And they shall also have full and entire liberty to propound and preach to the faithful word of God, asoften as it shall seem to them fitting and proper, in each and all of the parish churches in the saidprovinces, and to do all things necessary and suitable under the aforesaid circumstances, and likewisefreely and fully to carry them out.

And moreover we enjoin by apostolic writ on our venerable brother, the Bishop of Stratsburg, that,wither in his own person or through some other or others solemnly publishing the foregoing wherever,whenever, and how often soever he may deem expedient… he permit (these inquisitors) not to bemolested or hindered in any manner whatsoever by any authority whatsoever in the manner of theaforesaid and present letter, threatening all apposers… they may be, with excommunication, suspension,interdict and still other more terrible sentences, censures, and penalties.

Let no man, therefore, dare to infringe this page of our declaration, extension, grant, and mandate, orwith rich hardihood to contradict it. If any presume this, let him know that he incurs the wrath ofalmighty God and of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul.

Given in Rome, at St Peter’s in the year of Our Lord’s incarnation 1484, on the nones of December, inthe first year of our pontificate.

Official Letter of Approbation of the Malleus Maleficarium fromthe Faculty of Theology of the Honourable University of Cologne

TRANSCRIPTION INCOMPLETE

The official Document of Approbation of the treatise Malleus Maleficarium,and the subscription of the Doctors of the most honourable University of Cologne, duly set

forth and recorded as a public documents and deposition.In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Know all men by these presents, whosoever shall read, seeor hear the tenor of this official and public document, that in the year of our Lord, 1487, upon aSaturday, being the nineteenth day of the month of May, at the fifth hour after noon, or thereabouts, inthe third year of our Pontificate of our most Holy Father and Lord, the lord Innocent, by divineprovidence Pope, the eighth of that name, in the very and actual presence of me Arnold Kolich, publicnotary, and in the presence of the witnesses whose names hereunder written and who were convened andespecially summoned for this purpose, the Venerable and Very Reverend Father Henry Kramer,Professor of Sacred Theology, of the Order of Preachers, Inquisitor of heretical depravity, directlydelegated thereto by the Holy See together with the Venerable and Very Reverend Father JamesSprenger, Professor of Sacred Theology and Prior to the Dominican Convent at Cologne, being especiallyappointed as colleague of the said Father Henry Kramer, hath on behalf of himself and his said colleaguemade known unto us and declared that the Supreme Pontiff now happily reigning, lord Innocent, Pope,as hath been set above, hath committed and granted by a bull duly signed and sealed unto the aforesaidInquisitors Henry and James, members of the Order of Preachers and professors of Sacred Theology, byHis Supreme Apostolic Authority, the power of making search and inquiry into all heresies, and mostespecially into the heresy of witches, an abomination that thrives and waxes strong in these our unhappydays, and he has bidden them diligently to perform this duty throughout the five Archdiocese of the fiveMetropolitan Churches, that is to say, Mainz, Cologne, Treves, Salzburg and Bremen, granting themevery faculty of judging and proceeding against such even with the power of putting malefactors todeath, according to the tenor of the Apostolic bull, which they hold and posses and have exhibited untous, a document which is whole, entire, untouched, and in no way lacerated or impaired, in fine whoseintegrity is above any suspicion. And the tenor of the said bull commences thus: “Innocent, Bishop,Servant of the servants of God, for an eternal remembrance. Desiring with the most heartfelt anxiety,even as Our Apostles requires, that the Catholic Faith should be especially in this Our day increase andflourish everywhere,…” and it concludes thus: “Given at Rome, at S. Peter’s, on the 9 December of theYear of the Incarnation of Our Lord one thousand, four hundred and eighty-four, in the first Year ofOur Pontificate.”