THE TEMPLARS. 323 ceeded in procuring its transfer to the Hospitallers. It may not be true that they bribed him heavily to accomplish this, but such a belief prevailed extensively at the time, and sufficiently illus- trates the estimate entertained of him by his contemporaries. May 2 the bull Ad providam announced that, although in view of the proceedings thus far had the Order could not legally be sup- pressed, it was provisionally and irrevocably abolished by apos- tolic ordinance ; it was placed under perpetual inhibition, and any one presuming to enter it or to assume its habit incurred ipso facto excommunication. All the property of the Order was assumed by the Holy See, and was transferred to the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, saving in the kingdoms of Castile, Aragon, Majorca, and Portugal. As early as August, 1310, Jayme of Aragon had urged his brother monarchs to unite with him in defending their claims before the papal court ; and though he disregarded Clement's in- vitation to appear in person before the council to state his rea- sons, the three kings took care to have their views energetically represented. Elsewhere, all who occupied and detained such property, no matter what their rank or station, were required, under pain of excommunication, to hand it over to the Hospital- lers within a month after summons. This bull was sent to all princes and prelates, and the latter were instructed to enforce the surrender of the property by a vigorous use of excommunication and interdict.* The burning question as to the property being thus settled, the less material one as to the persons of the Templars was shuffled off by referring them to their provincial councils for judgment, with the exception of the chiefs of the Order still reserved to the Holy See. All fugitives were cited to appear within a year before their bishops for examination and sentence ; failure to do so in- curred ipso facto excommunication, which if endured for another
- Contin. Guill. Nangiac. aim. 1312— Raynald. aim. 1312, No. 5.— Hocsemil
Gest. Episcopp. Leod. (Chapeaville, II. 346).— Chron. Fr. Pipini c. 49 (Muratori S. R. I. IX. 750).— Chron. Astens. c. 27 (lb. XL 194).— Chron. Cornel. Zantflict ann. 1310 (Martene Ampl. Coll. V. 160).— Walsingham (D'Argentre" I. i. 280).— Raynouard, pp. 197-8.— Bull. Ad providam (Rymer, III. 323.— Mag. Bull. Rom. IX. 149.— Harduin. VII. 1341-8).— Bull. Nuper in generali (Rymer III. 326. Mag. Bull. Rom. IX. 150).— Zurita, Lib. v. c. 99.— Allart, op. cit. pp. 71-2.— Schmidt, Pabstliche Urkunden, p. 81.
