The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1876-06-24

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THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR.
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Something over eight hundred years
ago-and the world has moved fast since
then-two French knights, joining with
them seven others, started out as an es-
cort to pilgrims to Jerusalem. Baldwin
II, the then King Of the crusadlng occua
patton Of that ancient town, welcomed
them warmly and gave them lodgings
near the supposed site ofsthe temple of
Solomon ,of Era and OF Herod. Their
numbers increased until, finally, St
Bernard Of Clairyaux, drew up for them
rules of life, and they became that curl
GUS complex, monastic soldiers. In the
year 1921, after fight of nearly two
hundred years, they were driven from
Acre, their last hold IN iSyris, with
fnghtfal slaughter, and handed in the
island of Cyprusssith the knightsof ST.
John: All over Europe at this time the
order was lush with stately houses OF
convocation and immense wealth. The
kings Of Europe about then were exceed
ingTy short Of cash, ana Phillip the fafr,
of France, having persuaded the Pope
Clements W to issue a bull authorizing
an inquiry into the morals ands purposes
iofsthe orders took al once occasion to
squeeze out, of the. unfortunate knights
all that the terrible torture of. the day
could bring forth. Says an ancient
chronicle: The grand master of the CT
devant order Of the temple and three
etier tsmplasss the visitor Of France and
the rgrand masters of-Narmandy and
aquitainess the rights sspsonsunciag
defnitiye jndgmept against whom the
Pope had reserved to himself appeared
before the archbishop Of Sens and an as,
sembiY 81 other Prelates and doctors Of
divine and canon iaw, convened for this
peciaF pufPcsezat Paris The four shove
named thsuhs.i.gP ublisly and sslemnly
acknowledged thserinaes withwhichthey
were accused were condemned to be
burned TO the stake, and we're according
" with all due solewnity, roasted 70
death, Between, his arrest and execution,
Jacques de Moiay, Grand Master of the
Templars, as weak as Cranmer under
Mary of England, first, in fear of pain
and torture, told Or attempted to tell all
he knew, and yet when the stake faced
him died ~ game a. only men can die.
The story Of the. martyr was this, and
how true the traditions of the Templars
are, and how true the claim of those who
use their name to-day is to wear It, can
only be known by those who can see in
tho old, old story of centuries back
story they can understand:
: One of the witnesses, a Templar under
the torture, deposes that when he refused
to defy God and spit upon the Cross, Ray
neud de Brignolles said to him, laugh
ingly: Compose yourself, it is only a
farce" In the important deposition of
the preceptor of Aquitaine there are Civ
en- the details of d ceremony of the times,
together with an explanation of its orr
gin.f Che knight who initiated the candi-
date, having first invested him with a
cloak, Of the order. presented him with a
crucifx ON mass book, and told him to
deny Christ nailed to the cross. When
in great,terror he refused, crying ont
ALIAS, my God s why should ! do. so3 Il
will in no wise doit.n9 "Doa it without
fear" replied the other, :" swear by my
souis that you sF1al sustain sno injury
either in soul or conscience, for it is a
Of the order, inttoduoede by a
wicked grand master, who being taken a
prisoner ~ "a soldan, could obtain his
liberty only BY taking HIS oatii to make
ar further candidates for admission
into the order adjure Christ after this fash
ion, which has been ever since, and 50
you may, well dot, and resisted the more,
and asked for his uncle and other worthy
persons who had brought him there. But
the other replied q They. are gone and
you must do what order you" And
still be would not. Seeing his determi-
nation. the knight then said to him; :" If
yQuwiN take your oatb on Gods holy
gospskthateyoal'wAl tell all the brothers
oftheerder thstyOu have done all that !
hsve directed, xviii dispense with your
going through the eeremony:" - And the
gave his zprouise aud oath.
Being asked if, he had ordained any
brothers, he said he. had entereda few on
accenItpf this irrevsrsnts acts which was
to their sreception.& s However,
be sid that he had made Ave knights
When asked whether he had made them
adjsire:. chfist, he swore thathe had spared
them in the same way that he had been
spared himself; and one day, when he
was in the chapel hearing mass, brother
Bernard said to him, Sir, a certain plot
is Matching against, you; a paper has
already been drawn up informing the
grand master and the rest that in receiv-
ing brethren, into the order you. do not
observe the forms which YOU are bound
to observe =" and deponent thinks this
was for sparingg the feelings of the
Knights Adjured to tell the origin of
this strange blindness in denying Christ,
he answered on his oath-semc of the