Witches in Europe Power and Belief, 1300-1750 |
The Bull of Innocent VIII, Sumis Desiderantes
Innocent, Bishop, Servant of the servants of God, for an eternal remembrance. Desiring with the most hearfelt anxiety, even as Our Apostleship requires,
that the Catholic faith should especially in this Our day increase and
flourish everywhere, and that all heretical depravity should be driven far
from the frontiers and bournes of the Faithful, We very gladly proclaim and
even restate those particular means and methods whereby Our pious desire may
obtain its wished effect, since when all errors are uprooted by Our diligent
avocation as by the hoe of a provident husbandman, a zeal for, and the
regular observance of, Our holy Faith will be all the more strongly impressed
upon the hearts of the faithful.
It has indeed lately come to Our ears, not without afflicting Us with bitter
sorrow, that in some parts of Northern Germany, as well as in the provinces,
townships, territories, districts, and dioceses of Mainz, Cologne, Tréves,
Salzburg, and Bremen, many persons of both sexes, unmindful of their own
salvation and straying from the Catholic Faith, have abandoned themselves to
devils, incubi and succubi, and by their incantations, spells, conjurations,
and other accursed charms and crafts, enormities and horrid offences, have
slain infants yet in the mother's womb, as also the offspring of cattle,
have blasted the produce of the earth, the grapes of the vine, the fruits of
the trees, nay, men and women, beasts of burthen, herd-beasts, as well as
animals of other kinds, vineyards, orchards, meadows, pasture-land, corn,
wheat, and all other cereals; these wretches furthermore afflict and torment
men and women, beasts of burthen, herd-beasts, as well as animals of other
kinds, with terrible and piteous pains and sore diseases, both internal and
external; they hinder men from performing the sexual act and women from
conceiving, whence husbands cannot know their wives nor wives receive their
husbands; over and above this, they blasphemously renounce that Faith which
is theirs by the Sacrament of Baptism, and at the instigation of the Enemy
of Mankind they do not shrink from committing and perpetrating the foulest
abominations and filthiest excesses to the deadly peril of their own souls,
whereby they outrage the Divine Majesty and are a cause of scandal and
danger to very many. And although Our dear sons Henry Kramer and James
Sprenger, Professors of Theology, of the Order of Friars Preachers, have
been by Letters Apostolic delegated as Inquisitors of these heretical
pravities, and still are Inquisitors, the first in the aforesaid parts of
Northern Germany, wherein are included those aforesaid townships, districts,
dioceses, and other specified localities, and the second in certain
territories which lie along the borders of the Rhine, nevertheless not a few
clerics and lay folk of those countries, seeking too curiously to know more
than concerns them, since in the aforesaid delegatory letters there is no
express and specific mention by name of these provinces, townships, dioceses,
and districts, and further since the two delegates themselves and the
abominations they are to encounter are not designated in detailed and
particular fashion, these persons are not ashamed to contend with the most
unblushing effrontery that these enormities are not practised in these
provinces, and consequently the aforesaid Inquisitors have no legal right to
exercise their powers of inquisition in the provinces, townships, dioceses,
districts, and territories, which have been rehearsed, and that the
Inquisitors may not proceed to punish, imprison, and penalize criminals
convicted of the heinous offences and many wickednesses which have been set
forth. Accordingly in the aforesaid provinces, townships, dioceses, and
districts, the abominations and enormities in question remain unpunished not
without open danger to the souls of many and peril of eternal damnation.
Wherefore We, as is Our duty, being wholly desirous of removing all
hindrances and obstacles by which the good work of the Inquisitors may be
let and tarded, as also of applying potent remedies to prevent the disease
of heresy and other turpitudes diffusing their poison to the destruction of
many innocent souls, since Our zeal for the Faith especially incites us,
lest that the provinces, townships, dioceses, districts, and territories of
Germany, which We had specified, be deprived of the benefits of the Holy
Office thereto assigned, by the tenor of these presents in virtue of Our
Apostolic authority We decree and enjoin that the aforesaid Inquisitors be
empowered to proceed to the just correction, imprisonment, and punishment
of any persons, without let or hindrance, in every way as if the provinces,
townships, dioceses, districts, territories, yea, even the persons and their
crimes in this kind were named and particularly designated in Our letters.
Moreover, for greater surety We extend these letters deputing this authority
to cover all the aforesaid provinces, townships, dioceses, districts,
territories, persons, and crimes newly rehearsed, and We grant permission
to the aforesaid Inquisitors, to one separately or to both, as also to Our
dear son John Gremper, priest of the diocese of Constance, Master of Arts,
their notary, or to any other public notary, who shall be by them, or by one
of them, temporarily delegated to those provinces, townships, dioceses,
districts, and aforesaid territories, to proceed, according to the regulations
of the Inquisition, against any persons of whatsoever rank and high estate,
correcting, mulcting, imprisoning, punishing, as their crimes merit, those
whom they have found guilty, the penalty being adapted to the offence.
Moreover, they shall enjoy a full and perfect faculty of expounding and
preaching the word of God to the faithful, so often as opportunity may offer
and it may seem good to them, in each and every parish church of the said
provinces, and they shall freely and lawfully perform any rites or execute
any business which may appear advisable in the aforesaid cases. By Our
supreme authority We grant them anew full and complete faculties.
At the same time by Letters Apostolic We require Our venerable Brother, the
Bishop of Strasburg (Albrecht von Bayern, 1478-1506 - ed.), that he himself
shall announce, or by some other or others cause to be announced, the burthen
if Our Bull, which he shall solemnly publish when and so often as he deems
it necessary, or when he shall be requested so to do by the Inquisitors or
by one of them. Nor shall he suffer them in disobedience to the tenor of
these presents to be molested or hindered by any authority whatsoever, but
he shall threaten all who endeavour to hinder or harass the Inquisitors, all
who oppose them, all rebels, of whatsoever rank, estate, position,
pre-eminence, dignity, or any condition they may be, or whatsoever privilege
or exemption they may claim, with excommunication, suspension, interdict,
and yet more terrible penalties, censures, and punishment, as may
seem good
to him, and that without any right of appeal, and if he will he may by Our
authority aggravate and renew these penalties as often as he list, calling
in, if so please him, the help of the secular arm.
Non obstantibus . . . Let no man therefore . . . But if any dare to do so,
which God forbid, let him know that upon him will fall the wrath of Almighty
God, and of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul.
Given at Rome, at S. Peter's, on the 9 December of the Year of the Incarnation
of Our Lord one thousand four hundred and eighty-four, in the first year
of Our Pontificate.