Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 2.djvu/106

 90 LANGUEDOC. forty of its citizens were hanged. As for Carcassonne, all of its eight consuls, with Elias Patrice at their head, and seven other citizens were hanged in their official robes, the city was deprived of self-government and subjected to the enormous fine of sixty thousand livres, a sentence from which it vainly appealed to the Parlement. As Bernard Gui observes with savage exultation, those who had croaked Uke ravens against the Dominicans were exposed to the ravens. Aimeric Castel, who had sought in this way to obtain redress for the wrong done to his father's memory and estate, escaped by flight, but was captured and long lay a prisoner, finally making his peace with a heavy ransom, and a harvest of fines was gathered into the royal exchequer from all who could be accused of privity. As for Frere Bernard, he re- ceived early intelligence from Frere Durand, the queen's confessor, of the discovery of the plot, when he boldly headed a delegation of citizens of Albi who went to Paris to protest their mnocence. There Durand informed them that Albi was not implicated, when they returned, leaving Bernard. At the request of the king, Clem- ent Y. had him arrested and carried to Lyons, whence he was taken by the papal court to Bordeaux ; and when it went to Poi- tiers he was confined in the convent of St. Junian of Limoges. In May, 1307, at the instance of Clement, Philippe issued letters of amnesty to all concerned, and remitted to Carcassonne the por- tion of its fine not yet paid, and in Lent, 1308, Bernard was al- lowed to come to Poitiers. On the king's arrival there he boldly complained to him of his arrest and of the punishment which had involved the innocent with the guilty. As he still had no license to leave the papal court, he accompanied it to Avignon, and was at length discharged with the royal assent— the heavy bribes paid to three cardinals by his friends of Albi having perhaps something to do with his immunity. He returned to Toulouse, and we hear of no further activity on his part. His narrow escape probably sobered his restless enthusiasm, and as the reform of the Inquisi- tion seemed to have been taken resolutely in hand by Clement Y. . he might well persuade himself that there was no further call for self-sacrifice.* Bern. Guidon. Hist. Conv. Piv^dic. (Martene Ampl. Coll. VI. 479-80). -Vaissette, IV. 129-30.— Vaissette, td. Privat, X. Pr. 461.— Bernard Gui's allusion refers
 * MSS. Bib. Nat., fonds latin, 4270, fol. 78-80, 90-1, 196, 247, 252-3, 257-9.-