Dissay, and that the convent gates were still closed
against him, he granted a second petition of Grandier's, to the effect
that Byre and Mignon should be prohibited from questioning the superior
and the other nuns in a manner tending to blacken the character of the
petitioner or any other person. Notice of this prohibition was served
the same day on Barre and on one nun chosen to represent the community.
Barre did not pay the slightest attention to this notice, but kept
on asserting that the bailiff had no right to prevent his obeying the
commands of his bishop, and declaring that henceforward he would
perform all exorcisms solely under ecclesiastical sanction, without any
reference to lay persons, whose unbelief and impatience impaired the
solemnity with which such rites should be conducted.

The best part of the day having gone over without any sign of either
bishop or messenger, Grandier presented a new petition to the bailiff.
The bailiff at once summoned all the officers of the bailiwick and the
attorneys of the king, in order to lay it before them; but the king's
attorneys refused to consider the matter, declaring upon their honour
that although they did not accuse Grandier of being the cause, yet they
believed that the nuns were veritably possessed, being convinced by the
testimony of the devout ecclesiastics in whose presence the evil spirits
had come out. This was only the ostensible reason for their refusal,
the real one being that the advocate was a relation of Mignon's, and the
attorney a son-in-law of Trinquant's, to whose office he had succeeded.
Thus Grandier, against whom were all the ecclesiastical judges, began
to feel as if he were condemned beforehand by the judges of the
royal courts, for he knew how very short was the interval between the
recognition of the possession as a fact and the recognition of himself
as its author.

Nevertheless, in spite of the formal declarations of the king's advocate
and attorney, the bailiff ordered the superior and the lay sister to be
removed to houses in town, each to be accompanied by a nun as companion.
During their absence from the convent they were to be looked after
by exorcists, by women of high character and position, as well as by
physicians and attendants, all of whom he himself would appoint, all
others being forbidden access to the nuns without his permission.

The clerk was again sent to the convent with a copy of this decision,
but the superior havin