Familiars.--Question of Bearing Arms 381 Resources of the State at Command of Inquisitors 385 Episcopal Concurrence in Sentence 387 The Assembly of Experts 388 The _Sermo_ or _Auto de fé_ 391 Co-operation of Tribunals 394 Occasional Inquisitors-general 397 CHAPTER IX.--THE INQUISITORIAL PROCESS. Inquisitor both Judge and Confessor 399 Difficulty of Proving Heresy 400 The Inquisitorial Process universally Employed 401 Age of Responsibility.--Proceedings in _Absentia_.--The Dead 402 All Safeguards Withdrawn.--Secrecy of Procedure 405 Confession not Requisite for Conviction 407 Importance Attached to Confession 408 Interrogatory of the Accused 410 Resources for Extracting Confession.--Deceit 414 Irregular Tortures, Mental and Physical.--Delays 417 Formal Torture 421 Restricted by Clement V. 424 Rules for its Employment 426 Retraction of Confessions 428 CHAPTER X.--EVIDENCE. Comparative Unimportance of Witnesses 430 Flimsiness of Evidence Admitted 431 The Crime Known as "Suspicion of Heresy" 433 Number of Witnesses.--No Restrictions as to Character or Age 434 Mortal Enmity the only Disability 436 Secrecy of Confessional Disregarded 437 Suppression of Names of Witnesses 437 Evidence sometimes Withheld 439 Frequency of False-witness.--Its Penalty 440 CHAPTER XI.--THE DEFENCE. Opportunity of Defence Reduced to a Minimum 443 Denial of Counsel 444 Malice of Witnesses the only Defence 446 Prosecution of the Dead 448 Defence practically Impossible.--Appeals 449 Condemnation virtually Inevitable 453 Suspicion of Heresy.--Light, Vehement, and Violent 454 Purgation by Conjurators 455 Abjuration 457