A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

The Council of Toulouse in the Year 1229.

RAimond Junior Count of Toulouse having made his Peace with King Saint Lewis, and being return'd * 1.1 to his Estates, Romanus Cardinal of St. Angelo, Legate of the Holy See, follow'd him in order com∣pleatly to destroy Heresie in that Country, and Held there a Council in the Year 1229, which begun in July and ended in November, at which were present Peter Amelli Arch-Bishop of Narbonne, Gerard of Malemort Arch-Bishop of Bourdeaux, and Amaneus Arch-Bishop of Ausche, and several Bishops of those Provinces: The Counts of Toulouse and the other Barons and Lords of the Country, except the Count of Foix, were likewise there, with the Seneshall of Carcassonne and the two Consuls of Toulouse, who were to Swear to and Approve of the Peace. The Legate proceeded therein against several Hereticks, Reconcil'd several of them who Recanted, and made Forty five Orders for the Rooting out of Heresy.

In the First, He enjoins the Arch-Bishops and Bishops to settle in each Parish a Priest and two or three approv'd Laicks, to make Inquisition after Hereticks, and to engage them upon Oath to use their utmost Endeavours to find them out, to Present them forthwith to the Bishop, and to the Lords or their Bayliffs.

In the Second, the same thing is enjoin'd to Abbots exempted with respect to the Places where they have Jurisdiction.

In the Third, the Lords of the respective Places are recommended to search after Hereticks, and to ruin the Places whither they resort.

In the Fourth, there is added the Penalty of Losing their Estates, against those who know that a He∣retick lives in their Territories, and will suffer it. And with respect to those who shall neglect to make Inquisition after them, 'tis order'd in the next Canon, That they shall likewise be punish'd for their neglect. The Houses where Hereticks shall be found are not so much as spar'd; and in the Sixth Canon, 'tis declar'd, That they shall be destroy'd, and that the Ground shall be Confiscated. The Bayliffs are Condemn'd to the loss of their Offices and Estates, who shall be careless and negligent in searching after Hereticks.

But to prevent the Abuse that might be made of these Constitutions, in making those pass for Here∣ticks who were not so; 'tis order'd in the Eighth, That no Person shall be Condemn'd as an Heretick, who has not been judg'd to be one by the Bishop of the Place.

The Ninth gives leave to the Lords and their Officers to Apprehend Hereticks upon the Territories of other Lords.

The Tenth imports, That the Hereticks who voluntarily Recant, shall not remain in the Villages where they were, if they are suspected of Heresy, but shall be Transported into other Catholick Vil∣lages, which are free from suspicion; that they shall wear two Crosses on their Cloths, and have Cer∣tificates from their Bishops of their being Reconcil'd: That they shall not be admitted any more into Publick Offices, nor do any Publick Acts till they shall have been qualify'd for it again by the Pope, or his Legate.

In the Eleventh, 'Tis order'd with respect to those who are Converted by the fear of Death, or for some other such Account, that they shall be shut up in a Wall'd Place, that so they may not corrupt others.

The Twelfth imports, That all Men above Fourteen Years Old, and all Women above Twelve, shall make an Abjuration of all sorts of Heresy, and a Profession of the Faith of the Roman Church, and that they shall be engag'd to persecute Hereticks.

In the Thirteenth 'tis order'd, That all Persons who have the use of their Reason, shall Confess themselves twice a Year to their own proper Priest, and Receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at Christ-mass, Easter and Whitsontide, so that Confession shall go before the Communion, unless the Priest think fit for some just Cause, that they should abstain one time from receiving the Eucharist, and that those who shall abstain from it upon other Accounts, shall be suspected of Heresy.

The Fourteenth prohibts Laicks from having the Books of the Old or New-Testament, unless it be a Psalter or a Breviary, and the Rosary, and does not permit them so much as to Translate them into the Vulgar Tongue. This Restraint was doubtless founded on that frequent Abuse which was made of them in that Country.

In the Fifteenth, They who are suspected of Heresy are prohibited the Practice of Physick, and He∣reticks are forbidden to come near the Sick, after they have receiv'd the Viaticum.

The Sixteenth orders, That the Last Wills and Testaments shall be receiv'd by the Curates.

The Seventeenth prohibits the Prelates and Barons from bestowing Offices which depended on them on Hereticks, and from having for their Domesticks suspected Persons, or of an ill Re∣putation.

The Eighteenth declares those to be of a bad Repute, who are notoriously Infamous, or against whom Persons of Worth give in Evidence.

The Nineteenth maintains the Churches and Religious Houses in their Privileges, and orders the entire Payment of Tithes.

The Twentieth prohibits the laying any Tax on the Clergy.

The Twenty first discharges them from all manner of Tributes and new Duties, and extends this Favour to the Monks and Pilgrims, provided they do not concern themselves in Merchandise.

The Twenty second obliges those who receive Taxes, to take care of the High-ways, and makes them Responsible for the Robberies committed between Sun and Sun.

The Twenty third forbids Laicks from laying any Tax on the Servants of Churches or of Church-Men, if they do not hold any Estate of them.

The Twenty fourth orders, That if any Person shall throw a Clergy-Man into Prison, even tho' he has not the Tonsure, the Bishop shall be acquainted of it: That the Lay-Judge shall be oblig'd to remit him into the Hands of the Ecclesiastical Judges, and that if he refuse to do it, he shall be declar'd Excommunicated and forc'd to deliver him up by his Lord.

The Twenty fifth orders all the Masters and Mistresses of every House, every Sunday and Holy-Day to be at Church, to hear the Preaching and Divine Service, and not to go out till Mass be quite over: That if they both cannot be there, one of them shall, and that if both miss without being Sick, or having any Lawful Excuse, they shall be oblig'd to pay Twelve French Deniers; one Moiety whereof shall go to the Lord, and the other to the Priest and the Church. They are likewise re∣commended to go to Church on Saturday-Nights in Honour of the Virgin Mary.

The Twenty sixth contains the Catalogue of the Festivals, which are as follow: Christ-mass-Day, the Feasts of St. Stephen, of St. John the Evangelist, of the Holy Innocents, of St. Sylvester, of the Cir∣cumcision, of the Epiphany, of the Purification, of the Annunciation, of the Assumption, of the Nati∣vity of the Virgin Mary, Easter-Day, and the two next Days, the three Rogation-Days, Whitsunday and the two following Days, the Nativity of St. John Baptist, the Invention and Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Feasts of the Twelve Disciples, of St. Mary Magdalen, of St. Lawrence, of St. Martin, of St. Nicholas, of the Dedication of St. Michael, the Dedication of each Church, the Feast of the Holy Patron and every Sunday.

In the Twenty seventh 'tis order'd, That during all those Festivals, they shall abstain from all man∣ner of Work according to Custom, and according to the Order which shall be prescrib'd by the Bi∣shop, and that the Curates shall give notice of them every Sunday at Mass.

The other Canons relate to the observing of Peace, and contain Orders for Civil Affairs.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The Council of Toulouse 1229.