KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 



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the temple, we receive you to all the good works 

 of the order, which have been performed from the 

 beginning, and will be performed to the end, you, 

 your father, your mother, and all those of your 

 family whom you let participate therein. So you, 

 in like manner, receive us to all the good works 

 which you have performed and will perform. We 

 assure you of bread and water, the poor clothing 

 of the order, and labour and toil enow." The pre- 

 ceptor then took the white mantle, with its ruddy 

 cross, placed it about his neck, and bound it fast. 

 The chaplain repeated the one hundred and thirty- 

 second psalm, Ecce quam bonuin, and the prayer of 

 the Holy Spirit, Deus qui corda fidelium, each bro- 

 ther said a Pater, the preceptor kissed the new 

 brother, the chaplain did the same. The Templar 

 then placed himself at the feet of the preceptor, 

 and was by him exhorted to peace and charity 

 with his brother Christians; to chastity, obedience, 

 humility, and piety ; and thus the ceremony con- 

 cluded. 



The Templars had at first no clergy in their 

 body ; in spiritual matters they were subject to the 

 patriarch of Jerusalem, and attended service in the 

 church of the holy sepulchre, or they had priests 

 assigned them by the patriarch or other bishops, 

 who lived in their houses, but were subject to the 

 bishop of the diocese. But the bull, " Omne datum 

 bonum" which gave them exemption, enabled them 

 to have priests of their own, independent of the 

 prelates. These they generally took out of the 

 regular orders, chiefly the Minorites, and the mode 

 of reception was the same as that of the knights, 

 omitting such questions as did not apply to them. 

 The dress of these was white, consisting of a close- 

 fitting coat, like that of the Cistercians, with the 

 red cross on the breast ; but they could not wear 

 the white mantle, unless they enjoyed the episco- 

 pal dignity. They were appointed by the statutes 

 the best clothes of the order. Besides their spiritual 

 duties, they acted as secretaries, being possessed of 

 all the learning of the order, the knights of the 

 temple, in that point, little transcending their se- 

 cular brethren. The chaplains sat in the chapter 

 and the refectory next to the master; at table, 

 they were the first helped ; in punishment, they 

 were more gently dealt with than the knights. 



It is plain that the order, at its origin, could 

 have had no serving brethren. But when it grew 

 in consequence, and acquired lands and houses, the 

 necessity of such a class was found, and those who 

 were neither knights nor priests were admitted 

 into it. They were received nearly in the same 

 manner as the knights, with the necessary modifi- 

 cation of thje questions put to them ; they origi- 

 nally wore the white dress, till, on account of some 

 irregularity, they were assigned a black or brown 

 dress, with the distinguishing red cross. Many of 

 the serving brethren were of wealthy and respect- 

 able, though not noble families. They were di- 

 vided into two classes, the brother armour-bearers 

 and the brother artizans; the former attended the 

 knights to battle, as squires, or as foot-soldiers and 

 baggage-train; they were on a footing of great in- 

 timacy with the knights, ate in the same refectory 

 with them and the clergy, but had one dish less at 

 their table. The brother artizans lived and exer- 

 cised their trades in the service of the order, on 

 its various estates, and its various preceptories. 

 Almost every trade found its representative among 

 them ; the armourer and the cook were the most 

 distinguished. Such offices of the order as were 



beneath the dignity of the knights, were exercised 

 by the serving brethren. Thus, the preceptor of 

 the coast of Acre was always one of them, as his 

 place was a sort of commissariat, directed to the 

 shipping and unshipping of men and stores. 



It has always been, and is, we believe, at the 

 present day, a practice of the Romish church, for 

 members of the laity to attach themselves to par- 

 ticular religious orders, binding themselves to some 

 of the minor obligations, and enjoying the advan- 

 tages of its sanctity and power. These persons 

 were called Affiliated. The splendour which soon 

 surrounded the Templars, and their privilege of 

 exemption from the ill effects of interdicts, drew 

 numbers to seek to affiliate themselves with them, 

 and wealthy burghers often paid largely for these 

 advantages; married persons were not obliged to 

 put away their wives, but bound themselves to a 

 cessation of all intercourse, / and on their death 

 their whole property, reserving a provision for the 

 widow, came to the order. These brethren did 

 not wear its habit, but were bound on all occasions 

 to further its interests. The donates and oblatea 

 consisted of persons who gave themselves and their 

 property to the order, of children who were dedi- 

 cated to it and were to take the rule when of suf- 

 ficient age, or lastly, persons who vowed to serve 

 the order all their life long without reward. Even 

 princes and nobles were numbered among its don- 

 ates, who exchanged their temporal for its spiritual 

 blessings. These different classes constituted the 

 order, but numerous knights and esquires fre- 

 quently received its pay, and fought under its 

 banner. 



So large and extensive a society required nume- 

 rous officers to direct it, and regulate its affairs and 

 operations. At its head stood the grand master, 

 who, like the general of the Jesuits in modern 

 times, was independent of all authority but that of 

 the sovereign pontiff". The residence of the grand- 

 master was the city of Jerusalem ; when that city 

 was lost, he fixed his seat at Antioch, next at Acre, 

 then at the castle of the pilgrims between Caiphas 

 and Caesarea, and finally in Cyprus, for his duty 

 required him to be always in the Holy Land. The 

 jrand master never resided in Europe. It was 

 ecessary that he should be a knight, and his elec- 

 tion took place in the following manner : On the 

 death of a grand-master, a grand-prior was chosen 

 to administer the affairs of the order during the 

 nterregnum, and he, in conjunction with the prin- 

 :ipal members, fixed the day for the election of the 

 new grand-master. When the appointed day ar- 

 rived, the chapter usually assembled at the chief 

 seat of the order; three or more of the most 

 esteemed knights were then proposed, the grand- 

 )rior collected the votes for each of these, and 

 whoever had the most was nominated to be the 

 electing prior ; an assistant was then associated 

 tvith him in the person of some knight of high, 

 estimation. These two remained all night 

 alone in the chapel engaged in prayer. Early next 

 morning the knights again assembled, the mass of 

 the Holy Ghost was sung, and prayer made in the 

 hapel, and then the grand-prior exhorted the two 

 Brethren to perform their office faithfully. These 

 two then left the chapel, and chose two others -, 

 ;hese four chose two more, and so on till the num- 

 )er of twelve (that of the apostles) was com- 

 pleted. The twelve then chose a chaplain to re- 

 present our Lord. These thirteen were required 

 :o be all honest and generally esteemed men, eight 

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