580 



KNIGHTS TEMPLARS. 



of them knights, four serving brethren, and one 

 priest. Having been sworn by the grand-prior to 

 act justly and honestly in their office, the thirteen 

 retired, and after invocation of the Holy Spirit, 

 commenced the election. The majority of voices 

 decided ; if they could not agree, the prior and 

 one of the knights returned to the chapter to an- 

 nounce their disagreement, and prayer was made 

 for the grace of the Holy Ghost. When the elec- 

 tion was made, it was announced to the assembled 

 brethren, ami when all had promised obedience to 

 the new grand-master, the electing prior asked the 

 grand-prior and some of the most distinguished 

 knights, if they would, if chosen, promise obedience 

 during life to the chapter, and to maintain the 

 manners and usages of the order. On receiving a 

 satisfactory reply, the prior, if the person chosen 

 was present, said to him " In the name of God the 

 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, we have 

 chosen, and do choose thee, brother N., to be our 

 master." Then, turning to the brethren, he said, 

 " Beloved sirs and brethren, give thanks unto God, 

 behold here our master." The chaplains then re- 

 cited the Te Deum, the brethren stood up, and 

 led the master before the altar in the chapel, 

 where, with prayer and singing, the election was 

 closed. 



The power of the grand-master was consider- 

 able, though he was very much controlled by the 

 chapter, without whose consent he could not dis- 

 pose of any of the higher offices, or undertake any 

 thing of importance. He could not, for instance, 

 take money out of the treasury, without the con- 

 sent of the prior of Jerusalem; he could neither 

 make war or truce, or alter laws, but with the ap- 

 probation of the chapter. But the grand-master 

 had the right of bestowing the small commands, the 

 governments of houses of the order, and of select- 

 ing the brethren who should form the chapter, 

 which power was again controlled by there being 

 always assigned him two brethren as assistants, 

 who, with the Seneschal, were to form a part of 

 every chapter. The order was aristocratic rather 

 than monarchic; the grand-master was like a Doge 

 of Venice, and his real power chiefly depended on 

 his personal qualities ; he had, however, many dis- 

 tinctions ; the greater part of the executive power 

 was in his hands in war he was the commander- 

 in-chief ; he had, as vicar-general of the pope, epis- 

 copal jurisdiction over the clergy of the order; he 

 ranked with princes, and his establishment corres- 

 ponded thereto ; he had for his service four horses, 

 a chaplain, two secretaries, a squire of noble birth, 

 a farrier, a Turcopole and cook, with footmen, and 

 a Turcoman for a guide, who was usually fastened 

 by a cord to prevent his escape. When the grand- 

 master died, his funeral was celebrated with great 

 solemnity by torch-light, all the knights attend- 

 ing. 



The chief officers of the order at Jerusalem were 

 1. the Seneschal, that is, the deputy of the grand- 

 master; he had, like the master, the seal of the 

 order, and had the same retinue with him ; 2. the 

 Marshal, who was the general, carried the banner 

 of the order, and regulated every thing relating to 

 war; the horses and equipments of the order were 

 under him ; he had four horses, two esquires, a 

 serving brother, and a Turcopole; 3. the Treasurer; 

 4. the Drapier, who provided and regulated the 

 clothing of the brethren ; he had four horses, two 

 esquires, and a servant to pack and unpack his 

 goods; 5. the Turcopoler, who commanded the 



light cavalry of squires and serving brethren, who 

 were called Turcopoles, the name given by tho 

 Greeks to those who were born of a Turk and a 

 Christian, and who were employed as light troopt 

 in the imperial service; 6. the Prior or Jerusalem, 

 whose office was, with ten knights, to accompany 

 and protect the pilgrims on their way to the Jor- 

 dan, and to guard the cross whenever it was brought 

 into the field. AH secular knights, who were 

 friends to the order, fought under his banner ; he 

 too had four horses, two esquires, a serving brother, 

 a secretary, and a Turcopole. 



Each province of the order had a grand-prior, 

 who represented in it the grand-master; each house 

 had its prior or preceptor at its lu-ad, who com- 

 manded its knights in war, and presided over its 

 chapters in peace. Various offices were filled by 

 serving brethren, such as those of sub-marshal, 

 standard-bearer, farrier, and, as already noticed, 

 prior of Acre. The standard-bearer commanded 

 those esquires who were not brethren of the order; 

 he rode before the standard, which was borne by an 

 esquire, or was carried on a carriage; he was as- 

 signed two horses. 



To complete this sketch of the order of the 

 Templars, it is necessary to take a view of the 

 extent of their possessions in the east and in the 

 west. These they divided into provinces; those 

 in the east were 



1. Jerusalem, in which were 1. the Temple at 

 Jerusalem ; 2. the Castle of the Pilgrims ; 3. that 

 of Saphet at the foot of Tabor; 4. their house at 

 Acre; 5. the Castle of Gaza, and eight or more 

 other houses and castles. 



2. Tripolis, in which they had houses at Tortosa, 

 Laodicea, Tyre, Sidon, and Berytus. 



3. Antiocb, their establishments in which are 

 not known. 



4. Cyprus, which became their chief seat after 

 the loss of Acre. 



In the west they had 1. the province of Portu- 

 gal, where their chief seat was Tomar; 2. Castil^ 

 and Leon, in which they had twenty-four preccp- 

 tories; 3. Arragon, where they had also consider- 

 able possessions; 4. France and Auvergne, includ- 

 ing Flanders and the Netherlands ; 5. Normandy ; 

 6. Aquitaine or Poitou ; 7- Provence. These four 

 provinces (somewhat, more than modern France) 

 were the chief seats of the Templars, in which 

 their lands and houses were exceedingly nume- 

 rous and extensive ; 8. England, (including Scot- 

 land and Ireland) where they had several houses, 

 as in London, York, Warwick, Lincoln, Boling- 

 broke, &c. and the grand-prior sat in the parliament 

 of the realm; 9. Upper Germany, containing Austiia, 

 Bavaria, Swabia, Franconia, Alsatia, Lorraine, and 

 the Rhinelands; 10. Brandenburg, containing Po- 

 land, Saxony, Westphalia, Thuringia, &c. ; 11. 

 Bohemia and Moravia; 12. Upper and Middle 

 Italy; 13. Apulia and Sicily. 



We thus see that, except Scandinavia (for they 

 had some possessions in Hungary) there was not a 

 country in Europe in which the lavish piety of 

 princes and nobles had not bestowed on the Tem- 

 plars a considerable portion of the wealth of the 

 state ; for in every province the order had its 

 churches and chapels the number of which was 

 in the year 1240 as great as 1050 villages, farm- 

 houses, mills, cornlands, pastures, woods, rights of 

 venison and fisheries. The revenues of the Tem- 

 plars in England in 1185, as given by Dugdale, will 

 atford some idea of their wealth. The entire 



