Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 2.djvu/100

 g^ LANGUEDOC. and maltreated, and the friars used every effort to persuade him to withdraw it. This in itself was a grave violation of clerical immunity, and it was soon recognized that such proceedings were worse than useless. Pequigny's authority was paralyzed until the excommunication should be removed, and this could only be done by the man who had uttered it, or by the pope himself.^ The prospect of reUef was darkened by the election, October 21, of Benedict XI., himself a Dominican and necessarily pre- disposed in favor of the Inquisition. Special exertions evidently were required unless all that had been gained was to be lost, and, at the best, litigation in the Roman court was a costly business. Pequigny had appealed to the pope, and, October 29, he wrote from Paris to the cities of Languedoc asking for their aid in the persecution which he had brought upon himself in their cause. Bernard Dehcieux promptly busied himself to obtain the required assistance. By his exertions the three cities of Carcassonne, Albi, and Cordes entered into an alliance and pledged themselves to fur- nish the sum of thi^ee thousand livres, one half by Carcassonne and the rest by the other two, and to continue in the same pro- portions as long as the affair should last. After Pequigny's death they renewed their obhgation to his oldest son Eenaud ; but as the matter was much protracted, they grew tired, and Bernard, who had raised some of the money on his own responsibihty, was left with heavy obligations, of which he vainly sought restitution at the hands of the ungrateful cities.f _ The quarrel was thus for a time transferred to Pome. Pe- quigny went to Italy with envoys from the king and from Carcas- sonne and Albi to plead his cause, and was opposed by GuiUaume de Morieres the Inquisitor of Toulouse, sent thither to manage the case against him. Benedict was not slow in showing on - MSS Bib. Nat., fonds latin, 4270, fol. 27, 272.-Arch. de Vlnq. de Care. (Doat XXXII 114).-Berii. Guidon. Hist. Conv. Praedic. (Martene Ampl. Coll. VI 511) -Vaissette, IV. Pr. 128.-Coll. Doat, XXXIV. 26. The Dominican party declared that the statements purporting to come from the prisoners were fraudulent, and Bernard Gui relates with savage satisfaction that a monk named Raymond Baudier, who was concerned in getting them up, hanged himself like Judas (1. c p. 514). „ . -d t^< t MSS. Bib. Nat., fonds latin, 4270, fol. 63, 153-55, 272-3.-Haureau, Bern. Dg. licieux pp. 1»7, 190.