278 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS
Poitiers was thronged with French troops, and Clement was
defenceless.
When it was a choice of abandoning the Templars or con-
demning Boniface, Clement never had any doubt which alter-
native he must take; better to sacrifice the living Templars
than be guilty of the unprecedented outrage of pronouncing
Boniface VIII guilty of the terrible indictment drawn up
by the French lawyers. But Philip wanted proceedings
against both. The discussions between pope and king ended
with a compromise. Philip was agreeable that Boniface
should be judged by a general council of the Church to be
held at Vienne in October, 1310, and that date was still two
years distant. As for the Templars, the Pope undertook that
their fate should be decided by the bishops and inquisitors of
France and all other countries. De Molay and the great
dignitaries of the Temple were, however, to be reserved for
the judgment of the papacy. The bishops and inquisitors
would proceed against the Templars as individuals, but they
were forbidden to proceed against the Temple as an Order.
The charges against the Temple as a whole would be the
subject of separate enquiries by commissioners specially
appointed for the purpose by the Holy See, and the final
decision on the Order would be given by the Council of
Vienne.
There remained the disposal of the property of the
Temple. Clement had no illusions about Philip, whom he
knew to be unscrupulous and grasping, but he hoped to save
some of the wealth of the Order for the Church, even if the
Temple were abolished. The king, however, was more than
a match for Clement. He had already enriched himself with
most of the movable property and he planned also to acquire
the lands and houses of the Temple. He could not openly,',.',
hold on to the possessions of a religious Order which was;
not yet condemned, but his lawyers pointed the obvious
solution of the problem. The property of the Temple was |