KNIGHTS. 



in its then slate, being of an active and 

 military turn, formed the plan of convert- 

 ing 1 them into knights, captains, and ser- 

 vants; he marshalled them into bands, 

 invented banners, and led them on against 

 the Turks, as knights of the order of St. 

 John of Jerusalem ; they fought with 

 great bravery ; but the inferiority of their 

 numbers occasioned frequent defeats, and 

 they were at length compelled to give up 

 their possessions to the conqueror Sala- 

 dine : after a continued series of toils and 

 misfortunes, and a constancy in the cause 

 of religion which did them great honour, 

 they were finally expelled from the Holy 

 Land, in the year 1292. 



The master and brethren fled to the 

 island of Cyprus, where they employed 

 their leisure in framing statutes for the 

 government of the order ; but recurring 

 to their former military pursuits, they at- 

 tacked Rhodes in 1308, which, with seven 

 other islands, soon fell into their posses- 

 sion ; they then assumed the addition of 

 Rhodes to their previous titles; there 

 they flourished for a very considerable 

 length of time, and resisted the Turks 

 with equal bravery and skill ; but Sultan 

 Soliman, having determined at all events 

 to dislodge them, he assembled an army 

 of 300,000 men, with which he invaded 

 the island, and, after six months incessant 

 fatigue and excessive loss, he succeeded 

 in expelling them. The Emperor Charles 

 V. gave them Malta at this critical sera, to 

 which island the knights retired in 1523. 

 There they underwent repeated invasions 

 from the Turks, and obtained the admi- 

 ration of all nations, for their invincible 

 courage and address in repelling their 

 attacks. The Knights of Malta, as they 

 were now called, might have remained 

 for centuries to come in quiet possession 

 of their island, had they not been disturb- 

 ed by a power they had little reason to 

 dread till very lately r their surrender of 

 it to the arms of France has been the 

 means of placing it in the possession of 

 England, and the order may be consider- 

 ed as almost extinct. 



Jordan Brisset introduced the order in- 

 to England, by founding the Priory of St. 

 John, at Clerkenwell, where it flourished 

 till the general dissolution of religious 

 houses by Henry VIII. It will be suffi- 

 cient to add, from Malcolm's " Londini- 

 um," " Camden says, that the priors were 

 held equal in rank to the first barons of 

 the realm ; and their riches certainly en- 

 abled them to support their splendour of 

 living. Such was their power and influ- 



ence, that Edward III. thought it neces- 

 sary, in the fortieth year of his reign, to 

 appoint Richard de Everton visitor of the 

 hospitals of this order in England and 

 Ireland, to repress their insolence, and to 

 enforce propriety of conduct ; which ap- 

 pointment was repeated five years after 

 by the same king." 



KXIGHT originally signified a servant ; 

 but there is now but one instance where 

 it is taken in that sense, and that is knight 

 of a shire, who properly serves in parlia- 

 ment for such a county ; but in all other 

 instances, it signifies one who bears arms ; 

 who for his virtue and martial prowess is 

 by the king or one having his authority, 

 exalted above the rank of gentleman to 

 an higher step of dignity. They were 

 called milites, because they formed a part 

 of the royal army, by virtue of their feudal 

 tenures ; one condition of which was, 

 that every one who held a knight's fee 

 immediately under the crown, (which, in 

 the reign of Edward II. amounted to 20/. 

 per annum) was obliged to be knighted. 

 He was also to attend the king in his wars, 

 or fined for his non-compliance. The exe- 

 cution of this prerogative, as an expedi- 

 ent to raise money, in the reign of Charles^ 

 I. gave great offence, though then war-' 

 ranted by law, and the recent example of 

 Queen Elizabeth : it was, therefore, abo- 

 lished by 16 Charles I. c. 20. Consider- 

 able fees accrued to the king on the per- 

 formance of the ceremony. King Edward 

 VI. and Queen Elizabeth had appointed 

 commissioners to compound with the per- 

 sons who had lands to the amount of 40Z. 

 a year, and who declined the honour and 

 expence of knighthood. 



KNIGHTS banneret. These knights are 

 only made in the time of war. They are 

 ranked next after the barons ; and their 

 precedence before the younger sons of 

 viscounts was confirmed by James I. in 

 the tenth year of his reign. But, to enti- 

 tle them to this rank, they must be creat- 

 ed by the king in person in the field, un- 

 der the royal banners, in time of open 

 war ; otherwise they rank after baronets. 



KNIGHT service, a tenure where several 

 lands were held of the King, which draws 

 after it homage and service in war, escu- 

 age, ward, marriage, &c. but is taken 

 away by statute 12 Charles II. c. 24. 



KNOT, means the divisions of the log- 

 line used at sea. These are usually se- 

 ven fathoms, or forty-two feet ; they ought 

 to be fifty feet, and then as many knots as 

 the log-line runs out in half a minute, so 

 many miles does the ship sail in an hour, 



