811 
KNIGHTHOO D. 
by a lady, to whom he might have returned for anfwer the 
Latin word Fcrt, “ He bears itwhich became the motto of 
the order. But ferious writers, and particularly Afhmole, 
rejetl this ftory, as of too low and fcurrilous a nature for 
being tile caufe of fo interefting an event as the founda¬ 
tion of a.military order. However, when we confider the 
manners of thole times, in which, next to God, a kind of 
worlhip was paid to the ladies, we ought not to wonder 
if a bracelet or a garter be the foundation df chivalrefque 
eftablifhments. An affociation of either religious or mi¬ 
litary men is a kind of tie or bond which unites them to¬ 
gether; and it is not therefore with impropriety that l'uch 
things as a knot, a garter, or a bracelet, which are ufed 
to bind a part of the human body, fliould be ufed as a 
fyntbol to fignify an union among men. However, it ap¬ 
pears that Charles III. furnamed the Good, gave to this 
already-eftablilhed order the name of Annunciation in 
1518, and ordered that the jewel of the collar Ihould repre- 
fent the falutation of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. 
The founder had appointed the number of knights to 
be fifteen, in honour, as it is alfo laid, of the fifteen joys 
of the mother of Chrift; a fuppofition which glofies over 
the gallant anecdote above-mentioned with a religious in¬ 
tention. But Amadeus VIII. firll duke of Savoy, in 14-34, 
and duke Emanuel Philibert in 1568, added five to the 
original number; but the fovereigns were not limited in 
that particular; and might increafe the number at pleafure. 
Befides the infritution of this military order, Ama¬ 
deus VI. the founder, erefiedand endowed the Chartreufe 
of Pierre Caftle, or the Caftle of Pietra, in Bugey, diocefe 
of Bellay, where fifteen priefts were enjoined to celebrate 
every day fifteen rnafifes in honour of the fifteen joys of 
the blefled Virgin, and for the health of the fouls of him- 
felf, his predecdTors, and all pall and prefent knights of 
the order. The chif-licu, where ceremonies of invelti- 
ture and chapters of election were held, was transferred 
from Pierre Caftle to the church of St. Dominic at Mont 
Meillar ; and hence to the hermitage of the Camaldoli, or 
Camaldule, in the neighbourhood of Turin. 
Segar, in his book of “ Honor Civil and Military,” tells 
Lis, that the founder was Amadeus furnamed il Verde, in 
honour of the firll earl of Savoy, who had valoroufly de¬ 
fended the ifland of Rhodes againft the Turks; and that 
the letters F.E.R.T K are the initial letters of thefe words: 
Fortitudo Ejus Rhodum Temiit. This may be very inge¬ 
nious ; but it is entirely refuted by the very collar of the 
founder, which he gave to the religious of Hautcomb, in 
whofe facnity, or veftry as it is vulgarly called, the laid 
collar is yet preferved ; (fee Alhmole’s Order of the 
Garter ;) lor upon this curious piece of antiquity the 
Word Fert is engraved in ancient barbarous chambers, 
t not very unlike the original Welch, which 
would have been thus, MPT- Therefore it would 
be committing an anacronilm to Hate that thefe letters al¬ 
luded to the bravery of Amadeus ii Verde, who lived long 
after the prince of Savoy who wore this collar. 
As we have, from the beginning of this work, made it 
a praflice never to withhold any thing from our readers 
which may be either inftrudtive, interefting, or amufing, 
efpecially when connefled with, and tending to eluci¬ 
date, points of hillory, we mud mention what interpreta¬ 
tion was given at firll to thefe four letters, even previoully 
to Amadeus le Verd. (This furname means in Italian, as 
well as in French, not merely green, but the young, the Lively, 
theJprightly.) Some authors then are of opinion, that the 
fenfe of the motto, in French, is: Frappez, Entrcz, Rompcz 
Tout ; “ Knock, enter, break all ;” the words given at a 
fiege of a town or caftle. But this feems rather far-fetched, 
and very few people, except the adepts, might under- 
ftand it. The cabaliftic explanation, as mentioned be¬ 
fore, Fortitudo Ejus Rhodum Tenuit, “ His bravery upheld 
.Rhodes,” is not confonant with chronology, and is al¬ 
ready refuted. -The laft idea on the fubject, and which 
feems to be the molt likely, is that the letters arc not ini¬ 
tials of four words, but one word only, Fert, “He bears.” 
Whether, as vve hinted above, it was an anfwer from the 
enamoured duke to the lady who plaited her or his hair 
in a bracelet, (for there is Itill a doubt,) he or Jhe bears or 
wears it, or fome other meaning, we are not able to decide. 
The collar was to be of gold, weighing two hundred 
golden crowns, and competed of the letters intermixed 
with true-lovers’ knots, feparated by fifteen rofes of gold, 
five of them enamelled, five red, and five red and white; 
at the bottom the reprefentation of the Virgin and the 
Angel. See Plate III. 
LXI. The Order of the Argonauts of St. Nicho¬ 
las, in Naples. In the year of our Lord 1382, Charles III. 
king of Naples, being eager to keep peace and concord 
among the nobles of his kingdom, having heard of the 
great reputation which the king of England, Edward III. 
had acquired, not only by his military fucceffes, but alfo 
by the inflitution of the molt noble Order of the Garter, 
erefted this brotherly affociation; one of the characleriftics 
of which was, that, if two knights were at Variance one 
with another, and refufed to be reconciled, they were for¬ 
bidden to wear any longer the infigniaof the order. Some 
authors are of opinion, that the peculiar intention of the 
king was to encourage navigation and trade; which the 
Neapolitans, at that time, Hood in great need of; and 
consequently, the badge confided of a fhip floating on the 
water, in the midft of a ftorm, with this motto : Non credo 
tempori, I do not truft to the weather. See Plate III. 
“ In the convent adjoining to that fumptuous church 
which St. Nicholas bilhop of Smyrna had caufed to be 
built, was the grand feaft held on the anniverfary of that 
faint.” Afhmole, b. i. ch. iii. The order was extinguifhed 
with the life of its founder. 
LXII. The Order of Fools. Whether it would not 
have been much wifer to have left fuch a title for an¬ 
other, is a queftion which at fo great a difiance of time 
cannot eafily be decided; but certain it is that, under 
this whimfical denomination, Adolphus count of Clcves, 
who certainly was no fool, founded this order on the feaft 
of St. Rumbert in 1380 ; and that, although we might pre¬ 
fume the fraternity of fools to be infinite, he limited the 
number of knights to thirty-five, who were exclufively 
chofen from among the nobility. The badge which they 
wore, embroidered with filver, on the left fide of their 
fhort filken mantle, was the figure of a man habited like 
a fool, in a fhort waiftcoat and cowl of red and yellow patch¬ 
work, with morrice-bells of gold, yellow ftockings, and 
black fhoes, holding in his hand a bowl filled with fruit. 
LXIII. The Order of the Brician Knights of 
Sweden. Marcus Ant. Vianus, in his defeription of Swe¬ 
den, informs us, that a holy and virtuous queen of that 
kingdom, whom leveral authors luppofe to be St. Bridget, 
being very zealous for the honour of our Saviour Jefus 
Chrift, inllituted this order in the year 1366; and that 
pope Urban V. approved it, and gave to the knights the 
rule of St. Augultine. 
The fum of their profeffion was mod laudable; for it 
bound them to defend the Chriftian religion, tofecure the 
confines of the kingdom, bury the dead, fuccour the wi¬ 
dows and fatherlefs, and pradlile hofpitality; to which 
end the benevolent queen endowed the order \yith large 
poffefiions ; and during her reign it flourilhed with great 
repute and dignity. The chief enlign which they wore 
was a crofs fimilar to that of Malta, with a tongue of fire 
Bluing from the lower angle, as a fymbol of love and cha¬ 
rity. After the admiflion, the knights advanced accord¬ 
ing to their feniority; fo that there was a poflibility for 
the junior knight to arrive at the dignity of grand mailer. 
See Plate III. 
LX 1 V. The Order of the Golden Shield, was in- 
flituted in 1370, by Louis duke of Bourbon, upon his re¬ 
turn from England, where lie had refided feven years as 
one of the holtages for John king of France. Each knight, 
at the ceremony of his inveftiture, received a gold Ihield 
inferibed with the word Esperance, (Hope,) and tra- 
1 verfed 
