What sort and crimes 4. Therefore that no one might presume upon indemnity by of persons virtue of this privilege, who had not a just and legal title to it, denied this several crimes and cases were specified by the law, as excepted, privilege, for which the Church could grant no protection. As first, First, public debtors. public debtors, who either embezzled or kept back by fraud the public revenues of the State. By a law of Theodosius the Great, now extant in both the Codes 52, such debtors, though they fled to the church for sanctuary, were to reap no benefit by it, but immediately to be taken thence by force or if they were concealed by the clergy, the bishop and church in that case were liable to be called upon, and made to answer the debt to the public. And Baronius 53 is of opinion, that it was by virtue of this law that St. Austin was obliged to pay the debt of one Fastius, who fled to the church for refuge, not being able to answer the pressing demands of the public exactors and therefore St. Austin made a public collection for him in his church, because he would not deliver him up to be tortured by his creditors, as he himself informs us in one of his Epistles. This was the reason, as I have observed in another 52 Vid. ap. Cod. Theod. 1. 9. t. 45. De his, qui ad eccles. confug., leg. 1. (t. 3. p. 358.) Publicos debitores, si confugiendum ad ecclesias crediderint; aut illico extrahi de latebris oportebit, aut pro his ipsos, qui eos occultare probantur, episcopos exigi. Sciat igitur præcellens auctoritas tua, neminem debitorum posthac a clericis defendendum: aut per eos ejus, quem defendendum esse crediderint, debitum esse solvendum. 53 An. 392. n. 29. p. 661. (t. 4. p. 672 c.) Hæc plane ipsa lex est, cujus vigore compulsus aliquando S. Augustinus persolverat, quod debebat, qui confugerat ad ecclesiam, &c. 54 Ep. 215. [al. 268.] (t. 2. p. 901 d.) Cum enim frater noster Fastius debito decem et septem solidorum ab oppigneratoribus urgeretur, ut redderet; quod ad præsens unde explicaret se, non inveniebat; ne corporalem pateretur injuriam, ad auxilium sanctæ ecclesiæ convolavit illi etiam exactores cum proficisci cogerentur, et ideo dilationem dare non possent, gravissimis me querelis oneraverunt, ita ut eis illum traderem; aut quod sibi deberi ostendebant, unde acciperent providerem. Cumque obtulissem Fastio, ut vestram sanctitatem de necessitatibus ejus alloquerer; pudore deterritus, ne facerem, deprecatus est. Ita ego, majore necessitate coarctatus, a fratre nostro Macedonio decem et septem solidos accepi, quos in caussam ejus continuo dedi, promittente illo, quod ad certum diem cum eis reddendis posset occurrere; et consentiente, ut si non posset occurrere, sermo de illo fieret ad vestram misericordiam, quam fraternam fratribus exhibere consuevistis. Nunc ergo, quoniam absens est, restat ut subveniatis, non illi, quem nemo compellat absentem, sed pollicitationi meæ, cujus existimatio vobis semper est præsens. Jam enim dies, ad quem se promiserat occursurum, transactus est; et ego ei, qui solidos suos fidei meæ commisit, quid respondeam non invenio, nisi ut faciam, quod me facturum esse promisi. place 55, why St. Austin refused to accept the donation of a man's estate, which was originally tied to certain public service in the corporation of the navicularii, or those who were bound to transport the public corn from Africa to Rome. For it might happen, that the men, whom the Church was to employ in this service, might by mischance of shipwreck, or other means, become obnoxious to the public, and then the Church must either deliver up her servants to be tortured, or else pay the debt; for there was no refuge or sanctuary allowed in this case, but upon that condition: and therefore St. Austin 56 himself tells us he refused such an estate, because one way or other it might have involved the Church in great trouble. In private cases Gothofred seems to think that the benefit of sanctuary was allowed to poor debtors, that they might have a little respite from torture, and either compound with their creditors, or find some other method to discharge their debt, whilst they were under the shelter and protection of the Church. Jews that pretended Christians only to a 5. But then even this benefit was not universal; for the Secondly, Jewish converts were particularly excepted from it. For by a law of Arcadius and Honorius, extant in both the Codes 57, it to turn was provided, that all Jews, who, being either in debt, or under prosecution as criminals, pretended to unite themselves void paying to the Christian religion, that thereby they might have the or privilege of taking sanctuary in the church, and avoid the legal punpunishment of their crimes or burden of their debts, should be for their rejected, and not received till they had discharged their debts, crimes. 55 B. 5, ch. 3. 8. 5. v. 2. p. 137. 56 Hom. 49. de Diversis, t. 10. p. 520. [al. Serm. 355.] (t. 5. p. 1382 f.) Bonifacii hæreditatem suscipere nolui; non misericordia, sed timore. Naviculariam nolui esse ecclesiam Christi. Multi sunt quidem, qui etiam de navibus acquirunt. Tamen una tentatio esset, [est, si] iret navis, et naufragaret: homines ad tormenta daturi eramus, ut de submersione navis secundum consuetudinem quæreretur, et torquerentur a judice, qui essent a fluctibus liberati. Sed non eos daremus. Nullo enim pacto hoc facere deceret ecclesiam. Onus ergo BINGHAM, VOL. III. fiscale persolveret. Sed unde per- 57 Cod. Theod. 1. 9. tit. 45. leg. 2. P their debts, or suffering ishment Thirdly, heretics and apostates. or proved themselves innocent of the crimes laid against them.' Yet, in other cases, the Jews were not denied this benefit, but had the common privilege of sanctuary with other men, if Gothofred 58 judge right, who cites Julius Clarus 59 and Petrus Sarpus 60 for the same opinion. 6. Rittershusius 61 thinks the case of heretics and apostates was something worse in this respect than that of Jews; because they, who deserted the Church, were wholly excluded from having any benefit of sanctuary in it. Covarruvias 62 and Panormitan 63 and Sarpus 64 collect the same before him, but not from any express law about this matter, but only from a general law of Theodosius and Valentinian 65, which excludes apostates and heretics from all society, and many other common privileges allowed to other men. From whence they conclude by parity of reason, that they could lay no claim to the benefit of sanctuary in any case; because deserters of religion, which they had once owned in baptism, were reckoned worse than Jews, who had never made profession of it. And there 58 In loc. (ibid. p. 361. col. dextr.) Contra innoxiis et debito liberis Judæis eam immunitatem constare humanitatis ratio putatur. De qua alioquin quæstione videndus Julius Clarus, aliique, et e Recentioribus, qui haud ita pridem de Jure Asyli scripsit, Petrus Sardus, [leg. Sarpus,] c. 5. p. 58. 59 [Sententiar. 1. 5. quæst. 30. n. 17. (Oper. Genev. 1664. p. 568.) Præterea quæro numquid Judæi, confugientes ad ecclesiam, gaudeant ejus immunitate? &c. ED.] 60 De Jure Asyli, c. 5. (p. 58.) Judæi supersunt, &c. 61 De Asylis, c. 6. (p. 90. nn. 6, 7.) Jus asyli et perfugii commune etiam est et patet non tantum orthodoxis, sed etiam errantibus. Giphan. in Econ. Cod. p. 18. n. 55.-Non vero hæreticis. Panormit. ad c. Inter alia, n. 21. Covarruv. 1. 2. Var. Resol. c. 20. n. 13.-Multo minus infidelibus. Pet. Sarp. de Jure Asyli, c. 5. in fin.-Neque apostatis, qui omnibus favoribus et defensoribus ecclesiæ catholicæ destituuntur. 1. 3. c. de Apostatis. 62 [Episcopus Segobiensis, q. v. Variar. Resolution. 1. 2. c. 20. De ecclesiarum et templorum sacrorum immunitate, n. 11. (Antverp. 1638. t. 2. p. 204.).... Quamvis excommunicato prosit ecclesiarum immunitas, non tamen proderit infideli, &c..... Eadem ratione hæreticus non est ab ecclesia defendendus, &c. ED.] 63 [Al. Tudeschis. Commentar. in Quinque Libros Decretalium, Lugdun. 1586. That edition I have not seen, neither can I readily find the precise words alluded to in the midst of the various sections of the chapter De immunitate ecclesiarum, &c., in the only copy I can conveniently command, viz. Nuremberg, 1486, without title and pagination. ED.] 64 [Ubi supr. (p. 60.) Quodcunque vero de Judæis dicitur infideles omnes amplectitur, &c. ED.] 65 Cod. Theod. 1. 16. tit. 7. de Apostatis, leg. 4. (t. 6. p. 207.) Hi, qui sanctam fidem prodiderunt, et sanctum baptisma hæretica superstitione profanarunt, a consortio omnium segregati sint, &c. fore, by another law of Theodosius 66, their slaves were entitled to the favour which the masters themselves were denied; for if the slave of an apostate or an heretic fled from his master, and took sanctuary in the church, he was not only to be protected, but to have his manumission or freedom granted him likewise there being an equal design in the law to encourage orthodoxy, and discourage heresy and apostasy by respective rewards and punishments allotted to them. slaves that ters. 7. This was particularly determined in the case of the Do- Fourthly, natists for re-baptizing their slaves, to initiate them into their fled from own religion. But in other cases the slaves of orthodox mas- their masters had not so large a privilege. For by a law of Arcadius and Honorius67, anno 398, slaves are put in the same condition with public debtors, and the curiales, and other public officers, whom no privilege of sanctuary was to excuse from the proper duties of their station. And therefore though any such one fled to the church for refuge, or was ordained a clerk in the church, there was no legal protection allowed him, but he might be reclaimed and fetched thence immediately to his proper servitude or station again, by the authority of the civil judges. I know indeed Gothofred takes this to be that law of Arcadius, procured by the instigation of Eutropius against the immunities of the Church, which is so much reflected on by St. Chrysostom 68, and Prosper 69, and Socrates 70, and Sozo 66 Ibid. tit. 6. Ne sanctum baptisma iteretur, leg. 4. (t. 6. p. 197.) His, qui forsitan ad rebaptizandum cogentur, refugiendi ad ecclesiam catholicam sit facultas, ut ejus præsidio adversus hujus criminis auctores attributæ libertatis præsidio defendantur. 67 Ibid. 1. 9. tit. 45. leg. 3. (t. 3. p. 361.) Si quis in posterum servus, ancilla, curialis, debitor publicus, procurator, murilegulus, quilibet postremo publicis privatisve rationibus involutus, ad ecclesiam confugiens, vel clericus ordinatus, vel quocunque modo fuerit a clericis defensatus, nec statim conventione præmissa pristinæ conditioni reddatur; decuriones quidem, et omnes, quos solita ad debitum munus func tio vocat, vigore et solertia judi- 68 Hom. in Eutrop. t. 4. (t. 3. 69 De Promiss. part. 3. c. 38. (append. p. 185 d. 1.) Eutropius, præpotens plurimum anima et mente paganus, cum in contumeliam ecclesiæ edictum obreptitie ab Arcadio Christiano imperatore exsculperet, ut si quis ad eam confugeret, etiam ab altari sublatus pœnas lueret ampliores, divino judicio suæ sententiæ prior ipse propinatus est. Offensam quippe prædicti regis incurrens, ad ejus refugium, quem oderat, convolavit. Quem sancta mater pietatis gremio suum excepit inimicum. Quæ, per venerabilem men 71, and some other ancient writers of the Church, and which Arcadius himself thought fit to revoke within a year after, when Eutropius was fallen under his displeasure. Which whether it be that very law or not, is a thing I shall not now nicely dispute; for admitting it to be so, I observe, that it was never wholly revoked and disannulled, but only in some particular instances. For that part about the illegal ordination of the curiales was left in a great measure in its full force, as has been clearly demonstrated in another place 72; and that part which concerns slaves taking sanctuary in the church, was with a very small variation renewed and reinforced by Theodosius Junior, son of Arcadius, and compiler of the Theodosian Code. For by one of his laws 73, which is the last upon this head in that Code, no slave is allowed to have sanctuary or entertainment in any church above one day, when notice was to be given to his master from whom he fled for fear of punishment, that he might reclaim him and carry him back to his own possession, only giving a promise of indemnity and pardon for his faults, if they were not very great and heinous: and Rittershusius 74 cites a law of Theodoric, king of the Goths, and some others to the same purpose. sacerdotem Joannem impetrans veniam, osori et superbo vitam contulit et salutem : ejus exemplo cunctos admonens inimicos, vanum eis esse contra stimulum calcitrare. 70 L. 6. c. 5. (v. 2. p. 314. 15.) Evτρómios yàp EvvоUXоs, проеσT@s τοῦ βασιλικοῦ κοιτῶνος, καὶ τὴν τοῦ ὑπάτου ἀξίαν πρῶτος εὐνούχων παρὰ βασιλέως λαβὼν, ἀμύνασθαί τινας προσφεύγοντας τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ βουλόμενος, σπουδὴν πεποίητο νόμον παρὰ τῶν αὐτοκρατόρων προτεθῆναι, κελεύοντα μηδένα προσφεύγειν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἤδη προσφεύγοντας ἀφέλκεσθαι· δίκη δὲ εὐθὺς ἐπηκολούθει· προὔκειτο γὰρ ὁ νόμος, καὶ μετ ̓ οὐ πολὺ προσκρούσας τῷ βασιλεῖ ὁ Εὐτρόπιος, ἐν τοῖς πρόσφυξιν ἦν. κ.τ.λ. 71 L. 8. c. 7. (ibid. p. 335. 19.) Εὐτροπίου δὲ σπουδῇ τίθεται νόμος, προστάττων μηδαμῆ μηδένα εἰς ἐκκλησίαν καταφυγεῖν, ἐξελαύνεσθαί τε καὶ τοὺς ἤδη προσπεφευγότας· οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν δὲ, ὡς εἰς τὴν βασιλέως γαμετὴν ὑβρίσας ἐπιβουλευθεὶς, πρῶτ τος αὐτὸς παρέβη τὸν νόμον· καὶ, ἀποδρὰς ἐκ τῶν βασιλείων, ἱκέτης τὴν ἐκκλησίαν κατέλαβεν. 72 B. 4. ch. 4. s. 4. v. 2. p. 58. 73 Cod. Theod. 1. 9. tit. 45. De his, qui ad eccles. confug., leg. 5. (t. 3. p. 372.) .. . . Si quidem servus cujusquam ecclesiam, altariave, loci tantum veneratione confisus, sine ullo telo petierit, is non plus uno die ibidem dimittatur, quin domino ejus, vel cujus metu poenam imminentem visus est declinasse, a clericis, quorum interest, nuntietur. Isque eum, impertita indulgentia peccatorum, abducat. 74 De Asylis, c. 8. p. 284. (p. 120. n.4.) Theodoricus quoque, rex Longobardorum, reverentiam templo exhibens, poenam debitam moderatione considerata palpavit. Jovium enim curialem, quem corrector Lucaniæ Brutiorumque humani sanguinis effusione pollutum ipsi suggessit, ob hoc, quod mutuæ contentionis ar |