CHAP. XXXI.
A BENEDICTINE MONK ATTEMPTS TO GAIN THE CASTLE OF ST ANGELO AT ROME.
While all these things were passing, a Benedictine, surnamed The Little Monk, who had been a great favourite of Pope Martin, and had much power during his reign, attached himself, after his decease, to his successor, pope Eugenius, and gained the same power under him as he had enjoyed before.
Notwithstanding the favour he was in with the pope, he conceived the design of betraying him, through the temptations of the devil, as it may be supposed, and had connected himself with the prince of Salerno, promising to put him in possession of the castle of St Angelo, and even of the city of Rome. To effect this, he one day waited on the pope to take his leave, saying, that he was going to Avignon to fix his residence there for some time. He then requested of the governor of the castle of St Angelo to take charge of his coffers, containing his wealth, until his return, which the governor assented to, not suspecting his treachery.
He ordered twelve cases to be made, capable of holding twelve men, which were to be intrusted to the care of two men to each case. When all things were ready, the better to succeed in his enterprise, he sent a page, who was his own nephew, with letters to one of the prisoners confined in the castle of St Angelo, which fortunately fell into the hands of the governor, and thus made him acquainted with the whole of the plot. He instantly carried them to the pope, who ordered the monk to be delivered to the secular power, by whom he was put to the torture, and confessed his guilt. He was then condemned to death, and hanged on a gibbet and quartered in the principal market-place of Rome.
The prince of Salerno, having failed in his attempt, did not however refrain from making open war on the pope within a short time after this event.
In these days, an adventurer called Thomelaire, provost of Laon for king Charles, won the castle of Passavant, by means of certain intelligence with those within it. This was very displeasing to the duke of Burgundy, for he was afraid that it would lay open his country to the enemy; and he had the place so strongly besieged that those who had taken it were forced to surrender at discretion. The said Thomelaire and some others were put to death, and the castle razed to the ground.