Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."
us that they were leagued with the infidels , and fought pitched battles with the rival Order of Knig hts Hospitallers of St . John of Jerusalem j but , savs Addison , remembering that
contemporary historians of Palestine , who , in describing the marvellous exploits of the Templars , and who , it must be borne in mind , were eyewitnesses of their career , fail to make mention
of such occurrences j bearing in mind also that no allusion is made to them in the letters of the Pope , addressed to the Grand Master of the Order of St . John of Jerusalem shortly after the
date of these pretended battles , one cannot but feel convinced , after a careful examination of the best authorities , that they never did take place .
This is Addison s opinion and that of others , and I cannot but feel that it is well founded . That there were jealousies and heart-burnings between these rival Orders there can be no doubt
however . In an interesting little work on the History and Antiquities of the Round Church at Little Maplestead , in Essex , there is an admirable account of the Knights Hospitaller , in
which we are told , amongst other things , that when Pope Innocent published a new crusade , Louis IX . put himself at the head of the troops and embarked at Aiguemortes for Cyprus , and
" upon his arrival there he remained a short time , in order to arrange various disputes that liad arisen between the Hospitallers and the Templars . " From the same work we gather
that during the seventh crusade , the Sultan of Egypt had made a descent upon Jerusalem and overthrown the Tower of David . " This was accomplished without difficulty , owing to the
two military orders being again at variance with each other ; the Hospitallers having entered into a treaty with the Sultan of Egypt , and the Templars with the Sultan of Damascus . " The
author again ( quoting no doubt from Matthew Paris , or one of the monkish writers ) says , * " as Richard , Earl of Cornwall , approached Jaffa with his troops , the Sultan of Egypt offered him terms
of peace , which were accepted , the greater part of the Holy Land being given up to the Christians . In this treaty the Templars refused to be included , out of mere enmity to the
Hospitallers . " And again / i * "the lirst attempt to suppress the military orders was made during this reign ( Henry III ., Circa 1252 ) . " The duties of the Templars being of a more military
character than those of the Hospitallers , it was considered that the former might be dispensed with , especially as the contests between the two orders had long proved their co-existence to be incompatible with the security of the Christian
cause . The similarity of their duties rendered it impossible at all times to prevent collision ; and during the interval between the
Crusades , a generous emulation frequently gave way to a spirit of envy and detraction ; for , as Fuller justly remarks , " Active men , like millstones in motion , if they have no other grist to
grind , will set fire to one another . " Neither the Templars nor the Hospitallers were however , finall y suppressed until some years later .
Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."
In Knight ' s "London" there is so succinct and popular a history of the Order , that I feel I cannot do better than quote largely from that article , in order to give you some idea of that noble ,
illushiotis but ill-fated Order , in the p lanitude of its power and in its decay . Knight , who , by the way , quotes largely from Addison and Dugdale , thus relates ifl graphic
style , the orig in of the chivalric order and the early achievements of the gallant Crusaders , the soldier monks who won so proud a name that it will be remeniberd unto all time . - — -
In the year 1128 , Hugh de Pay ens , the head of a new and strange society , which had excited much notice among the pious and warlike of England , arrived in London to explain its objects
and extend its scope and influence . We may imagine the interest with which his auditors ( among whom were the King , Henry I ., and his court ) listened to the tale of the orig in and
progress of the Order . But a few years before , himself , and eig ht other Knights , pitying the sufferings of the Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem , recently recovered from the Infidels by the first
Crusaders , entered into a solemn compact to devote their lives and fortunes to the defence of the highway from the inroads of the Mussulmans and the ravages of the numerous robbers who
invested it . " Poor fellow-soldiers of Jesus Christ , " they called themselves , but , as their services became conspicuous , and the heads of the Church lodged them within the enclosures of
the Temple on Mount Moriah ( the site of the great Jewish structure destroyed by Titus , ) and amidst that magnificent assemblage of buildings , partly erected by the Christian Emperor
Justinian , in the sixth * century , and partly by the Mussulman Caliph , Omar , in the seventh , this new combination of the somewhat opposite qualities of the warrior and the monk , became
known as the Knighthood of the Temple of Solomon . Their rise was as rapid as the growth of their ambition . They enlarged their object from the defence of the roads to the defence of the
Christian kingdom of Jerusalem itself , and eminent men from various countries joined their society , ancl threw their whole possessions into the common stock .
Hugh dc Payens was made Master , he having first succeeded in obtaining the sanction of the Pope in a personal visit , spread everywhere throughout Europe the knowledge of the actual
purposes of the new Order , and sought assistance . He set out from Jerusalem with four brethren ; he returned , after his visit to England ) with three hundred , all chosen from the noblest
families of Europe , ancl principally from France ancl England . The days of the Order when two Kni ghts ( Hugh de Payens himself and a companion )
were compelled to ride one horse , a memorable circumstance , commemorated on the seal of the Order , were at an end now ; and an opposite clanger , that of too much wealth , was , as
subsequent events showed , the most to be guarded against . Before Hugh de Payens ' s departure from
England he placed a Knight Templar , called the Prior of the Temple , at the head of the society in this country , whose duty it was , in common with all the similarly appointed per-
Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."
sons throughout Europe , to manage the estates and affairs of the Order , and transmit the revenues to Jerusalem . The Grand Prior afterwards assumed the title of Master of the Temple .
Numerous Templar establishments now sprang up in different parts of Great Britain , the chief of which was that of London . * The first metropolitan house was in Holborn , where
Southhampton House was afterwards erected , and subsequently the existing Southampton Buildings . Here a very interesting remain was discovered , Knight says , an ancient circular chapel of Caen
stone , lhis house Hugh de Payens saw formally established . As the Kni ghts increased in number and wealth , they purchased the site of the present temple , and set about erecting
their magnificent church and other buildings , employing the Freemasons , and taking them under their protection . To distinguish this house from that in Holborn , the one was called the
New , the other the Old Temple . " Whilst these works were fast approaching completion , and the Templars were looking for some distinguished personage to consecrate and
open their house with suitable honours and ceremonies , the misfortunes of their brethren in the Holy Land brought no less a personage than Heraclius , the Patriarch of Jerusalem , to
England , accompanied by the Grand Master of the Hospitallers , now , in emulation of the Knights of tli 3 / Temple , a great military , as well as a great religious order .
The Crusaders had been weakened in many engagements , and when Saladin came on the scene , nearl y the whole of the Templars were destroyed or taken prisoners at a battle on the
Jordan in 1179 . The Crusaders , however , afterwards gave Saladin a serious check , and it was then , a four years' truce having been secured , that Heraclius , the Master of the Temple , and
the Master of St . John ' s , proceeded to Europe , Their great hope was Henry II ., who , on receiving absolution for Beckett ' s murder , promised to go himself , to Palestine .
When Godfrey de Bouillion was elected King of Jerusalem , the important services of the Principal of the Hospital during the siege of Jerusalem were not forgotten by him . He visited the
Hospital of St . John , and expressed his warm approval of the manner in which the members treated the sick and wounded under their care .
At that time they were truly Hospitallers , and notliing more . There are no less than three manuscripts
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."
us that they were leagued with the infidels , and fought pitched battles with the rival Order of Knig hts Hospitallers of St . John of Jerusalem j but , savs Addison , remembering that
contemporary historians of Palestine , who , in describing the marvellous exploits of the Templars , and who , it must be borne in mind , were eyewitnesses of their career , fail to make mention
of such occurrences j bearing in mind also that no allusion is made to them in the letters of the Pope , addressed to the Grand Master of the Order of St . John of Jerusalem shortly after the
date of these pretended battles , one cannot but feel convinced , after a careful examination of the best authorities , that they never did take place .
This is Addison s opinion and that of others , and I cannot but feel that it is well founded . That there were jealousies and heart-burnings between these rival Orders there can be no doubt
however . In an interesting little work on the History and Antiquities of the Round Church at Little Maplestead , in Essex , there is an admirable account of the Knights Hospitaller , in
which we are told , amongst other things , that when Pope Innocent published a new crusade , Louis IX . put himself at the head of the troops and embarked at Aiguemortes for Cyprus , and
" upon his arrival there he remained a short time , in order to arrange various disputes that liad arisen between the Hospitallers and the Templars . " From the same work we gather
that during the seventh crusade , the Sultan of Egypt had made a descent upon Jerusalem and overthrown the Tower of David . " This was accomplished without difficulty , owing to the
two military orders being again at variance with each other ; the Hospitallers having entered into a treaty with the Sultan of Egypt , and the Templars with the Sultan of Damascus . " The
author again ( quoting no doubt from Matthew Paris , or one of the monkish writers ) says , * " as Richard , Earl of Cornwall , approached Jaffa with his troops , the Sultan of Egypt offered him terms
of peace , which were accepted , the greater part of the Holy Land being given up to the Christians . In this treaty the Templars refused to be included , out of mere enmity to the
Hospitallers . " And again / i * "the lirst attempt to suppress the military orders was made during this reign ( Henry III ., Circa 1252 ) . " The duties of the Templars being of a more military
character than those of the Hospitallers , it was considered that the former might be dispensed with , especially as the contests between the two orders had long proved their co-existence to be incompatible with the security of the Christian
cause . The similarity of their duties rendered it impossible at all times to prevent collision ; and during the interval between the
Crusades , a generous emulation frequently gave way to a spirit of envy and detraction ; for , as Fuller justly remarks , " Active men , like millstones in motion , if they have no other grist to
grind , will set fire to one another . " Neither the Templars nor the Hospitallers were however , finall y suppressed until some years later .
Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."
In Knight ' s "London" there is so succinct and popular a history of the Order , that I feel I cannot do better than quote largely from that article , in order to give you some idea of that noble ,
illushiotis but ill-fated Order , in the p lanitude of its power and in its decay . Knight , who , by the way , quotes largely from Addison and Dugdale , thus relates ifl graphic
style , the orig in of the chivalric order and the early achievements of the gallant Crusaders , the soldier monks who won so proud a name that it will be remeniberd unto all time . - — -
In the year 1128 , Hugh de Pay ens , the head of a new and strange society , which had excited much notice among the pious and warlike of England , arrived in London to explain its objects
and extend its scope and influence . We may imagine the interest with which his auditors ( among whom were the King , Henry I ., and his court ) listened to the tale of the orig in and
progress of the Order . But a few years before , himself , and eig ht other Knights , pitying the sufferings of the Christian pilgrims to Jerusalem , recently recovered from the Infidels by the first
Crusaders , entered into a solemn compact to devote their lives and fortunes to the defence of the highway from the inroads of the Mussulmans and the ravages of the numerous robbers who
invested it . " Poor fellow-soldiers of Jesus Christ , " they called themselves , but , as their services became conspicuous , and the heads of the Church lodged them within the enclosures of
the Temple on Mount Moriah ( the site of the great Jewish structure destroyed by Titus , ) and amidst that magnificent assemblage of buildings , partly erected by the Christian Emperor
Justinian , in the sixth * century , and partly by the Mussulman Caliph , Omar , in the seventh , this new combination of the somewhat opposite qualities of the warrior and the monk , became
known as the Knighthood of the Temple of Solomon . Their rise was as rapid as the growth of their ambition . They enlarged their object from the defence of the roads to the defence of the
Christian kingdom of Jerusalem itself , and eminent men from various countries joined their society , ancl threw their whole possessions into the common stock .
Hugh dc Payens was made Master , he having first succeeded in obtaining the sanction of the Pope in a personal visit , spread everywhere throughout Europe the knowledge of the actual
purposes of the new Order , and sought assistance . He set out from Jerusalem with four brethren ; he returned , after his visit to England ) with three hundred , all chosen from the noblest
families of Europe , ancl principally from France ancl England . The days of the Order when two Kni ghts ( Hugh de Payens himself and a companion )
were compelled to ride one horse , a memorable circumstance , commemorated on the seal of the Order , were at an end now ; and an opposite clanger , that of too much wealth , was , as
subsequent events showed , the most to be guarded against . Before Hugh de Payens ' s departure from
England he placed a Knight Templar , called the Prior of the Temple , at the head of the society in this country , whose duty it was , in common with all the similarly appointed per-
Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."
sons throughout Europe , to manage the estates and affairs of the Order , and transmit the revenues to Jerusalem . The Grand Prior afterwards assumed the title of Master of the Temple .
Numerous Templar establishments now sprang up in different parts of Great Britain , the chief of which was that of London . * The first metropolitan house was in Holborn , where
Southhampton House was afterwards erected , and subsequently the existing Southampton Buildings . Here a very interesting remain was discovered , Knight says , an ancient circular chapel of Caen
stone , lhis house Hugh de Payens saw formally established . As the Kni ghts increased in number and wealth , they purchased the site of the present temple , and set about erecting
their magnificent church and other buildings , employing the Freemasons , and taking them under their protection . To distinguish this house from that in Holborn , the one was called the
New , the other the Old Temple . " Whilst these works were fast approaching completion , and the Templars were looking for some distinguished personage to consecrate and
open their house with suitable honours and ceremonies , the misfortunes of their brethren in the Holy Land brought no less a personage than Heraclius , the Patriarch of Jerusalem , to
England , accompanied by the Grand Master of the Hospitallers , now , in emulation of the Knights of tli 3 / Temple , a great military , as well as a great religious order .
The Crusaders had been weakened in many engagements , and when Saladin came on the scene , nearl y the whole of the Templars were destroyed or taken prisoners at a battle on the
Jordan in 1179 . The Crusaders , however , afterwards gave Saladin a serious check , and it was then , a four years' truce having been secured , that Heraclius , the Master of the Temple , and
the Master of St . John ' s , proceeded to Europe , Their great hope was Henry II ., who , on receiving absolution for Beckett ' s murder , promised to go himself , to Palestine .
When Godfrey de Bouillion was elected King of Jerusalem , the important services of the Principal of the Hospital during the siege of Jerusalem were not forgotten by him . He visited the
Hospital of St . John , and expressed his warm approval of the manner in which the members treated the sick and wounded under their care .
At that time they were truly Hospitallers , and notliing more . There are no less than three manuscripts