180 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



[No. 280. 



and you the Prior of Messina in that other place, 

 wltliout prejudice to any farther claims," pointing 

 to the places with his finger where they were to 

 be seated. The position assigned to the Prior of 

 England was the more distinguished because it 

 was immediately below the Marshal, who is second 

 Bailiff of the convent ; and that of the Prior of 

 Messina was inferior from being below that of the 

 Admiral, who is the fourth in rank amongst the 

 bailiffs of the convent. In which decision the 

 said Priors acquiesced, and having each kissed the 

 cross held by the Grand Master in token of 

 obedience, they occupied the seats allotted to 

 them without making any reply. And when 

 shortly after they were called upon to vote, con- 

 cerning a matter that was being discussed by the 

 council, the Prior of England spoke first, and after 

 him the Prior of Messina, 



When the proceedings of the council had been 

 terminated in the manner above described, a con- 

 siderable number of knights who were waiting out- 

 side, and were on this occasion more numerous than 

 Tisual in consequence of the interest excited by the 

 controversy, entered the hall on the door being 

 opened, and found the councillors seated, and the 

 Priors each in his appointed place. So that whilst 

 the Vice-Chancellor was collecting the documents 

 and memorials of the sitting, as is customai-y, it 

 was publicly noticed that the Prior of England 

 was the second from the left hand, and the Prior 

 of Messina the third from the right hand of the 

 Most Illustrious and Most Reverend the Grand 

 Master ; which scene, besides narrating as above, 

 I thought proper to represent in painting, as well 

 to preserve a memorial of so wise and prudent a 

 decision, as that so excellent an example should be 

 imitated whenever controversies arise respecting 

 pre-eminence, which pre-eminence is so honour- 

 able to the reputation, and absolutely necessary 

 for the peace of this convent. 

 Thus it is. 



F. Oliver Starket. 

 This English Knight also states, that he was 

 present at all the transactions above related, and 

 was an eye-witness of the whole scene as he has 

 described. Sir Richard Shelley continued with 

 the Grand Master John de la Valetta, until his 

 decease ; but on the appointment of his successor, 

 John de Capua, he left Malta, and went to reside 

 in Venice. While at Venice he was employed to 

 negotiate the revocation of certain new imposts 

 levied on the Levant traders, and most probably 

 died in that city, as in one of his letters, dated 

 August 24th, 1582, he describes his age to have 

 been " three score years and eight," and his health 

 infirm.* This truly noble, devout, and Christian 

 Knight was the last Grand Prior of England f , 



* Plaj'fair's Baronett., vol. vi. p. 32. 



f Nero. E. VI. contains a roll of tlie Grand Priors of 



in the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, as he was 

 the last Turcopolier of his language. 



Shelley, John, uncle of the above-named Sir 

 Richard Shelley, was a Knight of St. John, and 

 slain at the capture of Rhodes by the Turks. 



Starkep, Oliver, was the Latin secretary of the 

 Grand Master La Valetta, and one of the few 

 English Knights who was present throughout the 

 famous siege of Malta, by the Turks, "in 1565. 

 Owing to his great destitution, he was granted a 

 pension of one hundred scudi a year (8Z. ISs. 4d.}. 

 Sir Oliver wrote the chaste and classical inscrip- 

 tion which was engraven on the monument of 

 La Valetta, at the foot of which, in a small chapel 

 under St. John's Church, his remains were in- 

 terred.* His burial in such a place, as a simple 

 knight, was a high honour paid to his memory. 



W. W. 



Malta. 



(To be continued.') 



liEGENDS OF THE CO. CLARE. 



Among the most celebrated characters of an- 

 tiquity, there is not one whose fame is more 

 widely spread throughout Ireland than that of the 

 " Gobawn Saer," whose skill as an architect was 

 only equalled by the lessons of wisdom which 

 dropped from his lips, many of which are to this 

 day current among the peasantry through the 

 length and breadth of the land. " Once upon a 

 time," as the Gobawn and his son were on their 

 travels, they came to a place where there was a 

 palace in progress of erection for the king of the 

 country, and they turned aside to inspect the 

 work. At the moment of their arrival the work- 

 men were engaged in putting up the beams which 

 joined together by pegs from the " couples " of 

 the roof; this, from the height and size of the 

 building, happened to be a most laborious and 

 dangerous task. The Gobawn having looked on 

 at their ill-planned efforts for some time, took up 

 an axe, and laying his glove down as a block, 

 quickly fashioned a number of pegs; then flinging 

 them up one by one to the places already pierced 

 in the couples for their reception, he threw the 

 hatchet at each, and drove it home with unerring 

 aim ; then taking up his glove uninjured, pro- 

 ceeded quietly on his way, leaving the workmen 

 lost in amazement. The king came in presently, 

 and having been told of the wonderful exploit, 

 immediately declared that no one but the Gobawn 

 Saer could have done this, and immediately de- 

 spatched messengers to bring him back, and offer 

 him any remuneration he might require to corn- 

 England, and also a list of all the benefactions made to 

 the Order in that country, with the names of the bene- 

 factors, and other interesting information. 

 ♦ Vide « N. & Q.," Vol. viii., p. 192. 



