To give some idea of these taxes, we will here copy a few articles from
the chapter of absolutions: Absolution for one who has carnally known
his mother, his sister, etc., costs five drachmas. Absolution for one
who has deflowered a virgin, six drachmas. Absolution for one who has
revealed another's confession, seven drachmas. Absolution for one who
has killed his father, his mother, etc., five drachmas. And so of other
sins, as we shall shortly see; but, at the end of the book, the prices
are estimated in ducats.
A sort of letters too are here spoken of, called confessional, by which,
at the approach of death, the pope permits a confessor to be chosen, who
gives full pardon for every sin; these letters are granted only to
princes, and not to them without great difficulty. These particulars
will be found in page 32 of the Paris edition.
The court of Rome was at length ashamed of this book, and suppressed it
as far as it was able. It was even inserted in the expurgatory index of
the Council of Trent, on the false supposition that heretics had
corrupted it.
It is true that Antoine Du Pinet, a French gentleman of Franche-Comté,
had an abstract of it printed at Lyons in 1564, under this title:
"Casual Perquisites of the Pope's Shop" (_Taxes des Parties Casuelles de
la Boutique du Pape_), "taken from the Decrees, Councils, and Canons,
ancient and modern, in order to verify the discipline formerly observed
in the Church; by A.D.P." But, although, he does not inform us that his
work is but an abridgment of the other, yet, far from corrupting his
original, he on the contrary strikes out of it some odious passages,
such as the following, beginning page 23, line 9 from the bottom, in
the Paris edition: "And carefully observe, that these kinds of graces
and dispensations are not granted to the poor, because, not having
wherewith, they cannot be consoled."
It is also true, that Du Pinet estimates these taxes in tournois,
ducats, and carlins; but, as he observes (page 42) that the carlins and
the drachmas are of the same value, the substituting for the tax of
five, six, or seven drachmas in the original, the like number of
carlins, is not falsifying it. We have a proof of this in the four
articles already quoted from the original.
Absolution--says Du Pinet--for one who has a carnal knowledge of his
mother, his sister, or any of his kindred by birth or affinity, or his
godmother, is taxed at five carlins. Absolution for one who deflowers a
young woman, is taxed at six carlins. Absolution for one who reveals the
confession of a penitent, is taxed at seven carlins. Absolution for one
who has killed his father, his mother, his brother, his sister, his
wife, or any of his kindred--they being of the laity--is taxed at five
carlins; for if the deceased was an ecclesiastic, the homicide would be
obliged to visit the sanctuary. We will here repeat a few others.