Paris (France) -- Description and travel; Paris (France) -- History
to: they expressed their sorrow that the episcopal court was beyond
their jurisdiction, but would consider what might be done. Short time
was allowed them. The stout-hearted archbishop was not a man to show
weakness; he went steadily on with his work, and in spite of appeals
from the papal judges for delay, the fifty-four were led forth on the
afternoon of the 12th[76] to the open country outside the Porte St.
Antoine, near the convent of St. Antoine des Champs, and slowly
roasted to death. They bore their fate with the constancy of martyrs,
each protesting his innocence with his last breath, and declaring
that the charges alleged against the order were false. Two days later,
six more were sent to the stake at the Place de Greve. In spite of
threats, the prelates went on with their grim work of terror. Many of
the bravest Templars still gave the lie to their traducers, but the
majority were cowed; further confessions were obtained, and the pope
was satisfied. The proudest, bravest and richest order in Christendom
was crushed or scattered to the four corners of the world; their vast
estates were nominally confiscated to the Knights Hospitallers. But
our "most dear brother in Christ, Philip the king, although he was not
moved by avarice nor intended the appropriation of the Templars'
goods"[77] had to be compensated for the expense of the prosecution:
the treasure of the order failed to satisfy the exorbitant claims of
the crown, and the Hospitallers were said to have been impoverished
rather than enriched by the transfer.
[Footnote 74: The indictment covers seven quarto pages. The charges
may be briefly classified as blasphemy, heresy, spitting and trampling
on the crucifix, obscene and secret rites, and unnatural crimes.]
[Footnote 75: An approved method of extracting confessions. As late as
1584 at the examination of a papal emissary, the titular archbishop of
Cashel, before the Lords Justices, Archbishop Loftus and Sir H. Wallop
at Dublin, the easy method failing to do any good "we made
commission," writes Loftus to Walsingham, "to put him to torture such
as your honour advised us, which was to toast his feet against the
fire with hot boots. Yielding to the agony he confessed,"
etc.--Froude's _History_, x. p. 619.]
[Footnote 76: There is a significant entry on page 273 of the
published trial: _in ista pagina nihil est scriptum_. The empty page
tells of the moment when the papal commissioners, having heard that
the fifty-four had been burned, suspended the sitting.]
[Footnote 77: _Nihil sibi appropriare intendebat._]
[Illustration: PALACE OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF SENS.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account