CHAPTER IX.

The downfall of the Templars--The cause thereof--The Grand Master

comes to Europe at the request of the Pope--He is imprisoned, with all

the Templars in France, by command of king Philip--They are put to the

torture, and confessions of the guilt of heresy and idolatry are

extracted from them--Edward II. king of England stands up in defence

of the Templars, but afterwards persecutes them at the instance of the

Pope--The imprisonment of the Master of the Temple and all his

brethren in England--Their examination upon eighty-seven horrible and

ridiculous articles of accusation before foreign inquisitors appointed

by the Pope--A council of the church assembles at London to pass

sentence upon them--The curious evidence adduced as to the mode of

admission into the order, and of the customs and observances of the

fraternity.

En cel an qu'ai dist or endroit,

Et ne sait a tort ou a droit,

Furent li Templiers, sans doutance,

Tous pris par le royaume de France.

Au mois d'Octobre, au point du jor,

Et un vendredi fu le jor.

_Chron. MS._

[Sidenote: JAMES DE MOLAY. A. D. 1297.]

[Sidenote: A. D. 1302.]

It now only remains for us to describe the miserable fate of the surviving

brethren of the order of the Temple, and to tell of the ingratitude they

encountered from their fellow Christians in the West. Shortly after the

fall of Acre, a general chapter of the fraternity was called together, and

James de Molay, the Preceptor of England, was chosen Grand Master.[321]

He attempted once more (A. D. 1302) to plant the banners of the Temple

upon the sacred soil of Palestine, but was defeated by the sultan of Egypt

with the loss of a hundred and twenty of his brethren.[322] This

disastrous expedition was speedily followed by the downfall of the

fraternity. Many circumstances contributed to this memorable event.

With the loss of all the christian territory in Palestine had expired in

Christendom every serious hope and expectation of recovering and retaining

the Holy City. The services of the Templars were consequently no longer

required, and men began to regard with an eye of envy and of covetousness

their vast wealth and immense possessions. The privileges conceded to the

fraternity by the popes made the church their enemy. The great body of the

clergy regarded with jealousy and indignation their exemption from the

ordinary ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The bull _omne datum optimum_ was

considered a great inroad upon the rights of the church, and broke the

union which had originally subsisted between the Templars and the

ecclesiastics. Their exemption from tithe was a source of considerable

loss to the parsons, and the privilege they possessed of celebrating

divine service during interdict brought abundance of offerings and alms to

the priests and chaplains of the order, which the clergy looked upon as so

many robberies committed upon themselves. Disputes arose between the

fraternity and the bishops and priests, and the hostility of the latter to

the order was manifested in repeated acts of injustice, which drew forth

many severe bulls and indignant animadversions from the Roman pontiffs.

Pope Alexander, in a bull fulminated against the clergy, tells them that

if they would carefully reflect upon the contests which his beloved sons,

the brethren of the chivalry of the Temple, continually maintained in

Palestine for the defence of Christianity, and their kindness to the poor,

they would not only cease from annoying and injuring them, but would

strictly restrain others from so doing. He expresses himself to be grieved

and astonished to hear that many ecclesiastics had vexed them with

grievous injuries, had treated his apostolic letters with contempt, and

had refused to read them in their churches; that they had subtracted the

customary alms and oblations from the fraternity, and had admitted

aggressors against the property of the brethren to their familiar

friendship, insufferably endeavouring to press down and discourage those

whom they ought assiduously to uphold. From other bulls it appears that

the clergy interfered with the right enjoyed by the fraternity of

collecting alms; that they refused to bury the brethren of the order when

deceased without being paid for it, and arrogantly claimed a right to be

entertained with sumptuous hospitality in the houses of the Temple. For

these delinquencies, the bishops, archdeacons, priests, and the whole body

of the clergy, are threatened with severe measures by the Roman

pontiff.[323]

The Templars, moreover, towards the close of their career, became

unpopular with the European sovereigns and their nobles. The revenues of

the former were somewhat diminished through the immunities conceded to the

Templars by their predecessors, and the paternal estates of the latter had

been diminished by the grant of many thousand manors, lordships, and fair

estates to the order by their pious and enthusiastic ancestors.

Considerable dislike also began to be manifested to the annual

transmission of large sums of money, the revenues of the order, from the

European states to be expended in a distant warfare in which Christendom

now took comparatively no interest. Shortly after the fall of Acre, and

the total loss of Palestine, Edward the First, king of England, seized and

sequestered to his own use the monies which had been accumulated by the

Templars, to forward to their brethren in Cyprus, alleging that the

property of the order of the Temple had been granted to it by the kings of

England, his predecessors, and their subjects, for the defence of the Holy

Land, and that since the loss thereof, no better use could be made of the

money than by appropriating it to the maintenance of the poor. At the

earnest request of the pope, however, the king afterwards permitted their

revenues to be transmitted to them in the island of Cyprus in the usual

manner.[324] King Edward had previously manifested a strong desire to lay

hands on the property of the Templars. On his return from his victorious

campaign in Wales, finding himself unable to disburse the arrears of pay

due to his soldiers, he went with Sir Robert Waleran and some armed

followers to the Temple, and calling for the treasurer, he pretended that

he wanted to see his mother's jewels, which were there kept. Having been

admitted into the house, he deliberately broke open the coffers of the

Templars, and carried away ten thousand pounds with him to Windsor

Castle.[325] His son, Edward the Second, on his accession to the throne,

committed a similar act of injustice. He went with his favourite, Piers

Gavaston, to the Temple, and took away with him fifty thousand pounds of

silver, with a quantity of gold, jewels, and precious stones, belonging to

the bishop of Chester.[326] The impunity with which these acts of

violence were committed, manifests that the Templars then no longer

enjoyed the power and respect which they possessed in ancient times.

As the enthusiasm, too, in favour of the holy war diminished, large

numbers of the Templars remained at home in their western preceptories,

and took an active part in the politics of Europe. They interfered in the

quarrels of christian princes, and even drew their swords against their

fellow-Christians. Thus we find the members of the order taking part in

the war between the houses of Anjou and Aragon, and aiding the king of

England in his warfare against the king of Scotland. In the battle of

Falkirk, fought on the 22nd of July, A. D. 1298, seven years after the

fall of Acre, perished both the Master of the Temple at London, and his

vicegerent the Preceptor of Scotland.[327] All these circumstances,

together with the loss of the Holy Land, and the extinction of the

enthusiasm of the crusades, diminished the popularity of the Templars in

Europe.

At the period of the fall of Acre, Philip the Fair, son of St. Louis,

occupied the throne of France. He was a needy and avaricious monarch,[328]

and had at different periods resorted to the most violent expedients to

replenish his exhausted exchequer. On the death of Pope Benedict XI., (A.

D. 1304,) he succeeded, through the intrigues of the French Cardinal

Dupre, in raising the archbishop of Bourdeaux, a creature of his own, to

the pontifical chair. The new pope removed the Holy See from Rome to

France; he summoned all the cardinals to Lyons, and was there consecrated,

(A. D. 1305,) by the name of Clement V., in the presence of king Philip

and his nobles. Of the ten new cardinals then created _nine_ were

Frenchmen, and in all his acts the new pope manifested himself the

obedient slave of the French monarch. The character of this pontiff has

been painted by the Romish ecclesiastical historians in the darkest

colours: they represent him as wedded to pleasure, eaten up with ambition,

and greedy for money; they accuse him of indulging in a criminal intrigue

with the beautiful countess of Perigord, and of trafficking in holy

things.[329]

[Sidenote: A. D. 1306.]

[Sidenote: A. D. 1307.]

On the 6th of June, A. D. 1306, a few months after his coronation, this

new French pontiff addressed letters from Bourdeaux to the Grand Masters

of the Temple and Hospital, expressing his earnest desire to consult them

with regard to the measures necessary to be taken for the recovery of the

Holy Land. He tells them that they are the persons best qualified to give

advice upon the subject, and to conduct and manage the enterprize, both

from their great military experience and the interest they had in the

success of the expedition. "We order you," says he, "to come hither

without delay, with as much secrecy as possible, and with a _very little

retinue_, since you will find on this side the sea a sufficient number of

your knights to attend upon you."[330] The Grand Master of the Hospital

declined obeying this summons; but the Grand Master of the Temple

forthwith accepted it, and unhesitatingly placed himself in the power of

the pope and the king of France. He landed in France, attended by sixty of

his knights, at the commencement of the year 1307, and deposited the

treasure of the order which he had brought with him from Cyprus, in the

Temple at Paris. He was received with distinction by the king, and then

took his departure for Poictiers to have an interview with the pope. He

was there detained with various conferences and negotiations relative to a

pretended expedition for the recovery of the Holy Land.

Among other things, the pope proposed an union between the Templars and

Hospitallers, and the Grand Master handed in his objections to the

proposition. He says, that after the fall of Acre, the people of Italy and

of other christian nations clamoured loudly against Pope Nicholas, for

having afforded no succour to the besieged, and that he, by way of

screening himself, had laid all the blame of the loss of the place on

pretended dissensions between the Templars and Hospitallers, and projected

an union between them. The Grand Master declares that there had been no

dissensions between the orders prejudicial to the christian cause; that

there was nothing more than a spirit of rivalry and emulation, the

destruction of which would be highly injurious to the Christians, and

advantageous to the Saracens; for if the Hospitallers at any time

performed a brilliant feat of arms against the infidels, the Templars

would never rest quiet until they had done the same or better, and _e

converso_. So also if the Templars made a great shipment of brethren,

horses, and other beasts across sea to Palestine, the Hospitallers would

always do the like or more. He at the same time positively declares, that

a member of one order had never been known to raise his hand against a

member of the other.[331] The Grand Master complains that the reverence

and respect of the christian nations for both orders had undeservedly

diminished, that everything was changed, and that most persons were then

more ready to take from them than to give to them, and that many powerful

men, both clergy and laity, brought continual mischiefs upon the

fraternities.

In the mean time, the secret agents of the French king industriously

circulated various dark rumours and odious reports concerning the

Templars, and it was said that they would never have lost the Holy Land if

they had been good Christians. These rumours and accusations were soon put

into a tangible shape.

According to some writers, Squin de Florian, a citizen of Bezieres, who

had been condemned to death or perpetual imprisonment in one of the royal

castles for his iniquities, was brought before Philip, and received a free

pardon, and was well rewarded in return, for an accusation on oath,

charging the Templars with heresy, and with the commission of the most

horrible crimes. According to others, Nosso de Florentin, an apostate

Templar, who had been condemned by the Grand Preceptor and chapter of

France to perpetual imprisonment for impiety and crime, made in his

dungeon a voluntary confession of the sins and abominations charged

against the order.[332] Be this as it may, upon the strength of an

information sworn to by a condemned criminal, king Philip, on the 14th of

September, despatched secret orders to all the baillis of the different

provinces in France, couched in the following extravagant and absurd

terms:

"Philip, by the grace of God king of the French, to his beloved and

faithful knights ... &c. &c.

"A deplorable and most lamentable matter, full of bitterness and grief, a

monstrous business, a thing that one cannot think on without affright,

cannot hear without horror, transgressions unheard of, enormities and

atrocities contrary to every sentiment of humanity, &c. &c., have reached

our ears." After a long and most extraordinary tirade of this kind, Philip

accuses the Templars of insulting Jesus Christ, and making him suffer more

in those days than he had suffered formerly upon the cross; of renouncing

the christian religion; of mocking the sacred image of the Saviour; of

sacrificing to idols; and of abandoning themselves to impure practices and

unnatural crimes. He characterises them as ravishing wolves in sheep's

clothing; a perfidious, ungrateful, idolatrous society, whose words and

deeds were enough to pollute the earth and infect the air; to dry up the

sources of the celestial dews, and to put the whole church of Christ into

confusion.

"We being charged," says he, "with the maintenance of the faith; after

having conferred with the pope, the prelates, and the barons of the

kingdom, at the instance of the inquisitor, from the informations already

laid, from violent suspicions, from probable conjectures, from legitimate

presumptions, conceived against the enemies of heaven and earth; and

because the matter is important, and it is expedient to prove the just

like gold in the furnace by a rigorous examination, have decreed that the

members of the order who are our subjects shall be arrested and detained

to be judged by the church, and that all their real and personal property

shall be seized into our hands, and be faithfully preserved," &c. To these

orders are attached instructions requiring the baillis and seneschals

accurately to inform themselves, with great secrecy, and without exciting

suspicion, of the number of the houses of the Temple within their

respective jurisdictions; they are then to provide an armed force

sufficient to overcome all resistance, and on the 13th of October are to

surprise the Templars in their preceptories, and make them prisoners. The

inquisition is then directed to assemble to examine the guilty, and to

employ _torture_ if it be necessary. "Before proceeding with the inquiry,"

says Philip, "you are to inform them (the Templars) that the pope and

ourselves have been convinced, by irreproachable testimony, of the errors

and abominations which accompany their vows and profession; you are to

promise them pardon and favour if they _confess_ the truth, but if not,

you are to acquaint them that they will be condemned to death."[333]

As soon as Philip had issued these orders, he wrote to the principal

sovereigns of Europe, urging them to follow his example,[334] and sent a

confidential agent, named Bernard Peletin, with a letter to the young

king, Edward the Second, who had just then ascended the throne of England,

representing in frightful colours the pretended sins of the Templars. On

the 22nd of September, king Edward replied to this letter, observing that

he had considered of the matters mentioned therein, and had listened to

the statements of that discreet man, Master Bernard Peletin; that he had

caused the latter to unfold the charges before himself, and many prelates,

earls, and barons of his kingdom, and others of his council; but that they

appeared so astonishing as to be beyond belief; that such abominable and

execrable deeds had never before been heard of by the king and the

aforesaid prelates, earls, and barons, and it was therefore hardly to be

expected that an easy credence could be given to them. The English

monarch, however, informs king Philip that by the advice of his council he

had ordered the seneschal of Agen, from whose lips the rumours were said

to have proceeded, to be summoned to his presence, that through him he

might be further informed concerning the premises; and he states that at

the fitting time, after due inquiry, he will take such steps as will

redound to the praise of God, and the honour and preservation of the

catholic faith.[335]

On the night of the 13th of October, all the Templars in the French

dominions were simultaneously arrested. Monks were appointed to preach

against them in the public places of Paris, and in the gardens of the

Palais Royale; and advantage was taken of the folly, the superstition, and

the credulity of the age, to propagate the most horrible and extravagant

charges against the order. They were accused of worshipping an idol

covered with an old skin, embalmed, having the appearance of a piece of

polished oil-cloth. "In this idol," we are assured, "there were two

carbuncles for eyes, bright as the brightness of heaven, and it is certain

that all the hope of the Templars was placed in it; it was their sovereign

god, and they trusted in it with all their heart." They are accused of

burning the bodies of the deceased brethren, and making the ashes into a

powder, which they administered to the younger brethren in their food and

drink, to make them hold fast their faith and idolatry; of cooking and

roasting infants, and anointing their idols with the fat; of celebrating

hidden rites and mysteries, to which young and tender virgins were

introduced, and of a variety of abominations too absurd and horrible to be

named.[336] Guillaume Paradin, in his history of Savoy, seriously repeats

these monstrous accusations, and declares that the Templars had "un lieu

creux ou cave en terre, fort obscur, en laquelle ils avoient un image en

forme d'un homme, sur lequel ils avoient applique la peau d'un corps

humain, et mis deux clairs et luisans escarboucles au lieu des deux yeux.

A cette horrible statue etoient contraints de sacrifier ceux qui vouloient

etre de leur damnable religion, lesquels avant toutes ceremonies ils

contragnoient de renier Jesus Christ, et fouler la croix avec les pieds,

et apres ce maudit sacre auquel assistoient femmes et filles (seduites

pour etre de ce secte) ils estegnoient les lampes et lumieres qu'ils

avoient en cett cave.... Et s'il advenoit que d'un Templier et d'un

pucelle nasquit, un fils, ils se rangoit tous en un rond, et se jettoient

cet enfant de main en main, et ne cessoient de le jetter jusqu'a ce qu'il

fu mort entre leurs mains: etant mort ils se rotissoient (chose execrable)

et de la graisse ils en ognoient leur grand statue!"[337] The character of

the charges preferred against the Templars proves that their enemies had

no serious crimes to allege against the order. Their very virtues indeed

were turned against them, for we are told that "_to conceal the iniquity

of their lives_ they made much almsgiving, constantly frequented church,

comported themselves with edification, frequently partook of the holy

sacrament, and manifested always much modesty and gentleness of deportment

in the house, as well as in public."[338]

During twelve days of severe imprisonment, the Templars remained constant

in the denial of the horrible crimes imputed to the fraternity. The king's

promises of pardon extracted from them no confession of guilt, and they

were therefore handed over to the tender mercies of the brethren of St.

Dominic, who were the most refined and expert torturers of the day.

On the 19th of October, the grand inquisitor proceeded with his myrmidons

to the Temple at Paris, and a hundred and forty Templars were one after

another put to the torture. Days and weeks were consumed in the

examination, and thirty-six Templars perished in the hands of their

tormentors, maintaining with unshaken constancy to the very last the

entire innocence of their order. Many of them lost the use of their feet

from the application of the torture of fire, which was inflicted in the

following manner: their legs were fastened in an iron frame, and the soles

of their feet were greased over with fat or butter; they were then placed

before the fire, and a screen was drawn backwards and forwards, so as to

moderate and regulate the heat. Such was the agony produced by this

roasting operation, that the victims often went raving mad. Brother

Bernarde de Vado, on subsequently revoking a confession of guilt, wrung

from him by this description of torment, says to the commissary of police,

before whom he was brought to be examined, "They held me so long before a

fierce fire that the flesh was burnt off my heels, two pieces of bone came

away, which I present to you."[339] Another Templar, on publicly revoking

his confession, declared that four of his teeth were drawn out, and that

he confessed himself guilty to save the remainder.[340] Others of the

fraternity deposed to the infliction on them of the most revolting and

indecent torments;[341] and, in addition to all this, it appears that

forged letters from the Grand Master were shown to the prisoners,

exhorting them to confess themselves guilty. Many of the Templars were

accordingly compelled to acknowledge whatever was required of them, and to

plead guilty to the commission of crimes which in the previous

interrogatories they had positively denied.[342]

These violent proceedings excited the astonishment and amazement of

Europe.

On the 20th of November, the king of England summoned the seneschal of

Agen to his presence, and examined him concerning the truth of the

horrible charges preferred against the Templars; and on the 4th of

December the English monarch wrote letters to the kings of Portugal,

Castile, Aragon, and Sicily, to the following effect:

"To the magnificent prince the Lord Dionysius, by the grace of God the

illustrious king of Portugal, his very dear friend Edward, by the same

grace king of England, &c. Health and prosperity.

"It is fit and proper, inasmuch as it conduceth to the honour of God and

the exaltation of the faith, that we should prosecute with benevolence

those who come recommended to us by strenuous labours and incessant

exertions in defence of the Catholic faith, and for the destruction of the

enemies of the cross of Christ. Verily, a certain clerk, (Bernard

Peletin,) drawing nigh unto our presence, applied himself, with all his

might, to the destruction of the order of the brethren of the Temple of

Jerusalem. He dared to publish before us and our council certain horrible

and detestable enormities repugnant to the Catholic faith, to the

prejudice of the aforesaid brothers, endeavouring to persuade us, through

his own allegations, as well as through certain letters which he had

caused to be addressed to us for that purpose, that by reason of the

premises, and without a due examination of the matter, we ought to

imprison all the brethren of the aforesaid order abiding in our dominions.

But, considering that the order, which hath been renowned for its religion

and its honour, and in times long since passed away was instituted, as we

have learned, by the Catholic Fathers, exhibits, and hath from the period

of its first foundation exhibited, a becoming devotion to God and his holy

church, and also, up to this time, hath afforded succour and protection to

the Catholic faith in parts beyond sea, it appeared to us that a ready

belief in an accusation of this kind, hitherto altogether unheard of

against the fraternity, was scarcely to be expected. We affectionately

ask, and require of your royal majesty, that ye, with due diligence,

consider of the premises, and turn a deaf ear to the slanders of

ill-natured men, who are animated, as we believe, not with the zeal of

rectitude, but with a spirit of _cupidity_ and envy, permitting no injury

unadvisedly to be done to the persons or property of the brethren of the

aforesaid order, dwelling within your kingdom, until they have been

legally convicted of the crimes laid to their charge, or it shall happen

to be otherwise ordered concerning them in these parts."[343]

A few days after the transmission of this letter, king Edward wrote to the

pope, expressing his disbelief of the horrible and detestable rumours

spread abroad concerning the Templars. He represents them to his holiness

as universally respected by all men in his dominions for the purity of

their faith and morals. He expresses great sympathy for the affliction and

distress suffered by the master and brethren, by reason of the scandal

circulated concerning them; and he strongly urges the holy pontiff to

clear, by some fair course of inquiry, the character of the order from the

unjust and infamous aspersions cast against it.[344] On the 22nd of

November, however, a fortnight previously, the Pope had issued the

following bull to king Edward.

"Clement, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his very dear son in

Christ, Edward, the illustrious king of England, health and apostolical

blessing.

"Presiding, though unworthy, on the throne of pastoral pre-eminence, by

the disposition of him who disposeth all things, we fervently seek after

this one thing above all others; we with ardent wishes aspire to this,

that shaking off the sleep of negligence, whilst watching over the Lord's

flock, by removing that which is hurtful, and taking care of such things

as are profitable, we may be able, by the divine assistance, to bring

souls to God.

"In truth, a long time ago, about the period of our first promotion to the

summit of the apostolical dignity, there came to our ears a light rumour,

to the effect that the Templars, though fighting ostensibly under the

guise of religion, have hitherto been secretly living in perfidious

apostasy, and in detestable heretical depravity. But, considering that

their order, in times long since passed away, shone forth with the grace

of much nobility and honour, and that they were for a length of time held

in vast reverence by the faithful, and that we had then heard of no

suspicion concerning the premises, or of evil report against them; and

also, that from the beginning of their religion, they have publicly borne

the cross of Christ, exposing their bodies and goods against the enemies

of the faith, for the acquisition, retention, and defence of the Holy

Land, consecrated by the precious blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus

Christ, we were unwilling to yield a ready belief to the accusation...."

The holy pontiff then states, that afterwards, however, the same dreadful

intelligence was conveyed to the king of France, who, animated by a lively

zeal in the cause of religion, took immediate steps to ascertain its

truth. He describes the various confessions of the guilt of idolatry and

heresy made by the Templars in France, and requires the king forthwith to

cause all the Templars in his dominions to be taken into custody on the

same day. He directs him to hold them, in the name of the pope, at the

disposition of the Holy See, and to commit all their real and personal

property to the hands of certain trustworthy persons, to be faithfully

preserved until the holy pontiff shall give further directions concerning

it.[345] King Edward received this bull immediately after he had

despatched his letter to the pope, exhorting his holiness not to give ear

to the accusation against the order. The young king was now either

convinced of the guilt of the Templars, on the high authority of the

sovereign pontiff, or hoped to turn the proceedings against them to a

profitable account, as he yielded a ready and prompt compliance with the

pontifical commands. An order in council was made for the arrest of the

Templars, and the seizure of their property. Inventories were directed to

be taken of their goods and chattels, and provision was made for the

sowing and tilling of their lands during the period of their

imprisonment.[346] This order in council was carried into effect in the

following manner:

On the 20th of December, the king's writs were directed to each of the

sheriffs throughout England, commanding them to make sure of certain

trustworthy men of their bailiwicks, to the number of ten or twelve in

each county, such as the king could best confide in, and have them at a

certain place in the county, on pain of forfeiture of everything that

could be forfeited to the king; and commanding the sheriffs, on pain of

the like forfeiture, to be in person at the same place, on the Sunday

before the feast of Epiphany, to do certain things touching the king's

peace, which the sheriff would find contained in the king's writ about to

be directed to him. And afterwards the king sent sworn clergymen with his

writs, containing the said order in council to the sheriffs, who, before

they opened them, were to take an oath that they would not disclose the

contents of such writs until they proceeded to execute them.[347] The same

orders, to be acted upon in a similar manner in Ireland, were sent to the

justiciary of that country, and to the treasurer of the Exchequer at

Dublin; also, to John de Richemund, guardian of Scotland; and to Walter de

Pederton, justiciary of West Wales; Hugh de Aldithelegh, justiciary of

North Wales; and to Robert de Holland, justiciary of Chester, who were

strictly commanded to carry the orders into execution before the king's

proceedings against the Templars in England were noised abroad. All the

king's faithful subjects were commanded to aid and assist the officers in

the fulfilment of their duty.[348]

[Sidenote: A. D. 1308.]

On the 26th of December the king wrote to the Pope, informing his holiness

that he would carry his commands into execution in the best and speediest

way that he could; and on the 8th of January, A. D. 1308, the Templars

were suddenly arrested in all parts of England, and their property was

seized into the king's hands.[349] Brother William de la More was at this

period Master of the Temple, or Preceptor of England. He succeeded the

Master Brian le Jay, who was slain, as before mentioned, in the battle of

Falkirk, and was taken prisoner, together with all his brethren of the

Temple at London, and committed to close custody in Canterbury Castle. He

was afterwards liberated on bail at the instance of the bishop of

Durham.[350]

On the 12th of August, the Pope addressed the bull _faciens misericordiam_

to the English bishops as follows:--"Clement, bishop, servant of the

servants of God, to the venerable brethren the archbishop of Canterbury

and his suffragans, health and apostolical benediction. The Son of God,

the Lord Jesus Christ, _using mercy_ with his servant, would have us taken

up into the eminent mirror of the apostleship, to this end, that being,

though unworthy, his vicar upon earth, we may, as far as human frailty

will permit in all our actions and proceedings, follow his footsteps." He

describes the rumours which had been spread abroad in France against the

Templars, and his unwillingness to believe them, "because it was not

likely, nor did seem credible, that such religious men, who particularly

often shed their blood for the name of Christ, and were thought very

frequently to expose their persons to danger of death for his sake; and

who often showed many and great signs of devotion, as well in the divine

offices as in fasting and other observances, should be so unmindful of

their salvation as to perpetrate such things; we were unwilling to give

ear to the insinuations and impeachments against them, being taught so to

do by the example of the same Lord of ours, and the writings of canonical

doctrine. But afterwards, our most dear son in Christ, Philip, the

illustrious king of the French, to whom the same crimes had been made

known, _not from motives of avarice_, (since he does not design to apply

or to appropriate to himself any portion of the estates of the Templars,

nay, has washed his hands of them!) but inflamed with zeal for the

orthodox faith, following the renowned footsteps of his ancestors, getting

what information he properly could upon the premises, gave us much

instruction in the matter by his messengers and letters." The holy pontiff

then gives a long account of the various confessions made in France, and

of the absolution granted to such of the Templars as were truly contrite

and penitent; he expresses his conviction of the guilt of the order, and

makes provision for the trial of the fraternity in England.[351] King

Edward, in the mean time, had begun to make free with their property, and

the Pope, on the 4th of October, wrote to him to the following effect:

"Your conduct begins again to afford us no slight cause of affliction,

inasmuch as it hath been brought to our knowledge from the report of

several barons, that in contempt of the Holy See, and without fear of

offending the divine Majesty, you have, of your own sole authority,

distributed to different persons the property which belonged formerly to

the order of the Temple in your dominions, which you had got into your

hands at our command, and which ought to have remained at our

disposition.... We have therefore ordained that certain fit and proper

persons shall be sent into your kingdom, and to all parts of the world

where the Templars are known to have had property, to take possession of

the same conjointly with certain prelates specially deputed to that end,

and to make an inquisition concerning the execrable excesses which the

members of the order are said to have committed."[352]

To this letter of the supreme pontiff, king Edward sent the following

short and pithy reply:

"As to the goods of the Templars, we have done nothing with them up to the

present time, nor do we intend to do with them aught but what we have a

right to do, and what we know will be acceptable to the Most High."[353]

[Sidenote: A. D. 1309.]

On the 13th of September, A. D. 1309, the king granted letters of safe

conduct "to those discreet men, the abbot of Lagny, in the diocese of

Paris, and Master Sicard de Vaur, canon of Narbonne," the inquisitors

appointed by the Pope to examine the Grand Preceptor and brethren of the

Temple in England;[354] and the same day he wrote to the archbishop of

Canterbury, and the bishops of London and Lincoln, enjoining them to be

personally present with the papal inquisitors, at their respective sees,

as often as such inquisitors, or any one of them, should proceed with

their inquiries against the Templars.[355]

On the 14th of September writs were sent, in pursuance of an order in

council, to the sheriffs of Kent and seventeen other counties, commanding

them to bring all their prisoners of the order of the Temple to London,

and deliver them to the constable of the Tower; also to the sheriffs of

Northumberland and eight other counties, enjoining them to convey their

prisoners to York Castle; and to the sheriffs of Warwick and seven other

counties, requiring them, in like manner, to conduct their prisoners to

the Castle of Lincoln.[356] Writs were also sent to John de Cumberland,

constable of the Tower, and to the constables of the castles of York and

Lincoln, commanding them to receive the Templars, to keep them in safe

custody, and hold them at the disposition of the inquisitors.[357] The

total number of Templars in custody was two hundred and twenty-nine. Many,

however, were still at large, having successfully evaded capture by

obliterating all marks of their previous profession, and some had escaped

in disguise to the wild and mountainous parts of Wales, Scotland, and

Ireland. Among the prisoners confined in the Tower were brother William de

la More, Knight, Grand Preceptor of England, otherwise Master of the

Temple; Brother Himbert Blanke, Knight, Grand Preceptor of Auvergne, one

of the veteran warriors who had fought to the last in defence of

Palestine, had escaped the slaughter at Acre, and had accompanied the

Grand Master from Cyprus to France, from whence he crossed over to

England, and was rewarded for his meritorious and memorable services, in

defence of the christian faith, with a dungeon in the Tower.[358] Brother

_Radulph de Barton_, priest of the order of the Temple, custos or guardian

of the Temple church, and prior of London; Brother _Michael de

Baskeville_, Knight, Preceptor of London; Brother _John de Stoke_, Knight,

Treasurer of the Temple at London; together with many other knights and

serving brethren of the same house. There were also in custody in the

Tower the knights preceptors of the preceptories of Ewell in Kent, of

Daney and Dokesworth in Cambridgeshire, of Getinges in Gloucestershire, of

Cumbe in Somersetshire, of Schepeley in Surrey, of Samford and Bistelesham

in Oxfordshire, of Garwy in Herefordshire, of Cressing in Essex, of

Pafflet, Hippleden, and other preceptories, together with several priests

and chaplains of the order.[359] A general scramble appears to have taken

place for possession of the goods and chattels of the imprisoned

Templars; and the king, to check the robberies that were committed,

appointed Alan de Goldyngham and John de Medefeld to inquire into the

value of the property that had been carried off, and to inform him of the

names of the parties who had obtained possession of it. The sheriffs of

the different counties were also directed to summon juries, through whom

the truth might be better obtained.[360]

On the 22nd of September, the archbishop of Canterbury transmitted letters

apostolic to all his suffragans, enclosing copies of the bull _faciens

misericordiam_, and also the articles of accusation to be exhibited

against the Templars, which they are directed to copy and deliver again,

under their seals, to the bearer, taking especial care not to reveal the

contents thereof.[361] At the same time the archbishop, acting in

obedience to the papal commands, before a single witness had been examined

in England, caused to be published in all churches and chapels a papal

bull, wherein the Pope declares himself perfectly convinced of the guilt

of the order, and solemnly denounces the penalty of excommunication

against all persons, of whatever rank, station, or condition in life,

whether clergy or laity, who should knowingly afford, either publicly or

privately, assistance, counsel, or kindness to the Templars, or should

dare to shelter them, or give them countenance or protection, and also

laying under interdict all cities, castles, lands, and places, which

should harbour any of the members of the proscribed order.[362] At the

commencement of the month of October, the inquisitors arrived in England,

and immediately published the bull appointing the commission, enjoining

the citation of the criminals, and of witnesses, and denouncing the

heaviest ecclesiastical censures against the disobedient, and against

every person who should dare to impede the inquisitors in the exercise of

their functions. Citations were made in St. Paul's Cathedral, and in all

the churches of the ecclesiastical province of Canterbury, at the end of

high mass, requiring the Templars to appear before the inquisitors at a

certain time and place, and the articles of accusation were transmitted to

the constable of the Tower, in Latin, French, and English, to be read to

all the Templars imprisoned in that fortress. On Monday, the 20th of

October, after the Templars had been languishing in the English prisons

for more than a year and eight months, the tribunal constituted by the

Pope to take the inquisition in the province of Canterbury assembled in

the episcopal hall of London. It was composed of the bishop of London,

Dieudonne, abbot of the monastery of Lagny, in the diocese of Paris, and

Sicard de Vaur, canon of Narbonne, the Pope's chaplain, and hearer of

causes in the pontifical palace. They were assisted by several foreign

notaries. After the reading of the papal bulls, and some preliminary

proceedings, the monstrous and ridiculous articles of accusation, a

monument of human folly, superstition, and credulity, were solemnly

exhibited as follows:

"_Item._ At the place, day, and hour aforesaid, in the presence of the

aforesaid lords, and before us the above-mentioned notaries, the articles

inclosed in the apostolic bull were exhibited and opened before us, the

contents whereof are as underwritten.

"These are the articles upon which inquisition shall be made against the

brethren of the military order of the Temple, &c.

"1. That at their first reception into the order, or at some time

afterwards, or as soon as an opportunity occurred, they were induced or

admonished by those who had received them within the bosom of the

fraternity, to deny Christ or Jesus, or the crucifixion, or at one time

God, and at another time the blessed virgin, and sometimes all the saints.

"2. That the brothers jointly did this.

"3. That the greater part of them did it.

"4. That they did it sometimes after their reception.

"5. That the receivers told and instructed those that were received, that

Christ was not the true God, or sometimes Jesus, or sometimes the person

crucified.

"6. That they told those they received that he was a false prophet.

"7. That they said he had not suffered for the redemption of mankind, nor

been crucified but for his own sins.

"8. That neither the receiver nor the person received had any hope of

obtaining salvation through him, and this they said to those they

received, or something equivalent, or like it.

"9. That they made those they received into the order spit upon the cross,

or upon the sign or figure of the cross, or the image of Christ, though

they that were received did sometimes spit aside.

"10. That they caused the cross itself to be trampled under foot.

"11. That the brethren themselves did sometimes trample on the same cross.

"12. Item quod mingebant interdum, et alios mingere faciebant, super ipsam

crucem, et hoc fecerunt aliquotiens in die veneris sancta!!

"13. Item quod nonnulli eorum ipsa die, vel alia septimanae sanctae pro

conculcatione et minctione praedictis consueverunt convenire!

"14. That they worshipped a cat which was placed in the midst of the

congregation.

"15. That they did these things in contempt of Christ and the orthodox

faith.

"16. That they did not believe the sacrament of the altar.

"17. That some of them did not.

"18. That the greater part did not.

"19. That they believed not the other sacraments of the church.

"20. That the priests of the order did not utter the words by which the

body of Christ is consecrated in the canon of the mass.

"21. That some of them did not.

"22. That the greater part did not.

"23. That those who received them enjoined the same.

"24. That they believed, and so it was told them, that the Grand Master of

the order could absolve them from their sins.

"25. That the visitor could do so.

"26. That the preceptors, of whom many were laymen, could do it.

"27. That they in fact did do so.

"28. That some of them did.

"29. That the Grand Master confessed these things of himself, even before

he was taken, in the presence of great persons.

"30. That in receiving brothers into the order, or when about to receive

them, or some time after having received them, the receivers and the

persons received kissed one another on the mouth, the navel...!!

* * * * *

"36. That the receptions of the brethren were made clandestinely.

"37. That none were present but the brothers of the said order.

"38. That for this reason there has for a long time been a vehement

suspicion against them."

The succeeding articles proceed to charge the Templars with crimes and

abominations too horrible and disgusting to be named.

"46. That the brothers themselves had idols in every province, viz. heads;

some of which had three faces, and some one, and some a man's skull.

"47. That they adored that idol, or those idols, especially in their great

chapters and assemblies.

"48. That they worshipped it.

"49. As their God.

"50. As their Saviour.

"51. That some of them did so.

"52. That the greater part did.

"53. That they said that that head could save them.

"54. That it could produce riches.

"55. That it had given to the order all its wealth.

"56. That it caused the earth to bring forth seed.

"57. That it made the trees to flourish.

"58. That they bound or touched the head of the said idols with cords,

wherewith they bound themselves about their shirts, or next their skins.

"59. That at their reception the aforesaid little cords, or others of the

same length, were delivered to each of the brothers.

"60. That they did this in worship of their idol.

"61. That it was enjoined them to gird themselves with the said little

cords, as before mentioned, and continually to wear them.

"62. That the brethren of the order were generally received in that

manner.

"63. That they did these things out of devotion.

"64. That they did them everywhere.

"65. That the greater part did.

"66. That those who refused the things above mentioned at their reception,

or to observe them afterwards, were killed or cast into prison."[363]

* * * * *

The remaining articles, twenty-one in number, are directed principally to

the mode of confession practised amongst the fraternity, and to matters of

heretical depravity. Such an accusation as this, justly remarks Voltaire,

_destroys itself_.

Brother William de la More, and thirty more of his brethren, being

interrogated before the inquisitors, positively denied the guilt of the

order, and affirmed that the Templars who had made the confessions alluded

to in France _had lied_. They were ordered to be brought up separately to

be examined.

On the 23rd of October, brother William Raven, being interrogated as to

the mode of his reception into the order, states that he was admitted by

brother William de la More, the Master of the Temple at Temple Coumbe, in

the diocese of Bath; that he petitioned the brethren of the Temple that

they would be pleased to receive him into the order to serve God and the

blessed Virgin Mary, and to end his life in their service; that he was

asked if he had a firm wish so to do; and replied that he had; that two

brothers then expounded to him the strictness and severity of the order,

and told him that he would not be allowed to act after his own will, but

must follow the will of the preceptor; that if he wished to do one thing,

he would be ordered to do another; and that if he wished to be at one

place, he would be sent to another; that having promised so to act, he

swore upon the holy gospels of God to obey the Master, to hold no

property, to preserve chastity, never to consent that any man should be

unjustly despoiled of his heritage, and never to lay violent hands on any

man, except in self-defence, or upon the Saracens. He states that the oath

was administered to him in the chapel of the preceptory of Temple Coumbe,

in the presence only of the brethren of the order; that the rule was read

over to him by one of the brothers, and that a learned serving brother,

named John de Walpole, instructed him, for the space of one month, upon

the matters contained in it. The prisoner was then taken back to the

Tower, and was directed to be strictly separated from his brethren, and

not to be suffered to speak to any one of them.

The two next days (Oct. 24 and 25) were taken up with a similar

examination of Brothers Hugh de Tadecastre and Thomas le Chamberleyn, who

gave precisely the same account of their reception as the previous

witness. Brother Hugh de Tadecastre added, that he swore to succour the

Holy Land with all his might, and defend it against the enemies of the

christian faith; and that after he had taken the customary oaths and the

three vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, the mantle of the order

and the cross with the coif on the head were delivered to him in the

church, in the presence of the Master, the knights, and the brothers, all

seculars being excluded. Brother Thomas le Chamberleyn added, that there

was the same mode of reception in England as beyond sea, and the same mode

of taking the vows; that all seculars are excluded, and that when he

himself entered the Temple church to be professed, the door by which he

entered was closed after him; that there was another door looking into

the cemetery, but that no stranger could enter that way. On being asked

why none but the brethren of the order were permitted to be present at the

reception and profession of brothers, he said he knew of no reason, but

that it was so written in their book of rules.

Between the 25th of October and the 17th of November, thirty-three

knights, chaplains, and serving brothers, were examined, all of whom

positively denied every article imputing crime or infidelity to their

order. When Brother Himbert Blanke was asked why they had made the

reception and profession of brethren _secret_, he replied, _Through their

own unaccountable folly_. They avowed that they wore little cords round

their shirts, but for no bad end; they declared that they never touched

idols with them, but that they were worn by way of penance, or according

to a knight of forty-three years' standing, by the instruction of the holy

father St. Bernard. Brother Richard de Goldyngham says that he knows

nothing further about them than that they were called _girdles of

chastity_. They state that the receivers and the party received kissed one

another on the face, but everything else regarding the kissing was false,

abominable, and had never been done.

Brother Radulph de Barton, priest of the order of the Temple, and custos

or guardian of the Temple church at London, stated, with regard to Article

24, that the Grand Master in chapter could absolve the brothers from

offences committed against the rules and observances of the order, but not

from private sin, as he was not a priest; that it was perfectly true that

those who were received into the order swore not to reveal the secrets of

the chapter, and that when any one was punished in the chapter, those who

were present at it durst not reveal it to such as were absent; but if any

brother revealed the mode of his reception, he would be deprived of his

chamber, or else stripped of his habit. He declares that the brethren

were not prohibited from confessing to priests not belonging to the order

of the Temple; and that he had never heard of the crimes and iniquities

mentioned in the articles of inquiry previous to his arrest, except as

regarded the charges made against the order by Bernard Peletin, when he

came to England from king Philip of France. He states that he had been

guardian of the Temple church for ten years, and for the last two years

had enjoyed the dignity of preceptor at the same place. He was asked about

the death of Brother Walter le Bachelor, knight, formerly Preceptor of

Ireland, who died at the Temple at London, but he declares that he knows

nothing about it, except that the said Walter was fettered and placed in

prison, and there died; that he certainly had heard that great severity

had been practised towards him, but that he had not meddled with the

affair on account of the danger of so doing; he admitted also that the

aforesaid Walter was not buried in the cemetery of the Temple, as he was

considered excommunicated on account of his disobedience of his superior,

and of the rule of the order.

Many of the brethren thus examined had been from twenty to thirty, forty,

forty-two, and forty-three years in the order, and some were old veteran

warriors who had fought for many a long year in the East, and richly

merited a better fate. Brother Himbert Blanke, knight, Preceptor of

Auvergne, had been in the order thirty-eight years. He was received at the

city of Tyre in Palestine, had been engaged in constant warfare against

the infidels, and had fought to the last in defence of Acre. He makes in

substance the same statements as the other witnesses; declares that no

religious order believes the sacrament of the altar better than the

Templars; that they truly believed all that the church taught, and had

always done so, and that if the Grand Master had confessed the contrary,

_he had lied_.

Brother Robert le Scott, knight, a brother of twenty-six years' standing,

had been received at the Pilgrim's Castle, the famous fortress of the

Knights Templars in Palestine, by the Grand Master, Brother William de

Beaujeu, the hero who died so gloriously at the head of his knights at the

last siege and storming of Acre. He states that from levity of disposition

he quitted the order after it had been driven out of Palestine, and

absented himself for two years, during which period he came to Rome, and

confessed to the Pope's penitentiary, who imposed on him a heavy penance,

and enjoined him to return to his brethren in the East, and that he went

back and resumed his habit at Nicosia in the island of Cyprus, and was

re-admitted to the order by command of the Grand Master, James de Molay,

who was then at the head of the convent. He adds, also, that Brother

Himbert Blanke (the previous witness) was present at his first reception

at the Pilgrim's Castle. He fully corroborates all the foregoing

testimony.

Brother Richard de Peitevyn, a member of forty-two years' standing,

deposes that, in addition to the previous oaths, he swore that he would

never bear arms against Christians except in his own defence, or in

defence of the rights of the order; he declares that the enormities

mentioned in the articles were never heard of before Bernard Peletin

brought letters to his lord, the king of England, against the Templars.

On the 22nd day of the inquiry, the following entry was made on the record

of the proceedings:--

"Memorandum. Brothers Philip de Mewes, Thomas de Burton, and Thomas de

Staundon, were advised and earnestly exhorted to abandon their religious

profession, who severally replied that _they would rather die_ than do

so."[364]

On the 19th and 20th of November, seven lay witnesses, unconnected with

the order, were examined before the inquisitors in the chapel of the

monastery of the Holy Trinity, but could prove nothing against the

Templars that was criminal or tainted with heresy.

Master William le Dorturer, notary public, declared that the Templars rose

at midnight, and held their chapters before dawn, and he _thought_ that

the mystery and secrecy of the receptions were owing to a bad rather than

a good motive, but declared that he had never observed that they had

acquired, or had attempted to acquire, anything unjustly. Master Gilbert

de Bruere, clerk, said that he had never suspected them of anything worse

than an _excessive correction_ of the brethren. William Lambert, formerly

a "messenger of the Temple," (nuntius Templi,) knew nothing bad of the

Templars, and thought them perfectly innocent of all the matters alluded

to. And Richard de Barton, priest, and Radulph de Rayndon, an old man,

both declared that they knew nothing of the order, or of the members of

it, but what was good and honourable.

On the 25th of November, a provincial council of the church, summoned by

the archbishop of Canterbury, in obedience to a papal bull, assembled in

the cathedral church of St. Paul. It was composed of the bishops, abbots,

priors, heads of colleges, and all the principal clergy, who were called

together to treat of the reformation of the English church, of the

recovery and preservation of the Holy Land, and to pronounce sentence of

absolution or of condemnation against singular persons of the order of the

chivalry of the Temple in the province of Canterbury, according to the

tenor of the apostolical mandate. The council was opened by the archbishop

of Canterbury, who rode to St. Paul's on horseback. The bishop of Norwich

celebrated the mass of the Holy Ghost at the great altar, and the

archbishop preached a sermon in Latin upon the 20th chapter of the Acts of

the Apostles; after which a papal bull was read, in which the holy

pontiff dwells most pathetically upon the awful sins of the Templars, and

their great and tremendous fall from their previous high estate. Hitherto,

says he, they have been renowned throughout the world as the special

champions of the faith, and the chief defenders of the Holy Land, whose

affairs have been mainly regulated by those brothers. The church,

following them and their order with the plenitude of its especial favour

and regard, armed them with the emblem of the cross against the enemies of

Christ, exalted them with much honour, enriched them with wealth, and

fortified them with various liberties and privileges. The holy pontiff

displays the sad report of their sins and iniquities which reached his

ears, filled him with bitterness and grief, disturbed his repose, smote

him with horror, injured his health, and caused his body to waste away! He

gives a long account of the crimes imputed to the order, of the

confessions and depositions that had been made in France, and then bursts

out into a paroxysm of grief, declares that the melancholy affair deeply

moved all the faithful, that all Christianity was shedding bitter tears,

was overwhelmed with grief, and clothed with mourning. He concludes by

decreeing the assembly of a general council of the church at Vienne to

pronounce the abolition of the order, and to determine on the disposal of

its property, to which council the English clergy are required to send

representatives.[365]

After the reading of the bulls and the closing of the preliminary

proceedings, the council occupied themselves for six days with

ecclesiastical matters; and on the seventh day, being Tuesday, Dec. 2nd,

all the bishops and members assembled in the chamber of the archbishop of

Canterbury in Lambeth palace, in company with the papal inquisitors, who

displayed before them the depositions and replies of the forty-three

Templars, and of the seven witnesses previously examined. It was decreed

that a copy of these depositions and replies should be furnished to each

of the bishops, and that the council should stand adjourned until the next

day, to give time for deliberation upon the premises.

On the following day, accordingly, (Wednesday, December the 3rd,) the

council met, and decided that the inquisitors and three bishops should

seek an audience of the king, and beseech him to permit them to proceed

against the Templars in the way that should seem to them the best and most

expedient for the purpose of eliciting the truth. On Sunday, the 7th, the

bishops petitioned his majesty in writing, and on the following Tuesday

they went before him with the inquisitors, and besought him that they

might proceed against the Templars according to the ecclesiastical

constitutions, and that he would instruct his sheriffs and officers to

that effect. The king gave a written answer complying with their request,

which was read before the council,[366] and, on the 16th of December,

orders were sent to the gaolers, commanding them to permit the prelates

and inquisitors to do with the bodies of the Templars that which should

seem expedient to them according to ecclesiastical law. Many Templars were

at this period wandering about the country disguised as secular persons,

successfully evading pursuit, and the sheriffs were strictly commanded to

use every exertion to capture them.[367] On Wednesday, the ecclesiastical

council again met, and adjourned for the purpose of enabling the

inquisitors to examine the prisoners confined in the castles of Lincoln

and of York.

In Scotland, in the mean time, similar proceedings had been instituted

against the order.[368] On the 17th of November, Brother Walter de Clifton

being examined in the parish church of the Holy Cross at Edinburgh, before

the bishop of St. Andrews and John de Solerio, the pope's chaplain, states

that the brethren of the order of the Temple in the kingdom of Scotland

received their orders, rules, and observances from the Master of the

Temple in England, and that the Master in England received the rules and

observances of the order from the Grand Master and the chief convent in

the East; that the Grand Master or his deputy was in the habit of visiting

the order in England and elsewhere; of summoning chapters, and making

regulations for the conduct of the brethren and the administration of

their property. Being asked as to the mode of his reception, he states

that when William de la More, the Master, held his chapter at the

preceptory of Temple Bruere in the county of Lincoln, he sought of the

assembled brethren the habit and the fellowship of the order; that they

told him that he little knew what it was he asked, in seeking to be

admitted to their fellowship; that it would be a very hard matter for him,

who was then his own master, to become the servant of another, and to have

no will of his own; but notwithstanding their representations of the

rigour of their rules and observances, he still continued earnestly to

seek their habit and fellowship. He states that they then led him to the

chamber of the Master, where they held their chapter, and that there, on

his bended knees, and with his hands clasped, he again prayed for the

habit and the fellowship of the Temple; that the Master and the brethren

then required him to answer questions to the following effect:--Whether he

had a dispute with any man, or owed any debts? whether he was betrothed to

any woman? and whether he had any secret infirmity of body? or knew of

anything to prevent him from remaining within the bosom of the fraternity?

And having answered all those questions satisfactorily, the Master then

asked of the surrounding brethren, "Do ye give your consent to the

reception of brother Walter?" who unanimously answered that they did; and

the Master and the brethren then standing up, received him the said Walter

in this manner. On his bended knees, and with his hands joined, he

solemnly promised that he would be the perpetual servant of the Master,

and of the order, and of the brethren, for the purpose of defending the

Holy Land. Having done this, the Master took out of the hands of a brother

chaplain of the order the book of the holy gospels, upon which was

depicted a cross, and laying his hands upon the book and upon the cross,

he swore to God and the blessed Virgin Mary to be for ever thereafter

chaste, obedient, and to live without property. And then the Master gave

to him the white mantle, and placed the coif on his head, and admitted him

to the kiss on the mouth, after which he made him sit down on the ground,

and admonished him to the following effect: that from thenceforth he was

to sleep in his shirt, drawers, and stockings, girded with a small cord

over his shirt; that he was never to tarry in a house where there was a

woman in the family way; never to be present at a marriage, nor at the

purification of women; and likewise instructed and informed him upon

several other particulars. Being asked where he had passed his time since

his reception, he replied that he had dwelt three years at the preceptory

of Blancradok in Scotland; three years at Temple Newsom in England; one

year at the Temple at London, and three years at Aslakeby. Being asked

concerning the other brothers in Scotland, he stated that John de Hueflete

was Preceptor of Blancradok, the chief house of the order in that country,

and that he and the other brethren, having heard of the arrest of the

Templars, threw off their habits and fled, and that he had not since heard

aught concerning them.

_Brother William de Middleton_, being examined, gave the same account of

his reception, and added that he remembered that brother William de la

More, the Master in England, went, in obedience to a summons, to the Grand

Master beyond sea, as the superior of the whole order, and that in his

absence Brother Hugh de Peraut, the visitor, removed several preceptors

from their preceptories in England, and put others in their places. He

further states, that he swore he would never receive any service at the

hands of a woman, not even water to wash his hands with.

After the examination of the above two Templars, forty-one witnesses,

chiefly abbots, priors, monks, priests, and serving men, and retainers of

the order in Scotland, were examined upon various interrogatories, but

nothing of a criminatory nature was elicited. The monks observed that the

receptions of other orders were public, and were celebrated as great

religious solemnities, and the friends, parents, and neighbours of the

party about to take the vows were invited to attend; that the Templars, on

the other hand, shrouded their proceedings in mystery and secrecy, and

therefore they _suspected_ the worst. The priests thought them guilty,

because they were always _against the church_! Others condemned them

because (as they say) the Templars closed their doors against the poor and

the humble, and extended hospitality only to the rich and the powerful.

The abbot of the monastery of the Holy Cross at Edinburgh declared that

they appropriated to themselves the property of their neighbours, right or

wrong. The abbot of Dumferlyn knew nothing of his own knowledge against

them, but had _heard_ much, and _suspected_ more. The serving men and the

tillers of the lands of the order stated that the chapters were held

sometimes by night and sometimes by day, with extraordinary secrecy; and

some of the witnesses had heard old men say that the Templars would _never

have lost the Holy Land, if they had been good Christians_![369]

[Sidenote: A. D. 1310.]

On the 9th of January, A. D. 1310, the examination of witnesses was

resumed at London, in the parish church of St. Dunstan's West, near the

Temple. The rector of the church of St. Mary de la Strode declared that he

had strong _suspicions_ of the guilt of the Templars; he had, however,

often been at the Temple church, and had observed that the priests

performed divine service there just the same as elsewhere. William de

Cumbrook, of St. Clement's church, near the Temple, the vicar of St.

Martin's-in-the-Fields, and many other priests and clergymen of different

churches in London, all declared that they had nothing to allege against

the order.[370]

On the 27th of January, Brother John de Stoke, a serving brother of the

order of the Temple, of seventeen years' standing, being examined by the

inquisitors in the chapel of the Blessed Mary of Berkyngecherche at

London, states, amongst other things, that secular persons were allowed to

be present at the burial of Templars; that the brethren of the order all

received the sacraments of the church at their last hour, and were

attended to the grave by a chaplain of the Temple. Being interrogated

concerning the death and burial of the Knight Templar Brother Walter le

Bachelor, he deposes that the said knight was buried like any other

Christian, except that he was not buried in the burying-ground, but in the

court, of the house of the Temple at London; that he confessed to Brother

Richard de Grafton, a priest of the order, then in the island of Cyprus,

and partook, as he believed, of the sacrament. He states that he himself

and Brother Radulph de Barton carried him to his grave at the dawn of day,

and that the deceased knight was in prison, as he believes, for the space

of eight weeks; that he was not buried in the habit of his order, and was

interred without the cemetery of the brethren, because he was considered

to be excommunicated, in pursuance, as he believed, of a rule or statute

among the Templars, to the effect that every one who privily made away

with the property of the order, and did not acknowledge his fault, was

deemed excommunicated. Being asked in what respect he considered that his

order required reformation, he replied, "By the establishment of a

probation of one year, and by making the receptions public."

Two other Templars were examined on the same 27th day of January, from

whose depositions it appears that there were at that time many brethren of

the order, natives of England, in the island of Cyprus.

On the 29th of January, the inquisitors exhibited twenty-four fresh

articles against the prisoners, drawn up in an artful manner. They were

asked if they knew anything of the crimes mentioned in the papal bulls,

and _confessed_ by the Grand Master, the heads of the order, and many

knights in France; and whether they knew of anything sinful or

dishonourable against the Master of the Temple in England, or the

preceptors, or any of the brethren. They were then required to say whether

the same rules, customs, and observances did not prevail throughout the

entire order; whether the Grand Preceptors, and especially the Grand

Preceptor of England, did not receive all the observances and regulations

from the Grand Master; and whether the Grand Preceptors and all the

brethren of the order in England did not observe them in the same mode as

the Grand Master, and visitors, and the brethren in Cyprus and in Italy,

and in the other kingdoms, provinces, and preceptories of the order;

whether the observances and regulations were not commonly delivered by the

visitors to the Grand Preceptor of England; and whether the brothers

received in England or elsewhere had not of their own free will confessed

what these observances were. They were, moreover, required to state

whether a bell was rung, or other signal given, to notify the time of the

assembling of the chapter; whether all the brethren, without exception,

were summoned and in the habit of attending; whether the Grand Master

could relax penances imposed by the regular clergy; whether they believed

that the Grand Preceptor or visitor could absolve a layman who had been

excommunicated for laying hands on a brother or lay servant of the order;

and whether they believed that any brother of the order could absolve from

the sin of perjury a lay servant, when he came to receive the discipline

in the Temple-hall, and the serving brother scourged him in the name of

the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, &c. &c.

Between the 29th of January and the 6th of February, thirty-four Templars,

many of whom appeared for the first time before the inquisitors, were

examined upon these articles in the churches of St. Botolph without

Aldgate, St. Alphage near Cripplegate, and St. Martin de Ludgate, London.

They deny everything of a criminatory nature, and declare that the

abominations mentioned in the confessions and depositions made in France

were not observances of the order; that the Grand Master, Preceptors,

visitors, and brethren in France had never observed such things, and if

they said they had, _they lied_. They declare that the Grand Preceptor and

brethren in England were all good men, worthy of faith, and would not

deviate from the truth by reason of hatred of any man, for favour, reward,

or any other cause; that there had been no suspicion in England against

them, and no evil reports current against the order before the publication

of the papal bull, and they did not think that any _good man_ would

believe the contents of the articles to be true. From the statements of

the prisoners, it appears that the bell of the Temple was rung to notify

the assembling of the chapter, that the discipline was administered in the

hall, in the presence of the assembled brethren, by the Master, who

punished the delinquent on the bare back with a scourge made of leathern

thongs, after which he himself absolved the offender from the guilt of a

transgression against the rule of the order; but if he had been guilty of

immoral conduct, he was sent to the priest for absolution. It appears

also, that Brother James de Molay, before his elevation to the office of

Grand Master, was visitor of the order in England, and had held chapters

or assemblies of the brethren, at which he had enforced certain rules and

regulations; that all the orders came from the Grand Master and chief

convent in the East to the Grand Preceptor of England, who caused them to

be published at the different preceptories.[371]

On the 1st of March, the king sent orders to the constable of the Tower,

and to the sheriffs of Lincoln and of York, to obey the directions of the

inquisitors, or of one bishop and of one inquisitor, with regard to the

confinement of the Templars in separate cells, and he assigns William de

Diene to assist the inquisitors in their arrangements. Similar orders were

shortly afterwards sent to all the gaolers of the Templars in the English

dominions.[372]

On the 3rd of March five fresh interrogatories were exhibited by the

inquisitors, upon which thirty-one Templars were examined at the palace of

the bishop of London, the chapel of St. Alphage, and the chapter-house of

the Holy Trinity. They were chiefly concerning the reception and

profession of the brethren, the number that each examinant had seen

received, their names, and as to whether the burials of the order were

conducted in a clandestine manner. From the replies it appears that many

Templars had died during their imprisonment in the Tower. The twenty-sixth

prisoner examined was the Master of the Temple, Brother William de la

More, who gives an account of the number of persons he had admitted into

the order during the period of his mastership, specifying their names. It

is stated that many of the parishioners of the parish adjoining the New

Temple had been present at the interment of the brethren of the

fraternity, and that the burials were not conducted in a clandestine

manner.

In Ireland, in the mean time, similar proceedings against the order had

been carried on. Between the 11th of February and the 23rd of May, thirty

Templars were examined in Saint Patrick's Church, Dublin, by Master John

de Mareshall, the pope's commissary, but no evidence of their guilt was

obtained. Forty-one witnesses were then heard, nearly all of whom were

monks. They spoke merely from hearsay and suspicion, and the gravest

charges brought by them against the fraternity appear to be, that the

Templars had been observed to be inattentive to the reading of the holy

Gospels at church, and to have cast their eyes on the ground at the period

of the elevation of the host.[373]

On the 30th of March the papal inquisitors opened their commission at

Lincoln, and between that day and the 10th of April twenty Templars were

examined in the chapter-house of the cathedral, amongst whom were some of

the veteran warriors of Palestine, men who had moistened with their blood

the distant plains of the far East in defence of that faith which they

were now so infamously accused of having repudiated. Brother William de

Winchester, a member of twenty-six years' standing, had been received into

the order at the castle _de la Roca Guille_ in the province of Armenia,

bordering on Palestine, by the valiant Grand Master William de Beaujeu.

He states that the same mode of reception existed there as in England, and

everywhere throughout the order. Brother Robert de Hamilton declares that

the girdles were worn from an honourable motive, that they were called the

girdles of Nazareth, because they had been pressed against the column of

the Virgin at that place, and were worn in remembrance of the blessed

Mary; but he says that the brethren were not compelled to wear them, but

might make use of any girdle that they liked. With regard to the

confessions made in France, they all say that if their brethren in that

country confessed such things, _they lied_![374]

At York the examination commenced on the 28th of April, and lasted until

the 4th of May, during which period twenty-three Templars, prisoners in

York Castle, were examined in the chapter-house of the cathedral, and

followed the example of their brethren in maintaining their innocence.

Brother Thomas de Stanford, a member of thirty years' standing, had been

received in the East by the Grand Master William de Beaujeu, and Brother

Radulph de Rostona, a priest of the order, of twenty-three years'

standing, had been received at the preceptory of Lentini in Sicily by

Brother William de Canello, the Grand Preceptor of Sicily. Brother Stephen

de Radenhall refused to reveal the mode of reception, because it formed

part of the secrets of the chapter, and if he discovered them he would

lose his chamber, be stripped of his mantle, or be committed to

prison.[375]

On the 20th of May, in obedience to the mandate of the archbishop of York,

an ecclesiastical council of the bishops and clergy assembled in the

cathedral. The mass of the Holy Ghost was solemnly celebrated, after

which the archbishop preached a sermon, and then caused to be read to the

assembled clergy the papal bulls fulminated against the order of the

Temple.[376] He exhibited to them the articles upon which the Templars had

been directed to be examined; but as the inquiry was still pending, the

council was adjourned until the 23rd of June of the following year, when

they were to meet to pass sentence of condemnation, or of absolution,

against all the members of the order in the province of York, in

conformity with ecclesiastical law.[377]

On the 1st of June the examination was resumed before the papal

inquisitors at Lincoln. Sixteen Templars were examined upon points

connected with the secret proceedings in the general and particular

chapters of the order, the imposition of penances therein, and the nature

of the absolution granted by the Master. From the replies it appears that

the penitents were scourged three times with leathern thongs, in the name

of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, after which they

were absolved either by the Master or by a priest of the order, according

to the particular circumstances of each case. It appears, also, that none

but preceptors were present at the general chapters of the order, which

were called together principally for the purpose of obtaining money to

send to the Grand Master and the chief convent in Palestine.[378]

After closing the examinations at Lincoln, the abbot of Lagny and the

canon of Narbonne returned to London, and immediately resumed the inquiry

in that city. On the 8th and 9th days of June, Brother William de la More,

the Master of the Temple, and thirty-eight of his knights, chaplains, and

sergeants, were examined by the inquisitors in the presence of the bishops

of London and Chichester, and the before-mentioned public notaries, in the

priory of the Holy Trinity. They were interrogated for the most part

concerning the penances imposed, and the absolution pronounced in the

chapters. The Master of the Temple was required to state what were the

precise words uttered by him, as the president of the chapter, when a

penitent brother, having bared his back and acknowledged his fault, came

into his presence and received the discipline of the leathern thongs. He

states that he was in the habit of saying, "Brother, pray to God that he

may forgive you;" and to the bystanders he said, "And do ye, brothers,

beseech the Lord to forgive him his sins, and say a _pater-noster_;" and

that he said nothing further, except to warn the offender against sinning

again. He declares that he did not pronounce absolution in the name of the

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost! and relates, that in a

general chapter, and as often as he held a particular chapter, he was

accustomed to say, after prayers had been offered up, that all those who

did not acknowledge their sins, or who appropriated to their own use the

alms of the house, could not be partakers in the spiritual blessings of

the order; but that which through shamefacedness, or through fear of the

justice of the order, they dared not confess, he, out of the power

conceded to him by God and the pope, forgave him as far as he was able.

Brother William de Sautre, however, declares that the president of the

chapter, after he had finished the flagellation of a penitent brother,

said, "I forgive you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of

the Holy Ghost," and then sent him to a priest of the order for

absolution; and the other witnesses vary in their account of the exact

words uttered, either because they were determined, in obedience to their

oaths, not to reveal what actually did take place, or else (which is very

probable) because the same form of proceeding was not always rigidly

adhered to.

When the examination was closed, the inquisitors drew up a memorandum,

showing that, from the apostolical letters, and the depositions and

attestations of the witnesses, it was to be collected that certain

practices had crept into the order of the Temple, which were not

consistent with the orthodox faith.[379]