Facts and Documents Illustrative of the History, Doctrine and Rites of the Ancient Vallenses and Albigenses

Judging for themselves, readers might be misled by positive assertion, and the appearance of argument and authority, to show how utterly insufficient and even irrelevant those testimonies were.

Finding, however, that I could not do this satisfactorily to myself—or with any hope of giving satisfaction to such readers as are worth writing for—without saying a good deal on the History, Doctrine, and Rites of the sects in question, and being aware that some things were so much opposed to the popular belief that I could not expect them to be received on my mere assertion, it appeared to me that the best way would be to lay before the reader the statements of such early writers as were within my reach, following, principally, the order of time.

This I have done. I cannot but hope that, by doing so, I shall not only execute my original design in the most satisfactory manner, but also contribute, in some degree, to illustrate a very interesting part of ecclesiastical history which has been, perhaps, more than any other, misrepresented. Viewed in this light, I trust that this volume may not be considered entirely useless, or unworthy of perusal, by some who are not interested in the question which...