98                    MEDIAEVAL CIVILIZATION

possess territorial wealth, but ought to labor like the
apostles; they ought not to command others, for in
the true church all are equal; the laity are not inferior
to the priests; they have the right to preach as did the
apostles; a pious layman is more truly a priest and
can give the communion better than the clerical preach-
ers who govern the church; the sacraments and the
indulgences are useless, for faith and repentance are
sufficient for salvation." The strength of these here-
tics lay in the fact, that they could address the people
in their own tongue, and that their preachers led a
poor and simple life in contrast to the manners of a
too rich and often corrupt clergy. But the greater
part of the Christians held in horror the word heresy,
and they willingly put themselves at the service of the
clergy for the purpose of exterminating the heretics.
In France the knights, at the appeal of the pope, led
a crusade against them as they had done against the
Moslems; they massacred all the inhabitants of
Bczicrs, as the crusaders in the Orient had slain the
nuns and women at Jerusalem. In Germany, the em-
peror Frederic IL, a half Saracen, excommunicated
by the pope, ordered people who were suspected of
heresy to be burned.

The Inquisition,—To complete the destruction of
the heretics, the pope sent into the towns of Langucdoc
commissioners, charged with making an inquest
(inquisition) concerning the people, who were sus-
pected of heresy. He gave the full power to arrest,
judge and condemn all persons, leaving them free to
proceed as seemed good to themselves, authorizing
them to absolve each other in case any irregularity