The Knights Templars.

days destroyed him , so that that most ferocious man , never having- been absolved from the ecclesiastical curse , went to hell . ' " 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 , ancl making

what satisfaction he could for his past offences , they threw over 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 a Christian burial in consecrated ground , and they accordingly soldered him np in lead , and hung him on a crooked tree in their orchard . 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 , ancl the divine offices to be celebrated for him .

The Prior accordingly endeavoured to take down the corpse and carry it to Walden , bnt the Templars being informed of his design , buried it in their own cemetery at the New Temple , in the porch before the west door of the church .

"Pope Alexander , from whom the absolution was obtained , was elected to the pontifical chair in September , 1159 , and died in 1181 . It w as this pontiff who , by the bull omne datum optimism , promulgated in the year 1162 , conceded to the

Templars the privilege of having their own cemeteries free from the interference of the regular clergy . The land whereon the convent of the New Temple was erected , was purchased soon after the publication of this bull , and a cemetery was

doubtless consecrated 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 , ancl when fche church was consecrated by the patriarch ( A . D . 1185 ) . ifc was finally buried in the porch before the west door . "

The Temple-honses had already become the depositories of the treasures of nobles , and the Knights were frequently employed to convey nioney from one country to another , their probity and well-known honesty making their services invaluable for such purposes , in fche then dangerous

state of the known world . Besides , none dared to meddle with men so peculiarly under the favour of Heaven , while those who felt no religious scruples about attacking the Knights , always remembered that they could defend themselves , and never turned their backs whatever were the

odds against them . Andronicus , referred to m Chapter IV . as the paramour of the Queen of Jerusalem , had , about this time , put to death Alexis the son of Manuel , Emperor of Constantinople , and seized upon the throne . Isaac , the

cousin of fche murdered Alexis , seeing- the tyrannical manner in which the usurper conducted himself towards the principal men of the empire , and fearing- for his own life , fled to other climes in search of thafc fortune which had abandoned him

at Constantinople . Assembling' a large army , he made war upon and gave battle to the Sultan of Iconinm , but was taken prisoner by Rupin de la Montaigne , who had come as an auxiliary to aid the Sultan . Rupin sent his prisoner to the Saltan ,

but the captive was returned to his captor . Upon this , Rupin , returning home , delivered Isaac up to his superior , Raymond , Prince of Antioch , who received him with great delight , and demanded of him sixty thousand bezants as liis ransom . This

Isaac agreed to pay , and sent to some wealthy men in Cyprus for the money . They sent him thirty thousand bezants , ancl upon giving up his son and daughter in security for the payment

of fche rest , Raymond set him afc liberty . Isaac thereupon departed for Cyprus , where he was joyfully received , and made the ruler of the island . Elated by this , he caused an imperial crown to be made , and himself anointed and called the Holy

Emperor . The time having arrived for the payment of the other half of his ransom , Raymond sent envoys to him demanding it . Isaac refused to pay the money to them , but placed the sum in the hands of certain Templars , as a surer mode

of conveyance to the Count . The TemjDlars accordingly departed for Antioch , but on the passage were attacked by pirates , and the money taken from them . Isaac accused Raymond of

havingcontrived this attack , ancl refused to pay twice the money . In consequence of this , his son and daughter remained two years captives in the hands of the Count of Antioch , who , finally , out of compassion , gave them their

liberty . After the battle of Jacob ' s Ford , ancl the defeat ; of the Templars , the position of the Holy Land