Rules of the Inquisitors

1. It is not permitted or advisable to dispute about the faith in the presence of the laity.

2. No one is to be regarded as converted if he will not accuse all those whom he knows to be such as he is.

3. Anyone who does not accuse those who are such as he is must be severed from the church as a diseased member, so that the sound members may not be corrupted by it.

4. After anyone is handed over to the secular judge, great care must be taken that he is not allowed to prove his innocence, or to show his harmlessness before the people; for if he is put to death, the people will take offense; and if he is released, the (Catholic) faith will be endangered.

5. Care must be taken not to promise his life, before the people, to one who is condemned to death (namely, if he indicates that he is willing to be converted); since no heretic would allow himself to be burned if he could escape by such a promise; and if he should promise conversion before the people, and his life were then not granted him, the people would take offense at it, and think that he was put to death unjustly.

6. Observe: The inquisitor must always take the deed for granted, without any consideration, and ask his questions only about the circumstances of the matter, not saying: Have you made confession to the heretics? but, How often have you made your confession to the heretics? Again, do not ask: Have they slept in your house? but, In what room of your house did they sleep? and the like.

7. The inquisitor may look into a book, as though he had written down in it the life and conduct of the accused, together with everything about which he is questioning him.

8. The accused must be threatened with death if he will not confess, and be told that his doom is sealed; that he must think of his soul, and, first of all, forsake his heresy; "For," it shall be said, "you must die; accept with patience whatever happens to you." If he then answers: "Since I must die, I would rather die in this faith of mine than in the faith of the Roman church," rest assured that before this he only pretended to want to be converted; and therefore he must then be brought to justice.

9. The thought must not be entertained of overcoming the heretics by skill in learning, or knowledge of the Scriptures, since the learned men are much sooner confounded by them; the result of which is that the heretics are then still more confirmed and encouraged, seeing that they thus outwit even those who are educated.

10. It is to be carefully observed that the heretics never speak right out, and that, when pressed by much questioning, they generally claim that they are simple and unlearned men, and therefore do not know how to answer; and that, seeing the bystanders moved to compassion for them, as though they were wronged, regarding them as simple and harmless people, they take courage from this and pretend to weep, as poor, miserable men, and, begging their judges, make strenuous efforts to free themselves from the inquisition, saying: "My Lords, if I have erred in any matter, I will gladly accept the penance for it; but help me to free myself from this reproach, into which I have fallen through hatred and envy, without having transgressed."

But the courageous inquisitor must then in no way be moved by such entreaties, nor give credit to such pretense.

11. Moreover, the inquisitor shall tell them beforehand that they will gain nothing by swearing falsely (out of necessity), since they (the lords) have evidence enough to convict them by witnesses; and that therefore they need not think that by swearing they will escape the sentence of death; but they must be promised that so far as they confess their error willingly, they shall receive mercy; for in such distress many are found who confess their errors in order to escape.

"Behold," says the writer of this inquisition, "these are the cunning schemes formerly used by the inquisitors throughout Europe against the Waldenses," and so on. In the second book of the first part of the History of the Waldenses, by J. P. P. L., pages 62, 63, 64.

NOTE: About this time (in the year 1303) Peter Johannis taught that the pope was the antichrist, and the Roman synagogue the great Babylon. About his martyrdom, however, we have not been able to learn anything. See P. J. Twisck, Chron., page 643, column 2, from Georg. Pac., chapter 11. [n473-1]