810 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
Entrance to the Choir. 
Duke Duke ' Duke r,-, 
of of of c \ 1 ’? 
Sufiex. Kent. York. ove.c 0 
Altar. 
1 lie Prince Duke, Duke Duke 
of Wales, of of of 
Regent. Clarence. Cumberland. Cambridge. 
Duke of Gloucefter. 
Eleftcr of Hefle. 
Duke of Marlborough. 
Marquis of Buckingham. j 
Duke of Northumberland. 
Earl of Chatham. 
Marquis of Salisbury. 
Earl of Weftmoreland. 
Earl of Carlille. 
Earl Spencer. 
g Earl Camden. 
Duke of Rutland. 
Earl of Hardwicke. 
Duke of Beaufort. 
Marquis of Abereorn. 
Earl of Pembroke. 
Earl of Winchilfea. 
Earl of Chefterfield. 
Marquis of Stafford. 
Marquis of Hertford. 
Earl of Lonfdale. 
Marquis Wellefiey. 
Duke of Richmond. 
Duke of Montrofe. 
Vacant. 
Vacant. 1 
1 
LVI. The Order of the Star, in France. No fooner 
had the moil noble Order of the Garter been inftituted in 
England, than the fame of it pervaded the whole of Eu¬ 
rope, and excited feveral princes either to revive old efta- 
blifhments of the kind, or to create new ones. John II. 
king of France, llimulated by the example of our Ed¬ 
ward III. whole bravery he had frequent occafion to ex¬ 
perience, as hiftory does clearly prove, inftituted the Or¬ 
der of the Star in 1351, about thirteen years before his 
death, which happened in London, whither he came upon 
motives the molt honourable, as related in our article 
France, vol. vii. p. 682. But, Louis XI. having infti¬ 
tuted the Order of St. Michael, his fon Charles VIII. 
abolilhed the Order of the Star. The enfign was the four 
capital letters M.R.A.V. embroidered in gold within a 
Equate on the left breaft of the knight’s garment, and be¬ 
tween the letters a mulletof five points. SeePlatell. The 
collar was compofed of three rows of gold chains, thereon 
rofes white and red, and placed alternately. The mean¬ 
ing of the four letters is explained in feveral ways ; the 
molt confonant to reafon is that they are the initials of 
the firft words of an hymn of the Latin church, addrefled 
to the Virgin Mary, AVe MaRis stella'; “Hail, ftar of 
the fea ;” which French and Italian failors generally fing 
in the morning, when at fea, a little before fun-rife. This 
interpretation is confirmed by the fliape of the badge, re- 
prefenting the planet Phofphorus or morning-liar, an em¬ 
blem of the mother of Chrift, as fhe brought to the world 
the Sun of our faith, and the Author of our falvation. 
LVII. The Order of the Ear of Corn and Er¬ 
mine. The fame reafon which prompted the dukes of 
Britany to adopt a white field ftrewed with ermine fpots 
for their armorial bearing, moll likely induced Francis I. 
to afiume the little animal of that name for the badge of 
the order he inftituted in the year 1331; and, the number 
of the knights of which he compofed this military affoci- 
ation being the fame as that of the knights of the Garter, 
it is natural to fuppofe that he was impelled, in doing fo, 
by the example of the king of England, Edward III. who 
had a few years before founded that order. The badge 
confided of an ermine enamelled in its proper colours, 
upon a mount vert, with this motto around the mount; 
A ma vie, “To my life.” The collar was compofed of ea.s 
of corn interlaced gold. The meaning of the motto, 
“To my life,” was, that he (the founder) would rather 
lofe his life than do any thing difgraceful to himfelf or 
the order. 
LVIII. The Order of the Star, in Sicily. In 1351, 
the princes of the illuftrious houfe of Anjou being driven 
out of the kingdom of Naples, and Sicily falling under 
the dominion of the kings of Arragon, this order was 
erefited inftead of that of the Crefcent, which then was en¬ 
tirely abolilhed. However, this did not laft long ; but 
thared the fame fate which the order it had replaced. 
The badge was a crofs of eight points, not unlike that of 
Malta, l'urmounted with a mullet of the fame number of 
points. SeePlatell. 
LIX. The Order of the Knot, or du Nceud, at 
Naples. When Louis king Hungary determined upon 
fighting againlt Joan queen of Naples, and took an expe¬ 
dition to Italy, not fo much in the view of depriving her 
of her kingdom, as to revenge the death of his brother 
Andrew, whom fine was fufpefiled to have commanded to 
be ftrangled,— he made war three years ; after which, com¬ 
ing to an undefftanding, the queen and Louis prince of 
Tarentum, by the confent of pope Clement VI. were 
crowned king and queen of that realm ; and, on account 
of fo happy an event, the prince inftituted, on that day, 
the -26th of May, 1351, the Order of the Knot, to take 
away all lufpicions and enmities. The plan was molt 
agreeable to the nobility; and feventy of the illuftrious 
lords of Naples, befides foiue ftrangers, entered into the 
lift of the knights. The habit was white, and the badge 
a true-lover’s knot intermixed with gold. It was not an 
unufual thing that the orders fhould expire at the death 
of their refpe&ive founders; this had the fame fate. 
It was fometimes called the Order ol the Ploly Gboft ; or, 
in French, I’Ordre du St. Efprit au droit defir ; on account 
of its having been created at Whitfuntide. 
LX. The Order of the Annunciation, or.Annun- 
ciade, in Savoy. Amadeus VI. count of Savoy, inftituted 
this order, and called it the Collar. According to fome an¬ 
cient authors, this order had a gallant anecdote for its ori¬ 
gin, being occafioned by a bracelet of hair fent to the count 
