Masonic Notes And Queries.

from the city of Lyons , and found there 114 bishops , besides several other prelates , already assembled . On the 13 th , the anniversary of the arrest of the Temp lars four years before , the council commenced its sittings in the cathedral . The Pope , in his opening speech , stated the grounds of its having been convoked , namelythe process against the Templarsthe

, , support of the Holy Land , the reformation of the Church . The bishops of Soissons , Mende , Leon , and Aquila , who had been appointed to draAV up a report of the result of the different examinations respecting the order , read it before the assembled fathersfwho then once more invited auy Templars who wished to

defend the Order to appear . "Though the Order was now broken up and persecuted , and numbers of its ablest members dead or languishing in dungeons with their superiors , yet nine knights had the courage to come fonvard in defence of their Orderand present themselves before the

, council as the representatives of from 1 , 500 to 2 , 000 Templars , who were still dtvelling , or rather lurking , in Lyons and its vicinity . The Pope was not present when they appeared , but his letter of the llth No-Tember shows how he acted when he heard that defenders of the Order had presented themselves .

Clement had these biwe knights arrested and thrown into prison , and in real or affected terror at the number of Templars at large , he took additional precautions for the security of his person , and counselled the kin 2 to do the same .

" To the honour of the assembled fathers , they refused to sanction this flagrant act of injustice . Theprelates of Spain , Germany , Denmark , England , Ireland , and Scotland Avithout exception—the Italians all but one—the French , Avith the exception ofthe Archbishops of Bheims , Sens , and Bouen—declared , but in vain , for admitting the Templars and hearing their defence .

Instead of complying Avith this demand of justice and humanity , Clement suddenly put an end to the session . The winter passed aAvay in arguments and negotiations . " Philip , whose practice it Avas ahvays to look after his affairs himself , deeming his presence necessary at

Vienne , set out for that place , where he arrived early in February , accompanied by his three sons , his brother , and several nobles and men-at-arms . The effect of his presence was soon perceptible ; the Pope assembled the cardinals and several other prelates in a secret consistory , and abolished tlie Order , by his

sole authority , on the 22 nd March , 1313 . " The second session of the council was opened on the 3 rd April , with great solemnity ; the King of France , his sons , aud his brother , gaA e their presence at it , and the royal guards appeared for honour , for protectionor for intimidation . The Pope read his

, bull of abolition . All present listened in silence . No one ventured to raise his voice in the cause of justice . The Avealthy and powerful Order of the Knights of the Temple was suppressed . On the 2 nd May the bull was published , and the Order as such ceased to exist .

" The Order being suppressed , persecution became needless , and it consequently ceased in a great measure . The king and the Pope converted to their own use the moveable property of the Order in France . Its other possessions were , sorely against the will of the king , assigned to the Order of the Hospitallers ,

who were , however , obliged to pay such large fines to the king and Pope as completely impoverished them . This extended to all countries , except the Spanish peninsula and Majorca . The property of the Templars in Aragon was given to the order of Our Lady of Montesa , Avhich Avas founded in 1317 . Its destination was to combat the Moors ; its habit was

similar to that of the Templars ; and it might , therefore , be almost called the same Order . Diniz , the able and enlightened King of Portugal , did not suppress the Order , whose innocence his prelates had recognised . To yield a shoAv of obedience to the papal willhe made it change its nameand the great

, , prior of the Templars in Portugal became the master of the Order of Christ , which has continued to the present times . " With respect to the remaining Templars , who were in prison , it was ordered in council that those who should be found guiltless should be set at liberty , and

maintained out of the property of the Order ; that the guilty , if they confessed and lamented their offences , should be treated Avith mildness ; if they did not , dealt with according to the ecclesiastical laAV , and kept in custody in the former temple-houses and in the convents . Those who had escaped were , if they did not appear within a year before the council or their diocesan , to be excommunicated .

"Most of the knights AA-ere immediately set at liberty , - but the property of the Order was all gone , and no means of support remained for them : they were , therefore , reduced to the greatest distress , and many of them obliged to submit to the most menial employment in order to gain a livelihood . A great number were receiA r ed into the Order of St . Johuon

, the same footing as they had stood on in their own Order—a strong proof that the guilt of the Order of the Templars was not , by any means , regarded as proved . Gradually , as the members died off , or merged into other orders , the name of the Templars fell into oblivion , or was only recollected with pity for their unmerited fate .

" While the noble Order over which he had presided was thus suppressed , its members scattered , its property bestoAved ou others , the Master , James de Molay , with his three companions , the great-prior of Normandy , Hugh de Peyraud , visitor of France , and Guy , brother to the Dauphin of Auvergnestill

lan-, guished in prison . Molay had there but one attendant , his cook ; the allowance made to him was barely sufficient to procure him common necessaries , and life had now lost all its value iu his eyes . Tlie Pope at length determined to inform the captives of the fate destined for them .

" A Papal commission , composed of the Bishop of Alba and tAvo other cardinals , proceeded to Paris , not to hear the prisoners , but , taking their guilt for proved , to pronounce their sentence . To give all publicity to this act , probably in accordance with the desire of the king , a stage was erected in front of the church of

Notre Dame , on wdiich the three commissioners , with the Archbishop of Sens aud several other prelates , took their places on the 18 th March , 1314 . An immense concourse of people stood around . Thefournoble prisoners were conducted from their dungeons , and led up on the stage . The Cardinal of Alba read out their former confessions , aud pronounced the sentence of perpetual imprisonment . He was then proceeding