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Article THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. ← Page 3 of 3 Article THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. Page 3 of 3
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The Knights Templars.
the breach when the Templars and Hospitallers arrived . The Grand Master of these orders fought gallantly side by side , and the Knights forgetting all rivalry strove bravely in a united band to drive back the enemy . William de Beaujeu proposed
to the Grand Master of the Hospitallers for him to make a sortie at the head of five hundred horses and take the infidel in the rear , but he had scarce given this order when he was struck down by an arrow and fell dead amid his Kni ghts .
This was the signal of defeat . The infidel poured into the city , and the Templars retiring disputed the possession of street after street , leaving * behind thousands of their slain foes . There was not a street that did not become a scene of carnage . Full
of fury the infidel poured in ; a battle was fought for ' every tower , for every palace , for every public building . The number of the slain was so great that the survivors marched upon the dead as over a bridge . The churches were fired by the
ruthless enemy , the Christians outraged and slaughtered , and the city resounded with the shrieks of the murdered and the yells of the murderer .
Three hundred of the Knights Templars alone survived , and they retiring to the House of the Order near the sea coast , held a solemn chapter at which Theobald Guadinius was elected Grand Master . The Temple House was a remarkably
strong building , and capable of entertaining a prolonged siege . The following morning the Sultan who had already experienced the effects of the determined valour of the Templars sent to them a messenger offering terms of peace on very
favourable conditions . The terms were accepted ; a galley was to be placed at the service of the Order , who were to be permitted to take with them the Christians who had fled to their house for protection , and each one was to carry away as
much goods as he was able . The Sultan swore to observe the terms , and a banner of the infidel was hoisted in the tower . Three hundred
Musselmen were sent to execute the treaty , but these struck with the appearance of the beautiful women under the guard of the Templars , forgot the terms of surrender , and offered them violence . Thereupon the enraged Templars closing the
doors attacked the infidel , and put every one to death . The shouts of battle within the Temple House attracted the attention of the Sultan , who ordered an attack to be sounded , but this the Knights repelled , and defended themselves till the next morning , when the Grand Master sent the
The Knights Templars.
Marshal and some of the brethren with a flag of truce to explain the cause of the slaughter of the Musselmen . The angry Sultan , however , would not listen to them , but , outraging all laws of honour , ordered them all to be beheaded , and
pressed on the siege with renewed vigour . That night Gaudinius ordered the treasure of the order to be conveyed on board a galley , with the ornaments of the church , and at the head of a small party of the Knights , by a secret gate which led
to the harbour , went on board , and escaped to Cyprus . The rest of the Knights undismayed by the danger of their position , retired into the great tower of the house , named " The Tower of the Master , " where they made a most desperate
defence . The Sultan ordered up all his troops to the attack , but day after day passed without the Tower being taken , and the ground around the
scene of action lay covered with the dead bodies of the Musselmen . Never , even in the records of the Holy Land , had there been such a fierce defence . It appeared as if the souls of the dead Templars had left their places in the other world
and armed to strike one last , one glorious blow against the revilers of the Cross , to perform one of those actions , which , like the last expiring blaze of a great conflagration , thz * ows all the past light into the shade before its beams . The bravest
of the Musselmen , tempted by the promised rewards of the Sultan , fell in the attack , and at length the army was called off , and despairing of carrying it by assault , the Sultan ordered it to be undermined . At length this feat was
accomplished , but at the moment when the Musselmen were advancing to try another assault , the tower gave way , and Christian and infidel lay buried beneath the ruins .
Upon the fall of Acre the Christian fortresses fell into the hands of the Musselmen . Chateau Pelerin , Oaiphas , and Tortosa , were boldly defended by the Templars , but were at length taken and destroyed . The head quarters of the Order
were now established at Luinsso , in Cyprus . Gandinius in vain attempted to move Europe to a new Crusade , the time had gone past , and broken hearted at the loss of the Holy Land Gandinius , after a brief illness , died at Luinsso . ( To be continued . )
VICE stings us even in our pleasures ; virtue consoles us even in our pains .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Knights Templars.
the breach when the Templars and Hospitallers arrived . The Grand Master of these orders fought gallantly side by side , and the Knights forgetting all rivalry strove bravely in a united band to drive back the enemy . William de Beaujeu proposed
to the Grand Master of the Hospitallers for him to make a sortie at the head of five hundred horses and take the infidel in the rear , but he had scarce given this order when he was struck down by an arrow and fell dead amid his Kni ghts .
This was the signal of defeat . The infidel poured into the city , and the Templars retiring disputed the possession of street after street , leaving * behind thousands of their slain foes . There was not a street that did not become a scene of carnage . Full
of fury the infidel poured in ; a battle was fought for ' every tower , for every palace , for every public building . The number of the slain was so great that the survivors marched upon the dead as over a bridge . The churches were fired by the
ruthless enemy , the Christians outraged and slaughtered , and the city resounded with the shrieks of the murdered and the yells of the murderer .
Three hundred of the Knights Templars alone survived , and they retiring to the House of the Order near the sea coast , held a solemn chapter at which Theobald Guadinius was elected Grand Master . The Temple House was a remarkably
strong building , and capable of entertaining a prolonged siege . The following morning the Sultan who had already experienced the effects of the determined valour of the Templars sent to them a messenger offering terms of peace on very
favourable conditions . The terms were accepted ; a galley was to be placed at the service of the Order , who were to be permitted to take with them the Christians who had fled to their house for protection , and each one was to carry away as
much goods as he was able . The Sultan swore to observe the terms , and a banner of the infidel was hoisted in the tower . Three hundred
Musselmen were sent to execute the treaty , but these struck with the appearance of the beautiful women under the guard of the Templars , forgot the terms of surrender , and offered them violence . Thereupon the enraged Templars closing the
doors attacked the infidel , and put every one to death . The shouts of battle within the Temple House attracted the attention of the Sultan , who ordered an attack to be sounded , but this the Knights repelled , and defended themselves till the next morning , when the Grand Master sent the
The Knights Templars.
Marshal and some of the brethren with a flag of truce to explain the cause of the slaughter of the Musselmen . The angry Sultan , however , would not listen to them , but , outraging all laws of honour , ordered them all to be beheaded , and
pressed on the siege with renewed vigour . That night Gaudinius ordered the treasure of the order to be conveyed on board a galley , with the ornaments of the church , and at the head of a small party of the Knights , by a secret gate which led
to the harbour , went on board , and escaped to Cyprus . The rest of the Knights undismayed by the danger of their position , retired into the great tower of the house , named " The Tower of the Master , " where they made a most desperate
defence . The Sultan ordered up all his troops to the attack , but day after day passed without the Tower being taken , and the ground around the
scene of action lay covered with the dead bodies of the Musselmen . Never , even in the records of the Holy Land , had there been such a fierce defence . It appeared as if the souls of the dead Templars had left their places in the other world
and armed to strike one last , one glorious blow against the revilers of the Cross , to perform one of those actions , which , like the last expiring blaze of a great conflagration , thz * ows all the past light into the shade before its beams . The bravest
of the Musselmen , tempted by the promised rewards of the Sultan , fell in the attack , and at length the army was called off , and despairing of carrying it by assault , the Sultan ordered it to be undermined . At length this feat was
accomplished , but at the moment when the Musselmen were advancing to try another assault , the tower gave way , and Christian and infidel lay buried beneath the ruins .
Upon the fall of Acre the Christian fortresses fell into the hands of the Musselmen . Chateau Pelerin , Oaiphas , and Tortosa , were boldly defended by the Templars , but were at length taken and destroyed . The head quarters of the Order
were now established at Luinsso , in Cyprus . Gandinius in vain attempted to move Europe to a new Crusade , the time had gone past , and broken hearted at the loss of the Holy Land Gandinius , after a brief illness , died at Luinsso . ( To be continued . )
VICE stings us even in our pleasures ; virtue consoles us even in our pains .