(which is an
impossible thing). This was a great torment. From such as he
had forgotten [But if any one had forgotten some sins] he
would be absolved on the condition that, if they would occur
to him, he must still confess them. In this way he could never
know whether he had made a sufficiently pure confession
[perfectly and correctly], or when confessing would ever have
an end. Yet he was pointed to his own works, and comforted
thus: The more fully [sincerely and frankly] one confesses,
and the more he humiliates himself and debases himself before
the priest, the sooner and better he renders satisfaction for
his sins; for such humility certainly would earn grace before
God.

Here, too, there was no faith nor Christ, and the virtue of
the absolution was not declared to him, but upon his
enumeration of sins and his self-abasement depended his
consolation. What torture, rascality, and idolatry such
confession has produced is more than can be related.

As to satisfaction, this is by far the most involved
[perplexing] part of all. For no man could know how much to
render for a single sin, not to say how much for all. Here
they have resorted to the device of imposing a small
satisfaction, which could indeed be rendered, as five
Paternosters, a day's fast, etc.; for the rest [that was
lacking] of the [in their] repentance they were directed to
purgatory.

Here, too, there was nothing but anguish and [extreme] misery.
[For] some thought that they would never get out of purgatory,
because, according to the old canons seven years' repentance
is required for a single mortal sin. Nevertheless, confidence
was placed upon our work of satisfaction, and if the
satisfaction could have been perfect, confidence would have
been placed in it entirely, and neither faith nor Christ would
have been of use. But this confidence was impossible. For
although any one had done penance in that way for a hundred
years, he would still not have known whether he had finished
his penance. That meant forever to do penance and never to
come to repentance.

Here now the Holy See at Rome, coming to the aid of the poor
Church, invented indulgences, whereby it forgave and remitted
[expiation or] satisfaction, first, for a single instance, for
seven years, for a hundred years and distributed them among
the cardinals and bishops, so that one could grant indulgence
for a hundred years and another for a hundred days. But he
reserved to himself alone th