Wood — The Templars in Ireland. 



345 



election of Bertrand de Got, Archbishop of Bordeaux (Clement Y), 

 to the Apostolic See ; and the rumour was current that one of the 

 terms upon which Philip made his assistance conditional was the 

 destruction of the Templars. 



The charges against the Templars of heresy and impiety, which 

 Philip brought to the Pope's notice, left the latter no option but 

 to summon de Molay, the Grand Master, before him. This he did in 

 1307, ostensibly on the ground of discussing matters concerning the 

 Holy Land, but he also informed him of the grave imputations which 

 had been brought against the Order, and urged upon him the neces- 

 sity of union with the Hospitallers. To this proposal de Molay 

 strenuously objected, and asked for an inquiry into these terrible 

 charges. The Pope wrote to Philip, on the 24th August of the 

 same year, that he had at first considered the charges as incredible, 

 and that the Grand Master desired an inquiry. The King of 

 France, finding that the Pope was temporising, decided to act for 

 himself. On the 14th September he sent out a lettre de cachet to 

 the governors and crown officers throughout Prance, commanding 

 the arrest of the Templars, and the detention of their goods. But 

 such secrecy was observed in the preparations that de Molay was 

 entirely ignorant of them even a month later, for we find him, on 

 the 26th October, assisting with Philip at the funeral of Catherine 

 Courtenay, wife of Philip's brother. The next day the bolt fell, 

 and de Molay and 140 of the brethren were arrested. Such an 

 assumption of the Papal authority aroused Clement, who wrote, on 

 the 27th of the same month, to Philip, upbraiding him with his 

 action. 



Meanwhile Philip had been bringing his influence, both by letter and 

 by his ambassador, to bear upon King Edward II. But this monarch, 

 as will frequently be seen, was by no means willing to follow in the 

 course marked out for him by Philip, and exhibited a restiveness 

 under the spur which at times seemed to bode ill for the chances of 

 the King of France. Still, after a show of resistance, he always 

 ended by yielding to the pressure. It would seem that at first he 

 contemplated taking a decided stand, for instead of instantly submit- 

 ting to Philip's will, he wrote, on the 30th October, acknowledging a 

 letter he had received from him about the detestable herefeies of the 

 Templars, and informing him that he had communicated it to his 

 nobles and prelates, to whom, as to him, the contents seemed incredible, 

 but that he would make inquiries himself. But the Pope soon came 

 to Philip's assistance, for, quickly recovering from his fit of indignation 



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