“Dixit quod nunquam vidit hereticos” : Dissimulation and self-censorship in thirteenth-century Inquisitorial Testimonies

[Extract] In this chapter I suggest that a study of early inquisitorial practices and documentation can add significant historical depth to a broader discussion of censorship. In particular, evidence from thirteenth- century inquisitorial texts reveals both a desire on the part of the inquisitors to censor or eradicate heterodox ideas and an awareness on the part of suspected heretics that their own responses to inquisitorial questioning could be filtered through modes of dissimulation.