UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 AT LOS ANGELES
 
 t;KIVBHSITVof^CAUFOK«- 
 
 LOS Ai^GBLES 
 UBRARY
 
 THE HISTORY 
 
 mjt tviiujljts Crmplais, 
 
 TEMPLE CHURCH, AND THE TEMPLE, 
 
 BY CHARLES G. ADDISON, ESQ. 
 
 OF THE INNER TEMPLE. 
 
 TtihTIb 3VM AGXr. 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 LONGMAN, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS, 
 
 PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 1842. 
 
 12 04^3 •
 
 LONDON : 
 
 t-RfNTBD BY G J. PALMER, SAVOY STREKT, STRAND. 

 
 MASTERS OF THE BENCH OF THE HONOURABLE SOCIETIES 
 
 OF THE 
 
 THE RESTORERS 
 
 OF 
 
 ^be ^nticnt €ftmtff of tte Bnigj^ts templars, 
 
 THIS WORK 
 
 IS 
 
 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 BY 
 
 THE AUTHOR.
 
 •1 
 
 CR 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 J 
 
 \ 
 
 v\ '^ 
 
 The extraordinary and romantic career of the Knights Tem- 
 plars, their exploits and their misfortunes, render their history a 
 subject of peculiar interest. 
 V Born during the first fervour of the Crusades, they Avere 
 
 flattered and aggrandized as long as their great military power 
 fs and religious fanaticism could be made available for the support 
 ^ of the Eastern church and the retention of the Holy Land, but 
 when the crescent had ultimately triumphed over the cross, and 
 the religio-military enthusiasm of Christendom had died away, 
 they encountered the basest ingratitude in return for the services 
 ^ they had rendered to the christian faith, and were plundered, 
 ^ persecuted, and condemned to a cruel death, by those who ought 
 in justice to have been their defenders and supporters. The 
 memory of these holy warriors is embalmed in all our recollec- 
 tions of the wars of the cross ; they were the bulwarks of the 
 Latin kingdom of Jerusalem during the short period of its 
 existence, and were the last band of Europe's host that contended 
 for the possession of Palestine. 
 
 To the vows of the monk and the austere life of the convent,
 
 Vin PREFACE. 
 
 the Templars added the discipline of the camp, and the stern 
 duties of the military life, joinin<^ 
 
 " The fine voctition of the swonl and l.ince. 
 With the gross aims, and body-bending toil 
 Of a poor brotherhood, who walk the earth 
 Pitied." 
 
 The vulgar notion that the Templars were as wicked as they 
 were fearless and brave, has not yet been entirely exploded ; but 
 it is hoped that the copious account of the proceedings against 
 the order in this country, given in the ninth and tenth chapters 
 of the ensuing volume, will tend to dispel many unfounded pre- 
 judices still entertained against the fraternity, and excite emotions 
 of admiration for their constancy and courage, and of pity for 
 their unmerited and cruel fate. 
 
 Matthew Paris, who wrote at St. Albans, concerning events 
 in Palestine, tells us that the emulation between the Templars 
 and Hospitallers frequently broke out into open warfare to the 
 great scandal and prejudice of Christendom, and that, in a 
 pitched battle fought between them, the Templars were slain to a 
 man. The solitary testimony of Matthew Paris, who was no 
 friendtothetwoorders,isinvalidated by the silence of contemporary 
 historians, who wrote on the spot ; and it is quite evident from the 
 letters of the pope, addressed to the Hospitallers, the year after 
 the date of the alleged battle, that such an occurrence never could 
 have taken place. <' , 
 
 The accounts, even of the best of the antient writers, should 
 not be adopted without examination, and a careful comparison 
 Mitii other sources of information. William of Tyre, for instance, 
 tells us that Nassr-ed-deen, son of sultan Abbas, was taken pri- 
 soner by the Templars, and whilst in their hands became a con- 
 vert to the Christian religion ; that ho had learned the rudiments
 
 PUlil'ACE, 
 
 of the Latin larig-uage, and earnestly sought to be baptized, but 
 that the Templars were bribed with sixty thousand pieces of gold 
 to surrender hira to his enemies in Egypt, where certain death 
 awaited him ; and that they stood by to see him bound hand and 
 foot with chains, and placed in an iron cage, to be conducted 
 across the desert to Cairo. Now the Arabian historians of that 
 period tell us that Nassr-ed-deen and his father murdered the 
 caliph and threw his body into a well, and then fled with their 
 retainers and treasure into Palestine ; that the sister of the mur- 
 dered caliph wrote immediately to the commandant at Gaza, 
 which place was garrisoned by the Knights Templars, offering a 
 handsome reward for the capture of the fugitives ; that they were 
 accordingly intercepted, and Nassr-ed-deen was sent to Cairo, 
 where the female relations of the caliph caused his body to be 
 cut into small pieces in the seraglio. The above act has con- 
 stantly been made a matter of grave accusation against the 
 Templars; but what a different complexion does the case assume 
 on the testimony of the Arabian authorities ! 
 
 It must be remembered that William archbishop of Tyre was 
 hostile to the order on account of its vast powers and privileges, 
 and carried his complaints to a general council of the church at 
 Rome. He is abandoned, in everything that he says to the pre- 
 judice of the fraternity, by James of Vitry, bishop of Acre, a 
 learned and most talented prelate, who wrote in Palestine sub- 
 sequently to William of Tyre, and has copied largely from the 
 history of the latter. The bishop of Acre speaks of the Templars 
 in the highest terms, and declares that they were universally 
 loved by all men for their piety and humility. " Nulli molesti 
 erant !" says he, " sed ah omnibus propter humilitatem et religionem 
 amahantur." 
 
 The celebrated orientalist Von Hammer has recently brought 
 forward various extraordinary and unfounded charges, desti-
 
 PnEFACE. 
 
 tiite of all authority, against the Templars ; and Wilcke, who has 
 written a (lennan history of the order, seems to have imbibed all 
 the vulgar prejudices against the fraternity. 1 might have added 
 to the interest of the ensuing work, by making the Templars horri- 
 ble and atrocious villains; but i have endeavoured to write a fair and 
 impartial account of the order, not slavishly adopting everything 
 1 find detailed in antient writers, but such matters only as I 
 believe, after a careful examination of the best authorities, to be 
 true. 
 
 It is a subject of congratulation to us that we possess, in the 
 Temple Church at London, the most beautiful and perfect memo- 
 rial of the order of the Knights Templars now in existence. No 
 one who has seen that building in its late dress of plaster and 
 whitewash will recognize it when restored to its antient magnifi- 
 cence. This venerable structure was one of the chief ecclesiastical 
 edifices of the Knights Templars in Europe, and stood next in 
 rank to the Temple at Jerusalem. As I have performed the pil- 
 grimage to the Holy City, and wandered amid the courts of the 
 antient Temple of the Knights Templars on Mount Moriah, I 
 could not but regard with more than ordinary interest the restora- 
 tion by the societies of the Inner and the Middle Temple of their 
 beautiful Temple Church. 
 
 The greatest zeal and energy have been displayed by them in 
 that praiseworthy undertaking, and no expense has been spared to 
 repair the ravages of time, and to bring back the structure to 
 what it teas in the time of the Templars. 
 
 In the summer I had the pleasure of accompanying one of the 
 chief and most enthusiastic promoters of the restoration of the 
 church (Mr. Burge, Q.C.) over the interesting fabric, and at his 
 suggestion the present work was commenced. I am afraid that 
 it will hardly answer his expectations, and am sorry that the 
 interesting task has not been undertaken by an abler hand. 
 Ttniplt, Nov. 17, 11*41.
 
 PREFACE. XI 
 
 P.S. Mr. Willement, who is preparing some exquisitely 
 stained glass windows for the Temple Church, has just drawn my 
 attention to the nineteenth volume of the " MiiMOiREs de la 
 SocTtxE RoYALE DES Antiqu AIRES DE France," published last 
 year. It contains a most curious and interesting account of the 
 church of Brelevennez, in the department des Cotes-du-Nord, 
 supposed to have formerly belonged to the order of the 
 Temple, wTitten by the Chevalier du Fremanville. Amongst 
 various curious devices, crosses, and symbols found upon the 
 windows and the tombs of the church, is a copper medallion, 
 which appears to have been suspended from the neck by a chain. 
 This decoration consists of a small circle, within which are in- 
 scribed two equilateral triangles placed one upon the other, so as 
 to form a six-pointed star. In the midst of the star is a second 
 circle, containing within it the lamb of the order of the Temple 
 holding the banner in its fore-paw, similar to what we see on the 
 antient seal of the order delineated in the title-page of this work. 
 Mr. Willement has informed me that he has received an offer 
 from a gentleman in Brittany to send over casts of the decora- 
 tions and devices lately discovered in that church. He has kindly 
 referred the letter to me for consideration, but I have not thought 
 it advisable to delay the publication of the present work for the 
 purpose of procuring them. 
 
 Mr. Willement has also drawn my attention to a very distinct 
 impression of the reverse of the seal of the Temple described in 
 page 106, whereon I read very plainly the interesting motto, 
 " testis svm agni."
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Origin of the Templars — The pilgrimages to Jerusalem — ^The dangers to which 
 pilgrims were exposed — The formation of the brotherhood of the poor fellow- 
 soldiers of Jesus Christ to protect them — Their location in the Temple — A 
 description of the Temple — Origin of the name Templars — Hugh de Payens 
 chosen Master of the Temple — Is sent to Europe by King Baldwin — Is intro- 
 duced to the Pope — The assembling of the Council of Troyes — The formation 
 of a rule for the government of the Templars . . . . Page 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 l^fgula llaupfrum (ffommtlttoimm CTtristi ct iHempIt Salomonis. 
 
 The most curious parts of the rule displayed — The confiiTnation of the rule l)y 
 the Pope — The visit of Hugh de Payens, the Master of the Temple, to Eng- 
 land — His cordial reception — The foundation of the Order in this country — 
 Lands and money granted to the Templars — Their popidarity in Europe — 
 The rapid increase of their fraternity — St. Bernard takes up the pen in their 
 behalf — He displays their valour and piety . . . .15
 
 XIV CONTKNTS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Ilufjh dc Payons returns to Palestine — His death — R<jbert de Craon made Master 
 — Success of the Infidels — The second Crusade — The Templars assume the 
 Red Cross — Their gallant actions and high discijjline — Lands, manors, and 
 churches granted them in England — Bernard de Tremelay made Master — He 
 is slain by the Infidels — Bertrand de Blanquefort made Master — He is taken 
 prisoner, and sent in chains to Aleppo — ^The Pope writes letters in pnuse of 
 the Temjjlars — Tlieir religious and military enthusiasm — Their war banner 
 called Beuuseunt — The rise of the rival religio- military' order of the Hospital of 
 St. John . . . . . . .36 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The contests between Saladin and the Templars — The vast privileges of the 
 Templars — The publication of the bull, omne datum optimum — ^The Pope 
 declares himself the immediate Bishop of the entire Order — The different 
 classes of Templars — The knights — Priests — Ser\-ing brethren — The hired 
 soldiers — The great officers of the Temple — Punishment of cowardice — The 
 Master of the Temple is taken prisoner, and dies in a dungeon — Saladin's 
 great successes — The Christians purchase a truce — The Master of the Temple 
 and the Patriarch Heraclius proceed to England for succour — The con- 
 secration of the Temple Church at London . . .Go 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Tlie Temple at London — ^The vast possessions of the Templars in England — ^The 
 territorial divisions of the order — The different preceptories in this coimtrj- — 
 'ITie ])rivilcges conferred on the Tenij)lars by the kings of England — The 
 Masters of the Temple at London — Their jiower and importance . 8 1 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Patriarch Heraclius (piarrels with the king of England — He returns to 
 Palestine without succour — The disajipointments and gloomy forebodings of 
 the Temjilars— They ])repare to resist Saladin — Their defeat and slaughter —
 
 CONTENTS. XV 
 
 The valiant deeds of the Marshal of the Temple — The fatal battle of Tiberias 
 — ^The captivity of the Grand Master and the true Cross — The captive Tem- 
 plars are offered the Koran or death — They choose the latter, and are beheaded 
 — The fall of Jerusalem — The Moslems take possession of the Temple — They 
 purify it \\'ith rose-water, say prayers, and hear a sermon — The Templars 
 retire to Antioch — Their letters to the king of England and the Master of the 
 Temple at London — ^Their exploits at the siege of Acre . . . 114 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Richard Coeur de Lion joins the Templars before Acre — The city surrenders, 
 and the Templars establish the chief house of their order mthin it — Cceur de 
 Lion takes up his abode with them — He sells to them the island of Cyprus — 
 The Templars form the van of his army — Their foraging expeditions and 
 great exploits — Coeur de Lion quits the Holy Land in the disguise of a 
 Knight Templar — The Templars build the Pilgrim's Castle in Palestine — The 
 state of the order in England — King John resides in the Temple at London — 
 The barons come to him at that place, and demand Magna Charta — The 
 exploits of the Templars in Eg}'pt — The_ letters of the Grand Master to the 
 Master of the Temple at London — The Templars reconquer Jerusalem. 141 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The conques t of Jerusale m by the Carizmian s — The slaughter of the Templars. 
 and the death of the Grand. Master — ^The exploits of the Templars in l^gypt — 
 King Louis of France visits the Templars in Palestine — He assists them in 
 putting the countrj' into a defensible state — Henry H., king of England, \-isits 
 the Temple at Paris — The magnificent hospit alitj^ of the Tem£lar£ in England 
 a nd Fr ance — Benocdar, sultan of Egj-pt, invades Palestine — He defeats the 
 Templars, takes their strong fortresses, and decapitates six hundred of their 
 brethren — The Grand Master comes to England for succour — The renewal of 
 the war — The fall of Acre, and the final extinction of the Templars in 
 Palestine . . . . . .165
 
 XVI rONTKNTS, 
 
 CHAPTER IX^ 
 
 Tlio downfall of ihe Tein])lar8 — The cause thereof — The (irand Master comes to 
 Kurope at the request of the Pope — He is imprisoned, with all the Templars 
 in PVance, hy command of king Phihp — ^They are put to the torture, and con- 
 fessions of the {fuilt of heresy and idolatry are extracted from them — Edward 
 II. kinff of En^jland stands up in defence of the Templars, but aftenvards per- 
 secutes them at the instance of the I'ope — The imprisonment of the Master of 
 the Temple and all his brethren in England — Their examination upon eighty- 
 seven horrible and ridiculous articles of accusation before foreign inqui- 
 sitors aj)i)ointe(l by the Pope — A council of the church assembles at London to 
 pass sentence upon them — The curious evidence adduced as to the mode of 
 admission into the order, and of the customs and obsers'ances of the fraternity. 
 
 193 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Templars in France revoke their rack-extorted confessions — They are tried 
 as relapsed heretics, and burnt at the stake — The progress of the inquiry in 
 England — llie curious e\adence adduced as to the mode of holding the chap- 
 ters of the order — As to the penance enjoined therein, and the absolution 
 pronounced by the Master — The Templju-s draw up a written defence, which 
 they present to the ecclesiastical council — They are ])laced in separate dun- 
 geons, and put to the torture — Two sernng brethren and a chaplain of the 
 order then make confessions — Many other Templars acknowledge themselves 
 guilty of heresy in respect of their behef in the religious authority of their 
 Master — They make their recantations, and are reconciled to the church before 
 the south door of Saint Paul's cathedral — The order of the Temple is abo- 
 lished by the Pope — The last of the Masters of the Temple in England dies in 
 the Tower — The disposal of the property of the order — Obsen-ations on the 
 downfall of the Templars . . . . .239 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 The restoration of the Temple Church — The beauty and magnificence of the 
 venerable building — The various styles of architecture displayed in it — The
 
 CONTENTS. XVll 
 
 discoveries made during the recent restoration — The sacrarium — The marble 
 piscina — The sacramental niches — ^The penitential cell — ^The ancient Chapel of 
 St. Anne — Historical matters connected with the Temple Church — ^Tlie holy 
 relics anciently preserved therein — The interesting monumental remains . 289 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 The monuments of the crusaders— The tomb and effigy of Sir Geoffrey 
 de Magnaville, earl of Essex, and constable of the Tower — His hfe and death, 
 and famous exploits— Of AYilliam Marshall, earl of Pembroke, Protector of 
 England— Of the Lord de Ross— Of WiUiam and Gilbert Marshall, earls of 
 Pembroke — Of William Plantagenet, fifth son of Henrj' the Third— The 
 anxious desire manifested by king Henrj' the Third, queen Eleanor, and 
 various persons of rank, to be buried in the Temple Church . . 309 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Antiquities in the Temple— The history of the place subsequent to the dissolution 
 of the order of the Knights Templars— The estabhshment of a society of 
 lawyers in the Temple— The antiquity of this society— Its connexion with the 
 antient society of the Knights Templars— An order of knights and serving 
 brethren estabhshed in the law— The degree oifrere serjen, or f rater serviens, 
 borrowed from the antient Templars— The modem Templars divide themselves 
 into the two societies of the Inner and Middle Temple . . .342 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 The Temple Garden — The erection of new buildings in the Temple — The disso- 
 lution of the order of the Hospital of Saint John — The law societies become 
 lessees of the crowTi — ^The erection of the magnificent Middle Temple HaU — 
 The conversion of the old hall into chambers — Tlie grant of the inheritance 
 
 h
 
 XVlll CONTENTS. 
 
 of llic 'IVmiilc to tlie two law societies — Their mafftiificent present to \m 
 Majisty — 'I'lieir aiitiint orders and customs, and antient hospitality — Their 
 grand fnteiliiinnienls — Reader's feasts — (jrand ('hristina^si's and Revels — The 
 fox-hunt in the hall — The dispute with the Lord Mayor — The quarrel with 
 the cuslus of the Temple Church .... 373 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 Ill nolo, page G,for infiiiitus, read infiiiitis. 
 
 29, for carrissiine, read carissime. 
 4'2,/o7- Angli, read Aiiglia. 
 l^Ufor proniptia, read promptior. 
 ".'', for prineipos, read principes. 
 no, for Patriarcha, read patriarchaiii.
 
 THE 
 
 K N T G H T S r E M P L A U S. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Origin of the Templars — The pilgrimages to Jerusalem — The clangers to which 
 pilgrims were exposed — The formation of the brotherhood of the poor fellow- 
 soldiers of Jesus Christ to protect them — Their location in the Temple — A 
 description of the Temple — Origin of the name Templars — Hugh de Payens 
 chosen Master of the Temple — Is sent to Europe by King Baldwin — Is intro- 
 duced to the Pope — The assembling of the Council of Troyes — The formation 
 of a rule for the government of the Templars. 
 
 " Yet 'midst her towering fanes in ruin laid. 
 The pilgrim saint his murmuring vespers paid ; 
 'Twas his to mount the tufted rocks, and rove 
 The chequer'd twilight of the olive-grove : 
 'Twas his to bend beneath the sacred gloom, 
 And wear with many a kiss Messiah's tomb." 
 
 The extraordinary and romantic institution of the Knights 
 Templars, those military friars who so strangely blended the 
 character of the monk with that of the soldier, took its origin in 
 the following manner : — 
 
 On the miraculous discovery of the Holy sepulchre by the 
 Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, about 298 years 
 after the death of Christ, and the consequent erection, by com- 
 
 B
 
 i. TIIK KM (JUTS THMI'LAItS. 
 
 niand of the first christian enijieror, of the magnificent church of 
 the liesurrection, or, as it is noM' called, the Church of the Holy 
 Sepulchre, over the sacred monunioiit, the tide of pilgrimage set 
 in towards Jerusalem, and went on increasing in strength as 
 Christianity gradually spread throughout Europe. On the sur- 
 render of the Holy City to the victorious Arabians, (a. d. 637,) 
 the privileges and the security of the christian population were 
 provided for in the following guarantee, given under the hand 
 and seal of the Caliph Omar to Sophronius the Patriarch. 
 
 " From Omar Ebno 'l Alchitab to the inhabitants of 
 
 iELIA." 
 
 " They shall be protected and secured both in their lives and 
 fortunes, and their churches shall neither be pulled down nor 
 made use of by any but themselves." * 
 
 Under the government of the Arabians, the pilgrimages con- 
 tinned steadily to increase ; the old and the young, women and 
 children, flocked in crowds to Jerusalem, and in the year 1064 
 the Holy Sepulchre was visited by an enthusiastic band of seven 
 thousand pilgrims, headed by the Archbishop of Mentz and the 
 Bishops of Utrecht, Bamberg, and Ratisbon.t The year follow- 
 ing, however, Jerusalem was conquered by the wild Turcomans. 
 Three thousand of the citizens were indiscriminately massacred, 
 and the hereditary command over the Holy City and territory 
 was confided to the Emir Ortok, the chief of a savage pastoral 
 tribe. 
 
 Under the iron yoke of these fierce Northern strangers, the 
 Christians were feaifully opjiressed ; they were driven from their 
 
 * Elmacin, Hist. Saracen. Eutychius. 
 
 + Ingulphus, the secretary of William the Conqueror, one of the number, states tliat 
 he sallied forth from Normandy with tlnrly companions, all stout and well-appointed 
 horsemen, and that they returned hventy miserable palmers, with the staff in their hand 
 and the wallet at their back, — Baronius ad ann. 1064, No. 43, 56.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 3 
 
 churches ; divine worship was ridiculed and interrupted ; and 
 the patriarch of the Holy City was dragged by the hair of his 
 head over the sacred pavement of the church of the Resurrection, 
 and cast into a dungeon, to extort a ransom from the sympathy 
 of his flock. The pilgrims who, through innumerable perils, had 
 reached the gates of the Holy City, were plundered, imprisoned, 
 and frequently massacred ; an mf reus, or piece of gold, was exacted 
 as the price of admission to the holy sepulchre, and many, unable 
 to pay the tax, were driven by the swords of the Turcomans from 
 the very threshold of the object of all their hopes, the bourne of 
 their long pilgrimage, and were compelled to retrace their weary 
 steps in sorrow and anguish to their distant homes.* The 
 melancholy intelligence of the profanation of the holy places, and 
 of the oppression and cruelty of the Turcomans, aroused the 
 religious chivalry of Christendom ; " a nerve was touched of 
 exquisite feeling, and the sensation vibrated to the heart of 
 Europe." 
 
 Then arose the wild enthusiasm of the crusades ; men of all 
 ranks, and even monks and priests, animated by the exhortations 
 of the pope and the preachings of Peter the Hermit, flew to arms, 
 and enthusiastically undertook " the pious and glorious en- 
 terprize" of rescuing the holy sepulchre of Christ from the foul 
 abominations of the heathen. 
 
 When intelligence of the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders 
 (a. d. 1099) had been conveyed to Europe, the zeal of pilgrimage 
 blazed forth with increased fierceness ; it had gathered intensity 
 from the interval of its suppression by the wild Turcomans, and 
 promiscuous crowds of both sexes, old men and children, virgins and 
 matrons, thinking the road then open and the journey practicable, 
 successively pressed forwards towards the Holy City, with the 
 passionate desire of contemplating the original monuments of the 
 
 ♦ WW. Ti/r., lib. i. cap. 10, cd. 1564. 
 
 B 2
 
 4 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Redemption,* Tlic infidels had indeed been driven out of 
 Jerusalem, but not out of Palestine. The lofty mountains 
 bordering- the sea-coast were infested by bold and warlike bands 
 of fugitive Mussulmen, who maintained themselves in various 
 impregnable castles and strongholds, from whence they issued 
 forth upon the high-roads, cut off the communication between 
 Jerusalem and the sea-ports, and revenged themselves for the 
 loss of their habitations and property by the indiscriminate 
 pillage of all travellers. The Bedouin horsemen, moreover, 
 making rapid incursions from beyond the Jordan, frequently kept 
 up a desultory and irregular warfare in the plains ; and the 
 pilgrims, consequently, whether they approached the Holy City 
 by land or by sea, were alike exposed to almost daily hostility, to 
 plunder, and to death. 
 
 To alleviate the dangers and distresses to which these pious 
 enthusiasts were exposed, to guard the honour of the saintly 
 virgins and matrons,'!' and to protect the gray hairs of the vene- 
 rable palmer, nine noble knights formed a holy brotherhood in 
 arms, and entered into a solemn compact to aid one another in 
 clearing the highways of infidels, and of robbers, and in pro- 
 tecting the pilgrims through the passes and defiles of the 
 mountains to the Holy City. Warmed with the religious and 
 military fervour of the day, and animated by the sacredness of the 
 cause to which they had devoted their swords, they called them- 
 selves the Poor Fellow-soldiers of Jesus Christ. They renounced 
 the world and its pleasures, and in the holy church of the Resur- 
 rection, in the presence of the patriarch of Jerusalem, they 
 
 * Omnibus mundi partibus divitcs et pauperes, juvenes et virgines, senes cum juniori- 
 bus, loca sancta visitaturi Hierosolymam pergerent. — Jac. de Vitriaco. Hist. Hierosol. 
 cap. Ixv. 
 
 t " To kiss the holj monuments," says William of Tyre, " came sacred and chaste 
 widows, forgetful of feminine fear, and the multiplicity of dangers that beset their path." 
 — Lib. xviii. cap. 5.
 
 Tilt: KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 5 
 
 embraced vows of perpetual chastity, obedience, and poverty, after 
 the manner of monks.* Uniting in themselves the two most 
 popular qualities of the age, devotion and valour, and exercising 
 them in the most popular of all enterprises, the protection of the 
 pilgrims and of the road to the holy sepulchre, they speedily 
 acquired a vast reputation and a splendid renown. 
 
 At first, we are told, they had no church and no particular 
 place of abode, but in the year of our Lord 1118, (nineteen years /ut«Oi 
 after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Crusaders,) they had 
 rendered such good and acceptable service to the Christians, that 
 Baldwin the Second, king of Jerusalem, granted them a place of 
 habitation within the sacred inclosure of the Temple on Mount 
 Moriah, amid those holy and magnificent structures, partly erected 
 by the christian Emperor Justinian, and partly built by the 
 Caliph Omar, which were then exhibited by the monks and 
 priests of Jerusalem, whose restless zeal led them to practise on 
 the credulity of the pilgrims, and to multiply relics and all objects 
 likely to be sacred in their eyes, as the Temple of Solomon, 
 whence the Poor Fellow-soldiers of Jesus Christ came thenceforth 
 to be known by the name of " the Knighthood of the Temple of 
 Solomon." f 
 
 * Quidam autem Deo amabiles et devoti milites, charitate ferventes, mundo renun- 
 tiantes, et Christi se servitio mancipantes in manu Patriarchs Hierosolymitani profes- 
 sione et voto solemni sese astrinxerunt, ut a praedictis latronibus, et viris sauguinum, 
 defenderent peregrines, et stratas publicaa custodirent, more canonicorum regularium in 
 obedieiitia et castitate et sine propria militaturi summo regi. Jac. de Vitr. Hist. Hierosol. 
 upud Gcsta Dei per Francos, cap. Ixv. p. 1083. — fFill. Tyr, lib. xii. cap. 7. There were 
 three kinds of poverty. The first and strictest {altissima) admitted not of the possession 
 of any description of property whatever. The second (media) forbade the possession of 
 individual property, but sanctioned any amount of wealth when shared by a fraternity 
 in common. The lowest was where a separate property in some few things was allowed, 
 such as food and clothing, whilst everything else was shared in common. The second 
 
 L/ ^ 
 
 kind of poverty (media) was adopted by thp Templars. ') 
 + Pantalcon, lib. iii. p. 82. ^
 
 O THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 A few remarks in elucidation of the name Templars, or Knights 
 of the Temple, may not be altogether unacceptable. 
 
 By the Mussulmen, the site of the great Jewish temple on 
 Mount Moriah has always been regarded with peculiar venera- 
 tion. Mahomet, in the first year of the publication of the Koran, 
 directed his followers, when at prayer, to turn their faces towards 
 it, and pilgrimages have constantly been made to the holy spot 
 by devout Moslems. On the conquest of Jerusalem by the 
 Arabians, it was the first care of the Caliph Omar to rebuild 
 " the Temple of the Lord." Assisted by the principal chieftains 
 of his army, the Commander of the Faithful undertook the pious 
 office of clearing the ground with his own hands, and of tracing 
 out the foundations of the magnificent mosque which now crowns 
 with its dark and swelling dome the elevated summit of Mount 
 Moriah.* 
 
 This great house of prayer, the most holy Mussulman Temple 
 in the world after that of Mecca, is erected over the spot where 
 " Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on 
 Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, 
 in the place that David had prepared in the threshing-floor of 
 Oman the Jebusite." It remains to this day in a state of perfect 
 preservation, and is one of the finest specimens of Saracenic 
 architecture in existence. It is entered by four spacious door- 
 ways, each door facing one of the cardinal points ; the Bah el 
 D'jannat, or gate of the garden, on the north ; the Bab el KeMa, 
 or gate of prayer, on the south ; the Bah ih'n el Baoud, or the 
 
 * D'Herbelot Bib. Orient, p. 270, 687, ed. 1697. William of Tyre, who lived at 
 Jerusalem shortly after the conquest of the city by the Crusaders, tells us that the 
 Caliph Omar required the Patriarch Sophronius to point out to him the site of the 
 temple destroyed by Titus, which being done, the caliph immediately commenced the 
 erection of a fresh temple thereon, " Quo postea infra modicum tempus juxta conceptum 
 mentis sua feliciter consunimato, quale hodie Hierosolymis esse dmosciiur, multis et infi- 
 nites ditavit possessionibus." — Will. Tyr. lib. i. cap. 2.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 7 
 
 gate of the son of David, on the east; and the Bah el Garbi, on 
 the west. By the Arabian geograpliers it is called Beit Allah, the 
 house of God, a,\so Beit Ahnokaddas, or Beit Almacdcs, the holy 
 house. From it Jerusalem derives its Arabic name, el Kods, the 
 holy, el Schereef^ the noble, and el Moharek, the blessed ; while 
 the governors of the city, instead of the customary high-sounding 
 titles of sovereignty and dominion, take the simple title oi Hand, 
 or protectors. 
 
 On the conquest of Jerusalem by the crusaders, the crescent 
 was torn down from the summit of this famous Mussulman 
 Temple, and was replaced by an immense golden cross, and the 
 edifice was then consecrated to the services of the christian 
 religion, but retained its simple appellation of " The Temple of 
 the Lord." William, Archbishop of Tyre and Chancellor of the 
 Kingdom of Jerusalem, gives an interesting account of this 
 famous edifice as it existed in his time, during the Latin 
 dominion. He speaks of the splendid mosaic work, of the 
 Arabic characters setting forth the name of the founder, and the 
 cost of the undertaking, and of the famous rock under the centre 
 of the dome, which is to this day shown by the Moslems as the 
 spot whereon the destroying angel stood, " with his drawn 
 sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem."* This rock he 
 
 • Erant porro in eodem Templi aedificio, intus et extra ex opere musaico, Arabic! 
 idiomatis literarum vetustissima monimenta, quibus et auctor et impensarmn quantitas 
 et quo tempore opus inceptum quodque cousummatum fuerit evidenter declaratur. . . . 
 In hujus superioris arcce medio Templum asdificatum est, forma quidem octogonum et 
 latenim totidem, tectum habens sphericum plumbo artificiose copertum. . . . Intus 
 vero in medio Templi, infra interiorem columnarum ordinem rupes est, &c. — Will. Tyr. 
 lib. i. cap 2, lib. ym. cap. 3, In hoc loco, supra rupem quae adhuc in eodem Temple 
 consistit, dicitur stetisse et apparuisse David exterminator Angelus. . . . Templum 
 Dominicum in tanta veneratione habent Saraceni, ut nullus eorum ipsum audeat 
 aliquibus sordibus maculare ; sed a remotis et longinquis regionibus, a temporibus 
 Salomonis usque ad tempora praesentia, veniunt adorare.— ^ac. de Vitr. Hist. Ukrosol. 
 cap. Ixii, p lOSO.
 
 THE KNIGEITS TEMPLARS. 
 
 informs ns was left exposed and uncovered for the space of fifteen 
 years after the conquest of the holy city by the crusaders, but 
 was, after that period, cased with a handsome altar of white 
 marble, upon which the priests daily said mass. 
 
 To the south of this holy Mussulman temple, on the extreme 
 edge of the summit of Mount Moriah, and resting against the 
 modern walls of the town of Jerusalem, stands the venerable 
 christian church of the Virgin, erected by the Emperor Jus- 
 tinian, whose stupendous foundations, remaining to this day, fully 
 justify the astonishing description given of the building by 
 Procopius. That writer informs us that in order to get a level 
 surface for the erection of the edifice, it was necessary, on the 
 east and south sides of the hill, to raise up a wall of masonry from 
 the valley below, and to construct a vast foundation, partly com- 
 posed of solid stone and partly of arches and pillars. The stones 
 were of such magnitude, that each block required to be trans- 
 ported in a truck drawn by forty of the emperor's strongest oxen ; 
 and to admit of the passage of these trucks it was necessary to 
 widen the roads leading to Jerusalem. The forests of Lebanon 
 yielded their choicest cedars for the timbers of the roof, and a 
 quarry of variegated marble, seasonably discovered in the adjoin- 
 ing mountains, furnished the edifice with superb marble columns.* 
 The interior of this interesting structure, which still remains at 
 Jerusalem, after a lapse of more than thirteen centuries, in an 
 excellent state of preservation, is adorned with six rows of 
 columns, from whence spring arches supporting the cedar beams 
 and timbers of the roof; and at the end of the building is a round 
 tower, surmounted by a dome. The vast stones, the walls of 
 masonry, and the subterranean colonnade raised to support the 
 south-east angle of the platform whereon the church is erected, 
 are truly wonderful, and may still be seen by penetrating through 
 
 • Procopius de adificiis Jusiiniani, lib. 5,
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 9 
 
 a small door, and descending several flights of steps at 
 the south-east corner of the inclosure. Adjoining the sacred 
 edifice, the emperor erected hospitals, or houses of refuge, 
 for travellers, sick people, and mendicants of all nations ; 
 the foundations whereof, composed of handsome Roman ma- 
 sonry, are still visible on either side of the southern end of the 
 building. 
 
 On the conquest of Jerusalem by the Moslems, this venerable 
 church was converted into a mosque, and was called D'jamt al 
 Acsa ; it was enclosed, together with the great Mussulman 
 Temple of the Lord erected by the Caliph Omar, within 
 a large area by a high stone wall, which runs around the 
 edge of the summit of Mount Moriah, and guards from 
 the profane tread of the unbeliever the whole of that sacred 
 ground whereon once stood the gorgeous temjjle of the wisest of 
 kings.* 
 
 When the Holy City was taken by the crusaders, the D'jame 
 al Acsa, with the various buildings constructed around it, 
 became the property of the kings of Jerusalem ; and is deno- 
 minated by William of Tyre " the palace," or " royal house to 
 the south of the Temple of the Lord, vulgarly called the Temple 
 of Solomon." ^ It was this edifice or temple on Mount Moriah 
 which was appropriated to the use of the poor fellow-soldiers of 
 Jesus Christ, as they had no church and no particular place of 
 
 * Phocas believes the whole space around these buildings to be the area of the ancient 
 temple. 'Et* tw ap^odu SaTreSw rov irepiuivvfxov vaov dKeivov tov 'S.hXofj.wvTOS Oewpov/xeyos 
 . . . "E^oudev Se tov vaov icrri. irepiavKiov jxeya. MOocttutov to naAaihy, ws oljxai, tov fieyaKov 
 vaov SdireSov, — Phoc(B descript. Terr. Sane. cap. xiv. Colon. 1653. 
 
 t Quibus quoniam neque ecclesia erat, neque certum habebant domicilium, Rex in 
 Palatio suo, quod secus Templum Domini ad australem habet partem, eis concessit 
 habitaculum. — Will. Tyr. lib. xii. cap. 7. And in another place, speaking of the Temple 
 of the Lord, he says, Ab Austro vero domum habet Regiam, qua; vidgari appellatione 
 Templum Salomonis dicitur. — lb, lib. viii. cap. 3.
 
 10 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 abode, and from it they derived their name of Knights Tem- 
 plars.* 
 
 James of Vitry, Bishop of Acre, who gives an interesting 
 account of the holy places, thus speaks of the Temple of the 
 Knights Templars. *' There is, moreover, at Jerusalem another 
 temple of immense spaciousness and extent, from which the 
 brethren of the knighthood of the Temple derive their name of 
 Templars, which is called the Temple of Solomon, perhaps to 
 distinguish it from the one above described, which is specially 
 called the Temple of the Lord."t He moreover informs us in 
 his oriental history, that " in the Temple of the Lord there is an 
 abbot and canons regular ; and be it known that the one is the 
 Temple of the Lord, and the other the Temple of the Chivalry. 
 These are clerks, the others are knights" j^ 
 
 The canons of the Temple of the Lord conceded to the poor 
 fellow-soldiers of Jesus Christ the large court extending between 
 that building and the Temple of Solomon ; the king, the pa- 
 triarch, and the prelates of Jerusalem, and the barons of the 
 Latin kingdom, assigned them various gifts and revenues for their 
 maintenance and support,^ and the order being now settled in 
 a regular place of abode, the knights soon began to entertain 
 more extended views, and to seek a larger theatre for the exercise 
 of their holy profession. 
 
 • Qiii quoniam juxta Templum Domini, ut prsediximus, in Palatio regio mansionem 
 habent, fratres militiaj Templi dicuntur.— TT'i//. Tyr. lib. xii. cap. 7. 
 
 t Est prffiterea Hierosolymis Templum aliud immensae quantitatis et amplitudinis, 
 a quo fratres milUice Templi, Templarii nominantur, quod Templum Salomonis 
 nuncupatur, forsitan ad distinctionem alterius quod specialiter Templum Domini 
 appellatur, — Jac. de Vitr. cap. 62. 
 
 t In Templo Domini abbas est et canonici regulares, et sciendum est quod aliud 
 est Templum Domini, aliud Templum militia. Isti clerici, illi mililes, — Hint. Orient. 
 Jac de Vitr. apud Thesaur. Nov, Anecd, Martene, torn. iii. col. 277. 
 
 § Will. Tyr. lib. xii. cap. 7.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 11 
 
 Their first aim and object had been, as before mentioned, 
 simply to protect the poor pilgrims, on their journey backwards 
 and forwards, from the sea-coast to Jerusalem ;* but as the 
 hostile tribes of Mussulmen, which everywhere surrounded the 
 Latin kingdom, were gradually recovering from the stupifying 
 terror into which they had been plunged by the successful and 
 exterminating warfare of the first crusaders, and were assuming 
 an aggressive and threatening attitude, it was determined that 
 the holy warriors of the Temple should, in addition to the protec- 
 tion of pilgrims, make the defence of the christian kingdom of 
 Jerusalem, of the eastern church, and of all the holy places, a 
 part of their particular profession. 
 
 The two most distinguished members of the fraternity were 
 Hugh de Payens and Geoffrey de St. Aldemar, or St. Omer, two 
 valiant soldiers of the cross, who had fought with great credit 
 and renown at the siege of Jerusalem. Hugh de Payens was 
 chosen by the knights to be the superior of the new religious and 
 military society, by the title of " The Master of the Temple ;" 
 and he has, consequently, generally been called the founder of 
 the order. 
 
 The name and reputation of the Knights Templars speedily 
 spread throughout Europe, and various illustrious pilgrims from 
 the far west aspired to become members of the holy fraternity. 
 Among these was Fulk, Count of Anjou, who joined the society 
 as a married brother, (a.d. 1120,) and annually remitted the 
 order thirty pounds of silver. Baldwin, king of Jerusalem, 
 foreseeing that great advantages would accrue to the Latin king- 
 dom by the increase of the power and numbers of these holy 
 
 * Prima autem eorum professio quodque eis a domino Patriarcha et reliquis episcopis 
 in remissionem peccatorum injunctum est, ut vias et itinera, ad salutcm peregrinorum 
 contra latronimi ct iucuisantium in&idias, pro viribus coutwrvaieut. — Will. Tyr. lib. xii. 
 cap. 7.
 
 12 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 warriors, exerted himself to extend the order throughout all 
 Christendom, so that he might, by means of so politic an institu- 
 tion, keep alive the holy enthusiasm of the west, and draw a 
 constant succour from the bold and warlike races of Europe for 
 the support of his christian throne and kingdom. 
 
 St, Bernard, the holy abbot of Clairvaux, had been a great 
 admirer of the Temj^lars. He wrote a letter to the Count of 
 Champagne, on his entering the order, (a. d. 1123,) praising the 
 act as one of eminent merit in the sight of God ; and it was de- 
 termined to enlist the all-powerful influence of this great eccle- 
 siastic in favour of the fraternity. " By a vow of poverty and 
 penance, by closing his eyes against the visible world, by the re- 
 fusal of all ecclesiastical dignities, the Abbot of Clairvaux be- 
 came the oracle of Europe, and the founder of one hundred and 
 sixty convents. Princes and pontiffs trembled at the freedom of 
 his apostolical censures : France, England, and Milan, consulted 
 and obeyed his judgment in a schism of the church : the debt 
 was repaid by the gratitude of Innocent the Second ; and his 
 successor, Eugenius the Third, was the friend and disciple of the 
 holy St. Bernard." * 
 
 To this learned and devout prelate two knights templars were 
 despatched with the following letter : 
 
 " Baldwin, by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, King of 
 Jerusalem, and Prince of Antioch, to the venerable Father Ber- 
 nard, Abbot of Clairvaux, health and regard. 
 
 " The Brothers of the Temple, whom the Lord hath deigned 
 to raise up, and whom by an especial Providence he preserves 
 for the defence of this kingdom, desiring to obtain from the Holy 
 See the confirmation of their institution, and a rule for their 
 particular guidance, we have determined to send to you the two 
 knights, Andrew and Gondemar, men as much distinguished by 
 
 * Gibbon.
 
 THE KNIOnXS TEMPLARS. 13 
 
 tlioir military exploits as by the splendour of their hirtli, to ob- 
 tain from the Pope the approbation of their order, and to dispose 
 his holiness to send succour and subsidies against the enemies of 
 the faith, reunited in their design to destroy us, and to invade our 
 christian territories. 
 
 " Well knowing the weight of your mediation with God and 
 his vicar upon earth, as well as with the princes and powers of 
 Europe, we have thought fit to confide to you these two im- 
 portant matters, whose successful issue cannot be otherwise than 
 most agreeable to ourselves. The statutes we ask of you should 
 be so ordered and arranged as to be reconcilable with the tumult 
 of the camp and the profession of arms ; they must, in fact, be of 
 such a nature as to obtain favour and popularity with the 
 christian princes. 
 
 " Do you then so manage, that we may, through you, have the 
 happiness of seeing this important affair brought to a success- 
 ful issue, and address for us to heaven the incense of your 
 prayers." * 
 
 Soon after the above letter had been despatched to St. Bernard, 
 Hugh de Payens himself proceeded to Rome, accompanied by 
 Geoffrey de St. Aldemar, and four other brothers of the order, 
 viz. Brother Payen de Montdidier, Brother Gorall, Brother 
 Geoffrey Bisol, and Brother Archambauld de St. Amand. They 
 w^ere received w^ith great honour and distinction by Pope Hono- 
 rius, who warmly approved of the objects and designs of the holy 
 fraternity. St. Bernard had, in the mean time, taken the affair 
 greatly to heart ; he negotiated with the Pope, the legate, and 
 the bishops of FrancCj and obtained the convocation of a great 
 ecclesiastical council at Troyes, (a. d. 1128,) which Hugh de 
 Payens and his brethren were invited to attend. This council 
 consisted of several archbishops, bishops, and abbots, among 
 
 • Reg. CoiistiL et Privileg. Ordinis Cislcrc. p. 447.
 
 14 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 which last was St. Bernard himself. The rules to which the 
 Templars had subjected themselves were there described by the 
 master, and to the holy Abbot of Clairvaux was confided the 
 task of revising and correcting these rules, and of framing a code 
 of statutes fit and proper for the governance of the great religi- 
 ous and military fraternity of the Temple.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Hrgula iPauperum CTommilitonum CTfirifiti ct Cmpit Salomonis.* 
 
 Tlie most curious parts of the rule displayed — The confirmation of the nile by 
 the Pope — The visit of Hugh de Payens, the Master of the Temple, to Eng- 
 land — His cordial reception — The foundation of the Order in this country — 
 Lands and money granted to the Templars — Their popularity in Europe — 
 The rapid increase of their fraternity— St. Bernard takes up the pen in their 
 behalf — He displays their valour and piety. 
 
 " Panni lea contradictions qui entrant dans le gouvemement de ce monde ce n'en est 
 pas un petite que cette institution de moines armies qui font vceu do vivre la a fois en 
 anachoretes et en soldats,''^ — Voltaire sur les Mucurs et PEsprit des Nations, 
 
 " The rule of the poor fellow-soldiers of Jesus Christ 
 AND OF THE Temple OF SoLOMON," arranged by St. Bernard, 
 and sanctioned by the Holy Fathers of the Council of Troyes, 
 for the government and regulation of the monastic and military 
 society of the Temple, is principally of a religious character, and 
 of an austere and gloomy cast. It is divided into seventy-two 
 heads or chapters, and is preceded by a short prologue, addressed 
 " to all who disdain to follow after their own wills, and desire 
 with purity of mind to fight for the most high and true king," ex- 
 
 * Chron. Cisterc. Albertus Mirwtis, Brux. 1641. Manricus ad aim. 1128, cap. ii. 
 Act. Syn. Tree. toni. x. edit. Labb.
 
 16- THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 horting tliem to put on the armour of obedience, and to associate 
 themselves together with piety and humility for the defence of 
 the holy catholic church ; and to employ a pure diligence, and 
 a steady perseverance in the exercise of their sacred profession, 
 so that they might shai'e in the happy destiny reserved for the 
 holy warriors who had given up their lives for Christ. 
 
 The rule enjoins severe devotional exercises, self-mortification, 
 fasting, and prayer, and a constant attendance at matins, vespers, 
 and on all the services of the church, " that being refreshed and 
 satisfied with heavenly food, instructed and stablished with 
 heavenly precepts, after the consummation of the divine myste- 
 ries," none might be afraid of the fight, but be prepared for the 
 crown. If unable to attend the regular service of God, the ab- 
 sent brother is for matins to say over thirteen pater-nosters, for 
 every hour seven, and for vespers nine. When any templar 
 draweth nigh unto death, the chaplains and clerk are to assemble 
 and offer up a solemn mass for his soul ; the surrounding brethren 
 are to spend the night in prayer, and a hundred j)ater-nosters 
 are to be j*epeated for the dead brother. " Moreover," say the 
 holy Fathers, " we do strictly enjoin you, that with divine and 
 most tender charity ye do daily bestow as much meat and drink 
 as was given to that brother when alive, unto some poor man 
 for forty days." The brethren are, on all occasions, to speak 
 sparingly, and to wear a grave and serious deportment. They 
 are to be constant in the exercise of charity and almsgiving, to 
 have a watchful care over all sick brethren, and to support and 
 sustain all old men. They are not to receive letters from their 
 parents, relations, or friends, without the license of the master, 
 and all gifts are immediately to be taken to the latter, or to the 
 treasurer, to be disjiosed of as he may direct. They are, more- 
 over, to receive no service or attendance from a woman, and are 
 commanded, above all things, to i^huxi femijiine kisses.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 17 
 
 There is much that is highly praiseworthy in this rule, and 
 some extracts therefrom will he read with interest. 
 
 " VIII. In one common hall, or refectory, we vnW that you take meat 
 together, where, if your wants cannot be made known by signs, ye are 
 softly and privately to ask for what you want. If at any time the thing 
 you require is not to be foimd, you must seek it with all gentleness, and 
 with submission and reverence to the board, in remembrance of the words 
 of the apostle : Eai thy bread in silence, and in emulation of the psalmist, 
 who says, / have set a tvatch npon my mouth ; that is, I have communed 
 ^\-ith myself that I may not offend, that is, with my tongue ; that is, I 
 have guarded my mouth, that I may not speak evil. 
 
 " IX. At dinner and at supper, let there be always some sacred reading. 
 If we love the Lord, we ought anxiously to long for, and we ought to hear 
 with most earnest attention, his wholesome words and precepts 
 
 " X. Let a repast of tlesh three times a week suffice you, excepting at 
 Christmas, or Easter, or the feast of the Blessed Mary, or of All Saints. 
 .... On Sunday we think it clearly titting and expedient that two 
 messes of flesh shoidd be served up to the knights and the chaplains. 
 But let the rest, to wit, the esqmres and retainers, remain contented with 
 one, and be thankful therefor. 
 
 " XI. Two and two ought in general to eat together, that one may 
 have an eye upon another .....••• 
 
 " XII. On the second and fourth days of the week, and upon Saturday, 
 we thhik two or three dishes of pidse, or other vegetables, will be sufficient 
 for all of you, and so we enjoin it to be observed ; and whosoever cannot 
 eat of the one may feed upon the other. 
 
 " XIII. But on the sixth day (Friday) we recommend the Lenten food, 
 in reverence of the Passion, to all of you, excepting such as be sick ; and 
 from the feast of All Samts until Easter, it must be eaten but once a day, 
 unless it happen to be Christmas-day, or the feast of Saint Mary, or of 
 the Apostles, when they may eat thereof twice ; and so at other times, 
 unless a general fast should take place. 
 
 " XIV. After dinner and supper, we peremptorily command thanks to 
 
 C
 
 18 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 be given to Christ, the great Provider of all things, with a humble heart, 
 as it becomes yon, in the chnrch, if it be near at hand, and if it be not, in 
 the place where food has been eaten. Tlie fragments (the whole loaves 
 being reserved) should be given with brotherly charity to the domestics, 
 or to poor people. And so we order it. 
 
 " XV. Although the reward of poverty, wliich is the kingdom of heaven, 
 be doubtless due unto the poor, yet we command you to give daily unto 
 the almoner the tenth of your bread for distribution, a thing which the 
 Christian religion assuredly recommends as regards the poor. 
 
 " XVI. "When the sun leaveth the eastern region, and descends into 
 the west, at the ringing of the bell, or other customary signal, ye must all 
 go to compline (evening prayer ;) but we wish you beforehand to take a 
 general repast. But this repast we leave to the regulation and judgment 
 of the Master, that when he pleaseth you may have water, and when he 
 commandeth you may receive it kindly tempered with wine : but this must 
 not be done too plentifully, but sparingly, because we see even wise men 
 fall away through wine. 
 
 " XVII. The compline being ended, you must go to bed. After the 
 brothers have once departed from the hall, it must not be permitted any 
 one to speak in public, except it be upon urgent necessity. But whatever 
 is spoken must be said in an under tone by the knight to his esquire. 
 Perchance, however, in the interval between prayers and sleep, it may 
 behove you, from urgent necessity, no opportunity having occurred during 
 the day, to speak on some militaiy matter, or concerning the state of your 
 house, with some portion of the brethren, or with the Master, or with him 
 to whom the government of the house has been confided : this, then, we 
 order to be done in conforaiity with that which hath been written : In 
 many ivords thou shall not avoid sin ; and in another place. Life and death 
 are in the hands of the tongue. In that discourse, therefore, we utterly 
 prohibit scurrility and idle words moving unto laughter, and on going to 
 bed, if any one amongst you hath uttered a foolish saying, w^e enjoin 
 him, in all humility, and with purity of devotion, to repeat the Lord's 
 Prayer. 
 
 " XVIII. We do not require the wearied soldiers to rise to matins, as
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 19 
 
 it is plain the others must, but with the assent of the Master, or of him 
 who hath been put in authority by the Master, they may take their 
 rest ; they must, nevertheless, sing thirteen appointed prayers, so that 
 their minds be in unison with their voices, in accordance with that of the 
 prophet : Sing wisely unto the Lord, and again, I will sing unto thee in the 
 sight of the angels. This, however, should always be left to the judgment 
 of the Master ..,.....,. 
 
 " XX To all the professed knights, both in vdnter and summer, 
 
 we give, if they can be procured, white garments, that those who have 
 cast behind them a dark life may know that they are to commend them- 
 selves to their Creator by a pure and white life. For what is whiteness 
 but perfect chastity, and chastity is the security of the soul and the health 
 of the body. And unless every knight shall continue chaste, he shall not 
 come to perpetual rest, nor see God, as the apostle Paul witnesseth : 
 Follow after peace with all men, and chastitrj, without which no man shall 
 see God. ........... 
 
 " XXI Let all the esquires and retainers be clothed in 
 
 black garments ; but if such cannot be found, let them have what can be 
 procured in the proAince where they live, so that they be of one colour, 
 and such as is of a meaner character, \\z, brown. 
 
 " XXIL It is granted to none to wear white habits, or to have white 
 mantles, excepting the above-named knights of Christ. 
 
 " XXIII. We have decreed in common council, that no brother shall 
 wear skins or cloaks, or anything ser\^ng as a covering for the body in 
 the winter, even the cassock made of skins, except they be the skins of 
 lambs or of rams. .......... 
 
 " XXV. If any brother msheth as a matter of right, or from motives 
 of pride, to have the fairest or best habit, for such presumption without 
 doubt he merits the very worst. ....... 
 
 " XXX. To each one of the knights let there be allotted three horses. 
 The noted poverty of the House of God, and of the Temple of Solomon, 
 does not at present permit an increase of the number, unless it be with 
 the license of the Master ........ 
 
 " XXXI. For the same reason we grant unto each knight only one 
 
 c 2
 
 20 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 esquire ; but if that esquire serve any knight gratis, and for charity, it is 
 not lawful to chide him, nor to strike him for any fault. 
 
 " XXXII. We order you to purchase tor all the knights desiring to 
 serve Christ in purity of spirit, horses fit for their daily occasions, and 
 whatever is necessary for the due discharge of their profession. And we 
 judge it fitting and expedient to have the horses valued by either party 
 equally, and let the price be kept in writing, that it may not be forgotten. 
 And whatsoever shall be necessary for the knight, or his horses, or his 
 esquire, adding the furniture reqviisite for the horses, let it be bestowed 
 out of the same house, according to the ability of that house. If, in the 
 meanwhile, by some mischance it should happen that the knight has lost 
 his horses in the service, it is the duty of the Master and of the house to 
 find him others ; but, on this being done, the knight himself, through the 
 love of God, should pay half the price, the remainder, if it so please him, 
 he may receive from the community of the brethren. 
 
 " XXXIII It is to be holden, that when anything shall 
 
 have been enjoined by the Master, or by him to whom the Master hath 
 given avithority, there must be no hesitation, but the thing must be done 
 without delay, as though it had been enjoined from heaven : as the truth 
 itself says, In the hearing of the ear he hath obeyed me. 
 
 " XXXV When in the field, after they shall have been sent 
 
 to their quarters, no knight, or esquire, or servant, shall go to the quarters 
 of other knights to see them, or to speak to them, without the order of the 
 superior before mentioned. We, moreover, in council, strictly command, 
 that in this house, ordained of God, no man shall make war or make peace 
 of his own free will, but shall wholly incline himself to the will of the 
 Master, so that he may follow the saying of the Lord, / catne not to do 
 mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. 
 
 r" XXXVII. We will not that gold or silver, which is the mark of private 
 wealth, should ever be seen on your bridles, breastplates, or spurs, nor 
 should it be permitted to any brother to buy such. If, indeed, such like 
 / furniture shall have been charitably bestowed upon you, the gold and silver
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 21 
 
 must be so coloured, that its splendour and beauty may not impart to the 
 wearer an appearance of arrogance beyond his fellows. 
 
 " XL. Bags and trunks, with locks and keys, are not granted, nor can 
 any one have them without the license of the Master, or of him to whom 
 the business of the house is intrusted after the Master. In this resula- 
 tion, however, the procurators (preceptors) governing in the different pro- 
 vinces are not understood to be included, nor the Master himself. 
 
 " XLI. It is in nowise la^\-ful for any of the brothers to receive letters 
 from his parents, or from any man, or to send letters, without the license 
 of the Master, or of the procurator. After the brother shall have had 
 leave, they must be read in the presence of the ^Master, if it so pleaseth 
 him. If, indeed, anything whatever shall have been directed to him from 
 his parents, let him not presume to receive it until information has been 
 first given to the Master. But in this regvdation the Master and the pro- 
 curators of the houses are not included. 
 
 " XLII. Since every idle word is known to beget sin, what can those 
 who boast of their own faults say before the strict Judge ? The prophet 
 showeth -ft-isely, that if we ought sometimes to be silent, and to refrain 
 from good discourse for the sake of silence, how much the rather shoidd 
 we refrain from evil words, on accomit of the punishment of sin. We 
 forbid therefore, and we resolutely condemn, all tales related by any brother, 
 of the follies and irregularities of which he hath been gvdlty in the world, 
 or in mihtary matters, either with his brother or with any other man. It 
 shall not be permitted him to speak with his brother of the irregularities 
 of other men, nor of the dehghts of the flesh with miserable women ; and if 
 by chance he should hear another discoursing of such things, he shall make 
 him silent, or with the smft foot of obechence he shall depart from liim as 
 soon as he is able, and shall lend not the ear of the heart to the vender of 
 idle tales. 
 
 " XLIII. If any gift shall be made to a brother, let it be taken to the 
 Master or the treasurer. If, indeed, his friend or his parent ^^-ill consent 
 to make the gift only on condition that he useth it liimself, he must not 
 receive it until permission hath been obtained from the Master. And who-
 
 22 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 soever shall have received a present, let it not grieve him if it be given to 
 another. Yea, let him know assuredly, that if he be angiy at it, he 
 striveth against God. 
 
 " XL VI. We are all of opinion that none of you should dare to follow 
 the sport of catching one bird with another : for it is not agreeable mito 
 rehgion for you to be addicted imto worldly delights, but rather willingly 
 to hear the precepts of the Lord, constantly to kneel down to prayer, and 
 daily to confess your sins before God with sighs and tears. Let no 
 brother, for the above especial reason, presume to go forth with a man 
 following such diversions with a hawk, or with any other bird. 
 
 " XL VII. Forasmuch as it becometh all religion to behave decently and 
 humbly without laughter, and to speak sparingly but sensibly, and not 
 in a loud tone, we specially command and direct every professed brother 
 that he venture not to shoot in the woods either with a long-bow or a 
 cross-bow ; and for the same reason, that he venture not to accompany 
 another who shall do the like, except it be for the purpose of protecting 
 him from the perfidious infidel ; neither shall he dare to halloo, or to talk 
 to a dog, nor shall he spur his horse with a desire of securing the game. 
 
 " LI. Under Divine Pro\idence, as we do believe, this new kind of 
 religion was introduced by you in the holy places, that is to say, the union 
 of warfare with religion, so that rehgion, bemg anned, maketh her way by 
 the sword, and smiteth the enemy without sin. Therefore we do rightly 
 adjudge, since ye are called Knights of the Temple, that for your 
 renowned merit, and especial gift of godliness, ye ought to have lauds and 
 men, and possess husbandmen and justly govern them, and the cus- 
 tomary services ought to be specially rendered unto you. 
 
 " LI I. Above all things, a most watchful care is to be bestowed upon 
 sick brothers, and let their wants be attended to as though Christ himself 
 was the sufferer, bearing in mind the blessed words of the Gospel, I was 
 sick, and ye visited me. These are indeed carefully and patiently to be 
 fostered, for by such is acquired a heavenly reward. 
 
 " LIII. We direct the attendants of those Avho are sick, with everv
 
 1 
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 23 
 
 attention, and with the most watchful care, diligently and faithfully to 
 administer to them whatever is necessary for their several infirmities, 
 according to the ability of the houses, for example, flesh and fowls and 
 other things, until they are restored to health. 
 
 " LV. We permit you to have married brothers in this manner, if such 
 should seek to participate in the benefit of your fraternity ; let both the 
 man and his wife grant, from and after their death, their respective por- 
 tions of property, and whatever more they acquire in after life, to the 
 unity of the common chapter ; and, in the interim, let them exercise an 
 honest life, and labour to do good to the brethren : but they are not per- 
 mitted to appear in the white habit and white mantle. If the husband 
 dies first, he must leave his portion of the patrimony to the brethren, and 
 the wife shall have her maintenance out of the residue, and let her depart 
 forthwith ; for we consider it most improper that such women shoidd 
 remain in one and the same house with the brethren who have promised 
 chastity unto God. 
 
 " LVI. It is moreover exceedingly dangerous to join sisters with you in 
 your holy profession, for the ancient enemy hath drawn many away from 
 the right path to paradise through the society of women : therefore, dear 
 brothers, that the flower of righteousness may always flourish amongst 
 you, let this custom from henceforth be utterly done away with. 
 
 " LVIII. If any knight out of the mass of perdition, or any secular 
 man, wisheth to renomice the world and to choose your life and com- 
 munion, he shall not be immediately received, but, according to the 
 saving of Paul, Prove the spirits, whether they be of God; and if so, 
 let him be admitted. Let the rule, therefore, be read in his presence ; 
 and if he shall have undertaken diligently to obey the precepts thereof, 
 then, if it please the Master and the brothers to receive him, let the 
 brothers be called together, and let him make known with sincerity of 
 mind his desire and petition unto all. Then, indeed, the term of pro- 
 bation should altogether rest in the consideration and forethought of the 
 Master, according to the honesty of life of the petitioner. 
 
 v.
 
 24 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 " LIX. We do not order all the brothers to be called, in every instance, 
 to the council, but those only whom the Master shall know to be circum- 
 spect, and fit to give ad\ice ; when, however, important matters are to be 
 treated of, such as the grantmg of the land of the fraternity, or when the 
 thing debated immediately affects the order itself, or when a brother is to 
 be received, then it is fit that the whole society should be called together, 
 if it please the Master, and the advice of the common chapter having 
 been heard, the thing which the Master considereth the best and the 
 most useful, that let him do. 
 
 " LXII. Although the rule of the holy fathers sanctions the dedication 
 of children to a rehgious hfe, yet we will not suffer you to be burdened 
 with them, but he who kindly desireth to give his own son or his kinsman 
 to the mihtary reUgion, let him bring him up until he arrives at an age 
 when he can, mth an armed hand, manfidly root out the enemies of Christ 
 from the Holy Land. Then, in accordance with oiu- rule, let the father 
 or the parents place him in the midst of the brothers, and lay open his 
 petition to them all. For it is better not to vow in childhood, lest after- 
 wards the grown man should foully fall away. 
 
 " LXIII. It behoves you to support, with pious consideration, all old 
 men, according to their feebleness and weakness, and dutifully to honour 
 them, and let them in nowise be restricted from the enjoyment of such 
 things as may be necessary for the body ; the authority of the i-ule, how- 
 ever, being preserved. 
 
 " LXIV. The brothers who are journeying through different provinces 
 should observe the rule, so far as they are able, in their meat and drink, 
 and let them attend to it in other matters, and live irreproachably, that 
 they may get a good name out of doors. Let them not tarnish their 
 rehgious purpose either by word or deed ; let them afford to all with whom 
 they may be associated, an example of wisdom, and a perseverance in all 
 good works. Let him with whom they lodge be a man of the best repute, 
 and, if it be possible, let not the house of the host on that night be without 
 a light, lest the dark enemy (from whom God preserve us) shoidd find 
 some opportunity. But where they shall hear of knights not excom- 
 municated meeting together, we order them to hasten thither, not
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 25 
 
 considering so much their temporal profit as the eternal safety of their 
 souls. ........... 
 
 " LXVII. If any brother shall transgress in speaking, or fighting, or 
 in any other hght matter, let him voluntarily show his fault unto the 
 Master by way of satisfaction. If there be no customarj^ punishment for 
 hght faults, let there be a hght penance ; but if, he remaining silent, the 
 fault should come to be known through the medium of another, he must 
 be subjected to greater and more severe discipline and correction. If 
 indeed the offence shall be grave, let him be withdrawn from the com- 
 panionship of his fellows, let him not eat with them at the same table, 
 but take his repast alone. The whole matter is left to the judgment and 
 discretion of the Master, that his soul may be saved at the day of judg- 
 ment. 
 
 " LXVIII. But, above all things, care must be taken that no brother, 
 powerfid or weak, strong or feeble, desirous of exalting himself, becoming 
 proud by degi-ees, or defending his own fault, remain imchastened. If he 
 showeth a disposition to amend, let a stricter system of correction be 
 added : but if by godly admonition and earnest reasoning he will not be 
 amended, but will go on more and more lifting himself up with pride, then 
 let him be cast out of the holy flock in obedience to the apostle, Take 
 away evil from among you. It is necessary that from the society of the 
 Faithful Brothers the dpng sheep be removed. But let the ^Master, who 
 ought to hold the staff" and the rod in his hand, that is to say, the staff 
 that he may support the infiimities of the weak, and the rod that he may 
 with the zeal of rectitude strike down the vices of dehnquents ; let him 
 study, with the counsel of the patriarch and with spiritual circumspection, 
 to act so that, as blessed Maximus saith. The sinner be not encouraged 
 by easy lenity, nor the suiner hardened in his iniquity by immoderate 
 severity 
 
 " LXXI. Contentions, envyings, spite, murmurings, backbiting, slander, 
 we command you, with godly admonition, to avoid, and do ye flee there- 
 from as from the plague. Let every one of you, therefore, dear brothers, 
 study with a watchful mind that he do not secretly slander his brother, 
 nor accuse him, but let him studiously ponder upon the saving of the
 
 26 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 apostle, Be not thou an accuser or a lohisperer among the people. But 
 when he knoweth clearly that liis brother hath offended, let him gently 
 and with brotherly kindness reprove him in private, according to the com- 
 mandment of the Lord ; and if he will not hear him, let him take to him 
 another brother, and if he shall take no heed of both, let him be publicly 
 reproved in the assembly before all. For they have indeed much blindness 
 who take little pains to guard against spite, and thence become swallowed 
 up in the ancient wickedness of the subtle adversary. 
 
 " Lastly. We hold it dangerous to all religion to gaze too much on the 
 countenance of women ; and therefore no brother shall presume to kiss 
 neither widow, nor "\drgin, nor mother, nor sister, nor aunt, nor any other 
 woman. Let the knighthood of Christ shun feminine kisses, through 
 which men have very often been drawn into danger, so that each, with a 
 pure conscience and secure life, may be able to walk everlastingly in the 
 sight of God." * 
 
 The above rule having been confirmed by a Papal bull, Hugh 
 de 'Payens proceeded to France, and from thence he came to 
 England, and the following account is given of his arrival, in the 
 Saxon chronicle. 
 
 " This same year, (a. d. 1128,) Hugh of the Temple came from 
 Jerusalem to the king in Normandy, and the king received him 
 with much honour, and gave liim much treasure in gold and silver, 
 and afterwards he sent him into England, and there he was well 
 received by all good men, and all gave him treasure, and in 
 Scotland also, and they sent in all a great sum in gold and silver 
 by him to Jerusalem, and there went with him and after him so 
 great a number as never before since the days of Pope Urban. "-j- 
 Grants of land, as well as of money, were at the same time made 
 
 * Ego Joannes Michaelensis, praesentis paginae, jussu consilii ac venerabilis abbatis 
 Clarffivallensis, cui creditum ac debitum hoc fuit, humilis scriba esse, divina gratia merui. 
 — Chron. Cisterc. ut sup. 
 
 t See also Hoveden apud X script, page 479. Hen. Hunting, ib. page 384.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 27 
 
 to Hugh cle Payens and his brethren, some of which were shortly 
 afterwards confirmed by King Stephen on his accession to the 
 throne, (a. d. 1135.) Among these is a grant of the manor of 
 Bistelesham made to the Templars by Count Robert de Ferrara, 
 and a grant of the church of Langeforde in Bedfordshire made 
 by Simon de Wahull, and Sibylla his wife, and Walter their 
 son. 
 
 Hugh de Payens, before his departure, placed a Knight Templar 
 at the head of the order in this country, who was called the Prior 
 of the Temple, and was the procurator and vicegerent of the 
 Master. It was his duty to manage theestates granted to the 
 fraternity, and to transmit the revenues to Jerusalem. He was 
 also delegated with the power of admitting members into the 
 order, subject to the control and direction of the Master, and 
 was to provide means of transport for such newly-admitted 
 brethren to the far east, to enable them to fulfil the duties of their 
 profession. As the houses of the Temple increased in number in 
 England, sub-priors came to be appointed, and the superior of 
 the order in this country was then called the Grand Prior, and 
 afterwards Master of the Temple. 
 
 Many illustrious knights of the best families in Europe aspired 
 to the habit and the vows, but however exalted their rank, they 
 were not received within the bosom of the fraternity until they 
 had proved themselves by their conduct worthy of such a fellow- 
 ship. Thus, when Hugh d'Amboise, who had harassed and 
 oppressed the people of Marmontier by unjust exactions, and had 
 refused to submit to the judicial decision of the Count of Anjou, 
 desired to enter the order, Hugh de Payens refused to admit 
 him to the vows, until he had humbled himself, renounced his 
 pretensions, and given perfect satisfaction to those whom he had 
 injured.* The candidates, moreover, previous to their admission, 
 Annales Benediclini, torn. vi. page 166.
 
 28 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 were required to make reparation and satisfaction for all damage 
 done by them at any time to churches, and to public or private 
 property. 
 
 An astonishing enthusiasm was excited throughout Christendom 
 in behalf of the TemjDlars ; princes and nobles, sovereigns and 
 their subjects, vied with each other in heaping gifts and benefits 
 upon them, and scarce a will of importance was made without an 
 article in it in their favour. Many illustrious persons on their 
 deathbeds took the vows, that they might be buried in the habit 
 of the order ; and sovereigns, quitting the government of their 
 kingdoms, enrolled themselves amongst the holy fraternity, and 
 bequeathed even their dominions to the Master and the brethren 
 of the Temple. 
 
 Thus, Raymond Berenger, Count of Barcelona and Provence, 
 at a very advanced age, abdicating his throne, and shaking off the 
 ensigns of royal authority, retired to the house of the Templars at 
 Barcelona, and pronounced his vows (a. d. 1130) before brother 
 Hugh de Bigauld, the Prior. His infirmities not allowing him 
 to proceed in person to the chief house of the order at Jerusalem, 
 he sent vast sums of money thither, and immuring himself in a 
 small cell in the Temple at Barcelona, he there remained in the 
 constant exercise of the religious duties of his profession until the 
 day of his death.* At the same period, the Emperor Lothaire 
 bestowed on the order a large portion of his patrimony of Sup- 
 plinburg; and the year following, (a. d. 1131,) Alphonso the 
 First, king of Navarre and Arragon, also styled Emperor of 
 Spain, one of the greatest warriors of the age, by his will declared 
 the Knights of the Temple his heirs and successors in the crowns 
 of Navarre and Arragon, and a few hours before his death he 
 caused this will to be ratified and signed by most of the barons of 
 both kingdoms. The validity of this document, however, was 
 
 * Histoire de Languedoc, lib. xvii. y. 407.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 29 
 
 disputed, and the claims of the Templars were successfully re- 
 sisted by the nobles of Navarre ; but in Arrag-on they obtained, 
 by way of compromise, lands, and castles, and considerable de- 
 pendencies, a portion of the customs and duties levied throughout 
 the kingdom, and of the contributions raised from the Moors.* 
 
 To increase the enthusiasm in favour of the Templars, and still 
 further to swell their ranks with the best and bravest of the 
 European chivalry, St. Bernard, at the request of Hugh de 
 Payens,t took up his powerful pen in their behalf. In a famous 
 discourse " In praise of the New Chivalry," the holy abbot sets 
 forth, in eloquent and enthusiastic terms, the spiritual advantages 
 and blessings enjoyed by the military friars of the Temple over 
 all other warriors. He draws a curious picture of the relative 
 situations and circumstances of the secular soldiery and the sol- 
 diery of Christ, and shows how different in the sight of God are 
 the bloodshed and slaughter perpetrated by the one, from that 
 committed by the other. 
 
 This extraordinary discourse is written with great spirit ; it is 
 addressed " To Hugh, Knight of Christ, and Master of the 
 Knighthood of Christ," is divided into fourteen parts or chapters, 
 and commences with a short prologue. It is curiously illustrative 
 of the spirit of the times, and some of its most striking passages 
 will be read with interest. 
 
 The holy abbot thus pursues his comparison between the soldier 
 of the world and the soldier of Christ — the secular and the reli- 
 gious warrior. 
 
 * Hist, de Veglisede Gandersheim. Mariana de rebus Hispanue, lib. x. cap. 15, 17, 
 18. Zurita anales de la corona de Aragon, torn. i. lib. i. cap. 52. Quarita, torn. i. 
 lib. ii. cap. 4. 
 
 + Semel et secundo, et tertio, ni fallor, petiisti a me. Hugo carrissime, ut tibituisque 
 commilitonibus scriberem exhortationis sermonem, et adversus hostilem tyrannidem, 
 quia lanceam non liceret, stilum vibrarem. Exhortatio S. Bemardi ad Milites Templi, 
 ed, Mabillon. Parisiis, 1839, torn. i. col. 1253 to 1278.
 
 30 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 " As often as tliou who wagest a secular warfare marchest 
 forth to battle, it is greatly to be feared lest when thou slayest 
 thine enemy in the body, he should destroy thee in the spirit, or 
 lest peradventure thou shouldst be at once slain by him both in 
 body and soul. From the disposition of the heart, indeed, not by 
 the event of the fight, is to be estimated either the jeopardy or 
 the victory of the Christian. If, fighting with the desire of killing 
 another, thou shouldest chance to get killed thyself, thou diest a 
 man-slayer ; if, on the other hand, thou prevailest, and through a 
 desire of conquest or revenge killest a man, thou livest a man- 
 slayer. . . . O unfortunate victory, when in overcoming thine 
 adversary thou fallest into sin, and anger or pride having the 
 mastery over thee, in vain thou gloriest over the vanquished . . . 
 
 " What, therefore, is the fruit of this secular, I will not say 
 * militia,' but ' malitia,' if the slayer committeth a deadly sin, and 
 the slain perisheth eternally ? Verily, to use tlie words of the 
 apostle, he that ploweth should plow in hope, and he that 
 thresheth should be partaker of his hope. Whence, therefore, 
 O soldiers, cometh this so stupendous error ? What insufferable 
 madness is this — to wage war with so great cost and labour, but 
 with no pay except either death or crime ? Ye cover your horses 
 with silken trappings, and I know not how much fine cloth hangs 
 pendent from your coats of mail. Ye paint your spears, shields, 
 and saddles ; your bridles and spurs are adorned on all sides with 
 gold, and silver, and gems, and with all this pomp, with a shame- 
 ful fury and a reckless insensibility, ye rush on to death. Are 
 these military ensigns, or are they not rather the garnishments 
 of women? Can it happen that the sharp-pointed sword of the 
 enemy will respect gold, will it spare gems, will it be unable to 
 penetrate the silken garment? Lastly, as ye yourselves have 
 often experienced, three things are indispensably necessary to the 
 success of the soldier ; he must, for example, be bold, active, and
 
 TFIE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 31 
 
 circumspect ; quick in running, prompt in striking ; ye, however, 
 to the disgust of the eye, nourish your hair after the manner of 
 women, ye gather around your footsteps long and flowing 
 vestures, ye bury up your delicate and tender hands in ample and 
 wide-spreading sleeves. Among you indeed, nought provoketh 
 war or awakeneth strife, but either an irrational impulse of anger, 
 or an insane lust of glory, or the covetous desire of possessing 
 another man's lands and possessions. In such causes it is neither 
 safe to slay nor to be slain 
 
 III. " But the soldiers of Christ indeed securely fight the 
 battles of their Lord, in no wise fearing sin either from the 
 slaughter of the enemy, or danger from their own death. When 
 indeed death is to be given or received for Christ, it has nought 
 of crime in it, but much of glory. . . . 
 
 " And now for an example, or to the confusion of our soldiers 
 fighting not manifestly for God but for the devil, we will briefly 
 display the mode of life of the Knights of Christ, such as it is in 
 the field and in the convent, by which means it will be made 
 plainly manifest to what extent the soldiery of God and the 
 soldiery of the world differ from one another. , . . The soldiers 
 of Christ live together in common in an agreeable but frugal 
 manner, without wives and without children ; and that nothing 
 may be wanting to evangelical perfection, they dwell together 
 without property of any kind,* in one house, under one rule, 
 careful to preserve the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. 
 You may say, that to the whole multitude there is but one heart 
 and one soul, as each one in no respect foUoweth after his own 
 will or desii-e, but is diligent to do the will of the Master. They 
 are never idle nor rambling abroad, but when they are not in the 
 field, that they may not eat their bread in idleness, they are fitting 
 and repairing their armour and their clothing, or employing 
 themselves in such occupations as the will of the Master requireth, 
 
 * i. e. Without any separate property.
 
 32 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 or their common necessities render expedient. Among them 
 there is no distinction of persons ; respect is paid to the best and 
 most virtuous, not the most noble. They participate in each 
 other's honour, they bear one another's burthens, that they may 
 fulfil the law of Christ. An insolent expression, a useless under- 
 taking, immoderate laughter, the least murmur or whispering, if 
 found out, passeth not without severe rebuke. They detest cards 
 and dice, they shun the sports of the field, and take no delight in 
 that ludicrous catching of birds, (hawking,) which men are wont 
 to indulo-e in. Jesters, and soothsayers, and storytellers, scur- 
 rilous songs, shows and games, they contemptuously despise and 
 abominate as vanities and mad follies. They cut their hair, 
 knowing that, according to the apostle, it is not seemly in a man 
 to have long hair. They are never combed, seldom washed, but 
 appear rather with rough neglected hair, foul with dust, and with 
 skins browned by the sun and their coats of mail. 
 
 " Moreover, on the approach of battle they fortify themselves 
 with faith within, and with steel without, and not with gold, so 
 that, armed and not adorned, they may strike terror into the 
 enemy, rather than awaken his lust of plunder. They strive 
 earnestly to possess strong and swift horses, but not garnished 
 with ornaments or decked with trappings, thinking of battle and 
 of victory, and not of pomp and show, and studying to inspire 
 
 fear rather than admiration 
 
 " Such hath God chosen for his own, and hath collected toge- 
 ther as his ministers from the ends of the earth, from among 
 the bravest of Israel, who indeed vigilantly and faithfully guard 
 the holy sepulchre, all armed with the sword, and most learned in 
 the art of war. . ." 
 
 " Concerning the Temple." 
 " There is indeed a Temple at Jerusalem in which they dwell 
 together, unequal, it is true, as a building, to that ancient and
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 33 
 
 most famous one of Solomon, but not inferior in glory. For 
 truly, tbe entire magnificence of that consisted in corrupt things, 
 in gold and silver, in carved stone, and in a variety of woods ; but 
 the whole beauty of this resteth in the adornment of an agreeable 
 conversation, in the godly devotion of its inmates, and their 
 beautifully-ordered mode of life. That was admired for its 
 various external beauties, this is venerated for its different virtues 
 and sacred actions, as becomes the sanctity of the house of God, 
 who delighteth not so much in polished marbles as in well-ordered 
 behaviour, and regardeth pure minds more than gilded walls. 
 The face likewise of this Temjjle is adorned with arms, not with 
 gems, and the wall, instead of the ancient golden chapiters, is 
 covered around with pendent shields. Instead of the ancient 
 candelabra, censers, and lavers, the house is on all sides furnished 
 with bridles, saddles, and lances, all which plainly demonstrate 
 that the soldiers burn with the same zeal for the house of God, 
 as that which formerly animated their great leader, when, vehe- 
 mently enraged, he entered into the Temple, and with that most 
 sacred hand, armed not with steel, but with a scourge which he 
 had made of small thongs, drove out the merchants, poured out 
 the changers' money, and overthrew the tables of them that sold 
 doves ; most indignantly condemning the pollution of the house 
 of prayer, by the making of it a place of merchandize." 
 
 " The devout army of Christ, therefore, earnestly incited by the 
 example of its king, thinking indeed that the holy places are much 
 more impiously and insufferably polluted by the infidels than when 
 defiled by merchants, abide in the holy house with horses and with 
 arms, so that from that, as well as all the other sacred places, all 
 filthy and diabolical madness of infidelity being driven out,theymay 
 occupy themselves by day and by night in honourable and useful 
 ofitices. They emulously honour the Temple of God with sedulous 
 and sincere oblations, offering sacrifices therein with constant 
 
 D
 
 34 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 devotion, not indeed of tlie flesh of cattle after the manner of the 
 ancients, but peaceful sacrifices, brotherly love, devout obedience, 
 voluntary poverty." 
 
 " These things are done perpetually at Jerusalem, and the 
 world is aroused, the islands hear, and the nations take heed from 
 afar " 
 
 St. Bernard then congratulates Jerusalem on the advent of the 
 soldiers of Christ, and declares that the holy city vrill rejoice 
 with a double joy in being rid of all her oppressors, the ungodly, 
 the robbers, the blasphemers, murderers, perjurers, and adul- 
 terers ; and in receiving her faithful defenders and sweet con- 
 solers, under the shadow of whose protection " Mount Zion shall 
 rejoice, and the daughters of Judah sing for joy." 
 
 " Be joyful, O Jerusalem," says he, " in the words of the pro- 
 phet Isaiah, " and know that the time of thy visitation hath 
 arrived. Arise now, shake thyself from the dust, O virgin cap- 
 tive, daughter of Zion ; arise, I say, and stand forth amongst the 
 mighty, and see the pleasantness that cometh unto thee from thy 
 God. Thou shalt no more be termed forsaken, neither shall thy 
 land any more be termed desolate .... Lift up thine eyes round 
 about, and behold ; all these gather themselves together, and 
 come to thee. This is the assistance sent unto thee from on High. 
 Now, now, indeed, through these is that ancient promise made to 
 thee thoroughly to be performed. ' I will make thee an 
 eternal joy, a glory from generation to generation.' 
 
 " Hail, therefore, O holy city, hallowed by the tabernacle of 
 the Most High ! Hail, city of the great King, wherein so many 
 wonderful and welcome miracles have been perpetually dis- 
 played. Hail, mistress of the nations, princess of provinces, 
 possession of patriarchs, mother of the prophets and apostles, 
 initiatress of the faith, glory of the christian people, whom God
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 35 
 
 hath on that account always from the beginning permitted to be 
 visited with affliction, that thou mightest thus be the occasion of 
 virtue as well as of salvation to brave men. Hail, land of pro- 
 mise, which, formerly flowing only with milk and honey for thy 
 possessors, now stretchest forth the food of life, and the means of 
 salvation to the entire world. Most excellent and happy land, 
 I say, which receiving the celestial grain from the recess of the 
 paternal heart in that most fruitful bosom of thine, hast produced 
 such rich harvests of martyrs from the heavenly seed, and whose 
 fertile soil hast no less manifoldly engendered fruit a thirtieth, 
 sixtieth, and a hundredfold in the remaining race of all the 
 faithful throughout the entire world. Whence most agreeably 
 satiated, and most abundantly crammed with the great store of 
 thy pleasantness, those who have seen thee diffuse around them 
 {eructant) in every place the remembrance of thy abundant sweet- 
 ness, and tell of the magnificence of thy glory to the very end of 
 the earth to those who have not seen thee, and relate the won- 
 derful things that are done in thee." 
 
 " Glorious things are spoken concerning thee, city of God !" 
 
 D 2 
 
 il
 
 36 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Hugh de Payens returns to Palestine — His death — Robert de Craon made Master 
 — Success of the Infidels — The second Crusade — The Templars assume the 
 Red Cross — Their gallant actions and high discipline — Lands, manors, and 
 churches granted them in England — Bernard de Tremelay made Master — He 
 is slain by the Infidels — Bertrand de Blanquefort made Master — He is taken 
 prisoner, and sent in chains to Aleppo — The Pope writes letters in praise of 
 the Templars — Their religious and military enthusiasm — Their war banner 
 called Beauseant — The rise of the rival religio-military order of the Hospital of 
 St. John. 
 
 " We heard the techir, so the Arabs call 
 Their shouts of onset, when with loud appeal 
 They challenge heavoi, as if demanding conquest," 
 
 Hugh db Hugh DE Payens, having now laid in EuroDe the foundations 
 
 Payens* ^ 
 
 A. D. 1129. of the great monastic and military institution of the Temple, 
 which was destined shortly to sjDread its ramifications to the 
 remotest quarters of Christendom, returned to Palestine at the 
 head of a valiant band of newly-elected Templars, drawn princi- 
 pally from England and France. 
 
 On their arrival at Jerusalem they were received with great 
 distinction by the king, the clergy, and the barons of the Latin 
 kingdom, a grand council was called together, at which Hugh de 
 Payens assisted, and various warlike measures were undertaken 
 for the extension and protection of the christian territories.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 37 
 
 Hugh de Payens died, however, shortly after his return, and Robert db 
 was succeeded (a. d, 1 1 36) by the Lord Robert, surnamed the a. d"! Yrsc. 
 Burgundian, (son-in-law of Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury,) 
 who, after the death of his wife, had taken the vows and the 
 habit of the Templars.* He was a valiant and skilful general,-|- 
 but the utmost exertions of himself and his military monks were 
 found insufficient to sustain the tottering empire of the Latin 
 Christians. 
 
 The fierce religious and military enthusiasm of the Mussulmen 
 had been again aroused by the warlike Zinghis and his son 
 Noureddin, two of the most famous chieftains of the age, who 
 were regarded by the disciples of Mahomet as champions that 
 could avenge the cause of the prophet, and recover to the 
 civil and religious authority of the caliph the lost city of Jeru- 
 salem, and all the holy places so deeply venerated by the 
 Moslems. The one was named Emod-ed-deen, " Pillar of 
 religion ;" and the other Nour-ed-deen, " Light of religion," 
 vulgarly, Noureddin. The Templars were worsted by over- 
 powering numbers in several battles ; and in one of these the 
 valiant Templar, Brother Odo de Montfaucon, was slain. J 
 Emodeddeen took Tsenza, Estarel, Hizam, Hesn-arruk, Hesn- 
 Collis, &c. &c., and closed his victorious career by the capture of 
 the important city of Edessa. Noureddin followed in the foot- 
 steps of the father : he obtained possession of the fortresses of 
 Arlene, Mamoula, Basarfont, Kafarlatha ; and overthrew with 
 terrific slaughter the young Jocelyn de Courtenay, in a rash 
 
 * Will. Tyr. lib. xiii. cap. 26 ; Anselmus, lib. iii. epistolarum. epist. 43, 63, QQ, 67 ; 
 Duchesne in Hist. Burg. lib. iv. cap. 37. 
 
 t Miles eximius et in armis strenuiis, nobilis carne et moribus, dominus Robertus 
 cognomine Burgundio Magister milititc Templi. — TTzV/. Tyr. lib. xv. cap. 6. 
 
 X Vir eximius frater militia; Templi Otto de Monte Falconis, omnes de morte sua 
 nioeiorc et gemitu conficicns, occisus est. — Will. Tyr. lib. xv. cap. 6. 
 
 12 0453
 
 nES 
 
 A. D 
 
 38 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 attempt to recover possession of his principality of Edessa.* The 
 Latin kinodom of Jerusalem was shaken to its foundations, and 
 the oriental clergy in trepidation and alarm sent urgent letters 
 to the Pope for assistance. The holy pontiff accordingly com- 
 missioned St. Bernard to preach the second crusade. 
 EvERARD The Lord Robert, Master of the Temple, was at this period 
 B.VRHE6. {^- D. 1146) succeeded by Everard des Barres, Prior of France, 
 ^^'**^' who convened a general chapter of the order at Paris, which 
 was attended by Pope Eugenius the Third, Louis the Seventh, 
 king of France, and many prelates, princes, and nobles, from 
 all parts of Christendom. The second crusade was there arranged, 
 and the Templars, with the sanction of the Pope, assumed the 
 blood-red cross, the symbol of martyrdom, as the distinguishing- 
 badge of the order, which was appointed to be worn on their 
 habits and mantles on the left side of the breast over the heart, 
 whence they came afterwards to be known by the name of the 
 Red Friars and the Red Cross Knights.f 
 
 At this famous assembly various donations were made to the 
 Templars, to enable them to provide more effectually for the 
 defence of the Holy Land. Bernard Baliol, through love of God 
 and for the good of his soul, granted them his estate of Wedelee, 
 in Hertfordshire, which afterwards formed part of the preceptory 
 of Temple Dynnesley. This grant is expressed to be made at the 
 chapter held at Easter, in Paris, in the presence of the Pope, 
 the king of France, several archbishops, and one hundred and 
 thirty Knights Templars clad in white mantles.^ Shortly before 
 
 * Abulfeda, ad ann. Hegir, 534, 539. Will. Tyr. lib. xvi. cap. 4, 5, 7, 15, 16, who 
 terms Zinghis, Sanguin. Abulfaradge Chron.'Syr. p. 326, 328. Will. Tyr. lib. xvi. 
 cap. 14. 
 
 + Odo de Diogilo, p. 33. Will. Tyr. lib. xii. cap. 7 ; Jac. de Viir. cap. Ixv. ; Paul. 
 ,'Emil, p. 254 ; Monast. Anyl. vol. vii. p. 814. 
 
 + 111 nomine sanctu; et individiuu Triuitatis omiiilnib domiiiis ot amicis suis, ct Sauctte
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 39 
 
 this, the Dukes of Brittany and Lorraine, and the Counts of Everard 
 Brabant and Fourcalquier, had given to the order various lands Barres. 
 and estates; and the possessions and power of the fraternity con- ^' "• ^^'^^' 
 tinned rapidly to increase in every part of Europe.* 
 
 Brother Everard des Barres, the newly-elected Master of the 
 Temple, having collected together all the brethren from the 
 western provinces, joined the standard of Louis, the French 
 king, and accompanied the crusaders to Palestine. 
 
 During the march through Asia Minor, the rear of the 
 christian army was protected by the Templars, who greatly sig- 
 nalized themselves on every occasion. Odo of Deuil or Diagolum, 
 the chaplain of King Louis, and his constant attendant upon this 
 expedition, informs us that the king loved to see the frugality 
 and simplicity of the Templars, and to imitate it; he praised 
 their union and disinterestedness, admired above all things the 
 attention they paid to their accoutrements, and their care in hus- 
 banding and preserving their equipage and munitions of war : 
 he proposed them as a model to the rest of the army, and in a 
 council of war it was solemnly ordered that all the soldiers and 
 officers should bind themselves in confraternity with the Templars, 
 and should march under their orders.-f- 
 
 Conrad, emperor of Germany, had preceded King Louis at 
 the head of a powerful army, which was cut to pieces by the 
 infidels in the north of Asia ; he fled to Constantinople, embarked 
 
 Dei ecclesise filiis, Bernardus de Baliolo Salutem. Volo notum fieri omnibus tarn 
 futuris quam prsesentibus, quod pro dilectione Dei et pro salute animns meae, antecesso- 
 rumque meorum fratribus militibus de Templo Salomonis dedi et concessi Wedelee, 
 
 &c Hoc donum in capitulo, quod in Octavis Paschje Parisiis fuit feci, domino 
 
 apostolico Eugenio prsesente, et ipso rege Francise et archiepiscopo Seuver, et Bardell 
 et Rothomagi, et Frascumme, et fratribus militibus Templi alba chlamide indutis cxxx 
 pr£esentil)us. — lieff. Cart. S. Joh. Jems, in Bib, Cotton. Nero E. b. No. xx. fo. 118. 
 
 * Gallia Christiana nova, torn. i. col. 486. 
 
 t Odo de Dioffilo de Ludov,\n. profectione in Orienlem, p. G7.
 
 40 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 EvERARD on board some merchant vessels, and arrived with only a few 
 Bakres. attendants at Jerusalem, where he was received and entertained 
 A. D. 1148. ]3y the Templars, and was lodged in the Temple in the Holy 
 City.* Shortly afterwards King Louis arrived, accompanied by 
 the new Master of the Temple, Everard des Barres ; and the 
 Templars now unfolded for the first time the red-cross banner in 
 the field of battle. This was a white standard made of woollen 
 stuff, having in the centre of it the blood-red cross granted by 
 Pope Eugenius. The two monarchs, Louis and Conrad, took 
 ihe field, supported by the Templars, and laid siege to the mag- 
 nificent city of Damascus, " the Queen of Syria," which was 
 defended by the great Noureddin, " Light of religion," and his 
 brother Saif-eddin, " Sword of the faith." 
 
 The services rendered by the Templars are thus gratefully 
 recorded in the following letter sent by Louis, the French king, 
 to his minister and vicegerent, the famous Suger, abbot of St. 
 Denis. 
 
 " Louis, by the grace of God king of France and Aquitaine, 
 to his beloved and most faithful friend Suger, the very reverend 
 Abbot of St. Denis, health and good wishes. 
 
 " I cannot imagine how we could have subsisted 
 
 for even the smallest space of time in these parts, had it not been 
 for their (the Templars') support and assistance, which have 
 never failed me from the first day I set foot in these lands up to 
 the time of my despatching this letter — a succour ably afforded 
 and generously persevered in. I therefore earnestl}^ beseech you, 
 that as these brothers of the Temple have hitherto been blessed 
 
 * Rex per aliquot dies in Palatio Templariorum, ubi olim Regia Domus, qua et 
 Templum Salomonis constructa fuit manens, et sancta ubique loca peragrans, per Sama- 
 
 riam ad Galila^m Ptolemaidam rediit Convenerat enim cum rege militibusque 
 
 Templi, circa proximum Julium, in Syriam ad expugnationem Damasci exercitum 
 ducere. — Olto Frmng, cap. 58.
 
 THE KMGFITS TEMPLARS. 41 
 
 ^vith the love of God, so now they may be gladdened and sus- Evfrard 
 
 tained by our love and favour. "^"^ 
 
 Barres. - 
 '* I have to inform you that they have lent me a considerable ^- °- ^^^S- 
 
 sum of money, which must be repaid to them quickly, that their 
 house may not suffer, and that I may keep my -word. . , ."* 
 
 Among the English nobility who enlisted in the second 
 crusade were the two'renowned warriors, Roger de Mowbrav 
 and William de Warrenne.f Roger de Mowbray was one of 
 the most powerful and warlike of the barons of Eno-land, and was 
 one of the victorious leaders at the famous battle of the standard : 
 he marched with King Louis to Palestine ; fought under the 
 banners of the Temple against the infidels, and, smitten with 
 admiration of the piety and valour of the holy warriors of the 
 order, he gave them, on his return to England, many valuable 
 estates and possessions. Among these were the manors of 
 Kileby and Witheley, divers lands in the isle of Axholme, the 
 town of Balshall in the county of Warwick, and various places 
 in Yorkshire; and so munificent were his donations, that the 
 Templars conceded to him and to his heirs this special privileo-e, 
 that as often as the said Roger or his heirs should find any brother 
 of the order of the Temple exposed to public penance, accordino- 
 to the rule and custom of the religion of the Templars,, it should 
 be lawful for the said Roger and his heirs to release such brother 
 from the punishment of his public penance, without the inter- 
 ference or contradiction of any brother of the order.j: 
 ' About the same period, Stephen, 'king of England, for the 
 health of his own soul and that of Queen Matilda his wife, and 
 for the good of the souls of King Henry, his grandfather, and 
 
 * Ludovici regis ad abbatem Sugerium epist. 58. — Duchesne hist, franc, scrip, toni. 
 iv. p. 512 ; see also epist. 50, ibid. 
 
 + Simeonis Dunelmensis hist, ad ann. 1148, apud X script. 
 
 4: Dugdale Baronage, torn. i. p. 12-2, Duyd. Monast. vol. 7, p. 838.
 
 42 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 EvERARD Eustace, his son, and all his other children, granted and con- 
 Barres. firmed to God and the blessed Virgin Mary, and to the brethren 
 A. D. 1148. qI" ^j^g knighthood of the Temple of Solomon at Jerusalem, all the 
 manor of Cressynge, with the advowson of the church of the 
 same manor, and also the manors of Egle and Witham.* Queen 
 Matilda, likewise, for the good of the souls of Earl Eustace, her 
 father, the Lord Stephen, king of England, her husband, and of 
 all her other children, granted " to the brethren of the Temple 
 at Jerusalem" the manor of Covele or Cowley in Oxfordshire, 
 two mills in the same county, common of pasture in Shotover 
 forest, and the church of Stretton in Rutland.f Ralph de 
 Hastings and William de Hastings also gave to the Templars, in 
 the same reign, (a. d. 1152,) lands at Hurst and Wyxham in 
 Yorkshire, afterwards formed into the preceptory of Temple 
 Hurst. William Asheby granted them the estate whereon the 
 house and church of Temple Bruere were afterwards erected ;% and 
 the order continued rapidly to increase in power and wealth in 
 England and in all parts of Europe, through the charitable 
 donations of pious Christians. 
 
 After the miserable failure of the second crusade, § brother 
 Everard des Barres, the Master of the Temple, returned to Paris, 
 with his friend and patron Louis, the French king ; and the 
 Templars, deprived of their chief, were now left alone and 
 unaided to withstand the victorious career of the fanatical Mus- 
 
 * Ex regist. Hosp. S. Joh. Jerusalem in Angli in Bib. Cotton, fol. 289, a-b. Dugd. 
 Mmast. Angl. ed. 1830, vol. vii. p. 820. 
 
 t Ex. cod. vet. M. S. penes Anton Wood, Oxen, fol. 14 a. lb. p. 843. 
 
 X Liber Johannis Stillingflete, M. S. in officio armorum (L. 17) fol. 141 a, Harleian 
 M.S. No. 4937. 
 
 § Geoffrey of Clairvaux observes, however, that the second crusade could hardly be 
 called tmfortunate, since, though it did not at all help the Holy Land, it served to 
 people heaven with martyrs.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 43 
 
 sulmen. Their miserable situation is thus portrayed in a melan- Everard 
 choly letter from the treasurer of the order, written to the barres. 
 Master, Everard des Barres, during his sojourn at the court of ^- °- ^^*^' 
 the king of France. 
 
 '• Since we have been deprived of your beloved presence, we 
 have had the misfortune to lose in battle the prince of Antioch* 
 and all his nobility. To this catastrophe has succeeded another. 
 The infidels invaded the territory of Antioch ; they drove all 
 before them, and threw garrisons into several strong places. On 
 the first intelligence of this disaster, our brethren assembled in 
 arms, and in concert with the king of Jerusalem went to the 
 succour of the desolated province. We could only get together 
 for this expedition one hundred and twenty knights and one 
 thousand serving brothers and hired soldiers, for whose equip- 
 ment we expended seven thousand crowns at Acre, and one 
 thousand at Jerusalem. Your paternity knows on what con- 
 dition we assented to your departure, and our extreme want of 
 money, of cavalry, and of infantry. We earnestly implore you 
 to rejoin us as soon as possible, with all the necessary succours for 
 the Eastern Church, our common mother. 
 
 " . . . . Scarce had we arrived in the neighbourhood of 
 Antioch, ere we were hemmed in by the Turcomans on the one 
 side, and the sultan of Aleppo (Noureddin) on the other, who 
 blockade us in tlie environs of the town, whilst our vineyards are 
 destroyed, and our harvests laid waste. Overwhelmed with grief 
 at the pitiable condition to which we are reduced, we conjure 
 you to abandon everything, and embark without delay. Never 
 was your presence mor6 necessary to your brethren ; — at no con- 
 juncture could your return be more agreeable to God. . . . The 
 
 * His head and right hand were cut oft" hy Noureddiu, and sent to the caliph at 
 Bagdad. — Abulfaray. Chron.Syr. p. 336.
 
 44 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 EvERARD greater part of those wliom we led to the succour of Antioch are 
 
 DES , , 
 
 Barres. dead. . . . 
 
 A. D. 1149. u -^Yg conjure you to bring with you from beyond sea all our 
 knights and serving brothers capable of bearing arms. Per- 
 chance, alas ! with all your diligence, you may not find one of 
 us alive. Use, therefore, all imaginable celerity; pray forget 
 not the necessities of our house : they are such that no tongue 
 can express them. It is also of the last importance to announce 
 to the Pope, to the King of France, and to all the princes and 
 prelates of Europe, the approaching desolation of the Holy Land, 
 to the intent that they succour us in person, or send us subsidies. 
 Whatever obstacles may be opposed to your departure, we trust 
 to your zeal to surmount them, for now hath arrived the time for 
 perfectly accomplishing our vows in sacrificing ourselves for our 
 brethren, for the defence of the eastern church, and the holy 
 sepulchre 
 
 " For you, our dear brothers in Europe, whom the same 
 engagements and the same vows ought to make keenly alive to 
 our misfortunes, join yourselves to our chief, enter into his views, 
 second his designs, fail not to sell everything; come to the 
 rescue ; it is from you we await liberty and life !" * 
 
 On the receipt of this letter, the Master of the Temple, instead 
 of proceeding to Palestine, abdicated his authority, and entered 
 into the monastery of Clairvaux, where he devoted the remainder 
 of his days to the most rigorous penance and mortification. 
 Bernard de He was succeeded (a. d. 1151) by Bernard de Tremelay, a 
 "" nobleman of an illustrious family in Burgundy, in France, and a 
 
 valiant and experienced soldier.f 
 
 The infidels made continual incursions into the christian terri- 
 
 * Spicilegii Dacheriani, torn. ii. p. 511 ; see also Will. Tyr. lib. xvii. cap. 9. 
 t Will. Tyr. lib. xvii. cap. 21. L^art de verifier ks dates, p. 340. Nobiliaire de 
 Franche-Compte, par Diuiod, p. 140. 
 
 Tremelay. 
 A. B, 1151
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 45 
 
 tories, and shortly after his accession to power they crossed the Bernard pe 
 Jordan, and advanced within sight of Jerusalem. Their yellow a. i>. 1152! 
 and green banners waved on the summit of the Mount of Olives, 
 and the warlike sound of their kettle-drums and trumpets was 
 heard within the sacred precincts of the holy city. They 
 encamped on the mount over against the Temple ; and had the 
 satisfaction of regarding from a distance the Beit Allah, or 
 Temple of the Lord, their holy house of prayer. In a night 
 attack, however, they were defeated with terrible slaughter, and 
 were pursued all the way to the Jordan, five thousand of their 
 number being left dead on the plain.* 
 
 Shortly after this affair the Templars lost their great patron, 
 Saint Bernard, who died on the 20th of April, a. d. 1153, in the 
 sixty-third year of his age. On his deathbed he wrote three 
 letters in behalf of the order. The first was addressed to the 
 patriarch of Antioch, exhorting him to protect and encourage 
 the Templars, a thing which the holy abbot assures him will 
 prove most acceptable to God and man. The second was written 
 to Melesinda, queen of Jerusalem, praising her majesty for the 
 favour shown by her to the brethren of the order ; and the third, 
 addressed to Brother Andre de Montbai'd, a Knight Templar, 
 conveys the affectionate 'salutations of St. Bernard to the 
 Master and brethren, to whose prayers he recommends himself.^ 
 
 The same year, at the siege of Ascalon, the Master of the 
 Temple and his knights attempted alone and unaided to take 
 that important city by storm. At the dawn of day they rushed 
 through a breach made in the walls, and penetrated to the centre 
 of the town. There they were surrounded by the infidels and 
 overpowered, and, according to the testimony of an eye-witness, 
 who was in the campaign from its commencement to its close, 
 
 • Will. Tijr. lib. xvii. cap. 20, ad ann. 1152. 
 
 t S.Beniardi epistolce, 288, 289, 392, ed. Wabillon.
 
 46 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 not a single Templar escaped : they were slain to a man, and the 
 dead bodies of the Master and his ill-fated knights were exposed 
 in triumph from the walls.* 
 Bertrand de De Tremelay was succeeded (a. d. 1154) by Brother Bertrand 
 A. D. 1154. ' de Blanquefort, a knight of a noble family of Guienne, called by 
 William of Tyre a pious and God-fearing man. 
 
 The Templars continued to be the foremost in every encounter 
 with the Mussulmen, and the Monkish writers exult in the num- 
 ber of infidels they sent to liell. A proportionate number of the 
 fraternity must at the same time have ascended to heaven, for the 
 slaughter amongst them was terrific. On Tuesday, June 19, 
 A. D. 1156, they were drawn into an ambuscade whilst marching 
 with Baldwin, king of Jerusalem, near Tiberias, three hundred 
 of the brethren were slain on the field of battle, and eighty-seven 
 fell into the hands of the enemy, among whom was Bertrand de 
 Blanquefort himself, and Brother Odo, marshal of the kingdom. f 
 Shortly afterwards, thirty Knights Templars put to flight, slaugh- 
 tered, and captured, two hundred infidels ;% and in a night attack 
 on the camp of Noureddin, they compelled that famous chieftain 
 to fly, without arms and half-naked, from the field of battle. In 
 this last afiair the names of Robert Mansel, an Englishman, and 
 Gilbert de Lacy, preceptor of the Temple of Tripoli, are honour- 
 ably mentioned. § The services of the Templars were gratefully 
 acknowledged in Europe, and the Pope, in a letter written in their 
 behalf to the Archbishop of Rheims, his legate in France, cha- 
 
 * Anselmi Gemblacensis CAron. ad ami. 1153. Will. Tyr. lib. xvii. cap. 27. 
 
 t Captus est inter cseteros ibi Bertrandus de Blanquefort, Magister Militit-e Templi, 
 vir religiosus ac timens Deum. Will. Tyr. lib. xviii. cap. 14. Reyistr. epist. apiul 
 Martene vet. script, torn. ii. col. 647. 
 
 t Milites Templi circa triginta, ducentos Paganorum euntes ad nuphas verterent in 
 fugam, et divino praesidio comitante, omnes partim ceperunt, partim gladio trucidarunt. 
 Reyistr. epist. ut siip. col. 647. 
 
 § Will. Tyr. lib. xix. cap. 8.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 47 
 
 racterizes them as " New Maccabees, far famed and most valiant Bertrand de 
 champions of the Lord." " The assistance," says the Pope, ^^d? 'iTsT' 
 " rendered by those holy warriors to all Christendom, their zeal 
 and valour, and untiring exertions in defending from the perse- 
 cution and subtilty of the filthy Pagans, those sacred places which 
 have been enlightened by the corporal presence of our Saviour, 
 we doubt not have been spread abroad throughout the world, and 
 are known, not only to the neighbouring nations, but to all those 
 who dwell at the remotest corners of the earth." The holy 
 pontiff exhorts the archbishop to procure for them all the succour 
 possible, both in men and horses, and to exert himself in their 
 favour among all his suffragan bishops.* 
 
 The fiery zeal and warlike enthusiasm of the Templars were 
 equalled, if not surpassed, by the stern fanaticism and religious 
 ardour of the followers of Mahomet. " Noureddin fought," says 
 his oriental biographer, " like the meanest of his soldiers, saying, 
 ' Alas ! it is now a long time that I have been seeking martyrdom 
 without being able to obtain it.' The Imaum Koteb-ed-din, 
 hearing him on one occasion utter these words, exclaimed, ' In 
 the name of God do not put your life in danger, do not thus 
 expose Islam and the Moslems. Thou art their stay and support, 
 and if (but God preserve us therefrom) thou shouldest be slain, it 
 will be all up with us.' 'Ah! Koteb-ed-deen,' said he, 'what 
 hast thou said, who can save Iskanf and our country, but that 
 great God who has no equal V ' What,' said he, on another occa- 
 sion, ' do we not look to the security of our houses against robbers 
 and plunderers, and shall we not defend religion?'"!: 
 
 * Epist. xvi. S. Remensi archiepiscopo et ejus suftVaganeis pro ecclesia Jcrosolj- 
 mitanaet militibus Templi, apud Martene vet. script, torn. ii. col. G47. 
 
 + Islam, the name of the Mahometan religion. The word signifies literally, delivering 
 oneself up to God. 
 
 t Keightley's Crusaders.
 
 48 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 Bertrand de Like the Templars, Noureddin fought constantly with spiritual 
 ^^.^^^1154^' and with carnal weapons. He resisted the world and its tempta- 
 tions by fasting and prayer, and by the daily exercise of the 
 moral and religious duties and virtues inculcated by the Koran, 
 He fought with the sword against the foes of Islam, and em- 
 ployed his whole energies, to the last hour of his life, in the 
 enthusiastic and fanatic struggle for the recovery of Jerusalem,* 
 
 The close points of resemblance, indeed, between the religious 
 fanaticism of the Templars and that of the Moslems are strikingly 
 remarkable. In the Moslem camp, we are told by the Arabian 
 writers, all profane and frivolous conversation was severely pro- 
 hibited ; the exercises of religion were assiduously practised, and 
 the intervals of action were employed in prayer, meditation, and 
 the study of the Koran. 
 
 The Templars style themselves " The Avengers of Jesus Christ," 
 and the " instruments and ministers of God for the punishment 
 of infidels," and the Pope and the holy fathers of the church 
 proclaim that it is specially entrusted to them " to blot out from 
 the earth all unbelievers," and they hold out the joys of paradise 
 as the glorious reward for the dangers and difficulties of the 
 task,f " In fighting for Christ," declares St. Bernard, in his 
 address to the Templars, " the kingdom of Christ is acquired. . , 
 Go forth, therefore, soldiers, in nowise mistrusting, and with a 
 fearless spirit cast down the enemies of the cross of Christ, in the 
 certain assurance that neither in life nor in death can ye be 
 separated from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, repeating 
 to yourselves in every danger, whether we live or whether we die 
 
 * The virtues of Noureddin are celebrated hy the Arabic Historian Ben-Schunah, in 
 his Raoudhat Almenadhir, by Azzcddin Ebn-al-ather, by K/iondemir, and in the work 
 entitled, " The flowers of the two gardens," by Omaddeddin Kateb, See also Will. Tyr. 
 lib. XX. cap. 33. 
 
 + Regula, cap. xlviii.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 49 
 
 we are the Lord's. How gloriously do the victors return from Brrtrand dk 
 
 the fight, how happy do the martyrs die in battle ! Rejoice, ^1''b'^™J'''"' 
 
 valiant champion, it' thou livest and conqucrest in the Lord, but 
 
 rejoice rather and glory if thou shouldest die and be joined 
 
 unto the Lord. . . . If those are happy who die in the Lord, how 
 
 much more so are those who die/or the Lord ! . . . Precious in 
 
 the sight of God will be the death of his holy soldiers." 
 
 " The sword," says the prophet Mahomet, on the other hand, 
 " is the key of heaven and of hell ; a drop of blood shed in the 
 cause of God, a night spent in arms, is of more avail than two 
 months of fasting and of prayer. Whosoever falls in battle, his 
 sins are forgiven him at the day of judgment. His wounds will 
 be resplendent as vermilion, and odoriferous as musk, and the 
 loss of limbs shall be supplied by the wings of angels and of 
 eherubims." 
 
 Thus writes the famous Caliph Abubeker, the successor of Ma- 
 homet, to the Arabian tribes : 
 
 " In the name of the most merciful God, Ahdollah Atkich IVn 
 
 Ahi Kohaplm, to the rest of the true believers." " This is 
 
 to acquaint you, that I intend to send the true believers into Syria, 
 to take it out of the hands of the infidels, and I would have you to 
 know, that the fighting for religion is an act of obedience to God." 
 
 " Remember," said the same successor of the prophet and com- 
 mander of the faithful, to the holy warriors who had assembled in 
 obedience to his mandate, " that you are always in the presence 
 of God, on the verge of death, in the assurance of judgment, and 
 
 the hope of paradise When you fight the battles of tli^ 
 
 Lord, acquit yourselves like men, and turn not your backs." 
 
 The prowess and warlike daring of the Templars in tlie field 
 are thus described by St. Bernard. 
 
 " When the conflict has begun, then at length they throw 
 aside their former meekness and gentleness, exclaiming. Do not I
 
 50 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Bertrand de hate them, O Lord, that hate thee, and am I not grieved with those 
 ^l^T^lue'^' "^^^^ *'^^^ ^P (^gainst thee ? They rush in upon their adversaries, 
 they scatter them like sheep, in nowise fearing, though few in 
 number, the fierce barbarism or the immense multitude of the 
 enemy. They have learned indeed to rely, not on their own 
 streno'th, but to count on victory through the aid of the Lord 
 God Sabaoth, to whom they believe it easy enough, according to 
 the words of Maccabees, to make an end of many by the hands of 
 a few, for victory in battle dependeth not on the multitude of the 
 army, but on the strength given from on high, which, indeed, 
 they have very frequently experienced, since one of them will 
 pursue a thousand, and two will put to flight ten thousand. Yea, 
 and lastly, in a wonderful and remarkable manner, they are ob- 
 served to be both more gentle than lambs, and more fierce than 
 lions, so that I almost doubt which I had better determine to call 
 them, monks forsooth, or soldiers, unless perhaps, as more fitting, 
 I should name them both the one and the other." 
 
 At a later period. Cardinal de Vitry, Bishop of Acre, the 
 frequent companion of the Knights Templars on their military 
 expeditions, thus describes the religious and military enthusiasm 
 of the Templars: " When summoned to arms they never demand 
 the number of the enemy, but where are they ? Lions they are 
 in war, gentle lambs in the convent; fierce soldiers in the field, 
 hermits and monks in religion ; to the enemies of Christ fero- 
 cious and inexorable, but to Christians kind and gracious. They 
 carry before them," says he, " to battle, a banner, half black and 
 white, which they call Beau-seant, that is to say, in the Gallic 
 tongue, Bien-seant, because they are fair and favourable to the 
 friends of Christ, but black and terrible to his enemies."* 
 
 * Vexillum bipartitum ex A.lbo et Nigro quod noniinant Beau-seant id est Gallica 
 lingua Bieyi-seant ; eo quod Christi amicis candidi sunt et benigni, inimicis vero terri- 
 biles atque nigri, Jac. de Vitr, Hist. Hierosol. apud Gesta Dei, cap. Ixv. The idea is quite
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 51 
 
 Among the many instances of the fanatical ardour of the Bkrtband db 
 Moslem warriors, are the following, extracted from the history of ^ d?Ti58!^ 
 Abu AhdoUah Alwakidi, Cadi of Bagdad. " Methinks," said a 
 valiant Saracen youth, in the heat of battle against the Christians 
 under the walls of Emesa — " methinks I see the black-eyed 
 girls looking upon me, one of whom, should she appear in this 
 world, all mankind would die for love of her ; and I see in the 
 hand of one of them a handkerchief of green silk, and a cap 
 made of precious stones, and she beckons me, and calls out, 
 Come hither quickly, for I love thee." With these words, charg- 
 ing the infidels, he made havoc wherever he went, until he was 
 at last struck down by a javelin. " It is not," said a dying 
 Arabian warrior, when he embraced for the last time his sister 
 and mother — " it is not the fading pleasure of this world that 
 has prompted me to devote my life in the cause of religion, I 
 seek the favour of God and his apostle, and I have heard from 
 one of the comj^anions of the prophet, that the spirits of the 
 martyrs will be lodged in the crops of green birds who taste the 
 fruits and drink of the waters of paradise. Farewell ; we shall 
 meet again among the groves and the fountains which God has 
 prepared for his elect.* 
 
 The Master of the Temple, Brother Bertrand de Blanquefort, 
 was liberated from captivity at the instance of Manuel Comnenus, 
 EmjDeror of Constantinople.f After his release he wrote several 
 letters to Louis VII., king of France, describing the condition 
 
 an oriental one, black and white being always used among the Arabs metaphoricallj, in 
 the sense above described. Their customary salutation is, May your day he white, i. e. 
 may you be happy. 
 
 * Alwakidi Arab. Hist, translated by Ockley. Hisf. Saracen, It refers to a period 
 antecedent to the crusades, but the same rcligio-militar}' enthusiasm prevailed during 
 the holy war for the recovery of Jcrustilcm. 
 
 t Cinnanvts, lib. iv. num. 22. 
 
 E 2
 
 52 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Bertrand de and prospects of the Holy Land ; the increasing power and 
 A. D. 1150. boldness of the infidels ; and the ruin and desolation caused by a 
 dreadful earthquake, which had overthrown numerous castles, 
 prostrated the walls and defences of several towns, and swallowed 
 up the dwellings of the inhabitants. " The persecutors of the 
 church," says he, " hasten to avail themselves of our misfortunes ; 
 they gather themselves together from the ends of the earth, and 
 come forth as one man against the sanctuary of God."* 
 
 It was during his mastership, that Geoffrey, the Knight 
 Templar, and Hugh of Csesarea, were sent on an embassy into 
 Egypt, and had an interview with the Caliph. They vs^ere intro- 
 duced into the palace of the Fatimites through a series of gloomy 
 passages and glittering porticos, amid the warbling of birds and 
 the murmur of fountains ; the scene was enriched by a display of 
 costly furniture and rare animals ; and the long order of unfold- 
 ing doors was guarded by black soldiers and domestic eunuchs. 
 The sanctuary of the presence chamber was veiled with a curtain, 
 and the vizier who conducted the ambassadors laid aside his 
 scimetar, and prostrated himself three times on the ground ; the 
 veil was then removed, and they saw the Commander of the 
 Faithful.t 
 
 Brother Bertrand de Blanquefort, in his letters to the king 
 of France, gives an account of the military operations undertaken 
 by the Order of Temple in Egypt, and of the capture of the 
 populous and imjjortant city of Belbeis, the ancient Pelusium.;|; 
 During the absence of the Master with the greater part of the 
 fraternity on that expedition, the sultan Noureddin invaded 
 Palestine ; he defeated with terrible slaughter the serving brethren 
 
 * Ges^ff Z)ei, inter regiim et principiim epistolas, torn, i . p. 1173,6,7. Hist. Franc. 
 Script, torn. iv.p. 692, 693. 
 
 + Hist, de Saladin, par M. Marin, torn. i. p. 120, 1. Gibbon, cap. 59. 
 X Gesta Dei, epist. xiv. p. 1178, 9.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAUS. 53 
 
 and Tiircopoles, or light horse of the order, who remained to defend bertrani) de 
 the country, and sixty of the knights who commanded them were ^^"^ ^'*'|^igT^* 
 left dead on the plain.* 
 
 The zeal and devotion of the Templars in the service of Christ 
 continued to be the theme of praise and of admiration both in the 
 east and in the west. Pope Alexander III., in his letters, charac- 
 terizes them as the stout champions of Jesus Christ, who warred 
 a divine warfare, and daily laid down their lives for their brethren, 
 " We implore and we admonish your fraternity," says he, address- 
 ing the archbishops and bishops, " that out of love to God, and of 
 reverence to the blessed Peter and ourselves, and also out of 
 regard for the salvation of your own souls, ye do favour, and 
 support, and honour them, and preserve all their rights entire 
 and intact, and afford them the benefit of your patronage and 
 protection." t 
 
 Amalric, king of Jerusalem, the successor of Baldwin the 
 Third, in a letter " to his dear friend and father," Louis the 
 Seventh, king of France, beseeches the good offices of that 
 monarch in behalf of all the devout Christians of the Holy Land ; 
 " but above all," says he, " we earnestly entreat your Majesty 
 constantly to extend to the utmost your favour and regard to the 
 Brothers of the Temple, who continually render up their lives for 
 God and the faith, and through whom we do the little that we 
 are able to effect, for in them indeed, after God, is placed the 
 entire reliance of all those in the eastern regions who tread in the 
 right path." :{; 
 
 * De fratribus nostris cecidemnt LX. milites fortiasimi, praeter fratres clientes et 
 Turcopulos, nee nisi septem tantum evasere periculum, Epist. Gaiif Fulcherii procura- 
 toris Templi Ludovico regi Francorum. Gesla Dei, torn. i. p. 1182, 3, 4. 
 
 + Registr. epist. apud Martene, vel script. tom> ii. col. 846, 847, 883. 
 
 :}:".... prKcipuo pro fratribus Templi, vestram exoramus Majestatem .... qui 
 qiiotidie moriiintur pro Domino et servitio, et per qiios possumus, si quid possumus. In
 
 54 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Philip op The Master, Brother Bertrand de Blanquefort, was succeeded 
 
 Napi ous. 
 
 A. D. 1167. (a. d. 1167,) by Philip of Naplous, the first Master of the Temple 
 who had been horn in Palestine. He had been Lord of the 
 fortresses of Krak and Montreal in Arabia Petrsea, and took the 
 vows and the habit of the order of the Temple after the death of 
 his wife.* 
 
 We must now pause to take a glance at the rise of another 
 great religio-niilitary institution which, from henceforth, takes a 
 leading part in the defence of the Latin kingdom. 
 
 In the eleventh century, when pilgrimages to Jerusalem had 
 greatly increased, some Italian merchants of Amalfi, who carried 
 on a lucrative trade with Palestine, purchased of the Caliph 
 Monstasser-hillah, a piece of ground in the christian quarter of 
 the Holy City, near the Church of the Resurrection, whereon 
 two hospitals were constructed, the one being appropriated for 
 the reception of male pilgrims, and the other for females. Several 
 pious and charitable Christians, chiefly from Europe, devoted 
 themselves in these hospitals to constant attendance upon the 
 sick and destitute. Two chapels were erected, the one annexed 
 to the female establishment being dedicated to St. Mary Magda- 
 lene, and the other to St. John the Eleemosynary, a canonized 
 patriarch of Alexandria, remarkable for his exceeding charity. 
 The pious and kind-hearted people who here attended upon the 
 sick pilgrims, clothed the naked and fed the hungry, were called 
 " The Hospitallers of Saint John." 
 
 On the conquest of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, these chari- 
 table persons were naturally regarded with the greatest esteem 
 and reverence by their fellow-christians from the west ; many of 
 
 illis enim tota summa post Deum consistit omnium eorum, qui sano fiunt consilio in 
 partibus orientis . . . ." Gesta Dei, tom. i. epist. xxi. p. 1181. 
 
 * Dominus fuit Arabiae secundae, qure est Petracensis, qui locus hodie Crach dicitur, 
 et Syrise Sobal . . . factus est Magister Militise Templi. — Will. Tyr. lib. xxii. cap. 5.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 55 
 
 the soldiers of the Cross, smitten with their piety and zeal, desired Phiup 
 
 Naploi 
 
 A. D. 1167. 
 
 to participate in their good offices, and the Hospitallers, animated '^^'-^'^■''• 
 
 by the religious enthusiasm of the day, determined to renounce 
 the world, and devote the remainder of their lives to pious 
 duties and constant attendance upon the sick. They took the 
 customary monastic vows of obedience, chastity, and poverty, 
 and assumed as their distinguishing habit a black mantle 
 with a widte cross on the breast. Various lands and pos- 
 sessions were granted them by the lords and princes of the 
 Crusade, both in Palestine and in Europe, and the order of 
 the hospital of St. John speedily became a great and powerful 
 institution.* 
 
 Gerard, a native of Provence, was at this period at the head of 
 the society, with the title of " Guardian of the Poor." He was 
 succeeded (a. d. 1 118) by Raymond Dupuy, a knight of Dauphine, 
 who drew up a series of rules for the direction and government 
 of his brethren. In these rules no traces are discoverable of the 
 military spirit which afterwards animated the order of the Hos- 
 pital of St. John. The Abbe de Vertot, from a desire perhaps 
 to pay court to the Order of Malta, carries back the assumption 
 of arms by the Hospitallers to the year 1119, and describes them 
 as fiercely engaged under the command of Raymond Dupuy, in 
 the battle fought between the Christians and Dol de Kuvin, 
 Sultan of Damascus ; but none of the historians of the period 
 make any mention whatever of the Hospitallers in that action. 
 De Vertot quotes no authority in support of his statement, and it 
 appears to be a mere fiction. 
 
 The first authentic notice of an intention on the part of the 
 Hospitallers to occupy themselves with military matters, occurs 
 in the bull of Pope Innocent the Second, dated a. d. 1130. This 
 bull is addressed to the archbishops, bishops, and clergy of the 
 
 • Wilh Tijr. lib. xviii. cap. 4, 5.
 
 56 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Thilip of church universal, and informs them that the Hospitallers then 
 A. D 11G7. retamed, at then' own exjjense, a body of horsemen and toot 
 soldiers, to defend the pilgrims in going to and in returning from 
 the holy places ; the pope observes that the funds of the hospital 
 were insufficient to enable them effectually to fulfil the pious and 
 holy task, and he exhorts the archbishops, bishops, and clergy, 
 to minister to the necessities of the order out of their abundant 
 property.^ The Hospitallers consequently at this period had 
 resolved to add the task of protecting to that of tending and re- 
 lieving pilgrims. 
 
 After the accession (a. d. 116S) of Gilbert d'Assalit to the 
 guardianship of the Hospital — a man described by De Vertot as 
 " bold and enterprising, and of an extravagant genius" — a military 
 spirit was infused into the Hospitallers, which speedily pre- 
 dominated over their pious and charitable zeal in attending upon 
 the poor and the sick. Gilbert d'Assalit was the friend and con- 
 fidant of Amalric, king of Jerusalem, and planned with that 
 monarch a wicked invasion of Egypt in defiance of treaties. The 
 Master of the Temple being consulted concerning the expedition, 
 flatly refused to have anything to do with it, or to allow a single bro- 
 ther of the order of theTemple to accompany theking in arms; "For 
 it appeared a hard matter to the Templars," says William of Tyre, 
 " to wage war without cause, in defiance of treaties, and against 
 all honour and conscience, upon a friendly nation, preserving 
 faith with us, and relying on our own faith ."'f- Gilbert d'Assalit 
 consequently determined to obtain for the king from his own 
 brethren that aid which the Templars denied; and to tempt the 
 
 * Fratros ejustlem domus iion formidantes pro fratriljus suis animas ponere ; cum 
 servientibiis et equitaturis ad hoc officium speciaHter depulatis et propriis sumpiibus 
 retenlis, tarn in eundo, quam redeundo ab incursibiis Paganomm defensant. — De Vertot. 
 hist, des chev. de Malte, liv. i. preiive 9, 
 
 t Wif/. Tyr. lib. xx. cap. 5.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 57 
 
 Hospitallers to arm themselves f^enerally as a great military Philip op 
 
 ■ . 1 rr. 1 . 1 • • 1 !• • Naplol's. 
 
 society, in imitation of the Templars,^ and join the expedition ^ d. 1107. 
 to Egypt, Gilbert d'Assalit was authorised to promise them, 
 in the name of the king, the possession of the wealthy and 
 important city of Belbeis, the ancient Pelusium, in perpetual 
 sovereignty .f 
 
 According to De Vertot, the senior Hospitallers were greatly 
 averse to the military projects of their chief: " They urged," 
 says he, " that they were a religious order, and that the church 
 had not put arms into their hands to make conquests ;"| but the 
 younger and more ardent of the brethren, burning to exchange 
 the monotonous life of the cloister for the enterprize and 
 activity of the camp, received the proposals of their superior 
 with enthusiasm, and a majority of the chapter decided in 
 favour of the plans and projects of their Guardian. They 
 authorized him to borrow money of the Florentine and 
 Genoese merchants, to take hired soldiers into the pay of 
 the order, and to organize the Hospitallers as a great military 
 society. 
 
 Gilbert d'Assalit bestirred himself with great energy in the 
 execution of these schemes; he wrote letters to the king 
 of France for aid and assistance,^ and borrowed money of 
 the emperor of Constantinople. " Assalit," says De Vertot, 
 
 * Praedicti enim Hospitalis firatres ad imitationem fratnim militiae Templi, annis 
 materialibus utentes, milites cum servientibus in suo collegio receperunt. — Jac. de Tit. 
 cap. Ixv. 
 
 t Will. Tyr. lib. xx. cap. 5. 
 
 X This assumption of arms by the Hospitallers was entirely at variance with the 
 original end and object of their institution. Pope Anastasius, in a bull dated a. d. 1154, 
 observes, " omnia vestra siislentationibus peregriiiorum et pauperum debent cedere, 
 acper hoc nullatenus aliis usibusea conveuit applicari. — De Vertot, liv. i. preuve 13. 
 
 $ Gest. Dei per Francos, p. 1177.
 
 58 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 Philip op " witli tliis money levied a great body of troops, which he 
 Fd'^ugs ^^^^ ^'^^^ t^^^ P^y ^^ ^^^^ order ; and as his fancy was entirely 
 taken up with flattering hopes of conquest, he drew by his 
 indiscreet liberalities a great number of volunteers into his ser- 
 vice, who like him shared already in imagination all the riches of 
 
 Egypt." 
 
 It was in the first year of the government of Philip of Naplous 
 (a. d. 1168) that the king of Jerusalem and the Hospitallers 
 marched forth upon their memorable and unfortunate expedition. 
 The Egyptians were taken completely by surprise ; the city of Bel- 
 beis was carried by assault^ and the defenceless inhabitants were 
 barbarously massacred ; " they spared," says De Vertot, " neither 
 old men nor women, nor children at the breast," after which the 
 desolated city was delivered up to the brethren of the Hospital of 
 St. John. They held it, however, for a very brief period; the 
 immorality, the cruelty, and the injustice of the Christians, 
 speedily met with condign punishment. The king of Jerusalem 
 was driven back into Palestine ; Belbeis was abandoned with 
 precipitation ; and the Hospitallers fled before the infidels in 
 sorrow and disappointment to Jerusalem. There they vented 
 their indignation and chagrin upon the unfortunate Gilbert 
 d'Assalit, their superior, who had got the order into debt to 
 the extent of 100,000 pieces of gold ; they compelled him to 
 resign his authority, and the unfortunate guardian of the hos- 
 pital fled from Palestine to England, and was drowned in the 
 Channel.* 
 
 From this period, however, the character of the order of the 
 Hospital of St. John was entirely changed; the Hospitallers 
 
 * Will. Tyr. lib. xx. cap. 5. Hoveden in Hen. 2, p. 622. De Vertot, Hist, des 
 Chevaliers de Maltc, liv. ii. p. 150 to IGl, ed. 172G,
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 59 
 
 appear henceforth as a great military body ; their superior styles Philip of 
 himself Master, and leads in person the brethren into the field of ^^D.'^ii'GS. 
 battle. Attendance upon the poor and the sick still continued, 
 indeed, one of the duties of the fraternity, but it must have 
 been feebly exercised amid the clash of arms and the excitement 
 of war.
 
 f)0 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The contests between Saladin and the Templars — The vast prmleges of the 
 Templars — The pubhcation of the bull, omrie datum optimum — The Pope 
 declares himself the immediate Bishop of the entire Order — The different 
 classes of Templars — The knights — Priests — Serving brethren — The hired 
 soldiers — The great officers of the Temple — Punishment of cowardice — The 
 Master of the Temple is taken prisoner, and dies in a dungeon — Saladin's 
 great successes — ^The Christians purchase a truce — The Master of the Temple 
 and the Patriarch Heraclius proceed to England for succour — The con- 
 secration of the Temple Church at London. 
 
 " The firmest bulwark of Jerusalem was founded on the knights of the Hospital of 
 St. John and of the Temple of Solomon; on the strange association of a monastic and 
 military life, which fanaticism might suggest, but of which policy must approve. The 
 flower of the nobility of Europe aspired to wear the cross and profess the vows of these 
 respectable orders ; their spirit and discipline were immortal ; and the speedy donation 
 of twenty-eight thousand farms or manors enabled them to support a regular force of 
 cavalry and infantry for the defence of Palestine." — Gibbon. 
 
 Odd de The Master, Philip of Naplous, resigned liis authority after 
 
 St. Amand. 1 1 1 -i-» , 
 
 A. D. 1170. a short government oi three years, and was succeeded by Brother 
 Odo de St. Amand, a proud and fiery v^^arrior, of undaunted 
 courage and resolution ; having, according to William, Arch- 
 bishop of Tyre, the fear neither of God nor of man before his 
 eyes.* 
 
 The Templars were now destined to meet with a more for- 
 
 * Will. Tyr. lib. xxi cap. 29.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 61 
 
 midable opponent than any they had hitherto encountered in the Odo de 
 field, one who was again to cause the crescent to triumph over the ^^.'„. 1170. 
 cross, and to plant the standard of the projjhet upon the walls of 
 the holy city. 
 
 When the Fatiniite caliph had received intelligence of 
 Amalric's invasion of Egypt, he sent the hair of his women, one 
 of the greatest tokens of distress known in the East, to the pious 
 Noureddin, who immediately despatched a body of troops to his 
 assistance, headed by Sheerkoh, and his nephew, Youseef-Beri- 
 Acoub-Ben-Schadi, the famous Saladin. Sheerkoh died imme- 
 diately after his arrival, and Youseef succeeded to his command, 
 and was appointed vizier of the caliph. Youseef had passed his 
 youth in pleasure and debauchery, sloth and indolence : he had 
 quitted with regret the delights of Damascus for the dusty plains 
 of Egypt ; and but for the unjustifiable expedition of King 
 Amalric and the Hospitallers against the infidels, the powerful 
 talents and the latent energies of the young Courdish chieftain, 
 which altogether changed the face of affairs in the East, would in 
 all probability never have been developed. 
 
 As soon as Saladin grasped the power of the sword, and 
 obtained the command of armies, he threw off" the follies of his 
 youth, and led a new life. He renounced the pleasures of the 
 world, and assumed the character of a saint. His dress was a 
 coarse woollen garment ; water was his only drink ; and he care- 
 fully abstained from everything disapproved of by the Mussul- 
 man religion. Five times each day he prostrated himself in 
 public prayer, surrounded by his friends and followers, and his 
 demeanour became grave, serious, and thoughtful. He fought 
 vigorously with spiritual weapons against the temptations of the 
 world ; his nights were often spent in watching and meditation, 
 and he was always diligent in fasting and in the study of the 
 Koran. With the same zeal he combated with carnal weapons
 
 62 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Odo de the foes of Islam, and his admiring brethren gave him the 
 A. D, 1170. name of Salah-ed-deen, "Integrity of Religion," vulgarly called 
 Saladin. 
 
 At the head of forty thousand horse and foot, he crossed the 
 desert and ravaged the borders of Palestine ; the wild Bedouins 
 and the enthusiastic Arabians of the far south were gathered 
 together under his standard, and hastened with holy zeal to 
 obtain the crown of martyrdom in defence of the faith. The 
 long remembered and greatly dreaded Arab shout of onset, 
 Allah achar, God is victorious, again resounded through the 
 plains and the mountains of Palestine, and the grand religious 
 struggle for the possession of the holy city of Jerusalem, equally 
 reverenced by Mussulmen and by Christians, was once more 
 vigorously commenced. Saladin besieged the fortified city of 
 Gaza, which belonged to the Knights Templars, and was con- 
 sidered to be the key of Palestine towards Egypt. The luxuriant 
 gardens, the palm and olive groves of this city of the wilderness, 
 were destroyed by the wild cavalry of the desert, and the innu- 
 merable tents of the Arab host were thickly clustered on the 
 neighbouring sand-hills. The warlike monks of the Temple 
 fasted and prayed, and invoked the aid of the God of battles; the 
 gates of the city were thrown open, and in an unexpected sally 
 upon the enemy's camp they performed such prodigies of valour, 
 that Saladin, despairing of being able to take the place, aban- 
 doned the siege, and retired into Egypt.* 
 
 The year following, Pope Alexander's famous bull, omne datum, 
 optimum, confirming the previous privileges of the Templars, and 
 conferring upon them additional powers and immunities, was 
 published in England. It commences in the following terms : 
 
 " Alexander, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his 
 beloved sons, Odo, Master of the religious chivalry of the Temple, 
 
 * Will. Tyr. lib. xx. xxi, xxii.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 63 
 
 wliich is situated at Jerusalem, and to his successors, and to all Odo de 
 the regularly professed brethren. V^ d^^iit^ 
 
 " Every good gift and every perfect reward * cometh from 
 above, descending from the Father of light, with whom there is no 
 change nor shadow of variety. Therefore, O beloved children in 
 the Lord, we praise the Almighty God, in respect of your holy 
 fraternity, since your religion and venerated institution are 
 celebrated throughout the entire world. For although by nature 
 ye are children of wrath, and slaves to the pleasures of this 
 life, yet by a favouring grace ye have not remained deaf hearers 
 of the gospel, but, throwing aside all earthly pomps and enjoy- 
 ments, and rejecting the broad road which leadeth unto death, 
 ye have humbly chosen the arduous path to everlasting life. 
 Faithfully fulfilling the character of soldiery of the Lord, ye 
 constantly carry upon your breasts the sign of the life-giving 
 cross. Moreover, like true Israelites, and most instructed fighters 
 of the divine battle, inflamed with true charity, ye fulfil by your 
 works the word of the gospel which saith, ' Greater love hath no 
 man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends ;' so 
 that, in obedienceto the voice of the great Shepherd, ye in nowise 
 fear to lay down your lives for your brethren, and to defend them 
 from the inroad of the pagans ; and ye may well be termed holy 
 warriors, since ye have been appointed by the Lord defenders of 
 the catholic church and combatants of the enemies of Christ." 
 
 After this preamble, the pope earnestly exhorts the Templars 
 to pursue with unceasing diligence their high vocation ; to defend 
 the eastern church with their whole hearts and souls, and to 
 strike down the enemies of the cross of Christ. " By the authority 
 of God, and the blessed Peter prince of apostles," says the holy 
 pontiff, " we have ordained and do determine, that the Temple in 
 
 * Omne datum optimum et omne donum perfectum desursum est, dcscendens a Patre 
 himinuni, apud quern non est traiismutatio, nee vicissitudinis obumbratio.
 
 64 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Odo de which ye are gathered together to the praise and glory of God, 
 A. D, 1172. for the defence of the faithful, and the deliverance of the church, 
 shall remain for evermore under the safeguard and protection of 
 the holy apostolic see, together with all the goods and possessions 
 which ye now lawfully enjoy, and all that ye may hereafter right- 
 fully obtain, through the liberality of christian kings and princes, 
 and the alms and oblations of the faithful. 
 
 "We moreover by these presents decree, that the regular 
 discipline, which, by divine favour, hath been instituted in your 
 house, shall be inviolably observed, and that the brethren who 
 have there dedicated themselves to the service of the omnipotent 
 God, shall live together in chastity and without property ; and 
 making good their profession both in word and deed, they shall 
 remain subject and obedient in all things to the Master, or to 
 him whom the Master shall have set in authority over them. 
 
 " Moreover, as the chief house at Jerusalem hath been the 
 source and fountain of your sacred institution and order, the 
 Master thereof shall always be considered the head and chief of 
 all the houses and places appertaining thereunto. And we 
 further decree, that at the decease of Odo, our beloved son in the 
 Lord, and of each one of his successors, no man shall be set in 
 authority over the brethren of the same house, except he be of 
 the religious and military order ; and has regularly professed 
 your habit and fellowship ; and has been chosen by all the 
 brethren unanimously, or, at all events, by the greater part of 
 them. 
 
 " And from henceforth it shall not be permitted to any eccle- 
 siastical or secular person to infringe or diminish the customs 
 and observances of your religion and profession, as instituted by 
 the Master and brethren in common ; and those rules which 
 have been put into writing and observed by you for some 
 time past, shall not be changed or altered except by the authority
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 65 
 
 authority of the Master, with the consent of the majority of tlie qdo de 
 
 chapter. ^''- ^"'f^^^- 
 
 i A. I). 1172. 
 
 " . . . . No ecclesiastic or secuhir person shall dare to exact 
 from the Master and Brethren of the Temple, oaths, guarantees, 
 or any such securities as are ordinarily required fi'om the laity. 
 
 " Since your sacred institution and religious chivalry have 
 heen established by divine Providence, it is not fit that you should 
 enter into any other order with the view of leading a more 
 religious life, for God, who is immutable and eternal, approveth 
 not the inconstant heart ; but wisheth rather the good purpose, 
 when once begun, to be persevered in to the end of life. 
 
 " How many and great persons have pleased the lord of an 
 earthly empire, under the military girdle and habit ! How many 
 and distinguished men, gathered together in arms, have bravely 
 fought, in these our times, in the cause of the gospel of God, and 
 in defence of the laws of our Father ; and, consecrating their 
 hands in the blood of the unbelievers in the Lord, have, after 
 their pains and toil in this world's warfare, obtained the reward 
 of everlasting life ! Do ye therefore, both knights and serving- 
 brethren, assiduously pay attention to your profession, and in 
 accordance with the saying of the apostle, ' Let each one of you 
 stedfastly remain in the vocation to which you have been called.' 
 We therefore ordain, that when your brethren have once taken 
 the vows, and have been received in your sacred college, and 
 have taken upon themselves your warfare, and the habit of your 
 religion, they shall no longer have the power of returning again 
 to the world ; nor can any, after they have once made profession, 
 abjure the cross and habit of your religion, with the view of 
 entering another convent or monastery of stricter or more lax 
 discipline, without the consent of the brethren, or Master, or of 
 him whom the Master hath set in authority over them ; nor shall 
 
 F
 
 66 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Odo de any ecclesiastic or secular person be permitted to receive or 
 
 St. Amand. , . ,1 
 
 A. D. 1172. retain them. 
 
 " And since tliose who are defenders of the church ought to be 
 supported and maintained out of the good things of the church, 
 we prohibit all manner of men from exacting tithes from you in 
 respect of your moveables or immoveables, or any of the goods 
 and possessions appertaining unto your venerable house. 
 
 " And that nothing may be wanting to the plenitude of your 
 salvation, and the care of your souls; and that ye may more 
 coramodiously hear divine service, and receive the sacraments in 
 your sacred college ; we in like manner ordain, that it shall be 
 lawful for you to admit within your fraternity, honest and godly 
 clergymen and priests, as many as ye may conscientiously re- 
 quire ; and to receive them from whatever parts they may come, 
 as well in your chief house at Jerusalem, as in all the other houses 
 and places depending upon it, so that they do not belong to any 
 other religious profession or order, and so that ye ask them of 
 the bishop, if they come from the neighbourhood ; but if perad- 
 venture the bishop should refuse, yet nevertheless ye have per- 
 mission to receive and retain them by the authority of the holy 
 apostolic see. 
 
 " If any of these, after they have been professed, should turn out 
 to be useless, or should become disturbers of your house and 
 religion, it shall be lawful for you, with the consent of the major 
 part of the chapter, to remove them, and give them leave to 
 enter any other order where they may wish to live in the service 
 of God, and to substitute others in their places who shall undergo 
 a probation of one year in your society ; which term being com- 
 pleted, if their morals render them worthy of your fellowship, 
 and they shall be found fit and proper for your service, then let 
 them make the regular profession of life according to your rule.
 
 THE KNianTS TEMPLARS. 67 
 
 and of obedience to their Master, so that they have their food Odo de 
 and clothing, and also their lodging, with the fraternity. a.'v^Tii2.' 
 
 " But it shall not be lawful for them presumptuously to take 
 part in the consultations of your chapter, or in the government 
 of your house; they are permitted to do so, so far only as they are 
 enjoined by yourselves. And as regards the cure of souls, they 
 are to occupy themselves with that business so far only as they 
 are required. Moreover, they shall be subject to no person, 
 power, or authority, excepting that of your own chapter, but let 
 them pay perfect obedience, in all matters and upon all occasions, 
 to thee our beloved son in the Lord, Odo, and to thy successors, 
 as their Master and Bishop. 
 
 " We moreover decree, that it shall be lawful for you to send 
 your clerks, when they are to be admitted to holy orders, for 
 ordination to whatever catholic bishop you may please, who, 
 clothed with our apostolical power, will grant them what they 
 require ; but we forbid them to preach with a view of obtaining 
 money, or for any temporal purpose whatever, unless perchance 
 the Master of the Temple for the time being should cause it to 
 be done for some special purpose. And whosoever of these are 
 received into your college, they must make the promise of sted- 
 fastness of purpose, of reformation of morals, and that they will 
 fight for the Lord all the days of their lives, and render strict 
 obedience to the Master of the Temple ; the book in which these 
 things are contained being placed upon the altar. 
 
 " We moreover, without detracting from the rights of the 
 bishops in respect of tithes, oblations, and buryings, concede to 
 you the power of constructing oratories in the places bestowed 
 upon the sacred house of the Temple, where you and your re- 
 tainers and servants may dwell ; so that both ye and they may 
 be able to assist at the divine offices, and receive there the rite of 
 sepulture ; for it would be unbecoming and very dangerous to the 
 
 F 2
 
 68 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Odo pk souls of the religious brethren, if they were to be mixed up with 
 A. D. 1172. a crowd of secular persons, and be brought into the company of 
 women on the occasion of their going to church. But as to the 
 tithes, which, by the advice and with the consent of the bishops, 
 ye may be able by your zeal to draw out of the hands of the 
 clergy or laity, and those which with the consent of the bishops 
 ye may acquire from their own clergy, we confirm to you by our 
 apostolical authority." 
 
 The above bull further provides, in various ways, for the tem- 
 poral and spiritual advantage of the Templars, and expressly 
 extends the favours and indulgences, and the apostolical blessings, 
 to all the serving brethren, as well as to the knights. It also 
 confers upon the fraternity the important privilege of causing 
 the churches of towns and villages lying under sentence of inter- 
 dict to be opened once a year, and divine service to be celebrated 
 within them.* 
 
 A bull exactly similar to the above appears to have been issued 
 by Pope Alexander, on the seventh id. Jan. a. d. 1162, addressed 
 to the Master Bertrand de Blanquefort.f Both the above in- 
 struments are to a great extent merely confirmatory of the 
 privileges previously conceded to the Templars. 
 
 The exercise or the abuse of these powers and immunities 
 speedily brought the Templars into collision with the ecclesiastics. 
 At the general council of the church, held at Rome, (a. d. 1179,) 
 called the third of Lateran, a grave reprimand was addressed to 
 them by the holy Fathers. " We find," say they, " by the frequent 
 complaints of the bishops our colleagues, that the Templars and 
 Hospitallers abuse the privileges granted them by the Holy See ; 
 that the chaplains and priests of their rule have caused parochial 
 churches to be conveyed over to themselves without the ordinaries' 
 
 * Acta Rymeri, torn. i. ad aim. 1172, p. 30, 31, 32. 
 
 f Wi/cke, Geschichte des Tempelherrenordens, vol. ii. p. 230,
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 69 
 
 consent ; that they administer the sacraments to excommunicated odo de 
 persons, and burythem with all the usual ceremonies of the church ; ^'J^^l^-o' 
 that they likewise abuse the permission granted the brethren of 
 having divine service said once a year in places under interdict, and 
 that they admit seculars into their fraternity, pretending thereby to 
 give them the same right to their privileges as if they were 
 really professed." To provide a remedy for these irregularities, 
 the council forbad the military orders to receive for the future 
 any conveyances of churches and tithes without the ordinaries' 
 consent ; that with regard to churches not founded by them- 
 selves, nor served by the chaplains of the order, they should 
 present the priests they designed for the cure of them to the 
 bishop of the diocese, and reserve nothing to themselves but the 
 cognizance of the temporals which belonged to them ; that they 
 should not cause service to be said, in churches under interdict, 
 above once a year, nor give burial there to any person whatever ; 
 and that none of their fraternity or associates should be allowed to 
 partake of their privileges, if not actually professed.* 
 
 Several bishops from Palestine were present at this council, 
 together with the archbishop of Cffisarea, and William arch- 
 bishop of Tyre, the great historian of the Latin kingdom. 
 
 The order of the Temple was at this period divided into the 
 three great classes of knights, priests, and serving brethren, all 
 bound together by their vow of obedience to the Master of the 
 Temple at Jerusalem, the chief of the entire fraternity. Every 
 candidate for admission into the first class must have received the 
 honour of knighthood in due form, according to the laws of 
 chivalry, before he could be admitted to the vows ; and as no 
 person of low degree could be advanced to the honours of 
 knighthood, the brethren of the first class, i. e. the Kniyhts 
 Templars, were all men of noble birth and of high courage. 
 
 * 3 Coiuil. Lat. cap. 9.
 
 A. D. 
 
 70 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Odo dk Previous to the council of Troyes, the order consisted of knights 
 St. ^mand. Qjjiy^ ^^^ ^|jg j.^j|g fj-amed by the holy fathers enjoins the ad- 
 mission of esquires and retainers to the vows, in the following 
 terms. 
 
 " LXI. We have known many out of divers provinces, as well 
 retainers as esquires, fervently desiring for the salvation of their 
 souls to be admitted for life into our house. It is expedient, 
 therefore, that you admit them to the vows, lest perchance the 
 old enemy should suggest something to them whilst in God's 
 service by stealth or unbecomingly, and should suddenly drive 
 them from the right path." Hence arose the great class of 
 serving brethren, (fratres servientes,) who attended the knights 
 into the field both on foot and on horseback, and added vastly to 
 the power and military reputation of the order. The serving 
 brethren were armed with bows, bills, and swords ; it was their 
 duty to be always near the person of the knight, to supj^ly him 
 with fresh weapons or a fresh horse in case of need, and to render 
 him every succour in the affray. The esquires of the knights 
 were generally serving brethren of the order, but the services of 
 secular persons might be accepted. 
 
 The order of the Temple always had in its pay a large number 
 of retainers, and of mercenary troops, both cavalry and infantry, 
 which were officered by the knights. These were clothed in 
 black or brown garments, that they might, in obedience to the 
 rule,* be plainly distinguished from the professed soldiers of 
 Christ, who were habited in white. The black or brown garment 
 was directed to be worn by all connected with the Templars who 
 had not been admitted to the vows, that the holy soldiers might 
 not suffer, in character or reputation, from the irregularities of 
 secular men their dependents.f 
 
 The white mantle of the Templars was a regular monastic 
 
 •* Regula, ca;.. 20. t Cap. 21, 22.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 71 
 
 habit, having the red cross on the left breast ; it was worn over Ono de 
 armour of chain mail, and could be looped up so as to leave the \'j,' I'nT 
 sword-arm at full liberty. On his head the Templar wore a white 
 linen coif, and over that a small round cap made of red cloth. 
 When in the field, an iron scull-cap was probably added. We 
 must now take a glance at the military organization of the order 
 of the Temple, and of the chief officers of the society. 
 
 Next in power and authority to the Master stood the Marshal, 
 who was charged with the execution of the military arrangements 
 on the field of battle. He was second in command, and in case 
 of the death of the Master, the government of the order devolved 
 upon him until the new superior was elected. It was his duty to 
 provide arms, tents, horses, and mules, and all the necessary 
 appendages of war. 
 
 The Prior or Preceptor of the kingdom of Jerusalem, also 
 styled " Grand Preceptor of the Temi^le," had the immediate 
 superintendence over the chief house of the order in the holy 
 city. He was the treasurer general of the society, and had charge 
 of all the receipts and expenditure. During the absence of the 
 Master from Jerusalem, the entire government of the Temple 
 devolved upon him. 
 
 The Draper was charged with the clothing department, and 
 had to distribute garments " free from the suspicion of arrogance 
 and superfluity" to all the brethren. He is directed to take 
 especial care that the habits be " neither too long nor too short, 
 but properly measured for the wearer, with equal measure, and 
 with brotherly regard, that the eye of the whisperer or the 
 accuser may not presume to notice anything." * 
 
 The Standard Bearer {Balcanifer) bore the glorious Beameant, 
 or war-banner, to the field ; he was sup23orted by a certain nuui- 
 
 * Cap. 20, 27, of tlic rule.
 
 72 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Odo de jjgj. Q^ knights and esquires, who were sworn to protect the 
 A. D. 1172. colours of the order, and never to let them fall into the hands of 
 the enemy. 
 
 The Turcopilar was the commander of a body of light horse 
 called Turcopoles ( lurcopuli.) These were natives of Syria and 
 Palestine, the offspring frequently of Turkish mothers and 
 christian fathers, brought up in the religion of Christ, and 
 retained in the pay of the order of the Temple. They were 
 lightly armed, were clothed in the Asiatic style, and being 
 inured to the climate, and well acquainted with the country, and 
 with the Mussulman mode of warfare, they were found ex- 
 tremely serviceable as light cavalry and skirmishers, and were 
 always attached to the war-battalions of the Templars. 
 
 The Guardian of the Chaj)el (Gustos Capellce) had charge of 
 the portable chapel and the ornaments of the altar, which were 
 always carried by the Templars into the field. This portable 
 chapel was a round tent, which was pitched in the centre of the 
 camp ; the quarters of the brethren w^ere disposed around it, so 
 that they might, in the readiest and most convenient manner, 
 participate in the divine offices, and fulfil the religious duties of 
 their profession. 
 
 Besides the Grand Preceptor of the kingdom of Jerusalem, 
 there were the Grand Preceptors of Antioch and Tripoli, and the 
 Priors or Preceptors of the different houses of the Temple in 
 Syria and in Palestine, all of whom commanded in the field, and 
 had various military duties to perform under the eye of the 
 Master. 
 
 The Templars and the Hospitallers were the constituted guar- 
 dians of the true cross when it was brought forth from its sacred 
 repository in the church of the Resurrection to be placed at the 
 head of the christian army. The Tem])lars marched on the right
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAKS. 73 
 
 of the sacred emblem, and the Hospitallers on the left; and the Ono de 
 1 11 1 • .1 T /> St. Amand. 
 
 same position was taken up by the two orders in the line ot a. d. ii72. 
 battle.* 
 
 An eye-witness of the conduct of the Templars in the field tells 
 us that they were always foremost in the fight and the last in the 
 retreat ; that they proceeded to battle with the greatest order, 
 silence, and circumspection, and carefully attended to the com- 
 mands of their Master. When the signal to engage had been 
 given by their chief, and the trumpets of the order sounded to the 
 charge, "• then," says he, " they humbly sing the psalm of David, 
 Nori nobis, non nobis, Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam, ' Not 
 unto us, not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name give the praise;' 
 and placing their lances in rest, they either break the enemy's 
 line or die. If any one of them should by chance turn back, or 
 bear himself less manfully than he ought, the white mantle, the 
 emblem of their order, is ignominiously stripped off his shoulders, 
 the cross worn by the fraternity is taken away from him, and he 
 is cast out from the fellowship of the brethren; he is compelled 
 to eat on the ground without a napkin or a table-cloth for the 
 space of one year ; and the dogs who gather around him and 
 torment him he is not permitted to drive away. At the expira- 
 tion of the year, if he be truly penitent, the Master and the 
 brethren restore to him the military girdle and his pristine habit 
 and cross, and receive him again into the fellowship and com- 
 munity of the brethren. The Templars do indeed practise the 
 observance of a stern religion, living in humble obedience to their 
 Master, without property, and spending nearly all the days of 
 their lives under tents in the open fields." f Such is the picture 
 
 * Jac.de Vitr. Hist. Orient, apud Martene thesaur. nov. anecdot. tom.'iii. col. 27G, 
 277. 
 
 t Nanatio Patriarcliaj Hierosolymitani coram summo Poutifice dc statu Ternu Saiictic. 
 ex. M. S. Cod. Bigotiano, apud Martene thesaur. nov. anecdot. torn. iii. col. 27C, 277.
 
 74 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Odo de of the Templars drawn by one of the leading dignitaries of the 
 A^p^m?' Latin kingdom. 
 
 We must now resume our narrative of the principal events 
 connected with the order. 
 
 In the year 1172, the Knight Templar Walter du Mesnil was 
 guilty of a foul murder, which created a great sensation in the 
 East. An odious religious sect, supposed to be descended from 
 the Ismaelians of Persia, were settled in the fastnesses of the 
 mountains above Tripoli. They devoted their souls and bodies 
 in blind obedience to a chief who is called by the writers of the 
 crusades " the old man of the mountain," and were employed by 
 him in the most extensive system of murder and assassination 
 known in the history of the world. Both Christian and Moslem 
 writers enumerate with horror the many illustrious victims that 
 fell beneath their daggers. They assumed all shapes and dis- 
 guises for the furtherance of their deadly designs, and carried, in 
 general, no arms except a small poniard concealed in the folds of 
 their dress, called in the Persian tongue hassissin, whence these 
 wretches were called assassins, their chief the prince of the 
 assassins ; and the word itself, in all its odious import, has passed 
 into most European languages.* 
 
 Raimond, son of the count of Tripoli, was slain by these 
 fanatics whilst kneeling at the foot of the altar in the church of 
 the Blessed Virgin at Carchusa or Tortosa ; the Templars flew 
 to arms to avenge his death ; they penetrated into the fastnesses 
 and strongholds of " the mountain chief," and at last compelled 
 him to purchase peace by the payment of an annual tribute of 
 two thousand crowns into the treasury of the order. In the 
 ninth year of Amalric's reign, Sinan Ben Suleiman, imaun of 
 the assassins, sent a trusty counsellor to Jerusalem, offering, in 
 
 * Dissertation sur les Assassins, Academic ties Inscriptiona, torn. xvii. p. 127, 170. 
 De GuiffTies. Hist, des Huns. — IVil/. Ti/r. lib. xx. cap. 31.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 75 
 
 tlie name of himself and his people, to embrace the christian Odo de 
 relig-ion, provided the Templars would release them from the a.d. li/J.* 
 tribute money. The proposition was favourably received ; the 
 envoy was honourably entertained for some days, and on his 
 departure he was furnished by the king with a guide and an 
 escort to conduct him in safety to the frontier. The Ismaelitc 
 had reached the borders of the Latin kingdom, and was almost 
 in sight of the castles of his brethren, when he was cruelly mur- 
 dered by the Knight Templar Walter du Mesnil, who attacked 
 the escort with a body of armed followers.* 
 
 The king of Jerusalem, justly incensed at this perfidious action, 
 assembled the barons of the kingdom at Sidon to determine on 
 the best means of obtaining satisfaction for the injury ; and it was 
 determined that two of their number should proceed to Odo de 
 St. Amand to demand the surrender of the criminal. The haughty 
 Master of the Temple bade them inform his majesty the king, 
 that the members of the order of the Temple were not subject to 
 his jurisdiction, nor to that of his officers ; that the Templars 
 acknowledged no earthly superior except the Pope ; and that to 
 the holy pontiff alone belonged the cognizance of the offence. 
 He declared, however, that the crime should meet with due 
 punishment ; that he had caused the criminal to be arrested and 
 put in irons, and would forthwith send him to Rome, but till 
 judgment was given in his case, he forbade all persons of what- 
 soever degree to meddle with him.f 
 
 Shortly afterwards, however, the Master found it expedient to 
 alter his determination, and insist less strongly upon the pri- 
 vileges of his fraternity. Brother Walter du Mesnil was deli- 
 
 * Jac. de Vitr. Hist. Orient, lib. iii. p. 1142. Will. Tijr. lib. xx. cap. 32. 
 t Adjecit etiam et alia « spiritu sziperbicB, quo ipse plurimum abuiulabat, dictata, qua; 
 prsesenti nanationi no multum necessarium est intersererc. — Will, Tyr. lib. xx. cap. 32.
 
 76 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Odo de vered up to the king, and confined in one of the royal prisons, 
 a! D.T177 ^^^ ^^^ ultimate fate has not been recorded. 
 
 On the death of Noureddin, sultan of Damascus, (a. d. 1175,) 
 Saladin raised himself to the sovereignty both of Egypt and of 
 Syria, He levied an immense army, and crossing the desert from 
 Cairo, he again planted the standard of Mahomet upon the sacred 
 territory of Palestine. His forces were composed of twenty-six 
 thousand light infantry, eight thousand horsemen, a host of 
 archers and spearmen mounted on dromedaries, and eighteen 
 thousand common soldiers. The person of Saladin was sur- 
 rounded by a body-guard of a thousand Mamlook emirs, clothed 
 in yellow cloaks worn over their shirts of mail. 
 
 In the great battle fought near Ascalon, (Nov. 1, a. d. 1177,) 
 Odo de St. Amand, the Master of the Temple, at the head of 
 eighty of his knights, broke through the guard of Mamlooks, slew 
 their commander, and penetrated to the imperial tent, from 
 Avhence the sultan escaped with great difficulty, almost naked, 
 upon a fleet dromedary ; the infidels, thrown into confusion, were 
 slaughtered or driven into the desert, where they perished from 
 hunger, fatigue, or the inclemency of the weather.* The year 
 following, Saladin collected a vast army at Damascus ; and the 
 Temjilars, in order to protect and cover the road leading from 
 that city to Jerusalem, commenced the erection of a strohg for- 
 tress on the northern frontier of the Latin kingdom, close to 
 Jacob's ford on the river Jordan, at the spot where now stands 
 Djiss'r Beni Yakooh, " the bridge of the sons of Jacob." Saladin 
 advanced at the head of his forces to oppose the progress of the 
 work, and the king of Jerusalem and all the chivalry of the Latin 
 kingdom were gathered together in the plain to protect the 
 Templars and their w orkmen. The fortress was erected notwith- 
 
 * Will. Tyr. lib. xxi. cap. 20, 22, 23. Abulfedii Abulpluiradge, Chron. Syr. p. 379.
 
 THE KNICJnTS TEMPLARS. 77 
 
 standing all the exertions of the infidels, and the Templars threw Ono nE 
 into it a strong garrison. Redoubled efforts were then made by a. n. li?;*. 
 Saladin to destroy the place. 
 
 At a given signal from the Mussulman trumpets, " the 
 defenders of Islam" fled before " the avengers of Christ;" the 
 christian forces became disordered in the pursuit, and the swift 
 cavalry of the desert, wheeling upon both wings, defeated with 
 immense slaughter the entire army of the cross. The Templars 
 and the Hospitallers, with the count of Tripoli, stood firm on the 
 summit of a small hillock, and for a long time presented a bold 
 and undaunted front to the victorious enemy. The count of 
 Tripoli at last cut his way through the infidels, and fled to Tyre ; 
 the Master of the Hospital, after seeing most of his brethren 
 slain, swam across the Jordan, and fled, covered with wounds, to 
 the castle of Beaufort ; and the Templars, after fighting with 
 their customary zeal and fanaticism around the red-cross banner, 
 which waved to the last over the field of blood, were all killed or 
 taken prisoners, and the Master, Odo de St. Amand, fell alive 
 into the hands of the enemy.* Saladin then laid siege to the 
 newly-erected fortress, which was of some strength, being 
 defended by thick walls, flanked with large towers furnished 
 with military engines. After a gallant resistance on the part of 
 the garrison, it was set on fire, and then stormed. " The Tem- 
 plars," says Abulpharadge, " flung themselves some into the fire, 
 where they were burned, some cast themselves into the Jordan, 
 some jumped down from the walls on to the rocks, and were 
 dashed to pieces : thus were slain the enemy." The fortress was 
 reduced to a heap of ruins, and the enraged sultan, it is said, 
 
 * Capti sunt ibi de nostris, Otto de Sancto Amando militicc Tenipli Magister, homo 
 nequaquam superbus et arrogans, spiritum furoris habens in naribus, nee Deiim timers. 
 nee ad homines habens reverentiam.— II'jV^. Tyr. lib. xxi. cap. 29. Abulpharadge, 
 Chron. Syr. p. 380, 381.
 
 78 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Arnold he ordered all the Templars taken in the place to be sawn in two, 
 A. D. 1180. excepting the most distinguished oi the knights, who were 
 reserved for a ransom, and were sent in chains to Aleppo.* 
 
 Saladin offered Odo de St. Amand his liberty in exchange for 
 the freedom of his own nephew, who was a prisoner in the hands 
 of the Templars; but the Master of the Temple haughtily replied, 
 that he would never, by his example, encourage any of his knights 
 to be mean enough to surrender, that a Templar ought either to 
 vanquish or die, and that he had nothing to give for his ransom 
 but his girdle and his knife.f The proud spirit of Odo de St. 
 Amand could but ill brook confinement ; he languished and died 
 in the dungeons of Damascus, and was succeeded by Brother 
 Arnold de Torroge, who had filled some of the chief situations of 
 the order in Europe.;]: 
 
 The affairs of the Latin Christians were at this period in a 
 deplorable situation. Saladin encamped near Tiberias, and ex- 
 tended his ravages into almost every part of Palestine. His 
 light cavalry swept the valley of the Jordan to within a day's 
 march of Jerusalem, and the whole country as far as Panias on 
 the one side, and Beisan, D'Jenneen, and Sebaste, on the other, 
 was destroyed by fire and the sword. The houses of the Templars 
 were pillaged and burnt ; various castles belonging to the order 
 were taken by assault ;§ but the immediate destruction of the 
 Latin power was arrested by some partial successes obtained by 
 the christian warriors, and by the skilful generalship of their 
 
 * Abulpharadffe, Chron. Syr. ut sup. Menologium Cisterciente, p. 194. Bernardus 
 Thesaurarius Ae s,c<\. Terr. Sane. cap. 139. 
 
 + Dicens non esse consuetudiiiis militiim Templi ut aliqua redemptio daretur pro eis 
 praeter cingulum et cultellum. Chron. Trivet apud Hall, vol. i. p. 77. 
 
 J Eodem anno quo captus est in vinculis et squalore carceris, nulli lugcndus, dicitur 
 obiisse. — Will, Tyr. lib. xxi. cap. 29. lb, lib. xxii. cap. 7. Gallia chiistiana nova, torn, 
 i. col. 258 ; ibid p. 172, instrumentoruni. 
 
 § Alulfeda, ad ann. 1182, 3, Will. Tyr. lib. xxii. cap. IG— 20.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 79 
 
 leaders. Saladin was compelled to retreat to Damascus, after he AaNom de 
 had burnt Naplous, and depopulated the whole country around a. d. lUJt. 
 Tiberias. A truce was proposed, (a. d. 1 184,) and as the attention 
 of the sultan was then distracted by the intrigues of the Turcoman 
 chieftains in the north of Syria, and he was again engaged in 
 hostilities in Mesopotamia, he agreed to a suspension of the war 
 for four years, in consideration of the payment by the Christians 
 of a large sum of money. 
 
 Immediate advantage was taken of this truce to secure the 
 safety of the Latin kingdom. A grand council was called toge- 
 ther at Jerusalem, and it was determined that Heraclius, the 
 patriarch of the Holy City, and the Masters of the Temple and 
 Hospital, should forthwith proceed to Europe, to obtain succour 
 from the western princes. The sovereign mostly depended upon 
 for assistance was Henry the Second, king of England,* grand- 
 son of Fulk, the late king of Jerusalem, and cousin-german to 
 Baldwin, the then reigning sovereign. Henry had received 
 absolution for the murder of Saint Thomas a Becket, on condition 
 that he should proceed in person at the head of a powerful army 
 to the succour of Palestine, and should, at his own expense, 
 maintain two hundred Templars for the defence of the holy 
 territory.'f- 
 
 The Patriarch and the two Masters landed in Italy, and after 
 furnishing themselves with the letters of the pope, threatening 
 the English monarch with the judgments of heaven if he did not 
 forthwith perform the penance prescribed him, they set out for 
 England. At Verona, the Master of the Temple fell sick and 
 
 * Unde propter causas prEedictas generali providentia statutum est, ut Jerosoly- 
 mitaiius Patriarclia, petendi contra immanissimunL hostem Saladinum auxilii gratia, ad 
 christianos principos in Europam mitteretur ; sed maxime ad illustrcm Anglorum rcgem, 
 cujus effieacior et proniptia opera sperabatur. — Hemingford, cap. 33 ; Radulph de Dicelo, 
 inter ; Hist. Anyl. X. script, p. 622, 
 
 t Concil. Magn. Brit. torn. iv. p. TiifJ, 789.
 
 80 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Arnold de died,* but Ilis companions proceeding on their journey, landed in 
 
 ToRROGE. 
 
 A. D. 1185. safety in England at the commencement of the year 1185. They 
 were received by the king at Reading, and throwing themselves 
 at the feet of the English monarch, they with much weeping and 
 sobbing saluted him in behalf of the king, the princes, and the 
 people of the kingdom of Jerusalem. They explained the object 
 of their visit, and presented him with the pope's letters, with the 
 keys of the holy sepulchre, of the tower of David, and of the city 
 of Jerusalem, together with the royal banner of the Latin king- 
 dom.f Their eloquent and pathetic narrative of the fierce 
 inroads of Saladin, and of the miserable condition of Palestine, 
 drew tears from king Henry and all his court.;]: The English 
 sovereign gave encouraging assurances to the patriarch and his 
 companions, and promised to bring the whole matter before the 
 parliament, which was to meet the first Sunday in Lent. 
 
 The patriarch, in the mean time, proceeded to London, and 
 was received by the Knights Templars at the Temple in that 
 city, the chief house of the order in Britain, where, in the month 
 of February, he consecrated the beautiful Temple church, dedi- 
 cated to the blessed Virgin Mary, which had just then been 
 erected.^ 
 
 * Arnauld of Troy. Radulph de Diceto, ut sup. p. 625. 
 
 t Eodem anno (1185,) Baldewinus rex Jerusalem, et Templares et Hospitalares, 
 
 miserunt ad regem Angliee Heraclium, sanctie civitatis Jerusalem Patriarcha, et sum- 
 
 mos Hospitalis et Templi Magistros una cum vexillo regio, et clavibus sepulchri 
 
 Domini, et turris David, et civitatis Jerusalem ; postulantes ab eo celerem succursum. . 
 
 . . qui statim ad pedes regis provoluti cum fletu magno et singultu, verba salutationis 
 
 ex parte regis et principum et universae plebis terras Jerosolymitanae proferebant 
 
 tradiderunt ei vexillum regium, etc. etc. — Hoveden, ad ann. 1185 ; Radulph de Diceto, 
 p. 626. 
 
 t Matt. Westm. ad ann. 1185; Guill. Neubr. iom.i. lib iii. cap. 12,13. Chron. 
 Dunst. 
 
 ^ Speed. Hist. Britain, p. 506. a. d. 1185.
 
 Tin: KNIGHTS templars. 
 
 81 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 The Temple at London — The vast possessions of the Templars in England — Tlie 
 territorial diAnsions of the order — The different preceptories in this countrj' — 
 The privileges conferred on the Templars by the kings of England — Tlie 
 Masters of the Temple at London — Their power and importance. 
 
 Li fiere, li Mestre du Temple 
 Qu'estoient rempli et ample 
 D'or et d'argent et de richesse. 
 Et qui menoient tel noblesse, 
 Ou sont-il ? que sont devenu ? 
 Que taut ont de plait maintenu, 
 Que nul a elz ne s'ozoit prendre 
 Tozjors achetoient sans vendre 
 Nul riche a elz n'estoit de prise ; 
 Tant va pot a eue qu'il brise. 
 
 CliJTon. a la suite du Roman de Favcl. 
 
 The Knights Templars first established the chief house of their 
 order in England, without Holborn Bars, on the south side of 
 the street, where Southampton House formerly stood, adjoining 
 to which Southampton Buildings were afterwards erected ;* and 
 it is stated, that about a century and a half ago, part of the 
 
 * Stowe'^s Survey ; Tanner, Notit. Monast. ; Dugd. Orig. J una. 
 
 G
 
 82 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 ancient chapel annexed to this establishment, of a circular form, 
 and built of Caen stone, was discovered on pulling down some 
 old houses near Southampton Buildings in Chancery Lane.* 
 This first house of the Temple, established by Hugh de Payens 
 himself, before his departure from England, on his return to 
 Palestine, w^as adapted to the wants and necessities of the order 
 in its infant state, when the knights, instead of lingering in the 
 preceptories of Europe, proceeded at once to Palestine, and 
 ■vghen all the resources of the society were strictly and faithfully 
 forwarded to Jerusalem, to be expended in defence of the faith ; 
 but when the order had greatly increased in numbers, power, and 
 wealth, and had somewhat departed from its original purity and 
 simplicity, we find that the superior and the knights resident in 
 London began to look abroad for a more extensive and com- 
 modious place of habitation. They purchased a large space of 
 ground, extending from the White Friars westward to Essex 
 House without Temple Bar,-!" and commenced the erection of a 
 convent on a scale of grandeur commensurate with the dignity 
 and importance of the chief house of the great religio-military 
 society of the Temple in Britain. It was called the New Temple, 
 to distinguish it from the original establishment at Holborn, 
 which came thenceforth to be known by the name of the Old 
 Temple.^ 
 
 This New Temple was adapted for the residence of numerous 
 military monks and novices, serving brothers, retainers, and do- 
 mestics. It contained the residence of the superior and of the 
 
 *■ Herbert, Antiq. Inns of Court. 
 
 t " Yea, and a part of that too," says Sir "William Dugdale, in his origines juridi- 
 ciales, as appears from the first grant thereof to Sir William Paget, Knight, Pat. ii. 
 Edward VI. p. 2. 
 
 J We read on many old charters and deeds, " Datum apud vetus Templum Lon- 
 donise." See an example, Nichols' Leicestershire, vol. iii. p. 959 ; see also the account, 
 in Matt. Par. and Hoveden, of the king's visit to Hugh bishop of Lincoln, who lay sick 
 of a fever at the Old Temple, and died there, the IGth November, a. d. 1200.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 83 
 
 kniglits, the cells and apartments of the chaplains and serving 
 brethren, the council chamber where the chapters were held, and 
 the refectory or dining-hall, which was connected, by a range of 
 handsome cloisters, with the magnificent church, consecrated by 
 the patriarch. Alongside the river extended a spacious pleasure 
 ground for the recreation of the brethren, who were not permitted 
 to go into the town without the leave of the Master. It was used 
 also for military exercises and the training of the horses. 
 
 The year of the consecration of the Temple Church, Geoffrey, 
 the superior of the order in England, caused an inquisition to be 
 made of the lands of the Templars in this country, and the names 
 of the donors thereof,* from which it appears, that the larger 
 territorial divisions of the order were then called bailiwicks, the 
 principal of which were London, Warwic, Couele, Meritune, 
 Gutinge, Westune, Lincolnscire, Lindeseie, Widine, and Ebora- 
 cisire, (Yorkshire.) The number of manors, farms, churches, 
 advowsons, demesne lands, villages, hamlets, windmills, and 
 watermills, rents of assize, rights of common and free warren, and 
 the amount of all kinds of property, possessed by the Templars in 
 England at the period of the taking of this inquisition, are asto- 
 nishing. Upon the great estates belonging to the order, prioral 
 houses had been erected, wherein dwelt the procurators or stew- 
 ards charged with the management of the manors and farms in 
 their neighbourhood, and with the collection of the rents. These 
 prioral houses became regular monastic establishments, inhabited 
 chiefly by sick and aged Templars, who retired to them to spend 
 
 * Anno ab incarnatione Domini MCLXXXV. facta est ista inquisitio de terrarinn 
 donatoribus, et earum possessoribus, ecclesiamni scil. et raolendinorum, et tcrrarum 
 assisarum, et in dominico habitarum, et de redditibus assisis per Angliam, per fratrem 
 Galfridum filium Stephani, quando ipse suscepit balliam de Anglia, qui summo studio 
 praedicla inquirendo curam sollicitam exhibuit, ut majoris notitia; posteris exprcssioncm 
 generaret, et pervicacibus omnimodam nocendi rescinderet facultatem. Ex. cod. MS. in 
 Scacc. penes Remor. Regis, fol. i. a. ; Dugd. Monast. Angl. vol. vi. part ii. p. 820. 
 
 G 2
 
 84 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 the remainder of their days, after a long period of honourable 
 service against the infidels in Palestine. They were cells to the 
 principal house at London. There were also under them certain 
 smaller administrations established for the management of the 
 farms, consisting of a Knight Templar, to whom were associated 
 some serving brothers of the order, and a priest who acted as 
 almoner. The commissions or mandates directed by the Masters 
 of the Temple to the officers at the head of these establishments, 
 were called precepts, from the commencement of them, " PrcBciyi- 
 mus tlhi" we enjoin or direct you, &:c. &c. The knights to whom 
 they were addressed were styled Praceptores Templi, or Precep- 
 tors of the Temple, and the districts administered by them Prce- 
 ceptoria, or preceptories. 
 
 It will now be as well to take a general survey of the posses- 
 sions and organization of the order both in Europe and Asia, 
 " whose circumstances," saith William archbishop of Tyre, 
 writing from Jerusalem about the period of the consecration at 
 London of the Temple Church, " are in so flourishing a state, 
 that at this day they have in their convent (the Temple on 
 Mount Moriah) more than three hundred knights robed in the 
 Avhite habit, besides serving brothers innumerable. Their pos- 
 sessions indeed beyond sea, as well as in these parts, are said to 
 be so vast, that there cannot now be a province in Christendom 
 which does not contribute to the support of the aforesaid brethren, 
 whose wealth is said to equal that of sovereign princes."* 
 
 The eastern provinces of the order were, 1. Palestine, the 
 ruling province. 2. The principality of Antioch. 3. The prin- 
 cipality of Tripoli. 
 
 * Quorum res adeo crevit in immensum, ut hodie, trecentos in conventu habeant 
 equites, albis chlamydibus indutos : exceptis fratribus, quorum pene infinitus est Hume- 
 rus. Possessiones autem, tarn ultra quam citra mare, adeo dicuntur immensas habere, 
 ut jam non sit in orbe christiano provincia quee praedictis fratribus suorum portionem 
 non contulerit, et regiis opulentiis pares hodie dicuntur habere copias. — Will. Tyr, lib. 
 xii. cap. 7.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 85 
 
 1. Palestine. — Some account has already been given of the 
 Temple at Jerusalem, the chief house of the order, and the resi- 
 dence of the Master. In addition to the strong garrison there 
 maintained, the Templars possessed numerous forces, distributed 
 in various fortresses and strongholds, for the preservation and 
 protection of the holy territory. 
 
 The following castles and cities of Palestine are enumerated 
 by the historians of the Latin kingdom, as having belonged to 
 the order of the Temple. 
 
 The fortified city of Gaza, the key of the kingdom of Jerusalem 
 on the side next Egypt, anciently one of the five satrapies of the 
 Lords of the Philistines, and the stronghold of Cambyses when 
 he invaded Egypt. 
 
 " Placed where Judea's utmost bounds extend. 
 Towards fair Pelusium, Gaza's towers ascend. 
 Fast by the breezy shore the city stands 
 Amid unbounded plains of barren sands, 
 Which high in air the furious whirlwinds sweep, 
 Like mountain billows on the stormy deep, 
 That scarce the affrighted traveller, spent with toil. 
 Escapes the tempest of the unstable soil." 
 
 It was granted to the Templars, in perpetual sovereignty, by 
 Baldwin king of Jerusalem.* 
 
 The Castle of Saphet, in the territory of the ancient tribe of 
 Naphtali ; the great bulwark of the northern frontier of the 
 Latin kingdom on the side next Damascus. The Castle of the 
 Pilgrims, in the neighbourhood of Mount Carmel. The Castle 
 of Assur near Jaffa, and the House of the Temple at JaflTa. The 
 fortress of Faba, or La Feue, the ancient Aphek, not far from 
 
 * Dominus Baldwinus illustris memoriap, Hierosolymorum rex quartus, Gazam muni- 
 tissimam fratribus militise Templi donavit, ff «7/. Tyr. lib. xx. cap. 21. Milites Templi 
 Gazam antiquam PalaestincC civitatem resedificant, et turribus earn muniunt, Rob. de 
 Monte, appen. ad chron. Sig. p 631.
 
 86 THE KXiGirrs templahs. 
 
 Tyre, in the territory of the ancient tribe of Asher. The hill-fort 
 Dok, between Bethel and Jericho. The castles of La Cave, 
 Marie, Citern Rouge, Castel Blanc, Trapesach, Somnielleria of 
 the Temple, in the neighbourhood of Acca, now St. John d'Acre. 
 Castrinn Planorum, and a place called Gerinum Parvum,* The 
 Templars purchased the castle of Beaufort and the city of Sidon ;-f 
 they also got into their hands a great part of the town of St. 
 Jean d'Acre, where they erected their famous temple, and almost 
 all Palestine was in the end divided between them and the Hos- 
 pitallers of Saint John. 
 
 2. The Principality of Antioch. — The principal houses of 
 the Temple in this province were at Antioch itself, at Aleppo, 
 Haram, &c. 
 
 3. The Prikcipality of Tripoli. — The chief establishments 
 herein were at Tripoli, at Tortosa, the ancient Antaradus; Cas- 
 tel-blanc in the same neighbourhood ; Laodicea and Beyrout, — all 
 under the immediate superintendence of the Preceptor of Tripoli. 
 Besides these castles, houses, and fortresses, the Templars 
 possessed farms and large tracts of land, both in Syria and 
 Palestine. 
 
 The western nations or provinces, on the other hand, from 
 whence the order derived its chief power and wealth, were, 
 
 1. Apulia and Sicily, the principal houses whereof were at 
 Palermo, Syracuse, Lentini, Butera, and Trapani. The house of 
 the Temple at this last place has been appropriated to the use of 
 some monks of the order of St. Augustin. In a church of the 
 city is still to be seen the celebrated statue of the Virgin, which 
 Brother Guerrege and three other Knights Templars brought 
 
 * Marin. Sa nut, p. 221. Bernard Thesaur. p. 768. Radulph Coggleshale, p. 249. 
 Hoveden, p. 636. Radulph de Diceto, ut sup. p. 623. Matt. Par. p. 142. Italia sacra, 
 torn. iii. p. 407. 
 
 + Tunc Julianus Dominus Sydonis vendidit Sydonem et Belfoit Templariis, Marin, 
 Sanut, cap. vi. p. 221,
 
 THE KxNIGIlTS TEMPLARS. 8/ 
 
 from the East, with a view of placing it in the Temple Church 
 on the Aventiue hill in Rome, but which they were obliged to 
 deposit in the island of Sicily. This celebrated statue is of the 
 most beautiful white marble, and represents the Virgin with the 
 infant Jesus reclining on her left arm ; it is of about the natural 
 height, and, from an inscription on the foot of the figure, it 
 appears to have been executed by a native of the island of Cyprus, 
 A. D. 733 * 
 
 The Templars possessed valuable estates in Sicily, around the 
 base of Mount Etna, and large tracts of land between Piazza and 
 Calatagirone, in the suburbs of which last place there was a 
 Temple house, the church whereof, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, 
 still remains. They possessed also many churches in the island, 
 windmills, rights of fishery, of pasturage, of cutting wood in the 
 forests, and many important privileges and immunities. The 
 chief house was at Messina, where the Grand Prior resided.^ 
 
 2. Upper and central Italy. — The houses or preceptories 
 of the order of the Temple in this province were very numerous, 
 and were all under the immediate superintendence of the Grand 
 Prior or Preceptor of Rome. There were lai-ge establishments 
 at Lucca, Milan, and Perugia, at which last place the arms of 
 the Temple are still to be seen on the tower of the holy cross. 
 At Placentia there was a magnificent and extensive convent, 
 called Santa Maria del Tempio, ornamented with a very lofty 
 tower. At Bologna there was also a large Temple house, and on 
 a clock in the city is the following inscription, " 3Iagister Tos- 
 seolus de Miola me fecit . . . Fi\ Petrus de Bon, Procur. 3IilitlcB 
 Templi in curia Romana, mccciii." In the church of St. Mary in 
 the same place, which formerly belonged to the Knights Tem- 
 
 * Atlas JMariamis, p. 156 ; Siciliae Antiq., torn. iii. col. 1000. 
 
 t Gallia Christiana nova, torn. iii. col. 118; Probat. torn. ix. col. 1067, torn. x. col. 
 1292, torn. xi. col. 46 ; liocciis Pyrrhus, SicU. Autiq. torn. iii. col. 1093, 4, 5, 6, 7, &c.
 
 88 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 plars, is the interesting marble monument of Peter de Rotis, a 
 priest of the order. He is represented on his tomb, holding a 
 chalice in his hands with the host elevated above it, and beneath 
 the monumental effigy is the following epitaph : — 
 
 Stirpe Rotis, Petrus, virtutis munere clarus, 
 Streniius ecce pugil Christi, jacet ordine charus ; 
 Veste ferens, menteque crucem, nunc sidera scandit, 
 Exemplum nobis spectandi cselica pandit : 
 Annis ter trinis viginti mille trecentis 
 Sexta quarte niaii fregit lux organa mentis."* 
 
 Portugal. — In the province or nation of Portugal, the military 
 power and resources of the order of the Temple were exercised in 
 almost constant warfare against the Moors, and Europe derived 
 essential advantage from the enthusiastic exertions of the warlike 
 monks in that quarter against the infidels. In every battle, 
 indeed, fought in the south of Europe, after the year 1 130, against 
 the enemies of the cross, the Knights Templars are to be found 
 taking an active and distinguished part, and in all the conflicts 
 against the infidels, both in the west and in the east, they were 
 ever in the foremost rank, battling nobly in defence of the 
 christian faith. With all the princes and sovereigns of the great 
 Spanish peninsula they were extremely popular, and they were 
 mdowed with cities, villages, lordships, and splendid domains. 
 Many of the most important fortresses and castles in the land 
 were entrusted to their safe keeping, and some were yielded to 
 them in perpetual sovereignty. They possessed, in Portugal, the 
 castles of Monsento, Idanha, and Tomar ; the citadel of Lan- 
 grovia in the province of Beira, on the banks of the Riopisco ; 
 and the fortress of Miravel in Estremadura, taken from the 
 Moors, a strong place perched on the summit of a lofty eminence. 
 
 * Petrus Maria Campus Hist. Placent. part ii. n. 28 ; Pauli M. Paciandi de cultu S. 
 Johunnis Bapt, Antiq. p. 297.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 89 
 
 They had large estates at Castromarin, Almural, and Tavira in 
 Algarve, and houses, rents, revenues, and possessions, in all parts 
 of the country. The Grand Prior or Preceptor of Portugal 
 resided at the castle of Tomar. It is seated on the river Narboan 
 in Estremadura, and is still to be seen towering in gloomy mag- 
 nificence on the hill above the town. The castle at present 
 belongs to the order of Christ, and was lately one of the grandest 
 and richest establishments in Portugal, It possessed a splendid 
 library, and a handsome cloister, the architecture of which was 
 much admired.* 
 
 Castile and Leon. — The houses or preceptories of the Temple 
 most known in this province or nation of the order were those of 
 Cuenca and Guadalfagiara, Tine and Aviles in the diocese of 
 Oviedo, and Pontevreda in Galicia. In Castile alone the order 
 is said to have possessed twenty-four bailiwicks.t 
 
 Aragon. — The sovereigns of Aragon, who had suffered 
 grievously from the incursions of the Moors, were the first of the 
 European princes to recognize the utility of the order of the 
 Temple. They endowed the fraternity with vast revenues, and 
 ceded to them some of the strongest fortresses in the kingdom. 
 The Knights Templars possessed in Aragon the castles of 
 Dumbel, Cabanos, Azuda, Granena, Chalonere, Remolins, 
 Corbins, Lo Mas de Barbaran, Moncon, and Montgausi, with 
 their territories and dependencies. They were lords of the cities 
 of Borgia and Tortosa ; they had a tenth part of the revenues of 
 the kingdom, the taxes of the towns of Huesca and Saragossa, 
 and houses, possessions, privileges, and immunities in all parts.;]: 
 
 • Description et delices d'Espagne, torn. iii. p. 259 ; Hist. Portugal, La Clede, iom.i. 
 p. 200, 202, &c. •, Hispania illustrata, torn. iii. p. 49. 
 
 + Annales Minorum, torn. v. p. 247 -, torn. vi. p. 211, 218 ; torn. viii. p. 26, 27 ; torn. 
 ix. p. 130, 141. — Campomanes. 
 
 X MarccB Hispanicfe, col. 1291, 1292, 1304. Gall, christ. nov. torn. i. col. 195. 
 Mariana, de. reb. Hisp. lib. ii. cap. 23.
 
 90 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 The Templars likewise possessed lands and estates in the 
 Balearic Isles, which were under the management of the Pi-ior or 
 Preceptor of the island of Majorca, who was subject to the Grand 
 Preceptor of Aragon. 
 
 Germany and Hungary. — The houses most known in this 
 territorial division of the order are those in the electorate of 
 Mayence, at Homburg, Assenheira, Rotgen in the Rhingau, 
 Mongberg in the Marche of Brandenbourg, Nuitz on the Rhine, 
 Tissia Altmunmunster near Ratisbon in Bavaria, Bamberg, 
 Middlebourg, Hall, Brunswick, &c. &c. The Templars pos- 
 sessed the fiefs of Rorich, Pausin and Wildenheuh in Pomerania, 
 an establishment at Bach in Hungary, several lordships in 
 Bohemia and Moravia, and lands, tithes, and large revenues, the 
 gifts of pious German crusaders.* 
 
 Greece. — The Templars were possessed of lands and had 
 establishments in the Morea, and in several parts of the Greek 
 empire. Their chief house was at Constantinople, in the quarter 
 called 'Ojuo'j'om, where they had an oratory dedicated to the holy 
 martyrs Marin and Pentaleon.-f" 
 
 France. — The principal preceptories and houses of the Tem- 
 ple, in the jjresent kingdom of France, were at Besancon, Dole, 
 Salins, a la Romagne, a la ville Dieu, Arbois in Franche Comtt.% 
 
 Bomgarten, Temple Savigne near Corbeil, Dorlesheim near 
 Molsheim, where there still remains a chapel called TemplehofF, 
 Ribauvillier, and a Temple house in the plain near Bercheim in 
 Alsace. 
 
 * Script, rer. Germ. torn. ii. col. 684. Annales Minorum, torn. vi. p. 5, 9b, 177. 
 Suevia and Vertenbergia sacra, p. 74, Annal. Bamb. p. 186. Notitise episcopates 
 Middelb. p. 1 1. Scrip, de rebus Marchiee Brandeburg, p. 13. Aventinus annal. lib. vii. 
 cap. 1. n. 7. Gall, christ. nov. torn. viii. col. 1382 ; torn. i. col. 1129. 
 
 t Constantinopolis Christiana, lib. iv.p. 157. 
 
 t Hist. del'Eglisede Besancon, torn. ii. p. 397, 421, 450, 474, 445, 470, 509, &c.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 91 
 
 Bures, Voulaine les Templiers, Ville-sous-Gevrey, otherwise 
 St. Pliilibert, Dijon, Fauverney, where a chapel dedicated to the 
 Virgin still preserves the name of the Temple, Des Feuilles, 
 situate in the parish of Villett, near the chateau de Vernay, St. 
 Martin, Le Chastel, Espesses, Tessones near Bourges, and La 
 Musse, situate between Bauje and Macon in Burgundij f'^- ^ 
 
 MontjDelier, Sertelage, Nogarade near Pamiers, Falgairas, I 
 Narbonne St. Eulalie de Bezieres, Prugnanas, and the parish J 
 church of St Martin d'Ubertas in Languedoc]- 
 
 Temjile Cahor, Temple Marigny, Arras, Le Pare, St. Vau- 
 bourg, and Rouen, in Normandy. There were two houses of the 
 Temple at Rouen ; one of them occupied the site of the present 
 niaison consulaire, and the other stood in tlie street now called 
 La Rue des Hermites.% The preceptories and houses of the 
 Temple in France, indeed, were so numerous, that it would be 
 a wearisome and endless task to repeat the names of them. Hun- 
 dreds of j)laces in the different provinces are mentioned by 
 French writers as having belonged to the Templars. Between 
 Joinville and St. Dizier may still be seen the remains of Temple 
 Ruet, an old chateau surrounded by a moat ; and in the diocese 
 of Meaux are the ruins of the great manorial house of Choisy 
 le Temple. Many interesting tombs are there visible, together 
 vrith the refectory of the knights, which has been converted into a 
 sheepfold. 
 
 The chief house of the order for France, and also for Holland 
 and the Netherlands, was the Temple at Paris, an extensive and 
 
 * Hist, de I'Eglise de St. Etienne a Dijon, p. 133, 137, 205. Hist, de Bresse, torn. i. 
 p. 52, 55, 84. 
 
 t Hist. gen. de Languedoc, liv. ii. p. 523 ; liv. xvi., p. 362 ; liv. xvii. p. 427 ; liv. xxii. 
 p. 25, 226. Gall, christ. torn. vi. col. 727. Martene Thesaur. anecd. torn. i. col. 575. 
 
 X Gall, christ. nov. torn. i. p. 32 ; torn. iii. col. 333 ; torn. ii. col. 46, 47, and 72. La 
 Martiniere diet, geogr. Martene, ampl. collect, torn. vi. col. 226. Gloss, nov. torn iii, 
 col. 223.
 
 92 THK KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 magnificent structure, surrounded by a wall and a ditch. It 
 extended over all that large space of ground, now covered with 
 streets and buildings, which lies between the rue du Temple, the 
 rue St. Croix, and the environs de la Verrerie, as far as the walls 
 and the fosses of the port du Temple. It was ornamented with a 
 great tower, flanked by four smaller towers, erected by the 
 Knight Templar Brother Herbert, almoner to the king of 
 France, and was one of the strongest edifices in the kingdom.* 
 Many of the modern streets of Paris which now traverse the site 
 of this interesting structure, preserve in the names given to them 
 some memorial of the ancient Temple. For instance, La rue 
 du Temple, La rue des fosses du Temple, Boulevard du Temple, 
 Fauhourg du Temple^ rue de Faubourg du Temple, Vieille rue du 
 Temple, &:c. &c. 
 
 All the houses of the Temple in Holland and the Netherlands 
 were under the immediate jurisdiction of the Master of the 
 Temple at Paris. The preceptories in these kingdoms were very 
 numerous, and the property dependent upon them was of great 
 value. Those most known are the preceptories of Treves and 
 Dietrich on the Soure, the ruins of which last still remain ; 
 Coberne, on the left bank of the Moselle, a few miles from Cob- 
 lentz ; Belisch, Temple Spele, Temple Rodt near Vianden, and 
 the Temple at Luxembourg, where in the time of Broverus there 
 existed considerable remains of the refectory, of the church, and 
 of some stone walls covered with paintings ; Templehuis near 
 Ghent, the preceptory of Alphen, Braeckel, la maison de Slipes 
 near Ostend, founded by the counts of Flanders; Temple Caestre 
 near Mount Cassel ; Villiers le Temple en Condros, between Liege 
 and Huy; Vaillenpont, Walsberge, Haut Avenes near Arras; 
 Temploux near Fleuru in the department of Namur ; Vernoi in 
 
 * Histoire de la ville de Paris, torn. i. p. 174. Gall, christ. nov. torn. vii. col. 853
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 93 
 
 Ilalnault ; Temple Dieu at Douai ; Maries near Valenciennes ; 
 St. Symplionier near Mons, &c. &.C.* 
 
 In these countries, as well as in all parts of Europe wlierever 
 they were settled, the Templars possessed vast privileges and 
 immunities, which were conceded to them by popes, kings, and 
 |)rinces. 
 
 England. — There were in bygone times the following pre- 
 ceptories of Knight Templars in the present kingdom of 
 England. 
 
 Aslakeby, Temple Bruere, Egle, Malteby, Mere, Wilketon, 
 and Witham, in Lincolnshire. 
 
 North Feriby, Temple Hurst, Temple Newsom, Pafflete, 
 Flaxflete, and Ribstane, in Yorkshire. 
 
 Temple Cumbe in Somersetshire. 
 
 Ewell, Strode and Swingfield, near Dover, in Kent. 
 
 Hadescoe, in Norfolk. 
 
 Balsall and Warwick, in Warwickshire. 
 
 Temple Rothley, in Leicestershire. 
 
 Wilburgham Magna, Daney, and Dokesworth, in Camhriclge- 
 shire. 
 
 Halston, in Shropshire. 
 
 Temple Dynnesley, in Hertfordshire. 
 
 Temple Cressing and Sutton, in Essex. 
 
 Saddlescomb and Chapelay, in Sussex. 
 
 Schepeley, in Surrey. 
 
 Temple Cowley, Sandford, Bistelesham, and Chalesey, in 
 Oxfordshire. 
 
 Temple Rockley, in Wiltshire. 
 
 * Annales Trevir. torn. ii. p. 91, 197, 479. Prodromiis hist. Trevir. p. 1077. Ber- 
 tholet hist, de Luxembourg, torn. v. p. 145. Joh. Bapt. Antiq. Flandriae Gandavum, 
 p. 24, 207. Antiq. Bredanae, p. 12, 23. Austrohurgus,T^.Mb. ^1 w 6 A/tV<pi Diplomat, 
 tom. ii. p. 1165, &c.
 
 94 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 Upleden and Garwy, in Herefordsldre. 
 
 South Badeisley, in Hcmijjshire. 
 
 Getinges, in Worcester sliire. 
 
 Giselingham and Dunwich, in Suffolk.* 
 
 There were also several smaller administrations established, as 
 before mentioned, for the management of the farms and lands, 
 and the collection of rent and tithes. Among these were Lid- 
 dele and Quiely in the diocese of Chichester ; Eken in the 
 diocese of Lincoln; Adingdon, Wesdall, Aupledina, Cotona, &:c. 
 The different preceptors of the Temple in England had under 
 their management lands and property in every county of the 
 lealm.-f- 
 
 In Leicestershire the Templars possessed the town and the soke 
 of Rotheley ; the manors of Rolle, Babbegrave, Gaddesby, 
 Stonesby, and Melton; Rothely wood, near Leicester; the vil- 
 lages of Beaumont, Baresby, Dalby, North and South Marde- 
 feld, Saxby, Stonesby, and Waldon, with land in above eighty 
 others ! They had also the churches of Rotheley, Babbegrave, 
 and Rolle ; and the chapels of Gaddesby, Grimston, Wartnaby, 
 Cawdwell, and Wykeham.;|: 
 
 In Hertfordshire they possessed the town and forest of Brox- 
 bourne, the manor of Chelsin Templars, {Chelsin Templariorum^ 
 and the manors of Laugenok, Broxbourne, Letchworth, and 
 Temple Dynnesley ; demesne lands at Stanho, Preston, Charl- 
 ton, Walden, Hiche, Chelles, Levecamp, and Benigho ; the 
 church of Broxbourne, two waterraills, and a lock on the river 
 Lea : also property at Hichen, Pyrton, Ickilford, Offeley Magna, 
 Offeley Parva, Walden Regis, Furnivale, Ipolitz, Wandsmyll, 
 
 * Dugd. Monast. Angl. vol. vi. part 2, p. 800 to 817. Concilia Magnae Britannia;, 
 torn. iii. p. 333 to 382. Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 279, 288, 291, 295, &c. 
 + Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 279, 288, 291, 297, &c. 
 % NichoW hist, of Leicestershire.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 95 
 
 Watton, Therleton, Weston, Gravele, Wilicn, Lcccheworth, 
 Baldock, Datheworth, Russenden, Codpetli, Sumershale, Bun- 
 tynford, &c. &:c., and the church of Weston."* 
 
 In the county of Essex they had the manors of Temple 
 Cressynge, Temple Roydon, Temple Sutton, Odewell, Chingel- 
 ford, Lideleye, Quarsing, Berwick, and Witham ; the church of 
 Roydon, and houses, lands, and farms, both at Roydon, at 
 Rivenhall, and in the parishes of Prittlewall and Great and 
 Little Sutton ; an old mansion-house and chapel at Sutton, and 
 an estate called Finchinfelde in the hundred of Hinckford.f 
 
 In Lincolnshire the Templars possessed the manors of La 
 Bruere, Boston, Kirkeby, Brauncewell, Carleton, Akele, with the 
 soke ofLynderby Aslakeby, and the churches of Bruere, Asheby, 
 Akele, Aslakeby, Donington, Ele, Swinderby, Skarle, &c. 
 There were upwards of thirty churches in the county which made 
 annual payments to the order of the Temple, and about forty 
 windmills. The order likewise received rents in respect of lands 
 at Bracebrig, Brancetone, Scapwic, Timberland, Weleburne, 
 Diringhton, and a hundred other places ; and some of the land 
 in the county was charged with the annual payment of sums of 
 money towards the keeping of the lights eternally burning on 
 the altars of the Temple church.;]; William Lord of Asheby gave 
 to the Templars the perpetual advowson of the church of Asheby 
 in Lincolnshire, and they in return agreed to find him a priest to 
 sing for ever twice a week in his chapel of St. Margaret. § 
 
 In Yorkshire the Templars possessed the manors of Temple 
 
 * Clutterhiick' s hist. Hertfordshire. Chauncey, antiq. Hert. Acta Bymeri, torn. iii. 
 p. 133 134. Dodsu-orth, M. S. vol, xxxv. 
 
 + Moranfs hist. Essex, Rymer. torn. iii. p. 290 to "294. 
 
 % Redditus omnium ecclesiarum et molendinorum et terrarum de baillia de Lincoln- 
 scire. Inquis. terrar. ut sup. fol. 41 b to 48 b and 49 a. PeckS MS. in Musco Britannico, 
 vol. iv, fol. 9o et seq. 
 
 § Peck's MS. ut sup. fol. 95.
 
 96 Tm^ KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Werreby, Flaxflete, Etton, South Cave, &c. ; the churches 
 of Whitcherclie, Kelintune, &c. ; numerous windmills and 
 lands and rents at Nehus, Skelture, Pennel, and more than sixty 
 other places besides.* 
 
 In Warwickshire they possessed the manors of Barston, Shir- 
 burne, Balshale, Wolfhey, Cherlecote, Herbebure, Stodleye, 
 Fechehampstead, Cobington, Tysho and Warwick ; lands at 
 Chelverscoton, Herdwicke, Morton, Warwick, Hetherburn, Ches- 
 terton, Aven, Derset, Stodley, Napton, and more than thirty 
 other places, the several donors whereof are specified in Dug- 
 dale's history of Warwickshire (p. 694 ;) also the churches of 
 Sireburne, Cardinton, &c., and more than thirteen windmills. 
 In 12 Hen. II., William Earl of Warwick built a new church 
 for them at Warwick .-}- 
 
 In Kent they had the manors of Lilleston, Hechewayton, 
 Saunford, Sutton, Dartford, Halgel, Ewell, Cocklescomb, 
 Strode, Swinkfield Mennes, West Greenwich, and the manor of 
 Lydden, which now belongs to the archbishop of Canterbury ; 
 the advowsons of the churches of West Greenwich and Kinges- 
 wode juxta Waltham ; extensive tracts of land in Romney marsh, 
 and farms and assize rents in all parts of the county.:{: 
 
 In Sussex they had the manors of Saddlescomb and Shipley ; 
 lands and tenements at Compton and other places ; and the ad- 
 vowsons of the churches of Shipley, Wodmancote, and Lusch- 
 wyke.§ 
 
 In Surrey they had the manor farm of Temple Elfand or 
 
 * Inquis. ut. sup. 58 b to 65 b' 
 
 T Inquis. terrar. ut sup. fol. 12 a to 23 a. Dodsworth MS. vol. xx. p. 65, 67, ex 
 quoilam rotulo tangente terras Templariorum, Rot. 42, 46, p. 964. Dugd. Baron, 
 torn. i. p. 70. 
 
 J Monast. Angl. ut sup. p. 840. Hasted, hist. Kent. 
 
 § Ex cod. MS. in officio armorum, L. xvii. fol. 141 a. Calendarium Inquis. post 
 mortem, p. 13. 18.
 
 TflE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 97 
 
 Elfante, and an estate at Merrow in the hundred of Woking. 
 In Gloucestershire, the manors of Lower Dowdeswell, Peo-sworth 
 Amford, Nishange, and five others which belonged to them 
 wholly or in part, the church of Down Ammey, and lands in 
 Framton, Temple Guting, and Little Eissington. In Wor- 
 cestershire, the manor of Templars Lawern, and lands in 
 Flavel, Temple Broughton, and Hanbury,* In Northampton- 
 shire, the manors of Asheby, Thorp, Watervill, &c. &;c.; they had 
 the advowson of the church of the manor of Hardwicke in 
 Orlington hundred, and we find that " Robert Saunford, Master 
 of the soldiery of the Temple in England," presented to it in the 
 year 1238.t In Nottinghamshire, the Templars possessed the 
 church of Marnham, lands and rents at Gretton and Xorth 
 Carleton ; in Westmoreland, the manor of Temple Sowerby ; in 
 the Isle of Wight, the manor of Uggeton, and lands in Kerne. f 
 But it would be tedious further to continue wath a dry detail of 
 ancient names and places ; sufficient has been said to give an 
 idea of the enormous wealth of the order in this country, where 
 it is known to have possessed some hundreds of manors, the 
 advowson or right of presentation to churches innumerable, and 
 thousands of acres of arable land, pasture, and woodland, besides 
 villages, farm-houses, mills, and tithes, rights of common, of 
 fishing, of cutting wood in forests, &c. &c. 
 
 There were also several preceptories in Scotland and Ireland, 
 which were dependent on the Temple at London. 
 
 The annual income of the order in EuroiDe has been rouo-hlv 
 estimated at six millions sterling ! According to Matthew Paris, 
 
 • Manning''s Surrey. Atkyn's Gloucestershire; and see the references in Tanner 
 Xash's Worcestershire. 
 
 + Bridge''s Northamptonshire, vol. ii. p. 100. 
 
 J Thoroton's Nottinghamshire. Burn and Nicholson''s Westmoreland. Worsley's 
 Isle ofWi«ht.
 
 98 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 the Templars possessed nine thousand manors or lordships in 
 Christendom, besides a large revenue and immense riches arising 
 from the constant charitable bequests and donations of sums of 
 money from pious i3ersons.* " They were also endowed," says 
 James of Vitry, bishop of Acre, " with farms, towns, and villages, 
 to an immense extent both in the East and in the West, out of 
 the revenues of which they send yearly a certain sum of money 
 for the defence of the Holy Land to their head Master at the 
 chief house of their order in Jerusalem." f The Templars, in 
 imitation of the other monastic establishments, obtained from 
 pious and charitable people all the advowsons within their reach, 
 and frequently retained the tithe and the glebe in their own 
 hands, deputing a priest of the order to perform divine service 
 and administer the sacraments. 
 
 The manors of the Templars produced them rent either in 
 money, corn, or cattle, and the usual produce of the soil. By the 
 custom in some of these manors, the tenants were annually to 
 mow three days in harvest, one at the charge of the house ; and 
 to plough three days, whereof one at the like charge ; to reap one 
 day, at which time they should have a ram from the house, eight- 
 pence, twenty-four loaves, and a cheese of the best in the house, 
 together with a pailful of drink. The tenants were not to sell 
 their horse-colts, if they were foaled upon the land belonging to 
 the Templars, without the consent of the fraternity, nor marry 
 their daughters without their license. There were also va- 
 
 * Habuerunt insiiper Templarii in Christianitate novem millia maneriorum .... 
 prteter emolumenta et varios proventus ex fraternitatibus et pradicationibus pro- 
 venientes, et per privilegia sua accrescentes. Mat. Par. p. 61 5, ed. Lond. 1640. 
 
 + Aniplis autem possessionibus tam citra mare quam ultra ditati sunt in immensum, 
 villas, civitates et oppida, ex quibus certam pecunise summam, pro defensione Terras 
 Sanctffi, summo eorum magistro cujiis sedes principalis erat in Jerusalem, mittunt 
 annuatim. — Jac. de Vilr. Hist. Hierosol. p. 1084.
 
 TIIR KNir.HTS TEMPLARS. 99 
 
 rious regulations concerning the cocks and hens and young 
 chickens.* 
 
 We have previously given an account of the royal donations of 
 King Henry the First, of King Stephen and his queen, to the 
 order of the Temple. These were far surpassed by the pious 
 benefactions of King Henry the Second. That monarch, for the 
 good of his soul and the welfare of his kingdom, granted the Tem- 
 plars a place situate on the river Fleet, near Bainard's Castle, with 
 the whole current of that river at London, for erecting a mill ;t 
 also a messuage near Fleet-street ; the church of St. Clement, " quae 
 dicitur Dacorum extra civitatem Londoniie ;" and the churches of 
 Elle, Swinderby and Skarle in Lincolnshire, Kingeswode juxta 
 Waltliam in Kent, the manor of Stroder in the hundred of 
 Skamele, the vill of Kele in Staffordshire, the hermitage of 
 Flikeamstede, and all his lands at Lange Cureway, a house in 
 Brosal, and the market of Witham ; lands at Berghotte, a mill 
 at the bridge of Pembroke Castle, the vill of Finchingfelde, the 
 manor of Rotheley with its appurtenances, and the advowson of 
 the church and its several chapels, the manor of Blalcolvesley, 
 the park of Haleshall, and three fat bucks annually, either from 
 Essex or Windsor Forest. He likewise granted them an annual 
 
 * Masculum pullum, si natus sit super terram domus, vendere non possunt sine 
 licentia fiatmm. Si filiatn liabent, dare non possunt sine licentia fratrum. Inquisitio 
 terranim, ut supr. fol. 18 a. 
 
 t The Templars, by diverting the water, created a great nuisance. In a. d. 1290, the 
 Prior et fratres de Carmelo (the white friars) complained to the king in parliament of 
 the putrid exhalations arising from the Fleet river, which were so powerful as to over- 
 come all the frankincense burnt at their altar during divine service, and had occasioned 
 the deaths of many of their brethren. They beg that the stench maybe removed, lest 
 they also should perish. The Friars preachers (black friars) and the bishop of Salis- 
 bury (whose house stood in Salisbury-court) made a similar complaint ; as did aiSo 
 Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, who alleges that the Templars {ipsi de novo^emplo) had 
 turned off the water of the river to their mills at Castle Baignard. — Hot. Pari. vol. i. 
 p. f50, 200. 
 
 n 2
 
 100 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 fair at Temple Briiere, and superadded many rich benefactions in 
 Ireland.* 
 
 The principal benefactors to the Templars amongst the nobility 
 were William Marshall, earl of Pembroke, and his sons William 
 and Gilbert ; Robert, lord de Ros ; the earl of Hereford ; Wil- 
 liam, earl of Devon ; the king of Scotland ; William, archbishop 
 of York; Philip Harcourt, dean of Lincoln; the earl of Corn- 
 wall ; Philip, bishop of Bayeux ; Simon de Senlis, earl of Nor- 
 thampton ; Leticia and William, count and countess of Ferrara ; 
 Margaret, ^countess of Warwick; Simon de Montfort, earl of 
 Leicester; Robert de Harecourt, lord of Rose warden; William 
 de Vernon, earl of Devon, &;c. &c.t 
 
 The Templars, in addition to their amazing wealth, enjoyed 
 vast privileges and immunities within this realm. In the reign 
 of King John they were freed from all amerciaments in the 
 Exchequer, and obtained the privilege of not being compelled to 
 plead except before the king or his chief justice. King Henry 
 the Third granted them free warren in all their demesne lands ; 
 and by his famous charter, dated the 9th of February, in the 
 eleventh year of his reign, he confirmed to them all the donations 
 of his predecessors and of their other benefactors; with soc;|; and 
 sac,§ toljl and theam,^ infangenethef,** and unfangenethef,ft 
 and hamsoca, and grithbrich, and blodwite, and flictwite, and 
 hengewite, and learwite, and flemenefrith, murder, robbery, fore- 
 stal, ordel, and oreste ; and he acquitted them from the royal and 
 
 * Ex cod. MS. in officio armorum, L. xvii. fol. 141 a. Ditgd. Monast. Angl. iit 
 sup. p. 838. Tanner, Notit. Monast. 
 
 t Dugd. Baronage. Monast. Angl. p. 800 to 844. 
 
 X Power to hold courts ; § to impose and levy fines and amerciaments upon their 
 tenants; II to buy and sell, or to hold a kind of market ; II to judge and punish their 
 villains and vassals ; ** to try thieves and malefactors belonging to their manors, and 
 taken within the precincts thereof; ft to judge foreign thieves taken within the said 
 manors, &c.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLiRS. 101 
 
 slierift's aids, and from hidage, carucage, danegeld and hornegeld, 
 and from military and wapentake services, scntagos, tallages, 
 lastages, stallages, from shires and hundreds, pleas and quarrels, 
 from ward and wardpeny, and averpeni, and hundredespeni, and 
 horethalpeni, and thethingepcni, and from the works of parks, 
 castles, bridges, the building of royal houses and all other works ; 
 and also from waste regard and view of foresters, and from 
 toll in all markets and fairs, and at all bridges, and upon all 
 highways throughout the kingdom. And he also gave them the 
 chattels of felons and fugitives, and all waifs within their fee.* 
 
 In addition to these particular privileges, the Templars enjoyed, 
 under the authority of the Papal bulls, various immunities and 
 jvdvantages, which gave great umbrage to the clergy. They were 
 freed, as before mentioned, from the obligation of paying tithes, 
 and might, with the consent of the bishop, receive them. No 
 brother of the Temple could be excommunicated by any bishop or 
 priest, nor could any of the churches of the order be laid under 
 interdict except by virtue of a special mandate from the holy see. 
 When any brother of the Temple, appointed to make charitable 
 collections for the succour of the Holy Land, should arrive at a 
 city, castle, or village, which had been laid under interdict, the 
 churches, on their welcome coming, were to be thrown open, (once 
 within the year,) and divine service was to be performed in 
 honour of the Temi^le, and in reverence for the holy soldiers 
 thereof. The privilege of sanctuary was thrown around their 
 dwellings ; and by various papal bulls it is solemnly enjoined that 
 no person shall lay violent hands either upon the persons or the 
 property of those flying for refuge to the Temple houses.f 
 
 Sir Edward Coke, in the second part of the Institute of the 
 Laws of England, observes, that " the Templars did so over- 
 
 * Cart. 11. Hen. 3. M. 33. Dugd. .Monast. p. 844. 
 t Acta Ri/meri, torn i. p. 54, •298, 574, 575.
 
 102 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 spread througliout Christendome, and so exceedingly increased 
 in possessions, revenues, and wealth, and specially in England, as 
 you will wonder to reade in approved histories, and withall ob- 
 tained so great and large priviledges, liberties, and immunities for 
 themselves, their tenants, and farmers, &c., as no other order had 
 the like."* He further observes, that the Knights Templars 
 were cruce signati, and as the cross was the ensign of their pro- 
 fession, and their tenants enjoyed great privileges, they did erect 
 crosses upon their houses, to the end that those inhabiting them 
 might be known to be the tenants of the order, and thereby be 
 freed from many duties and services which other tenants were 
 subject unto ; " and many tenants of other lords, perceiving the 
 state and greatnesse of the knights of the said order, and withall 
 seeing the great priviledges their tenants enjoyed, did set up 
 crosses upon their houses, as their very tenants used to doe, to 
 the prejudice of their lords." 
 
 This abuse led to the passing of the statute of Westminster, the 
 second, chaj). 33,f which recites, that many tenants did set up 
 crosses or cause them to be set up on their lands in prejudice of 
 their lords, that the tenants might defend themselves against the 
 chief lord of the fee by the privileges of Templars and Hospi- 
 tallers, and enacts that such lands should be forfeited to the chief 
 lords or to the king. 
 
 Sir Edward Coke observes, that the Templars were freed from 
 tenths and fifteenths to be paid to the king ; that they were dis- 
 charged of purveyance ; that they could not be sued for any 
 ecclesiastical cause before the ordinary, sed coram conservatoribus 
 suorum prwileyiorum ; and that of ancient time they claimed that 
 a felon might take to their houses, having their crosses for his 
 safety, as well as to any church. | And concerning these con- 
 servers or keepers of their privileges, he remarks, that the Tem- 
 plars and Hospitallers " held an ecclesiasticall court before a 
 * Piige 431. t 13 Edward 1. % 2 lust. p. 432.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. lU3 
 
 canonist, whom they termed conservator privileyiorum suorum, 
 which judge had indeed more authority than was convenient, and 
 did dayly, in respect of the height of these two orders, and at 
 their instance and direction, incroach upon and hold plea of 
 matters determinable by the common law, for cui plus licet cj[uam 
 par est, plus vult quam licet ; and this was one great mischiefe. 
 Another mischiefe was, that this judge, likewise at their instance, 
 in cases wherein he had jurisdiction, would make general citations 
 as pro salute animcs, and the like, without expressing the matter 
 whereupon the citation was made, which also was against law, 
 and tended to the grievous vexation of the subject."* To remedy 
 these evils, another act of parliament was passed, prohibiting 
 Hospitallers and Templars from bringing any man in plea before 
 the keepers of their privileges, for any matter the knowledge 
 whereof belonged to the king's court, and commanding such 
 keepers of their privileges thenceforth to grant no citations at 
 the instance of Hospitallers and Templars, before it be expressed 
 upon what matter the citation ought to be made.f 
 
 Having given an outline of the great territorial possessions of 
 the order of the Temple in Europe, it now remains for us to pre- 
 sent a sketch of its organisation and government. The Master 
 of the Temple, the chief of the entire fraternity, ranked as a 
 sovereign prince, and had precedence of all ambassadors and 
 peers in the general councils of the church. He was elected to 
 his high office by the chapter of the kingdom of Jerusalem, which 
 was composed of all the knights of the East and of the West who 
 could manage to attend. The Master had his general and parti- 
 cular chapters. The first were composed of the Grand Priors of 
 the eastern and western provinces, and of all the knights present 
 in the holy territory. The assembling of these general chapters, 
 
 * 2 Inst. p. 465. t St;it. Westr. 2, cap. 43, 13 Ed. I.
 
 l04 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 however, in the distant land of Palestine, was a useless and almost 
 impracticable undertaking, and it is only on the journeys of the 
 Master to Europe, that we hear of the convocation of the Grand 
 Priors of the Vv^est to attend upon their chief. The general chap- 
 ters called together by the Master in Europe were held at Paris, 
 and the Grand Prior of England ahvays received a summons to 
 attend. The ordinary business and the government of the fraternity 
 in secular matters were conducted by the Master with the assist- 
 ance of his particular chapter of the Latin kingdom, which was 
 composed of such of the Grand Priors and chief dignitaries of 
 the Temple as happened to be present in the East, and such of 
 the knights as were deemed the wisest and most fit to give 
 counsel. In these last chapters visitors-general were appointed 
 to examine into the adaiinisti-ation of the western provinces. 
 
 The western nations or provinces of the order were presided 
 over by the provincial Masters,* otherwise Grand Priors or 
 Grand Preceptors, who were originally appointed by the chief 
 Master at Jerusalem, and were in theory mere trustees or bare 
 administrators of the revenues of the fraternity, accountable to 
 the treasurer general at Jerusalem, and removeable at the plea- 
 sure of the Chief Master. As the numbers, possessions, and 
 wealth of the Templars, however, increased, various abuses sprang 
 up. The members of the order, after their admittance to the 
 vows, very frequently, instead of proceeding direct to Palestine 
 to war agiiist the infidels, settled down upon their property in 
 Europe, and consumed at home a large proportion of those reve- 
 nues wliich ought to have been faithfully and strictly forwarded 
 to the general treasury at the Holy City. They erected numerous 
 
 * Tlie title Master of the Temple was so generally applied to the superiors of the 
 western provinces, that we find in the Greek of the lower empire, the words Tf/UTrAoi/ 
 MaiaTwp. Ducange, Gloss.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TKMl'LARS. 105 
 
 convents or preceptories, with cliurches and chapels, and raised 
 up in each western province a framework of government similar 
 to that of the ruling- piovince of Palestine. 
 
 The chief house of the Temple in England, for example, after 
 its removal from Holborn Bars to the banks of the Thames, was 
 regulated and organised after the model of the house of the 
 Temple at Jerusalem. The superior is always styled " Master of 
 the Temple," and holds his chapters and has his officers corre- 
 sponding to those of the chief Master in Palestine. The latter, 
 consequently, came to be denominated Magnus Mag'ister, or 
 Grand Master,* by our English writers, to distinguish him from 
 the Master at London, and henceforth he will be described by 
 that title to prevent confusion. The titles given indeed to the 
 superiors of the different nations or provinces into which the 
 order of the Temple was divided, are numerous and somewhat 
 perplexing. In the East, these officers were known only, in the 
 first instance, by the title of Prior, as Prior of England, Prior of 
 France, Prior of Portugal, occ, and afterwards Preceptor of Eng- 
 land, preceptor of France, &:c. ; but in Europe they were called 
 Grand Priors and Grand Preceptors, to distinguish them from 
 the Sub-priors and Sub-preceptors, and also Masters of the 
 Temple. The Prior and Preceptor of England, therefore, and 
 the Grand Prior, Grand Preceptor, and Master of the Temple in 
 England, were one and the same person. There were also at 
 the New Temple at London, in imitation of the establishment at 
 the chief house in Palestine, in addition to the Master, the Pre- 
 ceptor of the Temple, the Prior of London, the Treasurer, and 
 the Guardian of the church, who had three chaplains under him, 
 
 called readers.f 
 
 The Master at London had his general and particular, or his 
 
 ' Also sumnius n)a;,'ister, magister geneialis. 
 
 t Concil. Mag. Biit. turn, ii, p. 3;3.j, o30, 310. Monast. Aiigl. p. 81u.
 
 106 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 ordinary and extraordinary chapters. The first were composed of 
 the grand preceptors of Scotland and Ireland, and all the pro- 
 vincial priors and preceptors of the three kingdoms, who were 
 summoned once a year to deliberate on the state of the Holy 
 Land, to forward succour, to give an account of their stewardship, 
 and to frame new rules and regulations for the management of 
 the temporalities.* The ordinary chapters were held at the 
 different preceptories, which the Master of the Temple visited in 
 succession. In these chapters new members were admitted into 
 the order ; lands were bought, sold, and exchanged ; and presen- 
 tations were made by the Master to vacant benefices. Many of 
 the grants and other deeds of these chapters, with the seal of the 
 order of the Temple annexed to them, are to be met with in the 
 public and private collections of manuscripts in this country. 
 One of the most interesting and best preserved, is the Harleian 
 charter (83, c. 39,) in the British Museum, which is a grant of 
 land made by Brother William de la More, the martyr, the last 
 Master of the Temple in England, to the Lord Milo de Staple- 
 ton. It is expressed to be made by him, with the common 
 consent and advice of his chapter, held at the Preceptory of 
 Dynneslee, on the feast of Saint Barnabas the Apostle, and con- 
 cludes, " In witness whereof, we have to this present indenture 
 placed the seal of our chapter." f A fac-simile of this seal is 
 given above. On the reverse of it is a man's head, decorated 
 with a long beard, and surmounted by a small cap, and around it 
 are the letters TESTISVMAGI. The same seal is to be met 
 with on various other indentures made by the Master and Chapter 
 of the Temple. J The more early seals are surrounded with the 
 
 * Concil. Mag. Brit. torn. ii. p. 355, 356. 
 
 + In cujus rei testimonium huic prsesenti scripto indentato sigillum capituli nostri 
 apposuimus. 
 
 + MS. apud Belvoir. Peck's MS. in Musuo Biilaiinico, vol. iv. p. 65.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 107 
 
 words, Sigilluni Militis Terapli, " Seal of the Knight of the 
 Teniple ;" as in tlie case of the deed of exchange of lands at 
 Normanton in the parish of Botisford, in Leicestershire, entered 
 into between Brother Amadeus de Morestello, Master of the 
 chivalry of the Temple in England, and his chapter, of the one 
 part, and the Lord Henry de Colevile, Knight, of the other part. 
 The seal annexed to this deed has the addition of the word 
 Militis, but in other respects it is similar to the one above de- 
 lineated,* 
 
 The Master of the Temple was controlled by the visitors-gene- 
 ral of the order,t who were knights specially deputed by the 
 Grand Master and convent of Jerusalem to visit the different 
 provinces, to reform abuses, make new regulations, and terminate 
 such disputes as were usually I'eserved for the decision of the 
 Grand Master. These visitors-general sometimes removed 
 knights from their preceptories, and even suspended the masters 
 themselves, and it was their duty to expedite to the East all such 
 knights as were young and vigorous, and capable of fighting. 
 Two I'egular voyages were undertaken from Europe to Palestine 
 in the course of the year, under the conduct of the Templars and 
 Hospitallers, called the passagium Martis, and the passagium 
 Sancti Johannis, which took place respectively in the spring and 
 summer, when the newly-admitted knights left the preceptories 
 of the West, taking with them hired foot soldiers, armed pilgrims, 
 and large sums of money, the produce of the EurojJean possessions 
 of the fraternity, by which means a continual succour was afforded 
 to the christian kingdom of Jerusalem. One of the grand priors 
 or grand preceptors generally took the command of these expe- 
 ditions, and was frequently accompanied by many valiant secular 
 
 * NichoWs Hist, Leicestershire, vol. iii. pi. cxxvii. fig. 947, p. 943.; vol. ii. pi. v. 
 fig. 13. 
 
 t Two of these visitors-general have been buried in the Temple Church.
 
 108 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 knights, who craved permission to join his standard, and paid 
 large sums of money for a passage to the far East. In the interval 
 between these different voyages, the young knights were dili- 
 gently employed at the different preceptories in the religious and 
 military exercises necessary to fit them for their higli vocation. 
 
 On any sudden emergency, or when the ranks of the order had 
 been greatly thinned by the casualties of war, the Grand Master 
 sent circular letters to the grand preceptors or masters of the 
 western provinces, requiring instant aid and assistance, on the 
 receipt of which collections were made in the churches, and all 
 the knights that could be spared forthwith embarked for the 
 Holy Land. 
 
 The Master of the Temple in England sat in parliament as 
 first baron of the realm, {primus baro Anylice,) but that is to be 
 understood among priors only. To the parliament holden in the 
 twenty -ninth year of King Henry the Third, there were sum- 
 moned sixty-five abbots, thirty-five priors, and the Master of the 
 Temple.* Tlie oath taken by the grand priors, grand precep- 
 tors, or provincial Masters in Europe, on their assumption of the 
 duties of their high administrative office, was drawn up in the fol- 
 lowing terms : — 
 
 " I, A. B., Knight of the Order of the Temple, just now ap- 
 pointed Master of the knights who are in , promise to 
 
 Jesus Christ my Saviour, and to his vicar the sovereign pontiff 
 and his successors, perpetual obedience and fidelity. I swear 
 that I will defend, not only with my lips, but by force of arms 
 and with all my strength, the mysteries of the faith ; the seven 
 sacraments, the fourteen articles of the faith, the creed of the 
 Apostles, and that of Saint Athanasius ; the books of the Old 
 and the New Testament, with the commentaries of the holy 
 fathers, as received by the church ; the unity of God, the plurality 
 
 * Rot, clans. 49. H. III. m. xi. d. Acta Rijmer't. torn. iii. p. 802.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR3. 109 
 
 of the persons of the holy Trinity ; that Mary, the daughter of 
 Joachim and Anna, of the tribe of Jiidah, and of the race of 
 David, remained always a virgin before her delivery, during and 
 after her delivery. I promise likewise to be submissive and 
 obedient to the Master-general of the order, in conformity with 
 the statutes prescribed by our father Saint Bernard ; that I will 
 at all times in case of need pass the seas to go and fight ; that I 
 will always afford succour against the infidel kings and princes ; 
 that in the presence of three enemies I will fly not, but cope 
 with them, if they are infidels ; that I will not sell the property 
 of the order, nor consent that it be sold or alienated; that I will 
 always preserve chastity ; that I will be faithful to the king of 
 
 ; that I will never surrender to the enemy the towns 
 
 and places belonging to the order ; and that I will never refuse to 
 the religious any succour that I am able to afford them ; that I 
 will aid and defend them by words, by arms, and by all sorts of 
 good offices ; and in sincerity and of my own free will I swear 
 that I will observe all these things."* ^ 
 
 Among the earliest of the Masters, or Grand Priors, or 
 Grand Preceptors of England, whose names figure in 
 history, is Richard de Hastings, who was at the head of the 
 order in this country on the accession of King Henry the Second 
 to the throne,t (a. d. 1154,) and was employed by that monarch 
 in various important negotiations. In the year 1160 he greatly 
 offended the king of France. The Princess Margaret, the 
 
 * L'histoire des Cisteaux, Chrisost. Henriques, p. 479. 
 
 t Ricardus de Ilastinges, Magister omnium militum et fratrum Templi qui sunt in 
 Anglia, salutem. Notum vobis facimus quod omnis controversia quae fuit inter nos et 
 monachos de Kirkested .... terminata et finita est assensu et consilio nostro et 
 militum et fratrum, &c., anno ab incarnatione Domini 1155, 11 die kal. Feb. The 
 archbishop of Canterbury, the papal legate, the bishop of Lincoln, and several abbots, 
 are witnesses to this instrument. — Lansdown MS. 207 E, fol. 4fi7, p. lfi"2, 16,'5; sec 
 also p. ."ilP, Avhere he is mentioned as Master, a. d. llfil.
 
 110 THE KNTGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 daughter of that monarch, had been betrothed to Prince Henry, 
 son of Henry the Second, king of England ; and in the treaty of 
 peace entered into between the two sovereigns, it was stipulated 
 that Gizors and two other places, part of the dowry of the 
 princess, should be consigned to the custody of the Templars, to 
 be delivered into King Henry's hands after the celebration of the 
 nuptials. The king of England (a. d. 1160) caused the prince 
 and princess, both of whom were infants, to be married in the 
 presence of Richard de Hastings, the Grand Prior or Master of 
 the Temple in England, and two other Knights Templars, who, 
 immediately after the conclusion of the ceremony, placed the for- 
 tresses in King Henry's hands.* The king of France was highly 
 indignant at this proceeding, and some writers accuse the Tem- 
 plars of treachery, but from the copy of the treaty published by 
 Lord Littleton t it does not appear that they acted with bad faith. 
 The above Richard de Hastings was the friend and confidant 
 of Thomas a Becket. During the disputes between that haughty 
 prelate and the king, the archbishop, we are told, withdrew from 
 the council chamber, where all his brethren Avere assembled, and 
 went to consult with Richard de Hastings, the Prior of the 
 Temple at London, who threw himself on his knees before him, 
 and with many tears besought him to give in his adherence to the 
 famous councils of Clarendon.;]; 
 
 * Et paulo post rex Angliae fecit Henricum filium suum desponsaie M argaritam filiam 
 regis Francia;, cum adhuc essent pueruli in cunis vagientes ; videntibus et consentientibiis 
 Roberto de Pirou et Toster de Sancto Homero et Ricardo de Hastinges, Templariis, qm 
 custodiebant prsefata castella, et statim tradiderunt ilia castella regi Angliae, unde rex 
 Francise plurimum iratus fugavit illos tres Templarios de regno Francise, quosrex Angliae 
 benigne suscipiens, multis ditavit honoribus. — Rog. Hoveden, script, post Bedam, p. 492. 
 GuUielmi Neubriffiensis hist. lib. ii. cap. 4, apud Hearne. 
 
 t Life of Henry II. torn. iv. p. 203. 
 
 X lb. torn. ii. p. 356. Hist. quad. p. 38. Hoveden, 453. Chron. Gervasii, p. 1386, 
 apud X serijjt.
 
 THE KNIOHTS TEMPLARS. Ill 
 
 Richard de Hastings was succeeded by Richard Mallebeench, 
 who confirmed a treaty of peace and concord which had been 
 entered into between his predecessor and the abbot of Kirkested ;* 
 and the next Master of the Temple appears to have been Geoffrey 
 son of Stephen, who received the Patriarch Heraclius as his guest 
 at the new Temple on the occasion of the consecration of the 
 Temple church, He styles himself " Ministei' of the soldiery of 
 the Temple in England." f 
 
 In consequence of the high estimation in which the Templars 
 were held, and the privilege of sanctuary enjoyed by them, the 
 Temple at London came to be made " a storehouse of treasure." 
 The wealth of the king, the nobles, the bishops, and of the rich 
 burghers of London, was generally deposited therein, under tlie 
 safeguard and protection of the military friars.:|: The money 
 collected in the churches and chapels for the succour of the Holy 
 Land was also paid into the treasury of the Temple, to be for- 
 warded to its destination : and the treasurer was at different times 
 authorised to receive the taxes imposed upon the moveables of 
 the ecclesiastics, also the large sums of money extorted by the 
 rapacious popes from the English clergy, and the annuities 
 granted by the king to the nobles of the kingdom. § The money 
 and jewels of Hubert de Burgh, earl of Kent, the chief jus- 
 ticiary, and at one time governor of the king and kingdom of 
 
 * Ricardus IMallebeench, magister omnium pauperum militum et fratrum Templi 
 Salomonis in Anglia, &c. . . . Confirmavimus pacem et concordiam quam Ricardus de 
 Hastings fecit cum Waltero abbate de Kirkested. — Lansdown MS. 207 E., fol. 467. 
 
 t Gaufridus, filius Stephani, militiae Templi in Anglia Minister, assensu totius 
 capituli nostri dedi, &c., totum illud tenementum in villa de Scamtrun quod Emma uxor 
 Walteri Camerarii tenet de domo nostra, &c. lb. fol. 201. 
 
 X Post. 
 
 § The money is ordered to be paid " dilecto iilio nostro Thcsaurario domus militiae 
 Templi Londonien." Acta liymeri, torn. i. p. '142, 4, 5. Wilkins Concilia, torn. ii. 
 p. 230.
 
 112 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 England, were deposited in the Temple, and when that nobleman 
 was disgraced and committed to the Tower, the king attempted 
 to lay hold of the treasure. 
 
 Matthew Paris gives the following curious account of the 
 affair : 
 
 " It was suggested," says he, " to the king, that Hubert had 
 no small amount of treasure deposited in the New Temple, under 
 the custody of the Templars. The king, accordingly, summoning 
 to his presence the Master of the Temple, briefly demanded of 
 him if it was so. He indeed, not daring to deny the truth to the 
 king, confessed that he had money of the said Hubert, which 
 had been confidentially committed to the keeping of himself and 
 his brethren, but of the quantity and amount thereof he was 
 altogether ignorant. Then the king endeavoured with threats to 
 obtain from the brethren the surrender to him of the aforesaid 
 money, asserting that it had been fraudulently subtracted from 
 his treasury. But they answered to the king, that money confided 
 to them in trust they woidd deliver to no man ivithout the permission 
 of him who had intrusted it to he kept in the Temple. And the 
 king, since the above-mentioned money had been placed under 
 their ])rotection, ventured not to take it by force. He sent, 
 therefore, the treasurer of his court, with his justices of the 
 Exchequer, to Hubert, who had already been placed in fetters in 
 the Tower of London, that they might exact from him an assign- 
 ment of the entire sum to the king. But when these messengers 
 had explained to Hubert the object of their coming, he imme- 
 diately answered that he would submit himself and all belonging 
 to him to the good pleasure of his sovereign. He therefore 
 petitioned the brethren of the chivalry of the Temple that they 
 would, in his behalf, present all his keys to his lord the king, 
 that he might do what he pleased with the things deposited in 
 the Temple. This being done, the king ordered all that money.
 
 THE KNIfiHTS TEAIPLARS. 113 
 
 faithfully counted, to be placed in his treasury, and the amount 
 of all the things found to be reduced into writing and exhibited 
 before him. The king's clerks, indeed, and the treasurer acting 
 with them, found deposited in the Temple gold and silver vases 
 of inestimable price, and money and many precious gems, an 
 enumeration whereof would in truth astonish the hearers." * 
 
 The kings of England frequently resided in the Temple, and 
 so also did' the haughty legates of the Roman pontiffs, who there 
 made contributions in the name of the pope upon the English 
 bishoprics. Matthew Paris gives a lively account of the ex- 
 actions of the nuncio Martin, who resided for many years at the 
 Temple, and came there armed by the pope with powers such as 
 no legate had ever before possessed. " He made," says he, 
 " whilst residing at London in the New Temple, unheard of 
 extortions of money and valuables. He imperiously intimated to 
 the abbots and priors that they must send him rich presents, 
 desirable palfreys, sumptuous services for the table, and rich 
 clothing ; which being done, that same Martin sent back word 
 that the things sent were insufficient, and he commanded the 
 givers thereof to forward him better things, on pain of suspension 
 and excommunication.f 
 
 The convocations of the clergy and the great ecclesiastical 
 councils were frequently held at the Temple, and laws were there 
 made by the bishops and abbots for the government of the church 
 and monasteries in England. | 
 
 * Matt. Par. p. 381. 
 
 t Matt. Par. p. 253, 645. 
 
 + Wilkins, Concilia Magnaj Britannije, torn. ii. p. 19, 26, 93, 239, 253, 272,292.
 
 114 
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The Patriarch Heraclius quarrels with the king of England — He returns to 
 Palestine ^vithout succour — The disappointments and gloomy forebodings of 
 the Templars — They ]ire]iare to resist Saladin — Their defeat and slaughter — 
 Tlie valiant deeds of the Marshal of the Temple — The fatal battle of Tiberias 
 — ITie captivity of the Grand Master and the true Cross — The captive Tem- 
 plars are offered the Koran or death — ^They'choose the latter, and are beheaded 
 — The fall of Jerusalem — Tlie Moslems take possession of the Temple — They 
 purify it with rose-water, say prayers, and hear a sermon — The Templars 
 retire to Antioch — Their letters to the king of England and the Master of the 
 Temple at London — Their exploits at the siege of Acre. 
 
 " Gloriosa civitas Dei Jerasalem, iibi dominus passus, ubi sepultus, ubi gloriam 
 resurrectionis ostendit, hosti spurio subjicitur polluenda, nee est dolor sicut dolor iste, 
 cum sepulchriim possideant qui sepulchrum persequuntur, crucem teneant qui cruci- 
 fixum contemnunt." — The Lamentation of Geoffrey deVinisauf over the Fall of Jerusalem. 
 
 " The earth quakes and trembles because the king of heaven hath lost his land, the 
 land on wliich his feet once stood. The foes of the Lord break into his holy city, even 
 into that glorious tomb where the virgin blossom of Mary was wrapt up in linen and 
 spices, and where the first and greatest flower on earth rose up again." — St, Bernanh 
 epist. cccxxii. 
 
 The Grand Master, Arnold de Torroge, who died on his 
 journey to England, as before mentioned, was succeeded by 
 
 GERARD 
 
 DE 
 
 klDERFORT. 
 
 A. D. 1185. Brother Gerard de Riderfort.* 
 
 * Bernard Thesaitr. cap. 157, apud liliiratori script, rer. Ital. ]>. 1^2. Cotton 
 MS., Nero E. vi. p. CO, fol. 466.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 115 
 
 On the tenth of the calends of April, a month after the con- Gerard de 
 secration by the patriarch Heraclius of the Temple church, the a.'d^^T^ss! 
 grand council or parliament of the kingdom, composed of the 
 bishops, earls, and barons, assembled in the house of the Hos- 
 pitallers at Clerkenwell in London. It was attended by Wil- 
 liam king of Scotland and David his brother, and many of the 
 counts and barons of that distant land.* The august assembly 
 was acquainted, in the king's name, with the object of the solemn 
 embassy just sent to him from Jerusalem, and with the desire of 
 the royal penitent to fulfil his vow and perform his penance ; but 
 the barons were at the same time reminded of the old age of their 
 sovereign, of the bad state of his health, and of the necessity of 
 his presence in England. They accordingly represented to King- 
 Henry that the solemn oath taken by him on his coronation was 
 an obligation antecedent to the penance imposed on him by the 
 pope ; that by that oath he was bound to stay at home and govern 
 his dominions, and that, in their opinion, it was more wholesome 
 for the king's soul to defend his own country against the bar- 
 barous French, than to desert it for the purpose of protecting the 
 distant kingdom of Jerusalem. They, however, offered to raise 
 the sum of fifty thousand marks for the levying of troops to be 
 sent into Asia, and recommended that all such prelates and 
 nobles as desired to take the cross should be permitted freely to 
 leave the kingdom on so pious an enterprise.f 
 
 Fabian gives the following quaint account of the king's answer 
 to the patriarch, from the Chron. Joan Bromton : " Lasteley, 
 the kynge gaue answere, and sayde that he myghte not leue hys 
 lande wythoute kepynge, nor yet leue yt to the praye and rob- 
 bery of Frenchemen. But he wolde gyue largely of hys owne to 
 
 * Radulph de Dketo, ut sup. p. 626. Matt. Par. ad ann. i 1 85. 
 t Hoveden annal. apiul rer. Angl. script, post Bedam, p. 636, 637. 
 
 i2
 
 116 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 V 
 
 Geeard de such as wolde take upon theyiii that vyage. Wyth thys answere 
 
 RiDERFORT. , 
 
 A. D. U8.5. the patryarke was dyscontente, and sayde, ' We seke a man, ana 
 not money ; wehiere enery erysten regyon sendyth unto us 
 money, but no lande sendytli to us a prince. Therefore we aske a 
 prynee that nedetli money, and not money that nedeth a prynce.' 
 But the kynge layde for hym suche excuses, that tlie patryarke 
 departed from hym dyscontentyd and comforteless, whereof the 
 kynge beynge aduertysed, eutendynge somwhat to recomforte 
 hym wyth pleasaunte wordes, fokiwed hym unto the see syde. 
 But the more the kynge thouglit to satysfye hym wyth hys fayre 
 speche, the more the patryarke was discontented, in so mych" 
 that at the laste he sayde unto hym, ' Hytherto thou haste 
 reygned gloryously, but hei'e after thou shalt be forsaken of him 
 whom thou at tliys tyme forsakeste. Thynke on hym what he 
 hath gyuen to thee, and what thou haste yeklen to him agayne : 
 howe fyrste thou were false unto the kynge of Fraunce, and after 
 slewe that holy man Thomas of Caunterburye, and lastely thou 
 forsakeste the proteccyon of Crystes faith.' The kynge was 
 amoued wyth these wordes, and sayde unto the patryarke, 
 ' Though all the men of my lande were one bodye, and spake 
 with one mouth, they durste not speke to me such wordys,' 
 ' No wonder,* sayde the patriarke, ' for they loue thyne and not 
 the; that ys to meane, they loue thy goodes temporall, and fere 
 the for losse of promocyon, but they loue not thy soule.' And 
 when he hadde so sayde, he offeryd hys hedde to the kynge, 
 sayenge, ' Do by me ryghte as thou dyddest by that blessed man 
 Thomas of Caunterburye, for I had leur to be slayne of the, then 
 of the Sarasyns, for thou art worse than any Sarasyn.' But the 
 kynge kepte hys pacyence, and sayde, ' I may not wende oute 
 of my lande, for myne own sonnes wyll aryse agayne me whan I 
 were absente.' ' No wonder,' sayde the patryarke, ' for of the
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 117 
 
 deiiyll they come, and to the deuyll they shall go,' and so departyd Gerard de 
 from the kyiige in p-reat ire." * Uidkrfort, 
 
 •'Ob A. D. 1185. 
 
 According to Roger de Hoveden, however, the patriarch, on 
 the 17th of the calends of May, accompanied King Henry into 
 Normandy, where a conference was held between the sovereigns 
 of France and England concerning the proposed succour to the 
 Holy Land. Both monarchs were liberal in promises and fair 
 speeches ; but as nothing short of the presence of the king of 
 England, or of one of his sons, in Palestine, would satisfy the 
 patriarch, that haughty ecclesiastic failed in his negotiations, and 
 returned in disgust and disappointment to the Holy Land.-f- On 
 his arrival at Jerusalem with intelligence of his ill success, the 
 greatest consternation prevailed amongst the Latin christians ; 
 and it was generally observed that the true cross, which had been 
 recovered from the Persians by the Emperor Heraclius, was 
 about to be lost under the pontificate, and by the fault of a 
 patriarch of the same name. 
 
 A resident in Palestine has given us some curious biographical 
 
 • The above passage is almost literall}' translated from Abbot Bromton's Chronicle. 
 The Patriarch there saj's to the king, " Hactenus gloriose regnasti, sed amodo ipse te 
 deseret quern tu deseruisti. Recole quas domiiius tibi contulit, et qualia illi reddidisti ; 
 quomodo regi Francise infidus fuisti, beatum Thomam occidisti, et nunc proteetionem 
 Christianorum abjecisti. Cumque ad haec rex excandesceret, obtulit patriarcha caput 
 suum et coUum extensum, dicens, ' Fac de me quod de Thoma fecisti. Adeo iibenter 
 volo a te occidi in Anglia, sicut a Saracenis in Syria, quia tu omni Saraceno pejor es.' 
 Cui rex, ' Si omnes homines mei unum corpus essent, unoque ore loquerentur, talia mihi 
 dicere non auderent.' Cui ille, ' Non est mirum, quia tu et non te diligunt, pra-dam 
 etiam et non hominem sequitur turba ista,' ' Recedere non possum, quia filii mei 
 insurgerent in me absentem.' Cui ille, ' Nee mirum, quia de diabolo venerunt, et ad 
 diabolum ibunt.' Et sic demum patriarcha navem ascendens in Galliam reversus est." — 
 Chron. Joan. Dromton, abbatis Jornalensis, script. X. p. 1144, ad ann. 1185. 
 
 * Sed hcec omnia prsfatus Patriarcha parum pendebat, sperabat enim quod esset 
 reducturus secum ad defensionem lerosolymitana; terra? prafatura regem Anglias, vel 
 aliquem de filiis suis, vel aliquem virum magnse auctoritatis ; sed quia hoc esse non 
 potuit, repatriuturus dolens et confusus a curisi receaait. — Hoveden ut sup. p. 6o0.
 
 118 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Gerard de notices of this Avoi'thy consecrator of our Temple cliurch at 
 
 RlDERFORT. T 1 TT 1 1 11 1 • 
 
 A. D. 1105. London. He says that he was a very handsome parson, ana, in 
 
 consequence of his beauty, the mother of the king of Jerusalem 
 
 fell in love with him, and made him archbishop of Caesarea, (biau 
 
 clerc estoit, et par sa beaute I'araa la mere de roi, et le fist 
 
 arcevesque de Cesaire.) He then describes how he came to be 
 
 made patriarch, and how he was suspected to have poisoned the 
 
 archbishop of Tyre. After his return from Rome he fell in love 
 
 with the wife of a haberdasher who lived at Naplous, twelve 
 
 miles from Jerusalem. He went to see her very often, and, not 
 
 long- after the acquaintanceship commenced, the husband died. 
 
 Then the patriarch brought the lady to Jerusalem, and bought for 
 
 her a very fine stone house. " Le patriarche la fist venir en 
 
 Jerusalem, et li acheta bonne maison de pierre. Si la tenoit 
 
 voiant le siecle ausi com li hons fait sa fame, fors tant 
 
 que ele n'estoit mie avec lui. Quant ele aloit au mostier, 
 
 ele estoit ausi atornee de riches dras, com ce fust un em- 
 
 perris, et si seijant devant lui. Quant aucunes gens la veoient 
 
 qui ne la connoissoient pas, il demandoient qui cele dame 
 
 estoit. Cil qui la connoissoient, disoient que cestoit la fame 
 
 du patriarche. Ele avoit nom Pasque de Riveri. Enfans avoit 
 
 du patriarche, et les barons estoient, que la oil il se conseilloient, 
 
 vint un fol ou patriarche, si li dist ; ' Sire Patriarche, dones moi 
 
 bon don, car je vous aport bones novelles Pasque de Riveri, vostre 
 
 fame^ a line helejille!' " * " When Jesus Christ," says the learned 
 
 author, "saw the iniquity and wickedness which they committed 
 
 in the very place where he was crucified, he could no longer 
 
 suffer it." 
 
 The order of the Temple was at this period all-powerful in 
 
 * Contin. Hist. Bell. Sacr. a]^\id Martene, toni. v. col. 606. It appears from Mansi 
 that this valuable old chronicle, formerly attributed to Hugh riagon, is the original 
 French work of Bernard (he Treasurer.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAUS, 119 
 
 Palestine, and the Grand Master, Gerard de Riderfort, coerced cJerard de 
 Avitli the heavy hand of authority the nobles of the kingdom, and !^."D'"'iai' 
 even the king himself. Shortly after the return of Heraclius to 
 Palestine, King Baldwin IV. died, and was succeeded by his 
 infant nephew, Baldwin V., who was crowned in the church of 
 the Resurrection, and was afterwards royally entertained by the 
 Templars in the Temple of Solomon, according to ancient cus- 
 tom.* The young king died at Acre after a short reign of only 
 seven months, and the Templars brought the body to Jerusalem, 
 and buried it in the tombs of the christian kings. The Grand Mas- 
 ter of the Temple then raised Sibylla, the mother of the deceased 
 monarch, and her second husband, Guy of Lusignan, to the 
 throne. Gerard de Riderfort surrounded the palace with troops ; 
 he closed the gates of Jerusalem, and delivered the regalia to the 
 Patriarch. He then conducted Sibylla and her husband to the 
 church of the Resurrection, where they were both crowned by 
 Heraclius, and were afterwards entertained at dinner in the 
 Temple. Guy de Lusignan was a prince of handsome person, 
 but of such base renown, that his own brother Geoffrey Avas 
 heard to exclaim, " Since they have made Mm a king, surely they 
 would have made me a God !" These proceedings led to endless 
 discord and dissension ; Raymond, Count of Tripoli, withdrew 
 from court ; many of the barons refused to do homage, and the 
 state was torn by faction and dissension at a time when all the 
 energies of the population were required to defend the country 
 from the Moslems.^ 
 
 * Quand le roi avoit ofFert sa corone au Temple Dominus, si avaloit uns degrcs qui 
 sont dehors le Temple, et entroit en son pales au Temple de Salomon, ou li Templiers 
 manoient. La etoient les tables por mengier, ou le roi s'asseoit, et si baron et tuit cil qui 
 mengier voloient. — Contin. bell. sacr. apud Martene, tom. v. col. 586. 
 
 t Contin. hist, ut sup., col. 593, 4. Bernard. Tliesaiir, apud Muraiori script, rer. 
 Ital., tom. vii. cap. 147, col. 782, cap. 148, col. 173. Assizes de Jerusalem, cap. '2875 
 •288. Guill. Neubr. cai). 'iG.
 
 120 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Geraru de Saladin, on the other hand, had been carefully consolidating 
 A. n, iiiiG. and strengthening his power, and was vigorously preparing lor 
 the reconquest of the Holy City, the long-cherished enterprise of 
 the Mussulraen. The Arabian writers enthusiastically recount 
 his pious exhortations to the true believers, and describe with 
 vast enthusiasm liis glorious preparations for the holy war. 
 Bohadin F. Sjeddadi, his friend and secretary, and great biogra- 
 pher, before venturing upon the sublime task of describing his 
 famous and sacred actions, makes a solemn confession of faith, 
 and offers up praises to the one true God. 
 
 " Praise be to God," says he, " who hath blessed us with Islam, 
 and hath led us to the understanding of the true faith beautifully 
 put together, and hath befriended us ; and, through the interces- 
 sion of our prophet, hath loaded us with every blessing 
 
 " I bear witness that there is no God but that one great God 
 who hath no partner, (a testimony that will deliver our souls 
 from the smoky fire of hell,) that Mohammed is his servant and 
 apostle, who hath opened unto us the gates of the right road to 
 
 salvation " 
 
 " These solemn duties being performed, I will begin to write 
 concerning the victorious defender of the faith, the tamer of the 
 followers of the cross, the lifter up of the standard of justice and 
 equity, the saviour of the world and of religion, Saladin Abool- 
 modaffer Joseph, the son of Job, the son of Schadi, Sultan of the 
 Moslems, ay, and of Islam itself; the deliverer of the holy house 
 of God (the Temple) from the hands of the idolaters, the servant 
 of two holy cities, whose tomb may the Lord moisten with the 
 dew of his favour, affording to him the sweetness of the fruits of 
 the faith."* 
 
 On the 10th of May, a. d. 1187, Malek-el-Afdal, "Most 
 
 * Vita et res gestaj Saladiiii by Bohadin F. Sjeddadi, apiid SchuUens, ex. MS. Aral). 
 Tief.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 121 
 
 excellent prince," one of Salad in's sons, crossed the Jordan at the Gehard uk 
 head of seven thousand Mussulmen. The Grand Master of the a. d. ii87. 
 Temple immediately despatched messengers to the nearest con- 
 vents and castles of the order, commanding all such knights as 
 could be spared to mount and come to him with speed. At 
 midnight, ninety knights of the garrison of La Feue or Faba, 
 forty knights from the garrison of Nazareth, with many others 
 from the convent of Caco, were assembled around their chief, and 
 began their march at the head of the serving brothers and the 
 light cavalry of the order. They joined themselves to the Hos- 
 pitallers, rashly engaged the seven thousand Moslems, and were 
 cut to pieces in a bloody battle fought near the brook Kishon. 
 The Grand Master of the Temple and two knights broke through 
 the dense ranks of the Moslems, and made their escape. Roger 
 de Molines, the Grand Master of the Hospital, was left dead 
 upon the field, together with all the other brothers of the Hospital 
 and of the Temple. 
 
 Jacqueline de Mailly, the Marshal of the Temple, performed 
 prodigies of valour. He was mounted on a white horse, and 
 clothed in the white habit of his order, with the blood-red cross, 
 the symbol of martyrdom, on his breast; he became, through his 
 gallant bearing and demeanour, an object of respect and of ad- 
 miration even to the Moslems. He fought, say the writers of 
 the crusades, like a wild boar, sending on that day an amazing 
 number of infidels to hell ! The Mussulmen severed the heads 
 of the slaughtered Templars from their bodies, and attaching 
 them with cords to the points of their lances, they placed them 
 in front of their array, and marched off in the direction of 
 Tiberias.* 
 
 The following interesting account is given of the march of 
 
 * Cliroii. teirae Sanctre apud Marten*;, torn. v. col. 551. Hist. Hierosol. Gcst. Dei, 
 torn. i. pt. ii. p. 1150, 1. Geoffrey de Vinisauf.
 
 122 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAHS. 
 
 Gerard de another band of holy warriors, who, in obedience to the summons 
 A!°Drii87. o^ t^^ Grand Master of the Temple, were hastening to rally 
 around the sacred ensigns of their faith. 
 
 " When they had travelled two miles, they came to the city of 
 Saphet. It was a lovely morning, and they determined to march 
 no further until they had heard mass. They accordingly turned 
 towards the house of the bishop and awoke him up, and informed 
 him that the day was breaking. The bishop accordingly ordered 
 an old chaplain to put on his clothes and say mass, after which 
 they hastened forwards. Then they came to the castle of La 
 Feue, (a fortress of the Templars,) and there they found, outside 
 the castle, the tents of the convent of Caco pitched, and there was 
 no one to explain what it meant. A varlet was sent into the 
 castle to inquire, but he found no one within but two sick jaeople 
 who were unable to speak. Then they marched towards Naza- 
 reth, and after they had proceeded a short distance from the 
 castle of La Feue, they met a brother of the Temple on horse- 
 back, who galloped up to them at a furious rate, calling out, Bad 
 news, bad news ; and he informed them how that the Master of 
 the Hospital had had his head cut off, and how of all the brothers 
 of the Temjale there had escaped but three, the Master of the 
 Temple and two others, and that the knights whom the king had 
 placed in garrison at Nazareth, were all taken and killed."* 
 
 In the great battle of Tiberias or of Hittin, fought on the 4th 
 of July, which decided the fate of the holy city of Jerusalem, the 
 Templars were in the van of the Christian army, and led the 
 attack against the infidels. The march of Saladin's host, which 
 amounted to eighty thousand horse and foot, over the hilly 
 country, is compared by an Arabian writer, an eye-witness, to 
 mountains in movement, or to the vast waves of an agitated sea. 
 The same author speaks of the advance of the Templars against 
 
 * Contin. hist, bell, satr. ut sup., col. 5DD.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 123 
 
 them at early dawn in battle array, " horrible in arms, having GkUARn db 
 their whole bodies cased with triple mail." He compares the ^. „'. 11JJ7] 
 noise made by their advancing squadrons to the loud humming of 
 bees 1 and describes them as animated with " a flaming desire of 
 vengeance."* Saladin had behind him the lake of Tiberias, his 
 infantry was in the centre, and the swift cavalry of the desert 
 was stationed on either wing, under the comxaSindi o^ Fald-ed-deen 
 (teacher of religion.) The Templars rushed, we are told, like 
 lions upon the Moslem infidels, and nothing could withstand 
 their heavy and impetuous charge. " Never," says an Arabian 
 doctor of the law, " have I seen a bolder or more powerful army, 
 nor one more to be feared by the believers in the true faith." 
 
 Saladin set fire to the dry grass and dwarf shrubs which lay 
 between both armies, and the wind blew the smoke and the 
 flames directly into the faces of the military friars and their 
 horses. The fire, the noise, the gleaming weapons, and all the 
 accompaniments of the horrid scene, have given full scope to the 
 descriptive powers of the oriental writers. They compare it to 
 the last judgment ; the dust and the smoke obscured the face of 
 the sun, and the day was turned into night. Sometimes gleams 
 of light darted like the rapid lightning amid the throng of com- 
 batants ; then you might see the dense columns of armed warriors, 
 now immovable as mountains, and now sweeping swiftly across 
 the landscape like the rainy clouds over the face of heaven, 
 " The sons of paradise and the children of fire," say they, " then 
 decided their terrible quarrel ; the arrows rustled through the 
 air like the wings of innumerable sparrows, the sparks flew from 
 the coats of mail and the glancing sabres, and the blood spurting 
 forth from the bosom of the throng deluged the earth like the 
 
 rains of heaven." " The avenging sword of the true 
 
 believers was drawn forth against the infidels ; the faith of the 
 
 * Muhammcd F. Muhummed, N. Koreisr/. Ispahan, apud Schultens, p. 18.
 
 124 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 « 
 
 Gerard de UNITY was opposecl to the faith of the TRINITY, and speedy ruin, 
 aJ^d^^.'^iis?' desolation, and destruction, overtook the miserable sons of 
 baptism !" 
 
 The cowardly patriarch Heraclius, whose duty it was to bear 
 the holy cross in front of the christian array, confided his sacred 
 charge to the bishops of Ptolemais and Lydda,* — a circumstance 
 which gave rise to many gloomy forebodings amongst the super- 
 stitious soldiers of Christ. In consequence of the treachery, as it 
 is alleged, of the count of Tripoli, who fled from the field with 
 his retainers, both the Templars and Hospitallers were sur- 
 rounded, and were to a man killed or taken prisoners. The 
 bishop of Ptolemais was slain, the bishop of Lydda was made 
 captive, and the holy cross, together with the king of Jerusalem, 
 and the Grand Master of the Temple, fell into the hands of the 
 Saracens. " Quid plura ?" says Raduljjh, abbot of the monastery 
 of Coggleshale in Essex, who was then on a pilgrimage to the 
 Holy Land, and was wounded in the nose by an arrow. " Capta 
 est crux, et rex, et Magister militise Templi, et episcopus Lidden- 
 sis, et frater Regis, et Templarii, et Hospitalarii, et marchio de 
 Montferrac, atque omnes vel mortui vel capti sunt. Plangite super 
 hoc omnes adoratores crucis, et plorate ; sublatum est lignum 
 nostras salutis, dignum ab indignis indigne lieu ! lieu ! asporta- 
 tum, Vae mihi misero, quod in diebus miserse vitse mese talia 
 
 cogor videre O dulce lignum, et suave, sanguine filii 
 
 Dei roratum atque lavatum ! O crux alma, in qua salus nostra 
 pependit ! Sccf 
 
 "I saw," says the secretary and companion of Saladin, who 
 v.as present at this terrible fight, and is unable to restrain himself 
 from pitying the disasters of the vanquished — " I saw the moun- 
 
 * Radulph Coggleshale, an ej-e-witness, apud Martetie, torn. v. col 553. 
 t Chion. Terrae Sanctae, apud Martene, torn, v. col. 558 and 545. A most valuable 
 histoiy.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 125 
 
 tains and the plains, tlie hills and the valleys, covered with thrir GKRAnn hk 
 dead. I saw their fallen and deserted banners sullied with dust ^''^.'^nl^j;'. 
 and with blood. I saw their heads broken and battered, their 
 limbs scattered abroad, and the blackened corses piled one upon 
 another like the stones of the builders. I called to mind the 
 words of the Koran^ ' The infidel shall say. What am I but 
 
 dust?* I saw thirty or forty tied together by one cord. 
 
 I saw in one place, guarded by one Mussulman, two hundred of 
 these famous warriors gifted with amazing strength, who had but 
 just now walked forth amongst the mighty ; their proud bearing- 
 was gone ; they stood naked with downcast eyes, wretched and 
 
 miserable The lying infidels were now in the power of 
 
 the true believers. Their king and their cross were captured, 
 that cross before which they bow the head and bend the knee ; 
 which they bear aloft and worship with their eyes ; they say that 
 it is the identical wood to which the God whom they adore was 
 fastened. They had adorned it with fine gold and brilliant 
 stones ; they carried it before their armies ; they all bowed towards 
 it with respect. It was their first duty to defend it ; and he who 
 should desert it would never enjoy peace of mind. The capture 
 of this cross was more grievous to them than the captivity of 
 their king. Nothing can compensate them for the loss of it. 
 It was their God ; they prostrated themselves in the dust before 
 it, and sang hymns when it was raised aloft!"* 
 
 Among the few christian warriors who escaped from this terri- 
 ble encounter, was the Grand Master of the Hospital ; he clove 
 his way from the field of battle, and reached Ascalon in safety, 
 but died of his wounds the day after his arrival. The multitude 
 of captives was enormous, cords could not be found to bind them, 
 the tent-ropes were all used for the purpose, but were insufticient, 
 
 * Omad'eddin Kateb-Abou-hamed-Mohamed-Benhamed, one of Saladin's secrctariea. 
 Extraits Arabes, par M. Michaud.
 
 126 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Gerard de and the Arabian writers tell us that, on seeing the dead, one 
 
 RiDERFORT. . 
 
 A. D. 1187. would have thought that there could be no prisoners, and on 
 seeing the prisoners, that there could be no dead. As soon as 
 the battle was over, Saladin proceeded to a tent, whither, in obe- 
 dience to his commands, the king of Jerusalem, the Grand 
 Master of the Temple, and Reginald de Chatillon, had been 
 conducted. This last nobleman had greatly distinguished himself 
 in various daring expeditions against the caravans of pilgrims 
 travelling to Mecca, and had become on that account particularly- 
 obnoxious to the pious Saladin. The sultan, on entering the 
 tent, ordered a bowl of sherbet, the sacred pledge amongst the 
 Arabs of hospitality and security, to be presented to the fallen 
 monarch of Jerusalem, and to the Grand Master of the Temple ; 
 but when Reginald de Chatillon would have drunk thereof, 
 Saladin prevented him, and reproaching the christian nobleman 
 with perfidy and impiety, he commanded him instantly to ac- 
 knowledge the prophet whom he had blasphemed, or be prepared 
 to meet the death he had so often deserved. On Reginald's 
 refusal, Saladin struck him with his scimitar, and he was imme- 
 diately despatched by the guards.* 
 
 Bohadin, Saladin's friend and secretary, an eye-witness of the 
 scene, gives the following account of it : " Then Saladin told the 
 interpreter to say thus to the king, ' It is thou, not I, who 
 givest drink to this man !' Then the sultan sat down at the 
 entrance of the tent, and they brought Prince Reginald before 
 him, and after refreshing the man's memory, Saladin said to him, 
 ' Now then, I myself will act the part of the defender of Moham- 
 med !' He then offered the man the Mohammedan faith, but he 
 refused it ; then the king struck him on the shoulder with a 
 drawn scimitar, which was a hint to those that were present to do 
 
 * Contin. hist. bell. sacr. apud Martene, torn. v. col. 608. Bernard. Thesaur, apud 
 Murntori script, rer. Ital., cap. 4G. col. 791.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAIJS. 127 
 
 for him ; so they sent his soul to hell, and cast out his body before Oerard or 
 
 UniKRFORT. 
 
 the tent-door !* a. d. iii!7. 
 
 Two days afterwards Saladin proceeded in cold blood to enact 
 the grand concluding tragedy. The warlike monks of the 
 Temple and of the Hospital, the bravest and most zealous de- 
 fenders of the christian faith, were, of all the warriors of the cross, 
 the most obnoxious to zealous Mussulmen, and it was determined 
 that .death or conversion to Mahometanism should be the portion 
 of every captive of either order, excepting the Grand Master of 
 the Temple, for whom it was expected a heavy ransom would be 
 given. Accordingly, on the christian Sabbath, at the hour of 
 sunset, the appointed time of prayer, the Moslems were drawn 
 up in battle array under their respective leaders. The Mamlook 
 emirs stood in two ranks clothed in yellow, and, at the sound of 
 the holy trumpet, all the captive knig-hts of the Temple and of 
 the Hospital were led on to the eminence above Tiberias, in full 
 view of the beautiful lake of Gennesareth, whose bold and moun- 
 tainous shores had been the scene of so many of their Saviour's 
 miracles. There, as the last rays of the sun were fading away 
 from the mountain tops, they were called upon to deny him who 
 had been crucified, to choose God for their Lord, Islam for their 
 faith, Mecca for their temple, the Moslems for their brethren, 
 and Mahomet for their prophet. To a man they refused, and 
 were all decapitated in the presence of Saladin by the devout 
 zealots of his army, and the doctors and expounders of the law. 
 An oriental historian, who was present, says that Saladin sat with 
 a smiling countenance viewing the execution, and that some of 
 the executioners cut off the heads with a degree of dexterity that 
 excited great applause.f " Oh," says Omad'eddin Muhammed, 
 
 * Bohauiti, cap. 35. Abuffeda. Abulpharag. 
 
 + Omad''eddin Kateb, in his book called Fatah, celebrates the above exploits of Sala- 
 din. Extraits Arabes, Michaud. Radnljih Coggleshale,Chron. Terr. Saiict. apud Mar-
 
 128 
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Gerard dk " how beautiful an ornament is the blood of tlie infidels sprinkled 
 
 RiDERFORT. 1 /. 11 
 
 A. D. 1187. over the followers of the faith and the true religion !" 
 
 If the Mussulmen displayed a becoming zeal in the decapi- 
 tation and annihilation of the infidel Templars, these last mani- 
 fested a no less praiseworthy eagerness for martyrdom by the 
 swords of the unbelieving Moslems. The Knight Templar, 
 Brother Nicolas, strove vigorously, we are told, with his com- 
 panions to be the first to suffer, and with great difficulty accom- 
 plished his purpose.* It was believed by the Chi'istians, in 
 accordance with the superstitious ideas of those times, that 
 heaven testified its approbation by a visible sign, and that for 
 three nights, during which the bodies of the Templars remained 
 unburied on the field, celestial rays of light played around the 
 corpses of those holy martyrs. -f- 
 
 The government of the order of the Temple, in consequence of 
 the captivity of the Grand Master, devolved upon the Grand 
 Preceptor of the kingdom of Jerusalem, who addressed letters 
 to all the brethren in the West, imploring instant aid and assist- 
 ance. One of these letters was duly received by Brother Geoffi-ey, 
 Master of the Temple at London, as follows : — 
 
 " Brother Terric, Grand Preceptor of the poor house of the 
 Temple, and every poor brother, and the whole convent, now, 
 alas ! almost annihilated, to all the preceptors and brothers of 
 the Temple to whom these letters may come, salvation through 
 him to whom our fervent aspirations are addressed, through him 
 who causeth the sun and the moon to reign marvellous." 
 
 tene, torn. v. col. 553 to 559. Bohadin, p. 70. Jac. de Vitr. cap. xciv. Gnil. Neubr. 
 apud Heame, torn. i. lib. iii. cap. 17, 18. Chron. Gervasii, apud X. script, col. 1502. 
 Abulfeda, cap. 27. Ahulpharag. Chron. Syr. p. 399, 401, 402. Khondemir. Ben- 
 Schunah. 
 
 * Geoffrey de Vinisauf apud Gale, script. Antiq. Anglic, p. 15, " O zelus fidei ! O 
 fervor animi !" says that admiring historian, cap. xv. p. 251. 
 
 •}• Geoffrey de Vinisauf, ut sup. cap. v. p. 251.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 129 
 
 " The many and great calamities wherewith the anger of God, GKti.vun dk 
 excited by our manifold sins, hath just now permitted us to be a. ». iii;7. 
 afflicted, we cannot for grief unfold to you, neither by letters nor 
 by our sobbing speech. The infidel chiefs having collected toge- 
 ther a vast number of their people, fiercely invaded our christian 
 territories, and we, assembling our battalions, hastened to Tiberias 
 to arrest their march. The enemy having hemmed us in among 
 barren rocks, fiercely attacked us ; the holy cross and the king 
 himself fell into the hands of the infidels, the whole army was 
 cut to pieces, two hundred and thirty of our knights were be- 
 headed, without reckoning the sixty who were killed on the 1st 
 of May. The Lord Reginald of Sidon, the Lord Ballovius, and 
 we ourselves, escaped with vast difficulty from that miserable 
 field. The Pagans, drunk with the blood of our Christians, then 
 inarched with their whole army against the city of Acre, and took 
 it by storm. The city of Tyre is at present fiercely besieged, and 
 neither by night nor by day do the infidels discontinue their 
 furious assaults. So great is the multitude of them, that they 
 cover like ants the whole face of the country from Tyre to Jeru- 
 salem, and even unto Gaza. The holy city of Jerusalem, Ascalon, 
 and Tyre, and Beyrout, are alone left to us and to the christian 
 cause, and the garrisons and the chief inhabitants of these places, 
 having perished in the battle of Tiberias, we have no hope of re- 
 tainino; them without succour from heaven and instant assistance 
 from yourselves." * 
 
 Saladin, on the other hand, sent triumphant letters to the 
 caliph. " God and his angels," says he, " have mercifully suc- 
 coured Islam. The infidels have been sent to feed the fires of 
 hell ! The cross is fallen into our hands, around which they 
 
 * Epistola Terrici Praeceptoris Templi de captione terrte Jerosolyniitano;, Hoveden 
 annal. apud icr. Aiigl. script, post Bedam, p. fi3C, 637. Chron. Gervas. ib. col. 1502. 
 Radulphde Diceto, apiid X. script, col. 635. 
 
 K
 
 130 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Cerard de fluttered like the moth round a light ; under whose shadow they 
 
 TvIDKRKORT 
 
 A, D. 1187. assembled, in which they boldly trusted as in a wall ; the cross, 
 the centre and leader of their pride, their superstition, and their 
 tyranny." . . .* 
 
 After the conquest of between thirty and forty cities and 
 castles, many of which belonged to the order of the Temple, 
 Saladin laid siege to the holy city. On the 20th of September 
 the Mussulman army encamped on the west of the town, and 
 extended itself from the towerof David to the gate of St. Stephen. 
 Tlie Temple could no longer furnish its brave warriors for the 
 defence of the holy sanctuary of tlie Christians ; two miserable 
 knights, with a few serving brethren, alone remained in its now 
 silent halls and deserted courts. 
 
 After a siege of fourteen days, a breach was effected in the 
 walls, and ten banners of the prophet waved in triumph on the 
 ramparts. In the morning a barefoot procession of the queen, 
 the women, and the monks and priests, was made to the holy 
 sepulchre, to implore the Son of God to save his tomb and his 
 inheritance from impious violation. The females, as a mark of 
 humility and distress, cut off their hair and cast it to the winds ; 
 and the ladies of Jerusalem made their daughters do penance by 
 standing up to their necks in tubs of cold water placed upon 
 Mount Calvaj'y. But it availed nought ; " for our Lord Jesus 
 Christ," says a Syrian Frank, " would not listen to any prayer 
 that they made ; for the filth, the luxury, and the adultery which 
 prevailed in the city, did not suffer prayer or supplication to 
 ascend before God." -f- 
 
 * Saladin's letter to the caliph Nassir Deldin-Illah Aboul Abbas Ahmed. — Michaud, 
 Extraits Arabes. 
 
 -f- Les dames de Jerusalem firent prendre ciives et mettre en la place devant le monte 
 Cauviaire, et emplir d''eue froide, et firent lors filles entrer jusqu'au col, et couper lor 
 treices et jetcr Ics. — Contin. hist. bell. sacr. apud Martene, tom. v. col. 615.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 131 
 
 On the surrender of the city (October 2, a, d. 1187) the Gerakd d:-: 
 Moslems rushed to the Temple in thousands. " The Imauns and ^'ul^'mT.' 
 the doctors and expounders of the wicked errors of Maliomet," 
 says Abbot Coggleshale, who was then in Jerusalem sufferino- 
 from a wound which he had received during- the siege, " first 
 ascended to the Temple of the Lord, called by the infidels Beit 
 Allah, (the house of God,) in which, as a place of prayer and 
 religion, they place their great hope of salvation. With horrible 
 bello wings they proclaimed the law of Mahomet, and vociferated, 
 with polluted lips, Allah Achar — Allah Achar, (God is vic- 
 torious.) They defiled all the places that are contained within 
 the Temple; i. e. the place of the presentation, where the 
 mother and glorious virgin Mary delivered the Son of God into 
 the hands of the just Simeon ; and the place of the confession, 
 looking towards the porch of Solomon, where the Lord judged 
 the woman taken in adultery. They placed guards that no 
 Christian might enter within the seven atria of the Temple ; and 
 as a disgrace to the Christians, with vast clamour, with laughter 
 and mocker}^ they hurled down the golden cross from the pin- 
 nacle of the building, and dragged it with ropes throughout the 
 city, amid the exulting shouts of the infidels and the tears and 
 lamentations of the followers of Christ." * 
 
 When every Christian had been removed from the precincts of 
 the Temple, Saladin proceeded with vast pomp to say his prayers 
 in the Beit Allah, the holy house of God, or " Temple of the 
 Lord," erected by the Caliph Omar.f He was preceded by five 
 camels laden with rose-water, which he had procured from 
 
 * Chron. Teriaa Sanctse, Radulphi Coggeshale, apiul Martene, torn. v. col. 57"2, 573 ; 
 flentibus christianis, crines et vestes rumpcntibus, pectora ct capita tundcntibus, says 
 the worthy abbot. 
 
 f See ante, p. 0". 
 
 K 2
 
 132 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Gkrard nic Damascus*' and he entered the sacred courts to the sound of 
 a^.'d!^YujT.' martial music, and with his banners streaming- in the wind. The 
 Beit Allah, " the Temple of the Lord," was then again con- 
 secrated to the service of one God and his prophet Mahomet ; 
 the walls and pavements were washed and purified with rose- 
 water ; and a pulpit, the labour of Noureddin, was erected in the 
 sanctuary .t The following account of these transactions was for- 
 warded to Henry the Second, king of England. 
 
 " To the beloved Lord Henry, by the grace of God, the illus- 
 trious king of the English, duke of Normandy and Guienne, 
 and count of Anjou, Brother Terric, formerly Grand Preceptor 
 of the house of the Temple at Jerusalem, sendeth greeting, — 
 salvation through him who saveth kings. 
 
 " Know that Jerusalem, with the citadel of David, hath been 
 surrendered to Saladin. The Syrian Christians, however, have 
 the custody of the holy sepulchre up to the fourth day after 
 Michaelmas, and Saladin himself hath permitted ten of the 
 brethren of the Hospital to remain in the house of the hospital 
 
 for the space of one year, to take care of the sick 
 
 Jerusalem, alas, hath fallen ; Saladin hath caused the cross to 
 be thrown down from the summit of the Temple of the Lord, and 
 for two days to be publicly kicked and dragged in the dirt 
 through the city. He then caused the Temple of the Lord to be 
 washed within and without, upwards and downwards, with rose- 
 water, and the law of Mahomet to be proclaimed throughout the 
 four quarters of the Temple with wonderful clamour. . . ." ± 
 
 Bohadin, Saladin's secretary, mentions as a remarkable and 
 
 * Saladin ot mande a Damas por eue rose asses por le Temple laver . . . il avoit 
 quatre chamiex ou cinq tous chargies. — Contin. hist. Bell. Sacr. col. 621. 
 
 + Bohadin, cap. xxxvi, and the extracts from Abulfeda, apud Schultens, cap. xxvii. 
 p. 42, 43. Ib''n Alatsyr, Michaud, Extraits Arabes. 
 
 J Hoveden. annal. apud rer. Angl. script, post Bedam, p. 645, 646.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 133 
 
 happy circumstance, that the holy city was surrendered to the Gkrard ok 
 sultan of most pious memory, and that God restored to the ^, in'*! j'l!?', 
 faithful their sanctuary on the twenty-seventh of the month 
 Regeb, on the night of which very day their most glorious 
 projjhet Mahomet performed his wonderful nocturnal journey 
 from the Temple, through the seven heavens, to the throne of 
 God. He also describes the sacred congregation of the Mussul- 
 man gathered together in the Temple and the solemn prayer 
 offered up to God ; the shouting and the sounds of applause, and 
 the voices lifted up to heaven, causing the holy buildings to 
 resound with thanks and praises to the most bountiful Lord God. 
 He glories in the casting down of the golden cross, and exults in 
 the very splendid triumph of Islam,* 
 
 Saladin restored the sacred area of the Temple to its original 
 condition under the first Mussulman conquerors of Jerusalem. 
 The ancient christian church of the Virgin (otherwise the mosque 
 Al Acsa, otherwise the Temple of Solomon) was washed with 
 rose-water, and was once again dedicated to the religious services 
 of the Moslems. On the western side of this venerable edifice 
 the Templars had erected, according to the Arabian writers, an 
 immense building in which they lodged, together with granaries 
 of corn and various ofiices, which enclosed and concealed a great 
 portion of the edifice. Most of these were pulled down by the 
 sultan to make a clear and open area for the resort of the Mus- 
 sulmen to prayer. Some new erections placed between the 
 columns in the interior of the structure were taken away, and the 
 fioor was covered with the richest carpets. " Lamps innu- 
 merable," says Ibn Alatsyr, " were suspended from the ceiling ; 
 ve^-ses of the Koran were again inscribed on the walls ; the call 
 to prayer was again heard ; the bells were silenced ; the exiled 
 faith returned to its ancient sanctuary; the devout Mussulmen 
 
 * Bohadin ;ipud ScltiiUeiis, cap. xx.wi.
 
 134 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 GiKARD TIE again bent the knee in adoration of the one only God, and the 
 a' d!' Tw. voice of the imaun was again heard from the pulpit, reminding 
 the true believers of the resurrection and the last judg- 
 ment."* 
 
 The Friday after the surrender of the city, the army of Saladin 
 and crowds of true believers, who had flocked to Jerusalem from 
 all parts of the East, assembled in the Temple of the Lord to 
 assist in the religious services of the Mussulman sabbath. Omad, 
 Saladin's secretary, who was jjresent, gives the following in- 
 teresting account of the ceremony, and of the sermon that was 
 preached. " On Friday morning at daybreak," says he, " every 
 body was asking whom the sultan had appointed to preach. The 
 Temple was full ; the congregation was impatient ; all eyes were 
 fixed on the pulpit ; the ears were on the stretch ; our hearts beat 
 fast, and tears trickled down our faces. On all sides were to be 
 heard rapturous exclamations of ' What a glorious sight ! What 
 a. congregation ! Happy are those who have lived to see the 
 resurrection of IslaniJ At length the sultan ordered the judge 
 (doctor of the law) Mohieddin Aboulmehali- Mohammed to fulfil 
 the sacred function of imaun. I immediately lent him the black 
 vestment which I had received as a present from the caliph. He 
 then mounted into the pulpit and spoke. All were hushed. His 
 expressions were graceful and easy; and his discourse eloquent 
 and much admired. He spake of the virtue and the sanctity of 
 Jerusalem, of the purification of the Temple ; he alluded to the 
 silence of the bells, and to the flight of the infidel priests. In his 
 prayer he named the caliph and the sultan, and terminated his 
 discourse with that chapter of the Koran in which God orders 
 justice and good works. He then descended fi'oni the pulpit, 
 
 * Ibn-Alalsyr, hist. Arab, and the RaoudJiaiein, or " the two gardens." JMichuud, 
 Extraits Arabes. Excerpta ex Ahulfedu apud Schultens, cap. xxvii. p. 43. Wilkcn 
 Comment. Abulfed. liist. p. 1 18,
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 135 
 
 and prayed in the Mihrali. Immediately afterwards a sermon Gf.rarh dk 
 was preached betore the congregation. * a. «. ii«7. 
 
 This sermon was delivered by Mohammed Ben Zeky. " Praise 
 be to God," saith the preacher, " who by the power of his might 
 hath raised np Islamism on the ruins of Polytlieism; wlio governs 
 all things according to his will ; who overthroweth the devices of 
 
 the infidels, and causeth the truth to triumjih I praise 
 
 God, who hath succoured his elect ; who hath rendered them vic- 
 torious and crowned them with glory, who hath purified his holy 
 
 house from the filthiness of idolatry I bear witness that 
 
 there is no God but that one great God who standeth alone and 
 hath no partner ; sole, supreme, eternal ; who begetteth not • 
 
 and is not begotten, and hath no equal. I bear witness 
 that Mahomet is his servant, his envoy, and his prophet, who 
 hath dissipated doubts, confounded polytheism, and put down 
 LIES, (fee 
 
 " O men, declare ye the blessings of God, who hath restored to 
 you this holy city, after it has been left in the power of the 
 
 infidels for a hundred years This holy house of the Lord 
 
 hath been built, and its foundations have been established, for the 
 
 glory of God This sacred spot is the dwelling place of the 
 
 prophets, the kebla, (place of prayer,) towards which you turn at 
 the commencement of your religious duties, the birth-place of the 
 saints, the scene of the revelation. It is thrice holy, for the 
 angels of God spread their wings over it. This is that blessed 
 land of which God hath spoken in his sacred book. In this 
 house of prayer, Mahomet prayed with the angels who approach 
 God. It is to this spot that all fingers are turned after the two 
 holy places This conquest, O men, hath opened unto you 
 
 * OmadVildin Katcb. — Michauil, Extiaits Arahes.
 
 136 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAHS. 
 
 GtKAiiD DE tlie gates of heaven ; the angels rejoice, and the eyes of the 
 
 RlIIERl-OHT. • 1 • Ij y 
 
 A. I). nf!7. prophets glisten with joy * 
 
 Omad informs us that the marble altar and chapel which had 
 been erected over the sacred rock in the Temple of the Lord, or 
 mosque of Omar, was removed by Saladin, together with the 
 stalls for the priests, the marble statues, and all the abominations 
 which had been placed in the venerated building by the Christians. 
 The Mussulmen discovered with horror that some pieces of the 
 holy stone or rock had been cut off by the Franks, and sent to 
 Europe. Saladin caused it to be immediately surrounded by a 
 grate of iron. He washed it with rose-water and Malek-Afdal 
 % covered it with magnificent carpets. f 
 
 After the conquest of the holy city, and the loss of the Temple 
 at Jerusalem, the Knights Templars established the chief house 
 of tjieir order at Antioch, to which place they retired with Queen 
 Sibylla, the barons of the kingdom, and the patriarch Hera- 
 clius.;}: 
 
 The follovv'ing account of the condition of the few remaining 
 christian possessions immediately after the conquest of Jerusalem, 
 was conveyed by the before-mentioned Brother Terric, Grand 
 Preceptor of the Temple, and Treasurer General of the order, to 
 Henry the Second, king of England. 
 
 " The brothers of the hospital of Belvoir as yet bravely resist 
 the Saracens ; they have captured two convoys, and have 
 valiantly possessed themselves of the munitions of war and pro- 
 visions which were being conveyed by the Saracens from the 
 fortress of La Feue. As yet, also, Carach, in the neighbour- 
 bourhood of Mount Royal, Mount Royal itself, the Temple of 
 
 * Khotbeh, or sermon of Mohammed Ben Zeky. — Michaud, Extraits Aiabcs. 
 
 + See the account of this remarkable stone, ante p. 7, 8. 
 
 + Ilial. llicrosoh Gcbta Dei per Francos, tom. i. pt. ii. p. 11 j5.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 137 
 
 Saphet, the hospital of Carach, Margat, and Castellum Blancuni, Gerard dk 
 and the territory of Tripoli, and the territory of Antioch, resist a/d!*Ti88',* 
 
 Saladin From the feast of Saint Martin up to that of the 
 
 circumcision of the Lord, Saladin hath besieged Tyre incessantly, 
 by night and by day, throwing into it immense stones from 
 thirteen military engines. On the vigils of St. Silvester, the 
 Lord Conrad, the Marquis of Montferrat, distributed knights 
 and foot soldiers along the wall of the city, and having armed 
 seventeen galleys and ten small vessels, with the assistance of the 
 house of the Hospital and the brethren of the Temple, he engaged 
 the galleys of Saladin, and vanquishing them he captured eleven, 
 and took prisoners the great admiral of Alexandria and eight 
 other admirals, a multitude of the infidels being slain. The rest 
 of the Mussulman galleys, escaping the hands of the Christians, 
 fled to the army of Saladin, and being run aground by his com- 
 mand, were set on fire and burnt to ashes. Saladin himself, 
 overwhelmed with grief, having cut off the ears and the tail of his 
 horse, rode that same horse through his whole army in the sight 
 of all. Farewell !" * 
 
 Tyre was valiantly defended against all the efforts of Saladin 
 until the winter had set in, and then the disappointed sultan, 
 despairing of taking the place, burnt his military engines and 
 retired to Damascus. In the mean time, negotiations had been 
 set on foot for the release from captivity of Guy king of Jeru- 
 salem, and Gerard de Riderfort, the Grand Master of the 
 Temple. No less than eleven of the most important of the cities 
 and castles remaining to the Christians in Palestine, including 
 Ascalon, Gaza, Jaffa, and Naplous, were yielded up to Saladin 
 by way of ransom for these illustrious personages ; and at the 
 commencement of the year 1188, the Grand Master of the 
 
 * Jlouc'lcn ut SLii>. [). 646. Sclmhal/cddin in the Riioudhiitciu. — Michawl.
 
 138 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Gerard de Temple again appeared in arms at the head of the remaining 
 
 Rider FORT. ^ „ - i * 
 
 A.D. 1188. lorees oi the order.* 
 
 The torpid sensibility of Christendom had at this time been 
 aroused by the intelligence of the fall of Jerusalem, and of the 
 profanation of the holy places by the conquering infidels. Three 
 hundred knights and a considerable naval force were immediately 
 despatched from Sicily, and all the Templars of the West capable 
 of bearing arms hurried from their preceptories to the sea-ports 
 of the Mediterranean, and embarked for Palestine in the ships of 
 Genoa, Pisa, and Venice. The king of England forwarded a 
 large sum of money to the order for the defence of the city of 
 Tyre ; but as the siege had been raised before its arrival, and as 
 Conrad, the valiant defender of the place, claimed a title to the 
 throne of Jerusalem in opposition to Guy de Lusignan, the Gi'and 
 Master of the Temple refused to deliver the money into Conrad's 
 hands, in consequence whereof the latter wrote letters filled with 
 bitter complaints to King Henry and the archbishop of Canter- 
 bury.* 
 
 In the spring of the year 1189, the Grand Master of the 
 Temple marched out of Tyre at the head of the newly-arrived 
 brethren of the order, and, in conjunction with a large army of 
 crusaders, laid siege to Acre. The " victorious defender of the 
 faith, tamer of the followers of the cross," hastened to its relief, 
 and pitched his tents on the mountains of Carouba. 
 
 On the 4th of October, the newly-arrived warriors from 
 Europe, eager to signalize their prowess against the infidels, 
 marched out to attack Saladin's camp. The Grand Master of the 
 Temple, at the head of his knights and the forces of the order, 
 and a large body of European chivalry who had ranged them- 
 
 * Jac. de Vitr. cap. xcv. Vinhanf, apud XV script, p. 257. Trivet ad ann. 1188, 
 apud Hall, p. 93. 
 
 + Radulpli dc Dicelo ut sup. col. 042, f)4;3. Matt. Par. ad ann. 1188.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 139 
 
 selves under the banner of the Templars, formed a reserve. The GinAun dk 
 Moslem array was broken by the impetuous charge of the a. d. 1189. 
 soldiers of the cross, who jjenetrated to the imperial tent, and 
 then abandoned themselves to pillage. The infidels rallied, they 
 were led on by Saladin in person ; and the christian army would 
 have been annihilated but for the Templars. Firm and immov- 
 able, they presented, for the space of an hour, an unbroken 
 front to the advancing Moslems, and gave time for the dis- 
 comfited and panic-stricken crusaders to recover from their 
 terror and confusion ; but ere they had been rallied, and had 
 returned to the charge, the Grand Master of the Temple was 
 slain ; he fell pierced with arrows at the head of his knights ; the 
 seneschal of the order shared the same fate, and more than half 
 the Templars were numbered with the dead.* 
 
 To Gerard de Riderfort succeeded the Knight Templar, ^^'^"fn- 
 
 '^ *■ A. D. 1190. 
 
 Brother WALTER.f Never did the flame of enthusiasm burn 
 with fiercer or more destructive power than at this famous siege 
 of Acre. Nine pitched battles were fought, with various fortune, 
 in the neighbourhood of Mount Carmel, and during the first 
 year of the siege a hundred thousand Christians are computed to 
 have perished. The tents of the dead, however, were replenished 
 by-new comers from Europe ; the fleets of Saladin succoured the 
 town, the christian ships brought continual aid to the besiegers, 
 and the contest seemed interminable.! Saladin's exertions in the 
 cause of the prophet were incessant. The Arab authors compare 
 him to a mother wandering with desperation in search of her lost 
 child, to a lioness who has lost its young. " I saw him," says his 
 
 * Radulph Coggeshale, p. 574. Hist. Hierosol. apud Gesta Dei, torn. i. jars 2, 
 p. 1165. Radulph de Diceto lit sup, col. 649. Vinisut/f, cap. xxix. p. "270. 
 
 + Ducange Gloss, torn. vi. p. 1036. 
 
 + Geoffrey de Vinisauf, apud XV script, cap. xxxv. p. 427. Rad. Coggleshalc apud 
 Marlcnc, torn. v. col. 566, 567. Dohadiiu cap. 1. toe.
 
 1-iO THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Walter, secretary Bohadin, " in the fields of Acre afflicted with a most 
 cruel disease, with boils from the middle of his body to his knees, 
 so that he could not sit down, but only recline on his side when 
 he entered into his tent, yet he went about to the stations nearest 
 to the enemy, arranged his troops for battle, and rode about from 
 dawn till eve, now to the right wing, then to the left, and then 
 to the centre, patiently enduring the severity of his pain." .... 
 " O God," says his enthusiastic biographer, " thou knowest that 
 he put forth and lavishly expended all his energies and strength 
 towards the protection and the triumph of thy religion ; do thou 
 therefore, O Lord, have mercy upon him."* 
 
 At this famous siege died the Patriarch Heraclius.f 
 
 * Bohadin, cap. v. vi. t L'art de verif. torn. i. p 297.
 
 'IHK KNlfillTS TiaiPLAHS. 141 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Richard Coeur de' Lion joins the Templars before Acre — The city surrenders, 
 and the Templars establish the chief house of their order wathin it — Coeur de 
 Lion takes up his abode with them — He sells to them the island of Cyprus — 
 Tlie Templars form the van of his army — Their foraging expeditions and 
 great exploits — Coeur de Lion quits the Holy Land in the disguise of a 
 Knight Templar — The Templars build the Pilgrim's Castle in Palestine — ^The 
 state of the order in England — King John resides in the Temple at London — 
 Tlie barons come to him at that place, and demand Magna Charta — The 
 exploits of the Templars in Egypt — The letters of the Grand Master to the 
 Master of the Temple at London — Tlie Templars reconquer Jerusalem. 
 
 " Therefore, friends. 
 As far as to the sepulchre of Christ 
 (Whose soldier now under whose blessed cross 
 We are impressed and engag'd to fight,) 
 Forthwith a power of English shall wo levy. 
 Whose arms were moulded in their mother's womb. 
 To chase these pagans, in those holy fields. 
 Over whose acres walked those blessed feet, 
 Which, fourteen hundred years ago, were nail'd. 
 For our advantage, on the bitter cross." 
 
 In the mean time a third crusade had been preached in Eurojie. w.alter. 
 William, archbishop of Tyre, had proceeded to the courts of 
 France and England, and had represented in glowing colours the 
 miserable condition of Palestine, and the horrors and abomina- 
 tions which had been committed by the infidels in the holy city 
 
 7
 
 142 
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Walter. 
 A. D. 1191. 
 
 Robert de 
 
 Sable'. 
 A. D. 1191. 
 
 of Jerusalem. The English and French monarchs laid aside 
 their private animosities, and agreed to fight under the same 
 banner aaainst the infidels, and towards the close of the month 
 of May, in the second year of the siege of Acre, the royal fleets 
 of Philip Augustus and Richard Coeur de Lion floated in triumph 
 in the bay of Acre. At the period of the arrival of king Richard 
 the Templars had again lost their Grand Master, and Brother 
 Robert de Sable, or Sabloil, a valiant knight of the order, who 
 had commanded a division of the English fleet on the voyage out, 
 was placed at the head of the fraternity.* The proudest of the 
 nobility, and the most valiant of the chivalry of Europe, on their 
 arrival in Palestine, manifested an eager desire to fight under 
 the banner of the Temple. Many secular knights were permitted 
 by the Grand Master to take their station by the side of the 
 military friars, and even to wear the red cross on their breasts 
 whilst fighting in the ranks. 
 
 The Templars performed prodigies of valour ; " The name of 
 their reputation, and the fame of their sanctity," says James of 
 Vitry, bishop of Acre, " like a chamber of perfume sending forth 
 a sweet odour, was diffused throughout the entire world, and all 
 the congregation of the saints will recount their battles and glo- 
 rious triumph over the enemies of Christ, knights indeed from all 
 parts of the earth, dukes, and princes, after their example, casting 
 off' the shackles of the world, and renouncing the pomps and 
 vanities of this life and all the lusts of the flesh for Christ's sake, 
 hastened to join them, and to participate in their holy profession 
 and religion." t 
 
 On the morning of the twelfth of July, six weeks after the 
 arrival of the British fleet, the kings of England and France, the 
 
 * Hist, de la maison de Sable, liv. vi. chap. 5. p. 174, 175. Cotton MS. Nero, E. 
 vi. p. 60. folio 4G6, where he is called Robert de^ambell. L'art de Verif. p. 347. 
 t Jac, de Vitr. cap. 65.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 143 
 
 christian chieftains, and the Turkish emirs with their green Robf.ht de 
 banners, assembled in the tent of the Grand Master of the Tern- a. d. iiui. 
 pie, to treat of the surrender of Acre, and on the following day 
 the gates were thrown open to the exulting warriors of the cross. 
 The Templars took possession of three localities within the city 
 by the side of the sea, where they established their famous 
 Temple, which became from thenceforth the chief house of the 
 order. Richard Coeur de Lion, we are told, took up his abode 
 with the Templars, whilst Philip resided in the citadel.* 
 
 When the fiery monarch of England tore down the banner of 
 the duke of Austria from its staff and threw it into the ditch, it 
 was the Templars who, interposing between the indignant Ger- 
 mans and the haughty Britons, preserved the peace of the 
 christian army.f 
 
 During his voyage from Messina to Acre, King Richard had 
 revenged himself on Isaac Comnenus, the ruler of the island of 
 Cyprus, for the insult offered to the beautiful Berengaria, princess 
 of Navarre, his betrothed bride. The sovereign of England had 
 disembarked his troops, stormed the town of Limisso, and con- 
 quered the whole island ; and shortly after his arrival at Acre, 
 he sold it to the Templars for three hundred thousand livres 
 d'or.t 
 
 During the famous march of Richard Coeur de Lion from Acre 
 to Ascalon, the Templars generally led the van of the christian 
 army, and the Hospitallers brought up the rear.§ Saladin, at 
 
 * Le roi de France ot le chastel d'Acre, ot le fist garnir et le roi d'Angleterre se 
 herberja en la maison du Temple.— Con tin. Hist, bell. sacr. apud Martene, torn. v. col. 
 634. 
 
 t Chron. Oltonis a S. Blazio, c. 36. apud Scriptores Italicos, torn. vi. col. 892. 
 
 t Contin. Hist. bell. sacr. apud Martene, torn, v, col. 633. Trivet, ad. ann. 1191. 
 Chron. de S. Deriis, lib. ii. cap. 7. Vinisaitf, p. 328. 
 
 § Primariam aciem deducebant Templarii et ultimam Hospitalarii, quorum utrique 
 strenue agentes magnarum virtutum praetendebant imaginem. — Vinisaitf, cap. xii. p. 350.
 
 144 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLATES. 
 
 RomcRT DE the head of an immense force, exerted all his energies to oppose 
 A. ij. 1191 their progress, and the inarch to Jaffa formed a perpetual battle 
 of eleven days. On some occasions Coeur de Lion himself, at the 
 head of a chosen body of knights, led the van, and the Templars 
 were formed into a rear-guard.* They sustained immense loss, 
 particularly in horses, which last calamity, we are told, rendered 
 them nearly desperate.f 
 
 The Moslem as well as the christian writers speak with ad- 
 miration of the feats of heroism performed. " On the sixth day," 
 says Bohadin, " the sultan rose at dawn as usual, and heard from 
 his brother that the enemy were in motion. They had slept that 
 night in suitable places about Caesarea, and were now dressing 
 and taking their food. A second messenger announced that they 
 had begun their march ; our brazen drum was sounded, all were 
 alert, the sultan came out, and I accompanied him : he surrounded 
 them with chosen troops, and gave the signal for attack." .... 
 . . " Their foot soldiers were covered with thick-strung pieces of 
 cloth, fastened together with rings so as to resemble coats of mail. 
 I saw with my own eyes several who had not one nor two bat 
 ten darts sticking in their hacks ! and yet marched on with a calm 
 and cheerful step, without any trepidation !" :j; 
 
 Every exertion was made to sustain the courage and enthusiasm 
 of the christian warriors. When the army halted for the night, 
 and the soldiers were about to take their rest, a loud voice was 
 heard from the midst of the camp, exclaiming, " Assist the Holv 
 Sepulchre," which words were repeated by the leaders of the 
 host, and were echoed and re-echoed along their extended lines.§ 
 
 * Ibi rex prseordinaverat quod die sequent! primam aciem ipse deduceret, et quod 
 Templarii extremfe agminis agerent custodiam. — Vinisauf, cap. xiv. p. 351. 
 
 \ Deducendse extremse legioni praefuerant Templarii, qui tot equos ea die Turcis 
 irruentibus, a tergo amiserunt, quod fere desperati sunt. — lb. 
 
 i Bohadin, cap. cxvi, p. 189. 
 
 § Singulis noctibus antequam dormituri cubarent, quidam ad hoc deputatus voce
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 145 
 
 The Templars and the Hospitallers, who were well acquainted RonKRT db 
 with the country, employed themselves by nig'ht in marauding a n. Hoi. 
 and foraging expeditions. They frequently started off at mid- 
 night, swept the country with their turcopoles or light cavalry, 
 and returned to the camp at morning's dawn with rich prizes of 
 oxen, sheep, and provisions.* 
 
 In the great plain near Ramleh, when the Templars led the 
 van of the christian army, Saladin made a last grand effort to 
 arrest their progress, which was followed by one of the greatest 
 battles of the age. Geoftrey de Vinisauf, the companion of King 
 Richard on this expedition, gives a lively and enthusiastic de- 
 scription of the appearance of the Moslem array in the great 
 plain around Jaffa and Ramleh. On all sides, far as the eye 
 could reach, from the sea-shore to the mountains, nought was to 
 be seen but a forest of spears, above which waved banners and 
 standards innumerable. The wild Bedouins,t the children of the 
 desert, mounted on their fleet Arab mares, coursed with the 
 rapidity of the lightning over the vast plain, and darkened the 
 air with clouds of missiles. Furious and unrelenting, of a horri- 
 ble aspect, with skins blacker than soot, they strove by rapid 
 movement and continuous assaults to penetrate the well-ordered 
 array of the christian warriors. They advanced to the attack 
 with horrible screams and bellowings, which, with the deafening- 
 noise of the trumpets, horns, cymbals, and brazen kettle-drums, 
 
 magna clamaret fortiter in medio exercitu dicens, Adjuva sepulchrum sanctum ; ad 
 hanc vocem clamabant universi eadem verba repetentes, et manus suas cum lacrymis 
 uberrimis tendentes in caelum, Dei misericordiam postulantes et adjutorium. — Vinisauf, 
 cap. xii. p. 351. 
 
 * Ibid. cap. xxxii. p. 369. 
 
 f Bedewini horridi, fuligine obscuriores, pedites improbissimi, arcus gestantes cum 
 pharetris, et ancilia rotunda, gens quidem acerrima et expedita. — Vinisauf, cap. xviii. 
 p. 355. 
 
 L
 
 146 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Robert de produced a clamoiir that resounded through the plain, and would 
 
 A. n. 1191. have drowned even the thunder of heaven. 
 
 The engagement commenced with the left wing of the Hos- 
 pitallers, and the victory of the Christians was mainly owing to 
 the personal prowess of King Richard. Amid the disorder of 
 his troops, Saladin remained on the plain without lowering his 
 standard or suspending the sound of his brazen kettle-drums, he 
 rallied his forces, retired upon Ramleh, and prepared to defend 
 the road leading to Jerusalem. The Templars and Hospitallers, 
 when the battle was over, went in search of Jacques d'Asvesnes, 
 one of the most valiant of King Richard's knights, whose dead 
 body, placed on their spears, they brought into the camp amid 
 the tears and lamentations of their brethren.* 
 
 The Templars, on one of their foraging expeditions, were sur- 
 rounded by a superior force of four thousand Moslem cavalry ; 
 the Earl of Leicester, with a chosen body of English, was sent by 
 Coeur de Lion to their assistance, but the whole party was over- 
 powered and in danger of being cut to pieces, when Richard 
 himself hurried to the scene of action with his famous battle-axe, 
 and rescued the Templars from their perilous situation.f By the 
 valour and exertions of the lion-hearted king, the city of Gaza, 
 the ancient fortress of the order, which had been taken by Saladin 
 soon after the battle of Tiberias, was recovered to the christian 
 arms, the fortifications were repaired, and the place was restored 
 to the Knights Templars, who again garrisoned it with their 
 soldiers. 
 
 * Vinisauf, cap. xxii. p. 360. Bohadin, cap. cxx. 
 
 t Expedite descenderunt (Templarii) ex equis suis, et dorsa singuli dorsis socioram 
 habentes haerentia, facie versa in hostes, sese viriliter defendere cceperunt. Ibi videri 
 fuit pugnam acerrimam, ictus validissimos, tinniunt galeffi a percutientium collisione 
 gladiomm, igneae exsiliunt scintilla, crepitant anna tumultuantium, perstrepunt voces ; 
 Turci se viriliter ingerunt, Templarii strenuissime defendunt. — lb. cap. xxx. p. 366, 367.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 147 
 
 As the army advanced, Saladin fell back towards Jerusalem, Rohert db 
 and the vanguard of the Templars was pushed on to the small ^^ d,"ii92 
 town of Ramleh. 
 
 At midnight of the festival of the Holy Innocents, a party of 
 them sallied out of the camp in company with some Hospitallers 
 on a foraging expedition ; they scoured the mountains in the 
 direction of Jerusalem, and at morning's dawn returned to Ramleh 
 with more than two hundred oxen.* 
 
 AVhen the christian army went into winter quarters, the Tem- 
 plars established themselves at Gaza, and King Richard and his 
 army were stationed in the neighbouring town of Ascalon, the 
 walls and houses of which were rebuilt by the English monarch 
 during the winter. Whilst the christian forces were reposing in 
 winter quarters, an arrangement was made between the Templars, 
 King Richard, and Guy de Lusignan, " the king without a king- 
 dom," for the cession to the latter of the island of Cyprus, pre- 
 viously sold by Richard to the order of the Temple, by virtue of 
 which arrangement, Guy de Lusignan took possession of the 
 island and ruled the country by the magnificent title of em- 
 peror .f 
 
 When the winter rains had subsided, the christian forces were 
 again put in motion, but both the Templars and Hospitalle: ^ 
 strongly advised Coeur de Lion not to march upon Jerusalem, 
 and the latter appears to have had no strong inclination to 
 undertake the siege of the holy city, having manifestly no chance 
 of success. The English monarch declared that he would be 
 guided by the advice of the Templars and Hospitallers, who were 
 acquainted with the country, and were desirous of recovering 
 their ancient inheritances. The army, however, advanced within 
 a day's journey of the holy city, and then a council was called 
 
 * Vinisat/f, cap. xxxii. p. 369. 
 
 t lb. cap. xxxvii. p. 392. Contiii, Hist. Dell, Sacr. apud Martene, v. co). G3f5. 
 
 L 2
 
 148 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 KonERT DE together, consisting of five Knights Templars, five Hospitallers, 
 A. D. 1192. five eastern Christians, and five western Crusaders, and the ex- 
 pedition was abandoned.* 
 
 The Templars took part in the attack upon the great Egyptian 
 convoy, wherein four thousand and seventy camels, five hundred 
 horses, provisions, tents, arms, and clothing, and a great quantity 
 of gold and silver, were captured, and then fell back upon Acre ; 
 they were followed by Saladin, who immediately commenced 
 offensive operations, and laid siege to Jaffa. The Templars 
 marched by land to the relief of the place, and Coeur de Lion 
 hurried by sea. Many valiant exploits were performed, the town 
 was relieved, and the campaign was concluded by the ratification 
 of a treaty whereby the Christians were to enjoy the privilege of 
 visiting Jerusalem as pilgrims. Tyre, Acre, and Jaffa, with all 
 the sea-coast between them, were yielded to the Latins, but it 
 was stipulated that the fortifications of Ascalon should be demo- 
 lished. f 
 
 After the conclusion of this treaty. King Richard being anxious 
 to take the shortest and speediest route to his dominions by tra- 
 versing the continent of Europe, and to travel in disguise to avoid 
 the malice of his enemies, made an arrangement with his Jriend 
 Robert de Sable, the Grand Master of the Temple, whereby the 
 latter undertook to place a galley of the order at the disposal of 
 the king, and it was determined that whilst the royal fleet pur- 
 sued its course with Queen Berengaria through the Straits of 
 Gibraltar to Britain, Coeur de Lion himself, disguised in the habit 
 of a Knight Templar, should secretly embark and make for one 
 
 * Viiiisavf, lib. v. cap. 1, p. 403. Ibid. lib. vi. cap. 2, p. 404. 
 
 + lb. cap. iv. V. p. 406, 407, &c. &c. ; cap. xi. p. 410; cap. xiv. p. 412. King 
 Richard was the first to enter the town. Tunc rex per cocleam quandam, quam forte 
 prospexerat in domibus Templariorum solus primus intra vit villam. — Vinisauf, p. 413, 
 414.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMTLAns. 149 
 
 of the ports of the Adriatic. The plan was carried into effect on Robert de 
 
 the night of the 25th of October, and King Richard set sail, ^, d."i 192. 1 
 
 accompanied by some attendants, and four trusty Tem])lars.* | 
 
 The habit he had assumed, however, protected him not, as is j 
 
 well known, from the cowardly vengeance of the base duke of 
 
 Austria. 
 
 The lion-hearted monarch was one of the many benefactors to 
 the order of the Temple. He granted to the fraternity his manor 
 of Calow, with various powers and privileges.-f- 
 
 Shortly after his departure from Palestine, the Grand Master, Gilbert 
 Robert de Sable, was succeeded by Brother Gilbert Horal or a. d. wh. 
 Erail, who had previously filled the high office of Grand Precep- 
 tor of France.^ The Templars, to retain and strengthen their 
 dominion in Palestine, commenced the erection of various strong 
 fortresses, the stupendous ruins of many of which remain to this 1 
 
 day. The most famous of these was the Pilgrim's Castle,§ which 
 commanded the coast-road from Acre to Jerusalem. It derived 
 its name from a solitary tower erected by the early Templars to 
 jDrotect the passage of the pilgrims through a dangerous pass in 
 the mountains bordering the sea-coast, and was commenced 
 shortly after the removal of the chief house of the order from 
 Jerusalem to Acre. A small promontory which juts out into the 
 sea a few miles below Mount Carmel, was converted into a forti- 
 fied camp. Two gigantic towers, a hundred feet in height and 
 seventy-four feet in width, were erected, together with enormous 
 
 * Contin. Hist. Bell. Sacr. apud Martene, torn. v. col. 641. 
 
 + Concessimus omne jus, omne dominium quod ad nos pertinet et pertineat, omnem i 
 
 potestatem, omnes libertates et liberas consuetudines quas regia potcstas conferre potest. 
 Cart. Ric. 1. ann. 5, regni sui. | 
 
 J Hispania lllustrata, torn. iii. p. 59. Hist. gen. de Laiiguedoc, torn. iii. p. 409. 
 Cotton, MS. Nero E. VI. 23. i. 
 
 § Castrum nostrum quod Peregrinorum dicitur, see the letter of the Grand Master 
 Malt, Par. p. 312, and Jac. de Vitr. lib. iii. apud Gest. Dei, p. 1131.
 
 150 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 GiLBEiiT bastions connected together by strong walls furnished with all 
 A d'Tios. kinds of military engines. The vast inclosure contained a palace 
 for the use of the Grand Master and knights, a magnificent 
 church, houses and offices for the serving brethren and hired 
 soldiers, together with pasturages, vineyards, gardens, orchards, 
 and fishponds. On one side of the walls was the salt sea, and on 
 the other, within the camp, delicious springs of fresh water. The 
 garrison amounted to four thousand men in time of war.* Con- 
 siderable remains of this famous fortress are still visible on the 
 coast, a few miles to the south of Acre. It is still called by the 
 Levantines, Castel Pellegrino. Pococke describes it as " very mag- 
 nificent, and so finely built, that it may be reckoned one of the 
 things that are best worth seeing in these parts." " It is encom- 
 passed," says he, " with two walls fifteen feet thick, the inner 
 wall on the east side cannot be less than forty feet high, and 
 within it there appear to have been some very grand apartments. 
 The offices of the fortress seem to have been at the M^est end, 
 where I saw an oven fifteen feet in diameter. In the castle there 
 are remains of a fine lofty church of ten sides, built in a light 
 gothic taste : three chapels are built to the three eastern sides, 
 each of which consists of five sides, excepting the opening to the 
 church ; in these it is probable the three chief altars stood." f 
 Irby and Mangles referring at a subsequent period to the ruins 
 of the church, describe it as a double hexagon, and state that the 
 half then standing had six sides. Below the cornice are human 
 heads and heads of animals in alto relievo, and the walls are 
 adorned with a double line of arches in the gothic style, the 
 architecture light and elegant. 
 
 * " Opiis egregium," says James of Vitry, " ubi tot et tantas efFuderunt divitias, quod 
 mirum est unde eas accipiunt." — Hist. Orient. \ih, iii. apud Gest. Dei, torn. i. pars 9, 
 p. 1131. Martene, torn. iii. col. 288. Hist. capt. Damieta;, apud Hist. Angl. script. XV. 
 p. 437, 438, where it is called Castrum Filii Dei. 
 
 t Pococke, Travels in the East, book i. chap. 1.5.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 151 
 
 To narrate all the exploits of the Templars, and all the inci- Gilbkut 
 dents and events connected with the order, would be to write the A/n."m5. 
 history of the Latin kingdom of Palestine, which was preserved 
 and maintained for the period of ninety-nine years after the de- 
 parture of Richard Coeur de Lion, solely by the exertions of the 
 Templars and the Hospitallers. No action of importance was 
 ever fought with the infidels, in which the Templars did not take 
 an active and distinguished part, nor M^as the atabal of the Mus- 
 sulmen ever sounded in defiance on the frontier, without the 
 trumpets of the Templars receiving and answering the chal- 
 lenge. 
 
 The Grand Master, Gilbert Horal, was succeeded by Philip Philip 
 Duplessies or De Plesseis,* We must now refer to a few events a. d. 120].* 
 connected with the order of the Temjjle in England. 
 
 Brother Geoffrey, who was Master of the Temple at London 
 at the period of the consecration of tlie Temple Church by tlie 
 Patriarch of Jerusalem, died shortly after the capture of the holy 
 city by Saladin, and was succeeded by Brother Amaric de St. 
 Maur, who is an attesting witness to the deed executed by king- 
 John, A. D. 1203, granting a dowry to his young queen, the beau- 
 tiful Isabella of Angouleme.f Philip Augustus, king of France, 
 placed a vast sum of gold and silver in the Temple at Paris, and 
 the treasure of John, king of England, was deposited in tlie 
 Temple at London. |: King John, indeed, frequently resided, for 
 weeks together, at the Temple in London, and many of his writs 
 and precepts to his lieutenants, sheriffs, and bailiffs, arc dated 
 therefrom. § The orders for the concentration of the English 
 fleet at Portsmouth, to resist the formidable French invasion 
 
 * Ditfresne, Gloss. Archives d'' Aries. Cotton, MS. Nero E. VI. 
 t Acta et Fcedera Rymert, torn. i. p. 134, ad. ami. 1203, ed. 1704. 
 J Rifford in Gest. Philippi. Acta Ri/meri, torn. i. p. 165, 173. 
 
 § Itinerariutn .regis Johannis, compiled from the grants and precepts of that monarch, 
 by Thomas Duff Hardy, published hj the Record Commissioners.
 
 152 
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 Philip instigated by the pope, are dated from the Temple, and the con- 
 
 A. 1). 1213. vention between the king and the count of Holland, whereby the 
 
 latter agreed to assist king John with a body of knights and 
 
 men-at-arms, in case of the landing of the French, was published 
 
 at the same place.* 
 
 In all the conferences and negotiations between the mean- 
 spirited king and the imperious and overbearing Roman pontiflF, 
 the Knights Templars took an active and distinguished part. 
 Two brethren of the order were sent by Pandulph, the papal 
 legate, to king John, to arrange that famous conference between 
 them which ended in the complete submission of the latter to all 
 the demands of the holy see. By the advice and persuasion of 
 the Templars, king John repaired to the preceptory of Temple 
 Ewell, near Dover, where he was met by the legate Pandulph, 
 who crossed over from France to confer with him, and the mean- 
 hearted king was there frightened into that celebrated resignation 
 of the kingdoms of England and Ireland, " to God, to the holy 
 apostles Peter and Paul, to the holy Roman church his mother, 
 and to his lord. Pope Innocent the Third, and his catholic suc- 
 cessors, for the remission of all his sins and the sins of all his 
 people, as well the living as the dead."t The following year 
 the commands of king John for the extirpation of the heretics 
 in Gascony, addressed to the seneschal of that province, were 
 issued from the Temple at London,;}: and about the same period 
 the Templars were made the depositaries of various private and 
 confidential matters pending between king John and his illus- 
 trious sister-in-law, " the royal, eloquent, and beauteous" Beren- 
 
 * Acta Rymeri, torn. i. p. 170, ad. ann. 1213. 
 
 t Matt. Par. aA. arm. 1213, p. 234, 236, 237. Matt. Westr.-p.2T[,2. Bib. Cotton. 
 Nero C. 2. Acta Rymeri, torn. i. p. 172, 173. King John resided at Temple Ewell 
 from the 7th to the 28th of May. 
 
 X Teste meipso apud Novum Templmn London .... kaa Rymeri, iom. i " '"5. 
 ad. ann. 12U, ed. 1704.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 153 
 
 garia of Navarre, the youtlifiil widowed queen of Richard Cosur Phimp 
 de Lion.* The Templars in England managed the money trans- a. d. 1-215. 
 actions of that fair princess. She directed her dower to be paid 
 in the house of the New Temple at London, together with the 
 arrears due to her from the king, amounting to several thousand 
 pounds. t 
 
 John was resident at the Temple when he was compelled by 
 the barons of England to sign Magna Charta. Matthew Paris 
 tells us that the barons came to him, whilst he was residing in the 
 New Temple at London, " in a very resolute manner, clothed in 
 their military dresses, and demanded the liberties and laws of 
 king Edward, with others for themselves, the kingdom, and the 
 church of England.^ 
 
 King John was a considerable benefactor to the order. He 
 granted to the fraternity the Isle of Lundy, at the mouth of the 
 river Severn ; all his land at Radenach and at Harewood, in the 
 county of Hereford ; and he conferred on the Templars numerous 
 privileges.^ 
 
 The Grand Master Philip Duplessies was succeeded by Brother William de 
 William de Chartres, as appears from the following letter to a. d. i-217.* 
 the Pope : 
 
 " To the very reverend father in Christ, the Lord Honorius, by 
 the providence of God chief pontiff of the Holy Roman Church, 
 William de Charlres, humble Master of the poor chivalry of the 
 Temple, protfereth all due obedience and reverence, with the kiss 
 of the foot. 
 
 * " Formam autem rei prolocutse inter nos et ipsos, scriptam et sigillo nostro sigillatam 
 ... in custodian! Templariorum commisimus." — Literce Regis sorori suw Reginas 
 BerengaricB, ib. p. 194, 
 
 t Berengaria Dei gratia, quondam humilis Anglias Regina. Omnibus, &c. salutem. . 
 . . Hanc pecuniam solvet in domo Novi Tenipli London. Ib. p. 208, 209, ad. ann. 1215. 
 
 X Matt. Par. p. 253, ad. ann. 1215. 
 
 § Monast. Angl. vol. vi. part ii.
 
 154 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 William db " By tliese our letters we hasten to inform your paternity of 
 A. D. 12]?'. the state of that Holy Land which the Lord hath consecrated 
 with his own blood. Know that, at the period of the departure 
 of these letters, an immense number of pilgrims, both knights and 
 foot soldiers, marked with the emblem of the life-giving cross, 
 arrived at Acre from Germany and other parts of Europe. 
 Saphadin, the great sultan of Egypt, hath remained closely 
 within the confines of his own dominions, not daring in any way 
 to molest us. The arrival of the king of Hungary, and of the 
 dukes of Austria and Moravia, together with the intelligence 
 just received of the near approach of the fleet of the Friths, has 
 not a little alarmed him. Never do we recollect the power of 
 the Pagans so low as at the present time ; and may the omni- 
 potent God, O holy father, make it grow weaker and weaker 
 day by day. But we must inform you that in these parts corn 
 and barley, and all the necessaries of life, have become extra- 
 ordinarily dear. This year the harvest has utterly disappointed 
 the expectations of our husbandmen, and has almost totally 
 failed. The natives, indeed, now depend for support altogether 
 upon the corn imported from the West, but as yet very little 
 foreign grain has been received ; and to increase our uneasiness, 
 nearly all our knights are dismounted, and we cannot procure 
 horses to supply the places of those that have perished. It is 
 therefore of the utmost importance, O holy father, to advertise all 
 who design to assume the cross of the above scarcity, that they 
 may furnish themselves with plentiful supplies of grain and 
 horses. 
 
 " Before the arrival of the king of Hungary and the duke of 
 Austria, we had come to the determination of marching against 
 the city of Naplous, and of bringing the Saracen chief Coradin 
 to an engagement if he would have awaited our attack, but we 
 have all now determined to undertake an expedition into Egypt
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 155 
 
 to destroy the city of Daniietta, and we shall then march upon Wh.iiam de 
 
 '' •' ClIAKTRKS. 
 
 Jerusalem. . . ."* a. d. i-218. 
 
 It was in the month of May, a. d. 1218, that the galleys of the 
 Templars set sail from Acre on the above-mentioned memorable 
 expedition into Egypt. They cast anchor in the mouth of the 
 Nile, and, in conjunction with a powerful array of crusaders, laid 
 siege to Damietta. A pestilence broke out shortly after their 
 arrival, and hurried the Grand Master, William de Chartres, to 
 his grave.f He was succeeded by the veteran warrior. Brother Peter de 
 
 p O • 4- MONTAIGU. 
 
 Peter de Montaigu, Grand Preceptor or bpam.4: a. d. 1218. 
 
 James of Vitry, bishop of Acre, wh. accompanied the Tem- 
 plars on this expedition, gives an enthusiastic account of their 
 famous exploits, and of the tremendous battles fought upon the 
 Nile, in one of which a large vessel of the Templars was sunk, 
 and every soul on board perished. He describes the great 
 assault on their camp towards the middle of the year 1219, when 
 the trenches were forced, and all the infantry put to flight. " The 
 insulting shouts of the conquering Saracens," says he, " were 
 heard on all sides, and a panic was rapidly spreading through the 
 disordered ranks of the whole army of the cross, when the Grand 
 Master and brethren of the Temple made a desperate charge, 
 and bravely routed the first ranks of the infidels. The spirit of 
 Gideon animated the Templars, and the rest of the army, 
 stimulated by their example, bravely advanced to their support. 
 .... Thus did the Lord on that day, through the valour of the 
 Templars, save those who trusted in Him." § Immediately after 
 the surrender of Damietta, the Grand Master of the Temple 
 
 * Ital. et Raven. Historiarum Hieronymi Rubei, lib. vi. p. 380, 381, ad ann. 1217. 
 ed. Veil. 1603. 
 
 t Jac. de Vitr. lib. iii. ad. ann. 1218, Gesta Dei, torn U I, pars 2, p. 1 133, 4, 5. 
 
 J Gall. Christ nov. torn. ii. col. 714, torn vii. col. 229. 
 
 § Jac. de Vitr. Hist. Orient, ut sup. p. 1138. Bernard Thesaur. apud Muratori, cap. 
 190 to 200,
 
 1,56 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Peter de returned to Acre to repel the forces of the sultan of Damascus, 
 Tn^YiS" who had invaded the Holy Land, as appears from the following 
 letter to the bishop of Ely. 
 
 " Brother Peter de Montaigu, Master of the Knights of the 
 Temple, to the reverend brother in Christ, N., by the grace of 
 God bishop of Ely, health. We proceed by these letters to 
 inform your paternity how we have managed the affairs of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ since the capture of Damietta and of the 
 castle of Taphneos." The Grand Master describes various 
 military operations, the great number of galleys fitted out by the 
 Saracens to intercept the supplies and succour from Europe, and 
 the arming of the galleys, galliots, and other vessels of the order 
 of the Temple to oppose them, and clear the seas of the infidel 
 flaa;. He states that the sultan of Damascus had invaded Pales- 
 tine, had ravaged the country around Acre and Tyre, and had 
 ventured to pitch his tents before the castle of the Pilgrims, and 
 had taken possession of Ceesarea. " If we are disappointed," says 
 he, " of the succour we expect in the ensuing summer, all our 
 newly-acquired conquests, as well as the places that we have held 
 for ages past, will be left in a very doubtful condition. We our- 
 selves, and others in these parts, are so impoverished by the 
 heavy expenses we have incurred in prosecuting the affairs of 
 Jesus Christ, that we shall be unable to contribute the necessary 
 funds, unless we speedily receive succour and subsidies from the 
 faithful. Given at Acre, xii. kal. October, a. d. 1222."* 
 
 The troops of the sultan of Damascus were repulsed and driven 
 beyond the frontier, and the Grand Master then returned to 
 Damietta, to superintend the preparations for a march upon 
 Cairo. The results of that disastrous campaign are detailed in 
 the following letter to Brother Alan Marcel, Preceptor of 
 England, and Master of the Temple at London. 
 
 * Epibt. Magiii Magistri Templi apud Matt. Par. p. 312, 313.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 157 
 
 " Brother Peter de Montaign, humble Master of the soldiers Petkr de 
 of Christ, to our vicegerent and beloved brother in Christ, Alan A."n/t2-22. 
 Marcel, Preceptor of England. 
 
 " Hitherto we have had favourable information to commu- 
 nicate unto you touching our exertions in the cause of Jesus 
 Christ; now, alas! such have been the reverses and disasters 
 which our sins have brought upon us in the land of Egypt, that 
 v/e have nothing but ill news to announce. After the capture of 
 Damietta, our army remained for some time in a state of inaction, 
 which brought upon us frequent complaints and reproaches from 
 the eastern and the western Christians. At length, after the 
 feast of the holy apostles, the legate of the holy pontiff, and all 
 our soldiers of the cross, put themselves in march by land and by 
 the Nile, and arrived in good order at the spot where the sultan 
 was encamped, at the head of an immense number of the enemies 
 of the cross. The river Taphneos, an arm of the great Nile, 
 flowed between the camp of the sultan and our forces, and being 
 unable to ford this river, we pitched our tents on its banks, and 
 prepared bridges to enable us to force the passage. In the mean 
 time, the annual inundation rapidly increased, and the sultan, 
 passing his galleys and armed boats through an ancient canal, 
 floated them into the Nile below our positions, and cut off our 
 communications with Damietta." . . . . " Nothing now was to 
 be done but to retrace our steps. The sultans of Aleppo and 
 Damascus, the two brothers of the sultan, and many chieftains 
 and kings of the pagans, with an immense multitude of infidels 
 who had come to their assistance, attempted to cut off" our 
 retreat. At night we commenced our march, but the infidels 
 cut through the embankments of the Nile, the water rushed 
 along several unknown passages and ancient canals, and encom- 
 passed us on all sides. We lost all our provisions, many of our 
 men were swept into the stream, and the further progress of our
 
 158 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Peter de christian warriors was forthwith arrested. The waters continued 
 A, D. 1222. to increase upon us, and in this terrible inundation we lost all 
 our horses and saddles, our carriages, baggage, furniture, and 
 moveables, and everything that we had. We ourselves could 
 neither advance nor retreat, and knew not whither to turn. We 
 could not attack the Egyptians on account of the great lake 
 which extended itself between them and us ; we were without 
 food, and being caught and pent up like fish in a net, there was 
 nothing left for us but to treat with the sultan. 
 
 " We agreed to surrender Damietta, with all the prisoners 
 which we had in Tyre and at Acre, on condition that the sultan 
 restored to us the wood of the true cross and the prisoners that 
 he detained at Cairo and Damascus We, with some others, 
 were deputed by the whole army to announce to the people of 
 Damietta the terms that had been imposed upon us. These were 
 very displeasing to the bishop of Acre,* to the chancellor, and 
 some others, who wished to defend the town, a measure which 
 we should indeed have greatly approved of, had there been any 
 reasonable chance of success ; for we would rather have been 
 thrust into perpetual imprisonment than have surrendered, to 
 the shame of Christendom, this conquest to the infidels. But after 
 having made a strict investigation into the means of defence, and 
 finding neither men nor money wherewith to protect the place, 
 we were obliged to submit to the conditions of the sultan, who, 
 after having exacted from us an oath and hostages, accorded to 
 us a truce of eight years. During the negotiations the sultan 
 faithfully kept his word, and for the space of fifteen days fur- 
 nished our soldiers with the bread and corn necessary for their 
 subsistence. 
 
 * Our historian, James de Vitry ; he subsequently became one of the hostages. Con- 
 tin. Hist, apud Martene, tom. v. col. G98.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 159 
 
 " Do you, therefore, pitying our misfortunes, hasten to relieve Petbr db 
 
 .1 . jl J . P 1 •!• -n n »» vt MONTAIGU. 
 
 them to the utmost or your ability. InirevvcU. * a. d. 1223. 
 
 Brother Alan Marcell, to whom the above letter is addressed, 
 succeeded Amaric de St. Maur, and was at the head of the order 
 in England for the space of sixteen years. He was employed by 
 king Henry the Third in various important negotiations ; and 
 was Master of the Temple at London, when Reginald, king of 
 the island of Man, by the advice and persuasion of the legate 
 Pandulph, made a solemn surrender at that place of his island to 
 the pope and his catholic successors, and consented to hold 
 the same from thenceforth as the feudatory of the church of 
 Rome.f 
 
 At the commencement of the reign of Henry the Third, the 
 Templars in England appear to have been on bad terms with the 
 king. The latter made heavy complaints against them to the 
 pope, and the holy pontiff issued (a. d. 1223) the bull " De 
 iNSOLENTiA Templariorum reprimenda," in which he states 
 that his very dear son in Christ, Henry, the illustrious king of 
 the English, had complained to him of the usurpations of the 
 Templars on the royal domains ; that they had placed theircrosses 
 upon houses that did not belong to them, and prevented the cus- 
 tomary dues and services from being rendered to the crown ; that 
 they undutifully set at nought the customs of the king's manors, 
 and involved the bailiffs and royal officers in lawsuits before 
 certain judges of their own appointment. The pope directs two 
 abbots to inquire into these matters, preparatory to further pro- 
 ceedings against the guilty parties \% but the Templars soon 
 became reconciled to their sovereign, and on the 28th of April of 
 
 * Matt. Par. ad ann. 1222, p. 314. See also another letter, p. 313. 
 + Actum London in dome Militiae Templi, II. kal. Octob. Ada Rymeri, torn. i. 
 p. 234, ad ann. 1219. 
 
 J Acta Rymeri, torn. i. ad ann. 1223, p. 258.
 
 160 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Peter de the year following, the Master, Brother Alan Marcell, was 
 
 MoNTAIGU. 1 1 1 1 • TT . 1 1 • l/» 
 
 A. D. ]224. employed by king Henry to negotiate a truce between himseli 
 and the king of France. The king of England appears at that 
 time to have been resident at the Temple, the letters of credence 
 being made out at that place, iu the presence of the archbishop 
 of Canterbury, several bishops, and Hubert, the chief justiciary.* 
 The year after, the same Alan Marcell was sent into Germany, 
 to negotiate a treaty of marriage between king Henry and the 
 daughter of the duke of Austria.t 
 
 At this period. Brother Hugh de Stocton and Richard Ranger, 
 knights of the convent of the New Temple at London, were the 
 guardians of the royal treasure in the Tower, and the former 
 was made the depositary, of the money j^aid annually by the king 
 to the count of Flanders. He was also intrusted by Henry the 
 Third with large sums of money, out of which he was commanded 
 to pay ten thousand marks to the emperor of Constantinople.;!: 
 
 Among the many illustrious benefactors to the order of the 
 Temple at this period was Philip the Second, king of France, 
 who bequeathed the sura of one hundred thousand pounds to the 
 Grand Master of the Temple, § 
 Hermann de The Grand Master, Peter de Montaigu, was succeeded by 
 A, D. 1236. Brother Hermann de Perigord.|| Shortly after his accession 
 to power, A¥illiam de Montserrat, Preceptor of Antioch, being 
 " desirous of extending the christian territories, to the honour 
 
 * Mittimus ad vos dilect. nobis in Christo, fiatrem Alanum Marcell Magistrum mili- 
 
 tiae Templi in Anglia, &c Teste meipso apud Novum Templum London coram 
 
 Domino Cantuar — archiepiscopo, Huberto de Burgo justitiario et J. Bath — Sai'um 
 episcopis. Acta lit/meri, torn. i. p. 270, ad ann. 1224. 
 
 t lb. p. 275. 
 
 t lb. p. 311, 373, 380. 
 
 § Sanut, lib. iii. c. x. p. 210. 
 
 II Cotto7i, MS. Nero E. VI. p. GO. fol. 466. Nero E. VI. 23. i.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 161 
 
 and glory of Jesus Christ," besieged a fortress of the infidels in Hkkmann ui 
 the neighbourhood of Antioch. He refused to retreat before a rrM'^i'^az 
 superior force, and was surrounded and overwhelmed ; a hundred 
 knights of the Temple and three hundred cross-bowmen were 
 slain, together with many secular warriors, and a large number 
 of foot soldiers. The Balcan'ifer, or standard-bearer, on this occa- 
 sion, was an English Knight Templar, named Reginald d'Ar- 
 genton, who performed prodigies of valour. He was disabled 
 and covered with wounds, yet he unflinchingly bore the Beau- 
 seant, or war-banner, aloft with his bleeding arms into the 
 thickest of the fight, until he at last fell dead upon a heap of his 
 slaughtered comrades. The Preceptor of Antioch, before he was 
 slain, " sent sixteen injidels to heW * 
 
 As soon as the Templars in England heard of this disaster, 
 they sent, in conjunction with the Hospitallers, instant succour to 
 their brethren. " The Templars and the Hospitallers," says 
 Matthew Paris, " eagerly prepared to avenge the blood of their 
 brethren so gallantly poured forth in the cause of Christ. The 
 Hospitallers appointed Brother Theodore, their prior, a most 
 valiant soldier, to lead a band of knights and of stipendiary troops, 
 with an immense treasure, to the succour of the Holy Land. 
 Having made their arrangements, they all started from the house 
 of the Hospitallers at Clerkenwell in London, and passed through 
 the city with spears held aloft, shields displayed, and banners 
 advanced. They marched in splendid pomp to the bridge, and 
 sought a blessing from all who crowded to see them pass. The 
 
 * Cecidit autem in illo infausto certamine illustris miles Templarius, Anglicus natione, 
 Reginaldus de Argentomio, ea die Balcanifer ; . . . indefessiis vero vexillum sustinebat, 
 donee tibiae cum cruribus et manibus frangerentur. Solus quoquc eorum Preceptor 
 priusqiiam trucidaretur, sexdecim hostium ad inferos destinavit. — Afalt. Par. j). 44."?, 
 ad unn. 1-237. 
 
 M
 
 162 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Hermann de brothers indeed uncovered, bowed their heads from side to side, 
 1 ^0^^239. ^"^ recommended themselves to the prayers of all."* 
 
 Whilst the Knights Templars were thus valiantly sustaining 
 the cause of the cross against the infidels in the East, one of the 
 holy brethren of the order, the king's special counsellor, named 
 Geoffrey, was signalising his zeal against infidels at home in 
 England, (a. d. 1239,) by a fierce destruction and extermination 
 of the Jews. According to Matthew Paris, he seized and incar- 
 cerated the unhappy Israelites, and extorted from them immense 
 sums of moneye-f- Shortly afterwards, Brother Geoffrey fell into 
 disgrace and Avas banished from court, and Brother Roger, 
 another Templar, the king's almoner, shared the same fate, and 
 was forbidden to approach the royal presence. J Some of the 
 brethren of the order were always about the court, and when the 
 English monarch crossed the seas, he generally wrote letters to 
 the Master of the Temple at London, informing him of the state 
 of the royal health. § 
 
 It was at this period, (a. d. 1240,) that the oblong portion of the 
 Temple church was completed and consecrated in the presence 
 of King Henry the Third. j] 
 
 The Grand Mastership of Brother Hermann de Perigord is 
 
 * A Clerkenivelle domo sua, quae est Londonlis, per medium civitatis, clypeis circiter 
 triginta deteetis, hastis elevatis, et prsevio vexillo, versus pontem, ut ab omnibus viden- 
 tibus, benedictionem obtinerent, perrexerunt eleganter. Fratres vero inclinatis capitibus, 
 hinc et inde caputiis depositis, se omnium precibus commendaverunt. — Matt. Par. 
 p. 443, 444. 
 
 \ Et eodem anno (1239) . . . passi sunt Judiei exterminium magnum et destructionem, 
 eosdem arctante et incarcerante,et pecuniam ab eisdem extorquente Galfrido Templario, 
 Regis speciali consiliario. — Matt. Par. p. 489, ad ann. 1239. 
 
 J In ipsa ira aufugavit fratrem Rogerum Templarium ab officio eleemosjTiariae, et a 
 curia jussit elongari. — lb. 
 § Rymer, torn. i. p. 404. 
 11 Post.
 
 THE KNIOHTS TEMPLAnS, 163 
 
 celebrated for the treaty entered into with tlie infidels. vvliere])y iIkrmann dr 
 the holy city was again surrendej-ed to the Christians. The .^T'TS?." 
 patriarch returned thither with all his clergy, the churches were 
 reconsecrated, and the Templars and Hospitallers emptied their 
 treasuries in rebuilding the walls. 
 
 The following account of these gratifying events was trans- 
 mitted by the Grand Master of the Temple to Robert de Sanford, 
 Preceptor of England, and Master of the Temple at London. 
 
 " Brother Hermann de Perigord, humble minister of the 
 knights of the poor Temple, to his beloved brother in Christ, 
 Robert de Sanford, Preceptor in England, salvation in the Lord. 
 " Since it is our duty, whenever an opportunity offers, to make 
 known to the brotherhood, by letters or by messengers, the state 
 and prospects of the Holy Land, we hasten to inform you, that 
 after our great successes against the sultan of Egypt, and Nassr 
 his supporter and abettor, the great persecutor of the Christians, 
 they were reluctantly compelled to negotiate a truce, promising 
 us to restore to the followers of Jesus Christ all the territory on 
 this side Jordan. We despatched certain of our brethren, noble 
 and discreet personages, to Cairo, to have an interview with the 
 
 Sultan upon these matters " 
 
 The Grand Master proceeds to relate the progress of the 
 negotiations, and the surrender of the holy city and the greater 
 part of Palestine to the soldiers of Christ. . , . . " whence, to 
 the joy of angels and of men," says he, " Jerusalem is now inha- 
 bited by Christians alone, all the Saracens being driven out. 
 The holy places have been reconsecrated and purified by the 
 prelates of the churches, and in those spots where the name of 
 the Lord has not been invoked for fifty-six years, now, blessed be 
 God, the divine mysteries are daily celebrated. To all the sacred 
 places there is again free access to the faithful in Christ, nor is it 
 to be doubted but that in this happy and pi'osperous condition 
 
 M 2
 
 164 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Hermann de we might long remain, if our Eastern Christians would from 
 A. D. 1242. henceforth live in greater concord and unanimit}'. But, alas ! 
 opposition and contradiction arising from envy and hatred have 
 impeded our efforts in the promotion of these and other advan- 
 tages for the land. With the exception of the prelates of the 
 churches, and a few of the harons, who afford us all the assistance 
 in their power, the entire burthen of its defence rests upon our 
 house alone. ......... 
 
 " For the safeguard and preservation of the holy territory, we 
 propose to erect a fortified castle near Jerusalem, which will 
 enable us the more easily to retain possession of the country, and 
 to protect it against all enemies. But indeed we can in nowise 
 defend for any great length of time the places that we hold, 
 against the sultan of Egypt, who is a most powerful and talented 
 man, unless Christ and his faithful followers extend to us an effi- 
 cacious support."* 
 
 * Matt. Par. p. 615.
 
 THE KNIGHTS ti:mplars. 165 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The conquest of Jerusalem by the Carizmians — Tlie slaughter of the Templars, 
 and the death of the Grand Master — ^Tlie exploits of the Templars in Egypt — 
 King Louis of France visits the Templars in Palestine — He assists them in 
 putting the country into a defensible state — Henry H., king of England, ^'isits 
 the Temple at Paris — ^The magnificent hospitahty of the Templars in England 
 and France — Benocdar, sultan of Egjq^t, invades Palestine — He defeats the 
 Templars, takes their strong fortresses, and decapitates six hundred of their 
 brethren — The Grand Master comes to England for succour — The renewal of 
 the war — The fall of Acre, and the final extinction of the Templars in 
 Palestine. 
 
 " The Knights of the Temple ever maintained their fearless and fanatic character ; if 
 they neglected to live they were prepared to die in the service of Christ." — Gibbon. 
 
 Shortly after tlie recovery of the holy city, Djemal'eddeen, iikiimann dk 
 the Mussuhuan, paid a visit to Jerusalem. " I saw," says he, ^ ^ j.j].?' 
 the monks and the priests masters of the Temple of the Lord. 
 I saw the vials of wine prepared for the sacrifice. I entered into 
 the Mosque al Acsa, (the Temple of Solomon,) and I saw a bell 
 suspended from the dome. The rites and ceremonies of the Mus- 
 sulmen were abolished ; the call to prayer was no longer heard. 
 The infidels publicly exercised their idolatrous practices in the 
 sanctuaries of the Mussulmen."* 
 
 By the advice of Benedict, bishop of Marseilles, who came to 
 the holy city on a pilgrimage, the Templars rebuilt their ancient 
 
 * Michuud Extraits Aiabes, p. 549.
 
 IGG fllK KNIGHTS TEMPLAFiS. 
 
 Hermann de and formidable castle of Saphet. Eight hundred and fifty work. 
 
 A. D. 1243. men, and four hundred slaves were employed in the task. The 
 walls were sixty French feet in width, one hundred and seventy 
 in height, and the circuit of them was two thousand tAvo hundred 
 and fifty feet. They were flanked by seven large round towers, 
 sixty feet in diameter, and seventy-two feet higher than the walls. 
 The fosse surrounding the fortress was thirty-six feet wide, and 
 was pierced in the solid rock to a depth of forty-three feet. The 
 garrison, in time of peace, amounted to one thousand seven hun- 
 dred men, and to two thousand two hundred in time of war.* 
 The ruins of this famous castle crowning the summit of a lofty 
 mountain, torn and shattered by earthquakes, still present a 
 stupendous apj)earance. In Pococke's time " two particularly 
 fine large round towers" were entire, and Van Egmont and 
 Hey man describe the remains of two moats lined with freestone, 
 several fragments of walls, bulwarks, and turrets, together with 
 corridors, winding staircases, and internal apartments. Ere this 
 fortress was completed, the Templa,rs again lost the holy city, and 
 were well-nigh exterminated in a bloody battle fought with the 
 Caiizmians. These were a fierce, pastoral tribe of Tartars, who, 
 descending from the north of Asia, and quitting their abodes in 
 the neighbourhood of the Caspian, rushed headlong upon the 
 nations of the south. They overthrew with frightful rai)idity, 
 and the most terrific slaughter, all who had ventured to oppose 
 their progress ; and, at the instigation of Saleli Ayoub, sultan of 
 Egypt, with whom they had formed an alliance, they turned their 
 arms against the Holy Land. In a great battle fought near 
 Gaza, which lasted two days, the Grand Masters of the Temple 
 and the Hospital were both slain, together with three hundred 
 and twelve Knights Templars, and three hundred and twenty- 
 four serving brethren, besides hired soldiers in the pay of the 
 * Sleph. Balux Miscel]., lib. vi. p. 357.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 167 
 
 Order.* The following account of these disasters was forwarded Hermann uk 
 to Europe by tlie Vice-Master of the Temple, and the bishops and a. d. 1244. 
 abbots of Palestine. 
 
 " To the reverend Fathers in Christ, and to all our friends, 
 archbishops, bishops, abbots, and other prelates of the church in 
 the kingdoms of France and England, to whom these letters 
 shall come; — Robert, by the grace of God, patriarch of the holy 
 church of Jerusalem ; Henry, archbishop of Nazareth ; J. elect 
 of Csesarea ; R, bishop of Acre ; William de Rochefurt, Vice- 
 Master of the house of the soldiery of the Temple, and of the con- 
 vent of the same house ; H. prior of the sepulchre of the Lord; 
 B. of the Mount of Olives, (fee. &c. Health and prosperity." 
 
 " The cruel barbarian, issuing forth from the confines of the East, 
 hath turned his footsteps towards the kingdom of Jerusalem, 
 that holy land, which, though it hath at different periods been 
 grievously harassed by the Saracen tribes, hath yet in these latter 
 days enjoyed ease and tranquillity, and been at peace with the 
 neighbouring nations. But, alas! the sins of our christian people 
 have just now raised up for its destruction an unknown people, 
 and an avenging sword from afar . . . ." They proceed to de- 
 scribe the destructive progress of the Carizmians from Tartary, 
 the devastation of Persia, the fierce extermination by those savage 
 hordes of all races and nations, without distinction of religion, 
 and their sudden entry into the Holy Land by the side of Saphet 
 and Tiberias, " when," say they, " hy the common advice, and at 
 the unanimous desire of the Masters of the religious houses of the 
 chivalry of the Temple and the Hospital, we called in the assis- 
 tance of the sultans of Damascus and Carac, who were bound to 
 us by treaty, and who bore especial hatred to the Carizmians ; 
 they promised and solemnly swore to give us their entire aid, 
 but the succour came slow and tardy ; the Christian forces were ■ 
 
 * Marin Sanut, p. •217.
 
 168 THE KxNIGIITS TEMPLAKS. 
 
 Hermann de few in number, and were obliged to abandon tlie defence or 
 A.i) 1244 Jerusalem .... 
 
 After detailing the barbarous and horrible slaughter of five 
 thousand three hundreJ Christians, of both sexes — men, v.omen, 
 children, monks, priests, and nuns, — they thus continue their 
 simple and affecting narrative : 
 
 " At length, the before-mentioned perfidious savages having 
 penetrated within the gates of the holy city of Israel, the small 
 remnant of the faithful left therein, consisting of children, women, 
 and old men, took refuge in the church of the sepulchre of our 
 Lord. The Carizmians rushed to that holy sanctuary ; they 
 butchered them all before the very sepulchre itself, and cutting 
 off the heads of the priests who were kneeling with uplifted 
 hands before the altars, they said one to another, ' Let us here 
 shed the blood of the Christians on the very place where they offer 
 up wine to their God, who they say was hanged here.' Moreover, 
 in sorrow be it spoken, and with sighs we inform you, that laying 
 their sacrilegious hands on the very sepulchre itself, they sadly 
 disturbed it, utterly battering to pieces the marble shrine which 
 was built around that holy sanctuary. They have defiled, with 
 every abomination of which they were capable, Mount Calvary, 
 where Christ was crucified, and the whole church of the resur- 
 rection. They have taken away, indeed, the sculptured columns 
 which were placed as a decoration before the sepulchre of the 
 Lord, and as a mark of victory, and as a taunt to the Christians, 
 they have sent them to the sepulchre of the wicked Mahomet. 
 They have violated the tombs of the happy kings of Jerusalem 
 in the same church, and they have scattered, to the hurt of 
 Christendom, the ashes of those holy men to the winds, irre- 
 verently profaning the revered Mount Sion. The Temple of 
 the Lord, the church of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, where the 
 Virgin lies buried, the church of Bethlehem, and the i)lace of
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAKS. 169 
 
 the nativity of our Lord, they have polluted with enormities too hkrmanv de 
 
 'J 
 
 D. 1244. 
 
 horrible to be related, far exceeding the iniquity of all the Sa- Pkrihoiu). 
 
 racens, who, though they frequently occupied the land of the 
 Christians, yet always reverenced and preserved the holy 
 
 places " 
 
 They then describe the subsequent military operations, the 
 march of the Templars and Hospitallers, on the 4th of October, 
 A. D. 1244, from Acre to Ctesarea; the junction of their forces 
 with those of the Moslem sultans ; the retreat of the Carizmians 
 to Gaza, Avhere they received succour from the sultan of Egypt ; 
 and the preparation of the Hospitallers and Templars for the 
 attack before that place. 
 
 " Those holy warriors," say they, " boldly rushed in upon the 
 enemy, but the Saracens who had joined us, having lost many of 
 their men, fled, and the warriors of the cross were left alone to 
 withstand the united attack of the Egyptians and Carizmians. 
 Like stout champions of the Lord, and true defenders of catho- 
 licity, whom the same faith and the same cross and passion make 
 true brothers, they bravely resisted ; but as they were few in 
 number in comparison with the enemy, they at last succumbed, 
 so that of the convents of the house of the chivalry of the Temple, 
 and of the house of the Llospital of Saint John at Jerusalem, only 
 thirty-three Templars and twenty-six Hospitallers escaped ; the 
 archbishop of Tyre, the bishop of Saint George, the abbot of 
 Saint Mary of Jehoshaphat, and the Master of the Temple, with 
 many other clerks and holy men, being slain in that sanguinary 
 fight. We ourselves, having by our sins provoked this dire cala- 
 mity, fled half dead to Ascalon ; from thence we jjroceeded by 
 sea to Acre, and found that city and the adjoining province 
 filled Avith sorrow and mourning, niisery and death. There was 
 not a house or a family that had not lost an inmate or a re- 
 lation "
 
 170 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Hermann de " The Carizmiaiis have now pitched their tents in the plain of 
 A. i>. 1244* Acre, about two miles from the city. The whole country, as far 
 as Nazareth and Saphet, is overrun by them, so that the churches 
 of Jerusalem and the christian kingdom have now no territory, 
 except a few fortifications, which are defended with great diffi- 
 culty and labour by the Templars and Hospitallers 
 
 " To you, dearest Fathers, upon whom the burthen of the de- 
 fence of the cause of Christ justly resteth, we have caused these 
 sad tidings to be communicated, earnestly beseeching you to ad- 
 dress your prayers to the throne of grace, imploring mercy from 
 the Most High ; that he who consecrated the Holy Land with 
 his own blood in redemption of all mankind, may compassionately 
 turn towards it and defend it, and send it succour. Do ye your- 
 selves, dearest Fathers, as far as ye are able, take sage counsel 
 and speedily assist us, that ye may receive a heavenly reward. 
 But know, assuredly, that unless, through the interposition of the 
 Most High, or by the aid of the faithful, the Holy Lanil is suc- 
 coured in the next spring passage from Europe, its doom is 
 sealed, and utter ruin is inevitable. 
 
 " Since it would be tedious to explain by letter all our neces- 
 sities, we have sent to you the venerable father bishop of Beirout, 
 and the holy man Arnulph, of the Order of Friars Preachers, 
 who will faithfully and truly unfold the particulars to your 
 venerable fraternity. We humbly entreat you liberally to receive 
 and patiently to hear the aforesaid messengers, who have exposed 
 themselves to great dangers for the church of God, by navigating 
 the seas in the depth of winter. Given at Acre, this fifth day of 
 November, in the year of our Lord one thousand twelve hundred 
 and forty-four."* 
 
 The above letter was read before a general council of the 
 
 * Matt. Par, p. 631 to 633, ad ann. 1244. " Iluic scripto original], tiuod erat luijus 
 oxemplum, appensa fueiunt duodecim sigilla.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 171 
 
 church, which had been assembled at Lyons by Pope Innocent Hermann i 
 
 •^ •' ^ Periuokd. 
 
 IV., and it was resolved that a new crusade should be preached, a. d. 1j44. 
 It was provided that those who assumed the cross should as- 
 semble at particular places to receive the Pope's blessing ; that 
 there should be a truce for four years between all christian 
 princes ; that during all that time there should be no tourna- 
 ments, feasts, nor public rejoicings ; that all the faithful in Christ 
 should be exhorted to contribute, out of their fortunes and estates, 
 to the defence of the Holy Land ; and that ecclesiastics should 
 pay towards it the tenth, and cardinals the twentieth, of all their 
 revenues, for the term of three years successively. The ancient 
 enthusiasm, however, in favour of distant expeditions to the East 
 had died away ; the addresses and exhortations of the clergy now 
 fell on unwilling ears, and the Templars and Hospitallers re- 
 ceived only some small assistance in men and money. 
 
 The temporary alliance between the Templars and the Mus- 
 sulman sultans of Syria, for the purpose of insuring their com- 
 mon safety, did not escape animadversion. The emperor Frede- 
 rick the Second, the nominal king of Jerusalem, in a letter to 
 Richard earl of Cornwall, the brother of Henry the Third, king 
 of England, accuses the Templars of making war upon the sultan 
 of Egypt, in defiance of a treaty entered into with that monarch, 
 of compelling him to call in the Carizmians to his assistance ; and 
 he compares the union of the Templars with the infidel sultans, 
 for purposes of defence, to an attempt to extinguish a fire by 
 pouring upon it a quantity of oil. " The proud religion of the 
 Temple," says he, in continuation, " nurtured amid the luxuries 
 of the barons of the land, waxeth wanton. It hath been made 
 manifest to us, by certain religious persons lately arrived from 
 parts beyond sea, that the aforesaid sultans and their trains were 
 received with pompous alacrity within the gates of the houses of 
 the Temple, and that the Tem})lars suffered tlicm to perform
 
 172 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Hermann de within them their superstitious rites and ceremonies, with invoca- 
 A. D. 1244. tion of Mahomet, and to indulge in secular delights." * The 
 Templars, notwithstanding their disasters, successfully defended 
 all their strong fortresses in Palestine against the efforts of the 
 Carizraians, and gradually recovered their footing in the Holy 
 Land. The galleys of the Order kept the command of the sea, 
 and succour speedily arrived to them from their western brethren. 
 A general chapter of knights was assembled in the Pilgrim's 
 William de Castle, and the veteran warrior, brother William de Sonnac, 
 A. D. 2245, was chosen Grand Master of the Order.f Circular mandates 
 vv^ere, at the same time, sent to the western preceptories, sum- 
 moning all the brethren to Palestine, and directing the imme- 
 diate transmission of all the money in the different treasuries to 
 the head-quarters of the Order at Acre. These calls appear to 
 have been promptly attended to, and the Pope praises both the 
 Templars and Hospitallers for the zeal and energy displayed by 
 them in sending out the newly-admitted knights and novices 
 with armed bands and a large amount of treasure to the succour 
 of the holy territory. J The aged knights, and those whose 
 duties rendered them unable to leave the western preceptories, 
 implored the blessings of heaven upon the exertions of their 
 brethren ; they observed extraordinary fasts and mortification, 
 and directed continual prayers to be offered up throughout the 
 Order.§ Whilst the proposed crusade was slowly progressing, 
 the holy pontiff wrote to the sultan of Egypt, the ally of the 
 Carizmians, proposing a peace or a truce, and received the fol- 
 lowing grand and magnificent reply to his communication : 
 
 * Matt. Par. p. 618—620. 
 
 + Cotton MS. Nero E. VI. p. 60, fol. 466, vir discretua et circumspectus ; in 
 negotiis quoque bellicis peritus. 
 
 t Hospitalarii et Templarii milites neophitos et manum armatam cum thesauro non 
 modico illuc ad consolationem et auxilium ibi commorantium festiuanter tiansmiseiuat. 
 Epist. Pap. Innocent IV. 
 
 § Matt. Par. p. C.07, 698.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 173 
 
 " To the Pope, the noble, the great, the spiritual, the afFec- William de 
 tionate, the holy, the thirteenth of the apostles, the leader of the a. d. i'246. 
 sons of baptism, the high priest of the Christians, (may God 
 strengthen him, and establish him, and give him happiness !) from 
 the most powerful sultan ruling over the necks of nations ; 
 ■wielding the two great weapons, the sword and the pen ; possess- 
 ing two pre-eminent excellencies — that is to say, learning and 
 judgment ; king of two seas ; ruler of the South and North ; 
 king of the region of Egypt and Syria, Mesopotamia, Media, 
 Idumea, and Ophir ; King Saloph Beelpheth, Jacob, son of 
 Sultan Camel, Heraevafar Mehameth, son of Sultan Hadel, 
 Robethre, son of Jacob, whose kingdom may the Lord God 
 make happy. 
 
 " In THE NAME OF GoD THE MOST MERCIFUL AND COMPAS- 
 SIONATE. 
 
 " The letters of the Pope, the noble, the great, &c. &:'^. .... 
 have been presented to us. May God favour him who earnestly 
 seeketh after righteousness and doeth good, and wisheth peace 
 and walketh in the ways of the Lord. May God assist him who 
 worshippeth him in truth. We have considered the aforesaid 
 letters, and have understood the matters treated of therein, which 
 have pleased and delighted us ; and the messenger sent by the 
 holy Pope came to us, and we caused him to be brought before 
 us with honour, and love, and reverence ; and we brought him to 
 see us face to face, and inclining our ears towards him, we listened 
 to his speech, and we have put faith in the words he hath spoken 
 unto us concerning Christ, upon whom be salvation and praise. 
 But we know more concerning that same Christ than ye know, 
 and we magnify him more than ye magnify him. And as to 
 what you say concerning your desire for peace, tranquillity, and 
 quiet, and that you wish to put down war, so also do we ; we 
 desire and wish nothing to the contrary. But let the Pope know.
 
 174 THE KNKJEITS TEMPLARS, 
 
 William dk that between ourselves and the Emperor (Frederick) there hath 
 AD^mj been mutual love, and alliance, and perfect concord, from the 
 time of the sultan, my father, (whom may God preserve and 
 place in the glory of his brightness ;) and between you and the 
 Emperor there is, as ye kno"w, strife and warfare ; whence it is 
 not fit that we should enter into any treaty with the Christians 
 until we have previously had his advice and assent. We have 
 therefore written to our envoy at the imperial court upon the 
 propositions made to us by the Pope's messenger, &c. . . . 
 
 " This letter was written on the seventh of the month Mahuran. 
 Praise be to the one only God, and may his blessing rest upon 
 our master Mahomet." * 
 
 The year follow ing, (a.d. 1247,) the Carizmians were annihi- 
 lated ; they were cut up in detail by the Templars and Hospi- 
 tallers, and were at last slain to a man. Their very name 
 perished from the face of the earth, but the traces of their 
 existence were long preserved in the ruin and desolation they had 
 spread around them.t The Holy Land, although happily freed 
 from the destructive presence of these barbarians, had yet every- 
 thing to fear from the powerful sultan of Egypt, with whom 
 hostilities still continued ; and Brother William de Sonnac, the 
 Grand Master of the Temple, for the purpose of stimulating the 
 languid energies of the English nation, and reviving their holy zeal 
 and enthusiasm in the cause of the Cross, despatched a distinguished 
 Knight Templar to England, charged with the duty of presenting 
 to king Henry the Third a magnificent crystal vase, containing a 
 portion of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which had been 
 poured forth upon the sacred soil of Palestine for the remission 
 of the sins of all the faithful. 
 
 * Literae Soldani Babylonia; ad Papam missce, a qiiodam Cardinali ex Arabico trans- 
 latae.— Ma«. Par, p. 711. 
 t Ibid. p. 733.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 175 
 
 A solemn attestation of the genuineness of this precious relic, William dk 
 signed by the patriarch of Jerusalem, and the bishops, the abbots, /. D^r249. 
 and the barons of the Holy Land, \vas forwarded to London for 
 the satisfaction of the king and his subjects, and was deposited, 
 together with the vase and its inestimable contents, in the cathe- 
 dral church of Saint Paul.* 
 
 In the month of June, a.d. 1249, the galleys of the Templars 
 left Acre with a strong body of forces on board, and joined the 
 expedition undertaken by the French king, Louis IX., against 
 Egypt. The following account of the capture of Damietta was 
 forwarded to the Master of the Temple at London. 
 
 " Brother William de Sonnac, by the grace of God Master of 
 the poor chivalry of the Temple, to his beloved brother in Christ, 
 Robert de Sanford, Preceptor of England, salvation in the Lord. 
 
 " We hasten to unfold to you by these presents agreeable and 
 happy intelligence . . . (He details the landing of the French, 
 the defeat of the infidels with the loss of one christian soldier, 
 and the subsequent capture of the city.) " Damietta, therefore, 
 has been taken, not by our deserts, nor by the might of our 
 armed bands, but through the divine pouer and assistance. 
 Moreover, be it known to you that king Louis, with God's favour, 
 proposes to march upon Alexandria or Cairo for the purpose of 
 delivering our brethren there detained in captivity, and of re- 
 ducing, with God's help, the whole land to the christian worship. 
 Farewell." f 
 
 The Lord de Joinville, the friend of king Louis, and one of 
 the bravest of the French captains, gives a lively and most in- 
 teresting account of the campaign, and of the famous exploits of 
 the Templars. During the march towards Cairo, they led the 
 van of the christian army, and on one occasion, when the king of 
 France had given strict orders that no attack should be made 
 upon the infidels, and that an engagement should be avoided, a 
 
 * Matt. Par. p. IVy. t H'- i" additamentis, p. IfiB, in.'i.
 
 176 THE KXIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 William DE body of Turkish cavalry advanced against them. " One of these 
 A. D. 1249. Turks," says Joinville, " gave a Knight Templar in the first rank 
 so heavy a blow with his battle-axe, that it felled him under the 
 feet of the Lord Reginald de Vichier's horse, who was Marshall 
 of the Temple; the Mai'shall, seeing his man fall, cried out to 
 his brethren, ' At them in the name of God, for I cannot longer 
 stand this.' He instantly stuck spurs into his horse, followed by 
 all his brethren, and as their horses were fresh, not a Saracen 
 escaped." On another occasion, the Templars marched forth at 
 the head of the christian army, to make trial of a ford across the 
 Tanitic branch of the Nile. " Before we set out," says Joinville, 
 " the king had ordered that the Templars should form the van, 
 and the Count d'Artois, his brother, should command the second 
 division after the Templars; but the moment the Compte d'Artois 
 had passed the ford, he and all his people fell on the Saracens, 
 and putting them to flight, galloped after them. The Templars 
 sent to call the Compte d'Artois back, and to tell him that it was 
 his duty to march behind and not before them; but it happened 
 that the Count d'Artois could not make any answer by reason of 
 my Lord Foucquault du Melle, who held the bridle of his horse, 
 and my Lord Foucquault, who was a right good knight, being 
 deaf, heard nothing the Templars were saying to the Count 
 d'Artois, but kejit bawling out, ' Forward ! forward F (" Or a 
 eulz ! or a eulz !") When the Temjolars perceived this, they 
 thought they should be dishonoured if they allowed the Count 
 d'Artois thus to take the lead ; so they spurred their horses more 
 and more, and faster and faster, and chased the Turks, who fled 
 before them, through the town of Massoura, as far as the plains to- 
 wards Babylon ; but on their return, the Turks shot at them plenty 
 of arrows, and attacked them in the narrow streets of the town. 
 The Count d'Artois and the Earl of Leicester were there slain, 
 and as many as three hundred other knights. The Templars
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAHS. 177 
 
 lost, as their chief informed me, full fourteen score men-at-arms, William dk 
 and all his horsemen."* .1.0^^250. 
 
 The Grand Master of tlie Temple also lost an eye, nd cut his 
 way through the infidels to the main body of the christian army, 
 accompanied only hy two Knights Tcmplars.f There he again 
 mixed in the affray, took the command of a vanguard, and is to 
 be found fighting by the side of the Lord de Joinville at sunset. 
 In his account of the great battle fought on the first Friday in 
 Lent, Joinville thus commemorates the gallant bearing of the 
 Templars : — 
 
 " The next battalion was under the command of Brother 
 William de Sonnac, Master of the Temple, who had with him 
 the small remnant of the brethren of the order who survived the 
 battle of Shrove Tuesday. The Master of the Temple made of tlie 
 engines which we had taken from the Saracens a sort of rampart 
 in his front, but when the Saracens marched up to the assault, 
 they threw Greek fire upon it, and as the Templars had piled up 
 many planks of fir-wood amongst these engines, they caught fire 
 immediately ; and the Saracens, perceiving that the brethren of 
 the Temple were few in number, dashed through the burning- 
 timbers, and vigorously attacked them. In the preceding battle 
 of Shrove Tuesday, Brother William, the Master of the Temple, 
 lost one of his eyes, and in this battle the said lord lost his other 
 eye, and was slain. God have mercy on his soul ! And know 
 that immediately behind the place where the battalion of the 
 Templars stood, there was a good acre of ground, so covered witli 
 darts, arrows, and missiles, that you could not see the earth 
 
 * Quant les Templiers virent-ce, il se penserent que il seroient lionniz se il lessoient 
 le Compte d'Artois aler devant eulz ; si ferirent des esperons qui plus plus, et qui miex 
 miex, et chasserent Ics Turcs. Hist, de San Louis par Jehan Sire de Joinville, p. 47. 
 
 t Nee evasit de tota \VA gloriosa militi& nisi duo Templarii.— 3Jff//. rar. ad ann. 12j0. 
 Chron. N^angis^ p. 700. 
 
 N
 
 178 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 beneath them, such showers of these had been discharged against 
 the Templars by the Saracens!"* 
 Reginald dk ^he Grand Master, William de Sonnac, was succeeded by the 
 A. D. 1252. Marshall of the Temple, Brother Reginald de Vichier.f King 
 Louis, after his release from captivity, proceeded to Palestine, 
 where he remained two years. He repaired the fortifications of 
 Jaffa and Csesarea, and assisted the Templars in putting the 
 country into a defensible state. The Lord de Joinville remained 
 with him the whole time, and relates some curious events that 
 took place during his stay. It appears that the scheik of the 
 assassins still continued to pay tribute to the Templars ; and 
 during the king's residence at Acre, the chief sent ambassadors 
 to him to obtain a remission of the tribute. He gave them an 
 audience, and declared that he would consider of their proposal. 
 " When they came again before the king," says Joinville, " it 
 was about vespers, and they found the Master of the Temple on 
 one side of him, and the Master of the Hospital on the other. 
 The ambassadors refused to repeat what they had said in the 
 morning, but the Masters of the Temple and the Hospital com- 
 manded them so to do. Then the Masters of the Temple and 
 Hospital told them that their lord had very foolishly and impu- 
 dently sent such a message to the king of France, and had they 
 not been invested with the character of ambassadors, they would 
 have thrown them into the filthy sea of Acre, and have drowned 
 them in despite of their master. ' And we command you,' con- 
 tinued the masters, ' to return to vour lord, and to come back 
 
 * Et a celle bataille frere Guillaume le Mestre du Temple perdi I'lin cles yex, et 
 I'autre avoit il perdu le jour de quaresm pornant, et en fu mort ledit seigneur, que Dieux 
 absoille. — Joinville, p. 58. 
 
 + Et sachez que il avoit bien un journel de terra dariere les Templiers, qui cstoit si 
 charge de pyles que les Sarrazins leur avoient lanci6es, que il n'i paroit point de terre 
 pour la grant foison de pyles. — lb.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 1 7f) 
 
 within fifteen days with such letters from your prince, that tlie Rhcinald dk 
 king shall be contented with him and with you.' " ^^_ „' i^')]. 
 
 The ambassadors accordingly did as they were bid, and brought 
 back from their scheik a shirt, the symbol of friendship, and a 
 great variety of rich presents, " crystal elephants, pieces of 
 amber, with borders of pure gold," &c. &c.* " You must know 
 that when the ambassadors opened the case containing all these 
 fine things, the whole apartment was instantly embalmed with 
 the odour of their sweet perfumes." 
 
 The Lord de Joinville accompanied the Templars in several 
 marches and expeditions against the infidel tribes on the frontiers 
 of Palestine, and was present at the storming of the famous 
 castle of Panias, situate near the source of the Jordan. 
 
 At the period of the return of the king of France to Europe, 
 (a.d, 1254,) Henry the Third, king of England, was in Gascony 
 with Brother Robert de Sanford, Master of the Temple at 
 London, who had been previously sent by the English monarch 
 into that province to appease the troubles which had there 
 broken out.-f- King Henry proceeded to the Fj-ench capital, and 
 was magnificently entertained by the Knights Templars at the 
 Temple in Paris, which Matthew Paris tells us was of such im- 
 mense extent that it could contain within its precincts a numerous 
 army. The day after his arrival, king Henry ordered an innu- 
 merable quantity of poor people to be regaled at the Temple 
 with meat, fish, bread, and wine; and at a later hour the king of 
 France and all his nobles came to dine with the English 
 monarch. " Never," says Matthew Paris, " was there at any 
 period in bygone times so noble and so celebrated an entertain- 
 ment. They feasted in the great hall of the Temple, where hang 
 the shields on every side, as many as they can place along the 
 
 * Joinville, p. O.j, 06. 
 
 t Acta Rymeri, torn. i. p. 474, ad ann. r2o2.
 
 180 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Reginald DE four walls, according to the custom of the order beyond sea. , ."* 
 A.D. 1255*. The Knights Templars in this country likewise exercised a magni- 
 ficent hospitality, and constantly entertained kings, princes, nobles, 
 prelates, and foreign ambassadors, at the Temple. Immediately 
 after the return of king Henry to England, some illustrious am- 
 bassadors from Castile came on a visit to the Temple at London ; 
 and as the king " greatly delighted to honour them," he com- 
 manded three pipes of wine to be placed in the cellars of tlip 
 Temple for their use,+ and ten fat bucks to be brought them at 
 the same place from the royal forest in Essex.l He, moreover, 
 commanded tlie mayor and sheriffs of London, and the com- 
 monalty of the same vj,ity, to take with them a respectable 
 asseinblage of the citizens, and to go forth and meet the said 
 ambassadors without the city, and courteously receive them, and 
 honour them, and conduct them to the Temple.§ 
 Thomas The Grand Master, Reginald de Vichier, was succeeded by 
 
 ^a^l25G. Brother Thomas Berard,|l who wrote several letters to the king 
 of England, displaying the miserable condition of the Holy Land, 
 and earnestly imploring succour and assistance.^ The English 
 monarch, however, was too poor to assist him, being obliged to 
 borrow money upon his crown jewels, which he sent to the 
 Temple at Paris. The queen of France, in a letter " to her very 
 
 * Matt. Par. ad ann. 1254, p. 899, 900. 
 
 + . . . Mandatum est Johanni de Eynfort, eamerario regis London, quod sine dila- 
 tione capiat quatuor dolia boni vini, et ea liberet Johanni de Suwerk, ponenda in cellaria 
 Novi Templi London, ad opus nuntiorum ipsorum. — Acta Ri/meri, torn i. p. 557, ad 
 ann. 1255. 
 
 t Et mandatum est Ricardo de Muntfichet, custodi forests Regis Essex, quod eadeni 
 foresta sine dilatione capiat X. damos, et eos usque ad Novum Templum London cariari 
 faciat, liberandos prajdicto Johanni, ad opus prsedictorum nuntiorum. — lb. 
 
 § Acta Rymeri, p. 557, 558. 
 
 II MCCLVI. morut frere Renaut de Vichieres Maistre du Temple. Apres lui 
 fu i'ait Maistre frere Thomas Berard. — Contin. hist, apiid Martene, torn, v, col. 736. 
 
 1i Acta Rymeri, tom. i. p. 698, 699, 700.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 181 
 
 dear brother Henry, the illustrious king of England," gives a Tiio.mas 
 long- list of golden \yands, golden combs, diamond buckles, chai)- ^ „' "i.j,;J 
 lets, and circlets, golden crowns, imperial beavers, rich gii'dles, 
 golden peacocks, and rings innumerable, adorned with sapphires, 
 rubies, emeralds, topazes, and carbuncles, which she says she had 
 inspected in the presence of the treasurer of the Temple at Paris, 
 and that the same were safely deposited in the coffers of the 
 Templars.* 
 
 The military power of the orders of the Temple and the 
 Hospital in Palestine was at last completely broken by Bibars, 
 or Benocdar, the fourth Mamlook sultan of Egypt, who, from 
 the humble station of a Tartar slave, 1 cd raised himself to the 
 f^overeignty of that country, and through his valour and military 
 talents had acquired the title of " the Conqueror." He invaded 
 Palestine (a.d. 1262) at the head of thirty thousand cavalry, and 
 defeated the Templars and Hospitallers with immense slaughter.f 
 After several years of continuous warfare, during which the most 
 horrible excesses were committed by both parties, all the strong- 
 holds of the Christians, with the solitary exception of the Pilgrim's 
 Castle and the city of Acre, fell into the hands of the infidels. 
 
 On the last day of April, (a.d. 1205,) Benocdar stormed Arsiif, 
 one of the strongest of the castles of the Hospitallers ; he slew 
 ninety of the garrison, and led away a thousand into captivity _ 
 The year following he stormed Castel Blanco, a fortress of the 
 Knights Templars, and immediately after laid siege to their 
 famous and important castle of Saphet. After an obstinate de- 
 fence, the Preceptor, finding himself destitute of provisions, 
 agreed to capitulate, on condition that the surviving brethren and 
 
 * Acta Hi/meri, torn. i. p. 730, 878, 879, ad ami. 1261. 
 
 + Fuient mors et pris, et perdirent les Templiers tot lor hernois, et le commandeor du 
 Temple frerc Mtitthiou le Sauvage. — Coiitin. hist. bell, siicr. ut sup. col. 737. Mar'm 
 Saiiut, cap. (j.
 
 182 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Thomas their retainers, amounting to six hundred men, should be con- 
 A.D. 1266. ducted in safety to the nearest fortress of the Christians. The 
 terms were acceded to, but as soon as Benocdar had obtained 
 possession of the castle, he imposed upon the whole garrison the 
 severe alternative of the Koran or death. They chose the latter, 
 and, according to the christian writers, were all slain.* The 
 Arabian historian Schafi Ib'n Ali Abbas, however, in his life of 
 Bibars, or Benocdar, states that one of the garrison named 
 Effreez Lyouh, embraced the Mahommetan faith, and was cir- 
 cumcised, and that another was sent to Acre to announce the fall 
 of the place to his brethren. This writer attempts to excuse the 
 slaughter of the remainder, on the ground that they had them- 
 selves first broken the terms of the capitulation, by attempting to 
 carry away arms and treasure.f " By the death of so many 
 knights of both orders," says Pope Clement IV., in one of his 
 epistles, " the noble college of the Hospitallers, and the illustrious 
 chivalry of the Temple, are almost destroyed, and I know not 
 how we shall be able, after this, to find gentlemen and persons of 
 quality suflticient to supply the places of such as have perished. :|: 
 The year after the fall of Saphet, (a. d. 1267,) Benocdar captured 
 tb.e cities of Horns, Belfort, Bagras, and Sidon, whioli belonged 
 to the order of the Temple; the maritime tov.'us of Laodicea, 
 Gabala, Tripoli, Beirout, and Jatta, successively fell into his 
 hands, and the fall of the princely city of Antioch was signalized 
 by the slaughter of seventeen and the captivity of one hundred 
 
 * JMar'tu Sanul Torsell, lib. iii. pars 12, cap. (i, 7, 8. Contin. hist. bell. sacr. apiid 
 il/a«-<ene, torn. V. col. 742. See also Abulfed. Hist. Arab, apud Wilkens, p. 223. De 
 Gidgnes, Hist, des Huns, torn. iv. p. 141, 
 
 t Miuhaud, Extraites Arabes, p. 6G8. 
 
 J De Vertot, liv. iii. Preuve. xiii. See also epist. ccccii. apiul Murtcne thesaur. anec. 
 torn. ii. col. 422.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 183 
 
 thousand of her inhabitants.* The utter ruin of the Latin kinfT- Ticomas 
 doui, however, was averted by tlie timely assistance brought by a.d 'YJijj/ 
 Edward Prince of Wales, son of Henry the Second, king of Eng- 
 land, who appeared at Acre with a fleet and an army. The 
 infidels were once more defeated and driven back into Egypt, and 
 a truce for ten years between the sultan and the Christians was 
 agreed upon.f Prince Edward then prepared for his departure, 
 but, before encountering the perils of the sea on his return home, 
 he made his will ; it is dated at Acre, June 18th, a. d. 1272, and 
 Brother Thomas Berard, Grand Master of the Temple, appears 
 as an attesting witness.;|: Whilst the prince was pursuing his 
 voyage to England, his father, the king of England, died, and 
 the council of the realm, composed of the archbishops of Canter- 
 bury and York, and the bishops and barons of the kingdom, 
 assembled in the Temple at London^ and swore allegiance to the 
 prince. They there caused him to be proclaimed king of Eng- 
 land, and, with the consent of the queen-mother, they appointed 
 Walter Giffard, archbishop of York, and the earls of Cornwall 
 and Gloucester, guardians of the realm. Letters were written 
 from the Temple to acquaint the young sovereign with the deatli 
 of his father, and many of the acts of the new government ema- 
 nated from the same place. § 
 
 King Henry the Third was a great benefactor to the Templars. 
 
 * Facta est civitastam famosa quasi solitudo deserti. — Marin Sanut, lib. iii. pars. 1"2' 
 cap. 9. De Guignes, Hist, des Huns, torn. iv. p. 143. Conlin. Hist, apud Martene, 
 torn. V. col. 743. Ahulpharag. Chron. Syr. p. 546. Michaitd, Extraits Arabes, p. G81. 
 
 t Marin Sanut ut sup. cap. 11, 12. Contin. Hist, apud Martene, col. 745, 74(5. 
 
 X En testimoniaunce de la queu chose, a ceo testament avons fet mettre nostre sel, 
 et avoms pries les honurables Bers frere Hue, Mestre de I'Hospital, ct frere Thomas 
 Berard, Mestre du Temple, ke a cest escrit meisent ausi lur sens, etc. Acta Rijmeri, 
 torn. i. p. 885, 886, ad ann. 1272. 
 
 § Trivet ad ann. 1272. Walsingham, p. 43. Acta Ri/meri, torn. i. p. 8G9, ad ann. 
 1272, torn. ii. p. 2.
 
 Bkau.ieu. 
 A.u, 1273. 
 
 184 THE KJSIGHTS TKMPLAKS. 
 
 He granted them the manors of Lilleston, Hecliewayton, Saun- 
 ford, Satton, Dartfeld, and Halgel, in Kent; several lands, 
 and churches and annual fairs at Baldok, Walnesford, Wetherby, 
 and other places, and various weekly markets.* 
 William de The Grand Master, Thomas Berard, was succeeded by Brother 
 William de Beaujeu,t who came to England for the purpose of 
 obtaining succour, and called together a general chapter of the 
 order at London. AVhilst resident at the Temple in that city, he 
 received payment of a large sum of money which Edward, the 
 young king, had borrowed of the Templars during his residence 
 in Palestine. :{; The Grand Master of the Hospital also came to 
 Europe, and every exertion was made to stimulate the languid 
 energies of the western Chi-istians, and revive their holy zeal in 
 the cause of the Cross. A general council of the church was 
 opened at Lyons by the Pope in person ; the two Grand Masters 
 were present, and took precedence of all the ambassadors and 
 peers at that famous assembly. It was determined that a new 
 crusade should be preached, that all ecclesiastical dignities and 
 benefices should be taxed to support an armament, and that the 
 sovereigns of Europe should be compelled by ecclesiastical cen- 
 sures to suspend their private cpaarrels, and afford succour to the 
 dec^olate city of Jerusalem. The Pope, who had been himself 
 resident in Palestine, took a strong personal interest in the pro- 
 motion of the crusade, and induced many nobles, princes, and 
 
 * Moiiast. Angl., vol. vi. part 2, p. 800—844. 
 
 t MCCLXXIII. a viii. jors d'Avii morut frere Thomas Beiait, Maistie du 
 Temple le jor de la iiotre dame dc Mars, et fii fait Maistre a xiii. jors de May, frere 
 Guillaume de Bieaujeu qui estoit outre Commendeor du Temple en Pouille, et alereiit 
 por lui qucrire frere Guillaume de Poucon, qui avait tenu lieu de Maistre, et frere Ber- 
 trand de Fox ; et frere Gonfiere fu fait Commaudeor gran tenant lieu de Maistre. — 
 Contin. Hist, apud Marlene, torn. v. cul. 746, 747. This is the earliest instance 1 have 
 met witli of the application of the term CoMMANDiiR to the high officers of the Temple. 
 
 X Acta Rymeri, torn. ii. p. 34, ad ann. 1274.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 185 
 
 knights to assume the Cross ; but the holy pontiff died in the ^V'illiam de 
 midst of his exertions, and with liim expired all hope of effectual a.d. 1-275. 
 assistance from Europe. A vast change had come over tlie spirit of 
 the age ; the fiery enthusiasm of the holy war had expended 
 itself, and the Grand Masters of the Temple and Hospital re- 
 turned without succour, in sorrow and disappointment, to 
 the East. 
 
 William de Beaujeu arrived at the Temple of Acre on Saint 
 Michael's Day, a. d. 1275, and immediately assumed the govern- 
 ment of Palestine.* As there was now no hope of recovering 
 the lost city of Jerusalem, he bent all his energies to the preser- 
 vation of the few remaining possessions of the Christians in the 
 Holy Land. At the expiration of the ten years' truce he entered 
 into a further treaty with the infidels, called " the peace of Tor- 
 tosa." It is expressed to be made between sultan Malek-Mansour 
 and his son Malek-Saleh Ali, " honour of the world and of reli- 
 gion," of the one part, and Afryz Dybadjouk (William 
 de Beaujeu) Grand Master of the order of the Templars, of the 
 other part. The truce is further prolonged for ten years and ten 
 months from the date of the execution of the treaty, (a. d. 1282;) 
 and the contracting parties strictly bind themselves to make no 
 irruptions into each other's territories during the period. To 
 prevent mistakes, the towns, villages, and territory belonging to 
 the Christians in Palestine are specified and defined, together 
 with the contiguous possessions of the Moslems.f This treaty, 
 however, was speedily broken, the war was renewed with various 
 success, and another treaty was concluded, which was again 
 violated by an unpardonable outrage. Some European adven- 
 turers, who had arrived at Acre, plundered and hung nineteen 
 Egyptian merchants, and the sultan of Egypt immediately re- 
 
 * Coiitiii. hiat. bell, sjicr. apuil Marteiie, torn. v. col. 74ii. 
 
 + Life of'Malek Maiisour Kelacniii. Mic/urid, Extiaits Arubes, p. 6{j5, 686, 687. 
 
 I
 
 186 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 William de sumed hostilities, with the avowed determination of crushing for 
 A^f 129L ever the christian power in the East. The fortress of Margat 
 was besieged and taken ; the city of Tripoli shared the same fate ; 
 and in the third year from the re-commencement of the war, the 
 christian dominions in Palestine were reduced within the narrow 
 confines of the strong city of Acre and the Pilgrim's Castle. In 
 the spring of the year 1291, the sultan Khalil marched against 
 Acre at the head of sixty thousand horse and a hundred and 
 forty thousand foot. 
 
 " An innumerable people of all nations and every tongue," 
 says a chronicle of the times, " thirsting for christian blood, were 
 assembled together from the deserts of the East and the South ; 
 the earth trembled beneath their footsteps, and the air was rent 
 with the sound of their trumpets and cymbals. The sun's rays, 
 reflected from their shields, gleamed on the distant mountains, 
 and the points of their spears shone like the innumerable stars of 
 heaven. When on the march, their lances presented the appear- 
 ance of a vast forest rising from the earth, and covering all the 
 landscape." ..." They wandered round about the walls, spying 
 out their weaknesses and defects ; some barked like dogs, some 
 roared like lions, some lowed and bellowed like oxen, some struck 
 drums with tAvisted sticks after their fashion, some threw darts, 
 some cast stones, some shot arrows and bolts from cross-bows." * 
 On the 5th of April, the place was regularly invested. No 
 rational hope of saving it could be entertained ; the sea was 
 open ; the harbour was filled with christian vessels, and with the 
 galleys of the Temple and the Hospital ; yet the two great 
 monastic and military orders scorned to retire to the neighbouring 
 and friendly island of Cyprus ; they refused to desert, even in its 
 last extremity, that cause which they had sworn to maintain with 
 the last drop of their blood. For a hundred and seventy years 
 
 * De excidio urbis Aconis apud Martene vet. script, torn. v. col. 1G7.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 187 
 
 their swords bad been constantly employed in defending the WatuM de 
 Holy Land from the profane tread of tbe unbelieving Moslem ; f d^I'JOI. 
 the sacred territory of Palestine had been everywhere moistened 
 Avith the blood of the best and bravest of their knights, and, 
 faithful to their vows and their chivalrous engagements, they now 
 prepared to bury themselves in the ruins of the last stronghold of 
 the christian faith. 
 
 William de Beaujeu, the Grand Master of the Temple, a 
 veteran warrior of a hundred fights, took the command of the 
 garrison, which amounted to about twelve thousand men, exclu- 
 sive of the forces of the Temple and the Hospital, and a body of 
 five hundred foot and two hundred horse, under the command of 
 the king of Cyprus. These forces were distributed along the 
 walls in four divisions, the first of which was commanded by 
 Hugh de Grandison, an English knight. The old and the feeble, 
 women and children, were sent away by sea to the christian 
 island of Cyprus, and none remained in the devoted city but 
 those who were prepared to fight in its defence, or to suffer mar- 
 tyrdom at the hands of the infidels. The siege lasted six 
 weeks, during the whole of which period the sallies and 
 the attacks were incessant. Neither by night nor by day did the 
 shouts of the assailants and the noise of the military engines 
 cease ; the walls were battered from without, and the foundations 
 Mere sapped by miners, who were incessantly labouring to advance 
 their works. More than six hundred catapults, balistae, and other 
 instruments of destruction, were directed against the fortifica- 
 tions ; and the battering machines were of such immense size and 
 weight, that a hundred wagons were required to transport the 
 separate timbers of one of them.* Moveable towers were erected 
 
 * Tlie famous Abul-fcda, prince of Hamah, sui-namcd Amod-cd-deen, (Pillar of Reli- 
 gion,) the great liistoriau and astroiiomer, superintended the transportation of t lie military 
 engines from Ilasn-el-Akrah to St. Jean d'Acrc.
 
 188 THE KNIGHTS TEMTLARS. 
 
 William de by the Moslems, so as to overtop the walls ; their woi'knieu and 
 
 BeAUJEU. , , . 1 1 1 11 1 • 1 
 
 A.D. 1291. advancecl jjarties were protected by hurdles covered with raw 
 hides, and all the military coutrivances which tlie art and the 
 skill of the age could produce, were used to facilitate the assault. 
 For a long time their utmost efforts were foiled by the valour of 
 the besieged, who made constant sallies upon their works, burnt 
 their towers and machines, and destroyed their miners. Day by 
 day, however, the numbers of the garrison were thinned by the 
 sword, whilst in the enemy's camp the places of the dead were 
 constantly supplied by fresh warriors from the deserts of Arabia, 
 animated with the same wild fanaticism in the cause of their 
 religion as that which so eminently distinguished the military 
 monks of the Temple. On the fourth of May, after thirty-three 
 days of constant fighling, the great tower, considered the key of 
 the fortifications, and called by the Moslems the cursed tower, 
 was thrown down by the military engines. To increase the 
 terror and distraction of the besieged, sultan Khalil mounted 
 three hundred drummers, with their drums, upon as many 
 dromedaries, and commanded them to make as much noise as 
 possible whenever a general assault was ordered. From the 
 4tli to the 14th of May, the attacks were incessant. On the 15th, 
 the double wall was forced, and the king of Cyprus, panic-stricken, 
 fled in the night to his ships, and made sail for the island of 
 Cyprus, with all his followers, and with near three thousand of 
 the best men of the garrison. On the morrow the Saracens at- 
 tacked the post he had deserted ; they filled up the ditch with 
 the bodies of dead men and horses, piles of wood, stones, and 
 earth, and their trumpets then sounded to the assault. Ranged 
 under the yellow banner of Mahomet, the Mamlooks forced the 
 breach, and penetrated sword in hand to the very centre of the 
 city ; but their victorious career and insulting shouts were there 
 stopped by the mail-clad Knights of the Tenij)]e and the Hospital,
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 189 
 
 wlio charged on horseback tliroiigh the narrow streets, drove Wilmam de 
 them back with immense carnage, and precipitated them head- a^ik^I^oi. 
 long from the walls. 
 
 At sunrise the following morning the air resounded with the 
 deafening noise of drums and trumpets, and the breach was carried 
 and recovered several times, the military friars at last closing up 
 the passage with their bodies, and presenting a wall of steel to 
 the advance of tlie eneni}'. Loud appeals to God and to Ma- 
 homet, to heaven and the saints, were to be heard on all sides ; 
 and after an obstinate engagement from sunrise to sunset, dark- 
 ness put an end to the slaughter. On the third day, (the 18th,) 
 the infidels made the final assault on the side next the gate of St. 
 Anthony. The Grand Masters of the Temple and the Hosjiital 
 fought side by side at the head of their knights, and for a time 
 successfully resisted all the eftorts of the enemy. They engaged 
 hand to hand with the Mamlooks, and pressed like the meanest 
 of the soldiers into the thick of the battle. But as each kniofht 
 fell beneath the keen scimitars of the Moslems, there were none 
 in reserve to supply his place, whilst the vast hordes of the infi- 
 dels pressed on with untiring energy and perseverance. The 
 Marshall of the Hospital fell covered with wounds, and William 
 de Beaujeu, as a last resort, requested the Grand Master of that 
 order to sally out of an adjoining gateway at the head of five 
 hundred horse, and attack the enemy's rear. Immediately after 
 the Grand Master of the Temple had given these orders, he was 
 himself struck down by the darts and the arrows of the enemy ; 
 the panic-stricken garrison fled to the port, and the infidels 
 rushed on with tremendous shouts oi' Allah achar ! Allah achar! 
 " God is victorious." Three hundred Templars, the sole survivors 
 of their illustrious order in Acre, were now left alone to with- 
 stand the shock of the victorious Mamlooks. In a close and 
 compact column they fought their way, accompanied by several
 
 190 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 hundred christian fugitives, to the Temj^le, and shutting their 
 gates, they again bade defiance to the advancing foe. 
 Gaudini. The surviving; knigdits now assembled together in solemn 
 
 A.D. 1291. . . 
 
 chapter, and appointed the Knight Templar Brother Gaudini 
 Grand Master.* The Temple at Acre was a place of great 
 strength, and surrounded by walls and towers of immense extent. 
 It was divided into three quarters, the first and principal of which 
 contained the palace of the Grand Master, the church, and the 
 habitation of the knights ; the second, called the Bourg of the 
 Temple, contained the cells of the serving brethren ; and the 
 third, called the Cattle Market, was devoted to the officers 
 charged with the duty of procuring the necessary supplies for the 
 order and its forces. 
 
 The following morning very favourable terms were offered to 
 the Templars by the victorious sultan, and they agreed to eva- 
 cuate the Temple on condition that a galley should be placed at 
 their disposal, and that they should be allowed to retire in safety 
 with the christian fugitives under their protection, and to carry 
 away as much of their effects as each person could load himself 
 with. The Mussulman conqueror pledged himself to the fulfil- 
 ment of these conditions, and sent a standard to the Templars, 
 which was mounted on one of the towers of the Temple. A 
 guard of three hundred Moslem soldiers, charged to see the 
 articles of capitulation properly carried into effect, was after- 
 v/ards admitted within the walls of the convent. Some christian 
 women of Acre, who had refused to quit their fathers, brothers, 
 and husbands, the brave defenders of the place, were amongst the 
 fugitives, and the Moslem soldiers, attracted by their beauty, 
 broke through all restraint, and violated the terms of the sur- 
 render. The enraged Templars closed and barricadoed the gates 
 
 ' Ex ipsis fratrem monachum Gaudini elegerunt miuistrum generalem. De exciilio 
 urbis Acconis apud Martene, torn. v. col 782.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 191 
 
 of the Temple ; they set upon the treacherous infidels, and put Gaudint. 
 every one of them, " from the greatest to the smallest," to death.* 
 Immediately after this massaci-e the Moslem trumpets sounded to 
 the assault, but the Templars successfully defended themselves 
 until the next day (the 20th.) The Marshall of the order and 
 several of the brethren were then deputed by Gaudini with a flag 
 of truce to the sultan, to explain the cause of the massacre of his 
 guard. The enraged monarch, however, had no sooner got them 
 into his power than he ordered every one of them to be decapi- 
 tated, and pressed the siege with renewed vigour. In the night, 
 Gaudini, Avith a chosen band of his companions, collected together 
 the treasure of the order and the ornaments of the church, and 
 sallying out of a secret postern of the Temple which communi- 
 cated with the harbour, they got on board a small vessel, and 
 escaped in safety to the island of Cyprus.f The residue of the 
 Templars retired into the large tower of the Temple, called " The 
 Tower of the Master," which they defended with desperate 
 energy. The bravest of the Mamlooks were driven back in 
 rejoeated assaults, and the little fortress was everywhere sur- 
 rounded with heaps of the slain. The sultan, at last, despairing 
 of taking the place by assault, ordered it to be undermined. As 
 the workmen advanced, they propped the foundations with beams 
 
 * Videntes pulchrosFrancorum filios acfilias, manus his injecerunt. — Abulfarag, Chron. 
 Syr. p. 595. Maledicti Saraceni mulieres et pueros ad loca domus secretiora ex eisdem 
 abusuri distrahere conabantur, turpibus ecclesiam obscoenitatibus cum nihil possent aliud 
 maculantes. Quod videntes christiani, clausis portis, in perfidos viriliter irruenint, et 
 omnes a minimo usque ad maximum occiderunt, muros, tunes, atque jjortas Templi 
 munientes ad defensam. — De excid. Acconis ut sup. col. 782. Marin Sanui ut sup. cap. 
 xxii. p. 231. 
 
 f Per totam noctem illam, dum fideles vigilarent contra perfidorum astutiani, domum 
 contra eos defensuri, fratrum adjutorio de thesauris quod potuit cum sacrosanctis reliquiis 
 ecclesire Templi, ad marc salubritcr deportavit. Inde quidem cum fratribus paucis .luspicato 
 remigio, in C.\T)rum cum cautela transfretavit, — De excid. Acconis, col. 782. 
 
 I
 
 192 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Gaudini. of wood, and when the excavation was completed, these wooden 
 
 A.D. 12S)1. 
 
 supports were consumed by fire ; the huge tower then fell with a 
 tremendous crash, and buried the brave Templars in its ruins. 
 The sultan set fire to the town in four places, and the last strong- 
 hold of the christian power in Palestine v/as speedily reduced to a 
 smoking solitude.* A few years back the ruins of the christian 
 city of Acre were well worthy of the attention of the curious. You 
 might still trace the remains of several churches ; and the quarter 
 occupied by the Knights Templars continued to present many in- 
 teresting memorials of that proud and powerful order. 
 
 * De excidio urbis Acconis apiid Martene, torn. v. col. 757. De Guignes, Hist, des 
 Huns, torn. iv. p. 162. Midland, Extraits Arabes, p. 762, 808. Abulfarag. Chron. Syr. 
 p. 595. Wilkens, Comment. Abulfed. Hist. p. 231—234. Marin. Sannt Torsell, lib. iii. 
 pars 12, cap. 21.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 193 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The downfall of the Templars — The cause thereof — The Grand Master comes to 
 , Europe at the request of the Pope — He is imprisoned, with all the Templars 
 in France, by command of king Phihp — ^They are put to the torture, and con- 
 fessions of the guilt of heresy and idolatry are extracted from them — Edward 
 II. king of England stands up in defence of the Templars, but afterwards per- 
 secutes them at the instance of the Pope— The imprisonment of the Master of 
 the Temple and all his brethren in England — Their examination upon eighty- 
 seven horrible and ridiculous articles of accusation before foreign inqui- 
 sitors appointed by the Pope— A council of the church assembles at London to 
 pass sentence upon them — The curious evidence adduced as to the mode of 
 admission into the order, and of the customs and observances of the fraternity. 
 
 En eel an qu'ai dist or endroit, 
 Et ne salt a tort ou a droit, 
 Furent li Templiers, sans doutance, 
 Tous pris par le royaume de France. 
 Au mois d'Octobre, au point du jor, 
 Et un vendredi fu le jor. 
 
 Chron. MS. 
 
 It now only remains for us to describe the miserable fate of the James dk 
 surviving brethren of the order of the Temple, and to tell of the ^,d^\2Q7. 
 ingratitude they encountered from their fellow Christians in the 
 West. Shortly after the fall of Acre, a general chapter of the 
 fraternity was called together, and James de Molay, the Preceptor
 
 194 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de of England, was chosen Grand Master.* He attempted once more 
 A.p, 130*2. (a. D. 1302) to plant the banners of the Temple upon the sacred 
 soil of Palestine, but was defeated by the sultan of Egypt with 
 the loss of a hundred and twenty of his brethren.-f- This disas- 
 trous expedition was speedily followed by the downfall of the 
 fraternity. Many circumstances contributed to this memorable 
 event. 
 
 With the loss of all the christian territory in Palestine had 
 expired in Christendom every serious hope and expectation 
 of recovering and retaining the Holy City. The services of the 
 Templars were consequently no longer required, and men began 
 to regard with an eye of envy and of covetousness their vast 
 wealth and immense possessions. The privileges conceded to 
 the fraternity by the popes made the church their enemy. The 
 great body of the clergy regarded with jealousy and indignation 
 their exemption from the ordinary ecclesiastical jurisdiction. 
 The bull omne datum optimum was considered a great inroad 
 upon the rights of the church, and broke the union which had 
 originally subsisted between the Templars and the ecclesiastics. 
 Their exemption from tithe was a source of considerable loss 
 to the parsons, and the privilege they possessed of celebrating 
 divine service during interdict brought abundance of offerings 
 and alms to the priests and chaplains of the order, which the 
 clergy looked upon as so many robberies committed upon them- 
 selves. Disputes arose between the fraternity and the bishops 
 and priests, and the hostility of the latter to the order was mani- 
 fested in repeated acts of injustice, which drew forth many severe 
 bulls and indignant animadversions from the Roman pontiffs. 
 Pope Alexander, in a bull fulminated against the clergy, tells 
 
 * Raynald, torn. xiv. ad ann. 1298. Cotton MS. Nero E. vi. p. 60. fol. 466. 
 
 + Marin Sanut Torsell. lib. iii. pars. 13, cap. x. p. 242. De Guipnes, Hist, des 
 
 Iluns, torn. iv. p. 184,
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 195 
 
 tlieni that if they would carefully reflect upon the contests which James uk 
 his beloved sons, the brethren of the chivalry of the Temple, con- a.^d?'T302. 
 tinually maintained in Palestine for the defence of Christianity, 
 and their kindness to the poor, they would not only cease from 
 annoying and injuring them, but would strictly restrain others 
 from so doing. He expresses himself to be grieved and astonished 
 to hear that many ecclesiastics had vexed them with grievous in- 
 juries, had treated his apostolic letters with contempt, and had 
 refused to read them in their churches ; that they had subtracted 
 the customary alms and oblations from the fraternity, and had 
 admitted aggressors against the property of the brethren to their 
 familiar friendship, insufferably endeavouring to press down and 
 discourage those whom they ought assiduously to uphold. From 
 other bulls it appears that the clergy interfered with the right 
 enjoyed by the fraternity of collecting alms ; that they refused to 
 bury the bretBren of the order when deceased without being paid 
 for it, and arrogantly claimed a right to be entertained with 
 sumptuous hospitality in the houses of the Temple. For these 
 delinquencies, the bishops, archdeacons, priests, and the whole 
 body of the clergy, are threatened with severe measures by the 
 Roman pontiff.* 
 
 The Templars, moreover, towards the close of their career, 
 became unpopular with the European sovereigns and their nobles. 
 The revenues of the former were somewhat diminished through 
 the immunities conceded to the Templars by their predecessors, 
 and the paternal estates of the latter had been diminished by the 
 grant of many thousand manors, lordships, and fair estates to 
 the order by their pious and enthusiastic ancestors. Considerable 
 dislike also beu-an to be manifested to the annual transmission of 
 large sums of money, the revenues of the order, from the 
 
 * Acta Rymeri, torn. i. p. 575, 576—579, 582, torn. ii. p. 250. Martene, vet. 
 script, torn. vii. col. 156. 
 
 o 2
 
 196 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de European states to be expended in a distant warfare in which 
 A. D. 1302. Christendom now took comparatively no interest. Shortly after 
 the fall of Acre, and the total loss of Palestine, Edward the 
 First, king of England, seized and sequestered to his own use 
 the monies which had been accumulated by the Templars, to 
 forward to their brethren in Cyprus, alleging that the property 
 of the order of the Temple had been granted to it by the kings 
 of England, his predecessors, and their subjects, for the defence 
 of the Holy Land, and that since the loss thereof, no better use 
 could be made of the money than by appropriating it to the 
 maintenance of the poor. At the earnest request of the pope, 
 however, the king afterwards permitted their revenues to be 
 transmitted to them in the island of Cyprus in the usual man- 
 ner.* King Edvt ard had previously manifested a strong desire 
 to lay hands on the ])roperty of the Templars. On his return 
 from his victorious campaign in Wales, finding himself 
 unable to disburse the arrears of pay due to his soldiers, he went 
 with Sir Robert Waleran and some armed followers to the Tem- 
 j)le, and calling for the treasurer, he pretended that he wanted 
 to see his mother's jewels, which were there kept. Having been 
 admitted into the house, he deliberately broke open the cofiers of 
 the Templars, and carried away ten thousand pounds with him to 
 Windsor Castle.-f- His son, Edward the Second, on his accession 
 to the throne, committed a similar act of injustice. He went 
 with his favourite, Piers Gavaston, to the Temple, and took away 
 with him fifty thousand pounds of silver, with a quantity of gold, 
 jewels, and precious stones, belonging to the bishop of Chester.;}: 
 
 * Acta Rymeri, torn. ii. p. 683. ad ann. 1295. 
 
 + Chr 0T\. Dunmotv. Annals oi St. Augustin. Rapin. 
 
 t Ipse vero Rex et Petrus thesaurum ipsius episcopi, apud Novum Templum Lon- 
 doiiiis reconditum, ceperunt, ad summain quinquaginta millia librarum argeuti, praeter 
 aurum multum, jocalia et lapides preciosos. . . . Erant enim ambo praesentes, cum cista; 
 frangerentur, et adhuc non erat sepultum corpus patris sui. — Hemingford, p. 244.
 
 THE KMGIITS TEMPLARS. 197 
 
 Tbe impunity with which these acts of violence were comiiiitteJ, James db 
 manifests that the Templars then no longer enjoyed the power and a. d°'i302. 
 respect which they possessed in ancient times. 
 
 As the enthusiasm, too, in favour of the holy war diminished, 
 large numbers of the Templars remained at home in their 
 western preceptories, and took an active part in the politics of 
 Europe. They interfered in the quarrels of christian princes, 
 and even drew their swords against their fellow-Christians. 
 Thus we find the members of the order taking part in the war 
 between the houses of Anjou and Aragon, and aiding the king 
 of England in his warfare against the king of Scotland. In the 
 battle of Falkirk, fought on the 22nd of July, a. d. 1298, seven 
 years after the fall of Acre, perished both the Master of the 
 Temple at London, and his vicegerent the Preceptor of Scot- 
 land.* All these circumstances, together with the loss of the 
 Holy Land, and the extinction of the enthusiasm of the crusades, 
 diminished the popularity of the Templars in Europe. 
 
 At the period of the fall of Acre, Philip the Fair, son of St. 
 Louis, occupied the throne of France. He was a needy and 
 avaricious monarch,^ and had at diiferent periods resorted to tlie 
 most violent expedients to replenish his exhausted exchequer. 
 On the death of Pope Benedict XI., (a. d. 1304,) he succeeded, 
 through the intrigues of the French Cardinal Dupre, in raising 
 the archbishop of Bourdeaux, a creature of his own, to the ponti- 
 fical chair. The new pope removed the Holy See from Rome to 
 France ; he summoned all the cardinals to Lyons, and was there 
 consecrated, (a. d. 1305,) by the name of Clement V., in the 
 presence of king Philip and his nobles. Of the ten new cardinals 
 then created nine were Frenchmen, and in all his acts the new 
 pope manifested himself the obedient slave of the French mo- 
 
 * Chron. Triveti. ad ann. 1298. Hemingford, vol. i. p. 159. 
 t Dante styles him il mal di Francia, Del. Purgat. cant. 20, 91.
 
 198 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de ii^^'ch. The character of this pontiff has been painted by the 
 
 ^'^.T^" Romish ecclesiastical historians in the darkest colours : they re- 
 A. V. 1306. , ... 
 
 present him as wedded to pleasure, eaten up with ambition, and 
 
 greedy for money ; they accuse him of indulging in a criminal 
 intrigue with the beautiful countess of Perigord,and of trafficking 
 in holy things.* 
 
 On the 6th of June, a. d. 1306, a few months after his corona- 
 tion, this new French pontiff addressed letters from Bourdeaux 
 to the Grand Masters of the Temple and Hospital, expressing 
 his earnest desire to consult them with regard to the measures 
 necessary to be taken for the recovery of the Holy Land. He 
 tells them that they are the persons best qualified to give advice 
 upon the subject, and to conduct and manage the enterprize, both 
 from their great military experience and the interest they had in 
 the success of the expedition. " We order you," says he, " to 
 come hither without delay, with as much secrecy as possible, and 
 with a verj/ little retinue, since you will find on this side the sea a 
 sufficient number of your knights to attend upon you,"t The 
 Grand Master of the Hospital declined obeying this summons ; 
 but the Grand Master of the Temple forthwith accepted it, and 
 unhesitatingly placed himself in the power of the pope and the 
 king of France. He landed in France, attended by sixty of his 
 knights, at the commencement of the year 1307, and deposited 
 the treasure of the order which he had brought with him from 
 Cyprus, in the Temple at Paris. He was received with dis- 
 tinction by the king, and then took his departure for Poictiers to 
 
 * Questo Papa fue huomo molto cupido di moneta, e fiie lusurioso, si dicea che 
 tenea per arnica la contessa di Paragordo, bellissima donna ! ! Villani, lib. ix. cap. 58. 
 Fuit nimis cupiditatibus deditus. . . Sanct. Ant. Flor. de Concil. Vien. tit. 21. sec, 3, 
 Circa thesauros colligendos insudavit, says Knighton apiid X script, col. 2494 . Fleuri, 
 1. 92. p. 239. Chron. de Numgis, ad ann. 1 305. 
 
 t Rainald. torn. xv. ad ann. 1306, n. 12. Fleiiri, Hist. Ecclcs. torn. xix. p. 111.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 199 
 
 have an interview with the pope. He was there detained with James dk 
 various conferences and negotiations relative to a pretended ex- a. d. 1307. 
 pedition for the recovery of the Holy Land. 
 
 Among other things, the pope proposed an union between the 
 Templars and Hospitallers, and the Grand Master handed in his 
 objections to the proposition. He says, that after the fall of 
 Acre, the people of Italy and of other christian nations cla- 
 moured loudly against Pope Nicholas, for having aflforded no 
 succour to the besieged, and that he, by way of screening himself, 
 had laid all the blame of the loss of the place on pretended dis- 
 sensions between the Templars and Hospitallers, and projected 
 an union between them. The Grand Master declares that there 
 had been no dissensions between the orders prejudicial to the 
 christian cause ; that there was nothing more than a spirit of 
 rivalry and emulation, the destruction of which would be highly 
 injurious to the Christians, and advantageous to the Saracens ; for 
 if the Hospitallers at any time performed a brilliant feat of arms 
 against the infidels, the Templars would never rest quiet until 
 they had done the same or better, and e converso. So also if the 
 Templars made a great shipment of brethren, horses, and other 
 beasts across sea to Palestine, the Hospitallers would always do 
 the like or more. He at the same time positively declares, that 
 a member of one order had never been known to raise his hand 
 against a member of the other.* The Grand Master complains that 
 the reverence and respect of the christian nations for both orders 
 had undeservedly diminished, that everything was changed, and 
 that most persons were then more ready to take from them than 
 to give to them, and that many powerful men, both clergy and 
 laity, brought continual mischiefs upon the fraternities. 
 
 In the mean time, the secret agents of the French king indus- 
 triously circulated various dark rumours and odious reports con- 
 * Dal. Pap. Aven, toni. ii. p. I7(>.
 
 200 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de cerning the Templars, and it was said that they would never 
 A^°T^07 ^^y^ lost the Holy Land if they had been good Christians. 
 These rumours and accusations were soon put into a tangible 
 shape. 
 
 According to some writers, Squin de Florian, a citizen of 
 Bezieres, who had been condemned to death or perpetual im- 
 prisonment in one of the royal castles for his iniquities, was 
 brought before Philip, and received a free pardon, and was well 
 rewarded in return, for an accusation on oath, charging the 
 Templars with heresy, and with the commission of the most horri- 
 ble crimes. According to others, Nosso de Florentin, an apostate 
 Templar, who had been condemned by the Grand Preceptor and 
 chapter of France to perpetual imprisonment for impiety and 
 crime, made in his dungeon a voluntary confession of the sins 
 and abominations charged against the order.* Be this as it 
 may, upon the strength of an information sworn to by a con- 
 demned criminal, king Philip, on the 14th of September, de- 
 spatched secret orders to all the baillis of the different provinces 
 in France, couched in the following extravagant and absurd 
 terms : 
 
 " Philip, by the grace of God king of the French, to his be- 
 loved and faithful knights. . . . &c. &c. 
 
 " A deplorable and most lamentable matter, full of bitterness 
 and grief, a monstrous business, a thing that one cannot think 
 on without affright, cannot hear without hoi-ror, transgressions 
 unheard of, enormities and atrocities contrary to every sentiment 
 of humanity, &c. &c., have reached our ears." After a long and 
 most extraordinary tirade of this kind, Pliilip accuses the Tem- 
 plars of insulting Jesus Christ, and making him suffer more in 
 those days than he had suffered formerly upon the cross ; of 
 renouncing the christian religion ; of mocking the sacred image 
 
 * Ral. Pap. Aven. torn. i. p. 99. Sexta Vita, Clem. V. apud Baluz, torn. i. col. 100.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 201 
 
 of the Saviour ; of sacrificing to idols ; and of abandoning them- James de 
 selves to impure practices and unnatural crimes. He charac- a. d. 1307. 
 terises them as ravishing wolves in sheep's clothing ; a perfidious, 
 ungrateful, idolatrous society, whose words and deeds were 
 enough to pollute the earth and infect the air ; to dry up the 
 sources of the celestial dews, and to put the whole church of 
 Christ into confusion. 
 
 " We being charged," says he, " with the maintenance of the 
 faith ; after having conferred with the pope, the prelates, and 
 the barons of the kingdom, at the instance of the inquisitor, 
 from the informations already laid, from violent suspicions, 
 from probable conjectures, from legitimate presumptions, con- 
 ceived against the enemies of heaven and earth ; and be- 
 cause the matter is important, and it is expedient to prove the 
 just like gold in the furnace by a rigorous examination, have 
 decreed that the members of the order who are our subjects 
 shall be arrested and detained to be judged by the church, and 
 that all their real and personal property shall be seized into our 
 hands, and be faithfully preserved," &:c. To these orders are 
 attached instructions requiring the baillis and seneschals accu- 
 rately to inform themselves, with great secrecy, and without ex- 
 citing suspicion, of the number of the houses of the Temple 
 within their respective jurisdictions ; they are then to provide 
 an armed force sufiicient to overcome all resistance, and on the 
 13th of October are to surprise the Templars in their precep- 
 tories, and make them prisoners. The inquisition is then 
 directed to assemble to examine the guilty, and to employ torture 
 if it be necessary. " Before proceeding with the inquiry," says 
 Philip, " you are to inform them (the Templars) that the pope 
 and ourselves have been convinced, by irreproachable testimony, 
 of the errors and abominations which accompany their vows and 
 profession ; you are to promise them pardon and favour if they
 
 202 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de confess the truth, but if not, you are to acquaint them that they 
 
 A. D. 1307. '^^^^ ^^ condemned to death."* 
 
 As soon as Philip had issued these orders, he wrote to the princi- 
 pal sovereigns of Europe, urging them to follow his example,t and 
 sent a confidential agent, named Bernard Peletin, with a letter to 
 the young king, Edward the Second, who had just then ascended 
 the throne of England, representing in frightful colours the 
 pretended sins of the Templars. On the 22nd of September, king 
 Edward replied to this letter, observing that he had considered 
 of the matters mentioned therein, and had listened to the state- 
 ments of that discreet man. Master Bernard Peletin ; that he had 
 caused the latter to unfold the charges before himself, and many 
 prelates, earls, and barons of his kingdom, and others of his 
 council ; but that they appeared so astonishing as to be beyond 
 belief; that such abominable and execrable deeds had never 
 before been heard of by the king and the aforesaid prelates, earls, 
 and barons, and it was therefore hardly to be expected that an 
 easy credence could be given to them. The English monarch, 
 however, informs king Philip that by the advice of his council he 
 had ordered the seneschal of Agen, from whose lips the rumours 
 were said to have proceeded, to be summoned to his presence, 
 that through him he might be further informed concerning the 
 premises ; and he states that at the fitting time, after due inquiry, 
 he will take such steps as will redound to the praise of God, and 
 the honour and preservation of the catholic faith.:j: 
 
 On the night of the 13th of October, all the Templars in the 
 French dominions were simultaneously arrested. Monks were 
 appointed to preach against them in the public places of Paris, 
 
 * Hist, de la Condemnation des Templiers. — Diipuy, torn. ii. p. 309. 
 + iVfffriaraa Hispan. Illustr. torn. iii. p. 152. Le Gendre Hist, de France, torn. ii. 
 p. 499. 
 
 X Acta Rymeri, toni. iii. p. 18. ad ann. 1307.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 203 
 
 and in the gardens of the Palais Royale ; and advantage was James dk 
 taken of the folly, the superstition, and the credulity of the age, a. d'/ ilioV. 
 to propagate the most horrible and extravagant charges against 
 the order. They were accused of worshipping an idol covered 
 with an old skin, embalmed, having the appearance of a piece of 
 polished oil-cloth. " In this idol," we are assured, " there were 
 two carbuncles for eyes, bright as the brightness of heaven, and 
 it is certain that all the hope of the Templars was placed in it ; 
 it was their sovereign god, and they trusted in it with all their 
 heart." They are accused of burning the bodies of the deceased 
 brethren, and making the ashes into a powder, which they admi- 
 nistered to the younger brethren in their food and drink, to make 
 them hold fast their faith and idolatry ; of cooking and roasting 
 infants, and anointing their idols with the fat; of celebrating 
 hidden rites and mysteries, to which young and tender virgins 
 were introduced, and of a variety of abominations too absurd and 
 horrible to be named.* Guillaume Paradin, in his history of 
 Savoy, seriously repeats these monstrous accusations, and declares 
 that the Templars had " un lieu creux ou cave en terre, fort 
 obscur, en laquelle ils avoient un image en forme d'un homme, 
 sur lequel ils avoient applique la peau d'un corps humain. 
 et mis deux clairs et lui sans escarboucles au lieu des deux yeux. 
 A cette horrible statue etoient contraints de sacrifier ceux qui 
 vouloient etre de leur damnable religion, lesquels avant toutes 
 ceremonies ils contrag-noient de renier Jesus Christ, et fouler la 
 croix avec les pieds, et apres ce maudit sacre auquel assistoient 
 femmes et filles (sedaites pour etre de ce secte) ils estegnoient les 
 
 lampes et lumieres qu'ils avoient en cett cave Et s'il 
 
 advenoit que d'un Teraplier et d'un j^ucelle nasquit, un fils, ils se 
 rangoittous en un rond, et se jettoient cet enfant de main en main, 
 
 * Les forfaits pourquoi les Templiers furcnt ars et condamnoz, pris et contre cux ap- 
 prouvez. Chron. S. Denis. Sexta vita, Clem. V. i)/<7Ji/;!/, p. '24. edition .Ic 1713.
 
 204 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de et ne cessolent de le jetter jusqu'a ce qu'il fu mort entre leurs 
 
 MOLAV. . . , . , 1 1 \ 1 1 
 
 A. u. 1307. mains : etant mort ils se rotissoient (chose execrable) etde la graisse 
 ils en og-noient leur grand statue !"*' The character of the charges 
 preferred against the Templars proves that their enemies had no 
 serious crimes to allege against the order. Their very virtues 
 indeed were turned against them, for we are told that " to conceal 
 the iniquity of their' lives they made much almsgiving, constantly 
 frequented church, comported themselves with edification, fre- 
 quently partook of the holy sacrament, and manifested always 
 much modesty and gentleness of deportment in the house, as well 
 as in public." f 
 
 During twelve days of severe imprisonment, the Templars re- 
 mained constant in the denial of the horrible crimes imputed to 
 the fraternity. The king's promises of pardon extracted from 
 them no confession of guilt, and they were therefore handed over 
 to the tender mercies of the brethren of St. Dominic, who were 
 the most refined and expert torturers of the day. 
 
 On the 19th of October, the grand inquisitor proceeded with 
 his myrmidons to the Temple at Paris, and a hundred and forty 
 Templars were one after another put to the torture. Days and 
 wrecks were consumed in the examination, and thirty-six Templars 
 perished in the hands of their tormentors, maintaining with un- 
 shaken constancy to the very last the entire innocence of their 
 order. Many of them lost the use of their feet from the appli- 
 cation of the torture of fire, which was inflicted in the following 
 manner: their legs were fastened in an iron frame, r>nd the 
 soles of their feet were greased over with fat or butter ; they 
 were then placed before the fire, and a screen was drawn back- 
 wards and forwards, so as to moderate and regulate the heat. 
 Such was the agony produced by this roasting operation, that 
 the victims often went raving mad. Brother Bernardo de Vado, 
 * Liv. ii. chap. 106, chez Dup nj. + Sexta vita, Clem. V. co'. 102.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMl'LARS. 205 
 
 on subsequently revoking a confession of guilt, wrung from him James db 
 by this description of torment, says to the commissary of police, ^'y^i 
 before whom he was brought to be examined, " They held me so 
 long before a fierce fire that the flesh was burnt off my heels, 
 two pieces of bone came away, which I present to you."* Ano- 
 ther Templar, on publicly revoking his confession, declared that 
 four of his teeth were draw n out, and that he confessed himself 
 guilty to save the remainder.f Others of the fraternity deposed 
 to the infliction on them of the most revolting; and indecent tor- 
 ments ;;]; and, in addition to all this, it appears that forged letters 
 from the Grand Master were shown to the prisoners, exhorting 
 them to confess themselves guilty. Many of the Templars were 
 accordingly compelled to acknowledge whatever was required of 
 them, and to plead guilty to the commission of crimes which in 
 the previous interrogatories they had positively denied. § 
 
 These violent proceedings excited the astonishment and amaze- 
 ment of Europe. 
 
 On the ■20th of November, the king of England summoned the 
 seneschal of Agen to his presence, and examined him concerning 
 the truth of the horrible charges preferred against the Templars ; 
 and on the 4th of December the English monarch wrote letters 
 to the kings of Portugal, Castile, Aragon, and Sicily, to the fol- 
 lowing effect : 
 
 " To the magnificent prince the Lord Dionysius, by the grace 
 of God the illustrious king of Portugal, his very dear friend Ed- 
 ward, by the same grace king of England, &c. Health and 
 prosperity. 
 
 * Ostendens duo ossa quod dicebat ilia esse quae ceciderunt de talis suis. Processtis 
 contra Templarios. Raynouard Monumens Historiques, p. 73, ed. 1813. 
 
 + In quibus tormentis dicebat se quatuor dentes perdidisse. lb. p. 35. 
 
 J Fuit qujestionibus ponderibus appensis in genitalibus, et in aliis membris usque ad 
 exanimationem. lb. 
 
 § Trcs des Chart. Tkmpliers, cart. 3, n. '20.
 
 A. n 
 
 206 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Jamks db " It is fit and proper, inasmuch as it conduceth to the honour 
 "YsoV. ^^ Gro^ '^^^ ^^^^ exultation of the faith, that we should prosecute 
 with benevolence those who come recommended to us by strenu- 
 ous labours and incessant exertions in defence of the Catholic 
 faith, and for the destruction of the enemies of the cross of Christ. 
 Verily, a certain clerk, (Bernard Peletin,) drawing nigh unto 
 our presence, applied himself, with all his might, to the destruc- 
 tion of the order of the brethren of the Temple of Jerusalem. 
 He dared to publish befol*e us and our council certain horrible 
 and detestable enormities repugnant to the Catholic faith, to the 
 prejudice of the aforesaid brothers, endeavouring to persuade us, 
 through his own allegations, as well as through certain letters 
 which he had caused to be addressed to us for that purpose, that 
 by reason of the premises, and without a due examination of the 
 matter, we ought to imprison all the brethren of the aforesaid 
 order abiding in our dominions. But, considering that the order, 
 which hath been renowned for its religion and its honour, and in 
 times long since passed away was instituted, as we have learned, 
 by the Catholic Fathers, exhibits, and hath from the period of 
 its first foundation exhibited, a becoming devotion to God and 
 his holy church, and also, up to this time, hath afforded succour 
 and protection to the Catholic faith in parts beyond sea, it ap- 
 peared to us that a ready belief in an accusation of this kind, 
 hitherto altogether unheard of against the fraternity, was scarcely 
 to be expected. We affectionately ask, and require of your royal 
 majesty, that ye, with due diligence, consider of the jDremises, 
 and turn a deaf ear to the slanders of ill-natured men, who 
 are animated, as we believe, not with the zeal of rectitude, but 
 with a spirit of ciqndity and envy, permitting no injury unad- 
 visedly to be done to the persons or property of the brethren of 
 the aforesaid order, dwelling within your kingdom, until they 
 have been legally convicted of the crimes laid to their charge, or
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 207 
 
 it shall happen to be otherwise ordered concerning thera in these James de 
 
 . )> ^ MoLAY. 
 
 P^^*^^- ■ A. I). 1307. 
 
 A few days after the transmission of this letter, king Edward 
 wrote to the pope, expressing his disbelief of the horrible and de- 
 testable rumours spread abroad concerning the Templars. He 
 represents them to his holiness as universally respected by all 
 men in his dominions for the purity of their faith and morals. 
 He expresses great sympathy for the affliction and distress suf- 
 fered by the master and brethren, by reason of the scandal cir- 
 culated concerning them ; and he strongly urges the holy pontiff 
 to clear, by some fair course of inquiry, the character of the order 
 from the unjust and infamous aspersions cast against it.-f- On 
 the 22nd of November, however, a fortnight previously, the Pope 
 had issued the followino- bull to king; Edward. 
 
 " Clement, bishop, servant of the servants of God, to his very 
 dear son in Christ, Edward, the illustrious king of England, 
 health and apostolical blessing 
 
 " Presiding, though unworthy, on the throne of pastoral pre- 
 eminence, by the disposition of him who disposeth all things, we 
 fervently seek after this one thing above all others ; we with 
 ardent wishes aspire to this, that shaking off the sleep of neg- 
 ligence, whilst watching over the Lord's flock, by removing that 
 which is hurtful, and taking care of such things as are profitable, 
 we may be able, by the divine assistance, to bring souls to 
 God." 
 
 " In truth, a long time ago, about the period of our first promo- 
 tion to the summit of the apostolical dignity, there came to our 
 ears a light rumour, to the effect that the Templars, though fight- 
 
 * Dat. apud Redyng, 4 die Decembris. Consimiles litterae diriguiitur Ferando regi 
 Castillfe et Ligionis, consanguineo regis, domiuo Karolo, regi Siciliw, ct Jacobo regi 
 Aragonife, amico Regis. Acta liymeri, torn. iii. ad ann. 1307, p. 35, 36. 
 
 t Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 37, ad ami. 1307.
 
 208 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de ing ostensibly under the guise of religion, have hitherto been se- 
 A.P. 1307. cretly living in perfidious apostasy, and in detestable heretical de- 
 pravity. But, considering that their order, in times long since 
 passed away, shone forth with the grace of much nobility and 
 honour, and that they were for a length of time held in vast re- 
 verence by the faithful, and that we had then heard of no suspi- 
 cion concerning the premises, or of evil report against them; and 
 also, that from the beginning of their religion, they have pub" 
 licly borne the cross of Christ, exposing their bodies and goods 
 against the enemies of the faith, for the acquisition, retention, 
 and defence of the Holy Land, consecrated by the precious blood 
 of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we were unwilling to yield 
 
 a ready belief to the accusation " 
 
 The holy pontiff then states, that afterwards, however, the same 
 dreadful intelligence was conveyed to the king of France, who, 
 animated by a lively zeal in the cause of religion, took immediate 
 steps to ascertain its truth. He describes the various confessions 
 of the guilt of idolatry and heresy made by the Templars in 
 France, and requires the king forthwith to cause all the Templars 
 in his dominions to be taken into custody on the same day. He 
 directs him to hold them, in the name of the pope, at the dispo- 
 sition of the Holy See, and to commit all their real and personal 
 property to the hands of certain trustworthy persons, to be faith- 
 fully preserved until the holy pontiff shall give further direc- 
 tions concerning it.* King Edward received this bull imme- 
 diately after he had despatched his letter to the pope, exhorting 
 his holiness not to give ear to the accusation against the order. The 
 young king was now either convinced of the guilt of the Templars, 
 on the high authority of the sovereign pontiff, or hoped to turn 
 the proceedings against them to a profitable account, as he yielded 
 a ready and prompt compliance with the pontifical commands. 
 
 • Dat. Pictavis 10, kal. Dec. Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. ad ann. 1307, p. 30 — 32.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 209 
 
 All order in council was made for the arrest of the Templars, and James dk 
 the seizure of their property. Inventories were directed to be a. i/'uir 
 taken of their goods and chattels, and provision was made for 
 the sowing and tilling of their lands during the period of their 
 imprisonment.* This order in council was carried into effect in 
 the following manner : 
 
 On the 20th of December, the king's writs were directed to 
 each of the sheriffs throughout England, commanding them to 
 make sure of certain trustworthy men of their bailiwicks, to the 
 number of ten or twelve in each county, such as the king could 
 best confide in, and have them at a certain place in the county, 
 on pain of forfeiture of everything that could be forfeited to the 
 king; and commanding the sheriffs, on pain of the like forfeiture, 
 to be in person at the same place, on the Sunday before the feast 
 of Epiphany, to do certain things touching the king's peace, 
 which the sheriff would find contained in the king's writ about to 
 be directed to him. And afterwards the king sent sworn clergy- 
 men with his writs, containing the said order in council to the 
 sheriffs, who, before they opened them, were to take an oath that 
 they would not disclose the contents of such writs until they pro- 
 ceeded to execute them.f The same orders, to be acted upon in 
 a similar manner in Ireland, vvere sent to the justiciary of that 
 country, and to the treasurer of the Exchecpier at Dublin; also, 
 to John de Richemund, guardian of Scotland ; and to \y alter de 
 Pederton, justiciary of West Wales; Hugh de Aldithelegh, jus- 
 ticiary of North Wales ; and to Robert de Holland, justiciary of 
 Chester, who were strictly commanded to carry the orders into 
 execution before the king's proceedings against the Templars in 
 England were noised abroad. All the king's faithful subjects 
 Avere commanded to aid and assist the officers in the fulfilment of 
 their duty.;|: 
 
 * Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 34, 35, ad ann. 1307. t Ibid. p. 34, 35. J Ibid. p. 45. 
 
 P
 
 210 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de On the 26th of December the king wrote to the Pope, in- 
 A. D. 1308. forming his holiness that he would carry his commands into exe- 
 cution in the best and speediest way that he could ; and on the 
 8th of January, a. d. 1308, the Templars were suddenly arrested 
 in all parts of England, and their property was seized into the 
 king's hands.* Brother William de la More was at this period 
 Master of the Temple, or Preceptor of England. He succeeded 
 the Master Brian le Jay, who was slain, as before mentioned, 
 in the battle of Falkirk, and was taken prisoner, together with 
 all his brethren of the Temple at London, and committed to close 
 custody in Canterbury Castle. He was afterwards liberated on 
 bail at the instance of the bishop of Durham.-f* 
 
 On the 12th of August, the Pope addressed the bull faciens 
 misericordiam to the English bishops as follows : — " Clement, 
 bishop, servant of the servants of God, to the venerable brethren 
 the archbishop of Canterbury and his suffragans, health and 
 apostolical benediction. The Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, 
 zising 7nercy with his servant, would have us taken up into the 
 eminent mirror of the apostleship, to this end, that being, though 
 unworthy, his vicar upon earth, we may, as far as human frailty 
 will permit in all our actions and proceedings, follow his foot- 
 steps." He describes the rumours which had been spread abroad 
 in France against the Templars, and his unwillingness to believe 
 them, " because it was not likely, nor did seem credible, that 
 such religious men, who particularly often shed their blood for 
 the name of Christ, and were thought very frequently to expose 
 their persons to danger of death for his sake ; and who often 
 showed many and great signs of devotion, as well in the divine 
 offices as in fasting and other observances, should be so unmind- 
 ful of their salvation as to perpetrate such things ; we were un- 
 
 * Knyghton, apud X. script, col. 2494, 2531. 
 f Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 83.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 211 
 
 willing to give ear to the insinuations and impeachments against Jamrs db 
 them, being taught so to do by the example of the same Lord of a. i)?'f308. 
 ours, and the writings of canonical doctrine. But afterwards, our 
 most dear son in Christ, Philip, the illustrious king of the French, 
 to whom the same crimes had been made known, not from motives 
 of avarice, (since he does not design to apply or to appropriate to 
 himself any portion of the estates of the Templars, nay, has 
 washed his hands of them !) but inflamed with zeal for the ortho- 
 dox faith, following the renowned footsteps of his ancestors, 
 getting Avhat information he properly could upon the premises, 
 gave us much instruction in the matter by his messengers and 
 letters." The holy pontiff then gives a long account of the vari- 
 ous confessions made in France, and of the absolution granted 
 to such of the Templars as were truly contrite and penitent ; he 
 expresses his conviction of the guilt of the order, and makes pro- 
 vision for the trial of the fraternity in England,* King Edward, 
 in the mean time, had begun to make free with their property, 
 and the Pope, on the 4tli of October, wrote to him to the follow- 
 ing effect : 
 
 " Your conduct begins again to afford us no slight cause of 
 affliction, inasmuch as it hath been brought to our knowledge 
 from the report of several barons, that in contempt of the Holy 
 See, and without fear of offending the divine Majesty, you have, 
 of your own sole authority, distributed to different persons the 
 property which belonged formerly to the order of the Temple in 
 your dominions, which you had got into your hands at our com- 
 mand, and which ought to have remained at our disposition, . , . 
 We have therefore ordained that certain fit and proper persons 
 shall be sent into your kingdom, and to all parts of the world 
 where the Templars are known to have had property, to take 
 possession of the same conjointly with certain prelates specially 
 
 * Acta Rymeri, torn, iii, p. 101, 2, 3. 
 
 p 2
 
 212 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de deputed to that end, and to make an inquisition concerning the 
 A. D. 1308. execrable excesses which the members of the order are said to 
 have committed." * 
 
 To this letter of the supreme pontiff, king Edward sent the 
 following short and pithy reply : 
 
 " As to the goods of the Templars, we have done nothing with 
 them up to the present time, nor do we intend to do with them 
 aught but what we have a right to do, and what we know will be 
 acceptable to the Most High."-!- 
 
 On the 13th of September, a.d. 1309, the king granted letters of 
 safe conduct " to those discreet men, the abbot of Lagny, in the 
 diocese of Paris, and Master Sicard de Vaur, canon of Nar- 
 bonne," the inquisitors appointed by the Pope to examine the 
 Grand Preceptor and brethren of the Temple in England ;t and 
 the same day he wrote to the archbishop of Canterbury, and the 
 bishops of London and Lincoln, enjoining them to be personally 
 present with the papal inquisitors, at their respective sees, as 
 often as such inquisitors, or any one of them, should proceed with 
 their inquiries against the Templars. § 
 
 On the 1 4th of September writs were sent, in pursuance of an 
 order in council, to the sheriffs of Kent and seventeen other 
 counties, commanding them to bring all their prisoners of the 
 order of the Temple to London, and deliver them to the con- 
 stable of the Tower ; also to the sheriffs of Northumberland and 
 eight other counties, enjoining them to convey their prisoners to 
 York Castle ; and to the sheriffs of Warwick and seven other 
 counties, requiring them, in like manner, to conduct their pri- 
 soners to the Castle of Lincoln. || Writs were also sent to John 
 de Cumberland, constable of the Tower, and to the constables of 
 
 * Acta Hymeri, torn. iii. p. 110, IH. Vitw papai-iim Avenion, torn. ii. p. 107. 
 f Ibid., torn. iii. p. 121, 122. J Ibid. p. 168. 
 
 § Ibid. p. 168, 1G9. 11 Ibid. p. 174.
 
 TFiE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. '2 1 ."3 
 
 the castles of York and Lincoln, commanding tlieui to receive j^^j^^ dk 
 the Templars, to keep them in safe custody, and hold them at^the Mtif-.w. 
 disposition of the inquisitors."^ The total number of Tcmjdars in 
 custody was two hundred and twenty-nine. Many, however, 
 were still at large, having successfully evaded capture by obli- 
 terating all marks of their previous profession, and some had 
 escaped in disguise to the wild and mountainous parts of Wales, 
 Scotland, and Ireland. Among the prisoners confined in the 
 Tower were brother William de la More, Knight, Grand Pre- 
 ceptor of England, otherwise Master of the Temple; Brother 
 Himbert Blanke, Knight, Grand Preceptor of Auvergne, one 
 of the veteran warriors who had fought to the last in de- 
 fence of Palestine, had escaped the slaughter at Acre, and 
 had accompanied the Grand Master from Cyprus to France, 
 from whence he crossed over to England, and was rewarded 
 for his meritorious and memorable services, in defence of 
 the christian faith, with a dungeon in the Tower.f Brother 
 Radulph de Barton, priest of the order of the Temple, custos or 
 guardian of the Temple church, and prior of London ; Brother 
 31ichael de Baskeville, Knight, Preceptor of London ; Brother 
 Johnde Stoke, Knight, Treasurer of the Temple at London; toge- 
 ther with many other knights and serving brethren of the same 
 house. There were also in custody in the Tower the knights 
 preceptors of the preceptories of Ewell in Kent, of Daney and 
 Dokesworth in Cambridgeshire, of Getinges in Gloucestershire, 
 of Cumbe in Somersetshire, of Schepeley in Surrey, of Samford 
 and Bistelesham in Oxfordshire, of Garwy in Herefordshire, of 
 Cressing in Essex, of Pafflet, Hippleden, and other preceptories, 
 together with several priests and chaplains of the order.;]: A 
 general scramble appears to have taken place for possession of 
 
 * Acta Rymcri, torn. iii. p. 173, 17o. f Rainald, torn. xv. ad ann. 130G. 
 
 t Coacil. Mag. Brit. torn. ii. p. 340", 347.
 
 214 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Jamhs de the goods and chattels of the imprisoned Templars ; and the 
 A. D. 1309. king, to check the robberies that were committed, appointed 
 Alan de Goldyngham and John de Medefeld to inquire into the 
 value of the property that had been carried off, and to inform 
 him of the names of the parties who had obtained possession of 
 it. The sheriffs of the different counties were also directed to 
 summon juries, through whom the truth might be better ob- 
 tained.* 
 
 On the 22nd of September, the archbishop of Canterbury trans- 
 mitted letters apostolic to all his suffragans, enclosing copies of 
 the bull faciens misericordiam, and also the articles of accusation 
 to be exhibited against the Templars, which they are directed to 
 copy and deliver again, under their seals, to the bearer, taking 
 especial care not to reveal the contents thereof.f At the same 
 time the archbishop, acting in obedience to the papal commands, 
 before a single witness had been examined in England, caused to 
 be published in all churches and chapels a papal bull, wherein 
 the Pope declares himself perfectly convinced of the guilt of the 
 order, and solemnly denounces the penalty of excommunication 
 against all persons, of whatever rank, station, or condition in life, 
 whether clergy or laity, who should knowingly afford, either pub- 
 licly or privately, assistance, counsel, or kindness to the Tem- 
 plars, or should dai'e to shelter them, or give them countenance 
 or protection, and also laying under interdict all cities, castles, 
 lands, and places, which should harbour any of the members of 
 the proscribed order. | At the commencement of the month of 
 October, the inquisitors arrived in England, and immediately 
 published the bull appointing the commission, enjoining the 
 citation of the criminals, and of witnesses, and denouncing the 
 
 * Acta 'Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 178, 179. + Concil. Mag. Brit, torn, ii. p. 304—311. 
 
 J Processun contra Templarics, Dugd, Monast. Angl. vol. vi, part 2, p. 844 — 846 ed. 
 1830.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 215 
 
 heaviest ecclesiastical censures against the disobedient, and James dk 
 against every person who should dare to impede the inquisitors a.'d! l3o'y. 
 in the exercise of tlieir functions. Citations were made in St. 
 Paul's Cathedral, and in all the churches of the ecclesiastical 
 province of Canterbury, at the end of high mass, requiring the 
 Templars to appear before the inquisitors at a certain time and 
 place, and the articles of accusation were transmitted to the con- 
 stable of the Tower, in Latin, French, and English, to be read to 
 all the Templars imprisoned in that fortress. On Monday, the 
 20th of October, after the Templars had been languishing in the 
 English prisons for more than a year and eight months, the 
 tribunal constituted by the Pope to take the inquisition in the 
 province of Canterbury assembled in the episcopal hall of Lon- 
 don. It was composed of the bishop of London, Dieudonne, 
 abbot of the monastery of Lagny, in the diocese of Paris, and 
 Sicard de Vaur, canon of Narbonne, the Pope's chaplain, and 
 hearer of causes in the pontifical palace. They were assisted by 
 several foreign notaries. After the reading of the papal bulls, 
 and some preliminary proceedings, the monstrous and ridiculous 
 articles of accusation, a monument of human folly, superstition, 
 and credulity, were solemnly exhibited as follows : 
 
 " Item. At the place, day, and hour aforesaid, in the presence 
 of the aforesaid lords, and before us the above-mentioned nota- 
 ries, the articles inclosed in the apostolic bull were exhibited and 
 opened before us, the contents whereof are as underwritten. 
 
 " These are the articles upon which inquisition shall be made 
 against the brethren of the military order of the Temple, &:c. 
 
 " 1. That at their first reception into the order, or at some 
 time afterwards, or as soon as an ojjportunity occurred, they were 
 induced or admonished by those who had received them within 
 the bosom of the fraternity, to deny Christ or Jesus, or the cruci-
 
 216 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de fixion, or at oiie time God, and at another time the blessed virgin, 
 A. D. 1309. ^i^d sometimes all the saints. 
 
 " 2. That the brothers jointly did this. 
 " 3. That the greater part of them did it. 
 " 4. That they did it sometimes after their reception. 
 " 5. That the receivers told and instructed those that were 
 received, that Christ was not the true God, or sometimes Jesus, 
 or sometimes the person crucified. 
 
 " 6. That they told those they received that he was a false 
 prophet. 
 
 " 7. That they said he had not suffered for the redemption of 
 mankind, nor been crucified but for his own sins. 
 
 " 8. That neither the receiver nor the person received had 
 any hope of obtaining salvation through him, and this they 
 said to those they received, or something equivalent, or like it. 
 
 " 9. That they made those they received into the order spit 
 upon the cross, or upon the sign or figure of the cross, or the 
 image of Christ, though they that were received did sometimes spit 
 aside. 
 
 " 10. That they caused the cross itself to be trampled under 
 foot. 
 
 "11. That the brethren themselves did sometimes trample on 
 the same cross. 
 
 " 12. Item quod mingebant interdum, et alios mingere facie- 
 bant, super ipsam crucem, et hoc fecerunt aliquotiens in die 
 veneris sancta ! ! 
 
 " 13. Item quod nonnulli eorum ipsa die, vel alia septimanae 
 sanctae pro conculcatione et minctione praedictis consueverunt 
 convenire ! 
 
 " 14. That they worshipped a cat which was placed in the 
 midst of the congregation.
 
 Tllli: KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 217 
 
 James dk 
 
 " 15. That they did these things in contempt of Christ and the a.u'.^i^o'j. 
 ortiiodox faith. 
 
 " 16. That they did not believe the sacrament of the altar. 
 " 17. That some of them did not. 
 " 18. That the greater part did not. 
 
 " 19. That they believed not the other sacraments of tlie 
 church. 
 
 " 20. That the priests of the oi'der did not utter the words 
 by which the body of Christ is consecrated in the canon of the 
 mass. 
 
 "21. That some of them did not. 
 " 22. That the greater part did not. 
 " 23. That those who received them enjoined the same. 
 " 24. That they believed, and so it was told them, that the 
 Grand Master of the order could absolve them from their sins. 
 " 25. That the visitor could do so. 
 
 " 26. That the preceptors, of whom many were laymen, could 
 do it. 
 
 " 27. That they in fact did do so. 
 " 28. That some of them did. 
 
 " 29. That the Grand Master confessed these thino-s of him- 
 self, even before he was taken, in the presence of great persons. 
 
 " 30. That in receiving brothers into the order, or when about 
 to receive them, or some time after having received them, the re- 
 ceivers and the persons received kissed one another on the 
 mouth, the navel ! ! 
 
 " 36. That the receptions of the brethren were made clandes- 
 tinely. 
 
 " 37. That none were present but the brothers of the said 
 order.
 
 218 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de " 38. That for tliis reason there has for a long time been a 
 A. D. 1309, vehement suspicion against them. 
 
 The succeeding articles proceed to charge the Templars with 
 crimes and abominations too horrible and disgusting to be 
 named. 
 
 " 46. That the brothers themselves had idols in every pro- 
 vince, viz. heads; some of which had three faces, and some one, 
 and some a man's skull. 
 
 " 47. That they adored that idol, or those idols, especially in 
 their great chapters and assemblies. 
 
 " 48. That they worshipped it. 
 
 " 49. As their God. 
 
 " 50. As their Saviour. 
 
 "51. That some of them did so. 
 
 " 52. That the greater part did. 
 
 " 53. Tliat they said that that head could save them. 
 
 " 54. That it could produce riches. 
 
 " 55. That it had given to the order all its wealth. 
 
 " 56. That it caused the earth to bring forth seed. 
 
 " 57. That it made the trees to flourish, 
 
 " 58. That they bound or touched the head of the said idols 
 with cords, wherewith they bound themselves about their shirts, 
 or next their skins. 
 
 " 59. That at their reception the aforesaid little cords, or others 
 of the same length, were delivered to each of the brotliers. 
 
 " 60. That they did this in worship of their idol. 
 
 " 61. That it was enjoined them to gird themselves with the 
 said little cords, as before mentioned, and continually to wear 
 them. 
 
 " 62. That the brethren of the order were generally received 
 in that manner.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 210 
 
 " 63. That they did these things out of devotion. James de 
 
 " 64. That they did them everywhere. a.d. 1309. 
 
 " 65. That the greater part did. 
 
 " 66. That those who refused the tilings above mentioned at 
 tlieir reception, or to observe them afterwards, were killed or 
 east into prison."* 
 
 The remaining articles, twenty-one in number, are directed 
 principally to the mode of confession practised amongst the fra- 
 ternity, and to matters of heretical depravity. Such an accusa- 
 tion as this, justly remarks Voltaire, destroys itself. 
 
 Brother William de la More, and thirty more of his brethren, 
 being interrogated before the inquisitors, positively denied the 
 guilt of the order, and affirmed that the Templars who had made 
 the confessions alluded to in France had lied. They were ordered 
 to be brought up separately to be examined. 
 
 On the 23rd of October, brother William Raven, being interro- 
 gated as to the mode of his reception into the order, states that he 
 was admitted by brother William de la More, the Master of the 
 Temple at Temple Coumbe, in the diocese of Bath ; that he peti- 
 tioned the brethren of the Temple that they would be pleased to 
 receive him into the order to serve God and the blessed Vire-in 
 Mary, and to end his life in their service ; that he was asked if 
 he had a firm wish so to do ; and replied that he had ; that two 
 brothers then expounded to him the strictness and severity of 
 the order, and told him that he would not be allowed to act after 
 
 * The original draft of these articles of accusation, with the corrections and altera- 
 tions, is preserved in the Tresor des Chartres Raynouard, Monumens Historiques, 
 p. 50, 51. The proceedings against the Templars in England are preserved in MS. in 
 the British Museum, Harl. No. 252, 62, f. p. 113; No. 247, 68, f. p. 1 44. Bib. Cotton 
 Julius, b. xii. p. 70 ; and in the Bodleian Library and Ashmolean Museum. The prin- 
 cipal part of them has been published by Wilkins in the Concilia Magna; Britanniie, 
 turn. ii. p. 329 — 401, and by Dut/dafc, in the Monast. Angi. vol. vi. part ?. p. 841 — 84!!.
 
 220 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 James de Ins own will, but must follow the will oftlie preceptor ; that if he 
 1309. wished to do one thing, he would be ordered to do another ; and 
 
 A. 1) 
 
 that if he wished to be at one place, he would be sent to another ; 
 that having promised so to act, he swore upon the holy gospels of 
 God to obey the Master, to hold no property, to preserve chastity, 
 never to consent that any man should be unjustly despoiled of 
 his heritage, and never to lay violent hands on any man, except 
 in self-defence, or upon the Saracens. He states that the oath 
 was administered to him in the chapel of the preceptory of 
 Temple Coumbe, in the presence only of the brethren of the 
 order; that the rule was read over to him by one of the brothers, 
 and that a learned serving brother, named John de Walpole, in- 
 structed him, for the space of one month, upon the matters con- 
 tained in it. The prisoner was then taken back to the Tower, 
 and was directed to be strictly separated from his brethren, and 
 not to be suffered to speak to any one of them. 
 
 The two next days (Oct. 24 and 25) were taken up with a 
 similar examination of Brothers Hugh de Tadecastre and Thomas 
 le Chamberleyn, who gave precisely the same account of their 
 reception as the previous witness. Brother Hugh de Tadecastre 
 added, that he swore to succour the Holy Land with all his might, 
 and defend it against the enemies of the christian faith ; and that 
 after he had taken the customary oaths and the three vows ot 
 chastity, poverty, and obedience, the mantle of the order and the 
 cross with the coif on the head were delivered to him in the 
 church, in the presence of the Master, the knights, and the bro- 
 thers, all seculars being excluded. Brother Thomas le Chamber- 
 leyn added, that there was the same mode of reception in England 
 as beyond sea, and the same mode of taking the vows ; that all 
 seculars are excluded, and that when he himself entered the 
 Temple church to be professed, the door by which he entered was 
 closed after him ; that there was another door looking into the
 
 THE KKIGnTS TEMPLARS. 221 
 
 cemetery, but that no stranger could enter that way. On being .Tamfs dk 
 asked why none but the brethren of the order were permitted ^. „.' J^^of). 
 to be present at the reception and profession of brothers, he said 
 he knew of no reason, but that it was so written in their book of 
 rules. 
 
 Between the 25th of October and the 17th of November, 
 thirty-three knights, chaplains, and serving brothers, were ex- 
 amined, all of whom positively denied every article imputing 
 crime or infidelity to their order. When Brother Himbert 
 Blanke was asked why they had made the reception and profes- 
 sion of brethren secret, he replied, Through their own unaccount_ 
 able folly. They avowed that they wore little cords round their 
 shirts, but for no bad end ; they declared that they never touched 
 idols with them, but that they were worn by way of penance, or 
 according to a knight of forty-three years' standing, by the in- 
 struction of the holy father St. Bernard. Brother Richard de 
 Goldyngham says that he knows nothing further about them than 
 that they were called girdles of chastity. They state that the 
 receivers and the party received kissed one another on the face, 
 but everything else regarding the kissing was false, abominable, 
 and had never been done. 
 
 Brother Radulph de Barton, priest of the order of the Temple, 
 and custos or guardian of the Temple church at London, stated, 
 with regard to Article 24, that the Grand Master in chapter 
 could absolve the brothers from offences committed against the 
 rules and observances of the order, but not from private sin, as he 
 was not a priest ; that it was perfectly true that those who were 
 received into the order swore not to reveal the secrets of the 
 chapter, and that when any one was punished in the chapter, those 
 who were present at it durst not reveal it to such as were absent ; 
 but if any brother revealed the mode of his reception, he would 
 be deprived of his chamber, or else stripped of his habit. He
 
 222 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de declares that the brethren were not prohibited from confessing to 
 A. D. isos. priests not belonging to the order of the Temple; and that he 
 had never heard of the crimes and iniquities mentioned in the 
 articles of inquiry previous to his arrest, except as regarded the 
 charges made against the order by Bernard Peletin, when he 
 came to England from king Philip of France. He states that he 
 had been guardian of the Temple church for ten years, and for 
 the last two years had enjoyed the dignity of preceptor at the 
 same place. He was asked about the death of Brother Walter 
 le Bachelor, knight, formerly Preceptor of Ireland, who died at 
 the Temple at London, but he declares that he knows nothing 
 about it, except that the said Walter was fettered and placed in 
 prison, and there died ; that he certainly had heard that great 
 severity had been practised towards him, but that he had not 
 meddled with the affair on account of the danger of so doing ; he 
 admitted also that the aforesaid Walter was not buried in the 
 cemetery of the Temple, as he was considered excommunicated 
 on account of his disobedience of his superior, and of the rule of 
 the order. 
 
 Many of the brethren thus examined had been from twenty to 
 thirty, forty, forty-two, and forty-three years in the order, and some 
 were old veteran warriors who had fought for many a long year 
 in the East, and richly merited a better fate. Brother Himbert 
 Blanke, knight, Preceptor of Auvergne, had been in the order 
 thirty-eight years. He was received at the city of Tyre in Pales- 
 tine, had been engaged in constant warfare against the infidels, 
 and had fought to the last in defence of Acre. He makes in 
 substance the same statements as the other witnesses; declares 
 that no religious order believes the sacrament of the altar better 
 than the Templars ; that they truly believed all that the church 
 taught, and had always done so, and that if the Grand Master 
 had confessed the contrary, he had lied.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 223 
 
 Brother Robert le Scott, knight, a brother of twenty-six years' James de 
 standing, had been received at the Pilgrim's Castle, the famous a. dI'Ysi)'). 
 fortress of the Knights Templars in Palestine, by the Grand 
 Master, Brother William de Beaujeu, the hero who died so 
 gloriously at the head of his knights at the last siege and storm- 
 ing of Acre. He states that from levity of disposition he quitted 
 the order after it had been driven out of Palestine, and absented 
 himself for two years, during which period he came to Rome, and 
 confessed to the Pope's penitentiary, who imposed on him a heavy 
 penance, and enjoined him to return to his brethren in the East, 
 and that he went back and resumed his habit at Nicosia in the 
 island of Cyprus, and was re-admitted to the order by command 
 of the Grand Master, James de Molay, who was then at the head 
 of the convent. He adds, also, that Brother Himbert Blanke 
 (the previous witness) was present at his first reception at the 
 Pilgrim's Castle. He fully corroborates all the foregoing testi- 
 mony. 
 
 Brother Richard de Peitevyn, a member of forty-two years' 
 standing, deposes that, in addition to the previous oaths, he swore 
 that he would never bear arms against Christians except in his 
 own defence, or in defence of the rights of the order; he declares 
 that the enormities mentioned in the articles were never heard of 
 before Bernard Peletin brought letters to his lord, the king of 
 England, against the Templars. 
 
 On the 22nd day of the inquiry, the following entry was made 
 on the record of the proceedings: — 
 
 " Memorandum. Brothers Philip de Mewes, Thomas de 
 Burton, and Thomas de Staundon, were advised and earnestly 
 exhorted to abandon their religious profession, who severally re- 
 plied that they would rather die than do so." * 
 
 On the 19th and 20th of November, seven lay witnesses, un- 
 
 * Actum in Capella inflrmarife prioratus Sanctae Trinitatis praesentibus, etc. Concilia 
 Magna; Britanniae, torn. iii. p. 344. Ibid. p. 334 — 343.
 
 224 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 J.vMEs DE connected with the order, were examined before the inquisitors 
 
 MoLAY. 
 
 A. D 1309. in the chapel of the monastery of the Holy Trinity, but could 
 prove nothing against the Templars that was criminal or tainted 
 with heresy. 
 
 Master William le Dorturer, notary public, declared that the 
 Templars rose at midnight, and held their chapters before dawn, 
 and he thought that the mystery and secrecy of the receptions were 
 owing to a bad rather than a good motive, but declared that he 
 had never observed that they had acquired, or had at- 
 tempted to acquire, anything unjustly. Master Gilbert de Bruere, 
 clerk, said that he had never suspected them of anything worse 
 than an excessive correction of the brethren. William Lambeit, 
 formerly a " messenger of the Temple," (nuntius Templi,) knew 
 nothing bad of the Temijlars, and thought them perfectly inno- 
 cent of all the matters alluded to. And Richard de Barton, 
 priest, and Radulph de Rayndon, an old man, both declared that 
 they knew nothing of the order, or of the members of it, but what 
 was good and honourable. 
 
 On the 25th of November, a provincial council of the church, 
 summoned by the archbishop of Canterbury, in obedience to a 
 papal bull, assembled in the cathedral church of St. Paul. It 
 was composed of the bishops, abbots, priors, heads of colleges, and 
 all the principal clergy, who were called together to treat of the 
 reformation of the English church, of the recovery and preserva- 
 tion of the Holy Land, and to pronounce sentence of absolution 
 or of condemnation against singular persons of the order of the 
 chivalry of the Temple in the province of Canterbury, according 
 to the tenor of the apostolical mandate. The council was opened 
 by the archbishop of Canterbury, who rode to St, Paul's on 
 horseback. The bishop of Norwich celebrated the mass of the 
 Holy Ghost at the great altar, and the archbishop preached a 
 sermon in Latin upon the 20th chapter of the Acts of the Apos- 
 tles ; after which a papal bull was read, in which the holy pontiff
 
 Tin-: KMGMTS TEMrLARS. 22.3 
 
 dwells most pathetically upon the awful sins of the Templars, and James i>k 
 their great and tremendous fall from their previous high estate. ^'„' ]3(jj)^ 
 Hitherto, says he, they have been renowned throughout the 
 world as the special champions of the faith, and the chief de- 
 fenders of the Holy Land, whose affairs have been mainly regu- 
 lated by those brothers. The church, following them and their 
 order with the plenitude of its especial favour and regard, armed 
 them with the emblem of the cross against the enemies of Christ, 
 exalted them with much honour, enriched them with wealth, and 
 fortified them with various liberties and privileges. The holy 
 pontiff displays the sad report of their sins and iniquities which 
 reached his ears, filled him with bitterness and grief, disturbed his 
 repose, smote him with horror, injured his health, and caused his 
 body to waste away^! He gives a long account of the crimes im- 
 puted to the order, of the confessions and depositions that had 
 been made in France, and then bursts out into a paroxysm of 
 grief, declares that the melancholy affair deeply moved all the 
 faithful, that all Christianity was shedding bitter tears, was over- 
 whelmed with grief, and clothed with mourning. He concludes 
 by decreeing the assembly of a general council of the church at 
 Vienne to pronounce the abolition of the order, and to determine 
 on the disposal of its joroperty, to which council the English 
 clergy are required to send representatives.* 
 
 After the reading of the bulls and the closing of the preliminary 
 proceedings, the council occupied themselves for six days with 
 ecclesiastical matters ; and on the seventh day, being Tuesday, 
 Dec. 2nd, all the bishops and members assembled in the chamber 
 of the archbishop of Canterbury in Lambeth palace, in company 
 with the papal inquisitors, who displayed before them the deposi- 
 tions and replies of the forty-three Templars, and of the seven 
 witnesses previously examined. It was decreed that a copy 
 
 * Condi. Mag. Brit, torn. ii. p. 305—308. 
 
 Q
 
 226 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de of these depositions and replies should be furnished to each of the 
 A. D. 130.'\ bishops, and that the council should stand adjourned until the 
 next day, to give time for deliberation upon the premises. 
 
 On the following day, accordingly, (Wednesday, December the 
 3rd,) the council met, and decided that the inquisitors and three 
 bishops should seek an audience of the king, and beseech him to 
 permit them to proceed against the Templars in the way that 
 should seem to them the best and most expedient for the purpose of 
 eliciting the truth. On Sunday, the 7th, the bishops petitioned 
 his majesty in writing, and on the following Tuesday they went 
 before him with the inquisitors, and besought him that they 
 might proceed against the Templars according to the ecclesiastical 
 constitutions, and that he would instruct his sheriffs and officers 
 to that effect. The king gave a written answer complying with 
 their request, which was read before the council,* and, on the 
 16th of December, orders were sent to the gaolers, commanding 
 them to permit the prelates and inquisitors to do with the bodies 
 of the Templars that which should seem expedient to them ac- 
 cording to ecclesiastical law. Many Templars were at this period 
 wandering about the country disguised as secular persons, success- 
 fully evading pursuit, and the sheriffs were strictly commanded to 
 use every exertion to capture them.f On Wednesday, the eccle- 
 siastical council again met, and adjourned for the purpose of en- 
 abling the inquisitors to examine the prisoners confined in the 
 castles of Lincoln and of York. 
 
 In Scotland, in the mean time, similar proceedings had been 
 instituted against the order.;|; On the 17th of November, Bro- 
 ther Walter de Clifton being examined in the parish church of 
 the Holy Cross at Edinburgh, before the bishop of St. Andrews 
 and John de Solerio, the pope's chaplain, states that the brethren 
 
 * ConcU. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 312 — 314. 
 t Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 1.04, 19.5. J Ibid., p. lf?2.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 327 
 
 of the order of the Temple in the kingdom of Scotland received Jamrs db 
 their orders, rules, and observances from the Master of the a d'Vso.o 
 Temple in England, and that the Master in England received 
 the rules and observances of the order from the Grand Master 
 and the chief convent in the East ; that the Grand Master or his 
 deputy was in the habit of visiting the order in England and else- 
 where ; of summoning chapters, and making regulations for the 
 conduct of the brethren and the administration of their property. 
 Being asked as to the mode of his reception, he states that when 
 William de la More, the Master, held his chapter at the precep- 
 tory of Temple Bruere in the county of Lincoln, he sought of the 
 assembled brethren the habit and the fellowship of the order; 
 that they told him that he little knew what it was he asked, in 
 seeking to be admitted to their fellowship ; that it would be a 
 very hard matter for him, who was then his own master, to become 
 the servant of another, and to have no will of his own ; but not- 
 withstanding their representations of the rigour of their rules and 
 observances, he still continued earnestly to seek their habit and 
 fellowship. He states that they then led him to the chamber of 
 the Master, where they held their chapter, and that there, on his 
 bended knees, and with his hands clasped, he again prayed for 
 the habit and the fellowshi]) of the Temple ; that the Master and 
 the brethren then required him to answer questions to the fol- 
 lowing effect: — Whether he had a dispute with any man, or 
 owed any debts? whether he was betrothed to any woman? and 
 whether he had any secret infirmity of body? or knew of any- 
 thing to prevent him from remaining within the bosom of the 
 fraternity ? And having answered all those questions satisfac- 
 torily, the Master then asked of the surrounding brethren, " Do 
 ye give your consent to the reception of brother Walter ?" avIio 
 unanimously answered that they did; and the Master and the 
 brethren then standing up, received him the said Walter in this 
 
 Q 2
 
 228 THE KNIGHTS TEMI'LAKS. 
 
 James T)E manner. On his bended knees, and with his hands joined, he 
 
 IViOLAV. 
 
 V. I). 1309. solemnly promised that he would be the perpetual servant of the 
 Master, and of the order, and of the brethren, for the purpose of 
 defending the Holy Land. Having done this, the Master took 
 out of the hands of a brother chaplain of the order the book of 
 the holy gospels, upon which was depicted a cross, and laying his 
 hands upon the book and upon the cross, he swore to God and 
 the blessed Virgin Mary to be for ever thereafter chaste, obe- 
 dient, and to live without property. And then the Master gave 
 to him the white mantle, and placed the coif on his head, and ad- 
 mitted him to the kiss on the mouth, after which he made him 
 sit down on the ground, and admonished him to the following 
 effect : that from thenceforth he was to sleep in his shirt, drawers, 
 and stockings, girded with a small cord over his shirt ; that he 
 was never to tarry in a house where there was a woman in the 
 family way ; never to be present at a marriage, nor at the purifi- 
 cation of women ; and likewise instructed and informed him 
 upon several other particulars. Being asked where he had 
 passed his time since his reception, he replied that he had dwelt 
 three years at the preceptory of Blancradok in Scotland ; three 
 years at Temple INewsom in England ; one year at the Temple 
 at London, and three years at Aslakeby. Being asked concern- 
 ing the other' brothers in Scotland, he stated that John de 
 Hueflete was Preceptor of Blancradok, the chief house of the 
 order in that country, and that he and the other brethren, having 
 heard of the arrest of the Templars, threw off their habits and 
 fled, and that he had not since heard aught concerning them. 
 
 Brother William de Middleton, being examined, gave the same 
 account of his reception, and added that he remembered that 
 brother William de la More, the Master in England, went, in 
 obedience to a summons, to the Grand Master beyond sea, as the 
 superior of the whole order, and that in his absence Brother
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 229 
 
 Huerh de Peraut, the visitor, removed several preceptors from J»mk< mt 
 
 ° .1-1 Mni.AY. 
 
 their preceptories in England, and put others m then- places, a. d. 130.0. 
 He further states, that he swore he would never receive any 
 service at the hands of a woman, not tjven water to wash his 
 hands with. 
 
 After the examination of the above two Templars, forty-one wit- 
 nesses, chiefly abbots, priors, monks, priests, and serving men , and re- 
 tainers of the order in Scotland, were examined upon various in- 
 terrogatories, but nothing of a criminatory nature was elicited. The 
 monks observed that the receptions of other orders were public, 
 and were celebrated as great religious solemnities, and the 
 friends, parents, and neighbours of the party about to take the 
 vows were invited to attend ; that the Templars, on the other 
 hand, shrouded their proceedings in mystery and secrecy, and 
 therefore they suspected the worst. The priests thought them 
 guilty, because they were always against the church ! Others 
 condemned them because (as they say) the Templars closed their 
 doors against the poor and the humble, and extended hospitality 
 only to the rich and the powerful. The abbot of the monastery 
 of the Holy Cross at Edinburgh declared that they appropriated 
 to themselves the property of their neighbours, right or wrong. 
 The abbot of Dumferlyn knew nothing of his own knowledge 
 against them, but had heard much, and suspected more. The 
 serving men and the tillers of the lands of the order stated that 
 the chapters were held sometimes by night and sometimes by 
 day, with extraordinary secrecy ; and some of the witnesses had 
 heard old men say that the Templars would never have lost the 
 Holy Land^ if they had been good Christians .'* 
 
 * Et ad evidentius praeioissoruin testimonium reverendus in Christo pater dominua 
 Willielmus, providentia divina S. Andreae episcopus, et magister Johannes de Solerio prae- 
 dicti sigilla sua praesenti iuquisitioni appenderunt, et eisdem sigillis post subscriptionem 
 meam eandem inquisitionem clauserunt. In quorum etiam firmius testimonium ego
 
 230 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de Oil the 9tli of January, a. d. 1310, the examination of wit- 
 A. D. 1310. nesses was resumed at London, in the parish church of St. 
 Dunstan's West, near the Temple. The rector of the church of 
 St. Mary de la Strode declared that he had strong suspicions of 
 the guilt of the Templars ; he had, however, often been at the 
 Temple church, and had observed that the priests performed 
 divine service there just the same as elsewhere. William de 
 Cumbrook, of St. Clement's church, near the Temple, the vicar 
 of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, and many other priests and clergy- 
 men of different churches in London, all declared that they had 
 nothing to allege against the order.* 
 
 On the 27th of January, Brother John de Stoke, a serving brother 
 of the order of the Temple, of seventeen years' standing, being ex- 
 amined by the inquisitors in the chapel of the Blessed Mary of 
 Berkyngecherche at London, states, amongst other things, that se- 
 cular persons M^ere allowed to be present at the burial of Templars ; 
 that the brethren of the order all received the sacraments of the 
 church at their last hour, and were attended to the grave by a 
 chaplain of the Temple. Being interrogated concerning the 
 death and burial of the Knight Templar Brother Walter le 
 Bachelor, he deposes that the said knight was buried like any 
 other Christian, except that he was not buried in the burying- 
 ground, but in the court, of the house of the Temple at London ; 
 that he confessed to Brother Richard de Grafton, a priest of the 
 order, then in the island of Cyprus, and partook, as he believed, 
 of the sacrament. He states that he himself and Brother Radulpli 
 de Barton carried him to his grave at the dawn of day, and that 
 
 Willielmus de Spottiswod auctoritate imperiali notarius qui prtedictse inquisition! interfui 
 die, anno, et loco praedictis, testibus praesentibus supra dictis, signum meum solitum eidem 
 apposui requisitus, et propria manu scripsi rogatus. — Acta contra Templarios. Concil. 
 Mag. Brit., torn. ii.p. 380,383. 
 
 * Act. in ecclesia parochiali S. Dunstani prope Novum Templum. — lb., p. 319.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 231 
 
 the deceased knight was in piison, as he believes, for the space of Ja.mk.s ua 
 eight weeks; that he was not buried in the habit of his order, a. d. i;iio, 
 and was interred without the cemetery of the brethren, because 
 he was considered to be excommunicated, in pursuance, as he be- 
 lieved, of a rule or statute among the Templars, to the effect that 
 every one who privily made away with the property of the order, 
 and did not acknowledge his fault, was deemed excommunicated. 
 Being asked in what respect he considered that his order re- 
 quired reformation, he replied, " By the establishment of a pro- 
 bation of one year, and by making the receptions public." 
 
 Two other Templars were examined on the same 27th day of 
 January, from whose depositions it appears that there were at 
 that time many brethren of the order, natives of England, in the 
 island of Cyprus. 
 
 On the 29th of Januar}^ the inquisitors exhibited twenty-four 
 fresh articles against the prisoners, drawn up in an artful manner. 
 They were asked if they knew anything of the crimes mentioned 
 in the papal bulls, and confessed by the Grand Master, the heads 
 of the order, and many knights in France ; and whether they 
 knew of anything sinful or dishonourable against the Master of 
 the Temple in England, or the preceptors, or any of the brethren. 
 They v.-ere then required to say whether the same rules, customs, 
 and observances did not prevail throughout the entire order; 
 whether the Grand Preceptors, and especially the Grand Pre- 
 ceptor of England, did not receive all the observances and regu- 
 lations from the Grand Master ; and whether the Grand 
 Preceptors and all the brethren of the order in England did not 
 observe them in the same mode as the Grand Master, and 
 visitors, and the brethren in Cyprus and in Italy, and in the 
 other kingdoms, provinces, and preceptories of the order ; whe- 
 ther the observances and regulations were not commonly deli- 
 vered by the visitors to the Grand Preceptor of England ; and
 
 232 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de whether the brothers received in England or elsewhere had not 
 MoLAY. Qf ti-^gjj. Q^ji fj-ee will confessed what these observances were. 
 They were, moreover, required to state whether a bell was rung, 
 or other signal given, to notify the time of the assembling of the 
 chapter ; whether all the brethren, without exception, were sum- 
 moned and in the habit of attending ; whether the Grand Master 
 could relax penances imposed by the regular clergy ; whether they 
 believed that the Grand Preceptor or visitor could absolve a 
 layman who had been excommunicated for laying hands on a 
 brother or lay servant of the order ; and whether they believed 
 that any brother of the order could absolve from the sin of per- 
 jury a lay servant, when he came to receive the discipline in the 
 Temple-hall, and the serving brother scourged him in the name 
 of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, &c. &c. 
 
 Between the 29th of January and the 6th of February, thirty- 
 four Templars, many of whom appeared for the first time before 
 the inquisitors, were examined upon these articles in the churches 
 of St. Botolph without Aldgate, St. Alphage near Cripplegate, 
 and St. Martin de Ludgate, London. They deny everything of 
 a criminatory nature, and declare that the abominations men- 
 tioned in the confessions and depositions made in France were 
 not observances of the order ; that the Grand Master, Preceptors, 
 visitors, and brethren in France had never observed such things, 
 and if they said they had, thei/ lied. They declare that the Grand 
 Preceptor and brethren in England were all good men, worthy 
 of faith, and would not deviate from the truth by reason of 
 hatred of any man, for favour, reward, or any other cause ; that 
 there had been no suspicion in England against them, and no 
 evil reports current against the order before the publication of 
 the papal bull, and they did not think that any good man would 
 believe the contents of the articles to be true. From the state- 
 ments of the prisoners, it appears that the bell of the Temple was
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 233 
 
 rung to notify the assembling of the chapter, that the discipline James dk 
 ■was aclmini>terecl in the hall, in the presence of the assembled a. ». i3io. 
 brethren, by the Master, who punished the delinquent on the 
 bare back with a scourge made of leathern thongs, after which 
 he himself absolved the offender from the guilt of a transgression 
 against the rule of the order ; but if he had been guilty of im- 
 moral conduct, he was sent to the priest for absolution. It 
 appears also, that Brother James de Molay, before his elevation 
 to the office of Grand Master, was visitor of the order in England, 
 and had held chapters or assemblies of the brethren, at which he 
 had enforced certain rules and regulations ; that all the orders 
 came from the Grand Master and chief convent in the East to 
 the Grand Preceptor of England, who caused them to be pub- 
 lished at the different preceptories.* 
 
 On the 1st of March, the king sent orders to the constable of 
 the Tower, and to the sheriffs of Lincoln and of York, to obey 
 the directions of the inquisitors, or of one bishop and of one in- 
 quisitor, with regard to the confinement of the Templars in 
 separate cells, and he assigns William de Diene to assist the 
 inquisitors in their arrangements. Similar orders were shortly 
 afterwards sent to all the gaolers of the Templars in the English 
 dominions. i' 
 
 On the 3rd of March five fresh interrogatories were exhibited 
 by the inquisitors, upon which thirty-one Templars were exa- 
 mined at the palace of the bishop of London, the chapel of St. 
 Alphage, and the chapter-house of the Holy Trinity. They were 
 chiefly concerning the reception and profession of the brethren, 
 the number that each examinant had seen received, their names, 
 and as to whether the burials of the order were conducted in a 
 clandestine manner. From the replies it appears that many 
 
 * Ada contra Templarios. Concil. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 350, 351, 352. 
 + Acta Rijmeri, torn. iii. ad aim. 1310. p. iO-.', 203.
 
 234 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de Templai's had died during their imprisonment in the Tower. 
 
 A^D^Y^lo "^^^^ twenty-sixth prisoner examined was the Master of the 
 Temple, Brother AVilliam de la More, who gives an account of 
 the number of persons he had admitted into the order during 
 the period of his mastership, specifying their names. It is stated 
 that many of the parishioners of the parish adjoining the New 
 Temple had been present at the interment of the brethren of the 
 fraternity, and that the burials were not conducted in a clan- 
 destine manner. 
 
 In Ireland, in the mean time, similar proceedings against the 
 order had been carried on. Between the 11th of February and 
 the ^Srd of May, thirty Templars were examined in Saint 
 Patrick's Church, Dublin, by Master John de Mareshall, the 
 jjope's commissary, but no evidence of their guilt was obtained. 
 Forty-one witnesses were then heard, nearly all of whom were 
 monks. They spoke merely from hearsay and suspicion, and the 
 gravest charges brought by them against the fraternity appear 
 to be, that the Templars had been observed to be inattentive to 
 the reading of the holy Gospels at church, and to have cast 
 their eyes on the ground at the period of the elevation of the 
 host.* 
 
 On the 30th of March the papal inquisitors opened their com- 
 mission at Lincoln, and between that day and the 10th of April 
 twenty Templars were examined in the chapter-house of the 
 cathedral, amongst whom were some of the veteran warrioi's of 
 Palestine, men who had moistened with their blood the distant 
 plains of the far East in defence of that faith which they were 
 now so infamously accused of having repudiated. Brother Wil- 
 liam de Winchester, a member of twenty-six years' standing, had 
 been received into the order at the castle de la Roca Guille in 
 the province of Armenia, bordering on Palestine, by the valiant 
 
 * Acta Rymen. torn. iii. p. 179, 1^0. Concil. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 373 to 380.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 235 
 
 Grand Master William de Beaujeu. He states that the same Jamks de 
 mode of reception existed there as in England, and everywhere J'l'^''i^io 
 throughout the order. Brother Robert de Hamilton declares 
 that the girdles were worn from an honourable motive, that they 
 were called the girdles of Nazareth, because they had been 
 pressed against the column of the Virgin at that place, and were 
 worn in remembrance of the blessed Mary ; but he says that the 
 brethren were not compelled to wear them, but might make use 
 of any girdle that they liked. With regard to the confessions 
 made in France, they all say that if their brethren in that coun- 
 try confessed such things, they lied!* 
 
 At York the examination commenced on the 28th of April, 
 and lasted until the 4th of May, during which period twenty- 
 three Templars, prisoners in York Castle, were examined in the 
 chapter-house of the cathedral, and followed the example of their 
 brethren in maintaining their innocence. Brother Thomas de 
 Stanford, a member of thirty years' standing, had been received 
 in the East by the Grand Master William de Beaujeu, and 
 Brother Radulph de Rostona, a priest of the order, of twenty-three 
 years' standing, had been received at the preceptory of Lentini 
 in Sicily by Brother William de Canello, the Grand Preceptor 
 of Sicily. Brother Stephen de Radenhall refused to reveal the 
 mode of reception, because it formed part of the secrets of the 
 chapter, and if he discovered them he would lose his chamber, 
 be stripped of his mantle, or be committed to prison.f 
 
 On the 20th of May, in obedience to the mandate of the arch- 
 bishop of York, an ecclesiastical council of the bishops and clergy 
 assembled in the cathedral. The mass of the Holy Ghost was 
 
 * Terrore tormentomm confess! sunt et mentiti. — Concil. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 
 365, 366, 367. 
 
 t Depositiones Templarioruni in Piovincia Eboracensi. — Concil» Mag. Brit., torn. ii. 
 l>. 371—373.
 
 236 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James dk solemnly celebrated, after which the archbishop preached a 
 A. D. 1310. sermon, and then caused to be read to the assembled clergy the 
 papal bulls fulminated against the order of the Temple * He 
 exhibited to them the articles upon which the Templars had been 
 directed to be examined ; but as the inquiry was still pending, 
 the council was adjourned until the 23rd of June of the following 
 year, when they were to meet to pass sentence of condemnation, 
 or of absolution, against all the members of the order in the pro- 
 vince of York, in conformity with ecclesiastical law.-f" 
 
 On the 1st of June the examination was resumed before the 
 papal inquisitors at Lincoln. Sixteen Templars were examined 
 upon points connected with the secret proceedings in the general 
 and particular chapters of the order, the imposition of penances 
 therein, and the nature of the absolution granted by the Master. 
 From the replies it appears that the penitents were scourged 
 three times with leathern thongs, in the name of the Father, and 
 of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, after which they w^ere ab- 
 solved either by the Master or by a priest of the order, according 
 to the particular circumstances of each case. It appears, also, that 
 none but preceptors were present at the general chapters of the 
 order, which were called together principally for the purpose of 
 obtaining money to send to the Grand Master and the chief con- 
 vent in Palestine.^ 
 
 After closing the examinations at Lincoln, the abbot of Lagny 
 
 * Eodem anno (1310) XIX. die Mail apud Eborum in ecclesia cathedrali, ex man- 
 dato speciali Domini Papse, tenuit dominus Archiepiscopus concilium provinciale. 
 Preedicavitque et erat suum thema ; omnes isti congregati venerunt tibi, factoque ser- 
 mone, recitavit et legi fecit sequentem buUam horribilem contra Templarios, &c. &c. 
 Hemingford apud Hearne, vol. i. p. 249. 
 
 + Processus observatus in concilio provinciali Eboracensi in ecclesia beati Petri Ebor. 
 contra Templarios celebrate a. d. 1310, ex. reg. Will. Grenefeld Archiepiscopi Eborum, 
 fol. 179, p. 1. — Concil. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 393. 
 
 J ConcU. Mag. Brit., tom. ii. p. 367.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 2.^7 
 
 and the canon of Narbonne returned to London, and immediately James de 
 resumed the inquiry in that city. On the 8th and 9th days of ^.d. 1310. 
 June, Brother William de la More, the Master of the Temple, 
 and thirty-eight of his knights, chaplains, and sergeants, were ex- 
 amined by the inquisitors in the ])resence of the bishops of Lon- 
 don and Chichester, and the before-mentioned public notaries, 
 in the priory of the Holy Trinity. They were interrogated for 
 the most part concerning the penances imposed, and the absolu- 
 tion pronounced in the chapters. The Master of the Temple 
 was required to state what were the precise words uttered by 
 him, as the president of the chapter, when a penitent brother, 
 having bared his back and acknowledged his fault, came into 
 his presence and received the discipline of the leathern thongs. 
 He states that he was in the habit of saying, " Brother, pray to 
 God that he may forgive you ;" and to the bystanders he said, 
 " And do ye, brothers, beseech the Lord to forgive him his sins, 
 and say a pater-noster ;" and that he said nothing furthei", except 
 to warn the offender against sinning again. He declares that he 
 did not pronounce absolution in the name of the Father, and of 
 the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ! and relates, that in a general 
 chapter, and as often as he held a particular chapter, he was ac- 
 customed to say, after prayers had been offered up, that all those 
 who did not acknowledge their sins, or who appropriated to their 
 own use the alms of the house, could not be partakers in the 
 spiritual blessings of the order ; but that which through shame- 
 facedness, or through fear of the justice of the order, they dared 
 not confess, he, out of the power conceded to him by God and the 
 pope, forgave him as far as he was able. Brother William de 
 Sautre, however, declares that the president of the chapter, after 
 he had finished the flagellation of a penitent brother, said, " I 
 forgive you, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost," and then sent him to a priest of the order for
 
 238 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de absolution ; and the other witnesses vary in their account of the 
 
 A. D? i^sio. exact words uttered, either because they were determined, in 
 
 obedience to their oaths, not to reveal what actually did take 
 
 place, or else (which is very probable) because the same form of 
 
 proceeding was not always rigidly adhered to. 
 
 When the examination was closed, the inquisitors drew up a 
 memorandum, showing that, from the aj)ostolical letters, and the 
 depositions and attestations of the witnesses, it was to be collected 
 that certain practices had ci'ept into the order of the Temple, 
 which were not consistent with the orthodox faith.* 
 
 * Acta contra Templarios. Concil. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 358.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 239 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Templars in France revoke their rack-extorted confessions — Tliey are tried 
 as relapsed heretics, and burnt at the stake — The progress of the inquirj' in 
 England — The curious evidence adduced as to the mode of holding the chap- 
 ters of the order — As to the penance enjoined therein, and the absolution 
 pronounced by the Master — The Templars draw up a ^Titten defence, which 
 they present to the ecclesiastical council — They are placed in separate dun- 
 geons, and put to the torture — Two sending brethren and a chaplain of the 
 order then make confessions — Many other Templars acknowledge themselves 
 guiltj' of heresy in respect of their behef in the rehgious authority of their 
 Master — They make their recantations,and are reconciled to the church before 
 the south door of Saint Paul's cathedral — The order of the Temple is abo- 
 lished by the Pope — The last of the Masters of the Temple in England dies in 
 the Tower — The disposal of the property of the order — Obsen-ations on the 
 downfall of the Templars. 
 
 Veggio '1 nuovo Pilato si crudele, 
 Che cio nol sazia, ma, senza decreto 
 Porta nel Te.mpio le cupide vele. 
 
 Dante, Del Purgatorio. Canto xx. 91. 
 
 In France, on the other hand, the proceedings against the James ds 
 
 • 1 CO JMOLAV. 
 
 order had assumed a most sanguinary character. Many Tem- ^.d. 1310. 
 plars, both in the capital and the provinces, had made confessions 
 of guilt whilst suffering upon the rack, but they had no sooner 
 been released from the hands of their tormentors, and had reco- 
 vered their health, than they disavowed their confessions,
 
 240 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de maintained the innocence of tlieir order, and appealed to all their 
 A.u. 1310. gallant actions, in ancient and modern times, in refutation of the 
 calumnies of tlieir enemies. The enraged Philip caused these 
 Templars to be brought before an ecclesiastical tribunal convoked 
 at Paris, and sentence of death was passed upon them by the 
 archbishop of Sens, in the following terms : — 
 
 " You have avowed," said he, " that the brethren who are re- 
 ceived into the order of the Temple are compelled to renounce 
 Christ and spit upon the cross, and that you yourselves have 
 participated in that crime : you have thus acknowledged that you 
 have fallen into the sin of heresy. By your confession and re- 
 pentance you had merited absolution, and had once more become 
 reconciled to the church. As you have revoked your confession, 
 the church no longer regards you as reconciled, but as having 
 fallen back to your first errors. You are, therefore, relapsed 
 heretics f! J and as such, we condemn you to the fire." * 
 
 The following morning, (Tuesday, May 12,) in pursuance of 
 this absurd and atrocious sentence, fifty-four Templars were 
 handed over to the secular arm, and were led out to execution by 
 the king's officers. They were conducted into the open country, 
 in the environs of the Porte St. Antoine des Champs at Paris, 
 and were burnt to death in a most cruel manner before a slow 
 fire. All historians speak with admiration of the heroism and 
 intrepidity with which they met their fate.f 
 
 Many hundred other Templars were dragged from the dun- 
 geons of Paris before the archbishop of Sens and his council. 
 Those whom neither the agony of the torture nor the fear of 
 
 * Joan. can. Sand. Vict. Contin. de Nangis ad ann. 1310. Ex secunda vita Clem. V. 
 
 p. 37. 
 
 + Chron. Cornel. Zanjliet, apud Marlene, torn. v. col. 159. Bocai. decas. vir. illustr. 
 lilx 9. chap. xxi. Raynouard, Monumens histoiiques. [Dupiiy, Condemnation des 
 Templicvs.
 
 THE KMGirrs templars. -241 
 
 death could overcome, but ^\bo remained stedfast amid all their James de 
 trials in the maintenance of the innocence of their order, were ^^p^Ysi'o 
 condemned to perpetual imprisonment as unreconciled heretics; 
 whilst those who, having made the required confessions of guilt, 
 continued to persevere in them, received absolution, were declared 
 reconciled to the church, and were set at liberty. Notwithstand- 
 ing the terror inspired by these executions, many of the Templars 
 still persisted in the revocation of their confessions, which they 
 stigmatized as the result of insufferable torture, and boldly main- 
 tained the innocence of their order. 
 
 On the 18th of August, four other Templars were condemned 
 as relapsed heretics by the council of Sens, and were likewise 
 burned by the Porte St. Antoine ; and it is stated that a hundred 
 and thirteen Temj)]ars were from first to last burnt at the stake 
 in Paris. Many others were burned in Lorraine ; in Normandy ; 
 at Carcassone, and nine, or, according to some writers, twenty- 
 nine, were burnt by the archbishop of Rheims at Senlis ! King 
 Philip's oflacers, indeed, not content with their inhuman cruelty 
 towards the living, invaded the sanctity of the tomb; they 
 dragged a dead Templar, who had been Treasurer of the Temple 
 at Paris, from his grave, and burnt the mouldering corpse as a 
 heretic* In the midst of all these sanguinary atrocities, the ex- 
 aminations continued before the ecclesiastical tribunals. Many 
 aged and illustrious warriors, who merited a better fate, appeared 
 before their judges pale and trembling. At first they revoked 
 their confessions, declared their innocence, and were remanded 
 to prison ; and then, panic-stricken, they demanded to be led 
 back before the papal commissioners, when they abandoned their 
 retractations, persisted in their previous avowals of guilt, humbly 
 expressed their sorrow and repentance, and were then pardoned, 
 
 * Vit. prim, et tert. Clem. V^. col. 57, 17. Bern. Guac. apud Muratori, toni. iii. 
 p. G7fi. Contin. Chron. de Nangis ad aim. 1310. Rai/nouard, p. 120. 
 
 R
 
 242 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de absolved, and reconciled to the church ! The torture still con- 
 A^Tnio. tinued to be applied, and out of thirty-three Templars confined 
 in the chateau d'Alaix, four died in prison, and the remaining 
 twenty confessed, amongst other things, the following absurdi- 
 ties : — that in the provincial chapter of the order held at Mont- 
 pelier, the Templars set up a head and worshipped it; that the 
 devil often appeared there in the shape of a cat, and conversed 
 with the assembled brethren, and promised them a good harvest, 
 with the possession of riches, and all kinds of temporal property. 
 Some asserted that Ihe head worshipped by the fraternity pos- 
 sessed a long beard ; others that it was a woman's head ; and 
 one of the prisoners declared that as often as this wonderful head 
 was adored, a great number of devils made their appearance in the 
 
 shape of beautiful women ! ! * 
 
 We must now unfold the dark page in the history of the order 
 in England. All the Templars in custody in this country had 
 been examined separately and apart, and had, notwithstanding, 
 deposed in substance to the same effect, and given the same 
 account of their reception into the order, and of the oaths that 
 they took. Any reasonable and impartial mind would conse- 
 quently have been satisfied of the truth of their statements ; but 
 it was not the object of the inquisitors to obtain evidence of the 
 innocence, but proof of the guilt, of the order. At first, king 
 Edward the Second, to his honour, forbade the infliction of tor- 
 ture upon the illustrious members of the Temple in his dominions 
 — men who had fought and bled for Christendom, and of whose 
 piety and morals he had a short time before given such ample 
 testimony to the principal sovereigns of Europe. But the vir- 
 tuous resolution of the weak king was speedily overcome by the 
 all-powerful influence of the Roman pontiff", who wrote to him 
 in the month of June, upbraiding him for preventing the inqui- 
 
 * Jiai/no'iard,]}. 155.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 243 
 
 sitors from submitting the Templars to the discipline of the rack.* Ja.mks dk 
 Influenced by the admonitions of the pope, and the solicitations A.nl'^fsio. 
 of the clergy, king Edward, on the 26tli of August, sent 
 orders to John de Crumbewell, constable of the Tower, to deliver 
 up all the Templars in his custody, at the request of the in- 
 quisitors, to the sheriffs of London, in order that the inquisitors 
 might be able to proceed more conveniently and effectually with 
 their inquisition, f And on the same day he directed the 
 sheriffs to receive the prisoners from the constable of the Tower, 
 and cause them to be placed in the custody of gaolers appointed 
 by the inquisitors, to be confined in prisons or such other conve- 
 nient places in the city of London as the inquisitors and bishops 
 should think expedient, and generally to permit them to do with 
 the bodies of the Templars whatever should seem fitting, in 
 accordance with ecclesiastical law. He directs, also, that from 
 thenceforth the Templars should receive their sustenance at the 
 hands of such newly-appointed gaolers. J 
 
 On the Tuesday after the feast of St. Matthew, (Sept. 21st,) 
 the ecclesiastical council again assembled at London, and caused 
 the inquisitions and depositions taken against the Templars to 
 be read, which being done, great disputes arose touching various 
 alterations observable in them. It was at length ordered tliat 
 the Templars should be again confined in separate cells in the 
 prisons of London ; that fresh interrogatories should be pre- 
 pared, to see if by such means the truth could be extracted, and 
 
 * Inliibuisti ne contra ipsas personas et ominem per qucestiones ad inquirendum subnet 
 eisdem criminibus procedatur, quamvis iidem Templarii diffitcri dicuntur super eisdeni 
 
 articulis veritatem Attende, qiuesumus, fili carissime, et priidenti deliheralione 
 
 considers, si hoc tuo honori et saluti conveniat, et statui congruat regni tui. Arch, secret. 
 Vatican. Registr. literar. curiae anno 5 domini Clcmentis Papje 5. — Baynouard, p. lo-J. 
 
 + Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. ad ann. 1310, p. •224. 
 
 J lb., p. •2-24, 22o. claus. 4. E. 2. M. 22. 
 
 n 2
 
 244 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de if by straiteiiings and confinement they would confess noOdng 
 
 A. D. 131*0. further, then the torture was to be applied; but it was provided 
 
 that the examination by torture should be conducted without the 
 
 PERPETUAL MUTILATION OR DISABLING OF ANY LIMB, AND WITHOUT 
 
 A VIOLENT EFFUSION OF BLOOD ! and the inquisitors and the 
 bishops of London and Chichester were to notify the result to the 
 archbishop of Canterbury, that he might again convene the as- 
 sembly for the purpose of passing sentence, either of absolution 
 or of condemnation. These resolutions having been adopted, 
 the council was prorogued, on the following Saturday, de die in 
 diem, until the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 
 A. D. 1311.* 
 
 On the 6th of October, a fortnight after the above resolution 
 had been formed by the council, the king sent fresh instructions 
 to the constable of the Tower, and the sheriffs of London, direct- 
 ing them to deliver up the Templars, one at a time, or altogether, 
 and receive them back in the same way, at the will of the in- 
 quisitors.i" The gaolers of these unhappy gentlemen seem to 
 have been more merciful and considerate than their judges, and 
 to have manifested the greatest reluctance to act upon the orders 
 sent from the king. On the 23rd of October, further and more 
 prerem])tory commands were forwarded to the constable of the 
 Tower, distinctly informing him that the king, on account of his 
 respect for the holy apostolic see, had lately conceded to the pre- 
 lates and inquisitors deputed to take inquisition against the 
 order of the Temple, and the Grand Pi'eceptor of that order in 
 England, the power of ordering and disposing of the Templars 
 
 * Et si per hujusmodi arctationes et separationes nihil aliud, quam prius, vellent 
 confiteri, quod extunc qucestionarentur ; ita quod quastiones illae fierent absque mutila- 
 
 TIONE ET DEBILITATIONE PERPETUA ALICUJUS MEMBRI, ET SINE VIOLENTA SANGUI.NIS 
 
 EFFUSioNE. — Conci/. Alag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 3)4. 
 t Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 227, 228.
 
 Tllli KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 245 
 
 and their bodies, of examining them by torture or otherwise, Jamks db 
 and of doing to them whatever they should deem expedient, ac- a. i." mo. 
 cording to the ecclesiastical law ; and he again strictly enjoins 
 the constable to deliver up all the Templars in his custody, either 
 together or separately, or in any way that the inquisitors or one 
 bishop and one inquisitor may direct, and to receive them back 
 when required so to do.* Corresponding orders were again sent 
 to the sheriffs, commanding them, at the requisition of the inqui- 
 sitors, to get the Templars out of the hands of the constable of 
 the Tower, to guard them in convenient prisons, and to permit 
 certain persons deputed by the inquisitors to see that the im- 
 prisonment was properly carried into effect, to do with the 
 bodies of the Templars whatever they should think fit according 
 to ecclesiastical law. When the inquisitors, or the persons ap- 
 pointed by them, had done with the Templars what they pleased, 
 they were to deliver them back to the constable of the Tower, or 
 his lieutenant, there to be kept in custody as before. f Orders 
 were likewise sent to the constable of the castle of Lincoln, and 
 to the mayor and bailiffs of the city of Lincoln, to the same 
 effect. The king also directed Roger de Wyngefeld, clerk, 
 guardian of the lands of the Templars, and William Plummer, 
 sub-guardian of the manor of Cressing, to furnish to the king's 
 officers the sums required for the keep, and for the expenses of 
 the detention of the brethren of the order. ;}: 
 
 On the 22nd of November the king condescended to acquaint 
 
 * Cum nuper, ob reverientiam sedis apostolicb, concessimus praelatis et inquisito- 
 ribus ad inquireudum contra ordinem Templariorum, et contra Magnum Praeceptorem 
 ejusdem ordinis in regno nostro Anglise, quod iidem praelati et inquisitores, de ipsia Tem- 
 plariis et eorum corporibus in qu-ESTIONibus, et aliis ad hoc convenientibus ordinent et 
 faciant, quoties voluerint, id quod eis secundum legem ecclesiasticam, videbitur facien- 
 dum, &c. — Teste rege apud Linliscu in Scotia, 23 die Octobris. Ibid. torn. iii. 
 p. 228, 229. 
 
 t Acta Rymeri, tom. iii. p. 229; t Ibid. p. 230.
 
 246 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James dk the mayor, aldermen, and commonalty of his faithful city of 
 A. D. 1310. London, that out of reverence to the pope he had authorised the 
 inquisitors, sent over by his holiness, to question the Templars by 
 TORTURE ; he puts them in possession of the orders he had sent 
 to the constable of the Tower, and to the sheriffs ; and he com- 
 mands them, in case it should be notified to them by the inqui- 
 sitors that the prisons provided by the sheriffs were insufficient 
 for their purposes, to procure without fail fit and convenient 
 houses in the city, or near thereto, for carrying into effect the 
 contemplated measures ; and he graciously informs them that he 
 will reimburse them all the expenses that may be incurred by 
 them or their officers in fulfilling his commands.* Shortly after- 
 wards the king again wrote to the mayor, aldermen, and com- 
 monalty of London, acquainting them that the sheriffs had made a 
 return to his writ, to the effect that the four gates (prisons) of the 
 city were not under their charge, and that they could not there- 
 fore obtain them for the purposes required ; and he commands 
 the mayor, aldermen, and commonalty, to place those four gates 
 at the disposal of the sheriffs.-f- 
 
 On the 12th of December, all the Templars in custody at Lin- 
 coln were, by command of the king, brought up to London, and 
 placed in solitary confinement in different prisons and private 
 houses provided by the mayor and sheriffs. Shortly afterwards 
 orders were given for all the Templars in custody in London to 
 be loaded with chains and fetters ; the myrmidons of the inqui- 
 sitors were to be allowed to make periodical visits to see that the 
 imprisonment was properly carried into effect, and were to be 
 allowed to torture the bodies of the Templars in any way that 
 they might think fit. J 
 
 On the 30th of March, a. d. 1311, after some months' trial of 
 
 * Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 231. t Ibid. p. 231, 232. 
 
 X Ihid. torn. iii. p. 232— 235.
 
 THE K NIG UTS TKMPLARS 247 
 
 the above severe measures, tlie examination was resumed before James de 
 the inquisitors, and the bishops of London and Chichester, at a. d?Y31*1. 
 the several churches of St. Martin's, Ludgate, and St. Botolph's;, 
 Bishopsgate. The Templars had now been in prison in England 
 for the space of three years and some months. During the whole 
 of the previous winter they had been confined in chains in the 
 dungeons of the city of London, compelled to receive their 
 scanty supply of food from the officers of the inquisition, and to 
 suffer from cold, from hunger, and from torture. They had been 
 made to endure all the horrors of solitary confinement, and had 
 none to solace or to cheer them during the long hours of their 
 melancholy captivity. They had been already condemned col- 
 lectively by the pope, as members of an heretical and idolatrous 
 society, and as long as they continued to persist in the truth of 
 their first confessions, and in the avowal of their innocence, they 
 were treated as obstinate, unreconciled heretics, living in a state 
 of excommunication, and doomed, when dead, to everlasting 
 punishment in hell. They had heard of the miserable fate of 
 their brethren in France, and they knew that those who had con- 
 fessed crimes of which they had never been guilty, had been im- 
 mediately declared reconciled to the church, had been absolved 
 and set at liberty, and they knew that freedom, pardon, and 
 peace could be immediately purchased by a confession of guilt ; 
 notwithstanding all which, every Templar, at this last examina- 
 tion, persisted in the maintenance of his innocence, and in the 
 denial of all knowledge of, or participation in, the crimes and 
 heresies imputed to the order. They declare that everything 
 that was done in their chapters, in respect of absolution, the re- 
 ception of brethren, and other matters, was honourable and 
 honest, and might well and lawfully be done; that it was in no 
 Avise heretical or vicious ; and that whatever was done was from
 
 248 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 AMES DE the aj3pointment, approbation, and regulation of all the brethren.* 
 .. D. 1311. From their statements, it appears that the Master of the Temple 
 in England was in the habit of summoning a general chapter 
 of the order once a year, at which the preceptors of Ireland and 
 of Scotland were present. These were always called together 
 to take into consideration the affairs of the Holy Land, and to 
 determine on sending succour to their brethren in the East. At 
 the close of their examination the Templars were again sent back 
 to their dungeons, and loaded with chains ; and the inquisitors, 
 disappointed of the desired confessions, addressed themselves 
 to the enemies of the order for the necessary proofs of guilt. 
 
 During the month of April, seventy-two witnesses were ex- 
 amined in the chapter-house of the Holy Trinity. They were 
 nearly all monks, Carmelites, Augustinians, Dominicans, and 
 Minorites ; their evidence is all hearsay, and the nature of it will 
 be seen from the following choice specimens. 
 
 Henry Thanet, an Irishman, had heard that Brother Hugh de 
 Nipurias, a Templar, deserted from the castle of Tortosa in Pa- 
 lestine, and went over to the Saracens, abjuring the christian 
 faith ; and that a certain preceptor of the Pilgrim's Castle was 
 in the habit of making all the brethren he received into the 
 order deny Christ ; but the witness was unable to give either the 
 name of the preceptor or of the persons so received. He had 
 also heard that a certain Templar had in his custody a brazen 
 head with two faces, which would answer all questions put 
 to it! 
 
 Master John de Nassington declared that Milo de Stapelton 
 and Adam de Everington, knights, told him that they had once 
 been invited to a great feast at the preceptory of Templehurst, 
 and were there informed that the Templars celebrated a solemn 
 festival once a year, at wliich they worshipped a calf! 
 
 * Ada contra Templarios, Coiicil. Mac/. Brit. torn. ii. i>. 368 — 371.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 249 
 
 Jolm de Eure, knight, sheriff of the cuunty of York, deposed James nu 
 that he had once invited Brother William de la Fenne, Preceptor a. d. lai'i. 
 of Wesdall, to dine with hiiu, and that after dinner the preceptor 
 drew a book out of his bosom, and delivered it to the knight's 
 lady to read, who found a piece of paper fastened into the book, 
 on which were written abominable, heretical doctrines, to the 
 effect that Christ was not the Son of God, nor born of a virgin, 
 but conceived of the seed of Joseph, the husband of Mary, after 
 the manner of other men, and that Christ was not a true but a 
 false prophet, and was not crucified for the redemption of man- 
 kind, but for his own sins, and many other things contrary to the 
 christian faith. On the production of this important evidence. 
 Brother William de la Fenne was called in and interrogated ; he 
 admitted that he had dined with the sheriff of York, and had lent 
 his lady a book to read, but he swore that he was ignorant of the 
 piece of paper fastened into the book, and of its contents. It 
 appears that the sheriff of York had kept this dangerous secret 
 to himself for the space of six years ! 
 
 William de laForde, a priest, rector of the church of Crofton in 
 the diocese of York, had heard William de Reynbur, priest of the 
 order of St. Augustine, who was then dead, say, that the Templar, 
 Brother Patrick of Rippon, son of William of Gloucester, had 
 confessed to him, that at his entrance into the order, he was led, 
 clothed only in his shirt and trousers, through a long passage to 
 a secret chamber, and was there made to deny his God and his 
 Saviour ; that he was then shown a representation of the cruci- 
 fixion, and was told that since he had previously honoured that 
 emblem he must now dishonour it and spit upon it, and that he 
 did so. " Item dictum fuit ei quod, depositis brachis, dorsum ver- 
 teret ad crucifixuni," and this he did bitterly w^eeping. After 
 this they brought an image, as it were, of a calf, placed upon an 
 altar, and they told him he must kiss that image, and worship it,
 
 250 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James be and he did so, and after all this they covered up his eyes and led 
 
 A. D. 1311. ^^i"^ about, kissing- and being kissed by all the brethren, but he 
 
 could not recollect in what part. The worthy priest was asked 
 
 when he had first heard all these things, and he replied after the 
 
 arrest of the brethren by the king's orders ! 
 
 Robert of Oteringhain, senior of the order of Minorites, 
 stated that on one occasion he was partaking of the hospita- 
 lity of the Templars at the preceptory of Ribstane in York- 
 shire, and that when grace had been said after supper, the 
 chaplain of the order reprimanded the brethren of the Temple, 
 saying to them, " The devil will burn you," or some such words ; 
 and hearing a bustle amongst them, he got up to see what was 
 the matter, and, as far as he recollects, he saw one of the brothers 
 of the Temple, " brachis depositis, tenentem faciem versus occiden- 
 tem et posteriora versus altare !" Being asked who it was that did 
 this, he says he does not exactly remember. He then goes on to 
 state, that about twenty years before that time ! he was again the 
 guest of the Templars, at the preceptory of ^Vetherby (query 
 Feriby) in Yorkshire, and when evening came he heard that 
 the preceptor was not coming to supper, as he was ai'rangi ng 
 some relics that he had brought with him from the Holy Land, 
 and afterwards at midnight he heard a confused noise in the 
 chapel, and getting U23 he looked through the keyhole, and saw a 
 great light therein, either from a fire or from candles, and on the 
 morrow he asked one of the brethren of the Temple the name of 
 the saint in whose honour they had celebrated so grand a festival 
 during the night, and that brother, aghast and turning pale, 
 thinking he had seen what had been done amongst them, said to 
 him, " Go thy way, and if you love me, or have any regard for 
 your own life, never speak of this matter." This same " Senior 
 of the Minorites" declares also that he had seen, in the chapel of 
 the preceptory of Ribstane, a cross, with the image of our Saviour
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 251 
 
 nailed upon it, thrown carelessly upon the altar, and lie observed James de 
 to a certain brother of the Temple, that the cross was in a most a. o^Ysil. 
 indecent and improper position, and he was about to lift it uj) 
 and stand it erect, when that same brother called out to him, " Lay 
 down the cross and depart in peace !" 
 
 Brother John de Wederal, another Minorite, sent to the in- 
 quisitors a written paper, wherein he stated that he had lately 
 heard in the country, that a Templar, named Robert de Bay sat, 
 was once seen running about a meadow uttering, " Alas! alas! 
 that ever I was born, seeing that I have denied God and sold 
 myself to the devil!" Brother N. de Chinon, another Minorite, 
 had. heard that a certain Templar had a son who peeped through 
 a chink in the wall of the chapter-room, and saw a person who was 
 about to be professed, slain because he would not deny Christ, and 
 afterwards the boy was asked by his father to become a Templar, 
 but refused, and he immediately shared the same fate. Twenty 
 witnesses, who were examined in each other's presence, merely 
 repeated the above absurdities, or related similar ones.* 
 
 At this stage of the proceedings, the papal inquisitor, Sicard 
 de Vaur, exhibited two rack-extorted confessions of Templars 
 which had been obtained in France. The first was from Robert 
 de St. Just, who had been received into the order by brother 
 Himbert, Grand Preceptor of England, but had been arrested in 
 France, and there tortured by the myrmidons of Philip. In this 
 confession, Robert de St. Just states that, on his admission to the 
 vows of the Temple, he denied Christ, and spat beside the cross. 
 The second confession had been extorted from Geoffrey de 
 Gonville, Knight of the Order of the Temple, Preceptor of 
 Aquitaine and Poitou, and had been given on the 15th of Novem- 
 
 * Suspicio (quce loco testis 21, in MS. allegatur,) probare videtur, quod omncs exami- 
 iiati in aliqiio dejeraverunt (pejeraverunt,) ut ex inspectione processuum apparet. — MS. 
 Bodl. Oxen. f. 5. '2. Concil. torn. ii. p. 35J).
 
 252 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de ber, A. D. 1307, before the grand inquisitor of France. In this 
 A. D?^1311. confession, (which had been afterwards revoked, but of which 
 revocation no notice was taken by the inquisitors,) Sir Geoffrey 
 de Gonville states that he was received into the order in Eng- 
 land in the house of the Temple at London, by Brother Robert 
 de Torvibe, knight, the Master of all England, about twenty- 
 eight years before that time ; that the master showed him on a 
 missal the image of Jesus Christ on the cross, and commanded 
 him to deny him who was crucified ; that, terribly alarmed, he 
 exclaimed, " Alas ! my lord, why should I do this ? I will on no 
 account do it." But the master said to him, ''■ Do it boldly ; I 
 swear to thee that the act shall never harm either thy 
 soul or thy conscience ;" and then proceeded to inform him that 
 the custom had been introduced into the order by a certain bad 
 Grand Master, who was imprisoned by a certain sultan, and 
 could escape from prison only on condition that he would esta- 
 blish that form of reception in his order, and compel all who 
 were received to deny Christ Jesus ! but the deponent remained 
 inflexible; he refused to deny his Saviour, and asked where were 
 his uncle and the other good people who had brought him there, 
 and was told that they were all gone ; and at last a compromise 
 took place between him and the Master, who made him take his 
 oath that he would tell all his brethren that he had gone through 
 the customary form, and never reveal that it had been dispensed 
 with ! He states also that the ceremony was instituted in 
 memory of St. Peter, who three times denied Christ !* 
 
 * This knight had been tortured in the Temple at Paris, by the brothers of St. Domi- 
 nic in the presence of the grand inquisitor, and he made his confession when suffering 
 on the rack ; he afterwards revoked it, and was then tortured into a withdrawal of his 
 revocation, notwithstanding which the inquisitor made the unhappy wretch, in common 
 with others, put his signature to the following interrogatory, " Interrogatus utrum vi 
 vel metu careens aut tormentorum immiscuit in sua depositione aliquam falsitateni, dicit 
 quod non .'"
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 253 
 
 Ferinsius le Mareschal, a secular knight, being examined, de- '^t^'^'^ "" 
 clared that his grandfather entered into the order of the Temple) a. u. laii. 
 active, healthy, and blithesome as the birds and the dogs, but on 
 the third day from his taking the vows he was dead, and, as he 
 note sus]}ects, was killed because he refused to participate in the 
 iniquities practised by the brethren. An Augustine monk de- 
 clared that he had heard a Templar say that a man after death 
 had no more soul than a dog. Roger, rector of the church of 
 Godmersham, swore that about fifteen years before he had an 
 intention of entering into the order of the Temple himself, and 
 consulted Stephen Queynterel, one of the brothers, on the sub- 
 ject, who advised him not to do so, and stated that they had 
 th7^ee articles amongst themselves in their order, known only to 
 God, the devil, and the brethren of the Temple, and the said 
 Stephen would not reveal to the deponent what those articles 
 were. 
 
 The vicar of the church of Saint Clement at Sandwich had 
 heard that a boy had secreted himself in the large hall where the 
 Templars held their chapter, and heard the Master preach to 
 the brethren, and explain to them in what mode they might 
 enrich themselves ; and after the chapter was concluded, one of 
 the brothers, in going out of the hall, dropped his girdle, which 
 the boy found and carried to the brother who had so dropped it, 
 when the latter drew his sword and instantly slew him ! But to 
 crown all, Brother John de Gertia, a Minorite, had heard from 
 a certain woman called Cacocaca ! who had it from Exvalettus, 
 Preceptor of London, that one of the servants of the Templars 
 entered the hall where the chapter was held, and secreted him- 
 self, and after the door had been shut and locked by the last 
 Templar who entered, and the key had been brought by him to 
 the superior, the assembled Templars jumped up and went into 
 another room, and opened a closet, and drew therefrom a certain
 
 254 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de black figure with shining eyes, and a cross, and they placed the 
 A.^'^^YJii. c^'oss before the Master, and the " culum idoli vel figurte" they 
 placed upon the cross, and carried it to the Master, who kissed 
 the said image, (in ano,) and all the others did the same after 
 him ; and when they had finished kissing, they all spat three 
 times upon the cross, except one, who refused, saying, " I was a bad 
 man in the world, and placed myself in this order for the salvation 
 of my soul ; what could I do worse ? I will not do it ;" and then 
 the brethren said to him, "Take heed, and do as you see the 
 order do ;" but he answered that he would not do so, and then 
 they placed him in a well which stood in the midst of their 
 house, and covered the well up, and left him to perish. Being 
 asked as to the time when the woman heard this, the deponent 
 stated that she told it to him about fourteen years back at Lon- 
 don, where she kept a shop for her husband, Robert Cotacota ! 
 This witness also knew a certain Walter Salvagyo of the family 
 of Earl Warrenne, grandfather of the then earl, who, having 
 entered into the order of the Temple, was about two years after- 
 wards entirely lost sight of by his family, and neither the earl 
 nor any of his friends could ever learn what had become of 
 him. 
 
 John Walby de Bust, another Minorite, had heard John de 
 Dingeston say that he had heard that there was in a secret place 
 of the house of the Templars at London a gilded head, and that 
 when one of the Masters was on his deathbed, he summoned to 
 his presence several preceptors, and told them that if they wished 
 for power, and dominion, and honour, they must worship that 
 head. 
 
 Brother Richard de Koefeld, a monk, had heard from John de 
 Borna, who had it from the Knight Templar Walter le Bacheler, 
 that every man who entered into the order of the Temple had to 
 sell himself to the devil ; he had also heard from the priest
 
 THE KNTGIITS TEMPLARS. 255 
 
 Walter, rector of the church of Hodlee, who had it from a cer- James pp. 
 tain vicar, who was a priest of the said Walter le Bacheler, that a. n. nil. 
 there was one article in the profession of the Templars which 
 might not be revealed to any living man. 
 
 Gasper de Nafferton, chaplain of the parish of Ryde, deposed 
 that three years back he was in the employ of the Templars for 
 about six months, during which period William de Pokelington 
 was received into the order ; that he well recollected that the 
 said William made his appearance at the Temple on Sunday 
 evening, with the equipage and habit of a member of the order, 
 accompanied by Brother William de la More, the Master of the 
 Temple, Brother William de Grafton, Preceptor of Ribbestane 
 and Fontebriggs ; and other brethren : that the same night, 
 during the first watch, they assembled in the church, and caused 
 the deponent to be awakened to say mass ; that, after the cele- 
 bration of the mass, they made the deponent with his clerk go 
 out into the hall beyond the cloister, and then sent for the j^er- 
 son who was to be received ; and on his entry into the church 
 one of the brethren immediately closed all the doors opening 
 into the cloister, so that no one within the chambers could get 
 out, and thus they remained till daylight ; but what was done in 
 the church the deponent knew not ; tlie next day, however, he 
 saw the said William clothed in the habit of a Templar, looking 
 very sorrowful. The deponent also declared that he had threat- 
 ened to peep through a secret door to see what was going on, 
 but was warned that it was inevitable death so to do. He states 
 that the next morning he went into the church, and found the 
 books and ci'osses all removed from the places in which he had 
 previously left them ; that he afterwards saw the knight Temijlar 
 Brother William deliver to the newly-received brother a large 
 roll of paper, containing the rule of the order, which the said 
 newly-received brother was directed to transcribe in private ;
 
 256 THE KMGIITS TEMPLARS. 
 
 J.AMES DE that after the departure of the said Brother William, the depo- 
 A.D. 1311. nent approached the said newly-received brother, who was then 
 diligently writing, and asked to be allowed to inspect the roll, 
 but was told that none but members of the order could be allowed 
 to read it ; that he was then about to depart, when Brother 
 William made his appearance, and, astonished and confounded at 
 the sight of the deponent, snatched up the roll and walked away 
 with it, declaring, with a great oath, that he would never again 
 allow it to go out of his hands. 
 
 Brother John de Donyngton, of the order of the Minorites, the 
 seventy-sixth witness examined, being sworn, deposed that some 
 years back an old veteran of the Temple (whose name he could 
 not recollect) told him that the order possessed four chief idols 
 in England, one at London in the sacristy of the Temple ; ano- 
 ther at the preceptory of Bistelesham ; a third at Bruere in Lin- 
 colnshire ; and the fourth in some place beyond the Humber) 
 (the name of which he had forgotten ;) that Brother William de 
 la More, the Master of the Temple, introduced the melancholy 
 idolatry of the Templars into England, and brought with him 
 into the country a great roll, whereon were inscribed in large 
 characters the wicked practices and observances of the order. 
 The said old veteran also told the deponent that many of the 
 Templars carried idols about with them in boxes, &c. &;c. 
 
 The deponent further states that he recollected well that a 
 private gentleman. Master William de Shokerwyk, a short time 
 back, had prepared to take the vows of the order, and carried his 
 treasures and all the property he had to the Temple at London ; 
 and that as he was about to deposit it in the treasury, one of the 
 brethren of the Temple heaved a profound sigh, and Master Wil- 
 liam de Shokerwyk having asked what ailed him, he immediately 
 replied, " It will be the worse for you, brother, if you enter our 
 order ;" that the said Master AYilliam asked why, and the Tem-
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAKS. 257 
 
 plar replied, " You see us externally, but not internally ; take James dk 
 lieed what you do ; but I shall say no more ;" and the deponent a", u. 1311. 
 further declares, that on another occasion the said Master Wil- 
 liam entered into the Temple Hall, and found there an old 
 Templar, who was playing at the game called Daly; and the old 
 Templar observing that there was no one in the hall besides 
 himself and the said Master \Yilliam, said to the latter, " If you 
 enter into our order, it will be the worse for you." 
 
 The witness then goes into a rambling account of various 
 transactions in the East, tending to show that the Templars were 
 in alliance with the Saracens, and had acted with treachery to- 
 wards the christian cause ! * 
 
 "Xfter the delivery of all this hearsay, these vague suspi- ^ 
 cions and monstrous improbabilities, the notaries proceeded to 
 arrange the valuable testimony adduced, and on the 2'2nd of 
 April all the Templars in custody in the Tower and in the 
 prisons of the city were assembled before the inquisitors and 
 the bishops of London and Chichester, in the church of the Holy 
 Trinity, to hear the depositions and attestations of the witnesses 
 publicly read. The Templars required copies of these deposi- 
 tions, which were granted them, and they were allowed eight 
 days from that period to bring forward any defences or privileges 
 they wished to make use of. Subsequently, before the expiration 
 of the eight days, the officer of the bishop of London was sent to 
 the Tower with scriveners and witnesses, to know if they would 
 then set up any matters of defence, to whom the Templars replied 
 that they were unlettered men, ignorant of law, and that all 
 means of defence were denied them, since they were not ])er- 
 mitted to employ those who could afford them fit counsel and 
 advice. They observed, however, that they were desirous of 
 publicly proclaiming the faith, and the religion of themselves 
 
 * Acta contra Templarios — Concil. Mag. Brit. torn. ii. p. 3j8 — 36-t. 
 
 S
 
 258 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Jamks de and of the order to which they belonged, of showing the privi- 
 A.D. 1311. leges conceded to them by the chief pontiffs, and their own depo- 
 tions taken before the inquisitors, all which they said they wished 
 to make use of in their defence. 
 
 On the eighth day, being Thursday the 29th of April, they ap- 
 peared before the papal inquisitors and the bishops of London 
 and Chichester, in the church of All Saints of Berkyngecherche, 
 and presented to them the following declaration, which they had 
 drawn up amongst themselves, as the only defence they had to 
 offer against the injustice, the tyranny, and the persecution of 
 their powerful oppressors ; adding, that if they had in any way 
 done wrong, they were ready to submit themselves to the orders 
 of the church. 
 
 This declaration is written in the Norman French of that day, 
 and is as follows : 
 
 " Cnnue chese seit a nostre lionurahle 'pere, le ercevesque de Can- 
 terhiere, primat de toute Engletere, e a touz prelaz de seinte Eglise, 
 e a touz Cristiens, qe touz les freres du Temple que sumes id assem- 
 blez et chescune singidere i^ersone par sen sumes cristien nostre seignur 
 Jesu Crist, e creoms en Dieu Pere omnipotent^ qui fist del e terre, 
 e en Jesu soen fiz, qui fust conceu du Seint Esperit, nez de la Vir- 
 gine Marie, soeffrit peine e passioun, morut sur la croiz pour touz 
 peccheours, descendist e enferns, e le tierz jour releva de mort en 
 vie, e mounta en del, siet au destre soen Pere, e vendra au jour de 
 juise, juger les vifs e les morz, qui fu saunz commencement, e serra 
 saunz fyn ; e creoms comme seynte eglise crets, e nous enseigne. E 
 
 que nostre religion est foundee sus obedience, chastete, vivre sans 
 propre, aider a conquere la seint terre de Jerusalem, a force e a 
 poer, qui Dieu nous ad preste. E nyoms e jirmement en countre- 
 
 dioms touz e chescune singulere persone, par set toutes maneres de 
 
 heresies e malvaistes, que sount encountre la foi de Seinte Eglise. 
 
 E prioms pour Dieu e pour charite a vous, que estes en lieu nostre
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 259 
 
 seinte pere Vapostoile, que nous puissoms aver lez drettures de Jame db 
 seinte eglise, comme ceus que sount les filz de sainte eglise, que ^^. „ y^u. 
 Men uvoms garde, e tenu la foi, e la lei de seinte eglise, e nostre 
 religion, la quele est hone, koneste e juste, solom les ordenaunces, e 
 les privileges de la court de Rome avons grauntez, confermez, e 
 canonizez par commun concile, les qels priviliges ensemhlement ou 
 lestahlisement, e la regie sount en la dite court enregistrez. E 
 mettoms en dur e en mal eu touz Cristiens saune noz anoisourz, par 
 la ou nous avons este conversaunt, comment nous avoms nostre vie 
 demene. E se nous avoms rien mesprys de aucun parole en nos ex- 
 aminacions par ignorance de sen, si comme nous sumes genz laics 
 prest sumes, a ester a lesgard de seint eglise, comme cely que 
 mourust pour nouz en la heneite de croiz. E nous creoms ferme- 
 ment touz les sacreinenz de seinte eglise. E nous vous jjrioms 
 pour Dieu e pour salvacioun de vous almes, que vous nous jugez si 
 comme vous volez respoundre pour vous et pour nous devaunt Dieu : 
 e que nostre examinement puet estre leu e oii devaunt nous e devaunt 
 le people, solom le respouns e le langage que fust dit devaunt vous, 
 e escrit en papier* 
 
 " Be it known to our honourable father, the archbishop of 
 Canterbury, primate of all England, and to all the prelates of 
 holy church, and to all Christians, that all we brethren of the 
 Temple here assembled, and every of one of us are Christians, 
 and believe in our Saviour Jesus Christ, in God the Father om- 
 nipotent, &c. &c " 
 
 " And we believe all that the holy church believes and teaches 
 us. We declare that our religion is founded on vows of obedience, 
 chastity, and poverty, and of aiding in the conquest of the Holy 
 Land of Jerusalem, with all the power and might that God 
 affordeth us. And we firmly deny and contradict, one and all of 
 us, all manner of heresy and evil doings, contrary to the faith of 
 
 * Concil. Mag. Brit. torn. ii. p. 3G4. 
 
 s 2
 
 '260 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de holy churcli. And for the love of God, and for charity, we be- 
 A. I). 1311. seech you, who rejDresent our holy father the pope, that we may 
 be treated like true children of the church, for we have well 
 guarded and preserved the faith and the law of the church, and 
 of our own religion, the which is good, honest, and just, accord- 
 ing to the ordinances and the privileges of the court of Rome 
 granted, confirmed, and canonized by common council ; the 
 which privileges, together with the rule of our order, are en- 
 registered in the said court. And we would bring forward all 
 Christians, (save our enemies and slanderers,) with whom we are 
 conversant, and among whom we have resided, to say how and in 
 what manner we have spent our lives. And if, in our examina- 
 tions, we have said or done anything wrong through ignorance of 
 a word, since we are unlettered men, we are ready to suffer for 
 holy church like him who died for us on the blessed cross. And 
 we believe all the sacraments of the church. And we beseech 
 you, for the love of God, and as you hope to be saved, that you 
 judge us as you will have to answer for yourselves and for us be- 
 fore God ; and we pray that our examination may be read and 
 heard before ourselves and all the people, in the very language 
 and words in which it was given before you, and written down on 
 pa2)ery 
 
 The above declaration was presented by Brother William de la 
 More, the Master of the Temple ; the Knights Templars Philip de 
 Mewes, Preceptor of Garwy ; William de Burton, Preceptor of 
 Cumbe ; Radulph de Maison, Preceptor of Ewell ; Michael de 
 Baskevile, Preceptor of London ; Thomas de Wothrope, Preceptor 
 of Bistelesham ; William de Warwick, Priest ; and Thomas de 
 Burton, Chaplain of the Order; together with twenty serving 
 brothers. The same day the inquisitors and the two bishops pro- 
 ceeded to the different prisons of the city to demand if the prisoners 
 confined therein wished to bring forward anything in defence of
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 261 
 
 the order, who severally answered that they would adopt and James dk 
 abide by the declaration made by their brethren in the Tower. a nYsii. 
 
 It appears that in the prison of Aldgate there were confined 
 Brother William de Sautre, Knight, Preceptor of Samford ; 
 Brother William de la Ford, Preceptor of Daney ; Brother John 
 de Coningeston, Preceptor of Getinges ; Jioger de Norreis, Pre- 
 ceptor of Cressing; Radulph de Barton, priest. Prior of the New 
 Temple ; and several serving brethren of the order. In the 
 prison of Crepelgate were detained W^illiam de Egendon, Knight, 
 Preceptor of Schepeley ; John de Moun, Knight, Preceptor of 
 Dokesworth ; and four serving brethren. In the prison of Lud- 
 gate were five serving brethren ; and in Newgate was con- 
 fined Brother Himbert Blanke, Knight, Grand Preceptor of 
 Auvergne. 
 
 The above declaration of faith and innocence was far from 
 agreeable to the papal inquisitors, who required a confession of 
 guilt, and the torture was once more directed to be applied. The 
 king sent fresh orders to the mayor and the sheriS's of the city 
 of London, commanding them to place the Templars in separate 
 dungeons ; to load them with chains and fetters ; to permit the 
 myrmidons of the inquisitors to pay periodical visits to see that 
 the wishes and intentions of the inquisitors, with regard to the 
 severity of the confinement, were properly carried into effect ; 
 and, lastly, to inRict tortuke upon the bodies of the Templars, 
 and generally to do whatever should be thought fitting and ex- 
 pedient in the premises, according to ecclesiastical law.* In con- 
 
 • Vobis, praefati vicecomites, mandamus quod illos, quos dicti praelati et inquisitore?, 
 seu aliquis eorum, cum uno saltern inquisitore, deputaverint ad supervidendum quod 
 dicta custodia bene fiat, id supervidere % et corpora dictorum Templariorum in qu^sti- 
 ONiBus et aliis ad hoc convenientibus, ponere ; et alia, quae in hac parte secundum legem 
 ecclesiasticam fuerint facienda, faccre permittatis. C'laus. 4, E. 2. m. 8. Acta Rymeri, 
 tom. iii. p. 290.
 
 262 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de formity with these orders, we learn from the record of the pro- 
 A.D. 131*1. ceedings, that the Templars were placed in solitary confinement 
 in loathsome dungeons ; that they were placed on a short allow- 
 ance of bread and water, and periodically visited by the agents 
 of the inquisition ; that they were moved from prison to prison, 
 and from dungeon to dungeon ; were now treated with rigour, 
 and anon with indulgence ; and were then visited by learned 
 prelates, and acute doctors in theology, who, by exhortation, per- 
 . suasion, and by menace, attempted in every possible mode to 
 wring from them the required avowals. We learn that all the 
 engines of terror wielded by the church were put in force, and 
 that torture was unsparingly applied ^^ usque ad judicium sanguinis T 
 The places in which these atrocious scenes were enacted were 
 the Tower, the prisons of Aldgate, Ludgate, Newgate, Bishops- 
 gate, and Crepelgate, the house formerly belonging to John de 
 Banguel, and the tenements once the property of the brethren of 
 penitence.* It appears that some French monks were sent over 
 to administer the torture to the unhappy captives, and that they 
 were questioned and examined in the presence of notaries whilst 
 suffering under the torments of the rack. The relentless perse- 
 verance and the incessant exertions of the foreign inquisitors 
 were at last rewarded by a splendid triumph over the powers of 
 endurance of two poor serving brethren, and one chaplain of the 
 order of the Temple, who were at last induced to make the long- 
 desired avowals. 
 
 On the 23rd of June, Brotlier Stephen de Stapelbrugge, de- 
 scribed as an apostate and fugitive of the order of the Temple, 
 captured by the king's officers in the city of Salisbury, deposed 
 in the house of the head gaoler of Newgate, in the presence of 
 the bishops of London and Chichester, the chancellor of the 
 archbishop of Canterbury, Hugh de Walkeneby, doctor of theo- 
 
 * M. S. Bo<U. F. 5, 2. Condi, p. 364, 365. Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 228, 231, 232.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 263 
 
 logy, and other clerical witnesses, that there were two modes of James dk 
 profession in the order of the Temple, the one good and lawful, a. d. 1311. 
 and the other contrary to the christian faith ; that he himself was 
 received into the order by Brother Bi'ian le Jay, Grand Pre- 
 ceptor of England at Dynneslee, and was led into the chapel, the 
 door of which was closed as soon as he had entered ; that a cross 
 was placed before the Master, and that a brother of the Temple, 
 with a drawn sword, stood on either side of him; that the Master 
 said to him, " Do you see this image of the crucifixion?" to 
 which he replied, " I see it, my lord ;" that the Master then said 
 to him, " You must deny that Christ Jesus was God and man, 
 and that Mary was his mother ; and you must spit upon this 
 cross ;" which the deponent, through immediate fear of death, did 
 with his mouth, but not with his heart, and he spat beside the 
 cross, and not on it ; and then falling down upon his knees, with 
 eyes uplifted, with his hands clasped, with bitter tears and sighs, 
 and devout ejaculations, he besought the mercy and the favour 
 of holy church, declaring that he cared not for the death of the 
 body, or for any amount of penance, but only for the salvation of 
 his soul. 
 
 On Saturday, the 25th of June, Brother Thomas Tocci de 
 Thoroldeby, serving brother of the order of the Temple, de- 
 scribed as an apostate who had escaped from Lincoln after his 
 examination at that place by the papal inquisitors, but had after- 
 wards surrendered himself to the king's officers, was brought be- 
 fore the bishops of London and Chichester, the archdeacon of 
 Salisbury, and others of the clergy in St. Martin's Church in 
 Vinetria ; and being again examined, he repeated the statement 
 made in his first deposition, but added some particulars with re- 
 gard to penances imposed and absolutions pronounced in the 
 chapter, showing the difierence between sins and defaults, the 
 priest having to deal with the one, and the Master with the other.
 
 264 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de He declared tbat the little cords were worn from honourable mo- 
 A. D. 1311. tives, and relates a story of his being engaged in a battle against 
 the Saracens, in which he lost his cord, and was punished by the 
 Grand Master for a default in coming home without it. He 
 gives the same account of the secrecy of the chapters as all the 
 other brethren, states that the members of the order were for- 
 bidden to confess to the friars mendicants, and were enjoined to 
 confess to their own chaplains; that they did nothing contrary to 
 the christian faith, and as to their endeavouring to promote the 
 advancement of the order by any means, right or wrong, that 
 exactly the contrary was the case, as there was a statute in the 
 order to the effect, that if any one should be found to have ac- 
 quired anything unjustly, he should be deprived of his habit, and 
 be expelled the order. Being asked what induced him to be- 
 come an apostate, and to fly from his order, he replied that it 
 was through fear of death, because the abbot of Lagny, (the 
 papal inquisitor,) when he examined him at Lincoln, asked him 
 if he would not confess anything further, and he answered that 
 he knew of nothing further to confess, unless he were to say 
 things that were not true ; and that the abbot, laying his hand 
 vpon his breast, swore by the word of God that he would make 
 him. confess before he had done with him ! and that being terribly 
 frightened he afterwards bribed the gaoler of the castle ot Lin- 
 coln, giving him forty florins to let him make his escaj^e. 
 
 The abbot of Lagny, indeed, was as good as his word, for on 
 the 29th of June, four days after this imprudent avowal. Brother 
 Thomas Tocci de Thoroldeby was brought back to Saint Martin's 
 Church, and there, in the presence of the same parties, he made 
 a third confession, in which he declares that, coerced by two 
 Templars with drawn swords in their hands, he denied Christ 
 with his mouth, but not with his heart ; and spat beside the cross, 
 but not on it ; that he was required to spit upon the image of
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 265 
 
 the Virgin Mary, but contrived, instead of doing so, to give her James de 
 a kiss on the foot. He declares that he had heard Brian le Jay, a. d. I3li. 
 the Master of the Temple at London, say a hundred times over, 
 that Jesus Christ was not the true God, but a man, and that the 
 smallest hair out of the beard of one Saracen was of more worth 
 than the whole body of any Christian. He declares that he was 
 once standing in the presence of Brother Brian, when some poor 
 people besought charity of him for the love of God and our lady 
 the blessed Virgin Mary; and he answered, ' Que dame, alez 
 vous pendre a vostre dame' — " What lady ? go and be hanged to 
 your lady," and violently casting a halfpenny into the mud, he 
 made the poor people hunt for it, although it was in the depth 
 of a severe winter. He also relates that at the chapters the priest 
 stood like a beast, and had nothing to do but to repeat the psalm, 
 " God be merciful unto us, and bless us," which was read at the 
 closing of the chapter. (The Templars, by the way, must have 
 been strange idolaters to have closed their chapters, in which they 
 are accused of worshipping a cat, a man's head, and a black idol, 
 with the reading of the beautiful psalm, " God be merciful unto 
 us, and bless us, and show us the light of thy countenance, that thy 
 •way may he known upon earth, thy saving health among all na- 
 tions," &c. Psalm Ixvii.) This witness further states, that the 
 priest had no power to impose a heavier penance than a day's 
 fast on bread and water, and could not even do that without the 
 permission of the brethren. He is made also to relate that the 
 Templars always favoured the Saracens in the holy nars in Pa- 
 lestine, and oppressed the Christians ! and he declares, speaking 
 of himself, that for three years before he had never seen the body 
 of Christ without thinking of the devil, nor could he remove 
 that evil thought from his heart by prayer, or in any other way 
 that he knew of; but that very morning he had heard mass with 
 great devotion, and since then had thought only of Christ, and
 
 266 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de tliinks there is no one in the order of the Temple whose soul will 
 A, D. \^Vi. ^6 saved, unless a reformation takes place.* 
 
 Previous to this period, the ecclesiastical council had again as- 
 sembled, and these last depositions of Brothers Stephen de Sta- 
 pelbrugge and Thomas Tocci de Thoroldeby having- been pro- 
 duced before them, the following solemn farce was immediately 
 publicly enacted. It is thus described in the record of the pro- 
 ceedings : 
 
 " To the praise and glory of the name of the most high Father, 
 and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, to the confusion of here- 
 tics, and the strengthening of all faithful Christians, begins the 
 public record of the reconciliation of the penitent heretics, re- 
 turning to the orthodox faith published in the council, celebrated 
 at London in the year 1311. 
 
 " In the name of God, Amen. In the year of the incarnation 
 of our Lord 1311, on the twenty-seventh day of the month of 
 June, in the hall of the palace of the bishop of London, before 
 the venerable fathers the Lord Robert by the grace of God 
 archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England, and his suf- 
 fragans in provincial council assembled, appeared Brother 
 Stephen de Stapelbrugge, of the order of the chivalry of the 
 Temple ; and the denying of Christ and the blessed Virgin 
 Mary his mother, the spitting upon the cross, and the here- 
 sies and errors acknowledged and confessed by him in his 
 deposition being displayed, the same Stephen asserted in full 
 council, before the people of the City of London, introduced for 
 the occasion, that all those things so deposed by him were true, 
 and that to that confession he would wholly adhere ; humbly con- 
 fessing his error on his bended knees, with his hands clasped, 
 with much lamentation and many tears, he again and again be- 
 sought the mercy and pity of holy mother church, offering to 
 
 * Concil. Mug. Brit., torn. ii. p. 383—387.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 267 
 
 abjure all heresies and errors, and praying them to impose on James de 
 him a fitting penance, and then the book of the holy gospels a. p. 1311. 
 being placed in his hands, he abjured the aforesaid heresies in 
 this form : 
 
 " 1, brother Stephen de Stapelbrugge, of the order of the chi- 
 valry of the Temple, do solemnly confess," &c. &c. (he repeats his 
 confession, makes his abjuration, and then proceeds;) " and if at 
 any time hereafter I shall happen to relapse into the same errors, 
 or deviate from any of the articles of the faith, I will account 
 myself ipso facto excommunicated ; I will stand condemned as a 
 manifest perjured heretic, and the punishment inflicted on per- 
 jured relapsed heretics shall be forthwith imposed upon me with- 
 out further trial or judgment ! !" 
 
 He was then sworn upon the holy gospels to stand to the 
 sentence of the church in the matter, after which Brother 
 Thomas Tocci de Thoroldeby was brought forward to go through 
 the same monstrous ceremony, which being concluded, these two 
 poor serving brothers of the order of the Temple, who were so 
 ignorant that they could not Avrite, were made to place their 
 mark {loco suhscrijptionis) on the record of the abjuration. 
 
 " And then our lord the archbishop of Canterbury, for the 
 purpose of absolving and reconciling to the unity of the church 
 the aforesaid Thomas and Stephen, conceded his authority and 
 that of the whole council to the bishop of London, in the pre- 
 sence of me the notary, specially summoned for the occasion, in 
 these words : ' We grant to you the authority of God, of the 
 blessed Mary, of the blessed Thomas the Martj'r our patron, 
 and of all the saints of God (sanctorum atque sanctorum Dei) to 
 us conceded, and also the authority of the present council to us 
 transferred, to the end that thou mayest reconcile to the unity of 
 the church these miserables, separated from her by their repu-
 
 2G8 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de diatioH of the faith, and now brought back again to her bosom, 
 A D 1311 reserving to ourselves and the council the right of imposing a fit 
 penance for their transgressions !' And as there were two peni- 
 tents, the bishop of Chichester was joined to the bishop of Lon- 
 don for the purpose of pronouncing the absolution, which two 
 bishops, putting on their mitres and pontificals, and being as- 
 sisted by twelve priests in sacerdotal vestments, placed themselves 
 in seats at the western entrance of the cathedral church of Saint 
 Paul, and the penitents, with bended knees, humbly prostrating 
 themselves in prayer upon the steps before the door of the 
 church, the members of the council and the people of the city 
 standing around ; and the psalm, Have mercy upon me, O God, 
 after thy great goodness'' having been chaunted from the be- 
 ginning to the end, and the subjoined prayers and sermon having 
 been gone through, they absolved the said penitents, and re- 
 ceived them back to the unity of the church in the following 
 form : 
 
 " In the name of God, Amen. Since by your confession we 
 find that you. Brother Stephen de Stapelbrugge, have denied 
 Christ Jesus and the blessed Virgin Mary, and have spat beside 
 the cross, and now taking better advice wishest to return to the 
 unity of the holy church with a true heart and sincere faith, as 
 you assert, and all heretical depravity having for that purpose 
 been previously abjured by you according to the form of the 
 church, we, by the authority of the council, absolve you from the 
 bonds of excommunication wherewith you were held fast, and we 
 reconcile you to the unity of the church, if you shall have returned 
 to her in sincerity of heart, and shall have obeyed her injunctions 
 imposed upon you." 
 
 Brother Thomas Tocci de Thoroldeby was then absolved and re- 
 conciled tothechurch in the same manner, after which various psalms
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 269 
 
 (Gloria Patri, Kyrie Eleyson, Christe Eleyson, &c. &c.) were sung, James db 
 and jjrayers were offered up, and then the ceremony was concluded.* a. d. 1311. 
 
 On the 1st of July, an avowal of guilt was wrung by the in(|ui- 
 sitors from Brother John de Stoke, chaplain of the order, who, 
 being brought before the bishops of London and Chichester in 
 St. Martin's church, deposed that he was received in the mode 
 mentioned by him on his first examination ; but a year and fifteen 
 days after that reception, being at the preceptory of Garwy in 
 the diocese of Hereford, he was called into the chamber of Bro- 
 ther James de Molay, the Grand Master of the order, who, in 
 the presence of two other Templars of foreign extraction, informed 
 him that he wished to make proof of his obedience, and com- 
 manded him to take a seat at the foot of the bed, and the de- 
 ponent did so. The Grand Master then sent into the church for 
 the crucifix, and two serving brothers, with naked swords in their 
 hands, stationed themselves on either side of the doorway. As 
 soon as the crucifix made its appearance, the Grand Master, point- 
 ing to the figure of our Saviour nailed thereon, asked the de- 
 ponent whose image it was, and he answered, " The image of Jesus 
 Christ, who suffered on the cross for the redemption of mankind ;" 
 but the Grand Master exclaimed, " Thou sayest wrong, and are 
 much mistakened, for he was the son of a certain woman, and 
 was crucified because he called himself the Son of God, and I 
 myself have been in the place where he was born and crucified, 
 and thou must now deny him whom this image represents." The 
 deponent exclaimed, " Far be it from me to deny my Saviour ;" 
 but the Grand Master told him he must do it, or he would be 
 put into a sack and be carried to a place which he would find by 
 no means agreeable, and there were swords in the room, and 
 brothers ready to use them, &c. &c. ; and the deponent asked if 
 such was the custom of the order, and if all the brethren did the 
 
 * Concil. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 388, 389.
 
 270 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de same ; and being answered in the affirmative, he, through fear of 
 
 A.D. isil. immediate death, denied Christ with his tongue, but not with his 
 
 heart. Being asked in whom he was tohl to put his faith after 
 
 he had denied Christ Jesus, he replies," In that great Omnipotent 
 
 God who created the heaven and the earth." * 
 
 Such, in substance, was the whole of the criminatory evidence 
 that could be wrung by torture, by a long imprisonment, and by 
 hardships of every kind, from the Templars in England. It 
 amounts simply to an assertion that they compelled all whom 
 they received into their order to renounce the christian religion, 
 a thing perfectly incredible. Is it to be supposed that the many 
 good Christians of high birth, and honour, and exalted piety, 
 who entered into the order of the Temple, taking the cross for 
 their standard and their guide, would thus suddenly have cast* 
 their faith and their religion to the winds? Would they not 
 rather have denounced the impiety and iniquity to the officers of 
 the Inquisition, and to the pope, the superior of the order ? 
 
 " Ainsi que la vertu, le crime ases degres 
 Et jamais on n'a vu la timide imiocence 
 Passer subitement a I'extreme licence. 
 Un seul jour ne fait point d'un mortel vertueux 
 Un perfide apostat, un traitre audacieux." 
 
 Phedre, Acte iv. Scene 2. 
 
 On Saturday, the 3rd of July, the archbishop of Canterbury, 
 and the bishops, the clergy, and the people of the city of London, 
 were again assembled around the western door of Saint Paul's 
 cathedral, and Brother John de Stoke, chaplain of the order of the 
 
 * Acta fuerunt hac die et loco prsedictis, prsesentibus patribus antedictis, et venerandee 
 discretionis viris magistris Michaele de Bercham, cancellario domini archiepiscopi Cantuar. 
 .... et me Ranulpho de Waltham, London, episcoporuni notariis publicis. — Ada 
 contra Templarios. Concil. Mag. Brit., toni. ii. p. 387, 388.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 271 
 
 Temple, made his public recantation of the heresies confessed by James de 
 him, and was then absolved and reconciled to the church in the a.d. 1311. 
 same manner as Brothers Thomas de Stapelbrugge and Tocci de 
 Thoroldeby, after whicli a last effort was made to bend the 
 remaining- Templars to the wishes of the papal inquisitors. 
 
 On Monday, July 5th, at the request of the ecclesiastical coun- 
 cil, the bishop of Chichester had an interview with Sir William 
 de la More, the Master of the Temple, taking with him certain 
 learned lawyers, theologians, and scriveners. He exhorted and 
 earnestly pressed him to abjure the heresies of which he stood 
 convicted, by his own confessions and those of his brethren, 
 respecting the absolutions pronounced by him in the chapters, and 
 submit himself to the disposition of the church; but the Master 
 declared that he had never been guilty of the heresies mentioned, 
 and that he would not abjure crimes which he had never 
 committed ; so he was sent back to his dungeon. 
 
 The next day, (Tuesday, July the 6th,) the bishops of London, 
 Winchester, and Chichester, had an interview in Southwark with 
 the Knight Templar, Philip de Mewes, Preceptor of Garwy, and 
 some serving brethren of the New Temple at London, and told 
 them that they were manifestly guilty of heresy, as appeared 
 from the pope's bulls, and the depositions taken against the order 
 both in England and France, and also from their own confessions 
 regarding the absolutions pronounced in their chapters, explain- 
 ing to them that they had grievously erred in believing that the 
 Master of the Temple, who was a mere layman, had power to 
 absolve them from their sins by pronouncing an absolution in the 
 mode previously described, and they warned them that if they 
 persisted in that error they would be condemned as heretics, and 
 that as they could not clear themselves therefrom, it behoved 
 them to abjure all the heresies of which they were accused. The 
 Templars replied that they were ready to abjure the error they
 
 272 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de had fallen into respecting the absolution, and all heresies of every 
 
 A. D?Y3ii. kind, before the archbishop of Canterbury and the prelates of the 
 
 council, whenever they should be required so to do, and they 
 
 humbly and reverently submitted themselves to the orders of the 
 
 church, beseeching pardon and grace. 
 
 A sort of compromise was then made with most of the Templars 
 in custody in London. They were required publicly to repeat a 
 form of confession and abjuration drawn up by the bishops of 
 London and Chichester, and were then solemnly absolved and 
 reconciled to the church in the following terms: — 
 
 " In the name of God, Amen. Since you have confessed in due 
 form before the ecclesiastical council of the province of Canter- 
 bury that you have gravely erred concerning the sacrament of 
 repentance, in believing that the absolution pronounced by the 
 Master in chapter had as much efficacy as is implied in the 
 words pronounced by him, that is to say, ' The sins which you 
 have omitted to confess through shamefacedness, or through fear 
 of the justice of the order, we, by virtue of the power delegated 
 to us by God and our lord the pope, forgive you, as far as we are 
 able ;' and since you have confessed that you cannot entirely 
 purge yourselves from the heresies set forth under the apostolic 
 bull, and taking sage counsel with a good heart and unfeigned 
 faith, have submitted yourselves to the judgment and the mercy 
 of the church, having previously abjured the aforesaid heresies, 
 and all heresies of every description, we, by the authority of the 
 council, absolve you from the chain of excommunication where- 
 with you have been bound, and reconcile you once more to the 
 unity of the church, &c. &c." 
 
 On the 9th of July, Brother Michael de Baskevile, Knight, 
 Preceptor of London, and seventeen other Templars, were ab- 
 solved and reconciled in full council, in the Episcopal Hall of the 
 see of London, in the presence of a vast concourse of the citizens.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 27J 
 
 On the lOtli of the same month, the Preceptors of Dokes- James dk 
 worth, Getinges, and Samford, the guardian of the Temple a. n'/Ysii. 
 church at London, Brother Radulph de Evesham, chaplain, witli 
 other priests, knights, and serving brethren of the order, were 
 absolved by the bishops of London, Exeter, Winchester, and 
 Chichester, in the presence of the archbishop of Canterbury and 
 the whole ecclesiastical council. 
 
 The next day many more members of the fraternity were pub- 
 licly reconciled to the church on the steps before the south door 
 of Saint Paul's cathedral, and were afterwards present at the 
 celebration of high mass in the interior of the sacred edifice, when 
 they advanced in a body towards the high altar bathed in tears, 
 and falling down on their knees, they devoutly kissed the sacred 
 emblems of Christianity. 
 
 The day after, (July 12,) nineteen other Templars were pub- 
 licly absolved and reconciled to the church at the same place, in 
 the presence of the earls of Leicester, Pembroke, and Warwick, 
 and afterwards assisted in like manner at the celebration of high 
 mass. The priests of the order made their confessions and ab- 
 jurations in Latin ; the knights pronounced them in Norman 
 French, and the serving brethren for the most part repeated 
 them in English.* The vast concourse of people collected to- 
 gether could have comprehended but very little of what was 
 uttered, whilst the appearance of the penitent brethren, and the 
 public spectacle of their recantation, answered the views of the 
 papal inquisitors, and doubtless impressed the commonalty with 
 a conviction of the guilt of the order. Many of the Templars 
 were too sick (suffering doubtless from the effect of torture) to be 
 brought down to St. Paul's, and were therefore absolved and recon- 
 ciled to the church by the bishops of London, Winchester, and 
 Chichester, at Saint Mary's chapel near the Tower. 
 
 * Concil. May. Brit., torn. ii. p. 390, 391. 
 
 T
 
 274 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James de Among the prisoners absolved at the above chapel were many 
 A. D. 1311. old veteran warriors in the last stage of decrepitude and decay. 
 " They were so old and so infirm," says the public notary who 
 recorded the proceedings, " that they were unable to stand ;" 
 their confessions were consequently made before two masters in 
 theology; they were then led before the west door of the chapel, 
 and were publicly reconciled to the church by the bishop of Chi- 
 chester ; after which they were brought into the sacred building, 
 and were placed on their knees before the high altar, which they 
 devoutly kissed, whilst the tears trickled down their furrowed 
 cheeks. All these penitent Templars were now released from 
 prison, and directed to do penance in different monasteries. 
 Precisely the same form of proceeding was followed at York : 
 the reconciliations and absolution beings there carried into effect 
 before the south door of the cathedral.* 
 
 Thus terminated the proceedings against the order of the 
 Temple in England. 
 
 Similar measures had, in the mean time, been prosecuted 
 against the Templars in all parts of Christendom, but no better 
 evidence of their guilt than that above mentioned was ever dis- 
 covered. The councils of Tarragona and Aragon, after applying 
 the torture, pronounced the order free from heresy. In Portugal 
 and in Germany the Templars were declared innocent, and in no 
 place situate beyond the sphere of the influence of the king of 
 France and his creature the pope was a single Templar condemned 
 to death.-f- 
 
 On the 16th of October a general council of the church, which 
 had been convened by the pope to pronounce the abolition of the 
 order, assembled at Vienne near Lyons in France. It was 
 opened by the holy pontiff in person, who caused the different 
 
 * Concil. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 394—401. 
 
 t Concilia HispanicB,tovci.\,Tp.2^Z. Zurita, lib. v. c. 73. 101. Mariana, lib. xv. 
 cap. 10, Mutius, chron. lib. xxii. p. 211. Raynouard, p. 1.99 — 204.
 
 TOE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 275 
 
 confessions and avowals of the Templars to be read over before James de 
 the assembled nobles and prelates, and then moved the suppres- ^. u. ni2. 
 sion of an order wherein had been discovered such crying iniqui- 
 ties and sinful abominations ; but the entire council, with the 
 exception of an Italian prelate, nephew of the pope, and the three 
 French bishops of Rheims, Sens, and Rouen, all creatures of 
 Philip, who had severally condemned large bodies of Templars to 
 be burnt at the stake in their respective dioceses, w^ere unani- 
 mously of opinion, that before the suppression of so celebrated 
 and illustrious an order, which had rendered such great and 
 signal services to the christian faith, the members belonging to it 
 ought to be heard in their own defence.* Such a proceeding, 
 however, did not suit the views of the pope and king Philip, and 
 the assembly was abruptly dismissed by the holy pontiff, who de- 
 clared that since they were unwilling to adopt the necessary 
 measures, he himself, out of the plenitude of the papal authority, 
 would supply every defect. Accordingly, at the commencement 
 of the following year, the pope summoned a private consistory ; 
 and several cardinals and French bishops having been gained 
 over, the holy pontiff abolished the order by an apostolical ordi- 
 nance, perpetually prohibiting every one from thenceforth enter- 
 ing into it, or accepting or wearing the habit thereof, or 
 representing themselves to be Templars, on pain of excommu- 
 nication. f 
 
 On the 3rd of April, the second session of the council was 
 opened by the pope at Vienne. King Philip and his three sons 
 
 • Ut dct Templariis audientiam sive defensionem. In hac sententia concordant 
 omnes prselati Italisc prater unum, Hispania;, Theutonise, Dania?, Anglia;, Scotia?, Hi- 
 bemise, etc. etc., ex secund. vit. Clem. V. p. 43. — liainahl ad iinu. 1311, n. 55. Wul- 
 singham, p. 99. Antiq, Britann., p. 210. 
 
 t Muratorii collect, torn. iii. p. 448; torn. x. col. 377. Mariana, torn. iii. p. 157 
 Raynouard, p. 191, 192. 
 
 T 2
 
 276 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Jambs dk were present, accompanied by a large body of troops, and the 
 A. D. 131*2. papal decree abolishing the order was published before the 
 assembly.* The members of the council appear to have been 
 called together merely to hear the decree read. History does 
 not inform of any discussion with reference to it, nor of any suf- 
 frages having been taken. 
 
 A few months after the close of these proceedings, Brother 
 William de la More, the Master of the Temple in England, died 
 of a broken heart in his solitary dungeon in the Tower, persisting 
 with his last breath in the maintenance of the innocence of his 
 order. King Edward, in pity for his misfortunes, directed tlie 
 constable of the Tower to hand over his goods and chattels, 
 valued at the sum of 4Z. 19^. lie?., to his executors, to be employed 
 in the liquidation of his debts, and he commanded Geoffrey de la 
 Lee, guardian of the lands of the Templars, to pay the arrears of 
 his prison pay (2s. per diem) to the executor, Roger Hun- 
 singon.f 
 
 Among the Cotton MS. is a list of the Masters of the Temple, 
 otherwise the Grand Priors or Grand Preceptors of England, 
 compiled under the direction of the prior of the Hospital of 
 Saint John at Clerkenwell, to the intent that the brethren of that 
 fraternity might remember the antient Masters of the Temple 
 in their prayers.;]: A few names have been omitted which are 
 supplied in the following list : — 
 
 * Raynouard ut supra. Tertia vita Clem. V. 
 V "f Pro executoribastestamenti Wilielmi de la More, quondam Magistri militia; Templi 
 
 ^. in Anglia, claus 6. E. 2. m. IS. Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 380. 
 
 J Registr. Hosp. S. Joh. Jerus. Cotton MS. Nero E. vi. 23. i. Nero E. vi. p. 60. 
 fol. 466.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 277 
 
 Magister R. de Pointon.^ James dk 
 
 Rocelinus de Fossa.^ A.^^Ys'k 
 
 Richard de Hastings,'' a.d. 1100. 
 Richard Mallebeench.* 
 Geoffrey, son of Stephen,^ a. d. 1180. 
 Thomas Berard, a. d. 1200. 
 Amaric de St. Maur,*' a. d. 1203. 
 Alan Marcel,7 a. d. 1224. 
 Amberaldus, a. d. 1 229. 
 Robert Mountforde,^ a. d. 1234. 
 Robert Sanford,9 a. d. 1241. 
 Amadeus de Morestello, a.d. 1254. 
 Himbert Peraut,io a. d. 1270. 
 Robert Turvile," a. d. 1290. 
 Guido de Foresta,!^ ^ ^^ 1292. 
 
 James de Molay, a.d. 1293. 
 Brian le Jay,i3 a. d. 1295. 
 William de la More the Martyr. 
 
 The only other Templar in England whose fate merits parti- 
 cular attention is Brother Himbert Blanke, the Grand Preceptor 
 of Auvergne. He appears to have been a knight of high honour 
 
 » Lansdown, MS. 207. E. vol. v. fol. 317. » lb., fol. 284. 
 
 3 lb., fol. 162, 163, 317. " lb., fol. 467. * lb., fol. 201. 
 
 * Acta Bpneri, torn. i. p. 1 34, ad ann. 1203. He was one of those who advised king 
 John to sign Magna Charta. — Matt. Par., p. 253 — 255. 
 
 ' lb., p. 258, 270. Matt. Far., p. 314. 
 
 * Acta Bymeri, torn. i. p. 342, 344, 345. He was employed to negotiate a marriage be- 
 tween king Henry the Third and the fair Eleanor of Provence. 
 
 * Matt. Par., p. 615, et in additamentis, p. 480. 
 
 >» Concil. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 340. " lb., p. 339, 341, 344. 
 
 '2 lb., p. 335, 343. Prynne, collect 3, 143. 
 '3 Acta liymeri, torn. i. part iii. p. 104.
 
 278 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 James iie and of stern unbending pride. From first to last be bad boldly 
 A. D^YsiS. protested against the violent proceedings of the inquisitors, and 
 bad fearlessly maintained, amid all trials, bis own innocence and 
 tbat of his order. This illustrious Templar bad fought under 
 four successive Grand Masters in defence of the christian faith in 
 Palestine, and after the fall of Acre, had led in person several 
 daring expeditions against the infidels. For these meritorious 
 services be was rewarded in the following manner : — After having 
 been tortured and half-starved in the English prisons for the 
 space of five years, he was condemned, as he would make no con- 
 fession of guilt, to be shut up in a loathsome dungeon, to be 
 loaded with double chains, and to be occasionally visited by the 
 agents of the inquisition, to see if he would confess nothing fur- 
 ther !* In this miserable situation he remained until death at last 
 put an end to his sufferings. 
 
 James de Molay, the Grand Master of the Temple, Guy, the 
 Grand Preceptor, a nobleman of illustrious birth, brother to the 
 prince of Daupbiny, Hugh de Peralt, the Visitor-general of the 
 Order, and the Grand Preceptor of Aquitaine, had now languished 
 in the prisons of France for the space of five years and a half. 
 The Grand Master had been compelled to make a confession 
 which be afterwards disowned and stigmatized as a forgery, 
 swearing that if the cardinals who bad subscribed it had been of 
 a different cloth, he would have proclaimed them liars, and 
 would have challenged them to mortal combat.f The other 
 knights had also made confessions which they had subsequently 
 revoked. The secrets of the dark prisons of these illustrious 
 Templars have never been brought to light, but on the 18th of 
 
 * In vilissimo carcere, ferro duplici constrictus, jussus est recludi, et ibidem, donee 
 aliud ordinatum extiterit, reservari ; et interim visitari, ad videndum si vellet alterius 
 aliqua confiteri ! — Concil. Mag. Brit., tom. ii. p. 393. 
 
 t Processus contra Templarios. Diipii?/, p. 128, 13i>. Raynouard, p. 60.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 279 
 
 March, A. D. 1313, a public scaffold was erected before the James de 
 cathedral church of Notre Dame, at Paris, and the citizens were a.d.13i'3. 
 summoned to hear the Order of the Temple convicted by the 
 mouths of its chief ofl&cers, of the sins and iniquities charged 
 against it. The four knights, loaded with chains and surrounded 
 by guards, were then brought upon the scaffold by the provost, 
 and the bishop of Alba read their confessions aloud in the presence 
 of the assembled populace. The papal legate then, turning 
 towards the Grand Master and his companions, called upon them 
 to renew, in the hearing of the people, the avowals which they 
 had previously made of the guilt of their order. Hugh de Peralt, 
 the Visitor-General, and the Preceptor of the TemjDle of Aqui- 
 taine, signified their assent to whatever was demanded of them, 
 but the Grand Master raising his arms bound with chains towards 
 heaven, and advancing to the edge of the scaffold, declared in a 
 loud voice, that to say that which was untrue was a crime, both 
 in the sight of God and man. " I do," said he, " confess my 
 guilt, which consists in having, to my shame and dishonour, 
 suffered myself, through the pain of torture and the fear of death, 
 to give utterance to falsehoods, imputing scandalous sins and 
 iniquities to an illustrious order, which hath nobly served the 
 cause of Christianity. I disdain to seek a wretched and disgrace- 
 ful existence by engrafting another lie upon the original false- 
 hood." He was here interrupted by the provost and his officers, 
 and Guy, the Grand Preceptor, having commenced with strong 
 asseverations of his innocence, they were both hurried back to 
 prison. 
 
 King Philip was no sooner informed of the result of this 
 strange proceeding, than, upon the first impulse of his indignation, 
 without consulting either pope, or bishop, or ecclesiastical council, 
 he commanded the instant execution of both these gallant noble- 
 men. The same day at dusk they were led out of their dungeons,
 
 A. D. 1313. 
 
 280 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 Jamks de ^''^^ were burned to death in a slow and lingering manner upon 
 Moi.AY. small fires of charcoal which were kindled on the little island in 
 the Seine, between the king's garden and the convent of St. 
 Augustine, close to the spot where now stands the equestrian 
 statue of Henri IV.* 
 
 Thus perished the last Grand Master of the Temple. 
 
 The fate of the persecutors of the order is not unworthy of 
 notice. 
 
 A year and one month after the above horrible execution, the 
 pope was attacked by a dysentery, and speedily hurried to his 
 grave. The dead body was transported to Carpentras, where the 
 court of Rome then resided ; it was placed at night in a church 
 which caught fire, and the mortal remains of the holy pontiff 
 were almost entirely consumed. His relations quarrelled over 
 the immense treasures he left behind him, and a vast sum of 
 money, which bad been deposited for safety in a church at Lucca, 
 was stolen by a daring band of German and Italian freebooters. 
 
 Before the close of the same year, king Philip died of a lin- 
 gering disease which baffled all the art of his medical attendants, 
 and the condemned criminal, upon the strength of whose informa- 
 tion the Templars were originally arrested, was hanged for fresh 
 crimes. " History attests," says Monsieur Raynouard, " that all 
 those who were foremost in the persecution of the Templars, 
 came to an untimely and miserable death." The last days of 
 Philip were embittered by misfortune; his nobles and clergy 
 leagued against him to resist his exactions ; the wives of his three 
 sons were accused of adultery, and two of them were publicly 
 convicted of that crime. The misfortunes of Edward the Second, 
 
 * FiZ/ani, lib. viii. cap. 92. Contin. Chron. de iVawY^is, ad ann. 1313. Pap. Mass. 
 
 in Philip, pulchr. lib. iii.p. 393. Mariana de reb. Hisp. lib. xv. cap. 10. Dupny, ed. 
 
 1700, p. 71. Chron. Com. Zanfiict apud Martcnc, torn. v. col. 160. Raynouard, 
 p. 209, 210.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 281 
 
 king of England, and his horrible death in Berkeley Castle, arc 
 too well known to be further alluded to. 
 
 To save appearances, the pope had published a bull trans- 
 ferring the property, Jate belonging to the Templars, to the order 
 of the Hospital of Saint John,* which had just then acquired 
 additional renown and popularity in Europe by the conquest 
 from the infidels of the island of llhodes. This bull, however, 
 remained for a considerable period nearly a dead letter, and the 
 Hospitallers never obtained a twentieth part of the antient pos- 
 sessions of the Templars. 
 
 The kings of Castile, Aragon, and Portugal, created new 
 military orders in their own dominions, to which the estates of 
 the late order of the Temple were transferred, and, annexing the 
 Grand Masterships thereof to their own persons, by the title of 
 Perpetual Administrators, they succeeded in drawing to them- 
 selves an immense revenue.t The kings of Bohemia, Naples, 
 and Sicily, retained possession of many of the houses and strong- 
 holds of the Templars in their dominions, and various religious 
 orders of monks succeeded in installing themselves in the convents 
 of the fraternity. The heirs of the donors of the property, more- 
 over, claimed a title to it by escheat, and in most cases where the 
 Hospitallers obtained the lands and estates granted them by the 
 pope, they had to pay large fines to adverse claimants to be put 
 into peaceable possession. J 
 
 "The chief cause of the ruin of the Templars," justly remarks 
 Fuller, " was their extraordinary wealth. As Naboth's vineyard 
 was the chiefest ground of his blasphemy, and as in England Sir 
 John Cornwall Lord Fanhope said merrily, not he, but his 
 stately house at Ampthill in Bedfordshire was guilty of high 
 
 * Acta Bymeri, tom. iii. p. 323,4, 5, ad ami. 1312. 
 
 t Zuriia, lib. v. c. 101. lubtitut. milit. Chiisti apiid Henriquez, p. 534. 
 
 i .\nnalesMiaorum. Gall. Christ, nov. Avenlinus, Annal. De Vertot,liv. 3.
 
 282 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 treason, so certainly their wealth was the principal cause of their 
 overthrow. . . . We may believe that king Philip would never 
 have taken away their lives if he might have taken their lands 
 without putting them to death, but the mischief was, he could not 
 get the honey unless he burnt the bees."^ 
 
 King Philip, the pope, and the European sovereigns, appear 
 to have disposed of all the personalty of the Templars, the orna- 
 ments, jewels, and treasure of their churches and chapels, and 
 during the period of five years, over which the proceedings against 
 the order extended, they remained in the actual receipt of the 
 vast rents and revenues of the fraternity. After the promulga- 
 tion of the bull, assigning the property of the Templars to the 
 Hospitallers, king Philip put forward a claim upon the land to 
 the extent of two hundred thousand pounds for the expenses of 
 the prosecution, and Louis Hutin, his son, required a further 
 sum of sixty thousand pounds from the Hospitallers, before he 
 would consent to surrender the estates into their hands." f 
 " J'ignore," says Voltaire, " ce qui revint au pape, mais je vois 
 evidemment que les frais des cardinaux, des inquisiteurs delegues 
 pour faire ce proces epouvantable monterent a des sommes im- 
 menses.";|: The holy pontiff, according to his own account, re- 
 ceived only a small portion of the personalty of the order,§ but 
 others make him a large participator in the good things of the 
 fraternity. II 
 
 On the imprisonment of the Templars in England, the Temple 
 at London, and all the preceptories dependent upon it, with the 
 manors, farms, houses, lands, and revenues of the fraternity, were 
 
 * Fuller's Hist, Holy War, book v, ch. iii. 
 + Dtqmy,^. 179, 184. 
 X Essai sur les moeurs, &c., torn. ii. p. 242. 
 
 § Nihil ad nos unquam pervenit nisi raodiea bona mobilia. Epistt ad Philip, 2 non. 
 May, 1309. Eaynouard, p. 198. De Vertot, liv. iii. 
 II Raynmard, 197, 198, 199.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 283 
 
 placed under the survey of the Court of Exchequer, and extents* 
 were directed to be taken of the same, after which they were 
 confided to the care of certain trustworthy persons, styled 
 *' Guardians of the lands of the Templars." who were to account 
 for the rents and profits to the king's exchequer. The bishop of 
 Lichfield and Coventry had the custody of all the lands and 
 tenements in the county of Hants. John de Wilburgham had 
 those in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, and there were 
 thirty-two other guardians entrusted with the care of the property 
 in the remaining counties of England.-f- These guardians were 
 directed to pay various pensions to the old servants and retainers 
 of the Templars dwelling in the different preceptories,:{: also the 
 expenses of the prosecution against the order, and they were at 
 different times required to provide for the exigencies of the public 
 service, and to victual the king's castles and strongholds. On 
 the 12th of January, a. d. 1312, William de Slengesby, guardian 
 of the manor of Ribbestayn in the county of York, was com- 
 manded to forward to the constable of the castle of Knaresburgh 
 a hundred quarters of corn, ten quarters of oats, twenty fat oxen, 
 eighty sheep, and two strong carts, towards the victualling of the 
 said fortress, and the king tells him that the same shall be duly 
 deducted when he renders his account to the exchequer of the 
 rents and profits of the said manor.§ The king, indeed, began 
 to dispose of the property as if it was wholly vested in the crown, 
 and made munificent donations to his favourites and friends. In 
 the month of February of the same year, he gave the manors of 
 
 * The extents of the lands of the Templars are amongst the unarranged records ia 
 the Queen's Remembrancer's office, and various sheriffs' accounts are in the third 
 chest in the Pipe Office. 
 
 t Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 130, 134, 139, 279, 288, 290, 1, 2, 297, 321. Dodsworth. 
 MS. vol. XXXV. p. 65, 67. 
 
 X Acta Rymeri, torn, iii, p. 292, 3, 4, 5. 
 
 § lb. torn. iii. p. 299.
 
 284 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS, 
 
 Etton and Cave to David Earl of Athol, directing the guardians 
 of the lands and tenements of the Templars in the county of 
 York to hand over to the said earl all the corn in those manors, 
 the oxen, calves, ploughs, and all the goods and chattels of the 
 Templars existing therein, together with the ornaments and 
 utensils of the chapel of the Temple.* 
 
 On the 16th of May, however, the pope addressed bulls to the 
 king, and to all the earls and barons of the kingdom, setting 
 forth the proceedings of the council of Vienne and the publication 
 of the papal decree, vesting the property late belonging to the Tem- 
 plars in the brethren of the Hospital of St. John, and he commands 
 them forthwith to place the members of that order in possession 
 thereof. Bulls were also addressed to the archbishops of Canter- 
 bury and York and their suflfragans, commanding them to enforce 
 by ecclesiastical censures the execution of the papal commands.f 
 King Edward and his nobles very properly resisted this decree, 
 and on the 21st of August the king wrote to the Prior of the 
 Hospital of St. John at Clerkenwell, telling him that the preten- 
 sions of the pope to dispose of property within the realm of 
 England, without the consent of parliament, were derogatory to 
 the dignity of the crown and the royal authority ; and he com- 
 mands him, under severe pains and penalties, to refrain from at- 
 tempting to obtain any portion of the possessions of the Templars.;]: 
 The king, indeed, continued to distribute the lands and rents 
 among-st his friends and favourites. At the commencement of 
 the year 1313, he granted the Temple at London, with the church 
 and all the buildings therein, to Aymer de Valence earl of Pem- 
 broke ;§ and on the 5th of May of the same year he caused 
 several merchants, from whom he had borrowed money, to be 
 placed in possession of many of the manors of the Templars. || 
 
 * Acta Eymeri, torn. iii. p. 303. t lb., torn. iii. p. 326, 327. 
 
 t lb., torn. iii. p. 337. § Cart. 6. E. 2. No. 4. 41. 
 
 11 Acta Eymeri, torn. iii. p. 40.0, 410.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 285 
 
 Yielding, however, at last to the exhortations and menaces of 
 the pope, the king, on the 21st of Nov. a. d. 1313, granted the 
 property to the Hospitallers,* and sent orders to all the guardians 
 of the lands of the Templars, and to various powerful barons who 
 were in possession of the estates, commanding them to deliver 
 them up to certain parties deputed by the Grand Master and 
 chapter of the Hospital of Saint John to receive them.-j At this 
 period, however, many of the heirs of the donors, whose title had 
 been recognized by the law, were in possession of the lands, and 
 the judges held that the king had no power of his own sole autho- 
 rity to transfer them to the order of .the Hospital.^ The thun- 
 ders of the Vatican were consequently vigorously made use of, 
 and all the detainers of the property were doomed by the Roman 
 pontiff to everlasting damnation.^ Pope John, in one of his 
 bulls, dated a. d. 1322, bitterly complains of the disregard by all 
 the king's subjects of the papal commands. He laments that 
 they had hardened their hearts and despised the sentence of ex- 
 communication fulminated against them, and declares that his 
 heart was riven with grief to find that even the ecclesiastics, who 
 ought to have been as a wall of defence to the Hospitallers, had 
 themselves been heinously guilty in the premises || 
 
 At last (a. d. 1324) the pope, the bishops, and the Hospi- 
 tallers, by their united exertions, succeeded in obtaining an act 
 of parliament, vesting all the property late belonging to the 
 Templars in the brethren of the Hospital of Saint John, in order 
 that the intentions of the donors might be carried into effect by 
 the appropriation of it to the defence of the Holy Land and the 
 
 * Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 451, 
 
 t lb., p. 451, 454, 455, 457, 459 — 463. Dugd. Monast. Angl., vol. vi. part 2. p. 809. 
 J Rolls of Parliament, vol. ii. p. 41. 
 
 § Dugd. Monast. Angl,, vol. vi. part 2, p. 849, 850. Concil. Mag, Brit., torn. ii. p. 499' 
 II Acta Rymeri, toni. iii. p. 956 — 959, ad ann. 1322.
 
 286 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 succour of the christian cause in the East,* This statute gave 
 rise to the greatest discontent. The heirs of the donors petitioned 
 parliament for its repeal, alleging that it had been made against 
 law and against reason, and contrary to the opinion of the 
 judges ;t and many of the great barons who held the property 
 by a title recognised by the common law, successfully resisted the 
 claims of the order of the Hospital, maintaining that the parlia- 
 ment had no right to interfere with the tenure of private })ro- 
 perty, and to dispose of their possessions without their consent. 
 
 This struggle between the heirs of the donors on the one hand, 
 and the Hospitallers on the other, continued for a lengthened 
 period ; and in the reign of Edward the Third it was found ne- 
 cessary to pass another act of parliament, confirming the previous 
 statute in their favour, and writs were sent to the sheriffs (a. d. 
 1334) commanding them to enforce the execution of the acts of 
 the legislature, and to take possession, in the king's name, of all 
 the property unjustly detained from the brethren of the Hos- 
 pital.J 
 
 Whilst the vast possessions, late belonging to the Templars, 
 thus continued to be the subject of contention, the surviving 
 brethren of that dissolved order continued to be treated with the 
 utmost inhumanity and neglect. The ecclesiastical council had 
 assigned to each of them a pension of fourpence a day for sub- 
 sistence, but this small pittance was not paid, and they were con- 
 sequently in great danger of dying of hunger. The king, pitying 
 their miserable situation, wrote to the prior of the hospital of St. 
 John at Clerkenwell, earnestly requesting him to take their hard 
 lot into his serious consideration, and not suffer them to come to 
 beggary in the streets.§ The archbishop of Canterbury also 
 
 * Statutes at Large, vol. ix. Appendix, p. 23. 
 
 t Bolls of Parliament, vol. ii. p. 41. No. 52. 
 
 J Monast. Angl., p. 810. § Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 472.
 
 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 287 
 
 exerted himself in their behalf, and sent letters to the possessors 
 of the property, reproving them for the non-payment of the 
 allotted stipends. " This inhumanity," says he, " awakens our 
 compassion, and penetrates us with the most lively grief. We 
 pray and conjure you in kindness to furnish them, for the love of 
 God and for charity, with the means of subsistence." * The 
 archbishop of York caused many of them to be supported in the 
 different monasteries of his diocese.t 
 
 Many of the quondam Templars, however, after the dissolution 
 of their order, assumed a secular habit ; they blended themselves 
 with the laity, mixed in the pleasures of the world, and even pre- 
 sumed to contract matrimony, proceedings which drew down 
 upon them the severe indignation of the Roman pontiff. In a 
 bull addressed to the archbishop of Canterbury, the pope stigma- 
 tises these marriages as unlawful concubinages ; he observes that 
 the late Templars remained bound, notwithstanding the dissolution 
 of their order, by their vows of perpetual chastity, and he orders 
 them to be separated from the women whom they had married, 
 and to be placed in different monasteries, where they are to dedi- 
 cate themselves to the service of God, and the strict performance 
 of their religious vows.;}: 
 
 The Templars adopted the oriental fashion of long beards, and 
 during the proscription of the fraternity, when the fugitives who 
 had thrown off their habits were hunted out like wild beasts, it 
 appears to have been dangerous for laymen to possess beards of 
 more than a few weeks' growth. 
 
 Papers and certificates were granted to men with long beards, 
 to prevent them from being molested by the officers of justice as 
 suspected Templars, as appears from the following curious corti- 
 cate given by king Edward the Second to his valet, who had 
 
 • Coiidl. Mag. Brit., torn. ii. t Walsingham, p. 99. 
 
 X Monast. Angl,, vol. vi. part ii. p. 848.
 
 2S8 THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 
 
 made a vow not to shave himself until he had performed a pil- 
 grimage to a certain place beyond sea, 
 
 " Rex, etc. Cum dilectus valettus noster Petrus Auger, exlii- 
 bitor prsesentium, nuper voverit quod barbam suam radi non 
 faciat, quousque peregrinationem fecerit in certo loco in partibus 
 transmarinis ; et idem Petrus sibi timeat, quod aliqui ipsum, 
 ratione barbae suae jarolixae fuisse Templarium imponere sibi 
 velint, et ei inferre impedimenta seu gravamina ex hac causa ; 
 Nos veritati volentes testimonium pertulere, vobis tenore praesen- 
 tium intimamus, quod praedictus Petrus est valettus camerae 
 nostrae, nee unquam fuit Templarius, sed barbam suam sic pro- 
 lixam esse permitdt, ex causa superius annotata, etc. Teste Rege, 
 &c."* 
 
 * Pat. 4, E. 2, p. 2 ; m. 20. Dugdale, Hist. Warwickshire, vol. i. p. 962, ed. 1730.
 
 THE TEMPLF CHURCH. 289 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 The restoration of the Temple Church — The beauty and magnificence of the 
 venerable building — The various styles of architecture displayed in it — The 
 discoveries made during the recent restoration — The sacrarium — The marble 
 piscina — The sacramental niches — ^The penitential cell — The ancient Chapel of 
 St. Anne — Historical matters connected with the Temple Church — The holy 
 reUcs anciently preserved therein — The interesting monumental remains. 
 
 " If a day should come when pew lumber, preposterous organ cases, and pagan altar 
 screens, are declared to be unfashionable, no religious building, stript of such nuisances, 
 would come more fair to the sight, or give more general satisfaction to the antiquary, than 
 the chaste and beautiful Temple Church." — Gentleman's Magazine for May, 1808, 
 p. 1087. 
 
 " After three centuries of demolition, the solemn structures 
 raised by our Catholic ancestors are being- gradually restored to 
 somewhat of their original appearance, and buildings, which, but 
 a few years since, were considered as unsightly and barbarous 
 erections of ignorant times, are now become the theme of general 
 eulogy and models for imitation." * 
 
 It has happily been reserved for the present generation, after a 
 lapse of two centuries, to see the venerable Temple Church, the 
 
 * Dublin Revieio for May, 1841, p. 301, 
 
 U
 
 290 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 chief ecclesiastical edifice of the Knights Templars in Britain, 
 and the most beautiful and perfect relic of the order now in ex- 
 istence, restored to the simple majesty it possessed near seven 
 hundred years ago ; to see it once again presenting the appear- 
 ance which it wore when the patriarch of Jerusalem exercised his 
 sacred functions within its walls, and when the mailed knights of 
 the most holy order of the Temple of Solomon, the sworn cham- 
 pions of the christian faith, unfolded the red-cross banner amid 
 " the long-drawn aisles," and offered their swords upon the altar 
 to be blessed by the ministers of religion. 
 
 From the period of the reign of Charles the First down to our 
 own times, the Temple Church has remained sadly disfigured by 
 incongruous innovations and modern embellisJimoits, which, entirely 
 changed the antient character and appearance of the building, 
 and clouded and obscured its elegance and beauty. 
 
 Shortly after the Reformation, the Protestant lawyers, from an 
 over-anxious desire to efface all the emblems of the popish faith, 
 covered the gorgeously-painted ceiling of this venerable structure 
 with an uniform coating of simple whitewash ; they buried the 
 antique tesselated pavement under hundreds of cart-loads of earth 
 and rubbish, on the surface of which, two feet above the level of 
 the antient floor, they placed another pavement, formed of old. 
 grave-stones. They, moreover, disfigured all the magnificent 
 marble columns with a thick coating of plaster and paint, and 
 destroyed the beauty of the elaborately-wrought mouldings of the 
 arches, and the exquisitely-carved marble ornaments with thick 
 incrustations of whitewash, clothing the whole edifice in one uni- 
 form garb of plain white, in accordance with the puritanical ideas 
 of those times. 
 
 Subsequently, in the reign of Charles the Second, the fine open 
 area of the body of the church was filled with long rows of stiff 
 and formal jjews, which concealed the bases of the columns, while
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 291 
 
 the plain but handsome stone walls of the sacred edifice were 
 encumbered, to a height of eight feet from the ground, with oak 
 wainscoting, which was carried entirely round the church, so as 
 to shut out from view the elegant marble piscina on the south side 
 of the building, the interesting arched niches over the high altar, 
 and the sacrarium on the eastern side of the edifice. The elesrant 
 gothic arches connecting the Round with the oblong portion of 
 the building were filled up with an oak screen and glass windows 
 and doors, and with an organ-gallery adorned with Corinthian 
 columns and pilastres and Grecian ornaments, which divided the 
 building into two parts, altogether altered its original character 
 and appearance, and sadly marred its architectural beauty. The 
 eastern end of the church was, at the same time, disfigured with 
 an enormous altarpiece in the classic style, decorated with Corin- 
 thian columns and Grecian cornices and entablatures, and with 
 enrichments of cherubims and wreaths of fruit, leaves, and flowers, 
 exquisitely carved and beautiful in themselves, but heavy and 
 cumbrous, and quite at variance with the gothic character of the 
 edifice. A huge pulpit and sounding-board, elaborately carved, 
 were also erected in the middle of the nave, forming a great 
 obstruction to the view of the interior of the building, and the 
 walls and all the columns were thickly clustered and disfigured 
 with mural monuments. 
 
 All these unsightly and incongruous additions to the antient 
 fabric have, thanks to the good taste and the public spirit of the 
 Masters of the Benches of the societies of the Inner and Middle 
 Temple, been recently removed ; the ceiling of the church has 
 been repainted ; the marble columns and the tesselated pavement 
 have been restored, and the venerable structure has now been 
 brought back to its antient condition. 
 
 The historical associations and recollections connected with the 
 Temple Church throw a powerful charm around the venerable 
 
 u 2
 
 292 THE TKMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 building. During the holy fervour of the crusades, the kings of 
 England and the haughty legates of the pope were wont to naix 
 with the armed bands of the Templars in this their chief eccle- 
 siastical edifice in Britain. In the twelfth and thirteenth centu- 
 ries some of the most remarkable characters of the age were 
 buried in the Round, and their mail-clad marble monumental 
 effigies, reposing side by side on the cold pavement, still attract the 
 wonder and admiration of the inquiring stranger. 
 
 The solemn ceremonies attendant in days of yore upon the ad- 
 mission of a novice to the holy vows of the Temple, conducted 
 with closed doors during the first watch of the night ; the severe 
 religious exercises performed by the stern military friars ; the 
 vigils that were kept up at night in the church, and the reputed 
 terrors of the penitential cell, all contributed in times past to 
 throw an air of mystery and romance around the sacred building, 
 and to create in the minds of the vulgar a feeling of awe and of 
 superstitious terror, giving rise to those strange and horrible 
 tales of impiety and crime, of magic and sorcery, which led to the 
 unjust and infamous execution at the stake of the Grand Master 
 and many hundred Knights of the Temple, and to the suppression 
 and annihilation of their proud and powerful order. 
 
 The first and most interesting portion of the Temple Church, 
 denominated by the old writers " The Round," was consecrated 
 in the year 1185 by Heraclius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, on his 
 arrival in England from Palestine, as before mentioned, to obtain 
 succour from king Henry the Second against the formidable 
 power of the famous Saladin.* The old inscription which formerly 
 stood over the small door of the Round leading into the cloisters, 
 and which was broken and destroyed by the workmen whilst 
 
 * See ante, p. 80. On the 10th of March, loefore his departure from this country, 
 Heraclius consecrated the church of the Hospitallers at Clerkenwcll, and the altars of 
 St. John and St. Mary. Exregistr. S. John Jerus. in Bib. Cotton, fol, 1.
 
 THE TE>FPLE ClIUKCH. 203 
 
 repairing the church, in the year 1695, was to the following 
 effect : — 
 
 " On the 10th of February, in the year from the incarnation of 
 our Lord 1185, this church was consecrated in honour of the 
 blessed Mary by our lord Heraclius, by the grace of God pa- 
 triarch of the church of the Resurrection, who hath granted an 
 indulgence of fifty days to those yearly seeking it."* 
 
 The oblong portion of the church, which extendeth eastwards 
 from the Round, was consecrated on Ascension-day, a. d. 1240, as 
 appears from the following passage in the history of Matthew 
 Paris, the monk of St. Alban's, who was probably himself present 
 at the ceremony. 
 
 " About the same time (a. D. 1240) was consecrated the noble 
 church of the New Temple at Loudon, an edifice worthy to be 
 seen, in the presence of the king and much of the nobility of the 
 kingdom, who, on the same day, that is to say, the day of the 
 Ascension, after the solemnities of the consecration had been 
 completed, royally feasted at a most magnificent banquet, pre- 
 pared at the expense of the Hospitallers." |- 
 
 It was after the promulgation, a.o. 1162 and 1172, of the 
 famous bull omne datum optimum, exempting the Templars from 
 the ordinary ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and enabling them to 
 admit priests and chaplains into their order, and appoint them to 
 
 * A fac-simile of this inscription was faithfully delineated by Mr. Geo. Holmes, the 
 antiquary, and was published by Strype, a. d. 1670. The earliest copy I have been able 
 to find of it is in a manuscript history of the Temple, in the Inner Temple library, sup- 
 posed to have been written at the commencement of the reign of Charles the First by 
 John Wilde, Esq., a bencher of the society, and Lent reader in the year 1630. 
 
 + Tempore quoque sub eodem (a. d. 12i0) dedicata est nobilis ecclesia, structuraB 
 aspectabilis Novi Templi Londinensis, preesente Rege et multis regni JNIagnatibus ; qui 
 eodem die, scilicet die Ascensionis, completis dedicationis solemniis, convivium in mensa 
 nimis laute celebrarunt, sumptibus Hospitaliorum.— ^t/rt//. Par. ad ann. 1240, p. 526, 
 ed. 1640.
 
 294 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 their churches without installation and induction, and free 
 from the interference of the bishops, that the members of this 
 proud and powerful fraternity began to erect at great cost, in 
 yarious parts of Christendom, churches of vast splendour and 
 magnificence, like the one we now see at London. It is probable 
 that the earlier portion of this edifice was commenced imme- 
 diately after the publication of the above bull, so as to be ready 
 (as churches took a long time in building in those days) for 
 consecration by the Patriarch on his arrival in England with the 
 Grand Master of the Temple. 
 
 As there is a difference in respect of the time of the erection, so 
 also is there a variation in the style of the architecture of the 
 round and oblong portions of the church ; the one presenting to 
 us a most beautiful and interesting specimen of that mixed 
 style of ecclesiastical architecture termed the semi-Norman, 
 and by some writers the intermediate, when the rounded arch 
 and the short and massive column became mingled with, and 
 were gradually giving way to, the early Gothic ; and the other 
 affording to us a pure and most elegant example of the latter 
 style of architecture, with its pointed arches and light slender 
 columns. These two portions of the Temple Church, indeed, 
 when compared together, present features of peculiar interest to 
 the architect and the antiquary. The oblong portion of 
 the venerable fabric affords, perhaps, the first specimen of 
 the complete conquest of the pointed style over the massive 
 circular or Norman architecture which preceded its erection, 
 whilst the Round displays the different changes which the latter 
 style underwent previous to its final subversion. 
 
 The Temple Church is entered by a beautiful semicircular 
 arched doorway, an exquisite specimen of the Norman style of 
 architecture, still unfortunately surrounded and smothered by 
 the smoke-dried buildings of studious lawyers. It is deeply
 
 TIIK TEMPLE CHUKCII. 295 
 
 recessed and ornamented on either side with columns bearing 
 foliated capitals, from whence spring a series of arched mould- 
 ings, richly carved and decorated. Between these columns 
 project angular piers enriched with lozenges, roses, foliage, 
 and ornaments of varied pattern and curious device. The 
 upper part of these piers between the capitals of the columns is 
 hollowed out, and carved half-length human figures, repre- 
 senting a king and queen, monks and saints, have been inserted. 
 Some of these figures hold scrolls of paper in their hands, and 
 others rest in the attitude of prayer. Over them, between the 
 ribs of the arch, are four rows of enriched foliage springing from 
 the mouths of human heads. 
 
 Having passed this elegant and elaborately-wrought door- 
 way, we enter that portion of the church called by the old 
 writers 
 
 which consists of an inner circular area formed by a round tower 
 resting on six clustered columns, and of a circular external aisle 
 or cloister, connected with the round tower by a sloping roof on 
 the outside, and internally by a groined vaulted ceiling. The 
 beauty and elegance of the building from this point, with its 
 circular colonnades, storied windows, and long perspective of 
 architectural magnificence, cannot be described — it must be 
 seen. 
 
 From the centre of the Round, the eye is carried upward to the 
 vaulted ceilina; of the inner circular tower with its groined ribs 
 and carved bosses. This tower rests on six clustered marble 
 columns, from whence spring six pointed arches enriched with 
 numerous mouldings. The clustered columns are composed of 
 four marble shafts, surmounted by foliated capitals, which are
 
 296 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 each of a different pattern, but correspond in the general outline, 
 and display great character and beauty. These shafts are con- 
 nected together by bands at their centres ; and the bases and 
 capitals run into each other, so as to form the whole into one 
 column. Immediately above the arches resting on these columns, 
 is a small band or cornice, which extends around the interior of 
 the tower, and supports a most elegant arcade of interlaced 
 arches. This arcade is formed of numerous small Purbeck marble 
 columns, eni*iched with ornamented bases and capitals, from 
 whence spring a series of arches which intersect one anotherj 
 and produce a most pleasing and striking combination of the 
 round and pointed arch. Above this elegant arcade is another 
 cornice surmounted by six circular-headed windows pierced at 
 equal intervals through the thick walls of the tower. These 
 windows are ornamented at the angles with small columns, and 
 in the time of the Knights Templars they were filled with stained 
 glass. Between each window is a long slender circular shaft of 
 Purbeck marble, which springs from the clustered columns, and 
 terminates in a bold foliated capital, whereon rest the groined 
 ribs of the ceiling of the tower. 
 
 From the tower, with its marble columns, interlaced arches, 
 and elegant decorations, the attention will speedily be drawn to 
 the innumerable small columns, pointed arches, and grotesque 
 human countenances which extend around the lower portion of 
 the external aisle or cloister encircling the Round. The more 
 these human countenances are scrutinised, the more astonishing 
 and extraordinary do they appear. They seem for the most part 
 distorted and agonised with pain, and have been supposed, not 
 without reason, to represent the writhings and grimaces of the 
 damned. Unclean beasts may be observed gnawing the ears and 
 tearing with their claws the bald heads of some of them, whose 
 firmly-compressed teeth and quivering lips plainly denote intense
 
 THE TEMPLE CHUKCH. 297 
 
 bodily anguish. These sculptured visages display an astonishino- 
 variety of character, and will be regarded with increased interest 
 when it is remembered, that an arcade and cornice decorated in 
 this singular manner have been observed among the ruins of the 
 Temple churches at Acre, and in the Pilgrim's Castle. This 
 circular aisle or cloister is lighted by a series of semicircular- 
 headed windows, which are ornamented at the angles with small 
 columns. 
 
 Over the western doorway leading into the Round, is a beauti- 
 ful Norman wheel-window, which was uncovered and brought to 
 light by the workmen during the recent reparation of this inte- 
 resting building. It is considered a masterpiece of masonry. 
 
 The entrance from the Round to the oblong portion of the 
 Temple Church is formed by three lofty pointed arches, which 
 open upon the nave and the two aisles. The mouldings of 
 these arches display great beauty and elegance, and the central 
 arch, which forms the grand entrance to the nave, is supported 
 upon magnificent Purbeck marble columns. 
 
 Having passed through one of these elegant and richly-em- 
 bellished archways, we enter a large, lofty, and light structure, 
 consisting of a nave and two aisles of equal height, formed 
 by eight clustered marble columns, which support a groined 
 vaulted ceiling richly and elaborately painted. This chaste and 
 graceful edifice presents to us one of the most pure and beautiful 
 examples in existence of the early pointed style, which imme- 
 diately succeeded the mixed order of architecture visible in the 
 Round. The numerous elegantly-shaped windows which extend 
 around this portion of the building, the exquisite proportions of 
 the slim marble columns, the beauty and richness of the archi- 
 tectural decorations, and the extreme lightness and airiness of the 
 whole structure, give us the idea of a fairy palace. 
 
 The marble columns supporting the pointed arches of the
 
 298 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 roof, four in number on each side, do not consist of independent 
 shafts banded together, as in the Round, but form solid pillars 
 which possess vast elegance and beauty. Attached to the walls 
 of the church, in a line with these pillars, are a series of small 
 clustered columns, composed of three slender shafts, the centi*al 
 one being of Purbeck marble, and the others of Caen stone; they 
 are bound together by a band at their centres and their bases, 
 which are of Purbeck marble, rest on a stone seat or plinth, which 
 extends the whole length of the body of the church. These 
 clustered columns, which are placed parallel to the large central 
 pillars, are surmounted by foliated capitals, from whence spring 
 the groined ribs which traverse the vaulted ceiling of the roof. 
 The side walls are thus divided into five compartments on either 
 side, which are each filled up with a triple lancet-headed window, 
 of a graceful form, and richly ornamented. It is composed of 
 three long narrow openings surmounted by pointed arches, the 
 central arch rising above the lateral ones. The mouldings of the 
 arches rest upon four slender marble columns which run up in 
 front of the stone mullions of the windows, and impart to them 
 great elegance and beauty. The great number of these win- 
 dows, and the small intervening spaces of blank wall between 
 them, give a vast lightness and airiness to the whole structure. 
 
 Immediately beneath them is a small cornice or stringing 
 course of Purbeck marble, which runs entirely round the body of 
 the church, and supports the small marble columns which adorn 
 the windows. 
 
 The roof is composed of a series of pointed arches supported by 
 groined ribs, which, diverging from the capitals of the columns, 
 cross one another at the centre of the arch, and are ornamented 
 at the point of intersection with richly-carved bosses. This roof 
 is composed principally of chalk, and previous to the late restora- 
 tion, had a plain and somewhat naked appearance, being covered
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 299 
 
 with an uniform coat of humble whitewash. On the recent 
 removal of this whitewash, extensive remains of an ancient 
 painted ceiling were brought to light, and it was consequently 
 determined to repaint the entire roof of the body of the church 
 according to a design furnished by Mr. Willement. 
 
 At the eastern end of the church are three elegant windows 
 opening upon the three aisles ; they are similar in form to the 
 side windows, but the central one is considerably larger than any 
 of the others, and has in the spandrels formed by the line of 
 groining two small quatrefoil panels. The label mouldings on 
 either side of this central window terminate in two crowned 
 beads, which are supposed to represent king Henry the Third 
 and his queen. These windows are to be filled with stained 
 glass as in the olden time, and will, when finished, present a 
 most gorgeous and magnificent appearance. Immediately beneath 
 them, above the high altar, are three niches, in which were 
 deposited in days of yore the sacred vessels used during the 
 celebration of the mass. The central recess, surmounted by a 
 rounded arch, contained the golden chalice and patin covered 
 with the veil and bursa ; and the niches on either side received 
 the silver cruets, the ampullae, the subdeacon's veil, and all the 
 paraphernalia used during the sacrament. In the stonework 
 around them may be observed the marks of the locks and fasten- 
 ings of doors. 
 
 These niches were uncovered and brought to light on the 
 removal of the large heavy oak screen and altar-piece, which dis- 
 figured the eastern end of the church. 
 
 On the southern side of the building, near the high altar, is an 
 elegant marble piscina or lavacrum, which was in like manner 
 discovered on pulling down the modern oak wainscoting. This 
 interesting remnant of antiquity has been beautifully restored,
 
 300 THE TEMPLE CHURCH, 
 
 and well merits attention.. It was constructed for the use of the 
 priest who officiated at the adjoining* altar, and was intended to 
 receive the water in which the chalice had been rinsed, and in 
 which the priest washed his hands before the consecration of the 
 bread and wine. It consists of two perforated hollows or small 
 basins, inclosed in an elegant marble niche, adorned with two grace- 
 ful arches, which rest on small marble columns. The holes at the 
 bottom of the basins communicate with two conduits or channels for 
 draining off the water, which antiently made its exit through the 
 thick walls of the church. In the olden time, before the consecra- 
 tion of the host, the priest walked to the piscina, accompanied by 
 the clerk, who poured water over his hands, that they might be 
 purified from all stain before he ventured to touch the body of 
 our Lord. One of these channels was intended to receive the 
 water in which the priest washed his hands, and the other that in 
 which he had rinsed the chalice. The piscina, consequently, 
 served the purposes of a sink.* 
 
 Adjoining the piscina, towards the eastern end of the church, is 
 a small elegant niche, in which the ewer, basin, and towels were 
 placed ; and immediately opposite, in the north wall of the edifice, 
 is another niche, which appears to have been a sacrarium or taber- 
 nacle for holding the eucharist preserved for the use of the sick 
 brethren. f 
 
 In the centre of the northern aisle of the church, a large recess 
 has been erected for the reception of the organ, as no convenient 
 place could be found for it in the old structure. Below this 
 recess, by the side of the archway communicating with the Round, 
 
 * A large piscina, similar to the one in the Temple Church, may be seen in Cowling 
 church, Kent. Archceologia, vol. xi. pi. xiv. p. 320. 
 t lb. p. 347 to 359.
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 301 
 
 is a small Norman doorway, opening upon a dark circular stair- 
 case which leads to the summit of the round tower, and also to 
 
 THE PENITENTIAL CELL. 
 
 This dreary place of solitary confinement is formed within the 
 thick wall of the church, and is only four feet six inches long, 
 and two feet six inches wide, so that it would be impossible for a 
 grown person to lie down with any degree of comfort within it. 
 Two small apertures, or loopholes, four feet high and nine inches 
 wide, have been pierced through the walls to admit light and 
 air. One of these apertures looks eastward into the body of the 
 church towards the spot where stood the high altar, in order that 
 the prisoner might see and hear the performance of divine service, 
 and the other looks southward into the Round, facing the west 
 entrance of the church. The hinges and catch of a door, firmly 
 attached to the doorway of this dreary prison, still remain, and at 
 the bottom of the staircase is a stone recess or cupboard, where 
 bread and water were placed for the prisoner. 
 
 In this miserable cell were confined the refractory and disobe- 
 dient brethren of the Temple, and those who were enjoined severe 
 penance with solitary confinement. Its dark secrets have long 
 since been buried in the silence of the tomb, but one sad tale of 
 misery and horror, probably connected with it, has been brought 
 to light. 
 
 Several of the brethren of the Temple at London, who were 
 examined before the papal inquisitors, tell us of the miserable 
 death of Brother Walter le Bacheler, Knight, Grand Preceptor 
 of Ireland, who, for disobedience to his superior the Master of 
 the Temple, was fettered and cast into prison, and there expired 
 from the rigour and severity of his confinement. His dead body 
 was taken out of the solitary cell in the Temple at morning's
 
 302 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 (lawn, and was buried by Brother Jobn de Stoke and Brother 
 Radulph de Barton, in the midst of the court, between the church 
 and the hall,* 
 
 The discipline of the Temple was strict and austere to an ex- 
 treme. An eye-witness tells us that disobedient brethren were 
 confined in chains and dungeons for a longer or a shorter period, 
 or perpetually, according as it might seem expedient, in order 
 that their souls might be saved at the last from the eternal prison 
 of hell.f In addition to imprisonment, the Templars were scourged 
 on their bare backs, by the hand of the Master himself, in the 
 Temple Hall, and were frequently whipped on Sundays in the 
 church, in the presence of the whole congregation. 
 
 Brother Adam de Valaincourt, a knight of a noble family, 
 quitted the order of the Temple, but afterwards returned, smitten 
 with remorse for his disobedience, and sought to be admitted to 
 the society of his quondam brethren. He was compelled by the 
 Master to eat for a year on the ground with the dogs ; to fast 
 four days in the week on bread and water, and every Sunday to 
 present himself naked in the church before the high altar, and 
 receive the discipline at the hands of the officiating priest, in the 
 presence of the whole congregation.;!: 
 
 On the opposite side of the church, corresponding with the 
 doorway and staircase leading to the penitential cell, there was 
 formerly another doorway and staircase communicating with a 
 very curious antient structure, called the chapel of St. Anne, 
 which stood on the south side of the Round, but was removed 
 during the repairs in 1827. It was two stories in height. The 
 lower story communicated with the Round through a doorway 
 formed under one of the arches of the arcade, and the upper 
 
 * Acta contra Templarios. Concil. Mag. Brit. torn. ii. p. 3.36, 350, 351. 
 + Jac. de Vitr. De Religione fratnim militias Tempii, cap. 65. 
 I Processus contra Templarios, apud Dupuj, p. 65 ; ed. 1 700.
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 303 
 
 story communicated with the body of the church by the before- 
 mentioned doorway and staircase, which have been recently 
 stopped up. The roofs of these apartments were vaulted, and 
 traversed by cross-ribs of stone, ornamented with bosses at the 
 point of intersection.* This chapel antiently opened upon the 
 cloisters, and formed a private medium of communication be- 
 tween the convent of the Temple and the church. It was here 
 that the papal legate and the English bishops frequently had 
 conferences respecting the affairs of the English clergy, and in 
 this chapel Almaric de Montforte, the pope's chaplain, who 
 had been imprisoned by king Edward the First, was set at liberty 
 at the instance of the Roman pontiff, in the presence of the 
 archbishop of Canterbury, and the Bishops of London, Lincoln, 
 Bath, Worcester, Norwich, Oxford, and several other prelates, 
 and of many distinguished laymen; the said Almeric having pre- 
 viously taken an oath that he would forthwith leave the king- 
 dom, never more to return without express permission.f In 
 times past, this chapel of St. Anne, situate on the south of 
 " the round about walles," was widely celebrated for its produc- 
 tive powers. It was resorted to by barren women, and was of 
 great repute for making them " joyful mothers of children !" % 
 
 There were formerly numerous priests attached to the Temple 
 church, the chief of wdiom was styled aistos or guardian 
 of the sacred edifice. King Henry the Third, for the salvation 
 of his own soul, and the souls of his ancestors and heirs, gave to 
 the Templars eight pounds per annum, to be paid out of the ex- 
 
 * See the plan of this chapel and of the Temple Chmrh, in the vetusta monunicnta 
 of the Society of Antiquaries. 
 
 t Acta fuerunt hsec in capella juxta ecclesiam, apud Novum Templum London, ex 
 parte Australi ipsius ecclesia sita, coram reverendis patribus domino archiepiscopo et 
 episcopis, &c. &. Acta Rymeri, tom. ii. p. 193, ad ann. 1282. 
 
 t Anecdotes and Traditions published by the Camden Society. No. clxxxi. 
 p. 110.
 
 304 THE TEMPLE CHURCH, 
 
 chequer, for the maintenance of three chaplains in the Temple 
 to say mass daily for ever ; one was to pray in the church for the 
 king himself, another for all christian people, and the third for 
 the faithful departed.* Idonea de Veteri Ponte also gave thirteen 
 bovates of her land, at Ostrefeld, for the support of a chaplain in 
 the house of the Temple at London, to pray for her own soul 
 and that of her deceased husband, Robert de Veteri Ponte.f 
 
 The custos or guardian of the Temple church was appointed 
 by the Master and Chapter of the Temple, and entered upon his 
 spiritual duties, as did all tlie priests and chaplains of the order, 
 without any admission, institution, or induction. He was exempt 
 from the ordinary ecclesiastical authority, and was to pay perfect 
 obedience in all matters, and upon all occasions, to the Master of 
 the Temple, as his lord and bishop. The priests of the order 
 took precisely the same vows as the rest of the brethren, and 
 enjoyed no privileges above their fellows. They remained, 
 indeed, in complete subjection to the knights, for they were not 
 allowed to take part in the consultations of the chapter, unless 
 they had been enjoined so to do, nor could they occupy them- 
 selves with the cure of souls unless required. The Templars 
 were not permitted to confess to priests who were strangers to 
 the order, without leave so to do. 
 
 " Et les freres chapeleins du Temple dovinent oyr la confession 
 desfreres, ne nul ne se deit confesser a autre chapelein saunz counge, 
 car il aunt greigneur peer du Pape, de els assoudre que un 
 evesque^ 
 
 The particular chapters of the Master of the Temple, in which 
 transgressions were acknowledged, penances were enjoined, and 
 quarrels were made up, were frequently held on a Sunday morn- 
 
 * De tribus Capellanis inveniendis, apud Novum Templum, Londoniavum, pro anima 
 Regis Henrici Tertii, Ex regist Hosp. S. Johannis Jerus. in Anglia. Bib. Cotton, f. 25. a, 
 t Ibid., 30. b.
 
 THE TEMPLE CIIURCIT. 305 
 
 ing in the above chapel of St. Anne, on the south side of tlie 
 Temple church, when the following curious form of absolution 
 was pronounced by the Master of the Temple in the Norman 
 French of that day. 
 
 " La manere de tenir chapitre e d'assoudre." 
 
 " Apres chapitre dira le mestre, ou cely qe tendra le chapitre. 
 ' Beaus seigneurs freres, le pardon de nostre chapitre est tiels, qe 
 cil qui ostast les almones de la meson a tout e male resoun, ou 
 tenist aucune chose en noun de propre, ne prendreit u tens ou 
 pardoun de nostre chapitre. Mes toutes les choses qe vous lessez 
 a dire pour hounte de la char, ou pour poour de la justice de la 
 mesoun qe lein ne la prenge requer Dieu, e de par la poeste, 
 que nostre sire otria a sein pere, la quele nostre pere le pape lieu 
 tenaunt a terre a otrye a la maison, e a noz sovereyns, e nous de 
 par Dieu, e de j^ar nostre mestre, e de tout nostre chapitre tiel 
 pardoun come ieo vous puis fere, ieo la vous faz, de bon quer, e 
 de bone volonte. E prioms nostre sire, qe issi veraieraent come 
 il pardona a la glorieuse Magdaleyne, quant ele plura ses pechez. 
 E al larron en la croiz mis pardona il ses pechez, e a vous face 
 les vos a pardone a moy les miens. Et pry vous que se ieo ouges 
 meffis oudis a mil de vous que vous depleise que vous le me 
 pardonez.' " * 
 
 At the close of the chapter, the Master or the President of the 
 chapter shall say, " Good and noble brethren, the pardon of our 
 chapter is such, that he who unjustly maketh away with the alms 
 of the house, or holdeth anything as his own property, hath no 
 part in the pardon of our chapter, or in the good works of our 
 house. But those things w^hicli through shame-facedness, or 
 through fear of the justice of the order, you have neglected to 
 confess before God, I, by the power which our Lord obtained 
 from his Father, and Avhich our father the pope, liis vicar, has 
 * Ada contra Templarios. Concil. Mag. Brit , torn. ii. p. 383. 
 
 X
 
 306 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 granted to the house, and to our superiors, and to us, by the 
 authority of God and our Master, and all our chapter, grant unto 
 you, with hearty good will, such pardon as I am able to give. 
 And we beseech our Lord, that as he forgave the glorious Mary 
 Magdalene when she bewailed her sins, and pardoned the robber 
 on the cross, that he will in like manner mercifully pardon both 
 you and me. And if I have wronged any of you, I beseech you 
 to grant me forgiveness." 
 
 The Temple Church in times past contained many holy and 
 valuable relics, which had been sent over by the Templars from 
 Palestine. Numerous indulgences were granted by the bishops 
 of London to all devout Christians who went with a lively faith 
 to adore these relics. The bishop of Ely also granted indulgences 
 to all the faithful of his diocese, and to all pious Christians who 
 attended divine worship in the Temple Church, to the honour 
 and praise of God, and his glorious mother the Virgin Mary, the 
 resplendent Queen of Heaven, and also to all such as should 
 contribute, out of their goods and possessions, to the maintenance 
 and support of the lights which were kept eternally upon the 
 altars.* 
 
 The circular form of the oldest portion of the Temple Church 
 imparts an additional interest to the venerable fabric, as there 
 are only three other ancient churches in England of this shape. 
 It has been stated that all the churches of the Templars were 
 built in the circular form, after the model of the church of the 
 holy sepulchre at Jerusalem ; but this was not the case. The 
 numerous remains of these churches, to be met with in various 
 parts of Christendom, prove them to have been built of all shapes, 
 forms, and sizes. 
 
 We must now say a word concerning the ancient monuments 
 in the Temple Church. 
 
 * E registro mun. ev'.den. Prior. Hosp. Sane. Joh. fol. 23, b. ; fo. 24, a.
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCir. 307 
 
 In a recess in the south wall, close to the elegant mar'ole 
 piscina, reposes the recumbent figure of a bishop clad in ponti- 
 fical robes, having a mitre on his head and a crosier in his hand. 
 It rests upon an altar-tomb, and has been beautifully carved out 
 of a single block of Purbeck marble. On the 7th of September, 
 1810, this tomb was opened, and beneath the figure was found a 
 stone coffin, about three feet in height and ten feet in length, 
 having a circular cavity to receive the head of the corpse. Within 
 the coffin was found a human skeleton in a state of perfect pre- 
 servation. It was wrapped in sheet-lead, part of which had 
 perished. On the left side of the skeleton were the remains of a 
 crosier, and among the bones and around the skull were found 
 fragments of sackcloth and of garments wrought with gold tissue. 
 It was evident that the tomb had been previously violated, as the 
 sheet-lead had been divided longitudinally with some coarse 
 cutting instrument, and the bones within it had been displaced 
 from their proper position. The most remarkable discovery 
 made on the opening of this tomb was that of the skeleton of an 
 infant a very few months old, which was found lying at the feet 
 of the bishop. 
 
 Nichols, the antiquary, tells us that Brown Willis ascribed the 
 above monument to Silvester de Everdon, bishop of Carlisle, who 
 was killed in the year 1255 by a fall from a mettlesome horse, 
 and was buried in the Temple Church.* 
 
 All the monumental remains of the ancient Knights Templars, 
 formerly existing in the Temple Church, have unfortunately long 
 since been utterly destroyed. Burton, the antiquary, who was 
 admitted a member of the Inner Temple in the reign of Queen 
 Elizabeth, on the 20tli of May, 1593, tells us that in the body of 
 the church there was " a large blue marble inlaid with brasse," 
 
 • iVicholh'' Hist. Leicestershire, vol. iii. p. 960, note. Malcolm^ Londinium Re- 
 divivum, vol. ii. p. 294. 
 
 X 2
 
 308 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 with this circumscription — " Hie requiescit Constantius de 
 Houerio, quondam visitator generalis ordinis militise Templi in 
 Anglia, Francia, et Italia." * ' Here lies Constance de Hover, 
 formerly visitor-general of the order of the Temple, in England, 
 France, and Italy." Not a vestige of this interesting monument 
 now remains. During the recent excavation in the churchyard 
 for the foundations of the new organ gallery, two very large stone 
 coffins were found at a great depth below the present surface, 
 which doubtless enclosed the mortal remains of distinguished 
 Templars. The churchyard appears to abound in ancient stone 
 coffins. 
 
 In the Round of the Temple Church, the oldest part of the 
 present fabric, are the famous monuments of secular warriors, 
 with their legs crossed, in token that they had assumed the cross, 
 and taken the vow to march to the defence of the christian faith 
 in Palestine. These cross-legged effigies have consequently been 
 tenned " the monuments of the crusaders," and are so singular 
 and interesting, that a separate chapter must be devoted to the 
 consideration of them. 
 
 * Burtoii's Leicestershire, p. 235, 236.
 
 309 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 The monuments of the crusaders — The tomb and effigy of Sir Geoffrey 
 de Magnaville, earl of Essex, and constable of the Tower — His life and death, 
 and famous exploits — Of William Marshall, earl of Pembroke, Protector of 
 England — Of the Lord de Ross — Of WiUiam and Gilbert Marshall, earls of 
 Pembroke — Of WilUam Plantagenet, fifth son of Henry the Third — The 
 anxious desire manifested by king Henry the Third, queen Eleanor, and 
 various persons of rank, to be buried in the Temple Church. 
 
 " The knights are dust, 
 And their good swords are rust, 
 Their souls are with the saints, we trust." 
 
 The mail-clad monumental effigies reposing side by side on 
 the pavement of " the Round" of the Temple Church, have been 
 supposed to be monuments of Knights Templars, but this is not 
 the case. The Templars were always buried in the habit of their 
 order, and are represented in it on their tombs. This habit was 
 a long white mantle, as before mentioned, with a red cross over 
 the left breast ; it had a short cape and a hood behind, and fell 
 down to the feet unconfined by any girdle. In a long mantle of 
 this description, with the cross of the order carved upon it, is re- 
 presented the Knight Templar Brother Jean de Dreux, in the 
 church of St. Yvod de Braine in France, with this inscription, in
 
 310 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 letters of gold, carved upon the monument — F. Jean li Tetm- 
 
 PLIEII Fins AU COMTE JeAN DE DrEUX.* 
 
 Although not monuments of Knight Templars, yet these in- 
 teresting cross-legged effigies have strong claims to our attention 
 upon other grounds. They aj^pear to have been placed in the 
 Temple Church, to the memory of a class of men termed " Asso- 
 ciates of the Temple," who, though not actually admitted to the 
 holy vows and habit of the order, were yet received into a species 
 of spiritual connexion v/ith the Templars, curiously illustrative of 
 the superstition and credulity of the times. 
 
 Many piously-inclined persons of rank and fortune, bred up 
 amid the pleasures and the luxuries of the world, were anxiously 
 desirous of participating in the spiritual advantages and blessings 
 believed to be enjoyed by the holy warriors of the Temple, in 
 respect of the good works done by the fraternity, but could not 
 bring themselves to submit to the severe discipline and gloomy 
 life of the regularly-professed brethren. For the purpose of 
 turning the tendencies and peculiar feelings of such persons to a 
 good account, the Master and Chapter of the Temple assumed 
 the power of admitting them into a spiritual association and con- 
 nexion with the order, so that, without renouncing their pleasures 
 and giving up their secular mode of life, they might share in the 
 merit of the good works performed by the brethren. The mode 
 in which this was frequently done is displayed to us by the fol- 
 lowing public authentic document, extracted by Ducange from 
 the Royal Registry of Provence. 
 
 " Be it known to all persons present and to come, that in the 
 year of the incarnation 1209, in the month of December, I, Wil- 
 liam D. G., count of Forcalquier, and son of the deceased Gerald, 
 being inspired with the love of God, of my own free will, and 
 
 * Monumeiis de la monarchic Franyoise, par Montfaucon, torn. ii. p. 1 84, plate 
 p. 185. Hist, de la Maisoii de Dreux, p. 86, 276.
 
 THE TOMBS OF TUi^ CRUSADERS. 311 
 
 with hearty desire, dedicate my body and soul to the Lord, to the 
 most blessed Virgin Mary, and to the house of the chivalry of 
 the Temple, in manner following. If at any time I determine 
 on taking the vows of a religious order, I will choose the religion 
 of the Temple, and none other; but I will not embrace it except 
 in sincerity, of my own free will, and without constraint. Should 
 I happen to end my days amid the pleasures of the world, I will 
 be buried in the cemetery of the house of the Temple. I promise, 
 through love of God, for the repose of my soul, and the souls of 
 my parents, and of all the dead faithful in Christ, to give to the 
 aforesaid house of the Temple and to the brethren, at my de- 
 cease, my own horse, with two other saddle-horses, all my 
 equipage and armour complete, as well iron as wood, fit for a 
 knight, and a hundred marks of silver. Moreover, in acknow- 
 ledgment of this donation, I promise to give to the aforesaid 
 house of the Temple and to the brethren, as long as I lead a 
 secular life, a hundred pennies a year at the feast of the nativity 
 of our Lord ; and all the property of the aforesaid house, where- 
 soever situate, I take under my safeguard and protection, and 
 will defend it in accordance with right and justice against all 
 men. 
 
 " This donation I have made in the presence of Brother Peter 
 de Montaigu, Preceptor of Spain ; Brother Peter Cadelli, Pre- 
 ceptor of Provence ; and many other brothers of the order. 
 
 " And we, Brother Peter de Montaigu, Master, with the ad- 
 vice and consent of the other brothers, receive you, the aforesaid 
 Lcfe^d William, count of Fourcalquier, as a benefactor and brother 
 {in donatum et confratrem) of our house, and grant you a boun- 
 tiful participation in all the good works that are done in the 
 house of the Temple, both here and beyond sea. Of this our 
 grant are witnesses, of the brethren of the Temple, Brother Wil- 
 liam Cadelli, Preceptor of Provence; Brother Bermond, Pre-
 
 312 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 ceptor of Rue ; the reverend Brother Chosoardi, Preceptor of 
 Barles ; Brother Jordan de Mison, Preceptor of Enibrun ; Bro- 
 ther G. de la Tour, Preceptor of the house of Limaise. Of lay- 
 men are witnesses, the lady countess, the mother of the aforesaid 
 count ; Gei'ald, his brother, &;c. &c." * 
 
 William of Asheby in Lincolnshire was admitted into this 
 species of spiritual confraternity with the Templars, as appears 
 from the following grant to the order : 
 
 " William of Asheby, to all the barons and vavasors of Lin- 
 colnshire, and to all his friends and neighbours, both French 
 and English, Salvation. Be it known to all present and to 
 come, that since the knights of the Temple have received me 
 into confraternity with them, and have taken me under their 
 care and protection, I the said William have, with the consent 
 of my Brothers Ingram, Gerard, and Jordan, given and granted 
 to God and the blessed Mary, and to the aforesaid knights of the 
 Temple, all the residue of my waste and heath land, over and 
 above what I have confirmed to them by my previous grant . . . 
 &c. (fee." -f 
 
 By these curious arrangements with secular persons, the 
 Templars succeeded in attaching men of rank and influence to 
 their interests, and in obtaining bountiful alms and donations, 
 both of land and money. It is probable that the cross-legged 
 monuments in the Temple Church were erected to the memory 
 of secular warriors who had been admitted amongst the class of 
 associated brethren of the Temple, and had bequeathed their 
 bodies to be buried in the Temple cemetery. 
 
 During the recent repairs it became necessary to make an ex- 
 tensive excavation in the Round, and beneath these monumental 
 effigies were found two enormous stone coffins, together with five 
 
 * Ducange. Gloss, torn. iii. p. 16, 17; ed. 1678, verb. Oblati. 
 t Peck. MS. vol. iv. p. 67.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 313 
 
 leaden coffins curiously and beautifully ornamented with a device 
 resembling- the one observable on the old tesselated pavement of 
 the church; and an arched vault, which had been formed in the 
 inner circular foundation, supporting the clustered columns and 
 the round tower. The leaden coffins had been inclosed in small 
 vaults, the walls of wdiicli had perished. The skeletons within 
 them were entire and undisturbed ; they were enveloped in coarse 
 sackcloth, which crumbled to dust on being touched. One of these 
 skeletons measured six feet four inches in length, and another six 
 feet two inches ! The larg-e stone coffins were of immense thick- 
 ness and weight ; they had long previously been broken open and 
 turned into charnel-houses. In the one nearest the south win- 
 dow were found three skulls, and a variety of bones, amongst 
 which were those of some young person. Upon the lid, which 
 was comj30sed of Purbeck marble, was a large and elegantly- 
 shaped cross, beautifully sculptured, and in an excellent state of 
 preservation. The vault constructed in the solid foundations of 
 the pillars of the round tower, on the north side of the church, 
 contained the remains of a skeleton wrapped in sackcloth ; the 
 skull and the upper part of it w^ere in a good state of preserva- 
 tion, but the lower extremities had crumbled to dust. 
 
 IS^either the number nor the position of the coffins below cor- 
 responded with the figures above, and it is quite clear that these 
 last have been removed from their original position. 
 
 In Camden's Britannia, the first edition of which was published in 
 the 38th of Eliz., a. d. 1586, we are informed that many noblemen 
 lie buried in the Temple Church, whose effigies are to be seen cross- 
 legged, among whom were William the father, and William and 
 Gilbert his sons, earls of Pembroke and marshals of England.* 
 
 * Plurimique nobiles apud eos huraati fuerunt, quorum imagines visuntur in hoc 
 Temple, tibiis in crucem transversis (sic enim sepulti fueruut quotquot illo sieculo 
 nomina hello sacio dedissent, vel qui ut tunc temporis sunt locuti crucem suscepissent.)
 
 314 THE TEMPLE CHURCH, 
 
 Stow, ill his Survey of London, the first edition of which was 
 published a. d. 1598, speaks of them as follows : 
 
 " In the round walk (which is the vvest part without the quire) 
 there remain monuments of noblemen there buried, to the num- 
 ber of eleven. Eight of them are images of armed knights; five 
 lying cross-legged, as men vowed to the Holy Land against the 
 infidels and unbelieving Jews, the other three straight-legged 
 The rest are coped stones, all of gray marble."* A manuscript 
 history of the Temple in the Inner Temple library, written at the 
 commencement of the reign of Charles the First, tells us that 
 " the crossed-legged images or portraitures remain in carved 
 stone in the middle of the round ivalke, environed with harres of 
 iron"-\ And Dugdale, in his Origines Juridiciales, published 
 1666, thus describes them : "Within a spacious grate of iron in 
 the midst of the round walk under the steeple, do lye eight statues 
 in military habits, each of them having large and deep shields on 
 their left armes, of which five are cross-legged. There are also 
 three other gravestones lying about five inches above the level 
 of the ground, on one of which is a large escocheon, with a lion 
 rampant graven thereon." J Such is the ancient account of these 
 monuments; now, however, si.r instead of five cross-legged statues 
 are to be seen, making nine armed knights, whilst only one 
 coped gravestone remains. The efiigies are no longer inclosed 
 " within a spacious grate of iron," but are divided into two groups 
 environed by iron railings, and are placed on either side of the 
 entrance to the oblong portion of the church. 
 
 Whatever change was made in their original position appears 
 
 E quibus fuerunt Guilielmus Pater, Guilielmus et Gilbertus ejus filii, omnes marescalli 
 Anglise, comitesque Pembrochise, — Camden''s Britannia, p. 375. 
 
 * Stow's Survey. 
 
 t MS. Inner Temple Library, No. 17. fol. 402. 
 
 t Origines Juridiciales, p. 173.
 
 THE TOM^S OF THE CRUSADEHS. 315 
 
 to have been effected at the time that the church was so shame- 
 fully disfigured by the Protestant lawyers, either in the year 
 1682, when it was " thoroughly repaired," or in 1695, when " the 
 ornamental screen was set up in it ;" inasmuch, as we are in- 
 formed b}^ a newspaper, called the Flying Post, of the date of the 
 2nd of January, 1696, that Roger Gillingham. Esq., treasurer of 
 the Middle Temple, who died on the 29th of December, 1695, 
 set. seventy, had the credit of facing the Tenijjle Church with 
 New Portland stone, and of " marsltalling the Knights Templars 
 in uniform order."* Stow tells us that " the first of the crossed- 
 legged was William Marshall, the elder, earl of Pembroke," but 
 the effigy of that nobleman now stands the second ; the addi- 
 tional figure appears to have been placed the first, and seems to 
 have been brought from the western doorway and laid by the 
 side of the others. 
 
 During the recent restoration of the church, it was necessary 
 to excavate the earth in every part of the Round, and just beneath 
 the pavement of the external circular aisle or portico environing 
 the tower, was found a broken sarcophagus of Purbeck marble, 
 containing a skull and some bones apparently of very great anti- 
 quity ; the upper surface of the sarcophagus was on a level with 
 the ancient pavement; it had no mark or inscription upon it, and 
 seemed originally to have been decorated with a monumental 
 effigy. 
 
 From two ancient manuscript accounts of the foundation of 
 Walden Abbey, written by the monks of that great religious 
 house, we learn that Geofirey de Magnaville, earl of Essex, the 
 founder of it, being slain by an arrow, in the year 1144, was 
 taken by the Knights Templars to the Old Temple, that he was 
 afterwards removed to the cemetery of the New Temple, and that 
 his body was buried in the portico before the western door of the 
 
 * NicholW Leicestersliire, vol. iii. p. 960.
 
 316 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 church.* The sarcophagus lately found in that position is ofPurbeck 
 marble ; so also is the first figure on the south side of the Round, 
 whilst nearly all the others are of common stone. The tablet 
 whereon it rests had been grooved round the edges and polished ; 
 three sides were perfect, but the fourth had decayed away to the 
 extent of six or seven inches. The sides of the marble sarcopha- 
 gus had also been carefully smoothed and polished. The same 
 thing was not observable amongst the other sarcophagi and 
 figures. It must, moreover, be mentioned, that the first figure 
 on the south side had no coffin of any description under it. We 
 may, therefore, reasonably conclude, that this figure is the monu- 
 mental effigy of Geoffi'ey de Magnaville, earl of Essex. It re- 
 presents an armed knight with his legs crossed,t in token that 
 he had assumed the cross, and taken a vow to fight in defence of 
 the christian faith. His body is cased in chain mail, over which 
 is worn a loose flowing garment confined to the waist by a girdle, 
 his right arm is placed on his breast, and his left supports a long 
 shield charged with rays on a diamond ground. On his right 
 side hangs a ponderous sword of immense length, and his head, 
 which rests on a stone cushion, is covered with an elegantly-shaped 
 helmet. 
 
 Geoff'rey de Magnaville, earl of Essex, to whose memory the 
 above monument appears to have been erected, was one of the 
 most violent of those " barons bold" who desolated England so 
 fearfully during the reign of king Stephen. He was the son of that 
 famous soldier, Geoffrey de Magnaville, who fought so valiantly at 
 
 * " In porticu ante ostium ecclesise occidentale." The word porticus, which means " a 
 walking place environed with pillars," exactly corresponds with the external circular 
 walk surrounding the round tower of the church. 
 
 t Some surprise has been expressed that the effigies of women should be found in this 
 curious position. It must be recollected, that women frequently fought in the field 
 during the Crusades, and were highly applauded for so doing.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 317 
 
 the battle of Hastings, and was endowed by the conqueror with one 
 hundred and eighteen lordships in England. From his father 
 William de Magnaville, and his mother Magaret, daughter and 
 heiress of the great Eudo Dapifer, Sir Geoffrey inherited an 
 immense estate in England and in Normandy. On the accession 
 of king Stephen to the throne, he was made constable of the 
 Tower, and created earl of Essex, and was sent by the king to the 
 Isle of Ely to put down a rebellion which had been excited there 
 by Baldwin de Rivers, and Nigel bishoji of Ely.* 
 
 In A. D. 1136, he founded the great abbey of Walden in Essex, 
 which was consecrated by the bishops of London, Ely, and 
 Norwich, in the presence of Sir Geoffrey, the lady Roisia his 
 wife, and all his principal tenants. -^j" For some time after the 
 commencment of the war between Stephen and the empress 
 Matilda for the succession to the throne, he remained faithful to 
 the former, but after the fatal result of the bloody battle of Lin- 
 coln, in which king Stephen was taken prisoner, he, in common 
 with most of the other barons, adhered to the party of Matilda ; 
 and that princess, fully sensible of his great power and com- 
 manding influence, left no means untried to attach him perma- 
 nently to her interests. She confirmed him in his post of con- 
 stable of the Tower ; granted him the hereditary shrievalties of 
 several counties, together with large estates and possessions both 
 in England and in Normandy, and invested him with numerous 
 and important privileges.:}; On the flight of the empress, how- 
 ever, and the discomfiture of her party, king Stephen was 
 released from prison, and an apparent reconciliation took place 
 between him and his powerful vassal the earl of Essex, but 
 
 * Hoveden apud rer. Anglicar. script, post Bedam, p. 488. Dugdale''s Baronage, vol. 
 i.p. 201. Lei. Coll. vol. i. 864. 
 
 t Monast. Angh, vol. i. p. 444 to 464. 
 
 X Dugd, Bar., vol. i. p. 202. Selden, tit. hon, p. 647.
 
 318 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 shortly afterward the king ventured upon the bold step of seizing 
 and imprisoning the earl and his father-in-law, Aubrey de Vere, 
 whilst they were unsuspectingly attending the court at Saint 
 Alban's. 
 
 The earl of Essex was compelled to surrender the Tower of 
 London, and several of his strong castles, as the price of his 
 freedom ;* but he was no sooner at liberty, than he collected 
 too-ether his vassals and adherents, and raised the standard of 
 rebellion. He was joined by crowds of freebooters and needy 
 adventurers, and soon found himself at the head of a powerful 
 army. He laid waste the royal domains, pillaged the king's 
 servants, and subsisted his followers upon plunder. He took and 
 sacked the town of Cambridge, laid waste the surrounding 
 country, and stormed several royal castles. He was afterwards 
 compelled to retreat for a brief period into the fens before a 
 superior force led against him by king Stephen in person. 
 
 The most frightful excesses are said to have been committed 
 by this potent earl. He sent spies, we are told, to beg from 
 door to door, and discover where rich men dwelt, that he might 
 seize them at night in their beds, throw them into dungeons, and 
 compel the payment of a heavy ransom for their liberty .f He 
 got by water to Ramsey, and entering the abbey of St. Benedict 
 at morning's dawn, surprised the monks asleep in their beds 
 after the fatigue of nocturnal offices ; he turned them out of their 
 
 * Triveii annales apud Hall, p. 12, 13, ad ann. 1143. Guill. Neubr. lib. i. cap. 
 ii. p. 44. ad ann. 1143. Hoveden, p. 488, Hist, Minor. Matt. Par. in bib. reg. apud 
 S. Jacobum. 
 
 t Henry Huntingdon, lib. viii. Rer. Anglicar. script, post Bedam, p. 393. Chron. 
 Gervasii, apud script. X. col. 1 360. Radulph de Diceto, ib. col. 508. Vir autem iste 
 magnanimus, velut equus validus et infrsenus, maiieria, villas, caeteraque, proprietatem 
 regiam contingentes, invasit, igni combussit, &c. &c. MS. in Bibl. Arund., A. d. 1647, 
 a. 43. cap. ix., now in the Library of the Royal Society. Annales Dunstaple apud 
 Hearne, torn. i. p. 25.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 319 
 
 cells, filled the abbey with his soldiers, and made a fort of the 
 church ; he took away all the gold and silver vessels of the altar, 
 the copes and vestments of tlie priests and singers ornamented 
 with precious stones, and all the decorations of the church, and 
 sold them for money to reward his soldiers.* The monkish his- 
 torians of the period speak with horror of these sacrilegious 
 excesses 
 
 " He dared," says William, the monk of Newburgh, who lived 
 in the reign of king Stephen, " to make that celebrated and holy 
 place a robber's cave, and to turn the sanctuary of the Lord into 
 an abode of the devil. He infested all the neighbouring pro- 
 vinces with frequent incursions, and at length, emboldened by 
 constant success, he alarmed and harassed king Stephen himself 
 by his daring attacks. He thus, indeed, raged madly, and it 
 seemed as if the Lord slept and cared no longer for human 
 affairs, or rather his omu, that is to say, ecclesiastical affairs, so 
 that the pious labourers in Christ's vineyard exclaimed, ' Arise, 
 O God, maintain thine own cause .... how long shall the 
 adversary do this dishonour, how long shall the enemy blaspheme 
 thy name V But God, willing to make his power known, as the 
 apostle saith, endured with much ' long-suffering the vessels of 
 wrath fitted to destruction,' and at last smote his enemies in their 
 hinder parts. It was discovered indeed, a short time before the 
 destruction of this impious man, as we have learned from the 
 true relation of many witnesses, that the walls of the church 
 sweated pure blood, — a terrible manifestation, as it afterwards 
 appeared, of the enormity of the crime, and of the speedy judge- 
 ment of God upon the sinners." f 
 
 * Vasa autem altaiis aurea et argentea Deo sacrata, ca; as etiam cantorum lapidibus 
 preciosis ac opere mirifico contextas, casulas cum albis et cseteris ecclesiastici decoris 
 oniamentis rapuit, &c. MS. ut sup. Gest. reg. Steph. p. 693, 964. 
 
 t De vitd scelerata et condigno intcritu Gaufritli de Magnavilla.— G^aiV/.^VeuZ^r. lib. i.
 
 320 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 For this sacrilege and impiety Sir Geoffrey was excommuni- 
 cated, but, deriding the spiritual thunders, he went and laid siege 
 to the royal castle at Burwell. After a successful attack which 
 brought him to the foot of the rampart, he took off his helmet, it 
 being summer-time and the weather hot, that he might breathe 
 more freely, when a foot soldier belonging to the garrison shot 
 an arrow from a loophole in the castle wall, and gave him a 
 slight wound on the head: " which slight wound," says our worthy 
 monk of Newburgh, *' although at first treated Avith derision, 
 after a few days destroyed him, so that that most ferocious man, 
 never having been absolved from the bond of the ecclesiastical 
 curse, went to hell."* 
 
 Peter de Langtoft thus speaks of these evil doings of the earl 
 of Essex, in his curious poetic chronicle. 
 
 " The abbay of Rameseie bi nj'^glit he robbed it 
 The tresore bare aweie with hand thei myght on hit. 
 Abbot, and prior, and monk, thei did outchace, 
 Of holy kirke a toure to theft thei mad it place. 
 Roberd the Marmion, the same wayes did he, 
 He robbed thorgh treson the kirk of Couentre. 
 Here now of their schame, what chance befelle, 
 The story sais the same soth as the gospelle : 
 
 cap. xi. p. 44 to 46. Henry of Huntingdon, who lived in king Stephen's reign, [and 
 kept up a con-espondence with the abbot of Ramsay, thus speaks of this wonderful 
 phenomenon, of which he declares himself an eye-witness, Dum autem ecclesia ilia pro 
 castello teneretur, ebuUivit sanguis a parietibus ecclesiae et claustri adjacentis, indigna- 
 tionem divinam manifestans ; sceleratorum exterminationem denuntians, quod quidem 
 multi viderant, et e<70 «/)se quidem meis ocuUs inspexi! Script, post Bedam. lib. viii. 
 p. 393, ed. IGOl, Francfort. Hoveden, who wrote shortly after, has copied this account. 
 Annales, ib. p. 488. 
 
 * Guill. Neubr, ut supr. p. 45, 46. Chron. Gervasii, apud X. script, col. 1360, Annal. 
 S. Augustin. Trivet sA aMit\. 1144, p. 14. Chron. Bromptoji, col, 1033. Hoveden^ ut 
 supr. p. 488.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRl'SADERS. 321 
 
 Geffrey of Maundeuile to fele wrouli lie wouh,* 
 
 The deuelle gald him his while with an arrowe him slouh. 
 
 The gode bishop of Clr.strc cursed this ilk Geffreys 
 
 The lif out of his estre in cursing went awaj'. 
 
 Arnulf his Sonne was taken als thefe, and brouht in bond. 
 
 Before the kjng forsaken, and exiled out of his lond."t 
 
 The monks of Walden tell us, that as the earl lay wounded on 
 his sick couch, and felt the hand of death pressing heavy upon 
 him, he bitterly repented of his evil deeds, and sought, but in 
 vain, for ecclesiastical assistance. At last some Knights Templars 
 came to him, and finding him humble and contrite, praying 
 earnestly to God, and making what satisfaction he could for his 
 past offences, they put on him the habit of their religion marked 
 •with the red cross. After he had expired, they carried the dead 
 body with them to the Old Temple at London ; but as the earl 
 had died excommunicated, they durst not give him christian 
 burial in consecrated ground, and they accordingly soldered him 
 up in lead, and hung him on a crooked tree in their orchard. J 
 Some years afterwards, through the exertions and at the expense 
 of William, whom the earl had made prior of Walden Abbey, his 
 absolution was obtained from pope Alexander the Third, so that 
 his body was permitted to be received amongst Christians, and 
 the divine offices to be celebrated for him. The prior accord- 
 ingly endeavoured to take down the corpse and carry it to 
 Walden ; but the Templars, being informed of his design, buried 
 
 * Grew mad with much anger. 
 
 t Peter Langtoft's Chronicle, vol. i. 123, by Robert of Brunne, translated from a 
 MS. in the Inner Temple Library, Oxon. 1725. 
 
 X In pomoerio suo veteris, scilicet Templi apud London, canali inclusum plumbeo, in 
 arbore torvasuspenderant. Antient AIS. defundatio)ie ccenobii Sancti Jacobi rle Wal- 
 dena, fol. 43, a. cap. ix. no. 51, in the Library of the Royal Society. 
 
 Y
 
 322 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 it in their own cemetery at the New Temple,* in the portico 
 before the western door of the church .f 
 
 Pope Alexander, from whom the absolution was obtained, was 
 elected to the pontifical chair in September, 1159, and died in 
 1181. It was this pontiff who, who by the bull omne datum 
 optimum, promulgated in the year 1 1 62, conceded to the Templars 
 the privilege of having their own cemeteries free from the inter- 
 ference of the regular clergy. The land whereon the convent of 
 the New Temple was erected, was purchased soon after the pub- 
 lication of the above bull, and a cemetery was doubtless conse- 
 crated there for the brethren long before the completion of the 
 church. To this cemetery the body of the earl was removed 
 after the absolution had been obtained, and when the church was 
 consecrated by the pati'iarch, (a. d. 1185,) it was finally buried in 
 the portico before the west door. 
 
 The monks of Walden tell us that the above earl of Essex was 
 a religious man, endowed with many virtues. ;j: He was married 
 to the famous Roisia de Vere, of the family of the earls of Oxford, 
 who in her old age led an ascetic life, and constructed for herself 
 an extraordinary subterranean cell or oratory, which was curiously 
 discovered towards the close of the last century. § He had issue by 
 
 * Cumque Prior ille, corpus defunctiim deponere, et secum Waldenam transferre 
 satageret, Templarii caute premeditati, statim illud tollentes, in cimiterio Novi Templi 
 ignobili satis tradiderunt sepultura. — lb. 
 
 t A. D. MCLxiiii, sexto kal. Octobris, obiit Galfridus de Mandeuil, comes Essexise, 
 fundator primus hujus monasterii de Walden, cujus corpus jacet Londoniis humatum, 
 apud Temple-bar in porlicu ante ostium ecclesim occidentale. MS. in the library of the 
 Royal Society, marked No. 29, entitled Liber de fundatione Sancii Jacobi ApostoH de 
 Waldena. Cotton, MS. Vesp. E. vi. fol. 2.5. 
 
 X Hoveden speaks of him as a man of the highest probity, but irreligious. Erat autem 
 summae probitatis, sed summae in Deum obstinationis, magnse in mundanis diligentiae, 
 magnse in Deum negligentise. Hoveden ut supra. 
 
 § It was a recess, hewn out of the chalk, of a bell shape and exactly circular, thirty 
 feet high and seventy feet in diameter. The sides of this curious retreat were adorned
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 323 
 
 this illustrious lady four sons, Ernulph, Geoffrey, William, and 
 Robert. Ernulph was exiled as the accomplice of the father in 
 his evil deeds, and Geoff'rey succeded to the title and the estates. 
 
 The second of the cross-legged figures on the south side, in the 
 Round of the Temple Church, is the monumental effigy of 
 
 William Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, 
 
 Earl Marshall, and Protector of England, during the minority of 
 king Henry the Third, and one of the greatest of the warriors and 
 statesmen who shine in English history. Matthew Paris describes 
 his burial in the Temple Church in the year 1119, and in Cam- 
 den's time, (a. d. 1586,) the inscription upon his monument was 
 legible. " In altero horum tumulo," says Camden, " literis 
 fugientibus legi. Comes Pemhrochice, et in latere. Miles eram 
 Martis, 3Iars multos vicerat armis." * Although no longer, 
 (" the first of the cross-legged,") as described by Stow, a. d. 1598, 
 yet tradition has always, since the days of Roger Gillingham, 
 who moved these figures, pointed it out as " the monument of the 
 protector," and the lion rampant, still plainly visible upon the 
 shield, was the armorial bearing of the Marshalls. 
 
 This interesting monumental effigy is carved in a common kind 
 of stone, called by the masons fire-stone. It represents an armed 
 warrior clothed from head to foot in chain mail ; he is in the act 
 of sheathing a sword which hangs on his left side ; his legs are 
 crossed, and his feet, which are armed with spurs, rest on a 
 lion couchant. Over his armour is worn a loose garment, confined 
 to the waist by a girdle, and from his left arm hangs suspended a 
 
 with imagery in basso relievo of crucifixes, saints, martyrs, and historical piece?, which 
 the pious and eccentric lady is supposed to have cut for her entertainment. — See the ex- 
 traordinary account of the discover}', in 1742, of the Lady Roisia's Cave at Royston, 
 published by Dr. Stiikeley. Cambridge, 1795. 
 • Camden's Britannia, ed. 1600, p. 375.
 
 324 TIIR TEMPLE CFIUnCFf. 
 
 shield, having a, lion rampant engraved thereon. The greater 
 part of the sword has been broken away and lost, which has 
 given rise to the supposition that he is sheathing a dagger. The 
 head is defended by a round helmet, and rests on a stone pillow. 
 
 The family of the Marshalls derived their name from the 
 hereditary office of earl marshall, which they held under the 
 crown. 
 
 The above William Marshall was the son and heir of John 
 Marshall, earl of Strigul, and was the faithful and constant 
 supporter of the royal house of Plantagenet. When the 
 young prince Henry, eldest son of king Henry the Second, was 
 on his deathbed at the castle of Martel near Turenne, 
 he gave to him, as his best friend, his cross to carry to Jerusalem.* 
 On the return of William Marshall from the holy city, he was 
 present at the coronation of Richard Coeur de Lion, and bore on 
 that occasion the royal sceptre of gold surmounted by a cross.-f- 
 King Richard the same year gave him in marriage Isabel de 
 Clare, the only child and heiress of Richard de Clare, earl of 
 Pembroke, surnamed Strongbow, and granted him with this illus- 
 trious lady the earldom of Pembroke.;}; The year following 
 (a. d. 1190) he became one of the sureties for the performance by 
 king Richard of his part of the treaty entered into with the king 
 of France for the accomplishment of the crusade to the Holy 
 Land, and on the departure of king Richard for the far East he 
 was appointed by that monarch one of the council for the govern- 
 ment of the kingdom during his absence. § 
 
 From the year 1189 to 1205 he was sheriff of Lincolnshire, 
 and was after that sheriff of Sussex, and held that office during 
 
 * Tradidit Willielmo Marescallo, familiari suo, crucem suam Jerosolymam deferendam. 
 Hoveden ad ann. 1183, apud rer. Anglic, script, post Bedam, p. 620. 
 
 + Chron. Joan Brampton, apud X, script, col. 1 158. Hoveden, p. 65.5, 666. 
 
 t Seidell's Tit. of Honour, p. 677. 
 
 § Hoveden, p. 659, 660. Radulf de Diceto, apud X. script, p. 659.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADER!?. 325 
 
 the whole of king Richard's reigu. He atteudeil Cujur de Liou 
 in his expedition to Normandy, and on the death of that monarch 
 by the hand of Bertram, the cross-bow-man, before the walls of 
 Castle Chaluz, he was sent over to England to keep the peace of 
 the kingdom until .the arrival of king John. In conjunction 
 with Hubert, archbishop of Canterbury, he caused the freemen of 
 England, both of the cities and boroughs, and most of the earls, 
 barons, and free tenants, to swear fealty to John.* 
 
 On the arrival of the latter in England he was constituted sherifi' 
 of Gloucestershire and of Sussex, and was shortly afterwards sent 
 into Normandy at the head of a large body of forces. He com- 
 manded in the famous battle foug-ht a. d. 120"2 before the fortress 
 of Mirabel, in which the unfortunate prince Arthur and his 
 lovely sister Eleanor, " the pearl of Brittany," were taken pri- 
 soners, together with the earl of March, most of the nobility of 
 Poictou and Anjou, and two hundred French knights, who were 
 ignominiously put into fetters, and sent away in carts to Nor- 
 mandy. This battle was followed, as is well known, by the mys- 
 terious death of prince Arthur, who is said to have been murdered 
 by king John himself, whilst the beautiful Eleanor, nicknamed 
 La Bret, who, aftei- the death of her brother, was the next heiress 
 to the crown of England, was confined in close custody in Bristol 
 Castle, where she i-emained a prisoner for life. At the head of 
 four thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry, the earl Mar- 
 shall attempted to relieve the fortress of Chateau Gaillard, wdiich 
 was besieged by Philip king of France, but failed in consequence 
 of the non-arrival of seventy flat-bottomed vessels, whose progress 
 up the river Seine had been retarded by a strong contrary wind.f 
 For his fidelity and services to the crown he was rewarded with 
 numerous manors, lands, and castles, both in Englaml and ia 
 
 * Matt. Par., p. 19(1. Iloveden, p. 792. Diic/dale Baronage, torn, i. p. (!()!. 
 + Trivet, {I ■ 114. Gul. liritt, lib. vii. Ann. Waverley,\). lliS.
 
 326 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 Normandy, with the whole province of Leinster in Ireland, and 
 he was made governor of the castles of Caermerden, Cardigan, 
 and Coher. 
 
 In the year 1204 he was sent ambassador to Paris, and on his 
 return he continued to be the constant and faithful attendant of 
 the English monarch. He was one of the witnesses to the sur- 
 render by king John at Temple Ewell of his crown and kingdom 
 to the pope,* and when the barons' war broke out he was the 
 constant mediator and negotiator between the king and his rebel- 
 lious subjects, enjoying the confidence and respect of both parties. 
 When the armed barons came to the Temple, where king John 
 resided, to demand the liberties and laws of king Edward, he be- 
 came surety for the performance of the king's promise to satisfy 
 their demands. He was afterwards deputed to inquire what these 
 laws and liberties were, and after having received at Stamford 
 the written demands of the barons, he urged the king to satisfy 
 them. Failing in this, he returned to Stamford to explain the 
 king's denial, and the barons' war then broke out. He afterwards 
 accompanied king John to the Tower, and when the barons 
 entered London he was sent to announce the submission of the 
 king to their desires. Shortly afterwards he attended king John 
 to Runny niede, in company with Brother Americ, the Master of 
 the Temple, and at the earnest request of these two exalted 
 personages, king John was at last induced to sign Magna 
 
 CHARTA.f 
 
 Ou the death of that monarch, in the midst of a civil war and a 
 foreign invasion, he assembled the loyal bishops and barons of the 
 land at Gloucester, and by his eloquence, talents, and address? 
 secured the throne for king John's son, the young prince Henry.J 
 
 * Malt. Par., p. 237. 
 t Matt. Par., p. 253—256, ad ann. 1215. 
 
 X See his eloquent address to the bisho^is and barons in behalf of the young king. — 
 ilcmingford, lib. iii. cap. 1. p. 5G2, apud Gale XV. script.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CUUSADERS. 327 
 
 The greater part of England was at that time in the possession of 
 prince Louis, the dauphin of France, who had landed with a 
 French army at Sandwich, and was supported by the late king's 
 rebellious barons in a claim to the throne. Pembroke was 
 chosen guardian and protector of the young king and of the 
 kingdom, and exerted himself with great zeal and success in 
 driving out the French, and in bringing back the English to 
 their antient allegiance.* He offered pardon in the king's 
 name to the disaffected barons for their past offences. He con- 
 firmed, in the name of the youthful sovereign, Magna Charta 
 and the Charta Forests ; and as the great seal had been lost by 
 king John, together with all his treasure, in the washes of Lin- 
 colnshire, the deeds of confirmation were sealed with the seal of 
 the earl marshalhi^ He also extended the benefit of Magna 
 Charta to Ireland, and commanded all the sheriffs to read it pub- 
 licly at the county courts, and enforce its observance in every 
 particular. Having thus exerted himself to remove the just com- 
 plaints of the disaffected, he levied a considerable army, and 
 having left the young king at Bristol, he jDroceeded to lay siege 
 to the castle of Mountsorel in Leicestershire, which w as in the 
 possession of the French. 
 
 Prince Louis had, in the mean time, despatched an army of 
 twenty thousand men, officered by six hundred knights, from 
 London against the northern counties. These mercenaries 
 
 * Matt. Par^, p. 289, ad ann. 1-216. Acta Rymeri, torn. i. p. 216. 
 
 f Hemingford, p. o6o, 568. " These liberties, distinctly reduced to writing, we send 
 to you our faithful subjects, sealed Avith the seal of our faithful William MarsluiU, carl of 
 Pembroke, the guardian of us and our kingdom, because we have not as yet any seal." 
 Acta Rymeri, torn. i. part 1. p. 146, ed. 1816. Thomson, on Magna Charta, p. 117, 130. 
 All the charters and letters patent were sealed with the seal of the earl marshall, " Rec- 
 toris nostri et regni, eo quod nondum sigillum habuimus. Acta lii/tneri, torn. i. p. 22-1, ed. 
 1704.
 
 328 THE TEMPLE CHURCH, 
 
 stormed various strong castles, despoiled the towns, villages, and 
 religious houses, and laid waste the open country. The protector 
 concentrated all his forces at Newarke, and on Whit-monday, 
 A. D. 1217, he marched at their head, accompanied by his eldest 
 son and the young king, to raise the siege of Lincoln Castle. 
 On arriving at Stow he halted his army, and leaving the youthful 
 monarch and the royal family at that place under the protection 
 of a strong guard, he proceeded with the remainder of his forces 
 to Lincoln. On Saturday in Whitsun week (a. d, 1217) he 
 gained a complete victory over the disaffected English and their 
 French allies, and gave a deathblow to the hopes and prospects of 
 the dauphin. Four earls, eleven barons, and four hundred knights, 
 were taken prisoners, besides common soldiers innumerable. 
 The earl of Perch, a Frenchman, was slain whilst manfully de- 
 fending himself in a churchyard, having previously had his horse 
 killed under him. The rebel force lost all their baggage, pro- 
 visions, treasure, and the spoil which they had accumulated from 
 the plunder of the northern provinces, among which were many 
 valuable gold and silver vessels torn from the churches and the 
 monasteries. 
 
 As soon as the fate of the day was decided, the protector rode 
 back to the young king at Stow, and was the first to communicate 
 the happy intelligence of his victory.* He then marched upon 
 London, where prince Louis and his adherents had fortified 
 themselves, and leaving a corps of observation in the neighbour- 
 hood of the metropolis, he proceeded to take possession of all the 
 eastern counties. Having received intelligence of the concentra- 
 tion of a French fleet at Calais to make a descent upon the 
 English coast, he armed the ships of the Cinque Ports, and, inter- 
 cepting the French vessels, he gained a brilliant victory over a 
 
 * Matt. Par., p. 292—296.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 329 
 
 much superior naval force of the enemy.* By his valour and 
 military talents he speedily reduced the French prince to the 
 necessity of suing- for peace.f On the 11th of September a per- 
 sonal interview took place between the latter and the protector 
 at Staines near London, and it was agreed that the prince and 
 all the French forces should immediately evacuate the country. 
 
 Having thus rescued England from the danger of a foreign yoke, 
 and having established tranquillity throughout the country, and 
 secured the young king Henry in the peaceable and undisputed 
 possession of the throne, he died (a. d. 1219) at Caversham, 
 leaving behind him, says Matthew Paris, such a rej)utation as 
 few could compare with. His dead body was, in the first instance, 
 conveyed to the abbey at Reading, where it was received by the 
 monks in solemn procession. It was placed in the choir of the 
 church, and high mass was celebrated with vast pomp. On the 
 following day it was brought to Westminster Abbey, where high 
 mass was again performed ; and from thence it was borne in state 
 to the Temple Church, where it was solemnly interred on Ascen- 
 sion-day, A. D. 1219.;]: Matthew Paris tells us that the following 
 epitaph was composed to tlie memory of the above distinguished 
 nobleman : — 
 
 " Sum quem Saturnum sibi sensit Hibernia, solem 
 Anoflia, Mercurium Normannia, Gallia Marteni." 
 For he was, says he, always the tamer of the mischievous Irish, 
 the honour and glory of the English, the negotiator of Normandy, 
 
 * Matthew Paris bears witness to the great superiority of the English sailors over the 
 French even in those days. — Ibid., p. 298. Trivet, p. 167 — 169. 
 
 t Acta Rt/meri, toni. i. p. 21 9, 2-21, 223. 
 
 + Duffd. Baronage, torn. i. p. 602, a. d. 1219. Willielmiis senior, mareschallus regis et 
 rector regni, diem clausit extremum, etLondini apud Novum Templum honorifice tumu- 
 latur, scilicet in ecclesia, in Ascensionis die videlicet xvii. caleiidas Aprilis. — Mull. Par. 
 p. 304. Ann. Diinslaple, ad ann. 1219. Ann. Waverky.
 
 330 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 in which he transacted many affairs, and a warlike and invincible 
 soldier in France. 
 
 The inscription ujion his tomb was, in Camden's time, almost 
 illegible, as before mentioned, and the only verse that could be 
 read was, 
 
 " Miles eram Martis Mars multos vicerat armis." 
 
 All the historians of the period speak in the highest terms of 
 the earl of Pembroke as a w^arrior* and a statesman, and concur 
 in giving him a noble character. Shakspeare, consequently, in 
 his play of King John, represents him as the eloquent intercessor 
 in behalf of the unfortunate prince Arthur. 
 
 Surrounded by the nobles, he thus addresses the king on his 
 throne — 
 
 " Pembroke. I (as one that am the tongue of these, 
 To sound the pui-poses of all their hearts,) 
 Both for myself and them, (but, chief of all, 
 Your safety, for the which myself and them 
 Bend their best studies,) heartily request 
 The enfranchisement of Arthur ; whose restraint 
 Doth move the murmuring lips of discontent 
 To break into this dangerous argument, — 
 If, what in rest you have, in right you hold. 
 Why then your fears, (which, as they say, attend 
 The steps of wrong,) should move you to mew up 
 Your tender kinsman, and to choke his days 
 With barbarous ignorance, and deny his youth 
 The rich advantage of good exercise ? 
 That the time's enemies may not have this 
 To grace occasions, let it be our suit 
 That you have bid us ask his liberty ; 
 Which for our goods we do no further ask. 
 Than whereupon our weal, on you depending. 
 Counts it your weal, he have his liberty." 
 
 * Miles strenuissimus et per universum orbem nomiuatissimus. — Chron. T. Wikes 
 apud Gale, script. XV. p. 30.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 331 
 
 Afterwards, when he is shown the dead body of the unhappy 
 prince, he exclaims — 
 
 " O death, made proud with pure and princely beauty ! 
 The earth had not a hole to hide this deed. 
 
 All murders past do stand excused in this : 
 And this, so sole, and so unmatchable, 
 Shall give a holiness, a purity. 
 To the yet unbegotten sin of times. 
 And prove a deadly bloodshed but a jest, 
 Exampled by this heinous spectacle." 
 
 This illustrious nobleman was a great benefactor to the Tem- 
 plars. He granted them the advowsons of the churches of 
 Spenes, Castelan-Embyan, together with eighty acres of land in 
 Eschirmanhir.* 
 
 By the side of the earl of Pembroke, towards the northern 
 windows of the Round of the Temple Church, reposes a youthful 
 warrior, clothed in armour of chain mail ; he has a long buckler 
 on his left arm, and his hands are pressed together in supplication 
 upon his breast. This is the monumental effigy of Robert Lord 
 DE Ros, and is the most elegant and interesting in appearance 
 of all the cross-legged figures in the Temple Church. The head 
 is uncovered, and the countenance, which is youthful, has a re- 
 markably pleasing expression, and is graced with long and flow- 
 ing locks of curling hair. On the left side of the figure is a 
 ponderous sword, and the armour of the legs has a ridge or seam 
 up the front, which is continued over the knee, and forms a kind 
 of garter below the knee. The feet are trampling on a lion, and 
 the legs are crossed in token that the warrior was one of those 
 military enthusiasts who so strangelymingled religion and romance, 
 
 * Mo)iast. Anyl., p. 833, 834, 837, 843.
 
 332 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 " whose exploits form the connecting link between fact and 
 fiction, between histoi'y and the fairy tale." It has generally 
 been thought that this interesting figure is intended to represent 
 a genuine Knight Templar clothed in the habit of his order, and 
 the loose garment or surcoat thrown over the ring-armour, and 
 confined to the waist by a girdle, has been described as " a flow- 
 ing mantle with a kind oi cowl." This supposed cowl is nothing- 
 more than a fold of the chain mail, which has been covered with 
 a thick coating of paint. The mantle is the common surcoat 
 worn by the secular warriors of the day, and is not the habit of 
 the Temple. Moreover, the long curling hair manifests that the 
 warrior whom it represents could not have been a Templar, as 
 the brethren of the Temple were required to cut their hair close, 
 and they wore long beards. 
 
 In an antient genealogical account of the Ros family,* written 
 at the commencement of the reign of Henry the Eighth, 
 A. D, 1513, two centuries after the abolition of the order 
 of the Temple, it is stated that Robert Lord de Ros became a 
 Templar, and was buried at London. The writer must have been 
 mistakened, as that nobleman remained in possession of his estates 
 up to the day of his death, and his eldest son, after his decease, 
 had livery of his lands, and paid his fine to the king in the usual 
 way, which would not have been the case if the Lord de Ros had 
 entered into the order of the Temple. He was doubtless an 
 associate or honorary member of the fraternity, and the circum- 
 stance of his being buried in the Temple Church probably gave 
 rise to the mistake. The shield of his monumental effigy is 
 charged with three water bougets, the armorial ensigns of his 
 family, similar to those observable in the north aisle of West- 
 minster Abbey. 
 
 Robert Lord de Ros, in consequence of the death of his father 
 
 -* MS. Bib. Cotton. Vilellius, F. 4. Moiimt. AmjI., toni. i. p. 728, ed. Kioo.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRIISADEUS. 333 
 
 in the prime of life, succeeded to his estates at the early age of 
 thirteen, and in the second year of the reign of Richard Coeur de 
 Lion, (a. d. 1 190,) lie paid a fine of one thousand marks, (£666, 
 135. 4d.,) to the king for livery of his lands. In the eighth year 
 of the same king, he was charged with the custody of Hugh de 
 Cliaumont, an illustrious French prisoner of war, and was com- 
 manded to keep him safe as Ids own life. He, however, devolved 
 the duty upon his servant, William de Spiney, who, being bribed, 
 suffered the Frenchman to escape from the Castle of Bonville, in 
 consequence whereof the Lord de Ros was compelled by king 
 Richard to pay eight hundred pounds, the ransom of the prisoner, 
 and William de Spiney was executed.* 
 
 On the accession of king John to the throne, the Lord de Ros 
 was in high favour at court, and received by grant from that 
 monarch the barony of his ancestor, Walter I'Espec. He was 
 sent into Scotland with letters of safe conduct to the king of 
 Scots, to enable that monarch to proceed to England to do 
 homage, and during his stay in Scotland he fell in love with 
 Isabella, the beautiful daughter of the Scottish king, and de- 
 manded and obtained her hand in marriage. He attended her 
 royal father on his journey into England to do homage to king 
 John, and was present at the interview between the two monarchs 
 on the hill near Lincoln, when the king of Scotland swore fealty 
 on the cross of Hubert archbishop of Canterbury, in the presence 
 of the nobility of both kingdoms, and a vast concourse of spec- 
 tators.f From his sovereign the Lord de Ros obtained various 
 privileges and immunities, and in the year 1213 he was made 
 sheriff of Cumberland. He was at first faithful to king John, 
 but, in common "with the best and bravest of the nobles of the 
 land, he afterwards shook off his allegiance, raised the standard 
 
 * Matt. Par., p. 182. ad ann. 1196. 
 
 t Hoveden apud rer. Anglicar. script, post Bedam, p. 81 1.
 
 334 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 of rebellion, and was amongst the foremost of those bold patriots 
 who obtained Magna Charta. He was chosen one of the 
 twenty-five conservators of the public liberties, and engaged to 
 compel John to observe the great charter.* Upon the death of 
 that monarch he was induced to adhere to the infant prince 
 Henry, through the influence and persuasions of the earl of 
 Pembroke, the Protector,^ and he received from the youthful 
 monarch various marks of the royal favour. He died in the 
 eleventh year of the reign of the young king Henry the Third, 
 (a. d. 1227,) and was buried in the Temple Church. J 
 
 The above Lord de Ros was a great benefactor to the Tem- 
 plars. He granted lliem the manor of Ribstane, and the advow- 
 son of the church, the ville of Walesford, and all his windmills 
 at that place ; the ville of Hulsyngore, with the wood and wind- 
 mill there ; also all his land at Cattail, and various tenements in 
 Conyngstreate, York.§ 
 
 Weever has evidently misapplied the inscription seen on the 
 antient monument of Brother Constance Hover, the visitor- 
 general of the order of the Temple, to the above nobleman. 
 
 As regards the remaining monumental effigies in the Temple 
 Church, it appears utterly impossible at this distance of time to 
 identify them, as there are no armorial bearings on their shields, 
 or aught that can give us a clue to their history. There can be 
 no doubt but that two of the figures are intended to represent ' 
 William Marshall, junior, and Gilbert Marshall, both earls of 
 Pembroke, and sons of the Protector. Matthew Paris tells us 
 that these noblemen were buried by the side of their father in 
 the Temple Church, and their identification would consequently 
 
 * Matt. Par. p. 254, 262. Lei. col. vol. i. p. 362. 
 t Acta Rymeri, torn. i. p. 224, ad ann. 1217. 
 t Dugd. Baronage, vol. i. p. 545, 546. 
 § Monnst. AngL, vol. vi. part ii. p. 838, 842.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 335 
 
 have been easy but for the unfortunate removal of the figures 
 from their original situations by the immortal Roger GilUngham. 
 
 Next to the Lord de Ros reposes a stern warrior, with both 
 his arms crossed on his breast. He has a plain wreath around 
 his head, and his shield, which has no armorial bearings, is slung 
 on his left arm. By the side of this figure is a coaped stone, 
 which formed the lid of an antient sarcophagus. The ridges 
 upon it represent a cross, the top of which terminates in a trefoil, 
 whilst the foot rests on the head of a lamb. From the middle of 
 the shaft of the cross issue two fleurets or leaves. As the lamb 
 was the emblem of the order of the Temple, it is probable that 
 the sarcophagus to which this coaped stone belonged, contained 
 the dead body either of one of the Masters, or of one of the 
 visitors-general of the Templars. 
 
 Of the figures in the northernmost group of monumental 
 efligies in the Temple Church, only two are cross-legged. The 
 first figure on the south side of the row, which is straight-legged, 
 holds a drawn sword in its right hand pointed towards the 
 ground ; the feet are supported by a leopard, and the cushion 
 under the head is adorned with sculptured foliage and flowers. 
 The third figure has the sword suspended on the right side, and 
 the hands are joined in a devotional attitude upon the breast. 
 The fourth has a spirited appearance. It represents a cross- 
 legged warrior in the act of drawing a sword, whilst he is at the 
 same time trampling a dragon under his feet. It is emblematical 
 of the religious soldier conquering the enemies of the christian 
 church. The next and last monumental effigy, which likewise 
 has its legs crossed, is similar in dress and appearance to the 
 others ; the right arm reposes on the breast, and the left hand 
 rests on the sword. These two last figures, which correspond in 
 character, costume, and appearance, may perhaps be the monu-
 
 336 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 mental effigies of William and Gilbert Marshall, the two sons of 
 the Protector. 
 
 William Marshall, commonly called the younger, was one 
 of the bold and patriotic barons who compelled king John to sign 
 Magna Charta. He was appointed one of the twenty-five 
 conservators of the public liberties, and was one of the chief 
 leaders and promoters of the barons' war, being a party to the 
 covenant for holding the city and Tower of London.* On the 
 death of king John, his father the Protector brought him over to 
 the cause of the young king Henry, the rightful heir to the 
 throne, whom he served with zeal and fidelity. He was a 
 gallant soldier, and greatly distinguished himself in a campaign 
 in Wales. He overthrew Prince Llewellyn in battle with the 
 loss of eight thousand men, and laid waste the dominions of that 
 prince with fire and sword.f For these services he had scutage 
 of all his tenants in twenty counties in England ! He was made 
 governor of the castles of Cardigan and Carmarthen, and received 
 various marks of royal favour. In the fourteenth year of the 
 reign of king Henry the Third, he was made captain-general of 
 the king's forces in Brittany, and, whilst absent in that country, 
 a war broke out in Ireland, whereupon he was sent to that king- 
 dom with a considerable army to restore tranquillity. He mar- 
 ried Eleanor, the daughter of king John by the beautiful Isabella 
 of AngouMme, and he was consequently the brother-in-law of the 
 young king Henry the Third.]: He died without issue, a. d. 
 1231, (15 Hen. III.,) and on the 14th of April he was buried in 
 the Temple Church at London, by the side of his father the 
 Protector, He was greatly beloved by king Henry the Third, 
 
 * Matt. Par. p. 254, 256. Lei. col. vol. i. p. 841. 
 
 t Matt. Par. p. 317, ad ann. 1223. 
 
 + Matt. Par. p. 366. Ann. Dunst. p. 99. 134, 150.
 
 TFIE TOMHS OV THE CRUSADERS. 3'.]7 
 
 who attended his funeral, and Matthew Paris tells us, that when 
 the king saw the dead body covered with the mournful pall, he 
 heaved a deep sigh, and Avas greatly affected.* 
 
 The manors, castles, estates, and possessions of this powerful 
 nobleman in England, Wales, Ireland, and Normandy, were 
 immense. He gave extensive forest lands to the monks of Tin- 
 terne in Wales ; he founded the monastery of Friars preachers in 
 Dublin, and to the Templars he gave the church of Westone 
 with all its appurtenances, and granted and confirmed to them 
 the borough of Baudac, the estate of Langenache, with various 
 lands, windmills, and villeins of the soil.f 
 
 GiLBERT Marshall, EARL of Pembroke, brother to the above, 
 and third son of the Protector, succeeded to the earldon and the 
 vast estates of his ancestors on the melancholy murder in Ireland 
 of his gallant brother Richard, "the flower of the chivalry of 
 that time," (a. d. 1234.) The year after his accession to the title 
 he married Margaret, the daughter of the king of Scotland, who 
 is desribed by Matthew Paris as " a most elegant girl,"J and re- 
 ceived with her a splendid dowry. In the year 1236 he assumed 
 the cross, and joined the king's brother, the earl of Cornwall, in 
 the promotion of a Crusade to the Holy Land. 
 
 Matthew Paris gives a long account of an absurd quarrel 
 which broke out between this earl of Pembroke and king Henry 
 
 * Eodem tempore, a. n. 1'23], niense Aprili, Willielmus, Marescallus comes Pem- 
 brochiae, in militia vir strenuus, in dolorem multorum, diem clausit extremum, ot Lon- 
 doniis apud Novum Templum sepultus est, juxta patrem suum, XVII calend. RJaii, 
 Rex autem qui eum indissolubiliter dilexit, cum haec audivit, ct cum vidisset, corpus 
 defuncti palla coopertum, ex alto trahens suspiria, ait, Heu, heu, mihi ! nonne adhuc 
 penitus vindicatus est sanguis beati Thoma; Martyris. — Matl. Far. p. 368. 
 
 t Dugd. Monast Angl. ut sup. p. 820. 
 
 X Margaretam puellam elegantissimam matrimonio sibi copulavcrat. — Matt, Par., 
 p. 432, 404. 
 
 Z
 
 338 THK TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 the Third, when the latter was eating his Christmas dinner at 
 Winchester, in the year 1239.* 
 
 At a great meeting of Crusaders at INTorthampton, he took a 
 solemn oath upon the high altar of the church of All Saints to 
 proceed without delay to Palestine to fight against the enemies 
 of the cross ;i- but his intentions were frustrated by the hand of 
 death. At a tournament held at Ware, a. d. 1241, he was 
 thrown from his horse, and died a few hours afterwards at the 
 monastery at Hertford, His entrails were buried in the church 
 of the Virgin at that place, but his body was brought up to Lon- 
 don, accompanied by all his family, and was interred in the Tem- 
 ple Church by the side of his father and eldest brother. J 
 
 The above Gilbert Marshall granted to the Templars the 
 church of Weston, the borough of Baldok, lauds and houses at 
 Roydon, and the wood of Langnoke.§ 
 
 All the five sons of the elder Marshall, the Protector, died 
 without issue in the reign of Henry the Third, and the family 
 became extinct. They followed one another to the grave in 
 regular succession, so that each attained for a brief period to the 
 dignity of the earldom, and to the hereditary office of Earl 
 Marshall. 
 
 Matthew Paris accounts for the melancholy extinction of this 
 noble and illustrious family in the following manner. 
 
 He tells us that the elder Marshall, the Protector, during a 
 campaign in Ireland, seized the lands of the reverend bishop of 
 
 • Matt. Par. p. 483. 
 
 t lb. p. 431, 483, 516, 524. 
 
 X In crastino autem delatum est corpus Londinum, fratre ipsius prsevio, cum tola sua 
 familia comitante, juxta patrem suum et fratrem tumulandum. — lb. p. 565. ad ann. 
 1241. 
 
 § Dugd. Monast. Angl., p. 833.
 
 THE TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 33y 
 
 Femes, and kept possession of thera in spite of a sentence of 
 excommunication which was pronounced against him. After 
 the Protector had gone the way of all flesh, and had been buried 
 in the Temple Church, the reverend bishop came to Londou, 
 and mentioned the circumstance to the king, telling him that the 
 earl of Pembroke had certainly died excommunicated. The king 
 was much troubled and alarmed at this intelligence, and besought 
 the bishop to go to the earl's tomb and absolve him from the 
 bond of excommunication, promising the bishop that he would 
 endeavour to procure him ample satisfaction. So anxious, in- 
 deed, was king Henry for the safety of the soul of his quondam 
 guardian, that he accompanied the bishop in person to the Tem- 
 ple Church ; and Matthew Paris declares that the bishop, stand- 
 ing by the tomb in the presence of the king, and in the hearing 
 of many bystanders, pronounced these words : " O William, who 
 lyest here interred, and held fast by the chain of excommuni- 
 cation, if those lands which thou hast unjustly taken away from 
 ray church be rendered back to me by the king, or by your heir, 
 or by any of your family, and if due satisfaction be made for the 
 loss and injury I have sustained, I grant you absolution ; but if 
 not, I confirm my previous sentence, so that, enveloped in your 
 sins, you stand for evermore condemned to hell !" 
 
 The restitution was never made, and the indignant bishop 
 pronounced this further curse, in the words of the Psalmist : " His 
 name shall be rooted out in one generation, and his sons shall 
 be deprived of the blessing, Increase and multiply ; some of 
 them shall die a miserable death ; their inheritance shall be 
 scattered ; and this thou, O king, shall behold in thy lifetime, 
 yea, in the days of thy flourishing youth." Matthew Paris 
 dwells with great solemnity on the remarkable fulfilment of this 
 dreadful prophecy, and declares that when the oblong portion 
 of the Temple Church was consecrated, the body of the Protec- 
 
 z 2
 
 340 THE TEMPLE CHURCH. 
 
 tor was found entire, sewed up in a bull's hide, but in a state of 
 putridity, and disgusting- in appearance.* 
 
 It will be observed that the dates of the burial of the above 
 nobleman, as mentioned by Matthew Paris and other authorities, 
 are as follow: — William Marshall the elder, a. d. 1219 ; Lord de 
 Ros, A, D. 1227 ; William Marshall the younger, a. d. 1231 ; all 
 before the consecration of the oblong portion of the church. 
 Gilbert Marshall, on the other hand, was buried a. d. 1241, the 
 year after that ceremony had taken place. Those, therefoi'e, 
 who suppose that the monumental effigies of the Marshall origi- 
 nally stood in the eastern part of the building, are mistaken. 
 
 Amongst the many distinguished persons interred in the 
 Temple Church is William Plantagenet, the fifth son of 
 Henry the Third, v/ho died a. d. 1256, under age.f The greatest 
 desire was manifested by all classes of persons to be buried in the 
 cemetery of the Templars. 
 
 King Henry the Third provided for his own interment in the 
 Temple by a formal instrument couched in the following pious 
 and reverential terms : — 
 
 " To all fiaithful Christians to whom these presents shall 
 come, Henry by the grace of God king of England, lord of 
 Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, 
 salvation. Be it known to all of you, that we, being of sound 
 mind and free judgment, and desiring with pious forethought to 
 extend our regards beyond the passing events of this life, and to 
 
 * Faucis ante evolutis annis, post mortem omnium suorum filiorum, videlicet, quando 
 dedicata est ecclesia Novi Templi, inventum est corpus saepedicti comitis quod erat in- 
 sutum corio taurine, integnmi, putridum tamen et prout videri potuit detestabile." — 
 Matt. Par. p. 688. Surely this must be an interpolation by some wag. The last of the 
 Pembrokes died a. d. 1245, whilst, according to Matthew Paris's own showing, the eastern 
 part of the church was consecrated a. d. 1240, p. 526. 
 
 f Mill's Catalogues, p. 145. Speed, p. 551. Sandford's Genealogies, p. 92, 93, 
 2nd edition.
 
 IIIK TOMBS OF THE CRUSADERS. 341 
 
 determine the place of our sepulture, have, on account of the love 
 we bear to the order and to the brethren of the chivalry of the 
 Temple, given and granted, after this life's journey has drawn to 
 a close, and we have gone the way of all flesh, our body to God 
 and the blessed Virgin Mary, and to the house of the chivalry of 
 the Temple at London, to be there buried, expecting and hoping 
 that through our Lord and Saviour it will greatly contribute to 
 
 the salvation of our soul We desire that our body, when 
 
 we have departed this life, may be carried to the aforesaid house 
 of the chivalry of the Temple, and be there decently buried as 
 
 above mentioned As witness the venerable father R., 
 
 bishop of Hereford, &c. Given by the hand of the venerable 
 father Edmund, bishop of Chichester, our chancellor, at Glou- 
 cester, the 27th of July, in the nineteenth year of our reign." * 
 
 Queen Eleanor also provided in a similar manner for her in- 
 terment in the Temple Church, the formal instrument being 
 expressed to be made with the consent and approbation of her 
 lord, Henry the illustrious king of England, who had lent a will- 
 ing ear to her prayers upon the subject.f These sepulchral 
 arrangements, however, were afterwards altered, and the king by 
 his will directed his body to be buried as follows : — " I will that 
 my body be buried in the church of the blessed Edward at 
 Westminster, there being no impediment, having formerly ap- 
 pointed my body to be buried in the New 'I'emple." :j: 
 
 * Ex Registr. Hosp. S. Joh. Jerus. in Anglia, in Bib. Cotton, fol. 25 a. t lb. 
 
 J Nicolas, Testamenta Vetusta, p. 6.
 
 342 
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Antiquities in the Temple — The history of the place subsequent to the dissolution 
 of the order of the Knights Templars — The estabhshment of a society of 
 lawyers in the Temple — ^The antiquity of this society — Its connexion with the 
 antient society of the Knights Templars — An order of knights and serving 
 brethren estabhshed in the law — The degree oifrere serjen, or frater serviens, 
 borrowed from the antient Templars — The modern Templars divide themselves 
 into the two societies of the Inner and Middle Temple. 
 
 " Those bricky towers, 
 The which on Themme's brode aged back do ride, 
 Wliere now the studious lawyers have their bowers ; 
 There whilom wont the Templer Knights to bide, 
 Till they decayed thro' pride." 
 
 There are but few remains of the antient Knights Templars 
 now existing in the Temple beyond the church. The present 
 Inner Temple Hall was their antient hall, but it has at different 
 periods been so altered and repaired as to have lost every trace 
 and vestige of antiquity. In the year 1816 it was almost entirely 
 rebuilt, and the following extract from " The Report and Obser- 
 vations of the Treasurer on the late Repairs of the Inner Temple
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 343 
 
 Hall" may prove interesting, as showing the state of the edifice 
 previous to that period. 
 
 " From the proportions, the state of decay, the materials of the 
 eastern and southern walls, the buttresses of the southern front, 
 the pointed form of the roof and arches, and the rude sculpture 
 on the two doors of public entrance, the hall is evidently of very 
 
 great antiquity The northern wall appears to have been 
 
 rebuilt, except at its two extremities, in modern times, but on the 
 old foundations. . . . The roof was found to be in a very decayed 
 and precarious state ; many timbers were totally rotten. It ap- 
 peared to have undergone reparation at three separate periods of 
 time, at each of which timber had been unnecessarily added, so 
 as finally to accumulate a weight which had protruded the 
 northern and southern walls. It became, therefore, indispensable 
 to remove all the timber of the roof, and to replace it in a 
 lighter form. On removing the old wainscoting of the western 
 wall, a perpendicular crack of considerable height and width was 
 discovered, which threatened at any moment the fall of that ex- 
 tremity of the building with its superincumbent roof .... The 
 turret of the clock and the southern front of the hall are only 
 cased with stone; this was done in the year 1741, and very ill 
 executed. The structure of the turret, composed of chalk, rag- 
 stone, and rubble, (the same material as the walls of the church,) 
 seems to be very antient .... The wooden cupola of the bell 
 was so decayed as to let in the rain,and was obliged to be renewed 
 in a form to agree with the other parts of the southern front." 
 
 " Notwithstanding the Gothic character of the building, in the 
 year 1680,duringthe treasurershipof Sir Thomas Robinson, protho- 
 notary of C. B., a Grecian screen of the Doric order was erected, 
 surmounted by lions' heads, cones, and other incongruous 
 devices." 
 
 " In the year 1741, during the treasurershipof John Blencowe,
 
 344 
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 esq., low windows of Roman architecture were formed in the 
 southern front." 
 
 " The dates of such innovations appear from inscriptions with 
 the respective treasurers' names." 
 
 This antient hall formed the far-famed refectory of the Knights 
 Templars, and was the scene of their proud and sumptuous hospi- 
 tality. Within its venerable walls they at different periods enter- 
 tained king John, king Henry the Third, the haughty legates of 
 Roman pontiffs, and the ambassadors of foreign powers. The old 
 custom, alluded to by Matthew Paris,* of hanging around the wall 
 the shields and armorial devices of the antient knights, is still pre- 
 served, and each succeedingtreasurer of the Temple still continues 
 to hoist his coat of arms on the wall, as in the high and palmy 
 days of the warlike monks of old. 
 
 At the w^est end of the hall are considerable remains of the 
 antient convent of the Knights Templars. A groined Gothic arch 
 of the same style of architecture as the oldest part of the Temple 
 Church forms the ceiling of the present buttery, and in the 
 apartment beyond is a groined vaulted ceiling of great beauty. 
 The ribs of the arches in both rooms are elegantly moulded, but 
 are sadly disfigured with a thick coating of plaster and barbarous 
 whitewash. In the cellars underneath these rooms are some old 
 walls of immense thickness, the remains of an antient window, 
 a curious fireplace, and some elegant pointed Gothic arches 
 corresponding with the ceilings above ; but they are now, alas ! 
 shrouded in darkness, choked with modern brick partitions and 
 staircases, and soiled with the damp and dust of many centuries. 
 These interesting remains form an upper and an under story, the 
 floor of the u])per story being on a level with the floor of the hall, 
 and the floor of the under story on a level with the terrace on the 
 south side thereof. They were formerly connected with the church 
 
 * P. 09<), 900.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 345 
 
 by lueans of a covered way or cloister, wliich ran at right angles 
 with them over the site of the })resent cloister-chambers, and 
 commmunicated with the upper and under story of the chapel of 
 St. Anne, which formerly stood on the south side of the church. 
 By means of this corridor and chapel the brethren of the Temple 
 had private access to the church for the performance of their 
 strict religious duties, and of their secret ceremonies of admitting 
 novices to the vows of the order. In 9 Jac. I. a. d. 1612, some 
 brick buildings three stories high were erected over this antient 
 cloister by Francis Tate, esq., and being burnt down a few years 
 afterwards, the interesting covered way Avhich connected the 
 church with the antient convent was involved in the general de- 
 struction, as appears from the following inscription upon the 
 pi'esent buildings : 
 
 " Vetustissima Templariorum porticu igne consumta, anno 
 1678, Nova h^c, sumptibus Medii Templi extructaanno 1681 
 GuLiELMO Whitelocke armigero, thesaurario. 
 
 " The very antient portico of the Templars being consumed by 
 fire in the year 1678, these new buildings were erected at the ex- 
 pense of the Middle Temple in the year 1681, William Whitlock, 
 esq., being treasurer." 
 
 The cloisters of the Templars formed the medium of coumuini- 
 cation between the hall, the church, and the cells of the serving- 
 brethren of the order.* 
 
 During the formation of the present new entrance into the 
 Temple by the church, at the bottom of the Inner Temple-lane, a 
 considerable portion of the brickwork of the old houses was pulled 
 down, and an antient wall of great thickness was disclosed. It 
 was composed of chalk, rag-stone, and rubble, exactly resembling 
 the walls of the church It ran in a direction east and west, and 
 
 * Ante, p. 2.55.
 
 346 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 appeared to have formed the extreme northern boundary of the 
 old convent. 
 
 The site of the remaining buildings of the antient Temple 
 cannot now be determined with certainty. 
 
 The mansion-house, {Mansum Novi Templi,) the residence of 
 the Master and knights, who were lodged separately from the 
 serving brethren and ate at a separate table, appears to have 
 stood at the east end of the hall, on the site of the present library 
 and apartments of the masters of the bench. 
 
 The proud and powerful Knights Templars were succeeded in 
 the occupation of the Temple by a body of learned lawyers, who 
 took possession of the old hall and the gloomy cells of the mili- 
 tary monks, and converted the chief house of their order into 
 the great and most antient Common Law University of Eng- 
 land. 
 
 For more than five centuries the retreats of the religious war- 
 riors have been devoted to " the studious and eloquent pleaders 
 of causes," a new kind of Templars, who, as Fuller quaintly ob- 
 serves, now " defend one Christian from another as the old ones 
 did Christians from Pagans." The modern Templars have been 
 termed milites justitice, or " soldiers of justice^' for, as John of 
 Salisbury, a writer of the twelfth century, saith, " neque reipub- 
 licae militant soli illi, qui galeis thoracisque muniti in hostes 
 exercent tela quaelibet, sed et patroni causarum, qui lapsa erigunt. 
 fatigata reparant, nee minus provident humano generi, quam si 
 laborantium vitam, spem, posterosque, armorum prsesidio, ab 
 hostibus tuerentur." " They do not alone fight for the state who, 
 panoplied in helmets and breastplates, wield the sword and the 
 dart against the enemy, for the pleaders of causes, who redress 
 wrongs, who raise up the oppressed, do protect and provide 
 for the human race as much as if they were to defend the
 
 THE TEMPLE. 347 
 
 Jives, fortunes, and families of industrious citizens with the 
 sword." 
 
 " Besides encounters at the bar 
 Are braver now than those in war, 
 In which the law does execution 
 With less disorder and confusion ; 
 Has more of honour in't, some hold. 
 Not like the new way, but the old, 
 When those the pen had drawn together 
 Decided quarrels with the feather, 
 And winged anrows killed as dead, 
 And more than bullets now of lead : 
 So all their combats now, as then. 
 Are managed chiefly by the pen ; 
 That does the feat, with braver vigours. 
 In words at length, as well as figures." 
 
 The settlement of the lawyers in the Temple was brought 
 about in the following manner. 
 
 On the imprisonment of the Knights Templars, the chief house 
 of the order in London, in common with the other property of 
 the military monks, was seized into the king's hands, and was 
 committed to the care of James le Botiller and William de 
 Basing, who, on the 9th of December, a. d. 1311, were com- 
 manded to hand it over to the sheriffs of London, to be taken 
 charge of by them.* Two years afterwards the Temple was 
 granted to that powerful nobleman, Aymer de Valence, earl of 
 Pembroke, who had been one of the leaders of the baronial con- 
 spiracy against Piers Gavaston.-f- As Thomas earl of Lancaster, 
 however, claimed the Temple by escheat as the immediate lord of 
 the fee, the earl of Pembroke, on the 3rd of Oct., a. d. 1315, at 
 
 * Joan Sarisburiensis. Polycrat. lib. vi. cap. 1 . 
 
 t Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 296, 297. 
 
 t Cart. vi. E. 2. n. 41 . Trivet, cont., p. 4. T. de la More, p. 593.
 
 348 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 the request of the king, and in consideration of other lands being 
 granted to him by his sovereign, remised and released all his 
 right and title therein to Lancaster.* This earl of Lancaster 
 was cousin-german to the English monarch, and first prince of 
 the blood ; he was the most powerful and opulent subject of the 
 kingdom, being possessed of no less than six earldoms, with a 
 proportionable estate in land, and at the time that the Temple 
 was added to his numerous other possessions he was at the head of the 
 government, and ruled both the king and country as president of 
 the council. In an antient MS. account of the Temple, formerly 
 belonging to lord Somers and afterwards to Nicholls, the cele- 
 brated antiquary, apparently written by a member of the Inner 
 Temple, it is stated that the lawyers " made composition with the 
 earl of Lancaster for a lodging in the Temple, and so came hither^ 
 and have continued here ever since," That this was the case 
 appears highly probable from various circumstances presently 
 noticed. 
 
 The earl of Lancaster held the Temple rather more than six 
 years and a half. 
 
 When the king's attachment for Hugh le Despenser, another 
 favourite, was declared, he raised the standard of rebellion. He 
 marched with his forces against London, gave law to the king 
 and parliament, and procured a sentence of attainder and per- 
 petual exile against Hugh le Despenser. The fortune of war, 
 however, soon turned against him. He was defeated, and con- 
 ducted a prisoner to his own castle of Pontefract, where king 
 Edward sat in judgment upon him, and sentenced him to be 
 hung, drawn, and quartered, as a rebel and a traitor. The same 
 day he was clothed in mean attire, was placed on a lean jade 
 without a bridle, a hood was put on his head, and in this raiser- 
 Pat. 8. E. 2, m. 17. The Temple is described therein as " de feodo Thorn » Comitis 
 Lancastrise, et de honore Leieestrie."
 
 THE TEMPLE. 349 
 
 able condition he was led through the town of Pontefract to the 
 place of execution, in front of his own castle.* 
 
 A few days afterwards, the king, whilst he yet tarried at Pon- 
 fract, granted the Temple to Aymer de Valence, earl of Pem- 
 broke, by a royal charter couched in the following terms : — 
 
 " Edward by the grace of God, king, &c., to the archbishops, 
 bishops, abbots, priors, earls, barons, justiciaries, &c. &c., health. 
 Know that on account of the good and laudable service which 
 our beloved kinsman and faithful servant Aymer de Valence 
 hath rendered and will continue to render to us, we have s:iven 
 and granted, and by our royal charter have confirmed to the said 
 earl, the mansion-house and messuage called the New Temple in 
 the suburb of London, with the houses, rents, and all other things 
 to the same mansion-house and messuage belonging, formerly 
 the property of the Templars, and afterwards of Thomas earl of 
 Lancaster, our enemy and rebel, and which, by the forfeiture of 
 the same Thomas,have come into our hands by way of escheat, to 
 be had and holden by the same Aymer and the heirs of his body 
 lawfully begotten, of us and our heirs, and the other chief lords of 
 the fee, by the same services as those formerly rendered ; but if 
 the said Aymer shall die without heirs of his body lawfully be- 
 gotten, then the said mansion-house, messuage, &c. &c., shall 
 revert to us and our heirs," f- 
 
 Rather more than a year after the date of this grant, Aymer de 
 Valence was murdered. He had accompanied queen Isabella to 
 the court of her father, the king of France, and was there slain 
 (June 23rd, a. d. 1323) by one of the English fugitives of the 
 Lancastrian faction, in revenge for the death of the earl of Lan- 
 caster, whose destruction he was believed to have compassed. 
 
 * Processus contra comitem Lancastriae. Acta Ri/meri, tom. iii. p. 936. Lei. coll. 
 vol.i. p. 668. La More, Walsingham. 
 
 t Cart. 15. E, II. m. 21. Acta Ri/meri, tom. iii. p. 940.
 
 350 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 His dead body was brought over to England, and buried in West- 
 minster Abbey at the head of Edmund Crouchback, earl of 
 Lancaster. He left no issue, and the Temple, consequently, once 
 more reverted to the crown,*" 
 
 It was now granted to Hugh le Despenser the younger, the 
 king's favourite, at the very time that the act of parliament 
 (17 Edward II.) was passed, conferring all the lands of the 
 Templars upon the Hospitallers of St. John.f Hugh le De- 
 spenser, in common with the other barons, paid no attention to 
 the parliament, and held the Temple till the day of his death, 
 which happened soon after, for on the 24th of September, a. d. 
 1326, Queen Isabella landed in England with the remains of the 
 Lancastrian faction ; and after driving her own husband, Edward 
 the Second, from the throne, she seized the favourite, and caused 
 him instantly to be condemned to death. On St. Andrew's Eve 
 he was led out to execution ; they put on him his surcoat of arms 
 reversed, a crown of nettles was placed on his head, and on his 
 vestment they wrote six verses of the psalm, beginning, Quid 
 gloriaris in malitia.X After which he was hanged on a gallows 
 eighty feet high, and was then beheaded, drawn, and quartered. 
 His head was sent to London, and stuck upon the bridge; and of 
 the four quarters of his body, one was sent to York, another to 
 Bristol, another to Carlisle, and the fourth to Dover.§ 
 
 Thus perished the last private possessor of the Temple at 
 London. 
 
 The young prince, Edward the Third, now ascended the throne, 
 leaving his parent, the dethroned Edward the Second, to the 
 tender mercies of the gaolers of Berkeley Castle. He seized the 
 
 • Dngd. Baron., vol. i. p. 777, 778. 
 
 t Rot. Escaet. 1. E. III. 
 
 X H. Kn?/ffhton, nTpnd X.s cript. col. 2.546. 7. Lei. Itin. vol. vi. p fifi. Walshigham, 106. 
 
 § Claus. 4. E. III. m. 9. Acta Rymeri, torn. iv. p. 461.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 351 
 
 Temple, as forfeited to him by the attainder of Hugh le De- 
 spenser, and committed it to the keeping of the mayor of London, 
 his escheator in tlie city. The mayor, as guardian of tlie Temple, 
 took it into his head to close the gate leading to the waterside, 
 which stood at the bottom of the present Middle Temple Lane, 
 whereby the lawyers were nmch incommoded in their progress 
 backwards and forwards from the Temple to Westminster. Com- 
 plaints were made to the king on the subject, who, on the 2nd 
 day of November, in the third year of his reign, wrote as follows 
 to the mayor : 
 
 " The king to the mayor of London, his escheator* in the same 
 city. 
 
 " Since we have been given to understand that there ought to 
 be a free passage through the court of the New Temple at Lon- 
 don to the river Thames, for our justices, clerks, and others, 
 who may wish to pass by water to Westminster to transact 
 their business, and that you keep the gate of the Temple shut by 
 day, and so prevent those same justices, clerks of ours, and other 
 persons, from passing through the midst of the said court to the 
 waterside, whereby as well our own affairs as those of our people 
 in general are oftentimes greatly hindered, we command you, 
 that you keep the gates of the said Temple open by day, so that 
 our justices and clerks, and other persons who wish to go by 
 water to Westminster, may be able so to do by the way to which 
 they have hitherto been accustomed. 
 
 " Witness ourself at Kenilworth, the 2nd day of November, 
 and third year of our reign." f 
 
 • There was in those days an escheator in each count3', and in various large towns : 
 it was the duty of this officer to seize into the king's hands all lands held in capite of 
 the cro^vn, on receiving a writ De diem clausit extremutn, commanding him to assemble 
 a jury to take inquisition of the value of the lands, as to who was the next heir of the 
 deceased, the rents and services by which they were holden, &c. &c. 
 
 t Claus 3. E. III. m. 6. d. Acta Rymeri, torn. iv. p. 406.
 
 352 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 The following year the king again wrote to the naayor, his 
 escheator in the city of London, informing him that he had been 
 given to understand that the bridge in the said court of the 
 Temple, leading to the river, was so broken and decayed, that 
 his clerks and law officers, and others, could no longer get across 
 it, and were consequently prevented from passing by water to 
 Westminster. " We therefore," he proceeds, " being desirous of 
 providing such a remedy as we ought for this evil, command you 
 to do whatever repairs are necessary to the said bridge, and to 
 defray the cost thereof out of the proceeds of the lands and rents 
 appertaining to the said Temple now in your custody ; and when 
 we shall have been informed of the things done in the matter, 
 the expense shall be allowed you in your account of the same 
 proceeds. 
 
 " Witness ourself at Westminster, the 15th day of January, 
 and fourth year of our reign." * 
 
 Two years afterwards (6 E. Ill, a. d. 1333) the king committed 
 the custody of the Temple to " his beloved clerk," William de 
 Langford, " and farmed out the rents and proceeds thereof to 
 him for the term of ten years, at a rent of 24^. per annum, the 
 said William undertaking to keep all the houses and tenements 
 in good order and repair, and so deliver them up at the end of 
 
 the term."t 
 
 In the mean time, however, the pope, the bishops, and the 
 Hospitallers had been vigorously exerting themselves to obtain a 
 transfer of the property, late belonging to the Templars, to the 
 order of the Hospital of Saint John. The Hospitallers petitioned 
 the king, setting forth that the church, the cloisters, and other 
 places within the Temple, were consecrated and dedicated to the 
 service of God, that they had been unjustly occupied and de- 
 
 * Claus. 4. E, III. m. 7. Acta Rymeri, torn. iv. p. 464.' 
 
 t Pal.6. E. III. p. 2. m. '22. in original, apud Rolls Garden ex parte Remembr. Thesaur.
 
 trl: temple. 353 
 
 tained from them by Hugh le Despenser tlie younger, and, 
 throng-h his attainder, had hitely come into the king's hands, and 
 they besought the king to deliver np to them possession thereof. 
 King Edward accordingly commanded the mayor of London, his 
 escheator in that city, to take inquisition concerning the pre- 
 mises. 
 
 From this inquisition, and the return thereof, it appears that 
 many of the founders of the Temple Church, and many of the 
 brethren of the order of Knights Templars, then lay buried in 
 the church and cemetery of the Temple ; that the bishop of Ely 
 had his lodging in the Temple, known by the name of the bishop 
 of Ely's chamber; that there was a chapel dedicated to St. 
 Thomas-a-Becket, which extended from the door of the Temple 
 Hall as far as the ancient gate of the Temple ; also a cloister 
 which began at the bishop of Ely's chamber, and ran in an 
 easterly direction ; and that there was a wall which ran in a 
 northerly direction as far as the said king's highway ; that in the 
 front part of the cemetery towards the north, bordering on the 
 king's highway, were thirteen houses formerly erected, with the 
 assent and permission of the Master and bj-ethren of the Temple, 
 by Roger Blom, a messenger of the Temple, for the purpose of 
 holding the lights and ornaments of the church ; that the land 
 whereon these houses were built, the cemetery, the church, and 
 all the space inclosed between St. Thomas's chapel, the church, 
 the cloisters, and the wall running in a northerly direction, and 
 all the buildings erected thereon, together with the hall, cloisters, 
 and St. Thomas's chapel, were sanctified places dedicated to God ; 
 that Hugh le Despenser occupied and detained them unjustly, 
 and that through his attainder and forfeiture, and not otherwise, 
 they came into the king's hands.* 
 
 ' Rot. Escaet. 10. E. 3. Q6. Claus 11 E. 3. p. 1. m. 10. 
 
 A A
 
 354 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 After the return of this inquisition, the said sanctified places 
 were assigned to the prior and brethren of the Hospital of Saint 
 John ; and the king, on the 11 th of January, in the tenth year 
 of his reign, a. d. 1337, directed his writ to the barons of the 
 Exchequer, commanding them to take inquisition of the value of 
 the said sanctified places, so given up to the Hospitallers, and of 
 the residue of the Temple, and certify the same under their seals 
 to the king, in order that a reasonable abatement might be made 
 in William de Langford's rent. From the inquiry made in pur- 
 suance of this writ before John de Shorditch, a baron of the Ex- 
 chequer, it further appears that on the said residue of the Temple 
 upon the land then remaining in the custody of William de 
 Langford, and withinside the great gate of the Temple, were 
 another hall* and four chambers connected therewith, a kitchen, 
 a garden, a stable, and a chamber beyond the great gate ; also 
 eight shops, seven of which stood in Fleet Street, and the eighth 
 in the suburb of London, without the bar of the New Temple ; 
 that the annual value of these shops varied from ten to thirteen, 
 fifteen, and sixteen shillings ; that the fruit out of the garden of 
 the Temple sold for sixty shillings per annum in the gross ; that 
 seven out of the thirteen houses erected by Roger Blom were 
 each of the annual value of eleven shillings ; and that the eighth, 
 situated beyond the gate of entrance to the church, was worth 
 four marks per annum. It appears, moreover, that the total 
 annual revenue of the Temple then amounted to 73/. 6s. l\d., 
 
 * Sunt etiam ibidem claustrum, capella Sancti Thonice, et qusedam platea terrae eidem 
 capellae annexata, cum una aula et camera supra edificata, quae sunt loca sancta, et Deo 
 dedicata, et dictae ecclesise annexata, et eidem Priori per idem breve liberata .... 
 Item dicunt, quod praeter ista, sunt ibidem in custodia Wilielmi de Langford infra 
 Magnam Portam dicti Novi Templi, extra metas et disjunctiones pradicta^, una aula et 
 quatuor camerae, una coquina, unum gardinum, imura stabulum, et una camera ultra 
 Magnam Portam prasdictam, &c.
 
 THE TKMPLK. 365 
 
 equal to about 1,000Z. of our present money, and that William de 
 Lang-ford was abated 12/. 45, 2d. of his said rent.* 
 
 Three years after the taking of this inquisition, and in the 
 thirteenth year of his reign, a. d. 1340, king Edward the Third 
 in consideration of the sum of one hundred pounds, M'hich the 
 prior of the Hospital promised to pay him towards the expense 
 of his expedition into France, granted to the said prior all the 
 residue of the Temple then remaining in the king's hands, to 
 hold, together with the cemetery, cloisters, and the other sanc- 
 tified places, to the said prior and his brethren, and their suc- 
 cessors, of the king and his heirs, for charitable purposes, for ever.f 
 From the above grant it appears that the porter of the Temple 
 received sixty shillings and tenpence j^er annum, and twopence 
 a day wages, Avhich were to be paid him by the Hospitallers. 
 
 At this period Philip Thane was prior of the Hospital ; and he 
 appears to have exerted himself to impart to the celebration of 
 divine service in the Temple Church, the dignity and the splen- 
 dour it possessed in the time of the Templars. He, with the 
 unanimous consent and approbation of the whole chapter of the 
 Hospital, granted to Brother Hugh de Lichefeld, priest, and to 
 his successors, guardians of the Temple Church, towards the im- 
 provement of the lights and the celebration of divine service 
 therein, all the land called Ficketzfeld, and the garden called 
 Cotterell Garden ;| and two years afterwards he made a further 
 grant, to the said Hugh and his successors, of a thousand fagots 
 a year to be cut of the wood of Lilleston, and carried to the New 
 Temple to keep up the fire in the said chnrch.§ 
 
 * In memorandis Scacc. inter recorda de Termino Sancti Hilarii, 11. E. 3. in officio 
 Remembratoris Thesaurarii. 
 
 t Pat. 12. E. 3. p. 2. m. 22. Dugd. Monasticon, vol. vii. p. 810, 811. 
 
 X Ex registr. Sancti Johannis Jems. fol. \i\,&.Dugd, Monast., torn. vi. part 2, p. 832. 
 
 § Ibid, adann. 1341. 
 
 A A 2
 
 356 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 King Edward the Third, in the thirty-fifth year of his reign, 
 A. D. 1362, notwithstanding the grant of the Temple to the Hos- 
 pitallers, exercised the right of appointing to the porter's office' 
 and by his letters patent he promoted Roger Small to that post 
 for the term of his life, in return for the good service rendered 
 him by the said Roger Small,* 
 
 It is at this period that the first distinct mention of a society of 
 lawyers in the Temple occurs. 
 
 The poet Chaucer, Avho was born at the close of the reign of 
 Edward the Second, a. d. 1317, and was in high favour at court 
 in the reign of Edward the Third, thus speaks of the Manciple, 
 or the purveyor of provisions of the lawyers in the Temple : 
 
 " A gentil Manciple was there of the Temple, 
 Of whom achatours mighten take ensemple, 
 For to ben wise in hying of vitaille. 
 For whether that he paid or toke by taille, 
 Algate he waited so in his achate, 
 That he was aye before in good estate. 
 Now is not that of God a full fayre grace, 
 That swiche a lewed mannes wit shal pace, 
 The wisdome of an hepe of lerned men ?" 
 " Of maisters had he mo than thries ten, 
 That were of lawe expert and curious: 
 Of which there was a dosein in that hous 
 Worthy to ben stewardes of rent and lond 
 Of any lord that is in Englelond, 
 To maken him live by his prop re good, 
 In honour detteles, but if he were wood. 
 
 * Rex omnibus ad quos &c. salutem. Sciatis quod de gratis nostra special], et pro 
 bono servitio quod Rogerus Small nobis impendit et impendat in futuro, concessimus ei 
 officium Janitoris Novi Templi London Habend. &c. pro vita sua &c. pertinend. &c. 
 omnia vada et feoda &c. eodem modoqualia Robertus Fetyt defunct. Qui officium illud 
 ex concessione domini Edwardi nuper regis Angliaj patris nostri habuit .... Teste 
 meipso apud Westm. 5 die Aprilis, anno regni nostri 35. Pat. 35. E. 3. p. 2. m. 33.
 
 THE TEiMPLE. 357 
 
 Or live as scarsly, as him list desire ; 
 
 And able for to hclpen all a shire, 
 
 In any cas that mighte fallen or happe ; 
 
 And yet this manciple sette hir aller cappe." * 
 
 It appears, therefore, thai the hnvyers in the Temple, in tlie 
 reign of Edward the Third, had their purveyor of provisions as 
 at this day, and were consequently then keeping commons, or 
 dining together in hall. 
 
 In the fourth year of the reign of Richard the Second, a. d. 
 1381, a still more distinct notice occurs of the Temple, as the 
 residence of the learners and the learned in the law. 
 
 We are told in an antient chronicle, written in Norman French, 
 formerly belonging to the abbey of St. Mary's at York, that the 
 rebels under Wat Tyler went to the Temple and pulled dow-n the 
 houses, and entered the church and took all the books and the 
 rolls of remembrances which were in the chests of the learners 
 OF THE LAW in the Temple, and placed them under the large 
 chimney and burnt them. (Les lebels alleront a le Temple et 
 jetteront les measons a la terre et avegheront tighles, issint que 
 ils fairont coverture en nuil array ; et alleront en I'esglise, et 
 pristeront touts les liveres et rolles de remembrances, que furont 
 en leur huches deins le Temple de Apprentices de la Ley; et 
 porteront en le haut chimene et les arderont."t) And Walsing- 
 ham, who wrote in the reign of Henry the Sixth, about fifty years 
 after the occurrence of these events, tells us that after the rebels, 
 under Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, had burnt the Savoy, the noble 
 palace of John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, they pulled down the 
 place called Temple Barr, where the apprentices or learners of the 
 highest branch of the profession of the law dwelt, on account of 
 
 * Prologue to the Canterbury Tales. The wages of the Manciples of the Temple, 
 temp. Hen. VIII. were xxxvis. viiid. per annum. Bib. Cotton. Vitellius, c. 9. f. 320, a. 
 t Annal. 01im-Sanct«e Marise Ebor.
 
 35S THE TEMPLE. 
 
 the spite they bore to Robert Hales, Master of the Hospital of 
 Saint John of Jerusalem, and burnt many deeds which the 
 lawyers there had in their custody. (" Quibus perpetratis, satis 
 malitiose etiam locum qui vocatur Temple Barre, in quo apprenticii 
 juris morabantur nobiliores, diruerunt, ob iram quam conceperant 
 contra Robertum de Hales Magistrum Hospitalis Sancti Johannis 
 Jerusalem, ubi plura munimenta, quae Juridici in custodia habue- 
 runt, igne consumpta sunt."* 
 
 In a subsequent passage, however, he gives us a better clue to 
 the attack upon the Temple, and the burning of the deeds and 
 writings, for he tells us that it was the intention of the rebels to 
 decapitate all the lawyers, for they thought that by destroying 
 them they could put an end to the law, and so be enabled to 
 order matters according to their own will and pleasure. (" Ad 
 decollandum omnes juridieos, escaetores, et universos qui vel in 
 lege docti fuere, vel cum jure ratione officii communicavere. 
 Mente nempe conceperant, doctis in lege necatis, universa juxta 
 communis plebis scitum de caetero ordinare, et nullam omnino 
 legem fore futuram, vel si futura foret, esse pro suorum arbitrio 
 statuenda." 
 
 It is evident that the lawyers were the immediate successors 
 of the Knights Templars in the occupation of the Temple, as the 
 lessees of the earl of Lancaster. 
 
 Whilst the Templars were pining in captivity in the dungeons 
 of London and of York, king Edward the Second paid to 
 their servants and retainers the pensions they had previously re- 
 ceived from the treasury of the Temple, on condition that they 
 continued to perform the services and duties they had rendered 
 to their antient masters. On the 26th of November, a. d. 1311, 
 he granted to Robert Styfford, clerk, for his maintenance in the 
 house of the Temple at London, two deniers a day, and five 
 
 * Walsbig. \ Eic. 2. ad aim. 1381. Hist. p. 249, ed. 1603.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 359 
 
 shillings a year for necessaries, provided he did service in the 
 church ; and when unable to do so, he was to receive only his 
 food and lodging. Geoffrey Talaver was to receive, in the same 
 house of the Temple, three deniers a day for his sustenance, and 
 twenty shillings a year for necessaries, during the remainder of 
 his life ; also one denier a day for the support of his boy, and 
 five shillings a year for his wages. Geoffrey de Cave, clerk, and 
 John de Shelton, were also, each of them, to receive from the 
 same house, for their good services, an annual pension of forty 
 shillings for the term of their lives.* Some of these retainers, in 
 addition to their various stipends, were to have a gown of the 
 class of free-serving brethren of the order of the Temple f each 
 year ; one old garment out of the stock of old garments belong- 
 ing to the brethren ; J one mark a year for their shoes, &c. ; their 
 sons also received so much per diem, on condition that they did 
 the daily work of the house. These retainers were of the class 
 of free servants of office ; they held their posts for life, and not 
 being members of the order of the Temple, they were not in- 
 cluded in the general proscription of the fraternity. In return 
 for the provision made them by the king, they were to continue 
 to do their customary work as long as they were able. 
 
 Now it is worthy of remark, that many of the rules, customs, 
 and usages of the society of Knights Templars are to this day 
 observed in the Temple, naturally leading us to conclude that 
 these domestics and retainers of the antient brotherhood became 
 connected with the legal society formed therein, and transferred 
 their services to that learned body. 
 
 * Rot. claus 5. E. 2. m. 19. Acta Rymeri, torn. iii. p. 292, 293, 294. 
 
 t Unam robam per annum de secta liberorum servientium, et quinque solidos per 
 annum, et deserviat quamdiu poterit loco liberi servientis in domo prsedicta. lb. ra. 2. 
 Acta Rymeri, tom, iii. p. 331, 332. 
 
 X Quolibet anno ad Natale Domini unum vetus indumentum de veteribus indumentis 
 fratrum, et quolibet die 2 denarios pro victu garcionis sui, et 5 solidos per annum per 
 stipendiis ejusdem garcionis, sed idem garcio deserviet in domo ilia. lb.
 
 36*0 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 From the time of Chaucer to the present day, the lawyers have 
 dined together in the antient hall, as the military monks did be- 
 fore them ; and the rule of their order requiring " two and two 
 to eat together," and " all the fragments to be given in brotherly 
 charity to the domestics," is observed to this day, and has been in 
 force from time immemorial. The attendants at table, moreover, 
 are still called pamers, as in the days of the Knights Templars.* 
 The leading punishments of the Temple, too, remain the 
 same as in the olden time. The antient Templar, for ex- 
 ample, for a light fault, was " withdrawn from the com- 
 ])anionship of his fellows," and not allowed " to eat with 
 them at the same table," f and the modern Templar, for im- 
 propriety of conduct, is " expelled the hall" and " put out of 
 commons." The brethren of the antient fraternity were, for 
 grave offences, in addition to the above punishment, deprived 
 of their lodgings,J and were compelled to sleep with the beasts 
 in the open court ; and the members of the modern fellowship 
 have in bygone times, as a mode of punishnjent, been temporarily 
 deprived of their chambers in the Temple for misconduct, and 
 padlocks have been put upon the doors. The Master and Chapter 
 of the Temple, in the time of the Knights Templars, exercised 
 the power of imprisonment and expulsion from the fellowship, 
 and the same punishments have been freely used down to a re- 
 cent period by the Masters of the Bench of the modern societies. 
 Until of late years, too, the modern Templars have had their 
 
 * Thomas of Wothrope, at the trial of the Templars in England, was unable to give 
 an account of the reception of some brethren into the order, quia erat j9a;ie;arn/5 et 
 vacabat circa suum officium. Concil. Mag. Brit., tom. ii. p, 355. Tunc panetarius 
 mittat comiti duos panes atque vini sextarium . . . Ita appellabant officialem domesti- 
 cum, qui mensjE panem, mappas et manutergia subministrabat. Ducange, Gloss, verb, 
 panetarius. 
 
 t Regula Templariortmi, cap, Ixvii. ante p. 25. 
 
 X L'onciti Mag. Brit., tom. ii. p. 371 to 373, ante, p. 235.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 361 
 
 readers, officers of great dignity, whose duty it has been to read 
 and expound law in the hall, at and after meals, in the same way 
 as the readers of the Knights Templars read and expounded 
 
 RELIGION. 
 
 There has also been, in connexion with the modern fellowshi]), 
 a class of associates similar to the associates of the antient Tem- 
 plars.* These were illustrious persons who paid large sums of 
 money, and made presents of plate, to be admitted. to the fellow- 
 ship of the Masters of the Bench ; they were allowed to dine at 
 the Bench table, to be as it were honorary members of the so- 
 ciety, but were freed from the ordinary exercises and. regulations 
 of the house, and had at the same time no voice in the govern- 
 ment thereof. 
 
 The conversion of tlie chief house of the most holy order of 
 the Temple of Solomon in England into a law university, was 
 brought about in the following manner. 
 
 Both before, and for a very considerable period after, the 
 Korman conquest, the study of the law was confined to the eccle- 
 siastics, who engrossed all the learning and knowledge of the 
 age.f In the reign of king Stephen, the foreign clergy who had 
 flocked over after the conquest, attempted to introduce the ancient 
 civil law of Home into this country, as calculated to promote the 
 power and advantage of their order, but were resolutely resisted 
 by the king and the barons, who clung to their old customs and 
 usages. The new law, however, was introduced into all the ec- 
 clesiastical courts, and the clergy began to abandon the muni- 
 cipal tribunals, and discontinue the study of the common law. 
 Early in the reign of Henry the Third, episcopal constitutions 
 
 * Dugd. Orig. Jurid., p. 212, 
 
 + Niillus clericus nisi causidiciis. Will. Malm., lib. iv. f. G9. Raduljjh de Diceto, 
 apud Hist. Angl. Script. Antiq., lib. vii. col. 606, from whom it appears that the chief 
 justitiary and justices itinerant were all prieats.
 
 362 THE TEMPLK. 
 
 were published by the bishop of Salisbury, forbidding clerks and 
 priests to practise as advocates in the common law courts. {Nee 
 advocati sint clerici vel sacer dotes in for o s<sculari, nisi vel proprias 
 causas vel miserahilium personarum prosecpiantur .^'') Towards the 
 close of the same reign, (a. d. 1254,) Pope Innocent IV. forbade 
 the reading of the common law by the clergy in the English uni- 
 versities and seminaries of learning, because its decrees were not 
 founded on the imperial constitutions, but merely on the customs 
 of the laity.-\ 
 
 As the common law consequently gradually ceased to be 
 studied and taught by the clergy, who were the great depositaries 
 of legal learning, as of all other knowledge in those days, it be- 
 came necessary to educate and train up a body of laymen to 
 transact the judicial business of the country ; and Edward the 
 First, who, from his many legal reforms and improvements, has 
 been styled " the English Justinian," made the practice of the 
 common law a distinct profession. 
 
 In antient times the Court of Common Pleas had the exclusive 
 administration of the common law, and settled and decided all the 
 disputes which arose between subject and subject ; and in the 
 twentieth year of the reign of Edward the First, (a.d. 1292,) the 
 privilege of pleading causes in this court was confined to a certain 
 number of learned persons appointed by authority. By an order 
 in council, the king commanded John de Metingham, chief jus- 
 tice of the Court of Common Pleas, and the rest of his fellow 
 justices, that they, according to their discretions, should provide 
 
 * Spelm. Concil., torn. ii. ad ann. 1217. 
 
 + Innocentius, &c. . . . Praeterea cum in Angliae, Scotisp, Walliae regnis, causae 
 laicorum non imperatoriis legibus, sed laicorum consuetudinibus decidantur, fratrum nos- 
 trorum, et aliorura religiosonim consilio et rogatu, statuimus quod in pradictis regnis 
 leges sceeulares de ceetero non legantur. Matt. Par., p. 883, ad ann. 1254, et in ad- 
 ditamentis, j). 191.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 363 
 
 and ordain from every county a certain number of attorneys and 
 apprentices of the law, of the best and most apt for their learning 
 and skill, to do service to his court and people, and those so 
 chosen should follow his court and transact the affairs therein, 
 and no others ; the king and his council deeming the number of 
 fourscore to be sufficient for that employment ; but it was left to 
 the discretion of the said justices to add to that number, or to 
 diminish it, as they should think fit.* 
 
 At this period the Court of Common Pleas had been fixed at 
 Westminster, which brought together the professors of the com- 
 mon law at London ; and about the period of the dissolution of 
 the order of the Temple, a society appears to have been in pro- 
 gress of formation, under the sanction of the judges, for the edu- 
 cation of a body of learned secular lawyers to attend upon that 
 court. The deserted convent of the Knights Templars, seated in 
 the suburb of London, away from the noise and bustle of the 
 city, and presenting a ready and easy access by water to West- 
 minster, was a desirable retreat for the learned members of this 
 infant legal society; and we accordingly find, that very soon after 
 the dissolution of the religio-military order of Knights Templars, 
 the professors of the common law of England mustered in con- 
 siderable strength in the Temple. 
 
 In the sixth year of the reign of Edward the Third, (a. d. 
 1333,) when the lawyers had just established themselves in the 
 convent of the Temple, and had engrafted upon the old stock of 
 Knights Templars their infant society for the study of the prac- 
 tice of the common law, the judges of the Court of Common 
 Pleas were made knights,* being the earliest instance on record 
 
 * Et quod ipsi quos ad hoc elegerint, curiam sequantur, et se de negotiis iu eadeni 
 curia intromittant, et alii non. Et videtur regi et ejus concilio, quod septies vigenti 
 sufficere poterint, kc— Rolls of Pari. 20. E. 1. vol. i. p. 84, No. 22. 
 
 f Dugd. Oiig. Jurid., cap. xxxix. p. 102.
 
 364 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 of the grant of the honour of knighthood for services purely civil, 
 and the professors of the common law, who had the exclusive 
 privilege of practising in that court, assumed the title or degree 
 of FRERES SERJEN8 or FRATRES 8ERVIENTES, SO that knights and 
 serving-brethren, similar to those of the antient order of the 
 Temple, were most curiously revived and introduced into the 
 profession of the law. 
 
 It is true that the word serviens, serjen, or serjeant, was applied 
 to the professors of the law long before the reign of Edward the 
 Thii'd, but not to denote a privileged brotherhood. It was ap- 
 plied to lawyers in common with all persons who did any de- 
 scription of work for another, from the serviens domini regis aa 
 legem, who prosecuted the pleas of tlie crown in the county court, 
 to the serviens or serjen who walked with his cane before the 
 concubine of the Patriarch in the streets of Jerusalem.* The 
 priest who worked for the Lord was called serjens de Dieu, and 
 the lover who served the lady of his affections serjens d'amour* 
 It was in the order of the Temple that the word freres serjens or 
 fratres servientes signified an honorary title or degree, and 
 denoted a powerful privileged class of men. The fratres ser- 
 vientes armigeri ov freres serjens des armes, of the chivalry of the 
 Temple, were of the rank of gentlemen. They united in their 
 own persons the monastic and the military character, they were 
 allotted one horse each, they wore the red cross of the order of 
 the Temple on their breasts,t they participated in all the privi- 
 leges of the brotherhood, and were eligible to the dignity of 
 Preceptor. Large sums of money were frequently given by 
 seculars who had not been advanced to the honour of knight- 
 
 * Ante, p. 118. Blace-bearers, bell-ringers, thief-talkers, gaolers, bailiffs, public exe- 
 cutioners, and all persons who performed a specific task for another, were called ser- 
 vientes, serjens, or Serjeants. — Dncunge Gloss. Pasquier's Researches, liv. viii. cap. 19. 
 
 t Will. Tyr., lib. i. p. 50, lib. xii. p. 814.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 365 
 
 hood, to be admitted amongst this highly-esteemed order of 
 men. 
 
 The. freres serjens of the Temple wore linen coifs, and red caps 
 close over them.* At the ceremony of their admission into the 
 fraternity, the Master of the Temple placed the coif upon their 
 heads, and threw over their shoulders tlie white mantle of the 
 Temple ; he then caused them to sit down on the ground, and 
 gave them a solemn admonition concerning the duties and re- 
 sponsibilities of their profession. f They were warned that they 
 must enter upon a new life, that they must keep themselves fair 
 and free from stain, like the white garment that had been thrown 
 around them, which was the emblem of purity and innocence ; 
 that they must render complete and perfect obedience to their 
 superiors ; that they must protect the weak, succour the needy, 
 reverence old men, and do good to the poor. 
 
 The knights and Serjeants of the common law, on the other 
 hand, have ever constituted a privileged fraternity, and always 
 address one another by the endearing term brother. The reli- 
 gious character of the antient ceremony of admission into this 
 legal brotherhood, which took place in church, and its striking 
 similarity to the antient mode of reception into the fraternity of 
 the Temple, are curious and remarkable. 
 
 " Capitalis Justitiarius," says an antient MS. account of the 
 creation of serjeants-at-law in the reign of Henry the Seventh, 
 " monstrabat eis plura bona exempla de eorum praedecessoribus, et 
 tunc posuit les coyfes% super eorum capitibus, et induebat eos 
 
 * Dugd. Hist. Warwickshire, p. 704. 
 
 ")• Et tunc Magister Templi dedit sibi mantellum, et imposuit pileum capiti suo, et 
 tunc fecit eum sedere ad terrain, injungens sibi, &c. — Acta contra Templarios. Concil. 
 Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 380. See also p. 335. 
 
 Z It has been supposed that the coif was first introduced by the clerical practitioners 
 of the common law to hide the tonsure of those priests who practised in the Court of 
 Common Pleas, notwithstanding the ecclesiastical prohibition. This was not the case.
 
 366 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 singulariter de capital de skarletto, et sic creati fuerunt servientes 
 ad legem." In his admonitory exhortation, the chief justice dis- 
 plays to tliem the moral and religious duties of their profession. 
 " Ambulate in vocatione in qua vocati estis. . . . Disce cultum 
 Dei, reverentiam superioris (/), misericordiam pnuperi." He tells 
 them the coif is sicut vestis Candida et immaculata, the emblem 
 of purity and virtue, and he commences a portion of his discourse 
 in the scriptural language used by the popes in the famous bull 
 conceding to the Templars their vast spiritual and temporal pri- 
 vileges, " Omne datum optimujii et omne donum perf actum desursnm 
 est descendens a patre lumimim, 6)"c. Sfc. /* 
 
 The freres serjens of the Temple were strictly enjoined to " eat 
 their bread in silence," and " place a watch upon their mouths," 
 and the freres serjens of the law, we are told, after their admission, 
 did " dyne together with sober countenance and lytel communy- 
 cacion." 
 
 The common-law lawyers, after their location in the Temple, 
 continued rapidly to increase, and between the reigns of Richard 
 the Second and Henry the Sixth, they divided themselves into 
 two bodies. " In the raigne of king Henry the Sixth," says the 
 MS. account of the Temple, written 9 Charles the First, " they 
 were soe multiplied and grown into soe great a bulke as could not 
 conveniently be regulated into one society, nor indeed was the 
 
 The early portraits of our judges exhibit them with a coif of very much larger dimensions 
 than the coifs now worn by the serjeants-at-law, very much larger than would be necessary 
 to hide the mere clerical tonsure. A covering for that purpose indeed would be absurd. 
 The antient coifs of the serjeants-at-law were small linen or silk caps fitting close to the 
 top of the head. This peculiar covering is worn universally in the East, where the people 
 shave their heads and cut their hair close. It was imported into Europe by the Knights 
 Templars, and became a distinguishing badge of their order. From the freres serjens 
 of the Temple it passed to the freres serjens of the law. 
 
 * Ex cod. MS. apud sub-thesaurarium Hosp. Medii Templi, f. 4. a. Dugd. Orig. 
 .Turid. cap. 43, 46.
 
 THB TEMPLE. 367 
 
 old hall capable of containing so great a number, whereupon they 
 were forced to divide themselves. A new hall was then erected 
 which is now the Junior Temple Hall, whereunto divers of those 
 who before took their repast and diet in the old hall resorted, 
 and in process of time became a distinct and divided society." 
 
 From the inquisition taken 10. E. III. a.d. 1337, it appears that 
 in the time of the Knights Templars there were two halls in the 
 Temple, so that it is not likely that a fresh one was built. One 
 of tliese halls, the present Inner Temple Hall, had been assigned, 
 the year previous to the taking of that inquisition, to the prior 
 and brethren of the Hospital of Saint John, together with the 
 church, cloisters, &c., as before mentioned, whilst the other hall 
 remained in the hands of the crown, and was not granted to the 
 Hospitallers until 13 E. III. a. d. 1340. It was probably soon 
 after this period that the Hospitallers conceded the use of both 
 halls to the professors of the law, and these last, from dining 
 apart and being attached to different halls, at last separated into 
 two societies, as at present. 
 
 " Although there be two several societies, yet in sundry places 
 they are promiscuously lodged together without any metes or 
 bounds to distinguish them, and the ground rooms in some places 
 belong to the new house, and the upper rooms to the old one, a 
 manifest argument that both made at first but one house, nor did 
 they either before or after this division claim by several leases, 
 but by one entire grant. And as they took their diet apart, so 
 likewise were they stationed apart in the church, viz. those of the 
 Middle Temple on the left hand side as you go therein, and those 
 of the old house on the right hand side, and so it remains between 
 them at this day."* 
 
 Burton, the antiquary, who wrote in the reign of queen Eliza- 
 beth, speaks of this " old house" (the Inner Temple) as " the 
 
 * MS. in Bib. Int. Temp. No. 17. fo, 408.
 
 368 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 mother and most antient of all the other houses of courts, to 
 which," says he, " I must acknowledge all due respect, being a 
 fellow thereof, admitted into the same society on the 20th of 
 May, 1593," * The two societies of the Temple are of equal an- 
 tiquity ; the members in the first instance dined together in one 
 or other of the antient halls of the Templars as it suited their 
 convenience and inclination ; and to this day, in memory of the 
 old custom, the benchers or antients of the one society dine once 
 every year in the hall of the other society. The period of the 
 division has been generally referred to the commencement of the 
 reign of Henry the Sixth, as at the close of that long reign the 
 present ybwr Inns of Court were all in existence, and then con- 
 tained about two thousand students. The Court of King's Bench, 
 the Court of Exchequer, and the Court of Chancery, had then 
 encroached upon the jurisdiction of the Common Pleas, and had 
 taken cognizance of civil causes between subject and subject, 
 which were formerly decided in that court alone.* The legal 
 business of the country had consequently greatly increased, the 
 profession of the law became highly honourable, and the gentry 
 and the nobility considered the study of it a necessary part of 
 education. 
 
 Sir John Fortescue, who was chief justice of the King's Bench 
 during half the reign of Henry the Sixth, in his famous discourse 
 de laudihus legum Anglice, tells us that in his time the annual ex- 
 penses of each law-student amounted to more than 28/., (equal to 
 
 * Burto7i's Leicestershire, p. "235. 
 
 t After the courts of King's Bench and Exchequer had by a fiction of law drawn to 
 themselves a vast portion of the civil business originally transacted in the Common 
 Pleas alone, the degree of serjeant-at-law, with its exclusive privilege of practising in the 
 last-named court, was not sought after as before. The advocates or barristers of the 
 King' Bench and Exchequer were, consequently, at different times, commanded by writ 
 to take upon them the degree of the coif, and transfer their practice to the Common 
 Pleas.
 
 '- THE TEMPLE. 369 
 
 about 450Z. of our present money,) that all the students of the 
 law were gentlemen by birth and fortune, and had great regard 
 for their character and honour ; that in each Inn of Court there 
 was an academy or gymnusiitm, where singing, music, and dancing* 
 and a variety of accomplishments, were taught. Law was studied 
 at stated periods, and on festival days : after the offices of the 
 church were over, the students employed themselves in the study 
 of history, and in reading the Holy Scriptures. Everything good 
 and virtuous was there taught, vice was discouraged aiid banished, 
 so that knights, barons, and the greatest of the nobility of the 
 kingdom, placed their sons in the Temple and the other Inns of 
 Court ; and not so much, he tells us, to make the law their study, 
 or to enable them to live by the profession, as to form their 
 manners and to preserve them from the contagion of vice. 
 " Quarrelling, insubordination, and murmuring, are unheard of; 
 if a student dishonours himself, he is expelled the society ; a punish- 
 ment which is dreaded more than imprisonment and irons, for he 
 who has been driven from one society is never admitted into any 
 of the others ; whence it happens, that there is a constant har- 
 mony amongst them, the greatest friendship, and a general free- 
 dom of conversation." 
 
 The two societies of the Temple are now distinguished by the 
 several denominations of the Inner and the Middle Temple, 
 names that appear to have been adopted with reference to a part 
 of the antient Temple, which, in common with other property 
 of the Knights Templars, never came into the hands of the 
 Hospitallers. After the lawyers of the Temple had separated 
 into two bodies and occupied distinct portions of ground, this part 
 came to be known by the name of the outward Temple, as being 
 the farthest away from the city, and is thus referred to in a manu- 
 script in the British Museum, written in the reign of James the 
 First. — " A third part, called outward Temple, was procured by 
 
 B B
 
 370 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 one Dr. Stapleton, bishop of Exeter, in tlie days of king Edward 
 the Second, for a residing mansion-house for him and his succes- 
 sors, bisliops of that see. It was called Exeter Inn until the 
 reign of the late queen Mary, when the lord Paget, her principal 
 secretary of state, obtained the said third part, called Exeter- 
 house, to him and his heirs, and did re-edify the same. After 
 whom the said third part of the Templar's house came to Thomas 
 late duke of Norfolk, and was by him conveyed to Sir Robert 
 Dudley, knight, earl of Leicester, who bequeathed the same to 
 Sir Robert Dudley, knight, his son, and lastly, by purchase, 
 came to Robert late earl of Essex, who died in the reign of the 
 late queen Elizabeth, and is still called Essex-house." * 
 
 When the lawyers came into the Temple, they found engraved 
 upon the antient buildings the armorial bearings of the Knights 
 Templars, which were, on a shield argent, a plain cross gules, 
 and {hrochant sur le tout) the holy lamb bearing the banner of 
 the order, surmounted by a red cross. These arms remained the 
 emblem of the Temple until the fifth year of the reign of queen 
 Elizabeth, when unfortunately the society of the Inner Temple, 
 yielding to the advice and persuasion of Master Gerard Leigh, 
 a member of the College of Heralds, abandoned the antient and 
 honourable device of the Knights Templars, and assumed in its 
 place a galloping winged horse called a Pegasus, or, as it has 
 been explained to us, " a horse striking the earth with its hoof, 
 or Pegasus luna on a field argent !" Master Gerard Leigh, we are 
 told, " emblazoned them with precious stones and planets, and by 
 these strange arms he intended to signify that the knowledge ac- 
 quired at the learned seminary of the Inner Temple would raise 
 the professors of the law to the highest honours, adding, by way of 
 motto, volat ad cethera virtus, and he intended to allude to what 
 are esteemed the more liberal sciences, by giving them Pegasus 
 
 * Malcom. Lond. Rediviv., vol. ii. p. 282.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 371 
 
 I 
 
 forming the fountain of Hippocrene, by striking his hoof against j 
 
 the rock, as a proper emblem of lawyers becoming poets, as ' | 
 
 Chaucer and Gower, who were both of the Temple!" 
 
 The society of the Middle Temple, with better taste, still pre- | 
 
 serves, in that part of the Temple over which its sway extends, 
 the widely-renowned and time-honoured badge of the antient order 
 of the Temple. } 
 
 The assumption of the prancing winged horse by the one j 
 
 society, and the retention of the lamb by the other, have given 
 rise to the following witty lines — | 
 
 " As thro' the Templars' courts you go, i 
 
 The lamb and horse displayed, 
 The emblematic figures show 
 
 The merits of their trade. 
 
 That clients may infer from hence i 
 
 How just is their profession ; 
 The lamb denotes their innocencb. 
 
 The horse their expedition. 
 
 Oh, happy Britain ! happy isle ! 
 
 Let foreign nations say, ' 
 
 Here you get justice without guile, 
 
 And law without delay." 
 
 ANSWER. 
 
 " Unhappy man ! those courts forego, 
 
 Nor trust such cimning elves. 
 The artful emblems only show 
 
 Their clients, not themselves. 
 
 These all are tricks, < 
 
 These all are shams, ' 
 
 With which they mean to cheat ye, 
 But have a care, for you're the lambs. 
 
 And they the wolves that eat ye. ! 
 
 B B 2
 
 372 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Nor let the plea of no delay 
 
 To these their courts misguide ye, 
 
 For you're the prancing horse; and they 
 The jockeys that would ride you !"
 
 373 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 The Temple Garden — The erection of new buildmgs in the Temple — The disso- 
 lution of the order of the Hospital of Saint John — The law societies become 
 lessees of the cro^vn — The erection of the magnificent Middle Temple HaU — 
 The conversion of the old hall into chambers — The grant of the inheritance 
 of the Temple to the two law societies — Their magnificent present to his 
 Majesty — ^Their antient orders and customs, and antient hospitahty — Their 
 grand entertainments — Reader's feasts — Grand Christmasses and Revels — ^The 
 fox-hunt in the haU — ^The dispute \vith the Lord Mayor — The quarrel with 
 the custos of the Temple Church. 
 
 " Planta GENET. Great lords and gentlemen, what means this silence ? 
 Dare no man answer in a case of truth ? 
 Suffolk . . . Within the Temple Hall we were too loud : 
 The GARDEN here is more convenient." 
 
 Shakspeare makes the Temple Garden, which is to this day 
 celebrated for the beauty and profusion of its flowers, the scene 
 of the choice of the white and red roses, as the badges of the 
 rival houses of York and Lancaster. Richard Plantagenet and 
 the earl of Somerset retire with their followers from the hall into 
 the garden, where Plantagenet thus addresses the silent and 
 hesitating bystandeis :
 
 374 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 " Since you are tongue-ty'd, and so loath to speak, 
 In dumb significants proclaim your thoughts : 
 Let him, that is a true-born gentleman, 
 And stands upon the honour of his birth, 
 If he suppose that I have pleaded truth, 
 From off this brier pluck a white rose with me. 
 
 Somerset. Let him that is no coward, nor no flatterer. 
 But dare maintain the party of the truth, 
 Pluck a red rose from off this thorn with me. 
 
 Warwick. I love no colours ; and, without all colour 
 Of base insinuating flattery, 
 I pluck this white rose with Plantagenet. 
 
 Suffolk, I pluck this red rose with young Somerset, 
 And say withal I think he held the right. 
 
 Vernon. Then for the truth and plainness of the case, 
 I pluck this pale and maiden blossom here, 
 Giving my verdict on the white rose side. 
 
 Somerset. . . . Come on, who else ? 
 
 Lawyer, Unless my study and my books be false. 
 The argument you held was wrong in jo\x ; 
 In sign whereof I pluck a white rose too. [To Sojuekset. 
 
 Wariclck. . . . This brawl to-day, 
 Grown to this faction in the Temple Garden, 
 Shall send, between the red rose and the white, 
 A thousand souls to death and deadly night." 
 
 In the Cotton Library is a manuscript written at the com- 
 mencement of the reign of Henry the Eighth, entitled " A de- 
 scription of the Form and Manner, how, and by what Orders 
 and Customs the State of the Fellowshyppe of the Myddil Temple 
 is maintained, and what ways they have to attaine unto Learn- 
 ing." * It contains a great deal of curious information con- 
 cerning the government of the house, the readings, mot-yngs, 
 boltings, and other exercises formerly performed for the advance- 
 
 * MS. Bib. Cotton. Vitellius, c. 9, fol. 320, a.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 375 
 
 uient of learning, and of the different degrees of benchers, readers, 
 cupboard-men, inner-barristers, utter-barristers, and students, 
 together with " the chardges for their mete and drynke by the 
 yeare, and the manner of the dyet, and the stipende of their 
 officers." The writer tells us that it was the duty of the " Tre- 
 sorer to gather of certen of the fellowship a tribute yerely of 
 iiis. iiic?. a piece, and to pay out of it the rent due to my lord of 
 Saint John's for the house that they dwell in." 
 
 "Item; they have no place to walk in, and talk and confer 
 their learnings, but in the church ; which place all the terme 
 times hath in it no more of quietnesse than the perwyse of 
 Pawles, by occasion of the confluence and concourse of such as 
 be suters in the lawe." The conferences between lawyers and 
 clients in the Temple Church are thus alluded to by Butler : 
 
 " Retain all sorts of witnesses 
 
 That ply in the Temple under trees, 
 
 Or walk the Round with knights of the posts, 
 
 About the cross-legged knights their hosts." 
 
 " Item ; they have every day three masses said one after the 
 other, and the first masse doth begin at seaven of the clock, or 
 thereabouts. On festivall days they have mattens and masse so- 
 lemnly sung ; and during the matyns singing they have three 
 masses said." * 
 
 At the commencement of the reign of Henry VIII. a wall 
 was built between the Temple Garden and the river ; the Inner 
 Temple Hall was " seeled," various new chambers were erected, 
 and the societies expended sums of money, and acted as if they 
 were absolute proprietors of the Temple, rather than as lessees of 
 the Hospitallers of Saint John. 
 
 In 32 Hen. VIII. was passed the act of parliament dissolving 
 
 * MS. liib. Collon, c. 9, fol. 320, a.
 
 376 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 the order of the Hospital, and vesting all the property of the 
 brethren in the crown, saving the rights and interests of lessees^ 
 and others who held under them. 
 
 The two law societies consequently now held of the crown. 
 
 In 5 Eliz. the present spacious and magnificent Middle Temple 
 Hall, one of the most elegant and beautiful structures in the 
 kingdom, was commenced, (the old hall being converted into 
 chambers ;) and in the reigns both of Mary and Elizabeth, vari- 
 ous buildings and sets of chambers were erected in the Inner 
 and Middle Temple, at the expense of the Benchers and mem- 
 bers of the two societies. All this was done in full reliance upon 
 the justice and honour of the crown. In the reign of James I., 
 however, some Scotchman attempted to obtain from his majesty 
 a grant of the fee-simple or inheritance of the Temple, which 
 being brought to the knowledge of the two societies, they forth- 
 with made " humble suit" to the king, and obtained a grant of 
 the property to themselves. By letters patent, bearing date at 
 Westminster the 13th of August, in the sixth year of his reign, 
 A. D. 1609, king James granted the Temple to the Benchers of 
 the two societies, their heirs and assigns for ever, for the lodging, 
 reception, and education of the professors and students of thg 
 laws of England, the said Benchers yielding and paying to the 
 said king, his heirs, and successors, ten pounds yearly for the 
 mansion called the Inner Temple, and ten pounds yearly for the 
 Middle Temple.* 
 
 In grateful acknowledgment of this donation, the two societies 
 caused to be made, at their mutual cost, " a stately cup of pure 
 gold, weighinge two hundred ounces and an halfe, of the value of 
 one thousand markes, or thereabouts, the which in all humble- 
 ness was presented to his excellent majestie att the court att 
 Whitehall, in the said sixth year of his majestie's raigne over 
 
 ** Hargravc, MS. No. 10, T-l. f. 5. fol. 46.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 377 
 
 the realme of England, for a new yeare's gifte, by the hands of 
 the said sir Henry Mountagnie, afterwards baron Mouutague, 
 viscount Mandevil, the earl of Manchester, Richard Daston, esq., 
 and other eminent persons of both those honourable societies, the 
 which it pleased his majesty most gratiously to accept and re- 
 ceiue .... Upon one side of this cup is curiously engraven the 
 proporcion of a church or temple beautified, with turrets and 
 pinnacles, and on the other side is figured an altar, whereon is a 
 representation of a holy fire, the flames propper, and over the 
 flames these words engraven. Nil nisi vobis. The cover of this 
 rich cup of gold is in the upper parte thereof adorned with a 
 fabrick fashioned like a pyramid, whereon standeth the statue of 
 a military person leaning, with the left hand upon a Roman- 
 fashioned shield or target, the which cup his excellent majestie, 
 whilst he lived, esteemed for one of his roialest and richest 
 Jewells," * 
 
 Some of the antient orders and regulations for the government 
 of the two societies are not unworthy of attention. 
 
 From the record of a parliament holden in the Inner Temple 
 on the 15th of November, 3 and 4 Ph. and Mary, a. d. 1558, 
 it appears that eight gentlemen of the house, in the previous 
 readino- vocation, " were committed to the Fleete for wilfull de- 
 menoure and disobedience to the Bench, and were worthyly ex- 
 pulsed the fellowshyppe of the house, since which tyme, upon 
 their humble suite and submission unto the said Benchers of the 
 said house, it is agreed that they shall be readmitted into the 
 fellowshyppe, and into commons again, without payeing any 
 floine." t 
 
 * MS. in Bib. In. Temp., No. 19, fol. 
 
 t In. Temp. Ad. Parliament, ibm. XV. die Novembris Anno Philippi et Maris 
 tertio et quarto, coram Johe Baker Milite, Niche Hare Milite, Thoma Why te Milite, 
 et al. MS. Bib. In. Tom. Div. 9, shelf 5, vol. xvii. fol. 393.
 
 378 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 Amongst the ancient customs and usages derived from the 
 Knights Templars, which were for a lengthened period religiously 
 preserved and kept up in the Temple, was the oriental fashion of 
 long beards. In the reign of Philip and Mary, at the personal 
 request of the queen, attempts were made to do away with this 
 time-honoured custom, and to limit 
 
 THE LENGTH OF A LAWYEr's BEARD. 
 
 On the 22nd of June, 3 and 4 Philip and Mary, a. d. 1557, it 
 was ordered that none of the companies of the Inner and Middle 
 Temple, under the degree of a knight being in commons, should 
 wear their beards above three weeks growing, upon pain of XLs., 
 and so double for every week after monition. They were, more- 
 over, required to lay aside their arms, and it was ordered " that 
 none of the companies, when they be in commons, shall wear 
 Spanish cloak, sword and buckler, or rapier, or gownes and hats, 
 or gownes girded with a dagger ;" also, that " none of the com- 
 panions, except Knights or Benchers, should thenceforth wear 
 in their doublets or hoses any light colours, except scarlet and 
 crimson ; or wear any upper velvet cap, or any scarf, or wings 
 on their gownes, white jerky ns, buskins or velvet shoes, double 
 cuffs on their shirts, feathers or ribbens on their caps ! That 
 no attorney should be admitted into either of the houses, and 
 that, in all admissions from thenceforth, it should be an implied 
 condition, that if the party admitted " should practyse any attor- 
 neyship," he was ipso facto dismissed.* 
 
 In 1 Jac. I., it was ordered, in obedience to the commands of 
 the king, that no one should be admitted a member of either so- 
 ciety who was not a gentleman by descent ; — that none of the gen- 
 tlemen should come into the hall " in cloaks, boots, spurs, swords, 
 or daggers ;" and it was publicly declared that their " yellow 
 
 * Ex registr. In. Temp., f. ] 12, 119, b. Med. Temp., f. 24, a. Dugd., Orig. Jurid,, 
 p. 310, 311.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 379 
 
 bands, and ear toyes, and short cloaks, and weapons," were 
 " much disliked and forbidden/' 
 
 In A. D. 1623, king- James recommended the antient way of 
 wearing caps to be carefully observed ; and the king- was pleased 
 to take notice of the good order of the house of the Inner Temple 
 in that particular. His majesty was further pleased to recom- 
 mend that boots should be laid aside as ill befitting gownsmen ; 
 " for boots and spurs," says his majesty, " are the badges rather 
 of roarers than of civil men, who should use them only when they 
 ride. Therefore we have made example in our own court, that 
 no boots shall come into our presence." 
 
 The modern Templars for a long period fully maintained the 
 antient character and reputation of the Temple for sumptuous 
 and magnificent hospitality, although the venison from the royal 
 forests, and the wine from the king's cellars,* no longer made its 
 periodical appearance within the walls of the old convent. 
 Sir John Fortescue alludes to the revels and pastimes of the 
 Temple in the reign of Henry VI., and several antient writers 
 speak of the grand Christmasses, the readers' feasts, the masques, 
 and the sumptuous entertainments afforded to foreign ambas- 
 sadors, and even to royalty itself Various dramatic shows were 
 got up upon these occasions, and the leading characters who 
 figured at them were the " Marshall of the Knights Te7n2jlars .'" 
 the constable marshall, the master of the games, the lieutenant 
 of the Tower, the ranger of the forest, the lord of misrule, the 
 king of Cockneys, and Jack Straw ! 
 
 The Constable Marshall came into the hall on banqueting days 
 " fairly mounted on his mule," clothed in complete armour, with 
 a nest of feathers of all colours upon his helm, and a gilt pole- 
 axe in his hand. He was attended by halberdiers, and preceded 
 
 * Ante, p. 180.
 
 380 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 by drums and fifes, and by sixteen trumpeters, and devised some 
 sport "for passing away the afternoon." 
 
 The Master of the Game, and the Ranger of the Forest, were 
 apparelled in green velvet and green satin, and had hunting 
 horns about their necks, with which they marched round about 
 the fire, " blo.\ ing three blasts of venery." 
 
 The most remarkable of all the entertainments vi as the hunt in 
 the hall, when the huntsman came in with his winding horn, 
 dragging in with him a cat, a fox, a purse-net, and nine or ten 
 couple of hounds ! The cat and the fox were both tied to the 
 end of a stafi", and were turned loose into the hall ; they were 
 hunted with the dogs amid the blowing of hunting horns, and 
 were killed under the grate ! ! 
 
 The quantity of venison consumed on these festive occasions 
 particularly at the readers' feasts, was enormous. In the reign 
 of Queen Mary, it was ordered by the benchers of the Middle 
 Temple, that no reader should spend less than fifteen bucks in 
 the hall, and this number was generally greatly exceeded : " there 
 be few summer readers," v.e are informed in an old MS. account 
 of the readers' feasts, " who, in half the time that heretofore a 
 reading was wont to continue, spent so little as threescore 
 bucks, besides red deer ; some have spent fourscore, some a hun- 
 dred * The lawyers in that golden age breakfasted on 
 
 " brawn and malmsey," andsupped on" venison pasties and roasted 
 hens !" Among the viands at dinner were " faireand large bores' 
 heads served upon silver platters, with minstralsye, roasted swans, 
 bustards, herns, bitterns, turkey chicks, curlews, godwits, &:c. &:c." 
 
 The following observations concerning the Temple, and a grand 
 entertainment there, in the reign of Queen Mary, will be read 
 with interest. " Arriuing in the faire river of Thames, I landed 
 * Dugd. Orig. Juiid. p. 31 G. Herbert Antiq., p. 223 to 272.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 381 
 
 within halfe a leage from the city of London, which was, as I 
 coniecture, in December last. And drawing neere the citie, sodenly 
 hard the shot of double cannons, in so great a number, and so 
 terrible, that it darkened the whole aire, wherewith, although I 
 was in my native countrie, yet stoode I amazed, not knowing 
 what it ment. Thus, as I abode in despaire either to returne or 
 to continue my former purpose, I chaunced to see comming 
 towardes me an honest citizen, clothed in long garment, keping 
 the highway, semiug to walke for his recreation, which prognos- 
 ticated rather peace than perill. Of whom I demaunded the cause 
 of this great shot, who frendly answered, ' It is the warning shot 
 to th' officers of the Constable Marshall of the Inner Temple to 
 prepare to dinner ! Why, said I, is he of that estate, that seeketh 
 not other meanes to warn his officers, then with such terrible 
 shot in so peaceable a countrey ? Marry, saith he, he vttereth 
 himselfe the better to be that officer whose name he beareth. I 
 then demanded what prouince did he gouerne that needeth such 
 an officer. Hee answered me, the prouince was not great in quan- 
 titie, but antient in true nobilitie ; a place, said he, priuileged by 
 the most excellent princess, the high gouernour of the whole land, 
 wherein are store of gentilmen of the whole realme, that repaire 
 thither to learne to rule, and obey by lawe, to yeelde their fleece 
 to their prince and common weale, as also to vse all other exer- 
 cises of bodie and minde whereunto nature most aptly serueth to 
 adorne by speaking, countenance, gesture, and vse of apparel, the 
 person of a gentleman ; whereby amitie is obtained and continued, 
 that gentilmen of al countries in theire young yeares, norished 
 together in one place, with such comely order and daily con- 
 ference, are knit by continual acquaintance in such vnitie of 
 mindes and manners, as lightly neuer after is seuered, then which 
 is nothing more profitable to the common weale. 
 
 " And after he had told me thus much of honor of the place, I
 
 382 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 commended in mine own conceit the pollicie of the gouernour, 
 which seemed to vtter in itselfe the foundation of a good com- 
 monweale. For that the best of their people from tender yeares 
 trayned vp in precepts of justice, it could not chose but yeelde 
 forth a profitable people to a wise commonweale. Wherefore I 
 determined with myselfe to make proofe of that I heard by 
 reporte. 
 
 "The next day I thought for my pastime to walke to this 
 Temijle, and entering in at the gates, I found the building no- 
 thing costly; but many comly gentlemen of face aud person, 
 and thereto very courteous, saw I passe too and fro. Passing 
 forward, I entered into a church of auncient building, wherein 
 were many monumentes of noble personnages armed in knighteley 
 habite, with their cotes depainted in auncient shieldes, whereat I 
 took pleasure to behold 
 
 " Anon we heard the noise of drum and fyfe. What meaneth 
 this drumme? said I. Quod he, this is to warn gentlemen of the 
 household to repaire to the dresser ; wherefore come on with me, 
 and yee shall stand where ye may best see the hall serued ; and 
 so from thence brought me into a long gallerie that stretcheth 
 itselfe alongest the hall, neere the prince's table, where I saw the 
 prince set, a man of tall personage, of mannelye countenance, 
 somewhat browne of visage, strongelie featured, and thereto 
 comelie proportioned. At the neather end of the same table 
 were placed the ambassadors of diners princes. Before him stood 
 the earner, seruer, and cup-bearer, with great number of gentle- 
 men wayters attending his person. The lordes steward, treasorer, 
 with dmers honorable personages, were placed at a side-table 
 neere adjoyning the prince on the right hand, and at another 
 table on the left side were placed the treasorer of the household, 
 secretarie, the prince's serjeant of law, the four masters of the 
 reauUes, the king of amies, the deane of the chapell, and diuers
 
 THE TEMPLE. 38^3 
 
 gentlemen pentioners to furnish the same. At another table, on 
 the other side, were set the maister of the game, and his chiefe 
 ranger, raaisters of household, clerkes of the greene cloth and 
 checke, with diuers other strangers to furnish the same. On the 
 other side, agaiiiste them, began the table of the lieutenant of the 
 Tower, accompanied Avith diuers captaines of footbandes and shot. 
 At the neather ende of the hall, began the table of the high 
 butler and panter, clerkes of the kitchen, maister cooke of the 
 priue kitchen, furnished throughout with the souldiours and 
 guard of the prince .... 
 
 " The prince was serued with tender meates, sweet fruites, and 
 daintie delicates, confectioned with curious cookerie, as it seemed 
 woonder a word to serue the prouisiou. And at euerie course, 
 the trompettes blew the courageous blaste of deadlye warre, with 
 noise of drum and fyfe, Avith the sweet harmony of viollens, shak- 
 buts, recorders, and cornettes, with other instruments of rausicke, 
 as it seemed Apolloe's harpe had tewned their stroke." 
 
 After dinner, prizes were prepared for " tilt and turney, and 
 such knighteley pastime, and for their solace they masked with 
 bewtie's dames with such heauenly armonie as if Apollo and 
 Orpheus had shewed their cunning."* 
 
 Masques, revels, plays, and eating and drinking, seem to have 
 been as much attended to in the Temple in those days as the 
 grave study of the law. Sir Christopher Hatton, a member of the 
 Inner Temple, gained the favour of Queen Elizabeth, for his grace 
 and activity in a masque which was acted before her majesty. 
 He was made vice-chaiuberlain, and afterwards lord chancellor If 
 In A. D. 1568, the tragedy of Tancred and Gismund, the joint 
 production of five students of the Inner Temple, was acted at the 
 Temple before queen Elizabeth and her court.J 
 
 * LeigK's Armorie, fol. 119. ed. 1576. t Naunton's Fragmenta Regalia, p. 248. 
 
 X Chalmer^s Diet. Biograph., vol. xvii. p. 227.
 
 384 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 On the marriage of the lady Elizabeth, daughter of king James 
 I., to prince Frederick, the elector palatine, (Feb. 14th, a. d. 
 1613,) a masque was performed at court by the gentlemen of the 
 Temple, and shortly after, twenty Templars were appointed 
 barristers there inhon our of prince Charles, who had lately become 
 prince of Wales, " the chardges thereof being defrayed by a con- 
 tribution of xxxs. from each bencher, xvs. from euery barister 
 of seauen years' standing, and xs. a peice from all other gentle- 
 men in commons."* 
 
 Of all the pageants prepared for the entertainment of the 
 sovereigns of England, the most famous one was that splendid 
 masque, which cost upwards of £20,000, presented by the Tem- 
 plars, in conjunction with the members of Lincoln's Inn and Gray's 
 Inn, to king Charles I., and his young queen, Henrietta of 
 France. Whitelock, in his Memorials, gives a minute and most 
 animated account of this masque, which will be read with interest, 
 as affording a characteristic and admirable exhibition of the man- 
 ners of the age 
 
 The procession from the Temple to the palace of Whitehall 
 was the most magnificent that had ever been seen in London. 
 " One hundred gentlemen in very rich clothes, with scarce any- 
 thing to be seen on them but gold and silver lace, were mounted on 
 the best horses and the best furniture that the king's stable and 
 the stables of all the noblemen in town could afford," Each 
 gentleman had a page and two lacqueys in livery waiting by his 
 horse's side. The lacqueys carried torches, and the page his mas- 
 ter's cloak. " The richness of their apparel and furniture glitter- 
 ing by the light of innumerable torches, the motion and stirring 
 of their mettled horses, and the many and gay liveries of their ser- 
 vants, but especially the personal beauty and gallantry of the 
 
 * Ditgd. Orig. Jurid., p. 150. Ex registro Hosp. In. Temp. f. 123.
 
 THE TEMPLR. 385 
 
 handsome young gentlemen, made the most glorious and splendid 
 show that ever was beheld in Enjrland." 
 
 These gallant Templars were accompanied by the finest band 
 of picked musicians that London could afford, and were followed 
 by the antimasque of beggars and cripples, who were mounted on 
 " the poorest, leanest jades that could be gotten out of the dirt- 
 carts." The habits and dresses of these cripples were most inge- 
 niously arranged, and as the " gallant Inns of Court men " had 
 their music, so also had the beggars and cripples. It consisted of 
 keys, tongs, and gridirons, " snapping and yet playing in concert be- 
 fore them." After the beggars' antimasque came a band of pipes, 
 whistles, and instruments, sounding notes like those of birds, of 
 all sorts, in excellent harmony ; and these ushered in " the anti- 
 masque of birds," which consisted of an owl in an ivy bush, with 
 innumerable other birds in a cluster about the owl, gazing upon 
 her. " These were little boys put into covers of the shape of 
 those birds, rarely fitted, and sitting on small horses with footmen 
 going by them with torches in their hands, and there were some 
 besides to look unto the children, and these were very pleasant to 
 the beholders." Then came a wild, harsh band of northern 
 music, bagpipes, horns, &:c,, followed by the " antimasque of pro- 
 jectors,'' who were in turn succeeded by a string of chariots drawn 
 by four horses a breast, filled with " gods and goddesses," and 
 preceded by heathen priests. Then followed the chariots of the 
 grand masquers drawn by four horses abreast. 
 
 The chariots of the Inner and Middle Temple were silver and 
 blue. The horses were covered to their heels with cloth of tissue, 
 and their heads were adorned with huge plumes of blue and white 
 feathers. " The torches and flaming flamboys borne by the side 
 
 of each chariot made it seem lightsom as at noonday It 
 
 was, indeed, a glorious spectacle." 
 
 Whitelock gives a most animated description of the scene in 
 
 c c
 
 386 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 the banqueting-room. " It was so crowded," says he, *' with 
 fair ladies glittering with their rich cloaths and richer jewels, and 
 with lords and gentlemen of great quality, that there was scarce 
 room for the king and queen to enter in." The young queen 
 danced with the masquers herself, and judged them " as good 
 dancers as ever she saw !" The great ladies of the court, 
 too, were " very free and easy and civil in dancing with all the 
 masquers as they were taken out by them." 
 
 Queen Henrietta was so delighted with the masque, " the 
 dances, speeches, musick, and singing," that she desired to see 
 the whole thing acted over again ! whereupon the lord mayor in- 
 vited their majesties and all the Inns of Court men into the city, 
 and entertained them with great state and magnificence at Mer- 
 chant Taylor's Hall.* 
 
 Many of the Templars who were the foremost in these festive 
 scenes afterwards took up arms against their sovereign. White- 
 lock himself commanded a body of horse, and fought several san- 
 guinary engagements with the royalist forces. 
 
 The year after the restoration. Sir Heneage Finch, afterwards 
 earl of Nottingham, kept his readers' feast in the great hall of 
 the Inner Temple with extraordinary splendour. The enter- 
 tainments lasted from the 4th to the 17th of August. 
 
 At the first day's dinner were several of the nobility of the 
 kingdom and privy councillors, with divers others of his friends ; 
 at the second were the lord mayor, aldermen, and principal 
 citizens of London ; to the third, which was two days after the 
 former, came the whole college of physicians, who all appeared 
 in their caps and gowns ; at the fourth were all the judges, advo- 
 cates, and doctors of the civil law, and all the society of Doctors' 
 Commons ; at the fifth were entertained the archbishops, bishops, 
 
 * TFAi^e/ocAr'* Memorials, p. 18—22. Ed. 17.S2.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 387 
 
 and chief of the clergy ; and on the 15th of August his majesty 
 king Charles the Second came from Whitehall in his state barge, 
 and dined with the reader and the M'hole society in the hall. His 
 majesty was accompanied by the duke of York, and attended by 
 the lord chancellor, lord treasurer, lord privy seal, the dukes of 
 Buckingham, Richmond, and Ormond ; the lord chamberlain, 
 the earls of Ossory, Bristol, Berks, Portland, Strafford, Anglesy, 
 Essex, Bath, and Carlisle ; the lords Wentworth, Cornbury, De 
 la Warre, Gerard of Brandon, Berkley of Stratton and Corn- 
 wallis, the comptroller and vice-chamberlain of his majesties's 
 household ; Sir William Morice, one of his principal secretaries 
 of state; the earl of Middleton, lord commissioner of Scotland, 
 the earl of Glencairne, lord chancellor of Scotland, the earls of 
 Lauderdale and Newburgh, and others the commissioners of that 
 kingdom, and the earl of Kildare and others, commissioners of 
 Ireland. 
 
 An entrance was made from the river through the wall into 
 the Temple Garden, and his majesty was received on his landing 
 from the barge by the reader and the lord chief justice of the 
 Common Pleas, whilst the path from the garden to the hall was 
 lined with the readers' servants in scarlet cloaks and white tabba 
 doublets, and above them were ranged the benchers, barristers. 
 and students of the society, " the loud musick playing from the 
 time that his majesty landed till he entered the hall, where he 
 was received with xx. violins." Dinner was brought up by iifty 
 of the young gentlemen of the society in their gowns, " who gave 
 their attendance all dinner-while, none other appearing in the 
 hall but themselves." 
 
 On the 3rd of November following, his royal highness the duke 
 of York, the duke of Buckingham, the earl of Dorset, and Sir 
 William Morrice, secretary of state, were admitted members of 
 
 c c 2
 
 388 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 the society of the Inner Temple, the duke of York being called to 
 the bar and bench.* 
 
 In 8 Car. II., a. d. 1668, Sir William Turner, lord mayor of 
 London, came to the readers' feast in the Inner Temple with his 
 sword and mace and external emblems of civic authority, which 
 was considered to be an affront to the society, and the lord mayor 
 was consequently very roughly handled by some of the junior 
 members of the Temple. His worship complained to the king, 
 and the matter was inquired into by the council, as appears from 
 the following proceedings : — 
 
 " At the Courte att Whitehall, the 7th April, 1669, 
 
 " Present the king's most excellent majestic." 
 
 H. R. H. the duke of York. Lord bishop of London. 
 
 Lord Keeper. Lord Arlington. 
 
 Duke of Ormonde. Lord Newport. 
 
 Lord Chamberlaine. Mr. Treasurer. 
 
 Earle of Bridgewater. Mr. Vice-chamberlaine. 
 
 Earle of Bath. Mr. Secretary Trevor. 
 
 Earle of Craven. Mr. Chancellor of the Dutcliy. 
 
 Earle of Middleton. Mr. John Duncombe. 
 
 " Whereas, it was ordered the 31st of March last, that the com- 
 plaints of the lord maior of the city of London concerneing per- 
 sonall indignities offered to his lordshippe and his officers when 
 he was lately invited to dine with the reader of the Inner Temple, 
 should this day have a further hearing, and that Mr, Hodges, 
 Mr. Wyn, and Mr. Mundy, gentlemen of the Inner Temple, 
 against whome particular complaint was made, sshould appeare 
 att the board, when accordingly, they attendinge, and both parties 
 being called in and heard by their counsell learned, and affidavits 
 haveing been read against the said three persons, accuseing them 
 
 * Diiffd, Oiig. p. 157. Bioff. Brit, vol. xiv. p. 305.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 389 
 
 to have beene the principall actors in that disorder, to which they 
 haveing made their defence, and haveing presented severall affi- 
 davits to justifie their carriage that day, though they could not 
 extenuate the faults of others who in the tumult ajffronted the 
 lord maior and his officers ; and tlie officers of the lord maior, 
 who was alleaged to have beene abused in the tumult, did not 
 charge it upon anie of their particular persons; upon consideration 
 whereof it appeareing to his majestic that the matter dependinge 
 very much upon the right and priviledge of beareing up the lord 
 maior's sword within the Temple, which by order of this board of 
 the 24th of March last is left to be decided by due jiroceedings of 
 lawe in the courts of Westminster Hall ; his majestie therefore 
 thought fitt to suspend the declaration of his pleasure thereupon 
 until the said right and priviledge shall accordinglie be deter- 
 mined att lawe." 
 
 On the 4th of November, 14 Car. II., his highness Rupert 
 prince palatine, Thomas earl of Cleveland, Jocelyn lord Percy, 
 John lord Berkeley of Stratton, with Henry and Bernard 
 Howard of Norfolk, were admitted members of the fellowship of 
 the Inner Temple.* 
 
 We must now close our remarks on the Temple, with a short 
 account of the quarrel with Dr. Micklethwaite, the custos or 
 guardian of the Temple Church. 
 
 After the Hospitallers had been put into possession of the 
 Temple by king Edward the Third, the prior and chapter of that 
 order, appointed to the antient and honourable post of custos, and 
 the priest who occupied that office, had his diet in one or other 
 of the halls of the two law societies, in the same way as the 
 guardian priest of the order of the Temple formerly had his diet 
 in the hall of the antient Knights Templars. He took his place, 
 as did also the chaplains, by virtue of the appointment of the 
 
 * Duffd. Orig. p. 158.
 
 390 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 prior and chapter of the Hospital, without admission, institution 
 or induction, for the Hospitallers were clothed with the privi- 
 leges, as well as with the property, of the Knights Templars, and 
 were exempt from episcopal jurisdiction. The ci^s^os had, as be- 
 fore mentioned, by grant from the prior and chapter of the order 
 of St. John, one thousand faggots a year to keep up the fire in 
 the church, and the rents of Ficketzfeld and Cotterell Garden to 
 be employed in improving the lights and providing for the due 
 celebration of divine service. From two to three chaplains were 
 also provided by the Hospitallers, and nearly the same ecclesi- 
 astical establishment appears to have been maintained by them, 
 as was formerly kept up in the Temple by the Knights Tem- 
 plars. In 21 Hen. VII. these priests had divers lodgings in the 
 Temple, on the east side of the churchyard, part of which were 
 let out to the students of the two societies. 
 
 By sections 9 and 10 of the act 32 Hen. VIII., dissolving the 
 
 order of the Hospital of St. John, it is provided that William 
 
 Ermsted, clerk, the custos or guardian of the Temple Church, 
 
 who is there styled " Master of the Temple," and Walter Lim- 
 
 seie and John Winter, chaplains, should receive and enjoy, 
 
 during their lives, all such mansion-houses, stipends, and wages, 
 
 and all other profits of money, in as large or ample a manner as 
 
 they then lawfully had the same, the said Master and chaplains 
 
 of the Temple doing their duties and services there, as they had 
 
 previously been accustomed to do, and letters patent confirming 
 
 them in their oflfices and pensions were to be made out and 
 
 passed under the great seal. This appellation of " Master of the 
 
 Temple," which antiently denoted the superior of the proud and 
 
 powerful order of Knights Templars in England, the counsellor 
 
 of kings and princes, and the leader of armies, was incorrectly 
 
 applied to the mere custos or guardian of the Temple Church. 
 
 The act makes no provision for the successors of the custos and
 
 THE TEMPLE. 391 
 
 chaplains, and Edward the Sixth consequently, after the decease 
 of William Ermsted, conveyed the lodgings, previously appro- 
 priated to the officiating ministers, to a Mr. Keilway and his 
 heirs, after which the custos and clergymen had no longer of 
 right any lodgings at all in the Temple.* 
 
 From the period of the dissolution of the order of Saint John, 
 down to the present time, the custos, or, as he is now incorrectly 
 styled, " the Master of the Temple," has been appointed by 
 letters patent from tlie crown, and takes his place as in the olden 
 time, without the ceremony of admission, institution, or induc- 
 tion. These letters patent are couched in very general and ex- 
 tensive terms, and give the custos or Master many things to which 
 he is justly entitled, as against the crown, but no longer obtains, 
 and profess to give him many other things which the crown had 
 no power whatever to grant. He is appointed, for instance, 
 "to rule, govern, and superintend the house of the New Temple;" 
 but the crown had no power whatever to make him governor 
 thereof, the government having always been in the hands of the 
 Masters of the bench of the two societies, who succeeded to the 
 authority of the Master and chapter of the Knights Templars. 
 In these letters patent the Temple is described as a rectory, 
 which it never had been, nor anything like it. They profess to 
 give to the custos " all and all manner of tythes," but there were 
 no tythes to give, the Temple having been specially exempted 
 from tythe as a religious house by numerous papal bulls. The 
 letters patent give the custos all the revenues and profits of 
 money which the custodes had at any time previously enjoyed by 
 virtue of their oflfice, but these revenues were dissipated by the 
 crown, and the property formerly granted by the prior and 
 chapter of Saint John, and by pious persons in the time of the 
 Templars, for the maintenance of the priests and the celebration 
 
 * Harleian MS., No. 830.
 
 392 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 of divine Bervice in the Temple Church was handed over to 
 strangers, and the custos was thrown by the crown for support 
 upon the voluntary contributions of the two societies. He re- 
 ceived, indeed, a miserable pittance of 371. 6s. 8d. per annum 
 from the exchequer, but for this he was to find at his own expense 
 a minister to serve the church, and also a clerk or sexton ! 
 
 As the crown retained in its own hands the appointment of 
 the custos and all the antient revenues of the Temple Church, it 
 ought to have provided for the support of the officiating ministers, 
 as did the Hospitallers of Saint John. 
 
 " The chardges of the fellowshyppe," says the MS. account of the 
 Temple written in the reign of Hen. VIII., " towards the salary 
 or mete and drink of the priests, is none ; for they are found by 
 my lord of Saint John's, and they that are of the fellowshyppe of 
 the house are chardged with nothing to the priests, saving that 
 they have eighteen offring days in the yeare, so that the chardge 
 of each of them is xviiic?." * 
 
 In the reign of James the First, the custos. Dr. Micklethwaite, 
 put forward certain unheard-of claims and pretensions, which led 
 to a rupture between him and the two societies. The Masters of 
 the bench of the society of the Inner Temple, taking umbrage at 
 his proceedings, deprived the doctor of his place at the dinner- 
 table, and " willed him to forbear the hall till he was sent for." 
 In 8 Car. I., a. d. 1633, the doctor presented a petition to the 
 king, in which he claims precedence within the Temple " accord- 
 ing to auncient custome, he being master of the house," and 
 complains that " his place in the hall is denyed him and his dyett, 
 which place the Master of the Temple hath ever had both before 
 the profession of the lawe kept in the Temple and ever since, 
 whensoever he came into the hall. That tythes are not payde 
 him, whereas by pattent he is to have omnes et omnimodas deci- 
 
 * MS. Bib. Cotlon. Vitellius, c. !». fol. 320 a.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 393 
 
 mas. . . . That they denye all ecclesiastical jurisdiction to the 
 Master of the Temple, who is appointed by the king's majesty 
 master and warden of the house ad reyendum, guhernandum, et 
 officiendum domum et ecclesiam," Sec. The doctor goes into a long 
 list of grievances showing the little authority that he possessed in 
 the Temple, that he was not summoned to the deliberations of 
 the houses, and he complains that " they will give him no consi- 
 deracion in the Inner House for his supernumerarie sermons in 
 the forenoon, nor for his sermons in the afternoon," and that the 
 officers of the Inner Temple are commanded to disrespect the 
 Master of the Temple when he comes to the hall." 
 
 The short answer to the doctor's complaint is, that the custos 
 of the church never had any of the things which the doctor 
 claimed to be entitled to, and it was not in the power of the 
 crown to give them to him. 
 
 The antient custos being, as before mentioned, a priest of the 
 order of the Temple, and afterwards of the order of the Hospital, 
 was a perfect slave to his temporal superiors, and could be de- 
 prived of his post, be condemned to a diet of bread and water, 
 and be perpetually imprisoned, without appeal to any power, civil 
 or ecclesiastical, unless he could cause his complaints to be 
 brought to the ear of the pope. Dr. Micklethwaite quite misun- 
 derstood his position in the Temple, and it was well for him that 
 the masters of the benches no longer exercised the despotic power 
 of the antient master and chapter, or he would certainly have 
 been condemned to the penitential cell in the church, and would 
 not have been the first custos placed in that unenviable retreat.* 
 
 The petition was referred to the lords of the council, and after- 
 wards to Noy, the attorney-general, and in the mean time the 
 
 * See the examination of Brother Radulph de Barton, priest of the order of the 
 Temple, and custos of tlie Temple Church, before the papal inquisitors at London. — 
 Concil Mag. Brit., torn. ii. p. 335, 337, ante, p. 221, 222.
 
 394 
 
 THE TEMPLE. 
 
 doctor locked up the church and took away the keys. The 
 societies ordered fresh keys to he made, and the church to be set 
 open. Noy, to settle all differences, appointed to meet the con- 
 tending parties in the church, and then alluding to the pretensions 
 of the doctor, he declared that if he were visitor he would proceed 
 against him tanquani elatus et siqjei'bus. 
 
 In the end the doctor got nothing by his petition. 
 
 In the time of the Commonvvealth, after Dr. Micklethwaite's 
 death, Oliver Cromwell sent to inquire into the duties and emolu- 
 ments of the post of " Master of the Temple," as appears from 
 the following letter : — 
 
 " From his highness I was commanded to speake with you for 
 resolution and satisfaction in theise following particulers — 
 
 " 1. Whether the Master of the Temple be to be putt in him 
 by way of presentation, or how ? 
 
 " 2. Whetlier he be bound to attend and preach among them 
 in ternie times and out of terme ? 
 
 "3. Or if out of terme an assistant must be provided? then, 
 whether at the charge of the Master, or how otherwise ? 
 
 " 4. Whether publique prayer in the chapell be allwayes per- 
 formable by the Master himselfe in terme times ? And whether 
 in time of vacation it be constantly expected from himselfe or his 
 assistant. 
 
 " 5. What the certain revenue of the Master is, and how it 
 arises ? 
 
 " 2. Sir, the gentleman his highness intends to make Master 
 is Mr. Resburne of Oundle, a most worthy and learned man, 
 pastor of the church there, whereof I myselfe am an unworthy 
 member. 
 
 " 3. The church would be willing (for publique good) to spare 
 him in terme times, but will not part with him altogether. And 
 in some of the particulers aforementioned Mr. R. is very desirous 
 to be satisfyd ; his highness chiefly in the first.
 
 THE TEMPLE. 395 
 
 " 4. I begg of you to leave a briefe answer to the said partien- 
 lars, and I shall call on your servant for it. 
 
 " For the honourable Henry Scobell, esq., theise." * 
 
 During the late repair of the Temple Church, a. d. 1830, 
 the workmen discovered an antient seal of the order of the Hos- 
 pital, which was carried away, and appears to have got into the 
 hands of strangers. On one side of it is represented the holy 
 sepulchre of Jerusalem, with the Saviour in his tomb. At his 
 head is an elevated cross, and above is a tabernacle or chapel, 
 from the roof of which depend two incense pots. Around the 
 
 seal is the inscription, " Fr Berengarii Gustos Pauperum 
 
 HospiTALis Jherusalem." On the reverse a holy man is repre- 
 sented on his knees in the attitude of prayer before a patriarchal 
 cross, on either side of which are the letters Alpha and Omega. 
 Under the first letter is a star. 
 
 These particulars have been furnished me by Mr. Savage, the 
 architect. 
 
 * Pech, Desiderata Curiosa, lib. xiii. p. 501, 505. Ed. 1779, 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LOXDOX : 
 PRINTED BY G. J. PALMER, S.WOV STREET, STRAND,

 
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