By the chancellor of this Emperor, A. D., 1230. (Same place, _Epist. 25, Petri. de Veneis_).
In another letter of Peter de Veneis, we find another decree of Frederic II., which reads as follows:
“We therefore decree and ordain that heretics, of whatever name, shall receive condign punishment, throughout the empire, wherever the church shall condemn them as heretics, and deliver or indicate them to the secular judge.
“But if any of the aforesaid, after their apprehension, deterred by the fear of death, shall desire to return to the unity of the Catholic faith, they shall according to the requirement of the church ordinances, be imprisoned for life, to do penance.
“Moreover, all heretics, in whatever city, village or place, of the realm they may be found by the inquisition sent by the Apostolic see, or by other zealous adherents of the Catholic faith, shall receive like punishment.
“All those, then, who shall have jurisdiction there, shall be bound, on the denunciation or intimation of the inquisitors, or of other Catholics, to apprehend and closely keep them, until they, after their being condemned by the censure of the church, shall punish them with death.
“We ordain like punishment for those whom the crafty enemy stirs up to be their advocates, or who are their improper protectors.”
At the end of the decree are these words: “But the heretics whom they shall point out to you, you shall, each in his jurisdiction, be bound to apprehend and keep in close custody, so that they, after the judgment of the church, shall be punished according to their deserts; knowing, that in the execution of this matter, if you will do your utmost unitedly with these brethren (the Dominicans and Franciscans),[178] to expunge from our dominion the blot of this unheard-of heretical wickedness (thus he calls the true faith), you will render unto God a pleasing, and unto us a commendable, service.
[178] The Dominicans and Franciscans, though they seemed to be very simple and modest, were nevertheless the principal actors in this matter.
“But if any be slack or negligent herein, and unprofitable before the Lord, he also shall be justly worthy of punishment in our eyes.” Given at Pavia.
OF THE THIRD DECREE OF EMPEROR FREDERIC II. AGAINST THE AFOREMENTIONED PERSONS, A. D., 1230.
Peter de Veneis (_Lib. 1, Epist. 26_), relates in his letters a third decree of Emperor Frederic II., in which he gives fuller information concerning the surname of the Waldenses, namely, Patarini, as well as regarding their belief, and their spreading into all the provinces of the empire; it reads as follows:
“The sects of these heretics (says the Emperor), are not called by the name of any ancient heretics, lest they should become known; or, what is perhaps still more shameful, they are not content with the ancient names, that is, to borrow their names, like the Arians from Arius, the Nestorians from Nestorius, or from other like heretics; but, after the example of the ancient martyrs, who suffered martyrdom for the Catholic faith, they likewise, from their suffering, call themselves _Patarini_, that is, _delivered unto passion or suffering_.
“But these miserable Patarini, who are estranged from the holy faith of the eternal Godhead (thus he speaks of the true believers), destroy with one sweep of their heretical wickedness, three things at once, namely, God, their neighbor and themselves. They destroy God because they do not know the faith and the counsel of God; they deceive their neighbor because, under the cover of spiritual food, they administer the pleasure of heretical wickedness; but far more cruelly they rage against themselves, because, after destroying their souls they, as extravagant squanderers of their life, and improvident seekers of their death, ultimately also expose their bodies to a cruel death, which they might have escaped by a true confession of, and constancy in, the orthodox faith (thus he calls the priest’s faith).