dress, threw herself upon the remains of her teacher, and, burning to death, descended with him into hell for eternity. Those who about the same time were detected at Oxford, rejected all offers of mercy, with the words of Christ, " Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven;" and when they were led forth after a sentence which virtually consigned them to a shameful and lingering death, they went rejoicing to the punishment, their leader Gerhard preceding them, singing " Blessed are ye w^lien men shall revile you." In the Albigensian Crusade, at the capture of the Castle of Minerve, the Crusaders piously offered their prisoners the alternative of recantation or the stake, and a hundred and eighty preferred the stake, when, as the monkish chronicler quietly remarks, "no doubt all these martyrs of the devil passed from temporal to eternal flames." An experienced inquisitor of the fourteenth century tells us that the Cathari usually were either truly converted by the efforts of the Holy Office or else were ready to die for their faith ; while the "Waldenses were apt to feign conversion in order to escape. This obdurate zeal, we are assured by the orthodox writers, had in it nothing of the constancy of Christian martyrdom, but was simply hardness of heart inspired by Satan ; and Frederic II. enumerated among their evil traits the obstinacy which led the survivors to be in no way dismayed or deterred by the ruthless example made of those who were punished.[1]
It was, perhaps, natural that these Manichæans should be accused of worshipping the devil. To men bred in the current orthodox practices of purchasing by prayer, or money, or other good works whatever blessings they desired, and expecting nothing
- ↑ Radulphi Glabri Lib. iii. c. 8.— Landulf. Senior. Mediolan. Hist. ii. 27. —
Caesar. Heisterbac. Dial. Mirac. Dist. v. c. 19. — Trithem. Chron. Hirsaug. ann.
1163. — Guill. de Newburg. Hist. Anglic. Lib. ii. c. 13. — Guillel. Nangiac. ann.
1210.— Chron. Turon. ann. 1210.— Radulf. Coggcsliall Chron. Anglic. (D. Bou-
quet: XVin. 93).— Bernard. Guidon. Practica P. iv. (Doat, XXX.).— S. Bernardi
Serm. in Cantic. lxv. c. 13. — Lucae Tudens. de altera Vita Lib. iii. c. 21. — Constitt. Sicular. Lib. i. tit. i.
The story of the young girl of Cologne assumes a somewhat mythical air when we find it repeated by Moneta as occurring in Lombardy (Cantu, Eretici d'ltalia, I. 88) ; but this only enforces the universal tribute to the marvellous constancy of the heretics.
