The Knights Templars.

said , " Lord de Joinville , the counsel you give the King is wrong and unreasonable , for you are well aware we receive every farthing on our oath , and that we cannot make any payments but to those who give us their oaths in return . " Reginald de

Vichierius then said , *¦ Sire , don ' t attend to the dispute and contention of the Lord de Joinville and our Preceptor . It is , however , as he has said . We cannot dispose of any of the money entrusted to us , but for the means intended , without acting

contrary to our oaths , and being perjured . Know , the the Seneschal , Lord de . Joinville , has illadvised you to take by force , should we refuse you a loan ; but in this you will act as you may judge proper . Should you , however , do so , we will make ourselves amends from the wealth you have in Acre . " When Joinville heard this menace of

the Grand Marshal's , he said to the King that if it pleased Louis he would go and seek for the sum , which the King ordered him to do . He thereupon went on board one of the galleys of the Templars , and seeing a coffer demanded the

keys , which the Knights refused to give him . Joinville then seized hold of a wedge to break it open . Whereupon the Grand Marshal , seeing any further resistance would be useless , ordered the keys to be given up . Joinville thereupon took

the requisite sum , and the ransom money was completed . This was not the only occasion in which Lord de Joinville and the Templars came to words about money , for the Seneschal having received payment of a debt of four hundred livres was advised to keep forty livres for his expenses and

give the rest to the Templars m whose custody it would be safer than in his own . This Joinville died , but the money was mislaid by the Knight to whom it was given , and no statement of its having been entrusted to the care of the Order

for safe custody was made to the Grand Marshal . Joinville having spent the forty livres , sent to the Grand Marshal for a fresh supply , but his messenger was told by the Treasurer that the Templars had no money of his in their possession .

On receipt of this answer Joinville went to the Grand Marshal and having informed him of the state of the health of the King , told him of the treatment he had received at the hands of the Treasurer , and complained in a rude manner of

the Order for not returning him his money . Joinville , good Knight and sound councillor as he undoubtedly was , had an overweening idea of his

own importance , and like Wolsey was apt to write " Ego et Rex mens , " and his self-importance on this occasion nettled De Vichierius , who was worried with the charge of more important affairs . The Grand Marshal replied , " Lord de Joinville , I

love you very much , but I shall cease doing so , if you hold such language , for you seem to insinuate in your complaints that our brotherhood are thieves . " He then told him that a search would be made for his money , and when found restored

to him , but the petulant lord , not content with this answer , said he would make the matter public , as he was without a penny . To this the Grand Marshal made no reply , but wished him good morrow , and the lord left him in a fume . The Grand Marshal was indigant at this charge

made against the Templars for such a paltry sum , against men whose honour and trustworthiness had never been called in question before , and who were the repositories of millions . He ordered a search to be made , when the money was found

and returned to De Joinville , which he says " to my great joy , as I was in very great need of it , and I took good care in future not to trouble these monks with the keeping of my cash . " This is the only charge of the kind made against the .

Order , and even it is grounded on a mistake . King Louis returned with the Christians to Palestine and was received with distinguished honours by the brethren at Acre . He remained there four years . In the year 1251 a chapter general was summoned at Chateau Pelerin , when the Grand Marshal was elected to fill the vacant

Mastership . Reginald de Vichierius had already proved himself a prudent leader in the unfortunate attack upon Egypt , but unsupported by the other Christians , no great advantages were reaped under his reign , and the damning conviction broke

on the minds of the whole community that the Holy Land was doomed soon to pass away from the followers of the Cross .

The Assassins , who had been unable all this time to liberate themselves from the tribute which they had to pay to the Templars , resolved once more to attempt to free themselves from that burden . During Louis ' s residence at Acre , the Old Man of the Mountain sent ambassadors to

him , and the King one morning after mass called them before him to hear what they had to say . On their entrance to his presence the King caused them to be seated and to deliver their message , when one of the ambassadors asked the King if