The Peril of the Republic of the United States of America - Percy T. Magan

the crown of Spain.
General police regulations were issued at the
same time, “by which heretics were to be excluded
from all share in the usual conveniences of society,
and were in fact to be strictly excommunicated.
Inns were to receive no guests, schools no children,
almshouses no paupers, graveyards no dead bodies,
unless guests, children, paupers, and dead bodies
were furnished with the most satisfactory proofs of
orthodoxy. Midwives of unsuspected Romanism
were alone to exercise their functions, and were
bound to give notice within twenty-four hours of
every birth which occurred; the parish clerks were
as regularly to record every such addition to the
population, and the authorities to see that Catholic
baptism was administered in each case with the
least possible delay. Births, deaths, and marriages
could only occur with validity under the shadow of
the church. No human being could consider
himself born or defunct unless provided with a
priest’s certificate. The heretic was excluded, so far
as ecclesiastical dogma could exclude him, from
the pale of humanity, from consecrated earth, and
135