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The Seal(106)



The bishop turned away; the wine suddenly tasted sour. ‘Perhaps these men are like Job whom God tests with all manner of evil to know their continence, and we are perhaps playing the part of Satan . . . And as Satan tortured Job, we torture the Templar knights, taking everything of value from them, pouring them out as milk, and curdling them like cheese! Have they not cried out, “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said there is a man child conceived!”’ The Bishop of Paris calmed himself, his fingers pressing into his temples. ‘Tomorrow I shall sit on the provincial council along with six suffragan bishops, and at the behest of the newly appointed Archbishop of Sens all of us will turn our backs on the Temple.’

Julian stared hard at the fire. ‘As metropolitans of Sens you may be Marigny’s men, but there is still the vote.’

‘Yes, but I am only one of seven, and the others are either afraid or corrupt. The plan is brilliant of course, to set up a council with the Pope’s blessing, whose purpose is to anticipate the papal commission’s own finding because once the individual Templars are pronounced guilty, it will be easier to prove the culpability of the entire Order. The papal commission is even now becoming complacent because it knows its work is superfluous. Marigny’s parallel trial will be swift and will take little notice of legality.’

‘But the commission offered them immunity. Here in your garden five hundred of them were prepared to believe it!’ He set down his glass.

‘Yes, and they shall be condemned to burn for it.’

The young man stood with the light from the fire playing at his clothes. ‘This morning Gilles Aicelin chaired an extraordinary hearing of the commission – perhaps he shall listen to Pierre de Bologna and prevent the provincial council from condemning the Templars before he has had a chance to question them.’

Guillaume looked down and his throat was suddenly dry. ‘Gilles walked out in the middle of the hearing, giving some excuse about celebrating the mass. As far as I know he has not returned to the commission. He has gone back to Philip like a dog to his vomit.’

Julian’s face lost its colour. He stood motionless for a time, looking into the fire with his fists clenched. ‘I have had a part in this!’ he said to himself.

The Bishop of Paris was puzzled. ‘What do you mean, a part in it?’

Julian shook his head. ‘I have aided their communication . . .’

The bishop was aghast. ‘You? Did you not see the trap to which you were being directed?’

But his words were not heard, for Julian had walked out of the apartment.





THE SIXTH CARD

CHARIOT, DANGER





44


THE BURNING

‘Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord . . .

Revelation 14:13


Paris, 12 May 1310

On the Tuesday after the feast day of St Nicholas fifty-four Templars were condemned as relapsed heretics.

‘These Templars of the province of Sens,’ began the Archbishop of Sens, ‘have confessed to the inquisitors, have sought forgiveness and have been led through the path of penance and reconciliation back into the bosom of the Church, whose mercy knows no bounds. But like those perverted Cathars of the south, these men have not confessed willingly, but cunningly, for their humility and contrition is a shallow beast which hides beneath it a heart despoiled by heresy. But it is well known that the heart of such men is never hidden long from the eyes of godly men, since sooner or later such men seek to defend their heresy by denying wrongdoing. Such men are recognisable by these signs and are beyond the absolution and care of the Church. We can no longer stain our hands with their sin, instead we must sorrowfully follow canon law, which dictates that all impenitents are to be turned over to the officials of the royal court, whose task it is to put such men to death by fire.’ He ended with a regal yawn.

Julian had relayed the message to the papal commission at St Eloi that the men would be taken to their punishment that day, and an hour after prime the answer that had been as much anticipated as expected, returned by way of Julian, who was accompanied by de Voet, the royal jailer, and Amisius, Archdeacon of Orleans.

He forwarded to the Archbishop of Sens the details of Sunday’s appeal by the Templar lawyer, Pierre de Bologna, and the other three procurators. The papal commission argued that many Templars had stated at the point of death that their Order was pure and that the charges against it were false. If this were true, to burn the Templars precipitately was to obstruct the work of the papal commission.

The Archbishop of Sens, dressed in his own importance, thin with a long doubtful face and small darkling eyes, shook his head. ‘We can do nothing more . . . Fiat iustitia – justice shall be done!’