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Article THE SECRET SOCIETIES OF THE MIDDLE AGES ← Page 10 of 11 →
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The Secret Societies Of The Middle Ages
It is indeed matter for wonder that such crying abuses should hav ° existed for so many centuries . Tho Gorman princes found no othe 1 ' means of escaping than by affiliating themselves with tho judges of Dortmund , by obtaining from the emperor the right of holding within their oivn territories tho secret courts of justice ; or by acquiring letters patent exempting them from the jurisdiction ofthe Wcstphalian tribunals .
Tho whole nation assembled in tho Diet attempted to abolish or to reform these formidable tribunals , but for a long time without effect , neither the most positive laws , nor their privileges or exemptions , Nor even tho confederacies which several princes and states concluded , in opposition to the secret tribunals , had any effect ; they even ventured to denounce the emperor , Frederick the Third himself , for
having published an ordinance against their abuses . Although the establishment of the circles , the institution of tho imperial chamber , and the reformation of the courts of justice under Maximilian I . concurred to diminish their influence and authority , yet they continued to subsist in some places , with all their original abuses ; and the final abolition of this absurd and cruel jurisdiction ,
throughout all Germany , was not consummated before the middle of the seventeenth century . In 1535 , an edict , issued by Charles the Fifth , condemned the abuses indeed , but did not venture to abolish these courts ; and so lately as 1640 , Thomas Schlisstein , councillor of state to the Elector of Brandenburg , drew out an accusation against the city of Herforden , for the injustice and cruelty of their secret tribunals , in which he describes the dreadful enormities practised iu their criminal trials , displays their
extraordinary modes of proceeding , and exhibits a curious specimen of the mysterious expressions which were used on those occasions . The burgomaster ( ho says ) , assessors , and councillors , continue to this clay the use of the secret tribunal . They employ certain marks and signs by which they understand one another , as " S . S . G . G ., " Stock , stein , gras grain—stock , stone , grass green—( vide last paper ) .
The accused persons aro brought to trial without being permitted to have any communication with the witnesses against them , and without being allowed any counsel to defend thorn , except a servant of the magistracy : persons of property aro often arrested , and tried for a capital crime ( our readers will remember that though we are using the present tense the narrative refers to tho year 1535 a yearbthe
, , y way , in which au important act , showing the difference of the English government , even at that period , is on record , viz ., the taking of the celebrated " Yalor Ecelesiasticus" ) on the oath of one of their debtors , or any person indeed who comes forward as accuser . Their information and examination are conducted by unknown signs and mysterious words , aud the unfortunate prisoner is subjected to ordinary and
extraordinary torture , contrary to the nature of criminal justice , and the constitutions of Charles the Fifth , What also renders the mode of trial tho more unjust and terrible is , that the assessors are for the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Secret Societies Of The Middle Ages
It is indeed matter for wonder that such crying abuses should hav ° existed for so many centuries . Tho Gorman princes found no othe 1 ' means of escaping than by affiliating themselves with tho judges of Dortmund , by obtaining from the emperor the right of holding within their oivn territories tho secret courts of justice ; or by acquiring letters patent exempting them from the jurisdiction ofthe Wcstphalian tribunals .
Tho whole nation assembled in tho Diet attempted to abolish or to reform these formidable tribunals , but for a long time without effect , neither the most positive laws , nor their privileges or exemptions , Nor even tho confederacies which several princes and states concluded , in opposition to the secret tribunals , had any effect ; they even ventured to denounce the emperor , Frederick the Third himself , for
having published an ordinance against their abuses . Although the establishment of the circles , the institution of tho imperial chamber , and the reformation of the courts of justice under Maximilian I . concurred to diminish their influence and authority , yet they continued to subsist in some places , with all their original abuses ; and the final abolition of this absurd and cruel jurisdiction ,
throughout all Germany , was not consummated before the middle of the seventeenth century . In 1535 , an edict , issued by Charles the Fifth , condemned the abuses indeed , but did not venture to abolish these courts ; and so lately as 1640 , Thomas Schlisstein , councillor of state to the Elector of Brandenburg , drew out an accusation against the city of Herforden , for the injustice and cruelty of their secret tribunals , in which he describes the dreadful enormities practised iu their criminal trials , displays their
extraordinary modes of proceeding , and exhibits a curious specimen of the mysterious expressions which were used on those occasions . The burgomaster ( ho says ) , assessors , and councillors , continue to this clay the use of the secret tribunal . They employ certain marks and signs by which they understand one another , as " S . S . G . G ., " Stock , stein , gras grain—stock , stone , grass green—( vide last paper ) .
The accused persons aro brought to trial without being permitted to have any communication with the witnesses against them , and without being allowed any counsel to defend thorn , except a servant of the magistracy : persons of property aro often arrested , and tried for a capital crime ( our readers will remember that though we are using the present tense the narrative refers to tho year 1535 a yearbthe
, , y way , in which au important act , showing the difference of the English government , even at that period , is on record , viz ., the taking of the celebrated " Yalor Ecelesiasticus" ) on the oath of one of their debtors , or any person indeed who comes forward as accuser . Their information and examination are conducted by unknown signs and mysterious words , aud the unfortunate prisoner is subjected to ordinary and
extraordinary torture , contrary to the nature of criminal justice , and the constitutions of Charles the Fifth , What also renders the mode of trial tho more unjust and terrible is , that the assessors are for the