Before him at the further side of the table and near to a blazing fire stood Acour himself.

He was clothed in a long robe and held a piece of linen that was soaked in some strong-smelling substance before his nose and mouth.
"Nay, come no nearer," he said to the clerk, "for this infection is most subtle, and--be so good as to cast off that filthy cloak of yours and leave it by the door." Basil obeyed, revealing an undergarment that was still more foul.

He was not one who wasted money on new apparel.
"Well, man," said Acour, surveying him with evident disgust and throwing a handful of dried herbs upon the fire, "what news now?
Has my cause been laid before his Holiness?
I trust so, for know that I grow weary of being cooped up here like a falcon in a cage with the dread of a loathsome death and a handful of frightened servants as companions who do nothing but drone out prayers all day long." "Yes, lord, it has.

I have it straight from Clement's own secretary, and the answer is that his Holiness will attend to the matter when the pest has passed away from Avignon, and not before.

He adds also that when it does so, if ever, all the parties to the cause, by themselves or by their representatives, must appear before him.