THE   ARREST   OF  THE   TEMPLARS   IN   FRANCE         249
of the Inquisition in France (William Imbert of Paris) on
the best means of ascertaining the truth, and the more deeply
the charges were investigated by all concerned, the more
serious did the position appear to him and his advisers. He
claimed that he had a special duty to protect the faith from
such corruption, and that, in view of the terrible nature of the
accusations and in order to save the innocent as well as punish
the guilty, he had decided, with the agreement of the Pope,
to take action without delay.
Every preceptory of the Temple in France was to be
raided on Friday, October I3th, and all Templars kept under
strong guard. The arrested members were then to be care-
fully examined. First they were to be told that the Pope and
the king had been advised by reliable witnesses of the shame-
ful irregularities in the Order, especially at the time when
members made their first professions to it. The Templars
were to be told that those who confessed their crimes would
be treated leniently while those who obstinately denied the
degrading ceremonies of admission would be condemned to
death. In the letter of September I4th and a later letter
under the king's seal the charges are set out in great detail.
In addition to denying Christ, spitting on the cross thrice,
and engaging in—or receiving permission to engage in—
homosexual practices, the Templars are accused of wearing
day and night a girdle which had been placed round the neck
of an idol. This idol is described as being " in the form of
the head of a man with a long beard ", but the statement
explains that the idol is not known to all the brethren, only
to the more important officers and a number of trusted
members. The seneschals are instructed to examine every
Templar diligently on these points, and ensure that a copy of
the depositions is forwarded to the king. Torture is to be
employed to force confessions from the obstinate.
The wholesale arrest of the Templars went through with-
out the slightest hitch.    By the evening of October I3th