Page:A history of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages, volume 3.djvu/539

 THE YAUDOIS OF ARRAS. 523 the Abbe-de-peu-de-sens, were "Jesus autem transiens jyer medi- um illorumP Gilles Flameng, an advocate who had been active in the whole proceeding, was the especial object of their re- proaches; they reviled him as a traitor who had been particu- larly earnest in the false promises which had lured them to de- struction. Appetite grew by what it fed on. This execution was followed immediately by the arrest, on the requisition of the inquisitor, of thirteen persons, including six public women, who had been impli- cated by the confessions. The managers of the business, however, seemed to tire of the pursuit of such worthless game, and grew bold enough to strike higher. On June 22 Arras was startled by the arrest of Jean Tacquet, an eschevin and one of the richest citizens ; on the next day by that of Pierre des Carieulx, equally wealthy and esteemed the best accountant in Artois ; and on the next by that of the Chevalier Payen de Beauffort, a septuagenary and the head of one of the most ancient and richest houses in the province, who had manifested his piety by founding three convents. He had been warned that his name was on the list of accused, but had declared that if he were a thousand leagues away he would return to meet the charge, and in fact he had come to the city for the purpose. In his hotel of la Chevrette his children and friends had entreated him to depart if he felt himself guilty, when with the most solemn oaths he asserted his innocence. His arrest had not been ventured upon without the consent of Philippe le Bon, secured by Philippe de Saveuse ; the Comte d'Estampes had come to Arras to insure it, and refused to see him when he begged an interview. This was followed, July 7, by an auto defe of seven of those arrested on May 9 ; five of these were burned, and, like their predecessors, asserted that their confessions had been wrung from them by torture, and died begging the prayers of all good Christians. Two were sentenced to imprisonment for definite terms, the reason alleged being that they had not revoked after their first confession — a highly irregular proceeding of which the object was to facilitate further convictions. The affair was now beginning to attract general attention and animadversion. Philippe le Bon was disturbed, for he heard that at Paris and elsewhere it was reported that he was seizing the rich men of his dominions to confiscate their property. Accord-