330 POLITICAL HERESY.— THE STATE. a reservation that it was liable for the expenses of the imprisoned Templars and for the costs incurred by the king in pushing the trials. This was a claim elastic both in amount and in the time required for settlement. Had Philippe's life been prolonged it is probable that no settlement would have been made. As it was, the Hospitallers at last, in 1317, were glad to close the affair by abandoning to Philippe le Long all claim on the income of the landed estates which the crown had held for ten years, with an arrangement as to the movables which virtually left them in the king's hands. They also assumed to pay the expenses of the im- prisoned Templars, and this exposed them to every species of ex- action and pillage on the part of the royal officials.* In fact, it is the general testimony that the Hospitallers were rather impoverished than enriched by the splendid gift. There had been a universal Saturnalia of plunder. Every one, king, no- ble, and prelate, who could lay hands on a part of the defenceless possessions had done so, and to reclaim it required large payments either to the holder or to his suzerain. In 1286 the Margrave Otto of Brandenburg had entered the Order of the Temple and had en- riched it with extensive domains. These the Margrave AValdemar seized, and did not surrender till 1322, nor was the transfer con- firmed till 1350, when the Hospital was obliged to pay five hun- dred silver marks. In Bohemia many nobles seized and retained Templar property ; the chivalrous King John is said to have kept more than twenty castles, and Templars themselves managed to hold some and bequeath them to their heirs. Religious orders were not behindhand in securing what they could out of the spoils — Dominicans, Carthusians, Augustinians, Celestinians, all are named as participators. Even the pious Robert of Naples had to be reminded by Clement that he had incurred excommunica- tion because he had not surrendered the Templar property in Pro- vence. In fact, he had secretly sent orders to his seneschal not to
- Ferreti Vicentini, loc. cit. — "Raynald. arm. 1307, No. 12 — Havemann, p. 334.
— Wilcke, II. 327, 329-30.— Raynouard, pp. 25-6.— Vaissette, IV. 141.— Du Puy, pp. 75, 78, 88, 125-31, 216-17.— Prutz, p. 16.— Oliin, III. 580-2. Even as late as 1337, in the accounts of the S£ngchaussee of Toulouse there is a place reserved for collections from the Templar property, although the returns in that year were nil. — Vaissette, fid. Privat, X. Pr. 785. For the banking business of the Templars, see Schottmuller, I. 64.
