HAVING by the grace of God examined
the proper means of arriving at a knowledge of the heresy of
witchcraft, and having shown how the process on behalf of the faith
should be initiated and proceeded with, it remains to discuss how
that process is to be brought to a fitting termination with an
appropriate sentence.
Here it is to be
noted that this heresy, as was shown in the beginning of this Last
Part, is not to be confused with other simple heresies, since it is
obvious that it is not a pure and single crime, but partly
ecclesiastical and partly civil. Therefore in dealing with the
methods of passing sentence, we must first consider a certain kind of
sentence to which witches are in the habit of appealing, in which the
secular judge can act on his own account independently of the
Ordinary. Secondly, we shall consider those in which he cannot act
without the Ordinary. And so thirdly it will be shown how the
Ordinaries can discharge themselves of their duties.