KNIGHTHOOD. 
and fupporting the pix or flirine in which the drops of the 
blood of Chrilt are fuppoled to be preferved. A great 
deal has been written and faid upon the genuinenefs of 
thefe drops, which were for feveral centuries the object of 
public veneration ; but it is impoflible for us to allow any 
kind of credit to l'uch legendary ttories. Since the revo¬ 
lution in Italy, we hear nothing of the order, and fuppofe 
it to be extinCt, or exilting only in thofe individuals who 
had been invelied with the dignity before the all-lubverting 
Itonn of the French revolution. See Plate IV. 
XCV. The Order of Jtsus and Mary, in Italy. 
This order was founded in 1615, by pope Paul V. The 
knights were fworn to defend the holy fee againft all infi¬ 
dels and heretics; and, for the better executing of that 
purpofe, every member of the fraternity was obliged to keep 
a horl'e ready capariloned, a fword and a lance; befides a 
fervant armed with a firelock. The badge conlilted in a 
crofs of eight points, in lhape like that of the order of 
Malta, enamelled red, the edges gold. In the centre the 
three firit letters of the name of our Saviour in Greek, 
I H S. with a circumflex in the lhape of the Greek SI, 
not (as Edmondion mod improperly repeats after ignorant 
authors) alluding to the Virgin Mary, but as a mere lign 
to intimate that the word is Ihortened. This monogram 
is very ancient, and is found commonly in the centre 
of roles at the interfeCtions of ogee branches in the roofs 
•of Gothic religious buildings. 
XCVI. The Order of the Conception of the 
Virgin Mary, instituted in Germany. Charles de Gon- 
zague of Cleves, duke of Nivernois, was the founder of 
this order, anno 1618, in honour of the immaculate con¬ 
ception of the mother of Chrilt, who is fuppoled to have 
been exempted, by a fpecial favour of the Almighty, 
from the original ftain which the fin of our firit parents 
had entailed on their polterity. Pope Urban VIII. con¬ 
firmed the order in 1624. The badge was a crofs of eight 
points, like that of the preceding order, made of gold, 
and enamelled blue. On the centre a medallion radiated 
with gold, and thereon the image of the Virgin ftanding; 
her hands crofted upon her brealt, her feet reiting upon 
a crefcent, the points upwards, and her head encircled 
with twelve liars argent; according to the delcription 
given by the prophet of Patinos in the Revelation. The re¬ 
verie of the medal was alfo enamelled, and reprel'ented, in 
its proper colours, St. Michael trampling on the dr.sgon. 
The whole fui rounded with the cordon of St. Francis of 
AfTilfi, tied at the bottom. The knights wore this badge 
hanging from a lky-blue filk ribbon. 
XCVII. The Order of the Virgin, in Italy. Three 
brothers, Peter, John-Baptift, and Bernard-Petrigna, in- 
ftituted this order in 1618, and obtained of pope Paul 
V. to confirm it. The badge was a crofs flory of lky-blue 
latin powdered with lilver, each end of the crofs charged 
with a radiated liar. On the centre, within a circle, a ci¬ 
pher made of the two initial letters S. and M. for the 
words Santta Maria-, over it a celeltiai crown compoled of 
gold ftars- Around the circle the motto. In hoc Jigno 
vincam. This order is alfo called of the Annunciadc, or the 
Chrijlian Militia-, and is often confounded by authors with 
that of the Immaculate Conception. 
XCVIII. The Order of the Celestial Collar of 
the Holy Rosary, in France. It was inllituted, for 
ladies only, at the requeft of father Francis Arnoul, a 
Dominican, by queen Anne of Aultria, widow of Louis 
XIII. and mother of Louis XIV. The French nobility 
being at that time divided in factions which had arifen 
from the feuds in the preceding centuries, and under the 
minorities of both the kings jult mentioned, the queen 
regent thought it advifable to inlfitute a fort of affociation 
in order to unite as much as pofiible the families of the 
nobility ; and the badges were delivered to fifty young 
ladies of the firit rank. Thefe badges confilfed of a blue 
ribbon enriched with white, red, and maiden’s-blufh roles, 
interlaced with the capital letters A V in a cipher, and pen¬ 
dent on the brealt by a filk cordon ; a crofs of eight points 
.ppmmeiee, and at each angle a fieur-de-lis; on the medai- 
Vol.XI. No. 79S. 
81 ? 
lion the image of the Virgin Mary, and on the reverfi? 
St. Dominic. 
XCIX. The Order of the Death-head, in Silefia, 
Surely nothing can be more melancholy than the title and 
badge of this order; nor is it pofiible for us to difcover why 
Silvius Nimrod duke of Wurtemberg, who inftituted 
it in 1662, fhould have given it fuch a denomination, 
and efpecially when we add, that it was created for wo¬ 
men as well as for men. By the motto, we have to un- 
derftand that this religious fraternity was founded in or¬ 
der to iinprefs the mind of his fubjeCts that they fhould, 
by the confideration of death, avoid every ad ion which :» 
not acceptable to the Almighty. It had fallen into ne- 
glett and diferedit, when, in 1709, Louiia-Elizabeth, wi¬ 
dow of Philip duke of Saxe Mafburg, and younger daugh¬ 
ter of the founder, revived it, and brought it again into 
great reputation. The badge confuted m a death-head 
enamelled white, above it a crofs patee fable, and above 
again another crofs plain and compofed of five large jew¬ 
els, by which it hangs to a black ribbon edged white, 
On the ribbon was embroidered the motto of the order : 
Memento mori-, “Think of death.” See Plate IV. 
C. The Order of the Amarantha, was inllituted 
by queen Chriftiana of Sweden in 1645, or as others 
fay in 1653. She was the daughter of Gultavus Adol¬ 
phus, fumamed the Great ; and created this order to da 
honour to an intimate f riend of her's, a lady of that name;, 
who was as commendable for her beauty and modefty as 
lor her courage and charity. The badge was a jewel of 
gold of a circular form, in the centre of which the letter 
A was furmounted by another reverfed, very much ii« 
the manner in which vve find them in ancient gothic 
fculptures as a cipher of the Virgin Mary, and alluding to 
the falutation of the angel Gabriel; Ave, Maria. Hence 
we are inclined to infer that the Chriitian name of the re¬ 
vered lady, in w hole honour this order was inftituted, and 
whole family furnameweare ignorant of, mull have been 
Mary. This cipher was furrounded with a wreath of laurel- 
leaves entwined by a ribbon, white. On the other fide 
were the words Dolce nella memoria, “ Of fweet memory.” 
The ceremony of inveftiture is recorded minutely by 
feveral authors. It feems that on the day of the l'olemnity 
the candidate was brought before the altar by two knights, 
where he knelt before the queen, who, taking his hands 
in her own, adminiltered to him the oath required by the 
flatutes. Several crowned heads received the honour of 
this order of knighthood, which exifted for many year* 
in great repute and dignity. The flower Amaranlhus, be¬ 
ing one of thofe few which never wither or fade, bear* 
with it an idea of fomewhat amiable and romantic, and 
feems naturally fit to give a title to an affociation, the in¬ 
tention of which was to record and perpetuate the me¬ 
mory of the immortal worth of a virtuous female friend. 
Cl. The Order of Concord. The only interefting 
faCf we can obtain on this article is, that the order wa* 
inftituted by Chriftian-Erneft margrave of Brandenburg, in 
the year 1660. Its name gives us fufticient reafon to lup* 
pofe, that this affociation had for its ultimate end to unite 
the princes of Germany in the bonds of cordiality and 
friendfhip. The badge was a crofs of eight points ena¬ 
melled white; in the middle thereof a medal bearing two 
olive-branches palling through two crowns faltirewife, and 
circumfcribed with the word Concordans. On the re* 
verf'e are the name of the inftitutor and the period of 1 the 
creation of the order, The crols is furmounted with an 
electoral cap or crown. See Plate IV. 
CII. The Order of the Ladies Slaves to Virtue, 
in 166a. The emprefs Eleanor created this fort of order 
at Vienna for thirty ladies of noble families, with an in¬ 
tent to promote piety and religion in her court. The 
badge was the fun in fplendour, with a chaplet of laurel 
enamelled vert, with this motto: Sol ubique triumphal. 
CIII. The Order of the Starry Cross, inftituted 
by the fame emprefs for ladies only. The badge was a 
medal of gold chafed and pierced ; in the centre was the 
imperial eagle, and over all a crols furmounted with the 
9 Y monogram 
