THE TEMPLARS AND THE INQUISITORS 259
personage, now he was suddenly treated worse that a common
malefactor and arraigned as an enemy of the faith. He may
have been threatened with death and at that time have lacked
the courage which he was to show later j but the most
probable solution is that Philip the Fair offered to spare the
Templars as individuals if the Grand Master gave evidence
which would warrant the Pope in suppressing the Order as an
Order. De Molay was a simple and unlettered man and
incapable of coping with the subtle lawyers whom the king
employed. He believed himself and his Order to be quite
deserted and already sacrificed by the papacy to Philip, and
he may have thought himself justified in confessing to crimes
of which he was innocent if thereby he could save his
followers. No one can say 5 but the conduct of de Molay in
the concluding stages of the process is emphatically not that
of a guilty man.
Hugh de Payraud, examined on November gth, was
embittered. He had hoped to be chosen as Grand Master,
but de Molay—by a disgraceful trick, it is alleged—had won
the honour. De Payraud made a sweeping confession of
guilt. On his reception he had been taken behind an altar
and shown a crucifix 5 he was ordered to deny Christ and to
spit on the cross, but though he spoke the words of denial
once he did not spit on the cross. He had kissed the
brother who received him, but only on the mouth. When
he himself received new members, he made them kiss him
on the navel, the bottom of the spine, and the mouth. He
showed them a crucifix and told them to spit on it and deny
Jesus Christ thrice, but he explained to recruits that they
need not deny Christ in their hearts. Asked if some recruits
refused to obey, he said that some had, but in the end they
consented to deny Christ and spit on the cross. He admitted
that he had told recruits that immoral relations with other
brethren were permitted in the Order. Asked why he told
recruits that he would be satisfied by avowals and acts