"A defence in the Inquisition is of little use to the prisoner, for a suspicion only is deemed sufficient cause of condemnation, and the greater his wealth the greater his danger"

John Foxe's quote discuss the overbearing and approximate nature of the Inquisition, a powerful institutional force primarily in Catholic countries during the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. Foxe, a Protestant martyrologist known for his work "Foxe's Book of Martyrs", typically critiqued the Inquisition for its absence of fairness and justice. This quote highlights several essential concerns with the Inquisition's practices, particularly relating to how suspicion alone might cause condemnation without the need for concrete evidence and how wealth could worsen one's vulnerability to such proceedings.

Firstly, Foxe recommends the futility of defense during an Inquisition trial. The declaration "a suspicion just is considered enough cause of condemnation" suggests a legal environment where the problem of proof is precariously low. The mere suspicion of heresy or misdeed could cause extreme consequences, such as imprisonment or execution. The absence of due process meant that the defense could seldom influence the outcome, as the trial was typically a rule leading to a preordained conclusion. This shows a broader review of systems of justice where liberties and rights are secondary to the whims of those in power.

Moreover, Foxe points out that wealth could increase one's danger in these proceedings. In a period where greed and corruption were not unusual among officials, a rich detainee might be seen as a financially rewarding target. The suggestion "the greater his wealth the greater his threat" indicates that allegations could be leveraged as a pretext to take assets, punish political opponents, or simply profiteer from the bad luck of others. This criticism highlights the ethical and ethical failings of the Inquisition, which ostensibly looked for to protect spiritual orthodoxy however was prone to corruption and abuse of power.

In summary, Foxe's quote is a powerful critique of the Inquisition's absence of justice, the ease with which people could be condemned based on mere suspicion, and the potential exploitation of the wealthy under its system. It acts as a cautionary reflection on the risks of uncontrolled authority and highlights the requirement for safeguards in any judicial system to secure people from approximate rule.