Crime & punishment > Essay on crimes and punishments

Crimes and Punishments. 179
of this opin'oi was, that God puniflies them in
that manner in the next world, and that every
prince, or his reprelentative, even down to a
petty conftable, is the image of God in this
fublunary world.
On this principle it was, that all over Europe
they burnt witches and forcerers, who were
manifeftly under the empire of the devil; and
alfo heterodox Chriftians, which were deemed
hill more criminal and dangerous.
It is not certainly known, what was the crime
of thole priefts who were burnt at Orleans in
the preience of king Robert and his wife Con-
hantia, in the year 1022. How indeed Ihould
it be known ? there being, at that time, but a
fmall number of clerks and monks that could
write. All we certainly know is, that Robert
and his wife feafted their eyes with this abomi¬
nable fpeftacle. One of the fe&aries had been
confeflbr to her majefty, who thought Ihe could
not better repair the misfortune of having con-
fefled to a heretic, than by feeing him devoured
fcy the flames.
Cuftom becomes law; from that period to
the prefent time, a fpace of more than fevea *
hundred years, the church hath continued to
burn thole that are guilty, or fuppofed guilty,
of an error in opinion.
CHAP.