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Brief History Of The Religious And Military Order Of The Knights Templars Of St. John Of Jerusalem.
himself to his companion under the amiable and endearing com ,-pellation of Brother . Having thus altered , or rather enlarged their plan , the order was soon end-eased by the acquisition of multitudes of young gentlemen from different countries of Europe . This necessarily produced a new distinctionand accordinglthe knights were enrolled under
, y seven divisions , agreeable to their several countries , viz . Provence , Auvergne , France , Italy , Arragon , Germany , and England . A slig ht consideration of that dark age , with a view to the condition of this institution , will shew us the necessity those knights must have been under of certain common signs among themselves . Numbers of them must have been ignorant of each other ' s language ; and
, besides , in their nocturnal excursions a difficult } ' would arise in not being able to distinguish the Saracen from the Christian . A common language , therefore , was indispensable , composed as well of signs as words . The Hospitallers having thus assumed the military profession , and
obtained the ecclesiastical sanction , offered their services to Baldwin king of Jerusalem , who accepted the tender with marks of uncommon satisfaction . Their assistance was peculiarly seasonable to that monarch , as he had to defend his possessions against indefatigable and very formidable enemies . The infidels having gained a considerable victor } ' over the Christians of Antioch , were flushed with the desire of pushing their arms against the king of Jerusalem . Baldwin met
them with as earnest a desire , and the action was long , dubious , and bloody . To the Hospitallers was the event chiefly owing , and that event was glorious . Against their impetuosity resistance was vain ; they bore down all before them , and death and destruction marked the progress of the men who had originally united in the purposes of peace and good-will to their fellow-creatures . The triumphant
Christians entered the city of Antioch , which Baldwin put into a strong state of defence , and garrisoned with a considerable force . Not long after this victory that active prince was taken by the infidels in an ambuscade , and consternation and dismay seized , upon the Christians . After a captivity of near two years the king was ransomed , and the war was renewed with increased vigour and mutual
rage . Amidst this state of contention , this business of blood , the Hosp itallers are said by their conspicuous valour to have given rise to a new order of reli gious kni ghthood . Nine Frenchmen of distinction , animated by so illustrious an example , and moved with pity for the pilgrims who journied from motives of piety towards the sepulchre of Jerusalemformed themselves
, into a little society to guard those devotees through the defiles of the mountains , and the most dangerous passages . There is every reason to believe that these persons were , in fact , themselves members of the Lodge of St . John ; and only from a particular zeal bound themselves to a new and very necessary branch of duty . It is from tins persuasion that I have entered ao particularly into the
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Brief History Of The Religious And Military Order Of The Knights Templars Of St. John Of Jerusalem.
himself to his companion under the amiable and endearing com ,-pellation of Brother . Having thus altered , or rather enlarged their plan , the order was soon end-eased by the acquisition of multitudes of young gentlemen from different countries of Europe . This necessarily produced a new distinctionand accordinglthe knights were enrolled under
, y seven divisions , agreeable to their several countries , viz . Provence , Auvergne , France , Italy , Arragon , Germany , and England . A slig ht consideration of that dark age , with a view to the condition of this institution , will shew us the necessity those knights must have been under of certain common signs among themselves . Numbers of them must have been ignorant of each other ' s language ; and
, besides , in their nocturnal excursions a difficult } ' would arise in not being able to distinguish the Saracen from the Christian . A common language , therefore , was indispensable , composed as well of signs as words . The Hospitallers having thus assumed the military profession , and
obtained the ecclesiastical sanction , offered their services to Baldwin king of Jerusalem , who accepted the tender with marks of uncommon satisfaction . Their assistance was peculiarly seasonable to that monarch , as he had to defend his possessions against indefatigable and very formidable enemies . The infidels having gained a considerable victor } ' over the Christians of Antioch , were flushed with the desire of pushing their arms against the king of Jerusalem . Baldwin met
them with as earnest a desire , and the action was long , dubious , and bloody . To the Hospitallers was the event chiefly owing , and that event was glorious . Against their impetuosity resistance was vain ; they bore down all before them , and death and destruction marked the progress of the men who had originally united in the purposes of peace and good-will to their fellow-creatures . The triumphant
Christians entered the city of Antioch , which Baldwin put into a strong state of defence , and garrisoned with a considerable force . Not long after this victory that active prince was taken by the infidels in an ambuscade , and consternation and dismay seized , upon the Christians . After a captivity of near two years the king was ransomed , and the war was renewed with increased vigour and mutual
rage . Amidst this state of contention , this business of blood , the Hosp itallers are said by their conspicuous valour to have given rise to a new order of reli gious kni ghthood . Nine Frenchmen of distinction , animated by so illustrious an example , and moved with pity for the pilgrims who journied from motives of piety towards the sepulchre of Jerusalemformed themselves
, into a little society to guard those devotees through the defiles of the mountains , and the most dangerous passages . There is every reason to believe that these persons were , in fact , themselves members of the Lodge of St . John ; and only from a particular zeal bound themselves to a new and very necessary branch of duty . It is from tins persuasion that I have entered ao particularly into the