292 POLITICAL HERESY. — THE STATE. were simple and illiterate, chained in prison and unable to act ; and they further begged that security should be given to witnesses, as all who had confessed were threatened with burning if they should retract. A. paper presented April 4 by those confined in the house of the Abbot of Tiron is eloquent in its suggestiveness as to their treatment, for the houses in which they were quartered had appar- ently taken them on speculation. They assert the purity of the Order and their readiness to defend it as well as men can who are fettered in prison and pass the night in dark fosses. They further complain of the insufficiency of their allowance of twelve deniers a day, for they pay three deniers each per day for their beds ; for hire of kitchen, napery, and cloths, two sols six deniers per week ; two sols for taking off and replacing their fetters when they appear before the commission ; for washing, eighteen deniers a fortnight ; wood and candles, four deniers a day, and ferriage across from iSotre Dame, sixteen deniers. It is evident that the poor creatures were exploited relentlessly." The outcome of the matter was that on April 7 nine repre- sentatives presented a paper in the name of all, declaring that without authority from the Master and Convent they could not appoint procurators, but they offer themselves one and all in defence of the Order, and ask to be present at the council or wher- ever it is on trial. They declare the charges to be horrible and impossible lies fabricated by apostates and fugitives expelled for crime from the Order, confirmed by torturing those who uphold the truth, and encouraging liars with recompenses and great prom- ises. It is wonderful, they say, to see greater faith reposed in those corrupted thus by worldly advantage than in those who, like the martyrs of Christ, have died in torture with the palm of martyrdom, and in the living who, for conscience' sake, have suf- fered and daily suffer in their dungeons so many torments, tribula- tions, and miseries. In the universal terror prevailing they pray that when the brethren are examined there may be present no laymen or others whom they may fear, and that security may be
- Proces, I. 103-51. — It must be borne in mind that the allowance was in the
fearfully debased currency of Philippe le Bel. According to a document of 1318 the livre Tournois still was to the sterling pound as 1 to 4-J- (Olim, III. 1279). Other Templars subsequently offered to defend the Order, making five hun- dred and seventy-three up to May 2.
