CHAPTER XV
THE ARREST OF THE TEMPLARS IN FRANCE
CLEMENT had summoned the Grand Masters of both the
Temple and the Hospital, but Jules de Vilkret, Grand
Master of the Hospital, excused himself from coming to
France. The Hospitallers were, he said, at a critical point in
their siege of Rhodes, and he could not leave his followers.
Jacques de Molay, however, had no such excuse to offer, nor
did he see any reason why he should seek an excuse.
Although the Pope had told him to come secretly and with a
small retinue, de Molay set out in state with sixty knights
and the accumulated wealth of the Temple which had been
stored at Cyprus. He reached Marseilles at the beginning
of 1307 and began a slow and magnificent progress to Paris.
Twelve horses were required to carry the stores of gold and
silver alone, apart from the train on which was loaded rich
equipment and sumptuous apparel. Before seeing the Pope,
de Molay deposited these treasures in the Temple at Paris
and had an interview with Philip the Fair. The king
received him with honour, and gave de Molay no reason to
suspect the plot that was being hatched against the Order.
After his interview with the king, the Grand Master went
to pay his respects to the Pope. Clement was then at Poitiers.
Philip did not mean to let the Pope out of his dutches, and,
even if Rome had not been closed to Clement owing to rioting
by the populace, the king would have insisted that Clement
should maintain the papal court within reach of the royal
court. The coronation had taken place on November I4th,
1303, at the Church of St. Just in Lyons, and the rest of