Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 3.djvu/168

 152 THE FRATICELLL savage vindictiveness of the Ernulphine curse which he had pub- lished, April 20, 1329, on his already fallen rival — ;; May he in this life feel the wrath of Peter and Paul, whose church he has sought to confound! May his dwelling-place be deserted, and may there be none to live under his roof! May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow ! May they be driven forth from their hearth-stones to beggary ! May the usurer devour their sub- stance, and strangers seize the work of their hands ! May the whole earth fight against him, mav the elements be his enemies, may the merits of all the saints at rest confound him and wreak vengeance on him through life !" * During the progress of this contest public opinion was by no means unanimous in favor of John, and the Inquisition was an ef- ficient instrumentality in repressing all expression of adverse sen- timents. In 1328, at Carcassonne, a certain Germain Frevier was tried before it for blaspheming against John, and stigmatizing his election as simoniacal because he had promised never to set foot in stirrup till he should set out for Rome. Germain, moreover, had declared that the Franciscan pope was the true pope, and that if he had money he would go there and join him and the Bavarian. Germain was not disposed to martyrdom ; at first he denied, then, after being left to his reflections in prison for five months, he pleaded that he had been drunk and knew not what he was say- ing; a further delay showed him that he was helpless, he con- fessed his offences and begged for mercy.f Another case, in 1329, shows us what were the secret feelings of a large portion of the Franciscan Order, and the means required to keep it in subordination. Before the Inquisition of Carcas- sonne, Frere Barthelemi Bruguiere confessed that in saying mass and coming to the prayer for the pope he had hesitated which of the two popes to pray for, and had finally desired his prayer to be for whichever was rightfully the head of the Church. Many of his brethren, he said, were in the habit of wishing that God would give John XXII. so much to do that he would forget the ding, aim. 1330, No. 9.— Martene Thesaur. II. 736-70 ; 806-15.— Chron. Cornel. Zantfliet ann. 1330 (Martene Ampl. Coll. V. 194-8). t Archives de l'lnq. de Carcassonne (Doat. XXVII. 7 sqq.).
 * Villani, Lib. x. c. 131, 142. 160 — Guill. Nangiac. Contin. ann. 1330.— Wad-