then the leading intellects of the
world, Averroism had been largely propagated. Their great writer
Maimonides had thoroughly accepted it; his school was spreading it in
all directions. A furious persecution arose on the part of the orthodox
Jews. Of Maimonides it had been formerly their delight to declare that
he was "the Eagle of the Doctors, the Great Sage, the Glory of the West,
the Light of the East, second only to Moses." Now, they proclaimed that
he had abandoned the faith of Abraham; had denied the possibility of
creation, believed in the eternity of the world; had given himself up to
the manufacture of atheists; had deprived God of his attributes; made a
vacuum of him; had declared him inaccessible to prayer, and a stranger
to the government of the world. The works of Maimonides were committed
to the flames by the synagogues of Montpellier, Barcelona, and Toledo.

Scarcely had the conquering arms of Ferdinand and Isabella overthrown
the Arabian dominion in Spain, when measures were taken by the papacy
to extinguish these opinions, which, it was believed, were undermining
European Christianity.

Until Innocent IV. (1243), there was no special tribunal against
heretics, distinct from those of the bishops. The Inquisition, then
introduced, in accordance with the centralization of the times, was
a general and papal tribunal, which displaced the old local ones.
The bishops, therefore, viewed the innovation with great dislike,
considering it as an intrusion on their rights. It was established in
Italy, Spain, Germany, and the southern provinces of France.

The temporal sovereigns were only too desirous to make use of this
powerful engine for their own political purposes. Against this the popes
strongly protested. They were not willing that its use should pass out
of the ecclesiastical hand.

The Inquisition, having already been tried in the south of France, had
there proved to be very effective for the suppression of heresy. It had
been introduced into Aragon. Now was assigned to it the duty of dealing
with the Jews.

In the old times under Visigothic rule these people had greatly
prospered, but the leniency that had been shown to them was succeeded by
atrocious persecution, when the Visigoths abandoned their Arianism and
became orthodox. The most inhuman ordinances were issued against them--a
law was enacted condemning them all to be slaves. It was not to be
wondered a