Wood — The Templars in IrehuuL 



355 



Philip's footsteps in this respect, though in a very much less degree.^ 

 German authorities admit tliat, in many cases in England, the threat 

 was quite sufficient to obtain the desired effect. ^ Von Dollinger 

 states that only two Templars in England succumbed to the torture,^ 

 while Michelet goes so far as to deny that torture was applied to the 

 English Knights at all.* The absence of any evidence of the use of 

 such means of extorting confessions on this side of the Channel may 

 induce the hope that a more humane treatment was practised here. 



On the Srd April, 1310, the Pope wrote to the Archbishop of 

 Dublin and others, putting off the meeting of the Synod at Yienne 

 till the 1st October, 1311, on the ground that the inquiries had not 

 yet been finished.^ In Erance they were still incomplete, while, as we 

 have seen, the inquiry in Dublin was only then being held, and in 

 London further examinations had yet to take place. During these 

 latter, the Grand Preceptor of England, Ireland, and Scotland died in 

 prison, refusing to confess to heretical doctrines. 



AVhat the result of the inquiry in Ireland was, and whether the 

 inquisitors reported favourably or not on the conduct of the Order 

 in this country, we do not know. In England and Erance the result 

 was unfavourable to the Templars ; but in Aragon, Castile, Portugal, and 

 the archbishopric of Mayence the inquiries resulted in an acquittal.^ 



The Synod at Yienne opened on the 16th October, 1311, the 

 objects for which it was held being (1) the recovery of the Holy Land; 

 (2) the reform of the Church ; and (3) to advise about the process of 

 the Templars ; but we may feel certain that the last issue was the 

 most absorbing one, and overshadowed all the rest. More than three 

 hundred bishops and prelates were assembled ; the representatives of 

 Ireland consisting of the Archbishop of Cashel, and the Eishops of 

 Emly, Killaloe, and Cloyne." After a lengthy consideration of the 

 case, the majority of the Synod declared that they had not sufficient 

 evidence before them to condemn the Order. As soon as Philip 

 heard that his plans were likely to fail, through the opposition 

 of the Council, he immediately set out for Yienne (Eebruary, 1312) to 

 use his personal influence with the Pope to urge him to dissolve the 



1 Kymer's "Federa," vol. ii., p. 119. 



2 Von Hefele, " Conciliengeschicte," vol. vi., p. 469. 



^ Von Dollinger, " Akademische Vortrage," vol. iii., p. 248. 

 ^ Miclielet, " Histoire de France," vol. iii., p. 115. 



5 Papal Registers, vol. ii. 



6 DublinReview, vol. cxvii., p. 343. ''The Fall of the Knights of the Temple." 

 ' Labbe-Mansi, XV., 12. 



