Perversion the Social Relation

Confessions of a Medieval Sodomite 147of the proceedings, Gilles never once vacillated from his absolute faithin both his exemplary piousness with respect to the religious law andthe imminent pardon of God. Even while relaying the most shockingdetails of his crimes, Gilles continuously viewed himself as within thereach of the redemptive powers of divine clemency. Indeed, as the followingpassage from the transcript ably shows, Gilles's faith in God'sforgiveness increased in direct proportion to the grisliness of the confession'sdetails. So great was his sense of God's love and favor that Gillesproved himself abundantly capable of bestowing moral counsel on hisaccomplices as they prepared for their own encounters with the finaljudgment. Notary Jean de Touscheronde recorded Gilles's finalwordsas follows:The said Gilles de Rais confessed and exhorted his aforesaid servants[Henriet and Poitou] on the subject of the salvation of theirsoulsj urging them to be strong and virtuous in the face of diabolicaltemptations, and to have profound regret and contrition for theirmisdeeds, but also to have confidence in the grace of God and to believethat there was no sin a man might commit so great that God inHis goodness and kindness would not forgive, so long as the sinnerfelt profound regret and great contrition of heart, and asked Himfor mercy with a great deal of perseverance. And God was closer toforgiving and receiving the sinner in His grace than the sinner wasto asking His forgiveness. And they should thank God for havingshown them such a sign of love, He who required them to die inthe fullness of their strength and memory, and did not permit themto be punished suddenly for their wrongs, and who gave them suchan ardent love of Him and such great contrition for their misdeedsthat they no longer had anything in this world to fear from death,which was nothing but a short death, without which one could notsee God in all His glory. And they ought very much to desire tobe out of this world, where there was nothing but misery, so as toenter into eternal glory. And thus, as soon as their souls left theirbodies, those who had committed evil together would thereby meeteach other again in glory, with God, in paradise. 2 *And to this declaration of faith in the imminent salvation of those unitedin a community of evil, the notary added the following continuation,