Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."

affiliated comprised persons of ah ranks of society , and of both sexes , who , desiring to assist the Order , or to share in the advantages connected with it , such for instance , as the exemption

from the effects of interdict enjoyed by the Templars , were permitted to join the Order , without assuming its habit , its hardships , and Us dangers , on taking certain vows , as that of

chastity , and engaging to leave their property to the Templars on their death . The great Pope , Innocent III ., did not disdain to declare himself

as standing in this position to the society , in one of his bulls . The Donates and Oblates were either children destined to the service of the

Order , or persons who . engaged to promote its welfare to the best of their power while they lived—princes were to be found among the lastmentioned class . The very duty of the Knight

Templar to fi g ht the enemies of his faith by compelling him to mix continual y and largely with the world , prevented him from observing the strictness of the rules set down for his

governance , and as a very natural consequence , his conduct was no doubt often sufficiently lax when he had no such excuses ^ to plead . Wallen , in his book , which T have before

quoted , admits that at the time of the suppression of the Templars the Hospitallers were become equally lax in their [ discipline . He says

" it must be acknowledged that their increasing power and influence made them unlace themselelves from the strictness of their first

institution , and rendered them loose and licentious . Richard de Everton , in 1 ,-527 , was appointed as a visitor , for the purpose of repressing the religious intolerance of the Knights , and enforcing

a better observance of their spiritual duties . Indeed , a proposition was made to Benedict XI . to form a new military order , and to grant it the property transferred to the Hospitallers on the

suppression of the Templars . To this he would not accede , but his successor , Clement VI ., after having ascertained the truth of many ofthe accusations brought against tlie Hospitallers , wrote a

letter to them , which had the ellect of inducing a great reformation of manners in the Order . Tlie two Orders , in fact , had the same faults in common , and there was no more reason for

suppressing the one than the other . If they had remained poor , they would in all probability have been unmolested , but being rich , they were doomed .

It is not intended that this lecture ( the substance onl y of which was delivered before the fratres of my own encampment ) should be considered in anv sense as exhaustive , in treating of

the Knights Templar . J am only a student , a seeker after li ght , and 1 only desire to create the same feeling of interest in the Templars and

ourselves , their successors , in the minds of youi readers generally , iu tho hope that good fruits ma ) follow- —good results ensue .

If each Templar and each Mason would only contribute one fact to elucidate the history ot our Order , and to open out the mysterious past , we . should all be greatly benefitted , and in

the hope that some abler brother may assist or correct me , i pen these lines . Among the rules of of the Templars , which seem to have been most reli giously observed were those of oPcdienee , at least the punishment

Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."

was very severe for any breach of such rules . We are reminded of this by the sight ofthe penitential cell of the Temple , which is formed within the solid thickness of the wall of the

church , and measures only four feet and a half 111 length by two and a half in breadth , so that thc unhappy prisoner could not lie down , except by drawing his limbs together . One act of merc y

however , there was for him to be thankful for . During divine service , he could hear and participate in all that was passing , through one of " squints , " as they are termed by

architects , looking into the church . If the secrets of this prison house could be made known , they would be , doubtless , appalling , for the meagre facts that have oozed out in the light of day are

sufficiently terrible . Here Walter le Bachelor , Grand Preceptor of Ireland , was fettered by order of the Master , till he died of the severity of his punishment . The corpse was : hen taken

out at daybreak , and buried in the court between the church and the hall . Besides imprisonment , which was either temporary orperpetual , according as seemed expedient to the Master , the Templars

were occasionally scourged on the bare shoulders by the Master ' s own hand , in the hall , or even whipped in thc church on Sunday , before the congregation .

A knight of the name of Yalaincourt once quitted the Order , but unable , most probably , to stifle the whisperings of his conscience that he did wrong , returned , and submitted himself

cheerfully to whatever penance the Master thought fit to impose . He was accordingly condemned to eat on the ground for a year with dogs , to fast four days in every week on bread and

water , and every Sunday to bc scourged in the church before all assembled . A public exhibition such as this no doubt had a double ellect , and edified the world as much as it punished the criminal .

The Order for along time was , as it deserved , highly popular , for its piety , bravery , and humility , aud the visual consequences of populatity in those davs followed . Great men desired t : i be

buried among them , which could only be accomplished by connection with their society , in one of the available modes alread y mentioned . Lands , manors , houses , privileges , were showered upon

them , money was deposited with them in cases of peculiar danger ; and one monarch at a critical time deposited himself in their community . I

need hardly say I refer to King John , who during the period of the arrangements connected with the signing of Magna Charta resided here . Numerous documents of the Kimr ' s are dated

from the Temple . Among other distinguished visitors was one the Templars must have , been glad to get rid of , Martin , tlie Pope ' s Nuncio , of whom Matthew Paris says " He made , whilst

residing at London in the New Temple unheard of extortions of money am ! valuables . He imperiousl y intimated to the abbots antl priors thai they must send him ieh presents , desirable

palfreys , sumptuous services for the table , rich clothing j which being done that y-. uivj -Martin sent back word that the thhuis sent were

insufficient , and he commanded the g ivers thereof to forward hiin belter things , on pain of excommunication . " The treasure deposited in the Temple must have been frequently immense , from the

Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."

quality of the depositors or the circumstances of the deposit . Fully trustworth ) , enjoying the privilege of sanctuary , and able so well to defend personally whatever was in their charge , the

Templars became distinguished as the safest of guardians on all extraordinary ] occasions . The King , his court , and chief ecclesiastics , all made

the Temple their bank when they pleased , and here too , were brought all monies collected for the Christian service in Palestine . The most

remarkable record on this subject is connected with the great Earl of Kent , Hubert de Burgh , on whose disgrace and committal to the Tower the King began to look shrewdly after the captive s

Treasures . Matthew Paris says , " lt was suggested 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 Kin " , confessed that he had money

ol the said Hubert , which had been confidentially connected to the keeping of himself and brethren but of the quantity and amount hc was altogether ignorant . Then the King endeavoured with

threats to obtain from thc brethren the surrender to him of the aforesaid money , asserting that it had been fraudulently substracled from his treasury . But they answered to the King , that

money confided to them in trust they would deliver no man , without the permission of him who had instrusted it to be kept in thc Temple . And the King , since the above mentioned money

had been placed under their protection , ventured not to take it by force . He sent , therefore , the treasure 1- 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 mig ht exact from him au assignment of the entire sum to the King . But when these messengers had explained to Hubert the object of

their coming , he immediately answered that he would submit himself and all belonging to him to the good p leasure 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 tlie King , that he might do what he pleased wilh the things

deposited in the Temple . This being cone , thc King ordered the money , faithfully counted , to be placed in his treasury , and the amount of all the thi uws found to be reduced to writinsr 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 woultl in truth astonish the beavers . "

{) f the eminent persons who caused their bodies lo be here interred , some very interesting memorials are preserved , vi / .. -. The two ranges of monumental effigies of great men reposing in

lheir habits as ihey lived , one of live figures on lhe north side of the entrance to the oblong part of lhe eh ' . nrSi , the other of four , and a coped stone , the top of a coliin on the . south . Kni ght

informs us that the fust figure on the lelt in the range here shown is that of Geoffrey de Magnavillo , the bold bad sou of the Norman baron of that name who disliiiiniishcd himself at the