The Knights TemplarsAddison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
History
The Knights Templars
Addison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
Templars
He was then sworn upon the holy gospels to stand to the sentence of the
church in the matter, after which Brother Thomas Tocci de Thoroldeby
was brought forward to go through the same ceremony, which being
concluded, these two poor serving brothers of the order of the Temple,
who were so ignorant that they could not write, were made to place
their mark on the record of their abjuration. “And then our lord the
archbishop of Canterbury, for the purpose of absolving and reconciling
to the unity of the church the aforesaid Thomas and Stephen, conceded
his authority and that of the whole council to the bishop of London, in
the presence of me the notary, specially summoned for the occasion,
in these words: ‘We grant to you the authority of God, of the blessed
Mary, of the blessed Thomas the Martyr our patron, and of all the
saints of God (sanctorum atque _sanctarum_ Dei) to us conceded, and
also the authority of the present council to us transferred, to the
end that thou mayest reconcile to the unity of the church these
miserables, separated from her by their repudiation of the faith, and
now brought back again to her bosom, reserving to ourselves and the
council the right of imposing a fit penance for their transgressions!’
And as there were two penitents, the bishop of Chichester was joined
to the bishop of London for the purpose of pronouncing the absolution,
which two bishops, putting on their mitres and pontificals, and being
assisted by twelve priests in sacerdotal vestments, placed themselves
in seats at the western entrance of the cathedral church of St. Paul,
and the penitents, with bended knees, humbly prostrating themselves
in prayer upon the steps before the door of the church, the members
of the council and the people of the city standing around; and the
psalm, _Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness_, having
been chaunted from the beginning to the end, and the subjoined prayers
and sermon having been gone through, they absolved the said penitents,
and received them back to the unity of the church in the following
form:--‘In the name of God, Amen. Since by your confession we find
that you, Brother Stephen de Stapelbrugge, have denied Christ Jesus
and the blessed Virgin Mary, and have spate _beside_ the cross, and
now taking better advice wishest to return to the unity of the holy
church with a true heart and sincere faith, as you assert, and all
heretical depravity having for that purpose been previously abjured by
you according to the form of the church, we, by the authority of the
council, absolve you from the bond of excommunication wherewith you
were held fast, and we reconcile you to the unity of the church, if you
shall have returned to her in sincerity of heart, and shall have obeyed
her injunctions imposed upon you.’” Brother Thomas Tocci de Thoroldeby
was then absolved and reconciled to the church in the usual manner,
after which various psalms (Gloria Patri, Kyrie Eleyson, Christe
Eleyson, &c.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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