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Article THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. ← Page 3 of 4 Article THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. Page 3 of 4 →
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The Knights Templars.
appearance of justice and impartiality , ordered . all the judges , bailies , and seneschals to -assist at it , with the lords of the province . Imbert resolved himself to examine the hundred and forty ¦ prisoners taken at the TempleParis . * The Pope ' s
, consent was not asked ; and Imbert pretended to ¦ have the right of examination as Inquisitor of the Faith , and delegate of the Pontiff . He wrote to ¦ all the inquisitors of his Orderdirecting them to
, proceed against the Templars as he himself had ¦ done done ; and in case of their confessing the truth of the charges , to communicate the same to ( the Minorite Friars , or some other Order , that
. the people might have no grounds to complain of their procedure , and to send the declarations as -soon as possible to the King and himself . They were to use no cruelty towards the prisoners , but "if they did not confess they were to employ the
torture—a strange contradiction . The commissioners throughout the kingdom delegated to examine the Templars were thus all Dominicans . 'The whole of the examinations taken in France lave not come down to us ; but those which have
may be supposed to be fair samples of the rest , . and we can arrive at a just estimate of the truth of the charges from them . The examinations which have come down are those taken at Paris , 'Caen , Pont-de-1 'Arche , Cahors , and Carcassone .
Before proceeding to the judicial examination , ihe Templars were confined twelve days in separate dungeons , where they suffered great priva-. tions . They were visited by officers of the King , who offered them pardon upon their confessing
the guilt of the Order . They listened to the offers with contemptuous silence , nor condescended to interchange a word with their tempters . At length the King resolved to force the confession of guilt from them , and the Dominicans , armed with all
their implements of torture , were let loose upon the victims . The following were the Articles of Accusation prepared by Imbert , and circulated for the guidance of his Order in conducting the examinations : —
1 . That at their reception , ana some times after , and as soon as they could have conveniency for the same , they renounced Christ , or Jesus , or the person crucified , or sometimes God , and sometimes the Blessed Virgin , and sometimes all the Saints of God , being induced or admonished so to do by those who received them . 2 , That the Brothers did this commonly . 3 , That the major part of them did it . 4 , That sometimes they did it after their reception . 5 , That the receivers said , and taught those that were receired , that Christ was not true God , or
The Knights Templars.
sometimes Jesus , or sometimes , the person crucified . 6 , That they told those they received that he was a false Brother . 7 , That they said he had not suffered for the redemption of mankind , nor been crucified , but for his own crimes . 8 , That neither the receivers , nor the persons received , had any hopes of obtaining salvation through him ; and this they said to those
they received , or something equivalent , or like it . 9 , That they obliged those they received to spit upon , the Cross , or upon , the sign or sculpture oE the Cross , and the image of Christ , though they that were received did sometimes spit asido . 10 , That they caused the Cross to be trampled under foot . 11 , That the Brothers themselves did sometimes trample on the
same Cross . 12 , That they defiled the Cross on Good Friday , ( Item . Quod mingebant interdum , et alios mingere faciebant , super ipsam , crucem . ) 13 , That they did so on that day , or some other day in Holy Week . 14 , That they adored a certain cat that appeared to them at that assembly . 15 , That they did this in contempt of Christ , and of the orthodox faith . 15 ,
That they did not believe the Sacrament of the Altar . 17 , That some of them did not . 18 , That it was the greater part . 19 , That they neither believed 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 so . 22 , That it was
a major part . 23 , That those who received them enjoined this 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 the same . 26 , That the Preceptors , of whom many were laymen , couM do it . 27 , That they actually did so . 28 , That some of them did it . 29 , That the Grand Master confessed these things of himself , even before he was taken , in the presence of great persons . 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ,
These Items are so disgusting , and the charges so absurd , that we cannot insert them . They refer to the unmentionable crime . 34 , That at the reception they obliged those they received to swear that they would not quit the Order . 35 , That they presently regarded them as professed . 36 , That the receptions of their Brothers were made clandestinely . 37 . That none were present but the Brothers of the said Order . 38 . That , for
this reason , there has been for a long time a vehement Suspicion against the Brothers of the said Order . 39 , That the same were very common . 40 , That they told the Brothers they received that they might commit the most disgusting crimes with one another . 41 , That it was lawful for them to do so . 42 , That they were to do this to one another , and to be passive .
43 , That it was no sin among them to do this . 44 . That they , or many of them , did this . 45 , That some of them did it . 46 , That the Brothers themselves had idols in every province , viz ., Heads ; some of which had three faces , and some one , and some had a man ' s skull . 47 , That they adored that idol , or those idols , and more especially iu their Great
Chapters and assemblies . 4 S , That they honoured it . 49 , That it was as a god . 50 , That as their saviour . 51 , That some of them did it . 52 , That the major part did it . 53 , That they said that head could save them . 54 , That it could enrich them . 55 , That it gave them all the wealth of the Order . 56 , That it made the land produce . 57 , That it made the trees blossom .
58 , That they bound or touched the head of the said idol with a cord , wherewith they girt themselves on their shirts , or next the skin . 59 , That , at their reception , the aforesaid little cords , or others of their length , were delivered to overy Brother . 60 , That they did this in honour of the idol . 61 , That they enjoined them to girt themselves with the said little cords , as is said above , and to wear them continually . 62 , That generally the Brothers of the aforesaid Order were received as aforesaid .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Knights Templars.
appearance of justice and impartiality , ordered . all the judges , bailies , and seneschals to -assist at it , with the lords of the province . Imbert resolved himself to examine the hundred and forty ¦ prisoners taken at the TempleParis . * The Pope ' s
, consent was not asked ; and Imbert pretended to ¦ have the right of examination as Inquisitor of the Faith , and delegate of the Pontiff . He wrote to ¦ all the inquisitors of his Orderdirecting them to
, proceed against the Templars as he himself had ¦ done done ; and in case of their confessing the truth of the charges , to communicate the same to ( the Minorite Friars , or some other Order , that
. the people might have no grounds to complain of their procedure , and to send the declarations as -soon as possible to the King and himself . They were to use no cruelty towards the prisoners , but "if they did not confess they were to employ the
torture—a strange contradiction . The commissioners throughout the kingdom delegated to examine the Templars were thus all Dominicans . 'The whole of the examinations taken in France lave not come down to us ; but those which have
may be supposed to be fair samples of the rest , . and we can arrive at a just estimate of the truth of the charges from them . The examinations which have come down are those taken at Paris , 'Caen , Pont-de-1 'Arche , Cahors , and Carcassone .
Before proceeding to the judicial examination , ihe Templars were confined twelve days in separate dungeons , where they suffered great priva-. tions . They were visited by officers of the King , who offered them pardon upon their confessing
the guilt of the Order . They listened to the offers with contemptuous silence , nor condescended to interchange a word with their tempters . At length the King resolved to force the confession of guilt from them , and the Dominicans , armed with all
their implements of torture , were let loose upon the victims . The following were the Articles of Accusation prepared by Imbert , and circulated for the guidance of his Order in conducting the examinations : —
1 . That at their reception , ana some times after , and as soon as they could have conveniency for the same , they renounced Christ , or Jesus , or the person crucified , or sometimes God , and sometimes the Blessed Virgin , and sometimes all the Saints of God , being induced or admonished so to do by those who received them . 2 , That the Brothers did this commonly . 3 , That the major part of them did it . 4 , That sometimes they did it after their reception . 5 , That the receivers said , and taught those that were receired , that Christ was not true God , or
The Knights Templars.
sometimes Jesus , or sometimes , the person crucified . 6 , That they told those they received that he was a false Brother . 7 , That they said he had not suffered for the redemption of mankind , nor been crucified , but for his own crimes . 8 , That neither the receivers , nor the persons received , had any hopes of obtaining salvation through him ; and this they said to those
they received , or something equivalent , or like it . 9 , That they obliged those they received to spit upon , the Cross , or upon , the sign or sculpture oE the Cross , and the image of Christ , though they that were received did sometimes spit asido . 10 , That they caused the Cross to be trampled under foot . 11 , That the Brothers themselves did sometimes trample on the
same Cross . 12 , That they defiled the Cross on Good Friday , ( Item . Quod mingebant interdum , et alios mingere faciebant , super ipsam , crucem . ) 13 , That they did so on that day , or some other day in Holy Week . 14 , That they adored a certain cat that appeared to them at that assembly . 15 , That they did this in contempt of Christ , and of the orthodox faith . 15 ,
That they did not believe the Sacrament of the Altar . 17 , That some of them did not . 18 , That it was the greater part . 19 , That they neither believed 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 so . 22 , That it was
a major part . 23 , That those who received them enjoined this 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 the same . 26 , That the Preceptors , of whom many were laymen , couM do it . 27 , That they actually did so . 28 , That some of them did it . 29 , That the Grand Master confessed these things of himself , even before he was taken , in the presence of great persons . 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ,
These Items are so disgusting , and the charges so absurd , that we cannot insert them . They refer to the unmentionable crime . 34 , That at the reception they obliged those they received to swear that they would not quit the Order . 35 , That they presently regarded them as professed . 36 , That the receptions of their Brothers were made clandestinely . 37 . That none were present but the Brothers of the said Order . 38 . That , for
this reason , there has been for a long time a vehement Suspicion against the Brothers of the said Order . 39 , That the same were very common . 40 , That they told the Brothers they received that they might commit the most disgusting crimes with one another . 41 , That it was lawful for them to do so . 42 , That they were to do this to one another , and to be passive .
43 , That it was no sin among them to do this . 44 . That they , or many of them , did this . 45 , That some of them did it . 46 , That the Brothers themselves had idols in every province , viz ., Heads ; some of which had three faces , and some one , and some had a man ' s skull . 47 , That they adored that idol , or those idols , and more especially iu their Great
Chapters and assemblies . 4 S , That they honoured it . 49 , That it was as a god . 50 , That as their saviour . 51 , That some of them did it . 52 , That the major part did it . 53 , That they said that head could save them . 54 , That it could enrich them . 55 , That it gave them all the wealth of the Order . 56 , That it made the land produce . 57 , That it made the trees blossom .
58 , That they bound or touched the head of the said idol with a cord , wherewith they girt themselves on their shirts , or next the skin . 59 , That , at their reception , the aforesaid little cords , or others of their length , were delivered to overy Brother . 60 , That they did this in honour of the idol . 61 , That they enjoined them to girt themselves with the said little cords , as is said above , and to wear them continually . 62 , That generally the Brothers of the aforesaid Order were received as aforesaid .