"I have not come to argue, Your Excellency, and I am not meekly requesting that you give me the Mandylion. I am ordering you to do so."
Balduino was pleased with having spoken these last words so resoundingly and once again sought the approval of de Molesmes. But the bishop was not to be commanded so easily.
"I must respect you as emperor, my lord, but you owe me obedience as your bishop."
"Your Excellency, I will not allow what remains of the empire to bleed to death because you insist upon retaining possession of a holy relic. As a Christian I regret having to be separated from the Mandylion, but now my duty is to act as emperor. I ask that you turn over the Mandylion… willingly."
The bishop shot out of his chair and, raising his voice, cried out, "You dare to threaten me? I warn you, if you rise up against the Church, Innocent will excommunicate you!"
'And will he also excommunicate the king of France for buying the Mandylion?" the emperor asked him, his voice rising.
"I will not give you the shroud. It belongs to the Church, and only the pope can dispose of the most sacred of relics-"
"No, it does not belong to the Church, as you well know. It was the emperor Lecapenus who rescued it from Edessa and brought it to Constantinople. It belongs to the empire; it belongs to the emperor. The Church has been but its faithful keeper, and now it shall be the empire that assumes custody."
"You shall comply with the pope's decision-we shall write to him. You may argue your reasons, and I will bow to his decision."
Balduino hesitated. He knew that the bishop was trying to buy time, but how was he to refuse what seemed a fair compromise?
Pascal de Molesmes stepped to Balduino's side and glared at the bishop.
"I think, Your Excellency, that you have not understood the emperor."
"Seigneur de Molesmes, I beg you not to interfere!" shouted the prelate.
"You will not let me speak? On what authority? I, like you, am a subject of Emperor Balduino, and my duty is to protect the interests of the empire. Return the Mandylion to its rightful owner, and we can bring this dispute to a peaceful end."
"How dare you speak to me in that way! My lord, bid your chancellor be silent!"
"Calm yourselves, both of you," ordered Balduino, recovered now from his momentary hesitation. "Your Excellency, Seigneur de Molesmes has spoken rightly- we have come to demand that you return what belongs to me. Delay not a moment longer, or I shall send my soldiers to seize the Mandylion by force."
With swift steps the bishop strode to the door of his apartments and called out to his guard. When they heard the shouting, a platoon came running.
Emboldened by their presence, the bishop turned back to his inopportune visitors.
"If you dare touch a thread of the Holy Shroud I shall write to the pope and insist that he excommunicate you. Now off with you!" he roared.
Balduino did not move from his chair, but Pascal de Molesmes, equally enraged, leapt to the open doorway.
"Soldiers!" he cried.
In seconds a squad from the imperial guard ran up the stairs and entered the bishop's apartments, while the prelate's own guards stood by in shock.
"You will defy the emperor? I shall have you arrested for treason, and for that, the penalty is death," exclaimed de Molesmes.
A shiver ran through the bishop's body. He looked in desperation at his soldiers, waiting for them to intervene. But they did not move.
Pascal de Molesmes addressed the frozen Balduino.
"My lord, I beg you give the order for His Excellency to accompany me to St. Mary of Blachernae and turn over to me the Mandylion, which I will carry to the palace for you."
Balduino rose and, summoning up all his imperial dignity, strode toward the bishop.
"Seigneur de Molesmes represents me. You shall accompany him to the church and hand over the Mandylion. If you do not obey my order, my loyal servant Vlad will personally take you to the palace dungeons, which you will never again leave. I would prefer to see you officiate at the Mass on Sunday, but the decision is yours."
He said no more. Without another look at the bishop, he swept from the prelate's apartments, surrounded by his soldiers and certain of having comported himself like a true emperor.
Vlad the giant planted himself before the bishop, poised to obey the emperor's order. His Excellency realized that he would gain nothing by resisting. Attempting to snatch from the embers some tatters of his wounded pride, he turned to the chancellor.
"I shall surrender the Mandylion to you, but I shall write the pope."
Surrounded by soldiers of the imperial guard and under the close watch of Vlad, the bishop made his way with the chancellor to the Church of St. Mary of Blachernae. There, in a silver casket, lay the holy relic.
The bishop opened the casket with a key he wore on a ribbon about his neck, and, unable to contain his tears, he took the shroud and held it out to de Molesmes.
"God will punish you for the sacrilege you are committing!"
The chancellor was unmoved. "Tell me, what punishment will you receive for so many relics sold without the pope's permission and truly belonging to the Church?"
"How dare you accuse me of such a thing!"
"You are the bishop of Constantinople. You should know that nothing that happens is hidden from the eyes of the palace."
Pascal de Molesmes carefully took the shroud from the hands of the bishop, who fell to his knees, weeping inconsolably.
"I suggest, Your Excellency, that you calm yourself and make use of your intelligence, which I know to be great," de Molesmes said, as he turned to leave. "Prevent a conflict between the empire and Rome that will benefit no one. You will not confront Balduino alone; you will confront also the king of France. Think long and well before you act."
The emperor paced nervously from one end of the room to the other as he awaited the return of de Molesmes. Balduino veered wildly between heartache and fear at having challenged the Church so dramatically and nervous pride at the successful exercise of his imperial authority.
A red Cypriot wine helped make the wait easier. He had dismissed his wife and servants and given his guards strict orders to allow no one but the chancellor to enter his apartments.
Such was his condition when suddenly he heard rapid footsteps before his door. He threw it open. Escorted by Vlad and carrying the folded shroud, Pascal de Molesmes, looking extremely pleased, entered the emperor's bedchamber.
"Did you have to use force?" Balduino asked fearfully.
"No, my lord. That was not necessary. His Excellency at last saw the light, and he has voluntarily turned over the shroud."