Wood — The Templars in Ireland, 



329 



At first they had no church or fixed place of abode, but in 1118, 

 Baldwin, King of Jerusalem, gave them the church (which had since 

 been turned into a mosque) erected by Justinian on Mount Moriah, on 

 the south side of the so-called Temple of Solomon. This church, with 

 the adjacent buildings and the large court between it and the Temple, 

 became their headquarters until the Christians were finally driven out 

 of Jerusalem. On account of their new habitation, they called them- 

 selves Militia templi Solomonis, and they also added to their original 

 purpose the defence of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem and all the 

 sacred buildings. Baldwin induced St. Bernard, the Abbot of Clair- 

 vaux, to interest himself and the Pope in the new Order, and at the 

 Council of Troyes, in 1128, St. Bernard undertook to revise their 

 rules, and draw up a code of statutes for the government of the 

 religious and military Order of the Temple. 



By these rules, the Order was to be formed of Knights, who must 

 be of noble birth, and fratres servienfes, freres serpents, part of whom 

 bore arms, while the rest were engaged in industrial occupations. 

 The former were called fratres servientes armigeri, and were of the rank 

 of gentlemen. They were allotted one horse each, and assumed the 

 cross of the Order on their breast, when the like privilege was granted 

 to the Knights. The Knights were to wear a white mantle (as 

 emblematic of a white and pure life), but the esquires and retainers 

 were to be clothed in black or brown. They were to live simply, two 

 and two at common tables, while their meals were to be accompanied 

 by spiritual reading. They were to cut their hair close, and each 

 Knight might not have more than three horses. Tale-bearing and 

 scandal were expressly denounced ; and intercourse with women was 

 to be strictly avoided. These rules were confirmed by a Papal Bull. 

 Their original seal bore an engraving of two men riding on one horse, 

 which, according to Matthew of Paris, was emblematic of their poverty, 

 but Stow and others consider that it was symbolic of the charity of 

 the Templars in taking up a wounded knight on their horse. The 

 explanation of Matthew of Paris is hardly convincing when we know 

 that each Knight might have three horses. This seal was after- 

 wards changed to the Agnus Dei, with nimbus and banner. The 

 Templars' original banner was the Beauceaut, half black and half 

 white. 



Hugh de Payens, soon after the Council of Troyes, came to 

 England and Scotland, according to Hoveden, where he was extremely 

 well received, and took away with him much treasure and many 

 men. 



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