Massachusetts spy and Worcester advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1823-1825, 1824-07-28
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KNIGHTS OF St. JOHN OF MALTA.
The following is an extract from a brief &C.
count Of this once famous Body, given in a
late London paper received at the Office
ofthe National Gazette:
As early as the eleventh century
| 1O48) some merchants from AImafi, in
Naples, founded a Church in Jerusalem,
and built monastery, which they ded-
icated to John the Baptisk The Monks,
who took the name of Johnannites, OF
HosPital-Brothers, were bound to take
care OF the sick and poor, and to protect
Pilgrims against the incursions of the
Saracens. This religious order, which
gradually obtained large possessions,
was, in the beginning of the 18th centu-
ry, converted into temporal or Knight
ly Order, with reservation of the Mo-
nacal Order, by the Master, Raymond
du Puy. The duties of this Order, be-
sides the VOW of obedience, chastity and
poverty, consisted in defending the
Church against the Infidels. Raymond
divided all the knights into three class
es-Knights who should bear arms
CopeItane the clergy properly SO cal
ied,) and SerDanti Parme (Arm bear
ers) The aforementioned were to take
care OF patients, and accompany pill
grims. The Order long stood its
ground against the arms of the Saracens
and Turks, but was at length expelled
from Palestine towards the end of the
18th century. 1t then conquered Cy-
prus, but lost it again, and established
itself towards the beginning Of the 18th
century, in Rhodes, in the possession of
which the Knights remained above goo
years. ExpeIiedthence by Sultan Soil
man II, 1922 they betook themselves
to Gambia, then to Venice, Rome, We
terbo, but particularly Nizza, Villa Fran
ca and Syracuse, till Charles V. in 1880
gave them Malta, with the islands of
Gozzo and Comino, under condition of
making constant war against infdels
and pirates. From thence-forward they
were generally called Knights of Malta.
Here they stood powerful attack CT
the Turks, in 1865; in which, how
ever, they suffered great loss.-They
continued their maritime warfare against
the Turks down to the latest times; but
IN 1850 had it not been for French in
reference, they would probably have
been conquered. Since that time they
were deemed Insignificant enemies, and
their fights at sea were not unfrequent-
ly sham-6ghts merely. The internal
regulation of the Order, which was
spread over all Europe, where it every
where had great possessions, was the
following The Head, vino was called
Grand Master Of the Holy Hospital of St.
John Of Jerusalem, and Guardian of the
.4rmy Of Jesus Christ, resided at Valetta,
on the Island of Malta, had the dignity
OF Prince, and received from foreign
powers the title OF .Altezza Eminentis-
Sima. He received 6OOO Scsdi a year
from the Treasury Of the Order, with
all the dues the Islands ofMalta, Coz
20, and Comino, so that his yearly in
come might amount to nearly million
OF forms. The temporal power was
principally in his hands; he was, how
ever, controlled by the heads OF the diff
ferent Tongues, who gave laws, regu-
lated taxes, &c.--The spiritual power,
that is the immediate concerns of the
Order, were managed by the Chapter,
which consisted Of eight Belivi ConUen-
tudh, and the Grand Master was Presi-
dent. On the death of Grand Master
the eight Tongues, which we shall
hereafter specify, named tweniy-one
Representatives,th these again namedt three
Electors, namely, Knight, a Priest,
and one of the SerUenti d'arme. After
these three had adopted thirteen other
members as Electors, the new Grand
Master was elected by all Of them. The
most dignitied places in the Order were
filled by the heads (Pilier,) Of the eigh;
Tongues, in which the Knights were
divided from the nations of which they
consisted.--These Tongues bad the
names Of Province, Auvergne, France,
Italy, .Arragon, Germany (the highest
Tongue) CASTLE and EngIand.-Fron
these Tongues the Bellivi ConucntuGL,
we're chosen, and their possessions were
divided into PriOrdtes, and these into
BaiIiwcks,and these again into Common.
datures. Ofthe Priorates, the German
was first, and called the Grand Prisrate
1t was filled by the German Master, who
was always a Prince of the Empire, and
resided in the Mastery Of Mergentheim
IN the castle of Neuhaus. The last
German Master was Macmillan, Electol
Of Cologne Under the German Master