The Knights Templars.

THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS .

By ANTHONY ONEAL HAYE .

( Continued from page 368 . )

BOOK IV . —CHAPTER XVIII .

The Council at Vienne —Arrival of the Pope—His opening speech—Urges the abolition of the Order of the Temple—The Council divided—The Fope adjourns the Council—Arrival of Philip le Bel—The Fope in a secret Consistory prepares a Bull of Abolition—Orders the arrest of nine Tenvplars ivho defend the Order—The

Abolition—Disposal of the wealth—A . D . 1311—1313 . The time now approached for the meeting of the 'General Council at Vienne * . This town is a short distance from Lyons . The Pope repaired thither on the 1 st October 1311 , and found nearly

' 300 of the fathers already assembled . There were 114 Bishops , besides Cardinals , Archbishops , Abbots , and Doctors . On Friday , the 13 th , illomened day for the Order , as it was the anniversary of the arrest of the Templars four years

previous , the Council commenced its sittings in the cathedral . Before the opening , the Pope had ordered every one of the Fathers to fast for three < 3 ays , and offer up each day a mass , that the light of the Holy Spirit might be invoked upon their deliberations . The Pope , in his opening speech , « poke with vehemence against the Order ,

recapitulated the crimes with which it stood charged , which he pretended to believe in , and urged the necessity of abolishing it , without further process . The Council was divided upon the last . One party , the moderate and just , desired to hear the defence

of the accused . They protested against breaking down those formalities ivhich were necessary in an affair of so much consequence , and insisted that Templars should be confronted with their accusers . This paity was composed of several prelates of

France , and all the Italian , Spanish , English , Scotch , Irish , German , and Danish Bishops . The second party was composed principally of Philip ' s creatures ; the leaders being the Archbishop of Sens , Rheims , and Rouen . Of this party was

William du Rondi , Bishop of Abanne , a man of profound intellect , but devoted to Philip . He declared that it was impossible to hesitate in abolishing so infamous an Order , branded with so many crimes , which had been proved by two

thousand witnesses , and who , by their conduct , had rendered odious and despicable the Christian name among the infidel . The first party , however ,

adhered to their opinions , and declared that it would be a rash and iniquitous act to abolish the Order , without observing these formalities towards it , it being a holy brotherhood , which in times past had rendered the greatest services to the

Church . Finding this party resolute in opposing the abolition of the Order in so summary a manner , the Bishops of Soissons , Mende , Leone , and Aquila , were then appointed to prepare a report of the result of the different examinations

respecting the Order , ivhich they read before the Council , and the Templars who desired to defend themselves were summoned to appear . Nine Knights obeyed the summons , and declared themselves to be the representatives of from fifteen hundred to two thousand Templars still at large and in concealment among the hills at Lyons . Clement was

unprepared for this . He was not present when the gallant Knights appeared before the Council , but in his letter to Philip , of the 11 th November ( a transcript of which will be found in the Appendix to this work ) , he states that he had

ordered the brave Templars to be cast into prison , and , in affected te' --a * at the number still at large , he surrounded L iftself with additional guards , declaring that he was in danger from them . The Council , with the exception of Philip ' s creatures ,

refused to sanction this act of flagrant injustice , demanded that the Knights should be heard , and every opportunity granted them for proving the innocence of the Order . Upon this , the Pope suddenly closed the sittings , and the ivinter was passed in fruitless arguments and negotiations .

Early in February , Philip , determined to push the affairs of the Order to a conclusion , repaired to Vienne . He was accompanied by his three sons , Louis , King of Navarre , Philip , Count of Poictiers , and Charles , Count de la Marche . His

brother , Charles Count de Valois , likewise accompanied him . He ivas furthermore followed by a large body of troops , ivhich , however , he did not take with him to Vienne , but left in the neighbourhood , within an easy distance from the place ,

so that , if necessary , they could speedily execute his orders . The King of Arragon had sent his ambassador to watch his interests , and prevent the Council from disposing of the goods of the Order , in his realms , to his disadvantage . Philip

had abandoned the hope of founding a Royal Order , for the maintenance of Ms son , Philip , and contented himself with asking the Pope to found