(b) rites and ceremonies

§ 1. the lord's supper

the records of the inquisition of languedoc[68] (beginning of the fourteenth century) preserve a description of the lord's supper on good friday which is uncorroborated. "the major on the day of the supper after the ninth hour, when the supper has been prepared, washes the feet of the company (sociorum). he then places himself with them at the table, and blesses the bread, wine and fish, not as a sacrifice or offering (holocaustum), but in memory of the lord's supper, and prays as follows: 'o lord god of abraham, isaac and jacob, god of our fathers, and father of our lord jesus christ, who by the hands of the bishops and presbyters, thy servants, hast commanded sacrifices and offerings and various oblations to be offered: o lord jesus christ, who didst bless the five loaves and two fishes in the wilderness, and blessing water didst turn it into wine: bless in the name of the father, son and holy spirit this bread, fish and wine, not as a sacrifice or offering, but in simple commemoration of the most holy supper of jesus christ and his disciples, since, o lord, i do not dare to offer to thee by impure hands and defiled mouth the sacrifice of our lord bishop, {81} jesus christ thy son, but this bread and the substance of this fish and wine we beseech thee to bless in the name of the father, son and holy spirit, and may the communion (communicatio) of this bread as a simple host please thee, eternal father, and so direct my soul and my body, even all my senses, and so guide my footsteps that i may be worthy to offer thee that most sacred body which is worshipped by angels in heaven.'" the major eats and drinks first, and then distributes to others.

this, however, did not take the place of the celebration on easter day, which was the most important of the whole year, and devolved upon a major only. for this highest service of the year the major was the better prepared (melius dispositus) by the lenten fast, and particularly by the more severe fast upon bread and water only for three days previously. when the congregation, of both sexes, is assembled, a table or bench is spread with a clean cloth, and a cup of good pure wine and a cake or loaf, unleavened, placed upon it. then the president says: "let us ask god to forgive us our sins for his mercy's sake, and to fill us with those things which we ask worthily, for his mercy's sake, and let us say seven times the pater noster to the honour of god and the holy trinity." this the congregation does on bended knee. then the president takes a napkin (tersorium) and, hanging it over his left shoulder, with his bare right hand he wraps the loaf (panis) or cake (placenta) wholly in the napkin and holds it thus to his breast. standing thus he repeats (some said "inaudibly") the exact words our lord used at the institution.[69] he then makes the sign over (signat) the bread and the wine, breaking (or cutting with a small knife lengthwise) the bread. during these ceremonies the congregation {82} stand, but at this point they and he seat themselves at the table according to (church) rank. as each receives the bread and wine from him, he (the recipient) says: "benedicité, senher," and he replies, "deus vos benedicat." thus "their sacrifice is finished, and they believe that this is the body and blood of jesus christ." the remains, if any, are reserved (conservari) until after easter, when they are consumed by the faithful.

§ 2. grace at meals

first of all they stand in silent prayer, long enough to say thirty or forty pater nosters. before sitting down they all bless the table by saying, "benedicite, kyrie eleison, christe eleison, kyrie eleison." then the eldest says in the vulgar tongue, "god, who blessed the five loaves and two fishes in the wilderness for his disciples, bless this table and the things that are on it and shall be placed upon it," and he makes the sign of the cross saying: "in the name of the father, son and holy spirit." after the meal the elder gives thanks, saying in the vulgar tongue revelation vii. 12, adding: "may god give good reward and food to all who benefit and bless us: may god who gives us temporal food give us spiritual food: may god be with us and we with him always," and the rest answer, amen. in blessing the table and in returning thanks they lift their hands clasped and faces to heaven. then, if time and place were opportune, would follow a sermon or instruction, but this was usually deferred until after supper when the day's work was done, and they could speak with less danger, and, if prudence suggested, in the dark. teaching was positive rather than negative, for they began not by denouncing the errors and vices of others, but by pointing out what being a disciple of christ involved {83} according to the scriptures. these they had in the vulgar tongue, as well as in latin. they would "read round," and those who could not read would repeat from memory. they further supported their tenets by "saint and doctor."

§ 3. the consolamentum

this rite was, according to reinéri saccho, peculiar to the catharists, who gave it the alternative title of imposition of hands, but catholics, heretication.[70] by it catharists believed that a person received the gift of the holy ghost the consolator, or comforter—hence its name, and those who submitted to the rites were called consolati. hence, as only those were admitted who had proved themselves staunch and true to catharism, they were called indifferently consolati or perfecti, although more strictly, the former was applicable only to the catharists, and the latter to the waldenses. many who shrank from the austere life which the consolamentum demanded postponed it until what they supposed to be their last illness, so that the ceremonies had to be altered to suit the circumstances, provided always that the imposition of hands was retained. the person to be "consoled" must, if in health, prepare himself by a three days' rigorous fast. at the service of initiation, a table or bench covered with white towels and a book, called the text, upon it, were placed in the midst of the congregation arranged according to church rank. within their midst, but at some distance from the table, stood the candidate. the minister at the head of the table reminded him of the ascetic life he would have to lead, the dangers and persecutions he would have to endure, and that lapse meant eternal damnation, for there was no salvation in the roman church. he was then asked {84} if, with all this before him, he would surrender himself wholly to god and the gospel. on his answering, yes, he was further asked whether he would promise never to eat meat, eggs, cheese, venison, oil or fish, never to lie or swear, never to indulge any lust, never to touch a woman, never to kill, never to eat without a companion or without saying the lord's prayer, never to sleep unclothed, never to betray the faith. having made these promises, the candidate advanced towards the minister by certain, usually three, stages (intervalla), making at each stage his "melioramentum," i.e. he bent the knee, touching the ground with his hands and saying, "benedicite," thus shewing that the minister was better (melior) than himself.[71] at each stage the minister replied, "deus vos benedicat." on reaching the table he said: "good christians, i beg for god's blessing and yours. pray to god that he may keep me from a bad death, and bring me to a good end and to the hands of good christians." then the minister gave him the book to kiss, and placed it upon his head. then all placed their hands upon his head or shoulders, saying: "we worship thee, father, son and holy ghost," and the minister prayed that the holy ghost the consolator might descend upon him. when all had said the lord's prayer, the minister read st. john i. 1-17. he then gave the candidate the kiss of peace, and the candidate to the one next to him, and so on until all the congregation had exchanged the salutation. if the "consoled" were a woman, the minister, instead, touched her shoulder with the book, and her elbow with his elbow, and she did the same, if the one next to her were a man. he (or she) was given a small cord, "quo pro haeresi cingeretur," to be worn round the body, next to the skin. the congregation {85} then separated, after congratulating the new member.

in the case of the sick, treatment varied. some would not "console" anyone not in full possession of his faculties and able to make the answers. others admitted such, provided that in some way other than by speech he signified his assent. others went further and "consoled" even the unconscious at the urgent request of his friends anxious for his eternal welfare. thus sometimes even children were "consoled." in these cases certain modifications were allowed in the ritual. thus if the sick man could not make his melioramentum, the minister took his hands within his own, and the sick man would say "benedicite," bending his head each time. if he could not say the lord's prayer, others would say it for him. if it were discovered that the officiating minister was in mortal sin (according to catharist law), the consolamentum was invalid.

§ 4. the endura

every inducement was now made to the sick man to end his life by any means other than by direct violence. he was urged to undergo the endura, which took various forms. we read of this as early as a.d. 1028 in connection with a community at montfort, near turin, which taught that death by illness or senile decay only shewed that satan was still master of the situation and could send the soul into another body. here probably we have the clue to the reasons for encouraging the practice of the endura. the "consoled" had solemnly promised not to kill, and therefore could not directly commit suicide. but he could consummate the purpose of god, who had sent him the illness, by indirect means, and thwart the world, the flesh and the devil by a speedy death. {86} several expedients were adopted. thus the "consoled" sick was asked whether he would be a martyr or a confessor. if he said the former, a cushion or pillow was held over his mouth for some time. whether he recovered or succumbed, he was henceforth held to be a martyr. if he said, a confessor, he had to remain three days without food and drink, and whether the fast proved fatal or not, he was called a confessor. at ax, peter autéri, after some hesitation, "consoled" an unconscious woman, and ordered that nothing should be given her but pure water. she recovered and asked for food, which, however, her daughter refused on religious grounds, but the mother indignantly declined to be bound by promises made for her by others. mengard, a woman examined at carcassonne in a.d. 1308, said her little boy was hereticated when at the point of death, and she was ordered to give him nothing but bread and water, for when he died he would be an angel. but she refused not to give him the breast, and so he was not fully hereticated. at the same inquisition raymond issaun said that his brother, william, after heretication had placed himself completely in the endura for about seven weeks, and stayed in a certain hut where he died, and he was buried in the house of their father. another method was opening a vein and slowly bleeding to death in a bath; another, drinking the juice of wild cucumbers mixed with powdered glass so that the intestines were torn to pieces.

§ 5. penance

this was administered by the major, or by a presbyter by delegation in minor offences. after the penitent had confessed, the major (or presbyter) pointed out how and to what extent he had offended against the holy scriptures, and imposed a penance accordingly, {87} saying: "i, being entrusted with the authority of the blessed apostles peter and paul, bid thee on behalf of our lord jesus christ who instituted this holy sacrament of penance in his church, perform such penance as i impose upon thee."[72] no indulgences were granted. absolution was from the fault, not from its punishment.

§ 6. fasts

"the manichees of modern times," as they are called in the acts of the inquisition at carcassonne, had three fasts of forty days during the year, (a) from st. britius (nov. 13th) to christmas. (b) lent. (c) from whitsun to ss. peter and paul (june 29th), which, therefore, could not always have been forty days. the first and last week of each fast they called "strict," for then they fasted on bread and water, but in the other weeks of the fast on only three days—monday, wednesday and friday. others observed these three days as fasts throughout the year, unless they were travelling or were ill. others, again, because flesh was repulsive to them, and to mark their difference from the roman church, would eat flesh on roman fast days, but not when their own and roman fasts coincided.

[68] cod. vat. 4030.

[69] v. pp. 47, note, 62.

[70] also, more rarely, la convenenza or the agreement.

[71] this obeisance was made to him not personally but officially, as merely the instrument or agent of the holy spirit.

[72] v. supra, p. 66.