Guillaume Doumergue Verrier
	Translated by David Burr, History Department, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.

Guillaume is important enough to be mentioned in several other processes. His own process is edited by Raoul Manselli, Spirituali e Beghini di Provenza, 321-324. There is a French translation of it in Manselli, Spirituels et Béguins du Midi, 301-304.

Guillaume Doumergue Verrier, maker of candles from Narbonne, already a fugitive, long publicly cited and excommunicated as suspected of heresy and complicity with the beguins, was finally found, arrested in the town of Orange, and brought to the prison at Carcassonne. As we legally learned through his confession made in judgment during the month of May in the year of our Lord 1325, he received many beguins in his house and accompanied from place to place Pierre Trencavel of Béziers, whom he knew to have escaped from prison and been condemned as a heretic, eating and drinking with him and frequently listening to his words against the pope and the church. He heard from Pierre Trencavel and from many others (whom he names) that the male and female beguins condemned at Narbonne and elsewhere, as well as the friars minor burned at Marseilles, were good people unjustly condemned and holy martyrs now in paradise. He said this frequently and believed it, he says. In particular when he was taken prisoner at Avignon, then interrogated by the lord pope's chamberlain and the Archbishop of Aix on the pope's orders, he said he held similar views of this sort.

Again, he believed that Pierre Déjean, formerly a brother minor, was an uncanonized holy man in paradise and his writings or doctrine was good, holy and approved by the Council of Vienne.

Again, he believed that Jesus Christ possessed nothing either privately or in common.

Again, he heard from some spiritual brothers minor and beguins the following: that the eleventh horn of which the blessed John speaks in the Apocalypse refers to the a certain small king who is to appear and be established by a false pope, who is in turn established by that small king; and that the pope is suspected to be brother Angelo of the Franciscan order; and that the false pope will leave the highest and greatest order in the world, that is, the Franciscan order; and that ten kings will come from the east and attack the pope.

Again, he heard that twelve evangelical men will depart from the aforesaid Franciscan order, go to the Greeks, preach to them, and traveling beyond the sea should convert both the Greeks and the Saracens to the faith of Christ, then come to the Roman church and say, "You have killed the friends of God!"

Again, he heard that those ten kings or the eleventh king will humiliate the carnal Roman church, and the eleventh horn will especially contribute to its humiliation.

Again, he heard that the beguins will obey neither this present pope John nor the one who will be falsely elected, because that falsely elected pope will be a heretic; but others besides the beguins will leave this present, canonically elected pope and adhere to the heretical false pope because they see him leading a good life; and that falsely elected pope will be the great Antichrist, just as the Lord Pope John was the mystical Antichrist. (For just as John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus Christ, so the Lord Pope John prepares the way for the future great Antichrist. That is what this Guillaume understands from the aforesaid things he has heard.

Again, they suspected that the aforesaid Lord Pope John was a heretic and the mystical Antichrist because he condemned and burned the four Franciscan brothers at Marseilles, or because he caused them to be burned because they asked to observe their vows purely, and because the Lord Pope issued a decretal dealing with granaries, wine cellars and clothing. They said he had erred because his dispensations led, as they said, to tearing down rather than building up, and he could not do that. That is what they said as he has reported it.

The aforesaid Guillaume Verrier confessed all this while under judgment, partly during the vigil of the Lord's ascension; and later he said he repented and wanted to abandon his errors. Then, in time, - more precisely during the following October - while being interrogated more fully on the aforesaid subjects, he said he wanted to explain what he had been questioned about at Avignon by the Archbishop of Arles, chamberlain of the Lord Pope, and the Archbishop of Aix. He explained as follows: He says he believes that the friars condemned at Marseilles as well as those of the third order (that is, those called beguins) condemned at Narbonne and elsewhere were glorious martyrs.

Again, he believes that the aforesaid Pierre Déjean is an uncanonized saint in paradise, and that his doctrine is catholic, conforming to the faith.

Again, he says he believes that Christ had nothing either privately or in common due to the holy and perfect life he led. He offers for this the authority of the gospel, "You shall carry neither gold, nor staff, nor belt, etc." Again, he cites Christ's words to the young man, "If you wish to be perfect, go and sell all you have and give it to the poor, and follow me." Again, "The birds of the sky have nests, etc." Again, he says if Christ had possessed anything privately or in common, that Saint Francis would have been more perfect that Christ, which is untrue.

Again, he says the rule of Saint Francis is evangelical.

Again, he says that in view of what Lord Pope John has done, he seems to be the mystical Antichrist, but he would not affirm this and would not want to suffer death for it.

Again, he thinks the decretal the Lord Pope made on the property possessed privately and in common by Jesus Christ and the apostles is evil and wicked, that in this decretal the aforesaid Lord Pope has rejected and condemned the poor life of Jesus Christ. He says the same of the pope's other decretal concerning granaries and wine cellars. Moreover, as for anyone who has been or will be condemned because they refuse to accept the aforesaid decretal on the private and common property of Christ and the apostles, he says he considers them holy martyrs.

Asked if he wishes to stand by these statements, he says he does.

Again, speaking of those who, whoever and of whatever condition they may be, consent and adhere to the aforesaid pope's declaration concerning the private and common possessions of Christ and the apostles, pertinaciously standing by it and refusing to receive correction when it is offered them, wishing on the contrary to live and die in this belief, he says he considers such people to be heretics, although he does not consider such those who believe this but later repent and wish to receive correction.

Asked why he formerly said he wanted to abandon the preceding beliefs and repent, he says he felt differently about it in his heart than he now does, for God has placed a different intention in his heart; and he wishes to hold to that intention - that is, the most recent one - and persevere in it since it has been given to him by God.

And it was shown him in that very place, by many arguments and authorities of sacred scripture which are more fully given in his confession, that in believing thus he erred against the holy catholic faith, the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, against the words of the saints (especially those of Saint Augustine), and against papal power, and that he defended errors - even heretical ones - condemned by the church, erroneous doctrine, etc.

Having been warned that he must entirely abandon these errors and abjure them, he replies that he holds, not error or heresy, but the pure truth of the catholic faith in which he wishes to live and die, and that he wishes to persist in the preceding so long as it shall please God.

Committing these things over nine years before having confessed the aforesaid at diverse times and places . . . [The manuscript breaks off at this point.]

Guillaume's process is included in a sentence of March 1, 1327, where he is described as impenitent. The sentence is in the Collection Doat, vol. 28, the notice of Guillaume's impenitence is at f. 240r.)

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