450 Epilogue
By this time, other leading men from the parish and from Santa Maria
della Mascarella had joined in denouncing the condemnation. They said
that they had already supported Bompietro while he was in jail awaiting
trial, and that the prosecution had been nothing but a ruse to steal his
money. Not everyone in the church could hear what the shouting was about,
but when it became clear that some of their leaders were disputing the sen-
tence, ordinary people in the congregation added their voices in support of
Bompietro. Finally, in the name of the inquisitor, the Carmelite Fra Gia-
como of Tuscany, who was singing the Mass, declared the excommunication
of everyone present who had objected to the judgments. Still defiant, Ser
Paolo called the excommunication worthless, adding that the friars were
more excommunicate than Bompietro. The two messengers of the inquisi-
tion, Benincasa di Martino and Nascimbene di Adelardo, sped back to the
office of the inquisition and reported the incident to Fra Guido. The interro-
gation of suspects would begin on Monday.
The outburst of Paolo Trintinelli was in the eyes of the authorities pro-
foundly disturbing. Here was a powerful civic leader, a banker with vast
property (valued at £ 8 , 261 in 1297 ), and he had publicly denounced the
Holy Office.^197 Furthermore, this had incited protests by other leaders and
common people. The inquisitor and his associates spent Sunday afternoon
and evening planning their strategy. On Monday, Ser Paolo was dragged
before the tribunal. When presented with the charges, he denied them with
an oath (Domine quod non!). Guido released him into the hands of the two men
who would stand surety for him on a bond of £ 2 , 000 , and gave him three
days to reconsider his testimony.^198 Guido then collected depositions from
those involved in the incident.
Three days later, Trintinelli relented, retracted everything he had said in
favor of Bompietro, and asked for pardon.^199 On 10 June, his bail was re-
duced to £ 200 imp., and he was sentenced.^200 In issuing his sentence, Fra
Guido took the unusual step of consulting the bishop, his fellow Dominican,
Giovanni Savelli. Ser Paolo was ordered, for one year, to attend a sermon
every Sunday and feast day, if not at the public preaching sponsored by the
commune in the Piazza Maggiore,^201 then at the Franciscan or Dominican
church. He was also ordered to make a ‘‘deposit’’ of £ 200 imp. with the
inquisition, which was to be expended at Fra Guido’s discretion. Consider-
ing the gravity of his offense and his wealth and public stature, it seems a
light sentence. Three days later, Trintinelli made his deposit with the inquisi-
tion banker Don Brunino di Bianco Cose, counting out two hundred Vene-
197. On Trintinelli’s wealth and positions, see Paolini,Eresia, 56 n. 211 , andASOB, 1 : 47 – 48 n. 1.
198 .ASOB,no. 179 , 1 : 174 – 75.
199. Ibid., no. 28 , 1 : 56.
200. Ibid., no. 389 , 1 : 254 ; sentence: no. 569 , 1 : 312 – 14.
201. Bologna Stat.i, 1 : 443.