The Knights Hospitallers.

THE KNIGHTS HOSPITALLERS .

Recently , in an idle moment , I ran across an old 0 i ; giving an account of the Knights Hospitallers , Knig hts of Malta , as they were subsequently styled , 0 I few extracts from which book may be of interest to a m bers of the Masonic Order of Knights Templar . is entitled Observations made in

L ., k 00 k ' a Journey throug h part of the Low Countries , Germany , Italy , j France By John Ray , Fellow of the Royal Society London : Printed for John Martyn , Printer to the Royal Society , at the Bell in St . Paul ' s Churchyard , 1673 . " The author , in the course of his the island of Malta

observations on , quotes the follow-• „ inscription over the gate of Valetta , embracing the founding and building of that city : — " Fr . Jo . di Valetta Sacrae Domus Hospitalis Hierosol . M . Magister , periculorum anno superiore ;\ su js mil ' it ' ibus populoque Mebiteo in obsidione

Turcica perpessorum memor , de condenda nova urbe , cJque mainiis , arcibus & propugnaculis ad sustinendam vim omnem propuls and o ' sque invinici Turca ; impetus ant saltern reprimendos munienda , inito cum Proceribus consilio , Die Jovis 28 Martii 1566 , Deum omnipotentem Deiparamque virginem & numem tutelare D . Joannem

Baptistem Divosque ca ^ teros multa precatus , ut fanstum felixque Religion ! Christiana ; fieret , ac Ordini suo nuod inceptabat bene cederet , prima urbis fundamenta in monte ab incolis Sceberras vocato jecit , eamque de suo nomine Valettam ( dato pro insignibus in Parma miniata aureo leone ) appellari voluit .

" Fr . Antonius de Paula M . Mag . invictiss . Conditoris tant . cque rei monimentum P . C . Anno ab Urbe Fundata 68 . " Then follows a description of the Castle of St . Elmo , in which " are imprisoned such kni ghts as have committed any misdemeanour , and held in restraint

longer or less time , or further proceeded against according to the merit of their fault . " Next he writes : "The Alberghi , or Halls , ofthe eight several nations ( Lingiic they call them ) of the Order . The nations are French , Italian , German , English , Provencal , Auvergnois , Castilian , and Aragonian . These Albergs are

most of them fair buildings like colleges , and in each of them is a public hall , wherein the knights of each nation dine and sup as many as please ; the others have their parts deincnsum sent to their lodgings , or dispose of it otherwise , as they see good . The Seignior of each nation is superior of the Alberg ,

Grand Prior of his nation of the Great Cross ( Gran Crocc they term it ) , and one of the Privy Council to the Great Master . These are distinguished from the rest by a great white cross upon their breasts , made of silk , sown into their garments . Heer is an Alberg for the English nation , or rather a piece of ground enclosed

with the foundation of an Alberg , the walls being scarcely reared up . This ground , we were told , some of the citizens would have bought and built upon , but the Grand Master and Council refused to sell it , not despairing it seems that one day our nation may be reduced again to the obedience of the Romish Church . "

After describing the armoury , the Grand Master ' s palace , slaves' prison , and other buildings of the city , our author details the charitable occupation of the knights as under : " Thc Hospital { Infirmaria ) is a fair building , which they are now enlarging . The sick persons are served

by the knights , viz ., such a number of knights are appointed to carry them their meat daily with cap in hand , which thing we saw them do in this manner . The meat was all brought into the middle of a great room where many of the sick lay . Then one of the knights ( the Steward I suppose he was ) read the names

of the sick one by one out of the Physician's bill , wherein was prescribed each sick person ' s diet . As he read a name , the cook , his part whose name was read , and dishing it up delivered it to one of the knights , who carried it to his bedside , where stood a stool covered with a napkin having bread and salt upon it . 1 his duty their very name intimates to belong to thein , viz

., knights , i . e ., servants of the hospital , and therelore , we may be excused il we have been more particular and circumstantial in describing the manner ?> it . If any of tbe Order falls sick , he is not to stay in a private house , but must presently repair hither , where he is most carefully tended , one or two knights bci "g appointed to be always by him . " Of the Grand or Great Masters of the Order

subsequent to its being removed from Rhodes to Malta , in the year 1530 , when the Emperor Charles V . granted " kni ghts the island , the writer enumerates 17 , numbered 43 to 59 . The name of No . 43 was Phillip-PUIsde Villiers I . fclmHham .- _ Frenchman whn "hrnnorht ---tf jjidibauuuiuuiibuiiiuiaiitriiu uiuuii

, , ..... , . . , ^ , . , 'gion into Malta Anno 1530 , being the 43 Grand d' ? A . from the first 'n t ' tut'on of the Order . " He is t 1 gUSt 2 I ' IS 34 ' Anotlier Grand Master ' s name on th foot of tlle 1 uoted inscription . He is No . 55 . the roll of Grand Masters , a " Gascoiener , " chosen

nai' _ 10 ' l 6 3 6 > and d'ed June 9 , 1663 . The ItaK S ° f tlie oVncT 1 S Grand Masters are : — nj ' ^ ' French , and Gascoigners , three each ; Arago-Maio an ( ' Auvergnian , Portuguese , Spanish , and for ' J ? b one each . Not one Englishman , the reason the hi ! W ' . " ** been noted . Another extract from M . ' . ok < givine some few naviculars of the Grand

" Th n h'S e " " Se , will suffice : — sunrom reat Master of the Order is now Prince and GoverT gOV < T rnour o £ the whole Island The that th Ti' ' mana K ed w'th that prudence and justice the in k } . dnd is now in a very flourishing condition , Sec urit v a . h "' ^ joying . a great deal of freedom and a 'tiOng th 8 also in their carriage and conversation niselves and to strangers since the coming in

The Knights Hospitallers.

of the Order very civil and courteous , however formerly they may have been branded for the contrary ; so that few subjects live more happily than they do . " The Great Master when he goeth abroad is attended by many of the knights and 2 or 3 pages , of which he keeps ( as we were told ) about 24 . The knights of the Order are always uncovered in the presence of the

Great Master , excepting those 16 which are of the Gran Grace : they take place , of what birth or quality soever they are , according to their seniority from the time of their admission , so that there is never any difficulty or question about precedency . All the knights are of noble or gentile extraction , none being capable of admission but such as can prove their

gentility for three or four descents . The Great Master wears a black short Gown with hanging sleeves , the rest of the knights are habited as they please at home , but when they go in Curso ( as tbey call it ) upon tbe Gallies they wear the proper habit belonging to their Order . The number of knights was said to be between 2000 and 3000 , of which for the most part reside in the

City the major part , except when the Gallies are abroad . The name of the Great Master at our being there was Nicolaus Cottoner of Majorca , and I suppose he is still living , not having since heard of his death . " The Abbe de Vertot , in his history , cognate to the foregoing , records that the Order of Knights of Malta ( who were originally called the Hospitallers of St .

John of Jerusalem ) took its rise about 1099 , from which time to 1118 their whole employment comprised works of charity and care of the sick . In 1118 , like the Kni ghts Templars ( the younger Order of the two ) , the Hospitallers took up the profession of arms , in combination with the practice of Charity , occupying them , selves at one time in attending upon the sick , and at

others in warring against the Turks and Saracens . Thus they took the title of Kni ghts Hospitallers . Both Orders ( Templars and Hospitallers ) fought in conjunction with the troops of the Crusades . Then disputes and jealousies arose , and the two Orders eventually came to blows . At last they were driven out of Palestine , and both Orders found a refuge in

Cyprus , till they separated , the Hospitallers remaining on the island , next taking up their quarters in Rhodes , and finally in Malta . It may be added that the 48 th Great Master of the Knights Hospitallers was Frater Joannes Di Valetta ( founder of the city ) , a Gascoigner

elected in 1557 , and died 11 years after , on the anniversary of the day of his election . It was during his rule that Malta was invaded by the Turks . His name , it will be seen , heads the inscription over the gate of the city of Valetta , which was " besieged by the Turks , who were notably repulsed . " W . F . LAMONBY .

Bro. The Rev. 11. Price On Freemasonry

BRO . THE REV . 11 . PRICE ON FREEMASONRY

SPECIAL SERVICE AT NORMANTON CHURCH . In accordance wtth an earnest request from the brethren of various lodges , Bro . the Rev . Herbert Price , M . A ., 253 , P . P . G . Chap ., conducted a special service at Normanton Church on Sundayafternoon , the 12 th instant , when he delivered an appropriate and able

address to the brethren . There was a good attendance , the congregation including the following : Bros . Alderman T . Roc , M . P ., Councillors Marsden , Butterworth , and Hart ; Bland , Walker , T . C . Eastwood , A . J . Flint , Gee , Ward , Bennett , R . Slater , A . G . Taylor , A . Brown , T . Hill , Thompson , R . J . Smith , Huggins , Bardill , Kirby , Carr , Baxter Pike , G . Fletcher , Evans ,

Varley , B . Toft , W . N . Toft , Cowlishaw , Whitton , Dr . Wright , and others . The service was entirely conducted by the vicar , with the exception of the reading of the lessons , the first being read by Bro . Ward , and the second by Bro . A . J . Flint . The full surpliced choir was in attendance , and the offertories , which amounted to £ 5 13 s ., are to be

devoted to the fund for supplying a new organ , and for the erection of a more suitable and convenient vestry . The rev . BROTHER , whose address was most intentl y listened to , commenced by emphasising the fact that a true Mason is one who fears God . Without laying any claim to be a religion , the aims and principles of Freemasonry were undoubtedly religious . It never presumed

to usurp the rights and privileges of the Church , but it might claim , and truly , to be the humble servant and handmaid of true and undeliled religion , in that it ministered to the fatherless and widows in their affliction , and although it did not cover the whole ground of their religious obligation , it did claim to assist its members to fulfil the Apostolic injunction which read

" Love as brethren , be pitiful , be courteous . " All the spiritual wants of the human soul mi ght not be satisfied by Masonry ; it never claimed so much , but he said , speaking as a Christian minister , and with a full sense of his own responsibility , that there was nothing whicli of right belonged to Masonry which interfered in the slightest degree with the attainment of a perfect

Christian character , there was nothing in Masonry itself which was out of harmony with the soul's deepest needs or highest aspirations . Whilst Masonry excluded no God-fearing man on the ground of his religion , seeing that it was not a religion itself , yet it embodied in its teachings the highest principles of the

highest religion . 1 he Atheist , said the preacher , has no place in our community , for no man can cross our threshold without avowing trust in God . And if by inadvertance he did enter a lodge , he could not continue in our ranks , for all our beliefs are totally contrary to those of the fool that saith in his heart " There is no God . " At considerable length Bro .

Bro. The Rev. 11. Price On Freemasonry

Price eloquently repudiated the fulminations of the Bishop of Rome , who had more than once done Freemasonry the gross injustice of classing it among the secret societies of the Continent whose aims ' were purely political and subversive of the existing order of things . This objection would not , said the preacher , be worth replying to did it not demonstrate the

slender grounds on which the doctrine of Papal infallibility rested , seeing that in the Pope ' s references to Masonry he was so wrong in his facts , unjust in bis suspicions , and utterly mistaken in his judgment . Above all things , continued Bro . Price , we are loyal ; we are sensitive in our allegiance and devoted in our attachment to the person and authority of our beloved

Queen . Were it not so , would the heir to the Throne himself put himself at the head of our Society , and in the forefront of our assemblies ? Would he sanction , much less encourage his son taking office amongst us If there be anything in this erring world that is infallible , it is the loyalty and patriotism of a true Mason ; and , therefore , the converse must follow , if there be

one thing that demonstrates fallibility in human judgment it is that charge or bull which confounds Masonry with treasonable societies . Secrecy , continued Bro . Price , was by no means the end of Masonry . It would be much more accurate to say that the end of Masonry was social fellowship and practical benevolence . The edifice of Masonry has for its

foundations Fraternity and Charity . Referring to the practical benevolence of the Order , he need only mention the three noble Institutions in London , that for the orphan boys , that for the orphan girls , and the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , to prove that Charity was not only taught but practised among them . He might say without irreverence that these monuments

of Charity were Masonic sacraments , for they were outward and visible signs of Freemasonry ' s inward and spiritual grace . Hundreds of orphan children of departed brothers , hundreds of indigent brothers and distressed widows , had been preserved from want , and they had their prayers and blessings continually going up to heaven , whilst the world smiled and the Pope

frowned . Nor could it be said that Masonic Charity was exclusively confined to their own Institutions . He called them to witness how Masonry had , in the world ' s great calamities and distresses , stepped forth to contribute its share towards their alleviation . In conconclusion the preacher reminded his hearers that every institution in this sinful world , however noble

its intentions , was apt to suffer from the inconsistent conduct of unworthy members , and exhorted them to strive to exemplify in their daily conduct the noble principles by which a true Mason was moved . He thanked them for their attendance at that service , which he had purposely divested of an elaborately ceremonious character . He trusted they would receive an expression

of his thanks , and believe him when he said that no event during the year in which he had had the honour to sit in the Master ' s chair of the Tyrian Lodge would be more indelibly printed upon his memory than the gathering which had taken place that afternoon , and bind him in closer bonds of brotherhood with the Freemasons of Derby .

Bro. J. Ross Robertson At Chicago.

BRO . J . ROSS ROBERTSON AT CHICAGO .

The Chicago Daily News says : Mr . J . Ross Robertson of the Toronto Evening Telegram is at the Auditorium , on his way home to Toronto . " I have been up to Winnipeg , finishing up an eightmonths' trip among the Masons of Canada , " said Mr . Robertson to an Evening News reporter at the

Auditorium , " and I am on my way home via Chicago and will visit your wonderful city for a day or two . " John Ross Robertson is the Grand Master of the Masons of Ontario . He has in his jurisdiction 21 , 000 members , and he has in the last eight months visited 350 lodges and has shaken hands with 15 , 000 members of the Craft . To do this Mr . Robertson has travelled

over 25 , 000 miles . It is not , however , John Ross Robertson ' s stand in Masonry that is his chief claim to distinction among the Canadian people . Throughout the beautiful Province of Ontario he is known as a newspaperman , as a success , as one who started as a " devil , " and is now one of Toronto ' s wealthiest men , and , unlike many who

acquire wealth by persistent effort , he has not become one of the sordid and grasping sort , and it is in this connection that his name is so often mentioned in his native city . His fame as a philan . thropist extends throughout the breadth of the Dominion . The kindly nature of the man is so proverbial that the ragged newsboys cheer him and call

him " de guvnor as he passes them by with a friendly nod . Some years ago he conceived the idea of erecting on the island opposite Toronto a home for sick children . The scheme developed , and the Lakeside Home for Little Children became a reality , its birth being commemorated by a § 5000 check from the publisher . But Mr . Robertson was not satisfied with this , and a few

years afterwards he supplemented this gift by the donation of § 25 , 000 . With this sum one of the most perfect homes for little children intheworld was established . Mr . Robertson travelled the globe over in search of modern ideas for this resting place for the " wee ones . " It will

accommodate 200 children , and is run in connection with the parent hospital for sick children in the city . In handing over the home to the hospital trustees , Mr . Robertson stipulated that the child of any Mason must be admitted free to the Lakeside . This clause was greeted with much favour by the Masonic Craft ,